Darkness from Within #6: A Team Divided (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 23

It didn't take long for Kai and Jay to find Lloyd. To their surprise, the green was standing right in the middle of the hallway, Kai's elemental sword in his hands.

He turned his head as they skidded to a halt behind him. "There you guys are," he said lightly. "I was wondering when you'd find me."

Kai exchanged a glance with Jay as Lloyd drew his hand along the elemental sword's blade. "Where'd you find it?" the red ninja asked the green ninja.

Lloyd pointed the sword down the hall, where the leftover wreckage of the wooden dragon was still scattered. "The ninja left it in the rubble," he chuckled. "Not too smart, huh?" He turned his back to the two ninja and faced the wall. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

Jay glanced sideways at Kai, and the red ninja returned the gaze for a moment before nodding in answer to his silent question.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jay drew out his nunchucks and turned back to Lloyd. "Actually, we had something else in mind," he murmured.

Kai slipped out his sword as well. "We changed our minds," he added. "And we don't like what you're doing to our family."

There was a long silence.

Lloyd went still and Kai and Jay exchanged a triumphant glance. They had surprised him.

Then suddenly, Lloyd let out a malicious cackle and turned to face them again. His gaze wasn't shocked, but instead, alight with amusement. "Changed your minds, have you?" he snickered. "Well, isn't that just the darnedest thing?"

Kai's heart began to pound. Had Lloyd expected this to happen? Determined to stay strong, he tensed and readied his sword to fight. "Yeah," he barked. "Now, you have two options. Either give up the sword, or we're going to have to take it."

Lloyd tapped his chin, obviously pretending to be thinking hard. "Two options, hm?" He chuckled and a smirk appeared on his face. "Well, it looks like I'm taking the third."

Jay stared at him. "Don't make this more complicated," he snorted. "There is no third."

"Oh yeah, there is." Lloyd took a step back, eyes twinkling. "Catch me if you can!" Without wasting another second, he whipped around and sped down the hall.

Kai jolted in alarm, but Jay was already giving chase. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kai darted after him.

But Lloyd was faster than them, and it took all their strength to keep the green ninja in their sight.

"We're losing him!" Jay panted as Lloyd's figure got smaller and smaller.

Determination hardened inside of Kai. "No, we're not!" With a growl, he pushed his feet against the floor harder and forced his pace to quicken. I am not letting him get away with the last elemental weapon!

Lloyd burst in through the doors to the balcony and raced onward, gasping as he came to the edge and he skidded to a halt.

Kai and Jay piled in after him, chests heaving. They blocked the door back inside as Lloyd spun around, eyes blazing. Slowly, the two began to stalk toward him.

"This is it, Lloyd," Jay told him. "There's nowhere to run."

Lloyd's gaze snapped downward as his back hit the railing. Panting angrily, he turned his head back to the two in front of him, and, even though he was trapped, the hard, confident expression on his face didn't waver.

Keeping his gaze steadily on his attackers, the green ninja grunted and hopped upward until he was standing on the thin railing.

Kai's eyes followed him upward. "Now, hold on," he warned. "Don't do anything stupid."