A/N: Okay, so there's gonna be a reference to the filler shorts with Chen and Clouse in this. See if you can find it! :D

Thank you for the reviews, by the way.

However... I feel like no one's really reading this anymore, that you just click it, skim through it and review. I mean, it's unlikely, but thoughts like that really put me down and make me want to give up...

I'm sorry.

First it had been two hours. Kai still hadn't returned. Then it had been two days. There was still no sign of him.

Now it had been two months. Kai had still not been found. They'd gone everywhere, but no one had seen him around - not even Karloff, Shadow and Zane, who lived with them now.

Neuro was fiddling with the mattresses, quiet and thoughtful. He was straightening them and laying the blankets on top of them so it was flat. He was distracting himself from his missing boyfriend, but as soon as he was relaxed, not doing anything or eating, the scary thoughts came into his mind, and he'd do anything to stop them.

"Neuro, you're becoming a madman." Clancee would say, resting his hand on the younger male's shoulder and shaking it slightly, but he'd never listen nor respond, as the thoughts would come if he stopped. "Neuro, you need to relax. He'll come back." Clancee would try, frowning and shaking his shoulder more violently, but Neuro never listened or responded, only continuing his work.

"Goddamn it, Neuro." Clancee muttered every time, shaking his head and walking away. "God fucking damn it."

There'd be no more words between them. No happy conversation, no jokes, no news, just a silence caused by an absence, and perhaps it was better that way, for Neuro often pondered if he'd be able to bear speaking without tears appearing.

Clancee would watch Neuro distract himself. Yes, it got a lot done; they managed to fix the mattress - Clancee hadn't even realised that it needed fixing, but apparently there was a hole and that needed sewing - and assemble the bed they'd had to break apart to transport it - how one ten-year-old-sized teen did that all by himself Clancee'd never know - and the floorboards no longer creaked.

He didn't say anything about it though, deciding to admire Neuro's handiwork in silence, because the boy'd never answer or thank him for thanking him.

The door knocked, and for a small, stupid moment, Clancee hoped it was Dogshank - or Beatrix - and/or Doubloon - or Ezekiel - before remembering the two of them were dead. His eyes watered before he shook his head and he walked toward the door, casting a glance in Neuro's direction, the teen busy with making the bed.

He opened it, surprised to see Karloff. "Package for Neuro." He murmured, thrusting out his hands to show off a rectangular box, wrapped in the typical, peanut brown packaging paper, a piece of chiffon white string wrapped around its centre. It was around Neuro's height, a bit smaller than him, but it was thin.

"Thanks," He muttered, taking the package carefully, being mindful of the door. "Hey, have you seen Kai around recently? You still keeping an eye out for him?"

Karloff paled slightly, and was that beads of sweat dripping down his face. "No... Karloff not see Kai... Karloff keep eye out for him!" He grinned. "Tell Neuro Karloff see him later!" He darted away, briskly walking.

"Weirdo..." Clancee muttered. He shrugged and shut the door, walking back inside. "Yo, Neuro, Karloff's got a package for you. Says it's from... Kai?"

Neuro looked up, and he stood from making the bed. He took the package in his hand, running a hand along it before untying the string and opening the box.

It was a staff. A weapon, and the centre had a slit running in a circle, and there was a rectangular shape slit, the lengths around a finger long and the width perhaps a centimetre long. He ran a finger along the slit, eyes wide.

There was also a note in the box:

Hey, Neuro, it's Kai. I'd love to tell you where I am, but I don't think I can. Anyway, Karloff said he'd deliver it for me, which will give poor Ash a rest, haha. He's the mailman, ya know.

Oh, by the way, this is a weapon for you. It's been in the making since we first went to Karloff's, and it took this long to do. Remember? We first met Ezekiel and Beatrix? It's a staff but it turns into a rifle. Pretty neat, huh? Karloff put his signature on the trigger, and carved my name into the side.

Anyways, I love you and all that (gosh, I'm the worst boyfriend ever, aren't I?)! See ya later! Tell Clancee I said hi.

