Darkness from Within #2: Tension Rising (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Jay slithered forward and darted behind the training pole. Peering around it, he spotted Cole slinking around the middle of the courtyard. Jay chuckled to himself. He'll never see me coming!

The blue ninja froze as his ears picked up the faintest patter of footsteps behind him. In a flash, he rolled to the side and pulled out his nunchucks just as Zane crashed down where he was a second ago.

The white ninja blinked in surprise. "And I thought I was being quiet!"

Jay chuckled. "Not quiet enough for the blue ninja!"

* * *

Kai wandered around the edge of the courtyard, slightly confused. The truth was, he had barely heard what Garmadon had told them to do. He had been thinking about what Wu had told them the day before. He knew the sensei had been talking to him when he mentioned 'personal quarrels' because of his uneasy trust toward the other ninja—especially Lloyd.

Is it really my fault, though? he thought. I'm the one who got his stomach sliced open.

All the same, he knew it was wrong not to trust his teammates. But Sensei G. told us to be ready to defend ourselves. That was something he did hear, and he couldn't agree more. He slipped out his sword at the thought of defending himself. This time, I'll be ready.

A black flash made him halt. Anxiety rising, he looked up to see Cole leaping off a pole toward him. He gasped as he was tackled and plunged to the ground by the black ninja. The strength of his attacker shot terror through his veins. Not again! he thought with despair. Not Cole, too!

Grunting, Kai heaved Cole off of him. The black ninja paused, but Kai didn't waste a second. Giving in to his anxiety and fear, the red ninja leaped forward and struck his sword down Cole's hand.

Blood flowed out.

Cole dropped his weapon and grabbed his wrist. "Ahh!" he exclaimed, wincing.

Jay, Zane, and Garmadon rushed over to the other two.

"Goodness gracious, Kai!" Cole hissed through gritted teeth. "We're only training!"

Kai gasped. What did I just do? He looked down at his own injured wrist, then to Cole's. "Wait—no..." he stammered. "I-I didn't mean to!"

Cole screwed up his face. "Boy, does that hurt," he breathed.

Garmadon looked at Cole, then to Kai, then back again. His eyes were full of concern. Jay and Zane did the same, confusion and worry clear in their gazes.

Everyone was speechless.

Breathing heavily, Kai's mind whirled with stress. He stared at the three mulling around Cole and casting Kai weird looks. No... no...

Trembling, he turned and fled back inside.

Garmadon watched the red ninja run. His insecurities are controlling him. Then he looked back at Cole, who was hissing with pain.

"Come on," he urged the black ninja, "you need to get that wound checked."

As the four followed Kai's trail, Garmadon couldn't help but notice a drop of water on the ground, as if the manly red ninja had shed a few tears.

* * *

Kai lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Never before had he felt so miserable. He felt just as evil as Lloyd when the green ninja attacked him. He had heard that Pixal fixed up Cole, but Kai didn't have the guts to see the black ninja himself. He knew he had to apologize, but Cole would be furious at him. I never meant to hurt him. My fear of the recent attack overtook me.

So caught in his thoughts, Kai didn't notice as Nya walked into his room.

"Hey, Kai," she murmured. "How are you doing?"

Kai sighed. "Who cares how I'm doing?" he huffed. "I want to know how Cole's doing."

"Cole is fine," Nya told him. "His wound wasn't as deep as... a-as yours."

Kai sat up. "What is wrong with me, Nya?" he sighed. "How could I have done that?"

Nya smiled sympathetically. "I know you didn't mean to," she replied. "You just wanted to defend yourself."

Kai shook his head. "Cole just seemed so much stronger than usual... it reminded me of how strong Lloyd was when..." His voice trailed off.

"Cole only seemed stronger because you still feel weaker than usual," Nya assured him. "You are still recovering, you know."

"I guess." Kai looked at his feet. "What am I going to tell Cole?"

Nya laid her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Just tell him what's in your heart."

Kai gave a soft scoff. "What does that even mean?"

"You'll know what to say when the time comes," Nya said.

"I hope so," Kai mumbled. "Thanks, Nya." But that didn't stop the anxiety from swarming inside of him and the cold dread rushing through him as he thought about facing the black ninja.

* * *

The ninja were gathered around the dinner table, but no one touched their food. They were all staring at the empty seat of Kai. They all looked up as Jay came down the stairs, but their faces fell when they realized the red ninja wasn't with him.

"He won't come down," Jay murmured sadly. "He says he's not hungry."

The blue ninja sat down, and the room was gripped in silence. Cole felt especially uncomfortable. The tension between him and Kai was the reason the red ninja refused to join them. Cole was still gripped in shock because of Kai's outburst. He hadn't expected the red ninja to lash out and injure him like that.

He glanced at his wounded hand. It didn't hurt as much after it was treated, but he would rather not have it at all. He suppressed a sigh. He had had a long time to cool down and get rid of his anger, but that wouldn't patch the tension between them. Maybe I was too hard on him, he thought. Sensei Garmadon told us to go easy on him, but I guess I didn't do such a great job.

At last, Wu broke the silence. "You all should know that Kai must feel very guilty about what he did," he started with a glance at Cole. "There's no reason to treat him badly."

Garmadon nodded. "I saw him during the situation. Never before had he looked so stressed and ashamed. He was only going with his instincts." He paused. "That doesn't mean what Kai did wasn't wrong, but show him a little sympathy, please."

Cole looked at his feet as everyone turned to him, expecting him to say something. But he didn't know what to say. The truth was, he wasn't ready to talk to Kai yet. What would he say to him, anyway?

Wu cleared his throat when he realized Cole wasn't going to talk. "Let's eat. I wouldn't want all this food to go to waste."

* * *

Kai had heard it all. With a sigh, he turned and slumped back to his room. What Wu and Garmadon said had given him hope, but whatever reassurance he was feeling went down the drain when Cole didn't respond to any of it.

He crashed onto his bed miserably. Cole is angry with me, he thought. And if I know anything, it's that anger isn't an easy feeling to get rid of.