Chapter Text
It was pathetic to say just how much he was used to her torment.
Her torture had become a rigorous routine, her sea of pain became a stream of familiarity to Morro. He witnessed many events that were controlled under her thumb, he was numb to them now.
She could bend the very fabric of his mind against him, Make the screams of the lost souls ring so loud in his ears or completely surround him in silence. It wasn't one of her favourite forms of torture, though it did its job driving him mad.
Morro can barely remember the early years of his new life being dead, can barely remember the soft word's of promises she gave him as a freshly born soul of the damned.
He became her puppet, strung up with a binding string out on display.
Morro, the master of wind. The failed green ninja.
When you are dead time becomes irrelevant, after all their meat vessels no longer aged, there was no point in keeping track of the time. At first Morro tried to keep track, it was a struggle without the sun's gaze or the moon's embrace, though he did his best to count.
The amount of numbers he counted throughout the seconds drove him insane.
The preeminent was a being of horror not even Morro could have imagined existed. She prayed on the wounded, lost soul's. Ones hurt and are easy to manipulate.
The departed realm.. or perhaps he was still in the cursed realm was beyond quiet: though at this point he had come to terms with the idea that it was her punishment on him for failing.
The silent treatment.. Morro wanted to scoff at that. Ever since dying again he's been stuck in this silent limbo, for once he was alone with his thoughts.
He tried, really.. Really hard not to feel guilty for his actions.. after all they were his actions, he couldn't blame the preeminent or her influence.. it was his hands that had been stained.
Morro was surprised she was even allowing him to feel his emotions, though that was all she was really letting him feel.. he didn't know if his eyes were closed or open, the world around him silent.
Being summoned was another weird feeling.
It was a familiar feeling of having every molecule in your body being forcibly ripped apart until you followed its beckoning call.
To say the very least Morro wasn't happy with whoever had summoned him. He wanted– albeit grim– he wanted to continue in his never ending silent torture. Not being able to feel, see.. It was relaxing, terrifying but relaxing.
Perhaps he hadn't been summoned, after all who would want to summon him? Morro? The orphan boy that wanted more and more?
Feeling rebellious for who knows how long, he decided to see how far he could walk away from her control.
Very far apparently.
When he had chosen to go after Wu he had expected suspicion, and yet he received none. When he had told this figment of Wu he wanted to help, he expected disgust and anger.
He met none.
The preeminent was getting better at making stories..
She seemed to have even gotten better at making people, as Wu and Morro had landed before the ninja. Morro avoided Lloyd's gaze at all cost despite this being some weird form of torture.
And so he explained to these fake Ninja the plot of this torture, of course he elected to not tell them that he knew this wasn't real and just some form of torture (By FSM he was not going to do that again)
They looked horrified at the fact they forgot about the rock one, Cole.. right..
It took every strand of his being not to laugh at the sight.
This fake Wu turned to him, this glint in the old man's eyes that the preeminent was never able to replicate before.
And Wu thanked him.
Morro wasn't too sure what the preeminent intended, though the young boy found himself smiling at this fake Wu. His last word's to his old master made him feel light as he was pulled back to the bliss of nothingness.
He felt.. light..
Sure, he still wasn't able to hear, feel or see. But none of that really mattered to him anymore. Seeing his old sensei look at him with pride had done things to Morro, it was all he had ever wanted.
He had only ever wanted the man that took him in to look at him like that.
Wu had taken him in when no one else would, trained him when no one else would.
The old man had even taught him how to write.
Morro had.. complicated feelings with his mentor, the man practically raised him while his own flesh and blood left him.
But obviously the man had to have taken him in for a reason, there was no way anyone would want Morro without one.
And there was.
Because he was going to become the green ninja..
A hero..
To become a hero after being nothing for so long.. to be told it was his destiny..
It was all he could have ever wanted..
His train of thought was slowly brought to a stop, there was an odd sensation, one that faintly made fear prickle at the back of his neck.
Ah.. so she's changing her tactics..
The rush of feelings were enough to make his stomach metaphorically flip, textures, sounds and taste was quick to flood his system.
