Misty creaked her bedroom door opened just enough to poke her head outside and looked into the hallway, she looked left and right and right and then left.

When she saw or more like didn't see what she was looking out for, she gave a sigh of relief and clutched her towel, change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and condition, soap, and hairbrush, close to her chest and tipped toed out into the hallway, she snuck down the hallway and reached out her hand too open the bathroom door and tried to do it very very quietly. Only to hear a voice say, " He's not here Misty you can relax, and stop trying to sneak around,"

Misty jumped about twenty feet in the air dropping one of the bottles had been holding, she turned and looked to where the voice had come from. She watched as the bottle rolled and then hit something and was picked up.

"Cherry Blossom Bodywash...," The same voice said reading the label, it sounded bored but then added, "I always wondered how you smelled liked Sakura Blossoms."

"Oh, give me that!" Misty hissed and snatched the bottle from Cole's hand, adding it back to her pile. She then bit her lip and looked around nervously and said, "Where is he?"

"He left earlier this morning he had to fly all the way across Ninjago to receive another award," Cole answered and then yawned

"Um.. did you sleep out in the hallway last night?" Misty said as she peered at Cole.

"Why do you say that?" Cole said

"I could hear you snoring last night... and you're still in your pajamas and not the ninja kind," Misty said smirking

Cole scoffed but then smirked and said, "Lloyd did want to talk to you before he left,"

Misty stopped smirking after hearing this, as Cole continued "I saw him stop outside your door, he was going to knock on it so he could speak, with you but then thought better of it, he left you a noted in the kitchen though,"

"Really? I'll need to go get it then before Jay does..." Misty sighed

"Oh, no need I got," Cole said and then pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

"Cole! Give me the letter!" Misty snapped, glaring at Cole "Now!"

"Oh, I wanted to read it too though," Cole said chuckling

"You can't, that letter is for me!" Misty snapped

Cole then tossed Misty the letter and turned his back and started walking back toward his room but also said, "May I though suggest the number four at Master Chen's Noodle house."

"Sure but why?" Misty said and she placed the things she had in her arms down and started opening the letter.

"Because the letter says he wanted to have dinner with you there when he got back tonight to discuss your guy's friendship, that seemed to be slipping,"

"I can't believe you read it!" Misty shouted and the bent down and picked up her hairbrush and threw it at Cole's departing form.

It smacked into Cole's head, and Misty shouted, "Why can't you just mind your own business, I don't get why have you been so weird about it!" and she bent down to reach back into her pile of things to grab something else to chuck at Cole... but as she was starting to straighten again she came face to face with Cole who was holding her hairbrush and said, "You're right I have been acting weird, and there's no point in me doing so... it's not like it's going to change anything... but you've been acting weird too, sneaking around early in the morning to take a shower and get ready so you can get to the Academy faster just to avoid him? Seems a little much..."

"Maybe I just want to get to the Academy early because I love my job as a teacher. Misty said smiling

Cole raised a skeptical eyebrow and said, "You expect me to actually believe that none of us like our job at the Academy,"

Misty sighed and said, "It was worth a shot though right?"

Cole shrugged but said, "I'm beginning serious though you should totally get the number four, and maybe actually wear something nice tonight,"

"And I'm taking fashion advice from a person that only ever wears black," Misty said scoffing

"I might only ever wear black but I'm also still a guy, just wear something nice, don't do what you've been doing," Cole said

"And what do you mean by that?" Misty snapped

"You've avoided the poor guy ever since he saved Ninjago!" Cole said and shook his head, "Lloyd's afraid you're mad at him."

"And why one earth would I be angry at him?!" Misty snorted

"Because he got all the credit for saving Ninjago! Even though you sacrificed so much, he's been asking us during the night if he could possibly do anything to make it up to you." Cole said

"Oh, let me guess it was Jay who said a date would be perfect," Misty scowled and then added sarcastically, "I'm sure Lloyd was so happy about that idea," and she rolled her eyes.

"Actually, Lloyd seemed perfectly fine with it, he was just concerned you wouldn't be comfortable with it," Cole said smirking

Misty's face turned bright red, she looked away and said, "I can't go tonight... you'll have to tell Lloyd I'm busy,"

"With what? Hiding out in your room again?" Cole shot back

"N-no! I have to take care of Shine... she's not feeling well... and she.. she broke a talon yesterday..." Misty said

"Excuses, excuses, I know Shine's fleeing perfectly fine, just go tonight, what's the worst that could happen?" Cole said

"I could make a fool out of myself," Misty sighed

"When do you not?" Cole said in a teasing manner but he saw Misty then flinched and looked down at the floor

"Misty I was just joking," Cole said and he reached his hand out to pat Misty on the shoulder.

