Aaand I'm back! Friends, neighbors, countrymen, I now present to you, the latest installment in the Silent series! Redone! Please enjoy!
-???-
I quietly nodded my head to the beat as the music surrounded me through the simple presence of headphones. I was alone, but I didn't mind. I wasn't lonely. I could live without friends. It wasn't...harming me inside. I sipped the hot coffee in my hands, the scalding drink burning my tongue but waking my body. I tapped my foot unconsciously as I waited for the bus.
It arrived, and I climbed in silently, my face as numb as it was before, despite the bus's warmth. I sat by a young man, probably in his mid-late teens, with scruffy blond hair, his jade green jacket nearly resembling a master's robes.
"Hello," he told me, his voice gentle. "Where are you going?"
I could have nearly dropped my blazing joe in surprise at his talking to me, but I didn't. I just shrugged. "I dunno. Home, I guess."
He looked at me. "Do you do this every day? Going around being alone all the time?"
"I dunno. I just live alone and it goes from there."
"Do you ever feel...lonely?" he asked, looking into my eyes. His own were the brightest emerald green I had seen in years, partly obscured by those golden bangs that couldn't hide their glow.
"I don't know," I told him blankly. "I'm just used to it. I've always been alone. Ever since..." I stopped. I was telling this random stranger.
"Ever since...?" The boy glanced up.
"It's not something I should tell you," I replied coldly. "I don't know you."
"But I know you." He looked straight into my eyes. I noticed he had an aura of maturity far beyond his age. "Haruka. Your parents were abusive. They hurt you and were hard on you. And then they neglected you, but they were fighting each other. Finally, they divorced, and a few years later each one was lost, one on the Day of the Devourer, the other on the Day Ninjago Stood Still. You're only 15."
I looked away. "Don't remind me." I looked back at him. Only subtly aware of the sharp tone of my voice, I added, "I didn't get your name, anyway."
He sat in silence.
"They call me Melody," I said in an attempt at getting him to tell me his name.
I continued on my way home, staring off into the depths of nothingness.
Pit, pat, pit!
I was unaware of this sound, unaware that I was walking right towards it...
Pit, pat, pit, pat, pit...
...THUNK!
And that was when I snapped out of it. Before it, my head felt like it was about to cave in and my eyes streamed. I unconsciously screamed like a small child, and I barely heard the voice in front of me scream as well, if not in a more...civilized way. We both stopped, looking at each other, or at least trying, as my pounding head prevented me from seeing the other person properly. But what I knew was that his hair was a nice dark orange, almost like copper...eh, that could be any redhead, right?
He helped me up and pulled me along with him, before I knew what was going on, and lay me in a very soft bed...was I dead?
This was the Destiny's Bounty.
My vision cleared and I suddenly recognized the curly amber hair, paired with a rather striking pair of big, blue eyes, his pale-yet-tanned face spangled with freckles. Jayson Walker-Gordon placed his hands on his hips and pouted. "Lloyd, what were you doing out? You could have been anywhere. I've been looking literally all over! Heck, I even checked a dump!"
I grunted and sat up. "You sound like my mom," I said, chuckling. "I was trying to gather some new recruits. I thought we needed more females, so-"
"Aha!" He grinned and pointed at me. "You're disappointed Harumi was no good, so you're getting a bunch of girls to make you feel better!"
"What? No way!" I laughed out loud. "Why would you say that? It was, uh...my calling!"
"Uh huh...?" Jay pouted again, crossing his arms this time.
"Okay, fine, but I only found one of them and we parted!"
"You sure you're not gonna sneak out on us again?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yup." I nodded.
"That doesn't sound very promising."
"I'm not an angsty teen, alright?" It was my turn to pout, and he grinned.
"Well, I'm glad you're back, anyways," he told me, taking a seat by me. "I really was worried back there."
I nodded, then clapped a hand to my forehead. Ow, that pain...
"You alright? You hit your head?" His expression changed to that of concern.
