Cole’s heart pounded in his chest as he pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the citizens’ curious stares. As he raced down the sidewalks, around corners, and across busy streets, he remembered. Running away from school. Traveling through the mountains. A mysterious stranger. Bandits. Travelers. A journey. Friends.
   The crowd flashed by his vision. Where was he going? Oh, right, Cherry Blossom Bridge. At the park. He ran through Main Street, dodging honking traffic and people shouting at him. He remembered faces. It was so long ago, years past, the images were now faint and blurry. The emotion was still there, though, still the same. He remembered their names, but somehow it hurt to think of them.
   Cole stopped running abruptly. He was there already. Several ancient, beautiful trees adorned in thick green leaves lined a cobblestone walkway leading deeper into the park. The grass and undergrowth were green and lush, so unlike the rest of Ninjago City. A soft, cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead and played with his hair.
   His legs were trembling from running so hard, and he was gasping for breath. Why was his heart racing? Because he hadn’t seen these people for years, and hadn’t thought about them until now. Guilt clawed at him. Why hadn’t he stayed in touch? He’d known them even longer than Jay, Kai, and Zane!
   He forced himself to breath steadily and to walk down the path leading to the bridge. The only light guiding him glowed dimly from orange streetlights sitting silently along the path. Moths fluttered at the wide bulbs and knocked stupidly against the glass repeatedly. Stone crunched softly beneath Cole’s feet as we treaded quietly down the road. He turned a corner and stopped.
The stone bridge was just up ahead, a lovely stream trickling between smooth rocks beneath the quaint structure. On it stood a single figure, leaning on the brick rail facing the little river. Light from a nearby streetlamp reflected off her silver-blond hair, and Cole could see the sunglasses she wore shielding her eyes from view.
   Cole was sure he had been quiet as a mouse, but the girl lifted her head and cocked it warily in his direction. “Cole?” Her voice was soft and uncertain. “Is that you?”
   The black ninja hesitated, then slowly stepped into the light. “It’s me.” He murmured.
   The girl looked to be at a loss for words. She opened her mouth, then closed it. She gripped the rail of the bridge tightly, as if she needed support.
   Cole walked silently onto the bridge, his head swimming with a hundred questions. Before he knew it, he was standing right next to the person he hadn’t seen for at least three years. The girl didn’t move from her spot.
   Gently, he took the shades in his hands and pulled them away from her face so that he could see her eyes, just to be sure it really was her.
   “Liana.”
   Anyone else would have gasped or recoiled at the sight of Liana’s face. Hideous scars stretched vertically across her eyes, from above the eyebrows to a little above her cheeks. The scars were wide and white, a terrible wound from long ago. Her eyes, though, they were the most chilling sight of all. They were ripped of sight, leaving them with no pupils, no irises, only a milky gray color. Liana gazed unseeing in his direction, an expression of mixed emotions on her face.
   Liana hesitated, then reached out and touched his face. She traced her fingers over his mouth, eyes, nose, and cheeks gently, recognition flashing in her eyes. “It is you.” She breathed. Her fingers stopped at the scar stretching down dangerously close to his eye. “That’s new.” She murmured.
   “I—” Cole struggled for words. “I—You—It’s been a while.”
   Liana brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Yeah,” She agreed. “A very long time.” She them smiled softly. “It’s good to hear your voice again.”
   “It’s—it’s great to see you again!” Cole ran a hand through his head. “Wow. Man, I—I don’t know what to say.”
   “Neither do I.” Her smile grew a bit. “Last time we saw you, you were just a runaway, with no idea of what you wanted to do with your life. Now--” She waved a hand at him. “You’re the Master of Earth! A ninja. A hero. I—” Liana sighed. “I honestly thought you’d forgotten about us. It was such a long time ago, and so much has happened to you since then—”
   “If I’d forgotten, I wouldn’t have come, would I?” Cole said, feeling rather guilty about the fact that he had forgotten about them, at least for a little while.
   “I guess not.” Liana cocked her head. “How’s life been treating you lately?”
   “What, is the media not giving enough information about the battles and bad-guys we’ve been fighting?”
   “Pshh. You know what I mean.” Liana’s lips quirked.
   Cole leaned against the rail. “What can I say? Using my elemental powers to fight villains with my friends is awesome, and becoming human again was what I’ve been wanting forever. I love what I do. How about you? How are your family?”
   Liana hesitated, but said. “We’re fine. My aunt passed soon after we came to live with them, but I’ve been getting by with my uncle and cousins in Stiix.”
   “I’m sorry. About your aunt, I mean.”
   “Thank you.” Liana turned back to the river gurgling down below, suddenly quiet.
   Cole leaned over the rail with her. “So. . . How’s your brother? I’m surprised he’s not here with you.” He smiled at the memory of Philip.
   Liana gasped softly and a pained expression crossed her face. “You—you didn’t know?”
