Chapter 20

Kai

Five days later...

By the time the ninja made it home, it was pretty late at night. They unloaded all their things and settled in the monastery, putting dirty clothes in the wash and reorganizing their backpacks.      Cole and Kai decided to tell the others they had become an item the day after they confessed, and surprise surprise, almost everyone already knew. They all sort of suspected it, except for Lloyd who had his own love problems.      The two boys did get a lot of alone time together while traveling back, many of which consisted of cuddles and video games. It was nice, finally being able to sit back and relax, stopping the Overlord from potentially retaking possession of Ninjago.      They had dropped Abigail off at Lou's, breaking the news to Cole's father about Ethan. The Brookestones has their time to dwell on Ethan's death, but pulled it together in the end. Cole promised to visit them soon, all joining into a group hug before waving goodbye.      Kai opened the door to his room, scanning the surroundings and throwing his bag in a corner. It looked exactly the way he left it, not the most organized but clean enough to get around.      Cole came from behind and wrapped his arms around Kai, nuzzling his face in the crook of his neck.       "You need to organize your room. It's so messy." Cole's words were muffled.        "Nah I don't wanna. I don't have OCD like you."        Kai's boyfriend whined. "But I can't share a room with someone who can't organize."       Kai chuckled and rested his head on Cole's chest. "You have issues."      "Whatever."      Kai turned around and pushed a few strands of stray hair from Cole's face. He twisted the soft, thick locks in between his fingers while resting his arms on Cole's shoulders and touched his forehead to his, having to stand on his toes a little.      "Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?"       Cole blushed and looked down. Kai smirked.        "You're blushing."       "No I'm not." Cole denied.        "Yes you are."        "Am not."        Kai placed his lips on Cole's to keep him from arguing. Cole blushed even more.         "You just got even redder."        "Shut up."         Kai laughed and pulled Cole closer. "I'm your boyfriend, I'm supposed to make you blush."        "Not necessarily." Cole smiled and got out of Kai's grip. He wasn't going to have it, so he grabbed Cole's shoulders and turned him around. "Where do you think you're going rockyboy?"        "Um, cleaning your room?"       Kai rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you don't have to."       "Nah I wanna. Besides I can't sleep when it's like this."        He walked over to Kai's desk and picked up a book. Alarmed, the red ninja ran over and grabbed it, putting it behind his back.        "Kai's diary?" Cole asked and smiled.        Kai blushed and fiddled with the pages.         "Look who's blushing now." the fire ninja sunk his shoulders in, red tint spreading across his lightly freckled cheeks.        "I- how did you- it's in mandarin!"        "I can read mandarin hot-head."        "Oh. I didn't know that."       Cole winked which made Kai's stomach drop.        "Learn something new everyday." the earth ninja stated and started to clean.        Kai groaned and shoved the book in his closet. "Can we just not clean right now?"       Cole shook his head while picking up clothes that covered the floor. "You can at least help by picking up your clothes." Cole retorted and threw a red sweatshirt at Kai's face.        "Finee."

       By the time they finished, it was around 12:30, and Kai had uncovered a lot of things that magically went missing. The two cuddled together underneath Kai's red, fluffy blanket. He loved how safe he felt when he was around Cole, warm and fuzzy, the earth ninja's strong arms cradling his smaller body. He loved the way Cole's eyes reflected the light, and how caring he was. He loved how soft his hair felt between his fingers, and how his tanned skin glowed underneath the sunlight. Let's just say Kai loved every single part of him, his personality, looks, everything.       Kai looked at Cole's peaceful face. He kissed his nose and nestled deeper into his boyfriend's chest, earning a tighter hug from Cole. Kai loved his scent; it really reflected how sweet he was.

