~ johnnie guilbert

'TW: blood, fighting, threats, crash collisions, ghost stories, anxiety, emotional anguish.

Everyone looked nothing like what they normally did. Nya was steering The Bounty, making all sorts of twists and turns, speeding it up and slowing it down to try and lose Morro on our tails. He was fast, I didn't understand how he was catching up to us so quickly. How could the wind be so strong? She was holding her breath, taking small gasps only when she needed to. Her ponytail was messy, unlike her true usual self, it had countless strands falling apart at the sides. Jay stood next to her, he was biting the inside of his cheek anxiously, breathing through his nose shakily, though I think it was deliberate. He looked tired. Kai was backed against the wall, looking out of the large glass window to try and spot the monster who took Lloyd from us. I could only see a dark green glow from the dark clouds, I couldn't see him truly. Kai was taking long and deep pants, arms folded, glaring past his eyebrows. His hair was still spiked, just more messy, his lip looked swollen but the bleeding had slowed.
Cole was pacing up and down the wooden floor, his breathing even in exhale and inhale. His hair was a mess and the back of his Gi had a slit down it showing off his dark skin.
Zane was the only one looking too normal. He was just stood next to Wu with no expression, I couldn't focus on his breathing, he looked like he wasn't even doing it.

I felt skittish. I wanted to curl up into a ball and just sob my heart up, but I also wanted to scream at Wu and scream at Morro. I'm sure I probably looked a mess too. I had Lloyd's bloody handprint on my cheek, there was no time to wash it off. My hand had a shard of glass in it that I had to pull out, it wasn't big, but it still hurt. Lloyd's jacket was currently the thing I was using to apply pressure onto it. I haded it because I was ruining the pretty colour, I wanted it to stay the same colour as his eyes but... oh wait. I was turning it red and his eyes did that sometimes. Suddenly the guilt of staining the jacket mostly went away.
My whole body felt like it was trembling though, no amount of jackets could change that.

"Shit!" Kai cursed, all of us turned to him, "Morro's on Lloyd's Dragon!"

He was what now? Oh no, please tell me you're joking. The dragon? No.

"Take positions," Wu commanded, opening the door for them to run out onto the deck again, "Nora, you stay here and keep the ship straight,"

My throat closed up, he was telling me to stay? Why? What? No! I'd never even driven a car and he was putting me in charge of a flying ship! Holy hell!
But I was too anxious to say anything back to him. I wanted to refuse but I couldn't. My friends were running out there trying to stop an evil being who was currently in his prime given the storm swirling around us. They could get hurt, Kai was already suffering, all of them were, they must be tired and bruised. I was the only one mostly fine! I knew I couldn't physically help but I did hurt him twice! Ohmygod I hurt Lloyd too though. Oh my god.
I jumped into action when The Bounty shifted and grabbed the wheel, staring out into the clouds that I couldn't see through.
I desperately wanted to give Morro a peice of my mind. How dare he take away Lloyd from me? Was what he was doing hurting him? I didn't want Lloyd to be hurting. I just wish he came back to me.
My heart clenched painfully. Wu and Misako... this was their fault.

The boat rocked and a loud crash made me duck down and cover my head with one arm. I looked over my shoulder, big mistake.
Lloyd's Dragon which once was just a light green mystical creature with golden horns and a green afterglow was replaced with something out of a horror movie. It's body was longer and larger, it didn't even look like something made from magic anymore. It had a long face, the horns were now and curling into its cheeks, almost like the exact representation of the devil. It's eyes were an alarming red, bright and vulgar. It's mouth was open widely, panting, it's tongue flapping to the side. The teeth were like nothing I'd ever seen and it made my heart shudder. Imagine millions of knives dug out and pointing directly at you. The talons were extended and had made large indents into the wooden flooring of the ship.
And Morro, Morro's laugh echoed around in the wind, I had to ground my teeth together to hold back a cry of frustration. He had Lloyd's mask on. If I hadn't been aware of this situation then I would've run into his arms and welcomed him warmly when he'd arrived. I just wanted Lloyd to come back to us.

