Chapter Text
The sun shines bright in Ignacia. The splintered wood scrapes along his hands as Kai pushes half a beam away from the wreckage. Its weight drags him to the side, but with a push, Kai easily resteadies himself.
A faint cloud of dust clears, and waiting on the ground beneath is his blanket. Or what's left of it, anyway. Half of it has been burnt off, and dark soot is stuck to the rest of its torn-up state.
Right. He had almost forgotten that the skulkin had raided their house before destroying it. Everything must be scattered in nonsense places, like where the kitchen used to be.
With a grimace, Kai reaches down and drapes the blanket over his arm, swiping away the light debris clinging to it. Black smears on the waist of his shirt as he walks it to the junk pile.
Mention the salvaged weapons and horseshoes. All their food is gone (obvs), and so is the note their parents left behind. Seeing it all burnt down like this really puts into perspective just how little they had. Kai was able to find their money. Thankfully, the fire ran under gold’s melting point, so their coins are salvageable. Unfortunately, all their paper money was incinerated. But lucky for them, they never really invested in paper money; the Smiths live under the rule that gold will always hold more value, no matter the era.
Something crackles, twining until it breaks with a harsh snap! Kai whips his head around, watching a tall black beam crash into the earth with a wince.
“You okay?” he asks cautiously.
“Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine,” Nya calls back, brushing her hands down the seams of her pants. She leans down to pick up whatever is on the ground, and Kai barely catches her muttering a spiteful, “Flimsy…”
Kai navigates through the rubble and toward Nya. “The sun’s getting pretty low. We can pick this up tomorrow.”
Nya only grunts in response, picking charred feathers off the floor. A circlet and thin strings lay snapped between them. One spins between her fingers; its once soft, wispy barbs now line stiff and jagged.
Light fades behind the tall length of the chimney, casting a long shadow over the ruins. The dark stone stands practically untouched amidst the shop’s disarray, and the forge sits cold beneath it.
“Lan-Lan will have our necks if we're not home by sundown.” Nya stills, her ears fading a red hue. Kai plasters on a smirk. “Her house, her rules.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll wrap up soon, just give me a minute.” She lifts her head to meet his eyes. “And don't call her that!”
“You know she misses it,” Kai teases. “How come I never got a nickname?”
Nya looks him dead in the eye and deadpans, “Kai-Kai.”
Kai scrunches his nose. “We’ll workshop it.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I prefer ‘ambitious.’” He settles himself onto his old mattress. The old foam and cotton have been burnt away, revealing patches of steel coils beneath. It’s uncomfortable, but Kai doesn’t bother adjusting or moving the pillows of ash from its surface.
“Well, what do you wanna do?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” she admits. “I guess…I mean, we weren’t going to stay here forever.”
Kai looks up at her.
Nya wouldn’t. She was made for more than this. From the day she turned six, she had a plan. His sister, the genius she was, had decided that she was going to college one day—that fancy one in the city. She would learn how to make robots and sell them to all the rich people in the world.
And she was going to travel all around the world. After she had come home from school one day with a miniature copy of the world map. From Ninjago to Metalonia, Nya was going to see it all.
But Kai would have, he thinks. The shop was where he belonged. His entire life has been dedicated to one thing. Without her, all that’s left is for him to stay alive. To work in that shop until his bones ache with age and his eyes go tired with a life well-applied.
The shop is gone, though. So really, Kai doesn’t know. It was difficult enough to maintain while standing, but now it had been reduced to a stiff pile of rock and wood. Even if Kai had the talent for it, the demanding cost alone would make it impossible to rebuild.
And they can’t overstay their welcome. Miss Lan is a kind old woman, in her own strange way, having watched over Nya from time to time when they were younger. And even now, years later, she has extended her home to them. But she can’t maintain a house of three.
They need a solution. A place of their own.
But the shop is gone.
He can feel Nya’s eyes on him, waiting.
