Story #9: Am I Worthy of a Second Chance?
Ninjago/Paw Patrol crossover (post-DRS1)
writing prompt: self-discovery; inner peace; "I'll try again."
Summary: Morro is struggling to let go of his checkered past and self-hating guilt over what he has done. When he turns to Skye, asking her whether she believes that he is worthy of a second chance, tearful confessions are spilled as Skye reveals the torment and heartache she felt during the events of Season 5 (AU). Upon hearing this, Morro too bursts into tears, hugging Skye and begging her—for the first time—to forgive him. When she tells him, "I already have, Morro. I already have," it is only then that Morro finds the peace and calm within he was looking for.
"Skye?"
"Huh?" Skye looked up suddenly from where she'd been sitting on the Dojo steps, gazing up silently at the beautiful stars hanging, twinkling and shimmering and humming their joyful heart-song, in the darkened midnight sky. The full moon shone down all around, blessing everything its rays of purest light graced with a dreamy silver sheen, and there were chirping crickets and thrumming katydids and croaking frogs and dancing fireflies all around the sleeping Dojo as Morro slipped out from behind the gate, greeting his pup friend with a nervous smile.
"May I join you?" the wind-wielder ventured shyly, gesturing to the spot beside his young cockapoo connector.
"Sure thing, Morro." Skye replied cheerfully, and he gladly accepted the invitation. As he silently sat down beside the Wind Ninja Pup, he couldn't help but feel wistful and quiet and contemplative on this fine summer's night. It had been a relatively peaceful day. No sign of Ras or Jordana after the Night Fury debacle, but the Crossroads seemed to be doing just fine with not more than a few skirmishes to deal with. But even with the evident calm outside, Morro didn't feel any calm inside.
It had been clear for months that while Morro had proved time and time again that he'd forsaken his old ways, he was still struggling profusely with letting go of his checkered past. He hated what he'd done, and he knew that the team had forgiven him for all he'd done against them, and he knew that he wasn't the same person he used to be—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to rid himself of the whispers in his mind telling him that he was a fraud—a fake—that he could never live up to the Ninja's level, that he could never truly be forgiven for what he'd done.
Every time he thought about the pain, the heartache, the destruction he'd caused by his actions against Lloyd and against the Ninja and Ninja Pups—even against Skye, his own connector—it made his stomach ball into tight little knots within him, his eyes well with hot, stinging tears, and his whole body convulse with anguish and melancholy misery and woeful regret. He kept feeling as if his splintered heart could never be mended—as if his wounded core could never be healed—as if his battered, bruised, scarred mind could never be made unbroken or whole. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he'd been forgiven once for all, he simply couldn't get past his faults, his wrongdoings, all the damage his actions—and his alone—had caused.
"Skye?" he asked once more.
"Huh?" she replied again, this time turning to look deeply into his emerald-green eyes—no longer shrouded by the sage-green mist of bitterness and hatred—and gaze momentarily at his unique emerald-green hair streak.
"I wanted to ask…" Morro stammered shyly, "that is…I was wondering…do you think…do you believe that…I'm worthy of a second chance?"
"What do you mean?" Skye questioned, cocking her head to one side in confusion.
"Do you think…do you believe…that…" Morro sniffled and wiped his tearing-up eyes with the back of his hand, then whispered almost too faintly to be heard, "That what you did—how you put your life on the line to save me…do you believe that…ugh!" He buried his face in his hands, shaking his head profusely. Why did it always have to be so hard to express himself?
"I guess…" he started over sheepishly, "I guess what I'm trying to ask is…if you had to do it all over again, would you still rescue me—even though I kept pushing you away, ignoring your pleas for me to change my mind and change my ways?"
Without warning, Skye's snout suddenly quivered. Her little body began shaking with agonized sorrow and grief as her magenta-pink eyes suddenly welled with twin fountains of heartbroken, mind-numbing tears. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Skye flung herself straight into Morro's arms and sobbed her little heart out as she exclaimed, "You have no idea what I went through when you and I were fighting against each other! I just felt so weak and helpless and alone, knowing that no matter what I was doing, I couldn't convince you to stop! And when the others found out that I knew that you were in Ninjago and didn't tell them about it, they distrusted me! Andrew yelled at me! He called me a traitor! A traitor—even though I would never betray the team! He rejected me! They all did! No matter what I told them, they wouldn't take my word as true! No matter what I did to try and bring you back to the light, they wouldn't believe me when I said that I never meant to harm anyone—that I would never hide your presence out of disloyalty or betrayal!"
