He looked like death. No, he looked like he'd knocked on Death's door and promptly got rejected. Like the hooded scythe-wielder took one look at Jay and said "No thanks."

"What explosion?"

Kai glared at his friend, daring him to avoid the question. He didn't need excuses right now, he needed answers.

"Oh…" Jay's laugh was forced. He could tell. Contrary to popular belief, he could almost always tell. "You know."

"No, I don't. That's why I'm asking." He brushed Jay's bangs to the side so he could get a better look at the cut on his forehead. Man, that's deep. "You look like the Cursed Realm chewed you up and spit you back out. Let me see this…"

A closer examination of the gash was quickly stopped when Jay batted his hands away.

"Hey! Cut that out! I'm fine!"

Kai scoffed. "Could've fooled me. Now, let me at least see if it's infected, okay?"

Jay hesitated for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Fine, but just don't touch it."

Flashing a knowing smirk at his brother, Kai reached out once more. "'Cause it hurts, right?"

"No! Because I don't want you putting your dirty fingers all over it."

"Sure. Now, hold still, will you?"

Jay heaved a sigh, but he didn't protest any further, letting Kai poke and prod to his heart's content. Only, he wouldn't be content until he knew exactly what happened, how it happened, and what they were going to do about it.

"Ow!" Jay cried when Kai ran a hand over the back of the lightning ninja's head. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"Just let me diagnose you, all right?"

"Last I checked, you're not a doctor. Only doctors get to diagnose me. Besides, Neuro already did that."

"Well, you have a huge bump on the back of your head."

The Master of the Mind chose that moment to make himself known. In all honesty, it startled Kai, who hadn't noticed any of the other masters until now.

"You might want to watch for a possible concussion. Though he isn't showing many signs, we can't rule out that possibility."

Kai fixed his friend with his best glare. "Jay. What. Happened."

At this, Jay gave a little shrug. "I got in a fight with Clouse, he used all his stupid magic and stuff and broke my mech. It self-destructed. End of story. I must've hit my head when I landed."

"Landed?"

"Well, I flew out of the control box when the thing exploded…" Cutting his hand through the air, Jay made a demonstrative flying motion. "I think I blacked out after that, but I don't remember, and—" The pained expression on his face made Kai's stomach lurch. "Sorry, ignore that. I'm not dizzy," he said, glancing pointedly at Neuro. "I'm fine, I just—"

Kai watched in silence as Jay's eyelids fluttered for a moment and his arm stiffened around his chest. It was physically painful not to push him down on the floor and demand he get all the rest he needed until he got better.

But we don't have time for that.

As Kai felt his nails bite at his palm, he hid the clenched fist behind his back.

And Jay knows that, he realized with a pang.

We have to stop Chen.

That's what's important.

Kai sucked in a breath as Jay's eyes opened once more, only to flutter closed again.

But Jay's important, too.

A quick scan of the young ninja revealed too many scrapes and bruises to count, plus that ugly gash on his forehead. Which is still oozing blood out the side. Yeah, we'll need to take care of that… His uniform was a disheveled mess, decorated with charred stains and torn slits.

It just reminded him of how much he hated Chen and this stupid tournament.

It's not even a tournament. It's a sick game of cat and mouse. He was using us the whole time.

Images of Skylor plagued his mind, and the worst part was he didn't want to get rid of them.

They were all using us.

"I'm fine," Jay breathed at last, though his voice was considerably softer than the average Jay volume level. "I'll be fine. I just—" Another wince had Kai moving to sit beside him. "Lloyd'll come for us."

Kai clasped Jay's hand in his own and squeezed. "Of course, he will."

I hope.

He didn't doubt Lloyd's abilities—of course, he didn't. But Chen had been planning this since the beginning. He was too powerful, and so was Clouse.

They hold all the high cards.

Well, then. It was a good thing Kai had never been much of a gambler.

The truck must've hit a rut or something because all the masters were suddenly jolted out of their seats. As they struggled to keep from face-planting on the floor, Kai clamped one hand on Jay's shoulder and shoved him backward with the other.

This gesture, while protective, proved to be a bad idea when Jay cried out. Though he quickly bit down on the sound, it was enough to tear at Kai's heart.

"Sorry! Sorry," he said, keeping his voice soft. "I just didn't want you to fall."

"It's fine," Jay ground out, his pinched expression making it clear that it wasn't. "I'm fine."

"You know, I think I'd rather listen to you whine and complain about how much pain you're in than have you lie to me all the time."

"I'm not in pain," Jay shot back, eliciting an eye roll from Kai. "And I don't whine and complain. That's you. Besides," he went on before Kai could object, "I'm fine, I…" Kai felt himself holding his breath as Jay swayed. "… I think I'm gonna pass out, actually…"

Sure enough, Jay's eyes began to flutter and his whole body dipped forward.

"Whoa!" Kai tightened his grip on the fading ninja. "Hold on, there!" He clapped Jay lightly on the cheek until his eyes opened again. Huh. Thought that only worked in movies. "You can't blink out on me, okay?"

