Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Please Read:

Welcome! Before we begin I would like to make it known that my stories are mainly produced for the minds of 14+ readers (as of my 2025+ releases). Of course, if you're younger you may read them too, I can't stop you from doing that, a fair warning is being advised though.

Content Guidance:

-Language

-Abuse

-Graphic Violence

-Mild Sexual Content

-Substance Content (Forms of Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs)

-Self-Harm

-Suicidal Advances and Thoughts

Please read with care and knowledge that I am going deeper into the children's show Ninjago through more intense, dystopian, and realistic experiences.

This series is really 20% Ninjago, and 80% my own original. While it does have the Ninjago plot, characters, and ideas within it, a lot of the story is what I've created, and some of the characters have been altered and changed (take that how you want to).

This is NOT like the show where it is 100% kid friendly. This next generation fan-fiction has sensitive content that some may find uncomfortable or triggering for younger or even mature audiences. Every chapter regarding any sort of "Content Guidance" will be listed at the beginning. Please read with caution. Thank you.

*Morals are placed within this story under all situations and circumstances that each character partakes place and action in. Please know that many things that the characters take action in should not be repeated through any real-life situations as they could be dangerous to the reader's body and mind. Everything the characters partake in are for the story and the plot. The dangerous actions represented throughout the fan-fiction are not to be repeated. Many of these actions I do not support, they are only for the story and overall moral and plot movement. *

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Written By: Hoshiumi Noburu

Cover By: Hoshiumi Noburu

Original Characters By: Hoshiumi Noburu

Art Drawn By: Hoshiumi Noburu

All Official Ninjago Characters Used Made By: LEGO Ninjago

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***NONE of my Originals, Fan-Fictions, Short Stories, or any of my written published works may be copy and pasted and re-posted or authorized on a different website or on AO3 itself. If you are interested in using any of my characters in your own story, contact me first for permission on the AO3 site or any listed socials below. Other than that, THANK YOU so much for reading! I hope you enjoy my works!***

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OC Personality Chart (Main)

Author: Hoshiumi Noburu (Hoshi, M) - The Author - Personality Type: INTJ - Melancholic-Choleric - 5w4 - April [Aries]

Jaxson (Jax) Walker - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ENTP - Melancholic-Sanguine - 6w5 Birthday: July 31 [Leo]

Liberty Garmadon - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: INFJ - Melancholic [Dominant] - 5w4 Birthday: April 19 [Aries]

Kacee Smith - Ninjago Fan-Ficition - Personality Type: ENFP - Sanguine [Dominant] - 7w6 Birthday: October 17 [Libra]

Harper Garmadon - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ISTP - Phlegmatic-Melancholic - 1w2 Birthday: May 24 [Gemini]

June Walker - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ISFJ - Phlegmatic-Melancholic - 5w6 Birthday: December 13 [Sagittarius]

Kadence Lynnwood (Smith) - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ISTJ - Melancholic-Choleric - 5w4 Birthday: January 22 [Aquarius]

Chamber Kerumi - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ENTP - Sanguine [Dominant] - 6w7 Birthday: September 17 [Virgo]

Cassius Kerumi - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ESTJ - Choleric [Dominant] - 8w7 Birthday: January 20 [Aquarius]

Harumi Garmadon - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ENFJ - Choleric-Sanguine - 8w7 Birthday: —

Lloyd Garmadon - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ISTJ- Melancholic [Dominant] - 3w4 Birthday: September 22 [Virgo]

Basil Corey - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ESFP - Sanguine-Choleric - 7w8 Birthday: June 24 [Cancer]

Parker Julian - Ninjago Fan-Fiction - Personality Type: ESTP - Phlegmatic [Dominant] - 1w9 Birthday: November 18 [Scorpio]

OC Bios (Main)

Name: Liberty Garmadon

Nickname(s): Lib, Libby

Age: 16-18 (Throughout the Story)

Gender: Female

Element: (Green) Energy

Parents: Lloyd and Harumi Garmadon

Siblings: Harper Garmadon

Short Bio: Liberty is the Green Ninja and one of the main characters throughout this fan-fiction. She is the lead of many adventures throughout each story. She experiences a multitude of trials and tribulations as she hopes to find truth, validity, and peace by the end.

Name: Harper Garmadon

Nickname(s): N/A

Age: 18-20 (Throughout the Story)

Gender: Male

Element: Creation and Destruction (Garmadon's element in the show)

Parents: Lloyd and Harumi Garmadon

Siblings: Liberty Garmadon

Short Bio: Harper is one of the main/side characters throughout the story. He is a quiet, laid-back, but intense character. Harper is the ninja of Creation and Destruction. He has many deep secrets from his past, however he pushes himself to be the best person he can be, and he supports the team with all of his might.

Name: Jaxson Walker

Nickname(s): Jax

Age: 18-19 (Throughout the Story)

Gender: Male

Element: Lightning

Parents: Jay and Nya Walker

Siblings: June Walker

Short Bio: Jaxson is one of the main characters within this story. He is intense, dramatic, intelligent, smug, and intuitive, however he also has quite the loving side for one person in specific, Liberty. He is neither claimed to be good or bad throughout the story as he can sway both sides. Many would say he is a pure villain, while others would oppose that thinking. He is a very diverse character with an intense past and future.

Name: Junette Walker

Nickname(s): June

Age: 15-17 (Throughout the Story)

Gender: Female

Element: Water

Parents: Jay and Nya Walker

Siblings: Jaxson Walker

Short Bio: June is the Master of Water and one of the side characters throughout the story. She may be quiet, but she is very smart. She enjoys reading and secluding herself from others, however she is strong-willed and confident in her thinking, and she isn't scared to tell a person what is and what isn't.

Name: Kacee Smith

Nickname(s): Kay

Age: 16-18 (Throughout the Story)

Gender: Female

Element: Fire

Parents: Kai and Skylor Smith

Siblings: Kadence Lynnwood (Smith)

Short Bio: Kacee is one of the main/side characters and the official fire ninja. She is brave, cunning, and very fun to be around. She is a confident and strong-willed character who will do anything for the ones she loves. She is always ready to partake in a proper battle, and beat anybody up who needs the lesson.

Name: Kadence Lynnwood (Smith)

Nickname(s): Kay

Age: 15-17

Gender: Female

Element: Amber (Elemental Absorption)

Parents: Harumi Garmadon (Kai and Skylor Smith)

Siblings: Kacee Smith

Short Bio: Kadence has a very diverse and complicated backstory. She is the hostage, enemy, ally, and a multitude of other definitions depending on her stance with each individual. She is very confident and intense, however she also is very quiet and secluded within her own bubble. She is emotional-driven and confused with many tough instances she must face. Her main goal was to become free at the beginning, however as time goes on within the story she just becomes more and more confused with who she is as a person.

Name: Harumi Garmadon

Nickname(s): Rumi

Age: —

Gender: Female

Element: N/A

Parents: N/A

Siblings: N/A

Short Bio: Harumi is most known as the main villainess throughout the whole series. She may not have an element like the others do, however she is very bold, keen, manipulative, condescending, and many more harsh and complimentary descriptions. Her main goal is to have all the power and control all situations. However, just as everyone else within this story, she, too, has her own opinions, problems, and backstory.

Name: Lloyd Garmadon

Nickname(s): N/A

Age: —

Gender: Male

Element: None (Previously [Green] Energy)

Parents: Garmadon and Misako

Siblings: —

Short Bio: Everyone knows him and everyone has seen him. Lloyd, who was the previous Green Ninja before his daughter within this story, is both viewed as a good and bad guy depending on the individual's stance and side.

Name: Parker Julian

Nickname(s): Park

Age: 18-19

Gender: Male (Nindroid)

Element: Ice

Parents: Zane and Pixal Julian

Siblings: N/A

Short Bio: Parker is one of the more side-characters within this story, only really popping up every-so-often, however when he does, he is needed and the main focal point within that moment. He is the Master of Ice, and he is also a proud Nindroid.

Name: Basil Corey

Nickname(s): Bay

Age: 15-16

Gender: Male

Element: Shapeshifting

Parents: N/A

Siblings: N/A

Short Bio: Basil is a side character and Kadence's potential interest within this story. He is the Master of Shapeshifting, meaning he can turn into whatever he desires and wishes to be. He is extroverted, fun, sweet, and quite cunning.

Name: Chamber Kerumi

Nickname(s): N/A

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Element: Shade

Parents: Father-Cinder, Mother-N/A

Siblings: Cassius and Violet

Short Bio: Chamber is a side character for a small part of the story. He is the Master of Shade and introduces Jaxson for the duration of his first stay meeting Harumi during a backstory. Later, he shows up again in the "Realm of Misdirection".

Name: Cassius Kerumi

Nickname(s): N/A

Age: 21

Gender: Male

Element: Smoke

Parents: Father-Cinder, Mother-N/A

Siblings: Chamber and Violet

Short Bio: Cassius is a main character toward the end of the story. Not much can be disclosed because it will spoil, but he is the Master of Smoke, and his father is Cinder. While working under Harumi, he was cast into the "Realm of Misdirection" where he finds Liberty and Jaxson.

* Author's Note: Not everyone included within this story have been mentioned as these are the main, important, and notable characters throughout this story alone. Certainly, there are more throughout it, however that would be extremely long and probably would get boring to read after a while (I only wanted to bore you a bit before you start, you're welcome ;)) I have been writing this series since 2019, and it has definitely changed excessively (in multiple ways: character types, writing style, storyline, dramatic occurrences, etc.) compared to those first drafts, storylines, and characters; so, if there is either an older reader who has known me across a varying number of platforms for years (you guys are the real g's if so ;)), or you're totally new and have either come across this randomly, or you have read my past works and are interested in reading this one, some characters described will definitely come across differently than my previous works within this seasonal series. I just wanted to mention that in case anyone is confused in any way. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.*

- Hoshiumi Noburu

Chapter Text

I stare into the vast blue ocean feeling the cold rush of the air wisp past my face. If only, I could see beyond it. If only, I could see what’s below it. If only, I could see what lies past it.
Some say that the ocean strengthens the soul, while others say it’s just the ocean. Some say that the ocean can hear our voices, while others say it’s just the ocean. But if you lived in my quiet world of swirling thoughts, you would understand that the ocean is where I’ve been imprisoned my whole life. I’ve lived on a small island, kept here, unable to flee towards the wondrous and adventurous sights of what could be beyond those waves.
What’s out there that I haven’t seen? What’s out there that’s hiding away from me?
I wish just once in my life, I could be free. I wish I could adventure and capture in one take all of my deepest thoughts and questions.
By this point, however, these are questions that no one will answer, no matter how hard I try to beg those people; instead, I am told the same answer each time. This repeated conclusion by those people are the reason why I’ve stopped asking, and why I’ve stopped partaking in my curious thoughts.
However, no matter how hard I have tried, how hard I have attempted to fulfill the demands of those around me, the requests of stopping with these questions in my head, I cannot stop pondering about them. My mind will not stop cycling from these everlasting desires that I have partaken in.
I look out beyond the sea, my eyes reflect it, and my thoughts return it. What is out there that I don’t know?
I have what is called an “Elemental Power”. (I am making that official sounding because it seems as if it needs to be.)
Not many people in this society have these powers. Only some do, and those are by generations of them lifted onto their young.
I am one of those people, and I am an Elemental Master of a weird power.
Now, what is “weird”? Well, when I say weird, I mean… weird. My element can be… odd. There! A different word. I hope you get the point by now.
No, actually, I don’t exactly know what my element is technically called. But basically, I can absorb other elements and use them like my own…
I don’t exactly know how I got this element. My mother doesn’t have it, and from what she says my father never had one at all? So that blocks out any chance of me figuring out what it is. And it’s not like I can go research or ask because he’s gone. He passed away before I was born, and now my mother and I, plus a bunch of servants around these corridors, have been on this island for what I can remember my whole life.
I’ve never been in the outside world. My mother is usually always gone as well, doing whatever business she does (at least that’s what she calls it), so it’s hard to ask to go see ‘beyond the ocean.’ I have asked multiple times if I could tag along, but she always said no, and ever since that last time, when she went on a full rant about how the outside world is ‘dangerous’, I haven’t asked or talked about it since. However, these thoughts still linger inside of my brain.
Every ten years, there's a group of Elemental Masters who fight for the leading spot. My mother holds these trials, and this year, after many years of training, I'll be able to join as well. Maybe it will give me a chance to go beyond the ocean. Quite possibly, I'll have a leading chance.
However, it won't be easy. I have to go through deceiving challenges, which test you until you reach your final limits. I must be strong, brave, and powerful during these intense trials.
My mother also will not automatically elect me as the winner. I must go through everyone first. I absolutely have to win, and I must prove to her and everyone around me that I am the most powerful elemental master who deserves the grand prize. A master who deserves to venture into the world and see beyond that ocean.
I kneel into the sand and grasp a fistful of it, and then I bring it to my chest as I stand back up. I hold it tightly as I stare back into the ocean. My dark red eyes, which look brown from afar, reflect the blue of the ocean, creating a purple color. I close them tightly, and I breathe in the ocean air.
The Tournament of Elemental Sources is what my mother calls this game. The game of winning. Achieving. Getting out into the world.
If I can gain all the power, I will be able to succeed. I will be able to journey the world that I know nothing of once I win, and she won't be able to say no.
I take my fistful of sand away from my chest and open my eyes.
My name is Kadence Lynnwood, and I will win.

Chapter Text

-Kadence-

“Mother,” I begin in a strained voice, heading down the tight corridors. I turn the corner, and I meet her at the bathroom as she applies a heavy amount of eyeliner.
“Yes?” She asks, mid stroke. I stare at her for a moment and then turn back to my previous thoughts.
“Will the invitations be sent out later today to the contestants?” I ask, hesitantly.
She puckers her lips as she places dark red lipstick on them, and then she adds some clear lip gloss to make them look shiny.
“Darling,” she starts, pulling out the eyelash curler. “I understand you're excited, and I am for you too. Obviously, I have high expectations for you to win this, but I wish you would stop asking. Just be patient and wait.”
She takes the tool away from her eyes, and then I watch as she applies heavy dark, black mascara.
“But mother,” I pause for a moment, trying to figure out how to finish my point, I guess I hadn't thought of how to before. “I want to-”
She groans loudly, twisting the cap back onto the container.
“Kadence!” She shouts, turning from the mirror to me with a look. She huffs a heavy sigh and lets her shoulders fall back down, creating it so her figure isn't so intimidating. “They're going out today, okay? They've already been sent. Now may you please stop asking? I need to finish getting ready for some errands I must run.”
She turns back to the mirror as she puts all her makeup back into her drawer, and then she grabs her curling iron from the bottom of the sink.
She wears a black cardigan over a dark blue dress and Doc Martens on her feet. I stare at her for a moment as she slowly, yet quickly, curls her hair. It is dark, straight black hair with white tips at the ends. Curtain bangs fall on the sides of her face as she curls them as well.
I look the total opposite of my mother. I have dark brown (with a red streak in it), short pixie cut hair, with a black t-shirt, and a black pair of ripped jeans. I wear red and black Vans high-tops, and I have some light makeup on, but that’s it. Unlike her, I don’t get all fancy, curl my hair or any of that. Heck, most of the time I roll out of bed and go on the rest of the day with my hair the way it was the day before and throughout the night.
I sigh as I think about this. I must have my father’s side of genes when it comes to looks… and personality I guess as well.
My mother and I, well, we are the opposite in every way you can possibly think. We think differently, look differently, act differently, dress differently, talk differently, do our jobs differently, spend our free time differently, and the list goes on.
Frankly, I don’t know how I even came from her. Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted or something. Switched at birth possibly? Maybe even kidnapped? Or am I going too far with this? Most likely I am, I doubt any of that has happened. Plus, I doubt she would want me rambling on about this in my brain.
Unlike her, I dwell on things for ages. I will think about something very random and find some way for it to be easily believed. She, well, is the opposite. Once she has made up her mind, she has made up her mind.
I sigh once more, turning away from her. Sometimes I wish I could be like her; have that girly-girl nature, be talkative and confident… but I don’t, and it annoys me all the time.
I stumble into my small room, shutting the door behind myself and falling onto my bed.
I’ve thought this before, and I will think it again: I’m going to win this year… and that’s final.

Chapter Text

-Kacee-

“We’re almost there,” his voice says to me, making me smile more as he holds onto my hand (I am currently blindfolded), and he guides me to wherever this ‘surprise’ is.
I let out a small laugh as he brings me closer to him, and he slowly takes the blindfold off revealing a small ice cream shop. I already know what he’s planning.
Behind the shop is the ocean, where the sun is about to set in around an hour. With ice cream involved plus a beautiful ocean pier, I already know this is going to be an awesome night and birthday.
“Happy birthday!” Harper wishes in the most upbeat voice he can project. He stuffs the blindfold into his pocket, and then he proceeds to take my hands in his. He looks at me in the eyes with a gleam of pride as he faces me with a smile. His dark green, almost hazel eyes, reflect my light brown ones.
I blush as he squeezes my hands and lets go of one, and I feel him holding my right one tightly. He opens the door and takes me in. We head towards the counter where all the delicious options are.
“Choose any one, add any toppings, however many scoops you want, it’s your birthday, choose whatever you want.” He says calmly, and with a kind look.
I give him a bright smile as I pick out my choice. And soon, we’re walking across the beach together, hand in hand, as we lick our ice creams.
“Thanks for being an awesome best buddy.” I say, feeling the sand in my toes.
“Of course.”
He nudges me on the shoulder with his and I try to do the same, yet he’s too tall and I kinda just nudge his arm instead. He lets out a laugh and nudges me again.
“I really like you.” He says quietly, kicking the ocean water with every step he takes. I blush once more, “Me too.”
“Like, I knew I liked you ever since I met you, I just didn’t know my feelings… but NOW, now I know. Now I understand why you were so quick to get me… it makes sense.” He states confidently and proudly.
I stare at him for a moment, and then I gaze down to our two hands, which are linked together.
He’s right, I didn’t understand my emotions either honestly. I didn’t understand for the longest time why I acted the way I did around him, why I was so attached to him, but now I know it's because he’s mine.

We’re each other's.

“I feel the same.” I agree, quietly.
“Come on,” he begins, taking my hand more tightly as we walk onto the pier. He finishes his cone off and smiles at me, his real smile.
I have noticed, throughout the couple of years we have known each other, that he has two different smiles. His fake one, and his real one.
He only uses his real one when he likes you, and when he actually uses it, it makes you feel special.
I finish my cone off and smile back at him, and he just blushes and turns away from me, yet his hand remains in mine.
The wind brushes past our faces as our walking turns faster; it makes me feel more free, balanced, and happy.
I let all my worries and dreads leave me regarding everything as I grasp onto his hand and let him pull me along as we quickly run across the pier until the end. We stop, and we just stand there, alone together, gazing over the pier, hand in hand, awing at the beautiful sunset. It feels extra extraordinary tonight. It is full of oranges, reds, yellows, and pinks… it makes me feel as if the world is doing this tonight for me… and only me.
Harper pulls my body closer to his side, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders. I smile and blush at the same time, and then I slowly lean my head on his shoulder.
“I love this, thank you.” I whisper as the sun travels below the horizon. I look at it one last time and then turn to him. He smiles and just nods his head, “You’re very welcome.”

***

“He held my hand!” I excitedly tell my bestest friend ever, Liberty, as she sits down next to me on the couch with a bowl of cereal.
She’s about to take a bite, but she sets her spoon back into the bowl and looks up into my gaze.
“Yesterday?” She asks.
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Your brother is so,” I pause for a moment, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close to me. “Amazing.” I breathe out.
She just looks at me, and then she quietly goes back to her cereal.
“Anyways,” I begin, grabbing the mail off the coffee table. “Do you think there would be any birthday cards for me in here?”
She shrugs, turning to me once more, “I don’t know, maybe.” She proceeds to sip the remaining milk from her bowl and stands up, heading back towards the kitchen.
As she does this, I flip through all the junk mail and find none for me. I sigh, but I shrug it off and proceed to get up and throw it all into the trash.
“Anyways,” Liberty begins, making me turn to her, and I watch as she grabs a cookie. I stare at her oddly as she bites into it, and eventually her eyes meet my confused ones.
“What?” She asks, through her half-chewed food.
“A cookie for breakfast?”
“I ate cereal-”
“Have you not seen the sugar inside of cereal alone? Even in the most BASIC stuff it’s like ten million thousand calories!” I exclaim as I throw my arms into the air dramatically.
She rolls her eyes and finishes it off, beginning to mumble, “First off, I can have a cookie if I want to. These are going to be gone by the end of the day. Plus, the cereal I eat doesn’t have that many calories in it. The number you mentioned is in fact not in any form of cereal on this human planet, and I’m going to train it all off anyway today.”
I place my hands on my hips with a sudden grin spread across my face, “Well, I’m older than you, which technically makes me wiser.”
She turns around in a flash from placing her bowl into the dishwasher as her hair flips past her face with a whish. She glares at me with her stare that would freak the shizniz out of anyone.
“For your information,” she begins, shutting the dishwasher door with a thud. “You’re only a couple of months older than me-”
“Technically a year,” I interrupt with an even bigger grin.
She looks at me with a confused look, but her glare remains.
“F — Fine,” she holds the ‘F’ for a couple of seconds. “Sure, you’re born in October and I’m April of the next year, but that doesn’t make you any wiser than I am.”
“Sureee,” I say, turning away from her with a small smile.
I can tell she is still glaring at me as I start to walk out of the room, but her voice stops me from behind, and I turn around to see her bending down near the trashcan picking something up. It is a sheet of paper, an envelope, actually.
I walk closer to it, and I notice it has just our address on it, no name to whom it’s for whatsoever, no return address, and no stamp. How do you send something without a stamp? Aren’t those required? I am seventeen, I should know this—
I shake my thoughts out of my head and take it from her slowly, examining the envelope. I then turn it over slowly, and I begin to open it.
“Wait,” Liberty grabs my wrist, stopping me from opening it up. “What if this is some trap or something? What if there is some sort of tracking device in there or something that will automatically turn on once it’s opened? What if we’re going to read something in there we wished we had never read? What if-”
I just stare at her, forcing her to cut off what she’s saying.
“You’re overthinking.” I state, bitterly.
She sighs louder than usual, “I’m sorry, but just with everything that’s happened recently I’ve become-”
“A bigger over-worrier than you were before?” I interrupt rather harshly.
She is silent for a moment, and then she looks away from me; I remain quiet as well. After a minute of eerie silence, I sigh. After coming back to reality for the moment, I realize the envelope is still in my hands. I stare at it for a moment as I contemplate what Liberty had to say. I let out a breath of air, and I glance over at Liberty to apologize for my unkind words.
“Hey, I’m sorry, that was rude of me. I get it, I worry about things as well that have happened to me in the past. It’s normal.” I breathe in a new breath of fresh air as I pause my words. “Um, anyways, if you feel like something bad is going to come out of this, then I don’t have to open it.”
She remains silent for a minute more, and then she begins shaking as she takes her gripped hand off my wrist.
“Just do it,” she says with her voice slightly quivering. She is still turned away from my figure, but she stands close.
“If you aren’t comfortable-”
“Just do it, you’re right, I’m over-worrying about this too much.”
Her voice and body are still shaking after she says this, and it makes me wonder if I had hurt her feelings, or if I had just hit her in a weaker spot. Maybe both. I don’t know.
I would feel terrible if I had just hurt her feelings. I didn’t mean to; I was just trying to tell her she is most likely overthinking-
I shake my head and just decide to rip it open. The tearing sounds cause her to flinch and I suddenly begin to feel worse, but I decide to keep going and pull a single sheet of paper out of the envelope. I see no tracker inside, and I turn to the right and tap her on the shoulder slowly. She turns around quietly and takes her hands away from her face. A pang of guilt hits me again as I see her do this, and I come to realize I was such a bad friend. I shouldn’t have said to her face those things and let her stand here as I ripped it open. She’s now nervous and anxious about so much because of what has happened, and the littlest things can set her off; it’s not in anger when I say ‘set off’ either, it’s just as if she gets so much anxiety from the littlest of circumstances, that is has begun to worry me.
Sure, everyone has anxiety over something. I mean, if you don’t have anxiety over anything at all that’s great for you, but a lot of people do. She has always had it, but it has never been this bad to the point where she is beginning to freak out over the smallest things.
She used to be so brave and straightforward with everything and just stumbled into things head-on, but now I feel like she’s realizing what happens when you do that, and I think by this point she’s giving up.
She knows her mother is still out there, thinking of some wretched plan to take over this city, and eventually the world. She knows that she’s the one who has to stop her and possibly do a wretched act herself to stop her mother. She also knows all that weight is on her shoulders, or at least she feels that way.
Liberty should know the other eight of us have her back, but I think she’s begun to feel so much anger and humility over how long it has taken to take her mother down, that she’s blaming it on herself, when it’s all of us to blame.
People, stalkers more like, send emails and letters to us from these ‘no reply’ senders stating how if we don’t stop her soon, well, let’s just say they freely speak their disgusting threats. Most of the time, the emails and letters are guided towards Liberty. They use her name in the notes, and it causes her to become increasingly anxious every day because she doesn’t know where her mother’s at, and what she’s planning. On top of that, because Liberty is the daughter of Harumi, everyone who sends those awful letters to her is probably thinking Liberty knows what's going on with her mother, and she’s helping her mother with everything. However, the thing is, at the end of the day Liberty is not — and she never would.
Her mother hasn’t shown up for the last eight months, but these people claim in their letters and emails that there have been suspicious sightings happening, or their walls have been getting graffitied, or blah blah blah. The thing is, what they state has been happening to them, or around them, just sounds like normal felony acts, which can be caused by anyone. I don’t think many people realize when Harumi does a felony act, those are a life-or-death situation when you walk into it.
I don’t even think she cares if her daughter, son, or their friends get hurt when we go to take what’s ours and everyone else's back. Because all she cares about is herself, and all she wants is to win.
I have realized this throughout the months, and with everyone’s emails and letters rolling in. I feel as if they’re just mad because they haven’t seen us in action for a while, and it’s probably making them think we’ve given up on them; or maybe they think, by some of the understanding of the letters I've read over, that we’ve joined forces with Harumi.
I let my eyes drop from hers, and I feel my shoulders drop as well.
“I’m sorry, I was such a bad friend.” I mumble, beginning to feel really bad for what I have done.
I can spot her staring at me, and then I see her hand form into a fist. I look up immediately thinking she’s going to swing a punch at me or something, but she just stands there with her head looking down to the floor.
She wipes her face quickly, and then she looks up at me.
“I’m fine, you’re fine, I don’t care.” She grudgingly replies with a small smile.
I stare at her for a moment. She proceeds to make a huff sound loudly as she grabs the paper from my hands, and then she opens it. I go to take it back from her, but I realize quickly that I caused this, and I should let her open it. I have made her upset, and that’s my fault. I cannot blame her, either. I mean, I wouldn’t feel very happy if someone wanted to speak about my personal problems when I wasn’t ready to yet.
I look at her expressions as she reads the letter, but she has a straight, blank face as she reads. Soon, she looks up to me with the same blank face, yet underneath it, I can see something more. I then realize, she has an unreadable face because she doesn’t know how to take it in.
Anger boils up inside of me, thinking this is some sort of terrible letter that these people have been sending from all over the city, and I quickly swipe it from her fingertips.
My eyes scan the page quickly, but soon, I find out and understand why she never reacted, because the same expression is across my face as well.
I look at her after, and we both have a look of confusion on our faces.
“I don’t-”
“It’s my mother,” she interrupts, leaning her back on the counter and crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s my mother.” She repeats, closing her eyes this time with the words she’s just uttered.
I just stare at her more and realize she’s right.
It is her mother.

Chapter Text

-Kacee-

~You are specially invited to the Tournament of Elemental Sources!
It is a group of games and competitive obstacles for those with elemental powers to prove themselves that they are heroic and brave.
The one person who wins will receive a prize. A big one. A special one.
Be at the Ninjago City Docks later tonight, October 18th, at 11 pm, and be ready for a battle of fulfilling events for the Elemental Master’s soul.
You do not want to miss this. ~

“You really think so?” I ask her quietly, offering Liberty a questioning glance after she finishes reading the invitation. “You really think it’s your mother who’s behind this?”
She just nods in response with her eyes still closed.
“I know that witch’s way of writing.” She mumbles, quietly, and I watch as she looks down to the ground and leans on the counter with her arms still crossed. “I’m not stupid.”
“I never said you were Lib,”
She just grumbles under breath in response.
“I should go tell Harper.” She grunts to me, standing up straight. She walks away out of the kitchen before I can respond.
“This isn’t like her,” I mutter under my breath with a whisper. “At all.”
I glance back at the letter. I am wondering what her mother would be planning. Reward? What type? Why would Harumi ever want to give a reward to someone?
Liberty’s right, she’s up to something, and it is her mother. Harumi’s up to some sort of wicked plan, and it isn’t good.
Liberty and Harper come back into the room together, breaking my thoughts. My eye contact meets Harper’s, and we stare at each other for a moment. I cannot help laughing silently because he’s wearing a pair of dinosaur sweatpants with a white t-shirt, also with a dinosaur on it, and his hair is a wreck.
“You didn’t tell me she was here?!” He hisses to Liberty as he shoots her a glare. She just shakes her head and proceeds to roll her eyes in response.
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Liberty states in a hushed tone as she takes the letter out of my hands and shoves it into his chest. He grunts and takes it slowly. I can see his eyes scan the page, and they grow narrower as he reads.
“That son of a-”
“B-Biscuit!” I exclaim over his words with a small stutter. I give him a slight look, and then I glance at Liberty who is just glaring at me. I proceed to look back at Harper who’s glaring at me as well.
“Well… you can say that.” He gives me a smirk-look as he pats me on the head lightly. “What are we going to do?” He questions, changing his tone quickly. I feel as if he is asking Liberty more than me, and she must think the same because she looks down to her hands and plays with them rapidly.
“We have to go,” she whispers. “It’s our only chance in stopping her.” She looks up now to the two of us.
“If we don’t… if something happens… I’ll be blamed.” She mumbles.
“We’ll all be blamed.” I say to her putting my hand on her shoulder.
She shakes her head and knocks my hand off.
“No, I’ll be.” She replies with an angry hush of tone, shoving past the two of us and walking out of the room with a trip in her step.
“She isn’t okay…” I say once she has left the room to Harper, who is still standing next to me.
He just nods.
“I don’t get her, she’s so,” he pauses, and I realize he doesn’t know how to describe her. I don’t know how to either. It’s like, she’s so angry and scared that she can’t tell between her own emotions half the time.
“She’s mad at Harumi for what she’s done to her. I think she’s also mildly jealous that her mother is doing this to her. I feel like she feels like no one understands how she perceives her mother since it’s her mom, not ours, well she is yours, but it’s a mother-son ‘relationship,’ not a mother-daughter type. Ya know?”
“Well, I grew up with the woman, I know what she’s like: a wretched, ugly, crazy, psychopathic — I have other words — woman.” He stops again, more than likely keeping a certain word from slipping out of his mouth.
I get it, I really do, I understand why he does this, and he has every right to hate her. She has done so many crazy things to him that it is honestly just sad. She has done countless despicable acts to Liberty as well, and it makes sense why she would be so sensitive about everything — especially topics related to her mother.
I mean, even if I didn’t know my mother, knew she hated me, and I hated her too, I wouldn’t want to live with the dwelling fact that I may someday have to kill her — or she may kill me. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with that, and even thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach.
“Why are you here anyways?” Harper asks suddenly, breaking my thoughts apart.
“Um, I don’t know,” I shove past him and bump him slightly on the shoulder with a grin.
“Did you need me or something?” He asks with a sly grin beginning to form across his face.
“Maybe, but I also had to chat with Lib about stuff. I did want to say hi to you though, so, hi!” I finish off my greeting with a small, bright smile.
He makes a small smirk, and then he looks down at himself.
“I look awful,” he mumbles, “But hello to you, too.” He says, grinning.
I look down at his sweatpants again and decide to comment on them, “I like the dinosaurs.”
It’s true, I do. Dinosaurs are cool.
He looks at them again and groans, “You are probably the last person I would want to see me in these.”
“Why? I love dinosaurs! I especially like that red one right there!” I point to one near his ankle, and he smiles a bit more.
“Oh, well, thanks.”
I beam back towards him, and then I look up to the fluff-top on his head.
“How does your hair do that?” I question. He stares at me for a moment and shrugs, “I don’t know.”
I keep looking at it amused.
“Do you wanna touch it or something? Is that why you keep looking at it?” He asks, his voice full of sarcasm, but he’s also not annoyed by this either.
I slowly nod, and he sighs with a small chuckle kneeling down. I touch his hair slightly and smile.
He stands up straight again after letting me poke it for a couple of moments.
“What is it?” I ask, after a couple of seconds, realizing all he’s examining is my face.
“I just think you look really pretty today.” He says, still gazing toward my figure.
I blush, slightly becoming suddenly self-conscious, and I slowly smile. He reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear with a kind look.
I look down to the floor, however, and I keep thinking of Liberty. I hold his hand by my ear, and I look up at him slowly.
“Do you think Jax knows what’s going on?” I ask him, softly.
“I’m sure he does…”
“I think he made her more anxious,” I begin, quietly. “They still really like each other, and that’s good, it’s just, after what happened, I think she’s more scared of him doing it to her again.”
His eyes narrow, and then he looks down.
“He was just trying to protect her, and she gets that.” He mutters in a quiet tone.
“I know… I just — I am just worried for her. She’s been acting differently recently, really different, actually. She is my best friend, and I cannot stand watching her be in pain.”
Harper stares at me with kind eyes, and then he gently lifts my chin up. My eyes meet his, and he smiles slightly in my direction. He then takes my hand away with his, near my ear, and he brings me in close to his body and hugs me quietly.
I rest my head in his chest and close my eyes slowly. He has never hugged me before like this.
I take it in, and I smile as he holds me close.
“Everything will be okay.” He whispers into my ear, and I nod slightly.
If he says everything will be okay, I’ll believe him.

Chapter Text

-Kadence-

I am led throughout the halls of the palace by one of the dozens of maids. I have lived here all my life, yet this particular part of the palace I am venturing through is a place I’ve never been. Curiosity flows through me with every new step I take.
Throughout my years of living here, I've only been able to adventure through certain parts of the property, but other sections were prohibited for unexplained reasons.
I look around, and I take in what I can as I’m guided down the corridors. I look out the windows, and I quickly notice how dark it is outside. Stars shine brightly in the sky, illuminating what is to be seen below.
My curious mind searches more, attempting to take in and mentally write down notes on what I’m looking at. However, before I can mentally take note of much more, I’m quickly shoved into a new room.
I look around for a quick second, and then I am left amazed. The room is filled with things that I love. All things I find interest in:

-Music
-Reading
-Art
-Creating

“Woah,” my mouth lets out without my permission. However, I’m in so much aw, and I look around with what I can only presume a shocked look on my face.
“Miss,” a lady begins in a quiet mumble. I don’t know her name, and I just turn to look at her before she goes on to say, “Be there at 9am tomorrow morning. Don’t be late for the meeting. Others will be there as well.”
My heart jumps a bit in my chest as she says that last part.
It is starting; I am going to win, and I will prove to my mother that I am ready.
The maid leaves, and I shut the door after her. I turn around and walk around the room checking everything out.
“Wow, this is… astounding.” I whisper to myself, trying not to touch the intricate details of everything around me.
I fall onto the bed in the center of the room, and I suddenly spot a t.v. remote on the nightstand. I pick it up slowly, confused because there is no television, and automatically a gap opens in the wall revealing a huge t.v.
“Oh awesome! It wasn’t forgotten that I love my shows!” I exclaim quite excitedly.
I set the remote down, and then I begin to inspect the inside of the closet. There are multiple of the same uniforms and pairs of pajamas in the drawers below.
“Woah, either my mom is cooler than I thought, or this was someone else’s design.” I mumble. “I thought I had to win before, now I really have to win.”
I sit on the edge of the perfectly made bed, and then I take off my shoes slowly, climbing under the blankets once I finish. I lay in the darkness thinking everything through.
“Be confident, don’t be nervous. Be brave, Kadence. You know what you’re doing.” I whisper to myself as I turn over and close my eyes, but sleep doesn’t come. I toss and turn, and then I quickly realize how much I’m scared, no, terrified.

What if I don’t win? What if I were to get out in the first round? What if I were to get out in the last round before winning and losing to some other person? What if I were to get out anywhere in between the rounds?
What will my mother do if I lose? Will she just scold me, or will she do something worse? She’s been training me all these years, and I’m pretty confident I know everything I need to know.
But what if I get nervous, and then I slip up? What if, during the round, I cannot figure out how to defeat my enemy? What if I ruin everything?

Tears swell up into my eyes as I think about all this in the darkness. I can ruin everything, and then I’ll be ruining myself if I lose.

I’ll be a failure.

Chapter Text

Kacee

I pause my steps slowly as the group of us walk down the dark streets to the dock. I stand still with a sudden, new realization, and I begin to shake.
I am at the back of the group behind everyone, so no one notices my halted steps. I’m fine with that though, because I don’t necessarily want to explain the thought that just popped up in my brain.
However, as I’m thinking this, I see Harper stop and turn around. He looks at me from all the way ahead of the group, and he quickly runs from it to me. I don’t know whether to be happy he cares to be looking for me, or if I should be upset that I now have to explain my intrusive thoughts.
“Are you okay?” Is his first question as he gets closer to me, and my insides begin to twist.
“No, I’m not.” I want to say, but I bite my lip and refrain from saying anything.
After a couple seconds of an unheard response, he sighs and proceeds to take my hand in his. His touch is soft and gentle, but my feelings stab me as he does this.

What if I’m right? What if she really did get invited?

I shake more as Harper walks me slowly with him. He stops, clearly sensing my anxiety, and he looks at me for a couple of seconds.
“You aren’t okay, please tell me what’s wrong.”
I still don’t reply, and I can tell he’s getting impatient because his grip on my hand increases.
“Kay, you can trust me!” He exclaims suddenly, making me jump a bit inside.
I look at him finally, and tears begin to swell in my eyes, “What-What if my sister is there?”
He stares back at me, his expression still the same as before, and then he proceeds to reply softly, “Well, then you should be happy! You’ll get to finally be reunited with her. Isn’t that what you've always wanted?”
A tear rolls down my cheek before I respond.
“She hates me.” I say, choking on my own words.
Our steps are slow as we walk shoulder to shoulder.
“She doesn’t hate you.” He replies through a calm, steady tone.
“How do you know?”
He stops suddenly, and he turns to me rapidly as if I just uttered something terribly horrific. I thought he was going to shout something at me to try to get it in my head, but it’s something much worse than that, a whisper, and an eerie one at that.
“Don’t you dare think she hates you. You were young. You didn’t know much. More than anyone it’s your parents’ fault. You have been blaming yourself all these years, and I’m tired of hearing that you think you are the reason your sister is gone! Stop it!”
I stare at him in the darkness, with my tear-stained face, shocked. Does he really mean what he just said? Is he right? Have I been blaming myself for something I didn’t do? Or is he just trying to make me feel better?
“Trust me,” he mutters quietly, breaking my strain of thought. He reaches over and wipes my tears away.
I nod my head slowly in response and whisper, “Okay.”
However, the same ideas still stay lodged in my brain, and they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
He offers me a small smile, and then he takes my hand in his and soon we’re back with the group as if nothing ever happened.
He doesn’t let go either, and he holds me close to him; every few moments he squeezes my hand, and I squeeze his back. I look down to them conjoined and realize slowly that he really does like me. He cares about my thoughts, and he is only trying to make me feel better. It makes my insides bubble up a little bit, and I smile softly.

I guess he understands what I’m going through. He was taken away by his sister for most of his life, and I was taken away from mine for most of my life. He understands, he really does.

I frown as I think these thoughts. He understands my story, but in a harsh way. Maybe that is one of the reasons we’re so close. Maybe that’s why we get each other so well, because we both know what it feels like to lose someone we love… even if we don’t know them at all. We still have a connection with them.

I notice the docks up ahead, and I quickly realize the time is coming. We didn’t tell our parents that we are doing this. We just said, “we’re going on a mission,” and I guess because we’re all older, no one asked us where, or they just assumed it was a small one like usual — nothing terrible has happened for quite a while. However, just like Liberty, I still believe there’s evil out there awaiting us, or it’s conjuring up a plan for the arrogant to be unable to distinguish.

There is a group of other people waiting on the docks when we make our way there. I don’t know if they’re here for the same reason as we are, or if they’re going somewhere else; but, once I see a ginormous ship coming, stopping at the edge of the dock and its doors opening for us, I see all these people get on the same one as we are.
“They’re all elemental masters as well,” I mumble underneath my breath. No one else hears me, but I have a small feeling everyone is thinking the same thing as I am.
Harper squeezes my hand one last time right before we step on. I feel sweat between our hands. Either he is nervous, I’m nervous, or it’s the two of us. However, it’s nice to know if he’s anxious about this as well, I am not the only one who’s experiencing these feelings.
We’re going on a mysterious island, I would assume at least, where we can be trapped, and there could potentially be no way out.
Maybe this wasn’t the best of ideas.

Chapter Text

Kadence

My eyes flutter open slowly, and it takes me a moment to figure out where I’m at. Eventually, I remember, and I sit up steadily, rubbing my eyes. I turn and stand up out of bed, and I wobble over to the bathroom.
I look at myself for a moment in the mirror, and my tired expression stares right back at me. I place my hands on the top of my head and pat down my hair trying to contain it the best I can. As a result, it just springs up looking like a poof ball mess. I shake my head and roll my eyes, taking my hands away from my head.
I look over, and when I see the time, my eyes feel like they leap out of my brain.
“Ah snickerdoodles!” I exclaim, seeing the time as ten minutes before the whole meeting starts. “How did I even sleep in?!” I ask myself, running around the room. I take out an orange and black uniform from the closet, and I put it on as fast as I can. I put on my shoes in a rush, and I quickly dart back to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I splash water onto my face and viciously dry it with a nearby towel.
“Okay, okay,” I breathe out as I look around for a hairbrush and quickly begin to brush my hair. I spray some water on it in an attempt for it to look somewhat presentable.
I glance over to the clock, and I quickly notice that I have three minutes until I have to get to the auditorium. I don’t even know where I’m supposed to go!
I freak out more and dart out of the room. In a flash, I’m running down the halls hoping I’ll be able to figure out where I have to be. I scan left and right as I run, hoping to figure out where I am or find out where to be.
I stop once I see a double door with a sign on it. My senses brighten as I open them slowly hoping it’s the room, but instead I’m met with a closet full of supplies.
“What the literal heck?!”
I’m beginning to freak out now, more than before, and I slam the doors shut and dash through the halls. I turn left and then a right and another left and soon I’m met with a sign that has an arrow pointing to the right of me. I turn right and see another double-doored room and open it up.
All the sweat burns off my face suddenly once I see a bunch of people all inside. I just nod my head reassuring myself everything’s all right, and I walk in slowly myself. I let my lungs breathe from the vicious running I was just doing previously, and I look around the room slowly.

Real people.

Real people are around me.

Real other people.

“Woah.” I mutter underneath my breath, and when I turn around my mother is staring into my soul. She has an upset look on her face as she grasps onto my wrist and drags me into another room. She shuts the door behind us, and she glares at me once we make eye-contact.
“Listen kid,” she grunts. My breathing increases, and I start to back up an inch or two every few seconds. She’s always been tense, but never this tense to me before. “You better win. Don’t let these scumbags win instead of you.”
I bite my tongue from saying anything, and I just nod quickly, taking my eyes away from her deep, drowning glare.
“Good.” She states, opening the door again and walking out without any other words. She didn’t shoot any threats at me, but I’m sure she wanted to say some. I’m sure she has more to threaten me with as well, but she can’t because it’s starting, and the leader of this whole thing can’t be late.
Her words though, they just make me feel more nervous and scared. What will she do to me if I mess up? Disown me? Will she do that? Can she do that?
My eyes widen as I shake in my own cloud of thoughts. I clench my fists together, and I stomp my foot on the ground, shaking my head to clear those same thoughts. I slowly reach for the door handle, but before I can twist it, I am met with a sound behind me. I turn myself around immediately, and I spot a boy with gray hair staring at me with bright, green eyes. I just squint my own eyes at him, and I turn my head slowly to the side.

So that’s what a boy looks like? I expected something more extravagant. But hey, maybe they are out there, and this one isn't just the best in the bunch. No offense.

The kid is kind of plain looking, but he slowly offers me a teeth-filled smile and turns around leaving the room. I glance around for a moment, and then I follow him slowly, trying to figure out where he went. However, I soon realize he just entered another door, and I find myself out in the huge room where everyone is just standing silently. I guess he was just exploring, which is understandable. I turn my head around the room looking at everyone.
I haven’t just not seen a boy before, but I also have never seen this many people. It makes me uneasy realizing how many strangers are around me, and I walk to the edge of the room to a corner to hang around until everything starts.
I don’t have to wait long, however, because my mother stands in front of everyone with a microphone in her hand. Everyone turns to her as her voice booms throughout the auditorium.

Chapter Text

Kacee

I knew it was a trap the moment we got onto the ship because of how they entered us. They got us on nicely, and then they forced everyone to be in a certain spot as if they knew everyone who was invited would come. They chained us up, and then they forced us on our knees like slaves.

They split our team apart across the ship, forcing us all not to be able to discuss what was going on. Then, they put handcuffs on everyone, took away all our luggage, all electronics we could have possibly brought, and we were told to be quiet.

I sat there, and I finally concluded that opening that letter was a terrible decision. I should have followed Liberty’s advice, but I didn’t, and I feel so darn stupid for that.

I started to blame myself for getting everyone into this mess and bit my lip until it bled, and then I began to fidget with the shackles behind my back hoping to get them off. Instead, I rubbed the skin on my wrists so raw they began bleeding themselves.

I let my head drop, and the ocean air brushed past my face causing my hair to fall into it. I kept biting my lip, ignoring the fact it was bleeding, and I closed my eyes trying to clear the stress forming inside of my chest. A wave crashed against the boat lurching it to the side and throwing me halfway across, releasing my chains. One of the people, who worked for the ship, grabbed me harshly, and he threw me back against the side of the boat. Splinters and scratches from the ground poked into my exposed arms and face causing blood to drip down them. I heard Harper’s voice shout and scream savage words to the man, and I bit my lip more in pain as the thoughts of wanting to tell Harper to stop echoed throughout my mind.

The man, who caused the splinters and scrapes in my arms and face, wrapped a scratchy rope around my shackled arms, and then he tied the other end to the boat, securing me more. Then, he walked off, and I heard awful hitting noises on something, soon realizing, through the heavy fog, Harper was being struck aggressively by the same man with a plank of wood.

Tears began forming in my eyes as I watched this, and I began to twist and turn in the rope hoping to release myself in order to get to Harper.

“Don’t hurt him, you monster!” I screamed, still squirming through the ropes.

I could see the man’s evil jet-red eyes stare at me from across the boat. He stopped, and then I could hear him stomping back over to me, the same wood plank in hand. My eyes darted from him to Harper. He looked limp on the side of the boat, but he was still conscious at least.

My eyes blurred from tears, and I bit my lip causing more blood to drip down my chin and face.

“Wait! No, don’t hurt her!” Harper’s voice cried out from behind the man. “Please,” I could hear him beg.

My lips quivered as the man came closer, ignoring Harper’s words. All my attention went from Harper to the man coming for me with the plank of wood, and I got ready for whatever he was going to do to me.

Instead of beating me, he got close and injected something into my arm, which made my world blur.

***

“You’re going to be okay.” A voice whispers to me as my eyes open the slightest. They’re blurry, but I can see the person’s outline, and I suddenly realize it’s Harper. He notices my eyes meet his, and he offers me a soft smile.

“You’re going to be okay.” He says in a soft tone again. He’s holding a cloth on my mouth, and I feel someone else wiping my arms down. I turn and see Liberty and Jax sitting next to each other. Jax hands Liberty new damp paper towels, and she takes them and wipes my arms with them.

Harper is holding me in his lap, and I slowly get up. He helps me, and then he holds me close by his side as I sit next to him.

They all stop and look at me for a moment, and I glance down slowly, avoiding eye contact. I begin to twiddle my thumbs slowly. All my memories begin to reconnect back in my mind, and I immediately turn to Harper, now being able to see clearly, and I grab his arms making sure they look okay. I see bandages all over them though, and quick, sudden tears begin forming in my eyes. I then glance up to his face, and I see a bandage or two on his forehead and scratches on the sides of his cheeks. One of his eyes is red and poofy, while the other has been sealed shut with black and purple bruises. Tears begin to stream down my face now, and I bite my lip, tasting blood in between my teeth.

“Oh, don’t cry. I’m fine!” Harper exclaims, placing a steady hand on my shoulder. I feel awful though, he got hurt trying to help me. Why would he do that?

I hug him tightly out of nowhere. He turns the slightest, and I can feel him hug me back, resting his head on top of mine.

“Everything’s okay.” He whispers in a calming voice, but I don’t believe him.

“No, it’s not.” I disagree, pressing my head into his shoulder more heavily.

“Um, we’re going to go get more alcohol for her wounds now…” Jax starts to say as he and Liberty begin to walk out of the room. Harper stays though, and he still grasps me tightly.

His jaw moves on the top of my head as he replies, “I’m fine.”

“I don’t get why you would get hurt because of me.”

He swallows before he replies slowly.

“Because I like you.” He mutters. “And I’m going to protect you.”

I sit in surprisement, but I just nod underneath his head.

“Okay.” I whisper, beginning to take my head from his shoulder.

“Plus, we can be hurt together!” He says as we release from the hug. I just stare at him for a moment, and then I look down at my hands lazily resting on my lap.

“I don’t want you getting hurt with me, though.” I mumble in a sad tone.

“I’m proud to be in the same situation with you,” he begins, which makes me look back up to him. “Because I know that I protected you.”

“What did you do?!” I quickly ask, now alarmed.

He smirks in response, and his eyes shift to meet contact with mine.

“I beat the guy up.”

My jaw drops, and my whole body begins to shake.

“How-How’d you even get out of the handcuffs?!” I stutter. “Don’t tell me you’ve done that before-”

“Training.” He states, confidently. “My mother taught me how to. They aren’t that hard to get out of if you know how.”

He takes his eyes away from mine, and he grabs my hands off of my lap. He studies my wrists for a moment, and then he begins wrapping them up with bandages.

“Then why did you allow him to beat you up!?”

“Because I wanted to see what he could do,” he replies rather nonchalantly. I just stare at Harper; it's an exasperated look filled with concern that is currently displayed on my face. He seems to notice, and then he adds, “He was pretty lame.”

“Lame?! What do you mean-”

“You sure learn a lot when you live with someone like my mother.” He calmly states.

“What the-”

“What you did to your wrists, is something you should never do. You’re lucky that the metal wasn’t rusted on the cuffs.” He interrupts, and it’s a good thing he did too, because I would be totally rambling otherwise about what he just said.

After a couple of minutes of him wrapping the bandages around my wrists, he sets my arms back down onto my lap.

“I feel really nauseous.” I say, wrapping my arms around my stomach. I feel the feeling of vomit coming into my throat, and before I know it, I accidentally throw up on him instead of the bucket right next to me.

Embarrassment fills my insides as I see that I just threw up all over his shirt, and tears fill my eyes once more. He doesn’t look disgusted though, just in discomfort. He turns to me in quick startlement.

“Are you okay?” He asks immediately, clearly startled. I just stare at him and look down. “I’m so sorry!”

He lifts my chin up, and we make eye contact.

“You’re okay, don’t worry about it.” He says with a smile. “I hate seeing you sad, brighten up, everything is okay, trust me please.”

It's sure hard to believe that when you just threw up all over your crush.

He takes his hand away from under my chin and stands up.

“I’ll be back.” He reassures me, walking away rather quickly. “I promise.” He says before stepping out of the room.

I slump forward and feel so embarrassed and angry with myself. Fuming tears form in my eyes.

I decide to look around the room and try to figure out where we are. I'm doing this not only to use up time in between waiting, but also out of anxiety. Nowhere we have been before, I know that, but again my head is still foggy from whatever that man put in my system. I can’t make out anything completely yet.

I acknowledge the fact I’m leaning against a bed right now, and there’s things around the room that I personally find interest in, which is weird.

Not less than five minutes later, Harper comes back in with a new shirt on. I watch him as he walks over to some mini fridge in the room, and I watch as he proceeds to pull out ginger-ale and a piece of bread.

What is this place? How come there's ginger ale and bread in the fridge like someone is going to vomit?

He walks over to me and sits by my side again. He smiles as he hands me a small cup of ginger-ale.

“This will help you feel better.” He claims, and I sip it slowly. He also hands me a piece of bread, and I eat that carefully too. It makes me feel slightly better, but still not necessarily well.

“Where are we?” I question, looking at him by my side.

He’s silent for a moment, and then sighs.

“The tournament.”

Chapter Text

Kacee

I stare at him for a couple of seconds, and then I look back at the bread between my fingertips. I breathe for a moment taking this in, and I swallow hard.

I don’t fully understand why I’m reacting this way, and possibly I’ll never know. I may be overreacting over who knows what, or I may actually be picking something up — something bad.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter right now because the team and I have to figure out what’s going on.

There’s seven of us on this mission:

Myself: The Elemental Master of Fire.

Harper: The Elemental Master of Creation and Destruction.

Liberty: The Elemental Master of Energy.

Jax: The Elemental Master of Lightning.

June: The Elemental Master of Water.

Parker: The Elemental Master of Ice.

Julissa: The Elemental Master of Wind.

The other two, Aviana and Julian, had something going on in their family where they couldn’t come, and I have a feeling they aren’t missing out on this ‘fun’ party.

This party is going to be terrible, and I know it. I also know we have seven chances of winning as a team: that’s seven times more than the average person playing in these games. Therefore, our team as long as we work together, can win.

However, even with these facts, there’s still a small bit of anguish inside of me. Something is off about this place. I can feel it, but I don’t know what.

I crumble the bread in hand and stick it in my mouth, chewing it slowly.

Sure, we have a chance as a team with whatever this new mission is, but I have a serious idea that this isn’t our regular type of mission.

I think deeply as I chew softly and swallow slowly. I suddenly feel a hand slip over mine on my lap, and I look down at it. Harper’s hand incircles mine gently, and a jolt of energy flows through me. I realize I’ve been holding in a breath of air for the last solid two minutes, and when he squeezes my hand softly, I let it out.

He must know that I’m anxious. No, I’m scared. I’m freaking out, because I know my sister is here…

For the past 10 years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to apologize to this girl, yet I have not been able to construct a proper apology that shows all my emotions. There simply is no words that can even describe my sadness. And now that this moment may come, I don’t know what to do.

Chapter Text

Kadence

“Greetings!” My mother’s voice booms throughout the auditorium. The microphone is at max volume, and I flinch as I get used to the loud noise. Not like I haven’t gotten used to her loud voice throughout the years of living with her…

My foot is propped up against the wall as I lean against it. My arms are crossed, and I am in no mood for conversation with anyone around. It is time for me to be brave. Time for me to be serious. Time for me to be selfish. 

When I use the word ‘selfish’, I mean not being selfless. I need to win, and to do so, I can’t allow myself to feel empathy towards others during these games. I must treat everyone as if they’re a training dummy — not actual humans. 

I glance around the room to everyone, and I suddenly have the desire to hide. I quickly am finding out I don’t like all this company. People aren’t chatting it up — they’re quiet, which is good, but I still don’t like how so many people are crowded in a medium sized room. It makes me feel a strange feeling of… fear? Is that normal, or am I weird?

I shake my head and let my foot off the wall with sudden anxiousness that my mother will notice, but I keep my arms crossed over my chest. It makes me feel less noticeable, and smaller, even though I’m already pretty short. 

I wish for no one to notice me; but as people gather around more to hear what my mother is saying, people begin to come… closer.

A girl with bright blue eyes and curly, brownish-blonde hair, wrapped up in a ponytail makes eye contact with me, and she has no distinct emotion displayed on her face. The only way I can describe it is that she has a very serious look, and it scares me honestly. Her ponytail bounces as she walks over to me slowly. Her walk is rough, but it’s elegant too.

She gets to be about three feet away from me and stops. Her ponytail falls back down to her body, and her walk is halted. I try to ignore her the best I can and put all my focus on my mother who is about to announce the rules, but it is kind of hard when someone is just standing directly next to you out of nowhere, and they have the slight look of wanting to kill you.

Finally, after thirty seconds of this uncomfortable feeling, I turn my head rapidly, and I offer her a weird look.

What does she want? And why is she bugging me by glaring at me every few seconds?

Her eyes are a vibrant blue, bluer than the ocean — almost like ice. No, a river. They are like a river. A light blue with dark blue inside. I’ve never seen anything like it. 

I keep staring at her and eventually she takes her eyes off mine as if she was in a trance or something. 

“Your eyes are beautiful.” She mutters, looking at me once more. 

“Wait, what?” My mouth lets out. My voice is in a whisper, and I realize so is hers. 

“Yeah, your eyes are very beautiful.” She says in a soft tone. She offers me a small smile for a moment, but then her same look from before comes back. 

I am shocked by what she said. She thinks my dark brown, average eyes, which can look red at the worst times, are beautiful? What?

“People always seem to make brown eyes seem nasty,” she starts slowly, gazing toward me politely, “I just wanna say your eyes, and every brown eyed person of course, but your eyes, they are simply beautiful. They have small, gold flakes in them making them vibrant from afar, and then they hold a shiny, dark red, which adds an excellent touch. They’re really cool and pretty.”

“I was just thinking your eyes were beautiful…” I respond quietly, in surprise. I add a slight smile with my response. “Thank you.” My words are hushed, but her smile returns for a quick moment before she turns suddenly, walking away from me. 

“Welcome to the Tournament of Elemental Sources!” My mother announces loudly, shaking the room. I look up almost immediately, and I lock eyes with her. I hold her stare for a couple of moments until she breaks it, and I notice she keeps gazing around the room. 

“As most of you know,” she begins in a bold tone. She proceeds to look around the room once more, and as she says the words she’s about to say, she locks her eyes on mine once again. No one seems to notice, but I sure do. I can feel the fiery glare from all the way back here, and it sends chills through my body. That’s not what fire is supposed to do, send chills through your body, yet her eyes do. Her fire makes the hottest things cold. 

“You will be fighting for the leading win and be victor of all the other Elemental Masters. And what I’m sure a lot of you also know, is that you must be ready for this fight: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Yes, all three. Physically as in your concrete attributes. Mentally by preparing your brain for what it may see,” 

I notice when she says her last few words, people look around at each other, and I start to wonder why everyone appears bothered. 

“And you must be ready emotionally, for what your heart may experience during these harsh trials. Any questions yet?”

A hand rises in the audience, and she points at it with a smile. It’s a boy, standing next to the same boy as before in the kitchen area. He has slicked back brown hair, and I turn my head and see the same girl as earlier standing next to him. She’s a few inches taller than he is, but I notice they are standing oddly close to one another. 

“Are they siblings or something?” I whisper to myself. 

“What will the reward be?” He asks. His voice is quiet, but it’s still audible, even from back here.

“Excellent question!” My mother exclaims with a bold smile on her face. She looks around at the audience for a moment, and then she rests both hands on top of the microphone. 

“Let’s just say…” she begins with a smug grin plastered on her face. “There’s going to be a very big and amazing prize involved.”

My eyes squint in response as she finishes these words. Why can’t she just tell us? Why is there so much silence about the reward system? 

I can tell others are confused as well, because everyone is looking around the room at each other shrugging. 

I then look at the girl, and whom I assume is her brother, just looking at each other with a glare. Are they suspicious of something? Or are they just trying to figure out what’s going on?

I shake my head and look back down to the hardwood floor. I suddenly realize my foot is tapping it anxiously, and I stop. 

What do I have to be anxious about? I have the most chances of winning this whole thing! I mean, what do I have to lose?! Everyone else here has smaller percentages than I do! I was trained by the women running this whole thing. I know what’s going to happen!

I smile as sweat rolls down my face. That smile fades slowly though, and all my worries return. 

But if I lose, what will happen then? I can’t think about that! I–I—

I shake my head, and I start to bite my nails as I look up to my mother. I quickly notice she’s staring right at me, and I take my fingers away from my mouth. 

She can’t see that I’m nervous.

So instead of my fear-filled insides, I put on a brave smile and nod toward her. I must win, no matter what I have to do in order to accomplish it. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

A “Greetings!” forces me to turn to the front of the room and look at the person standing up front. She wears an elegant black, lace dress, and she has onyx, dark black hair ending with snow-like, white tips. Her hair is curled in some areas and straight in others, making her look like she’s going to a formal dance or something. She has stunning makeup on her face also making her look like some queen, but underneath, I know she’s a devil. 

I knew the moment I saw that envelope on the ground by the trash can that it was a sign of wickedness. And when we opened it, I knew it was a mistake. 

However, I can’t ignore what comes my way, and I proceed to sigh as I stare at her. I don’t know if she’s noticed me yet, but I’m sure she has.

She always does.

My appearance hasn’t changed much from our last acquaintance with one another, so I’m not hard to notice. My hair is the normal wavy, bright but dark blonde hair, which is usually put back into a braid or mid-rise ponytail. My face is the same as it has always been, you can’t really change that. Then my outfit is just a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. I look the same as always, except for the fact that today my hair is let down. Harper? He looks the same as always also. He’s just more… happy. He’s been acting more hyped up than usual recently, but I would assume that’s because now he and Kacee are actually in a stable relationship with each other, and it appears to be going well between them.

I’m happy for them.

I glance over at Jax standing right next to me, and I’m guessing he can feel my look because he gazes down right back at me. I just shake my head toward him, and he blinks into my look with a nod. 

He knows I’m nervous, and it’s only because I don’t know what my mother is going to do. 

Is she going to take something away from us? Hurt us all? Will she even go to such drastic measures of taking away our lives from us all? I know, that sounds extremely vicious, but I feel as if she would go to those measures. After all these years? Isn’t she tired of all her losses? I don’t mean to sound cruel and brutal, but… if I was her, I would be fuming if I hadn’t won after so many years. And yeah, I may have already gone to those drastic measures I’ve stated just now. 

I’m no saint, and I’m aware; everyone should just be lucky I’m not a villain. I wouldn’t care if my children were a part of the Ninja forces or whatever, I would still do what I wanted to in order to win; just like how I’m going to do whatever I have to, to win. 

I know everyone says it’s our whole team who is responsible, but I know, deep down, that it’s my responsibility, because I’m the Green Ninja. I’m the one responsible for everything my mother does, because the Green Ninja is literally the legendary ninja, and she is expected to win and defeat evil. I haven’t told anyone I feel this way, of course. Mainly because they would tell me, “Oh Liberty, you’re so silly! Of course everything isn’t all on you! You have a whole team assisting you to stop your wicked mother who is trying to take over the world!” 

Yuck! Like they would mean those words! Because I know they wouldn’t…

I sigh and look to the ground, twiddling my fingers around one another. I haven’t even told Jaxson how I feel about all of this. I haven’t told him anything that I think about this, because I am too scared of how he’ll reply. I haven’t told Kacee, either. Not telling those two makes me feel guilty in a way. They’re my two best friends, and I haven’t told them? What a friend I am…

I know you don’t have to tell your friends everything, but these thoughts I’m having about my mother and myself probably should be told to someone. However, they haven’t been and may never be. 

I can’t tell Harper… even though he may possibly be the only person to fully understand. I just can’t bring myself to do it. My dad? Oh no, no, no. I can’t tell him anything like that, he wouldn’t understand.

I shake my head, and then I suddenly feel Jax’s hand slip into my right hand. I look up to his caring eyes, and he offers me a small smile. He pulls me closer to himself, and I look up to my mother. Only a couple of seconds have passed since her greeting, and I grip onto his hand tighter as I lean against him softly. However, this gesture is more for comfort and stability. I’m so nervous right now. I can barely even stand straight.  

“Welcome to the Tournament of Elemental Sources!”

Every word from my mother hits me like a bulldozer, and I turn my eyes away from her. I proceed to rest my forehead against Jax’s shoulder breathing loudly. I try not to think of all the people in this room, and how some of them may notice my slight panic.

My father told me a bit about his time here when he and the team were younger, and it wasn’t good. I didn’t tell him we were coming here, and I regret it now. If something happens, no one will know where we are and where we went. 

Jax holds my hand in his tighter, and I feel sweat between them. Is he nervous too?

“Everything is okay.” He whispers reassuringly as if he’s reading my mind.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised after so many years of knowing and being around one another if he actually could read my mind.

 I still rest my forehead on the side of his arm, and then I close my eyes. 

Great, she’s doing something devilish, of course! Can she not just be chill for once?

Everybody’s eyes are going to focus on me here, waiting for me to do something to my mother. However, deep down, I’m scared — really scared. 

However, I resist my urges of running out of the room, and I take my head off of Jax’s shoulder. I realize she’s staring at me, and I glare back with a look in my eye. 

She will be damned by me. I will end this, and I will end her.

Chapter Text

Kadence  

My mother’s speech was long and almost unbearable. I never knew I could despise my mother’s voice as much as I’ve experienced just now, but I guess so. 

Maybe it’s because we never talk, or maybe it’s because it’s always awkward when we do; but hearing her talk for an HOUR STRAIGHT, gives me a bit of relief that she never did talk much to me. 

However, I am met with some confusing news as I glance down to a piece of paper I was given by one of the maids mentioned earlier. 

The sheet basically tells you what times you’re in the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also explains the groups you are sectioned off into.

She basically grouped us where we live and our age group. We all, of course, live in Ninjago, but there are so many different places in Ninjago. 

There’s Ninjago City, Jamanaki, islands off the coast of the city (such as where I live now), Imperium, and more. Moreover, Ninjago City itself is the most populated, so there’s two groups put together into one (they just have to stay in their groups while eating). 

I am a part of the Island group, of course. I glance around and as the groups join each other, I see six other people, who have lived on an island their whole lives most likely as well, join each other. I spot the same girl as earlier, and once we meet eye contact, I notice she has the same confused glance as mine. 

My mother explained all this stuff about what we’re doing, but she also didn’t in full. We know the times we must eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when we have to go to the tournaments, and when we must wake up and go to bed (like the bed one will actually be followed), but she didn’t explain who we’re fighting, how to train, if we even get to train, and what these groups are for. 

Sure, they divide us up into where we are all distinctly from, but what good can that do for any of us? How will that help us in any way? Personally, I don’t believe any of this is for no reason, and I am quite curious if she is fractioning us off like this to see where everyone comes from, and how she can manipulate the games.

Honestly, it’s hard to understand my mother though, so how can I be sure? She may just be attempting to make it easier for herself organization-wise, but she may also be doing this for a villainess handle. 

I sigh out loud and look at my watch. 12 p.m. almost exactly, meaning it is almost lunch. I glance around and watch as others exit the room and make their way into the halls. I assume they are all heading towards the cafeteria, which is where I’ll be heading to as well. I walk behind people in my group, and we make it to the packed cafeteria. There aren't a whole lot of people here, but because I’m accustomed to people in general, my nerves kick in quickly. 

I stand in the line for food and decide to take pasta with a bag of chips. This can’t be too bad — this tournament, I mean. The only thing I’m nervous about is the possibility of not winning. 

I look around at everyone, and I suddenly realize how much bigger and stronger the people around me are compared to what I initially thought. Again, I haven’t seen many people in my life though, so I don’t really know what to expect. Although, now as I stare at those around me, I am realizing how screwed I possibly can be. 

If I don’t win, I don’t want to know what my mother will hypothetically do to me. 

I am about to walk out of the cafeteria with my food and head to my designated room to eat, yet I stop when I hear my name being called from behind in the room full of people. I turn around and see the same girl as before. 

“Wanna come sit with us?” She asks as she motions for me to join the group I’m in at a table. Surprised, I nod slowly and walk over to the table. She sits down and moves over for me to sit down next to her. 

“Name’s Rissa, and this is my brother Max.” She starts as she points to her younger brother who looks around twelve.

“My name's Kadence,” I reply, wanting to say more, but I stop before I do. 

“Cool, what’s your element?” She asks as she sticks a fork into her salad. 

I’m silent. I have an odd element: I soak up other elements and use them out as my own.

Okay, maybe describing it that way wasn’t the best, but what I mean is that I attract elements from others, and then I dispute them from my own blood. It can last depending on how much I take from the person, or however much I steal. 

There’s two ways I do it. I either:

A) Touch the person with my own fingertips, and however long I am in physical touch of a person, that’s however long the power works x144. 

Or 

B) I somehow acquire a DNA sample, like their hair, dead piece of their skin (I know, gross), fingernails, or any possible specimen of their body. I then can rightfully steal their element without them being aware, until at least, I purposely propose the realization to them, and in battle I will use their own element against them. 

And yes, I am fully aware that sounds evil and wicked, yet at the same time, who really cares? I mean, no one with a proper element knows how painful and extravagant theirs can really be. Sure, they can use it and specialize in it, but unlike them, I can specialize in any element I can possibly dream of; and in fact, use it against them. They can finally feel how painful their element really is, and they can experience it for themselves on the other end!

But of course, how could I explain it to another person? Not many can comprehend my element. Well, they can, yet they don’t understand it the same way I do. 

On a much deeper and psychological level, I understand how it works, and what process it takes to yield this power. 

It took me years as well. However, I stayed focused, and where am I now? By a single touch of a human, even under the circumstances of it only lasting a second, the power surges through my body at such high levels almost to the max of corruption. Through steadiness and ease, I am able to use it with caution, yet if anybody else could take this element as their own, they would be in for a literal hell of a time — and not in a good way. 

I hear salad being chomped on, and my thought process is suddenly swayed. I realize I haven’t answered Rissa’s question yet, and she’s probably waiting. Moreover, I can’t just give away my little secret — big secret actually — because it’s my way to win by swooping in and taking what’s mine… the prize. 

“Well,” I begin quietly, eyeing her softly. I must word this the proper way with the best tone, so she doesn’t get suspicious. “I have this cool element where I can absorb others.”

That’s all I have to say. No more information, just what I’ve given is enough. 

“Oh cool, absorb others what?” She leads on with a slight tilt of her head. 

Oh great! I didn’t think she would keep talking. Ugh! What do I do now? You know what? Maybe I won’t even reply…

“Uh, sorry! I need to go…” I pause, go where? Where do I possibly need to go? “To the bathroom. Yeah, the bathroom. Bye.” I mutter the ending as I grab my plate, and I quickly exit the doors of the cafeteria. 

“Oh, okay…” She mumbles as I walk away from her. 

I push the doors open and walk to my newly designated room, on the way, however, I run into my mother. Like, literally, run into her. 

“Watch where you’re going!” She exclaims, dusting the crumbs of my plate off her. She looks up and glares at me. “Where are you possibly off to so quickly?” She inquires, and I watch as the anger forms across her face. 

Great, now I need to deal with my mother too. What do I possibly say to her? She has told me specifically not to tell anyone about my powers. Maybe I should just lie and say something came up and I need to go to my room for personal reasons, but I really don’t want to lie. Again, I didn’t fully tell Rissa about my powers, only the lead-on type of information, which may possibly be worse. I don’t even know anymore. 

“Lady issues,” I mumble, shoving past her. She’s silent as I walk away. 

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best way to get out of it, but at least I know she won’t bug me for a while. 

I walk over and stop at room #302, which is the room I was given. I walk in, and I set the tray of food on the nightstand by the bed in my room, and then I flop myself on the bed with a heavy sigh. I need to have people only figure out my power once I get on the battlegrounds. 

I cover my eyes with my arm, and my legs hang off the side of my bed as I think to myself. 

If I mess this up, or screw this all up in any way, I’m doomed. 

Ugh.  

Chapter Text

Kadence  

I hear my mother’s voice boom through the loudspeaker. It’s been around an hour, and I’ve been in the same place and position I was the moment I settled onto my bed with a sigh. 

My food has been untouched, and I have no desire to eat. I need to focus and only focus on one thing: winning. If I fail, I don’t want to know what will be done to me. 

I mean, I could be overreacting for no reason, but honestly, I don’t believe I am. My mother may come across sweet the first few moments and times you meet her, but as you get to know her more and more, you will come to realize she is a strict, single, and crazy woman. 

Sure, she’s a people magnet. I’ve seen other women and men be attracted to her (take that how you want), but once they get to actually know her, which few do because she’s so closed off and dismissive, they come soon to realize how annoying and intense she really is. 

I may not have been outside of this palace my whole life, but I’ve seen other people come through every so often into my home, and they’ve never returned. 

I’ve seen men come in too, and the moment they really get to know her, if she allows them, they run away quickly. I would say good for them, because they just got themselves out of a whole mess that I unfortunately cannot get out of. 

 I sigh once more, and I sit up slowly. I groan and grab a bread roll off my plate as I head out of my room. If I am to win, I should be there on time and be a good example; not for everyone else, but for my mother. Not that I need to be an example for my mother, I need to give her the message that I’m ready for this, and I’m here to win. 

I hear through the speakers attached to the surrounding halls that everyone has fifteen minutes to get to the training room, which is downstairs and to the right of my room. So, I'm heading there now. I need to show my mom I’m not weak, either. 

I waltz down the stairs with a small jog and almost run into my mother again, and she proceeds to walk right by the stairs in a rush. I halt my steps briskly, giving her space so we don’t crash into each other again. I don’t feel like apologizing for something I didn’t do.  

“Oh, Kadence,” she starts, stopping and turning to me. 

“Hi,”

“You’re the first one to be here, good, you sure weren’t this morning.”

I let out a small breath inside of my mouth. That was by accident, and I was tired. And now I’m going to have to apologize to make peace again with her, won’t I? I take in a breath once more before saying, “Sorry, it won’t happen again, I’m here now though, and I’m ready to listen and win this thing.”

Her stern glare slowly changes into a responsive grin. 

“Good, keep that attitude,” she begins with solitude in her voice. “You have no room for errors.” She gives me the blank stare again as she turns quickly, her white-bleached ends of her hair swooshing almost into my face, and I watch as she clicks her heels on the firm ground into the training room. I also watch as she somehow doesn’t trip over her own feet in a tight waisted dress. 

I got to give it to my mother, she knows how to dress. As I’ve said before, I don’t understand how to dress the way she does at all, and I especially don’t understand how she can walk in high heels everywhere she goes. It’s very impressive. 

I follow her into the room, with my skater-like high-tops on, and I sit down in a chair on the right side of the room. The room is filled with tons and tons of chairs gathered in multiple rows. I will stay in a corner, not directly in the middle or far on one side. The corners are the best, specifically the right corner. This is how my mother can watch me, but she also can’t at the same time. This is also how only two people can specifically associate with me if they so choose, but at least I’m not surrounded by multiple people. Unlike if I sat in the dead middle where four people could be near and talk to me, or if I was in the very front or back, or possibly on the sides where three people could associate with me. 

What I’m saying is that only two people can talk to me if they so choose, and it won’t be as many as the other options. There are three others who get this option as well, and I wish the best of luck to those lucky souls. 

I watch my mother as she shifts in front of all the chairs set up in the middle of the training room. Now as I watch her, I’m realizing someone had to set all these thirty chairs up. I know I didn’t, so who did?

Chapter Text

Kacee

I sit next to Harper as I pick at my pasta and salad. I crumble bread in my hands as I think. My sister could be here, possibly anywhere, and I’m just loitering here like a literal sitting duck. 

I sigh, rather loudly, to the point where Harper glances over to me. 

“What’s up?” He asks in an almost concerned tone. 

“I don’t know,” I shrug. “I’m just nervous, I guess.”

“Oh,” he leaves it at that, and then I notice him slowly turning back to his pasta. “Do you think you’ll be able to recognize her?” He finally asks after moments of silence. I say ‘finally’ because it took him a couple of minutes of eerie silence to ask this, except for the cafeteria’s background noises. 

“I don’t know,” I say again. “I would assume she looks slightly like myself, but again, how should I know?”

“Yeah…”

Is that all he’s going to say? “Yeah”? 

I sigh and pick at my pasta with my fork. Slowly, I glance up and see if I can spot anyone possibly who looks like me, but out of the thirty people in this room, I can’t see anyone who looks any way like me.  

 Maybe I’m wrong, maybe she’s not here. Maybe she’s really gone…

No, she can’t be. She couldn’t possibly be gone… 

Dead . 

I shake my thoughts out of my head, physically, and I catch Harper just staring at me and then once eye-contact is made, he glances back down to his food. I gaze over to the left, and I spot Liberty picking at her food, too. 

“Is something wrong?” I lean over and whisper into her ear. She’s silent for a few moments, and then she whispers, “Yeah.”

“What’s up?” I inquire softly with a calm tone. 

“I don’t know, something’s up, and I’m trying to figure it out…”

“You’re turn,” I hear Jax’s voice suddenly say aloud. I glance over and see both Liberty and Jax have been playing multiple games of Tic-Tac-Toe on a napkin.  

Liberty shifts slightly and she puts an “O” in the bottom middle column. She then turns back to me, and I can see her worry through her emerald eyes. 

“What do you think, Jax?” I lean forward, directing my tone towards him. 

He lets out a laugh in his release of breath, “I have a feeling she’s going to trap us in this place if we lose. The thing is, if all of us lose, we’re in for it. I don’t know what that may possibly be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if death.”

“You think she’s that crazy?” I ask quickly with a sudden rise in my tone. My eyes begin to widen in both sudden fear and surprise.

“Of course she’s that crazy!” Liberty exclaims loudly through our conversation, throwing her arms up in exasperation. 

I back up the slightest and see other contestants we don’t know from the surrounding tables glancing our way. I grab her arms and bring them down back to her sides slowly. As I do this, Liberty just stares ahead of herself and focuses on the single, clear table right by ours. 

“Sorry,” she mumbles, looking down to her hands in her lap. 

“You’re fine,” we all reply, giving her sympathetic glances. 

She sighs before saying softly, “Jax is right, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s wicked enough to hurt us all.” 

“That’s such a sin…” Jax mutters aloud, but mainly to himself. 

“Everything everyone does nowadays is a sin…” Liberty whispers, beginning to pick at her nails anxiously. 

I look at them both, and then I gaze down at my pasta once more. Once I look up again, I notice June looking at me from across the table. She doesn’t look nervous, scared, or even worried, just blank. I give her the “Are you okay?” look, and she just nods. She’s really calm, probably the most chill out of all of us. She has always been like that, though. Stalked in the background, but she always brought interest to the party with something fun. I then glance over at Julissa and Parker picking at their food still. Everything has gone quiet in our group, and it’s one of those annoying silences that makes you feel uncomfortable. 

Suddenly, the loudspeaker turns on, and I hear Harumi’s voice through it, announcing how we all have to get to the training room, wherever that is, in fifteen minutes. We all glance at each other at the table once she’s done talking, and then we nod to one another. 

Normally, I would announce the topic of a possible plan being set, but because of how unpredictable everything is here, I don’t believe a plan can be set. We all correspondingly sigh, and then we place our trays where it says to place the dirty plates. 

We follow some others as a group outside of the cafeteria, and everyone attempts to navigate our way towards the training room with barely any further directions. 

I think as I walk. There has to be more than death, though. I mean, she can’t just kill us all, there must be a real reason for committing something so terrible. 

If she really wants, she can kill us, but I know for a fact if I was a villain, I wouldn’t just kill a bunch of kids for thrill. I mean, maybe I possibly would if I was some crazy psychopath, but there are earthly punishments for that. 

Whether you’re religious or not, this earth has had set punishments from the moment it was created. Then as the world grew on, people set those distinct rules to actual laws, which had already been created and written down either way — if that’s the way you believe it. Once words are written down, that’s how it shall last forever. You can’t take back what was written. Unless the whole world agreed you could kill innocent people, it may possibly be changed, but the idea still would not be taken away forever. Because the Earth had already had those laws the moment it was constructed, and because it was believed and preserved, people will always still hold onto those morals. Not everyone of course, because there’s always those people who don’t follow rules, but those same people will be punished thoroughly. 

It’s the same as stealing, and any other command that had been set. The world takes after and has made all these rules because they are all Truth, with a capital “T”, and those same rules are what keep mankind alive.

Basically, what I’m saying is, sure, there is a background reason for her to possibly kill me, and anyone on our team, because we have approached her in the past, but all these other kids? They’ve never met her, to my knowledge, and are only here because they were invited and don’t understand the likelihood of what will happen to them if they lose. 

It’s already psychopathic enough to approach and hurt a child, but also a child whom you’ve never met and have no malice toward? That’s a whole other level…

Now, I’m not saying I’m completely innocent either. When I signed up to be a ninja it gave me the possibility of taking someone’s life. Even though I am technically ‘saving’, I can still possibly take someone’s life out of joy because they had annoyed me so much-

That is really scary to think about. 

Luckily, I haven’t killed anyone, yet, but there is a huge possibility I can and will. Unfortunately, this is the universe we live in, a sinful world of pain and suffering. 

I would assume it wasn’t made to be this way, but people messed up, and we’re here now. 

I sit down silently in the room next to Harper. Teams were already assigned, but only in team names. Because there are thirty of us approximately here, I would assume either six groups of five, or five groups of six. I don’t exactly know which one. Whatever the options will be though, it makes me a little nervous. 

“Are you nervous?” Harper’s voice comes from my right. 

My whole body freezes up slightly. So he can sense my nervousness? I better chill then… I don’t want anyone else to feel it too. 

“A little,” I reply in a whisper. 

I turn to him, and then I look down at his lap, which is being tapped by his fingers as his leg shakes anxiously. 

I reach over quietly and take his hand in my own. He glances over to our fingers intertwined, and then his eyes make contact with mine. He doesn’t smile nor frown, he just gives me his blank stare. However, I can tell he appreciates it, and I keep holding his sweaty palms. 

I don’t know whether to hope we’re on the same team or not, but whatever happens, I hope we don’t have to fight against one another. 

Frankly, I hope I don’t have to fight anyone I am friends with during this whole sham of things. 

I sigh, audibly. I have two things to worry about: 

This whole issue of the tournament and… 

My sister. 

Chapter Text

Kacee 

Our list of teams are handed to each of us, and I anxiously look at it. Well of course I’m going to be nervous! I mean this is a big thing! Whatever happens here will stay with me until the end of this crazy humanoid experiment! 

I begin to sweat more nervously as I open the slip of paper cautiously, and I stare at the names printed on the list. There are five groups of six, and I look everywhere for my name. Then I find it; I stare at it for seconds until I eventually look at everyone in my group. 

                -William F. Harvey

                -Rissa G. Garrison

                -Kacee G. Smith

                -Max B. Garrison

                -Parker D. Julien

                -Kadence G. Lynnwood

My stomach drops as I read the last name. I don’t even go further to see where anyone else I know was placed, only that one name at the mere bottom is what I stare at. 

More sweat than before leaks down my face. Even though I warned myself about this, I didn’t at the same time. I just thought I was thinking thoughts that would never be real. Moreover, that has to be her, and those thoughts were in fact real. She’s the only ‘Kadence’ on the list. 

I pull my head up with a rush of adrenaline and gaze around quickly. My brain is rushing so fast that my eyes are wigging out with blurred and shaky vision. I gasp for air as I look around anxiously, yet I don’t see anyone who would appear familiar with what I would imagine her to look like. That may be because I’m behind a bunch of people. She could be anywhere! But I know she’s here! And that’s all that matters!

I then glance down at the paper and look for everyone else I know. They are all scattered around with different people in our team per group. Jax, June, and Julissa are in the same team, Liberty is in her own team, and Harper is also in his own team. 

My stomach drops again as I read all of this. I am going to have to fight against my team most likely… that’s not good…

Harper taps me on the shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

“Hey,” he begins, quietly. 

I glance over to him carefully, still distracted by my inner thoughts as I ask, “Yeah?”

He lets out a sigh as he closes his eyes for a moment. “I really hope we don’t have to, well, you know-”

“Harper,” I start, completely ignoring what he’s saying. “Have you seen… the girl at the end of my team’s list?”

He glances at me for a moment, and then he scans back over his paper. His eyes widen as he reads, and I bite my lip through fear, and slight excitement? 

“Is that-?”

“I think so,” I confirm. 

“Woah…” 

I watch as his eyes scan the rest of the list, and then those same eyes meet mine once again. 

He grins, “Then let’s find her and take her home.”

“I hope she comes with us…” I mumble as memories begin to flood into my mind. It was my fault she was kidnapped, and I don’t think I can ever forgive myself for it. 

A sigh escapes my mouth as I hear Harumi’s tone ring throughout the room once again, “Now get in your teams everyone!”

My heart beats rapidly as I stand up, say goodbye for now to my friends, and find Parker. 

“Looks like we’re in the same team.” He says with a smile as I get close enough to hear him through the massive crowd of people. 

“Yeah,” I reply through distraction. I’m searching for her, Kadence, my sister. 

In the distance, I see Rissa and her brother walking towards us. 

“Looks like we’re on the same team,” the girl announces, the moment she and the boy walks up to Parker and I. 

“Yeah…” I mutter in reply. I keep looking everywhere through both thrill and anxiety.

“Are you okay?” Parker suddenly asks. “You seem distant Kacee?”

My heartbeat stops as a girl with short brown hair appears from behind someone else, walking toward us. 

My sister. 

Chapter Text

Kacee

“Kacee,” a hushed tone comes from behind and pulls me from my trance. I turn around quickly, and I am met with a pair of shoulders inches from my face. Everyone pretty much appears like this toward me because I’m so small: five feet, exactly. I glance up in confusion and meet Harper’s gaze from way below.

“Kacee, I need to talk to you-” He begins in what seems to be a solemn voice. I’m so distracted by him that my brain paces off from my original subject, my sister, who is coming right now! I shuffle around with speed, and I watch as she walks up to the group. My heart pounds in my chest with anticipation. That has to be her! Kadence!

I realize now, however, that I probably shouldn’t reveal myself to her yet, just so I don’t weird her out. I know that may sound crude and mean, but at the same time I can’t have her not accept me as a person before she accepts me as her sister. 

Because she was kidnapped before her memory was settled in her brain, she doesn’t remember me or our parents, at least I don’t think she would. However, if I can make her like me enough to believe me…

“Hi,” 

Her plain voice ripples mercifully through my eardrums. I never knew how refreshing it would be to hear her voice. I also never even knew what to expect, but whatever this new achievement is, I like it. 

“Hi!” I pipe up out of nervousness. I shouldn’t have sounded so excited. She probably will think of me as a freak! 

Kadence glances my way for a quick moment from everyone else I’m staring at. 

“Hi…” She says once more, draining her speech as she looks up and over my head to Harper, who is still standing close behind me. She glances at him awkwardly, and then she gazes back at me. 

My feet tap anxiously on the floor, and I watch her quietly as she glances down at them and then back up to me. 

“Something wrong?” She asks in a silent tone. By now, everyone in our group, other than that William guy, are chatting with one another and getting to know each other. No one is paying attention to our small conversation. 

“Uh no!” I excuse, rationally. “I just think your hair is cool!” 

Yeah! Keep going with compliments! This will surely win her over to be inclined to believe I’m her biological sister!

“You think so?” She starts as her eyebrow rises slightly. I watch as she grabs a piece of her bang in between her fingertips as she mumbles, “Thanks. My mother has told me it’s too short all my life, but why should I care what she says? She does a lot of questionable things anyway…”

I just stare at her as she says this, and I watch as she shifts her eyes around the room and then back to me. She’s clearly waiting for an answer.

“Oh! Well, um, I think it looks cool.” 

She doesn’t reply. I realize I must keep this conversation going so I don’t lose her, but my heart is beating so loudly in my chest and transmitting that anxiety through my brain cells to the point where I can barely function! Moreover, I can’t let this precious time go to waste. I must stay calm and find out more about her, so I don’t mess up the only chance of getting Kadence back!

“Um, so, uh,” I start to stutter once more, pausing quickly between my words. Think, Kacee, think! “Who’s your mother?” 

Maybe that last question was too personal, but again, it is my business. I mean, whoever this woman is, had to have taken her! 

Anger rises inside of my body as I think about this. 

Whoever this person is messed up royally, and they will pay! I’ve been blaming myself for years, and I won’t let this rare, once-in-a-lifetime-chance of meeting my sister go into the trash! I have one and only goal: take her home where she can be safe and sound! That’s it! And if I can’t do that, and report to my parents what I did, I might as well leave everyone I know and everything. 

This girl is my sister, and I’m not going to let her be taken from me again!

“That’s not important,” she changes the subject quickly, “Who are you, anyway?” She questions, hesitantly. 

Dangit! 

“Uh, the name’s Kacee,” I reply in a sweet tone, more nice sounding than she is offering right now. Her tone is harsh, raspy, and full of negativity. I, on the other hand, am freaking out, and my voice is coming out weak and full of stuttered words. 

I extend my hand out to her, and she takes it. The moment I touch her fingertips, I feel a surge of energy rush through me. 

What is this? Is it because we’re siblings and our elements connect in a stronger way than any other elements?

“Kadence,” she responds, quietly. 

I almost faint by hearing her own voice saying her own name. I may be acting like a creep right now, a perverted creep in a way, but hearing my sister say her name is probably one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard someone say in my lifetime (other than a couple of other words said of course). 

She takes her hand away from mine, and she proceeds to stuff it in her pocket. 

“Well, it looks like your boyfriend needs you, so I’ll go.” 

My body freezes in shock as she says this. I slowly take my arm down and put it by my side as it shakes. 

She can’t leave! I haven’t even gathered enough information about her! 

And boyfriend!? Who said boyfriend?! I mean, I may like him, and he may like me, but who said boyfriend!?!

She turns around and begins to walk away from the group, yet before she officially leaves, she turns back around and says with a smirk, “See ya around, Kacee.” And then I watch her leave. 

My legs buckle, and I would have fallen to the floor just now if Harper hadn't caught me just in time. I’m about to pass out of exhaustion until he says the words, “We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Kacee

Those four words wake my brain right up. ‘We need to talk’! That’s a term you use when you are in trouble, or if the other person is in trouble, OR if you’re in trouble, I don’t know, long-term confessing to a person, or EVEN telling the other person you hate them or something! ‘We need to talk’, is a creepy use of the English language, which brings fear to my brain all the way down to my feet. I’m afraid to use it because I don’t want to scare anyone with something that’s not that important!

“What is it?” I ask, hesitantly, jumping up and looking him in the eye. He takes my arm and drags me along behind him outside of the busy room. He keeps pulling me behind him until we make it to a billboard with names scattered across it. 

“Read,” he instructs in an annoyed tone, pulling me up-right and standing close beside me. 

