Well, as promised, Congratulations Guest for being the 100th reviewer! :D Hooray! Hope you enjoyed that cookie! (::) Anyway, anyone else as proud as I am? *cries like a weirdo* Just...read the chapter while I bawl my eyes out. D'X

Disclaimer: I'm surprised I went this far...Don't own Ninjago, only own the story.

Cole's P.O.V.

It was incredibly dark and spooky in the tunnel, but somehow, we all managed.

The past few days have really taken it's toll on me. It seems like it was years ago when we 'fought' the Samurai in Ouroboros. Nobody really expected Kai's sudden...transformation.

Surprisingly—despite the abrupt crashes and quakes now and then—this was the only time I actually found myself at peace. The silence really made me think.

I glanced back at Zane. He was obviously troubled. I have no idea what got through his brain, but he obviously held some kind of regret with leaving the lab. I made a mental-note to ask him when I got the chance.

Scratch that, if I got the chance.

After a while, I noticed light in the far distance. I squinted my eyes. Before long, we all climbed outside the claustrophobic tunnel. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but I knew we were back underneath the City of Ouroboros. I glanced at the others. Everybody seemed just as beat down as I was—with the exception of Sensei, who just got here.

"Is everybody alright?" I asked, earning a few nods from the others. I frowned. I noticed that the usual gleam in Jay's eyes wasn't as bright as before, it actually feels like it's dying...and Zane...he seemed even more distant and weird than normal. Nya—don't even get me started on Nya—looked like she'd just come out of a bus accident...inside a volcano.

I can't even imagine how bad I looked. Even now, my dream about Kai is still haunting me. I had a bad feeling in my gut that it would really happen.

"W-what should we do now?" Jay stuttered. Naturally, I stepped in.

"What we should do is find a way to knock some sense back to our favorite fire ninja." I said. My hand tightened into a fist, as if I was really going to punch the guy. I don't know, punching him seems way easier than...never mind.

"I'm afraid we can't." Zane suddenly said, shaking his head sadly. I raised an eyebrow. I guess I don't have to interview Zane later, because I have a hunch that he's about to tell us right now.

"What do you mean, we can't?!" Nya almost exclaimed, her teeth grinding. I unconsciously took a step back. Hate to admit it, but she looked down-right scary when she was mad.

Zane explained to us how his sixth sense told him that the only antidote we can ever come up with was inside that lab.

"B-but that would mean—" Jay didn't need to finish. We all knew what he wanted to say.

That would mean Kai is incurable.

I felt as if the world came crashing down on me, which I bet it definitely would later on. Sensei suddenly slammed his wooden stick on the ground, catching our attention. The sound echoed throughout the cave walls.

"We must never lose hope." Sensei Wu scolded. I glanced at the ground, avoiding Sensei's gaze. "Despite this new...discovery, we must always stay strong, and do whatever it takes. No matter the consequences." That struck me like a bullet. I think we all knew what he meant.

"Sensei...you don't mean—" Nya stopped, seeing the sadness in Sensei's eyes. Her hands fluttered to her mouth as she gasped. Tears formed in her eyes. "No! I won't let you!"

"Nya," Jay tried, grasping her arm. Their eyes met, but Nya quickly looked away.

"I won't give up that easily..." She muttered, jerking away from Jay's touch. Jay looked rejected, but Nya didn't seem to care. "If you won't find a way to get him back, then I will!" She exclaimed, running off to who-knows-where.

"Nya!" Jay exclaimed, looking ready to run. I held him back.

"Leave her, Jay. Give her time." I advised. Jay slumped. "Sensei's right."

"We need to finish this now."

When we formed our plan, we set out on the surface, ready for round two with Kai.

Once we actually arrived on the surface, it was clear that the massive cloud of destruction did its part perfectly. The Ruins of Ouroboros is now even more ruined than before. So ruined, that the whole arena was now piles of rubble...and the little village? Gone too.

"Is that...Ninjago City?" Jay muttered. I widened my eyes and gasped. Ninjago City, even from a distance, looks bad. That cloud of massive destruction clearly took its toll on our beloved city.

"We must not waste any more time." Sensei said. We all nodded. We took our Golden Weapons and changed them into vehicles, coincidentally at the same time.

Since the Snowmobile was the only vehicle that could possibly seat two people, Zane let Sensei hop on (even though I'm pretty sure that would be extremely uncomfortable due to lack of space).

I raced the Tread Assault toward the city. I debated between myself if I should speed up or take my time.

Don't get me wrong, of course I wanted to help Ninjago...but most likely Kai would be there too. I knew what I had to do, but now that the reality of actually doing it was here, I'm just about ready to go back underground and just let the whole world be destroyed...but apparently that wouldn't exactly be the right thing to do. I growled, slamming my fist at the controls.

Big mistake.

The Tread Assault suddenly vanished, making me roll painfully through the ground until I came in contact with a rock just about big enough to stop me. I groaned, muttering some curses under my breath—what I usually do when I am very, very irritated. (But doesn't everyone do that?) Zane stopped the Snowmobile beside me.

"Are you alright, brother?" He asked. I sighed, releasing at least some of my anxiety.

"Yeah...I'm fine." I muttered.

"You are unfocused, Cole. Your vehicle will not keep running if your mind is elsewhere." Sensei explained. I inwardly rolled my eyes. I knew that.

"Hop in, Cole." Zane ordered. Before I could protest, Sensei grabbed me by the collar of my ninja suit and seated me behind him. Zane quickly started his Snowmobile. I groaned. It turns out I was wrong. The Snowmobile was not too cramped for both Zane and Sensei, but it was when I came into the picture.

'Where are you guys?!' Jay asked through the radio. 'I thought you were just right behind me!'

