New Moon

Kai knew he had a habit of being overconfident. He knew that. He'd been told it enough times by his teacher, sister, and brothers. It had bitten him in the ass on one too many occasions for him to continue being blissfully ignorant to his flaw.

Although, if you asked him, overconfidence was a necessary vice for this job. One moment of hesitation, one moment of doubt, and even a simple maneuver could end fatally. Better to believe you can do something only to find out you can't than to trick yourself into messing up.

That was just as true when making their way through a haunted temple as it was when fighting giant snakes or evil overlords. So, Kai had gone in, confident as ever.

And yet, as the ghost of Yang handed Cole the scroll, as the bell tolled like death, as his own hand faded from view, and as the master's words echoed in his ears-

"You are running out of time."

Kai felt what little of his bravado was left evaporate, leaving a cold terror rattling in his chest.

Jay screamed something beside him. By the time Kai processed the word "run," he was already halfway across the room, practically dragging the others behind him with that stupid rope.

They collapsed down the ladder in a heap. Kai was vaguely aware that it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should, seeing as a titanium robot had just landed on him. He just felt prickly and numb all over.

He didn't think much on it- he was running again, the others in tow, keeping up well enough as they wound their way through the temple. Jay was always the fastest, and Kai could see him starting to pull ahead.

The clock continued to chime, loud as if it were right beside him, in front of him, in his very skull, hammering away at his mind. Adrenaline coursed through his body, as hot and intense as the fire he couldn't currently use, the last bastion against that incessant numbness that was fighting to root him to the very floor.

The exit came into view as dawn filters through, almost blindingly bright, and so very welcoming.

"Come on! Come on! We're so close!" Kai yelled between gasps for air that seemed to pass right through his lungs. He was so close, they were so close! Just a little more!

Something in that stupid rope that they stupidly used to tie themselves together caught, halting him in his sprint.

No, no, not now! We're so close!

Distantly, Kai heard someone yell. He didn't have time to think about it as he fought the rope until, suddenly, abruptly, it released, causing him to tumble forward, which he clumsily turned back into a sprint after a few misplaced steps.

That damn clock was still gonging in his mind, and he was numb, numb, numb, there was no time, the exit was so close, there was no time, no time, no-

Everything explodes into light and sound as they all burst out of the temple. The sun flares in his face as he jumps the steps and slows his momentum. He hears Jay panting behind him.

The numbness receded, gradually at first until finally, he had full feeling back in his entire body. He looked at his hand, and relief flooded his mind and warmed his chest when he saw it was solid.

"We made it!" He declared, swelling with triumph. He spun on his heel. "Do we have the sc-"

He stopped dead.

Cole wasn't behind them.

"Where's Cole?" Jay asked in a frenzy. Zane picked up the rope behind him. It had been trailing loosely on the ground, not even untied. As if Cole had just slipped out of it.

Or through it.

A terrible scream tore through the air.

And before Kai could think, he was running back to the temple.

Where's Cole? Where's Cole? Where is Cole?

Hope swelled in his heart when he saw Cole collapsed in the entrance.

No.

Terror, greater than any Kai had ever known, pierced through that hope, like a spike through his entire being. It was strong enough to knock the wind out of him.

Cole wasn't just frantic, he was hysterical.

"Cole! What's wrong?! You're out!" Jay was next to Kai now, then on his knees the next as he reached for Cole's wrist. Then, he froze when his hands slid back, unable to grip his brother's.

"He isn't entirely out!" Zane explained, voice still stuck at full volume, and it's with a shattering realization that Kai saw- it was as though some force was fighting against Cole, grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him back into the deathly, sunless shade of the temple.

Cole screamed again, and he dropped the crumpled scroll. He began to claw at the wood, fingernails scraping against the floorboard. Mist poured out from the temple, and seemed to be enveloping him, ensnaring him-

Pouring out from him, like he was disintegrating, piece by piece.

