Blood

"Deep breaths, sweetie," Cyrus said as he held the needle to Besai's wrist. "It'll be over in a moment."

Tears streamed sideways down her cheeks as she lay on the bed. She was doing her best to stay calm through the pain, and Kai admired her for it.

A sampling of his blood sat in a vial on Cyrus' lap. An empty vial rested next to it, waiting to be filled with her blood. Even though Overlord had insisted that there was no cure, Cyrus was determined to prove him wrong. He wasn't going to sit idle as his underground fortress was taken by this disease. No, he'd find a way. The hard look in his eyes behind his spectacles told Kai as much.

"Good girl," Cyrus said as he pulled on the plunger, filling his syringe. "We'll see what's causing the problem, then find a way to fix it. No more hurting. All right?"

She did not answer. Her attention was focused on Kai's hands, which held up her arm as Cyrus drew the blood.

"I can give you something to dull the pain," Cyrus said. "Maybe it would help you rest better." He slid the needle from her skin, then transferred the contents into his second vial.

Kai laid her arm on the mattress and pulled the blanket a little higher. "How would you give it to her?" he asked.

"I don't think it would be wise to give her a pill, since her stomach is so weak," Cyrus said. "If she takes any painkillers, it would be a direct injection into her bloodstream."

Kai shuddered. "What do you think, Besai? You want Cyrus to give you an injection to stop the pain for a little while?"

Besai shook her head. "No more needles," she said, voice wavering.

"My thoughts exactly." He leaned in and kissed her warm forehead.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow, then relaxed it and shrugged. "If the pain is as bad as it seems, painkillers would give her mind a much-needed rest. I can give her a dose that'll last ten or so hours."

"No," Kai said, squeezing Besai's hand. "There will be no needles."

Besai returned his squeeze with all the strength she could muster, then coughed. She wasn't vomiting anymore, but it was hard to not notice the way her belly was firming and swelling. Cyrus presumed that it was filling with blood.

"Kai," she said a once her coughing fit was over. Blood dribbled down her cheek and onto the pillow.

"Yes?"

"I...I want to get married."

Kai lifted her hand to his lips. "I already told you," he said. "We don't need a ceremony. We'll be together forever, okay?"

"No," Besai said. "I want to have the married."

Kai didn't have the heart to correct her grammar.

"Okay," he said. "Yes. I'll...we can get married. If that's what you really want."

"Yes."

"Well," Cyrus said. He seemed hesitant to speak up. "You...uh...probably don't have more than a few days before she...you know. If you're going to have a wedding, you'll need to hurry."

"Nothing big," Kai said. "I doubt Besai could handle the piercing, since it's done with a needle. Were there any kinder traditions than earrings in the past?"

Cyrus thought for a moment. "Hmm...the golden hoops are supposed to symbolize completion. I don't know of any traditions that would cover for that."

"There's the sand," Kai said. "But this time of year, it'll be impossible to get any."

Cyrus snapped his fingers. "Oh! I recall this old tradition- very old. They say that it was used from the thirteenth century 'till about the twenty-fifth."

"What's that?"

"Rings."

"Rings?"

"Indeed. Two marching bands of gold, one for each person."

"But they're so easy to slide off," Kai said. "The earring is supposed to leave a mark so that if you take it off, everyone can see the hole and know you were divorced or widowed. With the rings, it's impossible to tell."

"I know. It was a silly tradition. But if you don't think Besai can handle the piercing, then it's the way to go."

Kai kissed Besai's fingers again. "What do you think?" he asked.

Besai cracked an eyelid and gauged Kai's expression. "You want the earring?"

He did. If he was going to be widowed so soon after marriage, he might as well get it done properly. He wanted to remember her, and this ring tradition didn't seem to cut it.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said.

Besai opened her eyes a little further and hummed. "Not a good liar," she said. "You want the earrings. So...yes. We weel both get them."

Kai smiled at her, though she couldn't see it because his lips were hidden by her hand. Such a brave girl. What a place the world would be if there were more people out there like her.

"Stinker," he said, fingering her hair. "What a stubborn little girl you are."

Besai smiled. "I learn from the best."

"Aw, get out of here." Kai chuckled. He lowered her hand. "Hey, Cyrus. Where's Cole? I haven't seen him since...well...Jay ran off."

