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Lloyd Garmadon was the green ninja; and the one who should be progressing a lot more than the others.
But he hasn't made any progress on anything.
After the whole 'being possessed' incident with the master of wind; Morro. Lloyd was put to bed rest for a solid week, his body had been weak and rather running cold for a long while. Blankets never made a difference and never did the warn weather outside. His movements lagged a lot of the time after the incident and he was scared of touching water a lot of the time.
He knew he was real. It was just the fear of having something still inside of him, ready to pounce and bite down on his hand.
Zane and Nya were the ones who cared for his health the most, checking in and hugging him with a rather warm blanket that wouldn't even make a difference.
Cole and Jay were there for moral support, keeping him company when he felt lonely and playing card games when they weren't on missions.
Kai would come in and talk to him about anything really. He'd mention stuff on missions, funny moments of Jay passing out and getting a face full of mud, or when Cole tried lifting a Boulder only to realize it had been a creature disguised as a boulder.
The fun adventures and card games and the hugs all made Lloyd feel a small sense of warmth. Not in the way he'd use to get but it felt comforting when all he could feel was his cold fingertips pressing against his tear stained face, his chest heaving for air after yet another night of waking up in a panic.
That's the one thing Lloyd hates about all of this.
It's the nightmares that plagued him. The constant fear of going to sleep only to wake up hours later in the middle of the night in a very cold sweat and gasping for air. His chest would feel heavy, his hair would stick to his forehead. It would be like he was back to being second in command in his body and he was no one.
So nearly every night he got up and walked around the monastery. Bare feet softly padding on the ground and his baggy green pj's covering his shaky form.
He'd eventually find himself in the kitchen, grabbing a cold glass of water and downing it in a few gulps. He'd wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and he'd walk outside. Looking up to see the full moon and the way it lightened up the small courtyard.
Lloyd breathed in and out. He closed his eyes and shivered when a cold gust of wind passed right by.
His eyes snapped open and he twirled, his eyed were wide with fear and his chest clenched with panic. His heart thumped against his ribs, achingly familiar to the same panic he'd felt one too many times.
The wind that had abruptly swooped in was gone within a second.
It settled fear and anxiety deep in Lloyd's bones. His hands trembled and with the faintest strenght he had grown to get back in the last few days of rest, a small green ball of energy formed in his hand. The green glow expanded further out and gave Lloyd more than enough light to see.
"Hello?" His voice was meak. He was filled filled with fear and if he didn't get a single response he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night even if his eyes grew heavy and his mind fogged.
No answer cut the cold air.
Lloyd let the energy in his hand dwindle back down into nothing. He clenched his hand at the front of his shirt and he turned, making his way back into the monastery.
Only to hesitate when something green and faint caught the corner of his eye. His head turned immediately and the fear came back worse, his body trembled against his will and he desperately begged for it to stop. He just wanted a breath of fresh air and now he was on the brink of hyperventilating and curling up in the kitchen.
Lloyd clenched his jaw and hurried into the safety of the monastery. He passed his own door, softly knocking on someone's else's and entering before an answer came through. His heart was still beating and he felt like a scared wild animal as he stood pressed against the door to the red themed room.
"Lloyd? Dude it's like... two am? Is something- wrong..." Kai who had finally looked up and turned on the bedside lamp was looking at a heavy breathing blond boy.
Kai sat up immediately, his eyes set and his brows furrowed in a frown. He got off the bed and got to Lloyd's side just as he swayed too far to the left.
"Hey, deep breaths. Come on," Kai pulled Lloyd to the bed. The two crawled into the red sheets and Lloyd pressed his forehead against Kai's shoulder as the older wrapped his arms around Lloyd with a deep sense of protect coursing through him.
"Deep breath in," Kai instructed, his cheek pressed against the messy blond hair Lloyd had yet to cut.
Lloyd breathed in, held his breath for a second before exhaling. His trembling hands clung to Kai's sleep shirt, warm with sleep.
It took only a few minutes before Lloyd was breathing right. Curled up into Kai's side and keeping his forehead pressed against the other.
Kai hadn't minded, his right hand was free to rub up and down Lloyd's back, soothingly warming up the cold body that belonged to the blond.
"Was it another nightmare?" Lloyd nodded. He hesitated, because he knew the nightmare wasn't the whole reason he had been hyperventilating and cautious of the air.
