Note: I know I haven't exactly wrote much Lava except for the first few chapters so I'm gonna put some in this chapter now! From now on, Kai and Cole will be our focus characters. But there will be a few other chapters focused on other characters, I will add a warning before the stories start. Enjoy, everyone!
Cole sat up and rubbed his eyes. Gosh, why does it feel like the more he sleeps the more tired he gets? He touched the bandage wrapped around his stomach. It didn't hurt as much as before to sit up, but he could still feel a sting of pain every few seconds.
It's okay, he'll endure it like every other time when he gets injured. Cole could handle it, it's fine. With his elemental power, he'll heal faster than any normal guy would've been.
Cole stared at the clock hung above a painting, it was a painting of his mother. It was an old painting his father had gotten when his mother was still alive. His father had insisted him to bring it with him before he left him in the city, the time when he only went to visit his father just to get the fangblade.
4:07pm, Cole forced himself out of the bed. He had been on the same bed for almost two weeks, it's as if he'd forgotten how to walk and he staggered over literally air. His body slumped against the wall with a thump, he balanced himself and tried to walk again. Alright, he could walk. But his legs were really numb, his neck and backbone ached.
"Oh for FSM's sake, my body wasn't this weak!" Cole pouted.
Just then, the door clicked opened and Kai rushed in, his eyes slightly reflecting panic.
"Cole, are you okay? Why'd you get out of bed?" Kai held him by his arm.
"Kai, I'm fine. I just wanted to stretch my legs, y'know?" Cole gave him a forced smile, Kai looked unconvinced.
"You shouldn't, Pixal said you'd only be healed by next week, paired with your elemental power," Kai pecked a kiss on his cheek, Cole blushed.
"Haha...I could get used to this," Cole gave a painful chuckle, his wound ached again, screaming for him to go back to bed. But he knew he had to take a step, or else he'd be better off chopping his legs off.
"And you'll get more if you get back to bed, now," Kai pointed towards the bed, Cole pouted again.
"Awh, do I really have to?"
"Cole, you just tripped and banged against the wall. That's why I rushed here, I heard the loud thumping from literally at the courtyard," Kai shot him a stern look.
"Give me another shot, I won't trip again!" Cole removed his hand from the wall and tried to balance himself. It worked, but when he took another step, the pain in his stomach shook him and he fell forward.
Kai was quick to act and held him steady, he snapped an annoyed look, "Back to bed,"
"Ugh..fine," Cole slowly moved himself back to bed and sat there, looking down, pouting.
Kai walked towards and sat down beside him, he looked at Cole and pecked another kiss on his cheek.
"As I promised," Kai cocked an eyebrow and smiled at him. Cole looked at him, his face boiling to a higher temperature.
"W-well...you said you'd give me more, not just one," Cole slowly revealed a smirk and Kai raised both eyebrows. His eyes trailed to his lips.
"I don't mind giving more, but you'll have to close your eyes," Kai jerked closer. Cole could feel his legs going numb again, he couldn't seem to relax his muscles.
Cole closed his eyes, before he could ask, Kai leaned in and pressed his lips against his.
"Mhm..." Now Cole could feel his body clenching his muscles, every part of it. His heart melted for what seemed like the hundredth time and every time it would be because of Kai.
Kai forced himself to lean even closer, Cole wanted to get a breather but Kai wouldn't let go. He crawled onto the bed and Cole slumped onto his back.
They broke the kiss, finally. "You're rough...I didn't asked for that tho," Cole panted, he wasn't exactly a good kisser but Kai didn't seem to think so.
"I just gave you a bonus. What, you don't like it?" Kai remained on all fours, crouched on top of Cole. He couldn't exactly lean on top of him because of the wound in his abdomen. Kai cursed Neon in his head, he wanted to hug Cole so badly.
"N-no..I didn't say that..." Cole looked away, his mind kept replaying the kiss. It wasn't his first, but it was definitely hot.
Then Kai got up and got out of bed, Cole sat up and looked at him, he pouted again.
"Oh don't give me that look, we can't do more, not with that big wound on your stomach," Kai crossed his arms, he really wanted to strangle Neon for this.
"I didn't say I wanted to do more, I just...wanted you to stay. What were you thinking?" Cole smirked, Kai was turning into a tomato on fire.
"I wasn't thinking anything! I'm leaving!" Kai turned around and opened the door.
"Awhh, c'mon. I'm sorryyy,"
"Lay down and get some rest, I'll prepare dinner for you later," Kai sighed. He felt like a babysitter.
