Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 3: Little Secrets

Hardly anybody was wandering the grounds of the park that day, which was just fine with Cole. He wanted to be alone.

Just as he did last night, he stood on Cherry Blossom Bridge. Arms on the rail, he stared into his blurred reflection in the river. He didn't know why he came here. It'd just seemed like a good place to go.

The sky was bright and blue. Puffy white clouds drifted across the sky, grazing the spires of the skyscrapers. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves of the trees and soaked into Cole's back. The woods rustled and whispered with the wind, and a soft breeze toyed with Cole's hair. If it wasn't for the distant sound of traffic, one could believe they were the only human being within miles.

Time passed peacefully. He was glad to simply stay in one place quietly and breathe, but it didn't stop the feeling of guilt.

How could I do that? He bowed his head. In a moment of rage, he had hurt his friend. He had had no idea what he was doing. What happened to his hands? Was it connected to Sensei Yang? Was it connected with his elemental powers?

What if they had some kind of effect on Jay? What if that punch did something really bad to him? What if—?

Something thumped to his left. Cole spun around, and saw that he was no longer alone. "Liana!"

It felt odd seeing her in daylight. Her scars even more vivid in the sun. Wisps of pale blond hair escaped her long ponytail and danced in the breeze. She held a support cane in one hand and carried a book in another.

"Cole!" Looking surprised, she stepped onto the bridge beside him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He paused, regarding her. "When did you start using that?" He pointed at the support cane, temporarily forgetting she couldn't see his gesture. "You've never used one before."

"This is new. I started using it when we arrived here in Ninjago City. All the noise makes it harder for me to sense where I'm going."

"Your family's in Ninjago City?" Cole asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Yeah. We're here for my cousin Rosie's graduation. She's been attending the college here, majoring in communications."

"Oh. Well, ah—" He stammered, "You must be proud."

She nodded again. "She's worked hard."

There was a long, awkward silence. Unaware of the situation, birds chirped cheerfully over their heads. Cole tried to think of something to say. I'm sorry your brother passed? That support stick looks good on you? Hey, look at that bird—Oh, wait, sorry, you're blind? What a nice day?

It was Liana, though, who broke the silence. "I'm sorry that I had to bring the news of Philip to you. That must have been a nasty shock." She looked remorseful.

He responded quietly. "It— it's fine, Liana... I— I'm glad you told me."

In a way, that was a lie. It was her fault that he now felt so distracted and wounded right now. Why did Liana have to show after all these years and disrupt his life with unnecessary grief? Wouldn't it had been better for both of them if she had kept her quiet and left him alone? He could have gone on thinking that his old friends were still living happily together in Stiix. Would that be so bad?

He sighed. Yes. Better to know the truth than to continue living in oblivion. Cole knew that.

"Do you miss him?"

As soon as he said that, he berated himself. Stupid question.

"Very much." Liana bit her lip. "So much that it still hurts."