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tarditzgrade · 3 months ago

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fic that started with the idea of 'what if chen met little morro and was omnious about the curse of the first?' and grew into this 8,195 word behemoth.

the main fic is 7678 words, epilogue is an additional 519 words. that doesn't add up but take it up with the word counter, not me.

Ambition [Ao3 Link]

“No, no. This is nothing like that. Morro is-,” Wu sighed, both in annoyance and to collect himself. “He is my student.” Chen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Your student?” He asked quickly and half-breathless, like he could hardly believe the words he was speaking. “I did not know you were teaching, Wu. You didn’t list it in your responsibilities. So then, unless I am missing something, he is your…” “Yes, he is my first student.” Wu finished. “YOUR FIRST?!” He practically shouted, shock and amazement abundant in his voice. “Ho, ho! Well, that’s exciting, isn’t it?!” He bent down a little to match Morro’s height and met him eye-to-eye. “How does it feel to be Wu’s little guinea pig?” -- Chen pays the monastery a visit, only to find Wu has taken in his first student. He offers Wu some advice, teacher to teacher, but Wu is understandably hesitant to implement advice from the master of lies.

A piece of wood clattered onto the ground.

Wu looked up from the papers he had just begun reviewing to find the source of the noise. His student was standing over a fallen beam of wood, just a little taller than him, and was cheering very loudly.

Morro’s gloats towards the single wooden beam rang through the courtyard of the monastery, the pride he felt in his accomplishment was evident on his face.

“Take that, you stupid board! That’s the power of the wind.” He was practically beaming with excitement as he insulted the inanimate object for doing nothing but what he asked it to do.

Watching the sight, Wu felt just as proud as his own student was. Of course, it wasn’t the most major of accomplishments. He knew the full extent of the power of the wind and it could do much, much more than knock over a single piece of wood.

But the wind was a very, very fickle element. It was known both for being tricky to master and taking a while to fully trust its masters, especially ones so young. So for Morro to be making any progress at all with the element in such a short time was enough to fill Wu’s chest with pride and put a smile of his own on his face.

He was happy to see his student happy. What a revelation that had been to him.

Initially, he did not believe that it would be worth it to take in any students at all. He was aware of the time, effort and energy that the task would require, but he had already had so many responsibilities and figured taking in a student would only serve as a distraction to himself. Despite how great people made the reward for teaching seem, it had never really appealed to him, and so, he figured he should never take up the title of sensei or master.

But evident by what he was feeling now, those people had been right. Very, very right. Morro had only been around for about two weeks now, but oh, what an amazing two weeks it had been.

Seeing his student learn, grow, and develop his skills, using both his teachings and what he learned on his own was such a wonderful experience. Wu felt silly for ever doubting that teaching would be no good for him. Any possible downsides were completely obsolete to the joy he felt in seeing his student succeed.

Morro looked up from the beam towards Wu, who was sitting on the steps to the courtyard. He pointed excitedly to the wood on the ground. “Sensei! Did you see that?”

Wu nodded. “I did.”

“The wind listened! I asked it to do something and it listened to me!”

“So it did! That means it’s starting to trust you more. Either that or your power over it is getting stronger.”

Morro nodded eagerly. Powers above, he was ecstatic. The boy was close to jumping up and down with joy. “Okay! I’m gonna try it again!”

Wu laughed. “Of course, but don’t overexert yourself. You don’t want to risk hurting yourself or angering the wind.”

“I won’t!” Morro assured him and turned back to set the wooden beam back up before stopping. “Actually, I want to try two this time!”

With that, he ran past Wu and inside the monastery to find another beam.

Wu chuckled at the show of eagerness. Yes, teaching was the right call for him. This joy was simply unmatched and he’d shirk a thousand responsibilities for this one. Perhaps he should consider taking in more students.

Unable to return to his papers, he found his eyes on the beam Morro had left laying on the ground.

It helped more that Morro was learning fast. He had truly lucked out in encountering a boy like him. Wu could already tell he’d be a prodigy. A truly powerful warrior was in the making. It was great that he would have someone like Wu to be there for him, to teach him how to hone his skills and how to put them to good use.

Three knocks sounded out on the great wooden gates of the monastery. Sharp and quick, yet firm.

Odd. He didn’t think he was expecting anyone. But the monastery does get its visitors from time to time and sometimes those visitors don’t give forewarning that they are arriving.

Wu stood and crossed the yard to get the door, leaving the papers he had been examining in a neat stack behind.

Once he reached the gate, he asked, “Who is it?”

“Whaaat?” The visitor drawled in a tell-tale grating voice. “Can’t anyone pay a visit to this monastery of legend?”

Wu grimaced. Unfortunately, he didn’t need to do any further questioning to figure out who was on the other side of the door. Not many people had such a recognizable voice and even less spoke as arrogantly as this.

He sighed and let his head hit the doors, muttering tiny curses that he prayed his visitor couldn’t hear through the wood. Any joy he felt previously was washed away at the thought of having to deal with this man for the next however long.

