Chapter Text
That evening, the ninja were gathered around the dining table for dinner. Cole wasn't there, of course, and neither was Lloyd, but by that point, the team had learned to accept the Baddie for who he was now. They were done trying to change him. He wasn't a part of their team anymore, and the ninja saw him as nothing but another bad guy.
"I know we've all been worried about Cole," Wu spoke up, forcing his voice not to shake. "But I think it's time we start worrying about the Overlord. He's obtained all four elemental weapons, and if I know him, he's on his way to combine them right now."
Immediately, Kai slammed his fist on the table in outrage. "Oh, who cares?" he snarled. The others flashed him uneasy looks, but he kept going. "Cole's slipping away," he hissed. "We can't ignore that!"
"I understand your grief, Kai," Wu answered steadily. "I feel it, too. Cole is family."
"Then why are we talking about that stupid Overlord?" Kai went on angrily. "Because as far as I'm concerned, his actions mean nothing anymore."
A sob broke the conversation, and Kai turned his head to see Nya racing out of the room. Jay flashed Kai a look before running after her. Guilt weighed on Kai's shoulders as he looked back at Wu. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to get her upset."
"I know, Kai," Wu sighed. "But you have to stop blaming yourself. No one blames you for Lloyd's actions."
Kai looked at the ground and didn't respond.
Gazing at the red ninja sympathetically, Garmadon rested a hand on his shoulder and murmured a few words to him.
Ding dong!
Wu looked up from his meal, surprised. Who would be at their door at this hour? Glancing at the others, he rose to his feet and headed for the front door, Zane and Pixal following. In the hallway, Nya was wrapped around Jay near the staircase, but they both got alert at the doorbell. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Nya joined the others with Jay just as Wu was opening the door.
The sensei blinked to see a tall, burly man with a gray frizzy beard on the front porch. He was picking at something in his teeth when he noticed Wu's appearance.
"Greetings," the sensei began, ignoring the suspicious ninja behind him. "Can we help you with something?"
The man grinned as he observed him. "So you're the one they call Sensei?" he asked.
Wu stole a quick glance over his shoulder to see Garmadon and Kai had joined them before gazing forward again. "Yes, that's me," he confirmed, now getting suspicious himself.
"Ah, perfect!" the man exclaimed happily.
Wu raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but is there something you're looking for?" he inquired.
The stranger gave a hearty laugh. "Why, I'm here to see my boy!"
Wu blinked blankly. "Your... Your boy?" he echoed. He didn't recognize the man as anyone he or the ninja knew.
"Yeah, he told me he lives in a monastery like this," the man added.
"Er..." Wu turned to the ninja, lowering his voice. "Do any of you know who he's talking about?"
A moment of silence passed before Kai pushed his way to the doorframe. He gazed at the stranger and drew in a deep breath. "I do," he confessed.
The man's eyes flashed with recognition and he pointed a finger at the red ninja. "You! I know you!" he chuckled. "I assume you've taken care of him, yes?"
Kai swallowed hard and turned back to Wu. "He's talking about Cole," he said, voice cracking. "Cole stayed with him in the mountains for a while."
Wu's face dropped. "Oh..."
The man's gaze switched from Kai to Wu. "Well?" he prompted. "You're gonna let me see him, aren't you? I've been wondering about him, ever since I saw that helicopter thing land near my cave."
Wu's head shot up. "Helicopter?" he repeated.
"Yeah, it had one of your ninja folk on it," the stranger added. "Just got me wondering about Cole."
Helicopter? In the mountain? Lloyd? Wu exchanged a glance with his brother. Maybe they had finally figured out where Baddie Bend was hidden.
The man's gaze traveled over the ninja in front of him. "Where is he?" he asked. "He didn't get lost on the way back, did he?"
Wu's thoughts snapped back to the present as a fresh wave of grief hit him. "No... No, he's... he's here," he stammered.
Kai gazed at the man as he saw the puzzlement cross his eyes. "Raymond, he... he..." The red ninja shook his head. "Oh, it was all my fault!" he blurted out. "I'm sorry! You trusted me but... but..."
"What do you mean?" The smile on Raymond's face started to fade. "What's happened?"
Kai drew in a shaky breath. "Cole's dying, Raymond," he whispered.
The color seemed to drain from Raymond's face. "What?"
Kai's breath quickened as he tried to keep himself from panicking. "Th-there was a battle and he... he..."
"He did a very brave thing," Wu intercepted, laying a hand on Kai's shoulder. "But paid a price for it."
Raymond's eyes rounded in shock. His whole posture seemed to crumple until he barely looked as strong and intimidating as he had a moment before. "W-well, can't I see him?" he asked, obviously trying to keep himself together.
Wu hesitated, not fully comfortable with letting a stranger so close to their ill friend.
Raymond's eyes glistened with grief and desperation. "Someone I love is dying, and you're not even gonna let me say goodbye?" His voice cracked.
Wu suddenly realized how much Cole meant to the man. Cole couldn't have been up in the mountains for more than a week, but he guessed their bond had formed quickly. With a glance at his brother, who nodded, Wu stepped back to allow Raymond inside the house. "Come on then," he murmured.
The group headed up the staircase in silence. When they reached the hospital room, it seemed to get even more silent, if that was possible. Wu opened the door and led the way inside, halting at the edge of the room. Raymond pushed his way forward until he was beside the sensei and glanced at the hospital beds, looking for the one that was occupied.
The others found it first, as they already knew where Cole had been those past few days. The black ninja was shaking as violently as ever and now seemed to be gagging for breath, although there was nothing there to choke him. Another nightmare, they guessed.
