{Copied from the first time I posted:

I almost called this one "Hanging By A Thread," courtesy of hydroelectricjaya , but decided not to at the last second bc this one fit better!}

~~~

When the Tying happened, Nya was just laying eyes on the most energetic, brightest-smiling guy to ever grace her sight. Of course, she'd heard of the Tied soulmate legend. Everyone had, at least if they were someone worth knowing. But she'd never known anyone who was actually Tied. Being romantically Tied (or Red-Tied, as it was more commonly known) was as rare as being an Elemental Master, according to Wu.

Being romantically Tied meant that when you met your soulmate, a red string would connect you from then until death. Only the connected pair could see the bright red string connected to each of their hearts. The further a person got from their Tie, the harder it tugged on their hearts. Stay far enough away for long enough and physical pain would start to set in. One Tied couple had died when they were forced apart and died of heartbreak and the physical pain it caused them. It was extremely, incredibly rare nowadays to be Tied romantically.

However, being platonically Tied (or Green-Tied) was more common, with a green string connecting the wrists of those who would become best friends someday. It could connect two, three, or even more people at once when they all met (eventually). Only those who were connected could see the strings, so if you were in a friendship where only one person saw a string... generally it didn't end well. Thankfully, those weren't very common.

Yes, it caused a few friendships to split but it also caused some to form! Most people were content with the green strings they had, even if they never found a red one. Some people counted their strings and boasted about them, as if they were celebrities. It was considered rude, but it continued nonetheless. If a couple got married without being Red-Tied, they usually still found a way to be happy with the person they chose, despite the challenges.

However... some people couldn't bear the thought of never being Red-Tied. Some became bitter and angry at fate for not helping them find a soulmate. They locked themselves away and tried to tear down the ideology of the Strings. They were called the Broken by the rest of Ninjago. Why, you ask? They strung others without strings along with their ideas until they snapped. They "broke" their own strings, so to speak, before they were even formed.

Jay and Nya had both accepted they probably didn't have a Red-Tie to be Tied with. Neither were exposed to other romantic interests for such a long time, they lost hope for meeting the right one. Of course, they each had a few Green-Ties (most everyone did), but they both longed for something they couldn't have.

Until that one fateful day...

The first time Nya felt hope she might've found her Red-Tie. She'd heard legends of how it felt to be Red-Tied to someone, but never thought she'd get to experience it. When Kai introduced her to "the guys" for the first time, she was hit with an "Oh my gosh--this is it." Jay must've felt it too, because the second their eyes locked, a zing of energy ran from her head to her toes.

A surge of energy from her chest pulled her forward towards him and he copied her moves. The others noticed their actions and stepped back to let them have some space, even though Kai had to be yanked back by Cole.

As if in a trance, Nya stepped forward again and held her hands out. Hesitating only a second, Jay took them and met her gaze with nervous, confused eyes. Then, out of thin air, a red string materialized between them and connected her chest to his--right where their hearts were.

Once the connection was made, a red string tattoo appeared around the bottom joint of her right pinkie, where it stretched around the back of her hand and flowed onto Jay's to complete the picture. When they held hands, the strings appeared to be connected.

The same process repeated on her other hand and she watched, mesmerized. Until she remembered whose hands she was holding. She yanked them away and shook her head to clear the fog that was building. This couldn't be right!

"You're... we're... Red-Tied? But- but how? We've only just met!" Nya asked. This was moving so fast, how was she supposed to be Red-Tied to Jay? She literally just met him!

"You're Red-Tied?!" Kai rushed forward and Nya held out her hands. The telltale mark of a Red-Tie was shown circling both hands. Jay was standing off to the side, examining his own hands and muttering to himself.

"I don't understand." He kept mumbling and turning his hands over to the other side. Occasionally, he would glance at Nya with a cross between a starstruck expression and confusion. Nya felt bad for him, in a way. Clearly, neither of them expected to meet their Red-Tie today.

"Hey, congrats dude! I've never met anyone with a Red-Tie!" Cole clapped Jay on his shoulder while Zane stood quietly with a polite smile. Being so quiet, he liked to observe rather than talk unless a question was asked to him specifically.

Instead of participating in the conversation, Zane noted the new Green-Ties that had appeared on each of them since they met a week ago. Each of them was connected to the other in their circle in a sea of green, except Jay and Nya were the only Red-Ties in the group.

It was a very confusing match, yet he was intrigued at the same time. They had very different personalities. Would it even be possible for them to be together peacefully? He resolved to keep a watch over them and glanced down at his own wrists, which had exactly 4 Green-Ties.

Getting a Green-Tie wasn't as much of a dramatic reveal or as rare as a Red, since the Greens usually appeared once you made physical contact and just stretched as long as you could see the person. Once they were gone from sight, the Green-Tie would fade from sight until their return. In its place, a green dot was placed on your wrist when it was retracted.

He was glad to have finally gotten his first Green-Ties. Being amnesiac and an orphan, he woke one day with no Ties, no memories, and no place to stay. It was not a pleasant time for anyone, until he was found by Sensei. He drifted into thought as Cole and Jay continued to chat away.

Over with Kai still, Nya took her attention off them and put it back on Kai, who was still examining her hands as if he could remove the marks by glaring at them. "Alright, that's enough." She gently pulled her hands away and he shook his head slowly.

"This is crazy! You're RED-Tied to one of my teammates!" He said in disbelief. "One of my future brothers!" Nya sighed. Neither of them expected for this to happen but if she was being honest... it was exciting! She and Jay were going to have something incredibly rare and special! Despite her situation, she looked up and smiled.

"Well..." she glanced over at Jay, who was starting to smile more and respond back to Cole and Zane's questions, "maybe it isn't all bad."

