The Bounty was still sailing in the winds. After surviving the shockwaves of the last crashing landmasses, it was decided they needed to find a safe place to land, somewhere where they could recuperate, where they could get their heads back together. Just because everything seemed catastrophically over, it didn't mean that there wasn't work to do. They needed to return to Ninjago, they needed to try and find survivors…
They needed somewhere safe to take survivors.
They had chosen Chen's Island. They figured that due to its high altitudes, it would be mostly unaffected by the destruction of Ninjago, and still lie close enough to make it a plausible location for evacuation. The large waves unleashed by the shockwaves should not have wiped it off the map anyway.
Nya exited the Bounty's showers, running a hand through her hair. The shower had helped her feel a little more settled. Her element generally helped her feel grounded and calm. It reminded her who she was, who she chose to be and what she could be, with her own potential reflected in the depths of her element. Endless as the ocean. Limitless.
Being on the pirate ship with limited access to water had been torture.
It had also been nice to be out of that dress, even if only for a short time. Apparently, Jay's plan had not gone beyond the actual operation and there was no spare change of clothes for her, not even aboard the Bounty, which had been pillaged by pirates. She still had to wear the dress, but she supposed she could suffer through it for a bit longer. At least it didn't restrict her movement.
As she walked up onto deck, she spotted Skylor by the side of the ship, watching the rapidly approaching island. She walked up to her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a hand on Skylor's shoulder. Skylor offered her a tired smile.
"I… don't feel I can complain," Skylor admitted, looking back at the island.
"You don't have to put on a brave face," Nya told her. "You can be honest." Skylor sighed; eyes downcast.
"It's… I don't want to go back. I haven't been back since…" she trailed off. "… I didn't think I'd ever set foot on that island ever again. But I guess we can't really run away from our pasts forever."
"Your dad isn't there anymore," Nya told her. And Nya would know, Chen had been permanently killed when she'd flooded the… cursed realm…
And killed Djinjago. She suddenly felt ill.
"I know," Skylor said, a little melancholy. Even if he was a repulsive, power-hungry villain, he was still her father. He had still been someone she had loved, someone she had once cherished, someone that had once been the centre of her universe. So, despite everything, she still mourned him. "I wonder how much will have to be repaired," she mused, not wanting to think about it any longer. "It's been abandoned for a year now; I doubt it's still in good condition."
"Better condition than anywhere else," Nya replied, leaning against the ship's side.
"Don't remind me," Skylor muttered, running a hand through her hair. There was a lapse of silence, as the two looked out at the ocean, spreading all the way to the horizon. It was peaceful. Quiet.
"Land ho!" Dareth shouted from the crow's nest.
"Dareth, we don't actually shout that," Lloyd told him, sounding every bit the teenager embarrassed by their overzealous parent.
"But I've always wanted to say it-"
"We saw it coming from miles away."
"Guys, we're ready to land!" Jay shouted down to the deck.
"You can stay on the Bounty, you know," Nya suggested. "It's not like there aren't bed here." Skylor shook her head.
"I… I think it's best if we stick together. At least for tonight."
Nya understood that. After the past few weeks, she too felt they were safer in numbers. And she didn't want to fight alone anymore either.
Something wasn't right. As they walked up the path to Chen's Palace, they couldn't help but notice how well maintained everything was. The plants were tended to, the path smooth. Someone was still living here, a lot of someones, and it made them wary.
As they got closer to the palace, they decided it was best if the replacement ninja followed from the shadows, in case whoever now owned the place was hostile. Nya and Jay continued walking along the path alone, although they occasionally saw Dareth pop out of the bushes, before Lloyd dragged him out of sight again.
As Jay and Nya approached the gates, the doors opened, revealing the new owners of Chen's Island. Or… Perhaps those who had always owned the island in the first place. They were faced with the Kabuki. They must have remained on the island after Chen's arrest.
"Our liberators! We have awaited your arrival for so long!" one of the Kabuki said. She was dressed in teal and pink, the only one. The leader. "Welcome to Kabuki Island!" She bowed. The other Kabuki followed suit.
Jay and Nya just stared at her.
"Kabuki Island?" Jay repeated.
"Can… someone explain this?" Nya asked, turning slightly to where she thought Skylor was hiding.
"Kabuki Island is an ultra-exclusive luxury resort," the teal kabuki explained as she slowly approached them. "Only made possible after Master Chen was arrested. We were granted the island as compensation, you see."
"If this is a luxury resort, how come we've never heard of it?" Jay asked. Having been major celebrities up until Nadakhan entered the scene, it was a bit odd they hadn't heard anything.
"We are excellent hosts and hostesses; hospitality is our expertise. Advertising though… perhaps not as much. However, we assumed you would eventually come our way again. And when you did, we would gift you the long vacation you have always deserved." The teal kabuki's eyes darted across them, looking behind at the foliage. "… I do not intend to offend, but where are the other ninja? Are they not with you?" she asked.
"Uh…" Jay stuttered out. At that, the replacement ninja came out of their hiding places, some sliding out in style, others simply walking out. Those that had a bit more skill with subterfuge even startled the kabuki with their sudden appearance.
"… There are others," Jay said.
The teal kabuki was silent for a few moments. She didn't need to ask where the real ninja were. It was obvious enough that something terrible must have happened. Several emotions flickered across the teal kabuki's face. It settled on a comforting smile.
"You must all be weary from your travels. Come. Let us tend you," she offered, rather than asking for explanation.
Jay and Nya looked at each other, then the others. They were all exhausted, physically and emotionally. They needed to rest, before they could even think of what the next step could be in this end-of-the-world scenario.
"Yeah, ok," Jay agreed.
"I think we could all use some rest," Nya admitted.
They didn't miss how relieved the team looked. The replacement ninja weren't used to the dark side of life as a ninja, weren't used to how gruelling, hard and relentless their work could be, weren't used to this kind of stress and exhaustion. They needed the rest. They allowed the Kabuki to usher them in and to relax for just a little while.
Some had washed up. Some had sought out a quiet place to be by themselves. Some had gone straight to sleep. Jay had gone to sleep. He woke up feeling marginally better. The stress of the previous day had at least left him. When he'd entered the common room to find Lloyd pacing impatiently, he had briefly wondered if it was worth his energy to try calming the teen down. Then he remembered what had happened in the last few weeks and remembered that Lloyd wasn't just Lord Garmadon's son.
"What's eating you?" Jay asked, as he walked towards Lloyd. The teen turned to stare at him, sharp and withering.
"The phonelines are dead," Lloyd answered.
"What?"
"I can't reach my friends. I can't reach- I even tried Darkley's," Lloyd explained, trying to mask distress with exasperation. "It's all dead." Jay thought about his parents. They weren't in Ninjago City, but there had been shockwaves. Massive shockwaves, earthshattering shockwaves. His parents might be dead.
"We're all worried," Jay placated, trying to ignore his own nagging fears. "And we all have loved ones we're worried about." Lloyd gave him a distinct look that read why should I care? Jay cleared his throat. "When the sun rises, we'll go looking for them. But not now. We won't find anything in the dark."
"I see pretty well, even in the dark. I'm thinking I could leave tonight," Lloyd responded.
"Lloyd… I get what you're saying, but it's kinda selfish to leave. We only have the Bounty to travel with," Jay argued. "You'd be stranding us here."
"I could be back by morning, before anyone notices."
"What, you mean like how nobody noticed at Darkley's?" Jay couldn't help asking. Lloyd had believed no one would notice him helping the ninja. That hadn't ended well for Lloyd. The kid looked away.
