Lego Ninjago: Down To Earth

Chapter Five: The Fire and the Flame

Nicco, Luke, Jesse and Lloyd were sat in the living room, waiting for the other two to return. The disappearance of Cole had broken Lloyd, his face was pale and he had dark rings under his eyes, from endless nights of searching for Cole. His eyes once sparkling eyes were dull and fearful, and his lips quivered at every mention of Cole's name. Even being sixteen he still had no idea how to control his emotions and yield from them. The roar of Jay's lightning jet as it lowered into the garage underneath the floating temple, startled him and he ran outside to see four people climb out of it, He use airjitzu to lower himself to the ground and run toward them.

"THEY'RE BACK! THEY'RE BACK!" he cried. His beaming smile faltered as he saw the unconscious bodies of Jay and Nya.

"Don't worry, they're still alive." a familiar voice ensured him. Lloyd thought he had been imagining this voice before turning around and seeing the unshaven face of the friend whom disappeared six months ago. Lloyd embraced Cole in a back breaking hug before running to help Zane carry Jay into the temple, where they laid him in his room and Nya into hers. 

"Could I speak to you please Cole?" Zane asked, standing on the balcony. It was raining, but they didn't seem to mind. Cole ignored the frosty chill of the wind as he leaned on the edge of the balcony, allowing it to flurry into his face, ruffling his coal black hair slightly.The rain fell softly as if it knew of the hardships both behind and ahead. Each droplet alighted on his skin with just enough coolness too command his mind to the present, to pull him away from the pain of the past and the uncertainty of what was to come. 

"How long are you going to hide him?" Zane interrogated, breaking Cole out of his daze.

"Huh?" he grunted.

"I'm a nindroid, just because the others don't see him doesn't mean I can't, no matter how well he hides himself." Zane assured him. 

"Who are you on about?" Cole sighed, wiping the damp hair out of his eyes. But he knew who Zane was on about. Just because Yang was a ghost and could turn invisible, didn't mean Zane wouldn't have been able to see him. Zane would have infrared sensors, they could detect ghosts and see things that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

"Yang." Zane blinked at him curiously, wondering if Cole knew that he knew. 

"Let me guess, infrared sensors," Cole huffed, crossing his arms.

"No, you're always talking to yourself when there's nobody there, I also hear his voice, I'm not stupid Cole." Zane put his arm on Cole's shoulder. 

"I'm not sure, as long as I need to and as long as he wishes me to." Cole answered with a glance at Yang's office window, which he had made out of bounds to the others, including Sensei Wu and Misako. He'd said that as Sensei Yang's last request, he asked for none of the possessions in his office were to be touched or fiddled with. Of course, Jay would be having a hissy fit and Kai would join in, Lloyd and Zane would give their nod of understanding, though Sensei Wu and Misako were confused as to why they weren't allowed in either. Wu and Misako were the only ones that knew of Cole and Yang's last-minute friendship and then understood. Though Cole thought that Wu, with the mysterious twinkle in his misty, grey eyes, knew something. 

"That's understandable, with Jay concerned he would be living with the ghost he presumed dangerous, that manipulated and captured his best friend." Zane bit his lip.

"It does sound a bit strange doesn't it? Allying myself with the person that used me to bring back past evil doers, releasing himself from vulnerability to become immortal. I know, it was all because he didn't want to be forgotten, he didn't want to face it." Cole's eyes pricked with tears, he'd always tried his best to hide them but this time, he allowed them to trickle down his cheeks. 

"You're crying?" Zane pitied him. Cole had been through more than all of the ninja put together. Though some even he himself didn't know.  There was something special about that man, something very special indeed. If Cole was able to put out a fire like that; absorbing it with his very fingertips, then there was something very special about him, and Zane would be the one to find out.

"I'm not all strong ya know. Not mentally anyway, it'd been tough practically my whole life, with a father that's never really been there for me, who sends me to a boarding school thinking I would enjoy it, and now a best friend who believed me to be the murderer of his own parents that I would have adored as my own," Cole's voice was small and broken, he wiped tears from his eyes and began to walk to his room.

"He was protecting you." Zane grabbed Cole's arm. "Do you think that after all you had been through together he would be fully aware that you would never do anything to seriously harm him or anyone important to him."

"By protecting you mean locking me in my room for months on end with no access to training, exercise or sunlight for that matter?" Cole heaved.

"Protecting you by making sure you didn't get into any more trouble," 

"Oh really?"

"Ben knows to."

"Huh?"

"Ben, the one with the glasses, about Yang, he has the element of spirit. He can see through people's eyes and tell what their future is going to be. Though he hasn't quite mastered it yet." Zane followed Cole's gaze to Jay's bedroom door. "They'll be fine, they'll be awake by morning."

"Right. Thanks Zane, I'm glad there's someone I don't have to keep secrets from, because you always find out for yourself, I'm going to wait for Jay to wake up, you can go to sleep if you want Zane," Cole began to tip toe to Jay's room.

"You forget, nindroids don't sleep." Zane whispered as he made his way to his own room.

Morning came dull and grey, it was still raining, which was unusual, seeing as they had accommodated themselves in a desert. Jay had woken screaming from a dream recount of the fire. Cole woke up startled and tried calming him down, which seemed to have worked immediately.

Upon seeing his best friends' face Jay felt relieved that he was still alive. Or was he? Jay stretched out a hand and touched Cole's face, just to ensure he was real. He tried to sit up, but found it slightly painful to do so, but he ignored this and hugged his friend. Cole hugged him back but pushed him away.

"Now do you see I'm not a murderer?" Cole glared at him, turned away.

"Excuse me, what?" Jay laughed weakly.

"Remember, you thought I killed your parents," Cole snarled, looking deep into Jay's electric blue eyes.

"Heck no! Why the hell would I think that?" Jay grabbed Cole's wrist, "Of course you'd be stupid enough to think, that after all we've been through, I would think you a murderer, especially the murderer of my own parents."

"You're right, I am stupid, but why did you lock me in my room all those months?" Cole gritted his teeth and pulled his wrist away.

"To protect you Cole, we all saw what that creature did to you, it might still be after you, it has the power to kill you," Jay's eyes welled with tears, he probably shouldn't have said that last part.

"What? And nothing else does?" a sudden wave of blood consumed him, and he became angrier than ever as he began to walk out of the room.

"That creature was possibly more powerful than any other villain we've faced. I didn't want you getting hurt." Jay sobbed.

"I can handle more than you think," Cole then howled in pain as his shoulder blades cracked.

"Are you alright?" Jay ran over to steady him.

"I think so, just a slight pain in my back." Cole placed a hand on Jay's shoulder. He guided Cole to a gaming chair, by his desk. He ran to get Zane and Lloyd who were at first overjoyed to see Jay alive, awake and well, but upon seeing his eyes with tears of fear clinging to his lashes.

"What is it Jay?" Lloyd asked. Jay turned toZane who also understood what was happening. They ran back into Jay's room tofind that Cole was missing.