Flames of the Past #3: Tears of Blood (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 20

Kai opened the fridge. He scanned the shelves, but nothing caught his interest. Frowning, he walked over to the pantry instead. As he searched for something to eat, his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't exactly know why. Ever since they'd found Garmadon's body in the tunnel, he'd felt on edge, and nothing helped much.

He eventually snatched a bag of Goldfish and sat up on the counter. His stomach felt sick, but he forced the crackers into his mouth.

He had slept better after bunking with Lloyd, although the green ninja had barely recognized he was there when they had woken up. After breakfast, Lloyd had gone outside to train and hadn't come back in since.

"Hey, Kai."

Jay's voice jerked the red ninja from his thoughts. His head snapped up in alarm; Jay, Cole, and Zane had entered the kitchen.

Cole's eyes clouded with concern as he observed his teammate's expression. "You okay?" he asked.

Kai nodded hastily.

Zane seemed to share Cole's concern. He moved closer to the red ninja. "You haven't been eating much lately," he pointed out.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Kai shook the bag of Goldfish in reply.

"You can't live off of Goldfish," Jay argued.

"Why not?" Kai winced as he heard his voice waver. He drew in a deep breath and looked down at his snack.

The other three ninja exchanged glances. Either they picked up on his nerves, or they had something to tell him. Knowing his teammates, Kai guessed it was the latter.

He raised his head again. "What is it?" he asked nervously.

Cole seemed to have been volunteered against his will. "Uh... Wu wanted us to tell you that we're having the funeral tomorrow," he murmured.

Kai's eyes widened. "Tomorrow?" He let out a scoff and shook his head. "He sure likes to tell us things ahead of time."

"He's been overwhelmed." Zane blinked at the red ninja.

Kai gazed downward without response, swallowing hard.

"We're going to bury him by the statue in the park," Cole went on solemnly. "And we're... planning to read his note there."

"Already?" Kai croaked out.

Jay shrugged half-heartedly. "Sensei says it's time to move on," he mumbled.

Kai's breathing picked up along with his heartbeat. Garmadon's last words were written on that crinkled piece of paper. Once they read it, he would really be gone. "Why didn't I get any say in the planning?" he asked, voice shaking.

"We... didn't want to stress you," Jay answered. "Or make you think about it too much."

Kai only popped a few more Goldfish into his mouth. He didn't really care much about planning, it was only the thought that they didn't ask him that irritated him.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Jay drew a few paces back. "We have to tell Lloyd, too," he reminded Cole and Zane. "Do you guys know where he is?"

"He's in the courtyard," Kai broke in.

The three looked at each other, clearly uneasy. They glanced toward the courtyard, but hesitated to move.

Kai hopped off the counter. "I-I can tell him," he told them.

Relief passed through each of their faces. The red ninja tensed as Jay patted his shoulder. "Good luck," he grinned. Then he and Zane scurried out of the room.