Breeze Winder: Yeah, it can be difficult to give suggestions for a sequel when you don't even know how the first one is going to end. :) Sorry about that. Thanks for the review!

Kairocksrainbow: You maybe right, but I'm gonna stick to my own theory until it is destroyed in no uncertain terms next season. XD Lol. Thanks for the review!

CHAPTER 109, EVERYBODY! CHAPTER 109! It's already written (mostly), and I can promise that KAI GETS BETTER AND IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! I promise! Will you all please hold on 'till then? Thank you for your patience. (^_^;) In the meantime, I'm sorry for this short chapter. It was going to be a lot longer, but I basically had to delete half of it because it was Ronin flashbacks that didn't end up working out. ): Man, I can't get over my upset-ness. Maybe I'll tweak one of the flashbacks that I had and post it as a one-shot in the We'll Start Here series.

Demons

Ronin sat next to the fire, holding a worn shred of cloth in his hands as he hummed a song Cole had never heard before. That only added to his mysterious- and suspicious- aura: Cole knew almost every song in Ninjago, courtesy of his parents. It was slow and had an easy tempo that Ronin rocked softly to as he hummed what must be the chorus again. Absently. He might not have even realized he was humming.

"What song is that?" Cole asked, sitting beside Ronin.

Ronin stopped and gathered the fabric in a fist, concealing it. "You uh…probably haven't heard it," he said. "It's old."

"That's your excuse?" Cole snorted. "Earlier today you asked me if I knew how to play 'Til Sunlight's End. Honestly, I'm not sure there are any songs older than that. Why don't you tell me what this one is?"

"You haven't heard it," Ronin asserted. A dismissal.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Why would you even care?"

"Because I'm a little suspicious of the guy who led me and my friends into this too-good-to-be-true cave. How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't," Ronin said. "You only have Jay's promise that I'm on your side." He gave Cole a tight smile. "So the question here isn't whether or not you should trust me: it's if you should trust Jay."

"Not really. Jay's a gullible character. He seems to see the best of everybody, and it honestly wouldn't be very hard to trick him."

"I heard that," Jay said from his seat by the cave's entrance, where he was taking care of his pup. Momo, Cole thought its name was.

"Don't feel bad, Jay," Pixal interjected from beside him. "It can't be considered an insult if it's true. You are gullible."

Jay harrumphed.

Pixal leaned forward, squinting at Momo. "Hey. His eyes opened."

"Yeah."

"They're not yellow."

"No. They're blue."

The conversation was swallowed by the white noise of the fire, the river, the wind, and the ocean.

After a while, there was a soft sigh to Cole's right. Recognizing it immediately, he turned to Kai.

Kai was awake. Which, of course, did not surprise Cole. How was one supposed to sleep when monsters lurked in the shadows of every dream?

Besai, however, had been asleep for the better part of an hour already. She slept against Kai's back, one arm extended under Kai's head. She didn't look comfortable, but it didn't keep her from sleeping deeply. Kai played with her hand, eyes staring off into the distance. Here, but not here. Resting, but not asleep.

"I lied," Ronin said quietly.

Cole turned to him. "Hmm?"

"Earlier. About my favorite song. It isn't 'Till Sunlight's End."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a song that was banned at the beginning of the Third Age," Ronin admitted. "A song about who you call the Retired God."

"There are songs about the Retired God?"

Ronin chuckled. "Surprise, surprise. The religion isn't totally dead after all."

Jay's brow creased. "Who is the Retired God?" he asked.

"He's…" Ronin shrugged. "…he's the God Cyrus introduced me to four years ago."

"Four…that's when you left!" Jay moved to stand, then glanced at his disassembled prosthetic by his side and sighed. "Ronin, is that why you left? Because Cyrus told you about an old god? Because he…gave you a book?"

Ronin watched solemnly as Jay drew a book- the old, thick tome he'd been carrying since before Senzo kidnapped them- from his vest pocket.

"Yeah," Ronin said quietly. "You read any of it?"

Jay nodded. "I'm almost at the end."

Ronin nodded back. He sighed, drawing one leg close, smoothing his pant leg. "There were too many dangers surrounding that book," he said. "I had a family. Tina was pregnant with our third. I didn't want to lose them all over some old, dead religion. So four years ago, when I found out the truth about what Cyrus was doing, I left."

Jay leaned in, eyeing his old friend from across the cave. "And what is Cyrus doing?"

Ronin pondered the question for a moment. "I'll let him explain it, if we're ever lucky enough to make it back alive," he said at last. "But mark my words, Jay. That book will change your life."

"Is…that a bad thing?"

