Chapter Text
Two Years Later
It had been two years since Cole's death, and Lou had finally learned to keep living. It had been months before he found himself singing or dancing with the Royal Blacksmiths again after the ninja broke the news.
The ninja always visited and checked on him every once in a while, making sure that he was doing alright. They had become Lou's family.
He developed a tradition that whenever it was a favorite holiday or birthday of Cole or Lilly's, he played a song that he wrote for them. It was his way of honoring them.
He paced back and forth, humming a song that he was about to perform. He stopped and watched his friends - the Royal Blacksmiths - talk and laugh. They switched between jokes and warming up.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" the host said as he walked onto the stage.
Lou rounded up the three men, and they prepared to go on stage.
People applauded as the host continued. "Let's welcome the Royal Blacksmiths!"
The four men walked on stage, smiling and waving at the crowd.
The host smiled. "Take it away!"
The men smiled back and began their song. Their harmonizing voices filled the air as the crowd silently listened. It was a song that Lou had written years ago, about his passion for singing and dancing.
Once they finished, the crowd applauded and cheered.
Then they began their second song. They all sang and danced, and Lou let reality fade away as he focused on the song. They were in the middle of the song when he heard someone scream.
Lou turned, and saw that the steel support beams and lights were falling.
And they were heading straight for him.
He began to run, but he wasn't fast enough. A crushing weight fell upon him. All he felt was pain. He gasped for air, as the beam knocked the air out of him. He tried to climb out, but his body was weak, and it felt weaker every second.
Black spots danced at the edge of his vision. He tried to move once again, but he couldn't.
Then everything went black.
-
"Everyone. Come to the bridge," PIXAL's voice crackled on the intercom on the Bounty. The ninja ran towards the bridge.
"What is it?" Nya asked once everyone was there.
"There was a reported accident at a small outdoor theater near the docks. The police called and asked for you to be there to help make sure everyone is all right," PIXAL replied.
"What type of accident?" Kai asked.
"The steel support beams seemed to have collapsed during a performance," she said.
"Wait, wasn't Lou performing at a concert today?" Jay asked, fear making its way into his voice.
The ninja's eyes widened as the realization hit them all. Lou had told them a few days ago that he was going to be performing at a concert at that exact place.
"We have to go!" Lloyd cried. The ninja all prepared as PIXAL took the Bounty to the theater.
Once they had arrived, the ninja dropped down and began to search the crowd.
Nya's stomach sank when she didn't see him. In fact, she didn't see any of the Royal Blacksmiths. Neither did any of the other ninja.
They split up, with Nya and Jay rounding up the crowd while Kai, Lloyd, and Zane would remove the beams.
Kai noticed something sticking out from the pile of beams and lights. He ran towards it, Zane and Lloyd trailing behind.
It was one of the Royal Blacksmiths. It wasn't Lou, but it was still someone who needed help.
The man was barely awake when Kai and Lloyd lifted the beam off of him.
Zane scanned him, his blue eyes glowing. "He is injured, but I detect no fatal wounds. There are a few broken bones and other injuries, but it can be fixed." He gently picked the man up. He carried him to one of the ambulances that were parked nearby, which had stretchers ready.
Kai and Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief, although their stomachs were still heavy with fear. Lloyd's heart thumped nervously. Kai kept letting fear slip into his expression, despite trying to look confident.
Once Zane returned, the three ninja lifted up another beam, and another, until they found another man. Another Royal Blacksmith.
Lloyd and Kai exchanged worried looks as Zane scanned the man.
"He is seriously injured and needs medical attention immediately," he said, signaling to the doctors to bring a stretcher.
They rushed over and Zane picked up the unconscious man and gently laid him on the stretcher. The doctors rushed the man away.
The ninja removed another support beam, having to stop for a moment as some of the broken lights sparked. Another man lay underneath, and as the ninja suspected, he was another Royal Blacksmith.
This time, when Zane scanned him, he expression became more serious, almost sorrowful. "He's already gone," he said, shaking his head. He knelt down and picked him up, and laid him in the grass.
Lloyd's expression became fearful. He knew that if they found one man dead and two injured, it would be a fifty-fifty chance of Lou being alive, if he was underneath those beams. It almost seemed inevitable now, as the rest of the Royal Blacksmiths were there beneath the beams.
The ninja exchanged glances before lifting the last two beams. Once they did, they found him. Lou lay there, completely still.
Zane scanned him, but as his scans confirmed the ninja's fear, he shook his head. "He didn't make it," he said. His tone was flat, completely erased of emotion.
"No," Lloyd whispered. He dropped to his knees and looked at Lou, tears streaming down his face. "He was family! More than that - he was Cole's family! His family is all gone, including Cole himself."
Kai looked away, the scene before him painfully reminding him of Cole's own death.
Nya and Jay came over, having finished their task. Nya took one look at the scene before her and broke down in tears. Jay held her up as her legs almost gave out. His face became sorrowful, and memories of Cole's death rushed back into his mind, flooding his thoughts of the heartbreaking memories.
The ninja stood, silence surrounding them. There was the distant whisper of voices behind them, but they all seemed muffled to the ninja's ears.
Two doctors came over and silently took Lou and put him on a stretcher, covering him with a white sheet as they rolled it away. Lloyd was still on his knees after they took him away. He immediately hugged Kai when he helped him up.
Once they had gotten the confirmation on Lou's death, they all went back to the Bounty. PIXAL came up to them, asking how the mission went, but when she saw their grim expressions, she knew.
-
Lou's eyes blinked open. Sunlight filled his eyes. He lifted his hand up, shading them from the blinding light.
The sound of a gentle stream nearby came to his ears.
Where am I? Lou wondered.
"Dad?"
A familiar voice sounded from behind him. A voice he had not heard in two years.
He turned, filled with disbelief at the sight. Cole was standing a few feet away, right by Lilly's side.
Tears formed, blurring his vision for a moment before he blinked them away.
He slowly walked up to his family, still unable to believe it.
"Lilly? Cole? Is that really you?" His voice shook.
Lilly stepped forward and pulled him into a warm hug. A hug he had not felt in years. Tears ran down his face as he hugged her back.
"I missed you, Lilly," Lou said through his tears.
"I know, Lou, but you kept living, and you held your promise to me. And now we are together again. You can finally join us and get the peace and rest year that you have earned," Lilly said, tears in her eyes.
"I missed you, too." Her voice was a whisper.
After his hug with Lilly, he went over to Cole.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay long enough to say goodbye to you, and leaving you alone like-" Cole started, but was cut off as Lou pulled him into a hug, tears streaming down his face.
"You don't need to be sorry, son. We are together now," Lou said through his tears.
Cole hugged him back, tears of relief and joy in his eyes.
"Let's go," Lilly said, taking Lou's hand in hers. It was warm and comforting, just like Lou remembered.
He took Cole's hand in his free hand, and together, they all walked into the light, finally a whole family again.