Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago
Years Earlier…
Cole scaled the back of a mountain with ease, as did the strange old man who Cole had met just hours before. After the passing of his mother, Cole's father became distant and sent Cole to an all dance school, Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. After realizing that he couldn't sing or dance, Cole ran away and decided to grieve in his own way.
Cole always found comfort in the Earth. He liked being close to the ground as well as climbing mountains. Something in the rocks and dirt he touched…called to Cole. He decided to climb one of the tallest mountains in Ninjago with no harness or rope, or shoes and a shirt for that matter.
Cole reached the summit and pulled himself up over the cliff, chuckling slightly. Cole looked forward and saw something strange. He saw an elderly man sitting on the mountain, drinking tea.
"Hello there." The old man said with a smile.
"How did you... Who are you?" Cole asked.
"Maybe that is a question for me to ask. But first, why do you climb the mountain?" The old man questioned.
"I just lost someone. My father should be sad or angry, but he's just, he's…" Cole started.
"Yes?" The old man asked.
"He spends all his time with his group singing and dancing. He's never home, leaving all the chores for me. With her gone, I guess it's up to me to be the responsible one. He acts like nothings happened. How can he sing and dance at a time like this!?" Cole yelled.
The old man pondered for a minute and sipped his tea before answering.
"Grief takes many shapes and forms. Some sing and dance. Some climb mountains."
"Why do you climb the mountain?" Cole asked.
"To find you, Cole." The old man said.
"How did you…" Cole started.
"There's something inside you, Cole. You feel a connection to the Earth, don't you?" The old man asked.
"It's my home." Cole answered.
"Indeed. Cole, there are dark forces on the horizon. When the time comes, I need you to lead my ninja into battle." The old man said.
"What are you talking about? I'm no leader. And I'm definitely not no ninja." Cole said.
"Not yet, but with training you will." The old man said standing up. "The Earth calls to you to protect her, Cole. It is inside you. I can train you to harness it, wield it, and become a Spinjitzu Master." The old man said as he walked closer to Cole.
Cole backed away from the strange man and almost fell off the mountain. Cole was able to quickly regain his footing and step back on the summit before he fell.
"I'm giving you the chance to be more than who you are, Cole. You know you were meant to do more than this. I can give you that chance." The old man said.
Cole remained silent and looked away.
"However, I'm not forcing you to go. You can continue to climb mountains, Cole, or you can return to school and make it back in time for your dance recital." The old man said as he walked passed Cole.
The stranger then started to climb down the mountain and left Cole on the peak. Cole looked up at the sky and his eyes started to water.
"Mom. What should I do?" Cole whispered.
There was no answer.
"I'm not a singer or dancer, mom, you know this. I almost broke my neck on the Triple Tiger Sashay. I don't want to disappoint dad, but the old man was right. Something inside me calls to the Earth and I think I got that from you. Please, mom, what do I do?"
The wind picked up slightly and Cole felt the cool breeze touch his skin. Cole closed his eyes and smiled.
"Wait!" Cole yelled.
Cole ran over to the edge and looked down to see the old man climb past the clouds. Cole backed up to the other side of the summit before running back to the edge and jumping off it. Cole soared down the mountain and his face broke through the clouds. The old man saw Cole as he fell and gasped. Although he wasn't a good dancer, Cole was able to pick up some skills. Seeing an old root sticking outside the mountain, Cole quickly grabbed on and swung around it before facing the stranger again.
The root snapped, and Cole's eyes widened. He quickly closed his eyes from fear before very slowly opening them to see the old man holding on to his hand.
"I'm in." Cole said with a smile.
The old man chuckled and let Cole grab hold of the mountain again. They both began to climb down the mountain together.
"So, you got a name?" Cole asked.
"Wu." The old man answered.
"Wu. Sensei Wu. Sounds right." Cole said.
Wu chuckled again.
"Earlier you said something about dark forces?" Cole asked.
"Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, using the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu…" Wu began.
Cole listened to Wu's story as they climbed down the mountain. What would've take normal climbers hours to descend, Wu and Cole did it in about thirty minutes. Wu and Cole then walked all the way to the mountain of Wu's monastery. Wu instructed Cole to scale behind the mountain, which Cole gladly accepted. Both of them, then climbed the mountain, almost as if they were having a friendly competition. Once the reached the top, Wu and Cole walked around to the front and faced the doors.
