Holy crap I nearly forgot again.
LightWolf: I am just so tickled and happy that you love my fic so much! It's been nearly six months since I started posting. 23 weeks, as I do one chapter every week.
Zane opened the training room doors. He led quite the troupe: Kai, Jay, Xavier, Cole, and Garmadon. Nya was still confined to bed even after the three days they had been back.
Kai pushed past Zane and stretched his arms out.
"Finally!" He said. "I've wanted to tear my arms off the last couple of days." He jogged in place as the others crowded in.
"That seems insensitive." Jay muttered under his breath.
"Will you be joining us sir?" Zane asked Garmadon.
The old man shook his head.
"I think I'll keep watching." He said.
Zane acknowledged him with a nod as he herded the rest to where Kai was standing.
"What will we be doing?" Xavier signed.
Zane paused. He really had no idea what Kai's skill level was and Cole would need careful training to overcome his missing arm.
"Jay, Xavier," he ordered. "You will train with Cole. Cole, we will start easier, in order for you to readjust to this."
Cole just shrugged. Zane frowned but turned to Kai.
"Kai and I will spar." Zane determined.
"Weapons or no?" Kai asked though he already had his cleaver like swords at the ready.
Zane hesitated before nodding.
"Keep them dull." He told Kai.
Kai rolled his eyes but the blades became far less sharp.
They moved together to the middle of the training hall.
Zane sank into a defensive crouch.
"You may start whenever you are ready." He invited.
Kai launched himself at Zane. Zane's shuriken were out in a flash. He shoved Kai's blades to the side and swung into a kick. Kai tried to dodge but Zane's heel smashed into the small of his back. Kai crashed to the ground and quickly rolled to the right. He popped to his feet and lost no time in slashing out again. Zane ducked inside Kai's attack and hit him with an open palmed strike to the chest. Even as Kai stumbled backwards Zane was astounded at how much joy he had in this. The exhilaration coursed through his veins. Combat, it seemed, was not all horrors and loss. Zane was fully starting to see the art. He dodged another strike and he plunged Kai into the ground.
"May I give a suggestion?" Asked an older voice.
Zane looked up. Garmadon had approached them. Zane let Kai up and nodded.
"Sure, if it'll keep my nose out of the dirt." Kai grumbled.
He rubbed at his dirty face. Garmadon smiled.
"It may give you a better chance, but Zane is clever. He might keep you planted regardless."
Kai scoffed. Garmadon regarded them both with a searching stare.
"You are too hasty." He said. "You attack Zane with no thought. He sees what you are going to do and it is easy for him to stop you."
"What I do worked on Lordings." Kai retorted but Zane could see he was considering a new angle.
"Are you saying Zane is the same as a Lording?" Garmadon said, arching an eyebrow.
"That is quite offensive." Zane put in. "I will have to prove that you are wrong through combat."
Kai snorted.
"Was that supposed to be trash talk?" He said. "Let's just start over so I don't have to hear you try again."
He brandished his swords.
"Very well." Zane said. "Let us begin."
Despite Garmadon's advice, Zane still expected Kai to rush forwards.
He did not. In fact, Kai just stood there in his battle stance with his eyes narrowed. Zane cocked his head. Kai was taking Garmadon's advice too literally. Perhaps he needed a nudge.
Zane flung one of his shuriken towards Kai. Kai grinned. He jabbed his sword up and through the shuriken's center hole. Zane blinked in surprise. He pulled at the shuriken but Kai held the sword firm.
Kai grinned even more broadly.
"Come and get it!" He taunted.
Zane rushed forward. Kai stepped back but stood his ground. He was confident in his scheme. Zane sheathed his shuriken.
They disappeared. Zane pushed down Kai's arms. He twisted his ring again and the shuriken reappeared right at Kai's throat.
"An improvement." Zane said. "But I believe you are still 'planted.'"
"Okay." Jay said to Cole as Zane and Kai separated themselves. "I guess we should start with a basic spar."
Cole shrugged and summoned his scythe.
"Xavier, you take him on." Jay said. "You'll be more gentle."
Xavier signed a yes and unsheathed his glaive. Cole barely raised his eyebrows at it and made no comment. Jay found this odd, seeing as when Zane found out about Xavier's fighting, he had just about had a conniption.
"Okay, go!" Jay ordered.
Cole dropped into a defensive stance. Xavier didn't move. He just studied Cole. Finally he turned to Jay. He flashed his fingers.