Cole! Come on! You're so close! Hurry!" Kai threw himself at Cole in an attempt to grab his waist. It was like touching empty air.

"No! No! You can't! You can't have me! You can't have me! I won't stay! I won't!" Cole wails, his voice echoing against itself in the awful cacophony of a man stuck between two worlds. He scrapes his nails against the floor again, desperately clawing himself forward with raw and bloodied hands, except the blood was green, and-

Kai doesn't stop to think about it. "Cole! Come on! You can make it! You can make it!" He yelled again, because he felt so helpless, and it felt like there was nothing he could do.

Jay was just as frantic, and he didn't stop trying to grab Cole's hand. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Come on! Fight him! Fight him!"

Fight. The word echoes in Kai's head. It's damn well the only thing he could do, so he was on his feet and running back into the temple, because there had to be something- he'd turn into a ghost just to kick Yang's ass if he had to, because Yang couldn't have Cole. Kai would die before Yang could have Cole.

A cold, smooth hand snagged his wrist. "Kai, don't!" It was Zane, holding him back.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kai thrashed against Zane, but the robot always had been stronger. "You give him back! You give him back! I'll kill you! Give Cole back!"

"Kai, stop!" It was Zane. "Yang doesn't matter! Cole does!"

Of course that was true, but there was nothing Kai could do except march back up to that attic and punch Yang himself. He could flood the entire room if he wanted, Kai didn't give a shit. Just watch him.

"Help! Help me!" Cole begs, and Kai sucked in a pained breath when he saw his brother's eyes- dark and frantic. Kai couldn't see his lower half at all anymore, just the mist that was consuming Cole. Just the temple, swallowing him whole.

They couldn't lose Cole. Not like this, not over something like this. Not over a stupid scroll. They could have found another way to save Lloyd, that should have-

Cole reached a hand out, Jay reached back, and somehow, miraculously, grabbed it.

"I got him! I got him!" Jay was already on his feet, pulling back with all his might. Zane was there the next moment, adding his strength to Jay's grip by wrapping his titanium hands around Jay's.

Kai tried to grab Cole's other wrist, but he still couldn't.

Their brother's eyes were wild and unfocused. Kai felt a shiver as Cole's hand went through his stomach while clawing for something to grip with his other hand.

And Kai still couldn't even touch Cole.

Didn't stop him from trying, First Spinjitzu Master, it didn't stop him from trying. His brother was there. His brother was right there, and Kai couldn't even-

"Cole, please!" Kai begged, pleaded, because the thought of losing Cole and Lloyd was just too much. The pain from when he thought they lost Zane all that time ago echoed in his mind. The way it dulled the entire world and made it hard to even get out of bed in the morning. He couldn't deal with that again. "We need you! Lloyd needs you! Yang can't have you!"

Cole's eyes were darting around, unfocused and wild, like he was seeing something they could not, but something seemed to get his attention, and for a brief moment, he locked eyes with Kai.

Miraculously, miraculously, his hand managed to catch, and suddenly Kai had his brother's hand, and he pulled, because Yang couldn't have Cole.

All at once, something gave, and it felt like a chain breaking, sending them all backwards and down the steps. Jay nearly fell off the platform.

Cole was out.

Kai didn't risk releasing Cole's hand as his brother gasped frantically for breath. The mist that had been dispersing began to coalesce once more. Slowly, Cole's body began to knit itself back together.

The relief was overwhelming. Kai's heart still hammered in his chest. He'd come out of worse battles feeling less exhausted.

Cole crumpled in on himself, and despite Kai's death grip, his hands slipped out effortlessly as he hugged himself, eyes squeezed shut.

"Cole?" Jay asked, voice unusually tender and soft. "Are- are you okay?"

If Cole heard them, he didn't answer. His breaths came in quick, uneven bursts.

"Why isn't the mist going away?" Kai asked with a dawning realization that he already knew the answer. He knelt down by Cole.

Cole actually did reply to that. "I don't… I don't think it's going to." He muttered, voice distant, both figuratively and literally, as though it had to bounce off a cave wall to actually reach them.

