nerdwaifuu-stories

[nerdwaifuu-stories]

The Proposal

Happy (belated) Ninjago Oc Day! Ik I haven’t posted much on this account, but I figured it would be the perfect time to post something about my OCs.

Ig some basic info:

Word count: 4,966

Oc basics: the main two are Hisashi and Emon. Hisashi was a samurai/soldier who I have made Ronin’s (dead) uncle. Emon was a criminal who worked for Chen (although Hisashi doesn’t know about that. He just knows that Emon has previously done crime in his youth), but started to lose interest over time due to several factors. Another oc that’s mentioned is Lex. They are a friend of Hisashi and Emon’s, and they are actually an Oni.

Summary: Taking place roughly 25-30ish years before the Ninjago series, Hisashi is coming home from a mission. Since he and Emon have been together for some time, he figures it’s time to take it to the next step. He is one ring purchase and a ship and train ride away from trying to reach that next step.

If you want to know more about these characters, there’s some stuff on my art account @nerdwaifuu-art.

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers rang through the village as they saw the group in green armor entering the village. The soldiers marched through the middle, many with a look of victory on their faces contrasting the scuff, dirt, wounds, and exhaustion their bodies presented: all a worthy cost for a village's safety. Eventually their march and the cheering stopped as the chief approached the group.

"Oh great heroes, thank you! Thank you for saving us from those fiends! We will never forget what you have done for us! May the Creator bring you prosperity!" The chief cheered. Once he spoke his last word, the crowd of villagers' cheer erupted again, echoing the chief's message. From there, the chief and the captain went off to chat and the rest dispersed throughout the village. Some made their way back to the ship either to rest or prepare for the journey back to the city. Others remained in the village to chat or to explore. Amongst those exploring were two young men: a stout, short dark brown haired chatterbox and a long dark copper haired, silent listener. The two strolled through the village as one chatted away and the other listened while glancing at everything they passed.

"I wonder if the captain saw our hard work out there."

"Mhm."

"I mean we were kicking butt out there."

"Mhm."

"We should probably go to the medics to get our backs checked from how much carrying we were doing..."

"Mhm."

The stout man slowed his walk as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Hisashi, you good? You're quieter than usual, and it’s hard for you to be quieter than you already are..." He paused before he threw himself on track to a ramble, "Anyways, you just seem out of it."

"Yeah... Uh, yes, yes I'm fine, Shiro," Hisashi stumbled, "My mind's just on, uh, other things."

"Oh? Other things? What kind of other things?" Shiro questioned.

"You know... other things..." Hisashi kept scanning the surrounding stands and buildings.

"No, I don't know other things. How about you introduce me to them?" Shiro coaxed.

With a sigh, Hisashi stopped his mini search and said, "I'm just looking for some gifts..."

"Forrrr?"

Hisashi paused for a second, then said, "For my nephew-"

"Ah, why didn't you say so? No need to be so secretive with me," Shiro smirked, "C'mon, let's go find him something. One of these shops should have something he'll like" Shiro kept his hand on Hisashi's shoulder as he started to lead him. Hisashi resisted the push and said, "Actually, I know what shop I want to go to... I just need to find it again..." He looked around once more and then there it was: a small wooden stand run by a middle aged woman. The stand was covered with an assortment of items: jewelry, weapons, metal decorations, toys, metal sculptures, etc. He saw it the first time he arrived at the village and knew he had to stop by it.

"There it is," Hisashi took the lead and pulled Shiro with him as he approached the stand.

"Ah, hello boys~ Do you see anything you like?" The woman greeted them.

"My friend here is just looking, but I do see something I like," Shiro said, shooting a smoldering look towards the woman. The woman giggled and the two continued to chat (or Shiro commanded the conversation and continually bragged about himself). Meanwhile, Hisashi looked at the items. His eyes kept being pulled towards the actual reason that he wanted to come to the stand in the first place—a set of two matching rings sitting in a wooden ring box. Both were made up of a thick metal band that had a space cut in the middle where the gem was, making it appear as if the gem was floating. On the band, on either side of the gem, was a dragon carving colored gold. One ring had a black tinted band with a white gem while the other had a polished, silver finish and a black gem.

The woman noticed his interest in the rings and, once Shiro had taken a short pause, she shifted her focus, "I see that you've found something you like." She picked up the ring box and placed it in the middle of the table. Shiro shot a confused look at the woman and then at Hisashi.

"Oh, sorry, I was just looking at them. They're very beautiful," Hisashi admitted.

