The Events He Wished, Wanted To Forget

by ninjaturtlefinatic

He really shouldn't have made those wishes. He'd take them back if he could... Basically me filling in plot holes and lines in episodes 59-64 of Skybound. Rated T for torture.

2. Episode 61

Oh boy. I did not mean to take such a long time updating this story but this has been one helluva year for me and I am so sorry. Thank you to all who reviewed and favorited and followed this story, those alerts kept me going.

My original plan to have two episodes per chapter didn't go as planned. This chapter with Wishmasters by itself is already sooo long, I hope y'all understand.

I also plan to rewrite the first chapter eventually because I feel my writing has improved a lot during this past year.

WARNINGS: This chapter does go into more details about Jay's torture than the last and there is implied attempted sexual assault. There's nothing explicit and nothing happens but just be warned. There's also brief mentions of suicide.

Also a preface, I am not a doctor so all medical related things in this are from basic first-aid knowledge and the barest minimum of research.

I can't promise when I'll put the next chapter out but I'll get it done as soon as possible. At least this quarantine has been good for something.

Again, thanks to everyone who stuck around and please enjoy this 25k behemoth of a chapter.

Also... Sorry in advance if you're a fan of Chamille, I got inspiration from the fact that one of the pirates looks like her.

---

This is the fourth time they've thrown him in the ring today. He's not even surprised anymore. It's becoming part of his normal routine here.

The last person finishes with him and he's on the floor curled in a fetal position, trying to block out everything around him.

Pain is every wear and all over.

He's crying.

No surprise there.

Blood is dripping down his shoulder from a fresh cut. His lip is busted. The chain cutting into his ankle clinks as he curls in on himself even more. It feels like it keeps getting tighter.

A wispy orange figure sneers down at him, laughing.

"Well, that was certainly a rough round."

Jay whimpers and tucks his head into his arms until someone grabs his hair, forcing his head out of his hands, and Nadakhan is there smiling.

"Perhaps it changed your mind about your wish? Hm?"

Jay hates himself for even thinking about it.

"Certainly you don't want to continue with this kind of pain, so go on, my little canary, make your wish." It goes quiet as the crew waits for his answer.

Jay falls into quiet sobs and softly murmurs, "N-no, I-I... no." He can't give in.

He can't he can't he can't.

He has to keep fighting. No matter how much he wants to give in. No matter how much he wants to wish it away, he can't.

He has to keep fighting for his team. For Nya. Because as soon as Nadakhan gets what he wants from him, he's going to go after Cole, Lloyd, and then Nya, and Jay won't—can't—let that happen.

Even if the others want nothing to do with him, he's still going to protect them.

That's a promise.

Nadakhan growls and slams Jay's head back down on the floor boards.

"Very well, then. Flintlocke!"

Jay wearily picks his head up and then there's a tiny, sharp, stinging pinch in his arm. Before he can register what's going on, his world starts spinning, his mind becomes foggy, and he's out before his head hits the ground.

When he comes to, he can't move his arms. He glances up to see them tied together above his head, the other end of the rope is tied to the top of the cage bars, keeping his arms in a suspended, strained position. He yanks weakly with the little bit of strength he has left, but it does no good. His arms are already starting to hurt. It takes him a minute to realize there's also a rag tied around his mouth, but when he does, he starts panicking.

His muffled noises catch a passing pirate's attention.

"Hey, kid! You's finally awake!" The pirate crouches near the cell door and peers down at Jay through the bars.

"Hope ye comfy down there, cuz' you's gonna spend some time like that. Tying you up was what the Cap'n ordered, but me an' most of the crew voted on shuttin' you's up for a while. Ye can't blame us, yer crying sure gets annoyin'. And the Cap'n agreed! He thinks if ye forced to be quiet for a couple days, you'll wanna talk."

Jay chokes on a sob.

"Have fun, kid!"

—

He doesn't know when they come back, it had to of been several days later. But his breathing is shallow and he's barely conscious when he feels his arms being lowered to his lap, though they're not untied.

He hears a pirate say something about four days. They never gave him any water and still no food. His throat hurts from screaming and dry from no water. He can barely breathe, the air is already musty down here. He passed out from hyperventilating several times.

Nadakhan asks the inevitable question, then someone roughly yanks the rag from his mouth.

"I-I..." That's all he gets out before promptly breaking into a coughing fit. His voice sounds terrible.

The djinn grabs Jay's hair to pull his head up and hits him across the face. "Well? We don't have all day."

Jay bites back the sting of the hit and keeps his eye open long enough to hold a glare. "N-n-no."

Nadakhan yells angrily, and slams Jay's head against the wall he's slumped on. Jay's vision goes black for a second.

"Then keep enjoying the fun, you insolent brat!"

In the blink of an eye, Jay's grabbed by two pirates and forced to stand, almost fainting from the sudden wave of vertigo, the rag is tied around his mouth, and he's dragged to the Scrap N' Tap ring.

He doesn't remember that fight but wakes up with new cuts and a sprained wrist the next morning.

—

They keep his hands tied most of the time now, even when he cleans the ship, the ropes are leaving abrasions on his wrists. The ball and chain hasn't been removed since he tried to steal Nadakhan's sword. The Vengestone's kept his element dormant so long it starts to leave a throbbing ache where the calming pulse of his lightning normally resides. It's just adding to all the pain.

Pain.

That's the one thing he constantly feels.

There's no relief.

He's been thrown into Scrap N' Tap too many times to count. Usually more than once a day, now.

He wants to be strong, First Spinjitzu Master, he tries so hard, but no matter how hard he tries to keep his mask up, they successfully chip a piece off every time they try. His empty promises to show no weakness are futile.

He isn't strong.

He's broken.

So very broken.

—

He's back in Scrap N' Tap, today.

He's managed to stay on his feet this time, though he doesn't know how.

He's fighting a girl with bright orange hair and a nose ring. She doesn't look much older than he is, maybe 19 or early 20s? But she's way taller and definitely a lot stronger than him. She kinda looks familiar, but Jay's not in the right state of mind at the moment, so he might just be imagining it. He's dazed and his vision is blurry, he's been hit in the head so many times.

He holds his fists up in a fighting stance, trying to blink away the pain and exhaustion, and takes a swing at her, but she dodges too quickly and he trips over his chain, tweaking his more than likely broken ankle and falling with a scream.

She smirks down at the trembling ninja on the floor breathing shakily. "Pft, little brat can't even throw a punch."

Jay lifts his head from where he's wheezing on his hands and knees, trying to will away the pain. The girl is bowing to the cheering of the crowd.

He wants to prove her wrong, prove them all wrong.

Wants to prove he can do more than just cry.

He's gotta fight back. Gotta give them something.

He shakily stands up, fighting the screaming pain of his ankle. Some pirates make snide remarks but he ignores them. He takes his fighting stance, raises his fists... and decks the girl in the face with a pained grunt as she turns to face him.

Ha, she hadn't even seen him.

Jay lets out a breathless laugh and smirks.

Finally.

But his excitement is short-lived when pirates start their cat-calling.

"Ha! Look at that! Kid can actually throw a punch."

"The brat's finally biting back. 'Bout time."

"Poor kid's about to get it."

"Ooo, betcha Chamille's gonna beat his ass now!"

Jay looks nervously and the pirate, Chamille, (her name sounds familiar too) as she gets up from the ground, wiping the blood from her busted lip and fixes a glare at Jay who suddenly feels a lot smaller than before.

"You little brat! You're really gonna regret that, kid!"

Jay's face loses every ounce of color and he turns to run. To where he doesn't know, anywhere but here. He ends up tripping on the chain again and screams, but someone catches his arm.

"Shoulda stayed down the first time, brat."

Jay squeezes his eye shut and prepares for the inevitable pain, then a fist collides with his very broken ribs and he pain overwhelms him and he can't breathe.

He can't breathe.

Chamille laughs and drops Jay to the ground and the latter hugs his pounding stomach, curling his face towards himself. She kicks him again, and punches him, and hits him, and now she's got a bat.

She won't stop.

He's barely hanging onto consciousness by a thread when someone tells her to "knock it off, we need the kid alive."

"Geez, Chamille, leave some for the rest of us."

He's lying on his back now, arms and legs splayed. He's keeping his eye shut on purpose, taking short, wheezy breaths.

Chamille lifts Jay by the front of his collar and brings him close to her face, holding a knife to his neck. He gulps and lets out a whine when his ribs are jostled.

"Don't ever do anything like that again, brat. Unless you want a round two. Understand?"

Jay doesn't respond, he looks away, instead. Even if he wants to give her more satisfaction by agreeing, which he doesn't, he's barely conscious at the moment and if he's being honest he's not entirely sure what she just asked.

Chamille growls again and forces Jay to look at her, the knife dangerously close to his bad eye. Jay can't stop himself from whimpering. He tries to push away from her but she holds him still. She rips his eyepatch off and throws it aside.

"Oh, that's disgusting! Guess we've really done a number on this kid!"

Jay squeezes both his eyes shut, not that he can see out of the one. Chamille shakes him to get his attention back.

"Do I just need to cut this eye out for you to get it?! Cause I just got my nails done, and I'd rather not make a mess."

Jay's heart stops and he forgets how to breathe. He understands her clearly this time.

Did... did she really just say what he thinks she said?

"W-what?!" His voice trembles and he's completely taken over by fear.

"Do I?!"

"N-no! No! J-just stop!"

Everyone laughs.

"Aww how cute. He thinks he has a say in what we do to 'im."

"Sorry, kid," Chamille chuckles. "That sure ain't happening."

Jay chokes on a sob.

"So am I clear? We're not gonna have anymore problems with you, huh?"

Jay swallows his pride, too terrified to object, and nods.

"Glad to hear it, kid." She strokes Jay's cheek with the blade as he trembles, coming way too close to his eye. "Huh. It's a shame you're a little young," she turns his cheek, examining his bruised face, "you're kinda cute."

Jay's heart seizes at her insinuation.

"Eh, who's counting, anyway? I may just visit you later, you're real entertaining." She smiles sweetly at Jay cowering in her hold and she blows him a kiss as she carelessly drops him on the floor like a sack of potatoes.

As she turns her head, Jay swears he sees her hair color change from orange to purple but his eyesight can't be trusted right now. He hears her scoff as she walks away, sheathing her knife.

"This kid is one of the ninja protecting the city? Ha, could've fooled me."

Jay resists the urge to shout. He clenches his fists instead.

He's not a child, he's 16, and he's a ninja!

He wants to wipe every smug grin off their faces.

But he's too weak to stand. He can't even move right now. His fight deflates.

He is so weak.

"Alright, boys, we're done for the night. Lock the kid up."

Two of the pirates grab his arms and drag him back to his cell. He's dropped in and one of them throws him his eyepatch.

"Cover that eye up, will ya?! It's disgusting!"

Jay obeys and carefully slips the eyepatch back over his damaged eye. He wraps his arms around himself, leans into the corner, and forces himself to fall sleep.

—

"I-I-I'm j-just sayin', do w-we r-r-really hafta be so h-hard on 'im?"

Jay wakes up groggily to an argument outside his cell. He can vaguely tell Clancee is involved. The snake's voice is hard to miss.

"Why ya bringing this up, Clance? You goin' soft? I mean you's the only one who hasn't taken a swing at the brat in Scrap N' Tap. Even Flintlocke floored 'im, and he never likes to get his hands dirty."

"N-no, o-of course not! Y'know i-i-it's just, I-I know he's a ninja, b-b-but he is just a kid."

Why does everyone see him as just a kid?!

"Listen, snake." Jay hears someone get shoved and Clancee grunts, landing on top of Jay's cell, startling the latter.

"Kid or no kid, that brat is in the way of the boss' plan. Cap'n told us he needs the ninja to break and make his wish, so he can move on to the next one. He did say do whatever it takes, as long as we don't kill him."

"B-b-but..."

"And if you's gotta problem with that, take it up with the Cap'n!"

Clancee backs down and the other pirate storms off. He looks down through the bars and meets Jay's hopeful eyes, the blue ninja gives him a small smile.

Clancee unlocks Jay's cell and brings him up, handing him a mop. He guesses Clancee's in charge of him today. He's grateful on these days because the Sepentine never goes out of his way to hurt him.

Clancee helps steady Jay once he's on his feet since he can barely stand.

"Thanks." Jay says gratefully.

Clancee smiles a quick smile and leads Jay to the lower deck where he ends up spending the whole day.

"S-s-sorry." The snake says before leaving.

Jay can't help but smile to himself.

Maybe not everyone on this ship was cruel.

—

Later that night, a couple pirates wake him up and yank him out of his cell. He sleepily asks where they're taking him but he doesn't get an answer. He's led to Nadakhan's quarters where he's forced to kneel and his hands are tied in front of him.

He doesn't even try to fight back. For one, he's still trying to wake up, and two, he knows struggling will get him nowhere. He tries to ignore the pirates as a few of them jostle him around and mess with him. He gives them a glare anytime they get too close to his face. There's no point in trying to be defiant, Jay and the pirates know that. Everyone here has seen Jay at his very lowest. But that doesn't mean he can't plaster on his mask.

It looks like there's gonna be an audience for whatever's about to happen to him, because there's at least ten pirates here.

He wiggles his wrists uncomfortably, the ropes bound tight around them are already rubbing his skin. Jay bites his cheek and tugs frustratingly at the ropes but they don't budge.

He was so focused on his hands he didn't notice Nadakhan in front of him until his chin is forced up with a knife. Doubloon and Monkey Wrench are at either of the Djinn's sides.

Doubloon is holding...

No.

They can't be serious right now.

"I hope you don't mind, little canary, we are going to try something new." Nadakhan sneers down at the trembling blue figure on the floor.

Jay can't help it. He starts sobbing. All his previous thoughts about resisting this time go down the drain. He curls in on himself again, bringing his bound hands close to his chest.

The thing Doubloon is holding unravels into Jay's field of vision.

The thing that looks deathly like a whip.

"No! No no no no no no no..." Jay shouts over and over, in hopes that the pirates listen.

They don't.

They only laugh and then the first strike hits, a sharp crack and Jay's scream echoes throughout the ship.

Blood runs down Jay's arm.

Pain clouds his mind.

He's still sobbing.

"S-stop... it." He can barely get the words out. He's gasping for air.

