Nya's POV

I tried my best to feign sleep in hopes that I actually would. I didn't know the last time I'd had a full night of proper rest. But now, even as my body ached and cried out for sweet rest, my mind and heart refused. I couldn't get the images out of my head. Images of the battles, of the injured and dying people, and the sight of my own brother, injured, seizing, dying…

Tears leaked from the corner of my eyes as I squeezed them shut. I wanted to sob, but I didn't want to disrupt Skylor, so I choked back the rising tension in my throat. I wanted someone to comfort me, but I didn't want to be seen as weak. Kai was the one who'd gone through hell. I should be comforting him.

"You're allowed to hurt, you know," Skylor's voice caused me to start. I hadn't known the redhead was awake, much less would be able to read my thoughts like that.

I turned to face the girl, swiping the tears from your face. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Skylor smiled sadly. "No, I've been awake."

I nodded, fiddling with the blanket. Skylor and I weren't quite best friends yet - it'd taken a while for me to forgive her for betraying my brother - but we'd gotten closer over the last few months. At the very least, I could see how much Skylor cared for my brother and I had to appreciate that.

An unsettled feeling welled in my gut. I thought of all the waiting, all the hospital visits, all the pain our team went through in that place. But I realized through it all, Skylor had never been able to visit him, and that thought had me feeling terribly guilty.

"Skylor," tears filled my eyes again, against my will. "Did you-were you mad at Cole for ordering you to stay with the troops?"

The redhead clenched her jaw, and I had my answer. But her eyes were sad and understanding when they met mine.

"I was at first. But I came to understand his decision. We didn't know much about the Aryans when they first invaded. We were stretched thin over our last few weeks of battle." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "At first, I didn't understand why it had to be me. Surely, there were others who would step up and lead so I could be-be with him-"

She trailed off as a sob caught in her throat, squeezing her eyes shut. My sympathy for her grew even further, and I wanted to hug her, but I wasn't sure how she would react.

Her green eyes were strong and ernest as they met mine again. "I wanted to be with him, Nya. So bad," her voice wavered. "Even now, I wonder if I should've protested. Should've came anyway. I feel like...like the worst girlfriend for not being there when he needed me most."

"Oh, Sky-" I started, wanting to reassure her. But she wasn't quite finished.

"But, something Jay said had gotten to me. He reminded me that if the Aryans came back, and we didn't have a leader that Ninjago would fall. And in that moment, though every inch of me wanted to scream no and run to Kai's side - I knew I couldn't. I thought of Kai in that moment, I knew what he needed me to do - what he would've told me to do - was to stay and fight. Then I realized it had to be me. Because I had something to fight for." The tears ran down her cheeks, the intense grief showing on her face. "Did I do the right thing?" She was begging for reassurance.

I put my hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "If you had come to the hospital to be with Kai, it would in no way have been wrong. And while it may not feel like it, you staying to lead the troops, was the strongest and bravest decision you could've made. When it came to comforting Kai or protecting him, you chose to protect. And in this case, protection had to come first."

Skylor worried her lip, eyes still shiny. "I just wish I could've held him," she said softly.

Then the sobs hit her, and she didn't hold them back anymore. I joined her, letting go of my pride, because we both so desperately needed comfort. I wrapped my arms around her, and to my surprise, she reciprocated. And for the next hour, we clung to each other, weeping for the pain we had gone through the last few weeks, and sobbing because we'd been way too close to losing our favorite boy.

Kai's POV

Pain. There was pain, but it was dulled by shock. Shock because I'd never expected my own weapon to be used against me. Shock because I hadn't expected to fail so drastically against my opponent. Shock because my body knew if the pain was as severe as my injuries, I would die solely from agony. Shock because I couldn't have seen this coming.

Lloyd had been close. Several yards away from me, my baby brother had been going at half a dozen men at once. He spun and flipped around them, trying to keep them all in sight. But there was the one he hadn't seen. The one that I had seen. Coming from behind him.

I didn't know if I'd get there in time. But I had to try.

Lungs burned from the ash and dirt and blood and sweat mingling in the air. Body ached, but pulsed with adrenaline so I could go for hours. The world around me was a blur. All I saw in my tunnel vision was a golden mop of blond hair, wet and streaked with mud, and the Aryan General out to take that away from me. To kill the Golden Ninja for his own glory.

I ran for the man. With everything I had, I ran at him, sword raised. But he'd sensed me. He'd sensed me coming, and at the last moment he'd swiveled in my direction. Caught unprepared, he was able to catch my arm, twisting it hard enough to disarm me.

He caught the Sword of Fire, mid air. And instead of simply going for the kill, he swung it back at me, and he took my whole life away in one swing. My arm fell away, severed by my own blade.

I could only stare. Shock riddling me. Then I was falling, unbalanced. And he went to finish the job. My own sword piercing me in my center.

Lloyd couldn't get to me. I don't think he ever saw what happened. But Cole had. Through my shock, I heard his voice, his pained battle cry coming from somewhere off to my left. Now, I realized it wasn't for himself or the Aryans. It was for me.

I heard the cries of Aryans as they got caught in the earth ninja's warpath. I heard the rumble of the earth as it shook beneath me. Through my shocked tears, I saw Cole's face above me. His hands touched my wounds, trying to help but not knowing how.

I remember pleading with him, "Please." I wanted him to take the pain away, but he couldn't. Shock did that for me.

My body went stiff. I tried to move, but I was stuck. My hands curled around the sheets as I woke from the terrible dream, the one that had once been real. I was paralyzed, just like on the battlefield, laying in the mud and my own blood, Cole's worried and terrified face looking down at me. I wanted to scream, somebody help me! But all I could do was scream. Incoherent cries for help.

The screams deemed too effective, as immediately I was darting up, unable to stop screaming because the painfearshock all came flooding back and I wanted my arm back and I remember the feeling of death so near and so real. But suddenly there were arms around me, two full, strong arms pulling me into safety and warmth that I rejected because what if they weren't friendly…

I jerked away from the arms trying to help me, because I couldn't decide what was real, I was panicking, hyperventilating, back hitting the wall as I tried to get away, failing. Several hands tried to touch me, but none of them felt familiar so I jerked away from them.

There were footsteps and worried voices, and I began to use logic and realized the Aryans would never sound worried like that. All I remember of them were their brutal, ugly battles cries. They never sounded concerned for someone else's wellbeing.

Then the strong arms reached for me again, and I realized they were familiar. I let the arms wrap around me. They pulled me into the safety of a warm chest so I could finally make out their comforting words.

"Hey, hey. Shh, you're okay, Kai," the slightly raspy voice assured me. It was steady, but I could sense the concern and the tears. "You're not there anymore. You're safe." A hand ran through my hair.

I didn't hear any voices for several minutes. My heart was still racing, the violent memories threatening to take hold again. But I shoved them back, knowing I was safe in these familiar arms. After all, they were the ones that had carried me hundreds of yards without faltering. The ones that had taken me to safety. The ones that had saved my life. And the only ones that I had found comfort in at the hospital, because I thought the rest of my family was dead.

Because I thought the Aryans had killed my family, and that Cole was the only one left.

AH my goodness all the feels while writing this. Poor Kai. That PTSD is going to be rough for a while :( But thank goodness for Cole and the rest of his team, amiright?

I thought it was so sad that he thought Cole was the only one left. But I think that contributes to and explains the fact that he feels the most comfort from Cole, right now. He'd gotten the idea that Cole was the only piece of his family he had left. Plus I believe there's some psychological stuff coming into effect because Cole was there when he got hurt and was the one to save him, so he probably some extra clinginess to him because of that.