balance of light and darkness book one : emergence

chapter four : as iron sharpens iron, sibling sharpens sibling

written by : artisticninja

words : 3,366

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Lyla set the last few dishes down beside the sink, stepping back as she looked around the kitchen in satisfaction. Everything was much more tidy, and it hadn't taken her that long to do it. A small smile appeared on her face as she pushed back a stray piece of her blonde hair, glancing around the kitchen once more before she started to head outside to see her brother, who was likely still training.

When she came out into the monastery's courtyard, Lyla was surprised to see a training course of some kind set up. It hadn't been there before, and she was curious about where it had come from. It looked almost as if it could have come right out of the ground.

A loud thump, followed by a groan caught Lyla's attention, and she turned to see Cole laying on his back not far from where she was standing, with what appeared to be a scythe on top of him. She guessed that he had been attempting to run through the course, and had been thrown off of it. A small smile appeared on Lyla's face, as she did her best not to laugh at the sight of her brother.

"How's your training going so far?" She asked, walking over to Cole and offering him a hand. Her brother grumbled something under his breath, but accepted her hand, bringing the scythe with him as she pulled him to his feet a moment later.

"Thanks." Cole said, dusting himself off a bit as he straightened up. He looked around for a moment, before he looked back at his sister with a small smile. "It's going as good as it can, I guess. I feel like I'm failing at this stuff already. It's harder than it looks."

Lyla smiled, nodding in agreement. "Most things are, I suppose. But I'm sure you're not as bad a ninja as you think you are."

Cole shook his head, disagreeing, but he chose not to say anything. "Well, at least I'm better at this then dancing. But I've got a long way to go before you'll be able to call me a ninja. I don't know if I'll ever get through this thing, let alone before Sensei finishes his tea."

"Before Sensei Wu finishes his tea?" Lyla questioned, an amused look appearing on her face. "Was that his lesson for the day?" It was odd, she had to admit. Still, it sounded like something he would do. But looking at the training course, she wondered if it was even possible.

Cole nodded, frowning a little. "That was part of what he taught, the other half of the lesson was about learning patience. I've been training on this course for a while, but I just can't seem to make any progress. It gets a little frustrating after a while."

"Just keep trying." Lyla encouraged. "I know it seems hard now, but it should get easier the more you practice."

Cole shook his head. "You'd be saying something different if you were the one who had to do this." He said with a smile, teasing her. Then the smile on his face faded, and he looked thoughtful. "What if I'm not meant to be a ninja either? I don't want to let Sensei Wu down."

"Cole, as long as you try your best, you aren't letting him down." Lyla said softly. "Sensei Wu chose you for a reason, and I know he sees potential in you. He wouldn't just choose someone without potential to train as a ninja, and he didn't. He chose you."

Her brother sighed once, then nodded as he straightened up a little more. "Thanks, Lya." The smile returned to Cole's face after a moment, and he looked over at Lyla. "Do you want to watch me run through the course once?" He asked, the familiar sparkle returning to his brown eyes.

Lyla smiled, glad to see that her brother appeared to be feeling happier. "Sure, I'd love to watch you. That's why I came out here, anyway. I'm sure you're just dying to show off your new skills to someone." The last few words were said with a playful shove to his shoulder.

Cole was grinning now, and he leaned over to shove her shoulder in return. "Well, who else am I going to show off for? Sensei Wu would probably scold me if I tried it on him, and I don't see anyone else around here that I can impress. Just you."

"But I thought you were just talking about how bad a ninja you are. What skills do you even have to show off?" Lyla questioned with a smile, just teasing him. Their playful fighting brought back memories of wrestling and goofing off with him when they were younger.

Cole chuckled. He looked down at her with a mock glare, though he was still smiling. "I have lots of skills. More than you."

"Oh really?" Lyla said as she crossed her arms, pretending to be indignant. Her blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle as she looked up at her older brother, an idea forming in her mind. "Is that a challenge?"

"A challenge?" Cole repeated, as he looked down at her with a small smile. "What are you suggesting, Lyla?"

