Onyx and Rebooted

The Art of the Silent Fist

Onyx and the others stood in a secluded orchard, where they had landed in the early morning hours and begun camouflaging their vehicles, whilst Onyx had given Fade a letter for Dareth, who'd been helping keep an eye on the school, and instructed her to head back. "This is a perfect place to lay low. No robots, no cameras, and no problems," Lloyd remarked, glancing around. "Still, if any aerial drones pass overhead, you better wear this," Nya said, tossing him a gi that matched the others'.

Lloyd stepped behind a tree to change, a moment later stepping back out with his golden gi folded nicely in his hands. "Yeah, this is sweet," he said, looking it over. "Green's definitely your color," Onyx remarked, tossing a last branch over Cole's mech and brushing her hands off. Lloyd grinned at the compliment. "Lloyd?" A familiar voice said. Onyx turned as Misako emerged from the trees.

"Mom!" Lloyd exclaimed, giving her a quick hug. Misako looked around at the gathered ninja. "Oh? What are you all doing here? I would've put on some tea if I'd known," she said. Onyx frowned. "The Overlord has returned and taken control of New Ninjago City. He... has Sensei." She had a bit of trouble getting the last part out. She understood why he'd done what he had, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. Misako offered a supportive smile. "Wu's tough. There's a reason he's lived as long as he has," she said.

There was awkward silence for a moment as the ninja looked at the ground. "Well, where's Dad?" Lloyd asked finally. Kai's eyes narrowed, flicking around at the trees. "Yeah, where's Lord Garmadon?" He asked. Onyx glanced up. She'd been wondering about this as well. Misako shook her head. "He no longer goes by Lord. Here, he is Sensei Garmadon, and he won't be back until this evening's lesson," she said kindly but firmly.

Jay cocked his head. "Uh, did you just say Sensei Garmadon?" He asked. Zane nodded. "I'm glad he's on our side now. With Sensei Wu gone, we could use the help," he said. Onyx held back a wince but didn't argue his word choice. Wu was gone, and until they managed to get their act together, it would stay that way. Misako nodded. "Come in, but your weapons are not allowed. Ever since Lloyd saved his father, Garmadon swore an oath to never fight in the hope of making up for his evil past. It's an oath he takes very seriously," she said.

Kai's hand wrapped protectively around his technoblade. "But we were supposed to protect these with our lives," he argued. "And never let them out of our sight," Jay agreed. Zane sighed. "You guys go on ahead. I will stay back and watch over them," he said. The boys cheered, handed Zane their weapons, and took off after Lloyd and Misako. Onyx gave Zane her technoblade. "Should I stay here?" She asked. Zane shook his head. "No, it's alright. I'd like some time to think," he said. Onyx nodded. "Alright then. You should probably take these as well," she said, pulling a few daggers from her socks and handing them to Zane, who raised an eyebrow. Onyx shrugged. "You never know when you might need them," she said before turning and dashing after the others.

Onyx caught up with them in the courtyard. She stepped up to Misako and Nya, watching a group of children crowd around Lloyd excitedly. Onyx grinned as Lloyd crouched down and let the kids climb all over him. "I recognize that look," Misako said suddenly. Onyx glanced over, then realized that she was talking to Nya, who had an expression that she wasn't able to decipher. Onyx followed her gaze to both Cole and Jay. "What look? I wasn't looking!" Nya cried, face turning red. "Two boys, one heart," Misako said. Nya groaned and covered her face. "Am I that obvious? What do I do? Jay's the only one who makes me laugh, but Cole...Cole's not Jay," she said.

Onyx frowned. "Since when were you interested in Cole?" She asked, confused. This was a new development. Either that, or she'd missed something somewhere. "Since Borg's Perfect Match machine told me that Cole's a better fit for me," Nya said. Onyx cocked her head. She didn't know what that machine was, but it wasn't hard to guess. "But it's just a fancy algorithm. It doesn't factor in how you feel," she said. Suddenly, a little girl ran up to Onyx and handed her a flower. "The Green Ninja told me to give you this," she said before running off with a giggle. Across the courtyard, Lloyd sent her a quick wink. Onyx wondered just how much of the event was Kai and Jay's instructions. Still, she wasn't complaining. Onyx smiled and tucked the flower into her lapel.