Chapter Text
Tired was probably understating it. Jay’s feet were practically sticking themselves in the muddy ground as he tried to move forward, uneven, shallow steps embarrassingly betraying just how worn out he was- but honestly, the real exhaustion was in his mind. Contrary to the sticky snail pace of his legs, memories- or at least he thought they were- were snapping across his consciousness, one after the other, crashing and clumping together as they clogged any rational thought. The soft texture of tanned skin, a mole creased by a dimple, laughter harmonizing with the sun. These ripples in Jay’s memory came and went, hinting at a life prior to The Merge, before slipping through his fingers like water dripping out of a leaky bucket. His mind was everywhere, and it was really taking a toll. He felt lost, he WAS lost, physically and mentally, and he felt lonely- But he couldn’t trust his own mind, not anymore. All Jay could hope for nowadays was a safe place to sleep and jobs to take.
Speaking of which, a light was starting to emerge through the fog obscuring this mountain passage- Jay could only hope it was a place where he could rest for the night. Maybe they would even have medical supplies so he could take this damned vengestone out of his leg. Turns out the highest-paying bounties were like that for a reason- who would’ve thought. Totally worth it, he’d probably get the privilege to spend that hard-earned money on painkillers.
—
Tired wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Kai was starting to think he’d signed up for an extreme marathon and forgot; for a while now, his life had been walking, napping, trying not to get crushed underfoot by some gargantuan monster. At least, after all that, it seemed like he was almost out of the woods. A few days ago, his routine started including less and less of the giants trying to kill him- although, he also napped less, so he wasn’t quite sure yet if it was an improvement. The scenery was looking more like a typical Ninjagaron mountain range than a nightmarish desert full of deadly threats- but Kai was still on guard. He’d broken down countless times since the merge, but now that color was returning to his surroundings, he knew he had to stay strong, for his family. The ninja would be counting on him to come home and he couldn’t let any emotions sneak in, even relief; it could hurt even more if he allowed himself to believe he was safe now. Kai knew he was only home when he could step foot on the cobbles of the monastery court, smell Wu’s evening tea brewing, hear the creak of aged floorboards giving way to the footsteps of the people he loved the most in the whole fifteen realms.
As Kai’s uneven gait echoed off the salt-and-pepper stones of the passage, he started to make out a light shimmering through the hazy atmosphere. His feet slipped on the stones, haphazardly propelling him forward before his mind even realized it. Desperate footfalls grew even more off-kilter, Kai almost slipping as he ran toward the (presumed) hospitality, choking out breaths, expending his last bit of energy. As he grew closer, the light split into many, becoming a garland of lanterns strung across the shingled overhang of a traditional Ninjagaron-style roof. It felt familiar, comforting. It’d been far too long since Kai felt at home.
Taking a breath and slowing down, Kai steadied himself on the railings of the stairs to the inn, moving past the orange lanterns toward the backlit shoji, sliding it open and letting his dust-caked skin overflow with the warmth that’d he’d been missing for so long.
—
Jay slumped against the wall, having chosen a seat on the far end of the bar. He waited for the bartender to come over, eventually ordering a fairly strong drink. As the world’s edges started to soften, he relaxed even more against the wall, letting out a heavy breath. He’d definitely have to get his leg checked out tomorrow, but for now, he could allow his pain to dull and his mind to slip into a shallow sleep.
