Letting Go
Show Ninjago
Sensei Wu sat in meditation on the roof of his tea shop.
His mind had been in much turmoil recently. There had been few times in his significantly long life that it had been this way, but it was certainly one of the worst.
The reason for this turmoil, however, was still hard to swallow.
His brother's callous actions that stole the heart of the woman he loved.
Sensei Wu frowned in his meditation as that thought crossed his mind.
In the grand scheme of things, stealing a letter and signing his own name to it wasn't the worst thing Garmadon had done. His brother had plenty of far more dangerous and destructive crimes to his name while under the influence of the Devourer's Venom. Actions that had wreaked havoc either in person or by proxy on the local populations, and had undoubtedly gotten people hurt or worse. It had been him that had studied under Chen in the darker arts. It had been him who had commanded the Skulkin to attack villages and the citizens living within them for his own whims. It was him who had stolen the Golden Weapons to forge his Mega Weapon and all the power it wrought. It was him who had led the Serpentine to cause even more chaos for Ninjago City in a desperate attempt to stop the prophecy. Stealing a girl's affections paled in comparison to all that.
And yet, that one small act of cruelty was the one that stung the most. Out of everything his brother had done, even when the evil had taken over completely and turned him against Wu, it didn't fill him with as much anger and rage as the truth of that letter had.
He'd thought he was over it. Accepted the fact that while he had fallen for Misako, she hadn't reciprocated. That fond of him though she was, she instead loved his brother as much as Garmadon loved her. Had even been somewhat happy that Garmadon had had her love, as having her in his life had seemed to push back the evil inside him for a few years longer than their father had predicted. Long enough to give Wu a nephew. A child all of them loved and were amazed by every day as he grew.
While his heart yearned for what it couldn't have, he was content. He had his family. It was enough.
But now it wasn't.
Now, hearing that that letter had been what won Misako's heart, all the resentment Wu had been forcing down came flooding to the surface with a vengeance.
Now he knew. He knew that there was a possibility that Misako could have chosen him instead. Would have chosen him if that letter had gone uninterrupted. She could have been his wife. He could have been the one to make her happy all these years. The squandered possibilities of what could have been were now right before his very eyes and he wished they had happened.
Now, logically, Wu knew it wasn't that simple. While the letter might have prompted Misako to choose him, it doesn't mean that would have remained her choice. That she wouldn't still have been drawn away to Garmadon instead. But he'd never know now, would he?
No, he wouldn't. And it was all his brother's fault.
Sensei Wu opened his eyes and sighed. His time up here was less meditation and more stewing in resentment, and that would do no good to anyone.
"Tea?" asked a voice to his right.
Sensei Wu turned and only years upon years of training kept him from falling off the roof when he saw his counterpart from the Other Ninjago sitting there and holding a teacup.
"I now see why that annoys my students so much," said Sensei Wu as he accepted the teacup from Master Wu.
Master Wu chuckled. "Maybe. But it certainly is fun."
"Very true," agreed Sensei Wu, happy for the distraction.
"Meditation not going well?" asked Master Wu knowingly.
Sensei Wu took a deep sip from his tea before answering. "No, I'm afraid it's not," he admitted with a sigh. "I find I can't clear my mind of my anger."
Master Wu hummed and sipped his own cup of tea, not needing further explanation. All those who were at the Tea of Truth incident were painfully aware of what happened.
Hoping to get a fresh perspective, Sensei Wu asked, "May I ask, have you ever been in a position similar to mine? Has there ever been anyone you loved, but utterly out of your reach."
Master Wu finished his tea before answering. "I have never found myself in your situation, specifically. As I said before, I never had an attraction to Koko. By the time I had the fortune to meet her in person, she was already so firmly 'my brother's girlfriend' in my mind, so the idea of pursuing her was laughable. And even if we had both met her at the same time, as I presume you did, I do not know if I would be in that position even then. Koko, while a valued warrior, ally, and friend to me, is simply not my type."
Sensei Wu chuckled softly. That was understandable, Koko and Misako certainly were some of the more asymmetrical counterparts.
"If I may ask my own question," said Master Wu carefully. "My counterpart and Misako have clearly been married for several years. Even longer than Lloyd has been alive." He looked his counterpart in the eye. "Why, after all that time, have you failed to move on?"
Sensei Wu opened his mouth to say something, but Master Wu cut him off. "Don't try to deny," he said. "Your actions around Misako, to say nothing of your extreme reaction to finding out the truth of how you lost her make it clear you still carry a torch for her even after so long. Why?"
Sensei Wu sighed into his teacup, he couldn't argue with that.
"I suppose… that would be the dragon in me," he said slowly. "Or, at least, that's the metaphor
Mistaké always used to describe it. You have a Mistaké in your world, don't you?"
"Old, cranky, never lets me be the wisest one in the room," listed off Master Wu, each word describing Mistaké exactly. "Wonderful connoisseur of tea, and the oldest friend of Father's."
"Yes, that's her," said Sensei Wu with a nod. "When I was young, she'd say that like a dragon, I hoard the things I value. Keep them close and never let go."
Master Wu looked like everything suddenly made sense to him. "Oh, I do that too. That definitely explains my extensive collection of deadly weapons. I don't need all those weapons on the Bounty, and rarely actually use them, and yet I just keep collecting them."
Sensei Wu chuckled, realizing his counterpart's possession of the so-called 'Ultimate Weapon' suddenly made more sense. His face then sobered as he got back on track. "Unfortunately, what I value most is less physical objects, and more… people."