Her voice was growing smaller and more choked up by tears as she continued to blubber and wail and sob, "And when I was called to be the Windrider, I didn't want to do it! If I hadn't seen glimpses of your past, I wouldn't have been willing to put my own life on the line to save yours! The truth is, I was afraid of you, Morro! You didn't just haunt Lloyd—you haunted me! I was a bundle of nerves, stumbling in the dark, wandering about in a daze, afraid to rest at all because you were even in my nightmares! And no matter what I did, I couldn't get the idea that you'd harm me, or even kill me, out of my mind! Even your identity tormented me! It frightened me to think that my power was connected to you! That to use my powers, I had to share strength with the very enemy I was called to fight!"
Her voice suddenly broke, and she found that she could not go on. Burying her head in Morro's chest, she just broke down and wailed and howled and cried her very heart of hearts out. Morro was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with all the tears and wetness seeping into his gi (even though water would no longer burn him), and he was about to pull away when he realized just how heartsick and broken within Skye had been when he was the enemy and not the friend.
She had feared him.
She had been tormented by the mere identity of him.
His being had haunted her dreams.
His story had all but torn her apart.
And worst of all, her own friends rejected her when they discovered that she had seen him in the Corridor of Elders—and didn't warn the others in time.
Suddenly, his own lip quivered. Steamy, stinging tears were spilling down his almond-tone cheeks in waterfalls of mirthless guilt and grief and bitterly melancholy sorrow as he let out a loud cry of anguish and hugged Skye even fiercer to himself. He didn't deserve mercy. He didn't deserve forgiveness. He had hurt Skye. He had hurt his own connector. And she still bore the scars of those horrible, rotten, sickening days—the days where he'd been so blinded by his selfish ambitions that he'd harmed Lloyd and stripped the team of their powers (except for Skye) and used the Green Ninja's mind, will, and emotions against him to obtain the Realm Crystal and merge Ninjago with the Cursed Realm, unleashing the Preeminent to corrupt everything and everyone in the entire realm…
"I'm sorry, Skye!" he suddenly cried out, his voice raw and hoarse with throaty coughs and breathy sobs. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I hurt you! I hurt you terribly! And not just you, but Lloyd and the others too! Can you ever forgive me, Skye? Can you ever forgive me for the pain and heartache I caused?!"
Suddenly, Skye stopped crying. She slowly pulled her head out of Morro's chest and looked up at him with glassy, tear-filled eyes. And it was then that she breathed in the most strangled yet most loving voice possible, "I already have, Morro. I already have."
Suddenly, Morro felt a swirling whirlwind of hope and tender warmth rising up in him as those words—those heartfelt, unconditionally loving words—echoed over and over again in his mind.
I already have.
I already have.
I already have, Morro. I already have.
Calmness washed over him like a river of peace. Suddenly, he felt so light and airy and ethereally joyful inside that he wanted to laugh and sing and cry for happiness all at the same time.
He had been forgiven.
He had been forgiven.
Skye—Skye—his connector—his friend—had forgiven him.
She had forgiven him for what he'd done.
Could it be?
Could he really, truly, be forgiven?
And then he realized the answer.
Yes. I can. Because she has forgiven me.
Even though I wronged her so greatly, she has forgiven me.
"I love you, Skye. You're my very best friend." Morro murmured, a note of intertwined sadness and joy in his voice.
"I love you too, Morro." Skye replied, sniffling a little, but smiling even through her lingering tears. "We'll always be friends—no matter what."
"No matter what," Morro echoed, "we'll be friends forever."
"Exactly." Skye murmured back, her voice growing soft and sleepy as she slurred, "Forever…and ever."
When Morro looked down again, he let out a small giggle of delight at the sight and sound of Skye slumbering away on his lap.
"Goodnight, Skye. Sweet dreams." he crooned softly, turning his eyes to gaze up at the twinkling stars once more.
Even when I fail, he mused to himself, even when I fall, I'll know I've been forgiven, and I'll try again.