I do not own Ninjago, it belongs to Lego and Cartoon Network.


Chapter Thirty

The next few days, it was like treading on thin ice. They made sure to never overlap Lloyd's time with Morro and Alyx's training, and only let them visit together supervised. They were never alone together, nor did they talk alone. Someone was always with them in the room. On the other hand, Lloyd's physical therapy was continued, and it was going well. He was gaining strength every day, from the combination of good food and therapy, which was doing great things for his body, and today, they were going to start on his speech therapy.

He also got cleared for another surgery on his wrist to complete the plate and the new pins, so that was another healing process they were going to go through. The scans showed that despite the first set of pins they set in place, were moving, and his wrist would not heal that way. But for now, they were just going to focus on his speech therapy, and making sure he didn't have a breakdown.

"Let's see..." Doctor Lee pinned the X-ray results on the board and tilted his head. "Hm, strange. This is the X-ray from the first one we did when you were brought in. This is the new one. This old one... Did you fracture your arm awhile back but it healed?"

Lloyd blinked at the doctor for a minute before looking down and avoiding the looks they all immediately cast him.

"Lloyd." Misako says, putting her hands on her hips, and frowning. "Did you?" Lloyd glanced up at them all, before picking up the whiteboard and marker and begin to write on it. They waited for a good minute before he raised it to show them.

when harumi and i fell into prime evil's eye, i went through trees and dislocated my shoulder. that's what i thought it was anyway

"Most likely it healed quickly because of your dragon blood. That is why we believe you are healing so well, except for your arm. It is a mystery why it has shown no signs of improvement."

In the corner, Alyx bows her head, but thankfully, Lloyd doesn't notice.

"Anyway, I believe we should schedule the surgery for Thursday. We need to get it done as soon as possible." Lloyd looked down at his hand wistfully, before up at Misako as she gently rubbed his good arm, looking at him silently for confirmation. Slowly, Lloyd nodded, and Misako looked up Doctor Lee.

"Alright, that sounds good."

"Good." He types on his tablet for a couple of minutes before turning to everyone in the room. "I must ask that everyone leave for now, while we get set up for his speech therapy. Thank you."

"You got this, Lloyd!" Kai encourages, and everyone echoes their words of encouragements as they filter out of the room, only leaving Wu and Misako left inside the living room. Yuki started setting up around him, before gently guiding him up into a sitting position. Then she carefully undid the bandages around his neck and put them in a tray, and gently started feeling his neck with her fingers.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" Lloyd shook his head slightly, and she nodded, deeply relieved. "Good, good. How about here?" She gently pressed down on his Adam's apple, and he flinched a small bit, but nodded slowly. She nods, looking over the pale, now well-healed flesh with relief.

"Good, your neck is totally healed. Now, I'm going to give you this drink. It doesn't taste the greatest, but it will help strengthen your throat muscles and help with the therapy."

Lloyd took the bright red drink, sniffing it and smelling ginger and lemongrass. Slightly wrinkling his nose, he slowly drank it, looking up at Misako with a quiet plea for help, and she gently petted his hair as he drank it.

"I know, but if it's gonna help, bear through it."

After a couple of seconds, he downed the last bit, shuddering at the final bitter taste and handed the cup back, gagging just a tiny bit. Yuki smiled softly, patting his shoulder.

"Good job. Alright, now, we're going to try some simple words, okay?" Lloyd nodded, looking at his hands as they readied the supplies. Could he loathe himself anymore than he already did?


"Do you think he's ever gonna be okay?" Kai asks as he stares upwards at the ceiling as their group relaxed in the baths, excluding Morro, as he was with Maya and Ray doing... Something. They wouldn't tell Kai or Nya when they called in Morro to the control room. So, they trained for a little while while Doctor Lee and Yuki did the therapy with Lloyd, and now they relaxed in the bath before dinner.

"Who knows." Cole says quietly, and everyone looks at him. He raises his hands in defense, shaking his head. "Look, Lloyd has been through a lot. We all have. The Serpentine, Overlord, evil Nindroids, Chen, Morro, everything in the last couple of years... I mean, do you really think he's going to want to fight again? After what happened?"

