Legacy of the Departed

Chapter 10 - Returned

The Rift and the eclipse had both disappeared, leaving the ninja to make a difficult landing. Trying to fly the ship in the high-speed winds created by the Rift had already taken a toll on the Bounty, but at least she was still afloat.

One they disembarked, the first task was to round up Yang's students. They recognized the ninja from their previous encounter, so thankfully it wasn't too difficult to convince them to follow Misako onto the Bounty. But it would still be hard to help them. They had all been gone for so many years, who knew what they would find in place of their old homes?

The ninja would help them with that, but first they needed to find their friend. They had anxiously stayed on the lookout while they helped Yang's students onto the ship, but no one had yet seen any sight or sound of Cole. Aside from the temple, the isle wasn't very crowded. A few trees and bushes, large, decorative stones, and a shrine on the far side, but the centermost part of the isle was wide open.

"We should split up," Lloyd suggested as soon as they were able to focus on Cole. "We'll find him faster that way."

"Pixal and I will conduct a thorough scan of the island," Zane promised. "He must be here. Certainly the Rift would not have dispensed him elsewhere."

Jay hesitated. "You don't think . . ."

"We all saw him go through," Kai said.

"But did he?" Nya asked. "The portal shut so fast, what if –" She didn't want to say it out loud either.

Sensei Wu stepped in among the worried ninja before they could work themselves up any further. "Lloyd is right, we should begin looking before we panic."

Lloyd nodded. "Alright, Kai and Nya can search the grounds and the rest of us will look through the temple while Zane begins scanning."

"And what do you want me to do?"

The ninja all whipped around at the same time to see Cole standing with a big smile on his face.

"COLE!"

Cole was nearly knocked off his feet as his friends jumped him, enveloping him in a big, happy group hug.

"You're not a ghost anymore!" Lloyd said, marveling at the warmth of his embrace.

"You look good as new!" Nya said.

"Pretty much." Cole brushed a hand over his forehead, revealing a jagged scar beneath his bangs. It looked strangely green. "Oh, and I'm not the only one."

Behind them, Morro had emerged more slowly after Cole. The ninja jumped back ten feet at the sight of him. But Morro hardly took any notice. He was staring at his hands, his arms, his feet. The body he now inhabited was his, unmarred and healthier than he could ever remember being. A breeze swirled around him, making him shiver. His skin was pale and his gi was as ragged as it had been when he died, but otherwise he felt as fresh as if he had just stepped out of a long bath – another experience he could barely recall. His hair was still long, with his signature green streak. He had a similar scar to Cole's on his forehead.

Kai was the first to draw his sword. "We fought all of our greatest enemies tonight, we can take one more!"

But to everyone's shock, Cole went to stand beside Morro, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think re-introductions are in order," he said. "Guys, this is my friend, Morro."

Morro looked up. "What?"

"I couldn't have made it through the night without you. You stood by me and pushed me forward. In fact, I think we make a pretty good team."

The others gaped. Kai actually looked closer to short circuiting than Zane did, and Jay appeared as if he'd just eaten something that left a bad taste in his mouth. Nya looked like she wanted to say something but seemed to think better of it. But they were even more shocked when Lloyd stepped forward.

Morro's eyes widened, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then Lloyd held his hand out.

"I'm glad you found your way."

Morro hesitantly reached back. They shook hands. Morro didn't say anything, his eyes fixed on their hands. When he did look up, he saw that Sensei Wu was right behind Lloyd. For a moment he thought his unsteady legs might fail him. After trying so hard to get to this moment, he didn't even know what to say. "Sensei."

Sensei Wu smiled, his eyes crinkling with the marks of old age, but in way that was so familiar it made Morro's heart ache. He approached Morro and wrapped his arms around him.

It was warm. So warm. Morro wrapped shaking arms around his sensei in return, feeling his eyes sting with tears. His breath caught in his throat. It was all too much. His body was flooded with all sorts of physical senses that distorted his emotions in a way that he remembered hating the last time he was in a human body.

He hated it now, too. As he buried his face in Wu's shoulder, tears flowing from his eyes, he hated how weak he felt. And the joy and hope that bloomed in his heart were so, so disgustingly foreign that it almost made him sick. But he couldn't let go. He didn't want it to go away. It wasn't him, but that was the best part. It was something new, something he thought he had given up a long time ago. It was painful and wonderful all at once, and he wanted to hold on to that for as long as he could.

Because Morro had never felt more alive.