Author's note: So funny story, I realized today that I had an old almost fully completed wip sitting around since before Hunted aired… So, I cleaned it up a little and decided it was worth sharing. Since it was mostly written so long ago, it's really more of an au than anything else. It's definitely a more angsty take than most of what I write, as it was intended to be an aftermath fic for the SOG finale… That said, I hope you enjoy!

Lloyd barely touches down on the deck of the boat before collapsing, the image of the Destiny's Bounty being crushed so cruelly still burned fresh in his memory. Honestly, he's surprised he was able to hold out this long. But he had to find Nya – Had to...They've lost everything; their friends - family, their home – all gone. Garmadon and Harumi have won, and Lloyd's in no shape to do anything about it, though he knows he'll have to. Eventually. It can't endlike this - There's just no way... An anxious voice cuts through his thoughts.

"Lloyd? Are you okay?" He glances at Nya, the worry written on her face is obvious. All he can do is shake his head weakly. No, he's not okay. He feels like he'll never be okay again.

"What...What happened? We saw Zane circle back with the Bounty, but then-" Lloyd forces himself to interrupt before he loses the ability to speak completely. He wishes the could summon the false bravado he'd had earlier, in those last few moments with Harumi, but it's gone now.

"Garmadon's colossus got them... I... I couldn't-" His voice breaks.

"What do you mean 'got them'?" she asks, but one look at him tells her everything she needs to know. She sinks down next to him.

"No...No!"

What follows is a mixture of anguished sobbing and utter devastation. They cling to each other, there on the cold hard deck of the stolen boat for what seems like hours. Neither can remember the last time they've felt this hopeless – they're not sure they ever have. There's always been some way out in the past, but this time? They've lost so much. How can they ever hope to fix a mess of this magnitude? All they have left is each other.

Misako watches them for a time, grieving the fact that her son has had happiness ripped away from him once again. Only now, it's much, much worse. She's never imagined that her husband - no, on second thought, she refuses to call the man who is currently levelling the city by anything that would insinuate a positive relationship – would go this far. Even when the Overlord had taken control of his body, Garmadon had still maintained some semblance of caring towards the wellbeing of his family and the innocent people of Ninjago. Now? It seems that he has completely lost himself to the darkness. There's no telling how long it will take her son and his few remaining friends to recover from this. As much as Misako wants to join them in their pain, she knows that someone needs to remain composed and get them somewhere secure before they get captured. She will find time to grieve further later. Alone. As she always does.

Nya feels someone softly place a hand on her shoulder. She jumps slightly at the contact, momentarily fearful that they have been caught, but it's only Lloyd's mother.

"I know we all have a lot on our minds right now, but we can't stay out in the open like this. Getting captured will only make things worse. Do you know of anywhere safe we can go without being seen? " she asks gently. Nya exhales deeply, trying to clear her thoughts enough to give a reasonable response. Lloyd doesn't look up, doesn't even seem to have heard the question, so it's up to her to make a decision in his place.

"The city is crawling with bikers. There's no way we'll be able to make it to any of my old hideouts...I... There is one place. It's kinda far, but that's probably for the best right now... Jay... He has... He… there's a house out near the coast...it's supposed to be a secret, but… I think..." Her voice catches, "I think he'd want us to use it if it meant that we'd be protected." She gives the coordinates to Misako, who nods gently and heads off to inform Pixal of their destination. The poor nindroid barely acknowledges her as she makes adjustments to their course and begins the journey out of Ninjago City. She's clearly in shock, unused to dealing with so many emotions at once. Pixal hasn't been in possession of her new body for very long, and handling emotions isn't easy, even for those with much more experience doing so. Misako hopes she'll be able to cope. Hopes they'll all be able to cope. The world still needs their light so desperately.

