Darkness from Within #6: A Team Divided (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Later that night, Raymond spotted Cole sitting near the cave mouth, staring out into the distance. The black ninja stayed there for a while before turning slightly and shifting his gaze to the ground. Raymond gazed at him questioningly, and Cole grabbed a stick and began drawing in the dirt.

Raymond set down his work and headed across the cave, sitting beside Cole. He followed the ninja's sorrowful gaze to the ground, where he was drawing what looked to be five people. Then he drew a circle around them and went silent.

Raymond saw Cole's eyes glittering with grief as he looked down at the picture. The man gazed down at the people. "Do... Do you know them?" he asked.

Cole swallowed. "Fr... friends," he rasped, voice wavering.

Raymond laid his hand on the ninja's shoulder. "Do you miss them?" he murmured.

Cole nodded, sniffling.

Raymond frowned, seeing how saddened the boy looked. His heart began to break as he thought about his next words, but he knew it was what was best for Cole. "Then you should go to them," he told him.

Cole shook his head, wiping his eyes. "Can't... can't," he choked out. Then he grabbed the stick again and started to draw a sixth person outside of the circle. His eyes deepened with memories as he drew a long shape in the person's hand, which Raymond observed to be a sword. Cole took a shaky breath and dragged a line from the sword to the person in the center of the circle: the person Raymond guessed to be Cole himself.

Raymond furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out what Cole was trying to tell him, when the black ninja began to rub his neck. He stared down at the picture in silence, his eyes round with shock and anxiety.

Raymond looked at him and found he was rubbing the scar down his neck. "That person..." He gazed down at the person outside the circle. "He's the one who hurt you?"

Cole began to tremble and he looked away, answering Raymond's question. The man's gaze shifted to the people inside the circle. "Your friends?" he pressed. "Did they help you?"

When Cole looked back again, his expression was suddenly hardened. He furrowed his eyebrows and swiped his hand across the dirt, destroying the picture. "They're not my friends anymore," he muttered, rising to his feet.

Raymond's eyes widened in surprise. Cole went over to the cave mouth and leaned against the wall, gaze forward and focused. Raymond got to his feet and walked over to him, gazing sideways at him sympathetically. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

Cole didn't look at him. "I-I couldn't if I wanted to," he breathed, eyes growing nervous once again. Shaking his head, he turned around and headed into the shadows of the cave. He sank onto his mat, eyes fixed on the wall. He turned his back toward Raymond and the rest of the cave, facing only the shadows. The pain in his heart deepened as he lay there, trapped in his thoughts. How can they be my friends when all I do at the monastery is get hurt? he wondered. He suppressed a sigh. He knew that wasn't true. The truth was, he didn't want to go back to the monastery. He wasn't ready. He was just looking for some excuse to stay in that cave, where he was safe and warm.

But would that be enough?

Would staying hidden in the mountains—away from people, away from his duty as a ninja—be enough to satisfy the rest of his lifetime?

Troubled, Cole sat up again. What am I doing? he thought. I can't stay here. Ninjago needs me.

But does it?

Another seed of uncertainty bloomed inside of him. He twiddled with his blanket anxiously. Was it worth it? Was pressing on as a ninja worth it now that their team was broken apart?