At first, the tears did not come. There was no evidence of his inner torture. Zane simply waved and watched Kai be taken away from him. As soon as he left on the dragon, however, he dropped to his knees, unable to keep himself upright. His wings drooped around him, yet he smiled. He grinned at the floor and ran a trembling hand through his blond hair. Then, the first drop trickled down his cheek and fell. Then another, and another, and another. He laughed under his breath and shook his head, vision blurring completely as he kept his eyes trained on the surface below him.

"How?" he whispered to himself, feeling a sob bubble up in his throat. "How could I have been so selfish? How could I think that he would ever want to stay with me? How could I think that he would choose me over his family?" The yokai finally tilted his head up to stare at the sunlight-washed ceiling. The sweet morning light was too cheery for his heavy heart, so he closed his eyes.

"I actually believed he was falling in love with me," Zane croaked. "And I fell for him, although my affections were unrequited. How could I love a human who could never love me back?" He turned towards the fireplace, and stared at his reflection in the glass that covered its front. His eyes were red and puffy and his lip was quivering. He was a mess, yet he forced himself to lock eyes with the monster he saw before him.

"I am so self-centered and useless," he mumbled forlornly. "I saw the glares of other yokai and believed them to be prejudiced, but now I understand that I was the one in the wrong. Everywhere we went people masked their disgust with our bond by congratulating us. I saw right through it, but I chose to ignore the signs. We were never meant to be." He glared at himself, angry that he had done all these horrible things to his beloved human. What had Kai ever done to deserve being swept up in his world of delusional romance?

"I deserve to be one of the Bondless," he hissed at his reflection, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. He was so cross with himself, yet he could not keep his outrage from dissolving when he stared at his own rage-twisted features. He turned away and allowed his wings to shield his eyes from his pitiful image.

With torpid movements, Zane took hold of his communication crystal and connected to Jay's pendant. It took a little longer than expected for the half-rabbit to pick up.

"Hello," the bunny finally answered, chipper as always.

"Jay… I am sorry to bother you but… Kai is gone," he muttered.

"What?" Jay shouted. "You mean he's… He went home?"

"Yes," replied Zane. The partial beast had to keep himself from breaking down, as he did not wish to embarrass himself. "He left just moments ago." Although he was trying hard to maintain his composure, his voice broke slightly and he took in a sharp breath as he lost the battle. New tears flowed down his cheeks, and he could hardly try to stop them in his state of pure defeat.

"Zane, we're on our way right now. We'll pick up some breakfast for you, okay? We'll even bring some saké for later," said Cole from a little ways off. Normally he would have protested against purchasing anything for him. However, he already felt like the most egocentric creature in Ninjago, so why not indulge a little and live up to that title?

"Alright."

"We'll be there as soon as we can get to a residential teleport station," the bunny said with a worried tone. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Once more, he was left in silence. He did not move an inch, rather he just let the stone fall limp from his hand. It bounced on the end of the thin chain and swung from side to side until finally resting. He let his thoughts stir for a little bit, and wondered if he should call Pixal as well. He sighed and thought better of it, remembering that she was out delivering their latest archival notes to the Society of Knowledge. Besides, why should he bother her with his tragedy of a relationship? She had been so happy to hear that he forged a bond with Kai. He could not bear to see her disappointed and fretful face upon hearing the news.

Roughly twenty minutes passed before he heard the familiar sound of teleportation resonating from the front porch. A knock sounded, but the two yokai on the other side of the door were so familiar with him that they did not need permission to enter. When they came in and saw him sitting on the floor, they dashed to his side, offering assurances and herding him onto the sofa.

Jay and Cole quickly got down to business, setting down the food and beverages while asking if there was anything else he needed. Zane replied that a meal was all he wanted at the moment.

"Skylor made you a special breakfast," the rabbit told him, patting his shoulder. "Go ahead and tell us everything. We know you tend to bottle up your feelings, so just let it all out." The blond took a deep breath in, then let it out sluggishly.