My eyes widen as I read the text, and then I turn and stare at him for a moment, and then I look back at the board. 

“No! This had to have been set up on purpose!” I exclaim, rubbing my eyes hoping my vision is correct. Unfortunately, it is. In every way it is right, in such a wrong way!

“No!” I say once more aloud as I turn to him in a harsh manner. I dig my head into his chest as I hug him tightly, and I close my eyes from the thought. “This is so stupid!” I mumble into him. 

He slowly takes his own arms and wraps them around me as I whine. 

“That stupid dog of a woman-” My words are muffled by his clothing, and we just stand there for a minute or two in a cold silence. 

“My mother with her crappy attitude did this on purpose-” He mumbles a minute later as anger rages through his voice. “I mean,” he throws his arms up, taking them away from my back in exclamation. “I should have known!” He yells with a jerked tone heaving through his voice. “I should have known that she, my mother, would do such a thing! She’s that type of—” He pauses, and then he looks back down to me and sighs. He pulls my ruffled hair out of my messy and sweaty face as he mutters, “She’ll pay.”

I sigh as well, “So what are we going to do? If we’re fighting the first round against each other, what’s going to happen?”

“You’re going to stay in, that’s what’s going to happen.” He replies without any form of hesitance in his voice. 

“What do you mean by me staying in?” I question, nervously.

“There’s no way I’m putting you in danger. You are going to stay right where everyone else is until further notice. I’m not going to allow you to be in pain or be hurt, and especially, during the actual tournament, I don’t want to hurt you. So please, let’s make it easy on ourselves.”

I gaze at him blankly, and then I look down at my feet as I think.  

“I don’t want to hurt you though…” I mumble in a quiet whisper. 

He’s silent now, until he suddenly grabs my hand, and with his other hand he guides my eyes to look into his. 

Before I can think, before I can process what’s going on, he takes my head lightly and kisses me. I stand shocked and surprised all at once as he holds me close to him, and my heart beats loudly in my chest. A fluttery feeling surges through my body, and I smile slightly through the excitement. It ends seconds later, what felt like minutes, and he quickly grabs my small figure and brings me into his chest once more. 

“Trust me when I tell you to let me go first. I’m not letting you be in any danger, and you’re going to have to accept that. So please,” I feel the pain in his voice with the last ‘Please’. Why is he getting emotional about this? 

“Please make it easy on me by just listening and not resisting. I really, really, don’t want you to get hurt. I need to protect you.”

‘Protect you’ rings through my ears as I grip onto the back of his shirt tightly. All he wants to do is protect me, and that makes emotions I’ve never felt before shoot through me like a bullet. 

“Okay,” I whisper, hugging him tighter. 

Chapter Text

Kadence  

I mumble to myself briskly as I walk carefully through the halls. I don’t understand why I feel weird, but I do…

That whole conversation was so odd with that girl, and when we shook hands, it was even more peculiar.

And it’s not like that guy was throwing me off behind her, it was the girl herself. Something is familiar about her in an odd way. Not relation-type memories, more like a weird connection that I can’t exactly pinpoint. 

“What are you doing?!” My mother’s voice rings through the hall, and I immediately turn to her voice through a feeling of slight fear. 

“I, uh-”

She storms up to me, grabs my arm roughly, and she guides me into a dark room. 

“What do you think you’re doing?!” She demands as her shouts hit my face with a rush of cool, yet hot air. 

I eye her, at least I think I do, it’s pitch black in here, and I only reply with a slight eye roll she can’t see. 

“I’m walking, duh.”

“Well, no duh you’re walking!” She hisses. 

I give her an odd look through the darkness, and I debate whether or not to make another snipey comment back, yet I decide to remain silent. 

“You’re not supposed to be talking to people! You’re supposed to be alone, thinking of a plan to beat who you’re against!” 

I remain quiet. 

“Have you even looked at the roster?!” She questions with a harsh sharpness ringing through her voice. 

“Uh yeah, I’m against some dude named Basil Corey,”

“Exactly!” She exclaims through the darkness. 

“Exactly, what?” 

“He’s a boy!” 

“And?”

The light in the small closet switches on, and I see her smug smile as my eyes adjust. 

“A boy,” she says with a hush in her voice. She nudges me slightly, and I look at her oddly. 

“And?” I usher on with more push in my voice. 

“He’s sixteen,” she’s silent for a moment and eyes me once more, yet I’m not getting her hint. 

“Ugh! Don’t you get it?!” She shouts suddenly. “He’s super cute too!”

My eyes widen, and I immediately begin to step back to the closet door. 

“No,” I begin. “I’m not here to find an interest in anybody. I’m only here to win. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“If I would have known how cute he was, I wouldn’t have put you against him at all…” She goes on.  

I stomp my foot on the ground roughly, grab the handle, and I storm out of the closet as I huff loudly. She doesn’t even attempt to chase after me, which I’m critically glad for. 

Why would she ever think of setting me up?! The likelihood of me liking this guy is low. I have never had an interest in anyone! Why would I suddenly have an interest in someone now?!

And no, it’s not just because I’ve been here my whole life, I’ve observed men, and none of them have interested me. They’re all scummy, bratty, and full of self-ego. I was only surprised when I saw that boy in the kitchen because I have never seen a younger one.

“And who names their kid Basil!” I exclaim rather loudly, throwing my arms to my sides. I don’t even realize I say it aloud until it happens. As I say it too, I walk past a room full of people, and they all glance over at me with an odd look. 

“Are you looking for a person named Basil?” A voice comes through the crowd of people. I glance at the person pushing through the crowd until I am immediately met with a rather tall guy, who has wavy, brown hair topping his head. Brown eyes are centered in that face of his, much like myself, and he wears a dark gray and red gi. 

He gazes right at me with the kindest smile, and he has a gleaming look in his eyes. 

“The name’s Basil,” he pauses quickly, and I notice he looks me up and down for a moment. “Basil Corey.” 

He sticks his hand out, and I weakly shake it back. 

“Um, Kadence Lynnwood.” I stutter out as I examine him up and down now myself. 

His shaggy brown hair is combed neatly behind his ears, and his toned body stands confidently in front of my rather small figure. 

“Oh,” he starts to mumble, his voice rising slightly. “You’re my first competitor.”

He still glances at my small self, and I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable. However, at the same time, she wasn’t wrong, he is so… nice looking. 

He shifts his glance at me and opens his mouth to say more, “What’s your element?”  

I stand frozen for a moment before replying through a stutter without thinking, “I absorb other elements.”

Dangit! I just revealed to him what it is! He has an advantage! Why did I do that?!

What is wrong with me? Did I seriously just get so attracted by some looks that I forgot to keep my mouth shut? Oh my gosh, I’m in trouble-

“Nice, I think I’ve heard of someone with something like that, um-” He pauses for a moment, and I watch as he shifts his vision with a look of thought. 

“Oh!” He snaps his fingers in delight. “Skylor Chen! Are you related to her?” 

I slowly shake my head with a whispered, “No.” There’s another person who had the same element as I do? How come I’ve never heard of her? 

“Oh, well maybe she’s a bit different than you. Anyways, I shape-shift.” He says rather confidently, a bold smile forming across his face.

“Shape-shift?” I repeat, still mid-thought about what he just said. 

“Yeah, like, I can change into whatever living thing I desire.”

My eyes widen slightly. 

“That’s amazing,” I mumble. 

“I know,” he responds confidently with a lift of his brow. “Wanna see?” 

I don’t even say yes as he begins to walk outside into the allowed courts of grass to breathe fresh air through. I follow silently, curious about this guy. I’ve never been so interested in anyone like this. Usually, people are really easy to anticipate and figure out the moment you meet them, but this guy is so expressive that it’s almost admiring-

“What do you want me to do?” He asks the moment we get to a more private spot of the two-acre yard, where vines line the walls, and flowers bloom on the ground. 

“What are the options?” I question through almost a whisper. 

No one is around us right now, and it makes me slightly anxious. 

“Anything you want,” he smirks. 

I’m quiet for a moment and think. 

“An eagle, maybe? As long as you’re okay with that?” I request quietly, gazing toward him gently. 

He smiles briskly, and he closes his eyes suddenly with a sigh of concentration. I watch as slight smoke surrounds him, and the moment the fog comes in fully, I see wings beginning to flap and an eagle appears from the smoke.

“Woah,” I awe in almost a whisper. “Can you talk?” I ask. 

“Of course I can,” he replies with boastfulness. He flaps around for a good minute as I watch silently. His talent is amazing, and I’ve never heard or seen anything like it. 

Through smoke once more, I see his human body reappear, and he adjusts his hair back to the combed-back way. 

“Amazing,” I murmur, awestruck. 

“You say you can absorb powers? That means you can do the same as I.”

I stand here silently for a moment, realizing he’s exactly right. This would be an amazing element to try and experiment with. It’s so complex with all the living options desired within it. 

“How do you do it?” I ask through a new wish of wanting to try this out myself.

“It’s simple really,” he starts, pulling a flower from the vine and catering it in between his fingertips. As he stares at it, he says, “You just imagine how you want to appear after the smoke vanishes, and there you go. Quite simple.”

He guides the purple flower in front of my figure with an outstretched arm. I glance up at his eyes for a moment and take it slowly, now holding it between my own fingertips. 

“Thank you,” I mutter, my heart beginning to beat fast. 

I’ve never experienced this feeling, what does it mean? 

“Though, I’m sure you’ll figure it out when the time comes,” he replies, beginning to turn around back to the building. “I’m sure you’re smart enough to learn it quickly.”

I watch him as he begins to walk away,

“Wait!” I exclaim, finally allowing my voice to be heard through the distance. He turns right around, and he looks at me faithfully. 

“Why did you come here?” 

I begin to walk up to him once more and stop the moment I’m at least six feet from him, yet he makes it two by stepping closer to me. 

“Because, I thought it would be fun to win something,” he pauses for a moment as he looks at me. “Though,” he starts again. “I don’t know how long that will last now.”

He walks away briskly, and I stand in the sand, heart beating rapidly, and millions of new and evolved thoughts run through my head. 

…Is this what my mother meant?

Chapter Text

Kacee

I pace around Harper’s room as Liberty, Jax, and Harper sit in different spots and watch my steps shifting around. 

Jax lays on the ground, throwing a tennis ball and catching it over and over again. Liberty is sitting on Harper’s desk chair as she taps her feet on the ground anxiously. And Harper is just staring at me from his bed. 

“So what you’re saying is,” Liberty begins in her naturally more solemn and calming tone, “You shook hands with your sister?” 

“Yes!” I exclaim through a frazzled expression. “At least I believe so.”

“She looked like Kacee,” Harper starts, patiently. “I would have assumed they were sisters from afar if I hadn't known.”

“What’d she look like?” Jax asks as his tennis ball keeps flying up and down through his grip. His light brown hair rushes over his eyes as he shifts his body to catch the tennis ball that suddenly begins to fly over to me by a lost grip. He lays back down on his back again, and he proceeds to restart his game. 

“Pixie cut hair, brown eyes, uhh,” I pause for a moment thinking. “Still has that youngish teenager-looking face, though of course she’s only fifteen, so that’d make sense…” I begin to drift off. 

“What color does she wear?” Liberty questions with slight curiosity in her eye. 

“Red, orange, black, gray…”

We all sigh correspondingly. I guess we all are beginning to feel the Tournament’s affects on our bodies.

“Who are you guys fighting in the first round?” I ask, remembering that Harper and I will be blasting each other first. We glance at each other vaguely, and then we each turn our eyes to both Jax and Liberty. 

“Some dude who I don’t know and have never heard of,” Jax mumbles as he throws the tennis ball repeatedly in the air. 

“Same, but it’s a girl,” Liberty mutters, getting up from the chair. She walks over and stands above Jax, catching his tennis ball mid-air, and she proceeds to play with it herself. 

“Hey!” Jax exclaims, sitting up quickly. He has a playful smile on his face as he stands up, a full head and shoulders above her, and he takes the object back. He holds it above his own head as she aimlessly reaches it with a smile appearing on her usual toned and serious face. 

“Stop!” She exclaims through giddy, attempting to jump and reach it from his grasp, yet she fails every time, and he just stands there with a smug and snarky look on his face. 

She eventually stops jumping around him, and she just stares at him towering above her. She totally forgets Harper and I’s existence as she gives Jax a look of admiration and slight annoyance... yet it’s clearly the unbothered type.

“Fine,” he lets up as she gives him a look of desire. He passes the tennis ball to her, and she takes it with a smile. 

“What if I did that to you, how’d you react?” Harper asks, glancing at me from his bed. Liberty and Jax shift their gazes from one another to the two of us who just interrupted their… thing. 

“I’d go find my own tennis ball.” I reply in a serious tone. He gives me a look I can’t exactly pinpoint, and then with no response he glances back over to Jax and Liberty. 

“Have you guys decided?” Liberty finally asks through the silence that has been going around for the last minute, even though we have all been giving one another the look between each other's eyes. 

“Yes.” Harper replies seriously, sitting up straighter on the edge of his bed. Jax looks up to Harper with a compassionate look from the ground beside his bed. 

Liberty glances at me with a look of sympathy as well, and after a while, I can’t take it anymore. 

“No one’s going to get hurt,” I mumble, and I suddenly begin to feel tears line the inner layers of my eyes. 

I meant for it to come out as a possible ‘Hero-Like’ statement, but it arrives through a whisper of fear. My body begins to shake visibly, and I wonder why I can’t control myself. However, after a second of thought, I realize that it’s because in under three hours we will be put against each other, under the lights of the stadium, audience watching, and us, fighting. An audible sigh comes from my mouth, and I shut my eyes slowly. 

Everyone falls silent, until I feel a warm hand slip into my own. 

“Come on,” I hear Liberty’s voice say as her hand squeezes mine. My eyes trace the floor as she guides me outside of the room, and she takes me to her own. 

I break down into tears the moment she shuts the door, and she holds me upright in her arms, keeping me from falling to the floor. My legs shake in a vast motion, and I taste my own tears falling down my face rapidly. 

“Damn her,” I hear Liberty say to herself as I lay in her grip. “My mother is the most-”

“Please stop,” I interrupt through lost hope. “Don’t wish such things upon anyone.”

“I’m not wishing anything upon her, I’m just… angry with her.” Liberty defends rather bitterly. 

“It’s not going to do anything but make everything worse.” I sniffle. I begin to stand up straighter, and I lean on her shoulder for assistance. 

“Sorry,” she mumbles. 

We kneel onto the ground together, and she supports me quietly. 

“I’m sorry that this has happened to you…” She’s silent for a moment before she mumbles, “It’s terrible.”

I sigh as I close my eyes, “It was at first sight,” I mumble, coughing. “And now we’re expected to fight each other?!”

She remains quiet until she says, “I know,” and she begins to string her fingers through my hair as she repeats softly, “I know, and I’m sorry it has to be like this.”

Chapter Text

Liberty

When I was a kid I was told stories about the ninja, the adventures, and the awesomeness you would get to experience as a ninja, which really excited me for when I could become old enough to actually be one. 

They were all told to me by my father, Lloyd Garmadon, which makes me Liberty Garmadon. 

 Throughout all these stories, however, I was never foretold the dangers of actually being a ninja. I was never told what could happen if you became hurt, the mental and physical pain you would go through, and finally, I was never warned about all the lies that would come forth to you as a ninja. Especially as a person who descends from such a ‘Great’ and ‘Powerful’ one, such as my family, and their elemental sources.

My family isn’t great, nor is it healthy in any matter. It all started when my grandfather was bitten by the Great Devourer. The famously known worst snake in all possible history whom my family was ruined by; all by a stupid katana thrown over a stupid wall. 

We all know the story, everyone does. Not just my family, not just the neighbors, not just friends, not just the City of Ninjago itself, not just the country… it’s known by the whole realm; and quite possibly, it’s known by other realms outside of Ninjago, too. 

I try to forget this memory though, and I hide the thoughts from myself. Although, every time I try, I am reminded by the one person I was especially never warned about, my mother. 

And that’s what makes me so angry. 

No one, absolutely no one, ever warned or described her to me. I was always told she was gone. And as a child, I even assumed for a portion of my life she was dead, not until I met her almost four years ago, for the very first time. 

That first meeting wasn't amazing. It was the antonym of amazing; probably even worse than the known antonym that can be made up on the spot right now. 

That first meeting was what destroyed all possible ‘great’ relationships my mother and I could have ever possibly had. However, that has changed. No longer will I wish to be in such a relationship with my mother, because I don’t want any of it. I also haven’t had much of a relationship with my father for the last three years, and I honestly don’t want any of that either. There’s no point, because he’s the one who has always lied and manipulated my thoughts about my mother and my future as the next Green Ninja

And of course, I get it, I too have manipulated people wrongly, but never as much as my father or mother have. Although everyone around me has done it to me at least once, and I have slowly learned to realize that it’s just human nature. 

For example, other than my parents, Jax has done it. I understand he was trying to save me, but now I will forever have to live with the fact that one of my bestest friends in the universe has done that to me. He pretended to be someone who, I know deep down, he’s not, and I hope he will never become again… 

By coming here, I hope to say, finally, that this is the end. The end of my mother’s reign. The end of her villainess acts…

Who is my mother?

The one and only…

Harumi Garmadon.

Chapter Text

Kacee

The auditorium’s lights shine as I stand in the center of the stadium. Harper isn’t too far away from me, and we stare at each other with a certain look in our eyes. 

I know for a fact I don’t want to hurt him, and I would believe neither does he want to mutilate me either, however, I still can’t help from thinking about the words he said to me prior to this.

'Trust me’

“Trust me.” I mumble to myself quietly. 

Gosh! I hate this! Trust him? Why? 

‘I’m not letting you be in any danger’

Goodness! His words! They won’t stop repeating in my head!

I breathe heavily, and the lights of the auditorium feel heavier and brighter than before. I wish we hadn't come here; I would never be having this conversation in my head!

No, not even a conversation, a decision! Do I go first? Or follow what he said?

‘Let me go first.’

No! I can’t let him go first! The First Spinjitzu Master only knows what type of Hell is down there! But then again, what will happen to me? 

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! What should I do?!

A bell rings throughout the auditorium, and I am released from the cage I’m locked in. I look up from my hands, which were just cupping my face, and I carefully grab a sword from the table. 

My fingers tremble as I wrap them around the hilt. Swords are used to kill enemies, not friends!

Tears sting my eyes as my grip holds the tool tighter, and I bring the sword to my side. What bloody hell this is!

I step out cautiously, and I quickly see the bounce of his hair from the other side of the gate. 

We’re trapped. We can only get out until one of us is a goner.

I breathe in a deep breath, and my boots track closer to him, step by step, until I see him a good fifteen feet away. He hasn’t moved an inch, besides from the cage he was locked in prior to this, and he stares at me with the most kind and caring eyes, until I see him grip his weapon tighter in between his fingertips. I glance at his hand, and he’s holding a small hand-gun, which appears to be locked and loaded. 

Is he going to kill me!? I didn’t even think of going that far!

He notices my change in careful expression, and his kind look suddenly turns into a devilish look. 

“Trust me.” His words repeat in my head. 

But how? How do I trust him?! He looks just as he did back when I first met him! Hungry for vengeance! Ready to do anything to make his mother happy!

Maybe that is their plan all along! To work together once he gains our trust, my trust!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH-

My fingers begin to come loose on the grip of the sword once this thought pops into my mind. I want to convince myself I’m wrong, but he begins walking towards me with that certain look in his eyes, the same look I saw before he joined our side. 

I step back carefully, tiny inches between each step. 

Maybe I’m just being paranoid! Nervous because I don’t know where I am! That’s it! I don’t know where I am, what I’m doing, and what I’m supposed to do! That’s why I’m so scared! Yeah… Definitely!

I stop my slow steps within these moments. 

Okay, maybe he’s just trying to get a good view of me, give me signs after we meet eye contact, and he’ll tell me what to do, that must be it!

However, I quickly realize I’m sorely mistaken. He’s inches from me now, and I can feel his hot breath against my face. What’s going on? 

The same look from before is in his eyes, but as I look harder, I realize I think I can see more than just that.

“Kacee,” he pauses his tone, bites his lip until a slight dribble of blood runs down his chin, and then he looks back at me. His eyes look at different objects until he meets my gaze again, and before I know it, he’s kissing me. Straight on the lips, and in front of all these people! 

“Harper,” I am barely able to say as he lets off and takes a breath. He goes back in before he even thinks of a reply, and I just stand, useless, doing nothing but feeling both excitement and embarrassment. 

He departs once more, and this time, his eyes are glassy. I’ve never seen him tear up before, but my answer is him saying, “I’m sorry.” 

Then all I can feel is sharp pain.

***

My eyes adjust to the bright hospital-like-lights, and I feel myself strapped down in a bed. I attempt to move, but I find myself unable to. My breathing increases rapidly, and I begin to scream. 

However, I stop this call-for-help quickly, and all I can feel is a sharp pain in my back. What happened? Why am I here?

Hot tears stream down my face after minutes of realizing that everything I do won’t help me and whatever situation I’m in. I will be trapped here forever, wherever I am, and die here; probably just like a bunch of other people have, too. 

What even happened? Why don’t I remember?

Bang!

A door is slammed open, and I am roughly unlatched from the bed by two guards. For a second, they seem as if they were helping me, but that is not the case. They drag me down the hall and into another room, but this time it's dark. 

As they pull me behind them painfully, I scream and kick, but they seem to ignore my cries for help quite easily. What are they going to do to me? 

Hurt me?

Use me?

Assault me?

Do other despicable things to me?

How many other people have they done this to before me?

I groan heavily as they latch me into another chair, and I realize who I am facing.

“Harumi!” I exclaim aloud through gritted teeth. My backside still hurts, and I’m trying desperately to remember what happened. 

She ignores me easily, and proceeds to stand up from her chair slyly, putting her hand underneath my chin lightly. Her painted face is inches from mine, and I can feel her cold, minty breath. 

“Kacee Reese Smith.”

“What do you want from me!?” I scream through blurred, teary eyes. 

She seems unbothered, and she acts normal as if she’s not millimeters from my face and not offering me a weird and unstable look any person like her would give me.

“Aw, she seems not to remember, doesn’t she?” Harumi asks, eerily. After hearing her question, I glance around slightly. I don’t know who she’s asking, no one is in here other than her and myself; the guards left a couple of minutes ago once I was delivered. 

She laughs in a mocking and hysterical way until her eyes shoot me a sharp look. I admire the ability I once had of being able to get away from her. 

“Your boyfriend wanted to kill you; don’t you remember?”

My eyes widen slightly before saying in an alerted, whispered tone, “Harper?” 

No… no! That can’t be! Why would he-

“Because he wanted to move forward in the games! They’re already almost over! Two other friends of yours failed!”

“Who?” I question, shocked. Two others?! That means only… four of us are left! Oh my-

“Harper, Liberty, June, and Jax are left.” She seems excited as she announces this. I breathe more and more heavily as the realization hits me harder than before. 

“Harper?” I question. She gives me a side glance of frustration. 

“Didn’t you just hear me, dummy!” She screams. “Harper almost killed you! He wanted to kill you!”

“No!” I dismiss. “He wouldn’t! Unless you made him do it!”

She backs up slightly, her face shrugging. “That was all him,” she starts. “I don’t give a crap about what he does anymore.” Her eyes roll as she finishes her statement.

My expression and emotions plummet as I hear this.

He wanted to kill me? Why? What’d I ever do to him!?

“And don’t you remember,” she begins. “He made out with you, in front of everyone!”

“Made out with me?” I repeat, confused. However, before she can even reply, the memories come flooding back in. 

Tears leak down into my neck the moment I open my eyes. I remember what happened, even the amount of blood surrounding my body as paramedics lifted me onto the cot, and everyone cheering for Harper as I lay there gasping for my final breaths. He didn’t even look down at me once; he didn’t care. 

I snap out of the memories and shrug my head down with a sad thought. 

Why would he do this?

Chapter Text

Liberty 

Stupid, so very stupid!

“Ugh!” I groan to myself aloud. My green eyes shift around through the darkness until I find another filing cabinet. 

I inch over to it, aiming my flashlight inside of it, and I search for a single last-name, ‘Smith’. 

I must find this, I can't let Kacee down. She has been looking for her sister for years, and if she’s actually here…

My fingers trace over all letters in alphabetical order until I find the ‘S’ section. Carefully, I search in hopes of finding the information we need. 

“Kadence Smith.” I repeat as my eyes widen excitingly. I grasp onto the file as I exclaim, “Aha!” I jump up, quickly. “I found it! I found it, losers! Hahaha!”

Suckers, ha!

I quiet myself down so no one finds out I’m here. Slowly, I set the file on the floor, and I proceed in aiming the light at it. Two images are clipped in before the information. A picture that looks as if taken about ten years ago of a young girl with long, dark brown hair and reddish-brown eyes; and another photo, which looks newer, of the same girl with dark brown hair, which is now in a pixie cut, with the same reddish-brown eyes. 

I slide the pictures off, laying them side by side on the floor, and then I carefully remove the parchment paper covering the legal certificate. 

Name: Kadence Ray Smith

Age Found: 3 years

Current Age: 15 years

Element: Power Absorption — Amber

Parental Guardian: Harumi Garmadon

The rest of the information follows as more personal information, such as: weight, height, date of birth, shoe size, shirt size, jean size, and other info about her that isn’t worth mentioning. 

“My gosh-” I mumble as I read. “I doubt my mother, Harumi, even knows this much about me. ‘Eyeglass prescription’? My goodness-”

I continue to read the final print, and I suddenly realize something as I sit and stare into the darkness for a moment.

“She was three when taken which means Harper was six… was he around during that time?”

I stand up in a rush, realizing this sudden new bunch of information. Could he have been there?

I quietly and safely exit the dark room and make my way back into the dimmed hallway I came from. I’m hoping I won’t disturb anyone or get noticed by security as I dart down the rest of the halls in silent, yet hurried steps. If I do get caught, I’ll be in deep trouble. 

My boots waltz up the stair’s steps silently. Once I arrive at Harper's door, I breathe in a gasp of air. Have I not been breathing this whole time? No, I haven’t. 

I knock slowly until I notice the door is already ajar. I nudge it open quietly, and I see Harper huddled underneath his blankets creating some sort of cuddled-caterpillar-type-burrito around himself. 

No lights are on, other than the bedside lamp on his nightstand. I creep over slowly, and out of nowhere, a groggy voice comes from him from underneath the sheets. 

“I don’t want to talk,” he grumbles. 

I remain silent. 

“Liberty.” He finishes with a sigh. 

How’d he know it’s me? He’s been facing away from me this whole time…

“I know it’s you, I’ve recognized the footsteps of those around me.”

Well, that’s not creepy at all…

“Listen,” I start, attempting to ease my way into this convo. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll stop this anger of his and actually try to help others around him then just mourn and have freak-outs every five minutes. If we want to save Kacee, and all our other friends, then we must focus on the main mission. 

“I said I don’t want to talk.” He interrupts. 

I let out a sigh, “Harper…” No answer, “Harper!” 

I see him jerk, and I go on. 

“I need you to listen, I found Kacee’s sister’s file case, and I realized after reading it that she was taken when you lived with Harumi.”

He’s still silent. I sigh once more before going on, “Harper, Kacee really wanted to find her sister, you know that, and if we can save Kadence somehow, get her back, and take her back with us as well as Kacee, I think that will make Kacee really, really, happy.”

He suddenly and slowly emerges from the blankets, his blonde, grown out shaggy hair a mess, and his face is red and puffy. He stares at me in the eyes with a solid look. 

“You mean that?” He asks dimly, darkness surrounding not only his eyes but his whole figure. 

“Yes.”

His eyes widen, and he lets out a cold breath as if his whole life depended on that answer. He then looks down, tucks his head into his knees, and I watch as he holds this posture. 

“I hate myself.” I hear him whisper, quietly. My eyes look down in an understanding and slow gesture. I proceed to take his cold hands carefully. I squeeze them, and he squeezes back. 

Eventually, he looks up, tears streaming down his face, and I give him a small understanding smile. 

“You didn’t want to hurt her, we all know that in the group, you had to do it for her own good.”

He looks as if he’s about to break down more the moment I say that, and I realize quickly to just remain quiet. He slowly shifts down into his blanket pile again, releasing his hand from mine, whispering goodnight to me, and I proceed to leave slowly. 

Leaving him alone right now will probably be the best. He never shows emotions like this, and when he does, it really sucks the life from him. 

I understand him, though. Losing her from him hurts just as much as it does for me, because neither do the two of us understand what she’s going through right now, and I think that's what really scares him. 

I head back to my room, but I stop once I pass by Jax’s room. I bite my bottom lip out of anxiousness. We haven’t talked for a while; one of us has either been too busy or the other, and I realize this suddenly standing here. Actually, I’ve understood it for months, but I haven’t wanted to say anything about it... About our ongoing and silent issue. 

I’ve forgiven him of course, because I probably would’ve done the same for him as he did for me back in Prime Empire. Although, I’ve had to slowly accept that thinking and understand it. 

I lift my hand to knock on the door, and I tap it quietly. However, it’s late, so I don’t expect him to open it up. I hear the door budge, and a stressed-out-looking guy opens the door. 

“Libby?” He asks, surprised. His eyes soften once he sees me in the darkness, and he allows me in. I slip off my boots once I enter, and I glance around the dim room. 

“I was just about to go to bed,” he starts, though the moment his mouth opens, I can sense that he’s lying. Why does he choose to lie?

“Why are you lying?” I confront, immediately. 

He looks almost shocked, and he proceeds to rub the back of his head with an exasperated look. 

“Guess you already got me,” he sighs. 

“Why do you lie?” I question again with a sense of grief flowing over me. 

“I’m not trying to, I just-” He sits on his bed, and then he looks up at me. “I don’t want you to worry.” He finishes saying with a calm expression. 

“Worry?” I repeat. 

He doesn’t reply, and then I say, “You don’t have to worry, add on to it, I’m already freaking out.”

His head tilts softly, and he stands up slowly. He looks at me cautiously, and before he can do anything else, I wrap my arms around him and sink my head into his chest. I listen to his fast, but calm heartbeat as I tear up, then those same tears turn into streams, and eventually his own arms are wrapped around my figure, and he’s basically cradling me within himself.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight,” he starts to offer in a soft tone. My heart begins to beat rapidly once I hear this, my tears beginning to stop. “And, um, I — um, you stay on one side, I stay on the other, a pillow barrier between us, and-”

“Yes,” I agree in a whisper, barely thinking. I grip onto his shirt tighter, wrapping him in a tight hug, and then I let go. I offer him a small smile, and then I slowly sit on his bed. 

“You need, uh, clothes?” He questions in a hesitant tone. I spot him looking at my jeans. He seems nervous, yet there’s also a hint of something else in his tone. 

“That’d be nice.”

He slides over to the dresser in the room, and I watch as he grabs a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. He walks over to me with the small pile in his hands, and he politely and softly hands them to me. 

“You can take a warm shower if you want to, ya know, wash those tears down the drain,” he chuckles softly, and I can’t help myself from laughing a little as well. 

“Yeah, thanks.”

I head into the bathroom and shut the door softly. I quickly rinse myself off in warm water just like he said, and it makes me feel better, much better. I step out and suddenly catch a glance at myself in the mirror. I quickly realize how different I look from when I first became a ninja within these moments. The stress has for sure gotten to me; bags under my eyes, scars lining my face and body, my figure being underweight from stress, and I notice more changes as I look continuously at myself. I begin to tear up once again looking at myself, so I quickly glance away, and I proceed to put the sweatpants and shirt on that he gave me. 

Of course, they’re way too big, but that’s the point. They make me feel surrounded by warmth, and I can feel my tears begin to fade for right now. 

I step outside the bathroom, and Jax has already set up the pillows in between our sides. He immediately looks at me from his phone, and I notice he gives me a look of admiration. 

“You ready?” He asks, softly. 

“Yes.”

I slip underneath the blankets on the left side of the bed, and I slowly turn on my right to face him. He turns off the lights and faces me on his left. We’re silent for a good while until he breaks the silence and says, “Like the pillow barrier?”

I know he’s joking, but some part of me doesn’t like it. Maybe I’m just naughty, and I can’t think of any good thoughts, or maybe…

“What do you think of it?” I ask back. Yes, answer a question with another question; and even better, use the same question against them!

“I… um… well…” he begins to stutter. “Yeah. Why not?”

“You don’t,” I start with a light leap in my tone, yet I calm it down as I go on to say, “You stuttered and hesitated.”

“No… no I didn’t-”

“Stop lying, Jax. There you go again, stuttering.”

I sit up, shove the pillows in between us off the bed, and I carefully lay down next to him, but this time I’m closer. 

We won’t do anything weird. I know he has enough common sense, at least right now, to not try anything; and I know that nothing should be done, at least, here.

I feel his breath against my face as I dig my head into his chest, and I suddenly begin to cry once more. I don’t exactly know why I am. Maybe it’s because he has always been able to make me feel calm. His presence all together offers me a form of warmth, and it’s a type of comfort that nobody else can give.

His arm wraps around my figure quietly during the process, and it makes me feel overwhelmingly secure. I haven’t felt this secure in somebody’s arms in my life before, and it for some reason makes me cry harder.

Chapter Text

Liberty

I shoot up from bed exasperated, panting, and inhaling as much air as I can handle. Cold sweat elapses over my body, and I tremble at the thought that crossed my mind in my dreams. 

“Maybe it’s real,” I whisper to myself quietly as my fingers intertwine around one another. 

I breathe more heavily, and then I look to my right. Jax is still lying next to my figure, dead asleep. I sit up straighter, take my legs out from underneath the blankets, stand up quietly, and tiptoe into the bathroom. 

I don’t even turn on the light, I just switch it to the cold water from the sink, and I splash it onto my face. I’m still trembling from the dream as I step out, and I walk over to the curtains. I open them slightly, revealing moonlight that wafts in. I stand near the cold window, hoping that this will cool me down. It does, slightly, until I hear shifting. I glance over, and I notice Jax is sitting up, and he’s looking right at me. By now, I’m sitting on the floor, knees held to my body, and I am trying to stop myself from panicking over a stupid dream that has now made me more nervous than before about these games.

I wipe my light tears, so he isn’t able to see what’s going on, but just as I’m doing so, he is already stepping closer to me and kneeling down. 

“Something wrong?” He asks, quietly. He bends down closer, and the tears keep flowing more and more.

Why does this keep happening to me in front of him? He’s going to think I’m an over-emotional dummy!

“Can you explain to me what’s going on?” He asks slowly, and I watch as he lifts his thumb to my cheeks and wipes the glistening tear off with a compassionate smile. 

I bite my bottom lip, and I suddenly grab his wrist before looking straight into his eyes. They are glassy the moment I make contact, and I wonder why. 

“Please,” I beg, quietly. “Don’t leave me again.”  I hate how needy I sound within these moments, yet at the same time I don’t think I am. A year ago, he had secretly rebelled against the team and I to work for my mother, and I’ve allowed him back into my life only because of the fact he was doing it all to help me. However, that doesn’t mean I want him to ever do it again. 

He’s silent as he sits down next to me, and he proceed to wrap his right arm around my shoulders and back. 

“You know I won’t-”

“How can I trust you?!” I interrupt through a shout in both a confused and angry tone. However, I realize how that may have come across to him, and I break down into more tears as I choke out a small and soft, “Sorry.”

He remains silent, and all I can hear are his soft, yet harsh stumbled breaths.

“I just, I don’t want to lose you again, because you’re going to think I’m crazy.” I mumble through a whisper.

“I won’t think that,” he interrupts, nodding his head in agreement with himself. 

I grip onto his left arm more and feel my throat closing in with that thorn-like feeling as mutter, “I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you much these last few months,” I begin, quietly, attempting not to choke on my own saliva. “I’ve just been so,” a sudden rush of emotions flows over me at this moment, I realize how much I’ve kept in. 

This is the first time I’ve actually cried for myself since he’s been back, which means I’ve been holding in my anger and fear since his sudden departure last year. That’s hard… really, really hard. It is more difficult emotionally than many like to believe. 

I grip my fingers against his arm as I think of all of this. I'm not just some ‘Petty Girlfriend’ they call it either, he’s been my best friend since we were kids, little kids, and thinking and knowing you’ve lost someone who you genuinely love as a friend is probably one of the most difficult things to process, and most of all, accept. 

Maybe men are different, maybe they process these emotions differently, but women, it depends on personality, but it’s harder to accept defeat. Especially, when you’ve become attached and trusted that person once before. 

It’s hard for me to trust somebody, too. It’s not just what I’ve been through and experienced, but it’s my personality that plays a role in it too. I naturally don't trust people or things easily, because there’s always a chance of failure. 

I watch people constantly fail by trusting in someone, and it’s honestly terrible to watch and observe. That’s why I don’t trust people, because of the fear of being let down; and letting them down, too. 

I trust Jax, and I love him; but not just in a romantic way, a loving-friend type of way. Although, when I say ‘trust’, it’s not normal trust, it’s a mere trust that only some receive from me. That trust I give isn’t even the worldly type of trust at all, it’s more of a mental and emotional trust that only I can give out personally. 

I know that I’ve been acting like a terrible friend these past couple of years, but I’ve just been so angry at everyone and everything, and I can’t necessarily say I’ve gotten over it, because I haven’t. I don’t know if I ever will, either. I hope I can, I wish I can, but I don’t think I can. Also, because of everything I’ve gone through and put the people I love through, knowing my mother is out there, still conjuring up new and vicious plans every day, I can’t help myself from thinking of how much I’m a failure as the Green Ninja, and to all of the realm. 

I’m just a big messed-up failure, and no one can fix it except me; if there’s even any fixing by this point. 

Of course, I can’t tell anyone this. Maybe that’s why I feel so broken and hurt, because I don’t open up and tell people. However, I’m not ready to, and I may never be…

Personally, I just want this to be all over; for us to be free in a clean and refurbished world, but I doubt that will ever happen. 

“Angry.” I finish saying, as I cry into him.

***

I feel something shaking underneath my body as my eyes flutter open. They’re blurry for a second until I focus on the ceiling above me. I groan softly and turn to the side, and I quickly notice Jax’s back is facing my figure. 

His normally straight, yet wavy hair is a poofy mess. As I sit up, I see myself in the mirror from across the room, and I quickly realize I don’t look much better. 

“How’d I get here?” I say aloud through a groggy tone. 

I didn’t expect a reply when I said that, but I’m given one, “You quieted down and fell asleep against the window. I carried you back into bed.” Jax replies, not even shifting to look at me. 

“Oh, well that’s embarrassing.” My cheeks flush a bright red. I still feel the dry tears in my eyes. The moment I go to rub them, he turns to me, and his blue eyes look kind as he stares at me as if I’m the only person in the world. My eyes widen by this observation, and I begin to fidget with the shirt I’m wearing. 

“I look like a mess,” I say with a sigh, and an embarrassed smile. 

“You look pretty,” he awes, sitting up and getting closer. “I’m the one who’s a mess.” 

“You’re not a mess. It just made me laugh a little.” I chuckle in a soft tone. 

A nervous flail of excitement huddles over me as our eyes stay in sync with one another. I disconnect them though by flopping back onto the bed with a smile. 

“I haven’t seen you smile in forever,” he says as he begins to lie back down next to me. 

I don’t reply, and without thinking, I turn and wrap my arm around him, and I proceed to lay into his chest. I’ve never done this before in this manner. I barely even make physical contact with anyone in general, and this alone is slightly scary. My romantic love language for sure isn’t touch, but right now I want it. 

He softly puts his arm around me, and I close my eyes. I feel peace by this sudden feeling of safety. 

Chapter Text

Kadence

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is our next battle. I already blew that one kid out of the waters, what was his name again? Oh right, Basil.

“Basil.” I say aloud with a sigh. 

I gaze around the dim hallway I’m walking through and think of him. I know that I beat his butt in battle, but that doesn’t mean that I necessarily dislike him. 

Another sigh escapes my breath as I look around. 

“Maybe, just maybe…” I begin to whisper to myself, and intrusive thoughts about him begin to form within my head. I’ve never experienced this before over someone before. What would these thoughts be considered? 

I pick lock a door open with the bobby pin in my hair, and I walk down the winding staircase. I've been down here many times, but never have I been down here for a specific reason. 

I walk by multiple cells of everyone who came to this event, and I search for him. I stop myself before I reach the end, and I realize he must be here. 

“What am I even doing?” I mumble to myself. “What am I even going to do? Say a little ‘Hi’ and leave him here? I can’t do that-”

“Kadence?” 

My thoughts are interrupted by a very familiar voice. I glance over, and Basil’s fingers are wrapped around the cage's bars staring right at me. 

Dang, he saw me-

“What are you doing here?” He asks in a whisper. 

Great, now I have to actually have a conversation. 

“Was trying to find… uh… you.” I answer rather confidently, and I pretend to act cool. 

“Me?” He asks with a small smug look in his eyes. 

“Yeah, I um, just wanted to say hi, I guess.” I mumble, but it’s to the point where he can still hear me. 

“Is that right?” He questions, grinning. I get a hot feeling in my cheeks, and I can feel a smile force itself onto my cheeks. 

“Mhm,”

He smiles back, and then he gives me a certain look of admiration. 

“Well,” he starts with a small sigh. “You surely beat my butt, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… I sure did.” I respond quietly, laughing softly.

He grins, and then his face brightens in an instant.

“Well, you sure earned it,” he starts, standing up from our crouched positions through the cage. He walks over to the desk in his small room and grabs something off it. “I made this for you.” 

Through the cage’s bars, he hands the sheet of paper to me, and my jaw immediately drops. He’s an artist, and he’s a fabulous one at that. 

An eagle flying through the mountains with a shining sunset is displayed beautifully, with just a piece of paper and some pencil. 

“Woah.”  

“Like it?” He asks through what almost sounds like an anxious tone. I look up, and with the gleam in his eyes, he seems eager for my answer. 

“How—How’d you do that?” I ask through a small stutter, and I attempt to hide it by averting my eyes behind him. 

“It’s not too hard once ya figure it out,” he smirks. I wrap my cracked and dry fingers around the paper more tightly, and I slightly smile. 

“Make sure to come back,” he starts. “I’ll have more for you.”

I nod slightly, offer him a small smile, and I walk away. 

***

I hear a sound as I walk up the staircase. Crap, have I been caught? Hopefully not by my mother; at least with someone else, I can possibly make up an excuse about why I was just down there. 

By the time I get to the top stairs, my eyes meet with another human. She doesn’t seem to notice me until she looks up, and it’s as if her eyes have popped out of her head. 

“Uh, hi!” She exclaims, backing away from the key as if she wasn’t trying to get in. 

I ignore her, and I offer her a certain look. However, by her immediate response, she almost looks anxious to be around me. 

Pfft, I mean yeah, I’d be scared too if I had to stare at my own RBF, but she shouldn’t be. What would I do to her anyways? Tell her not to go down there when I just was? And what type of excuse would I make for being down there if she were to ask? I don’t know. 

I honestly don’t care what anyone does. As long as I’m not thrown under the bus, or I’m blamed for any reason, it’s their choice in what they do. 

“Hi,” I reply after a few moments.

She stutters her next sentence, and it’s almost as if she’s looking at a ghost, “Kadence, right?”

I give her a blank stare of confusion until I say, “Yeah, why?”

She seems as if she wants to confess something to me, but she pauses at the last minute. 

“I’m Kacee,” she stops for a moment. “Kacee Smith.” 

She puts her hand out for me to shake, and I just stare at it for a moment. I sigh audibly as I put my own hand out and shake hers. 

“I remember you,” I mumble, taking my hand away from hers quickly. “We met, earlier?”

“Oh! Oh yes, of course.” 

My eyes squint in confusion towards her, and then it hits me. 

“Hey!” It came out louder than I intended. “Aren’t you supposed to be in there? You lost-”

“Shhhhh!” She cups her hand over my mouth. I’m about to remove it harshly out of anger, until she says something that scares and angers me more. 

“Harumi is not your mother.”

I don’t dismiss what she just said, and I just stand silently, gripping my hands on her wrist. 

What does she even mean, ‘Harumi is not your mother’? Of course she is, unless…

I was just about to use her element, Fire I believe it is, against her, but as I think more, I realize something: She looks more like me than my mother-

“Your father is Kai Smith, and your mother is Skylor Smith… more known by the last name Chen.” 

I’ve heard of that name! Isn’t that this island? ‘Chen Island’? 

“They’re my parents too, meaning I’m Kacee Smith. And you, you’re Kadence Smith. You're my sister.”

“Kadence Smith”

My ears ring those words. Over and over I hear the name ringing throughout my eardrums. I usually would excuse and cuss someone out like this, and I maybe would even give them the finger too, but for some reason, this sounds legit. Yet again, where’s the proof? How should I be sure I can trust what she’s saying?

However, as I stare at her, the hair, eyes, figure, face… we look so similar that we would look like sisters no matter the situation. 

And if she isn’t lying, that means I have a sister–

“Holy crap!” I explode from her hand. 

“You believe me?” She asks quickly, sounding surprised. 

I nod without stopping for a good few seconds. As I think about it, I don’t even care if she is related to me or not, as long as I can get away from my mother, and this hell I have been brought into, I would be happy. I can do whatever I want when I’m away from her! I’ll win either way.

I look towards her and grab her hand, both of us bolting towards my room. I need information about this girl.

The more information, the better for me. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

My eyes sluggishly open as they blur in and out. I stare at the gray ceiling above my body for a quick moment, and then I immediately sit up. I don’t exactly process where I am until I look at the clock beside the bed, and I quickly glance out the open curtains lining the window.

“12:34 p.m.” I read aloud to myself, and my eyes widen as I realize the time.  I guess after I had woken up this morning, I had fallen back asleep. “I slept in for so long!” I exclaim as I jump out of bed, slipping on the wooden floor tiles, and I land right on my face. 

“Ow…” I moan as I rub my arm and face from the impact. 

“What’d you do?” Jax’s voice comes through the room, and everything suddenly clicks in my brain. 

Oh my gosh, I slept in the same bed as a boy, I’m so grounded! I just won’t tell my dad, that’s it! Luckily, it was nothing more — just a sleepover, yeah…

“I’m still screwed.” I finish my thought aloud. 

“What?” 

“Nothing!” I excuse quickly, jumping up from the ground. “Everything’s fine!”

I open my eyes slowly, and I quickly notice him just staring at me. To be fair though, I’m staring straight at him too. 

His hair is soaking wet, and there’s just a bath towel around his waist and down. I blink my eyes hoping my mind will stop racing, but it doesn’t. 

Oh my gosh. He looks really good right now-

“Your nose,” he points toward me, finally knocking me out of my head’s thoughts. “It’s bleeding.” 

I touch my nose, and I watch as blood spreads all over my hand. 

“Oh.”

He turns around, and he quickly runs back into the bathroom grabbing me a towel and some type of ointment. He sits me down on the bed, and he hands me the towel. Once I’m done wiping the blood away, he places whatever the ointment is underneath my nose. 

“There, it should stop now…”

“Heh, thanks.” I mumble, feeling quite embarrassed. I keep my eyes off of his as my cheeks flush red as I proceed to stand up, but one quick look at his stare stops me. My eyes meet his, and my embarrassed feeling leaps into both a nervous and excited sort of feeling. (I don’t know exactly what it would be called.)

He leans in closer, and he suddenly kisses my forehead. I’m silent for a moment until I let out a startled sigh, and I blink twice hoping my intrusive thoughts will leave my brain. 

“I–I should probably shower too, again, ya know, hygiene.” I stutter, gathering my few things and heading towards the door. 

“You can do it here,” he starts as he stands up after me. “I can grab your things for you from your room if you want. Then you don’t have to walk out all messy looking.”

“I look messy?!” I exclaim in a sudden high-pitched voice. 

No!!! Not in front of the guy I like! I can’t look like a mess!

“No, no,” he waves his hands in front of him as if he’s reassuring me. “You look fine! Your hair is just a poof.” A laugh comes out of him, and I allow myself to rest. 

“So, I’m not gross?” I ask quietly.

“Of course not!” He replies with a smile. He then smirks slightly, proceeding to say, “You actually look really cute right now.”

My cheeks flush again, and I quickly pull it off by saying, “Sure, I’ll do it here, as long as I’m not a burden.”

He smiles as he pulls a shirt over his still bare chest as he allows me into the bathroom. 

Don’t stare, Libby. Don’t stare, Libby. Don’t stare-

My eyes dart to him even through my inner chants and yet I still can’t refrain from keeping my eyes off him. He notices, and I immediately shift my vision away, quickly embarrassed.

Dang it! Stupid, female hormones that make me feel this way! Gah!

“Everything should be there for you, and if you need anything, just call.” He says to me in such a nonchalant voice compared to what I’m saying in my head.

I nod with a thank you, and he proceeds to shove me into the bathroom. I allow myself to breathe once he’s gone for the first time in probably fifteen minutes, and I undress myself slowly.

The water beats against my head as I stare at the wall in front of me. I sigh and collect my thoughts. 

“I’m so stressed, and for what?” I ask myself as I shampoo my hair. “I mean, it’s not like I’m gonna win or anything. My mother always gets away or wins, and I’m left feeling like an idiot. I should probably just not try anymore.” 

I rinse the shampoo out, and I feel slightly guilty for what I just said to myself, because now I feel even more unmotivated about everything than I ever have before. 

“Or maybe on the offhand,” I start saying quietly, proceeding to condition my hair, “Maybe I will win.”

However, trying to make myself feel better doesn’t help, and I just end up wallowing in self-pity, proceeding to kneel onto the tub’s floor. My tears begin to mix with the water beating against my back, and my vision blurs in and out from the salty vision.

I seriously need to learn how to work my emotions out without crying.

***

“Hey, are you good in there?” I suddenly hear a voice ask. It’s Jax. 

I look up from my knees, and I quickly realize I need to buck up and control myself. I’m an idiot for getting emotional; there’s no point in emotions. 

“I’m fine,” I mumble aloud, attempting to make my voice as audible and clear as possible. “Almost done.” 

How long have I been in that state? I don’t know. Time feels all over the place these days.

“Good, I got something for ya.” He replies enthusiastically, sounding delighted in a way. I can’t help myself from smiling. Something about him always makes me grin in some way. Aside from the times he doesn’t, at least. Sometimes we get on each other's nerves, but I’m sure that’s everybody who’s in a relationship.

Once I rinse the conditioner out, which probably rinsed itself out by now, I grab a towel and turn off the shower. After a couple of minutes, I have clean clothes on, which he had left outside the door, and my teeth and hair are brushed. I step out of the bathroom, and I see Jax on his bed doing something on his computer. 

He immediately gazes toward me and smiles. 

“Come over here Libby,” he starts, waving his arms over for me to sit beside him. 

I walk over slowly, his bed now made, and I sit beside him. He glances over at me as if I’m crazy, and he suddenly lifts his arm and wraps it around me, pulling me in beside him closer. He shuts his laptop lid and pushes his computer away, leaving just him and I. 

“What… are you doing?” I ask hesitantly, questioning whether I should stay where I’m at or back away slightly. Even though we’ve been in a relationship for the past few years, we aren’t exactly physical. We’ve agreed to keep it as subtle as possible until we’re adults, which we’ve been pretty good at following. Now, however, as we both get older, I have noticed we’ve both been slowly becoming more physical, and it’s a mix of scary and exciting for me.

“I said I have something for you.” He replies in a snarky tone. 

I eye him curiously and cautiously all at once before asking as calm as possible, “Then… why aren’t you giving it to me?” 

“I am.”

Before I can ask, he suddenly leans his head down, and his lips slowly touch mine. My head swirls in confusion with this, and after staring in shock for milliseconds, I accept it, and I close my eyes just like he is. 

Seconds felt like minutes after he pulled away. I’ve never felt that feeling before, ever. 

“Woah,” I can’t help but mumble out.

He opens his eyes slowly, and we meet eye-contact. I smile slightly toward him, and he offers the same look back. He lifts his right hand into my hair, and he proceeds to kiss me again, but it’s deeper this time. I relax more than before, and I also run my hands through his damp hair. 

The same delighted feeling elapses over my body during and after the process to the point where when we break apart, I have to breathe in a deep breath and return to my calm self. 

“Are you okay?” He questions, and his eyes hold mine tightly. His voice sounds more hoarse than usual too, which is super attractive. 

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m fine.”

Before he can reply, I sit up from his hold, and I stare at him from above. He gives me a smirk from below, and I can’t help from blushing. I then look at his wrinkled white T-shirt and blue jeans. 

Dang is he hot-

Libby, calm yourself.

“Where are you going?” He asks as I proceed to get off the bed. He seems worried, and he now sits up. “If I scared you, I’m sorry-”

“You didn’t frighten me,” I start, walking towards his dresser. Once I turn around, he’s sitting on the edge of his bed, and it looks as if he’s deciding whether he should walk over to me or not. 

I make my way over to my shoes, grab them, and I sit on the floor tying them up. He watches as I do this, until I stand up, grab his shoes, and I walk them over to him. He stares at me as I place his shoes beside his feet, and then I practically order him to put them on. He does, without even questioning me, and the moment he finishes, I grab his left hand in my right and walk right out of his room’s door, shutting it behind us. 

“What are you doing?” He asks in a confused tone. 

“Taking you somewhere cool.” I reply with a small bounce in my step. I see him grin beside me, and he slowly grips my hand tighter. 

After a couple of minutes, I guided him to the outside of the palace into the magical-seeming-world behind it near the ocean. Flowers and vines edge along the backwalls of the gates. 

“This is nice.” He says, awing at the flowers all around. He plucks one carefully from its stem, and he carefully places it in my hair. I blush slightly, and when he does this a second time with another flower, I go in and peck his lips with a kiss. He seems so shocked too, because he doesn’t pull away once I do, and he just stands in that same position staring toward me. 

“Gosh, is this going to be a regular thing?” He asks. I stare at him oddly, and then he says, “Because that was a cute move you just did.”

I smile slightly, and then I go in again, but this time a few seconds longer. By the time I pull away, he’s blushing so hard that you can visibly see it on his face, and it makes me laugh out loud. 

“You’re funny,” I giggle aloud, softly. He seems to find this funny too, because he laughs slightly with me. 

I dive in for a hug, and I wrap my arms around him. 

“I feel so excited that I’m all over the place! I don’t know what to do with these sudden emotions, but I’m glad that I feel really happy.”

He chuckles as he wraps his arms around me. “I’m glad, too.”

“Are you happy, too?” I ask rather hopefully. 

“I mean, I’ve never done this before, so I’m kinda glad that it worked, and I didn’t screw up.” I put my head into his chest more, and he finishes by saying, “I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy for years.”

And he’s right, he hasn’t. None of us have. 

“I haven’t seen you this happy for years, either.” I mumble, and I hold onto his warmth surrounding the two of us the best I can within these moments.

Chapter Text

Kadence

“I have a sister,” I repeat to myself for the one hundredth time since getting to my room. 

The girl, Kacee, sits politely on my bed with curious eyes. This girl, also known as my sister. 

How is this possible? I believe her, strangely, yet I still cannot piece together how crazy in general this all is. How were we separated? How are we here together, at the same time, now? How is this all happening?

I sit down across from her slowly, and I proceed to wrap my head in my hands. All these thoughts are giving me a headache, and my body doesn’t know how to reply to all of this. Suddenly, I feel someone touch me, and I proceed to glance up slowly — it’s Kacee. I jerk away quickly from shock, and I glance at her with wide eyes. 

“Oh, sorry!” She exclaims, pulling her hand away from my shoulder immediately. 

I relax slowly before starting to say shyly, “My apologies.” 

She just glances at me, and then I watch as she smiles widely with rather shaky words, “You’re completely fine!” 

I back off with more hesitant structure, and I shake my head to clear my thoughts once more. She has just spent the last hour explaining everything about our situation. However, so many questions still flow through my head… so many. 

I can’t believe her fully yet, but what she has said at least, are the most logical explanations I’ve received for a long time. She even looks like me, which by that alone forces her story to be believed. My mother and I look nothing alike. 

I have brown hair, and she has light blonde hair. I have brownish-red eyes. and she has blue eyes. I have an average small body, and she has an hourglass shape. The list only goes on. We’re nothing alike. Nothing matches between us. 

Of course I’ve noticed this before tonight, but the best explanation that I could think of was the possible fact that I could be adopted. I never imagined that I may have been kidnapped, and if I did, it was only as a joke. I always thought it was such a crazy and sick idea. 

I’ve been calling my kidnapper ‘mom’ for the past twelve years. Absolutely sickening. I really hope this girl isn’t lying to me, because I’ll be angry if so.

I almost want to scream from anger and stress, but I must keep my cool, especially in front of this girl. 

“I surely hope you aren’t lying to me,” I begin in a whisper. She just stares at me blankly until she says, “I hope not either.”

My head explodes in these sudden moments. 

“What do you mean!” I exclaim loudly. I huff in a breath of hot air before going on, “If you’re lying to me, I am going to impale you until you’re dead!!!”

She inches backwards on my bed away from me. I breathe fast and loud for a few moments, and then I feel that same breathing slow down when I notice the sudden space between us. I just sounded no different than my ‘mother’ who enjoys ‘pretending’ she’s not like that when she really is.

I remember as a child she would threaten me like this. Not as rough, because I was her child, but to other people she would. She’d be on the phone calm one moment, and then she’d suddenly be screaming into the mic cursing and abusing that same person until she forced the other to agree with whatever she was saying. I had never realized until now how abnormal that was, since I have never left the premises of this place. However, after seeing all of these people and how some have been rather nice to me, I’ve realized my home life is really jacked up compared to these people. I can see it in how they act socially compared to me. 

Deep down, because of how I was raised, evil resides inside of my ideas, and I can feel it. I hate it. I feel gross and disgusting. I wonder if all feel the same. 

“Please forgive me,” I start saying in a slow tone. “I didn’t mean that. I just hope-” I pause for a moment, and then I glance over away from her direct eye-contact. “That you aren’t lying, that’s all.”

She’s silent for a moment before mumbling, “So, you’re saying you want to get out of here?”

She’s rather smart. She reads off my words well.

It’s a little scary, actually.

“Yes,” I sigh. “I’d love that. My mother’s a dog.”

She just nods slowly, and then she proceeds in saying, “You’re my sister, I’m positive. I came here to look for you.”

My heart sinks into my stomach as my eyes widen slowly. 

I’ve been looked for? Seeked for?

“You’re saying that rather confidently.” I mumble, yet still audibly loud. 

“I am confident.” She replies with a stern gaze. She isn’t being goofy at all within these moments, and she seems completely sure of what she’s saying to me. 

Those words take me aback. “I am confident”. With so much confidence and purity… I feel almost… I don’t even know… What is this feeling?

Suddenly, she pulls me in for a hug. I zone back in with shock, and I suddenly realize tears are pouring down my face. Embarrassment instantly fills me, but slowly I accept the hug. 

Love.

I have heard of this emotion but never understood what it means. 

Now I know. 

What an aspiring feeling. 

Chapter Text

Kacee  

“I’m not supposed to be out here.” I say, releasing the girl, my sister, from my wrapped arms. We kneel across from each other, and she proceeds to nod. 

“I know,” she begins, speaking more loudly compared to before. 

Does she really believe me? Wow. I’m relieved. 

“We don’t want mom-” She suddenly stops hesitantly halfway through her sentence. She looks down at the floor, and I notice her lose eye contact with my gaze quickly. I reach out my arm slowly to comfort her, but before I can, she shoots her head up and makes eye contact with me once again with the past cold stare she once held when I first met her. “Harumi,” she pauses for another moment, “To find out about your absence.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she already has.” I respond in a shallow and cracked voice. 

Kadence eyes me with curiosity for a second, “Why do you think that?”

I offer her a certain look. I can’t exactly pinpoint what she would think my look would mean, but she seems to understand once I begin to speak, “You probably don’t realize how many times she has hurt my team.” I say with half a heart. I’m so tired of all the crap she’s put us through to the point where I’m even dead to her. 

Kadence proceeds to keep her gaze, until she breaks it and looks around the room for a minute, and once more her eyes circle back to mine before responding quietly, “No,” she starts. I look at her in confusion for a moment until she begins once more, “She hasn’t figured it out yet, but she will, soon.” 

I swallow her words more slowly and repeat them in my mind. Is she telling me something through her said words? It seems like it. Is she already thinking of a plan? 

No, we just met. She doesn’t have proof coming from me. Is she… going to rat me out? 

Fear builds up inside of me as I realize this. What if this whole time she hasn’t believed me and is just using me as a pawn for her and Harumi’s game? I wouldn’t know if she wanted to join our league or not. 

“You look worried,” she starts in almost a sympathetic tone. 

“You aren’t going to rat me out are you!?” I exclaim quickly, clamping my hands over my mouth in shock that I just yelled that. I need to keep my cool! Not act like a jerk!

She backs off slowly before questioning, eyebrow raising, “No? Why would I do that? I don’t like Harumi anyways; I don’t have any reason to tell on you.”

Relief fills my insides. “Thank you.” 

“What me must do though,” she starts to respond, staring into my eyes deeply. That deep and reddened gaze stares into mine as she proceeds to murmur softly, “Is get you back. We can’t run the chances of Harumi finding us here. Even worse, we can’t run the worries of her knowing what I know now.” Her breaths are deep as she finishes her sentence, and I can only grin in response.  

“I’m a ninja, remember? You don’t have to worry about us getting caught.” I reply with a confident look. She smiles slightly as she proceeds to grab my arm, and she ushers the two of us through the halls.

Without running into anyone, or even Harumi herself, we make it to the cell walls. It’s pitch black once we step in, and Kadence tells me quickly with a hushed whisper to be silent. We make it to my gate, and I realize this is the end, until we either all die or survive. 

“Listen,” she starts as she pants heavily for new breaths. Her eyes hold mine tightly as she whispers, “I’ll come back for you.” 

I stare at her through the darkness, and even though she cannot see, I give her a smile as she shuts the lock. 

However, as she leaves, I realize the pain that we’re all going to be in by the end. 

I also think of Harper as I sit myself up against the wall and begin to unravel the bandages around my ribcage. Through a peak of light in the darkness of the cells, I immediately spot dried blood all over my reddened and bruised skin. 

I wince in pain as I see this and quickly wrap them back up. Did he really intend to hurt me? Maybe even kill me? Or was it all an accident? Was he trying to protect me in a new and better way? 

I don’t know if I want to ever know.

Chapter Text

Liberty

My arm is roughly pulled into a small-lit room as I now face my mother. My eyes widen significantly at the sight, and I proceed to attempt to get out of the small closet she has pulled me into, but she quickly grabs my wrist, which inevitably stops me. 

“I need to speak with you.” She starts with a sly look as she locks the door behind us and slips the key into her pocket. I freeze as sweat begins to run down my forehead. I notice a small hand-gun on the side of her waist, and a knife hanging from her belt. 

“What the hell are you planning to do!?” I exclaim with a cracked and whispered voice. She gives me a certain look that I can’t exactly explain as she pins me to the wall of the small closet. 

Her face comes disturbingly close to mine as she whispers, “You’re going to lose it.” 

I feel her breath against my face as I stare at her in fear as she is inches away from me. 

“Lose what?” I manage to get out. My voice stutters more than I would like to admit. 

“Your sanity.” She replies instantly with a confident grin. 

My eyes narrow, “Why do you think that?”

“Because you already are, I can see it.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Stop denying me.” She pins my hands up against the wall harder as I now am in a tip-toe-like fashion trying to not fall to the ground harder than I’m already going to fall. She’s only 2-3 inches taller than me, yet her strength is so heavy and topped compared to mine. 

“I will keep denying you until I die!” I shout through a prickly throat. I can feel her grip tighten through my words as her nails inject into my skin. 

She brings herself up to my ear, and she eerily whispers, “You’re sorely mistaken.”

Her devilish voice resides in her statement, and it echoes throughout my mind. However, through my tough anger, I begin to realize and process what she’s saying. 

“Why?” I helplessly question, thinking of all the possibilities she could answer. 

She smiles as she loosens her nails’-grip from my arms. I feel blood trickle down my wrists and across my elbows. The small drip of blood echoes in the tiny closet as it hits the concrete floor.  

“Because,” she begins as her minty breath hits my own soft pants, “You know what I’m doing may be wrong, but it’s also right.” 

“How is it right?!” I shout through the pain of this uncomfortable situation. 

She quickly covers my mouth with her other hand and mutters, “Because nothing’s right.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” I scream through her hand, yet it comes out to be a muffled plea. 

“You’re losing everything right now, and you know it.” She starts rather eerily. I give her a slight look of fear as she says it. My heart beats more rapidly as I think upon it more, and her demeaning look makes everything worse. I wish she wouldn’t see me like this, but that’s why she calls me weak, because I am. Even though I don’t want to be. 

“You’re weak.” She states suddenly, freakishly reading my mind. “You’ve always been.” 

She’s still inches from my face, and I slowly begin to tear up. Literal tears do not pour out, yet there is enough to where my eyes are beginning to become red and puffy. 

She has known. She has observed. And she has been altering. 

“And you’ve been hurting.” 

I meet her eyes. How has she read all of this? And how does she know? Am I that obvious to everyone I’m around? Is everyone able to see that I’m breaking down? 

I slowly take my hand and place it on hers, which is against my face, motioning for her to pull away. To my surprise, she does. 

“The fact you were able to see that-” I pause, glancing to the floor for a moment. 

Should I really be speaking to her? 

“Am I…” I stutter for a moment. “A-am I really that obvious?” 

“No.” 

My eyes in a rush meet hers with a peak of curiosity. 

“Then… I won’t hesitate to say… I’m impressed.” I get out, in a hushed tone. She gives me a look of peaked interest. I proceed to add on to my statement, “Dad has never been able to tell.” 

My insides literally explode in those seconds.

Why would I tell her something that personal!? Why would I tell anyone something that personal?! And why her?

She lets my arms go slowly against the wall, and I fall to the ground from the pressure. My legs are shaking so much that it hurts to stand, but I face her anyway, using the wall as support. 

“I loved your father,” she begins in a whispered tone. I am surprised when I hear this. It was so unexpected, yet it was so straight-forward coming from her. 

“I really did, and I still do.” 

I about die when I hear this. So many thoughts race through my head all at once. 

“Then why are you-”

“Because he’s hypocritical!” She exclaims, her arms raising through an insane gesture. She quiets down and guides me to sit next to her on the floor. I proceed to do so, questioning why I’m even doing this. 

We just stare at each other for a moment until we both find it awkward. My mother and I have never had a 1 on 1 somewhat-conversation without a fight, yet right now we’re both just here, in silence. It’s weird. Quite unexpected.

“I agree,” I finally say. “We haven’t talked in months if I really think about it.”

“You and your father?” She questions, and I can only respond with a quick nod. 

“Hm, well I haven’t really spoken to him recently either.” 

“Figures.” I roll my eyes. 

“Don’t give me that!” She uncomfortably sighs, and then she gives me a small grin. 

“If you still love him,” I stop and question to myself what I’m going to say next. She has a gun and knife on her, and I would rather not tick her off.

“Go on.” 

I glance at her with a concerning look, and then I start again slowly, “Then why did you guys leave each other?” 

“Oh honey!” She exclaims in a surprised manner. The ‘honey’ throws me off guard, making me slightly uncomfortable, yet I don’t mention it or dig myself into a deeper hole. 

“Lloyd really doesn’t tell you anything, does he?”

Once she finishes her sentence, I think about it. I didn’t realize how right she could be until now. He hasn’t been around for the past year or two, and he hasn’t guided me since I was younger. He kept things from me until I was twelve. I didn’t know who my mother was, or that I had a brother, or that he was the “Legendary Green Ninja” that everyone talked about until only just a few years ago. 

I was kept in the dark, and the only person who did that to me was my father. 

I guess this new realization was already known in my subconscious, because my blood begins to boil in these moments.

How dare he not tell me anything. That’s a bunch of garbage right there! 

“I assume by your silence, he hasn’t.” Harumi breaks my train of thought, and I immediately glance back up at her from my zoned-out sensation. 

“I assumed that.” She says to me, “If he did, I would have been quite surprised.” 

She begins to pick at her fingernails and then guides her attention back to me. 

“Well, if you must know, we never split up.” 

My heart skips a beat and then drops to the bottom of my stomach. 

“Wh-what?” I stutter, obviously so stunned that she begins to laugh. She slowly adjusts her short dress and gets herself into a more comfortable position. 

“Gosh! You really don’t know anything, do you?” She giggles aloud. This has been the first time I’ve heard her not do some sort of menacing laugh. 

I remain silent, processing all these different emotions. I guess she has a sudden change of heart or emotion, because she lightly places her hand on my lap and apologizes. 

“I’m sorry for laughing. He’s just lovable in his own way, yet he’s also stupid. Very stupid.” 

I don’t know how to feel about anything right now, and her hand on my lap, specifically her touching me, is the tip of the iceberg. I break down. 

Tears roll down my cheeks, and through my blurry vision, she just stares. She removes her hand from my leg, and to my surprise, she inches closer to my side. I normally would tense away and hide, yet I allow her to comfort me, which is so strange considering the circumstances. 

She plays with my hair for a few seconds and brings me into her chest. I feel comforted in a way. Strangely, a comfort that I’ve never experienced. 

Is this the motherly comfort that I’ve never known?  

“We’ve always loved each other,” she begins telling me as she braids my hair. “Yet, even though I do believe we’re right for each other, our viewpoints on the world are the total opposite. They always have been, and always probably will be.” She sighs with her words as if she’s remembering deep memories she doesn’t want to coincide with. 

“However, your father and I, even though different, everything else was absolutely perfect. And I’ve never been with another man other than him.”

I listen to her heart beat, and I suddenly feel slightly relaxed 

“When I say that,” she begins, taking a breath of air in. “Kissing, hugging, etcetera… I'm sure you can piece together…”

“Really?” I pipe up, shocked. Coming from her, I would think she would be cheating, and she’d be having fun all around just because she has the beauty for it. She’s the type who would be able to walk into a bar or club and get multiple men to want to hang out for the night. She’s strangely dedicated to my father. 

“Yes. Unfortunately, things happened between us after marriage, and it resulted in a break of the relationship.”

“Then why are you still married to him?” 

“Because if we ever chose to go back to each other, then it would have been easier.” 

“Do you think you will?”

“I want to.” 

I’m so flabbergasted that I’m silent. 

“I do miss him.” She says after a couple of seconds. “Yet he doesn’t.”

“He’s so self-involved.” I begin to say, suddenly very surprised that I’m talking and somewhat agreeing with her. “I doubt he even knows or recognizes where I’m at now.” 

“Hm.”

“Sometimes I get so angry with him, he doesn’t understand me-” I stop for a moment, realizing I’m opening up to my enemy right now. Or in all reality, is she?

“I understand that.” 

She agrees with me. 

What? I never thought this would ever happen. I’ve imagined it, but I never thought it would be real. 

I pull myself apart from her and wipe the remaining tears from my face. I put on a serious face, and in a professional tone I ask, “Why did you bring us all here?”

Chapter Text

Liberty

“Because,” she starts slowly, taking her gaze away from mine and staring into nothing as she whispers, “Wouldn’t we all agree that all these Elemental Masters are hurting the world?”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my eyes squinting with curiosity towards her direction. 

“Look at all the drama that has been caused by all these powers? Don’t you think it’s a bit much?”

“But…  you’re the enemy,” I begin. “We only act because of the villains' acts.”

“What I’m saying is, don’t you find it weird that all these parents put their children under such high pressure to have them follow in their footsteps? These children train for hours and are abused into doing it. Seems cruel in so many ways.”

I stop myself from responding, because in actuality, I have nothing to say. She’s right. I was pressured into being a ninja ever since I was a small child. It has had a massive effect on me. Now because of all this pressure in everything…  I’ve been killed deeply.

“I’m bringing children to their freedom.” 

Through her twisted meanings… it almost makes sense. 

It does make sense, there’s no question about it. 

Am I twisted for thinking she’s not wrong?

“You’ve been hurt. I can see it.” She says rather confidently. “I’ve noticed the only person who really hangs around you often is your boyfriend.” 

I make eye-contact with her once again when I hear Jax’s name.

“Yeah, he has been.” I smile slightly. 

“Do you love him?” She asks, rather quietly. 

I blush slightly in response, and I see her smile, “I know he does.”

“Really?” I pipe up, meeting her eyes once more.

“Yes. Any guy who wants to protect you as much as he has shown loves you. Have you told him about your love for him too?”

“Yes. Well, sort of.”

“Go on.” She pushes forward. 

“Well, I mean… he knows it. I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t love him.”

“Hm, okay.” She grins slightly. “Have you… well, you know… with him yet?” 

My face turns bright red and suddenly feels heated by her question. By her expression, I can see that she knows I’m embarrassed. 

“No…” I whisper out finally. 

Her tongue clicks together with almost a laugh as she drawls on, “Still a pure little flower?”

“Yes…” I mumble, quite embarrassed now. I wish to hide within these moments, and I suddenly feel very self-conscious.  

“I don’t know for how long if you’re not careful.” She suddenly teases, offering me a humored look.

A disgusted look runs across my face causing her to laugh. 

“Do we have to be discussing that of all things?” I question suddenly with a hushed and angered tone.

“Yes! I’ve never talked about him with you before. You’ve never asked for my approval.”

“Why would I? It’s not like you’re around.” 

“Just because I haven’t been around, doesn’t mean I don’t know about him and you. Have you guys made out yet?”

My face begins to get red and heated again. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. And before you go on, yes, I do approve of him.” She smiles slightly. “I’ve always liked that kid.”

“You only think that because he was a good pawn for you.” I mumble, feeling slightly irritated by this conversation. 

“Maybe,” she starts, sitting back against the walls. “But I told him the same things I’m telling you today. I’m guessing he never exactly told you what happened last year fully?”

“No.” I disagree through a mutter, quietly. “He’s told me more than my own father has about you.”

“Really? Hm, interesting. That’s pretty sad when you think about it.” She replies. 

“I guess so.” I glance to the floor. The small closet goes silent, until I ask, “Do I have to have approval for who I marry? Both parents?”

“That’s usually how it goes. It was different for me and your father though, mainly because of our situation.”

I just nod before I say, “I don’t think my father really likes Jax anymore like he used to.”

“Makes sense,” she starts, but I almost hear a slight sigh as she goes on, “I mean, he went against the protocols, and he’s still a part of the group. And he’s still with you. Your father probably isn’t too happy about that, but he can’t say anything because of all that’s been going on with everyone.”

“Maybe.”

“Take it how you want,” she adjusts her posture again. “But just know I’m here when you need something.”

Her voice rings in my ears, ‘I’m here when you need something’. No one ever has said anything like that to me before. 

“I’m so glad I know that now.” I mock, rolling my eyes slightly. However, I feel a sense of… relief? I haven’t felt a sense of relief for years… so what is this? Why do I suddenly feel relieved hearing that come out of someone’s mouth outside of Jax’s? My own father hasn’t even said that these past five years… where has he been? 

I see her noticing my eyes narrowing, and my mother gives me a look. 

“You look bothered,” she begins. “What are you thinking?”

I would normally think that would be an intrusive question, yet now as I stare into her light blue eyes, I realize something, 

She genuinely is observant. She noticed the change within me. She isn’t lying. At least I don’t think.

Wow, this would be a first in my book with her.

“I don’t know,” I start. “No one has said that to me for years.”

I suddenly cup my hand over my mouth in visible shock. Why would I tell her something like that? Why would I tell my enemy something so personal? She has no reason to know that! I didn’t even hesitate!

What’s wrong with me?

“Ah,” she sighs, quietly. She sits back, her energy not feeling as closed off compared to before, and she offers me a small smile of sympathy. 

Sympathy from her?!

“I know what you mean, your father doesn’t do that.”

“Wait, you’ve experienced it?” I ask in a slight form of shock. She chuckles softly as she just nods in agreement. 

“Your father,” she slowly sits back in relaxation, “He tends not to display to others his regards. It’s a weird trait of his. It’s not like I don’t do it either, though.” She pauses for a quick second before breathing in and saying, “But he does care. I will say that.” 

“Why are you being so truthful and honest with me all of a sudden?” I ask. I’m quite skeptical of this sudden jump in emotion, and I am questioning whether or not she’s legit or messing with me right now. 

“Because why not? I notice other’s flaws of course, but I don’t disregard mine like they do. He enjoys ‘acting’ positively all the time; like everything’s okay when it isn’t. This world is majorly screwed up. There’s no need to be positive when everything it gives us is negative.” 

She’s strangely correct. 

“You’re part of the reason it’s messed up.” I say without worrying about how she’ll respond.

She offers me a glare and then proceeds to state, “I don’t think you understand,” she begins to get closer to my face and stops inches away. “We’re all evil here. I just don’t hide it.”

She finishes and waits for my reaction, yet it never comes. I cannot react, because deep down, I know she’s right. 

“It’s a real disappointment,” she begins with an exasperated sigh. I give her a “what do you mean?” kind of look. She does a small grin in response to this and bites her lip softly. “That you haven’t answered my question yet.” She finishes. 

My eyebrows narrow. What does she mean? 

She lets out a small, but agonizing laugh, “You don’t understand the point of this whole conversation?” She asks with a look of recognition on her face. “I wanted to know what you thought about me after you heard what I had to say. So, what do you think?” 

My questioning look turns into a sinking feeling in my stomach. How could she ask this now? Doesn’t she know how I feel-

“Oh-” I audibly say through sudden realization. Through this whole experience my views have changed with her. She… hasn’t been wrong, which I hate to feel about her.

Have I really been the villain this whole time? Has my whole life been a lie? Is she really the right one here? Have I been lied to this whole time and have been messing myself up and everyone around over thinking I was right this whole time?

Have I been the threat? The worst out of all? Am I the bad guy? Is being a Ninja really the best? Or have I really been hurting those around more than I’d like to admit to myself?

By how it sounds coming from her, I’ve just been used as a tool. I’ve been abused my whole life. Have I been working for the wrong team? Is the so-called “good side” not good, and have I been guiding people the wrong way this whole time?!

Has Jax been telling me this whole time, and have I never listened to him the way I should have? Am I really the issue here? Am I the problem?

What is wrong with you, Liberty? Are you really the bad guy? Have you really been hurting people more than helping them just for your family’s ego?

What is wrong with you, Liberty?!

I feel something touch my shoulder. Quickly, I break out of my deep and agonizing thoughts, and I catch myself and my heavy breathing. I try to calm myself down, but I quickly begin to break down into a panic. My eyes vividly and frantically search the room for a way out, but I realize suddenly that I’ve been locked in. 

“Let me out!” I scream suddenly, unable to control my emotions. I haven’t raised my voice this whole time, yet my panic doesn’t let it subside. I’m scared. I’m scared of myself, my being, and who I am. Have I been the enemy this whole time? The enemy to the world? 

My body shakes as I fumble with the handle, screaming loudly and banging against it with my fist. 

My mother grabs my wrist as she cups her hand over my mouth. 

“Please let me out!!!” I shout through a mumble as my knees buckle and tears stream down my face. 

“Calm down,” she soothes. For the second time today, she brings me into her lap and holds me close. 

“Please calm down.” She repeats, hugging me tight against her breasts. For some reason, it’s humbly soothing. I grasp onto her blouse like a child as she holds and brings me in closer. 

“Everything will be okay. I’ll let you out, just please be silent and don’t let anyone know you were here.”

“Not even Jax?” I mumble through her shoulder. She rubs my back softly as she whispers, “Not yet.”

I just nod slowly as I take myself away from her. 

“I’m sorry,” I say softly, still sniffling. 

She just nods and looks at me as if she understands. 

“Would you feel better if I guided you towards your room?”

“Wouldn’t people see?” I question, clearing my eyes of any excess and leftover tears. 

“If they do, it’s none of their business.” She replies, grabbing my hand and unlocking the door. “I planned on taking you back anyways. All this new information and heavy emotions surely are overwhelming and are hard to process in one sitting. I expected this.”

I look at her with an innocent and admirable look. Is this what it feels like to have a mother?

Chapter Text

Liberty

“Thank you,” I say quietly, quite embarrassed still. 

“You’re welcome,” she smiles. 

My mother guided me all the way back to my room and held my hand the whole time with comfort. I may be 16, basically a big baby being guided by my mother, but it felt good. My mom was there for me, and she was holding my hand. 

Have I been deprived? Yes, clearly.

“I’ll see you later,” she starts, wiping some final tears off my face. “I expect to see you at the cafeteria during dinner. Before the tournament?” 

“I’ll be there.” I agree. “Though why would you like to see me?”

“I want to cheer you on. You are top on my list for who could win this.”

I give her a strange look without meaning to. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, you could win this.”

“Do you want me to?”

“In a way, yes.”

“How come?”

“Because you’re smart and well-trained,” she finally says, stepping closer to me. “Your father isn’t stupid with his training. I’ve had quite a lot of difficulties at times trying to get past you. Just because I always get away and win, that doesn’t mean you don’t put up a good fight.” 

“Are you serious?” I ask, quite shocked. I always thought I was a failure after all of those losses as the Green Ninja. I’ve been beating myself up for years over my mistakes. 

“Trust me,” she starts as she offers a sly look, “You would have been dead long ago if you weren’t good.”

I give her a side-eye look of quick realization until I ask, “Then where did you learn?”

“Years of intense training,” she begins as she picks at her nails. “However, I had a few masters. I could teach you if you wanted.”

“I don’t understand why you would do that.” I state through sudden weary confusion. Why me, her enemy, would she teach her techniques to?

“Because you know which side you want to be on,” she starts saying as she looks at me up and down. 

Everything clicks in my brain in an instant, and I just stare at her for a solid ten seconds. She doesn’t shift her gaze either until our eye contact is broken by our blinks. 

“Are you serious?!” I exclaim quickly, through intense shock. 

“Of course I am being serious.” Is all she replies with. Those icy eyes stare into mine, and I avert them slightly as I begin to fumble with my hands behind my back.

“What would my father say-”

“He chose his side; you can choose yours.”

“But he raised me… You left me. How can I trust you and what you’re saying?”

“You can’t,” she starts with a hesitant sound in her voice. “Yet you have been trapped, and you know it. You have known it for years. You’re just scared to disappoint him and accept other viewpoints.”

She’s right. I am. I truly am. I am scared.

“Then I can’t really trust him either,” I start as tears begin to swell up into my eyes. “It’s not like he’s been entirely there for me either.”

“No, he hasn’t. Nevertheless, he did give you a home, and he made sure that you had food and water.”

“A home full of control.” I finish her statement with a slight hateful tone.

“Mhm.” Is all she replies with. 

From the floor’s gaze, I glance back up at her and her overall figure. If I really decide to do this, I’m leaving everyone I love. Besides… Jax. 

He wouldn’t leave me no matter what, and I know that. 

Although, all of this makes much more sense than what I’ve been told my whole life from my father. He’s always said his side is good while hers is terrible. She’s saying both are bad. I can’t get away from either, so why go with the one that lies more than the one that doesn’t?

I can’t even rationally think about this though, and I know it. I’ve been so messed up these last couple of years that I can barely think clearly. And… no one has guided me either. 

My father hasn’t been there. 

This is his fault.

Even though he’s been more present than her, he doesn’t talk to me. 

He hasn’t asked how I am doing. 

He hasn’t asked how to help me. 

I don’t even think he realizes I’ve been hurting and depressed for these last three years. 

And because I subconsciously don’t trust him, I didn’t even tell him I was leaving. 

I am naturally the bad guy. 

I always will be. 

I have no way to get out of it either… both are terrible situations that’s I’ve been offered and put in between of. 

I’m doomed either way. 

“Okay.” I finally say, shaking visibly. “Explain to me what’s going on with your plan.”

She smiles in response with a gleam in her eye. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

None of my team got booted out during this certain round of the tournament. In this round, I was put last. Maybe my mother was testing me. I don’t know. Either way, I roasted this guy: my opponent. I basically threw him into the pits of Hell as he begged to get out. 

And so, he did. His request was fulfilled as he surrendered. From the bleachers above, I could see my mother give me a confident smile. 

My mother and I sat for quite a while as she explained her overall plan to me. Some of it didn’t make full sense, but as I listened to her it eventually did. Her reasoning and plans actually made sense! Unlike all the things my father has said to me in the past, I never had an explanation or a reason behind it. It was always ‘Do as I say’ and ‘That will make me happy’  type of an attitude. He never asked what made me happy, or if I ever agreed or disagreed with his proclamations.

What he never realized was, this was what makes me happy: when guided instructions make sense without confusion or false understanding. 

***

I dig through my dresser’s drawer and search for the best pair of pajamas given to us. I settle for a dark blue nightgown and put shorts underneath.

I head into the bathroom, and I proceed to brush my damp hair and teeth. I pull my hair back into a braid and put socks on my feet before I open the door carefully, and I slowly sneak out into the shadows. It’s past 10pm, lights out, and I bite my lip hoping the floor won’t creak underneath my steps. I eventually make it to the door I’m heading for and let out a sigh of relief. I place my hand onto the door handle, and I let out a rough breath as it turns and opens slowly. Our doors don’t lock around here, but coming from him, he may have figured out a way how to. I step in and watch as Jax sits up alert from his sleep. He’s usually awake at this hour; I don’t know why he’s already asleep. 

“Libby?” He asks through a hushed and groggy tone. I guide myself over to his figure in the darkness and slip underneath the blankets beside him without any form of hesitation unlike before. I can see his face slightly, and he just stares at me. 

“Lay down,” I whisper, with a slight jump in my voice. He follows along without hesitation after a couple of seconds. I slowly pull myself closer to him and kiss him. He’s tense for a moment, and then he relaxes as he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him. We slowly inch up, and in only under a few seconds we find the two of us making out rather passionately.

I hear him sigh a way I’ve never heard him before through a breath of air. “You could have at least warned me a few minutes before.”

“Why would I?” I question through our connection, and in response all he does it wrap his arms around my figure more.

“I could have prepared.”

“This is more fun.”

I’m about to go in for more, and then I stop myself suddenly. He pauses too, and through the darkness, I can see he’s confused. Instead, I go in for a hug --- a tight one.

I rest my chin on his shoulder, and I grip onto the back of his shirt tightly like a child. He softly holds me close to him as he slowly rests his head against mine. 

“Is something up?” He asks in a concerned tone. 

I’m silent for a moment before saying, “Sorry to stop. I’ll just-”

I remove my head from his shoulder, and I prepare myself to keep going like before. Suddenly, he stops me, and I stare into his gaze deeply as forces my head back onto his shoulder. He hugs me tighter than before. 

“What’s wrong?” He questions once again. 

“Nothing,” I sigh. 

“No, it’s not ‘nothing’.” He refuses. 

I lift my left hand from behind him, and I begin to slowly play with his hair. It’s soft and fluffy, and it’s the perfect length. My mind goes to other things as I play with it then what my mind really wants to think. 

“What’s wrong?” He repeats himself, heavier this time and more forceful.

 “Stop.” I say in a drunk-like tone. “You’re amazing, and I really would rather just keep going with you-”

“Libby!” He exclaims, pulling me away from his shoulder and hair. “What is wrong?!”

Defeated, I reply, “You were right.” I sink into his lips harder this time as I finish. 

He pulls away after a moment, and he suddenly turns on his bedside lamp blinding us both. I feel him tuck my still-damp-hair, that was somehow unbraided throughout all of this, behind my ears. I quickly catch his hands with my own as I open my eyes to meet his. 

His gaze looks watery, red, and tired, yet he’s also wide awake. A sudden nervousness coming from him that wasn’t there five minutes ago scares me. My eyes widen as I drop his hands, and then they land on my shoulders. 

“What do you mean, ‘you were right.’ Right about what?”

“Everything.” I reply as I stare at him rather closely. He shifts his legs beside me, and I can feel his sudden nervousness.

“What do you mean?”

He’s serious. Legit serious. It’s a little nerve-wracking.

“I told you,” I start. “Everything.” I let out a small laugh. “You should listen to me more, silly!” I giggle out. 

He has a look of surprise on his face. 

“You’re laughing-”

“Yeah!”

“Why-”

I stop smiling once I see his face of… disappointment?

“No, I didn’t mean it like that-” He pauses for a moment before saying, “I just… it’s weird. You’re usually so negative and-”

I interrupt him by pressing my finger up against his mouth and shushing him. 

“I get to be with you.” I finally reply to him with a soft smile spreading across my face. His eyes widen significantly, and it seems it’s almost difficult for him to understand and process. 

“Are you positive you want to deal with me forever?” He questions quietly as a smile begins to form across his face. 

I just nod as I proceed to lean over and turn off the lamp. I don’t even wait for my eyes to adjust, and I get back on his bed slowly and lay down next to him. I can slowly hear him adjust himself and lay next to me. 

“Turn around,” he whispers with almost a smirk in his tone.

I follow his instructions and turn away from his contact as now I don’t face him anymore. I feel his arm grab my stomach softly against the fabric of my nightgown. He pulls me up against himself and holds me closer than he ever has before. This is all very new.

My body has a sudden bolt of shock flowing through it. Embarrassment, excitement, surprisement, and something else I can’t exactly pin-point. 

I feel his face up against the back of my damp hair, and I can feel him kiss me softly.

I feel his hand and arm tense up for a second as he clears his throat behind me, and then he pulls me in tighter to himself. 

“Can you still breathe?” He asks.

“Yeah.”

He digs his face into my hair slowly, and I feel him close his eyes, and so do I.

***

I awake to a dawned-window where the sun is just coming over the horizon. I turn around to Jax’s back and nudge him slowly. He turns over, not even opening his eyes, as he wraps his arm around me and pulls my head into his chest. I am about to suffocate until he lets go with a sleepy-laugh. 

He tucks my poofed hair behind my ears and just looks at me for a good while, which almost makes me uncomfortable. He then just smiles and closes his eyes once more. 

“You’re beautiful.” He mutters. “Even when your hair is a poofy mess.” He kisses the top of my forehead, and I suddenly begin to blush. 

I proceed to turn back around and slip out of his bed. 

“Where are you going?” He grumbles, turning onto his back and watching me leave. 

“The bathroom, where else?” I tease, closing the door behind me. Once I finish and step out, he’s looking at his phone intently. Without giving me a glance, I crawl next to him and wait for him to move his arms to let me snuggle up next to him, but he doesn’t. Frustrated, I begin to bump and ram my head against his left arm, but it stays strong. I don’t even say anything out of slight sadness as I turn over and take my attention away from him. 

After a couple of seconds, I hear him chuckle a bit and then physically turn me over himself. 

“Come on, I was just messing with you.” 

