Morro's POV

     Four Weapons was nothing like I had imagined it. For one, Ignacia was a very small town; its population barely above five hundred people. The streets weren't even paved over; most of them were still dirt paths. Villagers worked in swamps, trying to make the land fertile for farming. Ranch style houses were the only type of houses around, and while I could see telephone poles, there was no modern technology in sight. Four Weapons sat in the middle of the minute town, on top of a hill.

     Since this was Kai and Nya's birthplace, I had assumed people would have flocked here and turned it into a complex branch of Ninjago City. However, the city was so humble I wondered how Kai could have ever had an ego about himself.

     When Cole ushered me into the blacksmith shop, we were surprised to find Jay and Nya already there. They had apparently arrived minutes before us. Maya, Nya's mother, led us to a skinny wooden table while she prepared some food. Small, metal barred chairs surrounded the table. While they looked nicely crafted, I could tell they were handmade.

     Four Weapons had a single room attached to the main area where the shop was. The second room supported a small stove, the table with three chairs, and a bed. I assumed the bathroom was located in the shed out back.

     While I could spot some of Kai and Nya's features in their parents, Ray and Maya looked almost nothing like their children. Their faces were sunken with years of hard labor; deep lines in their skin suggested heavy stress. They seemed quieter and more thoughtful, while their children burst with energy. While Kai and Nya shined with ambitions and spirit, all their parents looked like they wanted to do was take a nap.

     The humble, well-kept shop said much more about them than their appearance. The little they had was kept neat and tidy. They lived in simplicity, and they seemed to value it. Nya's look had a softness to it when she surveyed the minute area. She was probably recalling whatever childhood memories she had of this place.

      Maya came over the table with a small plate of fruit. At first, I was surprised to find the plate made of metal, but then I remembered that I was in a blacksmith shop. I guessed every utensil Ray and Maya had was some form of their craftmanship. Nya chomped away happily at the pieces of apple, while Jay politely nibbled at the one piece he took. I assumed he was feeling uncomfortable, since he had that look in his eye that he'd rather be hiding somewhere.

     I wondered if Harumi was uncomfortable with wherever Lloyd was taking her.

     After a few minutes, Ray came into the room. Both him and Maya sat down on the edge of the bed to face us. There weren't enough chairs to support us all. I felt the smallest twinge of guilt for sitting, especially since Cole was propped up on the floor. Cole was one of the few ninja who hadn't admitted to believing our story yet. I was wary of making him even more suspicious than he already was.

     "How can we help you?" Ray's voice was tired, just like his appearance.

      Immediately, all the Ninja exchanged glances.

      "You can go first," Nya said to Cole, "I have a feeling you might be here for the same reason we are."

      Cole nodded and faced the hosts. "I was wondering if you could tell us anything about a traitorous house of earth."

     Maya's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

     "We thought it might have to do something with the first Serpentine War, since that was when my mother was alive." Cole said.

      Both Ray and Maya seemed remember because both of their faces relaxed. Ray took one of Maya's hands in his, as if he were mentally preparing himself to talk about a hard topic. I tensed in the seat.

      "That could possibly be referring to your grandfather, Lilly's father. Chen convinced him to turn on us in the war." Ray said the words calmly, but the flashing of his eyes signaled a storm of memories surging through him.

     "My mother mentioned a house. It was never just 'traitorous earth.'" Cole stated. While his voice was placid, I could tell he was excited to learn more about his mother.

     "Lilly was referring to the Elemental Masters." Maya twisted strands of her hair. "She simply called them by what house they came from."

     "Houses?" Nya pressed.

     "Yes," Ray said. "The Elemental Houses. Cole's mother was talking about House Earth. Its leader, Cole's grandfather, turned on the rest of the houses and then had his house titled 'a traitorous house.' House Earth was basically exiled."

     "Was my mother, Storm Gordon, part of an Elemental House?" Jay asked.

     Ray blinked rapidly at the name. His face twisted into something I could sort of recognize. It was part grief, part reminiscing. Storm must have had some sort of special connection with him; he looked like he was grieving over a lost friend. Maya squeezed his hand tighter, offering what wordless support she could.

