Cole watched Zane carefully. The Master of Ice was prepping himself mentally for their spar, which meant he could act at any second. Cole readied his powers, lifting his fists slightly and feeling the ground beneath his feet hum in response. Zane suddenly thrust his hand forward, ice shooting from his palm. Cole yelped and dodged, avoiding the shard easily and counter-attacking with his own flair. With a sweep of his hands, he sent a path of rocks pushing up from the ground, heading towards Zane with alarming speed. Zane dodged and rushed towards Cole, and Cole grunted as he collided with him.

Regaining his posture, Cole pushed him away.

Zane skidded back some, but grabbed ahold of Cole's wrists, grunting as he pushed against him. Cole grinned. He was sure to win now. He pushed gently, and Zane was pushed back another foot.

Zane tried to push harder against him, and Cole matched him easily. He pushed him back more, then yelped as Zane stopped pushing against him. He fell on his stomach, the breath knocked out of him momentarily as rage swelled in him. Really, Cole? How could you fall for a move as simple as that?!?

He heard Kai burst out in laughter, and he rolled onto his back, his expression sour.

"Wow, that was great," Kai said as he leaned over Cole, casting a shadow over him. "Where'd you learn that move? Rocky's Road For Lovebirds?"

Cole wrinkled his nose. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You definitely would have won had you been focused on the battle," Zane said. "You'd have seen the move coming."

"I was focused on the battle," Cole protested, holding up his hand for his team members to pull him up.

"Obviously not," Kai chuckled. "Don't blame you for mooning over Jay's cousin though. She seems pretty cool so far."

Cole glanced around sharply. "Shut up! Don't let Jay hear you say that. You saw how angry he was yesterday. And I'm not mooning."

Zane watched him for a few moments. "Based on your elevated heart rate and distraction level, I'd say you are, by definition, mooning."

Cole rolled his eyes. "Would you guys mind, I don't know, maybe not ruining my life for a while? You saw how horribly it went with Nya. I'm done with love, guys."

"No one said anything about love." Kai crossed his arms and grinned, clearly enjoying toying with him.

Cole groaned. "Just stop, okay? Please, I can't-"

"Ninja! Emergency meeting, now!"

Cole turned, relieved when he spotted Sensei Wu waving them over. He and the other two ninja raced over, following him inside.

"Nya has received a transmission from Cyrus Borg," Wu explained. "Someone was trying to steal the golden armor. They failed, but he's worried they'll try again."

"How did they get past the defenses?" Lloyd asked.

"He doesn't know. That's why he requested you six."

Cole heard Zane ask hesitantly. "Sensei, what would happen if someone were to steal the golden armor?"

Wu's face darkened. "That person would unleash unspeakable power."

"Not again!" Cole held back a sigh as Jay complained. "Why can't it release a bunch of bunnies? Or make a giant cake?"

Sensei glared at Jay and whacked him with his staff, speaking sharply to him. "It does not matter. You're to go on dragon back immediately."

"Yes Sensei." Cole said, his voice melding with the other ninja's. Cole started racing out with them, but stopped when he heard Wu call him. He turned and trotted back, confused. "Yes, Sensei?"

His mentor was looking at him intently, and for the first time that morning Cole saw Destiny. He swallowed slightly and tried to ignore his heart, which immediately started beating faster. "Your dragon has deepstone on her, correct?"

Cole hesitated before answering. "Yes, she does."

Wu's face crinkled in amusement. "Good. You will have to take Destiny on your dragon because deepstone helps control her power. And because she doesn't have her dragon."

Cole saw Destiny looking at Wu with an annoyed face, and he protested for her sake. "Sensei, I'm not sure if that's the best idea, especially right now-"

"You are the only one who has a dragon she won't fall through, and the other ninja have left already." Wu said.

Cole winced slightly as Destiny interjected. "I could stay. They probably don't need me for this."

Sensei glared at her, disappointment evident in his face. "No! Borg asked for the six of you, and you need to get used to dragon flight."

"Yes Sensei." She said.

Cole couldn't help but feel relieved that she'd agreed. And, he admitted to the smallest part of himself, he was glad that he'd get to spend a bit more time with her. He turned and grinned at Destiny. "Try to keep up," he said before racing off. He glanced behind him to make sure she was following, letting out a silent breath of relief when he saw her right on his heels. He saw the cliff coming and grinned, pushing himself to run faster right before he dove off of the cliff. He took a second to fall, appreciating the feeling of the air rushing around him. Then he sharpened his focus, and felt his energy dragon manifesting beneath him. Suddenly, instead of falling, he was flying, and he smiled widely. He steered Slate back up the cliff and had her land. He caught a glimpse of Destiny's astonished face and had to hold back a pleased laugh.

