Review Replies:

Star-raven: Hey, no need to be rude. She's just reviewing things that come to mind whenever she pleases, something she can do since she's a Guest. It's not hurting anyone and I don't mind it. Besides, it makes it seem like I've got more reviews XXD

Isabella camovic: The... captive girl? You mean Violet? She's not a captive, she's actually in Basilisk. You'll learn more about her in Crooked Clockwork. And thanks! Glad you like the name. Echo's powers all along is that he's the Master of Weather. Only problem is that he can't actually control it, so it's all based off his emotions. You find out what happened to Kaze in this chapter ::) Heh, well, glad you liked it! Hope I met your expectations. I have actually considered a career in writing, and am currently writing a story about superpowers and the end of the world. Hopefully I'll be able to actually get it published ::D

Ebony umbreon: Yup, Master of Weather. And don't worry, Basilisk haven't released Nadakhan or anything. Yet.

TheAmberShadow: Yeah, I suppose the reunion was more depressing than people were hoping for. I had planned on making up for it in this chapter, but I simply couldn't find anywhere to actually fit it in. Don't worry, though, there'll be even more fluff in Crooked Clockwork! There is, indeed, no known Master of Weather. Wonder how Echo got his powers? Hmmm...

CrazyRedmanelion: Yup! Echo has power over the weather. Only problem is that he can't actually control it- it's all based off his emotions.

StoriesAreMagic: *winces* Sorry, but I couldn't really find anywhere to put any proper fluff. But I promise that there'll be a whole bucket load of fluff in Crooked Clockwork!

ABCSKW123-IX: Thank you! I worked really hard on this story, and am so happy that people are freaking out over all the hints and foreshadowing that had popped up all throughout the story. This is, by far, one of my best works. So glad you've enjoyed the story!

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Home

Destiny's Bounty was quiet.

It had been a long time since Wu had experienced such silence, during the day especially. From the moment he'd adopted Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane as his pupils, what seemed to be an eternity ago, silence had been a rare thing. He would often enjoy the quiet whenever he could, but over the past few days, he'd found himself wishing for the noise to return. To hear his pupils shouting in the living room as they battled each other in their new video game when they were supposed to be training. To hear quiet whispers between them when they were supposed to be meditating.

Since Echo had gone missing, the gaming console had not been touched. The controllers sat forgotten on top of it, coated in a thin layer of dust. Wu had often disapproved of their constant gaming. But now he longed for it, a lot like how he longed to see Morro curled up with a book, little brow furrowed in concentration, mouth moving in silently formed words as he attempted to teach himself to read.

Wu pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, but it didn't ease the ache in his chest.

He opened the door to the Ninja's bedroom, peering inside, careful to not disturb them. His lips twitched in a sad smile.

They were all piled together in a mess of pillows, blankets and tangled limbs. Kai, wrapped in fresh bandages and knocked out by the combination of painkillers and pure exhaustion, had Lloyd's head- which sported its own bandage- resting on his stomach. The Green Ninja's shoulder was in a splint, something about having dislocated it during the blackout.

The entire side of Jay's face was wrapped in bandages, a pad covering what had once been his eye. One of his shoulders was still injured from when he'd been stabbed back before the bomb that had left Kai hospitalised went off. His head rested on Nya's shoulder.

Cole was curled up near Lloyd's feet, clutching a pillow, the most exhausted Wu had seen him since he'd become a ghost. Then there was Zane and Echo, curled up in the very centre, clinging to each other as though afraid the other would disappear. Gizmo sat nestled against Echo, little eyes flickering to lock with Wu's.

The sensei put a finger to his lips. The little robot bleeped quietly, before settling back down.

"They've been through so much."

Wu very nearly leapt out of his skin, turning to find Misako standing behind him, peering over his shoulder at the sleeping Ninja. Her lips twitched, having noticed his reaction, but her face fell when her eyes trailed back to the pile. Wu sighed softly.

"Indeed they have," he murmured quietly, careful not to be too loud, although he was sure that, at this point, nothing would wake them, "I fear that they will not be recovering from this as easily they have with others."

"Echo-Zane especially," Misako agreed, keeping her voice just as quiet, "Should we consider therapy?"

"You know they will not agree to that," Wu pointed out, "But it is an option."

They watched them for a while longer, before Wu eventually reached out and gently closed the door to let them sleep in peace. He and Misako retreated to the kitchen, where the ageing sensei decided a cup of tea was in order.

