flumptober day five : a character i dislike

things are as crazy as ever here (you know the drill), but i've been able to do a little bit of writing in the meantime. this oneshot is on the shorter side, but nevertheless, i'm still very proud of it. plenty more oneshots are in the works, and they'll hopefully be here before too long.

this is the first like explicitly 'balance of light and darkness' plot-central oneshots, and therefore it is close to my heart. the fifth prompt was 'a character i dislike' and i decided to go with a redemption arc sort of thing that was already in the works for a plot point for my fanfic series.

i know that i might potentially face some mixed feelings or different reactions for my attempts to redeem this character in particular, but their altered arc in my fics and the role that they will get to play has very quickly become one of my favorite aspects of my series- something that i am very excited to experiment with and share with you all. if things seem complicated, rest assured that they will be resolved and/or explained in 'emergence' and onwards.

trigger warnings : a little sad, but that's about it.

universe : this is set in my 'balance of light and darkness' fanfiction series, although it can also be read as an alternate universe of the show sort of a story if you're not familiar with any of my fics and would still like to read this.

words : 1,385

dedication : this is dedicated to my readers over on 'emergence' who ranted with me about our mutual dislike for this character and/or expressed interest in my future attempts to try and redeem this character (specifically: @ therearenooptions, @ browhal1, and @ Skystorm320) thank you for your support, i hope you enjoy this oneshot! 

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[ an ocean between us ]

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( title partly inspired by the quote below )

( "there must be something between us, even if it's just an ocean" - cary grant )

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The waves crashed against the shore over and over as the sun began to rise, its rays bathing everything in a soft golden light and bringing warmth after another chilly autumn night.

It was a beautiful sight, perhaps one of the only constant things in life right now, but for the woman huddled on the shore and wrapped in a blanket, it was far from a welcome sight.

Instead, it was a visible reminder of the fact that with every sunrise, so began another day spent away from her beloved son; separated by a vast ocean and by thousands of miles.

Misako Garmadon's face was tilted up toward the sky, her eyes closed as a few stray tears slid down her pale cheeks, the sunlight highlighting her silver-streaked red hair and tired features, the reading glasses perched on the bride of her nose.

Another restless night of bad dreams and guilt plagued her, weighed her down with the heaviness of it all. So, she'd come here to her favorite place to watch the sunrise and to write, hoping to clear her mind.

Her leather journal, faded and tattered now, stained with both her tears and the ocean's water, was one of the few things that brought her comfort, one of her last connections to Lloyd.

For this was the only journal that wasn't filled with her research or plans or ancient maps, but of letters to her son. Letters she could not send him, the distance too great.

Her heart ached for Lloyd, who must think the worst of her by now, and who was somewhere out across the ocean without either of his parents. Not alone, she was certain, but without a mother to watch over him.

Years had passed since she'd left, years since she had been stranded here on this island after a failed search to find answers about her son, her husband, and the fate of the world.

She'd left in an effort to protect Lloyd, to find answers to her questions and to hopefully find some way of defying destiny, some way to prevent him from having to fight his father one day.

He was just a boy, his burden too great for even any man to bear, and like any good mother, she had longed to protect her son from the troubles of this world and the future ahead of him. But she had failed, and that fateful quest was what had stranded her here.

Oh, Lloyd. My sweet boy. Not a day goes by when I do not think of you, and I hope and pray that you are well, that you are safe, and that you have not forgotten me.

More tears fell as she bent over the journal's tattered pages, printing with shaking hands the words she longed to say, the words she might never get to share with her son.

I know you must think the worst of me, and I would not blame you in the slightest. Perhaps you will understand one day when you are older. All I have ever wanted to do was give you the best life possible, and I have sacrificed so much in an attempt to protect you from the world.

I realize now that I may have tried too hard. I was scared of losing you to some world-changing prophecy like I had lost your father. Wanted to find some way for us to be together and whole again, clung to that foolish hope that I could give you a shot at a somewhat normal life.

You've been given a great burden, an incredible responsibility that you should not have to carry at such a young age. I know you will bear it well, and rest assured that there will be others that will rise up in support of you, guide you along the way. I will be there too, if you will have me.

I promise, Lloyd, that as soon as I get off of this island I will come and find you. I will explain everything, though I will not blame you if you choose not to listen. I say this from the bottom of my heart: I love you more than words can express. I'm incredibly sorry that our paths have diverged in this way, and I long to come home to you and be with you in person.

I am sure that Mrs. Stevens has taken good care of you. Though she may appear strict at times, she is well equipped to care for you in my absence, and I would not have entrusted you to anyone had I not believed that they would treat you well. Still, I long to return home and to care for you myself. First Spinjitzu Master willing, I will come home to you soon.

In the meantime, I know you will keep being the amazing, strong, silly, brave, wonderful little boy of mine that I love so very much. I think of you every day, and I am longing and fighting to make it home to you as fast as possible. I will not give up until I make it back to Ninjago and can hold you in my arms again.

I love you so much. Never stop being the person that you are. Fight your own battles bravely, make me proud like I know you will. Never give up or give in to being any less than who you are.

Love, Mother.

Her hazel eyes still red-rimmed and glossy, Misako placed her pen down and traced the letters she had written with a finger, having cried all of her tears by now.

Heartache and guilt ebbing away like the darkness in the colorful sky above had been chased away by the sunlight, she collected her thoughts with new resolve.

She dried her eyes and carefully tucked the leather journal into her satchel amongst her maps and other journals, then gathered the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

After taking a moment to revel in the sunlight shining warmly on her face and filling her with hope and warmth, with some difficulty she was able to pull herself to a standing position.

As she stood there on the shoreline, gazing out across the vast ocean, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe somewhere, Lloyd was looking out across the same ocean and thinking of her.

A bittersweet smile graced her lips are this thought, it made her feel a little more at peace. One day, she would cross that ocean again and come back to her son.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence of her thoughts, and she turned to see the excited face of her coworker, Aaron.

"Dr. Garmadon!" he gasped, scrambling down the sandbank to come to a stop by her side, his eyes shining with hope.

"We're ready to try again. The weather's good this morning, I figured today was as good a day as any to try and test out the boat. Dr. Jones and Dr. Grant are down there already- are you coming with us?"

Misako smiled genuinely for the first time in goodness knows how long. Maybe today would be different.

"Of course, Dr. Stevens. Give me a minute to grab my things, and I will join you at the boat in no more than ten minutes."

His naive, hopeful expression mirrored her own. Not for the first time, she found herself feeling grateful that if she had to be stranded on an island far away from home, at least she had some of her closest friends and colleagues to go through this with her.

They were all in the same boat, both figuratively and literally in some sense.

As she climbed up the sandbank to follow Dr. Stevens back to their campsite, Misako wondered, not for the first time if this might be the day they'd finally get to go home.

If only she knew.

It would be almost another year before the exhausted travelers finally conquered the ocean and made their way home. Yet the water was not their most difficult obstacle to navigate.

Presumed dead after years of silence and a failure to return home on schedule, they would have to face the consequences of their failed mission and fight to regain some semblance of their normal lives.

Because when you're presumed dead for seven years, people move on. They build new lives for themselves, lives that often don't include you.

And when you return, it changes everything.