cole and lyla are finally able to choose their own path, and are beginning to figure out where they fit in the world, and where their place is in all of this, which is super exciting! they're setting off on their journey now, and they'll soon have the chance to make some new friends and to go on more crazy adventures. i have so much planned for this story, and there's a ton of things that i'm looking forward to writing and sharing with all of you! i know that there will be a lot of chapters that don't have a lot of action in them, and may just seem like filler chapters, but again, my goal is to explore the different personalities that each of the characters have over the several years of their life that the show covers. if you're looking for a simple copy-and-paste of the show's script sort of fanfic, then this story is not for you! there is a much bigger focus on the characters and on their lives, not just on the events we see in the show.

trigger warnings : none

words : 2,675

quick author's note: it's been quite a while since the last update, and i apologize for that. hopefully this chapter makes up for it, as well as the assurance that i am doing my best to finish edits and get the rest of the previously posted chapters out as soon as i can. thank you for your patience!

also: if you look carefully, you will notice that i referenced/sort of laid the groundwork for an introduction to a newer 'emergence' oc  in the previous chapter! they'll end up appearing later on in the story, though when exactly that will be is yet to be revealed. (:

chapter three : no turning back

As the sun began to set beyond the nearby mountains, it bathed the monastery in its gentle orange light. A few sunbeams made their way through the window and into the kitchen, where Cole and Lyla were hanging out together. After giving them their tour, Sensei Wu had gone to his room to meditate, and gave them permission to make themselves something to eat.

After living at the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts for the last few days, Lyla realized just how much she had missed the quiet and peacefulness that was rare to find in a building filled with hundreds of students. She was grateful to have the chance to be here at the monastery, and felt that they were beginning to settle into their new home well.

Once they had reached the monastery kitchen Lyla made a mental inventory of what was in stock, before she began to get things ready for a meal. Cole settled into his normal place beside the stove, leaning against one of the walls as he watched his sister cook. He didn't get in her way, and she was surprised by how normal this felt.

It hadn't been that long since they'd been back at their house on a night like this, her cooking dinner and him keeping her company as they talked together about their day. She'd missed it so much. It was nice to be settling back into some semblance of their former routines, after their lives had been turned upside down unexpectedly. But things were better now.

"So, how much longer until the food will be ready?" Cole's question pulled Lyla out of her thoughts and back to the present. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked up from the soup she was stirring, turning to glance at her brother in amusement.

"Five minutes less than the last time you asked me." Lyla responded with a chuckle. Cole loved food, and seemed to almost always be hungry. The funny thing was, he was one of the worst cooks that she knew. She'd learned to cook from a very young age, and the thought of being able to eat something besides her brother's food could have been the only inspiration she needed to learn.

Cole smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over at her. "Sorry, I guess I'm just pretty hungry. I guess I'm a little worn out from all the traveling and stuff we did earlier. Plus, we've been up since before sunrise."

"It's been a long day." Lyla hunted around in the silverware drawer, eventually finding a spoon. She dipped it into the soup before carefully passing it to her brother for him to taste. Cole accepted the spoon, not even bothering to wait for it to cool before he put it into his mouth.

Immediately he winced, his eyes shutting for a moment as the hot broth stung his tongue and throat. "It's good..." Cole managed to mumble, a pained expression on his face. Lyla laughed softly despite herself, and he gave her a look of indignation.

"That stuff is pretty hot. You could have at least warned me." He didn't sound mad though, perhaps mildly amused at his own actions.

Lyla smiled as she grabbed another spoon and put a small bit of soup onto it, being sure to blow on it carefully and wait for a moment before she tried any. "Maybe I would have warned you if you'd given me time to. You just stuck the spoon in your mouth as soon as I gave it to you."

Cole chuckled softly, stepping around Lyla to put his spoon beside the sink. "What can I say? I love your cooking."

Lyla smiled at the compliment, thanking her brother as she began grabbing several bowls from one of the cupboards. She set them down on the small wooden table that was near the window, and turned back to the stove to give the soup a final stir. "I think we're ready to eat."

Cole hummed in approval at her announcement, and carried the bowls back over to the stove. "Do you think Sensei Wu will be joining us?" He questioned, his thoughts wandering to the ninja master. Lyla just shrugged one shoulder in response.

