*besitoooooo!!
**you guys already know whts up,, i'll let you know:)
y/n's pov
it probably took jay and i a good minute before we composed ourselves and snapped into action.
jay asked if we could enter the infirmary to see eli, but were unfortunately denied access. it wasn't until calvin waltzed in, grunted to the security guard, and pushed the door open to allow us in that saved us the trouble.
we followed after the rattling of the gurney, and whirlwind of voices belonging to the medics. i thought i heard the commotion further down the hall, but jay grabbed me by the sleeve and pulled me back.
surely, we were peering into the infirmary. loads of medics and nurses were on standby for at least a dozen of injured inmates. but with eli, there must have been like five of them hovering around.
they started whispering to each other when one of them noticed us standing there. a young woman—who was a nurse—finally approached us, with a glum facial expression.
"i'm sorry ninja, but by the looks of it, tusk was poisoned."
"what?!" jay and i shouted at the same time, in disbelief.
"i'm afraid so. we believe an inmate must have slipped something into tusk's water. we will do everything we can to investigate the matter of his death."
"but that wasn't tusk!" jay whined, his eyebrows furrowing together as he traded gazes between the nurse and eli's lifeless body on the gurney. "he was an innocent man!"
"his name was elijah gander!" i added with an equal amount of urgency. "he was trapped in here!"
the nurse turned back to glance at the quartet of medics and nurses, who were watching jay and i shout like madmen. they all gave each other confused looks before she faced us again.
"ninja, we have read his file. he had some serious charges against him for that stunt he pulled at the tech center. he is not at all innocent. you should know, you two were there."
jay's throat produced weird croaking noises while i crossed my arms, trying to think. there was ultimately no way we could prove that the man who was killed in front of us was elijah gander. there was no evidence to demonstrate that he was a victim to whoever was out there to get us.
"that wasn't him..." i muttered once last time, in hopes to get to the nurse's senses.
alas, it didn't work. "i'm sorry," was all she said before she spun back around to the room.
i turned to jay, who was just staring at the group of medical professionals around eli. then, i observed how his entire face lit up like a firecracker, just within seconds.
"y/n!" he exclaimed, facing me with his usual crooked smile. "the block!"
a grin of my own appeared on my lips at the reminder. "right! we can go scout the area for any clues!"
and just like that, jay and i darted away, to block one eighty-three.
***
"he's gonna be furious, when he finds out, wadley."
"shut your mouth, alastair! he'll only find out if he hears you!"
"hear what, pipsqueak?"
tusk walked into the room, his head held high with pride. he looked down at wadley and alastair—being that he was a tower compared to them—grinning arrogantly that he had to do so.
"the ninja went to visit the guy we switched you out with," alastair laughed, but once he saw the pure fury on wadley's face, he ceased it immediately. he realized what he had done. "i-i mean—"
"oh, really?" tusk chuckled, shaking his head as he pointed at wadley. his gruff voice scratched terribly against his throat. "when are you gonna learn to back off, pipsqueak? as much as you try, you will never be one of us. master will choose everyone before he gets to you."
"not true!" wadley snapped, crossing his arms together. "master has required my services more than anyone here!"
"yes, but that is because i wasn't here," tusk countered, taking a couple of steps forward. the room trembled under his thunderous, heavy steps. "but now i am. master needed me and the rest of the boys, so he sent you two to get us out. and now, master will be very angry when i tell him the ninja know i am not there."
"whatever!" wadley scoffed bitterly.
"i'm telling you, pipsqueak," tusk mumbled with a chuckle in between. "you'll never be one of us. even alastair and alanis have more fight than you. you will always be master's burden. come to think, i don't understand why you haven't died already. you should've been the first to have sacrificed himself."
"stop it!"
"come on tusk, leave the guy alone."
"what? i'm just saying the truth, alastair! he's tagged along to every suicide mission but master always requests for him to return safely with me. i do not understand why. he's useless!"
"stop!!!" wadley roared, running up to tusk at full speed. he threw an anemic punch at his humongous stomach, the fat jiggling mockingly at the force. it made tusk burst into malicious laughter.
"you're pathetic," he seized the collar of wadley's shirt and hoisted him upwards, to meet his face. "never forget that, pipsqueak."
tusk then released his grip on the smaller man. he landed with a thud, flopping about before he had the strength to stand. wadley glared up at the big man, who was finding amusement in his suffering.
"screw you, tusk!"
just then, their master waltzed in the room. his radiant smile beamed brightly, as he took a sip from his wine. "i heard bickering in here. what's going on, boys?"