"Haha, no need to apologize for looking at what I'm selling, but thank you. My husband's... well, my late husband's father made them," the woman sighed, "Honestly the story is quite sweet. He came to this village and set up a blacksmith shop. A woman came into the shop one day and he fell deeply in love with her. He expanded his skills from weapon making to making small metal trinkets to give to her—" the woman glanced down at some of the other items at her stand before continuing, "She loved every single one and returned his love. Eventually, he decided it was time. He went into his workshop and began on his favorite project. The next time anyone saw him leave his shop, he went directly to the woman, took her somewhere nice, and proposed with these rings. She wore one and he wore the other..." A small smile formed on her face as she looked back at the rings, "Then they passed it down to my husband to use with me, and now here I am trying to sell them," she sighed, "I have no use for them now, and, even though I'm probably making some people roll in their graves, I need the money..."

"Awww, yeah that is really sweet. It's a shame you don't have a lady friend back at home, unless you and that Lexi girl have something~" Shiro teased Hisashi. Hisashi rolled his eyes. 'That Lexi girl' he referred to was Lex, but Hisashi only saw them as a friend. Instead, he had his eyes on someone else; someone else that he deeply cared about; someone else that he actually had something with.

"Plus we're here for your nephew. I don't think he'll have any use for these rings," Shiro reminded him.

"Um, right, of course..." Hisashi watched as the woman placed the rings back to their original spot.

"Oh, a nephew? Is he into metal work? Or I'm assuming he'll like the toys if he's young or the weapons perhaps?" The woman asked.

"Ah yes, a 5 year old who's into metal work-" Shiro quietly snickered. Hisashi shot a quick glare at him.

"Oh, he's quite young, scratch the weapons then," she chuckled.

Hisashi looked around the table some more and decided on one of the small metal figures and an old pocket watch.

"Ah, I'm sure he'll enjoy that," Shiro muttered sarcastically when he noticed the pocket watch was no longer ticking.

"He likes taking things apart and making new things, so yes, he'll probably enjoy this," Hisashi defended his choice.

"Is he trying to be an inventor?" the woman asked.

"I believe he does have an interest in becoming one. He's been fascinated with all the technological changes going on in the city. I don't understand it, but at least he's getting prepared for the future," Hisashi answered, starting to take out his money for his purchase.

"I forgot Ninjago City was going through all that. All the beautiful wood and clay buildings being replaced with tall metal buildings... It's insane."

"Yeah..." Hisashi and Shiro nodded along. While Hisashi searched for the right amount of money, he noticed that the remaining soldiers started to make their way back to the ship. He glanced back at the rings and turned to Shiro, "How about you head back to the ship while I finish up here?"

Shiro nodded, said his goodbye to the shop owner and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Hisashi turned back to the stand and asked, "How much are the rings?"

The woman stated the price and said, "So you are interested in them after all?" Hisashi nodded as he took out the right amount of money for the rings, the figure, and the pocket watch.

"So is this for someone or just keeping it for yourself?" The woman wondered.

"I have someone at home waiting for me—"

The woman leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with interest. Before she could ask any questions, with a soft smile, Hisashi whispered, "I met h- uh, this person a while back and now we've been together for 5-6 years now... I figured I should do something special..."

"And decided it was time?" The woman asked at the same volume as him, with a large grin on her face. He nodded.

"Well, I hope the Creator blesses you both," she said, exchanging the items for Hisashi's money. He said his thanks and started to head off to the ship.

"Goodbye, may the Creator bring you prosperity and may the Great Serpent protect you on your journey!" The woman called out.

Hisashi turned around and asked "Great Serpent?"

"Oh, do people in the city not know this story?" Hisashi shook his head, so she explained, "According to some stories I've heard, there's a serpent that sleeps deep in the sea. She apparently used to rule the sea and was the reason for the waves and the storms, so people used to pray to her and give her offerings to keep her happy. Unfortunately that's all I know from the top of my head, and it's all probably just a story."

"Huh, sounds interesting. Thank you," Hisashi said before departing.

Laying his bed, Hisashi could feel the ship rock back and forth and hear his roommates chatting instead of sleeping, excited to be one step closer to home in the morning. But none of it blocked his focus on reading. His brain refused to let him sleep as the nerves have finally got to him. He had a ring in his possession, and he was hopefully going to give it away once he got to the city. To try to calm himself down in the safety of his bed, he took out some letters he got in the past few weeks. Each one started with "My Dearest Sai," and ended with "I can't wait to see you again. Love, Emon Sharma."

It was odd to think that these letters used to be closed off with a "Sincerely" or a simple "From," and "Love" was never a closing he had seen until 5 years ago. Even though it's been years, Hisashi's heart still flutters when he sees the word in Emon's handwriting. It still feels like such a new feeling, especially when he never acknowledged that such feelings could exist in him when he was growing up. Even when his brother tried to describe them when referring to himself and his now wife during high school, Hisashi never understood. Now he did.