I continued on my way home, staring off into the depths of nothingness.
Pit, pat, pit!
I was unaware of this sound, unaware that I was walking right towards it...
Pit, pat, pit, pat, pit...
...THUNK!
And that was when I snapped out of it. Before it, my head felt like it was about to cave in and my eyes streamed. I unconsciously screamed like a small child, and I barely heard the voice in front of me scream as well, if not in a more...civilized way. We both stopped, looking at each other, or at least trying, as my pounding head prevented me from seeing the other person properly. But what I knew was that his hair was a nice dark orange, almost like copper...eh, that could be any redhead, right?
He helped me up and pulled me along with him, before I knew what was going on, and lay me in a very soft bed...was I dead?
This was the Destiny's Bounty.
My vision cleared and I suddenly recognized the curly amber hair, paired with a rather striking pair of big, blue eyes, his pale-yet-tanned face spangled with freckles. Jayson Walker-Gordon placed his hands on his hips and pouted. "Lloyd, what were you doing out? You could have been anywhere. I've been looking literally all over! Heck, I even checked a dump!"
I grunted and sat up. "You sound like my mom," I said, chuckling. "I was trying to gather some new recruits. I thought we needed more females, so-"
"Aha!" He grinned and pointed at me. "You're disappointed Harumi was no good, so you're getting a bunch of girls to make you feel better!"
"What? No way!" I laughed out loud. "Why would you say that? It was, uh...my calling!"
"Uh huh...?" Jay pouted again, crossing his arms this time.
"Okay, fine, but I only found one of them and we parted!"
"You sure you're not gonna sneak out on us again?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yup." I nodded.
"That doesn't sound very promising."
"I'm not an angsty teen, alright?" It was my turn to pout, and he grinned.
"Well, I'm glad you're back, anyways," he told me, taking a seat by me. "I really was worried back there."
I nodded, then clapped a hand to my forehead. Ow, that pain...
"You alright? You hit your head?" His expression changed to that of concern.
"Well...sorry for not finding you sooner," I admitted. "How has Hanna been doing?"
"Actually, I don't know," Lloyd confessed. "She just left earlier. She said it was personal, but I'm really curious..."
"Maybe she just has a secret hideout or something," I told him. "Or maybe she's, you know, pulling a Zane and doing something really mysterious, probably to do with her family."
"Well, she's technically his sister ,but she's been so confused lately..." He nodded. "That theory makes sense. Thanks, Jay."
"Also, who needs new recruits when you've got us, right?" I smiled at him. "You don't have to try so hard, Lloyd."
"You're not jealous, are you?" He chuckled. I huffed, crossing my arms.
"No, of course not, I just wouldn't want a bunch of random strangers sleeping in our beds, that's all." I sighed.
"Ah, I see." Lloyd sat in silence for a moment.
I looked out the door and decided to go walk there. "Um...well, goodnight."
"Night."
I smiled at him one last time and went into my room, and as I closed my eyes I felt something like an arm grab me and pull me out.
As I was trying to catch some shut-eye, I was dragged over streets, hillsand even buildings, before finally, far from the Bounty, in a place I didn't recognize, I woke up to a hand knocking me out.
Ramen. It was the first thing I smelled as my consciousness slipped back into my body like a ghost. The first place that came to mind was Chen's Noodle Shop, and he was confused. Why would his captor bring him to a place like this?
"Pork ramen, medium, if I'm right?" Her contralto voice was warm and familiar in his ears.
"Yeah, how did you- ?"
She shoved a bowl in front of my face and smiled. "I know you, honey. Dig in while it's fresh."
Her voice contained a sweetness that wasn't normal, and she never called anyone "honey." My eyes widened.
"Wait, you're not- owww!" She stabbed something like a syringe into my arm, yanked it out and smiled again.
"Have a nice day, and take your noodles to-go, okay~?"