"I said I was thinking about it. I wasn't actually gonna go," Lloyd claimed. Jay let out a deep sigh and patted him on the shoulder.
"As said. We're all worried." Jay paused and thought it over for a moment. "Except maybe Ronin. He doesn't really do friends." Of course, Ronin had also been distraught over the destruction of Ninjago, but he would probably bounce back the fastest. The only person he cared about was here on Kabuki Island, alive and well, and currently – if she hadn't had any luck yet – still looking for clothes that weren't a wedding dress. In other words, Ronin had no dead loved ones to mourn.
Lloyd walked over to the nearest sofa and fell onto it. Jay went to join him and couldn't help but notice Kai's sword delicately leaning against the sofa. A slight nudge could cause it to lose balance. For a moment, he was angry.
"Hey, you can't just leave this lying around," Jay told him, picking up the sword. "Especially since it's not yours."
Lloyd snatched it off him. "I just put it there for a moment, I'll put it somewhere safer, obviously," he said defensively. He paused, then looked sullen. "Do you think I'll be able to give it back to Kai?" he asked.
Jay sat down on the sofa next to Lloyd. He bit his lip. He didn't want to lie and claim everything would be fine. But he didn't want to consider the possibility that they had permanently lost more than Cole. Cole was already beyond painful enough. That everyone else was also...
"I don't know. The Djinn Blade is shattered…" Jay hesitantly answered. Considering his friends had not magically reappeared by their side, it was clear that wherever they were, they weren't able to come back by themselves. His friends- his family were in limbo until they learnt what the Djinn Blade actually did.
"Maybe… Maybe a wish could fix everything. Get everyone back," Lloyd suggested.
"It doesn't work like that," Jay said tiredly, closing his eyes. "Wishing doesn't fix anything, it just makes everything worse. Trust me. It's how we ended up here. Besides… Maybe we can get the others back, but... Cole's not coming back."
"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked. Jay let out a deep breath.
"Cole wasn't wished away," he said softly. "Cole was thrown into the sea."
"So were you?" Lloyd replied, confused. Jay buried his head in his hands.
"Ghosts are vulnerable to water. It instantly kills them."
Lloyd visibly paled.
"We're not getting him back," he muttered. There was several moments of silence.
"I'm sorry," Lloyd spoke quietly.
"It's ok."
"No, I really am. Sorry, that is. I'm really sorry. About everything."
"Lloyd…?" Jay opened his eyes and looked at the teen. Lloyd was looking away, head hung low. "... Why are you blaming yourself?" Lloyd didn't answer. Jay placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, shaking the teen lightly. "Hey, you know you really saved my bacon against Nadakhan, right? Me and Nya, both. We'd both be goners if you hadn't jumped in to stop him."
Lloyd nodded, but still didn't look at him. Jay thought about that moment again. He had been pretty out of it and didn't recall exactly what had happened. He only remembered a bright light. Fire came to his mind for some reason. How had Lloyd managed to shatter the Djinn Blade when the teen had otherwise struggled against Nadakhan? Before he could think much more about it though, Lloyd turned to him. As soon as Jay saw how suspiciously watery Lloyd's eyes were, the train of thought came to an abrupt stop.
"I wanted to help," Lloyd told him.
"You did? You mean- before-" Jay stuttered out and Lloyd nodded. Jay didn't know what to make of that. "When?" he finally settled with. Lloyd didn't answer. Jay stared at him disbelievingly for a few moments. Was it just during this misadventure or... Did it go further back...? No way, they would have known, right? Jay dismissed the thought. What mattered was that he had promised to take Lloyd in, to look after him. Even if the rest of the team was gone.
He reached out and ruffled Lloyd's hair. The teen squawked in indignation. "Well, what do you know, Kai's right. You're not so bad," Jay decided, smiling. Of course Lloyd couldn't be so bad. Otherwise Jay wouldn't have told him that the offer was still standing.
Lloyd looked at him surprised. Then he smiled. "Well, we are a team now, right?"
"Right," Jay agreed. "You, me and Nya."
"Not as a replacement ninja?"
"You can be our token non-elemental teammate."
"Gee, thanks. What an honour," Lloyd drily replied, though his eyes had lit up.
"Well, I could have said token evil teammate, but…" Lloyd whacked him, and Jay couldn't help but laugh in response. This felt oddly natural. Like this was how things were supposed to be. Lloyd being Garmadon's son was what was weird. Not Lloyd being on his side, being his teammate, his friend.
Lloyd became sombre again. "Where do you think Nadakhan is?" he asked. Jay just sighed. Considering he had last been seen falling from New Djinjago...
"If we're lucky? The Departed Realm."
But Jay had an awful sinking feeling that Nadakhan might have survived.
FSM, he hoped not.
After talking to Lloyd a little while longer, Jay had finally gone to get himself cleaned up. Now showered and a little refreshed, Jay looked himself over in the mirror. Not much time had passed since he had been imprisoned in New Djinjago, yet he was already starting to look like he had never been beaten, kicked, starved or tortured.
He put in the prescribed eyedrops. His eyes looked fine, but he was still taking medicine for it. Because not everything was healed, despite looking fine. He didn't feel fine. He only looked it.
He considered changing into the pyjamas the Kabuki had given them upon arriving on the island, but he decided against it. He was too tense to sleep. Even though Kabuki Island was a safe place, a sanctuary, he still felt restless. At the very least, he would walk around the parameter first. And maybe then go to bed.
Maybe.
There was a knock at the door. Quickly throwing on the rest of his gi, he went to open it.
"Nya?" Jay asked, surprised. She was finally out of the wedding dress, wearing a kimono the Kabuki had gifted her. She looked better out of the wedding dress. It was fittingly blue and red.
"Hi Jay," Nya greeted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can we talk?"
"Sure." Jay stepped aside, letting her into the room. She sat down on the bed, hands clasped together.
"I wanted to say sorry," she said.
"For what?"
"For leaving you alone on the Bounty. If someone had stayed behind- if I had stayed behind…"
"No, no, hey, don't worry about that," Jay told her, sitting down next to her on the bed, a hand on hers to comfort her. "Honestly, even if we'd all stayed there, we would have been outnumbered. I'm not sure we could have stopped the wedding if anyone had stayed behind with me."
Nya gave him a sad smile and he knew she didn't believe him. But he was earnest. It had happened so fast, Nadakhan and his crew had got to him so quickly. They'd had vengestone-tipped arrows. One had lodged into his shoulder; it was why he'd so quickly drained.
His hand absently went to the injured shoulder. The doctor told him it was almost fully healed. But even once it was healed, it would always be vulnerable to further injury, from spraining, straining, etc. It was a new, permanent vulnerable spot.
"You know, I'm sorry too," Jay told her. "I'm sorry I didn't get you away from Nadakhan faster. I'm sorry I didn't tell you and everyone else about Nadakhan. And I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't be honest about how I feel. If I had, Nadakhan couldn't have used it against me- against us."
Nya was shaking her head. She looked at him and though her smile was sad, there was relief in her eyes.
"Thanks," she spoke softly. "… I was so happy to see you, you know. In that church. I thought you had died with Cole."
"I… Yeah. I'm actually still alive thanks to Cole. He used his last moments to…" Turn him intangible. To stop the impact from killing him. To save him. Because that was who Cole was. Jay found himself unable to speak. His eyes felt wet. Nya squeezed his hand. After a few moments of silence, Jay leaned back, until he was lying on the bed. Nya did the same. They were still holding hands. It didn't feel weird. On the contrary, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. They both lay there for a while, thinking about their team.