Another strike cracks across his shoulder.

"Stop!"

"Make your wish?"

"No!"

Then another on his back.

And the last on his leg.

His own screams are the only things he can hear. He falls unconscious before he can find out what happens next.

—

Jay wakes up screaming in his cell.

His hands are free this time but the pain of the strikes from the whip is the only thing he can focus on.

He's never known pain like that before.

The blood has clotted by now but it still burns.

His gi is horribly ruined now.

There's blood everywhere. Staining the floor and the walls of his cell, the ball and chain around his ankle, his gi, his face, his hands... it's everywhere.

His throat is raw from screaming.

Someone knocks on his cell and he looks up with tear-blurred vision to see some pirate waving around a water bottle.

"Hey, kid! Y'know all ya hafta do is..."

Jay stops listening after that and chokes on a sob.

He's not getting any water, is he?

"Suit yourself, kid."

The pirate walks away and Jay continues to sob quietly to himself. Fortunately, he doesn't fall into a nightmare filled sleep, but he's stuck awake for the nightmare he's living right now. He doesn't give into unconsciousness for over a day.

His mind won't shut up and give in even as his body protests.

He doesn't want to sleep.

No one bothers him thankfully.

But he's left alone with his thoughts.

That's when his broken mind gets to run wild.

He doesn't deserve to sleep.

He doesn't deserve food or water.

He doesn't deserve to be saved.

He doesn't deserve to be happy again.

'Cause he's absolutely sure he'll never be even close to okay again.

'Positive thinking' his foot.

He finally falls asleep who knows when.

And there's one last thought that slips through his mind without his consent...

Maybe Flintlocke should just pull the trigger next time he threatens to...

—

The next time Jay wakes up he can't move. Not only because his fresh injuries still burn, but he's sitting in a chair and his wrists are tied down to the arms. His mouth is taped shut. He's getting really tired of waking up this way.

He's in a room, a very small room—a glorified closet at best—he doesn't recognize. It's musty, making it harder to breathe than it already is. It's dark save for one light bulb illuminating some of the room. He can't see much.

He squirms, testing the ropes. They're tight. Really tight. He tugs the ropes harder, tears threatening to fall. He's stuck. He can't move. He groans under the tape and then he hears familiar laughter.

His head darts around in all directions until his eye lands on two pirates standing in the far corner of the room. He immediately recognizes Chamille but there's someone else standing there with a mustache and goatee.

He recognizes him too.

That's the one Jay's referring to as, "Mustache," and Jay knows him all to well. He's the one that hits extra hard in Scrap N' Tap.

"Man, kid, for a ninja, you sure aren't very durable. You're way too small and scrawny for this. Look how fast bruises show up!" Mustache nails him in the stomach with a bat, then lifts the top part of his gi up for the whole crowd to see his battered body.

The one that gave him that stupid nickname.

Birdie.

That's what he and most of the crew call him. Because, "You're blue and ya name's like that blue bird. Hey, what about, birdie! Heh heh, that's what we goin' be callin' ya."

The one that waves water in his face, just out of reach, to toy with him.

"Here, birdie, birdie. Want some water? It's right here. Come and get it!" Mustache singsongs, waving a water bottle in Jay's face where he's lying on the floorboards, too weak after a fight to lift an arm.

The one that gives extra taunts while he cleans.

"Look at Mr. Ninja here. Cleaning floors like a stupid prisoner. If you're such a big-shot hero, shouldn't you have busted out already? Or did Cap'n manage to snag the bottom rung?" Mustache grabs Jay's neck, pulling the mop from his hands and shoving him into the hard floor, ignoring Jay's whines. "You ain't ever gettin' outta here, birdie."

The one he swears has slipped something into the food he rarely gets.

After he finishes the cold soup they gave him, he feels sick. Images become blurry, sounds muffle together, he gets woozy and even sitting up becomes too much. His stomach cramps and his head starts pounding. He falls over on the floor and groans from the pain.

"Hope you enjoyed your food, birdie!"

The two stalk dangerously close to Jay with sadistic smiles. He tries to look defiant, even with tears in his eyes. Chamille reaches him first and places her hands way too close to Jay's neck. He freezes up and instinctively flinches away.

"Been lon' time since we had some one on one now hasn' it, birdie?" Mustache circles Jay like a bird stalking its prey. His accent is thick and heavy, and Chamille's breath is hot on Jay's neck.

Chamille's hands trail around Jay's upper body and he doesn't like it. "Hey, honey. Told you I'd come visit you later for some fun." She laughs when Jay flinches.

"Now, don't go tellin' the boss," Mustache starts. "But, no one else knows you in 'ere."

Jay's stomach bottoms out.

"So, that means," Chamille continues, "you're gonna be alone with us for a while. Isn't that great?!"

They both laugh and Chamille's hands trail around Jay's shoulders and up to stroke his blood-matted hair.

"Sing for us, won't you, birdie?"

Jay starts panicking, and then there's pain in the side of his head. The vision in his one working eye goes in and out. He feels a trail of blood leak down his temple and vaguely sees Mustache holding a bat in front of him, laughing. He has to force himself to stay conscious.

Before he can get his bearings, something hits the side of the chair, knocking it and Jay to the floor.

There's more ringing in his ears, talking he can barely register. He hears the sound of a pocketknife opening, he feels pain in his arm, he hears muffled whimpering, it takes him a while to register the noises as his own. His digs his fingernails into the arms of the chair to block out the pain. The chair is brought back to an upright position and Jay's head slumps down weakly. He's fully aware of the tears staining his cheeks. He's fully aware of the two pirates taunting him. He's fully aware it's becoming hard to breathe with his mouth taped shut.

And Jay's no Zane or Nya, but he's still sorta smart. He can figure things out.

He's fully aware they're touching him. Touching his shoulders, his neck, his arms, his thighs. And he knows what they're gonna do.

That's why they brought him to an empty room.

This isn't about him making a wish anymore, at least not to them.

This is a game for them.

They don't care if he makes his wish or not.

They only want to hurt him. Make him suffer. Humiliate him. No wish necessary.

This is all about torturing some poor little child who wound up on their ship.

And Jay wants to fight back.

He wants to kick, scream, fight, do anything besides just sitting there and taking it.

But he can't.

He's just gonna sit there and let them do whatever they want.

What would the others think? What would his parents think?

His vision clears the slightest bit, the two pirates are talking.

And then Chamille is practically on top of him and the walls are closing in, when did the room get smaller, and he can't breathe and everything is closing in on him and his chest hurts and now she's caressing his face and untying the straps of his gi...

And Jay sobs.

He doesn't have the strength to do more than that. He tugs uselessly at the ropes tying down his wrists. He tries to shove her off of him. He doesn't like this, he doesn't want this.

He wants to go home.

He wants to go home.

First Spinjitzu Master, he wants home.

Where he's safe in his Ma's arms.

Where his Pa's workshop smells of Ma's crumb cake and motor oil.

Where he knows Cole will always have his back.

Where Kai teases him about being short.

Where Zane cooks amazing food.

Where Lloyd helps him pull pranks on everyone.

Where he and Nya are still great friends and they happily work in the workshop together.

Where he's safe.

He can faintly hear panicked whispers and shushes he's sure are directed at him. The two pirates look scared and Mustache quickly puts a hand over Jay's mouth, as if to somehow silence his already muffled sobs.

Jay didn't even realize he was still sobbing so hard.

Suddenly the door bursts open and light floods the room. Jay's cries don't stop but he hears shouting. Voices that sound eerily like Flintlocke and Dogshank. Jay opens his eye long enough to see Flintlocke run out the two frightened pirates. He then turns to Jay and gives him a look that could almost be taken as sympathy.

Almost.

"Alright, alright, calm down, kid. No need to overreact."

Overreact?

Overreact?!

He was... he was almost...

And Flintlocke says don't overreact?!

"Kid, seriously, you've gotta stop." The first mate nudges Jay's shoulder and the latter violently flinches away. "I'll untie ya and take you back to yer cell, but only if you quit the cryin'."

Jay looks up and meets Flintlocke's eyes, trying to calm down. He nods weakly and hums in agreement.

Flintlocke rips the tape off Jay's mouth none too gently and unties his wrists from the chair. Once his hands are free, Jay quickly readjusts his gi from where it loosely hangs on his shoulders revealing the horrible bruises and cuts peaking out from his chest.

Flintlocke pulls a pistol and nudges Jay forward. "Alright, kid, get a move on."

Just pull the trigger.

Jay bites his lip as the tears flow again and he takes a wobbly step forward, immediately tripping over the chain on his ankle, causing the pain to flare. He's so woozy right now. The walls are moving. He lets out a pained cry, falling to his knees. It's getting really hard to breathe. He hears Dogshank say something and next thing he knows, he's being dragged back to his cell. Dogshank pushes Jay in and he lands with a grunt and Flintlocke leans over the edge.

"Just know this, kid, I only ran 'em off 'cause the Cap'n didn't know."

Flintlocke simply shrugs and he leaves Jay alone. As soon as he hears the cage lock and the footsteps get farther and farther away, he's crying again.

Sobbing.

Wailing.

Choking.

If Nadakhan tells the pirates they can...

Oh, First Spinjitzu Master.

Jay doesn't stop sobbing until his lungs can't take anymore and he passes out.

—

Jay is up before sun-rise cleaning the deck. The crew, for the most part, leaves him alone. He's thankful, it gives him relieve of more pain than he's already in.

Jay absentmindedly cleans until the late morning. Maybe just before noon, based on the sun's position, he sees a faint glow of green in the distance, making its way across the deck. He limps closer to the figure to get a better look.

But when Jay realizes what, or who, it is, he can't believe what he sees.

His heart almost leaps out of his chest.

Standing right before him is... Cole.

It's Cole.

He... he's really here!

Maybe Jay's finally getting rescued?

He believed he'd never get off this ship.

"Cole!"

Jay throws his mop down and runs to his best friend, who's here! He's actually here! He thought a rescue wasn't coming but it did!

Jay stops right in front of Cole who's attention is now turned to Jay.

But...

He doesn't seem happy. He isn't smiling, he's almost, glaring? He's got a hateful look in his eyes.

Jay frowns. "Cole? What's wrong? It's me, Jay!"

"Yeah, and?" His tone is cold and sarcastic.

Jay steps back, taken by surprise at Cole's response. "Cole, are, are you okay?"

Cole scoffs, "Of course not, I ran into you."

"W-what do you mean?" Jay hesitates.

Cole looks down at Jay like he's stupid. "I was supposed to get in, take care of Nadakhan, and get out. All while avoiding you, so this situation wouldn't happen. Now that it has, you're stupid enough, as expected, not to connect the dots!"

Jay furrows his eyebrows, a sickening feeling grows in the bottom of his stomach, "You, you mean," he gets it now, "you were... gonna... leave me here?"

"Uhh, duh? What did you expect? Did you really think we were going to come for you after all you did? Are you that delusional?!"

Tears blur Jay's vision. "Well I-I just t-thought-" Cole cuts him off.

"Well, you thought wrong. You lied," he starts listing things off on his fingers, "you kept secrets from us, you caused us to lose Kai, Zane, Misako, and Sensei Wu, you deliberately didn't trust us, you stupidly made two wishes all for your own selfish gain, causing Nadakhan to target you, leading him straight to us, stranding us on the island, and after all of that, you honestly expected us to come for you?!"

Jay doesn't answer.

He hangs his head.

He knew this would happen.

This is exactly what he kept telling himself the whole time he was here, but to hear it come from Cole, his brother, his best friend.

"Huh, looks like you got what you deserved." His eyes float over Jay's battered body. "You look disgusting."

Jay doesn't even try to keep the tears at bay. "C-Cole, I... I—" He's cut off by a different voice.

"He's right, and leaving you here does seem like a pretty good punishment." Jay turns to see Nya standing behind him, arms crossed and sporting the same disgusted look as Cole.

"Nya? How did, what do you-"

"Boy, am I glad we decided not to go after you when you were captured. I honestly can't believe I even considered it. You screwed up big time."

"N-Nya, no, you don't mean—"

"I'm ashamed to have ever fought along side you." Jay turns again, this time to his left to see Lloyd glaring at him. "After all you did? You're no ninja, you don't deserve the honor of the title, you're a disgrace!"

"L-Lloyd? No... no I..." Nya cuts in before he can get anymore words out.

"I don't know why you're still fighting. You're not doing anyone any favors here. You were never gonna save me, anyway. Your resistance on this ship, your so-called 'bravery'," she makes air quotes, "was for nothing. You only got what you deserved. Just make your wish already."

"I can't believe I ever called you my best friend. A screw up like you doesn't deserve friends. Might as well just make your wish."

A new voice joins the cacophony of already ear-pounding noise, and then Kai stands to Jay's right. "I hope you know I blame you for all of this. If you would've just told us about Nadakhan, Zane and I would still be here!"

"It's all your fault, Jay." Zane's voice joins the mixture of shouts. "Your foolishness was the main factor in all of our captures. We would still be here if it weren't for you. It's all. Your. Fault. You are no brother of mine. It would be best for everyone if you just wished it all to go away."

This, this isn't adding up.

This doesn't make any sense.

He knows he's out of it, but this? He has to be dreaming... Right?

"Zane, Kai?" Jay's head darts back and forth between the two. "How are you here? You, you were in the s-sword!" Jay doesn't get an answer.

This isn't right.

How can Zane and Kai be here?

None of this is making any sense.

"You have greatly disappointed me, Jay. I expected more from you, but, I was wrong to put such nonsense thoughts into my head. I should have never taken you in."

Jay stands with his mouth agape. Sensei is here now. Jay can't figure out how, but he's here.

Telling Jay how disappointed he is in him.

The world seems to slow down for a brief moment. Jay has no more words. All he can do is stare blankly as the shouting increases. It all muffles together for the most part, but he can distinctly hear several words that sting more than others come from their mouths.

"Failure!" That's Lloyd's voice.

"Joke!" Then Kai's.

"Liar!" Nya's voice.

"Idiot!" Cole's.

"Weak!" And Zane's.

He squeezes his eye shut and falls to his knees with his hands painfully clenching his head.

The world spins.

Everything becomes too loud.

Just shut up!

Shut up!

Shut up!

He can't think.

He can't draw in a breath.

He can feel the panic attack coming.

"Stop!"