"I'm not really sure, but I did set a place at the table for him." She replied, beginning to ladle the soup into her bowl. Cole was waiting behind her, and when Lyla had finished he ladled a generous helping of soup into his own bowl before he sat down beside her at the table.

For a moment things were quiet, as the two siblings began eating. A comfortable silence settled between them, which was only broken as Sensei Wu walked into the kitchen. He greeted the Brookstone siblings with a cheerful hello, thanking Lyla for dinner before he sat down to eat with them. They talked a little during the meal but for the most part they were silent, just enjoying each other's company. It was hard to tell who was enjoying it more.

Lyla settled into her bed with a small sigh, closing her eyes. She could hear Cole shifting in his bed nearby, his movements one of the only sounds that could be heard. There was a soft breeze blowing, and crickets could be heard outside. All the sounds combined were soothing, and reminded Lyla of their home. She was pretty tired after a long day, and knew it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep.

As Lyla changed positions to lay on her side, she could still hear Cole shifting in his bed. He sounded restless. So she went back to laying on her other side, looking out into the darkness to see if she could see her brother resting in his bed on the other side of the room.

"Cole? Are you alright?" Lyla asked softly. "It's getting late and you have training tomorrow, you should try to get some sleep."

Her brother sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm tired, but I just can't seem to fall asleep." He admitted. "I think I'm nervous about training tomorrow, but I'm not even sure why. I don't think it'll be that bad, and Sensei Wu seems like he'll be a good teacher."

Lyla nodded, understanding. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Sensei Wu seems to think so, and I know that you will. Besides, we've come all this way. We can't turn back now, and I know for sure that you'd rather be here then stuck at a performing arts school."

Cole smiled a little, even though she couldn't see it in the darkness. "I guess you're right. To be honest, I'm still kind of surprised that we were able to leave the school and come here, even though I only told you about it yesterday. It seems like it's been longer than that, I guess I'm still kind of in shock. Thank you for being willing to come with me, especially on such short notice. It means a lot."

"I wouldn't just let you go by yourself. You're my brother, and I want to stay with you. No matter what." Lyla said with a smile.

"Thanks, Lya." Cole replied softly. "I'm planning to stay with you, too. We've looked out for each other for so long, and I'm grateful for that. I wouldn't have been able to get through everything if it hadn't been for you. Honestly."

"I wouldn't have been able to get through things without you, either. I'm thankful to have you as my older brother." Lyla said, before she sighed quietly. "As much as I would love to keep talking, we really should get some sleep. Don't worry about training tomorrow, I know you'll do great."

Cole smiled once more, rolling onto his side. "Thanks. Goodnight, Lya. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Cole." Lyla replied. She closed her eyes once more, yawning softly. A few minutes later, both of them had fallen asleep. They slept better than they had in a long time, and when they woke up early the next morning they were refreshed and ready for the day.

Cole woke up early the next morning, so that he would be awake and ready to train whenever Sensei Wu was ready. He and Lyla both got up and headed off to find something to eat. They were having a small breakfast in the kitchen when Sensei Wu entered the room.

"Good morning." He greeted them cheerfully. "Cole, as soon as you are finished here, I want you to meet me out in the courtyard."

Cole nodded, smiling a little as he looked at the ninja master. "I'll be there in no more than five minutes."

"Excellent." Sensei Wu responded. Instead of heading out to the courtyard like they'd expected, or even getting something to eat, he went over to the stove and began to prepare a pot of tea. He remained silent as he did so, appearing to be lost in thought.

When Cole glanced at her with a curious look, Lyla just shrugged. She got up from her chair, starting to tidy up the things that were on the table. "I can clean up in here, if you want to get a head start on training." She offered. "I'll come and watch you whenever I'm done."

"Alright, thanks." Cole said as he hopped up to put his dishes next to the sink. "I'll help with lunch clean-up."

Lyla nodded, smiling softly as she looked over at her brother. "That works. Good luck with training."

If she had looked over at Sensei Wu she would have seen the knowing smile on his face, but she was busy beginning to tidy up the small kitchen. Cole thanked her before he headed out to the courtyard, the ninja master following him after a moment.

Sensei Wu brought with him the teapot and a cup, as well as a napkin and a bowl of sugar cubes that he carried out on a wooden tray. Lyla shook her head in amusement, wondering if the ninja master carried tea with him wherever he went. He seemed to enjoy it, or at least made drinking it several times a day one of his top priorities.