After rereading each of the letters, he held the paper close to his chest. He tried picturing everything that Emon described. He tried remembering each random ramble that he sent him that Emon responded to. He silently laughed at the idea of him trying to make sense of everything Hisashi tried telling him. If he tried sending similar letters to anyone else he knows, they would just skim through everything and ask about how he is and how's work, avoiding to say "please tell me more about this random thing you learned ." Emon would be one of the only people who would say that.

The chatter in the room quieted down and the remaining lights started to disappear. With a sigh, Hisashi caught one more glimpse of the contents of the letters before it went completely dark.

"I can't wait to see you again. Love, Emon Sharma."

He softly smiled, folded the letters, and placed them under his pillow.

"I can't wait either..."

"Ah finally, land!" Shiro exclaimed once he and Hisashi got off the ship. Carrying their stuff (armor, weapons, supplies, letters, etc.), the two swerved their way through the crowds of people. Fellow soldiers were pouring out of the boat, being welcomed by their loved ones, going to a nearby inn or bar, or already beginning their ways home. Hisashi looked around at who was there, but he knew that his loved ones were in the city, which was a train ride away. He smiled at the thought of coming off the train to them, and clutched the ring box that hid in his pocket.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop for a drink? Or even for a snack?" Shiro asked, following his 6 foot friend to avoid getting lost.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Gotta make sure I catch the train," he said, glancing back to make sure Shiro wasn't too far behind.

"But the train's not going to leave for a bit," Shiro said, puzzled.

"I know, I just..." Hisashi trailed off and stopped in his tracks, leading to Shiro bumping into him.

"Oof- what's going on?" He asked, but got no answer. Shiro looked past Hisashi to see what was ahead, but it didn't click due to so many people being around. It wasn't until he saw two people: a short, medium tanned, black haired man with a scruffy beard and a towering, brown-skinned, short brown haired (hidden under a hat), female presenting person. The man noticed them and started to wave, then stopped and started approaching quickly while dragging his companion with him. Hisashi gripped the hidden ring box tighter as he started walking to lessen the distance. Once he was within a foot of the man, the man threw his arms around Hisashi and nearly lifted him off his feet within the first few seconds of the hug while saying, "It's so good to see you, Sai!"

"Woah, easy Emon. No need to break me," Hisashi chuckled, wiggling a bit to loosen Emon's grip and free his arms. Once they were free, Hisashi returned the hug and pulled Emon close while Emon buried his face into Hisashi's shoulder. Hisashi wished he could stay in this hug forever. He also wished he could just give Emon a big kiss, but he had to wait until they were in private; until they were in the city...

"Wait a minute—" Hisashi pushed Emon out in front of him, keeping his hands on Emon's shoulders—"What are you guys doing here?"

"Lex and I just figured that you deserved a welcome party as soon as you arrived," Emon confessed.

"And Emon really missed you and wanted to see you as soon as possible," Lex added.

"Yeah, that too," Emon chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. A smile stretched across Hisashi's face as he tried to hold in a laugh. His hand left Emon's shoulder and almost caressed his cheek, but he then remembered Shiro was watching from behind and they were surrounded by other people. He slowly pulled his hand back and hid it back in his pocket, trying to ignore the longing look in Emon's eyes. He then said, "Thank you, I missed you so much too. I couldn't wait to see you again..." Emon responded with a soft smile.

"Well, I missed you guys too," Shiro barged in, now standing next to Hisashi.

"Yes, it's good to see you, Shiro," Lex mumbled.

"I thought you would be much happier, Lexi," Shiro snickered. Lex's eyes were shooting daggers, but they tried to hide their gaze behind the brim of their hat as they said, "We best be going now. Don't want to miss the train." Before anyone could say anything, Lex had already turned around and started towards the train station.

"Ah what a shame. I wanted to talk with y'all more," Shiro sighed, "Well, see y'all back in the city tomorrow!" After an exchange of goodbyes, Shiro disappeared into the crowd.

"Well then, let's go," Emon said, linking his arm with Hisashi's. The two then followed behind Lex, trying to keep up.

"What was all the hurry about Lex?" Emon asked them.

Lex turned their head away from the train window and said, "Just didn't want to get stuck in one of his rambles. You get him talking and you'll probably end up hearing too much about what happened during the mission. I'm just not in the mood to hear how he 'sliced one man's head off' or whatever."

"That's fair," Hisashi said, also looking at the passing land outside the window. He was there when all of it happened, and he didn't need to hear about it again. He only wanted his mind on one thing and one thing only.

"Speaking of which, how was the mission?" Emon asked.