The next morning, Sensei went into every individual room to wake the ninja for sunrise exercise, of course. Given they had to wake up at five in the morning, it didn't help the fact that Kai had spent all night cleaning his room because his clean-freak boyfriend couldn't sleep without the thought of being organized. Kai groaned and threw the blankets over themselves. He didn't want the warmth to escape. Sensei only ripped it off which made Kai shiver and curl up into a ball, closer to Cole's side. "Your room looks very clean, Kai. What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master changed?" Kai instantly sat up, waking Cole a little as he stared at his Sensei with an offended look. "I am not that messy!" "Actually you kinda are." Cole mumbled through the bedsheets. "Shut up Cole!" Sensei laughed and walked out of the room. "That is one way to wake someone." his voice echoed down the halls. Kai rolled his eyes and curled up in a ball again. He's the fire ninja for crying out loud! Why on Earth was he freezing? Cole looked over at his shivering boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him. Kai instantly felt better as Cole's warmth spread throughout his body. "Thanks." he started to close his eyes. "Don't fall asleep again!" Cole tickled Kai's neck. "Cole! Not again!" "Then wake up!" "Okay! Okay! I'm awake!" the fire ninja said through his laughs.     Cole swung his feet over the edge of Kai's bed. "Then let's get ready before Sensei comes back."     "Yeah, good idea."

Kai really didn't want to do this. He just wanted to sleep and stay warm underneath the blankets with Cole, not come outside freezing and exert energy. Haven't they done enough? Apparently not. The ninja broke into groups to spar, and of course, Kai went with Cole. Did he ever mention how hot he looked when he fought? Kai couldn't help but to stare at Cole's strong arms and perfect shape as his boyfriend took his gi off. The morning sun looked golden, making his skin glow like the dragon statue in the courtyard. Cole wiped the sweat from his forehead and noticed Kai had been staring. "Uh you good babe?" Kai blinked a couple times before nodding his head nervously. Cole continued the training and lunged to attack. Kai executed an outside middle block, tiger stance, and counter attacked by doing a front kick to the midsection, toes pointed back with the front foot. Cole doubled over just a little, clutching his stomach with his hands. "Good hit." he said through gritted teeth. Kai covered his mouth and instantly felt bad. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" "Yeah," then Cole grabbed Kai's right arm with his left and pushed his left shoulder down with the other as he hooked his right leg around Kai's, sweeping him to the floor with a thud. "but it was a good distraction."That sneaky little cake lover- Kai smirked and propped himself on his elbows. Cole's gonna get it later. "Yeah yeah whatever."

"The beach? Why the beach?" "Um cause' it's hot today?" Nya responded with a duh expression, rolling her eyes at her aqua phobic brother. The ninja decided to spend the rest of the day at the beach, after spending a good thirty minutes explaining to Sensei on why they deserved to go. Misako helped convince, saying to let them have their fun; they were teenagers after all. "But it's easy for you to say, you're a water element." "But you can still swim. Remember when you saved me from the river in the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master?" Lloyd reminded Kai. "Yeah, just please? It'll be fun!" Jay pleaded with his puppy dog eyes. The others all stared at Kai, hoping for him to say yes. Kai exhaled. It was summer after all. "Fineee." An uproar of "yays" and whoops echoed through the monastery as Kai's crazy teammates stampeded to their rooms. He wouldn't be surprised if the tribe from the Dark Island could hear them. Sighing, he stood up to go and change himself. Kai swung his door open, and he had to admit, it was much nicer to have an organized, clean room. He at least knew where Cole had put his stuff, only because he mostly watched while Cole cleaned, so it wasn't like he couldn't find anything. It really annoyed him with people would touch his stuff, especially when he was younger, Nya would try to clean his room. Given she didn't really know where things were put, Kai would come home to not being able to find what he needed. He opened his drawers and found everything neatly folded. Kai scratched his head, not remembering when Cole did that.Must've fallen asleep. Shrugging and not finding the fact, he dug through his shorts to find some swim trunks. He wasn't planning on going in the water, nope, no way. For one, he hated water and two, the chances of getting his hair messed up was at one hundred percent. Well more like ninety percent of he wanted to look retarded and put a plastic bag over his hair or something.       