Neuro re-read the note over and over again in silence. He looked at the weapon. "So if I have my finger on the trigger for too long, 'K' will be carved into my finger for a while... Heh." He chuckled. "Doesn't say how to trigger the transformation." He ran his finger along the whole weapon, looking for a well hidden button or switch, not finding one; he placed his hand on either side of the centre, placing his thumbs on the bottom, and carefully attempted to bend it.

It didn't move, so he looked at the top of the staff, seeing a hole. "Oh that's clever..." He muttered, pressing down gently. It slid into the other side, and it triggered something inside the staff, and a handle and trigger popped out from where the rectangle was. "That's good... That's real good."

He looked through the package, seeing a bunch of silver trench knives and a leather belt with sheaths for the knives. He smirked. "I like that." He put the belt on and slipped the knives into the sheaths before admiring himself in the mirror that lived in the corner. "I like that a lot."

Clancee smiled. "Why don't you try out Ezekiel's beret? Could look good on you." He held out the hat to him, smirking slightly.

"All right." He took the hat and placed it on his head. "Ooh, yes." He felt like it was somewhat familiar, as if the belt belonged on his waist, the knives were made for him and that he was made to fight. The hat and the knowledge of the secrets it held only made the feeling of being born to fight stronger.

He grinned, perhaps accidentally a bit maliciously. Clancee raised his snake eyebrow. "C-Calm down there, pal." He muttered, raising his hands.

"Sorry..." Neuro took off the hat. "It's just that... Well.. It feels natural for me to look like this..."

Clancee raised an eyebrow. "Right... That's not creepy at all."

"In my defence, I can't control this feeling." Neuro huffed. "Anyway, I'm pumped for a fight now." He turned the rifle into its staff form by pushing the handle and trigger up into the staff, which caused the other end to pop out from inside. He smiled.

"At least Kai's still alive," Neuro murmured, placing the staff back in its box and placing the box against the wall. "Or he's been alive recently..."

"Huh. Wonder where he is..."

Kai nodded a thanks as Karloff gave him his tea, blowing on it gently before taking a sip.

"Karloff deliver Neuro's staff for Kai." He offered, grabbing the recently wrapped box and smiling at Kai, who smiled back. "Be back later." As soon as the Metal Master left the room, the Shadow Master shot up and pinned Kai to the wall by his neck with both hands, his tea falling to the floor.

"So you try and hurt my little brother, huh? You do not mess with my family, no matter their crimes!"

"I didn't intend to! I stopped myself!" Kai choked out, grabbing Shadow's wrists and trying to free himself. "I would never intentionally hurt him!"

"Shadow, stop it," Zane said calmly, lifting a hand and holding a stern expression on his face. "Release my brother."

Shadow grumbled and huffed, but did as his boyfriend asked. "So, what did ya put in the box, aside from that staff?"

"I found some of Neuro's old weapons... His belt and his trench knives..."

"Dude, if those feelings of coldness and a wish to kill return to him, you could put your life and others' lives in danger. Neuro was really evil before his amnesia..." Shadow looked away at that last bit, looking down at the tea stain before sighing. "However, Neuro does need some weapons to defend himself with, so maybe the trench knives and belt was a good call."

"Hm. I also gave him a note from me, but that's it."

"Well, I woulda thought you'd give him a gift, maybe a cupcake, or a book."

"Hmph. Like I have either," Kai mumbled, before leaning back and sighing. "Thanks for telling Neuro I wasn't here."

"Please, I just liked shoving you in a cupboard and not hearing you talk." Shadow winked with a grin as Kai pouted.

"I have to agree with Shadow there," Zane confessed, a chuckle laced in with his words, and he smirked kindly as Kai whined his name. "Hey, can't blame me."

Karloff returned during the conversation that followed, and his eyes saw the tea stain on the floor. The cup lay unbroken beside it, and, slowly looking at Kai and Shadow, he raised his eyebrows. "... Karloff clean stain..." He frowned at Shadow before moving to get a cloth.

