haha its possession time again

"And I thought saving Ninjago was difficult," Garmadon chuckled, shaking his head as he stocked the shelves of Wu's new business; a tea shop called Steep Wisdom. I grinned at him as I gently slid a purple cylinder-shaped box of tea leaves into a shelf. I stepped down the ladder to grab more boxes to continue packing.
The ninja were gone on a mission, leaving the four of us - Garmadon, Misako and Wu and I - to continue stocking the shop. I didn't mind. The three adults made good conversation.
"Wu can't be a sensei forever," Misako reminded as she tried to set up the cash register. "It's about time we all help out with his retirement. He had been talking about owning a tea shop for years."
Wu decided at that moment to enter, holding a rather large bucket of water. He didn't look phased by the weight of the bucket, but Misako wasn't taking any chances.
"Speaking of which - Y/n?"
I eagerly obeyed, approaching Wu and grabbing for the bucket.
"Here, let me give you a hand with that!"
However, he just avoided my attempts at grabbing them with ease, making me stumble on my feet as he sidestepped me.
"I am old," Wu explained firmly, grinning at me with a glint in his eyes. "Not weak."

My cheeks flushed as I rightened myself, turning back to face the adults.
"Of course not!" I exclaimed, waving my hands. "I didn't mean-"
"Stop teasing her, brother," chortled Garmadon as he stepped down from his ladder. "Y/n gets enough jesting already."
"That reminds me," Misako sent me a look. Oh no. "How are you and Lloyd?"
I blushed bright red, making all three of them chuckle.
"Good, I presume," Garmadon commented as he picked up a few more boxes of tea leaves. "Especially with a blush like that. You could cook eggs on those cheeks of yours, Y/n."
This made my face only warmer as it grew even redder. I whined, hiding my face with my hands.
"It's alright," I mumbled, embarrassed beyond belief. "Well... actually great."
And it was. Lloyd and I were still confused about our relationship status, but other than that everything was a dream come true. He was so sweet, it was insane. I still couldn't wrap my head around the concept of people disliking Lloyd - his smile alone could light up Ninjago City for centuries.

Knowing that that was all they were going to get out of me, Garmadon stepped back and brushed his hands together.
"Well, Steep Wisdom is starting to look like a real tea house," Garmadon said.
"Except one thing," I added on, glancing around at the desolate shop save the four of us. "Customers."
Wu sent me a knowledgeable smile as he set the bucket of water of the counter.
"Good things come to those who wait."

As if on cue, the heavy flapping of dragon wings above the courtyard of Steep Wisdom appeared out of nowhere. Kai's boastful voice was the first of the ninja we heard - not that that was in any way surprising.
"I'm just saying, it was big, but I've seen bigger," he explained with a smug tone. He must of been talking about the mutant fang fish that they had been sent out that morning to help the local fishermen catch. Apparently it had been terrorising the local docks and making it impossible and dangerous to fish.
"As big as your ego?" Jay shot back playfully. Their dragons landed in the courtyard as the team jested one another. I crossed my arms and leant on the entrance to Steep Wisdom, watching Lloyd grin and laugh at his friends with a content smile.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" Wu asked a rhetorical question, putting a palm to his forehead before reaching out and grabbing a box. I glanced back at him as he passed me, approaching the rowdy bunch of teens. "I'm tired of waiting. I'll put the ninja to work."

"Hey, just remember that if it wasn't for me, that boat would've sunk under the weight of the fish," Nya commented sassily, making me grin. She leapt off of her dragon, making it explode into a fine, blue mist.
"Ninja," Wu called as he approached them with the box, stopping in the middle of the courtyard. "You need to find customers."
"No hello, how's it going, glad to hear you saved the day-" asked Jay with his usual cynical humour as he slid off of his dragon "- again?"
Cole leapt off of his dragon next, the beast disappearing with green mist.
"Yeah, sensei?" Cole claimed Wu's attention. "We're all a bit tired. Do you mind if we handle this tomorrow?"
"You all have a share if this business succeeds," Wu explained as he set the box down on the sandstone courtyard. "How else do you expect me to be able to afford all your new uniforms? Which reminds me-" he opened this box. "Your new ones have arrived."

How many gis do they need? I thought ludicrously to myself. Garmadon called for me then, claiming my attention as I entered the shop again.
"Would you be able to head over to the stock shack and grab a hammer and nails?" Lloyd's dad asked as he held a shelf level while Misako feverishly unloaded it, carefully dropping the containers of tea leaves on the ground. "We had a bit of a technical failure."
"Yeah, of course!" I accepted eagerly, turning on my heel and walking out into the sunshine again. I turned the corner, only to see the ninja with uncomfortable looks on their faces and blue teapots on their heads. I snorted.