~~~

Today marked a year since their Tying. In the past year, they'd gotten more comfortable around each other, starting to hold hands and get more free with talking about their developing (although obvious) feelings.

Plus, today was also the day they'd shared their first kiss! Well, at least Nya had given one to Jay that day. They hadn't kissed on the lips yet. It felt too early to do that yet, even with the Red-Tie Marks.

~~~

Two years later, and they were much closer than before. They now freely cuddled, kissed, and held hands whenever they could. They'd been through ups and downs, inside and out.

Through it all, they relied on their bond to get them through their troubles. It always worked out in the end, even if the road there was bumpy.

~~~

Now where were they? Well, it was immediately after the battle with Garmadon and Harumi's Colossus. Nya was standing guard to protect baby Wu. She had known something was wrong immediately.

Her string, which up until then had been pulled taunt and stained bright red, had suddenly slackened and darkened considerably. The ache she'd gotten accustomed to being present when Jay wasn't suddenly lifted, like it was never there.

"What?" She whispered in disbelief and pushed off the wall she was leaning against inside Mystake's shop. She'd been trying to distract herself from the constant ache in her chest but had been too busy keeping watch over baby Wu and Misako to pay much attention to it.

Except... she'd never felt this... empty before. When Jay was far, her string pulled taunt and she got an ache in her heart. When he was close, her heart was full and warm. Those sensations she was comfortable with, she was used to experiencing them, however unpleasant sometimes. They reminded her every day how lucky she was to have Jay. He gave her wonderful feelings every day of her life!

But out of all of them...she'd never experienced empty before. "Ah!" She jerked back a bit as a sharp zing shot through her heart and reached up to put her non-trident-bearing hand on top of it. She squeezed her eyes shut as the ache subsided, bit by bit, and she slowly loosened the death grip she had on her shirt. When she opened her eyes again, in her hand lay the string.

The dark red string, lying limp in her hand. It started to float every now and then towards one direction, but otherwise laid still in her hand. The full realization of what this could mean, what was happening to Jay, crashed down on her. She started to shake her head, disbelievingly at first, then in denial, and finally in despair as tears gathered and dripped from her closed eyes.

"No..." She gripped the string tighter in her hand and slid down with her back to the wall. "No!" She repeated, more in despair than anything. "Jay... my Blue Jay...you have to be alive." she whispered tearfully and clutched the string to her chest, ignoring the tugging she was causing on her own heart. She tried to choke back her sobs, being mindful of the people milling around the street outside.

The only thing that could cause a string to go slack and dark was death. Everyone knew that. Even so... she'd never realized how intense emptiness could be. The realization washed over her like one of her waves in training.

Jay was dead. Gone. She was alone. Lloyd was who knows where, trying to catch up with the others before they came back to get her, so they could all be dead for all she knew.

Jay was dead. Gone. She was alone.

Alone.