"Oh." Cyrus thumbed his glasses, frowning deep. There was an apparent wall of bitterness between him and Cole. "He's in the next room. Probably shaving."

"With what? A razor?"

"Um...yes. That's what men use. I arranged for one to be left in his room, along with clothing for him and Varasach."

Kai hurried for the door. "Please," he said, "not a razor. Not for him." He stopped in the hallway to get his bearings.

Next room. Really, Cyrus? There were doors on either side of the hall, as well as one directly across from him. Which one was it? He finally decided to go right, and he threw it open.

As luck would have it, he'd chosen the right room. Cole sat on the bed with his back to the door, shoulders hunched and head low.

"What do you want?" he said. His voice lacked color. "Has something else gone wrong?"

"No," Kai said. He shut the door. "No, Cole. Everything is fine. Well..."

As fine as it can be.

"...yeah. You know."

Cole's head bobbed. "Definitely. So...why did you come barging in, then?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"...It doesn't matter. Sorry if I intruded on anything."

A moment of silence.

Cole coughed, spat up some phlegm from his healing lungs. "I shouldn't have scolded Jay," he said.

"We're all at fault," Kai said.

"But Wu made me the team leader. And...look at me. I'm letting everything fall apart. Pixal is dead. Zane and Lloyd are with the King, who's probably dying because of the poison. Besai is dying, and Jay is...is running like a frightened animal toward Overlord's baited trap."

"It's not your fault." Kai padded over to Cole's side and rested a hand on his bandaged shoulder. "We all should have used our heads a little more, and- Cole!" He knelt and took Cole's bloody hand in his. "What did you do?"

Cole jerked his hand away. "It's nothing," he said. "I just...tripped. Fell on that razor Cyrus gave me."

He rested his arm on his knee. The thick, coppery blood dripped from his fingers into a large puddle between his feet. "Don't worry about it. I'm all right."

Kai grabbed Cole's hair and forced his chin up. "Hey," he said. "Don't lie to me. You're not fine. And you didn't trip on that razor. What's going on?"

Cole's hand made a wet, squishy sound as he clenched it. "Like you'd care," he said. "Go away."

"No, Cole. Look- where is that razor?" He found it under Cole's pillow. The blade was stained red. "You idiot. You...you dear, dear idiot. I knew this would happen if I let you near sharp stuff."

He dropped the razor to the floor and sat down beside Cole. "Come here."

Being shorter than Kai, Cole was able to lean into his chest. He coughed again. "Why are you here?" he asked. "You should be with Besai."

"Yes, I should," Kai said. "But she isn't going anywhere. Not for a couple hours, at least. So I'm taking care of you."

"Why?"

"Because you need it."

"I don't deserve it, though."

"Look at who you're talking to, here. I've done worse than you ever did."

"Have you killed?"

Kai started. "What?"

"Have you ever killed someone," Cole said. "Because I have. And the pain of it...it never leaves. It haunts my nightmares and my every waking moment."

Kai sighed, then closed his eyes and buried his face in Cole's hair. "I feel like we've had this conversation before. Or at least, something similar."

"Probably." Cole lifted his hand and watched the blood flow down his sleeve.

"I'm normal," he said. "I am, Kai. I'm not crazy. I'm not."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"I never said you were," Kai said.

"But you wonder, don't you? Ever since the Overlord spoke to us, you've been asking yourself. 'Does he really have a sister?' 'Is he faking?' 'What if he is a lunatic? If so, can he be trusted?'"

Yes. Kai wondered that often. Words like 'lunatic' and 'fruitcake' came to him quite frequently. Especially since that conversation on the Bounty when he'd described Kai's hair and the walls as purple. Who did that?

"And even now," Cole said, "you doubt me. You trust the Overlord's word over mine. What does that say about me?"

"Stop it," Kai said. "You're going on a tangent to places we don't need to be. What matters right now is you, not what Overlord claims. Okay?"

"You're lying."

"No, Cole. The Overlord is the liar. I trust you. If you say you have a sister, then I believe you have a sister. You aren't hallucinating."

Cole didn't seem to know what to say. His eyes stared down at his feet; the red puddle's reflection was contrasted in his green irises.