Kai stares down at the cupped hands in his lap. “I’ll figure something out,” he promises. There is a weight to it, as there must always be with a promise so big. But time constraints make things really hard, and so does money, and so does being a child in the eyes of the law-
“Kai,” she says softly. He frowns at her tone. “You’re so stubborn.” The mattress dips and creaks beside him. Nya’s cheek presses up against his arm as she continues, “They’re nice people. I think they like you.”
“Oh yeah? How do you figure?”
“Call it intuition.” She shrugs.
“That’s dumb.”
Nya hums, no snarky retort like she would normally snap back. Instead, she sinks in deeper, slumping against his side. “A little help would go a long way.”
Kai bites his lip. “Wouldn’t you miss it?”
“Of course, I will.” She says shakily, clutching at the hem of her loose shirt. “But every memory of this house is one I have with you. And I still have you.” She breathes. “I still…”
Kai reaches a hand over to rest on her shoulder. She’s still so small. He remembers a time when this was normal. A time when timely meals were a luxury, and his sister was left to suffer in her hunger. When she was thin and frail and sick day in and day out.
And when he had finally pulled them out of that, he had promised himself one thing above all others. Never again would she go without a meal. Not if he had any say in it.
He can’t change what was done to her in the Underworld; whatever had happened, she won’t even talk about. But he can help her recover from it. He can help build up her strength—he knows how to do that. And maybe he can do it alone, if he really tries. He can swindle or steal from whoever he needs to.
But you don’t have to.
“If you can ask a dragon, Kai,” she huffs into his arm, the slight press of a smile soft on his arm, “I think you can manage one old man.”
…
Jay had liked Kai.
He was a little hard to understand at first, but he thinks he gets him now. For the most part. And it sucks because, not only does Kai not like him—or any of them, for that matter—but after nearly four weeks of radio silence, Jay is forced to accept that he isn’t coming back.
And right when Jay was getting used to having a new member. It was kind of nice having someone else be the new kid for once. But it seems he is destined to always be the one in last.
Zane was very confident Kai would not return. Something about the probability of that happening being ridiculously low and nonsensical.
Cole was of a similar mindset. He gave up hope about two weeks in, more disappointed than anything. Apparently, Sensei Wu wasn’t the only one who saw potential in him.
In all fairness, Kai did not want to be a ninja; he had made that astoundingly clear from the start. But Jay had held onto hope that he’d change his mind. Despite Kai’s opinions about their profession and lack of conceptual grasp of his own skill for it, he makes for a pretty decent ninja.
Jay wouldn’t go so far as to say the team feels empty without him, but something is noticeably absent. It’s weird because they were fine before he showed up! At first, Jay had even prayed for the mission to be over so the touchy jerk would leave. He had tried so hard to like him, to be friendly and get him to warm up to them. But the so-called ‘master of fire’ was cold as ice.
However, as they traveled, Jay had started to admire his dedication. He struggled throughout every step of the way. But he endured. He pushed forward and fought for his sister. It was like something out of a comic book.
And maybe it wasn’t just Kai. This whole mission felt so different from anything they had ever faced before. In the past, Sensei Wu had pit them against monsters. And it was scary, sure, but it wasn’t anything like the skulkin.
Then they reached the Underworld, and suddenly it was real.
Not because of Samukai or dragons or even Lord Garmadon. But because of a young girl curled up in her brother's arms. She was scared and so, so angry and hurt, but she was finally safe. And suddenly, it was all worth it.
For a moment, Jay stopped being afraid. He stopped paying mind to the worry and phantom thoughts in his head. In that moment, he felt relief. Proud, even.
Now, it’s like Kai had taken all of that with him. And he’s not coming back.
Which is why Jay panics at the dark figure in the corner of his room.
He had only dozed off for a second! What is this? Sleep paralysis? Jay’s hand is quick to grab the pillow beneath his head and fire it with all his might. If only he were a better shot.
The pillow lands with a sad thump on the floor three feet from the figure, whose top half shifts from side to side. Jay feels its eyes on him. He shivers.
