Hey everyone. It's Lloyd again. FFF's internet is still toast. Which means no review replies again. But thanks for reviewing, everyone!

Chapter 4

Morro lay back against the cold, stone wall, watching Indigo sleep peacefully. He wasn't sure what that "Tara" girl was doing when he caught her, but it wasn't looking for food. He'd thought he saw a flash of light off of metal, right before he startled her. A knife, maybe. Whatever the case, he was determined to keep an eye on her so she didn't try anything. He would simply have to stay awake all night. But his mind nagged at him, telling him that he had to sleep sometime. He would have to tell someone about his suspicions. But he pushed those thoughts aside, telling himself that he could do just fine on his own. For hours, he sat against the wall, watching Indigo sleep and listening to Tara muttering in her corner. He tried to stay awake, but the darkness was so peaceful, he could barely keep his eyes open...

Morro's eyes snapped open. He realized that he had fallen asleep and quickly turned to where Tara was lying on her rock. Seeing her motionless, he turned to Indigo, who had changed positions but was still sleeping peacefully. Wait. What was he doing here? What was going on? Oh. This must be a dream. He looked around the cavern, which was almost pitch black. He recognized this place. Was this a memory? Why was he supposed to be staying awake again? He didn't remember. Glancing around the room, he saw a few backpacks on the floor in the greenish light cast from his ghostly form. There were a few people lying around too. Slowly, Morro got to his feet, relieved to discover that neither his leg nor his head hurt. One of the benefits of being asleep. He looked back down at Indigo for a moment. For some reason, he didn't want to leave her alone. It didn't seem safe. But what would she be in danger from? The answer hovered at the back of his mind, just out of reach. It was very frustrating. Finally, he gave up and left her side, walking across the cave and taking note of the people asleep on the ground. One of them was the blond-haired boy- Lloyd? Yes. Morro stood there for a few moments beside Lloyd, watching the younger boy's chest rise and fall. Suddenly, he heard a soft thump behind him and spun around to see a woman with black hair kneeling beside Indigo, her face illuminated by a match in her hand. Tara. Tara looked up and met Morro's eyes, a cruel smile flashing across her face. It was only then that Morro noticed the knife, buried up to the hilt in Indigo's chest.

Forgotten

"Morro gasped as he awoke from the strange nightmare, his hand instantly going to his head as a wave of pain his him. Had that been a memory? It felt like one. But... that couldn't have really happened. He would never have left Indigo's side if he knew that Tara was a danger. That's right. That's why he was staying up with her.

"Indigo." he murmured, rolling onto his side to face the wall. Who was she? Who was Tara? Why did she want to kill her? Why was she in their camp if she wanted to kill Indigo? He groaned softly, letting his hand drop from the side of his head. Why couldn't he get dreams that answered questions instead of causing more? He should go back to sleep. The sooner he healed, the sooner Bansha would explain these things to him. He had to know, before these memories drove him mad. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes, oblivious to the figure standing in the doorway as sleep overtook him once more.

Forgotten

Bansha hovered silently in the doorway of the room where Morro was sleeping. He had said Indigo's name after he woke up. That wasn't good. Was he dreaming about his memories as well? She hoped he would heal soon, so she could tell him about his past. That is, her slightly-altered version of it. Or maybe majorly-altered. Whatever. She had located Wrath after Morro had fallen asleep and told him about the wind master, stressing the fact that he shouldn't tell anyone. Once he agreed, and set off once again on his way, Bansha had gone to check on Morro, who was asleep when she had first arrived. But, as she was about to leave, he had woken up with a gasp. He had looked panicked for a split second, then calmed down. She had considered going over and seeing if he was alright, but then he said his girlfriend's name and she decided against it. He was asleep again now, and hadn't seemed to have noticed her at all. She would have to ask him about his memories, she realized, and change her story accordingly. If something didn't match up, he would know that she was lying. And then there was the problem of his friends. She wasn't sure how he had been killed and sent here, but she knew that they would come looking for him eventually. If they weren't here already, that is. She would have to do something about them. But, for now, she needed to nurse Morro back to health. Backing out of the room, Bansha shut the door quietly and floated towards the armory. Soul Archer wanted her to try out some new weapons, and now was as good a time as any. She only hoped that Morro's dreams would be about things that never really happened.

