Y'know I really wanted to make this one better but I'm very tired so I'll probably just edit it later
Lots of implied GreenFlame here people
Lloyd had never felt so alone in his life.
When Morro took over his body, Lloyd found himself trapped in his own mind, in a dark place that had no light and yet he could see himself. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was his subconscious. Whatever place it was, his powers refused to work there.
He could feel Morro's presence all around him, encasing him in that dark place. Sometimes he would fight against it, trying to break free of the invisible barrier. Other times, he just sat there, head buried into his knees.
He felt guilty, so guilty. How could he let this happen to him? Lloyd was supposed to be the Green Ninja, the strongest of them all. He had fought so many villains-the Serpentine, the Overlord, all the other descendants of the elemental masters-and a ghost of a boy hardly older than him bested him? He felt powerless. He felt terrible. He felt like he didn't even deserve to be the Green Ninja.
Lloyd could sense Morro's emotions all around him. They tumbled and twisted, changing in mere seconds. One of the most common emotions was anger. He was angry that the ninja were catching up to him. He was angry that he never got to be the Green Ninja. He was angry at Wu for promising him something he couldn't keep.
But the other emotion was happiness, in a twisted way. Morro finally had access to the power he always wanted. He was happy that he had a physical body again. He was happy to bring the world down around him, because then he'd truly be free.
Maybe Morro was right. Maybe he should be the Green Ninja, and Lloyd shouldn't. Maybe he should stay locked up in this place forever, as Morro finally got to be what he always wanted to be.
Maybe Lloyd should just…stop fighting. Morro had already won. There was no way that Lloyd could escape this dark place, this hell.
He was beginning to forget what his life had been before being trapped. How his clothes felt against his skin, how the wind blew through his hair when he stood on the deck of the Bounty. How he could spin around and around so quickly, green blazing all around him, without ever getting dizzy. How the cool metal of the weapon in his hands heated over time the more he used it, how exhilarating it was to run through the obstacle course.
Lloyd couldn't remember what perfume his mother wore in the morning, whether it smelled of vanilla or flowers. He couldn't remember what the kettle sounded like when his uncle put it on for tea. He was struggling to remember the laughter of his friends, telling jokes, winning victories, or just goofing around. The sound of his father's voice was almost completely faded.
He missed all of them. He missed his mother, who was always willing to just sit with him, not saying anything for a while, or telling another one of her stories. Lloyd missed his uncle, the greatest teacher he ever had, a second father to him. His own father was still an open wound, and gave Lloyd a pain in his chest whenever he thought about him.
He missed Jay and his jokes, how he was always willing to cheer anyone up. He missed Nya, who trusted him with her secrets and he trusted her with his. He missed Zane, as strange as he could be, with his endless knowledge and his sound advice. He missed Cole, the sturdiest of all of them, willing to take control when Lloyd wasn't able to.
Most of all, Lloyd missed Kai. Even though they had gotten off to a rough start, and Kai had been rather jealous when Lloyd turned out to be the Green Ninja, the two had bonded over the years. He had accepted Lloyd through and through, even after the incident with the tea that changed Lloyd forever. He had sworn to be his protector, to always help him, and Lloyd was so grateful for that.
Kai must have been feeling so guilty right now. Lloyd knew he had tussled with Morro multiple times already, and was refusing to give up until he rescued Lloyd. But he hadn't been there when Lloyd went to the museum. What if he blamed himself for not going with Lloyd to be able to protect him?
He never even got to say goodbye to Kai, or anyone of them.
Lloyd couldn't stand thinking of everyone that he loved any longer. He was so weighed down with guilt for not being stronger. Maybe if he had been stronger, Morro wouldn't be controlling his body, and maybe his father wouldn't even have to have been banished.
No. He needed to do something else. Maybe the hold of Morro's presence around him had weakened somewhere. Maybe Lloyd could break free. He got up, stretching out his arms and legs, and started to walk with his hands held out on either side of him.
He walked carefully, swaying from left to right. His hands occasionally hit the barrier that was Morro, bouncing off it back towards him. But still he walked, not changing his direction. There had to be a way out somewhere.
He eventually realized that the area around him was lightening from black to gray. He could hear his feet thud against something, and a breeze rustled his clothing. Lloyd's heart thumped, and he started to run.
The world came more and more into focus around him, until Lloyd was running on a path of dirt and stones. On either side of the path there was shallow lakes, with plants growing out of them. Ahead of him, the path was full of hills. He leapt over them, running faster and faster, until finally he came to a stop at the last hill.
On top of the hill was a shop, with cream bricks and wooden pillars outside supporting the roof. Red swords framed a golden sign above the shop that read "Four Weapons." A lower wall stood in front of the shop, giving an inside peek at the forge and weapons hanging from the walls. It was quaint and homelike.
Lloyd knew this place. Although he had never been there personally, Nya and Kai had described it many times. It was their childhood home, the shop where their parents had created weapons before they had died. He had always wanted to see it, but had never gotten the chance. But last he heard, the skeletons had wrecked the place. This one looked brand-new.
Even though his surroundings had changed, Lloyd didn't feel any different. He still felt like something was around him. He walked over to the edge of the path and stuck his hand out.
