Author's Notes: Honestly, I was never going to post this. This was written a very long time ago, starts out rather dark, plus many elements of this story I have and will include in other stories, so I was afraid it would feel like I was repeating myself. Sunny Lighter has since reassured me not to worry, and that she felt this story fit perfectly into the Venom in My Blood world.

Also, I've removed the 'complete' tag from this fic, if you know what I mean, so better set an alert now if you haven't yet! I had an excellent string of discussions with Black' Victor Cachat and am putting together some ideas to continue this story into the movie events! HOWEVER, I will probably not be posting anything until after I complete My Dad is Bad.

This entire chapter takes place in the past, as you will quickly see. Consider it a bonus chapter, as a thank you to all you readers and especially those who have reviewed! Hope you enjoy!

~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~

Wu and Koko were scared. Seven years old, and the possibility of Lloyd becoming just like his father was stronger than ever.

What were they supposed to tell the child? This was the second time he'd been thrown off the roof of his school. Thankfully, Garmadon's inheritance seemed to have saved the child both times. Lloyd had even been able to get back up and walk home. Didn't even cry until he was home in his mother's arms.

But no child should have that haunted look in their eyes. That belief that he was hated, that there must be something about him that was just repulsive. It could so easily turn to hate and violence, just as it had with his father.

Koko was in the other room, comforting the sobbing child, unable to answer any of his pleas for an explanation. For why he was treated this way when he'd been trying so, so hard to show people he wasn't scary. When he'd been doing everything he could to be a good boy.

Maybe they would be able to come up with wise advice later, but for now Wu and Koko were too upset themselves to think past wanting to get some sort of vengeance or vindication against those evil little brats, their parents, the school, this whole terrible city.

But the first time had proved to them that such efforts were futile. They'd only served to make people more afraid of Lloyd, for having survived such a fall pretty much intact. Neither time had he even broken any bones. Didn't mean the impact had been any less, and Lloyd was surely a mess of painful bruises and swelling beneath his clothing. At least this time he had shielded his face.

Little Lloyd's heart-wrenching sobs were finally petering out. Softening, slowing down. Not from any comfort received, but just from pure exhaustion. He would be asleep shortly.

Sure enough, a teary Koko made her way into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"I don't know what to do, Wu," she confessed to her brother-in-law. "The school will do nothing. The police will do nothing. No lawyer or politician will even talk to me. What if he lands wrong next time? What if his next school has just a few more floors?" She began crying in earnest, which she hadn't allowed herself to in front of her baby. Lloyd needed her to be strong, but she was cripplingly powerless.

Wu, at a loss what to do himself, poured her a cup of tea and patted her back.

Koko grabbed a handful of tissues off the table and began mopping up her face, blowing her nose and swallowing all the mucus rising up in her throat.

"Do I need to return to Garmadon?" she asked Wu weakly. "He'll turn Lloyd evil, assuredly, but... isn't that better than being dead?"

"At this rate, Lloyd won't need Garmadon's help to become evil," confessed Wu, staring into his own cup of tea. "My brother would accept you back in a heartbeat - but would that truly be the best solution? Would any of you really be happy with that?"

"No," answered Koko. "Garmadon's not happy, for all his maniacal boasts and laughter. Lloyd would never have a happy future as his successor. He's never wanted that sort of life." She blinked back more tears. "He just wants to be a normal kid. He wants to have friends and playmates, to get good grades and maybe join a club or team."

Wu frowned thoughtfully at that. "Koko..." he began. "I, I didn't want to mention this until Lloyd was much older, but..."

Koko looked up at him, confused.

"Spinjitzu," said Wu simply. "It wouldn't solve every problem, but at least ninja training would allow him to defend himself. He has an elemental ability, same as Garmadon and myself. I could help him unlock it."

Koko raised a nervous hand to her mouth as she thought it over. "It won't make people fear him any less," she said after a couple silent minutes.

"But it might give him some self-worth, as well as enable him to protect himself. And he'll even have a team at his side, once I recruit the next generation of ninja."

Koko thought about it some more, playing with her tea cup. She finally nodded. "It's worth a shot. Thank you, Wu."

Wu rose from the kitchen table and gave her a slight bow. "Of course, Koko. I'll return to the Bounty to collect a few things, then return for Lloyd first thing tomorrow. He is strong. He'll be fine."

~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~

Lloyd was very confused. His mom had packed him a bag and sent him off with his uncle instead of to school. She said she would call and tell the school that Lloyd was injured and would be unable to attend for at least a week. Their doctor, a friend of Uncle Wu's, had even written them a note confirming the lie, to add to Lloyd's confusion. Doctors aren't supposed to lie. Neither are mothers or uncles.

Lloyd had never gone anywhere with his uncle before. Uncle Wu came to visit a couple times a week, usually with a small present for Lloyd and his mom, but all they did was have dinner and talk. His uncle was a great listener and a very wise old man who gave amazing advice. But he'd never taken Lloyd anywhere.