As my friends stood before the dragon, looking like ants compared to the vile beast, I noticed Kai, Zane and Wu leave Nya, Jay and Cole behind to defend The Bounty. Where were they going? What were they doing leaving those three behind?
With a small stretch, as if he was just getting out of bed, Morro took back the elemental powered dragon and stealthily dropped to the floor. It was a relief to see the beast vanish, but that was still Lloyd they were being forced to fight.
There had to be something I could do, but what? I stared down at the control pad and read over the buttons. Auto pilot? Jesus Wu you coulda told me that! I slammed my hand down on the button and a small man appeared and began driving. I think I blamed Zane or Jay for the creation of that thing.
I ran out of the room, standing in the doorway, looking down the hallways just to catch a glimpse of Red.

"Kai!"

"Nora,"

I immediately looked the other way. Morro was at the other end of the corridor and it made my blood run cold. Had Cole, Jay and Nya not even tried? Did Morro hurt them too badly? Before I could form any words, he lifted his hand and lobbed something in my direction. Just in time, I ducked, gripping onto the wooden doorframe to hold me steady. Whatever he did made The Bounty drop. We suddenly weren't flying so confidently like I had left the auto pilot to do, we were pointed towards the ground. I stared back at the imposter who lifted his mask off. Whether it was his intention for whatever he threw to hit me or the auto pilot, to see Lloyd's fact contorted into one of hatred as he stared back at me made me want to scream.
Before I even could, a loud war cry emerged and Nya slammed him forcefully to the wall, gripping his shoulder with one hand and wrapping a hand around his throat. I stared with wide eyes, completely frozen with a mix of surprise and fear.

"Nora! Gah! Go to Kai!" She grunted, trying to keep him in place.

My hands shook as I tried to lift myself up. I ended up stumbling down the hallway as the ship fell towards the ground slowly. I tried to glance behind me when I heard Nya's struggle, but I ended up crashing into Zane. Both Ninja turned around and grabbed one of my shoulders, I didn't focus on them, I was staring at Wu who slammed a door shut leaving us outside. What was he doing.

"Nora get behind us!" Kai shoved me back with good intentions, but I ended up smacking my head into the wall.

Through blurry vision, I saw Morro at the end of the hallway. Nya. The ship somehow steadied and I felt us lift again. I ended up walking to the bottom of the hallway, leaning against the same door which held the door Wu went through leaving his students behind.
Morro let out a cry creating a disastrous amount of wind for an inside environment which made a pile of full crates unexpectedly collide into Zane. I screamed, watching him crash back next to me, his eyes shut as he tried to focus. I looked back at Kai to make sure it hadn't hurt him but he was fine. I wish I could say the same for The Bounty though, they must've hit a weak spot because there was a hole in the side of it. The wind rushing in and out of the hallway made me uneasy. More power for Morro.

"Your team will fall apart without its Green leader," He growled angrily.

I kneeled down to try and shove the crates off of Zane but my head turned quickly to glare at the possessor. He caught my eye and smirked.

"I'll lead them!" Kai barked loudly, running at the monster, shoving him back, "And I'll make sure you go down if it's the last thing I do,"

I don't watch them fight, I groan, pulling off a heavy crate off of Zane's chest. His eyes flutter open and he looks up at me with a little confusion before regaining his senses.

He shuffled back to sit up, "Zane are you okay?"

"Fine," He mumbled, leaning away from my help to lean against the wall instead to pull himself up.

We all fell forward, I cried out again. Zane gripped my hand tightly, he had clearly managed to grab onto one of the pipes above us. What was going on? Why were we going up? Was this Cole's doing? Or Jay's? Or Nya's? I didn't care but I wanted it to stop, I wanted it all to stop. I wanted Lloyd and not this corrupted Lloyd.
Kai let out a yelp, it was something I never wanted to hear from his mouth and when I looked, he was dangling out of the ship.

"I'm coming, Kai!" Zane yelled, yanking me closer to him and forcing my hand onto the bar which he had held onto.

I watched in utter horror as Zane drove forward. Morro didn't care about Zane's attempt to be a hero, his hands were pushed forward, heavy air trying to make Kai's hands slip so he fell. No no no.

"Kai!" I could only yell hopelessly, what were my words going to do to save him?