His hand pushed against an invisible barrier.
Cursing, Lloyd tried to form a ball of energy to throw against the barrier. When it didn't work, he started punching and kicking, even though he knew that that would get him nowhere.
"Who's out there?"
Lloyd froze. How could someone be here? He was the only one trapped by Morro.
"I have a weapon, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
And that definitely wasn't Morro's voice. Lloyd vaguely recognized it, but he was panicking too much to place it.
"Answer me!"
Lloyd lowered himself into a fighting stance. He may not have his powers, but he was still someone to be reckoned with.
"Fine, I'll get you myself."
Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut as footsteps emerged from the shop on the hill, increasing in speed the closer they got. Then they stopped. "Lloyd?"
"What?" Lloyd cracked his eyes open to see a blurry figure in red and black standing in front of him.
"Is that really you?"
It dawned on Lloyd then who the voice belonged to. "Kai?!" He opened his eyes all the way to see Kai holding a sword above his head, ready to swing it down. He was dressed in his usual black and red ninja outfit, with an extremely surprised look on his face.
"Lloyd!" Kai dropped his sword and ran up to him, crushing the other boy in an enormous hug. Lloyd wheezed upon impact.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry." Kai let go of him. "I can't believe it! You're actually here!"
"At your old home? I don't even know how I got here." Lloyd glanced around. "I thought you said the skeletons wrecked it, though."
"Oh." Kai grimaced, and Lloyd got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "You aren't exactly at my old home, Lloyd."
"What do you mean? We're here, aren't we?"
"This is actually a-oh, how do I explain this-a dreaming middle ground."
"What do you mean?"
"Our selective subconscious are connected?"
"Wait…like…" Lloyd gestured with his hands, moving them together. "Our dream states?"
"Yeah."
"So…" His heart started sinking in his chest. "I'm not free from Morro?"
Kai looked pained. "No, Lloyd. I'm sorry."
Lloyd growled, and punched the barrier that was along the side of the path. "Damn it! I haven't been free since he took control of my body! When will it end?"
"That's what we're working on." Kai placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I guessed that you were stuck in your subconscious somewhere, and I tried to find a way for me to connect there with you."
"How?"
"Dreams are powerful. Lots of them hold visions, and there's been stories about people connecting by dreams. I just tried to project myself towards you in my dreams, and I guess I sent us both here."
The story of Kai's efforts to connect to him made Lloyd feel a bit better, but his thoughts from earlier still lingered in his mind. "I don't know why you'd even bother trying to connect to me. I haven't been able to get free of Morro at all. I'm supposed to be the Green Ninja, not some guy who gets his butt kicked by a dead person."
"Lloyd, it's okay. We're figuring out a way to stop him. Sensei has a plan."
"He's too powerful!" Lloyd snapped, whirling around. "You don't know anything about him-he's been living in my head for days! You're not gonna be able to fight him and win. Face it, we've finally met our match."
"No, we haven't!" Kai growled. "He's a ghost, and ghosts are destroyed by water. We can find a way to beat him with that-"
"What effect would it have on my body? I'm being possessed! As far as I know, I haven't had food or water since Morro took over. What if I die?"
"Dude-"
"Shove it, Kai. It's useless."
The red ninja looked hurt, and Lloyd felt guilty for his outburst. He had been alone with his negative feelings for too long. "I'm sorry. I've been stuck for what feels like forever. I've been thinking too much."
"No, I understand. Our plan isn't complete yet, and there's been a lot of bumps along the way. But we're gonna get you back, Lloyd." Kai smiled. "I promise."
"Thank you." Lloyd didn't know what else to say. He still had his doubts. But perhaps Kai and the others could make a difference.
The world around them started darkening, and Kai glanced up at the sky. "What the hell-"
Oh, my apologies, a voice rang out of the sky. Am I interrupting you, my dear uninvited visitor?
"Morro!" Lloyd shouted, shaking his fist at the sky. "What are you doing here?"
I knew that I sensed someone else here. Oh well. Guess I'll have to get rid of him.
"Don't you dare-"
"Lloyd!"
Lloyd turned back to Kai to see the world breaking around them. Actual shards of the ground broke away, falling down and down and down. The shop on the hill cracked, before shattering.
Kai stared at him with panic in his eyes. "Remember my promise-we're gonna save you!"
Say goodbye, Lloyd. You're gonna be my prisoner forever.
The ground broke under Lloyd, and he started falling. It was forever until he hit the ground.
Yeah this could've been better but I haven't written Ninjago fanfiction in years so
Hey I'm Taylor/TailsDoll13!
I don't post a lot of Ninjago fanfiction anymore, but I do write some Homestuck and Percy Jackson stuff. My most popular fanfiction is "How Not to Get Your OTP Together." If you like Solangelo, check it out!
I had this idea a few weeks back about dreams being able to connect people. I'm not entirely sure how it really works in this particular fanfiction but meh.
My tumblr is autisticwillsolace. I'm multifandom, with a side of social justice and aesthetic. My main fandoms include Homestuck, Ninjago, Percy Jackson, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and many others. Feel free to check it out!
Later you guys!
-Taylor