Chapter 6: Everything's Going to be Fine
Thump thump thump. "Jay! Cole! Are you guys going to sleep all day? It's noon!" Pause. "Are you alright?"
Jay groaned, rolling over and rubbing the crust out of his eyes. Noon? They slept for over twelve hours? Of course, the others didn't know they'd had a two hour break of wakefulness in the middle of the night filled with barfing and trying to get comfortable enough to fall back asleep.
"Yeah, we're good!" Jay called back to Kai on the other side of the door. "Be out in a minute!"
Although the sigh of relief wasn't audible, Jay knew it was there. "'Kay." Then, footsteps walking away.
Jay groaned again with a considerable amount of whining this time. Why was it so hot? He gratefully threw off the blanket that was trying to suffocate him.
Jay, Cole began, that critical tone already bleeding into his voice. Why am I seeing that you don't want to tell the others about last night?
"Because, they might think we're contagious!" Jay replied, eyes still half-shut with sleep.
Well, what if we are?
"It's just some twenty four hour bug." Jay shrugged. "No point in getting the others all worked up. They're already worried enough."
Last night you said it was food poisoning.
"Food poisoning, flu, whatever," he turned toward the door. "I never claimed to be an expert either."
Despite his bout of nocturnal vomiting, Jay was absolutely starving at lunch and ate at least a Cole sized portion if not more. Master Wu suggested some light training, and all the ninja enthusiastically agreed, excited to be doing what they loved all together again. Even Jay, although a headache had decided to accompany him and Cole.
After stretching and practicing basic moves to get back in the swing of things after such a long break, they split up to spar. Because of their uneven number, Kai and Zane teamed up against Nya to test her abilities in an unfair match. Lloyd was paired with Jay (and Cole) and explicitly told that this was a lesson in restraint, since this was the first time the two would be fighting in the same body.
"Yeah, but don't think you can go easy on us!" Cole taunted as he slid to take out Lloyd's legs from under him. He would have missed anyway, his trajectory thrown off by Jay's lighter, more nimble body, but Lloyd still flipped over him to land behind him.
Lloyd scoffed, going for a roundhouse kick. Cole stayed in place to block and counter, but Jay, who always tended toward dodging, took over at the last second and rolled out of the way. "You guys couldn't beat me in two bodies, let alone one."
"Well, if Jay would get with the program, we'd be winning right about now," Cole hissed, running and leaping, twisting in midair so both feet were aimed at Lloyd's chest. The Green Ninja smirked and caught his feet though, throwing Cole away from him. Cole used the momentum to land on his feet before Jay stole control once again.
"Excuse me, but it's not your face that's going to be bashed in, now is it?" Jay argued, somersaulting under Lloyd's punch. "Beauty like mine is hard to come by."
And, Cole was just about to take over again, catch Lloyd's second punch heading toward them and flip him over his shoulder, all while laughing "suuure, Jay, just keep telling yourself that," when- something- happened.
Jay's entire body locked up, and his vision blurred. They both knew Lloyd's punch was coming, but neither Cole nor Jay could control their body. They swayed-
Jay's head snapped back when Lloyd's fist connected with his jaw.
"Jay!" The Green Ninja gasped, causing the others to pause in their sparring and drawing the attention of Master Wu. "I'm sorry! I thought you saw it coming! I thought you would dodge it…,"
"Epic fail in restraint training, Lloyd," Kai smirked.
"Shut up," Lloyd grumbled, sparing a glare at Kai before turning wide, guilty eyes back to the blue ninja who was massaging his jaw.
"It wasn't his fault," Cole said, grimacing at the realization of how tender his jawbone was. Yep, definitely a bruise. "We're a little slow today, I guess."
"We're fine," Jay insisted, though his stomach lurched with nausea and his vision tilted dizzily. "Let's keep going."
"I think that's quite enough for you two," Master Wu stepped in, stroking his beard and studying them with that unnerving gaze of his. "Lloyd, please take Jay inside and get him some ice. As for the rest of you, Zane, Nya, gang up on Kai now."
The red ninja's eyes widened, and he only got out, "Wait, wha-" before being tackled.
Lloyd led Jay inside and sat him on the couch amidst much protesting.
"I'm not an invalid, Lloyd." Even as he said so, though, Jay sank deeper into the couch cushions, relishing in finally being off his feet so the world would stop spinning and his head would stop its incessant pounding. When he blinked, he was on his side with his head on the armrest as a pillow, and Lloyd was returning- when had he left?- with a bag of ice.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lloyd said, handing over the ice and cocking his head at him.
