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It had been wearing down on Cole, getting forgotten. It wasn't their fault he was slowly beginning to fade, but every time his team left him behind, he felt the hole in his heart grow just that much bigger.
Tonight had been the final straw. He was tired of fading, tired of being forgotten, and he was going to do something about it. In retrospect, going to fight Yang on his own wasn't the best idea, but with how often he'd been fading, he couldn't sit around and wait for the next opportunity for the ninja to help.
And now, Cole watched in broken, regretful silence as his blade shattered and fell to the floor. That was it. He'd lost.
Yang stood above him, cackling maniacally.
"You're done for," he sneered as Cole stared forlornly at his hands, blinking rapidly in and out of sight. "No one is come to save you. You're all alone."
Cole panted heavily and fell to his knees, his muscles burning and screaming for relief.
"I'm all alone," he repeated despondently.
Cole gazed up at the sky, praying and searching for a sign that his team might have remembered him and come to search for him, but the stars glittered on peacefully.
Cole's head drooped, and he pounded the floor with his fist. There was no use. No one knew he was here, and once again his friends, his family, his team — they'd all but forgotten him.
Cole's heavy limbs refused to fight as Yang and his students beelined for the rift, and he simply watched. There was nothing he could do.
"Take care of the temple for me," Yang gleefully shouted out, his voice growing ever distant as he entered the rift. His students silently followed suit, not a single one looking back in pity for the one who'd been abandoned.
With a final gust of wind, the rift closed, and the world fell silent.
The hole in Cole's chest grew, wholly consuming his heart, and he let out a broken sob.
Now, he was truly alone.
"Cole!" a desperate voice cried out.
He perked up to see the Bounty flying into view.
For a moment, a spark of hope came to life in his heart. They came for him.
Just as quickly as the spark came to life, it was extinguished as Yang's last words to him echoed in his head. Take care of the temple for me. He was stuck here, left to guard this forsaken temple for the rest of time.
Not wanting them to see what had become of him, Cole disappeared. At the very least, he could privately say his goodbyes.
He came up to the group, who desperately called out to him, and surveyed their fallen faces. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips, and his heart ached for the team he had lost.
Cole could have revealed himself to them, but he knew the knowledge of his cursed existence at this cursed temple would only cause them more grief. It was all his fault, and he refused to let his teammates suffer for his mistakes, his failures.
Though upon seeing Kai's face, Cole's heart dropped to his stomach. In front of him, Kai's face was scrunched in anger, his fists tightly balled.
"That… that idiot!" Kai spat. "How could he be stupid enough to come here on his own?"
His fists loosened and trembled, and his voice wavered. "He could have told us, asked us for help."
Kai's lips trembled and Zane, wearing his own frown and tear-brimmed eyes, rubbed Kai's shoulder gently as he let out quiet, despairing cries.
Cole watched the scene, and the gaping hole in his chest threatened to swallow him whole. Cole never told Kai about how he'd loved him so, how he'd move mountains to be by his side, or how he'd fight the Overlord a million times over if it meant he got to see him smile just one more time. Cole feared his feelings would be rejected, pushed to the side in disgust, and he wasn't sure that was something he could live with. So Cole stayed silent; complacent being by his side. Seeing his smile and laugh would be just enough.
Cole moved in front of Kai and gently caressed his cheek, imprinting the picture of Kai's roguishly handsome face in his memory one last time. Kai lifted his head and opened his teary eyes as if sensing Cole's gentle touch, but his eyes held no sign of recognition, gazing straight through him.
With a desolate sigh, Cole pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek and silently bid the rest of the team goodbye, ignoring the tear in his heart that threatened to rip him in half.
As soon as the Bounty left Yang's temple, Kai promised himself he would never forget Cole, ever again, and for the next 60 years, he did just that.
Determined to fulfill his promise, he set out a small portrait of Cole next to his bed.
