"There you two are," Nya said, rushing up to Kai and Jay as they entered the living room. "I was getting worried! How are you doing?"
"Doing better now that we're here," Kai said.
"And how about you, Kai?" Nya asked, turning to Jay.
"I'm not-" Jay started, then he went into a coughing fit, bent over with his hands on his knees, hacking and gagging and practically coughing his lungs out.
Kai thumped Jay on the back. "Breathe-"
He was going to call Jay by name, not even thinking of how that might not be the best way to break the weird news, but then Kai started coughing too.
"You guys don't sound too good," Lloyd noted worriedly.
"Don't feel too good either," Jay rasped.
"Maybe you should lie down," Nya said. "Rest a while, get some sleep, and feel better in the morning?"
"Sleep can be a great benefit to one's health," Zane stated. "We can debrief on the stakeout later in the morning."
"I want to debrief now," Kai said firmly, recovering his breath for the moment. "We needed to tell you all that-"
Now it was Kai's turn to hack and gag, and Jay's turn to thump him on the back.
"The debrief can wait," Lloyd said firmly. "Go rest."
"Oh! Okay, yeah, we'll do that," Jay said, grabbing Kai by the arm and quickly pulling him from the living room. Jay dragged him to the ninja's shared bedroom, situating Kai on a chair and pacing next to him.
"What was that about?" Kai managed to ask as his coughing fit came to an end.
"Think about it," Jay said. "Why have we been coughing?"
"Maybe we got sick from being out late or something?" Kai asked.
Jay shook his head, still pacing. "No, I don't think so. What does every time we've started coughing have in common?"
"We've been talking?" Kai tried.
"Not just talking," Jay said grimly. "Trying to talk about what happened and how we switched bodies. Every single time."
"Not every time. You didn't cough just then," Kai said.
"Okay, yeah, that's true," Jay said. "But why, then, when it happened all the other times when we were trying to tell everybody? Oh!"
"What?" Kai asked.
"Because right now, I was just talking to you about it," Jay said. "And you already know what happened, because it happened to you too. Remember when this all started with that guy from the alley? He was talking about how we'd be facing ourselves, and he left us that note about this whole thing bringing us closer together. Maybe this is something only the two of us can deal with. Maybe whenever we try to get help from someone else about it by telling them about it, we'll break out coughing like we did when he switched us."
"That makes sense," Kai said, jumping off. "A mean kind of sense, and I'm disliking the guy who did this more and more, but it makes sense. So we need to do this ourselves."
"Or…" Jay mused.
"Or what?" Kai asked.
"Or we need to get help without mentioning what happened," Jay said.
"So we don't cough all the time," Kai said. "Yeah, okay. But how do we do that?"
Jay thought for a moment, stopping pacing. "I don't know. We can't tell them our real names, or that we switched bodies, or that we're not who we look like we are."
"Even if, for you, that's a good thing," Kai teased. "Jay, looking as handsome and being as awesome as Kai? Must be a dream come true."
Jay shoved him. "Hey, you wish you were me."
Kai shoved him back. "Right now, I am, you dweeb."
"Yeah, and that's our problem," Jay said. "So we need to get help without actually telling the others why we need help."
"Or maybe," Kai said slowly. "Maybe we can tell them why we need help without actually telling them."
Jay frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kai grinned.
"Hey, Nya," Jay chirped, walking into the living room.
"Oh, hey, Kai," Nya said, looking up from a packet of papers. "That wasn't long at all. Did you get some rest? Are you feeling any better?"
"A little better," Jay said, avoiding his knee-jerk reaction to tell her that actually, he was Jay, not Kai. "I have a question for you. Actually, a couple of questions, kind of."
"Shoot 'em my way," Nya said, looking back down at her papers and moving them around in her lap.
Jay took a deep breath. This was going to be hard for both of them, but it would be worth it. Hopefully. "When you faced Nadakhan, what was it like?"
Nya froze. She didn't look up, she didn't move the papers around, she didn't blink, she didn't even seem to breathe.
"Sorry," Jay said immediately. "I'm sorry, Nya, I know that's a hard thing to think about, I'm really sorry, I-"
"Jay told you," Nya said quietly. She was breathing and blinking again now, but a little too much of both, really.
"Kind of?" Jay said, not daring to say yes or no.
"He shouldn't have," Nya said. "That wasn't just his story to tell."
