***Another long one! ;) I think I had too much fun with this one, especially with Cole's POV.

I don't even know why I'm putting this here, but THE CONYA IN THIS BOOK IS PLATONIC. PLATONIC CONYA. PLATONIC CONYA. PLATONIC. CONYA.***

***(Cole's POV)***

"Have a seat," I tell Nya, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table for her.

She knows that I mean nothing by the gesture, so she thanks me before seating herself. Believe me, if it were Jay who did it for her, she would've pushed the chair back in before getting it for herself. She's desperate not to let him have feelings for her, but it's not really working.

"What's this about, Cole?" she asks cautiously. "Is it Jay?"

"Yes. No. Uh...mostly about you." I scratch behind my ear. "How have you been doing?"

"Cole, you better not have separated me from Jay just to ask me how I'm doing." She raises a brow skeptically.

I cough. "Okay. Um, mind telling me what this is about you running away?"

Her face pales. "I...Jay told you?"

"He was emotional enough earlier that he just wanted to get that secret off his chest."

She clenches her eyes shut and curses, then bites her lip. "Sorry. Kai's swearing tendencies are starting to wear off on me." She rubs the side of her nose. "I..."

"Before you even try to lie, Nya, know that it won't do any good. Jay's told me you have a tell."

She scowls. "Which I still need to figure out what is." She shakes her head. "Fine. Yes, I'm running away."

"Why?" I exclaim.

"Because I'm messed up?" she laughs humorlessly.

"No, you're not. Jay's messed up. You...you're fine, right?"

She doesn't meet my gaze. "I'm not messed up the way Jay is. I just...Cole, you don't know what happened with my parents, but..."

"I know enough. They died in a car accident, right?"

"Yes. And Kai and I were with them. And I killed them."

"You what?"

She shushes me. "Don't wake Lloyd or Zane up, please. That's the last thing I need right now." She massages her temple.

"Fine." I lower my voice. "How did you kill them?"

"I distracted my dad. Told him I hated him. It was rainy, we drifted into the lane of oncoming traffic, we had to swerve to avoid being hit by a semi-truck, we hit a guard rail. The end. Don't tell Kai, because he doesn't remember. Head injury."

I shake my head. "I understood literally none of that."

She sighs, looking up to the ceiling to avoid tears. "I was a bad daughter, Cole, and I have to live with the blame for that. And I was fine as long as I kept those feelings locked away, but I spilled everything to Jay back in February."

"And...all those feelings resurfaced?"

"Exactly. Then Lloyd overheard, and he used those feelings against me. And I came to realize that I tend to hurt people."

"Not really. You just...weren't very emotionally mature back when your parents died."

"In a way, I can see that." Her voice lowers to a hiss. "But then...Jay's mom...I killed her, too."

"You're kidding me. What happened this time?" I frown.

"She thought my power had been stolen by the Sons of Garmadon back in February, and instead of letting me experience negative power withdrawals and die...she broke the staff. The thing is, my power wasn't stolen. It's complicated, but that killed her."

"Oh. So...she died for nothing."

"Thanks for putting it so flatly," she growls. "But yes, Cole. And I don't know why I've been cursed like this, but I just have a habit of hurting others."

"So..."

"So instead of hurting you guys, I'm going to leave after Kai and Skylor's wedding. And don't you dare tell Kai, or I will – "

"Nya, I have to tell Kai! I don't know how Jay didn't spill everything before tonight. He has to be worried sick. Running away is so stupid! You're not even seventeen until the end of June. You'll end up in a human trafficking ring or something equally as bad."

"You think I haven't thought about that?" she snaps. "But I...I've been making quiet inquiries into some respectable jobs back in my hometown."

"And how have you been making said inquiries?"

"I use email. Or I send letters with my resume through the monastery mail so Kai can't intercept them."

"Of course." I bury my face in my arms, resting against the table. "Let me tell you, you're going to be a criminal mastermind someday."

She smiles absently. "Yeah, whatever."

"How do you know these jobs you're asking about are respectable?" I question. "You know nothing about these places."

"You're right, but I know a good source."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

I rack my brain, but come up dry. "I've got nothing."

She sighs. "Ronin. Whenever an opportunity looks especially good, I ask him to look into it and see if it's legit."