"Dr Julian was such a nice man," Misako said, smiling in thanks as her brother-in-law handed her a cup of steaming tea, "I hadn't wanted to believe that he would leave Echo behind like that. I can't possibly imagine how Zane felt."

"Julian was an intriguing man," said Wu, sipping his tea, "I often found him mysterious. He had many secrets, many of which he took to his grave. But I am glad to know that he hadn't intentionally abandoned Echo-Zane. For Zane's sake."

"He took a bullet to the head, Wu," Misako frowned, "You don't think it's had any… lasting effects, do you?"

Wu paused, cup partway to his mouth. After a moment, he finished its journey and took a small sip. "Perhaps."

Misako cast her eyes downwards. Took a sip of her own tea. "I never knew there was a Master of Weather."

The sensei was silent for a moment, brow only slightly furrowed, "There isn't."

Misako raised her head to look at him properly, eyes widening, "What do you mean?"

"There is no Master of Weather," Wu clarified, "I have no clue as to how Echo has power over it."

"So… what does this mean?" asked Misako, "Your father had another follower? One he never spoke of?"

"One that wasn't even in the Serpentine Wars," Wu nodded, a calculating look on his face, "Yes, it appears to be so"

"I'm not even sure as to how Zane got his powers," Misako sighed, leaning back in her seat, "Let alone Echo."

"I'd assume Dr Julian himself was a descendant, only his generation was skipped," hummed Wu, taking another sip of his tea, "And he somehow passed it down to Zane. Echo, however? I'm unsure."

A silence descended upon the room. Misako took a gulp of her tea, wishing, at the back of her mind, that it was something just a little stronger. "We still don't know who Basilisk is. I doubt they were all killed at Ouroboros."

"If the Ninja escaped," said Wu, "Others are to have likely followed."

"Do you think Violet was there?" Misako asked, "The girl that had been captured before the blackout."

Wu shrugged, "Possibly. Possibly not. We have no reason to believe she wasn't among them."

"Do you think Seamus was apart of Basilisk?"

The sensei shook his head, "No. He is a traitor to us and, possibly, to them as well," he sighed, "Everything remains unclear, even with Echo's return."

"What about Jerhys?" Misako pressed, "Soren Jerhys? Surely you've heard of him before?"

"Alas, I have not," Wu admitted, "Otherwise I would have shared. I have never before heard of the name Jerhys, nor do I know why he insisted on using the Japanese tradition of referring to new people by their surnames."

"It could have just been to taunt him," Misako concluded, hand tightening around her cup, "Lloyd doesn't like being referred to as Garmadon anymore."

"Within reason," Wu sighed, the ache in his chest returning, "He's usually called by his first name, anyway."

Misako smiled bitterly, "It's kind of like they still think of him as the 'Dark Lord,' despite his sacrifice. They wouldn't want to associate their precious Green Ninja with the man that has constantly attempted to take over Ninjago."

Wu snorted quietly, despite himself. He shook his head. "Garmadon will forever be remembered as a hero. You do know that, don't you?"

"I know," Misako sighed, "But you can't deny that it's there."

"No," Wu looked down, "No, I cannot."

Silence stretched into being. Misako gulped at her tea.

"Why do you think of those… 'Coloured Rags'?" she asked, after a moment, "Oddly coincidental of them to be the same colour as the Ninja's gi."

"Jerhys was planning on creating a 'new society,'" Wu said, sipping his tea, "He was most likely planning on replacing the Ninja also."

"Nya said they represented their elements as well," Misako traced the rim of her cup with a finger, "Their symbols were in Japanese."

Wu nodded, brow furrowing again, "Doro, Chikara, Nokoribi, Yuki, Denki and Mizu. Five girls, one boy."

"Dirt, Power, Embers, Snow, Electricity and Water," Misako translated. She bit the inside of her cheek. "If only we knew what their real names are."

"Dirt is quite the odd thing to name someone," Wu murmured, "I wonder if they were seen as the least qualified member."

"I wouldn't be surprised at this point," Misako admitted. She hesitated, regarding her brother-in-law almost wearily. "And… what about Echo's… friend?"

Wu paused, staring into his tea. Misako bit her lip.

"Kaze," she said, "He called him Kaze. You don't think… ?"

"The Coloured Rags were not the actual Ninja," Wu said, not looking up from his tea, "It is a possibility that there is one for each Elemental Master," his chest ached, "Even the dead ones."