“Well, Wu? Don’t tell me I walked up all these stairs for nothing. It’s rude to leave a guest waiting, you know?”

Reluctantly, Wu bit back more insults and curses, but he did not hide the scorn and disdain on his face as he undid the locks on the door and opened it to reveal:

“Chen.” Wu spat.

The master returned a smile. A cruel grin, masquerading as something pleasant and welcoming. But his eyes gave him away, always scheming. “Wu! A pleasure to see you as always. Time is treating you well, I see.”

Wu didn’t feel like exchanging pleasantries. “Why have you come here?”

“Like I said, can I not just visit the monastery? It’s a wonderful place.”

“Someone like you always has ulterior motives, Chen.” Wu hissed this time. “Why have you come here?”

Chen’s smile faltered for a moment. His eyebrow raised ever so slightly before his smile returned, as lukewarm as ever. “Very well. I just want to know if you may know where your brother may be.”

It’s a lie. It’s a lie, and Wu knew it because it’s all lies with Chen. Lies and manipulation. But this was one of his weaker ones. “Why would I know any more than you? Aren’t you his teacher?”

Chen shrugged. “Temporarily, Wu. All students outgrow their masters eventually. For one reason or another.”

Wu, in his growing annoyance, dismissed the cryptic musing. “But you’re teaching him now. Why wouldn’t he tell you where he’s gone?”

“I don’t know. He never told me where he was going this time and I’m not entitled to know his every movement. Teachers don’t have absolute control over their students, you know.” Chen paused, then pursed his lips. “Are you going to keep me waiting out here?”

“Yes.” And with that, Wu went to slam the gate on him.

Unfortunately, it did not fully close. Chen had shoved his foot between the doors.

If the impact on his foot had hurt, he didn’t show it, that calm and cruel smile remaining on his face. “Wu. It’s a million steps to get up here. Don’t tell me I climbed them all in vain.”

Wu grimaced again. He realized that this would probably be over much quicker if he just let Chen in. Even if he didn’t, Chen would probably wriggle his way in somehow. At least this way, he could keep an eye on him.

With a sigh, he stepped to the side. “Fine. But make it quick.”

Chen’s smile grew a bit and Wu felt a shiver run down his back. “I’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”

Chen meandered around the simple courtyard, taking in the scenery. It truly wasn’t anything fascinating. Mostly bare walls and bare floor. Wu trailed after him, rarely taking his eyes off the dark master. Wu never had any reason to decorate and never felt ashamed of it before, but with his precious courtyard under Chen’s calculating stare, he did feel slightly so.

Of course, he’d never let Chen know that.

“I mean, not even a plant, Wu.” Chen commented. He turned to Wu. “This place could use a little sprucing up, don’t you think?”

Wu indulged him, abandoning his earlier idea. “I guess it does. But I have other responsibilities. Decoration can wait for another time. Perhaps a more peaceful one.”

Chen hummed. “It’s useless to wait for what won’t come, Wu. Sometimes it can help to prioritize what seems unimportant. To indulge yourself for a bit. It may pay off in the end.”

“Last I checked, you are my brother’s teacher, not mine.”

“I guess so.” He looked down and kicked the beam of wood Morro had left lying on the ground. “And you’re leaving a mess, too? I thought you were better than this, Wu. If you’re not going to decorate, you should at least clean up.”

Wu huffed. “And last I checked, you’re not my father, either. This mess is recent, and like I said, I have other responsibilities to attend to.”

“Hmm, then what are these other responsibilities? What’s keeping you so busy, Wu?” The grin on his face was so, so cheeky. So self assured. So entitled. Wu hated it.

Chen was a dangerous man to talk to. Wu knew he couldn’t outright deny Chen information, as Chen would take that as a challenge and would not rest until he had pried the information from Wu’s lips and Chen was a man who knew how to pester. Wu shivered to think about enduring that.

But Wu didn’t want to straight up lie to Chen, either. Not only would it put him close to Chen’s level (even if their situations were different), to be a liar and a deceiver who makes false promises for nothing but his own gain, but Chen was a man who lived in lies. Wu believed that Chen was someone who knew how to recognize them, so he probably couldn’t get away with lying to him.

So Wu did the next best thing. “A lot of things, but mostly research. All the scrolls in the library won’t read themselves and I must stay up to date on what happens in Ninjago.”

He kept his responses vague and general, withholding critical information and not signalling to its existence. It wasn’t an outright denial, but it wasn’t complete lies either. With luck and careful wording, Chen won’t get anything too serious on him. He could deal with being questioned about his research, as it’d be easy to stay away from the real important stuff as long as he kept control.

“Ah, I see.” Chen spotted the papers Wu had left sitting on the courthouse steps. Their meandering had taken them right next to them without Wu noticing. He winced as Chen picked them up, cursing internally for not securing them before Chen could get his hands on them. He couldn’t control what Chen knew if Chen was looking at the papers himself.

Thankfully, he didn’t think there was anything among that particular stack that was either confidential or sensitive information or something Chen didn’t know, so he made no move to take it from Chen. Wu did not want to risk any kind of fighting right now.