That damn mist, the one that Kai had seen plenty of times around those other ghosts, casted an eerie green light on Cole, whose skin was so pale that it was almost white. It was as if any and all color had been sucked from his body, leaving an uncolored husk fit to be dyed an eerie green.

They all exchanged uneasy looks, because what do you say to that?

"Cole, are you okay?" Jay asked again, desperation tinging his words, as if asking Cole to be okay would manifest okay-ness. He tried to put his hand on Cole's back.

It went right through. Cole tensed, and Jay recoiled his hand so quickly, Kai would have thought he'd been burned. Cole's eyes shot open as his body stiffened. "I'm- I don't-" His expression shifted between so many intense emotions that Kai couldn't begin to decipher. "I'm fine. Do we have the scroll?"

Zane picked the crumpled scroll off the ground and eyed it with disinterest. His voice was somehow gentle, despite his stuck volume. "I believe we have more important matters than the scroll."

"Like marching back up to Yang and forcing him to turn you back!" Kai declares with a fire in his belly. Because it wasn't fair. This wasn't fair.

Jay grabbed his wrist, and Zane put a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Kai, I don't think that's how it works…" Jay mumbled. "You heard him. We had until the last gong of the bell."

"New day, new rules!" Kai glowered. "What, am I the only one that cares that Cole is a ghost?! Are you too scared to help him?!" Zane and Jay exchanged a look, and it was almost enough to make Kai falter. He didn't let the hesitation fester. "We can't just leave! If you won't go, I will, just watch me!" Kai grit his teeth and yanked his hand from Jay's grip, shaking off Zane's hand.

He'd march back into that temple, he'd take on a ghost army. He'd do all of it. Any of it. He got one foot in the temple when-

"Kai, stop!"

He felt something on his wrist. A misty force that sent a shiver down his spine as it passed through him, filling him with some unholy chill.

It had been Cole, trying to grab his hand. Kai looked back to see Cole, half on his knees. He held that hand with his other as the mist re-collected, having been scattered by merely touching Kai. Slowly, his hand reformed as Cole watched it with a horrible devastation in his eyes.

"Let's just… go home. You already saved me."

"You call this saving? We didn't do shit," Kai retorted with a wild gesture towards Cole.

"Kai! Enough!" That time it was Zane, and his voice was intense in a way that Kai wasn't sure he had ever heard.

"Yeah, we got what we came for! Let's just go home!" Cole hissed through grit teeth as he sidestepped Kai and blocked the entrance to the temple. Kai could see straight through him, could see the innocent interior that had been tormenting them all night.

He felt something in him bubble over, some precarious knife finally tipping over an unseen precipice. "You're a ghost! You can't be okay with that!" Kai swiped a hand at his brother's midsection. Cole recoiled, stepping back with a yelp when his hand went right through. Frantically, as though checking for a wound, he patted his stomach down. "Do you want to be like that forever?! Let me-"

The look on Cole's face stopped him dead. He looked like he was caught in a nightmare, eyes stuck wide with dark circles carving out his face. He stared down at his stomach, standing so still he didn't even look like a person. He didn't even look like he was breathing.

"Cole, I-" Kai started, only to realize he had no idea what to say.

All was silent for several drawn out seconds, each one carving itself across Kai's skull, mocking him as his brother stood there, worlds away.

When he did finally speak, his voice was quiet, and he kept his head low. "We got the scroll. You got me out of the temple. Let's just go home."

It was like all the energy had been sucked from Kai's body. The adrenaline vanished, he felt injuries he hadn't even noticed, and the lack of sleep in over a day suddenly and violently caught up with him.

"I… yeah, okay."

Loathing sparked in his stomach, only to fizzle out inside a tar of exhaustion. He didn't even know who he hated anymore.

Yang? Definitely. Morro for sure. Zane and Jay a bit, for stopping him at the door. Himself for failing again and again and again and then doing nothing about it.