"Don't laugh!" exclaimed Jay as Wu handed out bunches of paper. I had to bite my fist to keep the laughter from bubbling out of my throat. I shook my head, chewing on my lips to keep them shut as I scurried to the stock shack.

"Thanks, Y/n," Garmadon smiled as I handed them to Misako. She hammered the nails into place while Garmadon supported the shelf.
The phone rang, making Misako drop the hammer in surprise, landing just shy of Garmadon's foot. His face morphed into an expression of pure terror.
"Oh!" cried Misako, oblivious to her husband's heart attack. "That could be our first order - shh!"
As Misako placed the phone to her ear, Lloyd approached and hovered beside me. No matter how comfortable we got with each other, PDA was still a big no-no. We were getting teased enough as it was.
"Steep Wisdom, how may we serve you?"
I glanced up at Lloyd, who was sending me a small grin in return. He looked stupid with the blue teapot on his head. Adorable, but stupid.
"Just when I thought I was bullied enough," joked Lloyd under his breath, making light of two situations. I frowned.
"Don't... don't say stuff like that," I said, glancing at the ground. "I- it'll... it'll get better."
I wasn't sure if it ever would. Lloyd seemed to notice my doubt and reassured me instead.
"I don't care about what they think," he shrugged it off, placing a hand on my shoulder, his thumb rubbing circles. "I have you, don't I?"

My blush returned as I elbowed him lightly in the side.
"You're so cheesy."
"I'm your... it's... it's my job to be cheesy," Lloyd stammered, stumbling over his words. He corrected himself with a quick shake of his head.
"Cat got your tongue?" I teased, thankful that the others were engrossed in their own conversations. Lloyd shrugged, shaking his head.
"No, you just leave me speechless."
I drew silent with embarrassment, gnawing on my bottom lip.
"How many of those do you have up your sleeve, Green Ninja?" I asked with a red face. Lloyd grinned.
"Enough to last a lifetime."

"Was it a big order?" Nya asked as Misako bid her farewells and hung up the phone. Lloyd's mother frowned.
"It's... the police," Misako corrected with a calculating expression. "They've asked for the Green Ninja. There's been a break in at the museum."
That drew a gasp from everybody in the room. A break in at the museum? With their high-tech security? I glanced at Lloyd, who's expression had hardened into a look of determination. He was mentally preparing himself for whatever may come his way.
"Go on," Cole said as he grabbed the Steep Wisdom promotional posters out from Lloyd's grasp. "I'll take your share."
Lloyd nodded firmly as he began walking towards the exit.
"Thanks," he said to Cole. "I owe you one."
Before he could exit Steep Wisdom, Misako spoke up with all her maternal affection; "aren't you going to kiss your mother goodbye?"

Lloyd paused, cringing.
"Mum," he whined, placing a hand on his forehead. "We've- we've talked about this. I'll catch you on the way back."
I grabbed Lloyd's sleeve before he could begin to exit fully. He glanced back at me questionably.
"Stay safe," I mumbled. The determination in his eyes softened.
"Of course I will," he replied with a loving tone before placing a quick kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you later."
"See ya," I said quietly, watching him run off and summoning his elemental dragon. I thought everything was fine until there was a chorus of coos and I remembered where I was and hid my face in my hands.
"That's adorable!" commented Nya.
"So cute," Cole agreed.
"You aren't living this one down," Kai snickered teasingly.
I sent him an exasperated look.
"With you lot, I've gotten used to it by now," I commented, making them laugh. I shook my head, stalking back over to the shelves and grabbing some boxes of tea leaves to continue stocking.

"Remember," said Wu, grabbing the spotlight away from me. Thank god. "No powers."
The ninja groaned before mumbling reluctant replies, filing out of Steep Wisdom and conjuring up their dragons so they could travel to Ninjago City.
Garmadon sighed, shaking his head as he watched the dragons flap away.
"I swear, they'll never grow up," he commented.
Misako hummed in amusement as Wu grabbed a kettle and filled it with the water inside the bucket.
"I think you may be right," she mused. I covered a snort with my hand.