Master Wu frowned, that… that explained a lot. It explained not only his continued affections for Misako even long after that ship had sailed, but it also explained his continued aversion to Master Wu's son, Morro, and the sense of grief he still clearly felt for his own version of the boy, despite decades having gone by since his loss.
"Because of that, I find it painfully difficult to 'let go'," Sensei Wu continued, drawing his counterpart from his epiphany. "I honestly thought I had managed it with Misako, and I would never trade Lloyd for a chance to change things, but… the thought of what could have been…"
Master Wu sighed and nodded in agreement. "'What could have beens' are hard," he said sagely. "What if I had recognized my brother rather than push him away? What if I had been more public with my relation to Lord Garmadon and spared my nephew so much backlash? What if my son would have been happier with a more 'normal' family? These questions will likely haunt me for the rest of my life."
"I keep imagining the life I could have had. That we could have had," said Sensei Wu mournfully.
"But then where would that have left your brother?" asked Master Wu.
Sensei Wu was silent.
In all his imaginings, that was something he'd tried to avoid thinking about.
Without Misako to stay strong for, without Lloyd to protect, what would have happened to his brother? How far would the evil within him have taken him?
Sensei Wu didn't know. He didn't want to know, though years upon years of nightmares had long given him some bleak idea.
One thing was for sure, there would have been nothing holding him back. Without Lloyd to be the Green Ninja, there would have been no stopping him.
But now... now his brother was cured. He was free from the evil and was happy (or at least had been before this debacle). Things were better this way, so why did it still hurt?
Why couldn't he let go?
As if summoned by his thoughts, Sensei Garmadon and Misako chose that minute to exit the monastery half of the property. Neither of them saw the Wus on the roof, both seeming to be too caught up in each other to notice.
As Sensei Wu watched, his brother said something that made Misako laugh and slap him on the shoulder. Garmadon rubbed the spot and gave Misako a mock wounded expression that just made her laugh harder before kissing him on the cheek and linking her arm around his. Then, arm in arm, the two walked down the path to the closest town, smiling and chatting all the way.
For the first time, something registered to Sensei Wu. Something he'd always seen, but never fully sank in before now.
They were happy.
The brother he thought he'd never have a bond with again was telling jokes and smiling.
The woman he loved and lost was laughing with a noticeable skip in her step.
They were happy. And more importantly, they were happy together.
Because they were together.
And for them to be happy was all Sensei Wu had ever wanted for them.
Watching the couple walk away, Master Wu raised his flute to play 'Happier' after them. Hearing the song, the two turned and finally noticed them on the roof. Misako gave a friendly wave, as did Sensei Garmadon, though his expression dimmed with a flash of guilt at the sight of his brother.
For the first time since the reveal, Sensei Wu realized how much it stung to be the cause of his brother's shame. He had spent centuries wanting to have his brother back without the poison of evil hanging over them. Hurt though he was, the thought of losing him hurt even more.
Seeing Garmadon looking downcast, Misako's expression turned sympathetic and leaned over to give him another peck on the cheek, then tugged him along down the path.
She didn't even spare either Wu a backward glance, her attention solely focused on her husband.
Suddenly it all became clear.
"She never would have been mine, would she?" asked Sensei Wu slowly, the knowledge slowly settling in his gut.
Master Wu stopped playing his flute and turned to look at him. No judgment or questions, just silently waiting for him to talk.
Sensei Wu appreciated that.
"She loves him," he continued. "Even if I had gotten the letter to her untampered, she would have chosen him in the end. Just as Koko chose your brother in your Ninjago. It was destiny."
Master Wu could only nod solemnly. "Misako married Garmadon and had a son named Lloyd.
For our worlds, this is the truth we must live with. Perhaps there is yet another Ninjago where you and she are together, but this is not that world."
Sensei Wu nodded watching Garmadon and Misako's retreating figures fade in the distance.
He was still hurt. Justifiably so, but-
"I need to let go, don't I," he said softly as he stared off in the distance where he'd last seen them.
"Yes," said Master Wu, pulling no punches. It was long past time for him to do so.
"They're happy together," Sensei Wu said.
"They'd be happier with you by their side," said Master Wu. "Supporting them and showing you care." Adding in a few notes of 'Stand by Me' on his flute.
Sensei Wu nodded, knowing he was right. It had been no secret the intense guilt Garmadon had been feeling since the reveal. And while he still felt betrayed by what he did, there was now a part of him, the part of him that had missed Garmadon after he succumbed to evil, that just wanted his brother back.
It was time to let go.
A/N Sorry for the wait on this. And, unfortunately, there won't be an update next week either. My sister's getting married, so I'm going to be pretty busy helping her with that. I'll keep writing when I have free time, so when that's over with I'll hopefully have something to post.
Anywho, Sensei Wu is finally ready to let go of Misako (something I wish the show had done, but oh well). He was really hurt by what Garmadon did, and on some level is still hurt and maybe doesn't totally forgive him yet, but he's finally ready to let go of his lingering feelings for Misako and hear Garmadon's apology, as well as stop being so bitter and antagonistic towards him.
Massive thanks to Kay Hau for beta reading this. We planned it out after I first wrote the Honest-Tea chapter, and she helped me when I was struggling with the ending.
Not sure what's coming next time, but hopefully I'll be able to post something come December. Happy Thanksgiving!