When they've finally docked at the beach just below Cliff Gordon's former villa, they drag themselves silently up the path that leads through the forest, stopping only when Nya has to enter the password into a keypad near the front door. No one has the energy to question why Jay would have access to such an expensive place. In fact, all are silent as they slip carefully inside before going their separate ways. Lloyd and Nya collapse onto the nearest couch, either unable or unwilling to move further. Pixal wanders upstairs, immediately locking herself in the farthest room possible from everyone else, the desire to be alone too strong. Misako knows she should go after her but opts to locate some blankets for the pair of ninja in the living room first. They've already passed out by the time she succeeds, no doubt exhausted by the intensely emotional past few hours. She does her best to make them comfortable, tucking them in as if they were still children. How young they both look. Too young to be facing all that the world has thrown at them. The sound of Nya crying out in her sleep serves to shatter her heart further. She sits with them for awhile, dreading what will happen when they wake up. Eventually, Misako does attempt to check in with Pixal, but she does not answer when she knocks on the door. Perhaps it is better to leave her alone – for now. She's not even sure what she would have done to offer the nindroid comfort, anyway. Sighing, Misako finds herself in the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea, hating the fact that she is ending yet another night drowning her sorrows in this way. She feels more than a little guilty for taking from the stash Jay has so lovingly arranged in his cupboard. It is not right that she and her son were able to escape the jaws of death once again, while the owner of this house was not. But, few things in life are ever so simple. All she can do now is wait. And hope that somehow, someway, they will be able to fix this mess.

Harumi watches as her subordinates sweep the block, searching for Lloyd. In the hours since the destruction of the Green Ninja's companions, chaos has struck. A siren goes off in the distance. Someone screams. Gang members have been instructed to use any means necessary to appropriate information on the survivors' possible safe havens. She would not want to be on the receiving end of their methods, but hey, it's not her fault if people aren't willing to talk. They should know better than to defy a member of The Sons of Garmadon... She should be happy – after all, most of the ninja have been destroyed, and it's only a matter of time before those who are left are found and imprisoned. This is the moment she's been dreaming of for years – even before she met Ultra Violet and Killow – even before learning about the masks. She's finally won. Years of scheming and manipulation have paid off. That idiot boy and his friends are finally paying for everything they took from her. But...looking around at all of the destruction that surrounds her, Harumi finds herself, much to her surprise, wondering if it's really what she wants. Certainly, this level of chaos and carnage isn't how she'd envisioned victory. She's always imagined that when her plans ultimately prevailed, for there'd been no doubt in her mind that they would, the people of Ninjago would be thanking her for ending the constant ruin the ninja brought with them wherever they went, not fleeing in terror from a scene that is uncomfortably similar to the aftermath of the Great Devourer attack... Which brings back memories she'd rather not dwell upon. Shaking her head, she forces herself to focus on the task at hand. This isn't the time for second guessing. Emperor Garmadon will not be pleased if she does not have something to report soon. Capturing those fools will squelch any mutinous emotions she may be harboring anyway.

"Keep searching," she sneers irritably, "He can't have gotten far without his precious friends."

"Realm of the Oni and the Dragons, day one," Jay says in his most dramatic voice, pausing to watch the sunrise, "We've been here for approximately 10ish hours – I think? No sign of life so far, human or otherwise. Communications are down-for now, but-"

"Would you quit with the monologuing and help us fix the radio? We have to make sure Lloyd and Nya know we're alive…" Kai demands, irritated. The past few hours have been… Difficult. It didn't take long for them to figure out that, with the damage done to the portion of the Destiny's Bounty that traveled with them, the likelihood of the others knowing what had happened to them steadily decreased with every passing minute. And this thought terrified-still does terrify them. First came the confusion. Then the panic. Then the arguing. And finally, exhausted, fitful, sleep. Now they're operating off of a few hours at most of rest, taking advantage of the fact that it is actually light enough to see what they're doing. If they can't fix the radio… Well, no one is ready to face what that means yet.