And, Jay almost let Cole tell their leader about how sick they had been feeling and were still feeling- but when he pressed the ice to his face, he was reminded about a very different time when he'd been hit in the face, when Kai still hated him, and Zane was forcing himself to forgive him, and Cole was gone, dead, murdered-
"We're fine." Jay said, closing his eyes and trying to shut out Cole's complaining in the back of his mind. "Just tired."
"Well… okay…," Lloyd replied, sounding as if he didn't believe them. "Just hold on a little bit longer. We'll find a way to fix you two."
"Alright," Jay nodded, though now he was starting to wish Lloyd would just stop talking so the headache would stop stabbing into his brain.
But, he was never more grateful to the Green Ninja than when he felt the throw blanket they always left over the back of the couch settle on top of him.
"You know… you know you can talk to me, right? About anything."
"Yeah, Lloyd," Jay said- or at least, he thought he said so. He was already drifting off.
Jay-
Cole tried to speak to him, but they fell into a deep sleep before he could hear the end of the sentence.
"No."
"Jay, I refuse to share a body with you if you do not shower."
"But, if I do, you'll have to leave."
"It will be okay, Jay," Nya reassured. It was evening, and all the ninja were gathered in Cole's bedroom yet again, waiting to see what would happen when the ghost tried stepping out of Jay's body for the first time since possessing him. "We'll all be right here."
"He'll forget everything again," Jay pointed out, crossing his arms to his chest as if that would lock Cole inside. "He'll be lost. And, what if he has to go back into the 'long sleep?' It might be months-"
"If it seems like he'll disappear, I'll let him possess me," Kai offered, dead-serious as he looked Jay in the eye.
Jay bit his bottom lip.
I'll be okay, Jay. Who knows? I might even keep all my memories.
We both know that's highly unlikely. And, don't act like you're not just as scared as I am.
Fine. I'm terrified. But, I'm not going to keep you like a slave in your own body. You should be able to do normal things like take a shower.
Jay hesitated a moment longer then whispered, "Okay."
As Cole divided his essence from Jay's body, the 'curtain' between their souls was pulled aside to reveal scorching tendrils of light and clarity. Jay sensed Cole's tether to the word disintegrate, felt a heavy pain in his chest, and he wondered, briefly, if this was what death felt like.
A moment later, the pain stopped, the fire inside was gone, and Jay opened his eyes, searching-
Cole wasn't there. All he could see were the worried eyes of his four mortal teammates frantically scouring the bedroom for any sign of the ghost.
No.
No.
Then, Jay was hyperventilating and Nya was trying desperately to calm him down but he couldn't stop because now Cole was gone, gone, gone, and it was all his fault, all his fault, all-
A chilly breeze blew through the room.
"I didn't mean to upset him," a quiet voice said.
As one, they turned to see Cole- the actual, visible ghostly body of Cole- curled up under the window with his legs drawn to his chest, eyes squeezed shut and hands pressed to his ears to shut out Jay's panicking.
Jay scrubbed at his face to try and hide his tears of relief.
Zane stepped forward slowly. "You didn't upset him," he reassured. "Do you know who you are?"
Cole blinked up at them shamefully. "I'm… I'm…," he shook his head in frustration. "I wasn't forgotten. You're my family. I wasn't forgotten, I wasn't forgotten, so why can't I remember my own name?! I-I-"
"It's quite alright, Cole," Zane said soothingly as he kneeled on the floor in front of the ghost.
"Cole?" He blinked. "That's me, isn't it?"
"Yes," the nindroid nodded. "Would you like to play a game?"
Cole twisted his fingers together anxiously. "I don't know any."
"I'll teach you." Scrambling for something to play with before Cole's attention drifted to more upsetting thoughts, he searched under the bed. Past two moldy pizza boxes (he'd have to have a conversation with Cole about those later) he found an old, dusty Rubik's Cube. Perfect.
"Here," he presented the toy to the ghost who accepted it cautiously. "You twist the rows and columns of squares until each face of the cube is one uniform color."
The black ninja gave the cube an experimental twist. "Cole…," he muttered to himself before falling silent, completely engrossed in the game.
"There." Zane said triumphantly, turning back to his family members, who were nothing short of amazed. "Focusing his energies on something simple and physical should help him remain here for a time."
Jay hesitated.
"We'll keep him busy and calm until you get back, Jay," Lloyd reemphasized, nudging the blue ninja toward the door.