Yeah, not doing that. Come to think of it, his teammates never really saw Kai with his hair down, and he wanted it to stay that way. Grabbing a bottle of sunscreen, a towel, and his favorite sunglasses, he opened the door and made his way to the kitchen. All his teammates gathered around the dining table, putting their belongings in their bags and applying sunscreen so they could jump in right away. Only Zane and Pixal didn't need to, so they helped pack snacks and water, as if they were parents. "Are Sensei and Misako coming?" Zane wondered, putting ice cold water bottles in a cooler. "I don't think so. It looks like it's just us today." Lloyd smiled and rubbed the white cream on his arms. "Did y'all get towels?" the ninja looked at each other, rethinking Cole's question, and ran off once they realized it was a good idea to do so. By the time they came back, Zane and Pixal finished packing all the necessities. Misako and Sensei Wu came out to make sure the ninja were all packed before they left, mostly Misako rummaging through Lloyd's bag to make sure he'd got everything he needed. "Mom I'm fine! Honestly!" Lloyd half joked half serious. "I'll make sure to call you when we get there." "And leave." Misako put her hands on her hips. "Yeah that too." She hugged her son tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Be safe. Look out for riptides." (Yeah getting caught in a riptide really sucks :/ listen to Misako) Lloyd wiped his face with the back of his hand. "I will mom." "Are we ready?" Pixal asked as she grabbed the multiple bags of food. "Yup! Who's ready to party!" Jay hollered and jumped in the air. The ninja whooped in excitement and ran out the door. Maybe it's not gonna be that bad after all. Kai was with his teammates and they weren't training, so how bad could it be? The sun blinded his eyes once Kai emerged from the monastery. His teammates were already on their elemental dragons, talking amongst one another, their bags slung across their shoulders.         "Guys, see if our parents wanna come, it'll be fun especially since we got Cole's mom back." Lloyd suggested.        "Yeah, good idea." Kai grabbed his phone and texted his parents. Jay and Cole did the same, their thumbs moving back and forth on the screen.           Kai shoved the device back in his backpack and was about to summon his dragon when Cole called his name, patting the empty space in the back of his dragon. Kai smiled and climbed on, hooking his arms around Cole's waist. He rested his head on the earth ninjas back, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing.        The ninja took off, soaring through the air. Kai loved feeling the wind push his hair back, and the thrill of heights, gliding through the sky. It felt nice since the air was already humid and hot, just how he liked it.       "You don't mind if I fly on my own, right?" Cole turned around and made pleading eyes.       "Nooo, stayyy. Pleaseee?"       Kai chuckled at Cole's helpless whines. "I'll fly with you on the way back okay?"      He pouted and huffed, knitting his eyebrows. "Fine."      Kai jumped off the back of Cole's dragon, forming fire in his hands and summoning his elemental dragon. Soaring up to Cole's level, he twirled around him so that he was upside down, staring into Cole's emerald green eyes and smiling. His boyfriend smiled back as he raced ahead further into the horizon.      Kai laughed and willed his dragon to catch up, beating it's wings faster and flying ahead the others.      Nya giggled as she watched the two chase each other around, spinning in graceful circles, the elemental trail dust flowing magically behind them.       Kai felt above the clouds, literally. He was flying above cloud nine, a giant smile spread across his face as he flew around puffy, thick clouds, meeting Cole on the other side. He loved to see him smile, the way his black hair flowed elegantly behind him in the wind, and his sweet, adorable laughter that bounced off the clouds.      "Hey you two lovebirds! We're going to the beach!" Jay yelled as the rest of the group veered right.     Kai and Cole looked at each other and laughed, pulling their reins to the left and gliding down towards the valley.      Once they arrived, fans instantly stampeded across the sand to get autographs. The ninja were kinda used to this, given everywhere they went, people did this to them. It did get kinda annoying, but Kai being Kai, didn't mind the fact he was getting extra attention.       He did feel a sense of jealously when the girls fawned over Cole's six pack, sighing dreamily. Yeah girls did that to him too, but an overprotective emotion washed over him. Once the crowd walked away, Cole slung an arm over Kai's shoulders, a smug look on his face.      "Is that jealousy in your eyes I see?"      "No!"       "Mhm sure."       Kai pouted and crossed his arms.       "Don't worry babe, I'll always be yours," Cole kissed his cheek. "now c'mon! Let's get in the water!"      Kai let a small smile creep on his face. Cole dragged the fire ninja to the others who laid their towels on the sand, setting up their areas and taking off their cover-ups. Lloyd was on the phone with his mom, checking in like he said he was going to do.       "I think imma' sunbathe for a little. This skin looks like this for a reason." Kai pretended to flip his hair, acting like he was a model or something. Cole rolled his eyes.       "Ok, but you better promise to get in the water with me later. Or else I'll force you."        "Yeah yeah," Kai waved him off jokingly. "Go have your fun."       His brothers and sisters ran off towards the crashing waves, splashing each other and laughing. Kai laid down and put his sunglasses on, using his hands as a head rest and sighing in relaxation. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat spreading across the surface of his skin, never feeling more peaceful. Just another day in Ninjago... Kai woke with a jolt and spit salt water from his mouth, kicking his legs in the air and messing up his perfectly laid-out towel. He grabbed his sunglasses from the left side, blinking a couple times before realizing what had happened. Cole and the others stood around him, laughing their butts off. Kai glared at Cole who held a bucket in his hands, once filled with salty, sea water. "I was SLEEPING!" Kai yelled and grabbed his towel, drying himself off. "That was hilarious!" Jay was dying in the floor, the sand mixing with his fluffy, brown hair. "please do it the next time we come back." Kai growled and laid his soaking towel flat again to dry.       "So what's this business with you and Cole Nya was talking about?" Kai recognized that soothing, peaceful voice of him mom. His boyfriend blushed when he realized Nya had spilled the beans, Kai's sister snickering and trying to hold her laugh in.       Kai turned and saw his two parents standing behind him, smiling and ready for the beach as well. Lou and Abigail stood next to them, Cole waving shyly to his parents.       "Mom! Dad!" he had almost tackled them to the floor. Cole on the other hand was much more gentle. Kai guessed Jay had already said hi to his parents, for him and Nya stood off to the side.       "It's good to see you too son."      "So answer me! What's Nya talking about?" Maya couldn't wait to know. Kai glared at Nya, his eyes saying he was going to get her later. She only stuck her tongue out and ran off to go in the water, dragging Jay behind her. Kai gestured for Cole to come over.       "Mom, Dad, I'm sure you've met Cole before but um," he paused. How were his parents going to react? "we're dating now and-"       "Kai! That's great!" his mom instantly wrapped her arms around him. Cole shook hands with Ray, the Brookestones coming after to meet each other.       Maya sighed. "Our children have grown so much over the years. Nya's marrying that adorable Jay and now Kai's in a relationship with handsome Cole."       Kai's cheeks started heating up. "Mom!"       His parents only laughed.       "Why don't you boys have your fun. We'll catch up and get to know each other better." Lou suggested. Abigail winked at Cole.       "Yeah, you guys can do that." Cole quickly said and grabbed Kai's hand.       "Wait we're going on the water, now?"       "Uh yeah? Babe we're at the beach."       Kai groaned. He did promise to go in the water later.        "Okay... I did promise."        "Yay!"       Cole jumped in the water with the rest of the group. They had purposely chose a beach with barely any waves, in favor of Kai. Even if the waves that did hit the shore were super small, they looked pretty big to Kai.        "C'mon! It feels really nice Kai!" Lloyd being his childish self encouraged. Here goes nothing.        Kai took a deep breath in and stepped foot in the water. Huh, wasn't that bad.        Slowly he got deeper in the water, inch by inch, until he was fully submerged, well except for his hair of course. And yes, he was able to swim, it's not like he couldn't. Kai just would rather be in the air or on the ground than in the water.     He could feel the soft sand underneath his toes because the beach was shallow. The water did feel nice, and it was extremely clear. Luckily, Kai was able to enter when a set wasn't occurring, so the waves were easy going and gentle. They were like small little jello slabs, crystal clear.       Finally he made it to his teammates. They congratulated him for being able to make it this far. It was an accomplishment for him though, and hopefully he'll get to like the water more; it wasn't all that bad once he tried it.       "So what do we do now?" he asked sounding idiotic. Nya shrugged. "Talk, dive underneath waves." No not my hair- "Um, do you understand the concept of diving under waves?" Pixal asked confused once she analyzed his sudden drop in emotion. Kai rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, I just don't have much practice on it and my hair..." Cole laughed. "There's no way you can avoid that. Don't worry, we'll guide you." "M-okay." Kai hummed nervously. He really didn't feel like getting tumbled. The current started to pick up, small hills of water bumping up and down. Kai started to panic once he realized his feet weren't touching the sand. Cole looked over and held his hand for support, the effect calming Kai's nerves a little. "So when diving under waves, you have to make a choice: go forward, or stay back once the wave crashes. You can't be in between." Kai nodded nervously. "It sounds a lot easier than I seems." Cole hummed as a small wave rolled underneath them. "It is but it's fun once you get the hang of it. What happened to that sky high ego of yours?" Kai groaned and looped his fingers in between Cole's. The black ninja smiled and looked forward towards the horizon, seeking the next wave. "We are in the safe zone, so there's not gonna be many waves. But the current will eventually push us back toward shore, unless we're in a riptide." "How do you know if you're in a rip tide?" "Well for one, you don't make any progress when you try to swim back to shore, and two, you feel like you're gonna drown." "Uhhh that's... great." Nya turned around and gave Cole a warning glance. "Cole! Don't scare him!" Kai's boyfriend only shrugged. "It's true though," he squeezed the red ninja's hand tighter. "but don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." The waves started to pick up in height, each one getting higher and higher. Kai wasn't really thinking about his hair right now. All he could focus on is whether he should have stayed at shore, or stayed at shore.     Yeah, stayed at shore. A darker shade of blue loomed in front, the next wave slowly forming. Okay, now he was definitely regretting his choice. At this point, the thought of his hair was long gone. "We gotta go forward on this one." Cole informed Kai and pulled him forward. He obeyed, gulping, thinking it was best to follow Cole since he had no idea what the heck he was doing. "On the count of three, we dive." The wave was starting to get really big. "One." "Two."Deep breath. "Three." The cold wave rushed over Kai's head. They were a little behind when the wave started to build up, so they had just made it before it crashed. Kai could feel the white wash skimming his toes, his heart beating four hundred million miles per hour. After which felt like a thousand years under water, Cole and Kai resurfaced, his brown hair dripping wet all over his face. Cole brushed his fingers through the front of his, making him look hecka attractive. "See? Wasn't that fun?" Kai wasn't dead so sure? "I guess." he brushed the strands of hair away from his face. "You'll get used to it." They swam to the others who were gathered in a circle, talking to each other and waiting for the next wave. "Woah, didn't know you got a new boyfriend, Cole." Jay joked and snickered. Kai felt his hair, remembering that hair gel couldn't withstand everything. "Yeah yeah very funny Jay. It's still me underneath this mess." "Indeed, but you look like another person. If we were to execute a mission under stealth, I vote Kai to be our person in disguise." Zane laughed and high-fived Jay. Kai's teammates laughed along with Zane, surprised he could make a joke for once. Lloyd swam over to Kai and picked up his soaking hair. "Didn't know it was so long," he giggled and tossed the hair in his fingers. "It's actually really soft." Kai huffed as more of his teammates came over to examine his dripping, wet, untamed hair. Now I know how girls feel. Kai looked ahead at the next slab of water, his stomach dropping once he realized they were in the crash zone. "Can we please stop touching my hair and focus on the waves that might suddenly crash on us!" The group scrambled away and swam forward as they looked up, trying to beat the wave before it beat them. Kai went along this time with no hesitation, not wanting to be left behind. Get to the wave before it crashes, get to the wave before it crashes. Kai filled his lungs with as much air as he could before he went under, having the feeling that that wave was one of the bigger ones. He could almost hear the sound of the crash behind him, the mass of water rolling and bringing up sand. Because the water was clear, he opened his eyes before bursting his head above the water, panting and not believing he just did that on his own.

