hope you all have enjoyed these first few chapters of the story, even with my hectic and pretty much nonexistent updating schedule! it's been a ton of fun to be able to write for these characters and i've really enjoyed the writing process. it's kind of insane to be seeing these early chapters from a writer's perspective, to know all of the things that will happen, and that i have planned for cole and lyla in the near future, whether they be good, or bad. they haven't even met the ninja yet, and their life is only going to get crazier from here on out. their adventure and their story is just beginning.

trigger warnings : none

words: 3,080

chapter two : first steps of a journey

Cole wasn't prepared for the older man's response, and he was caught off guard. "To find me?" He found himself saying. What could this strange man possibly want with him? Should he be concerned? But then the man looked at Cole, an amused twinkle in his gentle blue eyes, and suddenly Cole knew where he'd seen him before. He was the man who had been at his mother's funeral.

"Yes, Cole." The man replied, before taking another sip of his tea. "I climbed the mountain today so I could find you. You have great potential, and the skills and qualities that I'm looking for in a student."

Now Cole was even more confused then he'd been a moment ago. The man's answer to his question didn't really provide an answer to Cole, it just caused more questions to form in his mind. "A student?" He asked. "What kind of teacher are you?"

The old man set his cup down beside the small fire and stood up with a smile. "Of course, I've forgotten to introduce myself. I am a ninja master, and one of the very few of the original Elemental Masters left. I'm not as young as I used to be, and have decided that it is time to finally pass on some of my skills to a new generation of ninja. You can call me Sensei Wu."

Cole blinked once, then stared at the man in disbelief. "You're a ninja master? My mom used to tell us stories of the ninja that once fought to preserve our peaceful land, but I always wondered if those things actually happened. Are you really saying that everything she told me was true, and that I have the potential to be a ninja?" None of it made sense to him. How could it be true?

Sensei Wu smiled a little more. "You are correct, Cole. You've been given a great gift, yet you lack someone who will be able to teach you, and train you to become a ninja. I am willing to be your teacher, and to give you the chance to discover your true potential. I cannot promise that it will be easy, but the results will be rewarding. What do you say?"

Cole had no idea what to think, but what surprised him most was the fact that he wanted to do this. He trusted this strange old man for some reason, and wondered if perhaps this was what he was supposed to do. Maybe he was meant to be a ninja, and not a performer like his father.

The idea of being a ninja seemed, right to Cole. He couldn't explain why, but it was a strong feeling that this was the right thing to do. This could be his way of getting out of the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts, and to actually do something useful. And maybe help people.

He could leave the school and go with this man, even if it would be difficult he would be free of performing arts, and free to discover his true potential. Cole was about to say yes, when he remembered his sister. His heart sank, and he realized that he couldn't just leave Lyla here alone. He had to look out for her, like he'd promised their mother. They had to stay together.

Sensei Wu noticed Cole's hesitation, and the small frown that had appeared on his face. "Is there something troubling you?" He asked gently.

Cole looked at him once more, sighing quietly. "Being a ninja sounds great, but I can't leave my sister alone. I promised my mother I would look out for her, and she's one of the only family members I have left. She needs me, and I need her."

Sensei Wu just smiled, gathering together his things as he put out the fire. "I was wondering when you would mention your sister. She is more than welcome to come with you, in fact I would encourage it. You both have a part to play in this, one bigger than even I can see."

A relived smile appeared on Cole's face, and he was almost completely positive that Lyla would agree. "Thank you, Sensei Wu." He said, giving the older man a polite nod. "I'll talk to her about it, and we'll leave as soon as possible. Where can we meet you?"

"Here is fine." Sensei Wu said with a smile, after a moment of thought. "Preferably at the bottom of the mountain, rather than at the top." Cole chuckled softly, looking around as he was reminded of where they were. It was actually quite high up.

He then looked back at Sensei Wu, a question coming to his mind. "When do you want us to meet you there?"

"I will be here at this time tomorrow morning, and the day after that. I'm sure that you will find a way to get here at either one of those times." Sensei Wu responded. "Bring whatever you need, but pack lightly. Once we meet up, I will take you to my monastery to begin training."

"Sounds great, thank you. We'll be here as soon as we can." Cole said, looking out at the village below them, a small smile on his face as he began to plan what he would bring. The sooner they could leave, the better. He turned back to ask Sensei Wu one more thing, only to find that he was gone, the coals and ashes of the fire the only indication that he'd ever been there in the first place.

Lyla was sitting by herself at the table in the cafeteria, drawing. She'd eaten lunch a while ago, and was just enjoying some time to herself at the moment. It was fairly quiet in the room, which was nice. Most of the other people ignored her and Cole most of the time.