Alone, she broke composure and tears spilled from her full eyes. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her teary face in them, quietly sobbing. She didn't want to give up, but this was so much easier. Her bluejay had flown away.

~~~

During the battle, Jay successfully used the Traveler's Tea to help the team out of a sticky situation. Like Nya, he had been trying to ignore the intense tugging in his chest during the battle, to avoid getting distracted and squashed.

Being the only one Tied out of the guys {except Pixane, but this story isn't about them, so we'll say they aren't for right now}, it was always a little harder for him to concentrate on the battle at hand when Nya was somewhere else.

Too late, he realized his mistake of traveling without Nya. "Wa-" He frantically stretched his hand out towards his string, barely grabbing onto it before a bright flash of light filled his vision.

Tumbling, flying through light, sounds, and it seemed time itself, he finally landed hard on his stomach. Still clutching his string with one hand, he groaned and pushed himself upright with the other.

He shook his head and blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision. "Where are we?" He looked around at the barren wasteland until his eye caught something familiar.

His string. It wasn't bright red anymore. It was dark red, almost black, and totally slack. "No... No, no, no!" He shook his head and clutched his string tighter, pulling it to his chest. He dropped to his knees, the others catching on to his distraught state once he started to breathe much too fast for their liking.

"Jay? What's wrong?" Cole was the first one to kneel down next to him and ask. Sensing Jay was on the verge of a panic attack or hyperventilating, he copied what he'd always seen Nya do and gently rubbed circles on Jay's back. Jay continued to shake his head and mumble to himself, occasionally having a short hiccup in his breath.

"String. My *hiccup* my string. It's da- *hiccup* dark." Jay uncurled his fingers from around the dark string but Cole couldn't see anything.

"What string? I can't see it." Cole asked, genuinely concerned for his best friend's feelings. "Are you sure it snapped?"

"Yes! I can't feel her, Cole." Jay closed his eyes and took a long breath, sitting back up slowly and letting it out. Kai and Zane were standing around him, both looking concerned. "...I'm scared, guys...I lost my Tie to Nya. I can't feel her anymore. Zip. Zilch. Zero." Shakily, the string rose from his flat hands and he felt a spark of hope ignite inside.

It hovered in the air for a few seconds before dropping back into his hands. He sighed and swallowed back more tears. He let the string drop, where it came to rest against his chest, hanging down from where it protruded above his heart. There was no insistent tugging, no ache, no bright red to guide him to his soulmate. It was heartbreakingly still.

Dead. Everyone knew when a string went limp, it was because the soulmate of that person had died...but if that was so, why couldn't the others see it? When a string "snapped", it became visible for everyone to see.

He couldn't even bear to think about if Nya was dead. How? Did she get captured? Why hadn't he stayed with her? He shoved those questions down and allowed only one to float to his mouth instead.

"Where even are we?" He asked once he got back up to his feet and wiped his eyes. His question was answered when dragons flew overhead.

"The Realm of Oni and Dragon," Kai answered with a small grin. Jay gaped at the awesome sight, his grief temporarily forgotten. Temporarily, though. While the others started to talk excitedly, his other questions returned, along with tears.

He turned away from the guys, not wanting them to see him cry. However, the quiet sniffling didn't go unnoticed. The first to respond was Kai, coming over and slowly wrapping an arm around Jay in a side hug.

Jay took that as a green light and instantly turned into Kai's chest, completing the hug as a full-on one and wrapping his arms around Kai's torso. Although unexpected, this was not unwelcome by Kai. Jay was vulnerable, like a little brother, and he'd do anything to make him feel safe.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect her." Jay whispered to Kai and squeezed his eyes shut. "It's my job as her Tie to protect her and I- *hiccup* I couldn't and I understand if you ha- *hiccup* hate me now because I would too and-" Kai suddenly pulled away and put his hands on Jay's shoulders to look directly into Jay's teary blues.

"Hey! Listen up, bluejay." Kai cringed. That was Nya's nickname for him, not his, he remembered. He blinked back tears of his own and continued. "We're not giving up. I won't rest until we find a way out of here to find Nya, and I know you won't either. You know why? Because we're ninja, and ninja..." Kai left the sentence for Jay to finish, which he did with a quiet sigh.

"...never quit." Jay glanced away and fiddled with his fingers. The red lines on them were starting to fade from a bright to a dark red. It was a strange sight, having always known Jay with bright red marks and not the dark ones slowly covering the old ones.

"Listen, I may not know much about this realm, but Kai's right. We'll get you back to Nya before you even have time to miss her. There's no way she's... ya know. She's way too smart and clever to do that." Cole  tried to cheer up Jay. "We've gotta stay strong if we wanna find a way back to them."

Jay hesitantly nodded. "I concur." Zane added, noticing Jay's fragile state. Zane pulled Cole aside and let Kai and Jay comfort each other. "Cole, we must be careful. Their emotional states are very fragile at the moment. They are the closest to Nya, so it stands to reason they would be most affected."

Cole nodded. "True. I've got an idea." He turned back to Jay and Kai. "Hey, let's look around and see what we can find to repair the ship."

Soon, they got little Wu (who had been wandering off somewhere and they had to find him), got to the ship, and started to fix the radio. Everyone except Jay, who was just chilling on the side.

"Uh, Jay? Whatcha doin?" Kai asked while helping Zane balance the tinfoil on top of the radio.

"Playing my new video game console. I built it myself." He answered blankly, playing with a piece of wood. It was much easier to pretend like he didn't just lose Nya and do something familiar than to have to grieve in this strange land. While he was "playing", visions and memories were running through his mind.

The first time he kissed Nya. That was a memory he'd never forget. They'd always been partly forced to have this relationship because of their Tie, but they made it work even without acknowledging they had to be together. Their differences balanced out well and made them a better person.

God, he missed her. He'd give anything to go back to that moment.

There are moments he wished he could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but he had a feeling if he did, the joy would be gone as well.

His heart would ache so much, if he could feel anything. All of his emotions were growing more numb the longer he was apart from her. It'd been about 3 hours now. He would be worried he was numb, if he could feel worried. His mind was totally black except for thoughts and memories about her. The worst part of it was... he couldn't care anything about them.