"Yeah, I know," Jay said quietly. "I'm sorry. About all of it. The parts I was there for, and the parts I wasn't. I'm sorry."
"Thanks, Kai," Nya said, still blinking too fast and breathing too hard. She stood, leaving the papers on the couch. "I think I'm going to go to bed now. I can yell at Jay about this in the morning. Good night, bro."
"Good night," Jay said awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next and more than a little uncomfortable in the situation.
Kai peeked into the kitchen. Yup, there Zane stood at the sink, washing dishes at like two in the morning. The guy just couldn't help himself from helping out, Kai figured. Oh well. It served Kai's purposes for the moment, at least. Kai took a deep breath, clenched his hand around what Jay had given him, and walked into the kitchen.
"What's up, Zane?" Kai asked.
Zane looked over his shoulder. His eyebrows rose. "Hello, Jay. How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing all right," Kai said casually, leaning against the counter and fiddling with the thing in his hands.
"That is good to hear," Zane said. Then he frowned and turned slightly toward Kai. "What do you have there?"
"It's a-" Kai began, looking down at the thing in his hands. Then he paused. "Honestly, I forgot what it's called."
"Well, it is an electromechanical alternator," Zane said slowly. "But I believe you usually refer to it as an 'energy converter thingy-ma-bob.'"
"An energy converter thingy-ma-bob," Kai repeated, shaking his head. "What a technical term, huh?"
"Not exactly," Zane said. "Jay, are you sure you are feeling all right?"
"As all right as I can be," Kai said, and he began tossing the thing back and forth between his hands, catching it and tossing again.
Zane tilted his head to one side. "Jay, did you not just purchase that one?"
"Probably," Kai said readily.
"And you are not concerned or nervous at all that in your fidgeting you will break it?" Zane asked.
"Not nervous, never nervous," Kai said confidently, and he leaned back and began tossing the thing higher into the air.
"Never nervous," Zane repeated. "I see."
"You do?" Kai asked eagerly, catching the thing and holding it close.
"I believe I do," Zane said. "It is most unlike you, Jay."
Kai barely breathed. Zane was about to put it all together.
"Which, combined with the coughing from earlier," Zane said, his voice trailing off.
Kai grinned. Yes!
Zane nodded to himself. "All together mean that you are far more sick than we realized."
Kai frowned. No!
"Sudden personality or value changes, restless fidgeting while denying any form of anxiousness, and loss of short-term or long-term memory can all be signs of much more severe forms of illness," Zane said, his words picking up speed. "Jay, what other symptoms are you experiencing?"
"None," Kai said. "No symptoms whatsoever, other than the coughing, which isn't really a big deal."
Zane looked unconvinced.
"In fact, I feel perfect, so perfect I'm going to go put this thing back wherever I found it and go… Do whatever I do before bed," Kai finished, and he turned and left hurriedly. "Good night, Zane!"
"Good night, Jay," Zane said, sounding very confused and just as concerned.
Kai scowled to himself. That hadn't worked at all.
"No luck with Zane," Kai reported, meeting Jay in the living room. "Where's Nya?"
"She went to bed, no luck with her either," Jay said glumly.
"So this isn't working, not yet, at least," Kai said. "Talking to one of us acting like our real self isn't going to cut it."
Jay perked up a little. "Maybe not. But maybe together, we can make a difference."
"I think I know what you're getting at," Kai said. "Come on, I think I saw Cole putting away some of the training equipment."
Cole was indeed putting away training equipment when Jay and Kai looked in on him.
"So what do we say to him?" Jay mused.
"Follow my lead," Kai said, and he strode into the room.
"Because that always goes well," Jay muttered, but he followed.
"Hey, Cole!" Kai called.
Cole looked up from the weights he was organizing. "Hey, guys. You good?"
"Mostly," Kai said.
"Good to hear, Jay," Cole said, smiling.
"But I'd be even better if I could find that little neck-massage robot I built," Kai said.
Cole's smile disappeared.
"Hey, yeah, where is that thing?" Jay asked.
Cole scowled at Jay. "Mind your own business, Kai."
"I'm not-" Jay began instinctively, then he cut himself off before he could start coughing.
"A neck massage sounds really good right now," Kai said daringly. "But I can't seem to find the robot I built for that. Do you have any ideas where it went, Cole? Because I think you have some ideas, or at least, maybe one idea?"
Cole leapt for Jay. "Kai!"
