Over those few days, Nya waited anxiously for Cole's return. But the black ninja never showed up. The worry inside of her only piled higher. He's so frightened, she thought. So scared. He's small and vulnerable to the world. How can he take care of himself out there?
As much as she dreaded it, she knew she had to talk to Kai. She had to convince him to find Cole and bring him home. He was the only person Cole would listen to.
Taking a deep breath, Nya halted in front of Kai's bedroom door. For Cole, she told herself. Before she could have second thoughts, she creaked open the door, calling, "Kai?"
She glanced around, finding the red ninja sitting at the edge of his bed with head lowered, back facing toward her. His head slowly lifted at the sound of her voice and he turned his head. "N-Nya?"
His eyes glittered with some emotion Nya couldn't put a name to. Warily, she came closer to him, eyeing him suspiciously in case he made any sudden movements. "H-hey," she mumbled. "Can... Can we talk?"
Kai's eyes widened, but Nya still couldn't decipher what he was feeling. "Of course," he answered, somewhat eagerly. He inched down the bed, making room for Nya to sit. But Nya hesitated. She didn't feel comfortable being so close to her brother, and she wanted an easy path to the door if anything happened. Kai seemed to notice her unease and he turned his gaze to the wall, eyes flashing.
Nya was almost positive she saw hurt in his eyes, but the red ninja quickly covered over his emotions with hardness. "Shoot," he huffed tightly.
Nya looked at her feet, unsure of how to start. "Well... you know Cole hasn't come back yet," she stammered.
Kai's face hardened even more. "Really?" he grunted sarcastically. "Funny you should think I care, 'cause apparently, I don't care." He turned his head away, as if he couldn't keep up his cover anymore and didn't want Nya to know.
Nya frowned, wondering if he really didn't care. "B-but you... you do want him to come home, right?"
Kai clenched his fists, still refusing to look at her. "What does it matter?" he muttered.
Nya's belly swarmed as she noticed how tense her brother was getting, but she forced herself to stay calm. "It happens to matter a lot," she breathed.
Kai gave a huff of frustration, turning his gaze back to the wall in front of him. "Just get to the point," he told her.
Nya swallowed before drawing in a deep breath. "Kai, I want you to look for Cole," she stated.
Kai's gaze snapped to her. "What?" he demanded.
Nya tensed. "I-I know he's out there," she went on shakily. "And he won't come back until you talk to him and tell him he's still your brother."
Kai furrowed his eyebrows and rose to his feet. "Why should I believe you?" he growled.
Nya took a step back, breath quickening. "You made Cole think he's responsible for all this," she said. "And he couldn't handle the guilt and he ran away. But if you'd just find him and tell him it's not his fault—"
"But what if it is his fault?" Kai interrupted angrily. "What if he's been the one behind this the whole time?"
Then Kai's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Nya's eyes start to tear up. "How could you say that, Kai?" she whispered, taking another step back. "After everything he's been through?"
Kai immediately regretted what he said as he realized he was losing Nya. "Wait, don't leave," he pleaded. "Please, talk to me. Don't leave me alone again."
Nya shook her head softly. "Find Cole," she told him. "Bring him home. Then I'll talk to you." Then she whipped around and raced out of the room.
Kai closed his eyes, inwardly groaning. I blew it, he thought. Suppressing a sigh, he walked across the room and stared out the window. What are you doing out there, Cole? he called silently. What's your side of the story? Suddenly, Kai felt a strange urge to talk to the black ninja. What really happened between you and Lloyd? he wanted to ask. Why did he tell you what he was going to do? Kai sighed. And why do you rely on me so much?
His heart began to ache. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed his friend a lot. He was the only one who really understood me, he thought. He drew his hand over his face. Oh, Ninjago, what do I do?
* * *
Kai headed down the hall a few hours later with his hands in his pockets. He kept his gaze on the ground until he heard footsteps and looked up to see Garmadon down the hall.
They both halted.
Garmadon stared at the ninja with eyes blazing. But Kai had had enough of this. He didn't shrink away or even want to. Instead, he lifted his chin and stared back, matching the blaze in his own gaze. The two glared at each other for what felt like hours. Then Garmadon, finally realizing Kai wasn't going to give in, sharply turned his head away and stalked down the hall.