Get out, get out, get out-!
He buries his head under his blanket. It can’t get him in here; everyone knows that. It's a universal rule. ’How to Escape Nightmares and Demonic Shapes 101.’
Now, admittedly, he's supposed to stay under until he falls asleep. But Jay was taught to remain ever-vigilant, so that part is a little difficult these days. He finds himself peeking out.
Oh. It’s gone.
He does a quick scan of the room just to be sure. With a satisfied sigh, he closes his eyes and nods.
Works every time.
“Not this time,” it whispers.
A sickening shiver jolts Jay upright, and he slaps both hands out, one painfully hitting the wall and the other making contact with something warm and slightly squishy. The sound is immediately followed by a surprised yelp.
“What the-” Jay backs into the window beside his bed. The curtains shift to the side, letting the moonlight flood the room. He gapes at the face waiting at the edge of his bed. “Kai?”
“Yeah! It's not so great, is it?” Kai dabs the space beneath his eye.
“Are you serious? You broke in just to jumpscare me?”
“Hey, I didn't break in,” Kai corrects, offended. “I live here now.”
“You…” Jay pauses. “Uh, really?”
“Mhm.”
“Oh.”
Kai cups a hand to his neck. “You, um…okay with that?” The question is slow, and unlike what Jay has grown to expect from him. It lacks the skepticism and judgment in his usual drawl. There's no sarcasm there. In fact, Kai almost looks nervous, which is a weird sight in and of itself.
“Well, as long as you don't do that again,” Jay sighs, a smile curling its way onto his face. He knew it! “So, you're just, like, a resident now, or…?”
“Way to beat around the bush.” Ah, there it is. “Your freaky cult worship is still weird as hell, but my sister wants to protect herself. And…” Kai takes a short breath, as if to prepare himself. “It does have its uses. Being a ‘ninja’ or whatever.”
He looks like he expects Jay to gloat. Honestly, Jay probably would have, had he not seen his face. So, he decides to spare Kai the embarrassment of admitting he was dead wrong and smiles. “That's great!”
“Huh.” Kai stands to his feet, tapping his toe on the ground. After a moment, he turns around, heading for the door. Jay almost laughs, but then he hears Kai mumble, “Sorry I ever called you annoying.”
“You thought I was annoying?” Jay starts, offended.
Kai stills. “Uh. No. Course not.”
Yeah, he doesn’t believe that for a second. But before Jay can list all the reasons that he is great company, Kai makes a quick exit, closing the door silently behind him.
Jay huffs, plopping back onto his bed, “Jerk.”
…
“He tackled you?” Cole laughs, dropping his fork.
Zane nods awkwardly. “Yes. It was an…unexpected ambush.”
“Lethal,” Jay shivers. It still amazes him how sneaky Kai is. He’s never struck Jay as the strong, silent type, what with his outbursts and unabashed opinions. Cole, he might understand, but the fact that he snuck up on Zane is impressive, if not downright scary.
Jay blinks.
Wait a sec…
His eyes dart to Cole. “How come nothing happened to you?”
In the corner of his eye, Kai shrugs. “He never personally offended me.”
“You're so petty,” Nya sighs, stabbing into an egg yolk.
“Hey, you got your revenge. It's only fair.”
Nya snorts.
“It was an important exercise,” Sensei Wu explains in his teacher-voice, “to see how you would fare in a real situation.” His eyes glide around the table, landing on Jay first. “Fail.” Then Zane. “Fail.” And finally, Cole. “Fail.”
“Hey, what did I do?” Cole clamors.
“Nothing. Your laxity allowed for your teammates to be compromised. Had the intruder continued, there would not be one of you left alive.”
“I landed a hit on him,” Jay tries. “Two, if you count the pillow!”
“A pillow?” Cole stares at him, unimpressed.
“You could smother someone with that,” Nya contributes.
“Yes, thank you,” Jay huffs.
“Maybe if it hadn't landed ten feet away from me,” Kai snorts.
