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

Chapter 4

* * *

Nya headed down the hall after talking with Jay. She had told him what had happened between her and Kai, and now the blue ninja was determined to protect her. Usually, she would've told him she could handle herself, but this was her brother she was talking about. If he attacked her again, would she be able to bring herself to hurt him?

She didn't know what Kai was thinking about her. She didn't know if he had wanted to hurt her. All she knew was that she didn't trust him—and that was all she needed to know. He's just been so angry lately, she thought. And I never know what he's going to do next.

She tried to push away her worries. I still have Jay, she told herself. And I trust him completely. He only wants to take care of me.

At the thought of being taken care of, Nya's pace quickened. She was heading for Cole's room. She hadn't seen him since he ran off in tears on the night of the rooftop battle, and she wanted to check if he was okay. All this is a lot for him, she thought. His fear, his wounds, and now his guilt is too much for him to handle. She frowned. I just hope I can convince him that none of this was his fault.

Finally, she came to his door. She didn't bother to knock, knowing that the black ninja wouldn't answer anyway. "Cole?" she called as she stepped into the room. As she predicted, there was no response. She glimpsed around the room, furrowing her eyebrows when she didn't spot the black ninja. "Cole?" she repeated more softly as she entered the room deeper.

She knew Cole wouldn't be anywhere else but his bedroom when he felt like this, but he was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, Nya turned around as she heard the creak of an open window. She froze for a minute before darting over to the window, wincing as the cold air hit her face. She looked down at the lower roof, finding a set of footprints in the snow. Her eyes widened as she saw the trail lead off the roof and onto the ground, into the forest. Her breath quickened and she stumbled backward. Cole! No!

"Cole!" Nya shouted, bursting out of his bedroom. "Cole's gone!"

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone?" Wu inquired.

Nya's eyes were wild with panic as she showed them the footsteps in the snow. "He must've ran away!" she wailed.

Jay peered out the window. "Maybe he just went for a walk?" he suggested.

Nya shook her head. "He couldn't have!" she protested, knowing how the black ninja had been feeling lately.

Wu heaved a sigh as a cold gust of wind hit them. "There's no use looking for him now," he murmured. "A storm's coming."

Nya's eyes widened in horror. "A snowstorm?" she gasped, gazing out the window again. "We have to find him! He'll be killed!"

"Cole's smart," Jay told her. "He'll know how to find shelter. And he's strong, too. There's no way he'll let a snowstorm get him!"

But he's not strong! Nya wanted to scream. He's not strong at all! He's weaker than he's ever been in his life!

Wu leaned forward and shut the window. "If we go out there now, we could all get killed," he muttered.

Nya felt her eyes swell with tears as she watched the snow begin to whirl. As Wu and Jay left the room, she felt an arm lay across her shoulders comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Nya. It'll all be okay," Kai's voice breathed in her ear.

Nya gazed up at her brother in surprise. His eyes were warm and apologetic, but Nya couldn't handle it. Letting out a sob, she drew away from her brother and fled out of the room. Cole's gone, she thought dreadfully. I failed him. I failed to look after him. And now he's gone. My closest friend is gone.