Kai gave a faint scoff as he left. That's right, he thought. You can't scare me that easily. A rush of both surprise and dread shot through him. What are we doing? he wondered. What happened to us?
Just then, he heard more footsteps behind him and turned around to see Lloyd coming toward him. The red ninja looked away, gritting his teeth. The green ninja had moved back to his bedroom a few days ago and was pretty much recovered now. But Kai still didn't want to have anything more to do with him.
Lloyd halted beside Kai, and the red ninja immediately turned his back on him, not even wanting to look at the green ninja.
"What is it?" Lloyd inquired.
Kai furrowed his eyebrows and didn't respond.
Lloyd tipped his head. "You coming down for dinner?"
Kai tried his best to push away his confusion. "Why are you talking to me?" he muttered.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Lloyd asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"Well, you know, because I... I..." Kai's voice trailed off.
Lloyd shrugged, seeming perfectly calm. "Ah, you did what you had to do," he stated matter-of-factly.
Kai finally managed to look at the green ninja. "You mean, you're not... not... mad at me?"
"Of course not!" Lloyd gazed at Kai, eyes deepened. "There's something about you, Kai," he murmured thoughtfully. Then he gave the red ninja a nudge. "Come on, the food's getting cold."
Kai blinked as the green ninja swept past him. What is that supposed to mean? He watched Lloyd from down the hall and saw him turn his head.
"Hey, Jay!" he heard him call.
The blue ninja appeared from around the corner and went up to the green ninja. Lloyd put his arm over his shoulders and leaned his head closer, telling the blue ninja something Kai didn't catch. As the two continued down the hall, Jay stole a glance over his shoulder at the red ninja. Kai immediately looked away, not wanting to see what was in Jay's eyes. I've had enough with that guy, he thought gruffly.
From down the hall, Lloyd glanced sideways at Jay with satisfaction. He could see the conflict in the blue ninja's eyes as he turned back to him. "That doesn't bother you, does it?" Lloyd pressed.
Jay didn't meet his gaze. "No, o-of course not," he stated, although his eyes flashed with unease.
"Good."
Jay looked at the ground as they went on. Is that really what they think? he wondered. Again, he glanced over his shoulder at Kai. The red ninja had his back turned to him, so it was impossible to guess what he was thinking. Jay suppressed a sigh. I'm so confused.
* * *
From the cave in the mountains, Cole sat beside Raymond, watching the man intently as he worked. He listened to every word Raymond spoke, storing up the information for later.
"Now, Cole," Raymond began, still looking down at his work, "this needs mending. What tool should we use to fix it?"
Cole's gaze drifted over the row of tools, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. Then he reached out and grabbed the hammer, dragging it across the table toward Raymond.
The man smiled and took it. "That's right," he murmured approvingly.
Cole watched as Raymond began pounding at the metal and sparks flew from the hammer. The obnoxious sound used to frighten him, but now he was slowly getting used to it. After a while of tinkering, Raymond turned toward Cole, pushing his work toward him.
"Would you like to try?" he asked.
Cole's eyes widened in surprise. He looked down at the hammer and, nervously, grabbed the handle. Before he even tried to lift it, he knew he had bit off more than he could chew. With a grunt, he strained his frail muscles to raise the heavy hammer, but it barely shifted. His legs trembled as he finally managed to lift it a bit, but before long it fell back onto the table with a clunk.
Embarrassed, he let go of the hammer and looked at the ground dejectedly. Raymond frowned sympathetically and laid his hand on the ninja's shoulder. "Here," he breathed, rising to his feet. "You can help me build the fire instead."
Still looking at the ground, Cole shuffled after him and sat beside the pile of sticks. He tossed some loose sticks into the stack then turned his head to see Raymond picking up his two stones and beginning to rub them together to create sparks. Cole looked around and found two rocks of his own and carefully copied what the man was doing.
He watched in wonder as sparks began to fly from his hands. His excitement returning, he scraped the rocks against each other harder and faster until a larger flame shot out onto the sticks, alighting the fire. He jerked backward in alarm, staring at the fire with round eyes.
Raymond laughed, eyes glittering with amusement. Cole glanced at him and found a small smile appearing on his own face.