It had been different spending the day without her brother. She'd realized just how much time they spent together during the day, and how much time they'd spent together over the last few years. She'd found things to do by herself, but felt a little lonely without him around.

She was focused on her drawing and had blocked everything else out, so she didn't realize that Cole had returned until he tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped in surprise, her pencil scratching roughly on the paper and leaving a dark black line that would be almost impossible to erase.

Lyla looked behind her, relived to see that it was just her brother. "Cole, you can't sneak up on me like that." She admonished softly, doing her best to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Sorry, Lya. I didn't mean to ruin your drawing." Cole said as he gave her an apologetic look. There was something about the tone of voice he was using that caught her interest, he sounded excited about something.

Lyla gave him a curious look, but before she could ask what was on his mind, he was already talking. "I just learned something really important. Can I talk to you for a minute? Somewhere quiet?" He asked.

"Sure, we can find an empty classroom or something." Lyla said as she stood up, gathering her things together and slipping them into her backpack. Cole watched her, with what looked like an impatient look on his face.

Lyla wasn't sure whether to be amused, or worried. Her brother didn't get inpatient very often, especially with her. This must be important.

Finally Lyla had everything packed, and she began to follow Cole as he led the way down the hallway. He was still wearing his clothes from earlier and carrying his bag, which meant that he'd only gotten here a moment ago, and come to find her as soon as he did.

Lyla had no idea what he could have discovered while mountain climbing, but she knew that she was about to find out. The two of them found an empty classroom, and Cole practically dragged her into it. Once they were inside, Lyla looked at her brother curiously.

"What did you learn while mountain climbing that could be this urgent to tell me about?" She questioned.

Cole sat down on one of the desks, running a hand through his hair as he chuckled to himself. Lyla waited, arms crossed comfortably as she sat on one nearby her brother. He cleared his throat, then looked at her. "Do you remember the stories Mom used to tell us, about the ninja?"

Lyla tilted her head, studying Cole for a moment. "Yes, I remember." Talking about stories their mother told them years ago seemed like an odd way to start the conversation, and she didn't see how they could relate to whatever he was going to tell her.

But her brother didn't seem to notice her confusion, and just continued talking. "They really are true. You're not going to believe this, but when I reached the top of the mountain there was an old man just sitting up there drinking tea, and he introduced himself as a ninja master named Sensei Wu. It turns out, he's one of the only Elemental Masters left, and wants to pass on his skills."

Lyla was more confused now then she had been moments ago. "That's great, Cole, but what does that have to do with you? Why are you telling me this?" She had no idea what the old man her brother was telling her about could have been doing up there in the first place.

Cole just smiled at her. "Apparently, I have the potential to become a ninja. He wants to make me his student, he has a monastery not too far away from here where I can learn everything I need to know. And you're welcome to come, too."

Lyla blinked, and time seemed to slow down as she took a moment to process everything she'd just heard.

Something told her that Cole wasn't lying, and that the old man wasn't either. It seemed almost like it was right for her brother to become a ninja, but she had no idea how that would work logistically. Cole seemed confident that this would work, and he seemed pleased with the discovery of him having the potential to become a ninja. But it sounded like he was implying that they'd have to leave the school.

"So, what do you think?" Cole's eager voice broke into Lyla's thoughts, and she tried not to smile at how childishly excited he sounded. If they really did need to leave the school, they weren't going to be able to just walk out of the building. They would need a plan.

"Are you actually considering this? Do you think it would work?" She asked her brother.

Cole looked surprised for a moment, before he smiled again. "I wasn't sure what you would think, so I don't really have a plan or anything yet. But you don't seem to completely hate the idea, so that's a first step."

Lyla chuckled in spite of herself. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But we'll need to have a plan if you actually decide to go through with this."

"If we decide to go through with this. I want to do it, but I'm not leaving without you, Lya."

Her heart tightened when she heard her brother's words. She hadn't thought about what things would be like if he wasn't here with her, like he'd always been. She wanted to stay with her brother, whether that meant staying here at the school they both hated, or going off to some faraway monastery as he trained to become a ninja. If they did decide to go, it would be difficult. But they would find a way.

The Brookstone siblings were awake long before the sun rose the next morning. Lyla stumbled out of bed and grabbed her bag before she quietly left the room. She'd gone to sleep wearing the clothes she would need today, to save time. The hallway was dark and quiet as she headed to the meeting place she and Cole had agreed on earlier, by one the back doors.