“I do not believe that teacup matches any of your sets, Sensei,” Zane comments, tilting his head.
Jay’s mouth hangs open, ready to correct Kai—it was not ten feet—but he hears Zane’s cutting words from across the table. Sure enough, where there would normally be a light blue cup nestled in his hands, there sits a stout grey cup, soft in its hue. It doesn’t look like the fancy ones he brings out on occasion. The only thing special about it seems to be the interior, which, above the tea pooled inside, is a blue close enough to his everyday set.
That’s unusual, he notes.
While Jay has known their teacher the shortest of everyone, excluding Kai and Nya, he has become somewhat familiar with Sensei Wu’s habits. He is a very sentimental man who does not often seek out change. And he is very particular, especially when it comes to his collection, which Jay personally doesn’t understand; they’re just cups. And though Jay supposes he did lose one in training before their departure for the Golden Weapons, if he were trying to replace it, why not go for something more in line with the set he already has?
Interesting.
“You have sharp eyes, Zane,” Sensei Wu praises, resting his eyes, “it is important to take note of even the slightest details. One thing out of place can result in a catastrophic chain of events. Catching these inconsistencies before that chain reacts is a vital skill most do not possess.”
Jay nods alongside the others, making a mental note to start memorizing his teasets. If Sensei Wu is going to put so much importance on this, Jay might even memorize the rest of the cutlery while he’s at it. He knows Cole’s designated mug, and Zane’s, and his own. Oh, they should get Kai and Nya one, now that they’ll be sharing cabinets and stuff.
He turns his attention to the siblings, but is quick to take note of Kai’s unusually still form. He keeps his amber eyes firmly on his plate, a slight tint to his cheeks. Nya is sat beside him with a small smile, glancing at her brother in delight.
Something strange wraps around Jay’s ribcage, constricting his lungs in an almost giddy way as he fights down a smile of his own.
Very interesting.
…
“You feed it!”
Jay sighs, peering around the threshold to send Cole a look. “You’re not serious, dude.” All that is visible are the tips of Cole’s shoes poking out from behind the far wall where he hides. “They’re not gonna do anything! You heard Sensei. They like Sensei, so they’re fine with us now.”
Cole’s words come out strained when he says, “Sensei is the son of god, Jay. No one in their right mind would-”
A steady rumbling rises from the other side of the stables' wall. Jay snorts, “No need to cause a scene. Think there are still some leftovers in the fridge.”
“Oh, shut it, Jay!”
“It’s not gonna eat you.”
“You don’t know that.”
Jay’s lips trill, a soft breath touching the soft fur of his newest companion. His hands find the sides of its large head, arms spanning wide and fingernails scratching at the blue wisps of her jaw. Something low purrs in the core of her throat. “They’re really sweet.”
“Says you.”
“I do,” Jay grins, “And I think you would agree if you’d just get over yourself. If they wanted to kill you, don’t you think they’d have done it by now?”
Cole grumbles, shifting his foot to the side.
Sulking like a child.
Jay tuts. “Fine,” he relents. His hands leave the warmth of his friend’s face, much to her disappointment. He leans down and picks up the empty bucket he’d used to feed her. No rancid pink sludge this time, thank the first master. “I wouldn’t mind having two dragons.”
Her pink eyes narrow into slits, and she growls dangerously. Jay gives her an apologetic look, shrugging a shoulder.
For a long moment, neither speaks, the only sounds being the open winds behind and the soft rattling of dry food filling the bucket. He cracks open a few cans of tuna and vegetables—peas, carrots, corn. Sensei had preferred they serve their greens fresh, but canned food is cheaper, and there is more of it in markets. Dragon upkeep is sure to be ridiculously expensive, and they can’t go buying out all the fresh produce in Ninjago. And testing confirms that she doesn’t even know the difference.
“How are you so okay with this?” Cole finally asks. A quiet shifting slides down the outermost wall. “I thought out of anyone, you’d be freaking out.”