"What?" Shadow shrugged with a grunt, ignoring Karloff's glare. "Whaaaaat?!"

"Shadow, leave Kai alone. Zane and Shadow... spend time together."

The robot and the Shadow Master grinned at each other and attempted to act casually whilst walking past Kai, but he saw them hold hands, their fingers interlocking, as they entered Shadow's room, and they shot excited smiles at each other, teeth showing through.

After they were out of sight and earshot, Kai looked up at Karloff. "Couple?"

"You bet."

"Huh. Explains a lot." Kai smirked as he spoke, hearing happy shrieks from the bedroom. "... What are they doing in there?"

Karloff smirked. "Not sex, if that what Kai thinking."

"I was not thinking that at all!" Kai blushed furiously, looking away from Karloff as the older man's smirk grew. "I was just curious!"

"Curiosity killed cat," Karloff quoted, still smirking.

"Actually, ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed," Kai jokingly corrected. He sighed. "I miss Neuro... But I don't think I can face him... Bet he's ripped up the note..." He sighed.

"Knowing Neuro, he won't have."

"But considering what he's been through... He became... that and then got amnesia. He's not the same guy, Karloff, he's not the same little honorary brother you used to know..."

Karloff scowled at Kai. "Don't remind Karloff about that!" He growled, causing Kai to flinch. He closed his eyes and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh before sitting up and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Karloff sorry for yelling."

"No, no, it's fine." Kai shook his head. "I shouldn't have said that."

An uneasy, awkward silence occurred, though Shadow and Zane's lustful and pleasured noises came from outside the door. Slightly disturbing, Kai found it, but he wouldn't ruin their fun.

Their... fun.

Kai bit his lip and sighed. "Thanks for looking out for me... But I'm gonna go..." He stood up - Karloff didn't stop him - and left the flat, with Karloff's mocha brown eyes watching him. "See ya..."

"Goodbye."

Clouse lay on his bed, eyes closed as he day-dreamed, mouth slightly ajar. His hair, loose, was spread out against the pillow and his arms were crossed in an 'x' shape - had a stranger walked in, they'd think him dead and they'd run out of the room screaming. Not because he was dead - corpses were a common sight as of now - but because of what all corpses became.

He lay there for five minutes in a futile attempt to fall asleep, and when that didn't work, he sighed and sat up, crossing his arms. Clouse could hear Garmadon working in the room they called their kitchen, and, whilst it was clear he was attempting to keep quiet so he wouldn't irritate the sorcerer, he was extremely loud - it didn't bother him, it actually made him smile at the thought of his former rival not wanting him upset.

He stood up from his bed, not having to peel the covers off of his body, and walked out, pulling his loose hair back into its typical ponytail, with a yawn. "Morning."

"Afternoon."

"Oh, is it?" Clouse muttered, looking to the clock, which said that it was two. "Oh."

"Look, why don't we play some table tennis?"

"Why would we do that?"

"Clouse, come on. We need to relax. You need to relax. It might be fun." Garmadon smiled gently to try and coax him into playing the game. "And what else am I meant to do with the table for it that I bought?"

"You bought a table tennis table?!"

"Accidentally!"

"You fucking idiot! How do you accidentally buy a table tennis tab- bleh..." Clouse stumbled over his words and paused. He began to laugh softly.

Garmadon laughed softly as well, smiling. "C'mon. We need to play a game of table tennis. Might cheer us up."

Clouse, with a typical roll of his eyes, sighed and nodded. "All right, all right." He groaned at Garmadon's grin. "But only to shut you up!"

They had a break - for once - as there were no criminals they knew of to be dealt with, and so the two had time to themselves.

He sat alone at an old, wooden table, hands clasped underneath his chin whilst she made and stirred cups of coffee for herself and him, lost in deep thought. Teeth absentmindedly tugging gently at his lip, his eyes were dull, as all energy and joy he once felt was only a glimmer of a memory. Such a thing made him feel like he was swimming in the air, toward escape, toward bliss, toward sweet, sweet, bittersweet and long-forgotten memories.