"Have you two ever thought about what you would do without each other?" he inquired, causing his companions to flinch. The bear looked at his mate, who in turn stared at him for a while.

"Yeah," Cole said. Jay nodded as well.

"What do you think would happen?" Zane continued. The prey yokai shifted in his seat, clearing his throat.

"I can't imagine a world where I don't wake up next to Cole every day," he replied, still looking at his soul partner. "But… if we ever thought about splitting up, I'd probably track him down and talk to him. Cole's the type of guy that sometimes hides what he's thinking, and I know that in that situation he'd definitely try to get away from it. I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably hide too."

"Yeah, and if Jay ever caught me running from the problem that caused us to separate, I'd be more than happy to talk through it with him," the bear murmured. Cole took hold of Jay's hand and squeezed it, looking him dead in the eye. "Even if I don't always show it."

"Cole…" Jay whispered with a glitter of unadulterated love in his eye. The bonded pair simply held each other's gazes for a moment. However, they turned their attention back to Zane when they seemed to remember he was sitting mere feet away from them. "Ahem. Anyway, does this have anything to do with what you're planning to do about Kai?"

"I'm not going to do anything about Kai," the falcon told them, shaking his head. His friends looked at him with shock. "I am simply going to allow him to live out his life so I cannot ruin it."

"Whoa whoa whoa, you never ruined his life," the black-haired yokai cut in. "In fact, he's the one who ruined yours. Kai's the one who left you."

"I brought him here, Cole. It is my fault," Zane argued.

"It's nobody's fault," Jay declared. "The spirits matched you, but they matched a yokai with a human. Of course there are gonna be some problems. Now, I dunno if this is what you wanna do, but in my opinion you should try to talk with Kai's family."

"Perhaps," the winged beast sighed, placing his chin in his hands. "For now, however, I wish to give him some space to recuperate." The bear gave him an uneasy look, then darted his gaze towards Jay. Cole pushed a few strands of hair back under his headband as he prepared to speak.

"Then you're gonna need something to block out Kai's scent," the ursa informed him. "When Jay was missing, I went absolutely crazy for his scent. It's something you literally can't ignore. Even if you've got nerves of steel, it'll definitely distract you. How strong is it now?" Zane took a deep breath, and could only faintly pick up the fragrance of burning wood. He deeply wished he could take the action back, because even just a whiff of his lost partner had him desiring his presence.

"Not too difficult to disregard," he replied. Throughout their meal, they discussed what they should do in order to dampen his urges to chase his soul partner. He tried to think of ways that he could occupy himself while he forgot about him. Work would definitely distract him, but how would he avoid thinking of him at home? For the moment, he just moved those thoughts aside as he allowed his companions to comfort him.

Hours passed, and soon they were snacking throughout the evening and drinking saké. Despite the fact that Cole and Jay insisted they could handle their drink, they began to slowly slip into a state of constant flirting. Zane would have taken the beverages away, but realized that this was simply what any bonded couple might do under the influence.

"Aw, honey…" Jay eventually pouted. "We shouldn't have drank so much."

"What d'ya mean?" Cole asked. "We're fine."

"The smell of alcohol is stronger than your scent, and you're right next to me," the bunny told him. "Sorry, Zane."

"Do not apologize. We have all gone through some rather rough times recently, so we can call this a night to unwind," the avian yokai shrugged. In all honesty, he was not truly paying attention to them anymore. Rather, he was staring out the window beyond his companions' heads.

"A night to unwind, huh?" snickered the bear. "Mind if we use your guest room for a little while, Zane?"

"Why do we need his guest room?" inquired the rabbit. Cole smirked and slung and arm around his soulmate's waist, pulling him closer with his predatory strength.

"'Cuz I wanna nest with you, silly!" he laughed. Jay's ears stood straight up as he went red, then the half-bunny attempted to squirm out of his hold.

"Let go of me, you drunk idiot!" he spluttered. "That's it! No more saké!"

