Chapter One: "The Strange Letter"

Things had been pretty peaceful for the ninja, lately. Ever since Cole had finally stopped being a ghost, after being stuck in his primordial form for so long, things had finally been able to resemble some level of being normal. Sure, running from fangirls did get tiring, but at least now Cole could actually feel himself getting tired. And that was just the way he liked it. He liked being able to eat and drink again, it was refreshing. And not to mention finally being able to touch water again, without having to worry about certain death!

It was very nice, and Cole relished it. While normally, the group of ninja, especially Kai, wouldn't be too interested in having nothing to do, they actually quite welcomed it. Running from fangirls was a lot easier than running from sky pirates and ghosts. And after all the traumatic events that has transpired, they were content just to relax, and do whatever crazy acting work Dareth gave them.

Lately, while they hadn't had much trouble, Cole had been feeling weird. He had been eating more than usual, and had been having constant stomach cramps. To try to take his mind off it, he had been overworking himself with exercise. And for the moment, it seemed to have worked.

At the moment, the crew was hanging out at Lloyd's place, all casually talking between themselves. Some of them discussed the events that had transpired recently. Others were discussing completely unrelated topics. Meanwhile, Cole and Jay were talking about a certain female water ninja. Cole was feeling fine, for the moment.

"It'd just be so awkward asking her out again, you know? Besides, I think me and Nya are getting along really well again, and I don't want to ruin it now!" Jay said. He had been oddly happy the past couple weeks. Probably because him and Nya had started spending more time together. Cole nodded in understanding. While it was obvious Jay still had the hots for her, he was more comfortable now about being in the friendzone than he had been before.

Cole also wasn't really upset about it. He had to admit, asking her out himself would be pretty awkward too. The two had sort of just unanimously decided not to try to get romantically involved, for it was sort of flawed relationships that had gotten Nya almost killed in the first place. But that was over and dealt with, thank god.

Jay and Cole's relationship had also gotten better since then. Overall, even though they had started off rocky, everyone had managed to grow closer, as both a team and as friends. Not to mention they had grown much stronger since they had fought Nadakahn, even if that time line had been erased. It had certainly been a journey.

As they all laid about, lounging around nonchalantly, there was a sudden knock on the door. Kai blinked. They weren't expecting anyone. "I'll get it!" said Lloyd quickly, heading to the door. Everyone waited, listening to the faint conversation that could be heard from the entrance. When Lloyd came back, he was holding a package, with a letter tied to the top.

He glanced over at Cole. "Uh, Cole, this is for you, apparently. It says its from your dad." he said, walking over and handing the package to the confused Cole. He hadn't been expecting anything from his father. Curious, he looked it over. He carefully untied the letter from the box. "Huh, he never told me about anything he was planning to give me… I saw him like… two weeks ago." Cole said quietly, eying the package.

Taking apart the letter, he opened it. The message inside was…. Interesting, to say the least, and it left Cole even more confused than before.

Dear Cole,

I have something very important I need to tell you. I was planning to tell you when you came to visit me a couple weeks ago, but things came up. I can't share this message over letter, so I would prefer if you were able to meet up with me somewhere, as soon as you can.

Sincerely,

Lou

Cole raised an eyebrow. Why hadn't his father told him this when he had visited him? It didn't add up. Why hadn't he said anything sooner? There was something particularly unnerving about the way the letter was written. This wasn't like his father's handwriting. It looked different, rushed, almost. Before Cole could start worrying, Jay noticed the look of confusion on his face, and curiously plucked the letter from his hands. Cole glared at Jay, but didn't object.

After reading it, Jay, as well, looked confused, "He's asking you to meet him? Didn't you guys meet like, a week ago, after that whole fiasco with Yang?" he asked.

Curious, Kai came over, leaning over Jay's shoulder to read the letter. "Huh. Do you have any idea why he might want to talk to you in person?" Kai questioned.

Again, Cole shook his head, "No. And if it's as important as he says, why didn't he just tell me in the letter? This all seems oddly suspicious," he added. Something about this didn't make sense, though. He glanced worriedly down at the letter again.

"Maybe I should head over there to check on him. It shouldn't take me more than an hour to get over there, if I go by dragon. And he did say to be there as soon as possible…." Cole commented, fiddling with the letter.

"Wait, Cole," Nya said, sitting down next to him, "you shouldn't act so rashly on this. Your dad didn't sound too panicked in the letter, right? If it really was urgent, he probably would have chosen some different wording, right?"

This only made Cole more unnerved, "But what if it's a trap Nya? Obviously they wouldn't try to make it seem like my dad was in trouble if it was." the earth ninja wasn't entirely sure why he was being so paranoid. It's just, things like this didn't normally happen.

"What makes you think it's a trap, anyway, Cole?" Jay asked, leaning against the sofa, "Maybe your dad just needs to talk to you about something he forgot when you visited. It can't be that bad. It happens, you know."

"Maybe, but there was something off about his handwriting. I mean, this looks like my dad's handwriting, but at the same time, it doesn't…." Cole trailed off. Maybe he was being paranoid. He shook his head. "Regardless, he did say I needed to be there as soon as possible. And there isn't anything I need to be doing right now…."

Nya gently touched Cole's shoulder, "Well, even if it is a trap, we need to be prepared. Besides, it's already 6: 20. It'll be dark by the time you get there. I suggest we all stay the night, and then we can head out tomorrow."

"You mean I can head out tomorrow," Cole corrected, "If it is something he needs to talk to me about, I don't think he wants a crowd."

"Well, he never said anything about us tagging along," Jay said cheerily, pointing out the loophole.

