Endless Night | Colestiny

Summary: On a lonely night, the master of light finds solace in a certain earth ninja.

Warnings: Brief mention of parent deaths.

Notes: This is a one-shot for my friend Sci-Briana14, as a little thank-you for all the love and support I get from her. I highly recommend her Ninjago fic, Written in the Stars. Hope you enjoy :)

***

Nighttime on Chen's Island, as Destiny Hart has learned, is surprisingly lonely.

This place is enormous, like some sort of resort or even a small kingdom. One would think somewhere like that would be teeming with life, and yet the night is dead silent. Apart from the guards that patrol the area, there's no one else out, and the only sounds are that of crickets chirping and water lapping against the shoreline.

The master of light exhales, feeling a cool breeze swirl around her face. Her blue eyes stare out at the equally-blue ocean. On the other side of that water lies Ninjago, lies her home and everything she's familiar with. She thinks of the family she has left there, wonders if they're missing her they way she misses them. She looks up at the stars then, toward a place she can't yet go, and wonders if her mother misses her, too.

Instinctively, Destiny's fingers close around the star-shaped pendant hanging from her neck. It's her most prized possession, the last remnant of her mother's presence in this world, and what led her here to this strange competition in the first place. The Tournament of Elements grows more intense by the day. Every day, someone new loses and is sent away, to where nobody knows. Destiny would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. Still, she's made it this far, and she isn't about to give up now that it's almost over—especially since she's here for a reason.

The brunette sighs, squeezing the pendant a little tighter. "I promise, Mom," she whispers. "I'm gonna win this Tournament for you. I'm gonna make you proud."

A few beats of lonely silence follow. The girl closes her eyes, letting the wind rustle her hair as she takes another deep breath.

"I'm sure she's already plenty proud of you."

Destiny yelps and jumps, startled. Her defensive instincts kick in and she spins around, shining a beam of light on whoever's unfortunate enough to be caught spying on her.

"Agh!" The master of earth yelps and shields his eyes, stumbling back.

"Cole?" Destiny's light vanishes and she rushes to the edge of her balcony, eyes wide. "Ah, sorry! I didn't realize it was you, honest!"

"Hey, watch where you're shinin' that, will you?" he says, but he's grinning, a teasing glint in his eye. "Guess that was my own fault for startling you."

"I'm still sorry."

"Ah, it's alright."

Cole smiles at her, making butterflies come alive in her stomach. The two of them have neighboring suites, which has allowed them to get to know one another since the Tournament started. Destiny's learned that Cole is tough and intimidating, a powerful fighter to be sure, but there's a soft heart beneath his exterior. Really, he's a good soul, friendly and easygoing and never hesitant to do what's right. He's also quite handsome, but she digresses.

Destiny places a hand on her hip, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "You know, ever since I got to this island, you've been everywhere I am. Why is that?"

"I dunno. Maybe I just want to be around you."

"Is that so?" Her brow arches and she takes a step closer.

"Like I said..maybe." Cole smiles coyly at her. "Uh, do you mind if I'm around you now?"

Destiny shrugs, blue eyes glinting. "Sure. I couldn't sleep, so I'm just...chilling, I guess."

The earth ninja nods. He backs up a few paces, then breaks into a run, clearing the distance between their balconies in one swift leap. Destiny's brows raise as he lands on her balcony, but she doesn't object as he moves toward her. They stand side-by-side, leaning against the railing and staring out into the night.

"Thinkin' about your mom again?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah." Destiny sighs, acutely aware of the pendant around her neck. "This is all just really confusing. I'm here to make her proud of me, but I can't help but wonder...was this what she would've wanted? For me to fight, in a place like this?"

Cole's expression is sympathetic. "Believe me, I get it."

Destiny bites her lip. She'd learned from past conversations with him that he'd lost his mother, too, around the age she'd been when she lost her own. How cruel fate can be, she thinks, to rip their loved ones from them without remorse. Sometimes she wonders if things could've been different for the both of them.

"I guess there's no point in questioning things at this point," she murmurs. "The Tournament's almost over now."

She sighs and fixes her gaze on the stars, but Cole's focus remains on her.

They haven't known each other long, but in the time they have, he's come to appreciate the person Destiny Hart is more than he thought he would. She's kind and genuine, compassion evident in everything she does, which is pretty refreshing in a place like this. Maaaybe he thinks she's got a lovely face, too. Above all, though..she's different from the other Elemental Masters. They all compete for power or riches or glory, but what she seeks is something deeper. Like him, she's here to spark a connection with someone lost. The only difference is, unlike him, she doesn't have the chance to reunite with her loved one.

