Two days after their fateful moment on the bridge, Jay and Nya sat together in a jewelry store, across from the store's owner. He smiled, putting forth a simple ring in front of each of them. The two had just finished getting sized for rings, and they picked up the simple bands, examining them.

Nya nodded appraisingly. "So, these are our sizes?"

"Yes, an example of them." The seller smiled. "These bands are not yours to keep, but they do quite nicely for testing the fit, no?"

"Makes sense to me!" Jay grinned, immediately slipping his on his left ring finger. It fit snugly, but not so tight that he couldn't take it off, and was comfortable. "That does fit! It's so… small." The feeling of wearing jewelry was strange and unfamiliar, but it made him feel warm with the thought of what that ring might mean one day, and why it would be there.

"Of course it's small. It's a ring!" Nya smiled at him, wearing hers on her left hand too. Seeing a ring on Jay's finger was far from unwelcome– in fact, it was endearing, even exciting. Maybe one day there might be a different ring there, for a different reason, to make both of them smile every day... despite the fact that it was only temporary, in her eyes Jay was a handsome sight. "A ring suits you!"

Jay blushed a little, but only grinned wider. The pink made his freckles blend into his skin tone a little more, but not quite hiding them. "You too! Now I can get you the one I mentioned," he said with a little nudge to her side.

"Yep, now you can." Nya reached out and took his hand, smiling and warm with the overtaking feeling of hope such a tiny item produced, and mentally filing away the information they'd gained. "Now that we both know our sizes, I could get you a ring too."

"Sounds perfect!" Jay grinned, then let go of her hand so he could take off the sample band. Nya did the same, and they put them on the counter.

"So," the seller commented with a smile, putting away the test bands. "Might I assume you two might be looking for a wedding set?"

Nya blushed this time, shaking her head. "Uh… maybe. Not quite yet." She glanced at Jay, who returned the slightly wide-eyed look, before both of them smiled and spoke in near-unison. "Maybe later."

The seller chuckled as they both blushed. "Very well. You're welcome to look; if you decide it's time, why not start your search here?"

Jay cleared his throat, the tiniest hint of lightning sparking in his eyes like little blue stars. Nya couldn't help but watch his face, and how he seemed to glow with happiness. "Yeah. When it's time. Before then, I have something else in mind."

Oh?" The salesman smiled. "What can I do for you then, sir?"

Jay grinned widely. "Well, you see…"

"Nya, my darling, my yang, the love of my life!" Jay sing-songed, crooning through the narrow halls of the Monastery. "I'm home!"

Nya laughed affectionately, and he followed the sound. She was looking up from her book, sitting in a corner on the couch. "Welcome home, Jay! What's got you so excited?"

"Oh, nothing…" Jay all but crowed, holding one hand behind his back. "I just happen to want to say hello, dearest."

Nya laughed more, setting her book aside as Jay approached. "Really. And that's the only reason why you're so cheerful?"

"Of course not!" He grinned, leaning down to give her a kiss, still hiding the box. "I lied. I have something to give you."

Despite her lack of care for jewelry, Nya's heart leaped. "Wait, do you have it?"

"I have it!" He produced a small navy blue box from behind him with a flourish, presenting it to her on one knee. "A special gift for a gorgeous lady."

She blushed, taking it from his hand. "Okay then. Do I open it now?"

"Yeah, go ahead!" He grinned excitedly, fidgeting a little. "I want to know what you think of it."

"Knowing myself and your tastes, I know I'll love it." She smiled winningly, admiring his overeager cheerfulness. "So… I open it now?"

"Just do it!" He laughed. "Aren't you curious?"

"Of course I am! I just think your excitement is funny!" When he made a face, she laughed, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll open it now."

"Yes!" He cheered, watching her intently enough to make her slightly nervous. Nevertheless, she did as she'd said, slowly opening the lacquered box.

Nya lifted the lid and watched as a ring was revealed, nestled in royal blue velvet. It was made of sterling silver, having several wires woven together in a complex braid, with tiny sculpted leaves on top of the braid. A pale blue gem was set at the top of the ring, its many facets scattering the light in a beautiful pattern following the shape of the gem, a simple teardrop.

Nya sighed, taking the ring out and watching the light scatter, heart pounding. "Oh, Jay… it's beautiful!" She looked at him, watching his smiling expression with more than a little love in her heart, seeing his sparking, sparkling eyes and feeling like they were uniquely beautiful that night. "What kind of stone is it?"

"It's an aquamarine!" He winked. His smile was brighter than anything she'd seen before, and both of them were filled with a warm, buzzing feeling of happiness. "You know, aqua, like water! It fits, doesn't it?"

"It's perfect!" She slid it on her right ring finger, opposite where a wedding band would eventually lie on her left hand. There she admired it more, examining the gem and the tiny leaves; a perfect juxtaposition that fit perfectly. "How did you find it?"