***Music Cue***

"Ronin? You're kidding me." I look up. "Listen, this is nice and all, but Kai's your legal guardian until you're eighteen. You're not leaving until you're at least that old. Preferably, you won't leave at all."

"I've thought about that, Cole. I have. And I've matured the past two months, realizing that not everything about my parents' death and Jay's mom's death are my fault. But...I can't stand the idea of hurting you guys."

"We all hurt each other all the time." I rise. "I've got to call Kai."

Her eyes widen. "No! Don't tell Kai. I'll do anything – please."

"I'm telling him, Nya."

"But he doesn't know how my parents died! He doesn't know that I was involved in that. You can't tell him!"

"It's for your own good, whether you believe me or not." I start to draw out my phone.

Nya falls on her knees in front of me. "Please!" she begs. "I – if – if you give me a really, really good reason why I shouldn't leave, I'll stay."

I think about this for a moment. "We're not good enough for you to stay?"

"You are, but I've already explained this! I might hurt you!" A determined look settles over her face. "And if you don't give me a good reason, I can guarantee you I'm leaving, whether you tell Kai or not."

"Kai's good at keeping track of you."

"I'm good at escaping."

I inhale a huge breath. "Fine. This is it – my only offer. Deal or no deal, Nya. You and I counsel together with a psychologist – we can find a way to keep it secret from the team. And you have to agree to be entirely honest with me and our counselor about where you're at with the whole running away thing. And if you're still thinking about running away by the time Kai and Skylor's wedding rolls around..." I run a hand through my hair. "Then I have to tell Kai. I can only promise to delay telling him, Nya."

Her face contorts. "I...I can throw your phone in the trash so you can't call him."

"Then I'll tell him in person. Look, Nya, maybe this has benefits. Maybe you can get Jay to come with us. We all know he needs help."

She sighs miserably. "I can't tell him that you and I are going – I don't want to get his hopes up if it's for nothing." She sighs. "Fine. We have a deal."

I release a breath. "Thanks, Nya."

"But this stays between you and me," she growls. "I'm not hurting Jay anymore."

"Fine." I spit on my hand and extend it for her.

Smirking, she repeats the move, and we shake hands.

Now that's the Nya I've missed.

She plants a hand on her hip. "Are we done here? If Jay isn't asleep yet, he's wondering where I am."

"Um..." I think for a moment. "We're not quite done yet. Since you're so good at keeping secrets, tell me how you're actually doing with your breakup with Jay." I hold up a hand before she can protest. "And don't worry, this one is definitely just between us. I'm not telling your brother, or Jay, or...anyone else, okay? I'm just worried about you."

She sighs heavily, seating herself at the kitchen table again. "You know, Cole, since Wu vanished and Lloyd lost his standing with the team, you've really stepped up. I think you're the only thing holding us together."

"I never want to be in that position, Nya. I mean, I'm happy with helping lead you guys and all, but I don't want to be the glue. We all need to take on that role, or this team is going to dissolve."

"Who's going to take it on? Kai? You know he's never been the most active member of the team – he has too much work, with the blacksmith's shop and me and Skylor. Jay's a mess. Lloyd...not everyone trusts him." She picks at her sleeve. "Maybe Zane could do it. I don't know. And me? I'm going to be gone, unless you come up with a really good reason for me not to leave."

"Jay? Couldn't he be your reason to stay?"

She blinks rapidly against tears and looks down at the table. "No, and for more than just the 'I hurt people' thing. You know Jay's obsessed with me. It's unhealthy."

"You're right."

"And I think he's trying to use me to fill a void in his life – that of the loss of his bio-mom. And I just can't do that, Cole. If I told Jay we could be together, I would be his everything, but one day...he'd wake up and realize that I can't be his sense of worth."

I study her. "You're right. You have matured since February."

"I just want what's best for him," she whispers. "And that's definitely not me."

"And...how do you feel about all this?"

"I just told you."

"No, Nya." I place my hand over hers. "How do you feel about all this?"

"I..." Her mouth opens and closes. "I care about him a lot, and...I have to watch him die a little more, emotionally and mentally, every day." Tears dribble onto her cheeks, and she swipes them away, a bitter expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly. "I'm so sorry, Nya."

