It falls apart, of course.
Jayden misses training for two days while his hands heal, but then he's back. The Rangers don't ask about the sleepwalking, and he doesn't bring it up, though he does start telling them when he hears Master Xandred so they can watch or distract him as necessary. There's usually someone around early in the morning, practicing in the dojo or reading in the living room.
Jarrell, when he figures it out, is resigned to staying in Jayden's room to avoid being found out, but Emily talks him out of it. "If you hide out in here, they'll know something's up," she points out. "They don't expect him to have any control while he's sleepwalking, after all. They're expecting to see him."
"So I get to go out there and act asleep?"
She grins, a surprisingly wicked look. "You get to go out there and do anything you like. He's sleepwalking, after all. He can't possibly be held responsible."
"I'm a bad influence on you."
There's an odd amount of regret in his tone, which she ignores. "That's what Antonio says," she agrees lightly. "Now. Brood in here, or accidentally spill tea on Kevin?"
When she puts it like that, it's not really a question.
Master Xandred continues to send moogers and Nighlok. They keep an eye on Jayden, but for whatever reason now he seems to be doing better.
Until he isn't.
It's such a little fight; moogers, no Nighlok, and they're almost finished when the nearest gap glows and Jayden goes down. The others are blocked for a moment, just slightly too long; he drags himself to his knees, shaking his head. "N – no. No!" There's no sound, not that they can hear, but he's clearly listening to something, struggling. He tries to stand and goes down again under the noise.
Emily breaks past the moogers, shouting for Kevin to cover her, and drops to her knees beside Jayden. "Jarrell," she says clearly.
"Jayden," he breathes.
She shakes her head. "Be Jarrell. This won't hurt him."
His eyes clear for a moment. "He's my master."
"He's not. Make a choice, Jarrell."
"I can't go against him – Jayden! I'm Jayden."
"Jarrell," Emily says again.
"He'll make me kill you," he grits. "As punishment; I went against him."
"You don't have to obey him."
"I'm not a person, Em! Commands and triggers and loyalty, I can't change that! There isn't room in here for two of us."
"You don't have to be what he wants, Jarrell."
He pushes her suddenly, viciously. She goes down with a cry of surprise and by the time she gathers herself - Mike's at her shoulder and she registers the lack of moogers with no surprise - Jayden's on his feet, sword in one hand.
"Jayden -" Antonio steps forward, backing off in a hurry when Jayden swipes at him, panting. "Jarrell?" he adds in a different tone.
"Jayden," Emily murmurs in synch with Jayden. She shifts and Mike helps her up, but she doesn't approach Jayden; she isn't afraid of Jarrell, but she's never seen Jayden act this way.
Jayden shifts unhappily and Antonio says quietly, "Kevin, he can't see you. Come around here."
Kevin obeys, trying to step wide around Jayden. Jayden swipes at him anyway, sword tearing through cloth, and Kevin jumps back, eyes wide. "He didn't get me," he says immediately, holding out a hand to keep the others back. "He didn't touch the skin; I'm fine."
"He won't shut up," Jayden says tightly. His hands are shaking where he's gripping his sword.
Emily takes half a step away from Mike, not enough to alarm him. "Jarrell?"
Jayden's eyes lock on her. "You lied," he says, sounding very young.
"I know. I'm sorry. Jarrell."
"Em, what are you..." Mike breathes, but it's working; Jarrell shudders and throws the sword to Kevin, who catches it on instinct. His Samurizer follows, going to Antonio.
"I can't stop him for long," he tells Emily. "He's stronger than me, Em, always has been."
"No, he's not." Emily steps closer, close enough that when she lowers her voice the others can't hear her. "All the bits he couldn't handle; all the bits he wasn't strong enough to face. You're strong enough. You are, Jarrell."
"Doing the right thing," he breathes, and he's trembling, "is always worth the effort."
"Yes," she agrees, recognising the words. They'd brought Jayden back once before.
"Tell him..." His gaze turns inwards for a moment, and he smiles. "Never mind. Em, it'll take time, and he'll sleep. We'll both sleep, understand? And then no more yelling. Master Xandred won't get through."
"Thank you," she whispers.
"See you 'round." His eyes roll back and he goes down again. Antonio gets there just in time to catch him, easing him down.
The others gather round; Mike hunkers. "He's out like a light. What's going on?"
"Don't," Antonio says when she goes to answer. "Let's get him back to the Shiba House first."
Kevin catches his arm when he goes to lift Jayden. "Wait. Emily, you were talking to Jarrell."
"Yes," she agrees.
"Jarrell's gone."
"He is now."
She refuses to say anything else, and Mia defends her. They take Jayden home and settle him in his own room before gathering in the living room.
Emily makes them promise not to interrupt until she's done, and she's glad of it three sentences in. Kevin keeps starting to speak and catching himself. Mike's frowning as he listens; Mia's nodding slowly.
