Chapter Text
[Name] stood in front of her mirror, tenderly touching every place covered by scales. The words of the ginger girl ringing in her ears. Did she really look like a monster? She examined her fangs next, wincing as she poked her finger against them. They did look sharp, and hideous. Maybe she did need to file them.
She left the room.
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"[Name]," Master Wu's voice rang out from behind the door, waking the sleeping girl. "We must leave at once."
[Name] let out a sleepy groan, opening her eyes and sitting up. "Go..?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Where are we going?"
Master Wu's voice came out with a humorous tone, his voice getting farther away. "To get another friend."
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They sat on the top of a mountain, Master Wu setting up his tea set and taking a small sip. [Name] hesitantly sat beside him, pulling the cloak she had on closer to her body and tugging her hood down. "Master?" She asked, confused. "How are we supposed to find anyone up here?"
Master Wu smiled. "Have patience, [Name], he will come."
"He?" The student asked, but received no response.
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Cole grunted as he reached the top of the mountain, letting out a breathless laugh at his victory. However, it was short-lived.
"Huh?" Cole furrowed his brows in shock at the sight of an old guy with a long beard, and a mysterious young child with a cloak on the top of the mountain.
"Hello there," Master Wu warmly smiled, sipping the tea in his hands.
"How did you—" Cole looked around in disbelief, "Who are you?"
"Maybe that," The old master tilted his head. "Is a question for me to ask." He studied the young climber with curiosity, his smile never leaving his face. "But first, why do you climb the mountain?"
Cole hesitated, his voice cracking slightly. "I just.. lost someone.." His hands fidgeted, his anger dissolving into something rawer. "My father should be sad, or angry but, he's just–he's—!"
"Yes?" Master Wu urged.
"He spends all his time with this group singing and dancing," Cole's young voice was tinged with anger and hurt. "He's never home! Leaving all the chores to me."
Cole's voice turns quieter, arms crossing with a soft resolve. "With her gone, I guess it's up to me to be the responsible one." Then his voice grew angrier, his fists clenching at his sides. "He acts like nothing's happened—how can he sing and dance at a time like this?!"
Master Wu was silent for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. "Grief takes many shapes and forms, some sing, and dance." His eyes found Cole's again, crinkling at the corners. "Some, climb mountains."
"Why did.. you climb the mountain?" Cole frowned, hesitating slightly.
The answer dawned on [Name] speaking up for the first time since Cole got there. "To find you," She said softly, glancing at Cole.
He was caught off guard by the kindness in her voice. Something in her gentle eyes, the softness in her tone—stirred up memories that caused him to blink back tears.
Master Wu observed the silence between them, a knowing glint in his eyes. He set his cup down, the soft clink echoing faintly against the mountain wind.
"You see now," he said gently, "that every climb has its purpose. You sought strength, Cole, but what you truly needed was understanding."
Cole lowered his gaze, brushing a sleeve across his eyes. "Understanding...?"
Wu smiled. "That even in loss, you are never truly alone." He turned to [Name]. "And you, my student—you have found the first of many who will walk beside you."
[Name] looked at Cole, hesitating before extending her hand. "You don't have to climb alone anymore."
Cole blinked, then let out a shaky breath. Slowly, he took her hand. "Guess... I could use some company."
Wu's smile deepened, proud and serene. "Then it's settled," he said, rising to his feet. "Come, both of you. The path ahead is long—and there are others waiting to be found."
[Name] and Cole exchanged one last look before following after him, the wind carrying away the last traces of Cole's tears.
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Cole was no mind reader, but he was fairly certain [Name] was afraid of him.
She always looked nervous, covering her mouth every time she spoke, pulling her cloak lower. It was driving Cole insane. He had no clue what he did to offend the younger, but he was determined to find out.
Cole took a deep breath, steeling his nerves before knocking on the sliding door. Hearing a faint, "Come in!" He slid the door open.
Master Wu looked up, a smile crinkling his eyes. "Ah Cole, what a surprise!" Yet he didn't seem surprised at all. Patting a cushion beside him, he urged his student to sit.
Complying, Cole took a seat beside his master, looking at his hands. "Sensei.." He began, his eyes swarming with confusion. "Did I do something to [Name]? She seems to be.." Cole trailed off, sighing. "avoiding me."
Master Wu hummed thoughtfully, pouring a fresh cup of tea. "Afraid? Perhaps," he said at last.
Cole blinked. "Afraid? Of me?"
"Not of you," Wu corrected gently. "But of what you might see."
Cole frowned, not understanding. "What do you mean?"
The old master's gaze softened. "You must learn, Cole, that not all fears are born from others. Some are born from within." He took a slow sip of tea before continuing. "When someone hides from you, it does not always mean you've done wrong. Sometimes, they are simply afraid to be seen."
Cole's brows knitted together. He remembered how [Name] always kept her hood up, how she flinched when he got too close, how her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"She's... scared to be seen?" he echoed, the realization dawning on him.
Wu nodded. "She carries burdens you cannot yet understand. But kindness, Cole—" his eyes twinkled knowingly "—kindness has a way of bringing light to those who live in shadow."