It's already mid-morning by the time the sound of someone quietly knocking on the front door drags Nya from the blissful escape of unconsciousness. She sits up haltingly, muscles sore from falling asleep in a crumpled heap on the couch. At first, she's confused. What on earth is she doing at Jay's villa? But it doesn't take more than a few seconds for all the horrible events of the previous evening come rushing back to her. She chokes on her breath as the realization of just how bad things have gotten hits her. Her brother, her boyfriend – gone. Gone, and she didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. She squeezes her eyes shut. Maybe it's all just a bad dream? No. Definitely not a dream, she confirms as she opens them again, groaning slightly from the dull throbbing in her skull, only to find that nothing's changed. It takes her a few minutes (and a whole lot of forbearance) to force herself to slip out of Lloyd's grasp without waking him – this is the first time she's left his side since the night before – and make her way cautiously to the entryway, blanket still wrapped around her. Her whole body aches, anxiety and exhaustion have taken their toll. Images of the Sons of Garmadon, there to cart them back to their homicidal mistress fill her brain. She's really not sure she can endure much more torture. Or that she'd be able to face Harumi without attempting something reckless and giving the girl some serious pain to think about. She really shouldn't have messed with them. Maybe if Harumi had just gone to see a therapist or something, instead of actively trying to ruin their lives, they wouldn't be in this mess. And then – And then... Well, at least her family wouldn't be so broken... Bracing herself for the worst, she opens the door. What she actually encounters is only slightly better. Mirroring her own messy hair and bloodshot eyes, Nya finds herself staring at Ed and Edna, waiting anxiously to be let in. Somehow, they seem to already know what's happened. She struggles to find words to express how deeply she feels for them. Everything she can think of falls short. So, she simply whispers,

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…" Over and over again. They wrap their arms around her as they slip quietly inside. A wet sob wracks her body. She sways, suddenly lacking the energy to remain upright.

"We know, sweetie. We know..." Edna says, patting her gently, "Just let it all out..."

Together, they wander into the kitchen, where Misako is waiting with cups of hot tea. Nya accepts hers gratefully.

"If there's anything you need," Edna says as she guides Nya into a seat before finding her own chair.

"Anything at all," Ed agrees, joining his wife. The ninja of water breaths in the steam emanating from the cup she holds. Looking at the couple, eyes watering, she says,

"But you just lost your son! If anyone is going to offer help, it should be me – and Lloyd – a-and-" Edna cuts her off, placing a hand over her own. Though pain is written on her face, it is clear that she is not thinking of herself.

"Nya, sweetie, we accepted a long time ago that there might come a day when our Jay didn't return from a mission. It scared us, all those years ago, when he first told us he was going to be a ninja. But then we saw how happy it made him, and we couldn't bring ourselves to say no."

"Especially when we saw how taken with you he was. He really cared for you, you know." Ed adds comfortingly.

"I-I..." Nya sniffs, "Oh! I don't know what to do anymore… I just f-feel so useless…" She's buried her face in her hands by the time she's finished. The elderly couple move to console her as Misako speaks for the first time from across the table.

"For now? We survive. We lean on each other, pick ourselves back up, and we survive." Nya's tear stained face stares into her own.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?!" Misako swirls her cup, watching the liquid inside move about.

"To be entirely honest, I'm just as upset as you are. But having spent most of my adulthood watching the man I love slowly spiral into darkness and knowing that my son would be forced to fight his own father one day certainly shaped how I handle my emotions." Nya gasps.

"Misako… I-I'm sorry – I didn't mean to-"

"You are grieving a deep loss. It is understandable that you would be confused by my actions. I take no offense."

"Still… I shouldn't have snapped at you like that… And you're right. We do need to lean on each other." Nya turns to Ed and Edna, "I have no idea how you found us, but I'm sure I speak for the others when I say that it means the world that you're here. I – " She breaks off, not quite sure how to finish.

"You don't have to say anything else. We'll stay here as long as you need. Though, we should probably tell you – we saw the whole thing on TV last night." Ed informs them quietly. Oh. So that was how they'd known… Nya draws in a shaky breath, the news that the disaster had been publicized difficult to take in. His wife nods.

"That's how we knew we needed to find you. We had to know if… So we drove into town and started checking anywhere we could think of. Of course, we didn't get very far. Those horrible Sons of Garmadon were everywhere!"