It was agonizing.
The pre-eminent was a strong deity.. but even she had limits.. replicating life was one.
Sand shifted underneath calloused fingertips and faintly Morro found his rib cage rattling as full body coughs wracked his body.
Water was quickly emptied out from his body in his coughing fit.
It was an uncomfortable feeling.
Blearily, Morro was able to open his eyes; It took an agonizingly long time– one Morro would have been ashamed of for being so weak in any other moment of time. But right now he couldn't find himself caring.
Because right now he could feel..
The first sensation he locked onto was the feeling of soft coarse sand underneath him. It felt like laying on bumpy cement, and yet it was heaven to him.
He hasn't felt sand since.. since forever really..
Morro had already begun moving his hand around the sand, allowing its dry warm texture to buzz pleasantly along the pads of his fingertips.
The stimuli was welcomed, after being denied it for so long he took in everything he could.
Sand.. sand was normally accompanied by-
His peace was cut off as Morro found himself scrambling back from the waves that haunted him. Their blue hands had desperately reached out towards their meal, greedy to take Morro under.
Morro found himself moving more away from the cursed entity.
Somehow the pre-eminent was able to make this new form of torture more entertaining. It was a slow realisation, one that took him a second to really register. Afterall something pounding in his ribcage wasn't normal, it wasn't..
Oh.. it was his heart..
He had a heart– and it was beating.
Morro was grateful no one was around to hear his choked wheeze, even more so when Morro struggled to crawl a measly few inches away from the body of the ocean.
He was alive.
Or well.. this torture made him 'feel' alive..
Looking down Morro took in every little bit of detail he could, for starter's looking at his hands instead of seeing through them.
Morro had grown accustomed to seeing through his body, so not being able to was an odd shift to his reality. His skin was warm, skin silky soft.. he had faint scars, one's he had when he was still living. They were mainly from mishaps or training.. his other one's where from..
His fingernails were a tad too long for his liking, though oddly enough they were painted black, just like back then. Some of the paint had begun to peel away, though he couldn't find himself caring at the moment.
Breathing in Morro contained the sob that threatened to seep through every joint of his body. The fresh salty air greeted his lungs, it felt weird to admit he spent a while sitting there, simply letting his chest expand and deflate.
The wind touched him, greeted him warmly– and Morro relished in the way its soft breeze carted through his tangled locks.
He missed this..
Life was ripped away from him fairly soon, too soon in other people's eye's. Though Morro didn't really care, not fully at least. He's gotten over it, and yet he couldn't help but beam up at this fake sky. Taking it all in..
Until it would inevitably crash down..
Morro was content with his death, he's made peace with it, though he couldn't help the scowl that began to form on his face.
Why was the preeminent doing this? What was her goal? To mock him for something he could never gain again? But why? He didn't care, he was content dead. Being dead was easier than being alive anyway..
Worn down clothed knee's found themselves pulling towards his chin, allowing the teen to rest against the top of them as he looked along the horizon. Sure the water was still terrifying, no doubt the preeminent would dunk him in it soon, but just watching the clouds go by was enough for now..
Parts of his clothing, which Morro now found himself faintly recognising, were of the clothing he last wore in the living realm. Albeit.. a tad crisp.. parts of the clothing were burnt, ash stained its once soft fabric. Some parts of it were torn, mainly ones where he remembers got caught on cave edges.
Despite it though, seeing it once more was comforting.
Sure, the burn marks brought up unpleasant memories of his demise, but so did the sea.
A snort left his lips at the realisation.. of course the two sibling elements were the cause of both his deaths..
To burn at the touch of both substances..
Slowly, a frown found its way on the teens face, eyes once more looking out towards the horizon.. simply watching..
Darkness spotted his vision, his head lolling forward to sink more into his knees. Time flew by, though it was lovely to Morro.. perhaps this wasn't some torture from the preeminent but.. but a dream.. a very.. very nice dream. It's been a while since he has had one of those.
