ColexKai = Lava = Perfect♥️

V

This ones for @TenTailsDragon and @VikiLamaTV and it's 7000 words long.... I hope you love it just as much as i do

and i love you

TW: panic attack

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The dust of the Day of the Departed had finally settled, leaving a profound, ringing silence over the hills of Ninjago.

On the steps of Airjitzu Temple, the Ninja stood in a tight circle, their eyes fixed on the man standing in the center.

​Cole looked down at his hands—solid, tan, and etched with the faint scars of a life lived as an elemental master of earth.

He wasn’t a flickering green shadow anymore. He felt the weight of his own body, the cool evening breeze against his skin, and the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heart, beating in his chest.

​"You're really back, buddy", Kai said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

Cole winced, then grinned. "Ouch. I actually felt that. It's amazing"
​
​As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in bruised purples and golds, the team looked up at the weathered facade of Sensei Yang’s temple. It was eerie, yes, but it was standing tall against the rising sun.

"You know... this looks like a pretty cool place for a ninja to train", Cole smirked.

​"We need a base", Lloyd agreed, his voice tired but resolute.

"The Destiny’s Bounty is great, but we need roots. This place... it deserves a second chance. Just like Cole", he said, while grinning at his brother.

​They began to move, hauling crates of supplies and unrolling sleeping bags in the main hall. The smell of old parchment and floor wax filled the air.

Nya and Jay started roaming the hallway, looking into the rooms, Jay arguing over which one will be the best gaming room, while Zane began scanning the kitchen for any century-old dust that needed immediate purging.

​Cole was leaning against a pillar, still mesmerized by the way his own shadow followed him across the floorboards, when Kai walked up to him.

​"Oh, hey", Kai said, reaching into his gi pocket. "I’ve been holding onto this for you. Since, you know, ghosts and touchscreens don't exactly mix"

​He handed over a cracked, slightly dusty smartphone.
​
​The device felt strangely heavy in Cole's hand. No sooner had he touched it than the screen lit up, vibrating violently.

The caller ID flashed a name that made Cole’s stomach do a nervous flip: Dad.

​"It’s Lou", Cole whispered, his voice cracking.

​Kai gave him a supportive nod and stepped back to give him space. Cole took a deep breath - a real, deep breath (oh my gosh!) - and swiped to answer.

​"Dad? Hey-"

​"Cole! Where in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master are you?!", Lou’s voice boomed through the speaker, so loud that even Jay stopped talking across the room.

"The Royal Blacksmiths have been waiting at the theater for almost the whole night! The crowd is annoyed, Dareth is giving me hell, the other members of the group are worried, and my lead background dancer is nowhere to be found!"

​Cole winced, his face flushing.

Between fighting ghostly students and their creepy master and flying through a rift to become human again, the promise of performing with his Dad tonight at the charity event had completely slipped his mind.