Guess what? I'm back! It's been a long time, and I'm still working on this fanfic. Apologies for the super long hiatus, I fell into a different fandom for a long while. However, since March of The Oni has come out in another country, I am back in!
And for all the reviewers of my previous story, I give you guys a special apology. You were all nice enough to read and enjoy the story, and I left you guys hanging for a year. I'm sorry.
And for all of those who read this, thank you for enjoying my story! Seriously, I went back and re-read some of this, and realized that Myrana is super un-empathetic. She is nothing short of a jerk when I read this, haha. But hey, that is a bit of the point but I know it can be hard to relate to.
I hope you guys enjoy the story, and I vow that it will be done!
"Now of course, where are my manners? What's your name?" Lloyd turned to face Morro.
"Morro."
"Well, Morro. You weren't very smart by coming here, were you?" The green ninja taunted, and Morro growled, stepping forward dangerously.
"Myrana, make sure he doesn't hurt me. Keep him under control." At his command, I grabbed onto the chain connected to the collar around Morro's neck.
"I thought that maybe one day I'd be you, but now I'm glad I'm not." Morro growled out, and Lloyd stiffened.
"Let's see about that. Myrana, follow me and bring Morro along. Seems there's a room downstairs too, Echo really knows this place like no one else." After Lloyd's order, Morro looked at me with an expression of desperation. I shook my head sadly, pulling on the collar to get him to follow.
"You're that desperate? For what, it's not li-" Morro started, but Lloyd was quick to glare at him.
"I want to use Myrana. She's a tool, a master at finding all the secrets that we can never see. She's taught me how to manipulate the world around me, and I know there's still so much to learn from her. Besides, she needs to pay back Ninjago for what she's done to everyone, what she's done to me. Myrana is a knight turned queen in the world's game of chess, an irregular piece."
"Nearly murdered you, right?"
"How'd you know? I would've thought that she'd hide it."
"First time she met me. Got upset she became practically immortal, not really in the best state of mind."
"Well aren't you lucky. You got a warning."
"What do you mean?"
"She told you her worst act the moment she met you. If I were you, I'd run faster than the wind in the opposite direction. You should be happy I didn't just order her to punish you. I'm sure she'd be very creative."
"Oh really?"
Lloyd began to laugh. It was cold and heartless, a reminder of how much he's changed for the worse.
"I'm only going to trickle water on you. Still painful, but it could be so much worse." I flinched at his admission, realizing he was unintentionally doing something similar to 'Chinese Water Torture.' Except, it was going to be like pouring acid.
"Myrana, you know this kind of stuff?" Morro noticed my expression of understanding. I nodded in response, and Lloyd looked curious.
"Let me guess, you only thought of the possibility as a ghost." Lloyd rolled his eyes, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs. I shook my head, and Morro looked at me in confusion.
"Water doesn't do anything harmful to people in small amounts. If you're alive, why would it affect you?"
"Yeah, Myrana, why don't you explain as I set you two up." Lloyd smirked as he brought us into the small and crowded hidden room in the wall.
"I-it's known as 'Chinese Water Torture.' A small trickle of water is placed above someone's forehead, and the person beneath cannot move," As I explained, Lloyd found a large nail and began connecting more chains to Morro and the nail, "It sounds harmless, but the constant feeling can become unbearable, especially with ice-water. There are other forms of torture that include water, but none use as little as the 'Chinese Water Torture' system that I know of. I don't know any history about it."
"Interesting." Lloyd offhandedly replied as he took the main collar chain from me and attaching it to the large nail. Curling it up with a heavier weapon, Lloyd turned to me.
"Sit down next to him, and I want you to sit still no matter what until I tell you to move." I followed Lloyd's command, settling down next to Morro as Lloyd left to grab something.
"I thought you said he was nice." Morro simply spoke, and I frowned. He was nice, just a long time ago, I supposed.
"This isn't going to be easy. There's going to be scars for both of us, mainly on the inside. We grow back our bodies pretty easily." I nodded in response, glancing at the small rip in Morro's right shoulder seam thanks to the deepstone dagger. Lloyd re-entered, carrying a few small funnels and other equipment alongside a bucket of water.
"It's a bit sudden, but I've got the supplies. Don't worry, I'll keep it simple. Just a trickle on your arms should be enough." Lloyd mumbled, putting the funnels above us and angling them above our arms. Buckets were placed underneath the funnels, placing one of both of our forearms above them.