Misako stared at him for a long moment. Then she nodded and took a sip of her tea. "You're right," she sighed, "I'm sorry."

Wu's eyes trailed over to the kitchen door. Open, just in case something happened. Just in case one of their kids needed them.

Just in case.

"It's alright."

"Hey, you."

Chope raised his head, cheeks stained with tears. Clouse gestured for him to come over and, startled, Chope looked over his shoulder, wondering if he was actually talking to him. Seeing no one else there, he looked back at the ghost and pointed a thumb at his chest questionably.

Clouse, scowling, nodded, "Yes, you! Get over here!"

His wrists were chained behind his back, so tight that the skin broke and bled. A gag was tied around his mouth, a filthy taste on his tongue, cutting into the corners of his mouth.

"Can you get me into one of the cells?"

"Well- Well, yeah, I can-"

"You won't tell anyone?"

Blood, bubbling around the knife in his friend's throat. Jerhys, waving him away, as though it didn't matter. As though he didn't care. Something curled in Chope's stomach.

"No."

The door opened, spilling light into the room. He ducked his head, closed his eyes as they burned from constant time in the dark. A hand wrapped around his arm, painfully tight, a fist cracking against his mouth.

He watched as Clouse handed the prisoner a vial, the broken robot lying on the floor, looking so childlike that Chope's heartstrings tugged. He'd done this. He'd brought him here.

Chope stepped out of the way, allowing Clouse to pass him into the hall. He stared at the little robot for a long moment, biting his lip, before sliding out into the corridor after the ghost. He closed the door behind him. Looked over his shoulder at the retreating Clouse, too focused on not stepping in any of the puddles to care about him. His hand brushed against the key in his pocket.

He didn't pull it out.

He was forced to his feet, forced out into the corridor, a blade pressed between his shoulder blades. The uneven floor scraped and tore at his bare feet.

Chaos. The giant snake leaving behind a trail of blood. The Coloured Rags stood, impassive, hands clasped behind their backs like robotic soldiers. Chope placed the key on the floor.

He kicked it towards Zane.

Noise. Everywhere. Black Rags, pointing, jeering, shouting traitor in their foreign language. His brothers killer stood, an axe clasped in his mutilated hands.

The droid burst into action, socking Jerhys in the face. The Coloured Rags beat him to the floor.

Chope sprung forwards. His fist connected with the Green Rag's nose.

He was forced to his knees, a foot replacing the blade that had been pressed against his back, shoving his face into the cold block. Chope closed his eyes. The monster raised its axe.

He joined his brother.

The sun was low in the sky, the lights of Ninjago City blazing into life. A passerby, scrolling through their phone, laughed at something and tossed their empty cup over their shoulder. It rolled into a nearby alley, half melted ice clacking, and came to a stop at the bottom of a dumpster.

There was nothing in the void. Nothing but darkness, darkness in every direction, in his veins and lungs and heart, consuming him, blinding him, leaving him breathless.

A hand reached down and picked up the cup, jiggling it. Then, scowling, it was thrown into the dumpster. This was quickly followed by the same hand that had picked it up, rummaging around, searching through the trash.

Then there was fire, everywhere, licking away at his limbs and face and chest, and he screamed, screamed in outright agony, feeling as though he were being sucked through a tiny vacuum cleaner, his skin tear and healing and tearing and healing again and again and again.

The hand emerged, balling into a fist and slamming onto the side of the dumpster. A hiss of pain through clenched teeth. He hit it again. Again.

He landed, sprawled on the ground, gasping, fire in his lungs and bones. Through unfocused eyes and a pounding head, he looked up, up at the grizzly man that towered over him, smirking a twisted smirk, a gauntlet gleaming bloody red on his arm.

"Welcome back."

"Are you trying to break your hand?"

He froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He turned his head to face the entrance of the alleyway and scowled.

"Carrot," he spat, "What do you want?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm your… employer, you could say. What do you remember?"

"I… remember fire. Liquid fire. Water that burns."

"Anything else?"

"... No."

"I want to make amends," Carrot declared, strolling into the alley, "Look at you. You're rummaging through the trash like a common rat. I never thought you could get any lower."

"I've done this before, you know," he growled, "And I can easily break your fucking nose if I want to."

Carrot tutted, "Now, now. No need for such language. Surely that father of yours taught you better?"

"What do you want, Carrot?"

"I want your help."

"We're going to call you Kaze from now on."

"How come?"

"Well, you want to be a part of the team, don't you? We'll even make your rags green."

