The ninja all wondered if Master Wu was making them train twice as hard this morning because of their recent day off. The trip to Mega Monster Amusement Park had been amazing, but now they had to make up for the missed practice.
All the ninja groaned as they repeated their reps, sweat making their skin glisten in the sun. Luckily for them it was winter instead of summer, and the cool breeze helped to keep any of them from overheating.
Master Wu hit the bottom of his staff against the wooden deck of the Bounty, signaling for the next set of reps in their workout. The ninja all readjusted their positions, and fixed their stances as they held their arms out in front of them.
The group was currently practicing the power of their single strike punches, punching the air with one arm before switching by swiftly striking at the air with the other. It was a monotonous exercise, but a necessary one to ensure they wouldn't lose the force behind their hits.
As the repetitive process began to drag on the black ninja's gray colored eyes started to wander. He was bored, and mindlessly searched for any thoughts to entertain himself with. As Cole scanned his surroundings his gaze finally fell onto the yellow ninja in front of him. Sure they were separated by Zane and Nya, but the Master of Earth couldn't help but feel drawn to the Master of Species in particular.
The short girls' long brown hair was in a bun, and bounced ever so slightly with every movement. He also caught glimpses of her face as they continued to rotate their positions. Her expression was very focused, and her eyebrows furrowed as she stared out into the distance in front of her. Cole couldn't help but subconsciously smile to himself.
"Cole?" A rather irritated sounding voice called his name, bringing him back down to earth. The black ninja looked over to who had said his name, and was greeted with an unhappy looking Master Wu.
"Please pay attention Cole." Master Wu scolded, and Cole could feel his face heat up a bit in embarrassment.
"Sorry Master, it won't happen again." The Earth ninja apologized, his gaze now turned downwards to the floor.
The Master of Earth however, failed to keep his word. As training continued Cole couldn't help but get distracted, and the cause of his lack of focus? None other than Destiny Pierce.
Every time he had an opportunity he snuck glances of his teammate, simply respecting and admiring her. Cole wasn't sure what it was but he seemed to be more reliant on the young girl lately, her presence alone giving him an unfathomable amount of happiness for seemingly no reason.
The Earth ninja had no idea as to why or how he'd suddenly become so dependent on having her in his company, but he tried his best to push it away. He was unsure what to do about these feelings, or what they even were, but he felt like he was going embarrass himself further if he allowed them to continue.
"Cole and Jay, you two are up next to spar." Master Wu's voice cut through the air, and Cole was once again pulled from his distracting thoughts.
Jay walked over to Lloyd, taking a sparring stick from the green ninja. Cole looked to who was in front of him. Zane, he was holding out an identical sparring tool to him, and the black ninja took it, thanking his teammate as he did so.
"Get ready to go down Cole!" Jay stated teasingly, a confident smirk on his face as he assumed a fighting stance. Cole merely rolled his eyes at his best friends' cockiness before matching his fighting stance.
"Begin!" Master Wu ordered as he hit the bottom of his staff against the floorboards again.
The Lightning and Earth duo then proceeded to begin their duel, the blue ninja was the first one to attack. As Jay brought his stick down to strike the black ninja reacted immediately by using his own staff to block the shorter boy. Cole then pushed back against the pressure Jay was applying, sending his best friend stumbling back a bit.
Jay was quick to regain his balance though, and didn't let up on the Master of Earth, sending several more strikes back in Cole's direction in rapid succession. Cole caught Jay's eye movements though, and moved his staff again, continuously able to block the hits and their two staffs clashed loudly throughout the air.
As the blue ninja began to tire himself out he backed off, and simply settled to circle off against the larger ninja until he got his second wind. Cole also opted to play defensively, although he had the energy to go in for an attack he'd rather go easy on his fellow ninja when it came to duels which involved physical strength, since he didn't feel the odds were very fair.
As the black and blue duo continued to circle one another Cole's gaze moved past his friend, just for a moment. Although the other ninja appeared bored Destiny on the other hand seemed excited, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
The Earth ninja had no doubt that the yellow ninja was absorbing every aspect of their training like a sponge. The young girl had quickly shown an interest in learning new things as she came out of her shell, regardless of what the subject was. For example, not too long ago Cole had been painting and Destiny had walked in on him. Instead of teasing him though she complimented his work and had kindly asked him about his hobby. This had made Cole happy, and he'd even taken the time to show her the basics of painting on a canvas.
Cole then smiled to himself. He enjoyed spending time with the Master of Species, and hoped they'd be able to hang out casually again some time soon without bringing up ninja business. Suddenly, a shadow blocking the light from the sun caught the black ninja's attention, and he panicked as he saw his best friend about to strike him down with the training staff. Cole's instincts quickly took the wheel, and he dodged the blue ninja by rolling out of the way. Normally that would have been it, but due to the unexpected adrenaline now pumping through his veins Cole followed up on his movements by tightening his grip on his staff before throwing it behind him. The wood then made contact with the Master of Lightning, a deafening whack reverberating in the air as the shorter boy flew to the ground.