"That should do." Lloyd finished setting everything up and began to pour in water in my funnel. He put something inside to make the trickle more gradual, and the water that hit my arm burned less than deepstone, but still painful. I breathed in and out frantically, unable to scream or even squeak. The water would fall through my skin, but unlike deepstone would not leave any sort of hole. Why water went through and deepstone did not was a curious thought, but was pushed to the back of my mind thanks to the fire that spread up may arm thanks to the water. Luckily, it was tolerable thanks to my previous experience with being unable to follow orders, that was much worse than anything else.
Switching to Morro's, Lloyd poured in the water and Morro glared at Lloyd through the entire process. As the water trickled through his skin just like mine, Morro hissed but said nothing. Lloyd squinted, but left Morro alone.
"If Myrana is anything to go by, I'm sure the water is painful. No need for me to make it worse and risk you going back to the Cursed Realm. I didn't catch the Realm Crystal, they've been putting fakes all around Ninjago, so it would be an unwise idea to let you go back." Lloyd shrugged, and faced me instead.
"When the water runs out in both funnels, just come up and get me, and we'll have a good chat about what both of you can and can't do on this island." Lloyd commanded, walking back upstairs, leaving the room's strange stone door open.
I stared at the water falling through my arm and into the black bucket, feeling each little droplet of water scorch my ghostly limb. How much pain would Lloyd or anyone else be able to inflict on me as long as he wore that necklace?
In the quiet of the room, I began to hear Morro's small mutters. Most of them were about beating Lloyd into a million pieces, and some were about the pain caused by the water. As I listened to his threats, I started to think of my own.
Lloyd didn't have the Realm Crystal yet, so there was still an advantage. The Ninja, if they were willing, could easily raise a larger group to fight off Lloyd. I'm sure the Preeminent would spare a few more ghosts to fight Lloyd. What Lloyd was doing to us, if the Preeminent was looking, may be taken as an act of war. Of course, I have no qualms about Ninjago. I just want it to stay in my past is all.
Suddenly, a small portal opened. Always unpredictable, those things. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to close it right now. Lloyd made me wait and sit still, so I must follow those orders.
"Another one of those portals, think we could get out using them?" Morro asked, and I frowned. Reluctantly, I shrugged. Earth had many tools, getting something that could help us was a gamble.
"So we're not getting out of here." Morro deadpanned, and I shook my head firmly. Leaving Lloyd behind and never seeing him again was one of my top priorities. We would get out, but only if we were patient and played his game long enough to find little loopholes. Attacking full force would only immediately reveal all of our cards. This was a game of strategy and deception, one I knew well.
A small book fell out of the portal, hitting me on the side of my head with a light thunk. I glanced back up at the portal, reminding myself that ignoring the stupid extreme pain also meant that I had to beware my surroundings also. I had become good at isolating the pain, but it unintentionally affected my other senses too.
Reading the cover of the book that now sat behind the bucket, it read: "The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America." I smiled, a slight bit of nostalgia hitting me. I was not in any sort of politics or law class when I was on Earth, due to my age at the time, but I knew the significance of that document. Since I was American, I knew the Constitution protected my speech and other rights. Unfortunately, Ninjago didn't have that. To this day, I knew very little about the government and their role.
"Is it important?" Morro tried to view the book, chains rattling in protest. I turned back to him and nodded slightly.
"Will it help?" A shake of the head was my response.
"That portal better help us eventually, because this pain is still agonizing, despite my experience with it." Morro grumbled, and I shrugged. While I too had learned to ignore pain after a long enough period, it was still something I had to actively push away.
Using the portal as a distraction from the pain, I looked into the void and seeing random objects pass by. Tablets, golf clubs, cars, random metal beams all passed through the inky black of the other side. Another object eventually fell out, a car battery that made a loud crash. I only sighed in response, knowing the objects that would fall out would be random, and I'd likely have to put it back.
Wooden stairs creaked as I heard Lloyd rushing down the steps to find the source of the loud noise made by the battery. He burst into the room, dagger in hand. Once Lloyd noticed the portal, he relaxed.
"Right. Almost forgot about those." He sighed, and another object fell out of the portal. It was a figurine, with brown and spiky hair. In its hand held an oversized… Key? Whatever this figurine was from, I did not recognize. Lloyd walked over and took the figurine, using it to scratch away the portal.