Forgotten

Lloyd was tired of waiting. It had been almost a week now since Jay had accidentally killed Morro, and the green ninja was really worried. Why hadn't he come back yet? Had he been sidetracked or injured? Maybe he had been captured by the other ghosts in the Cursed Realm. Whatever the case, Lloyd wanted him back. He missed his friend. The others were worried about him too. Jay felt really guilty about it, and Sensei sometimes stared out the window for half an hour at a time, hoping to see Morro walking up the monastery. Indigo was the worst, though. She stayed in her room almost all the time, and when she did come out, at most mealtimes, she would glare daggers at Jay the entire time, creating more tension. All this was why Lloyd was sitting in front of one of the monastery's computers, typing an email to Clouse. He knew that the dark arts master was capable of creating a portal to the Cursed Realm, which would be much quicker than going all the way to the volcano and getting lost again. After sending a request for him to come and perform the spell, Lloyd pushed his chair back, standing up and turning around to see Indigo standing a foot behind him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, jumping. "You startled me."

"Sorry." she said quietly.

"You okay?" he asked, stepping around the chair to stand next to her.

"No." she shot him an annoyed glance. "Do I look okay?"

"Sorry." Lloyd coughed. "I know you're worried about Morro. We all are. Including Jay."

"Jay doesn't care." she muttered.

"Yes he does." the blond ninja insisted. "He really sorry for sending him back to the Cursed Realm. He wants you to forgive him." Indigo just stared at him silently. "Look, I just sent a message to Clouse. He can make a portal to the Cursed Realm and we can go see if Morro's alright. Okay?" she nodded, almost imperceptive.

"Fine."

"And... try to forgive Jay. Please?" Lloyd put a hand on his friend's shoulder, slightly surprised to discover than it didn't go through her.

"Alright." she murmured. Then, without warning, she hugged him. Surprised, he hugged her back. She needed it, he realized. After a few moments, she let go and stepped back.

"Daggerclaws doesn't like Morro." she spoke up after a moment.

"Why not?"

"He says Morro's stealing me. I think he's jealous." she giggled softly. Lloyd laughed too, mostly because it was only a couple weeks before that he had been jealous of Indigo for stealing Morro. Well, at least he wasn't alone.

"Tell him not to be silly." Lloyd said after his laughter died down. "And don't worry. We'll get Morro back soon." But even as he said this, he felt a pang of doubt. Something's wrong, a voice told him in the back of his mind.

"Are you sure? You look worried." Indigo's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up to see her frowning.

"Of course I'm sure." he forced a smile onto his face. Indigo was worried enough without him dumping his worries on her. The ghost girl nodded, returning his smile before turning and leaving the room. Lloyd let his smile fade as he turned to the window, looking out at the horizon. Clouse had better come soon...

Forgotten

One of the perks of being a ghost was fast healing, and Morro was no exception. His leg healed quickly over the next few days, and so did his head. Talking no longer pained him at all, Bansha noted. He slept as often as possible, and told Bansha that he usually dreamed of a memory, the same one over and over. He had told her about it, that every time he was in the same cave with the same people. And, no matter how many times he tried to save her, Indigo was always killed right before he woke up, which seemed to frustrate him greatly. Bansha convinced him to tell her all his memories, which he did, so she could spin a suitable story to give to him as his past. He didn't know that, of course. Once she was satisfied that it was believable, she agreed to tell him about it. On the fourth day since she had tried to tell him of his memories for the first time, Bansha entered his room to find him – unsurprisingly – asleep. As she neared him, however, she noticed that his fists were clenched and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.

"Morro." Bansha placed a hand on his arm, shaking him gently. The wind master awoke a moment later, gasping as his eyes flew open.

"That's a new one." he remarked a few moments later, shaking his head as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"New what?" she asked curiously, pulling her hand away.

"A new dream. I think it was a memory."

"Oh?" she had to hear about this. "What about?"

"I was on a bridge, with Indigo, and Lloyd, and some others. A teenager wearing blue tossed a rock over the side of the bridge and the others warned him to be careful. He insisted he was fine, then lost his balance and almost fell off. Someone caught him, though." Morro smiled ruefully. "Then the bridge – it was made of stone – began to crumble. We all ran towards the other side, and almost everyone made it. Indigo and I fell. When I hit the ground, I was unharmed, but she was... dead." So that's how she turned into a ghost, Bansha noted as he frowned. "Why does she die in all of my dreams? I don't even know who she is." he turned to Bansha, a hopeful look on his face. "Can you tell me about my past now?"

"Yes." she smiled under her mask as his eyes widened.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed. She nodded once before sitting down on the bed next to him and beginning her tale.