I left in confusion, my arm throbbing but my head even more so. I hadn't seen the syringe, but it felt like there was some sort of liquid in it. But it didn't seem to be doing anything to me. Whoever that was had the power of form...and was a really bad actor. I came back and they freaked out over me.
"Why did you leave so early?" Cole asked. "You could have told me you had late-night cravings!"
"I was so worried, Jay," Nya said softly as she hugged me. "I wasn't even expecting you to return!"
"I need to rest my head," I said quickly. "It's been a hard night and..."
"Go on," Zane told me. "You look rather exhausted."
I escaped Nya's grasp and dashed to my room, collapsing on my bed and putting the ramen down on my desk. I rested my head on my pillow, grateful until I felt as if something was being poured into my body, filling me, especially in my midsection.
Confused, I lifted my shirt and looked down at my belly. It wasn't at all wider or thicker, but the muscle tone seemed to have disappeared, as if I was average rather than athletic.
Heh, I guess they were just jealous, I thought, smirking at my reflection. I worked for those abs. My expression turned to one of confusion. Wonder why they'd want my physique, whoever they were...at least my new gi is loose...
"This just in, a mysterious being dressed in a white bedsheet has been seen running all over town, wreaking havoc in their path." The face of Gail Gossip blared on the screen in the Bounty that morning. "No one knows any details otherwise, except for a single tuft of raven hair. This dark-haired disaster must be stopped at all costs, whether by police, ninja or otherwise."
It was then that Jay rushed in, fully dressed in his gi and ready for action. "What did I miss?"
"A new mission," Lloyd replied. He turned and smirked. "Are these ninja gonna go?"
The others nodded. Spinning into their uniforms, they left the harbor in a flash, searching Ninjago for this shrouded being.
Jay struggled to catch up, unlikely for a Ninja of Lightning. As he ran after the others, another slip of liquid down his throat made his stomach feel strange. “H-hold on! Stomach cramps, oh…” he faked, hoping to be left behind for long enough that he could investigate.
Jay, hiding behind a nearby wall, took a look at himself again. His stomach began to look soft, a slightly round, fleshy look replacing its former flatness. He caught up to them again. They found a strange white cloak flapping against the wind about a kilometer away, and as they got closer, Jay got more nervous. More liquid down his throat, almost as if he had been drinking it, and his stomach filled again, but he could feel the liquid slipping down to his thighs as well. There was no time to check on himself, as they had to move.
They got close enough to the moving sheets to manage to get a small look at the figure. When they turned around, the six teens caught a glimpse at even, shiny black hair and a clearly female face. She turned again, the “hood” of her sheet falling as her hair flapped behind her while she continued to run. Lloyd grabbed the edge of the cloth and she turned around.
“Melody?” he asked.
She stared at him, then turned to smoke, leaving the Ninja breathless and confused. Jay was especially breathless, and kept touching his stomach for some reason.
“Jay, are you okay?” Nya asked, her brows furrowing in concern.
“Fit as a fiddle,” he replied.
The Water Ninja stared at him.
“Don't worry about me,” he replied. “Worry about finding- augh! Hey, watch where you’re- ohh!” He seemed to have been punched first in the face, then in the stomach.
The smoke girl materialized, having left her cloak behind, and ran off, causing the others to follow after her.
She turned into smoke again. The Ninja looked around, and this time it was Lloyd, struck down with a hard kick. This was not going to be an easy fight.
The Ninja fought for a long time, struggling against this new foe, before she ended up leaving for good. The Ninja sighed in disappointment.
Meanwhile, Jay was nervous. The serum had acted a few times during the fight, and he was beginning to feel self-conscious. But when he saw that his belly looked stuffed and round, he realized what the concoction was doing: he was putting on weight. And Nya noticed.
“You look a bit different. What's going on?”
Jay reluctantly spilled the truth, about the Skylor imposter and the serum and the seemingly magical weight gain. At this, Zane began to check his knowledge interface for such a serum.
“I...am finding nothing, no matter how hard I look in my database,” Zane admitted in defeat.