He puts his arm flat, and I slowly get situated as I rest my head on his chest. I look at his phone with him, and the first thing I see is a social media post off my account from at least four years ago. It’s a picture of him and I. It pops up in the “memories” category.

I was at least twelve and he was maybe thirteen at the time. We were clearly teasing each other as we had placed ‘bunny ears’ on each other's heads with our fingers. 

We were both smiling, and they were those innocent little-kid smiles that I know we’ll never experience or have again.

I sigh with a light smirk, “I miss that.”

“So do I.”

“Sometimes I wish it was never like this,” I mumble. “Sometimes I just sit and hope that we can go back to that innocent happiness.” 

“I agree.”

It’s silent between us for the next few minutes until I hear him clear his throat once more. “You ready for today?” He asks, quieter than usual. 

“Yeah.” I say in a rather up-beat and confident tone. 

I feel his chest tighten underneath me. 

“You seem rather… excited.” He states with a spark of confusion in his voice. 

“I wonder why,” I inch myself up slightly and stare into his eyes from about two inches away. I begin to play with his hair softly with a slight smile. He just stares at me back. 

“You’re acting odd-”

I stop him mid-sentence with a kiss. 

A breath of fresh air passes between us as I pull away. 

“Well,” he starts to say, as he begins to sit up. I switch over to the side of him and watch as he adjusts his fingers through his hair before going on. “No matter how much I’ve enjoyed this with you,” he pauses for a moment, eyeing me with a gentle look and smile. “We should get ready for the day, shouldn't we?” 

I give him a look, a teasing glance, before saying, “I don’t know, do we?”

“We kinda have to,” he replies, laughing it off. 

“Okay then,” I mutter softly, leaving his side and heading towards the door. “Make sure to come get me when you’re ready.” 

With a wink, I leave the room before he can say anything else. My heart pumps loudly in my chest as I head back towards my room. My face turns hot in excitement and embarrassment. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

I open the door to my room and almost have a heart attack when I see my mother sitting on my bed and staring at me dead in the eye.

“Uh h-hi!” I stutter as I shut the door in panic. 

“Hello.” Her arms are crossed, and she still stares at me dead in the eyes. 

“You-uh-need something?” I ask hesitantly. 

“Yeah. I came over half an hour ago needing to know some information from you, but I found you weren’t here. So, I decided to wait. I thought that you were possibly already finished getting ready and were out and about. I was hoping you’d come back prepared, but I guess not.” She seems rather disappointed as she says this, and I also feel caught. 

She looks me up and down over again and finally asks once I don’t reply, “What were you doing?” 

“What was I doing?” I repeat with a stutter. Sudden heat fills my face. 

“Yeah.” Her arms are still crossed, and my embarrassment rises higher than before. 

“Nothing.”

“You’d be all ready by now if it wasn’t nothing. You’re still in your pajamas for crying out loud!” Her voice arises, and I step back against the door with my nerves tingling inside of me. 

I don’t reply to her, and then she proceeds to say, “Were you with him?”

“Who’s ‘him’ ?” I ask nervously, clearly playing dumb. 

She doesn’t change her stare or posture as she replies, “You know who I’m talking about. Were you acting upon suspicious acts?”

“Woah!” I exclaim through shock. “That didn’t happen!” 

“Then what happened?” She pursues on. “You guys just had a tiny sleepover?” 

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened!”

“Then why do you look so excited right now?”

“I’m not excited.”

“Nervous, embarrassed, and excited. What happened?”

 “I-” My eyes glance to the floor no longer wanting to look at her. “It was nothing.”

“Oh, for the First Spinjitzu Master’s sake!” She shouts, throwing her arms up for the first time during this conversation. “Something happened! You don’t just spend the night with a boy, and nothing happens!” 

“Nothing happened!” I defend, anger rising in my voice. “Why do you suddenly want to know and care about this anyway?! It’s not like you’ve necessarily been a part of my life for long!”

She’s silent for a moment before saying, “But I’ve always watched you guys from afar! Supported you both through this relationship! I deserve to at least know why you weren’t in the assigned room given to you!” 

I groan with a heavy sigh, shuffle my feet over to her, and I sit beside her on the bed. 

“Fine, we kissed, so what?” I mumble, not giving her any eye-contact whatsoever. 

“And?” She pushes on. 

“And nothing! We just kissed! Can’t I make this anymore clear to you!” Heavy breaths escape my lungs, and I finally look up and stare at her in the eyes. 

“Doesn’t just sound like some tiny sleepover then.” She states rather calmly. 

“Well of course not!”

“Did you guys talk?” She asks, sounding curious. “You didn’t mention anything about what happened yet? Correct?” 

“No.” I mumble, glancing back down to my hands in my lap. “I have not.”

“Good.”

I’m quiet for a second before saying, “When can I?” 

“Once I tell you to.”

“When will that be?”

“Can you stop asking so many questions?” 

I give her a look of rebellion before saying, “You should tell yourself that.”

“Huh, I didn’t know you could be so snappy and impolite.”

“Seems stupid of you not to know that.” I mumble angrily, not even looking at her. 

She inhales a deep breath of air before speaking more softly, “It won’t be long. He’ll find out soon enough. I just need everything to be settled and prepared before you do.”

“You’re allowing me to do it?” I ask suddenly, slightly surprised. This piques my interest. I thought, knowing her, she would control the situation and allow herself to do the ‘honors’, yet she’s saying she wants me to tell him. 

“Of course. He’s your boyfriend after all. And… I personally wouldn’t be surprised if he went further with it.”

That was… straightforward.

“What do you mean?” I inquire timidly, my voice displaying a peak of interest. 

“He’s going to propose.”

“What?!” I gasp aloud, my heart beating heavily. “Did he tell you that or something?!” 

“No.” My heart plummets to my stomach when I hear her reply. “But you can see it.”

“You can see what, exactly?” I ask with a raise in my voice. 

I spot a smirk spreading across her face as she stares at me deeply. I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable as she shifts her own hand up near my face and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. 

“He wants you. It’s pretty easy to see. He doesn’t keep it hidden away like some other men.” She pauses for a moment as if she’s waiting for me to give her a reaction, yet my face beams with stillness. My emotions inside are wacky right now. I don’t know how she can see that. I guess she’s right in a sense, it is pretty obvious. However, most would only notice if they actually knew us both. “You should’ve heard what he had to say about you a few years back.” She finishes saying, a smile beginning to spread across her face. She begins to pick at her polished fingernails as my brain gathers a whole new bunch of information. 

“What did he say?” I question through a pounding heart. Were these good things? I would assume by how she’s speaking. 

“I mean, just risking his life for you overall was pretty impressive and a big hint.”

“Well, I know that,” I start as my eyes roll a bit in response. Not at him, but my mother. He’s already told me that, and I still owe him one.

“I didn’t finish,” she begins once more. My curiosity peaks again. “He said he was only doing it for your sake.”

“But… joining your side? How did that help me?”

“He agreed to listen to me because I threatened him. Respectfully, he obliged, but throughout the situation he found that it was… right. However, because he loves you, he went back to you.”  

“So, he lied to me?” I ask, rather annoyed now by this new information. I guess I don’t really care, considering now I’m with him and her… which is quite weird to say now. But what especially irks me is the fact that he has hid himself from me for the past year. I know I would’ve been mad then, but in a way I can see myself accepting him no matter what. 

Although, I am saying that now, not a year ago. My thought process about all of this has changed… 

“He didn’t lie to you; he was protecting you through a lie.”

“Sounds like lying. I wish he didn’t do that to me.”

“He didn’t like how you lied to him constantly,” she refutes. “He also doesn’t like how you are constantly beating up on yourself.”

I shift back on my bed quickly in shock. “How’d you know that?” I question through heavy alert. She seems to feed off my emotions as she inches herself closer to my ear and whispers, “Because he tells me a lot more than you realize.”

My eyes widen. 

And he hasn’t told me this?! Why-

“But since you now understand my side, I would assume you can guess why.”

“Because my father would’ve damned him from our side.” I sigh aloud. Jax would have had to leave me. He didn’t want to do that, so he lied to protect me. In every wrong way, he wants me to know he wants me. He doesn’t want to give me up. 

I’m so high maintenance too, I don’t understand why he even wants to deal with me. I don’t even understand why I deal with myself sometimes.

“Exactly.” She starts. “So, he stayed quiet. But now since you understand what’s going on, once he finds out, you guys can talk freely about it.” 

“I guess so,” I agree, realizing all these heavily-emotional topics as I am now able to understand and grasp them. I didn’t realize how much he was hurting underneath this whole time as he kept these things from me.

Is he okay? I’m supposed to be checking in on him too, and I haven’t been. He’s only been caring for me. I… I am so irresponsible. 

I bury my head in my hands, and I can feel my mother’s emotions change as she sees this. 

“Something wrong?” She asks me, now sounding a bit more concerned. 

“I’ve been such a bad friend.” I mumble through my fingers. “I don’t protect him enough.”

“Ah, I see.”

“He checks up on me all the time, and I barely give him anything back.”

“He doesn’t think that, at least I don’t think so. Plus, it’s the man’s job to care for the woman and chase after her. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t do that for you… care as much as he does.”

“But does he know I love him?” I whine through my cupped hands. “Do I not show him enough?” 

“He knows you do.”

Her hushed and convincing tone makes me feel slightly better as she pats me on the back gently. Feeling coaxed like this is really weird from not just her, but as a mother. It feels… good. I didn’t realize this whole time how much I needed my mom to be with me. My father has never done this for me before. I mean, he has, but I can’t talk to him about this stuff. The fact I can with her, makes me feel… happy almost.

“Okay.” I say in response after a couple of seconds. “I won’t worry about it then.” 

She randomly breaks out into a laugh a couple of moments later, “You should hear what he has to say about you sometimes. Oh my gosh! The crazy flirty lovey-dovey stuff he wishes to say but can’t.”

“Like what?” I interrogate, my heart beginning to slightly flutter. 

“I don’t know…” she starts to mumble, giving me a side eye of a tease. “How much he wishes he could just-” she suddenly tackles me, knocking the air out of me. We both land on our backs staring at the ceiling as she laughs… and I do too. 

We both laugh together — a rare sight — a never seen before situation between the two of us. 

“Seriously?” I ask, still laughing. 

“I’m not lying! He just doesn’t want to do it because he doesn’t want to scare you.” 

“Maybe he should,” I reply with a smirk look and tone. “I’d give it right back to him, but I’d be better.”

“Woah!” She exclaims with a laugh in her tone. “You persuade him to do it, you do it back just like how you said and tell me what happens. I’ll get the popcorn out!” 

“Will do!”

We both continue to laugh together until we both start suffocating for air. 

“Tell me what happens today,” she starts to say as we both sit back up. 

“With what?” I question lightly, still gasping for air. 

“With your overall team, what’s going on exactly. But mainly Harper…”

“Why Harper?” I ask. 

“He nearly killed his love interest. I wonder how he’s doing…”

“Oh my gosh!” I exclaim through shock. “I—I never checked on him… nor Kacee…” I pause for a moment, cupping my face into my hands as I mumble, “I’m such a bad friend-”

“It’s probably best if you left him alone,” she starts. “He tends to process things by himself and not with others.”

“I still can’t believe—” I pause for a moment as my brain processes. Have I seriously been such a nit-wit?! “Is Kacee okay?!” I exclaim, losing breath.

“Of course she is. Trust me, if she was dead, you would have known by now.”

She says this in such a monotone tone it’s scary; yet again, she probably wouldn’t care either way. 

“Is she okay though? Considering she was shot?”

My mother stares at me for a moment as if I’m crazy, and then she proceeds to pat me reassuringly on the knee. 

“Kacee should be fine.”

“Should be?!” I respond straight away, an alertness clearly through my tone. I jump up in anticipation and fear. 

“She’s fine.” My mother replies, ushering her hand near me to sit back down again. 

I stare at her straight for a moment and then look down into my lap. I allow myself to take a breath, yet I still freak out inside. 

“How could I have forgotten about my friend?! Of course I didn’t, I assumed she was fine, but what if she hadn’t been?! What if she was really dead, and all I thought about was myself?! Oh my–”

“She’s completely fine,” my mother reassures, placing a hand on my shoulder. “If she hadn’t been you would have known by now.”

“But the fact I didn’t even care to ask-” I mumble, frantically searching for something to rest my eyes on.

I need a distraction. No, I don’t need a distraction! I’ve been too distracted!

“You’ve been extremely distracted by everything, there’s no need to worry, she’s fine.”

“I know she’s fine now. I’m angry because I didn’t even care to ask! All I was thinking about was myself! I’m such a terrible person!” I shout, pinching my arm tightly feeling the regret and pain. 

If I was in Kacee’s position, and she was in mine, I would have certainly been her first thought! How could I be so stupid?

“You aren’t a terrible person.”

“Yes, I am!” I refute, anger rising into my throat. 

“Am I going to have to keep telling you to your face?!” My mother loudly exclaims, grabbing my arm harshly. “You are not a terrible person!”

I glare at her angrily as I roughly take my arm away from her grasp. 

“How could you say that about me? I didn’t even care to ask you if she was alright! I didn’t care to seek out for her!!! I forgot about my best friend! I am truly wicked!” I scream as tears begin to form within my eyes. 

“Well then, maybe you are.” She replies after a couple of moments, with a certain calmness elapsing over her voice. 

I glance up to her through tears, “What?” I ask, rather confused. 

“Well, yeah, maybe you are. Maybe you don’t deserve friends.”

“I don’t… deserve friends?” I ask with almost a break in my voice. 

“If you really forgot about your friend who got shot in the stomach by her own partner, then yes. Maybe she doesn’t deserve you, if you really want to think that.”

My stomach drops as I cup my hands over my mouth. Panic fills my body as tears roll down my cheeks. 

This may really be the best for me, joining my mother’s side. I’ll no longer have to hurt my friends and put them in danger. They can live their happy lives, without having to worry about me abandoning them or hurting them. 

This has been my destiny, to always join my mother in the end. Whether or not both sides are evil, it doesn’t mean my friends are. My friends are some of the kindest people you would ever meet, no matter whatever side they were to be on. 

They could be the evilest people or vice versa in the universe and still love me. I cannot give that back. I have always been evil in a sense, and I can’t remove it from myself. I don’t know how, and I probably will never know how. 

If I choose to stay around the people I love, I know I will just keep hurting them more. I don’t want that. I don’t want the people, who I love endearingly, to experience more pain than they already have. They’re better off with me gone. I’ve known that for years now, but after watching myself through this one experience itself, I have come to realize that they really don’t deserve me. 

Even with Jax, how would I know I’m not putting him in danger either? I would hate for him to get hurt as well because of me. If it comes to it, I know that I will have to leave him too in the end. We’re all going to have to leave each other. 

It hurts being in this universe full of hate and dismay. Nothing is accurate to what it may be described as, and nothing can be trusted. Whatever side you choose, no matter if it’s proclaimed good or bad, it can be altered either way by humanity. As a person you must look up and really understand where the origin within life comes from and choose your side there, but what really is that? Will I ever be able to understand? 

No, I won’t. It hurts me deeply to say that to myself, but I’ll never be able to understand what’s outside of what I know. I have two choices, both terrible, and I’m choosing the second option. 

I’m tired of my first wannabe option. I’m done. 

“Alright, I’ll receive as much information as I can for you.” I say, with a choke elapsing over my throat. 

“Thank you.” 

She gives me a smile, as she walks out of the room.

Once she leaves, I break down.

Chapter Text

Jax

I take my ear away from the door once I hear the final ‘Thank you’ come from Harumi’s voice. I panic, and I quickly dart and hide in a corner where I cannot be seen. I would prefer them not to find out I listened to over half their conversation through Liberty’s door.

“Why in what hell are they talking to each other?” I whisper silently to myself as I watch Harumi leave the other way. “Who set them up?”

I collect my thoughts and quietly walk over to Liberty’s door and knock on it. I hear shuffling and then her voice comes from the door, “Come in!” 

I allow myself in as I still try to process the few bits that I heard. All I could make out were some words about Kacee and Harper. That was it. Why are they talking about Kacee and Harper? 

Why are they even talking? What have I stumbled into? I know I shouldn’t have been listening in, yet now that I hold this new information, curiosity rings heavy everywhere inside of me. 

“Jax?” Her voice rings inside my head as I zone back in. 

“Yeah sorry, I-” I stop as I look at her. Her hand is outstretched to me as she only wears a sports bra with a pair of shorts. Her eyes seem to be red and puffy. Slight concernment flows over me. 

“Gah! Sorry!” I exclaim as I cover my eyes with my hands. I bite my lip in both shock and slight excitement. 

Shoot! Why isn’t she wearing a shirt? What is this form of manipulation?!

She can’t see my like this!

“No, no, you’re fine!” She exclaims, taking my hands away from my eyes. 

“My apologies,” I watch her as she smiles at me. “I didn’t want you to have to wait for me at the door. I should've warned you.” She blushes slightly as she reaches for her shirt on her bed. She goes to put it on, but I stop her slowly. 

“You don’t have to apologize,” I start as I look directly into her eyes. “It just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Oh really?” She asks with a sudden smug look as our eye contact goes on. “You looked a little scared of me there.”

“Pfft! Me, scared?” I take the shirt from her hands, lay it back on the bed, and I proceed to intertwine my fingers in with hers as I get closer to her face from above. “I would never be scared of you.”

“Hmm,” she starts as she, too, begins to get closer. “I don’t know about that. I can do some pretty dangerous things.”

“I bet you can,” I begin as I get closer with a smirking glare. Her eyes are glassy, and I pause for a moment. 

Has she been crying? I shouldn’t approach her if she’s been crying… that’d be quite weird and wrong to do. 

“But!” She escapes from my grasp and grabs her black t-shirt off from her bed. Through my sudden surprisement, I watch as she puts in on. “Not right now.” She leaves me with a daring smile as she walks back into her bathroom. 

I follow her in and lean against the doorway as I watch her brush her hair. I cross my arms over my chest and just smile at her. However, the same concerns run through my head from earlier. 

She eyes me through the mirror, and I watch as she slightly blushes. 

“What?” She exclaims with a sudden squeak in her voice. I watch as her cheeks flush, and I smile slightly toward her embarrassment.

“You’re just cute.”

She looks me up and down through the mirror with a small grin spreading across her face. 

“Gah! Stop it!” She puts her brush down, turns around, and shoves me away from her. She blushes hard as she looks up at me, and I can’t help but chuckle. 

“Why are you being so mean suddenly? Do I have to-” I pause abruptly as I push her up against the wall and gently kiss her. 

“Hey! Stop it!” She shouts through it with a laugh. “You caught me off guard!” 

“That’s the point.” I smugly reply as I go in for more. She relaxes a bit, and as I pull away, she proceeds to dig her head into my chest and hug me tightly. 

“Woah!” I breathe out, catching a breath as she pelts into me. “You good?” She digs deeper into me, and I gently proceed to place my hand on top of her head. 

“Gosh! Do I have stuff to tell you!”

I feel a stab within my body. I think back to the slight stuff I overheard with her mother involved. Was that not all of it? 

Her eyes are still glassy, too. Is she playing with me right now? Has she really been crying, or has she been fine? 

“Oh, do you?” I question, attempting to make my voice more light-hearted and not sound so worried. However, this doesn’t exactly work, and I have to swallow tightly at the end to refrain from adding anymore than what I have already asked.

“Yes. It’s just… I don’t know if you’re going to accept it well or not.”

My eyes narrow as I urge on, “Can you not tell me now?”

“Not yet,” she says as she halts her words abruptly, and I can feel her grip onto the back of my shirt tighter. “But I really want to.”

Something’s wrong here… really wrong. I’m concerned.

“Hey… you know you can tell me anything, right? I’m not going to hold anything against you.” I attempt to say, trying to lighten the mood.

“I know that,” she begins with a sigh. “But I must wait awhile. It makes me mad because I want to tell you now.” 

“Well… why can’t you tell me now?” I pressure her on. Maybe if she tells me this information, my curiosity can be settled. Plus, I’m also getting annoyed with this back and forth. I hate it when people can’t just tell me something to my face and end it there.

She sighs into my chest, “Because I’d rather tell you when we’re ready.”

“When who’s ready?” 

“Stop it.” She groans. 

“Why?” I almost groan, my foot beginning to tap underneath are figures.

“Because I already told you I would tell you! I just can’t!” She mumbles deeper into my shirt. With a sigh and the conclusion that she probably isn’t going to let up and inform me, no matter how hard I try to make her, I place my hand on the top of her head and rub it slowly. 

“You’re making this hard on me, making me wait like this-” I start to say as my teeth slightly clench together tightly.

“I know,” she interrupts, sounding upset herself. “I know you would appreciate knowing.”

“I probably would.” I mumble, getting a tad upset. It’s not that I’m angry with her, I’m worried about whatever situation this might be. I don’t know how to feel or think about this Harumi situation, if it even is a ‘Harumi’ situation. 

I guess I could care less about her chatting it up with Harumi, mainly because I have been working with Harumi, and Liberty doesn’t know. At least, I don’t think she knows. That’s something I’ve been keeping from her for quite a while, which I know is wrong, but I just don’t know how to explain it to her. However, now that I’m seeing her talk to her mother, it makes me genuinely curious about what is going on between them, if anything. It didn’t seem as if Liberty was mad after this encounter with her mother, so I’m assuming it must have been positive. Although, why would any encounter be alright with her mother, and why would Liberty be crying? Or at least look like she had been?

Liberty has despised her mother since she was a child, before she even knew who her mother was. Before she found out her mother was still alive, I remember how much she hated her mother being ‘dead’. It hurt her a lot. It especially hurt her when her father revealed to her at thirteen years old that her mother was still out there, alive. She was especially hurt after finding out that her mother was the villain of all the stories. The main villain. 

Liberty and her father’s relationship wasn’t necessarily great at the start and up through her childhood, and after that encounter, it went totally downhill from there. The whole team has gone darker since then — since we had to actually begin our deep training regarding these situational advances — yet Liberty has had it the worst. She has been unwell for the past few years, she barely eats, and she has become more introverted than before… to the point where it even scares me. 

I know I won’t leave her; I don’t plan on it, and I never did; although, I hope she doesn’t eventually leave me once she finds out about my acquaintance with Harumi. I know what I’m doing is wrong — joining Harumi’s side. Although, what really is right anymore? As I look at the overall ninja team right now, and as I also look back these past few years and pretty much our whole childhood, I realize how screwed up it all was. What our parents put us through, and what their parents and masters put them through. Why are they setting minors up to save the day? It’s all messed up. 

Unlike us, they weren’t forced to be ninjas, we were. Ever since we were children and up until now, we’ve been pushed and expected to fight against a villain with far more experience than us. We also were forced to fight off our parents' problems. Were we the ones who met Harumi? No. Were we the ones who started the feuds? No. Were we the ones who should have to fix all of this? No. And even though some of us haven’t put everything together yet, I know Liberty has. I know she’s been angry for years, even before I realized. 

No, I didn’t learn this from the manipulation Harumi has probably put me through, though she did clarify all my thoughts. I recognized all this from a young age, but I persuaded myself into believing I was wrong years afterward. That’s why I followed through with everything. That’s why I didn’t care. I wanted to stay with her too, Libby. 

Ever since I can remember, I’ve liked her. I remember as a kid my first time meeting her. I realize now that I’m older that I shouldn’t even remember the first time I met her. I was so little, but I recall it so clearly. Making eye contact with her at 2 years old was like an instant connection. I remember I could see it in her eyes, too. We were basically inseparable. I don’t just ‘love’ her like some angsty teenager who wants status by having a girlfriend, I love her so much she’s family to me. I know, that may sound cringe, but no matter the situation I’ve been in, I’ve always thought of protecting her first. I’ve always thought of her as my instant family. Sure, I haven’t been perfect. I’m a male, she’s a female, we have separate ideas of how things go down and work… but no matter the situation, I’ve always had her at least in the back of my head as someone I swear to always protect, no matter the cost of my own self and even the other people around me or involved. It’s always been for her.

I know if I had to die to save her, I would. I’m not just saying that to say it, I mean it.

I’m scared, though. I’m fearful of losing her if I’m going to be completely honest. I know I shouldn’t be. I don’t think she’ll leave me. Yet again, she’s not the type to leave you for ego. She’s the type to leave you for saving the other person over her well-being. I know if she has a real problem whether it’s life or death, she isn’t going to tell me. She wouldn’t want to drag me into it, and that is what makes me angry. Just as I would risk my life for her, she would do the same for me. I don’t know how to feel about that. I don’t want to watch her die first because she couldn’t tell me she was not feeling her best. 

I know what I’m doing is probably wrong, but what really is right? None of us have a choice to be neutral either. We all either have to choose one side or the other… no in between. This is pure Hell. 

“I don’t know if what I’m doing is right, but I promise no matter what it’s going to be with you.” She says to me as she moves her head out of my chest, interrupting my thoughts briskly. 

I feel a stab within my heart. I’m glad she wants to be with me, but is that really best for her? Or just for me? 

I wish I could just grab her hand and run away from all of this. I wish we could escape together. I wish we could be free together. I want to make a family with her if she wants to. I want to be the father that I was never given. Sure, my dad was kind to me, but I wasn’t given a choice. I want to give my kids a choice. I want to give our kids a choice.   

Though deep down, I know that won’t happen. I know I’m going to die through all of this, and it pains me. I swore I was to protect those who I love as a ninja. If I get out of these upcoming situations alive, I know that’s what I am going to do. I will run away with Libby. However, I know that happening is nil. 

I’m scared, and I hate that.

Chapter Text

Jax

“I wish we could skip breakfast.” Libby says as she grabs my hand tighter walking through the halls down to the cafeteria. “I’m not hungry.”

“You’re never really hungry.” I respond with a whispered tone. The same thoughts from earlier remain rolling through my mind.

“I just… don’t feel like eating right now. Do you think, only if you want, we could go somewhere else?” She glances up at me with big eyes, and it’s hard for me to say no. 

“Yay!” She exclaims, full of genuine excitement. I can’t help but slightly smile through my deeper thoughts. 

“Where do you want to go?” I ask, looking down at her wide eyes. 

“I want to see the ocean.”

“We can go there. We just can’t get caught.”

She smiles at me, and then she proceeds to take me around a different corner and down a spiral of stairs. 

“Oh my gosh,” she pauses abruptly, causing me to run into the back of her. “I’m so mean! I didn’t even care to ask if you wanted to do this! I mean, what if you’re hungry, and I just totally dismissed you! Let’s go back-” She proceeds to go back towards the stairs. I grab her hand quickly from behind and turn her to face me. 

“I want to do this with you.” 

“You sure?”

In response, I take her hand in mine and begin guiding her myself. As long as I can make her happy, I’m happy. 

We make it out without being caught. I watch as she turns into a child again once her bare feet touch the ocean. Her eyes sparkle for the first time in years as a giddy smile spreads across her face. 

“Oh my goodness, look at this cute little guy!” She exclaims, bending down and picking up a tiny turtle. “He’s so cute!!!” 

I glance over slightly and look into her hands. I then gaze at her smiling face. It makes me happy. I haven’t seen her smile over something so openly for a long time now. 

“If I knew there were such cute creatures here,” she begins, setting the turtle back into the ocean and watching it swim free. “I would have come to the beach sooner.”

“You’ve never been to the beach?” I stop myself before I say anything more. No, she hasn’t. I should know this. Her father barely took her anywhere growing up. Of course she never experienced it. 

“Well, it’s okay,” she seems rather positive in her response. “At least I get to experience it once.”

I give her a small nod of affirmation, only because she seems so happy right now, but deep down I’m angry. I remember now. Our whole team went together when we were kids, but she was held back from coming. Her father forced her to train that day… on our day off. 

Her sad look as we all came home smiling, and she was soaking in sweat from training for hours on end remains seared inside my brain. 

Damn Lloyd. Damn him.

“Why do you say only once?” I question, gathering up a grin. “We can go anytime you want. I’ll take you.”

She glances off into the ocean and then looks at me quietly, “Thank you, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get away with this again.”

“Why not?”

She takes her eyes away from mine, and she looks back out to the sea. 

“Because our freedom here is invalid.”

My eyes widen slightly. She feels it too. We are trapped. She knows it. I know it. But I know neither of us want to believe it. 

“Well… I’ll take you after all this ends then.” I urge this positive statement on, attempting to clarify my thoughts. Although, all she does is just clear her throat, and all my inside thoughts come crumbling down, above, and underneath me. 

“Do you think…” she stops herself and glances directly down to the sand underneath her. She breathes heavily, “Our parents even care?”

This takes me by slight surprise. I watch as she stares deeper into my eyes with her question. 

“I’m sure they care.”

“But-” she pauses for another moment as she glances down once more. She brings her hand to her chest lightly and mumbles, “They haven’t even come looking for us.”

She’s right. They haven’t even attempted to contact us. Sure, everyone’s devices were taken away from them, except mine because of my partnership with Harumi, but I still haven’t received any messages. I’m sure they care, but it’s been two weeks now.

I know we lied to them about where we went, but shouldn’t they be worried by now? We’re their children.

“I mean I shouldn’t be mad. Why am I upset about this?” She asks quietly, interrupting my thoughts. I hear a slight shakiness within her tone, and her face is red and full of tears. She looks down to the ground, attempting to avoid me and not make contact, yet my heart hurts for her. 

“Hey, hey, hey-” I start to say, but it’s quickly cut off. 

She falls onto her knees as she grips onto the sand underneath her. I watch as the tears pelt against the dry sand. She silently cries as she gasps for air. I just stand and stare at her from above. I don’t know what to do. 

She never cried as much as she is now. It’s making me worried about her more than before.

I know whatever I do, however, can’t really help her. I know she’s crying because that’s how she’s getting it out. I honestly feel the same. I wish I could cry as well sometimes. I’m so numb to all of it now that even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to. I also know she can’t either most of the time, which makes this unusual for her.  

She wants to be free of her pain, because this will only keep going on and on for the rest of her life until she dies. It will be the same for me too, and everyone else who is involved in these specific circumstances. And I hate to even realize that.

I kneel down next to her, and I pull her into my tight grasp. She turns and digs her head into my shoulder, and then she wraps her arms around me tightly. 

“I don’t know exactly what to say, because I don’t know all the answers, but,” I shift myself slightly on the sand and whisper closer into her ear. “I don’t plan on leaving you.”

“That’s what everyone says until they learn to hate me. My own father said that to me!” She weeps harder into my shoulder, and I just sit and realize she’s right. All our parents said that to us, yet where are they now? 

No, not even now, where have they been?

“Then forget him, all of them.” 

“Jax, I-”

“I know,” I pause to allow myself to breathe through my anger. This is exactly why I chose Harumi’s side over the ‘good’ ninja's side. At least she doesn’t hide or try to be nice as the villain, she just accepts it. Meanwhile, the ninja are over here pretending to be the ‘hero’s’ when all they do is hurt the people inside their own team. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful. I just want you to know that how your father has treated you is not okay. How they all have treated you isn’t okay.”

“I know,” she starts to say through a choked mumble. “Everything hurts as I think about it. Then, saying that about my own father… At least he didn’t leave me like my mother did-”

“But what he did to you growing up-” 

I feel her cry deeper into my shoulder. I should stop. She doesn’t need this right now. She knows and agrees. It just hurts her, so badly. She stays so quiet about this stuff that when she does start thinking about it like right now, or when something does come up, it’s difficult for her. 

I remember as a kid Kacee would brag to me about how much she hung out with Liberty and how much they talked, but I sincerely doubt it was Liberty who was really the one talking; and, if she was the one, it wasn’t the personal things. I remember as young as four years old, we would talk together, just the two of us. As I look back now, she was hurting even then as much as she’s hurting now, we both just didn’t realize it until we got a lot older. 

I look back and realize often that I, too, was hurting. I knew something was subconsciously wrong with everybody and everything, but we couldn’t do anything about it. Hell, we could barely even understand that our situations as children were abnormal until we grew older. However, even then, it was difficult to decipher it. 

I remember the day when she found out her mother was still out there, conjuring up wicked plans. Her crying through the phone hurt me so much. I didn’t know what to even reply with. It struck me just as heavy as her that night. I had to physically go to her house the next day and sit with her. She never needs that… she never has. She’s always been strong through everything. She can be hit by a hundred bullets and not be affected, but anything family-wise breaks her down emotionally. It’s always been like that.

“Don’t let this hurt you more than it should.” I say to her, finally. I take her head from my shoulder, and I stare into her red-shot eyes for quite a while. I dry her tears with my finger, and I offer her a reassuring smile. She seems embarrassed.  “You got me, okay?”

“You deserve better,” she mumbles. “I shouldn’t hold you back. You deserve a better girl.”

“Stop it.” I say rather sternly. “I don’t want you ever saying that.”

She seems a little surprised by this bold statement. 

“No, I want you to. I don’t want you having to be around me anymore. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. Please, leave while you can.” 

“I’m not leaving. I don’t care what you say, I’m not leaving you! Unless you want to leave me and that’s why you’re saying all of this…”

“No!” Her eyes squeeze shut with tears as she shouts this. “I don’t want to leave you first!”

“Then we simply aren’t leaving each other.” I reply to her with a smile as I reach and bring her closer to my chest. “I’m not leaving you first.”

She breathes heavily as she just stares into my eyes. I take her chin in my right hand and lift my lips near her own. I tap mine lightly against hers.

“I wouldn’t leave you no matter the situation. I promise.” I whisper in the most gentle tone I can use within these delicate moments.

“But what if I leave you and hurt you?” She cries harder as she glances at me. “I don’t want to hurt you like I’m going to hurt everyone else!”

“You aren’t going to hurt me. And even if you do, I don’t plan on ever stopping loving you.”

Her whole body pauses visibly. Her eyes, mouth, breathing, and more shakes as she processes my reply. 

“You-you love me?” She asks as a quiver in her voice stutters her words. Her hand reaches my chest as more tears come flowing out from her eyes. 

“Why would you love me?” She asks. “I don’t deserve that-”

It may be of a shock that we have never really muttered those words to each other before now — besides when we first confessed to one another — as we have clearly been together and have known each other for a very long time. We obviously have a few times before, yet especially this past year those three simple words haven’t been muttered to each other as often as they should’ve been because of everything going on.

In the past, we may have mentioned the term in a family-like or friend-like scenario, but that was mainly it from the two of us. For example, when we were kids, we would say it to each other out of pure-kid-love. Moreover, we never meant it romantically, at least not entirely until these past 3 years. I never mentioned it very often to her either in recent years, even though I have been feeling it heavily. Especially during this past year, that three-worded comment to one another has been silent. Because of our situation, I didn’t want to put the extra stress on her or myself. However, times have changed increasingly recently, especially these last few months, and now I feel my love for her with every ounce of my being. I know she’s mine, and I am hers. 

“I love you.” I say again in a bold manner. It hits her once more, and that same shocked-look flashes across her face again. She’s surprised, and it’s so cute. 

“But why-”

“I love you.” I interrupt her once more, grabbing her and pulling her close to me. 

“Stop-”

“I love you.” I whisper into her ear seductively. 

“Stop it!” Her voice heightens, but in a cute manner. She likes it. I love annoying her so much. 

Her tears are fading, and I can see her blushing hard. Suddenly, without any warning, she pushes me onto the sand and kisses me deeply. I have to stop myself from getting too rattled.  

“I love you so much.” She finally replies quietly as she parts from me. She still remains inches from my face, and I can feel her minty breath against my own. I see tears of almost relief swell into her eyes. I grab her and bring her down, laying her head on my chest. 

“People are going to see us and think something of it.” She mumbles into me. 

“They won’t find us here.” I reply without hesitation. “And if they do, who cares? It’s none of their business.”

“I guess so,” she agrees. She’s silent for a couple of moments before saying, “So what do we do now?”

“Enjoy the moment.” I mutter, wrapping my arms around her tighter. I feel the sand engrave itself within my hair more as I kiss the top of her head gently. 

“No, what do we do now? I mean… with all this? We haven’t exactly been working together as well as we should have been for the past year.”

“Oh.” I pause for a second. “I guess we keep going the same as before?”

“So, it won’t change anything? It will just be… back to normal again?” I can hear a slight raise in her voice, and I smile to myself as I answer softly, “Yeah. Nothing more that’s negative will change between us.”

I hear a sigh of relief come from her. She lifts herself up and stands above me. 

“Then I guess we should be going now.” She shifts her head slightly with a smile. She places her hand out for me to grab. Once I do, she pulls me up. Sand falls from my body as she drags me with her. She has a slight skip in her step as I am pulled behind her.

I wish I could always see her this upbeat.

“We should get cleaned up,” she begins saying in a slow tone once we walk back inside. “You have so much sand all over you!” She giggles as she stands on her tiptoes and pats my head; sand falls around my body. 

“I guess so,” I reply with a grin. “Let’s go back to my room to wash up, and then we can go meet up with the team.”

“Alright!” She exclaims, taking my hand back into hers and walking beside me. 

It doesn’t take us long to make it back to my room in order to wash up. She waits for me patiently as I wash the sand from my hair. Once I dress and walk out drying my hair with a towel, I watch as she sits on the edge of my bed. She almost seems content in these moments, and it makes me smile to myself. 

Seconds later she senses me, and she turns to me with a smile. 

“Let’s go.” I say, putting my hand out by my side for her to take.

“Alright!”

I take her hand in mine, and we walk together down the hall. Maybe, just maybe, everything will turn out for the best. Maybe we’ll be together, safely… forever.

Chapter Text

Liberty

His ‘I love you’ rings inside my head as our fingers intertwine down the corridors. I’m not normally the ‘boy crazy’ type, but this makes me rather excited. I don’t think I’ve been this excited over something so small for years. I wonder if he feels the same…

I glance up at him, and his face is rather serious. He’s always determined, but I’ve noticed recently he’s been more naturally on topic. I would assume it’s because of everything happening, but it’s just interesting to see and notice. I like him when he’s serious, it's just… when he is, it means somethings up. Sometimes I almost wish instead of being so serious, he would bring his funny side back as his first resort. 

I know I shouldn’t be mad if he isn’t telling me everything, since I’m doing the same thing to him. I just get worried when he’s acting slightly different than normal. Something is going on, and I need to ask him later. Now, however, is not the time. I think we need to visit my brother first. 

“I don’t know if you want to join,” I start as I look to my right toward Jax. “But I’m going to visit Harper. I need to tell him some information that I’ve acquired.”

Jax just nods before saying, “That’s fine, I will come along.” He pauses for a moment before asking, “What information exactly do you have to share with him?” 

I glance at him with a questioning stare. He asked that in not a so-called ‘accusatory’ tone, but more of a: “I-know-something-about-you-that-you-don’t-think-I-know-about-you-but-I-do.”

“Just some information regarding Kacee.” I choose to leave it as plain as possible. I can’t have Jax know yet that I’m working with my mother. Yet again, he may already know…

I glance over his way once more, and his serious stare remains. 

“What type of information?” He questions, not even looking back at me. His clasp around my hand also seems to tighten. Sweat begins to gather into the palm of my hand. 

I sigh as I think of how I am going to say this. I don’t plan on flat-out lying, I’m not like that, especially with him. I just have to keep this as plain and simple as possible until Harumi gives me the go to actually tell him.

“Regarding the shooting.” I finally reply to him.

“You have information regarding that?!” He seems surprised. Good. This will keep him, hopefully, from asking any questions concerning where I have acquired this information. 

Gosh I sound so evil right now. I feel bad. I can’t lie to him no matter what-

If I have to confess the information and get yelled at later by my mother, I would prefer that over making him upset with me…

“Yes, she’s okay.”

“Oh, thank god.” He exclaims this in a relieved tone. I understand why, I had the same reaction inside as my mother told me this morning; I just preferred her not seeing it. Instead, I broke down, which probably made me look worse than just being happy about the situation.

I love Kacee so much, she’s literally the sister I never got, and if I lost her…

“That’s why we have to visit Harper. I must tell him.”

“Have you seen him since the…” Jax pauses for a moment, and it seems as if he’s trying to properly form his words. “Incident?” 

“Yes, a couple of nights ago.” I respond quietly, a sad tone flowing over my voice. He hasn’t been doing well since then, and the fact I haven’t checked on him-

I feel as if I want to kick myself in the butt for that. I probably deserve it. I haven’t been the best sister or partner.

“How was he?” Jax asks. “I unfortunately haven’t spoken to him. I guess I haven’t been the most supporting teammate that I should be.” 

Oh, so it’s not just me. We all have been staying away from Harper. 

Oh no. He probably thinks we’re all angry with him! Gah! How could I have been so stupid and not check up on him more than I have?!

“Terrible.” I finally reply as I gaze down toward my feet. 

“Oh no,” Jax replies, sounding just as nervous as my brain is right now. We’re thinking the same thing. “I hope he’s been okay…”

We reach his dorm’s door, and we both look at each other. After a couple of seconds, we each nod slowly at each other, and then I knock at Harper’s door. 

There’s no response. I begin to get nervous. 

I really hope-

I reach for the doorknob and slowly crack open the door. The room is completely dark and dimmed. No light shines through the blacked-out curtains. I glance over slowly and spot a figure in the far corner chair. 

Without even stepping a foot in, I can instantly feel the stressed and anxious energy lingering throughout the room. Usually the vibes are quite low, especially coming from Harper, but he’s hurting, and I can feel it. 

He doesn’t even glance up at us as we step in. As we walk closer, I can see his limp body crouched down in the chair. His feet are planted onto the floor, and his elbows rest heavily on his thighs. His hands are gripped into his frazzled and knotted hair. 

As I reach my arm out for him, I notice tears rolling down his face. I haven’t seen him cry… ever actually. It makes me even more sad for him. 

I rest my hand on his arm slowly and lightly. He doesn’t push me away or make any sort of response. 

“Hey… I’m here for you.” I whisper in the most calm and emotionless tone possible, kneeling down close to the chair’s edge and hugging him lightly. I rarely hug or make any contact with him, but right now he needs it. I know he would do the same thing for me if I needed it. 

He helped me with Jax that one time, I am going to help him now. 

“Hey, want a cookie?” I ask with a smile. “Cookies have always made me feel better. A special person taught me that.” 

I pull a wrapped cookie that I stole from the cafeteria earlier this morning when we passed by out of my pocket. There’s still no response that comes from him, but I set the cookie on his leg anyways. 

“I can also get you a glass of real milk too.” I offer him a light-hearted tone full of glee. Though, he still doesn’t offer me a reply. Now he just rocks back and forth lightly, gripping his hands in his hair harder. 

I can see from his body that he hasn't consumed food for days. It makes me sad staring at him more and more as my eyes adjust. 

I begin to cry myself. It hurts me watching him hurt way more than I thought it would. 

“She’s okay, Harper.” I shakingly say, reaching up and holding his hand tight in between mine.

He instantly looks up at me, and more tears roll down his face as his eyes make contact with mine. He doesn’t say anything but mumble a few words to himself as he grabs me tightly. I feel his tears soak into my shoulder as he hugs me for a solid two minutes. 

“Thank you,” I hear him mutter quietly as he pulls away from my body. “Thank you for informing me.”

He lets go of me and glances up towards Jax. Harper just nods at him and then stands up for himself. 

“I’ll take that cookie, thank you.” Harper’s voice is groggy, but our secret message still remains the same. I appreciate we have that like all siblings should have. Considering we only knew about each other just a few years ago, we act as if we’ve been with each other our whole lives. That feels good to think about.

“Other than the three of us,” Harper begins. “Who else is left?” 

I look down on my fingers and count slowly. 

“Julissa and Parker were eliminated, meaning June is left.”

“Speaking of June, where is she even?” Jax asks, seeming slightly worried suddenly.

“She’s your sister,” Harper inquires. “Shouldn’t you know where she is?” 

“She’s always running off…” 

“You make her seem like she’s some child,” I say with a light chuckle. 

“She kinda is,” Jax groans. Without looking at him, I can see him roll his eyes. 

I don’t care what he thinks, I’ve always liked June like a sister too. She’s just so herself and laid back that it’s sometimes hard to talk with her. However, when you do, it always is a very intriguing conversation.

“I’ll make sure to find her later. She’s probably just been reading books knowing her,” Jax mumbles, looking towards me and then over to Harper. 

It goes silent for a couple of moments before I say, “We should all go eat lunch together!” I glance at the two of them. “Both Jax and I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m sure you haven’t either, Harper.” I offer him a small smile, and he just nods in affirmation. 

“That sounds fine. I’ll get myself cleaned and meet you guys there.” Harper replies, his voice somewhat sounding better than before. “Thank you, Liberty. And thank you, Jax.” Harper offers us both a quick smile and leaves the main room for his bathroom. 

Jax and I let ourselves out and head towards the cafeteria together. 

“Shall we invite my sister as well?” Jax asks, giving me a quick look. He has a small smile spread across his face. I grin back at him. 

“Why not? The more the merrier!” I exclaim, putting a slight skip in my step. 

“Are you okay?” Jax asks with a slight chuckle. “You seem rather… happy suddenly.”

“Well… why wouldn’t I be?” I question, glancing back at him with a smirking smile. “I mean, aren’t you happy too?”

“Quite.”

“Precisely!” I reply enthusiastically. “I’m sure you would be skipping too if you could.”

“Are you saying I can’t skip?” He questions with a small laugh following his comment. 

“Maybe…” I slip my hand into his as we walk down the hall. “But I don’t think I want to witness that from you.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

I give him a quick glance of teasing suspicion as we walk into the cafeteria. I guess I’ve been more zoned out than usual with my socialization, because as I look across the cafeteria, I realize that it has decreased drastically with participants. It leaves me slightly frozen in my step. For some reason, I’m just noticing this. I feel dumbfounded inside. I count around the room how many are left, assuming everyone is already here besides Harper, and it leaves me concluded with only a count of six people. 

That means the next round will remain three of us, then two of us, then the winner. It makes me slightly anxious as I think about it. I’m not nervous about winning or anything like that, I am just anxious in general. I cannot quite exactly pinpoint as to why, but I am. 

I shake my head out of anxiety and glance over across the room. I spot June sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria taking her spoon in and out of her bowl as she sips soup. As I think about it, I feel slightly bad about how I have treated her throughout the years. She is only a bit younger than Kacee and me, but we wouldn’t necessarily hang out with her. It’s not that we totally avoided her, we would invite her to our conversation and events, but we still never fully hung out with her. 

I guess as I think about it that was probably the best. It honestly would have been better if Kacee hadn't hung out with me either. I have never been the best influence or example for anyone, and it makes me feel bad as I ponder upon it. Although, now as I watch June sit alone, I realize how much I have avoided her, and it makes me sad. Of course she has always had Julissa, but the two of them are so quiet that no chemistry was ever formed. I guess I’m pretty quiet too, but if they both had joined Kacee and I, I’m sure they would have enjoyed it. Yet again, we’re such an odd duo that I don’t even know who would want to be subjected to our friendship.

Jax and I head through the line together, grab our food, and head over to June’s table. She sits there, like usual, reading her books as she places her spoon in the soup and then brings it to her mouth. 

We sit quietly beside her as she seems like she’s extremely invested in the story. I glance across the table at Jax and give him a look. He offers me a questioning glance in response as I switch over and gaze at June sitting next to him. She continues to read her book, and Jax and I just kind of glance at each other once more. 

“What do you two want?” June finally asks, not taking her eyes away from her book.

“Nothing,” Jax starts, sounding a bit defensive. “We just decided to sit with you.”

“Why?”

“Because we wanted to…?” 

She just huffs in response and goes back to her book. After a couple of moments of silence, she finally mumbles, “Why do you care to sit with me now?”

“Would you like us to move?” I am rather confused as I ask this.

“No, you guys are fine, as long as you don’t start making out.” She replies, still invested in her book. 

“Why do you think-” Jax starts, but June quickly interrupts, “You two have done it before, and it was not necessarily appreciated.”

Jax suddenly pounds his hands on the table, instantly leaving me a little nervous; June on the other hand, looks as if this didn’t affect her at all. Her expression remains the same as he does this. 

“When have we done that in front of you!? Never, that’s when.” He defends, with a certain form of anger he hasn’t held in his voice in front of me for a long time. I feel sweat begin to gather in the palms of my hands as they grip onto my utensils.

“You guys have.” She states rather calmly. 

“When?” Jax keeps pushing on. 

“A couple of years ago.” She replies without pause, her eyes still on the words within the book. 

“Pfft! A couple of years ago?! We barely touched each other a couple of years ago!” He exclaims, loudly. Others are beginning to glance our way, and I quickly attempt to diffuse this. 

“Jaxson…” I mumble, attempting to get his attention. He just eyes me in response and then directs his attention back to his sister. 

“You guys decided it’d be great to make out when you two were fourteen and fifteen in the living room. That was quite fun to walk in on.”

“We did?” I pipe in, attempting to remember. 

“That was one time-” Jax mutters, pausing for a second. “We never did it again after that.”

“I sure had to walk in on it, though.” June replies, rolling her eyes as she proceeds to read her book. 

“Well, I’m sorry that you had to walk in on our moment.” Jax mocks, rolling his eyes himself. 

“We did that?” I ask, still trying to remember what they’re talking about. 

“Yes!” They both reply together at once in a shouting nature. 

“Okay, okay…” I mumble, inching back into my seat. 

“And by the way,” June begins. “I didn’t accidentally walk in or intrude on your little moment. I heard weird noises, decided to see what was going on, and it was you guys getting all weird! How do you think that made me feel?! Being in my own house having to walk into that?! It still pisses me off-”

“You’re holding onto something that you shouldn’t even be worrying about now! You’re just jealous because you haven’t found anyone to do it with yet.”

“I am not!” June hisses with anger rising more and more within her voice. “I’m not jealous of anything that you are a part of. I’m happy just the way everything is in my private life.” She crosses her arms, not only looking away from her book, but him. 

“Excuse me?” He replies with an offended tone. “What are you trying to say?” 

“What I’m saying is that you make terrible decisions!” She exclaims rather loudly now. “You know what you did was wrong! How can I trust you again!” 

June then turns her glare to me, “And how can I ever trust you? Who knows what you’re doing? Trusting my brother… If I were you, I’d leave now before he ruins you, too.” 

I just stare at her in shock. I guess I can understand where she’s coming from, but I’ve never seen this side come from her before. Is this really what she has been thinking this whole time about us? Are we really the way she just described us? Have we always acted this way, and now we’re just realizing it together? 

“Hey!” Jax shouts at his sister. I glance around and see that now everyone is staring our way. “What’s your problem?” He asks with an annoyed tone.

“What’s my problem?” June repeats in a mocking tone, gazing harshly at her brother. “What’s your problem!? You have no reason to be acting the way you are right now!” 

“How am I acting that makes you so mad?” Jax questions through gritted teeth. 

“Everything! Jail? Really, Jax? Do you understand how that makes you look? Joining a side that you’re not allowed to be a part of and then expecting me and the whole team to accept you back?! Life isn’t that easy anywhere else you would’ve gone!” 

“And why are you so mad about my personal issues?!” Jax asks without hesitance, fury rising in his face. 

“Because I’m your sister! You didn’t even apologize to me! You apologize to this girl of yours before your own sister! Do you know how that makes me feel?” June proclaims, redness filling her own face now. 

“Well, I’m sorry,” Jax lets out a laugh full of anger. “I’m sorry that I made you so mad. I didn’t have to apologize to anybody about my own decisions. They were my decisions! Kick me out all you want, I don’t care!”

June glares at him fiercely. I watch anxiously now, unsure of what will happen next. It would probably be best if we left, or at least I left. I’d rather not be a part of this sibling argument. 

“You can leave.” June finally says, with a confident, yet calming voice now. She glances back down to her book, and her eyes scan the page. 

I, myself, begin to get up, but I slowly catch Jax’s gaze. He gives me a stern look, and I immediately sit myself down once more.       

“We aren’t leaving.” He states in a controlling tone. 

“Jax-” I mutter softly, giving him a look. 

“Shut up,” he interrupts, still giving me that serious tone and look. I shift around in my seat anxiously at his words.

Fine, he can create more drama than what already has been made. He’ll have to deal with the consequences later by himself. 

“I don’t understand why you’re staying when I clearly requested you to leave, or is that too hard for you to follow too? Are all the rules too difficult for you to follow?” June asks sternly, not even looking up from the pages.  

“You can’t just make up a ‘rule’ by saying something,” Jax objects, glaring towards her. “I’m not breaking anything.”

I watch June roll her eyes, “Of course you don’t think you are.”

A groan escapes from Jax, “I understand you are angry with me, but why are you holding onto it? You’re not the one who has to deal with her consequences and mistakes she’s made.”

“Of course I have my own consequences and mistakes I’ve made!” She exclaims as she gazes up from her book with the sternest glare I’ve ever seen come from her. Her eyebrows are pinched together tightly as she goes on, “I just don’t have a permanent record I’ll have to deal with, unlike you.”

“Gee thanks, you don’t have to rub it in. I’m already aware. I don’t get why you even care.” Jax shrugs off as he picks at his food with his fork. 

“That’s the issue, I do care about you, Jaxson. I want you to be safe, and I’m perfectly aware of why you did what you did. I just don’t want to lose you to something stupid, and you should know that about me. I can’t have my brother be lost to something that he has no business being a part of!” 

“What I’m a part of shouldn’t concern you,” he dismisses sternly. A look of dismay spreads across June’s face within these moments. 

“Excuse me?” She asks with an annoyed tone. “Of course what you do concerns me! You’re my brother! I care about you more than you realize! Don’t you feel the same?” 

He just stares at her for a solid second. He looks her up and down before saying, “Since your nose is in a book all the time, I didn’t seem to realize you cared that much.”

“You think just because I’m constantly reading that means I don’t pay attention? That’s not it at all! I am paying attention all the time! Reading is my only escape from this hell that we’re forced into! I understand and comprehend more than you like to realize about me!” 

He gives her a look before responding, “Then you would understand why I act the way I do.”

“Of course I do,” she pauses for a moment, swallows harshly, and says, “But I don’t want you to be hurt! I hope you don't get killed too early because of stupid people and decisions you may think are right for everyone else but you!” 

“Isn’t that the point of being a ninja?” He questions. “Putting others before yourself?” 

“No!” She shouts, tears forming in her eyes. “That’s not it! I mean, it is, but it shouldn’t be! We’re just kids, and we shouldn’t have to be against the universe constantly! What we’re constantly put through is pure evil!” 

By this point, everyone who was staring earlier are back to their own conversations. I glance over at Jax, and he just stares at his sister with a questioning but understanding look. I then look over to June, who is wiping her eyes from slightly angered tears. 

“You’re right,” Jax finally responds. “And that’s why you see me doing what I’m doing.”

“But you’re hurting yourself!” 

“Do you think I care?” He finally asks as his jaw clenches tightly. 

“I care,” June replies. “I care a lot about you. I don’t care if you feel the same way or don't care about me, I care about you a lot either way!”

Jax breathes in a breath of new air before saying, “You see me care for not just you, but everyone as you watch what I’m doing. It may not be one hundred percent right, but it’s better than killing my own soul within this customary team we’re on.”

June grits her teeth, and then she redirects her glare towards me. 

“See what you’ve done to him!” She screams at me. “You’ve ruined him! I’ll never get my brother back! It’s all because of you!” And without any warning, she stands up abruptly, stomps over to my side, and punches me hard in the face. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

“You-!” She calls me a certain expletive as she heads for another socket, but I stop her hand abruptly with mine. I give her a look of anger as I stand up myself and twist her arms behind her back tightly. I try not to put force on her because I’d rather not hurt her, but I make sure to leave a mark as I hear her slight squeal of pain.

“I didn’t do anything to him,” I whisper slyly in her ear. “He chose to do this to himself.”

She curses me out once more, and I pressure her arms together tighter making her shut up. I catch Jax’s look at me from the corner of my right eye, and I give him the look myself. If a person is willing to punch me so hard that I have a bloody nose in return, they can suffer themselves. She attacked me first; I did nothing to her until she approached me herself.

“Aren’t you going to tell her to stop!?” June cries out to him. In response, he just stares at her. A disappointed look spreads down his face.

“You gave her a bloody nose,” he humbly replies. “I’m not going to defend you.”

“But she’s hurting me! Aren’t you going to protect me over her!?”

“If she had started the fight and gave you a bloody nose, I’d be protecting you. Unfortunately for you, you’re the one who started this, and you can end this yourself.”

I feel her body numb down once she hears this.

“If this was your goal, to come over and insult me, you sure did it right.” June hisses, her arms twitching for me to let go of.

“This wasn’t my goal. In fact, I wanted to leave.” I reply to her quietly. “Alas, you decided to punch and attack me first, so I’m going to finish this.”

My hands remain locked around her arms as she keeps complaining. I’ve never seen this come from her, and I feel slightly bad for her. She doesn’t fully understand what’s going on, but she knows something’s up. She’s trying to tell us her thoughts the best way she can. I know I should let her go now, but as blood still drips down my face, I stand here confused with how I should approach her after I let go.

Will she come for me again? Hit me harder this next round? I’d rather not have to draw blood on her myself.

“If you promise you won’t touch me again,” I begin, pausing for a moment to process what I’m saying. “I will leave you and Jax alone. You two can talk, and I won’t be there to listen or interfere. Draw blood on me again, and it will be over for you.”

I catch Jax giving me a look as I wait for June’s reply. This would be best for the two of them. They need to talk this out. They clearly haven’t caught up, and they're both paying the price.

“Okay.” I finally hear her reply. I wait a moment before I let her go slowly. I take my tray and leave the table before Jax can say anything. They must figure this out themselves.

Before leaving, I grab a tissue and head out of the cafeteria. I run into Harper, who I completely forgot was invited as well.

“Are you okay?” He asks, eyeing my bloody nose.

“What do you think?” I question, slightly annoyed by his question.

“What happened?”

“June beat me up.”

“June?!” His shock appears straight across his face. “Are you serious right now?”

“Do you think I’d be lying?” I mumble, rolling my eyes.

“A bit, yeah.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He reaches into his pocket and grabs a random tissue from it.

“Here,” he offers. “Your other tissue is kind of dead by now.”

“Thank you.” I mutter, taking the tissue from his hand. I hold it against my nose, and I glance at him once more.

“So, what happened?” He asks, sitting me down next to him on a bench in the hallway.

“We went to sit next to her for lunch, and then she got angry about everything all at once. Jax doing what he did, hanging out with me more than her, him putting everyone else before himself, etcetera.”

“Wow,” Harper begins. He pauses for a moment before saying, “She seems to have a lot of bottled-up anger.”

“No kidding,” I mumble, adjusting the tissue to my nose.

“You didn’t… hurt her too much in response to this, right?” Harper questions, glancing at me and then to my bloody nose.

“Just held her arms tightly behind her. I drew no blood, and I barely hurt her.”

“I guess that’s a way to do it.” He replies, taking my food tray from my lap and holding it on his own. We make eye contact, and then I slowly look around the hall.

“So anyways, I left her and Jax together to figure out their issues.”

“That’s a way to do it. Are you sure you aren’t going to regret it from Jax later, though?” Harper asks with a slight chuckle.

“I doubt he’s going to be able to be annoyed with me when he’s venting to me about whatever his sister says to him. Plus, she drew blood on me. I know for a fact he’ll be worried about me more than he can be upset over her.”

“That’s a pretty valid point.” Harper agrees, taking my bread roll from my tray and biting into it. “I hope it’s fine that I’m stealing your food.” He mumbles with a mouth full of food.

“Go right ahead,” I mutter. “I’m not hungry anymore anyways.”

He offers me a smile in response as he takes another bite. 

Chapter Text

Jax

“I understand you’re upset with me,” I begin as I glance towards my sister. I just watched Libby leave the cafeteria without me, and I’m realizing quickly that she did this not out of escaping June, but she’s giving us a chance to talk this out.

Ugh, why does Libby have to do this to me. Yet again, if we had left a few minutes ago, none of this would have even happened.

I’m worried about her now, and I can’t do anything about it without dealing with this first. I hope she’s alright.

“But I can promise you that everything I’m doing right now has a reason.” I finally finish saying, attempting to make eye contact with my sister’s eyes.

“How can I trust you?” She asks with a rush of anger flowing through her voice.

I slowly sigh and mumble, “You can’t. That’s the thing. In life, you can’t trust anyone.”

“You say that so calmly,” she starts in an annoyed tone. “It proves that you’re lying to me.”

“I’m not lying. I’m telling you the truth.” I object.

She just huffs loudly, and then she mutters, “I wish everything could just go back to normal.”

I stare at her for a moment before agreeing, “I wish so too, but that’s not how life treats us. There’s no going back to the normal, there never was a normal.”

She offers me a look of both pain and vexation. She shakes her head slowly as she closes her book with a loud thud and leaves the table. I watch as she leaves me behind, and I slowly bury my head within my hands. I’ve screwed up big time, and I’m easily aware of it. I’ve been aware of it.

It hurts that my own sister can’t forgive me. She doesn’t realize how much I care for her. I know what I’m doing she doesn’t like, but I just wish she could understand that even though my intentions may look bad, I’m not trying to be that way. I’m trying to make everything better. However, in the end, I know I’m just making everything worse.

I groan as I stand up myself, dump June’s and my own trays in the trash, and I leave the cafeteria and head towards her office. As I think about it, Harumi hasn’t checked in on me for a while, and it makes me silently curious as to why.

I also agreed with her and told her how I would make sure to share with her any valuable info I found out. Well, this isn’t necessarily valuable, but it is definitely interesting. Not just the experience with my sister, but the things I’ve been sniffing out for the last couple of days.

I don’t plan on snitching myself out and fully telling her how I heard her and Liberty chatting it up, but I am curious as to why, and I don’t mind asking her what that was all about. No matter what she says, I’ll be able to figure out whether it meant something important or not. Her lies normally don’t stop me.

I stop myself as I reach my fist up to knock lightly on the door. However, before I can, she opens it quickly. We make eye contact immediately, and she ushers me inside.

“I was hoping you’d stop by,” she begins, sitting herself down in her office chair. I remain standing as I stare at her. She meets my eyes and slowly guides her own hand down, motioning for me to sit.

I follow her guidance as I sit myself down in front of her. I face her with the most solemn expression I can hold, which is really just my natural expression, and she just stares at me for a moment. Her eyebrows and overall tone narrow toward my gaze, and I slowly give her the same look back. I ultimately begin to question whether this was a good idea or not.

“So, is there a specific reason you’re here?” She begins, slowly. “Or are you just here to say hi to me?” She asks in a smug tone, twirling her hair in between her fingers as she gives me a smirky smile.

My hands hold themselves on my legs as I glance at her, and then to her twisting her hair around. I advert my eyes back into her eyes as I say, “No, I’m here for a reason.”

Her joking look disappears from her face almost instantly into a serious look.

“Proceed,” she replies, pressingly. I watch for a few moments quietly as her fingers graze across her wooden desk.

I swallow deeply, and then I proceed to ask as I look into her eyes deeply, “Is there something you haven’t told me yet?”

Her eyes narrow shallowly. She clears her throat before replying, “What do you mean? What wouldn’t I be telling you that you don’t already know?”

I go to say something quickly before I pause myself. I glance down into my lap and swallow roughly.

Is this bad to ask? Would this put Liberty in danger of some sort?

I glance back at her for a second before I head back into my thoughts once more.

No, if Liberty were to be in danger because of this question, I know I can diffuse it somehow. Yet again, why am I coming to Harumi when I could have just as easily asked Liberty myself?

No, I’m overthinking this. You’re already here, Jaxson. Ask Harumi now.

“I want to know what’s going on regarding Libby.” I finally state with a calming, but serious tone following.

Her expression doesn’t change, yet I can feel a slight shift within her energy.

“What do you want to know about?” She finally asks after a couple moments of silence.

“Libby has been acting rather odd lately,” I start, pausing for a moment to think of how I shall ask this. “I wanted to know if you had any information regarding this.”

I decide to lie slightly and not allow Harumi to be aware of my snooping. It wasn’t my place to be there at that time, and I’m perfectly aware of that. However, I also know if I can word this correctly, I’ll be able to receive somewhat of an answer.

Maybe I can force Harumi to slip by accident without having to do much work…

“How would I know?” She asks. “I don’t talk to her often.”

“Though you do,” I defend, slyly. “I saw you two walking the hall together. Just, as your spy, I wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to egg her on.”

Harumi’s expression looks slightly annoyed for a moment, yet she proceeds to straighten it out before saying, “As a matter of fact, yes, I was having a small chat with her. However, that is none of your business.”

“It certainly is,” I begin rather confidently. “It is in fact my business if Liberty has been acting differently around me after that encounter with you. I cannot receive the proper information from her to share with you if she’s going to be acting up.”

Harumi looks rather displeased now.

There we go… use her own plots against her. I don’t actually share Liberty’s personal information with her mother, I just allow Harumi to believe she’s receiving it. I’ve been leading her on this whole time with that specific info, and she hasn’t even figured it out yet.

“She should be completely fine after that encounter. In fact, all I was saying to her was how much I hope she can win this thing.” Harumi finally replies as she begins to file her nails down.

“Huh, that’s interesting, because I decided to talk with Libby after the encounter,” I respond, glaring directly into Harumi’s blue eyes. She meets mine once I mutter this, and I proceed to say, “Liberty didn’t seem to be pleased with the results within that private conversation. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t threatening her or anything, since she wasn’t telling me exactly what was going on.” I pause for a second, and then I watch as Harumi reacts to this. I stare right into her eyes vigorously as I lean more into the chair and say, “Because you know what I’ll do if you hurt her in any way.”

Once I finish these words, I create a slash across my neck towards her. She would like to think she doesn’t seem bothered by this motion, yet I can feel her energy shift from guarded to an unguarded confidence in under a millisecond.

“You can’t do anything to me. I’m your master, and you’re just the spy.” She mutters bitterly, turning her gaze away from mine rather quickly.

I chuckle in response for a second before mentioning, “I’m not just your spy, but I’m also your shield. Once you lose me, you know it’s going to be way harder to get past what you want to accomplish with just a sword.”

She seems rather shocked by what I’m saying, but I just offer her my blank look. She knows my boundaries, and she also knows once she loses me, what I’m saying will become accurate. It will be much more difficult for her.

Her expression changes quickly, catching my confidence off guard for a moment, before declaring, “I could easily replace you.” An evil tone arises within her voice as she says this.

My eyes narrow in response as I ask, “Who could honestly replace me? Who’s as good as me?”

I lean back into my chair slowly as I await her response. It doesn’t take her long before replying, “What if I were to tell you it was another ninja?”

My gaze widens slowly as I listen to her response. I smile slightly with an evil grin.

I’m beginning to get into her head. My plan is working perfectly. Don’t ruin this, Jax.

“Oh, really?” I question as I cross my ankle over my knee. “And who would you really trust as much as me?”

She giggles slightly before muttering, “Would you be impressed if I was able to get your dear girlfriend?”

“I’d be rather impressed,” I state, a confidence arising over my voice.

This is working amazingly.

“However,” I begin before she can respond. “I don’t know how much I would be able to believe you unless I were to see it myself.”

Her grin widens as she stares directly at me. “Oh, you’ll have your proof. Watch me.”

“I’ll watch you all right.” I reply, inching forward into my chair as I set my leg back down onto the ground. “But if you ever do anything to her-”

“Don’t worry,” Harumi shushes my words through interruption. “I know it’s over for me if I do anything ‘drastic’ to her.”

“Not anything just ‘drastic’,” I assert. “If you do anything at all-”

“I know, I know, Mr. Protective,” she interrupts harshly with a slight eye-roll following. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“That was our agreement. You stick with it. No matter how much confidence you have in yourself.”

Her face full of a vexed look remains the same. I begin to stand up after our discussion, receiving my answer, and I begin to allow myself out. I am harshly interrupted from leaving the room as the door bursts open behind us. I watch as Libby breaks in. She appears quite alerted.

She looks even more wary as she doesn’t only make eye contact with Harumi, but me. I notice her curse under her breath softly towards me.

“What are you doing here?” She asks rather confused as she glances up and down my figure.

“Why are you here?” I question, looking her up and down myself now.

“Why is she here?!” Liberty suddenly shouts as she gazes over at her mother. “Why are you with my mother?!”

“Why are you even here in general?!” Harumi butts in, shouting from across the room.

“Why am I here?” Liberty repeats. “Why are you here?”

“This is my office!” Harumi shouts in response. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“I don’t know! Why is this random room your so-called office?!” Liberty replies in a rushed tone. “This is what I get for trying to do my job!”

“What job?” Harumi questions with an upset tone rolling over her voice. “You’re supposed to be training!”

“I’ve trained my whole life!” Liberty screams. “I’ve had enough of that! I thought for once I’d explore… but then I end up having to run into YOU of all people!”

“Ugh! Well, I’m sorry-” Harumi mumbles, angrily. “That YOU had to explore MY property without permission!”

“What the hell is going on…” I whisper to myself in a mumble.

“What’d you say?” Liberty looks directly at me now with this question. “What do you feel you have to say about this?!”

I just stare at her for a solid second in shock and silence. My arms stick closely to my side before muttering, “Are you two okay…? Are you okay?”

Liberty just glares at me before shouting, “What type of question is that?! Stop trying to dismiss this! What are you doing here with my mother?” She proceeds to glare angrily at Harumi and then back to me.

“Do you need chocolate or something? Are you more emotional than usual right now?” I finally ask, trying to find a source of this outrage. I am not usually the one to assume a woman’s upset because they’re on their monthly cycle, but she only usually gets upset this much when she really is on it.

“Ugh!!!” Liberty stomps her foot in response as she gazes back towards Harumi now, totally dismissing my questions, and she says, “I’m sorry for intruding on the two of you, I’ll leave now.”

She turns to allow herself out, and I decide to follow her close behind.

“Are you okay?” I ask quietly once we get outside the door. She remains walking at a fast pace, and I make sure to stay close behind. She continues to ignore me.

“Look, I’m sorry-” I begin slowly, trying to grasp her attention. “I wasn’t doing anything important with your mother. I was just trying to figure something out!”

“And what was that?” She shouts suddenly, turning around abruptly and facing me. We make eye-contact, and I notice how her eyes don’t match her emotions.

What’s going on...?

We make it to her dorm after an eerie silence for a couple of seconds, and before she can shut the door on me, I stop it roughly with my arm. She glances up into my gaze with a glare of anger, pushing on the door harder to slam it into my body, but I don’t let it budge.

“You aren’t running away from this conversation until you explain to me what’s going on!” I shout now, anger arising within my voice. “So cut the s***** act and explain to me what’s going on!”

Her angered expression suddenly drops from her face as she lets go of the door. Her eyes remain glued to mine as she suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me into her room. She slams the door behind us, grabs me from behind, and hugs me tightly, chuckling softly within my grasp.

I barely am able to react out of surprise. Why is she doing this? What is wrong? Or maybe nothing's wrong and she’s…

Oh my gosh is she playing me right now? Were both her and Harumi playing me? If the information that I acquired is correct, then…

I let out a gasp of rushed air from my own thoughts. Liberty doesn’t seem to notice as I turn my body toward her, and I place my hands around her myself.

Harumi may have already done the deed. Liberty may already…

My thoughts are interrupted as I feel Libby’s head turn in my chest. I glance down at her as she begins to mumble, “I can’t keep this in anymore.”

My heart skips a beat, and my eyes widen slowly. I look around the room attempting to find a place to focus on, so I can breathe normally.

A wave of nausea flows over me. It’s because I’m nervous. Is this really what is best for Liberty? Joining her mother’s side? I’ve already accepted it as my own — that what I’m doing isn’t right. But has Libby come to understand that yet?

No, she’s smart, she of course thought about it. But wait, could have Harumi played her too? No, she couldn’t have. Liberty has avoided her mother these last couple of years, so it was totally Liberty’s own choice. If she were to be threatened with this, I would know right? She would at least tell me, correct?

Unless she were to think I’d be mad… Could she be possibly not telling me because of that? Or am I over-worrying about this…

Are we made to be the perfect villain duo? If I am assuming this right… then…

No, but is this really what’s best for the two of us? I don’t want her to get hurt in the end because she’s trying to follow me. I would never be able to forgive myself for that. Yet again, is there really a choice other than this for us? The other option would be to go back to being a part of the Ninja team, and is that really what we want?

No, it’s not. Going back to the Ninja team would be the second biggest regret I could make (the first obviously not being with her anymore), but would it be the biggest regret for Liberty?

No Jax, she’s smart, you know that. Liberty would never put herself in a situation she didn’t think was smart for herself…

I begin to bite my lip harshly until it begins bleeding as I think.

Yet again, she would put herself in a vulnerable situation if she didn’t know how to get out. She’s trying to get away the same way I did, but in this situation, it can hurt her…

No Jax!!! Listen to yourself talk! She’s almost an adult; she knows perfectly well her advances and not! If she wants to join Harumi’s side, that's her choice! Be happy she is! You can move on in this relationship without having conflict between this situation!

“That’s right…” I mumble to myself aloud. A sly grin runs across my face without hesitation.

This is our best option, because there’s no good option! This is our destiny!

Chapter Text

Jax

I continue to glance down at Liberty, and I slowly rest my head on top of hers.

“If I were to be honest with you,” she begins, lifting her head from my chest slowly, “Would you think of me any different than before?”

“Of course not, why?” I question softly, attempting to understand what she’s asking.

“Oh, well then, wouldn’t you think I’d want to know the same?” She asks, glancing up at me with a sly look. I stare at her back for a moment before shifting my eye contact away from hers.

She takes herself away from my body, and she slowly walks over near her bedside. I remain standing and watch her quietly.

“You better not think I’ve known this whole time.” She swiftly says, giving me a certain look I can’t quite distinguish.

Ah, fudge.

She tilts her head sideways slightly before exclaiming with a slight laugh, “In fact! I’ve known for so long that I just decided to keep it to myself! You’re in deep crap right now, you know that, Jaxson?”

I back up a few inches before muttering quietly, “I’m sorry, I know I should have told you. I just didn’t want to upset you more than you already were.”

“When were you planning on telling me? And why did I have to officially find out from my mother of all people!” She shouts; an angered tone begins to arise within her voice. “Sure, I have certainly thought about it, but I didn’t actually believe myself until then!” She suddenly slides over to me in a rush and strokes her fingers across my right arm. She eerily represents Harumi within these moments. “But,” she begins, whispering close to my ear from below. “Once I had received my clarification from my mother, I knew what to do.”

I shiver slightly, beginning to become concerned. I didn’t think I’d receive this reaction within myself, yet I feel so cold within these moments.

I never felt this chilling sensation when it was just me making this decision; although, now as I watch Liberty questioning this upon herself, I feel slightly nervous. Why is this? Shouldn’t I be happy?

Yes, you should be happy, Jaxson. This means there will be no arguments between the two of you about this. Of course, this is what she is trying to tell me. That she has moved to Harumi’s side.

She waltzes over to her bed and falls back onto it with a thud. She laughs slightly as she whispers in a devilish tone, “I’m mom’s spy.”

Her saying that seals my question. A shiver flows through my mind and body as I smile slightly. I walk over to her slowly, and I stare at her from above. We make eye-contact, and she gives me a slight look of pride.

I put my hand out for her to grab, and she takes it. I hold her body against the curve of mine, and I lean down slowly and kiss her. She wraps her fingers within my hair, and I move slowly to her ear as I whisper ever so slightly, “Welcome to the team, buddy.”

She just laughs quietly before she digs her head back into my chest and hugs me tightly. I hug her back, but I can suddenly feel a painful expression gathering within my chest.

What is this? I am so relieved and happy, yet at the same time I feel worried. No, I shouldn’t be over-worrying about this, because if we were to go back to the ninja team together, we wouldn’t only already be disowned, but it’s just as messed up.

So, why am I worried?

No, you shouldn’t be, Jaxson. It’s fine. Everything will be fine. Liberty will be fine.

My eyes widen as if I just felt hit with something. I glance back at Liberty as I pull her closer to myself. I hug her tighter than before, and I feel exceedingly anxious suddenly. I feel the same type of anxiety I would feel whenever a dangerous mission was about to start as children, and we had to split from each other.

Why am I experiencing this now? What’s wrong with me? I should be thankful!

I kiss the top of her head slightly, smelling the sweet scent of her hair softly. I hear a slight, silent squeak come from her, and I realize quickly that I’ve been suffocating her this whole time.

Oops.

“Sorry,” I start as I glance down at her with an exasperated look. “I didn’t mean to do that. You aren’t mad, right?”

“You can’t kill me yet!” She exclaims in a slightly joking manner as she nails me in the ribs with her elbow.

“I don’t plan on killing you…” I mumble slowly, my same thoughts as earlier suddenly recurring within my mind.

“Are you okay, Jax?” I hear from below, and I quickly shake my head from my thoughts. Liberty looks at me with a worried expression, and I suddenly change my own expression to a slight smile. I guess I have been zoning out longer than I intended.

“Yes, I am perfectly fine!” I exclaim with a happy expression and upbeat tone.

I am in fact not perfectly fine.

“Woah,” she puts her hands out in front of her. “Never do that again.”

“What did I do?”

“That positive tone you just did. That was weird coming from you.”

“Oh,” I laugh slightly, placing my hand behind my head. “I won’t do so again then, miss.”

“You better,” she starts as she gives me a sly look. “And don’t you think either you’ve been dismissed for not telling me the truth for the past year. I’m still slightly upset about that.”

“I’m really, really sorry. I planned on telling you, but I just didn’t know when. I knew I had to tell you soon though, because…” I pause for a moment, swallowing slowly before I drop my newest statement.

Is this really smart to say right now? Or even ask right now under these circumstances? I don’t know, yet at the same time it’s better safe than never.

Plus, now that we agree on the same terms within our beliefs and sides, wouldn’t it be best to just drop the question now?

I breathe deeply before looking into her bright green eyes looking up at me and saying hesitantly and nervously, “I… I wanted to ask for your hand in marriage.” I get down one knee slowly, and I stare at her with a slight smile.

Her big, emerald eyes widen as she steps away from my shaking stance slowly. She doesn’t seem scared, just extremely surprised, which I don’t blame her for. I kind of dropped this rather quickly.

“You–I–this isn’t necessarily a proposal, but more of a question for you to think on. It’s a discussion between the two of us. I don’t know how you feel about it or not, but I know I have been thinking about it for years, especially these last couple, and I wanted to know your opinion on it before I go any further with my plans.” I add on through an anxious tone, hoping this will make her feel more comfortable.

“Jaxson,” she begins quietly, stepping forward and grabbing my hands in hers — they’re shaking just as much as mine. I look at her, and then to our hands conjoined, and then back to her. She kneels in front of me, and she stares directly into my eyes with a twinkling smile, “Of course I would.”

A mega sigh wishes to escape from my body, but I refrain and just choose to grin slightly.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything cool to propose with,” I mumble, looking down at our conjoined hands.

“No, no!!! It’s completely fine!” She exclaims with a smile. “Once we get out of here you can owe me then.” She gives me a slight wink as she finishes her comment.

I squeeze her hands tighter as she asks me slowly, “So does that mean, we’re like, engaged?”

“I guess.”

“Ooh! Isn’t this exciting!” She exclaims, a gleeful smile suddenly filling her face. “Does that mean we can get married once we leave?”

“I was planning on that,” I mumble as a sudden drop fills my stomach.

What’s wrong? Why do I keep feeling this way?

I shake my head from my thoughts before saying, “I was hoping you’d be at least seventeen, while I’ll be eighteen. I wouldn’t think now would be the best time. Considering not just our ages, but also the situation we’re currently in.”

As I finish my words, a serious expression spreads across her face. I become confused quickly by this until she asks, “Are you seriously sure you want to marry me? I mean, I can be pretty high-maintenance and annoying.”

Oh my gosh, is that seriously a question she’s asking me?

I proceed to kneel on both knees facing her as I detach my hands from her. I place my hands on her shoulders as I steadily kiss her on the forehead softly. I stop before I meet her mouth with mine and whisper, “I love you so very much.”

I can not only feel my own heart, but hers beat so very fast, as we connect.

Chapter Text

Liberty

“I expected you to do this,” my mother mumbles aloud, as she stacks papers on her desk. “I knew you were going to spill the secrets of our connections to Jaxson.”

“My apologies,” I mutter, head down, fists clenching slightly. “But may I add that I didn’t intend for him to be there during that time?”

“You’re the one who didn’t knock,” my mother replies, slyly. I sense her glare upon me. “If you had knocked before you barged in, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I had to tell him!” I shout, glaring at her adhesively. “I don’t care that he didn’t want to tell me! That was fine by me! I’m glad he could keep your secret! But I couldn’t! I care about him more than anything or anybody else, and if something were to happen to me without his acknowledgement within the situation, he would be screaming at my grave!” I take a breath of fresh air after my vent, and I apologize to my mother quickly for the outburst. That was not my intention to just go off like that. I’m just angry, scared, and overall upset.

Harumi is silent for a few moments before lightly saying, “I understand.”

My heart skips a beat for a second. “You-you understand?” I stutter softly. My brain is completely unable to comprehend what she’s saying.

“Of course,” she starts, staring into my eyes intently. “Why do you always act as if I haven’t been in a relationship like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“As a young girl like you, believe me, with your father, I had my difficulties as well. Unlike you, I knew how to keep those secrets about my actions from him.”

“And that’s what led you to a department. I’d rather not leave Jax like you left dad.”

She glares at me with an angered look until she mutters, “Everything we do as humans have conclusions, conflicts, and effects to our future and present average lives. You remember that. Anything we say or do now can affect not only our lives, but our deaths. Are you ready to die?”

My stomach drops slightly as she says this. It was so uncalled for, considering our conversation prior.

I’m not nervous because of what she just said; no, I’ve contemplated upon it before. What I do fear is how it now is coming out of her mouth and not just my head. It’s not like I mind dying, in fact it’s probably rather peaceful as we depart from this wretched world full of pain.

Although, I also understand that withdrawing from this painful world also comes with a price. You’ll never get to experience the beauty in this world ever again. You’ll never get to experience love again or what it’s like to be in love. And, you’ll never get to experience overall life and the amazement within just that.

Even through the pain and depression of this world, and what the people of this world push out onto you, the world can be such a beautiful place. It’s truly terrible how awful this world has become — how anybody can experience pain without trying. It makes me physically sick thinking about it.

I give her a certain look of anguish before turning and leaving her office. I need to get out of here… I need to feel free.

I head down the hall and make eye contact with a girl who strangely looks like Kacee. Through what feels like hypnotism, I see Kacee through this girl and slowly head towards her. I snap out of it quickly and pause.

What has been wrong with me lately?

To excuse my craziness, I turn the next corner as I hope the girl didn’t notice. Nevertheless, through my intense sudden curiosity with this girl, I hide behind the corner of the hall and watch her. I feel like such a stalker.

She turns slightly, and I see a boy chatting with her.

Who is he? Who is she?

It suddenly hits me. I’ve been so distracted, I basically forgot. Through all of this, I never ended up meeting Kadence, and seeing this girl now is causing me to think and worry about Kacee more than I have been in general.

Boy, would she be disappointed in me right now. I don’t even think she would be mad or focused on the fact that I’m with my mother now, she would be mad about me not telling her.

I watch as the boy walks away from her, and as she turns, I notice her spot me from behind the corner. Quickly, through a high intensity of panic, I proceed to dart through the corridor. I would rather not talk to her yet. If she’s as smart as Kacee, I would not like her to know about my situation with my mother. Or more like our mother.

I must remind myself that Kadence is convinced by now that Harumi Garmadon is her mother; at least, I would have to assume and think that.

I suddenly feel my arms pushed and pinned against the wall roughly. As my eyes adjust from surprisement, I see her up close.

Kadence.

She holds me up to the wall with a harsh grip. I glare at her cold and rugged, reddish-brown eyes. They adjust to the darkness in a dim manner as she glares into my own eyes.

I choose not to fight back, because now I’m honestly curious about this sudden choice of attack. She pounces like my mother; I am very intrigued by this choice of assault.

“I know who you are,” she begins with a hissing-like voice. “And I know what you’re doing.”

I smile slightly at her before muttering, “Kadence Lynnwood! Wonderful to meet you.” I end my greetings with a kind and inviting smile.

“Don’t play with me,” she grumbles as she digs her nails deep into my wrist's skin. “I know who you are.”

I wince slightly as the pain begins to settle within me. I remain to give her a look of confidence before saying with a sly grin, “Oh do you now? So, since you’re so confident about all of this, who am I?”

“Liberty Garmadon.” She quickly replies. She proceeds to add on, “And you are the biological daughter of Harumi Garmadon.”

My eyes squint slightly towards her in the darker corner of the hallway. I cock my head slightly as I mutter, “And? Do you have a problem with that?”

She pushes harder into me against the wall, yet I still choose not to retaliate.

“I was kidnapped by your mother. Did you know she was training another daughter of hers?”

This is where I become slightly angry. She pulled out the ‘daughter’ card on me, which I don’t prefer her using. Harumi has never been a real mother to me, and I don’t appreciate the fact that this random girl, who thinks she is manipulating me in some way, is telling me otherwise with her wannabe experience. I know myself that Harumi, my mother, never spent time with this girl, nor did she care about her.

“Another daughter?” I ask, choosing to sound innocent within this situation. I have a slight grin on my face as I proceed to say, “I wouldn’t say that.”

She seems slightly irritated as she lets out through clenched teeth, “What do you mean? She has always trained me! Where have you been? And what right do you have to be called her daughter! A mother is only a ‘mother’ if she cares for you and guides you! Where has she been?”

I stare at her through shock. Where did this even come from? What did Harumi do to her that made her like this?

That’s a stupid question, what did Harumi not do?

I choose not to reply, curious about what Kadence is going to do next. To my surprise, she pulls out a small hand knife from her side-arm’s belt and holds it close against my neck. A slight bit of fear runs through me, but it’s not enough to make me flinch.

I now glare deeply into her cold eyes harder than before. I see a look of hate for me, but I also see the same look of innocence behind.

She isn’t going to actually kill me. I’ve had enough experience by this point to see the true evil within someone. You can see it in their eyes. The eyes supposedly lead into the soul. And if that’s true, which would make the most sense as where it lies, then:

She doesn’t plan on killing me, no matter how she feels. She could hurt me, possibly cut a slit within my throat, but nothing that would kill me.

What does she want me to say though? How am I supposed to answer this? More like, how do I handle this properly without setting her off?

I breathe in a new breath of air slightly before finally responding, “Kadence, I should make it clear to you, Harumi has no mercy for anybody.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” She hisses at me, an anger rising through her voice more and more. She proceeds to angle the knife closer to my throat than before.

“I should make it painfully clear that Harumi doesn’t care about anybody other than herself. She never cared about you, nor will she ever have the desire to. She doesn’t think you’re worth anything, because you aren’t, in her eyes. She doesn’t think your life is any more important than hers. No matter how much you try, she never will care about you. You never were her daughter. Harumi doesn’t care for anyone.”

Just as expected, I feel a harsh pain against the left side of my throat. I feel the heavy touch of hot blood dripping down the left side of my neck, yet the pain doesn’t faze me. Just as I had theorized, she doesn’t go any further in my neck than the slight start of the blade’s side. She doesn’t have the desire to kill a live human being; just yet at least. If she decides to go further with this deep hatred she has deep down, she certainly will.

I watch as angry tears begin to stream down her face as she screams, “What do you mean?!”

In a calming manner, I reply through a slight whisper, “Have you met my brother yet, Harper Garmadon?”

“Wait, Harper?” Her voice, tone, and overall appearance shift slightly as she slowly pulls the knife from my throat.

The cut feels slightly worse as more air suddenly flows into it. Although, even through the pain, a feeling of satisfaction rolls over me. I found an opening in the manipulation of the true source. This is perfect.

“I have a question for you, Kadence,” I begin as I eye her carefully. I blink slightly as I make sure she’s making complete eye contact with me. “How often did you see Harper’s mother spending time with him? Other than training, of course. I’m only curious since I wasn’t there.” I turn my head slightly to my right as I make sure she’s following me and not zoning out.

Without an answer coming from her, I can read her perfectly. I know what she’s thinking. I smile slightly from the inside as a flow of excitement fills me. I’ve never experienced this type of thrill, but whatever it is feels good. I’ve already won.

She doesn’t leave me on read for too long until she mumbles slowly, “Mother spent time with Harper. I would spend time with Harper too…”

“That wasn’t my question,” I interrupt with a sudden harsh tone. “I asked how much she hung out with him, not you. That’s disgusting, considering he was your ‘brother’.” I roll my eyes slightly as I direct my eye contact back to her.

Her grip on my wrists loosens slightly, and I can finally rest my arms lightly.

“I-I never said anything about Harper in that way! I never thought of him that way!” She excuses in a quick tone. “And I don’t care what you have to say,” she begins to mumble aloud. “I came here to confront you!”

“Well, go ahead,” I reply, giving her a certain ticked-off look. “You seem to enjoy wasting my time.”

“What time!?” She lets out a slight laugh of resentment. “You’re the one who’s wasting my time!”

“Am I the one who’s pinning you up against a wall?” I ask with a smirk spread across my face. Her expression in response tells me she’s pissed off.

Oh, isn’t this fun?

She lets go of me instantly. I drop slightly before readjusting my feet. We are about the same height, yet because of the slight age difference, I tower her slightly.

“I know who you’re working with.” She speaks through gritted teeth.

“Oh, do you now? What bothers you about it?” I ask, rather confused as to why she thinks this is any of her business to ask about this. Sure, she may think my mother is her mother, but that still doesn’t give her a free stance within my mother and I’s personal relationship.

“I don’t understand why, nor do I get it, but you working with Harumi is not good.”

“And why is that?” I question her calmly.

“Because I’m supposed to win!” Kadence shouts, tears streaming down her face once more. “And now that you and your mother are working together, she’s going to allow you to win!”

She seems rather upset about this. Is she talking about the tournament? That’s the only thing I can think of within the context of this situation.

“Who said I was going to win? Jaxson can win just as easily.”

“Jaxson?” Her voice lifts as she tilts her head towards me.

“Ah,” I laugh slightly as I lift my hand to my throat and touch it lightly. I pull away immediately with a sting of pain. My hand comes back into my eyesight with blood smeared all over it. “You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.” I whisper smugly with a smirk.

“Excuse me?! Of course, I do! But what does Jaxson Walker have to do with this?”

I grin slightly as I lean down closer to her face. We’re inches apart, and I murmur slightly in her ear, “He can get rid of you real fast.”

I feel her short breaths against the side of my cheek until she mutters with a fearless tone, “Do you think you can scare me?”

Laughing bitterly, I reply, “Kadence, what is it you fear in this tournament?”

