It had been only a matter of weeks since Baby Wu was restored to his normal age. The ninja were over the moon to have their Master back to normal after having searched for him for so long.
The reversal-blade's effects sped up Baby Wu's aging process, and soon enough, one day, they found he was back to the same ripe old age he had disappeared at.
Of course all the ninja were ecstatic to have Master Wu back to normal, they had all greatly missed him.
Master Wu however had not forgotten being in Coles care during his time as a baby. In fact Cole was the first one he looked for after being restored to normal age. He gave the Earth ninja a warm smile, and pulled a relieved, and teary-eyed Cole into a warm embrace; "Cole my boy, being in your care was an absolute joy. You would make a wonderful Father." Wu hugged Cole tighter as he spoke the last part, this caused the dam to burst and Cole could only bury his face into Wu's shoulder, overcome with joy at finally having their Master back.
But in the days following, Cole soon found he was really missing the baby that he had bonded with.
Who could have ever guessed that Cole would find himself falling into the role of a parent so naturally?
He had enjoyed the responsibility and the company of baby Wu, it was a rewarding experience, plus it felt right to have something to protect and care for.
But now that he was without him, Cole couldn't help but feel rather lonely without the little tyke to take care of. Of course Cole was anything but alone as he had the other ninja around all the time, but this was… a different kind of loneliness. It felt..like he was missing something , an emptiness that none of others could fulfil. He missed how little "Cole junior" would laugh at his awful singing, or smile widely when he walked up to his crib to check on him, or just gurgle happily when carried on his back.
There were nights when Cole would often bring the baby with him to bed when he found he was too restless to settle down on his own. Being near Cole and feeling his warmth always lulled the little one right to sleep in his arms. It was on nights like those that Cole found he, well, for lack of a better phrase, 'slept like a baby.'
But now, there was no little baby to cuddle with at night, no happy gurgling in the background, and of course..an empty crib, and it depressed him to no end.
This change in Cole's behaviour lately hadn't gone unnoticed by the others. Since Master Wu's return, the others had noticed Cole's lack of enthusiasm and general unhappiness as the weeks went by. He was often found just staring into space, mind elsewhere. When Lloyd asked what he was thinking about he'd get the usual response: "Nothing champ, don't worry about it." Lloyd wasn't quite convinced, but let him be.
Zane, being the lightest sleeper, often heard soft footsteps on the roof at night. In going to investigate, he would find Cole sitting on the roof, staring at the moon, lost in thought. Zane knew better than to disturb his alone time and so left him be, but not before making a mental note to ask the others about it.
The next morning, while Cole was venting some frustration on one of the training dummies, Zane decided now was the time to gather the others for a little discussion.
"What's up Zane? Something wrong?" Asked Jay, noticing that Zane kept looking over to Cole to make sure he wasn't listening.
"I've called you all here to ask, if any of you know why Cole has been acting strange lately?" Zane whispered to the general group.
"You noticed too?" Kai and Jay suddenly exclaimed at once, looking at each other in disbelief.
"Shhh!" Shushed Zane, again checking to make sure Cole didn't hear, which was apparent by one of the dummies arms suddenly flying through the air after a strong punch. "Obviously all of you have noticed, but do you know what may be the cause of his sadness?"
"What makes you think he's sad about something?" Asked Lloyd, voice innocent but curious.
"You haven't noticed?" Replied Jay, looking at Lloyd with wide eyes. "He's definitely not himself, he's been moping around, spending more time by himself, I'm sure he's been crying too."
"You know, now I think about, I did notice something he did a couple days ago." Kai started. "I did think it was kinda strange."
"Please tell us Kai." Zane encouraged.
"Well.." Kai trailed off, recalling the memory.
Kai had spotted Cole walking past where the babies make-shift sling was sitting, the very same one that Cole used to carry him on his back. He had observed Cole stopping to look at it for just a moment, traced his fingers over it, shook his head then continued on. Kai related this to the others.
"That is strange indeed." Stated Zane. "Was he somehow fond of the sling?"