Jay sighed. “At least we know the bare minimum.”
“You don't have to keep these things from us,” Nya told him comfortingly.
“Weight gain isn't as big a burden once you get used to it,” Cole added. He blushed. “D-don’t ask me how I know that.”
Jay chuckled.
Jay looked in the mirror once he had gone to bed. He found his pajamas to be a bit tighter than normal, and buttoning the shirt was a bit trickier. He unbuttoned his shirt and glanced at his reflection. His stomach was starting to look bigger and rounder, his face becoming a bit softer, although not chubby just yet. He expected that to change by the time he woke up.
And Jay woke up. He certainly felt heavier, and his pajama pants were small enough that they slipped down his belly. Some of his shirt buttons had come undone as well, so he lessened the pressure by unbuttoning them. He slipped on the loosest outfit he had.
Looking in the mirror, he noticed that his cheeks had become rounder and a bit puffier, like a child's. He had a soft, round belly, and his chest had softened with it, and he had widened slightly, so that he was not only short, but stocky as well.
As the day went by, Jay felt a few more “sensations.” His arms and hands began to plump up, his legs becoming thicker, his gut grew considerably and he could feel his cheeks getting chubby. Despite this, he managed to fight like he had before, almost as if he was still slim and trim.
I’m sorry, I just think the idea of a pudgier Jay would be kind of cute-)
The end of the day came, and eventually Jay stopped feeling strange. He looked in the mirror to see the results. His cheeks were puffy and his jawline soft, the cutest little double-chin forming at the bottom of his chin; he was now officially baby-faced. His belly had become big and plush with fat, forming rolls to show its softness. His arms were puffy and dimpled at the elbows, and his legs had thickened enough to minimize the gap between them. His hands, being slim and nimble before, were cute and dimpled. He looked like an overgrown baby, and it was...kind of cute, actually.
He found that his gi was still loose on him, so he wore that for the day, and the others didn't seem to mind. Or Cole, at least, who was the only one up.
“Did it wear off? You seem a bit less nervous than you were,” Cole told him.
“Yeah,” Jay replied. “I thought it’d go on longer, so I was really worried.”
“Less of a curse than you thought?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he replied. “I'm still surprised I can fight though.”
“I kinda wanna fight that guy though,” Cole said. “You're my best friend and I hate it when you're not here.”
Jay nodded. “Me too. And I have the urge to find the real Skylor...I mean, we’re pretty good friends and I’m really worried about her.”
“We should go to Chen's once everyone wakes up.”
“I don't know, I don't really wanna bother anyone first thing in the morning.”
“You can bother me.” Hanna seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Cole and Jay almost had a heart attack. “My brother is up as well, and waking up Nya shouldn't be too bad.”
As if on cue, Nya rubbed her eyes as she joined the other three in the living room. Her eyes widened when she she saw Jay. “Wow, you’ve really- um...well…”
Jay laughed a bit nervously and Nya slid closer to him. “Don't worry, it should be done by now.”
“No, it's okay,” she replied, before snuggling into Jay’s side. “I don't mind chubby guys. Besides, all the better to cuddle with, right?”
Jay chuckled and wrapped his arm around Nya's waist, before finding himself resting his head on her shoulder. He giggled a bit, then let go. “The real reason I woke you all up was because the man who did this to me is still out there, and he's probably got Skylor.”
So Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, Nya and Hanna ventured to Chen's Noodle Shop. Upon walking in, they saw the real man: a tall, light-skinned young man with short, dirty-blonde hair. Nothing like Skylor.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a light foreign accent. His deep blue eyes met Jay's. “Ah, Jayson! What a lovely surprise! You’ve gotten big! Not quite big enough, but I’ll take it my creation worked!”
Jay scowled. “Why did you do that to me anyways?”
“Why did you replace Skylor and inject Jay with some crazy device?” Kai asked aggressively.
“Alright.” He sighed. “I wanted all of you. I wanted to make you plump enough to slow you down so I could make Ninjago my test subject. Jay was most likely the most naive, so I tested him first.”
