...ok I know it's been... *checks calendar* ...two and a half years since I last updated this story. Sorry, life's been busy and I was occupied with My Best Friend's a Ghost and other stories.

But! I was finally able to finish this little chapter! (heh, 'little'. Stupid thing is over 3,000 words long lol). Just warning y'all: I'm doing the same thing from here on out as I am with Close the Circle: Find Your Path. No more censoring the f-bomb, y'all are gonna see Morro in his full potty mouth glory.

Anyways, I've kept y'all waiting long enough. Let's begin!

~~~~~~~

He was on "Intruder Watch" again.

At least, that's what Morro called it when he was tailing the new student that Wu had acquired. It wasn't stalking, it was... investigating.

Okay, tiny confession. As much as Morro tried to distance himself from the intruder that had taken over his old bedroom (which, admittedly, was basically useless to him, but still!), he found himself being drawn to him. Partly because it was a hell of a lot of fun pissing the intruder off.

But mostly because he was curious. I mean, it's been forty years—or has it been fifty? He kinda stopped counting after Year 15–since someone had seen him, much less hear him and respond.

And, loath as Morro was to admit it, he was curious. He needed to know how—how could this intruder hear and see him when Wu couldn't? Was he the only one? How did he come about this ability?

He had to know.

....even if it meant having to.....ugh, socialize.

Or maybe he could hit the truth out of him.

Yeah, that sounded like a much better plan.

Mind made up, Morro returned to observing the intruder...and immediately burst out laughing when said intruder got hit on the head with a wooden sword.

"You let your guard down, young one," Wu gently chided.

The intruder--Cole was his name, if he remembered correctly (not that he cared either way, he was an intruder, so Intruder he shall be)--let out a groan. "I thought I had an opening," he replied, pouting like the loser he was. "Ugh, and I thought practicing with my scythe was hard..."

"Do not be discouraged, my pupil. You seemed to be doing very well with your scythe. I am very impressed with your progress."

"Heh, thanks. I have a good teacher."

Morro didn't miss the way that the intruder's gaze quickly glanced up to where he was, sitting on the edge of the roof. Normally he would have flipped him off, but he couldn't help but puff up a little with something akin to pride. Hell yeah the intruder had a good teacher. The best possible teacher, if he did say so himself. Wu certainly hadn't helped in that regard.

So instead of flipping the bird, Morro just rolled his eyes at the intruder.

He didn't get why Intruder glared at him, the eye roll was the perfect response to that!

"Now before we conclude training," Wu said, replacing the training sword for his stupid teapot. "I think one more time at the obstacle course will do you some good."

Intruder groaned. "Not that again," he whined as he got ready. "I still have bruises from the last time I went through that thing."

"Maybe stop sucking?" Morro snarked, lying down on the roof and rolling his eyes.

I mean, the obstacle course wasn't that hard. He mastered it when he was eleven! Granted, he had first done it when he was ten... but his point still stood! If this intruder was supposed to wield one of the fabled Golden Weapons (and didn't that just set Morro's ire ablaze--why couldn't the FSM have made one for his element?!), then this obstacle course should be a piece of cake.

Intruder didn't seem to think so, if his grimace was anything to go by. But he still set his feet and dropped into a ready stance without any further complaint. There was a tense second as no one moved... Then Wu reached for his tea set.

Intruder took off like a shot. Morro had to admit, he had improved over the weeks. He got through the rotating weapons with ease and leapt over the sinking poles with more grace than he had when he had first arrived.

He was still too slow, as Sensei was already reaching for the sugar dish. In a desperate move, Intruder rushed through the last obstacle... which proved to be a mistake, as he tripped over a spinning dummy's 'leg'. He overcorrected, and another dummy smacked into him face-first.