Thinking about the events of the last few days.
Thinking of each other.
"You know I love you, right?" Nya abruptly asked.
"As a friend, yeah."
"No." Jay looked at her sharply. She was looking back at him. "You don't mean that," he said. He tried to withdraw his hand, but she held onto it tightly.
"You're an idiot, Jay," she told him, and he froze. "But I've always felt you're my idiot. Ever since I… first met you." She had never told him that. He knew he'd fallen for her at first sight, but he hadn't known it was the same for her.
To her, there had never been anyone else. Even when she'd had her crushes, those had been fleeting. But Jay. Even when they'd been apart, he had been important, not just as a friend and teammate. He was a constant in her life, even in the bad times. Jay was not fleeting. He was not just a moment in time, quick to pass her by.
His hand felt warm around hers. Engulfing, grounding. Like all-encompassing water.
As elemental to her as her element.
"I love you too," he said.
They stared at each other for a few moments. Neither knew what to make of this. They couldn't begin trying to understand what it would mean for their relationship, if they would pick up where they left off, if they would start at the beginning again…
Then again. For now, it didn't matter. For now, all they needed to know was that they loved each other. Everything else could be sorted out later. When things were less exhausting. When things were less painful.
Jay slowly looked away, closing his eyes, finding he was finally able to relax. Soon, he was asleep. She smiled at him and closed her eyes too, just listening to his breathing, gradually drifting off to the quiet rhythm.
It was all they needed. For now.
Lloyd thought it was weird to be playing cards after accidentally causing the deaths of millions, but Ronin pointed out that they couldn't sit around being sad about it all the time. None of them could really sleep anyway, so they thought it better to do something to pass the time.
They were playing poker. Uncertain if money would carry any weight in the near future, they had chosen to use food as betting items instead. More specifically, candy. This made no difference to Lloyd though, since he had long outgrown his obsession with candy. He was fourteen after all. No self-respecting teenager was obsessed with candy.
It was just happenstance that he happened to be keener to win since learning that they were playing for candy.
"Read 'em and weep!" Lloyd announced, throwing his full house on the table. Dareth and the Commissioner groaned, moving their candies in Lloyd's direction.
"Now hold on, kid," Ronin spoke up. "A full house ain't the highest hand this time." He laid out his cards. It was a straight flush.
"Oh yeah? I can do one better," Skylor cut in, spreading out her royal flush. Lloyd looked at the cards. Some of them had already been played. There were two aces of hearts, one in Skylor's hand, one in Dareth's.
"You cheated!" Lloyd complained.
"I didn't cheat," Skylor replied. Which was the truth. Her cards had been dealt that way. Lloyd turned on Ronin.
"What are you looking at me for?" Ronin asked.
"You dealt the cards. It was you, wasn't it?" Lloyd replied.
"Callin' me a cheat?"
"Yeah, actually."
"No more than you, I reckon," he coolly responded, reaching across the table and grabbing Lloyd's sleeve. A little jostle and some cards fell out. "Gotta give you credit, if you weren't Lord Garmadon's son, I wouldn't have ever known," Ronin admitted.
"Lloyd, you cheated?" Dareth asked, sounding shocked and disappointed.
"Well- so did Ronin! Which- how?" Lloyd demanded.
"Never let the shuffler deal the cards," Ronin replied, shrugging.
"Commissioner," Lloyd complained, turning to the policeman.
"As far as I'm concerned, this game is over. If you and Ronin aren't playing fair, what's the point? I'll be taking my candies back." The Commissioner gathered his snacks together. Lloyd watched with despair as his pile returned to its original size.
"Who's up for a different game?" Ronin asked, picking up the cards and shuffling them.
"Ugh, if we're not really playing for keeps, I've got better things to do than this," Lloyd muttered, picking up his pile of candies and leaving the common room. As soon as he was out of the room, the Commissioner complained "Sore loser, or what? You'd think he's not the one that cheated."
"Come on, he's a kid," Dareth defended.
"At fourteen, he should know better," Skylor cut in. "He's not that little anymore. Don't let his size mislead you." Dareth looked for someone else that disagreed with her, but both Ronin and the Commissioner agreed. Or didn't have that much sympathy for Lloyd to begin with.
Dareth sighed. Then gathered up his candies. "I just… remembered I forgot something," he announced, then left, running after Lloyd.
"I wonder what he sees in the brat," Ronin mused.
"Even if it's misplaced, I think it's nice that someone cares about Lloyd," Skylor commented. "Blackjack," she added as their new game. Ronin began dealing cards.
"Everyone should have someone that cares," the Commissioner muttered in agreement. Then his eyes hardened. "Question is, does Lloyd care about anyone?"
"You're kidding, right? Didn't you see how he was fighting today? That's not someone that doesn't care about anything," Ronin rebuked.
"What about you?" Skylor asked. "What makes you fight, bounty hunter?"
"I care about Nya, obviously," Ronin answered dismissively. Sure, their relationship was somewhat complicated due to how they met, but Ronin had always felt like she was a little sister to him (while also denying that he was likely old enough to be her father). "Only reason I went straight."
"Really? If that's the reason why, how long will that really last?" Skylor asked.
"Like you didn't go on the straight and narrow for a Smith too," Ronin retorted.
"I did not have a change of heart because of Kai," she replied calmly. "I will admit he was a great motivator though. Remember Ronin, I was in a cult. I didn't know better. What's your excuse?"
"She's got you there," the Commissioner agreed.
"Well. There's no need to fuss. For now I'm doing the right thing and to you, that's all that matters," Ronin argued.
"You scammed a kid just a moment ago."
"Don't call him a kid like he's innocent. And we're not even playing for anything of real value. Unless you wanna raise the stakes, of course. Got any gold, girly?"
Skylor's eyes flickered with excitement. "You sure you wanna try those odds, thief?"
"Anytime, lady," Ronin replied.
The Commissioner suddenly dropped his hand, the cards landing face-up on the table. "Commish, you can't ruin the game like that… Are you ok?" Ronin asked. The Commissioner didn't look at him. He looked straight past Skylor and Ronin, at something behind them.
They turned to look. Nothing was there.
"Are you ok? Maybe we should stop. It's getting pretty late," Skylor suggested. The Commissioner blinked, then shook his head.
"Sorry, for a moment, I thought… I thought I saw Nadakhan."
The mood shifted.
"Where?"
"In the reflection."
"I left my spear in my room," Skylor said, getting up slowly. Ronin looked to his side. Lloyd must have stolen his crossbow before storming out. Petty thief. He flicked his scanner on. There were traces of djinn magic hanging in the air, where previously there had been none.
They were in danger.
Nadakhan's laugh filled the room. It was bitter, enraged. All three were on their feet. The common room only had one entrance.
"Replacement ninja. To think, you would prove more troublesome than the actual ninja," Nadakhan's voice echoed in the room. "So, this is where the rats have holed up." The djinn emerged from the wall; each hand carrying a sword. He was blocking the entrance.
"What do you want?" Skylor asked. She cracked her fingers, electricity sparking off them. She still had Jay's element.
"Hm…" Nadakhan hummed, uninterested in the display. He grinned, holding up one of the blades towards her. "… I think you already know what I want." He disappeared in a puff of orange dust and the room filled with smoke.
