Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Cole doesn’t get calls from his dad.

Or he rarely does, at least.

The months after he ran away at sixteen, they had zero connection. Cole made sure to change his number and forgo any contact he could have had with his dad. They reconciled, of course, but even then their relationship never felt stable. His dad would never know what to say, as if he was walking eggshells and was terrified that a single word out of place would ruin their relationship.

Cole is still frustrated with his father, even if it’s been years since he really needed his dad. He’ll hold this resentment for years– for choosing his music over his responsibility to his son. Maybe his father knows this, or maybe he’s just begun to feel remorse for his actions. Eitherway, Cole recognizes his father’s anxiety, and his father recognizes his anger. Yet their emotions were something neither confronted.

Cole boiled it down to them finding solace in their balance. As much as Cole has always been outspoken, he knows how blunt his words can be. Such unstable ground with his father could crack easily under his honesty, so he stays quiet. He listens to his father’s failing words, and his father attempts to reach out often enough to remind Cole of his presence. This usually happens after dangerous battles end up on the news, or on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

So when his dad’s ringtone wakes up Cole, it takes him a moment to stop staring at his phone, vibrating and ringing on his little nightstand, and actually pick it up.

“Hello?” Cole groans, his head still foggy.

“Cole!” His father exclaims, tone joyful, like when he’s introducing the blacksmiths to a new audience. “I was worried you wouldn’t pick up. I know you’ve said how early Wu likes to wake you up, but I also know how much of a deep sleeper you can be…” the man chuckles, “Oh my, the amount of times I had to shake you awake five minutes before your bus arrived…”

Cole can’t remember the last time he saw his father before school, much less him getting Cole on the bus. The man had always managed to escape the house by the time Cole had rolled out of bed.

He gives a soft hum in return, trying his best to stay unemotional.

“Uhm, well,” his father’s laughter hastily cuts off, “that’s beside the point. I wanted to see how you’re doing!”

He falls silent on the line. Cole rubs his face, still trying to wake up his brain—the rumbling beats of the Bounty echo in his head. With a deep breath, he pushes another small grin on his face as he responds. “I’m ok, dad. Everything alright with the blacksmiths?”

“Yes! Better than alright, we have a show tonight outside of Ninjago’s National Museum!”

The joyous tone grates on Cole’s ears. He rolls his eyes and restrains a sigh, “Oh, that sounds interesting.” Laying back on his bed, the energy drains out of Cole’s body.

“It’s from dusk until ten! We already have a list of songs on our roster to help get everyone in the spooky mood for tonight. Like, sing me a…” his father’s voice drones on, listing familiar song after song. “And I was wondering if you could make it.”

Cole blinks momentarily, slowly registering his father’s words. He sits up. “What?”

“It’s fine if you already have plans, but I was just thinking of how long it’s been since we’ve really honoured the holiday together. But still, if you can’t make it—”

“I’ll come.” Cole doesn’t realize what he’s said until his father is happily rambling on the other end of the phone.

“Oh lovely! I’ll make sure that Dareth has a perfect seat for you at the front! And then once the performances are done we can take some time to go to a nice restaurant if you like. I don’t go to the city often but there has always been this one noodle shop I adore.” Cole can feel his eyelids begin to fall, the remaining sleep crusting over the edges of his lashes. His father’s tone falls. “What do you think?”

He rubs his eyes. “That sounds great, dad. What time should I be there, again?”

“7:30. Feel free to come sooner though! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other—”

“Ok, I’ll be there for then.”

“Alright!” Cole can still hear his father's smile through the phone. His eyelids begin to fall again.

Looking out the window beside his bed, clouds roll over the bright sky. Everything feels way too optimistic on a day like this.

His father clears his throat on the other end of the phone. Cole tears his eyes from

the window. “It’s nice hearing from you, dad.”

“You too, Cole…” his tone drifts off. Cole waits for the call to end, but his father’s voice returns instead. “I love you. You know that, right?”

Cole focuses on gripping his bedsheets, trying to stay centered despite his drowsy mind. His father’s question lingers in his head. A fury of emotions rumbles from his chest and he can feel his face burn with something indescribable.

Cole looks out the window again and breathes. quieting the storm in his heart.

I am here. I am safe.

“I know, dad.” Cole tries to smile, even though his father can’t see his face. He hopes it warms his words. “I’ll see you at 7:30.”

“Ok, son. See you then.” 

The phone clicks off before Cole can think about how much quieter his father’s tone had become.

With the sheets in his fists and the blue sky at his side, he groans and lays back down. Normally this subtle resentment at his father would permeate through the day— drifting away only to return full force when Cole thought he forgot about it. But not today. He can’t deal with it today.

