Chapter 16: Jealous

"I feel silly."

"You've been saying that for the past mile, and nothing's changed."

"I still feel silly."

Nya rolled her eyes at her injured brother lying on the makeshift vehicle they had cobbled together from the bus's remains. It was a seat fused to four wheels, two on either side, with a little help from Kai's fire, which Cole was currently pushing. It was wobbly and unstable, but it rolled and prevented Kai from putting unnecessary stress on his wound. It did not, however, do anything for his image, which the fire ninja was sure to remind them of every ten feet they traveled.

"No, all of Kai's whining is helping the time pass," Cole argued.

"See? Wait- it's not whining…,"

As the two bickered, Nya glanced at Jay. Their spirits had lifted considerably after they had spotted Lloyd's flare, meaning at least one of their family members was alive, not to mention giving them an actual destination. And yet, the blue ninja had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"What's wrong, Jay?" She asked, nudging the master of lightning with her unbroken arm.

Jay jumped, apparently lost in thought, then shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Just worried about your arm."

Nya pursed her lips. "Why would you be more worried about me than Kai? He's more hurt than I am."

Jay, realizing he messed up again, cleared his throat, "I'm worried about both of you."

The water ninja, perhaps recognizing that what Jay needed now was not a lecture on gender equality, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tell me what's up."

Jay sighed before asking, "Do you like me?"

Well, that was a loaded question and very possibly a trap. "Of course I like you."

"But you like Cole better, right?"

Nya furrowed her brow. "I thought you guys had put this to rest."

Jay cocked his head in confusion before his eyes widened with realization, and he waved his arms frantically. "No, no, not romantically- well, not necessarily romantically- but just, you know, as a person. Cole's better than me at everything."

Nya gaped. "Better than you at everything? Whose idea was it to make a little car for Kai? Cole might have you beat in brute strength, Jay, but your mind is incredible!" She softened when she saw that Jay didn't look convinced. "Have you talked to him about feeling this way?"

"No!" Jay shouted quickly, causing Kai and Cole to look up. They returned to their own conversation when they saw it was just Jay being spazzy again rather than a real emergency. "I mean… I can't. Because, it's not his fault and then he'll think I resent him and then he might think that I pushed him that day…,"

It took her a moment to finish the sentence. "What, on purpose?" She eyed him warily. "Did you?"

"Of course not!" He replied, but his eyes were anxious… guilty. "I mean, maybe? But, only subconsciously! If I did- I don't know, that illusion the Bone Keeper showed me made me start to question what really happened that day. I didn't think I did it on purpose, but maybe…,"

Nya sighed in relief and grabbed his hand. "Jay, you're doing what you always do and overthinking everything. You and Cole are best friends. You're brothers. And you are not the type of person to hurt your brother intentionally. It's just not who you are."

Jay looked away and pulled his hand out of Nya's. "Yeah…,"

The water ninja frowned and was about to try to further convince him when Cole shouted, "Lloyd!"

Nya and Jay snapped their heads up, their attention drawn by the sight of someone hurrying toward them, dressed in a green gi. Kai, despite his injuries, instinctively tried to sit up but winced and fell back. As Lloyd drew closer, their surprise turned to confusion—slung over his shoulders in a fireman's carry was… Morro?

When Lloyd joined them, he gave them each one armed hugs, the other hand supporting the ghost. They reciprocated the hugs but could only ogle the strange sight of their brother carrying his most despised enemy.

Lloyd started when he got to Kai and squeezed his brother's arm tightly. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'll live," Kai answered absentmindedly, eyes fixated on Morro. "What about him?"

Cole interrupted, glancing about. "Wait, Zane wasn't with you?"

"No, just him," Lloyd replied with disdain, gesturing at the ghost on his shoulders. "He didn't end up with you four?"

"We'll find him. He's probably on his way here now," Kai reassured. "But, I have to know… what happened to Morro?"

Lloyd sighed, finally relaxing and letting the dozing Master of Wind slide off his shoulders and to the ground. "Had another run in with the scorpion. We killed it, but Morro was stung. He said it wouldn't kill him, but it would leave him vulnerable, so…," he waved an exasperated hand in the ghost's direction.

Morro, now lying face up on the ground, smiled drowsily and mumbled, "Seventy seven thousand six hundred forty one cups of tea on the wall…"

Lloyd covered his ears, turning away with a groan, "And, he's been singing that nonstop! Not even the whole song either; just that one line! The number never changes!"

