"Almost got it, Nya." Jay ducked when a book was sent flying at him. "You're getting better at this than I am, honestly."

"That's because you hardly even use your mask," Nya pointed out, taking her mask off and setting it down on a table.

Jay rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "It's… a little unnerving. I mean, your whole body turns into indestructible stone. It's cool but it's crazy."

"That's what makes it so awesome! Boy, I wish Harumi had given that one to me."

Jay grinned sheepishly, feeling guilty.

Nya flopped onto the chair, kicking her feet up on the table. "Kai told me you weren't in the palace last night. Where did you go?"

The lightning user blinked, groaning. Kai.

"I, uh, I needed some fresh air."

"Past the palace walls? But you were already outside. Garmadon could have had spies out there!"

Jay tried to hold in his laughter, sitting down on Nya's bed. If only they knew that there actually was one of them out there. No one, not even Nya, the only person within the entire palace he confided in, knew about them. And from what he heard from Cole, not even Lloyd knew about it.

Ever since they met, everyday had only grown harder and harder for Jay to shake Cole from his thoughts. It was unbelievable! And call Jay a non-believer of love at first sight, but what he felt with Cole was real, and true, and genuine, and he wanted nothing more than that feeling of happiness.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No reason!" Jay panicked. Nya scoffed.

"Whatever," She threw on her mask again, focusing on a map on the nightstand. "Here, Jay, can you take this to Kai?"

She imagined the map lifting off the counter and floating towards Jay. Just as she suspected, the map did just that and Jay caught it with ease. "It's for the Princess, but Kai says he thinks he knows a shortcut."

"What is this?"

"It's a map, Jay. To the Oni Temple."

The Princess was sitting, slouching in her throne when Zane burst through the palace doors, standing at the bottom of the steps.

"What is it this time, Zane?"

The android bowed. "Princess, my falcon has spotted one of Garmadon's rebels in downtown Ninjago City."

In an instant, Harumi stood up from her throne, her white hair flapping against her, glaring down at Zane.

"Is this true?" She tilted her head, a smile inching its way across her face.

"Yes, and it appears he is stealing from the local bakery."

"Is he alone?" Harumi pried.

Zane nodded.

"Why! That makes things so much easier!"

Jay, who happened to be passing by after delivering the map to Kai, caught Harumi's attention. She grinned. "You and Jay will go see to it that this nuisance is taken care of. And bring the masks with you if you're going to need any backup. I'd prefer you bring the spy back here. But, if he isn't willing to cooperate, then take him out."

"But, Your Highness, Jay does not like to use-"

"I don't care! He will take it with him whether he likes it or not."

The android closed his mouth, fear tingling down his spine. With his hands glued by his side, he bowed his head and spoke softly. "Yes, Princess Harumi."

"One more thing, Zane. Send me Kai and Nya. I think it's time we finally discuss this Oni Temple."

"Of course, Your Highness."

As Zane headed to his quarters, Jay jogged up to his side. Leaning over, he whispered into Zane's ear.

"Yo, Zane. What was all that about?"

"One of Garmadon's rebel spies have been spotted downtown."

Jay blinked. Could it be? He pried further. "Do you know who it was?"

"I do not know any of their names, Jay."

"Okay… well, who's going to check it out?"

"I am." Jay sighed. "And you as well, of course."

"Really?"

"The Princess would like us to take our masks with us as well."

Jay pouted, pulling at his hair.

He hated that mask.

When they first started off, Harumi had given each of them a mask to keep under close watch and for practical uses if necessary.

Nya, the Mask of Deception.

Zane, the Mask of Vengeance.

And Jay? he was given the Mask of Hatred.

Why couldn't Harumi have given him the Mask of Deception?

Zane was really the only logical choice to hold onto the Mask of Vengeance since even the simplest thought of growing a pair of extra arms would hurt like hell. And Zane, being made of metal, would fine no pain in it at all.

No matter, just because Harumi wanted them to bring their masks, didn't mean they had to use them.

Cole slipped into the alley way, a sack over his shoulder.