"A monastery? I'm gonna learn to fight here?" Cole asked.
"Train, and yes. You will also live here with me, your team members and…" Wu started.
Suddenly, the doors began to open, and Cole saw a beautiful girl standing there. Cole's mouth opened slightly as he looked at her. The first thing Cole noticed were her sparkling blue eyes that looked like Wu's minus the sparkling of course. She had curly brown hair that went to her shoulders and light white skin color. A smile formed on her ruby lips and she opened her mouth to say…
"Father."
She sounds like an angel, thought Cole.
"Cole, this is my daughter Talia. She will also be living with us." Wu introduced.
"Hi." Was all poor Cole could say.
He extended out his hand and Talia shook it with her own.
"Hello. You're not wearing a shirt." Talia smiled.
Cole let go of her hand and looked down to see that he was topless. Cole was thankful for his muscular build, but he was still embarrassed.
"Sorry." Cole said as he tried to cover himself.
"Cole was climbing the Mountain of Skies when I found him." Wu said, giving an explanation.
"Oh wow. Isn't that the tallest mountain in Ninjago?" Talia asked.
"One of the biggest." Cole said.
"Talia be a dear and fetch Cole a training shirt please." Wu said.
Talia left them to get Cole a shirt. He couldn't help himself and Cole watched her walk away.
"That's your daughter?" Cole asked.
"Yes. Why?" Wu asked.
"She looks so young and you're so old." Cole said honestly.
"We get that a lot." Wu said as he walked inside.
Cole followed him and took it all in. Cole saw the monastery and thought that the design of it was ancient, but still beautiful. Talia walked next to him and gave him a shirt. Cole thanked her for it and put it on as Talia watched him. Once it was, Cole patted himself down and stared at it.
"White's not really your color, is it?" Talia joked.
"My mother used to say I look good in black." Cole said.
"Used to?" Talia asked.
"She…She died." Cole said sadly.
"I'm sorry." Talia said.
"It's OK. I like to think she's at peace now." Cole said with a smile.
Talia smiled back at him before leaving Cole alone on the training area. Again, Cole watched her walk away.
"Cole." Wu said.
"Yeah!" Cole said as he jumped.
"Complete the training course before I finish my tea, please." Wu said.
"Uh…Training course?" Cole asked.
Talia flipped a dragon statue over and pushed the red button inside. Once pressed, a training course appeared around a startled Cole.
"Oh." Cole said.
Cole looked back at Wu to see Talia joining him at his side.
"Are you going to watch?" Cole asked.
"Yes. Is that OK with you?" Talia asked, a little insulted.
"No, no, no! I just thought you might want something better to do." Cole said.
"Nope. I'm in the mood for a laugh." Talia said as she sat down.
"Begin." Wu said.
Cole then quickly ran to the first set of poles and jumped up with some difficulty. Once finally on top, he slowly began to jump from one to the next. He was knocked off by a swinging pole in the center and thrown in front of Wu and Talia. Talia began to laugh uncontrollably and Wu sent his cup down.
"And…fail." Wu said.
"Fail?" Cole asked.
"Tomorrow, you shall try again." Wu said as he stood up.
Wu then jumped backwards inside his monastery, leaving a defeated Cole and laughing Talia in the courtyard.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Cole said as he stood up.
Talia slowly stopped laughing to see that Cole was actually mad.
"It's ok, Cole. No one gets it on the first try. I can help teach you a few things to better prepare yourself for tomorrow." Talia said, trying to reassure him.
"I don't need any help." Cole said as he turned around.
"Fine." Talia said angrily.
Talia stood up used Spinjitzu to travel to the door to her room on the right side. Cole saw this out of the corner of his eye and turned around all the way once she started moving. Talia stopped spinning at the front of her door and began to walk inside.
"Wait!" Cole yelled.
Talia smiled and slowly turned her head around slightly.
"I'm sorry." Cole apologized.
Talia closed her door and backflipped into the arena. She stopped in front of Cole and then turned to face him.
"And?" Talia asked as he crossed her arms.
"Can you help me…please." Cole asked.
