Onyx and the Possession

Gethsemane

Onyx was silent as she strode from the city and towards the hill overlooking Stiix. She shuddered as she heard something bump against the dock supports beneath her and refused to look. It could have just been trash, it could have been a creature of some kind, or it could have been the body of some unfortunate creature. She took a shaky breath as she began to climb the hill. It was eerily silent, save for the soft rustling of the trees. The blooms had reached their peak, the pink flowers looking ethereally white in the pale moonlight.

Onyx flit silently through the trees, careful not to wake the figurative ghosts. It had long been a tradition in Stiix to bury the metacarpals of loved ones lost on land beneath a sakura sapling. She clearly remembered clinging to Morro's leg, both of them still shaky and weak from the fever that had taken her mother, as he scraped dirt over them. And then the rest of her body had been set out to sea to reunite with her husband.  Her mother had been sickly after he'd died. When an epidemic swept through the city, no doubt brought on by the unsanitary conditions, she hadn't stood a chance. Much of the population hadn't. She and Morro had been lucky to survive their own cases.

Onyx shuddered at the memory, rubbing the scar the disease had left on her side as she approached the top of the hill where her mother had been buried. As she approached, Onyx suddenly froze, noticing a thin frame already standing beneath the tree. She knew immediately who it was. She could turn back, pretend she never saw him. By all accounts, she should. Onyx approached.

"Morro." He gave a soft gasp of surprise and turned. His eyes, the grey they'd both inherited from their mother, narrowed as he turned. Lloyd's blond hair had darkened almost entirely to black by now, changing his appearance even more. "Ah, little guppy. I should've known you'd be here," he murmured, looking back up at the flowers. "Lovely, isn't it? A shame Vecchio never got his own. You probably don't even remember him that well," he said. Onyx's throat constricted. "That's neither here nor there," she said coldly. Morro shrugged. "You're here, and I'm there. May as well be honest." Onyx frowned. His wording was... odd.

"You sound like Sensei," she said. Morro's face immediately contorted into a snarl. "Non dire il suo nome," he spat. Onyx's face was blank and unreadable as she stepped up beside him, keeping a careful distance. "I won't kill you. At least not yet," Morro said. Onyx's jaw tightened. "You're so far gone you'd kill your little sister," she said. It wasn't a question, and Morro ignored the first bit. "You're not so little anymore, are you." He returned her lack of a question with one of his own before continuing. "I've seen it all in Lloyd's memories. An interesting story." 

Onyx's stomach twisted slightly. "How much have you seen?" She asked. Morro grinned, and for a brief moment, a flicker of who he used to be flashed through. "Enough to know he's innamorato cotto it makes him look stupid," he said distastefully. Onyx tapped her fingers on her wrist. "May I speak with him?" She asked finally, hiding her veiled anger and swallowing her pride. Morro was silent for a moment, perhaps weighing the proposal before dipping his head slightly and closing his eyes. A moment later, they blinked open, and were brown.

Onyx gasped softly and quickly took Lloyd's face in her hands. He brought his own up to meet hers as his knees buckled, and he fell against her. "O-Onyx... non è-" Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut. His voice was soft and distant, as if he were speaking from far away. "It's not safe. He'll be back soon," he whispered, trying to push himself up and failing. Onyx held back tears as she shifted, letting him lean more comfortably against her. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to make him feel worse, but the shadows under his eyes and the sheer exhaustion in them made her chest ache.

"Don't worry about that. We're going to save you. I promise," Onyx murmured. Lloyd's chapped lips curled into a soft smile, though it quickly turned to a grimace as his body went ridged, eyes widening and lightening back to grey. Morro quickly pushed himself away from Onyx, getting to his feet.