Jay mumbled something Kai couldn't make out as Neuro drew closer, helping to keep Jay from tumbling over. "Perhaps you'll admit to the dizziness now?"

Still, Jay shook his head, clinging tightly to his obstinance. "What dizziness?"

"Ugh," Kai groaned, turning to Neuro. "If only Cole was here. He'd be able to talk some sense into Jay."

At this, Jay perked up, eyelids barely open. "Cole's here?"

"Not yet." The truck slowed to a stop and Kai clenched another fist. "But if this day keeps going in the direction I think it is, we'll be seeing him soon."

And losing our powers.

It was all too much when he thought about it for too long. So, he didn't. Focus on Jay.

Yeah. Focus on—

When Chen and his guards swarmed into the cell, Kai instinctively shifted so he was between Jay and the oncoming enemies.

"All right!" Chen exclaimed with a clap of his hands. "Everybody out! We don't have all day!"

That was all the permission the guards needed to rush forward and shackle the Elemental Masters. They were strong and quick, sure, but Kai was better. At least, he thought he was… A few well-placed kicks prolonged his and Jay's freedom, but not by much. In the end, Kai's one consolation was the large burn he left on the guard who locked the chains around his ankles.

Vengestone. Kai grit his teeth. Great.

Of course, Chen would be this prepared.

If there was one thing Kai hated, it was being cut off from his element.

And now it was about to be taken away altogether.

Calm. You have to stay calm.

Who am I kidding? I'm terrible at staying calm!

The real trick came when the guards started ushering them out of the truck with the blunt ends of their weapons. Grabbing hold of Jay, Kai gave his friend one last look over.

"You think you can stand?"

"Of course," Jay replied with confidence, despite the uncertainty that clouded his eyes.

"All right, on the count of three." Gripping Jay's hand in his own, Kai sucked in a breath. "One, two—"

"Get up!" The nearest guard yanked Jay off the bench by his shoulder. "You heard Master Chen. We don't have all day!"

Though Jay only let out a small hiss of pain, his hand tightened around Kai's until the Master of Fire was certain it would snap in half any moment.

"Hey! Get your filthy hands off him!" Pain exploded in his other hand as he slammed it into the guard's nose.

With Jay free, Kai shifted all his focus on keeping his brother upright and not the blood gushing down the guard's face.

He did another quick scan of Jay's injuries. That gash was still oozing slow and steady, and Kai wasn't winning any races trying to fix it. "Are you all right?"

Jay's eyes widened. "Kai, look out!"

The warning, though well-meant, came too late. Hot white pain burst in the back of Kai's head. Seconds later, he was kneeling on the ground. Somewhere in the chaos, his brain shouted at him to get up!

Right. Easy for you to say…

Just as he began to struggle to his feet, his arms were yanked behind his back and the dull weight of vengestone pulled at his wrists.

"This one's clearly insane," he heard one of the guards grumble. "Get him out of here!"

Jay!

Though he couldn't get his lips to move, he caught sight of Jay leaning against Neuro before he was dragged outside.

If they hurt him, I swear…

The guards were rough and unrelenting, so much so that it took until the guards had them all lined up outside Chen's main chamber that he was able to find Jay again.

The younger ninja was still leaning against Neuro… and he was humming.

What the—?

"Jay!" He hissed. "Are you okay?"

With more enthusiasm than anyone in his condition should ever possess, Jay said, "Never been better!"

And before he could question what that meant, the doors started their slow grind open. The sharp pain in his side reminded him of the guards' ever-looming presence as Kai was shoved forward.

Behind him, Jay continued to hum.

It was very nearly driving him crazy. It contradicted every ounce of anxiety bubbling in his soul. "Why are you humming? You know they're about to take our powers, right?"

"Since these cursed shackles have blocked our powers," Jay explained, "I chose the power of positive thinking."

Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.

"Are you kidding me?" He repeated aloud. "You literally look like Death rejected you."

"And what a positive thought that is! If it hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Wow. Okay. Can you cut that out? Your positive thinking is making me sad."

"Hey, you should've seen the other guy."

"I did. Clouse always looks like he's never fought a single battle in his life."

Yet, Jay remained unmoved. "Lloyd will come save us. You just wait."

"Right, well, I hope you don't bleed out while we're waiting."

"What?" Jay made a vain attempt to glance up at his forehead gash. "This old thing? You're overexaggerating. I can't even feel it anymore!"

Neuro raised a brow. "I'm not sure that's a good thing…"

Kai had so much more to say—so much sense he wanted to knock into Jay—but his easily-distracted eyes caught sight of Skylor. She was looking even more gorgeous in her betrayal than before.

And that was driving him crazy.

She met his gaze, then quickly found the floor to be a more interesting scene.

"Go ahead," he scoffed, "look away. But you know as well as I do that after he takes our powers, he's still gonna need yours."