~~~

Back in Ninjago, it had been about 3 days since the attack. Time passed much faster outside of the First Realm, so an hour there was about a day in Ninjago. In a hidden warehouse in the darkest part of the city, Nya, Lloyd, Dareth, Pixal, and Misako were waiting. They were training Lloyd to be strong again, even without his powers.

Nya had focused all her energy into training Lloyd since the accident. He'd come home after the explosion in tears and found Nya sitting curled up and utterly still on the ground. That night had been the longest night of their lives, sitting together and mourning over the loss of their family.

"Again!" Nya shouted and ran at Lloyd, who avoided her strike--barely. The only thing she let herself feel was determination. Everything else was shut out, she assumed because of the Ties being so weak.

"I can't! I can't." Lloyd got caught by Pixal's chains. "Just let me out of these stupid chains!" Nya gave a sad nod to Pix, who released the chains.

"...Or won't?" Nya asked. "You're not the only one who lost everything." She reminded him and turned away, walking slowly. "I lost my friends. I lost my boyfriend. My brother." She turned back to him, fierce fire burning in her eyes. "They'd want us to fight!"

"What if--? What if... What if my powers don't come back? " Lloyd asked sadly.

" 'We must understand that sadness is an ocean, and while sometimes we drown, other days we are forced to swim.' " Nya quoted from Sensei Wu. "We can't give up! We have to fight on with what we have!"

The exchange continued between them, but Nya's heart wasn't really in it. Lately, she'd been growing more and more distant the longer Jay wasn't with her. The only thing that kept her going was that every few hours, her string would tug just a bit. That was the only bit of hope she had left that Jay was alive at all.

Nobody else believed her. They thought she was imagining it, to cope probably. But she knows what's happening. She would find him if it the last thing she did, that she promised herself.

~~~

As time went by, almost 8 weeks in Ninjago and a few days in the First Realm, things finally took a turn for the better. In the First Realm, Wu finally aged up enough to help the Ninja fight against the Dragon Hunters.

"You did well Master. Or should we say..." Kai said as the the team of Ninja stepped back and bowed to Wu, "Dragon Master."

"No, my friends. Today, it is I who bow to you." Master Wu bowed to them, to which they all grinned excitedly. "Your lessons guided me, and for that, I am grateful."

"Don't mean to rain on the parade, but our job isn't done yet." Cole said with a slight frown. Jay zoned out of the conversation and onto the dragons once they appeared.

"Woah..." For the first time in days (or was it weeks? He couldn't tell), he felt a spark of home. His string started to float again and stayed up for more than a few seconds.

He wasted no time in jumping onto the back of a dragon and holding his string up. "Guys! My string! It's floating again!" A real smile, the first one since they'd gotten there, quickly replaced the frown he had.

The closer they got to the portal, the harder it tugged towards the inside of the portal. At first, it was reassuring to know that he had hope, that Nya was alive and well, but soon the tugging became painful. Even more so than ever before, if he remembered right.

"Argh!" A zap of his lightning shot through him right before they entered the portal and his dragon roared, stopping and refusing to go through. Jay doubled over on its back and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Jay?" Kai called back. He was eager to get through already! If Jay was feeling something again, Nya must be alive!

Jay shook his head. "Fine. Just... shaken. Fine." He gripped the spikes on his dragon's back and nodded shakily, pulling himself upright again. Soon, the dragon started to fly again and with one last wave goodbye, they shot through the portal back home.

~~~

Things weren't going so well back in Ninjago. After almost 2 months of their friends missing, Lloyd and Nya had almost totally given up hope. The only reason Nya was still fighting was for Lloyd. Her string had only pulled once in the past few days, the weakest it had been yet.

Now she, Lloyd, and a few others were being cornered by some of Harumi and Garmadon's goons. She was getting ready to attack when her string suddenly yanked her forward, shocking her with the intensity of the pain that followed. She gasped and fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

"Nya!" Lloyd reached for her to help, only to have a sword shoved in front of him by a goon. Startled, he backed up a step. Finally catching her breath, Nya realized what caused the pain. Her string was taunt! Jay was alive!

"Lloyd! My string! It's pulling me! They're alive! And close!" His eyes lit up and despite the fact they were surrounded, he grinned with her. Nya was smiling! She hadn't smiled since the explosion 2 months ago, so this was a good sign!

Suddenly, a bright blue portal opened above them! Dragons of all different colors flew through at incredible speeds. She gasped at the sight, momentarily distracted from the quickly building stabbing in her chest and stomach.