His feelings towards his father’s neglect and sudden efforts to return to Cole’s life could wait for another time. They’ve both been avoiding his bad parenting for years. Cole grew up without him, and the first spinjitszu master knows he doesn’t need him now that he’s an adult.

Tossing his phone to the nearest chair, Cole shoves his pillow against the window, blocking out almost all of the light. With a blanket over his head, the world is shut out for a few more minutes. 

He has things to do. A holiday to deal with. But right now, his covers are soft and the room is dark.

- - -

“I know you told me you don’t really feel temperature with being a ghost and all, but I still don’t get what’s so great about standing out here when it’s so dull outside,” Jay whines as he walks up to Cole. “I can’t even see the ground through these miserable clouds!”

Cole chuckles, turning away from the bounty’s railing to meet Jay’s eyes. Despite the complaints, a small smile pulls at his lips as he leans against Cole’s side. His hands are tightly bundled in the pockets of his jacket.

Cole wraps an arm around his shoulders, trying to hide his hesitation— the fear of falling through him, not being able to touch him— as he rests against the ninja. “I just need that dullness today. I’m feeling too shitty to handle much more.”

Jay grasps the hand that lays over his shoulder. His tone softens. “Is it about the Day of the Departed?”

Cole only sighs, watching the grey clouds roll by the sides of the ship.

“I’ve never wanted to press it since it didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it, but every year you’re just… distant around this time.” Jay clears his throat as Cole shifts his head to look at him. “Which is fine, you shouldn’t have to be super involved or happy all of the time, but it’s just like you purposefully lock yourself away.” Jay looks up with knotted brows, his fingers tightening around Cole’s.

Shifting on his feet, Cole weakly attempts to slide away from Jay, his throat closing. “It’s just a hard time of year for me.”

Jay doesn’t relent, inching closer to the other ninja. “Aren’t you the one who told me to talk about my feelings and communicate when I’m upset?”

Cole bites his cheek. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But—” he glances back at Jay and quickly looks away again once he sees the man’s worried lines below his eyes. “Look, I know how to deal with it. It’s got nothing to do with you anyways, so you don’t worry.”

Jay groans in the dramatic way he does everything, finally releasing Cole’s hand and letting him slink closer to the railing. “I want to worry about it, Cole. By the realms, it’s even part of the job description!”

“Job description?” Cole asks, crossing his arms and looking back at Jay.

“Yeah,” a smug grin creeps onto his face, “the one that came with being your boyfriend?”

Despite the stormy clouds, the frustrating phone call, and the miserable day, a small grin finds its way to Cole’s face. “seriously, Jay?”

“Yes. And on page sixty-nine–”

Cole snorts.

“—of the boyfriend job description, it states that Cole’s boyfriend must always remember his advice so he can repeat it back to him, and he must always look out for Cole’s emotional well-being, whether or not it is related to his boyfriend in any manner.”

In an attempt to shake off his growing smile, Cole hangs his head and chuckles.

“So, seriously, Cole,” Jay mocks. He gently walks up to the ghost. “I’m here if you want to talk. I don’t want to force you, and if you really can manage it on your own, fine. But you can’t blame me for worrying, okay?”

Cole lifts his head and smiles at the way Jay’s eyes crinkle and the small dimples that form in the center of his cheeks. “Okay.”

The crinkles and dimples fall slightly as Jay waits for another response. Cole hates seeing his disappointment. Yet his throat only tightens, and he swears he’s starting to lose feeling of the banister that’s supposed to be under his hands. He can’t bear to look down and see if his hands have fallen through the wood.

With another sigh, Jay rests his hands on his hips. “We’re probably getting close to Berniece’s by now. I’m gonna head back inside because I can feel my fingers freezing off . See you in a bit?”

“Yep. See you.” Cole tries to give another smile and a wave, but the way Jay’s own grin doesn’t quite meet his eyes makes Cole think his attempt at a happy goodbye wasn’t effective.

- - -

For as long as he could remember, the costumes and burning-red lanterns caused nothing but nightmares for young Cole on the Day of the Departed. Later on, he’d hate the holiday for another reason, but watching the children race around halls in bloodied clothes and jump from corners with devilish masks is enough to remind Cole of his fearful youth.

“Cole!” Kai shouts, snapping his fingers before Cole’s eyes. His eyebrows knot when Cole finally looks over.

“Huh? What?”

Kai groans, waving his hand in the air, “you zoned out— again . Like, come on dude, you can’t leave me alone here with these little gremlins.” Kai sticks out his lower lip as he glares at said children, throwing their candy at one another as they run by Kai and Cole.