Lyla smiled a little as she continued to clean the kitchen. Since it had just been her and Cole eating a small breakfast, there wasn't much to clean up. She cleared and wiped the small table, then started washing the dishes as she hummed quietly to herself.

As she worked, Lyla glanced out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother as he began training. But from the kitchen window, you could look out over the countryside, and not into the courtyard. So she went back to cleaning, confident that her brother was doing fine.

Once they got outside, Cole was expecting to see equipment of some sort. But instead, the courtyard appeared to be empty. He turned to Sensei Wu in confusion, a small frown appearing on his face. "Uh... Sensei?" He questioned. "Where do I train? I don't see any equipment or anything."

Sensei Wu smiled, setting down his tray of tea supplies before he made his way across the courtyard. "Patience, Cole. Not everything is as it may appear." He came to a stop beside a dragon statue and tapped the head of it, which popped up to reveal a secret red button.

As Cole watched in curiosity and amazement, Sensei Wu pressed the button and immediately the courtyard began to transform right in front of them. Training equipment rose up from the ground, and it was a fairly elaborate course, though the design of it was simple.

Sensei Wu began to walk back across the courtyard, a small smile still present on his face as Cole looked around in amazement. "Your training begins now." He announced. "Your first exercise is to complete the training course before I finish my tea."

After he finished speaking, Sensei Wu sat down on the steps that lead out of the monastery and into the courtyard, beginning to pour himself a cup of tea. Cole glanced back at the training course uncertainly, then at the ninja master with a confused look.

He was just about to ask Sensei Wu a question, when the older man set his teacup down on the tray, finished. The ninja master stood up with a small sigh, gathering his things together. "Today you failed." He said simply. "You may try the course again tomorrow."

Cole frowned, staring at him in surprise and confusion. "I didn't even start the course today. Can't I try again?"

Sensei Wu shook his head, looking over at Cole. "Not today. You are welcome to practice your other skills, though. Tomorrow, you will try again. You may use the training course during practice if you like, and there are several weapons over there that you are also allowed to use."

With those words, he turned and headed back into the monastery. Cole followed after him. "Wait!" He called, and Sensei Wu came to a stop, looking at him intently. "Is that it?" Cole questioned. "Aren't you going to teach me anything else? I thought you were going to train me."

A small smile appeared on Sensei Wu's face. "I'm afraid that you are missing the point of today's lesson."

Cole tilted his head, looking at the ninja master in confusion. "What lesson? I thought I failed?"

"You failed to complete the training course in time. But what you have really failed to do is see what I have been trying to teach you. Being a ninja requires many things. Strength is one of them. I believe you already have that. Agility is another."

Sensei Wu looked at Cole thoughtfully, a gentle smile still on his face. "One of the biggest skills that is important for a ninja to develop is patience. You must keep working at the things you struggle with, in hope that today's failures will one day become tomorrow's triumphs."

Cole nodded, once more surprised by Sensei Wu's wisdom. "Yes, Master." He bowed at the waist respectfully, giving the older man a small smile as he straightened up. "I'll do some training, and try the course again tomorrow. Thank you for training me today."

"Of course." Sensei Wu replied, returning the smile. "It's always a pleasure to teach someone so eager to learn. You are a very gifted person, Cole, and I know that you will become a great ninja one day. You possess the qualities of an excellent leader, and perhaps one day it is I who will learn something from you."

Cole was caught off guard by the unexpected praise, and humbled by the ninja master's words. "Thank you. That means a lot." He said softly.

"Of course. I wish you luck as you continue your training." Sensei Wu replied, giving him a gentle smile before he turned and began to head back into the monastery. Cole turned back to the courtyard with renewed vigor, determined to make the ninja master proud.

In a corner of the courtyard he found a small table with several small pieces of armor on it, as well as a few different weapons. There were several swords and katanas, as well as a pair of shurikens and a pair of nunchucks. But the weapon that most caught his attention was a scythe.

Cole picked up the scythe with a small smile, passing it back and forth as he adjusted to the feeling of holding the weapon in his hands. He guessed that it must weigh more than the others weapons, but it seemed like it was a good weight for him.

He gave it an experimental swing, a wide grin appearing on his face as it sliced through the air. Cole gripped the scythe in his hands and turned to face the training course once more. He was prepared to try, and he was prepared to fail. But he wasn't going to give up.