It was his favorite picture of him: Cole smiling wide as he slung his arm around Kai. He remembered that photo distinctly, remembered how his heart fluttered in his chest when Cole brought him close. They'd taken it after they'd stopped Chen's Anacondrai army. Before they had set out on the mission that would change his and Cole's lives forever. Before Cole sacrificed his humanity for the sake of the team and Ninjago.
Every morning, Kai held the picture, lovingly rubbing his thumb over Cole and told him about his dreams of his smile and his nightmares of losing him, and every morning, he would set out a fresh slice of his favorite chocolate cake, never forgetting to bid him goodbye before he left for the day.
Every night, Kai would light a candle and ramble on about his missions with the ninja, his new dojo, and every moment he'd thought of him, and every night, he would place a gentle kiss on the picture before tucking into bed and seeing him in his dreams.
Every Day of the Departed, Kai would silently trek to Yang's temple, lantern and sweets in hand. He'd light a fire and tell Cole stories until the sun rose, imagining he was sitting right there next to him. Sometimes, he could swear he felt a hand on his, but every time, he would brush it off as it simply being the wind.
One morning, Kai woke up to the sun beaming into his eyes. He groaned groggily and sat up. He felt oddly light. The weariness that had been haunting his aching bones had suddenly disappeared, and the sore feeling in his back had faded.
He reached for the blanket, ready to start his day, but his hand merely passed through. He looked down at his hands, and through them he saw his physical body. Oh. Oh.
"I see you finally decided to wake up, Kai," an old but familiar voice greeted him. Kai looked up to see his former Master Wu smiling gently at him, opaque enough to see through his ghostly form.
"Sensei!" Kai got up and cheerfully greeted him with a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to guide you to the Realm of the Departed," he responded simply. Kai glanced back at his body and nodded.
Kai had lived a lengthy, fulfilling life. After defeating Yang and banishing him to the Realm of the Departed, the ninja retired and Kai started his own dojo, raising generations of students who would carry on the ninja's legacy.
He'd never been able to fall in love or have kids. His love for Cole, long-lost and suffocating, had prevented him from being able to move on, and his only regret in life had been not telling Cole how he'd felt before it was too late.
With the rest of the team building their futures and their families, Kai was forced to move through life alone.
"I guess it's about that time."
"That it is." Master Wu held out his hand. "Now, if you'll follow me."
Kai began to reach out, but he paused. There was one last thing he needed to do. "Will I be able to see Cole?"
Sensei Wu lowered his hand and let out a heavy sigh.
"He is not with us in the Realm of the Departed."
Kai's heart twisted, and he grabbed Sensei Wu by the shoulders. "Where is he? Why isn't he there with you? This whole time-"
Wu gently pried Kai's hands off his shoulders.
"Cole," he paused, "is still at Yang's Temple, and he will remain there, cursed to haunt its halls until another comes to take over."
Kai felt sick, a large knot forming in his stomach.
"This whole time he's been alone? Why didn't you do anything? He was your favored student, and you were like a father to him," Kai jabbed his finger into his chest, "and you abandoned him?"
"Kai, please," Wu's eyebrows furrowed, and his voice wavered, "you must understand-"
Kai held his hand up. "I can't, and I won't."
He shouldered past Wu, whose pleas fell on deaf ears. Kai stormed towards the door, a newfound motivation stoked in his heart, but Wu grabbed his wrist, halting him.
"Where are you going?"
"To do what I should have done 60 years ago." Kai tore his hand out of his Wu's grip. "Thank you for coming, but I won't be going with you."
Not waiting to hear his reply, Kai phased through the door and headed to Yang's temple.
When Kai finally arrived at the temple, the moon hanging high in the sky, illuminating the abandoned, desolate ground. Leaves littered the barren grounds, and the windows of the temple were dark.
Kai scanned the area, looking for any sign of Cole. His heart drummed in his chest. He hadn't seen him since the Day of the Departed, when he'd disappeared for good.