"Destiny," he told her, "This is Slate." He reached one of his arms down. "Care for a ride?"

He waited as he saw her hesitate. Technically he knew she didn't really have a choice, due to orders from Sensei, but for a moment he was worried she'd back out completely. And then she took his hand, and his stomach flipped upside down as he hauled her up to sit comfortably behind him.

He felt a small burst of happiness as he heard her murmur, "Hello, Slate."

"I think she likes you," Cole told her with a chuckle. "Are you ready?"

He jumped slightly as he felt her wrap her arms around his waist. Slate twitched, and he straightened the reins quickly, fidgeting with them for a moment as Destiny said, "Don't drop me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Cole replied, then took a breath, suddenly nervous as he ordered Slate to take off. She obeyed, plunging swiftly down the cliff. Cole felt the wind whip around his face as she plunged, and he grinned. Suddenly he felt Destiny tighten her grip and press her face into his shoulder, and he jerked, surprised. Slate responded wildly, and Cole floundered to regain control of her as she started to spin.

He heard Destiny's voice, a quiet, "Please make it stop," which confused him even more, as he knew her words couldn't have been more than a whisper and the wind should have whipped them away anyways. But he finally managed to level his dragon out, white-knuckling the reins.

"I'm so sorry," he called back to Destiny. "Dragons are really super-sensitive."

Her grip on him relaxed, and he felt himself breathing easier, although his heart was hammering in his chest. He heard her say, "I'm sorry." He nodded to acknowledge her apology. He saw the other ninja in the distance and ordered Slate towards them. After a few seconds, he heard Destiny tell him that she was letting go, and he grew confused for a moment before he felt coldness where her hands used to be. He pushed away the pang of disappointment he felt and focused on keeping Slate steady for Destiny's sake. He saw Jay's scowl as he approached them, and he tried not to visibly react. Jay would have to deal with him following Sensei's orders; that, Cole knew, was something he wouldn't argue with.

Kai flew his dragon in next to Slate, grinning. "So that's what took you so long."

Cole shook his head, giving Kai a warning glare. "It was Sensei's orders. Are we going to get to the golden armor today or not?"

"Sure," Lloyd called. "We were just waiting for you guys to decide to show up before we went."

"Well, we're here now," Cole snapped mildly. "Lead the way."

Lloyd grinned and dropped down, the other three ninja following swiftly. Cole glanced back to make sure Destiny was prepared before lifting the reins. Slate responded smoothly, gliding downward at a controlled rate. She landed softly, and Cole watched as the other ninja jumped from dragonback, each of their dragons fading quickly from view. Cole turned around, opening his mouth to tell Destiny to hop off, when he was startled to see nothing there. He glanced about, then saw her trotting off towards the ninja. He held back a sigh. Not even gonna say thank you. Don't blame her, though.

He leaned forward and pet Slate momentarily before half-sliding, half-jumping from her back. He felt his energy instinctively fluctuate, and she faded from physical manifestation. Cole ran after Destiny, meeting up with his fellows.

"Borg said to meet him here," Lloyd told them. "He said the raid failed, but I'd still like for us to be on our guard."

"Got it," Cole answered. He reached back and slid his hood over his head, watching as the other boys did the same. Destiny pulled hers on after seeing the others, and Cole couldn't help but smile a bit. Just then a twig snapped, and he started, whirling around as his hands rushed upward, automatically curling into fists. He was so startled that he accidentally summoned a rock spike up through the ground, and he yelped slightly, jumping away from it and into Destiny. He twisted and flinched, guilty that he knocked into her. He gasped slightly and grunted as she punched him square in his chest, and he retaliated automatically, grabbing her arm in his hand. Her eyes widened, and he released her, knowing she'd recognized him. He turned away from her with a small sigh.

Kai gave a nervous laugh. "Chill, guys, it's just Cyrus Borg."

Cole glared at him, then was nudged aside by Lloyd passing through them. He followed behind Zane as they walked over.

"Ah, good, you got my message." Borg said, smiling. "No time for formalities, I'm afraid. Although I do see what appears to be a purple ninja?"

"Yes, and-" Lloyd started.

"What might your power be, my dear? I happen to be quite skilled in machinery, and have made many vehicles and mechs for the ninja. Knowing your power will help in my design choices. For future reference, of course." Borg told her eagerly.

