To Defeat Your Enemy

Unwanted Reunion

The Bounty descended into Ninjago City as Aki watched, leaning against the railing. He did that a lot, he realised. It was nice watching the landscape below. Aki winced, putting a hand to his head as his headache suddenly returned.

"You okay?" Cole asked from beside him, startling the clone.

"What?"

"Does your head still hurt?"

Aki looked away, his voice barely audible above the wind. "It's better."

That wasn't a lie, per se- his head had stopped spinning every time he stood up- but it still hurt like the Cursed Realm.

"Good." Cole rested his arm on the edge of the balcony. "We got a call from the museum."

"So?"

"So while we check it out, you stay here, on the ship."

"What? But there's nothing to do on the ship!" Aki protested, stepping away from the edge with a slight wobble.

Cole shrugged. "Too bad. You're still hurt."

"I am not!"

"You were in a coma for a week," Cole deadpanned.

Aki had no response to that, so he settled for glaring at Cole.

Cole glared back at him.

Aki gave up.

"Fine," he groaned. "Just don't take too long. I don't want to sit here by myself for however many hours you take."

"You won't be by yourself. You'll be with Nya."

"That isn't better!"

"It's better than being alone with me." Cole crossed his arms.

"Fine, I'll stay with Nya." Aki threw up his arms in defeat. He watched enviously from the Bounty's deck as the ninja entered the museum. He looked over at Nya who was busy tinkering with her communication device. She wouldn't notice if he was gone for a few seconds... right?

The clone slid down the still-dropped anchor, dropping to the street below. His head still pounded from the headache but he ignored it, shoving the pain aside and continuing to follow the ninja. He refused to be left out again. Just because he was in a coma for a week doesn't mean he couldn't fight evil and almost get killed.

He had to prove himself to them.

He stuck to the shadows, his footsteps quieter than his breathing- to be fair, though, his breath was heavier than normal. It took effort just to stay standing. Aki then saw the ninja round the corner heading down the hall. He walked right behind them and they didn't even notice.

-X-

"Thank heavens you're here," the curator exclaimed as the ninja accompanied by Sensei Wu stepped through the doors of the museum.

"We heard there was an emergency?" Wu asked, fatigue and grief still evident in his voice.

"Yes, come, come. Quickly, this way." The curator waved them down a long hallway. "The Stone Warrior exhibit opens to the public tonight, and this couldn't have come at a worse time."

"What? What couldn't've come at a worse time?" Jay asked, a note of panic in his voice.

"The venom of the Great Devourer seems to have had a most unusual after-effect." He gestured towards the side of the hallway, where several people were attempting to scrub green, rancid-smelling liquid out of the carpet. All four of the ninja recoiled in disgust as the smell hit their noses- the putrid stench of decay and ancient evil.