"That's fine," chuckled Cole. "I just wanna kiss you."

"Not in front of Zane!" the prey yokai insisted, still attempting to struggle free.

"He won't mind. Will you Zane?" asked the bear. The falcon hardly registered the statement, so he just shook his head in reply. "See? He doesn't care. Now kiss me, hun-bun."

"No! It's embarrassing!" Jay almost yelled. Cole began to laugh somewhat maniacally, standing up before sweeping his husband off his feet. The partial bunny yelped and gripped onto his partner out of fear of falling.

"See you in a few hours, Zane," the bear grinned devilishly.

"Put me down, you big lug!" his sweetheart protested. "We're supposed to be supporting Zane! That's what we came here for! It's rude to nest in someone else's house! Cole, are you even listening to me?"

"Oh, I'm listening. I'm just choosing to ignore you."

"Zane, back me up here! Help me!"

"Actually," Zane said distantly as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to go out and stretch my wings for a little while. Do whatever you like." Jay continued to wriggle as Cole carried him around. The falcon tuned them out and made his way over to the front entrance. His eyes landed on a black jacket, the same feather-adorned coat that Kai had worn when he met him. He had not needed it while he was in Kyoboku, so in his rush to leave he must have accidentally abandoned it.

Perhaps it was just his mind trying to make up an excuse to see his lost love, but he decided to bring him the jacket. He took hold of the clothing and pulled it off the rack, then clutched it to his chest. It held so much of Kai's scent that he could drown in it. Zane shook his head to clear his senses, then grabbed his own coat. He slipped it on and opened the door, greeting the crisp breeze with a deep breath. The yokai took off, making sure to keep the jacket close against him as he soared. His heart was beating faster than it had been, and he was truly excited to see his bonded partner again. He still scolded himself, however, for going back on his word so soon. At the literal first opportunity to fly off and meet his heartthrob, he took it instantly. It was illogical and childish, and yet he was still determined to carry out his mission.

He glided over the treetops, and as he flew from the outskirts of Kyoboku to the edges of yokai territory, he began to feel a mixture of glee and shame. Minutes passed, and he reached the area of Jamonikai. He could see the roofs of houses, and there appeared to be a festival going on. Deciding that he must hide his wings, he put on the second coat and adjusted the hood so that it rested on top of his feathers. With the extra material, he looked as though he sported a regal cape that fitted a king or lord.

People were dressed up in their best clothing, and the many colors of the town astounded him. Unlike Kyoboku, nothing was in an open space, so the festivities were contained within the large village square. He searched the streets, passing by children running around with various sweets in their hands. Adults toasted for prosperity and safety, often corralling the kids between glasses.

Finally, his eyes landed on the familiar figure of his Bond mate. Kai was wearing a brick red yukata with a pattern of peach blossoms and higanbana. He was nonchalantly munching on a candied apple, nodding and laughing as a group of other young men told him stories. Zane watched from afar for a moment, grinning just slightly from the knowledge that his partner was having a good time. Suddenly, the hunter turned to his side, directly towards him. As soon as they locked eyes, the human's jaw went slack.

Everything seemed to go silent, and their surroundings blurred as he focused on his mate. The blond could feel his pulse pounding due to his anxiety. In the back of his mind, he could feel Kai's disbelief. There was another emotion there, and he could only call it relief. The brunet's expression appeared somewhat grateful that he was seeing the half-bird.

The beast took a step forward, then he stopped himself. Nya approached her brother with a tray of dango, smiling wide as Lloyd trotted along next to her. He had only met them that morning, but he knew that they would not be happy to see him. Kai faced his sibling and friend for a moment, and Zane fled before he turned back around. He hid around a corner and watched as the hunter spun back around with bright eyes. Then, Kai's face shifted into a look of perplexity. He walked over to the spot where the blond had just stood, and turned his body to and fro, searching for him. His sister called out to him, and he shouted back to her before moving in his direction.

