Chapter 1: Wake Up, Kai

"Wake up, Kai."

Kai rolled over in his bed, groaning in discomfort. "Five more minutes!"

"Kai, you have to get up!"

"I don't wanna!" Kai whined, as if he was five years old again.

"Kai, just because you're missing an eye doesn't mean you can miss breakfast. Now get up!"

"Don't remind me!" Kai parted his lips to say something that… wasn't very kind. But he thought better of it and turned to Cole, having something else in mind. "And how am I supposed to get there when I can only see one side of the hall?"

"Nice try. I'll help you, just get up!"

After a few more seconds of struggling, Kai finally accepted defeat. "Fine! Jeez…"

And another struggle as he threw his blankets aside and scrambled out of bed, only to have his foot give out. And with a squeal of surprise, he stumbled to the ground.

Cole stood above him, laughing. "You okay?"

Cole offered a hand, but Kai leaned away and shoved it from his face, refusing to be pitied upon. "I got it. I just… tripped."

"Yeah, right." was all Cole said in reply.

Kai stood up slowly and shook himself off, dusting the fluff from his pajamas. He muttered something under his breath; so quiet that Cole couldn't pick it up.

"Now, let's get downstairs," Cole chirped, ignoring the thought that Kai's words probably weren't friendly. "The others are waiting."

As soon as Kai and Cole had reported to breakfast, the other ninja and their allies were all over their half-blind friend. He hadn't talked to anyone since he was injured, with the exception of Cole and Borg the night before.

"Kai, are you all right?"

"How do ya feel, Kai?"

"Kai! You're awake!"

"Do you need help?"

Lots more was said, but Kai blocked it all out. He didn't want to hear any of it. He didn't want to be reminded of his missing eye, or have empathy thrown at him for it. He just wanted to be… normal again.

But he said nothing on the topic. In fact, he said nothing at all! He simply sat down and munched on his toast (the toast Lloyd had made for him. It was still an act of pity, but pity-food was still food to him).

About an hour later, Kai was lying in bed yet again, thinking about anything but the eye he had no longer… not!

What am I supposed to do now? I'm practically useless! It's pretty hard to fight when the enemy can ambush me from my blindside.

Eventually, Kai slipped into a doze, when something amazing happened.

"Wake up, Kai." Ordered a raspy voice Kai hadn't heard in years.

Kai raised his head, blinking, then gasping in surprise. "Father!"

"Hello, Kai. It's nice to see you. It's been a while since my last visit."

Kai scrambled out of bed and dipped his head in greeting. "Hi. You're right. It has been a while."

"I have to talk to you." Rick turned away from his son and gazed out the window of his blacksmith shop (for that is where Kai dreamed himself), his dark brown eyes glinted in the moonlight.

"About?" Kai asked calmly.

"About… your eye."

Yay! First chapter done! Hope you liked it! Kai! Yay! Kai's dad! Yay! Kai's eye… you will be missed.

As my Little Wonders readers probably noticed already, this story runs along the same theme as Little Wonders, which is trusting your friends, no matter what dark, devastating secrets you may have. And accept pity, because that means people care about you. Of course, we know Kai will never accept his friends' pity, cause he's pretty strange, so this was pretty pointless.

See ya all soon!

-HiroKaiMarc