Morro couldn't help but wince as he watched the ninja-in-training get smacked between the rotating dummies. The intruder stumbled out of the obstacle after a while, face-planting into the ground with a moan.

Wu shook his head, his teacup long empty. "Fail."

Intruder let out another, longer groan. "I'm never going to get through this stupid course," he muttered, rolling onto his back and pouting up at the sky.

Morro snorted. "Not with that attitude you're not..."

"Do not despair, young Cole," Wu said, walking over to his fallen pupil. "You will get it, eventually. It just takes practice, and a touch of patience." He knelt down, gave the intruder a simple pat on the shoulder, then rose and walked back to the monastery. "I am going to make dinner. You should stretch and rest until it is time to eat." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "But if you insist on training with the obstacle course more, you may. Do not strain yourself, though, young one. You will do no good to anyone if you injure yourself." That said, he disappeared into the monastery.

Morro sat up and stretched (not that he needed to, but the motion felt good. It reminded him of what it was like, being alive...), not too interested in watching the intruder cooling down. He got up and was about to haunt the rest of the monastery when he heard Intruder groan loudly. Looking back down on the training grounds, he was surprised to see the intruder stand up and give the obstacle course a death glare. The ghost was further surprised when Intruder launched himself at the first obstacle, clearly intending to get through the course.

He got to the poles before stumbling and falling off the last one.

Morro snickered as he watched the intruder fall onto his ass, but stopped when he quickly sprang up, shook himself off, and went at the course again.

This time, he got to the dummies before getting smacked in the side by one, and knocked off the course.

A third time--he paused too long on the poles, and got launched up into the air, falling hard on his back.

A fourth time--he barely got past the first obstacle, tripping and smacking face-first into the first pole.

By the fifth time the intruder went to the course, Morro had stopped laughing at his mistakes. By the sixth time, he found himself wincing in more and more sympathy. By the seventh time, with the intruder clearly wincing and frustration clear in his expression, the ghost felt vaguely uncomfortable watching him go through the course again.

By the eighth time, Morro decided to do something about it.

"Okay, that's it," he muttered as he watched the intruder get launched off the poles again. "Hey!" he barked, floating off the roof and towards the figure on the ground. "Did nothing Wu say get through that thick skull of yours?! He told you not to injure yourself, dumbass!"

"I'm fine," Intruder grunted, staggering to his feet, groaning and clutching at his side. "I-I can do this. Just one more..."

"Bullshit," Morro snapped, floating over to stand in the idiot's way. "You're clearly exhausted and can barely stand as it is. Just give it up--"

"No!" The ghost's mouth snapped shut at Intruder's shout. The ninja-in-training was giving him a glare that seemed full of fire. "I'm not giving up! I-I can do this!"

"You're going to hurt yourself," Morro said.

Intruder scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, like you actually care about me."

That pissed Morro off. "Fine then!" he snapped, turning away. "Go ahead and give yourself a concussion, or break your ribs, see if I care! I'm sure Wu will be just pleased to give the Scythe of Quakes to someone else. Hopefully someone with more talent and common sense than you!"

The ghost stalked off, intent on flying to a nearby field and letting off some steam.

A sound stopped him in his tracks.

Morro turned back around. The intruder was on his hands and knees, his hands clenched into fists on the ground and his head bowed. His shoulders shook and Morro thought he saw something fall from his face onto the ground as the sound came again--

...oh. The sound was a sniffle. The intruder was crying.

A flash of irritation ran through Morro. What a wimp! A few harsh words and he was reduced to tears?! Un-fucking-believable!

But the longer he looked, the more something ugly seemed to pool in his stomach, twisting it in tight knots.