Zane tried to pull Morro back but he shot one of his hands at Zane pushing the White Ninja against the wall, unable to move from the wind strength. There was a noise behind me, I looked, expecting more danger but saw Wu. Half of me sank with relief.

"You want the staff?" He lifted the wood tauntingly, "Take it!"

My mouth dropped as I watch the man run forward to throw it out the same place where Kai dangled. I wasn't sure what was going through Red Ninja's head, but his hands let go of the side purposely to try and grab it. The scream I let out wasn't real, it couldn't have been. What was he thinking? It was just a peice of wood! What about Nya!? What about Skylor!? What about all of us!?
Morro leapt from the hole too, though I wasn't entirely worried, he had Lloyd's Dragon but it still made my heart palpatate like no end.

Zane leaped out halfway, managing to grab onto the wrist of Kai, "Got you!"

"Primary thrusters destabilized, better hold on!" Nya yelled over the intercom.

Oh my god she was okay but what on earth did that mean?

"Nora!" Kai hissed out my name with anxiety.

I let go of the bar and ran over to him, not expecting him to fully encase me in his arms.

"Do not let go of me no matter what happens," He said over all the loud noise of the slapping wind flying all around us.

I nodded into his chest, keeping my arms locked under his shoulders, hugging him tight to me. Everything started to shake, I squeezed my eyes shut. We were going down. We were going to die and I'd never see Lloyd again. My dad. Oh my god my dad would never see me again. My dad. Oh nonononono. He must be so worried. I said I'd be back today but I wasn't, I'm not! Dad.
I couldn't even feel myself shake, everything was crashing down, everything was horrible and all I could feel was Kai's one arm around me so tight I felt like I could even move. He must be holding onto something with his other hand. I was so confused. Why wasn't he breaking down in the same way I was? Why wasn't he scared for his life like I was? I didn't want to believe that he had been through worse, how could there be a worse in this situation?
Noise was all around us, we were hitting things. Oh my god what if it was Ninjago? Where even were we? Were we hurting people? Killing people? It was slowing our fall, sure that was great and all but what about other people?

With one last thunderous crash, we stilled. I didn't risk opening my eyes, I was too scared. I finally became aware of Kai's erratic breathing against me and the sheer tightness from his hand that clung to me. There were footsteps approaching but I didn't want to look, what if it was Morro?

"Are you okay? Is everyone okay?" Cole panted, leaning against the wall for support.

"Yes," Kai hissed, his hand coming away from my back, "Nora, you good?"

There was no way in hell that this man just said yes. His heard was jumping out of his chest and his lungs were crying out in dire need for his breathing to slow down.

"Yeah," I whispered, forcing myself to let go of him even though I really didn't want to.

I looked at Cole and clenched my jaw. He had a long gash over his forehead. Zane rushed over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Is anyone else harmed?" He wondered, brushing the raven hair away from the wound.

"Nah, they're okay," He relieved us all with his answer.

"I'll go find the first aid kit," Zane let go of his friend and took a step towards where Cole had just entered from.

But he stopped for a moment then turned to look at me. I stared back, what? Why was he looking at me? Did he want my first aid knowledge or something? Zane just clenched his jaw then turned back, continuing his misson on helping his friend.
Weird.

"Is Nya okay?" Kai moved away from me, the loss of protection made me sad.

"She's fine, Jay had hold of her the whole time," Cole explained, then turned to Wu, "We need to get out of this thing in case the engine is damaged,"

"Of course, gather everything we need for a safe evacuation," He nodded, ushering Kai and Cole to follow Zane out.

I stared at him, completely at a loss for words until a few came to mind, "Are you going to tell them?"

"Not yet," He replied quickly.

"When? I'll tell them if I have to," My voice grew stronger at the threat.

At this point, I really didn't care that I was threatening the man who raised Lloyd. He was supposed to protect his nephew yet he knew this was going to happen and didn't. He didn't avoid this, he let it happen. The others deserved to know.

"It's a very complicated issue Nora, they cannot be aware of this," He placed his hand on my shoulder, pursuing me to step forward and into the doorway that Cole and Kai had left in minutes before.

