Darkness from Within #4: Fading (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

A few days later, Wu walked down the hall whilst rubbing his beard, deep in thought. He looked up as he heard the sound of a door and spotted Cole coming out of the hospital room. The black ninja's head was lowered and he sighed.

Wu walked up to him. "Are you okay, Cole?" he asked gently.

Cole didn't lift his head. "Sensei, why won't he talk to me?" he choked out. "Why won't he listen?"

Wu blinked. "My brother?"

Cole nodded. "Does he not like me?" he wondered desperately. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not, Cole." Wu rested his hand on the ninja's shoulder. "He won't talk to any of us."

Cole drew in a shaky breath. "Maybe we never should have told him," he whispered. "Because if he won't help me, he has too much information."

"You shouldn't have told him what?" Wu inquired. "And who's 'we'?"

Cole finally looked up at him. "I would tell you," he breathed, "but what if you do the same thing Sensei Garmadon did?"

"And what did he do?" Wu pressed.

Cole looked away again. "Abandon us," he murmured. "When we needed him most."

The black ninja swept past Wu without another word. Frowning, Wu entered the hospital room. I'll try to talk to him.

He found his brother once again staring out the window at the edge of his bed. Wu sighed and sat beside him.

"Brother, I know you can hear me," Wu started. "I know you can hear everyone. So why won't you answer?" He stared at him, but Garmadon didn't shift his gaze. "Look, I know this all is hard for you," he went on, "but it's time to move on. Because we need you, Brother, more than you think."

Garmadon didn't respond.

Wu took a deep breath. "I love you, Brother, and I don't want to lose you to your grief," he murmured. "I miss you."

Garmadon still made no reply.

Wu sighed and rose to his feet. "Please, come back to us," he breathed. "We need you." Then he turned and began walking across the room.

"No one needs me."

Wu froze in his tracks. He spun around in alarm and rushed back over to his brother, staring at him. "What?"

Garmadon's gaze dragged from the window to his brother. "You heard me," he muttered.

Wu's eyes widened in shock. He wanted to say something about how his brother had finally started talking, but he knew it was more important to talk about what his brother had said. "What are you talking about?" he exclaimed. "We all need you!"

Garmadon furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you see?" he growled. "Lloyd is gone—my son is gone. I thought he needed me, but I was wrong. He never needed me." His voice cracked. "He hates me."

"That's not true—you know that's not true!" Wu protested, sitting beside him. "The only reason Lloyd left us is because he does love you, but he thought you didn't."

"Then why is he trying to kill me?" Garmadon pressed, voice trembling.

Wu couldn't reply to that.

Garmadon rested his chin on his hands. "You see?" he whispered. "Lloyd was everything to me—everything. But now he's gone. I have nothing left." He closed his eyes. "Nothing."

Wu took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know what the heck you have with Cole, and at this point I don't care," he began again more intensely. "But he needs you, Brother."