A/N: ...Heh.

What is this, two and a half years late?

-_-;... I offer no excuses.

If anyone's still reading this story, HAVE MERCY- and I hope you enjoy. ^^;

Chapter 2: Ninja-Sitting

The Ninja rifled through the entire ship before Cole was found. He was in the kitchen, barely able to walk, but determined to pour himself a glass of water. Zane had rushed to his side urgently with Jay, the two of them leading the disoriented Ninja back to bed, while Nya dried the mess of water off the floor.

Regrouping in Master Wu's room, and this time keeping a close eye on the master of earth, the six settled themselves in their makeshift pillow fort, allowing Cole a good helping of water to keep him hydrated- though Zane had to steady his grasp numerous times to prevent another spill. Kai and Jay were in the middle of a debate on why the words "though" and "through" didn't rhyme when Cole spoke for the first time in a while.

"Where's Master Wu?" Cole asked it as if he just noticed Sensei's absence.

"He went to get you your antidote, remember?" Jay replied, temporarily forgetting Cole's lack of awareness. "To cure you of the poison."

Cole tried to shoot Jay a weird look, but ended up facing the wall instead. "I'm not poisoned," he insisted.

"Sure you aren't, buddy," Kai agreed as he relaxed against the pillows. "That's why you can't see straight and forget what we say every five seconds."

Nya raised an eyebrow. "You know, he really isn't capable of putting up a good argument right now."

"I know, I'm just bored." Kai admitted.

"Me too," Jay complained, lying upside down with his legs propped on the wall. His eyes thereafter lit up. "Ooh! We should play 20 questions!"

The Ninja excluding Cole exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. Jay flipped himself over to sit straight. He took a few moments to think before grinning. "Okay, go!"

Lloyd didn't hesitate. "Is it alive?"

Jay hummed. "Yes and no."

Zane's calculations hit a dead end. "That… doesn't compute."

"Well, it's true."

However Kai was obstinate. "How can something be alive and not alive at the same time?"

Irritably Jay's brows lowered. "Think outside the box for once, Kai."

Nya humored Jay for his sake. "Is it edible?"

"Uh… I guess so."

Kai lifted himself on his elbows. "You guess so?"

"I mean, I wouldn't recommend it, but yes!" Jay declared.

Lloyd spoke before the two could start arguing. "Is it harmful?"

Jay hung his mouth open. "...yes and no?"

"Jay!" Kai exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "It's yes or no!"

"Come up with better questions if you don't like it!" Jay retorted.

They were surprised when Cole broke into the discussion. "Is it a rock?"

The Ninja turned to look at Cole. They didn't even know he was listening, let alone able to respond with some form of understanding.

Cole blinked owlishly at their gazes before ducking his head. "Sorry."

"Wha-? No, no, no, it's fine," Jay blurted out, caught off guard. "That's what the game's about, anyway, heh."

"Well?" Nya prompted, gently nudging Jay's shoulder. "Is it a rock?"

Sheepishly he shook his head. "Not a rock. Sorry, Cole."

Cole appeared disgruntled but was quickly distracted by something moving outside the window.

The Ninja ran out of questions to ask and were still no closer to getting the right answer. When Jay teasingly requested they keep guessing, Kai tackled him, and subdued Jay revealed it was a plant. The group groaned collectively.

"All in favor of a new game, raise your hand." blurted Kai.

Everyone but Jay's hand was raised- even Cole's. Jay pouted. "That's not fair, Cole doesn't even know what we're doing!"

"Too bad!" said Nya in a sweet tone. "Any ideas?"

Again Cole noticed movement outside the window and this time he recognized it as something flying past. He stared after the little brown bird wistfully.

"We could perform breathing exercises," Zane was saying eagerly. "There is a list of yoga poses we could practice, too."

Kai booed. "Boring!"

Lloyd actually agreed. "Yeah, no offense Zane, but that sounds an awful lot like Master Wu's training."