Honestly, Lloyd never really went anywhere with anyone. Even his mom went grocery shopping and ran errands alone. She said it was just for the convenience of getting it done on her way home from work - but Lloyd knew it was because of how mean people were when they saw him. He'd seen his mom crying the last time they went to the post office together.

So why was he being sent out now? With his uncle? Where were they going?

A couple mean glares were shot Lloyd's way as he trotted alongside his much taller uncle. The little boy pulled up the hood of his favorite green sweater and kept his eyes trained on the back of his uncle's sandaled feet.

They walked and walked and walked. Apparently Uncle didn't believe in taxis or buses or cars or anything. That explained why Uncle's feet were always so dirty when he came over.

Their stop was at a little tea shop hidden off an alley. It was really hard to find. Lloyd had no idea how they ever had any customers. But Uncle Wu swung open the door without any hesitation.

"What do you want?" grumbled out a very cranky and scratchy voice. Lloyd grabbed the back of his uncle's pants in fright, clinging tight.

"A mix, Mistaké, if you would," replied Uncle Wu politely. He took a firm hold of Lloyd's shoulder and pulled the boy out in front of him. He lowered the boy's green hood and set a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Healing and Awakening."

The old woman with the scratchy voice raised her eyebrows as she looked down at Lloyd. The child shrunk away from her in fear. She narrowed her eyes at him and the little boy began shaking, having the weirdest feeling that she could see inside of him.

"You must be Lloyd," she said, as gently as she could with her rough voice. "Garmadon's kid. Tough lot."

There was no accusation or disgust in her rough voice, and she spoke to him rather than over him. She smirked and Lloyd caught a glimpse of fangs just like his. His eyes widened in awe and curiosity, his earlier fear evaporating.

She flipped up the divider in the counter and gestured them into the back. Uncle Wu reached back to lock the door and flip the open sign to closed, then followed her. Lloyd hurried to stay close to his uncle's side.

They passed shelves and shelves of weird smelling stuff. Cabinets and bottles and boxes of all shapes and sizes.

The dark little hallway opened up into a cheerful, brightly lit little café, which had only about four small tables. There was no door and only skylights instead of windows. But the walls were mirrored and were decorated with potted plants and pretty paintings. Lloyd liked it instantly.

Mistaké pulled out a chair at a table for three and gestured Lloyd and Wu to take a seat. Lloyd eagerly climbed up. Wu frowned, remaining standing.

"Perhaps we should first discuss-"

"I'm not giving you anything if you don't tell this young man what it does before he drinks it," said Mistaké firmly. She turned to Lloyd, ignoring Wu's flabbergasted appearance. Lloyd giggled. His uncle was always so calm and sure - he looked so funny right now!

"Firstbourne," swore Mistaké, at least Lloyd thought it was a swear as it seemed to be some sort of exclamation. "You look like a baby version of your grandfather!"

"I do?!" asked Lloyd eagerly, leaning forward. "Which one? I don't know anything about my grandparents!"

"Garmadon and Wu's father," replied Mistaké easily, and Lloyd was amazed that this old lady who at first seemed so scary was so nice to talk to. "I'd recognize that floppy blond mop anywhere." She reached over and patted Lloyd's head. The child beamed at her. She raised his chin up with a finger. "Not the eyes, though. Your grandpa's eyes were gold, but I promise you, he had just as much fire in them. I prefer your green, though. Green is very special."

It felt so much like a compliment, a commendation, on the very trait Lloyd had always been most embarrassed about, that he just giggled again, squirming happily. It was so cool talking to someone that knew his grandfather, that didn't think Lloyd was weird, that could make uncle look all funny and secretly had fangs of her own.

Uncle Wu took the last seat at the little table and Mistaké leaned back, folding her arms. She was big, bigger than Uncle Wu by a lot, but somehow that made Lloyd feel safe instead of worried. "So tell me, Wu. What do you want both Healing and Awakening for?"

Uncle Wu turned thoughtful eyes to his curious nephew. Obviously debating something with himself.

"Again, I don't approve of dosing the child first and explaining after. I've got centuries of experience on you, Wu - trust me, that idea never works out in the end."

"Me? Are you talking about me?" asked Lloyd, not understanding what dosing was.

"Mistaké makes magic tea," explained Uncle Wu. "The tea I gave you last time you got hurt like yesterday came from her. It's called Healing Tea."

Lloyd stuck out his tongue, remembering the yucky taste. Then he remembered that he was sitting across from the maker of that tea and he blushed, opening his mouth to apologize. She just waved it off and laughed. Uncle Wu continued.

"I wanted it mixed with something called Awakening Tea."

"But I'm not asleep," inserted the child innocently.

Uncle Wu held his hands out before him, and suddenly there were strange white swirls traveling up and down his arms. They glowed almost rainbow, like his mom's special opal earrings, and Lloyd was fascinated.

"I have a special elemental ability called Creation, Lloyd. With it, I can control any of the five main elements that make up our world. This is a secret, Lloyd."

The little boy nodded firmly. He was good at secrets.