"Why green?"

"Don't you like green?"

"I… yeah. Okay, sure. Green."

"My help?" he echoed, disbelieving, "And just why would I do that?"

"Jerhys is no longer useful to me," Carrot explained, tucking his hands inside his pockets, "But you, on the other hand, serve a purpose. I want you to help me," he smiled, "I'll give you anything you want in return."

He stared at him for a long moment. Then he cast his gaze to the ground and turned away. "I don't even know what I want."

"Power?" suggested Carrot, taking a small step forward, "Money?" his eyes glinted, "The green gi?"

"No!" he cut him off, head snapping around, eyes a blazing glare, "Don't you dare try that!"

"What are you doing?"

Kaze jumped, the laptop falling from his hands and smashing against the floor, breaking upon impact. He spun around to face Chikara, heart thumping in his throat. "Noth-Nothing!"

"Liar."

Carrot snorted, "Alright, fine. Matter is, I can give you anything at all. You just have to help me."

He stared at him. Then he shook his head. "No," he croaked, "I'm done with Basilisk. And that includes you."

The man's face fell into a hard glare, "Fine," he spat, "Have it your way."

Carrot lunged.

"You were trying to contact them."

"I- I wasn't, I swear-"

"He's going to kill you now."

He leapt out of the way, planting his foot against the side of the dumpster and leaping over Carrot's head. But the man pulled out a knife, tearing the cloth that covered his stomach, only narrowly missing flesh.

Landing in a roll, he leapt back to his feet, raising his fist, the wind roaring. Then an arrow embedded itself into the wall inches from Carrot's head.

"Leave the boy alone, Dewer," said the shadow at the end of the alley, "You are unwelcome here."

Carrot scowled, eyes darting from him to the shadow. Then he turned around and ran out the other end of the alley.

Slowly, he lowered his fist, the wind ceasing its roar. Turned to face the newcomer, legs tensed and eyes narrowed. "I had him."

The shadow laughed, stepping closer, "Of course you did."

It was not, in fact, a shadow, but instead a man. His hair was black, messy and streaked with grey. His face was worn, and yet youth somehow remained in his features. His eyes were a dark brown, and for a moment he thought he recognised him as someone he wasn't.

"Who are you?" he asked, eyes narrowing further. The man smiled with surprising kindness. He held no bow.

"I'm a friend," he stated, "To this, I promise you."

"Promises are just words," he pointed out. The man hummed.

"Yes, that is true. But I, for one, never break a promise."

"What do you want?"

"To help people," said the man, "You can be one of those people too, if you choose to trust me."

"I don't trust easily," he growled, an attempt to appear menacing, despite his ragged state. The man's face only softened further.

"No one in your position does," he said. The man turned, walking back to the alley's exit. He called over his shoulder. "If you wish to follow, do so. I can provide you with food and shelter," he paused in the entrance of the alley, "You can leave whenever you like, Morro."

He turned the corner, vanishing from view. Morro stared after him. His eyes darted over to the dumpster he'd been searching through in hopes of finding food, then over to the other end of the alley, where Carrot had vanished.

He bit his lip. Then he turned and made his way after the retreating man, turning the corner to find him waiting off to the side next to the alleyway. The man smiled at him, before turning and continuing down the street.

Morro's hand slipped into his pocket, clutching at a single, squished daisy. The remains of a flower crown.

He ran after him.

Yeah, I know, there's no proper fluff between Echo and Zane like I promised ::( Sorry about that, guys, but I couldn't find anywhere to squeeze some in without disrupting the flow. You'll just have to wait until Crooked Clockwork comes out.

Well. This is it. This... it's actually over. Wow. I think I might be in a bit of shock. I started this at the end of September last year. It's been a year and a half since I started this. It somehow feels like it's been going on for shorter, and yet longer at the same time. Does that make sense? I don't know if that makes sense.

Just... wow. Heh.

It's over. We know who Kaze is. We know how the door was left open, how Zane escaped his chains in Ouroboros. We know why it's been snowing when it shouldn't be. We know why Julian left Echo behind.

But with answers come questions. Just who's the man that Morro has followed? Why did Carrot want Morro's help? How were Morro, Chope and Kapow resurrected? What happened to Nelson and Skales Jr? Who are the Coloured Rags?

You'll have to wait and find out.

I shall see you...

... in Crooked Clockwork.

Edit: How could I forget? Massive shoutout to my friend, GirlOfHerOwnWorld, who helped write this story!