"I've gone blind"

"I've gone blind"

"I've gone blind..."

"I've gone blind."

The three words haunt Nya, even after a week.

The effects of Prime Empire had already started to wear out from the others, but it seemed like Jay's blindness would stick with him. Cole could move again, back to his workouts. Kai had finally recovered from his cold, and Lloyd was starting to vomit less frequently, which was a good thing.

Nya's legs still felt weak, but with each passing day, she gained her strength in her legs back, and was on the road to recovery. She had ditched the crutches a day ago, and instead was back to walking on her own two feet, albeit a bit wobbly sometimes.

However, the issue at mind was Jay, and Jay alone. She didn't care about herself. Jay had been closing himself in more and more, trying to block out the feelings. She had convinced him to move back into her room with him, in which he agreed, but only because he couldn't see around anymore, and needed constant help getting places. However, he still insisted on trying to do things for himself, like right now, where he was making a sandwich in the kitchen while the others were chatting in the living room.

Well, attempting to.

"MOTHER FU-"

Nya got up the quickest, wobbling her way over to the kitchen.

Entering the place, she saw Jay at the counter, a knife in his hand, on the floor, was the bread and ham.

Nya walked over to Jay, and gently grabbed his arm. Jay tensed up.

"Shh.... it's only me" she whispered to him, before he started flailing. His tenseness that was there left him soon after.

She took the knife from his hands, and guided him to the table, sitting him down on one of the chairs.

She quickly went into the fridge, pulling out some more ham, then grabbing a few more pieces of bread, and whipped Jay up a couple of sandwiches.

Placing them in front of him, Nya waited for Jay to start eating them, smiling. However, that smile was dropped when he just sat there, frowning, before giving a sigh.

Nya took a seat next to him, and held one of his hands in her own.

"You okay there Jay?" She asked softly, hoping for a more positive outlook.

He just looked at her, and sighed once again.

"What do you think...... I am useless now." He pushed his sandwich away from him.

"I'm so useless infact, that I can't even make myself food anymore...." it wasn't until he finished the sentence that Nya noticed that tears had hit the table, before Jay hit it next.

"Jay no!" Nya pulled him up by his shoulders and made him face her. She wiped away the tears from his cheeks.

"I am useless Nya, I can't do anything anymore..."

"I don't know why you are even with me still..." He mumbled out, not expecting Nya to actually hear him. Unfortunately, she did.

However, she didn't decide to comment on it. Shouting at Jay would be the worst thing to do right now, so she brought him into a hug, allowing him to cry openly on her shoulders. And he did.

He cried hard.

As if everything that had happened in his life wasn't enough already, he just had to go blind as well.

The worst part of it, was that he would never get the experience of seeing the person he loved, his family, his parents, again.

And Jay couldn't stand the image.

Even with hugging Nya now, all he had was memories of how she looked. The fact that he would have to live not see her for the rest of his life. To grow old with them all, and not see the changes happening.

He always wanted to see Nya and him grow old, for their hair to grow grey and for their humour to stay the same.

The thought that even on their wedding day, he wouldn't see her beauty, see the tears rolling down her face as they gave their vows to each other. Losing his sight wasn't the issue.

It was the days after where it stayed gone.

And Jay didn't want to feel like it anymore.

So he let his tears out, as much as he could.

____________

That night, as Nya cuddled close to him, sound asleep, Jay laid awake, thinking. It's the only thing he could do. Sleeping was haunting him. But even thinking was doing the same.

He in his current state was completely useless to the team, especially in fighting. If he couldn't see the enemy, how would he be able to even fight them? What would he do for the team then? He couldn't see screens, so he couldn't even help co-ordinate the team.

The team hadn't officially mentioned to him that he was no longer on the team, but Jay feared it. He feared he would get the call soon. He had been waiting for it.

He feared that he would be forced to stay at home all day, or even worse, be kicked out, and forced to go back to living with his parents.

He didn't even know if Nya would want to be with him anymore.

After all, how could she love to see a person, if they couldn't even see them back? It didn't make sense. He was waiting for Nya to say that she didn't want to be with him anymore.