Kai hummed, his left hand, trapped in Lloyd's bones crushing grip was hesitantly let go only for Lloyd to wrap his arms around Kai's midsection as a replacement.
"You're like a little leech," Kai smiled as he ruffled the already messy blond hair. Lloyd groaned and buried his head into Kai's ribs making the other yelp and stifle a laugh as a snort.
"Hey quit that! I'm over here comforting you and you pay me back by tickling me!?" Kai hissed out as Lloyd pressed his head against his ribs again. Earning himself a hand to his face and being pushed off. Lloyd smiled, he might not be as strong as he use to be, but with each passing day he regained strenght and weight.
Lloyd spread his arms out, getting onto his knees and letting himself fall forward. Kai was squished under him. And Lloyd immediately wrapped his arms around the other. Smiling when Kai stopped struggling and only let out an annoyed groan.
"I have a mission at noon. I need the rest Lloyd!" Lloyd only rolled his eyes and rolled off. He lied on his back staring up at the ceiling, not moving to look at Kai when a blanket came over his body and a pillow was handed to him. Lloyd opened his mouth to say something but Kai beat him to it.
"And don't even ask about me, I can stay warm without the blanket. You need it. You're cold as heck." Lloyd smiled. It felt fond and a pang in his chest slowly crackled with warmth, he relished the feeling as he got onto his side and closed his eyes. He fell asleep a little warmer than he had the past few days.
Lloyd woke up and went into his room to change into more comfortable clothing. Black sweatpants and a white shirt. The only ones in the monastery were Nya and Cole. So he hung around the game room that doubled as their living room, where Cole was sat playing some video games by himself. Nya was probably off somewhere else doing something rather productive.
"Want to play?" And that's how Lloyd found himself lossing a match against Cole on a new game called Monkie Mech.
By the time Kai, Jay, and Zane got back from their mission. Lloyd and Cole were watching some romantic rom-com eating a bowl of popcorn with a double chocolate cake two thirds of the way eaten.
"Hey! I want to watch too!" Jay immediately sat between the two ninja, smiling as he robbef some popcorn from Lloyd who had a thick blanket wrapped around him. Cole sighed but said nothing otherwise, Zane went off to make a poper dinner that didn't consist of popcorn or cake.
Kai decided to watch the cheesy movie with the others.
By the time Zane came by with some food. All of them were crying and staring at the screen as some dramatic plot line came into place. Zane sat with them but didn't really pay the movie any mind.
Lloyd whipped his head to the side when he saw something flash by. His bowl of soup nearly slipped from his hand before he caught a grip on it. Kai frowned. Glancing at him and then at the open space that made up the hallway.
"Are you alright?" Lloyd didn't respond. Instead his eyes stayed trained on the hallway and he begged, urged anything to come back.
Or maybe he was actually hallucinating now.
"Have you taken any of the meds recently?" Lloyd blinked and he looked over at Zane, blue eyes boring into green. "Uhm... no I actually haven't." Was this the reason why he was... so on edge? He felt constantly afraid, deep down, his heart would beat wildly whenever something he couldn't see moved.
"Sorry... I was just- I thought I saw something." Kai put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder and all he could muster was a small smile. "I'm fine. Swear." Lloyd couldn't pay attention to the rest of the movie. His eyes trained on the wall rather than the screen, he kept an eye out even if he knew he just be hallucinating.
That night Lloyd couldn't sleep a wink.
He sighed when the sun began to rise and the sounds of people waking up echoed around him and the walls.
The bags below his eyes only seemed to grow with each passing day his recovery progressed.
Or maybe he was regressing.
Lloyd wasn't able to tell anymore.
The hallucinations only seemed to frequent more and more. The whoosing figure would appear at random times of the day, and sometimes Lloyd would keep his eyes open and stare at the wall with his back towards the door only to feel eyes boring into his back for the entire night. .
It began to take a toll on him. If the eyebags darkening and sinking had any tell.
At some point, Lloyd was given melatonin to sleep. He'd sleep but he'd never wake up fully recharged.
It got so bad to the point he could only sleep when be was in one of the other ninja beds. Preferably Kai's rather warm one that never failed to knock him out nearly instantly.
Lloyd had had enough of it when the same feeling of being watched came back. He gritted his teeth and threw the blanket off of himself, he got out of the bed and opened the door, walking down the hall until he stepped foot outside and the same chilly air seeped into his skin.
