"Don't listen to him Aurora! That's not Lloyd!"

Kai's words fell on deaf ears, unheard in the storming wind and her conflicting emotions. Lloyd—Morro—stood before her with an unreadable look on his face, one hand outstretched to the gem held in her grasp.

The Realm Crystal.

She bit her lip, holding her breath in shock at the words he uttered. "You called me Rose." She whispered softly, heart wrenching painfully in her chest.

Because only Lloyd had called her Rose.

Something wicked and cruel shone in Morro's eyes, eyes that were normally so filled with light and love. Love for her.

"That's right." Morro spoke, dropping his hand to move closer to her with purposeful steps, Aurora backing away in response. "Just give me the crystal Rose and things can go back to the way they were before. Just you and me." He repeated stopping briefly.

You and me.

Aurora peered at the crystal in her hands, the gem reflecting her hesitantance in its glowing surface. She went to glance at the other Ninja, who were being held back by Morro's ghosts only to lock her gaze back on Morro when he shifted closer in her direction.

"I—." She hesitated looking for guidance in the form of her friends—her brothers—and Kai caught her eye from where he and the others were struggling against their captors.

"It's not him Aurora! Lloyd wouldn't want you to give him the Realm Crystal! Morro knows that! He's trying to manipulate you ugh—!" Kai's words were cut off when he was slammed to the ground by Morro's ghosts. Aurora gave an uneasy breath before turning her focus back on the figure in front of her. Morro had wandered closer and in her distraction she hadn't backed away.

"He's lying Rose." Lloyd—not Lloyd, it's Morro!—reassured in a voice dripping with honey. "You know I'd never lie to you, right?"

"I—." She stuttered again unable to get her voice to cooperate and form words. "I don't—."

Move! Her mind shouted. Move before he takes the crystal and all of Ninjago is doomed!

But she couldn't. Because Lloyd was trapped inside his own body at Morro's mercy. She had to save him.

Who's going to save you? Her thoughts echoed.

She didn't have an answer.

She breathed uneasily, lashes gleaming with unshed tears as she glanced up to see Lloyd's hovering figure. She couldn't distinguish his eyes from Morro's and found herself unable to look away, the other ninjas' protests went unheard as they shouted and screamed at her to run.

Lloyd—she had stopped calling him Morro—placed a firm hand on her right shoulder leaving her unable to run away while the other drifted down to grasp her left hand. The one that held the Realm Crystal. Her breath came fleetingly and in stuttered gasps. Again she tried to speak her protests.

"I can't." She whispered, voice dying out haltingly. He hushed her, grasping her wrist while rubbing his thumb back and forth on her shoulder. Even through the thick material of her ninja-gi she could feel his touch. A sound uttered from her lips lost in the howling winds that seemed to block her surrounding vision. It seemed as if they were the only ones left in the entire world.

"It's me Rose." He murmured pressing his forehead against hers, the dark locks of his bangs screaming deceit along with the shadows under his eyes. And yet she couldn't tell the difference between Morro and the boy she loved. His breath whispered across the bridge of her nose and she felt a lump form in her throat.

"Lloyd." She trailed off, voice thick with emotion and the Realm Crystal growing lax in her grip as he held her close. She felt another hand grasp at the gem preventing it from clattering to the ground.

"My lady." He replied leaning closer as she closed her eyes.

A single tear fell down Aurora's cheek as green light filled her vision.

And then . . . darkness.

—————————————————————

In the future, when Lloyd asked if she remembered the kiss, she wouldn't be able to answer him.

—————————————————————

"Oh, Aurora." Zane spoke sadly, watching as his sister went limp in Morro's grasp, his stolen power ensuring their defeat. The others thrashed widely—Kai the worst of them all, expression full of hot fury—as Morro shot them a leering grin with the Realm Crystal held high in one hand and Aurora's unconscious figure leaning heavily against him.

"At last I have not only the Realm Crystal in my grasp but both the Green and Yellow Ninja of legend." He boasted.

Zane was unimpressed—among other things, worry being the most present—and frankly by his understanding so was Kai. Steam seeped from his very being and the ice ninja briefly wondered if he'd found a way to gain back his powers.

"You sick, manipulative, twisted, utter—!"

The fire ninja was cut off as Wrayth yanked harshly on his chains, binding them tighter. Even restrained his brother didn't relent on insulting Morro. Not that Zane blamed him, he too was miraculously hoping that either they magically regained their powers or the Realm Crystal burst into tiny little pieces.

Frankly neither were possible during this time.

He settled with a more direct approach.

"Release them both at once!" The nindroid commanded, testing the strength of his chains and calculating the possibility of their survival. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't high. Morro merely chuckled.

"Not a chance." He hoisted Aurora higher, bringing her into a bridal carry with the Realm Crystal clutched firmly in his left hand. The Master of Wind turned to his ghostly colleagues.

"Get rid of them."

And then he was turning away, walking swiftly to the summoned form of the glowing green Energy Dragon.

The Ninjas' shouts rose in volume, protesting both Aurora's capture and the theft of the Realm Crystal.

Morro ignored them all as he lifted himself—and Aurora—onto the back of his—Lloyd's—dragon. In a unique show of gentleness, the wind master cradled Aurora's form to his chest preventing her from falling off.

The Ninja could only watch as Morro carried away their last remnants of hope and with it the key to releasing the end of Ninjago.