Chapter Text
Punch after punch, Kai keeps going, his fists hitting the large bag hung up in front of him. His muscles ache from constantly going and going, but he ignores it.
Kai can’t believe he was so weak.
Only a few hours ago, him and the team were fighting a secret spy organization. They were causing trouble, trying to kill people and all that, so the ninja showed up to stop them.
Naturally, they were winning, awesomely at that. Anyway, Kai remembers seeing this one guy about to hit Nya with some kind of spear. She wasn’t paying attention, and the only thing going through his mind in that moment was to save his sister.
Angrily, Kai keeps going at the punching bag with enough force to fatally injure someone.
He didn’t have time to warn her, so he quickly pushed her out of the way which caused her to fall on her foot the wrong way.
Kai hits the bag even harder than before, sweat rolling down his forehead. In through nose, out through mouth.
The ninja soon found out that it was broken. Fortunately, they won that fight and got out of there to get Nya fixed.
With one final punch, the large bag is thrown off the chain it’s hung from. Kai stands there, breathing heavily, with his hands clenched to fists to keep them from trembling.
He’s angry at himself more than anything. He hurt his baby sister. How could he do such a thing? Kai had sworn that he’d always protect her. Now look what happened. He should’ve been more careful. In fact, Kai should’ve been in her place instead. That way she wouldn’t have been targeted in the first place.
When he’d pushed her, Kai wasn’t able to miss the spear’s line of fire. It whizzed right next to him, slicing his upper arm pretty badly. Luckily, no one else noticed, as they were worried about Nya. Kai was able to get past another medical check, which he’s grateful for, but Nya’s still in the recovery room.
It’s a good thing Kai’s skilled in fixing himself up. He doesn’t know, it’s just something about being poked and prodded by doctors he hardly knows. It’s unsettling.
After unwrapping the bandage-like wraps around his hands, Kai cards his fingers through his spiky, messy brown hair anxiously. He hopes Nya’s going to be okay.
Someone clears their throat, causing Kai’s attention to snap over to the doorway of the room. Cole’s leaning against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. He’s staring at Kai intently, and it’s almost like he can feel him searching through to his soul. It makes him a little uncomfortable.
After a short pause, Cole walks in and glances at the punching bag Kai had knocked off the chain before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Feeling bad for yourself won’t help anything,” Cole says wisely.
“I’m not feeling bad for myself!” Kai snaps, turning away from him to put the punching bag back into place.
“Then why aren’t you with your sister?” he asks dryly.
Kai doesn’t answer and instead sighs frustratedly.
“Look, man, it was an accident,” Cole tells him.
“Yeah, right.” Kai shakes his head. “I’m the one who pushed her.”
“Yeah, to save her life!”
“But at what cost? Now we’re down a ninja. And it’s all my fault.”
Cole sighs in exasperation.
“I think you should talk to her,” he chooses to say. “She wants to talk to you.”
Kai stares at his hands, conflicted, before sighing and moving to grab his fallen hoodie.
“Fine,” he states.
“Good.” Cole grins in satisfaction.
That’s when his eyes begin to scour Kai’s body.
“Cole, are you checking me out?” Kai smirks teasingly.
He can already tell what he’s staring at and quickly puts his dark-red hoodie on over his black tank top. Cole rolls his eyes at Kai’s joke.
“Dude, where’d you get all those scars?” he asks seriously as we exit the gym.
Again, Kai chooses not to answer. Cole goes silent, so he thinks he got the hint.
“You know, I don’t remember the last time you’ve had the after-mission checkup,” Cole says suddenly.
Apparently he didn’t.
“Is that the reason you have so many scars?” Cole questions.
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Kai mutters.
In typical Kai-fashion, he deflects any questions involving his health. The main reason he doesn’t go to those stupid checkups is because he doesn’t like being coddled like some child. Kai doesn’t need anyone’s pity, and he can most certainly work everything out on his own.
They arrive at the room, and that’s where Cole leaves him. So Kai walk in alone. His eyes scan his baby sister as she looks up from the tv she was watching. Other than the cast around her foot, she seems to be okay.
“Hey,” Kai greets, shoving his fidgety hands into his pockets awkwardly.
“Hey.” Nya smiles softly before quickly becoming serious. “I already know the thoughts running through your head, and I want you to know that this isn’t your fault.”
“I know that,” he lies.
“Kai, I know you better than you know yourself.” She rolls her eyes. “You shouldn’t have to feel guilty. You saved me, and I should actually be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead right now. But don’t let it all go to your head.”
“What can I say? It comes naturally.” Kai chuckles lightly. “I’ve been looking after you your whole life, after all.”
“Well, you don’t have to anymore,” she says quietly.
Kai sighs, taking in that little comment.
“I know,” he relents.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want my big brother around, though.” Nya smiles softly.
He returns her smile with one of his own.
“Did you get checked yet?” she questions suddenly.
“Yep,” Kai lies again.
He really hates lying to his sister, but he doesn’t need her worrying about him at the moment when she’s the one who needs to be taken care of.
Kai notices how tired Nya looks and chooses that time to leave after giving her a kiss on the forehead. When he exits the door, he finds Cole leaned against the wall.
“You didn’t have to wait up for me,” Kai tells him.
“Meh, I wanted to.” Cole shrugs before turning to one of the bounty’s nurses. “Excuse me, ma’am? Could you please give my friend here a little checkup? I think he‘s hurt.”
Kai stares at Cole incredulously.
“What are you doing?!” he mutters in a demanding tone.
“Of course.” The nurse smiles kindly.
“Thank you so much.” Cole smiles in return.
He looks at Kai with a smug look as the nurse takes hold of his arm and pulls him towards the checkup room. Kai glares daggers at Cole.
“You’re dead,” he threaten.
But Cole doesn’t seem to care. Soon enough, he disappears once Kai and the nurse go inside the room.
“If you could just sit here for me.” The nurse pats the soft table against the wall.
Kai stares at it and swallows.
Yep, Cole’s dead.