angels - a ninjago fanfiction [complete]

fifteen · leaving

WU

There was so much he just didn't understand. Clearly there was someone behind this, and Wu didn't have enough information to be sure. Still, he tried to figure it out. 

From what Kai had mentioned, he said he was fighting time-- likely the Time Twins, though the sensei didn't see any evidence of his foes. Then again, he didn't know who killed Jay, Nya, Zane, and Pixal either. Several days ago Nya mentioned that the Overlord might have forced Zane and Pixal to fight. And as much as he hated it, Wu knew there was only one way to find out about Jay. Nya's death remained a mystery, but clues may have been left behind.

With difficulty Wu forced himself to replay old camera footage from a week ago- maybe two? He no longer knew. He watched the beatdown by the djinn until he couldn't take it anymore, only listening to the audio. He lost the courage to watch it, wincing at every sound of the battle.

Nadakhan mentioned the Omega a few times. Was the Oni behind the five deaths that haunted the Sensei every night?

Wu's worst nightmare was having to watch his students suffer while he could do nothing. The Omega was essentially doing that-- slowly picking off each of his beloved Ninja, leaving Wu to find their bodies without any clue as to what happened. His mind dreamt up their horrendous deaths and every night, he woke in a cold sweat. There were names of angels, alive and dead, on his mind as he meditated. He forced himself to meditate, not sleep, for sleep brought dreams he couldn't unsee.

Lloyd and Cole were concerned for him, he knew. Wu did his best to help them but secretly feared that something might come after them sooner or later, and he would be powerless to stop it. Unconsciously he distanced himself from the two former leaders of a team that had crumbled to nothing.

Wu never realized how much Lloyd and Cole needed him.

He did know, however, what the six of diamonds meant. Wu didn't believe in coincidences, but he wanted to believe this was one. Tarot cards were rubbish to waste their money, Wu decided. And playing cards were solely for the player's enjoyment, not for predicting the future. He tried to not think that a child's card game had foreshadowed his pupil's deaths. Besides, the six of diamonds had many meanings. Maybe it wasn't referring to loss this time.

A soft knock came to his door and Wu was pulled from his meditation. "Come in, Cole," he said, recognizing his gait.

The Earth Ninja entered, his presence calming Wu a bit. "Sensei, I hope I'm not bothering you right now. I have some serious information I think you'd like to know."

"No, you're not bothering me at all." The master got to his feet, then noticed the grim expression on Cole's face. "What is it? Where's Lloyd?" he asked suddenly.

"Lloyd's okay, Sensei, don't worry," Cole reassured him. The Energy Ninja's blonde head poked into the doorway. "I heard my name?"

"Just wanted to make sure you are alright. What is the news you carry?"

Lloyd looked at the older Ninja. In the past few days without the others, Wu had noticed the Green Ninja relying more on Cole for support, and he seemed afraid to be by himself now. His true age was starting to show through, and it only made Wu feel guiltier about all that Lloyd's path had dragged him throughout.

"Well, after our short trip to Ignacia, everyone froze again, right? Except us... again. But everything looked fine as if the Oni weren't completely attacking our realm with darkness. If you look now, ten days later, there are dark clouds on the horizon and they're making their way over the land," Cole pointed out. All three of them glanced out the window, and Wu noticed a shadow of darkness was indeed hiding the line where the sky and land meet.

"From the looks of it, it doesn't bother to cover water, so there are literally holes of cloud-free areas above water. If we make our way to the coast, we'll be able to anchor in the water and we should be okay. In short, we need to get our things together and leave as soon as possible," Lloyd added.

Wu's eyes were still on the clouds of darkness. The longer he looked, the more he realized they were expanding alarmingly fast, like the flu on the Bounty... back when there were nearly ten people onboard. Now it was only three people plus Wu's two plants.

It was lonely, and they all hated it.

"Of course, yes. We should depart soon. Would you mind if I pay my last respects?" he asked. 

Cole didn't answer right away, and after a moment he quietly added, "We were just about to do that."

Wu let them take the lead, following closely behind as they exited the ship and walked down the ramp, passing through the monastery. It was all neatened up and rather empty, like a house for sale. Everyone had seemed more comfortable on the Bounty, back when "everyone" meant the whole team.

Stop thinking about the past.

It was hard to not think about the past when Wu was in a place full of it.

---

Early on, he had learned Cole released his emotions through physical labor. It seemed fitting for Cole to want to be the one breaking through the stone flooring of the monastery to make way for graves, as there was soil right beneath that layer.

The five mounds of still-fresh dirt were within the training area, underneath the blank wall. One wall consisted of murals, while the other was completely blank. The empty wall seemed fitting now, and Wu's old desire to fill it vanished.

Jay's had some moss and small clovers growing on it already. Gravestones distinguishing each Ninja from the next were roughly sanded down, the words engraved deep into the stone. Instead of a peaceful resting place, Wu could only see his students beaten bloody, destroyed beyond repair, and burnt from an explosion. They stared at him with empty eyes, and Wu looked away. It's not real. They made it to the Departed Realm safely. They're in a better place now.

He lit some incense, the fragile smoke floating in the light breeze as all three of them sat there, silently drowning in their grief.

---

Eventually, they had to leave. Wu hoped he would be able to return in the future, but the future was uncertain.

The Destiny's Bounty rose into the air, shooting into the sky as the darkness engulfed their home.

Lloyd steered them towards the open sea, gingerly adjusting the control panel. It was faulty and shot sparks randomly at times, since the two mechanics of the team were... not there anymore... to fix it. The younger Ninja knew a bit more about engineering than Cole, and he pointed out that it needed serious fixing. If not, the entire console would give out in a week.

They hoped they would gather their wits, come up with a plan, and stop the Oni once and for all before then, otherwise they would be in serious trouble. Nobody said anything, but they all knew that the Oni's defeat wasn't going to happen as quickly as they'd like.