He didn't want to acknowledge the pain in her eyes; the defeated slump in her shoulders. He couldn't.

Because you still love her.

Kai clenched a fist.

Shut up.

"You don't understand." Why was her voice still so alluring, even in the aftermath of her deceit? "My father gets whatever he wants. I had no choice."

Sure.

Behind him, Jay's humming faltered in favor of a pained hiss, but only for a moment.

"Just tell me one thing." And then I promise, I'll concentrate on Jay. He just had to know… "Was it his idea to make me fall for you, or yours? Because it worked."

Her little gasp of surprise told him everything he wanted to know, and he couldn't help but feel a bit warmer inside because of it.

"Lock them down!" Someone ordered and Kai found himself being shoved to the floor once more. "Make way for Master Chen!"

Kai tried to focus—really, he did. But the drums and the fire—and Chen floating around willy nilly on his stupid chair—were very disorienting. That along with the fact that he was about to lose his powers to a madman.

And in a very painful way, he might add.

Painful…

With a start, Kai glanced back at Jay, who was already hanging onto consciousness by the thinnest of threads.

How much worse would his injuries become after—?

"You may have us," the ninja in question boldly told Chen, "but you still don't have the Green Ninja!"

As Chen made his witty reply, Kai looked to Neura with pleading eyes.

How is he?

The Master of the Mind just shook his head.

Not good.

Right.

"Any minute now…"

It physically hurt to watch Jay fight to conceal the pain even as he kept up his positive facade, yet Kai couldn't look away.

He wouldn't.

Not this time.

Though he might not want to admit it, Jay needed him.

"That's enough, I'm bored," Chen snapped, hopping off his throne and raising his staff. "But here's a lesson: don't be a sore loser! Only one can remain!"

For the longest second of Kai's life, there was nothing. Then, wave after wave of excruciating pain pummeled him until he could barely breathe. It felt like Chen's scepter was simultaneously trying to suck out his soul and tear off his skin.

It was the sort of feeling nightmares were made of.

Groans, cries, and yelps filled the vast chamber, but Kai had ears for only one.

Jay's.

What was over in a flash felt like several lifetimes, and by the time Kai had doubled over, his body radiating with residual pain, Chen had already moved on.

He was saying something, probably nothing important, but Kai couldn't concentrate.

Jay.

He had to get to—

"Jay!"

Calling out his name wouldn't bring him back, Kai knew this, and yet when he saw his brother's lifeless body lying crumpled on the floor, he felt like screaming his throat raw.

He glanced at Neuro, who was checking Jay's pulse.

No… Please, no…

Kai swallowed, willing his voice not to shake. "Is he…?"

"He's still breathing," came Neuro's relieved reply, but Kai wouldn't allow himself to rest easy until he saw those blue eyes flutter open again.

"Take them to the factory!" Chen ordered, too busy reveling in his increased power to notice anything wrong with his prisoners.

No…

Ignoring the chains that bit at his wrists, Kai turned around as much as he could. "Can you wake him up?"

"I'm trying," Neuro responded, the epitome of calm.

How can he be so calm at a time like this? But then, Kai supposed one of them had to be the voice of reason.

Now, Skylor was speaking, and for the first time since the ferry, Kai couldn't care less what she was trying to say.

Come on, Jay…

Kai had never envied any of his brothers' powers—with the small exception of Lloyd, and that was a long time ago—but at that moment, he wished for all the world that he could zap Jay awake with a little electricity.

Even if you were the Master of Lightning, a cruel voice inside taunted, it's not like you could do anything now. No powers, remember? Chen took them. He took them all because you were too weak to stop him.

Shut up.

"Leave the red one!" Chen's command cut through the fog in Kai's brain. Seconds later, rough hands were pulling him off the floor and away from the group.

No… Jay!

"Wait! You can't! I need him—Uh, I mean, he needs me!" Okay, maybe showing that kind of connection wasn't the best idea. Chen had already proved that he wasn't beneath using their team relationships against them. Come on, Kai, think! "Look, uh, look how pathetic he is! He won't last ten minutes without me!"

The only good this argument did was draw the guards' attention to Jay's prone form.

"Hey! Get him up and get them out of here!"

"No!" Kai was pretty sure he wrenched his arm in his struggle against his captors, but he didn't have time to dwell on that now. "You have to let me help him! Jay!"

They were already ushering the masters out of the chamber as if Kai hadn't been screaming his lungs out for the last minute.

"Jay! Let me go!" Instead of heeding his request, the guards just tightened their grip on him. "Neuro!"

The Master of the Mind half-carried, half-dragged Jay the best he could, and the nod he gave Kai was less than reassuring.

Because it should be me.

I should be the one helping him.

As the doors slammed shut and the incessant drumming ceased, a new thought struck Kai. A new, horrible thought.

What if he doesn't make it?

What if that was the last time—?

What if the last thing he ever said to Jay was that sarcastic comeback about bleeding out?

That very well could've been the last time he saw his brother.

And that thought terrified him.