N-no.... No!

I need to beat him.

Get up!

I need to win!

Come on!...

I need to get up...

I need to...

A strong wind surrounded his whole body and the area near where he had fallen.

Protect him.

"Ah!" Morro sat up quickly. He was sweating, with scattered breathing. Morro turned to see the night sky. He took a deep breath and held his own hands. Morro looked to his right. Neran was awake, sitting slightly far away and his knees tucked in.

"You're... You're still having those dreams?" Neran asked.

"About your true potential?"

Morro sighed with little sorrow.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Never left, really. I've said before, things keep me up."

"It's still scary, huh?" Neran said.

"Yeah." Morro said looking at the green cloth tied around Neran's right arm.

"But you did well the corridor." Neran said.

"That was terrifying, if I'm being honest." Morro said.

"You shut your eyes while pushing back a lot." Neran noted. Morro sighed.

"What are you doing awake?" Morro asked the ghost.

"Oh. Uh, ghosts don't really need to sleep...?" Neran replied.

Morro's face heated up.

"So... You've been watching me..."

"WHAT?! NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!" Neran shook his hands in front of his face.

"I was just... Looking at the stars. You know." Neran said.

"Right. Um, I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep." Morro said.

"You suggesting we keep going?" Neran asked.

"Where ever we need to." Morro said. He turned to reach for his sensei's staff, but hesitated. Morro eventually grabbed the staff and rolled it. He only payed attention to the first symbol. It looked like a spinjitzu tornado, but with a more rounded top.

"Have any idea what it is?" Neran asked.

"Yeah. I just hope I'm right." Morro replied taking the staff. Neran gave a smile. Morro reached for a small sling bag. He was able to get one after the whole crash thing. The threw it over his shoulder and the staff there too.

Down the road, Morro waked alone in silence. Neran had once again disappeared from sight. Three guys on bikes pulled up by Morro.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be out here, kid?" One guy asked mockingly. Morro ignored him.

"Pshh. He probably got lost on his way home!" Another guy teased and made his friends all laugh.

Morro still payed no attention.

"Come on, little boy." The third guy said.

"Go back home to your mommy." He reached out.

Neran reappeared insight and hit the guy's wrist away, just before kicking to his torso. Neran had good skill and was able to fight this guy, even with his small physique.

"What are you?! A ghost?!" The others prepared for a fight. Morro turned around and pushed his hand forwards, blasting the guy back with a simple strong gust.

"Oh, that's the line, little boy!" The last guy leaned in for a punch when Morro grabbed his wrist and twisted it back The wind ninja then grabbed the guy's arm and threw him over onto the ground, landing on his back. The three guys started to run away in fear, when Morro' wind started to pick up and almost blows the bikes at the three.

Neran tugged on Morro's gi. The wind ninja quickly realized what was happening and stumbled back, letting the wind die. At this point, all three guys had fled the scene. Morro turned around to continue walking.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Neran said.

"I gotta-- uh, do something." Neran pulled out a blue piece of armor.

"Where did you get that?! How did you hide it?!" Morro questioned.

"I wore it under my shirt." Neran said.

"You're weird. Where did you get it?" Morro asked again.

"The museum." Neran replied.

"You stole it?!" Morro shouted.

"No, I borrowed it... Without asking." Neran said, his shoulders rising up.

"Here, use it." Neran handed it to Morro.

"No!" Morro backed up.

"Oh, come on." Neran rolled his eyes.

"There's no way I'll use something that was stolen!" Morro lashed out. Neran moved back a bit.

"You got mad at me." He said.

"And, what?" Morro asked with a pissed face.

"That hasn't happened in a while." Neran said.

Morro flinched and looked at the green cloth on Neran's arm before looking away.

"I guess I have to use it." Neran held the chest plate up in the air and it started to glow.

Another ghost came out of the glow. He wore a hood that was ripped up and a piece of fabric covered his face. The rest of his clothes were torn up and the ghost had a green hue and a wisp-like end.

"...Hi. Uh, here." Neran said pointing to a fallen over bike, his speech sounded like he was uncomfortable.

"You know where to go because-- well, I'm assuming you were..." Neran said waving him off.

"And what about you?" The ghost asked.