She’s silent for a moment. Once again, all I feel and hear is her slight breathing. My curiosity heightens as time goes on. Eventually, she mumbles, “Aren’t you scared of your powers being stripped from you?”

Chapter Text

Liberty

I would be laughed at if Kadence were to tell how confused and panicked I’ve become since acquiring this information, yet I choose to remain and act as normal and calm as I possibly can.

Elemental powers stripped? What does she mean? Is she saying powers are being taken? Stripped away? How is that possible?

Jax would know. I’ll play with her until then. I just don’t understand why I haven’t been told about this yet.

“If you’re so fine with calling yourself her ‘daughter’,” I begin, whispering slightly in her ear. “Then why are you so scared your mommy will strip you of your powers?”

“Aren’t you scared of her doing it to you?” Kadence asks rather quickly, and her tone suddenly sounds very alert. Her voice shakes as she questions me about this, and I begin to wonder if Harumi would do it to me.

I think to myself for a moment, before muttering softly, “No, because I’m the Green Ninja.”

Kadence pulls herself away from our closeness, and she stares at me curiously. She seems rather shocked.

She lifts her hand to say something, but that follows with her arm dropping back to her side. She proceeds to turn away from my body, and while heading back down the hall she mumbles, “See you in the tournament.”

I don’t reply through extreme confusion. I’m glad she wasn’t aware of my innocence to this subject, yet it doesn’t mean I’m not happy with how things went between our conversation.

I turn my head to the left of myself and spot a stream of blood down the side of my shirt. Through all this confusion and surprisement, I totally forgot that she almost stabbed me.

There’s no room to think about that though. I can grab a new shirt after I deal with this serious business first. I need to find out what she meant by power stripping. Nevertheless, I think I may have already guessed what it is.

I immediately turn my head towards the end of the hall and begin to head there. I need to find Jaxson.

I begin to walk down the halls, and I soon meet face-to-face with his door. I stop for a moment before I knock. I think to myself for a moment.

What if he doesn’t know either? What do we do then? What is my mother planning? And why weren’t we told?

“No.” I tell myself aloud, shaking my head viciously. “If he doesn’t know either, then it’s a 2v1. We can get Harumi to talk if we push her hard enough.”

I breathe in and out before raising my right hand to knock on his door. A slash of pain hits the inside of my neck, and I harshly attempt to ignore it as I bang on his door harder.

After a couple of seconds, I hear rustling, and I watch as the door opens. Jax looks me up and down, then to my face, and then I watch as his eyes guide themselves to my neck.

His slight smile vanishes into a panicked look as he stutters out in an exasperated groan, “Who hurt you?”

He takes my shoulders tightly and turns my body. We both are standing in his doorway now, and he looks closely at the gash in my neck. He proceeds to grab my left hand and look at the blood drenched all over it. He takes my other hand harshly, and then he basically drags me into his room as he quickly shuts the door behind us.

He guides the two of us to his bathroom and grabs a towel. He dampens it underneath the sink, and without a word, he lightly presses the towel on my neck. I wince slightly underneath his touch.

It’s not painful, just uncomfortable. I hate being uncomfortable. If I’m going to have to feel pain, I’d rather just feel the full effects, not some watered-down one.

“You still haven’t answered me,” he starts as the silence disappears in the room. He proceeds to dab alcohol on the wound; it stings harshly against my skin and gash.

“You know Kadence? Well, we finally met.” I blurt out as embarrassment fills my face, visibly.

“Kadence did this to you?” He shouts, an angered look spreading across his face. “If I get my hands on her, I swear I’ll kill her.” He says this in such a harsh and rough voice that it scares me slightly. His eyes have a roaring intensity within them, making me more surprised and nervous.

I didn’t know what I said back there to Kadence was the truth. I only meant it to scare her. I know for a fact if Jaxson has to kill out of defense he will, but I’ve never heard him say something so intensely vulgar in the same sentence suggesting the murder of a human before. His words and visible emotions actually have me worried in a way.

“That’s not necessary,” I begin, grabbing his wrist. He stops dabbing my neck with alcohol once I say this. “Unless,” I start to say again as I look into his eyes seriously. “She is actually trying to kill me.”

“That was an attempted murder!” He exclaims, throwing his arms up with the towel in his right hand. “Anybody who goes ahead and slits another person’s neck has murder in their mind!”

I breathe in slightly before mumbling, “Jax, she didn’t have a murderous intent in her eyes. There was innocence there. She’s hurting. My mother kidnapped her and played with her mind. She’s angry at Harumi.”

“That does not give her an excuse to use a weapon against you!” He proceeds to shout, another dose of hatred rising within his voice. “Whether you like it or not, she’s going to get it.”

I sigh slightly, realizing I can’t tell him no. I mumble quietly, “Fine. But please, unless she attacks me or you personally again, don’t hurt her.”

He groans as he places the cloth back on my neck. He proceeds to cautiously put a weird ointment on it and wrap a huge bandage across my neck and down my shoulder. He tightens it lightly before leaving the bathroom and coming back quickly with a t-shirt of his that is definitely too big for me.

He places it on the bathroom counter as he sits me down on the toilet seat. While he does this he says, “Take your shirt off.”

I stare at him with a look of shock for a minute. I know we’re getting married, and I should be comfortable around him all the time, yet I still am nervous.

He sighs after a moment as I’m assuming he realized how demanding he sounded just now with my no-response and the look I’m giving him.

“Sorry,” he mumbles as he scratches his head slightly. “That sounded rather formidable. Would you please take off your shirt so I can clean up the blood? If you want to do it yourself, that’s fine too. I just don’t want you having to bend your neck too much.” He offers me a slight smile, and I sigh aloud.

I close my eyes slightly as I begin to grab onto the bottom of my shirt and pull it off me. As I do this, I say, “You better be lucky you’re cute.”

“Believe me,” he starts as he stares at me slightly, and then he begins to get the towel damp under the faucet. “When you’re as sexy as me, you don’t have to be told or shown by anybody.” He jokes as he kneels down close to my torso. He begins to wipe off the dried blood from my neck, my left rib cage, and down the rest of my torso.

I quickly realize how close he is as he touches me softly. He remains respectful, yet I can tell he’s enjoying this slightly as well.

“You aren’t enjoying my pain, are you?” I ask quietly with a new and uneasy feeling filling my insides.

“What?! Nooooo…” He exclaims as he averts his eyes quickly. “I would never, ever, enjoy your pain.”

“Uhuh, sure.” I mock, sarcastically.

He gives me a slight smile as he proceeds to set the towel on the edge of the shower, and he suddenly grabs me carefully in a playful manner. He begins to tickle me, and I can’t help myself from laughing.

“Stop!!” I giggle out, falling into his lap and chest as he keeps messing with me more and more.

The seriousness of this matter hits me suddenly through our laughs. I forgot about what I came here for. I stop laughing instantly, and I proceed to lay my head into his chest with a defeated feeling flowing through me.

I guess he picks up on this quickly because he takes his arms, and instead of tickling the life out of me, he wraps them around me softly without a question.

“I’m scared.” I finally mumble aloud. After saying this, I feel his arms wrap around me tighter than before.

“What’s going on?” He asks in a hushed whisper.

I breathe in a harsh breath of air before closing my eyes tightly attempting to block reality. I sigh, before mumbling, “Kadence said something back there…”

“What’d she say?” Jax interrupts roughly, an angered tone rising within his voice. “If she said anything I don’t like, I swear-”

“No,” I mumble, glancing up at him slowly. “She seemed scared.”

“And?” Jax questions, quickly seeming irritated. “Do you think I care about her fear of whatever she’s bothered about when she was attempting murder on my fiancée!”

“She mentioned something, a plan of Harumi’s I have yet to hear.” I mumble, glancing deep into his dark, deathening blue eyes. “It doesn’t sound good.”

Jax seems to notice the worry within my eyes, because now he seems curious himself without the previous look of anger displayed upon his face.

“Elemental Stripping. Harumi plans to strip the elements of the participants within this tournament? That’s at least what I could understand from the bits and pieces Kadence muttered to me.”

Jaxson is silent for a moment, his expression not shifting from the one before. Although this time, I can tell he’s deep in thought.

Without hearing a reply from him yet, he proceeds to move me off him and pace around his room as he bites the skin on his lip roughly.

I watch him as he does so, and all I hear from him are his quick and shaky pacing and small sighs escaping his breath.

This can’t be good. I came here to know if he knew about this, and if he doesn’t know about it… then…

“Did she say anything else?” Jax suddenly asks, interrupting my thought process. I remain silent for a few moments as I think about the conversation from earlier between Kadence and I.

Soon, I realize she did say something… something about the fear of my mother taking the power from me.

“She asked me if I’m scared of my mother taking my power.” I mumble slowly as I think back to our conversation.

Was anything else said that could possibly be crucial to this new discovery?

“And what did you say?” Jax pressures on as he heads to his bedside dresser. He bends down and rummages around in there for a moment.

“I said how I don’t need to fear my mother because I’m her daughter, and she wouldn’t do it to me. I also assumed, which I didn’t say to Kadence because I wouldn’t need to, that since I’m on her side now, that there’s no reason for her to take my power.” I pause for a minute to breathe, because as I say this, I realize how panicked I feel inside. His new glare that he offers toward me doesn’t look good either. “I didn’t mean it though, Jax! I’m really scared. I’m really, really nervous. And to imagine that possibly our friends down there are…” I stop talking as I begin to tear up by this new realization.

Our teammates and friends could be having their powers taken from them right now! Meanwhile, Jax and I are just sitting up here as if we have nothing to worry about! Yes, we do!!! We certainly do! What is Harumi planning on doing with these? And what is she going to do to us?!

I wipe the tears from my eyes, and I open them as I exclaim rather loudly, “We need to help them!”

Suddenly, I watch as Jax surprisingly lights a cigarette from a pack within his dresser drawer, and he places it into his mouth without any form of hesitation. He proceeds to grab a can of some sort of liquid, and then he walks outside onto the balcony connected to all the rooms in this building. I’m caught off guard by this. I’ve never seen him act this way with certain substances. I’ve never even seen these in his possession before! However, he doesn’t seem to mind me seeing this as he still doesn’t say anything to me.

I quickly slip on the shirt he gave me earlier, now realizing through all this commotion that I’ve only been wearing my undergarments this whole time until now. I follow him outside onto the ledge, and I stop at the edge of the sliding door. I look down at him leaning against the balcony and glancing out into the near sea as he inhales smoke bitterly. It makes me break inside more.

In all the years of us being friends, I’ve never seen him appear this stressed out in front of me over something while using such addictive substances. He’s always known how to keep his cool. It’s always been him helping and making me cheer up, but when it comes to him and his emotions… he has always just seemed alright and content. Why didn’t he tell me he needs help?

Clearly if he’s taking these substances so easily, this only shows that he has used other much worse substances.

Why have I been so blind? With all the time we spend together, I should have noticed this before today.

Why didn’t I see this much sooner and help him? What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I see other people’s pain — especially someone like Jaxson’s? Why can’t I be as good at helping and caring about him as he does for me?

Moreover, as I stare at him breaking down, I realize quickly I must help him, at least the best I can.

I step out quietly, and I look around to see if anyone else is on their own balconies. I’d rather not get us both reported for what he’s doing in public since it’s not exactly allowed in the palace.

Once I notice the all clear, I place myself to the right of him, and I just examine him for a moment. There’s not much to notice and take in, though. His gaze is harsh and deep as he crushes the already chugged can, which I now realize was beer, within one hand and holds the cigarette in the other.

I begin to panic inside as I realize how serious this is. I breathe in a deep breath and think for a moment.

What would Jaxson do? How would he coax me if I was suddenly acting this weird and distant?

Especially if this was something I had never done in front of him before…

I lean myself closer to him, and I take his much larger figure within my tiny arms. I hold him tightly, attempting to reassure his anxious demeanor.

It remains like this for a couple of moments before he mumbles in almost a shaky tone, “I look pretty weak right now, don’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say so,” I reply quickly as I begin to play with his hair lightly. “In fact, you’ve been braver than I have been all these years. It’s your turn to be the worried one.”

He chuckles slightly as he wraps his right arm around my torso and sniffles slightly. I watch as he turns his head from my gaze and wipes his other hand against his face. I feel like crying too, but I realize I must stay strong for him; just as much as he has stayed strong for me in the past.

After a few minutes of silence between the two of us, besides slight sniffles, I ask quietly, “So, when did you start?”

He sighs as he adjusts his voice slightly, “A couple of years ago… I’m not too sure, maybe 15?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I question as the realization hits me. Why didn’t I notice this sooner? How has he been doing this without me noticing a smell or anything like that reeking off him? Why could I never notice the shift?

What is wrong with me? Every time something changes with my personality or actions, he always notices. Why can’t I do the same?

I feel like a failure of a not only a girlfriend… but a best friend in general.

“I knew you would be disappointed in me.” He replies quietly, and then he adds on, “And I also know you would've been up my a** trying to figure out how to get me to stop and what caused it.”

I’m silent for a couple of moments, thinking about what he just said. I take my eyes off him, and I stare ahead deep in thought.

“Plus,” he begins, “I knew you would have been worried for me. You already had so much going on, and I didn’t see a reason to make it known until you found out yourself. Or, like today, I made it known.”

“How’d you hide it so well?” I finally ask in a stuttered tone as curiosity rises higher within me.

“I have my ways. And have you forgotten you didn’t know my connections with Harumi until that day I made it known?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten.” I roll my eyes slightly with an annoyed tone. “I’m still mad at you, you know… for keeping that from me for as long as you did.”

“I know,” he mumbles as he shifts his head. “Yet I wasn’t the only one who kept secrets in this relationship. You were always dealing with your own issues, never telling me what was going on in your head, and you would dig yourself deeper and deeper into your hole until you hit rock bottom. I've had to pull you out of that hole multiple times. You’re one hell of a person. That’s why I love you, though. Even through pain, you’ll push yourself harder than you should. You strive to achieve everything you do, even if that means you’re hurting yourself to get through it. And darn it! It hurts me watching you do that to yourself, but at the same time… I admire it. I admire you.”

He proceeds to pull me closer as he sticks the cigarette back in his mouth, and I begin to tear up slightly before replying slowly, “I admire you, too.”

“Oh, do you now?” He asks with a slight laugh, and I’m sure a proud smirk is displayed on his face. “Or are you just trying to copy what I have to say?”

“Of course not! I genuinely meant it.”

“So… what do you exactly admire about me?” He asks rather bluntly with a sarcastic tone lingering off his tongue. I don’t have to see him properly to know his face is proudly displaying a smirk right now — whether that’s the same one from earlier, or it’s a new one.

“I guess… just… how you can always find a way to make me feel better, no matter the situation. You always have known how to speak to me in a way I could understand.” I stop for a moment, and I think about how to word what else I want to say. “I also like how you can, no matter how much trouble you are in with me or vice versa, always find a way to get me to stay with you. No one else can do that except you. No matter how hard I try, you’ll never let me run away from you, and I guess you could never run away from me either.”

He’s silent for a couple of moments before he starts laughing slightly and asking, “So you’re saying I’m a smooth talker? And are you also saying you’re obsessed with me?”

I blush intensely, realizing my intent within that explanation, and how cringey it must have sounded. I need to stop being so weird and embarrassing myself all the time around him.

“Yes! Okay, happy?!” I exclaim with a frazzled tone and expression.

“My confidence just rose excessively.” He states cockily as he gazes toward me for the first time. We make eye contact. His face is red and flush looking, yet he still looks good!

What the literal heck! When I break down and cry, I look like some sort of crazy person who should not be on the streets! When he sheds a few tears… he still looks flawless!!! Gah!

I quickly have to calm myself as now he leans near my ear. My heart flutters slightly as my eyes widen.

I don’t care that we’ve been together for years, whenever he gets near me like this, I still get butterflies and feel all fluttery inside. I don’t know what kind of spell he has on me, but he somehow can always find a way to make me feel excited and fidgety.

“We are not going to question your mother. We are going to just trust her.” He mutters slightly, his breath hitting my ear softly, which emits the smell of heavy smoke. A rush of shock flows through my body as he says this. I glance at him slowly as he adds on in a whispering tone, “Don’t mention it to her, in case that Kadence girl was lying. I’m not saying I don’t trust your judgment, because I do. I just don’t want Harumi knowing that we know… if it’s true, of course. Please trust me on this. If anything happens, I’ll figure out what to do next. Just act the same as before as if you don’t know.”

I don’t reply for a few moments, and I think quietly to myself. I know I can trust him with this. What’s scary is knowing that Harumi, who we’re working for by this point, isn’t telling us everything as our master or whatever.

“For our friends,” he begins, his voice arising with a slight groan in it. “I’m not sure as to what’s happening with them. But maybe, we can figure it out. We are just going to have to wait this out, patiently.”

“Right,” I sigh, giving him a certain look of anxiety. “Patience.”

He takes his mouth away from my ear, and he proceeds to take in one more breath before he smashes the cigarette into the balcony and throws it off the side of the building. He gives me a quick look as he turns and walks back inside. I think about what he said for a moment, and then I proceed to follow him from behind.

Chapter Text

*If needed, reread Chapters 25-26*

Kacee

I watched as my sister left around the corner. I had just met her after years since the kidnapping. If I had known Harumi was the culprit of all of this, I would have found my sister sooner. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Throughout these past ten years, I’ve convinced myself that my sister was never a real human to begin with. I had felt so guilty about the fact that under my watch as a child, she was the one taken. My parents told me to be quiet about this certain terrifying experience within my family, yet I still had that gut-nauseated feeling every day of my life, even though being continuously told it was not my fault.

Now that I had experienced watching her walk off from a conversation between us after such a long time, it brought tears to my eyes. No matter how much I imagined this situation happening ever again between us, I never actually believed it would happen. Now that it had, it was difficult for me to actually believe.

I quickly turned the opposite way as she had gone when a new worry filled my brain. I didn’t have a desire to be caught by Harumi just yet, and I knew I had to find Harper.

I glanced back down to my bandages underneath my shirt as tears began slipping down my cheeks without any form of warning. Deep down, I knew he hadn’t intended to hurt me, yet my brain still enjoyed torturing itself and forcing me to believe that he had.

Through the staggering pain of my thoughts, I reached the door to his room. I stopped myself from knocking, and I thought of what I would say to him.

What was I supposed to say to him? I had no idea. I never talked to anybody who hurt me again like that. Panic set into my system quickly after that realization.

What if this was all a trick? What if our whole relationship was just one big ploy? Maybe he’s still working for his mother. And maybe, she convinced him to do it. Or maybe, he had never cared about me in the first place, and he only acted in this relationship to get on my good side for his mother’s sake.

“Do I even want to hear what he has to say?” I asked myself quietly as I stared at his door, then to the door numbers, and then to my feet. I kept my eyes there for quite a while. I debated in my head if this was the right choice… if I should ask him why.

I didn’t want to feel hurt by his answer if it was as terrible as what my head would have liked to be convinced it was, yet at the same time, I wanted to hear his explanation about why he did it.

I gathered myself together as I knocked at his door with an extremely light knock. I wiped the tears from my face. I made my face present itself confidently as I stared at his door intently. I stood up straighter, and I attempted to offer an assertive look as if no one could hurt me even if they tried. At least, I tried to appear that way.

After what had felt like ages, the door finally opened slowly. A rush of cold air came from inside, and I shivered slightly. Before I could even process Harper or anything else, I felt a warmness surrounding me as I felt his arms wrap around me tighter and tighter.

I laid my head in his chest softly as tears flowed down my cheeks — once again, without warning. His clothes smelled of body odor and smoke, but I still wrapped my arms around him firmly. I felt as he began to kneel down to my height. He grabbed my face in his hands, and he stared deeply into my eyes. His eyes were full of mournful tears, and he looked as if he hadn't showered in days. His face was deeply bruised and scarred. And his usual shaved face had developed a stubble. He overwhelmingly looked destroyed.

His hands began to shake as he stared at me. He then knelt down lower to my abdomen, and he sat for a solid minute just staring at my shirt. If anyone had seen us in those moments, they would have been very concerned walking by. We were lucky the hall was to ourselves though, and no one had to see or even be able to make up ideas about what was going on between us.

He finally reached for my shirt, and he pulled it up right underneath my chest. He stopped there as tears began streaming down his face. Gently, he took the bloody bandages off, causing me to wince slightly, and he stared at the gaping wound for quite a while.

I remained silent in those moments as I listened to him quietly. His streaming tears turned into a full-on meltdown as he suddenly dropped the bandages in his hands, and I watched as he broke down onto the floor.

“I’m so sorry!”

“I’m so sorry!”

“I’m so sorry!”

He whined in a scream-like tone over and over as tears dripped down all over. I had never seen him break down like this before. My heart ached for him.

I began to rewrap the bandages left on my skin in a quick manner, and I quickly knelt down next to him hoping to soothe and coax him. He didn’t take any of that though, and he wept harder and harder as he repeated the same words over and over.

With all this emotion surrounding me, I began crying myself… again. (I know, I’m very good at keeping my cool.) I grabbed his cold hands into mine, and I rested my forehead against his as both of us cried with each other. He ripped his hands away from mine, and he placed his hands on his face roughly and began digging his nails into his skin.

“No- wait!” I exclaimed, attempting to reach for his hands so he would stop, but he interrupted me harshly with an extremely scary voice through his sobs.

“I only did that because at that moment I thought I would be helping you! I had no intention of actually hurting you! I had NO intention of hurting you! I thought by making you lose, you wouldn’t have to be hurt by any other person after me! And I had no intention of causing you pain!!! I didn’t think or dream of doing that to you! And I’m so sorry for hurting you! I hate myself because of it. I want to kill myself for it. I refrained myself from doing it because I wanted you to know how much I’m sorry! I swear on my life that I had no desire to hurt you, and I was only trying to help. I love you so much and putting you through torture in this way has killed me.”

I stared at him for a good while as more tears came falling down my face once again. I took his hands into mine, and I saw deep red blood on the tips of his fingers and inside his nails. I then glanced at his face, and I saw the same parched red dripping down his cheeks and down into his clothing.

That’s where it completely snapped me. I screamed bitterly into his face, “You dummy! You dummy, you dummy, you dummy!!!” Harsh and dark tears peeled down from my eyes as I yelled at him. “Don’t you dare try to leave me! Don’t you ever dare to hurt me more by leaving me like that! I can’t watch you do that! You big dummy!”

Out of nowhere, I slapped his face… hard. A defeated look more than ever before flashed across his face as his jaw dropped slightly.

“If you ever dare to do that to yourself,” I started to say as a fiery feeling began to flow through my body. “You aren’t leaving me behind, I will be coming with you! So don’t you dare on EVER hurting yourself!”

I grabbed him savagely in my arms, and I brought his head into my shoulders. I held him close for a long while as I stroked his knotted, raspy hair with my own bloody fingertips after holding his.

I pretended I didn’t hear his cries to get out of my harsh grasp as I rested my own head against his shoulder. Eventually, he stopped fidgeting, and he allowed his arms to become limp.

“I forgive you,” I whispered into his ear softly. “I was never mad at you the way that you’re saying I was.”

“How?” He mumbled with a stuffy and rasped voice. “I hurt you!”

“Shhh,” I hushed, petting his hair softly. “Let’s forget about it.”

“How?” He asked again, coldly. I had begun to feel more tears soak through my T-shirt at that moment. I felt like crying too, but I decided to hold them back and control my emotions for once.

“Let’s clean ourselves up.” I said confidently as I stood up and looked down at him. I put my hand out for him, and he took it softly in his. He didn’t allow me to look at him, but I held his hand tightly in mine as we walked into his room and shut the door behind us.

I guided the two of us to his bathroom, and I sat him down on his toilet seat. I had begun wiping his face with a damp cloth and his fingertips. I took his hoodie off as well, revealing a more disgusting shirt underneath. I pulled that off him too, not even asking for permission, which I didn’t bother to ask because he wasn’t telling me to stop, and I made sure everything was fine in his stomach-area.

The whole time he just stared at me through his teary eyes in silence. I saw some scars from back when he was slashed on that ship. I began tearing up as I thought about that. I then made sure to check and make sure he was fine everywhere else on his chest area.

I stopped myself once I saw a cluster of tiny cuts underneath both of his ribcage areas. My eyes widened as I glanced up at him. He seemed to not want to make eye contact with me in those moments, and angry tears soon formed within my eyes.

“Have you been…” I stuttered out, touching them softly with my fingers. He winced slightly in return, and my heart stopped for a moment as I ran my finger down each and every one of them. Some looked newer, while others looked older; both sets seemed plenty recent. “Why would you do this?!” I finally let out as hot tears rushed down my cheeks. “If this was because of me…”

“Nothing was because of you,” he interrupted in a silenced mumble. “It all was me.”

“If you thought this was what I wanted you to do to yourself, then you are wrong! Do you know that now every time I look at you here I’ll always have to remember that these scars are because of me! Do you know how that makes me feel?!”

He looked at me with a shocked look. He then opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped quickly after and glanced back down to his lap as he whispered in a muffled tone, “I thought you wouldn’t want to be with me after this. I didn’t think you would have cared.”

I audibly laughed through my pain once I heard this. It was an angry laugh. A laugh full of eager pain waiting to escape within my system.

“You’re a big dummy.” I laughed aloud with tears still falling down my face. “I can’t let you go.”

He seemed shocked as I said this. I excused anymore stupid explanations of himself as I added on, “Now you better get in the shower, you stink.”

“Why are you taking care of me?!” He exclaimed through angered tears. “I’m the one who hurt you, I should be helping you!”

“Shush, get in the shower. Follow what I say before I do it for you. You can help me if you so desire after you take care of yourself.”

He eyed me up and down as he finally stopped at my eyes. I watched closely as he thought about what he was going to do. He seemed confused and almost threatened, yet he slowly began to strip himself of the rest of his clothes.

He stopped at his pants, and he looked at me first. I remained staring at him with my threat still in place. Not that it really was a threat, more of a harshly put statement that he knew I didn’t intend to do funny business with.

“Do you want to see me naked?” He asked with a certain look on his face. He wasn’t joking within those moments, but instead he was genuinely serious — yet there was also a tinge of another emotion involved with it too, but I could never put my finger on it.

“Oh sorry!” I exclaimed quickly, realizing what I had done. I was so focused on making sure that he would cleanse and take care of himself, that I had totally forgotten he needed to actually get in the shower first. “I can turn around if you want!”

I quickly shifted myself around, pressing my hands against my eyes. He replied rather quickly though, with a rise fumbling through his voice, “I don’t mind what you see. I just don’t want you being uncomfortable.”

I slowly took my hands away from my eyes as I turned back around. He had already taken his pants off, and all I saw was him in his boxers. I began to freak out and instantly turned back around.

“Gah, I’ve seen enough!” I exclaimed tapping my foot anxiously against the ground. I’ve always been the type of person who believes you shouldn’t do or see anything like that until marriage, and I don’t particularly feel like breaking that today. I also have never seen a naked man ever, and I also don’t particularly feel like seeing that just yet. “Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling embarrassment on my face. “You must think I’m a wimp or something.”

“Not really,” he paused for a moment, “I don’t mind what you choose to do.”

I heard the shower begin running, and I turned around back towards the sink. I stopped when I realized he hadn't shut the curtain yet, and I about died once I saw him.

“Oh, my gosh!” I exclaimed, closing my eyes tightly, turning around, and darting straight into the wall. I feel a quiet choked-up laugh come from the left of me, and I realize quickly it was Harper. He was laughing.

Just hearing him laugh made me smile through the pain my eyes just witnessed. I hadn’t heard him laugh for such a long time, and hearing him chuckle made me want to join in.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled through a silenced laugh. “I should have said something.”

“Nope, you’re good,” I started to say slowly in a whisper as I opened my eyes slowly. “At least now I know I got that realization over with.”

“I’m glad. That means you won’t have to close your eyes anymore.”

I didn’t only just offer him a weird look in response to not only the mischievous words he had said, but the smug look that had spread across his face as well.

“Hold on!” I exclaimed, glaring towards the curtain of the shower. “Wouldn’t you have freaked out?”

“Why would I?” He asked under the sprinkling sound of the water against the tile floor.

“You wouldn’t?!” I questioned through a shocked mindset.

“Of course not. There would be no reason to. It’s not that weird. I maybe even would have been a little excited-”

“Alright! We can shut up now about this!” I interrupted rather loudly as I began to take my own shirt off revealing my wound, leaving my undergarment on still, of course. I began cleaning it softly with a new damp cloth as I sat my own self down on the toilet seat.

I looked at my wound intently, and I scraped the dirt out of it. I winced in pain as I put pressure on the purple bruises around it, and it got increasingly more painful as I reached where the bullet hit.

With the lack of information I received, I don’t even know if they did take the bullet out. It could still be in there.

I glanced up once I heard the shower curtain open slightly. I made eye contact with Harper’s eyes past the curtain’s blockage. His wet hair dripped onto the tiled floor, and instead of saying anything, he just stared at me for a few moments.

“Do you need something?” I immediately asked as I jumped up almost instantly. I didn’t realize how painful quick expressions like that could cause my wound to feel… And with that, I immediately winced forward in pain with tears escaping my eyes.

I felt one of Harper’s hands reach out and catch me lightly as I caught myself against the wall.

“Woah! Are you alright?!” He exclaimed through a concerned shout. His eyes were wide once I met his gaze, and he quickly lost control. “I told you I would help you! Meanwhile you go and do everything yourself as if I’m the one you need to be taken care of! Wait until I get out so I can help you! Give me two more minutes…” He finished with a groan of aggravation as he slammed the curtain closed. I quickly felt a jolt of guilt.

“No! Take as long as you want! I’m completely fine!” I heightened my voice to cover my weepy tears beginning to fall from my face. He didn’t seem to care about my act because he didn’t even try to reply to what I said.

I chose to sit myself back down on the toilet seat, and I sighed quietly. Shortly after, I heard the shower turn off.

“Is there a towel out there for me?” I heard him ask through the curtain. I slowly got up and handed it to him as I stumbled back to the seat. He stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Instantly, he gave me a glare.

“I could have gotten that myself. You didn’t have to get up.”

“Well, I already did,” I began almost sarcastically as I stared at him intently. I then quickly realized through all this trouble I had never gotten him new clothes. Not that he would have wanted me to, yet I still felt bad for not being a help. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you clothes-”

He put his hand up into my face, shutting me down instantly as he said, “Don’t even go there. You stay right there.”

“Okay.” I could barely mumble in reply as he headed out of the room. In about thirty seconds he came back in fully clothed as he dried his hair with the towel. It poofed up slightly, but he ignored it as he knelt down and checked my wound carefully.

Lightly, he placed his cold fingers against my skin, with permission of course, and inspected the wound. By this point he had stopped showing any form of emotion. His eyes still appeared glassy, however, within those moments. I knew he was hurting, and I knew it wouldn’t end anytime soon. I remained quiet throughout this, and I tried not to wince in order not to scare him or make him feel as if he hurt me more as he inspected the wound carefully.

He then proceeded to check the other scars across my face and neck. He stopped partially as he reached my neck. He shook his head slightly as he began to look at my wound on the left of my torso once more.

He grabbed the cloth I was using before, and he slowly began to lightly pat the wound. It definitely hurt, yet it felt better than when I did it myself. I relaxed slightly until he pulled out the alcohol. He tapped it lightly on my skin, and it immediately stung immensely. Tears drifted through my eyes until eventually they were pouring down my face.

He stopped in a matter of seconds as concernment filled his face.

“Gah! Sorry!” He exclaimed, taking the towel from my wound. He slapped his face rather bitterly. My eyes widened in shock, and to distract me from what he just did, he took out an ointment and began slowly rubbing it on the wound.

“Don’t hit yourself!” I screamed, grabbing his hand as he was rubbing ointment on my torso with. “If I ever see you do that to yourself again, you’re in for it.”

He was silent as we met harsh contact between our vision. He then shook his head slowly as he took his hand from mine and kept rubbing ointment across the wound. That helped it feel so much better than ever before. Whatever he was using worked better than what Harumi and her goons gave me.

“Thank you,” I muttered aloud with a small sigh. “You probably don’t even realize how nice this feels.”

“I could imagine.” He mumbled as he grabbed a roll of bandages from underneath his sink.

“Wait… have you been shot?” I asked as my curiosity heightened. If he ever has, why hadn’t I heard of this?

“Not exactly. I almost have, but I was able to avoid those situations. I have been stabbed a few times before, though.”

He seemed to have said that in the most calming voice, because he seemed surprised by how I exclaimed my next statement and the way my eyes widened. “Wait what?!”

“Yeah, didn’t you see some of those larger scars?”

“But-but why didn’t you tell me?!” I stuttered out, the same shock flowing over me.

“Because I didn’t think it needed to be mentioned.” He said as he glanced up at me. I gazed down at his hands, which were wrapping the clean bandages around my waist, and then I looked back at him.

By the time I gazed back up at him, he was already finishing up as he carefully finished it off. A fluttery feeling elapsed over my body. I’ve always felt this way around him, but I’ve never felt this kind of perplexity. It almost made me want to run away and hide.

“Harper,” I started giving him a look of worry. He stopped almost immediately noticing this. As I sat there, I realized how detrimental this question is for me to be answered. I needed his help, and I knew he could do it. “I don’t want to go back there. It’s scary. Harumi comes every morning and takes a roster of participants at 8am. I don’t want to be there anymore…”

It was almost as if his expression cheered up hearing this.

He cleared his throat subtly, before replying, “You could always stay here in hiding away. The tournament is almost over anyways. We’ll just get you back there by 8am every morning.”

“Wait seriously?” I exclaimed, jumping into his arms instantly. “Thank you! Oh, I love you!”

My eyes widened astronomically. I immediately detached myself from the hug and shook my head.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-” I was harshly interrupted by a very sudden kiss. Harper had grabbed my head from behind, and he held me close for a few moments. The whole time my eyes were wide with shock.

Lightly, I placed my hands on his shoulders, and once he detached, he held me close for a few seconds. I wrapped my hands around him tighter than before.

“I love you, too.” He whispered into my ear softly. “I’m so glad you said that. I have been so scared this past week that you would leave me. I don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, but I appreciate it. You’re amazing.”

I dug my head into his shoulder deeper and closed my eyes. Maybe, just maybe, this would all be okay.

***

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Kacee

***
Present Time

I hug my stuffed animal close to me as a jolt of pain flows through me. Through the darkness engulfing the room, I glance down at the bandages surrounding my once bloody torso as they peel off. I sigh restlessly, and then I get up from bed slowly.

“Where are you going?” I hear Harper groggily say through the darkness as I head towards the bathroom. I hear light snoring a few seconds later, and I decide not to reply.

Luckily, I don’t need his help anymore, yet the pain from the once opened wound still hurts. I glance at my messy, frizzy brown hair in the mirror as I lift my shirt and begin to take off and put on the new bandages.

I put the special ointment Harper lets me use previously on the wound, and it immediately makes feels better as it no longer itches or burns. I let it dry for a couple of moments before I place new bandages around my torso.

I turn off the light and walk back into the room with a tiptoe in my step. I carefully slip into bed and bury myself underneath the blankets. I glance at Harper silently in the dimness as he rests. I lay on my back and stare at the ceiling.

It’s been 29 days since the start of this expedition. There are only 3 more tournaments. Jax, Liberty, and Harper all remain. I’m not sure how long either of them will go on, but I have hope and confidence that at least one of them will win this thing.

Then… there’s my sister. I don’t particularly know how much I want her to win. Mainly because we need this as a team. Though if she did win, I wouldn’t mind.

To be honest, after all this time, I still don’t understand the point of this, or why we’re even doing it. My gut has an uneasy feeling though, and as time goes on, it proceeds to get worse.

I joined Harper 9 days ago, and we’ve been careful with our excursions. I’ve stayed here the whole time, and the only time I’ve left is when I have to carefully get back into the cells and say I’m there for Harumi’s rollcall every morning. However, once that’s over, I figure out my way back up to Harper’s room, and for the rest of the day I spend it here.

Harper will bring me food and water, and he sometimes will bring me things to do. He’s found some interesting books for me to read whenever he’s gone for me to pass the time. Although, once he has returned each night, we normally just talk or play games with each other.

No one in our team knows I’m up here yet, and we don’t plan on mentioning it to anybody. There’s no reason to. Plus, we wouldn’t want anybody to slip, and for me to get mauled by Harumi for escaping. I don’t even want to know what she would do to me… I don’t want to find out either.

I glance over at Harper as I think. He looks so peaceful as he sleeps. That’s really the only time I see him at peace ever and so consistently. He is always so stressed out in life, especially after what happened recently. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why he’s been so nice to me lately, like, extra nice. Because maybe, just maybe, he’s dealing with slight guilt. I don’t manipulate him into thinking that, either. In fact, I’ve been telling him he can forget about it and that I’m fine, but he doesn’t seem to believe me. It makes me feel slightly bad too because I don’t want him to think I’m mad at him anymore either. I never really was mad at him.

I sigh through my thoughts. Tomorrow is a big day for him. It’s the third round until the winner. There are four very good and talented people fighting against each other. It makes me nervous as to what will happen.

Harper and I already talked about it too. If he, in fact, doesn’t come out of this tomorrow, we are to join each other below. He explained to me it would be better if we were down there together than either just me, or the both of us being here, and getting caught.

I turn on my right side slowly and begin to close my eyes as I look at Harper intently. Eventually, I’m being shaken awake, and without a second thought, and just like every morning for the past nine days, I immediately get up and put on clothes quickly.

“I’ll see you soon!” I exclaim as I head back down swiftly through the halls. I walk quietly down the hall that I must go through to reach the entry, yet I feel a hand grab me from behind and cover my mouth harshly.

I squirm and shout through the muffle, but it’s useless. I feel tired suddenly, and I can’t stop it. All goes black within my mind, and I can feel myself fall into a sleep. 

Chapter Text

Harper

Usually, Kacee would be back by the end of breakfast at Noon, but when I walk back into my room, I’m suddenly met with the realization she hasn’t arrived yet. I begin to flee into a panic of emotion.

I don’t want to make any harsh or negative assumptions yet, mainly because there’s probably a reasonable explanation for Kacee to do this. However, even though I’m telling my mind to calm down, it still takes me to the deep negative ideas first.

I decide to shake it off though, hoping she’ll come back soon, and I allow myself to head to training. No matter what, I know she would want me to be training right now before the big tournament in the next 3 hours. I pray nothing terrible happened to her, and she’ll be back once I get back.

I stride into the training area and meet Liberty and Jax already warming up.

“Hey,” I start as I wave my arm towards them. They seem to be talking rather seriously, but once they hear me, they proceed to smile back and ask me to join them.

“Well, hello there!” Liberty exclaims as she wraps her arm around me. “How’s my big brother doing on this rather exciting day?”

I sigh inside my mind for a moment as I think about Kacee. I shake my head slightly and present a smile as I respond with a quippy attitude, “I’m feeling great! In fact, I feel ready to beat down anyone today who stands in my way.”

“That’s great,” Liberty begins to reply as she glances past me and to the other participants. I gaze the same way Liberty’s looking, and I realize that Kacee’s sister hasn’t arrived yet, at least from what I can perceive. I’ve only seen her once, and at that time I was distracted.

Liberty proceeds to look back at me and say with a slight eye roll, “The roster hasn’t been set out yet, so either one of us could be fighting against each other.”

“That stinks. I would have at least thought it would be out by now…” I respond as slight curiosity fills my mind.

“For real. Anyways, if you want to join us, we’re stretching and getting ready to head into the elemental chamber if you want to join us.” Liberty invites with a small smile.

“Sure,” I mumble with a nod. “Thanks.”

We begin to start a multitude of different stretches. We do exercises for our chests, upper backs, back of upper arms, our torsos, thighs, calves, and etcetera.

We proceed to all put on metal-plated-armor as we enter the chamber of elements. I allow my element to express itself outward, no longer compressing it inside of me. We all do this, and our aura’s surround not only just our own bodies, but each other’s.

We freely play around with them, shooting and expressing them towards the objects in our way. It’s a series of events you must fight through, in this chamber, until you reach the end. They increasingly become harder as the objects are beaten by your powers.

I have not done the chambers yet; I’ve only watched other participants from before doing this round of exercise. Though as I do so, I realize how fairly simple it is. If I remember correctly, all those people who had trouble with this eventually got taken out by the ones who were able to do the chamber. I gain more confidence within myself as we get closer to the end.

“Ya know,” I hear Jaxson start from behind me in a raised tone. “I watch people struggling in here all the time, but as I do this, it’s really not that difficult.”

He takes the exact words out of my head as he says this. I nod in agreement with him, and then I proceed to shoot, blast, and dodge the objects darting my way.

“I guess all that training with Lloyd actually did pay off.” I shout to where they can both hear me. However, I watch as neither of them reply once I finish talking. I guess, in a sense, I can understand. Sometimes I wonder if he trained us a bit too much. And that’s only me saying it after only being here two years. I can’t imagine how hard he trained Liberty and Jax before I joined.

Sometimes by observation, it would make me concerned for them… especially Liberty. I still see how hard our father will train her, even at her age. My mother trained me hard too growing up, but she at least would give me breaks. Lloyd will rarely give breaks to Liberty. Out of everyone, she’s always training, and her schooling is put last. I’ve always found it weird, yet it’s not my place to say anything, and I know that. It doesn’t mean I don’t worry for her, though.

I glance at her and watch as she reaches the end first. She has a small smile on her face of excitement and confidence.

“Ha! Beat that, boys!” She exclaims as she flips us off from afar and sticks her tongue out, clearly teasing us.

“Hey!” I hear Jax shout from behind me in response. “Why are you trying to hurt our feelings?”

I slyly dodge another boundary and ignite it on dark power. It sizzles into dust as I pass through where it would have been.

“Because I’m expressing my love towards the both of you!” Liberty shouts back in an upbeat voice, now double flipping us off.

“I feel the love from here.” Jax yells back in a mocking tone as he rolls his eyes. I allow myself to laugh at the two of them in response.

I dodge and blast a few more dummies and other objects as I reach the end. I watch as Jax finishes seconds after me, and Liberty still mocks us as we walk out together.

“You guys are soooooo slow.” She proclaims to the whole world as she raises her arms high into the air. “If I was as slow as you two, the lives of man would be utterly destroyed.”

“Gee thanks,” I mumble in response as I follow her close from behind. “You really know how to get my confidence going.”

“I know right!” She exclaims as she grabs onto Jaxson’s arm. I watch as their hands slip into each other’s, and I begin to think about Kacee. The worries deep inside of my brain come flooding back through my head as she finishes dramatically, “You guys must feel so sad you just lost to a girl.”

I wish I could listen to the rest of the conversation, but I begin to blank out and only hear my thoughts as I barely follow them from behind.

I wish I could ask them if they’ve seen Kacee, yet I would rather not have any of this be released if Kacee is really in trouble.

For all I know, she could easily be back in the room by now, but I remain concerned for her.

A gut feeling wraps around my stomach of negativity, and I almost feel like vomiting.

“Hey, Harper!” I hear in between my thoughts. I glance up, zoning back in, and I meet eye contact with Liberty from across the room. “Are you coming to check the roster?!”

I nod slightly as I speed-walk across the room to meet them. We all head out into the hallway and gaze toward the board. My eyes widen slightly as I see who I’m against.

“Kadence.” I whisper underneath my breath. Kacee explained to me rather recently how and when she met her sister. She talked about all the interesting things about her, and I couldn’t help myself from smiling.

I’m glad, after all these years, that Kacee finally has met and got to speak to her younger sister again. I think it has brought her a lot more peace knowing that Kadence is still alive and well. It makes me feel uneasy that I’m now fighting against this girl.

Do I utterly destroy this girl? Or do I go easy on her? I’ve met Kadence before, in fact I knew her only lightly. We would hang out every so often on lunch break. Though at that time, she was still young. I never fought her, nor were we ever put against each other. We would just train together.

I sigh aloud, and I quickly notice how I grab both Liberty and Jax’s attention. They both glance down to my name, and they see it rather quickly.

“Oh, her.” Jax groans aloud, giving me a certain look I can’t quite pinpoint. “You should be careful of her.”

“Why?” I ask as curiosity clearly fills my eyes. I watch as Liberty glances up at him then down to the floor at her feet.

I remain confused for a few moments before Jax replies, “Because she tried to kill Libby.”

“What?!” I exclaim as I glance towards Liberty, who is in fact finding her shoes very interesting right now.

She then looks up at me and makes complete eye contact with me as she adds on, “She wasn’t trying to kill me…”

“What do you mean?!” Jax shouts as he throws his hands up towards her. Anger comes from his voice as he grumbles, “She slit you in the neck.”

“She did WHAT?!” I question rather loudly giving Liberty the same look at Jax. “How in your mind do you think that is normal?!”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell her!” Jax agrees as he nods to me slightly. “Yet she doesn’t seem to believe what I have to say.” He finishes saying as he side-eyes Liberty.

She gives him the look back before saying, “She had a weird look in her eye. It’s like the one part of her on the outside was telling her to do it, meanwhile inside, her eyes looked as if she was totally innocent to what she was doing. Watch, you’ll see it when fighting her.”

“Will I even get that close to her, though?” I ask Liberty, intently. Curiosity flows over me as a slight shiver flies down my spine.

“Yes.” She responds, almost instantly, with a devious glare within her eyes. “You certainly will.”

I begin to slightly worry. Has Kadence improved that drastically throughout the years since I last saw her? How old is she now? 15? I guess a 12 and 15-year-old can be two completely different people…

That still doesn’t excuse the fact that she attempted to murder Liberty. Knowing Liberty, without knowing Kadence well enough, I would guess Liberty didn’t egg her on either, or at least started the whole situation she was put in.

I close my eyes for a second as I shove my thoughts aside. I need to focus. I can’t let this Kadence girl win, no matter how Kacee feels about it. Because, in the end, at least one of us needs to win. Myself, Jax, or Liberty. At least then, we can get the team to win this… whatever it is, at least.

“Hey guys,” I pipe up, grabbing their attention as we head back into the training room. I was so zoned out, I didn’t even realize we were all walking together, or even the fact that I was walking. They both turn in my direction, and they listen to whatever I have to say. I breathe in a breath of fresh air as I finish mumbling, “I’m going to go grab something from my room. I’ll see you guys in the tournament.”

Before either of them reply, I begin heading back leaving the two of them behind. As I walk out into the hallway, I can finally talk to myself openly.

“If this is some kind of sick prank Kacee is playing on me, it isn’t funny at all.” I grumble to myself as I walk up the stairs and into the hall where my room is at.

I open the door praying that she will be there, yet to my utter dispense she’s not. I begin openly panicking in my room. I look everywhere, every place I possibly can, but I still cannot find her.

Through what feels like hours, but are only seconds, I stop myself from being able to breathe new air into my lungs. I grab onto my chest tightly as every single possible form of anxiety flows over my system. I fall onto the ground as I’m now engulfed with heavy panic. I hate panicking or having such wimpy experiences like this, but if what I’m thinking could possibly be true…

“No!” I scream to myself as I clench my eyes shut with terror spreading over me. “She’s fine! Everything will be fine! Once I win this thing, I will find her. She’ll be fine. We’ll be able to leave freely. Everything will be fine.”

Even through this harsh way of explaining this to myself, a gut-retching feeling resides within me. I wish it would just all go away.

I wish everything terrible would go away, and we all could just be at peace. However, I know, deep down, that’ll never happen.

Chapter Text

Harper

I stand behind the metal gates entering the tournament's rectangular field. A cold sweat rolls over me as I realize this is the time. I’ve been nervous about these last few battles since this whole thing started, but now actually facing it head on, especially against Kacee’s sister, makes me even more nervous.

Through extreme timidness, I carefully pick up my first weapon of the match. I pass the most recent pistol, and memories don’t even wait to come crashing through my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut as I shake my head in a fast motion.

“Not right now,” I say to myself, clenching my right fist tightly. “Focus on the present. Win this, Harper Garmadon.”

I let out a sigh as I pick up a Gladius sword. I stare at it in my hand for a moment and feel it with my other. I hold it the way you would in its original ancient way, and I feel more confident with myself as I do this.

The Gladius is an ancient sword the Romans would use between the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. ‘Gladius’ is the Latin word for ‘Sword’, so this would only make sense as to why its popularity was so high.

Many would probably go for a more elegant sword or expressive sword, yet this one works quite well. The trick is how you use it. I’ll start with this one, until I must progress.

I breathe in a gasp of fresh air with a heavy sigh. I proceed to prepare my element, summoning and firing it up.

If I really wanted, I could easily turn her into ash. Moreover, I will not be doing that, mainly because I don’t believe murder is the key to accomplishing your problems. That sure does seem what everyone else thinks about murder around me, though. Maybe that’s why I was given my element, and only I received this element. The FSM knew I would be the only one who could actually handle it, somewhat.

I have never told anyone on the team that my element could kill if I so wanted it to, as a matter of fact. I’ve always kept my murderous background in the depths of my stories — never spoken of. No one needs to know what my powers actually possess.

Plus, it’s not like I’ve actually killed someone, so no one needs to know until it does happen, which I hope never will. That still doesn’t take away the fact that I can do it.

In fact, if I really wanted, I could easily become the most undefeated mass-serial killer of all time, if I so desired. I could easily take out a whole population without leaving evidence, but just dust. Even my own mother didn’t know of this power I possess, and I didn’t dare let her know. If she had known, I don’t even want to know what she would have done with me.

Just as always, I’ll only allow everyone to know that I can only destroy objects, not humans. It’s not only the best for myself and my sanity, but for those around me. Plus, I would rather not have any questions regarding how I found out about it myself.

It’s not even that deep, to be honest. All I did was accidentally kill a small squirrel in the forest when I was young, but it still traumatized me enough to never try it again. And I’m not going to lie, I did think of attempting to do it to humans too, but I realized I didn’t think it would sit well with me if I did kill someone for fun. That’s why I never told my mother. I didn’t want her to somehow manipulate me into becoming an object for her.

I snap out of my thoughts as I watch the enormous metal gate open in front of me. I step out onto the battle grounds, and I watch as Kadence comes walking out herself. Just as expected, I see she has no weapon.

I lied about The Gladius, it really isn’t one of the best, I was exaggerating. The Romans certainly had better combat weapons than that.

I knew this was coming. She would try to steal my powers in the end for her own benefit. This is where I prepared. The greatness about my element is I can only create the murderous intent behind it. How do I know this? Because we’ve shared elements before.

***

*3 years ago, Chen Island, the Tournaments Rectangle*

“Ugh! Why today do I have to train with you?!” Kadence groans, giving me a look of hot anger. “Listen,” she starts as she presses me backwards in the chest. “If you screw this up and make me look like some kind of failure in front of mom, I’m not going to be happy.”

“And why do you think I care?” I ask with slight irritation in my tone. “Do you really think I want to train with you either today?”

“But this isn’t your special day!!!” She whines in an upbeat tone in response. I roll my eyes towards her as I bite my bottom lip in quick anger.

I don’t know how we’re even siblings. We look nothing alike, and we have nothing in common. She should stop complaining about having to train with me on her birthday. In fact, she should feel delighted that I would ever train with her or at least teach my ways to her.

I’ve spent years learning from my mother under her tough guidance, and now I must do all the work with Kadence.

“This sucks.” I mumble underneath my breath as I get into a fighting position.

“What did you just say!?” Kadence shouts as she gives me a disrespectful look. “You're not the one who has to train on his birthday!”

I roll my eyes as fury rolls over me.

If this girl doesn’t shut up, I am going to kill myself.

I stomp up to her, and I tower over her as I grab her bitterly. I stare into her eyes, inches from her face, and I proceed to yell rather loudly and irritably, “If you don’t get off my a** right now, you will not like the effects! You better not cry, you baby.”

She looks rather scared now, and a wave of settlement flows over my body. I set her down harshly as I head back into my stance. She seems quite bothered by this, and she appears as if she’s fighting off tears, but I wait quietly as I emit my heavy angered aura across to her.

She seems to pick this up rather quickly, and she suddenly proceeds to get into her battle stance. Without any warning, she makes the first move. It’s rather bumpy though, and I trip her harshly. She lands straight onto her knees, yet to my surprise, without a word of either aggravation or curses, she picks herself right back up and throws a punch towards my face.

I dodge it pretty quickly, and I’m still severely disappointed in her form and technique. I thought after a few months of training with mom, she would be at a higher ranking than before, yet she doesn’t seem to have learned any skills.

Anger fills my insides rather quickly. While I grinded on my fighting technique for years growing up, this girl sat on her butt the whole time and watched me with a wicked smile of spoiled rotten. It really makes me furious as I think about this.

“But… Do I hate you? No!” I scream at her as I wrap her in an armlock. I lean in very close to her ear as I whisper hotly against it, “But I do despise you.”

I kick her to the ground, and I watch from above as her face smashes into the dirt. I have no delight in seeing it, but I also have no regrets about what I’ve just done to her.

She glances up at me from the dirt ground with blood streaming down her face, into her mouth, and inevitably down her throat. I kneel myself down as I grab her by the hair, and I hold her there for a moment as I mutter triumphantly, “Get better, or you will be toast one day.”

I stand up, letting go of her hair, and I watch as her head smashes back into the ground from above.

I cringe more than I ever have at what she says next, “How could you?! How could you do this to me?!” Tears stream down her face, yet it doesn’t faze me. It’s all just a big waste of emotion.

“Do you think I care?” I mumble in reply to her with an unbothered voice and expression across my face.

“Yes! You’re my big brother! Why would you take pleasure in hurting me?!!” She screams this as more tears flow down her face. I watch as they mix with the blood and dirt spread across her face.

“I never said I take pleasure in this,” I begin as my expression changes into a harsh and fazed one. I feel a pique of annoyance and displeasure spread throughout myself and my face. “I’m just annoyed by how sloppy you are.”

“But I’m not!” She retaliates as more tears flow down her face. “You’re just too rough on me!”

Finally, that’s when I break. Everything inside me snaps. I shout the loudest I ever have to her with the highest point of irritation I’ve ever reached with her, “Then how do you think the REAL WORLD is going to treat you!? Huh?? Huh?!” My eyebrows narrow intensely as my teeth grit and smash intensely together, “Believe me,” I laugh slightly in an almost psychotic-type chuckle as I stare down towards her bleeding and bruised face. “No one, absolutely no one, would ever leave you alive if they saw how weak you are!”

She seems shocked by my response as I begin to walk off. There’s no point staying by her or even helping her anymore.

If Harumi really wants her so badly, Harumi can teach Kadence herself. I’m not going to play this game with them. There’s no point. I’m only wasting my time.

I ignore her heavy tears as I walk away.

***

I lied when I said I didn’t remember Kadence well. Because I do. I just immensely regret how I treated her, and I don’t want to face her years later now, either.

I’m scared of how this will end, if I’m going to be completely honest with myself. 

Chapter Text

Harper

Kadence and I make eye contact from across the field. I don’t feel anger, yet I feel a rebellious motive wafting my way.

It’s not that I wasn’t expecting this, I just didn’t anticipate for her to have become so powerful with her aura-expressiveness. I choose to wait until I put off anything her way because now my curiosity is rising to the highest extent.

If she really has become more powerful, this will be immensely fun.

***

*3 years ago, Chen Island, the Tournaments Rectangle*

“I’m giving you one more chance,” I stop to take in a new hot breath of air. I sigh as I finish with a grunt, “Only because mom told me to.”

“You won’t be disappointed!” Kadence exclaims in an upbeat voice. Without being told, she proceeds to land herself in the correct fighting position, and a slight satisfaction flows through my veins.

I keep myself serious as I reply, “We’ll see.”

I warm up my element and begin to rest in my own unique fighting position that I’ve created throughout the years. This stance gives my element more exaggeration within its declaration.

I breathe in as she proceeds to dart after me. I dodge quickly, although unlike like before, she was faster this time. I guess after my lecture a few months ago, she is finally understanding what I’ve been trying to say to her through her thick skull. The only way to win is to be at the top. And, even if you aren’t at the top, the goal is to act like you are the top.

She didn’t like or appreciate what I said about her the last time, but all that I was saying was true. She came in acting like she was the top, when she fully knew she wasn’t. I was in that fight, and she didn’t want to believe it. Instead, she began to over push herself too hard in an alternative motive with terrible attacks that would never pass me. She was stupid for that. She came in thinking she could push herself to the top, yet she didn’t realize all she had to do was plan and act as if she was the top. That’s precisely where she failed. However, this time, she seems to have come in a different headspace. I’m quite intrigued.

She attacks me from behind as she swings a punch towards my gut. I dodge this too as I swiftly swing my leg underneath her feet and knock her off of them. She tumbles to the ground, and she lets out an agonizing grunt.

She gazes up at me angrily, and I glare at her back. She begins to reach out for my leg, and she lightly touches it.

“Ha!” She exclaims as she now possesses the power I own. “Now I can use your power against you! Now you’ll know how I feel!” She picks herself up as she finishes announcing this to the world, and I roll my eyes in response. I let her take that. If I didn’t want her touching me, I never would have allowed her to.

She begins to summon my power as her own, and I watch as she now holds it in between her two hands. This is my whole test though, to see if she can murder, using my power, once she grasps it within her own two human fingertips.

“Hey,” I mumble, glaring at her to attract her attention. “Try aiming my power at that bird over there.” I point to it, and she gives me a look of confusion. She doesn’t seem to follow what I have to say though, and I proceed to become irritated.

“But, why?” She asks as curiosity fills her eyes.

Irritation fills my senses as she questions me. My eyes narrow as my fists clench together, and I scream, “Do it or we’re done!”

She seems scared now, yet she proceeds to do so. She aims the power at the bird, and it remains alive. Shock flows through my brain as I realize this. I can control how she uses my element within her own, and she doesn’t even know it.

A rage of power flows throughout my veins. I have to stop myself from laughing as I look at her and back to the still living bird.

“Alright!” I declare with excitement flowing throughout my voice. “You really helped me.” I close my eyes as I finish my statement in a low growl as I summon my two Karambit Knives within my two hands. They hold a dark energy within them, and I open my eyes satisfyingly as this new power flows through me.

It feels so good.

When I glance at her she seems scared, and that’s exactly what I want. I want her to be scared. I want everybody who dares to face me to feel scared.

It makes me feel so good, and I absolutely love it.

***
Present

As Kadence walks closer and closer to me, all what has possibly happened to Kacee instantly floods back into my thoughts, and I’m hit with them pretty hard.

Kacee and Kadence look like total copy and pastes of each other except for a few minor differences. I hadn’t realized how much this would affect me. I hadn’t realized how much this hurt me. And, I especially have not realized how deep in trash I am right now.

“Ah, Harper Garmadon,” I hear Kadence’s voice from afar. “Or is it, big brother?” I glance up at her. Her aura automatically feels excessively heavy, and I slowly begin to start freaking out.

It’s not that I’m scared of losing against her, I’m scared of what will come out of me once I start doing so.

I haven’t fought like this for years, to the extent I’m about to do, and I hate the person I become when I do so. I hate how I bullied her growing up. I hate how I hurt her.

I especially hate how I hurt her.

I’ve been so busy; I forgot about Kadence to the point where I forgot how much pain I put her through her whole childhood.

I shouldn’t have acted like that, and the remorse I was supposed to feel at the time came to me later on.

Sometimes when I think about it, I think about killing myself. I treated her that badly, and if I did die today, I probably would deserve it.

I want to apologize, but I’m scared of the person she is now. Just like me, she’s spent the last 15 years of her life under my mother. That woman is absolutely wicked. She puts you through literal Hell, and she makes you treat others like s*** who are underneath you.

I  was treated like trash by my mother, and that is where I learned how to abuse Kadence. That’s how my mother treated me in training and growing up, yet it was much worse… it was inhuman.

I’m petrified I’ll die without being able to apologize to Kadence. She was just a kid, and I had no right treating her the way I did.

I’ve grown up since then, and I’ve become a healthier version of myself. However, by becoming a healthier version of myself, I’ve had to set things down and forget about things in my life from the past. And, one of those things is my element.

I’ve had to stop using it the way I used to, and she is the only one who would notice that besides my mother. I know she’s going to take advantage of that, too.

She knows I’ve become weak.

I finally reply to her in a low voice full of fury, “Kadence.”

“Oh,” she starts as I watch curiosity fill her eyes. “So, I’m no longer your sister just because you ditched me?”

I’m struck by this realization. My eyes widen as the panic I already had this morning is added to by this new excessive shocked feeling.

I really did ditch her, didn’t I? I left her here, fully aware of the pain my mother put us both through, and I didn’t do anything to even attempt to offer her another chance of freedom like I got.

What a total dummy I am. Why am I so damn selfish!

“No, I never said that!” I exclaim as I open my eyes and stare deeply into her thick red aura.

“Oh? I believe you did though…” Her eyes narrow, and it reminds me a bit too much of someone I used to know…

“Myself.” I mumble underneath my breath as fear sets into my body.

I stare into her aura intensely as she asks, “What did you say? I thought I heard something?”

My hands begin to shake and tremble. I’m so emotional to the point where I can’t get my element to expel any further than the warm-up session. In fact, it’s lessening the more nervous I get.

I don’t know what to do, this has never happened to me before. I usually keep my cool, and I usually am the most chill out of everyone. I thought this would be a piece of cake, but it isn’t.

As a matter of fact, this is the hardest mental fight I’ve ever had within myself. And of course, all these people who know me, whether they hate me or not, have to watch me break down right in front of them.

I want to cry. I want to apologize. And I want to just die.

I’ve done so many terrible things to people in my past, and I never had remorse for it at all. My only goal was to be powerful, and I never thought anything else about it. I only followed what my mother had ordered me to do for her. I was like a dog to her. All I did was let her use me.

I’m so glad I was able to get out of there, but I never thought about Kadence throughout it all. I never cared. I just left her.

I never was the older brother I was supposed to be for her. And, as I think about it, that may be why she attacked Liberty last week. She’s jealous of how I treat Liberty versus herself. Because she sees it. She has seen it every time we come around her, and I know for a fact she secretly despises me for it.

She despises the fact that I treat Liberty far better than herself. I don’t hold that against her either, I can rightfully understand it.

I wish I could go back and make things right. I wish I could have treated her the way she should have been treated.

I allow my fists to rest as I look at her directly in the eyes. I summon my aura as I shout in an agonizing mindset of pain, “Stop thinking, Harper Garmadon!”

This seems to catch everyone’s attention. It most of all catches Kadence’s. She just stares at me awestruck as I glare at her.

I close my eyes tightly, knocking every possible thing about Kacee, Kadence, Harumi, and even myself from my head, and I proceed to summon my power to my fingertips. I haven’t used this power for years, and it’s finally time for me to use it again.

I grin idiotically as my aura intensifies around my body for the first time in years. The dark energy surges throughout my body as pleasure wraps around me.

“Boy,” I begin in a low growl as I stare towards Kadence. She has a smirk spread across her face as I say, “I’ve missed this.”

“I bet you have,” she starts as she steps closer to me. “I bet you have.” She repeats this with a slight wink as she steps closer. Our auras collide, and she touches my arm lightly. “Now,” she begins as she stares into my eyes deeply, “How about we make this even?”

I can’t help staring at her for a couple moments longer than I should. She has really grown up since I last saw her, and I realize quickly that must mean she’s improved, at least I can only assume. With her confidence she’s expressing right now, it makes me excited looking at her and her aura.

She will be a worthy opponent. 

Chapter Text

Harper

***

*3 years ago, Chen Island, the Tournaments Rectangle*

“Do it again!” My mother screams at me as I land into the dirt of the ground. My nose and ears burn as blood comes pouring out of them.

I shakily stand up as I wipe the blood from my eyes. It smears all over my fists, and hot tears form within my vision. I get into my fighting stance, and I stare into my mother’s piercing glare as I focus on summoning my element.

A weak aura forms around my body, and I think that I have done something, yet my mother forces me to believe otherwise.

“Get it together, Harper!” She shouts as she grabs my small body and throws me up against the brick wall. I cough up blood as she lets me go. I hit the ground with a tough and hard fall, and I lay limply against the cement.

I just want to die.

“I’m sorry!” I cry out as tears fall down my cheeks. My mother just stares at me from above with a dissatisfied look on her face. I glance down to the dirt ground where my blood and tears soak it.

I watch and feel as more gore comes up through my throat and onto the ground. It’s red and retched looking.

What did I do… for her to treat me like this… I’m only a kid.

“Don’t you go saying worthless ‘sorry’s’ around like that, it’s a waste of emotion.” My mother instructs from above with a strict attitude. “There’s never a reason to just throw emotion around like that.”

She turns around and leaves me to defend myself on the ground as more lifelessness pours from my mouth and nose.

***
Present

If I could go back and fix that day I would. No seven-year-old should wish to die.

I summon my Karambit Knives as Kadence summons her own katanas. We give each other a look, and we both charge each other at the same time.

It’s weird. The girl I want to marry is the older sister of the girl who I thought was my younger sister growing up. It feels almost wrong as I think about it. Although, I also think it could be fate telling me otherwise.

Kadence throws a sworded swing towards my figure as I dodge it quickly. Even though this is no different than our training as kids, weaponry being finally involved after all this time excites me deep down.

Dark purple surrounds my body as I throw my power out both ways around her, decapitating the buildings near her. She’s able to notice this quickly, and she moves out of the way before they crush her.

“I should make it clear,” she begins as she clashes her katana up against my knife. “I’m not trying to kill you. I’m only going easy because you’re weaker than you used to be.”

That hits me right in the ego. I wasn’t expecting her to say such an offensive word play against me. Sure, I may be a tad weaker because of not using my power to its fullest extent for the past few years, but have I really become that soft?

No… that can’t be possible…

I throw a powerful swing towards her, scraping her cheek ever so slightly with my blades. I step back as I watch blood trickle down her chin. A desperate feeling of sweet revenge flows over my mind, and I can feel light tingles surrounding my body.

She gives me a harsh glare as she suddenly comes after me. I go to dodge her attack, yet she swiftly places her blade against my neck and slices ever so lightly into it.

A slight pain elapses over me, and I suddenly grip onto my neck in response. I glance down to my hand within the mist of our auras, and I see a dark red smudge of ichor all over my fingertips. I tremble in my memories as I see this.

You NEVER flip out like this, Harper! Why are you so damn PATHETIC?!

I clench my fists as I fight off tears. I scream a heavy exasperation as I aim for her and wisp past her quickly, scraping her deeper into the stomach with my blade. Her aura lessens as she steps back in pain.

I stop myself as I realize how quickly I’m becoming my past self. Throughout this whole trial of events and tournaments, I have yet to hurt someone like this, besides Kacee. It hurts me to see her in pain again, and I realize what a prick I really am.

“Huh,” she starts in an eerie tone as she kneels to the ground and wraps her arms around her abdominal area. “I thought because you joined the Ninja that maybe you would be more subtle and kind,” she pauses for a moment as she glances up at me. “But from what I can see, all you want to do is just play Hero!” She screams this into my face with a dissatisfied look, and I slowly step back from her by a few inches.

“No… NO!” I shout back as I drop my own blades onto the dirt ground. I can feel my power lessening as I cup my hand over my mouth. Tears fall down my face, and my legs shake in retaliation to standing.

I push myself to walk closer to her and kneel to her. I stare into her deep honey, brown eyes and reach out to her slowly. I stop once I’m inches away when I realize what I’m doing. I instantly pull away as I sniffle back tears.

“Why are you crying?” She asks in an annoyed tone. “Don’t you remember? It’s a waste of emotion.” Her eyes narrow, and I stare back at her with fear filling my body.

I glance down as I think of what to say in response. Is there really anything to say?

“I’m sorry,” I start as I take in a breath of cold air it feels like. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you.”

She seems surprised, and I quickly realize how desperate that apology must have come across. Will she even accept that? Does she even want an apology?

Do I even deserve to be forgiven?

No, no I do not. In retrospect, with everything I did, I have no reason to be forgiven. I can only hope the people who were hurt by me can forgive me. Not in the slightest bit do I expect them to.

But why do I care so much for her forgiveness?

She begins laughing in response, a psychotic laugh. Terror begins to flow through my veins as I watch this.

Shakily, she begins to stand up, and soon she’s standing over me, looking down on me. I feel frozen inside, and I can’t move.

Is this how she felt as a kid? I guess I can’t feel sorry for myself, I deserve this more than anyone.

“You know what?” She begins as her laughter starts to fade away. “You made my life HELL growing up! You’re the reason I’m like this! It’s all because of you! And now you just expect me to forgive you?!”

I stare at the ground for quite a while. I’m scared of making eye contact with her, but once I do, I watch as tears slip down her angry face.

She notices my curiosity, and she lifts her foot kicking me in the face where I fall to the ground. My head hits the ground heavily, and I feel light-headed. She proceeds to step into my stomach harshly, and I feel blood squirt up all over my face, chest, and ground as my eyes blur in and out.

Tears fill my eyes as they slip down into the bloody mess I’ve turned into. I watch from the ground, now my power totally fading, as a defeated feeling rushes over me.

She’s right, how does she expect herself to forgive me?

I watch as she leans over my gory figure and becomes more and more confused once I don’t fight back. She smiles this wicked smile as she realizes what I’m doing, and she slowly takes her katana out from her belt.

She places the katana’s blade against my cheek and scrapes it softly. I feel a slight bit of pain as more warm blood trickles down my face. She proceeds to do this in other places of my body, but she presses deeper and deeper each time.

By the time she’s done, I’m a bloody mess. However, this is what I deserve, and I know it. All I want to do is die. She may be able to grant that. I don’t deserve to live anymore with all this sin I have done towards others during the time with my mother growing up and under her control.

She swiftly takes her katana over my bloody body, the vengeful smile still plastered all over her face, and she holds the blade over my heart by about eight inches. She glances into my eyes, and I gaze right back toward her.

I think about all the wonderful things I’ve been able to experience these past two years, and I realize quickly how eternally grateful I am for everything. I am so thankful I got to meet such a wonderful family of people who cared about me and brought me in. I could never repay them. I know I don’t deserve it either, especially after all I did, but they still cared about me to a great extent. No matter if there’s an afterlife or not, I will always remember them. I pray my soul remembers the beauties of these people.

I think about Kacee within these moments. I wonder where she’s at, but maybe it’s best she isn’t here anyways. I wouldn’t want to see her watch this happen to me. I hope she has a good life, and I hope she can move on peacefully and find someone who can love and cherish her much more than I have. I love her so much, and I’m eternally grateful for the kindness she expressed toward me when we first met.

I also contemplate what Liberty said to me earlier. She mentioned something about Kadence, how she has murderous intent, but behind her eyes she doesn’t. I guess since I’ll be dying anyways, I might as well do what Liberty told me to do, even if she’ll never get a response back from me.

I stare into Kadence’s eyes closely. She doesn’t seem to notice as her powerful threats are still the same expelling from her mouth, and I begin to realize what Liberty means.

Liberty’s right.

I've come across many murderers and dangerous people throughout my life, but unlike them, Kadence does not have the intent in her eyes.

That doesn’t make sense though… she’s clearly-

My thoughts are cut off as Kadence lets out a giant groan and places her katana back into her belt professionally. I watch through my blurry and bloody vision as she steps off me and kneels down to the right of my body as she whispers in an eerie tone, “Even though you hurt me, it’ll be fine. After all, you’re weak.”

After saying this, she begins to leave the arena. I’m left lying on the ground in my bloody mess as I watch her name flash across the large screen in the arena proclaiming her as the winner.

Without awareness, I feel a light smile flash across my face as I see it. I feel a tinge of disappointment, but I also feel proud of her in the strangest way. She finally did it. She beat me.

I close my eyes slowly as I think to myself. I feel people beginning to take my body away, and I say my farewells to those around in my mind for next time’s acquaintance.

Kadence beat me, her monster, after all these years. Even through the most pain I’ve been through in quite a while, I have the utmost respect for her.

I wish I could have done the same to the person who hurt me most when I had the chance. Moreover, now upon experiencing someone getting their revenge for what I did to them, it makes me realize that the regret I would have after that revenge is far greater pain mentally, within my own brain than what they ever did to me.  

Chapter Text

Liberty

I watch my brother fall into his own pool of blood from the stadium’s top. A fury of emotions I’ve never felt for him comes alive within these moments, and I don’t know how to process them. I begin to break down.

Tears fall down my cheeks as I realize how useless I am within these moments. I wish I could jump in and save him from that wretched girl, but I can’t.

“What did he do to deserve this!” I cry out as I hear my voice echo within the arena. The only other person in these stands is Jax, and he offers me a pained and sympathetic look.

I watch as Kadence endlessly keeps stabbing him and cutting him over and over. More and more tears fall down my face. I reach out as if I can do something, but I feel Jaxson’s hand cover mine.

Through my blurred vision, I look up at him. He, too, has teary eyes, but he shakes his head slightly at me. I stare at him for a moment, then back to Harper as I limply allow my arm to rest back by my side. Immediately, I dig my head into Jax’s chest as I wrap my arms around him and hold onto him tightly. I feel him wrap his own arms securely around the back of my head and body. He also begins to place his hand over my eyes, shielding me from seeing what will come next.

I hear his sniffles from above, and then I begin to cry even harder than before. After just a few seconds of watching Harper being continuously tortured, which felt like hours, I hear the winner's bell ring throughout the auditorium. I squeeze my eyes shut more and hold onto Jax even tighter than before.

“I’m going to kill her.” I hear Jax grumble from above in a low voice full of anger. “She will pay.”

I can only agree from below, because I feel the same fury he is feeling right now. Harper had no reason for this to happen to him. She did it so effortlessly and as if she has no remorse for a human being slaughtered by her own two hands.

I don’t care what I saw in her eyes, that’s all over now. She hurt Harper. No one hurts Harper like that. No one in general with a sane mind would do that to someone! I haven’t even seen Harumi do something like that to someone with my own eyes! I haven’t seen my father, Lloyd, do that with my own eyes! I have never done that to anyone!

My fists clench angrily as I take myself away from Jax. I give him a look of anger as I grip onto his hand tightly and drag him along with me. He doesn’t seem to question where we’re going, and that is probably for the best.

***

Kacee

Before my eyes can open, a light shines brightly into them. I feel a mix of nauseousness, tiredness, and unconscious emotion flow through me.

Where am I?

I go to move my arms, but they feel tight and secure. My eyes finally open slightly, and I now can glance around. I gaze down to my hands in curiosity as to why I cannot feel them, but I am hit with a sudden realization.

Fear slips throughout my body as I wiggle and twist trying my hardest to loosen myself, yet I can’t. I feel blood circulating improperly throughout myself to supply my arms of health. I glance up to the rope hanging my body above the ground as tears begin to slip down my cheeks.

I then look around the room with slight hope to find something to free myself with, but as I gaze around the bland room, I come to the realization that I’m stuck here, and I don’t know for how long.

I begin to suddenly hyperventilate as panic sets in harder than before. I don’t even remember how I got here. I don’t remember who or what did this to me! What am I supposed to do?!

What if whoever did this to me doesn’t come back! What if I die like this?! I can’t die like this!!!

More tears roll down my face and onto the ground underneath my feet. I breathe deeply as more and more anxiety fills my insides. I feel myself unable to breathe more and more, “No! You can’t have this happen to you now, Kacee! Breathe in… breathe out…”

I attempt to settle myself with short breaths and reassurance.

I can do this. I’ve done so many things! I’ve gotten into tough situations like this before, and I have gotten out of them! I can’t allow myself to die over something stupid like this without knowing who has done it to me first! I must… focus.

I gaze around the room once again in hopes of finding a way out. My arms are beginning to become tired, and I know once they begin to lose circulation that will not be good. I have no time to think about that, though! I must figure out a way out of here before anything like that happens!

“There’s no room to think about the negative!” I scream to myself rather harshly. I close my eyes in thought, until it comes to me. “Oh my gosh,” I start to mumble in realization, “My element!”

I close my eyes as I focus on fire, and only fire. I feel a hint of it flowing through my veins, yet it stops almost immediately. I begin to become confused. Why isn’t it working?

“Ah…” I hear a voice mutter from the corner of the room. I glance at it in horror. Has someone been here this whole time?! Have they been watching my freak-out session? Is this my kidnapper?! “I see that the Vengestone has assisted me within this situation…”

I watch in utter shock and confusion as Harumi waltzes in from the shadows. Has she really been here this whole time? And how was she so quiet?

I grind my teeth in fury as I mumble, “Vengestone? What do you mean…”

I am interrupted silently by Harumi as she lifts her hand up revealing a small piece of Vengestone. It’s smaller than the palm of her hand, and just that is killing my powers from a distance. My eyes widen, and I can tell she notices this quickly as she mutters, “Now imagine a whole room of this stuff with every single Elemental Being in there? How do you think that would turn out?” She pushes herself close to the left side of my cheek as she finishes in a whisper, “Would you like to know?”

Fear fills my insides as I begin to realize what she means. Is she trying to… no… that can’t be possible…

But what if it is, Kacee?

Immediately, I shake my head towards her. My heavy breathing begins to pick itself up again, and I suddenly begin to feel faint. If what I’m thinking is right… then I am in deep crap.

“You want to know something?” I hear her ask, close to my ear, in a hushed tone. I am about to say no, until she finishes saying, “Because I feel like you would just love hearing about it.” Her finishing tone has an eerie hiss inside of it. My curiosity would normally be entirely at its peak right now, but my anxiousness is keeping it unalive.

She must notice she’s not receiving a response out of me, because she mumbles ever-so-slightly, “It’s about Jaxson and,” she pauses for a quick moment. I can feel her smirk as she turns out to be right. This already is adding onto my curious ambitions within this conversation. “Liberty.”

There we go. My brain automatically starts thinking the best and worse.

Is Liberty okay? Is something wrong? Does she need my help right now? Do I have to help her?

“What about her!?” I exclaim as my whole body begins to shake with fear. “Is she okay?!”

I feel Harumi’s face turn away from mine, and we meet eye-contact. A smirk is spread across her face, just as I thought, and my nervousness heightens itself up about 10x more notches compared to before.

A nervous sweat breaks across my face as I stare into her deep blue eyes. She stares at me right back with a devious glare inside of them.

“I don’t know…” she starts to murmur as she lightly places her thin and soft fingers behind my ear. She places my hair behind it quite carefully. Normally, I would have already pushed her away, but I physically cannot; it’s really making me mad. “Do you really want to hear it?”

“Of course I do!” I shout in response, quickly realizing how bad that was for me to probably do. I shouldn’t be screaming in the face of my enemy without having a way to physically defend myself.

To my surprise, she doesn’t seem bothered. In fact, she seems humored. She slyly grins as she replies bitterly, “Well then, I should probably tell you now, because we all know Liberty doesn’t have the guts to tell you…” she stops for a few seconds, and my wondrous thoughts can no longer contain themselves.

Spit it out already!

“She joined my side.”

As the words slip out, I wish more and more I hadn't heard them. 

Chapter Text

Kacee

I feel like screaming, but nothing comes out. It’s almost like my body doesn’t know how to react, so it just sweats nervously even more as tears of pain fall down upon it.

“No!!!” I scream into Harumi’s face with no more remorse for my own self and body. I care less about how I should act in front of Harumi; she’s hurting my family! “You manipulated her! You did this to her! You are threatening her! I just know it!”

I am shushed by her cold finger, which his pressed up against my lips. I stare down at her hand, and then I look into her cold eyes. They seem more icy than normal, and a shiver flows down my spine.

“I didn’t do anything to Liberty,” she starts in a victim’s tone with an insulted look spread across her face. “If you really believe that I did, you are sorely mistaken.” She finishes with a low grumbled murmur. Her eyes narrow as mine widen.

“Y-you m-me-mean-” I begin to stutter as more tears flow down my cheeks. Every inch of my body shakes, and the fear I felt before about myself heightens to only fear for Liberty.

Why would she do such a thing? Why would JAX do such a thing?! Why would they join Harumi’s side, of all sides?

“Since I told you something you wanted to know, I need you to do something for me now,” Harumi begins as an evil harshness arises from her voice. “You are going to be my test subject.”

I can barely process what she’s saying by my sudden emotional shock. What does she even mean by “Test subject?”

“W-what?” I still stutter as the question leaves my mouth. “What do you mean-”

I am harshly interrupted by a sharp pain entering my throat and down into my gut. My body shakes rapidly as the pain doesn’t only bring fire to my insides, but a seizing pain within the rest of myself.

Hot tears flow down my face as my teeth clench each other tightly. The agony is so high that it feels physically impossible to scream. Every part of my body feels as if it’s on fire and burning. My skin feels like it wants to peel itself off, which would inevitably only leave my dead corpse.

Is this how it’s really going to end?

A hot sense of relief prickles throughout my body. Throbbingly, I feel whatever came into my mouth pull itself out from my throat. I vomit all over the ground, yet I can barely feel or process it.

My body vibrates with a numbed ache, and every part of my senses seems drained. Through my blurry vision, I manage to lift my heavy head to look at Harumi. Once I make eye-contact with her, I see an evil smile manage to spread across her face.

My tears stain my face as I watch her conceal fire within her own fingertips. My heart plummets to my stomach as I realize what she has done. More and more tears drip down my burning face as I watch her pull out a staff with a red glowing orb on the top of it. My eyes widen as I realize what it has done to me, and I conclude quickly that what she’s currently processing within her grasp is my element.

I feel as every bit of energy left inside of my body drains itself, and I can only drop my head in deep sorrow with physical, mental, and emotional pain vibrating through it.

Liberty’s voice circulates throughout my brain within these moments, “Wait” she had begun as she grabbed my wrist. I still remember that tight grasp of pain, and I completely ignored it. “What if this is some trap or something? What if there is some sort of tracking device in there or something that will automatically turn on once it’s opened? What if we’re going to read something in there we wished we had never read? What if-”

I had interrupted her harshly and dismissed her within those moments. Liberty was hurting, and I paid no attention to it. I never even got to apologize to her for it.

Do I even deserve to apologize to her and believe I can receive forgiveness? No… I don’t, I had no empathy for her or what she had to say.

“You’re overthinking.” I had stated, and I wish I never did. I remember how she sighed louder than usual in response, “I’m sorry, but just, with everything that’s happened I’ve become-”

“A bigger over-worrier than you were before?” I interrupted.

No

She hadn’t become an “over-worrier” than before, she has always been deeply worried. Never for herself either, but instead for everyone around her.

I know for a fact she’s always put others before herself, because that was what she had been taught her whole life growing up as being a “ninja” or “hero” in Ninjago.

She never learned how to put herself first, and now that she finally has, she’s hurting herself more than she deserves.

I can understand why she’s doing it too, because the one person who has continuously hurt her is Lloyd Garmadon, her father. Sure, Harumi has done plenty, but she wasn’t around every single day of Liberty’s life and hurt her mentally and physically. Lloyd did. He should have been there for her. He should have put more time into understanding Liberty’s emotions than ignoring them.

What hurts me even more is knowing he “tried,” but instead he made it worse. Instead, he put her through tormenting obstacles her whole life as he lied to her about… well, everything.

I’m not mad at him unlike Liberty probably is… I’m disappointed. And I am not just disappointed in Lloyd either, I’m disappointed in myself. I should have caught it. I shouldn’t have dismissed it like I did.

I especially should have sat down to understand Jaxson last year when that all went on, and it was finally revealed. I shouldn’t have dismissed it and pretended everything was alright, because it never was.

And now we’re here… because of me… and because of the way I pressured Liberty more than I should have.

“Aw,” I hear Harumi start in a slow and mellow voice. “Cat got your tongue?”

“No,” I start in a low grumble. Immediately, blood spills out from my mouth, and I choke on it roughly. The saltiness of my tears drip into the blood, and the overall taste makes me want to gag. “I just,” I pause once again as I swallow the scarlet red. “It hurts-”

“Oh, does it now?” Harumi questions with curiosity flowing from her voice. “I expected it, to be honest. I just didn’t think it would have this terrible effect on you. I guess I really don’t care, it’s kind of fun to watch.” She stops speaking for a moment as I can feel her deep and cold stare gaze upon my limp body. “It doesn’t mean I’m not concerned for specific other people in general though. Other people as in myself, I absolutely hate cleaning up gross stuff. If everyone is vomiting and bleeding when I do the same to them, that will not be fun.”

Anger arises within my numb body. “Is that really all you care about? Cleaning up other’s bodily messes because of your wicked actions?” I scream out as more blood is coughed up onto the ground.

She responds with a facial expression of disgust, yet she inches closer to my limp body and whispers slyly, “Why do you call it wicked? Just out of curiosity?”

Shock flows throughout my body, sending just enough energy throughout it to lift my head. I glare at her as I feel blood and tears drip from my face and onto the rest of my clothing. I reply disgustingly, “A sociopath you are. No empathy for anyone… not even yourself.”

She seems taken aback for a moment before she grabs my face aggressively and squeezes it tightly within her grasp. Harumi proceeds to force complete eye-contact between the two of us, and she screams rather loudly, “Lies! Lies, lies, lies! You liar!!!”

She lets go of my face with heavy force. I feel another sharpness of pain seize throughout my neck as she shoves it back.

An agonized sound escapes from my vocal cords. I am quickly silenced by Harumi talking to herself as she paces throughout the room. I don’t have enough energy to watch her completely, but I watch her feet rocking back and forth across the concrete flooring.

Suddenly, I watch as her feet dash quickly towards my hanging body. She grabs my neck with mad energy and brings a dagger to it. I barely can process her proceedings as she digs the blade of it into the right side of my neck. Heavy breathing is not just coming from her own actions now, but as I feel the hot blood drip down my body, I begin to breathe harshly as well.

“You want to die right now?!” She shouts into my face as she slows the blade. I begin to feel faint as tears drip down my face. “Do you want to die in pain?! If not, shut your damn mouth!!!”

More and more tears fall down my face as she roughly takes the dagger from my neck, leaving a heavy gashed wound from the top underneath my jaw and until the bottom right over my shoulder. It’s not enough to have me be killed, but it’s enough to hurt and leave a scar forever.

I watch as she chucks it across the ground with an angered tone and pulls out the staff strapped to her back. She touches the orb slightly, and I watch as fire erupts within her own fingertips.

She slowly places the hand against my thighs, and I immediately feel the scorching pain burn my clothing and into my own skin. She does this multiple times on all different parts of my body. By the end, I am limper than before, and more heavy tears than before escape my eyes.

Blood flows from different parts of my system, and all I can think about is how no remorse is felt from her about this. She doesn’t care. She isn’t bothered that I feel pain. She doesn’t bother to wonder about how another human feels. As long as she is receiving satisfaction from it, that’s all she cares about.

Harumi grabs her dagger off the ground, and at this point I believe she’s about to finish me off. Honestly, I would prefer that right now. I want to die; this hurts so much. I no longer can think properly, and all energy inside of me is gone. I’ve been quite literally smoked. The only thing she has left to do is kill me, and I happily will accept it.

As she steps closer, dagger in hand, I close my eyes in anticipation. I have no room to think about anyone else right now, all I can think about is what will become of me in the next few moments within my life.

Surprisingly, she doesn’t kill me, which I would deeply prefer right now to get out of this pain. Instead, she cuts the rope holding my hands and my body from the ground, and I immediately fall to it with a large thump. Before I can even process this, she grabs one of my weak and pained arms and drags me into another room, down a set of stairs, and throws me into a cage.

I sit there for a moment as I stare at her through my foggy gaze. I have no energy to try to fight back, and all I want to do is sleep. I restlessly watch as she locks me in the cage and hisses in a hushed tone, “Now be quiet. You’ll be let out… soon.”

I don’t respond as I slip into an immediate and deep sleep. There’s no reason to even try to live anymore. 

Chapter Text

Kacee

As I wake up, I can immediately feel vomit coming up through my throat and onto something underneath my body. I can barely process it as I attempt to sit up, yet I fall back onto the caged ground.

I slowly wipe my mouth with my bloody sleeve and feel disgusted with myself. As I open my eyes to the blurry world around me, I notice there really is something underneath my body than just the caged ground itself.

I glance up to it and almost freak out when I see it’s another human. Even though I can barely see, I am able to make out their bodily expressions slightly. They seem just as dismantled as me.

I feel them looking at me, and I suddenly realize I just threw up all over whoever this is. A wave of regret, embarrassment, and sadness flows over me.

I am about to apologize, but they take my limp body in their arms and pull me close to their chest, ignoring my body fluids all over themselves and myself.

Before I can say anything in response to this, I am able to look at them closer and feel their body and face with my achy and scarred hands. I begin to cry once I realize who it is, and I grab their face and hold it close to me, forcing their forehead to touch my own.

“I thought I would never see you again.” I mumble in a hoarse voice. I cough up more blood all over myself as I say this, and I feel him holding me tighter in his grasp. “I’m so sorry for vomiting all over you… again.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he starts as he limply shifts himself over against the cage’s bars. “Never worry about that…” He mumbles in a low and choked voice.

“Are you okay?” I can cough out in a shy and uneasy tone.

“Don’t worry about me right now. Just worry about keeping yourself alive.”

I attempt to watch through my foggy vision as Harper secures me closer to himself. I feel his grip hold onto me tighter, and without my own acknowledgment, I begin to drift off. Before I close my eyes fully, I spot a blotch of red on the side of his face and neck. My eyes widen almost immediately as I sit up quickly. A harsh amount of pain spreads throughout my body, but that isn’t what I’m worried about right now.

I notice a pool of red underneath the two of us, and I proceed to see gashes and cuts all over Harper’s body. His clothes are tattered, and he seems to be in a daze himself. My senses begin to heighten slightly, and I can suddenly smell vomit and blood all over the two of us.

He must notice my stare, because he slowly turns his head towards me. We make eye-contact, and even through my blurry vision, I can see tears come to the tips of his dimmed eyes.

Without meaning to, tears begin to fall down my face. I bite my lip harshly as I take his hand into mine and place it on my forehead as I close my eyes slowly. I proceed to wrap my numbed arms around his limp-self and set down his hand slowly. I dig my head into his shoulder as more tears drip down my face.

Leisurely, I can feel his own arms laxly wrap around me. He lays his head against my hair, and I can hear his own sniffles and tears.

“Who did this to you?” I finally ask in a shaky voice. I remain laying on his shoulder in deep tears, but I might as well ask before it’s too late.

“It doesn’t matter; it was my fault anyways…” He mutters in response as he drifts off. “I caused it to happen.”

I’m deeply confused before I mumble, “How?”

“I guess I should tell you the truth now,” he sighs in a raspy voice. Harper proceeds to adjust himself once again as he still allows me to stay on his warm shoulder. Ever since losing my element, I’ve felt an eerie coldness that surrounds me. Being in someone else’s grasp makes me not only feel safe, but he makes that icy feeling go away.

