Promises (Ninjago's Kai x Reader)

Episode 10 - Enter Sandman

My body is being jostled. Far off in the distance, I can hear somebody shouting. It's as if they're speaking to me underwater: their voice is all deep and distorted. What are they saying? I'm so tired, I don't even care. My eyelids are heavy. I just want to sleep. They flutter open anyway, and it's like I'm seeing underwater. The person in front of me is a blur of color--a blur of blue. Jay.

The words he says suddenly become clear. "Wake up." He says them with a sense of urgency.

I blink away the grogginess; It doesn't work very well. My limbs are stiff, as if they're made of rusted metal. They refuse to move. Do I even want to move?

Fingers brush against my own, sending sparks down the palm of my hand, through my arm, across my chest, and throughout my whole body. It revives me, gives me energy to glance left.

Kai.

Of course it's Kai. Who else would've been able to elicit such a response?

I curl my fingers into his, intertwining them, interlocking them. His closeness brings me warmth. His touch gifts me surety.

"C'mon! Let's go!"

My gaze breaks from Kai's at the sound of Jay's garbled voice. He's swimming just ahead of us, waving his arm, coaxing us to the bright, white light. Kai tightens his grip on my hand and together we swim away from this crystalized prison.

        ~

Air rushes into my lungs in the most painful, yet refreshing way. I hadn't even realized I was suffocating in that gooey crystal cavern, but now my chest feels less compressed, and my skin can breathe.

I glance down at mine and Kai's fingers, still interwoven. A smile spreads across my face. This is why I'm good.

"Jay!" Uncle Wu shouts, but not loud enough to drown out the ferocious screams of demons in my head.

You are not good!

You mustn't think that way!

Stay with us.

Stay where you belong.

Flourish within the darkness.

You are one of us . . .

"Jay, you did it."

Even though he didn't speak very loud, Kai's voice breaks through the rest. I hear his words, clear as day, and suddenly everything else is silent. I take a tiny step closer, hold his hand a little bit tighter. His gaze flickers to mine for the tiniest moment, and in that moment his lips curve up into that half smirk-smile I've grown to love so much. I'm gonna be okay.

"And it appears you found some new friends," Zane says, nodding to the band of misfits surrounding us. Surprisingly, Jay managed to round up Ronin, Skylor, Captain Soto, Dareth, a rusty old prototype of Zane, and my Evil Twin to be replacement Ninja.

"What about Nadakhan?" asks Cole. "Don't tell me that guy is still around."

Jay's sigh gives us our answer. "And he's more powerful than ever."

"Do we have everyone?" Uncle Wu asks, glancing around, counting us all off in his head.

"Not everyone," says Jay before he can finish. "We have one more Ninja to save. Now, who wants to crash a wedding?"

They all cheer, excitement and determination radiating from our group. It only makes the demons angrier. I just need to keep holding Kai's hand.

"Thank you," Kai says once everyone's calmed down, glancing at Skylor and the rest. "I don't know how we'll ever be able to repay you."