"A battery, a book and a moveable creature. Weird." Lloyd hummed, picking up the book and the figurine. I frowned at the mention of the little key-holding figure being called a creature. I looked like him, I assumed the figure was male, once upon a time. Monster I may be, but human I once was. They were times I cherished, and memories faded over time. To call my happiest memories and taint it with 'creature' was insulting.
"Important? Tell me." Lloyd waved the objects around.
"I find your words against the figurine derogatory to my past and culture. I once had a body shape like that back on Earth, though the hair is not very common and the giant key is a mystery to me. The book is a copy of some of the most important legal documents for the creation of my home country. I would be careful with your commentary." I growled, and Lloyd glanced back at the items.
"Keeping them doesn't seem like too terrible an idea. Besides, I might need the battery anyways." Lloyd mumbled, deciding to leave the room with the two objects. Silence reigned over the small room, and Morro began to struggle with the pain once more. As I saw his struggle, my mind began to focus on the pain as well, despite my continued success at avoiding it.
Against my own rational thought, I turned to face my arm that sat above the bucket and watched as water continued to fall through my skin and cause excruciating pain. Fortunately, the drops were slower than before, and once the water passed it would no longer hurt until the next drop. It didn't even have that ache after soothing pain, but every bit hurt.
So we both suffered silently, able to handle the impossibly long yet quick bouts of pain caused by something so simple as the very liquid that likely covered most of Ninjago's planet. Surprisingly, I did not know the name of said planet. If anything, Ninjago is all the people know here. I suppose the realm is named the same thing, but it's just not like Earth and its many countries and cities.
At least I took comfort in knowing that this could be much worse, and that I had gotten the better outcome. Lloyd was now gutsy enough to try and torture us, but it was nothing compared to what I could come up with.
The time that it took for each drop to fall lengthened, eventually coming to a stop. I glanced at Morro's funnel, seeing that it too had stopped.
"Glad that's finished." Morro sighed, and I stood up. Gliding out of the room, I flew up the stairs and knocked on the floor. There wasn't exactly a door, just a hole with stairs leading to the main upper room. Already, Lloyd had customized the small space to hold a makeshift kitchen. How Dr. Julien lived here previously without such was a mystery, since there was only a table, not even a restroom.
"You don't seem crushed into a million pieces. Good enough, I suppose." Lloyd shrugged, walking forward to glare at me much closer than I was comfortable with, but I stood my ground. Lloyd can fool Morro and the Ninja that he doesn't care anymore, I cannot be tricked.
"Still got some bravado in you, huh? Keep it under control, I'd not have you get too cocky with your brand new partner." He rolled his eyes as he walked downstairs, carrying a wrench in his right hand. Squinting at it, I noticed some familiar scratches.
"Curious? It's yours. I do have the authority to take and use any of your old possessions, you know. It's all stuck in one room back in Ninjago. Some theorists came around at looked at them, but kind of lost interest in you once they learned what you truly were. Of course, they never told anyone about you. You're too painful for strangers to talk about you."
I glared, knowing that it was all fact and an attempt to get under my skin. Nonetheless, I merely expressed indifference. Lloyd only observed my actions in return, his own expression confident as he continued down the stairs.
As he walked into the small downstairs room, he frowned at Morro's confidence.
"I guess it'll be a long talk tonight." He spoke, and Morro only gave a wide grin in return. Lloyd unhooked chains and left Morro with the one collar and chain around his neck. Once free, Morro floated beside me. Lloyd raised an eyebrow, but made no comment. Turning away, Lloyd began to walk up the stairs. Following behind, Morro begrudgingly floated alongside me. Morro was glaring at the back of Lloyd's head, almost as if he were trying to burn a hole through him.
Suddenly, Morro launched himself at Lloyd in an attempt to grab the necklace. Despite Morro being as fast as the wind, the fear of pain I would feel if I failed and the instinct of the mark on my shoulder reacted just slightly faster.
I held out a single hand, gripping the chain that was connected to Morro's neck tightly as the taut links clinked in response. Morro hissed, his hand still outstretched for the necklace that Lloyd wore. Unfortunately, his hand was just short, and Lloyd looked smug as he turned around in surprise. Lloyd only looked at Morro for a moment, his face flattening.
Taking the dagger placed in a small sheath on his waist, he sliced a small cut on Morro's cheek with a quick and powerful swing. The cut healed almost instantly, but if Morro's flinch backwards was anything, it was not pleasant.