The thought brought a smile to his lips, eyes slipping shut when eyelids got just a tad too heavy to hold. Yes.. this was a good dream.
The sound of an engine startled him.
Eyelids were slow to pry themselves open, the sun that once was high above the sky now sat snug along the horizon, the hues in the sky had turned into a wonderful burst of oranges and pink's, it was like looking at a gorgeous painting..
Apparently the noise still thrummed near him, it was a familiar sound, one Morro couldn't quite place until he looked up towards the perpetrator.
It was the bounty.
Perhaps this wasn't a dream..
Morro was quick to place an annoyed scowl on his face when he spotted a face peer over the bounty, dark green eyes locking onto golden one's.
"Holy shit…"
Morro was surprised he even heard the other speak or maybe the preeminent just wanted him to hear every single sound this new torture had to offer.
The two locked eye's, dead green orbs looking into growing angered one's before Morro broke the staring contest, his gaze once more going back towards the now setting sun.
It seems his actions only further angered the red one.
Faintly he could hear the other ninja cry out as the fire ninja gracefully leapt over the bounty, his form rushing towards Morro. The teen could barely comprehend what was going on before he was hefted upwards, clothing now uncomfortably digging into his skin.
"Start talking, Morro.."
The sheer anger in the red once voice did nothing to Morro, instead he simply sagged in the others hold, ready for whatever punishment the preeminent had for him.
Wrong answer.. again.
His form was shaken about from the red one, his form swinging uncomfortably in the others ironclad grasp.
"Stop ignoring me!"
"Kai stop!"
Others were splitting them apart, he was faintly aware of that, his eyes had never left the view of the setting sun. Once more he was back on the ground, his form sinking into the sand below. Morro elected to ignore the other ninja talking.
"-ro?"
"-mor-?"
"Morro!"
Eye's snapped back to reality, apparently the two that had come to his aid were the white and blue one. Current white one is now touching his shoulder.
The touch was cold, though not uncomfortable, not like the hold Kai had on him. The other two where giving him look's, Jay more fearful while Kai had a more angered look.
"Morro?"
Once more Zane called him, and this time Morro looked up into those icy blue orbs.
"Are you alright?"
…
What?
"What?"
He repeated the word in his head, looking up at Zane as if the nindroid had grown a second head. His voice seemed to startle the other three, perhaps given how creaky and broken it sounded.. how weak it sounded..
Pathetic..
"I asked if you are alright?"
Zane repeated, he didn't show any emotion on his face, but his hand seemed to slightly squeeze his shoulder, the action alien to him.
Now.. the preeminent was doing a good job in this torture stunt.. but this?.. this was weird.. even for her.
"Why do you care? This is some weird torture dream anyway, it'll be over soon"
His words were straight to the point, no point saying or doing anything else. This weird stunt was already freaky as it was.
His words once more seemed to cause a reaction from the three.
Jay seemed to fidget more, his eyes not daring to look at Morro as Kai seemed to be stunned a tad, as if expecting something else.
Zane seemed to be the best at hiding whatever shocked expression he wanted to show.
"What do you mean by that Morro?"
The white ninja subtly pried, though Morro didn't have it in him to fully care. He was already growing tired at this whole event, whatever the preeminent had for him she should just get it over with.
"What I mean is that this is obviously one of her little lesson's to pull me back in line.. none of this is real though I must admit its pretty dang good"
As he spoke his hand moved to grab a fistful of sand, he couldn't help but watch as the way the sand fell.
"Guess she got bored of the silent treatment, so what does she have planned for you guys? Maybe some impalement? Haven't had that in a while, oh! Maybe Red can burn me for a little– while you and Blue mock me for whatever reason"
Again.. his word's seemed to not be correct.
The best way he could describe the others would be pure horrified shock, Kai had seemed to look at him as if Morro had just ripped his fingers off, Jay well.. he seemed to be shaking even more, and Zane..
Zane was looking at him with worry..
"Morro.."
Zane hesitated, he seemed stunned, incapable of comprehending the correct phrases to say in this situation. They hadn't been prepared for this, they expected hostility not.. this..