"Okay, fine. But your cooking is bad tho-"
"That's it, I'll get Zane to deliver your dinner later!" Kai slammed the door closed.
"I didn't mean that, Kai!!"
•••
Jay opened his eyes, he blinked. A familiar room...a hospital?
He sat up, he wanted to make sense of why he was lying on a hospital bed. But he heard the familiar voice of his girlfriend and then he was pulled into a hug.
"Jay! You're awake!" Nya cheered happily. She had been sitting beside him, waiting for him to wake up.
"Nya!" Jay chuckled and kissed her forehead, he didn't exactly knew what was happening but he was glad that the first person he saw when he woke up was his girlfriend.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to wake up," Nya was on cloud nine, she was afraid that he'd never wake up, although it was clear that he didn't exactly suffered much injury. Just a head concussion, a broken arm and a stabbed thigh. Not that it wasn't bad, Nya knew Jay was strong and he will wake up eventually.
"How..long?" Jay gave a confused look, although his expression also screamed "Don't tell me,"
"Four-"
"Four hours? That wasn't too bad,"
"Four days,"
"FUC-"
"Jay, language!" Nya boomed. Jay laughed and he caressed his girlfriend's hair, she slightly blushed.
The doctor came in and stated that Jay could leave in about 2 hours. Although he still has a wound in his thigh and a healing arm, his elemental power had proven to be useful. He should be able to walk and he will be fine in a few days.
Nya thanked the doctor and kissed Jay on his cheek.
"I'm gonna go and get you something to eat, sit tight!" With that Nya dashed out of the room before Jay could say anything else.
Jay examined his wound with his one arm, whilst the other was wrapped and hung in a "L" shape. He gently pressed the bandage wrapped around his thigh. Ouch, that stung a little. How sharp was the crystal for it to stab right through his thigh when he was sure his ninja gi had a layer of protection covering his thighs? Or maybe Neon just added more force and practically forced the crystal in.
He jerked his legs sideways for them to hang down from the bed, they were pretty numb and he felt as if he already used like half of his energy just to move them.
It's okay...you can do this, it's just walking. Something you've been doing for your whole life.
And then Jay took a step. Well it wasn't that bad. He could walk, but every few seconds his thigh would scream and the strength in his left leg would give away, causing him to limp over. No biggie, just a few more tries and he'll get the hang of it.
The image of Cole getting stabbed in his abdomen popped up in his mind. Now Jay was suddenly worried. He knew he'd been there when they set him on the bed, but it was only a day after when he fell off from the top of Borg Tower. He wondered if Cole had already woken up, or was he still in deep sleep?
Nevermind, he would be able to get back to the monastery in two hours. He'll be able to visit his best friend. He just hoped that Cole was doing much better than he was.
•••
Clunk!
"What was that?" Nya gasped, It was about a week after Jay was discharged from the hospital. Neon had never shown up ever since, and it was pretty weird. Considering that Neon had already tried to kill Jay a day after she had sent a crystal piercing through Cole's abdomen. And a few days after that, she had shown up to attack Nya. But they had never seen her since, it was suspicious. But at least that gave them some time to work a plan.
Master Wu had told them the story. Neon was supposed to be his student, a bit after Morro left. He was traveling in the desert. He had found her and her family in the zone of a sandstorm. They were struggling to get away from the chaos as far as they can. Master Wu had intended to help them, something he'd always do. But he saw it with his very own eyes, Neon had conjured crystals from right beneath the sand to create a barrier around her family, leaving her exposed to the storm. Master Wu had swept in and used his staff to create a force strong enough to redirect the wind and sand coming straight for her. Unfortunately, her powers weren't fully developed. The crystal barrier broke and her family got swept away, covered in sand. Neon had yelled at Master Wu, for him to leave her and save her family. But he refused, he couldn't let an elemental master die just to save another bunch. He was obsessed with righting his wrongs, considering he had made a mistake with Morro.
But he had made another mistake. Neon wasn't quite pleased with his decision. She cried and screamed over the bodies of her family. Her parents and her siblings, barely visible through the sand covering their bodies. Master Wu had tried to calm her down and tell her that it could not be helped. She was furious, but only because she needed a place to stay before another sandstorm comes, she followed Master Wu back to the monastery.