"I hate myself," he said. "Why didn't you let me die?"

"Is that the Overlord's voice I'm hearing?" Kai said. "Because that's not right. You're our leader, Cole. No one is better suited for the job. And once Jay makes it back here with the maps, we can go after your Blade and take the Overlord down once and for all."

He squeezed Cole's frail shoulders as hard as he dared. "And you'll be at our head. Just think of it. The Black Knight's name will be sung by the heralds for generations to come."

That just about did it for Cole. He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, eyes scrunched shut as he tried to disguise his sobs as weak coughs.

He was broken. Had been broken, perhaps since before their adventure had begun. It frustrated Kai that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't put Cole back together.

Like a shattered heart of porcelain, Cole's pieces were too small to fix. Too intricate a puzzle to put together.

"Remember what I said?" Kai said. "I care about you. I want to help you. Don't give up, please."

"But I'm tired. I don't want to fight anymore."

Cole was fighting for his life. On the surface he was an ordinary man, one with an ordinary smile and ordinary human problems.

But underneath this paper-thin facade was a hurricane. One that was losing speed, spiraling down and down and down until-

-until he eventually stopped fighting.

"Don't," Kai said. "Please, Cole. You have no idea how much we all care for you."

How was he supposed to stop this momentum?

Was it even possible, or was Cole too far gone to save?

Cyrus bolted into the room, blood vials tucked between his legs. "Is something wrong?" he asked. "Kai?"

Bad timing.

Cole immediately clammed up. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. The look he sent Kai was intentional.

"We're fine," Kai said. "Cole needs some bandages. He cut himself."

"He did what?"

Kai laughed. "No. Not like that. Cole here, he's a clumsy oaf. Slipped and cut his arm."

"...Okay. I'll grab some supplies. Does it need stitches?"

Kai pulled up Cole's sleeve. "It's all right," he whispered. "We've got our backs turned. He can't see."

Cole caught himself between a head shake and a nod.

Kai tried not to look too disturbed by the number of long cuts- some newer than others- along his arms. How long had he been doing this for? Why hadn't Kai, or even Varasach, noticed earlier?

"No stitches," he said. "But bring some disinfectant."

"All right, then," Cyrus said. "I've got to get this blood into the lab and get back to my chores, but I'll send Varasach with the stuff."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Cyrus."

"Any time, Milord." The door shut, and the two were alone again.

Cole pulled away from Kai and picked up the razor blade. "Why did you lie for me?" he asked. His voice sounded casual. Calm. Not a trace of the emotional man Kai had held in his arms not a minute earlier.

"Because you need a chance," Kai said. He wanted to add a scolding bit, but refrained. Cole didn't need any more of that.

Cole rubbed the black stubble on his cheek and smiled. "How sweet," he said. "But I'm all right. I don't need your help."

If Kai looked hard enough, he could see it in Cole's guarded eyes. The sorrow, the shame, and ultimately, the feeling of worthlessness.

"If you say so," Kai said. "But if you ever have problems again, please don't hesitate to come to me. I'll always listen." He punched Cole's shoulder and winked. "Puss-filled tart."

Cole snorted. "Whatever you say, subordinate."

The moon shined bright on the ocean's surface, which seemed way too calm in comparison to the storm building in Jay's chest.

His Blade's gem was exposed to the moonlight, so he had no fear of dropping into the water tonight, but he was still afraid. Stormstrider had yet to speak to him since the incident with the snow that afternoon. Was the Blade broken? He hoped not, but only time would tell.

The rumbling in his guts was a constant reminder that he had not eaten since breakfast at the White Rose. But he didn't care. He could ignore the churning for a few more hours. He had more important things to do than eat.

As the miles passed him by, so did the hunger pains. He forgot about everything and got lost in the beauty of the scenery. The distant streak of pink behind him- his only indication that he was going in the right direction- and the glittering of the stars on the ocean's surface, and the cool winter winds that blew from the northeast. All so very refreshing and beautiful.

And then he saw something below the water, and he flew in for a better look.

He set his feet on the water, and he skidded across it, sending ripples in wide loops wherever he touched down. It was like skating on ice, only more...natural.

The thing below him was huge, red, and incredibly fast. It had to be, if it was keeping up with him.