Destiny looked confused, but she answered haltingly, "Um, Density?"

Cole raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I guess that does make sense, but it's weird to hear her say it.

"Yes, anyways, back to the topic," Lloyd said in his no-nonsense tone, "You called us."

"Yes! Someone tried to steal the golden armor."

"Isn't this place where the decoy is, though?"

"Sh! Don't say it so loudly," Borg scolded. "I called you to do a sweep of the area. I want to be sure that whoever was here is gone so I can properly update and fix the security systems. That, and I don't want the decoy to be compromised."

"We'll spread out and have a look." Lloyd sighed, then turned to face them. "You have your orders, ninja. Check the area and meet back here. Call for backup if you need it."

Cole walked back to the meetup place, sighing softly. He could help but wish there had been some action. His nerves had finally calmed after his flight with Destiny, and he'd been able to search effectively. However, the area he was in didn't have the slightest clue of who might have tripped the security system.

As he neared Borg, he saw that all the other ninja were already there, making him the last to return. They were all gathered around Lloyd, who had a worried look on his face.

Cole felt a stab of anxiety. He trotted up to the ninja quickly, and asked, "Lloyd, are you okay?"

The Green ninja blinked and looked at him strangely, as though waking up from a dream.

Zane reached forward and gently took something from the young blonde's hand. He showed what ended up being a piece of white and red fur to Cole. "He found this in the forest where he was patrolling."

Cole took it and frowned. "It looks familiar."

"It's Akita's," Lloyd said, taking it back from him quickly.

Kai frowned. "You can't be sure of that. How would she have come here, all the way from the Never-Realm?"

"We came back," Lloyd pointed out hotly. "Why couldn't she follow us?"

"She stayed there to be with her brother and the rest of the Formlings, Lloyd. You know that." Kai told him softly.

Their leader shut his eyes tight and turned away. "Stop it! Everyone gear up, we're heading back home. Now."

Cole exchanged a glance with the other ninja, worried for Lloyd. He glanced at Destiny and saw that she was confused. He sighed and motioned for her to follow him out to the clearing, while the other ninja idled around.

When he reached it, he closed his eyes for a moment and thrust out his hands, feeling energy surge through his arms. He opened his eyes and smiled as he saw Slate. He reached out his hand, and she lowered her head to allow him to pet her. He turned around to face Destiny while stroking his dragon. "I bet you're wondering about Akita, huh?"

"That, and a great many other things." Destiny said.

He gave a slight sigh. "Well, Akita is kind of Lloyd's girlfriend, I guess you could say? Ah, not officially or anything, but they both like each other. Thing is, she lives in a distant realm we visited a little while ago, called the Never-Realm. No one, save us, has ever come back from there."

"No one?" Destiny was quiet for a moment, tilting her head at him. "If no one has ever come back, how would Akita? And since I now know this is a person we're talking about, does she have red and white hair?"

"She knows how we got back. It's just some berries that we, or I, I guess you could say, found from a Traveler's Tree, which grows only in the Never-Realm. And she's actually not a human. She's a Formling." He explained.

"Oh, that explains the hair."

He grinned a bit as he heard her mirroring his tone, as he thought it was sort of cute. In a definite, I'm-not-into-you sort of way. "Any other questions?" he asked, keeping his thoughts and denials to himself.

She smirked at him, and he felt his stomach clench as his dream of Nya flashed in his mind. "Nope," she said.

He nodded, his knees feeling suddenly weak. He opened his mouth to reply when he heard Kai from a distance saying, "Just listen to me! I'm not saying she can't have made it here. I'm just saying it's really unlikely- Lloyd, wait!"

Cole turned to look in Kai's direction and saw the young blonde running away. The Green ninja jumped, manifested his energy dragon, and sped away without a word.

Kai stopped running and groaned, then looked to Cole. "I was just trying to help..." he explained feebly.

The Earth ninja sighed and nodded, glancing up. "Guess it's time to go."

He watched as Destiny looked at Slate, hesitated, and then sighed.

He frowned slightly and walked over to her, standing just behind her right shoulder. He reached forward hesitantly, then dropped his hand. "Uh, something wrong?" he asked.

She jumped. "No, yes, I mean, ah, it's complicated."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, could I help, maybe?"

"I don't know how I should ride," Destiny admitted, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, is that all?" Cole asked. "I can definitely help with that." He jumped up and held onto Slate's side so he was hanging from her. He reached down. "Let me help you up. Did you know I was once afraid of dragons?"

