Last chapter! I've had a lot of fun with this story so I hope you all like it.
The next day, Cole woke up early to the sound of birds chirping outside. He groaned slightly as he tried turning away from his open window, but he realized that something was on him. Or someone. The master of earth slowly opened his eyes to see that Vania was currently using him as a pillow, so he wasn't moving anytime soon.
Cole groaned again, but this time in content as he closed his eyes. As he did, he began thinking of what he had to do when he woke up again later that day.
Get out of bed, brush my teeth, get back in the same clothes as yesterday, (They weren't too dirty, right?) eat, talk to Morro about him staying in Ninjago instead of me.
As soon as he realized that, Cole began to panic. He looked at his clock and realized that he still had half a day before the Departed Realm took control. Or was it the First Spinjitzu Master? Either way, he had time, and his stress levels lowered. But he still needed to talk to Morro. Maybe sooner than he thought.
"Vania?" Cole sleepily said.
"Hmm?"
"I gotta get up."
Vania groaned in displeasure as she wrapped her arms around Cole to keep him right where he was.
"You're the one who wanted me to talk to Morro," he told her with a chuckle.
Vania sighed, but she did as she was told and let him go.
Cole felt bad for making her do that, but he really did need to talk to Morro about this. He couldn't make this decision unless the master of wind was completely honest with him, which was a hard thing to get him to do.
Unfortunately, Morro was not where he left him last night. Jay was there, though, playing Prime Empire.
"Hey, Jay. Have you seen Morro anywhere?" Cole asked.
"No, but maybe he's with Wu," Jay suggested.
"Thanks," Cole replied.
He then left for Wu's room, but the master's lights were off.
Must be in the library, Cole thought.
The library looked completely void of life, which meant that Wu had to be sleeping, but his library was a mess! There were multiple books scattered about the room. Some on the floor, some on the couch, some on the desk, very few on the actual shelves, even fewer on the shelves correctly, and an entire shelf of books had been piled up to surround where Wu's reading chair once was.
"Huh," was the only thing Cole could bring himself to say.
Cole walked over to the pile and looked over the top of it to see Morro sitting in Wu's reading chair, completely enveloped in the book in his hands.
"Morro?" the master of earth asked. "What are you doing?"
The master of wind looked up in surprise. He closed the book quickly as if he was scared and used his powers to put it back on the shelf it had come from, but when he looked up, it was only Cole.
"Sorry," Cole told him.
Morro just scoffed as he stood up and carefully maneuvered himself out of his book pile, which looked a lot like a fort now that he thought about it.
"I was trying to find a way to get back to the Departed Realm," Morro told him. "Don't tell Master Wu about the mess."
"That's actually what I came here to talk to you about," Cole started.
"Relax. I've almost figured it out. I just need to find the page again."
"Not that."
"Then what?"
"Well, I was wondering...how come you never mentioned staying?"
"We can't both stay."
"Yeah, but you've never once thought that you would prefer to stay?"
Morro thought for a moment before he responded saying, "I mean, it would be nice to have another shot at life, but I can't have that. Once I go back to the Departed Realm, I can't try this again. Why are you asking anyway? You don't want to stay anymore?"
"I do. But now that I think about it, I don't really need to. Not like you anyway."
Morro looked at Cole as if he was crazy. After all the horrible stuff they went through to get him here, he wanted to back out?
He voiced these concerns, and Cole replied by saying, "You said it yourself. You won't get another chance after going back."
"Neither will you."
Cole shrugged. "I've lived my life."
"Yeah, but they need you."
Cole sighed. "Well, we need to make a decision before noon."
"I already made mine."
With that, Morro used his power to grab the book he was reading earlier before plopping right back into Wu's chair.
Cole could sense that Morro didn't want to talk anymore, but he had to say one more thing.
"Morro?" he started.
"What?" Morro asked.
"Wu already knows how to get me back to the Departed Realm."
Morro slammed the book shut before looking back at Cole and saying, "Me."
The earth elemental rolled his eyes as he exited the room, leaving Morro to clean up his mess, but as soon as he left, he was greeted by Nya, Lloyd, and Zane. With the way they were huddled around the door, it was clear to Cole that they had been listening to his and Morro's conversation.
"Really, Guys?" Cole asked his friends.
The three ninja in front of him suddenly grew very embarrassed. They looked at Cole with sheepish grins and sad looks in their eyes.
"We are sorry, Cole," Zane spoke for everyone. "We just wanted to know what was so important." He waited a beat before he asked, "Are you staying?"
Cole looked at his brothers and sister and shook his head sadly. "I really wish I could stay," he told his friends. "But if I do, then Morro has to leave, and that's not fair to him."
"So?" the word slipped out of Lloyd's mouth before he could stop it.
"He's a better person now, Lloyd, and he needs another chance."
Nya took a deep breath as she gave Cole a hug and said, "You're still our Cole."
"Thanks, Nya," Cole replied as she pulled away.
"Your sacrifice is for a noble cause, Brother," Zane assured him.
"Thanks, Buddy." The earth elemental then looked to Lloyd who just sighed. He looked up at Cole with his big green eyes and said, "I'm proud of you."