"Let's go home, then," he finally acquiesced.


For once, Jay was speechless.

Because First Spinjitzu Master, what do you say when your brother and best friend that you've spent years fighting alongside gets suddenly and violently transformed into his greatest fear?

It was such a cruel twist of irony that he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Instead of doing either, they just began the long trudge back to town. Waiting for the tour bus that brought them to the temple the day prior was definitely a no-go, for several reasons.

So, they walked.

Somehow, despite a growing headache, his stomach growling, the exhaustion setting in, and his legs feeling like actual lead, Jay couldn't find it in himself to actually complain.

Especially since Cole seemed to be having a hard time just walking at all. His first few steps were painful to watch- Jay wanted nothing more than to sling an arm over his shoulder, but each time he tried, his hand just phased right through Cole.

So instead, Jay had to watch as the mist that haphazardly congregated into a vague Cole-like shape would simply scatter, leaving him to fall on his face before slowly and silently recollecting himself.

Through it all, nobody said a word. Jay could only imagine what was going through Cole's head.

It was Zane that put his hood on- which was weird, and Jay nearly asked why. Walking for several hours in the sun with their hot and sweaty masks on sounded pretty awful.

And then Kai followed suit, and only then did he realize why, because it wasn't until then that Cole finally put his on as well.

He was still see-through, of course. Anyone that looked at him for more than a few seconds could see that something was off, but it was a lot less noticeable with most of his face concealed.

Needless to say, even Jay could suck it up and wear his hood for a while longer.

As they shuffled down the streets of the city, Jay tried to keep an eye out for a payphone. Their one cheap flip phone that they carried on missions didn't survive the room that Yang had flooded for the sole purpose of messing with Kai.

Honestly, it was probably worth it to finally invest in a more reliable long-distance communicator. Sure, it wouldn't be as useful when they were busy getting stranded on remote islands, but it would have been nice to not need to walk so far on so little sleep, with the nice array of injuries they had all collected, in their horrible, glum silence.

Jay tried to pitch the idea. But with Zane's volume stuck and him not wanting to draw attention to their group, Kai engaged in a staring contest with the ground, and Cole dealing with just about the worst thing possible, it didn't do much to spark conversation.

Fine, he'd make a better phone on his own time.

Cole had more or less gotten the hang of walking, at least. Which was good. He was falling less often now.

The bad news was that the world just hated Cole personally.

Because a storm was rolling in.

It had been such a clear morning, too. Why did it have to go and rain? Couldn't it at least have waited until they made it back to the Bounty?

Personally, Jay thought they were all pretty cursed. The luck of it all.

"We should find somewhere to rest," Zane shouted, courtesy of that annoyingly stuck volume setting. At least he did so in an uncrowded area. Nobody even seemed to look their way. "We need to call the Bounty."

"Easy for you to say, there's not a payphone in this entire city. Do we even have money? Without my lightning, it's not like I can just zap one until it works!" Jay shot back.

"We'll figure something out," Kai mumbled. "Do you have somewhere in mind?" He asked the nindroid.

"The falcon saw a rather large public library; we can rest there."

Great, a robot with a stuck volume slider would be great in a library. Honestly, they were the least quiet ninjas in all of existence, so a library seemed like a terrible choice. Not to mention their filthy outfits and disheveled appearances.

Jay glanced at Kai, then at Cole.

Then again, with the mood what it was, maybe they wouldn't get kicked out.

And that was how they ended up sneaking into a library, past the bored-looking librarian to a quiet corner on the second floor behind a shelf by the window.

And somehow, Jay wound up on "call the Bounty" duty. It took the coin-scavenging of the titanium falcon and the guidance of the bored librarian, but finally, finally, Jay was standing in the rain, calling the Bounty from a payphone.

"Hello?"

Nya's voice hit him like a tidal wave, and whatever spiel he had prepared just evaporated.

"Nya, I- It's Jay," he said, somewhat lamely.

