What the Tide Brought In (Ninjago AU)

Chapter 4

As usual, Jay had gotten to their secret place earlier than he was expected. He didn't mind waiting, he was patient enough and he loved to watch Kai's face brighten up from the rocky pathway when he searched for him amidst the waves. His smile was one of the most beautiful things Jay had seen in his whole life and it made him feel warm and jiggly, especially when he knew he was the reason behind Kai's smile.

He really liked Kai.

Like a lot.

The boy seemed different from other people; he was tender and funny, and cute and strong! He must have been to endure the pain of his parents' loss all alone for so many months.

Jay felt like he could really trust Kai. No —Jay owed the boy some trust. Kai had lowered his walls and let him in when he shared his pain with Jay, it was only fair that he returned the action.

He clutched the small seashell in his hands, close to his heart, which had never beaten so fast. To say Jay was nervous was an understatement. What if Kai didn't like his gift? What if he thought he was being weird again? What if he didn't accept him for what he was? Jay's determination was as steady as a rollercoaster; one second he was determined to tell Kai everything, and the next minute he just wanted to swim away and forget he ever met the boy —the latter would be the 'easiest' option certainly. Yet Jay found himself unable to withdraw from Kai, he already felt connected to the boy in a way he couldn't explain. Was that how it felt when you met 'that special one'?

Chickening for the last time, a small pebble fell down from the wall of rocks and splashed him. Jay looked up, immediately recognizing the red mass that was Kai's favorite t-shirt. The boy waved at him and, with practiced moves, slid down the wall, stepping swiftly down the rocky pathway until he reached the lowest part where Jay was waiting for him.

He could do it, Jay tried to prompt himself. Of course he could! Kai was a good person! He would understand, he would accept him.

"Hey, Jay," Kai chirped. "Have you been waiting much?"

Jay shook his head lively, and it was Kai's genuine smile that helped him gather the tiny bit of confidence he needed to proceed with his confession.

"Kai, Jay has got a-" he tried to say as he lifted his arms to offer him the seashell.

"Over here!" Kai shouted over his shoulder, waving a hand in the air. Jay didn't understand what was happening until he caught voices he had never heard before.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming, Kai."

"Boy, this place is cool! I'd love to come here for some climbing."

"I'd advise not to, the ground is quite slippery. It doesn't look much safe for such purposes."

Three boys and a girl who looked much alike to Kai made their way down the rocky path that Kai had taken seconds earlier. Jay's eyes widened with terror as his pupils shrank till they were almost non-existent, he moved away from the group as Kai started making presentations.

"Guys, this is Jay. Jay, these are my friends; Lloyd, Cole, my sister Nya, and Zane"

They all waved at him exchanging greeting, which made Jay's eyes move nervously from one person to the other. He was starting to hyperventilate. Why were these strangers here?

"Wow, you must really like swimming if you've been waiting here all this time. I couldn't believe it when Kai told us," said the blond by the name of Lloyd, and Jay felt his heart shatter. Kai had told them about him? Why would he do that? Jay thought he was Kai's secret, he thought Kai was a nice boy, he thought they shared... a special bond.

It only clicked in his mind then; these people could probably swim, or at least, judging by Kai's stories, the tall black-haired boy known as Cole could. And out of the whole group, he was the scariest one with that bulky figure.

Jay couldn't think, he didn't have time to ponder any further on Kai's motives for doing this. Jay had to flee right that instant! His life was on the line!

Taking the shell he had been hiding in his hands, he blew on the smallest end furiously, a soft tune came out of it, followed by a not-so-small wave that engulfed him and crashed against the rocks with a violent splashing that soaked the whole group of teenagers almost from head to toe.

The youngsters yelled and shrieked.

"Kai! What the heck, man! You said there weren't any strong waves here!" Cole complained looking at his ruined pants.

"Tides are unpredictable," Zane mouthed taking his glasses off to try and clean them with the back of Nya's shirt, which had remained dry enough for that purpose.

Kai grabbed Lloyd's arm for support as he felt the ground turn slippery under his sneakers. He leaned forward slightly and scanned the nearby water. "Jay? Jay! Where are you? Are you alright? Jay, answer me!" He called desperately but the other boy was nowhere to be seen.

"What did just happen?" Lloyd asked him.

Kai was lost for words, his friend had completely vanished.

"I... don't know..." He managed to mumble.

♦♦♦

Jay swam. He swam like his life depended on it. Oh, wait, it did!

He hoped the small shell had played its magic and distracted the group of kids long enough for him to get away. If they somehow followed him, he was screwed.

He stopped after a while, hiding behind a coral formation. The fast movement of a small fish passing by his face startled him. He looked up at the bright watery roof that trembled softly in synch with the current. He was far enough, wasn't he? Fear ran again through his cold veins, and with a flick of his tail, he propelled himself and swam further until he reached the small cave he had been using these past weeks as a house.

Jay tried to calm down. No human could dive this deep just with their lungs alone; he was safe, nothing could harm him there —nothing except his own aching heart.

Why? After he'd even told Kai he didn't want to meet them, why did the boy ignore his wishes and brought those humans to their special place?

Well, obviously, because they wanted to catch him. Kai had surely known Jay was a merman all this time, he probably guessed it the first time they spoke. Jay thought the deep waters would do a decent job at hiding his tail and gills, he had always been thankful that his scales were of a deep blue gradient that mixed easily with his surroundings, but maybe this time they had failed him.

Jay stared at the seashell in his hands. How could he have been so stupid? He'd almost given Kai that magic shell that controlled the sea. He thought Kai would appreciate it what with his hydrophobia, give him confidence, but if the boy had known about Jay's true nature all along... maybe he lied about that, to look vulnerable and steal the mermaids' secrets away. Were his parents even dead for real?

Jay lay down on the weed bed he had made himself and gave another look to the small object before he couldn't control his sadness anymore and wailed in pain, clutching the shell close to his heart.

He had been told since he was a kid that humans were not to be trusted. They were cruel, selfish, destructors. They hunted fish to trap them into glass cages, they contaminated their world throwing their poisonous shit onto the oceans, and they even killed other aquatic peers just for fun. Why did Jay even think Kai would be any different?

The boy's face flashed before him. Maybe it had been his smile; that sweet smile that melted Jay's insides. Or his bright almond-shaped eyes that always looked so beautiful either when they were dry or wet with... tears? Was that the word? Oh, and his voice; Kai's voice was so lively, so perfect for Jay's ears —and that was saying a lot considering how great a mermaid's hearing sense was. But the cherry on top was his feet; those strange tanned limbs with the weird-looking short fingers. It was an adorable sight when Kai wiggled them!

Jay felt another stab in his heart and a louder wail ripped his throat. He felt his eyes swelling and his face grew hotter before he slowly doze off, body tired of every spasm and painful contraction.