She followed where her string pointed and saw him. Her Jay on the back of an electric blue dragon, scanning the city and probably looking for her. Another sharp wave of pain shot through her and spread through her whole body in a second.

Bursting through the clouds, Jay wasn't faring much better. His string had been yanked tight, too. "Follow Jay! His string can lead us to them!" Wu shouted and Jay grimaced, then nodded. Somehow the ripples of pain running through him were getting better and worse at once the closer they got to the end of his string.

He dove straight down towards where it pulled most and saw her. His Nya. She was alive! At the realization, his string brightened to the lovely red it had been before and got tighter, if that was even possible.

"Nya!" He shouted, his voice cracking and tears starting to leak from his eyes. A watery laugh escaped his mouth and he tried to push away the increasing pain to focus on her face. He was close enough to see her expression now. So much closer than he'd been in a long time.

"Jay!" Nya shouted with a similar expression to his. Behind her, the goons and Lloyd both looked on in awe. Five majestic dragons and Red-Ties coming back together were things you didn't see every day.

Jay's dragon landed gracefully on the ground about 100 feet away from Nya's group. Gasping for breath through the intense building pressure in his chest, Jay slid off the dragon and onto his hands and knees, all while coughing. He looked up, barely able to tell the others had landed around him.

"Guys! Jay! We gotta get him to-" Cole started but Jay cut him off quietly.

"Nya." He smiled shakily and pushed himself to a wobbly stance. Kai and Cole rushed forward to help him steady himself but he waved them off. He would be fine once he made it back to Nya. He took a slow step forward, wincing, and waited for her to look up to him. When they locked eyes, it seemed the world had stopped.

~~~

~~~ ALTERNATE ENDING STARTS HERE ~~~

{The first ending--this one--is much, much shorter and much, much fluffier. The AE is v long and v angsty. If you want only one of them, that's fine. If you want both, go ahead! I won't judge}

~~~

The pure relief in her eyes was evident, even from this far away. He could sense the pain he felt mirrored in her and suddenly he couldn't bear to be away for one second longer.

Surprising everyone with the speed at which he moved, he rushed forward with the speed of a lightning strike. With every stride closer, he could feel tears building, good ones though, and the waves of pain steadily started to decrease.

A few more strides (but still way too many in his opinion) and he was close enough to see the rivers of tears cascading down her face. This was the moment he'd dreamed of since that awful day when they were separated.

Every step closer to her brought back more emotions he'd been deprived of while in the First Realm. Everything from the past week came crashing into him as he made the final stride into her open arms. They collapsed onto their knees on the ground.

He could feel her shaking in his arms and he squeezed her into the hug as hard as he could, burying his face into her shoulder. All the hurt and numbness melted away with every second he spent with her, little by little. His arms slid down around her waist while hers were around his neck. Brushing her messy locks away from her face, he leaned back and rubbed the tears off her cheeks.

Now he saw all the pain, mental and physical both, that was her red-rimmed eyes. They were still beautiful, no matter what, he thought. Although if he hadn't poured that tea without her, there wouldn't be any reason for her to cry. That thought alone made him want to cry again with more pain than he'd been through the whole week already.

He cupped her face and blinked back more tears, swallowing a lump in his throat. "How... how long has it been? I missed you so, so much." He whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking multiple times from the effort of holding tears back.

Nya gulped thickly. She couldn't believe he was here with her. "2 months." She whispered back and slid her left hand up to rub her thumb over his freckles. She swiped away any remaining tears, of which there were plenty, and caught a glimpse of her finger tattoos. "Red! They're red again!" She laid her hand on top of one of his on her face and pulled them back, intertwining them so the mark was complete.

She grimaced as a shockwave of needle-like pain shot through her again. Weaker than before, but enough to make her flinch. Jay took notice immediately and, keeping one hand on her cheek and the other in her grip, leaned forward into her inviting lips.

Invitation readily given and accepted, Nya was ready. The instant their lips connected, it was like a switch had been thrown and all the misery and pain was draining out of her. Accepting the kiss, she pulled him harder into her, determined on claiming every inch she'd thought she'd lost 2 months ago.

Jay didn't mind at all. In fact, he was trying to memorize every part of her while she explored his mouth. He ran his hands all over, part of him wishing they were alone when he remembered they weren't, so they could continue in private.

"Alright, this is ridic-" Kai burst out. He was ready to be with Nya too! He started forward, only be be grabbed on the back of his gi by Cole, who yanked him back

"Kai! Let them be. Can't you see how much they've been hurting? Like, literally hurting. You'll be fine to wait one more minute. You've waited this long, just like the rest of us. You'll survive." Cole said and rolled his eyes. Kai could be a little over dramatic sometimes (*understatement*) but he really did care about Jay and Nya being together and happy. He released his hold on Kai's gi and Kai crossed his arms with a scowl.

With great reluctance, Nya had to end her exploration and breathe. She gulped down air, her cheeks flushed but a grin on her face. "I thought you were gone." She admitted quietly.

"No, of course not. I thought you were gone!" Jay told her and rested his forehead against hers. "I never would've given up looking for you, you know that."

Slowly, he became aware of the others starting to crowd around them. He put his chin back on her shoulder and wrapped her in another hug, which she gratefully accepted.

"The way happiness works is that it creates the condition for love to flourish. You cannot have one without the other. They are two sides of a coin." Master Wu quoted when he approached them. "Your Red-Tie is the strongest one I've ever seen. It's remarkable how strong it is, even in different realms you still connected."

Jay smiled. "Yeah." He leaned back and held Nya's hands on top of his legs, rubbing little circles on the back of her hands with his thumbs.

"Those who love you would be present through the times when you are happy and when all you have to give is endless tears and sadness. Love is a perfect healer." Wu told them with a sheen of happy tears over his bright eyes. "Even when you were separated, you stayed strong for long enough to reunite. That is the purest form of love there is."

"Even so, I hope we never have to break our strings." Nya smiled gently. "I'd rather keep mine right here with me. Two hearts, one string."

"Huh. I like that! We could make it our slogan! 'Two hearts, one string. Jay and Nya!' " Jay grinned and squeezed her hand again. Nya laughed.

"Well, maybe not that, but you definitely deserve some TLC now that I've got you back. What do you say to that, bluejay?" She winked and a light blush appeared on his cheeks, accompanied by a smile.

"I'd love that, Water Lily. Wherever you go, I'll be right with you every step of the way. Wanna know why? Two hearts, one string."