And to be honest, he didn't blame her.

And with that fact, he didn't know if he could stay anymore. He didn't want to stay. He didn't want to force himself on the others, being nothing but a liability to them. Jay has felt useless in the past, but not to this extent.

Well, once. But that was reversed.

And with that, he knew what he had to do.

____________

The days passed by, and still on Jay's mind was the issues at hand.

The everyday things had been turned against him; watching movies was a no go now, unless he wanted to hear the actions and music from the movie, as well as Nya's crying for how the movie finished.

Jay couldn't even watch 'Marley and Me' with her now. And he hated it.

The one movie they had been planning to watch for ages, and now he couldn't even be fully there with her to watch it.

Video games were a no go as well, as it is pretty difficult to play Video games when you couldn't see the screen. The time with Cole playing video games for hours was now over.

Inventing anything now was also a no go. When blind, it can be hard to differentiate the feel of a screwdriver and a saw at first touch.

Especially if they are facing towards you.

After two attempts, Nya just took him away from the workshop, and told him it was unsafe for him to work there anymore with her. Hiding how he felt about it from her was the hard bit.

His favourite past-time, gone. No longer able to do the things he loved.

The only thing Jay could do now, is listen to music.

Nya had set him up with a BorgPod, which had hundreds of songs downloaded on there for him. Jay found it relaxing.

In his spare time, he pulled the BorgPod, and scrolled through the music that Nya had put on there for him. Just going through them. Picking out random songs that he liked, and having Nya delete the ones he didn't.

However, even Jay knew it was only inevitable that they were going to ask him to leave, and that he would be alone again.

Flicking through the tunes, he came across one of his new favourites, leaning back on the couch, and plugged his earphones in, humming away.

No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch....

I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night

Oh when I'm like this, you're the one I trust

Jay knew he couldn't stay longer.

It just wouldn't be fair on the others.

____________

Jay may have not got his sight, but he still knew his way around the monastery, and even outside to some degree.

Especially the cliffs.

He had no idea how many steps it was until the edge, but as the minutes went on, he got closer and closer to the non-visible edge, unaware if the next step would be his last, the next minute be the last one he had alive.

He just didn't know.

Step by step, minute by minute, both passed, and Jay still hadn't reached the end. He didn't know if that was more of a relief, or a pain.

"JAY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

That voice.

That Damn, amazing, beautiful Voice. Attached to an equally beautiful person.

"Don't try stop me Nya." He called out to her, taking another step to the edge. He heard her take more steps towards him.

"Jay... please don't..." He could hear the chokes in her voice as she was trying to hold back tiers, trying to sneak up on him before he fell.

"I can't keep living like this Nya, I just can't. Life is pain this way. It's not fair on you all."

Nya edged closer and closer, keeping her voice clear.

"Well we find a way to make it work Jay, just don't jump! Please!!"

Jay turned around, and gave her a smile in her direction. Not one of joy, but of pain.

"I am sorry, Nya, but I don't think it will ever work again."

With that, he ignored his one step a minute rule, and started walking faster.

And then the ground suddenly left.

Before he knew, he felt a tug from his harness that he was wearing.

"GOT YOU!" He heard Nya's strained, emotional voice cry out to him, refusing to let him go over. However, it seemed as if she didn't have the strength to pull him back.

Her legs must still be weak.

As if she had the same thought at the same time, she yelled out.

"SOMEONE HELP!"

Within seconds, another pair of footsteps rushed over, and helped Nya pull Jay up.

Jay fell back, lying on the rocks. Swiftly, a slap came to his face. He didn't need to see her face to knew that she was pissed with him.

"What was that Jay? WHAT WAS THAT?!?!"

"Nya... " He heard his adoptive son tell her, trying to calm her down more.

"No Lloyd, I want to know why he tried to kill himself!"

Jay suddenly felt Nya's arms wrap around him, hugging him tight. Keeping him close? Comforting herself and him? Both? Who knows.

"Don't leave me Jay... please.... I can't go on without you...." Nya sobbed out, tightening the hug on him. Jay felt her face pressed to his chest, the warm tears soaking through the gi. And he felt guilty.