"Not at all," Ronin said. "I've since realized the error of my ways. As you're well aware, Cyrus and I have come to an understanding. He keeps my kids safe, and I help him with what he believes is his God-given, all-important task."

"I take it you don't agree," Cole remarked.

"You misunderstand me," Ronin said. "His task is God-given, and it is all-important. My only regret is that I stood against him for so long."

They were all quiet again for long minutes after that. Cole's eyes wandered, landing on Kai again before he pulled himself away, feeling sick in the pit of his stomach. So much guilt. He'd let Kai run off alone at the White Rose, resulting in his kidnapping. Then, as if Cole hadn't learned his lesson, he fell for Kai's trick and let him run away a second time, resulting in his death.

Kai had been somehow resurrected, yes. But Cole knew they would not be so lucky next time.

Nephilim slept in the darkest corner of the cave, where the ceiling was so low that her body narrowly fit between it and the floor. Tied up, of course. Cole intended to stay up the whole night to make sure she did not escape. If she did, and she made it back to Overlord, it would be over. Her father would know where they were, and who was with them, and they would all be dead.

"Tell me about the Retired God," Kai said softly.

Cole looked back to him. He hadn't realized Kai was paying attention.

"Oh." Ronin seemed surprised by this request. "Well…uh, what do you want to know?"

"Everything," Kai said. "Is it the same god that Kyle told me about?"

"Kyle…so he's here?" Ronin's one eye lit up. "Cyrus sent me to find him. Where is he?"

There was another quiet moment, much longer than the last.

"He was with me," Kai whispered, voice strained, eyes so still they seemed to be made of glass. "We shared a cell."

Both Jay and Pixal looked up at this. They exchanged a glance.

Kai rubbed Besai's hand with his thumb. "He read to me," he said. "And he sang. He kept Overlord away for…days, I think. I couldn't keep track of time in there."

"And…Kyle," Ronin said gently. "Where is he now?"

Kai drew in a sharp breath, saying nothing. At long last, Pixal spoke.

"We found his body downstream," she said. "I'm sorry. We buried him."

"I have his core," Jay said. "I know it's a long shot. But maybe Cyrus could eventually bring him back."

"Doubtful." Ronin leaned back, looking greatly perturbed, and stared into the fire.

"Peace I leave with you," Kai murmured, whispers sounding hollow against the cave's walls. "My peace I give unto you. Not…" His fingers trembled, still moving across Besai's sleeping hand. "He never got the chance to finish. Overlord…pulled things out of Kyle's chest, and he…died." He paused, drawing in another breath. "He fought so hard. And he was so brave. And I… I just stood there and let him die."

Cole looked away, unable to bear the look in Kai's lost eyes.

"…Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Ronin's dark eye moistened. "That's what Kyle was trying to say to you."

The silence following Ronin's words lasted for the remainder of the night.

Eventually, the fire died down. Ronin, Jay, and Pixal settled under their blankets and fell asleep. Kai dozed off, and Cole tossed a few more logs on the fire. Chedva awakened a few times. When she did Sage would blearily feed her without a word, then fall back asleep.

As Cole sat by the fire, watching the flames lick the air, he did something that he had not had the time to do in a very long while: think.

Except for the breathing bodies around him- Wu was the loudest sleeper, snoring with such magnitude that Cole wondered at how he hadn't already been discovered by Overlord- everything was quiet. Peaceful. Cole had some time to reflect on some things he'd been putting off. Such as his Transformation.

Cole stroked his palm with the thumb of his other hand, feeling the unusual texture. Was he stone, or was he human? Exactly how much of his body had changed? He was invincible, and seemed to heal quite fast- a trait made apparent when Nephilim stabbed his shoulder. These were good traits, and Cole didn't mind having them.

What bothered him, though, was the other changes. What had Overlord done to his mind? He had almost murdered his wife after his Transformation! Cole shivered at the thought. His mind had not been his own.

What if that happened again?

A piece of firewood crackled loudly. Cole yelped as a tiny ember shot from the fire and smacked his chest. His hands flew to the area of the burn, expecting pain.

Nothing. Cole slowly removed his hands, wondering if he'd only imagined it hitting him.

No, a small singed hole remained in his shirt where the ember had deflected off his skin. He rolled up his sleeve and, hesitantly, reached out his hand to the fire. It did not burn. It started to feel uncomfortably hot after a few moments, but when he pulled it out, it looked no worse for wear.

Wait…uncomfortably hot?

The only things that had managed to make him uncomfortable- physically, at least- since his Transformation were…Nephilim's Blade, and her forehead when she smacked him really hard during last night's fight.

What was it Nephilim told me last night? That she would kill me with her bare hands…?