As dusk covered everything in a musky pink hue, Misako just finished packing a bag of tea leaves for our first customer. I was out by the pond, having dubbed finished working for the day by Wu, reading a book I borrowed from Garmadon. It wasn't really a novel per say, instead just a really detailed book about the fight and flight response, how adrenaline actually disadvantages us in a fight, and how to overcome them. It certainly wasn't a book I'd pick out specifically to read, but it was either that or The Art Of Making The Perfect Tea. I had decided as I picked up the other book that I had enough thoughts of tea for the day.

My peace was disrupted by the sudden exclamations from the ninja as they called for Wu. I glanced up from my book, standing up from my spot and approaching the group curiously. I thought ninja were supposed to be quiet.
"... you used your powers?" Wu exclaimed as I got within earshot. I sent a questioning look to Garmadon, but he just shrugged in reply.
"Yeah, I know, we're terrible students but what happened to our powers?!" yelled a frazzled Jay. My eyebrows knitted together. What the hell was going on?
I whipped my head around as the wind began to pick up, making the old wooden windmill creak and groan at the sudden movement it was forced to do. My spine shivered at the sound. Something about that sudden pick up of wind didn't feel right.
"Uh, guys?" I asked meekly as the sky suddenly seemed a lot darker than it was five minutes ago. "Where's Lloyd?"
The five ninja shot me confused looks.
"Isn't he still at the museum?" Nya asked. "We haven't seen him since he left. What about you?"
I shook my head, all too aware of the uncomfortable twist in my gut. Something was going on. Something very wrong.

Wu's expression dropped as he shared a fearful glance with Garmadon. The penny seemed to have dropped as a look of horrific realisation washed over Garmadon's expression.
"Lloyd," he whispered with a terrified tone. A stone of panic began to build in the bottom of my stomach.
"What about Lloyd?" I asked as Misako raised a hand to her mouth in awful shock.
"If your powers are gone, then something must of happened to-"
Wu was caught off by a familiar flop of blonde hair stepping onto the edge of the courtyard. I felt a sense of relief make my shoulders lose its tension.
"It's the Green Ninja!" cried the little girl of the customer, pointing at Lloyd who was still wearing his gi.
He removed his hood, leaving only the bottom half of his mask on. There was something different in his posture. Something off about the look in his eyes. He seemed more assertive, less playful. He lost his bright, sunshiny vibe that I adored.
"I know that wind," Wu murmured under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear and making me send him a side glance while the ninja ran up to confront the Green Ninja. "That's not Lloyd."
"What do you-"

"Step aside," demanded a husky, smooth voice. I glanced back at was baffled - it came from Lloyd. That couldn't be his voice though. Lloyd's voice was usually squeaky from puberty despite him being eighteen. His voice was caring and warm. This new, unidentifiable voice was blunt and harsh. It made me grimace at the subconscious fear pooling in my chest. Something was very, very wrong.
"Lloyd!" cried Jay against the steadily strengthening wind. "What's wrong with you?"
Lloyd's uncharacteristically dark gaze narrowed.
"I want a word with your master," he spat. I glanced at Wu, but he was frowning at Lloyd. There was an unidentifiable look in his eyes.
"Whoa, Lloyd's gone through puberty!" commented Jay.
"What's gotten into him?" Cole asked.

I began to walk out to join the ninja, but Garmadon caught my arm. I sent him a quizzical look, but all he did was shake his head.
"Let the ninja handle this," he spoke softly, almost hating his words. He glanced at Lloyd and for the first time ever, I saw a glint of fear in his eyes.
"What's going on?" I asked as he led me deeper into Steep Wisdom. The shop creaked in the stormy weather, making my adrenaline levels spike. "What's happening to Lloyd? Is he okay?"
Garmadon sighed, looking over his shoulder as we entered a room that was filled with boxes.
"He's... never mind," he shook his head. "We'll tell you later. Stay here and don't leave this room."
He went to exit, but I caught his arm.
"Wait!" I cried desperately. "What's going on? Is Lloyd okay? What's happened to him? Please, tell me!"
Whether it was my persistence or the terrified look in my eyes, Garmadon cracked. He sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"He's... he's been possessed."
I dropped his arm in shock as my face paled. I felt my heart sink and my stomach drop to my feet. My head began to hurt as it tried to answer the equation of the universe.
"P- possessed?" I echoed incredulously, shaking my head in denial. "That's not... ghosts aren't... are they?"
Garmadon solemnly nodded.
"Ghosts are indeed very real," he answered.
"Is there something we can do to help him?" I cried. "How do we get the ghost out of him?"
Garmadon swallowed.
"Unfortunately, only Lloyd can dispel himself of the ghost," he replied gravely. The fear in my chest began to pool faster. "All we can do is hold whoever's possessing him off until Lloyd regains control."