The pair of them had been assigned to hand out candy to the children at Bernice’s home for children. The game was that for the Day of the Departed, the kids would search the building– decorated as a haunted house, of course– for the ninja, and a few other popular celebrities the organization could find. Unfortunately, the job involved a lot more yelling and crying than Cole and Kai expected.

He runs a hand through his hair, focusing on the texture of the strands, trying to bring himself back to the present. “Sorry, man. I’ve been kinda out of it lately.”

Kai sighs, less aggravated and more exhausted. “Whatever, it’s not like we’ll be here much longer.” He sneers as one kid in a poorly taped serpentine costume barely avoids tuning into them. “I swear I wasn’t this bad when I got candy.”

“What’s even the point of this anyways?” Cole crosses his arms, maneuvering them around the bucket of candy he’s been holding to hand out to the children. “I get not having the kids go pray to graves for a couple of hours— like they’re kids they wouldn’t put up with that— but is sending them off to get sugar high much better?”

Kai raises an eyebrow, “you sound like someone who’s never gotten candy on the Day of the Departed.”

Cole tightens his grip on the bucket, “of course not. The whole point of the day’s to be paying respects and honoring your family. This is the exact opposite of that.” Cole gestures to a pair of kids currently exchanging their candy.

“You sound like an old man, dude.” Kai turns to stare at Cole with wide eyes. “Is that really how you spent the Day of the Departed as a kid?”

Cole’s relieved he can’t blush as a ghost. He grits his teeth. “Maybe. Whatever, how much longer do we have to be here.”

“What the realms? Your parents really took you to a graveyard for the whole day? I thought that was something only the seniors did.”

Cole growls, “that’s because they understand the point of the whole fucking day. Excuse me for having some respect for those who are dead, Kai .” He practically snaps out his name and bites his tongue when Kai looks at him with something like remorse.

“I was just teasing…” Kai turns back to watch another kid run down the hall. “Sorry. I didn’t think you were that passionate about this.”

Crossing his arms again, Cole sighs, “it’s fine. It’s my bad too, I’m not feeling great today.”

“That’s fair. As much as I joke about the candy hunting and shit… it’s the one day a year me and Nya go back to the shop.”

Cole glances at Kai. The man’s slouching. “Your old house?”

“Yeah. I used to love the snacks and treats that we’d get on the Day of the Departed, but after our parents left, it lost it’s appeal.” He sighs, stretching his back and regaining his composure. “Me and Nya started praying for our parents on the holiday. It’s only ever felt right to do it back at the shop.”

Empathy swells in Cole’s chest. “I’m sorry. Kai.”

He reaches out his hand to rest on Kai’s shoulder, only to watch it slip through his arm.

Kai couldn’t be anymore oblivious, “it’s alright man. I’m just saying that I get what you mean when you say you wanna honor the holiday.”

Cole watches his skin flicker in the red glow of the room. His muted green hue only fades further as he watches his hand in horror. The floor is almost perfectly visible through his palm—

A sob rips through the air.

A small girl in what seems to be a green ninja costume is crying on the ground, a shredded piece of fabric– resembling a mask– in her hands.

Noises that Cole didn’t realize had left flood his ears as he listens to pipes rumble in the walls, floorboards creak under heavy footsteps, and the wind whistling from just outside of the building.

Blinking rapidly, he glances back to his hand to see his ghostly flesh return. The floor is hidden from view, his hand is as opaque as it can be.

Cole sighs in relief. “Sorry, Kai. I kinda spaced out there. We should probably—” he cuts himself when he can’t find Kai at his side.

Turning in a small circle, Cole realizes that much of the hallway and the rooms have become deserted. Any childish laughter he can hear is muted. 

“Well, guess it’s just me then.” Cole runs his fingers through his hair, resisting another sigh of relief as he feels the texture of the strands. If he can feel his own hair, he can feel other things too. Which means he’s still as real as the little girl crying in the hallway.

As Cole walks over, he tries not to think about how long he has spaced out, or what he had missed while Kai had left.

- - -

After giving the girl a piggy-back ride to her supervisor at Berniece’s, he was directed to the lobby of the building where the other ninja had gathered. He tries to brush off the sting he feels when no one other than Jay and Kai acknowledges his disappearance. Having Jay there does help though. It always does. Hee squeezes Cole’s fingers in his own, and Cole can feel the knot in his chest ease up.

The team is quick to get in their vehicles and drive through the sandy desert to Ninjago City’s museum. Usually, it would have been a ride Cole could appreciate, with the sunset painting the landscape in a variety of pinks and oranges. However, with their time limit, Cole only feels adrenaline fill his head.