Jay shrugs, but upon realizing that Cole can’t see him, he settles for a casual hum. “I guess I kinda am? I don’t know. You’re right, I should be.” A huff escapes his lips. “Sometimes I even surprise myself,” he smirks.
“You were more scared of the spiders.”
A shiver cascades down his spine, jerking his shoulders. “Spiders are gross, dude. Dragons are awesome.”
“I hate dragons,” Cole murmurs. And where he expects said creatures to bite and bark at his audacity, they are still and quiet. The mountain rocks gently under their long breaths.
Jay stares into the bucket for a moment, the scent of meat, nuts, and peas potent at the rim. Cupping the solid metal in his hands, he rounds the threshold and travels up the winding stairs etched into the mountain. The hungry dragon waits inside the first stall, its green eyes hidden away in its curled form.
With little more than a glance, Jay walks past it, leaning his head around the side of the stall to find Cole sitting up against the outer wall, staring out at nothing. “I’m supposed to be better than this.”
“Says who?” Jay sets down the bucket, letting himself slip down the smooth surface beside Cole, his hands pressed patiently to the ground. “It’s good to have rules for yourself, but you can’t help the things you're scared of. I should know. I’m scared of a lot of things.”
Cole sags. “I just don’t get why we have to keep them here.”
“They’re Sensei’s friends.”
Cole groans.
“We kept Zane.”
Cole's eye peers at him between the loose threads of his bangs. “Be nice.”
“And Kai,” Jay relents.
“Jay-”
“And you.” He pokes at Cole’s forehead and grins. “And me.”
“What is this?” Cole sighs, “Of course, we ‘kept’ you.”
He feels it slipping, just a bit, and shakes it away, resting his chin in his palm. “My point,” he says in a scolding voice, “is that you should respect your elders.”
“Not exactly my take-away from all that.”
“Then explain it to me.”
Cole’s eyes watch him carefully. Jay doesn’t move, maintaining a lazy smile he knows all too well at this point. “I don’t think I can do it yet.”
Jay nods. “You wanna watch?”
He grimaces. “Not really. But sure.”
Satisfied, Jay offers a playful nudge to his side and hops up, dragging the bucket with him.
Baby steps, He thinks, we’ll get there.
…
“So you've never even heard of this?” Jay tests, pressing the power button. The red light switches to green in a small dot in the corner. “How about an Xbox? GameCube?” Kai shakes his head. Jay pauses at the absurdity. “...a DVD player?” No. “Have you played anything?”
“Not really,” he admits, turning the controller in his hands. He thumbs at the joystick with mild interest. “One of Nya’s old school friends had a DS. He’d bring it over sometimes, and she would watch him play it on our patio.”
“Not her room?” Jay wonders curiously.
Kai gives him a look. “You think I’d leave my sister alone with a boy?”
Jay thinks for a moment, a slight frown dipping above his eyes. “I don’t think you’d leave her alone with anyone, actually.”
A pleased smirk carves its way onto Kai’s face. “Anyway. She always wanted one when we were little. She’d put it on every birthday list.” His smile softens at the memory. Regret creeps its way into the lines of his face, and Jay wants to fan it away. “But between bills and groceries, we weren’t left with much money to spare. She was always so disappointed.”
A real frown sets itself on Jay’s face. “She must have understood. I’m your parents did all they could. I know how hard it can be to keep a home.”
Kai blinks up at him for a long moment, then sags against the edge of the couch. “Oh, right.” He scratches the back of his neck. The controller goes limp in his hand. “We don’t have any,” he says. “Parents, I mean. They left when we were little. It’s been just the two of us.”
“Wh-” Jay does a double-take. “Seriously? For how long?”
Kai shrugs, repeating, “We were little. Nya was maybe three or four? I can’t really remember.”
All Jay can do is stare at him. What can he even say to that? Surely not. Surely no parent could be that cruel. To toss their kids aside, and for what, regret? Because it was too hard to take care of them? He wants to ask why. What would possess someone to leave their children alone in this world?
