Jay was tired as hell, his insomnia and his depression weighing heavily on him as he approached the training room. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, trying to wipe away the fatigue from his bleary eyes.

His light footsteps echoed through the creaking halls of the Bounty while he suppressed his many yawns. Jay stops at the entrance of the deck, pooking out to see it barren and devoid of people. Huh, that's strange, usually Sensei Wu or Misako are already up.

Jay ignores the pang of curiosity in his chest in favour of getting his blood pumping. He bends his knees, getting ready to run a few laps to wake himself up and get ready for the weight training he was about to start.

Light footsteps ran towards his position and he froze, waiting for the person to catch up. Zane popped his head out from the doorframe. "Jay, we have a mission, everyone needs to report to debriefing." His robotic voice informed. The blue ninja immediately took off, "thanks" he said to Zane, falling into a light jog alongside the nindroid.

"We need everyone at their best today-" Jay heard Misako motivate from the outside, he grapples onto the door and leans out with ease to be funny. "Wow, wait for us!" He exclaimed with a light -fake- grin.

Misako rolled her eyes fondly, a pang of guilt resounded in his chest for interrupting her. He didn't get long to regret it before he was bonked in the head by Sensei Wu's staff. "Hey!" Jay cried out in protest making the others snort or give a chuckle. "Focus ninja, we must be attentive to the information we have."

Zane went up to the screen, Nya hot on his heels. Jay stayed back, preferring to lounge around Lloyd and Kai while Cole stood beside Misako. "Authorities have been tracking down a thief, they have seemingly been hitting random places until they put it down on a map." Misako explained, nodding over to Nya so she takes over.

"Well, they started by pinning them down." The water ninja started, throwing four darts at a map that was pinned on the wall. It reminded Jay of that time with the Serpentine when she did something similar. "When they lined them up they formed a star, only there was a point missing."

Zane took over while Nya grabbed a cup of water to hydrate her mouth again while the ice elemental spoke. "The first place that was hit was a convenience store which didn't alarm police at first." He tapped the dart on the far right. "Then it was a privately owned cafe." Zane went over to the one that was southwest and tapped it. "Then came the bank." He dragged his finger up to the one at the north. "And lastly, the most heavily populated power plant." He gestured to the one southeast.

"When it was drawn out they realised the pattern that it created." Nya jumped back in, grabbing a piece of red yarn and tying it to the first location and went from place to place. "Which means the last location would be..." She paused her threading and plucked a dart from the desk, sticking it into its rightful location before tying the last of the thread onto it.

Both ninjas stepped back to reveal the map, letting the others see it in it's full glory. Cole went towards it, his eyes trailing from location to location. "So what does this mean? We're handling this guy?" Lloyd asked, crossing his arms and scratching at his chin which had developed just a hint of blonde stubble.

"Police have handed this case over to us since it has been reported to be a large group. Though most of the time it starts as just one solo person." Misako informed with a warning tone. "This means you must not lower your guard." Sensei Wu said, twirling his staff between nimble fingers before thrusting it towards Kai. "You must be prepared at all times." The fire ninja's reflexes made him block with his arm and lower it down. "Expect the unexpected." Sensei Wu swung at Cole who jumped back to dodge by pure instinct.

"So, when do we have to go?" Jay questioned, seeing Lloyd bend back to avoid the bamboo stick with just a sliver of space to spare.

Sensei's wise gaze fell on him, the old man spun his staff and struck down which made Jay slide to the side to avoid. "Tonight."

____________________

Sneaking into the museum was an easy feat, the window that they had used to infiltrate back when Garmadon had the Mega-Weapon still had an opening which was an advantage. Jay was in the back of the line of ninjas - which he surprisingly didn't mind a lot, he was the liability.

"It's been a while since we've had one of these." Lloyd mumbled next to him, his gaze flickered over to the blonde's face and he could feel that everyone had their attention on the green ninja.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, raising his eyebrow. Lloyd turned his back to Jay, meaning he was probably looking at the fire ninja. "This, an actual mission that doesn't involve the press or anything that's publicized." Lloyd explains in a low voice.

Zane nods and Jay is compelled to agree. Ninjas were things of the night, a secret society that blends into the darkness and strikes with skill, precision, speed and extreme silence. Since they were so public, it was hard to achieve complete privacy when they were involved in anything.