"Jay!" Nya and Lloyd called out in unison as they ran to the side of the fallen ninja. The other ninja also rushed over, and Zane immediately began running a scan on their brother.
"I- I'm okay." Jay responded as he sat up obviously a bit shaken up, his training staff now in two pieces in his hands. Cole dropped his own staff to the ground and ran over to his teammates.
"Jay! Jay, I am so sorry!" Cole started apologizing. The black ninja felt terrible, and hated the feeling of guilt now weighing heavily down on him. It was almost suffocating, and he silently reprimanded himself for using his super strength.
"Cole, you need to give a warning before you use your super strength like that." Kai warned, giving the taller boy a look of disappointment.
"Kai is right." Master Wu agreed, observing his students and making sure that the Master of Lightning was indeed alright.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Cole continued to apologize, looking down at the floorboards.
"H- Hey, it's alright guys. I'm okay, I promise." Jay tried to reassure his worried family.
"My scans also indicate that Jay has not suffered any abrasions." Zane added, and the other ninja all let out silent sighs of relief.
Master Wu then glanced at Cole, none of the other ninja noticing as he did so. He had noticed that the Master of Earth had seemed distracted, but had hoped the raven haired boy would have been able to steady his focus and concentrate. Afterall, it was very much unlike the black ninja to be so far off in his thoughts.
"Perhaps we have done enough training for today." The ninja master spoke up. "You are all dismissed."
With that said Master Wu walked away, making his way into the hull of the Bounty towards his sleeping quarters to meditate. As the other ninja continued to check in on Jay, Cole made his way into the Bounty. The black ninja was upset. Sure, he hadn't hurt Jay but he could have, and if he did he knew he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself.
As the Master of Earth walked through the hull with slumped shoulders he eventually made his way to the kitchen. Cole then proceeded to open the fridge, scrummaging around a bit before his eyes settled on the piece of leftover chocolate cake he had been saving. The raven had been wanting to eat it as a midnight snack as he usually did with his final slices of cake, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Cake always helped to comfort the mountainous ninja, as it reminded him of the cakes his mother used to make for him to cheer him up when he was child. Thanks to his high metabolism too, that also meant the black ninja could eat as much cake as he wanted and practically not gain any weight from the sweets. As Cole leaned against the counter he poked at the spongy dessert with his fork, his sad eyes watching as small dark crumbs fell onto the white plate.
Cole stayed this way for quite some time, and even continued to play with his food as the kitchen door slid open and several other figures joined him. No one said anything for a bit, but finally the tension was broken when one of his friends spoke up.
"Cole?" The titanium ninja prompted, but didn't receive a response from his black clad brother. The silence returned, but the Earth ninja paused as he felt a hand on his arm.
"Cole…" It was Jay this time, and Cole sighed, setting his fork onto the plate in his hands.
"Can we talk about what happened please?" His best friend continued.
Cole looked down at Jay with his saddened gaze. The blue ninja had a frown on his face but he didn't look upset, he looked worried. Cole scolded himself again. Jay was the one who had almost gotten hurt, but yet here he was trying to comfort Cole. The black ninja didn't believe he deserved the blue ninja's time and patience, and if it had just been the two of them he was sure he would have walked out of the kitchen then and there.
Jay had brought back up though, in the form of the white, teal, and red ninja's. They had him backed into a corner, both physically and metaphorically. Cole knew that if he tried to leave now that that would only make the situation worse and more awkward than it already was. The raven then looked away, setting his plate down onto the countertop beside him.
"Is everything okay Cole?" The red ninja asked, looking at the Earth ninja with a look of concern.
"Yeah, you've seemed… distracted lately." Nya added, her face laced with worry as well. Cole sighed to himself, his friends had noticed how off he'd been acting and he blamed himself for making them worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Cole tried to play off his frustration. Although he loved his family, a part of him wished they wouldn't tire themselves with his problems. The other ninja were not convinced by the Master of Earth's response though.
"Cole, please talk to us." Zane spoke up again, a saddened look on his face.
"You've always been there for us. So let us help you out with whatever's bothering you." Nya tried to help encourage Cole to talk to them.
The black ninja remained tight lipped though. He was currently debating with himself as to whether or not it was worth putting his problems on the shoulders of his friends. Nya was right, he'd always helped the others whenever they needed it. Whether they were hurt, sad, or just needed comfort the Master of Earth had always been their rock. The shoulder they could cry on.