“I knew Kadence for years before I met you. I didn’t know she was your sister, nor did I realize it before we came here. I had totally forgotten about her, and I never thought that the Kadence I knew would be related to you when she was brought up by you in conversation.” He pauses for a moment to catch a slow breath. I remain shocked in his shoulder, my tears pausing along with his story. I am too weak to ask any questions, so I allow him to proceed with no interruptions, “I hurt her growing up under Harumi’s guidance. I never felt remorse for it ever, until now. I didn’t grow up learning to emphasize with others, not even with myself.” He stops once more as he groans in pain. I take my head from his shoulder almost immediately as my own pain flows throughout my body, yet I only worry about him within these moments.

We make eye contact, and now as I am inches from his face, I see more marks and scars than before. He’s drenched with dried and fresh blood. Before my eyes, I watch as he vomits up blood himself, and I wonder how long his body has been doing this for, and since when.

He glances at me once again, and in his eyes, I can see them losing him. My own eyes widen in fear, and I reach out to him. He stops my actions as he pulls me into his chest and holds me close to his body.

“So, Kadence finally got her revenge towards me earlier today. She did this because of the amount of abuse I did to her when we were kids, without any remorse. Apologies are unforgivable now. Though, now as I think about it, just like her, I owe an apology to you as well. Unlike her, I actually said it to you though, and I have time to say it. I want to say sorry for not telling you everything. I want to apologize for how I treated you when we first met, and how I was so cold, yet how I also came across so inviting as well. When I met you, you honestly scared me. Not in the way you would think, no, I feared hurting you like how I did to her.” Harper finishes this off with an agonizing and weak laugh. “I wanted to protect you even back then. I loved you back when I first met you. I hadn’t realized it yet, but I truly cared about you. The way I had treated you when we first met… I had never treated anyone like that before. What I did for you, and how I treated you scared me. It made me think that I was possibly trying to gain your trust to manipulate you later. I was in fear of doing that to you.”

I bring myself up from his chest and suddenly grab his face into my two numbed hands. We stare at each other, and even through my blurred vision, I can see the agony within his expression. We both smell and feel disgusting, but I take my bloody hand and wipe his tears with it.

He just accepts it, as he, too, takes his own shaky hands and places them limply on my face. We smile at each other softly as we lay our foreheads into each other once again.

“You don’t have to ever apologize to me for anything,” I mumble in my shallow and harsh voice. “The only thing I ask you to apologize for is thinking you were in the wrong. You didn't do anything wrong, it has always been Harumi and always will be Harumi. You were just a kid, under the influence of a woman who is absolutely evil. You only grew up knowing that, and I don’t blame you for the pain that you put others through. All that was just your own pain stored up within you from what you received from your mother. If she hadn’t done anything like that to you, I don’t believe you would have hurt or abused anyone without the influence.” I finish saying, slowly.

To my sudden surprise, and only seconds after I finish my sentence, he bursts into agonizing and waterfall-like tears as he wraps his own arms around me now and lays his head into my shoulder.

“I-I wish…” He begins as he mumbles into my shoulder. “I wish I would have been kidnapped by you guys instead of Kadence! I wish I would have been able to live with you and everyone! I wish I would have been told as a kid everything was all right, and everything would be alright!” He exclaims as he sobs rather loudly. I feel him grip onto my sleeve angrily, and I can only sympathize with him and his pain.

I place my pained hand into his knotted, bloody, and dirt-filled shoulder length hair, and I stroke it softly. My eyes droop as I murmur in agreement, “I wish so, too.”

“I don’t want to die yet!” He screams in anger. “I haven’t lived happily long enough! I finally experienced happiness for the first time once I met you and the team! I want to keep feeling that way! I don’t want to think about hurting myself any longer than I have. I want to be able to say on my deathbed that I had a good life, and I’m happy to say goodbye to it!” He cries out. I feel his tears soak into my tattered and burnt clothing.

“The greatest I’ve ever felt was getting to be with and around all of you. Not once have I thought about committing suicide seriously, unlike when I lived with my mother! I thought about it every day! I wanted to die. I wanted to leave the pain I had been feeling for days and days on end. But with you guys, you all brought me hope. I now have a reason to live! I want to be with you! Forever!” I feel intense shock spread throughout my body as Harper looks up from my shoulder with tears following every tear behind it, and snot coming from his nose. However, I don’t pay attention to any of that as we make eye contact. “I want to be with you until I die, Kacee! You are the only person who makes me feel happy! You give me a reason to keep going!”

I stare at him for a moment, attempting to keep my own emotions inside, but I can no longer keep them in anymore. I cry with him as I nod rapidly.

Even between our blood, sweat, tears, snot, and vomit, I lean myself in and kiss him slowly. He holds me there for a moment, and when we pull apart, he limply goes in again. He pulls me into a tight hug before we even finish, and I can hear him sigh a reassuring breath.

“If we were to die though, right now, right here… I don’t think I’d mind that.” He mumbles as he winces in pain once more. That causes me to have a shock of pain suddenly as well.

“Were you in here when I was thrown in here?” I ask as I remain resting on his shoulder.

He’s quiet for a moment before he shudders, “Yes.”

“Did she take your element from you too?”

“Yes.” He replies as he holds onto me tighter than before. “I’m so sorry. If I had known-”

I pull away from him and stare into his eyes intently as I interrupt assertively, “This is none of your fault. Always remember that. It has always been Harumi’s, and it always will be.”

I watch as his lips fumble, and he bites them slowly as he suddenly looks down.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t be crying so much-”

“Cry.” I interrupt as I remain staring at him as my own tears fall down my face continually. “Someone smart once told me that it’s okay to cry. It will always be okay to cry. The strongest people cry because of all the pain they’ve been through. You have just been incredibly strong for so long, that now it feels wrong to feel any other emotion than that.”

He’s quiet for a moment before he whispers, “It just hurts…” He pauses as he grabs my hand and holds onto it tightly. “Everything just hurts.”

“I know,” I agree, grasping onto his hand tighter. “But just like you do for me, I will always be here for you. No matter what happens to either of us, our words, kindness, and love will always remain inside of us.”

He chuckles softly through his tears as he mumbles, “How are you so positive right now? It should be the other way around; I should be protecting you-”

“No,” I mumble softly as I place my other hand upon his and hold onto them both tightly. “I’m supposed to always be here for you, too. Plus, I’m not positive… Internally, I’m freaking out. I feel the same way you feel… consistently. I just don’t show it because I’d rather people think that I’m totally positive and happy all the time, so they don’t question my negative emotions as much. I don’t want to die either… at least not yet.”

He glances up at me, and I feel him tighten his grip on our two conjoined hands.

“Then let’s get out of here, alive. Let’s both not die… at least, not yet.”

I smile through my aching pain as I take my hand and dry the falling tears from my eyes. I nod towards him, and he nods back at me with a small grin.

“Let’s get out of here.” I agree with reassurance flowing throughout my voice. 

Chapter Text

Kacee

Harper grabs the metal railings and attempts to hoist himself up. I watch as he grips onto the railing's sides as he slowly steps over to the cage’s lock. He seems rather weak, but he also seems to have knowledge of what he’s doing.

“Do you have a bobby-pin of any sort?” He asks as he inspects the lock. I tilt my head slightly with curiosity.

“I don’t. I’m sorry.” I mumble slowly as my thoughts race throughout my head.

I hear him curse underneath his breath once he hears my response, and I swallow deeply as anxiety flows over me.

“What do you need it for?” I question as I begin to crawl in a limp over to him. He glances at me slowly, and then back to the lock.

He sighs quite audibly as he mumbles in response, “To pick it.”

“You can pick a lock?”

“One thing that my mother did well was she taught all her students how to pick locks. It’s not too hard, it just can be complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing.” He responds as he uses his other arm to keep him standing up against the cage’s encampment. I notice him slowly losing his grip, and he falls to the concrete ground with a very noisy “thump”!

“Are you okay?!” I exclaim in an alarmed tone. He wraps his arms around his torso, and I watch as new blood pours from his shirt.

Quickly, I unbutton his button-up shirt and look at his wounds. Tears come to my eyes once I see his current state, and I quickly begin to place my burnt and stinging hands onto his torso and place pressure onto the wound.

However, it doesn’t seem to even help it as blood smears all over my hands and onto the rest of the ground. Tears stream from my eyes as I begin to breathe heavily in fear.

“Hey…” I hear Harper’s voice start as I feel his hand weakly touch my face. “I’ll be fine… I’ve been through worse…” He begins to drift off, and my panic begins to set in even more.

“No!!! No, you can’t leave me! You can’t leave me!” I pull off his shirt, and I shakily wrap it around the open and infected gash. However, that only helps just one wound, and he has multiple others that I can’t aid to! “Why didn’t you tell me!!!” I scream into his face as I try to keep him awake. “Why didn’t you tell me!” I cry out again as I now take off my own clothing and wrap it around his injuries tightly. “Why did you pretend you were fine!?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.” He mumbles as he groans in pain. “My job is to stay strong for you…” He drifts off as he closes his eyes slightly. I watch the light begin to fade from them.

“No!” I shout as I tighten the clothing around him tighter and tighter. “You said you didn’t want to die yet! You can’t leave me! I can’t lose you!!!” I tighten my grasp on his hands as tears spring from my eyes.

“I’m not going to die…” He mumbles slowly as a small smile spreads across his face. “I just need…” He pauses for a moment as he leans his head against the caged bars. “Sleep…”

He dozes off in an instant, and I check his pulse anxiously. I can’t let him die, no matter what happens. I can’t let him go this way. My only job right now is to keep him alive.

I groan in agony myself as I let go of his two hands and grip onto the cage bars. I hoist myself up in pain and inspect the lock carefully.

My body feels so weak, sickly, cold, and burnt, yet I ignore all this as I pull the interconnected lock from the top of the cage to the bottom. I sit on my knees in pain, and I begin to smash the lock against the caged bars surrounding it.

Unfortunately, the lock is heavy duty, and it doesn’t seem to want to budge. Nevertheless, I kick at it for a while, and I smash it up against anything I can. Sadly, the attempts don’t work, and I pause in fear and harsh realization as tears drip down my face.

Harumi did this to us. She put us in here to die. She’s given no food, water, aid, or anything. She hasn’t even checked in on us! She wants us to die.

“That wretched woman!” I allow myself to scream, a heavy and dark one at that. It goes on for a while as every single emotion I’m feeling seems to flow out. I can’t keep it in anymore. I knew this mission was going to be bad, and I know I should have listened to Liberty, but I didn’t. I can’t seem to forgive myself for that! Because of my stupid control and words, Harper is dying! I’m dying! Everyone else is going to die!!!

Dang it, Kacee! Dang it, Kacee!!!

“DANG IT!!!” I cry out as I pound the lock up against the bar heavily. I hear a louder clash than normal, and through my blurred-vision and tears, I glance down to the lock. It broke.

A smile of pride and glee spreads across my face as I shout, “It broke! I did it!” I sigh an exasperated one as I open the cage’s door restlessly.

I drag my limp and tired body out of it and to the door of the room. As I expected, it’s locked too, but I have more confidence in myself after being able to break a lock.

I position my body in a state where I can kick the door’s nob repeatedly. I do this for a while, using every bit of energy left inside of myself. Eventually, it does come loose, and the door swings wide open in front of my eyes.

I stare at my accomplishment for a moment as I breathe heavily. Through my body’s newfound pain and tiredness, I glance back at Harper. He’s still sleeping, but I shakingly crawl back to him and check his wounds intently.

They seem to have lessened, but it still doesn’t mean he’s not hurting. I gaze over to the opened door, and I turn back to his body. I tap him repeatedly, but he doesn’t seem to wake up no matter what I do.

“It’s okay, Kacee. You can do this.” I say to myself in reassurance. I take him by underneath his arms and begin to slowly and softly drag him out from his deranged state. Limply and numbly, and many minutes later, I reach the door. I remain dragging him ever so steadily through the hall.

I finally stop after about two hours of continuous work, as we’ve only made it about 200 yards down. I feel dehydrated, tired, and exhausted, yet I cannot stop now. We must live. We must survive. And we must make it.

It’s all up to me now. I lean Harper against the dimmed wall and stare at him for a moment. He doesn’t seem as if he’s hurting as much as before, but he still seems as if he’s in deep agony.

I sit the two of us in a dark corner of the hall in hopes that Harumi won’t catch us here. I have no clue where I should take us, nor do I know what time it is and where we’re at. I hope I’m doing this right, and I hope I don’t mess this up more.

I lean my head and body against Harper’s as I take his hands into mine. I only tell myself I’ll rest my eyes and body for a few moments and keep going, but I quickly feel myself black out.

***

“Kacee… Kacee… Kacee?!” I hear a person shout through the darkness. I awake, and I am instantly met with Harper’s stare.

He seems almost relieved as he looks at me. I feel his hands still in mine, and I hold his stare for quite a while.

“Oh, thank God!” He exclaims suddenly through our silence as he limply throws his arms around my body. “You didn’t sound as if you were breathing when I woke up… I thought you were n-not—” He fumbles the rest of his words as I hear him cry into my shoulder. I wrap my numb arms around his shaky body. He pulls apart from me almost instantly and stares me dead in the eyes.

“How’d you get us here?!” He asks as curiosity fills his gaze. I can finally see clearer now, but it makes me worry more as I see details at a higher rate than before. It makes me more concerned that I can see how many cuts and bruises he has all over his face and body.

“I smashed the lock to the cage and the door. I then dragged the two of us as far as I could go-”

“Why did you do that all by yourself?! Why didn’t you wake me up?!” He shouts in my face rather suddenly. I notice concern filling his expression quickly as he looks at me more intent and clearly compared to before.

“I tried… But you wouldn’t wake up… I didn’t want Harumi to catch us by sitting around, so I just did it myself.” I mumble in response as I glance down to my bruised knees and arms. I hadn’t realized how terrible I looked up until now. It makes me want to vomit.

Before I can process anything, I can feel Harper hug me once again. This hug though feels tighter and almost more emotional than the others.

“Thank you.” I hear him whisper in a choked voice. “Thank you so much.”

“Why are you thanking me?” I start as I glance off into the distance. “I’m just trying to keep us alive…” I pause for a moment as a new sudden emotion flows into my head. I begin to think about how this is all my fault again, for us even being here, and it almost feels as if I just received a punch to the gut.

I quickly push myself away from his body, and I dig my head into my hands. Tears escape, and all I want to do is bury myself into my own grave.

If it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t be here, if it wasn’t for me-

“If it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t be here!!!” I scream as I grip onto my hair tightly and tug at it. A waterfall of emotions flows from my face, and I feel as if I’m falling into a dark hole. “I can never be forgiven for this! I pushed it! Everyone’s going to die because of me! This is all because of me!!!”

Harper genuinely looks concerned when I see him through my tears, and I immediately try to hide it from him. I don’t even know why I ranted like this to him; he doesn’t deserve that! He doesn’t deserve to have to listen to me about this!

“Kacee…”

“Stop-” I interrupt as I dry my tears and look at him. “I’m fine. Sorry. That was stupid of me.” I proceed to help myself stand up, but I feel his grip catch my arm from behind. I glance back at him, and he seems determined in a weird sense.

“This is not your fault.” He says rather confidently. “You did nothing wrong. Nobody is blaming you for this.”

I sit myself down as tears begin to fall from my eyes again. I bite my lip harshly as a rush of relief almost flows through me.

“S-So this i-isn’t m-my f-fault?” I stutter out through tears. By this point, my eyes are seriously feeling numb and dried out, and a smile manages to fall upon my face. “Y-You for-forgive m-me?”

“There’s nothing to even apologize about!” He exclaims as his eyes widen in surprise. “None of this is your fault! Don’t lie to yourself!”

“But… I forced Liberty to open that letter-”

“And you didn’t know!” He interrupts as he shudders and shakes. “None of us knew! Don’t go blaming yourself for something you didn’t know! This isn’t your fault! Just as you said to me, it’s all Harumi’s fault! She’s the reason for this! Don’t ever blame yourself for something you didn’t do!”

He breathes in a heavy breath once he finishes, and so do I. I glance down as his words rush over my soul.

I glare at him, and then I quickly grab his hands into mine. He looks back at me, and I slowly whisper a shaky, “Thank you, Harper. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what I would do some days.” And I proceed to lay my head on his shoulder.

He grins slightly as he gazes at me and then at the window. Light comes into the hall and onto us. Harper proceeds to glance around the hall, and I quickly see him cringe at the trail of blood up until us.

“Do you think you can walk?” He asks as he looks back at me with a determined smile.

“Probably, why?”

He nods as he leans his body against the wall and hoists himself up. Adrenaline rushes through me as I put my arms out in case he falls, but he seems to be fine. In fact, he seems to seem stronger than last night.

He places his hand out for me to grab, and soon I too am standing as well. Our legs and bodies are both weak, but we lean on each other and slowly walk down the hall.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I question him as we stumble throughout the dark hall.

“No, but I’m positive I can find a way out.” He mutters with a determined look in his eyes.

“I trust you can.” I reply softly. His hyped energy is spreading towards my emotions, and I suddenly feel a rush of hope. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

I stomp out of the tournament’s ring with tears bursting from my eyes. Jax follows close behind without saying a word, and when I glance back at him, he seems as equally concerned as I am right now.

“Liberty…” I finally hear him begin to say from behind as I storm through the corridors. I feel him grab my wrist harshly and stop. Through sudden surprisement by his quick contact, I glance at him, and I meet his teary eyes. He seems to shake it off once I notice as he mutters, “Why don’t we just talk about it?”

“Talk about it?!” I exclaim as I shake his hand off of mine. “What is there to talk about?” I laugh angrily as more tears fall down my face, “The only thing we need to talk about is how we’re going to kill Kadence!”

I notice his eyes widen slightly as he hears this. My eyes narrow in slight irritation as I mutter bitterly, “Why do you seem bothered by it?! You were all on board a few hours ago about this! You were the first one to tell your big idea about this!”

“I’m just worried for you, Liberty. I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret later because you were acting on anger and impulse-”

“How am I acting on anger and impulse?!” I shout as I step closer to him. “You were saying no different earlier! And she didn’t even kill me!!! You are willing to take down someone for not even finishing me off!” Tears stream down my face more and more as I look up at him intensely.

Jax seems rather frustrated by my yelling. His teeth clench together as he turns away from my stance with a stomp in his step. I hear him sigh loudly as he groans audibly, “That’s because you are my future wife!!! My fiancée! My job is to protect you! I’ve told myself that if anybody or anything ever hurts you, no matter what it is, I will take it down without hesitation! I just don’t want you to regret doing something that can hurt you later! Unlike you, I’ve made peace with that!” He shouts as he grips his hair within the palms of his hands. I watch with slightly widened eyes as he turns back towards me and tightly grabs my hands inside of his. He glares at me with an almost psychotic look as he mumbles harshly, “Do you want to go to jail for killing someone? Possibly even put on death row for the rest of your life?” He cocks his head slowly with a pause throughout his breath. I watch as dried-out tears drip down his face, and he seems bitterly unstable within these moments, “I don’t want that to happen to you! And this is what I’ve been worried about!” He screams as he places his head inside of my shoulder. He leans on it softly as he whispers in my ear, his hot breath tickling my ear, “I don’t want us working with Harumi to ruin your life more than she already has.”

My eyes widen fearfully as his words hit me. Is this how he feels? And why does he only worry about me? Why doesn’t he worry about himself?

“Why do you worry about me so much? Why don’t you worry about yourself? Aren’t you scared for your own future, too?” I mumble quietly as curiosity fills my insides.

I hear him chuckle softly as he carefully places his hand into my hair and plays with it. He eerily mumbles as he stills lies on my shoulder, “I’ve already been there. I’m not scared of it anymore, but you should be.”

“You really want to go back?!” I exclaim in surprise as I back away slowly.

He lifts his head up once again as he stares at me with a broad and crazed smile, “I would give everything to save you.”

My face feels hot and red as he says this. I don’t feel the normal butterfly-like feeling within my stomach like you do when you like someone, but instead I feel the opposite within these moments. I’m concerned for him. “Then why won’t you let me do the same for you? And everyone else who I care about?!” I exclaim in annoyance as I throw my hands into the air.

I can spot curiosity spreading across his previously prideful face as he tilts his head slowly toward me. His eyes narrow as he corners my body in between a wall and himself, leaving only inches between our faces. He holds himself close to my mouth before he lifts his arms and presses them against the wall, now only leaving our breaths to collide with one another’s.

“Because…” He begins in a low, and I hate to say this, sexy mumble within the unfortunate circumstances. “I love you.”

He breathes harshly as he stands there for a moment. I remain silent as his words sink into my system.

“So please,” he starts again as he presses his forehead against mine. “Please let me kill for you. As your husband, I have vowed to myself to protect you… Forever and always.”

I stand for a moment in thought. I finally allow myself to sigh, “Vowed is a pretty strong word.”

“I mean it.” He mutters with confidence ringing throughout his voice. “I would never say something like that without meaning it.”

“I believe you, but I am just worried for you. I know I can’t stop you... but please, if you go somewhere, anywhere, bring me with you.”

“Oh? But that defeats the purpose of my protection-” He replies in a lower voice as he takes his forehead from mine.

“You know what I mean…” I mumble as he gives me a certain look.

“Oh… but what if I were to say I didn’t know what you meant?” He adds on in a snickering expression and voice.

I roll my eyes slightly as I grab his face and kiss him rather aggressively. He seems rather surprised as I pull away.

“Sheesh, I didn’t think you could be that intense-”

“What do you mean?!” I interrupt as I feel my face turn bright red. “I’ve kissed you plenty of times! Why do you have to act as if I’ve never done it before every time I do it?!”

He smiles lightly as he laughs, “You weirdo.”

“Weirdo?!” I exclaim quite offended. “You’re the one who started it! You pressured me into doing it! You-you act as if we need to get a room every time we’re around each other! Even if we aren’t talking!” I mumble as I grind my teeth together.

He grins slyly as he replies, “Getting a room with you would be fun! It would probably be much better than this hallway…”

My eyebrows narrow as I shove him away from my body with force. I cross my arms as I turn away from him, “Stop it.” I say rather assertively.

“Stop what?” He asks in the most innocent sounding voice he can muster, though I can hear his audible sarcasm within his voice. “And what do you mean by I caused this? You’re the one who kissed me first… which I should add was incredibly hot by the way…”

I turn around rapidly and point at him with an accusatory expression, “You’re turning something incredibly difficult to talk and think about into a romantic session! You flippin’ kabedoned me! What is wrong with you?! When did you even become this way? You-You used to be so much more… cautious of me.” I yell towards him as anger rises within my voice.

“Well,” he starts as a smirk spreads across his face. “Did it help?”

I remain silent as I think about it. I can’t deny it, he kind of did make me feel better… but that’s beside the point-

“And you ask me when I became this way? Well sweetheart, I’ve been doing this for a long time. Just like you, I’ve always been like this: darker than the others inside. Unlike you, I didn’t try to hide it for so long, I just accepted myself as what I am.”

My eyes widen. I watch as he grins and laughs slightly underneath his breath. I stare at him for a long while until I mumble quietly, “How long have you known about me?”

He taps his foot on the ground lightly as he crosses his arms, “I don’t know… I guess every time you faced your mother you had this look in your eye. It was a certain look of vengefulness. You had that same look for your father. Curiosity always filled me once I saw this come from you. Except, I never saw you do it to me. Even in the worst, I have never seen you give me that look. I’ve always loved you for that.” He stares at me as he finishes with almost a sense of a spark within his eye. “Of course,” he starts again. “Even if you ever did, I would still love you. I know you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Aren’t you sweet,” I start with a mocking tone. “You really know how to point out the pain in people, don’t you?”

“Well… what can I say?” He proclaims as he spreads his arms out egotistically. “I am the Master of Lightning after all. I shine light on both the good and bad.”

He’s so weird, oh my gosh.

But for some reason I still find myself loving this boy.

Without any thought, and before he can finish, I dart into his body and wrap my arms around him tightly. I lay my head on his chest as I close my eyes tightly. His body seems rather surprised by my random burst of energy, but he softly wraps his arms around me and lays his head on top of mine.

“Aw see, it’s okay to cry…” He coaxes quietly in a mannered tone. Tears drip down my face and into his shirt as I bury my head deeper and deeper. “I’ve learned something throughout the years with not just myself, but others,” he starts as he strokes my back gently. “The most expressive and happy-acting people are the most depressed. They hide the most heartache within themselves with smiles and jokes. I know how you feel, and I know how terrible it is. You’ve gone on so many years acting fine, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help you then. I’m sorry no one else noticed. And I’m really sorry that this has to be a part of your life, it’s unfair.”

“It’s not that I hate my life,” I choke out through a mumble. “I just hate how I’ve been treated by my family.”

I feel one of his hands shift to my hair as he pets it softly, “I’m your family now. I always have been, and I always will be. Forget about them.”

“How can I forget about them when I’m the Green Ninja?! At least you’re not as known and bugged constantly by reporters, haters, and constant training every day and night…”

“Then disappear with me.” He mutters in response. His voice is low and serious as he remains stroking my wavy-light hair.

“To where? Now I’m with Harumi… I can’t get out of it-”

I feel Jaxson shift down to my ear and whisper steadily, “Trust me. You said you want to be with me and for me to take you wherever I go, well, you best believe it, I will always have you by my side from now on.”

I hug him tighter as I feel a kick of confusion run throughout my system. What is this feeling? And why am I receiving it? How do I process this?

I shake my thoughts away as I ask quietly, “Do you think Harper is-”

“Don’t think about that.” Jax interrupts as he wraps his arms around me tighter. “Don’t think about it until it’s time.”

Chapter Text

Kadence

“That presentation yesterday was quite entertaining.” Harumi says to me with a look of pride in her eye. She smiles towards me as I stand before her.

As we stare at each other in her office, her only focus is on me right now. That only happens when she’s proud of me. She’s never proud of me, and this gives my mind a rush of accomplishment. It makes me feel strangely good every time I receive it. It makes even my worst accomplishments feel the greatest.

I choose not to ask her about Kacee, but when the thought of Harper comes up in my mind, a gut-wrenching feeling nails itself into my stomach.

I know I shouldn’t care or worry about him, and it’s not like I do, but I still can’t shift my brain away from its thoughts.

I know what I did wasn’t morally right, but he hurt me so much growing up. I know he wouldn’t have felt regret or remorse if he had killed or hurt me tragically in some way growing up, which is what I was always threatened with. And sure, I know that’s a pretty heavy and farfetched assumption, but I know I’m correct with my statement.

Anybody who is willing to leave a child helpless on the ground and in pain would not care if that child was dead or not; that’s how Harper treated me, and he knows that.

He knew what he did to me.

“I almost want to see something like that again.” Harumi announces as she breaks me out of my thoughts. I glance back up at her as curiosity flows through my mind. What does she mean?

I watch as Harumi sits down in her chair and leans forward into her desk as she stares at me directly into the eyes for a few intense seconds. I spot her piercing icy blue eyes glimmering towards my deep red eyes. She sits slowly back into her chair seconds later, and her arms cross confidently as she slyly adds on, “I want to see that with Liberty.”

My heart stops for a few seconds. Liberty? That’s her biological daughter, why would she want me to hurt her daughter?

Unless she’s testing me.

I glance into Harumi’s eyes deeper than before, and I quickly notice a gleam within them that I had yet to notice before this conversation. I wince as I see it, and my heart begins to race harder than before as my stomach plummets inside of my body.

The same worries as earlier come crumbling and falling inside of my mind. It also doesn’t help that she has higher expectations for my fighting this time.

I gulp slowly as I stutter in the most confident voice I can gather, “You-You want me to kill Liberty?”

I watch as Harumi sits back into her chair as she crosses her arms over her chest. She seems to be thinking deeply, and I begin to wonder if she has just been messing with me this whole time. Although, Harumi doesn’t play around, and that’s what I’m worried about.

She swallows slyly as she whispers in a lower voice than usual, “This is the Tournament of Elemental Sources,” she pauses for a moment as her eyes pierce into mine harder than before. A cold sweat elapses down my face as she finishes slowly, “I want you to do whatever you see fits.”

I begin to panic inside, “What does she mean?!” I whisper deeply underneath my breath. I glance down to my feet as thoughts swirl through my brain, and my body feels colder.

“I can’t do that!” I exclaim out of nowhere as I glance back up and force my eyes into her own. I shake rapidly as I say with a jittered voice, “I can’t kill another human being! Not again…” I shake my head as tears fall from my face. Through them, I can see her glare deeper into my own. I hear a sigh escape from her, an angry one, and I begin to sweat harder than before.

Hopelessly, I watch as she slyly walks over to my frozen body and kneels down close to my ear. She follows this action with a whisper, “He isn’t dead. At least, not yet.”

My eyes widen as tears fill the edges. I collect myself quickly before she takes her body away from mine.

No matter how much I hate Harper, I still would rather not be the one to kill him. I would rather not live with that for the rest of my life.

“I want to know something,” Harumi starts slowly as she looks down at me from above. We meet eye contact as she asks, “Why are you so scared of killing another human being if Harper was so easy for you to defeat without a second thought?”

My stomach drops quickly, and my breaths halt. The same trembling from before within my body comes back, and I can only just stand inside of my frozen body as thoughts swirl throughout my brain.

“I mean…” She begins once more as she waltzes behind me and begins to play with my hair slowly, “What is stopping you?”

Her eerie whispers fill my ears, and a shiver flows down my back. All I can do is stand in silence. How do I tell her that I know she isn’t my real mother? Or do I just keep lying and acting as she has been doing to me all these years?

No, I must come clean. I’d rather her know now than have her find out later. She’s in a peaceful state right now, and she for once is treating me like another human.

I breathe in a slow breath as I mumble quietly, “I know the truth.”

I don’t even have to see Harumi’s face, but I can feel her surprise; it’s more than a surprise too, it’s shock. Although, barely a second later, I can feel her emotions change once more, and she keeps her cool as she pulls her face away from my side. I watch carefully as she stares into my eyes deeply.

I know what I’m doing is risky, and I know what I’m doing will not be good for me in the end, but I also know what I must do. I’ve been silent for too long, and I’m tired of it. I want Harumi to know that I have my own mind. She can’t silence me anymore.

She’s had her chance, and she has had her moment, but that is over now. After learning about my sister, and the lies I’ve been told-

I physically feel myself begin to clench my fists tightly. I close my eyes as I fight off the tears I’ve been holding back.

She will pay for the lies she put me through…

“Ah,” I finally hear Harumi mumble as a sigh escapes her mouth. “I see you’ve finally figured it out.”

“Why did you lie to me?!” I scream rather loudly as I quickly lose control of my voice and actions. “You lied to me about everything! Why would you do such a thing?!”

Anger finally fills my insides as everything collapses inside of my brain. I finally begin to think about and realize the actions and conflicts that all this lying has brought into my life, and I begin to weep thinking about it.

I’ve been lied to, abused, and manipulated my whole life by this woman who called herself my mother! She lied to me about one of the biggest things someone can possibly lie about, and she seems to have no remorse for any of it! She doesn’t care about how I feel, and I cannot believe I’ve never realized this in all the years I’ve been hurt by her!

I watch her seriously as I hear a laugh escape her lips. She smiles bitterly and effortlessly at my tears and madness as she slips a strand of her white, silky straight hair from her face. She seems rather impressed with herself as she mutters in a questioning tone, “What do you mean, ‘Why would you do such a thing’?” She proceeds to place a victim’s expression on her face as she pouts slightly. My eyes widen as more tears slip down my face.

Is she seriously this crazy?! What type of sick human would ever laugh at the kidnapping of a child!!! How did I never see this before Kacee told me!!! What type of sick mind do I have to never notice this?!

“You know…” Harumi starts as she smirks devilishly. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this, why you’re so…” She pauses for a moment as she stares at me deeper in the eyes. She has no sympathy whatsoever inside, yet I can also notice a sense of distraught within her eyes. I can’t help myself from becoming curious, but I soon am distracted by her next statement, “Bothered.” She finishes saying as she taps the side of her chin lightly. Her eyebrow raises in a mysterious manner, and before I can say anything in response, she adds on, “Why aren’t you happy about this?” She tilts her head slightly as she mumbles, “I mean, you’ve always been angered living with me, and you better not think I didn’t notice that your whole life. Neverthless, you also are saddened about my lies of your kidnapping. I can understand why you’re bothered in that sense, I mean… no one wants to be lied to about that, but-” She pauses once more, and I begin to sweat vigorously. My anxiety keeps piling up, and I can’t seem to kick myself out of my own thinking within these moments. It’s annoying me deeply, and having Harumi act like this right now is not helping the situation. “But… I also cannot understand why you seem so emotional over this. It’s a good excuse for me to get rid of you, and I would think you would be happy about that.”

My eyes widen slightly as she finishes her words, in both frustration and slight surprisement. She begins to make me think about how I’m feeling, besides the main anxiety, anger, and sadness. Harumi makes me think deeper into how I’m feeling within these moments. I close my eyes slightly as I wipe the now-dried tears from my face, and I glance into her blue eyes deeper than before. The same distraught feeling escapes her through that area, and the same thoughts from before flow back into my brain.

I had never thought she would just get rid of me so easily once I found out. I thought she would keep me hostage longer.

I feel a river of pain and anguish flow over me. I have been used this whole time, and I should be happy to leave, but I also feel sad. All my life until this point was being a pawn within her game, and it makes me nauseous thinking about it.

Throughout my time on this planet, at least from what I can remember, I have only been a useful tool for her plan, and I quickly begin to think whether or not that’s all I’m useful for.

No matter what Harumi wants to say about me, she can never say I was never useful, and she can never say I was a terrible student. Throughout my time being here, I’ve done a fabulous job being a manipulated and useful construct of her plan, and it makes me even sicker to think about. It also begins to make me think of what I’m going to do once she does let go of me, and what I am supposed to do.

It makes me realize all I am good at is being a tool for someone else’s plan, and it pains me to think about it. All I know is I shouldn’t be thinking this way, and I should be relieved I have the opportunity to leave this terrible childhood and place I grew up in, this prison. However, I also feel saddened inside too.

Who am I really? And how am I going to create my own path for myself without being told what to do? Do I even have that capability anymore, or am I just useless? Or have I always just been useless?

“I’m going to be honest,” Harumi starts in a low voice. She kicks my thoughts around as I pay close attention to her words. My insides feel as if they’re crumbling into oblivion though, and my breathing becomes fast paced and nervous. “I did really like having you around.”

I refrain from gasping, but the shock hits me hard. My eyes open wider than before as I look at her closer. I shudder slightly as I watch her expression lighten up.

“I will never say this to Liberty, nor will I ever allow you to say this to her, but I truly missed having my daughter around. And I know this is extremely selfish, which I’ve come to peace with, but I truly enjoyed having you around as a ‘replacement’ I guess, for my daughter, Liberty. You will never know how much you helped me get through that pain, and I have no regrets using you for it.”

“Then why won’t you just keep using me?!” I exclaim as a sudden burst of tears begin to fall from my face. “I’m completely fine with you using me! If that’s all I’m good for, then just use me!” I beg as I reach out and take her cold hand into mine. I feel it’s just as shaky as my own, which I find weird within the moment, but I soon forget as I meet her eyes. The daring blueness flashes into my dark red ones, and that same distraught look she gave me earlier meets mine once more. She seems confused for a second by my actions and exclamations, yet she seems rather pleased with herself as she grins slyly.

She shakes my hands off hers, and she turns away from me as a laugh escapes her mouth. It’s a low and perpetrating laugh, and I begin to shake more as I hear it echo vigorously throughout her office. She’s silent for a moment before she murmurs, “I didn’t know I ruined you this much!” She chuckles slightly as I watch her hand move up to her face. She’s quiet for a few moments once more, before she whispers eerily, “I must’ve messed you up so hard as a kid!” She exclaims as another vicious laugh escapes her body. Suddenly, she turns back to me as a psychotic look and smile fills her face. Within these moments she really is a monster, and she doesn’t seem human.

I back away slightly as the emotions hit my body harshly. I don’t know what to do, and I’m not sure how I’m going to do it. She’s right, I have a perfect opportunity to get away, but I also am scared. She really did majorly screw up my life and future. It makes me sick to think of how much she messed with me and my emotions growing up.

“I’ve never needed you!” She screams as she throws her arms to the sides of her. She approaches me slowly in a taunting manner, and fear begins to flow throughout my body. I back away slowly as she deems closer and closer to me.

“I’ve only used you! And you’re fine with that?! What’s wrong with you!?” She shouts into my face, and I can quickly spot anger arising within herself. An hour ago, I would have thought she would have been completely fine with that and kept using me, but she seems to be the total opposite. She seems to feel almost sorry that she’s turned me into this, no matter how evil she truly is.

“All I used you for was to be a cushion to help me stop thinking about my actual daughter! But now…” She chuckles softly in a low and agonizing voice as she pauses abruptly. “Now I have no use for you since I’ve officially got Liberty within my grasp now!”

My eyes narrow softly as these harsh words hit me. They sting my heart when I hear them, yet I also have a hard time understanding how I’m supposed to feel in this situation. All my life I’ve been lied to my face from this woman, yet I still feel lost without her.

I knew growing up she never loved me because of how she treated me. Although at one point, I came to peace with that realization, and I thought that just being able to survive was enough. Even though I was told what to do 24/7, and controlled to the point of no return, I still relied on her as my anchor. I know, that thought process is so twisted and corrupted, yet she caused this. Harumi caused this, and she knows she can’t fix what she ruined.

It’s her fault for encamping me and lying to me for my whole life, so she will have to learn how to get rid of me after what she has done.

I will not leave until I figure out who I am, and what I should do in my own controlled life. Although, until then, I must find a way to stay with her, as she is the only master I’ll find.

Chapter Text

Kadence

“You seem worried,” Harumi starts as she tilts her head slightly. She now towers over me as I stare deeply at her. My body trembles as I do this, and I begin to wonder if this whole ‘standing up for myself’ was worth it. “Why are you so worried?” She asks curiously. Unlike her previous questions and powerful statements before this, she seems to be suddenly anxious for my answer.

I sigh slightly as I take in a harsh and hot breath. I feel so cold and numb inside as I think. I can’t seem to ponder rationally or correctly right now. My anxiety seems to heighten to newer levels. I wish it was easy to explain why I’m this way, but it’s more difficult than I thought it would be. Maybe it's because I, myself, don't understand why I feel this way.

“If I were to agree to be let go right now, would you let me be free from this?” I attempt to ask confidently in my obviously shaky voice. This question seems to take Harumi aback, and her eyes widen slightly. No matter how trained she is in her ‘poker-face,’ she sometimes will slip up, and it’s always been fun to watch silently.

She groans as she mumbles, “Yes. If I were to let you go now, I wouldn’t interfere with what you do in the future. If you force yourself to stay with me though, you will regret it.”

My eyebrow raises as I ask, “How so?”

She seems almost shocked by my question. I’m only asking this because it will determine how I choose to attack this new adaptation within my life. Most people would think I was stupid for even having a second thought about this, they would just say run while you can, but I cannot seem to tell myself that.

I personally don’t know my biological family, and I have a feeling I will never know them. I don’t want to walk into that family not knowing what I’m walking into, and I would rather not feel the awkwardness that would bring me. At least here, with Harumi, I was the victim. I still am the victim. I know that any day she can easily kick me out onto the curb, yet she won’t because she uses me, which I learned to accept until now growing up. It doesn’t take away from the fact that what she has done to me is wrong, yet at the same time I don’t precisely know what is right. Kacee could just be a very optimistic person, and my real biological family could be just as abusive. That doesn’t even really matter though in this situation. What really matters is the situation and thought process itself.

The predicament I’m having inside of my mind consists of two things: the realization of what Harumi has done and put me through throughout my life, and what I’m going to do about it. There’s also the predicament of whether I will stay with her or not after hearing my whole life about the ninja and their ‘tragedies’.

All throughout my time on this earth that I can remember, Harumi has always talked pretty terribly about the ninja, and I’ve never been able to research or form my own thought process on them. All I have heard about them is their evilness, and I would rather not join a group of people or even think of being accepted into a group that may or may not be more terrible than my own mother. Although, on the offhand that they could be good people, what would I really be losing anyway? It’s not like I know how to not be a tool, so why should I put myself in a situation where I didn’t know how to humanely act?

I feel nauseous. I know I look so vulnerable right now. Why am I like this?

I glance up at Harumi and state seriously, “I’m staying.” I wish I could have said it with absolute confidence, yet I simply cannot. She doesn’t seem surprised by my response, yet she doesn’t seem quite exactly pleased either.

Her lips are held together tightly for a few moments before she breathes deeply and sighs aloud, “I wish you the best of luck.” She places her hand out for me to shake, and I take it slowly into mine.

She takes her hand from me after a few moments and returns to her desk. I take this as my queue to leave her office myself, and I soon do so. Once outside, I break into a heavy sweat as I lean against the wall for support. My legs shake more than they ever have, and my worries begin to settle inside of me. I feel myself fall to the ground as I wrap my head into my knees.

What was I to do? What is my purpose in life? Why do I even care so much?

Chapter Text

Harumi

The words of research stare back at me as I gaze at my computer. I read the articles, journalist entries, and past diaries of the participants for what feels like the 100th time. If my research is correct, and if this is really what happened during the first Tournament of Elements, then I am doing this correctly.

I sit back into my chair in awe at both myself and my accomplishments so far. I still cannot fathom how far I’ve gotten. How far the Ninja have allowed me to get. How far Lloyd has allowed me to achieve.

“Oh Lloyd…” I begin with a low mumble. I rock back and forth in my chair for a few moments as I grab a pen and begin to twirl it between my fingers. I pause for a second and just stare at the walls of my office, and then I glance back at the screen of my computer. My eyes meet the door Kadence left through just a few moments ago, and I begin to wonder about the things she said.

I also begin to wonder, even after all the things she said about making her my tool, why she didn’t just leave. Throughout her whole life and the time I’ve known her, all she has done is stand there and listen without what felt like respect for me. Sure, I may have only ‘used’ her as she likes to say, but I also taught her all I know as a teacher.

She has never seemed to be grateful for that or even care for what I was teaching her, but she still chooses to remain here, and it confuses me greatly. I have no use for her anymore, and she knows that now, so why does she wish to stay?

I glance back down to the pen inside the palm of my hand, and as I stare at it, I begin to think about the possibilities with Kadence in a different perspective.

“This may be good actually,” I start to say to myself as I glance at my two hands. “Because if anything goes down with Liberty, I’ll still have Kadence as a backup-” I pause myself rather quickly before I say anything more. I think upon this more as I shake my head, “No, I was wrong when I did that to Kadence back then. I should have known that nothing would have changed when Liberty was gone. Back then, I should have known that no one could fix my sadness about her. I’m not afraid to say to myself after all these years that I was in the wrong.” I lean back into my chair with a sigh as I stare at the ceiling. I feel anxious suddenly as I think about Liberty.

“What if she does end up leaving? What if I lose her again, but this time I won’t be able to find her?” My eyes widen slightly as these thoughts fill my mind.

After all these years, I’ve finally been able to have her within my grasp, but I don’t know how long that will last. Liberty’s going to be an adult next year, and after that she can leave and do whatever she pleases without any sort of repercussions. I don’t have any sort of way to have her in my control, and I hate that.

I really hate that I never got to care for my own daughter. I hate that this situation is the way it is, and I’ve had to be presented as the only ‘Bad Guy’ within her life.

I especially hate that I’ve never gotten to know her, and I have to convince her to talk to me.

I can never think of one time where we have had a pleasant conversation, just between mother and daughter. And sure, many would say it’s my fault. Many would say that I was the one who gave up on her and left her, but no matter what anyone says, that is not entirely true.

Sure, I may have ‘left’, but it was never meant for her not to know of my existence; that was all of Lloyd’s fault. He made up that I was gone until she was ‘of-age’ he called it, until she was eventually allowed to find out about my existence. I didn’t retaliate because at the time, I didn’t care. If he wanted to have her completely under his control, so be it. I had Harper anyways, and during that time, my main focus was on him.

It wasn’t until I finally met Liberty in battle years ago when I realized how much I really subconsciously was angry about the idea that my daughter was taken away like that from me. Many would say it was best that Lloyd did that, yet I beg to differ. He lied to his own daughter that her mother was dead, and then he proceeded to tell her I was alive after thirteen years of her life. Most children wouldn’t enjoy hearing that their parent isn’t actually dead after so many years of being lied to, and then they learn all their past training and pain has led them up until this point of their lives and they must fight for the side they were assigned. I feel more sympathy for Liberty than her father ever will for her. He will never understand, no matter how much he wants to pretend he does, how she feels. He will never understand how much pain it is to be told a lie for years on end just to find out it isn’t true. He especially will never ever understand what it is like to be forced day and night, without any sort of break, to train feeling worthless countless times.

Even though many would like to say I have abused her, Lloyd has done just as bad. He manipulated her whole entire childhood, and he’s an idiot for doing so. Not only am I going to lose her, but so is he.

I begin to laugh lightly with myself as I think upon this. I bite the inside of my cheek as I sit up in my chair abruptly.

“But wait,” I begin to mumble to myself as I begin to think upon my own sayings. “If I can make her believe I am somehow better than Lloyd ever has been toward her as a parent, I may not lose her. Through very careful actions, it may be only Lloyd who loses her, and not myself!” I jump up from my seat quickly as a new and fragile idea burns into my brain. “I just will have to get him to come here.”

Chapter Text

Kacee

I feel Harper begin to fall from my grasp, and underneath all the pain dispersing from my own body, I fall with him. I hear heavy breathing coming from his body, and I immediately check to see if he’s okay.

New blood leaks from him as he lands on his open wounds, which are trying so hard to secure themselves without proper medical help.

He groans as he rolls onto his back and closes his eyes slowly. My eyes widen through fear as I immediately direct myself to his side. He’s in a great amount of pain. I don’t know what to do, nor do I know how to help him. If I don’t get him back to a place where I can possibly help his wounds soon, the worst may come…

No, Kacee. You must, no matter what, keep him alive!

Tears begin to fill my eyes as these intrusive thoughts fill my brain. How do I help him? How do I get us both somewhere safe? No one is safe to ask for help, and we can’t have Harumi catch us either. Who knows what she would do to us if she were to realize we escaped. She clearly has proven she gives no mercy to anyone, not even her own son!

“I’m going to be okay,” Harper chimes in, breaking my thoughts apart. I immediately focus on him and his needs, and he stares into my eyes sadly as sweat drips down his face. He smiles softly as he reaches over and lightly grabs my hand within his own. It’s cold and damp, yet he squeezes it softly.

His breathing is harsh and raspy as he directs his eyes toward the dimmed ceiling. It’s been 16 hours since the start of this if I were to assume numbers, and Harper has stayed strong for so long through this. I need to keep him alive. I must keep him alive… no matter what happens to me.

I feel his hand reach up to touch my cheek slowly. We meet eye contact, and he whispers in a faint tone, “I’m not going to let myself die… not until I can say I’ve lived my life to the fullest, with you.”

Both my mind and heart sink within these moments. Tears begin to slip down my cheeks as I scream painfully, “Who said you were going to die?! I’m not going to let that happen to you!”

“And I’m not going to let it happen.” He replies quietly, dropping his arm back onto my knees. He sighs with a raspy breath as he proceeds to sit himself up. I go to help him, but he ignores my efforts as he leans himself up against the wall and begins to wrap his larger wounds tighter with his shirt. I offer mine, yet he declines as he puts his arm out for me to take and help him up.

I stare at him for a moment full of surprisement, and then I shake my head as I kneel across from him. He looks at me with a confused expression, and I carefully take his hands in mine; they’re becoming colder and colder by the minute, and it scares me. I try to erase these thoughts from my head within these moments, and I proceed to lean over his limp body and kiss him softly. He seems surprised and tense for a moment, yet he calms after a few seconds. I go to pull away, but he connects us once more as he detaches his hands from mine and places them on my shoulders. I feel his lips pull away from mine, and before I can even pull away myself, he pulls me into a tight hug. He smells of dried blood and dirt, yet his designated sweet smell remains as I dig my head into his shoulder. I feel him wince slightly, and I instantly have the instinct to pull away, but he doesn’t let me go.

“I know what you’re doing, and I’m not letting you go until I know I said a proper goodbye.” He mumbles into my neck as he pulls me in closer to his body, his hot breath hitting me in a cold manner.

More tears form within my eyes as I push him away and look at him intensely in the eyes. His eyes appear cold and foggy, and it truly scares me. I notice him tearing up too, which causes my body to begin weeping once again.

“I’m not going to allow you to die. I am going to protect you, and I will come back to you.” I mumble through my snot and tears. His icy eyes stare back into my own with a frozen expression. I watch as tears drip down his own face. “You just have to promise not to die on me!” I exclaim as a small uncomfortable laugh escapes my mouth. I notice he attempts to grin back, but the pain fills his face, and he ends up just sighing through it.

“But… what if you come back… and you find out I’m…” He pauses for a quick moment as he swallows harshly. More tears drip down his face as he mumbles softly, “Gone?”

My expression falls to the ground as the intrusive thoughts from earlier pop back into my mind. A deeper set of mournful tears escape my eyes and shower my face. I choke on my own spit as I exclaim, “I won’t let that happen! No matter what! If you die, I die! I will die for you if so be it! I’m not letting you go like this!!!”

“Then go, but you better come back soon.” Harper says with a slight nod as his eyes drop slowly.

I kiss him carefully once more, and by the time I pull away, his eyes close slowly. I rest my hand on his chest for a moment checking his heart. Once I feel it still beating, I immediately run in the direction we were heading. I take note of the surroundings as tears remain falling from my face. Now that I’m away from him, I can finally cry in a more ‘disgusting’ manner without him being more concerned with me than himself.

I have a plan, yet I don’t know if it will work. I not only plan on gathering supplies to keep him alive, but I also need to get in contact with Lloyd. If I can do that, maybe he can help us fix this, and we can all get out of here safely.

I immediately stop my light jogging as I begin to think about this idea. Liberty comes back into my mind for the first time since that encounter with Harumi, and I begin to think about it deeper than before.

However, would it actually be smart to invite Lloyd here? Even though I may not support Liberty and her supposed choices and partnership with her mother, I support our friendship. I support our sisterhood. I know, no matter what, and no matter how much I don’t understand it, that she has a reason for what she did. She is not just doing it for no reason, and I know for a fact one of those reasons was her father…

Suddenly, a sharp pain jolts throughout my body. I glance down at my disgusting clothes and realize how many open wounds I have myself. My body still feels weak, and this running is not helping the situation.

The more I exercise, the more I seem to lose my energy much faster than before…

I shake the thoughts and pain from my mind as I proceed to walk slower than before. I limp toward the end of the hall, and I look back from where I just came from. I no longer see Harper, and it immediately puts me in rushing mode. I need to keep him alive, no matter what happens.

“All you need to do is get supplies for Harper, Kacee. Then you can worry about getting in contact with the outside world.” I reassure myself in a soft manner.

Before I can process anything, I feel warmth surround my body as green and gold fire explode the building surrounding me. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

The finale for the Tournament of Elemental Sources is soon coming up, and rather quickly at that. Tonight, not only will we be fighting one round by the ominous choice of sticks, but we’ll be battling once again in the morning. I am nervous, tired, and emotional. Just a few hours ago I had to watch my brother be brutally obliterated, and I have not been told whether he lives or not. It hurts me, and the pain and imagery of those gory scenes remain deep inside of my mind.

No matter what Jaxson says, I plan on giving Kadence all I got if we are put against each other. I don’t plan on killing her intentionally, out of respect for Jax’s rather large speech earlier, but I plan on making her ‘pain’ exceed levels. I will have no mercy, and I will have no tolerance for her stupidity.

“Hey Libby,” I hear Jaxson’s voice roam inside of my thoughts, and I choose to allow myself to listen to him. I haven’t been feeling up to par since watching Harper go through what he did, and every time I do, I feel absolutely sick to my stomach.

I listen to Jaxson’s words as he sits down next to me on the floor. I, currently being curled up in my own humanoid ball, do not choose to look at him, yet I choose to listen to what he has to say.

“I know it’s hard for you to eat under stressful and difficult situations, but you haven’t eaten since before the last tournament over 8 hours ago, and you need to eat to restore your energy for tonight’s tournament…” I hear his voice drift off as I expect he’s awaiting a response. I don’t give it to him. I feel too weak and sad to talk.

Suddenly, I hear a sigh escape him, and he mumbles in a whisper, “...Please.” After he says this with a short breath, I hear something shift to the side of my body. I glance towards it, and it’s a plate of rather easy-to-eat-food, such as: soup and bread.

“Unlike you,” I begin in a groggy tone as I put my head back into my arms. “I can’t eat when I’m stressed or sad.”

“Ah well, gee, eating keeps me going when I’m stressed-” He replies rather quickly as I feel him getting closer to me.

“I know,” I grumble in a low mumble as I glance up and roll my eyes toward him. I am met with a spoonful of soup in my mouth before I can say more. I quickly notice his laughable smile as he takes the spoon from my mouth and cracks up in a hysterical manner.

“What are you-”

“Here comes the airplane!” Jaxson exclaims as another spoonful of soup enters my mouth. Before I can even swallow it, he pulls the spoon out of my mouth and goes in for another course of it.

“Stop!” I shout, placing my hands in front of my body and shooing him away. “What are you doing?!”

“Well, if you aren’t going to eat, I assume I would have to do it for you.”

My eyebrow raises in curiosity and embarrassment, “What?”

“Listen, I don’t care what type of excuses you want to make or say. You are going to eat and not starve yourself. I will not let that happen, nor will I allow you to do that to yourself.” He pauses for a moment suddenly, and I can watch him thinking to himself. “Take your eating-under-stress advice from me! I have and always will be revolutionary in food consumption!” He exclaims as he smiles brightly. I stare at him, then I glance toward the bowl of soup in his hand, and then back to him.

“Uhuh,” I start in a sarcastic voice. “So, is that the reason why you aren’t exactly fit?” I still intend to tease as I say this, and I boop him slightly in the stomach.

“Excuse me!” He proclaims rather loudly, his eyes narrowing. “If you must know, I am perfectly perfect everywhere, and you know it.”

“Mhm,” I mumble in agreement, taking the bowl of soup from his hands. I proceed to feed myself as our stares remain entranced with one another.

“You’re really ruining my already-low-self-esteem right now.” He mumbles in what sounds like a saddened voice. “I wasn’t ready for that. You gave no warning.” He takes the roll of bread from my plate and begins to eat it himself with a slight eye roll towards me and a pout.

“Pfft, yeah right,” I excuse in a joking-tone. “The only one who has the right to say they have low self-esteem here, is me. You are so confident about everything and everyone that sometimes you need to be told to chill out with your confidence levels.” I take the bread from his hands and take a bite out of it myself. It’s rather warm actually, which I wasn’t expecting. “Plus,” I add, chewing the bread softly. “If you couldn’t tell, I was just kidding. I was trying to be funny.”

Jax crosses his arms with a pouty expression full of sarcasm. “It was so mean what you said about me and my body, unforgivable.”

“Sure,” I mock bitterly, putting another spoonful of soup in my mouth. “Say what you want to say. Either way, you’re keeping me around, you have no choice, you like me too much.”

I go back to eating my soup once I finish my statement, but I feel an eerie silence form around me. I was expecting Jax to reply with something snarky again, but he seems rather quiet. Concerned, I glance up at him, and he just stares at me, eyes wide.

“Is something wrong?” I ask, the worrying thoughts hitting me hard. I set the bowl of soup down, anxious about what he is to reply with.

“Oh my gosh, you finally said it! Instant unforgiveness!” He exclaims, a bigger smile than before filling his face. He inches closer to me as a look of curiosity spreads across my face once more.

“What did I say?”

“You finally have realized I can’t get rid of you! And you have accepted that! Yes!” He proclaims rather excitingly, and I still gaze at him confused.

“Well, duh. If I didn’t like being around you, I wouldn’t be engaged to you.” I mumble in response as I pick my soup back up and continue eating it.

He just laughs harder as the brightest and most excited smile I’ve ever seen shows up on his face.

“Exactly! This is real… Oh my gosh…” He goes on in a hyped tone.

I begin to eat my soup again, but now I can’t even help myself from smiling slightly at the realization as I look down at the ground.

He’s right. Being engaged to him is exciting, and the realization that it’s real… is amazing.

“I’m full,” I announce, setting the half-eaten bowl of soup on the ground. I glance up at Jax with a sudden serious look, and he seems to recognize this as now he’s giving me a look back.

“Wassup?” He asks as he wraps his arm around my back and leans against the wall.

“Let’s say, statistically, we are put against each other tonight or in the morning for the tournament. What do we do?” I ask seriously as my mind begins to race with newfound thoughts.

Jaxson sighs as if this thought has conversated throughout his head multiple times in the past few hours. He seems anxious with his response, but confident, “I would be going down first.”

“What?!” I exclaim through shock, my eyes widening. “Why would you allow yourself-”

“My job is to protect you, no matter the cost, remember?” He interrupts, harshly and seriously. “If I were to go down first, you would have a much bigger chance of being safe.”

“But… why do you say it this way if we’re working for Harumi and are already on her side anyways?” I question, glancing at him intently as he presses his gaze onto the floor.

“Because,” he begins in a soft whisper. “No matter what, I don’t know what she will do. I wouldn’t be so hesitant if I hadn’t heard about the Elemental power-stripping thing or whatever, but now that I heard a rumor about it, and I don’t know what it does…” He pauses once more as he glances back up at me, dead in the eye. “I don’t want you getting hurt first if she were to use it against us. I want to be able to protect you from it, and again I must say, if she were to use it against us.”

I nod slightly as I go along with his plan. I would like to argue, say that I can go down first to protect him, but I already know what he will say.

I sigh quietly before mumbling, “So I’m assuming you have some theories on what that thing is that Kadence was mentioning?”

His eyes meet mine, and they’re unusually glassy and fogged as he mutters quietly, “Yes.”

Dark silence falls upon the two of us and the room, and I begin to shake as my own ideas form within my head. I swallow deeply before mumbling, “What do you think she’s planning?”

I watch as he inhales deeply, with a pitied sigh, before expressing dimly, “I believe she’ll take the Elements from all the trainees, and use them for herself.”

I watch him anxiously as a cold sweat rolls down his face. I go to speak instantly but choose to think with myself about his answer.

I agree with his theory, but why is she even doing this in the first place?

“Why is she doing this?” I ask, leaning my head into his shoulder.

“It’s simple really, she wants all the power.” He states, and rather calmly at that.

“You seem so calm about this, shouldn’t we be worried?”

“Of course we should be worried,” he begins, slowly. I feel him sigh as he goes on, “But we have to think of this rationally and logically, too.”

“And what’s that?” I inquire, quietly.

“We stay quiet about it, and we hope it doesn’t happen to us.” I immediately lift my head from his shoulder in shock. My body shakes rapidly as we meet eye contact, and I can only swallow a ball of spit harshly, before exclaiming, “But what about everyone else?! Aren’t they in danger?”

“Why should we care about them?” He questions, his eyebrow narrowing slightly. “Why would I care about them?”

I go to say something, but I pause as I think for a moment.

After all of these years, and being told what to do all the time, I had never had the chance to think to myself why I do what I do. Why I save random and ‘helpless’ people, and why I had the goal in my mind to save them.

I had always been told instead that I should always put others before myself and my own life, and that is only how a human shall live.

“My only goal right now is to make sure you’re safe, nobody else. I could care less what Harumi is planning, as long as I know you’re alive and well.” Jaxson mumbles, taking my head and placing it back into his shoulder.

“But… what about your sister, Kacee, and everybody else? Don’t you care about your own well-being too!?” I exclaim as this newfound realization forms into my brain.

Maybe the problem is me. Maybe I’m the weird one. Maybe, as a human, you are to only care and worry about yourself, and I have been lied to this whole time.

I hear a lower sigh come from him as he mumbles, “Just… just trust me, okay?”

I’m silent as I think, but I decide within the moment to remain quiet and not ask any more questions. The air seems more tense right now, for some reason, and I would rather not push that tenseness farther.

That doesn’t mean I’m not confused though. But maybe, I’ve been wrong. Maybe, as a human, you’re to put yourself first, before anybody else? But that doesn’t seem right, compared to what I was taught my whole life. I was always told you die for others no matter the cost or situation. You put others before yourself.

“Yet again, that was my father telling me that…” I mumble to myself, aloud.

“What?” Jaxson asks. He seems intrigued.

“Have I been wrong this whole time?”

“Wrong about what?” Jaxson asks, slowly.

“Have I been wrong…” I begin to dig my head into my hands, deeply. “About the well-being of others and myself?”

I receive no response, and the room goes silent once more.

“Jaxson?” I say, lifting my head up from my fingertips and finally looking at him. His face is stern and cold within these moments, and I choose not to press into it any further. I swallow, realizing my intrusive thoughts will have to be muted for a little while longer, and I wrap my hands around him, pulling him closer to me than before.

“Let’s win this, okay?” I ask, passionately, trying to secure the most up-beat voice I can.

“Yeah…” He mutters in response, barely looking back at me.

This is weird. Why is he suddenly acting so distant? Did I say something  wrong?

“Oh, I know!” I exclaim, jumping up and walking to my top-dresser-drawer. “I stole some chocolate, like the fun-sized ones, from the cafeteria, and I’ve been creating a chocolate candy stash. You can know about it though, because I know you won’t tell anyone about it.”

I dig my hand into the drawer and take all of them in my grasp. I then turn back to him, and I notice quickly how he has barely made a shift in his appearance. He remains staring at the ceiling, and it’s concerning me.

I wobble back over with the abundance of chocolate secure within my grasp, and I lay them all out on the floor in front of him. He doesn’t seem to notice or care, and I quickly begin to worry even more than before.

“Hey, are you okay? Did I say or do something to annoy you?” I question, crawling closer to him.

“I’m alright, and you did nothing wrong.” He replies, suddenly, turning his head and staring into my eyes intently.

All I can do is stare back into his now-cold blue eyes. I notice he puts a smile onto his face suddenly, to make me feel better, but his eyes tell a different story. Something isn’t right.

“Chocolate?” I pipe up, picking a bar of milk-chocolate-with-caramel up and offering him a chunk of it. He takes it, graciously, and I watch closely as he eats it.

He eyes me, and he mumbles, “Do you have to stare at me eating like that?”

“Yes.” I answer softly, leaning closer to him. I peck his lips softly with my own, and he seems taken aback for a moment mid-chew. He then proceeds to smile slightly as he questions, “Oh, so we’re doing this now?”

“Yep!” I exclaim, attempting to be more positive and hyped up than usual. If he’s not going to be the more positive one within these moments, someone has to be. “But!” I say, interrupting the possible moment of affection we could be having. “Chocolate first!”

He offers me a slight smile, but I can tell something is still off. I lay my head on his chest slowly, and I begin to play with his hand.

“You don’t suddenly… not like being around me anymore, do you?” I ask with a teasing tone. Maybe, just maybe, this will break the sudden odd silence.

“What?” He asks, glancing down at me. “How’d you get that?”

“Well, I did tease you rather meanly earlier… I’m sorry, I was just kidding.” I mumble, interlocking my fingers into his. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

He laughs a mocking laugh, “You didn’t hurt my feelings. I’m not that sensitive.”

“Then what did I do wrong?” I add on in a more wimpy tone.

“You did absolutely nothing! Gosh! Why is it that every time I go quiet, and I have a moment, you think you did something wrong!?” He shouts in an angered tone now, taking his hand away from my own with a rather loud sigh.

My eyebrows narrow as I sigh slightly in return. “Then cut it out!” I exclaim, sitting up and punching him lightly in the shoulder.

He gives me a rather annoyed look in return, and I smile back at him brightly. He then sighs once more, before muttering, “Can we just… sit here… without having to have a conversation?” He gives me a small smile in an attempt to look nice, but I realize he’s serious about what he’s asking.

I sit back in slight surprise, but I just nod slowly.

Weird. Normally, he wants to have a conversation constantly.

I grab another piece of chocolate from the stash and lean against the wall myself. Suddenly, I feel his right arm wrap around my shoulders and pull me tightly into his grasp.

He holds me in a tight hug for what almost feels like forever, and no words of explanations are exchanged. Between us, all that is heard is our heavy breaths colliding with the air around us.

“I’m going to fix it all.” He mumbles in my ear, leaving me in a confused daze for the rest of the connection.

Chapter Text

Liberty

‘I’m going to fix it all’

‘I’m going to fix it all’

‘I’m going to fix it all’

I shake my head rapidly from my thoughts. Ever since earlier, those same words have replayed within my mind countless times. I didn’t feel as if it was time to ask Jaxson what he meant by that, but unfortunately, in return, it has left me greatly confused.

I glance at him ever so slightly within these moments, walking by my side toward the tournament. We haven’t spoken many words to each other, but by observation, he seems to be deep in thought. I, too, am now deep in thought by what he said earlier.

Sometimes, he really ticks me off when he does this to me. I guess it keeps me on my toes, but it’s annoying when he says something and doesn’t say the reason to what he means by it. He acts as if I can read his mind, and sometimes it gets very annoying.

Although maybe I’m not absolutely crazy within these moments, and maybe he did say what he said knowing I may not understand.

It’s just WHY would you say something to me, knowing that I cannot read your mind! That doesn’t make sense!

I audibly sigh, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice he glances at me carefully. I meet his gaze, and soon after, he turns away from mine.

“Listen,” he begins, slowly. Before I can think any further within my own mind, he adds in, “I’m going to apologize to you.”

“What? Why?” I ask, now quite alert and confused.

He meets my wandering eyes, and I quickly notice how cold and dark his own eyes are. He seems worried as he mumbles lightly, “I wasn’t trying to worry you or ignore you earlier, I’ve just been anxious.” He pauses for a moment, and I watch as he breathes in a fresh breath of new air before adding in, “I want you to know that I don’t ever plan on hurting you! In the next tournament or ever! I don’t want to do to you what Harper did to Kacee, but I’m worried that I might, by accident, and no matter what I do, I cannot get those intrusive thoughts out of my head!” His sudden shouting rings throughout my ears, and I watch as his fists clench together tightly within his own grasp. I am about to say something in response, but he interrupts my efforts by stopping his steps, lowering his gaze to the ground below us, and growling slightly in a low voice, “I don’t want to live with the idea that I ever hurt you physically, or I caused you unneeded harm due to a STUPID tournament! So, I want you to promise me that you will go along with the plan I told you, and only the plan I told you! I'll go down first!” He gazes up quickly, places his hands on my shoulders rather roughly, and he meets my eyes intently. A nervous sweat rolls down his face as he says, “I am going to fix it all! I want to fix this! I want you to be safe! I don’t want you being hurt anymore by stupid people who have no respect for you or themselves!” He exclaims, holding me tight within his grip. “I want to give you a good life! And to do that, I have to fix this!”

My eyes can only widen in response.

I guess I got my answer to what he meant earlier, but I don’t understand why he’s getting so worked up over this. Is there something I don’t know that he knows? And if so, why isn’t he telling me?

No, Liberty, you have to trust that he knows what he’s doing.

I place my right hand on his, which is holding the left side of my shoulder tightly, and I smile and look at him for a few seconds passionately, before replying in a whisper, “Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on not following your plan.”

He seems instantly relieved the moment I reply. He smiles through his anxiety, and I begin to wonder once again why he got so worked up over it.

“And you shouldn’t worry about the intrusive thoughts,” I mutter, softly. He takes his tight grip off my shoulder as I add on, “Because you wouldn’t do it, even if another entity were to be controlling you. You care too much about my well-being, and I say that with absolute confidence.” I give him a small smile as I take his left hand within my right, and I say surely, “So you shouldn’t worry!”

I feel his grip wrap around my hand tighter than usual as I say this. I hear him chuckle softly to himself as he mutters in a quieter tone, “You’re right. I shouldn’t be worrying.”

“Precisely!” I exclaim, offering him a rather pronounced smile. “So, let’s go out there and kick some butt!”

He laughs lightly once again as he interlocks our fingers together and continues walking. Silence passes between us for quite a while until he announces seriously, “I want you to listen to me carefully, and I don’t want you to reject what I have to say. I want you to listen, and I want you to follow.”

I stare at him for a solid second, contemplating on his intentions.

“If anything were to ever happen to me in a bad way, I want you to run. I want you to run for it. I don’t want you staying in the possible danger, nor do I want you to look for me… I will find you. I’m saying this now for not just this situation we’re in, but I’m saying it for our future. If there is ever a time when danger strikes and it is unsafe, you are to leave, and only leave. I don’t want you to look back. Do you understand?” He stares deeply into my eyes as he states this, his dark blue eyes reflecting my own emerald, green ones.

I feel tears begin to fill my eyes as I mumble, “But… where would I go?”

He still gazes straight into my eyes as he stops, turns, and places his hands onto my shoulders heavily. He lowers himself to match eye-level height with my body, and he proceeds to say strictly, “Do you understand what I’m saying? Do you understand and will follow what I ask of you?”

I feel my body begin to tremble as I reply weakly, “Yes-yes.”

“You don’t seem too confident. Repeat it.” He orders, demandingly. I feel his grip tighten on my shoulders, and I begin to tremble even more. I gulp down a thick ball of spit before mumbling, “Yes, I understand.”

He continues to stare deeply into my eyes even after I agree. He seems as if he’s fixated within the moment, and I proceed to stare back into his eyes. I still can spot him slightly shaking, himself. He swallows deeply, takes a new breath in, guides his gaze away from mine, and whispers, “Good.” As he takes his harsh grip from my shoulders.

I watch as he begins to walk ahead of me once again, as if nothing weird just happened here. I reach my arm out and grab the back of his shirt with a tight grip. He immediately is pulled back, and he chokes as I pull myself ahead of him using his shirt. I stand in front of him, boldly, refusing to allow him to take another step until he explains what he just told me to follow. It’s not that I don’t trust him, and it’s not that I don’t want to follow his orders, I just want to know why.

I watch as he recovers from the lack of oxygen, and he gives me a look in return as if I’m absolutely crazy for what I just did to him, which is fair, I am crazy, but this is no time to be acting like I’m the weird one here.

“Explain to me what you insist upon!” I exclaim, quite loudly, as I stomp my foot against the ground. “Where would I go? How would you find me? Why are you suddenly insisting on talking about this?” I say, strictly, as I stare deeply into his gaze. I notice he seems rather conflicted with my questions, and I begin to wonder if he’s even listening to me.

“Hey!” I shout, waving my hand in front of his face rapidly. “What is wrong with you today?! Why won’t you listen to me!?”

His head immediately snaps to my glare, and he whisper-shouts, “Shut up!”

I stand confused and taken aback.

What? Did I do something wrong…

Before I can process what’s going on, he grabs me by the shoulders and presses me against the wall of the hallway dramatically and harshly. He places one hand on my waist as he places his other on my chin as he kisses me passionately.

“What are you doing?!” I cry out as he takes a breath. Before he can even answer, he proceeds to keep doing it, and between intervals, I can slightly hear a small, “Please just trust me.” Through the connection between us.

I begin to attempt to push him away from my body, but he stands firm. I am about to begin to try to squirm free of his grip out of both fear and concernment. There’s been weird energy coming from him these last couple of hours, and I don’t know what has come over him to do this.

Before I can begin, I spot my mother out of the corner of my eye walking past him. My eyes widen as she glances at the two of us.

“Hey!” I hear her shout rather loudly. Jax’s head snaps back as he pulls away from my body. I just stare at her, and she seems to stare right back. “There’s no public display of affection allowed here!”

I watch as Jaxson swallows slightly, before mumbling in a hoarse tone, “Well, it isn’t exactly public, is it?” He smiles slightly toward her, taking his hands from the wall and raising his arms confidently, expressing himself vehemently. “You just happened to walk by during the wrong time.” I watch his eyes narrow toward her, which surprises me.

What is he doing!?

“Plus,” he adds, before she can even say anything in response. “She’s my wife. You gotta give us a little slack, can’t ya?”

Her eyebrows narrow as she exclaims, clearly confused, “Wife?” She glances toward Jax as she asks this, and then she looks at me.

“Is he being legit?” My mother asks me with the most confused and complex expression on her face. I can only nod slowly in response.

“Of course I am!” Jax declares, wrapping his right arm around my shoulders and bringing me in tightly close to him. “It would be a waste of my time to date someone if I wasn’t planning to marry her.” He explains as he smiles brightly. I watch as he opens his eyes slowly, and the energy shifts slightly within his gaze as he mumbles in a darker tone, “And I wouldn’t marry someone if I didn’t want to protect her.”

Jaxson glares toward my mother as he eerily says this, and I proceed to remain quiet, but my thoughts are loud.

Is he… messing with her? But why?

He’s not telling me something, and I know it.

“Well congratulations…” My mother mutters in response, in a lower and more casual voice than usual. “You will be happy together. You two are very dedicated to the relationship.”

“Darn right!” Jaxson proclaims, pulling me closer into the side of his shoulder, almost choking me to death.

My mother’s gaze alters from his to mine after he replies. I meet her cold and icy blue eyes through a glare. She has no apparent and readable expression on her face, yet I can tell she’s thinking something. She seems as if she’s holding something back from us, me specifically.

“Well, since you two are official, I’ll let you keep at it. It’s not like you’re wasting each other's time.”

After saying this, she proceeds to turn and leave us alone. Jax and I remain quiet for a solid few seconds after watching her leave and turn around the corner. Another few seconds later, I hear him take in a breath of new air and unwrap his tight grip around my shoulders.

Quickly, I pull away from him, and I back up a few feet from him. He seems almost apologetic in his eyes as he stares into mine, yet I avoid him like the plague.

“How dare you!” I hiss in anger as tears begin to form within my eyes. My words and mouth tremble, and my throat feels prickly as I attempt to hold back tears through my next confrontation, “You’ve promised me multiple times you wouldn’t hurt me! That hurt! You forced it! Why would you do that?! You promised.”

Before he can even attempt to reply, I storm up to him and slap him across the face, hard. He seems surprised and taken aback by this, but I don’t care. Tears stream down my face, and my eyes blur in and out repeatedly as I stare at him angrily. He frowns slightly as he presses his hand against his face.

“I’m really sorry. My intentions weren’t to hurt you, nor have they ever been. I was trying to make sure Harumi didn’t hear our conversation, so my best idea was to act as if we were expressively infatuated with each other, so she wouldn’t ask further questions and just assume any words we exchanged were us being affectionate toward one another.” He whispers this as if someone can hear him actively say it.

“Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden?” I confront in a bold manner. This isn’t even about him pushing me against the wall earlier, it’s the fact he knows something and is keeping it from me.

“What?” He asks, eyes widening. He steps forward slightly in a confused manner.

“You’re keeping something from me!” I point at him accusingly. “I just know it! I can feel it! You only act this weird when keeping something important from me!” I shout, angry tears escaping my eyes.

He grabs my wrist roughly, and he comes closer to my face as he whispers, “I’m not keeping anything from you that you shouldn’t know! It is how I’m going to keep you safe!”

“But why!?” I scream aloud, my face fury with vexation. I force my wrist to be let go of, and I add on, “I trust you! You should trust me!”

I hear him chuckle to himself slightly, and then towards me within these moments. He stands up straight once again, and he turns to the wall, slamming his fists against it. My eyes widen in surprise. I watch as he lowers his head against the wall, and he mumbles in a low growl, “It’s not that I don’t trust you! It’s that I want to protect you!” He shouts, glancing back up again and turning toward me. He has an almost psychotic expression on his face as he says slowly, “Do you not understand that everything I do for you is to protect you?! Because damn right it is!” He lowers himself down closer to me once more, becoming eye-level, as he whispers carefully, “I know I may come across an a**hole sometimes, but it’s for your own good!”

“But what’s so wrong with me protecting you every so often?! Why can’t you share with me what’s going on and just tell me what to do in this situation!?” I question as my body begins to tremble once again.

He stares at me for quite a while before replying. I hear a sigh come from him as he breathes slowly, and in a low tone, he states, “You care too much about me to just ‘follow’ what to do in a situation. You cannot deny that. I know if I were to tell you the dangers of specific situations, you would put me first above anybody, even above yourself, and I don’t want that! I want to protect you! And by doing that, I must keep some small things from you to protect you!” He pauses for a moment, swallows bitterly and deeply once again, as he adds slowly, “You’ve given yourself to too many people throughout your life! You have never cared about what you want, and what you need! I want to make you feel as if you have a choice, and you have an option to be the one sitting back for once and not worrying every five minutes!” He yells passionately as he takes my two hands into his. He gazes deeper into my eyes than before, and I notice a form of kindness inside of them.

He sighs deeply as he looks down to the ground, still holding my two hands in his, as he mumbles, “I want to give you that. I want you to know what it feels like to be protected. I want to end this Hell for you.” He pauses once more as he looks into my eyes once again, and I quickly notice how glassy his eyes are, “I don’t want to watch you hurt anymore! As your husband, I have vowed to protect you! And I am going to do just that! I’m sorry that sometimes I am a jerk, and I hurt you emotionally, but it hurts me deep down watching you get hurt trying to protect others as much as you do! It really, really hurts!”

I stare at him for quite a long while, and then I glance down to the ground myself. My emotions are in a rut right now, and I don’t know how to feel. I don’t know whether I should be flattered or confused. No one in my life has ever said words like that to me before, and I don’t know how to take it.

“Do you… do you trust me?” I ask him in a low whisper.

He’s silent for a moment before saying, “Well, yes, of course.”

I snap my head up once more and meet his gaze as I exclaim, “Then I will trust you that you know what you’re doing! But I swear, I swear that I, too, will always want to protect you, as well! Don’t excuse yourself completely to make me happy, because I won’t be happy unless you are!” I breathe deep breaths in and out as I say this. My heart beats rapidly as I squeeze his hands tightly.

After my announcement, I notice a compassionate smile form across his face slightly. He takes his hands from mine and wipes his eyes slightly before leaning in and hugging me tightly. I am surprised for a second by this sudden affectionate movement, but I accept it and wrap my own arms around him.

I feel his breath against my ear as he whispers, “I’m sorry, for earlier, I shouldn’t have touched you like that, no matter the situation’s cause. It was probably scary and confusing. That was my bad. I won’t do that again.”

I just nod inside of his chest as tears drip from my eyes. I dig myself deeper into him as he adds on, “And to answer your question earlier, I will always find you no matter what. I will search until the end of my life to find you. Do you trust me?”

It takes me a moment to process this, as nobody has ever said something like this to me before.

This almost feels like one of those romance stories you read as a single hoping it will soon happen to you one day, but you know it really won’t because in real life, men aren’t like the stories. I know this is genuine too, coming from him, because normally he doesn’t talk like this. I also can tell from his body language he is being real with me right now. But why?

Eh, maybe I should just take it in and be thankful he’s talking like this. It is pretty romantic… And I have always admired the girls in romance stories who are sweet-talked like this, so I’m just gonna take it with pleasure.

“I’ll trust you until you break it.” I mutter within his chest. His body seems tense for a moment as he chuckles lightly, and says, “Alright, deal.”

Chapter Text

Liberty

Harumi closes her eyes as her hand reaches into the jar of three singular wooden popsicle sticks; and I, too, proceed to close my own eyes. I haven’t felt this much anxiety for a battle in a long time, I guess the apathy I’ve begun to allow to flow within myself fades as I hear the options shake and clatter within the small jar.

The real reason I’m so anxious is because this is the first battle I’ve had in a long-awaited time where I don’t know how the end will go. No matter how much I contemplate it, I cannot come to a direct, logical, and confident conclusion.

Before she pulls the options and components out of the jar, I peep my eyes open and glance towards Jax. He, too, is face down, and he has his hands held behind his back. Even through his confident state, I can spot him slightly shaking.

I gaze at Kadence next, and I notice her just standing, staring off into space. She notices my eye-contact, and she proceeds to glance back. Immediately, I shift my eyes away from hers and glance down to the dirt ground of the tournament once more. I can feel my body shaking and jittering, and I absolutely hate this feeling.

I can hear my mother stop shifting through the popsicle sticks within these moments, and I can feel my breathing halt for a solid few seconds. I hear the names read, and I know no matter how they would have been read out, I would have the same gut-wrenching feeling.

“For tonight's tournament,” my mother begins, slowly. She breathes in a deep breath of air as she proceeds to look at all of us exclusively within the eyes. We all gaze at her in return with straight faces, yet I can feel a nervous energy throughout the room. Harumi smiles slightly as she glances toward Jax and I, and she proceeds to laugh and smile excitingly as she announces, “Jaxson and Liberty Walker! You two will be competing for the leading grand prize!” She exclaims confidently, giggling as she finishes her sentence. Harumi proceeds to glance toward us with a devilish glare as she mumbles, “Best of luck to the two of you.” She seems to pause for a moment as she steps over to the two of us closer than before. She looks up towards Jax, and then she glances at me. I stare deeply into her icy blue eyes, and she glares right back into my eyes with a serious gaze.

“You two better be good.” She states seriously, with a slight smile forming across her face after she states her last remark. No matter how hard she tries to make herself look nice, everyone in this room knows what she’s really thinking. I don’t understand why she’s even trying.

“I also am sure you two have already discussed this situation, so you should have no reason to worry!” She exclaims afterwards as a ‘beaming’ and ‘kind’ smile is displayed across her face.

“Of course.” Jax replies slyly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders lightly. He holds me tight against his side as he stares into Harumi’s eyes deeply. I proceed to glance from him to Kadence across from all of us; she seems to be lost in thought as I gaze at her. Kadence also seems to notice this quickly, and she adverts her eyes into mine. Out of awkwardness, we both simultaneously take our eyes away from each other, but moments later I decide to glance back toward her once more; she gazes toward Jax and Harumi, who are still bickering slightly to each other, and Kadence seems to be thinking upon this as I watch her proceed to say something, yet she stops before it escapes her mouth.

What was she-

“We should begin.” Harumi finally states with a light clap and smile, backing away from Jaxson. He nods, confidently, squeezing my shoulder lightly, and then he pulls away from my side.

“We got this.” I hear him whisper as he begins to follow Harumi toward the tournament's preparation rooms. I begin to follow as well, but I stop when I think back to Kadence.

Out of pure curiosity, I snap my head back and begin to gaze at her. Kadence currently heads toward the stadium’s seats, where no one else will stand there but her.

I think within myself as I watch her head there. The curiosity to know what she was about to say overtakes me, and I begin to think whether I should ask her.

I may never get the chance to ask after this if I don’t.

I glance back toward Jax and my mother walking side-by-side toward the preparation rooms, and then I gaze back towards Kadence. Without a second thought, I run towards Kadence as I attempt to catch up with her.

I must secure my answer-

I stop right before I reach her side, and I watch as she stops and slows her steps. Kadence proceeds to sigh audibly and loudly enough for me to hear from behind.

“What do you want?” She asks, in a low tone. She doesn’t turn toward or attempt to look at me as she asks this.

I breathe in a shallow breath as I question her confidently, “What were you about to say?”

“Why would you like to know?” Kadence pauses for a moment, and I can spot her body shaking slightly as she mutters, “Why do you care?”

I’m silent for a moment before I reply hesitantly, “Because I’m curious.”

“Why?”

“Because you were about to say something!” I exclaim, becoming irritated immediately. I pause myself and realize how quickly I got annoyed with her. Kadence seems to notice this too, and she turns herself and gazes towards me quickly.

“Why are you so curious? Do you want something?”

“No!” I shout, stomping my foot hard against the ground. “I just want to know what you were going to say!”

Still puzzled, I watch as Kadence rolls her eyes toward me. I am taken aback by this slightly.

If she was about to say it to the whole group, why can’t she just tell me to my face?

I hear a slight laugh arise from her within my thoughts. I snap out of them quickly, and I immediately glare at her through my curiosity.

“You really don’t know when to stop insisting, do you?” She questions, placing her hand on her hip slyly as she offers me a smug smile.

Confused, I say gently, “I don’t understand-”

“Every time I talk to you,” she begins as she turns her gaze away from our eye-contact steadily, “You always seem to insist on knowing information as if you are bait to it.”

I’m silent as she mutters this. I stare at her from afar and watch again as she guides her eye-contact to mine. She steps closer to my body, leaving only about a foot between us.

“Why do you always want to know everything?” She asks me carefully, tilting her head to the side as she remains eye-contact with me. “Why are you always so curious?”

I sigh slightly as more irritation arises upon my thoughts. I chuckle loosely as I reply slowly, “Well it’s easy, you always are leaving confusing messages and messes for others to clean up after you.”

She, herself, seems taken aback now as I mutter this to her. She seems almost surprised and offended by what I have to say in return. I, now, place my hand on my hip as I leave her with a smug response and look.

“Ah,” she starts, barely leaving any room for thought. “You really do keep insisting on things, don’t you?”

I smile brightly in return as I exclaim, “Well of course!” I take my hands from my hips and raise them into the air. “I learn from the best.”

“And who might that be?” She inquires, curiosity spreading throughout her expression.

I lean in and quietly whisper, “And why should I tell you that?”

For the first time within this conversation, she’s silent. She just stares into my own eyes as I take my gaze and body away from hers.

I hear her frustratingly exhale, and she proceeds to mumble, “You know how much you really make me angry, don’t you?”

“Oh, I know,” I reply rather quickly. A snicker escapes my body as I add on, “Yet you love it? Don’t ya?”

“Why would I love the fact that you make me mad? Do you find joy in it or something?” She questions, a new expression spreading across her face. I can’t exactly pinpoint this newfound look, but it’s something between confusion and anger mashed into one.

I laugh slightly as I state, “Oh… I love it.”

I notice her body begin to almost shrink up as I say this, and she proceeds to back away from me slowly. I am the one tilting my head now as I state confidently, “And I’m sure you hate me too.”

Her eyes widen as I say this, and she stops her steps immediately.

“You eerily remind me of your mother. Aren’t you supposed to be, oh, I don’t know, on the opposite side as her? Or are you just like her?” Kadence asks, boldly.

I stare at her with an innocent grin, “What… what do you mean by that?”

“Oh! Cut the bull-crap!” Kadence shouts, her voice echoing throughout the arena. She points to me from afar and mumbles angrily, “You know what you’re doing! You, Harumi, and even your stupid boyfriend!”

“Hey!” I yell, stepping closer to her now. She proceeds to back away, but I make it uncomfortable for her fast. “Don’t you dare bring Jaxson into any of this!”

“And why not?” She questions, leaning into me a bit more now. “Isn’t he the one who’s been working with her for years? Or am I receiving the wrong information?”

“That is none of your business.” I mumble, attempting to take the conversation back to the previous one.

“Oh, and why not?” Kadence demands further, placing herself underneath me, basically stepping on my toes. I already am short, and with her being a few inches shorter than I am, it feels weird being the taller person here.

“Because what do you have to do with my personal life?”

“Is it really personal though?” She inquires, pressuring herself even closer to me.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because everyone knows.”

“No one knows,” I say, reassuring the argument, though to mainly myself.

Yeah, no one can know about Jaxson and Harumi’s current situation… right? After his comeback last year, I would assume-

“Are you positive?” She asks, interrupting my sudden deep thoughts.

I’m silent for a moment with a sigh and proceed to say in a snarky tone, “Well, look who is asking questions now.”

Immediately, she backs away from me once again, huffing deeply with anger. She stares at me intently as she shouts, “You’re the,” she pauses for a moment as she raises her hands into the ‘air-quotes’ symbol as she asks, “‘Green Ninja’s’ daughter, aren’t you?! So why are you acting like this! Why are you joining Harumi’s side when you know damn well she’s not amazing! At least Lloyd Garmadon, THE Green Ninja, is most definitely bad***! So why would you move on from your perfect princess life just to join her?!”

Anger arises within my insides as Kadence says this to me. I want to scream, cry, and run away all at once as I hear this, but I remain as calm and steady as I can be, and I respond grimly, “You know nothing.” I glance down to the dirt ground as I say this, yet I can still feel Kadence’s stare. I clench my sweaty fists tightly through anger and sadness as I scream, “All of that is a lie! Living with my father was absolutely Hell! And I never want to go back! It was Hell, it was Hell, and it was Hell!!!”

Without any warning, I go to attack her without thinking twice about what she had to say, yet I feel a hand grab my extended arm and pull it down roughly. Once paused, I notice the harsh, hot, and heavy tears streaming down my face, and I remain frozen within my step.

Why am I allowing myself to get so emotional over this?

Almost immediately, I know it’s Jax who is keeping me back, yet I don’t turn to him, and I proceed to allow my emotions to flow through me. I breathe heavily, and I can feel sweat seeping down the sides of my neck. I can feel him pull himself in front of me, still holding a tight grip on my arm, and I watch as he guards me safely behind him.

“Listen,” I hear him begin in a low voice. “I don’t normally mind women. I don’t normally get angry with them as I would with men, but you see, there’s been a slight shift in that reasoning.” He pauses for a moment, and I watch as his right hand, which is his free hand, lifts onto his belt grabbing a hold of his pocketknife. My eyes widen slightly, and I watch as Kadence’s does as well. She goes to turn around, yet it’s a quick recognition within her mind that she’s stuck between a wall and us. I, too, realize this, and I glance at the side slightly and notice my mother standing within the distance, just watching, arms crossed.

“Now normally,” he begins to say, taking his knife from his belt and flicking it open. “I would understand why you two got in a little cat-fight here, and I would just swiftly take Liberty away from the argument and deal with anything afterwards once hearing the situation, but I recall hearing about how you sliced her rather recently,” he pauses once more, leaning in slightly to her frozen body and whispering into her ear slowly, “And I don’t take much pleasure in watching her be hurt by other people, especially people who I don’t like, which are most people.” He takes himself away from her ear as he holds both my arm in one hand and the knife tightly within his grasp of the other.

“Now this can go one of two ways, since I’m a rather nice guy,” He halts his announcement once more, and he chuckles slightly with a smug grin before saying, “Either I do to you what you did to her recently, right now, but worse, or you leave her alone for the rest of the tournament, and you allow either of us to win the upcoming battle between you tomorrow morning. I’ll give you 60 seconds to make your choice.”

“What will you do to me if I choose the first option?” She suddenly asks. This has been the first time I’ve heard her voice tremble out since his arrival.

Jax chuckles bitterly as he replies coldly, “I will make everybody close their eyes, besides you and me, and I will do to you what you did to Libby, but ten times worse, and I will not allow you to die by it.”

For the first time since meeting Kadence, within these moments, she seems scared, genuinely scared. She proceeds to tap her foot anxiously on the ground as she picks at her fingers roughly.

“Your time is almost up, ten more seconds.” Jax announces, glaring at her seriously.