A good hour passed before the ninja decided it was time to get out and have lunch. Kai actually got used to the water and wanted to stay, but his stomach was telling him to take a break. Plus, Zane did make noodles.    The rest of the day consisted of more water time and food, and chasing each other around in the sand. At one point, their game of tag got so intense, Jay had to apologize for running into a random person's stuff. If he weren't the lightning ninja, he'd be dead.     Kai laid back against the sand, sipping a Capri Sun and giving his muscles a break from all the action. Cole dozed off next to him, snoring softly for once, his hair curling just the slightest from the water.Why is everything about him so adorable? (Actually tho)    Their parents decided to stay until dinner, where they'd had s'mores over a bonfire and some of Zane's classic potstickers. It gave them a good amount of time to talk and catch up, since they were too busy dealing with other problems to make any plans.     Sensei and Misako came down later, around three.    At six, the ninja flew their dragons to the top of a grassy hill, fully dried and dressed in warmer clothing since the wind started to pick up. They wanted to have some team bonding time, as if they haven't had enough, up on the hill as they watched the sunset.     Beautiful shades of orange, red, yellows, and a tint of purple blended together across the sky, wispy clouds reflecting the sun's orange glow. The wind felt nice against Kai's skin, his hair blowing behind him as the sound of seagulls and the leaves of palm trees whistled in the background. Waves crashed beneath them, white water floating up in the air, giving the wind a salty, misty taste.     "Congratulations on our successful mission. We did it guys." Lloyd raised the level of pride in the ninja. They all agreed sprawled out on the soft grass, its small stalks of green swaying in the breeze. Kai felt bad for Lloyd. They did complete the mission, but Catori didn't make it out. Neither did Ethan. He took a sideways glance at Cole who had his hands behind his head, breathing slowly as his eyes stayed glued to the trees that swayed above them.     Kai rested his head on Cole's stomach, laying perpendicular to his boyfriend as he gazed up into the sunset-painted sky. The faint outline of stars started to appear, getting brighter by the minute. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze, feeling the soft fingers of Cole brush through his sandy hair. Kai twisted the long blades of grass in his hands, as if they were small strands of hair itself.     "Guys, the suns setting." Nya hushed as her teammates gathered around to watch. Slowly, the sun sunk underneath the sea, drowning itself in sleep until it wakes again the next morning. The moon filled in, taking its spot while bright little specks of white dotted the sky. A symphony of crickets chirped their best songs for the night, and the sound of seagulls died down as one after another dozed off to sleep.     Zane's internal alarm went off, signalizing the potstickers were ready to be served. "I shall go back to our dinner. What about a race?"    A series of competitive protests and cheers sounded from the crazy group of teenagers, each talking a spot on the edge of the cliff.     "On my count." Zane informed.    "One... two..."    "Sandwich!" Jay's voice echoed off the cliffs. Cole started to fall over, but luckily, Kai grabbed his sweatshirt collar before he could fall.    "Jay!" Cole yelled at his best friend annoyed. The lightning ninja giggled.    "Okay for real this time," Kai adjusted his front foot. "go!" They all took off, falling down towards the rocks and slushing water. Kai formed his elemental dragon in his hands, the creature slowly assembling beneath him. He was one of the first three, so he took off as fast as he could. Because his dragon was slimmer and built for fast flying, he took his advantages and flew in between the cliffs, gliding through the rock sculptures jutting from the ocean. It wasn't a bad plan; his teammates couldn't see him so it made it easier for Kai to swoop in and surprise them.       He twisted and turned, gliding through the rocks like he was in How to Train Your Dragon.  