"Jay? First Spinjitzu Master, where are you guys? We've been worried sick, and I think the sensei is furious! You guys are in for it when you get back. What are your coords? I'll pick you all up ASAP."

Jay opened his mouth, only for no sound to come out. He closed it again. Then opened it, and managed some half-hearted squeak.

Nya always was good at reading his mood. Her demeanor changed instantly. "Jay? What happened? Is everyone okay?"

No, no no no. Nobody is okay. Zane is damaged because of me, Kai won't even look up, and Cole is dead.

"We… we're all here. At the New Ninjago Archival Library. Come soon, please."

Wow, Jay. Nicely done. She won't be worried at all after that.

Nya was silent for several seconds. "We can be there in an hour. Are you guys okay enough for a rooftop pickup?"

That… sounded like an awful idea. Not only would they have to get to a rooftop in their current condition, but the Bounty couldn't not draw a crowd. People would see Cole.

Not that- not that he needed to hide, but… he probably deserved at least a little privacy now, right?

"Actually, can we meet on the outskirts? It may… it may be a while before we can get there."

"Jay, what happened?" Nya asked again, sounding genuinely scared. "Are you guys safe? Please, what happened? Where did you go?"

It wasn't like Jay was trying to keep secrets, but with the rain pouring outside, and with the exhaustion fogging his mind, and with just… everything going on…

"Something… something happened. It's… I don't…" He felt something bubbling over, and wasn't sure he could get the words out before he started bawling like a child.

"Calm down, Bluejay," Nya cooed, and a fondness bloomed in his heart, almost warm enough to chase out the rest of the stuff swirling in his chest. He heard her take a deep breath. "Look, we'll be at the docks in an hour, get here as soon as you can, but we'll wait as long as we have to. Just stay safe."

"Yeah, okay," he choked out. "Thanks, Nya."

"Anytime."

The line went dead. Thunder clapped in the distance, and something cracked inside of him. The lightning- it should have been comforting to him, but he couldn't feel it at all. His powers were gone, Lloyd was gone, and now Cole was kind of gone, too.

How many more people would be gone before this was all over?

He sobbed.


Zane, Kai, and Cole waited at the library as the falcon led Jay to a phone.

Kai sat at a table in front of the hall to their bookshelf hiding place as he pretended to read some sort of romantic novel. His eyes didn't move, except to flick up and around as he kept watch.

It was still early- there weren't many people in the library so early, but Kai had always been one to keep watch when the situation was tense.

Zane glanced at Cole.

Things were certainly tense.

Cole had nestled himself against the wall. He seemed to bury himself in his clothes, which had been enveloped by the mist making up his form, just as transparent as he was.

Were his clothes a part of his ghostly form, or would anything he wear be enveloped by his paranormal aura? Further investigation was necessary, once his brother's mental state wasn't so distressed.

Zane wasn't one to shout in a library. However, even if his damaged volume module weren't preventing him from speaking, he wasn't sure he'd know what to say to Cole. None of them knew.

Since leaving the temple, Cole had not uttered a single word, and was currently staring out the window at the rain. Or perhaps he was watching his reflection- it was difficult to tell. And he wore such a blank expression. Without any vitals, it made his emotions incredibly difficult to gauge.

He glanced around- near to them was an old computer at a desk. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.

Experimentally, Zane pressed the power button- the machine seemed fully functional and able to connect to the library's network, so Zane took to doing something productive.

First matter of business was to see how long the rain was going to last. Zane searched for the weather report- the news wasn't good. It was due to rain for the rest of the day, and hard. He glanced back at Cole- he hadn't moved an inch.

Kai, meanwhile, was bouncing his leg despite the exhaustion etched into his features.

Zane opened a text document, and typed some instructions into them. Then, he walked over to Kai and tapped his shoulder.

"What is it…?" he mumbled, his voice more weary than annoyed as he slung an arm over the back of the chair.

Zane gestured to the computer, and Kai furrowed his brow.