But Kai can’t know that. Not when he looks so lost, himself.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Kai dismisses, waving his free hand, “because one year, I was able to scrape up enough to buy it used from one of her classmates’ brothers. The screen was cracked, and I couldn’t get those dumb stickers off, for the life of me.” The smile returns to his face, easy and fond. “But she loved it.”
Jay clears his throat, keeping his tone light. “And you never played it?”
Kai shakes his head. “Didn’t have the time for it. Most of my days were spent working.”
“Right.” Jay picks up the remote from the TV stand and takes a seat beside Kai on the ground, resting a hand in his open lap. His thumb presses the bright red power button pointed at the screen. “Well, it’s good to know she likes video games, at least. She must have played the heck out of that thing.”
Kai laughs. “Actually, it turned out not to be her thing afterall. I’d see her pick it up a few times a week, but only two months after I bought it, it was never seen again.”
Jay’s hand hangs limp in the air as he gapes at Kai. The screen flicks on, displaying white, cubed towers slowly turning around the dark screen. Kai jumps, alarmed at the eerie sound emanating from the TV. Jay manages a quiet snicker. “Yeah, it’s pretty creepy. I don’t know why they thought that was a good start-up choice.”
“It’s not that bad,” Kai defends, fixing his posture.
Jay rolls his eyes. “Tch. Tell me that after you’ve played it in the middle of the night,” he challenges, crossing his arms.
“And why would you do that?”
“I’m an addict,” Jay confesses simply, “you’ll understand someday.” Kai looks like he’s about to say something, so Jay naturally interrupts; It’s game time. “Now, press the blue ‘x.’”
Kai looks down at the controller, his eyes searching for the button in question. His eyes trail across the multicolored symbols on the right-hand side and find it, glancing between the controller and the TV.
It’s fascinating. Jay remembers the first time he got to experience the joys of video games; he was ten years old, and it was on his birthday. His parents got him the new GameCube. He had spent hours on that thing. Whatever time he had after school was spent frantically clicking buttons with his eyes glued to his old TV.
He’s never thought about it until now—why his parents never tried to pry him away from it. Eventually, Jay would move on to indulge in other hobbies, but at the time, he was completely lost in his own world.
Looking at Kai now, Jay thinks he might get it. He stares wide-eyed at the screen as colors flash in his irises. It’s like he’s in a trance. There’s an almost child-like wonder in them as he half-listens to Jay explain the general plot of ‘Fist to Face.’
For a moment, Jay’s mind wanders back to what Kai had told him. He pictures a little boy and his little sister in a house much too big for children alone. Three or four, he had said. And Kai can’t be much older than Nya. Jay imagines a little kid deprived of the most basic right to be cared for.
No meals waiting for him inside after a long day of playing in the sun.
Nothing to calm him after a nightmare or when he's hurt.
Left to soothe a crying baby on his own, with no one to tell him what to do or how to make it stop.
First master, did he even have friends?
Suddenly, a lot of things about Kai make sense.
Jay draws his eyes away from Kai and to the screen. He shoves down the pity crawling its way into his throat. Kai would hate it. Jay knows he would, but it’s just not fair. Beneath his obnoxiously thick wall of hostility and doubt is a good guy who just wanted his sister safe.
It’s just been us.
Nya is all he had. But not anymore. He’s going to make sure of that. Jay will be the best friend Kai could ever ask for. He’ll show him everything the digital world has to offer: video games, movies, documentaries.
But it starts with this.
“Jay?”
He turns back with a flash of surprise. Kai is smiling at him.
And it’s not ‘Blue’ or any of the creative names Kai had labeled him throughout their time spent together.
It’s ‘Jay.’
And he doesn’t even notice.
Warmth in his chest, Jay decides he won’t say anything of it. If he does, Kai might not say it again. And Jay wants to hear him say it again. So he’ll ignore the soft feeling and instead grin, smug in every line, and think, ‘Take that, Cole!”
Yet another bet won.