It doesn't stop, it gets louder.

When Jay opens his eyes he's back in the Scrap N' Tap arena. Crowds are cheering.

His friends are in the crowd.

He sees Cole, Nya, Zane, Kai, Lloyd...

His team. His family.

They're all watching, smiling.

Pirates enter the ring.

No.

No.

No no no!

It's starting.

And his frien— teammat— the others are watching.

They're gonna see how weak he really is.

And then comes the first hit.

The fights go on and on and on and it never stops.

But he can't feel any of the punches or the kicks or the grabs or anything.

He can't even hear Nadakhan or the pirates.

All he can hear are the sounds of the others, laughing as he's beaten and humiliated.

And that hurts so much more than anything Nadakhan can ever do to him.

Now they're leaving. Just getting up and walking out. Laughing. He turns his head to see his friends (not anymore, he's lost them) walk away towards the edge of the ship.

They're leaving him.

They don't even look back.

They summon their dragons and take off, one by one, without even giving him a second glance.

He's knocked on his back and several pirates pin down his arms and legs. Jay struggles against the pirates but he can't move. He starts sobbing uncontrollably.

"Cole! Nya, anyone, guys, please! S-stop, come back!"

They're gone in an instant, like they were never there in the first place. Jay squeezes his eyes shut as tears pour down his face, trying not to believe what just happened.

This isn't real.

It can't be real.

He doesn't understand.

"P-Please," Jay whimpers, barely above a whisper, "don't l-leave me here." He cries and cries. "Please, don't leave me."

He had been right all along.

He doesn't have any friends anymore.

He's lost them all.

He messed up big time.

He's alone.

All alone.

Chamille stands over him, holding a really big knife.

Next thing he knows, the knife is hovering over his eye.

"I warned ya, honey."

No no no!

He squirms and cries and wails but she only laughs.

He hears Nadakhan's unsettling peppy demeanor and laugh.

"Just wish it all away!"

The knife comes down into Jay's eye and he shrieks.

—

Jay wakes up with a scream and a gasp, bolting upright from the ground in a puddle of sweat. He looks around his cell frantically. His breathing is ragged and labored.

What happened?

What happened?!

His hand shoots up to his eye and he winces at the contact when he bumps it too hard.

Still there.

Covered by the eyepatch, but still there.

It takes him a few minutes to register that the whole thing was just a dream and after a while he eventually gets his breathing under control.

"Hey!" Jay looks up to see an angry pirate banging on the cell door. "Would'ya shut up! People are trying ta sleep 'ere!"

Jay takes deep breaths as the pirate storms off. Trying to calm himself completely before he gives into panic.

Just a dream. That's it.

A very scary, could-possibly-become-reality dream. But just a dream, nonetheless.

"You're okay. Just a dream. Nothing..." he pauses, trying to reassure himself.

Oh, who's he kidding. He can't even convince himself that his dream won't come true.

Jay sighs, "I don't know anymore."

He scoots backwards, leaning up against the wall of the cell. He brings his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, wincing at the bruises and cuts that strain. He wants to cry. He just hugs his knees tighter and buries his head in his arms. He stays like that for a long time. He can't even decide if it's even worth crying right now or not, although he eventually decides on the latter because it doesn't take so much energy. He just sits there, numb, alone with his thoughts. There's no point in going back to sleep, not if he just ends up having another nightmare like that again.

At least the dizziness had subsided. He can tell what's what now and isn't so disoriented. This also means, though, nothing can distract him from pain. But by now everything's toned down to a dull, albeit throbbing, but still dull ache. He's got so many cuts and bruises, he can't even begin to count them all. He just knows they completely cover him, it's hard to find a spot left untouched. His ankle's a dark shade of purple mixed with black and terribly swollen, the chain cutting into his skin is creating an angry, bruising ring. He doesn't even want to think about the state of his ribs right now.

Jay lifts his head out of its buried position in his knees and grabs the chain, he's had enough of it. He yanks and pulls on it with all the strength he has left. He's sick of it, he's so sick of it he just wants to scream.

It won't budge, he can't get it off.

Tears of frustration start to fall.

The clanking and clinging of the chain echoes through his cell.

It's the stupid noise that makes sure he knows he's trapped here. The noise that mockingly reminds him he's a prisoner and that he can't escape, no matter how hard he tries. There is no escape from here, he learned that lesson a long time ago.

He kicks the weight with his other foot and lets out a growl of anger, annoyance, and a whirlwind of other emotions he feels at the moment. The weight pulls on Jay's ankle as it jolts forward by the kick and he can't stop himself from screaming as pain shoots through his foot and up his leg. He puts a hand over his mouth in an effort to stifle his scream as he remembers there are sleeping pirates above that don't like to be woken up. He pulls his leg in towards himself and cradles his ankle, gingerly rubbing it, trying to sooth the blinding pain throbbing in his foot.

His breathing turns shaky.

The pain is sooo bad.

Jay winces as the same pirate from before bangs on his cell again, making his ears ring. "I tol' you to shut up! Or I'll come down there and shut you up myself!"

Jay doesn't doubt the pirate's threat and likes the fact he can talk right now so he tries his best to quiet down. He straightens out his leg again once the pain subsides a little.

He needs the ball and chain off. It hurts.

He hates the feeling of his element being pent up inside him. He absolutely hates it. No elemental master likes the feeling, having a part of you forcibly suppressed is not pleasant, but for Jay, the master of lightning, the elemental embodiment of unpredictability and speed and mobility and noise and ambitiousness... Vengestone doesn't do, and has never done, well with him.

He can just feel his element screaming at him to be let out. It's like a poking and prodding inside his gut. Like the feeling you get when you want to scream and yell but can't because you lost your voice.

His lightning, that's his spirit, his soul, his strength, his source of energy (the others' elements are for them too), and right now it feels like it's being held it a cage.

But what's really scaring him is that he can feel his element getting weaker. It almost seems like by every passing hour, the pressing feeling gets less and less.

Wu's warned them time and time again about how dangerous Vengestone can be to them. He's told them stories of elemental masters losing their element to Vengestone. Or how their power got significantly weaker. He knows the metal can leave scars. Weaken masters. Cause pain. He's never been exposed to Vengestone for this long before. He doesn't think any of them have.

After being arrested, they'd tried to explain this to the Warden, when he'd had them handcuffed in Vengestone, but he didn't believe it. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master they were only incarcerated for two days.

Jay's willing to bet that the excessive pain, swelling, and bruising on his ankle has something to do with Vengestone overexposer.

He really needs this stupid thing off.

He just hates being locked up.

Jay's never been one to stay put, he's always moving, always doing something. When he was little, it was always hard for his Ma to get him to sit still for more than a few seconds, and after he found out about the certain elemental power flowing through his veins, he finally knew why.

Constantly moving, running, talking, being loud, it's who he is. And for how ever long he's been here, he hasn't been able to do much of any of that.

They've kept him restrained most of the time, shut him up when they got tired of his crying, kept his element suppressed to make sure he was weak, kept him locked in a cell, forced him to fight, forced him to clean, denied him food and water, taunted him, beat him over and over and over and over, tried to, to...

They'd broken him long ago. He just hasn't made his wish yet and he doesn't plan on it.

But the pirates aren't exactly helping. They always laugh at him, call him weak during Scrap N' Tap. They make it so much worse than it already is.

He still can't believe that.

They laugh.

They laugh like it's funny watching him get beaten and bruised and burned and broken and cut and humiliated. It's all a game to them.

The pirates are awful. They pick on him during the day, kick him around, punch him, push him, trip him, taunt him.

There was one time he was even dangled over the edge of the ship.

Maybe two days ago? He can't really remember.

He'd been mopping the lower deck and some pirate had tauntingly asked if he thought his friends were coming for him, but he wouldn't answer. Next thing he knew, Dogshank had grabbed his arm and dangled him over the edge of the ship. And even though he knew they wouldn't actually drop him because Nadakhan needed him alive, he was still terrified.

Because what if they accidentally dropped him?! He would fall into the ocean below and immediately sink with the huge ball and chain attached to his foot, and then he would drown and he really would never see his family again!?

All he could do was flail his arms around, crying, trying to grab onto anything he could. They didn't put him down until he answered their question.

"Ha, what, are ya scared, little ninja? Scared you're gonna fall? I thought ninja were supposed to be brave, ninja aren't supposed to cry, 'cause that's all you seem to do. Oh, that's right, you're just a little kid. Are you afraid your friends left you behind? Do you really think they're comin' back for ya?"

He didn't even realize he answered no until after they put him down.

Sometimes he could fight back, well, not really fight, more like stand his ground, but most days, all he could do was just sit there and cry.

Every part of this ship is a nightmare. A never-ending nightmare.

How long has he been here anyway?

He'd lost track at some point.

Days blurred together ever since that night.

The night he was manipulated by the crew.

When he fell for that stupid trick.

It's all been downhill from there.

Jay does know he hasn't eaten in a long time. He doesn't know how long ago though. Long enough to make his stomach cramp at the thought of food.

Last time he'd eaten, it was only two slices of bread someone had thrown down, after a particularly grueling round of Scrap N' Tap. He remembers crying, pretty loudly apparently, and someone had thrown down two slices of bread, telling him to shut up. The only other times he'd been given food, not counting his dinner with Nadakhan when he'd first gotten here, was some cold soup some while ago, and after his first ever round of Scrap N' Tap, but he didn't touch it.

Why they thought he'd be able to eat after going through that, and for the first time, blind in one eye and barely able to comprehend his surroundings, he had no idea.

It was probably just part of the sick joke.

He was last given water three days ago.

They give him water occasionally, only half a glass or less each time. Never any more than that. They only do it because they need him alive, that's what he's told. And he never gets it when he asks. Only when they decide to give it to him.

He also knows he's gotten skinny.

Really skinny.

He's always been small for his age, very short (the others constantly pick on him for it), but now he can see his ribs. Not eating since who knows when and limited water will do that to you he guesses. Just the thought of food makes his stomach growl. Even though he's starving, he doesn't think he'd be able to stomach anything, between being constantly beaten and working in the scorching sun all day. And they probably know that too.

First Master, he wants to go home.

He wants to hug his Ma and Pa. He wants to tell them that he loves them so, so much, and to hear it in return. He doesn't care about the adopted thing or about Cliff Gordon being his birth father and whoever his mother was. Ed and Edna, his Ma and Pa, are always going to be his real parents.

He wants to sleep in a real bed. The floor of his cell is not comfy. It's hard and cold. He realized pretty quickly that the days here in the upper atmosphere were scorching, and the nights freezing. He doesn't have a blanket in his cell, he curls himself into a ball most nights, just trying to stay warm.

He wants to sleep. He hasn't had a real goodnight's sleep in so long. He's constantly fatigued and exhausted.

He wants all his friends to be safe. Zane, Kai, Wu, Misako, he wants them back and out of that sword. And he wants Cole, Lloyd, and Nya out of danger. He sincerely hopes they're okay. He has no way of knowing if they're still on the island or if they found a way back to Ninjago. He would never forgive himself if his friends got hurt or... or worse because he screwed up. It is his fault they're stranded there in the first place. He wonders if they ever got his message in the bottle?

He wants to eat, he wants to sit around the table in the common room of the Bounty, surrounded by all his friends, and eat Zane's famous chicken casserole. To joke around with each other and just have fun being a family, like normal.

He wants more water. First Master, he's so thirsty. His throat's dry and his voice hoarse. And it hurts.

He wants to stop hurting. Everything hurts so bad. He goes into Scrap N' Tap all the time, always getting more and more hurt. And he never goes a round without the pirates' commentary. Adding insult to injury. His bruises' bruises have bruises by now.

He tries to fight back, he really does, but they never give him much of an opportunity to breathe, let alone land a punch.

This has gone on for days, just so Nadakhan could break his mental state and get him to wish it away. And the whole crew always stands there and laughs. He hates thinking about how sick that is.

Yeah, they call him "kid" all the time, but some part of him wonders if they know they're torturing an actual teenager.

Yes, he's a ninja, they're constantly thrown into dangerous, life-threatening situations, and they protect people at any and all cost, but they're still minors.

They were all so young when Wu recruited them. He had been 13, a year younger than Cole and Kai. Only 14 when they beat the Great Devourer, and 15 when Zane sacrificed himself. He didn't even want to think about Lloyd's age. The kid's (technically) 15, and already been through so much more than anyone should ever have to experience in their entire life. The oldest of them, not counting Zane, Cole, 17, is a ghost, he's died. Jay's barely 16 himself.

If they had never become ninja, they'd be sitting in school, living normal lives, their biggest worry a test grade, not having the fate of Ninjago resting on their shoulders.

The sick, twisted part of him wonders why he became a ninja in the first place.

It's only lead him up to this point.

And this point has so much pain.

If he'd declined Wu's offer to become a ninja several years ago, he'd be sitting in his parents junkyard right now, homeschooling and finishing his sophomore year of high school.

Not getting tortured, manipulated, and exploited on a pirate ship.

Why the heck was this thought even crossing his mind?!

He loves being a ninja. It's the most amazing experience he could ever have. Ever since he was a kid, he's always wanted to do something more than just being stuck in the junkyard. He's always wanted to make a name for himself, change the world and help people, and becoming a ninja, fulfilling his destiny, has given him that opportunity.

He wouldn't trade this life for anything. And if they hadn't become ninja, if they never trained with Wu, their lives would've never been normal in anyway. Kai and Nya were orphans, they'd've had to run their parents' shop just to provide for each other, Cole would've been forced to finish school at Marty's, following the career his dad wanted, Zane would've been stuck wandering Ninjago, having no idea who he was or where he came from, and Lloyd...

Lloyd would still be all alone, possibly following the evil path of his father.

Jay would just be a poor kid with no future, stuck working at his parents' junkyard.

The legacies of their elements, passed down from generation to generation, would be lost forever.

Becoming ninja, unlocking their elements, it was all of their destinies. In a way, becoming ninja saved their lives. It's what they were born to do. Gifted with elemental powers, like their ancestors, from the First Spinjitzu Master himself, to protect the world they live in.

It's the best decision he's ever made. He wouldn't ever regret his choice. He hates that the question ever crossed his mind. (He's just gonna blame it on the concussion.)

