Of Love, Life, and Lies

A Ninjago FanFiction

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I'm finally recovered from all that circulating sickness…

Thanks to 8zBL, piinkielollipop, ZaneLoverFan88, mykindleisawesome, Frosti1212, Nya909, Guest, Gracie and Mariah, NinjaWriterMaster, Rosie Silver, and MossclawWarriors for their fantabulous reviews. And, the quotes from last chapter were from Infernal Devices, Mortal Instruments, Fablehaven, and Percy Jackson.

Also, just want to say, thanks for sticking with the story! I know it doesn't move very fast, and it must get kind of boring sometimes, but you guys still review chapter after chapter! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago, only Liana and some of the plot.

Chapter 37

Cole's POV

Wiping my nose, I tried to pull myself together.

That Lia had actually taken the time to put this album together…

I looked again at the title page.

I will always be your lily.

Love,

Lia

I clutched the book closer to me, as if her love would rub off on me. I felt incredibly guilty, not only for kissing Nya, as it was unfair to both her and Lia, but also for not talking to either of them afterward.

I stood up and tried to get some of the dust off of my black gi; note to self, don't sit on a dusty floor with black pants. When I had dislodged the last of the oddly persistent dust, I took the photo album, cradling it gently in my hands as if handling a newborn, and set off down the hall to find Lia.

Turns out, I didn't have to go very far.

I had just rounded the corner when a slim figure in teal crashed into me. We both fell to the ground, a little stunned, and then Lia was kissing me, harder than she had ever kissed me before. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she had a look of intense concentration on her face, for some reason. Shaking off these thoughts, I kissed her back, once, and then gently disentangled myself.

Groaning, I pushed myself up into a standing position, pulled Lia up behind me, and looked around for where I had dropped the album. I finally noticed it, about five feet away, when a small black jewelry box caught my attention.

"Wait a minute," Lia and I said simultaneously.

Bending over, I picked up the small box, while Lia went to retrieve the book. With slightly shaky hands, I lifted the lid and realized that it was the box with my mother's necklace. My eyebrows shot up in confusion. Glancing over at Lia, I saw a similar look on her face.

"Cole," she began. "Where did you find this?" She was careful to keep her voice neutral.

For some reason, I blushed. "Umm, I was cleaning out the junk from your room, and I found it in one of the drawers." Her eyes narrowed, and I realized I had just confessed to going through her drawers. I blushed harder than ever. "Not like that. I wasn't searching for frilly things bought at Victoria's Secret, I was just doing the job that you assigned me, to clean out all of the junk in the ship that we wouldn't be using." Her posture relaxed slightly. Now it was my turn to question her.

I held up the box accusingly. "You turn. Where did you find this?" A slight smirk crossed her face.

"In the laundry." My reaction to this must've been really weird, because she suddenly cracked up. "You left it in the pocket of your jeans." Realizations poured over me, and I couldn't help but blush yet again; why did I have to be so forgetful?

Suddenly, a thought hit me. This had been swirling around inside a washer? I quickly checked for damage and was relieved when I saw that not one gemstone was missing. I looked up from the necklace to find Lia watching me with a slight smile on her face. "What?" I asked, confused.

She simply shook her head. "Nothing. Sometimes I just like to look at you." Okay, that's not a strange thing to say at all.

Clearing my throat, I asked, "Why?"

The gentle peal of laughter that resonated from her lips was enough to make me melt; it was so pure and full of joy. "You are quite nice to look at, Cole. Believe it or not, you are extremely well looking."

I coughed uncomfortably, my face more red than a ripe tomato. Lia's grin only widened at my discomfort. "By the way, that is a beautiful necklace, and your note was very sweet." I'm pretty sure that my face was the color of Ron Weasly's hair.

Mentally slapping myself, I strived to make my chivalry appear. "Thanks. Would you mind if I put it on you?"

An expression of pure joy leapt across her face and she turned around, pulling her hair over one shoulder so that I could fasten it easier. "Please," she replied eagerly.

My fingers fumbling on the dainty chain, I somehow managed to unhook the clasp, loop it around Lia's neck, and fasten it again. I gave a sigh of relief when it was over and heard Lia giggle.

Turning back around, she gave me a quick peck on the lips before smacking me lightly on the shoulder. "C'mon, Cole," she said playfully. "We need to finish our chores."

With that, she went off, back the way she came, and I stood there, dumbfounded in the hallway, for what seemed like forever.

Lia's POV

I hummed merrily to myself as I was folding the laundry, my mind drifting back to the moment in the hallway.

I must admit, I was a little bit embarrassed by the way I had kissed/tackled him. It wasn't very ladylike.

As if that mattered to me.

Finished up, I neatly stacked the clothes into piles by owner, and, balancing them precariously on my arms, set off for the boys' room.

Somehow, I managed to get the door open, and I set the piles down on their owner's bunk. As soon as the last pile was down, I felt my fingers sliding subconsciously to my new necklace and felt a twinkly of joy running through my body.

I am Cole's Forever Girl.

Just as I was about to leave the room Kai walked in, giving me a surprised glance.

"Hey Kai, what's-" I never got to finish my greeting.

Because, at that moment, Kai had pushed his lips against mine.

Yeah, short, and I promise, soon I will get to the actual ninja parts. I'm getting sick of teenage romance, but I felt like this needed to happen.

Anyways, please review! Love ya'll!

~Boogalee