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Finally Did My Job Well - Kai & Lloyd

During a battle, Kai's impulse to protect Lloyd leads to devastating consequences.

Read below or on Ao3

warning: major character death

Lloyd didn’t notice until it was too late. The other attacker swung from behind, sword gleaming in the moonlight. Lloyd flinched, waiting for a blow that never came. Instead, he heard a grunt of pain and the sickening sound of a sword being used. He looked up in time to see a flash of red slamming into the pavement on the other side of the street. Kai.

“Kai, are you okay?” Lloyd called loudly, expecting a classic kai answer like ‘never better’ as he dusted himself off and jumped back into the fray. Lloyd’s heart froze painfully in his chest, Kai did not move. This could not be happening. Kai was okay, he had to be.

“Kai?!” Lloyd yelled, sending a blast of energy to knock the other attackers back. He ran over to the unmoving redness on the pavement. It was awful. Kai’s gi was stained a dark red, blood welling from his torso as he lay slumped on the ground. None of the others had ever been stabbed like this, they’d always been careful (and lucky) enough to only walk away with scars and surface wounds, not this much blood.

Lloyd could hardly bare to look. Red covered the side of Kai’s face from the impact against the pavement. It dripped down his forehead then cheek, running along the lines of old scars. Kneeling by his older brother, Lloyd gripped his shoulders, careful not to squeeze too hard.

“Kai, wake up.” Lloyd begged. His brother stayed still, save the shallow breaths greeting the night air. He tugged the boy’s body into his lap, almost instinctively wanting to straighten the flattened spikes of his hair.

“Please Kai, you better be okay.” Lloyd felt his chest tighten at the lack of an answer. Then the boy’s eyes opened slowly. Relief spread through the green ninja’s body. He almost didn’t notice how dull those eyes seemed, a plain, cold brown instead of a warm one. As if the spark was gone. ‘Lloyd,” Kai gasped, sounding pained. “You’re okay.” The barest hint of a smile marked his face. Lloyd made a swipe at the tear already traveling down his cheek.

“You will be too; I’m going to get you out of here.” Lloyd said it with as much confidence as he could muster, not daring to look at the red on his teammate’s chest. Talking into his communicator, Lloyd told the others of their location and tried to explain, “It’s Kai, bring as much medical supplies as you can.” He hoped they couldn’t hear the tears in his voice. “It’d be better to just get the bounty, we’ll need the stretcher.” After hearing their affirmative, Lloyd got off his communicator, turning back to Kai.

“See, you’ll be okay. The others are coming.” Lloyd assured him, more for himself than for Kai. The boy in question nodded though he looked far away. He made a move to sit up, but Lloyd held him down. “Don’t move. I don’t want you to hurt yourself more.” Kai looked down sadly at himself. The newfound red didn’t go unnoticed by him either. Lloyd busied himself by putting pressure on the wound, desperately trying to remember their first aid training. He hoped that the sword didn’t pierce his lungs as much as it looked like it did.

“There won’t be enough time.” Kai’s voice was quiet but firm.

“No don’t say that, Kai. They’ll be here soon.” Lloyd immediately found himself saying, he really hoped it was true. With a deep breath, Lloyd continued, “They’ll be here, and we’ll take you back to the bounty and Zane will fix you up. And then you’ll be stuck in bed for a week and whining about how you can’t go train. But you’ll be alright, like always.” He was fully crying now, and tears spilled down his cheeks, a few managing to join the red liquid pooling on the ground.

He looked down at his brother who was in a similar state, tears running through the blood his face. Lloyd tried to wipe of the blood that was running into Kai’s eye. With the other hand he absentmindedly fixed Kai’s hair, fluffing it up. Kai gave him a bittersweet but fond smile. Then he coughed shallowly and pretended not to notice the blood that now dripped from his mouth.

“Thanks, green bean.” Kai paused, thinking his words through. “Tell the others goodbye for me and tell Ny—”

“No, don’t say anything. You’ll have time for that and more.” Kai would be alright. Lloyd’s mind was focused on that fact. It wasn’t denial if it had to be true, Zane, Cole, himself. It was always true. No matter what happened they’d all come back in one way or another. They’d all been so close to losing each other so often. More tears fell from Lloyd’s eyes. It just couldn’t happen now. He couldn’t think of that.

“Goodbye Lloyd,” Kai began again, struggling to breathe, and Lloyd felt the urge to stop him once more. “Tell the others it’s not their fault, and it’s definitely not yours. Please remember that.” His soft voice was filled with desperation and certainty, like he knew from experience that that was the most important thing.

Kai paused to cough up more blood. Lloyd could feel himself shaking. His mind clawed around desperately, frantically trying to think of anything he could do. This couldn’t be real. Fear surged through his veins.

He couldn’t lose Kai. He was his brother! The one who really took care of him, understood about the whole parents thing. The one who saved him in the volcano.

Memories flooded his mind…Kai ruffling his hair as they sat on the deck of the bounty, Kai giving up his blanket to cover Lloyd as he slept on the couch, bringing back candy for Lloyd often when he went out. Most of all, Lloyd remembered his warmth, and from more than just his element.

In that moment, Lloyd’s mind finally caught up to the battle as he held Kai’s body. That sword. It had been headed straight for him. Kai had saved him! The past few minutes had taken him a moment to process, but now that he did the realization washed through him like ice, adding to the numbness in his chest.

As if reading his mind, Kai spoke again. “I’m sorry for all the times I couldn’t protect you,” His voice was weaker than Lloyd had ever heard it. “But hey, I finally did my job well.”

“Why did you…” Lloyd’s voice was panicked and aching now.

“I-Isn’t it obvious… why I had to protect you.” Kai said, warm brown eyes tearing up, from emotion or pain, Lloyd couldn’t tell.

“It’s not that you’re the green ninja…” The fateful day at the fire temple loomed in Lloyd’s mind. “I’m your older brother, right? It’s my job.” There was such a certainty in his eyes. Like he was always ready for this, always willing, with no thought to himself.

Lloyd sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. He held onto his brother’s gi tighter.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that kid… Everything will be fine you’ll see…” Lloyd felt the warmth again all at once, Kai’s words comforting as they always were till, they turned cold again in his chest. Kai took a shuddering breath.

“But I don’t want you to die! I need you to be here with me and the others.” Lloyd’s sobs shook his body. “I can’t lose you too.” Tears pooled in the mask that hung around his neck. He heard footsteps behind him but didn’t turn away.

“You won’t… be alone… Lloyd,” Kai spoke slowly, struggling for air. Lloyd held onto him tighter, head down in defeat. “I will… always be with… you.”

Lloyd felt a hand gently ruffle his hair, red staining blond. It fell to the ground moments later and Lloyd felt the warmth of his brother’s body fade all together. The other ninja stood behind him, their faces marred by tears.

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