“Ninja, I’ve reached the rendezvous point, where are you?” Wu’s voice crackles through the vehicle’s speaker.

It sounds muffled– like Cole’s attempting to listen from underwater. Biting his nails deeper into the steering wheel, Cole brushes off the static of noise as just his lack of attention to Wu’s concerns. It doesn’t help that the engine’s roars overpower most of the other noises Cole could hear.

“The Museum is still five clicks away,” Lloyd’s voice cuts in, sounding clearer than Wu’s, “We’re on our way.” Cole bites his lip as he strains to hear Lloyd’s final sentence, his words drifting from Cole’s ears. Even the sound of the car’s tires ripping through the desert’s sand seems to feel distant.

A chirpy voice sparking through the speaker distracts Cole, drawing his attention to the trail ahead. Thankfully, between the car’s tinted glass and his own mask, no one can see the gentle grin that forms on his face when his boyfriend comes on speaker.

“Oh, look up, kids!” Cole watches Jay’s jet soar overhead. “Jay to save the day!”

Cole barks out a laugh as he reaches for his speakerphone button. Cole still hates to admit how endearing Jay’s stupid jokes can be. He means to say as much to the ninja when he presses the button, but he can’t feel the plastic under his finger.

Jay says something else through the speaker. Probably with the same excited attitude, but everything grows muffled. Cole’s back underwater. 

A different tone comes on the speaker, but Cole’s too busy trying to jam his finger onto the dashboard to care. He tries to flick switches, press buttons, and slide screens, only for his hand to phase through the circuits. He leans towards the dashboard, desperately trying to touch anything, when he realizes the steering wheel’s slid from his grip. Looking down, the wheel swirls side to side through his chest, slicing through his invisible torso.

His chest heaves, desperate to push out noise. Cole tries to cry for help and pushes his hands against anything in the vehicle as his vision narrows. He can feel the car around him crush him. Everything turns to static. He can’t hear, can’t see. The car’s barely under his ass and he feels as if he’s floating in the air. He’s gone. He’s gone he’s gone–

“Let me- get–”

I am safe I am here I am safe I am here—

Come… Come, Cole…

The car throws Cole backward in his seat, the backrest bending over with the impact. Like a spring, the seat swings back up and Cole braces himself against the wheel, gripping it to the point where it cracks under his hands. The vehicle continues to fly forward as Cole feels the car around him. 

A glance up through the windshield shows Jay’s jet hovering close to Cole’s car. He searches for the speakerphone button again with a shaking hand.

“Sorry, Jay.” Cole licks his lips as he blinks through his blurry vision.

Cole almost falls against the wheel in relief with Jay’s voice bounces back, “it’s fine dude. You doing okay?”

Cole’s hand hovers over the button again as Jay’s question ricochets through his mind. He can still feel the overwhelming darkness at the edges of his mind.

Before he can press the button again, Wu comes back over the microphone. His final warning silences their conversation, urging the ninja to pick up the pace.

Cole pulls his hand from the button and grips the steering wheel, biting his cheek as he growls. Adrenaline kicks in as he presses down on the accelerator, “He’s right. Engage!”

Cole catches up with the group, watching them through the windshield as they speed across the desert. Glancing up, Jay’s jet shines in the sun. The glare coming off the metal coating stops Cole from catching his face, but he knows Jay’s probably worried. Some must have happened when Cole blacked out. it’s not the first time Jay’s noticed that Cole drifted off and had to help out either.

He’ll have to talk to him. Jay deserves that much. Yet Cole can’t help the feeling of deed that creeps up his stomach every time he comes close to bringing it all up.

- - -

The team swerves aggressively through the city, avoiding pedestrians on the nearly empty streets in the sunset. Cole can sense the buzzing energy in the air. The growing anticipation as the sun sinks below the city’s skyline. With each lamp and light that turns on, another person steps onto their front porch. Another child eagerly looks out of their window.

Cole’s father would love to play chilling songs this type of year. As scary as they were intended to be, they always held fond memories of swinging his arms with his father and twirling in dance with his–

Lloyd crackles on the speaker, notifying the ninja of their proximity to the museum, and Cole falls out of the memory. Darkening streets overwhelm his imagination as he focuses on the next turn.

Their group of vehicles comes to a screeching stop, interrupting the peaceful silence of Ninjago. As Cole pushes up on the windshield and jumps out, Jay makes a rushed landing beside him and practically flies out of the jet before it touches the ground. As his feet hit the dirt, they have a moment to smile at each other before the rest of the group is pushing through them, leaving dust in their tracks. Cole tenses up and rushes forward, letting his feet push him toward the museum’s front doors.