"Don't let your guard down!" Ronin called out. A gunshot rang out. Knowing where Ronin and the Commissioner were, Skylor risked shots in the dark. Then something clicked around her wrists. She looked and felt weak. Vengestone handcuffs. Nadakhan was right by her side, grinning menacingly. "Why is it all elemental masters are so reliant on their elements?" he mocked. Another gunshot. Nadakhan reappeared in the entrance, leaning against the door frame, looking bored.
The Commissioner was holding up his revolver, keeping it pointed at Nadakhan.
"You want a fight?" the Commissioner asked. His eyes darted to Ronin and Skylor. A slight nod. He was going to hold off Nadakhan while they went to warn the others. "I'll give you a fight."
Nadakhan grinned.
"I always did like a hero," Nadakhan admitted. "Then you will have the honour of dying first." Nadakhan leapt at the Commissioner. With the entrance now free, Skylor and Ronin ran out of the common room.
"I'll get Jay and Nya," Ronin told Skylor.
"Then I'll get Lloyd and Dareth," she replied.
They heard some more gunshots.
And then it abruptly stopped.
Skylor rubbed at the vengestone cuffs. If she was lucky, maybe Lloyd could get them off. She dared to look back. It was a mistake.
Nadakhan had dealt with the Commissioner and was now stalking her.
This was not going to end well.
Lloyd and Dareth froze when they heard the gunshots. Lloyd looked to the bedroom door.
"Are they fighting?" Dareth asked. Lloyd didn't think so. All three had too much self-discipline to do something as foolish as setting one off without intention to kill. And none of them were going to draw their guns out over a game. Who ever had used a gun had wanted to kill someone.
There was an enemy inside Chen's palace.
"It has to be the djinn. Nadakhan's inside the palace," Lloyd said, alarmed. Nadakhan was the only one that could have followed them without setting off any alarms, without the Kabuki noticing, without... His breathing felt shallow. "Our best shot is getting to the Bounty and escaping."
"What about the others?" Dareth asked. Lloyd thought of Nya and Jay. Dareth was right, they couldn't leave. Not without the rest of the team. He reached for Kai's sword. He turned to Dareth.
"Take this. It should allow you to use Kai's element, I think," Lloyd told him, remembering how fire had sprung from the sword. He didn't know that wasn't how the golden weapons worked. Lloyd went to pick up Ronin's crossbow. He also grabbed a small vial from his bedside table. It contained some of the tiger widow venom he had swiped off Jay when the blue ninja hadn't been looking, back when they'd been preparing to attack New Djinjago.
Lloyd had initially done it out of habit - anything rare and hard to come by was to be obtained as quickly as possible - but now it seemed lucky. It might well be the only tiger widow venom within their grasp. He needed to sneak up on Nadakhan. It was the only way to get him.
"There are secret passages in the palace. We can use them to join up with Jay and Nya," Lloyd told Dareth. They were hopefully safe from Nadakhan too. He hoped so.
"After you, little man," Dareth answered. Lloyd walked over to the bed and lay down. Dareth stared at him blankly. "Is now really the best time for a nap?" he asked.
"It's how you activate it. Come lie down next to me-"
The bedroom door was slammed open, Skylor hanging off it. Shocked, Lloyd accidentally activated the door without Dareth and fell down into the secret passageway below.
"Skylor," Dareth cried out, horrified, running over to her. He helped her up and instantly felt the blood soaking through her gi. She looked up at him. "I'm sorry," she said, then fell down. Her breathing was ragged.
"Stay with me- Lloyd, come help... Lloyd?" Dareth turned to look at the empty room. The lights flickered. Then they went out completely, plunging him into darkness. Dareth tried to carry Skylor to the bed while his eyes adjusted to the dark.
"She's very brave," a voice echoed in the room. He flinched. "She is slippery too... Almost managed to get here without my notice..."
Nadakhan entered through the open door. He was wielding four swords. Two were drenched in blood.
"Hey now, you stay away," Dareth threatened, holding up the sword of fire. Nadakhan used a blade to effortlessly tilt it away from his face.
"Very nice, but you can only use that if you are the master of fire," Nadakhan informed him, seeing Dareth's disappointed face when no fire emerged. "Or possess the master of fire, of course," he added, grinning. He pushed against the sword down and forced Dareth to the floor. Finally, the sword of fire flicked out of his hands. Skylor was lying on the floor, defenceless. Nadakhan hovered over Skylor. "She is bleeding out and will not last long," he muttered. A sword slashed her chest open.
"No!" Dareth shouted.
She didn't even scream. There was a whimper, but Dareth was unsure if it had come from her or him.
"I believe she is dead now," Nadakhan said, and Dareth could hear the smile in the djinn's voice. He turned to Dareth. "Four to go," he said menacingly.
"Now hold on-" Dareth argued.
"You're not even worth my time," Nadakhan flatly spoke over him. "So, I think, I will end this quickly."
Lloyd heard two things thud to the floor above and didn't want to think about what those two things were. Ever since Nadakhan had entered the bedroom, Lloyd had remained lying in the secret passageway, willing himself to be quiet. Nadakhan was a bigger and stronger opponent than him. Lloyd stood no chance. It had been too late to save Skylor and he had missed his chance to save Dareth. He should have just grabbed Dareth. He should have known how little time they would have before Nadakhan tracked them down.
Lloyd's hands were covering his mouth as he tried to force himself to breathe calmly and quietly. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes and tried to stop himself from crying. If he started crying, Nadakhan would hear him, and it would all be over.
He could cry when this was over.
He didn't know if Nadakhan had left the room or was still lingering. He had said that Dareth wasn't worth his time and was likely looking for the others. For Lloyd too. Nadakhan wanted to kill Lloyd.
It made him briefly panic, but he tried to stay calm. He couldn't let Nadakhan hear him.
He still had Ronin's crossbow and the tiger widow venom. He could still do something- he could still win. And he was fighting with Jay and Nya now, didn't the Ninja always win? That meant Lloyd had to win.
All he needed to do was kill the djinn.
He wanted to kill the djinn.
His breathing began to even out as anger overtook him. Right. How dare Nadakhan take Dareth from him? How dare he take his new team? He needed to die. He needed to suffer.
Lloyd got to his feet and quietly crept away, towards where he hoped Nya and Jay would be.
Jay woke up to gunshots. He sat up and his mind cleared instantly. Four years of being a ninja had more or less trained him to be alert at the first sign of disturbance. Nya was also awake.
"Gunshots?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Nya looked pensive.
"We'd better check it out," she said, getting up. She called for water, and some appeared, plucked from the humid air around them. It wasn't much. Jay got off the bed, and cautiously opened the door. The lights started flickering. Jay tried to stabilize it, but the lights reacted and the lightbulbs in the hall exploded. They were plunged into darkness.
"Jay," Nya hissed reproachfully.
"It wasn't me," Jay whispered back. "Someone else has taken out the electricity." He held up a hand experimentally. Unlike Nya, he didn't have to draw his element from the environment, he could create it (probably because it was an element of creation). However, he could still - if he wished - draw his element from his surroundings. When he tried to though, nothing happened. The power was out.
They could see a shadow.
"Jay? Nya?" Ronin whispered.
"What's happening?" Nya asked him.
"Nadakhan. We need to get to the Bounty."
"What about the others?"
"No time," Ronin insisted. "Skylor has gone to get Lloyd and Dareth. We're going to have to trust that they'll make it," he explained, warily looking down the hall. "Come on."
Nya and Jay followed after him, as he led the way.
"How did he find us?" Nya whispered.
