Legacy of the Green Ninja: Charlie's Story

The Last Hope

Since the ninja got their new powers, they decided it would be best to practice them. Practice meaning fooling around on the shore. Everyone wore their swimsuits, except Lloyd. He was talking to Dr. Julien. Zane had on khaki shorts and a white button up shirt, Jay had on swim trunks and a blue tank top, Kai and Cole were shirtless and had swim trunks of their colors, and Charlie had a purple two piece.

Kai threw a coconut. "Order up. Coconut cream pie. Served well done!" He used the Fire from his sword to blast the coconut, getting a laugh out of everyone.

"It's good to have our powers back." Zane said with a smile.

Jay nodded. "Yup, you're right. And since we've all been working on our witty quips to follow every cool thing we do, I'd say we got this final battle in the bag. Or should I say–" He motioned for Cole to launch another coconut. "–I'd be shocked if we lose!" He used his Lightning on the coconut and laughed as it exploded.

Charlie laughed along, that was until she sensed her uncle approaching.

"Enough!" Wu said. "Are you trying to reveal our hidden location?"

Kai scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sorry, Sensei. We were just practicing our cool new Elemental Blades."

"And our witty quips." Jay added.

"Be wary of overconfidence, ninja." Wu warned. "While it is true your powers can defeat the Stone Army, only Lloyd alone has the power to defeat Garmadon. When it is all over, then we will see who laughs last."

"Yes, Sensei." The ninja synced as he walked away.

Cole looked over and saw Charlie reading a book, her sword stuck in the sand. It wasn't unusual for her, but she had been very quiet. Maybe if he showed her his skills, she would come over.

"Hey, Charlie!" He said. She looked up from her book and Cole aimed for a coconut. "Watch this. Eat dirt, scumbag!" He shot at the "coconut" but was stopped when Zane gasped, "That is not a coconut!" The Ice Ninja deflected Cole's Earth, and the "coconut" turned out to be Zane's Falcon, which landed on his arm.

"Nice reflexes." Charlie said. She stood up and walked over to them. Zane smiled at her before turning back to his Falcon.

"Good to have you back, old friend." He said before wandering off.

Cole looked over at Charlie. "Pretty awesome, right?"

"You mean how you almost torpedoed the Falcon?" Charlie deadpanned.

Cole's face flushed red as he struggled for words. "I didn't–I mean, uh..."

Charlie's face broke into a smile. "I'm kidding. You're so serious, it's too easy."

Cole chuckled lightly. A light breeze blew over the shore, bringing the salty smell of the sea to their noses. It also blew Charlie's chestnut hair into her eyes. Cole brushed her hair out of the way, allowing him to gaze down into her eyes. One green like the forests of their home and one blue like the ocean they now stood by.

His hand lingered near her face and Charlie leaned into it and brought her own hand up over his, intertwining their fingers. Cole pulled their hands away from her face and dropped his sword so he could take her other hand. He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. Charlie did the same. While they may have been having fun just a moment ago, both Cole and Charlie knew that Wu was right, and they didn't know how long they had to prepare.

"I love you." Cole whispered. He felt like he hadn't told her enough. Charlie squeezed his hands. "I love you, too."

Cole pulled away just enough so he could look at her. She always seemed to carry a burden and it showed in her eyes. It pained Cole to see eyes that sparkled when she laughed be laced with sadness the rest of the time. He did his best to try and shoulder her worries, but sometimes all he could do was just this: spend a moment to tell her how he felt.