Jay tried swerving to the left. It followed him. He turned and went right, and it spread its long tentacles above the water and made the turn. Jay corrected himself and continued going west, slowing his speed a bit. The thing slowed as well.

Jay stopped entirely and kicked one foot, sending up a spray of water.

The creature lifted a tentacle out of the water and slapped it down, splashing Jay.

He sputtered. "H-hey! That wasn't nice!"

The creature lifted seven more long tentacles up into the air, surrounding Jay like huge, sticky snakes.

Cool.

"You're a kraken, aren't you?" Quickly forgetting the offense, Jay reached out and touched the one closest to him.

The beast shot a load of black ink into the water and swam away faster than Jay could blink.

"Sorry," Jay said, sighing as he washed his slimy hand in the water and resumed his journey. No matter what it was, he always managed to mess it up.

He focussed his gaze to the west, jaw clenching as he flew across the water. But not this time. He would get this right, or he would die trying.

"Thank you, Vara," Kai said when she arrived with the bandages. He took them from her and went to work washing Cole's self-inflicted wounds.

"Mmm." She held something behind her back as she frowned at the mess on the floor. "What deed you do, Cole?"

"So he's never told you?" Kai said.

No. Cole hadn't, for obvious reasons. "Don't worry about it, sis," Cole said. "I'm okay. What are you hiding back there?"

Varasach beamed with pride. "I found eet een a music room," she said. "Cyrus says I can take eet."

"Take what?"

She revealed her find, and Cole's heart stopped for a moment.

It was a viola.

Cole eagerly reached out with his good hand and took the instrument and its bow. "Oh, Vara," he forced a breathy laugh. "Thank you."

Kai looked up momentarily to raise an eyebrow. "I doubt you could play since your left hand is kinda...cut."

"Not play?" Cole laughed again for good measure. "Never, Kai. I've had pain worse than this. Besides, it's my arm that hurts, not my fingers."

Kai tied the last bit of gauze, then turned his attention to cleaning the floor. "I didn't even know you could play."

"Didn't you?" Cole thought for a moment. "Oh. Yes, that's right. You were with the Overlord when the guys forced me to play violin for them. Viola is a little different, but..."

He stood, then stamped his feet a few times to get his blood flowing. "What song do you want, Vara?"

Varasach settled herself a little better on the bed. Her childlike excitement almost made Cole want to smile for real.

"Your sister's song," she said. "Can you do that? The one weeth the river?"

Ah. He should have seen that coming.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm not singing."

"Why not?"

"I'm baritone, and these strings are tenor-alto. Can't sing with that." That was just an excuse, of course, but Varasach seemed to buy it.

Varasach hugged her stomach and winced. "Mmm. All right."

With just a little twinge of pain in his arm, Cole was able to lift the instrument to his shoulder. He plucked the string with his finger and shook his head. "It's a viola,not a violin," he said. "You see this string on top? It's not an E, it's an A. And the rest of these..." He plucked the other three, then nodded. "Yeah. The strings are all different. C, G, D, then A instead of G, D, A and E."

His audience looked lost.

"Right. Sorry. It's fine, Vara. I'll improvise."

"Does that mean that eet's different?" Varasach asked.

"Yeah. This instrument has lower notes than a violin. Low C instead of G. It's more of a tenor-alto than soprano." After doing his scales a few times, Cole took a deep breath and...

...and hesitated. "This song," he said. "I kind of use muscle memory to play it on the violin. I don't actually know the notes. I guess I can try to play it by ear, but...I'm gonna mess it up."

"Oh, stop wasting time," Kai said. "We don't have all day. I need to get back to Besai."

Tough crowd.

Cole raised the bow again and positioned his fingers on the strings where he guessed his notes would be.

And he played.

This song had a slow, flowing rhythm, like a winding river, which made it easier to navigate the notes. The viola had a wider neck than the violin, which helped as well. It gave him space for his fingers to slip when he wasn't sure where to go next.

But then his finger slid a little further than it should have, and the string squealed.

"Gah!" Cole felt heat rise up his neck as he corrected himself. It wasn't often that he made a mistake like that.

It made Varasach giggle, though, so he forgave himself and picked up where he'd left off.