Jay loves helping people. It gives him a sense of purpose. He's made so many friends, the best of friends, that he now considers his family. He's made so many amazing memories. He's saved lives, became the hope for people who had none. Heck, he even became famous.

Who knew you could lose everything with just two little wishes.

Why did he make those wishes in the first place? To get the future he wanted so badly but knew he'd never have with Nya? To lose his head over some girl?

But that's the thing, Nya isn't just some girl. She's so much more than that. She's the most amazing person ever. She means the world to him. She's the best thing that's ever happened to him. She's strong and beautiful and brave and confident and loyal and resilient and a great friend and just the best person ever.

Way too good for a guy like him. He never deserved her in the first place.

He just really wis- wants Nadakhan to not be a problem, he regrets making those wishes so much.

He just wants to go home.

But that's part of a ninja's job description. They fight evil. They protect others. They put themselves in harm's way just to keep the people of Ninjago and each other safe. They'd all read the fine print when they signed up for this. They knew what they were getting into.

They've all been captured before, though no one has ever been tortured during— no, stop!

There he goes complaining again!

He. Doesn't. Get. To. Complain.

He needs to realize that he deserves this. He made all those stupid mistakes and now he's receiving the consequences.

He doesn't deserve to be rescued. Why would his friends even want to come after him? Are they even still friends? He can still hear their furious tones when they found out what he had done.

"You've seen Nadakhan and haven't told us?!"

"How could you be so stupid to make a wish?!"

"It was Nadakhan, but don't ask me how I know, ask Jay."

"What is he talking about, Jay?"

Nya's judging gaze.

Cole's disgusted glare.

"The only reason he's here and the others aren't, is because Jay never made his third wish. Maybe if Zane knew that, he'd still be here!"

Lloyd's confused expression contorting into an angry one in a split second.

"W-why didn't you tell us?!"

"Well I know who just nominated themselves to extract the Tiger Widow's venom!"

Nya's icy cold stare was filled with so much anger and hatred as she shoved passed him and stormed off.

He'd made them so angry.

He's never seen Nya so furious at him, not even when he and Cole were fighting over her.

Honestly, they're probably glad he got taken. He wouldn't blame them if they were. He's out of their way now.

At least it was him that got captured, he'd much rather it be him in this situation than anyone else. In reality, him getting captured was probably an asset to them. All he was doing was screwing up anyway. It was probably for the best that he got taken. Even though he really wants to go home, he won't blame them if they just skip on past. He'd more than willingly spend the rest of his life on this horrible, nightmarish pirate ship if it meant his friends and family were safe in Ninjago.

A few unwelcome tears escape Jay's eyes but he quickly wipes them away. He'd already cried enough, no more. He already feels weak, and crying won't help his case.

He feels worthless.

He feels like a failure.

Who's he kidding?

He is weak.

He is worthless.

And he is a failure.

He's failed so, so many times.

He isn't fooling anyone.

The clanking of keys on his cell door snaps him out of his thoughts. He'd gotten so lost in thought, he didn't even notice the sun was now peaking over the horizon. They pull him out of the cell. Two pirates hold his arms and they push him forward.

And when he isn't handed a sponge or a mop, he instantly knows where they're leading him.

He already knows.

His breathing picks up.

His pulse starts racing.

His heart pounds in his chest.

Every injury flares up at once.

He starts panicking.

So much for not crying anymore.

It doesn't matter how many times he plays this stupid game, it scares him every time because he never knows what the pirates will do to him. It's never the same.

He starts hyperventilating, "No, no. No m-more fighting." He whimpers and struggles against the two pirates escorting him, but their grips only tighten on his arms.

Flintlocke laughs at him.

"Are you gonna make yer wish?"

Jay shakes his head. "N-no, b-but it h-hurts. I-I don't, no I-I..." He can't even form words.

Flintlocke laughs again. "Then that's yer fault, kid. You know what ya have to do to stop all this. You've heard your conditions lots of times. It's yer choice. If you don't make your wish, it's back to Scrap N' Tap you go."

"N-no, I-I don't, s-stop!" He can't do anything as he's forced to the ground in the middle of the ring. He's crying before he even hits the floor boards.

He really is weak.

Someone he doesn't see comes from behind him and slams a fist down on his head, making his skull explode with pain and his vision blur.

That's what starts the worst round of Scrap N' Tap he's ever been through.

The worst part isn't the duration of the fights, which are ridiculously long this time round.

It isn't the seemingly increased laughter of the crew.

It isn't the fact that much bigger knives and baseball bats enter the picture, making deeper cuts and darker bruises on his already abused skin.

It isn't even the fact that Nadakhan is either smiling sadistically in amusement from the side lines or whispering "wish" into his ear the entire time.

It's the fact that a part of him is actually considering wishing.

It's the fact that the words "I wish" almost escape his mouth.

It's the fact that the word "please" does escape his mouth without his permission.

He'd promised himself, when things started to get bad, that he would never beg.

"S-stop, please." It's a pathetic whimper, barely above a whisper, but they still hear it.

They hear it loud and clear.

So much for convincing them he isn't broken.

Idiot!

He shakily pulls himself to his feet to see everyone pointing and laughing.

Nadakhan makes it all the more worse.

He floats up behind Jay and places his two upper hands on Jay's shoulders.

Jay wants to move, run away, get as far away from there as possible, but he's rooted at the spot by fear.

He's just made a very stupid mistake.

Nadakhan's hands trail dangerously close to Jay's neck and Jay swallows thickly.

"One step closer, Jay." Hearing Nadakhan say his name for the first time is beyond unsettling. It sends a shiver down Jay's spine. "All I need now is just a few little words. You know the ones. I already got you to beg. And... don't worry about the girl, you never would have saved her anyway."

Jay chokes on a sob. He just wants it to end.

"Then make your wish already!" He realizes he must've said that last part out loud.

"It will all stop as soon as you wish it all away!"

Another punch from behind sends him back to the ground.

Jay doesn't count how many more rounds he goes through but he's very careful not to slip up and say anything else.

He stays focused on keeping his mouth shut.

He's not wishing.

The last round hurts the worst. He gets two really bad cuts, one running from his right wrist all the way down his forearm and another on his cheek.

They sting like fire.

Everything does. All he can feel is pain in the moment.

He's on his knees panting. Breathing hurts. His breaths are shaky. He's wheezing.

He can't breathe.

A punch to his bad eye puts him on his back. He's sure his eye is sickening to look at by now.

Healing cuts are reopened. Dark bruises get darker. New cuts are made. New bruises form. Blood leaks from several wounds and drips onto the floorboards, staining them red.

He hears Nadakhan's voice but doesn't catch what he says. Before Jay can do anything, someone comes up from behind him, forcing him to stand. His arms are pulled behind him and he's pushed to walk forward.

He can't even walk straight.

He's stumbling and tripping over his feet the whole way.

They reach Nadakhan's quarters and Jay's practically thrown to the ground. He struggles to sit up, his arms feel like jelly.

His body's just getting weaker and weaker by the moment. His mental state isn't much better.

He haphazardly manages to pick himself up into a sitting position, and it's right then he sees Nadakhan staring down at him, with Dogshank standing in the corner, pounding her fists.

This can't be good.

Jay glares and keeps his gaze averted, trying to hide the fresh tears stains on his face. At least until Nadakhan's cold hook forces his chin up. Jay doesn't even have it in him to pull away.

"Listen, Jay," his name is a warning, "you've spent quite a great deal of time resisting, hmm? I think it's time you made your wish, don't you? After all, you can only take so much. You've lasted long, I'll give you that. But, come now, let's hear it. Make your wish."

He's tempted, and he hates himself for even thinking about it, but he jerks his head away from Nadakhan's hook.

"No." Jay states it plain and simple and keeps his head down, nursing the new deep cut on his arm still oozing with fresh blood.

Nadakhan growls, "What was that?"

"I said no." He doesn't waste his energy on a snarky response. At this point he'd much rather go back to cleaning or his cell than be here.

"Very well." Nadakhan scowls down at Jay. "Then keep in mind, whatever happens next is your fault." Nadakhan disappears and Dogshank stomps forward towards Jay.

The color drains from his face.

Jay can't even move before she grabs his arm and lifts him in the air. He yelps at the strained position, his injuries igniting, the ball and chain still weighing down painfully on his ankle. Jay looks at her with pleading eyes and swears he sees a hint of remorse in her's, but it's only there for a split second, if ever there at all.

"Sorry, kid. Nothing personal, just doing what needs to be done."

More pain than he's ever known takes over him next as her fist collides with his stomach and sends him flying into the opposite wall of Nadakhan's quarters.

Jay wails.

His head makes a sickening crack against the wall, mimicking the crack of his ribs, and his vision goes out.

His broken ribs cry at the punch.

It hurts. So. Much. Every time he thinks he's felt the worst pain imaginable, he's proven wrong.

She stomps forward, grabbing him by the arm and flipping him over her head, sending Jay smashing back down on the floorboards. He bites his lip, trying to stifle a scream. He wants it to stop. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. She beats down on him for what seems like an eternity for Jay, but in reality was probably only a few minutes, before it stops. He's fighting for consciousness by the time it does. His breathing is labored. His lungs burn, his throat raw from screaming. He's on his side clutching his stomach. Eye squeezed shut, trying to imagine himself anywhere else but here.

He wants his Ma.

He hears Nadakhan's voice again, "Changed your mind?"

Jay can't even form words. He can't open his eye. He's really tired all of a sudden. And dizzy. He manages a small shake of the head before someone grabs him by the neck, lifting him up and slamming him into a wall.

He lets out a strangled gasp and opens his eyes to see Nadakhan glaring at him with a fury he's never seen before.

Nadakhan squeezes the hand wrapped around Jay's throat, holding him off the ground and Jay wheezes.

His airway is getting cut off.

Jay scratches and claws at Nadakhan's hand but it only tightens.

"Are you kidding me?! After all I've put you through... all the pain and humiliation? You still refuse to wish it away?!"

Jay feels the slightest bit of satisfaction at Nadakhan's annoyance and he'd smirk if his airway wasn't being cut off.

"I've had enough of this! I'm almost there," Nadakhan hisses out. "You can't hold on forever." He squeezes Jay's throat tighter. "You're only making this harder on yourself. You have nothing to keep fighting for! No one is coming for you! You are alone!"

Nadakhan's grip somehow gets tighter and Jay coughs and sputters.

"S-s-stop, c-can't bre-eathe."

Jay's vision dances. Everything is blurry.

He can't breathe.

He can't breathe!

"Resist all you want, little canary, but know this; No matter what you do or where you go, I'm always going to be there. When you fall asleep, in your nightmares, and when you wake. I will get what I want from you! I always get what I want. There is no stopping me!"

Jay lets out a strangled sob.

He's gonna pass out.

Just before he gives into the darkness, the pressure on his throat leaves and he falls to the floor. He takes a big gasp of air followed by several more.

His heart is pounding in his ears.

Nadakhan grumbles in thought, stroking his goatee as Jay struggles to take a full breath.

"I suppose if physical pain isn't working anymore, Flintlocke said two bottom rungs had ideas?"

Jay pales.

Nadakhan is talking to himself but Jay hears him.

He doesn't have to think twice to know what Nadakhan's referring to.

"N-no, no, I," Jay whimpers through gasps as his crying continues, "no, don't. Please, no.."

They... they were gonna...

"Oh, was that another 'please' I heard? Maybe we are making progress." He laughs.

The door opens and Chamille and Mustache walk in as Dogshank leaves. The same pirates who tried to... to...

"Hey, birdie. Missed us? We sure missed you."

Jay panics.

He's sobbing so hard he's shaking and he backs himself into a wall.

"S-stop, get away, I said no, I.."

"We don't care what you said, birdie. This is happenin' whether you like it or not."

The two pirates grab him, drag him to the center of the room, and pin his arms down. Jay's crying hysterically by this point.

Chamille caresses his cheek as Mustache grabs his legs.

"S-stop!"

Jay yells and screams and cries but they don't listen. It doesn't matter what he says, they won't stop. They keep touching him.

Chamille unties Jay's gi, exposing his chest, and she slams her lips into his.

And Jay panics.

He kicks and he squirms and he struggles and he tries to shove her off of him but they hold him down. The two laugh at his muffled whines and cries.

After what seems like an eternity, she pulls away and Jay can breathe. "Wow, kid!" Jay lets out a choked sob and turns his head away from her, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He sees Nadakhan sitting at the chair next to the table, looking amused, and Jay wants to scream.

This is the second time he's allowed this to happen. He can't even defend himself against two pirates. He can't push them off. He can't stop them. He's helpless.

And then she starts kissing him again. On his lips, his face, his neck, his chest. Jay can't do anything but scream.

He can't do anything.

He can barely move already.

This is really happening.

This is really gonna happen.

They're gonna—

"That's enough for now." Nadakhan orders just as Mustache grabs at Jay's belt. "We'll come back soon. If our little canary here still hasn't changed his mind, you both proceed."

Chamille climbs off of him and Mustache releases the pressure on his legs. Once they're off him, Jay immediately backs himself into a corner and curls into a ball, trying to cover himself, whimpering and crying. He quickly reties his gi and flushes.

"See ya' later, birdie!"

"Save some energy for us to have fun, okay, hun?"

Jay watches through blurry vision as Nadakhan disappears and the other pirates exit the room with a slamming of a door.

Jay buries his head into the corner he's backed himself into and wraps his arms around himself.

He feels dirty.

He feels ashamed.

How could he have just allowed them to do whatever they wanted?

He's a ninja!

Ninja don't allow things like that to happen.

They defend themselves.

They fight back.

All he does is cry.

Th pain comes back in full force.

It hurts too much. The pain is overwhelming.

Everything's fuzzy again.

He's still gasping for air.

He'd just sat there and let them do whatever they wanted.

And he wasn't even strong enough to fight back.

He can't handle this anymore.

He can't keep pretending he isn't broken.

Because he is more than broken at his point, he's shattered.

He is never going to be okay ever again.

But he's going to have to keep pretending because no one is coming for him.

Unless he just makes his wish?

Then, everything will be okay.

He won't be in pain anymore.

He'll be free of chains.

He would-

No!

What's wrong with him?!

He isn't going to wish it away.

He doesn't care that the others aren't coming, he's still gonna protect them.

He's not letting Nadakhan get to Nya. No way in the Cursed Realm is he letting that happen.

