Extinguished

Breaking

Cole wished he could close his eyes. He wished he could shove his hands over his ears and stop himself from hearing the agonized pain of his brother cauterizing his own wound with his own power.

[Things like this shouldn't happen. It was irony. Irony. In the worst of ways, it could've been laughable, but in this moment, it was everything but. Because Kai, the Master of Fire, was using his power in a way he never thought he'd have to. To heal himself, but also causing himself more pain than ever imaginable. He felt his own familiar hands bringing fire across his skin, causing both damage and good. His screams would lead to his healing. How ironic.]

But Cole's hands remained steady. Willpower was something he knew all too well - something embedded in him. And if this would help Kai, he had to power through it. He held Kai's arms down with ease, which sickened him. His force and strength were causing his brother pain [but it was going to help him itwasgoingtohelp!], tears running heedlessly down Kai's pale cheeks.

Kai's vision went white, but he wasn't done yet. He screamed through the leather hilt clenched between his teeth, his jaw pained and tired at the force. If it hadn't been for the hilt, his cries would've echoed through the darkness and he and Cole would've been done for.

Finally, Kai's power faltered. In a whoosh of air, his fire extinguished, and his hands fell away from his wound. His exhaustion and agony caught up to him, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Kai!" Cole lunged forward, gripping his friend's shoulder. "Kai, no, no, hey, wake up," he pleaded desperately. He grasped at Kai's face, patting the shining cheek in fleeting attempts. "Bro, I can't, you can't leave-" Cole sobbed, his own tears finally falling as he leant over his limp brother. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, bro, please don't leave me down here. I need you and this is my fault and..." He trailed off, choking on tears and anxiety [and death and more death and dark and-].

There was too much welling inside him. A thousand knives had pierced him, leaving only burning, burning [burning like his brother, but this was a cold burning - this was the blue flames - the hottest flames - so hot, that touching them felt cold. Hopeless.]

All the pain, the fear, the sorrow came out in a cry. An agonized cry that shook the earth and for a moment, scared the darkness away. Cole released the cry with his arms spread to the side, and if he'd been paying attention, he would've seen the recoil of the mist's tendrils. But then his fingers were twisting in his hair, as he tried to steady himself.

[Steady. Like the earth, a foundation upon which other's stood. And the earth didn't fall - shouldn't fall. And neither would Cole.]

Trembling, and subconsciously hating himself for alerting all evil to their whereabouts, Cole reached forward a tentative hand. He steeled himself as he felt for Kai's pulse. It didn't take long to find one. The torture had worked. Queasy, Cole looked back at the wound, Kai's torn gi still hanging off him. The wound was ugly, but the bleeding was near gone.

Clenching his jaw, and using the hope Kai's [steady] pulse had given him, Cole pulled off his own gi and long-sleeved black undershirt. His gi was soon torn into strips, a makeshift bandage. Breathing a shaky sigh, Cole leaned forward to wrap the wound, suddenly grateful Kai wouldn't have to be awake for more pain. The fire ninja grimaced even in his sleep until the tight wrapping was done.

Gently, Cole lifted his friend's unconscious form and pulled him until Kai's back was against Cole's chest. Then, he slipped his undershirt over Kai's head and maneuvered his arms into the sleeves. It wasn't much, but he had to keep Kai as warm as possible.

The sleeves covered Kai's hands, and Cole breathed a breathy laugh. Kai had always been a smaller than him, and now he just looked even smaller, and more vulnerable and [needing to be protected and-]

Looking around then and ignoring his own teeny tiny injury [it felt that way, in comparison], Cole tried to plan the next course of action. His comm had been smashed or lost in the crash, so there was no hope of contacting their friends. Kai needed further help than this or infection would set in, and he still didn't know what evil lurked down here or where the Oni even kept base.

He sighed, glancing down at his friend's furrowed brow, lined with a sheen of sweat. If Kai had been awake, he would've been a fighting spirit - he may not know where to go, but he sure as heck would have acted like it. And that was what they needed right now.

They sure didn't need Cole, injured himself and not in his right mind, sitting uselessly as he clung to his dying best friend in the middle of a dark and dying Ninjago City.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Try it again!" Her voice ripped through the eerie, staticky silence, as the others only stared sorrowfully at the ground.

"Nya..." Wu, the only one who was somewhat put together, stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "This is the 6th time we've tried to reach them. Even if they still had their comms in one piece, we don't know what kind of interference the mist would cause." He let out a long sigh as if steeling himself for what he didn't want to say, but had to. "And Nya, I know it's not what you want to hear but, you must realize how far they-"

"No!" Nya flung the hand off her shoulder and backed away. "No, Sensei, I don't need to realize anything because I already know! I already know how far they dropped, and I know there's next to no chance, but until I see..." Her jaw trembled and the mood of the room dropped even lower as they saw the tears in her eyes. Through tears she managed, holding up a shaky finger, "Until I see my brother's body in front of me, lifeless, he is not dead."

Before anyone could protest, she stalked over to the radio where Zane stood and the nindroid quickly obliged to let her take control.

Nya spoke to an empty radio wave. "Hello? Cole? Kai?...Anyone?"

[Static. Silence. Helpless.]

"Kai, please!" Nya screamed. She punched the control panel, cursing as her fist throbbed painfully upon contact.

Jay made his move then, gently pulling her into him with his own eyes glistening. She fought his grip, screamed and tried to get away, but he knew - he knew how to get to her. He held tight, and eventually she sunk into his arms, sobbing as he guided her to the ground.

Soon, the others had joined the hug until the saviors of Ninjago were nothing but a sobbing, grieving pile of vulnerable kids with the world crushing them with its weight.