He remembered some, though none brought an absent smile to his face, but they did not depress him, instead numbing him, reminding him of his many mistakes.

...

He only wanted money back then... Just enough to keep him, and her, and perhaps others, alive. He was desperate. After the group had split up, the two were suddenly homeless as Sensei and Cole took over the home of the Ninja, and they travelled.

Eventually, a kind man offered them a shelter for a small rent that would be collected every month. But even then, they struggled to get by.

She said his name to get his attention, and he turned his head ever so slightly toward her. "You need to get a job so we can pay off the rent." Her eyebrows were knitted together in worry and that look, the one that made him groan and turn away, standing before walking away. "Don't you turn away from me, mister!"

"Don't worry, I'm looking for one!" He called back, grabbing a coat, the colour of his ninja karategi (or, as he preferred to call it, his gi), before leaving the shelter.

Gripping it tightly onto him, he wandered around the town, sun glaring down despite it being late autumn - it'd been around quarter of a year since the incident, and he still blamed himself for it.

He should have stood his ground and been the leader that day.

Lost in thought, the young man accidentally walked into a lamp post. "Oof!" He hit his head hard and fell on the floor.

That's when he saw the job offer. It made him sick to think of, to be... that for females, but it offered so much money... More than enough. He squinted, looking at the flier attached to the post, dialled the number and gave them everything they needed to know.

He took the flier off the post.

Surely she wouldn't mind if he got a job in prostitution, right?

...

He heard his name faintly before having a mug of coffee slammed in front of him. He murmured a thank you, bringing the drink to his lips without paying attention to what he was doing, swearing loudly as it burnt his lips and slamming the mug on the table and the coffee spilt onto the table, possibly leaving a stain. Instantly, her hands slammed onto the table, only spilling more coffee onto the table.

"Damn it!" She yelled at him. "Why don't you look at what you're doing for once?!" He winced at her rage, shrinking down and leaning away from the table. "... You're still thinking about her, aren't you?" Her anger dissipated into sympathy, and, still standing, she reached across the table and held his hands in hers.

Her eyes looked just as pained as his now tearful ones, a sad yet comforting and motherly smile upon her features. "Honey, that wasn't your fault."

"I... I didn't mean to hurt her..." He murmured, tears choking his voice and causing it to crack a little.

"I think she'd know that," She assured him, pulling him off his chair and into her arms, where he nearly collapsed into them and cried. "I think she'd know that..."

Then her voice was quiet as she added, "If she was alive."

...

A few weeks - a month or two - had passed after he took up the job - he found it, whilst unpleasurable, like an escape to the suffering life had thrown at him (and his clients always liked how he 'danced'). He was sure to at least match their passion - if they were enthusiastic, he'd be just as, but if they seemed bored, he would make it more exciting.

He lost count of how many clients he had, but then she, meek and quiet, required his services.

She had hickory brown hair and admiral blue eyes, matched by tan skin. She wore a dress of a similar colour to her complexion, and she had her hands folded behind her back when she asked for him to... do his job. Her name, she told him, was Eliza.

When in bed, gosh did she change - she was passionate, exciting to be around, dominant even.

But then she ended up pregnant. She didn't want to abort it - she always wanted a child, she'd told him. He didn't beg for her to get rid of it, it was bound to happen at one point.

A few weeks before it was supposed to be due, she went into labour, and was in a lot of pain. She had to go into surgery.

Neither mother nor child made it out alive.

Even though they'd agreed he'd have nothing to do with the child (never see them grow up, not be around, not have to pay for any of the things the child needed), he was crushed. Lives had been lost...

Maybe if she didn't become his client... she'd have lived.

Even though he continued his job (the rent and the cost of resources begged he did), he never did forget her. He was yelled at a couple times for murmuring her name (her beautiful, beautiful name) but it wasn't to be helped.

Perhaps he'd fallen in love with her without even realising.

...