"That's better. My father will be back out to teach you after he meditates, but first, let's do some stretches." Talia said.
"Stretches?" Cole asked.
"You want my help or not?" Talia asked.
"Sorry, sorry. OK what's first?" Cole asked.
"Alright, touch your toes." Talia began.
Wu opened his door part way and watched as his daughter started to train his very first student. Wu smiled and closed the door to meditate.
Cole trained with Talia for about an hour until Wu came back out to take over the training. Wu trained Cole for the rest of the day and Talia trained with him for most of it. Although she already had this training, Talia wanted to go through it again with Cole. Talia then left to go make dinner. The sun started to set so Wu decided to end the training for the day. Talia announced dinner was ready and the three ate a delicious meal. After dinner, Wu retired to his room while Talia took Cole to his.
"The dinner was delicious, Talia, thank you. And thanks for your help today." Cole said.
"You're welcome, Cole. I was angry too the first time I failed the course, but after my father trained me, I was able to complete it at the end of the week." Talia said.
"That long? Wow, I'll be lucky if I can beat it at the end of the month." Cole laughed.
Talia laughed a little as well. They stopped walking once they reached a door.
"Here, Cole, take the room next to mine." Talia said.
Cole opened the door and saw a pillow and mat laying on the floor.
"Cozy." Cole said.
"Trust me, you'll get used to it." Talia said.
Cole laid down on the matt and became stiff as a board.
"Oh yeah, this is great." Cole joked.
Talia laughed again.
"I know it's not perfect, but in time it'll feel like home. Should be better than the dance school though." Talia smiled.
"Yeah…" Cole whispered as he looked around his room.
"Do you miss your dad?" Talia asked.
"A little. Once I'm comfortable here, I'll write him a letter." Cole said.
"And what about your friends back home? I'm sure they miss you too. Your…girlfriend too." Talia said as she parted her hair a bit.
"I don't have a girlfriend. I also didn't have a lot of friends either." Cole said.
"Oh. Well…you got one now." Talia smiled.
Cole smiled back at her. Talia closed his door and left Cole alone. Cole laid back down on his mat and looked up at the ceiling.
"Well, mom…this is it." Cole said as he closed his eyes.
Cole failed the training course again and again for the next days. After a failure, Wu trained both Cole and Talia. Cole focused more on being a ninja than he ever did as a dancer. Cole mimicked Talia's moves as she taught him stretches and Cole did whatever exercise Wu instructed. Friday had arrived as Cole went through a week of vigorous training.
"Begin." Wu instructed.
Cole shot off like a bullet and was halfway through the first set of poles before Wu picked up his glass. Talia watched as Cole avoided the axes of the dummies and the spinning swords. Cole reached the poles that wiped back and forth. Almost like a dancer, Cole was light on his feet and snuck past each pole without getting smacked. Wu and put in his sugar lumps and lifted his cup. Once he drank the tea and sat it back down, Cole was standing in front of him with a smile on his face.
"Pass." Wu smiled.
Cole looked up to Talia to see that she was smiling at him too.
"Nice going, Cole." Talia said.
"Couldn't have passed without your help. Thanks." Cole thanked. "So, when do I learn Spinjitzu?"
"You already have, Cole." Wu said as he stood up. "Spinjitzu is inside you and when you are ready, it will be unlocked…Come! My stomach growls and I'm ready for lunch."
With that, Wu walked back inside.
"Cryptic, isn't he?" Talia asked.
"I'll say." Cole said as he started to spin around.
"Umm…" Talia said. "Whatcha doing, Cole."
"Isn't it obvious? Spinjitzu." Cole addressed, still spinning.
"Cole, remember what Wu said." Talia said as she walked over to him. "Only when you're ready."
"But I'm ready now—" Cole said.
Cole tripped on his feet and started to fall over. Talia tried to catch him, but Cole was a little too big and fell on top of Talia. Cole was dizzy, but as soon has his head stopped spinning he saw he was on top of Talia.
"Sorry…" Cole blushed slightly.
Talia laughed at Cole and soon he did as well. Cole got up from Talia and sat on the courtyard. Talia sat up and smiled at Cole.
"Only when you are ready." Talia mimicked Wu's voice.
They both laughed again when Wu opened the doors.
