Ninjago - One-shots and short Stories

Day of the Returned (Part 1)

Those of you who have been reading my stories for a while might remember an announcement from last October about me writing a Halloween/DotD special - that never came...

After leaving it for over half a year on my scrapyard of unfinished stories, I recently started working on the draft again to post it for the occasion of my first wattpad anniversary (which was yesterday) and my upcoming second anniversary on FF (which will be on the 28th).

The story is set after Hands of Time (as I had started writing it last autumn, it doesn't fit with the stuff that happened between HoT and SoG in the canon timeline and I generally use the Ninja's original design). It could be seen as a sequel to 'Scars' (but you don't have to have read that one).

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Day of the Returned (Part 1)

"We can both make it." Cole called out to Yang, as the two ghosts were drifting closer to the Rift of Return.

But Yang shook his head. "No, one has to stay behind as Master of the House." He replied.

And with these words, the Sensei gave Cole a hard push, shoving the Ninja away from the rift while propelling himself forward at the same time.

And the Master of Earth could only watch as the rift collapsed behind the other, sealing Cole's fate for the next 3721 years...

"HAPPY DAY OF THE DEPARTED !" Jay's voice called over the intercom system, waking every living (and even the non-living) inhabitant of the floating Temple of Airjitzu. "Today's forecast is clear skies with a high chance of lanterns."

Cole shot up in his bed, gasping for air. For a few minutes, he just kept sitting there, staring at his – solid – hands to realise that it had been nothing but a bad dream.

While it had been the black Ninja to make it through the closing rift, Yang had been the one who had (voluntarily) stayed behind, and who over the last year had become Cole's secret friend and confidant.

Eventually, the distressed Master of Earth had calmed down enough to get up. On wobbly legs, he walked into his small en-suite bathroom, took off his striped pyjamas and went to take a shower.

Like every morning for the past year, Cole briefly tensed, holding his breath, when the first couple of drops of water touched his bare shoulders. Only when he was completely sure that the hot liquid was not dissolving him, he finally relaxed.

It was just a dream. He kept telling himself over and over again.

When Cole entered the kitchen, his teammates, minus the two Nindroids, were already seated at the table, impatiently waiting for the others. Of course, they were all keen on getting ready to leave as soon as possible.

Today not only marked the first anniversary of Cole's becoming human again, but the Day of the Departed was also one of the rare occasions that the Ninja had been given the day off.

Like every year, Kai and Nya were going back to Ignacia for the holiday. But for the first time in fifteen years, they would be celebrating it with their parents instead of just thinking of them.

Jay was going to see his parents at their junkyard, and Zane and PIXAL wanted to spend the day together at Birchwood Forest, followed by a visit to Borg Industries.

And finally, there were Misako and Lloyd who had a long journey ahead of them, travelling to the Corridor of Elders in honour of both Garmadon and Wu.