Kai's face softened when realisation suddenly dawned on him as to why Cole did what he did. It finally put the puzzle together as to what had been the cause of Coles change in behaviour recently.
"It's not the sling he was fond of." Kai started, matter-of-factly." It was the baby, he misses the baby! That explains why it almost seems like he's been grieving, like… like he's trying to cope with a loss , missing someone who's no longer around."
"Yeah that has to be it!" Yelled Jay, before remembering to keep his voice down incase Cole heard them, but 'CRACK' went another training dummy. "Now I think about I've been noticing stuff too."
"Like what? The more we know perhaps the more we could help him." Kai said.
"Well I did sometimes hear Cole start to hum that annoying glow-worm song to himself before catching himself and shaking his head afterward, like he was trying to get the song out of his head."
"Or shaking away painful memories." Lloyd realised. "I know too well what that feels like." Lloyds gaze fell to the ground, thinking about his father. Noticing this, Kai put a hand on Lloyds shoulder.
"Chin up buddy, you know we'll always be here for you." Kai said to Lloyd with a smile.
Lloyd looked up to Kai, a soft smile on his face.
"Go on Jay." Said Zane, trying to return to the original topic. "Was there anything else?"
"Yeah. At times I'd see him go into that room where the baby's crib was then walk out seconds later, like he forgets the baby isn't there anymore." Jay continued.
"Well, I think we have enough evidence to support Kai's claim." Zane said.
"He definitely misses the little guy. But we can't leave him like this, it's too heart-breaking to watch." Replied Kai. "We need to do something to get him out of it."
"Oh oh I know! I know!" Jay started, raising his hand excitedly.
"Maybe we should discuss this a bit later before Cole starts to realise we've been missing from training." Stated Lloyd.
"CRACK!" Lloyd ducked as one of the dummies heads went flying over him. "If he even notices that is."
"Agreed." Replied Zane. "Let us continue once training is over."
And so, later in the day once practice was over, Cole stated he was going to take a quick shower, having gotten all sweaty from training.
This was the perfect opportunity for Jay to discuss his earlier idea with the others. Jay was pleasantly surprised to find that they were all supportive of his idea to help their friend.
But first, they needed a plan of distraction, and they needed some time to prepare.
The next day they decided to put their plan into action.
Lloyd was elected to distract Cole for a while. He suggested taking the Bounty out for a spin to make sure everything is still in perfect working order, just in case it was needed in an emergency.
Cole saw this as perfectly feasible and luckily didn't suspect a thing.
The other 3 ninja patiently waited for the Bounty to disappear out of sight, before giving each other a high-five, and setting off for Ninjago City.
After a couple hours of a test-flight, Cole and Lloyd returned to the temple with the Bounty, satisfied she was in good working condition.
Their hair on the other hand didn't agree, looking very much windswept and unruly.
Walking back towards the Temple, Cole was frantically trying to tame his hair, running his fingers through it and patting it down, growling when it didn't do as its master intended.
Too busy fixing his hair, Cole hadn't noticed Jay, Kai and Zane all waiting for him until he was almost right on top of them,stopping suddenly, he then saw they were all looking at him, each with smiles on their faces.
"Uhh guys? Is something wrong?" Cole asked curiously, looking between them and Lloyd, finally giving up on his hair. (He'd lost the battle.)
"Actually Cole, we have a little surprise for you." Lloyd answered, moving away from Cole to stand with the others.
"A..surprise? What for? What's going on?" Though curious, Cole couldn't help but feel a pang of concern.
Kai came forward to stand next to Lloyd, Jay and Zane shuffling around slightly behind them, though Cole wasn't paying attention to what they were up to.
"Well, you see Cole..." Kai replied, "We have noticed you've really been missing the baby lately, you've tried your best to hide it but, well…we've all noticed how down you've been lately."
Feeling a little taken aback at the fact that his friends knew he's been upset lately, despite his efforts to hide it, put him on the defensive.
