Chapter Description: Cole dealt with his problems by hurting things. But this time, that's where the problem came from.

A/N: Okay, I'll admit, I'm an awful writer. But being eleven, I suppose I still have more time left to actually do something? Cole will probably be OOC at least one time during this chapter. Sorry. By the way, this story takes place after the canon events of the Tournament of Elements.

Thank you for all of your support!

-Chapter Five: Red Light, Blue Light, Dead Light-

"I- can't- believe-" Cole grunted, swinging his fist back again. He let it connect with the punching bag with a heavy thud, swinging it back. He moved out of the way and panted, fists clenched.

It had been the same story for over an hour, now. His hand was sore but his head felt worse, thoughts pounding at the sides of his skull as his hand beat the bag. He grunted out every excuse as it came to his head, he yelled out every insult and attempt to make himself feel better.

They couldn't be in his head when he talked to Zane about it. The conversation would be about Zane, and after that, he'd make sure everything was about him too. The poor kid was ignored for the longest time.

"Hey." Cole said without turning around, sensing the presence of his his fire wielding brother. Sensei Wu had taught them long ago to sense the energy of their comrades, and Kai's aura was very distinct. It was fiery, biting like the sparks that came from the fire he issued with his hands.

Kai came into the room, stretching his arms. "You here for the same reason?" Cole asked. The word Zane bit at the back of his throat. And the question posed in his mind bubbled to his lips.

"What are we going to say?" No more words needed to be said for both of the ninja to know they were talking about the android. Kai sighed, abandoning his first strike at a training dummy.

"I don't know. Where do we even begin?" His voice was tinged with desperation, and rightfully so. They caused the problem, they knew they had to fix it. But they didn't know how- how would do you confront someone made of metal? How would they confront someone who had no idea about the problem in the first place, but was obviously affected by it?

As if expecting the question, Cole answered immediately.

"I have no idea. I've been thinking about it for the past hour or so." He paused in favor of hitting the bag again. "You?" Kai grunted.

"No clue." He replied, and he didn't need to say anything else. Kai sat down and put his chin in his hands. Cole grunted again, then looked outside the window. The sky was dark.

Had it been hours already? Time was supposed to fly by when you enjoyed yourself, not mulled in angry thoughts. But it worked anyway- he wasn't really up to doing anything else today.

Cole was ready to throw down with anything. Anything at all. Well, maybe everything except a certain white ninja. Pixal he would, though. She caused this stupid pro-

No. It was the other ninja's fault. They'd caused it. They had to take responsibility for it, and fix it.

That didn't mean he couldn't consider it a stupid, avoidable problem. In particular, extremely avoidable if he had done one thing.

Cole was earth. He was strong and steady, the one who could carry the sky if he had to in order to save the things on his surface. He was the one from whom fire stemmed, lightning raged, water flowed, and ice grasped.

But... ice didn't grasp. Zane was ice. He was cold and calm, collected and yet shone like the stars if given the chance. He danced with the light, played with it and smiled with it, reflecting the moon and the stars and the sun though it would be his downfall. He helped, he forgave. But he was completely ice. He was fragile, and cracked under enough pressure and weight. And when ice cracked, everything above it was thrown beneath, to whatever lied hidden underneath the cold sheen.

Zane was ice.

And Zane cracked.

But when ice cracked or was about to, Cole was supposed to shoot his powers beneath the ice. To share the burden, the pain. He was supposed to extend the earth beneath the ice to help it from breaking, shattering, and bringing down everything above it.

Ice was beneath everything except the earth.

Ice was beneath the stars, and when it broke, the stars seemed to come crashing down, to Cole.