"Try that again and I won't be so merciful." Lloyd warned, putting his dagger back into the sheath. Morro only moved to stand on the stairs, no longer floating. I noticed his slight hunch, he was tired. The deepstone did make it harder for him to use his natural ghost powers, it must have been tough to float. While a small detail, I made sure to remember it. Morro did not have to exhaust himself to show power here. Not while I'm around.
As we entered the upper room, Lloyd sat down and gestured for us to do the same.
"Alright. Rules. Both of you can't leave this island without my permission. You don't get to tell anyone where we are, unless I say so. If I ask you do do something, you do it. Keep watch while I sleep, and don't fight. If you two have an argument, come to me. I may hate you," Lloyd pointed at me, "But I'm going to be fair, unlike you. Screw up, get the hammer. Stick to the rules, and I won't hit. Same for you Morro."
"I can't believe Wu let someone like you grow up." Morro hissed, and Lloyd stepped forward. His face was twisted into fury, and he backhanded Morro harshly. He stumbled, rubbing his cheek then stood up straight in defiance.
"How you know Sensei isn't important now, but learn this. You insult me or Sensei again, it won't be just a slap you'll have to deal with." Lloyd threatened. Morro only glared back, will unwavering.
"I've dealt with worse." Morro replied, standing strong.
"Nice to know." Lloyd hummed, turning away. I glanced back at Morro, trying to express my worry. The all-powerful green ninja wasn't some kid anymore, and I only made that worse. He's learned to watch and observe, just like me. Words are not just weapons.
"Also, you two will be like maids. Keep this place clean, close the portals when they show up, manage the place in general. I'll be nice and let you two live downstairs. You're allowed to mess with things in there, just don't use any of it to try and hurt me. I know Myrana's clever." Lloyd shrugged, and I frowned. He was giving us a surprising amount of leeway, and so I remained stoic. An opportunity like this would not come up again without gaining Lloyd's trust, and I doubted that it would be easy to rebuild it if I broke it down.
"Once we hit the two month mark, I'll take you with me back to Ninjago to find the real Realm Crystal. I will need you, Myrana, to use some of your powers. You are now allowed to get used to them, and practice. Possession included. However, while using your powers, you're not allowed to try and use them against me. You are my knight turned queen in this game of chess, my life and it's continued existence is your goal at all times."
I only gave a slight nod, and Morro glanced at me with surprise. He said nothing, realizing after a moment I am only playing along. There was time to make a new plan. This was only home maintenance at the most.
There was time.
And if anyone was good at manipulating it for the future, it was me.
"Luckily for me, you two don't necessarily need food. So, I took the liberty to make my own dinner." Lloyd turned to the small mobile oven, how he had brought it over was a mystery, and pulled out a small pie of sorts. Chicken pot pie, I'm sure. Frozen most likely, and I frowned at it.
"Worried for the sustainability? Don't, turns out Ronin does delivery. He's got some small drones, been experimenting with them and what they can take. Pretty useful, huh? It's also a secret channel, no one can even detect it." Lloyd smiled. I huffed and looked around at the small kitchen in better detail.
The small oven with a stove was obviously fire-heated, given that it had a small thing at the bottom for wood or coal. A small fridge sat further away from the oven and a sink sat off to the side with a few tanks of water nearby. Filters sat in them, keeping both sets of the water clean. A few little boxes sat as makeshift cabinets and countertops. Simplistic, but got the job done.
"You know, ghosts have a severe appetite for food. I'm curious as to how neither of you have started diving for this yet."
"Myrana hasn't been a ghost long enough, and she doesn't focus on it. It's like reading a book, you get absorbed and forget the world. She is constantly on her toes, there is no reason to focus on food." Morro replied, and Lloyd looked at Morro with his own wicked grin.
"I asked how neither of you two seem to want this. What's your excuse, subaltern?" I frowned, I didn't recognize the word. Whatever it meant, I'm sure it was degrading.
"Not really any of your business, to be honest. If it isn't obvious, then it isn't something I want to share."
"If you say so… Say, I never knew independence could leave behind such a smoky flavor. You should try it sometime." Lloyd smirked, and I balled my hands into fists. He didn't just burn a copy of the Constitution, the very basis of American law…
A torn and battered pocket Constitution was held tightly in Lloyd's hand, and I gave an angry huff. How dare he burn the thing millions stood for! It had been long since I had seen the country of the United States of America, but I still remained a citizen. Alongside that, it came from Earth! If he wanted to get rid of it, he should've just waited to throw it back in! Earth was my entire home planet, and he's decided to go and destroy a copy of one of the the fundamental documents of my home country!