Chen muttered synopses of the info as he rifled through a few of the papers. “Locations of major vengestone deposits…Lineage of Ninjago City royalty…Speculation on variations in elemental mastery…ah,”

There was one thing in there that he’d prefer not to talk about, however. “The prophecy of the Green Ninja.” He held up that particular piece of paper and turned it to Wu. “What made you want to read about this?”

“It’s always important to stay updated.”

“Yes, well, danger’s always on the horizon.” Chen mused. “But surely, you don’t think any ‘great danger’ is awakening anytime soon?”

“Again, it is always important to stay updated, Chen.” Wu repeated. “No, I don’t think the ‘great danger’ is coming soon, but destiny works in mysterious ways. I don’t know what the signs are and I have no way to truly tell when it will be here until it’s already at the door. I may as well do my research before that day comes.”

Chen chuckled. “So you are paranoid?”

“I’m simply staying updated.” Wu repeated once more.

“Ho, ho. Alright, Wu. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Chen returned to the papers and skimmed through the last of them. Hopefully, Chen would lose his interest once done with them and would leave. Wu took his eyes off of Chen as he went through the rest of the stack. Chen gave a small, restrained hum of amusement. “Interesting.” And he began to realign the papers and sort them back into how he found them.

Nothing else in there prompted any further questioning from Chen and Wu was happy that the dark master would finally leave, until he heard the door to the monastery slide open and his joy was washed away once more as he realized Chen would most likely stick around much, much longer.

Morro began to run out of the monastery, two wooden beams tucked under his arms and an ever-delightful smile on his face, before he stopped suddenly upon noticing the visitor.

Chen looked up at the guest, wonder briefly flashing on his features before his masquerading smile returned to his face. “Well, well. Who is our little guest, Wu?”

Wu quipped, “I’d say it’s you,” before he stepped over to Morro to assure him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Morro. He’s not going to stay long.”

Briefly, he considered the idea of telling Chen to get lost and leave, but that would be an outright denial of information and he couldn’t do that, as that’d only make Chen more curious. It was better that Morro and Chen meet now, while he’s watching both of them and could make sure Chen wouldn’t tell Morro anything too dangerous.

Being the mutual party, Wu introduced the two. “Morro, this is Chen. He’s my brother’s teacher. Chen, this is Morro.” And then, he held his tongue. If Chen wanted to know more, he’d have to ask.

Chen was silent for a bit, but his eyes never once left Morro. He was surveying the kid, adding him to his list of information that he had and attempting to match him to any of his internal records. It was an intense gaze and Morro shrunk under it. Wu tightened his grip on Morro’s shoulder. Whether to assure Morro or himself, he didn’t know.

Finally, Chen spoke. “There’s no way you had a kid, Wu. I did not take you for the type.”

Wu blushed slightly at the accusation. “No, no. This is nothing like that. Morro is-,” Wu sighed, both in annoyance and to collect himself. “He is my student.”

Chen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. His eyes were still on Morro. He was not quite smiling yet. “Your student?” He asked quickly and half-breathless, like he could hardly believe the words he was speaking. “I did not know you were teaching, Wu. You didn’t list it in your responsibilities.” He smacked him in the chest with the papers. And then, a dangerous curiosity flashed in Chen’s eyes as a thought came to him. He slowly turned his gaze back to Morro. “So then, unless I am missing something, he is your…”

“Yes, he is my first student.” Wu finished.

And then, Chen’s smile returned to his face once more. But it was not the one from before. It was not the one that had calculation and confidence behind it. The one that expertly hid the extent of his true feelings. The one that maintained the persona of a deceiver.

This smile had true emotion behind it. True glee and excitement was in that smile, his surprise at the information leaking through his usual collected persona.

“YOUR FIRST?!” He practically shouted, shock and amazement abundant in his voice. Wu was equally as shocked at the reaction and the spectacle in front of him. He had never seen the dark master act so giddy before, especially at something so seemingly trivial. Chen gave a few surprised laughs before returning to a normal volume. “Ho, ho! Well, that’s exciting, isn’t it?!” He bent down a little to match Morro’s height and met him eye-to-eye. “How does it feel to be Wu’s little guinea pig?”

Morro didn’t have a response. Wu saw he was practically frozen staring down the dark master. Wu pulled him back a little bit, away from Chen. “He’s not some science experiment, Chen.”

“Oh, of course not.” Chen straightened up and seemed to recompose himself, but his eyes still stayed on Morro and there was something new in his gaze. Was he marveling at Morro? Whatever it was, he seemed to be newly excited. Chen continued. “But you are lucky, young man, to have such a prestigious man as your teacher.”

“That’s enough.”

“Oh, everyone knows that it’s rude to dodge compliments, Wu. Especially ones that are true. Your teacher comes from an honorable, divine lineage.”

Morro’s fright was fading, being replaced by curiosity. “Really?”