"Sh- shouldn't we be trying to help him?" I asked, my voice raising in pitch. I tried my best to calm myself, but it was like trying to hold water in a hand. It kept slipping out of my control. "Encourage him or something? Moral support?"
Garmadon shook his head, dismissing my suggestions.
"I fear that the ghost who has possessed Lloyd is much too powerful. He must fight him alone."
Bullshit, I thought to myself. Of course, I'd never say that aloud to Garmadon, so instead I knitted my eyebrows together even more than what they already were.
"Can I at least try?" I asked desperately, my voice soft but internally I was in a whirlwind of panic. "Please, let my try."
"It's too dangerous!"
"Forget danger, Sensei!" I cried adamantly. "Please let me do this! You know Lloyd would do the same."
Garmadon' revolve shattered. He ran a hand down his face, groaning before exiting without a word. I took his silence as a 'fine' and followed after him, giddy but terrified beyond imagination.

Misako and the customers had fled, driving away in the van as the ninja tried and failed at fighting possessed Lloyd. The closed doors of Steep Wisdom shuddered in the wind.
"We need to leave, too," Wu ordered as he packed a small bag of essentials from the shop. "Garmadon, get Y/n aboard the Destiny's Bounty."
"Hold on, brother," Garmadon calmed, grabbing my shoulder and gently leading me forward. "Y/n has a deeper connection with Lloyd than any of us. She can-"
"Are you insane?" exclaimed Wu as he paused packing, gripping onto his staff precariously tight. "He's much too powerful - you'd be sending her to her death!"
"Please, Sensei!" I begged. "Let me try!"
But he was not swayed.
"I cannot let you go out there," he shook his head. A sudden gust of wind made the shop creak in protest. "How do you think Lloyd would feel if Morro killed you? Few good things come in his life, I can't stand by and watch as he loses you."
That made me falter. I didn't have an argument against it. Garmadon sighed.
"Wu's right," he agreed. "Come, Y/n, lets get to the Bounty."

I let them them guide me as we began to head towards the back of the shop, where the Bounty was located.
Before we could even exit the main shop, the doors banged open. We whipped around in surprise and froze. Because there, with an accomplished, mean smirk, was possessed Lloyd. He stalked forwards menacingly, making me subconsciously stumble back in shock.
"Lloyd?" I asked under my breath. Wu placed a hand on my shoulder, gently drawing me back.
"Stay back, Y/n," he said, clutching onto his staff as if it were his lifeline. "It's me that he wants."
I shot a confused look between possessed Lloyd and Wu. What was going on between that ghost and Sensei?
"Not you," possessed Lloyd said with the same determination as his father, except colder, sharper, more malicious. "Just your father's staff."
Wu stepped in front of me, holding his staff out defensively.
"I see you've found the allied armour, Morro," commented Wu. I could feel the hairs on my neck begin to stand on end. "Yet you haven't summoned your friends."
Morro? Friends? My head began to hurt once more.

"Your pathetic students haven't given me a reason to," Morro grinned wickedly, looking back at the five other ninja, who were stumbling to their feet and groaning.
"Heyheyhey!" spat Jay furiously. "Nobody calls me pathetic!"
'Morro' didn't reply, instead just forcing the doors shut with a flick of his hand and a rush of heavy wind. They slammed loudly, making me flinch. The sheer force of the wind that Morro called upon made containers and jars from the shelves we just finished stocking tumble to the ground, shattering upon impact. I stumbled back from the glass, accidentally stepping on Garmadon's foot. He just steadied me as we shared a fearful expression.
"Get Y/n out of here!" Wu ordered, making Garmadon grab my upper arm and drag me down to the back of the shop. I glanced back just as Wu and Morro began a battle.

"What are we going to do?" I asked as Garmadon and I stumbled out of the back exit. The Bounty sat idly waiting as we clambered inside. I watched in fascination as Garmadon urged the ship to life, making the engines roar to life as it lifted off from the ground.
"I don't know," he admitted as he guided the ship over the courtyard, allowing the ninja to climb onboard. All but Kai.
"Is he crazy?" Jay exclaimed as he leant over the side, looking down at the courtyard, where Kai was standing alone. The doors were suddenly ripped from their hinges, tumbling out and almost hitting Kai. Morro pounced onto Kai, lifting the fire ninja by his shirt. They spat some words at each other, ones which we were too alleviated to hear.
"Where's my brother?" Nya cried as she ran to the edge.
"He's fighting the Green Ninja- alone!" replied Jay.
I watched in horror at the spectacle of Kai fighting Lloyd. From what Cole told me when I first met the others, Kai and Lloyd were practically brothers. Fighting Lloyd must be killing Kai.