With one last look at Cole, Jay nodded and left the room.
Zane sat beside the silent ghost while the others occupied themselves around the room. As time went on, he observed that Cole was more interested in the movement of the cube and the combination of bright colors than actually solving it, but if it kept him entertained…
"Am I bad?"
Zane started at the question. Cole did not tear his gaze away from the toy, but his expression was worried and self-conscious. Zane nodded subtly at the others who had heard to let him know that he could handle it.
"I'm afraid I do not understand your question."
"I know I possessed… the blue one," Cole explained quietly, unable to remember Jay's name, although he appeared to retain some recent memories. "That's bad." He met Zane's gaze with his own open, perpetually fearful eyes. "Does it make me bad that I want to do it again?"
"Of course not," Zane replied, shaking his head. "Take me for example. I am a nindroid. Is it bad that I sometimes wish to be human? That I could age and breathe and bleed like everyone else? No. It makes me more human to yearn for that which I do not have. It does not make you bad to long for your memories, a family, and a body of your own. I believe it makes you more human. The desire to live is, in fact, a trait of being alive."
Cole's mouth parted slightly in wonder, then he turned back to the Rubik's Cube, ruminating on Zane's nugget of wisdom.
Eventually, he looked back up, "But, you are not taking from anybody else. I am. That's bad."
"True. However, you are not taking it by force," Zane explained. "Jay has offered his body to you until we can find a way to return your memories. That is what families do for each other."
Suddenly, a pensive expression enveloped Cole's face. "But-"
The door slammed open, and Jay appeared wearing clean pajamas. His skin was slightly flushed and his hair tousled like he had spent several minutes scrubbing himself dry so there would not be a single drop of water on him.
"Okay, I'm ready," he announced.
"Jay," Kai stood up. "I've been thinking, and it's not fair that you should have to be the only one to share your body. I could take a turn."
But, Jay was already shaking his head. "No, I don't mind. I'm already used to it."
The red ninja seemed unsure. "Jay-"
"Really, Kai. We're good."
Kai blinked. "Well, okay. If you change your mind…,"
The blue ninja nodded to show his appreciation, then held out his hand to Cole, who stood beside him along with Zane. "Ready?"
The ghost glanced at the nindroid, who nodded encouragingly.
"Yeah…," Cole said quietly, accepting the hand and stepping into Jay's body. The blue ninja gasped, shutting his eyes and clutching his head. Lloyd placed a steadying arm on his shoulder until he straightened.
"It'll take some time for him to readjust," Jay explained, his voice tight with exertion. "In the meantime, I think I'll just… go to sleep…," He visibly drooped. Lloyd and Kai slung his arms over their shoulders and led him to the bed, where he immediately nested in the blankets and fell asleep.
Nya glanced at the others. "Guys, we really need to focus on finding a better solution. This is harder on them than they realize."
"I agree. No matter what Jay says, possession is no walk in the park," Lloyd input. "There has to be a way for Cole to exist independently."
"If only to play devil's advocate, we may need to consider the possibility that there… isn't a way to fix Cole," Zane suggested hesitantly with an apologetic shrug. "Coming into contact with water may have irreversibly damaged him."
"We have to do whatever it takes to keep him here," Kai said steadfastly, glancing worriedly at his sleeping brothers.
"But, at what cost?" Nya argued. "Jay's happiness and autonomy?"
"Jay seems perfectly happy," Kai pointed out. "He won't even let Cole possess anybody else."
"Now he does," Lloyd countered. "But, what about a month from now? What about a year from now? Would you like to never be alone?"
"I agree with Kai in that we can not do anything that might put Cole's consciousness at risk," Zane input. Then, wincing, he added, "All of us may just have to adjust to this new dynamic."
Lloyd was already shaking his head. "I refuse to believe that there's nothing we can do for Cole." He sighed. "But, in any case, we can't do anything tonight. Let's all just get some sleep and discuss this more tomorrow."
Nya frowned as she followed the guys out of the room. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Why is it always tomorrow and never today?
That night found Jay in the same position as before, rejecting everything he'd eaten that day.
Jay, Cole's voice was faint, but the tone was pleading. Jay, please. Something's wrong with us.
Jay couldn't speak, only shook his head back and forth weakly as he retched again.
This isn't food poisoning. It's not the flu or some bug. We have to tell them. We need help.
Jay scoffed with a barely audible laugh. "You worry too much, Cole. It'l pass." He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his roiling stomach. "Everything will be fine. Everything's going to be fine…"