I wished so desperately that I could punch Lloyd for burning the small book. Lloyd only laughed, and put the rest in the oven fire.
Huffing furiously, I stopped floating and looked up at Lloyd. I may still care for his wellbeing, but I will make sure that he will pay in his own ways. There would be consequences for burning the very foundation for my previous life.
This will be a two-man war.
A hand on my shoulder brought me out of my angry stupor, and I glanced at Morro. The message was clear, even without words. Don't play his game. Wars were not just fought with weapons, especially when it was just between us. Stripped of my free will, words, pen and sword, this would be a game of manipulation. It was time to play with fire of my own.
"You're friends, aren't you? I've seen that look before. I wouldn't trust Myrana if I were you, she's the most dangerous weapon in this entire universe."
"Who's to say that I'm not?" Morro retorted, and I frowned. In all honesty, Morro didn't know that I had hurt people more than once. I had never told him, he never asked.
"I have no doubt she got you to read strategy or other sorts of books, but have you read the history? The most ruthless and vile of rulers, torture going far beyond what I put you through downstairs?" Lloyd sneered, and Morro frowned.
"Why should she make me read that? At this rate I'd be more than willing to fight you, and I don't exactly want to hold back. You should be happy that I don't know how to hit you without putting her in danger."
"How long have you known her?"
"I'd guess a lot longer than you."
"Then you're obviously not educated enough to know when you should leave."
"I'm as educated as your Sensei!" Morro yelled, his lack of school being a sore spot. As he stepped forwards, I grabbed onto the burning chain that connected to the collar around his neck. My scar warmed in warning, only adding to the slight panic in my head.
"So he taught you?" Lloyd asked, and Morro simmered down, realizing his mistake. Morro remained tight lipped, just staring at my grip on his collar chain. As he stepped back, I let go and watched the chain fall back down to settle right beside his knees.
"I thought so. Better to just keep quiet around me. There's no better teacher than Myrana when it comes down to making and detecting lies." Lloyd glanced at me, and I only squinted in response.
"Until I can trust you both to do more advanced tasks, I'm going to let you go back downstairs. Do whatever you need, I don't particularly care. Just get back up here at sunrise." Lloyd huffed, looking out at the ocean and the slowly darkening skies above it.
Playing the role of the obedient child, I grabbed onto Morro's wrist and began to drag him downstairs. Now given the permission to practice my powers, I wanted to use them to my advantage. This was power, this was a chance. Perhaps I could not use my powers against Lloyd, but I could attempt to master them.
Unlike Lloyd, I thought on the level of small scale that impacts the big scale. If I could learn to control something and make it vibrate, I could learn how to copy or talk with possession. Yes, there were many advantages to going through with this.
Shuffling into the room, I turned to face Morro. I would need him to tell me when I turned invisible, and other such things. However, he seemed distracted. I frowned, realizing he must be having troubling thoughts. His needs came before my own in this unintended prison. I Floated up to him and awkwardly tapped his shoulder. Morro flinched, looking at me with wide eyes before calming down quickly.
"Oh. Do you need something?" Morro quietly asked, and I shook my head. I pointed at him, trying to get the message across that I wanted to know how he felt.
"Me? What's… Wrong with me?" I nodded in response, and Morro sighed.
"I'm not sure what we're going to do, especially when I can't seem to keep my mouth shut." Morro huffed, and I put a hand on his shoulder. I already had the strings of a plan. If I learned to master the art of possession and sent a message through a person, or perhaps arrange something in a certain order, then I could get help again. The Ninja did not favor our situation. Helping Morro and I back into the Cursed Realm only led to gains, rather than cons. Of course, I would need to avoid inter-realm war. I would not allow war on a peaceful planet such as this.
"You've already got a plan, haven't you? I can see the spark in your eyes when you've figured something out." Morro smiled, and I shook my hand back and forth. Things change, so do my plans.
"I don't know enough about this situation to make decisions. This isn't something I'd ever picture myself going through. I'm being held captive by the very person who I wanted to be with a technical alien!" Morro stressfully laughed. I only squeezed my hand on his shoulder.