His skin pricked and Lloyd sighed. He took a seat on the monastery steps, bringing his knees up and hugging them close to his chest. He looked up at the stars. The moon was on it's third phase.
Lloyd calmed down. The cold night air seeped into his already cold body.
"I'm never leaving you. Ever." Lloyd jumped.
His eyes widened and he was on his feet within seconds. Lloyd had turned and faced the direction of the voice.
His breath froze in his chest, his eyes wide, his blood cold, and his heart thumping too fast to be healthy.
There, standing in little glory and with a soft green outline was the singular being that had rendered the Green Ninja into a puppet.
"Morro..." Lloyd choked out through the air he couldn't take in or exhale. His hands began to tremble, and his body was so tense it began to hurt. He was still recovering from what Morro had done to him, what the possession had taken from him.
"Lloyd." Lloyd grimaced at his name coming from the ghost. It sounded the same and he hated how it reverberated the tiniest bit. "You don't seem much better now that I look at you." Lloyd could hear the hint of disgust and boredom, and Lloyd felt panic begin to rise.
"What the hell?" Morro hummed, arms crossing over his chest. His clothes looked as ripped and worn as ever.
"I can ask the same thing. But by the looks of it, you're on the brink of a panic attack." Lloyd pressed a hand on his chest, his heart was running too hard, his blood wasn't getting to his head at the right speed and his vision swayed. Morro, only hummed.
"I've been waiting weeks to talk to you. But passing out won't do." Lloyd couldn't see what happened next. His vision was gone in an instant and he was falling, Lloyd didn't know if his head bounced on the ground or not.
When Lloyd woke up his eyes opened slowly, and for the first time he didn't feel the need to panic or his heart racing inside his chest.
He felt calm and relaxed. No nightmare had plagued him awake, he was perfectly safe and sound in his own room with a floating—
Lloyd sat up immediately, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he fought through it. He looked over to the right to see the same ghostly figure sitting on the only desk in the room.
"You are really weak." Lloyd opened his mouth to speak but stopped short when he caught sight of the plate of food sitting beside Morro.
"They brought you food, had to hide so that they didn't see me. It's... I left a pretty bad impression on you all." Morro shrugged and got off the desk, stretching with no pop of bone.
"If I'm going to be seen. It'll be you or your uncle, Master Wu." Lloyd blinked.
"Quit looking at me like that. You're weirding me out." Lloyd blinked again, his mouth falling open as he took in a shaky breath.
"You're... here?" Morro only rolled his eyes and looked elsewhere since Lloyd hadn't listened to him.
"But I thought you were back at the... with the others?" Morro shrugged, the light green mist that covered his person and outline shifted, thinning even more until it looked nearly invisible.
"For some reason, when I opened my eyes I wasn't met with other ghost. I was met with the sun, and you having your very first training exercise after waking." Lloyd quickly searched for that day, nearly two weeks ago from now he'd awoken entirely weak and barely able to breathe steadily. "It was pathetic. Watching you struggle to keep upright, it's as if I was watching a little child." Lloyd gritted his teeth, his gaze boring into Morro and the way he so nonchalantly kept his eyes trained elsewhere.
It annoyed him. How the other had done so much harm, and he was talking down at Lloyd as if this was his fault? As if his weak body was his own fault?
"You're the reason I woke up weak and frail. Why I woke up taking a single breath in had me exhausted. Don't go around blaming me, when you're the reason why I am like this." Lloyd had shifted, his feet planted on the ground but he kept himself sat on the bed. He couldn't trust himself to stand and stay upright long enough to set his mind straight with Morro.
Morro didn't say anything. His eyes shifted back to Lloyd and the ninja was struck with a sense of both fear and anger.
"If you'd been stronger.You would have preserved even through so many possessions." Lloyd felt his fingers clench around the green blanket he had lifted off of himself.
Morro had no right. He had no right to tell him what he should have done better. Lloyd was strong, he had been strong, he had been on the brink of dying from exhaustion and hunger and he still kept on going even when the possessions would become agonizing to go through. Even when he felt the ghost shift through his mind, use his eyes, his hands, his muscles and young body to work beyond his limit.
Lloyd had done more than he had ever before. And he survived.
"I survived. So quit telling me what I should have done better and-" A cold gust of wind shut him up immediately. It chilled him to the bone and his jaw clenched to stop the chattering of teeth. His hands cramped around the blanket. His legs stood rooted to the ground, his eyes strained not to blink and his breath had gotten caught in his chest.