~~~

~~~ ALTERNATE ENDING/ENDING #2 ~~~

{The much longer, much angstier version. Starts back where the first one split off.}

~~~

Movement from behind Nya caught Jay's eyes before he could even smile in relief. The Sons of Garmadon, who had been awestruck by the dragons, were starting to advance closer to her and Lloyd now that the shock had worn off.

"Look out!" Kai shouted while he leaped off his dragon. He touched down and started to spring towards the pair. Lloyd and Nya seemed to remember now where they were and turned to fight, barely blocking blows in time. Jay and Nya were at a disadvantage right now, so the others helped protect them until they could get closer and perhaps heal enough to help.

Through the needles in her chest, Nya crouched and blocked a hit coming for her head. The dagger hit her metal plating instead of skin, thank goodness, bouncing off with a clatter. She hissed when she had to roll to avoid a sword swipe at her legs. The SoG knew how weak she was getting and was planning to use that against them.

Well, today that wouldn't be happening! She glanced over at Jay, who was fighting where he was trapped on the ground. He was struggling to stand between strikes at him that kept knocking him down. Cole and Zane were doing a great job at protecting him when he got too shaken to defend, but they had attackers of their own to deal with. The only way this would get better was if she and Jay could get closer and at least touch once. She knew it.

So, once she got an opening, she dashed through the maze of swords and other sharp objects towards him. Now he was holding his own, at least, even if he didn't know she was coming. The decreasing distance allowed them to focus less on what they were feeling and more on who they were fighting against.

"Woah!" She nearly ran into a goon who got tossed by a nearby dragon. The bright blue dragon who'd tossed him landed with a roar in front of her, making the enemies around her fall. But while they struggled to get back up and start fighting again, she stood her ground.

"Nya! What are you doing?!" Jay shouted when he was able to glance over his shoulder. "Spark! No!" With a sudden burst of strength, he threw off his attacker and bolted towards his dragon. Spark hadn't known Nya was trying to reach Jay to help. He thought she was another attacker and tried to fend her off.

Chaos continued around them as Nya tried to run towards Jay too. However, a loud roar and a zap of lightning at her feet stopped her in her tracks. She glanced up just in time to see a sizzling blue claw flying at her. Time stopped for a second.

"NYA!" Jay screamed as Nya tumbled back a dozen feet and rolled to a stop, facedown on the rough street. He'd been so close, how could he have not been there in time? The rage of being denied the touch of his Tie clouded his mind. Hot anger bubbled up inside him beside his concern over seeing Nya face down on the pavement, bloody and still.

Spark took no notice of what he'd done to Nya and swung his sparking body around to sizzle another set of enemies approaching. Unintentionally, he'd just given Jay and Nya a few seconds of cover as his tail kept swiping near the buildings around them.

In Spark's shadow and away from prying eyes for a few precious seconds, Jay sprinted the much-too-long distance to his Tie.

Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay!

The mantra played over and over in his head while the stabbing in his chest slowly got less prominent. Finally, finally, he dropped to his knees next to her. He hesitated touching her. What if this was all an illusion?

He knew what he wanted to do--give her the huge-est hug she'd ever had and swoop her around until they were both breathless, then give her the longest kiss ever--but right now he just needed her to stay alive.