But she shoved his hand away and then threw the half-opened envelope at his feet, "No your right... I can be so stupid at times... most of the time... if I go tonight I could ruin everything, I'd be kissing any chance of being with him goodbye,"

"Or you could go tonight and end up getting kissed by him goodbye when you get back here later," Cole said he meant it as another joke but it only seemed to make things for Misty so much worse, just covered her ears with her hands, and shook her head.

"No, no, no! I mean... you guys could probably just be teasing me! I mean... he's the Golden Ninja... he could have any girl, why would he choose me? No one has ever liked me before... I haven't given or have had any reason for anyone to even like me from the start," Misty sighed

"You can't be so sure about that," Cole said

"Oh, really?" Misty said disbelievingly

"Just because you, Lloyd, and Jay wear your hearts on your sleeves doesn't mean everyone else does, some of us know how to process our emotions, and how not to act so immaturely when we have them," Cole said sounding annoyed but then bent down and picked the envelope back up, took a deep breath and said, "Listen I didn't sleep out here all night just to chastized you, I actually was out here because I kept hearing someone getting up early in the morning, and I thought it might be whoever was eating my pudding I save for my lunch break. But when I saw Lloyd and he wasn't begin nearly half as quiet as you try to be. He was pacing outside your door muttering to himself trying to figure out what he should do. So I knew he couldn't be the person I was hearing or that was eating my food, I stopped Lloyd though and he told me he had once seen Jay eating it when he got up for a glass of water in the middle of the night, he then asked me, what he should do to ask you to dinner if he didn't want to wake you up. I told him to write you a letter. He didn't know how to word it, so I helped him, but then he didn't want Jay to maybe find it so I offered to give it to you for him, to make sure Jay never read it, that's why I know what it says and that's why I had it, if you don't believe me then you can ask Lloyd himself when you tell him yourself why your not going with him, because I'm done playing messenger, I'm not the mailman, and your no coward you can do it Misty," He then handed the letter back to Misty and watched as a smile spread across her face and she gave him a hug and said, "Thanks Cole,"

Cole went stiff at first but eventually patted Misty on the back and said, "Yeah, whatever... and you could totally repay me by telling me how to get back at Jay today for eating my food,"

Misty laughed and she let go of Cole and said, "Easy just eat his,"

"And how do I know which one is his?" Cole asked

"His name is written on it," Misty said smiling

"Awesome," Cole said grinning but he yawned and turned to walk back to his room but then stopped as he heard Misty pick up her stuff, and called back, "Oh, and Misty, Lloyd's already been under a lot of stress with having to go all over Ninjago, but what stressed him out the most was the idea that you might be avoiding him because you were angry at him, he didn't want to lose you when he was climbing that tower and he didn't want to lose afterward either. The least you could do is admit to him your own feelings, push aside your fear and let yourself fall head over heels for him as he's done for you. I mean you did give him that heart it's symbolic really why not finally give him your actual one?"

"You can be so cheesy you know that?" Misty said she sounded exasperate, but Cole could hear she was trying to hold back laughing,

"I know, but just keep that in mind won't you tonight, when you're with him," Cole said

"I will," Misty agreed

"Good, and also remember Nya's been trying to get us a felid trip to Bourg Tower in New Ninjago City, hold your breath that might actually happen today," Cole said

"That I will totally remember, I can not stand begin a teacher! I can't believe how Sensei Wu managed for all those years!" Misty said and she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her locking it.

Cole entered the room he shared with the other ninja they were all still fast asleep, he walked over and opened the closet the Ninja had, and he reached far into the back to pull out his old gi the one he had first been given by Wu, and he pulled out of its sleeve a folded and well-worn sheet of parchment, written on it was a letter one that seemed old but actually wasn't from that long ago it only seemed as if it had been. He walked over to the window and opened it the wind was blowing outside and he held his hand out the window, the one holding the piece of paper, and said, "I don't wear my heart on my sleeves, I hide mine in it but now I realize it was sort of pointless, and he let go of his hold on the paper and it blew away.

-End of Prologue-

(Explanation)

For those who might be slightly confused, I'll explain, in Misty in the Hunted I stated that Cole had actually had feelings for Misty that's why he's with Mai when their in the land of Oni and Dragon, Mai is one of the two sides of Misty. It's kind of hard to explain the two sides thing but I'll link the story here if you want to read it. But yeah this was sort of a nod to explain, show and prove that I was going to address what I had written in, "Misty and The Hunted" In the books that were supposed to come before it. Since I know in the Hunted how Cole felt for Misty seemed to be out of nowhere, and I didn't want that I wanted it to be realistic. So the letter Cole let blow away at the end of this prologue was a confession letter he had written for Misty after he started seeing her differently but never gave it to her knowing Lloyd would end up having feelings for Misty eventually that's way after she aged from the tea he didn't like Jay speaking about Misty and Lloyd.

Wear One's Heart On One's Sleeve means: Make One's Feelings Apparent or Obvious