Cole shoved his hand back into the fire, excitement bubbling inside him.

That's when Kai stirred, awakening with a short, stifled gasp.

Cole jerked his hand from the fire and turned to face Kai. "It's okay," he said. "The fire can't…"

But Kai's alarm had come from a nightmare- a demon- not Cole's fire stunt. He thrashed the air blindly, breathing fast, eyes tightly closed. Unconsciously, he shoved Besai away. She awakened quickly and rose to a kneeling position by him as he writhed on the ground.

"Kai," she whispered. "Kai!" Shaking him did no good: he only grew more alarmed, crying out and beating the air with his fists, like a child during a tantrum. Only this wasn't a child's tantrum. This was a grown man, fighting demons in his mind.

Besai turned to Cole helplessly. Her fatigue weighed heavily in her face. They were all tired.

Cole stood and approached them, considering his options. He had frequent nightmares, yes. But he was always able to wake up and escape them. When Kai awakened, he didn't seem to have enough lucidity to realize that what he was facing was not real.

Real. Ha. What a joke. All nightmares are real. They're the demons that we fight all day until we're too exhausted to keep it up. They attack while we try to rest; while we're weak. Then we awaken worse off, and the cycle starts again. A never-ending plague.

Cole began wondering then, as he knelt beside Besai, what he always wanted when he woke up from a nightmare. What made him feel better? It depends on which demon attacked me that night, I guess, he thought. There are so many.

So…which demon was attacking Kai?

"It's okay, Kai," Besai said, grabbing his arms and pushing them aside as he blindly punched her. "Kai, you're safe! It's just a dream!"

It's not okay, Cole thought. We're not safe. And this isn't a just dream.

Oh, how much easier life would be if Cole could awaken from a nightmare and tell himself It was just a dream. But life rarely made it that easy. And bad dreams were, in their own right, very, very real.

Besai was getting desperate. Around them, people started to awaken. Pixal, Jay, even Wu, who seemed like a very deep sleeper, stirred a little.

"What's going on?" Jay asked, pushing his frizzy curls out of his unfocussed unfocused eyes.

"I do not know," Besai cried. "He ees not waking up!"

Without any forewarning Kai abated. Eyes still pressed shut, he rolled to his side and curled around his stomach as though he were fighting cramps. Visibly relieved, Besai stroked his forehead and spoke soft words into his ear. Most of those who had woken up rolled over and fell back asleep. Nephilim grumbled a few words in the Dark Tongue and did the same. Jay was the only one to stay up.

Cole wished he could do something to help, but it seemed like Besai had it under control. So he backed up, giving Besai some privacy. She continued whispering to Kai, touching him gently; simple gestures and words to let him know she was there.

For a few moments it seemed as though Kai would fall back asleep. Then his eyes opened- crazed, pupils contracted to pinpoints- and he sat up. With shaky hands he unbuttoned his shirt, ripping it from his flushed, sweaty skin. That wasn't too unusual; he looked like he needed to cool off. But then he hooked his thumb into his pants and tried to wiggle out of those, too.

"Kai!" Besai exclaimed, grabbing his hands.

"No!" Kai grunted, fighting her grip.

"No what?" Besai asked, brow knitting.

"Let me go!"

"You cannot undress here, Kai! Please, calm down."

"No!" Kai finally freed himself. He stood and stumbled out of the cave.

After sharing a speechless glance with Cole, Besai followed him.

Cole waited for what seemed like an eternity, the cave bathed in silence. Then Jay spoke.

"That… Is that normal?" he asked. "Does Kai do that often?"

Cole found his voice at last. "I've never seen it happen." But that didn't mean it hadn't happened before, or that it wouldn't happen again. He pushed himself to his feet and went to the mouth of the cave. He peeked out cautiously. To his left was the beach, which ran out for several hundred yards. The river delta fanned out here, wide and filled with debris from the recent flooding.

Kai sat facing the ocean in the center of the wide, shallow river, all remaining clothing discarded on the bank. His back slouched, face hidden between his bent knees. Besai sat next to him, hand rubbing his shoulder as he rocked back and forth. She was saying something to him, but from this distance Cole heard nothing but the wind and the water.

A series of clicks and thumps sounded behind Cole. Jay had hastily assembled his leg, and now stood at Cole's shoulder, using the wall to keep himself steady.

"I don't like this," Jay said quietly. "I know he can't help it. But he's so…"

"Broken," Cole filled in. He swallowed. Insane.

"Will he get better?"

For some reason the question made Cole bristle. "I don't know," he snapped. "Why don't you walk a mile in his shoes. Let's see how fast you recover from that."

