He couldn't tell if he was staring at the mirror, or if the mirror was staring at him. He couldn't convince himself that the figure in the mirror was really him.

Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, breathing out slowly. A week…it had been a week since he had suddenly aged five years, and every day of that week he had found himself time and time again staring into the mirror that hung over the bathroom sink. Gone was his bowl-cut of a hairstyle, short stature, and bratty attitude, and before him stood…someone who was not him.

He had pulled off his shirt to inspect himself further, though he had already looked over himself very thoroughly when he had first become a teenager. He had gone from age ten to fifteen in less than a minute, though whether that was mentally as well as physically was still up for debate. Lloyd felt a little cheesy as he flexed in front of the mirror to admire himself, but he was still shocked by the transformation. He had never expected to grow up to be so…attractive.

The only thing that seemed to have stayed the same was his spring green eyes, which stared back at him through the mirror. They hadn't lost their spark of playfulness, but now a deeper, more powerful emotion filled them. He had the desperate urge to try to use his green energy attack in the bathroom, just to test how powerful it was. He wanted to know desperately what had changed in him. What was different?

Lloyd let out a long breath from puffed cheeks and slid against the wall to the ground. His head rested on his knees as he clasped his hands over his head. He wasn't ready to save the world. He had told everyone that he was when he had aged, though whether than had come forth from his own thoughts or merely a sudden surge of hormones was debatable. Lloyd wasn't sure how to control his powers, had no idea if they had grown with him or if they were as weak as they had been before. He was physically older, but mentally…he was still confused as to whether he was fifteen, or still ten.

"What the heck am I going to do?" Lloyd whispered to himself, his words echoing off the walls of the bathroom. "Everyone's counting on me." He suddenly desperately wished he had someone to talk to. None of the other ninja would understand what he was going through. Sure, they had gone through puberty, but Lloyd just went through it about fifty times faster than they all had. He was practically a freak of nature. Sensei Wu was Lloyd's uncle, though Lloyd was still a bit edgy about talking to his uncle about his feelings. Nya was nice and all, but again, she wouldn't understand.

Lloyd wanted his father.

The blonde-haired teen's head leaned back against the wall as he sighed. That was the problem, wasn't it? This was why he was so unprepared.

"When we meet again, I'm going to do everything in my power to defeat you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The last conversation Lloyd had had with his father came rushing back to him. He grimaced, trying hard not to think about what he had said.

"You're a good boy. Soon, you'll be a great man. Although we are now on opposite sides, I'm still very proud of you."

Stop it! Lloyd screamed mentally, clutching his head. Stop telling me that! I'm going to kill you…I have to…

The young teenager let out a shaky breath as his hands lowered. Oh, he wanted nothing more than to curl up and die right then and there. He was supposed to kill his own father, maybe the one person he could actually understand. The other ninja wouldn't believe him if he said so, but Lloyd actually did understand Lord Garmadon. The man was a massive, two torso-d and four armed creature of darkness and evil.

But he was Lloyd's father. And Lloyd loved him with all his heart.

"Crap," Lloyd snapped to himself as he wiped away the few tears he had shed. He stood back up, catching himself in the mirror once again. He had gotten thinner, much thinner, and the muscles on his arms, chest, and abdomen showed neatly on his body. He was a young man now, no longer the bratty little kid he had been only a week ago.

Perfect for your prophesied final battle.

Lloyd sighed once again and slid his t-shirt back on. He slowly made his way out of the bathroom and to the bedroom he now shared with the four other ninja. They were probably off on some mission, seeing as Lloyd, even as a teen, was still too "precious" to fall into the wrong hands.

Lloyd snapped in anger and slammed his fist into the door, leaving a splintered dent. He breathed hard and flopped down on his bed, running his hands along his face.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill his own father. It was like asking him to cut off one of his arms or legs. His father was as much a part of him as being a ninja was.

I didn't ask for this! I just wanted to help people! I didn't choose to be a prophesied hero. I just…I just wanted to save people…I'm not saving my dad.

Slowly Lloyd closed his eyes and shifted to a more comfortable position on his bed. He would need to get his head in the game at some point. He was supposed to be training. Nothing was more important than that. He had to kill his father in order to save all of Ninjago. He ought to have been out practicing his fighting and balance and everything else he would need. His father was strong.

Which was why Lloyd was strong. The one thing the other ninja couldn't deny was the fact that Lord Garmadon was strong, and that was one of the things Lloyd loved about his father.

The blonde-haired teenager fell asleep with his earliest memories of his father in his mind; a father who was loving, a father who held Lloyd tight when the boy was scared, and most of all, a father who wasn't afraid to tell Lloyd how much he loved him.

Just taking a break from writing my original novel. If it gets published, I'll let you all know. For the moment, it's called The Innominates, and is a futuristic novel where the government is based off of the philosophical writings of Thomas Hobbes (not a great gov't to live under...).

Anyhow, getting excited for the next season of Ninjago! (I'm a high school girl and I love this show...something it wrong with me...)

~Pixie