"Bring Back What Once Was Mine"
(the mechanics and plot of this AU is still under heavy editing since I'm still unsure on some stuff)
To anyone who knows what the plot of Dororo is, then you'll have an idea on where this story goes.
Anyways, instead of Wu becoming all ghostly and spirit-y in Dragon's Rising, it's Lloyd.
Lloyd finds out, when he was giving Wu the scrolls he asked for, about the Coalescence two days prior to it happening.
He had a whole argument with Wu about it and demanding answers on why there was a Coalescence.
Wu begrudgingly explains it to Lloyd and made him promise not to tell the ninja yet.
Lloyd, upset about the information, did his own research in hopes to keep the realm stable cuz surely the merging of all the 16 realms is not without consequences.
The night before the Coalescence, in his desperation, he was able to communicate with his Grandfather- the FSM- to make a deal.
FSM agrees, although with a bit of hesitance on his part, but his bloodline is nothing but stubborn when they had already set their mind into something.
However, Instead of the ninja getting separated they were instead tied back to the monastery, the same way Lloyd was in the show. Wu doesn't become a spirit that pops up and be cryptic when the ninja needs him, which does confuse him.
Until they figured out why...
The ninja woke up confused and disoriented with Wu. They noticed that one of them was missing and they began to panic.
They decided to look for Lloyd insude monastery, hoping that maybe Lloyd just woke up earlier than them and was already inside. But that doesn't make sense.
When they got inside, they noticed how different the monastery was. Eventually one of them noticed that the door to Lloyd's room was open.
What inside hid broke them.
There Lloyd was, unmoving and hollow. Only his major organs remaining in his body keeping him alive. The sight too horrific even with the green gi still wrapped around his limbless torso and the blanket draped almost deliberately gentle on him.
They broke down in despair, grieving for someone who's still there.
Wu felt especially guilty, blaming himself for Lloyd's reckless actions.
After gathering themselves, they had immediately made some way for Lloyd to seem a bit more like himself.
Kai, Nya, Jay and Zane along with PIXAL had volunteered to create the prosthetics for Lloyd. Cole keeping to his side while the others worked. While Wu burried himself in his scrolls, despite most them being lost in the merge.
While Cole was taking care of Lloyd in his state, he noticed that he still seemed to respond to his presence. Tilting his head to where Cole was. Cole immediately told the others about this and a new spark of hope ignited in them that they hadn't lost their brother at all.
Since Lloyd's sacrifice had stabilized the realm. Mergequakes weren't a thing. Yet.
A few years after the ninja settled into a strange kind of normalcy and finally having the strength to leave Lloyd's side. They all went their separate ways to look for some kind of solution to whatever had happened to the green ninja.
Meanwhile, Wu stayed behind to look after Lloyd.
During their expedition, one of the ninja (either Zane or Kai) found a temple in one of the realms. Inside, there was a shrine housing a glowing green-gold orb. Out of curiosity, they decided to approach the shrine to which the orb reacted violently to.
A fight broke out and they hit the orb. Orb exploded, a wish shoots out to a direction.
Later they find out from a distressed Wu, holding one of Lloyd's prosthetics, that Lloyd's are came back.
They later figured out that the shrines and the orbs inside them had something to do with it, so with renewed vigor they started hunting for these in hopes to make Lloyd whole again.
However, around the third destroyed orb, mergequakes started appearing and the realm started destabilizing.
New foes started appearing as well. The whole imperium using dragon energy to fuel their city also became another problem they had to deal with.
Prioritizing Lloyd became frustratingly difficult when so many problems are popping out of nowhere one after the other.
Along the way, Sora, Arin and Wyldfire became their students. It wasn't after a few months during their stay ate monastery did they find out what happened to the Legendary Green Ninja.
It was during the time they got suspicious about the ninja hiding something, and sora decided snooping around with the other two only to see Lloyd in all his prosthetic and build-a-friend glory, laying in bed.
Him turning his head to their direction after sensing their presence did not help with reducing their fear.
After much screaming, misunderstandings and accusations later, the ninja finally explained what happened.
The trio of new ninja now wanted to help with the effort of making Lloyd whole again.
This story will be incredibly angsty, depressing and only gets worst first before it gets better. The ninja all have their issues with what happened to their youngest brother and leader.
Its about family going through great lengths for each other and holding on too much to the past and desperately looking the past in their present.
(might write it into a full story or i might just add some more stuff here)