He's not gonna say those stupid words.

He must be going crazy.

He doesn't know what's coming over him.

He's falling apart. Nadakhan already won, Jay just can't let him know that.

Nadakhan's words ring over and over again in his head.

"You are alone!"

How much more pathetic can he get?

He was supposed to be a hero. He was supposed to be invincible, strong for those who couldn't, look villains straight in the eye and not cower with fear. He was supposed to be brave, fearless.

But he's just weak.

He couldn't even defend himself.

Here he is, after only a few days of imprisonment, lying on the floor because he's too weak to stand or even sit up.

What a joke.

More sobs come from his weak form.

Jay is broken. He has been for a long time.

He isn't strong.

It doesn't matter what he does, nothing is ever gonna be good enough.

Not good enough for Ninjago.

Not for his team.

Not for Nya.

And there is nothing he can do about it.

Jay lays himself down and silently cries. The floor is dusty and dirty. He hasn't cleaned in this part of the ship. The dirt is getting in his cuts, it makes them sting but Jay doesn't care. He welcomes the pain, it's a distraction from all the thoughts swirling in his head. He can still feel the pirates' hands all over him. He deserves it. He eventually stops crying. But the pain doesn't stop. Everything hurts so much. Every part of him aches and throbs. His head pounds. His vision is still blurry. All of a sudden he hears the floorboards creek.

No.

No, they can't be back already!

They're gonna... they're gonna actually do it...

Jay forces himself to look up.

He sees a green tinted shape walk through the room and stop at the table. The figure takes something out of their pocket and sets it down.

Wait.

Is that Cole? It can't be.

Jay has to blink several times to clear his vision.

Once his vision clears, he sees him, it is Cole!

First Master, Cole is here. Right in front of him.

But, what about the last time?

No, that was a dream, right?

But what if it happens now?

No, he has to get his attention. Cole doesn't notice him. He has to say something before he misses his chance, whether or not the outcome.

Cole grabs a bottle off the table and tries to pull the lid off, and Jay takes his chance.

He laboriously pulls himself forward from the corner by his hands. "C-Cole? I-is that you?"

Is that really his voice?!

Cole's head shoots up in surprise and he turns towards Jay. His eyes immediately lighting up. "Jay! You're okay!" Cole rushes to him and his expression quickly morphs from excitement into panic.

What happened?!

Jay looks awful.

Cole gently kneels down in front of Jay, almost as if afraid to touch him, fearing the smaller ninja would shatter into a million pieces if he did.

Jay looks so small.

Jay uses all the strength he has left and pushes himself up with his shaking arms, groaning and grimacing with pain in the process. He keeps himself up with one arm.

"What happened to your eye?" Cole's voice is gentle and concerned.

Jay avoids the question. He really doesn't want to explain his condition right now. "W-why, why are you dressed like a pirate?" Part of him is curious but the other part just wants to change the subject.

Cole smiles happily. "Don't worry about that. Our friends are nearby. We're gonna get you outta here!"

Jay has never been more relieved in his entire life. He's finally gonna get off this horrible ship. It's really happening. He's being rescued!

Cole pulls a set of keys from his belt and unlocks the ball and chain.

Jay almost cries with relief. He visibly relaxes when the latch loosens then unlocks from his ankle. That extra heavyweight is finally off and Jay lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He feels like he could let out a million volts of electricity.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Jay breathes out truthfully. He still can't believe he's actually being saved.

Cole hoists Jay up from off the ground, (ignoring how light he is), and slings the smaller boy's arm around his shoulders so he can have support because Jay's in no shape to walk right now. Checking to make sure Jay is secure, Cole leads him to the door.

Jay takes his chance to say what he should've said long ago. "Cole, I'm sorry about keeping stuff from you, I should've told you that—"

"And I should've been a better friend." Cole interrupts before he can finish. "Don't worry about it. Save your strength. We can laugh about this when it's all behind us." Cole gives him a reassuring smile.

Jay can't believe it.

Cole is apologizing, to him?!

Even after all he's done? Cole doesn't even seem mad anymore. Like, at all.

Jay's expression changes instantly from relief into a pure panic when he hears the familiar creak of the floorboards.

He whisper-yells to Cole in a panic and points toward the door, "Behind you!"

Cole looks where Jay is pointing and immediately understands. "A-ah, quick! Hide in there!" Cole shoves Jay into a closet and slams the doors shut, completely forgetting about his injuries.

Jay covers his mouth to stifle a scream, almost falling to the floor, using the walls of the closet to brace himself as pain flares up all over.

Cole quickly picks up the ball and chain once attached to Jay's ankle and hides it next to the bed, then dives behind the bed himself, and turns invisible.

The doors burst open and Nadakhan heads straight for the table. He doesn't look to the place he last left Jay. Maybe he thinks he was taken back to his cell?

Jay tries his best to keep his heavy breathing quiet. He knows exactly what will happen to him if he's found and he has to stop himself from crying just thinking about it. The door of the closet shifts a bit leaving a peephole Jay can see through.

Nadakhan growls, "We're out of Fiddlehead cider! Make sure someone plunders a new case for me!"

Flintlocke walks around the doorframe and leans against it. "Aye aye, Cap'n. You may need a cloak. It may be cold and really windy this fine evening."

Nadakhan strokes his goatee in thought and turns toward the closet Jay's hiding in. "Hm, good idea."

Jay's stomach drops.

No.

No no no!

Jay bites his lip and squeezes his eyes shut.

This is it. He's gonna get caught and be forced to clean again and he'd have to fight and fight and then clean and no food or water and there was just so much fighting and they would finish what they started they were gonna—

The ship lurches and everyone jerks at the movement. Jay's ball and chain rolls out from its hiding place, catching Nadakhan's attention.

Jay lets out the breath he was holding but then Nadakhan growls angrily.

"Our prisoner's escaped! Search the ship!" He sounds furious.

Jay's stomach lurches again.

"Aye aye, Cap'n, we won't let him get away!"

Now they're looking for him.

This isn't going to be good.

Nadakhan storms out of the room and Flintlocke follows. Cole rushes for the closet to get to Jay and opens the doors, catching him before he falls and slinging his arm over his.

"We better get out of here, and fast!" Cole makes sure his arm is securely around Jay and they run out of the room in the opposite direction of Nadakhan.

Jay does his best to keep up, leaning most of his weight on Cole because his foot is on fire and his ribs are pounding and telling him to slow down, but he can't slow down.

After they're a safe distance away from Nadakhan's quarters, Cole checks around the corner, making sure no one's close.

Jay gives him a look, "What's wrong?"

All of a sudden, Cole pulls Jay into a giant hug, not squeezing him too hard, making sure not to hurt him anymore, but tightly nonetheless. It startles Jay at first but after a second he deflates and gladly hugs back.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Cole sighs truthfully. "We got your message in the bottle, but I'm so sorry we didn't get here sooner. We were so worried, I don't think I've ever seen Nya so scared. We didn't know if you were okay, or if Nadakhan already got you in the sword or... worse. We should've come sooner."

Jay smiles softly and leans into Cole's hold more, he's probably getting blood on Cole's clothes but Jay doesn't think he'll care. He just can't believe what he's hearing. He knows he doesn't deserve any of this, but it feels so good to hear, especially from Cole. He was afraid he'd lost him for good.

"I'm the one who needs to be apologizing," Jay face falls, "I was the one who messed up and put everyone in danger."

Cole squeezes him tighter. "You don't need to apologize. You're not the only one to blame. I should've never outed you like that on the island."

"I'm just glad you came."

Cole chuckles, "What, you thought we'd leave you behind?" It was meant to be a joke, but when Jay doesn't answer and Cole hears a sniffle, he gets a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Wait..." He pulls Jay away to face him. "You, you thought we'd leave you here?!" Jay looks down and Cole's eyes turn wide. "Wh-why would you ever think that, Jay?! You're our brother, my best friend. Do you know how worried we were? Afraid that Nadakhan would do something horrible to you, he obviously did do something horrible, look at you! What made you think we'd leave you?!"

Jay sniffles again and keeps his eyes down. "W-well, I just figured, you were all really mad at me for making the wishes, and I only kept messing up anyway. So, it made sen—" Cole cuts him off by pulling him into another hug.

"We would never leave you behind. Never. Please, don't ever think that."

Jay nods, teary-eyed against Cole's shoulder.

That's the most comforting thing he can hear right now.

Cole pulls away from the hug and so does Jay, "Come on. Let's find the others."

They run for a while longer, going through the halls of the ship, silently for the most part. Jay gives directions on where to go since he'd been throughout the whole thing several times. As they turn another corner, Jay looks down at his hand and generates a small spark of lightning between his fingertips. It's weak at the moment, but boy, does it feel good to let out. It feels freeing to be able to use his element again. He lets out a huge sigh of relief.

Cole shoots him a worried glance, seeing the sparks in Jay's hand, "You okay, buddy?"

"Y-yeah. It's just, been a while since I could do this." He gestures to the sparks flickering in his palm.

That does nothing to soothe Cole's nerves, it scares him, if anything.

Once they'd made it about halfway through the winding halls, the intercoms throughout the ship make flickering sounds and Flitlocke's voice booms over the speakers.

"All hands: Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The prisoner has escaped!"

Cole and Jay stop and exchange panicked looks. "We better get moving. They're gonna be looking for you."

Jay nods, agreeing, "I can walk now."

Cole raises an eyebrow, "You sure? I'll help you, it's not a big deal."

"No, no I'm fine. With my element back, I feel better already. I can walk." That's not completely true but it's not a complete lie either. He does feel slightly better, more energized and not as lethargic.

Cole hesitantly agrees and they continue their way across the deck. They pick up a steady pace and just as they reach the end of the deck, (it's where they always play Scrap N' Tap and he really hopes Cole doesn't notice his blood on the ground) Cole shouts.

"Ugh, the venom!"

The venom? Wasn't it dumped— oh, he and Nya must've switched by accident when he tripped and dropped his canister while they were running from the spider. He must've grabbed her's instead.

"You left it?! W-well we can't go back!" They'd be caught for sure and Jay wants to avoid that at all costs. He can't stop his voice from wavering.

"And we can't go on without it, it's too important! I-I'll tell you where Lloyd and Nya are, you can fly to them and—" Jay cuts him off.

"Ugh, I can't spark up my dragon, I've been scrubbing this ship every waking moment." Jay groans and hangs his head.

There was also the fact that he'd been constantly and consistently torn down emotionally, beaten for days, and left with lots of injuries. He has no confidence in himself right now, he's really weak, and even if he was feeling stronger after being released from the Vengestone, he's still far too weak to summon his dragon. He doesn't have half the energy it takes to spark it. Mentally or physically. But Jay doesn't feel like mentioning that.

"Look, there they are, follow me!" Cole points behind them to a Raid Zeppelin and they run in that direction. They Airjitzu off the ship and bounce onto the top of the Zeppelin, into the cockpit, only to see Flintlocke's pistols aimed straight at them and half of Nadakhan's crew standing there laughing.

No no no!

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Before Jay can even think he immediately gets up and stands protectively in front of Cole. There's no way the pirates are getting to him.

It doesn't matter how hurt Jay is.

It doesn't matter what happens to him. And Jay knows very well what will. He knows the punishments for trying to escape.

They aren't hurting Cole like they'd hurt him.

They aren't getting to Cole.

"Uh oh," Cole shrinks back behind Jay, "I think we may have jumped on the wrong ship." Jay and Cole both look over to the Misfortune's Keep. They see Lloyd and Nya, hands tied behind their backs, being forced to stand near the edge of the deck. They look up at the two with worry as the crew surrounding them and Jay and Cole laugh.

While the two are distracted, Dogshank grabs Jay from where he's standing in front of Cole and pins him to the ground. Jay lets out a shriek of pain as Cole shouts his name before pirates try and grab him too, but they only phase through him. "Ha, you guys can't touch me, I'm a ghost!"

Flintlocke cocks his gun and points it at Jay's head. "Maybe. But if you value his life," he gestures towards Jay. "Then you'll stop resisting."

Cole immediately goes still and looks at Jay, the latter just furrows his eyebrows and closes his eye.

Even now he's only a liability.

"Alright, fine. Don't hurt him." Cole puts his hands up, solidifying himself, and a pirate ties his hands.

Flintlocke kneels down beside Jay as another pirate ties his hands behind him after Cole surrenders, chuckling. "Guess your little friends did come for you. But you remember, kid, there is no escape from here."

Jay squeezes his eye shut and growls as he's manhandled to a standing position with way more force than necessary. Cole receives similar treatment and the ship they're standing on is flown down to meet the Misfortune's Keep.

Someone comes up behind Jay, grabs his tied hands and yanks the knot tighter. Jay grimaces in pain and bites his lip.

"Hey, birdie. What? Is that too tight for you, kid?" Jay doesn't respond but he recognizes the all too familiar voice. He doesn't even have to look to know who it is.

Mustache places his hands on the blue ninja's waist, and whispers into his ear.

"Can't wait to finish up our little play time with you! And your friends can watch this time!" Jay shivers, his stomach churning as he bites his lip and shrugs the pirate off, just as Cole asks if he's okay.

Jay doesn't trust himself to speaks.

He's not.

He's definitely not okay.

Jay and Cole are pushed next to Lloyd and Nya, the latter two's eyes widening when they see Jay, questions of concerns on the tips of their tongues. Nadakhan floats in front of them all before they can say anything.

"Well, well, I started with one ninja in my possession and now I have four."

"What did you do to him?!" Lloyd angrily shouts what they're all thinking, glaring at Nadakhan. He'd apparently seen how hurt Jay is.

The djinn smiles wickedly. "We had some fun. I couldn't get a wish out of him, but he provided good entertainment for my crew." Jay keeps his head down.

"Take those three to the hole, but the girl is coming with me."

Nadakhan smiles endearingly at Nya and that's when Jay snaps.

"Don't you touch her!" Jay charges at Nadakhan but before he can even take two steps, he along with Cole and Lloyd are grabbed and dragged backward. "I swear if you lay one hand on her-" Flintlocke pulls his pistols and aims them at Cole and Lloyd who stop their struggling but Jay doesn't let up.

"Stop fighting," Flintlocke yells at Jay. "Or I shoot them both, point blank." Jay's eyes shift to Cole and Lloyd and he stops resisting but his glare never falters.