It felt bad to ask more of his brother in his condition- Kai's movements were sluggish, even as he ambled over to the computer. Still, it needed to be done.

The rain is not going to stop for several more hours. Can you find something with which we may cover Cole during the rest of the walk to the Destiny's Bounty? I am sorry to ask this of you when you're already exhausted, but I want to continue monitoring the falcon and Cole.

Kai looked back at Cole with a pained expression, then to Zane. "Yeah… yeah I can do that. Be back in a bit."

Perhaps he was just glad to have a distraction, because Kai skipped steps as he descended to the ground floor of the library.

That left Zane alone with Cole- his aura reflected against the window, and he painted that entire corner green.

Zane returned to the computer, and entered a query about ghosts in non-combative situations.

Ghosts were weak to water, and could vary their solidity. That was all the substantial information they had learned from fighting ghosts.

Well, that, and that they could not phase through deepstone. Perhaps they could find some to use-

"Agh!"

"Cole! What's wrong?" Zane queried- the urgency of the situation very much so taking precedence over his desire to respect the rules of the library.

"N-nothing, Zane, I'm fine." Cole said hastily.

He was clutching his hand, though, and the mist was rising and wavering around it like smoke. It looked like…

Zane faltered. It was like when a ghost was hit with water. But the only water was… the rain on the other side of the glass.

Judging from Cole's expression, he knew Zane had figured it out. He grinned, quick and sloppy. "Oh, you know, I'm just a bit clumsy. Nothing to worry about."

Cole was many things. Clumsy was not one of them.

Zane took a seat next to Cole. He couldn't put a hand on his brother's shoulder, so he settled for putting his hand on the cushion beside him.

"Sorry," Cole said with a bit of a breathy laugh. "I guess I was just… curious? I don't know. Like when you're a kid, and you want to touch the stove?" He went silent as he stared at his smoking hand- the mist was slowly calming, with his hand restoring itself. His forced smile melted back into that awful depression that looked so unlike Cole that it was alarming. "Yeah, it was hot. Probably should have guessed that."

There was no stove, of course. Instead, just Cole, hoping against hope that perhaps the water wouldn't tear through his incorporeal body.

It was… not fair, now was it? Zane stared at the scroll sitting on the tabletop, still crumpled and rolled. They paid so much for that scroll. On the one hand, that scroll was a means to an end- saving Lloyd. And they had all known the rumors before entering the temple. And they had agreed to take those risks, because Lloyd was worth it.

To his shame, Zane found himself second-guessing that choice. Perhaps there was a better way. He was tempted to run simulations.

On the other hand, the idea that perhaps there was another way- it felt almost too cruel. What was done could not be changed.

So Zane sat with Cole in silence, and they waited.


It was all for Lloyd. It was all for Lloyd. It was all for Lloyd. Cole had frequently stated that he'd do anything for his family, so when ghosts had kidnapped his baby brother, it was time to put his money where his mouth was.

And he was fine with that! What better way to push his limits than to face his phobia head on?

Clearly, that went swimmingly. Now, here he was, covered in a tarp that Kai "found" while they covered him for the walk back to the Bounty. Because apparently, caring for his useless ass was a three person job.

To be fair, the rain was threatening to melt him into a puddle of ectoplasm.

Cole felt… exhausted. Not physically- he didn't have a body anymore. But it was like his mind was shrouded in fog, and he wanted nothing more than to just…go to bed, even if he couldn't sleep.

And it didn't help that the others kept looking at him. Looking at him with that damn pity in their eyes. At the same time, it wasn't like he could ask to be treated normally when he nearly severed his hand trying to touch the rain.

Cole trudged along in the middle of their group. They stood on each side, forming a small triangle around him that Zane was leading, even though he had to be running low on power by now, and he had more than a few dents and dinks that needed repair. Jay looked like he was perpetually about to cry, and he walked with a distinct limp- not one from injury, just pure exhaustion and imbalance.