“Yes. Has he not told you? He’s the son of the First Spinjitzu Master, creator of all Ninjago.” Chen poked Wu in the chest as he said that, causing Wu to recoil and sneer. “You are learning from the very, very best.”

“Is that true?”

“Would I lie about such a thing? Of course it is! And I’m sure he will pass down all he learned from him to you.”

Morro’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Woah! That’s amazing! You never told me that, sensei!”

“Is that so?” Chen turned to Wu. “How come? This seems pretty important.”

Wu gritted his teeth. “It did not seem important or relevant at the time or to my teachings.”

“Oh, what kind of teacher doesn’t introduce themselves? You must prioritize what seems unimportant, Wu. Indulge yourself. Toot your own horn, as they say. Plus, it’s not kind to keep secrets. Especially from your own students.”

“So it seems,” was all Wu could manage in response. Was this really how he’d be spending his afternoon?

“So it does.” Chen smiled, something he seemed to love to do. “And think! Imagine what else he is keeping from you, Morro. A man like him has many things to tell, I’m sure.”

Morro got excited again at the prospect, bouncing on his toes at the idea. “Ooh. What else could you tell me about? What was the First Spinjitzu Master like?”

Oh, the gleam in the boy’s eyes was so bright. There was nothing but pure curiosity in there. Something within Wu desperately wanted to cave to that gaze. To tell Morro all he knew and more. Just to see him keep having those moments of revelation and learning over and over again.

But he’d be telling too much too soon. These things were not relevant now. He’d have to wait until Morro knew more about what he needed to know before telling him what he wanted to know. Wu took a heavy, difficult breath and mustered his best smile. “Ah, maybe another time, Morro. For now, why don’t you go back to what you were doing?” He gestured for Morro to go away from them and Morro, although a little dejected, listened to him.

The boy began to set back up the beams of wood, while Wu did not say anything more. He hoped Chen would take the hint and take his leave, but he knew better than that.

“So, Wu, tell me, what was so interesting about the boy that you had to take him in, huh?”

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure.” He really should not be confiding in Chen, but Wu hoped humoring him for a tiny bit and giving him slightly deeper information would get Chen off his back. “I found him rustling through the trash out front-”

“Stealing from you?”

“Technically, yes.” An odd question, but he didn’t pay it mind. “And he just had that look in his eyes, so I took him in.”

“And your intuition turned out to be right?”

“Yes, he’s quite the fast learner. I think he’ll turn out to be a great fighter.”

“Mmm, maybe so. He does seem to be rather eager. And why haven’t you told me he’s our new Master of Wind yet?”

Wu managed to only hmph in response, repressing the urge to further verbalize his frustrations. Of course he knew. He always knew. But at least it wouldn’t hurt to learn why he knew, and so he asked: “How did you know?”

“Ah, it’s the motions he’s practicing. They’re flowing. Light and airy.” Chen gestured to Morro and mimicked his actions with one arm. “Even he doesn’t know it, they are motions of the wind.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Hah, only slightly. He’s also trying to knock the beam over without harming it. I can’t think of many other elements you would try such a drill with. At least ones that are missing as of right now.”

Wu thought about it for a second and supposed Chen was right. But he wasn’t going to let Chen know that. “Lucky guess.”

“I do like to gamble every now and then.” Chen hummed. “It has been a while since we’ve seen the last Master of Wind, though. You should reach out to the Master of Water. See if she can help the boy. She might have a better idea of how the wind works with the whole Storm Element thing.”

That actually wasn’t too bad of an idea. It was actually something Wu began to consider. But again, Wu wasn’t going to give Chen the satisfaction of knowing that. “I think I’m doing well enough for now. I’ll be fine for the basics at least.”

Chen didn’t give a response and Wu looked over to him to see why. He was going back through the papers he had taken earlier, focused on one in particular. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he read over the paper. The one about the prophecy of the Green Ninja.

Chen looked up at Morro, then down at the paper. Back up at Morro, then down again to the paper. Back up and down once more before Chen smiled that same gleeful grin from before that honestly scared Wu.

He sharply turned that grin to Wu. “Wu, you clever man! You think this boy is-”

Wu slammed a hand over Chen’s mouth. Maybe a rude gesture, but Chen was a rude man. “Might! He might be. Keep your voice down.”

Chen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Wu’s actions, but they quickly set into a smile soon after.

“Whaaat? But this is such an exciting prospect! You really don’t want him to know, Wu?” No matter how muffled his voice was, it’d always be annoying.

“Not really. At least, not right now.” Wu sighed. He removed his hand. “I…I’d like to be more sure about it before I do.”

“Agh, but this is a good opportunity to inspire some ambition in your student, Wu! Do you know how I get the best out of my students, hmm?”

“By pitting them against each other constantly, causing hostile rivalries to form instead of brotherly bonds?”

“I give them something great to aspire for!” Chen ignored the dig at him, instead choosing to further push for his ideology. “I give them a goal that they should strive to work towards! Something desired by all, but only achievable by the very best! And the best is what they’ll be if they keep working towards what I’ve set out for them! And well,” He shook the papers in his hand. “I can’t imagine anything greater to become than a prophesied hero of legend.”