How he wishes things could be different for her.

"I know I said this before," he says, "when you blinded me—"

"I said I was sorry!" she laughs.

"I know, I know. Seriously, though...I really think your mom would be proud if she could see how hard you're fighting. Heck, she'd be proud just having you for a daughter. If you ask me, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

Destiny blinks. She stares up at Cole with those eyes that had captivated him the moment he'd first stared into them. They remind him of sapphires, glittering deep beneath the earth, and the moonlight makes them almost sparkle.

"You think so?" she whispers.

"I know so."

She grins at that, hoping he doesn't notice her cheeks turning pink. "Well...I've been meaning to ask, what are you gonna do when this is over? The Tournament, I mean."

"Well, hopefully my friends and I will have found Zane and gotten out of here. What about you?"

"Go back home, I suppose. My dad and brother need me there, and I miss them."

"I gotcha. Nothing more important than family, right?"

"Right."

They stand there for a few moments, elbows brushing, the stars shining above them like nightlights in the sky. Cole hesitates, his gaze shifting from Destiny to the sky and back again, before he exhales.

"Look, Des." Cole looks to her. His brown eyes shimmer in the moonlight, gazing at her with a tenderness Destiny's noticed he only lets her see. "I don't want this to be the last time we see each other. Honestly, I've really enjoyed getting to spend time with you, and even when this thing ends, I'd like to see you again."

"Really?" The brunette perks up, eyes widening, but she forces herself to regain her composure. "Well, um...I'd like to see you again, too."

"Good. So we'll keep in touch?"

She smiles. "You bet."

If Cole is being totally honest, her smile does things to him. It's as bright as her element, that of light, and it's the most genuine smile he's ever seen. "Well," he says, he says, moving closer to her, "Until we leave, I'd like to enjoy whatever time we've got left together."

Destiny's brows furrow. She opens her mouth, but before she can question him, Cole steps forward and hugs her.

Destiny's breath hitches as his arms wrap around her. They're strong and steady as the earth, but his touch is surprisingly gentle as he holds her against him. How can someone be so powerful and so soft at the same time? It astounds her, but in a good way, and she decides not to fight it. She hums and melts into his embrace, letting her head fall to his broad chest. Their bodies fit together perfectly, the warmth of his seeping into hers, her hair tickling his chin.

Cole starts to hum something under his breath. If it's a real song, Destiny doesn't recognize it, but it's a pleasant little tune that fills the emptiness of the night. She tenses slightly as he starts to sway in place to the melody, moving her with him.

"Are we dancing right now?" she giggles.

"I guess so." He grins down at her. "What's the matter, not used to it?"

"Not really. I don't dance that often, so I'm not great at it."

"Maybe you just haven't met the right partner yet."

As they move together beneath the light of the moon, Destiny gets the feeling she already has.

They keep going a while longer, rocking each other gently. For Destiny, the side-to-side movement is comforting and rather familiar. Her mother used to hold her like this, used to hum to her and rock her in her arms until she fell asleep. It's a different sort of feeling now that Cole's doing it, but not a bad one. Apparently, it's also still effective in making her drowsy; after a while, she finds herself yawning and slumping against the earth ninja, her eyes beginning to droop.

"Alright, I can take a hint." Cole smirks as he pulls away from her. "I'll let you get some rest. We've got another day of fighting ahead of us, after all."

The master of light hesitates, feeling empty without his touch. In all honesty, what she really wants is to pull him back to her and keep swaying forever, but exhaustion is quickly overcoming her, and he's right—they'll surely have to fight in more matches tomorrow. She gives a resigned nod. "Alright, then. I'll see you in the morning."

To her surprise, Cole takes her hand, and her cheeks flare with heat as he presses a gentle kiss to the top of it. "Good night, Destiny."

Despite her shock, she gives him a smile that makes his heart soar. "Good night, Cole."

They linger there a moment longer, brown eyes meeting blue, before they go their separate ways. Destiny's head buzzes as she heads back into her suite and flops back into her bed, still smiling and feeling like she's flying.

Cole watches until she's disappeared into her room, then heads back to his own. For once, he doesn't feel burdened by concerns of missing friends or evil cultists. Heck, he could even care less that his bed is literally made of rock. He gets to keep seeing her, and that brings him happiness that nothing in the world can shatter.

When he finally drifts off that night, he dreams of pretty blue eyes and a smile made of light itself.

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