"We'll... get to where we need to." Neran said pointing at Morro. The ghost hovered over to the bike.

"Huh. Good on you, kid. You made it further than we all thought." The ghost said.

"What did that mean?" Morro asked.

"I dunno." Neran said.

Neran told Morro to get his dragon and the ninja did so. As they flew off, Morro sighed.

"I'm trusting you on this." He said.

"Don't worry." Neran replied with a smile.

Morro herd a flash behind him and he flew away on his dragon. However, he didn't bother to look back. Neran placed the armor, the allied armor, a chest plate that can summon acquaintances from anywhere, into Morro's little bag.

The ghost that Neran had summoned had possessed the bike and drove his own way.

. . .

Kai needed to run. He hated being left behind. And yet, here he is, running behind Lloyd and Morro. How did he even get here? Kai didn't know. Why was he running in the first place? Who knows. All that Kai knew here was that he knew nothing. But he wanted to.

"Slow down and just tell me!" Kai shouted.

Lloyd fell down to the ground, leaving Morro Running.

"Hold on- just tell me what-- wait!!" Kai fell.

"Wait!!" Kai shouted. He looked to his side.

"Eww! Ah!" Kai jumped out of his covers as a walloper licked his face.

Kai sat up and looked around.

"Misako got out message." He noted as the others were all up eating.

"You made breakfast. Good. I'm starving." Kai said.

"We put your plate down over there." Nya pointed. Kai looked to see his noodles being eaten by the previously mentioned walloper. Kai groaned.

"As far as I knew, everything in this situation was only a fable. The linked wisteria, the tomb." Misako started.

"But now that these symbols are here, this gave me a clear idea."

"Does she know what the symbol means?" Kai asked Cole and Jay, sitting on a log.

"Not the last two yet, but get this." Cole started

"The first symbol means 'arjitzu'." Cole waved his chopsticks.

"Airjitzu?" Kai asked

"lost martial art created by Sensei Yang, who passed years ago. If mastered, it allows one to temporarily take flight." Misako explained.

"You hear that, Kai? We get to fly!" Jay exclaimed.

"If I may, have you any idea what the linked wisteria means?" Zane asked.

"Lloyd may be connected to something that made him fall this way. The only thing is, I don't know what." Misako said.

"And because the effects have never been documented, I only have to assume there is no way to break the link."

"Well, it's not documented, so we'll be the ones to find a cure." Nya said.

"Right, after we fly with that scroll of airjitzu." Jay said.

"You haven't found it yet. The Scroll of Airjitzu is well guarded in the ancient Library of Domu." Wu said.

"Forgive me if I speak out of turn, again, but my records reveal it was recently stolen." Zane said.

Jay gasped.

"By who?"

"Ugh. Let me guess. Ronin." Cole scoffed, earning more if his food.

"Who's Ronin?" Nya asked.

"Let's just say he's not a friend." Kai said.

"But this is good news." Jay exclaimed.

"Uh, how so?" Cole asked.

"Because Morro doesn't know this! And knowing him, he's probably in scroll heaven right now at that library. We got a small head start knowing who has the scroll." Jay said.

"And Ronin's most likely holed up in the village of Stiix, that is a head start!" Cole exclaimed.

"Then it's set. The ninja will head to Stiix. We three will head back to the tea shop and start deciphering the next clues." Wu said. Nya's shoulder's raised.

"But, Morro is my friend too. If anything, I can talk to him. I want to snap him out of it just as much!" Nya explained.

Wu turned to Misako. She nodded in return.

"I'm sorry, Nya. You're sitting this one out. There's too much to be done here." Wu said. Nya sighed.

"Okay, hold still..." Kai failed to get on his walloper while the others mounted with ease. Kai finally got on.

"Don't worry, sis. With me in charge, this scroll will be ours in no time." Kai said.

"'Cause time flies when you know Airjitzu! Get it? Haha." Jay laughed.

"Be careful, Ninja." Wu said.

"For the path we seek is never a straight line. Rely on each other to guide your way."

Everyone started to move, but Kai was having trouble controlling his walloper.

"Wait up! I'm supposed to be leading here!" Kai shouted.

. . .

Morro scanned the shelves of the Domu library. Well the ninja were right, Morro did find what the clue was pointing to.

