Date at WcDonalds

Chapter 1 - Chance Encounter

A/N: Quick note, I wrote this story before I got my own copy of the 'Phantom Ninja' comic, and so it doesn't quite fit the way I write Seliel now. It's not extremely off either, maybe the difference isn't even noticeable, but I definitely would do it a bit differently nowadays. That being said, I'm still proud of this story as it is and plan to copy it exactly as is from FFN. I'll be posting a new chapter every day so come back tomorrow for more!

. . . 

Cole was having a lot of bad days recently. Maybe it was because he was just in a bad mood, or maybe it was because he couldn't seem to hold anything in his hands without it dropping and breaking. Whatever it was, nothing was going right for him these days.

The last straw finally came one day while he was playing Fist to Face, a mere hundred points away from beating his personal best score. Then, without warning, the game controller fell out of his hands – or rather, through his hands – and he lost his advantage. He at first had to make sure he didn't sink through the floor as well, and by the time he had scrambled to pick the controller up again, the words "Game Over" were flashing across the screen.

"Oh, come on!" He tossed the controller aside, defeated. "I nearly had that!"

Jay happened to be walking by at that moment, and paused in the doorway. He chuckled when he glanced at the TV screen. "You lose again?"

"I can't help it! I can't seem to stay solid for ten minutes at a time, and now I can't even play video games properly!"

"Oh." Jay's face fell when he understood Cole's dilemma. Honestly, aside from the green complexion and the dull glow, Jay had almost forgotten what had happened to Cole. He tried to find a bright side to encourage his friend with. "Well, it's only been a few weeks – "

"A few months, more like," Cole interrupted.

"Whatever. Point is, I know you've been working hard to gain control of your new abilities, but maybe it just takes more time. After all, we didn't learn Spinjitzu in a day."

But that wasn't the only problem, was it? There was so much in his life that was different now, nearly every day he was finding something new that he couldn't do anymore. And then he constantly had to be on the lookout to avoid liquids, so much that he had nearly developed a phobia as bad as Kai's. He couldn't imagine how he was going to function moving forward.

Cole got to his feet. "I'm gonna go for a walk," he announced. Jay looked like he wanted to say something more, but for once he managed to keep his mouth shut.

The Bounty was parked right outside Ninjago City, so Cole figured he could just wander around there until he had blown off some steam. The sun was starting to set, so he wouldn't want to stay out for too long. But even as he passed through the city limits, he failed to notice the dark storm clouds forming in the sky.

He kept his head down and his jacket hood up, not wanting to see all the strange looks he would get from people. However, it seemed that no one really cared about him. Surrounded by crowds of civilians busy with their own lives, minding their business and not really worried about what he was up to, it felt good to be ignored. It felt normal.

His eyes darted up when he heard thunder rumble overhead. He had thought that it was only getting so dark because the night was setting in, but he hadn't realized that the clouds overhead were full and ready to burst.

He was about to turn tail and make a mad dash for the Bounty, when he heard something else.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Cole looked across the street to see a woman chasing after a man with a purse.

Cole groaned to himself. He really had to get home, before it started raining – but there was no way he could just stand here and watch the thief get away. He checked for traffic and then sprinted across the street, praying that the rain would hold off for just a bit longer.

He could see the two figures up ahead. His earth powers wouldn't be much use in the city, where he could easily do more damage than good. But he was starting to catch up just as the thief turned a sharp corner and headed into an alley. The woman foolishly followed him, and Cole tried to pick up the pace.

But as he rounded the corner he was caught by surprise. Instead of being cornered in a dead end street, the girl seemed to have gained an advantage.

Cole watched in awe as she dodged his poorly planned punches and then retaliated with a sharp kick to the man's side. The thief doubled over and the woman snatched her purse back. And with another kick, the thief was out for the count.

"Huh. Guess I'm not needed after all."

Cole saw the woman tense before she spun around and threw a well-aimed punch at his head. Cole flinched, but of course, it went right through him.

"What the – " The girl backed away, but then her eyes narrowed in recognition. "Cole? Is that you?"

Now that he could see her face, Cole recognized her as well. He could even make out a few bright fuchsia locks under her hood. He chuckled to himself. "Ha! I should have known. Long time no see, eh?"

Seliel's eyes widened. "It is you! But . . . what happened?"

"Nothing too terrible," Cole said lightly, not wanting to get into the details now. "I can tell you the whole story later, but for now, why don't we get this perp to the to the proper authorities?"