Jay felt himself space out. The good thing about not getting many missions is the fact that he gets to get a break, they all do. Though in his case that means to just be antisocial and isolate himself as much as he can. He unconsciously shifts on the museum ledge while the others whispered amongst themselves. His gaze was tapered to the dancing moonlight that pooled at the floor of the museum. It was merely just something to focus on, not anything he was really observing. Something scratched at his gut, his stomach sinking into the empty abyss that was his lost soul.

He had a bad feeling about all of this.

"Jay." A hushed whisper pulled him out of his dreadful thoughts. His eyes snapped to Lloyd who looked at him with a determined -but worried- gaze. He could feel his heart shrivel up with guilt at making him worry but he nodded nonetheless. The green ninja tilted his head, gesturing towards the bottomless pit exhibit where a shadow dashed by the entrance.

They elegantly went down in their own ways, Cole, Kai and Nya travelled via tapestry while Lloyd, Zane and Jay sailed, letting gravity do its thing. The six landed on the balls of their feet, not making any noise as they made a circular formation around the shadowy figure.

The person seemed to finally realise they were surrounded, glancing around wildly before settling on an offensive position. They went for Nya - probably depending on the fact that she was the most inexperienced. The water ninja didn't let it faze her, however she did have to shift back to balance her weight before spin kicking the person right back into the center.

The angle of the moonlight hit the thief and revealed a scarlet hood with a black coat, spandex pants that dissapeared into their combat boots and a green scarf that covered their nose and down, a mask covering their top half. 'Fuck!' He cursed in his head, the lighting didn't allow for Jay to see amy distinguishing features.

"You might want to surrender now." Lloyd warned, his eyes cautious as he held ready to engage. The thief didn't reply. Apparently, this person wouldn't go down without a fight.

They shifted their foot from defense to a jumping position before they leaped above Jay, -who was the shortest besides Nya- managing to cling onto a dark army statue before heaving themselves up. A grunt echoed through the building as the ninja tried to flank him, Kai went from the left with him while the others attempted to get him from the front or the opposite side.

The person front flipped above their grasp, landing a few feet away before taking off into a sprint, them hot on their heels. They passed a few exhibits before they hit a dead end. The thief then started to parkour up which everyone started to follow. "Get them!"

Nya lagged behind for just a millisecond, missing the ability to trip him before he was off and on the loose. They gave chase as the person started to pick up the pace, he took the front with Zane, Lloyd slightly behind, Kai hot on his heels. He didn't have enough time to catch a glimpse of Nya but he could see that Cole was catching up to the fire ninja.

The thief hit another dead end, however they seemingly didn't want to surrender and resorted to breaking a priceless stained glass window to climb out. "Out the window!" Lloyd ordered. Jay and Zane flew through the obstacle, he was gaining on the person. His gaze started to analyse the thief's form until his focus landed on their hand.

The person had a tight grip on something. Jay's eyes narrowed as he started to drift to the side to get a better look. A red glint caught his eye and he got a glimpse of a gem. "Shit." He muttered before breathlessly announcing. "Guys! He's got the serpentine gem!"

"Come on, pick up the pace!" Kai enforced, falling into step with Lloyd. Jay powered forward, his fingers directed towards Zane, lightly gesturing to the other side twice. The ice ninja seemed to understand the silent request and went to flank the thief from the other side.

Jay went to start closing in on the person, Zane following suit, Lloyd and Kai seemed to realise their plan and started running even faster to block the back. Cole on the other hand started to come up on his side while Nya lagged a bit behind the energy and fire ninjas.

A burst of uncharacteristic bravery struck him and he lunged, toppling both of them. The momentum however kept it so they were still approaching the edge of the roof at an alarming rate. They started trading punches and kicks, bruises and cuts flourishing on each other's bodies. Jay grit his teeth after the guy aimed a well placed kick at his crotch but ignored the pain.

He snatched the ruby out of his grasp, finally looking out to see what was going on while he fended off his enemy. The others hadn't been able to help him out because while he was kiddy fighting this guy the others had started to fight a large group of same looking people. "Fucking hell." He mumbled before being thrown back into the one v one fray.