"That's more like it." Flintlocke laughs.

Nadakhan floats over, grabbing Jay's chin and whispering in his ear, too quiet for the others to hear.

"It would be of your best interests to stop struggling. Or we could, of course, play another round of Scrap N' Tap, now that your friends are here to watch, now that the fire in you from day one has returned. After all, we haven't seen that spark in quite a while, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste." Jay can just feel his grin.

Jay's strong facade crumbles at just the mention of that horrible thing they call a game, and the scared child that was hidden under all the adrenaline and rage resurfaces.

"N-no, no m-more fighting." Jay whimpers quietly and Nadakhan laughs, motioning Flintlocke to lead them away. Jay's eyes are full of shame as he catches Nya's gaze before she's taken to Nadakhan's room.

The other three ninja are pushed to a different part of the ship. Three ball and chains are waiting for them when they reach the cell. Jay tries to hide the fear in his eyes once he sees them but he catches a look from Cole that tells him he's not doing a very good job.

Cole and Lloyd's hands are untied, the ball and chains are attached to their ankles, and they're pushed into the hole.

Dogshank locks the ball and chain on Jay's ankle and he almost pukes seeing his dried blood around the latch of the chain.

"We saved yours for you." Flintlocke snickers as he tightens the chain around his ankle. Jay didn't think that latch could get any tighter than before, but it does. He can't hide the grimace of pain on his face.

"Aww, are you gonna cry?" One of the pirates teases and grabs Jay's shoulders.

Jay scowls and shoves the pirate off with a sharp "Get off!" His fingers clench into fists from where they're bound behind him, drawing blood.

"Hol' up, don't throw him down yet. The brat needs to be taught a lesson."

That's all the warning Jay gets before someone shoves him to the ground and he can feel the familiar breath on his neck.

"We need to correct that attitude of yours, brat."

Jay squirms under the weight and braces himself for the inevitable pain when another voice cuts Mustache off.

"Not right now."

"Aww come on, Flintlocke. You know the kid's getting too mouthy, just let me fix it."

"I said, that's enough." The first mate orders sharply, not happy with the response he receives. "The kid's had enough for now. Besides, the Cap'n has plans for him an' his friends, if 'e's too out of it he won't be any use. So it'll do you some good to follow the orders you are given! And that's sir, to you." Flintlocke voice booms over everything.

Mustache immediately stands and salutes, going rigid with fear. "Y-yes, sir."

Several pirates hoist Jay up and before he's pushed into his cell Mustache grabs his chin.

"Don't think I'll forget about it. I'm gonna get you alone and then I'll have my fun. Just you wait, birdie." Mustache makes to let go but hesitates and pulls Jay in close. "And watch that mouth of yours. Wouldn't want the small one down there to get the same treatment you've got."

They're not gonna touch Lloyd.

Jay does nothing but glare even though his insides twist into knots. He's trying his absolute best to keep his composure right now because he can't break down here and he's found that holding a glare is what works best.

Without warning, someone pushes him into the cell and he hits his head on the floor with a sickening thump. His ears are ringing again.

"Can't wait to have fun with you, birdie!" Mustache calls down at him.

The sound of the cell door locking can be heard among the commotion. Jay's head throbs, his vision blurring slightly. Cole and Lloyd are immediately at his side helping him up.

"Hey, you alright?" Cole's the first to get to him and Lloyd unties his hands.

Jay rubs his wrists once they're free and leans up against the wall, grimacing and curling in on himself. That's the first time he's kept himself together in a long time. He feels sick. "Y-yeah."

He's not. He's so not fine.

But Cole and Lloyd don't need to know.

"What happened? What was that pirate talking about?" Cole quickly asks.

Jay simply shrugs and shakes his head. "N-nothing." He says quickly. "Just messing with me." Cole raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing Jay but doesn't push it.

Lloyd has other plans. "Jay, don't avoid this." Lloyd says sternly but gently in his "Leader Voice." "Having fun? And why did he call you, 'birdie'?"

Jay pales. "Oh, uh don't worry about it." He clears his throat, looking down. "Birdie is just what they like to call me because, y'know, I'm Jay, like the bird, plus I'm kinda short so... heh heh." Jay chuckles nervously and swallows, hoping they don't ask him anything else. They can all hear the tremble in his voice. Cole and Lloyd exchange concerned looks but they both silently agree to not push the subject. Jay's obviously uncomfortable.

The two carefully kneel down beside Jay, their own ball and chains making their positions awkward. Cole, thinking they should at least try and help Jay with his injuries, lifts up Jay's pant leg to take a look at his ankle and he and Lloyd both grimace at the sight.

It's swollen unlike any of them have ever seen and the chain is cutting off circulation. But that's a small thing compared to the rest of his injuries. Lloyd gently feels his ankle around the chain, checking the bones for any broken ones. He presses on a particular spot and Jay grunts, pulling it towards himself.

"Sorry." He apologizes quickly. "I don't think it's broken, it might be fractured, but it's definitely sprained." Jay nods but doesn't respond.

"That chain's on pretty tight." Lloyd tugs on it with no result. "Has it been like this the entire time you've been here?" Lloyd's tone stiffens.

"Y-yeah, for the most part. Why?" His voice wavers.

Lloyd gives him a look.

Jay puts his hands up in defense, "I know, I know. Overexposure to Vengestone is dangerous for us, but what can like, two or some weeks do anyway?" Cole and Lloyd exchange worried looks, like they know something Jay doesn't.

"What? Why are you looking at each other like that?" Jay looks quizzically back and forth between them. "Guys?"

"Jay," Cole starts cautiously, "you've been gone for almost three months."

Jay's eyes grow to about the size of dinner plates and his jaw drops.

That long?!

He's really been here for that long?!

All the torture has been going on for months?!

Everything he's endured, the beatings, the Scrap N' Tap, the constant cleaning, the, the... has all been going on for months?!

He thought maybe a week, possibly a couple at most, but not this long?!

How out of it is he?!

He must've been unconscious for the majority of that time.

What else had they done to him?

Jay swallows thickly, "Oh, uh," he clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck nervously, "must've lost track of time, heh heh." He chuckles sheepishly but there's no humor in it.

Cole and Lloyd exchange another worried glance before refocusing their attention back on Jay. He waves them off after a while. They try to loosen the chain but with no luck. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

They sit in silence for awhile until Cole breaks it. "Ugh, the venom, I keep forgetting about it! I left it in Nadakhan's quarters!"

"You did what?!" Lloyd exclaims.

Cole puts his hands up in defense. "Hey, I was a little more worried about finding Jay than planting the venom!"

Jay winces, hanging his head. He was the reason Cole had forgotten about the venom, "Sorry."

Lloyd and Cole both deflate, "Hey, no, Jay. Don't apologize." Lloyd reassures him. "You were our first priority, above everything else. We all agreed on that. Okay?"

Jay nods, still not totally convinced.

There's no reason why he should be their first priority.

Lloyd sighs, feeling guilty now that he realizes the tone he'd used towards Cole. "We'll figure this out. Sorry I snapped, Cole."

"Eh don't worry about it, green bean." Cole shifts awkwardly, his ball and chain clinking, and shoots Jay a look.

"Uh, Jay?" Jay looks up at the mention of his name. "What..." Cole starts nervously. "What happened to you here?"

Jay's hurt, there's no doubt about that. He's really hurt. And obviously in pain.

He's deathly pale, covered in bruises of every color, cuts, lacerations, blood. His gi is stained with dirt and blood, tattered and torn. He's super skinny and way too light. His left eye is covered by an eyepatch but the bruising and blood can be seen peeking out around the edges. Jay avoided the question about it earlier and Cole hasn't asked again. Not to mention Jay's skittishness around two particular pirates, the fear in his eyes when Nadakhan gets too close, and how he refuses to answer certain questions.

It's all just awful.

What did Nadakhan do to him?

It's sickening to see Jay like this. It honestly scares Cole. His best friend had gotten so badly injured in the time he was captured. They should've gotten here sooner.

Eighty-three days in total.

That's how long Jay had been gone.

Eighty-three days.

For Cole, Nya, and Lloyd it had been eighty-three full days of worry and anxiety and stress and fear and sleepless nights and planning rescue missions and arguing and overthinking and imagining the worst and theorizing and just, just...

Just hoping Jay would be all right.

Praying Jay would still hold onto hope.

That he would believe his friends would come for him.

Even after all they'd put him through. Cole still feels horrible about that, Nya and Lloyd do too.

They'd made Jay honestly believe that they wouldn't come for him. Jay honest to the First Spinjitzu Master believed his friends would leave him behind.

And to have that mindset while going through—whatever it was he went through to get so hurt...

First Spinjitzu Master, they were horrible friends.

Jay grabs his bleeding arm nervously, "I, I don't really want to talk about it. Just, a lot of fighting, and..." Jay cuts himself off and visibly shudders when he mentions even that. If Jay had been forced to fight, it was obvious he didn't win many of those fights.

"And, a-and..." No. Shut it down, now. No, he isn't gonna bring that up. They would hate him. They would be ashamed. They would be so disgusted.

"Yeah?" Cole asks, letting Jay know he's listening.

"N-nothing." Jay says quickly. "Just fighting."

Cole raises an eyebrow in worry but doesn't press for anymore information.

He stares offensively at his weight instead, and grabs the chain, pulling. It's worth a try at least?

Jay lets out an exasperated sigh, "It's Vengestone, remember?" His voice is tired and weary. "You can't ghost through it and your super-duper strength won't work anymore!"

"Cole, you'd said you left the venom in his quarters?" Lloyd asks, thinking back to his earlier statement.

"Yeah, well, hopefully Nya can get to it."

"How?! She doesn't even know it's there!" Jay's starting to get worked up. "Oh, I don't like her being alone with that silky-voiced seducer. If he lays one hand on her, I—!"

Lloyd, slightly concerned at Jay's choice of vocabulary, cuts him off by grabbing his arm. "Hey, don't worry! We won't let that happen."

"We better not. Because if he takes her hand in marriage, he'll reach his true-potential, and we'll all be hooped when he has infinite wishes!"

Cole gasps, "Infinite wishes?! He'll be unstoppable!"

"But then his crew will be expendable," Lloyd points out, "maybe we can convince them to—" Jay interrupts before he can finish.

"I already tried, they wouldn't believe me." Jay sighs and slumps down against the wall, "Thanks for try'na save me, but maybe it would've been better if you never came." Jay isn't gonna lie to himself, it probably would've turned out better if they'd just left him here. It would've been better for everyone. If Cole never would've found him, the pirates wouldn't even know they were here. If Cole had just ignored his pathetic cries in Nadakhan's room, the others would already be up and gone.

He really was a burden.

Lloyd tries to shoot his thought down, "Hey, we may not have our elemental powers, but we're not without hope. Between the three of us and Nya, we have ten wishes that-"

Jay cuts him off again by scoffing incredulously, "Uh, wishes?! You wanna think that through?! Making wishes is why we're up here!" Well, why he's up here and why they had to come save him.

Again, all his fault.

"Yeah," Cole agrees, "and when he turns them around on you, you'll beg for him to wish it away. And that only makes him more powerful!"

"No wishes, Lloyd." Jay's firm with his statement. "Things may be bad, but they can still get worse!" Things can still get so much worse, and wishing is only gonna screw things up more.

"Okay okay, no wishes. Only as a last resort." Lloyd sighs and looks up at the bars. "I just hope Nya's faring better than we are."

Jay leans against the wall, eye closed, Cole fiddles with the chain, and Lloyd just sits quietly.

"Wait wait wait." Lloyd sputters when what Jay's said clicks in his head. "Jay, did you say Nadakhan wanted to marry Nya?!"

Jay winced and nodded sadly.

"Y-yeah, that's his plan."

"Why wou-"

Cole's reply is cut short when they hear Nadakhan's voice shout orders at the crew.

"Take them out of the hole. Prepare the plank!"

Flintlocke bangs on the cell and Clancee comes up behind him. "Let's go ninja. Time for the fun to begin!"

The three ninja are forced out of the cell, for Jay, not without help from Cole, he's too weak to pull himself out, and Flintlocke and Clancee hold them at gun and sword point respectively as they're pushed forward. Jay struggles pulling the weight, he's still limping and he's trying his hardest not to show, but he can't hide the pain on his face. All of a sudden he hears Nya's voice behind him and he turns around to see Dogshank holding her back while she struggles and shouts.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jay shoots her a glance and catches her eyes, he sends an apologetic look as he's shoved forward.

Pirates are setting up the plank at the edge of the ship.

Are they...?

Is Nadakhan gonna really...?

He's done so much to get Jay to make a wish and now he's just gonna push them over?!

"I make the orders around here!" Nadakhan shoots Nya a glare. "The sooner you'll learn that, the smoother it will go."

"You hurt them, and you can forget about any deal!"

Nadakhan turns to Nya and Jay can see the smugness in his stare. "Then agree to marry me right now. And it'll all be over."

He's blackmailing her.

No!

No, she can not say yes!

He's spent his entire time here trying to protect her, thinking if Nadakhan was so focused on him he'd leave Nya alone for a while and now, now she's here and, and... Jay can't do anything.

"Nya, don't do it!" Cole shouts what Jay's thinking. "It'll make him all powerful and..." Cole's cut off when Nadakhan shoves him toward the plank. Pirates start cheering.

"The black one goes first."

No no no!

Everything's going to pieces.

Flintlocke and Clancee grab Cole's ball and chain and heave it onto the plank, making Cole stumble, while Mustache grabs Jay's arms and another pirate grabs Lloyd's to hold them back. Mustache pulls Jay against his body and holds him tight when he struggles, whispering in his ear, "This is what happens when you don't behave, birdie." Jay just tries his best to hold his composure and squirms against the pirate. He doesn't miss the look Lloyd gives him.

"I will ask you again, Nya." Jay wants to hurt him for saying her name like that. "Give me your hand and they live. I remind you: below is nothing but ocean and just what does water do?"

Cole whimpers trying to pull his ball and chain from the edge.

If Cole falls...

If any of them fall... it's over.

They're all gonna die.

"Ugh, get off!" Lloyd struggles against Flintlocke, trying to get to Cole. Jay squirms too, but neither pirates budge. "Nya, you can't!" He yells again.

What are they supposed to do!