"Oh, just a typical mission. The thugs were playing hard to get for some time. Fortunately, we stopped them before anything too bad happened, and we didn't have many major injuries this time around. Just some scratches here and there," Hisashi answered quickly. He took one last look out of the window before sitting up and facing Lex and Emon on the other side of the table, saying, "But, despite the mission, the place we were at was very lovely." Emon leaned closer, interested to hear more.

"It was a small village by the ocean. Whenever we had a break, it was so calming to be on the white beach and just listen to the calm waves. And the village was really lovely too. It was filled with small shops and stands, and the people there seemed nice. They were very welcoming and always closed the conversations with something about 'the Creator' blessing you." Hisashi said. Lex perked up to full attention towards the end.

"The Creator? Like the creator of the town?" Emon asked.

"Or the Realm..." Lex muttered quietly, but, when they got confused looks from the two men, they said, "World. I mean world."

"Oh right, that makes more sense," Emon chuckled.

"Yeah, they often referenced them, but I guess they have plenty of other stories too. Before I was leaving, a nice woman at a shop said something about a Great Serpent—" Hisashi then recited what the woman had told him. Both Emon and Lex were leaning in close to hear every word. When Hisashi finished, Emon, with excitement in his eyes, and Lex, looking like they wanted to say something but decided against it, looked at each other, then back at Hisashi.

"Woah, that's so cool! Bet that was fun to hear about right before getting on a ship," Emon snickered.

"Yeah, but it's merely just a story," Lex uttered, leaning back against the seat, "Nothing to worry about."

"Have you ever heard of it?" Hisashi asked them. Lex hesitantly nodded, "All I know about it is the same as what the woman told you..." Hisashi could tell that they knew more, but he didn't want to force anything out of them. He could probably try finding a scroll or a book with more information.

"Anyways, overall the place was really nice. If we didn't have work and other stuff to deal with, I would say we should go there sometime," Hisashi said, mainly glancing over to Emon when talking. The idea of just leaving the city, getting on a ship, and sailing somewhere to explore sounded so pleasant, especially if it was with Emon and even Lex. He would even want to take his nephew once in a while. Just the 3 and sometimes 4 of them on a ship, seeing what the world offered. But their lives didn't allow for that. Hisashi had soldier duties to take care of while Emon and Lex had their own responsibilities, and there was just too much they would be leaving behind. Maybe one day in the future it could become a reality.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Emon said, smiling. Then the table went silent. Lex went back to looking out the window while the other two sat silently. Hisashi started to fidget with the ring box in his pocket, only bringing back the nerves. He looked up at Emon and could see he was shifting in his seat, shooting glances at both him and Lex. He wondered what Emon could be so nervous about.

Lex turned their head and sensed the nervousness sitting next to them and across from them. They shot a "say something and get it over with" look at both Hisashi and Emon.

"Sai—"

"Emon—"

They both paused and tried continuing, only further interrupting each other, "Sorry, go ahead—no you go ahead—no I didn't have anything to say—no please, I interrupted you—"

With a sigh, Lex barged in, "So, do you guys have any plans for today?" The two paused and looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

"I heard the weather is going to be super nice today. Maybe you guys can go to the park," Lex suggested.

"You are such a mind reader. That was what I was going to suggest," Emon said.

"I was actually going to recommend the same thing," Hisashi nervously laughed. He's so glad that he wrote Lex about what his plans were, or he would've just chickened out and waited to do it.

"Hah, perfect. Maybe we can get some lunch too. You're probably starving. I know I am," Emon said with a grin.

"Sounds good," Hisashi replied with a soft smile. He turned to Lex and mouthed the words "Thank you."

They smirked and mouthed back the words "You're welcome."

"Man, no matter how many times I come here, I always forget how good the food is," Emon exclaimed as he finished paying for the food. In defeat, Hisashi watched the check and the money leave. Him and Emon literally went back and forth about who would pay the bill only to find out that Hisashi had left his wallet at home due to him rushing to get ready and look nice for the day, so Emon came out victorious.

"I claim to pay the next check," Hisashi uttered while they got up and left the café.

"Haha, we'll see if you remember your wallet next time," Emon snickered, "Although it's not like you to forget it at all. Are you feeling well?"

"Yes yes, I'm fine," Hisashi chuckled, "Just adjusting to being home that's all..."

And just being a big ball of nerves, he thought to himself. At least he had the ring with him, or his whole plan would have gone down the drain because of one silly mistake.

"How about you though? You seemed nervous on the train," he asked Emon.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Um, yeah I'm good now. It was just being on a train. Y'know I don't really go on them," Emon said. Hisashi raised an eyebrow, but decided not to  further question him.