The person now had them flipped again, him now on top. The gem left his grasp, rolling towards Cole. "Cole!" He cried out before receiving another sucker punch in the face, he blocked the next and kneed the guy in the stomach.

"What?" The earth ninja replied, fending off five lowly skilled masked fiends. "The gem Cole, the gem!" He shouted, the buff ninja finally noticed the close crystal and used the two closest guys as bowling balls for the other three.

Jay didn't get to see Cole go towards the Serpent crystal and focused on the hands enclosing on his throat. "Bastard." He lowly wheezed as his fingers went up to try to pry him off to no avail. The thief hauled him up and dangled him off of the ledge, above the Ninjago river.

His gaze fell to Lloyd's retreating figure, a red jewel in his grasp that contrasted to his green suit. "Go back!" A masked perpetrator cried out, escaping with everyone else in their clan except for the soloist.

Jay flailed in his grasp, kicking and fighting back until he had no more energy to. Lloyd started coming back and Nya spotted his limp figure. "Jay!" She shouted, directing everyone's attention to them. The pressure lightened considerably and he gasped, taking in as much air as possible.

"Give me the gem or the blue ninja gets the plunge." The voice was masculine, hoarse and Jay would've smirked at the knowledge that he had punched his throat earlier if it werent for his position. "Don't do it guys-" he protested before the tightening grip forced him to focus on breathing.

His eyes locked with Nya's, knowing that the glint in his expression would tell her what he was planning. She shook her head profusely, no, she was silently emoting.

"Now, now, let's not be too hasty, just let our friend go." Zane tried to mediate until the person shook Jay, making him dizzy. When his world stopped spinning in circles he focused at looking at his brothers' expressions.

Cole's battle hardened eyes and tense jaw. Jay wished they hadn't let Nya drive a wedge between their relationship. It was only after they battled in a deadly match that they rekindled the spark but even then their flame of friendship had never been the same.

Next was Kai's terse but secretly worried expression. Jay and Kai had always been ones to exchange quips and snarky remarks, he tried to not take them personally but his declining mental health had never allowed him to do so. Although, they had been growing a bit closer as of late and he wished he would survive this experience to see it blossom into a beautiful brotherhood.

However, he had to pass to the next in line, Zane. They always had a good dynamic, humor with some dash of cluelessness. Some days it would be Zane who needed to be taught what a joke meant or some days he needed Zane to show him the ropes for some technological advancements. He loved spending time with him. He could see the icy light blue eyes reflecting equations and weighing possibility after possibility.

Nya, she was a special case. He couldn't help the slight bit of bitterness in his chest at the sight of her. Jay knows that he's moved on but he couldn't help but wonder if what they had could ever become anything more. No more use praying for that candle to light anymore, she chose her man and if it wasn't him then he would just have to deal with it. A light happiness came between the resentment, at least they had good memories.

Last but not least, Lloyd. The boy who had grown too fast and never had the chance to grow. Forced into adulthood by the force of fate to fight his own father. His eyes were the most innocent, burning bright green with determination that no pther could ever hope to achieve. However he could also see the hardships, the trauma he had endured for so long coming to reap at him with a vengeance. He remembers a time when he wanted more with the young man, and he still does but he would never violate their dynamic. He would never violate the trust between them both just because he's a hopeless romantic.

'Well, now it'll never happen.' He thought bitterly. He flashed a reasurring and for once real grin before focusing back onto the man who held his life in his grasp. He glared and reached up, gripping his fingers with his own to try and seemingly pry them off. On the contrary, he was just adjusting his grip.

The figure seemed to take their long, drawn out silence as denial and went to throw him off of the roof. "Alright." He spoke. As the other's grip started to slip, his only tightened.

Jay started to plummet, gravity doing its rightful job, "If I'm going down." he threw a hand out, gripping the thief with a vice like grip. The other tried to push him off Jay drew him closer, "You're coming with me." Both of them were now in the air and falling rapidly into the river.

Sadness that he was going to die alongside an enemy instead of going out his way bubbled up but was rapidly pushed away with a sense of acceptance. He lets go of his enemy, knowing that neither of them had any way of escape. He felt time go in slow motion.