When Jay opened his eyes, a bright light flooded his vision. The sun filtered through his curly hair- strangely, the bangs he had before he grew them out- and overwhelmed his vision, requiring a few groggy blinks before he could properly see. Jay was under a cocoon of woolen blankets, peeking out from a hammock in a square wooden-floored room with potted plants, colorful posters, and dappled natural light. Yawning, he fumbled with the blankets and stepped out of the hammock, bare feet instinctively taking him across the room to an armoire. Jay tugged on sweatpants over his boxers and grabbed the first top he saw, a light blue t-shirt with faded text reading Prime Empire. A little weird that whoever’s closet he was raiding just happened to have a shirt of his favorite game, a game that only awesome and cultured people would know about; but Jay was far too out of it to think twice about the shirt or even why he was here. As he was slipping the shirt over his head, Jay felt a sharp tugging at his shoulders. Whirling around, he frantically scanned the room- and the houseplants stared back at him. Spitefully muttering to the plants, ‘’M not crazy, ‘kay?”, Jay shook the feeling off and drowsily stepped out of the room.
He heard laughter ringing out through a door along the hall he was in, warm and inviting and strangely familiar. Maybe deceptively familiar. Without even meaning to, Jay froze. No. No, no, I can’t have this shit happen again. First the Administration, then Ras- There’s no fucking way that I’m letting anything else try to trick me into imagining a fake past again.
His feet moved on their own, slowly stepping back, then attempting to run. The walls seemed to close around him, and it felt like he was stuck in tar- he could barely move his legs. Just as Jay thought he was about to break free from the stickiness and escape, he felt another sharp tug at his shoulders and his eyes flew open.
—
“Jay! Jay, it’s me, wake up!”
Sure, his hair had grown wild and his cheeks had somewhat hollowed out, but Kai would know his Jay anywhere. There was just no hiding his unique energy, his sprawling freckles- even in Jay’s closed eyes, Kai swore he could see their sparkle from behind his eyelids. Until he couldn’t.
As soon as Jay’s eyes flashed open, he lashed out, kicking haphazardly at Kai while his other (Scarred? Seriously, what happened to him?) hand reached behind his back, attempting to draw out a golden shuriken. It slipped from his grasp, Jay teetering off-balance from his kick. Kai reached forward, quickly placing his hands on Jay’s shoulders again to steady him as unfocused, dull blue eyes shot a death stare at Kai. Jay looked just as tired as him.
“What happened, man? Are you drunk? It’s me, Kai!”
Jay shoved his hands off, scoffing.
“Geez, everyone wants a piece of me. Look, whoever you think I am- you’re wrong. Go back to whatever evil boss sent you before I have to deal with you myself.”
“Jay, even if I believed you’d seriously attack me, you’re in no shape. You’re drunk, and- wait, what the fuck happened to your leg? Are those bloody fucking BANDAGES?”
Jay sighed, drawing his leg back and swatting Kai away like a fly. “Dude, my name is Rouge, ‘kay? And seriously, stop pretending like you know me. It’s creeping me out.”
Kai tried to even out his breathing, shoving down his protective instinct. “Okay, okay. Clearly you’re not in the right state of mind. Drunk, amnesic- whatever. I’m just gonna sit with you until we work this out.”
He reached for the bar stool next to Jay, but a much stronger kick than before knocked it clean out of his grasp. Kai looked back up at Jay, whose dark eyes looked a whole lot clearer. The few patrons that were in other parts of the inn glanced up from their drinks, staring at the two.
“I’m being sooo serious. If you want me to open up, here you go- It’s been a long fucking day, so either get out of my space, or I’ll kick your ass.”
There weren’t any sparks yet- Kai took that as a good sign. He took a step toward Jay, hands outstretched in an attempt to calm. It’s like he was addicted to stupid decisions today.
In two seconds flat, Kai was shoved against the wall, Jay’s fist in his shirt and a shuriken pressed approximately to his carotid artery (never say Wu’s anatomy lessons don’t come in handy).
Up close, Jay’s eyes seared into him. Narrowed and shadowed by dark circles, they looked more like the depths of a stormy ocean trench than their usual electrifying blue, an ocean banking on the shore of freckled skin, somehow smooth and subtly glowing despite everything. The alcohol at this inn must be pretty strong, because Kai almost forgot all about the blade at his throat.
“Wow, the merge did wonders for your complexion!”
Kai’s vision went completely black.