Wu hummed. He could understand where Chen was coming from. The idea of how he’d keep his student motivated to continue learning wasn’t something he had considered.

But Chen was being ridiculous with what he was actually proposing. There had to be better goals to use for motivation than a prophecy that was out of the student’s control. “I just don’t want to give my student false hope, Chen.”

“Is it false hope?”

“It could be. The role of the Green Ninja is one that comes with a lot of…pressure. I don’t want to risk anything.”

“Oh, a lot of pressure, but a lot of promise, too. What’s life without a few risks, Wu?”

“A safe bet where no one gets hurt unnecessarily!” Wu snapped. Why was this what Chen wanted to pester him about? Didn’t he know when things weren’t his business? “Plus, Morro has plenty of ambition as is. He doesn’t need anymore. Didn’t you acknowledge that yourself?”

“Oh, I said he had eagerness. I said nothing about his ambition.”

“Does the difference matter?”

“It does, it does. You see, you have an eager boy here. But there is nothing to direct that eagerness towards. Do you see what I am getting at?”

“Complete nonsense is what I’m hearing. I have a student who is excited to learn. Is that not all you need from a student?”

“Not in the long run, Wu. After a while, his excitement with learning will peter out, especially if you continue teaching him in that…hands-off way you seem to prefer.”

Insults on top of pestering him? Was there no depth that Chen wouldn’t stoop? He certainly wouldn’t convince Wu if he kept this up. “There is always more to learn, Chen. That fact alone will keep him going.”

Chen chuckled. “Your confidence is amusing, Wu. But it will not. That is an abstract fact you’re speaking of. An unfocused one. What happens when the idea isn’t enough? When the simple concept of ‘more’ doesn’t motivate him anymore?”

“Morro is a very capable boy.” What the hell was Chen on about? He had sounded slightly reasonable before, but now, he was sounding insane. “By then, he will have learned all he needs to know and I will have trained an honorable, talented student.”

“Oh yes, you have the beginnings of a very talented boy on your hands, but he is just that. A young boy who has yet to unlock that talent. Who’s to say his drive won’t run out long before he reaches this peak you speak of or that one day he believes he doesn’t need your teachings anymore? You did say you were fine for the basics, didn’t you? What happens when the basics aren’t enough? You need to set out something tangible for him to want to achieve, to prove you are worth his time and always will be, otherwise…” Chen shrugged. “He may become disinterested with you.”

Wu grinded his teeth as he thought about Chen’s words. Unfortunately, he could understand Chen’s point, much to Wu’s chagrin. The thought of Morro eventually becoming unmotivated or frustrated with Wu’s teachings did stir some fear in him, but surely it couldn’t be as big of a deal as Chen made it out to be.

Yes, that was it. Chen was a liar by nature and trade. He was merely exaggerating and twisting the facts to get on Wu’s nerves. “While that may be a possibility, I will do everything in my power to ensure it doesn’t happen. There are better, safer ways to encourage learning in students than your methods.”

“I don’t think you’re getting it, Wu. If you keep teaching him the way you have been, his desire to learn more, to stay with you, will run out eventually.” Chen stated firmly, as if it was fact and not speculation. “But if you tell him about this, you can keep it going for as long as needed.”

Wu swallowed. Any words of dissent were getting tangled in his mind and clogged his throat. Chen was as cunning and silver-tongued as they came. It would be utterly futile to continue arguing with him, as the argument would only go in circles. Unable to formulate a proper response to Chen’s words, Wu chose to focus back on Morro.

The boy was standing still with his eyes closed and arms held out in front of him, oblivious to the conversation the two were having. He took a breath before pulling one arm back and throwing it forward.

An invisible gust shot towards one of the standing beams. It wasn’t very strong, but it was enough to wobble the beam. The beam swayed back and forth for a bit before eventually losing its battle with gravity and tipping over.

Morro raised his arms in the air with victory and shouted in glee.

Wu felt a warm smile creep on his face.

Chen had to ruin the moment. “Oh ho, I know that feeling, Wu. It’s a beautiful feeling, isn’t it? Watching your student succeed?”

Wu coughed, attempting to wipe the smile from his face. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

“It will not last forever.”

“Then I’ll take in new students.”

“But will they have as much potential or promise as Morro? I’ve seen many students in my time and you have hit the jackpot here.”

“That doesn’t matter to me.” Wu grimaced. His arguments were getting weaker. There was no truth to Chen’s words, but Chen knew how to act like there was. It was frustrating, both to hear and to attempt to counter.

“Oh, you will find that it does.” Chen chuckled. “I’m telling you, Wu. Tell that boy about your…speculations, and you will get nothing but his best out of him. Forever.”

Wu bit his tongue. His words were failing him. He couldn’t rationalize any more, not against Chen. All he could do now was put his foot down. “Perhaps at a later date. When he is more ready. For now, I will not be saying anything.” He paused, then added. “And I don’t want you to either.”

