Ninja Within Shadows ► Ninjago [REWRITING]

* 33 - Epilogue

Written by: dxganronpa

The sun shined bright in Ninjago, the people roaming freely. The shadows were gone, with no enemy to burden the city.

Yet the team of ninja felt so dejected despite their victory against their enemy.

The Bounty was quiet, no one barely saying a word to each other. They kept the same routine as usual, but the tension was high.

Red said he had to take care of something, but never came back. Kai was cooped up in his room all day, only coming out for meals or for necessities—he could barely sleep at night, and the final image of the girl he cared for was imbedded into his brain.

The rest of the team was just as broken at the death of their friend. Although not as distant as Kai had become, they always wore saddened expressions.

And to add on to everything, Lloyd found a letter on Mia's empty bed where the redhead should've been. He picked it up and as soon as he read the words, I'm sorry, he knew exactly where it was going.

He began reading the letter with a frown.

Lloyd,

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I... I can't do it anymore.

Earlier in the battle, you told me to spill out all my feelings. So, well, here they are.

After what happened with Scarlett, I felt awful. The fact that I had to kill my best friend tore me apart. Your words always helped me, but once I did it... once Ninjago was saved and I realized she was gone for good, I just couldn't believe it. Lloyd, I can't be a ninja after doing what I did. It's too much to bear, it really is. I just need time to myself.

I love you.

Lloyd took notice of the few teardrops that had fallen onto the paper. They were dried, but visible to him. She had written this the night before, which is when she must have left.

He then found the purple gi laid out on the bed, his frown only deepening. "So you're gone too, huh..."

Of course he knew it wasn't the same thing, as Scarlett could never come back.

But it still hurt him to see that Mia didn't want to be a ninja anymore. He understood why, completely, but he wished there was another option for her.

"Mia..." he whispered to himself, going over to the window and opening it a bit, looking out at the beautiful and clear sky. "I... I love you too. I'm gonna find you, no matter where you are... none of this was your fault."

And he meant every word.

* * *

Red found himself in front of the shadow cave, standing at the entrance. One of his fists were clenched, the other running though his red, curled locks.

As he stared at the empty darkness, seeing and hearing no shadows—as they were all gone—his mind drifted and he remembered that this, this was the cause of the changes in his mother and sister that led to their demise.

Forcing death upon her a second time, Red recalled the expression his mother wore, how she looked. Ruby-colored hair, just like her name, and the complete opposite of what the shadows made her out to be.

And then his sister, who he hadn't seen in so many years. As quickly as she was given back to him, she was taken by the same darkness.

And he'd see neither again—all hope he had was gone and replaced with a familiar loneliness.

The hand in his hair moved down to his face as tears stung his eyes, threatening to spill. His legs gave out and he fell on his knees right in front of the cave, letting the tears run down his cheeks.

Red silently cried, unable to hold it in anymore. He so badly wanted to give the shadows hell for taking away the only family he had left.

But he couldn't do that. His sister's sacrifice was the reason everybody was safe again.

Although no one was there but him, he began mumbling to himself. "I wish I could have made up for all the time I missed with you, Sister... before those shadows took you away."

He then got to his feet, shaking his head and roughly wiping the tears staining his face. His glare bored into the darkness of the cave.

Red then felt something in his hands. Confused, he looked down to see purple mist rising from them.

His eyes widened and he took a step back. "What...?"

No, no...

He recalled the time his powers were out of control on the Bounty, practically consuming him. However, this time, no one was controlling his powers—as he looked down, he realized that this mist was different than his dark magic.

A streak of golden went through it, fading as soon as it had appeared. The mist only rose from his hands and flew into the air.

Before it disappeared from sight, Red could hear the faint sound of an evil laugh.

His breath became shaky as he struggled to process what had just happened. "I- Impossible..."

He stared at the cave before looking back up at the sky, any sign of darkness gone. His hands had returned to normal, too—but the only thing he felt was fear.

"Have we... have we not suffered enough?" he told himself in shock. "This cannot be happening..."

Red knew that was a warning message. That despite everything that had happened to gain victory, the fight was far from over.