     "Storm was the leader of House Lightning." She explained when Ray couldn't find the words.

     "Wait, so the leader of the houses didn't have to be an experienced adult?" Nya asked, then shot a sorry look at Jay. "I mean, she had to be twenty or younger during the first Serpentine War."

     "The houses consisted of descendants from the first Elemental Masters. However, only one person could wield the elemental power at a time. Whoever was chosen to have the power automatically became the leader, because they held the power of their ancestors. Often, that would be younger people, since the previous elemental masters didn't want to pass down their power to someone who was knocking on death's door."

     "You said there was a house for each elemental master. Was there a house for the Master of Wind? I've... uh... heard stories that people have wielded that element before." I asked, wondering if Ray and Maya knew who I was. They were locked away during my villainous days, but word might have gotten to them. The ninja gave me uneasy looks as the former masters considered my question.

     Ray shook his head, showing no sign of recognition. "There was a House Wind, but it split up quite a few years before I was born. Once a house dissolves, it never rebinds."

     "We were told there used to be about forty different houses." Maya added. She gave the green stripe in my hair an odd look but continued. "Over the years, things would happen to make houses split up. Some went rogue, others refused to pass down their powers until it was too late. I think that was what happened for House Wind. The last elemental master didn't pass on his power before he died. By our generation, there were less than twenty houses left."

     Jay twisted his hands together. "Does that mean you were house leaders?"

     Ray paled. Him and Maya exchanged a look. "Yes, I was the leader of House Fire and Maya was the leader of House Water."

     "If these 'houses' were so important, then why don't we know about them?" Nya's voice was much stronger than her husband's. "If all of our parents were somehow involved in an intricate system of grouped relatives, then why aren't we a part of it now? It sounds like you are describing a nobility. That couldn't disappear so easily."

     "While the houses were groups of wealthy people who did have somewhat of a noble status, there is a reason they're gone now." Ray said calmly.

     "Why is that?" Cole challenged.

     "It's because of Ninjago City. When people started creating new machines and building great things, they started to lose respect for those who were born with power. Eventually, the city bought out the lands of the Elemental Houses, which caused them to disband. There might be a few still standing, but most of them are gone."

     "Is that when you and mom decided to open a blacksmith shop in a small town?" Nya asked.

     Her parents smiled at the fond memory. "Basically, yes," Ray explained. "As Wu has probably told you, we did do some adventuring first."

     "It was nice not to be confined to stuffy parties and arranged marriages." Maya sighed.

     "Arranged marriages?" Jay jumped on the slip.

     "Different houses had different rankings." Ray ran a hand through his hair, acting like the topic stung him. I could see Kai in the gesture, which was really strange. Ray had a bit of a depressed energy that Kai never emitted. "Parents often negotiated to get their children into higher positions."

     "Did the rankings have anything to do with the strength of the powers?" Cole leaned forward. "The strongest warriors were considered superior to those beneath them?"

     "Sort of. The Garamdons were superior to all the houses since they were the descendants of the First Spinjitzu Master. After them, the rankings only went with who had the most money and influence. The leading house was House Shadow and just beneath them was House Lightning. My house was lower than them, but not too far down—"

     "Wait. House Lightning? My mother's house?" Jay cut in.

     "Actually, we had some questions about her." Nya nudged Jay. He swallowed as Ray paled again.

     "When we were searching my father's mansion, we found articles and a journal that showcased his connection to me and my mother. He had hidden those away, promising to carry a secret to his grave. Nya and I have discussed this, and we think the secret was me my connection to Storm. Do you know anything about that?"

     Ray seemed to be plagued by memories.

     "We don't know much. My only guess could be that since Storm died in childbirth, your father might have not wanted to handle a newborn baby." Maya said quietly.

     "Do you have anything to add, father?" Nya asked, noting her father's obvious silence.