"tusk is messing with wadley, sire," alastair replied, bowing his head.
"now tusk," the master cooed, walking towards him. "what did i say about picking on wadley?"
"your plan failed, master," tusk changed the subject with an accusation. "the ninja are aware that i am not in kryptarium."
"what?!" he fumed, pacing to the accused. the wine in his glass twirled about, threatening to spill. "you had one task, wadley! and that was to find a man that fit tusk's description perfectly!"
"we did that, sire," alastair replied for wadley, who was cowering beside him in fear. "but i am afraid good ol' wadley here did not press the right button to conceal the man's face."
"you little piece of—" the master began to explode, but then his face paused in an abrupt thought. "wait a second. the ninja cannot possibly prove that that man is not tusk, right?"
"actually—" alastair was cut off by wadley, who pinched him in the arm.
"right, sire! we went ahead and poisoned him if he spoke of anything. and now he's dead."
"good, then. it'll be enough scraps to send those freaks on a wild goose chase, for now..." he took a couple steps away from all three men, as slow as a tortoise. "my plan to take over ninjago is almost complete. i need to do these finishing revisions, before i start handling the matter of the gray ninja."
tusk's ears perked at this. "the gray ninja? what about the gray ninja, master?"
"she's a voider. i'm sure we all know this by now. i just need to know who she is. i'll start prying off the ninja one by one, until she is the last one standing. and only then, i can get to her."
"master, i know who the gray ninja is," tusk volunteered, waddling a huge step over to his leader. "well, i remember who her parents were. i don't know her name but i recognized her, even through her monkey suit."
the mastermind spun on his heel, a twisted smile appearing on his lips. "really, tusk?! you do?! splendid! that is enough to help me identify her! who were her parents then?!"
"her mother was the voider, m/n i believe. her father was a civilian, d/n, i think. they were the last we killed here in ninjago before we left to bujar."
"huh...wait....yes!" he lifted his wine glass in the air, a little bit of it spurting out onto the floor. "fourteen years ago. i remember! oh those two imbeciles gave us such a hard time. wouldn't go down without a fucking fight." he started to laugh, shaking his head at the memory. "but they're smart imbeciles for hiding a daughter i thought was dead all these years." the marbled floor twinkled for a moment, alluring the master to stare into his reflection. the red wine splatter stained it, but it caused him to smirk rather than frown.
"well, boys. i know how we can start with the girl. follow me."
they started to follow their leader, but alastair pulled wadley behind.
"you've got eyes on the ninja in case they find something, right?" he asked in a hushed voice, for once.
"yes," wadley replied at similar volume. "we'll be the first to know."
***
we arrived at the block relatively quick. jay was finally putting his speed and agility to use, sprinting through the roofs and jumping from building to building. normally, the natural competitiveness in me would've liked to turn this into a race, but i wasn't sure where i was going, so i let it slide. we leaped off the last house with the sound of shuffling from our shoes.
block one eighty-three was a secluded section, a break between two places of business. it led right down to an apartment entrance, but residents hardly ever entered from this side. it was more of a place for visitors from the city to come into, rather than the backspace where cars were huddled.
it should've just been a regular private block, but i clicked my tongue when i realized the significance of this place.
and jay did too.
"you remember this block, y/n?"
"yeah," i chuckled, placing my hands on my hips as i glanced around. "this is where we got caught making out, right?!"
jay's face glowed pink, the bits of freckles i managed to see giving him away. "yeah, hahaha. feels like that wasn't so long ago."
"i know, but it was," i looked over at him, but he was already staring at me first.
just then, we heard footsteps echo through the block. we whipped our heads down the street where the apartment entrance was, prepared for anything and anyone. but instead, we were greeted with a familiar face.
"who's there?!"
the security guard who had gotten us in trouble two years ago came into view. she was a plump woman, with blonde hair tied to a bun and dark brown eyes. she was holding a walkie talkie with one hand, and with the other, her gun. her angry facial expression cooled when she noticed the two of us staring at her.
"oh, it's just you ninja!" she exclaimed, dropping her hands and pressing the walkie on her pocket. "sorry for the 'tude. always catchin' a couple of kids here doin' all types of stuff."
"i bet," jay chuckled, turning to me to see my reaction. his eyes crinkled a lot more when he saw mine doing the same thing.
"so whatcha guys doin' on block one eighty-three? i hope it isn't for any monkey business."
i stepped towards her. "ma'am, it has been brought to our attention that a man was jumped here a few days ago. we just wanted to see if there was any sort of evidence left behind."