Jay recoiled. He took a step back and stood still for a moment, then walked past Cole out of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Cole asked.

"Outside, obviously," Jay snapped. "Are stone warriors really so stupid that you can't see what's going on in front of your face?" He pulled out his Blade, then shot up the cliff face, out of sight.

It was Cole's turn to pull back. He felt sick to his stomach. Again.

Down in the river, Kai started rocking faster. Rigorously, as though he intended to shake the fear out of himself. Besai spoke a little louder- Cole could hear just a little of her voice now- but Kai ignored her. She wrapped an arm around him and held him close. Still no response.

Cole couldn't take any more of it. He turned back into the cave, wondering if emotional pain could ever hurt so much- for so long- that it became physical.

Because if his chest brimmed with any more of these terrible emotions, Cole feared his skin- Transformed as it was- may split open, pouring his heart out for the ravenous ground to swallow. And then he would be dead, just like…

Cole swallowed, pushing back the thought, and went to find his violin.

"My lady."

Gentle hands shook Misako out of her dreamless slumber. She gasped, bolting upright.

"My lady. It's me."

Misako blinked against the light of the candle her servant was holding. "Senai," she yawned, wiping her eyes with a wrinkled hand. "What do you need at this hour of the night, child?"

Senai was hardly a child. But at Misako's age, anyone younger than thirty was a child to her.

"I'm sorry," Senai said. She set the candle on Misako's nightstand and knelt next to the bed. "Hear me out, please, my lady. This is important."

"Of course," Misako said, piling up her pillows so she could sit against them. Her ribs still hurt from Garmadon's beating the day before. "What is it?"

Senai glanced around the room, then leaned in. "Sheshin's Lord Rector came this evening, after you had retired," she whispered. "He says that the South has seceded."

Now Misako was wide awake. "What?" she whispered breathlessly.

Senai nodded. "I apologize; I don't know all the details. But apparently, Lord Zane has banished all Guards and Priests from the South."

"Are the borders still open?" Mistake asked.

"I don't know." Senai took Misako's shoulder. "Please, my lady. I know we talked about this yesterday, but I really think that you should leave. Go to the South. Zane will protect you."

"At what cost?" Misako frowned. "When Garmadon realizes where I've gone, he will swiftly attack the South! At least if I stay here, or go to the North, there is a chance Garmadon will hesitate before destroying Zane's work. Give the Southerners a chance to fight."

Senai shook her head. "We have it taken care of," she said. "Don't worry. The King will not find you."

"We?" Misako's eyes shifted to the windows on her left. "You're not doing this alone, are you? The others are involved, too?"

Senai dipped her head. "So…what is your choice?" she asked, slipping her hand into her apron's pocket. "Will you come with me? Please?"

Misako's lips parted. She shut them and swallowed, speechless. Is this it? she prayed. Is this Your plan? You want me to leave now? It seemed too easy. She'd been waiting and praying for so long, she'd begun to think that she would have to fight tooth and nail to get out of this terrible situation. And now…here her solution was, being handed to her on a silver platter?

No. Nothing was that easy. There had to be a caveat. A terrible price that someone in her group would be forced to pay.

But she couldn't wait much longer. Garmadon- or whatever now controlled him- would likely murder her soon. Her days would be numbered on one hand if she didn't leave now.

And as much as she wanted to be done with this life, she couldn't leave yet. There was still work to be done.

Misako sighed slowly. Resignedly. "What's their plan?" she asked.

Senai smiled softly, taking her hand out of her pocket. "You don't need to worry about it, my lady," she whispered, stabbing Misako's arm with a needle. She pushed the plunger before Misako was able to fight back. "We have it taken care of."

Misako's world went dark, and she collapsed into Senai's waiting arms.

SENAI! BAD SENAI!

...Well, I guess you can't stay mad at her. She was doing Misako a favor...

Ronin, though! Ugh! His sweet Tina. Kira read the flashbacks that ended up not working, and she willingly admitted that she really liked the pairing. They're so perfect for each other. I am absolutely going to tweak that one flashback and post it for your enjoyment. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow? It'll be pretty short, but at least you'll be able to get a feel for their enviable relationship.

Of course, I am ignoring the elephant in the room... Kai, poor Kai. He deserves his due attention. I do promise, in just a few more chapters here things will start to perk up again. He may not be his old self again for a while yet, but at the very least we can enjoy his little victories, hmm?

All righty then. I'd better get going. Thank you all for your lovely reviews last week, and for 100 follows! Man, we're just one favorite short of 100, too... ;) Thank you so much for your support. Seriously. *Gives out 100 hugs* Have a great week, and keep an eye out for the Ronin one-shot!