It was funny, at the start of his journey to be a ninja he was against the serpentine completely. Now, he's dying for one of their most prized possessions, he doesn't really mind. Jay always knew he was going to die, of course, everyone does, death is inevitable but he has to admit; this isn't the way he thought he was going to go out.

When he was younger and more naive he never thought he'd make it past childhood since being pummeled was his pastime. Then, after that, it was a toxic relationship that he escaped.

After that, all of the adventures he went on, he thought he was going to die when he helped destroying the Great Devourer. He thought he was going to die when he helped in defeating the Overlord twice. He thought he was going to die when he was trapped in a tournament that was rigged from the start. He thought he was going to die when he was battling fake anacondrai snakes. He thought he was going to die when the whole Morro and the beast that was the spirit realm happened. He thought he was going to die when he went to fucking space. However, he didn't think he was going to die because of a terrorist thief.

It was an inglorious death, suiting.

Jay shifted his body and was immediately flipped around by the air resistance, isntead of facing his watery prison he now looked at the sky. He wanted his last sight to be the stars. They twinkled, white contrasting brightly against the black backdrop.

His mind constructed a fake Big Dipper out of the stars he could see and let his expression relax, he was at peace. The thief next to him grappled at his clothes roughly but he ignored it, his gaze trailing over to the roof, his stitched together family looking down at him in his final moments. He winked at them and returned his eyes back to the stars, he reached out a hand, as if he could gently grasp one in his palm.

His time was up.

____________________

"No!" The entire group cried out, only able to watch as both people tumbled off of the edge. Kai was the first to move, throwing a hand out to try and catch Jay only to miss by a sliver. "Jay!" He yelled, the others came forward, only able to look in horror as Jay winked at them.

His eyes turned glassy as he turned back to looking at the sky before he crashed into the water and dissapeared underneath the waves.

_____

He ignored the cold rush that came over him when he splashed against the water, sinking down into the current before it picked him upHe ignored the cold rush that came over him when he splashed against the water, sinking down into the river before the current picked him up.

The thief was torn off of him by the raging waters, separated by the crashing waves. He held his breath, his eyes peacefully closed. He knocked into obstacles, probably rocks and the like, each clash taking some of his breath away.

He felt like was floating on air, until his oxygen ran out. His lungs started to burn and he resisted opening his eyes, his body instinctually started flailing. His mind forced him to take a breath, inhaling water, he tried to cough but instead only gained more water in his system.

Jay started to think of all of the good times with his makeshift family, knowing that the good times with his parents are things that he would not sully with his current state.

_________

"The green ninja suit, awesome!" Jay exclaimed, looking at the fire ninja as he sheepishly looked at them whilst wearing the green ninja outfit, unbeknownst to all of them at the time that Lloyd was the one who was going to be wearing it soon.

________

Kai gloated at the fact that he had discovered that Nya was the samurai, and by their rules that meant he was the green ninja. Jay winked at Nya then opened his mouth.

"Why would we say that?" Jay asked blankly

"Yeah I'm drawing a blank" Cole said seriously, wearing the same blank expression as Jay.

"Yup, that conversation is not on my database" Zane added.
________

"He's worse than Sensei Wu" Jay whispered to Kai as they all ridiculously danced in front of Cole's father, Lou "practicing" for the big show to get the second fang blade.

_______

"Who wins between ninja and pirate!? Samurai!" Jay yelled happily, relieved that Nya had come to save the day, as he was stuck under the mast along with the other ninja.

_________________

Relief coursed through his veins as he tended to Lloyd. They hadn't gotten the realm crystal but at least they had Lloyd back and that's all that matters.

"You're burning up." Jay informed, grabbing an ice pack from the fridge and placing it on Lloyd's forehead.

"That doesn't matter, we need to get to Morro." The green ninja insisted, attempting to get up. Jay gently pushed him back down. After destroying the mountain with his powers, he needed rest.

He looked up, seeing that the rest of the guys had gone to plan. "We're going to take at least a few hours to get there, take a quick nap and then we'll plan." He stubbornly calculated. "You need to be at your best, besides, it would be best for you to get used to being back in control of your body, Morro probably didn't take care of it well."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if anything happens I am getting up." He points out.

