Multiple Strikes | Ninjago Movie AU

Chapter Six - Anyone Can Do Witchcraft (But Not Always Well)

The rain had cleared up, but it was clear as the night sky now that there had been precipitation. All three ninja in blue walked out with no words-- something surprising for all of them. Birds cawed and responded among each other, keeping the night from being but the shallow breeze and the trees it bristled. Some of them had begun to sprout flowers that might grow into fruit, illustrating the change in the temperature and the season. All the steps plodded against either damp dirt if not mud, adding a new instrument to the orchestra.

TUJ yawned, and turned to the Jay taken from the virtual reality which he had powered. (What a story to tell, it wasn't over yet, either. To think he would have to finish this one before getting back to something that he knew darn well would be long and hard within itself.)

"Yeah, I'm tired too," PAJ responded, as if the yawn had been more than a semi-verbal statement. "I've been going through a lot in my world, at the moment."

Jay half-winced, looking at the GI and remembering it all. If only he could've forgotten, like the others had. Of course, they didn't make the wish that reversed time and therefore kept those memories within him. He felt horrible for his Yang, who had to remember it all too, but including dying. At one point, with welling eyes, Nya had told him it was a surreal, lichen blur. The color of the venom which stained that wretched white dress she was wearing seemed to imprint on her vision. Either that or that was the becoming of a ghost and materializing into the Departed Realm, if that all happened as fast as it could. Things were too fast-- all that reversing-- for her to understand what was going on. At least, that was what Jay had been told.

Sometimes he still could feel that bruise from the ball's chain, when in the Sky Pirates captivity. A ghost of something that had hurt; why do those happen? And as such, he could still feel his eye stinging and burning behind an itchy eyepatch.

(And oh, ghosts. They probably should've comforted Cole more at the time. To lose your mortal body at the age of 22 is far beyond hard. He couldn't even cry about it, there was no tissue to produce tears, and no eyes to cry out of. Just dark voids that peered helplessly, none the matter if the rest of his being was happy as can be. The Earth Ninja certainly had been spooky.)

It would be so easy to interject, to say anything, to change the years of therapy he already needed over the years of being a ninja. But that would be an adventure within itself, trying to solve another issue while already solving an issue to get back to solving another issue.

But he couldn't help saying one thing, and it would only be a question. "What's happening in your time right now, past me?"

PAJ blinked, and winced. "It's a little.. heh... crazy. Of course you remember getting chased by the police for crimes you didn't commit, right?"

"WHAT!?"

Jay fake smiled a bit. "Well, I won't say anything, but I'm not in a convict clothes."

His past self grinned. "That's good. What have you been dealing with, alternate me?" he asked.

TUJ thought for a moment. "Nothing for the past couple of months. Just a lot of exhaustive training from my Master Wu. But then there was going to find the Realm Crystal and all. . ." he paused for a somber moment. "But aside from finding something I was bound to break, it was kind've a fun adventure. The first one of us learned how to do Spinjitzu!"

Jay and PAJ stared at him for a second in confusion. This got TUJ confused. "What?" he asked.

"You don't already know how to do Spinjitzu?" PAJ questioned in confusion. "Because judging by how you phrased it it means you weren't the first!"

TUJ pursed his lips, awkwardly. "Uhm, yeah, that was Lloyd. We were in a zoetrope thing, and you had to do Spinjitzu to see which sign designated the correct way out."