The most reassuring thing was, at least his string was still red. Somehow it seemed to pull both much softer and much harder than before. He snapped himself back into the real world when a harsh tug and a loud groan alerted him this might be serious.

His shaking hand slowly reached down and gently turned her over so he could brush her cheek. He sighed in relief as he realized, yes, she was here and he was with her. He grimaced as he realized how bad of a hit she'd taken, but yet, she looked absolutely radiant. He'd only seen her face in the fitful dreams he'd had since they left. She was never this peaceful-looking in them, either.

A shiver ran through her body and she curled up on herself, groaning. She coughed and Jay saw red droplets spray out. His string wavered, flashing between bright red and a slightly darker shade. His eyes widened and before he could think of how to help her, a shadow fell over them.

A roar shook the very earth beneath him and Spark took flight above him. Now the others could see Jay and Nya, from their friends all the way around the circle to their enemies. A moment of silence fell once the roar quieted and an instant of stillness appeared. It was broken by one-

Bang!

Everything moved too fast for anyone to process. One second Jay was searching for Nya's hand with his own, the next a black string was lying flat on his chest.

It seemed the only red to be found tonight was underneath the Red-Ties.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Nya stirred and opened her eyes a crack. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurred. She didn't register Cole rushing at the front of the horde barreling towards her or the Sons of Garmadon retreating once they thought two of the ninja were dead. She reached out towards where she thought Jay might be and felt a warm fingertip. Ah, there he was. She closed her eyes in relief. He was safe.

Before the darkness and the buzzing in her ears overwhelmed her, she took hold of their string and gripped it tight. It didn't seem to pull as much. Maybe she and Jay were being picked up close to each other, because soon familiar arms slid under her and lifted her up.

Kai. She'd know those arms anywhere. They'd gotten her through a lot, before and after Jay's had become her second home. Strange, Kai didn't feel as excited as she thought he would. Although she wanted to stay awake and greet Jay, she simply couldn't any more as her head dropped against Kai's chest. She wasn't scared. The guys would take care of them, she knew. They could all celebrate when she woke up.  She was out instantly, clutching the string to her chest and forming a soft smile.

Lucky she fell asleep when she did.

Otherwise, she would've heard Cole let out a roar that could rival a dragon's as he clutched his best friend's body against his chest. Sobs wracked the steady, unshakable leader's body as he held Jay close to him. The stark contrasts were ironic. The rock-solid black ninja finally cracking open and the hyperactive blue one still and silent.

Zane moved silently, like the wind, examining Jay with a determined fire behind his cold eyes. Determined to find some sign of life in his blue-clad companion. He would not lose another comrade if he could do anything about it. Although, this was not a time where he could offer his own life in exchange for Jay's. If he couldn't bring Jay back, they might lose Nya as well. That thought alone made him move with more urgency around Cole's arms and through the stains of red seeping through the abdomen are Jay's already-messy blue gi.

Kai stood silently fuming with Nya in his arms. He wanted to scream, punch, set things on fire, burn out all his rage until he collapsed, but he didn't. He kept it all to himself for his sister's sake. When his anger was silent, usually it was so much more intense than his loud, explosive bouts. He was angry. Angry at Spark, angry at the SoG, angry at Ninjago itself. Angry that Nya was sleeping so peacefully when her Tie was sitting there dead, gunshot through his chest.

Lloyd hadn't moved yet. He'd seen Jay and Nya on the ground together and frozen absolutely still with his eyes closed. Breathe, Lloyd. Breathe. What did Nya always tell him when he had panic attacks? Like a flower needs air to open its petals, so do you. Breathe. Your petals will open and you can breathe. He sucked in a tiny breath and instantly felt a little better. His throat loosened and he gulped to prepare himself.

Then he had to open his eyes again and face the truth. His *parents* family was breaking. This was like when Zane died back *in season 3* with the Overlord. Except for this time, there would be no returning if Jay and Nya didn't make it.

"Zane! What about Nya?" Kai barked at the titanium man. Zane glanced between Jay and Nya, then squeezed his eyes closed and turned away. Kai was about to repeat his sentence when he saw something he never expected from the usually stoic nindroid.

Tears. Silent tears. Silent tears turned into a quiet whimper, then into a louder, singular sob. He put his face in his hands and shook his head. Slowly at first, then quickly it turned into an intense head shake back and forth. "No. No, no, no! I-" his voice box cut out and he shook his head again, "I will not allow you to leave us, brother!"

"ZANE! Get a hold of yourself! They both need our help right now! I have to help Nya now. Tell me what to do." The roles being switched rattled him more than it should. He was surprising himself with how well he was handling it, honestly. Kai thought he himself would be the one who was breaking down and sobbing.