"I was looking around jewelry shops," he admitted gingerly, sitting next to her on the couch. She looked up to see him rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, but smiling. "I wanted to get you a nice gift."

She smiled at him again, reaching up to cup his cheek softly. "Oh, Jay… thank you."

He grinned back, nestling into her touch readily, and he found himself unable to look away from her beautiful ocean eyes. "You're welcome." How was she so beautiful tonight?

She blushed at how he looked at her. What was there to do but to lean forward and capture him in a kiss? All the while, her heart full of love and appreciation, and he shared her joy. He responded to her kiss happily, both of them shutting out the wold as they only focused on each other, barely feeling like they were still in real life. The cold silver of the ring pressed against Jay's cheek and Nya's finger, but they didn't mind it; it was a welcome distraction, like so many other things weren't.

When the kiss ended, Jay sighed, smiling in a perfectly lovesick way. "I love you, Nya."

The look in her eyes made the whole deal worth it, and her dark pink blush. "I love you too, Jay. I know I don't say it, but... I do."

Happily, Jay reached up to pull her into another kiss. He was leaning over to give her more pressing ones, happily expressing his love for her. She was perfect– how could he not show her? Nya was the woman he wanted to marry!

In their embraces, Nya's kisses were like rain in the desert. She was the beauty of the land, and her smiles were like the desert poppies he remembered from the Sea of Sands. When she looked at him again, kisses ended and joy remaining, he knew he had to tell her about the beauty he saw, so she would see herself the way he saw her.

Jay put a hand to her cheek, reveling in the touch. "Nya?"

"Yes, Jay?" She happily nestled into his touch. "What is it?"

"I know I say it a lot more than you, but…" He smiled, stroking her cheek and admiring how soft it was. "Nya, I love you so much, and I seriously mean it. You make me feel like a better man. You're more beautiful than the flowers that grew in the Sea of Sands: they were the first beautiful things I ever saw, and they pale to you."

At his words, she smiled, overwhelmed with fondness for him and wanting to forget about everything else. She could see the love in his eyes and knew every word was true, but still wanted to ask, to hear more, to know. "Jay… you really think so?"

"I do!" He grinned brightly, kissing her quickly and keeping he full attention. "I'm serious, Nya– you're beautiful, and hardy, and strong. You're what I think of when I think of the best parts of life." He looked away awkwardly, smiling more to himself, and she watched him with a smile. "It's part of why I want to marry you one day."

Nya's breath hitched at the idea. She reached out to touch his cheek, drawing his attention back to her, nerves and joy blending together. "You mean that, Jay? You think of all of that when you see me? You want to marry me because of it?"

"I do." Both of them blushed, but he didn't waver at all. "Nya, you're my everything. I just… wanted you to know."

Tears sprang to Nya's eyes, and she embraced him, holding on tight. "Oh, Jay… you're so…"

"Cheesy? Awkward? Sentimental?"

"No!" She pulled back to kiss his cheek. "You're so sweet, and poetic!"

He blushed again. "Poetic? I thought you didn't like it when I tried to be poetic."

"No, I don't. I like it when you speak from the heart." She smiled, leaning back to lean her forehead against his. "You're so sweet to me, Sparky."

"I only want the best for you," he mumbled, smiling sheepishly. "You deserve the best."

"And you are the best." She kissed him. "Thank you."

He smiled at her, and all felt right in the world as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, settling in on the couch beside her. "You're welcome."

There they sat, together on the couch, and all felt well with the world. As time passed, they ended up sprawled over each other, with Nya reading her book again as Jay began playing a game on their Nin-Box. She often took breaks to look at the ring, admiring the aquamarine stone set on it; sometimes Jay would glance down at her as she did, and they'd share a smile, maybe a kiss. Then they'd each go back to what they were doing, and the world kept spinning.

Sometimes, life was good. Sometimes, life was bad. Sometimes, people were put through the ringer… and sometimes loving people finally got a break to coexist.

They'd be back in the fray tomorrow, but today wasn't over yet. Today was for them and for their love. That was more than enough.

Surprise! I wrote a second chapter for this after all, two whole months after the first posting! Writing Jaya is always a rather difficult task for me, but I was determined to finish this on a high note and respond to the requests I got to continue the story. I hope it's satisfactory; I sure like how it turned out.

On a rather unrelated note, today (April 24th, 2021) is my one year anniversary of coming back to writing fics! Just over one year ago, Dragongem17 (my writing buddy) bugged me relentlessly about reworking a very old story of which I still had a copy so she could read it. I eventually did it, posting The Gift of New Life on April 24th, 2020. Since then, I've worked a lot to tell many new stories, made new friends, connected with new ideas (*cough* Colania), and had a great time.

Here's to another year, and thank you all for reading my stories! Each and every one has been a labor of love.

If you feel so inclined, leave me a review! As of this chapter, Put Through the Ringer is officially complete and will receive no future updates.