"oh, how tragic!" the security officer shouted, frowning as she took another step closer. "bummer, i wasn't working that day. must have been a rookie on the shift. this is news to me."
"really?" jay questioned, arching an eyebrow. "you didn't hear about the incident until now?"
"nope," she puffed, shaking her head. then, she turned to the side and set her hands on the crook of her hips. "darn it. the one day i don't get scheduled to work, somethin' interesting finally happens! all i ever get to do is bust kids from doin' the nasty." she looked at us, as we glanced back at her with tilted heads. "sorry, prolly shouldn't have said that."
"you're fine," i mumbled, as my attention was caught on a black glove that was laying on the ground next to her side. "wait a second..."
i carefully picked it up, observing how it was ripped apart, barely hanging on the threads. by the looks it, the glove appeared to have been a large size.
"tusk," i whispered, clutching it and turning to jay.
"who now?" the guard asked, obviously confused.
"is that his?" jay inquired, taking the glove in his hand.
"i saw him wearing it the day of the attack," i noted, returning to scan the area once more. "but it doesn't make sense as to why it's here. kryptarium guards would've confiscated it once he was registered in."
"you're right!" jay chirped. "then maybe it's eli's?"
"it has to be."
the security guard swiveled her head between jay and i. now that our dialogue ceased, she took the opportunity to speak.
"hey ninja, maybe those can be of help."
she pointed to the security cameras that flashed down the block. there must have been three of them; one entering it, one near the middle, and one down the end by the apartment gate. however, all of them were disassembled, ruined by a mysterious force.
"oh shoot!" jay exclaimed, his head following down the trail. "those weren't there two years ago."
"yeah, they're pretty new!" the woman shrugged with a chuckle. "but i guess your story explains why they're messed up. anyway, after my third run-in with these kiddos, i suggested it to the the owner next door to install 'em. thankfully, he's got a likin' to me and did it."
jay laughed gleefully. "hahaha, you must really have it out for every couple out here."
"yup, but most of 'em aren't even couples, just some horny ass fools," she spat, crossing her arms. "although, i remember the first couple i busted. some freckled boy and giggly girl. oh yeah, i've never seen two kiddos more in love than those two..." as she spoke, i felt jay's gaze fall upon me, but i just kept staring at the security guard. the memory of that day was spawning inside of me, causing my lips to curl into a grin and my heart to glow. "it was funny, 'cause they were makin' out but they kept stopping every three seconds to laugh it away. it was cute, really, but i came out the apartment complex and told 'em—"
"find another place to suck face."
the chirpy security guard looked at me strangely, before she nodded slowly. "yeah, yeah! exactly! how'd ya know that?"
"just a hunch," i shrugged nonchalantly. "so, ma'am, do you think we could ask the owner of the shop for the footage?"
"he'll most likely give it to ya," she replied with a grin, brushing off my comment."or what's left of it. but if he doesn't, call me in. i got a way around him, if you know what i mean."
we all chuckled, before we thanked her and departed. jay even shook her hand, enthusiastic to the brim. afterwards, we walked up a couple more steps before we strolled inside the neighboring small pawn shop.
"hello, welcome to long's—" the owner started to salute, but once he noticed it was us, his eyes dilated in horror. then, he booked it to the back of the store. jay and i gazed at each other before we ran after him.
"sir! please! we just want to talk!"
"why are you running?! why are you running?!"
but the guy kept going. it wasn't until he was finally cornered in the storage room that he gave up.
"please don't kill me!" he pleaded with his hands up in surrender. "this shop means everything to me! i need to be alive to run it!"
"dude, what are you talking about?!" jay shouted, his hands out for emphasis. "we're ninja, not thieves. haven't you seen us on the news saving the city?"
the owner, long—as indicated at the front of the store—shook his head no. he lowered his hands slowly before glancing at both of us. "so you guys do not kill or rob?"
"no, sir," i responded, smiling coyly under my gi. "we just need your help."
"okay," long answered, sighing in relief. "what do you need then?"
"we'd like your block security footage," jay requested, sticking his thumb in the direction of the place. "and we kinda need it fast."
"someone broke my cameras the other day. i don't have footage from the last few days."
"that's okay, sir. we'd like to see what happened before they were destroyed."
long pondered for a second before he nodded his head. "okay, that is fair. it will spare me time watching the footage myself."
while he went to retrieve the security footage, jay and i stayed back to talk, looking around.