"I don't know what your life was like before you came here, but, about eighteen years ago, you appeared here full of anger. You wanted to get revenge on someone in Ninjago, who was apparently responsible for your banishment here." she paused to take a breath. "You convinced Soul Archer, who was General of the Cursed Realm at that point, to help you in your quest. This, in turn, put Ghoultar, Wrayth, me, and the others under your command. Back then, you were insufferable."

"Oh." Morro frowned. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Eventually, you found a way to escape, and possessed the green ninja, using his body to find an artifact called the Realm Crystal." she stopped for a moment to gauge his reaction. He was watching her silently, and showed no sign of remembering anything more. "You obtained the crystal," she continued, "and almost succeeded in cursing Ninjago, which was your plan. Unfortunately, you failed and were sent back here. You wandered around the realm for about a month before finding another way out. A permanent portal to Ninjago in the peak of a mountain. You escaped and lived in the alleys of a major city for a while before you were discovered by Lloyd. He befriended you, but for only one reason. He wanted you to lead him to his father, who was trapped here." this was where she changed things. "He tricked you into leading him and his ninja friends to the portal and into the prison where Lloyd's father was imprisoned. Along the way, you met Indigo, and you fell in love with each other."

"So that's who she is..." Morro murmured, staring off into space. He was probably thinking about his memories of her. Bansha hesitated a moment longer before continuing.

"Was, I'm afraid. Lloyd killed her." Morro snapped out of his thoughts, looking up at her in shock and sorrow.

"W-what? Why?!" he demanded, anger seeping into his voice.

"Once he knew where his father was, he had no further use for you. He pushed her off a cliff to her death, leaving you behind and abandoning you both when you tried to save her." she was starting to feel bad about lying to him about that, but it had the desired effect. He obviously hated Lloyd with a passion now. "I don't know what happened to you after that. Soul Archer issued a warrant for you after you were seen working with the ninja. We found out later that you had been tricked, but Soul Archer insisted that you had still broken the law. That's why I tried to attack you when I first found you, and why you must stay hidden." Morro was silent, staring down at his hands as her words sunk in. "Oh, and one more thing." she added. "You're an elemental master."

"A... what?" he looked up, meeting her eyes.

"An elemental master. You can control the element of wind."

"How?"

"I don't know." she shook her head. "I've never met another." Morro stretched out his hand and a burst of wind swirled through the room, making Bansha gasp as her hood came off her head. The wind stopped and Morro smirked.

"It's not that hard."

"How does your leg feel?" the ghost warrior changed the subject as she pulled her hood back over her face.

"Perfectly fine. I'm sure I can walk easily now." he pushed the blanket off himself and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He was about to stand up, but Bansha stopped him.

"Let me take off the brace first." she instructed, standing up and kneeling next to him. He waited while she unlaced the metal contraption and pulled it away before easing himself off the bed onto his feet. Slowly, he stood up, wincing as he put weight on his right leg. Bansha offered him a hand, which he accepted, taking a step and wincing again as his leg buckled slightly. Before she could tell him to sit back down, he said,

"It's just stiff. It doesn't hurt much."

"Be careful anyway." the hooded ghost floated back, letting go of him moving to the desk on the other side of the room, where a small pile of folded cloth lay. "Wear this," she instructed, picking it up. It unfolded as she did so, revealing a crude hood similar to her own. "If you want to be able to move around the base freely, you'll have to disguise yourself."

"Alright." limping another step towards her, Morro took the cloth from her and slipped it over his head, obscuring all but his eyes.

"Good." she nodded once. "Just to be safe, though, you should stay here for another day or so to let your leg heal a bit more." he slumped, visibly disappointed, but relented.

"At least let me walk around the room." he took a step back, sitting back down on the bed and looking up at her.

"That should be fine." the ghost warrior floated back to the door, opening it and pausing in the doorway as she turned to him. "I'm going to go ask Soul Archer about a place for you in our force. Don't leave." she fixed him with a serious stare until he nodded before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

Hi everyone! It's FFF! I stole the computer from Lloyd, because he has some choice words for Bansha right now... eeheeheeheehee. Ahem. So I know I said I would probably start the sequel for RttCR this month, but it looks like I won't be able to start until next month because A. I want to finish Forgotten, and B. I don't have a title yet. The plot is shaping up, though. So anyway. Don't have time to do review replies, but I wanted to say to Angel, your short story made me laugh, and to Leb, I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies, but I might soon. ;)

ALSO, today is Ally's birthday! So wish her a happy birthday everyone. ^ ^

~FFF