"Excuse me, sir, it seems that you're looking in the wrong section. I think you're looking for the A section, you seem to be in the T part." Neran's voice said in Morro's head.

"Haha. You're an idiot." Morro laughed.

"No, I think you are. You're in the wrong section." Neran said.

"Then, by all means, take me to to right place." Morro said. Neran reappeared and grabbed Morro's hand, taking him to the center of the library. Morro walked up to where the scroll of airjitzu was supposed to be, but the case was empty.

"Excuse me, what happened to the scroll of airjitzu?" Morro asked a worker.

"Ah yes. The scroll of airjitzu made by sensei Yang. He will be missed." The man said.

"Just tell me where the scroll is." Morro said in a more firm voice.

"Ronin, the thief had stolen it not too long ago." The man replied.

"T-thanks." Morro hesitantly said as he left.

"So, it's not there?" Neran asked. Morro looked around him.

"Ah, can you warn me before you become just a voice?" Morro asked.

"Sorry." Neran said.

"Yeah, it's not here. Ugh. Ronin." Morro said.

"You know him?" Neran asked.

"Not a friend." Morro replied.

. . .

"92,898 bottles of tea on the wall, 92,898 bottles of tea. You take one down and pass it around, 92,8—" Cole, Jay and Zane sang as Kai lead the way.

"Enough!" Kai shouted.

"I'm really thirsty so we don't need to keep singing about tea." Kai said.

"Ho, ho! Someone should've had their breakfast." Cole teased.

"Ugh, we've been following the sun for hours. We should've arrived at Stiix already." Kai sighed.

"But Stiix is on the eastern coast. We should be riding away from the sun." Zane said.

"Why are you just telling us now!?" Jay halted.

"Because, Kai wanted to lead." Zane said.

"Great! We're officially lost! You know, we had a leg up, but nooo. Kai wanted to lead." Cole said.

"I swear, my gut says we should be following the sun." Kai pointed.

"Ugh, you're arguing with a Nindroid. He's a walking computer." Jay said.

"When Lloyd's gone, we look to Morro. When Morro's gone, why did we look towards Kai? We should really be following Zane!" Jay shouted.

"You know, he is the most logical choice." Cole said.

"Well, I still think it's that way. And when I learn Airjitzu first, we'll see who's right." Kai tried to keep going. Zane turned around, Jay and Cole following.

Kai was trying to go the other way, but his walloper followed the crowd.

"Ugh, fine. We'll follow Zane." Kai sighed.

Zane spotted some train tracks and started to speed ahead.

"He's already found something. Let's go. Train tracks." Cole noted.

"They lead straight to Stiix." Zane informed.

"Hey, you hear that, Kai? They lead to Stiix. We follow Zane and look what happens." Jay said.

"But Sensei said the path we seek is never a straight line." Kai said.

"He also said rely on each other to guide." Zane said.

"Yeah, Kai. Pfft." Jay scoffed.

The continued to sing their tea song.

. . .

"Who needs to go on an epic quest when my services are best needed here?..." Nya sighed as she started to pick up the mess at the tea shop.

"You need to tell her." Misako whispered to Wu.

"She's not ready." Wu said.

"And your procrastination had rubbed off on Morro. He doesn't tell us things, and look what's going on." Misako said.

"Uh, Nya dear." Misako called.

"We didn't exactly hold you back to care for the shop."

"Really?" Nya asked.

"Then why?"

"Um, there's something I haven't told you about your parents." Wu said.

"Ah, you can save it. Kai already told me that Chen dangled that carrot too. We looked into it and we know our father used to be a Master of Fire. Not exactly mind-shattering." Nya stocked the shelves again.

"But did you know your mother was the Master of Water?" Misako asked.

"I...I didn't know that." Nya said.

"You mean--"

"Yes. As Kai took on the traits of your father to become a Fire Ninja, for the sake of saving Ninjago, you must train to become the Master of Water." Wu said.

Nya dropped a tea jar and fainted.

"Huh." Misako said.

"You're right. She wasn't ready."

. . .

"No more bottles of tea in the wall!" The ninja laughed.

"That was enjoyable! Let's for it again!" Zane exclaimed.

"NO!" The others shouted before laughing again.