She smiled a little more, looking up at him. "Teach me some of your ninja stuff. Then I can fight you, and we can practice together. I want to at least learn some self defense moves while we're here, and it'll be fun to beat you in a fight one day."

"Beat me in a fight one day? I doubt it." Cole replied, shaking his head in amusement. He then glanced down at the scythe in his hands, before looking back at his sister thoughtfully. "But if you want, I can teach you some things. It might be fun. I don't know a lot yet, and I'm nowhere near as good at this stuff as Sensei Wu. Maybe you can ask him to help, if you're actually serious about this."

"Of course I'm serious." Lyla replied, looking back at him. "I may not be a ninja, but I can at least try to keep up with you."

Cole nodded, smiling a little. "I guess I can teach you a couple things. As long as Sensei doesn't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind." A voice from somewhere behind Lyla and Cole made them jump. Turning around, they saw Sensei Wu standing there in the courtyard behind them with a smile on his face, a bamboo staff in his hand. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"My father told me once that As iron sharpens iron, brother sharpens brother. He is correct. There are few people in life that can sharpen you, challenge you, shape the way you view things than a brother." He nodded to Lyla with a smile. "Or a sister."

Lyla nodded in agreement, looking over at Sensei Wu. His words made sense, and it made her think of her relationship with Cole. It also challenged her in a way, as his words gave her the sudden desire to help her brother to become the best person he could be.

Cole also appeared to be deep in thought, though he shook his head after a moment and turned his attention to the ninja master. "Does that mean I can teach her a couple things?" He asked. "When I'm not training, of course."

"As long as it doesn't interfere with your training, and you use that time to teach her things instead of just standing around and talking." Sensei Wu replied with a smile, looking between the two of them for a moment before his gaze settled on Cole again.

"Why don't you run through the training course once more, so I can see how far you've improved since this morning."

Cole nodded, though he did look a little nervous. "Alright, I'll try." Sensei Wu stepped back toward the doorway of the monastery with a nod, beckoning Lyla to follow him. She did, and the two of them sat down on the steps to watch Cole try the training course once again.

Lyla looked over at her brother, watching him go through a few of the obstacles. He seemed to be doing well for his first day of training, though he stumbled several times, lacking the grace and finesse of a ninja and looking more like the ninja in training that he was.

Eventually, Cole came to the same place he'd gotten stuck before, when Lyla had first come outside. She winced as he was thrown off again, tumbling clumsily into a heap by the doors leading out of the courtyard. Sensei Wu just sighed and shook his head, getting up.

He walked over to Cole, and Lyla quickly followed after him. She reached down to offer her brother a hand, but Sensei Wu stopped her with a gentle touch of his staff. Puzzled, Lyla withdrew her hand as her brother pulled himself to his feet with a soft groan.

"You still have much to learn." Sensei Wu said, looking at Cole. "However, since it is the first day I will go a little easier on you."

Cole sighed and hung his head, looking down at the floor of the courtyard. "Yes, Sensei. I'll keep trying."

"Good, that is all that I ask of you today." The ninja master responded. "A ninja never quits, but instead perseveres. This course is not the most difficult thing to master, even though it may appear so in the moment. It will help you to learn Spinjitzu, once you have mastered it."

Cole nodded, looking up from the floor after a moment. Lyla gave her brother a gentle smile, and he did his best to return it.

As Sensei Wu spoke again, they both turned their attention back to him. "You are doing well so far, keep up the good work. I will let you train for the rest of the day however you choose, and early tomorrow morning you will run through the course again."

"Thank you, Sensei." Cole said softly, giving the older man a respectful nod. Sensei Wu also nodded, before he turned and went back into the monastery once more, leaving the Brookstone siblings alone together in the courtyard.

"So, what now?" Lyla questioned, looking up at Cole. Her brother just shrugged in response, a tired look settling on his face. It had been a long day, and he'd done a lot. Though Lyla knew that there wasn't much she could do, she wanted to distract her brother from his gloomy thoughts.