I can hear Kadence exhale through rapid breaths, and even after what she did to me, I still feel slight sadness for her within these brief moments.

“And what will you do if I pick the second option?! What if I don’t let you win? What will you do then-”

“If you were to do that, then after this whole tournament, I would have to kill you.” Jax interrupts, his voice expressing complete seriousness.

Kadence seems shaken to the core, and once the times up, she finally belts out, “I choose the second option! I’ll let you win…” She pauses for a moment as she glances over towards me almost immediately, “And I’m sorry, I should have never hurt and threatened you like that.”

“Good choice,” Jaxson says over her, placing his knife back into his pocket, but his tight grip still remains on my wrist, “As they say, ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’, and I also enjoy adding in ‘heart for a heart’,” he takes a breath for a moment as he smiles to himself grimly, “I will not hesitate to do much worse if you mess with the person I love the most.”

Kadence nods aggressively as she turns and proceeds to leave us for the stadium, quickly. I notice Jax watching her closely, and then he proceeds to glance towards Harumi ahead of us. She nods slightly, turning her body, and she proceeds the opposite way from us.

Before I can even fully understand and process what the heck just went on, I feel Jaxson place his left hand into my right, and he drags me toward the contestant chambers. Once we get into the privacy of just the two of us inside the room, he proceeds to take me into his arms and pull me in tightly close to him.

“What were you thinking?!” He exclaims as he still holds me close.

“I–I’m sorry.” I mumble as my arms and body remain limp within his grasp.

I hear him sigh from above me, and I can also feel his head lower gently and rest on top of mine, before he mutters, “How and why do you always find a way to worry me?” He finishes this question with a soft laugh, but I remain both embarrassed and apologetic as I listen to him.

“I’m really sorry-”

“It’s okay,” he begins, placing his hand on my head lightly. “I wasn’t asking for an apology from you-”

“But I’m sorry to worry you,” I interrupt abruptly, glancing up at him with slightly-teary-eyes. He stares at me from above, and I go on to say slowly, “I just, well, I don’t exactly know why I did that. I guess I got curious, but she ended up annoying me and-”

“It’s alright. I just didn’t want you getting hurt, I’m not mad at you.”

“But-”

“Actually,” he interrupts, taking himself away from the hug and holding me by the shoulders. “You have actually helped our situation. The likelihood of us winning now is extremely high. As long as she doesn’t choose to take a stab at it, we are good. Either way we are, really, because once I say I am to do something I will do it, and I will not choose to back down.”

My eyes widen as he says this. I place one of my hands on his own hand resting on my shoulder as I mumble, “So you mean…?”

“Of course, like I said, I don’t let go of stupid. A person who hurts a person I love will experience the same pain but worse.”

I remain silent as I watch him finish his bold statement with a smile. I smile toward him slightly as I look at him and watch him announce this so confidently.

“Now,” he begins, turning his gaze toward the wall of weapons for battle, “You know and understand the plan, correct?”

I meet his gaze as he turns and meets my eyes. I stare into them for a few seconds before sighing and saying slowly, “Yes, and I swear to you I will follow it.”

He seems taken aback for a moment, before asking curiously, “You swear it?”

I nod, with a small ‘mhm’ as I mumble, “I will allow myself to win this tournament, no one or my intrusive thoughts will get in the way, not even the thought of protecting you. I will win.”

He seems almost surprised by my sudden reassurance, yet he fixes his expression rather quickly as he nods, “Alright then, let’s get going.”

He proceeds to turn away and go to leave, but I stop him with a shout, “And do you swear by it, too?”

He halts his steps, glances back over his shoulder with a confused expression spread across his face for a moment, before asking, “What?”

I allow myself to step forward toward him slightly, before I curiously question, “Do you swear to me you won’t change your mind and go outside of your own plan?” I finish this with a slow mumble as I stare into his eyes deeply; he stares back with the same confused expression from before.

Suddenly, he chuckles slightly to himself, and he asks in a hushed tone, “Why would I go against my own plan?”

I remain silent as the question echoes throughout the room. He seems to notice this, and I watch him think to himself slowly. Quickly, he seems to process my question, and he proceeds to exclaim with reassurance, “I swear I will adhere to my own plan. I will not change it, and if it is changed within the quick thought of a moment, I promise I will make sure you know before I do it.” He pauses for a moment as he turns and stares into my eyes deeply. “I will not do to you what others have done to each other within the team. I won’t allow anything bad to happen to you, as long as I live.”

Now I’m the one feeling taken aback by what he states. I nod in response to what he has to say, yet lingering thoughts remain within my brain. He seems dedicated to both his answer and me apparently. I guess I feel both flattered and uncomfortable due to anxiousness.

I allow myself to sigh slightly and say quietly, “Okay, then. That’s all I needed to know,” I pause my reply, and I glance back up toward him from the ground. “You may take your leave now. I will see you in the tournament.” I finish with a forced smile. I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly feeling very nervous about what is to happen very soon. I have no idea if it is just anxiety, or if it’s something more. That is what makes me truly scared.

Jaxson doesn’t take his leave; instead, he glares at me in almost a demeaning way, and it makes me feel almost more nervous in a way.

“What’s wrong?” He asks in a rather serious tone.

My eyes widen slightly as he steps closer to my body after asking his question. I swallow deeply before mumbling as I glance down and twiddle my fingers, “Nothing.”

“Nothing, huh?” I feel the heat and energy from his body get even closer to mine now as he says more. My breathing intensifies, and I come to realize that I may be panicking. My senses seem to drown in an array of fear.

Why are you panicking over this, Liberty?

Suddenly, I feel Jax place his hands onto both of my shoulders. Lights and thoughts flow back into my vision and brain. I breathe harshly as I glance up toward him with a distorted look.

“It’s alright, just calm down,” I hear him say through blurred-hearing. I can feel myself placing my hand against my chest as it beats rapidly. Suddenly, I feel my legs begin to shake and buckle underneath my body. I fall to the ground with a slight thud, and I notice Jax become immediately alerted by this as he kneels beside me.

“It’s alright, I got you,” he begins to say as he holds me closer into his chest and rubs my back slowly. Through my heavy and rapid breathing, I can now hear the light pitter-patter of his heartbeat, and it makes me feel a sense of calmness.

He stays in the same position as I begin to regain myself. Once I can somewhat process and tell myself everything’s alright, I can hear myself beginning to breathe better than before. I go to take my head away from his chest, yet he stops me and keeps it there. I can feel his heartbeat deeper somehow, and I listen to it slowly as I fumble with my fingers anxiously.

“Everything’s okay, right?” I finally ask him in a panicked voice.

“Everything’s okay.” He replies, quickly and seriously.

“Will we be okay?” I question him now.

This time it takes a while for him to respond compared to before, and it causes my breathing to become more rapid once more. I don’t know why this is happening to me, and I don’t know what to do about it.

“We will be okay.” He finally answers in almost a hushed reply.

The room goes silent once more. After a few seconds, I finally feel strong enough to take myself away from his body, and once I do this, I quickly notice his concerned and nervous expression. This makes me suddenly anxious, but I don’t allow myself to go into whatever that was like before. I breathe slowly instead, and I allow myself to clear my head and thoughts with rational and logical ones.

“Listen,” he begins, staring deeply into my eyes. His right hand is still holding on to my shaking left hand, and I glance down at it slowly before he states seriously, “Remember what I said, if anything happens to me, run. I don’t want you to be nervous or scared, but I also understand that there are reasons to possibly worry. Now I’m not saying anything bad will happen, but I want you to know that if anything suspicious happens that you suspect, and I’m not there to clarify or guide you, then I want you to make the most logical and best decision for you and you only.” He pauses once more, and I watch him sigh with a harsh swallow before he goes on confidently, “Do not worry about me, I will figure stuff out for myself. Just focus on yourself and winning. I swear to The First Spinjitzu Master, if something terrible happens, and you run for your own safety, I will find you.” He finishes his announcement with a forced smile himself now. I just stare at him in response, and then I slowly nod as my anxiety remains flowing throughout my body.

“Then…” I start, glancing into his eyes with a painful expression. “I want you to know how much I love and cherish you in case anything does happen to us, and we can’t see each other for a while.”

I sit on my knees in a raised posture and wrap my arms tightly around his shoulders; they seem tense for a moment, but once I get adjusted, I feel them slowly relax. Slowly, I feel the touch of his arms lace over my back and the back of my head, and he slowly places his head on top of my own.

“I love you, too.” He silently mutters in a choked-up tone. By the sound of it, he, too, seems to be nervous, which isn’t good coming from him, but I choose to remain calm and collected as I wrap my arms around him tighter than before. I cannot allow myself to lose my sense of self and emotion more than I already am right before I have to do such an intense game and fight. I cannot allow my emotions and intrusive thoughts to get in the way of that, no matter how much they want to. I cannot allow myself to do what I just did a few minutes ago. I must stay strong. 

Chapter Text

Jax

I hear the popular and known ‘ding’ pierce throughout the arena, announcing that the tournament between two contestants is about to start. I double-check my full set of ‘war-attire’ to make sure I have everything, and then I proceed to slowly enter the arena as my gate opens. I quickly spot Liberty from across the arena, who is fully suited up herself, and she seems completely more calm and collected than before. It’s not like I’m judging her either. In fact, I understand. However, I won’t allow her to know my true feelings and anxiety over this, as that’ll make her just freak out more and worry about me, which I would rather not happen.

We place ourselves into our starting stance positions, which is about 10 feet from one another, and we meet eye-contact from across the range. There are multiple obstacles all over the arena, which I haven’t seen much since being here, but I’m assuming it’s because it’s us fighting one another.

I curse slightly underneath my breath as I notice this.

Why is Harumi doing this to us? Oh wait, that shouldn’t even be a question, it’s Harumi-

I roll my eyes slightly to myself. Suddenly, I catch Liberty’s confused glance directed toward me. I stop any more weird looks and expressions, and I offer her a small smile hoping it will put out that I’m not doing it toward her, but much more toward myself.

I hear Harumi’s voice over the loudspeaker as the countdown appears on the big-screen T.V. above the tournament. For some reason, I can feel my stomach drop ever so slightly, and I suddenly begin to worry.

Without warning, Liberty lunges at me with her sword drawn, causing me to wake up from my sudden daydream and dodge her by just a hair. I watch as she lands on her feet, slightly shook, and then she proceeds to quickly turn around and make eye-contact with me intensely. Her deep gaze towards me is wide, and she seems anxious about almost slicing half my ear off. She almost seems as if she wishes to apologize; however, within the context and matter of the situation, that cannot be done.

I proceed to turn toward her and glance at her closer than before. She seems nervous, and I quickly notice her shaking rather rapidly.

This is not the time to be nervous, what is wrong with her today? I’m not trying to be rude, but this is a serious matter. She needs to pull it together; she’s going to get out of this fine. We’re going to get out of this fine.

I remain in a fighting stance as I snap my fingers sparking my electrical current of lightning within my grasp. The sounds of the electricity echo throughout the stadium as I stare into Liberty’s gaze. Quickly, and not surprisingly, she seems to realize what I’m doing, and she also ignites her wisping green orb of energy within her left, non-dominant, hand; in her right, dominant hand, she still remains wielding a sword, which could have very easily tore my ear off earlier.

We both nod to each other simultaneously as we proceed to enhance our elements. One thing many don’t realize us Elemental Masters possess is our Enhancing Elemental Abilities: “EEA” for short.

EEA: Enhancing Elemental Abilities is a sacred art possessed by all Elemental Masters of any age. However, to achieve this ‘EEA’, the Elemental Master must first be extremely in control of their element and mind. The human, who would be an Elemental Master in this case, must obtain the power of understanding their Element itself on an extremely high level.

After years of training a person who holds an elemental power, they will be able to experience Enhancing Elemental Abilities, which gives the wielder of that element a ‘higher-like’ power within their already intense element.

For example, Harper used his EEA against Kadence in their previous battle, which was used physically, mentally, and emotionally. Objects and abilities that would not usually be apparent within the Elemental Master’s powers are brought out and extracted in an intense way. Each user experiences and possesses a different form of this art individually, however each person will still obtain the same amount of fierce potential and ability.

When Harper fought Kadence, he used his Enhancing Elemental Abilities. He was able to partake in a more dramatic execution during his brawl. His element was able to form weapons, higher power technique, combat skills, and more. All of it was caused by the natural EEA embedded within each Elemental Master’s soul, which all together connects the person.

I glance at Liberty and notice her nervous gaze once more. I guess I can understand her this time as she stares into the green orb she creates, which establishes and forms her EEA. We both haven't used this technique for quite a while now, because it hasn’t been needed much, which causes the natural EEA inside of a master to begin to ‘fade’ in a way. Not completely disappear, but it becomes more sensitive and weaker.

There’s also quite an impactful and disappointing ‘but-’ with the EEA that all should know who can use it: By giving you greater power, it comes with the cost of taking control of your emotions and actions.

Like what was seen when Harper used his, anybody was able to spot and notice that his emotions and actions were taken control of while using his EEA, which is why it is so dangerous in the long run. Once your emotions are taken control of by a higher power outside of yourself, the effects can be majorly freakish and problematic for not only those around you, but yourself.

“Jaxson,” I hear Liberty mumble softly, interrupting the thoughts in my brain. I proceed to turn and glance at her, silently saying my attention is on her and her only within these dark and rather thrilling moments.

“Are you positive we want to do this?” She questions quietly, shooting me a nervous look. It takes me a moment to figure out why she’s even asking this, as we are both pretty in control of our EEA’s and know how to properly use them, however it suddenly hits me.

Shoot.

I mumble silently to myself curse words once I remember why she’s even questioning this. Back when everything in the Prime Empire occurred between Liberty, Harumi, the team, and I, the use of the enhancement of Elemental abilities was used. It is not the best memory, nor was it my greatest moment, however the story needs to be told within the context of this one:

-Flashback: 1 Year Ago, Prime Empire-

Jax’s POV

Honestly, if I could, I would go back and fix everything wrong I am partaking in right now and make it right. However, I cannot, no matter how much I wish I could. I await my old team of friends, who are probably preparing to fight Harumi outside of the gates right now, and instead they will be brutally met with the fact that instead of battling Harumi, it will be me. I’m not exactly proud of it, but it is what must be done during this harsh and tribulant trial against those I wish to love.

I lazily sit on my ‘throne’ and glance around the palace I own as I am the Ramagami… The ‘new’ leader of the Prime Empire. Through the sudden silence that has peacefully wisped its ways into the territory of the land and palace, I begin to slowly realize how gorgeous and prestigious the palace really is.

In a way, it is quite nice believing and acting as if I am in charge of a kingdom and a large mass of people. If I wasn’t to be so stressed over the fact of the intense emotions my friends and I will each go through in the next few minutes, then maybe I could get used to this. Technically speaking, by Harumi’s adoptive-family, Liberty is a princess and heir to the throne. Therefore, calling the two of us, well only if she were to want to marry me, to be royals and in charge of a kingdom; but, currently, this is no time to be thinking of that idea, though. I am to focus, and to only focus on my current job and state. Which, in said case, would be preparing myself and my body to do what feels like unimaginable and despicable actions for my friends to see.

I groan as I think upon this, glancing at my watch on my wrist. I then gaze toward the door to the galactic and pixelated-palace, and I begin to realize how closer and closer the time is becoming.

“The team can walk in those doors at any moment, and then…” I pause myself slowly as I begin to choke up. I cannot allow myself to say it properly. I feel like such an idiotic, controlled, and stupid dummy.

I have allowed my suppressed anger to get the best of me, and this may be the worst mistake I have ever made. I have granted myself the permission to change sides, work with the worst person possible in my team’s eyes, and I still have the cojones to stare at my team in the faces.

Through my anger and slight regret, I place my grungy and ashy hands into my face. I do not whine or complain within them, but I can easily feel sweat roll into them.

Overall, I just fear I made the wrong decision, yet I cannot back down now as I am too far into it. I glance back up toward the ceiling and stare at the cages linked to the ceiling full of ragdolls in the disguises of our team’s members dead and bloody ready to fall at any moment once my prior team steps through the door. I feel myself smile as I gaze at it; my future plan is coming together perfectly. This is why I love the ability to use EEA.

The old Jaxson Walker would have felt sorry and backed down at even the intrusive thought of hurting and doing this to the people I love, however after careful thought, I have come to the dark and dreary conclusion that the ninja team may not be what many would like to presume and think it is, and I have allowed myself to believe fully those rare beliefs. Now, I can only hope that the one I love most can understand my reasons as the thought of leaving her, or her leaving me, is truly inevitable.

Right as I ponder about this, the huge door swings open and there she stands. Only her. The one I love. I hope she will forgive and love me too just as greatly as she did before this intense encounter we shall face. 

***

To be continued...

Chapter Text

- (Continuing Flashback from the Last Chapter): 1 Year Ago, Prime Empire-

Jax

Her green eyes glare into mine from afar. I spot her fierce and intense gaze from yards away, and it proceeds to make my body shiver slightly. Watching her gritted teeth and angry glare only causes a grin to appear and form across my face. She seems to notice this quickly, and it only makes her appear meaner, which turns me on intensely.

Because of my Elemental Enhancement, I appear quite different than I normally do. I wear a dark black coat, and my hair is dyed black and lightly dyed with dark and navy-blue streaks. My face is covered in a dark mask, and my legs and arms are covered in dark, black gloves and boots. My voice also has a slight voice-changer in it by the enhancement of Elemental powers, causing my voice to come across raspier and coarser.

However, through all this magic and intense presentation, it all takes a toll on my body. Because I’m using more of the power, it is allowed to have more power over me than I do myself. What happens today, in the end, is wronged by me, and me alone; however, it is, without form, caused by my EEA that I am using.

Moreover, this is why I am extremely scared, deep down. Even though right now I seem totally calm, tame, and excited by this course of events, deep down I am fearful. I did not expect to only see Liberty here, and no matter how thrilling it is for me within these moments, I fear this will end in the worst way possible, which is by enhancing and causing immense pain upon her.

Even though right now it doesn’t seem like I care, I really do. I was expecting the team to be with her, yet I had forgotten they had all become cubed through my stress of preparing all of this.

Now, I sit on my throne, staring at her from above the steps and atop the pedestal, and deep down I worry what will happen.

“I see… you have come alone.” I hear myself mutter. I realize quickly my EEA is taking what is theirs. Panic sets deep inside of my body, and I attempt to break free, yet it does not seem to work. I begin to feel myself fade away into nothing, and the last thing I notice before I totally leave myself and become what I fear in front of her is a very particular and funny thing: her avatar’s hair within this game, it’s green.

Deep down, this causes me to laugh. I don’t know why. I guess it’s because, in the real world, she would never do this: dye her hair green. She’s so particular and serious. When I see her do something silly like that, without warning or thought, it always sends this eerie and thrilling joy throughout my body. I love it. I love her when she does things like that; it is always so unexpected from her, and it always gets me going.

“What do you want?!” She screams through gritted teeth full of rage. I proceed to hear the other side of my mind laugh at her bitterly. She should see the look on her face right now, it’s so full of anger that it’s actually precious.

“You trapped me in this stupid game, cubed all my friends, and now I am sent to fight you! I don’t want to be dealing with this right now! Alas, here I am, dealing with yet another idiot who thinks he’s got everything going for him!”

I feel my eyebrows narrow, and I proceed to step off my throne intensely, my cape fluttering behind my body briskly, my step royal-like, and I begin to raise my arms up confidently and cockily as I exclaim with a vehement-smirk, “Well of course!” I pause for a moment, suddenly snapping my fingers bitterly, and I watch as the cages from above snap and release themselves onto the ground dramatically, ragdoll’s bodies-in-disguise flying everywhere, and real-human’s-blood exploding against every surface. Once the clattering of the cages stops their echoes, I glance around for Libby. Finally, I spot her hidden in the cornered-distance, fear raging within her eyes. The dark part taking over my body inside of me grins, and I proceed to finish my reply as I wipe splattered blood from my face, “Since I am the Ramagami, everything is going rather nicely for me, and I plan to have everything taken care of and under my control for the rest of eternity.” I end this with a grinning and wicked smile, causing Liberty to remain staring at me with a dirty and disgusted look, which I remain adoring continuously.

She huffs briskly through a shaky glare, narrowing her own eyes toward me now. She proceeds to place her hand against the sheath in her belt, and I notice this rather quickly. Before anything in my brain processes where I can somewhat control my actions, thoughts, and emotions, I throw three very sharp and electrifying daggers straight toward her, missing each one miraculously by the grace of the First Spinjitzu Master himself.

She seems rather taken aback by this sudden choice of movement, and so do I. I really wish these weren’t the side effects of using our EEA’s, it wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking.

I begin to walk down the steps in a slow-fashion, and she seems to remain frozen within her steps, clearly trying to process what just happened. By the time I reach the bottom, we meet eye-contact, and she mumbles in a small tone, “Look, if you don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you-” She finishes this as she glances at all her ‘dead’ comrades laying around her feet. It is easy to tell she is extremely fearful within these moments.

“Ha!” I shout through a low growl, stepping toward her smug and slowly. Before anything can be said after, I dart toward her and shove her against the wall intensely. She seems both scared and confused, which I have never really seen before this close.

Suddenly, I feel myself, which is being controlled in a very scary way, pull my dagger from my sheath. Deep down, this is where I pause intensely and become fearful and scream inside. My only wish throughout all of this is to protect her, that is all I want, and now I can’t even seem to do that. The only way is to stop all of it together, and then that could hurt the two of us more by the controlled matter all around us becoming uncontrolled and killing us by falling on us as there are more cages that have yet to be released from the ceilings. I timed the prior one perfectly, so she would not be hurt or squashed when I performed the action. However, if I were to stop now, I wouldn’t be able to save either of us. I just have to wait this out and control myself the best I can.

I can feel my right hand stroke her neck slowly with the dagger, placing it harshly against her.

She seems really scared, and it excites the beast inside of me. I watch as her eyes begin to fill with tears as she mutters softly, full of fear, “What-what do you-you want with me?”

“What do I want with you?” I repeat, taking my left hand gradually from her shoulder and tapping my chin lightly through questioning. She remains quiet as I place the grip of my left hand back onto her shoulder, and I proceed to press her against the wall harder as the knife remains extremely close to puncturing her skin.

After a few moments of silence, I begin to get fed up with it, “Why aren’t you talking?” I ask in a gruff and harsh low voice.

By this point, I can notice she seems to be in distress. Her body seems to be shaking more than before, and I can suddenly feel it from underneath my grasp, unlike before.

How much I wish I could assure her everything will be okay. However, I cannot do that as of right now, or else I will blow the cover I promised Harumi I would keep secret until it was time.

“To answer your prior question,” I start in a hushed tone as I loosely pull the dagger away from her neck slowly. “I want freedom. I desire the chance to rule a land with a respectable and well-ordained kingdom. I wish for the truth to be found, and to protect it at all costs.”

She stares into my eyes deeply, and I meet her right back. How gorgeous they are; the deep, emerald, green eyes of hers have always been one of my favorite parts of her.

Suddenly, a shock seems to hit her, and she gazes into my eyes harder than before as tears begin to slip down her cheeks. I notice this quickly, becoming both irritated, concerned, and bothered by this sudden change of emotion. During battle, she normally isn’t crying at the start, which is why I’m concerned.

Has she been hurt prior that I am unaware of?

“J-Jax-Jaxson?” I hear her ask through my thoughts in a small and squeaked whisper. I meet her eyes once more, and she seems both shocked and hurt as she slowly reaches her arm out to my face and pulls my mask off. I go to stop her, yet the two forces against my body within these moments decide not to.

She stares deeper into my eyes than before, and I watch as full alligator-tears fully stream down her face in silence.

Deep down, both my EEA-self and my real-self hurt inside. It causes my dagger to be placed into its sheath correctly, and my tight grip against her shoulder to be let go of. I gaze at the ground for a moment, contemplating and thinking about my feelings. I could care less about all people’s feelings but hers. Something about watching her cry up close makes me want to cry too, and I don’t understand why.

“You… you promised to stay by my side…” She mumbles through a cracked whisper. My eyes widen as I glance back toward her, and she proceeds to sob quietly as she stares past my body and into the distance.

Even through what I have allowed myself to become, I cannot take her crying, it simply pains me too much. I reach my hand out toward her to coax, yet I feel my Elemental enhancer suddenly kick in, and I shout without thought, “Don’t you see Liberty?!” I laugh wickedly, feeling a surge of my real emotions and my EEA’s causing them more intensely come through as I exclaim hatefully, “Being a ninja is boring! We never got a choice to choose our destiny! Our parents did it for us! So, a long time ago, I gave up being a ninja. It’s a waste of my time and efforts.” I pause for a moment, attempting to control what my EEA has to say next, but it won’t stop no matter how hard I try, “Everything was an act!” I scream, anger filling my insides intensely. “Everything… everything!!!” I feel Liberty shaking underneath my grasp as now both of my hands are harshly pushing her against the wall once more. At least now, the dagger is no longer involved.

“Everything was an act!” I repeat, glaring into her eyes definingly. “Me being a ninja, being nice to you, and…” I pause as I realize what my EEA is forcing me to say without thought. I fight it through a slight choke, but it cannot be undone or controlled, “...And our relationship.”

I watch as her expression fades and mixes into reality. She seems so in pain, her tears seem to halt, and for some reason it causes me to smile in quite the evil-demeanor.

“And I am sorry,” I begin, taking my hands from her shoulders against the wall, causing her to fall to the ground almost immediately, “But I have to do this.” I finish saying, as my EEA proceeds to electrocute her to the ground, unconscious.

***

-Present Day-

I wish every day I could go back to that day, yet it cannot be done. The number of things I would change and alter within that day alone is unimaginable.

After over a year, I can say that I have gained better control of my EEA, and now how I act in real life and how I act using it are pretty much the same person, it just takes more work to do so. In a way, I have changed plenty too this past year, which explains why they’re so similar now; and I don’t know whether I should find that good or not.

Realistically speaking, your EEA is just a more intense version of your emotions and thoughts when it is used. It will say, do, and achieve things you either think or say, however it will do it quite a large percentage stronger than you would initially act upon. Everything I said during that time to Liberty was true, yet it was all said and done much more intensely than I would have ever done. And yes, because of everything going on around, I did have the thought of possibly leaving her for her own benefit and safety, which was why I said what I said about our relationship, yet that was said and done much more viciously than I would have done without my EEA. I never meant it, and at this rate I never will.

As I snap out of my memories and thoughts, I meet Liberty’s gaze, yet a year later, staring into mine. Her same dark, green eyes meet my own. And for some reason, this electrifies me. I glance down to her hand, which is still holding her green flames, and I proceed to nod slowly to the plan. I’m going to need her to trust me with this one and hope neither of us do something terrible during the takeover. 

Chapter Text

Jax

Briskly, Liberty's fingers snap together with a sudden ‘clack’, and darkness appears around the whole stadium. I can feel and see a sudden wave of her energy electrocuting from her body, and I watch as it sends green-colored vibrations throughout the stadium’s darkness and arena’s ground. No, this is obviously not a power outage, but her EEA in action. They flicker back on, and when they do so, Liberty is being raised by her element, her hands, body, face, and eyes are glowing with an intense green light.

Suddenly, she drops to the ground. Through normal moments, I would rush to her aid to help, however this is not the time. She stands up slowly moments later, her clothes in a green ablaze, and her eyes deep within the moment.

“Alright,” she begins, spawning her two emerald and flaming katanas within her grasp. “Your turn.”

I tilt my head slightly examining her and her body first, “Are you one hundred percent alright?” I ask, lightly.

“Yes, I’m positive.” She responds rather confidently, staring into my soul quite intensely.

With this, I proceed to enhance my Element inside of my body. I feel the rather memorable and unforgettable shockwaves electrocute throughout myself as my feet stay planted within the earth. As my eyes close, I can hear the sparks within the circuits of the lights surrounding, and through my eyelids, I spot the flickering of the stadium. Suddenly, it stops. I open my eyes to find my body surrounded by intense electricity, my pair of electrified-nunchucks held within my grasp, and that same dagger from a year earlier attached to my belt.

I proceed to glance at Liberty one last time before we begin officially, yet she’s already coming at me from a sudden top-speed, and I can only dodge her slightly. I feel something sharp pierce my shoulder blade after these intense and sudden moments, and I notice profuse bleeding in my left-top shoulder. I can do nothing about this now, but I shoot Liberty a harsh glare as she stares back at me with a wicked smile.

“That was fun!” She exclaims, suddenly.

She begins walking toward my body before I can even reply or react, and I proceed to back away as I pull my small dagger out from its sheath and hold the nunchucks in my other hand.

“What’s wrong?” She questions, tilting her head grimly. “Are you scared?” She asks now with a small chuckle following.

Slowly, I gaze from her eyes to her hands, which are holding both of her katanas sternly within them. I then look right back up at her face when she begins making small, wimpy-like noises. As I gaze back up, I am met with her slamming my body against the wall violently. My head hits it hard. However, in a way I feel like I deserve it, which is why I’m choosing not to fight back just yet.

“Why won’t you just do it?!” She screams into my face as blood begins to flow down the back and side of my neck and body. My gaze and sight faze in and out, and my thoughts are fuzzy. My head also pounds in pain, and I begin to wonder how bad it is. Almost immediately, I get my answer as I glance down at Liberty’s hands as she takes them off my shoulders lightly. Blood drips all over them, and I notice her alert-self staring and noticing this quickly. She then glances back up toward me, pushing my body against the brick-wall even harder than before, screaming angrily about god knows what as my mind, sight, and body can’t process what is going on and even happening.

Normally, I wouldn’t let someone push me around, especially those quite smaller than I am. Although, within these moments, she seems that she needs to let it all out. In the end, I blame myself and only myself for my pain… because what I did to her a year ago was much worse than this, and frankly, I deserve it.

“Why won’t you just do it?!” I hear her shout again through my blurred-hearing, and I proceed to glance down at her angry demeanor with a brisk smile.

“Yeah,” I mumble, taking my arm lazily and tapping her shoulder lightly. “What’s up?”

I notice through her anger she’s crying now, rather intensely and boldly, and the grip of her fingertips against my shoulders lessen, and I can feel her body shake lightly.

“I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I CAN’T DO IT!” She screams, falling to the ground onto my feet. I blink lightly as I watch this through my blurred vision. Oh, how I wish I could sit down right now, but my body cannot seem to move through the pain in my head.

“What can’t you do?” I ask, each word causing my head to pound harder.

She sobs deeper into my feet as she mumbles softly through clear pain, “I can’t hurt you; I can’t do it, I’m not going to do it-”

Through each pound of anguish, I laugh slightly at her comment, “Well, I think you already did that.”

Without warning, she seems to cry harder. I guess that wasn’t a thing to joke about or it is the proper time to. I also notice her EEA surrounding her begins to get more intense, and I slightly begin to worry.

“Hey, Lib-”

“Just kill me!!!” She screams, beating the ground with her fist vehemently.

“W-What?” I stutter, shaking from not only the sick adrenaline now, but also her sudden demands.

“Why won’t you just kill me?!” She begs, grabbing onto my legs harshly and pulling herself into them deeply. I can feel her tears soak through my pants, and I proceed to shake intensely.

“Why would I ever do that?” I question quietly, glancing down slowly. By her making physical contact with my body, I can feel her EEA, and it seems rather strong — more vibrant than usual. I begin to wonder if that’s the main cause of the sudden beg of death, yet I begin to look back and realize for years she’s been begging for this, just not openly. This causes me to physically tear up as I feel her physical pain now against my body, and I weep deeply inside.

“No.” I assert as I lay my head against the wall to possibly soothe the pain, but nothing seems to work. I cannot seem to calm the raging pain within my brain away, and with Liberty acting the way she is…

“Please just kill me already! Get it over with!” She screams tirelessly from below. She proceeds to gaze up into my eyes, and I meet her sheepishly through a daze. My head and ears pound as more and more blood trickles down the sides of my neck, ears, and shoulders. My suit is torn across my shoulders and side, and overall, I feel like absolute disgusting trash.

Eventually, after a few moments, I can slowly lean against the wall, and I bring myself down to her body and lie my head against the wall as I sit solemnly. The pounding sensation only becomes deeper, and I begin to wonder how much time I really have left until I inevitably faint.

The electricity surrounding my body proceeds to fade, and I lose any sense or sort of way to push any further. I physically, mentally, and emotionally can’t. My head hurts too much, and as more time goes on, the only foggier and blurrier my vision gets.

Liberty still remains crying within my grasp, begging and screaming for her life to be taken. Through my intense pain I cannot hear much anymore, but I can slightly process and understand her pain within these moments. She’s right in a way. We all want to die. We all want it to be over. She just doesn’t know I want it too, for this all to be over.

“Please…” She goes on in a raspy and tired voice. Through my blurred-vision, I can see dark and heavy tears rolling down her face, and I can almost hear the future laughs from Harumi after this big show we have done. However, this is no show. This is real. These are real emotions Liberty and I have been suppressing, and they are only to get worse from here on out. By our past decisions, they will only decide our future from here; if there is any future left after this for us.

“Listen,” I begin, shakingly taking my hand with all my might and taking her face within it. She stops as I touch her ever-so-affectionately, and her intense EEA lessens, which is causing her emotions, cries, and thoughts to go haywire, as she feels my grasp on her. The burning sensation of her fiery emotional and physical green flames burn my hand, although it is not the time now to complain about my hand’s agony.

“You promised me you would win.” I mutter rather quietly, blood dripping down my shirt from my head. The pain booms in and out within my skull, but I know she needs to hear these words as these are her real tears coming through unfiltered. This is what the Elemental Enhancer does, it brings out what you really think and feel, no matter how much you fight it.

She takes my hand suddenly and digs her face into it, crying harder than before. I can feel the wetness of her tears leaking down my wrist, and I begin to feel like crying myself, yet I know that I must stay the absolute strongest I can for her right now.

“Please kill me.” She begs one last time within my palm, not taking her face from my grasp.

“I’m not gonna do that.” I croak in a whispered tone. The pain engulfs my body now, and I shake terribly. My head no longer bleeds as awfully, but it still has had its effect on my body and thoughts. Of course, within these moments, I’m not angry with her, but I’m more concerned than ever as our reality hits.

“Why not?!” She screams, pulling my hand away from her face and staring at me angrily. She huffs for a moment before shouting, “I’m in so much pain and the only person who loves me can’t take it away!? Please! Help me and fix it!”

“I’m not going to take it away by death! That’s crazy! Just trust my plan and everything will be okay…” I finally yell, drifting off as my head pounds harder than before by the sudden urgency.

“How can I trust you when I don’t?! How do I trust a person who hurt me?!” She exclaims, taking her knees into her chest and digging her head within her legs. “How do I trust the only person I love who hurt me the most?!” She screams within herself, causing my body to shake even more rapidly by the thought. I watch as her flames around her form more and more, and her fingers rip the sides of her calves causing blood to leak from her self-inflicted wounds.

“I want to trust you, but I can’t! After everything! Out of everyone, you’re the one who hurt me the most, because you’re the only person I have ever received an ounce of love from!” She pauses for a moment from her shouts and yells, breathing deeply within her own grasp. I listen to her carefully, crying deep inside as she speaks.

“I want to keep loving you! But the thought of you leaving me or hurting me again always is grasping my heart inside! I just want to leave this pain for a better world! I want to be free of it! I want to experience what love is outside of this world where sin no longer lies!” She shoots her head up through tears and meets my eyes. She looks surprised once she gazes toward me, and I suddenly feel tears dripping down my own face rapidly.

“I love you so much,” she begins, taking my cold and numb hand within hers. “But I’m scared you're going to leave me to save me. I don’t want to lose you! I don’t want to ever experience losing you again! Please don’t do that to me! Losing you again would cause more pain inside of me than you leaving to protect me!” She yells, pulling my arm closer to her chest and hugging it tightly through tears.

I adjust and stop myself from bitterly crying any more. I groan slightly through pain as I mumble, “You know, if you die, I die.”

She shoots her head up in surprise, and I quickly notice her real soul within her eyes. She seems pained to hear the words escape my mouth.

“Out of everyone in my life,” I start, placing my free hand on my wound to stop the blood escaping from my body. “You are the first person I ever looked at and never imagined you as a useful tool within my life. You have always just been… Liberty: the one I love. I’ve always viewed you as someone special, no matter the name I gave you. I’ve always just… loved you… no matter the situation. For crying out loud, I love you right now! Something about you electrifies me, and I never want to lose that while I’m alive. Hence, I will not let you go, no matter how much you beg. In the end, I know what’s best for you right now.”

She seems taken aback by this as I exclaim this rather confidently in my weak state. However, she also is painfully aware that everything we say and do within these moments is real and legit, as that is what the Elemental Enhancer does to your body while you’re using it.

She cries harder than before at my response. It pains me watching her be in agony, yet I cannot allow herself to die feeling this way. In the end, that is a terrible way to view yourself at the end of your life. I want her to know and recognize her amazingness, and I cannot have her be taken away before that is done.

“Why are you so mean?! I hate you!” She shouts, still holding my arm close to her. She weeps deeper into it, and I smile slightly.

‘I hate you’ is probably the best thing she has said throughout all of this. Deep down, that is her way of saying ‘Thank you’ when she doesn’t know how to articulate it quite yet. She may think she hates me now, but she must realize every ounce of pain she experiences, I acknowledge it and experience it with her too.

“I know.” I say with a light glance, taking the white surrender flag we were each given at the beginning of the tournament and waving it intensely.

“I do this because I love you. I promise we’ll get out of here, safely.” I say to her as the paramedics arrive and take me away from her on a stretcher. I watch as Harumi ‘coaxes’ her, and I pray for the first time in a long time hoping God forgives me during these few moments, so my prayer that Liberty remains safe and secure for the rest of this tournament without my further protection remains pure and true. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

I stare into the darkness of my room. The drapes for the windows are extremely fascinating right now as I cry into them. I knew this was going to happen, just not so intensely.

Everything inside my body hurts, and I only wish within these moments to hurt myself more as I think about everything. My family, my friends, Jaxson…

“Jaxson.” I whisper to myself, feeling all the guilt and pain from before flowing into me once again.

“I didn’t even get the chance to apologize-” I choke out through a cry. My hands and body are drenched in our blood as I curl up by the window and cry dramatically and fearfully.

He could be dead for all I know with that awful gash in the head, and it is all my fault!

I hold a pair of scissors within my right hand as I cry into my left. I’ve been holding back from hurting myself for the past 30 minutes since arriving back here, yet the pain of everything has not faded, no matter how long-gone my EEA is.

I’ve been telling myself Jax wouldn’t want me to do this to myself — self-harm — no matter how much agony I’m in. I’ve been repeating to myself over and over again to leave the scissors or any other sharp object away from my body, but I still wish to do so. I still wish to see my own blood released by my own two hands as punishment for what I have done to him and myself.

“You will only hurt yourself more and not help anything by doing this to yourself.” I whisper aloud reassuringly within my humanoid-ball, yet when I stop and hold the scissors’ edge against my skin, my heart pounds intensely, and I can only imagine the future blood of self-punishment I soon could have and grasp onto.

I shake my head as I pull the scissors away from my arm.

No, Jax wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself, don’t do it. He’s already told you and has scolded you before over what you did to yourself so many years ago.

Oh… but how much I wish to.

I proceed to weep as I fight this within my brain. I want to hurt myself so badly, take this emotional and mental pain away for some physical pain as a distraction, but I also don’t want to disobey Jax’s wishes.

I also can’t tell myself one swipe, because once I do so, it never stops. I will keep going and going until I can go no longer. If Jaxson were to hear about or figure me out, I am certain for an earful plus a lecture.

“No,” I say through my tears, taking the scissors from my body. I wipe my eyes with my sleeves and stand up with my wobbly legs. I feel no energy within my body, and I feel like I want to sleep and never wake up. This is terrible, and I only have myself to blame for all of this.

I manage to get myself to the bathroom and undress. I glance at my dirty and messy self in the mirror, and it makes me feel even more awful. My face is stained with tears, my body is caked with dirt and blood, my hair is a ratted mess, my fingernails are bleeding from the amount of intense chewing, and my body's scars remain noticeable… I cry harder as I look at myself. I sink to the bottom of the bathroom floor as I choke for air and life. The scissors remain held tightly in my grasp, and I truly wonder whether or not I should try. However, I remember Jax for a moment, and what he said and has done. I also remember my other friend, Kacee, and my brother, Harper, and I realize they, too, if they’re still alive and well, wouldn’t want me to do this to myself, no matter how much they hate me right now.

But what if they do… What if they do hate me?

I shake my head from these intrusive thoughts, “No,” I mumble to myself as I grip onto the counter’s edge and weep on the floor. “They don’t want me hurting myself. Don’t hurt yourself, Liberty, or your friends will be angry.”

They hate you though. After all you’ve done, they will never forgive you.

I cry as my brain pushes this into my mind. I shake, naked on the ground, alone, in my dark bathroom, and scared. I scream silently as tears leak down my face. The pain I’m feeling right now is worse than ever before, and it’s because I have no one right now. No one’s here to pull me out of my hole of drowned thoughts, and I have no clue how to do it myself.

Everyone hates you.

You’ve done everything wrong.

You have no one left.

You’ve done all this to yourself.

You deserve to die.

I wail harder than before as these intrusive thoughts fill my mind. Are they even considered intrusive thoughts though? Or are these real?

They’re real, Liberty. You’ve screwed up badly.

My body shakes as I take my arm from the edge of the counter, and I lean myself gently against the wall. I take the same pair of scissors and examine them through my tears.

“Don’t do this to yourself, it will only make you feel worse.” I attempt to assure myself through my dark tears.

“You will only hurt yourself more.” I repeat once more in a deep and assuring voice.

I must trick myself into the right thinking. I must trick myself into the right thinking. I must…

“...Trick myself into the right thinking.” I say aloud, hot tears piercing my exposed skin from below.

I throw the pair of scissors out of the bathroom door and into the other room. I stare at them for a moment, my brain still sending me terrible thoughts, yet I pick myself up boldly and shut the door, leaving them behind and away.

I groan as I stare at myself back in the mirror, my now blurry vision from my tears blocking my view, and I proceed to get into the shower and take as long as I need, crying my eyes out as the hot water beats my back.

Eventually, after who knows how long, I step out, dress myself barely with only a pair of underwear and an oversized t-shirt, brush and somewhat braid my hair, attempt to brush my teeth, take a sip of water from the sink in attempt to rehydrate, and I walk back out into my room.

I notice the scissors lying on the ground, and I ignore my intrusive thoughts as I leave them there and fall into my bed. I lay there for a moment, more tears escaping my eyes, and attempt to fall asleep, but no matter how hard I try, it won’t come. I simply cannot stop thinking of not only Jaxson, but my other family too.

This is the first time during my time here where I’ve actually had the alone time to think upon all that has happened here so far, and the pain and regrets hit me hard. The only person I have access to right now is my mother, Harumi, and all she would do is laugh at me, calling me weak.

She wouldn’t be wrong, I am. However, maybe that’s for the best. Maybe it’s good I care and am weak by this, because otherwise it would mean I don’t care at all, which would be another cause of concern.

Slowly, I sit up and glance around the dark and dreary room. I have no clue what time it is, but all I know is I want some sleep.

Suddenly, without thought, I take my blanket, wrap it around myself, and I walk out into the hall toward an all-so-familiar room. The door is obviously unlocked, and I walk into the room and sniff his smell all around it.

I had never thought about Jaxson’s smell so much when he was around, yet when it is suddenly taken away from you, it can truly become one of the most memorable and saddening smells you will ever recognize for the rest of your time on this earth.

I burrow myself into his unmade bed and sleep on his side smelling his pillow through my runny nose and teary eyes. I pull the blankets over my head and hold myself tightly as I close my eyes.

“You must trust him.”

“You must trust him.”

“You must trust him.”

I say to myself over and over again as I pull myself into a ball underneath the blankets. My bare, clean legs wrap themselves tightly in his past warmth, and I hold his pillow close to my body.

You must trust him.

You must trust him.

You must trust him.

You must trust him.

“I trust he knows what he’s doing.” I say aloud to the world underneath the blankets. My voice shakes, and I feel pitiful inside. However, after saying this, a boost of sudden confidence rises within my soul. It almost makes me feel slightly alive once more.

“Fight Libby, fight like he told you to. Fight until the end and you can see him again.”

Chapter Text

Liberty

Before the sun rises, I am already dressed and ready for my second and final battle against Kadence. I await within the stadium ready to just get it over with. I want to leave this place more than anything right now, and I don’t want to have to worry about unnecessary things anymore that are not important.

I sigh aloud to myself within the silent room, contemplating upon the prior night’s moments. It’s as if my body wishes to cry, yet it has nothing else left to give. I feel completely numb.

However, no matter how intense my emotions are, I must keep my promise to Jax. I must win this. I cannot allow myself to fall when I have already made it this far.

Suddenly, I hear quiet footsteps to the right of my body. I glance over, quite alert, and I spot Kadence staring me down with a demeaning glare. I take my head from my hands in surprise, and I quietly prepare myself for whatever this is going to be.

“We need to talk.” She announces boldly, taking her hands from her pockets. She proceeds to sit down next to me, and I remain staring at her silently.

After a couple of moments of contemplation, I proceed to ask, “What is it?” With this question, I give her a quick glance from the ground, and notice she, too, is staring at her feet rather intently, her hands intertwined together.

She waits for a moment, before she mumbles rather quietly, “I would like to apologize to you…” She pauses for a moment upon saying this, before she starts again. “Ya know, for what I did… back then…”

My eyes widen slowly, and I proceed to pull my head up and stare at her hunched-over nervous-seeming body as her thumbs twiddle anxiously. I swallow harshly, processing what she has just said to me. I never expected an apology, nor thought she needed to offer or give me one… yet she is.

Although, this begins to make me ponder if she is really saying this in a meaningful and heart-felt way, or if she’s saying it to manipulate me and cause me to excuse the words Jax taunted her with last night. I am not too sure, and I am not willing to let my guard down over a single apology.

At the end of the day, she dug her own grave. She attempted to slice my neck, shouting threatening words within my face as she did so. She tried to murder me.

However, as I look at her and her anxious figure, I also wonder if what she’s saying may be real, and she’s not just trying to manipulate me. I guess I can understand in a way why she is doing this, I would probably do the same if I were to do that to someone without a cause, but it is also a weird time to apologize. Most likely, she’s doing this to attempt to get on my good side before our big battle, and in my current case, I will not allow that to happen. This is a well-deserved and drawn-out fight, and it has to be done without any complications. If she’s just apologizing because she wants the initial threat from Jaxson to be taken away, that cannot be done as it already has been sealed. He made his statement; I am not to go against it without his say. He has made it his own fight now, more than my own, and it is he who decides in the end how he would like it to go. I can only just hope and trust he makes the right decision in this great finale.

My own hands are held tightly together as I gaze at her softly. She seems to have no false intent within her body language, although all contestants here have learned how to fake it rather believably, so it’s hard to tell a lot of the time who is good and who isn’t.

She seems to be getting more anxious by my no reply, and I proceed to remain silent, no matter how uncomfortable it gets. To be honest, I don’t know how to feel regarding this, and I am not willing to give her a false answer based on pressure.

Amongst the silence, she suddenly clears her throat, taking her hands away from each other and sitting back into her chair. She seems to think quickly before she mumbles rather quietly, “You don’t have to forgive me. I just wanted to say it before the end.”

“The end of what?” I question, without skipping a beat. This for some reason has suddenly piqued my interest.

“I guess this whole battle.” She says, eyeing me slowly. “And… maybe life.”

“Your life?” I ask, immediately. “What do you mean by that?”

She stares at me as if I’m the idiot within these moments, yet she calms her looks as she mumbles, “Well after what your boyfriend said, it’s pretty clear what my future is if I don’t surrender now.”

I stare at her for a moment, and then I timidly glance down to my fingertips holding my knees together nervously before muttering, “He didn’t say you had to surrender. He just said you couldn’t win without consequences.”

“That’s basically the same thing.” She replies rather quickly. I sense her deep stare from beside me, and I proceed not to glance her way anymore. After a couple moments of silence, she asks quite quietly, “Do you ever,” she pauses for a moment, seeming to think upon how she will work her next questions. I glance up at her a few seconds later, almost eager as to what she has to say.

“Are you ever-” She stops once more, breathing in a tight-sounding breath. “Scared of him? Fear what he may do to you?”

I blink softly in contemplation before mumbling, “I’m not quite sure I understand your question.”

“What I meant to say is, are you scared of him? Are you ever nervous he will turn on you and threaten you just as he does everyone else? Maybe he will ditch you for something better to achieve his goals?”

I remain staring at my feet planted against the ground as she asks these questions rather boldly. I stay silent, and I breathe deeply as a small laugh escapes my mouth. I turn to her for the first time since these audacious questions have been uttered, and I distinctly say to her with a sudden smile, “That would be silly! He would never do such a thing to me!”

“B-But how can you be so sure? I mean, no offense, but look at how he treats you sometimes… it’s kind of…”

“What do you mean?” I interrupt with an offended glance. I then stare at her deep into her eyes with a slight tilt in the head and exclaim, “He should be more scared of me than I should be of him! He’s obsessed with me, there’s no denying that, and he would never dream of hurting me in any way purposely. And even if he did, there’s no telling what he would do to himself after that!” I end this with a bold smile and thrilled expression.

She seems shocked by how I word this, however, after a moment, she regains her confidence, and she inquires softly, “Well, alright, I would have to agree with you on the obsession thing as he does seem to have for you, but don’t you find it annoying?”

“Why would I?” I question, without pausing to think. “I love it.”

She seems almost disgusted by what I have to say, and my eyes narrow as I think upon this. Everything I’m saying in response to her is the truth, and I take great offense from her facial reactions.

The only reason why I do find his obsessive nature alright is because I’m the only one he does it to, and I can freely express my obsessiveness back to him as well.

“But… don’t you wish he would give you a little more clearance?” She asks with a slightly concerned expression.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand-”

“Think of it this way,” she begins, interrupting my reply rudely. “You never can tell when he is going to be angry or blow up, and he’s so all over the place. One day he is protecting you completely, and the next day he is telling you what to do and how to do it, asking you to ‘trust’ him. After everything he’s done, how do you still trust him and accept it all?”

I’m silent for a few moments, eyeing her carefully by her judgmental and stalkerish questions before responding with a question, “Why would you like to know all of this?”

“Because, by my observations and past knowledge, I just want to understand why you’re still siding with him.”

My tongue clicks against the roof of my mouth as I inch away from her seat slowly. I was right; she didn’t come here to really apologize; she came here to get under my skin like always.

“You should know,” I begin, gazing at her hatefully, “You are an idiot. None of this is your business, and even if it was, I still wouldn’t tell you any information. Sure, Jax and I have gone through our own trials and tribulations, however our love for each other has never been broken, and it never will be; and it definitely won’t be over you. I could care less about you, even if you are my best friend's younger sister, biologically. Personally, I despise you, and I always will. All you’ve done is cause issues in my life, and I’m not going to take away my husband’s threats toward you because you plead for mercy, which are from your own mistakes and decisions, because you want to get on my good side. That is not what’s going to happen. So, if I were you, I would leave here right now before you dig your grave deeper than it already has been dug, or else things are not only going to get messy because of Jax, but also me.”

She’s silent once I finish this serious statement. She seems almost shocked by the reply… and maybe fearful? I’m not quite sure.

Then, I watch as a tear slides down her cheek, and then another, and another, and soon she sobs into her hands aggressively. I sit rather uncomfortable, watching her from afar. I’m not used to being put in these situations, especially when it’s someone I barely know.

“I don’t want to die!” She shouts through her weeping, rubbing her face intensely. “I just want to get out of here and live! But I never will be able to! Because I have nowhere to go and no one who cares!”

I watch her cautiously as I listen to her carefully. By nature, I automatically begin to silently sympathize with her, because in a way, we’re both in the same boat. However, unlike her, I do have someone now who is very assertive on taking me with him, while she has nothing.

I’m not saying I’m going to automatically forget what she has done to me or take away her threat from Jaxson, because again, that is his problem now with her. Moreover, I can still slightly understand her little predicament here.

Harumi isn’t particularly known for being the greatest mother. I doubt that she was anything better to Kadence than she has been to both Harper and I.

I also can slightly empathize on how she must feel about her biological family. The first time she ever heard of anything was at the start of the tournament. By using my own personality as an example for myself and understanding, I probably wouldn’t go back to those people either as they would be unknown to me entirely.

A small sigh escapes my lips as I think about all of this. I don’t know what to say, nor do I know what to do.

“Listen,” I start slowly, standing up from the stadium’s seats and glancing down upon her. “You need to stop crying as there’s no reason to.”

She gazes up at me quietly, her tear-stained face staring into mine. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is,” I breathe in a new fresh breath of air as I close my eyes and mumble, “You need to stop as there’s no point. Fight like any other battle later today, as I will do the same. Whatever happens in the end is what happens, that is what we must accept as Elemental Masters and humans. We have been given a gift that not many others have received, and that same gift comes with a cost.” I pause for a moment, reaching my hand out to her offering a small handshake and say, “We both fight like there’s no tomorrow, and whoever wins, wins? Alright? If both of us still live by the end, we can decide later as to what will happen. Jax’s threat still applies, however that is something you shouldn’t talk to me about, but him only. Good luck, and I wish you all the best.”

Kadence remains staring at me, glances down to my outstretched hand, and then gazes back up toward me with a furious expression of both pain and rage. She briskly wipes her tears away and stands up suddenly, pushing my body to the ground as she does so.

“You don’t understand!” She screams into my face from above, tears escaping her eyes quickly. “You took what was mine away from me! I am going to win! I was always made to win! Before you even came here with your little team, it was my job to win by Harumi’s orders! But now-” She pauses with a slight demeaning laugh escaping her. “But now Harumi has taken you under her wing, her biological daughter, throwing me to the side while still holding her own threats against me! How do you think that makes me feel?! Huh? Huh?!” She stops for another moment to allow herself to breathe as hot fumes escape her eagerly. “I hate you! I wish you had never come! You ruined this for me! You ruined all my chances! And all that’s going to happen in the end for me, is death! That’s all I was made for, apparently!” She proceeds to pause again, tears dripping from her face and onto my legs from the ground. My spine and wrists hurt from the impact of the concrete, and I must refrain from complaining about the pain as she shouts and screams at me bitterly.

“Unlike you,” she starts again, glaring at me harshly. “I have been trapped here! Unable to leave! And I am going to die here! I’ve never experienced what you have! Traveling different realms, heading across the seas, adventuring new places… I have never been able to see any of that! I hate it! And I hate you! I wish I could be you!” She halts once more, regaining her breath. Before I can even contemplate on anything she’s ranting about, she proceeds, “You seem to complain and hate your own life by how you act, but you don’t realize how good you’ve had it! You’ve always had a dad, unlike me. You’ve always had a supportive team, unlike me. And, at the end of the freakin’ day, you’ve always had a mom, unlike me! You’ve always had everything given to you, and you have always had life the easy way! You’ve always received proper fame, and you have always been the little princess everyone loves!”

I stare at her, taken aback by what she boldly says. I no longer feel any sort of empathy for her. She just crossed the line, massively. She has no idea what she has just done to herself.

She already had Jax angry with her, and now she has me. I’m not the nicest person when I’m pissed, and she will learn that very quickly.

Although, to take away the control she now thinks she has on me, I say kindly, “Well, I’m glad you opened up to me and told me how you really feel. I will take that into consideration while fighting you.” I end this with a sharp smile, eyeing her intensely, picking myself up, and walking the opposite way before I can hear or see her reaction.

She really is an idiot. And she will learn quickly what happens when she crosses my line. 

Chapter Text

*Read the End of Chapter 52 as this is the Beginning of the Main Follow Up Chapter :)*

Liberty

I vividly feel myself pull two katanas from my back’s harness with zero emotion or care for Kadence and how this will end for either of us. After what happened this morning, I have zero turmoil or future regret for what will occur within these final moments. In the end, I just wish to get this over with for good.

Kadence stares right into my eyes as the final bell rings, announcing the last competition inside of the Tournament of Elements. I glance up, spotting my mother within the invisible audience, legs crossed, a bold smirk plastered across her face, and her tough and demeaning energy ushering toward us.

I then gaze back to Kadence, and I notice her dark gaze as well. She, too, after our quite odd meeting this morning, seems to be calmer, and she almost seems to be acting the same way I’m right now: not caring. However, I know for a fact she does.

I gave her no response after this morning, except my sharp reply, and I know that must have annoyed her, and it probably still is. Moreover, I take back nothing I have said or done to her. Unlike her, the whole time we have been in knowledge of one another, I have always remained humanly toward her. She, on the other hand, has not.

All my rage and heartless emotions toward her are all valid, and I take nothing back that I have said. However, ever since our last conversation, which was this morning, and I was able to think it through slowly, I came up with a conclusion: Not only will I not be bothered by what happens to either of us in the future of this battle, but I also will allow myself to do whatever I find necessary to bring her down myself… even if that includes risking my own life, hers, or both of ours.

I feel my feet position themselves into the ground for real this time, and I watch slowly as her body slices past mine and her blade pierces into the skin of my forearm. It is merely milliseconds of contact, however as the deep rush of new air spirals past my body, I feel blood stinging as it drips down from where it came.

I turn around just as she wisps past my figure again, this time carving into the clothes clinging against my abdomen, cutting the skin slightly. I do not flinch throughout these moments. All I do is remain still and calm. Overall, expressionless.

She halts after her ten seconds of combat between herself, basically, and she stops to stare into my own gaze. She seems to almost be confused as to why I have no sudden reaction, however it quickly changes once I smirk toward her ever-so-slightly.

“Is that all you got?” I ask, placing my bleeding, now gooey from my own blood, hand on my hip. I take my right arm, katana gripped between my fingertips, and I point it at her with a smug look I can only presume as I say, “Because by all your talk, I was assuming there would be more.”

She remains silent, staring into my eyes deeper than before. She has no sudden reaction at first, which bores me, however I soon spot her eye begin to twitch slightly.

She screams suddenly, launching herself toward my body with her sword drawn out, aiming for my heart. Quickly, I dodge her attack, bouncing from heel-to-heel, placing myself behind her body inconspicuously and tapping her back with the edge of my katana. I watch as a small amount of blood pours down from her side, and she winces as she proceeds to re-position herself from her failed strike against my form. Her head immediately turns to face me, and an angry and hate-filled look is what I receive.

She groans loudly again, and she once more lunges her body toward mine. This time her dagger is in one hand, and her sword within her other. Through absolute and varying milliseconds, I dodge swiftly, and I slide underneath her legs as she flies over my body, once more missing me, and my sword slicing her body from behind.

This time, she gradually murmurs in pain, clutching her back with her right hand and releasing it to only stare back at a handful of blood. She seems rather tense and quiet within these slick moments, only her slight tears muttering some sort of sound.

Before I can even do anything or watch her more, she turns around and screams, “I hate you, Liberty Garmadon!” She quickly proceeds to dart past my body, and with her right hand, previously in contact with her bleeding back, she touches my arm ever-so-slightly.

Everything within the stadium and my soul seems to echo as I listen to her running steps halt. I hear her laughing bitterly from behind my frozen body, and once I force myself to turn and meet her stare, she is holding my element within her grasp, an eerie smile slowly plastering itself across her face.

“What are you gonna do now, huh?!” She exclaims, a harsh and cracked voice escaping her mouth. She laughs bitterly as she proceeds to proclaim, “I hold your element now! We are equal! Can you really win against your own?!”

I am silent within these moments as I level out what I must do within my own head. Obviously, there is no chance she will win, because at the end of the day I have my EEA for my element while she doesn’t. However, it does not change the fact that she is in possession of my element now, which is very dangerous. Unfortunately, without the context of this situation, the element I possess is far more intense and powerful than many others wield, which, in the end, would cause many to over-stimulate themselves using it, ultimately causing death.

Now, for all I know, she may have a death-wish. However, by how she acts, it seems to be that she doesn’t want to die quite yet. Moreover, she also seems to be going against what Jaxson threatened to do to her previously within these sudden moments of battle, so she may actually have a death-wish, or she’s just stupid.

I am going to vote that she’s just stupid.

I watch as she forms a green orb within her fingertips, appearing to be in awe by what she can suddenly do with these ‘new-found-powers’ of hers. She glares up into my eyes suddenly, and she immediately launches one into my body. I barely have time to move, and even though I do, I still can feel a burning sensation on the side of my left arm. Before my body can even sense or understand the mere amount of pain it just witnessed, I glance over and spot my skin melting off the side as green fire lingers over my skin. This is when the pain ultimately sinks in, and I grasp my side tightly with my hand as I glare into her soul.

“Wow!” Kadence exclaims as she still holds yet another emerald-orb within her palms. “I thought you would have dodged that! How silly of me! You could have been burned through!”

I huff quietly, anger boiling deep within my system. She got me that time, I didn’t dodge quickly enough, that is on me. However, she has no idea what she has just done.

I take my hands through the intense pain and hold them together as I close my eyes skillfully. I breathe out and breathe in a new breath of fresh air as I take my right hand and snap my fingers against one another. A ‘clack!’ echoes throughout the arena, the stadium going dark like yesterday, and a harsh-green and angry fire explodes throughout the surrounding area, specifically my own body. Through my eyelids I can spot the emerald-colored fire, and once I finally open my eyes, my green energy seems to be more powerful than yesterday through my EEA.

“Ah,” I begin to say, my body, mind, and soul beginning to feel funny and what feels like echoing slowly, almost like a jelly, within each other. “This will do just fine.” I can hear myself say this in a low and mesmerizing voice, and I can feel my body levitating over hers.

I spot, through slight blurry vision, her stare gazing into my own, fearfully. Because of my EEA, I can feel how she feels more specifically now, and she seems scared more than ever. I smile because of this. I enjoy feeling power within this form, and I take great joy with the idea of winning. It would be considered a ‘high’ without substances.

I watch from above, my body still hovering over her own, as she throws another green orb into my body. This time, however, I dodge it without a mere human thought, pure instincts, and I remain staring at here fearlessly.

Meanwhile, Kadence seems rather confused, nervous, and would I say anxious? Possibly. She is definitely visibly shaking within these moments.

“How silly of me!” I begin saying, in a mocking-tone toward her previous remark. “I had no idea how scary that would be, my body dodging my own element! How crazy!” I finish with a serious glare, an angry aura rising throughout the tournament, blinding the two of us ever-so-slightly.

“I recommend you admit defeat now,” I start again, staring into her dark brown eyes deeper this time. “Or else-” I begin to summon a green-electrifying-fiery-orb within my fingertips. I stare into it for a moment and am secretly amazed by all my human and subconscious forced energy into one singular place. I proceed to lift my head and meet her gaze again, “You are going to regret it.”

Suddenly, I feel myself launching it toward her body, Kadence only having so much time to create a counterattack, and we both are thrown back by an incredible occurrence between the same power timed twice against one another, creating an epic blow of green energy and green fire.

My main body isn’t able to process much as my EEA is stripped away from my subconscious and main form quickly, and all I can feel is heat and incredible electricity filling my body, mind, and senses.

I cannot speak as the words are unable to form within my mouth, and I am not able to hear much anymore either within these moments. All I can feel is intense power, and it strangely feels very wonderful against my burning body, which I have no clue or idea where it lies now. All I know and can sense is a bright light, and the thought crosses my mind: Is this the end? It can’t be… that was barely a battle… it was quite pitiful, really. Do I really want this to end… now? My life?

Chapter Text

Jax

When I open my eyes, Harumi is standing right over my body. She stares into my soul, and I barely have any time to momentarily react before she exclaims with a clap between her two hands, “Great! You’re awake!”

Before I can even mutter out a reply, she takes my hand from the side of my laid-down-body and hoists me into an upright position. I gaze at her through blurry vision as she proceeds to say, “You seriously were hurt. I was starting to wonder if you would ever wake up! But hooray! Here you are! Living on!”

I eye her curiously by both her expression and rather joyous exclamations. My body feels achy as I glance around the room I’m sitting in. I come to realize within these moments it is a small medical-center type place; certain tools and appliances doctors use hang against the wall with a variety of other things.

I meet eye-contact with her for the second time and instantly feel my head pounding. I go to take my left hand and place it on top of my head to possibly soothe the aches, yet somehow it feels restricted. I glance down and spot my left arm is in a cast. This surprises me, and I guess Harumi notices too, because she pipes up, “You’ve been down for twelve hours almost.”

I’m silent for a moment as this circulates throughout my brain.

Twelve hours? Twelve hours…

“Twelve hours!” I yelp, my eyes widening quickly. I begin to breathe rapidly as I begin to replay everything that occurred from last night, which is what got me here.

Instantly, I grip my right hand, the non-broken one, onto Harumi’s arm. I gaze into her eyes deeply as I ask, fear slowly entering my thoughts, “Is she alright?!”

Harumi smirks a bit in response for a moment, slowly gazing up and down before answering slyly, “Is who alright?”

“Goshdangit!” I shout, jerking her forward as I shove myself back and release her arm from my grasp. This causes my head to pound harder, but I do not care within these moments as I say more directly this time, “You know who! Don’t play with me or be dumb right now!” I breathe in deeply, taking a final course of fresh air before mumbling slowly as I stare into her harsh, icy blue eyes, “Is Liberty, okay?”

Harumi allows herself to exhale for a moment, dusting herself off from the sudden push I gave her as she replies, “I don’t know.”

My eyes widen much more this time than before as worry begins to settle within my thoughts.

“How do you not know!?” I demand, almost screaming this time.

If she doesn’t know… If she doesn’t know… Then does that mean…? No, that cannot be it… Not yet, please no…

“I haven’t seen her since last night,” Harumi begins, interrupting my intrusive and sudden dark thoughts. She proceeds to grab a chair and sit herself down next to the bed I was lying in, and she proceeds to stare into my eyes for a moment. I notice no emotion within her facial-features, and that makes me angry. Does she not even care if her own daughter is alive? Not even that, just doing alright?

I know Libby… She wouldn’t be kind to herself after what happened last night… She wouldn’t be kind to herself no matter what if she did anything at all to hurt somebody she cares for.

She was all alone after that… No one was there to be there for her… I couldn’t be there like normal. On top of that, she also hurt me terribly, and I know for a fact she didn’t let the punishment go she had already set for herself within her mind.

Overall, I’m worried for her… I don’t even want to think about the worst she could have done to herself. However, if she did, I can’t deny that within my mind right now. She doesn’t allow herself to go unpunished if she hurts someone she loves. She knows she hurt me — and no matter if I tell her repeatedly that I am not angry with her, I know she will always remember the pain she caused me and never forgive herself.

I fear right now she has done the worst to herself, and I was not there to save her. 

“Please…” I begin, taking Harumi’s hands within mine. I have never done this before, nor have I ever intended to. However, I have a terrible feeling that something either bad or bad is going to happen to Liberty, and I need Harumi to reassure me that she is okay within these moments when I cannot see her.

“I need you to tell me she’s alright.” I beg as my body begins to shake as well as my hands, which are holding Harumi’s. She seems to notice this, yet she doesn’t pull away quite yet. Moreover, she doesn’t have a quick response, and she proceeds to just stare into my eyes quietly.

I think of this within my mind as her contemplating on whether she should tease me or joke around, but I proceed to say, my voice shaking as my internal thoughts flood deeper and deeper into my mind, “I will do anything.”

“Anything?” Harumi inquires, eyebrow raising slightly. She laughs, a harsh and cold chuckle as she shrugs my hands off her own. “Do you actually mean that?”

My eyes widen as a newfound and sudden hope begins to fill my thoughts, “Yes… yes!”

“Ha!” Harumi suddenly exclaims, standing from her chair and leaning against the wall confidently, staring me down harshly, “You seem really pitiful right now. Not very manly, really. A fool for Liberty, aren’t you?”

I’m silent for a moment as I feel all my hopeful emotions crumble to the ground. I gaze at her coldly as I mutter in a low voice, “What did you just say?”

She laughs once more in response as she repeats, arms crossed, “Pitiful, you really are, aren’t you?”

Now, I am officially angry. I jump up from my seat, placing my hand where my holster normally would be, but I suddenly realize that it isn’t. I am confused for a moment, and I glance at her momentarily. She must catch this sudden state of skepticism, because she announces bitterly, “I took all your weapons from you. There’s no need for you to have them anymore. You are officially out of the tournament, what is the need?”

As she’s saying this, my fury only boils over more and more. I now realize I am in a hospital robe too, which infuriates me more than it should initially.

“Also, Jaxson,” Harumi begins as I still examine my current appearance. I gaze up at her quickly, anger rising more and more throughout my mind. “No need to get violent. It’s just Liberty, she always comes out fine.”

For the first time in this conversation, I laugh audibly, a low and bellowing laugh gutting from my soul beneath. “Always comes out fine?!” I repeat through a harsh, deep yell. “No! She is in pain! She is always in agony!” I proceed to slam Harumi’s body against the wall brutally, my body taking control of my actions. I scream in her face words I can’t even distinguish as vexation blurs my vision and hearing.

From underneath my heavy grip, I can feel her attempting to resist, however she fails as I am much larger and stronger than she ever will be.

I hate how even though her daughter is now on her side, or at least at peace with her mother, Harumi still does not care about how Liberty feels. That makes me very angry. This whole thing makes me vexed.

I suddenly snap out of my irritation, right before I slam Harumi’s head repeatedly into the wall, and I let go of her shoulders as I allow my body to rest for a moment, panting harshly through my rage.

However, before she can move, I quickly grab her shoulders once more and bolt her once more to the wall. She cannot move, no matter how hard she tries to resist.

“You are going to listen to me,” I start in a deep growl as I step down to her height to force eye-contact. “I will not let you go from this wall until you agree that you will go to Liberty right now and make sure she is okay.”

“And why should I do that?” Harumi questions almost instantly, eyebrows raising, a smirk plastering itself across her face. “What would you do to me?”

I chuckle to myself lightly as I take my element within my left hand, my broken and trembling one, holding her tightly with my right, and clench the electricity extremely close to her throat as I mutter darkly, “I will use this.”

“Ha.” Is all she says for a quick moment, staring from my orb of lightning within my fingertips and up to my eyes repeatedly for a few moments. “I sure hope this isn’t what you do, or will do, to my daughter when I’m not around.”

I am taken aback for a moment by this rather bold statement of hers. I shake my head as I reply, “She was never your daughter. You have no right to act like you’re suddenly her mother now just because of her current situation with you.” I pause for a moment, swallowing a sudden lump within my throat. “And, for your information, I would never do to her what I am threatening to do to you.”

“Oh really? I’m not her mother? Never have been? Isn’t me giving birth to her enough to be her ‘mother’? Also, by your terms and definitions of me not being around both physically and mentally, would you also say Lloyd was never her father?”

“Both you and Lloyd are idiots.” I respond without hesitation, my orb of lightning remaining extremely close to her throat, and my right hand holding her incredibly still as she proceeds to jerk around. “I’ve never liked either of you for your parenting toward Liberty and Harper. Especially in this instance, I’m talking about Libby.”

“What about your parents?” Harumi suddenly asks, a ponderous look behind her eyes. “Would you say they were emotionally there for you? Physically there for you like you claim Lloyd and I weren’t?”

My mind takes a moment to think. I haven’t thought about my parents seriously for a long time. Moreover, I don’t feel as if they really have thought of me seriously either throughout these past few years.

I never had a terrible relationship with either of them, but they also never took the time to really know me like other parents do. They probably know June’s emotions and feelings more than they have ever known mine.

All I was meant to be growing up was what the system forced me to be: A Ninja. I never had a choice, I never had alternative offerings, and I never had emotional support. I was thrown into the system being told what to do without any other options, and once I realized what had been done to my mind and body, I gave up. I no longer wanted to be what my parents and their adult friends forced me to become.

The only other person who I felt understood my decision before it was publicly said was Libby… She always knew, and that was the main reason I was so attracted to her, both romantically and emotionally.

And Libby is still the only one who will always understand me… above anybody else.

Ultimately, I do not know the answer to Harumi’s question. My parents were kind to me growing up, and they provided for me. However, they only provided physical items, never emotional, mental, or understanding. I’ve always understood being a parent was to be there for your child both mentally and physically, not just one or the other.

“They were there for me physically,” I reply, glancing up at her from the ground. “But they were never for me mentally. At least my parents were there for me physically… and not neither… unlike you and Lloyd.”

Chapter Text

Jax

Harumi agreed that she would inform me on Liberty and how she is during the tournament. Hastily, I agreed, but it was all I could get. Harumi didn’t want to go ‘out of her way’ to check up on Libby before. As promised if she didn’t abide, I held up on my threat the whole time before she left, and she remained pinned to the wall for a solid hour.

***

I await patiently for the return of Harumi as I twiddle my thumbs together in silence. I don’t even talk to myself as I do this, I am so nervous. I know I shouldn’t be. I know, deep down, Liberty wouldn’t hurt herself knowing full well I would worry for her.

Right? Right…?! She totally wouldn’t do anything to herself, right?

I especially feel like now, since Harumi has been gone for so long, it would mean the tournament is actively going and Libby is okay.

Please be okay…

Suddenly, I feel an intense amount of heat around my body and through the room. Milliseconds later, the sound of an explosion rings throughout my ears. The walls around crumple to bits, and I dodge each one quickly; the pain and aches return from yesterday as I make these sudden harsh movements.

It takes my mind a moment to process what just happened, but what it is soon becomes reality. I am immediately on my feet, straight for the tournament, and it is visibly blown to bits as it overflows with green fire and burns the building from the inside out.

Tears escape my eyes as I dart toward the fire, air escaping my lungs rapidly, and my body aching terribly. That doesn’t matter now. The worst thoughts are flowing into my mind at what just happened, and I know for a fact Libby is in there. I must save her.

I slyly dodge active falling debris as I run through the fire becoming closer and closer with the burning building. I have no time to stop to look around and investigate before bursting in, and I have no time to worry about the harsh burns my skin is actively receiving.

I find myself inside the decapitated stadium, stone from the walls still falling, and fire engulfing it more than any other part of the rather large palace. I don’t give myself time to breathe in new air or grab a mask as I get on my hands and knees within the burning emerald flames and dig through the piles for her.

Tears are now rapidly falling from my eyes without any sound as I grunt and shout for her throughout the arena. I hear no reply or even a sound, and my cries increasingly become worse.

My hands bleed terribly as I push rock and stone out of the way as I dig within the burning piles searching for her, my vision blurring intensely more than ever. Through the stress, I also can feel my ears beginning to ring all together into one, and eventually all I can hear and process is my own heart pounding incredibly fast within my ears.

Suddenly, as I take a heavy stone away from the corner of the arena, I spot a hand underneath further debris. A dainty, small, and terribly ravished hand. My body freezes for a moment, my mind begins to race more than what I thought was possible, and I immediately jump into action. I push the other piece of harsh metal that had fallen from the roof away and spot her limp, lower-body trapped underneath a large piece of wreckage. She appears unconscious, and I have no time to determine if she’s alive or not. All I can think about is getting her out.

I take it off her body with ease through my adrenaline, and I pull her ever-so-bloody and horrific body into my arms. I press two fingers against her neck and feel a very slight and silent beat, and then I take my ear and place it against her compressed chest as relief fills my soul.

“It’s alright, it’s alright…” I start to say to myself in a whisper, joyful tears filling my eyes as I hug her limp and destroyed figure close to mine. Her upper-half is as normal as it can be within these moments, but her whole bottom-half is destroyed. Her legs are limp and smashed; blood curdles down the sides from deep wounds. It pains my mind terribly to see her body in such a way, and it is terrifying to think what will come next.

I pick her up within my arms, cradling her like a child, and I slowly walk through the fire to get her out, so both she and I can properly breathe. I don’t bother to search for anybody else as Libby is most important within these moments.

After what feels like hours, I make it out. My heart still beats heavily throughout my chest, and my senses have been turned down to keep my body moving and functioning. However, as I glance at Libby’s small body wrapped within my arms, I know we’re alright, for now.

I gaze around for a quick moment toward the still-active falling building and over the ocean. There’s no possible escape. I can’t run from this. We can’t run from this.

I start breathing harshly once more, anxiety and worry filling my body and senses. I must find a safe way out of here, or I at least need to find some place to find aid for her.

“Jaxson?”

My body and my mind freeze once I hear my name be called in a whisper from below within my arms. Relief and even more adrenaline seem to flow throughout my system. I cannot simply process all this anxiety within these short moments as a mere human, but I must stay strong. I have to, no matter what.

I gaze down at her for the first time since picking her up, and my heart compresses into an utter crushing-feeling as I gaze at her distorted and gory self. I swallow harshly, changing my fearful expression to a courageous one, and I offer Libby a kind and reassuring smile.

“What is it, honey?” I finally reply, attempting not to shake in fear, which I know would ultimately cause her to be more terrified than I’m sure she already is.

It takes her a moment to reply, and I quickly notice her having to gather up the energy to do so.

“This really hurts.” She mumbles in a cracked whisper, gazing up into my eyes pitifully as cries of pain fall down her cheeks repeatedly. Her eyes can barely meet mine, and she appears to be in a deep daze.

“I know,” I start to coax, realizing straight after I have nothing else I am able to say.

What else can I say? It’s not like I can tell her everything will be okay… she won’t believe that.

“...Is this what dying feels like?” She questions quietly, taking her stare away from mine as she turns her head and gazes out into the dark blue ocean and the morning-sky. “...Am I dying?”

Her last sentence destroys my whole bodily system from the inside out. I can feel and hear all parts of myself rattle and shake as the thought crosses my mind. My breathing increases, and so do my shaking joints.

No matter what, I cannot allow anything regarding her dying happen. She can’t die. She can’t leave me. I will not let that happen, no matter what.

“No,” I begin bitterly, my voice arising and my mind swirling and twisting with sudden fearful thrill.

I feel myself laugh silently, and I also notice my emotions beginning to go mad. They feel uncontrollable within these moments as the idea circles around my mind, and I have to fight it off.

“I will not let that happen.” I finally finish as my shaking slowly comes to ease, and my mind begins to jump into action once more.

I can feel her previously limp hand grip onto my shoulder barely as she turns and looks up into my gaze once more. She offers me a kind smile, yet right away I know it is full of pain and dismay.

“Okay,” she whispers as she drifts off, her eyes slowly closing into a sleep. For a few moments I hold my breath watching this, counting all the gradual and easy breaths she inhales before I begin to think of a plan.

Suddenly, I hear a rather familiar voice coming from behind the both of us. I turn around quickly, and I watch as Harumi runs up to us in a hurry. She seems to actually be worried about something, and this causes me to easily become concerned just as quickly.

“Both of you,” she starts in a panic, barely catching a breath before she begins her proclamation. “Take this,” she pants for another breath as she basically throws a large and enchanting looking staff into my clearly-filled-hands. I barely have any time to even examine it or ask any questions before she goes on, “I’m sending you two, right now, to a different realm. Hold this for me, and treasure it for me. It is important; it holds every element within this arena, and we do not need it taken away from us.” She pauses for another moment as she takes in a final breath, and then she stares into my eyes deeply. Our blue eyes meet: Hers being icy and cold, while mine are electrifying and dark. “Stay there for a good year, I should be ready by then. You two will do that for me, right?”

I don’t even have time to answer before she begins muttering some words, her eyes being closed, and her body in a specific stance. Before I even know it, a gaping channel within the universe opens, another realm before my eyes, and Harumi pushes Libby and I inside. 

Chapter Text

Jax

“Jaxson… Jaxson…” I can hear my voice being called throughout the back of my mind and within the darkness. Light meets my eyes slowly, and I can both feel and see now that Liberty is actively shaking my body, worry spread across her face.

Suddenly, everything comes back to me, and I instantly sit up from the concrete ground, examining her before anything else.

She no longer has blood, bruises, wounds, or broken bones anywhere on her body. She is one hundred percent okay, and tears begin to fill my eyes once I finish inspecting her. She ultimately seems confused by this, adding to the vexation across her face, however she offers me a slight smile once we meet eye-contact.

Before she can say or ask anything, I wrap her in a tight hug, holding her close and not letting go. I can feel her slight and easy breaths against the side of my shoulder, and I close my eyes attempting to treasure this beautiful moment of relief.

“Jaxson…” She keeps saying as I hold her close. She pulls away, offering a quick smile as she stares into my eyes deeply. She suddenly points behind my body at something, and I slowly turn to where she is signaling. My eyes meet the staff lying against the cement ground that Harumi told us to protect, and curiosity begins to ring throughout my mind.

“What is that?” I hear her ask from behind, confusion gathering more and more with each word.

Timidly, I turn back to her, a solid answer not forming within my mind. I ponder for a moment as she kneels in front of me. I meet her eyes once more, and they almost seem worried.

“Are you alright?” I ask suddenly, reaching my hand out to her cheek and stroking it softly. She doesn’t seem bothered by this, but the same nervous look is still spread throughout her face.

She glances around for a moment, taking my hand from her face and holding it within her own soft fingertips. I watch as she looks around, and this causes me to do so as well. This is, in fact, the first time I have gazed around since dropping in here. I have been too focused on the fact she is now okay, yet the reality of everything begins to set in quickly.

I can barely get out my own question as she interrupts me quietly, through a soft mutter, “What is this place?”

“I’m not sure,” I begin saying through a confused daze.

Skyrise buildings surround us as we sit on the cement ground. The world appears rather dark, but not so dark you cannot see, just dimmer. The weather is rather still; it is chilly, yet it is also warm.

I avert my eyes all around, only spotting the buildings linked together through connecting bridges above what seems to appear a much lower ground. I then notice a rather large building, rising above the clouds and into the atmosphere. I stare at it for a moment, and I sense Liberty notices it too as she sighs silently.

I turn once again, glancing out beyond the buildings, and spot an intense desert behind it all. It seems peaceful, but as I glance into it more, I spot the burning heat from afar actively melting whatever plant or wildlife trespasses on it.

It takes my mind a hot second to process all of this. I begin to wonder why this, of all places, Harumi would send us to. I also begin to ponder once again about that staff, and what importance it must hold for us to be sent here and put in charge of it.

I feel Libby tap my shoulder, and I am instantly taken out of my trance. I meet her eyes once again, and she seems to be in sudden distress. I am about to ask her if something is wrong, but she announces quietly for only I to hear before I can say anything, “Something is here.”

I eye her for a moment, confused about the words she just said to me. My mind quickly begins to circle in thought, and I immediately begin to glance around. However, she instantly stops me by grabbing my hand and forcing my eyes back into her own as she says, “We have to go.”

She takes my arm in a rush, standing up swiftly, and I barely have enough energy to follow right after her as she drags my body toward the staff. She picks it up, carefully handing it over to me, and she proceeds to quickly pull my figure into the nearest building.

She says nothing as she guides us up a bunch of stairs, tiring my already worn-out bodily system, and she finds a nearby storage room and locks us inside of it. She lets go of my hand as she props herself against the door and slides down, with her back against it, and onto the hard ground.

I watch above as she presses her head into her knees and sighs rather audibly as she mumbles, “We are now safe.”

“Safe?” I question, eyebrow raising as my senses become more alert and confused. “What do you mean?”

She glances up into my eyes for a quick moment before asking, “Did you not sense that person ready to snipe us?”

“Snipe?” I inquire, eyes widening.

Did I? I do not recall… I didn’t sense or feel anybody within our presence…

“There was another person too,” she begins, lowering her knees from her chest and allowing her body to relax against the door. She gazes straight ahead of herself, taking her eyes away from mine. “He was coming toward us with a knife from behind, and he was ready to strike.”

I’m silent for a moment as I take this all in. I had not felt any of those people approaching us who she claims were there, and I do not dare deny her as I don’t doubt she is right.

I allow myself to kneel down close to her, and I lean against the closet’s wall, resting my head against it. I close my eyes, still pondering about all her claims, trying to think if I noticed anything she has mentioned.

“Currently,” she starts, slowly taking her gaze away from the wall and meeting my eyes. “We have no weapons. Besides, of course, whatever this staff does.” She halts her thoughts for a moment, picking the staff up from the ground and examining it. Finally, I get to look at it and inspect it myself, and I notice the peculiar shape it holds.

“May I see it?” I ask, curiously. She hands it over to me right away, and then she proceeds to lean against the door and rest her eyes for a moment as I do so.

I turn the four-foot wooden staff within my hands, staring closely into it. It is rather plain and simple, however there are a multitude of small details and grooves all throughout it with tiny gemstones and other rocky textures embedded within it.

I examine the top of it, and I notice a gem, which is barely able to be seen unless a person looks carefully. It appears more plain compared to the others scattered around, yet it seems to almost hold more power compared to the others. It may sound crazy, but as an elemental master, it is almost as if you can feel things both spiritually and emotionally on a higher rate compared to most people; this staff is very spiritual, and I know Libby can feel it too.

“My mother sent us here, didn’t she?” Liberty questions, interrupting my eternal thoughts. I turn my electrifying blue eyes toward her and meet her emerald gaze. I hold our moment between each other for a few seconds before responding in a silent whisper, “Yes… Do you not remember?”

She takes her look away from mine, inhaling deeply before replying, “Barely. I just remember lots of pain, and you saved me. That’s all I got.”

She seems almost numb as she mumbles this in a rather quiet response, but my sharp gaze remains toward her. She must catch this, because she meets mine once again and offers a slight and shy smile before saying, “I’m alright now, though! I mean, look at me! I’m still kickin’!” She weakly pumps her fist into the air as she says this, and I attempt to reflect the look of her forced acceptance in our current situation.

All goes still for a few more moments until she murmurs, “We will be okay, right?”

“Do you not think everything will be okay?” I ask, examining her more closely within the dim-lit closet. Her face is rather pale, and her body seems to shake repeatedly. I begin to wonder if this is because of the amount of shock it has gone through, but I also know it is her own anxiety dumping itself into her.

I set the staff down by my side, signaling that all my attention is on her within these moments, and I watch closely as she begins to fumble with her fingers. They repeatedly twirl around one another, and she stares at them intensely as she does this.

“Liberty…”

“How long did she say for?” She blurts out randomly, glaring into my eyes intensely, sweat dripping down the sides of her face.

“What do you mean?”

“My mother,” she exhales, thumbs fiddling around each other more than before. “How long did she say for us to protect this staff—” I watch as her eyes gaze toward it as she mumbles, “And for us to stay here?”

Within these quick moments, I think back to what Harumi exclaimed to me right before she threw us into this realm. It was all so fast, and my thoughts were all so jumbled together. It takes a moment to remember as everything was so confusing within those moments.

“A year,” I start to say, and I finally realize the words I just said as I watch Libby’s reaction form across her face.

“A year?!” She repeats in shock. She now pants heavily, and I watch her eyes dart around the room as she thinks quickly. “How are we supposed to- Why here?!”

“I don’t know!” I exclaim, raising my arms up, showing her that I am just as confused.

“And for what?!” She yells now, anger filling her facial expressions. She glares at the staff repeatedly as she screams in a silent manner, “All for a damn stick?!”

I gaze toward the staff myself now, wondering why it is so important that Harumi sent us away, and so quickly at that. She seemed panicked, and not just because her whole palace had been actively on fire and burning to the ground.

“How are we even supposed to get out of here?” Liberty questions, placing her head into her hands with a whine. “Did she even explain that?!”

“No…” I drift off, the realization forming within my brain. I hadn’t even thought of that… how to get out…

“But,” I begin, pulling myself forward in order to be closer to her. I lean against the door myself now and take her hands from her face. I force her to look at me as I promise, “We have each other, at least. We will figure this out, together.” I end this with a smile, but she seems unamused. She glares at me for a quick moment as she blinks back a nervous expression.

“I’m tired.” She states as she lowers her head into my lap. I take my hand and place it on top of her head, petting it slowly. Her body remains shaky as I hear her breaths begin to slow.

I stare at the closet’s wall in front of us for a moment, and I feel my eyes beginning to droop as well as the exhaustion from earlier begins to set in. I proceed to close my eyes, feeling sleep surround my mind.

“I love you.” Are the last whispered words I hear Libby mumble as I drift off. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

I awake to the dark and dim-lit closet. It takes a moment for my brain to remember where I’m at, but I quickly do as I pick myself up from the ground and glance around for a moment.

I begin to shake slightly as I realize I am alone, and that Jax is nowhere in sight. I turn my figure and stare toward the door handle for a moment, contemplating on what to do. The last time I was outside of this room a person was chasing us with a knife, and I would rather not experience that again. However, Jaxson is no longer here anymore, and he didn’t leave any notes whatsoever. Something bad might have happened to him.

Slowly, I grab onto the knob weakly, and I turn it the slightest. The door barely opens, but sunlight already hits my eyes from the hallway. I squint for a moment, adjusting my peripherals, and then I peak my head out and gaze around for a moment, checking if everything is safe.

I allow my breathing to slow, and I use only my ears and senses to pick up on anything for a few seconds. I feel nothing, so I step out carefully and head toward the left of the hall. I find a wooden floor-board piece lying on the shaky ground and pick it up, planning on using it for future defense if needed.

I proceed to mindfully walk down the hall’s staircase with the plank of wood held tightly within my fingertips. Both surprisingly and suddenly, causing my senses to jolt, I hear a sound behind the current staircase I walk down.

I glance back in fear as I perceive yet another rather loud noise. I swallow the ball of spit that has been trapped within my throat these past few seconds back down as I contemplate deeply on what I should do.

“...Jaxson?” I barely whisper, my voice shaking, vehemently. I stare toward the upper-part of the staircase and hear a humanly-grunt noise come from behind the wall. My eyes widen, and I tighten my grip on the plank of wood.

I have this plank of wood, and I have my element. I should be able to fight off whatever this is as long as I remain calm.

Calm yourself, Libby.

I breathe in as I begin to climb the active staircase I’m on toward the figure from behind the wall. Before I can even make it to the top, a figure rushes out from behind, vanishes with a puff of smoke, and I feel arms wrap around my body, and their hands cover my mouth from behind.

I feel a sharp blade against my neck, and panic quickly begins to settle within myself.

“You are going to remain quiet until I allow you to speak.”

My whole entire body freezes as I hear a man’s raspy and deep voice. I don’t reply as he backs up and pulls me with him, his dagger still lingering above my neck rather closely.

Eventually, I’m pulled outside, and the beating sun hits my eyes quickly. It causes them to water, and I squint them shut as I glance around the outside and to where he is taking me.

As long as I can take note of my surroundings, I’ll have that information in order to get out.

I suddenly hear an extremely loud scream, and then the echo of a gunshot pierce throughout the air at the same time. I realize quickly that it is the man threatening me. His arms slump down from his grip around my body, and I swiftly take advantage of this. I pull my figure away from him, kick him to the ground viciously, and take hold of his knife, which had fallen onto the gravel ground, and I use it for myself.