Zane frowned at this realization. Soon after he brightened again. "What about guided meditation?"

"Still boring," yawned Kai.

Zane's brows lowered. "Do you have a suggestion, Kai?"

Kai opened his mouth to bite back, but his sister's worried voice cut him off. "Um… guys?" Nya scanned the room with wide eyes. "Was that window open this whole time?"

Everyone stared at the window, nonplussed. Zane was the first to notice the even bigger problem. "And where is Cole?"

The Ninjas burst into fits of exasperation. "Not again!" shrieked Jay.

"Come on, guys!" barked Nya and she jumped to the window, hanging her head out of it. "He couldn't have gone far!"

All groaning, the boys shook off the initial shock and followed Nya outside one by one. They individually leapt, climbed, and slid down the side of the ship, which was currently parked on the side of a mountain, and once they reached the ground Lloyd took charge.

"We can find him faster if we split up." He directed each Ninja as he spoke. "Jay, Nya, take the skies. Zane, Kai, the mountain."

Nya was putting a helmet over Jay's head. "What about you?"

Lloyd was already running off. "I'll take the woods. Keep your coms on if you find him!"

The five scattered to their assigned tasks with as much energy as they would on a mission. Jay and Nya took two jets while Kai and Zane drove off in mountain roaders. Lloyd left with nothing but his own wits and determination.

Riding over the rocky terrain, Kai buzzed into Zane's headset with pretend static. "Kshhh! Breaker, breaker! This is hot-ride to tin-can- do you read me?"

Zane rolled his eyes. "Flattering nickname." He tensed when he recognized a stocky black figure up ahead. "There he is!"

"There who is?" Kai asked stupidly.

"Cole!"

Kai blinked and saw him too. "Oh." With a rush of confidence he grinned. "Let's get him!"

"Wait, don't-!" But it was too late. Kai tore his roader across the dirt like a speeding bullet.

Kai pressed the gas as far as it would go; he was coming up to Cole fast. Then, at the last moment, he stepped on the brakes. He yelped when his tires, although made for the rocky terrain, were unable to grab the earth. In a moment's panic Kai whipped the steering wheel away from Cole, who likewise dodged in the opposite direction. The roader flew off the ground and it rolled over and over before finally crashing into a rock wall.

Kai coughed as he climbed out of the vehicle. Blearily he watched Zane pull over with much more elegance, and the white Ninja leapt out and rushed towards him. After a quick scan confirming Kai wasn't injured, Zane turned back to where Cole was, yet was faced with nothing but the mountain.

"He's gone," Kai breathed, and when Zane shot him an irritated look he grinned sheepishly.

Just then Nya and Jay flew overhead, shedding a trail of jet fuel down on Kai and Zane. "Sorry!" Called Nya before the two were lost in the distance.

"Ugh. I can't believe we lost Cole twice in one day," Jay was saying remorsefully. "What kind of friends are we?"

Nya kept her eyes on the skies and she sighed. "Master Wu's always telling us never to dwell on the past. We'll find him; besides, Cole can handle himself."

Yet Jay was unconvinced. "I know, but should he really be running around while he's poisoned?"

Nya didn't have a direct answer for that. "You're the one who's always telling us to think positive. Try to look at the bright side, okay? Cole will be fine…" she added with a grunt, "...even if he can't think straight."

"Yeah…" Jay laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. "He's a rock-head." A moment later he spotted movement and gasped. "Wait! I think I see him!"

Nya looked around and saw Cole, too. "Good eye, Jay! Let's land on either side of him."

The two separated and lowered their jets to the ground, and spooked, Cole veered away from them both and ran towards the woods. Jay parked first and quickly he jumped to the ground and ran after him.

"Cole! Wait!" He called, catching up just before they reached the treeline. "Wait- up- man! How are you so fast, I thought you were poisoned-"

"Jay!" Nya was speaking to him over the intercom. "Don't chase him, he's not supposed to move! It'll reopen his wound, and it makes the venom flow inside of him faster!"