"Eep!" Jay squealed, hiding behind Kai.
"You told him!" Cole accused.
"Told him what?" Jay asked nervously, leaning around to peek out from behind Kai.
"That I broke it," Cole said hotly.
Jay straightened up immediately. "What?"
"That I broke Jay's little massage 'bot thing," Cole said. "I told you already, Kai, that it was an accident! And I told you that you weren't supposed to tell Jay until I could tell him in a good way!"
"And this is a good way?" Jay asked incredulously. "Cole, you broke it!"
"You knew that, already, Kai," Cole said. "But Jay didn't, and I wanted to be the one to tell him."
Jay just stared.
Cole turned to Kai. "Jay, I am so sorry. I didn't see it, and I tripped over it, and I accidentally kicked it into the wall really hard. I didn't mean to! I know you worked hard on that thing. It was an accident!"
"Yup," Kai said calmly.
Cole frowned at Kai. "You're taking this surprisingly well."
"What can I say, I didn't work too hard on it," Kai said.
"Yes, you did," Cole said slowly. "Or does that mean… You forgive me?"
"No!" Jay said hotly.
"Shut up, Kai," Cole said. "I'm talking to Jay. I'm sorry, Jay."
Kai sighed. "I forgive you, Cole."
Cole smiled. "Okay, good. I'm glad. Maybe I can help you get some parts for a new one tomorrow?"
"Sure," Kai said resignedly. He turned and left the room.
Jay pointed at Cole. "I don't forgive you, and I'm-"
"Go to bed, Kai," Cole said, patting Jay on the back as Jay erupted into coughing.
Jay glared at Cole but walked out after Kai, still coughing.
"What now?" Kai asked as Jay joined him in the living room again.
Jay coughed one more time, cleared his throat, and said hoarsely, "We have one more card left to play."
Lloyd was probably supposed to be putting in a mission report, but instead it looked like he was falling asleep sitting up at the computer.
Kai put a hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd?"
Lloyd jolted awake. "What?!"
"Chill, Lloyd," Kai said. "It's just us."
"Oh, Jay, Kai, hey," Lloyd said. "I was just-"
He gestured at the computer vaguely.
"You were just falling asleep?" Kai asked innocently.
"No," Lloyd said defensively.
"Because that's what it looked like," Kai said.
Lloyd sighed. "Yeah, probably. I wanted to get this mission reported on, but I guess that'll have to wait for tomorrow."
"Or, really, later today," Jay said, then he laughed. "Because it is tomorrow already."
Lloyd looked at the clock. "Huh. I guess it is. Yeah, later today, Kai. I should probably go to bed, then, and you two should too. You were coughing so much earlier, that can't have been good for you."
"About that," Jay said. "Have you heard about any sicknesses going around?"
"Anything that could cause such bad coughs?" Kai added.
Lloyd thought for a moment. "A bad cold, maybe?"
"I think we meant something more…" Kai said, thinking hard.
"Nefarious," Jay said.
Lloyd scrunched up his face. "Nefarious?"
"Evil," Jay said helpfully.
"Oh. I don't think I know what you mean," Lloyd said.
Jay glanced at Kai.
Kai picked up the idea from there. "Maybe something a villain could have done, somebody with a grudge against us, somebody who could've-"
And then he broke down coughing.
"Somebody who could've made you have a bad cough?" Lloyd said doubtfully. "Not anybody that I know about. I mean, it doesn't seem like something a villain would do."
"That part, maybe not," Jay said. "But-"
Now he started coughing.
"But I'll keep an eye and an ear out," Lloyd said, looking worried. "Tomorrow, or, later today. Right now, I think we should all go to bed."
Lloyd stood, heading for the ninja bedroom.
"We'll be there in a minute," Kai called after him, then when Lloyd disappeared around the corner, Kai turned to Jay. "So that didn't work."
"None of it worked," Jay said. "Huh. Maybe we need to work more on perception training or something, because nobody's picking up on any of the clues we're putting down."
"To be fair, I don't think anybody's first thought when somebody acts weird is 'oh, they've switched bodies,'" Kai said. He yawned. "We'll have to come up with a new plan tomorrow."
"Later today, you mean," Jay said.
Kai rolled his eyes, but he said, "Sure. Later today."
AN: Shout-out to JustRandom for leaving two excellent reviews! Thanks so much! I love hearing you all's thoughts, so let me know what you thought of this one!