"isn't it crazy that same lady still works as a security guard?" jay giggled, picking up a dusty bowling pin. "she's hilarious!"
"yeah," i chuckled myself. i was about to say a little more, but that was until i heard the bell chime. and that was when footsteps echoed through the empty pawn shop.
"hello, welcome to long's."
"hey!" a man's voice grunted fiercely. "where are they?!"
"where's who?!" long asked, slamming down an item down on the counter.
"the ninja!" another voice chipped in aggressively. "i know they're in here!"
"oh, shoot!" jay half shouted, half whispered. "we gotta go!"
"no, we gotta go out there!"
"that's what i mea—"
and before jay could finish his sentence, i rolled out into view. surely, i was greeted with the faces of two bandana-wearing men, one with a goatee and the other with a long beard. they were new faces to me, but either way, i knew they must've been with this cave guy. they smirked once they laid eyes on jay and i.
"we're right here!"
we ran straight to the men, jay going with a punch in the goatee's face, while i struck with a sidekick. the force pulled them backwards, both landing on the ground with loud thuds. i held them down while jay scrambled to the counter where long resided.
"give us the footage!" jay demanded, extending his hand out and shaking it in the air.
"you lied to me!" long shouted in return, shielding the tape in his arms.
"dude, these guys are danger! and they're after the footage too! so if you could just hand it to me so we can lead them out of your shop, we'd appreciate it!"
the pawn shop owner narrowed his eyes at jay before he reluctantly handed him the footage tape. he thanked him, before he grabbed a hold of my hand and pulled me towards him. then, we both zipped to the back of the shop, and out the back door.
we climbed the building and ran via rooftops once more. goatee and beard were behind us, but at a reasonable distance—because after all—we were pretty fast. but it seemed like the more we sprinted away, the longer the trek home was—which burst a thought into my mind.
"we can't let them follow us to the bounty!" i yelled at jay. "we gotta lead them somewhere else!"
"you're ri—" but before he could finish that sentence, jay was struck down with a net. he could've come to close to falling into the street if i didn't clutch onto the net and haul him backwards. quickly, i whipped my head back, and sure enough, goatee and beard held net guns right at us.
"we can't keep running," i puffed, observing the villainous duo. "we gotta fight."
"okay, but get me out!" jay screamed, writhing under the large brown net. "i can help!"
they shot another trap, but i managed to dodge it. with a few seconds to spare, i swiftly crouched beside jay and tried to pry the net off of him. but i couldn't, for the ends were sealed tightly in a knot.
"i can't!" i shouted, tugging it desperately. the two men were closer now, in a perfect aim range. i let go of the net. "just hang on, jay. and whatever you do, do not let go of that footage!"
"oh what else am i gonna do?!" jay retorted aggressively, then nervously chuckled.
turning to face the pair, i set into a fighting stance. noticing this, goatee and beard halted in their tracks, still pointing their weapons at me. i'm not sure if it became a staring or smirking contest, but everyone was doing it for a minute. it might have continued a little longer if i didn't hear the sound of faint shuffling gradually increase. then, in the blink
of an eye, about thirty other men appeared next to the first two. however, none of them held weapons but goatee and beard.
i widened my eyes at the sight, while jay audibly gasped from the floor of the roof.
"yeah, you may wanna call the others," i mumbled, pursing my lips. "but i'll hold them off as best as i can!"
my voice drifted off into the air as i charged at the cluster of mischievous males. i was ready to strike, just instinctively for a mere second. but my mind began to formulate a possible outcome to swerving the two front men's traps; if i wanted to get a good chance of stalling, i had to get rid of their weapons.
just as i predicted, both of them fired at me simultaneously. but i was ten times faster, for i already had began to summon a void portal out in front of me. sure enough, the nets activated, and were launched inside of it. once the duo took a couple of their shots into the portal, i closed it, going ahead and disappearing into the second layer of void.
"where did she go?!" beard shouted angrily, pushing one of the nearby men.
all of them were dumbfounded, like cats watching a string swing back and forth. i took the opportunity to grab ahold of the two front men's guns, jolting them behind me as far as i could. then, performing a back flip, i reopened a void portal and let them fall in there. afterwards, i reappeared into the visible world, a couple feet away from the group.
"why, i'm right here, of course," i snickered with narrowed eyes.