With a surge of shock-induced adrenaline, Zane turned and ran through the streets. He could not face Kai now. Not when there were so many people around. He followed the familiar scent of the hunter and eventually reached a house. He unbuttoned the coat, then set it on the doorstep. The falcon took one last look at his soulmate's home. It was quaint and cozy, much like his own abode. He wondered what it would be like to live there everyday, the only yokai in the human village.

"Zane?" Kai's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. In a rush of panic, the winged boy whipped around and bolted. The roofs were too close together for him to take off, so he had to make it to the forest before he could fly away. "Hey! Get back here!" The yokai three himself down a narrow street and bolted around the other side of a few buildings. He did not hear Kai behind him, so he let out a sigh of relief. He was at the first edge now, so he spread his wings. The solace was short lived, as he was tackled into the snow not a moment later. He was slammed onto his side, and Kai applied a firm grip to his biceps.

"What are you doing here?" the hunter asked in a sharp manner. Zane was tongue-tied and a little winded, but he still managed to drum up a reply.

"I came to return your coat," he said. "That's all. I would feel awful if I kept that, so I just wanted to drop it off." He slid his legs out from under his mate and tried to pry his hands away. However, Kai held him with a strength that teetered on the edge of painful. Zane's mind jumped to the only logical conclusion he could think of.

"You're going to bring me back to the village and kill me," he whispered with fear.

"What?" Kai shouted, immediately loosening his hold enough for the falcon to scramble away. "No! That's not- I'm just wondering why you'd come back here! I only left this morning, and I didn't expect to see you again. So now that you're here…" The hunter took a pause, brows furrowing as he looked to the ground in thought.

"I need to apologize, as well. I never should have dragged you into anything you did not want. If I had not been so ignorant and overzealous about finding my mate and just checked to make sure you were actually a yokai… I could have just become one of the Bondless and you would have never had to deal with the burden of a soul connection-"

"Don't apologize," the human stopped him, almost growling. "It's not your fault. You're just not supposed to be here. You were supposed to just stay at home without me, if that's what you wanted. Look, I'm glad you brought me my coat back, but I didn't wanna see you like this again." Zane gulped as his heart shattered. Kai apparently saw his surprised and crestfallen expression, because a moment later he reeled back.

"Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that I didn't wanna see you leave!" he corrected himself. "I only wanted to watch you go once, so I didn't ever have to do it again. You weren't supposed to… Great. I thought I could forget about you." The yokai was speechless, only able to stare at the war of emotions that crossed Kai's face.

"We weren't apart for even a day," the hunter muttered. "Why'd you let me go if you were just gonna come back?"

"Well-!" Zane stumbled over his words, feathers ruffling as he realized that he had to come up with an explanation. "That was not my plan, originally. I was going to leave you alone forever, however then I saw your jacket hanging by the door and I thought, 'He will need this, it is winter after all.' I can depart now, if you like. We do not need to say farewell again, if it will ease your mind."

"No," the human said instantly. "I know that Nya would hate it if I suddenly brought you into our house only a few hours after she got me back, but we gotta make this work, somehow. You're smart. I'm sure you can figure out that we clearly can't stay away from each other." The falcon's heart patched itself up, and a feeling of pure elation washed over his entire body.

"You mean… You want to see me again?" he asked. The beast could only hope that he did not sound too expectant. Kai growled and ran a hand through his hair in a quick, rather rough motion.

"Of course I wanna see you again!" Kai almost yelled, obviously frustrated. "As soon as I took off my bond ring, I got this stupid itch that I've been trying to ignore all day, and I can't even look at food without thinking about your cooking, and I've had to tell myself at least four times that I made the right choice but then the itch only got worse, and I can't tell my story without drifting off and thinking about leaving the village and… It's been torture! I don't even have a soul like yours, how can I be going through all this? I don't even love you!" His last sentence stung Zane a little bit, but he was not discouraged by it. Kai had at least felt that desire to be near him, which he had been fighting as well.