"What!?" yelped Jay, horrified. "Why didn't anyone mention that earlier!?"

"We did- several times!"

Sighing between breaths, Jay replied, "Well, he's not running away now- try sneaking up behind him, maybe we can close in on him!"

"Roger that."

Jay looked up at Cole sternly. "You hear that, Cole? No running away! Just stay put- stayyy! Then we can take you home and Master Wu can feed you surefire-juice and we can forget that this ever happened!"

Cole's face was twisted, like he couldn't decide if he was angry or terrified. "You're not going to stop me!"

Taken aback, Jay yelped, "Stop you from what?!"

The ground around Cole started to shake, and for one wild moment Jay thought he was going to attack him, but just then Nya's jet landed nearby and she came from behind Cole with a net in her hands.

"Got you!" said Nya triumphantly as she tackled Cole to the ground with the net overtop him. "Jay, quick, help me hold him down-"

"No! Let me go!" The conviction in his voice shocked Nya, and taking advantage of her hesitance Cole shoved her aside and rolled out of the net, and surpassing Jay he made a break for the woods.

"Lloyd!" Lloyd tuned in to his intercom as Nya's voice rang out. "Cole is coming your way- he's pretty upset, so be careful!"

"On it." Lloyd leapt from tree to tree, keeping watch on the forest floor, and soon enough he found Cole pushing through bushes and climbing over logs. He watched as Cole stopped to hide behind a tree, chest heaving and expression lost. He seemed ready to give up when a bird flew past his head, and snapping to attention Cole immediately embarked up the mountain after it.

"He's climbing back up," reported Lloyd to everyone else, though his voice was laced with confusion. "It's like he's trying to go somewhere."

"Really? Hadn't noticed!" remarked Jay.

"No- I mean somewhere specific," explained Lloyd. "I don't think it's random. I think he really does have a place in mind he wants to get to."

"We're in the middle of nowhere, where could Cole possibly want to go?" asked Kai rather hopelessly.

Lloyd racked his brain. "I don't know." There was a short pause, then Jay spoke.

"...Maybe he's looking for Rocky."

"Or," said Zane thereafter, "He's grieving for Rocky."

Lloyd thought for a moment and finally understood. "I know where he's going. Everyone- leave the jets and roaders and meet at the top of the mountain. We're bringing Cole home."

He turned off his intercom and immediately started the ascent. Now that it was at the forefront of his mind Lloyd couldn't believe they hadn't realized it sooner. Of course Cole was climbing to the top of the mountain, that's what he did when he was upset. It was his way of dealing with grief, and if what Jay said was true and he was looking for Rocky, then what better place to look than in the sky?

Cole beat them to the top, unsurprisingly, but before they went up to him Lloyd brought them in a huddle.

"Okay- we don't want to scare Cole into running off again," he started, keeping his voice down. "Let's surround him, but don't get too close. Hopefully he'll calm down and we can end this without a struggle."

The four silently agreed and took their positions around the mountain. Together they climbed the final few steps to the peak, and right as they came in around Cole they found no need to prepare for another chase. Cole was sitting in the middle of the flattened surface, and flapping around in front of him was the bird. It took off flying when the rest of the Ninja appeared, but contrary to their fears Cole did not seem to mind. He watched it go before slowly turning to the others, his eyes clouded and absent.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Cole asked, and when no one answered he buried his face in his arms. Stunned, the Ninjas only stared as Cole drew into himself, and throwing caution to the wind Lloyd stepped forward. When Cole didn't move he relaxed and kneeled by his side.

"Come on, Cole." With a grim nod, he waved for the others to come over and help, and tentatively they obeyed. "Let's get you back to the Bounty."

0o0o0o0

It was long after dark by the time they got back to the ship. Cole hadn't said a word once, whether it was because he couldn't or wouldn't was unclear, but it made the Ninja worry if perhaps he had moved too much for the venom to be fought off. They picked up the jets and roaders on the way back, Zane patching up Cole's wound again while the others drove, and putting everything back where they got it the exhausted bunch collapsed in Master Wu's room.