"Alright." He sighed fondly, feelings that he tried to repress bubbling up to the surface befor being forced down. Lloyd gives him a small smile and Jay can't resist smiling back.

_______

Jay's feeling of his body started fading, his fingertips going numb before spreading over his limp form. 'I love you guys.' He thought before he was lost between the waves.

_______

Kai stared down at the river, his gaze heavy with loss. Regret coarsed through his veins, while he had mended some things with Jay he had never really apologised for all the things he had done wrong. He wants to go back in time, make even more happy memories or maybe even prevent all of this altogether. He would give anything to switch places with Jay, he guessed those things would be left unsaid.

Tears threatened to spill but he held them back, he could already see everyone breaking apart. 'Its just like when we were kids.' He glanced at Nya. 'I'll grieve when I'm alone.'

Cole stared blankly, following the water as it calmed, claiming another two lives in its rage. He stopped when he saw the full moon reflecting against the river, his body frozen and heavy like lead. 'Jay would love the view.' The walls around his heart cracked painfully but didn't fully shatter. He presumed it would break when they got to the Bounty and he would shatter into a thousand pieces when reality settled in.

Zane scanned the calm water, the thermo scan proving nothing to pinpoint where Jay is. He felt a heavy emotion in his chest, almost making his body feel like it was dead weight. 'Is this how everyone felt when he died?' The nindroid questioned in his head. 'Nindroid is a name Jay came up with when we discovered my true origins.' His light blue eyes darkened considerably, turning almost grey.

Nya's body shook with sobs, they could have found another way, they could have found another way. She may have been the one to break it off with Jay but she still loved him like a friend, she tried bringing him up but with the pain in her heart and the thoughts running in her head she couldn't focus.

Lloyd's sight was cloudy but unwavering, his broken eyes staring at the exact spot he last saw Jay in. The loss crippled his already weak heart leaving disaster at its wake. 'How much?' He asked himself. 'How much do I have to lose, how much more can I lose?'

His childhood, his father and now the man he liked?

He knelt down, his legs feeling like jelly. A tear rolled down his cheek, falling off of his face and sailing down, soaring through the wind before becoming one with the waves. Jay's watery tomb. His mind trailed off into memory lane, wanting to distract him for even a moment.

_________

Lloyd hung from a lamppost in Jamanaki Village as he glared angrily at the ninja, the group flicked their hoods up, revealing their faces. One of them gave the others some candy, taking one of them for himself they looked up to look at their masterpiece.

"Next time try paying for your candy" Cole teased the soon to be green ninja.

"Crime doesn't pay moochachov, you can take that to the bank" Jay said, winking while he ate his sweet treat. "Mmm cotton candy!"

_________

"Uh, hate to tell you this, but objects in the mirror are closer than they appear!!!" Jay yelled, scared for his life to Nya who was controlling the steering wheel while the gigantic snake followed behind.

He held tightly onto the desk, following Nya's orders to a T, not interested in becoming snake food.

_________

"I'll do my part you just make sure it stays in one spot" The Lord of darkness told the ninja, winking. Running away the opposite way.

"One spot? ONE SPOT?! How are we supposed to make him stay in one spot?!" Jay screeched, throwing his arms up in the air.

"If you forget we're ninja." Kai smirked

_______

A roar sounded, and as a selfless act Jay pushed Lloyd away from the fog. He was being quickly transformed from the colorful, blue ninja we all know, and love to a darker version, gray spreading from his chest to down his clothes, turning them gray, and black while his hands, turned gray aswell. It was only a matter of time before he was completely turned.

"Get out of the way!" Jay yelled at the three, Kai grabbed Lloyd by one of his arms, slinging it around his neck while Zane did the same on the other side. They rushed forward, as to not have contact with the gray and purple fog, leaving Jay to complete his transformation as his blue eyes turned a deep purple.

He was under the Overlord's control.

_________

"We can't fight him, it's Lloyd!" Jay screamed in worry for his friend. Lloyd felt fondness blossom in his chest at his words, being co-conscious enough to hear his words.

_________

"Why? Just- why him?" Lloyd asked aloud, his voice cracking with loss. Emotions, loud and overwhelming hit him hard. Salty tears cascaded from his eyes and ending in the river. It hurt, it hurt a lot.

