You hadn't ever experienced extreme temperatures atop the Mountain of a Million Steps. Though the monastery was high up in the sky, it usually stayed rather temperate year-round.
So as the boat you sat upon slowly drifted down the river, you couldn't help but shiver.
Wu and the others had built the boat from fallen trees and what scraps you could find. It was sturdy enough to travel through the icy rivers, though one crash could cause the ship to sink.
You were seated towards the back of the boat, just beside the stairs that led up to the pilot's deck. Your knees were bent, and your arms were folded upon your kneecaps. You were trying to avoid the cold, though you didn't want to head into the ship's only room in the event that your help was needed.
Your emotions, however, rose like the great mountains of ice far ahead.
Morro's loss still hurt you dearly. You'd like to assume it's taken its affect upon Wu, as well, for he has not spoken since the ship was built. He had been meditating upon the ship's front bowsprit, silent.
You stared up at the dark, stormy sky. You were nowhere near the Shurikens of Ice. If it continued to grow colder, you wouldn't be able to handle it. Snow gently began to fall as the ship floated down the river between two mountains of ice. Icebergs, they were called.
Your body shivered again, and you lowered your head onto your hands to warm your face. You already had a loose jacket on that Wu had provided you, yet it hardly did much against the cold. You didn't want to ask for more. Wu was suffering just as much as you werel.
You heard someone sit down beside you. You initially dismissed it until he spoke. "You doing okay?" Kai asked you.
"No," You responded. "I'm cold." You didn't want to talk about Morro, right now.
"...You are?" Kai sounded confused. "It's not... that bad?"
"You know I'm not a Ninjagoan, right?" You looked up towards the red ninja pointedly. "I get hot and cold easier than you do."
"Right, sorry," Kai sighed. "I'm not exactly used to that." He then glanced up in surprise. "It isn't gonna, like... hurt you if it gets too cold, is it? We're only halfway to the Shurikens."
"Depends on how cold it gets," You pondered. You extended your legs as your arms reached up to hug your body. "I think I will be fine, though..." You stared up at the sky once again. The occasional snowflake hit your face, and you couldn't help but worry if a storm would approach.
"I spy something... white!" You heard Jay's voice from the upper deck.
"There's literally nothing white up here but snow," came Cole's retort.
"You got it!" Jay excitedly responded.
You silently grinned at the two's interaction. They're doing better than you, at least.
"Greetings," You looked up as Zane appeared. He sat down on the other side of you. "How are you two doing?"
"I'm doing fine," Kai mentioned. He glanced to the side, "Even if we're on a boat..."
"I'm okay," You shrugged. "Just cold."
"We have plenty of blankets in the ship," Zane told you. "I believe Sensei brought them with. Would you like me to get one?"
You paused for a moment in surprise. Wu had? You didn't believe he had told you of the spare blankets. You let out a quiet breath of amusement. "I'll—"
"Woah," You turned to the red ninja. He was staring at you. "How'd you do that?"
"What?" You quietly laughed, and another small cloud fizzled into existence.
"That!" Kai pointed out.
"That's just me breathing," You explained. "I, uh... I think it's because my body's, uh..." You took a moment to think of the word, "temperature, right. My temperature's higher than yours. So when I breathe out, the hotter air does that because it's so cold out..."
"How much higher?" Kai asked.
"Uh," You thought for a moment. "I don't know the exact number..."
"It's quite a noticeable difference," Zane mentioned.
You jumped in place when you felt Kai's hand grasp yours.
Kai held a smirk. "No wonder Jay and Cole were all over you, that one night. You're nice and warm."
You barely held back the snort that threatened to leave. "Really? I feel the opposite, right now," You retorted.
"Jay and Cole were 'all over' (Y/n)?" Zane questioned Kai's word choice.
"You remember that movie night we had?" Kai asked. At Zane's nod, Kai motioned his head towards the upper deck, "The next morning, I woke up, and Cole was using (Y/n) as a pillow, and Jay was hugging (Y/n)'s arm."
"And you weren't all over me?" You jokingly questioned.
"It isn't anything to be embarrassed about, is it not?" Zane asked aloud. "This isn't all that funny..."
"It was funny because of how anxious Jay was, that morning," Kai shrugged. "Seriously, that guy wouldn't stop jumping every time someone said something."
You rolled your eyes. "Whatever," You laughed.
You then suddenly sneezed.
Despite the two ninjas' expressions of rather abject horror, you quickly got up to your feet. "I will go get a blanket."
You ducked into the ship and stopped in surprise. Just as Zane had said, a pair of blankets sat at the end of the room, neatly folded and ready for use. You crossed the room, carefully ensuring you didn't hit your head on the ceiling, and picked up a blanket.
"(Y/n)!"
You glanced back towards the exit. Kai had followed after you, and he moved closer with a surprise look. His hair barely brushed against the ceiling of the room as he asked, "You can sneeze, too?"
You offered a hesitant nod. "Yeah..." You said. You lifted the top-most blanket and threw it over your shoulders.
"You're sick again?"
"Hopefully not," You replied. "I was already sick... I don't want to be, again."
"So you're not," Kai slowly stated.
"I hope not," You said. You lifted the second blanket and held it out to Kai.
"Oh, uh," Kai shook his head. "No thanks..." As you set the blanket back down, Kai asked, "You don't even know if you're sick?"
"Not really," You sat back and silently huddled within your blanket.
"...How do you manage to survive?"