The two continued to chat as they walked towards and into the park. Circled by the new skyscrapers, the park sat at the center of the entire city. Full of green hills and growing trees, it was one of the few areas of nature in the city. It was still a work in progress as workers were busy with putting in new buildings, benches, and pathways, but it was still a nice place for a stroll and a proposal.

The two walked through the park, chatting and enjoying the scenery. While listening to Emon, Hisashi scanned the area, trying to find the best area. It needed to be a private area with no one around, but also needed to be a beautiful area.

All of a sudden, Emon grasped Hisashi's hand and said, "Come with me, I know a good place you need to see." He then started leading him up one of the hills, looked around, and then continued pulling him along. Down the hill, across some of the grass, and up a slightly taller hill. Once they reached the top, Emon stopped and tightened his hand around Hisashi's, looking out at the view of the entire park.

"Wow," Hisashi marveled at the view. It was beautiful... and there wasn't anyone else around... it was perfect.

"I know right. I came here all the time when I was younger. When I had no where else to go, I would just come here..." Emon's grip loosened, so Hisashi gently pulled his hand away and backed up slightly. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and took a deep breath as he went down on a knee. This was it. It was time.

"It's crazy to think that I've come all this way," Emon continued, still looking at the view, "I used to come here as a young thief just trying to survive. That's all I thought my life would be until the day I died. But you've changed that..." Hisashi watched Emon go grab something from inside his jacket, but he couldn't see what. "...You've shown me that there's more to my life. Life is not just about trying to get by. It's about learning and experiencing new things. It's about love. It's about so much more than I know, So, I took you here in hopes that I can leave the lonely, barely living thief behind and enter a new chapter of our lives. Hisashi Arima, will y—" Emon turned around, about to kneel down, but he stopped halfway. In his hands was a long, wooden box with a black finish, kept shut with a golden latch. He quickly stood up and hid the box back in his jacket, his eyes not leaving Hisashi. He ran one of his hands through his hair as his face started to flush red. "Sai, I— oh my god..." was all he could say.

Hisashi sat there frozen, unsure what to do. He had planned this for weeks, but now everything just jumped out of his brain.

"Were you about to propose..."

Emon lips formed an embarrassed smile as he quickly nodded. Hisashi's mouth hung open and he looked down at the ring box, unsure what to say. Should he just try to stick to his plan or let Emon continue?

"Forget about me, go ahead," Emon whispered, gently pulling Hisashi's chin back up.

"Um, well," Hisashi cleared his throat and took a deep breath in, looking into Emon's eyes. They had a sort of calming aura about them now. Hisashi's lip curled up slightly as he gathered his words.

"I guess to play off what you've said, you have changed my life as well. Before I really got to know you, I probably seemed like a stone cold guy whose only purpose was to work until he no longer could. You have added more purpose to my life... so much more purpose. And, despite trying to understand everything, love was never one I could get a grasp of. Now I feel like I know at least a tiny bit about it from the past few years, and I'm willing to learn more with you. Emon, I love you so much. I will love you until the day I die. Even beyond death, I will always love you..." Hisashi took a pause, trying to catch his breath from speeding up towards the end without taking a moment to breathe. During the pause, he decided to open the ring box, resulting in a quiet gasp from Emon. He glanced up at him to see the reaction. His smile was bigger, but was being slightly hidden behind one of his hands. His calming eyes started to tear up as he looked up from the ring to Hisashi.

"Will you... would you... uh..." Hisashi started, but his mind was back to blanking out. Improvising clearly took all his brain power. It was his turn to blush red.

Emon chuckled, took Hisashi's one hand that wasn't holding the box, and asked "Will you marry me?" Hisashi couldn't help but laugh along as he quickly nodded. Emon then took the polished silver ring and slipped it onto one of Hisashi's fingers, and Hisashi put the other one on Emon.

"By the way, that was my line," Hisashi joked as he gave Emon his ring.

"Technically it was supposed to be mine," Emon said before pulling Hisashi up and into a kiss with his arms around his neck. Once they both pulled away, Emon held Hisashi close and rested his head against his shoulder.

"I love you so much Sai, and thank you for the ring. It's absolutely as beautiful as you are..." Emon said, then remembered his proposal gift. He let go of Hisashi, grabbed the box, went down on his knees, and held the box up.

"This is what I was going to give you... I hope you don't mind it not being a ring..."

Hisashi took the box from him and unlocked the latch. He lifted the lid to find a ornate dagger inside. It had a pale green jade hilt with silver sheath decorated with floral motifs and pale green and red gemstones. He gently picked up the dagger and unsheathed it to reveal a silver, double edged blade.