"get her!" goatee barked, pointing at me with a crooked, long finger.
the stampede of villains rushed at me, yelling as if they were ordered to attack an opponent in war. clenching both of my fists, i sent the first couple of men sharp jabs and reverse punches. the strength of my blows at their heads was enough to knock them out, but the technique would not be suffice to fend off the remaining twenty or so. with my mind dashing away like a race car on its last lap, i returned to the second layer of void and scampered out of their way.
third person pov
while y/n repelled their attackers, jay was hurrying to tear the net open. a finger shook ferociously as lightning crackled out of it, burning away at the material.
"come on, come on..."
finally, the nylon shredded apart, just enough for jay to clutch both ends and rip the net into a bigger hole to squirm his body out. he was fast on his feet, springing upwards. he was about to join y/n, but a thought passed his mind.
the footage!
assuring everyone was occupied on y/n, jay stuffed the tape into his gi, particularly on his chest. his heart speeding, he hurriedly pulled out his phone and dialed his most recent caller.
they answered within the first ring. "yo, jay, where's our food—"
"coooooolllllleeeeee!"
back at the bounty, cole's phone fell out of his hand, due to his best friend's astronomical volume. he rushed to retrieve it, receiving confused glances from the smith siblings, who were sitting nearby.
"jesus, jay! you're gonna make me lose my—"
"listen, cole! we need you guys to meet us on top of the...shoot...oh! the villa complex! and fast! y/n and i are getting ambushed!"
"ambushed?!" cole repeated, meeting the gazes of kai and nya. they immediately shot up from their seats, sprinting to their rooms. the gesture compelled cole to follow suit. "okay, hold on! we'll be right over!"
jay hung up quickly; and as if it where right on cue, a couple of the men spotted him and approached him as a target. his fingers sizzled with lightning bolts, causing some of the attackers to stop.
he smirked at this. "come and get it, you dinguses!"
meanwhile, y/n was successfully taking care of her fair share of men. quickly, she shot her head to her left, where she noticed jay fighting alongside her. she smiled under her gi, the urge to combat elevating at the sight of him. everything seemed fine for a minute, until she came face-to-face with the goatee man, with a small hand knife shoved into her rib. a handful of his accomplices surrounded them, to enclose the pair in a space of their own.
"give me the footage," he seethed, his breath reeking the air—even through y/n's gi. "and i'll spare your life."
y/n decided to play along with this information. she was smart, and identified this moment as a chance to gain the upper-hand on the mysterious villain behind all of this.
she shrugged, staring into the eyes of the attacker. "no, thanks. i'm a goner either way. your master has made that pretty clear."
the goatee, bandana-wearing man chuckled as he shook his head. "no, not yet, gray ninja. he has other plans for you."
"what plans?"
"he—" the villain was interrupted by the outcry of his teammate, who claimed that they saw the tape on the blue ninja. almost immediately, the men who barricaded the female ninja and her foe dashed on over to jay, causing his eyebrows to levitate to his forehead—while at the same time—his eyes grew wide in terror.
the two of them—the void elemental and ordinary man—looked at one another before y/n gripped the hand knife carefully and jerked it out of his clutches. before he could react, she sent a snap kick to his stomach. the distraction allowed her to come to jay's aid, who was currently being piled upon.
however, jay's outer body began to course with electricity. those directly in contact with the master of lightning had their bodies' frizzle about, shooting them away from him like a rocket. it permitted jay to regain his stability and get back on his feet.
but it was a little too late. the men started to corner the two elemental masters towards the edge now. no matter how many times they kicked, shoved, and punched, the men came right back up for more. it was about thirty-two to two; and as skilled as they both were in the art of spinjitzu, they were outnumbered.
but just in time, familiar shrieks filled the atmosphere. everyone turned their heads at the approaching five ninja, who landed right next to jay and y/n.
"you shouldn't have messed with them," lloyd croaked, stepping out in front of the team. "because you mess with one, you mess with all of us."
the two villainous leaders roughly pushed through their crowd, to face the green ninja.
"we just want the footage," the man with the beard muttered, glaring at him. "and we'll leave you alone."
y/n found a place next to lloyd, giving his shoulder a light squeeze to indicate she would take it from here. "we aren't gonna give it to you. now, unless you guys wanna get your asses horribly handed to you, i suggest you leave."
the two men gazed at one another, taking a moment to read each other's faces. the one with the goatee smirked, before he turned to the ninja.
"too late for that," he responded, before his lips curled into a frown. "now!"
the bearded man retrieved a small knife of his own, chucking it straight at the green ninja. y/n anticipated this coming for a split second—just one—and she jumped in front of lloyd. she summoned another void portal, a tiny one, just big enough for the weapon to fall into. once she closed it off, the pack of men began to run away.