     "The answers you seek might lie where she came from." Ray responded, his voice shaky. "The village where her house used to stand is still pretty populated. I know she had a sister and a sister-in-law. Maybe one of them might have answers."

     Jay and Nya nodded in unison, their minds already plotting where to go next.

     "One last thing from us." Cole said. "You said that the houses were made up of descendants of the original Elemental Masters. So, does that mean every person in the house had an ancestry that traced back to them?"

     "Yes," Ray replied. "In the beginning, there were intermarriages with normal people but, after a while, there were enough people to keep the houses' bloodline pretty pure."

     "My mother couldn't have been descended from any... say... Oni?"

     Ray shook his head. "It's unlikely. If you want to check that kind of thing out, there is an ancient Cloud Kingdom temple up north in a town called Eolas. It has a lot of family tree maps in it. Normally they're off limits, but I'm sure the caretakers would make an exception for you."

     Cole stood up and gave them a slight bow. "Thank you for your time."

     Nya went over to talk to her parents privately, while I grabbed my knapsack. Within minutes Cole and I were back on the dirt trails, each of us in profound thought.

     He was walking so fast, I had to partially run to keep up. Running was not at all easy with the threat of reopening wounds sounding the back of my mind. All I could hear with those warnings was Harumi scolding me for being reckless enough to do something to set back my recovery. I sighed, knowing that Cole wasn't going to slow down, and forced the wind to pick me up. A dull ache twisted in my core, but at least I was able to skip up to his speed without overexerting my torso.

     "It would be a waste of a trip to go there now." Cole muttered, picking at his gloves.

     "Where do you plan to go?" I questioned as Ignacia got smaller behind us.

     His shoes crunched against the dirt. "We need to find your parents first. Then, we can use the temple's family trees to research you too."

     I nodded; it was a very smart move. I was a bit embarrassed to not have come up with it first.

     "Master Wu said he found you as an orphan. I know this might be hard to remember, but do you know any type of clue that could lead us to their identity?"

     I never remembered having parents. The thought of who they were had barely ever occurred to me. It wasn't knowledge that would have helped me survive back then, so I could have cared less to remember it.

     "I was brought up in an orphanage." I said, searching my head for anything that might help the cause. All I could find was the soreness of using the wind spreading throughout every bone in my body. I doubted I would ever be able to use its full power again. "When I was old enough to rebel, I ran away. That's when Sensei found me."

     Cole went back to thinking. "Do you remember the name of the orphanage?"

     "How could I not?"

     Cole looked at me, a twinge of annoyance crossing his features at my silence.

     I was too busy stamping back the flood of memories that were rushing into my brain. The horrid remembrances of being stuck in the orphanage made me shudder. Sharp faces, pangs of hunger, sickness, and poverty. Most of all, a tyrannical authority sentencing children to punishment.

     "It was called 'Hadley's House of Homeless Hordes.' Not a very scary name, I know, but trust me: you do not want to go there."

>(<>)<

Harumi's POV

     I shrieked as air turbulence threatened to knock me off the dragon. I buried my face into Lloyd's back to keep from throwing up. My hair whipped wildly behind me; the gusts of wind had undone my bun. We had been flying for a few hours now, but right as there was only ocean in both directions, the wind decided to be cruel.

     Yesterday's flight had been fine. The air was calm, and the flight was boring. Lloyd had stopped us at a random island in the middle of the sea that just happened to have a tower on it. I assumed he knew more about why it was there than I did, so I left the topic alone. It wasn't like Lloyd was speaking to me anyway. Early the next morning we started flying again. It was only now, when we were too far in to turn back, that the wind decided to test my internal systems.

     Dragon riding in the middle of a gale might have been the scariest thing I had ever done, especially since Lloyd's Elemental Dragon had no saddle. The dragon was holding Lloyd's suitcase with its front paws, but we were supposed to keep a hold on our other belongings. I kept my knapsack on my back and had my hands wrapped around Lloyd's torso to keep from sliding off into the stormy waters below. I was shaking from the cold. Terror of falling kept a constant nausea in my throat, threatening to come out if I didn't hold on tightly enough.