"This is beautiful," he said in awe, sheathing the blade and placing it carefully back into the box.

"I'm glad you think so. As soon as I saw it, I figured it would be a perfect gift," Emon said, smiling.

"It definitely is. Thank you," Hisashi said, giving Emon a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, should we get out of here and start the next chapter of our lives?" Hisashi asked.

Emon took a hold of Hisashi's hand and said, "I'm ready whenever you are."

They took one more look at the view, and Hisashi started to lead Emon.

"Let's go."

[nerdwaifuu-stories]

Terrified- Ninjago Angst Week Day 1

Only 34 minutes late with this one. Enjoy.

Training was the only thing that kept Lloyd from the real world at the moment. Hitting a wooden box with his sword kept his mind off of what was going on outside the warehouse; Garmadon and Harumi had control over the city, and Lloyd had no clue what to do. Like the civilians, Lloyd was completely terrified.

His hit became harder and harder as he continued to wack the box. Since his powers were gone, his sword and his fists were his only means of attack.

“Lloyd...” A calm voice called out his name. With the sword only an inch away from the box, Lloyd paused and looked past his shoulder to see Misako standing behind him with a bag of chips in hand.

“Break time.”

Sighing, Lloyd stabbed his sword into the box and took the bag with a hushed “thanks”. He wanted to go back to training. It was the only time he felt useful; instead, he now had to return to the real world and be sucked into the news playing on the small TV.

It had only been a day, and already the city has changed so much. It was a total apocalypse beyond the walls of the hideout. Everything was in utter chaos and everyone was afraid, wondering where the Ninja were in this time of need. They always asked the same question every hour: “Where are the Ninja?”

“Dead...” Lloyd would always answer in a whisper, and always his mind crawled back to the event the night before: the bounty crashing down with his friends and baby Wu inside as Harumi forced him to watch. She forced him to watch his home and his family die before his very eyes. Now, he only had his mother, Nya, P.I.X.A.L., and Dareth.

“Lloyd, are you okay?”

Lloyd blinked twice and noticed that the TV was off.

“I know we all had a rough night, but we can’t have you become distant now,” Misako said worriedly.

“I’m fine Mom, it’s just...” Lloyd sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll figure it out. It’s only been a day.”

“Yeah, and we’ve been sitting ducks.”

“Well, we’ll start flying soo-“

“How long will that be?” Lloyd asked impatiently. “We’re stuck here in an abandoned warehouse. I have no powers and the majority of our team is either dead or captured!” He shouted, referring to Ultra Violet’s new “game” of capturing allies the ninja that had started in the past hour.

“Lloyd...” Misako calmly said before Lloyd continued.

“I know what you’re going to say. We’ll figure it out, don’t worry. Well, I’ve figured it out. There is nothing we can do!” Silence spread through the warehouse like a disease.

Thinking about, Lloyd could only conclude that he was right. There was nothing he could do. Even if he had his powers, he couldn’t defeat his father this time; he would need his full team. With the circumstances, there was no way they could win with some hard punches and stabs without losing the remainder of his team.

“Yeah, I said it. There’s nothing we can do except hide while our city gets destroyed.” Lloyd watched as the other four traded looks. Worry, saddness, and confusion.

“You can’t say that!” Dareth exclaimed, curing the silence. “You can’t just give up like that. You are a ninja- the green ninja- and ninja never quit.”

Before Lloyd could interject, Misako agreed, “I have to say Dareth is right. You cannot quit now. The city and others would not want you to give up so easily.”

“Yeah, no matter how long it takes, we will take back this city together,” Nya added.

He knew they were right. The phrase was glued into his head ever since he became the green ninja. Ninja never quit. He wanted to admit he agreed, but something plaguing his mind kept him from saying anything.

The scenes of the bounty falling and his father’s showing of his true potential flickered in his brain. From those scenes came fear. The fear of losing the battle. The fear of losing the city, his home. The fear of losing himself. The fear of losing his family.

Finally, the words spilled out of his mouth, “You-You’re right. I... we are ninja, and ninja never quit. It’s just...” He took a deep breath. “I’m scared... absolutely terrified.”

Misako slowly approached him and gingerly grabbed Lloyd’s fist into her open hand. “It’s okay to be afraid. We’re all scared; however, we can’t give in to our fears and avoid them. That usually doesn’t solve anything, especially in this case,” she whispered. He nodded understandably.

“So, let’s take the night to cool down. No training, no news. Tomorrow we can go back to that and come up with a plan.”

Nodding again, Lloyd agreed.

[nerdwaifuu-stories]

Antique

Here’s a little something I wrote for a contest on Amino.

« Papa, papa! Can you tell us the story again? Puh-lease?~» A young girl begged before being sent from the couch to her bedroom for the night.

