this is what's deserved | Ninjago

Chapter 1 | jay's pov

"You're stronger than you appear, but I know it's all an act, deep down you're scared. You know you're weak. You make jokes to mask that you're afraid."

Nadakhan was right, but that didn't stop Jay from trying to prove him wrong. The blue ninja was very determined, which would no doubt get him into plenty of trouble.

The conniving djinn knew exactly what he was doing but he, too, knew that soon enough Jay would give in. He usually did. Although, as much as Nadakhan wished the lightning master would just wish it away, he wanted to see the boy be punished. The reason was still a mystery to Jay, but he didn't try to argue it. That was mostly due to not really wanting to know, but also in fear of whatever was going to happen to him being worse than originally planned. However, anything the djinn had in mind was bound to be gut wrenching no matter if he questioned Nadakhan's reasoning or not.

Yet, that wasn't what Jay feared the most.

Those words Nadakhan desperately whispered into his ear, breathing down his neck and engraving it into his skull replayed in his mind like a tornado. No matter how hard Jay tried to change the subject of his inner voices, it would still come rushing back. It was obvious what the djinn was trying to do, but the last thing he wanted was to show that it was working. Those first few lines really showed that he was in store for a lot worse.

But he needed to remain strong, not just for himself, but for the fate of Ninjago. As much as he knew he wouldn't be the last one left, he still needed to hold on for as many heroes to be remaining as possible. It was already difficult without a full team. Yeah, and whose fault is that?

Jay had just finished scrubbing the hull of the ship. As there were no prying eyes around to witness him do the entire job, he took full advantage of pretending he did the underside - the side pointing exactly towards the ocean - and boarded the ship once again. His arms ached from holding on so tight, and he was certain he had multiple splinters. Luckily that was the only injuries he'd encountered so far. It would've been a completely different story if he'd let go, falling to what could've been his death. He may not have wanted to be on that ship, but he most certainly didn't like the thought of drowning either.

So he took the time without Nadakhan around to think about his surroundings. Man, had he really ended up in a rough spot. Not only was he stuck on this flying ship in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a team of ruthless sky pirates and a malevolent djinn, but he found his mind drifting back towards his friends. In reality, perhaps they were suffering more than he was?

What am I even complaining about? I have access to food, water and although I may be trapped, with this stupid ball and chain around my ankle, at least I'm not stranded, right? The team have no idea where they are. They went through all the trouble of finding that awful spider and getting the venom to stop Nadakhan, and now they have no way off the island. It's unfair. They shouldn't have to suffer because of me .

Neither side seemed to be faring well. However, now that both the deck and the hull had been scrubbed until shiny, Jay could have a break. It was about time for a drink and a snack.

As he stood the mop up against the wall of the cabin, he let out a loud sigh, checking behind him to make sure he wasn't being watched. The blue ninja took a moment to appreciate the view - he'd never quite seen something so stunning. Although many of the islands around had been ripped from below, he still thought it was magnificent to see so many different parts of Ninjago tied together. Not to mention being above the clouds felt so surreal.

Man, do I miss my storm fighter. Actually, those golden nunchucks would've been so helpful right now.

He took another deep breath, before reaching down to scratch at his ankle, attempting to release it from the tension of the chain. It only seemed to be getting tighter.