Finally, through all of this, I catch sight of what is happening. A man, probably a few years older than I, lies on the ground, curled into a ball, holding his arm tightly against himself. He winces in pain as I watch blood spurt from underneath his body.

I inspect him more now so that I can get a proper look. He appears to be an average male-height, 5 foot 10-ish (approximately 179cm), and he seems to be in good shape. His hair is a darkish gray, which I have never seen naturally before at his age, and his eyes are deep gray as well.

I hear him groan to himself, and I begin to worry for myself as my mind begins to work again. It had momentarily stopped from the shock. However, I must keep moving. I cannot allow myself to be in his situation as I stand out within the open.

Using the knife I took from the strange man, I glance around my surroundings for a moment, and I make sure to check that he still is on the ground crying where he can’t strike from behind.

Suddenly, I feel a hand touching my shoulder. I instantly jerk back, taking the dagger from my side and attempting to gouge it into the person. Although, upon doing this, I feel their other arm stop my own. Before my mind can even process what is going on through slight fear and defense, I feel the person’s touch, and they pull me into their own body tightly.

Their clothes smell of fresh smoke and dirt, but they also have a rather familiar smell: the one smell that I hold so close to my senses.

“I got you.” I hear as I dig my body into theirs and wrap my arms around their rather tall figure. Tears of relief begin to fall down my cheeks within these moments; I don’t mean for them to be, but they are doing it themselves.

“Libby, honey-” I hear Jaxson begin to say, his arm securing my figure from behind and holding my body close to his own. “Are you alright?” As he says this, I feel him take the knife from my grasp slowly, and I carefully take that same hand and grab onto his jacket tightly from behind.

“Y-Yes,” I sputter out, the sense of relief and shock still vibrating throughout my system.

“Good,” he begins as he gently pushes me aside. He proceeds to kneel in front of the stranger with a demeaning grin spread across his face.

I watch Jaxson slowly tilt his head as he reaches down toward the mysterious person and lift his chin with a hard and intense grasp, forcing the man to make eye-contact with him. The guy winces in pain, and I can slightly spot tears gathering within his eyes.

“Hello,” Jax starts, a bigger and more sarcastic smile forming across his face than before.

The man remains staring at him in the eyes, tears pouring down his cheeks as blood disperses more and more from his body and onto the ground. This sight doesn’t even seem to faze Jax, but looking at it longer than I would normally makes me feel sick to the stomach.

I know it shouldn’t make me feel this way. This guy was threatening me, and I have seen blood and death plenty of times before… So why is it affecting me?

“Huh,” Jaxson begins once more, gripping onto the man’s face harder than before. “No reply, eh?” He laughs slightly after saying this as he takes his dagger and holds it close to the stranger’s eye. My gaze widens as I watch this. I have never seen Jax go this far before. Sure, he has threatened people, but for him to kill someone? On the spot? Without explanation?

But is there really an explanation that needs to be offered? This man was planning on killing me without a reason…

Suddenly, I watch Jax take the knife inches away from the man’s eye, and he proceeds to announce boldly, “I’m going to give you a few options,” he pauses for a moment, and he clears his throat tightly before muttering deeply, “These options will determine how your execution shall go.”

Chapter Text

Jax

A Few Hours Earlier — Morning

My eyes open slowly, and I can feel the cold, hard cement ground against my body. I glance around the room in a daze as I sit myself up against the wall, attempting to remember where I’m at. It then all hits like a brick.

In a hurry, through the intense darkness, I place my hands everywhere to find her. Eventually, and rather quickly, I feel her loose hair within my fingertips, and relief fills my system. I realize, only now, that she is still lying on my lap. I take a deep breath, reassuring myself that everything is alright, at least for now.

As I step outside the closet carefully, closing the door without a sound, I can barely hear my footsteps as I transgress throughout the building. I turn a slight corner and see sunlight through a paned, glass window inscribed within a door. I reach for it slowly, keeping my sight and ears aware of what could possibly be around, and I conscientiously open the door.

The heat from the sun hits my skin immediately once entering the outside, yet I quickly notice how different it feels. The sun is not like the sun back in Ninjago, it provides a more burning sensation and rustic smell throughout this realm. I soak it in carefully, beginning to wonder if this is healthy for the average human.

I shrug the idea off as I pull out my lighter and a cigarette. I stare at it for a moment between my fingertips, contemplating on it for a quick moment. I sigh bitterly, my arms limply falling by my side, and I glance out into the sky once again. I don’t understand why we were sent here, and I wish I knew. The anxiety about this whole situation has cultivated throughout my mind for the past night, and I still haven’t been able to figure it out.

Harumi mentioned nothing about this, and I don’t know what the staff holds either that she holds so dear to her heart that she sent us here to take care of it.

I glance back down to the cigarette and lighter in hand, lifting it to my mouth and igniting it slowly. I inhale and exhale sharply, and the taste and smell no longer bother my system as it did when I was younger. I close my eyes and allow the heated sun to hit my bare skin through my tattered clothes.

Upon arriving here, our wounds and injuries were all healed, somehow. Moreover, the pain still lingers throughout my body… I cannot imagine how Libby must feel whenever she wakes up.

The thought of food and water comes to mind as I inhale yet another puff. It barely soothes my mind as thoughts race throughout my head. Those things I must find first, as they are what keep our bodies alive. Then, I must find security, shelter of some sort, and plenty of weapons.

***

Liberty

“...These options will determine how your execution shall go.” Jaxson smiles bitterly as he finishes this sentence.

The fear clearly expressed from this mysterious man is in no way able to be described. Only inches away from Jaxson’s glare, you can easily spot the sweat dripping from the man’s face and his body inevitably shaking.

“Now, consider your next move carefully. It could very well determine your future, in more ways than one.” Jaxson begins, gripping onto the man’s face harder than before. I look at both of their expressions cautiously. I contemplate deeply within these moments, attempting to guess what Jaxson plans to do next.

“You can either A,” Jax pauses for a moment, breathing deeper than before as he proceeds, “Be killed now as punishment for what you attempted to do to her. Or B,” he halts his words once more, turning his gaze away from the mysterious figure’s body and towards mine. His eyes meet contact with my own, and he motions for me to come closer.

Slowly, I make my way toward him. I hold myself close behind his knelt-down body, and make sure I am more near him than I am the other guy. He still eyes me, and then he proceeds to make contact once again with the man. He allows himself to take in a breath once more before continuing his sentence, “I will allow you to explain yourself. You will tell me what you were doing, and what you planned to do just now. Explain why you’re here. Everything. You will receive a little more time before death.”

“How-How dare you.” The man grumbles out through a harsh and cracked tone. His expression no longer shows slight fear, yet it shows deep anger. The frustration only develops more and more as Jaxson stares into his gaze deeper, his options still lingering.

“How dare I?” Jaxson laughs out through a deep and sarcastic chuckle. “What do you mean? I’m innocent. I’ve done nothing to you… At least, compared to what you were planning to do to her.”

After saying this, he gazes back toward me, and we meet eye contact once more. He almost seems to be trying to tell me something, yet I cannot decipher what he is trying to say.

I tilt my head in confusion, motioning to him that I don’t understand. He doesn’t seem bothered by this; however, he does immediately resort back to violence, and it catches me off guard for the quick moment as he proceeds to slice the guy in the forehead with the knife, very lightly. I hear silent screams, and I close my eyes tightly.

I know I should be brave and strong. I shouldn’t be bothered by this stuff anymore due to everything. Furthermore, that doesn’t mean I still don’t experience minor discomfort when this happens every so often.

I wish I could be tough and confident. I really wish I could be like Jaxson. He doesn’t overthink anything. He does what he decides upon, and he never looks back. He’s confident in his choices and always seems to know what to do.

“Okay, okay!” I hear the foreign man scream. I peek my eyes open slightly, and then they widen intensely by the sight. His whole body is covered in blood from multiple different slashings, and when I meet Jaxson’s figure, blood is spurted all over his clothing and an undefined look is spread across his face. It is almost in between a disgusted and satisfied expression.

“I choose option B. I’ll explain myself… just so I can die with justice.” I avert my eyes toward Jaxson instead of the mysterious figure. I do not wish to stare at the sight anymore, and I almost wish I could walk away from this.

“Pfft, yeah right. ‘Justice’ they call it, hm? Don’t expect that type of respect and acknowledgement from me. I want to know a few things, and that’s it. You are being used, like a tool. You got that?”

“Yeah… got it.” The man replies, bitterly.

It takes Jaxson a moment to reply, but I feel his energy shift slightly as he exclaims, “Good…”

He suddenly jerks, taking the man by the neck and lifting him onto his feet. Jaxson surpasses him in height by a good few inches, and I watch as he strangles him from behind, without hesitation, knocking him out cold onto the ground. The man’s body hits the concrete ground with a thud, and my eyes widen suddenly.

“Alright,” Jaxson begins, turning toward my body, wiping his hands against his dirty jeans. His dark blue eyes meet my emerald ones with a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

“I-I-” A stutter begins to form within my words, and I pause desperately. Before I can say anything else, he reaches his arms out toward my hands and stares into my gaze deeper than before.

His fingers trace my shaky hands, up my scarred arms, and to my face stroking it every so delicately. My heart begins beating intensely, unable to process what is going on exactly.

His thumb meets my lip, and he takes his eyes from my own and instead gazes at my mouth slowly. I remain staring into his eyes deeply, and my breathing increases rapidly. Even after years of being with him, I still cannot get over the way he does what he does to me… And we still haven’t even done all of it.

His eyes meet mine once again, and then he hesitantly takes his thumb away from my lip. He clears his throat as he turns away from my body and begins slowly, “Mind helping?” As he says this, his gesture is toward the unconscious man on the ground.

Confused, I assist by taking one side while he takes the other. I allow him to lead as thoughts race throughout my mind.

Is he suddenly uninterested? Did I do something? Say something? Make a weird face?

“Yo! Libby!” I instantly shake my head from all my thoughts when I hear his voice call out my name. I zone back in and realize that we are entering a small room inside the same building as before. I hadn’t even realized we had made it this far until now… I zoned out that much in thought.

Jax suddenly motions for the unconscious human to be placed on the hard ground, and I follow suit as we let the man’s body fall onto the ground.

“Alright,” Jax begins, wiping his hands from the man’s blood against his jeans once more. He turns toward my figure, yet I remain looking at the cold ground turned away from the body. The same thoughts from earlier circulate throughout my brain.

Why did he do that? He seemed interested one moment and immediately stopped trying the next. Did I do something wrong?

I don’t even feel or notice my thumbs twiddling between one another as I feel his hand touch my own, stopping them from their routine motion. I stare at his cracked and dried knuckles for a few moments, and then I quickly examine the blood and dirt caked in between his nail beds. I hesitantly turn and meet his gaze. I am finally able to read it after this whole encounter: kind and reassuring, just as he has always shown toward me and me only.

Abruptly, without any sort of warning or look, he takes the back of my head and supports it strongly, intertwining his fingers through my hair as his mouth meets mine intensely. He’s gentle, yet he’s so confident as he places his other hand on my waist. I, on the other hand, have no idea where to place any of my hands and keep them stuck to my sides.

He releases for a moment, and a new breath of fresh air gathers between us. We hold eye contact for a moment, before he swiftly takes both of my hands and pushes me rather gently against the nearest wall, holding my arms above my head as he proceeds intensely.

I gasp for air when he finally releases once again, and I eye him for a quick moment as I feel my arms going numb. He lets go immediately, and my arms drop by my side once again. I gaze down at them for a quick moment, and then I look back up at him.

“You good?” He asks, worry quickly spreading across his face.

“I’m fine.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah,” I start as I gaze toward the collar of his shirt. Without hesitation, I grab it tightly within my grasp, and I pull his body toward mine as I kiss him harder than before. I can feel him smile slightly as he rests his hands against each side of my head.

Once again, after a good few moments, I pull away, blushing ever-so-slightly. I bite my lip slightly with anxiousness as I glance down toward my feet, taking my hands away from his shirt, and I place them at my side.

The stench of blood, dirt, smoke, and much more may fill the room and in between our figures, but it does not stop the situation from still being incredible.

“Bloody hell,” I hear him say as I glance toward the ground. “You always surprise me, don’t ya?” I glance up toward him for a quick moment, and I immediately meet a kind smile. Out of all these weeks of pain, I haven’t seen him smile this specific smile for weeks, months, and maybe even years.

I grin back, tears filling my eyes slowly as I watch his bright smile fade away once again. I don’t know when I will see it again. Days, weeks, months, maybe even years like before? I sure hope not.

“Libby?” I hear my name from my thoughts, and I quickly turn my attention back to Jaxson. He has turned away from my body, and he is leaning over the man on the ground. “I love you.” He makes sure I hear his words as he makes eye contact with me.

“I-I love you too-”

“And I sure would love to keep doing this with you,” he pauses for a moment, winking slightly toward me. My eyes widen, and I immediately glance down. Thoughts begin to fill my mind… And they happen to not be so PG thoughts considering the rather odd circumstance we’ve been shoved into right now.

“However,” he begins once more, “We will have to hold off once again for a little while as we must figure out what to do with him once he awakens. He already chose his decision to live, at least for now. Now, we just have to decide which questions we should ask, if he knows anything and wasn’t just bluffing, of course.”

I nod as I step closer to his side, glancing down toward the mysterious figure. His cuts have begun to dry, and so has the blood. The smell reeks throughout the room, and so do our own bodies, mainly Jax’s, as it dries onto his clothes and skin.

“This is disgusting,” he begins saying suddenly as he picks the dirt, grime, and ichor from his skin. He flicks it toward the ground, and I watch slightly surprised. “This is one thing I hate about my job, the mess.”

“You’re disgusted, too?” I ask, carefully. I had never considered the option that he hated the smell and feel of filth as much as it seems right now. Moreover, now having a clearer mind to think about it more than before, he has always been very clean. No matter the situation, he has always encouraged cleanliness and immaculateness.

A sudden memory enters my mind as I think upon this. Back, years ago, when I had just found out my mother was still alive, I had fallen into a deep and silent depression after it had ended. It lasted quite a while. It was never enough for most to notice on the outside — but if you knew me on a deeper level, it was quite easy to notice. I know, no matter what, I must not have hidden it well enough because Jaxson noticed rather quickly. In fact, he was the first to figure it out, and he was the only.

I still got up every day and did my duties, yet it was intensely difficult. It was hard to eat and sleep many days, and it was difficult to maintain personal hygiene. I covered it all up the best I could, but some days hurt more than others, and it was strenuous to act okay most days.

I recall Jaxson noticing right away. He forced me to take showers, and then afterwards he would make sure to brush and detangle my hair for me. He also made me eat no matter how I felt. There were days where I would vomit it back up due to stress, but he always stayed there with me — no matter the issue. There were some days where my hair would become tangled and ratted by lying in bed and not caring for my hygiene. However, he was always there for me, and he would help me to remain stable by forcing me to do uncomfortable and hard things. When I couldn’t sleep, he would sit with me the nights he could, and he would sit there until I eventually did get to sleep — no matter how long that was; there were some nights where it only took a few moments to fall asleep, and there were others where it took all night until dawn — or maybe not even at all. No matter what, he was always patient with me and seemed to understand. This was when we weren’t even officially together yet, and we were just friends at the time with what I can only assume was a deep bond between two individuals.

Now, looking back at it from an older perspective, him doing that for me truly shows how much he loved and cared for me years ago. That’s why, at the end of the day, it is so hard to ever think about not being with him anymore. He has helped and got me through so much, and I have yet to repay him for all he has done. The emotional connection has become too strong, and I cannot physically pull myself away from his existence. I, too, care about and love him just as much as he does toward me. He just can express it properly, while I cannot. I really hope I’m showing him enough how much I love him. Just as I know he would do for me, I always will take a bullet for him without a question in order to keep him alive.

“Of course I am,” he replies silently, still picking the grime off his body and clothing. My brain halts the replay of the memory as I glance toward him once again. I spot the blood smeared across his face, and then I glance around the room for a quick moment. My eyes meet a sink, and I walk over to it curiously.

Once there, I turn the nozzle and out flows crisp and cool water. My eyes widen, surprised, and I stick my hands underneath it and begin washing them clean from the dirt and blood spread across them.

After washing my hands, I take a close towel from the drawer and place it underneath the water. I turn and walk toward Jax, damp towel in hand. He is so hyper-focused on picking the dirt out from underneath his fingernails that when I grasp his shirt from behind, he seems to jump slightly.

“What?” He questions hesitantly, turning his attention toward me.

“Sit.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” I reply intensely, tugging his shirt harder than before basically forcing him to sit in the chair by us. He eyes me confused until he is seated, and I choose not to tell him what I’m doing until I’m doing it.

I stand over him as I wipe his face and hair clean from the blood and dirt. It isn’t perfect, yet it is as good as it can be. He gazes toward me mindfully as I lightly clean him up.

When I finally finish after a few minutes, he stops my arm before I can pull away. He forces our eyes to meet for a few seconds. These moments feel heavy, and they hold some sort of tension.

What is this tension? It feels different than normal… somehow. I have never felt this before.

He clears his throat as he lets go of my wrist and takes his eyes away from mine. For the first time in a good few seconds, I allow myself to blink and breathe. My eyes meet his bloody arms, and I take his right wrist carefully as I wipe it down.

“I can do it myself-” He starts, gesturing for me to stop. Without hesitation, I shake my head in response, keeping a tight grip on his wrist, and I continue to take the grime away from his arms.

I hear him sigh from below quietly, and then he proceeds to mumble aloud, “Why are you doing this for me?”

“Because I love you.” I reply without hesitation. I allow myself to smile as I take his hand and begin wiping the dirt from his nails. “You would do the same thing for me. You have done the same thing for me. It’s my turn to be here for you.”

He is silent, and no response comes from him. His breathing is slightly raspy as he allows his hand to rest within my grasp more comfortably.

After a couple of moments, and once I am done, I take his other arm and begin doing the same thing as I did the other one.

“Do you-” He pauses for a quick moment, taking his gaze away from his arm and into my eyes. “Have any questions you can ask him?” He shifts his head toward the still unconscious man lying on the ground. I stare at the person for a moment before I turn my attention back toward Jax.

“I was thinking,” he begins saying once more, “That we ask him all we need to know about this place. ‘What is this place? Food and water? Shelter? Weapons? Etc.’ because he clearly has lived here for some time before us, and he clearly is also human, which means he needs those basic necessities just as we do.”

I nod in response, my focus still on his hands as I finish polishing the dirt and blood away. I drop his hand onto his own lap gently as I finish cleaning him up. He stands up in front of me, my eyes meeting his chest as he checks his arms out. He then takes my shoulders and sits me down with no warning as he takes the cloth from my grip.

“My turn,” he starts to say as he pulls my hair back from behind and twists it into a messy bun. Without a question as to where I found the towel, he takes a new and clean one from the same drawer as earlier, dampens it, and he begins wiping the dirt from my face and body. He wipes the leftover blood from my arms rather gently. As always, these actions cause my heart to skip a few beats every few seconds.

“He looks familiar,” I begin to state as I glance over toward the knocked-out man on the ground. I notice Jax’s eyes widen as I say this.

“How so...?”

I glance into his gaze and meet his ocean eyes, “He looks like Cinder the Elemental Master of Smoke. He definitely has an element. I forgot to tell you due to everything that just happened, but he appeared before me through smoke. There are only two people who held that element prior to this mysterious person. One of which is Cinder, who strangely looks very similar to this man.”

Jaxson is quiet for a moment as he seems deep in thought. He takes his gaze away from mine, and he looks once more toward the suspicious man.

“I can see the resemblance.” He replies silently, standing up from his kneel. He begins to pace around the room as he twiddles his thumbs in between each other. I watch quietly as I gather my own thoughts on this conspiracy.

“Are you thinking I could be correct?” I ask a few moments later, standing myself up. I turn my body in his direction, and Jax still keeps his short struts in line as he glances toward the ground thinking to himself.

Suddenly, he turns toward me. His eyes have an alert sense to them.

“I think… I think you may be on to something. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about him. I mean, c’mon, when our parents were a good few years older than us now, he was already in his late 20’s to early 30’s when they faced him. He has to be in his mid-50’s now at least. Him having a kid is of no doubt surprising, considering most of the time the genetic line must go on. Since he had an elemental ability as well, that just adds on to having a kid of your own.” Jax pauses for a moment through his response. He gazes toward the silver-haired man once more, his eyes more focused than before. “If you are right about your suspicions, this man definitely has information we need. He could even be working with Harumi for all we know — maybe even against. Whatever and whoever he is, he must be important, somehow.”

Chapter Text

Liberty

I watch as Jaxson goes through the man’s pockets. He pulls out a variety of differing weapons and concealed drugs as well as a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.

He finds a small hand-gun, which will be put to good use, and he also finds a differing number of pocket knives and daggers.

It has been a good hour now, and the mysterious man’s body still remains unconscious before our eyes. I sit on the same wooden chair from earlier as I watch Jaxson flip and twirl his new-found dagger in between his fingertips. He eyes it cautiously with each movement he makes.

Both suddenly and surprisingly, the man’s body begins to twitch. Jaxson immediately stands up from his knelt position, placing his arm in front of my body as I also stand up. Jax pushes me farther back from the man as he begins to awaken.

Soon enough, the man is sitting up, and he is rather dazed as he glances around. I watch everything he does — up to each and every fine detail.

After a few moments, he meets the gazes of Jax and I. He groans in disgust almost instantly, and I spot an eye roll from his expression. He then glances down to his arms, which still have dried blood drenched all over them, and he seems almost surprised as he inspects them more intensely than before.

Before I am able to even notice, Jax is grabbing him by the throat, violently, and slamming the man’s body against the wall. I hear and watch screams escape the man’s mouth, and then I notice his body starting to become limp once more. However, before that can even happen, Jaxson takes a piece of rope, and he attaches it around the man’s wrists, and then he proceeds to tie the same rope to a handle built into the wall.

Jaxson steps back slowly as he keeps his eyes on the mysterious figure. He follows this up with pulling up a chair and sitting down confidently in front of the man. I know Jax’s famous glare and smirk are beaming from his face right now toward the person.

“So, now that you’re awake, we have a few questions to ask you.” Jax says in a confident tone. The mysterious figure stares into Jaxson’s eyes for quite a minute, and then his head turns and meets my gaze. This sudden wave of attention causes me to become slightly uncomfortable, and I take my arms and hold them behind my body anxiously as I twiddle my fingers together.

“Hey!” Jaxson shouts, snapping his fingers toward the man aggressively. The person, however, does not seem to notice as he remains staring toward my direction, right into my eyes. I try to avert my own, yet it is becoming so weird so fast that I am unsure how to control the situation.

“Listen to me when I’m talking!” Jax’s voice rings throughout the air as he fiercely grabs the man by the face. He is now kneeling down to meet eye contact directly, pulling him away from my line of sight, and forcing the man to make eye contact with him instead. Jaxson’s breathing is harsh as a slight half chuckle and half groan escapes his mouth. “You don’t look at her ever, you hear me?”

The man just scoffs in his direction as he replies confidently, “And what? What will you do?”

I notice, even from afar, Jax’s eyes become narrow with a form of rage. Suddenly, with a swift nature, he takes the previous stolen pistol, which came from the mysterious man himself, and he holds it against that very man’s forehead, finger on the trigger.

“‘What will I do’?” Jax repeats the stranger’s words in a mimicking and sarcastic tone as laughter escapes his body insanely. “It’s easy,” he starts, calming his tone into almost an eerie whisper. “You will be dead in a blink of an eye.”

In response, the peculiar person remains silent and bold, yet the energy he puts off is quite the opposite.

“Now,” Jaxson begins quietly as he still holds the firearm to the stranger’s forehead, “What is your name, and who are you working with?”

Without hesitation, yet with a small sigh, the man proceeds to answer slowly, “Calcifer… Calcifer Kerumi. That is my name. I work with no one.”

“Bull****!” Jaxson shouts vehemently as he instantly presses the gun harder into the man’s head. “I am not scared to use this if you decide not to answer truthfully!” His words are full of hate and demise, and his expression is more intense than before.

My eyes don’t cease to widen as I watch the encounter from a few feet away. I do not choose to interject as that would only make things worse, but it doesn’t mean that I am not the slightest concerned about Jax’s actions.

Suddenly, Jaxson turns toward me, and he makes direct eye contact. His eyes hold a fume of anger, and this only makes me more nervous. My hands repeatedly play with each other behind my back as I bite my lip viciously.

“Do you smell BS, too?!” He screams this toward me as his eyes slim more and more.

“I-I-” I can only stutter as I hold his glare, and then I turn and meet the mysterious man’s gaze once again. He seems both confused and shocked at once, which I cannot pin-point why exactly.

All of a sudden as I turn and meet Jax’s intense look once again, his expression and tone lessens as his stare becomes more gentle. The slight smile he offers makes me feel less rigid and apprehensive.

I take my teeth away from my bleeding lip and mumble quietly, “Who is your leader? What is this place?” When I finish this sentence and look up, the stranger stares into my eyes deeper than before. This makes me slightly weirded-out, yet his look offered toward me now seems almost less intimidating than before.

Jaxson seems almost surprised by my response once my eyes avert toward him. His eyebrows narrow as he listens to me, and then he turns his glare back toward the man.

“Did you hear her?!” He asks, spitting his words into the man’s face. Jax still holds the gun tightly to the stranger’s head, yet he has seemed to loosen it since my questions.

Through Jax’s intimidating gaze and the pistol, the mysterious stranger nods his head slowly, opening his mouth carefully and answering steadily, “It is the truth, I do not work for anyone. However, I am in connection with Harumi Garmadon. This place you ask? Well, welcome to The Game of Misdirection.”

My eyes widen as I listen to his responses. I swallow deeply, my mind replaying and confirming what he said.

“What does ‘Game of Misdirection’ mean?” I hesitantly ask, thoughts still racing throughout my mind.

The stranger smirks as his appearance becomes more confident than before as he replies, “Well sugar, it is rather self-explanatory. This realm causes mind games that are difficult to perceive and understand. Bots, NPC’s basically, walk these planes that want to kill you, the air is smokey and suspicious, the dirt is filled with weird creatures, and much more. The sun and moon rise at weird times, causing the perception of day and night to be skewed. Lack of sleep easily makes a person insane, this world adds more than just that.”

“Were you sent here by Harumi Garmadon?” I ask, taking in as much information as I can.

The man grins once more as his eyes glaze over mine and Jaxson’s with a slight chuckle, “What? You know who she is or something?”

My line of sight remains directed toward him as my eyes narrow ever so slightly, and then I proceed to nod with a slight smirk. His eyes widen as he hears this. More questions seem to rise within his throat, yet Jaxson halts him real fast.

“You are not allowed to ask any more questions.” He directs, pressing the gun into the stranger’s head harder than before. The man remains silent, taking his gaze away from mine and staring into Jax’s.

“How long have you lived here?” Jaxson questions, taking control of the conversation once again.

The stranger almost seems like he wants to interject his own thoughts, but he immediately pauses himself and answers the question without any form of quarrel, “Three years.”

“Did Harumi send you?”

The man’s hesitant for a moment before answering, “Yes…”

“Who else?” Jaxson questions without skipping a beat.

“How did you-” The man stutters, gazing into Jax’s look more intensely.

“Answer the damn question!” Jax screams angrily, sliding his finger against the gun’s trigger. “What did I just say to you!?”

My eyes widen with this encounter as I watch the man’s eyes shut immediately. Sweat begins rolling down his forehead as he proceeds to mumble, “My father.”

“Who is your father?”

“Cinder Kerumi — The Second Master of Smoke.”

Jaxson immediately turns his head toward me with an impressed look. He then carefully turns back toward Calcifer before asking, “Do Harumi and your father work together?”

“Years ago… I am not sure about that anymore though.”

“And does that make you the current Master of Smoke?”

“Yes.”

Jaxson proceeds to pause for a moment as he picks himself up off of his knees and stands above the limp man on the floor who is still at gunpoint. I remain in my same position as I watch the scene carefully.

“Since you have lived here for so long, you must know your way around… correct?” Jaxson questions, eyeing the man intensely.

“Uh, yes?”

“Then you might as well show your manners and be hospitable for us, will you?” Jaxson asks, lifting his arms with a bold grin spread across his face.

In response, Calcifer looks at Jaxson with a confused look, and then he glances toward me with a look of almost fear within his eyes.

“Uh… yeah, sure.” He answers as Jax takes the pistol away from his forehead.

In return, Jaxson smiles toward him once more, bending down and beginning to untie the ropes against his bloody and dirty skin. I remain still, staring at the course of action being taken.

Once untied, the man cautiously stands up in a wobbly form. Jaxson holds the gun and points it toward him the whole time. As he does this, Jax begins walking backwards toward me, taking my hand in his as he holds the pistol in the other.

“Alright!” He shouts, gripping onto my hand tighter than before. “Show us around, will you, Cal?” Jax’s tone ends with a snarkish demeanor.

The stranger scoffs slightly as he turns toward the door and begins walking forward without question. Jax guides the two of us after him, his hand still latched onto mine protectively.

“Like I said before,” the person begins saying slowly, “There are NPC-like-bots around here, so keep your guard up. They can spawn and pop out at any time.”

“So… is this world like a video game or something?” I ask as curiosity and slight anxiety begins to fill my mind.

The man pauses his steps and turns toward me rather suddenly. He ignores the fact he’s at gunpoint as he responds slyly, “Not precisely, sweetie,” he halts his words for a quick moment, and he eyes Jax’s hand holding mine tightly. The stranger then eerily begins to gaze back into my eyes once more as he proceeds to say nonchalantly, “It's more realistic than just some game.”

“How so-’

I am harshly interrupted by Jaxson’s sudden shift in personality from almost calm to fuming once again. He presses the gun into the man’s chest as he grumbles viciously, “Move or you’re dead.”

The man only replies with a smug glance before turning away from the gun, and then he proceeds to step forward once again.

“I see what this is about,” he starts saying in a bitter tone. “She’s your girl. Sorry man, didn’t mean to step on your turf.”

…What? Was he flirting with me?

“Correction, she is my wife.” Jaxson states in a grumbling tone. I side eye him cautiously as we follow the man.

“Ah, I see,” he begins, each step seeming careful and calculated. “I sure hope you don’t treat her how you treat me.”

“Excuse me?” Jaxson starts to ask before being interrupted briskly.

“Unless… she enjoys being abused, and she is turned on by it or something.” There is a smug tone that comes from that final word.

My steps pause as Jax disperses from mine. He attacks the man from behind with no warning as he slams him against the brick wall of the building. Sweat drips from both of their foreheads as their breath hits each other intensely.

“Listen here, Jack***,” Jaxson exclaims, holding the man’s shoulders vigorously against the wall. “Don’t you dare talk to her or do anything to her. You got that?”

The man stares into his eyes for a moment, and I catch sight of their detail better than the first time. The gray of his gaze reflects Jaxson’s image — almost like a mirror. The smokey gray almost reminds me of a crystal.

“What if I need to ask her a question?” The man asks, a smirk forming across his face.

“Then you can just ask me.” Jaxson replies through gritted teeth.

“Huh, are you a control freak over her or something? Do you enjoy treating her like she’s your tool or something? Is that what she is to you? Is that what everyone is to you? A tool just to be used for the time and be discarded later?” Calcifer finishes his statement rather confidently. He seems to be forgetting within these moments that a gun is being held directly to his head as he speaks.

I turn my gaze toward Jaxson, and I notice his body is shaking in rage. The energy that comes off him is more intense than usual, and he seems to be holding back from what he really wants to do to this guy.

“I will not hesitate to kill you if you speak another word.” Jaxson threatens, his finger hovering over the trigger of the gun for the third time today. I also notice he is reaching in his pocket, which I presume is where he placed the stolen knife as well.

My eyes widen as I realize this is the final warning he is giving. Jaxson will do it. If this man talks any more than what he has already said, he will be dead in the next 30 seconds or even less if he isn’t careful.

My eyes widen as our only resource of life we have found so far could possibly be gone within just a few minutes. With the information he has given us, we still do not have enough to live within this realm. He cannot die yet. Meaning, I can’t let Jax kill him. No matter what. At least until further advances.

I walk over to Jaxson’s vehement body and place a shaky hand on his forearm that holds the gun. His quivering energy lessens as he feels my trembling touch, and I watch his eyes meet mine from the side as he keeps his glare on the man.

I give him a look of desperation, and he seems to catch on to what I’m trying to convey to him without words. He remains silent as he does a deep and agonizing sigh and an eyeroll.

“Fine!” He exclaims as he pulls the gun away from the man once more, and he proceeds to take his own body away from the man and the wall. “But let it be known, I may not kill you just yet, but you will be tortured.”

Without a warning of any kind, he takes the dagger from his pocket and stabs the man directly in the bullet wound he created in him earlier when saving me. There is a scream as he inches to the floor, holding his side, and blood spurts everywhere. My eyes widen with surprise and fear, and I immediately turn my gaze toward Jaxson. His demeaning glare is intense, yet it has a touch of pride shown through it.

Suddenly, Jax takes my hand once more, holding it even tighter this time. My mind cannot think straight as screams fill my brain and heavy thoughts.

“Don’t you dare act smart again, you hear me?!” Jaxson shouts above the man’s pain, showing no empathy whatsoever.

In all the years of knowing Jax, I have never seen him be as violent as he has been these last few weeks. He has taken his empathetic personality away from himself, and it is becoming progressively worse and deeply concerning. It makes me begin to wonder if the final bit of empathy he has toward me will soon vanish as well.

The words that Calcifer spoke repeat themselves within my mind from earlier. It makes me wonder if Jaxson really has viewed everyone as a tool his whole life. It even makes me think if he just views me as a tool, too.

I shake my head in disbelief.

No. He would never. He cares too much. He will always care too much.

Right… Right?!

However, the new gripping thought of him using, and he has been using me remains within my mind for the next few seconds. I zone the yells and shouts from my mind as I stand breathlessly within my own brain.

“Now… where do we find shelter? Food? Water? Weaponry? Do we need in-game currency by chance?” Jaxson asks bitterly, grabbing the man and forcing him to make eye contact. Silent, pathetic tears now fall down Calcifer’s cheeks as Jaxson breathes down his neck.

Even though this man attempted to murder me without reason, it still rubs me the wrong way what Jax is doing to him. I don’t understand why, either.

“You-You can find safe shelter in that tall building across the way,” the man begins through a breathless whisper. “Food, water, and weaponry can be found around the streets. There are stores dedicated to it. They aren’t too hard to find.” He pauses his sentence once more, attempting to catch a new inhale of fresh air. “For money, you either can earn it by completing small quests that are inscribed within the pillars of the city, or you can steal… as long as you are not caught.”

Once Calcifer finishes talking, Jaxson nods, letting go of his harsh grip, and instead he grabs my hand roughly. Without a final word, he pulls the two of us away, leaving the man to fend for himself as he bleeds out on the cold, cement ground.

Jaxson doesn’t look back as he drags me along with him, and I don’t either. I try my best to keep my head and thoughts straight, and I keep telling myself over and over not to worry about it and to just trust the process.

Trust the process… Trust the process… Trust the process?

Yeah, right…

Before I know it, we make it outside, and the harshness of the sun’s rays hit us right in the face. Jaxson seems crazy focused as he guides us throughout the city keeping a watching out for those bots Calcifer was telling us about. None seem to be in sight, yet it is never terrible to be too careful.

He makes it to the tallest building we can find, which must be what the man was referring to as the safest shelter. Jaxson pushes the entering doors open, which almost seems too easy, and we walk inside slowly and carefully. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

There is no one in sight, and we proceed to tiptoe through the halls quietly. At the end of the first-floor hall, Jax opens the door to a clean room with two full-sized beds, a TV, a bathroom, and much more.

My eyes widen as I take in the sight. It looks to be never used, or at least freshly cleaned, and for the first time in a good few days, I allow myself to smile with relief.

After walking in and shutting the door behind us, I let myself glance around the room in a more detailed fashion. I spot a mini fridge beside one of the beds, and out of desperation for some sort of water or food, I rush to it.

Jaxson doesn’t say a word as he comes closer and views what I’m doing from above as I kneel on the ground. My eyes meet water and light snacks as I open the fridge. My starvation thickens, staring at everything, and I immediately take one of the water bottles and begin to open it.

Without thought, and before Jax can say anything, I take the water and allow it to flow down my throat, refreshing every inch of my body. It tastes just like normal water back in Ninjago, and I am slightly relieved as I was a little nervous it would be poisonous or something. Moreover, through the quench of thirst, it is hard to think straight and question the consequences at first sight.

I turn to Jax with a new grin on my face, and I watch him give me a straight face back. I offer him the water, and he takes it from me slowly, chugging it himself.

I take some trail mix from the fridge and open the small package. I take a handful and stuff it into my mouth. Delight flows throughout my body as I take another handful and quickly swallow that one. The feeling of being so hungry and finally able to fulfill that need is something that is indescribable until you are actually feeling it.

I hand Jaxson, who is still watching me from above, the bag of trail mix. He takes a good few handfuls and quickly absorbs them within his system.

I stand myself up, shutting the fridge in front of me, and I turn to one of the beds. I allow myself to fall on it and stare at the ceiling as the softness of the pillow rests my head. My eyes feel the urge to close as sleep dawns upon my system. I feel Jax sit down on the bed next to my figure, and he doesn’t proceed to say a single word as he stares toward me.

My eyebrows narrow as thoughts dawn upon my mind. I sit up slowly as I gaze into his deep blue eyes, “Is something wrong?”

He offers no response, and he instead shrugs me off as he proceeds to walk toward the bathroom. He steps into it, yet he does nothing. Concerned, I follow behind him, and I watch as he stares at himself in the mirror.

I notice he gazes at the scars and dirt that have accumulated over his body this past day. I also notice he inspects his rugged and torn clothing, which is drenched in blood and soot. I hear him sigh quietly to himself as he takes his eyes off himself and turns toward me.

“Why don’t you shower first?” He asks as he offers a kind smile. This is the first time he has shown any sort of ‘kind’ expression since earlier, and he seems to be forcing it toward me.

“Are you sure?” I question, taking my eyes off his own and glancing at his body. I try to avoid any conversation regarding what just happened with the mysterious human. “You’re more beat up than I am.”

“I insist,” he starts to say as he kneels down to the sink’s cabinet and pulls out a pressed and freshly clean towel. He places it on the bathroom counter with a washcloth and a new bar of soap. “It is the least I can do.”

“What do you mean?” I inquire, tilting my head toward him.

He shrugs as he proceeds to leave the bathroom without an answer. My eyes widen with worry as I reach my arm out and grab him by the sleeve. He doesn’t turn around to greet my eyes, yet I do not let go.

“You are going to tell me right now what’s wrong.” I say directly without stuttering over my words or overthinking what to say. His movement and breaths are still, and it takes him a few moments to turn around. However, once he does, I am greeted with an expression I have never seen come from him before.

He isn’t crying, no… that’s not it. He seems to be panicking.

His body trembles, and I watch as he stares down toward his shaky hands. He is unable to control it, and I immediately take action the best way I can. I kneel us both down onto the ground, and I take his head and place it into my chest. I play with his hair calmly as I hold him in between my arms.

“It’s alright.” I begin to whisper in a soothing voice. “I got you.”

When I say those final words, I feel his warm arms wrap around my petite body. He no longer seems to be shaking as much, yet he doesn’t let go.

“Libby…” He begins to say, my name coming out sounding rather timid. “You are by no means a tool within my mind, do you understand?”

His statement hits my brain like a brick as I suddenly remember what I was worrying about earlier. All the excitement about finally getting food and water caused my adrenaline to shoot up, and I had forgotten about it for the time being.

“Do you understand?” He repeats anxiously, and his body begins to shake increasingly by my lack of response.

“Of-Of course.” I reply, tightening my grip on his figure.

“I swear that I have never thought of you in that way. I need you to know that. You have always been different from everybody else. I must be honest, while I have always viewed most people as tools, you have been the only one who I have never thought of in that way throughout my whole existence. You have always been the person I loved, and you will always remain that way… no matter the end.”

My breathing is silent as I listen to his words. I don’t know how to feel about them. I guess I can understand, my thoughts on humans are really no different. However, I have never called someone or thought everyone was a tool within my life.

Moreover, I have no right to question him. It’s not like I haven't had my own strain of interesting thoughts either on the human population.

“Yeah,” I start to mumble, swallowing the spit within my mouth aggressively. “I understand. You’re all good. I believe you.”

I take his body away from my own as I stare into his eyes kindly. I offer him a slight smile as I proceed to tease, “Now stop fooling around and acting all weird! Go take a shower, you stink!” I shove him away from my body with a light tap as I walk out of the bathroom and leave him on the floor. From behind, I can hear him chuckle to himself softly.

***

Jax

I watch as the dirt, blood, grime, and other differing bodily fluids flow down the drain of the shower underneath my feet. I think to myself deeply as the water taps my head repeatedly. Really, there isn’t much to think about besides the fact that I need to figure out why we’re here, what that stick is about, and…

“The staff!” I say aloud, realizing now that we had left it back in that small closet of ours. Anxiety begins to flow over my mind as I think about it, but then I soon realize that it is in a small closet in the middle of a building infested with bots, and nobody will probably find it. I can get it later… as it is ‘special’ to Harumi or something.

I allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief as the shower proceeds to hit my body. After a few minutes, I turn it off, dry myself, and I soon realize that there are no clean clothes in sight. I begin to wonder if there are any in general.

I wrap the towel around my waist and enter the main room. I am surprised I don’t hear Libby saying or doing something. Although, as I turn the corner, I notice right away that she is knocked out and sleeping on top of one of the beds. I smile to myself slightly, eyeing her delicate body discreetly, and I begin looking through the dresser drawers silently.

All I can find are a few XS shirts, and there is no way those will fit me. I turn toward the other dresser instead, and I am met with the same issue. I sigh to myself, realizing my options, and I proceed to head back into the bathroom. I stare at the bloody and dirt-filled-smoke-smelling clothes sprawled across the floor, and I decide my best fate is to just wear my boxers until further notice. I hope Liberty can ‘enjoy’ it — or she’ll just tease me. Whatever works, I guess.

For the second time I walk out, and I am met with her calmly-sleeping-curled-up body. I eye her up and down before quietly taking the nicely made bed apart and laying down underneath the blankets next to her.

Her breaths are calm and still against my body as I pull myself closer to her, and I begin to hold her close to my own body. I stare into her sleeping eyes and her peaceful expression as I push her ratted and curly dark, blonde hair behind her ears carefully. I cup her delicate face in my left hand as my thumb traces over her forehead, eyelashes, and then to her lips. I notice they are cracked more than usual, and they appear to be bitten into. Slight worry passes over my thoughts as I place my own lips against hers softly, and then I pull back after only a few seconds. I stare into her sleeping eyes once more as I grab her cautiously and pull her head into my chest.

She doesn’t flinch as I hold her within my grasp, and I close my eyes as well. Sleep dawns upon my body, and soon I can feel darkness surrounding the two of us as I drift off.

***

I don’t know how long it has been, but I awake in a cold sweat as I feel the surface move underneath my body. My eyes open, and I am instantly met with Libby’s emerald gaze.

“Why do you have no clothes on?” Her first question is as she is inches away from my face. I roll my eyes and push her head away from mine.

“I have clothes on.” I retort as the sun from the blinds hits my sleepy eyes harder.

“No, you don’t.” She replies in an unbothered tone filled with sarcasm. “I checked, and all you have on is underwear.”

She… checked?

I choke back an uncomfortable cough before I eye her with a glare as she leans above my head, “So?”

“So that means you clearly cannot fit in a size small shirt.”

Of course. How did I know she was going to tease me?

“To be fair,” I start to say in a much-bothered tone. “They are extra small.”

“And?”

My eyes narrow as she smirks in my direction, “What do you mean ‘and’?”

“I mean what I mean.” She replies, getting up out of bed and taking the clean shirt with her. “I’ll be in the shower… see ya, amigo!”

I hear the door shut without being able to say a word of my own, and I stare at the ceiling just confused. I turn over and begin to get comfy once more, hoping to go back to the dream I was having when I hear the door open once again and a stomp form after her.

“You know what I just realized?” I hear her ask from behind me.

I mumble a very silent, “What?” In return.

I feel her get in bed once again behind my body, and I sigh to myself quietly as I turn and meet her gaze. She eyes me from above once again, and her face gives off that she’s upset.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as concern starts to fill my mind.

“Did you find any pants of some sort when looking through the dressers?”

“No…?”

I watch as her face suddenly becomes a bright red as she mumbles quietly, “Does that mean I’ll have to be pantless?”

I cough to myself once more out of surprise, and I quickly recollect myself as I mutter, “Does it matter?”

Of course it matters… but there is no fun in saying that.

“It does matter!” She exclaims, her face becoming redder than before. “I mean, you’re already pantless! I don’t want to be pantless too!” She shrinks underneath her hands as she mumbles, “That’s weird.”

“How is it weird? We’re married?”

She coughs to herself rather aggressively before responding quietly, “Well not on paper yet, at least.”

“Does it matter?” I ask, eyeing her up and down now. “I mean, a contractile agreement and verbal agreement are really no different. Especially under our circumstances.”

“I know!” She exclaims as she sinks lower into the bed. “It’s just… embarrassing.”

“Pfft, embarrassed? You think you should be embarrassed? How do you think I feel? You already have shamed me in under thirty seconds of opening my eyes.”

“Yeah, but you’re different.” She grumbles, eyeing me more intensely than before.

I roll my eyes as I turn back away from her, “Go take a shower already and stop worrying. I don’t plan on judging you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

After a few moments, quietly and without any form of response, I hear her leave. I shut my eyes once more and allow myself to drift off into sleep again. However, that does not last long.

She stomps out once more, and she anxiously begins talking once again, “Wait… you think of us as already married!?”

My eyes open, and I meet her gaze staring down at mine. Her face is blushed and red, yet she looks so cute as the thought lingers off her tongue.

“Well of course,” I start to say in an inviting tone. “Haven’t you felt the same this whole time?”

She’s silent for a few moments as I watch it all flow like clockwork within her mind before she glances down and fumbles with her hands before mumbling, “Well… I mean… I guess I never put that idea together. I thought it was just an engagement… not yet a marriage.” She halts her words for a moment, and she breathes in a fresh breath of air before going on, “I mean, I don’t mind, of course, the idea of us being married. It’s just… how can I say this?” She pauses once more as her hands jumble together anxiously, “Weird. Is that bad to say?!” She gazes up and makes immediate eye contact with me. I spot her eyes tearing up as her face is red in desperation. I now prop myself up and stare into her eyes more intensely than before.

“I-I mean it’s not weird — it’s just strange! I mean-” She laughs anxiously now as her words are proclaimed from her lips. “I never thought my childhood friend, who has seen every vulnerable part of me, would want to marry me! Why? I don’t understand. I wouldn’t even want to marry myself-”

“Is that how you really think of it? Yourself? Because I don’t agree with that.” I interject as I sit myself up in bed and stare into her emerald eyes deeply. I reach over and place my hands on her own shaky grasp, and she immediately begins to calm.

“There’s a reason why I have stayed with you all these years. My whole list of reasons will never be able to be told in one sitting, yet I can say with confidence that the way you look at yourself has never been the same way as how I look at you.” I pause my sentence for a moment as I watch her straight face show a slight sign of expressive shock. I squint my eyes in thought momentarily before saying slowly, “You are the only person I have had the same opinion and thought on these past sixteen years. I have loved you since the day I met you, and that love will never change for as long as I am breathing; even after, when I am dead, wherever we are taken after that, I never see myself not thinking about you and not loving you. If you can’t see that, then I have done a disservice all these years, and I shall make it my goal to show you more than before.”

As I say this, her shocked expression remains the same. I glance deeper into her gaze before exclaiming more intensely, “Do I make myself clear?”

She nods without hesitance before mumbling quietly, “So you… meant it? You were real when you said you wanted to marry me? This isn’t just a way to survive? You really do enjoy being around me? You want me?” Tears begin to drip down her face as she asks this, and my eyes widen progressively.

“Of course! I wouldn’t care or be around you if I didn’t-”

“You-You want me?” She repeats as more tears flow down her cheeks. “You mean it?” Her tone is shaky, yet it also holds a form of control.

“Why else do you think I would want to marry you so openly? You’re so much more than just a person to me… You’re the reason why I've stayed the way I am and not go further. I don’t want to leave you to fend for yourself without me-”

Her eyes are wide as tears soak her sleeve. She mutters underneath her breath in a whisper ever-so-quietly as she questions, “So… you’ve been holding back? Because of me? And here I thought you would soon start doing those things you do to others to me…” Immediately after saying this, she cups her hands over her mouth in clear surprisement. “Wait, no- Why did I even say that?! Oh, Liberty!” She exclaims, turning around and hitting her head repeatedly with her hand.

“Hey!” I shout as I grab her hand forcefully in an attempt to stop her self-abuse. “Stop that! Don’t you do that to yourself!” She doesn’t resist my tight grip, and she just stands limply staring away from me. The back of her body lies against my own, and I firmly turn her around, gripping her face roughly, and forcing her to meet my eyes.

“It is true,” I begin to state as I stare into her red and puffy eyes. “That if you weren’t here, I would go much further with my actions then I have been. If you weren’t here today, that man would’ve been dead in a matter of seconds. I would not have granted him any form of explanation or prolonged action. Furthermore, you were there, and as much as I hate most people, I do not wish for you to see that side of me in action, so I held back as much as I could. What I do to others that you will happen to see, you must know that I never  will do those things to you. Additionally, even if I ever did, it would be my suicide wish.” I watch as her eyes widen as I say this with true confidence. “So, in conclusion, I will never do to you what you see me do to others. And god forbid, if it does happen, I might as well be immediately dead with a gun to my head.” I swallow deeply as I finish my sentence, her eyes tearing up once more in response.

She glances down from our eye contact and wraps her hands around my own, which are still holding her face gently, and she mumbles in a quiet tone, “I keep you alive just like you keep me alive-”

I swallow gradually before responding silently myself now, “I’ve allowed myself to go too far with my actions and thoughts all of these years. I can’t go back. There’s nothing for me where we came from. Without you, I would do much more to myself and others than I have already brutally done —

“— It is of no doubt that I would overdose on a multitude of differing substances that I hold back on because of you. That’s why… until recently… I didn’t share with you the things I have been doing. I do not wish for you to fall into the same trap I have. I want to keep you as safe as I can through these harsh circumstances. I want to give you the best life you can have… without the worry of everyone else depending on you.”

“You — I — I’m with you for those same reasons.” She begins to state, tears flowing down her face as she places her hand on mine. “I want to give you the best life possible. I want to make you happy — no, I want to be happy with you.” She offers me a kind smile as she finishes her sentence, and I give it back to her slowly.

“Will you… marry me?” She asks rather suddenly, taking her sleeve and drying her tears. “I want to marry you. Now. Here. Officially.”

My eyes dilate as I stare into her gaze. I grin to her softly as I take her from behind and bring her into my grasp. I whisper into her ear quietly, “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

I feel her jump slightly in my hold. Her heart can be felt beating intensely against my own, and I grin to myself quietly.

“I vow to love you for the rest of my life and accept your hand in marriage.” Liberty says calmly, glancing up toward me from my grasp. I swallow deeply as she proceeds to say, “I will be by your side always, and I will support and always be here for you.” She pulls herself away from my body as she takes my hands in hers. She kneels in front of me, and tears drip down her face as she smiles delicately. These tears have changed, they seem to be filled with more relief than anxiety.

“I vow to love you for the rest of my life and whatever happens after,” I begin to say with a grin. “I will provide and protect you with all my life, and you will always remain dear to my heart in every action I take.”

She just stares at me as I finish my words, and then she begins laughing ever-so-slightly before saying, “You really are smitten by me, aren’t you?” Her head tilts with these words as she blushes intensely with a bright smile spread across her face.

She smiles quite often toward me… but I haven’t seen this specific smile in years.

I laugh to myself now as I watch her pure actions. I take her head into my hands and pull her lips into mine. I feel her wrap her arms around my neck as I begin to pull away for a breath, yet she pulls me right back in without stopping.

After what feels like a good few moments of suffocation, she pulls away and stares into my eyes deeply.

“Liberty Walker. How do you like it?” She asks in a smirky tone as she holds my body close to her.

I’m the one who is slightly blushing now as she says these words rather straightforwardly, “I… It’s nice.”

“But what about Libby Walker? Does that sound better?” She asks, curiously. I watch her as she begins to stride around the room in thought.

“I… Whichever makes you happy. They both sound nice. I like both.”

She turns toward me with a sudden jump in her step. She smiles in response to me brightly before exclaiming with a snicker, “You’re so funny.”

She begins walking back toward me, and she takes her finger and presses it into my forehead rather aggressively, “You seem smitten by everything I do. I can say that now, since I’m officially your wife, and you can’t get rid of me anymore.” She pauses for a moment, staring into my eyes with a sarcastic look, “I wonder how much I can annoy you before you get mad? How much I can get away with… hmm, I wonder?” She takes her hand away from my forehead as she asks this, and then she proceeds to step into the bathroom.

“I’ll be back, sweetie. Wait for me, okay?”

I can only nod in response as I watch her delicately step into the bathroom. I sit in pure silence as my thoughts race with a multitude of differing ideas and scenarios. With what felt like no time at all, she is already stepping out of the bathroom, and I can only help but not glance away. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

I stare at the shower floor as my heart beats intensely within my body. I barely take note of what I do in the shower as my thoughts fully fill my mind. The excitement of everything overfills my body as I turn it off and step out. I wrap the towel around myself as I stare into the mirror.

My face is full of scars and wounds, but I don’t pay much attention to that now as I quickly brush my hair out from a comb found in the drawer. I pull my hair back into a braid, and then I step over our dirty clothes sprawled across the floor as I find what I need to wear. I put on the clean new shirt from earlier and my undergarments.

I also make sure to swig some hot water in my mouth with toothpaste to attempt to make my breath smell better compared to before.

I stare at myself in the mirror one final time before opening the door and stepping out. The feel of the carpet underneath my bare feet feels nice compared to the cold floors that the tournament dorms offered.

I make eye contact with Jax from across the corner, and he just stares at me with no response. I begin to suddenly feel more self-conscious than before, and I go to turn around back to the bathroom. I am quickly halted by his voice calling me out from behind, and I stop my steps briskly.

“Where are you going?”

It didn’t feel like a few seconds within these short moments, yet I can feel his presence suddenly behind my frozen body. He places his warm hands on my shoulders, and I swallow a tight breath as I feel him turn my body around to meet his gaze.

He towers over my small figure, and I bite my lip anxiously with knowledge of what will come next. I take my eyes away from his, and I instead look straight into his chest as I begin to fumble my hands together.

You should be ready, Libby. It’s not that scary. You’ve known him for years… And you love him… It shouldn’t be nerve racking. You should be excited more than anything.

I take in a heavy sigh as I feel him place his hand underneath my chin and force my eyes to investigate his once again. I see myself reflected in his deep blue gaze, and I begin to shake as he brings himself closer to my body. However, he doesn’t choose to make a move. Instead, he begins to whisper into my ear with a calm tone, “Don’t worry, I’ll go at your pace, just like I always have.”

My eyes widen with what feels like relief as he offers me a small smile. He takes my hand in his gently, and I follow him as he guides us back into bed. I lie down anxiously, my arms stuck to the sides of my body, and he looks kindly into my eyes as he cups my head into his right hand. He presses my lips softly against his as he touches my hair gently with his other hand.

He pulls away for a moment as his gaze remains focused on mine. He offers me a kind look, and he says underneath his breath a small, “I love you.”

He proceeds to hover himself over my neck and begins to repeatedly kiss me. I remain frozen as thoughts race through my mind and my nervousness heightens.

Pull yourself together!

“Hey,” he begins to say in a confused tone after a few moments as he makes eye contact with me once again. “You gotta loosen up, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. You know that, right?”

I nod to him as I take my gaze away from his.

“You know you can trust me, right?” He exclaims, grabbing my face and forcing my eyes to meet his. He seems desperate for an answer, and I swallow bitterly before replying through a small whisper, “Of course.”

“Do you seriously mean that?” He inquires as he sits up and stares into my eyes with a rather serious gaze from above. “Because if you don’t, then we need to get that sorted out before anything.”

My eyes enlarge slightly as he says this.

Of course I trust you. I wouldn’t be with you if not.

I only reacted the way I did at the tournament because everything stressing me out revolved around my mother. With him being involved in it, it just made it worse. Furthermore, without her, and when it’s just Jax, everything is alright. There’s nothing about him where I can’t trust what he does. That whole issue I had was how she is involved, and the initial stress that comes with it.

It honestly shows how even if my mother and I ever do end up getting along well most of the time in the future, I never will be able to give her any of my trust, which will cause a relationship that will never be stable.

I did tell Jax all after our tournament battle everything mentioned above because he asked, and because clearly, we did have to talk about it. We had woken up halfway through the night in that closet and couldn’t fall asleep for quite a while after, so we decided to talk about what we were both clearly still rattled about, but didn’t mention until then because of everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. I apologized for everything I did to him, and I told him the whole truth. I explained my struggles with my mother and father. He already knew all this, of course. We’ve grown up together, so it’s kind of hard for him to not know or see himself not only how my parents act towards me, but also on how I act, react, and look at my parents to this day. And, with everything I say about them both in sarcastic and serious remarks, he always has known my views on the two of them. Honestly, because of how I hear him talk about my parents, he hates them more than I ever have. I’ve never exactly hated my parents; it’s more of a strong dislike in the sense that they both don’t care how they have manipulated me under what they want me to be for them. At the end of the day, I guess that is all parents, but at the same time, I’ve always just been used… like a tool… by both of them. And I don’t want that anymore, nor did I ever want it in the past.

Jax and I spoke about more than we mentioned, and we agreed and apologized to one another for our miscommunication skills and the other issues we’ve had both presently and in the past. We finally spoke about why he even joined Harumi’s side, and now finally hearing about it in detail, it makes a lot more sense. The reason he stated is also why I believe he has much more hate for my parents than I’ll ever be able to have… yet I can’t be mad at him about it because his reasoning is valid. If I didn’t have such a desired bias to have for them, I would probably hate them just as much. I kind of wish I could.

Either way, all of what he has done was always for me. He sacrificed himself and his position for a good, solid life just for my sake and sanity. He says it’s because he noticed and knew what was going to happen now 8+ years ago, and he knew if he didn’t act on it back when we were still kids, that it all would be much more difficult now. It’s hard to accept it, but the truth is, he’s always cared more about me than he even does for himself. And I don’t understand why. He has everything that is good for him, and he left it all just for me when we were kids.

However, at the same time I can’t be mad about it. Not in the way most people would think, no. I’m not mad because he took control of a situation of mine that isn’t even his… I’m mad because he’s given everything he got to a singular person where the relationship and mutuality weren’t even offered back yet verbally. Furthermore, I know I can’t be angry at him for that, because I know I would’ve done the same thing for him if our situations were the other way around.

“I’m just nervous.” I mumble as I avert my eyes from his with an embarrassed feeling dawning upon my thoughts.

He lets out a small anxious laugh as he replies through a whisper, “I think it’s normal to be nervous.” He pauses for a moment as he leans down closer to my body and grabs a piece of my hair. He proceeds to play with it in between his fingers as he mumbles, “I mean, I’m even nervous.”

He’s scared too. I’m not the only one...?

I take in a deep breath as I reach my shaky arm up and pull his head down rather aggressively to meet my lips once more. I feel his smile against my mouth before I pull away slowly. Before he can attempt to make another move, I sit up and press his head into the pillow rather intensely as I meet his lips once more. His fingers intertwine deeply throughout my hair as he holds me tight against the warmth of his figure.

“I love you too.” I mumble as I pull myself away from him. I stare into his eyes as our lips linger close to one another's. I stroke my fingers through his hair thoroughly as I lie on top of his body.

He takes his hand from my back and takes the back of my head into his grasp. He places his mouth against my forehead and holds his lips against it for a few moments.

“You’re so gorgeous.” He mumbles as he lets go of me gently. I swallow deeply, staring into his deep eyes as my mind starts to become foggy and distraught with racing thoughts.

***

I awake slowly and I feel darkness surrounding my body. I feel the weight of something against my chest, and I set my hand on it slowly.

“Jaxson,” I say underneath a breath in a whisper as I lift his arm slowly off of me. I sit up from under his grasp and glance around the dark room. I then gaze down at his sleeping body and smile to myself quietly.

The feeling of hunger shivers throughout my body, and I pull myself from underneath his hold as I slide out from under the blankets. As silent as can be, I open the mini fridge from the ground and allow myself to take some sips of water as I put some handfuls of trail mix in my mouth.

I look throughout the fridge even more in desperation for something other than just some peanuts, cashews, and raisins. My eyes meet some slightly moldy apples in the back. I reach in and carefully pick one up and inspect the edibility of it.

Out of pure hunger distress, I take a careful bite and avoid the mold the best I can. As I carefully eat the apple, I stand up quietly and gaze outside the singular window inside the room. My eyes meet the moon’s stare as it shines brightly upon this realm. I watch it closely as it appears differently than how it looked in Ninjago. It has an icier feel, and I begin to wonder how the outside air feels. I wouldn’t be surprised if just like the sun and its hot rays, the moon leaves a more polar expression around the populus who partakes within its energy.

“Libby?” I hear my voice called out through a tight whisper. I turn around and meet Jax’s eyes from across the room within the darkness. I watch as he begins to sit up in bed slowly before mumbling, “What are you doing?”

“I got hungry.” I reply as I hold up the apple core that has been fully finished besides the moldy spots.

“Shoot, why didn’t you tell me?” He questions as he begins to get out of bed in what seems like a rush.

I place my hands in front of my body as I exclaim with fast hand movements, “No, no! I’m fine! I mean it.” I open my shut eyes with a slight nervous grin as I finish my sentence, and I am instantly met with his figure standing extremely close to mine. I swallow a breath harder than expected and almost begin to cough intensely as he presses his hands against my ribs.

“Anyone as thin as you are lying when they say what you just said to me.” His response is in such a deadpan tone that it slightly freaks me out. Through deep hesitance, I gaze up toward him, and he looks directly down at me with a stern glare.

“W-what did I say exactly?” I inquire with a slight stutter forming within my throat.

He pulls himself down to my ear as he whispers in a slow and deep tone, “A lady doesn’t just say she’s ‘fine’ with complete honesty.”

My face reddens as he mutters this, and I take my body away from his grasp in a harsh manner. I walk back to bed and bury myself underneath the covers as I don’t choose to reply to his rather, and I hate to say it, correct statement.

I hate for him to worry about something so small like this.

He doesn’t say any other words as I hear him from behind begin to step back into bed after me. However, I am wrong as I watch him enter the bathroom, sound like he is rummaging around for something, and then walk and head toward the room’s main door. He seems to be placing a multitude of things within his pockets as he reaches for the door’s handle. I sit up almost immediately as I watch him. My heart begins to beat rapidly as I exclaim through a questioning tone, “Where are you going?!”

I hear him sigh underneath his breath slightly before replying calmly, “I’m going to go find us some food.” He offers a slight smile within the darkness, and I feel his eyes meet mine.

“I-but-we have food here?” I ask in a silent manner as I begin to get out of bed.

“I meant real food, honey.” He corrects as he begins to open the door.

Immediately, I get to his side and exclaim strongly, “Then I’m coming with you! Just hang on a moment-” I begin to run to the bathroom as I say my words in a more direct tone than I normally would.

“It’s potentially dangerous, Libby. I don’t want you to get hurt-” He is interrupted by my words as I begin to hop out of the bathroom while simultaneously putting on a pair of pants, “Well, I would rather not be left here all alone. It’s scary without someone else.” I say this before I gaze up into his eyes and finish through a mutter, “We should stick together, right?”

He’s silent in response for a few moments as he remains looking into my gaze intensely. He lets out a small sigh as he mumbles, repeating the same words from just a few moments ago, “I don’t want you to get hurt, Libby-”

“And how do you think I feel about you?” I inquire as I take his free hand and hold it close to my body. “You think I just want to watch you go out into this mysterious realm, all by yourself, and for me to just stand by and watch?! No way! I’m not doing that! If you go down, I’m going down with you!”

He turns his face away from mine as he pulls his arm away from my grasp with a slight grunt. He stands frozen for a moment in what I presume a mental debate within his own brain. He then proceeds to pull a piece of the same rope as earlier out of his pocket. He leans toward my body and wraps it around a belt loop of mine and then his own.

“You are to stay by my side and not attempt to go anywhere else, you understand me?” He states this in an extremely serious tone, and I nod my head as I feel him place a small hand knife within my fingertips.

“If s*** goes down, you use this, okay?” I nod once more as he declares his words intensely.

He watches as I place the small knife in my pocket, and then he takes his left hand into my right with a tight grip. We step out of the room together, and I shut the door behind us quietly as he guides the two of us through the hall and into the main entrance. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

The halls are silent as we pass through them in a hushed manner, and our grip remains intertwined. No sounds arise from either of us as we make it to the main hall. Quietly, we make it to the outside, and the cold air hits my face rapidly. I turn my gaze toward Jaxson, and he appears just as serious as before within the darkness as he examines each corner and space intensely as we walk through the dark streets.

After a few minutes of examining the burnt shops and traveling down the damaged road, I turn my head and am met with a small lit-up store to the far left. My eyes widen in hopes of food. Without any hesitance, I drag him along as I quickly make my way toward the small convenience store.

“Hold on!” I hear Jax’s hushed voice shout toward my direction. I halt, turn my body toward him, and we make eye contact. He stares into my eyes seriously through the darkness. Suddenly, he whips out his side-arm and forces me to follow him from behind as he holds it close to himself.

Hastily, we both step into the store and gaze around our surroundings. Lines of what seem to be edible food and water for humans fill the shelves. I feel his weight pull me toward a certain display case, and I follow without hesitation.

Past the rows of food, my gaze meets a glass enclosure filled with differing weapons. I glance over at Jax and meet eye contact with him after looking at a varying amount of knives and sharp swords all the way to small handguns to extremely detailed rifles.

“Holy smokes-” I hear a whisper form from his mouth. I watch as he takes his fingers and rests his hand against the glass swiftly before muttering, “We just hit the jackpot.”

I watch as he shifts his gaze from the weaponry and glances around the whole store. I do the same. Nobody else is here, and that gives me a sense of satisfaction. It doesn’t seem we have to fight for food or weapons, which is a massive relief.

I turn to Jaxson as a smile spreads across my face. He takes his gaze away from everything surrounding the two of us, and his eyes meet mine.

“Is this the proper time to allow ourselves to be excited?” I ask in almost a whisper as I step back and feel myself meet his side with my own.

He’s quiet for a few quick moments as I feel his breathing hit the top of my head from behind. He doesn’t seem to move for a few seconds before he mumbles silently, “I don’t have to worry much anymore about supplies. That’s for sure.”

Through the rope we’re currently attached with, I feel him turn and begin to shift toward the weaponry. I turn and am dragged behind as we make our way through the dark, dingy store and make our way toward their stands. They are aligned in display cases behind the counter, and we stare at each individual weapon for a good few minutes. I watch as he heads towards the rifles, and he begins fumbling with the lock to the display case.

“I need a key in order to unlock this,” he begins as he gazes around the dark counter for what I assume to be a key. “I don’t know where I would find one around here, though.” He shifts his gaze from the counter towards me. I look around myself now. I search through all the individual drawers as he checks around the cash register and the differing counters behind the main counter.

“This is so weird,” I hear him start to say from behind through the silence except for the sounds of rummaging around. I turn my neck toward him, and I meet his back side as he stares toward the lock to the weaponry. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?” I inquire as I make my way toward him. The rope is still attached between the two of us, yet it spans about eight feet.

I press my hand up against his back, and he almost seems to flinch as he takes his eyes away from the glass and meets mine. He appears serious as he replies with slight bitterness lingering in his voice, “How real do you think this all is?”

I’m silent in response as I think of an answer. I am not one hundred percent sure what he is asking right now.

Does he think all of this is fake? A figment of our imaginations? A hallucination? A dream?

I sigh quietly to myself as I ask straightforwardly, “What do you mean?”

He closes his eyes as he begins to chuckle to himself before replying, “It’s alright. Forget what I asked.” He places his hand on the top of my head as he pulls me closer to his side.

“It’s better this way.” I hear him mumble to himself as he holds my head in his chest. I remain still as my hands are plastered to my sides. This silence and grasp he holds on me remains for what feels like a good few minutes before he lets me go softly. He begins to untie the rope between us as he says seriously, “Now go stand behind the counter. I’m going to break this open.”

“How?” I question softly as he finishes untying the rope between us. I make my way to the other end of the counter, and he offers a quick smiling gesture toward me as he takes his side and fully body-slams himself into the glass. An extremely loud thud comes from the cabinet, and then a slight “crack!”

I watch as he pulls himself away for a moment and examines the glass. He proceeds to smash himself into the case once more, and I watch in slow motion as glass shatters everywhere. It takes my eyes a split second to close, and I can feel the shards hit my skin in little increments. The sound explodes throughout the store with a massive shatter. Once I no longer can feel glass hitting my skin and the sounds ringing throughout the air, I open my eyes as fast as possible and meet Jax’s gaze and touch almost immediately. I didn’t even hear him come toward me, and it freaks me out for a moment as I feel his hand against my side.

“You alright?” I hear him ask through harsh breaths.

It takes me a moment to stutter out a slight, “Y-Yeah I-I’m good-”

I watch him grin slightly in response as he takes his hand away from my shoulder and proceeds to move toward the shattered cabinet. His whole right-side sleeve, which is the side he slammed into the glass with, is torn and blood begins to seep through the fabric and onto the ground beneath his feet. Furthermore, he seems unbothered by this as he pulls a rifle from its hold and begins to examine it closely. I notice his fingers tracing over the edges gently, and then he suddenly turns toward me with an exasperated smile spread across his face.

“Do you know what this means?” He exclaims, placing the rifle on the nearest counter with a heavy “thud!” He makes his way toward me once more, glass cracking underneath his steps as he places himself in front of me. I stare at him from below as he places his hands on my shoulders rather aggressively as he says in a low tone, “We’re saved!” A sly chuckle escapes his lips as he smiles bitterly, and in a slow murmur he says, “We’re… saved.”

“What do you mean?” I ask as I start to become slightly uncomfortable by his tone and look. I watch him more closely as he exhales roughly with a slight giddy-like sound attached to it, and I feel his hands begin to make their way down to my elbows, and then I feel his hands hold mine in his warmly.

He takes his eyes from the ceiling, and he begins to stare directly into mine. It’s silent between the two of us for a moment, yet that doesn’t last long as he begins to reply, “Life will be manageable here. You can see it too, right?”

His voice is overly shaky as he asks this, and I can feel his hands beginning to tremble as he holds my own. I glance down from our eye-contact and stare at them for a while. After a few moments, I gaze back up toward him. He still holds the same look as before. I only realize now that he’s only saying this out of desperateness and heavy relief… or he’s a total psychopath. Both are very possible choices with him.

I breathe in a deep breath as I take my right hand away from his left and reach up. I place my hand around his cheek gently, and I trace the outlining of his lips with my thumb as I smile softly toward him. I finally respond through a whisper, “Yeah, I can see it.”

I watch as he smiles in reaction to what I say. Suddenly, he bends down and kisses the top of my head softly, and then he proceeds to do this same action multiple times until our lips meet. My eyes widen, and my hand still lingers on the side of his face, the other is interlocked in his hand.

I am always very surprised and overwhelmed whenever he does this… even though it has been years at this point. I don’t know why.

“Let’s stock up,” he begins to say in a serious manner as he pulls himself away from my body. His fingers are still intertwined with my one hand as he pulls away and proceeds to make his way back toward the now shattered glass cases filled with rifles.

“I’ll work on loading these up and stashing the supplies,” he begins to say as he checks the drawers underneath the display case and begins to pull out multiple boxes of bullet cases and ammo. Those boxes are followed with a variety of different attachments for the guns themselves. I watch him do this for a few seconds before he finishes saying, “And if you want to, try to find a duffle bag and fill it with all the essentials over there.” He finishes his sentence with his finger pointing into the darkness of the store where the food and clothing are located.

I shrug in response with a slight nod, and I proceed to enter where he directed me to go. The more I walk into this unfamiliar store, the dimmer it becomes. The moonlight was able to reach the front of the store, which is where the counter was that has the weaponry, but back here there is no light whatsoever.

With what bare minimum of light I can see, which is mainly only the result of reflections, I make it to what seems to be a camping supplies section. Various coolers — ice chests — fill the shelves in this aisle as well as tents, equipment, backpacks, duffle bags, and much more.

I kneel to the ground where the ice chests rest. Through the darkness, I examine them the best I can. Eventually, after a few seconds of looking, I finally find the biggest one I can find. Conveniently, it has wheels as well, so it is very easy to transport.

I pull the cooler behind myself as I reach up to the highest shelf and grab two separate duffle bags: one for canned and/or processed food, and one for clothing. I turn and begin for the canned food aisle.

This aisle goes deeper into the store, and it is even more difficult than before to see what I am grabbing. After quite a few minutes of squinting my eyes hoping to read the labels, I decide to solely take every can of food I can feel within my grasp and hope it’s food either of us can consume without gagging.

One thing about both Jax and I, mainly myself, is we are very sensitive to food and textures. He’s good at eating most things without issue (besides the few things he doesn’t prefer), but I on the other hand, unless I am dying of starvation (barely even then), I cannot eat most food unless I have eaten it before, or it’s in the same category as another food I already know I like. It is a very strange issue, and I am definitely aware of it and annoyed by it.

I begin to take myself further into the aisle and allow myself to be guided by touch. I start to feel what seem to be chip bags, and I pick them up without even attempting to read the labels. I also can feel a multitude of other plastic wrapping, and I proceed to stuff them into the bag as well.

I decide to take the heavy duffle bag of perishable food back toward the front where the freezer aisles are. Jax seems to notice my light footsteps, because he turns his head, and his eyes meet mine in a rather alert motion. Once he realizes it is me, however, he offers a slight grin. I watch as his eyes notice the large bag and ice chest, and I instantly proceed to drop the heavy thing onto the ground by my feet.

“Why didn’t you call me to help you carry that back?” He questions instantly as he holds a sharp knife in his grasp. He seems to be actively defining the blade, and I watch for a quick moment before replying quietly, “But, you’re busy…”

“I’m mainly done.” He interrupts, gesturing toward the rows of guns and weapons he has acquired within the past fifteen minutes. He seems rather proud of himself, and I offer him a light smile.

“That’s good.”

He strides over in front of my figure rather confidently as he asks, “How should I help?” As his question lingers throughout the air, he proceeds to kneel down, unzip the duffle bag, and he examines the food I have collected so far. He doesn’t offer any reaction, until he suddenly begins laughing hysterically.

This instantly causes my curiosity and slight anxiousness to peak as I don’t even know myself what I could have grabbed in the darkness.

I watch as he pulls out a can of canned bread. It takes a moment for me to process this. Because A, he’s cracking up as if this is the funniest thing he has ever seen in his life, and B, I have never even heard or seen ‘canned bread’.

“What the hell even is canned bread?” He manages to ask through a chuckle. I watch as he wipes his eyes, clearly the joke wearing off now. I stare at him from above, and I remain silent as I watch patiently.

He laughs over the most insane and stupid things when he’s tired…

I allow myself to sigh, audibly this time and not just in my head, and I kneel down myself now and take the can from his grasp.

“My bad,” I start, placing the item back into the duffle bag and zipping it back up. “It’s dark back there. I could barely see what I was grabbing.”

“That’s really funny.” He states, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for making me laugh.”

When I gaze up and meet his eyes, they have some sort of gratitude displayed in them. I don’t know why he would say ‘thank you’, I haven’t done anything that should make him laugh. But if it made him laugh, it made him laugh, and at the end of the day, I’m happy that he’s at least smiling.

I didn’t intend to pick up canned bread… whatever that even is. However, I won’t question it. If picking up goofy food is what can make him laugh hysterically through a situation like this, maybe I should do it more often.

“Yeah, no problem.” I respond, taking my eyes from him. I turn back toward the dim aisles, and I give him the ice chest as I say, “I’ll get us clothes over there. They may not be the best options since I can barely see in the dark, but I’ll try my best. If you want to help, go find the best fridge/freezer food and drinks.”

“Sounds good.” He replies, taking the cooler toward the freezers and drink aisles. I watch him for a moment, and then I turn back into the dreary aisles toward the clothing section. I barely make it and begin searching by touch once more. I pick up and place in the bag what feel like shirts, pants, undergarments, jackets, and much more. I hope everything can fit. If not, though, we could always come back.

I rummage around more within the piles of clothes when I hear a sudden sound from behind my body. My head instantly jerks, thinking it may be Jaxson, but he is nowhere in sight. I proceed to shrug it off, and I conclude within my mind that it probably was the wood creaking that the store is built out of.

A few moments later I hear it again, and I realize I am sorely mistaken about my previous judgment.

Chapter Text

Jax

I hear a blood curdling scream ring throughout the building. My body seems to freeze for a solid few milliseconds as it processes what the hell is going on. The food in my hand instantly drops, the freezer is left wide open, and I immediately rush to where Liberty wandered off to. I run as fast as I can go through the darkness and around the differing aisles, and I proceed to pull my new gun from my pocket. I feel it, making sure it is loaded and ready for use, and I grasp it safely underneath my fingertips.

I turn the corner to the clothing aisle, and I suddenly hear her hushed cries coming from the corner behind the aisle to the right of my figure. I turn toward it, and I immediately feel somebody else’s presence besides hers.

“Move another step forward and you’re dead.” I hear a gruff, raspy voice threat within the darkness. I can barely see, yet when the moonlight hits the back of the store perfectly by the certain angle I’m in, I am met with a devastating sight.

“Libby-” I can only say through a whisper as I stand completely still and contemplate my options for attack. She is tied up on the ground, knife to her neck, and tears glisten and reflect off her face. The man, who I can now see is a tall and lean guy holding a gun out toward my figure, is ready to shoot if I were to move.

“What do you want from her?!” I shout, attempting to keep my voice from shaking. I swallow harshly as I await an answer from him, and I remain as still as possible.

The man laughs in response, and I squint my eyes in an attempt to see what he looks like as he exclaims proudly, “Like they say, eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth.”

Another agonizing scream comes from Liberty once he finishes his sentence. I jolt forward, unable to hold myself back anymore, and I suddenly feel a sharp, thundering pain shoot through my shoulder.

I barely pay any attention to it though, and I proceed to rush toward him. The adrenaline running inside of my body is more intense than normal, and it doesn’t hold me back from the multiple other sharp wounds I feel pushing themselves deeper into my skin as I get close enough and jump him.

I am barely able to see his face as I shove him against the wall, and I push the knife right into his arm. Blood explodes everywhere, and my mind begins to fog as I keep doing this over and over down his arm. I hear distant screams from him, yet I seem to be unable to process any noises other than what my mind keeps telling me.

Kill… Kill… Die. You are dead.

I want you dead.

I can feel myself smile wickedly as I chuckle intensely, “Eye for an eye? Huh? That’s what you want to say?”

All I can hear in response are the distant sounds of wails. I don’t seem to be able to differentiate between whether it is the stranger or Libby, yet I don’t seem to care within these moments. This is all too thrilling.

I pause for a moment, snapping out of my trance, and I instantly feel sweat drip down my face in which I hadn’t felt before. The man’s arms are no longer usable for him, and they almost seem like they could fall off at any moment.

The smell of blood reeks throughout the air, yet I don’t care. I finally meet his eyes, and I examine his face as I ask through harsh and low breaths, “Who are you?”

It takes a moment for him to respond. He stares into my eyes lazily for a few moments, and then he helplessly shifts his head down toward my knife, which is ready to bulge into his heart. It takes a few minutes for his head to finally bring itself back up again, yet I know it was only a few seconds which had felt like minutes. He swallows bitterly before responding weakly, “You attempted to kill my brother.”

“Your brother? Who might that be?” I question as curiosity fills my insides — and anger, lots of it.

“Cal—Cassius.”

As he mutters these words, my eyes make their way quickly toward Liberty. I never got to see how she was within this mess. However, now that I can examine her by the moonlight suddenly shining in, I swallow deeply, holding back intense emotion. She appears to be slightly unconscious as blood disperses all over the ground surrounding her body.

My head turns abruptly, and I do not give a response toward the man. I shove the blade into his chest intensely, and I can feel the dagger’s tip meet the wall he is currently against. I scream senseless words toward him as I twist the blade deeper into his body, “You son of a *****!” Paused screams coming from the two of us fill the room until it’s almost too silent. I allow myself to rest, and I drop my grip from the dagger. I exhale as I close my eyes bitterly. I feel the man’s body falling, and his weight hits my feet.

He speaks in a deep, congested and quiet tone as he mumbles, “The… staff.”

Then, there is no reaction from his body, and I conclude he must already be unconscious. His final words strike me as odd, yet I don’t have much time to think about them right this instant.

I take my eyes from his body, and I gaze up toward the ceiling. I must keep myself from grinning despicably as I press my foot against his body, and I can hear the blood spurt out of it without having to look.

“‘Eye for an eye’, what bull**** coming from you and your kind! Your brother tried to kill her first! Rot in Hell!” I scream this toward the dead body, and I release my foot from its grasp against the vessel as I breathe harshly.

Instantly, I turn and sink down close to Libby. I take her hands away from her ears, and I examine the stab wound down her thigh and into her knee. Luckily, the stranger didn’t do it anywhere else, yet it still is rather deep.

Her eyes open lazily once she feels my grasp, and tears drip from them instantly. Her eyes almost seem to shake and dilate once she sees me, and she immediately lunges forward and wraps her arms around my neck once I untie the tight ropes restraining them. I place a bloody hand against the back of her head, and I rest my head against her shoulder.

My own wounds finally begin to process throughout my body, and they sting intensely. I was lucky enough to not be shot anywhere vital, yet it doesn’t mean these bullet wounds aren’t painful in any way.

“Are you okay?” I ask through a shaky tone. Her body trembles underneath my grasp, and I hold her as steady as possible.

“Yes, you?” Her tone is blurred, and I know she is holding back a sob as she answers.

“I’ll be alright.”

Silence rings between us for a few moments before she mumbles through a deep whisper, “You killed someone.”

I’m silent for a moment, the thrill from earlier wearing off.

Why were you so excited about it, Jax?

I shake my head, attempting to erase the memory as I mumble, “I know.”

“What do we do now?” She questions through a silent tone. I can feel her attempt to pull her head away from my grasp, yet I don’t allow her to.

“I don’t know yet.”

Silence draws between us once more, yet neither of us moves. We hold each other for at least a good few more seconds, and then she pulls away from my grasp.

“No, I seriously mean it, Jaxson. What do we do?” Her eyes shift toward the lifeless figure just a few feet from us, and I stare at it for a few moments in contemplation.

“I don’t know, I’ve never killed anyone before.”

She sighs, and then she quickly proceeds to stand up without any form of response.

“Wait, what are you doing!?” I exclaim, jumping up myself now. Sharp pains circulate throughout my body, and I instantly place my hands on my knees as I breathe in harsh, hard breaths.

In, out, in, out… phew.

Tears swell into my eyes within these moments, and I realize how much adrenaline must have been rushing throughout my body to dismiss this agony.

I can feel Libby lean against my body. When I turn my head up toward her, she also seems to be breathing harshly as blood drips down through her pants and onto the floor beneath her. I don’t even realize half of that puddle of blood is also mine as well mixed with hers.

“Are you alright?” She asks nervously, placing her hand up against my back gently.

“Y-Yeah, I should be.” I exhale as I stand myself straight up with all my might. Tormenting aches ripple throughout my body as I take her hand and allow her to rest on my side as we walk very slowly. She also holds me up, and together we begin to walk outside of the store.

“Where are we going?” She asks quietly and through slight choked tears. I don’t turn to look at her on purpose; I know it will only make me more emotional too.

“Back to the room to clean ourselves up.” I answer as my words almost gag on each other.

She is silent for a moment, and all I can hear are our light footsteps against the pavement before she mutters, “What about our food, weaponry, and clothing?” She pauses her words for a moment, and I can easily guess what those words are going to be followed by. I can hear her swallow deeply before muttering, “And… the stranger?” There it is. I knew she would mention something about that.

It takes a moment for me to think, yet I already know my answer, “I’m coming back to retrieve it all. Don’t worry. With the man, I’ll figure that out.”

“Okay.” Is all she whispers back, and I try not to listen to any of her sounds after that when I feel her fingers grip onto the back of my shirt tightly in what I only know can be pure pain.

Me too, Libby. Me too. 

Chapter Text

Liberty

Anxiety causes my eyes to become blurry, and the smell and feeling of nausea waves over my system. I feel sick as I watch Jax kill the strange man. He also seems to be enjoying it too, which makes me wonder about a lot of things.

Right now is not the moment to think about that, though. I must focus on keeping this stab wound as safe as possible. I cannot allow any more blood to gush out. However, the sounds of the knife constantly being pushed into the man causes unexplainable emotions to rise throughout my mind, and I cover my ears instead and close my eyes tightly.

I’m fully aware that the strange man attacked me, tied me up, groped me, threatened me, and probably if Jax wasn’t here, assault me. However, it doesn’t mean the act of killing itself doesn’t cause my natural moral code to feel obliterated somehow.

I know Jaxson is trying to protect me, and I feel eternally grateful for that. It’s just hard to watch as he, himself, is bleeding terribly from bullet wounds and is having to do such actions toward another person.

I don’t even realize everything is over until I feel his hands touch mine and take them from my ears and wound. Tears drip down my face in panic, fear, and relief. I inhale his clean, smokey, and enriching scent deeply as I stuff my face into his chest. I feel him rest his head against my shoulders. For a few good moments, I allow myself to feel his embrace without any further thoughts.

***

Later — Back at the Room After the Incident

“I’m sorry — I’m really sorry.” Jaxson whispers as he proceeds to push down on my stab wound with a cloth as he attempts to stop the bleeding as much as possible. I am laying down on one of the beds, and I know it must be a bloody mess right now.

I try to think of anything else as he proceeds to put pressure on the wound, but I end up gripping onto the bed instead and crying like a baby.

Stop it, Liberty. He is in pain too, yet you don’t see him crying, do you?

I hear Jax sigh as he pushes the cloth into my wound harder. I squirm as I feel more blood leaking down through my legs from the wound in my thigh, and I close my eyes tightly.

I can feel him stuff what feels like tissues and gauze into the injury, and it causes me to flinch even more. I find myself gripping onto his wrist as my breaths exhale heavily. He stops once he completes the final wrap of the towel, and then he glances toward me. Our eyes make contact, and he seems to be holding back some form of emotion as he mumbles, “I’m sorry… If I had known sooner, maybe-”

“What are you going on about?” I immediately interrupt through a harsh and scratchy tone.

He blinks a few times, taking his eyes from mine as he mutters, “Nothing… Never mind.”

“Never mind?” I repeat, holding onto his wrist tighter this time. His eyes are still pulled away from mine, and this begins to make me worry as I finish saying, “You can’t just say ‘never mind’!”

He remains silent, and then I hear him sigh to himself rather loudly before he turns and gazes into my eyes once more before whispering in a calm tone with a sudden soft smile, “Let’s get you settled into bed.”

“What about your wounds?” I immediately question, but he shrugs my words off as he replies, “I should be fine. Let’s get you settled first.”

“How can you possibly be fine?!” I blurt out through what is in between a gasp and yell. He seems to be taken aback by my sudden raise in voice, yet he grins humbly as he responds in a more upbeat tone, “I’m alright. They didn’t get too deep, and they didn’t go anywhere that was harmful. I got lucky.”

I’m silent, unsure how to respond.

Is it possible you can just be “fine” after getting shot more than a few times?

I notice his eyes narrow as I think, and then he interrupts my questioning thoughts as he mutters quietly, “You’re questioning me right now, aren’t you?”

I’m silent.

“Well don’t.” He utters this in such a sudden cold manner that it takes me aback for a moment. I gaze into his eyes more intensely, and I notice them shift to my hand still gripping onto his wrist tightly. I hear him sigh once more to himself, and then he finishes mumbling, “There’s no need to worry about me… really. I am fine. If I wasn’t okay, I would let you know now.”

It takes me a moment to nod. However, hesitantly I do so. After a few moments, I watch as he smiles toward my expression once more, and then I watch as he begins to stand up. His wrist is pulled away from my grasp, and I watch eerily as he stumbles and shakes as he stands up. I feel his strong arms begin to place themselves underneath my body, and I am suddenly lifted into his grasp. Then, before I can even really understand what is going on, he turns with a slight wobble in his step and places my body on the clean, non-bled-through bed. He proceeds to throw the covers over my body lightly, and he finishes this execution with a smile.

I gaze up at him from below, and before I can say anything to him, he says something to me first. Actually, this isn’t even a statement coming from him, it’s an order, “Stay here. I’ll be back. I have something to do.”

His voice is gruff as he says this, and he begins to gather what seems to be the same knife he was carrying on him from earlier and the firearm.

“Wait-” I exclaim as I am barely able to pull my head up from the soft and comfy pillow. “Where are you going?!”

He turns back toward my lifeless body, and a grin is spread across his face. However, this is no normal grin — this is his nonchalant and daunting expression. He places the knife and gun into his pocket before replying slowly, “To go hide the body, obviously.”

Chapter Text

Jax

“To go hide the body, obviously.” I reply, offering a sly expression. My whole body shakes from pain and what feels like sudden nausea as I utter this, yet I try my absolute hardest to hide it. Moreover, behind the sudden fear I am feeling, another tender emotion begins to rise within my mind.

What is this… excitement? No… it’s not that. It’s… giddy.

Wait — why do you feel giddy, Jaxson?

I shake my head as I throw my sudden thoughts out the window and whisper to myself underneath my breath, “There’s no time for these sudden intrusive thoughts or feelings.”

“What did you say?” I hear Liberty fuzzily question through my hearing. I gaze up from the floor and stare into her emerald, dark green eyes for a quick moment. I swallow harshly, that same excitement from earlier filling my body, and it takes some of the nausea away before I reply with a slight smile, “Nothing, sweetheart.”

“You can’t leave!” She exclaims suddenly, unable to take her eyes off mine. I gaze toward her, expressionless. I feel my hand slip into my pocket and begin to fumble with the knife’s point. She proceeds to go on as her voice seems to shake, “We must stick by each other’s sides. Didn’t we agree on that?”