"Father?" Talia asked.
"I know where the next student is located at." Wu said as he walked passed them. "I'll return in a few days. Talia, make sure Cole continues his training."
"Yes, father." Talia bowed her head.
"But I unlocked Spinjitzu…I think." Cole said.
"Just because you unlocked Spinjitzu doesn't mean you have finished your training. There are many skills a ninja requires before his training is complete and you Cole have only scratched the surface." Wu said.
"Yes, Sensei." Cole bowed his head.
"Good. I'll be back soon, goodbye for now." Wu said.
Talia and Cole bid farewell to Wu as he left the monastery.
For the next couple of days, Talia trained Cole, such as sweeping the courtyard, dusting the inside of the monastery, doing the dishes, and cleaning the roofs. Cole protested that he was only doing chores, but Talia insisted this was real training. She would've made him cook the meals, but one bite of his Violet Berry soup and Talia was in the bathroom for hours.
Later, Cole met Talia in the courtyard for weapons training.
"Finally, actual ninja training!" Cole said.
"I told you, dusting priceless relics will benefit you as a ninja." Talia said.
"Oh, I'm sure." Cole joked.
"Alright smart guy, truth is I'm tired of all the whining so I thought we'd take a crack at weapons. My father normally takes charge in this, but he's still gone, so I'd figure I'd give you some pointers. First, pick a weapon." Talia said.
Cole stared at a wall of weapons. There were swords and throwing stars and weapons he's never seen before in his life. His eyes locked on to a staff with a curved blade at the end.
"Something caught your eye?" Talia asked.
"Yeah." Cole whispered.
He took hold of the weapon and pulled it down from the wall. Cole took the weapon in both hands and looked down at it. It was lighter than expected.
"A scythe." Talia said.
Cole twirled the scythe around in his hand, moved it behind his back, took it in his left hand while stile spinning and finally held it upright. He did all that without hitting or scratching himself or Talia, who was impressed.
"I had a lot of practice with baton twirling back at school." Cole said.
"Wow, batons, that's really cool, Cole." Talia teased while trying to hide her snickering.
"Oh, it's on now." Cole said as he held up his scythe.
Talia grabbed a spear from the wall and pointed it forwards.
"Bring it on, dance pants." Talia teased.
Remarkably, at the end of the day, both Cole and Talia only ended up with three scars each.
The next day, Wu arrived with the second student, Jay, the future master of lightning. He was…Well we all know how Jay is. Still, despite his quirks and mouth, Cole and Jay still accepted and trained with him. He, like Cole before, failed the training course on the first day, he couldn't even get up the first poles. Once he failed, Cole and Talia helped Jay to his feet and taught him before Wu returned from meditation. At the end of the weekend, Jay finally passed the course and didn't let anyone forget about it for the rest of the day.
Wu left again to go find the third student, the famous Zane. Now Zane was a strange character indeed, to Talia, he seemed almost robotic, but she still liked him, as did Cole and Jay. He was also the best cook out of the four of them. Zane failed and failed for days, but with the help of his first friends ever, he too passed the training course. Cole and Jay celebrated with Zane, the best he could, and Talia and Wu smiled at them, knowing that these three would be the heroes of Ninjago. However, Talia knew one more ninja would join them. The only problem was that there were no more rooms left to give. Talia sighed as she knew what she had to do. Even if it killed her inside.
"Do you know where he's at?" Talia asked.
Wu and Talia spoke secretly in his room as the ninjas were practicing with their weapons. Zane chose shurikens and Jay took on the nunchucks.
"Not yet, but I will find him soon. You don't need to leave, daughter. We can have two of them bunk together." Wu said.
"Father, these rooms are small enough as is, I don't think bunking together is a smart idea." Talia laughed. "Besides, it's Earth, Fire, Ice and Lightning. I didn't even inherit an elemental ability from you."
"You haven't told the others about their elemental abilities, have you?" Wu quirked an eyebrow.
"No, dad." Talia smiled.
"Not even Cole?" Wu raised his eyebrow higher.
Talia laughed some. It's true, Cole and Talia, during the months they spent together, both began to share stories and secrets with one another. Both became friends quickly, even after a very awkward first meeting.
"Not even Cole." Talia answered.