"Do not trouble yourself like that," Zane said, gently placing his hand on his mate's shoulder. "I have been miserable all day as well. Naturally, I was devastated that you were gone, and I had to remind myself that it was for the best that you left. It is merely fate that has brought these symptoms."

"You should have just taken my side if you didn't want me to leave," the huntsman mumbled sadly. "Zane, there's no way I could convince Nya to let you stay right now. Can you come back and meet me out in the woods, three days from now? We can come up with a plan then. If I'm gone for too long, Nya's gonna be suspicious, so I have to go." Kai stood and held out his hand, allowing Zane to be pulled to his feet.

"Of course," the yokai nodded. He could not help but notice that they were still holding hands. The falcon turned his gaze down to his soul partner's fingers, and saw the previously mentioned absence of his bond ring. Zane brought his hand up and took a good look at his palm, which was calloused from so many years of hunting and trapping. He traced the lines of his skin, causing Kai to shiver. He took a mental note that he was ticklish, then placed his other hand on the other side of his husband's. "Can you promise me something?"

"Depends on what it is," said the human. "But probably, yeah."

"Could you please wear your ring?" he inquired. "If you keep it on, the burden of being apart will be weaker." After a moment of silent contemplation, Kai nodded. In response, Zane pulled the back of his fingers up to his lips and kissed the spot where the jewelry would go. When the hunter did not protest, the yokai dropped his hand and instead placed his palms on either side of the brunet's face. Ever so slowly, he leaned forwards and planted another kiss, this time on his mate's forehead. He let it linger, then pulled back just a bit to lean his taller form against Kai's. Their noses brushed just slightly, and their breaths mingled as white puffs in the cold night air.

"Goodbye, my darling," Zane whispered. He knew that his partner would grow restless if he continued the contact, especially after the use of the unwanted nickname, so he stepped back. He brushed his thumbs over Kai's cheeks before letting go, watching as the hunter began to retreat as well, fairly flushed.

"See you in three days," replied the huntsman. Zane watched him turn and leave. Kai placed a hand on the side of his face, then turned a corner before disappearing from view. Was that a hint of giddiness in his expression? Or was it just his imagination? Either way, the half-bird spun around with a huge grin, flying off with a lighthearted attitude.

"I can't believe you thought I was gonna nest with you!" Cole laughed, fending off the weak punches that Jay tried to throw. "We're at Zane's house! Of course I'm not gonna actually do it! We have our own place for that!"

"Idiot! You drunk little-! Gah!" the rabbit shouted. The bear merely laughed and tugged Jay into his arms. He continued to chuckle as he placed little smooches all over his face and neck. "Get offa me! Don't kiss me after tricking me, you big bully!"

"Aw, you're so cute," the predator yokai grinned. "You're adorable when you can't think of anything to yell at me."

"Shut up," Jay growled.

"I love you."

"Oh really? You sure love to tease me a lot."

"You know you love me too."

"And? That doesn't mean you don't annoy me."

"Pushing your buttons is so fun! You can't blame me for that." He could not deny that he was more than tipsy, but he could not bring himself to care. His husband was snuggled up with him, and he was eager to have some fun in order to lighten the mood of the past few days. "Can the annoying, big bully get a kiss?"

"You've been kissing me."

"Then can I play with your tail?"

"No."

"C'mon, Jay," Cole fake-whined. "I just want a little lovin'."

"What if Zane comes back?" the bunny replied, a slightly nervous waver in his voice. As if on cue, the front door suddenly swung open with a click of the knob, and a dreamy-faced Zane sashayed through the entrance. There was an air of joy about him which Cole could not describe. In order to prevent embarrassment, the bear sat up straight on the sofa and allowed his partner to return to his seat next to him.

"What's got you all happy?" the bear asked, brow quirked. Jay squeezed his hand and gave him a cautionary look.

"That's a good thing," the half-rabbit whispered. Zane pulled up a side chair and plopped down with a gleeful smile.