I’m silent for a few moments as sudden anger for some reason begins to rise within my mind. It doesn’t feel like I’m able to control it, and this makes my inner mind panic. Before I can rein it in, for whatever reason, I shout bitterly, “You’re staying here!”

She’s taken aback for a moment as silence presses throughout the room. Deep breaths fill my lungs and are exhaled from my body. Anger fumes within my system, and it takes a moment for my fists to unclench. This eerie quietness between the two of us, however, doesn’t last long, and I notice her eyebrows narrow as she mumbles through quite the assertive tone, “I’m not letting you go out alone! I’ve already said that before! Do I have to tell you that again?” The end of her voice lingers with an irritable expression. Her eyes remain stuck to mine, and I feel myself becoming quickly exasperated.

“Didn’t you just hear me?!” I yell sharply, stepping toward her with a slight grunt in my approach. My body shakes uncontrollably as I place my hands and grip onto the headboard above her as I exclaim harshly, “You stay here! Do what I tell you! Gosh, why do you always have to fight me!?”

I watch as she sinks into her pillow more than before, yet she holds our deep glare toward each other for a few moments before I shake my head and mumble silently, “You don’t understand… I just want to keep you safe. This — tonight —” I pause for a few moments as I halt my harsh and intense breathing. I swallow deeply, closing my eyes unhappily as the memories from tonight play over in my head, and a bitter taste fills my mouth as I finish in a slow tone, “That should have never happened.”

“Of course not,” she agrees, eyeing my overbearing body hovering over her slowly. She takes her eyes from my own and stares toward the wall of the room as she proceeds to conclude, “However, it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen to you too. I can’t live with myself if you were to go out alone and get killed-” Her tone suddenly pauses as if she’s just realizing something, and then she’s silent for a few moments.

I stare toward her deeply, contemplating whether I should say what I’m really thinking.

Would it even really matter if I died?

“I don’t want you dying.” She mumbles softly, tears beginning to streak her gaze. “I won’t let that happen-” I notice her fists clenching as she mutters those final words.

I stare toward her for a moment, and the same anger from earlier begins to fill my senses. I stop myself though, and I take my hands from the bedpost. I stand over her instead, and I take my eyes away from hers and glance toward the door. I blink back my own tears, and I once again feel the knife between my fingertips within my pocket.

“What happened to that man, who you killed, I don’t want it happening to you as long as I can help it.” She proceeds to announce, and it is clear her voice is shaking as she utters this. I bite my lip intensely as she says these words, and the knife in between my fingers cut them bitterly.

“That should have never happened.” I reply as the words grasp onto my throat on their way out. I blink back more tears, and I keep my gaze off hers. She can’t see me like this… helpless. I purposely act as if I don’t care — that I killed somebody, yet I do — I really do.

Within those moments… it felt good, no matter how twisted that sounds. The action was extremely pleasurable. It’s like I had been waiting to do that to someone, something. Why, though? Why would I have the desire to kill somebody? Why did I like the taste of it as it happened? I don’t feel the same way now… I feel regret — anguish — distressed. Is that normal? Was all I felt within those harsh moments the thrill of the action? Was that simply it? Or was it something more?

Am I more despicable than I thought?

I swallow deeply as thoughts race throughout my mind. It begins to cause a headache to form, and my nausea becomes worse as the minutes pass by. I shake my head violently, and then I turn toward the door with a stumble in my step.

Eventually, I make it to the door, and I begin to open it. I can hear Libby’s voice from behind begging me to stay, yet I zone her out, and I proceed to step out. Her cries can be heard throughout the hall as I trip multiple times over my own steps. I hold onto the wall for support, and the firearm is held intensely in my grip.

I keep my ears open as I step outside. The cold and misty nightly air has begun to evaporate as the sun rises above the horizon. I squint my blue eyes in order to see, and I make my way back toward the store.

In all honesty, I have no clue what I’m doing.

How does one even get rid of a body?

I pause and gaze around. There is no body of water in sight, and all that can be seen beyond the sky-rise buildings is the sand filling the desert land. I shift my glare toward the store, and my body begins to shake once more. I am unable to control both the mental and physical feelings I am experiencing right now. It all feels like too much.

Hesitantly and slowly, I eventually make my way into the same store from only an hour ago. I stumble past the still-open-door-freezer and into the clothing aisle. An eerie, rotting stench immediately hits my nose once I pass the same corner as earlier, and through the dawn’s brightness beaming through the fogged glass windows, I already can see flies swarming around the dead body.

I don’t know if it’s because I can now see the person I killed — dead and lying on the floor disgustingly, or if it’s because of the smell… maybe both. Either way, I feel puke roll up through my throat and immediately make its way onto the floor beneath my feet. It takes a moment for my body to recollect itself, and I begin to wonder how I even vomited when I haven’t eaten anything for the past thirty-six hours besides a handful of trail mix.

I shake my head, both disgusted by the sight of my own spew all over my shoes, and the sight of the deceased body lying against the ground, which is drowning in its own crimson blood. Moreover, now I almost feel more alive again, and the faint feeling from earlier has begun to wash away. The bullet wounds as well do not feel as intense as they once were.

Adrenaline? Now? Why?

“It doesn’t matter,” I say to myself, shaking the question from my mind. I don’t care that I feel a sudden rush of excitement. It’s better than feeling whatever I was feeling a few moments ago.

I wipe my mouth with my sleeve, the reeking smell of vomit following it, and I now confidently make my way toward the dead man. The same thoughts from earlier begin to swirl around my mind, and I accept them more patiently than before.

Whatever these feelings are, they are much better than feeling weak.

My boots stick against the store’s concrete tiles as blood secures them tight to the ground. This is easy to ignore, however, as my focus is suddenly only on the slaughtered figure. The man’s face is already disheveled and pale, and I can’t help myself from almost feeling satisfied.

“You tried to assault my wife. This is what you deserve, a**hole.” I grumble toward the dead body with a statement and attitude of disgust lingering through my voice. I step over the body, and I examine it from the other side more closely than before.

I quickly notice something off about this strange man now that he can be seen by the morning sun beginning to shine through the windows. What’s ‘off’ about him is that he looks rather familiar to someone I have seen before, yet I can’t place my finger on it.

I decide to ponder on it for a few more moments, shutting my eyes and thinking deeply, and then it hits me — no, it doesn’t even ‘hit me’, it smashes me into a brick wall.

“Oh my gosh,” I start to mumble through a harsh whisper, stepping back in shock. “What the actual hell?”

To potentially clarify my thoughts, I kneel down and begin to pick through the man’s pockets. Considering he was attacking somebody, he didn’t gather much within his inventory. All I find at first is a singular pocketknife, a pair of keys, and…

“Bingo.” I state rather loudly, pulling the rectangular wallet from his pocket. I open it up, hoping to find some form of information on the man. I scan his license and search for the types of credit cards he uses and where they are located.

My eyes quickly meet the city’s name ‘Imperium’. My vision scans his license name, and I audibly gasp when I recognize the name, “Chamber Bushida… I remember you.”

I slap my head a few times with the palm of my head, and I suddenly feel every bullet wound begin to vibrate within my body once more as the pain from earlier electrifies through it. I can’t help myself from leaning up against the nearest wall and closing my eyes tightly.

“What have you done, Chamber?” I pause for a moment, swallowing that same vomit full of blood and dread. I close my eyes as I press my head against the side of the wall, mumbling softly, “No… what have I done?”

Chapter Text

Jax

Liberty never knew this, nor did I ever want her to. I told myself I wouldn’t let her find out, yet now it appears the truth will soon be let out of the box.

I hadn’t just been working with Harumi on the side for only one year before Libby found out, but I had been since I was fourteen — right after she had found out her mother was still alive.

I had already begun to rebel against the Ninja’s grasp, and I was actively searching for a way out. When Liberty had come to me, years ago, crying over her father finally revealing that her mother was alive, in a way, I was relieved. I — we — only if Libby had wanted — had an out from the Ninja’s tight hold on us Ninja Kids… and that would be through her mother, Harumi.

So, naturally, when I found out her mother was still alive, I contacted her. It was only through letters, and it was rather nonchalant and brief. I wasn’t even sure at the time if it really was the real Harumi Garmadon, so I made sure not to share too much information about myself. Harumi, at the time, didn’t even know that I was connected to the ninja. The only thing she knew was that I was an Elemental Master, which must’ve been enough for her to keep replying through letters.

Eventually, I was invited by her to Imperium. I had never been there before, and I wasn’t sure at the time if I should go. Obviously, I did make the trip there, and she quickly came to find out that it was me writing to her in those letters… A fourteen-year-old, who was directly related to Jay and Nya Walker.

Keep in mind, this was after the whole debacle with Harumi and Garmadon. We had been living on the Destiny Bounty x10 (basically at this point with however many times it has been destroyed by our parents), and so I was able to make a lousy excuse about where I was going for about a week. I briefly remember telling my parents it was for some boys’ camping trip with some ‘friends’ of mine. Thinking back on it, I’m actually shocked they believed me. Other than Libby and the other Ninja Kids, I had no other friends outside of them. I would have expected it more for my parents to accuse me of going out just to smoke certain substances in private and goof off for a week, but I guess that thought wouldn’t even cross their minds as they thought I was the ‘Perfect Son’. Boy, were they wrong about that.

***

3.5 Years Ago

“The Letter That Changed Everything”

“On July 21st at 2pm, meet me underneath the bridge right after you get through Imperium’s gates. As long as you show them the ID card I have sent below, they will let you in. Be sure to come alone, and dress like you belong.”

***

~ Present ~

This was all the letter said. Arrogant past me did in fact go alone. I’m not sure if I should say I’m lucky it really was her, or if her actually being there instead of some fifty-year-old pervert awaiting me was better for my future or not. Either way, that woman I was writing to actually being the real Harumi Garmadon definitely changed my future of being a ninja probably more than any random pedo I could have possibly been messaging anonymously would have.

***

3.5 Years Ago

I close the letter, and I stuff it back inside the envelope. I sigh bitterly as I lean back into my chair with almost a thud. The darkness of my room on the bounty surrounds my body, and I close my eyes for a moment as I think deeply.

After a few quick seconds, I open my eyes once more, sit up straight in my chair again, and I turn off my desk lamp, which lit up the remaining part of my room. I get into bed, and when my head meets the calmness of the pillow, instant satisfaction flows throughout my body. I don’t feel like I can drift off to sleep, however, which is annoying because it’s 3am, and I need to get my rest for tomorrow’s trip.

I groan, turning to my side, and I watch the moon shine through my window for a quick moment. This only lasts a few moments when I suddenly hear a quiet knock at my door. I immediately sit up, alarmed, and I get up quickly, bolt to my desk as quietly as possible, and I stuff the letter into the drawer. I let out a breath of relieved air, recollect myself, and I walk softly to the door and open it.

My gaze meets Liberty’s, and she immediately pushes her head into my chest. I feel her arms wrap around my waist, and I can’t help myself from swallowing harshly as my ears feel like they’re suddenly becoming heated.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” she starts as a sniffle lingers through her tone. By this point, I have wrapped my arms around her, and I can feel her heavy breathing as she mumbles through my hoodie, “I had a nightmare… about the Oni.” She pauses for a quick moment, and I can feel her breaths become more intense as she chuckles softly, “I mean, how silly is that? Me, scared of a stupid nightmare? About the dumb Oni? When I am 25% Oni?” She pulls away from my grasp as she mutters this, and she turns around quickly. Before I can even get a word out, she whispers, “My apologies for waking you. This is stupid — I should have never come to you. This is so embarrassing.”

With her final words, I watch as her body almost freezes, and then she pulls her hands up to her eyes. She begins to sob.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” She repeats, beginning to step away. Quite alerted now, I reach my arm out and grasp onto her. I feel her halt suddenly, and it’s quiet between the two of us for a few seconds before I begin walking out of my room, shutting the door behind me, and taking the two of us back to her room.

“What are you doing?” She whispers through a hushed exclamation. She doesn’t seem to be crying anymore through her sudden question, yet she also doesn’t seem to be resisting my tight hold on her either.

We make it back to her room across the hall, and I shut the door behind us as we step in. We don’t say anything to one another as I shove her, gently, back into her bed, and I pull the blankets over her. Through the darkness, I proceed to pile all her stuffed animals around her, and I make sure she is safely snug underneath her stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets.

“Why are you doing this?” She asks as a sniffle follows her whispering tone.

“Well, I can’t exactly send you off to bed knowing you were crying, could I?” I question in response, placing the last stuffed animal, which is her favorite: a green dinosaur, underneath her arm. I step back, examining her as much as possible through the moon’s gaze, and I smile to myself silently as I finish saying slowly, “That would be mean of me.”

She’s silent as I take her desk’s chair and place it beside her bed. I take one of her pillows and prop it against the wall as I rest my head against it in the chair. Once situated, I take her hand in mine, and I proceed to close my eyes softly.

“You’re staying?” She whispers as her cold fingers cup over mine. Her voice seems to hold some form of shakiness in it, and I can’t help myself from grinning slightly as I mumble, squeezing her hand, “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

She seems to be thinking because she doesn’t reply for a few seconds, and then I finally hear her mumble, “What if we get caught? I’ll be punished for sure-” She pauses for a few seconds before going on, “I don’t even know why I came to you. I should have just gone to Kacee, or I should have figured this out myself.”

“You won’t get punished,” I mutter steadily, squeezing her hand once more and holding it tighter than before. I open my closed eyes and take my head from the wall. I turn toward her, and her gaze is on mine intently. I smile at her, but I don’t think she can see it as I finish whispering, “I won’t let that happen.”

I watch her turn her head and eyes toward the ceiling, and she exhales slowly. The silence between us is heavy until I say quietly, “And you can come to me whenever you want. It doesn’t bother me.”

I actually like it when you do.

I don’t know exactly what these feelings I have toward you are, but I don’t think these feelings are what I’ve been telling myself since before the Oni. I don’t think I view you as just a “sister”, which is what I’ve been telling myself. I think — just maybe — I may view you as something more.

I love you.

I can’t tell you that, though. At least, not until I know you love me back — more than just a friend.

I just don’t want to hurt you.

She doesn’t reply, and I bite my lip softly as I exhale slowly through my teeth. Silence passes throughout the dark and dingy room once more, and I can’t help myself from gazing around before she quietly mumbles, “So… you're not uncomfortable? Are you okay with this?”

“Okay with what?” I inquire, turning my gaze back to hers. She doesn’t return it, and her eyes remain glued to the dark ceiling. The only thing in the room besides the moon that is bringing in light is her night light plugged into her wall.

“With this sudden closeness.”

Ah… so she has noticed the change between us, but does she feel the same way?

“I just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all.” I say this with almost a choke within my breath, and I quickly turn the other way.

It’s not the time to say anything to her, at least not until this is all over.

“Why?” She asks, and I can hear the lump form within her throat as she goes on, “Why do you care about me? I’ve done nothing for you. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

I’m taken aback for a moment, and she seems to notice me shifting in the chair uncomfortably because she turns and meets my gaze. We stare at each other through the darkness for a few moments before I reply slowly, “I don’t understand what you mean by that. I’ve always cared for you, and I want you to feel safe.”

“But why?” She presses on, beginning to sit up in bed. Some stuffed animals fall to the floor and hit my feet, but I ignore them as she leans in closer to my face with a slight gleam in her eyes of curiosity, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

I’m silent as she keeps insisting on this same question. I don’t understand what she’s going on about. Why wouldn’t I be nice to her?

I hear her sigh as our eyes still hold each other’s gaze intensely. “I’m sorry.” She says, pulling her face away from mine. She proceeds to pull her knees to her chest and rest her head inside of them as she mumbles through the blankets, “I’m stressing you out. I didn’t mean to. I just… I don’t understand. After everything, why are you still talking to me and hanging out with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I inquire, placing my hand on top of hers and squeezing it softly. She gazes toward my grasp on her for a moment before she replies through what sounds like a slight shaky voice, “Haven’t you noticed? Everyone has changed.”

“Everyone has changed… how?” I press on as curiosity fills my mind.

I hear her swallow deeply as she clears her throat. She keeps her eyes off mine as she mumbles, “Nobody treats me the same anymore after everything with Harumi. The city, the ninja, Kacee… even my own father. Some things aren’t really noticeable unless you’re me, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.” She finishes her sentence in almost a choked mumble, and I spot tears beginning to glisten off her cheeks as she proceeds to mutter, “I mean, I guess it makes sense. I’d be weirded out too if I found out that my closest friend’s mother, who was pronounced dead, was actually still alive after being pronounced dead for so many years, and my friend now had the expectation to defeat their mother. However, I don’t think I would treat that person any differently. It would only give me the desire to love and care for that person more.” She pauses once more, and she swallows intensely before she goes on, tears still dripping down her face, “Although, I guess not many people think the same way I do… because it seems they’re all treating me differently. Everyone seems to have distanced themselves, and I don’t understand why.” She pulls her hand away from mine as she sinks her head lower into her knees. I stare at her, and deep sadness fills my mind as she proceeds to murmur in a cracked tone, “Even my own father… h-he —” She proceeds to break down more, and I have to stop myself from doing something as she goes on silently, each of her individual breaths shaking, “He’s been treating me differently, too. He expects me to defeat my mother, train harder than ever before, and he blames me. He doesn’t say directly that this is my fault, but he implies it. Through every single one of his words, and by this sudden intense training he has begun to put me through, he’s implying that I screwed up the first time, and I need to defeat her soon. But I — I don’t understand why I’m being blamed!” She yells in a hushed tone, suddenly pulling her head from her knee’s grasp as she gazes at her trembling hands. I can only sit and watch, allowing her to finish what she has to say, “He married her! He decided to have a kid with her! He allowed his element to be passed down to the next generation! How is this my fault? Why am I being treated differently? What did I do?!”

I force myself to intervene by covering her mouth with my hand. I feel her tears leak into my fingertips, and her eyes dart to mine. I press my other hand’s finger against my own mouth, signaling her to be quieter. I offer her a slight smile in return, and she only offers me a light nod as she mutters through my grasp against her mouth, “You’re the only one who seems to not have changed your view toward me… Why? Why haven’t you? When everyone else has…”

I take my hand away from her lips gently, and I stare into her green, glassy eyes intensely. I wipe her cheeks with my thumb as I whisper, “Why would I? None of this is your fault.”

She appears suddenly surprised, and I watch as she shakes more intensely than before as she asks through a choked tone, “Why do you say that?”

“Say what?”

“That this isn’t my fault.”

I offer her a sly smile as I take my eyes from hers and gaze outside her window for a moment. I take my palm from her face, and I rest it against her free hand as I mutter, turning back to her, “Because it’s the truth. You didn’t ask to be brought into this world, your parents decided to make you for their own pleasure — just as mine did, and everyone else’s. You didn’t ask to be given these god-like powers,” I pause for a moment, squeezing her hand tighter within mine as I mumble, “And finally, you were lied to your whole life about your own mother’s life. That was wrong. And now, you’re expected to defeat her? Your father’s issue? The person he decided to marry? The woman that he decided to have a child with? Give the next generation his element to? And now expect that offspring of his to defeat the same woman he married? What bull****. And for him to have the balls to treat you like garbage-” I have to stop myself and take my gaze away from her. My free hand squeezes into a fist, and my jaw clenches intensely as I grind my teeth against one another.

I’ve noticed.

I’ve noticed everything she just said… and more. I never brought it up or asked her, though. I wanted her to bring it up first.

I was hoping she hadn’t noticed what I have.

I was hoping I was maybe wrong about my observations.

And most of all, I was hoping all these impulsive thoughts about my life as a ninja were made up through teenage rebellion. However, after tonight, this just clarified my overall thoughts about my life, and maybe I really should show up tomorrow at Imperium.

“I… I didn’t mean to make you mad… I’m sorry-” She whispers, reaching her hand out and touching my shoulder lightly. This knocks me out of my deep thoughts, and I turn back to her with a sturdy stare.

We hold this look between each other for a few moments before I mumble, “Why are you apologizing? Don’t. You have nothing to say sorry for. I should be the one saying sorry… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but I also don’t regret what I said.”

She’s silent in response, holding her gaze with mine intently. I notice her fumbling with her fingers in between my grasp on her hand, and I let it go softly.

With this action, I follow it with another as I begin to stand up and make my way around the other side of her bed. I sit myself down on it, on top of the blankets, and I press my shoulder against her. This is a rather bold move coming from me, yet I don’t care anymore. I don't care if I show her my liking towards her anymore.

This experience tonight has also properly displayed another answer of mine… that my love for her is real. 

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

“What-What are you doing?” She asks as I wrap my left arm around her shoulders as I pull her into my chest. I ignore her question, though, and I rest my chin on the top of her head and wrap my right arm over her.

I can feel her breathing intensely as her whole body seems to shake slightly, yet she doesn’t pull away. Instead, I feel her left arm wrap around my body, and she begins to cry into my grasp.

“Why are you crying?” I ask through a whisper. She proceeds to wail harder as she instantly replies through a choked sob, “I haven’t been hugged like this since before I found out my mother was alive.”

Her saying this instantly makes me angry, very angry. I am more than mad — I’m pissed.

“I got you.” Is all I reply with through a soft tone as I pull her in tighter. Her shaking has begun to stop, and I hold her like this until I hear her breathing calm and lessen. I whisper her name quietly, yet she doesn’t reply.

Good. She’s asleep. I’m happy she can rest for a few more hours.

Carefully, and very slowly, I manage to get out of bed, and I pick up the fallen stuffed animals one-by-one and place them all next to her once again. I pull the rustled blanket back over her, and I stare at her for a good few moments.

It’s weird how I look at her now. Really, I look at her no differently than before, which shows that I’ve always had some form of feeling for her. But now… it almost feels different. Maybe it’s because she’s becoming a new person? Or maybe it’s because I’ve been changing? Possibly both? I am unsure.

All I know is…

“I love you.” I whisper as I lean down and kiss her forehead softly. I pray with all my might she really is sleeping as I do this, and then I quickly, and as quietly as possible, rush out of her room and make it back to mine.

I shut my door behind me, heart racing, and my eyes instantly meet my clock.

“4:10 am.”

I sigh loudly as I fall into my bed. I stare at the ceiling for quite a while until I drift off, and suddenly I feel the sun shining against my face.

I turn to the clock once more, “7:30am.”

Instead of falling back asleep, I sit up and make my way towards the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror for a second, thoughts racing through my mind, but instead of dwelling on them for too long, I quickly shake them away.

I get dressed in the best looking ‘Imperium’ clothes I can find, brush my teeth and hair, and make my way back to my room. I stuff a week’s worth of clothes in my backpack, hygiene supplies, a second pair of shoes, and a few other things.

I proceed to make my way towards the kitchen, and I walk across the bounty’s deck past the training yard. As the wind hits my face, I spot Libby, who is already training and sweating at 7 a.m. in the morning.

My gaze meets Lloyd’s, who is watching her — judging her, and I have to keep myself from going up to him and spitting every single word in his face that I think about him. I keep walking, however, and I choose not to. No, I refrain from it.

I’m going to make this right for her… for us… if that’s the last thing I’ll ever do.

I walk past them both, and I can feel Liberty’s gaze toward mine. I ignore her, though, and I almost dart into the kitchen, stopping myself the best I can from lashing out.

My fists finally unclench once I meet my parents stare from the dining room table, and I slowly take a pancake from a plate off the counter as I mumble, “Good morning.”

“Good morning, honey.” My mom says with a slight smile. She presses her fork into a piece of pancake as she proceeds to go on, “How are you this morning?”

I take a bite of the pancake I’m holding in my grasp as I make my way toward the table and sit down in one of the chairs. I watch as my father, Jay Walker, takes a sip of his coffee, and then I set my gaze strictly onto my mother, Nya.

“I’m doing fine.” I mutter, taking another bite of my pancake.

My mother’s eyes meet mine once more, her smile quickly fading as she responds, “Your answer didn’t seem so sure. Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” I lie, avoiding eye contact now. “It’s just, well,” I begin to think up a quick story to explain why I’ll be gone for a few days. “Some friends of mine asked if I could attend their boys camping trip for the next week, and I was wondering if I was allowed to go?”

My mother is silent for a few moments, clearly thinking, and my father offers no reply as he stares intently at his phone.

“I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to go,” my father begins to mumble, not taking his eyes off whatever he's reading. I’m surprised for a quick moment that he was listening to what I was asking, but I slowly feel a sense of relief as I turn toward my mom awaiting her answer.

“Which friends are these? Where are they from?” She asks, sounding a bit hesitant.

My mother has always been the one to look and research into things more than my father. She’s always digging deeper.

“From our neighborhood. The kids Libby, Kacee, and I used to play in the street with. I’m not sure if you guys remember them, but I’m still in contact with them, and they asked if I would join their trip.” I reply slowly.

It is true, there were some kids where we last lived who played with the three of us. However, I am not in contact with them anymore, my parents never really got to meet them, and they never invited me to this fake camping trip.

“I guess that wouldn’t be bad. You just be safe, and don’t do anything stupid. We’ll be calling and checking in on you. What time will you be leaving?” My mother responds, carefully playing out what she says.

A wave of relief floods over my mind, and I must keep myself from grinning. I humble myself and my fibbing-skills as I say, “I’m leaving by noon today.”

“Okay.” Is all my mom replies with, and I quickly stand up to leave the table before she can say anything else. However, my father begins speaking once I make my way toward the door. I hold my breath, praying he won’t say anything that will make my mom think any more of her answer, until he exclaims, “Just make sure to eat lots of smores!”

“Oh,” I reply quietly, relief filling my thoughts once again. I let out a chuckle as I say, “Sounds good, dad.”

I leave right after I mutter these words, and I make my way through the hall and back out onto the deck. My ears begin to pick up on what seems to be yelling, and I pick up the pace. The wind hits my hair intensely once I step outside, and I watch from afar as Lloyd shouts toward Liberty. Blood is pouring down her arm, yet she keeps on fighting the wooden dummy as it hits her body multiple times.

My breathing picks up rather eerily, and I begin to feel hot in the head as my hearing blurs in and out. I watch for a few moments longer as Lloyd basically screams at her how to approach and fight the mechanical tool. Both suddenly and surprisingly, she is basically thrown across the deck by it hitting her the wrong way, and she slams into the wooden slabs of the ship. I can only observe silently as the horror of the crimson red surrounds her body the moment she lands against the ground.

Lloyd doesn’t seem to get to her side fast enough as I dart to her instantly. I pick her head up and rest it against my leg as I examine her injuries. Luckily, the wooden dummy did not hit her head, yet there are a few wounds on her body that are actively draining blood. These injuries are not just your normal jabs either, these will take at least a few weeks to months in order to heal.

I can hear Lloyd approach the two of us, and my eyes immediately meet his gaze. He seems slightly bothered, but he’s not fazed enough in my opinion as I hear him say, “And see Liberty, this is why I showed you how to perform that one specific move I taught you to do. It appears we need to train you harder on this before we can move you up in the rankings.”

My ears immediately grow hot as he mutters this. No, they turn to fire as I take my gaze from her and jolt my head toward him, making direct eye contact as I shout, “What the **** is your problem, man?”

“No… please,” I can hear Libby whisper as I take her head off my lap and rest her against the deck’s walls. My eyes remain glued to Lloyd’s, however, and he is not happy about what I just uttered to him.

I shake Liberty’s grasp from my wrist as I stand up and meet him eye to eye.

“What did you just say to me?” He grumbles, completely ignoring the fact that his daughter is bleeding out onto the wooden deck.

“I think you heard me, ***hole.” I state bitterly, stepping closer to him with a glare in my eye. I ignore Libby’s quiet pleas, and I keep my eyes strained to his — just as he is returning toward me.

He seems to almost say something in return, yet he pauses and gazes toward Liberty for a quick moment. I watch as he swallows harshly and mumbles, “I would rather not fight a kid, that is not something I wish to do. However, I also don’t appreciate being called inappropriate, derogatory names by one.”

My breathing intensifies, and I must keep myself from destroying him as I mutter angrily, “Then maybe don’t act like one.”

“Ha,” he laughs aloud, stepping closer toward me. “Do you understand how disrespectful you’re acting toward someone older than you right now? Especially someone who is considered your sensei?”

“Of course I am,” I begin as a slight smirk forms across my face. “But I don’t believe I’m being rude. This reaction toward you and your actions are completely justified from what I’ve observed of you recently.”

“Oh really? How?” Lloyd questions, stepping closer to me. His hands are behind him, yet I know if I do something toward him first, he’ll have no problem fighting back, physically.

“Heh,” I chuckle, taking my eyes off him for a quick moment and gazing toward Liberty. Her eyes are still staring into my figure intently, and I can see slight tears beginning to form. I proceed to laugh as I say, “Why don’t you just ask Liberty?”

“Jaxson, stop!” Liberty shouts, and this alarms me as my eyes go from Lloyd’s to hers once more. She never calls me Jaxson. Why is it that this is the second time in the last twelve hours where she has?

Once I meet her gaze again, I quickly notice tears are falling down her face now, and she can’t help herself from choking on her own words as she mumbles, “Just… leave. You don’t need to say or do anything more than you already have.”

Defeat fills my thoughts as my eyes widen, and the smirk from earlier falls from my face. She offers no other words as she takes her eyes from mine and meets her father’s.

I grumble to myself as I take my bag from the ground and walk away without looking back or having anything else to say. I was planning on telling her that I was leaving, and I was going to say to her that I’ll be back soon, but I guess that doesn’t matter now.

I don’t even follow through with what I said to my parents, about me leaving around noon, and I decide right here and now to part ways without any explanation. I drop the ladder from the edge of the deck, where both Liberty and Lloyd can see quite clearly, and I don’t turn back to say anything in return when I hear Liberty ask, “Wait… where are you going?”

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

I gaze out of the train’s window, and I watch all Ninjago pass by. I try not to think of what happened right before I left, but it doesn’t seem to leave my mind — no matter how much I wish for it to.

I try to understand Liberty. I try to think about why she openly allowed herself to act helplessly. I mean, obviously she was, but I can’t get over why she wouldn’t let me fight the same man she was crying over just a few hours prior.

However, the thought hits me, and I whisper to myself slowly, “How would I feel if I was lying on the ground, bleeding out, and she was calling my father, who I once admired, harsh names, and I had to lie there without being able to do anything?”

I breathe terribly fast as I think upon this, quickly realizing my answer to my own question, and I decide the moment I get home I will apologize to her immediately. I wasn’t thinking, and I know I should have been gentler with my words. Moreover, everything I said was true, and everything I exclaimed were some of the real thoughts I really have been thinking. Although, these emotions and thoughts are real. They are all just too new and raw for me to say — especially her thoughts.

I need to learn to be more patient. I especially need to learn how to be calmer with her, and I need to care for her more gently. I must accept that her view on her father is different than mine ever will be toward him. Just as her view on my parents will be different than my own. It’s a more personal, well-known view I’m talking about, and I need to accept that.

She’ll know when the proper time is where she is most comfortable to tell her father how she really feels. At least, that’s only if she ever finds the right time, and if that time ever will come between the two of them.

I sigh quietly to myself, and then I hear the overhead speaker announce in the train, “We are arriving at Imperium in ten minutes!”

This upbeat and cheery tone does not match my emotions, and I slide deeper into my seat as I cover my eyes with my arm. I close them for a few seconds, attempting to gather some rest for a quick moment, and then I suddenly hear somebody slide into the seat across from me.

Slightly irritated, no, bothered by this, I open my eyes, sleepily, and a boy a few years older than I am is sitting right in front of me, staring into my soul. I almost jump out of my seat from surprise.

“Hey there,” he says in a rather nonchalant tone. He offers a sly smirk toward me as he goes on, “The name's Chamber, you?”

His gaze is still stuck on mine, and I slowly back into my seat deeper as I mumble, “Why would you like to know?”

“Because obviously we’re going to the same place.” He replies almost instantly, grinning toward me intensely. I can’t shake this uncomfortable feeling I’m experiencing, and I keep my eyes off his.

“Why would you say that?” I ask quietly, clenching my teeth intensely.

He chuckles softly, which causes me to glance his way and make direct eye contact, and he slyly answers, “Look around, you and I are the only ones who aren’t in the group. Everyone in Imperium rides with a buddy, except the two of us.”

I gaze around as he says this, suddenly noticing the fact that he’s right. Everyone on this train does, in fact, have another person they are talking to and sitting next to. I just assumed everyone knew each other because this city is almost like a small town, but I guess there’s a rule where you must have a buddy? I’ve never heard of that one.

“Ah,” I respond, turning my gaze back toward him. Our eyes meet, and I finally examine his features more than before.

He has gleaming, silver eyes with snow, white hair. His skin is slightly tanned, and his body is rather fit. He definitely has a form of muscle. He appears to be slightly older than I am now that I’m examining him more closely, and he seems to have a rather bold and assertive personality. More extraverted than I am, definitely.

“My name's Jax.” I finish saying, putting my hand out for him to shake. He takes my palm with a smile, and then he leans back into his seat as he exclaims, “Well, I guess you’re meeting up with Harumi, so am I.”

My eyes can’t keep themselves from widening in shock about him knowing this fact.

He knows? How?

“Don’t worry,” he goes on, clearly laughing at my expression. He sighs, taking a piece of his hair and twirling it in between his fingertips as he mumbles, “I’ve been under her guidance for quite a while now, she’s been awaiting you — whoever you were. She told me you’d be on this train, and she sent me out to find you and make sure you got to Imperium safely.”

I’m silent in response, and he proceeds to whisper in a sly tone following up with what he was just saying, “And yes, it really is Harumi you were speaking to. However, I’m sure she will be very surprised that it's one of the official ninja’s kids…” He pauses for a moment, leaning into my form closer and presses his palms against his knees as he mutters in a delicate tone, “She certainly will not be expecting you.”

His voice almost sounds like a purr as he says this, and I watch quietly as he sits back up against the seat and adjusts his glasses. I examine him, hesitantly, and I don’t say anything until he goes on, asking, “So, does your team know about this? Since, well, they are technically the heroes of the city. Wouldn’t you — now I’m just assuming here — be expected to do the same?”

I eye him silently, and I proceed to gaze out the window for a moment. I feel his eyes burning into my stance, however, and I sigh as I swear to myself underneath my breath. I then proceed to respond slowly, “What do you need that information for? What is it to you?”

“My goodness,” he mumbles, crossing his arms with a sly laugh. He offers a grin toward me as he mumbles, “You must not be much of a conversationalist. I’m just trying to get to know you, and why you’re here. Teenage rebellion, possibly?”

I audibly laugh this time, leaning forward slightly and responding, “Maybe,” I begin with a smile. “Or maybe it’s because everything there is malarkey.”

“Malarkey?” He repeats, eyeing me closely. He pulls his glasses from his face and sets them against the seat as he inquires, “The ninja team? You’re calling your own kind ‘malarkey’?”

I don’t nod or agree as I proceed to set myself back against the seat and gaze out the window once more. I watch as hills and trees pass in a fast motion, and I can’t help myself from exhaling rather loudly as thoughts race throughout my mind.

I’m not sure if what I’m planning on doing is one hundred percent set in stone yet, but I can’t just sit around anymore and do nothing.

I can’t force myself to be uncomfortable in my own home anymore.

“So, is this not a teenage rebellion? It must not be, since you’re putting in the effort to meet Harumi.” The stranger goes on to say.

“No,” I agree, softly. “I wouldn’t say it is either.”

“What do you plan on achieving? Meeting with Harumi and all that.”

I turn to him, and his silver eyes meet my ocean gaze as I mutter underneath my breath, “And why do you need to know that information?”

“I’m only curious. We’ve never had an official ninja come to her before to talk rationally.” He replies as he begins to clean his glasses and place them back onto his face.

“Rationally?” I repeat, eyeing him slightly. “What is rational to you and your kind?”

The man smirks, placing his hands in front of him toward my body, replying, “Hm, let’s not get into that. Too soon, eh?”

“Yeah, too soon.” I say, turning my head back toward the fields. I notice the station quickly coming closer, and soon the train stops all together.

I begin to stand up, and I watch the stranger get up with me. He’s only a few inches taller than I am, yet it almost feels as if he is hovering over me. I sigh, and then I make my way toward the doors of the train.

Once stepping off the train and onto the station’s deck, I immediately feel the desert breeze hit my skin. Imperium is way out in the outskirts of Ninjago City, which is where we live currently as ninja, so nobody really comes around here unless they live in Imperium and are allowed to enter.

The city of Imperium is extremely digitalized and technology adaptive compared to Ninjago City, so I’m unsure what to expect. The only thing I really foresee are robots acting as humans basically throughout the city, and technology residing everywhere at the touch of anybody’s fingertips. In my current mindset, all those thoughts seem silly, but I may not be wrong.

I take a quick glance at my watch and realize how early I am. I take another rushed gaze toward Imperium’s main gates, and I question whether I should go in and explore or wait the next few hours for 2 p.m. to make its way around.

I sigh to myself, thoughts racing through my mind, and then I suddenly feel a bump against my shoulder. I turn my head, and I meet the stranger’s gaze as he begins to offer, “Ya know, I could always show you around.”

I notice him finish his sentence with a light smirk, and I think about it for a moment before questioning, “You actively live here? Why don’t you have — what did you call it? A travel buddy?”

Chamber audibly laughs in my face, and I stare at him without any form of expression as he keeps going, eventually wiping his eyes as he exclaims, “Nah, I don’t need none of that. I don’t live here… all the time.” He finishes this statement with a light snicker and wink.

I don’t reply, and I begin to quickly make my way off the station’s platform and onto the desert road toward the main gate to Imperium. To my dissatisfaction, however, I hear footsteps follow me from behind. I halt for a quick moment, contemplating whether I should say anything or not as I become annoyed.

Instantly, I turn, and I make direct eye contact with Mr. Four-Eyes once again as I mumble, eyebrows narrowing, “Why are you following me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He questions, eyebrow raising. I inhale timidly and exhale annoyed as I mutter in response, “It’s just if I have a few hours left before I meet up with Harumi, I might as well examine the place beforehand.”

“I thought I was showing you around, though?” Chamber inquires, leaning toward me mockingly. I step back a few inches, and I don’t hesitate to roll my eyes. He laughs once more, and he proceeds to say with a snicker, “I annoy you, don’t I?”

I’m silent for a moment in response, and our eyes don’t leave one another’s gaze. I grumble to myself bitterly after a few seconds, and then I take my fingers and place them against my forehead, closing my eyes deeply as I murmur, “You… don’t.”

“Are you sure about that?” He presses on, not pulling away from his intense stare. I can feel his slight breath against my face, and this only causes me to back away more than before. “Because you seem to be. It’s quite hilarious.”

I open my eyes once more and immediately notice a bright, irritating smile plastered across his face. I think about turning around and beginning to speed away without a reply, until I realize he won’t leave me alone if I even do that.

I exhale tiresomely, and I proceed to say through heavy annoyance, “I would rather you just leave me alone. Until I…” I pause for a moment, suddenly catching his gaze once more. “Unfortunately, see you again.” I mumble underneath my breath, finishing my sentence, avoiding what I would like to actually say to him.

“Until you, what?” He repeats, placing his hand against his ear. His smile begins to fade, and all I offer in response is another blank stare.

I turn to leave once more, and he immediately begins to follow. It’s silent for a good few moments before he exclaims, “Your girl must be pretty annoyed by you often. She must be doing all the talking or something.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” I reply awkwardly, proceeding with my steps and not stopping for hopes of this conversation to not go anywhere else.

“What do you mean by 'no girlfriend’? You seem like an absolute bliss to be around!” The stranger exclaims, and I notice his arms raise within the air out of the corner of my eye.

I groan and grumble to myself as I pray he will quite literally be shut up by the First Spinjitzu Master himself.

“Plus, you’d be lying anyway,” the man begins to say. “Harumi has mentioned her daughter, oh what is her name again?” He pauses for a moment, clearly thinking to himself, but all I can do is remain silent as he goes on through a blab, “Oh! Liberty! Yes, her! You two seem like you're quite the couple!”

“We’re not a couple.” I respond quietly, slightly irked by this conversation.

“What do you mean?” He questions, the last word basically rolling off his tongue with sarcasm. “You’re clearly into her, and she’s clearly into you.”

I hate to admit it, but as he talks about her, my face begins to grow red, heated, and slightly embarrassed. I visibly shake this feeling as I mutter, “Well, what do you know? I’ve never seen you in my life.”

“Of course, you haven’t seen me, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t seen you.” He replies instantly with both a smirk and confident tone.

“And?” I press on, annoyed by his sudden form of ‘threat’, or whatever he’s trying to accomplish by that remark.

“And you still haven’t answered my question.” He answers without skipping a beat.

I groan, already having enough of this guy as I timidly ask, “What?” With an immediate eye roll to follow.

“Is your girl annoyed by you?” He repeats, a chuckle immediately escaping his lips.

“No,” I respond, hesitantly. It doesn’t feel weird addressing Libby as my girlfriend, but it also doesn’t sound quite right either because we’ve never actually talked about that situation occurring between the two of us. “I talk more than her, actually.”

“Ah see!” He exclaims, stepping in front of me with a hop and a bright smile spread across his face. “I knew you were quite the exclamatory guy! You’re just pulling my leg, aren’t you? Playing hard to get, hm?”

“Sure, think whatever.” I say, pushing him out of my way.

However, before I can even get a few feet ahead of him, I feel his arm wrap around my shoulders and bring me in closer as he whispers slyly, “We’re going to be the best of friends.”

I almost choke on my own spit, and I only respond with a deep groan. 

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

The city of Imperium is more amazing than I could ever describe. Not only are they technology advanced way beyond most city’s years, but their people also seem to all be well-off, and everybody seems to be… content?

Unlike Ninjago City, there are no pleading cries for help ringing off each individual building, screams representing deep anguish, or deep sounds of remorseful regret. Everything here in Imperium feels and sounds like no other place I have ever been before. Everyone is smiling, everyone looks put together, and everyone seems as if they have a place.

I wonder if Ninjago was like this at one point.

“I can already see it on your face buddy,” I hear Chamber exclaim, chiming into my thoughts. He knocks me out of my internal thoughts, and I am quickly annoyed as reality strikes me once more. I forgot for a good few seconds that he was still around and following me for whatever reason.

I turn toward him, side-eyeing him intensely as he plasters a bold smile onto his face and throws his arm around my shoulders, “You hungry, bud? We can chat as we eat.”

I glare toward him unamused as I throw his arm off my shoulder and reply dully, “I’ll pass.”

“Aw, how come?” He presses on, placing his hands on his hips with a sigh. He keeps his eyes off mine for a few seconds as he goes on, “I know a really good sandwich shop, and I think you’ll like it.”

I’m silent for a moment as I continue to walk throughout the city’s streets of Imperium. I am still in awe of everything around as I repeat once more, eyeing him annoyed once again, “I said no. All I’m here for is to meet Harumi. I didn’t sign up to make any friends.”

He doesn’t reply after a few moments, and I grin to myself once I realize I may have possibly made him officially shut up.

Thank god.

“Boy that was harsh,” I hear him mumble, his steps catching back up to mine. I almost groan aloud once he matches my pace once more. I don’t even have to look within these moments, I know a bright, happy smile is plastered across his face as he exclaims, “But I don’t think you mean it.”

My eyebrow raises, and I still don’t face him as I ask through a slight murmur, “Don’t mean what?”

“That you don’t want to make any friends. I think you do.” He replies calmly.

I turn toward him, gazing at him slightly, yet his eyes continue forward in the direction we’re going. I debate whether in my mind if I should reply or not, yet it seems whether I respond to him or not, he’s going to hang around until my meeting with Harumi.

“And how would you know that?” I inquire through a light mumble.

He’s quiet for a few moments, and a smile creeps into his expression as he whispers, “I dunno. Just a feeling, I guess.”

I pause my steps, and I watch as he continues walking forward. I examine him for a good few moments until he turns around and exclaims with a heavy arm gesture, “What are you doing? Let’s go!”

Who is this guy, really? Why is he so interested in who I am? Is this how he treats everybody?

***

Eventually, 2 p.m. came. My palms were sweating and my whole body was shaking, yet I remained as calm as possible when Harumi and I met face-to-face for the first time.

She was quite surprised that it was me, Jaxson Walker, and she was taken aback for a few moments before she could recollect herself. Moreover, after our quick introduction, she began to lead me through Imperium toward her small, quaint office in one of the city’s buildings.

***

My mouth runs dry as I stand here and face her for the first time. I’m not exactly nervous, but I’m also not exactly excited about this either. I have no idea what to expect, and she still has remained rather quiet as she stares at me from across her desk intensely, arms crossed.

“When I began receiving letters from an unknown address and anonymous name,” she begins saying slowly, each word rolling off her tongue briskly. I swallow to myself deeply, and I begin to fumble my hands together as she goes on, “The last person I was suspecting it would be is you.”

She eyes me cautiously, and I watch as she, too, breathes more intensely as she proceeds to ask seriously, “So I would like to ask you this, are you here to mess with me, or are you here because you meant what you said in your letters?”

I sigh slowly, taking my nervous hands and placing them into my pockets as I reply confidently, “What I mentioned in my letters were true. I want to find the truth, and I want to confront you.”

“The truth?” She repeats, her voice rising in interest rather steadily. She offers me a slight smile, and it seems to calm my intense nerves as this is the first expression she has given to me outside of a stern, cold glare. “What do you mean by truth?”

I straighten my stance as I respond in a steady tone, “I want to know why you left your daughter. Why did you leave the ninja team? Why did you begin attacking the team once again thirteen years later? I want to know the hard, cold reality about all of this.”

I watch her grin slowly, and then a sudden laugh escapes her lips. She waltzes over to me and places a steady, slim hand on my shoulder. Our eyes meet, and she smiles charmingly toward me as she whispers, “I like you. You say what you want, and you go for what you want. I respect that. However, I must ask, why do you think you deserve to know any of that? Who do you think you are to acquire such knowledge?”

I clear my throat, our eyes still holding onto each other’s tightly, and I mumble slowly through almost a silent panic and stutter, “I — well — Libby. Yeah, Liberty. I can’t handle it anymore.”

Harumi’s eyes widen almost instantly at Liberty’s name, and she proceeds to step back slowly, pressing her back against her desk and closing her eyes slowly. The only thing heard between us in her small office is our light breathing, yet even that can’t take away the loudness of our tense silence conjoined.

“What about her?” She asks slowly, her breathing rather intense and rasp.

I sigh aloud, taking my eyes off Harumi and gazing down toward my feet as I respond in a quiet murmur, “She’s — she’s…” I pause for a moment to consider my options. I came here to learn more about her, and her ways. I’m tired of the ninja team, especially after what has happened since she’s revealed herself. I’ve seen too much that I can no longer remain silent about, and it pains me every day to live in my own home.

But am I really sure I want to make this decision?

Is it the right decision?

Is there even a ‘right decision’?

I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment before going on expectantly, “She’s not okay, and the ninja team is not okay. I am looking for truth — justice.”

Harumi gazes up toward me once again and makes direct eye contact. Her deep, icy blue eyes reflect my dark, sapphire vision. I notice her thinking deeply before repeating, “Justice? You want justice? For whom? Yourself?”

I shake my head almost immediately, but then I pull back and nod instead as I reply in a slightly bittered and annoyed tone, “It is of no doubt I want some of it for myself, but my main reason is for Liberty’s sake.”

“Liberty’s sake?” Harumi echoes, her eyes becoming wider. “Why would you want justice for someone other than yourself?”

I stare into her eyes deeper than before, and I respond in my most confident tone yet, “Because I deeply care for her.”

“What do you mean by that?” She inquires as she stands up straight once again. She smooths out her snatched and dark, navy dress, and I can’t help from watching for a quick moment before I take my eyes off her and blurt out without thinking, “I’m going to marry her one day!”

Wait—!

Oh my god!

What did I even just say?!

Quickly, with the sudden surprise from what I just uttered at once without any form of thought or understanding, I cover my mouth in a fast motion and feel my ears and head become heated. I keep my eyes off her, yet I swear I can feel them piercing into my soul and body.

No kidding, Jaxson. You would be totally bothered if some boy, who you had never met before, said that about your own daughter!

What is your problem?

Although, to my surprise, I hear her mutter slowly through my deep and impending thoughts, “You want to marry my daughter? You’re only, how old? 14? How do you already know that?”

Is it true, Jax? Do you really want to marry Liberty?

I guess I’ve never really thought of it before. We aren’t even together! Nor have we ever said we’re interested in each other!

Gosh, what do I even say? When I don’t even know what I said myself…

“I… I don’t know yet!” I exclaim, regaining sudden confidence with a random adrenaline boost and go on quickly with words, “Since I haven’t asked her! And she doesn’t know I think that!”

I didn’t even know I thought that!

“But someday I will!” I proceed to say, my sentences become louder and more precise with each word. “So, I need to know, what can I do to save her?”

Silence passes through the room, and all that can be heard are my loud, tight breaths. My ears and forehead are so hot I can feel it with the touch of my fingertips, and my bearing embarrassment lapses over me. I can feel sweat drip down my face, and I stare toward the tiled floor timidly.

Did I really mean all that?

I have always loved Libby as a friend… but as a romantic interest?

Do I really have feelings for her? Have my suspicions of it recently been true?

Do I really want to love her like that?

Loud, sudden laughter begins to fill the room. I zone back in, surprised, and I watch as Harumi is basically dying in her giggles. She notices my glare of confusion as she goes on to exclaim, “Wow! I didn’t know I’d be hearing someone’s proposal before they even proposed today! But alas, here I am!” She pauses for a moment, wiping what seems to be a tear from her eye. She immediately stops her laughter, the room becoming eerily and suddenly silent as she proceeds to whisper in a deep tone, “However, I respect you, wanting to protect somebody like that — especially with the situation she’s currently in.”

“What situation?” I repeat, my words fumbling from my mouth.

“Being inside of her father’s grasp, of course.” Harumi replies instantly, beginning to pick at her fingernails.

I eye her for a few moments, contemplating on her reply. I exhale timorously and say, “Well obviously, you’re going to have a bias about that.”

“I wasn’t talking about my bias,” she replies, bringing herself toward my body. Suddenly, she has me cornered, and I can feel her minty, soft breath against my face as she goes on to mutter briskly, “I’m referencing what you came here for.”

“What do you mean by that?” I inquire, attempting to step back more into the wall as I feel my eyebrows raise.

“You said it yourself,” she begins, not moving from her current position, locking me in. “The ninja team isn’t alright. Of course, by your rather intense exclamation about your little girlfriend, you obviously are doing it to protect her. Moreover, people ‘say’ they’re doing it for someone else, but really, they’re doing it for themselves. Therefore, I want to know why you have the desire to leave the ninja team and explore outside of it.” She finishes her sentences in an eerie whisper, and she leans closer into my body.

I swallow, harshly, and I realize she’s right — actually I’ve known she would be right about this; anybody who just listens for a few moments can see it.

“I want to see what more is out there, I guess.” I reply after a few moments. I clear my throat as I proceed to mumble, “And I guess I feel… trapped.”

“Trapped?” She asks, curiously.

“I don’t know, I guess so. I don’t mind training every day, and I don’t mind the expectations you have to be a ninja. However, it just feels like we’ve been put in the place of our parents' past reign… and none of us asked for it, nor have we ever been questioned if we really want to be ninja. Every single one of us, whether we have noticed it or not by now, all have been pushed into this position as ninja, and I don’t like it. I never have, but as I get older, I have seen how far our fighting, training, and expectations from the public have become increasingly negative, and how unhealthy it has made our mindsets… It makes me sick to my stomach.”

When I finish my sentence, I suddenly realize my fists have become clenched as I utter these words through a tight groan, and my sight is narrow. My eyes are on the floor, and I feel her deep vision focused on my facial expressions. I choose to remain silent for the next few seconds, recapping within my mind what I just said. My natural instinct is to regret it, take it all back, but I don’t. I have finally said everything I've been keeping inside these last couple years, and every single thought has been released through my sharp tongue.

It feels good. No, better than good.

It feels spectacular. It feels daunting. And it feels powerful.

“I see,” Harumi begins to reply, taking a step back from my figure, yet she keeps her intense eyes on mine. I notice a slight smirk creep across her face, yet she conceals it as she proceeds to finish with the sudden question, “How would you like to train under me? We can test it out this next week for fun, ya know? See if we’re compatible as Master and Student. We’ll both see if you’re positively sure of your decision, and mine of taking you under my wing. This all follows under one condition, however,”

I gulp slowly, debating whether I really should follow through with these ‘rebellious’ thoughts and actions. I breathe in, realizing if I came all the way here, I might as well already have made my decision. I swallow once more as I allow the words to roll off my tongue, “However?”

She suddenly chuckles aloud, and she smiles brightly as she exclaims, “Never mind that! We’ll just focus on your training next week! I can watch what you can do, and then we both can agree on terms and conditions.” She finishes her sentence with a sly smirk, and then she proceeds to go on to say, “For now, you can stay in one of my student rooms! Make yourself at home!”

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

I haul my stuff onto the ground, and then I throw myself onto the bed. I stare at the wooden ceiling for quite a while, thinking to myself silently.

Suddenly, I feel my stomach grumble, and I sigh to myself quietly. I take my phone out of my pocket for the first time today to look up nearby fast-food chains, and I immediately notice the shocking number of texts I have received. Many of them are from my parents, which are the general, “Did you make it?”, “Are you alright?”, “Send us photos!”, and I respond to them with a thumbs-up emoji.

Lloyd must not have told them what happened earlier. I know they’ll be pissed soon, and the hundreds of texts full of lectures will soon be rolling in.

I then proceed to scroll down, and my eyes meet a few texts from Libby:

“I’m really sorry about earlier.”

“That was mean of me.”

“How can I make you forgive me?”

“...I know, I’ll take you to the nearest gas station, and I’ll pay for all the crap that you love to eat! No limits! *Laughing emoji and smirk emoji*”

I chuckle lightly to myself, and then it all ends when I remember what I said earlier about her to Harumi. I feel embarrassed, and I close the messages without replying.

“I do forgive you, and there really was no reason for you to say sorry.” I say in response to Liberty’s texts aloud without typing those words to her. I gaze down toward my hands, and I watch my fingers fumble together all at once.

“I am the one who should be apologizing… because I’m doing this all behind your back, without any explanation. Even though I know I’m trying to help you in the worst way possible, you may never truly understand that, which inevitably causes us both a great percentage in our friendship falling out. I don’t want that, and I know you don’t either — but I can’t keep watching you hurt yourself everyday physically, mentally, and emotionally. I can’t take it!”

With that final sentence, I am broken out of my thoughts through my own sudden shouts. I gaze up toward the wall, and I whisper to myself, “I just hope one day you’ll understand, Liberty Garmadon. Even though I’m doing this for myself, at the end of the day, it is all for you and your freedom. I want you to live one day, freely.”

***

“Hey Lightning-Kid,” I hear a raspy voice shout from behind. I turn from my leaning position against the guardrail toward the call-out. Chamber’s eyes meet mine, and he has a bright smile plastered across his face as he asks through laughter, “You got yourself some food, eh?”

I glance down toward the burrito in my hand, and then I turn and gaze back toward Imperium city underneath me. I discovered that you could climb up to the rooftop from Harumi’s hideout, and it has an amazing view.

“I see you’ve already found my secret spot,” he says, leaning over the guardrail with me. “Well, I guess it's not-so-secret-now.” He finishes proclaiming, turning and offering a wink toward me.

I don’t reply, and I proceed to take a bite from my burrito. I hear him suddenly beginning to rummage within his pockets, and then I watch out of the corner of my eye as he begins to light a cigarette.

“You smoke?” He asks as I take another bite. It takes a couple of moments for me to swallow, but once I do, I reply slowly, “Not often.”

“Oh, so you have before?” He responds almost immediately in awe. He laughs towards me as he proceeds to go on, “You like it?”

“Eh, it’s alright,” I reply as I take another bite. “But it’s not exactly something I enjoy.”

“Hmm,” I hear him mumble, and I watch as he inhales and exhales the smoke bitterly within his body. He turns to me once more, and I finally make eye-contact with him as he asks, “Have you ever done it with friends?”

I turn my sight away from him, and I begin wrapping the leftover foil into a ball within my fingertips as I sigh lightly. I stare at the foil-ball between my fingers for a moment before muttering, “No, I don’t encourage my teammates to take substances.”

“Ah, I see.” He responds, taking another puff. “I guess I could understand that if my father wasn’t the Master of Smoke. It’s basically a given in my family to smoke cigarettes, or anything else if you get what I’m saying.” He finishes his sentence with a smug wink.

“Your father’s the Master of Smoke?” I repeat, eyeing him seriously. The moonlight shines above us now as the sunset has disappeared. The only things that can be heard are the once noisy, winding down sounds of traffic, and the city’s lights eloping the city in the form of artificial brightness.

“Yep,” he holds the ‘P’ for a few moments as he leans his body over the guardrail and proceeds to say through a heavy, exhaled breath, “Cinder’s my dad.”

“I’ve heard of him before, briefly.” I mumble, thinking back about what my father has mentioned about him. It was only for a little while that my dad worked with him, but I guess the experience was even weird and uncomfortable for him because he never seemed to want to talk about it.

I turn toward Chamber once more, and I watch as he holds the cigarette in between his teeth and carries himself steadily over the railing’s protection. Wind flaps through his snow-white hair almost majestically, and he smiles with his eyes closed. It’s weird to watch someone do this, but I guess I shouldn’t judge.

I turn my gaze back toward the once bustling city, and peace begins to elapse over my body as I proceed to ask, “So does that mean you’re now the Master of Smoke?”

Chamber’s once prideful expression plummets, and he takes himself from the rail and pulls the cigarette from his mouth, eyeing it slowly in between his fingertips as he responds in a mellow and more quiet than usual tone, “No, unfortunately. My younger half-brother did.”

I don’t reply, and I take my eyes off him once again and gaze down toward my boots. This sudden change in emotion makes me uncomfortable, and I decide not to ask any more questions. However, I hear Chamber begin talking first, and his tone has seemed to alter once more as he begins chuckling in a low tone, “My father… he’s one of those men. If ya know what I mean.” He laughs once more with a wink toward me as he sticks the cigarette back into his mouth, and I eye him curiously. He must catch my interest in what he means, because he proceeds to explain nonchalantly, “He only pulls one-night stands with women. He always has, and he always will.” He gazes out toward the city as he mutters this, and I watch him almost sigh through his words as he goes on, “He had a sly moment with the Master of Shade, which is the element I ended up receiving. Honestly, Shade and Smoke are really no different, so it wasn’t difficult for my father to train me through it.”

“What is the difference?” I ask as my eyebrow raises with curiosity.

“Hmm… how do I describe it?” He asks, taking his sight from the city and gazing around the top of the building itself. I watch as he smiles to himself suddenly, and he takes the cigarette from his mouth and passes it to me with a slight grin, “Hold this for me, will ya?”

I don’t reply, and I watch as he begins gesturing with his hands in an exclamatory way as he explains excitingly, “Well, the Master of Shade travels in and out of shadows, while the Master of Smoke transforms through the smoke. They’re very similar, yet extremely different. Don’t you confuse the two, alright? It makes some people heated.” He ends this with a smirk, and he immediately seems to vanish and reappear right behind me, almost causing the cigarette to drop from my hand.

“Thanks for holding that for me.” He says with a chuckle. He takes it from my fingertips, and he places it back into his mouth.

“Who’s your half-brother? If it’s okay I ask.” I gaze toward him rather timidly as I finish my sentence.

I notice him slightly grin as he replies, “Cassius is my younger half-brother, and he’s the Elemental Master of Smoke. I also have a much older half-sister, too. Her name’s Violet, but she never inherited any element. Her mother didn’t have one, and I guess it took two kids before Cassius for my father’s element to pass down.” I notice him gaze down toward his clenched fist holding the guardrail as he goes on to say, “However, even without an element, she’s the biggest baddie you’ll ever meet. She’s so brave and strong, but she’s also humble and beautiful. I’ve always looked up to her, and she’s always treated me kindly.” He finishes his sentence with a daring smile, and I admire it for a moment before he suddenly goes on to say with a slight chuckle, “And before you ask, those are all my siblings… that I know of. My father was at least smart enough to stop at three, but he’s definitely a weirdo for never settling down and actually having a proper family. I never want to do to women what he’s done to them.”

I nod in agreement, and I realize that for the first time since we’ve met, I am no longer bothered by Chamber. He’s a rather calm guy once you get to actually speak to him, and he definitely can make people laugh.

“What about you?” He begins, turning his look toward me. “Do you have any siblings?”

“One younger sister,” I reply, thinking about her for a quick moment. “Her name is June.”

I notice him lightly smile as he repeats, “June… and she’s the Master of Water, I assume?”

“Yes.”

It goes silent between us for a few moments, and I feel the cold air wisp past us slowly. We hold eye contact for a few moments, and I begin realizing that this Chamber guy isn’t so bad after all.

“Ya know, Jax,” he begins, leaning his back against the guardrail. “You and I don’t seem too different.”

“What do you mean by that?” I question, watching his body language curiously.

“I dunno. I guess I can just tell that you really can be funny and not so serious, and you just have your guard up with me right now, which is understandable.”

He must notice my sudden intense glare, because he proceeds to exclaim, “Why don’t you just let loose for once? Learn to be comfortable around someone you just met. I don’t plan on doing anything malicious toward you.” He ends this with a light grin, and he takes the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offers it to me.

I turn my gaze from him slowly, and Imperium’s lights meet my vision once again. I breathe quietly as he proceeds to urge on, “Come on, Jax. I know you’re secretly a bad boy.”

“It sounds cringe when you say it like that.” I mumble, not taking my eyes from the city.

“And it’s cringe to say ‘cringe’.” He laughs as he begins to light one for me. I turn and take it without a second thought, popping it into my mouth.

***

~ Present ~

That was the first time in my life I had ever let myself go. It was so thrilling to do within the moment, but I regret that decision so much now — because that whole month has led me down such an addictive path that I cannot get out of, no matter how hard I try.

Chapter Text

Jax

~ Present ~

That week soon turned into a month of training under Harumi, and that was the time she officially took me under her wing, and we accepted each other as Master and Student.

I had agreed with her that we would keep this silent until it was to be revealed, and she began to answer all my former questions regarding why she left and what her plans were.

She began describing why she left Lloyd and Liberty, and she also explained that it wasn’t her who came up with the lie that she was dead, but it was all Lloyd. This had made me very angry, and I didn’t choose to tell Libby why until way later down the line. She was mad at me for a while after I revealed it to her, mainly because she wished she had known sooner, but I did it for her own safety: mentally and emotionally — I sometimes wonder if she even realizes that fact to this day.

Obviously, because it’s Harumi, and because we both weren’t sure we could trust each other, some of the facts she said to me during the time were lies, yet they all had inklings of truth in them, and soon the reality of everything she stated turned to light.

During my time there, I had gone silent with my team, ignoring their messages and calls. Also, my phone had died, and I forgot my charger, so I never actually got to see how many they sent me. I didn’t want to think about them though, and I only wanted to focus on what was in front of me. Harumi and I didn’t quite get along personality-wise amazingly, but training-wise we did. I quickly advanced in my skills, and that power felt good. She taught me new skills for my element, which I had never learned from the ninja themselves. This just proved that the ninja were hiding technique and skills from us, which also had made me upset and angered by them.

Chamber would stand around and watch our sessions, and later each night we would chat and hang out, smoking and drinking until we were basically incompetent. We became rather good friends, and he took me under his wing for the time.

Eventually, I made my way back home a month later, and I was more angered with the ninja and the facts I learned about them during my departure. I told myself to act the same and appear no different than before I left. I also came up with a solid lie as to why I was gone for so long.

“We just wanted to be rebellious teens, ya know? Escape for the rest of the summer and not say anything.”  -Would be my rather lame excuse.

After the initial hugging and crying that I was alive, I received the largest lecture and grounding in existence. I wasn’t surprised by this because I was expecting it, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed by it.

***

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

My mother’s arms are wrapped around my body as she cries onto my shoulder. I stand on the bounty’s deck as I wrap my own arms around her and whisper slowly, “I’m sorry, mom.”

I gaze up and meet my father’s gaze, and he is definitely not happy. I swallow deeply, and his intense glare can be felt without having to even look at him.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Jaxson.” He crosses his arms as he states this seriously, and I realize that this is the first time in my life where my dad actually was the first to be angry instead of my mom. He goes on, taking his glare away from my eyes as he mumbles, “You’re grounded for a good few months, and you will be punished as well. I do not deal with behavior like this.”

He turns his body back toward my mom and I, and we make eye contact. Once my mother steps away, he embraces me intensely, saying through a light, choked whisper, “I’m just glad you’re alive. Don’t you dare ever do that again to us.”

“Understood, and I’m sorry, again.” I mumble into his grasp, and then he pulls away. He turns and begins to coax my mother who is in tears, and I gaze down toward my feet, embarrassment suddenly filling my insides.

Why, though? Why do I feel embarrassed? I made my choice-

I feel another set of arms interrupt my inner thoughts as they wrap around my body, and I quickly realize it’s June. I pull her into my chest, and I can feel tears seeping down through my shirt as she shakes in my grasp.

“I thought you were gone!” She chokes out, gripping onto the back of my shirt tighter. “Why would you do that to me? Why didn’t you tell me-”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, placing my hand against her back. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

She takes her head from my chest, and she glares at me angrily from below as she exclaims, “You better not! Or else we’re done.”

I laugh uncomfortably as she pulls herself away from my grasp, and then I gaze toward the rest of my team. They all give me harsh glares, yet they also seem relieved as they bury me in a hug. One specific person, however, is not here, and I begin to worry.

“Where’s Libby?” I ask as everyone pulls away from me.

“Lloyd took her out today on a grocery trip. She hasn’t been doing well, so he’s been trying to get her out of the house.” Kacee replies instantly, offering me an intense look in return.

“Hasn’t been doing well?” I repeat, and worry automatically begins to fill my thoughts.

“Yeah, you kinda messed her up, dude.” Kacee says with a bitter tone, and she leaves just like everyone else off the deck of the bounty to do their own things as if nothing has changed.

I stare toward where she went, and then I sit myself down on the deck, awaiting Liberty to arrive. It feels like hours, especially since my phone was taken away for who knows how long, and I sit on the deck until the sun begins to set.

Suddenly, I hear whispering noises of conversation, and I watch eagerly as she steps onto the deck. Her eyes don’t meet mine automatically, and I examine her quickly. She seems to have lost weight, which isn’t good because she was already super skinny as it is, and her appearance seems to be worn down. She isn’t smiling, and she’s silent as her father talks to her.

She turns her body toward mine instantaneously, and I watch her expression shift from nothing to surprise. It’s not a happy type of surprise though, more like a shocked and overwhelmed surprise.

“Jaxson?” I watch her mouth to herself from afar, and then she finally processes my appearance as she shouts a raspy, “Jax!”

I am already standing as she exclaims this, and I don’t even seem to notice her drop the bags of food she’s holding until after she darts over to me, and I can feel her arms wrap around my figure.

She doesn’t say a word as I rest my chin on top of her head, and I can hear her holding back tears within my grasp. I also have to slightly hold them back as I feel her trembling figure in my chest.

I gaze up from our position, and I notice Lloyd staring at the two of us. He doesn’t say anything once we make eye-contact, and he proceeds to pick the bags of food off the ground, which Libby dropped only moments ago, and he leaves us alone as he walks into the Bounty’s kitchen.

I sigh to myself as I gaze down towards her wavy, dark blonde hair. I begin to rest my hand against the back of her head, and then I feel her suddenly pull away from me with what feels like an angry notion.

“How dare you!” She exclaims, and I quickly notice raging tears flowing down her cheeks. I now can examine her face, body, and hair more slowly, and she seems to have been avoiding keeping herself together hygiene-wise. Obviously, people who don’t care wouldn’t notice, but I sure do. I’ve had to help her… and a lot of the time force her to keep herself put together these past few months.

It makes me sad as I look at her closely.

“You piss me off!” She exclaims, suddenly shoving my body out of the way and stomping to our sleeping quarters. I am so shocked by this sudden change in emotion that I don’t even process what just happened until she’s gone.

I think about going after her and explaining, but then I realize maybe it’s best that I leave her alone for a while. I noticed that when it comes to her mother, it takes Libby some time to get adjusted to something and process it herself, which is probably how she’s going to process my arrival.

I sigh to myself, annoyed by my own actions. I lean against the guardrail of the bounty, and I think about how to fix things.

I know leaving her on read was wrong, especially with no explanation. I know that must be what she’s mad about.

How do I apologize for that? I haven’t even said sorry for what I did before I left towards her father…

I groan heavily, and time feels like it passes rather slowly, yet quickly through my thoughts when I hear my mother’s voice call out to me. I turn my neck, and she’s holding a plate of food as she gestures for me to come over.

Once I step off the upper-deck of the Bounty and make my way towards her, she asks in a more collected tone than earlier, “Give this to Liberty, will you? She’s had a tough few weeks, and she needs to eat. I think it would be best if you give it to her.” My mother finishes her question with a smile, and I slowly take the plate from her hands.

“She’s not happy with me, though,” I mumble, examining the food on the plate. It’s a PB&J sandwich, but I smell actual real food in the kitchen behind her. I offer my mother a questioning look, and she must pick up on it as she says softly, “Well obviously she’s not going to be happy with you right now. No one is.”

I give my mother a certain look in response, and for the first time since arriving back here, she’s the first person to laugh quietly as she goes on to say, “We’re all thankful you’re okay. We’ve missed you greatly,” as she mutters this, her eyes dart towards our sleeping quarters, and she proceeds to finish her thought, “Especially Liberty. That’s all she can really consume right now without vomiting it all back up, so that’s why it’s so basic. I noticed you questioning it earlier.”

I swallow harshly when I hear her say this, swearing to myself violently in my head, and I immediately turn around and begin taking it to Liberty’s room.

“Wait, Jaxson!” My mother exclaims, and I turn my body toward her through my quick steps, “Feel free to come eat, too. I made your favorite tonight.” She offers me a smile as she finishes her sentence, and before I can return a smile toward her, she turns and enters the kitchen once more.

Without being able to think about what I am going to say to her, I rush to Libby’s room, and I must stop myself from knocking on the door too heavily. I tap my feet anxiously as I hold the plate in my hands, and I can slowly hear her walk to her door and creak it open.

Her emerald, green eyes meet my vision, and she avoids eye-contact as she mumbles, “What do you want? Didn’t I tell you I’m mad at you?”

“I-I got you your food!” I exclaim through anxiousness, attempting to pass her the plate through the small crack in the door.

“I’m not hungry,” she whispers, beginning to shut the door in my face with the sandwich still in my hands. “And I told you to leave me alone.”

“My mom told me you need to eat!” I say, pressing the plate against the almost shut door. She doesn’t respond, and then I say in a slow mumble, “I need you to eat.”

“I can’t believe your mother would tell you about that.” She grumbles angrily, shutting the door entirely in my face. There are no words said after that, but I also don’t hear her walk away from the door either.

“I… I’ll leave this here.” I murmur in defeat, and I begin to walk away from her door. I know I must make this right, but how? How do I apologize when she’s so upset with me?

There’s no doubt she has every right to be angry with me, but if she’s avoiding her own basic needs because of me…

I shake the thoughts from my head, and I swear to myself that I will make it right. 

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

I fall onto my bed, and I groan to myself rather loudly. I stare at the larger than normal plate of food next to me on my bed, and I begin eating it slowly. No, I consume it rather quickly through sudden panic, and then I rush to my closet and immediately begin searching for my candy stash.

My eyes meet my hoard of chocolate bars, and I immediately begin scarfing a few down as I tap my feet on the ground anxiously.

This is the biggest difference I’d say about Libby and me. While she doesn’t eat when stressed or anxious, I am the total opposite. I immediately go to food as my first resort, which would be healthy for her, but meanwhile for me it is not, because I always go way too far. Normally, I can control myself for the most part, stop myself before it gets too bad, but tonight seems to not be the case. I can’t control it right now, because the one person who I have always shared my problems with is the angriest with me out of everyone.

How do I fix this?

I sit up from my binge, and I lean my back against my headboard. My pants automatically feel too tight, and I feel so sick, yet the anxiousness revolving around her doesn't seem to fade. I can’t shake this feeling, no matter how hard I try.

Why is this affecting me so much? Why do I care so much? Why does Liberty being upset with me bug me so much? Am I worried it won’t get better?

What if it doesn’t get better? What if all I’m doing is a big waste?

I unbutton my jeans, sink deeper into my bed, and I nibble at another bar as thoughts rush throughout my mind. I feel sweat begin to roll down my face and my body begins to shake, and I know it’s not just because of the over consumption of sugar.

I sit there for a little while longer in a daze, and eventually I force myself to look out the window. The moon has begun to shine inside of my room, and I quickly decide maybe it’s best if I go and get a fresh breath of air.

I get up slowly, avoid counting how many full-sized candy bars I have consumed, and I put sweatpants on and a hoodie. I try to forget how nauseous I feel as I step into the sleeping quarter’s hallways.

Eventually, I make it out onto the open deck, and the cool, nightly air hits my face. I don’t stay out there for long, however, and I make my way toward the empty kitchen.

“What is wrong with you, Jax?” I ask myself through a whisper as I rummage through the fridge and cabinets. Really, at this point I'm looking for some form of alcohol, because clearly sugar isn’t helping my problem. Unfortunately, I can’t find any, and I proceed to take the leftover ice cream carton, which is about half a quart left, a spoon too, and I proceed to make my way back out onto the deck.

I try not to think about how sick I feel as I dig the spoon into the ice cream, and I lean myself against the guardrail as I attempt to zone out the pain and turmoil I feel mentally — and physically too now with all the junk I’ve consumed.

I finish the rest of the ice cream in the carton quickly, yet it leaves me feeling even more disgusting. Standing here, I realize that all those nights with Chamber, and what I was consuming with him, was clearly blocking out the feeling of dread I’ve been having. Especially now with Libby being mad at me, it doesn’t help either.

I sigh bitterly as I press my hand against my stomach. It hurts so terribly, and I tell myself to stop — even though really, if I could, I would keep going. Even though I am in so much pain physically, the sugar has raised my adrenaline, and I suddenly am beginning to feel that ‘sugar high’ they call it.

I lean myself against the edge of the ship, and I look out into nothing. Unlike Imperium and its city lights and traffic you could hear for miles, where we dwell in Ninjago right now has none of it. All I can see is nothing but darkness. A few tree’s outlines can be sort of made out, yet they’re way out there, barely able to be seen.

I sigh and proceed to pull out the last cigarette I have in my pack. I light it, and unlike the city’s lights overtaking the glow of the fire, it instead shines throughout miles it seems. I stick the disgusting item into my mouth, and I inhale and exhale it slowly. It doesn’t make me feel necessarily good, but it does lessen my worries for a few moments. All I can think about is the wind flapping through my hair for a few moments, until I hear a creak behind me.

I open my once closed and relaxed eyes, and I immediately zap the fire with my electricity from my hand and throw the remains of it off the side of the ship. I turn, quite alert, and I meet her dark gaze.

“Lib-” I begin to whisper, but I can’t even get the rest of her name out as she runs into my body with a thump and wraps her arms around me tightly.

“Umph!”

I am literally going to vomit.

Hold. It. In.

“I’m sorry!” She whimpers into my chest as I feel her body shake. “I’m sorry! I don’t want to be mad at you anymore!”

Through my intense queasiness, I carefully lean my body against the guardrail and wrap my arm around her torso. I smile as I feel her touch, and I hold this feeling tightly.

“There’s no reason for you to be apologizing,” I begin to say in a soothing whisper, bringing my arm up from her back and touching the tips of her hair carefully. For some reason this causes my ears to go red, and I instantly stop. I clear my throat, and through a slow mumble I go on, “I should be the one apologizing for overstepping my boundaries right before I left. I should have never confronted your father like that. However,” I pause for a moment, and I watch as she holds onto me tightly. She doesn’t say a word, and all I can hear from her are her soft cries. I take my eyes from her, and I proceed to mutter softly, “I don’t take back anything I said. Everything I said to your father is how I really feel about him, and I hope you can understand.”

I feel her nod in response, not taking her head from my grasp, and what feels like a wave of anxiety escapes my mind for the first time since my departure. I can’t stop myself from grinning before losing that smile as I murmur in a whisper, “Also, I’m sorry for leaving you on read and not giving you any form of explanation. That was cruel of me, and I apologize greatly for that.”

She chokes on her words before she responds, and I can hear her weeping tone as she mumbles quietly, “I thought I was the one who caused you to leave. This whole time, until today, I’ve been blaming myself. I didn’t even think you were still alive, I — I —” She pauses, gripping onto the back of my hoodie tighter and digging her forehead deeper into my chest, which makes my stomach hurt worse as she goes on through a whispered shout, “I thought you were dead!”

Her words hit me like a bag of bricks, and my breathing increases as I think about what she said.

I never thought she would come to that conclusion.

Oh… no. What have I done?

I take her shoulders in my hands and push her away from my body. I kneel to her height, and I stare into her green eyes through the darkness. Her tears glisten off her cheeks by the Bounty’s lantern lights, and I swallow slowly before I pull her into my grasp, resting my head on her shoulders.

I can hear her cry deeper into my neck, and after a few moments she mumbles, “I don’t want you gone… I care for you too much. If you aren’t in my life, what really do I have left? I have no other person who listens to me like you do.”

I’m silent in response, and then I rest my hand against the back of her head as I whisper, “I care about you a lot, too. I’m sorry again for hurting you.”

I feel her nod in my grasp, and then I hear and feel her soft breathing against my body for a few moments before she pulls away. She offers me a smile, the first smile I have seen since before I left, and I give her one back.

“So, where were you, really?” She asks, nudging me playfully, and it’s clear she’s attempting to change her overall tone and demeanor. Honestly though, I see a real look of curiosity in her eyes.

I bite the inside of my cheek before I carefully lie, “Camping. We just, well, ya know the rest.” I mumble, rubbing the back of my head. I turn and lean my figure against the ship’s boundary. I glance out into the nothingness, and out of the corner of my eye, I watch as she joins me.

“Oh,” she pauses for a moment, and then she mumbles, “I didn’t know you were such good friends with the neighbor kids.”

“Well…” I hold the final double ‘L’ for a moment before going on, “Sorry, but did you want to come with us?” I turn toward her as I ask this.

“What? No, thanks. Those boys were weird.” She mutters, and I notice her beginning to twiddle with her fingers as she says this.

I chuckle as I respond quietly, “I didn’t think you would.”

She’s silent in response, and I gaze at her for a quick moment. Suddenly, she turns toward me, and without any warning, she nails me in the stomach with her hand as she questions, beginning to carefully inspect me, “Have you gained weight while you were away?”

“You have no shame, do you?” I immediately ask through the sharp pain, giving her a glare as I cup my hands over my abdomen. It sobs in agony, but I guess I deserve it.

“Nah,” she replies, eyeing me with a smug look. “I have shame, just not when I’m teasing you.” She finishes her sentence with a light snicker, and I can’t help myself from grinning lightly.

I’m glad this problem has been resolved between us. At least, I hope it’s been.

“Do you smell that?” She suddenly asks, and I watch as she leans over the ship’s edge. The wind within the night whips through her hair as she mumbles, “You smell like smoke.”

I freeze subtly, realizing I’ve been caught, and I immediately begin to panic as I make up some lame excuse, “I — uh — the engine!” I exclaim, throwing my arms into the air like an idiot. She turns and eyes me curiously. A strange look of questioning begins to form across her face as I go on through a hesitant tone, “Well, I — uh — started to work on the Bounty’s engine, and then it went poof!” I use my hands and body to describe it towards her as I say this, pretending to imitate what it ‘looked’ like, but really, I just appear stupid as I proceed to extrapolate, “And smoke exploded all over, covering me in it. I haven’t had time to take a shower yet. I’ve been out here ever since.”

“Oh,” she replies quietly, beginning to turn her head toward the front of the ship where the engine is. “Is it still working alright?”

“Uh, yes!” I say in a more dramatic expression, and I watch as she gives me a questioning glance, yet she proceeds to not ask anything else.

Phew. I’m glad I don’t have to explain that one.

“How long are you going to be out here for?” She asks, interrupting my sudden thoughts.

I sigh before I reply in almost a moan, grabbing my stomach once more, “I don’t know. I don’t feel very well.”

“That’s too bad,” she mumbles in response, taking herself off the ship’s step as she gazes toward me. Our eyes meet, and I watch as she gives me a questioning glance and proceeds to ask, “Do you know why?”

“Eh… probably something I ate.” I respond reluctantly, avoiding the question the best I can.

She offers a look of sympathy in return, and then she exclaims, “I’ll be right back!” And I watch as she rushes off back into our sleeping quarters.

It takes her a few minutes to come back, but when she does, I almost say something, yet she beats me to it as she says quietly, “I’ll stay out here with you then, until you feel better.” I watch as she plops her pillow on the deck’s wooden slabs and places two blankets and her favorite stuffed dinosaur down next to her pillow.

“No… You don’t have to do that-” I begin to say, and then she interrupts me in a sly tone, “I’ve already decided. I’m going to go to sleep now.”

I watch as she places one of her blankets on the deck’s ground, and the other on top. She sandwiches herself between the two blankets, snuggles into her stuffed dinosaur, and she proceeds to shut her eyes.

“Ugh,” I groan, sitting down next to her on the deck. I gaze toward her body facing away from mine, and then watch her soft, gentle hair flap against the wind. “Now I can’t leave to go back to bed.”

“Feel free to leave whenever you feel better,” she starts in a whisper, digging her head deeper into her stuffed dinosaur. “I won’t know any different.”

I blink a few times in thought before I mumble, “Nah, I can’t do that. That’ll just make me feel worse than I already feel about this whole situation. It would be like the cherry on top, ya know?”

“It wouldn’t bother me, though.” She mutters, and then she begins to turn toward me. We make eye-contact, and then I notice her eyes shift their gaze toward behind my body. I am about to turn to what she’s looking at until she sits up quickly and exclaims, “You ate all my ice cream!”

She finishes her exclamatory statement by pointing at the carton of ice cream I had left on the Bounty’s deck.

Oops.

“Now I know why you aren’t feeling well! What else did you eat?!” She begins inspecting me with each word as she sits up quickly. Her hands meet the bottom of my hoodie about to expose me, and I quickly shove her away. (It should be mentioned that I did this, gently.)

“Hands off!”

“No, you ate all of my ice cream!” She growls slightly, pushing me away with a light nudge. “That flavor was good too…”

“I’ll just buy you more.” I gamble in return, attempting to offer her some form of compromise.

“But you’re grounded!” She exclaims, sulking within her own body. I watch as she pulls her knees to her chest, and she rests her head inside of them. “You couldn’t get me any even if you wanted to.” She finishes saying this through a muffled sigh.

“I promise I’ll get you some once I’m no longer grounded.” I proceed to add on, inching my way toward her carefully. She doesn’t respond, and I watch her for a moment before she murmurs with a question, “How much and what else have you already eaten before my ice cream?”

I laugh awkwardly, taking my initial look away from her as I mumble, rubbing the back of my head anxiously, “And why would you need to know that?”

“Awww,” she sulks even more, and I watch as she begins to bang her head into her knees.

“Wait, what are you doing?” I ask, reaching my hand out toward her, almost interjecting my hand in between whatever is going on with her forehead and her knees as she mopes, “I know you ate a whole bunch of junk, and you still had room for my ice cream! Thanks a lot, Jax.”

I can literally sense her eyeroll toward me without having to see it as she finishes this sarcastic statement.

I press my hand on her shoulder, and her eyes meet mine before I ask, “Well, to make it all better, why don’t I get you two cartons of ice cream next time we go to the store? I promise I won’t eat any of them, and I’ll share with you where I hide my candy stash. Will that help you forgive me?” I take my fingers down displaying the ‘two’ that I mentioned, and her cold glare remains the same as our eyes gaze into one another’s.

“I guess,” she mumbles in response, taking her eyes off mine.

“What about three?” I question through a smug tone, raising three fingers and offering a smile. “Will that be enough? Plus, the epic reveal where my candy stash lies.”

I notice she brings her stare back into my eyes, and then she begins laughing slightly with a small smile, “Okay, I forgive you, but I better get my ice cream the second you’re ungrounded.”

She ends her sentence in a playful threat, and then I notice her gaze meet my hand still stuck on her shoulder, and then her eyes go up my arm and back into mine. I swallow the ball of spit in my throat timidly when I notice how close we are. I have to keep myself from breathing too harshly. I don’t know whether it’s because she’s noticed it too, or because I’m extra sensitive to it right now, but I feel like she’s holding her breath as well.

I notice her beginning to twiddle with her fingers underneath us, but we keep our sight on each other for a good few seconds before she suddenly sighs quite loudly, throwing herself back down onto the deck’s ground, and I watch as she grabs the blanket over her face with a squeaky sounding, “Goodnight!”

“Good — Goodnight...?” I respond through almost a question as I sit, hand still holding itself up in the air where her shoulder just was, and I feel myself finally swallow that ball of spit lodged in my throat harshly.

I gaze up into the night sky for a few minutes, examining the stars, and I think to myself. My stomach still rages in pain when that sudden food-coma sleepiness hits me, and I look back down toward Libby. I don’t feel like leaving her here until daylight all alone, so I quietly lay down next to her above her blankets, and I use my arm as my pillow.

I listen to her steady breathing for a few moments, and then, to my sudden surprise, I hear her quietly whisper with an intense ring to it, “What are you doing?”

“Trying to go to sleep?” I reply slowly with a questioning tone lingering off the response.

She turns around, and we meet direct, close eye-contact. I watch as she jolts back with a sound of sudden surprise as she exclaims, “Why… Why are you so close?!”

“In — In hopes to eventually get a blanket? It’s cold out here, Libby.” I mutter, quickly realizing now how close I really was.

I can feel my ears becoming heated with sudden embarrassment as she slightly hisses, “Well, you can go back to your room! I never said you had to stay out here, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” I begin, staring into her intense green eyes. “But I don’t want to leave you out here all by yourself.”

I watch as she rolls her eyes in response, but behind them I almost notice a sense of… relief?

“F—Fine!” She exclaims, throwing half of the blanket toward me. “But—But you stay on your side, you got that?”

“Yeah,” I mumble quietly, and I watch as she lays back down facing away from my figure. I follow suit, and my eyes meet the back of her head. Her long, wavy hair inches its way towards me, and I suddenly have the desire to touch it. I also can smell whatever shampoo she used, and it makes those temptations rise higher than before.

What are you doing, Jax?

I immediately pull away, embarrassed with myself once more. I turn onto my back, and I examine the stars carefully. They are so clear compared to the city of Imperium; I had forgotten how beautiful they really are.

I turn my neck and meet the back of Libby’s head once more. I think to myself for a moment, wondering one thing:

Why didn’t you just say to go back to our rooms? We are both awake anyway…

Why didn’t you bring that thought up yourself, Jaxson? Do you secretly enjoy this?

Chapter Text

Jax

~ 3.5 Years Ago ~

“Wake up sleepy heads!” I hear a piercing voice say into my ear. My blurry eyes meet Kacee’s face, and I immediately groan.

I turn my gaze from hers, and I instantly feel the touch of someone else. It takes a moment for me to remember and process where I am, but when I do, I quickly notice and feel Liberty’s head sinking into my chest, and her hands hold my free arm in her grasp.

What the...?

She begins to stir, and immediately, before I can even process it, she opens her eyes, notices our little situation, jolts up, and basically flies away. I’m not even kidding, she runs as fast as her little legs can go with a slightly heard gasp following suit.

What was that about?

I sit up, and I almost freak out myself now when I spot Kacee still hovering over my body. She has a wicked, teasing grin on her face, and she exclaims jokingly, “How are you two lovebirds holding up?”

“Lovebirds?” I repeat, rubbing my eyes once more attempting to get the blurriness out of them.

“Well obviously you two are lovebirds! Explain that just now.” She says this in such a sarcastic, joking way that it takes a moment for my sleepy mind to process it. Once I do, however, I suddenly realize why Libby basically flew away — I have that same desire now, too.

“Like seriously, dude,” Kacee begins to say, sitting beside me. I watch as she picks at her fingernails as she mumbles, “Am I really the only one who sees it?”

“Sees what?” I repeat, examining her body language closely.

She almost scares me as she turns around with a devious, but sweet appearing smile on her face as she announces, “Why am I the only one who sees how much you two love each other? It’s sad, really.”

I watch as she begins picking at her long, painted nails again, and I sit in silence with no response. It takes me a moment to even process it, and before I can reply she goes on, “Guys are so stupid.”

“Excuse me?” I question, suddenly offended by this random comment.

“Yeah,” she starts, giving me a form of glare. “I mean, Liberty has given you soooo many signs, and you act like you can’t see any of them!” As she finishes this sentence, she throws her arms into the air, and I watch as she falls onto her back in front of me from her once sitting position.

“Signs?” I repeat, confusion running through my mind. “Signs about what?”

“See, this is what I mean,” Kacee starts, and I watch as she gazes toward the sun rising as she mutters, “You boys always don’t understand when a girl is giving you signs. Especially girls like Liberty. She’s so quiet that when she’s giving you those signs, you boys just think it’s her being nice. Trust me, dude,” Kacee turns toward me on the ground, and her eyes squint seriously as she mumbles, “She isn’t just being nice to you.”

Wait… is she using the term ‘signs’ in reference to Libby liking me?

“That’s why when I find some guy I’m interested in one day,” Kacee begins, sitting up once more and facing me. “I’m going to make sure he knows that I like him, and he will like me too!”

I eye her for a moment seriously, before I respond slowly, “You really think the first guy you meet, who you have some form of interest in, will like you back?”

“Of course!” Kacee exclaims without letting my response linger. “He will have to like me. Because any guy I’m interested in will automatically like me back, who doesn’t?!”

My eyebrow raises, and I almost say something, but I decide not to. I’ve already made my team mad, and I’ve already made Liberty personally angry with me — I don’t need Kacee to have issues with me, too.

“You know,” Kacee begins once more through the silence, examining her hands again. This time, however, instead of picking at her nails, I notice she’s twiddling her thumbs anxiously. I hear her sigh, and she whispers through a heavy, croaked tone, “Liberty didn’t do well with you gone. She did a lot of things to herself that weren’t good.”

This causes my senses to become alert, and I immediately question, inching toward her, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, she, uh-” Kacee pauses, beginning to twiddle her thumbs more intensely. “Ya know what, Liberty’s going to be mad I said anything. It’d be better if I just shut up now and left-” She starts to stand up, but I grab her wrist tightly.