« Yeah dad, tell us about the music box, » The girl’s older, twin brothers said in unison.

« Alright alright. Hold your horses kiddos. Let me get the darn thing. » The father got the old music box. It was an old, small, dark wooden box; a faded yin-yang symbol with dragons in each side was painted on the lid with gold and black paint. When the lid was lifted, an old lullaby began to play and some items could be seen inside; a folded up piece of paper, an engagement ring, a wedding ring, a silver dog tag with the name ‘Luna Hord’ on it. The kids have seen the items many times in old photos and have read the awkward love letters tightly folded with a picture of a young woman chatting with a younger version of their father by a railing of a ship; both wore green soldier uniforms and armor.

“Alright, let’s begin...”

After a long night of dancing and food, the newly wed couple immediately crashed into the back of their pickup truck to stare at the not-so-clear night sky in their pajamas. It looked like it was going to rain, but the couple didn’t care. As long as it wasn’t stormy, everything was fine.

“Sooo...” the man turned his head toward his wife, having his long, brown, nearly ginger hair get in his face. “How does it feel to be Mrs. Bounty now?”

With a happy sigh, his wife answered, “Great, as long as you don’t call me ‘Mrs. Bounty’ all the time. Just sounds weird coming from you, Ronin.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare, Lulu.” Luna groaned at the nickname. Ronin couldn’t help but smirk. “You know you love it.”

“You know I don’t... Roonon.”

He rolled his eyes and turned his head back towards the sky. “Oh no, a nickname. I’m quaking,” Ronin teased without chuckling, but he lost it when he felt a hard jab hit his arm. Immediately, he heard Luna start giggling uncontrollably. Between her giggles, he could hear her try to apologize. They continued their laughing fits until they heard a car pull up next to them. Ronin immediately stopped, but it took a bit for Luna to come to the end of her fit. Once done, Ronin’s two eyes traded looks of confusion with Luna. Why would anybody be out so late?

Sitting up, Ronin saw it was his mother’s car that sat with them in their driveway. When she came out of the car, Ronin asked, «Hey Mom, whatcha doin’ here? »

Before she could answer, rain drops landed on each of their heads, slowly dropping from the cloud more rapidly. Ronin’s mother cursed under her breath while motioning toward the house. Nodding, he turned to look at Luna, who was now sitting up as well. She was looking at the sky with a childish grin and wonder in her eyes, allowing the rain to land on her olive skin. She has seen rain before from the inside of her family’s humongous home, but her parents said it was immature and not « lady-like » to go out to play in the rain, so she never had the sensation of rain dripping down her cheeks and the joy of jumping into puddles or singing in the rain. She only got to experience being outside in the rain once she was a soldier, but she had a mission to focus on. This would be the first time she could stand in the rain happily. Maybe later they could come back out for a bit if the weather doesn’t get worse.

Before exiting the back of the truck, Ronin tossed the house keys to his mother so she no longer had to suffer in the rain and nudged Luna to indicate it was time to go inside. With slight disappointment, Luna nodded and waited for Ronin to get out first to help her carefully drop to the ground; however, when he went to help her, Luna soon found herself being carried bridal style.

« When I said I needed help, I didn’t mean like this. » Luna retorted.

« Figured you wanted to give your feet a break. »

« I am still able to walk. » Luna slightly shifted in Ronin’s arms, sighing. « Besides, I want to get some more steps in before I not able to move around as much... » She glanced down at her stomach. The small baby bump was not noticeable under her baggy hoodie that she definitely did not steal from Ronin.

« You still have a couple months. You can still do a bunch of walking between now and then, but again, your feet need a break after all that dancing. »

Luna shook her head. « Right. All that slow waltzing and ballroom... »

« In high heels... and for a couple hours straight, » Ronin reminded her as he carried her into the house.

« Uhuh. After years of walking in those pieces of shit and going to those god damn parties since I was a literal child, I basically grew a tolerance to those little devils. »

« Language! » The two heard Ronin’s mother call out from the kitchen. Both let out a small laugh before Ronin said, « Yeah, says the lovely angel who was complaining on the way home about her feet hurting. »

He smirked as Luna sighed in defeat. She knew he was right about that, but her feet were fine now; however, there was no need to continue quarreling about such a silly thing.

Once Luna was set carefully on the couch, Ronin’s mother struggled to slowly and carefully carry three wine glasses, two with a red wine and the third with water.

“Let me help.” Ronin went over to grab the water and one of the wine filled glasses, and he handed Luna the water glass as she mouthed the words ‘thank you’ before taking a sip.