"I'm dumb, remember?" Jay said. "Do it slower."
"Unbalanced." Xavier signed more carefully with a gesture to Cole.
"Xavier says your stance is unbalanced." Jay told Cole.
"Whatever." Cole grumbled. "Just come at me."
Xavier narrowed his eyes and frowned. He darted at Cole. Xavier simply rapped Cole on the side and Cole toppled over. Cole cursed and Xavier leapt back.
"Unbalanced." He signed again.
"The kid's right." Jay ventured. "You can't go on like nothing's changed."
Cole had pulled himself into a sitting position and avoided looking at either of them.
"Fine." He mumbled. "Fine. I'll just relearn everything then."
Jay shrugged.
"Can't be helped. I had to relearn a lot when I lost my eye." He said. "But the best way to adjust was for me to train with Xavier."
Cole scowled but fell back into position. He shifted his weight and his stance this way and that before looking up.
"This feels better." He admitted.
Xavier stepped forward and cocked an eyebrow.
"Go ahead." Cole said with a ghost of a smile.
Xavier leapt forward and the two clashed. Jay was impressed with Xavier's control of the situation. The kid was pushing Cole but making sure it wasn't too much for the weakened master of earth.
Except it did turn out to be too much. Xavier hit one of Cole's healing welts. Cole roared in pain and backhanded Xavier. Jay was halfway to the kid as he crashed into the dirt. Cole had stumbled back and fallen.
"What the hell was that?" Jay snapped at Cole.
He tilted Xavier's head up to examine the black eye blooming across the kid's face. Xavier was sniffling and holding back tears.
"It was an accident." Cole stammered. "He startled me-"
Kai, Zane, and Garmadon had hurried over.
"What happened?" Zane asked as he joined Jay at Xavier's side.
"That idiot hit Xavier full on." Jay muttered. "He could have snapped the kid's neck!"
"Shut up, Zaptrap!" Cole snarled.
He ignored Kai's attempt to help him up and instead pulled himself to his feet.
"Cole-" Zane started.
"I'm going to go train by myself." Cole said and began stalking away.
Xavier broke free and ran to tug on Cole's hand. Cole tore it away.
"Leave me alone!" He bellowed.
Xavier faltered and Cole escaped.
"People liked him better than me?" Jay asked when Cole was out of earshot. Or not. Jay didn't care if Cole heard. "He's a total jerk."
Xavier whirled around and signed with a rapidity that Jay couldn't follow.
"But he did hit you, no matter his previous attitude and actions." Zane said softly.
Xavier continued too fast for Jay.
"I agree, there is something wrong." Zane said with a fretful air. "But I do not know-"
He trailed off and watched the far off figure of Cole lash out over and over with his scythe.
"Cole has been through an enormous ordeal." Garmadon said. "He will need time to heal. We must not press him, but be here for when he is ready to reach out."
Jay looked back at Xavier's bruised and mottled face. Jay's fingers became sparklers and he clenched them. Did Garmadon really expect Jay to be there for Cole?
Cole apparently didn't feel like reaching out regardless. He left before any of them and apparently skipped dinner. That had deeply disturbed Zane, though Jay didn't know why. When they got to their quarters, Cole ignored them and turned away from them in his bed. This was just fine to Jay. He was in no mood to have a heart to heart with the master of earth.
Kai and Zane both exchanged worried looks. Xavier moved to approach Cole. Jay held him back.
"Are you crazy?" He hissed. "Do you want another black eye?"
Xavier glared at him but looked to Cole with uncertainty.
"Later, okay?" Kai said.
Xavier slumped his shoulders and nodded.
Jay was woken later by the sounds of sobs. His first panicked thought was of Xavier. The theory was disproved by the gravelly voice and the fact that there was a voice at all.
Jay peered through the dark to see Cole wrapped in his remaining arm and weeping.
Jay felt a twinge of pity. He sat up and moved to leave the bed. He passed Xavier. The bruise was still apparent on Xavier's face. Jay swallowed hard and turned on his heel. He dove back into his bed and covered his head with his pillow. Maybe next time Cole could learn to not beat up the kid they were trying to protect.
"I'm going to train by myself."
Cole stormed away just as he had every time they had tried to train in the last week. He left Xavier, Jay and Nya to watch him go.
Xavier watched him go with a twinge in his stomach.
Cole had changed and Xavier didn't know what to do.