Kai spun Lloyd around and put him in a tight headlock. They were shouting at each other, but I couldn't hear them over the howling of the wind. It whipped my hair into my face, making me splutter and curse. I forgot a hair tie. Fuck.
"We have to stop them!" Nya cried as she spun on her heel and entered the bridge. Suddenly, the anchor dropped, catching Kai by the gi and lifting him into the air.
"A perfect wedgie!" Cole exclaimed as Kai approached with the anchor.
"... I saw Lloyd!" Kai shouted as he came into hearing range. I felt my stomach drop again as I shouldered past Jay and Zane.
"What?" I cried.
"Put me down!" Kai commanded. "Let me go!"
Zane and Cole grabbed Kai by his arms and hauled him on board. The frantic look in Kai's eyes caught mine.
"What about Lloyd?" I repeated, grabbing onto Kai's shoulder. He didn't answer, instead racing into the bride with my hot on his heels. Nya was driving, desperately trying to get away as the wind suddenly began to feel like thick soup. Morro was trying to prevent us from getting away.
"We have to go back!" Kai ordered.
"Sorry, brother!" Nya replied as she shook her head. "That's what I'm trying to avoid!"

Before we could do anything, the bow of the Bounty suddenly tilted upwards from the wind, making us stumble to the ground and slide down.
"Oh, no!" cried Nya as she lost her grip on the steering wheel. She slid past Kai, making him reach out to grab her before she could get too far. I scrambled for a handhold, grabbing onto the side of an in-built boxy machine.
"Give me your hand!" Kai ordered, and Nya obeyed, slapping her hand into his. He grunted as he pulled her up, allowing her to grab onto the controls once more.
"I got it!" she said as she activated a lever, making the engines pack in an extra punch and shoot away from Steep Wisdom, Morro and Lloyd. Over the wind and over the sound of the grumbling engines, I could hear that dark, menacing voice coming from Lloyd's body screaming in anger. I swallowed thickly and clenched my eyes shut at the sound, hyperaware of the fear it made me feel.

"Whew," Nya said as she slumped over the wheel. I scrambled to my feet, holding my elbows my mouth ran dry. "That was close. The coast is clear."
I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The others clambered inside, wincing at injuries and exchanging tired, perplexed glances.
"Spill it, Sensei Wu," Jay sighed, looking almost on the verge of tears, as he rolled his shoulder with a grimace. "What just happened back there and what have they done to my friend?"
Cole rubbed at a spot on the back of his head.
"Yeah, Sensei," he said. "Who was that?"
Wu shared a reluctant look with Garmadon. The former sighed and dropped his gaze to the ground.
"You four were not my first pupils," he admitted. "There was one before you."
"Huh?" Kai breathed.
"What?" Cole asked.
"Morro," Wu elaborated grimly. "The master of wind."

If we weren't in such a dire situation, I would've cracked a gassy joke. But I wasn't really feeling up to joking right then.
Nya glanced over at the screen before tensing.
"Okay, now those lights scare me," she said, her voice a little shaky. She cleared her throat and shook her head, regaining dignity before pointing at the screen. I ducked around, staring at the bright blue image with the silhouette of the Bounty in the middle. A blinking, red dot was approaching the back.
"We've got something on our six. Looks like our master of wind, just caught his second wind."

I didn't realise I was steadily striding out of the bridge until I heard Cole call after me. Ignoring him, I rounded the corner until I was leaning against the side rail, watching a green, terrifying dragon heavily flapping his wings steadily approach. On the back of it was the blonde-turned-black hair of Lloyd, his expression something that would give me nightmares for months.
I felt a cool rush of terror travel through me as Garmadon stepped out into the side walk beside me. We shared an understanding look before glancing back at Morro.

"Prepare yourself, Y/n," Garmadon warned, oddly calm as he stared at his possessed son. "It may be Lloyd's body, but he is not a friend."
I nervously gulped, nodding in understanding.
"Right," I said meekly, knitting my eyebrows together as I frowned at Lloyd. Only just this morning he was my sunshine boy. I should've gone with him, or I should've said something. Who's to say if we'd ever get him back. "Just gotta battle the Green Ninja. Piece of cake."

I stared despondently at the boy I knew I loved. I couldn't believe it took a ghost to possess Lloyd for me to realise that.
I sighed.
Fate was fucking cruel.