Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 82- I've got you guys

K A I

My side felt like it was on fire, ribs screaming with every breath, but I barely noticed. My head was full of one thing.

Jay.

We should've never made him come. Never pushed him into this. The public cheered this morning like he was some kind of hero, but the moment we turned a corner? Same city. Same people. Different faces, different voices — and they wanted his blood.

And they got it.

I clenched my fists so hard they shook. The people he nearly killed — no, the people he saved — they'll never see him for what he is. Just a weapon. Just a freak.

Nya was being looked after by Cole, carried bridal style as her head lolled to the side. I felt a sharp pang of anger at her state. She shouldn't be hurt right now. After all she's been through—

Zane was already climbing the balcony, his hands steady as ever, but I could see the way his jaw tightened. Rue was pale, muttering apologies under her breath like she could've prevented all of it. Lloyd kept pacing, teeth clenched so hard I thought they might break.

I forced myself up the metal stairs, ignoring the stabbing pain in my ribs, and joined Zane at Jay's side.

The woman in the sari backed away a little, eyes still wide. "He is hurt badly," she whispered.

"Thank you for looking after him." I said, voice rough, sharper than I meant it. But she nodded anyway.

Zane crouched, scanning Jay like he was running through a checklist only he could see. "Multiple contusions. Possible concussion. At least two cracked ribs. Lacerations to his temple and lip. He requires medical rest immediately."

Jay's head lolled a little when Zane touched him, but his eyes cracked open. And he... smiled.

Not wide. Not goofy. Just a stubborn, broken little thing that hurt more than the bruises on my own body.

"I'm fine," he rasped. His voice sounded shredded, like gravel. "See? Still breathing."

"Don't you play this off, Jay—" my voice cracked as I knelt beside him, my hand hovering uselessly at his shoulder. I sighed.

"I'm sorry for making you come. We all are."

He blinked slowly at me, then at the others, and whispered, "It's ok. It's not your fault, guys. Plus, I won't let this stop me, ok?"

He paused, thinking of what to say before muttering "Guess they're never gonna see me the same. But maybe that means I can be an even better ninja than before?" His chest heaved with the effort of speaking, pain etched across every line of his face. "I can't quit, ok? I won't. I'm sick of hiding. I'm done with all this Overlord shit and I know you guys are too."

I swallowed hard, throat burning worse than my ribs. He was shattered, body shaking, barely holding himself together — but somehow he was even more determined than before.

Lloyd clambered up behind us, Rue steadying him with vines, and between the three of us we got Jay upright. He hissed in pain, clutching his ribs, but didn't complain. Didn't fight us.

The lady wrung her hands at the balcony rail. "Be safe," she murmured.

"Yeah," I said quietly, glancing back at her. "You too. And... thank you."

She nodded, and before they left, she gently tapped Jay on the back and whispered "Not everybody thinks of you this way. You need to know this. 2 years ago you saved my husband from a falling building and I will never forget that." She smiled kindly.

"What happened with the Overlord has never clouded my judgement of you. Thank you, lightning ninja."

Jay hesitated slightly, before returning her a tired but genuine smile.

We carried him down, step by step, until his smart shoes hit the street again. The car was only a block away, but it felt like miles with him leaning so heavy against us. Every stagger made my chest ache — not from my own injuries, but from the sight of him, beaten and bloodied in the shirt and tie he wore just to prove he belonged again.

The tie was ruined. Blood smeared all down the front.

And Jay, for all his stubborn words, kept his eyes on the ground, silent.

I tightened my grip around his shoulders, holding him steady.

I swear, I thought, biting down on the rage boiling in my chest. The world doesn't deserve someone like him.

~~~

The monastery was quiet when we stumbled in, but it didn't really feel peaceful.

The sound of the doors slamming behind us echoed down the hall, sharp and heavy. Cole and I half-carried, half-dragged Jay between us, his boots scraping over the floor with each step. His head kept tipping forward, blood dried in his hair, his lip swollen and split.

Every time he shifted, he sucked in a sharp breath and clutched his side. Ribs, no doubt.

Rue hovered close, vines twitching restlessly at her fingertips like they didn't know where to go now. Lloyd led the way, movements clipped and tense, like he couldn't slow down or he'd literally explode.

We made it to the couch in the common room and lowered him down as gently as we could. He groaned, body curling in on itself, and tried to wave us off.

"I'm finne," he slurred, voice raw.

"Shut up," I snapped — harsher than I meant to. My chest squeezed, guilt immediate, but I didn't take it back. Because he wasn't fine. Not even close.

Zane was already kneeling with a med kit, hands moving quick, precise. Scissors slicing through Jay's ruined shirt, revealing the dark bruises blooming across his ribs, the angry red welts from the chain, the cuts and scrapes layered over everything. My stomach churned.

Jay winced, eyes fluttering shut. "Looks worse than it feels."

"Don't," Nya bit out, sitting hard on the table edge. She was still woozy when she woke up on the journey back but refused to get looked at until Jay was sorted.

"Don't try to sell that crap. Not to us. Not after—" Her voice cracked. She pressed her hands to her face, dragging them down hard. "They could've killed you. They sure as hell wanted to."

Silence.

Jay opened his eyes again, meeting hers. They weren't scared anymore. Just... tired.

"They didn't." His lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but couldn't. "And they won't. I'm still here."

Zane pressed an ice pack to his ribs, murmuring something calm and clinical, but I couldn't hear it over the pounding in my ears. Rue had sunk into the armchair, staring at Jays blood on her hands like she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. Lloyd was pacing again, muttering curses under his breath. Cole just sat heavy on the floor, head in his hands, his shadow stretched long across the room.

People out there still hated him. Some people, not all—but some was enough to be dangerous, and I don't think any of us wanted any more danger.

And yet Jay looked at me, blood on his face, barely holding it together, and all he said was, "I'll be okay, Kai. I've got you guys."

Something inside me twisted hard enough I thought I'd be sick.

He furrowed his brow. "We've got this. Heck, Ninja never quit after all."

I nodded weakly. Because if he could find strength in us, then I'd burn myself alive before I let that go out.