“Hey! You saw how I resisted you!” Jay replied.
“And that's why I injected you,” he replied, rather amused. “The serum was in the ramen too. Apparently it wasn't strong enough.”
Jay glared at him. “Not strong enough? What do you want me for, anyways?”
The man was taken aback briefly, before replying with an air of calmness, “You would have all fulfilled my desires. And I would have given you anything you wanted.”
“I would rather die than live a life of luxury with someone as insane as the likes of you,” Nya growled.
“Have it your way,” he replied. “But let's see how well Lightning here can fight.”
So they battled. Jay could surprisingly hold his own in a fight, even with the extra weight. Eventually, they both got tired and it was a tie, and the boy laughed with glee.
“You’re surprisingly nimble. I guess my creation didn't work after all.”
“Good.” Jay smiled, putting his nunchucks away. “Just don't mess with us again.”
“You really think I’ll give up that easily?” The guy smirked.
“What are you going to do?” Jay asked.
“Nothing,” Lukas replied. “I already did.”
Jay thrusted himself at his captor, but some men grabbed him and dragged him out the door. The others followed suit, and they walked home disappointed and afraid.
“What do you think he did?” Jay asked.
“Probably something to do with me,” Nya replied.
“Then I'll protect you with everything I have,” Jay told her. “Whatever he did to you, it's probably not good.” He held her hand, and she held her stomach.
“Nya? You okay?” He placed a hand on her shoulder and she pressed on her stomach in confusion. Jay jerked back. “Okayillstoptouchingyou!”
“Whenever you give me affection, my weight goes up,” Nya muttered. “Is he some sort of magician?”
“Dang it, I feel so touch-starved already...I’ll just hug Cole…” He approached Cole gingerly, unsure whether the same was going to happen to him. But when he hugged his best friend, nothing happened, so he ended up clinging to the taller, more muscular teen.
Cole looked like he was trying desperately not to explode. His mouth twisted in an odd expression, his eyes beginning to squint, he stifled a weird squeak. Now that the Master of Lightning had gained weight, he was so soft and warm, like a roasted marshmallow. Cole calmed down and hugged him back. “Don't worry Jay. Next time we face him, we’ll make sure he pays.”
"This just in, a mysterious being dressed in a white bedsheet has been seen running all over town, wreaking havoc in their path." The face of Gail Gossip blared on the screen in the Bounty that morning. "No one knows any details otherwise, except for a single tuft of raven hair. This dark-haired disaster must be stopped at all costs, whether by police, ninja or otherwise."
It was then that Jay rushed in, fully dressed in his gi and ready for action. "What did I miss?"
"A new mission," Lloyd replied. He turned and smirked. "Are these ninja gonna go?"
The others nodded. Spinning into their uniforms, they left the harbor in a flash, searching Ninjago for this shrouded being.
Jay struggled to catch up, unlikely for a Ninja of Lightning. As he ran after the others, another slip of liquid down his throat made his stomach feel strange. “H-hold on! Stomach cramps, oh…” he faked, hoping to be left behind for long enough that he could investigate.
Jay, hiding behind a nearby wall, took a look at himself again. His stomach began to look soft, a slightly round, fleshy look replacing its former flatness. He caught up to them again. They found a strange white cloak flapping against the wind about a kilometer away, and as they got closer, Jay got more nervous. More liquid down his throat, almost as if he had been drinking it, and his stomach filled again, but he could feel the liquid slipping down to his thighs as well. There was no time to check on himself, as they had to move.
They got close enough to the moving sheets to manage to get a small look at the figure. When they turned around, the six teens caught a glimpse at even, shiny black hair and a clearly female face. She turned again, the “hood” of her sheet falling as her hair flapped behind her while she continued to run. Lloyd grabbed the edge of the cloth and she turned around.
“Melody?” he asked.