"I think Lloyd will want to settle this all for himself, once and for all. But we won't know until he tells us himself. Er... If he manages to speak again." Jay says rather quietly, unusual for him, but with the mood, everyone guessed that maybe it had finally taken its toll on him, too. After a moment of silence, Kai looks up and frowns.

"He's going to be fine. Lloyd is strong, but we have to be stronger, for him. For each other, right?" Kai says, and slowly, everyone nods in agreement, the room going silent until Zane's timer goes off to indicate their bath time was over.

"So, do you think we will ever accept Morro as one of us? You know, to bathe with us and everything?" Jay asks as he turns on the water to one of the showering spots and sits down on the stool. "I mean, he's really trying to fit in. The girls have accepted him so far. And he's actually pretty chill when you talk to him."

"He is quite interested in the modern world." Zane says as he rinses himself off. "Despite what he said before about technology, he is trying to learn it, probably to fit in."

"Yeah, but he also tried to murder us, and possessed Lloyd. Are we really going to overlook all of that?" Kai grumbles, and the three sigh and shake their heads.

"Lloyd seems to have forgiven him. Maybe it's time we did, too, right?"

"I guess... But I'm keeping an eye on him. I don't care what anyone says. I'm still watching him."

The other three simply rolled their eyes but with smiles on their faces.


Morro quietly slid shut the kitchen door, the cookie in his mouth, trying to silently move back to his room without someone seeing him still awake. Lights out had been called nearly an hour and a half ago, but Zane had made cookies the previous night and he had needed something sweet before he went to sleep.

As he turned around, proud he had managed to sneak something without getting caught, even if it was something as innocent as a cookie, he reached to take it out of the mouth, and as he raised his eyes, he met curious, glowing green eyes.

Morro nearly startled out of his skin.

"Fuck!" He held his chest, leaning against the door and looking at Lloyd with a slight glare. "I get it, you're a ninja, but even injured, you're quiet? Seriously. On crutches, no less."

Lloyd simply tilted his head in response, eyes flashing down to the cookie in his hand and Morro winced. Right, his voice wasn't back yet.

"I just... wanted a cookie, that's all." He raised it slightly to show he was telling the truth. "And if I remember, you liked stealing from Zane's jar all the time." He may have struck a nerve bringing up a memory he saw when he saw into his mind, but at least it was something they could relate to.

Instead of looking irritated, Lloyd gave a tiny smile and nodded. At that, Morro slightly relaxed, looking down at the cookie as he pulled off a piece.

"Why are you up?"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at him, before shrugging with his good shoulder. Morro nodded slightly, not really getting it, but he wasn't sure what to say in response. Lloyd slowly walked up to him, and Morro took a small step back, watching him as he slowly lowered onto the step, leaning his crutch against the railing, and then he pulled out a small whiteboard and marker, beginning to write. Morro looked around, slowly sitting down on the step with him, keeping his distance, because if Wu or Misako, or hell, even Kai or Nya saw them together, when they weren't supposed to be, then... Well, it could either end with a lecture or him turning into a nice pile of ash.

And Morro didn't like those options.

Lloyd gently taps his arm to get his attention, making him slightly jump, but Morro looks back at him, then down at the whiteboard presented to him.

how are you human?

"Oh, uh, that's... That's a weird story." Lloyd tilted his head in response, raising his eyebrows for him to continue. Morro sighed quietly. "On the Day of the Departed... I don't know what came through my head, but when I saw the rift, I... I went through it. I can't tell you why I did it, probably because I'm still selfish, but when I woke up, I was human again and in the middle of nowhere. I wondered for awhile until the Oni found me and captured me. Was there until Camille found me and got me out."

Lloyd stared at him for a good few seconds, as if contemplating his story, before nodding as if he understood, erasing the board before writing again.

r u liking it here?