"Cole took an unexpected landing, so to speak." Sensei Wu answered. "We'll be there in a second."

'Cole...? Never mind. We don't have a second. Things were even worse than I thought.'

"What do you mean?" I asked. Worry was immediately settling in, and I bet my stomach doesn't like him. I instantly felt sick.

There was a long pause before Jay answered, 'I think it would be better explained if you saw it for yourselves.'

After what seemed like eternity, we finally arrived in Ninjago City. The sight was nothing like I expected. The tallest of buildings were now the mere size of a small house. Fire was raging throughout the city, debris were scattered everywhere, and if it weren't enough, hail the size of mini vans came crashing down the ground.

"Woah..." Zane muttered.

"Woah is right. This is...this is unbelievable!" I exclaimed, mesmerized by the sight.

"There you guys are!" Jay exclaimed, running toward us. "You guys sure took your time, huh?"

"Jay, where are the residents of Ninjago? Are they safe?" Sensei inquired. Jay nodded.

"Someone had a conveniently large basement that was 10 ft. underground. Low enough so they stay safe but not too much so they won't suffocate." Jay explained. Despite the situation, I managed to smirk.

"Man Jay, you handled things better than I thought. If I didn't know better, I'd figure that you would stay in that tunnel along with the others." I said. Jay rolled his eyes.

"I'm not THAT a coward." He argued.

"Right."

"Anyway, despite everything, I couldn't spot Kai anywhere." Jay said, his voice disappointed, yet at the same time, relieved. The smile was wiped clear off my face. Right now, that was the exact same way I felt.

"We should scout the whole city and look for the Serpentine, as well as some civilians who are still roaming about." I said. "Let's split up." I concluded. Jay looked horrified.

"Split up?! No way! Have you seen what happens at movies when they split up?!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. Typical Jay to be scared because of that kind of reason.

"Hey, you managed to survive here all alone while we were gone." I argued. Jay looked dumbfounded. "Plus, this isn't a horror movie, lightning mouth. This is the real deal."

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts, Jay. Cole is right. We would cover more ground if we split up." Sensei said. Jay sighed. When Sensei started speaking up, you'd know that there was no way out of it.

"Alright then, Zane and I will start here to the 25th Avenue while Jay and Sensei will cover the rest." I said. Everyone nodded in understanding. We were just about to split up when Zane spoke up.

"Wait," He said, stopping us. "We shall use these as a source of communication." Zane handed us earpieces. I beamed.

"Cool gadget, Zane. How'd you get it?" I asked. Zane smiled.

"Nya had me test it before we first set out for Ouroboros." He explained. "It worked perfectly. She decided to give it to me in case we ever needed it."

"Why didn't you hand it out before?" Jay inquired. Zane shrugged, a neutral expression on his face.

"It just didn't occur to me earlier." He stated plainly. I managed a chuckle.

"Good ol' Zane." Then we split up.

Nothing exciting happened so far, which just made me all the more nervous.

If Kai ever appeared again, would I really have the strength to do what needs to be done if it ever came to it? I shook my head sadly. Most likely not. Kai—even if he was such a hothead—is my brother. Taking his life away? It seemed impossible.

But he sure seems willing to deliver the final blow. A part of me said. I tried to ignore it.

It was just a dream, nothing else. I assured myself. My brain then started an argument between itself. It definitely gave me a head ache.

Stop being such a baby. One half of me said. Kai would willingly do the same to you. You just have to...catch on to his willingness.

Yeah, but he's our brother. The other half said. He deserves a second chance.

It wasn't long before they started a full-on war. They both gave me a serious migraine. That was when I knew that I was losing it. My eye started twitching in annoyance. Zane seemed to notice my dilemma.

"You seem troubled." He stated matter-of-factly. I nodded.

"My stupid brain just split itself into two and started fighting with each other." I answered. Zane looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"That does not seem weird at all." He muttered. I looked at him surprised. Did he just...?

"You're being sarcastic?" I asked, managing a smile. "That is definitely not Zane. You sure you don't have two halves battling it out too?" He shook his head, looking unaffected by my question.

"No, but I might as well have. My sixth sense is going crazy." He said. I frowned.

"What's it saying?"

"Something really bad is going to happen, and it's going to happen soon." I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth. As if things weren't bad enough already.

Then Zane visibly stiffened. I widened my eyes. Zane's soxth sense must have been right. Something bad must be happening. My heart started beating faster.

"What is it?" I asked, assuming a battle stance. Zane copied me.

"Kai's here."

I'm done crying now, so I'm going to put this to a stop. Yeah, I know, I really am cruel. I just love cliffhangers so much! :D Well, at least I love it when I'm writing it, not reading it. Anyway, hope you guys are satisfied, because this is a pretty long chapter. And I have a new discovery. I love writing in Cole's P.O.V. It just seems so easy manipulating his thoughts. XD

New song inspiration: Be As One by W-inds from Fairy Tail. I know I'm not that much of an Anime fan, but I like Fairy Tail, and for some weird reason, this song just boosts my writing inspiration. Even though it has nothing to do with my story. (Well, at least I think it has nothing to do with it.) Speaking of songs, I just now watched the official music video of It's Time by Imagine Dragons and I gotta say...mind-blown. O.O

I mean, that music video seems as if it was re-enacting my story. Just make the clouds more dangerous and scary, (and you know, make it fit the description of the Clouds of Destruction—official name :P) and scratch that planting shiny circle things (Wha?) and voila! I mean seriously, what I was planning to be the big ending was seemingly there. *hint hint* Anyway, enough of me, I want to hear YOUR thoughts! Yep, so if you're just so kind as to review, I would be very grateful. :)

Question: Should I change this story's title (It seems pretty long for my taste) and if so, what do you have in mind?