"I'm just scared of flying on them." She took his hand, and he felt his heart rate increase.

He pulled her up with ease and tossed her up onto Slate's back. "You don't have to be," he consoled her, climbing up to join her. He sat in the lead seat, but turned to face Destiny. He smiled warmly at her and felt his face soften as he gazed at her. "Even if you did somehow manage to fall, I'd catch you. I promise."

"I know you would. I'd just rather not make you," she said, smiling back.

He knew he probably looked like Jay staring at Nya, but he couldn't help smiling at Destiny. "It wouldn't be a problem."

She laughed, and he felt his face redden slightly. A whistle made him jump, and he heard Kai calling to him. "Nice catch, Cole!"

He felt his face redden even more as he whipped his head around and glared as hard as he could at the Master of Fire. "Shut up!" He yelled between his teeth.

Kai laughed. "Just saying-"

"Well, you don't have to!" Cole interrupted him. "I told you, I'm done with-..." he trailed off and glanced at Destiny, remembering her presence amidst his rage. "I'm done with you-know-what."

"Um, done with what?" Destiny asked, and Cole felt his face heating up even more. He was sure he must be very red, and he looked at Kai as if to say, "See what you've gotten me into!"

He stuttered a bit, looking back at Destiny. "Oh, nothing, I-"

"Love," Kai called up to Destiny.

Cole tensed up all of his muscles in an attempt to either not launch himself at Kai to strangle him, die of embarrassment, or both.

"I'm sorry, what? I couldn't hear you." Destiny said, looking down at Kai. He noticed her cheeks flush slightly, and he wondered why.

"He was joking, anyways, Destiny, don't worry about it." Cole muttered, looking at Kai.

The Master of Fire shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, don't pay any mind to me. I like to make my own fun half of the time."

"How should I ride?" Destiny asked, turning back to him.

Cole stifled a sigh and turned so he was facing the right direction on Slate. "You can hold onto my shoulders, if you want," he told her, trying to calm down and regretting the fact that he'd been wasting his energy on Slate. He felt drained now, but he knew he could make it back as long as he focused. "That's usually how a passenger would ride."

He felt her place her hands on his shoulders, and he tried to steady his breathing. "Thank you for taking me earlier, and now," Destiny's voice reached him.

"You're welcome," he told her, trying to put emotion into his voice but being too tired to do so. He could feel himself drooping, and knew his muscles would be shaky soon. He hesitated, then told her, "It's probably best we take off now. Sorry if I seem to ignore you or something. I won't be trying to."

"I understand, don't let me stop you." She replied softly.

Cole took a breath and had Slate take off. He heard Kai summon his dragon behind him, and saw Jay fly up past him. Cole tried to focus on the reins and ordered Slate to speed up, taking the lead back to the monastery.

By the time he could see the mountain he so easily could climb, his arms and legs were trembling and his back was sore. He gritted his teeth as he approached, hoping his focus wouldn't snap.

Slate landed heavily, and Cole gripped the reins tightly. A second later, she disappeared from underneath him and he fell, attempting to twist to land on his back. He only got halfway there and landed hard on his shoulder, and he let out a grunt of mixed pain and exhaustion.

"Cole!" He faintly heard Destiny say his name.

He closed his eyes, not being able to reply, and breathed deeply for a few moments.

"He's okay," the muffled voice of Zane reached him.

He let his muscles relax, and his ears started ringing, drowning out anything else someone might have said.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, but finally he felt strength wash over him, and he opened his eyes and sat up slowly, wincing as the muscles in his back protested. He blinked and his eyes adjusted, and he saw Zane and Kai standing a few feet away, while Destiny was kneeling beside him.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, peering at him.

"Yes, I'm okay," the Earth ninja told her, heaving a sigh and looking over at Zane. "Help me up?"

The Nindroid took a few steps closer to him and reached down, helping to haul Cole to his feet. He stumbled slightly, off-balance, and then nodded his thanks to Zane. Stifling a yawn, he glanced over at Kai. "Lloyd?" He asked, suddenly worried about his leader.

The hothead shrugged. "I'm not sure. We didn't exactly have any time to look for him before you passed out."

Cole sighed. "Well, I'm going to lay down for awhile," he mumbled. "Get me if anything important happens."

Zane nodded. "We will."

He gave a tired smile and headed inside, moving blindly through the hallways until he reached the sleeping quarters. He collapsed on his bed and, after a quick rush of thankful relief to his teammates, fell promptly asleep.