"It would be interesting to discover why Morro has fixated on that particular number," Zane commented.

"Yeah…," Cole agreed- before everyone jumped ten feet in the air and turned to stare at the nindroid who'd seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Zane?! How- where-"

Zane held up a finger and replied sagely, "A ninja never reveals his secrets."

Then, everyone tackled him in a group hug, except Kai, who could only squeeze his arm from his supine position on the bus bench, and Morro, who grumbled, "I knew he was there the whole time."

"Oh, did you now?" Nya smirked, placing her good hand on her hip.

Morro scoffed, "Duh. That's what I've been trying to tell you! They come from underground! But, does anybody listen to me? Nooo!" The ghost turned to lie on his side and crossed his arms, appearing very hurt. "Serves you right!"

"Does anybody know what he's talking about?" Jay asked, scratching his head.

"Nope."

"Not a clue."

"Negatory."

"So, what's the plan, Lloyd?" Kai asked, peering up at the Green Ninja who was still hovering worriedly over him. "Especially now that our guide is… well, that."

"He's the worst," Morro confirmed.

Lloyd rolled his eyes at the ghost. "It's the same as before. We follow the road out of the desert. Hopefully by the time we get there, he will have come to his senses."

"Did he lose them?" Morro asked innocently.

"Yes," Cole answered, bending down to pat their incapacitated guide on the head. "Yes, he did."

Morro's face lit up and he shot forward, wrapping his arms around Cole's neck, causing the earth ninja to yelp with surprise. "You're my favorite now!"

Cole sputtered, Jay frowned, and the others tried to contain their laughter. "Favorite?"

Morro looked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at the Green Ninja. "Take that, Lloyd!"

At the curious glances he received, Lloyd grabbed the back of neck and looked away. "We may have had a small argument before meeting up with you guys."

"Small?" Kai raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay, semi-big. But we killed the scorpion!"

"Well, it was inevitable really with the two of you being together," Nya conceded, shielding her eyes and looking toward the sky. "But, we should probably get started to use up whatever sunlight is left."

"Man, she's good," an impressed Morro whispered to Cole, who was still trying to pry himself out of the ghost's grasp.

Zane hung back as he watched his family begin to walk in the direction they had been heading in before the scorpion struck, Lloyd pushing Kai; Cole resorting to lifting Morro off the ground, much to the wind master's delight. Sighing, he looked back in the direction from which he had come. He had sent the falcon back with a message of his own overwriting the video on the flash drive. He tried to take comfort in those words now, even if they would never fill the hole his father's loss had left in his chest.

I am still needed here, Father, by those whom I love very much. One day, though, we will see each other again, and we will have our home back.

That is a promise.

"In conclusion, asparagus is the most horrible thing to be invented on the planet, and we should just, like, get rid of it," Morro explained.

"Why is it bad again?" Cole asked the ghost he was currently carrying piggy-back style, half to keep Morro entertained and half to keep his own thoughts off… darker subject matter.

"Because it's green!" Morro shouted, rapping his knuckles against Cole's head as if he could literally knock some sense into him. "The same color as stupid, mean, ol' Lloyd," he elaborated, shooting a glare in the Green Ninja's direction, who rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. The sun was low in the sky now, and, if they squinted, the group could just make out a blotch of green on the horizon, signalling the end of their desert trek- or it was a mirage and they were all going insane. Either way, they had been walking a long time.

Jay sidled closer to the ghost pair. Having discussed the matter with Nya, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least try talking to his best friend. Also, listening to Morro babble on about whatever he could think of was getting on his nerves. "Um, Cole?"

"Yeah?" The earth ninja replied, turning to glance at Jay.

Suddenly, Morro buried his head in Cole's shoulder, dry-sobbing.

"Hey,... Hey what's the matter?" The black ninja asked, nudging the other ghost. Jay furrowed his brow, because it sounded like… real concern in Cole's voice. Cole probably couldn't help using his "big brother" tone when someone was crying, but to Morro? It was… weird, Jay decided. Really, definitely weird.

"I hate green now…, but," Morro tried to explain through his blubbering. "But I'm green!"

Cole was biting his lip, trying to keep from cracking up. Jay didn't think it was amusing anymore. Just annoying. Once Cole was sure he was composed, he reassured Morro. "But, what about all the bad stuff that is green? Asparagus, broccoli, celery, um…, snot…,"

Morro brightened, tightening his grip on Cole, "Yeah, you're right! We should just, like, get a big monster or something."