"This was the last place we could think of that you might go. I don't know what we'd have done if you hadn't been here…"

"I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of that without knowing anything... Everything went bad so quickly - I didn't even think to find a way to contact you..." Nya turns to Misako, "We need to-"

A pained groan emanating from another part of the villa rescues the group from having to consider how things might have ended.

"Lloyd. He must be waking up. I can't leave him alone!" Nya says in a panicked voice. She pushes herself out of her chair and starts unsteadily for the living room.

Lloyd looks awful to say the least. His face is a strange shade of whitish grey, and there are dark rings under his eyes. He's sitting up slowly. Painfully slowly. Which is not a good sign.

"Nya?" He croaks quietly. She sits down next to him.

"I'm here."

"But where…?" Lloyd asks, bewildered by his surroundings. Nothing apart from the young woman beside him looks familiar. He can tell she's been crying – her face is still wet, and her voice has that almost raspy quality it only gets when she's super emotional. He knows he's forgetting something. Something important – but what is it? He needs to know. The uncertainty is tearing him apart... And then, the fog begins to clear from his brain and he remembers. Oh, he remembers it all.

"I'm going to kill her…" Lloyd mutters darkly, trying to stand. Nya immediately tries to push him back onto the couch. He's clearly not thinking straight – and certainly not in any condition to be moving about yet. But a searing pain shoots through him and he unexpectedly lets out an agonized scream as Nya's hand makes contact with his shoulder. It's then that she notices that there's something very wrong about the way his shoulder looks. How could she have missed this?

"Shirt. Off. Now." She orders, already dreading what she'll find. By the time she's managed to help Lloyd accomplish this, his cry has drawn the others to the room. Misako is about to ask what has happened when the scene unfolding before them causes her to freeze. Ed and Edna look on in horror. Nya can't help but gasp when she sees the sheer amount of damage Lloyd's battle with Harumi has done. Yikes. Just… His torso is covered with a motley combination of purples, greens, and yellows, with more than just the occasional particularly nasty gash thrown in. She's patched him up countless times after ill-fated battles; it shouldn't phase her - she shouldn't be bothered by this. But she is. How could one person do this? And yes, there's definitely, definitely something amiss with Lloyd's shoulder. There's a sort of shocked silence from the others as she speaks, her voice eerily calm.

"Lloyd… When exactly were you planning on telling someone that you had dislocated your shoulder?"

"You are not going to move from this couch unless I explicitly say so, you hear me?" Nya says, later, after they've had a chance to treat Lloyd's injuries. They really should have taken him to a hospital, but there's no way that would have ended in anything but their capture. He looks a little better now, shoulder in a sling and dosed up on some painkillers Edna found in a bathroom cupboard. But physical wounds are not the only price he's paid as a result of yesterday's confrontation. The mental ones will take much longer to heal. For all of them. She knows this from experience.

"I don't think I could move right now, even if I wanted to…" Lloyd replies woozily. Good, the meds have started to kick in. If she's lucky, Lloyd will fall asleep soon, and then she can begin her next dreaded project without having to worry about him trying to run off and do something stupid again.

"I'm gonna have to step out for a few minutes and make a couple calls. I hate to leave you like this, but… I-I don't know how much longer I can put this off…" Nya informs her charge. She does not specify to whom the calls will be directed, but Lloyd already knows. Someone has to tell Lou – and Nya's parents – what's happened.

"A-are you sure you don't want me to help you? It's not gonna be easy for you to-" She stares at him for a second and wishes she could take him up on the offer. But she knows she can't.

"No, Lloyd. You need to rest. You're already on thin enough ice as it is. I can't ask you to be a part of this. Just… try to get some sleep, okay?" She gives his good hand one last squeeze as the drugs start to kick in fully. Hopefully it will be enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

The phone call to Lou comes first. She uses the land-line in the kitchen to get ahold of him. He already knows most of it; he'd had the TV on when everything went to hell. Still, it's heartbreaking to have to be the one to tell him that yes, his son really won't be coming back. They cry together for a few minutes before Nya leaves him to grieve on his own. She stares down at the phone in her hand for a long time before she can muster up the strength to dial her parents' number.