That night, the two stayed around the fire for a long time. Cole lay on his stomach, listening to the stories Raymond was telling. Raymond could see the fascination in the ninja's eyes and knew his shell was finally starting to crack. As he told his tales, Cole would laugh, while other times he was gripped in a suspenseful silence. Every now and then he would utter some sort of sound—like an attempted word or phrase that he couldn't quite complete.
A while later, while Raymond was still speaking, he looked over at Cole and found his eyes closed. Raymond went silent and smiled softly. He drew his blanket over Cole's shoulder and saw the ninja shift. He slightly blinked open his eyes and glanced up at Raymond lazily.
"I... I l-like that story," he croaked quietly.
Warmth spread through Raymond. He watched as Cole closed his eyes again and sank back into sleep. "Good night, Cole," he whispered.
* * *
"You coming?" Raymond called back into the cave.
A few moments of silence passed before Cole, barely visible against the shadowed cave, warily crept outside. He stiffened, screwing up his face, as soon as the light hit him. His breath quickened and his heart started to pound as he gazed around at the huge world in front of him. For the past week he had been hiding inside the cave, not once stealing a glance outside. But Raymond had persuaded him to get out a bit, and he wasn't used to the world outside the dark cave.
Raymond walked back over to him and laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Come on," he said. "I'll show you the best hunting grounds." He guided Cole forward.
Cole nearly tripped over his own feet as he tried to keep up with Raymond. He trudged through the snow at his feet wearily, chest starting to heave. Raymond noticed this and slowed down to a pace Cole could match.
Cole stuck as close as he could to Raymond, glimpsing around warily. He made sure his skin brushed Raymond's furry cloak, terrified of getting lost. He studied every bush, every shadow, watching for any sign of movement. Every little sound made him tense.
The chirp of a bird suddenly broke the silence and the animal shot across the sky.
Cole nearly leaped out of his skin and he threw himself against Raymond, head shooting upward. Raymond halted, frowning, and placed his arm around the ninja. "How about we rest a while?" he murmured, sitting down on a flat rock.
Nodding shakily, Cole awkwardly sank beside him, trembling from head to toe. His gaze flicked around anxiously, and Raymond rubbed his hand down his arm comfortingly. "You know," he breathed, "it's not all that bad once you look at it."
The undergrowth rustled in front of them. Cole's insides jolted and he shut his eyes, burying his face into Raymond's shoulder.
"Shh," Raymond whispered. "Look."
Heart pounding in his chest, Cole slowly blinked open his eyes again and followed Raymond's gaze. His eyes widened as he saw two brown ears poke out of the bushes, followed by a small, round head. Not daring to breathe, Cole watched as a young, female deer crept out of the undergrowth, ears pricked and eyes bright. It took no notice to the two people as it lowered its head and snuffled the ground, fur rippling in the sunlight.
"You see?" Raymond whispered, keeping his eyes on the deer.
Cole slowly began to relax again, his anxiety shifting to wonder. The deer standing against the snow-covered bushes suddenly looked beautiful to him. He watched as the deer suddenly looked up, ears shooting upward. For a moment, its glittering gaze locked with Cole's, then it swiftly darted away. A small smile appeared on Cole's face.
Raymond chuckled and got to his feet. "Shall we continue?"
His spirits returning, Cole slid off the rock and nodded eagerly.
The two set off again, but this time, Cole focused on the good things. He skipped along beside Raymond, his round eyes observing everything around him. He still watched the undergrowth intently, but this time, he hoped to catch sight of another creature. His gaze snapped upward whenever he heard the flapping of a bird's wing to watch it fly gracefully across the blue sky. I never realized how big the world is, he thought.
Raymond pointed things out to him, informing him the names of things, which places were the best for hunting animals, and where were good spots to just relax. Cole listened, but often something would catch his eye and distract him.
Raymond suddenly turned from where they were headed and started toward the river instead. "It's best to stay away from there," he told Cole. "It's where the wolves like to hunt."
He glanced over his shoulder to see Cole nodding, but he could tell the ninja was still half-distracted. He halted beside the river and knelt beside it, finding it was beginning to ice over. He drew out his bow and arrows. "We should take advantage of the river before it freezes," he stated. "How would you like to learn how to fish, Cole?"
There was a silence.
Raymond turned around, blinking when he realized Cole had disappeared. "Cole?"