"Really, I don't know what to do. I'm literally torn away from what makes me, well, me. I can't use my element, and now I'm starting to feel… Almost empty. Yet, it feels stuffy at the same time. My greatest defense is gone, and I can't use any other powers without straining myself or just having them be useless. What good is being intangible if you have a solid collar around your neck? Useless!" Morro hissed furiously, starting to shake. Moving forwards, I gave Morro a hug.
I understood his emotions. My life had changed in a blink all those years ago, and my greatest defense had also become mangled and warped. Academics were my strong point, and I could easily go through school without effort. Being thrown into Ninjago meant that most if not all of what I knew had to be changed. Constants were no longer constant, and everything was different. Even my body had changed too, turning into this small and limited Lego minifigure. It had not changed, and it now never will.
Being here was also something I never believed in. Ninjago was a dream that I could only watch and never truly chase. Once I got here, I caused the entire world to shift and change from the original destiny it was meant for. Now, things were not the way they should be.
"Sometimes I wish I was as careful and calculating as you are. All the time, you seem to understand things that I don't, managing to do everything I can't."
I floated back and shook my head. To become like this took many different factors, and not all of them were pleasant. Constant fear, sympathy and empathy both at the flick of a mental switch, learning to lie, knowing how to hurt others, the most efficient ways to destroy lives in mere seconds… The list goes on.
"A high price for it, huh?" Morro sighed, noting my troubled expression. I only nodded in response, before looking at the ceiling to show that Lloyd too had struggled and become like me with time.
"Do you know what happened to him?" I turned away in shame. My mistakes were large and plentiful, things I just wanted to leave behind and let go.
"The first things you said to me, you said that you… Tried to kill him? Left him with scars?" Morro started, and I nodded again.
"What else did you do? It takes a lot of betrayal to make someone like that." I shifted back to face him, unable to give him answers through my words. Slowly, I raised my hand towards him, and Morro only stared at it.
"Do you understand what you're offering? It's so personal, to ask to share a memory. This kind of thing doesn't exactly exist in life." Morro hesitated, and I frowned. This was personal. All of my mistakes in Ninjago would flash before his eyes, and I wasn't sure if he could handle it.
It was time I stopped hiding myself from him. He deserved to know why we were both here.
Pushing my hand further, Morro gave me one last look.
"You're sure?"
I nodded, and he took my hand.
Proceeding to blast my thoughts, I recalled every mistake I hid away from him. From the day I first stabbed several Hypnobrai, to when I killed my Bizzaro clone. Further beyond, I showed my paranoia, my coldness towards Kai and everyone else on the team, the times I had with Euphony, each bit flashed across his mind and mine.
Each one was only a short snippet, the lack of major contact causing the connection to have just as short of a passageway for the memories. But after a few seconds, I felt Morro tear himself away from me.
"I-it wasn't even just once. You've done this for years! Who would even teach you this? It's inhumane!"
I only looked down, and Morro gasped.
"You cannot be serious. There's more?"
Yes. There's so much more. Until you ask, you'll never know.
"I'm... I'm going to need some time. You'd better leave." Morro mumbled, and I obeyed. As I floated upstairs, I heard a soft crash. Frowning, I quickened my pace and glided into the room upstairs.
Lloyd was stumbling blindly through the small room, once again sleepwalking. Had he not taken precautions to avoid this? Scanning the room for the airhorn I vaguely remembered from a good while back, I saw no sign of the red and loud object. Huffing, I carefully watched Lloyd continue to feel around in the dark for no apparent reason. This time, he luckily did not carry his dagger.
How arrogant, but useful.
Choosing to not wake him up, I shuffled around the windows to herd him into the middle of the room. In the back of my mind I wondered if Lloyd could sense me or something similar in his sleep. Perhaps it would explain his confusion about sleepwalking and why he always moved away when I was around.
Unlike the first night I had seen Lloyd sleepwalk, he seemed almost… Pacifistic this time. Refusing to get near, and never once raised a fist. I suspected he was dreaming about something mild enough to not trigger his violent defenses. Of course, I doubted that the dream would continue to be mild. It may have been years for the both of us, but Lloyd was unable to repress memories like me. He could hide them easily, but I knew that his heart and mind were not stone.
Slowly, Lloyd began to twitch. It was an antsy twitch, and eventually his hands turned to fists. He started to mutter, but his words were mismatched and slurred. Soon, he started dashing towards me with fists raised. Dodging his attacks, I had forgotten that there were large and glass-less windows behind me.