"Who is this?!" the voice on the other side of the lone demands fearfully. The master of water takes a deep breath.

"Hey mom…" she whispers.

"Nya? Where are you? Are… are you okay?" her father asks frantically, "We've been hearing all sorts of stories…"

"I… I'm alive… but…" she chokes on her words, unable to continue.

"… Kai…didn't make it…" Maya finishes for her. Her tone gives away her desperation that she's wrong. Nya's sobbing confirms her fears.

"Oh. Honey…"

This phone call lasts longer. Neither end can find it within themselves to hang up, even as their conversation turns to incoherent crying. Nya isn't sure she made the right decision, here. Perhaps it would've been better to… but there's nothing she can do now. Nothing at all, except for end the phone call before the SOG somehow manages to track outgoing messages. She bids her parents a tearful goodbye, praying that it won't be the last time she speaks to them and promising to keep herself as safe as possible. But who knows what the future will hold for her. Devastating phone calls finished, she allows herself to wander the halls of the mansion, seeking solitude. Ultimately, Nya ends up in the room Cliff had dedicated to ninja paraphernalia, which turns out to be a horrible hiding place because the walls and shelves are covered with things that remind her of Jay, of her brother. She sinks against the wall, finally allowing herself to completely break down.

Lloyd finds her there, clutching Jay's old gi because it smells like him, after what seems like an eternity.

"Oh Nya…" he says, voice cracking. She sniffles loudly.

"You aren't supposed to be up and about…" the girl scolds.

"I know but…" he sways dizzily and she pulls him down next to her before he can collapse and cause himself further damage, "I think… I think we'd better talk."

"About what? The others are dead and there's nothing more to say." Nya tells him, surprising herself with how bitter she sounds. Lloyd shrinks away from her, looking way too young and broke. A wave of guilt hits her.

"I don't blame you if you hate me, you know." he finally comments sadly. She stares at him wide eyed. Is that really what he thinks? She starts to say,

"Lloyd… I don't hate you. I could never-" but he cuts her off.

"This is my fault. If I hadn't gone to confront my father by myself, I wouldn't have gotten beaten so badly I lost my powers, and then I could have… I could have… saved…."

Nya is done letting him insist on taking the fall for this. She gently scoops him into a hug.

"We don't know that it would have made a difference. I'm beating myself up over this just as much as you are… but there's nothing we could've done. Am I mad at you for being so reckless?" she gives him a pointed look, "Heck yeah. Lloyd, you lied to us! We. Don't. Do. That. To each other. Ever. And you know it! You're supposed to be better than that! But… when I look at you, all I can see is my baby brother who means more to me than anything else in the world and who really needs me right now. So no, I definitely don't hate you."

Lloyd is visibly shaking. He clings to Nya, trying not to jostle his bad arm too much.

"A-are you sure? I was a world class idiot and…" he protests, not fully sure he believes himself to be worthy of forgiveness after this whole mess.

"If you think for one moment that I'd ever let anything make me hate you, then I think we'd better add brain damage to your list of injuries." she assures, only kind of joking. Lloyd joins her in sniffling, but relaxes.

"So… where do we go from her?" he asks, feeling incredibly lost and small. Nya thinks for a moment before responding fiercely, "We're gonna take out Emperor Garmadon and that witch Harumi, obviously! You really think Kai and the others would expect anything less from us?"

"Good plan…" he mumbles, suddenly drowsy again. His sister immediately notices.

"C'mon, we're getting you back to bed," she says, helping him up, "and Lloyd?"

"Y-yeah?" Lloyd replies.

"Don't you dare get up without permission again or I swear I will tie you to the couch."

"Noted."

I feel like maybe I should apologize for how… angsty that got hehe. I hope you enjoyed reading this exploration into how the aftermath of s8 could have played out differently. Drop a review if you enjoyed! They help me grow as an author and continue to produce stories for you to enjoy! Thank you for reading!

~GwenBrightly