He just... took his important stuff and... took his tracker off and... went out without telling anyone and didn't plan on returning.
Why?
Oh, only because the Ninja were mad at him because he'd accidently messed up and let the criminal go away.
They'd find a new Ninja.
They would get over Jay.
And he would be forgotten.
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It was nearly midnight when the first storm rolled in—ironically, a thunderstorm.
Jay watched it from the edge of the forest, where the treeline met the rocks and the sky cracked open like a broken heart. He wasn't crying. He told himself that. It was just the rain. Just the wind stinging his face.
The wind that usually listened to Mia. The lightning that used to belong to him.
Now? Now it just roared overhead like it was trying to remind him what he'd given up.
He hugged his knees tighter to his chest, the blanket he'd packed doing little to keep him dry. His hoodie was soaked through. His pack was somewhere behind him, left on the muddy ground when he got too tired to keep walking.
He didn't even know where he was anymore. That had been kind of the point.
He'd messed up.
Badly.
The criminal had escaped. A real one this time—not a villain with a costume or a tragic backstory. Just some jerk with weapons and no morals, who'd slipped out of Jay's grip at the worst possible moment. Because Jay had hesitated. Because he didn't want to hurt anyone.
And the team had looked at him.
Not with anger. That would've been easier.
They looked disappointed.
And disappointment hurt more than any punch he'd taken in battle.
So he left.
Not because he wanted to be dramatic. Not because he thought they'd come after him.
But because he knew they wouldn't.
"Better this way," he muttered, leaning his head back against the rock and watching the sky again. "You guys'll be better without me."
Somewhere far away, the storm cracked like a whip.
And somewhere closer, twigs snapped.
Jay froze.
"...Hello?" he called, voice hoarse.
A second passed.
Then a very familiar, very annoyed voice called back: "JAY ELIZABETH WALKER, IF YOU DON'T COME OUT IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS I SWEAR TO THE FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER—!"
Jay blinked.
"...Mia?"
From the trees, his little sister emerged, looking like she had run all the way across Ninjago. Her hair was a mess, her hoodie was soaked, and she had her sword strapped to her back like she meant business.
She saw him, and her eyes went wide.
"YOU—" she shouted, marching straight over to him.
Jay scrambled back. "Wait, wait—Mia, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
She grabbed him in a hug so tight he thought his ribs cracked.
"YOU IDIOT," she snapped, hugging him even tighter. "You left your tracker behind. You made Nya CRY. I thought you were DEAD."
Jay blinked. "...You're mad at me?"
"I was going to slap you," she muttered. "But now I'm just gonna hug you until your stupid lightning brain works again."
Jay finally let himself cry. Just a little. Into her shoulder.