About another month had passed since he took the job, and he nearly cried when he saw Eliza now a robot being used to serve the one who'd continued the apocalypse. She nearly killed him, but she - not Eliza, the one who had travelled with him - saved his life... killing Eliza all over again. He sobbed and she held him.

Meanwhile, Eliza's eyes, open and wide, stared at them, admiral blue eyes once so full of life now so lacking of it. Her chest had a large hole from the weapon that had impaled her, her hair cut short, skin tainted with blood, some old, some recent. The sight of her caused more tears, and the one whom he travelled with decided on something.

"C'mon," She said, voice soft and quiet, leading him away. Putting a hand in her belt pouch, she took a grenade out of it, his eyes widening at the sight. A stray tear ran down his cheek and toward his mouth, leaving a salty taste on it as she pulled the safety pin of it and threw it toward the body.

He turned to the side as it blew up, feeling the flare and heat, hearing the explosion and, out of the corner of his eye, saw it too.

"It's over, honey." Her whispers were of no help; he'd cry, but he could no more.

He turned away fully now, walking away to their home.

...

They didn't live in that home now - no, this place was just a temporary shelter, it was abandoned, unowned (to their knowledge), and quiet. They'd tried washing out the stain on the table (they'd left it too long) but failed, and ended up cutting it up into pieces for firewood.

"It'll be fine." Whilst she cradled him in her arms, those words were continuously murmured, synchronising with each rock. She kissed his forehead gently. "I'll make sure nothing hurts you anymore."

There was silence for half an hour.

And then...

"I'm going to keep that promise."

The process of creating robots was a beautiful one indeed, he thought, relaxing as he lay back. Yes, sadly, Skylor was taken from him, and now he had nothing nor no one to keep him amused and laughing before he slept, but he couldn't bothered to create robots with the purpose of finding him a new plaything just yet.

Maybe later. Maybe later.

His newest general, or puppet as he liked to call them, J.D, approached him, fearful (killing him and turning him into a robot would erase that fear, but this boy was a pretty boy that he couldn't bear to ruin - no, not yet. Maybe later. Maybe later) - and why shouldn't he be?! He'd been trained and taught things that the puny, pathetic people of Ninjago hadn't been, and he was ever so powerful up here. Why, if he wished it, every single robot in this factory and in Ninjago could be turned against this single man.

You did not want to anger this man, or upset him.

He giggled a little and twisted in his throne, his legs on the back of it, back on its seat and head hanging off the edge. With a slight song in his voice, he asked, "Yessss?"

"S-Sir... It appears... Kai has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" A slight pout formed on his mouth. This news upset him a lot - in fact, he was already plotting J.D's death - but he continued. "Left Ninjago?"

"We're not sure. None of the citizens have seen him."

A soft growl left his lips, unnerving the poor boy of a general. He twisted back so he was sitting in the seat properly and then slowly stood. A giggle was bubbling in his throat as he approached the general, grabbing his shoulders harshly and without warning.

The general - he must have been no older than fourteen - shook and waited for imminent death.

But no, the older male placed his lips upon the boy's, beginning to move in a rhythm of passion. J.D, being new, was confused and was hesitant to return the kiss.

He pulled away from the general, allowing one of the older ones to tell him what to do - "Return it. And enjoy it. It'll be the last time you might ever get anything upon your lips." - and then continuing.

Whilst the kiss deepened and became longer, and while he ran out of breath, the one who threatened the lives of everyone in Ninjago quickly quite literally stabbed the poor boy in the back.

"... I told you to enjoy it," whispered the older general who'd told him what to do.

Tears were in the eyes of the general - it was sad how confused, scared and unprepared poor J.D was - as he fell to the floor, and was turned onto his back and then straddled by the one who kissed and stabbed him.

"You know, I kind of liked you," The general's killer whispered, another giggle bubbling on his lips. "But sadly, you said bad, bad things that I didn't like. Trust me, death is easy - living's harder. I would have punished you in a worse way if you lived... Maybe you could have been my plaything..." That sparked an idea. "Actually... Your wound may not be fatal..."

He looked down at him, pouting with a frown.