“Master Wu, are we too late?” Jay pants, his chest heaving. 

Wu strokes his beard, his face dark under his rice hat, “there may yet be time.”

Cole grins and pushes past Jay, looking back to give a smug wink as he races inside. Jay puffs his chest in return and bolts ahead. They push each other’s shoulders until they finally reach their destination.

They walk back out with glowing lanterns in hand.

“Mission accomplished,” Jay grins, spinning his lantern. Its glow makes his hair burn orange in the dim light.

“Yeah, good thing we got to the gift shop before it closed,” Lloyd taps the top of his own lantern, its metal ringing out in the empty hall. Cole raises up his lantern, letting its light burn his eyes. The symbol of the holiday had always felt special.

Zane walks up next to them. “Yes, a Day of the Departed celebration is incomplete without a Day of the Departed lantern.”

“That’s for sure,” Cole agrees, lowering his lantern and walking out of the shop’s doorway.

Nya follows behind him. “This is my favourite holiday,” Cole can see the light of her lantern shift the shadows around them as she swings it in her hand, “I love all the lights!”

“And the costumes,” Kai comments as a crowd of children walk through the doors.

“And the candy!” Jay jogs past Cole and up to a young boy with a particularly large bag, “hit me, kid!”

The kid grins and almost bounces on the spot as he joyfully grabs a gummy from his bag, and tosses it into Jay’s mouth. The ninja smiles, the gum stretching across his teeth, “best day of the year!”

The rest of the group exchanges smiles and laughter. Cole tries to hum in agreement, but his voice falls flat. He looks at his lantern again and slows down, staying at the edge of the group as they approach Wu.

The spinjitszu master holds his hands behind his back as he gazes at the team, “Yes. Enjoy the fun and festivities. But never lose sight of the true meaning of the Day of the Departed.” Cole tightens his grip on his lantern’s handle. “Today is about remembrance. We light lanterns to remember our ancestors, and to settle our debts.”

Cole bites his cheek, looking away from the group. As more people pour out to the darkened street, the joyful air only becomes more potent. Glancing at his free hand, Cole glares at its transparency.

“Yeah, we got it. Lanterns, ancestors, debts. But candy too, right?” Jay absentmindedly waves his hand, brushing off Wu’s lecture.

Wu’s bread sinks as he frowns. Judging by the lines on his face, Cole can feel another lecture coming on until a voice cuts off their conversation.

“Ninja! Master Wu!” Dr. Saunders cheers as he walks up to the group. His lengthy suit flows behind him, accentuating his every step.

Wu sighs and settles his face into something more impassive and polite. “Dr. Saunders.”

“Oh, please,” the man chuckles, “we’re all friends. You must call me by my first name, yes? Sander, yes?” 

The group looks at each other with raised eyebrows. The doctor only grins and continues, “I am so pleased to be seeing you at this now! We are opening our new exhibit! Come, you’ll see, come!”

The man urges them forward with waving hands. The lines on Wu’s face grow deeper as he shakes his head and sighs. Jay rubs his neck as he looks between the doctor and the door. Cole rolls his eyes and gently tugs on his elbow, glancing at him with a reluctant grin. As much as he didn’t want to be wasting the night in a dusty museum, leaving the poor doctor alone without looking at his work wouldn’t look good either.

Jay hunches forward in a way that tells Cole he got his point across. They let themselves fall behind the group and walk together. Jay entangles his fingers with Cole’s. Cole tries to focus on his boyfriend’s warmth instead of the way the sounds in the museum have become distant, almost quiet to his ears.

The building goes darker as they go deeper through the hallway. The shadows only sharpen as their lanterns become the only source of light. Jay pulls Cole along as the ghost stares at the pitch-black hallway behind them, his hand loosening in Jay’s grip.

“Might I be presenting…” Saunders slowly increases his voice, building up his enthusiasm as he pushes open a tall set of doors. The metal groans and scrapes against the floor before revealing an extensive room. The ceiling rises far past what Cole can see through the doorway, and the floor glimmers, even in the dim light. Statues decorate the hall. “...The Hall of Villiany!”

The team gasps in awe. Jay drops Cole’s hand to marvel at the nearby Pythor statue. The sudden loss of contact throws Cole’s heart into a frenzy. The lightness of the floor against his feet, the sounds around him growing deathly quiet, the shadows continuing to grow until his vision is almost entirely dark; he’s drifting. Cole clutches his lantern’s handle, focusing on the subtle warmth coming from its inner flame. 

