Darkness from Within #7: A Promise Broken (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sounds of the hospital room radiated off the walls and filled the silent room.

Beep.

Beep.

Then a sudden cry.

Kai's head shot up in alarm, but Wu's lifted slower, as he already expected the cries and groans. The two of them were the only healthy people in the room, their thoughts too numb to speak. And frankly, after the battle in which Lloyd successfully stole the last elemental weapon, there was nothing really to talk about. And to bring up the battle then would seem careless. Careless to the injured...

Cole.

Wu and Kai were gathered around Cole.

Half-conscious. Unresponsive. Unable to lie still.

Ever since his last show of strength in the battle, the black ninja's spirit had been fading by the minute. He jerked and trembled, not once calming down. He groaned constantly. He'd give a cry more often than he should. His eyes were still half-bruised shut and he didn't make any attempt to open them again. He would gasp for breath at sudden times, then give a violent jerk and continue to shiver as if he was in the middle of a snowstorm. Nothing the ninja did helped him. His condition had dragged on for too long. There was nothing they could do.

Just then, Cole gave another yelp and jolted before shifting to the side, but he didn't get very far. No matter how hard he tried to move aside from his jerking, it was clear his stiff muscles and clouded mind prohibited it.

Wu's eyes glistened with grief as he gazed down at the ninja, watching him shiver, and laid a hand on his arm. Cole jerked in alarm, and his eyes suddenly flittered open. Panting, his glazed eyes rested on Wu for a moment before closing again and he shifted his head away with a groan.

Wu heaved a sigh. "He's slipping away," he murmured regretfully.

Breathing heavily, Kai let his horror-filled gaze travel down to the black ninja. "I-I can't believe this," he choked out. "Th-this is all my fault."

Wu removed his hand from Cole as he turned to the red ninja. "Don't blame yourself, Kai," he said quietly. "We were too late to do anything about it anyway."

Kai shook his head. "Who else is there to blame?" he whispered. "If I had only looked out for him like I was supposed to, if I had only sided with you instead of Lloyd, if I had only come to my senses earlier, I-I could've stopped this!"

His voice cracked as he stared down at Cole. "And now he's dying, and I'll never see my brother again. And it's all my fault." Grief building inside of him, the red ninja reached out and placed a hand on Cole's arm as Wu had did.

Cole jerked again at the touch and his eyes opened just long enough to recognize Kai before gluing shut again. With a cry, the black ninja jolted himself and shifted violently, as if trying to get away but not finding the strength. His breathing came in gasps as he trembled uncontrollably, not relaxing as he had with Wu.

Kai's eyes widened as he noticed this. Breathing shakily, he took a step back, watching as Cole stopped jerking as he let go. "H-he... He's scared of me," the red ninja croaked out.

Wu's gaze softened as he looked at the red ninja. "Kai..." he breathed.

Kai drew in a shaky breath and took another step back, turning his panicked gaze to Wu. "He's scared of me, Sensei!" His voice was almost a shriek now. "Don't you see? It's all my fault!" With a shake of his head, the red ninja whipped around and raced out of the room.