Lying on the ground, a growing pool of blood beneath her, was Destiny. Her knife had fallen inches from her, the entire blade coated with her life. He stumbled over to her, numb and half-blind. When he reached her, he lifted her torso up gently, holding her in his arms. His vision blurred with tears, and he let them run.

"Destiny, no," he whispered. "You didn't have to do this.. I'd never ask for this.."

Her eyes were glazed over, but she was still breathing. "Knew.. You never would.." she said haltingly.

A fresh wave of tears ran down his cheeks, and he squeezed her hand. "You are the most important thing to me." He told her softly. "A life without you isn't worth living."

He could feel that her muscles were relaxing, and he swallowed as she managed, "I love you too."

He watched as she gazed past him at the sky, and slowly, her eyes closed, and Cole felt his entire body grow cold.

He felt rather than heard the approach of his friends, and Wu's voice reached him. "Cole, we need to get her to Jordan."

He glanced up, although he couldn't see his sensei through his tears. "How will that help?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"He might be able to save her, but we have to move quickly."

He swallowed down hope and ever-so-gently lifted her. He quickly wiped his tears away so he would be able to see. Jay summoned Surge, and Wu jumped onto the dragon with him. Cole watched as Slate appeared, the dragon crooning in delight, then worry. Cole climbed carefully onto his dragon's back, holding Destiny carefully in his arms.

"Just follow Jay, Slate," he whispered to his dragon, and when Surge took off, Slate followed instantly. As they flew, Cole could feel Destiny's body chilling. He'd felt her last heartbeat, and he stared endlessly at her face. It was peaceful, until you looked down and saw the dagger wound, which had stained the surrounding area with red. Soon, they landed, and Cole slipped from Slate's side and let his anxious dragon fade.

"Bring her inside, quickly," Wu instructed, and Cole followed him into the teashop.

The bell rang above his head, and the cheery voice of Jordan reached him. "Hello, hello! What can I-" he stopped dead, and Cole looked up to find that the man had seen Destiny's body.

"Resurrectea, quickly," Wu said. "Please. I will pay any fee."

Jordan seemed frozen, but then he blinked and rushed into the back. Cole sat down on the floor, settling Destiny into his lap. He felt someone sitting next to him and saw Jay peering down at his cousin.

"Cole, you have blood on you," Jay mumbled.

He looked down at his black outfit and saw moisture glinting through the fabric. "It's fine. I can wash it later."

Jay nodded and silently pulled something from his pocket. Cole looked at him in confusion, and as Jay started wrapping it around Destiny's torso, he realized it was a bandage, and Cole held her so that Jay would have an easier time. Destiny's body was cold by now, and her limpness was unnatural, surreal. Cole stared at her. He wasn't sure how much time went by, but it felt to him like it took forever; at the very least, too long to bring Destiny back. But Jordan came out with a cup of tea, handing it to Wu. His sensei came over and knelt down, and Cole lifted Destiny up into a sitting position so Wu could pour the tea into her mouth. A few moments later, Destiny coughed, and her eyes opened.

Cole felt a disbelieving smile come to his face as he held her.

"Wha-" she spluttered, looking around in confusion.

"Destiny?" he asked, hopeful.

"Jack?" she returned.

"Cole," he corrected gently. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess. What happened?"

"I got my powers back and found you.." he swallowed and brushed a hand over his eyes, then continued. "We brought you here and revived you."

"But, if I'm alive," she asked slowly, "Is the spell still broken?"

Cole lifted a hand and felt the earth rumble in response. He smiled and looked to Jay, holding one of his hands flat in the open. Jay blinked, understanding, and put one of his hands onto Cole's. A moment later, he was balancing precariously in a handstand, and Cole was holding him up with ease. "It definitely is," he answered her, and Jay stood back on his own feet.

"Oh good. I'd rather not go through death again, not yet anyway." Destiny said with a relieved sigh.

He felt hurt and fear flash through him, and tears welled in his eyes as he berated himself frustratedly. You're so emotional! Chill out, dummy! Destiny leaned towards him and gave him a hug, and he felt his tears break through. All the suppressed fear he'd felt rushed to the forefront of his mind, and he hugged her back tightly.

"Don't ever do that again.." he choked out.

"I told you this all those months ago, and I'll tell you again. I would do anything for you," Destiny told him, smiling a bit.

He pulled away from her and wiped his eyes. "I don't want you gone."

"I don't want to be gone either.." she said, and Cole saw that she was tearing up. He felt footsteps through the ground and realized that Wu and Jay were leaving the room.

Once they were gone, he rested his forehead against hers, placing one of his hands on the side of her face. "It's okay. You're here now. And that's what truly matters." She looked into his eyes, and he returned her gaze. He hesitated, then gently touched the bandage. "Are you in pain? I can ask Jordan for some numbing tea. Just until we get back to the monastery."

He watched as she sucked in, and frowned as she said, "Nope, I'm fine."

He sighed. "You stabbed yourself with your dagger, Destiny. There's no way you aren't in any pain at all."

She sighed. "Alright, fine. But my father's mending tea should be ok, I have some back in my room."

"Are you sure? I want you to be comfortable on the flight back."

"I'll be fine, just don't let me fall. I couldn't summon Morpheus even if I was falling." She replied with a chuckle.

He nodded and stood, reaching down to help her up. She wobbled for a moment, and he watched her in concern before leaving the room. Outside, Jay and Wu were waiting for them. He summoned Slate and jumped onto her back, reaching down and holding out a hand for Destiny. She took it and he pulled her carefully up. Once she was situated, he flew Slate up and directed her towards the monastery. He saw Surge following, and he set a rather swift pace home.

