The fire crackled and burned, warming and lighting up the small cave that the group lain and rested in. Jay held his brother close, but in a way that didn't hurt his arm or Cole discovering his infected scab.
Jay fingered in his pocket the Gamot he still had from the woods. He would apply it only when the others fell asleep.
Kai rubbed his feet, which hurt more than he thought. The boots he was wearing must have chafed against his foot while he was running. Nya reached out and touched her brother's arm. "You okay?" she asked, and Kai nodded, not saying a word. Nya smiled at him; a soft and small smile that could only make Kai smile back. No wonder both Zane and Jay were attracted to her.
"Thanks for...pulling me out." she said. Kai nodded again, but this time, he spoke.
"You're welcome." Kai replied. This was the first decent exchange they had since the incident in the woods all those months ago, and both were glad. Perhaps things could become normal again.
Snores filled the cave, and Jay got up from the hard ground, and sat on a rock beside the cave outside.
The Moon in Night really was beautiful, and so were the Stars, for Jay had never seen them before. His heart nearly sunk. Night had officially begun once the Moon had risen, and the five still needed to get off of this island.
Jay brushed those thoughts from his mind, knowing that was a useless thought; it would not help them get back, and he should learn which facts would and would not.
Jay took out the Gamot from his pocket and squeezed the juice from the flower and rubbed the dew from the leaves into his hands, making a salve. He hesitated before applying the medicine, and almost gave a shout at the pain that ripped across his forearm. Hot tears came to his eyes and his heart beat faster from the agony. He would not shout; he would not wake the others up.
He could not let Nya know.
Jay breathed in and out, absorbing the pain, and turning it into strength. He would not shout.
"Jay? What are you doing?"
He swerved around, startled, and scowled when he realized it was Zane. "Sitting outside, you idiot." Jay spat at his crush's boyfriend. "Are you blind?"
Zane arched his eyebrows and squinted at Jay.
Zane was not fond of him either.
"No, I'm not. In fact, if you don't remember, I have the best sight in class. It's another thing I excel you from, besides winning over Nya, of course."
Jay looks at the boy with hate and surprise. Zane smiles devilishly. "That's right, I know you're feelings for Nya. I'm not an idiot, as you can see. Or is it you that's blind?"
Jay said nothing, mostly because he had nothing to say. His three-year nemesis just threw every insult that he told back at him. Zane saw this, and smirked.
"What do you want, Zane?" Jay said, his voice low and his question sounding more like a statement.
"I want a lot of things from you, Jay." Zane replied, inviting himself to sit down next to the teen. "Like I want you to stay away from Nya, perhaps leave Ninjago and never return, those kinds of things."
Zane spoke with such smugness that it made Jay grit his teeth. He understood that Zane was not a jerk. He was threatened, and protective of his girlfriend that Jay just happened to be in love with. Still, it was what made Jay hate Zane so much.
"But what I want right now is for you to answer my question. What are you doing, Jay?" Zane said. He smiled devilishly at Jay, knowing that it was a secret that he planned to hold against him.
"I'm doing something, Zane, that means none of your damn business. Knock it off, and go back to sleep." Jay told him, anger and annoyance bubbling in him. All that Jay wanted was to punch Zane as hard as he could, just to unleash his anger out on him. And he's wanted it for three years, since Zane and Nya began dating.
Zane looked at Jay the same way. He thought of his nemesis as a threat to his relationship with Nya. He knew that Jay was good enough for her, and perhaps that they would even be a better couple. Zane just didn't want to let her go.
So, in lightning quick movements, Zane reached over, opened Jay's hands, and saw the suave, not to mention his arm.
"What happened?" Zane asked, stunned. He had never seen such an injury before, or what Jay could have done to get it. The purplish hue it had was unnerving, and the scar-to-be was long and deep. The suave that Jay had put on before Zane walked in made the Moonlight shimmer on it, highlighting the puss that had been built around it.
"So now you're interested in something other than Nya?" Jay spitefully said, stood up, and put the Gamot down. Zane was slightly taller than Jay, but the latter still looked as intimidating, if not more, as he looked at his enemy with held-back anger.
"Look, Zane. I hope that you realize how much I completely despise you. And the only reason why I'm working with you is for Nya, and to get off of this god-forsaken island. Not for you, you see, but for me. I'll leave you behind if I must, so don't get in my way. Do you understand me?"
"I understand you completely, Jay." Zane replied with a flat tone. "But listen to this. We are not working together. We are not friends. We are not even acquaintances. You and me, we are nothing. We are enemies. You are my enemy, Jay, and I am yours. I hate you. If you were drowning, I'd grab a hose and plug it into your mouth. If you were on fire, I would take a glass of water and drink it. If Nya would ever, for whatever twisted reason, chose you over me, I would die before you two would go on a single date or share a single kiss. Do you understand that?"
Then before Jay could find a retort, Zane got up and went into the cave to go back to sleep, leaving Jay alone with his smoldering hate.