Aki leaned on the railing at the edge of the ship- probably a bad idea, but then again, Garmadon had done it once and it hadn't broken, so he figured it was alright.
Four hours until they reached the Golden Peaks.
He exhaled quietly. Four hours. That wasn't a lot of time.
Garmadon was going to be there. Aki's chest got a little tighter at the thought, but he shook it off. He wasn't scared.
He wasn't.
...he was.
What would happen to him if he died?
The wind ruffled his hair, blowing a strand of it directly into his face. He brushed it away in annoyance, taking a step away from the edge of the ship.
"Hello Aki," someone said from behind him- Zane? Again? He turned around.
"What do you want?"
"How are you doing?" The white ninja asked, his eyes filled with some emotion Aki couldn't describe- kindness?
"Terrible, go away." Aki scowled, trying to understand why Zane keeps trying to be nice to him.
He didn't need it.
He didn't deserve it.
Why, after how much pain he'd caused the people who were supposed to be his- Kai's- teammates, why would any of them show him kindness?
Aki's breath caught in his throat and he took a step back, pressing his hands into the familiar wood of the ship's railing. A splinter pierced the palm of his hand and he winced at the sudden pain.
Zane noticed, of course. He noticed everything.
"Aki, your hand is injured."
"Yeah, I know. Why do you care?" Aki glared straight ahead at the ninja, fierce red eyes reflected in the other's calm expression.
"Your health and safety is important to me-"
"But why?" Aki's voice broke on the last word and he hated it. He couldn't be crying again, not in front of a ninja- not in front of Zane. "I'm not-"
And then Aki felt himself being pulled forwards into a hug.
The clone gasped, too stunned to do anything but accept the sudden embrace. Zane held him close, pinning his arms to his side so he couldn't struggle- but not hurting him. Aki tried for a second to pull away, hesitantly fighting against the warm hug, but it was... it was nice. Aki wasn't sure he wanted it to stop.
He felt warm, being hugged like this.
Aki leaned into the hug, choking back a sob as he buried his face in the nindroid's shoulder, twisting his hands into the fabric of his gi. Zane rubbed his back in circles comfortingly.
Something just broke- some wall Aki had constructed to keep himself safe. He fell forwards into Zane's shoulder, clinging to him desperately. He finally let go of the emotions he had been holding back since his creation as all the fear and the anger and the absolute, crushing exhaustion flooded his body.
"Don't- don't tell the others about this," he muttered finally, going limp in Zane's arms.
"I won't," he replied.
"Thanks," Aki whispered, finally letting go. He took a step back, suddenly finding the wooden floor of the deck incredibly interesting.
"We have a few hours until we arrive. Would you like to play Fist to Face 2 with me?"
YOU ARE READING
To Defeat Your Enemy
FanfictionKai's evil clone never expected to win. Unfortunately, his victory was incredibly short-lived. The ninja have no idea what to do with the clone that killed their teammate- but Lloyd needs someone who can teach him how to use fire, so they all have t...