"Well, nobody has tried killing me in my sleep yet, so yeah, so far. Wu has been making an effort, and the girls have been really nice too... The other ninja are trying to, struggling, but trying. I like it so far. Just... Paranoid, really." Lloyd nodded once again, smiling at him reassuringly, erasing the board and writing, and then held it back up.

u dont have to be scared of me. if i can forgive you so can the others

Forgive? Forgive him? Of all people? Morro looks down at his hands. "Lloyd, there's no way you've forgiven me, not after what I put you through, not after what I've done to you and your friends. After what I put Ninjago through... How can you forgive me after all of that?"

Lloyd stared at him, his green eyes searching his own for a good couple of minutes before he eagerly erased the writing, and this time, he took nearly two minutes to write before revealing the board to him.

because you helped wu and cole when we needed it. the cursed realm has a way of sucking the positivity out of your mind and forcing u to do wrong. u didn't mean to harm us, i know that.

"And how would you know that?" Morro asks miserably, plucking at his pants.

Lloyd smiled and tapped his head with his fingers, before writing once more.

because u were in my head. and i was in yours. out of everyone here, you probably know me better than anyone else. even kai and nya.

"Doesn't mean I like how I obtained that information." Lloyd simply shrugged, smiling at him softly and he reached his hand out for a shake. Slowly, Morro took it after staring at it, and they shook once. Lloyd grinned boyishly, before erasing it all and writing once more.

can we be friends?

"You... Want that? With me?" Lloyd nodded, and his eyes showed just genuine honesty, Morro couldn't help the tears that welled up within his eyes, and he nodded slowly.

"Yes, I'd like that. Please." Lloyd reached over and held his arm, smiling at him reassuringly and Morro felt his anxiety simply melt away.

Shakily, he held up the half eaten cookie. "Wanna raid the rest?"


Over the next couple of days leading up to Lloyd's surgery, they made sure to keep up with the speech therapy, per the doctor's orders, and to keep up with their training, per Wu's orders. Pixal and Nya were trying to get in contact with the other Elemental Masters that were spread across the land for a gathering in a couple of weeks to brief them on the coming threat, and probable war. Hopefully, by the time the meeting was set and arrived, Lloyd will have healed, and they could help him get back on track. He had lost too much weight with the coma, and the diet was helping some, but they worried for his health and his power. While Alyx could still sense it strong within his body, they still hoped he could use it to the full, and as strong as it had been before.

But, for now, all they could do was wait while Lloyd was being transported to the hospital for the surgery.

"Okay, thank you." Everyone looked up as Wu entered the living room, shutting off the phone and looking at everyone. Kai reached and shut off the TV so he could speak, everyone waiting with bated breath.

"They just took Lloyd into surgery, so in a couple of hours, we will know if it worked." And they collectively breathed out a relieved sigh.

"Are you sure Cole will be fine handling guarding him by himself? Why couldn't we all go?" Kai asks bitterly, crossing his arms and slightly pouting.

"Misako has Ronin and Pixal, too, just in case something happens. I am told that Lloyd has been put on a private floor, and he has police escort throughout the facility. They must have him at the hospital for a full 48 hours before they can release him. However, Misako and I have made a deal that we will have you on rotation. After Lloyd is out and has woken up, Zane will meet Pixal next for guard duty. Then, Kai and Nya, and then Jay and Ashe. By then, he should be able to come home." Wu sighs wearily. "No one knows he is there except for the people in this Monastery. We must keep it that way."

"How long does a wrist surgery take to heal? You know, with all of the metal going into him." Camille asks. "When my father hurt his leg, he only had to have a minor surgery and was back on his feet after two weeks of rest."

"Anywhere between 6 to 8 months, but it depends. The damage done to the wrist is exponentially larger than what you would assume in an incident, like a bicycle or vehicular accident. So, this injury could take longer, if his dragon blood does not kick in and aid in the healing process." Zane spouted off immediately, and everyone made a collective interested noise.

Alyx looked down in reply to that, hiding her hands in her sweatshirt pockets. Morro gently laid his hand on her back, Nya following suit with her hand on her shoulder.