I pull her into my arms, and she sobs into my shoulder for a very long time.

***(Seliel's POV)***

It's 8:50 on Saturday morning, and I have yet to finish my daily run before Cole joins me.

I run faster and faster down the park's trail. Something in me presses me to increase my speed, even though it hurts. My lungs burn, and my bad leg feels like it's going to fall off.

But I can't seem to stop myself.

"On your left," I hear a voice pant. I look over to see it's...Cole Brookstone?

The momentary distraction causes me to miscalculate the distance to the ground on my bad leg, and it gives, causing me to trip and fall on the ground.

I wince in pain, but steel my face before Cole can see it.

He stops, bending down next to me. "Whoa, there. You good?"

"Fine," I grit. I struggle to sit up.

"I didn't mean to distract you. I'm sorry. Here, let me look at your – "

"No." I pull my legs up to my chest, my left one shooting with pain as I move.

"Okay," he says placatingly. "I didn't mean to offend you, Sel. I was just concerned. Do you want to sit down a moment?"

I nod, placing my chin on my knees. Cole seats himself beside me.

"You're here early," I swallow, causing my breathing to momentarily interrupt its ragged pattern.

"Yeah. I guess we had the same idea about running." He puts an arm around my shoulder. "I wore deodorant today, just for you."

I smile a little at that. "Thanks."

"No problem," he smiles. That expression changes to a frown when he sees my face. "You look tired, Seliel."

"Late night."

"You're right. It was." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Ever feel really torn about a decision affecting your friends? Like, a really important one, where somebody could get hurt?"

"Can't relate. I don't have friends."

"You have me."

"Okay, well, we just met up yesterday, so I haven't really made any difficult decisions concerning you yet." Besides letting you back into my life.

"Oh. Well...okay. I'm dealing with an issue with my friends right now, so I was up late." He gives me one of those breathtaking half-smiles. "So, what do you want to do at the park today?"

"I don't know." Given that the pain in my left leg no longer stabs my knee, I slowly rise off the ground. I'm careful enough that Cole doesn't notice my discomfort.

"So...you invited me here for nothing?" he teases. "We should get breakfast."

I want to protest, but I realize that I really do need to eat. "Um, okay. From where?" I am not eating at someplace like McDareth's. The food there is too greasy. I'm pretty sure the very paper used to make the bags is chock-full of calories.

"How about one of the diners in town?" Cole suggests. "I'm really craving pancakes right now."

"I'm sure you crave anything with cake in the name."

He chuckles. "You're right. Since becoming a...uh, since training, I've tried to revere my body as a temple, but I think it's okay to splurge once in a while."

Maybe not for me, but for him? He's literally made of muscles. "You're probably right."

He slings an arm around my shoulders as we walk back to the path's beginning. Usually, I'd run the rest of the way back, but with Cole...I really don't want him to know about the weird part of my mind.

"So, what do you typically do when you're not at school?" I ask. I mean, he hasn't talked about having a job, and he's informed me that he's not really concerned about his grades.

"I typically hang out with my friends. We train for...stuff."

"Stuff?" I smirk.

"Yeah." He smiles, studying my face. "You know, Sel, you have some of the prettiest eyes."

I blanch. "U-um..." I was not expecting that. However, I recover quickly.

"My eyes are not pretty, Cole Brookstone," I laugh. "They look like poop. Like, legitimate poop."

"No, they don't," Cole scoffs. "More like warm, gooey brownies. And I love dessert."

Whoa. Was that...like, Cole flirting? With me?

That's...never happened before.

I cough. "Hey, um, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"I get it. You were never very comfortable with compliments." He smiles at me in a way that does all kinds of crazy things to my insides. Flips, twirls, butterflies...

Yep. Just like I did six years ago, I have it bad for Cole.

And also like six years ago, these feelings will come to nothing.

"You're blushing," he observes.

"Am not!" I scoff. But really...I'm wondering how he knows that I am blushing. No one usually does.

"Yes, you are," he says playfully. "I can tell. It's obvious to me that your skin has slightly changed in tone."

"You can't prove anything."

"I can, too." He stops our walk, placing his palms on either side of my face. My eyes widen.

I really like him.

"Your cheeks are warm," he says gruffly. Then, after clearing his throat, he goes on, "Uh...my car's straight ahead."