"Don't know. Trust me though, he's pretty angry about us destroying New Djinjago," Ronin answered, rather laissez-faire. "He's already gotten to the Commissioner, we…"
He stopped speaking, coming to an abrupt stop.
"You know this place if full of secret passageways, right?" he asked them, back still toward them.
"Sure. We've used them," Jay answered.
"Ronin, what's…?" Nya starting asking, but trailed off when he turned to them, offering them a sad smile.
"You've always been my favourite, Nya," Ronin said. "Jay, take care of her," he added, as he slammed his fist into the wall. Something clicked and a trapdoor opened where Nya and Jay were standing. They didn't even have time to scream as they slid down the passageway.
The trapdoor disappeared again. Ronin stood alone in the hallway. He could have gone with them, but he had already detected djinn magic. Nadakhan knew that someone was in the hallway. He couldn't risk letting Nya die or end up back in Nadakhan's hands. Not after all they had done to get her out of there.
"Well, if it isn't the bounty hunter with the hidden heart of gold…" Nadakhan's voice echoed in the room. Ronin was unarmed. He was decent in hand-to-hand fighting, but not comparable to the ninjas. He didn't stand a chance against Nadakhan, a djinn with tenfold the strength and speed of a human man.
Regardless, he wouldn't cower. Nadakhan appeared before him, with three bloodied swords.
"If it's one sword per person, I hate to tell ya, you're about to run out of blades," Ronin told him.
"I think you will find that that is my problem," Nadakhan replied, holding up the clean blade. "You have other matters to deal with now," he grinned. Ronin widened his stance and held up his fists.
"I ain't going down easy."
"I would be disappointed if you did," Nadakhan replied, before lunging at him.
Nya and Jay landed in the main entrance. Nya managed to correct herself and land on her feet. Jay – the still more exhausted of the two – fumbled the landing and ended up face first in the ground. He quickly clambered to his feet though.
"Why did he do that?" he exclaimed, dusting himself off. Nya looked up; at the hatch they had fallen out of. It was closed again, barely visible, even when you knew what to look for.
"He said we need to get to the Bounty. Anything else doesn't matter," she reminded him. She didn't want to think of the why. She already suspected. Jay sighed.
"Right. You're right. Hold on to me, I can zap us over," Jay said, as he began charging himself with electricity. True potential. It was seldomly used, since it used up a lot of energy. In his current state, he would likely lose consciousness after using it for only a little bit, but if getting to the Bounty was all that mattered, it was fine. He held out his hand to her. She didn't hesitate to take it.
"Jay! Nya!" a new voice called out. Lloyd jumped down from the balconies. He had a crossbow – Ronin's crossbow – slung around his shoulders. He looked pale. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, noticing a distinct absence of replacement ninja. Jay stared at Lloyd.
"Where's Skylor? And Dareth?" Jay found himself asking.
"They're dead," Lloyd robotically answered. Jay let go of Nya. His element began dissipating. Several emotions flickered through his mind. Dominantly, it was panic. They now had a problem. Lloyd – despite being a shrimp for his age – was still a fourteen-year-old boy. Too heavy and tall for him to carry both Nya and Lloyd to the Bounty. He could only take one, if he wanted to speedily get away. But no more than one. Especially now, that he had already attempted to charge up once.
"We're not splitting up," Nya told him, knowing what was on his mind. Lloyd, not following their train of thought, just looked confused.
"Of course not?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Into the jungle then," Jay suggested. "Lloyd will have to keep up. Maybe I should-"
"I can keep up," Lloyd argued.
"He can," Nya agreed, remembering the way Lloyd had run off after their little club heist. For his age, he was surprisingly nimble and light on his feet.
"Great, then…"
Dark, sardonic laughter filled the main entrance. Nya and Jay held their elements at their fingertips, standing back-to-back, Lloyd sandwiched between them. Lloyd stood frozen, terrified. Even with the ninja standing to protect him, he found he couldn't think clearly. All the anger he had hid behind vanished as soon as he was confronted with the villain.
Nadakhan appeared. Four bloodied swords. He dropped one after the other. The commissioner, Skylor, Dareth, Ronin. It was deliberate. To remind Nya and Jay they had felt once more. Almost all their teammates were dead. Again.
"It pains me," Nadakhan said, "that they were so easily killed, and yet they caused me such trouble." From his back, he drew out two more blades. "Nya, did I not tell you, you should be grateful? Now look. You have lost Ninjago, you have lost your replacement ninja…" Nadakhan trailed off, staring at Lloyd. Both Jay and Nya stepped in front of Lloyd protectively. Nadakhan chuckled.
"I see not all replacement ninja are dead…," he mused.
"Don't you dare," Nya threatened.
Nadakhan didn't care for the threat. He lunged forward. Both Nya and Jay prepared to attack, but Nadakhan ignored them, shooting past instead – too fast for either to react – and grabbing Lloyd from their midst. Lloyd was reaching for the crossbow, but he knew it was too late, he'd never be able to stop a blade's downward swing –
Lightning separated djinn from teenager. Jay caught Lloyd.
Of course Nadakhan would target Lloyd first. His goal was to cause as much pain and misery to the ninja as possible.
Nya launched herself at Nadakhan, a vicious cyclone of water twisting itself around her, each drop travelling at speeds fast enough to slam down on a victim like a sledgehammer. But the force of her element was only an annoyance to the djinn. With his speed, Nadakhan was able to easily dodge, and so, remained unperturbed.
Lloyd drew out the crossbow to try and assist Nya, but Nadakhan was moving too fast for him. He couldn't aim at him for much longer than a second. Jay stared hard at Nadakhan. His element was lightning. Light travelled faster than anything else in the world. He should be able to land a hit on Nadakhan. He held out his hand, trying to track Nadakhan's movement. He then set off a bolt of lightning.
Nadakhan's attention was back on Jay. Jay had missed. His element might be fast as light, but Jay was not. Nadakhan knocked Nya aside and lunged at Jay. Jay instinctively dodged out of the way, forgetting that Lloyd had been behind him. Lloyd let out a yelp.
"Lloyd!"
Jay electrified the air, grabbing onto Nadakhan's arms to force him to let go of the boy, preparing to send waves of electric shocks through the djinn.
"Got you," Nadakhan told Jay, looking over his shoulder, their noses practically touching, as something clicked around Jay's wrist. Vengestone. The electricity in the air fizzled out and died and Jay found himself knocked back with such force, he left a small dent in the wall. He was lying on the ground, winded, temporarily unable to move. Nya threw her water at Nadakhan, to try and stop Nadakhan, but he vanished with Lloyd. The water hit the wall.
Nadakhan reappeared above her, holding Lloyd by his collar.
"I wish-" Lloyd started, then gasped. He looked down at the sword, thrust into his side. Nadakhan dropped him and Nya quickly ran to catch him. Nadakhan blocked her. Lloyd landed with a thud and whimper. Nya couldn't lend him much further thought, as she defended herself against Nadakhan.
Nadakhan grinned at her. "You want to help him?" he mocked, then vanished. She fell forward, then looked at Lloyd. Nadakhan had disappeared, Jay was still out of it, although slowly starting to move. Lloyd was still lying on the ground, squirming, hand gripping the sword still stuck in his abdomen. She quickly ran over to Lloyd, propping him up against a wall. "Lloyd," she said. The boy looked at her. He was terrified. He didn't know what to do. "It'll be ok-" she began promising. There was another click. In her distress, she hadn't notice Nadakhan reappear by her side. Another vengestone bracelet was enveloped around her wrist. The waters she had gathered fell from the sky. Nadakhan pulled her away from Lloyd.