Guilty that he would have to leave them, leave Lloyd, Leave Nya.

It just wasn't fair to them. It was unjust.

And yet he tried anyway.

He tried, and thanks to them, he failed.

And he knew he made a grave mistake.

____________

Sitting back on the couch, a few days later, Jay sighed.

After his little 'fiasco,' Nya had disallowed him from going outside, and made sure that at least someone was keeping an eye on him at all times. Jay sighed. He knew Kai was in the room keeping an eye on him, and he kinda wished he wasn't.

"Kai, are you sure you can't leave me alone?" Jay asked hopefully. It wasn't out of meanness, he just wanted some space. He heard Kai sigh.

"No can do Jay. Nya's orders. If I let you out of my sight for a minute, Nya will kill me, kill you, revive me, then kill me again, revive you, then leave me to rot."

"Ugh" Jay slumped back, groaning loudly.

A few minutes passed on, with Jay only hearing the ticking of their new clock. They didn't usually have it, but they got it for Jay to have something to focus on.

However, the ticking got overshadowed by the sound of the door opening, and a person walking through.

"Wu? You okay?" Kai asked him, sounding concerned.

"I am fine Kai, I just wish to borrow Jay. Don't worry, I'll explain it to Nya"

Without another word, Jay felt a tug on his arm. Getting up, he allowed Wu to guide him around the monastery, and into his mediating room.

"Sit, Jay." Wu asked him. From where Wu stopped him, he must have been opposite Wu's usual mediating spot in the room. Jay took a seat, hesitant of what Wu would say. Wu seemed to pick up on his hesitation.

"You seem tense Jay, are you alright?" He spoke calmly and clearly. Jay knew that lying now would accomplish nothing.

"Well you see Master, I have been concerned that with my blindness, and that it doesn't look like it will ever come back, I am afraid that I am in no use to the team anymore, and that I will be forced to leave." Jay looked down, awaiting the bad news.

However, none came.

Jay looked up, waiting for what he would say, but Wu just hummed.

"And you think that your blindness will fault you?"

Jay sighed. "Yes."

He heard Wu take a sip of his tea, before continuing.

"A ninja can be anything, you have all done so much. Would losing your sight be something you fail to overcome? Sight is not everything to a Ninja. Yes, you may have lost your sight. No, it may not ever come back to you ever again. However, you can train to overcome these obstacles, and I will help you."

Jay was puzzled.

Did he just-

He didn't just allow me to-

"I can stay on the team?" Jay asked, his voice coming out quieter.

"Seeing is not everything, but experience is. Let your sight not be a downfall, but a great weapon in your adventures. That is all."

Without a word, Jay got up, and left the room. Using his knowledge, he started to make his way back to the living room, when he heard shouting coming from that direction.

"WHERE IS HE KAI?!?!?"

Uh oh.

Jay quickly made his way back into the room, before being attacked by Nya with a hug.

"Where did you go?!?!!" She asked panicking, before quickly checking Jay over.

"I went with Wu, he wanted to talk about the future on the team." Nya led him over to the couch, and sat them both down.

"And? What did he say?" Nya questioned.

"He said I could stay" With that, Nya enveloped him into another strong, but soft and caring hug, while Jay rested his chin on her shoulder. Inwardly sighing of relief.

For the first time in a while, Jay felt as if life was picking up.

And in turn, even though it may be a long and hard path to get through this, but with Nya, Lloyd, and the rest of his family by his side. He would do anything.

Even if he had to endure a few hardships along the way.

____________

So there we go!

Well, I decided for the 100 special, my first ever work was based on a two-shot, so I wanted the 100 special to also be a two-shot. I do hope you enjoyed this extra long one.

I would like to thank the Jaya discord for helping me with all they have done, as they have kept me going, kept me motivated through this bleak and dire time.

Although I don't believe I deserve 100 followers, I will like to thank you all for keeping with me through this, and I will say I hope you stick around for 200, if I ever get there...

Thank you all. So, so much. You have really made my time worth it.

And this is it for now, so I hope to see you next time.

- James