Wu shakes his head lightly.

"For now, do something to busy your minds so you are not worrying too much. I will be meditating in my room if you need me." As soon as Wu left the room, a silence fell on top of them like a heavy blanket of snow. Then, Kai stood, setting his hands on his hips and nodding.

"Okay then, well, you guys wanna spar? Warm us up, keep us busy." At everyone's looks, he pouted. "Come on, I'm worried about Lloyd just as much as you. But sparring will be a nice way of keeping our brains occupied. And we could do it girls versus guys. Yes?" As the offer stilled in the air, everyone quietly sighed and Jay stood up.

"All right, let's do this." He points at Ashe. "Can your portals transfer lightning?" She raises her eyebrow at him.

"Never tried." She smirks. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe." Alyx raised her hand.

"You can count me out, Doctor says I'm not at full health yet."

"Oh, but that didn't stop you from casting a full size shield spell over the temple, now did it?" Camille asks, crossing her arms as she looked at Alyx with a stare that immediately made the woman look away. Morro let out a snort, hiding his face when she turned to glare at him.

"Come on! Diana, Nya, Camille, Ashe as the girls, and then me, Jay, Zane and Morro. It's an even team."

"Hey, I haven't been cleared either." Morro protests.

"But you have been cleared for light sparring, which you have been doing with Alyx for the past few weeks." Zane says and Morro sags into the beanbag, crossing his arms.

"Freaking Nindroid." He grumbled and Zane simply smiles at him. "Fine, but I'm only fighting half-heartedly." Kai shrugs.

"As long as you fight. Come on!" And hurried outside, everyone looking at each other with raised eyebrows before following him out. There was a fresh layer of snow on the ground, but with a quick round of Kai's tornado, it all evaporated and left the ring dry and safe for their activity.

Alyx sat down on the deck, sitting cross-legged and giving a thumbs-up to the girls, grinning. "Kick their asses, my girls!"

The three grinned and Nya couldn't help but laugh, and Kai and Morro gave her identical, and somewhat amusing, horrified looks.

"Hey! I'm still your brother!"

"Okay, and?" Kai narrowed his eyes at her, simply getting a smirk in reply from her. "So, what do you guys get to do if a side wins?" She asks, wrapping her blanket around her a bit better, and Kai thinks for a moment.

"Hmm, I don't know. Girls?"

"How about, if we win, you guys have to do every household chore for the next week? No turns, just the guys." Nya offers.

"Fair." Kai crosses his arms. "Alright, then... If we win," he looks over at Alyx. "We get to fight you."

Alyx raises her eyebrow. "Fight me? Like, one-on-one or as a group?"

"Group." Kai says, and Alyx tilts her head curiously, a slow smile spreading on her face.

"We win this coming war with the Oni, then deal." Kai grins, and his hands light up in fire as he takes his stance.

"Deal."


Misako gently stroked Lloyd's hair as he lay sleeping, still under the anesthesia's effects, his newly casted wrist laying on a pillow for a prop. Wu and Ronin stood nearby, waiting for the doctor to come into the room for his report.

A knock sounded on the door and then opened, Doctor Lee giving a nod at everyone as he quietly shut it behind him.

"How is everyone at home?"

"Anxiously awaiting my call to tell them how it went." Wu says gently in reply, and he nods, sliding his clipboard under his arm.

"The surgery went perfect. We have placed the poles and pins, and in a couple of hours, we will take him to get a scan to see how they are holding. After 24 hours here, he will be able to go home. We just would like to monitor him for now until he wakes up and can move. How is his speech therapy at home going?"

"Alright. He hasn't been able to say a complete word yet without his voice just locking up on him. It's strange. He really wants to talk, he can mouth the words, but no sound comes out." Misako says and Lee frowns.

"Interesting. And all of our tests have shown his vocal cords are healthy and repaired." He sighs softly. "I will do a couple of more scans to make sure, but that is strange. For now, let him rest." He looks at the ninja resting in the bed.

"He needs it."