"O-okay." Please take your eyes off of me before I do something stupid, like fall for a boy I hardly know anymore.

Taking my hand in his, Cole shows me to the passenger side of a fixer-upper car.

"What's this?" I ask.

"It's my friend Jay's car. I typically drive my motorcycle or one of...um...my other friends' vehicles." He clears his throat.

This just sounds kind of fishy. Which reminds me...

"Cole, what was that SUV we followed last night? You know, the one your drunk friend was riding in?"

"That? Oh, nothing," he laughs nervously. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh. Spill."

"Fine," he sighs. "Man, Nya was right. We shouldn't just drive those vehicles around willy-nilly."

"What vehicles?"

"Okay, don't laugh. You're not going to believe this, but I'm..."

"You're...what?" I frown.

"I'm a ninja."

I giggle, but pretty soon, it's a full-blown guffaw. "A ninja?"

"Don't laugh," Cole smiles. "Yeah, I'm a ninja. I'm one of the six who helped save the city from Lord Garmadon back in August."

"I knew I'd seen that vehicle before! Your crazy drill-thing – it was on the news. That's what you used to defeat Garmadon."

"Yes." He shakes his head. "I guess you really do have a photographic memory."

"Yeah, but it's also hard to forget a vehicle as ugly as that!"

"My baby does not look ugly!" he insists.

I continue, my mind on a roll. "So, let me guess. Your friends are your other teammates? After all, it seems most of you live together – I figured that out when we followed your baby to that monastery place last night."

"Yeah. I live at the monastery with Zane and Lloyd. Jay moved in back in February and just never bothered leaving. Nya...she stays there off and on, but oftentimes, she's with her brother Kai. He's our final teammate." He sighs. "I shouldn't have told you all that, but whatever. I trust you."

Those words...make me happy. Cole trusts me?

"What do you think?" he says quietly, tapping my arm to get my attention.

I snap out of my thoughts. "I think that's slightly cool." I mean, my former best friend is a ninja. "Will you teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

"How to fight like you guys." The First Spinjitzu Master knows I could use skills like that.

"Sel..." he says reluctantly.

I roll my eyes. "It's not like you haven't already trained me how to throw a punch."

"Listen, Sel," Cole says. "I'm really worried about your dad and his abusive behavior."

"I know. It's all you've been able to talk about the past two days." I scribble on a piece of notebook paper with a colorful crayon stub.

"Look, this is important. Can you drop what you're doing for a moment?"

I sigh and look up at him. "Yes?"

"Sel, I want you to come with me outside."

"It's cold outside."

"It is, but that's not important right now. Don't you want to learn how to defend yourself, just in case your father ever gets too violent?"

"Heck, yes." I drop my crayon and run to the door, slipping on one of Cole's old winter coats.

"Don't wear anything too heavy," he warns me. "It'll make practicing harder, and right now, I just want you to learn the basics."

"Basic, schmasics. Show me everything you know." I run outside into the chilly air. "Catch me if you can!" I taunt.

He stands in the doorway, crossing his arms. However, nothing can keep the smile from his lips. "You're such a child."

"And you're a sissy. Come fight me!"

"I'm not going to fight you until – "

I thwack him with a snowball.

"Hey!" he exclaims.

"The student has become the teacher," I announce.

"Whatever," he grins. "Let's get started."

That was the day he showed me how to defend myself against a father I wish I didn't know.

"Seliel..." Cole sighs. "Fine. We'll see. I'll talk to the others about it."

I smirk. "Thank you."

"That's not a hard 'yes'."

"I have a feeling they'll all come around. Of course, my work schedule will get in the way, but we'll find a way to get past that."

Cole frowns. "You know...this just now occurred to me, but...you could – theoretically, of course – stay at the monastery, if the team accepts you. Don't take offense at this, but...I'm pretty sure you're the one holding down the fort with your current home, right?" His eyes pierce me.

I look away before he sees into my soul. "It's no secret."

"And I bet you work a lot of hours to pay your bills." His hand brushes mine.

"I..." I swallow. "I'll think about what you said."

***So, Nya's not gone yet, and it seems she's at least open to not running away. We also learn that Seliel could very well be meeting the rest of the team soon. Now THAT would be fun to write about...***