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He hated it.
Hated how she made him feel.
Hated the slick and smooth voice she'd use to talk him into not telling anyone.
But at the end of the day?
He still loved her, so he'd forgive her each and every time.
~~
He hated it.
Hated how bad it made him feel when the other came in with a downcast look.
Hated the dismissive tone in the other's voice when he asked if the other was okay.
But at the end of the day?
He loved the other, so he'd wait until the other was ready to tell.
---
Kai had just returned from another 'outing' with Skylor.
That is, if 'outing' equaled 'Kai spending a whole week at Skylor's only to return looking like shit.'
At least that's how Cole would describe how the brunette looked each time he did it.
Cole couldn't even count the number of times he'd try and ask Kai what was wrong on his fingers. To add to it, Kai never even gave a clear answer.
"Didn't get much sleep."
"Had a long week."
"..."
The noiret knew there was something wrong. But he didn't want to pry. He knew Kai. They'd been friends for years now, and Cole could tell when something was eating away at the brunette's soul. However, that was a boundary that Cole had never pressed in the years of the two knowing each other: diving into issues that the other didn't want you involved in.
But Cole was considering doing just that.
Because, at the end of the day, Kai was his best friend, and he hated seeing him come back from those week-long stays at Skylor's apartment looking like he crawled out of dumpster while sleep-deprived.
But there was also another reason.
One that just couldn't be said.
It had started as just a little 'puppy-crush,' but then it turned into the real thing. Stuttering. Getting flustered over minor things. And oh First Master the stomach butterflies. It was becoming harder to keep it a secret by the day. Cole had even contemplated telling Kai about it after the Oni invasion, and even more so after the Crystal King invasion -- because it became much clearer that you truly do only live once.
But in the end, he decided not to. Why? Because Kai and Skylor had chosen the exact moment after the Crystal King invasion ended to tell the ninja that they were dating. And Kai seemed over the moon.
For a while, the brunette seemed happy as could be. He spent a lot of time with Skylor during the rebuilding process of the city, and the two seemed to get even closer.
Then, slowly but noticeably, each of their demeanors towards the ninja changed. Kai grew more distant and defensive of both himself and Skylor. The redhead started speaking more for the both of them, instead of letting Kai speak for himself. But the odd thing about this all?
Kai would never allow people to speak for him. That was the first sign that something was wrong.
Then it was the hiding of his face. The increase in hoodies. Nya also accused somebody in the monastery of stealing her concealer; they all disregarded Kai as a suspect because Nya was his sister. Surely he wouldn't steal from her, right?
That's what Cole thought, until he saw the near-empty bottle of the exact kind of concealer that Nya had lost in Kai's drawer when he was searching for something he'd lost. Cole didn't tell Nya.
Now Cole watched again as Kai slowly opened the sliding door to the interior of the monastery, peeked inside, then slowly stepped inside to go to his room. However, Cole had been waiting. Before the brunette could think, Cole, in his black gi, stepped out from the dark atmosphere of the entryway and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"C-Cole?" Kai stuttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What're you doing here?" Cole stepped off of the wall and started to walk towards Kai. The brunette flinched when he raised an arm, which was another indicator that something was really wrong. Cole could also see a mix of fear, sadness, and pure rage brewing in Kai's eyes.
"Are you okay?" Cole asked, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. However, it only ended up making the brunette tense up under the touch. Because of this, Cole quickly withdrew his hand, leaving it hanging in the air for a little bit before dropping it to his side with a sigh.
Kai looked up at Cole and looked like he was considering saying something, but bit his lip and replied, "Y-yeah. 'M fine." He then continued walking and brushed past Cole, who just helplessly stared after the brunette.
Until he decided he was done just 'staring.'
Cole grabbed Kai's wrist and repeated his question.
"Are you okay?"
He didn't know what he was expecting Kai's response to be. But instead of just dismissing the question like the multiple times before that, Kai looked -- actually looked -- at Cole, and for a fleeting moment, sadness and defeat loomed inside of his eyes before being covered by anger.
"Mind your business, boulder-brain," Kai snarled before breaking free of Cole's hold and walking down the hallway.
Just like that, the interaction was over.
Just like that, Cole lost hope in Kai speaking up for himself.
But,
Just like that, Cole made up his mind on what he had to do.
He had to get involved.
~---~
Why couldn't Cole just mind his own damn business? Kai was perfectly fine, and he didn't need Cole snooping around in his private life.
Especially not the portion of his private life that had to do with Skylor. If he did tell, then the others would call him weak and a useless ninja for not standing up for himself.
But he had tried. He had at least attempted to go his separate way from Skylor. But in the end? He didn't want her to get hurt.
He didn't want her to die because of him.
And truth be told? Kai wasn't sure if he even loved her anymore. The admiration was gone. The respect was gone. But Kai felt himself unwilling to leave.
Maybe it was because he knew that nobody could love him after what he had been through for half of his life.
Maybe it was because he no longer considered himself to be living.
He was just a husk of a person.
---
Cole was ready. He was ready for Kai to hate him when he did this. But if it got him away from danger? It was worth it.
He didn't need much. Just his phone and a backup daggar in his back pocket. You could never be too careful.
Kai had left for Skylor's apartment again about a day ago. However, Cole knew where she lived because he was one of the people to assist her in finding housing in Ninjago City. Now, all he had to do was drive there.
It was a fairly short drive, taking only about 15 minutes total. Cole pulled up to the apartment complex and went inside. It wasn't fancy with a buzzer or anything, but it didn't have guest's names and room numbers displayed out in the open.
Cole walked over to the elevator, and when it opened, he went inside and pressed the button for "Floor 3".
He arrived in about a minute and made his way to Apartment 34C and knocked on the door. However, on the first knock?
The door opened as if it was just left there, unlocked and ajar.
Inside was something that Cole couldn't believe he was seeing.
It was completely empty. No furniture, no pictures, no nothing.
Except for Kai's red hoodie in the middle of the floor.
---
Ninjago City waited a month before declaring that Kai Smith was officially a missing person. The next two months after that were brutal. Endless interviews, sleepless nights, and just hoping that Kai was alright.
It was better than accepting the probable truth.
But the one thing that was absolutely, without a doubt, one hundred percent true?
Cole had failed.