"Hey, let go!" she snapped, thrashing. He threw her to the side.
"Vengestone truly is what I should have used from the beginning," Nadakhan mused, observing his downed enemies. Jay was back on his feet. He had picked up one of the bloodied swords. He held it up against Nadakhan. "And yet, you still fight…"
"Ninja never quit," Jay said calmly, evening out his breaths. Vengestone cuff or no, he still had fight in him. As did Nya. At the very least, Lloyd was still alive. If they didn't defeat Nadakhan now, he would die.
Jay attacked Nadakhan with the sword. He knew it was hopeless, Nadakhan was faster and stronger than him, even when he had full access to his element. But then Nya joined the fray, with another sword that Nadakhan had previously dropped. They knew the chances were high that they were going to lose, but both refused to go down quietly. They fought ferociously. Even with vengestone taking their element from them, they could still violently spin into Nadakhan, and switch up their fighting style with such frequency that the fight wasn't entirely one-sided. There a bit more like Zane, here a bit more like Cole, now just like Kai…
Lloyd watched them from where Nya had propped him up. He knew he was severely injured and dying was now a distinct possibility. It dawned on him how entirely unfair that was. He hadn't even had a chance to do anything. All his efforts to be reunited with his dad had gone straight to the toilet. If he had known he was going to die here, he would have joined his Uncle Wu willingly. He wouldn't have wasted so much time placing his hopes in something so desperate. The panic now suppressed, he calmly loaded the crossbow with poisoned arrows, careful not to get any on himself. It was harder than it sounded. His hands were shaking. He was feeling ever colder.
Nadakhan, initially amused by the swordfight, found Nya managing to land a cut on him. Orange-yellow dust briefly filled the air, as he bled from the open wound. It sealed itself. He snarled, enraged and knocked both Nya and Jay back. Both once again hit the wall. Not hard enough to leave a dent this time, but hard enough to leave them in pain. Nadakhan focused on Jay, twirling his sword.
"Jay!" Nya tried to warn. She tried to get to her feet, to stop, but she was too slow. Nadakhan's sword embedded itself into Jay's shoulder – the one that had already been shot through by a vengestone arrow. He couldn't stop himself from screaming – it hadn't fully healed and hurt so much more this time. The sword sliced its way out, tearing through flesh and bone. The arm wasn't completely severed, though Jay couldn't say if that was good or not. He collapsed to his knees, trying to hold his shoulder, ignoring the unnatural way his arm hung from him. His vision briefly blurred. He needed to stop the bleeding, before he bled out, he knew that, but he found himself unable to move. Nya tried to reach him, but Nadakhan flung her away. Then he turned to Jay, looming over him.
"Not going to make your last wish?" he asked menacingly. "I'd say you have a few precious minutes to save your life. Go on, ninja. Wish it away. I wonder where you'll end up without the Djinn Blade."
Nya was back on her feet. Despite the power behind that hit, she was now fuelled by rage. She picked up her sword. Lloyd had finally succeeded in loading the crossbow with a poison arrow, lifting it up at Nadakhan. The djinn was distracted, focused on Jay. Nya was rapidly running towards Nadakhan, with clear intent to kill. Lloyd knew he couldn't risk shooting, without potentially harming Nya. But who knew when Nadakhan would be this still again?
… Who knew how little time Lloyd still had left? How long was it, until Lloyd would be unable to use the crossbow at all?
Every moment he hesitated became riskier for Nya, with her rapidly blocking his shot. He hesitated regardless, too long. Then finally shot.
Nadakhan let out a screech as the poison embedded itself into his body. Nya merely gasped as flecks landed on her.
"What…?" Jay mumbled from where he lay on the floor. Nadakhan was suddenly gone, he hadn't seen what had happened. Nya was by his side, breathing heavily. Her fingers touched her neck and she looked at the tips. She had been poisoned with the tiger widow venom. She closed her hand and looked down at Jay.
"It'll be ok, Jay," she promised him. She was mostly reassuring herself. It would be over for her soon.
Then a scream pierced their ears. Jay and Nya turned to look.
It was Lloyd.
Nadakhan was moving slower. Significantly so. Swaying, even. The poison had got him worse than back in New Djinjago. But it was too little too late. Because they were now all moving too slow now. And Lloyd… Lloyd. Just fourteen. He was looking down at the sword thrusted through his chest. Eyes wide in shock and horror. His eyes darted to Jay and Nya. Like he was hoping they could do something.
The sword came out. Lloyd gasped, then started choking, breaths becoming raspy and wet. Blood began pouring from his lips.
"Goodbye, yellow ninja," Nadakhan said.
Lloyd sank down the wall, leaving behind a blood trail as he slid. Then he stopped moving altogether.
Jay lay there, unable to do anything. Lloyd had only come along because of him. This was his fault. If he'd left the kid to be a kid...
Nya, was still barely sitting up, rapidly losing energy. She turned to glare at Nadakhan. The djinn started approaching them.
"Don't come closer," she warned, ignoring the stinging of her eyes. She had just let Lloyd be killed in front of her and she had done nothing.
"Just one left…" Nadakhan responded, ignoring her, eyes focused on Jay. Her eyes narrowed. She still had some energy left. Not enough to save Lloyd. Probably not enough to save Jay for long. But it would be enough. She willed herself to her feet. Pointing the sword at Nadakhan.
"It's over, Nadakhan," she told him.
"It's over when I say it is," he replied darkly, rapidly closing the distance. Nya breathed in deeply. Then used the last of her energy to rush Nadakhan. With him heavily poisoned, and fuelled with nothing but vengeance, he stood no chance against Nya.
She was now faster than him. She was currently stronger than him, vengestone cuff notwithstanding. Their swords clattered for only a few seconds. But then there was an opening, and her sword went cleanly through his stomach. There was no witty comment. No cool one-liner. No victorious outcry. There was no energy left for words. And her heart felt too heavy. With what little energy she had left, she pushed him off her blade. And he silently fell back.
It was finally over.
She collapsed next to Jay. She could really feel the poison now. All that movement had just helped it spread faster. It was like searing heat in her blood, like she was burning alive. Her muscles were stiffening while she was still alive. She weakly reached out for Jay. She didn't want to die alone.
"Jay…"
She thought he might already be gone; he had become so non-responsive. But then she felt his hand wrap around hers. He was still there. His hand felt so cold, where hers were too hot.
She could hear Nadakhan's ragged breathing. Still barely alive. It would be bitter if he outlived them, even if only by seconds.
Jay knew the shock of his injured arm had long given way to overwhelming dizziness and cold from blood loss. If his arm had simply been lopped off, it would have been easier, he could have maybe stopped the bleeding, maybe survived, but… Now that Nya was lying next to him, dying, he supposed it didn't matter whether he survived or not. He used what energy he had left to look at Nya. She looked awful, poison turning her veins a visible green. And she looked sad. Sorrowful. So many things that still needed to be said and mourned over. And it was too late for any of that. He tried to hold her hand tighter. He tried to smile, but ended up grimacing.
She had taken his hand. He could feel hers holding on tightly, like he was her lifeline.
"I-I wish you'd t-taken my hand back then t-too," he gently mused, threading his fingers through hers. "I'm glad you… did… now…" He was somewhat aware his cheeks were wet. He dimly realized that she was crying too.
The world was growing dark and cold.
Jay let out a shuddering breath and all faded.