He'd helped Lloyd when the young ninja was haunted by nightmares, or when the depression of missing out on his childhood caught up with him. He'd helped Zane when the nindroid had been struggling to accept his new metallic form, dysmorphia getting the better of the Master of Ice when he longed for his previous more human-like appearance. He'd helped Kai when he had doubted himself as a capable protector, and Nya when she became frustrated with her shortcomings. He'd also saved Master Wu and Destiny on multiple occasions as well.
Cole looked back down at Jay, who still had a gentle hand placed against his arm. The black ninja had always been there for Jay as well, and through all their hardships their bond had only grown stronger to the point where they considered one another to be their best friend. The raven sighed again, finally letting his heart win the internal conflict he'd been having with himself. It took him another minute to try and put the right words together though.
"I- It's just…" Cole started, pausing as he tried to pull together a cohesive thought. "I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me, but it has something to do with Destiny."
"Did something happen between the two of you?" Zane questioned, and Cole shook his head a bit.
"No, nothing like that." Cole answered.
"Then what?" Kai inquired. All of them had a feeling as to where this conversation was going, but waited patiently for the Master of Earth to articulate his thoughts.
"Whenever Destiny is around I just can't help but feel… weird? I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like, I want to spend time with her but at the same time it's… difficult. I love seeing her smile, but always look away when she notices me. My stomach feels like it's in knots, but at the same time I can't help but feel… overjoyed? I think?" Cole had been staring ahead at the wall in front of him as he tried to explain himself, but had missed the smiles that were growing on their faces.
"I can hardly sleep or eat, or focus on anything! I, I don't know what this feeling is, or how to get rid of it." The black ninja stated sadly, finally looking over at his friends. As he noticed their expressions though he raised an eyebrow, slightly offended by their reaction, thinking that they weren't taking him seriously.
"I don't believe that emotions such as lust and desire can be cured Cole." Zane stated, giving the Earth ninja a soft smile.
"What?" Cole questioned with a confused expression, still slightly offended.
"What Zane is trying to say, is that you've caught feelings for Destiny." Kai translated, flashing a smile of his own at the black ninja. Cole's expression changed to surprise as he tried to process what the red ninja had just said.
"No." Cole denied. "I've never had a crush on anyone before. How can you be so sure that that's what I'm feeling now?" Cole asked. Nya walked over to join the blue ninja beside Cole, and gave the raven a reassuring smile.
"Well, you said you want to spend time with her but you find it difficult, and you love seeing her smile but look away when she notices you. You're embarrassed of the thought of her finding out. Plus, your stomach is in knots. Although I think the term you're looking for is that there are butterflies in your stomach." Nya explained.
"Those are all classic symptoms of the love bug pal." Jay added, patting the tall ninja on the shoulder. Cole stood there dumbfounded for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'm still not sure I'm convinced that's what this is." Cole stated.
"Okay, then answer this." Kai chimed in again, "Do you find Destiny attractive?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so." Cole answered honestly, stuttering a bit.
"What about asking her out on a date? Would you do that?" Jay added with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh… yeah, I might consider it." Cole admitted sheepishly.
"When you picture yourself in the future, who do you imagine as your most compatible spouse?" Zane inquired, a smirk painted across his metallic faceplate.
"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Cole replied, turning away as he felt his cheeks heat up. Zane smiled to himself, a silent 'I knew it' echoing through his head as Pixal spoke.
"What do I do now..?" Cole questioned, his embarrassment once again replaced with sadness as he looked to his friends for guidance.
"You ask her out, duh." Kai answered, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not you Kai, I can't just ask Destiny out." Cole paused as he looked down at the ground, "I don't even know if she likes me back..." Now it was Nya's turn to step back in.
"Leave that part to me." The Master of Water spoke up, "In the meantime you just focus on being yourself." The teal ninja smiled, comforting the worried Master of Earth.
"I'm sorry for making you guys worry, and for using my super strength on you Jay. I didn't mean to." The raven apologized.
"Hey, it's okay. I know you didn't." Jay then gave his friend a bright smile, "Just don't fall head over heels too hard. Try and keep yourself on steady ground, okay boulder brain?" The blue ninja joked, causing the Earth ninja to crack a smile.
"Sure thing zaptrap." Cole joked back, relief blanketing his form and replacing his previous sadness.
The group then decided to spend the rest of the afternoon together, slowly checking off movies they'd each wanted to watch from their bucket list. When Lloyd and Destiny returned from their trip to the store they joined the others as well. All the ninja that had been present for the earlier conversation in the kitchen caught glimpses of the Earth ninja admiring the Master of Species, but remained silent as they smiled to themselves. Although they were unsure where the yellow ninja stood in regards to her feelings towards their friend they were still happy that Cole had managed to finally experience his first crush.