"Yeah…," the black ninja agreed, sure those two thoughts were related somehow even if he couldn't see the connection.

Jay scoffed, "What about the green streak in your hair?"

Morro's face paled, and he threw his arms in the air, shrieking, "It's a conspiracy! I've gone too deep! Have mercy…," and he dissolved into incomprehensible weeping.

Cole glared at Jay before wincing at the volume of Morro's panic in his ear. "Thanks," he said sarcastically then proceeded to try to calm his charge down. The blue ninja sheepishly ducked his head but also felt strangely gratified with knowing he wound up Morro like that, even though that was completely illogical.

Once Morro was only quietly murmuring to himself rather than bawling uncontrollably, Jay suggested, "You know, someone else could carry him. You've done more than your fair share, Cole."

The ghost shrugged and Morro giggled. "He doesn't weigh that much. Besides," he smirked, "He's actually pretty funny when he's hopped up on scorpion venom."

"Jay? Yeah, I guess he's okay," Morro agreed, nodding righteously. "Not very hoppy though."

"See? You're not hoppy." Cole repeated, laughing.

Jay threw his hands up. "What does that even mean?!"

Morro turned away, crying without tears once again. "He hates me!"

Cole groaned, "Now, look what you did!"

Jay rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation before finally stomping away, "Ugh, fine, whatever! Continue with your little party!"

After Jay had left, Morro rested his head on Cole's shoulder, "Why does he hate me?"

"Jay doesn't hate you," Cole said distractedly, though he himself was a little worried at his best friend's strange behavior as he watched the blue ninja storm off.

"No! Not the buzzy one!" Morro corrected. Cole tried to figure out where the nickname came from. Lightning? Jay's motor mouth? But the ghost on his back said quietly, "Lloyd."

Cole bit his lip, caught between honesty and preventing a complete meltdown. "I think it's probably because of what you did to him, Morro," he said as gently as possible.

The ghost pouted, fidgeting with the seams of Cole's gi. "Make him stop."

"I can't," Cole replied, awestruck by this new, dare he say… remorseful Morro? Surely it was just the venom talking, right? Besides, he probably wouldn't remember this conversation when he was lucid again. "Only Lloyd can do that."

Morro tugged on the collar of his gi, making Cole choke. "I said that! How do I make him stop?"

The black ninja, keeping one hand under Morro, used the other to rub his neck. "You can start by apologizing."

"Do Wha?!"

Cole sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

Jay stormed along beside Zane, his eyes fixed on the two ghosts ahead, his expression dark with barely contained anger. Up front, Lloyd pushed Kai's cart, with Nya walking beside him, the pair leading the procession forward.

"Can you believe that guy?!" He complained to Zane, waving frustratedly at Morro.

Zane patted his shoulder reassuringly. "There's no need to be jealous, Jay."

The blue ninja rounded on him, eyes bugging out of his head. "Jealous? I am not jealous."

Zane cocked his head. "All of your behavioral patterns coincide with envy. It makes perfect sense: you believe that something irreparable has been broken between Cole and yourself, and you crave the tenderness and attention Cole is showing Morro in his vulnerable state. It is similar to dogs resenting new puppies brought into their household, or perhaps when a younger sibling is born, diverting the parental figures' attention from the older child."

Jay blinked, distantly wondering if it was better to be a whiny dog or a bratty kid. "You're making it sound weird." He chastised, and in that way also admitted that Zane was maybe, probably, a little bit right. Then, he sighed, dropping his gaze to the ground. "But, I guess irreparable is a good way to describe it."

He started when he felt the nindroid's arm wrap around his shoulders. "You are the only one who thinks so. Each of us has forgiven you, especially considering everything you have done to make up for pushing Cole." He smiled. "Cole never even blamed you in the first place."

Jay sighed. "Is it weird that him forgiving me so easily makes me feel worse?"

"No." Zane shook his head. "Because the guilt he might have given you has only been reappropriated by you, Jay. What needs repair is not something between you and Cole but something inside yourself."

Jay stared open-mouthed at the ice ninja for several moments. "You're very wise, Zane." He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "We'd be lost without you."

Zane nodded wordlessly, unable to speak. He supposed that, if he was going to accept the burden of being needed by Ninjago, feeling needed by a family, by a brother, was not that bad of a trade.