As much as he hated to admit it, Jay was technically right. As important as he made it out to be, his father hadn't said anything about being alone. Which was another thing that might tip off that there wasn't something wrong.

And maybe Cole was just being a little paranoid.

I mean, could you blame him? After everything that had happened, with all the ghosts and djinns, it could make anyone a little on edge. After all, something always seemed to show up, just when they thought they could relax.

Sighing, Cole nodded, "Right, fine, I'll stay here tonight," he then looked down at the package.

"The letter didn't say anything about that, did it?" Jay asked.

Cole shook his head. "Maybe he wants me to open it when I see him again? But why would he send it to me and not just give it to me?" the earth ninja questioned. When he looked at the others, they only shrugged, unsure of what to do. Something in Cole made him wince a bit. That nausea was coming back to bite him...

Man, they sure wished sensei was here. Or Misako. The two had gone out for the night to pick something up, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. So maybe waiting would be a good idea after all. They could get Wu's input on all of this. And maybe he would agree that Cole was overreacting. But Cole couldn't get rid of a strange gnawing feeling in the back of his head.

Picking the box up, Cole said, "Alright. It's decided then. We'll head out to my dad's place tomorrow." As everyone nodded, Cole suddenly winced, falling to his knees. Everyone looked shocked, unsure of what happened.

"Cole! Are you okay?" Kai asked. Zane rushed over to Cole, leaning down, attempting to provide support. Cole took deep breaths, leaning against the Ice ninja.

"Y-yeah. I've just been having these weird cramps lately. Maybe that's just me adjusting to being human again. I'll be fine," Cole said, offering a weak smile to the ninja. The others nodded slowly, watching Cole with concern. Zane helped him up.

"I would advise that you get some rest, Cole, you don't look so well," Zane commented. Cole himself felt much worst than he had been recently. And just when he thought he was getting better. He grunted in reply, breathing heavily. His eyes were half closed, as he rested his head on the nindroid's shoulder. He was starting to feel light headed.

Jay exchanged a look with the others. "Cole, are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale there, bud," the ninja of lightning commented.

Cole groaned, wincing again. Damn, this pain was starting to get intense. Maybe it was something he ate. "A-ah, yeah. Ugh…. I think… I need to lay down," he managed to say in between breaths, which had become labored.

The earth ninja's strange and sudden pain concerned the others, and Zane exchanged a look with his brothers, before he looked back down at Cole, "I'll help you to your room, Cole." he told him. Cole could only nod slightly in agreement, leaning heavily on Zane as the two walked slowly to the other room.

Lloyd watched them go, noticing that Cole had dropped the box. He picked it up, and set it on the counter, sighing.

"The universe just doesn't seem to like to leave us a dull moment, does it?" Jay said, exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air, chuckling slightly.

Kai smirked, "You signed up for this when you decided to become a ninja, ya goof."

The two went on to start a conversation, with Nya joining in, but Lloyd was too lost in thought, leaning against the side of the counter. He was mostly worried about what was wrong with Cole, but there was something else that unnerved him. Something about the package. He took another look over his shoulder, staring at it. It sat there, in perfect silence, as if daring him to open it.

Lloyd knew it was silly to think like that, but somehow the box seemed to be…. Taunting him. He shivered, and turned back to the others. Maybe some conversation would distract on him. And he would be able to check on Cole in the morning. Everything would turn out peachy.

Meanwhile, In Cole's room, the earth ninja was rolling around, groaning. Zane was watching him, sitting on the side of his bed. He looked worried.

"Cole, I think you may need a doctor," Zane said, grabbing his shoulder gently.

Unfortunately for the nindroid, Cole was stubborn. He shrugged him away, panting heavily, "I-I'm fine, Zane. I-I just need rest..." he said, closing his eyes, pulling the sheets closer. He looked like he was in a lot of pain.

Zane sighed, "Alright. I'll let you rest. But if you need anything, call me, okay?" Cole didn't answer, but the nindroid heard a slight groan in response.

Getting up, Zane moved to the door. He paused, looking over at Cole again. His back was turned to Zane, so he couldn't see his friend's face. It pained him to see his friend so sick. Yet it also confused him. How and why had Cole gotten so sick all of a sudden. He hadn't been doing anything in particular to do so, and he had been acting fine earlier….

Still watching Cole, Zane flipped the light switch, swallowing the ninja up in darkness. And despite the burning sensation in his stomach, but some odd miracle, Cole was able to quickly fall asleep…

The next morning, as sleep started to wearily creep away from Cole, the first thing he noticed was that he felt significantly better. It was as if sleep had helped to cleanse his body. Heck, he even felt stronger. Rubbing his eyes softly, he let out a groan.

But…. Something was off. As consciousness began to return to him, he felt a weird sensation in his legs. They felt…. Numb. It took him a moment to register this. For a moment, he sat in silence, on the bed, looking distantly over at the other side of his room. His eyes were still have closed, and he was still quite dazed a groggy.

After a minute, when Cole's mind started to regain sense, he felt like something was definitely off. His whole lower body felt numb. In an experiment, he tried to move his toes. But felt nothing. And obviously, Cole began to panic. But he had bigger problems than not feeling his toes.

He couldn't feel his legs.

But the panic he felt when he first his eyes widened and hurled the covers off himself was nothing compared to the panic that rose tenfold when he saw what was underneath them.

There were no legs.

Only a tail.

A purple tail.

A scaly tail.

The tail of an anacondrai.

And then, there was screaming.

*Screams* Oh wow, this chapter, man. I was planning on finishing my cover art before I finished this chapter, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this tangled mess. And yes, this does take place after Day of the Departed, in case you couldn't already tell. Tell me what you guys think of this story! Does it have potential? Is it absolute garbage? Who knows! 3