"I'm proud of you," Cole replied. "I see now that you guys will do just fine without me."
"I just wish we didn't have to," said Nya.
"I know," was Cole's reply.
The monastery had never been fuller during breakfast. Everyone wanted one last meal together before Cole's departure.
"Can I get everyone's attention?" Kai asked as he stood up on his chair, glass cup in his hand.
Everyone looked to the fire ninja as he said, "I'd like to make a toast to our last day with our brother, Cole. Our rock. We would've never made it this far without you. We'll miss you."
"To Cole!" everyone cheered.
"Thanks, Guys," Cole said. "I'll miss you too."
"I just wish we could do something together before you leave," Jay said quietly.
Cole, who was sitting right next to him, heard this and said, "I have time."
Everyone's eyes lit up and before long, Jay, Zane, Kai, Nya, and Lloyd were all playing Fist to Face 3 with Cole while Skylor, Pixal, and Master Wu watched form the side. Vania sat on the couch besides Cole to watch.
It sounded and looked like pure chaos as half of the ninja were accidentally killing each other's videogame characters, running into walls, or screaming at each other. The only ones who were actually doing a good job with the game was Zane and Kai, who were currently fighting for the high score.
"You can't just steal my weapon!" Jay suddenly screamed.
"But I just did!" Cole replied.
"How would you like it if I took your scythe."
"I wouldn't. What? No! Give me that back!"
"It's mine now!"
"Will you guys be quiet? I'm trying to figure this out, and I'm dead again," Nya said.
"Wait. That's you? All this time I've been looking at your screen," Lloyd replied.
"Is that why you keep running into the wall?" Kai asked, eyes glued to his screen.
"Yeah," Lloyd admitted.
Kai began laughing while the others joined in.
As the laughter died down, Jay sighed.
"Nothing like a good 'ol game to wash your cares away," he said. Although, he didn't mean to say it out loud.
"Is that why you love them so much?" Nya asked.
"Yeah," Jay shrugged. "Everyone needs a break sometimes. Whether that comes in the form of videogames, jokes, or a crazy hobby you have, it's why it's there. To keep us sane."
"Wow," Cole said. "I never realized how deep they could actually be."
"I dunno. They've always helped me. Especially this past year."
"But we always keep fighting," Nya said.
Zane paused the game and added, "Yes. We will always be there for each other."
"If you need someone to talk to, play a game with, or leave you alone, we understand that," Kai said. "We just need to know what you need."
"Yeah!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"Good," Cole put in. "I was worried that you guys would fall apart again. Like what happened after Zane sacrificed himself and Nya left, but you guys seem to be doing okay."
"We weren't," Lloyd admitted, "but we're doing better."
"Good. I don't want you givin' the guys any trouble. They need a good leader, and you're the best we've ever had. After Wu, of course," Cole gave his master a smile, which was returned kindly.
"Don't worry," Lloyd responded as he wiped tears from his eyes. "I won't be too hard on them."
He then turned to Zane and said, "Take care of 'em for me while I'm gone."
"Of course," the ice ninja responded.
The two stood up and gave each other a hug, but Cole was not ready for what his friend had to say next.
"Do you think we will see each other again?" Zane asked.
Cole was shocked. If he was being perfectly honest, he didn't know. He pulled away from his brother so he could look him in the eyes and said, "I hope so. But don't let it be because you quit. Ninjago will always need her master of ice and Samurai X," he added as he looked towards Pixal.
"Of course," Zane told him with a determined smile.
Cole turned to Nya next and told her, "Make sure they don't do anything stupid, Nya."
"You know I won't," she replied.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sure everyone misses your jokes."
"Eh. I've shocked them once or twice," was Jay's attempt. He then made a mental note to start writing down his jokes again so he could come up with something better.
Cole just smiled at this before he turned to Kai and asked, "Are you gonna be okay?"
Kai nodded. "I have a feeling we'll all be doing a little better after today."
"Good," Cole smiled.
Once the game was over, Morro took Cole back to the library to talk to him, but he seemed angry.
"What was that?" Morro asked.
"What was what?" Cole responded.
"That!" Morro replied as he gestured towards the door. "What was it? Some kind of goodbye?"
"I can't stay, Morro. Not with the price it comes for."
"Why not?"
"Because you need this! I don't know why, but ever since we met in the Departed Realm, I've wished that you could come back. Now you have the chance, and you're leaving it!"
Morro crossed his arms as he looked at the earth master with a skeptical look. Seeing this, Cole walked over to the door, where Morro had taken off his bag the night before. (No wonder he had so much trouble fighting him.) Cole rummaged through the bag until he found his folder of sketches. He took his most recent one out and showed it to Morro.
As Morro looked at the sketch, he realized something. Mini Cole looked off.
"I'm not sure why I had so much trouble with this, but he looks a lot like someone else we know if you think about it," Cole said.
Cole was right. The sketched ninja looked a lot more like Morro than it did of Cole. He was standing there with the others, and they were all smiling and having fun.
"How-?" Morro began.
