The Call to Rise

Fire in One's Belly Part 2: Fanning the Flames

I..... I don't have enough words to express how deeply SORRY I am with how long it took me to update. Blame a combination of things: writer's block, general laziness, other stories catching my attention, anxiety for school to start up again....

Speaking of which, I start my first year of college very soon, so...that's gonna cut even more into my write time. Sorry ;-; 

Anyways, I've made y'all wait long enough. Let's get this show on the road!

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He was cold.

That was the first thing that Kai became aware of as his vision started to become less dark. He was cold, he was lying on his back and...and oh god, he couldn't breathe!

Kai's eyes shot open and he sat straight up, coughing up what felt like a lungful of water.

"Oh, thank the Spinjitzu Master!" He heard Cole cry out close to him. "I was about to have Jay call for an ambulance!"

"What...*cough* what the hell happened?" Kai asked in between coughs, slightly confused.

"You almost freaking drowned, you idiot!" Cole exclaimed, sounding worried and angry at the same time. "If Jay hadn't seen you fall off the bridge and I hadn't dived in after you—why didn't you tell us that you couldn't swim?!"

Kai suppressed a shudder and quickly stood up. "Didn't—*cough*—seem that important." He groaned and bent over, placing his hands on his knees. "God, I hate water..."

He heard Cole sigh before he felt someone grab his arm. "Stand up straight," Cole ordered gently, wrapping Kai's arm around his shoulders and supporting the tired red ninja. "It'll help you breathe a little bit easier. Also, letting us know that you can't swim is important. What if we were fighting on a boat?"

Kai gave the black ninja a skeptical look. "Fighting on a boat? Really?" At Cole's serious look, he rolled his eyes and replied, "Fine, I'd just make sure that I'm not too close to the edge."

Cole shook his head. "You can't be sure of that. Anything can happen in the middle of a fight." His expression became a little thoughtful. "Maybe Sensei knows a place with a pool, and Jay and I can teach you to swim—"

An image flashed across Kai's mind—his head being forced under the water, water rushing into his mouth and nose as he screamed, Garmadon cackling evilly—and he quickly screamed, "NO!" and shoved Cole away, stumbling backwards.

Cole stared at him, shocked by the extreme reaction. Kai took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "No, thank you," he said tightly. "I'm just fine just the way I am. I don't need to learn how to swim." Desperate for a distraction, he quickly asked, "Where's Jay and Zane? Are they okay?"

Cole frowned, but thankfully didn't press the subject. "Jay's fine. Couple of bruises, but nothing too serious. As for Zane, um..."

Kai raised an eyebrow as Cole winced and fell silent. "As for Zane...."

Cole opened his mouth to reply...only to be tackled by a white blur.

"SAFE!" Said white blur declared. "Cole's the safe spot!"

"Zane!" Jay raced in, looking frustrated. "For the last time, we are not playing tag!"

"But you were chasing me!" Zane retorted, still hugging onto Cole. "You were chasing me and trying to get a hold of me, which people do when they're playing tag. I know, I read about it! And I also read that people can randomly declare something 'base' or 'safe' and as long as they are in contact with said 'base', they can't be tagged. I declared Cole 'safe' and I'm in contact with him right now, so you can't tag me so hah!" The ice ninja stuck his tongue out at Jay.