Saunders goes on to list the many villains presented. As Cole walks by them, memories of fights and victories flash behind his eyes. He bites his cheek as they glow in his lantern’s red light. Their plastic eyes follow him, taunting his growing disconnect from the world. 

“I am safe, I am here,” Cole whispers to himself, trying to regain feeling in his feet as he follows Sanders.

“Check this out!” The doctor practically skips to the end of the hall, excitedly waving his hands before a scroll laid out behind a thick wall of glass, “We don’t just open on Day of Departed! It’s Day of Departed lunar eclipse! A special eclipse!”

Wu’s eyes go wide as he leans over the scroll, “The rarest ying-yang eclipse…”

“Oh, poetic, is it not?” Saunders grins, “Scary holiday, scary exhibit, scary moon. There is magic in the air! Boogly-boogly!”

With another round of skeptical glances between each other, the team drifts off again towards the different enemies laid between the pillars. Cole watches Jay drift toward Samukai, his brows knotted in worry. He moves to follow him, to lay a hand on his and give a reassuring smile, until a soft breeze turns his head to the back of the hall.

A large painting rests over a glass chest. Like the statues, its eyes haunt Cole, even from across the room. The same eyes that he feels at the back of his head every time the world becomes too quiet, too far away from his lifeless hands.

“It’s every villain we’ve ever faced…” Kai says, strangely quiet.

Cole slows his pace as he nears the glass case resting at the back wall. His heart falls as his gut turns itself further in knots. “Not every villain.” 

The painting is old. Many details have chipped away, and the colours are uneven around the canvas. Yet, his eyes strike Cole. Their glow hasn’t faded, despite the state of the rest of the painting. It’s no doubt that it’s Yang staring down at him.

Cole’s come to tolerate his condition. Lately, it’s been proving more difficult to handle his ghostly abilities, but he’s learned to accept his new state. There’s nothing he could ever change about it. Yet, as he glares at the painting, waves of fury course through his body. He clenches his fists and grits his teeth as Yang’s portrait taunts him.

With a scoff, he tears his gaze away from the painting to inspect the artifact below. The weapon gleams in the limelight. It reminds Cole of Nadakhan’s soul sword with its transparent gems, but most of the weapon is obsidian black. Further, the weapon is made of a short handle, a long chain, and a thick shuriken resting at its end. Cole questions how useful the complicated weapon would actually be. He always appreciated the simplicity of his scythe.

An excerpt lies beside the weapon.

“‘Although known to some as the master without a student, Kodokuna Yang will be remembered by most as the creator of air-Jitsu. The most powerful martial art in history.’” Cole bitterly scoffs, glaring at the panel, “huh, actually, I remember Yang as the asshole who turned me into a ghost.”

The glass reflects Cole’s bitter expression. He steps closer to the glass to peer closer at the weapon. “Hey, Doctor Saunders? What’s the story about this thing?”

His voice echoes down the hall. Some days it still feels like he’s not the one talking. His voice echoes and sounds unlike it’s coming from his own mouth. He tries to shake off the dissociation he can feel coming on, instead reaching to touch the glass and remind himself of the feeling of the things around him. His throat closes up when his hand passes through the box. 

Taking back his shaking hand, Cole calls out, starting to shout, “hello? Doctor Saunders?”

Turning on his heel, he looks back to the group. They all watch the doctor intently. 

“Jay?” Cole calls out, voice faltering.

Cole falls forward in relief as Jay turns to look at him. The ghost opens his mouth to catch everyone else’s attention until Nya rushes forward. “Look at that! Cool!”

“Uh, you have a good eye, Nya!” Saunders waltzes up behind the water ninja, twirling his mustache with a grin.

“Her!?” Cole exclaims, throwing his arms in the air, “I’m the one who spotted–!”

Jay walks straight through him.

The sensation spends pins and needles through Cole’s body. He shivers and turns, watching Jay walk forward and stand between Nya and Saunder. Nya sneers at the blue ninja and bends around to better see Saunder as he smiles and points to the weapon.

More waves of nausea roll through Cole as he watches the rest of the team pass through him. Their footsteps echo through the hall. “Hey watch it! You’re walking right through me!”

When he takes a step forward, everything is silent.

He can’t even hear his own footsteps.

Saunder continues to preach about the ‘Yin Blade’, describing its dark magic properties.

“They don’t hear me, or see me…” Cole clutches his arms, “it’s like I don’t exist anymore.”

It’s all Cole can do to stare at Jay, and resist the temptation to let himself drift away.