"Somehow," You shortly answered. You were starting to become a bit annoyed being asked questions you personally couldn't answer. You then decided to ask, "Did Jay ever tell you about the glass safe?"
"Huh?" Kai slowly shook his head. "No, why?"
"He called me a glass safe," You said.
Kai held a confused look for a moment longer before he held a tiny smile. "Honestly... That sounds about right."
You offered a sad smile back.
The ship had suddenly jerked forward. Kai was thrown off of his feet, and you jumped up and helped the red ninja. You and Kai headed outside to meet up with the others.
The air was far colder than it had been before. Snow had begun to wildly fall, and the world all around you was obscured in white.
"Are we here?" You asked as you approached the group of Ninjagoans.
"Not quite yet," Zane told you. "The Ice Temple is deep within the tundra."
"(Y/n)," Wu looked your way with a stern expression. "You shall stay here."
"What?" You asked.
"I feel as though this would be too dangerous for you," Wu said, "more so than I would wish for you to endure."
"It's because of the cold, isn't it?" You held a tiny smile. "I can handle it!"
You then sneezed again, startling the four younger Ninjagoans.
"You sure about that?" Kai gently elbowed your side.
You groaned and held your head in your hands. "And I just got better..."
"It would be wise for you to stay here and stay warm, (Y/n)," Zane approached you with a solemn smile. "The water the boats travel by should not freeze, correct?"
You quietly chuckled, remembering your strange analogy. "No, it shouldn't. Fine." You offered another smile. "Stay safe, ninja."
The four Ninjagoans hopped off of the boat and began their trek into the winter wonderland. The winds around you stilled for a moment before picking back up.
"Head inside, (Y/n)," Wu told you.
"Right," You nodded. The last thing you'd want was to freeze to death.
You entered the ship and sat down beside the spare blanket. You picked up the blanket and tossed it over the first. The two blankets weighed down your shoulders, and though you weren't constantly shivering, you felt like it still wasn't enough.
The door opened, and Wu entered. He shut the door behind himself before walking to you and sitting down.
You offered your second blanket.
"No, but thank you," Wu said. "You are always so kind..."
You held a solemn smile before it fell. "So... Did you want to talk about Morro?"
Wu nodded. "Right, you are. You've noticed that I have been distant, correct?"
You weakly laughed. "And you noticed that I've not been really... 'upbeat,' right?" That was a new word you heard Jay use a fair while ago. Though you were able to speak to the others as if nothing was wrong, the thoughts of Morro's passing still lingered and grew whenever you weren't talking to someone.
"I am sorry that you had to be the one to find him..." Wu quietly spoke. "It... It must have hurt to see someone you know in that state."
You sniffled once, your gaze dropping to your hands. "Yeah, it... It hurt a lot. Where..." You paused to try and collect yourself. You didn't want to burst into tears in front of Wu. "Where did you take him...?"
"A place deep within the Forest of Tranquillity," Wu calmly told you. "A place where no one could stumble upon accidentally. He rests there, now. Once we return, I could take you there to say farewell... one last time."
"Yeah," You sighed. "That would be nice..."
Silence passed. The winds outside howled against the sails and rattled the loose windows. It wasn't uncomfortable, but there was a feeling of something not fully being right. Not everything was okay.
"It's not your fault, you know," You said. "If you think it is, at least..."
"If it isn't my fault, then it surely cannot be yours, either," Wu glanced at you with a stern look.
You held a sad smile. "I guess not..." You wiped your cheek with part of your blanket. "I miss him."
Wu nodded. "Not a day goes by where I wish I could see him again."
"You think he's doing okay?"
Wu let out a short sigh as he pondered your question. "Perhaps," He finally said. "No one knows what happens to those who pass... We can only hope."
You nodded. "Yeah... I- I bet he's doing okay..."
Wu looked up towards the door. "I see you've been getting along with the others," He changed the topic.
"Yeah, I have," You answered truthfully. "I didn't think I'd be friends with them all so quickly..." You started questioning your word choice, though quickly dismissed your thoughts. Surely they saw you as a friend, too, and not just a teammate.
You hoped they saw you as a friend.
"I am glad," Wu told you. "You have been alone for quite some time..."
"Ha, ha," You sarcastically laughed. "It isn't my fault Ninjagoans throw rocks at me when they see me..."
"With time, I believe that will change," Wu stated. "There are great things planned within Ninjago..."
"I hope so," You replied. "It'd be fun to go out and do more things... See more of Ninjago, maybe?"
"It would be nice to bring you to a fairground..." Wu pondered. "I have heard a few great things about such places."
"What's a 'fairground?'" You asked. It was a word you hadn't heard before. You knew it was a place, as you knew what 'ground' was in Ninjagoan (and from your great deductive skills), but 'fair?' "It sounds like a nice place."
"I believe it is," Wu told you. "I hear they have playable games and a plentiful amount of food to enjoy, as well as great rides to hop on and experience."
Your interest piqued at the mention of food. "What sorts of food?"
"Most are quite unhealthy," Wu quietly chuckled, "though I guess that makes it all the more enjoyable."
You laughed at that. Unhealthy food always seemed to be the most enjoyable.
You heard several thumps above deck, followed by shouting and cheering. You looked up in surprise as Wu stood and quickly left the room.
You stayed behind. You were starting to feel numb. You had to stay as warm as possible, at least until you leave this frosty wasteland.
You hope you don't die from hypothermia along the way.
~
fairly short, but i enjoyed writing it :)
edited i lost the first draft :( but i edited again