"I usually let my hands do the talking," Cole replied.
Morro remained speechless as he looked at the gorgeous detailing of the sketch. It was of the five ninja, with Morro, Master Wu, and Pixal. They were all standing outside under a beautiful cherry tree. Everything from the wisps in the clouds above to the tiny weapons hidden in their belts was so realistic, it was insane.
"Y-you're willing to give all of this up...for me?" Morro finally managed to ask. He still seemed skeptical, but he was warming up to him.
"I would do anything for one of my brothers," Cole replied.
All negative thoughts disappeared from the wind master's head in an instant. His eyes lit up with joy as he looked up at Cole. He had called him his brother. Immediately, he ran into his arms and gave him the biggest hug he could muster.
"Thank you," he said.
Cole smiled. For once since he'd started talking to him, he had gotten Morro to be completely honest with him. He was still just a kid. A kid who wanted what any other kid should have. A chance to make things right.
"Anytime," Cole replied as he returned the hug.
Suddenly, a knock could be heard on the door followed by the sound of Vania's voice.
"Cole?" she said. "Master Wu would like to know if you're ready,"
Cole looked at a clock located next to the door to see that he only had thirty minutes left. He sighed before he looked back towards the door and said, "Yeah, I'm ready."
Only a few minutes later, everyone was in the courtyard to bid Cole farewell.
"I'm going to miss you," Vania told him.
"Don't worry," Cole replied. "You'll do just fine without me. Just, can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't let this ruin any other chances for love you have in the future."
Vania sighed before saying, "You're the only person I could ever love."
Cole gave a wet chuckle as tears filled his eyes. "I love you too, Vania," he said. The two shared a kiss as Wu used the Traveler's Tea to make an opening to an all too familiar place to Cole. It was the beautiful flower bed Cole found himself in eleven months ago.
"You were a great student, Cole," Wu told him. "Your heart is filled with diligence, courage, and love. You have completed your journey well."
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Cole replied as he grabbed Wu into a hug. He then whispered so no one else could hear, "I've never told you this, but you've always been like a second father to me."
Wu's eyes went wide at the statement.
"I am honored you think of me in such high regard," Wu replied back at the same volume Cole told him this.
The last thing Cole did before he went back to the Departed Realm was take a finished sketch of Wu and Cole fishing years ago. He then gave this to Wu before looking at his friends and saying, "See you in a century."
With that, he went into the portal and watched as it closed behind him. As he did, he realized that, in a way, he did help his friends move on, and he hoped that it would be a long time before he saw them again because that would mean they had lived long and bountiful lives. They would come back with stories of adventures, awkward moments, and maybe even families. They would continue telling stories for generations, and they'd have a great time doing so.
Most days, all Cole would do is think about the wonderful future that would be in store. Those were his favorite days.
It had been months since Cole returned to the Departed Realm, and things had gotten much better for the ninja. Each and every one tried their hardest to do what Cole asked them. Lloyd put his leadership skills to the maximum; Nya was as strict as ever when it came to the boys teasing, but in a fun way; Zane made sure to be there for his brothers as he always was before; Jay joked and talked almost as much as he used to; and Kai had calmed his anger down. They still weren't perfect, but they were definitely getting there. The most troubling aspect from the team had finally been fixed as well. They began working like a team again, and even though they had a rocky beginning, the ninja did everything they could to make Morro feel welcomed. They even became good friends. With everyone working together, they managed to defeat Rema, and Ninjago had finally entered another era of peace.
Currently, Morro was in the Ninjago City Memorial Park, where every citizen deemed as a hero had their own statue, plaque, or bench dedicated to them. Cole had a statue dedicated to him right next to Zane's statue from the Overlord's attack.
Morro sighed as he sat down on a bench in front of the statues. He looked around the park to make sure no one was listening before he looked up at the statue and said, "Hey, Cole. I'm not usually one to do this sort of thing, and I doubt you can hear me, but in the small chance that you can, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. For showing me that it's okay to have friends or to want something that seems impossible even after all that I've done. I just wanted to let you know that you didn't give this up for nothing. I don't know if you ever thought that, but if you did, I'm sorry."
Morro sat in silence for a long while, enjoying the company of the surrounding pigeons. That was until he got a text. He took his phone out of his jean pocket to see that it was from Jay.
"Dude! Kai got tickets to that Adventure Island movie you wanted to see! Meet us at the theaters!" the text read.
"Be right there," Morro texted back.
He put his phone back in his pocket and began making his way through the city he had gotten to know so well. The once self-hating, melancholy teen was now a happy boy with amazing friends, a loving home, and a great life. Although, he was still working through his guilt, he was getting better. And he would continue getting better from here on out.
That was it! I hope you guys liked that, and thanks to redefineuridentity for reviewing. It really meant a lot to me.
I'm hoping to make a Zane/Pixane one-shot series sometime in the future so if you have any ideas for that please PM me or review.
Once again, I hope you all liked that. I had a lot of fun writing it. Leave a review if you'd like. I should also be updating Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu: C.J. Style very soon.
Have a great day/night!
#God'sNotDead