She stared at him, then turned to smoke, leaving the Ninja breathless and confused. Jay was especially breathless, and kept touching his stomach for some reason.
“Jay, are you okay?” Nya asked, her brows furrowing in concern.
“Fit as a fiddle,” he replied.
The Water Ninja stared at him.
“Don't worry about me,” he replied. “Worry about finding- augh! Hey, watch where you’re- ohh!” He seemed to have been punched first in the face, then in the stomach.
The smoke girl materialized, having left her cloak behind, and ran off, causing the others to follow after her.
She turned into smoke again. The Ninja looked around, and this time it was Lloyd, struck down with a hard kick. This was not going to be an easy fight.
Ah! The plot-smokes thicken!
You've done a great job. keep on brickin'!
"Wise words by wise men write wise deeds in wise pen." —Lollimon the Wise
Jay tried to be distant from Nya until the curse wore off. Unfortunately, he found himself occasionally hugging her, kissing her or ruffling her hair. The fat mostly went to her hips, chest and thighs, however, and she ended up more curvy than chubby. She sighed. “I guess you couldn't resist.”
“Still can't,” Jay admitted, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I just hope he doesn't come out with anything else... especially something really bad. What's he really planning anyways, to stuff us like Thanksgiving turkeys and eat us?” He made a face
Nya giggled, but looked nervous. “I really hope not.”
“I just hope his fattening stuff isn't all he’s got. There's gotta be something else he can do! Unless he's just a big coward…” He chuckled unsurely. He suddenly began rubbing Nya's back.
“What are you doing?” Nya asked.
“I have compulsions,” he replied in a slightly nervous voice. “It's not... still going on, is it?”
“Compulsions, huh?” Nya chuckled just as unsurely. Jay saw her stomach begin to soften and stopped touching her again.
“Guess that's a yes,” Jay muttered and blushed. “I'm just glad no one else is cursed like this.”
“Yeah. If you keep loving on me I’ll be a big fatty in no time,” she muttered.
“And I’d still love you,” he replied. “Because you're the best person I know, and even if you were fat I’d still love you.”
“Aww, you're gonna make me chubby just saying thaaat~” she replied, her voice sweet yet sort of sarcastic. “But I wonder if the other curse applies to you too…” Nya giggled and kissed Jay on the cheek, causing him to blush.
“Hey!” Jay turned red and huffed. His stomach swelled a bit under his garb. “Let's just remember not to touch each other from now on.”
“Aww, but I wanna start a tickle fight,” Nya replied, amused by Jay's flustered behavior. Against Jay’s protests, she tackled him and began tickling his sides. He let out a high-pitched squeal, tickling her back out of impulse. As soon as they both got tired, they stopped and sat up, breathing heavily. Jay looked pretty much cherubic by now, and Nya was beginning to show signs of a belly, her face softening.
Jay turned away from her shyly, biting his lip. *Why...why are you so into this?”
“I dunno, I just think you’re cute this way~” Nya replied, booping his soft cheek.
“But it's happening to you too,” Jay replied. “What are we gonna do next time we have to fight?”
“You remember how well you performed last time,” Nya told him.
“Yeah, but what if we get carried away?” Jay asked. “What if I grow out of these new pajamas Zane got me?”
Nya placed a hand on his arm with a small smile. “Then I'll make sure you fight well.”
Jay bit his lip again, wincing as he gained another pound. “Nya, we really shouldn't take advantage of a curse,” he told her.
“But this is so fun!”
“Now I’m starting to think that man is brainwashing you or something!” Jay shouted. “Stop it! Snap out of it!”
Nya sighed and sat back down. “At least we’re still human.”
Jay sighed. “Don't remind me.”
“Just so we're even, massage my shoulders,” Nya told him, sitting up.
“Well...alright,” Jay replied, and he began to gently rub her shoulders, while Nya began to approach “chubby” territory. And then it stopped. “It wore off!”
![[y]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/WYWPH2VRo26pOFDid7QZ.png)
like the detail!