He whooped and yelled in happiness as his dragon flipped over a smaller sculpture and headed straight down towards the water. The spray of salty water hit his face as his dragon's wings skimmed the surface of the ocean, white mist raising from the water. Kai looked over to his right, noticing Lloyd was starting to catch up, only about five yards behind. Kai pushed his dragon to flap its wings faster, gaining more air. They were only a couple hundred yards away from the bonfire, and Kai had to win this race. Well he didn't have to but being competitive was fun, especially when it's with his friends (and boyfriend and sister).Only a hundred more yards... Lloyd was really starting to gain on him. Fifty... He could hear the cheers of victory.Twenty... Crash! The two boys landed with a thud in the sand. They both panted and looked around, noticing they had arrived in the same spot. "I definitely won. I heard my thump hit the sand first." Kai challenged and put his hands on his hips. "Nuh-uh. I clearly saw I came in first. You just don't wanna admit it." "Woah woah chill," Jay landed and put himself in between the two ninjas. "I say we call it a tie." Kai and Lloyd looked at each other for a second, smiling and agreeing. "Good. Now let's go have some potstickers and roast s'mores over the bonfire. I think we've had enough action for the last three weeks." The ninja agreed and walked to their parents, laughing and talking about various things. Kai ruffled Lloyd's hair like he always used to, bringing him back to the good old days. "Good game shortie. You did well." Lloyd smiled in his adorable, childlike grin, fixing his long, blonde strands. "I'm not that short anymore. I'm like two inches shorter than you." Kai leveled himself with Lloyd, his hand stopping right at his eyebrows. "Eh, fair enough." They arrived at the stone pit. Ray threw some of the firewood he brought for the bonfire into the hole as Kai released a warm flame in his hand. The fire danced from his fingertips onto the wood, slowly catching fire and spreading, warming everyone that surrounded it. Kai settled next to Nya and Cole sat cross legged on Kai's right, scotching closer to get more warmth. Kai put his arm around Cole while taking a plate for dinner, passing it down the row for the others. "And dinner is served!" Zane exclaimed happily, putting six potstickers on everyone's plate using chopsticks. Pixal helped as well, going just as inhumanly fast as Zane, their arms whizzing back and forth between their pan and the other.     Once Kai finished his dinner, he stood up and walked to the edge of the ocean, the small waves lapping at his feet and the fine sand falling in between his toes. The moon casted a silvery glow across the water, the twinkling reflection of the stars making the sea look like a polka dotted blanket. He put his hands in his sweatshirt pocket, taking in the calming scent of the ocean. Kai could listen to the sound of the soft peaceful waves all day, and maybe there was a chance he liked the water more than he'd expected.     The fire ninja jumped in the air as two fingers poked him in the ribs. It scared him for one, and he was specifically ticklish there.    "Gah! Cole!" the earth ninja started laughing.      "Hah! You got scared!"      Kai crossed his arms. "Did not."      Cole punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Just messing with you," he exhaled. "beautiful night isn't it?"      "Yeah."       Cole kicked some water up in Kai's face, wanting to provoke his boyfriend more.       "You just keep wanting to annoy me dont ya?" Kai returned the splash. Cole giggled and turned away as the droplets of water hit him.       "Yup. Sure do." eventually, their small splash fight turned into a full-on, soaking wet battle. The bottom of Kai's pants were soaked, drenched in sea water. Cole was a little drier, so Kai tackled him in the water, both boys laughing as they went down.     "I'm guessing you don't mind the water anymore."    Kai sat up on his knees, the water gently rushing over his legs. "Yeah, and the water's not wild right now."    Cole chuckled and brushed Kai's long bangs from his face. "I love you."     The red ninja smiled and took his hand in Cole's, interlocking his fingers between the black ninja's. "I love you, too."    They sat there staring into each other's eyes for a while, a goofy grin on their faces. Kai had a feeling this relationship was going to be the one. He silently made a vow to protect Cole until the end, and he couldn't wait to see what was in store for them.     Cole, you have no idea how much you mean to me. You're my everything. You're the pain medicine I take when my head hurts, or the source of my happiness. You're the light that guides me through the dark, and the reason why I keep going. It's your spirt that lifts me up when I'm down, you're never ending smile that I would die for. I love you Cole Brookestone, more than anything in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way.