I shrugged my shoulder so his hand fell off and said nothing to him, walking through. I wouldn't tell the others, not now, but I would if I felt like I needed to. Wu didn't need to know that though, so I kept silent. I didn't trust him anymore, I didn't feel safe around him. If he could so easily let his Nephew get caught up in this mess then what were the rest of his team to him? What was he capable of?

💫

"I'm fine Fox," Kai mumbled, scratching his head as he spoke over the phone to Skylor.

I couldn't hear her reply, but I could imagine it. She'd be so worried for him, for all of us.

"Yeah, I'll let them know," He nodded, "Look, you gotta do something for me, for Nora. Get Neuro to do something to her Dad so he doesn't worry about where she is. We'll keep her with us until all of this has blown over and Lloyd is safe,"

"Do what to my dad?" I asked out of place.

Kai glanced at me, "Something that won't make him run off to the police saying a Garmadon has kidnapped his daughter,"

Oh. Okay yeah that was beneficial. I turned away from him, trying to make myself as small as possible. The blanket over my shoulders wasn't offering me much comfort. I looked over to everyone else. I'm pretty sure Cole was asleep next to me, his head was rested back against the fallen log that I was sat on. His head looked a little better, Zane had put some stitches on it. Before Kai, he had called George who was a lot more vocal about his worry despite Cole's assurance that he'd be okay once he had a nice meal and a warm shower. I seconded that.
Wu was making a fire naturally which had annoyed Kai immensely. Zane was trying to cook over the little heat they had but it wasn't going very well. He said that they didn't tend to carry food on The Bounty and was just having make do with what they did have. I didn't care, I didn't think I could eat anyway.
Nya was sat beside Jay, a fallen expression on her face as she watched him clean up the scrapes on the palms of her hands gently. Every so often he would look up and say something to her which resulted in a short smile. Seeing them together made me happy.

"Why did you throw the staff?" Kai asked, shoving the phone into his harness.

Wu looked up, "I had no use for it anymore,"

He frowned, but another voice spoke up, "You had use for it before you threw it?"

Okay that freaked me out. Cole was not asleep and the fact that he could pretend so easily was alarming.

"In the tea shop, it rolled over some crushed herbs making an imprint," Woah what? It did? "I assume Morro was after the message,"

"That's why you needed to go to your room," Zane's voice made it seem like the clogs had turned in his brain and things finally made sense.

"Indeed," Wu pulled out some crumpled paper from his pocket, unfolding it to reveal three symbols.

"But w-what does that mean?" Jay frowned, throwing aside a wipe to grab another for Nya to wipe her eyes with.

"My father told me long ago that he would leave a message, leading me to his final resting place. After he passed, I looked everywhere for it, not knowing it was in my hand all this time,"

Oh my god yeah. The First Spinjitzu Master was Wu's father. That was kinda exciting, though I wish I had the energy to show it.

"You mean to tell us--" Nya looked shocked to her core.

"Yes, these symbols will lead us to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master. Only problem is I haven't the foggiest idea what any of them mean," He frowned, looking over the images again.

What. They led to the death place of the guy who created everything!? There was no way ever.

"Well, if Morro is trying to find the tomb, we gotta find it first," Kai too a seat in between Jay and I, leaning over his brother to grab some wipes.

"Hey, maybe Misako can help decipher the clues since she's a total history buff," Cole nestled closer into the tree like it was comfortable.

I pulled my blanket off and threw it over him, "Sleep like a baby, will you Cole?"

He snorted, "Thanks,"

"Noor," I turned to the caller of the nickname and Kai lifted his hand, showing me the wipe.

I nodded and he pressed it against my cheek. I sat still, trying not to look at the way the white turned red. I was a little sour that Misako was going to be dragged into this again. A part of me hoped that when she had ran from Steep Wisdom she wouldn't return. What good had she done for Lloyd anyway?

"Care to hear a ghost story?" Wu asked, breaking the silence between everyone.

Kai glanced at his master, not answering.

"If it means saving Lloyd, of course," Zane agreed, taking his seat next to Nya.