All of a sudden, white, hot anger made itself present. His body started shaking, unknowingly making the river beneath them stir and waves clash against one another. He felt a presence and gently curled a hand towards it, holding it close to his chest.

The ninja stared in awe as Lloyd controlled the water, a stream floating above the water and forming a bubble around something, around someone. Gingerly, the water separated from the body slowly and shot back into the river like a wild animal.

Jay's body starts to fall out of the sky and Lloyd's eyes snap open, looking up and realizing what he's just done. He froze at seeing the blue ninja's form plummet.

Cole rushes forward, catching Jay who's limp corpse felt like dead weight in his arms. He places him on the ground with shaky hands. Kai slides to the ground next to him and Lloyd snaps out of it and follows closely behind. "Zane, CPR instructions, now." The fire ninja orders.

"Call 911."

"Not an option."

"Lay the person on their back and open their airway."

Lloyd sets to adjusting Jay's cold form, making sure to make it easy for them to work well.

"Next."

"Check for breathing."

"Negative."

"Perform 30 chest compressions."

Kai starts firmly pressing down on Jay's chest. Cole starts counting the numbers out loud for him to hear while Lloyd stands at ready.

"Nya, start trying to remove the water from his lungs." Lloyd commands and she shakily nods, trying to get her head together.

"30."

"Two rescue breaths."

Lloyd gently but quickly grasps Jay's face and breathes into his mouth twice before setting him back down.

"Repeat until an ambulance or automated external defibrillator arrives."

Kai starts the compressions again. "Do we have one of those?" He asks, grunting when he feels one of Jay's ribs crack under the pressure, Cole's counting in the background.

"I can makeshift one with my power source but I will need help."

"Cole, go help him, Nya how's that water."

"Starting, I've gotten a bit out."

"Stop, I need to do the rescue breaths."

Lloyd repeats, grabbing Jay's face and breathing into his mouth firmly twice.

"Compressions."

"I'll help you with the water Nya."

"Appreciated Lloyd."

"How are we doing with the thingy majob."

"Almost done, just need to let it charge up."

"Stop, rescue breaths."

"One, two."

"AED ready to go."

Kai stops pumping Jay's chest while Lloyd and Nya continue to work on expelling all of the water. Cole swiftly hands him the makeshift pads they made using some spare wires that Zane had on him and some fabric that they salvaged from Cole's gi.

"How do I use this?" Kai asked, not questioning why it was hooked up to Zane.

"Its already powered on, apply the pads after exposing chest and wiping off any moisture."

Cole ripped Jay's gi open, he'll get a new one later. Kai wiped off all of the water off of him with his own dry clothes, some water suddenly spurted out of Jay's mouth onto Cole and Kai's chests but they pain no mind to it.

"Sorry."
"Sorry."

They stuck the sticky fabric pads onto Jay's bare and scarred chest.

"Done."

"Clear!"

Jay's body spasmed for a second before calming back down. They waited for a few seconds.

"Clear!"

"Get the rest of the water out."

"Clear!"

"We're trying!"

"Clear!"

"Just this last bit of water."

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Dial it up!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"A bit more."

"Too much could permanently-"

"Clear!"

"What choice do we have?"

"Clear!"

"Upped."

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Stop."

"No, clear!"

"Kai."

"I'm not giving up on him like I gave up my parents!"

"Kai, stop." Cole tried to calm him down, his hands shaky, Kai silenced before he raised one finger. "One last try." Cole nodded grimly and closed his eyes.

"Bump it up, clear!"

A gasp echoed through the roof, coughing following close behind. Light traces of water came put of Jay's lips as he expelled it. Lloyd cradled the shaking ninja's head as he shook from the cold and exhaustion that seeped into his very bones.

A beat of silence between them all as Jay went unconscious, taking shaky breaths as he rested. And quiet whoops of celebration were heard, Nya helped Zane put the wires back where they came from and disconnected the makeshift pads from him before closing his hatch. Kai hugged Zane and Nya and Cole pat Lloyd on the back. "Job well done."

"We're not out of the woods yet, he probably has hypothermia." Lloyd hypothesized, gently combing his hands through Jay's ginger hair.

"Let's go home boys! And girl."