“Oh ho, trust me, Wu. I will not say a word about the Green Ninja until you do.”

Wu hummed and the two went back to watching Morro. He was attempting to knock down another beam with the same technique as last time, only this time he seemed to be having less luck.

As he threw his arm forward once more, he let out a growl of annoyance as the beam continued to stand.

It seemed his frustrations were getting to him. Somewhere within Wu’s mind was the thought that maybe he should talk to Morro, but it was muffled by the tangled mess left behind by his conversation with Chen. He excused his inaction by telling himself that he was simply trying to figure out what exactly Morro was getting caught up on, but as he sat back to figure out what it was, Chen took the lead.

“Ah, Morro, was it?” He started to approach the boy. Wu was on his heels. “Your form is mostly perfect in terms of conjuring. But if you want to get more accurate with your attacks, I’d suggest getting a proper grip on your element.”

Morro looked confused, and honestly, Wu felt similar. He hadn’t heard of getting a grip on the wind and wondered what Chen could possibly be talking about. His curiosity outweighed his caution and he did not speak up to prevent Chen from talking to the boy.

“Um, I’m not sure what you mean by that, sir.” Morro asked.

“Well, when throwing a ball, it’s not going to go where you want it to go if you’re not holding it correctly. It’s the same with elements. You’ve got to hold the wind correctly when throwing if you want it to strike where you want it to. Watch.”

Chen took up a similar position to Morro’s, holding one arm out in front of him, pointing two fingers out.

He slowly drew his arm back, hooking his fingers down as he did. Then, he threw his arm forward.

Dark purple flames flew towards the beam on a brisk and straight line. Lavender sparks trailed after the flaming projectile and it struck the beam straight in the middle. It didn’t cleave it two, but it left a noticeable burn on the beam and knocked it over with considerable force.

Morro was in awe and Chen had a proud look on his face. He did not address the fire and instead focused on his lesson.

“You see the way my fingers moved?” He did the motion again, emphasizing how he hooked his fingers downward. “I had a grip on my projectile, which helps to steady my aim. Now, of course, that’s the way I prefer to do it, but everyone has their own grip styles. Let me see you try it again.”

But Morro made no move to return to his form. He was still staring at the burnt beam. “W-wha…” He stammered out. “What was that?!” Morro shouted in amazement.

“What was what? This?” He flicked his hand out, purple sparks dancing off the tops of his fingers as he did and a single flame remained balanced on his finger.

Morro watched the false fire flit up and down. “Woah…are you the master of fire?”

“Ah ha, no no. This right here is not fire.” He held one of the purple flames out on his finger so Morro could look closer. “Simply magic masquerading as such. It could never compare to the real thing, but it gets the job done for certain situations.”

Chen continued to hold the flame out as Morro moved around to examine it from different angles, eyes wide with interest. “How do you do that?”

“I told you. It’s magic, my boy.”

“Dark magic.” Wu elaborated, finally stepping up. “It’s nothing you’ll need to know about, Morro.”

“Oh, let the boy learn, Wu. A little bit of curiosity never hurt anyone.” The grin on his face grew.

Wu bit back retorts, knowing how horribly wrong that statement was, but also knowing that Chen probably knew that himself. “Dark magic is something I don’t think you’ll need, Morro. Perhaps when you’ve learned more and you’re ready, I’ll tell you more about it.”

“Oh, but,” Morro started, looking between him, Chen, and the burnt beam. “Surely it can’t be that bad.”

“Maybe not, but it’s nothing for you to focus on right now. You still have to master the wind and get better with weapons before you even think about using magic for anything, especially combat.”

Chen scoffed. “Another secret, Morro. He sure does seem to keep a lot of them, doesn’t he?”

Wu scowled. His attempts at swaying Morro were getting more obvious. They must’ve been less about influencing the boy and more about provoking Wu. Chen would not get Wu to take the bait. Wu took a breath in and out, then calmly stated: “I have my reasons, Morro. I hope you can understand that.”

And there it was.

As Wu spoke that phrase, there was something in Morro’s eyes that faded.

The realization that his master would never be entirely open with him, the possibility that his master would never truly be there for him, the fact that there were simply greater things that Wu needed to attend to that wasn’t Morro. All of these ideas seemed to grow in Morro’s head as that something faded.

That’s when it hit Wu that there was a truth to Chen’s words. For once.

If Wu continued to act in this detached, closed-off way, then Morro may very well lose interest in Wu’s teachings. If he constantly kept secrets from him, always brushed away Morro’s desires, and postponed anything remotely interesting for some fabled ‘time when he’s ready’ that had no concrete date to it, then he would appear to be disinterested with Morro. And Morro would become disinterested, disillusioned, in return.