Jay grips the rope barrier as he leans forward, attempting to peer through his reflection at the blade. When the rope begins to fall, he takes a dramatic step back and has to throw out his arms to balance himself. He wacks Nya, who in turn, snaps at him and walks closer to Kai to listen to Saunder. Jay rubs his neck and stumbles through an apology before glancing back at the blade, and then the portrait. His brows knot up.

“Jay…” Cole whispers, stepping towards the ninja. He runs his hand down the man’s arm, desperate to feel the return of pressure when he tries to hold his hand. Jay only looks back at Saunder and rubs his arm, his hand passing through Cole’s.

He can’t touch Jay. 

For so long he pined after his best friend. He ruined their relationship because he couldn’t understand his feelings. It took fighting a magical warlord and dying to get together and now he can’t touch Jay.

Cole growls. He roars. He can feel the core of his being shake with the earth below.

“It’s all your fault!” He walks through Jay to stand before the painting.

Yang’s eyes seem to glow.

Cole… Come… Come…!

Cole stumbles back, clutching his arms again as a shiver runs down his spine. “By the first spinjitszu master…”

Come, Cole…

He turns away from the painting, hunching over his stomach to stare at the floor, still shivering.

“Which is why it is sealed in this case made of clearstone– the hardest substance known to human!” Saunders taps the blade’s case. The noise draws Cole’s attention. “Impenetrable by any living–”

Cole…

Cole’s mouth goes dry. Yang leans forward through the painting, the oil around him flaking off as he escapes the frame. “ Close the circle.”

Cole’s vision begins to swim. “Close the circle?”

“Close the circle.”

“Close the circle.”

The static grows around him. His vision narrows on Yang, his features growing clearer as the world fades away. Cole can feel the ground drift from under his feet.

With a shout, he jumps back from the painting, shaking. Trying to get his bearings, he looks around to discover the hallway’s fallen empty, except for his lantern. It lies forgotten by Samukai’s statue. The room is silent, save for the curtains fluttering softly in the breeze that’s managed to creep its way through the museum.

Cole searches around the exhibit briefly for any sight of the team before his eyes fall to the nearby window. 

Saunders strokes his beard, nodding to Wu and the other ninja before retreating back inside the museum with a lantern in hand. Wu repeats a similar motion with the other ninja before they all separate.

“They don’t realize I’m gone…” Cole realizes, his hands slipping from the window frame, “maybe… I’m departed!”

The static around him grows, amplifying his thoughts and silencing even the breeze around him. Painckingly running his hands through his hair, Cole stares at the floor, realizing even his own reflection is fading. “No, I am here, I am safe I am here–”

He stares back at the painting, expecting Yang to be staring back at him, climbing out of the frame. Yet the canvas is flat. It’s only Cole here. There’s no one left.

“I can’t– I can’t–”

His mind swirls, flipping itself over as Cole begins to lose feeling in his fingers. He’s losing touch. He’s losing what little he has left in this world. He can feel his feet lose balance on the floor and he falls forward against the window, his eyes looking outside again to notice Jay standing on the steps.

The man is holding his lantern loosely. It rests on his thigh, his fingers barely holding it as he looks around. 

Jay’s still here. 

Racing back down the hallway and through the shut doors, Cole slides through the museum. In the back of his mind, he thinks about his forgotten lantern, colouring Samukai’s white bones red. 

Hopefully, his mom would forgive him for leaving it behind.

Red-orange light casts stark shadows across the museum’s lobby as Cole bursts through another door. Through the window, he can make out the blue form of a certain ninja.

“JAY!” Cole cries, flying through the final doorway and landing outside, stopping just behind the man.

He bites his lip as Jay turns around, looking mildly surprised and concerned. 

“Jay? Do you see me? Talk to me, please,” Cole begs, the adrenaline and enthusiasm seeping out of his body.

To no avail, Jay only continues to look around, clutching his lantern more tightly. His brows knot as they have been all day. Cole’s about to yell again when Jay opens his mouth.

“By the first spinjitszu… he drags me all the way inside to listen to that lecture just to ditch?” Jay rubs the back of his neck. Cole expects Jay to be annoyed– to start whining and throw his hands in the air. Yet, he only looks doubtful and worried.

“Jay… no,” Cole tries to say, stepping closer and reaching for his hand. “That’s not… that’s not it.”

Jay sighs, letting his hand slip from his neck. He walks through Cole’s outstretched arm as he steps down the stairs. He stops at the final landing and takes a deep breath, looking up at the green moon. “Where is he?”

Cole races down the steps to stand next to him, hands balled into fists as he bites his cheek. Jay shuts his eyes and shakes his head. “I can’t wait around forever for you, y’know. My folks are gonna get worried if I stay here any longer…”

Heart sinking, Cole leans closer to Jay, trying to at least feel his warmth. Jay tilts his head enough that if Cole could feel him, he’d be laying his head on Cole’s. “You better stay safe, bricks for brains.”