"Take my hand!"
Nya's eyes snapped open. She was looking at Jay, with his outstretched hand. She wasn't poisoned with tiger widow venom, she wasn't dying on Kabuki Island, she was on a rooftop in Ninjago City, her friends hiding behind a large billboard and-
She felt like the entire world was spinning.
"Please," Jay added. She could hear helicopters approaching.
Nya quickly grabbed his hand, and he yanked her up to their hiding spot. The helicopters never found them. They flew overhead and over the horizon. The Ninja were silent for another moment or two.
She looked at him. He looked at her.
"Neat! We lost them!" Cole cheered. "All right team, let's go stop Clouse!"
"Calling the Bounty," Zane announced. "Pixal?"
"I'm on my way. It will take a moment, but I will be there soon," came Pixal's voice over the comms.
"Next time Kai, save us the trouble and don't share our location," Morro groused at Kai.
"You need to learn to let go, man," Kai retorted. "I mean, what's even the big deal, right? Uh… Nya?"
"What?"
"Why are you holding my arm?"
"I'm… cold," she lied. Kai pulled her in closer.
"FSM, I told you to dress warmer, but you never listen," he fussed. Nya glanced to Jay, but he was leaning against Cole, chatting with him like nothing had happened.
But… something had happened. She'd been dying, hadn't she? Then… Jay had made his last wish. Nadakhan- he had granted it; she'd heard him grant it…
So why did only Nya remember?
She felt a wave of emotions. Confusion. Euphoria.
She looked at Jay.
Sadness.
She didn't want to be the only one to remember.
They had arrived in time to stop Clouse. Zane had then handed the lamp to Pixal for further examination, and she had later confirmed it contained a powerful djinn. Jay had watched Nya for a reaction, but her face had been unreadable.
That made him think that maybe he really was the only one that remembered.
Perhaps it had never happened.
Jay was walking back and forth in his bedroom. The entire timeline hadn't happened. That had the clear bright side that his team wasn't stuck in limbo or dead. Ninjago City had never been destroyed.
Everyone was still alive.
However, it also meant that… That meant that Nya – probably – still didn't feel anything for him or if she did, she was confused about it and therefore uninterested. Because that timeline had not happened.
And what was he supposed to do about it? Should he say something? Or nothing? What would he even say? "Hey, so in this alternate timeline, we fell in love again, but you don't remember that, but I do, so what I'm saying is, is that I still love you, but I respect your space, so don't feel like we have to be together again, you don't have to do anything with this, I just had to get it off my chest, because the last time I didn't, a djinn used it against us and wiped out all of Ninjago and killed the whole team and I'd like to avoid that. Really, I'm happy being just friends and I'll work on not doing anything dumb, because our friendship is more important to me, and I don't want to lose that?"
Actually, that might work. Take out the confusing bit about an alternate timeline and Nadakhan, and it might make a clean confession. That aside, Nya had known Jay was crushing on her before, right? Before Nadakhan had even entered the picture. That was why their relationship had become tense again, because his crush had been an elephant in the room that no one wanted to address.
Now he knew he should address it. As much as it broke his heart… He didn't want Nya to be with him just because they had ended up going through a severely traumatic experience together. He wanted her to be with him because she wanted to be. No outside pressures or expectations.
And that… That wasn't going to happen. Not in this timeline. Sure, she had claimed that 'it was always going to be him', but that was easy to say when you were in love. He'd like to hear her say that when she wasn't feeling all roses and pink glasses about him.
Come to think of it, would he even want to be with a Nya that hadn't experienced what he had? He couldn't act like a Nya that had never met Nadakhan was the same as a Nya that had, right?
He scratched his head. Best not to overthink it and just… put all the cards on the table. Picking up his courage, he left his room and headed to where Nya was. He knocked on her workshop door. It was where she had been for the past few hours. When he heard no reply, he slowly opened the door and popped his head in.
"Nya, do you have a moment?" Jay asked. Nya was standing at her workbench, pouring over several blueprints. She seemed to be working on multiple projects. At the same time. Something must be eating at her. She spared him a glance.
"Sure," she answered, rolling the plans away. From the little he had seen, it seemed she was trying to add self-defence systems to the ship. He supposed that made sense, why didn't the Bounty have something like that already? She motioned to the only free stool in the room. It was across the room for her. He took it regardless. "What's up?" she asked, leaning against her workbench.
"Nya, promise you won't freak out?" Jay asked. Nya tilted her head to the side.
"Why would I-" she started asking.
"Just promise?" Jay asked. She fell silent and nodded. Jay took a deep breath. "Look, there's something I haven't told you. And…" He scratched the back of his head. This was hard. He was just glad there was a good distance between them. "… I know we said we'd just be friends and we haven't dated since forever ago-"
"Is this about you having feelings for me again?" Nya interrupted.
"Gee, was it that obvious?" Jay asked, smiling sheepishly. Nya was silent. He cleared his throat. "Look, I just… I think I've kind of been a jerk to you for the past few weeks and…"
"And by jerk you mean…?" Nya interrupted.
"Entitled," Jay admitted. Of course, it wasn't entitlement, the freaking future said they would…! Never mind that. He assumed the future was guaranteed and not merely a possibility. And even if the future was true, that didn't change the fact that he'd acted a self-entitled jerk. "And I'm sorry. About that. You're my friend, so… I shouldn't have just assumed we should… be together or that…"
"Everything would fall into line?"
"Yeah," Jay softly answered, looking a little surprised.
"So, what do you want me to do about it?" Nya asked.
"N-nothing! I mean, I just thought you had a right to know why I was being… weird. I'm not telling you this because I want you to, like, reciprocate or anything, I know you just want to be friends. But… you deserve to know why I was being a weird jerk. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
Nya picked up a pencil and started twirling it around her fingers. This wasn't the Jay she had just spent weeks with, fighting Nadakhan in an alternate timeline. This wasn't the Jay she had died with. She didn't know why everything had reset, but she knew for some reason, she was the only one that remembered. Could she be with Jay again, a Jay that hadn't gone through the trauma, wouldn't understand her trauma, a Jay she might never be able to openly talk to about Nadakhan?
Their relationship had fallen apart because she hadn't been able to be honest with Jay. That was her role in its destruction. If she was in another situation where she couldn't be completely honest with him… The relationship would be doomed again. Could she hurt him like that again?
No. She couldn't. She couldn't be with Jay. Not this Jay. As much as it broke her heart.
"It's ok, Jay," Nya said. "Let's just… bury the hatchet and call it a day. We're friends after all."
"Right- I mean what? That's it? You're not gonna, like, lampoon me or yell at me or…?"
"Do you want me to?"
"No! I… I just… I don't know."
It was silent for several moments, neither making eye contact.
"This is awkward, right?" Jay asked.
"A little, yeah," Nya admitted. "I've got… Uh… I'm working on some things, so I'll go back to that."
"Yeah, you're working on self-defence systems, right?"
"Well, updating them, yeah," Nya answered. Nadakhan had been able to get the jump on Jay because they had left him alone. Of course, if the ship had had proper self-defence systems… "Feels like a priority."
"Huh. Can't say I don't agree. Need any help?"
"I…" There was a moment of awkward silence, as Nya tried to think of how to politely turn Jay down, without coming across as hostile or rude.
"You know what, weird, why did I even say that," Jay asked, "I just told you something super weird, so why would I even suggest hanging around after that- you know what, I think I hear the guys calling me, think it's time for training- so- uh- oh boy, I gotta go, see you later…!" Jay quickly rushed out of the room.