"why are they leaving now?!" kai shouted at his teammates.
jay patted himself down, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets when he realized what was missing. "the footage! one of them's got the footage!"
the ninja dispersed immediately, even though the majority of them had no clue about the significance of the tape. now as a bigger group, taking down the fleet of men was a lot more successful. however, no matter who they fought with, none of them turned up with the desired item.
y/n was in the middle of combating two men when she caught something scurry away from the corner of her eye. so, receiving ahold of these foes' heads and knocking them together, she darted to the culprit before he managed to slip. he was a skinny man, with bushy eyebrows and thin, wispy hair tied in a ponytail. his eyes dilated in what was now horror when he saw y/n standing in front of him.
"going somewhere?" she chuckled, balling a fist.
and before he could flee or respond, y/n uppercut him sharply. the force of her punch made the man release the footage from his hand. she grabbed it before it hit the ground, stuffing inside her gi. y/n spun on her heel, her eyes scanning for the blue ninja. she found him zapping anyone who dared challenge him, isolated in a corner. she sprinted over to him, kicking someone who was close to attacking from behind.
"i got it," she mumbled into his ear, just loud enough for him to hear. she reached into her bra and pulled out a granola bar, cramming it up the sleeve of jay's gi.
with a single firm nod, jay knew what he had to do. grinning from under his gi, his nails sunk into the wrapper of the snack, prepared to play out their act. he ran a couple steps away from everyone, so he could have a head start. "hey, bozos! i got the footage! come and get it!"
slowly, but surely, the men zoomed after jay, who booked it away in the opposite direction. out of the six present ninja on that apartment complex rooftop, only one knew what he was up to. the rest where confused, but didn't follow after the crowd.
"he'll manage to get them far," y/n breathed, capturing the attention of all of the ninja. she carefully took out the tape from her gi. "let's go."
***
y/n's pov
jay returned to the bounty just in time, winded beyond comprehension. but he came back in one piece—and smiling like a doofus.
explaining the significance of the footage without intertwining our relation with tusk and his knowledge on my parents was a little difficult to do. but thankfully, i didn't have to do it alone—for jay was by my side, and quick to back me up or come up with something plausible. we managed to give a story that was truth, just concealing my personal information. the team took it well, and as crazy as it was, they were somewhat delighted we had one more clue to work with.
the footage tape was intact for the most part. but when zane attempted to play it for us in the control room, it wouldn't run. he checked it a dozen times afterwards, but every damn time, it was still in the same condition.
"well," zane sighed, bopping the tape lightly against his hand. "i will see if i can make this tape into a hard drive to play before dinner."
"damn it," kai muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. "of course it doesn't work."
"don't lose hope, man," lloyd's voice filled the room, who seemed very at ease. "if anyone can fix it, it's zane."
"he's right," cole chuckled, sighing afterwards. "but there goes our promised food. i guess we gotta make something ourselves."
"well, get to it then!" nya laughed, taking my arm and leading me to the kitchen. "'cause i'm not giving you any of the waffles i made for me and y/n!"
"haha, loser!" jay smiled at his best friend, who began to walk out with us.
"that goes for anyone who isn't zane!" nya added from the kitchen, earning groans from the entire team. then she turned to me, grinning from ear to ear, as she collected two plates and slid one to me. "well, girl, eat up. you must be tired from doing so much shit already at the asscrack of dawn. i'll never understand where you get all your energy."
i giggled, thanking the water ninja and heading to the table. soon enough, the guys flooded the room, conquering the kitchen in a disheartened—yet crazed—manner. they were definitely upset they had to feed themselves, and at this point, they were desperate to get any scraps from anyone who left them from their own meals. but at the end of that hour, all four guys—excluding zane, of course—prepared some disaster they called breakfast.
then, it was off to training.
***
i dried my hair off with my towel that night for a while before i got to taming what i could. satisfied, i walked out of my bedroom and into the control room, where i found zane hard away at work.
"hey, zane," i greeted with a grin. "how's the progress going? can i help in anyway?"
"hello, y/n," he responded, placing a hard drive into the monitors. "i'm afraid the download is taking longer than i anticipated. since i am the source of transfer, the download keeps pausing in accordance to my senses. but not to worry, i am thinking of spending the night in here to ensure a complete download as i sleep."
i arched an eyebrow, frowning a little. "oh shoot, i'm sorry, zane. why don't you just put the tape on the monitor and attach it to the drive from there?"
"well, i did try that. but i had to keep authorizing the transfer because sometimes it would stop. i thought it would be better to do it myself."