If Nya says yes, then she'll have to marry Nadakhan and he'll get infinite wishes and then he'd probably kill them anyway and he'd rule Ninjago and they can't let that happen but if she says no, Cole's gonna die.

"I don't get it." Flintlocke suddenly speaks up, briefly stepping away from Lloyd. "We should be pushin' her over. You said that all that matters is Djinnjago. Not her."

"Quiet, you hairy-lipped fool! Or should there be one more walking that plank?!" Nadakhan shoves Flintlocke towards Cole, "Push him over!"

"Wait!" Cole yells. "Don't I get any last words?"

Nadakhan hums in thought, "Humor me."

Cole looks down at the water nervously. "I-I wish..."

No.

No no no no no no no!

He can't start wishing! If they start making wishes then they'll run out and then Nadakhan will get them into the sword and...

"No! Cole don't do it!" Jay shouts with desperation. He reaches out to Cole but Mustache and Clancee hold him back. He can't make any wishes!

"You wish?" Nadakhan sounds genuinely surprised.

"I wish," Cole repeats, "Vengestone didn't stop our powers, but made them stronger!"

Jay feels such a sudden strong surge of power it almost knocks him over, he can tell Cole and Lloyd felt it too by the looks on their faces.

"Ha ha, I can't believe it worked!"

"If he's within earshot, he has to grant the wish."

Jay can't help but smirk as he stares at the spark of lightning in his palm.

"Get them!"

A female pirate, (Cyren Jay thinks? If he can remember correctly, she's the one that broke his foot) charges at Cole but he manages to flip over her and land next to Lloyd. Jay shoves Clancee and Mustache off his back with a newfound strength and the three of them back into a circle back-to-back, letting their power come to life in their hands.

Nya flips Dogshank over her head and joins the boys. "I wish someone told me we were gonna use wishes."

"Your wish is yours to keep!" Nadakhan immediately smirks.

No! Not another one, they've gotta be careful!

"Careful not to waste wishes!" Lloyd shouts. "That's two down with eight left!"

What was he thinking?!

There's no 'wishes left' they need to stop wishing!

The pirates are surrounding them. They're coming from all angles.

Mustache comes straight for Jay but he throws a huge lighting bolt right at him. And, boy, did that feel good. This is the first time in months he's been able to use his lightning.

"Remember the rules: you can't wish for love, death, or more wishes." Cole points out as he kicks another advancing pirate back.

But then something feels wrong. Using his element felt great at first, but, now if feels like it's buzzing underneath his skin. It's— he can't control it. He can't stop the lighting coming off his fingertips. He can't stop it.

"Cole's wish has made our powers too strong!" He shouts once he realizes. "I can't control it!" He, along with Lloyd start rising off the ground. "No, I knew this was a bad idea, but nobody listens!"

"We have to break off the ball and chains!" Lloyd shouts, blasting a pirate with a ball of green energy. He then boosts himself off the ground and Cole breaks his chain, then breaks Jay's and his own.

And the weight is off and Jay can breathe again. He's making a promise to himself; that's the last time he will ever be chained to that thing ever again.

His relief is short lived. They all hear the sound of a gun cocking.

"I ain't afraid to shoot you where you stand." Flintlocke has Lloyd at point blank.

Can't they catch a break?

"I wish you were a lousy shot!" Lloyd makes another wish.

Come on! Stop with the wishing!

"I never miss." Flintlocke pulls the trigger and Nya screams.

Jay waits for Lloyd's scream but it never comes. The bullet lands inches in front of Lloyd's feet. Everyone on the ship gasps in shock and looks to Flintlocke who is very angry.

"I said, I never miss!" Flintlocke angrily looks towards Nadakhan who simply shrugs.

Flintlocke growls and fires off shot after shot, and fortunately for them, Lloyd's wish actually worked and the bullets hit everything but them.

"Stop firing!" Nadakhan's voice booms over the fight. "Or else you're going to put a hole in all of us!"

"And would everyone stop wishing!" Jay's getting desperate. "Nothing good is going to come of this!" Don't they know wishing is what got him here?! Wishing is how they lost Zane and Kai and Wu and Misako and why can't they understand how bad this is all gonna turn out if they keep this up?!

Flintlocke fires off another shot then the four of them seem to have the same idea and they all spin into Spinjitzu, knocking pirates left and right. Jay tries his best to keep steady, he's already dizzy and in pain and in hindsight he did notrealize how hard doing Spinjitzu would be.

All of a sudden there's a sharp clank and now the ground is cold and slippery. The four ninja spin out of control and loose their tornadoes, left to slip and slide on the deck now coated in— is that ice?!

"That's not fair!" Cole shouts after slipping to the ground. "He's fighting is with our friend's power! Wait...I got it!"

Jay prays to the First Spinjitzu Master Cole's not about to do what he thinks he is.

"I wish he didn't have that sword!"

Jay wishes he could strangle him right now.

The sword shakes in Nadakhan's grasp and flies out of his hold... only to be caught by Flintlocke and promptly returned.

"Your blade, Cap'n."

"Well," Jay's mad now. "You got what you wished for, boulder brain! Words matter! We can't just be firing off wishes from the hip like this!" Jay dodges a swipe of a sword from a pirate.

Why don't they get it?! He's about to lose them too!

"That's six left. We have to be wiser what we wish for."

Are they even listening?!

"No! Not wiser! Quieter!" Jay slips on the ice and can feel his shoulder pop. "No! More! Wishes!"

"How about this: I wish I was wise like Wu." Lloyd shouts and the little orange sparkles flicker around him just like they do when anyone makes a wish.

"Oh, clever boy." Nadakhan looks mildly impressed.

Lloyd pauses and then a look of... knowledge? Something like that washes over his face and he jumps on two nearby buckets, effectively using them like ice skates and kicking pirates out of his way.

"Yeah, maybe we're over-thinking this." Cole suggests.

Jay slips on the ice, once again falling on his face and abusing his ribs.

No no no no!

"Why hasn't anyone just said, 'I wish us all out of here?'"

Again. Jay would punch Cole if he could.

"Oh. You fool!"

The whole ship starts to creak and it slowly tilts forward.

Are you kidding?!

The ship tips farther and farther, making everything, including several crew members, fall of the side.

"We really need to start listening to me!" Jay shouts as he slides down the deck. What is it gonna take for them to listen to him?

"Make it stop!" Flintlocke yells

"I can't." Nadakhan is frantic and Jay's never heard him sound like that before. "He's wished us all out of here."

Jay grabs on to the side of the ship with his less damaged arm just before he can fall off into the ocean below and hangs on like his life depends on it which it does. He sees the same vial Cole brought to Nadakhan's room when he'd found him roll down the deck.

The venom!

Jay rotates himself the other direction and swings his body, ignoring the protests of literally every bone in his body, to catch the vial before it's lost in the ocean below.

Cole and Nya fall hanging next to him to him.

"I really wish you hadn't said that, Cole!"

Is she serious?!

Jay's spent what's been apparently three months resisting one wish and they can't seem to stop wishing?!

"I heard that!" Jay hates the smugness in his voice. "It's yours to keep."

Nya gasps, realizing her mistake.

"And there's another one wasted! You really aren't very good at this!" He doesn't mean to sound so mean but he's terrified that he's about to lose everyone right now after all he's done to try and make sure they were all safe.

"Hold on!" Lloyd yells at them. The ship is completely vertical now.

But there's something off about Lloyd's voice. It sounds... older?

A second later Jay's suspicions get an answer. "Uh, I'm not just getting wiser. I'm getting older?!"

There's the trick in his wish.

Jay's gotta warn them before it gets any worse. Before one of them makes a decision they can't undo. "He wants you to wish it away. You can't!" That's his whole purpose. To twist someone's hopes and dreams around so much until they want it all to go away.

"Well, unless someone wishes something quick, we're all gonna fall! And don't look at me, I don't have any left."

Nya slips and catches Cole's leg but the weights too much for him and he slips too.

No!

"Then I wish those clouds would stop us!"

Pain shoots up Jay's arm and he falls right after Nya's wish.

Jay, Lloyd and the rest of the ship's inhabitants fall as well and land on the now substantial clouds.

Jay can't help but chuckle in relief. "Would you look at that." He doesn't have time to enjoy the breath of air because he catches Flintlocke's line of sight and the first mate is not happy.

He growls and Jay barely has time to move before the pirate lunges at him. Luckily he does move out of the way in time and Flitlocke bounces out of vicinity.

But then Doubloon comes from behind and Jay barely ducks in time. Before he can get up someone crashes into his side, knocking him down, pinning his arm, and it takes every ounce of willpower not to scream when his ribs are pressed on.

"I see you're gettin' a little cocky, kid." Jay really doesn't want to deal with this right now. He squirms under the weight. "Just because you got yer fancy powers back don't mean anythin', brat. You still just as broken."

He hears Lloyd scream.

That's Jay's snapping point.

He generates as much electricity as he can possibly can in the moment, which isn't much, and directs the lighting throughout his whole body. He knows his powers are weak right now but they're strong enough to electrocute anything touching him and that's precisely what happens. Mustache yells in pain and falls down, shaking from the aftershocks. Jay slowly gets up as well, holding his side.

"Yeah, it means something."

He immediately rushes to where Lloyd's writhing in pain on his back and Cole and Nya are next to him.

"Lloyd!" Nya's the first to respond. "What's happening to you?"

"Don't worry about me. Jay and I have one wish left, and I'm not going to use it to save myself."

"But you'll continue to get decrepit." Jay's voice is reaching the point of hysteria. "And you already sound like an old person. Let me use my last wish to save you!" Jay really doesn't want to make a wish, but if it means saving Lloyd, he'll do it in a heartbeat.

"Jay, the wise thing to do is to save it. I see beyond the now. You'll need it."

"For when?!"

"For when it's said from the heart."

"Said from the heart?! Hearts don't talk!" He doesn't want to hear this Sensei Wu-style cryptic message right now!

Nadakhan shoots up behind them and he doesn't look happy. "You think you can use your wishes to stop me?!"

"I wish for a sword!" Everyone, including Nadakhan, gives Lloyd a weird look as a sword materializes in his hand. "No, Nadakhan. I know our wishes will stop you. Just not today."

That's all the warning anyone gets before Lloyd stabs the cloud Jay and Nya are standing on and the two fall off the clouds toward the ocean.

"Nya! Jay!" Cole screams their names. Jay screams. Then Nya screams.

And what was Lloyd thinking?! He's gonna die. They're both gonna die. He can't spark his dragon Nya just barely learned how. The wind's rushing in his ears he can't breathe he can't think oh FSM they're both gonna die!

"Nya!"

They're gonna die they're gonna die they're gonna—

"We have to create our dragons!"

That's not gonna work! He's too weak he'll never be able to harness that much energy he's been beaten down too many times and all he can focus on is the wind rushing beneath him and his blood pounding in his ears!

"I don't have enough energy! I'm not strong enough!"

He doesn't expect answer she gives him.

"Then we'll be strong together. Hold on to me!"

Their hands reach and Jay holds her like his life depends on it and it does.

But then he feels a surge of energy. But it's not overwhelming like last time. It's comforting.

For a split second, he's not in pain. He's not hurting and he's definitely not weak.

All he can feel is Nya's strength and power flowing through him and in that moment for the first time in months he feels reassurance.

He's not alone in that cold cell anymore. He's here. With Nya.

With her warm smile.

And he smiles back.

They both grunt from the amount of energy they produce.

Then he feels the familiar feeling of his electricity forming together to spark his dragon, but he feels Nya's water too. It's a calming presence that cools the antsy buzz underneath his skin. It's invigorating.

As the dragon materializes, Nya takes the lead and Jay feels her extra burst of energy so he doesn't have to give quite as much.

The energy he does put into the dragon is all he has and he forces himself to stay conscious when Nya takes the reins and he's sitting behind her...

On a water and lightning dragon.

Did they just...

Their dragon roars and takes a dive down near the ocean.

"Ha! It's two dragons in one!"

He holds her tight when the beast soars back up.

"I guess water and electricity do mix!"

Jay can't do much but laugh unbelievingly.

But then his stomach drops and the peaceful feeling he felt with Nya is gone.

"We have to go back for them!"

He feels Nya stiffen and she pulls the reins back to where Lloyd and Cole are.

They pull up just in time to see them get sucked into the sword.

Jay's heart stops beating.

No.

"No! No no! They, they can't be gone!" He can't breathe. "No no no! We, we already lost... not them too! I-I this is all my..."

"Hey!" Nya's voice cuts over Jay's but it's not angry. It's... gentle.

"It's okay. We'll figure this out. But you have to calm down, Jay. If you panic, we'll lose the dragon. Just hold onto me. Breathe."

Nya's words are calm and comforting and Jay's taken aback at first because the last time he saw Nya she was furious but now she's helping him ground himself like she use to way back when.

Jay swallows thickly and hesitantly nods, taking slow, deep breaths.

"We gotta move. They're gonna chase after us."

Jay nods at her back and then a barrel with explosives drop over them.

"Watch out, Nya!" She swerves out of the way just in time.

They both notice the dragon flicker.

Now Flintlocke is an in airship chasing their tail.

"Hold on, Jay. I've got a plan." Jay doesn't say anything. He just does what he says as Nya swerves in and out of the clouds avoiding the missile fire.

Then Jay can see land and... the entire Ninjago City Police Department. At just the last second, Nya swoops straight up, out of the police's line of fire and Flintlocke gets the barrage attack waiting.

Nya steadies their dragon after the police chase the pirate away and she heads for the mainland.

Jay rips the eyepatch off his eye, suddenly feeling stupid wearing it. He blinks experimentally, testing his vision. It's still blurry in his bad eye, but at least he can see out of it now, so he tosses the eyepatch.

The adrenaline starts to wear off and the realizations and pain kick him in the head.

"They-they came to rescue me, and—" he hesitates, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. "A-and now they're all gone." He shoves the sob back down his throat. "Everyone's gone."

And it's all his fault. If they would have just left him there, left him on that stupid ship like he deserved... Lloyd and Cole would still be here. They risked everything for him and he wasn't worth it.

"Well, I'm not." Nya's reassuring voice cuts through his haze. "And you heard Lloyd. He saw beyond today. It had to be like this."

How can she be so positive right now?

How does she not hate him right now? He just got more of their friends captured!