A day and a half later, Lloyd returned home under new orders for his arm to heal, and everyone made sure he had the best accommodations for that to happen. He obviously was still very groggy from the pain management medications, but at least his mood was pretty calm and relaxed. His transition home was easy and perfect.

They alternated in visiting with him over the next couple of weeks, showing him their progress they were making with their training, and giving him small updates about Ninjago when he did ask, which was at least twice a day. Morro would only visit him at night, when everyone went to bed, and they would play simple board games while quietly conversing.

Alyx didn't visit at all.

When Maya, Ray and Wu asked her, she shrugged and gave them a small smile without elaboration before turning back to her work. They concluded she still had major guilt from the incident at the Wailing Alps, but they didn't want to push her any further on the matter until it was time for Lloyd to return to training, which, hopefully... Would be soon. But his speech therapy was coming along all right, but he couldn't quite say a full word yet. Only the beginning of a word, and then he would choke and it would hurt.

But now, after two weeks, Doctor Lee said it was time to make sure that the pins and rods in the wrist were holding, and to make sure that no damage was done to the nerves or tendons during the placement in the surgery. Misako and Wu stood in the room while Lloyd sat on the edge of the bed as Yuki conducted an exam before stepping aside for Lee to take over.

"Alright, try to wiggle the tips of your fingers for me." Doctor Lee says as he holds Lloyd's arm in his hands. "Just like when we asked you to wiggle your toes, yeah?" Lloyd nodded, staring at his arm for a good minute before the tips of his fingers twitched. Satisfied, Doctor Lee nodded and slid his fingers over the tips.

"Very good. A good amount of movement, so that means that you shouldn't have many problems when we take the cast off in four weeks." Lloyd nods, gently lowering his arm back down, pointing at his whiteboard. Yuki picks it up and hands it to him, and the room silences while he writes.

He lifts it up.

why four weeks? what if my dragon blood heals it faster?

"If your dragon blood heals it faster, then sure, we may be able to get it off faster, but for now, we need to take it slow and steady. We don't want to push you over your limits. Your body took a major trauma, larger than anything you've handled before, even when you fought Garmadon recently." Lloyd looked down. "For now, we just need you to focus on healing, that's all." Lee rubs his shoulder gently. "Get some rest, we'll be back in the morning for your speech therapy, okay?"

Lloyd nodded, and they smiled softly at him, taking their leave. Misako gently helped him back under the covers, settling his arm on the pillow for elevation and kissing his forehead.

"Alright, we will let you rest, okay?" He nods, but picks up his whiteboard, rubbing off the writing before putting the marker back down on it, before holding it up.

can i see alyx? please? I want to talk to her.

Wu and Misako looked at each other and Wu shook his head.

"Not right now, Lloyd. It's... Not a good idea." Lloyd stared at both of them for a few minutes, before writing again.

because she's the one who hurt me?

Misako sucked in a sharp breath and Wu tilted his head.

"You... Remembered?" He nods slowly. "You know it was... Harumi, that possessed her body, though." Lloyd nods again, erasing quickly and wrote for a good three minutes before he lifted it back up again.

i know how she must feel, about hurting me. i felt the same way after morro possessed me. i dont hate her, and i hope she knows that. i want her to know that. shes not at fault for what happened to me, and i promise i wont spaz out if i see her. please let me see her.

They stare at him for a good few minutes, looking at each other before nodding.

"Alright, but... not until tomorrow. When you're rested and you feel better, okay?" Reluctantly, Lloyd nodded in reply, and they had to leave it at that. Misako kissed his forehead once more before they took their leave, Misako shutting off the light.

"Goodnight, Lloyd. See you in the morning."