He spotted Cole lounging on a rock gazing at the stars above, and the air rushed out of his chest. With a gasp of disbelief, he tore off to greet him.
"Cole!"
At the sound of his voice, Cole turned around, his eyes wide. Kai's heart jumped out of his chest. Surprisingly, he'd aged. His black hair was now a pepper gray, and his face was adorned with wrinkles. He was just as beautiful as the last time he'd seen him.
Cole scrambled to his feet and paused, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Kai?" Cole ran over to get a closer look, tripping over a rock in the process, and he crashed into Kai with an oomph.
"Kai!" Cole exclaimed breathlessly, his eyes shining brightly with starlight. Cole wrapped his arms around Kai, and Kai instantly melted in his embrace. For a moment they stayed there, silently relishing each other's company. Cole released Kai from the hug, the ecstatic grin on his face tugging at Kai's heartstrings. "What are you doing here?"
"I died, and uh," Kai looked down at his new body and shrugged. "I guess I'm a ghost now, too, but also, why are you old? You're a ghost." As far as he knew, ghosts weren't supposed to age, not that he knew much about them in the first place. Cole grinned, and Kai noticed the lack of deep smile lines. His heart ached at the sight.
"I've never really gotten older, to be honest, but seeing you get older whenever you visited, it made me realize how different we were." He sighed and gazed down at his wrinkled hands.
"So, after your visits, I would shift, just a little, just to match you, and it would make me feel… not so different, I guess."
Kai's heart gnawed at itself as he imagined Cole staring at him, figuring out how he could match Kai, if only to feel just a little closer to him.
Kai's smile shrank, and he exhaled, his heart pounding. He needed to tell Cole — he'd waited long enough.
"Look, I didn't come here just to hang out. Wu came to bring me to the Realm of the Departed, and when he told me you were stuck here all alone," Kai looked down and fiddled with his fingers, "I couldn't go with him, knowing you were here by yourself."
Kai's heart stuttered as Cole threw himself around him, embracing him tightly.
"Thank you, Kai," his voice wavered, "You don't know how much that means to me."
"Wait, there's one more thing." Kai pulled himself out of Cole's embrace and gently grasped Cole's hands in his. Cole's eyes widened. "I should have told you this long ago, and it's been haunting me ever since you disappeared."
Kai's heart thrummed so loudly, it was all he could hear. There was no going back. Regardless of what Cole had to say, he had no regrets. He'd spent too many of his days thinking back on what he should have done to back out now.
Cole opened his mouth, clearly eager to add something of his own, but Kai continued, "Please let me finish. I can't - no I refuse - to miss another chance to tell you how much I love you. You've been the greatest thing to ever come into my life, and there hasn't been a single day that's gone by where I didn't think of you."
Cole gaped at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out. Kai's hands trembled, eagerly awaiting Cole's answer. Whatever happened next, Kai would take it in stride and pat himself on the back for trying.
Cole tightened his grip on Kai's hands and sent him a shaky smile. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that." Cole smiled sadly. "I've sat here everyday, wishing I'd gathered the courage to just— just spit it out, ya know? But I was so scared."
"Yeah, me too." Kai laughed, his voice thick with emotion. Cole placed his forehead on Kai's and gazed lovingly into his eyes.
"Thank you for coming here," he murmured and closed his eyes. "I've missed you so much."
Suddenly, Cole stepped back and his expression fell. "Are you going to stay here, though? I'm sure you'll want to see everyone else in the departed realm."
"Of course," Kai smiled warmly and gently caressed Cole's cheek, gazing lovingly into his amber eyes. "I've come here to stay with you. For as long as you're here, I'll be here, right next to you. If that's alright with you, of course."
"I'd be honored." Cole smiled softly. Kai's heart swelled, and he pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. He'd missed this sweet man so much.
"Great! Now, why don't you give me a tour of this place? It's only been 6 decades since I've been back." He tugged on Cole's hand, leading him to the temple, and they ran inside, laughing together as if time had never passed.