Morro was giving him a look of pure rage. Eyes narrowed with anger, ghostly fingers gripping the edge of the desk and never breaking it.
Lloyd might have gotten too cocky. Too comfortable with the fact he wasn't truly alone in the monastery, because now he sat before the very reason he can't sleep, can't properly train yet, can't even feel his own body heat.
"Y-you can't..." Lloyd felt his chest squeeze for air and he sucked in air through his teeth. His limbs shook with fear and he hated the way he couldn't sit still without the fear, the flashbacks, the phantom sensations coursing through his body. Those that reminded him that he wouldn't truly recover so quickly.
"I might not be out to kill you anymore. But I can very easily make it look like you died in your sleep." The words pierced right through Lloyd and it jolted him. He was on his feet within seconds and out the door, his shoulder painfully hitting a wall as he rushed down the hall. His breath came in short and labored and he could feel the panic begin to rise deep within his chest.
Lloyd crashed into something, and before he knew it there was hands holding his shoulders and another set rubbing his back. His labored breathing only seemed to worsen as he clung to the shirt in front of him, and for the first time in a long while, Lloyd cried with painful hiccups ripping through him.
And, hands and soft words comforted him. A warmth he'd grown use to sleeping by with encased him and he clung onto that, he clung and he curled up. His hands fisting around the soft fabric and bringing it into his chest.
Lloyd would later on come back to the present and look down to see a red jacket curled up into a ball pressed against his chest. With a blanket wrapped tightly around his already curled form.
Morro would continue to show himself from time to time. Only Lloyd seemed to be able to see him, so he never truly mentioned it (in case he got told to take those meds again.)
At some point, Morro had tried to speak to him and Lloyd had walked away rather instantly. After that, no conversation was initiated by either side. Not that either side wanted to speak to the other, it was rather uncomfortable with the threat Morro had spoken out about and Lloyd utterly hating the ghost with his whole being.
The nightmares had begun to dwindle in numbers and intensity. Lloyd was able to sleep more, even sleeping until the sun was high in the sky.
The Ninja began to smile at him and joke with him a lot more, even dragging him to some beginning training exercises that left him winded but feeling rather rejuvenated.
The up in his long grueling healing process was making him feel rather better about the fact that; Morro was still here.
Lloyd decided that sneaking out to watch the stars for a while wouldn't hurt. So he left his room in the middle of the night and perched himself on the monastery walls to look up.
It took a few long minutes before a gentle breeze came by, Lloyd tensed but otherwise remained silent.
"You've got guts." Lloyd hummed. His eyes traced the stars, remembering all the figures and made up names given by astronomers.
"I didn't mean what I said." Lloyd blinked and he lost the spot he was in on the star tracing. He looked back down, looking out at the bast clouds that seemed to constantly shroud around them during the day, now faint in the night. "But you did mean it. I could tell, you can tell," Lloyd breathed in and glanced down at his own lap. He'd gotten so used to wearing comfortable clothing, that once he heads back out on a poper mission again he'll struggle to fit in once again.
"Maybe. Doesn't make it right though." Lloyd was taken aback because his head turned and he looked over at Morro. He looked less ghost-like and more presently there. His form was clouded with that green mist, his figure itself looked less green and a little more grey, even his hair shifted with the soft breeze that kept passing by.
Lloyd couldn't tell if it was the moons lighting, or if it was just his eyes screwing with him now.
"You look human." The words came out before he could think anything over.
Morro's eyes widened a fraction as his head turned and he looked at Lloyd. The two stared at each other before the ghost looked away first, his brows drawn together and his fingers digging into the stone of the wall they sat on.
"Quit saying stupid shit." Lloyd frowned, looking away and back out at the clouds that slowly moved.
It was pure silence between the two. None spoke or moved, giving each other glances but never truly staring for more than a few seconds.
Lloyd glanced down at his hands.
"Thank you." He jumped when the voice came through. Morro was staring up at the sky, the moon bright and gentle as it glowed.
"For what...?" Lloyd watched as Morro's form shifted. Fading at certain points and parts in intervals.
"For never truly telling about me. For that, you deserve peace." Lloyd watched as Morro completely dissapeared, fading away nearly instantly like a cloud blown away by the wind.
Lloyd, deep down, could still feel Morro's presence. He was still here. In their realm, just maybe not really wanting to be seen for a while.
Morro seemed free for once.