     I whimpered as we glided over another bump in the wind.

     Why did Cole have to stick me on this mission?

     "It won't be long now." Lloyd's voice was soft.

     My heart fluttered at his tone, which I desperately tried to suppress. Lloyd didn't care about me. I broke his heart. I ruined his life, just like he ruined mine. He shouldn't be comforting me. Emotions only got people hurt.

     Still, I could recall his steady presence after the Emperor and Empress died. Even though I had been pretending to grieve, he still handled it very well. Then there were the shared smiles during meals, the flushed cheeks as he tried to cheer me up, the warm cups of tea that we sipped together as the Bounty made its way towards its next hiding place. It was in those moments where I lost sight of what I was trying to accomplish. I lost the pain of death in an innocent love, a sweet love, a first love. I thought it was obvious that he was smitten with me, but now I realized it might not have been all him after all.

     "Flying through turbulence is hard your first couple of times, but you'll get the rhythm. It's easier to do it this way than to sail. If we tried to reach the Dark Island by sailing, the Overlord would have conquered Ninjago by the time we got back."

     It was the most he'd said to me since I came back to Ninjago.

     "That being said, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't squeeze so hard."

     I nearly let go of him once I realized I had been holding on with the death grip. He was injured and I was probably making it worse. A heated embarrassment colored my cheeks as I struggled to apply the right amount of pressure. The fierce wind around us didn't help the matter at all.

     "Until we reach our destination, I need you to try a little exercise. Close your eyes and focus on taking steady breaths. It will help with the nausea and with relaxing." Lloyd's voice was strained, but soothing none the less.

     I did as he commanded; I forced myself to relax and closed my eyes. Deep breaths: in and out. Breathe in as the wings lifted, breathe out as they fell.

     I kept up the rhythm as seconds turned into minutes. Like Lloyd said, as the fears of flying faded into my concentration on steady breathing, the lump in my throat unraveled and my grip loosened. I was not going to fall. I was not going to throw up. All I needed to do was breathe.

     In front of me, Lloyd's iron stance relaxed as well. For the first time since I broke him, I could feel a sense of togetherness with him. The feeling planted seeds of warmth in my heart; a warmth that refused to fade even when Lloyd's silence became depressing.

     Despite his gentle words on the dragon, Lloyd resumed his cold quietness when we landed. A thick forest greeted us from behind, with cheerful calls of animals sounding below. We had dropped onto a plateau that overlooked the Dark Island's edgy wildlife. In front of us, a rocky mountain proposed a steep climb. I knew Lloyd wanted to get from the top the minute I saw his eyes mist from memory. I had only heard stories of the Temple of Light, but the legends always said it sat in a spot only the resilient could reach. Lloyd grabbed his luggage and started up a dangerous path.

     Since Lloyd refused to talk, the only noises I heard were the occasional bird calls from the forest below and rustling of our luggage as it swung with each step. I could tell he didn't want to me to be here from the way his free fist would clench and unclench. He had been acting like that ever since we got on the dragon, staying ironlike in his stance and appearance. He was closing himself off from everything around him, refusing to feel. He probably was trying to avoid my manipulation, but the only lies in the air were the ones I was telling myself.

     I wanted to hate him for changing so much, but deep down I knew it was all my fault.

     Despite its notorious name, the Dark Island seemed quite happy. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the view up on the mountain was beautiful. I trudged behind Lloyd, almost humming in contentment. I refused to let his mood silence mine. Morro would want me to stay positive, so I was trying to keep the angst out of my mind.

     When we had climbed up a bit, I could see the grassy plateau we landed on. It would have been a perfect place to have a picnic.

     "My parents used to go on picnics every weekend." I said, feeling the words bubble up my throat. The topic suddenly seemed important, and I had no idea why. "Those were the days my dad was off work. Mother would fill a basket with sandwiches, and we'd go to the park to eat. It didn't matter what type of weather there was. When it got cold or rainy, we'd spread our blanket out in our living room and eat with a view of the city. It was a tradition, so nothing could stop us from having it." I glanced at the blonde in front of me, who showed no sign of hearing. "It didn't matter if there was bad weather, we learned to adapt and have a good time anyway."