Jay made a tching noise and sheathed his nunchucks. His face and arms were mottled with bruises. He had taken over sparring with Cole. They didn't spar for long though. Cole would always get frustrated or accidentally hurt Jay. Then he'd run away to train by himself.
Xavier had noticed Kai having trouble too. The master of fire was irritable and frustrated most of the time, though it was nothing to Cole's struggles.
Nya looked like she was considering going after Cole.
"It's useless." Jay grumbled. "He won't listen: not even to you."
Nya settled back down on her rocky perch with a groan. Xavier knew her side still hurt her. She was taking a far more passive role than Xavier guessed she would've liked.
"Come on, kiddo." Jay went on. "Let's get that power of yours under better control."
Xavier nodded and moved in front of Jay. He summoned the gold-green light. It tingled between his hands in a pleasant manner.
"That doesn't look good." Nya said. Xavier took a glance to see Kai jogging up to Cole. Zane and Garmadon had stayed behind. They both looked reluctant to become involved. The earth master shrugged hard and turned away. The light faded between Xavier's fingers as Kai made the mistake of grabbing Cole's shoulder. Cole whirled around and smacked Kai's hand away.
"What the heck?" Kai snapped loud enough for Xavier to hear.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Cole shouted back.
Xavier started to go to them. He dodged Jay's restraining hand. He couldn't help it. He wanted to fix this, fix Cole. Maybe Xavier could help, though he remembered that neither Kai or Cole could understand him. Maybe Zane would come translate-
Cole smashed his palm into Kai's chest. Xavier could sense the elemental force behind it. Kai skidded back and collapsed to one knee.
"Kai!" Zane cried and hurried over with Garmadon.
Cole blinked. The same look he had gotten whenever he hurt Jay spread across his face. It looked scared and sad to Xavier, not angry. Jay and Nya had caught up. Nya went straight to Kai while Jay stood his ground in front of Cole.
"This needs to stop." Jay said.
The fact that Jay wasn't yelling scared Xavier. Jay was just glaring at Cole.
"You don't-" Cole said in a strangled voice. "I can't-"
"You can't what, not hurt the people trying to help you? You're pathetic." Jay said in a cold voice.
"Jay!" Garmadon, Zane, and Nya said all in unison, but it was drowned out by Cole's roar of anger.
Xavier flinched at the elemental shockwave the burst from Cole. The air rippled and the room began to tremble. Xavier stumbled to the wall and leaned on it for support.
There was a shout and the wall collapsed.
Cole dove forward but it was too late. Xavier was swallowed up by the falling earth. Cole leapt on the pile of rocks and tore at it. He roared Xavier's name but there was no response.
Not Xavier.
He cursed his lack of an arm. He was too slow. Three pairs of other hands joined his efforts. A soft green light glowed from within the rocks within a few minutes. With the other's help, Cole shifted the final chunks of earth. Xavier was curled underneath. He was shrouded in a green sphere of energy. It seemed to have completely protected him from the falling rocks.
It popped as Xavier saw them looking down at him.
Cole reached for him but Jay shouldered him away. Jay picked the boy up and passed him to Zane. Zane held Xavier tightly. They were both trembling.
"We should get him to the med bay." Nya said.
Zane hurried off immediately with Jay and Nya close behind.
Kai moved to follow but glanced back at Cole.
"Jay was right." Was all he said before leaving Cole alone with Garmadon.
Cole sank to his knees. He was afraid to look at Garmadon.
"Cole." Garmadon said.
Cole forced himself to meet Garmadon's gaze. There was no condemnation, only concern and compassion. Cole nearly wept when he saw the lack of reproach.
"I don't know what to do." Cole said thickly. "I feel scared all the time. And I get so angry and I don't mean-"
Garmadon held up a hand.
"You have been through a horrific ordeal. " he said. "You are broken."
Cole nodded and the tears came.
"Fix me." He begged.
Garmadon rested a hand on Cole's shoulder.
"I can't." He said. "Only time can heal this."
He paused.
"But even time cannot heal things as they are now." He continued. "Your jagged edges cannot fit together with the others."
"What do I do?" Cole asked in a whisper.
"Find peace, Cole. That is your only path to healing now." Garmadon said.
Then he was gone and Cole was alone.
I am so sorry, Cole. I'm just so sorry. Also! Jay gets the first swear in the story!
Wear your masks, remember to review, and have a great week!