When she got to the door Cole was already waiting there, fully dressed with his bag slung over his shoulder. He jumped when he saw her, startled, but relaxed when he saw who it was. In his hand he held the notes they'd written, as well as the key he'd borrowed that should unlock the back door and let them slip out of the school building without alerting anyone.

Lyla was suddenly nervous again, and she wondered if they were doing the right thing. She and Cole had talked about it for a long time this afternoon and formed a plan, but now that they were actually doing it, it almost didn't seem right. She was worried that they would get caught, and part of her was worried about what their father would say. But there was no turning back now.

"You ready?" Cole asked, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked nervous too, which caused her to smile a little.

"As ready as I'm going to be. Let's go before I change my mind." Lyla replied, resting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Cole smiled and pulled her in for a quick hug, before he turned to the door. They both held their breath, waiting as he inserted the key into the lock carefully. There was a small, barely audible click, then Cole turned the knob and opened the door.

They both released the breath they'd been holding, turning to each other with a relived smile. Fresh, cool air drifted into the room from outside. They were one step closer to freedom.

Releasing a breath, Cole scanned the notes in his hand a final time, before he placed them on a nearby table with the key had been holding only moments ago. Two notes, simple pieces of paper that would serve as the only evidence they had ever been here in the first place. 

One for their teachers, explaining where they had gone, and one for Brianna. The gentle, quiet girl was one of the few, perhaps the only real friend they had really made during their brief stay here, having taken the wayward siblings under her wing and showing them kindness they were not used to receiving. Leaving without having the chance to say goodbye to her in person was one of their only regrets as they prepared to leave the boarding school. 

She had been called back home on a family emergency three days ago, and therefore would not get to send them off, or speak to them once more before they left. There was a chance that she might never see them again, especially if the three friends lost contact after this. But she would understand. They were sure of it. 

Brushing aside the mingled grief and nervousness tugging at his heart, threatening to make him doubt their decision, Cole squared his shoulders. That was all behind them now. "Come on, let's get going." He adjusted the weight of his bag to the other shoulder, then turned to Lyla.

She smiled at her brother, though her heart was beating nervously in her chest. "Let's go." She said softly, then took a deep breath as she began to lead the way outside.

Cole followed her, stopping to close the door carefully. Then he quickened his pace to walk beside Lyla, a relived smile on his face. "We made it."

Lyla smiled, taking one last look back at the school before she looked at her brother. "It's not over yet, but we've made a pretty good start." She was ready to leave their past behind, and was looking forward to a brighter future.

Cole nodded with a smile, reaching out to hold her hand. Lyla didn't object, and the two runaways began their journey, leaving the school and their old life behind them as they took the first steps of the adventure that was just beginning for them both.

When they arrived at the mountain, the sun was high overhead. They'd been out for what felt like a long time, and were getting tired. Lyla was still worried that they would end up getting caught, and with that thought in mind she had pushed on. They'd stopped once to eat a quick lunch, but that was it. They'd pressed on until they reached the mountain, and Lyla was surprised to see that Sensei Wu was already there.

He was sitting at the foot of the mountain, a small smile on his face as he bent over a cup of tea. "I've been waiting for you." He said softly, without looking up at them. For a moment, Lyla was unsure what to do. But Cole walked over to the older man, and she quickly followed her brother. Sensei Wu finally looked up at them, and his blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

He gave them a kind smile, and Lyla instantly felt safe with him. "Hello." Cole greeted, staying by his sister's side as they came to a stop in front of Sensei Wu. Lyla echoed her brother's words, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

She noticed that the older man seemed to be studying her, a thoughtful look on his face. "You must be Lyla." He said softly, then he smiled once more. "You can call me Sensei Wu, It's nice to meet you at last."

"It's nice to meet you too." Lyla replied, smiling back at him. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask, but assumed that they needed to get going before it got any later. There would be plenty of time to ask questions later on.

Sensei Wu simply nodded, straightening up as he tidied the few things he'd brought with him. He grabbed a bamboo staff from somewhere nearby, and turned to the Brookstone siblings. "Come, it's time to head to the monastery. We will talk on the way there."

As he began walking, Cole and Lyla followed after him. The journey didn't take too long, and the time passed quickly as the three travelers talked. Eventually they reached their destination, a peaceful looking monastery on top of a small hill. There were hundreds of stone steps that lead up to it, which they climbed without complaint. Once they reached the top, Sensei Wu opened the doors and led them in with a smile.

"Today I will simply be showing you both around, and helping you get adjusted to things here. I'm sure that you will be quite comfortable, and it will become a home for you eventually." Sensei Wu said, once they were all inside and the doors had been closed once more.

Then he turned to Cole with a small smile. "Your training will begin first thing tomorrow morning."