"But now he's going to come after you!" Nya's the one Nadakhan wants and Nya's the one Nadakhan didn't get. He's going to be relentless trying to find her. "When will it be enough? When will it end? I—I can't stand losing anymore!"

They've already lost so much and it's all because of him.

"I can't stand losing either, but Lloyd saved us for a reason. Let's just hope by the time we see Nadakhan again, we figure out what that reason is."

They reach the mainland to see the entire police force cheering and clapping, and Nya briefly halts the dragon to talk to the Commissioner.

"We'll meet you back at the police station!" Nya calls down.

The Commissioner gives her a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan! Glad to see you're safe, boy." He waves at Jay and he gingerly waves back, giving a small smile.

Jay would rather it be Cole and Lloyd coming back, not him.

But he has to shove everything and all of this down right now. It's just him and Nya. The two of them left. Nadakhan is after Nya and Jay is swearing on his life that he is going to protect her.

He couldn't do it while he was a prisoner but he sure as heck can now.

If Nadakhan wants Nya, he's gonna have to go through him first.

Out of nowhere a wave of dizziness hits Jay hard.

His vision goes in and out and he suddenly feels really tired. He can feel his energy draining ounce by ounce. He recognizes the feeling. Any of them get like this when they've used too much energy.

He's spent.

His body physically won't keep the dragon alive.

Jay groans and the dragon flickers ever so slightly.

"N-Nya, I, I don't t-think I can keep this up for, much l-longer. It, it hurts." Jay's voice is weak and strained. It's taking every ounce of energy he has left to do his part keeping the dragon airborne. And he didn't have much energy to begin with, Nya's already doing most of the work.

Nya glances back at him with a soft, worried gaze. His eyes are squeezed shut and his breathing's ragged, he's holding onto her with one hand and hugging his stomach with the other.

"It's okay, Sparky. Just hold on a little longer. We're almost back to Ninjago City." She reassures gently.

Jay rests his head on her back, smiling briefly at the old nickname and completely forgetting her rules about "boundaries." His head becomes too heavy to keep up. He manages a small nod and winces. Keeping the dragon steady is draining what little energy he has left. And fast.

"Nya, I-I really c-can't, do t-this..."

The dragon flickers again.

Ninjago City is coming up into Nya's view. "Come on, Jay. Almost there. Just hold on."

Jay lets out a pained whine. It hurts. It's really starting to hurt. He can't keep it up.

Nya puts all her energy into making their dragon go faster, and finally, finally, they reach the NNCPD just before Jay's connection to the dragon severs.

"I'm s-sorry, Nya. I c-can't do it."

Their dragon rapidly flickers before completely vanishing. Thank the First Master they're only about 10 feet above ground. Nya lands and Jay somehow manages to land too, though much less gracefully.

But his feet won't support him any longer.

Nya hears a thud and a grunt, and she turns around to see Jay on the ground holding his side in pain. Several officers are immediately at his side and she isn't far behind. He tries to shakily stand up, but his arm buckles beneath him, a pained cry escapes his lips and he falls. Nya catches him by the arm just before he hits the ground. His breathing is too labored.

"Woah woah, steady. I got you, I've got you."

He winces again. "I'm fine, Nya, really. I can—agh—get up myself." She looks at him worryingly as she holds him up. He's pushing away from her and trying to stand on his own. His adrenaline's fading fast, along with his strength.

"You're not fine, Jay."

"Sir, we really need to take a look at your injuries, some seem to be pretty serious." One of the officers approaches Jay and calmly states.

Jay manages to stand up on his own and Nya steps back a few inches. "I said, I'm fine. Nothing serious, just a couple bruises is all."

That's the understatement of the century.

For starters, Jay's gi is frayed, torn, and stained with blood in several places, turning parts of his blue gi purple. Half his sleeve is missing!

Covered in bruises is putting it lightly. From what she can just see on his face, arms, and neck, some are fading and some still forming. All varying from shades of yellow, purple, and blue to a sickly black color.

He's definitely malnourished and dehydrated. He's also really skinny. Jay's always been small, that's nothing new, but it looks like his gi is almost two sizes too big now. She's already found countless cuts and lacerations, (some of which are still bleeding) all over his exposed skin. Some cuts even look infected. A few particularly deep cuts are horrifying to look at, and his lip is busted and swollen.

His right ankle is so badly swollen, Nya can see it from a few feet away. She doesn't know how he's even still standing right now.

He's obviously exhausted, from a lack of sleep, too much exertion, the adrenaline their escape had garnered, or just plain exhaustion Nya doesn't know, she's willing to bet it's a mixture of all four, but he's got dark circles, practically bruises, under his eyes.

His normally well-kept auburn hair is dirty and disheveled, there's dried blood matted in it right next to a really dark bruise on his forehead. Some parts of his skin are red and darker tanned, indicating sun burn.

His dark blue, sapphire eyes, always full of energy and life, always having a vibrant spark, are dull, hollow, and sunken. They almost look... gray instead of blue? They're dilated too. Further proving her theory about Jay having a concussion.

And his left eye.

That's probably the worst of it all.

It's severely bruised, giving him a black eye. It's swollen almost shut and he had been wearing an eyepatch but she guesses he tossed it after forming their dragon. She hadn't even noticed until now.

"We need to get you to a hospital. You're hurt pretty bad." Nya suggests as she places a concerned hand on Jay's shoulder. She doesn't miss the subtle flinch her touch causes and pulls away.

Jay immediately shakes his head in response.

"No no no. We need to focus on getting you somewhere safe. Somewhere Nadakhan won't find us. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Jay gives her one of his signature, sincere smiles, the one that's filled with determination but also so much heart.

The one that says "nothing is gonna get in my way."

The one that would have made her swoon way back when they were still together.

The one that now makes her heart twinge with fear at the realization that he's willing to ignore all of his terrible injuries for her.

She's reluctant, same as the rest of the nearby officers, but they compromise. A medic would look him over inside, make sure nothing was extremely serious or life-threatening, and then she'd to tend to his injuries once the two reached a safe house. Jay begrudgingly lets an officer help him into the police station and Nya follows right behind.

She can't ignore the guilt growing in the pit of her stomach as she watches Jay grimace in pain every few steps in front of her, even with the officers help.

And she can't help but think how this is all her fault.

—

After meeting the Commissioner inside and quickly debriefing him about their situation, an officer led them both to the medical wing of the police station where a nurse, who they'd been told was already filled in on everything as well, was waiting. She'd asked Nya to wait outside, but Jay about freaked out and said he wanted her in there with him. He just didn't want to be alone right now. The nurse hesitantly agreed.

Jay sat down on the exam table and the nurse started poking and prodding at him. She took some blood and x-rays, examined the cuts and bruises, (Nya wanted to be sick when Jay removed his gi and she saw just how badly Jay had been hurt, there were so many bruises), shined a flashlight in his eyes, and ran a bunch of routine procedures. When she was done the look on her face was nothing to be excited about.

"Well? Can we go now?" Jay asks, tone slightly annoyed.

The nurse gives him a look as if what he just said was the dumbest thing ever. "Hold on, now. The extent of your injuries would normally require a long hospital stay. You need to hang tight for a sec."

Jay groans, laying back down on the table and Nya sends him a reassuring look from the bench she's sitting on.

As the nurse looks over Jay's blood work, her face scrunches up in worry and she looks at Jay who raises an eyebrow, "What? What is it?" She doesn't answer right away and looks back at the screen displaying the results.

Nya and Jay exchange looks, "Is he gonna be okay? What did you find?"

The nurse takes a breath, "Well, um," she looks back at Jay. "Were you given anything? Like any medicine or something else while you were on the ship?"

A sickening feeling is growing in the bottom of Jay's stomach, "Um, no. Not that I know of."

Nya's face scrunches up in confusion, "I'm sorry, why do you ask? What did you find?"

She flips the screen so the two can see. "There are traces of hallucinogens and sedatives in his system."

Nya's eyes go wide and Jay turns as white as a sheet. Jay thinks his heart must've stopped beating.

"These particular drugs cause disorientation and confusion. It's highly likely that you lost track of days and were seeing things that weren't actually there."

Jay feels like he's gonna puke. And he probably would've if there was anything in his stomach.

"They, he... h-he... drugged me?"

Jay's hand goes to his forehead. "I-I don't, understand. I was... I, no, that's not, I, I don't remember.." His breathing picks up.

"I wouldn't expect you to remember, hun. You were given a pretty high dose." She rolls up his left sleeve, the one still intact, and points out several needle marks. "That would explain these."

Come to think of it, he does remember the occasional pinch in his arm. But he never would've guessed this!

He feels Nya's arm on his shoulder and her reassuring words.

How could he have allowed this to happen?!

Nadakhan had tried to make him wish it away without he even knowing it!

That's why he didn't realize three months had passed.

That was not comforting in the slightest.

That was terrifying.

He didn't want to think about what Nadakhan had done while he was out of it.

He got lost in thought but at some point he became vaguely aware of the voices around him.

He blinks several times, clearing his head. When he regains his composure he sees the two worried faces of Nya and his nurse kneeling in front of him.

"Jay, you okay? Can you hear me?"

Jay swallows thickly and nods softly, taking a deep, slow breath. "Um, y-yeah. S-sorry, I, I just... this is hard to wrap my head around."

"Don't apologize, sweetie. I understand." The nurse calmly states.

Nya puts a hand on his knee and looks him in the eyes. "It's gonna be okay, alright?"

Jay nods, "I, I just... I was there for three months, right?" Nya makes a sound to confirm his question. "Un-until Cole and Lloyd told me, I thought it had only been several days... I.. I..."

"Hey," Nya cuts in before his breathing can pick up, "It'll be okay. Is he gonna be alright?" She asks the nurse.

The nurse nods. "The drugs are already working themselves out. They're not life threatening."

Jay swallows thickly. "C-can you just do what you need to do so we can get outta here." Both Nya and the nurse can hear the fear in his voice.

The nurse gives him a sympathetic look and glances over her notes. "Well, I'll go over the major things. You've got a severe concussion, six cuts needing stitches, a fractured ankle, seven broken ribs and two cracked ones, severe dehydration and malnourishment, a black eye, you're running a 103.4 fever, most of the cuts and lacerations are infected, a dislocated shoulder that wasn't properly set, and that's not even half of it."

Jay winces hearing everything out loud.

"What do you need to do and what can I do once we reach a safe house." Nya asks, giving Jay a concerned sideways glance.

"I need to take care of the major things I just listed, the broken bones, some of those cuts, and the dehydration we can't ignore." She turns to Jay. "I'll wrap your ribs and your ankle, stitch some cuts, and give you an IV bag to get some fluids in you," she glances at Nya. "You can tend to the rest."

Jay resists the urge to groan.

This day is only getting worse. They don't have time for this. For all they know, Nadakhan on his way here now and they're basically just sitting ducks, all because he couldn't defend himself on that stupid ship. He's putting Nya in danger. He's putting the officers in danger. He's putting all of Ninjago in danger. This is all his fault.

The nurse catches Jay's expression and her gaze softens, he looks like he's about to cry.

"I'm sorry, hun, but you can't wait any longer. You're stable right now, but you might not be in a couple of hours. Even though the drugs in your system aren't a huge problem, your levels are still dangerously low. You're severely dehydrated and malnourished." She places a hand on his shoulder. "Sweetie, you could put your mission and your life in jeopardy if we don't get some fluids in you, okay?" Jay looks at her then takes a deep breath and sighs a shaky sigh, nodding.

"I'll be back with your IV."

"Hey, uh," Jay starts before the nurse walks off to get the needed medical equipment. "Could I get some water, please?"

The nurse smiles softly. "Sure thing, hun."

She comes back not five minutes later with supplies in hand. She hands Jay a cold compress to cool him down, wraps his broken bones, stitches the cuts on his forearm, shoulder, back, stomach, and leg, and hooks the IV up to his vein, all while Jay chugs down bottle after bottle of water.

It felt amazing to drink water. After being denied much of it for so long.

After the twelfth one he smiles sheepishly and the nurse just smiles. "Don't worry about it, hun. You need the fluids."

Within no more than two hours of the two remaining ninja arriving at the station, Jay was patched up enough for them to leave.

Three IV bags, fourteen water bottles, six rolls of support bandages, and forty-six stitches later, the nurse pulls the needle out of Jay's arm and helps him off the table. "Now please, for the sake of your mission and your well being, be careful." She looks at Nya, "Tend to the rest of his injuries as soon as possible. He can't stay this way for long." Nya nods understandingly.

The nurse hands Jay off to Nya and she supports him as they walk.

"And, hey," the nurse calls out to them and they turn to look at her. "Good luck." She smiles and the two return it.

Jay lets out a sigh as soon as the door clicks shut behind them. "I can walk, Nya. I'm fine." He pulls his arm from around her shoulder and she hesitantly complies. He steadies himself and wraps a hand around his side.

And, First Master, he wants her to stop looking at him like that.

Like he's gonna fall over every five seconds.

Like everything isn't his fault.

(It is.)

Like he doesn't deserve it.

(He does.)

She is giving him exactly what he doesn't want nor deserve.

Pity.

He just wish-... wants her to stop.

The two bump into the Commissioner, who was carrying what looks like Cole's travel bag, on their way down the hall.

"Jay! Glad to see you're okay."

Jay smiles sheepishly. "Thanks."

"Listen, you two. When we took custody of your ship, we searched it for any evidence and took some of your belongings to put through processing." He pauses and sheepishly scratches the black of his neck.

"Sorry about that by the way, I was completely wrong about you ninja."

The two smile, relieved.

"Anyway, it's a good thing we did because before Nadakhan stole your ship, we were able to grab some stuff that should last with you at your safe house." He hands Nya the duffel bag.

"Thank you." Nya says gratefully, taking the bag.

"You two can use one of the interrogation rooms to decide where you'll head. Right down that hall, room number 7A. There's a map in there for you."

Jay and Nya nod in thanks and the Commissioner heads to the front of the station.

"Well, we better start thinking of a place." Nya says through a sigh.

As they pass the front, they can see all the police cars lined up barricading the doors with even more officers ready and waiting, guns trained at the sky.

Jay stops in his tracts and hints of a small smile appear on his face. "I think I know the perfect place. Somewhere Nadakhan won't even think to look."