Varasach's giggle turned into a moan. It wasn't a good kind of moan, either. It was the kind that Besai had made several times on their journey right before she-

Uh-oh.

"Vara!" Cole dropped the instrument into Kai's hands and grabbed a blanket for her to vomit in.

She sobbed quietly as her stomach wrung itself out. She clutched his shoulder to the point where he could feel stitches popping, but he did not care.

Not her, he thought as he looked at the bloody vomit. Why is it taking her? I should be the one!

When she was finally done, she collapsed on the bed, her energy sapped. She curled herself around her stomach and shuddered.

No no no...

Cole threw the soiled blanket to the floor. His mouth hung open, but no words came out. He couldn't breathe.

"We thought it was motion sickness," Kai said. "The entire journey, we assumed she was fine." He reached out to touch her skin.

Cole slapped his arm. "Go away," he said. "This is your fault."

"Cole, I-"

"No!" Cole shoved him to the floor. "Do you see what your actions have done? Everything is falling apart because of you!"

Kai sat on the floor for a few eye blinks. Then his dazed, confused expression morphed into one of hurt and guilt, and he ran from the room.

Tears fell without reserve as Cole took Varasach's hand and clutched it to his chest. "No, Vara," he said. "Don't die. I need you. You...you're all I have left..."

"...please."

Kai stumbled into Besai's room. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out, stomped on, then returned to his chest. His mind was in shambles. He slumped into a chair next to Besai's bed and laid his head down on the mattress, doing his very best not to cry.

He felt warm hands in his hair, and he opened his eyes.

"Ees something wrong?" Besai asked. Her hands went to his head, urging him closer.

He climbed onto the bed and laid down with her. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Besai wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him to her chest. She said nothing.

What have I done? Kai thought as he breathed in her sweet scent. Like lemons and lavender. This whole thing...it's one big mistake. And it's my mistake.

Besai braided his hair with clumsy, shaky fingers. "My illness," she said. "Eet has spread?"

Kai nodded.

"Don't blame yourself," Besai said. "Eet's not your fault."

That mantra seemed to get tossed around a lot.

Kai slid his hand up to her belly. It seemed more swollen than when he'd last checked. So much blood, filling her body like a balloon.

Besai kissed the top of his head. "Kai micha nechinj," she said. "Etunya."

I will love you forever.

Even though she was dying a slow, painful death at his hand, she still loved him.

Kai's tears were absorbed by her nightgown. "A'ah," he said. "Thank you, Besai. I love-"

The door opened, and Cyrus rolled in. "K-Kai," he said, breathless.

Ugh. Cyrus and his terrible timing.

"What?" Kai asked.

"I...I..." Cyrus fanned himself with his hands. "Goodness, what a busy day. So much chaos." He wheeled closer. "Urgent news from Kaytake. Apparently, several of the patrons of the White Rose last night have contracted Besai's illness. And that's not the worst part."

Kai steeled himself for every scenario he could think of. Had Lord Julien taken ill? Or the King, perhaps?

"Your sister," Cyrus said. "She has the disease, as well as many of Kaytake's staff."

Kai bolted upright, making Besai squeak in pain and surprise. "Nya?" he said. "There has to be some mistake. She...she-"

Cyrus' eyes told him what he needed to know.

What he didn't want to know.

"No." Kai's face blanched. "N-no. We... She's fine."

Cyrus squeezed Kai's right shoulder. Kai wondered if he'd done that deliberately, knowing that there was a mark on the left. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm delegating most of my daily responsibilities to my men so I can concentrate on finding an antidote. Your wedding will have to wait at least a day as I attend to this, of course."

"Of course," Kai repeated dumbly. "Hurry."

Cyrus nodded and wheeled out of the room.

Nya.

She...

Who was next? His father? His mother? Was all of Ninjago doomed to die because of this dreadful disease?

Kai was tired. So very tired. He hadn't slept in far too long, and his unbalanced emotions threatened to tip him. Like a scale tipped too far in the wrong direction, and his mind would fall. Just like Cole.

Even when we're hundreds of miles from Overlord, he still manages to ruin our lives.

"Kai," Besai said. "Eet's all right. I'm here."

He sank into her arms and wept, wondering when things had started going so, so wrong.

From a nobleman to a wretched slave, doomed to be the Overlord's puppet forever.