When they landed, he waited for Destiny to slip from his dragon's side before following. He landed with a grunt and walked to his dragon's snout, petting it softly. Slate trilled happily, pushing her head against his body. He chuckled and hugged her, saying, "Hi, girl. I missed you too."

She gave a huff, and he laughed, letting her disappear. He turned and saw that Destiny had gone.

Jay waved him over, and Cole followed him into the dining room. Once inside, he heard Wu ask, "What should we do with him?"

"Send him to the Cursed Realm if you ask me," Nya muttered.

Wu gave her a pointed look. "The spellbook that would have enabled us to send him there was destroyed for good reason. And that is the highest form of punishment, unfit for a low-level criminal like Ornum."

"We could just send him to Kryptarium," Kai offered with a shrug.

"That place kind of has an escapee streak," Lloyd said.

"Yeah, even we escaped that place." Jay said.

Cole looked at him in confusion and saw all others, save Nya, doing the same. "Uh-"

"In any case, it's not exactly top-tier." Nya interrupted.

"No, but it should do for now." Wu said. He turned to Cole with a nod. "I'm glad to see your powers and strength are back."

He grinned. "I am too."

"Is Destiny okay?" Lloyd asked.

"She is." Jay answered. "Jordan used Resurrectea on her."

"Then all should be well." Wu sighed.

Cole watched his friends and sighed softly. The other ninja had started to disperse, and Cole began to follow them when he had a sudden idea. He turned to his Sensei and asked, "Can I go to Ninjago City?"

Cole landed on the ground with a grunt and let Slate disappear from above him. He straightened and brushed any dust from his ninja gi. He'd changed from the one that had gotten blood on it to a new one, soaking the stained one in cold water. He walked up to the door and hesitated, then knocked twice on it firmly. A few moments later, it opened to reveal the woman who had taken care of Jack.

He smiled, and she gaped at him for a few moments, then managed, "Are you lost?"

"No, ma'am," he replied. "But I know you have a daughter. Ferrah? I was told she struggles in her studies."

Confusion spread over her face, but she opened the door wider to admit him. "Yes. She doesn't fully understand the concepts, and I haven't the slightest clue about them, so I can't help."

He nodded. "I've come to offer to be her personal tutor."

She looked surprised. "Oh, I can't afford-"

"Free of charge." He grinned.

She blinked, seemingly stunned, then nodded, turning. "Ferrah! Come meet your new tutor."

There was the sound of scrambling, and then the young girl appeared. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, her mouth dropping open. He smiled. "Hello. Would you mind if I called you Fer?"

She shook her head, still awestruck. "Cole?" She asked in a squeaky voice after a moment. "You're my tutor?"

He chuckled. "Yep. I'll be here almost any day you need help. The only time I won't be able to come is if I'm on a mission. And I'm sure you understand that. " He told her with a wink. She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Do you have any homework today?"

"Yeah. English." She answered.

"Let's get that taken care of, then." She nodded again and led him to sit at the dining room table. Cole couldn't help the rush of love he felt for his sister - even if they never had been related in the first place.

When he got back to the monastery, he saw a pile of his things placed on the bench, and he grabbed his mother's letter, looking over it fervently. It was undamaged, and Cole was glad that Ornum at least had the decency not to wrinkle it.

"Hello." He looked up to see his girlfriend settled on the bench.

"Hey."

"I see you found your stuff," she said. "I hope you don't mind, I had to bribe Ornum."

"You bribed him?" he asked confusedly, setting the letter down carefully and grabbing his first ninja gi, smoothing it out and beginning to carefully fold it. "What did he want?"

"He wanted a necklace he'd gotten me.. I didn't want it, and there wasn't anything special about it either, so..." Destiny shrugged.

He frowned. "Did you check it over to make sure there wasn't something in it or something?"

"I did. But I couldn't find anything." She replied.

He nodded. "As long as you're sure. Thank you for getting the stuff back." He smiled at her, gratefulness washing over him. "I'd lose my mind if I never got her letter back."

"I'm just glad that Ornum didn't lie. I don't know if I would have found them if he had."

He nodded at her and set the robe down. He held out a hand to her, and he pulled her close to him when she took it. He suddenly remembered that his father had invited him to show him his mother's gravesite, and he said, "Would you mind taking a trip to Ninjago Cemetery?"

She looked a little confused, but replied, "Sure."

Cole followed his father through the cemetery, holding Destiny's hand gently in his. Eventually Lou stopped, motioning to a grave.

The Master of Earth looked at it, noting the engraving, which showed the basic information: His mother's name, Reyna, and the time in which she lived, which was almost 36 years. Below that was a poem which read "Passionate mother, loving wife/Now lies in peace, free of strife." Cole blinked at his father, releasing Destiny's hand.

"I sent in that poem." He told him. "She asked me to write it, and I did."

Cole nodded and settled onto his knees near the tombstone, bowing his head quietly. In the pocket of the black and grey casual clothing he wore, his hand found the letter his mother had sent his father.

Behind him, he felt the footsteps of his father, and heard Lou say, "Come on, let's give him some space to grieve," quietly to Destiny.

Once he felt more alone, he looked at the tombstone. He let the memories of his mother wash over him, one by one, not clinging to any of them but simply letting them fly by. It was truly amazing how much he remembered for how young he had been when she'd left. He let the tears flow, allowing himself to miss her. When he had composed himself without being upset at his sensitivity, he stood up slowly, realizing that rain had turned the dirt to mud. His knees had sunk into the ground and his pants were stained with it. He wiped as much of it off as he could before taking a breath and striding strongly through the graveyard towards his father and girlfriend, his head held high.

After all, his father said that Cole had always been his mother's son.