"i see, but that can severely drain your energy. and you heard sensei, tomorrow's training is going to be intense after this run-in."
"i suppose. but then i'd have to sit here for at least two hours and repeat the authorization throughout the download."
"i can stay here and do it," i offered kindly, causing zane to glance at me with a quirked eyebrow. "i truly appreciate your help, zane, but i know you must been tired from doing this all day on your free time. i'll be more than glad to step in and watch over it until the download is complete. that way, you can play some video games with the guys and sleep soundly."
zane's icy blue eyes averted mine for a second, thinking of my offer. "but you have been awake longer than i have, y/n. you need to rest as well for tomorrow."
"i won't be able to catch a wink knowing the download's incomplete," i admitted, chuckling nervously. "but please, zane, let me help. i truly don't mind taking over."
zane stared at me for a second, reading my face for any hint of fraud before he gave in. "very well, y/n. thank you for being considerate of me."
"of course!" i chirped, smiling. "we got each other's backs."
"always," zane grinned, before he started to ejected the tape out from his robotic composition. "well, give me a quick second to get everything set up for you."
he arranged the download to return to the first option he had attempted. he also explained the authorization process to me, and what to do in case anything unusual occurred. then, he bid me farewell before thanked me for the third time, and walked out of the control center.
i sat on misako's chair, spinning around on it as i waited for the first process of the download to authenticate. i was alone in the control room, cooped up by the monitors, deep in thought. i didn't even realize that fifteen minutes had passed by, until the download paused for the first time. i clicked the button to continue, then i went ahead and laid my back against the chair again.
not a minute passed by before i heard light knocking. gazing up, i was met with a pair of stunning electric blue irises, a crooked whitened smile, and ruffled ginger-brown hair belonging to a freckled ninja. i found myself smiling at the view.
"oh hey, blue speedster," i addressed, swiveling the chair towards him. "or should i say super speedy smurf?"
jay playfully rolled his eyes, taking a hesitant step into the room. "you know, i wish you'd stop calling me that. i liked being called baby better."
i snorted at his comment, slapping a hand over my mouth. "omg," i muffled my response. "you actually said that."
"i meant the whiny, tantrum kinda way!" he defended, pulling up a chair right next to me. "you weirdo."
"uh huh, riiiighhttt."
jay giggled, averting his eyes from me for a second before he looked back at me. "so, whatcha doing in here?"
"i'm watching the download for zane. poor guy has been stressing over this shit and i wanted to help. i may have to pull an all-nighter 'cause it keeps pausing."
"ooohh. knowing you, you wouldn't be able to sleep until you saw it, huh?"
i nodded, grinning a little. "yeah, exactly."
a small silence emerged us, before jay spoke again.
"y/n?"
"yeah?"
"can i ask you something, without it being...weird?"
"sure, go for it."
*(play the song now!)*
he glanced down at his fingers, fiddling away with them, before he cleared his throat. "did...uh...did you remember that day like the security lady said?"
i sighed, grinning as i stared off in front of me. "well, yeah. we couldn't stop laughing for the life of us."
jay chuckled a little, still not looking at me. "do you think...do you think we were that truly in love?"
i paused, taking a moment to address the warm feeling that started to accumulate inside of me. if i was having this feeling now—two years later—then i can only imagine how i felt that day, as a sixteen-year-old.
ever since that night up on the deck, we both steered pretty clear of each other. not because i didn't wanna be around him, but because there was hardly any circumstances that we landed together. and now, spending a day with him—not to mention being reminded of old memories—was highlighting the emotions i always held for him.
"i would say so."
jay's eyes flickered back up at me, smiling fondly in relief. "really?"
"yes."
a moment of silence.
"you know, i meant what i told you that day."
"what specifically out of everything?"
"well, at the time, all of it. but one thing still remains true."
"and that is?"
"you are so special."
i furrowed my eyebrows, peering over at him as i felt my cheeks grow hot. "special? i mean, i'm alright."
jay shook his head. "no, special."
i shrugged. i stared at him, but he was still playing with his fingers. "no offense, but why do you think that? just because some villain wants something to do with me?"
"no, that's not it. you're special in the sense that there isn't anyone like you. you work hard for absolutely everything you want and get stuff done even through your dark days."
"i...i...try. doesn't always happen, though."
"and that's okay. we all fail, but you always manage to get right back up and never give up. a-and that's just it—your drive is beyond compare."
i smiled timidly, definitely sensing blushed cheeks. i would've spoken at that moment, but the glowing sensation in my heart grew overbearing. jay noticed this and took it as a chance to talk again.