And then there was Kai. It was a look that Cole knew well, that detached fury ready to lash out at the first target to present itself- he'd probably deck the First Spinjitzu Master himself if he appeared at a somewhat startling time.

Cole had been seeing a lot of that look lately, ever since Lloyd had been taken.

Maybe Cole wouldn't mind having that look be caused by him if Kai also didn't look like he was about to keel over. Somehow he doubted it.

And sure enough, eventually, the Bounty came into view.

Cole felt his fake breath catch, and his mind briefly reeled from the reminder that his lungs no longer held air. He coughed, which again did nothing.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked in a soft voice that absolutely did not belong on Kai to be used on him.

"I'm fine, let's just… go…" Cole mumbled. With the Bounty in sight, he had to start considering how he was going to greet Wu and Nya.

"Hey guys, guess what! We snuck off to a cursed temple and I went and got myself eternally cursed over a piece of paper! Time to learn Airjitzu!" didn't really feel right, for some strange reason.

"I'll head up first and have Nya open the sails. They should be able to shield us from most of the rain," Kai offered.

"Us," he had said, as though Kai, Jay, and Zane needed the shielding. Cole watched Kai shimmy up the ladder to the top of the Bounty. First Spinjitzu Master, how was he supposed to climb the damn ladder?

It took a few minutes of waiting for the sails to extend.

Jay held a hand out from the tarp experimentally. "Seems safe! Let's go!"

And thus began Cole's great and arduous ascent. He found out back at the library that if he focused hard enough in some vague and unspecific way, that he could force a part of him to solidify.

The problem was that keeping both his hands and both his legs solid at the same time was pretty difficult, and the rings were wet, which made them hard to hold.

Well actually it made them physically painful to hold, but small details. He hissed under his breath as his hands protested the water.

Because water could actually kill him now. Kill him even more than he already had been.

Great, a whole lot of good you'll do Lloyd like this.

There was a flash of lightning, and the crash of thunder. Cole startled, and that was enough for him to lose focus.

His vision blurred as he dropped like a rock. He let out a bit of a yell as he fell straight through Jay, who had been behind him on the ladder.

"Cole!"

He hissed as he landed in the sloshy wet muck below. His back screamed at him, like he had just landed in acid. Needless to say, he got back to his feet quickly, but it wasn't before Jay could descend to check on him.

"Woah, Cole! Are you okay?"

Cole growled. He could feel his frustration bubbling over. "I'm fine, just leave me alone." Thank the First Master that they didn't make him walk on the docks. He might have phased right through and dropped into the sea.

With that lovely visual bouncing around in his empty formless skull, he steeled himself, back still smoking, and forced himself up the ladder of the Bounty. His back and hands utterly protested the action; it was almost welcome compared to the dull numbness that had overtaken his entire form.

Quiet, Cole. You can't start thinking like that. Lloyd needs you. The team needs you.

He hissed and gagged as the wind blew some stray droplets right into his face.

Some asset you'll be.

And then, finally, he reached the top of the deck. Kai was speaking to the Sensei in a hushed voice with Zane keeping close.

All eyes were on him as soon as his feet hit the deck, and he couldn't help but wither under their scrutiny.

Before he could think, he bowed to Wu.

"S-Sensei. I would like to apologize. We left to retrieve the scroll of Airjitzu from Master Yang's temple. It was my fault we went behind your back, and I'm sorry."

It was a token apology that didn't do anything to draw attention to his new status as deceased, but it was all he could manage. He flinched as a stray droplet hit the back of his neck.

It was silent, save the patter of rain all around them.

Cole risked a glance up, and his nonexistent heart seized.

Sensei Wu had always been one to keep his emotions close- even his rage was calculated, never showing more than he intended. Ever since Cole had met him on that mountain all those years ago, he never could figure out what was going on inside his head. It made his rare moments of fragility stand out like a sore thumb.

Cole remembered when they were stranded on the island while Garmadon and the Overlord invaded the city, confused and scared, just barely holding up his calm persona.

