Second Wind

Chapter Seventeen

Nya stood on her tiptoes trying to place the box of tea on a shelf, grunting in annoyance. It was just barely out of her reach, and she really didn't feel like grabbing the ladder. She jumped a few inches off the ground, slightly tossing the box into the air to land it on the shelf next to others of its kind.

"That's an interesting method," Jay commented with a smirk. "You know, you could have just asked me for help. I might not be the tallest ninja, but I've still got a few inches on you."

The noirette huffed. "Four inches on a good day. And you know I don't like asking for help."

"I know," the blue ninja agreed. "You're the most determined person I've ever met. It's one of the many things I love about you."

Nya let out a soft sigh, averting her gaze from her adoring boyfriend. She stared down at the pile of tea boxes next to her and picked one up, fumbling with it nervously—a rare emotion for the newly-appointed master of water. After a few moments of debating whether or not to press the redhead, she finally took a breath and spoke up.

"Jay?" She began warily. "Do you...do you really love me?"

The freckled boy looked up at the young woman standing across the room, blue eyes wide with surprise. "What? Of course I love you, Nya! Do you, uh, do you not think so?"

"No, I do!" She exclaimed defensively. "I just...Seliel said something to me, and I…" She looked away. "I just had to be sure."

Jay set down the tea he was holding and made his way over to Nya, taking her hands in his. "You can be sure," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Because I sure do." He wrapped his arms around the shorter ninja, who leaned into his embrace and hugged him back. When Jay pulled back, he looked into Nya's brown eyes, a hint of concern creeping into his mind. "What did she say?"

Nya scratched the back of her neck anxiously. "Oh, nothing really," she stammered. "Just that she thinks Cole…" She trailed off.

"What about Cole?" Jay's eyebrows were furrowed.

The water ninja glanced down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. "She thinks Cole likes you."

Jay laughed. "Well, I would sure hope Cole likes me—he's my best friend!"

"No," Nya said. "She thinks he has feelings for you."

The lightning ninja blinked, his girlfriend's words silencing him momentarily. "Does Cole even like guys?" He wondered, his voice low.

She shrugged. "I don't know. At first, I thought she was just making it up. I figured maybe things weren't working out with her and Cole, and she was jealous or something. But I did notice that Cole was acting really strange around her."

"He...he was?"

Nya nodded. "Yeah. Like, when we went on the rollercoaster and all the couples were sitting together, he wanted to sit by you instead of his girlfriend."

Jay looked at the floor. "I thought he just wanted the front row."

"So did I. But after talking with Seliel, I started paying more attention to his behavior. Thinking back on our group date, he never held her hand; he barely even looked at her. He was looking at you." She shook her head slowly. "Then over the past couple weeks, I've been noticing him acting...differently around you. I don't know if that means he likes you, but...I wouldn't be surprised."

The redhead looked back up at her. "I don't know, Nya. He's my best friend…" He sighed. "I'd like to think that if he was gay or bi or whatever, he woulda told me. But I guess if he had feelings for me…"

"He wouldn't want you to know," she finished. "Jay, I could be totally wrong. I just…" She cupped his face in her hands. "I just don't want to lose you."

The blue ninja smiled sweetly and kissed her on the lips. "You won't lose me," he assured her. "Not to Cole, not to anyone."

"What are you thinking about?"

Morro pried his gaze from the rolling hills in the distance, which were obstructing the sun as it began to dip below the horizon. He looked over his shoulder to see Bansha approaching from behind him.

He smiled. "How did you know I was thinking about something, and not just zoning out?"

"It's not like you to turn your brain off," she responded. "Not even for a few minutes." She sat down next to him. "What's on your mind?"

Morro shrugged. "The same thing that's always on my mind. Where in the Cursed Realm did I come from? Why can't I remember anything? And why does everyone act so strange around me?"

"Ah, of course." Bansha took his hand in her own. "Did something else happen?"

"Every time one of the ninja sees my hair, they start acting all weird. Like they know something I don't, and they're trying to keep it that way."

The blond narrowed her eyes. "Your hair?"

"Yeah," he answered, nodding. "Apparently one of the ghosts they fought had green in his hair just like mine."

"Hmm," she hummed. "I guess that makes sense, then. It probably just freaked them out."

Morro huffed. "Honestly, their secrecy is starting to freak me out. I just want to know what happened. And something's telling me they know more about my past than they're letting on."

She nodded. "They're definitely on edge. I'm not sure whether they know where you came from, but if they do, there's a reason they're not telling you."

The dark-haired man blinked. "That's...that's actually a good point," he stammered. "But what would that reason be? Is it...was I...did I do something bad?"

"Don't ask me," Bansha replied with a shrug. "But if I were you, I'd look into it. I've got a feeling you're right about them hiding something."

Morro peered over the ledge. Far below him, standing on the rocky ground beside a dark river, four of the ninja stood before what appeared to be a skeleton.

Eww, that's disgusting! Morro thought to himself at the sight of the remains. A glimmer of light caught his attention, and he moved his gaze to a shiny blue crystal which Zane had lifted from its resting place between the skeleton's hands. The nindroid held it up, catching the faint light in its transparent form.

Instantly, Morro felt a sense of urgency overtake him. What is that? He wondered, staring wide-eyed at the jewel. I've seen that before…

He couldn't remember how, or when, or where he had come into contact with the crystal, but he had the strangest feeling of deja vu.

No, I haven't seen it. I've...I've held it. I've used it! He sighed. But what for? It's just a crystal—what in Ninjago can one use a crystal for?

Whatever the answer, he knew one thing: he needed it.

He needed to possess that crystal. And he needed it now.

He felt movement at his side and glanced down, gasping as his eyes fell on a weary green ninja. Lloyd seemed as though he was just stirring from some sort of slumber or coma, his soft features twisting as he let out an exhausted whimper.

Lloyd. Morro tried to reach for the boy, to wake him up, to make sure he was okay. But his limbs refused to move, He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He felt paralyzed, like he was not in control of his own body.

"How does it work?"

Kai's question snapped him from his silent panic. He looked down at the group again, and the moment he caught a glimpse of the crystal, he felt his senses become engulfed by the same urge to possess it. He didn't know why, but he needed that gem.

Without his consent, his body stood up. Morro watched in horror from inside his own body as he grabbed Lloyd by the collar of his gi and hoisted him precariously over the ledge, which stood several meters above the raging black water.

"How it works is you'll hand over the crystal, or say goodbye to your friend."

Morro shot up, gasping for air. "What the—" He looked around at his surroundings, feeling a wave of relief as he realized he was in Lloyd's bedroom again. Oh, thank the First Spinjitzu Master, it was only a dream.

But it wasn't.

It couldn't have been a dream; it felt too real. Just like the scene in the museum that had come to him in his slumber, or the vision he received upon touching the green ninja suit. He shook his head. It has to be a dream. I would never hurt Lloyd.

That much was true; Morro would never want to harm his friend. But it seemed like the crystal had forced him to. It felt like a magnet, drawing him towards it, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist its pull.

Okay, so today is the last day before my summer break officially begins, and I'm all done moving, so updates should be more frequent. If you have any ideas for things you would like to see in this story, please let me know in a review. I'm stuck in that awkward middle-of-the-story phase where I don't know what to write. Once I get closer to the end, things should pick up.

Thanks for reading!