While he was left to run Operation Cupcake by himself, Lloyd was off with his father on a minor trip to visit the city of Stixx, what many people believed to be a ghost town on water once Harumi came to power. They believed they had found the perfect asset to Garmadon's team. Not only that, but a way to dethrone the Princess.

Of course, Cole didn't mind running the Operation alone.

It wasn't very difficult, rounding up food for the children that hid in the alley ways because they couldn't live up to the Princess' standards. And the name of the Operation? Obviously he named it.

He was just finishing up his third round of collection food when he heard his comm beeping. He pressed himself up against the wall, pulling out his comm. What he could read from it was that two of Harumi's scouts were on their way. Cole tucked it away, turning to the defenseless children in the alley.

"Here, this should be enough food for the rest of the week," he told them, giving one of them the sack.

A little boy, who went by the name of Lil Nelson, threw his arms around Cole, a smile on his face.

Cole patted his head. When the boy let go, Cole peered around the corner, spotting Jay and some other from a distance.

He broke into a grin. "Jay's there…"

Cole stepped out into the empty streets, hands behind his head as he displayed a profound smug grin. Zane pointed his katana at him. "Enough of this, resistance. The Princess has demanded that we take you in for treason."

Cole shrugged. "Well, that kinda stinks since I was only trying to help these kiddos out."

Zane furrowed his brows, hands clenching around the hilt of his katanas.

"Seeing as you have already surrendered yourself to us," Zane cocked his head in Cole's direction, urging Jay to take him in.

Cole took a couple steps back, "Ah, ah." He drew his hands from behind, tossing an apple up and down, one hand resting comfortably on his hip. His hand felt for the comm along his belt. When Cole found it, he slammed his finger onto the far left button, turning on his tunes.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

Jay snorted. How he hoped Zane wouldn't catch him acting out this way. Luckily for him, neither Kai or Nya were around. If any of them had been there instead, things were bound to fall apart.

Before Jay could say a word, Zane sprinted past him, sporting the Mask of Vengeance. He thrust his swords in Cole's direction, but the rebel leapt into the air, landing with a soft thud behind Zane.

"You like to dance?" Cole peered over Zane's shoulders, tapping them gently with his fingers. Cole fixed Zane to face him, a smile on his face as he tilted the mask upwards.

Zane couldn't believe how stunned he was to move.

"What is this technique?"

Cole sauntered around Zane, kicking his foot into the air, simultaneously knocking a katana from the other's hand. "It's called dance fighting, Sugarcube," he teased.

Right at that second, Jay executed a jump attack. Cole looked up at Jay, quickly sending Zane into the pole behind him with his foot right before catching Jay and pulling him in for a low dip.

A smirk.

"We've got to stop running into each other like this, Blue."

Jay's face flushed. "Uh-huh, you think you can get away with what you did last night?"

Cole looked concerned. "What did I do last night?"

"You kissed me!"

His concern quickly turned to cocky. "So I did."

"Idiot!" Jay sent a small shock up Cole's arm.

The rebel twitched, letting go of Jay. But before Jay could hit the ground, a hand shot out, tightly holding onto his.

Jay smiled wide.

Cole yanked him back upright, shooting straight for a twirl and twisting and pinning Jay's arm against his back. Jay cried out in pain.

"Sorry, bug," he leaned closer. "Tonight, by the lake. I found something you're gonna wanna see," he whispered into Jay's ear, letting him go as gently as he could allow himself too.

"Just couldn't keep up with my dancing skills, ay?" Cole spoke loudly, as if to show Jay's defeat. "Maybe next time you and that other guy will get it right."

Jay strained against Cole's iron grip.

It was at that moment, Cole's comm went off. Lloyd's voice filled the air. "Hey, Cole, Stixx might take a little longer than we anticipated. This Ronin guy is amazing at being so uncooperative. I sent you coordinates to where to pick up my father's old dusty books and scrolls."

Cole let Jay go immediately, springing to life his comm. By the looks of it, it would take a while to get to Garmadon's old papers. The sooner he moved, the faster.

Cole looked down to see Jay lying on the ground, chest heaving and one hand resting on the Mask of Hatred. He crouched down beside him, shooting him a smile. "Duty calls."

"I'll see you tonight?"