And Chen was being open with him. He was spilling all kinds of secrets to him, he was presenting new, exciting concepts to him, and he was fully explaining his actions and how they worked. Chen, master of all things trickery and deceit, was being completely open and honest with Morro whenever he asked about something. Would Morro find Chen’s teachings more interesting than his? Would Morro begin to see Chen as a better master than him? His brother was already slated for such a dark path, to think about Morro following down a similar road…

Wu’s heart sank to think about the possibility. The possibilities. Fear grabbed at his throat and the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Well, I suppose I could tell you about one thing.”

Morro perked up and, though Wu didn’t see it, Chen did as well.

Wu continued, actively ignoring any bells telling him otherwise and not really thinking about the words he was saying. He knelt down to get eye-to-eye with Morro. “There’s this prophecy that tells of a hero. They call him the Green Ninja. I, uh, I think there’s a chance that this hero may be you.”

His sentence grew shaky towards the end. The words burned his tongue as they left his mouth. He felt like he had to force all the muscles in his body to get those final three words out.

But Morro’s eyes…oh his eyes. The fascination with the idea was abundant all over his face, but concentrated within his eyes. There was a new light within them, ignited by thinking about this hero of legend, the possibility of becoming him. There was a boy who was eager to learn.

“You have to tell me more about this hero! What’s he supposed to be like? What’s he gonna do?”

Something within Wu felt eased, but something else felt very, very awful.

Almost instinctively, the words ‘Perhaps, I’ll tell you more later,’ were on the tip of Wu’s tongue, but Chen jumped in before he could get the words out. “Oh, he’s a legendary hero of destiny! Through his efforts and his alone, the Green Ninja will be the one to defeat the great evil.”

Morro interest only grew and grew. He turned to Wu. “Is that true, sensei?”

Wu forced a smile. “Would Chen lie about such a thing?”

“Ah ha! You hear him?” Chen’s smile only grew. “I am telling you nothing but the truth. But, ah, this truth isn’t mine to tell, now, is it?”

“You seemed quite eager to elaborate.”

“I was not the one who brought up the subject, Wu.”

Wu relented. “Well, Chen told you all there really is to it. One day, a great evil will arise in Ninjago, far greater than anything we’ve ever seen or will ever see. The prophecy claims that the one to defeat this evil will be a hero with the title of the Green Ninja.”

“And how will we know?! How will we know who the Green Ninja is?”

“Well, it’s completely out of my hands. There may be signs to give us hints, but we have no clue what those are and they'll only be obvious to us after we know for sure. Until then, only destiny knows who this hero will be.”

Morro gave a nod of acknowledgement at Wu’s words, with enthusiasm restrained in his smile. “He sounds very powerful.”

“Well, that’s never been outright stated, but I’m sure he must be.”

Morro nodded once more. Wu was still hung up on the look in his eyes. It was something greater than eagerness now. Was that ambition? It did not seem too dangerous. Perhaps his fears were misplaced…

Morro looked back at the scorched beam on the ground. Then, he turned back to Wu. “I’ll work hard, sensei. I promise.”

Wu blinked, then he sucked in a breath. He didn’t quite know what to make of that.

Before Wu could question him about it, Morro ran back to the beam and a cold hand was set on his shoulder.

“So much for waiting, huh?” Chen snickered.

Wu was too lost to properly reply. “He believes he will be the Green Ninja.”

“Oh, don’t you as well?”

“I-” Wu faltered, the weight of the situation slowing his thinking. “I cannot be certain. Destiny is the only one who truly knows.”

“Hah!” Chen clapped his hand on Wu’s shoulder. “Relax, Wu. It will be alright. There is nothing wrong with a student having a little ambition.”

“I…” His words were caught in his throat. What was there to say to this?

Chen tsked. “Wu, Wu. You worry too much. Let me repeat this for you one last time to really cement it in that head of yours. You can’t force a student to learn. You want a good student? You must have a student that’s not just eager to learn, but determined as well. How do you encourage these traits? You inspire ambition. You have a student with ambition, you will get nothing but the best out of that student. Always.”

Ambition. Was it truly as necessary Chen claimed? As much as Wu wanted to disagree, he could acknowledge that there was truth to the statement. He wouldn’t’ve gotten to where he was now if he wasn’t at the least, sort of ambitious. But was ambition what he had sparked here?

Morro seemed to fully believe he would be the Green Ninja. If he was correct, it’d be fantastic news for all, but if he was wrong…

“There’s ambition and then there’s obsession, Chen.” Wu stated.

“Hm.” Chen pursed his lips. “Well, I know you, Wu. You’ll be a great teacher. I mean, your father taught you and your wonderful brother. Simply follow in his footsteps, no?” And then Chen had the audacity to wink. Lies upon lies spilled from this man’s lips, but it seemed the rare truths stung worse. Either way, he relished in all of them.

This time, Wu did not bother to hide his sneer, making sure all of his disdain for Chen was evident on his face. Some of that disdain was directed at himself as well.

Curse the him of the past for letting this man within his monastery walls. He should’ve told Chen to beat it and leave it at that. No matter how long that process would’ve taken, it would’ve paled in comparison to the turmoil that wound up unfolding this day.

