On a String

Chapter 7

No.

Not now.

No.

Go away.

(Please ... stay)

Slumping exhaustedly against the railing, Kai looked up at the black figure silhouetted against the cheery yellow light shining from the dining room.

(How ironic that the light couldn't reach him out here, hidden away in the belly of the darkness.)

Who was there?

He would have thought it was Cole, but even as far away as he was, Kai was sure the figure was a little too short to be the Ninja of Earth. It couldn't be Zane or Nya- the hairstyle wasn't right and it wasn't Sensei Wu either as the figure wasn't wearing a hat.

"Are you okay?"

It was Jay. Just as he finished narrowing down the possibilities of who it could be, the cheerful voice rang out again and he recognized it immediately. It was foamy like bubbles floating on a soft breeze or sea foam bobbing up and down on turquoise waves.

"Kai?" Jay's figure disappeared from the light, and the creak of wooden planks told Kai that the Master of Lightening was making his way across the deck.

Kai didn't feel like the Master of anything at the moment.

"I'm... I'm here," he hated how weak his voice sounded; hated the way his throat rasped dryly like he'd been wandering in a desert for hours without water.

"Okay, hang on," Jay's voice sounded worried and he shuffled across the deck. "It's alright, Kai, I'm coming,"

Could you hurry?

Kai curled himself into a small ball; shaking arms wrapping around his folded legs with his chin resting on top. The darkness of the night seemed to be everywhere; crushing him as he shuddered, pinning him down as he gasped for breath (their bruising hands holding him in place), until he was nothing.

He felt rather than heard Jay sit down next to him. The blue Ninja was silent for a couple of seconds before taking a breath.

"I'm not going to ask you if you're okay, because you obviously aren't- no offence," Jay stated. He paused, expecting an answer. But none was forthcoming from the silent Kai so he continued. "I actually came out here to apologize for being so... direct in the conversation before dinner. I shouldn't have yelled to get answers from you. I'm sorry, Kai,"

In the darkness beside him, a trembling Kai desperately infused all the strength into his voice that he could muster. "That's okay. Be aware of your fear. Don't ... don't let it rule... you. You need to master your feelings, not the other way around," Sensei Wu did say he had to teach the group, hadn't he? Well, this was as good a place as any to start.

(Don't let it rule you...)

(Control you...)

(Slave)

(Puppet)

Stop!