"you deserve all the good things this world has to offer," he finally gazed up at me and looked me straight in the eye. "and so much more. you also deserve to be happy with whoever you want to be with. and if that person is kai, then so be it."
"jay..."
"look," he began, scooting his chair closer to me. "i'm sorry about what i said about him that day you two went out on your date. i've been wanting to apologize because i felt so bad, but i-i just wanted you to be careful. it totally wasn't my place to put all these bad ideas of kai into your head. he's actually a pretty cool guy. but i see now that you guys made a great team, and you're making him a whole better person. and i would much rather you know that i support you two than you thinking i'm against it."
he hardly ever sputtered out his emotions like this. jay was the type of guy to bottle everything up, until he could no longer hold himself together—and exploded. the way he avoided detonation was by distracting himself with his usual role as the team's jokester. but seeing him behave so sincere, sitting in front of me—a couple feet away—i knew he kept this in for a little too long.
before i could even fully process what he said, i watched myself place a hand over his knuckles. he glanced down at our contact before he met his gaze with mine again.
"thank you, jay," i heard myself say. but then, i was struck with the reality of his apology. there was no way i could sit here and tell him how i felt about kai, or even lloyd for that matter. i didn't want to dissect that with anyone here, let alone my ex-boyfriend. but everything in this instant, well, directed me to focus on his presence here with me.
"we're just friends," i lied through my teeth, but somehow it was easier this time to say, because kai wasn't on my mind. "but i accept your apology."
jay nodded, one of his front teeth sinking into the flesh of his lower lip before his lopsided smile appeared.
"you and me...we're friends, right?"
i grinned cheekily. "of course we are."
a pause in the download and our conversation. reinitiating the transfer, it resumed, but we still remained quiet. and i don't know if it was the overwhelming, warm feeling of comfort gracing the air, or the way we looked at one another, but it stayed that way for a good minute or two.
the next thing i knew, my other hand was reaching for his silky, ginger-brown hair. it slowly trailed down to cup his cheek, as my gaze alternated between his full pink lips and his pretty, electrifying blue eyes. they were always my favorite to look into; they were so vibrant and full of life.
then, we both leaned in at the same time, our lips encountering one another for the first time in two years.
and it was in that moment i felt electricity race through my veins.
his soft lips felt like a blissful harmony that my lips had the privilege to play with; a rhythm that fulfilled every single piece of me that craved him. my heart was skipping numerous beats—too many to count—which somehow felt normal to me through the midst of everything i felt.
i pulled away slowly, feeling breathless with the kiss, despite its short existence. his electric bolts made me feel so jumpy. jay looked into my eyes, smiling widely when he noticed this.
"woah," he swooned, before he was overcome with a swarm of giggles.
"yeah... woah," i replied, getting caught in the giggle session.
"that...that...." jay tried to compose words that were simply too difficult to decipher, but i brought a finger in between his lips to stop him from continuing.
"shhh," i commanded in a whisper. i found myself smiling at the way he looked at me, so intrigued. "let it be."
jay grinned sheepishly, nodding his head. "yes, ma'am."
we both sat there, in each other's presence, basking in more silence. i know staying quiet was not jay's forte, but for once, he was; it was more than likely that he was as content as i was. despite the faint chime of the monitor, all i could hear was the fluttering of my precious heart, as jay and i watched the download for the rest of the night.
*(stop the song now! :D)*
***
ok i love this boy smmmmm ughhhfhhhhfh ,,, but anywayz,,, this chapter is for all u jay simps <333
i love them all LMAO
ALSO SORRY lanathecapricorn I WENT WITH THIS SONG INSTEAD BCNFNFJDJE
DONT FORGET TO CHECK OUT HER ONESHOT BOOK AND THIS BBY'S BOOK Cole_ninjagocake543
BUTT hey !! i wanted to bring something up real quick !! so this is an official chapter where your parents names are mentioned. i understand that not everyone has both parents as they read this ,, and i'm sorry babies </33 so pls!!! feel freeeeeee to make up a name for a parent, use someone you consider as one,, or just any celebrity adult person u admire (honestly ur dad could even be leo dicaprio,, jus whatever floats ur boat !! hehe)
from here on out, more connections to our parents will be made and i wanted to prepare y'all for it !! i'm gonna try to be general so everyone can feel like filling in the blanks for their own ,,
well,,, i think that's it for me! pls feel free to comment or tex me<33
toodles !! :)