Cole exhaled, his confusion melting into quiet determination. "Then I'll show her she doesn't have to hide."
"Good," Wu said with a faint smile. "But remember—patience. The strongest mountains do not crumble in a single day."
Cole stood, bowing slightly. "Thank you, Sensei."
As he slid the door shut behind him, Master Wu let out a small chuckle, watching the steam from his tea curl upward. "Just like his mother," he murmured to himself.
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Living with a new addition to the house was something [Name] had to get used to. Especially with someone as human as Cole.
He was kind, compassionate even. Always offering to give her a hand with anything because he didn't want her to bear the responsibilities alone. It overwhelmed [Name].
She didn't want to drive him away with her.. inhuman appearance, the words from the girls in the village affecting her more than she expected. She didn't want him to see her fangs, her rough scales, her freakishly pointy ears.
The cloak she wore felt like a safety net, hiding her flaws with the shadow of the hood.
She missed Lloyd. He would understand.
So, [Name] sat on the stairs of the courtyard, leaning against the railing. She fiddled with the necklace Lloyd gave her, the coolness of the jade calming her slightly as she gazed at the moon. It was quiet, shadows the moon cast welcoming her with open arms.
The floorboard creaked behind her, and she turned, half-expecting Lloyd to be there.
Instead, Cole's sheepish expression greeted her, and he sat on the stairs with her, his own side leaning against the opposite railing.
No words were exchanged between them, and the air felt tense. The shadows seemed to dance wildly, as if sensing the girls unease.
Then, [Name] just looked away, staring at the stars. Cole, although not quite knowing what she was looking at, joined her.
Maybe he was okay.
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That became their routine. Every night, after a long day of training, they would meet at the stairs. No words exchanged, not even a glance. But it was enough.
One night, [Name] slowly scooted towards Cole, her eyes fixated on the night sky above. Cole, pretending not to notice, continued to stare at the stars. Mentally, he was jumping for joy.
"...That one's the Big Dipper." [Name] said quietly, pointing at a constellation in the sky.
Cole looked at her with surprise, a small smile creeping up on his face. "Yeah?"
"Mhm," The girl nodded, her body tense as she traced the star in the sky. "that one right there."
Cole followed her finger, nodding along gently. "What about that one right there?" He asked, pointing randomly in the sky.
[Name] let out a soft laugh, and Cole's smile widened, mentally patting himself on his back. "Thats not a constellation silly," She giggled, relaxing. "Not every star has a constellation."
"You know a lot about stars," Cole nodded his head, impressed. "Can you teach me some more?"
[Name]'s eyes lit up, her earlier apprehension gone as she nodded. "Yes!" She said eagerly, scooting closer to Cole. "...This one is Orion," [Name] said softly, pointing to a cluster of stars shining faintly through the clouds. "He's a warrior. They say he never loses his way."
Cole leaned back on his elbows, gazing up at the same spot. "A warrior who doesn't lose his way, huh? Sounds like a story Sensei would tell."
That earned him a small laugh from [Name]—light and quick, almost like she was afraid to let it linger. Cole smiled faintly at the sound.
"You really like stars, don't you?" he asked.
[Name] nodded. "They're quiet," she murmured. "They don't judge. They just... stay there. Even when everything else changes."
Cole's smile faltered a little. He could hear the weight behind her words—the loneliness she tried to hide. He didn't push; he knew what it was like to have things you didn't want to say out loud.
"Yeah," he said instead. "They kind of remind me of people, though. Even when you can't see them, they're still there."
[Name] blinked, surprised. "You think so?"
"Sure," he shrugged. "My mom used to say the stars were like old friends—quiet, but always watching out for you."
[Name] tilted her head, her expression softening. "Your mom sounds... nice."
"She was," Cole said quietly. "She would've liked you."
That made [Name] freeze, unsure what to do with the warmth creeping into her chest. She never knew her mom, so hearing that gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, her own mom would've liked her too.
She turned her gaze back to the stars, afraid her expression would give her away. "You think so?"
Cole chuckled lightly. "Yeah. You've got that quiet strength she always talked about. The kind that doesn't need to shout to be heard."
[Name] bit back a small, startled laugh, a shy smile creeping onto her face. "You're weird," she mumbled.
"Yeah, well," Cole smirked. "Takes one to know one."
For a while, they just sat there—two silhouettes under the moonlight, the air filled only with the sound of the wind brushing through the trees.
Cole finally stood, brushing dust off his pants. "Come on, kid. It's late."
"I'm not a kid," [Name] muttered automatically, though her voice lacked bite.
He smirked. "Could've fooled me. Now come on before Sensei makes me do extra chores for keeping you up."
[Name] rolled her eyes but got up anyway, trailing after him. Her cloak swayed as she walked, her hood slipping slightly—just enough for the moonlight to glint off a patch of scales near her jaw.
Cole noticed, but said nothing.
If anything, he smiled a little wider.
Because for the first time since they met, she wasn't hiding quite as much.
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Cole appearance!! 1/4 ninja down!
Dont be a ghost reader guys!! pls pls pls comment and vote i want to talk to you all
this is the end of the spam posting ao3 readers.. be prepared to wait just for the rest of the chapters