Hey guys did you know that the fandom celebrates Day of the Departed today, October 29? Well now you do. Enjoy a oneshot that is not sad unlike most of my stuff.
"Sensei! Sensei!" Morro jumped up and down with excitement, tugging on his guardian's robe with one hand and pointing with the other. "Look!" Wu looked up at what had captured his student's attention, and smiled upon seeing a group of children flying brightly-colored kites. "Those kites are much more prettier than mine!"
"Yes, they are. And were much more expensive too, I'll bet." He reached down and mussed his pupil's hair. Morro barely noticed, already distracted by something else in the marketplace. It was Day of the Departed, and Wu had brought his young student to the town at the foot of the mountain he made his home on in search of finding the proper materials to celebrate.
Morro was very excited. They rarely came down to the village, and had never before come on a holiday. The market was bursting with cheer, street lined with stalls peddling everything from trinkets and toys to treats and candy. Despite the Day of the Departed being a serious holiday, it was still celebrated with much excitement. The seriousness only really began once night fell.
"Sensei! What's that?" Morro asked, pointing to a cart filled with sparkling jewelry. "It's pretty!"
"That's jewelry. It is pretty, isn't it?" His guardian replied with a smile.
"Can I have one?"
"Alas, a single piece likely costs more money than I brought, so I'm afraid not." Morro stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "I should have a little money left over after buying everything for tonight, though, so I will buy you something, alright?" His pupil blinked, then smiled and nodded, jewelry forgotten, and the two kept walking. Morro almost got himself lost in the crowd twice, too distracted to keep a good eye on his Sensei, and finally Wu insisted he hold his hand. The pair made their way through the marketplace, Wu occasionally stopping to buy something or answer a question from Morro.
"I believe this is everything." Wu said after about half an hour. "Ready to go home?"
"You said you'd buy me something!" Morro reminded him, bouncing up and down on his toes.
"Ah, that's right." He still had a few coins left. "Did you have something in mind?"
"A big cookie!" The little boy pointed to a stall on the other side of the street, where a middle-aged woman was selling large sugar cookies sprinkled with colored sugar.
"A big cookie it is." Wu lead his student across the street, holding Morro's hand tight. The woman in the stall smiled upon seeing him – most people in town knew him.
"Hello Master Wu." She greeted him. "Did you finally settle down and get yourself a wife and child?" She nodded to Morro, and Wu chuckled, blushing a bit.
"Unfortunately, not yet. The boy is my student." He replied, a bit awkwardly.
"Ahh." She nodded, apparently not noticing his discomfort.
"Morro, what color do you want?" Wu asked, turning back to his student, who was trying and failing to see over the edge of the counter.
"I can't see!" He complained, and Wu picked him up. The child scrutinized the array of cookies for a moment before pointing to one dusted with green sugar. "That one!" The woman nodded and pulled it out of the glass case, handing it to him. He thanked her excitedly as Wu set him down and paid her, holding the cookie protectively to his chest. Wu bid her good day, and the two started off back towards the Monastery.
On the stairs up to the Monastery, Morro very carefully ate his cookie, careful not to drop a crumb. Likely a habit acquired during his time on the streets. As he ate, Wu talked about the Day of the Departed, about what it meant and why they lit lanterns. Morro was very quiet. Wu wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but he guessed he was thinking about his missing parents.
Upon reaching the Monastery, Wu; sent Morro to practice forms while he himself began to cook some traditional Day of the Departed dishes. After an hour, they were ready, and the Sensei and his student shared a quiet meal. The Sensei couldn't help remembering last year, just after Garmadon left and before he met Morro, when he spent this holiday alone. It was so much sadder alone.
After dinner, Wu and Morro did some chores while they waited for night to fall, talking about the progression of the latter's training. As it began to grow dark, Morro became more serious. He understood was this holiday was really about, even at his young age.
Finally, the sun vanished over the horizon, and Wu took the lanterns he had brought and he and Morro went out to the edge of the mountain. Using just a spark of his power, the blond man created a flame and lit each one, then set them on the ground to wait as they slowly filled with hot hair. Morro sat silently nearby and watched, focusing on the two lanterns sitting in front of him. Three lanterns in total, one for Wu's father, and two for Morro's parents.
Finally, the lanterns lifted off the ground, drifting off the edge of the cliff as nudged by the slight breeze, slowly but steadily gaining altitude. Below, hundreds more lanterns appeared from the village, slowly rising to join theirs. Morro watched with eyes wide with awe at the sight of so many lanterns.
"Happy Day of the Departed, Morro." Wu murmured, sitting down next to his student and putting an arm around his shoulders. The child leaned his head against his shoulder, whispering back,
"Happy Day of the Departed, master."
if you didn't recognise that last line go watch Day of the Departed again
~FFF