He was talking to a corpse.

He tutted. "Weak." He leant backwards, tilting his head backwards to look at his other, unnerved generals. "Can you go work on that machine - the one that brings people back to life? I want him-" He gestured to the body he was sat on. "-to be my plaything."

He lay atop the corpse and whispered in its ear, "Daddy's gonna look after you. He's gonna look after you good."

Once upon a time, he'd been happy.

Once upon a time, he had a family.

Sure, it wasn't the family he'd been born to, but it was a family nonetheless.

But now, that family was separated, gone and missing, and he was left alone.

Yes, he had his wonderful, beautiful boyfriend, but Kai couldn't bear to look upon him - the argument had angered the both of them, and so he didn't want to see him, not just yet. It'd been a while, about six hours, since he left Karloff, Shadow and Zane's place, and he was hiding out in a restaurant, one of the few ones that was still running.

He was currently snacking out on some of the food in the kitchen - the chefs knew of his presence but did not mind. He'd tiredly wandered into the restaurant and the manager had taken him to the top floor, where he'd been placed in a bed, and ever since then, they kind of looked after him.

The door of the restaurant opened, the bell signaling to them a probable customer was entering. Curiosity taking over, he went to peer to see who it was, but one of the chefs walked in his line of sight to greet the customer.

"Ah, Neuro! It's been a while since we saw you! Haven't seen ya since before that bastard took over Ninjago and continued this damned apocalypse." The chef laughed heartily, and Kai could hear his boyfriend's adorable but nervous chuckles.

"Uh... Yeah..."

"Heheh, you've certainly grown - you've had a growth spurt, but then I suppose that's probably just my old eyes."

"Huh... Anyway, have you seen my boyfriend? Kai Smith? Spiky hair, amber eyes, fair/tan skin? Taller than me?" There was the sound of rustling paper, and Kai guessed Neuro was holding up a picture of him.

"Course he's taller than ya, it's not hard!" As the chef laughed, the ex-Fire Ninja heard Neuro make a noise which meant he was probably pouting - it was a cute noise, one of the reasons why he fell in love with the Mind Master. "Wow, that's a mighty fine drawing of 'im, kiddo, always did have a knack at drawin'."

"That doesn't answer my question," Neuro persisted huffily. As he tapped his foot impatiently, the sound echoed around the building. The boy sounded angry now, which scared Kai. "I don't remember you. I want my boyfriend." The unsheathing of a knife could be heard, and the noise seemed to stab into Kai's brain, bringing up horrible memories.

The chef gulped. "Kid, put the knife down. I know where your boyfriend is... But he's asked me not to reveal where he is."

"What?!" Neuro was definitely angry now. "Why not?!"

"Get the knife aw'y from my neck and I'll tell ya! Spinjitzu M'ster..." Both Neuro and the chef went silent; one of the chefs in the kitchen whispered to another, asking whether he should go check up on them.

"Where. Is. Kai?"

"He thinks you're angry with him... And from your reaction to me telling you, he has full reason to believe that."

Neuro was silent.

"Hey... Hey... No, don't cry..."

Then he began to sob, loudly and clearly. Kai bit his lip, wanting to reveal himself. One of the chefs, the one that had asked whether he should check on them, went into the other room.

"Sir, I need to ask you about the recipe. It'll take just a second." The younger chef dragged the chef who had been speaking to Neuro into the kitchen.

"Kai," The older chef began. "Do you want to be reunited with Neuro?" His voice was but a whisper so Neuro didn't hear. The Fire Master, tentative at first, nodded slowly. "Shall I bring him in here or do you want to come out?" Kai gestured for Neuro to come to where he was. "A'ight."

The chef left, going back to Neuro. "Neuro, follow me." He led the boy down the hall, moving out the way so the teen could see Kai. Immediately, the Mind Master choked down his tears and ran toward his boyfriend, going onto his knees and skidding the rest of the way and tightly embracing Kai.

"I've missed you so much!" Neuro sobbed, planting a kiss on the cheek of Kai. "Gosh, you're warm!" He looked scared. "Are you sick?"