Then, he remembered Zane's funeral, the way he blinked four times as often, his eyes misty with tears.

And finally, the rawness present after Garmadon had been banished, so shortly after getting him back in the first place.

Now, Cole could add Wu's reaction to his new curse to that list. The way his mouth opened and closed, and his gaze wavered. And he looked at Cole with such a deep, unwarranted despair, etched directly into Cole's brain for safekeeping.

Nya wasn't much better. Her hand covered her mouth, eyes wide as saucers.

"P-please, let the others rest. I will accept whatever p-punishment y-you see fit."

Great, now your voice is wavering. And you know that's not how Wu's punishments work, moron.

"No Sensei, it was my fault!" Kai declared loudly, because of course he did. "We should have asked first! We shouldn't have, I shouldn't have-"

Jay and Zane started piping up too, and Cole would have been touched if he weren't so tired and numb.

"Enough!" Sensei declared, yet his voice was uncharacteristically feeble.

Of course, they all shut up immediately.

"There… will be no punishment today. Treat your injuries and rest."

Oh. That was… that was worse than a punishment, actually. That his condition was tragic enough that he could overlook discipline.

And- Cole took a step back, because everyone was staring at him.

"Yes Sensei," Cole forced out before rushing to the barracks.

"Cole-" Wu began.

He didn't hear the rest. He just wanted to sleep.

He in fact, could not sleep. Whether that was because ghosts couldn't sleep, or good old mortal insomnia was beyond him. Still, he managed to lie on the bed, partially sunken into the blankets, which only half-heartedly responded to his touch.

He faced the wall so that the others couldn't see him, though none of them entered the room for several hours. He could hear the shower in the other room twice- Jay and Kai, he assumed. Even still, nobody entered the room. They kept spare clothes in the supply closet, so maybe they grabbed outfits from there, hell if Cole knew.

His own gi was a tattered mess, but it wasn't dirty. If he had to guess, the dirt and muck and sweat from the temple had probably gone right through it. How that worked was anyone's guess, not that he much cared at the moment.

He sighed- his voice sounded weird to him. The others were probably in the kitchen. That was good. They needed food.

There was a crack of lightning in the clouds below them.

Yeah, not happening. Can I even eat like this?

He put his arm over his face, but that didn't do anything to cover the light from the hall, obviously.

This… was fine. So he was a ghost. Big deal. He'd power through it, at least for now. Lloyd needed him. The team needed him.

He ignored the voice in his head telling him otherwise.

Eventually, the others came in for bed. Which was good. A little part of him felt bad that they had put it off for so long because of him. It couldn't have been later than eight or nine, but that was still nearly two days of no sleep. Nobody spoke to him, thank the First Master. To be fair, he stayed facing the wall. For all they knew, he was dead asleep, hah hah.

Still, he made sure to wait until he was certain they were asleep to slip out of the room. Turns out he was pretty silent now, who'da thunk it?

Hey, if there was one benefit to this entire mess of a day, it could be that. Phasing through stuff, moving silently, that was nice enough.

He took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the deck. He couldn't feel it, of course. He'd miss that, the cool night air.

Ugh, whatever. Slowly, he made his way to the bow of the Bounty. He could distantly hear the rumble of the engines even if he couldn't feel it beneath his feet. It was bizarre, looking up at the sea of stars in the moonless sky. He could see the sails tremble in the wind, but his hair didn't blow, his gi stayed stagnant.

Like he didn't truly belong on the boat.

"Enough moping, Cole!" he told the sky. "You're going to figure this out, and suck it up long enough to get Lloyd back! You got that?"

It wasn't like the moon replied.

"Good! You're gonna figure this out! You'll use that stupid scroll, you'll learn that stupid technique, you'll lead your stupid team, and you'll save your stupid little brother!"

It was hard to banter alone.

"Alright, Cole. You have a plan, now you just gotta follow it! Easy!"

He clenched his transparent fist. He'd figure this out. He'd figure this out.

It'd be okay.