Cole’s chest feels like it’s been torn wide open. He holds back a sob. “I will.”

Jay looks back at his lantern and sets it down at the bottom of the steps. “I saw your lantern back in the hall, so you can have mine this time… I know you care more about all of this than I do.”

Cole looks at the lantern, its glow only growing brighter in the dark city. He looks back at Jay and watches him make his way down the courtyard. Before climbing in the jet, he takes a final look back.

He didn’t forget. He didn’t forget about Cole. 

He’s given him a lantern and now he’s still searching, still hoping he’ll show up.

This is the second time I’ve left him. First I’m hit with that venom, and now I’m departed because of Yang’s bullshit spell.

“I’ll make this right, Jay!” Cole cries as he watches Jay sigh and closes the jet’s hatch. The thrusters boom as the plane rises and soars above the city’s skyline. “Trust me.”

- - -

Driving is a lot harder when you black out for minutes at a time, and you have trouble touching the wheel. And the pedals. And the car you’re driving.

In other words, driving’s hard when you’re Cole right now.

“By the fucking realms—” Cole rapidly blinks, trying to get his consciousness back to the present as he wraps his fingers around the wheel. 

Glancing at the navigation, Yang’s temple is only a matter of kilometers away. It could explain why his episodes of ‘blacking out and not being able to touch anything’ are becoming shorter and farther in between. At the same time, however, his mind wanders more frequently.

Like how he used to sit in the back seat of his family’s old little sedan, it's leather worn and cold. His father would be happily singing to the radio and his mother—

He thinks of his father telling him how he’d teach Cole to drive when he was old enough.

He thinks of how Jay had guided Cole from the passenger seat on how the different buttons and knobs of the car worked when they were both sixteen.

Then he thought of nothing at all.

He woke up, barely able to swerve away from another rock, his hands touching the wheel just in time.

Soon the sand turned to hay-like grass, and a dirt road emerged between the dry fields. Turn after turn, Cole made his way up hills and watched as the temple drew closer and closer.

The last time Cole came here, he could feel the earth below his feet.

Now he can barely touch it.

Maybe that’s why it’s so easier to take off into the sky with his air-jitszu. Why he feels more like himself than he has in weeks when he’s on the temple ground. Why he throws himself through the door, yin-blade in his belt before he can think twice about it.

“Alright, Yang! Show yourself!” Cold growls, “You hear me? Show yourself!”

Staring down the dusty entrance of the temple, the blade hums at his back. It’s been years since he’s held such an otherworldly weapon. Though even as its magic flows up Cole’s arms, it feels nothing like his scythe. By the first spinjitszu master did that tool feel like it was meant for him. His mother never talked about her past as a spinjitszu master, but occasionally she would stare fondly at the old scythe she had back in their shed, untouched with layers of cobwebs.

Cole almost forgot about that shed. His love of that weapon. The way it connected him to his mother—

“Cole. You received my message.” The voice scratches Cole’s ears, grating the back of his mind. He places the face to the voice within sections. The same face that’s followed him everywhere he’s gone.

“I got it alright,” he spits more than states, “and I got one for you. It’s direct from the business end of your own weapon!”

The blade feels strange. Its handle is unexpectedly heavy, and its tri-blades spread out the weapon’s weight in an usually wide manner. Despite Cole’s discontent, Yang gasps at the sight of the weapon.

“The Yin Blade. But, how?” The ghost’s eyes widen. “It was encased in solid clearstone. That case should have been impenetrable.”

Cole lifts the blade above his chest, grip tightening around its handle. “Not to a ghost. Which thanks to you, I still am.”

Yang takes shaking steps backward as Cole stomps towards him. “Wh-what are you going to do?”

“There’s magic in the air,” Cole snarls, thinking of Jay’s hand falling through his. “You know? Eclipse and all? I’m going to do what it takes to get you out of my life! ”

“P-please,” Yang begs, raising his hands, “where is your holiday spirit? It’s the Day of the Departed.”

Cole grits his teeth. The Yin Blade violently shakes in his grip.

We honor our ancestors and those we have lost.

“I’ve never liked the fucking holiday.” Cole raises his free hand and widens his stance. “The only thing it’s good for today is settling my debt! ”

Cole lunges at Yang, only to crash into the pot behind him after he dodges. As green mist pours from its shattered surface, Yang laughs, any remains of his previous fear gone.

“You never should have played with dark magic, boy. This Day of the Departed will be remembered as the night of my return!”

…Shit.