"If you would prefer to go home, you are more than welcome," the falcon said with a sing-song voice. Jay and Cole exchanged glances, and the bear could tell that his mate was just as puzzled as he was. "Your expressions reveal your confusion. To put it simply, Kai and I are going to work something out regarding his location. There is a chance I will be moving closer to you in a few weeks, perhaps days! Or he might return here after all! Isn't that wonderful?" The ursa was unable to stifle himself as he sucked in air through his teeth. He clapped his hand over his mouth, but Zane still noticed.

"What is it?" asked the blond. Out of the corner of his eye, Cole could see his partner's ears twitching in panic.

"Well, it's just that…" the bear began. He took a breath to say something else, but could not think of any way to put the message he wanted to get across delicately. He bit the inside of his cheek and turned to Jay, who gave him a nod of empathy as he prepared to take over.

"Isn't this a little, uh… sudden?" the rabbit covered for him. "I mean, Kai left you this morning, after all. Are you sure he really wants to get back together with you?"

"Yes," Zane responded immediately. His eyes sparkled with unbridled hope that he was correct in his assumptions. "If you had seen his expression and the way that he was suffering from the distance between us, you would certainly agree with me."

"Wait, wait, wait- you met up with him?" Cole almost squawked. "I thought you just went out and thought it over for a little while! How'd you get all the way to his village and back?"

"You would be surprised how quickly I can fly if I am focused enough," the falcon smirked with an air of pride. "I saw that Kai left his coat here, so I brought it back to him. We ended up having a conversation about what our future plans were. I'm meeting him in three days, by moonlight."

"That sounds romantic," Jay smiled warily.

"That sounds like a trap," Cole said, gaining a surprised look from both Zane and his husband. "What? It's obvious. Kai's family tried to kill Jay, so why wouldn't they try to kill you?"

"F-For the record, they didn't try to kill me. They just wanted to ask where Kai was, and they went a little overboard," the rabbit cleared up. "But Cole does have a point. Nya and Lloyd were really determined to bring Kai home. I don't think they'd just let you go peacefully if they knew you went to find him."

"I'd say casting a spell and putting a blade to your throat is a little more than overboard," grumbled the bear. Jay elbowed him, and his mate simply rubbed his freshly bruised arm as he waited for Zane's response.

"Kai would not let them hurt me," said the falcon, clasping his hands in front of him. "I know it."

"Zane, are you sure you're not acting out of desperation?" Jay inquired. The avian beast sighed, his shoulders slumping. The pause that followed caused the two other yokai to grow anxious, and they wondered if they had caused the bird to doubt himself. Cole felt Jay sneak his hand down to intertwine their fingers, so he squeezed it in reply.

"Is that so wrong?" Zane finally piped up. "I understand why you are concerned. Kai is a human, and humans are known to be just as hostile to us as we are to them. But no matter how many times the judgmental staring and cautionary words have tried to dissuade me, I have faith in Kai. He has been nothing but tolerant of me, and that's why I was so hard on myself for attempting to keep him here against his will. Now, however, there is a chance- albeit small -that Kai wishes to stay by my side. Of course I want to be with him. I love him, and if there is even a minuscule possibility that he will return my affections, I will gladly take the opportunity. Although not becoming one of the Bondless is a factor in my decision, my choice is primarily based on my desire to cherish him for as long as he lives." The couple was stunned into silence. They simply stared at the falcon for a moment, taking in how much he truly loved the human that had caused him such worry and strife.

"If you really love him, Zane, then we'll support you," Cole finally spoke.

"Yeah," Jay nodded with a grin. "If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know. Okay?"

"Thank you," the winged boy sighed. "And thank you for comforting me, this morning. If I had known that I would be changing my tune mere hours after I thought that all hope was lost, I would have saved you the trouble."

"Zane, you're perfectly fine," the bear assured him. "We're your friends, and we know that you'd come help us if we needed it." The bird gave him a wide smile that displayed his abundant relief. As long as Zane's plan went smoothly, Cole had a feeling that everything would work out just fine.