"Well, Talia, if this is what you truly want to do, then I won't stop you. Have you contacted your mother?" Wu asked.
"Yes, she's looking forward to it." Talia answered.
"I'm sure she is." Wu said.
Father and daughter hugged each other tightly.
"I promise to write to you every chance I get. I'll let you know what's going on with everyone." Wu said.
"Thank you, daddy." Talia whispered as a tear fell.
Talia looked down at Wu's table to see a sewing kit and a partially made white suit.
"What are you working on?" Talia asked.
"Oh. These are the boys ninja gi. I'm working on Zane's now." Wu answered.
"Have you done Cole's?" Talia asked.
"Not yet, I'm trying to pick out the right color for him. What do you think of orange?" Wu asked.
"Do me a favor and make his black. His mother used to say he looked good in black." Talia said.
Wu smiled at his daughter and agreed to the color choice.
Wu and Talia then walked outside and watched as the Ninja trained against each other with their weapons. Zane sensed Wu and Talia's sadness and looked at them. This caused Jay and Cole to stop fighting and look at them too.
"I'll be leaving soon for a personal matter. While I'm gone I need you to go into this village and pick up your ninja training gi." Wu said as he handed a piece of paper to Zane.
The boys looked it over and then back at Wu and Talia. All three knew something was wrong.
"Anything else?" Cole asked.
"Boys, Talia has some news." Wu said.
"Please don't tell me we're gonna fight her again." Jay said. "My bruise hasn't healed since last time."
Talia laughed at her friend before focusing again.
"No, not that. I'm…I decided to leave and to go live with my mother for a while." Talia said.
"What?" Cole asked.
"Look, you guys need the space to train and fight and I feel like I'm getting in the way." Talia said.
"That's not true! We can have four people on this team, right?" Cole asked.
"I don't know about a fourth. It's always three. Three blind mice, three musketeers…" Jay said.
Cole nudged his arm.
"Ow, right on the bruise. I mean, yeah, we can have four! Right, Zane?" Jay said.
"There is power in numbers, Sensei. Perhaps the most logical choice of action is to have Talia stay as a ninja." Zane said.
"You three speak highly of your friend. Unfortunately, the three of you have something unique inside that my daughter…Simply does not, in no offense at all." Wu said.
"How can you say that!?" Cole said as he raised his voice.
"Cole." Talia said calmly.
"She's the most experienced fighter here besides you, Sensei. She's kicked our asses a dozen times over! She's kind, funny, honest and you think there's nothing unique about her? She's the coolest girl I've ever known!" Cole yelled.
"I did not make this decision, Cole." Wu said.
Cole looked at a saddened Talia.
"I'm sorry. But I made this choice." Talia said.
Talia walked down in front of her friends.
"I haven't seen my mother in a long time. Plus, with everything coming forwards with Garmadon and Skeletons, you guys don't need me here as a distraction. You should put all your focus on training." Talia said.
The three ninja were devastated.
"Please, respect my decision." Talia said.
"Of course, we will." Zane said.
Jay and Cole looked at him.
"It's what friends do." Zane said.
Zane walked forward and gave Talia a goodbye hug which she accepted. Jay went in and hugged both of his friends. Talia closed her eyes as they hugged. When she opened them, Cole was gone. Talia was even sadder now and Wu walked next to her.
"Give him, time." Wu said. "Go pack your belongings."
Talia left Wu and the others to her room. She stopped outside of Cole's door and faced it. It was never closed except for when he was asleep. She wanted to knock on it but couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she went to her room and began to pack her things.
Talia didn't have a lot of possessions, so packing didn't take very long. Cole was still in his room and was doing pull ups on a bar that he installed himself. Talia looked at his closed door a final time before leaving. Jay and Zane watched her wipe her tears and walk outside. Jay growled and went to Cole's room, swinging it open.
"What?" Cole asked.
"What are you doing?" Jay asked annoyed.
"What's it look like? I'm training for battle in my room so there are no distractions." Cole said.
"Seriously!? You're gonna act like this?" Jay asked.
"I'm only doing what she wants." Cole said.
"Cole, she is clearly upset over her decision to leave, but she wants to spend time with her mother. Surely, you can relate to that." Zane said.
