The beginning of The End
The air compressed and the world distorted. The pull of the vacuum of space and time clawed at their bodies. An inescapable force propelled them through the portal. For a split second their actual existence seemed in question; every fibre expanding, separating and mingling, one with the inter-dimensional coupling of worlds.
The explosion violent and spectacular, catapulted them back to where the two worlds collided, days, weeks or months before. The glowing Moss Dunes of Ninjago City Bay reclaimed their battered bodies, laying discarded amid the expelled debris of The Forgotten Realm, chewed up and spat out. They had made it back and lived.
With just the stars to remind her of her place in the universe, Nya's still eyes watched her breath snake into the cold dark night. It felt like a lifetime before Nya was able to move and her heart cried out for her friend. Slowly, with the smallest of movements, she reconnected with the world; tentative fingertips felt the moss and rubble. Slowly she turned her head, focussing her eyes and searching the black landscape for a sign of the darkest Ninja. The soft phosphorescent glow of the moss threw its welcome light onto a familiar shape. Cole. He was here. Nya let out a long sigh of relief.
Cole was barely meters from Nya, close enough for her sigh to rouse him and in that moment he felt the distance was too great. He rolled to pull himself up, pushing through his muscular arms and unfurling body slowly. Disorientation got the better of him and he stumbled and let his hands clamp down on the rocks to steady him. He moved slowly, reorienting himself after the impact of the realm jump. But the draw was too strong, he could not wait any longer. His dark eyes bore through his dishevelled black hair. He could see Nya ahead; she had managed to rise up onto one knee looking towards him, her breath heavy, clothes torn and her skin bearing the marks of their ordeal. Cole felt a surge through him, his reflexes were razor sharp once more. Back on home soil the power he channelled from the core of the world reactivated him. The Black Ninja was back.
Nya was strong, but did not have the Earth Ninja's hit of power to invigorate her. As the Water Ninja, she took comfort from the dew in the moss and it refreshed her senses. Looking up at Cole, he took her breath away. So much about their time away had changed them and Cole's powers had transformed immeasurably, so much that she could see the charge emanating from his body. She met his intense gaze and knew. She knew nothing would be the same between them. She could feel the vibrations in the ground and she knew his intent. She rose to meet him and almost collapsed, but he was there, pulling her to him. Her face tilted up as Coles arm wrapped around her back and his body arched over hers. 'the perfect wave' she thought as their bodies surged together, their lips finally meeting.
As the kiss reached its gentle release, their bodies stayed close, the rise and fall of their chests in perfect synch. The air around them was charged; a galaxy of particles, rocks and drops of dew were suspended in the frozen moment. Exhaustion overcame Nya. Cole watched her eyes roll and felt her body go limp. He took her weight as the darkness of sleep overwhelmed her. Looping his arm under her legs, he picked her up as the floating rocks fell to the ground.
NEXT: CHAPTER 2 - The Aftermath
Nya falls into an exhausted sleep. Cole punishes himself through guilt. Jay has suspicions and looks to Zane for answers. Perhaps we'll have to go back to the beginning for all the answers and find out how our favourite Ninjas have ended up in this predicament. Please come back to read more.