"You betcha."

Jay could not believe he was doing this again.

Normally, he wouldn't have had a problem with it, but last night was the first time ever he had almost gotten caught sneaking out. He had to be more careful this time around, especially since he wasn't the one on night patrol. In fact, it was Kai's turn to take the night shift.

Thankfully, tiptoeing around Kai wasn't as difficult as he imagined. Getting back in, however, would be a bit of a stretch.

He pulled the two bushes apart, the glistening lake reflecting off his eyes. Jay sighed of relief. He hadn't been here too often, but the couple times Cole took him here made him feel more safe than ever. He leapt over the bushes, looking around for Cole.

Either Cole was always on time to their meetings, or he was hiding somewhere, waiting to pounce at Jay.

"Cole?"

There was a rustle of leaves behind him, but it slipped from Jay to acknowledge it.

"Ya!"

A pair of arms tackled Jay to the ground, pinning Jay on his back and forcing him to look up.

Jay had to part the chocolate curls that fell over his eyes in order to get a good look at those gentle, hazel eyes. Laughter bubbled in the back of his throat. "Cole!" Jay reached up to grab the collar of Cole's vest, forcefully pulling him down into a kiss.

Cole stiffed for a split second before returning Jay's greeting. He laughed against Jay's lips. "Woah, slow down there, Blue. We just got here!"

He felt the lightning user smile against his lips then, giving him a quick peck.

"You have no idea how long I had to wait to do that!" Jay complained, pushing Cole off of him. "This too!" He threw his arms around Cole, pulling him in for an embrace. Another gentle sigh escaped his lips when he came in contact with Cole's chest, the thing somehow perfectly firm, yet comfortable enough to want to lean on as well. He felt Cole ruffle his hair.

He chuckled wholeheartedly. "Believe me, I know. The urge to twirl you around earlier today was hard to resist. Now, will you scoot over so I can share with you what I found?"

"Just a couple more minutes," came Jay's muffled voice.

Cole rolled his eyes, pushing Jay away.

"Check this out," he started, fishing for a scroll from his satchel. "So, I was looking through some of Garmadon's old things, and then I came across this."

He laid the scroll out flat in front of them, using his satchel to hold one end down. Jay's eyes wandered to the parchment.

"It's a way to get rid of your powers!"

Cole tapped his finger on a certain spot on the paper. "This could mean so many things for us! There's this old dude named Wu. If we can find him, we can get rid of your powers and you won't have to worry about Harumi anymore! Even better, she won't be able to unleash… whatever it is you're worried about. We can finally stop her!"

At first, Jay looked hopeful, but when Harumi was mentioned, his eyes darkened. Cole noticed this and wrapped his arms around him comfortingly. "We can finally be us."

"When do we leave?" Jay finally spoke up, feeling hopeful once more.

Cole beamed. "We can leave tomorrow. Meet me here, eight in the morning. Whaddya say?"

"I say it's amazing!" Jay sparked with joy. "Thank you."

"You wanted to see the footage, Your Highness?" Zane asked, stepping into Harumi's room.

The Princess raised an eyebrow, turning to Zane. There was a twinkle in her eyes when she saw the Falcon flew into the room, landing on her shoulder.

"Yes! This is perfect, Zane."

Harumi had grown sick and tired of hearing about Jay's "unusual" disappearances during the night. Her suspicions only grew more intense. And last night had drawn the line. Finally, she asked Zane to send his falcon to spy on Jay.

Zane never left her quarters, waiting patiently by Harumi till she said he could leave. Harumi attached a wire from her computer to the Falcon, searching through its video history for the most recent time of tonight.

Footage from Jay's secret meeting at the lake played.

Cole!

Woah, slow down there, Blue. We just got here!

Zane gasped.

"Is that… a member of the resistance?"

Harumi looked coy. "Of course it is. I should have known."

Her eyes narrowed when the Falcon zoomed in on the paper. "Wait a minute. That can't be…"

It's a way to get rid of your powers!

…

We can finally stop her!

We can finally be us.

Harumi growled low in her throat. "So he wants to get rid of them?" She turned to Zane.

"Keep your eyes on him."