"Uh, I wish Lloyd was here for that." Jay sighed.

"And if Morro were here, he'd probably yell at us to shut up." Cole said.

"Yeah, he'd do that." Kai said.

"We'd better wake him up soon."

"But, he is not asleep?" Zane said.

"Why do you all keep saying that?" The nindroid questioned.

"It's a metaphor, Zane." Kai said.

"Oh."

The ninja reached a small train station.

"Let's take a break here." Zane advised. The ninja dismounted their rides and walked onto the platform. Cole heard laughing.

"Uh, did you hear that?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, I did, but...we're in the middle of nowhere." Jay said.

There was more laughing.

"I don't know, but be on guard." Kai said. In the light of the moon, a ghost appeared. The one that had come from the allied armor. Wrayth, had a ghost cycle and a sickle for a weapon

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Jay yelled. Zane threw his shurikens. No effect.

"Watch out!" Cole cried. Wrayth drove right at the ninja, making the boys jump to the side.

"My shurikens. They went right through him!" Zane shouted.

"Because he's a Ghost!" Jay shouted.

The ninja drew their swords.

"How do ghosts keep coming here?" Cole asked.

"I dunno, but we're sitting ducks in the open! We need to take shelter!" Kai shouted.

"Oh, guys, he's coming for another pass!" Jay shouted. Wrayth charged onto the platform, destroying the small little shack there.

"Okay, we'll take shelter, except it's gone now!!" Cole shouted.

"Noted!" Kai shouted. Wrayth swung his sickle. Cole jumped over it while the others ducked.

The ghost's sickle wrapped around a walloper horn and it turned into a ghost.

"He turned my Walloper into a Ghost. No one turns my Walloper into a Ghost!" Cole shouted.

"Ugh, get outta here. Hyah! Hyah!" Jay shooed the animals away.

"Where did he go? I can't see him." Kai said.

"Stay together." Zane said.

"If our weapons do nothing, how are we supposed to fight a ghost?!" Jay shouted.

"Good question." Kai said.

"There he is! Watch out!" Kai shouted as Wrayth reappeared. His sickle wrapped around Kai's foot.

"That's not good. AAAAAAHHH!" Kai shouted as he was dragged away.

A green charge started to creep down the sword but Kai got the chain off of himself.

"I'm okay everyone!" Kai shouted.

"He's gonna pick us off one by one, isn't he? There's nothing we can do." Cole exclaimed.

"He's underground. Aah!" Kai jumped away from a reemerging ghost.

"Stand back." Cole said.

He baited Wrayth into wrapping his sickle around Cole's sword. Then he pulled the chain and blade to wrap about a water tower. The ghost fell of the bike and it returned to normal.

The ninja screamed as the ghost got hit my a train.

"Haha. Now that's how you stop a Ghost!" Cole exclaimed. Unfortunately, the ghost was still here.

"You think a train can stop a ghost?!" Wrayth shouted.

"Ahahaha. When the tomb is found, your world will pay, for we will take possession of the--" Wrayth tried to pull his sickle free but I'm doing so made the water tower fall on him.

Then an explosion of green sludge came after the water was poured.

"What, uh, what just happened?" Cole asked. The ninja sheathed their swords.

"He went...ka-blooey." Zane said.

"Yeah, but he was just gonna tell us what was in the tomb. Couldn't it have waited another second?"

"We don't know what's in the tomb, but now we know they're looking for it." Kai said.

"And we also know something: how to stop a ghost."

"Water?" The others asked.

"Unusual. I guess it's true. The path we seek is never a straight line." Zane said.

"Uh, speaking of straight lines, if that train's heading to Stiix, wouldn't it be faster if we..." Jay said. The ninja looked at each other before running after the train.

~ ~ 物語 ~ ~

I walked into the forest holding a scroll. He ran up beside me and leaned over to see what I was reading.

"Hm? Oh hey." I said.

"What's this?" He asked.

"The tale of two boys." I replied.

"That's a new one?" He asked. I nodded. I explained how the tale went to him.

"I love this tale." I said sitting down.

"Read it to me, will you?" He asked. His face was a little pink.

"How about I'll teach you how to read it?" I offered.

~ ~ 物語 ~ ~