"So tired…" yawned Kai, curling up in one of the blankets, but was riled up when Jay ripped it out of his grasp.

"Don't you dare think about sleeping!" Jay barked. "Cole has to stay awake, so we stay awake, too!"

Currently the black ninja was resting again in Master Wu's bed, just like he had been put in the first place, only this time his eyes were more glazed and his face less focused. Nya watched Cole closely and quickly turned to the nindroid. "That can't be good. How is he, Zane?"

However Zane seemed to be just as lost. "I... don't know. His wound is stable, but the venom is beyond my scanners' detection. We can only hope Master Wu comes back with the antidote soon."

The room seemed to darken at his words and no one felt like saying anything. They each tended to themselves, and voicing their thoughts Kai muttered, "Where are you, Wu?"

The night dragged into the morning and the morning dragged into the afternoon. Everyone succumbed to the original idea of taking shifts so they could each catch up on sleep, though no one managed to get any as they were too worried about what would happen to Cole. Talk was scarce and food was scarcer, and the sky was beginning to darken again when Jay noticed Cole's eyes were shut.

Sighing heavily, Jay wandered over and shook Cole's shoulders. "Sorry, Cole... I know you're tired, we all are, but you can't sleep, not until Master Wu comes back-" Jay shook his shoulders a little harder. "Come on Cole, wake up. Wake up!" When Cole made no sign of comprehension Jay started to panic. "Guys! I can't wake him up!"

All exhaustion erased, the Ninjas instantly appeared at Jay's side and stared at Cole's state of unresponsiveness. For one panic-stricken heartbeat the Ninjas didn't know what to do, the feelings of dread and despair closing in on them, when the saving sound of Master Wu's voice came in from the doorway.

"Everyone stand aside," Master Wu commanded, and mechanically the Ninjas obeyed. They stood in silence as Master Wu swept to Cole's bedside, the surefire rose in hand, and after tending to him the Sensei dipped his head and placed a hand on Cole's forehead. The Ninjas didn't dare make a sound and they watched tensely, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Jay couldn't take much more silence. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Lifting his head, Master Wu eyed each one of his students. "With time," He said finally, and everyone released the breaths they hadn't known they were holding. Master Wu smiled. "Well done. I knew I could trust you to care for your brother…"

The Ninjas' eyes popped and they laughed nervously.

"Yeah, totally."

"You can count on us!"

"Was there ever any doubt?"

Master Wu cocked an eyebrow but said nothing else. The six turned their attention on Cole, whom if they watched closely enough could tell that he was breathing a little deeper, sleeping a little easier. Knowing that everything was finally going to be okay, the Ninjas couldn't help but slump over their makeshift pillow fort in exhaustion.

Master Wu didn't ask them to clean up. He merely snuffed out the lights and walked out.

0o0o0o0

The six slept through the night and into the next morning. Right around lunchtime, Cole was the first to stir, and he groaned with the exertion of a dragon.

"What happ- whoa." He blinked when he found himself nestled in pillows, blankets, and surrounded by his friends. He tried to move and winced at the pain in his side.

On his left, Kai and Nya protested before falling back to sleep. Lloyd mumbled drowsily and Zane, strangely enough, smiled affably at Cole before immediately losing consciousness again. Jay kept his eyes open the longest, stirring fitfully before yawning.

"Okay," Cole said, stifling a chuckle in his voice. "I don't remember a thing since we were fighting those snake-people. You have to tell me what happened, Jay."

Jay regarded Cole for a few moments. Then he laid back down against Cole's right side.

"Jay," Cole objected, though he secretly didn't mind the sleep pile, however confused he was as to why they were having it in the first place. When Jay still didn't move, Cole let himself lay back.

"Alright, fine. I'm just glad you guys stopped me from doing anything dangerous."

Cole received a pillow to the face at that comment.