They had seen Morro as an enemy, someone that was violent and evil, that relished on others pain and brought destruction. Had hurt them and their little brother.
But sitting before them wasn't the same Morro they last saw.. it was just.. a kid..
"Could you come with us please?"
Zane finally spoke, his tone soft. Morro couldn't help but snap his eyes upward, not at all expecting that.
It took him a second for his brain to think of why the other would want him to come along. Eventually his mind came up with the answer.
She wanted every one of the ninja to hurt him..
With a sigh Morro slowly stood to his feet, it was hard, incredibly hard. His knee's buckled and faintly he felt someone holding him up, there body pressing against his own.
Zane was helping him.
"I don't need your help"
Morro grumbled out stubbornly, he was quick to move out of the other's embrace, though quickly he found another beside him.
"No way mister 'everything around me is a lie!' You look like a baby cow trying to walk for the first time!"
The blue one finally spoke, it seemed he had followed the ice one's lead with taking up the other side of Morro. There was an uncomfortable air around them, one Morro elected to ignore and to instead huff.
"I can walk just fine, just not used to it is all"
He only needed a bit to get used to standing and walking. He didn't care if he struggled at first, he would be able to do it eventually. Although it seemed the preeminent was able to replicate weight.. great…
"Whatever you say pipsqueak, though personally I don't want to be here for two hours"
Kai spoke, the fire ninja smirking at his words before taking the lead.
This torture was weird..
He didn't like how strange this method seemed, it was too light.. Morro couldn't help but feel something uncomfortable settle within his chest, the feeling wrapping uncomfortably around his lungs.
Why was she taking so long? There should have been something happening by now! Why wasn't he suffering? Why was she tormenting him like this? With this obviously fake security?
It didn't take long until the four were making their way up and onto the docks of the bounty. The wood was vastly different underneath him compared to the sand, its texture more hard then the sand's more liquid yet solid structure.
It seemed the other ninja were waiting for them. The water and earth one were conversing with uncomfortable glances being thrown about, Kai had already mounted the bounty before the other three, possibly to inform them of what was going on.
Lloyd stood by the side closest to the door..
When the three finally made it onto the top of the bounty, reactions were instant. Cole and Nya looked at him as if they were seeing a ghost. (Ha! The irony) and Lloyd..
Lloyd looked petrified.
Morro averted his gaze from the Green ninja.
"Okay what's the big idea-"
"Nya"
Zane spoke up, his look was icy cold and calculating. His cold look calmed her down somewhat, and it seemed anger was in the smith's blood..
Now, he understood everyone's appearances, the preeminent wasn't dumb, she knew the prospect of age so of course these ninja would look slightly older just to further torment him..
But Cole?.. he didn't understand that.. the guy looked human, and if morro was correct the last memory he had of Cole was the fact the earth ninja was well.. a ghost. So of course Morro found himself stupidly opening his mouth to speak.
"You're not a ghost anymore?"
The other three ninja flinched, once more not used to his pathetic weak voice. Though most importantly confusion seemed to dawn on all of their face's.
Cole shifted slightly, hand moving to scratch at the phantom scar across his forehead before shrugging.
"I mean.. yeah? You weren't really there to witness it but you did help.. uh.. thanks about that.. by the way"
Okay.. definitely wasn't the answer he was expecting. Confusion laced Morro's features and with the way his head tilted he supposed the other's instantly recognised it.
"I helped?"
Cole, Kai, Jay, Nya heck even Lloyd gave him small look's. The most concerning was the fact that those looked worried..
They were worried about him.. but they weren't supposed to feel that towards.. well.. him! They were supposed to look at him with hatred, pure justified hatred.
"Uhm.. yeah?.. day of the departed? Remember?"
Cole spoke unsteadily, his word's soft.. Morro felt like an animal under their gaze.
The newly revived teen shrunk in on himself, his fingertips fidgeting with the burnt fabric that clung to his body. He wasn't too sure why the day of the departed was being brought up.. he was sure that that moment was a dream, it didn't feel real, after all Wu hadn't glared or done anything to him, instead his old mentor had listened to his warning.