"... I don't think so?" He then saw the belt and trench knives, and the staff - though at the moment, it was a gun - on Neuro's outfit, and smiled a little. "I see you got my present."

Neuro chuckled a little, looking at himself. "I think it looks good on me."

"It really does." Kai decided to give his boyfriend a kiss in return, this time on the lips, and his was just as brief as Neuro's. "I'm sorry for avoiding you. I was just so scared..."

"It's fine. You're fine. I'm not mad. I forgave you after you ran away."

"Ugh, ya g'ys and your love... We'll give ya food and drink and then you can haul your lil' asses outta here." Whether the chef was jokingly being mean or not was beyond the two sweethearts, but they didn't mind.

They ended up taking a whole bag of food and drink with them, though neither shop nor customers minded.

They had each other.

Before his career in prostitution ended, he had decided to find someone to take the job.

"Uhh... No." The once-ghost pushed away the flier, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna go fuck some random girls just so you and I can fill our pockets!"

"You're looking for a job, and it pays well. It's not like this has any requirements - all it wants is someone who has a dick and can use it!"

"I'm not doing it!"

"Morro, please. You're going to die if you don't. You only have to pay me 10% of the money."

"Why should I pay you anything at all?"

"Cause you have a debt to pay off." His voice was cruel and reminding of what had happened long before the apocalypse.

"Look, I-"

"You've tried apologies before, and I said this before and I say this now - I'm not having any of it. You take this job, you pay me 10% of the cash you earn, you survive."

The ex-ghost looked at the flier again. "That's a lotta money."

"Mm hm. And 90% of it? Yours."

"I'd like 100%..."

"Then your debt will never be paid off... And I will stand by my promise." His hands were on the table now, eyes sharp and demanding. "You pay off my debt, or you become his next plaything. I have friends who can make it happen." Well, that was a blatant lie. "If you take this job, you pay off my debt but have to... well, you know. Don't take it, no debt paid, you're his toy and he's gonna break you. Either way, you're fucked - literally." He smirked a little at the ghost. "What's it gonna be, Morro?"

Morro gulped. "You're forcing me into something I don't want to do."

"I don't want to do this, but it's not like other jobs are going to let you work there. They tend to like humans more than ghosts... This job doesn't care. But neither does he..."

"Fine, damn it! I'll take it!" Morro was visibly and audibly scared - he was shaking and stuttering and his voice was quivering and cracking. "I'll take this stupid job... Just don't send me to him!"

"I won't... As long as you pay." He rubbed his right thumb and right index finger together to symbolise money. He offered a smile to the ghost, which seemed rather silly now, considering the other was scared witless. "It was nice doing business with you." And with that, he left.

"Did he take the job?" She instantly asked as he left the building. She had a bottle of water in her hand, sipping at it.

"Took some persuasion, but, eventually, yes." He smiled at her. "He'll be paying our debt off pretty soon."

A/N: Okay, so I know this took quite a while to write, but was it worth it or was it worth it?

I mean, it probably wasn't, so...

1234, I decided that I could use your idea of having someone be in that sort of career and decided that Morro could be doing it to pay off a debt. But to who...? And why...?

Dun, dun, duuuuuun.

Anyway, Kai and Neuro have been reunited, and gosh was it cute.

So that girl who died (as well as her baby), Eliza, is indeed named after Eliza Schulyer/Hamilton from the musical Hamilton, and the general is named after Jason Dean - J.D - of Heathers.

Man, this chapter has two references.

I only wrote this because I had no Internet (and I wrote everything somewhere in the chapter about that guy's backstory [during the bit where he burns his lips with the coffee] to the end, aside from this author note.

I wrote all that within one day! Actually, a couple hours! Pretty amazing, huh?

I have an idea for the next chapter - I won't spoil it, but it's based off of a song... - so it shouldn't be long if I use the song as a base.

Please review, they urge me to write and I'm always open to constructive criticism!

Thank you for reading, and I hope the next chapter will be out soon.