Chen turned to look at the sky, orange hues beginning to leak into the great blue. “Ah, well, I think I’ve seen enough. I should probably take my leave now.” His cordial smile returned to his face. “It’s oh so many steps down and I’d like to get home before nightfall. Good luck to you, Wu. Truly. You have something…magnificent on your hands here. I can’t wait to see him grow.”

He then called out to Morro. “And you, little Morro! Good luck to you on your journey. You are in fantastic hands!”

Morro waved back at him. “Thank you, sir.”

Chen chuckled and turned to face the gate. “Later, Wu.”

And Chen, finally, took his leave.

Wu should’ve felt relieved that the parasite was no longer here, but tension was still in his shoulders, his muscles still felt strained, and that feeling that gripped his throat earlier had never let up.

Fear. Wu hated to admit it, but he was scared.

Wu made his way over to the steps he had been sitting on earlier and all but collapsed.

What had he done?

All Wu had done was give Morro a goal. A nigh unachievable goal, but a goal nonetheless. No, not completely unachievable. There was a chance, a slight possibility of Morro being the Green Ninja.

But it wasn’t something he could control. Him, Morro, Chen, no one could control who the Green Ninja was but destiny herself. Shouldn’t the goals set out by a teacher be something that was actually achievable by the student’s own actions?

Maybe he could dissuade Morro, if possible. The seeds had been sown, yes, but surely they don’t take root so fast. But wouldn’t that lead back to dealing with the problem of becoming disillusioned and unmotivated? And what kind of teacher hinders their student?

Wu breathed. Maybe he shouldn’t worry so much. He looked up to Morro. The boy was still working on his drills, despite the setting sun.

Chen’s words sounded in his head.

“Your father taught you and your wonderful brother. Simply follow in his footsteps, no?”

Visions of a cat-lady flashed within his mind.

Wu felt like he was going to be sick.

That was obsession. The lengths people will go to prove someone wrong.

But you can’t prove destiny wrong. Oh, what had he set Morro up against?

Morro still continued to train, blissfully unaware of Wu’s plight. The boy once again summoned a gust of wind and this time, he succeeded.

The boy cheered. Wu felt his happiness rise within himself and a smile graced his lips.

No, he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of his father.

He would be there for Morro. He would not drop him for something as trivial as an accusation of thievery. He would be there to coach him through his learning and development. Teaching was something that evidently brought him joy and he would be there for Morro through it all, for the benefit of both of them.

Wu stood up on the steps. He called out, “Morro! We’ve been out here for too long. You should come inside.”

Morro didn’t turn as he replied, “Oh, come on! Just a little longer, sensei?”

Wu bit his tongue. “Very well. But don’t stay out too late.”

“I won’t.”

He had a good student on his hands. A wonderful student. A student many would kill for.

But he had just set the both of them down a dangerous path.

He just had to be careful.

For both of their sakes.

End of the Main Fic

Epilogue

Morro had come inside after a little while and the two went through their usual evening rituals, although Wu couldn’t fully focus on them, the events of the afternoon still on his mind. He felt slightly unnerved every time he looked at Morro.

Though Morro hadn’t asked him anything more about the Green Ninja, he could tell the idea still gripped his mind.

The light in his eyes was different. More intense. More determined. Like something else had been ignited within the boy. Something new.

But now the boy had gone to bed and Wu retired to his own room to attend to one of his more personal responsibilities.

He found a pen and pulled up a chair to sit at his desk, only to find the papers he was looking for to be missing.

Odd, he definitely had them this morning. He had placed them on this very desk and never, to his knowledge, taken them out of this room.

He checked on the floor under his desk. Nope. He rummaged through his drawers. Nothing. He stepped out of his room to check other places nearby. Nothing. He searched every possible and plausible room in the monastery. Nowhere.

Panic stirred within his chest. He sat back into his chair, feeling both heavily enraged and very nervous. He rapidly tapped his pen on the desk in frustration. He never took those papers out of his room for two reasons.

One, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to lose them as they were very important to him.

Two, so no one else could see the words he had written on the pages. Wu held those words very close to his heart and he didn’t think he’d be able to stand the embarrassment if anyone else had seen them. He had intended for the words on those pages to be seen by only two pairs of eyes and two alone, his and the addressee.

He cursed himself for making such a careless mistake. Where on earth had those papers gone?

At the very least, they had to still be in the monastery, right? If he never intentionally took them out of this room, then he couldn’t’ve accidentally taken them out of the building.

Agh, it was so late now. He’d have to wait until morning to do a proper search of the monastery.

But where to start? The library, maybe. Perhaps he had accidentally mixed up his missing papers with others and taken them there. There were so many loose books and articles in that place that he possibly missed it in his initial search. Yes, the library. He’d do a more thorough check of the library in the morning.

For now, he tried his best to get some sleep.

And, across the land of Ninjago, a dark master chuckled to himself as he read some of the sappiest, most sentimental words ever put to paper.

“Oh, little Wu. To think something as trivial as this was one of your many responsibilities. But, even in your drafts, you are quite the poet. I’m sure your brother would love to see this.”