   “Didn’t know what?” Cole inquired cautiously. He started to have a bad feeling, but he didn’t know why. The faint grin on his lips faded.
   Liana bit her lip and bowed her head. For a second she didn’t speak. “Oh, Cole . . .” Her voice came out quivering. She gripped the rail until her knuckles were white. He watched her, feeling his insides grow cold.
   She took a breath, turned in his direction, and rasped. “Philip passed away months ago.”
   Cole suddenly wished he hadn’t eaten so many Puffy Potstickers.

“Cole?”
   “Cole.”
   “COLE!”
   “Huh, what?” Cole jumped.
   “Didn’t you hear me?” Kai frowned at him from the doorway, looking impatient. “I just said that Misako wants us start packing stuff in the living room. There are boxes waiting in the kitchen for us to use.”
   “Oh—right,” Cole stammered. “I’ll be right there.” He turned away.
   With a small huff Kai walked away from the bedroom and down the hall of the teashop. When his footsteps had faded away, Cole sighed and lay back on his bed. Maybe if he went to sleep the pain would stop. His heart was still aching, and memories kept flashing back in his head. It even hurt to breathe.
   Philip had perished defending the run-down village of Stixx from Anacondrai warriors, back when Master Chen and his cultists had nearly taken over all of Ninjago. If it wasn’t for the alliance of the elemental masters, many more people would have been smashed. Philip just happened to be one of the few that was.
   Liana didn’t give the details of how it happened, and Cole didn’t ask. They departed after a nasty, grief-stricken silence. Cole didn’t even ask where Liana was staying, or how to keep in contact with her—Or tell her how very, very, sorry he was.
   The loss of his old friend pierced his heart, but what made the pain all the worse was the insufferable guilt clawing him. He felt like he should have been there when Philip was smashed. . . Maybe he could have saved his friend’s life. If not, he could have at least been there for Liana, in the midst of her heart-break. Yes, he could have, but he wasn’t there for them. Not when they needed him. He had simply forgotten.
   Shock, grief, pain, and guilt weighed down Cole’s heart, and the storm of emotion threatened to break loose, but there was no way he was telling the others about this. It would be a pain to explain, it would hurt his heart to give them reason to pity him, and no one would understand why he felt responsible for Philip’s passing. Better to keep this to himself.
   “COLE!!”
   Cole shot up into a sitting position. “What?!” He snapped.
   Kai gesticulated in exasperation. “What are you doing??”
   Cole lay back on his bed with a groan. “Procrastinating.”
   “Yeah? Well, you can do that later. Misako says if you don’t get your butt to work right now, there won’t be any cake for dessert after lunch.”
   There was a moment of silence. Then, with a sigh, Cole forced himself to stand up. “All right, all right, I’m coming.”
   Kai smirked. “Thought that might get you up. Come on.” He turned down the hall, unaware of the pained scowl on Cole’s face as he quietly followed his friend.
   Maybe getting some work done will make me feel better, Cole thought to himself.
   Nya, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, and Misako were already at work in the living room, which now smelled like cardboard and old newspapers. Boxes of all sizes were scattered on the floor, some filled with packing peanuts or wrinkled paper, others empty or half-filled with living room decor. Jay was taking down picture frames and paintings off the walls and tossing them in a big box, whilst Zane was patiently taking those same frames and rearranging them so that they weren’t in a random pile and were safely packed. Lloyd was unplugging and packing the wires connected to the TV and video games consoles, Nya was wrapping up the more fragile pieces of furniture, and Misako was giving orders while sealing a couple of boxes with packing tape.
   “Ah, finally, you’re here, Cole.” Misako said, looking up and giving him a wearied smile. She abruptly turned back to her job and raised her voice. “If any of you can find anything that you don’t need or want anymore and put in that box--” At this she gestured to an empty box titled ‘CHARITY’ on it. “--that would be great. The less we have to pack, the better.”
   “Cole,” She turned back to him. “Would you and Kai look through those boxes I pulled from the attic, please? Pick out anything you want to keep.”
   “Sure.” Cole followed Kai to other side of the room, where a couple of dusty boxes sat. The boys opened each one—And promptly sneezed.
   “Jeez, this stuff looks old.” Kai made a face as he flicked a dead spider off an old quilted pillow.
   “I don’t think we’re going to want any of this.” Cole half-heartedly rummaged through his box. “A broken record player, a rubber chicken, an old baby chew toy—“
   “Old kinmonos, broken quill pens, empty picture frames, a pair of ugly women’s shoes—“ Kai said as he looked through his box.
   Cole continued. “A bouquet of dead flowers, a kid’s rocking horse, a creepy plastic owl yard decoration with only one eye, toenail clippers—“
   “A broken flute, an empty syrup bottle, a purple plush bear, a bag of marbles, an old iron ring, a wooden platypus—“
   “Wait, what?” Cole interjected. “What was the last one?”
