Heroes in the Shadows

Chapter 17 Too Many Mistakes

Cole raced down the neighborhood side walk after the stubborn girl.

"Seliel! Wait up!" Cole called out. Seliel stopped begrudgingly and glanced towards him.

"What?" She asked sharply.

"I just wanted check on you. You and Jay never have gone that far at eachother's throats before," Cole explained, slowing his pace towards her. Seliel narrowed her gaze while gritting her teeth.

"Ugh! I can't take this anymore! I'm done with all of you!" She spat in anger before walking away. Cole harded his face.

"What the heck did I do?!" Cole exclaimed.

"All I've done is try to help you idiots! But Jay says I don't care, and now you're here checking on me? Didn't I make it clear that I wanted to be alone?" Seliel spat with annoyance.

"I followed after you because we're friends! I care if you're upset or not," Cole protested loudly.

"We're not friends, Cole! We've known each other for only a few weeks! Get over it will yeah!?" Seliel continued in anger.

"I'm sorry that I happen to actually care about you like a normal human being!"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"You get so furious whenever someone shows any sort of care or compassion towards you. Jay was the only one with the guts to call you out on it. For someone who cares so deeply about the people of this city, you give off a very strong attitude of not wanting to show any sort of kindness what so ever. You're so stone cold, Seliel! And I'm sick of it!" Cole shouted in her face. Seliel nearly flinched by his words, but it was quickly replaced with an enraged gaze. She stormed off once more as Cole watched her go in bewilderment.
"So that's it? You're just gonna leave? We really aren't anything to you?" Cole questioned her. Seliel stopped in her tracks. She looked down at the feet as she dwelled on his words.

"I've never done friends before, so why start now? I'm gonna stop that gang... on my own," She replied to him before walking off. Cole watched her go in disbelief. He clenched his fists in anger. He dipped his head and placed a hand over his face.

"Cole!" Lloyd's voice shouted from behind. A hand soon rested on his shoulder. "You okay, buddy?"

"Why is she like this?" Cole asked him in frustration. Lloyd looked down as well with a sadden expression.

"I've known her for a while now, but all I can really tell you is that she's pretty hard to befriend. She's been alone most of her life. She has a dad, but she rarely ever brings him up at all. I honestly think she just doesn't understand how friends are suppose to act with eachother--" Lloyd stopped once he noticed a couple tears welling up in Cole's eyes. Cole looked up and turned to him with clear hurt in his gaze. "Cole..." Lloyd stared back, surprised to see him crying. The older teen quickly wiped away the tears before walking back toward Wu's house. Lloyd then looked in the opposite direction, where Seliel ran off. He narrowed his gaze before rushing after her.

A few minutes later, Jay begrudgingly opened the door to Wu's house again to see Cole sitting on the couch and Zane still in the kitchen. The nindroid looked up to see the skinny teen, who frowned with annoyance.

"I only came back because I just realized I don't have exact change for the bus, and there's no way I'm giving the guy my whole ten dollars," Jay stated with irritation. Zane nodded before going back to the late breakfast. Jay dropped his bag and sat in the recliner. He glanced towards the bigger teen to see his arms were resting on his thighs while his face was dipped low towards the ground, refusing to look at anyone."What's up with you?" Jay questioned him, still sounding annoyed but genuinely curious. Cole remained silent, clenching his fists before sighing in defeat.

"Nothing..." He admitted sadly. Jay cocked an eyebrow looking from him to Zane. The nindroid shook his head towards the blue wearing teen, suggesting for him to not press Cole any further. Zane then headed out of the kitchen and put two plates infront of his friends. The plates were filled with bacon, eggs, and toast. Both boys nearly drooled at the sweet smell of the breakfast. Cole's head jolted up quickly as he grabbed the plate out of severe hunger. Jay took his breakfast as well, and the two of them devoured the delicious meal.

"My gosh, Zane. How can you cook this good?" Jay asked between chews.

"Not sure. I don't think it's programmed into me. I just... picked it up," Zane stated with a chuckle.

"Well whatever you do, you have got to teach me. I'd kill to cook this good," Cole admitted with a laugh. Zane's expression grew serious at his words.

"Killing someone is not right to do, Cole." The black ninja nearly chocked on his eggs in response while Jay exploded in laughter.

"It's an expression, Zane. I didn't actually mean that," Cole explained to him. The nindroid then lighted his tone while tipping his head abit.

"Oh... my apologies," He spoke before heading back towards the kitchen. Cole glanced back at Jay as the two chuckled. They went back to their meal, but Cole slowed down, leaving his fork on the plate.

"You were right, Jay. About Seliel. She doesn't care about us," Cole replied quietly to him. Jay looked up to see his friend's sadden tone. He then finally realized why the big guy was so distant when he walked in. Jay sat there for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Maybe, but I honestly think she does. As harsh and brutal as she can act, that pink haired monster has a heart. She just doesn't know how to show it. I guess I shouldn't have picked that fight with her in the first place," Jay admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. Cole glanced his way with a small smile.

"You really think so?" He asked, picking up his fork again. Jay nodded slowly in response.

"I do. Doesn't mean I have to like it though," Jay replied with a chuckle. Cole's smile gradually grew as he turned back to his food. The hunger in his stomach finally kicked in again; he continued to consume every bit of food.

While the rest of the team ate their breakfast, Lloyd searched for any sign of the pink haired girl. He raced down the sidewalk and into the city until he was stopped by a familiar sounding voice.

"Lloyd? Is that you?" They asked through the crowd. Lloyd glanced down and noticed a blonde sitting by herself, outside of a cafe.

"Harumi?" He questioned back, surprised to see her. The pretty girl smiled widely with a cup of coffee in one hand.

"You looking for someone?" She questioned curiously. Lloyd glanced around once more before sighing in defeat.

"Guess not. They're long gone by now," The young teen replied sadly. Harumi frowned while taking a sip of her drink.

"Want to talk about it?" She requested, motioning him over to the seat next to her. Lloyd smirked happily and accepted the gesture.

"Thanks... my friends got in a fight and one of them stormed off. I tried to find her, but I have no clue of where she went," Lloyd admitted roughly.

"Sounds serious. I've had my fair share of arguments. Best thing to do is let the girl calm down before trying to talk to her," Harumi stated sweetly.

"Yeah... I guess you're right," Lloyd replied with a loud exhale. He fell back into his chair, and the coffee drinking girl couldn't help but notice the scroll sticking out of Lloyd's pocket.

"What's that?" She asked in a bit of a serious tone. Lloyd glanced down and remembered the strange scroll he found.

"Don't know. Looks ancient though," Lloyd replied but stopped once he noticed the symbol on the seal. He's seen the symbol before in his mother's history books that talked about his grandfather. The green ninja remained frozen as Harumi grew more curious.

"Can I see it?" She questioned while leaning forward. Lloyd suddenly jolted upward, which shook the table. He smiled weakly towards Harumi in embarrassment.

"Actually, I-I should go. My uncle is probably w-wondering where I am, so..." Lloyd stuttered quickly before racing off.

"Uh... bye?" She replied quietly before frowning again. She then took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, it's me. Are you close by? I need you to follow someone. He has something we need," Harumi explained over the phone in a darkened tone.