     A minute or two passed before he spoke. "Sometimes it's hard to forget a storm." Lloyd's voice was barely audible. "It's better to stay inside where it's safe."

     "That doesn't mean the storm has to matter. You can put it behind you and learn to dance in the rain." I stopped walking.

     Lloyd sighed. His steps slowed to a stop, but he didn't turn around.

     Neither of us were talking about a picnic anymore.

     I felt a flare of indignation at his stubbornness.

     "I'm not invisible, Mr. Green Ninja. I know you don't care anymore, but at least someone does. I'm sure you saw that someone cared enough to build me a grave. Do you know how that felt? For years, my presence was kept a secret, then suddenly everyone hated me. I was the problem when half of the situation could have been avoided. Yet, despite the popular opinion of me, that one person still cared enough to give me a resting place." I passed Lloyd up, refusing to look at him. If he was waiting for me to apologize, then he could forget having my cooperation. Bansha's final words or not, I wasn't going to fall over myself trying to be someone 'worthy' of his decent opinion.

     It was his fault that my life, along with many others, was ruined. His team's hesitation led to countless other people out there like me, scared, broken, and barely making it through each day. If he couldn't own up to his mistakes, then I saw no need to own up to mine.

     "Someone cared enough to build me a grave. That gives me enough self-worth to know that there are better people out there who can actually look over the past and see a brighter future. I know you want me sent off to Kryptarium, and that's fine. I'll be out of your hair as soon as this is all over. You'll never have to see Morro or me again. But, until that day comes, at least have the guts to look me in the eye and tell me you hate me, so I don't have to spend my time trying to decide whether to actually help you all or not."

     Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him bury his face in his free hand. His cheeks were burning red.

     It wasn't an embarrassed blush.

     It wasn't an apologetic one.

     No, it was a self-conscious one.

     That's when it hit me.

     There were four people who watched me die. Garmadon, Nya, Lloyd, and that Brown Ninja person. Garmadon was defeated the night of my death, meaning the news of me dying didn't have time to spread. Garmadon couldn't have done it. The Brown Ninja probably still hated me. Nya wouldn't have done it. The only person left was...

     He loved me before.

     He loved me then.

     The only person who still cared.

     Lloyd looked everywhere but where I stood. His cheeks were still adorably blushed, making me hate my own emotions even more. My heart was the only thing that refused to be lied too, and the pressing weight on it threatened to crush my entire built up reality.

     "You built it." I accused calmly, all the sass from my earlier tone gone.

     "It's not like that—"

     "You do still care."

     The words turned him sour.

     "I might have loved you then, but that was the past. You talk about putting the past behind us, yet what we're doing right now is reliving it. You're just distracting me from the real point. I'm here to look up my ancestry, and you're just tagging along. So please, stop it. Stop talking about a lie like it was real." He shouldered past me, his hand desperately massaging that one spot on his torso that always seemed to give him pain.

     His heart.

     The singing of the birds became an annoyance, and the beauty of nature was clouded by the turmoil of thick emotion between us. I followed the green ninja from an even greater distance than before, my stupid, stupid emotions getting in the way of clear thoughts. Yet, though I was trying to be indignant, to stand firm against the accusations held against me, all I could feel inside were my walls crumbling.

     I wanted to hate him. I really did. Everything would be so much easier if I could.

     But he was right.

     I was trying to relive the past, trying to hold on to the whisper of love that I believed had still remained. I had hoped that I could make things right between us, but my own twisted pride had ruined things again. We were here to save Ninjago, and I was only getting in the way. He didn't care anymore. I needed to stop hoping on one set of last words and get my head out of the clouds.

     He loves you, don't let him down.

     Inwardly, I cursed the mysterious thief who thought it was a good idea to write this into my life. Why did I ever have to face Lloyd again; why did I ever have to leave behind a life of peace to endure this one? The tangled mess of emotion was almost too much to bear.