Raymond stiffened when he spotted him. Breathing shakily, he headed over to the bed, heart breaking as he gazed down at the ninja. Cole's arms and legs were thrashing now, and his head shot back and forth as he struggled to breathe. Calmly, Raymond knelt beside the bed and laid a hand on Cole's arm. "Cole," he rasped.
Cole jerked at the touch, but stopped gagging, as if he had been woken up.
"Cole, it's me," Raymond went on softly. "Raymond."
Cole panted, his sounds lulled for a moment. His body shifted closer to Raymond and his eyes slightly fluttered open. From across the room, the ninja's eyes were glued to the black ninja intently as he did something they never expected him to do.
"R... R... R-Raym-mond?"
He spoke.
Not a groan.
Not a cry.
A word.
As if drained from the strength it took to speak, Cole immediately let out a loud moan and his eyes glued shut again.
"Yes, Cole," Raymond whispered. "It's me."
Teeth chattering, Cole jolted again and began groping around with his untouched hand, gasping for breath. Seeing this, Raymond reached out his other hand until it met with Cole's and the black ninja gripped it tightly. Raymond gazed down at him with a weak smile.
"You've sure got a grip, kid," he said, ignoring the stinging in his wrist from Cole's fingers.
Cole only gave a quiet whimper and shifted closer to the man, shivering. Raymond looked up to see the black ninja had abandoned half his bed and was pressing himself on the very edge, getting as close as he could to Raymond. Blinking, Raymond gazed across the room at Wu, but the sensei only stared back blankly, seeming to be studying the two. Looking back at Cole, Raymond rubbed the ninja's hands soothingly. Cole seemed to relax slightly at the gesture and his head turned toward Raymond and stayed there. Gently releasing his grip on one hand, Raymond drew his hand down Cole's cheek, moving a piece of hair out of his face. The ninja drew in a sharp breath and blinked open his eye again, his glazed gaze staring up at Raymond with the smallest flicker of hope. Raymond pondered this when he suddenly heard a sneeze from across the room. The ninja all shot Jay a glare, and the blue ninja winced. "Sorry," he whispered.
Then Raymond realized he wasn't the only one who had heard the sound. Cole jolted underneath his touch and the fear returned to his eyes. His gaze snapped around anxiously and he let out a sharp cry as he began to convulse again.
Suddenly, Raymond understood. How Cole had begun to relax with him, then started freaking out after realizing other people were in the room. And the man from the mountains suddenly knew what the ninja needed to recover.
"Cole," he started softly, finding Cole's hands again. "Cole, can you hear me?"
The black ninja gasped for breath as he shifted toward Raymond again, tightening his grip around the man's fingers in silent answer.
Raymond tried to sound as gentle as he could as he went on. "Do you want to spend some time with me up in the mountains again?" he asked. "With the snow... and the fire... the chill on the breeze... the deer and rabbits..."
Cole's eyes traveled upward until they locked with the man's, and Raymond saw the seed of hope in them again. Breathing heavily, the black ninja gave a short, shaky nod of his head.
That was all the reassurance Raymond needed. And it seemed that was all Cole needed, too. The black ninja shifted closer to the man and, without hesitation, Raymond slipped his fingers underneath him and scooped Cole into his arms as he did so many times before. The ninja groped until he found Raymond's cloak and gripped it tightly, burying his face into the man's shoulder. Raymond held the ninja closer to him for warmth and Cole fully took in the protection.
As the two headed back over to the others, Kai furrowed his eyebrows and took a step forward to protect his brother, but Wu held him back, gaze locked on the pair curiously.
"If it's okay with you, I would like to take Cole back to the mountains for a while," Raymond explained, gazing down at the black ninja. "It's what Cole wants."
Wu stared at him, not knowing how to respond. "Are you sure?" he questioned.
Raymond nodded. "The different surroundings could help him heal," he went on. "And I think it's his only hope."
Wu glanced over his shoulder until he found Pixal. "Pixal, what do you think?" he inquired.
Pixal stepped forward. Gazing at Cole, she thought for a moment before dipping her head. "Raymond is correct," she reported. "In this monastery is where the root of all Cole's anxieties started, and he clearly has no hope for survival. But up in the fresh air, he at least has a chance."
Before Wu could agree to anything, Nya pushed her way to the front. Her eyes glittered with the beginning of tears. "B-but what if... what if he passes away up there?" she whimpered. "Away from us, before we can say goodbye? Without his family beside him?"
Raymond turned his gaze down to her. "I won't let that happen," he reassured her, determination hardening his voice. "Trust me, no one is dying on my watch."
The room went silent as everyone glanced at Wu expectantly. The sensei studied Cole, seeing how the black ninja clung to Raymond with every last bit of his feeble strength. Wu realized it was what was best, but he knew he shouldn't be the one with the final say. With a deep breath, he turned to Kai. "Kai?"
The red ninja's eyes were blazing as he stared at the ground. He shifted from one foot to the other, twiddling his fingers nervously. He wanted to protect Cole. He didn't want any more harm to come to his brother. And the mountains were far out of his reach and his careful eye. What if something happened to Cole up there?
Heart pounding, he looked up again and saw Cole cuddled against Raymond's chest, his moaning quieted to soft whimpers now. Gritting his teeth, Kai turned his head away. "Just take him," he spat, forcing his voice not to tremble. "But you better keep him alive—or else."
Raymond gazed at the red ninja sympathetically. "Thank you," he breathed. Then he looked down at Cole and snuggled his nose to the ninja's forehead. "Looks like our little duo is back together."