My Best Friend's A Ghost

Sensei Wu

Cole was a little weird, as much as Sensei Wu hated using that word to describe one of his students.

But it was true. His pupil almost always had this dreamy look in his eyes and often Sensei would catch Cole staring at him with a rather odd expression on his face, as if he had heard something about Sensei Wu that was completely different from what he was currently witnessing and he was trying to figure out which version was the true version. And of course there was Cole's rather unique scar...

Sensei knew that there were ghosts that roamed restlessly around Ninjago. He also knew that there were a few people who could actually see and talk to ghosts and many of them were marked with a scar that seemed to have an odd green tinge to it. Just like Cole's scar...

But in the few months that Sensei had been teaching Cole, his student had shown no sign of having this ability. So either Cole could not actually see the dead or(and this was rather unlikely) his pupil was extremely good at hiding his talent. Eventually, Sensei began to believe the former was true.

Until one early morning when he caught Cole training by himself out on the deck of the Bounty.

By itself, that wasn't so unusual. Even on days like today, when the ninja weren't required to train, Cole seemed to enjoy getting up and working out by himself. Sensei often saw him stretching or training with one of the many dummies early in the morning.

Today, Cole appeared to be going through a series of stretches that, if done properly, could also double as evasive maneuvers in battle. Sensei watched his student from a distance, pleased with how well Cole was doing the stretches that he had shown them...

...only to blink in surprise when Cole started doing a stretch that he had not shown them. The stretches were very complicated and with the inevitable return of his evil brother nigh, there just wasn't enough time to teach them to his students.

But here was Cole, going through the stretches as if it were as easy as breathing(it wasn't, even for Sensei). As Sensei watched, he couldn't help but be transported to a different time and a different place, when a different young man was going through the exact same stretches as Cole, his green eyes eagerly watching him, waiting—almost begging—for his approval...

"...sei...Sensei....Sensei!"

Sensei Wu was shaken out of his little trance by the sound of his name being called. He blinked, the scene from his past fading and being replaced with Cole's concerned face.

"Are you alright, Sensei?" Cole asked.

"Ah, yes Cole," Sensei Wu replied. "Do not worry, I was just...caught in the past I suppose." He quickly changed the subject. "Where did you learn how to do those stretches? I do not recall ever reaching you them."

Cole adopted an almost guilty expression. "O-oh, it's—my friend showed me them a while ago."

Sensei knew that his pupil was telling him a half-truth, but he decided to let it go for now. "Well," He said instead. "Your friend sounds like he is very skilled."

Cole's eyes glazed over for a second before he smiled. "Yeah, he said that he had a good teacher." A snicker escaped him. "Who apparently liked saying cryptic messages way too much."

Sensei raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't happen to know this teacher, now would I?"

"Er, don't think so..."

A lie, and a poorly concealed lie at that, but Sensei let it go, instead choosing to head back inside the ship. "Well, I shall not disturb you any longer."

He was almost inside when Cole suddenly said, "Sensei wait!"

Sensei looked at Cole, who looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Yes Cole?" The old man asked.

A small, sad smile tugged at the corner of Cole's lips. "You shouldn't beat yourself up for things that aren't entirely your fault," he said softly.

Sensei Wu blinked and wondered if Cole somehow knew and how he knew if he knew—

But the moment passed when Cole suddenly grimaced. "You also might want to check in the kitchen cabinets for your incense sticks."

Before Sensei could question the odd statement, Cole had pushed past him and disappeared inside the ship.

Yes, his pupil was a little odd, but Sensei was more than willing to look past it in order help his student find his true potential.

And he would do it right this time. He wouldn't fail him like he had to—like he had in the past.

~~~~

Happy Halloween y'all! :D