Zane composed himself and Cole tried to. "911. Their injuries are... beyond my capabilities. I am... so sorry I am not up to your standards." He glanced away and did a little self-hug like he'd seen Jay do and mimicked by accident.

"Lloyd. 911. Now." Kai told him firmly. He didn't want to alarm Lloyd but they were clearly in a bit of a situation. He was worried Lloyd would go into shock if he wasn't told to do something away from this for a minute. Lloyd blankly nodded and dialed the number.

While the ambulance was coming, Zane and Lloyd helped Cole clean up Jay as best as they could. The dragons had gone back to the First Realm as soon as the battle was over, so they didn't have to worry about the drivers being squashed.

Kai held Nya tighter. He was her big brother. He was supposed to protect her from things like this, not let her get hurt even more while he didn't even get to try.

The ambulances arrived and chaos ensued again as they loaded everyone into the back of the vehicles. Before they knew it, they were driving away from what they saw as a possible gravesite. What they didn't see? The black string clutched in Nya's hands. The key to understanding what happened in the hands of the one who didn't know anything happened at all.

~~~

The next thing Nya remembered was waking up someplace cold and bright. She was staring at the ceiling when she realized--this wasn't her room on the Bounty. Where was Jay? The last thing she remembered was...

Her string. That would show her where he was. She glanced down and saw... nothing. No red, no tug, no anything. Panic started to set in while her mind ran through everything that could explain what was happening. Too far? No, he'd tug. Hurt? No, somebody would've come to get her from--actually, where was she?

She sat up slowly, trying to ignore the searing pain that rippled through her legs and abdomen while doing so. A hospital. Why was she-

Kai. He was in the room with her. He was slumped down in a chair with his baseball cap pulled over his eyes and arms crossed. A soft snore let Nya know he was asleep. As if on cue, he groaned quietly and rubbed the heel of his hand on his eyes. Tired amber eyes met panicked blue ones.

Kai's silence scared Nya. "Where is he?" She asked quietly. The first--and only thing--she could think of was where Jay was. "Kai. My string is gone. Where. Is. Jay?" She asked him because if what she thought happened had happened...

The Fire Ninja drew a long sigh and sat up slowly. He shuddered and gulped discreetly, trying to maintain himself. Nya's panicked eyes gave him the push he needed to start talking. Everything spilled out once he started. It was impossible to stop.

He told her about the fight, how when she hadn't moved away and then got hit, Jay ran to her. Then, how when Spark moved away, the bang that sounded. How when they got to Jay and Nya, neither of them were moving.

He told her about the panic they'd gone through when they found the blood. How the ambulance had come and declared that Jay was dead on impact of the bullet. How when they'd arrived, they'd found the black string clutched in Nya's hand and given it to him with a look of pity.

Nya's gasp hurt him almost as much as finding her the first time. He reached into his hoodie pocket and took out the string, then held it out to her. He knew he was crying because of the stinging behind his eyes but for once, he didn't care. Her shaking hands picked up the string and a sudden sob came from her as she doubled over and broke.

Kai got up from his seat and sat on the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her silently. He let her cry until she couldn't anymore, all while trying to keep his tears silent. He'd had way too much time the past 3 days to cry. He didn't know if he had anything left.

Eventually, the sobs died down to sniffles, then to slow breaths. Once Kai was certain she was asleep, he carefully laid her against the white cushions. He reached out to take the string back, then decided to leave it. She needed it more than he did. He gently kissed her forehead and glanced at her red face. She was always so strong for them. It was his turn to be the strong older brother for her.

With one last glance at her face, he slipped out of the room and padded down the empty hallway to where the others usually waited. He'd get to tell them she woke up now. So why did he have a feeling this wouldn't be a good thing?

~~~

An hour later, Kai woke up being shaken by Cole. "Something's up with Nya! The nurse is here to tell us what's wrong." Kai stood up and nodded. Tired or not, he had to be there.

A young, curly, auburn-haired male nurse--Wesley, his nametag read--with a clipboard entered and everyone gave their attention to him. He cleared his throat and read from his clipboard, not making eye contact except for a few glances. "Mrs. Nya Maya Smith and Mr. Jason Leon Gordon were Red-Ties, correct?" Hesitant nods from the group prompted him to go on, nervously reading.

"Well... um... I'm sorry. A few minutes ago, Mrs. Nya was checked by our head doctor for her medicine and... I'm sorry. She died of heartbreak. The shock of losing her Tie so quickly caused her heart to literally stop working. We couldn't do anything. I- I'm so sorry. I wish I could've seen them together. I've seen them on TV but I never thought I'd get to take care of one of them. I wish it didn't have to be like this though."

~~~

{Ever notice how I usually end the story with the title? ; ) If you've got any comments or constructive criticism, hit me with it! I love feedback!

I know it ends abruptly, I just didn't know how to finish without making it 1000000 more words XD

Enjoy!}