"Morro may have been my first pupil, but he was also my greatest regret. Before he was a cursed spirit, it wasn't I who found him...but he who found me," He started off sombre, like speaking of the past upset him, "My brother had just gone off to train under Master Chen, which gave me time to attempt my hand at teaching. Morro was the perfect student. He did everything that was ever asked of him,"

My mind went feral even though there wasn't much explanation. His brother, meaning Lord Garmadon right? And Master Chen, meaning Skylor's Dad. Lord Garmadon and Skylor's Dad had met? Oh God okay that was a little scary to think about.

"Nora," I glanced at Kai who's voice had fallen, "You okay?"

"I had shown him things he had never seen and he showed me a few things too. He had a power over the Wind I had never seen. He was a descendant of an Elemental Master. It was then I thought I had found the one. Perhaps he would wear green," That made my eyes widen, I wasn't the only one who was shocked.

"Yes," I replied, watching him crunch up the used and blood filled wipe.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up. You're saying Morro, the Master of Wind, was gonna be the Green Ninja!?" Jay was in disbelief, Nya stared at him with an unsurprised expression.

The fire crackled and fizzed when a gust of wind blew it to one side. We all froze.

"Uh, did that just happen?" Cole sat up, looking around.

Nobody answered,Wu continued, "After I told him he could be the Green Ninja, there was a hunger unmatched,"

"You're hiding something," Kai whispered accusingly.

Uh oh, how could he tell?

"There was an arrogance in him. I feared I had made a terrible mistake, but it wasn't for me to decide. It was destiny. When the Golden Weapons didn't respond like they did for Lloyd later, I knew Morro wouldn't become the chosen one," He continued, shaking his head.

"Of course I'm not," I told Kai, sending him a smile to try to relieve his suspicion.

"He became obsessed to prove me wrong. To prove destiny wrong. He became reckless. He thought he was invincible,"

My heard sank a little at the story. I felt kind of... bad... for Morro. Wu told him that he could be one of the greatest heros ever and any child trained for it would believe it. Any child would think that would be incredible. But to have it ripped away? I couldn't say I entirely blamed him.

"I knew right there and then I could not teach those who would not listen. He told me he would find my father's tomb to prove he was worthy. I told him it could not be found. My father had left no message. I left the gate open in hopes he'd return, but he never came back," With a sigh, he spoke the next part, "I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm, but what worries me more is that he escaped, and for what reason?"

"Liar," Kai frowned, "You need to tell me,"

"To save Lloyd and return your powers, you must find the tomb before he does,"

"Or what?" Jay asked, the fear of his question coursing through me.

The mention of Lloyd's name, the anxiety of Jay's question and the intensity of Kai's accusing eyes made me feel trapped.

"Unspeakable power will curse us all," Wu stared back at his Blue student.

"Just another day in Ninjago, am I right?" He laughed nervously.

"This is different," Kai tuned back into the conversation, "Lloyd is at stake,"

Don't remind me.

"But how can we compete against the Green Ninja? He's more powerful than all four of us combined," Cole spoke a valid point.

"And that was before we lost our powers," Zane reminded, glancing at his hands like Ice would appear.

"But it's like Sensei said. Our real power doesn't come from our hands, it comes from inside here," Kai tapped three fingers to his chest, looking at everybody, "This is Lloyd we're talking about. This is one mission we cannot fail, he has people to get back to now,"

My face scrunched up with emotion, tears in my waterline, I squeezed my eyes shut to force them away.
After Wu's story, everyone settled down into their own little conversations. Kai never left my side.

"It's Sensei, isn't it," He mumbled, glancing at me for a moment before looking away.

"Why does it matter?" I broke for a moment, pulling down my facade.

"We don't keep secrets here Nora," Kai replied, staring at me now.

I was conflicted. Whatever reason for Wu and Misako's secrecy was still immoral. Their son and nephew was possessed by someone infatuated with being him. But what if... just what if that for some off reason, their secrecy was for a reason, a valid reason.
I settled down with my mind.

"Wu knew. Him and Misako knew this would happen," I whispered, my hands shaking.

Kai sucked in a deep inhale, leaning back in his sitting position, then exhaled heavily, standing up and walking away.
My cheek stung in the shape of a handprint.

🐉

I'm evil so I'm really excited to write after the possession because I like writing angst :P

Memes!!!!!

This is cannon btw^

Coles face 💀