“You really took your time to get in here. I have no clue how you enjoy standing out there in the rain,” Ronin’s mother sighed. “You get drenched and end up feeling cold and clamy and you could get sick, which isn’t a good thing for you dear. If Ronin wasn’t my son, I wouldn’t be persistent on keeping him from looking like a wet dog, but you dear can’t be getting sick,” she rambled on, clearly speaking only to Luna as if Ronin wasn’t there.

He threw in a quick ‘excuse me?’ before Luna reassured, “Don’t worry Mary. I’m not reckless like a certain someone.” She shot a quick smirk at Ronin, who rolled his eyes as the two women giggled.

“I feel attacked,” He mumbled.

“True. At least he’s not as reckless as someone else...” Mary trailed off and looked at the decreasing red liquid in her glass. Ronin knew exactly who she was thinking about.

“Anyway, speaking of this someone... I have a little something-something for y’all,” Mary exclaimed happily as she scrambled for her purse. From the purse, she grabbed out a small wrapped gift and handed it to Luna. She let out another ‘thank you’ as she ripped the paper off like a child on her birthday. Under the shiny red paper was a wooden box, with a yin-yang with dragons inside the symbols hand painted in fading gold and black on the lid. Ronin and Mary remained silent as Luna examined the box. She mouthed the word ‘wow’ as she felt the polished wood and looked at the design. Her eyes lit up as music danced into her ears when she opened the lid. She felt like a child on Christmas. The box was beautiful. The calming lullaby reminded her of the lullabies her nanny sang to her when she was younger.

Although Luna grew up in a world where everything was given to her on a golden platter and she has always been given gifts that were way out of anyone’s normal price range, she adored this box. This was the type of gifts she always wanted; something full of love instead of riches.

“I love it! Thank you so much Mary!” Luna exclaimed as she got up to hug Mary.

“Anytime my dear,” She said as Luna went back to sit down. “I would’ve given this to you at the ceremony, but I couldn’t find it since I had packed it away, hoping to never to see it again... but I had to keep the tradition up.”

“Tradition?” Luna asked curiously.

“My family has been passing this thing down for who knows how long. It’s the go-to wedding gift. My grandparents on my dad’s side gave it to Mom and him when they got married,” Ronin swiftly answered before Mary could get a word in.

“Well it’s beautiful, I don’t understand why you would pack this up...” Ronin and Mary traded looks of what could only be described as pain.

“Well... uh...” Mary bit her lip, looking for the words to say.

“When I mean dad, I don’t mean Tom...” Ronin uttered. Tom was his step father. He was sweetest man that could’ve walked the planet. The man they were speaking of was the complete opposite of Tom. Ronin’s biological father was lying, cheating, abusive piece of shit. He was a man that Ronin did not want to become in the slightest, but any chance of him following his father’s footsteps worried him for what was to come. Any mention of him sent a chill down Ronin’s spine despite him always thinking of his actions when he found out that he was going to be a father; however, his life would have to be a absolute mess to do what his father did; be a part of gangs, constantly stealing, crime, getting himself into deep debt, drinking, violence, and probably much more that Mary wouldn’t dare bring up to Tom or Ronin.

Ronin could remember when his father was killed when Ronin was only 11. Fortunately he was out of his life 3 years earlier. When that happened, Ronin remembered that the music box disappeared from the shelf, but he never asked what happened to it. Now, it sat in Luna’s hands.

She stared down at the box with regret in her eyes. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ronin reassured her, wrapping his arm around her. “It’s a thing of the past. That man shouldn’t be associated with this anymore.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead, making her smile. Mary couldn’t help but smile too.

“Yeah, that a- butthole is a thing of the past. He’s gone and should be forgotten. We bigger things ahead of us, like a honeymoon and my future grandchildren.”

The three chatted through the night. With the music from the music box and the rain outside, Luna dozed into a deep sleep in Ronin’s arms, which was a que for Mary to decide it was time to go.

With a congratulations and a goodnight, Mary dissappeared into the rainy night. Smiling, Ronin closed his eyes and fell asleep to the rain and the music.

“Alright, time for bed.”

The story was finished for tonight, only to be retold the next night. Ronin of course left out details related to his father since there was no need for his story to be passed down any further.

His children protested, but was soon convinced to go to their rooms and go to bed. After tucking them into bed, Ronin set went into the small living room and set the music box on the shelf where it belonged. It was one of the only antiques he had in his house since all the others were in his shop; he wouldn’t dare sell this to anyone, even if they did offer a billion dollars for it.

A sad look was in his uncovered eye as he looked longingly at the box. He wished that he still contact with his mother and not have her angry at him. He wished that he could undo everything he did. He wished that she was still here beside him to watch her children grow up.

“I miss you Lulu.”