She crossed the courtyard, eventually reaching the table with several weapons on it. After studying the various items there, Lyla selected a katana. She swung it a couple times, a small smile appearing on her face. She'd never held a weapon like this before.

After several experimental swings, Lyla headed back over to Cole. "How about we try and have a practice fight of some sort?"

Her brother looked down at her, a small smile spreading across his face. "Aren't you a little young to be holding that katana? I mean look at you, you aren't even holding it the right way. You should hold it with one hand, instead of two."

Lyla wasn't irritated by Cole's response, and smiled as she bit back a response about her not being too young. She glanced down at the weapon in her hand, and realized that what Cole had said might be true. The way she was holding it did look a little odd, so she switched to holding it in her right hand. The weight was something to get used to, but she assumed that came with practice.

"See, you're looking better already." Cole said, sounding rather pleased with himself. Lyla smiled as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, finding her brother's words amusing. But she remained quiet, letting him have a moment to feel like he'd done something worth commending.

Cole took several steps back, before gesturing to the weapon that Lyla was holding. "Give it a couple swings." He encouraged.

"I'll give it a try." Lyla responded, taking an extra step back just to be careful before she swung the katana a few times. It was hard at first, but it got easier. She was mesmerized by the sight of the blade cutting neatly through the air, and it excited her for reasons she couldn't explain.

Cole hummed in approval, watching Lyla with a small smile. "Not bad, especially for your first time. You just need some practice, that's all." He chuckled, then added: "It'll be a long time before you can ever get close to beating me in a fight."

That caused Lyla to smile, and she laughed softly before lowering the katana she was holding. "You sound too confident. You're the one who just failed epically on the training course." She was just teasing her brother, and it was worth the grin that had settled on his face.

"Hey, I never said I was perfect." Cole glanced at the scythe in his hands, then looked back at Lyla. "I do have a long way to go before I'll feel worthy enough to be called a ninja. For now, I'm just a ninja in training." His dark brown eyes almost seemed to twinkle in the light as he spoke.

"How about you teach me a couple things, before I head inside?" Cole's smile was infectious, and Lyla found herself smiling as she looked back at her older brother. "Maybe you should pick a different weapon though, I'm not sure how well I'd do against a scythe. How do you even fight with that thing?"

Cole laughed, as he tried to figure out if she was being serious or not. Then he shrugged, glancing down at the scythe once more before he looked back at Lyla. "This might sound silly, but it feels like this is the right weapon for me. I can't explain why, it just feels right."

Then he smiled again, shaking his head. "But don't worry, when we practice together I'll use something different. The last thing we want is you ending up hurt because I whacked you with a scythe."

"Good idea." Lyla responded, laughing softly. "I don't think Sensei Wu would appreciate it if I ended up getting hurt." She held out the katana, offering it to Cole. "Here, you can take this. There's another one on the table that I can grab."

Cole shook his head with a smile. "You can keep that one. I should probably put this scythe back over there anyway, so we don't trip on it or anything." Lyla nodded in agreement, and watched her brother cross the courtyard and make his way over to the table.

A moment later, Cole came back with a katana of his own. "Alright, let's get started. Like I said, I'm probably not going to be a great teacher. But I'll do my best, and I'll walk you through a couple things. You ready?" He questioned, moving into some sort of ready position.

Lyla smiled as she attempted to copy Cole's stance, holding the katana out in front of her. "I'm ready."

As Cole and Lyla began their lesson, Sensei Wu watched them from the doorway that led into the courtyard. The Brookstone siblings didn't see him standing there, nor did they see the small smile that had appeared on the older man's face as he observed them, saying softly: "As iron sharpens iron, sibling sharpens sibling."

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An hour or so passed as Cole and Lyla stayed together in the courtyard, but eventually they finished. Both of them sat down together on the monastery steps, exhaustion evident on their faces. They waited a moment to catch their breath before saying anything.

