In an Alternate World (NINJAGO)

Chapter 29

((Totally forgot to put a gore warning before this (eyeball gouging), sorry guys!))

"Nya?"

Lloyd's quiet whine woke Nya up from her sleep. She yawned and sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. Once her tired eyes focused on the little boy in the doorframe, she frowned. "Lloyd? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just..." He shifted from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact. "I..."

"You can't sleep." Nya finished for him, a small smile on her lips. She patted the spot next to her. "Come on, there's plenty of room. Jay's sleeping in his own bed tonight."

Lloyd hurried to the bed and plopped down on it, a small smirk planted on his face. "You like him, don't you?" He teased.

Nya blushed, smiling down. "Of course I do. He's my... my..." Were they dating?

"Is he your boyfriend?" Lloyd teased even more, moving closer to her. "Do you kiss him? Do you love him?" He made kissing noises, causing Nya to laugh loudly.

"Stop!" She wheezed, pulling him in for a hug and grinning. "No wonder why you can't sleep. You're so hyper!"

Lloyd laughter died down a little. "Yeah, um... I just can't stop thinking. About what I did."

"Oh." Nya pulled out of their hug and gave him some space. "If you need to vent, I'm here to listen."

"Good." Lloyd looked down. "I came to you because I didn't want to wake up anyone else. I just wanna talk to one person, you know?" He rubbed at his arm. "Also, I don't think any of them could understand."

"Lloyd, they used to be loyal to Garm- your father." Nya took his hand. "I'm sure they could understand much better than I can."

"I- I know that." Lloyd hugged himself. "It's just that... you're a girl..."

"And?" Nya rose a brow, although she was sure she knew where this was leading.

"I dunno, my mom was never around, and I guess I've always wanted a big sister..."

"Lloyd..." Nya breathed shakily. "I'm not... I'm not as perfect or compassionate as you might think I am..." She looked down at her lap. "I'm selfish and temperamental. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm motherly, even sisterly."

The boy glanced down. "Oh."

Dammit. Now you really are acting selfish, making this all about you. "No, listen to me Lloyd. I'm sorry. I'm here for you."

"I know, Nya." Lloyd hugged her. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself. You haven't done anything wrong."

"That shouldn't matter." Nya mumbled, hugging him back. "Enough about me, Lloyd. Tell me what's going on. You came to me for a reason, and that should be enough for me."

Lloyd nodded. "It's just been difficult. I just regret so much and I wish I could just go back and tell Kai no. Nothing would have happened if I didn't listen to him."

"It's not your fault, Lloyd." Nya whispered, holding the boy as he began to weep. "Kai has a way of twisting minds. Persuading others, even to the point of using force. He wouldn't have given you a choice, even if you told him no and ran away."

"Do you hate him?" Lloyd whispered back. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

Nya shut her eyes tightly. "I don't know anymore, Lloyd. The way he turned out, it wasn't his fault, but... now he's on his own, and now he's made the choice to be evil. I'm... scared of him. Kai doesn't know what he wants anymore, now that he's on his own, and it's breaking him apart."