   Kai held up a little teal-colored block of wood with bright orange webbed feet, bill, and tail. “A wooden platypus?”
   “No, no,” Cole shook his head distractedly. “The one before that.”
   “Uhh. . . “ Kai stuck his arm back into the pile. “This—? Ew, gross, get off!” He flicked a live spider off his hand, then grabbed what he was looking for. “This?”
   Cole reached out and Kai placed the cold object in his hand, looking curious. Cole fingered the ring—Or, rings, seeing that the object consisted of many finger-sized hoops of different curves and patterns. The iron was a dark color, and the metal was elegantly designed and twisted so that no two hoops were the same. It was an odd-looking object, and Kai wondered why Cole was gazing at it like an old, nearly forgotten friend.
   “What is it?” He asked.
   Cole shifted the rings in his fingers. “It’s a kind of puzzle,” He said softly. “If you can figure out the hidden pattern and put the little hoops together in the right order, a picture will show.”
   “What’s the picture?” Kai asked, already beginning to lose interest.
   Cole ran one finger over a couple of hoops, feeling the cool material curve delicately. “A dragon. A dragon spreading its wings in the sky. . .” His voice trailed off.
   Kai wasn’t listening anymore. Instead, he was rummaging through the box again. “Oh, cool, look at this—”
   “Mrow.”
   Kai and Cole glanced at each other.
   “Did you say something?” Kai asked.
   “No. . .” Cole shook his head.
   The boys jumped when a skinny, brown tabby cat suddenly hopped onto the back of the couch in front of them. Cole was so startled by the sight of an animal in the teashop that the ring slipped from his hands and clattered onto the floor. The cat glanced at him and twitched its whiskers.
   Cole stared at it. He thought; I feel like I’ve seen that cat before . . . But where?
   “What,” Kai said incredulously. “Is that?”
   “Oh, that’s Whiskers.” Nya answered casually from across the room.
   Kai, Cole, Jay, Lloyd, and Zane turned and stared at her.
   Nya gave them a look. “She’s just a stray that’s been hanging around lately. I’ve been feeding her and letting her into the shop. It’s not a big deal, we’re moving anyway.”
   “You named it. . . ‘Whiskers’??” Kai asked.
   Nya rolled her eyes at her brother. “Why are you giving me that look? It’s just a cat.”
   Misako grinned in amusement while Kai gave the cat a disgusted look. “ ‘Just a cat’?? Nya, we’re ninja, not—!”
   “Ah-CHIEE!”
   Everyone jumped. “What was that?!” Jay exclaimed.
   “I believe that sound came from—“ Zane began.
   “Ah-CHIEE!”
   Jay turned and saw Lloyd wiping his nose. “Lloyd??”
   The green ninja looked embarrassed and sniffed. “I thig I’b allerdic to caths.”
   Everyone stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. “That was most adorable sneeze I’ve ever heard!” Nya exclaimed.
   “I’ve never heard you do that before!” Cole cried out.
   Lloyd glared at them through runny eyes. “Ha, ha, laugh ib ub. How ood you nike it if you sneesd nike dat everytibe you were arount a cat??”
   “I don’t know, but I sure like hearing you do it!” Kai laughed.
   “Hey, do you sneeze harder if the cat gets closer?” Jay grabbed Whiskers, (who squirmed and gave him a baleful look), and stepped over to Lloyd.
   Lloyd glared at him and stepped away. “Cud ib oud, Day, I—Ah-CHIEE! Ah-CHIEE! Ah-CHIEE!” Again and again he sneezed, each one sounding as if it came from a snuffly puppy or kitten. Everyone laughed even harder.
   “All right, all right, I think that’s quite enough.” Misako was chuckling, too, but she gently pried the irritated tabby from Jay’s grasp and set her down. Whiskers looked quite indignant and hopped onto a shelf, tail twitching angrily.
   “Come with me and I’ll give you something for that allergy.” The elderly woman placed a hand on her son’s shoulder and lead him to the kitchen. Lloyd tried to ignore the snickering behind him, and wished his cheeks would quit blushing from embarrassment.
   “Funny,” Misako murmured as they entered the little kitchen. “My sister had an allergy like that.”
   “You had a sidter?” Lloyd sniffed and looked at his mother, surprised.
   “Years ago.” Misako opened a cabinet and peered in. “We were best friends as children. She had the most awful allergy to cats. The skin around her eyes would get itchy, red, and swollen, and her nose would get stuffed up, like you.” She began rummaging about the contents inside.
   “Ith sthe sthill around? How comb I’b neber med her?” Lloyd asked, trying to breathe through his stuffed-up nose.
   Misako stopped for a few seconds. “She passed.” She turned and looked at him. “She was smashed when I was just your age.”