"Not too bad, for your first time." Cole said with a smile, glancing down at his sister as he spoke. "You kept up well, and you're a fast learner." He was proud of her, and impressed by the skills she'd shown. Even though she wasn't a ninja, she was certainly a good fighter.

Lyla beamed at the unexpected praise, and she looked up at her brother with a happy smile. "Thanks. You're a good teacher."

"Of course I am." Cole joked, giving her a teasing grin. "It was kind of fun, actually. Maybe I'll teach you more in the future. I haven't learned whatever fancy martial art that Sensei wants to teach me yet, the name of which I can't remember at the moment."

Cole's brow furrowed in confusion, as he struggled to recall the name of the martial art that had been mentioned earlier. Lyla chuckled softly at the expression on her brother's face, and he shook his head with a smile. "Maybe I'll just ask Sensei Wu about it later."

"Good idea." Lyla responded, putting a hand on Cole's shoulder as she pulled herself to her feet. She dusted herself off, before looking back at Cole. He stood with some effort, wincing slightly at the pain that came with the use of muscles he hadn't used in a long time.

Once he had gotten to his feet, Cole looked down at Lyla. He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning as his hand came in contact with his skin. Newly formed blisters made his hands sting, but he forced himself to ignore the pain. "Now what?"

Lyla tilted her head a bit, biting her lip as she thought for a moment. "Well, I think we should get some water." She glanced up at the sky, where the midday sun was beating down on them. "And I should probably get started on figuring out lunch."

At the thought of food, Cole suddenly realized how hungry he was. It had been a long morning, and all he'd eaten was a small breakfast. He licked his dry lips, suddenly wanting water more than anything else. "Sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll come with you."

"Alright." Lyla pushed back some wayward strands of blond hair that had come loose from her ponytail, before she turned and headed back into the monastery. Cole followed after her, sighing in relief as he stepped inside. It was cooler in the monastery, and it was still and peaceful.

As they made their way toward the kitchen, Cole couldn't help but wonder where Sensei Wu was. It seemed like the older man was always disappearing and reappearing, often when they would least expect it. He'd startled them both more than once.

Cole shrugged one shoulder, smiling to himself. He supposed they'd get used to Sensei Wu's strange behaviors eventually, and one day it would be perfectly normal for him to appear out of nowhere and greet them with something random, like-

"Hello Cole, Lyla. I was just about to come find you." Cole nearly jumped out of his skin as they rounded a corner of the hallway and came to the kitchen, where Sensei Wu was standing silently in the doorway. He had given them absolutely no indication of his presence.

Recovering quickly from his surprise, Cole gave the older man a small smile. "Hello Sensei. We were just finishing up a few things."

"I see." Sensei Wu said, returning the smile. He stepped back to motion toward the table, where things were set up for lunch. "I hope that you both are hungry, I took the time to prepare a meal. There are some things I would like to discuss with you as we eat."

Cole glanced at Lyla curiously, and her expression mirrored his as she glanced at him. Then she looked back at the ninja master, a small smile on her face. "Thank you for getting things ready." Cole nodded in agreement, and the two of them quickly washed their hands before they took a seat at the table.

Sensei Wu was quiet for the first few minutes, letting Cole and Lyla eat before he spoke. Eventually, he leaned forward a little as he fixed his gentle blue eyes on Cole. "Are you ready to hear the legend of how Ninjago was created? And to know the reason that I have chosen you as my student to train in the art of Spinjitzu?"

Cole blinked once in surprise, but found himself suddenly eager to hear what Sensei Wu had to say. He almost felt like whatever it was, whatever words the ninja master spoke, had the power to change his life forever. He leaned forward a little as he spoke, his dark brown eyes meeting the older man's blue ones. "I'm ready."

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 Hope this chapter didn't seem too long! I'm trying to increase the length of my chapters, so there aren't quite as many and they are hopefully easier to read and keep track of. There are a lot of big things coming up in the next few chapters, and Cole and Lyla will get to meet the other ninja soon! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the chapter, or if you have any thoughts or questions about the story. Thank you all for reading! 

~ ArtisticNinja <3