"I- uh.. that was a dream?"
He didn't mean for the words to be squeaked out, though with the way the other's all shared a look it seemed as if something unsaid was being spoken silently.
"O-okay windy, let's get you inside"
Jay spoke unsteadily, the entire scenario was sitting uncomfortably over the teens shoulder's. The blue ninja's hands softly nudged the prior ghost into the bounty's belly.
Morro followed without complaint..
Allowing Jay to lead allowed Morro to get lost within his thoughts, tuning the world out around him.
"So uh- this is the kitchen area"
Jay spoke up, bringing Morro back to the world of the living as he opened the door. Hesitantly, Morro peered inside, his dark green eyes taking in the homey look of the kitchen. Said kitchen seemed to share a table, one long and big enough to fit the entire ninja team and extra if it seemed fit. The area was clean and well kept, light's softly dangling high above and with enough space to not knock into one another.
There was a large white rectangle object, one that had weird objects and paper stuck to it. Morro didn't bother looking at what the paper had on it. There was a kettle sitting on the stove, seemingly that being it's permanent home.
There were a few more things, though Jay seemed to deem that enough time looking, as he pushed Morro along.
"And this is the bathroom! It's practically Kai's second bedroom at this point"
"And this is the living room! Where we all play game's and watch movies"
"And this is the hallway of bedroom's~ though we mainly all share a room together, only Wu, Nya and Lloyd get room's by themselves, though Nya and Lloyd occasionally bunk with us"
"Downstairs is the boiler room!"
"Over here is where we have meetings-"
"And finally! Your room!"
During the conversation (mainly Jay talking to himself) the freaked teen seemed to relax in his presence, his hands darting up and down and all around. There was a constant kick to his step, the lightning ninja never taking a second to stand still.
"My.. room?"
Morro's voice made the blue one flinch, Jays eyes darting nervously towards Morro before he chuckled with sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Uhm- yeah?- y-you need a place to stay until we know what to do.. do with uh.. this"
The unspoken 'this' made it pretty obvious as to what the other was hinting at, Morro found himself simply blinking before opening the door. It creaked just a bit too loudly, the noise making Morro wince before he looked inside hesitantly. It was barren, very bleak, only a bed being in the room.
It felt weird calling it his..
"I-i know it's not much! We can get some uh things? Maybe a closet and we should probably do some cleaning, I mean it's pretty filthy! U-unless you don't mind that? N-not saying you're filthy!"
The blue one rambled, though Morro elected to ignore it. His feet led him into the small room, it's cold stale air hitting him in the face.
"This is fine"
He mumbled, not seeing the way Jay perked up at him.
"I think you should rest for a bit"
Jay spoke from behind, and when Morro turned around he could see the way he nervously fidgeted. There was something on Blue's mind, though Morro couldn't find himself caring enough to ask.
"Right.."
Silence fluttered around the two, Jay not knowing what to say and Morro having nothing to say. Instead he merely walked closer to the bed, his body deflating down onto its soft surface as Jay hesitantly waved his hand about.
"Right- uh- see ya!"
With that Morro was alone with his thoughts..
What was she doing? What was her plan? He didn't understand.. So far these figment versions of the ninja haven't harmed him.. well besides possibly Kai. Instead they talked to him softly, as if he were to be frightened away, they gave him a room..
Morro flopped down into the sheets, almost just wanting to cry out from just how soft they were. Touch was still overwhelming, but in a way it was easy to cut himself off from everything, to instead make his body feel numb to thing's. And yet he couldn't help but greedily take in every type of contact he got in this strange form of torture.
Who knows when the next time it will be when he can touch something.
His stomach felt hollow, a gross gnawing biting at his insides and with a groan Morro turned over on top of the sheets. As much as he wanted to be snug underneath blankets the stimuli would not be pleasant.. so he simply stayed on top.
The pillow was like a cloud, comfortable and comforting.. maybe this was a dream and not her.. a weird.. weird dream.