Of course, he had to come in in fists blazing and fall out of the window!
Diving after the knocked-out green ninja, he tried to swipe at me but I got close and held him around his torso. Slowing and stopping the fall before the sand below could injure Lloyd, I softly dropped him on the sand. Other objects were scattered around the beach, clothes, knives, the dagger Lloyd liked to use, and the stupid airhorn. I picked it up swiftly, and pointed it straight towards the wobbly and stumbling green ninja.
"WHAT THE-" Lloyd yelled over the blare of the airhorn, and I stopped pressing the button. Lowering the loud device, I stood upon the sand and tapped my foot in annoyance. An old memory popped up, where Lloyd had saved me from falling out of a hotel window. Sighing, I walked over to Lloyd and gave him a very obvious fake smile.
"What happened?" Morro called down from the lighthouse, obviously concerned.
"What happened? Oh, wait he said that." Lloyd slurred, disoriented and rubbing out his ears, or where they're supposed to be anyways. I shook the air horn in his face, and Lloyd blinked.
"I thought you were only supposed… Oh. Right. Seriously, I don't sleepwalk when you're not here. You just seem to screw up everything about me just by existing. We're fine, just sleepwalking!" Lloyd yelled to Morro, looking at the littered and dark beach. Morro went back into the lighthouse, deciding that whatever was going on was okay.
"Well, I don't think I'll be sleeping again tonight. Might as well pick all this crap up." Lloyd tiredly muttered, starting to pick up all of the things that fell from the lighthouse. Sighing, I joined him and began carrying all the items back up to the main room upstairs.
Slowly, the pile of random items moved back into the lighthouse, and Lloyd stared tiredly at the stairs he would need to climb.
"Screw this. Just, fly me back up there or something. I'm too tired for this." Lloyd yawned, and I obeyed his command. Of course, an annoyed huff was what he was greeted with as we flew off.
Gently setting Lloyd down on the creaky wood of the main room, I floated in front of him with a glare. I was not going to save him every night. He needed to fix this problem, and not with pills.
"What?" Lloyd growled, and I rolled my eyes. I couldn't exactly explain my thoughts unless Lloyd ordered me to.
"Is it important?" I nodded, and Lloyd muttered something I couldn't hear.
"Just say whatever you need to."
"Fix your sleepwalking problem, and not with pills. I do not want to use that airhorn every night." I answered, and Lloyd sighed.
"Fine. I'm still using the pills though, I need them to sleep." Lloyd answered, and I frowned. It was something, but Lloyd needed more help than I could provide. He needed a counsellor or therapist for the pills. That statement in of itself was a sign he was addicted, and addicted bad. Perhaps not enough yet to take it to extremes, it seemed that he knew that he shouldn't take more than a few a day. Still, it was very risky to take any sort of pills that weren't from a pharmacy.
Ninjago did have pharmacies, but they were very limited. There were some painkillers and other such medication, but Lloyd was using Ronin to get his substances. While Ronin wasn't a good or a bad guy, he was a wild card in terms of quality. It wasn't a good idea to try and buy things from him without having some way to prove that the product was what you paid for.
Gliding back down to the bottom floor of the lighthouse, I decided to practice my powers. Doing my best, I closed my eyes and tried to make myself intangible while floating in front of the door. Placing my hand where the wall should be, nothing resisted my touch. Hesitantly, I floated through and opened my eyes to find myself on the other side of the wall. I smiled in relief, but my face returned to its neutral state as I realized that it was likely Morro was somewhere in here. As I stared at the boxes and few bookshelves covered in a light green glow thanks to my aura, I thought about reorganizing the room.
"I didn't know he started sleepwalking that early." Morro noted from the other side of the room, arms crossed. He was right, it was quite early in the night. Midnight was likely still a few hours away.
"Look, I'm still getting over the fact that your actions weren't just once, and you chose to do them too. I just don't understand why you would do that. Just, stay over there and do whatever you want. I still don't want to work with you right now." I nodded in response, and shuffled off behind some boxes to practice my abilities.
Grabbing a spare gear from the top of an open box, I held it in my hand. I closed my eyes and held the gear up high. It took a good minute or two for the gear to fall. Becoming tangible again, I picked up the gear and repeated the process.
Well, I'm off to write some more! Hopefully I'll have some more written out so that a good update schedule can be made. This will be cross-posted onto Quotev, if you are interested there.
Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. Have a great non-hiatus filled day!