No More Need for Mistletoe

The years prior, Jay would always tag team with Cole to decorate the whole place with holiday cheer, from colorful lights to surprise bunches of mistletoe. But this year the landscape seemed to reflect on Nya's absence from their lives: It looked empty and bare. The ninja had tried their best to decorate like how it used to be, hanging stockings and putting ornaments on the tree, but it just didn't feel the same. Everything seemed to be a reminder of what they lost that day, both Nya, their beloved member of their group, and the laughter that Jay used to bring to the now silent group before he locked himself in a prison of his own thoughts. Remembering that the last time the group had been this down was when they were under the impression that Zane was gone forever, Lloyd suggests that they should come together to open presents like they always did, mentioning that surely Jay had still done something for them as well. Since he grew up in poverty, Jay was never one to buy pricey gifts for the rest, which embarrassed him greatly. The rest of the group never minded this, but he couldn't help but wonder if what he had made them was disappointing compared to what he could've bought if he had been raised by his birth parents. As for how the others really felt about this, they viewed the things that he made as much more valuable, as even though he never thought so, Jay was incredibly artistic; and every year he had gifted each of them intricate drawings unique to their interests. Scavenging for their gifts, the group makes their way to Jay's room, gathered at the door that had seemingly glued itself shut for many months. Cole volunteers himself to be the one to knock, hoping they would have better chances of being let in if he heard the voice of his best friend.

"Hey... Jay?" Cole cautiously starts as he knocks gently on the wood, "Me and the others were wondering if we could come in and open our presents together. Like always, right?"

An array of different forms of agreement from the rest of the ninja followed. For a moment there was only silence. Then a moment turned into a minute, and they began to lose hope. Just as they sulkily turned to leave, they heard a soft creaking and the door pushed open; just enough for them to see a sliver of the master of lightning, who then spoke to them for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Oh- hey guys. Of course you can come in! It's a tradition after all, isn't it?" His voice was hoarse and stained, giving the sense of false cheer.

The group filed in as Jay sat on his bed, he had placed their presents beside him. As they began to hand out and unwrap the gifts, Jay started to open up more. Soon enough traces of a smile started to show on his pink hued face. No one dared to mention the traild of tears stained on his cheeks, nor the present he held in his arms the whole time, wrapped neatly with a silky red ribbon. The label read, "To Nya".