"Let me get this straight," Kevin says when she finishes. "Master Xandred's been yelling in Jayden's head. And he somehow, no one knows how, manifested Jarrell to protect himself. And while he's been 'sleepwalking' " and he actually makes the finger quotes; Emily thinks she'd laugh if this weren't so serious, "that was actually Jarrell walking around. And you guys chose not only to not tell us, you also didn't tell him?"
"My decision," Ji says briskly.
"Why?"
He sighs. "If Jayden knew what was happening, what do you think he would do?"
"Stay awake," Mia says softly. Looking up, she repeats more loudly, "He'd stay awake. Or leave, maybe. He wouldn't risk Jarrell in here with us."
"Jarrell wasn't dangerous," Emily tells them. "Lost and lonely and miserable..."
"He tried to kill Antonio," Kevin says harshly. "He almost did kill Mentor."
"Almost and tried, and he had chances to kill all of us and didn't. Mia walked right into his weapon and he didn't hurt her. Master Xandred took his memories and twisted his mind but he couldn't make him a killer. It's not in him."
Kevin looks to Antonio, who shrugs. "He mostly ignored me."
"You didn't like him and he knew it. But he's sacrificed himself for Jayden, to protect him. Master Xandred won't be able to get into Jayden's mind anymore."
"He wasn't really a person," Kevin snaps. "He didn't sacrifice anything."
"I dunno," Mike says unexpectedly. "I talked to him. Way back, after the playground thing, at the Tengen Gate. The person I talked to wasn't Jayden, not really."
"Jarrell could have gone back to Master Xandred," Emily says quietly. "He chose not to. Whatever else he did, he saved Jayden that way."
"You'll have to tell him now," Mike points out. "Jayden, I mean."
"He knows," Emily says with a sigh. "He heard everything Jarrell and I were saying. I could tell."
Mike whistles softly, clapping a hand to her shoulder. "Good luck."
It's several hours before Jayden appears. Emily's alone in the living room, trying to decide how to explain to him. Jarrell was her friend, more or less, and she wants to make sure Jayden understands that.
He sits next to her, smiling briefly. "Penny for them."
"Jayden." She smiles weakly. "How are you feeling?"
He considers it. "Alone," he says finally, and she nods, hearing everything he isn't saying.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, we should have, it wasn't right..."
"I knew," he cuts her off.
"We should – what?"
"I knew, Em," he repeats. "A little, anyway."
"Before today?" Em, she notes; Jarrell's language, not Jayden's.
He nods, gaze distant. It's a look she's familiar with, but she normally sees it on Jarrell. "When you're falling asleep, and there's noise in the next room – talking, or music? And you can't really make it out, but sometimes a word or a phrase is perfectly clear, and for just a second you know exactly what's going on?" Emily nods and he smiles, focusing on her again. "All of his clearest moments, he was with you."
"He wasn't evil. He said he was, but he just didn't know what to do." She watches him for a minute. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you."
"It doesn't matter." He smiles again. "No more Master Xandred."
"Are you sure?"
"I can tell." He shifts, glancing up as Kevin comes in from the dojo. "He'll be angry."
"When isn't he?" Emily says with a grin.
"Family tradition – no, nothing. Where are the others?"
"I'll get them," Kevin offers. "How are you feeling?"
"Like me."
Kevin nods, turning to get the others. Emily smiles, leaning forward to pour a glass of water.
"He was going to say," Jayden says suddenly, and the distant look is back. "At the gap, he said to tell me...and he stopped."
"You were listening," Emily agrees, pushing a glass towards him and taking another for herself.
"He wanted me to know he was doing it for you. Because you asked him; because you saw him. He said it was worth it, to be a person in someone's eyes. Worth the effort."
Emily smiles faintly. "Do you remember him telling me where he came from?"
"Master Xandred created him."
It has the tone of a memorised answer, but he's watching her carefully. Emily considers for a moment.
Jarrell was all the parts Jayden didn't want, everything he couldn't handle. Reintregrated, Jayden has to be dealing with unfamiliar thoughts and emotions. She should tell him, offer her help.
But Jayden's always been private. And Jarrell never really hated him. Maybe he found a way to soften it, to keep Jayden from being swept away in the tide.
She nods, and makes a mental note to keep an eye on him. Antonio will help her.
Jayden smiles, and he doesn't think she's imagining the relief on his face as he turns away. The others come in and settle around them. Antonio brushes her shoulder as he passes her; Mia catches her eye, and she smiles, nodding.
Jayden nods to himself. He feels more like himself than he has since any of this started; even without being aware of Jarrell, he'd known something was off. Now they're reunited, and everything he'd lost has returned; the only memory missing, one he thinks he'll never recover, is the fight that started the whole thing, the fight on the cliffs, and whatever Xandred did afterwards to get him under control, to bring out Jarrell.
That memory he can live without. He turns to his team and begins explaining