Alyx grunted as she put the last of the training gear away, grumbling to herself at the fact she had gotten the cleanup job, outside, in the cold, while everyone got to be inside in the warmth. Thanks to the two elements in her body, she had a hard time in differing temperatures. But, to be honest, other than the cold, she didn't mind being alone for awhile. The past few weeks felt like she had been suffocating, so being outside by herself felt nice. Shutting the gear closet's door, she looked up into the sky and breathed out slowly, the cool air crisp against her face. It was cold enough to where her breath showed in the air, and it reminded her of when she found Camille in the dead of winter when the mines were at its lowest productivity and the snow was at their knees. It reminded her of the winter they were all together for the first time, and they had gotten a massive snowstorm during the night, and in the morning, had a snowball fight that ended up including the entire block.

She chuckled to herself at the memory as she shut the closet and locked it for the night, before turning around and nearly jumping out of her skin, startling back into the closet. "Freaking hell!"

Lloyd tilted his head in reply, giving her a tiny smile as he watched her catch her breath.

"Why the hell are you so quiet? You're on crutches!" His smile grew wider at that, before gesturing over to the stairs, and without waiting for her reply or protest, limped to it and slowly sat down. The cast, brand new, was still white, and the sling they had given him was dark green to match his gi. He was dressed in his pajamas for the night, but he had a blanket over his shoulders for the cold. She wondered if having the elements of fire and ice made his temperature differentiate or if they balanced it out during the summer and winter respectively, similar to her own elements and body.

Other than that, now that she was able to take him in so fully, she could see that all of his injuries were basically gone, the only remainder of Harumi's beating being the sling and the limp. Guilt, once again, reared its ugly head and she shifted on her feet. As much as she wanted to sit next to him, she was also afraid to even get within his vicinity. So, she opted to stand, shifting on her feet and sliding her hands into her jacket's pockets.

Lloyd patted the spot next to him, and she shook her head, lowering her head down in guilt.

"I... I don't feel comfortable getting near you, Lloyd." He tilted his head with a frown, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. He looked down at his good hand, before back up at her and gestured to his cast, a questionable look on his face. Slowly, she nodded and looks down, sighing. "Yes." When she glanced up at him, he was writing on his small whiteboard, and after a moment, he lifted it up so she could read it. Taking a small step forward, she squinted to read it.

i know it was your body but it wasnt you. you would never hurt me intentionally, and i dont hate you for it, alyx. i promise.

Her heart dropped and tears welled up, looking up at him as her lip trembled. "Y-You remember...?" Lloyd nods in reply and she wants to cry, scream or run. But she's frozen in place, scared to move or speak, afraid that it might set him off. He stared at her before looking back down at the board. After a moment, he erased the writing. He held the marker in his hand for a moment before he begun to write, and Alyx didn't want to move in fear that he wouldn't want to explain it or tell her anymore.

After another maybe minute or so, he lifted the board.

it wasn't you. it took me some time to realize that, but i know it wasn't you. harumi manipulates and forces people to do things they do not want to do, and i know you fought. i believe in it. my memories were really blurry and foggy until one night when i had a dream about you, and suddenly everything seemed to come back at once. you would never hurt me on purpose and i know that. i know that YOU know that. so i want you to forgive yourself and be my friend again. please.

It felt like a dam that had been built up for years had burst, and Alyx broke. Sobbing, she fell to her knees, bowing low in a forgiveness plea, her forehead pressing to her hands as she shook.

"I'm so sorry, Lloyd. I am so sorry for everything. I tried... I tried to stop her, I did, but-" she shudders as she remembers the sorceress that had appeared, and forced her body into submission. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

She felt a tap on her arm, and when she lifted her head, he had poked her with his crutch, and then gestured her up, his face pleading as he did. Slowly, she stood, and he set his board down, then opened his good arm for a hug. When she hesitated, he pouted, then reached and took her hand, guiding her down next to him on the step, wrapping the other half of the blanket around her before following with his arm, hugging her tightly. His body was warm and his touch was as gentle as she remembered, and she felt all hesitancy melt away as she sagged into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his chest. He smelled good, and his power was still as warm and pure and inviting as it had been the first time they had met, wrapping her in a sense of peace and security she had been missing since... Well, since everything had happened.

Snow begin to lightly fall as they sat on the steps, and deep withing her mind, she knew things would be okay.

But they weren't.