Master Wu had trained her to become a ninja, to become the elemental master of crystal. She had thought it was so that she could save more families from suffering the same fate as hers, that pushed her to become the most skilled ninja yet. But on one fateful day, she was swarmed by gunners. She was exhausted and couldn't use her powers, it was her first ever mission. There was a family of three, caught in the crossfire. Neon wanted to save them, she rather sacrifice herself in return for their lives. But Master Wu had saved her, when he should've saved the family of three instead. Master Wu had muttered a single sentence, "you're more important," The family of three lost their mother.
That was when she realised, that Master Wu hadn't trained her to save others. He had trained her to be just like him, saving only the gifted ones. Neon raged, before she left, she had muttered three words, "I'll be back,"
Master Wu knew she wouldn't come back to give him a heartwarming hug. She would come back, with the need for revenge. When he had predicted she would come back soon, he had set out to find her first. Hoping to stop her before a disaster happens, but it was too late.
"It came from Cole's room!" Kai leaped out of his seat and rushed towards his boyfriend's room. Nya and Jay exchanged worried glances.
•••
"I don't mind giving more, but you'll have to close your eyes,"
Nya and Jay stood outside, their ears pressed against the door. They widened their eyes, trying not to make any sound of excitement.
Nya was about to explode into bits of confetti. She glanced at Jay excitedly.
They're dating!! Omg I'm so happy for them!
Jay responded back with eye contact.
Since when? But I always knew they had a thing for each other, I'm not Cole's best friend for nothing.
"Mhm..."
At this point, Nya was better off being the fireworks in celebration of their relationship. She looked like a piñata who was practically about to burst into exactly confetti, and maybe sweets too.
Jay was just as excited, he resisted the urge to just bust in and congrats them. He signalled Nya to leave with him, while he was practically giggling silently like a maniac.
•••
"Lloyd, pass me the igniter?" Pixal turned to Lloyd, he gave an "Oh sure," before throwing her the igniter, to which she yelled at him, frowning.
"You could've accidentally turned it on and I'd be burned alive!"
"Pixal, you're a nindroid,"
"Well still, I could have-"
"I get the point, Pixal. I'll be careful, alright?" Lloyd smiled nervously, an angry Pixal would not be good to deal with. Although usually, she wouldn't lose her temper this easily. She was just stressed and really busy because of all the repairs she's working on lately, a nindroid can run out of battery too, y'know?
"You better not get on her nerves, then,"
Lloyd's expression darkened, he recognized that voice too well.
"What are you doing here?" Lloyd didn't turn around, he already knew exactly that it was Harumi's voice. Pixal remained the same, working on the Bounty for repairs and new upgrades. Considering it keeps getting crashed, she figured it needed stronger protection. A stronger material, metal. Well, part of it.
"I just came to check on you. Can't a woman visit her old friends?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow and turned around.
"Old friends? Harumi, we were never friends," Even though she had redeemed herself and suffered the punishment she deserved, both the ninja and Lloyd still couldn't see her as a friend. Just a mere ally, who happened to be an enemy in the past.
"Oh fine, acquaintances, perhaps?" Harumi looked unbothered.
Lloyd didn't intended to look friendly, "Tell me why you're really here,"
Harumi sighed. Lloyd had gotten pretty hard to communicate with after she had shattered his heart. Especially his trust issues, suppose she was to blame.
"Look, I'm just here to work things out. I know what I did was a little horrible, but-"
"'A little'?" Lloyd looked shocked and mad, he clenched his fists.
"Harumi, you broke not just me, you broke every single one of us! It's impressive that you were one of our most powerful enemies, but you were also ruthless,"
"Lloyd, hear me out! I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry, I really am! I mean it this time! Didn't I helped you in the end? I never knew that it was The Overlord who took away my parents' lives," Harumi looked desperate to get Lloyd's forgiveness. Lloyd scoffed.
"You said the same thing last year, and the same thing too a few years before,"
"I said I mean it this time, I'd be of great help. Please, just give me one last chance, Lloyd," Harumi had never pleaded like that, Lloyd's expression calmed down.
"Fine, but there's nothing going on between us. Not even friendship. Like you said, we're just acquaintances," Lloyd turned back to work on the Bounty, not looking at Harumi once more.
Because so, he didn't notice Harumi gave out an even painful expression.
"When I said I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way, Lloyd," Harumi whispered under her breath, giving Pixal and Lloyd a last glance before turning away.
"Forgive me," She whispered again. This time, she looked even more painful.
Then she tapped the earpiece in her ear, which she covered it with her hair. Harumi spoke softly.
"Neon, I'm in,"