It took him a few moments before he identified that it was guilt. He felt...bad, about this.

Morro found himself squirming, kicking at the air before crossing his arms with a huff. "Oh grow up, you fucking baby," he snapped. "What's the matter, can't take any criticism with that thin skin of yours?"

The intruder's shoulders shook more. "G-Go away," he muttered, voice cracking around a sob. "You wouldn't understand..."

Morro scoffed. "Understand what? Oh, lemme guess: you fucked up one little thing, Mommy and Daddy got mad, and suddenly you feel like a failure? Grow the fuck up, kid--"

"I AM a failure!" Intruder shouted, his head snapping up as he glared at Morro through his tears. "My dad had built up his reputation as an amazing singer and dancer, a-and he expected me to carry on his legacy. B-But I couldn't! Every time I tried, it was a disaster! My throat closes up at the mere thought of performing on stage, and don't even get me started on my two left feet!" He scrubbed at his eyes, more tears beginning to flow. "I-I tried so hard, but nothing worked a-and I couldn't stand seeing my dad's disappointed looks anymore. That's why I ran away--that's why I'm here. I finally feel like I belong, like I can actually do something. But I can't. Freaking. GET THROUGH THIS STUPID OBSTACLE COURSE!"

He collapsed again, curling up and sobbing into his knees.

Morro found himself staring at--at the kid, that guilty feeling making its presence known again. He found himself biting his lip, not sure what to say.

...then again, he had never been the greatest when it came to words.

"Stand up."

The intruder--no, not now, that felt wrong--the kid looked up. "What?" he croaked.

Morro huffed, barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes. "If you feel this strongly about this," he said, offering a hand. "I'll show you how to do the fucking course. But you better pay attention, or else I'm gone!"

The kid blinked at his hand in shock before rubbing at his eyes and taking it. Morro bit back a curse--the kid's hands were damp from the tears, and the water was making his palm sting--but heaved the kid up to his feet.

"Okay," he said once the kid was up (and he had discretely shook his hand free of the pain). "I've been watching you do the course and I can tell that when you're not being a complete idiot, you actually make it decently far through the course. Besides watching your frustration, there's one thing I can think of that'll help you." He pointed a finger at the kid's feet. "You're too heavy on your feet."

The kid's brow furrowed. "But...Sensei said that a heavier, wider stance was good for me..."

"When you're wielding a scythe or using your element, you dunce," Morro snapped, wanting to curse. Fucking Wu... "Not for this course! You'll never be able to do Spinjitzu if you don't adopt a lighter stance."

"Wait," the kid's eyes lit up. "Spinjitzu? You mean that golden tornado thing that Sensei Wu once showed me? I-I thought I wouldn't learn it until I got the Scythe!"

"What--No! Why do you think Wu's been having you go through this obstacle course so many times, at that speed?! The course is supposed to help you learn the basic moves of Spinjitzu, and help you get up to the speed that lets you perform it! Didn't Wu explain all of this?!"

The kid was staring at Morro as if he had just shown him that the moon was made of cheese. "Sensei never told me that..."

"...you're joking. You're fucking kidding me. I--God DAMN it, Wu!"

Morro indulged in pinching his nose and letting loose some of his more creative swears. I swear to the FSM, I WILL figure out a way to skewer him. That stupid old man...

"Language."

Morro cut out his tirade, staring at the kid. "What."

The kid fidgeted. "I--sorry, I just...I don't like it when people curse like that. My mom always said it was--er, that people shouldn't do it and she would always tell people off for doing it. I guess the habit rolled off on me?"

Morro blinked at the kid for a few minutes. "...you know what? Whatever, I'm not touching that topic. I say 'fuck', kid. Deal with it, or this discussion stops here and I leave."

The kid grimaced, but kept his mouth shut. Deciding that that was enough, Morro gestured him to the side. "Go over there and watch me go through the course. Then, I'll run you through some exercises to help you be lighter on your feet..."