Nya stared after him, fondly. It was enough for her to briefly reconsider. What would be the harm in going after him? Then she remembered where her Jay had last been, dying, holding her hand. This was not the same Jay. And maybe she could grow to love this Jay one day, this Jay that had never suffered at the hands of the sky pirates, that had never had to lead a team on his own and had never had to watch his teammates die right in front of his eyes. But right now, with Nadakhan too fresh in her mind, she still had to process what had happened on her own. Now was not the time. The hurt was too real, too raw.
… But that wasn't a hard no. Once she had processed the alternate timeline, then. Maybe. Maybe she could be with him. She sighed and wondered if Jay would wait for her.
Maybe, the optimistic part of her hoped.
A few weeks had past since that conversation. Jay and Nya had eased back into a comfortable friendship, much to Cole's – and the whole team's – relief. With no more strife within the team, they were back to being Ninjago's "greatest heroes" again, on top of things and focused on what mattered. They had done away with their celebrity status and had returned to a slightly more subdued existence, to everyone (but Kai's) collective relief. They were still minor celebrities, as escaping the limelight wasn't completely possible, but their lives had become significantly more peaceful since stepping back.
Now, Nya and Jay lay on the sofa, Nya's legs over Jay's, as they watched a cheesy romcom of Jay's choosing together. It was one of their shared hobbies they had returned to once they had finally, finally buried the hatchet.
A door slammed open. Jay jolted and out of habit turned off the TV, forgetting that everyone knew that Jay liked romcoms and that he – as such – did not need to hide it anymore. Kai, Morro and Cole came in. Kai was covered in glittery pink slime.
"I swear, one of these days, we'll get a call about Garmadon and for once it won't be someone mispronouncing Lloyd's name," Kai complained. "If I get called out for that brat one more time," he seethed, as he stormed down the hall in the direction of the showers.
"What did he do this time?" Nya asked.
"He rigged the arcade machines so that anyone that plays immediately loses, unless they've paid Lloyd in whatever he demands," Cole answered flatly.
"Little freak made those geeks his army," Morro added. "I guess we're lucky he armed them with slime, rather than water," he admitted. He looked at his mp3-player. It was covered in slime, but if he was lucky, he could still salvage it. "I'm gonna go clean this up," he muttered, as he strode down the hall, towards the workshop.
"Lucky is a word for it," Cole agreed. Last time, Lloyd had used water, but Nya had been the one they'd sent and being the master of water, she had dealt with the problem very quickly. "Zane's still at the arcade, fixing the machines."
"Does he need help?" Jay asked.
"Nah. Pixal's helping him," Cole answered. "He said he won't make it back until dinner though. Looks like someone else is on cooking duty tonight," Cole muttered thoughtfully, as he left the room.
"So weird…" Jay mumbled to himself, leaning back into the sofa.
"What is?" Nya asked.
"Oh, uh… Lloyd. That uh, well- They really didn't need to call us to deal with him," Jay explained. "Only reason they probably did is because he's a Garmadon."
"Yeah. I wish people wouldn't be so harsh on him," Nya agreed. Jay flinched. She looked at him suspiciously. "Don't you wish the same?" she asked.
"I don't do wishes anymore," Jay replied, grabbing the tv remote to return to their romcom. "Seems too kiddy. Why would anyone wish, when they could just do instead? Right?"
Nya's eyes narrowed and she scooted up closer to him.
"Nya?" he asked uncertainly.
"I wish…" she started, and he flinched again. Her eyes widened. He remembered. "Jay…"
"You know what, Cole is such a bad cook, I should volunteer for kitchen duty!" Jay announced, quickly jumping off the sofa, but Nya grabbed his wrist.
"I remember too," she told him. He paused. He wasn't looking at her, but he wasn't trying to pull away either.
"Remember what?" he asked.
"Nadakhan."
He slowly turned back to look at her. His face looked stricken.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought it was good that no one but me…"
"I thought the same," she cut him off. She tugged at him lightly and he sat back down on the sofa. They were silent for a moment. "I'm glad I'm not the only one," Nya told him. "Now if we tell the others, we won't seem insane."
"They would have believed us if only one had said something," Jay argued.
"Really?"
"No, you're right. They wouldn't have." She smiled. Because Jay remembered the alternate timeline, they could at least both vouch for it. And if the others didn't believe them, at least they both knew.
"I love you."
She stared at him.
"I love you too."
He rubbed the back of his thumb.
"Now what?"
She looked away, uncertain. Then she leaned in. Jay was a little surprised, but then he hesitantly closed the distance. Sparks flew and a warmth blossomed in their chests. They had both forgotten how pleasant this could be.
They didn't hear the approaching footsteps.
"EUHYG!"
They broke apart and turned to the door. Kai stood there, towel around his neck from the shower, looking horrified, hands covering his eyes.
"Wait, Kai-" Nya started, but Kai had already turned around and was rapidly walking away.
"I didn't see anything!"
"Kai! Wait! I can explain! Kai! Kai, stop running away, get back here! KAI!" Nya shrieked, chasing after him.
"Guys, what's going on?" Cole asked, popping his head out from the kitchen.
"Who screamed?" Morro called out from the workshop, slamming the door open.
While chaos broke out across the Monastery, Jay just sat on the sofa, staring at nothing, grinning like the goofy junkyard boy that he was. There was still a lot that he and Nya had to work on – they might want to consider visiting a therapist (couple's therapist?) and they were for sure going to take things slower this time – but for now, everything was right in the world.
That timeline had happened, and he didn't have to carry that burden alone. And finally, after so many years, he could with certainty say that he and Nya could finally share a space without any awkwardness at all. It was finally completely natural.
Lloyd was sitting in a class at Darkley's. Murderous Mathematics. Not his best subject, but at least he was able to scrape passes when he prepared for the exams. There was currently a five-minute break between lessons, and he was bored, doodling in his notebook. He could hear Gene in the back talking enthusiastically about picking up chrono-energy on an unprecedented scale, like something strange had happened in the space-time continuum. It seemed to be a big deal to the students of Darkley's, because even Brad was in on the conversation, despite his hatred for Gene.
Lloyd ignored the chatter. He had no interest in getting involved. Lately, he had not been sleeping well. He'd been having strange dreams and could only vaguely recall what they were about. Something about the sky and pirates and wishes. Desperate screams. Death. A blade slicing through his stomach. He rubbed his eyes.
He had no idea what had brought it on, but he sure hoped it would stop soon. He had enough on his plate in waking life, without dreams disturbing his sleep.
It was probably Brad's fault. They must have watched a movie that really bothered Lloyd or something. It was usually Brad's fault.
Whoops. When was the last time I updated? Never mind. It's finally completed! Thanks for hanging and reading my AU/fix-it-fic of Season 6. Yes. I attempted to fix anything that I found poorly executed in the season. Not sure if I succeeded. I'm sure you'll let me know.
Sorry it took a while to update. It's because I had to figure out a lot of things in terms of writing (and also waning interest). This chapter includes a lot of firsts for me, including killing off characters during the story, instead of "offscreen" or in the back story. It also ended up being an extremely long chapter, haha.
Anyway, fun fact! Nadakhan was supposed to be victorious at the end, boasting about his success, when Jay's wish undoes everything. Instead, he gets injured and finally killed off (well, dying) by Nya. That was unplanned, but I'm happy with it. Nya deserves to get to kill Nadakhan at least once, you know, #self-care and all that.