Cole stopped exercising and jumped down from his bar.
"You two are like best friends, Cole. Do you really want this to be your last interaction with her before she's gone?" Jay asked.
"What am I doing?" Cole asked himself. "Excuse me, guys."
Cole ran passed Jay and Zane and went outside.
"That's what I'm talking about! High five, Zane." Jay said with his hand in the air.
Zane looked at it and then back down at Jay.
"Yes. It certainly is." Zane said.
"Oh brother." Jay shook his head.
Wu and Talia were at the gates of the monastery. Wu opened the door and started to walk down the steps. Talia looked back one final time and sighed sadly. She then started to walk down the steps.
"Wait!"
Talia turned around and saw Cole running towards her. She looked down at Wu and told him she'd catch up. Wu nodded and proceeded to walk down the steps. Talia walked back up the steps and met Cole. They both looked at each other for a moment and smile. Talia then punched Cole in the shoulder.
"Ow!" Cole yelled.
"Believe me, it's not the first place I thought about punching you at." Talia said as she crossed her arms.
"I deserved that." Cole said as he rubbed his shoulder.
"Yeah, you do." Talia said.
"Look, Talia…I'm sorry." Cole started.
Talia dropped her arms.
"I never had a friend like you before in my life. Jay even pointed out that we might be best friends and when you said you were leaving, I don't know, I guess I was just hurt. But instead of telling you this, I decided to hurt you back. I'm sorry." Cole apologized.
"I'm sorry I made you feel this way. I just…need to see my mom again, Cole." Talia said.
"I know, believe me I know. I'd do anything to see my mom again. Yours is still here though, so I totally understand." Cole said.
"Thank you. I will miss you though, Cole. You are my best friend." Talia said with a smile.
That beautiful smile, I think I'll miss that the most, Cole thought. Cole smiled back at her. Talia reached inside her bag and pulled out a necklace. It was a silver chain that connected to a small silver cage that rested a beautiful aquamarine jewel inside.
"My mother gave this to me, before I left. She told me to give it to my best friend as the jewel is a symbol for friendship in the water world." Talia said.
"Water world?" Cole asked.
"It doesn't matter. I guess she thought my best friend would be a girl, but it's you. I know men aren't known for their jewelry but…" Talia said.
"No, no. Here, it's beautiful." Cole said with an open hand.
Talia handed him the necklace and Cole looked at the jewel inside. He really did think it was beautiful, just like the girl who gave it to him.
"I feel bad. I didn't get you anything." Cole joked.
Talia laughed at him.
"Goodbye, Cole." Talia said.
She grabbed her bags and turned to leave.
"Talia, wait!" Cole yelled.
Talia turned back around quickly and stared at Cole.
"I uh, I…" Cole started.
Cole stared into Talia's blue eyes and was mesmerized by them.
"I…I'm gonna miss you, Talia. More than you know." Cole said.
Talia walked up to Cole and hugged him tight and Cole returned the hug. Talia then kissed Cole on the cheek, leaving behind a ruby lipstick stain. Cole was surprised.
"Goodbye, Cole." Talia whispered.
Talia let go of Cole and started to walk away.
"Bye." Cole whispered back as he touched his cheek.
Cole watched Talia walk down the stairs, distraught knowing he wouldn't see his best friend again in a long time. Jay and Zane walked up to both sides of Cole.
"You OK, buddy?" Jay asked.
"I'll be fine. Come on, let's go get our suits." Cole said.
Before they walked away, Zane licked his thumb and started to wipe away Talia's lipstick stain, much to Cole's annoyance and Jay's amusement.
Present day…
Cole later found out that Talia left because a fourth ninja was indeed joining their team. Although he was angry at first, Kai and Cole did become friends over time, as did the other ninja. Cole was saddened that his best friend was gone, but he's gone on many adventures without her and made new friends along the way, like Nya, Pixal, Ivy and Lloyd. Cole looked at the Water Temple and held his breath as the Bounty got closer and closer. Once the Bounty was docked, Wu joined Cole on the deck.
"Ready?" Wu asked with a smile.
Cole smiled back.
"Do you even need to ask?"
Thanks to RandomDragon2.0 and CrazyforReading12 for your reviews!
R&R