She narrowed her eyes as he nearly staggered. 'Oh, I see. He can't release his hold for too long or he won't be able to take it back. That means Lloyd is fighting.' The thought gave her a small burst of pride. Onyx gritted her teeth. After seeing the pain in Lloyd's eyes, she was more angry than ever. She got to her feet, glaring daggers at Morro. "You're weak," She murmured, jaw tight. Morro's head whipped to her. "Cosa hai detto?" He said, voice a low growl.

Onyx tilted her chin up slightly. This was a terrible idea, but she had a shovel, and she was digging. "I said you're weak. Lloyd is stronger than you, and you know it. We will-!" Onyx's words were cut off when Morro grabbed her throat and pinned her against the tree. She winced as his fingers tightened ever so slightly. "Non parlarmi mai più così!" He snarled. Onyx's eyes widened at the look in his. Furious and unhinged. "Capisco. Sei davvero morto..."

Morro's lip curled. "Se corri ora, non ti inseguo," he hissed, pulling his hands back. "Poi arrivederci... Fratello," Onyx whispered, whipping away and stalking down the hill, vanishing amongst the trees. Morro watched her go, fists tightening. He turned back to the tree, looking up at the branches. They were rustling, and to him it seemed like they were admonishing him.

"Stai zitta, mamma! Ho ragione. Devo avere ragione. Io sono il Ninja Verde! Onyx non capisce," He snapped. 'She's right.' Lloyd's voice was soft, but the conviction in his voice was powerful. Morro merely snarled in response. He couldn't push Lloyd down now. He needed him to read the scroll.

"Morro... you know her?" Soul Archer's voice filled the air as he emerged from the ground where he had hidden. Morro gave a sharp nod, eyes narrowing to slits. "Sì. Molto bene," He murmured. Soul Archer sighed lightly. "I wasn't from Stiix in life. I don't know what you're saying," he said. Morro's eye twitched. He'd nearly forgotten. "Yes, I do. Very well," he murmured. Soul Archer thought for a moment, and then his face betrayed shock as he reached a logical conclusion. He knew what Morro looked like outside of Lloyd's body and could see the similarities.

He tapped a finger on his bowstring. "I see. Is this going to be a problem?" He asked softly. Morro's glare was sharp. "The living and the dead don't follow the same rules," he said darkly. Soul Archer nodded. "Good. Then it is time," he murmured. Morro's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Very well. Let's pay a visit to an old friend."

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Oh boy, a little mini-angst chapter. Now that was fun to write in an emotionally taxing way. The more I think about it, the more I feel bad for Lloyd. And I had a lot of fun working out a title for this chapter.

My life has been pretty boring lately. But it turns out my little brother is... impressively competent at calorimetry. I am not.

————————TRANSLATIONS—————-
(I considered having their entire conversation in Italian, then decided to not be too cruel)

Vecchio- Boss (Morro is talking about their father. Many older children will jokingly call their father 'boss' or other similar terms. It's a sharp contrast to Onyx's 'papi.' For future reference, I hardly ever do anything arbitrarily)

Non dire il suo nome- Don't say his name

Innamorato cotto- Literally translates to 'in love cooked,' but is the equivalent of 'head over heels in love' (Morro is not a fan of sharing those specific thoughts)

Non è...- It's not... (Morro thinks in a blend of Stiixian and Ninjagian, and Lloyd's own linguist leanings are starting to blur with Morro's)

Cosa hai detto?- What did you say?

Non parlarmi mai più così!- Never talk to me like that again! (Ah, siblings. Always pushing each other's buttons)

Capisco. Sei davvero morto...- I see. You're really dead...

Se corri ora, non ti inseguo- If you run now, I won't chase you.

Poi arrivederci... Fratello- Then goodbye... Brother. (Onyx gets her own Wu moment)

Stai zitta, mamma! Ho ragione. Devo avere ragione. Io sono il Ninja Verde! Onyx non capisce- Shut up, mom! I'm right. I have to be right. I am the Green Ninja! Onyx doesn't understand.

Sì. Molto bene- Yes. Very well.