They were all leaving. Again.

Breaking up; going their separate ways.

Alone.

Without him.

Again.

As he watched them all say their goodbyes, Jay could no longer ignore the helpless feeling twisting his insides. Because this was it. This was the beginning of the end.

Well, a temporary end, but it still brought with it the same amount of dread he'd felt after Zane's—

No! Zane's here now. He's fine…

He's leaving.

They all were.

"We'll cover more ground if we all split up." And while Lloyd's plan was a solid one, his words both motivating and logical, Jay couldn't stop dwelling on what they meant—what they truly meant.

Saying goodbye to Nya had been a torture of the cruelest form. "It's only for a while, Jay. Just until we find Master Wu. We'll see each other again. I promise."

Right. But what would he do until then? Until that slippery, elusive future moment when he wouldn't be alone anymore?

What then?

What now?

What if they all separated and never got back together again? What if they never found Wu? And if they never found Wu, they'd never see each other again because they wouldn't have their Master to unite them as a team. As a team… What if something happened to one of them because they didn't have their teammates to back them up? What if one of them never came back and the others had to go look for him, but they never find him, and then Jay would have to say I told you so and everyone would get mad at him for not speaking up sooner and saying that splitting up was a terrible idea and—

Jay sucked in a breath as Kai wrapped him in a tight hug.

And what if one of them found some new friends along the way? Better friends that made them forget about their brothers… And then when they all finally got back together, she had already forgotten about them and moved on and she never wanted to see him again because he left her and she liked her new boyfriend better and—

Stop it!

When Kai pulled away at last, moving over to Zane, Jay found himself fighting hard against the urge to hug Nya again.

Because it could very well be the last time…

No! No, don't think that way!

Oh, why couldn't they just split up into teams of two or three like they always did? Would that be so wrong?

Of course it would, because you want it.

Come on, Jay, do what's best for the team.

He always did what was best for the team. Because that's what we're supposed to do. Aren't I entitled to a little selfishness every once in a while, though?

To which his mind cruelly spat back, After that whole debacle with Nadakahn? Yeah, I don't think so.

Right.

And so, the goodbyes dragged on for a painfully long time until just Jay and Cole were left.

Cole…

"So…" At the sound of his friend's voice, Jay glanced up from the ground that had once been so interesting. And he waited on bated breath. Maybe… "I guess this is it then, huh?"

Then again, maybe not.

Jay forced his shoulders into a shrug and his lips into a half-smile. "I guess so."

Despite the obvious setup for another hard goodbye, Cole made no move to leave, so Jay didn't either.

Wait. Just wait, something told him.

Wait for what?

"Uh, where are you gonna go?" He asked after a long moment. "I mean, where are you gonna look first?"

Cole shrugged. "I don't know. Wherever I end up, I guess."

"Oh," Jay replied with a slight nod.

"You?"

"Same."

Cole nodded and the heavy silence fell over the pair once more. Maybe… Maybe if Jay could keep him talking for a while…

But no, that would only prolong the inevitable. He had to look at the situation like a Band Aid: the faster you rip it off, the less it will hurt.

It would still sting, though.

There was no avoiding the stinging sensation that would follow Jay on his lonely wanderings once they parted at last.

"Where do you think the others—?" Jay began, overlapping Cole's "Listen, Jay…"

They both clamped their mouths shut, waiting for their other to finish.

"You go," Cole finally nudged.

"Oh." And Jay shrugged for the umpteenth time that morning. "I was just wondering where you think the others might look first."

"They explained all that earlier. Weren't you listening?"

"Oh, heh, I guess not…" Jay's gaze fell back on the ground, his stare creating an invisible sheet of connect-the-dots on the pavement.

"Listen, Jay…" Cole repeated and Jay swallowed. Here it is. This was it. The last friend was leaving him for who-knows-how-long and he was supposed to just sit back and let it happen.

Because that's what we all agreed on. However, when he looked back at the scene in his mind's eye, he couldn't remember his own voice rising in the chorus of agreements. No, he'd merely given a small nod of his head, accepting his fate with as much dignity and fake contentment as he could muster.

Cole was hesitating. Why is he hesitating? Not that Jay was complaining. The longer he got to spend with his friend, the better.

Still. Band Aid, he reminded himself.

"... I…" Another shrug. "Well, I spent most of my life growing up as an only child…"

Jay offered a shrug of his own. "Same here."

"And, well, Lloyd's a good leader and everything, but…" Yes? "Well, I don't know how long it's going to take to find Master Wu, and I'm not too hip to being alone again. And I don't think you are, either."

"Am I that obvious?"

Cole cracked a grin. "Oh, come on, you've always hated being alone." True. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't know that?"

"Well," Jay caved, struggling to suppress the wide smile that pulled at his lips, "I was just thinking about how lonely it would be searching for Master Wu alone… And two heads are better than one, right?"

"Always."

Always. Jay blinked back unwelcome tears before they could even threaten to fall and bounced slightly on balls of his feet, unable to contain his overwhelming joy any longer. Always.

"Well," Jay said again, adjusting the pack against his back, "you can come with me, sure. After all, I wouldn't want you to be lonely…"

Laughing, Cole shook his head. "Me? You're the one who was waiting around for an invitation!"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about. Now, are we gonna go or not?"

"Lead the way."

"Where to?"

Cole shrugged as they made their way down the path ahead. "Wherever this road takes us, I guess? And then we'll go from there."

"Sounds like a plan. Not a very good one…"

"Hey!"

"But still a plan," Jay finished with a chuckle.

"Well then," Cole said, nudging Jay forward, "what are we waiting for? Race you over that hill!"

"That one? All the way over ther—Hey!" Clamping his mouth shut, Jay charged after his friend, who had given himself a pretty decent head start. "No fair!"

In the near distance, Cole just laughed and pushed his legs to go faster.

He may have fallen behind, but Jay wasn't complaining. Not when Cole was there with him.

Because he wasn't alone now, and he never would be again. Not if he had anything to say about it.

And he did. He always did. With any luck, he'd never run out of things to say.

With any luck, he'd never run out of people to be around. And if that day ever came—the day Jay was finally alone—well…

He didn't know what he'd do.