~~~~~

Morro had to (grudgingly) admit: the kid was a fast learner.

He was attentive, watching him intently as the ghost ran through the course (and oh, he had forgotten how good it felt flying through that obstacle course. He resolved to find a way to do it more often after today). Then, he followed along through the exercises that Morro showed him, taking the ghost's sharp comments without complaint. It didn't take long before the kid was running through them without Morro, his feet gliding across the ground in a far lighter way than they had when they had first started.

"Better," Morro allowed after allowing the kid a break. "It's not perfect, but your element is Earth, so I guess it doesn't have to be. It'll do for Spinjitzu, at least."

The kid huffed. "If it gets me through this obstacle course, I'll consider it great." A small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks, for showing me this."

"Tch," Morro turned away. "Whatever. I just don't want you to get hurt. You've apparently got to save the world after all..."

An awkward silence followed, the kid frowning at the ground.

Morro had no idea what prompted him to start talking again, but he found himself saying, "Y'know, your dad's a dick."

The kid let out a startled laugh. "Wh-what?"

"Look, I-I don't really get the whole dancer thing, but..." Morro huffed. "You're not a failure, kid. Just because you suck at one thing doesn't make you a total failure. And... you're on your way to being a decent ninja, for what it's worth."

The kid looked at him. "Really?" he said, something hopeful and fragile (and god, Morro felt an intense urge to find the kid's sperm donor and pummel him, how dare he do this to his own son--) in his voice. "...thanks," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing.

"...whatever. Like I said, don't mention it kid."

The kid laughed. "I have a name you know: Cole. Cole Brookstone."

"Don't care--wait. Cole Brookstone?" Morro laughed. "Wow, how does Wu hold a straight face talking to you? You're a walking Earth Elemental pun!"

The kid's face flushed. "I-It's not that bad!"

"Sure, whatever you say. Brookstone."

The kid--Brookstone, and wow, that was a much better name than Intruder, Morro was gonna have fun with this--growled, but before he could say anything, the door to the monastery opened and Wu poked his head out. "Ah," he said, stepping out fully. "There you are, young Cole. I thought you had gone inside already. I wanted to inform you that dinner was ready."

Morro snickered. "What were your parents thinking?" he teased. "Were they trying to make your entire life an earth pun?"

Brookstone's eye twitched. "Sorry, Sensei," he replied, his voice slightly strained. "I was training and lost track of time." His eyes suddenly started twinkling. "Actually...can we try out the obstacle course one more time? I think I've got it now."

Wu raised an eyebrow. "...you have been training almost all day, young one," he said. "Perhaps it would be wise to wait until tomorrow..."

"I know, but...please, Sensei. I-I want to try," Brookstone said, tone respectful but something pleading in his tone.

Wu sighed. "Very well," he said, producing his teapot from out of nowhere and going to sit by the rest of his tea set. "But this is the last time for tonight."

Morro said nothing, flying up and sitting on the roof. He watched as the kid stretched out a little before getting into a ready stance. "Light on your feet, kid," the ghost murmured.

As if he had heard him, Brookstone lifted up his heels, bouncing lightly on the balls of his foot.

A second passed...then Wu reached for his teapot.

Morro felt a flash of something resembling pride as he watched Brookstone practically fly through the course, a smirk on his face as he watched the kid use the technique he had shown him to navigate the course. He found himself silently cheering him on. C'mon kid. C'mon, c'mon...

Brookstone flew through the last obstacle and came to halt in front of Wu...a split second before the old man had put the sugar cubes in his tea.

Morro let out a whoop. "HAH! Take that Wu, you old bastard!" he crowed, flying up and flipping through the air. "I taught him that, not you! Go fuck yourself, old man!"

He performed one last victory flip before turning his attention back to the ground. The kid was looking up at him, a big grin on his face and something teasing in his eyes. Morro felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, and schooled his features into something more apathetic. Still, he couldn't help but nod at the kid, acknowledging his victory.

Brookstone's smile grew bigger before he turned his attention back to Wu, who was congratulating him on getting through the course.

Morro settled back on the roof, relishing in the warm feeling currently rushing through him.

It was the first time in a long, long time that he felt like this. He was going to savor it.

Besides, it wasn't like he was going to do something like this again. Teaching Brookstone was a one time thing. He was just correcting Wu's mistake (and fixing his own, though the ghost would never admit it).

It was a nice change from what the previous decades had been like though...

~~~~~

Hope you guys enjoyed! :D

I'm gonna try and get the next chapter written before I lose inspiration (and time, lol.). I think I might write about how Cole gives Morro his own nickname, but we'll see...