"But I have an even bigger secret. You have an elemental power too, Lloyd. It's called Green, and controls the element of Energy."

His nephew's eyes grew enormous in awe, without a single doubt at all.

"Awakening Tea would help you bring out and control that power. I was going to wait until you were in high school, but after yesterday, your mom and I thought you could use your ability to defend yourself."

"I don't want to hurt them!" immediately exclaimed Lloyd. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I'm not a monster!"

Uncle Wu gestured for Lloyd to calm down, ignoring the sharp look Mistaké was giving him at the child's wording. "Green, or Energy, can be used as a shield, Lloyd. Though chances are the bullies will run off as soon as they see you have a special power."

"But... but won't they be even more afraid of me?"

Mistaké and Uncle Wu met eyes, both looking sad. "Probably," answered Wu honestly. "But yesterday really scared your mom, Lloyd. And me. Being thrown off buildings is dangerous."

Mistaké's eyes widened slightly, but thankfully she didn't say anything. She hadn't realized the situation was quite that bad. She rose and went to prepare the tea. Wu continued talking to Lloyd.

"I can teach you to defend yourself in other ways, Lloyd. I will teach you the martial art your grandfather invented and passed down to your father and me - Spinjitzu. But that will take a long time to master. Green would be able to protect you as soon as next week, when you return to school."

Lloyd shrunk in his chair. After a minute he pulled up his legs and hugged them, hiding his face. He knew this was bad manners on someone else's chair, but he was scared of this Awakening thing. Wasn't he weird enough?

"It's your choice, Lloyd. And it will probably hurt. I'll stay with you until it's over, holding your hand, and taking Mistaké's Healing Tea at the same time will not just help your injuries from yesterday, but help the Awakening Tea hurt less."

Lloyd was silent for a long time. Mistaké came back in with a steaming teapot and one single cup.

"How much will it hurt?" asked the little boy timidly. "More than falling off the roof?"

Wu wanted to angrily lecture that there was a difference between falling and being thrown, that what had happened was in no way Lloyd's fault, but refrained. That had nothing to do with Lloyd's question.

"Probably not much more," interrupted Mistaké before Wu could reply. "Kid, if you can walk away after being thrown off a roof, you're one tough cookie. My guess is your Green is already active, even if not fully awakened. The pain will be a hot twisting in your chest," she made a fist over her heart. "And then you'll feel it traveling through your entire body. You have to welcome it instead of fight it, embrace it and direct it, even through the pain. Most humans are too weak." She eyed the child before her approvingly. "I think you can do it. And in probably less than a couple hours. Can you last that long?"

Lloyd stared at the steaming teapot as he thought. Finally he nodded. "I don't want to be thrown off the roof again. It hurts and makes Mom cry and Uncle upset."

Wu let out a breath of relief, but Mistaké looked unfazed. She poured the tea. There was just enough to fill the cup almost to the brim.

"The whole thing, kid," she said. "Chug it down now, while it's still hot. If you can't take burning your mouth, you won't be able to manage the Awakening."

Lloyd nodded. Took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then picked up the teacup and chugged the whole thing in about three gulps.

Mistaké was actually impressed. It actually didn't need to be drunk hot, but it was a good test of whether someone had the needed endurance. If the boy had spit it out or been unable to have more than a sip, she'd have taken it away. An Awakening could kill.

But she'd suspected, even before Wu mentioned being thrown off a building, that Garmadon's son was made of diamond-hard strength and resilience. Green hadn't chosen him merely because of his inheritance. Like she'd said earlier, Green was special.

They all sat there waiting anxiously for the Awakening to start. Uncle Wu pulled his chair next to Lloyd's and took the boy's hands in his own. Lloyd snuggled up to his Uncle's side. His breath stuttered and he closed his eyes, squeezing them tight as he felt the hot, tight feeling in his chest.

It couldn't really be compared to the impact of concrete after falling off the roof. That was more of a slam, then nothingness, then a weird buzzing that grew in intensity through all his limbs for a couple minutes before warping into a throbbing ache.

This was more how Lloyd imagined someone having a heart attack might feel. Hot, squeezing, twisting. It was hard to breathe and lasted and lasted, getting tighter and tighter.

Lloyd remembered what Mistaké said about welcoming it, directing it, and instead of focusing on the pain he tried to find what was causing the pain inside himself. For want of a better explanation, he tried to reach out to it. Befriend it. Assure it that he was okay, he could handle this.

"Well. That was the easiest Awakening probably in history," commented Mistaké, sounding a little breathless.

Lloyd opened his eyes, and saw green colored sparks and swirls dancing around his arms and torso. He laughed in delight, holding his hands out and letting the sparks dance between his fingers, the swirls wrap around his wrists and form all sorts of neat shapes.

"I don't hurt anymore from yesterday, Uncle!" he cheered. "Your tea is really good, Miss Mistaké! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Lloyd," she replied, though her glance toward Wu told him what he already suspected. No way could this be credited to her teas. Her teas took much longer than a scant two minutes to work.

Green. Very, very special, indeed.