"So I miss him, what of it? Pardon me for being the only one who bothered to get close to him." Cole stated, though getting a little upset at his feelings for missing baby Wu being brought into the open so casually.
"No no no man, chill, you're getting us all wrong. " Kai put his hands out in surrender fashion, but still kept a grin on his face. "It's just that we've noticed you've been missing the little guy like crazy and…well." He looked behind at the others with a wink, "We thought we'd help cheer you up."
As if on cue, Kai and Lloyd parted ways to reveal Jay and Zane, each with an outstretched arm, and grins on their faces.
What Cole saw in their hands, made every ounce of anger and tension…melt away completely.
Sitting on the palm of those 2 outstretched hands.
Was a kitten.
Cole was stunned, hands to his face in utter shock.
"Wha…how? Why?" He was speechless.
Kai approached him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"She's yours dude." Kai said in a gentle tone, his expression soft.
"She…she's…she's what?" Cole was still stunned, unable to take his eyes off the kitten.
It was Jay who brought the little kitten forward, and held it out for him. She was black and white, the tuxedo type. Black mostly all over, with a white under-belly, muzzle and white paws. She also had medium long hair, making her look rather fuzzy and fluffy.
"She's yours buddy. We thought giving you something else to care for would help cheer you up." Jay said with a grin.
Cole finally remembered he could move, and, with shaking hands, gently took the kitten from Jay and into his own arms, instantly in love with her. He couldn't help tears welling up as he was completely overwhelmed, burying his tear-streaked face into her soft fur.
"You…got her…for me?" Cole could hardly speak through tears. The kitten felt so soft, and was immediately purring and nuzzling at Coles face.
None of them had ever seen Cole this happy.
Jay, Lloyd, Zane and Kai couldn't help but smile at the two, and how quickly Cole had taken to the fluffy bundle in his arms. They looked at each with wide grins, very pleased with themselves.
"We discovered the kitten at Ninjago City's pet shelter." Stated Zane, "She had been handed into them several days ago, found abandoned in a nearby alley, barely 8 weeks old."
"They were having a bit of trouble finding her a good home." Kai continued, "It was Jay who thought you'd be the ideal protector for her." Kai gestured over to Jay, who had a grin as wide as his face would allow.
"This was..your idea?" Cole questioned to Jay with a smile, tiny paws now playing with strands of black hair. Cole was still having trouble believing what just happened.
"Yup!" Jay replied, hands on his hips, proud of himself.
"Guys I…I don't know what to say." Tears now streamed down Coles face, each time he wiped some away more immediately took their place. "She's…she's beautiful." Cole nuzzled his forehead on the kittens soft head,, receiving happy mews and purrs in return as she rubbed against his face.
The other ninja felt themselves welling up at the adorable scene before them, never having seen their friend..and brother, so happy.
Lloyd took a step forward and handed a handkerchief to Cole, who took it gratefully, using it to try to clear his face. "You ok there Cole?" Lloyd had never seem him like this.
"I just..no one's ever…" Cole was still having trouble collection his thoughts, he looked up at the other ninja, his face a picture of pure admiration and gratitude. "No one has…ever, ever done anything as sweet and thoughtful as what you guys have." Cole held the kitten out to get a better look at her, large blue eyes looking back at him, purring loudly."Thank you guys, so, so much. You truly are the best friends and brothers I could ever have." Cole finished gratefully, hugging the kitten close to his chest.
The others looked at each other with grins, pleased their "surprise" worked like a dream, and able to bring their friend and brother so much happiness.
Jay had to turn away to wipe away a few tears himself.
"Jay you're…are you crying?" Cole asked, noticing Jay turned away briefly.
"I'm not crying." He denied, ultimately failing to hide his tears. "You're crying."
Cole could only smile at his best friend. Jay had always been susceptible to other peoples emotions, it was endearing really.
Watching Cole interact with his newest charge, the other ninja all thought the same thing.
Cole, would be alright.
My first work of fanfiction in quite a few years, I hope it didn't disappoint :)