***Okay, new longest chapter by about 100 words LOL And three things:

1. The song for this chapter is "Amazing Grace". I know, that's not a thing in Ninjago, but Sel is reminiscing about her mother's funeral, and it fit so stinkin' well...

2. In this AU, it's not common knowledge that there's such thing as a realm crystal. Skylor knows ("At Second Sight" for reference) and the ninja team knows, but the average person does NOT.

3. If you read Seliel's POV from last chapter, you're probably going to ask yourself what's going on in Cole's POV. Let's just say that something in that POV is just a red herring and isn't actually the truth. You'll understand better when you read it in context ;)***

***(Cole's POV)***

"All right," Lloyd says, taking charge. "We were scheduled to use Zane's new training equipment for practice today, but Nya and Kai aren't here, so...what do you guys want to do before we break off and try to find Nya?"

I look around. "Nya and Kai aren't the only ones gone. Let me go get Jay." I sigh, shaking my head. He's not in good shape.

I make my way to the bunkroom. Seliel has to work today, so I won't be seeing her until tonight. I don't like the idea of her being on her feet for ten hours if her leg's injured, but nothing I was going to say could stop her.

This evening, we're supposed to meet up so I can help set her up with Nya's doctor. And we're going to talk more about her staying at the monastery – a prospect that's seeming better and better as I learn more about her past. She wouldn't give me a direct answer last night about whether her father was the cause of her leg injury, and I'm more than a little concerned.

"Jay?" I call, finally reaching the bunkroom.

"Go away," he mumbles, face buried in his pillow.

"No. We're all up for sunrise exercise and training. Once we're done, we're going to split up and search for Nya." I sit beside him, patting his back. "You know, you could make that job a lot easier if you just told us where she was."

"No. She needs to know she can trust me!" He releases a heavy sigh.

"Jay," I say softly, "we all know you're going to go visit her today. We could just follow you, you know."

He flips over, revealing red-rimmed, sorrowful eyes. "Cole, why do I have to lose everything good in my life? My mom, the love of my life...one of my closest friends, if you count Lloyd." He laughs bitterly. "But he made his choice."

I exhale. "I don't know, Jay. Do you want to talk about it? And don't worry – this is about you, not finding Nya." Maybe if he finally opens up, I can persuade him to get counseling.

"Nya told me when she first wanted to run away that she felt like gravel – you know, like she was stuck under a giant rock that totally weighed down her soul."

"Is she depressed, too? I mean, I know she needs to work out some problems in her head, but she's never seemed like..."

"She's good at compartmentalizing her feelings, Cole. She's sad, but unlike me...she's not depressed." He sniffles. "Why am I so emotional? I used to think it made me human, but now...it just makes me weak. I'm not like you guys."

"Aww, Jay, you're not weak."

"Am, too."

I think for a moment. What's the best way to let Jay know he's just as strong as the rest of us? How can I appeal to him best?

"You know," I muse, "I think your emotions are one of the first things Nya found attractive about you. You're so good at relating to her when she's angry or upset, and you know how to have fun, which helps her let go."

He rubs his eyes with his hands. "But she's not here anymore. I feel like I fit in fine when she's around, but when she's not...who am I supposed to be to belong with you guys?"

"You used to fit in just fine, you know," I remind him. "We were best friends."

"But I'm not the same Jay anymore, Cole. I'm a completely different person, and I don't know if I can ever go back to the way I was before." He shakes his head. "I'm worried about Nya, Cole. I don't want to keep her whereabouts a secret from you – and the old me probably wouldn't have – but I feel like I have to prove myself to her."

"Because she doesn't think you really love her?"

"Yeah. I don't know what I've done to her convince her of that, but – "

"Jay, she does think you care for her, but only when it comes to romance. Everything has to come back to you two dating. That's what she doesn't like."

"But I love her! Of course, I want to date her. I'd do anything to get back with her."

"And here we go again. Jay..." I choose my words carefully. "Just come train with us, okay? And then maybe you can get some breakfast, and you and I can hang out while I try to find Nya and you...stall."

"You sure you're not trying to rope me into telling you where she is?"

"I would love it if you told me, but I don't think that's going to happen."

He smiles softly. "I don't think she'll be gone for long, Cole. Don't worry too much. I'm already doing enough of that."

"Yeah, maybe she plans on coming back soon, but what if she falls in with the wrong crowd? What if she's kidnapped into some sort of a trafficking ring or something? She's sixteen, Jay. She's smart, and she's tough, but one wrong move and – "

He sits straight up in his bunk bed, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Gosh, Cole, what – why didn't you mention that sooner?! I didn't even think – I was so concerned about her trusting me...oh, golly, we – "

He suddenly leaps out of bed, pulling his trunk out from underneath the bunk and retrieving his ninja gi. "I'll be ready in less than a minute. Oh, gosh, I didn't think that she could actually be in trouble. I couldn't forgive myself is something happened to her, and she's been gone almost a whole day! Any number of horrible things could've happened to her! Oh, no, I'm – "

"And the master of freak-outs is back," I sigh with relief. "You're going to help us go get her?"

"Yes!" he exclaims. "And I'll just have to hope she forgives me. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to her, though!"

The burden I've been carrying since a few nights ago finally seems to lighten on me. "Thank you, Jay. Let me go inform the others so they'll be ready to head out. Where are we headed?"

"Ronin's. And don't leave without me!"

"Ronin's?" I mentally facepalm. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Just go already!" he yells, rushing into the bathroom to change.

I run down the hall. "Guys!" I shout. "Guys, I know where Nya is!" I throw open the door to the monastery, emerging in the training patio. "Guys!"

Lloyd looks up from the wired vest Zane is showing him. "What's up?" he asks.

"I know where Nya is," I grin, surprisingly out of breath. "Jay told me."

Lloyd drops the vest, and Zane desperately tries to catch it before it falls.

"Where is she?!" Lloyd demands.

"At Ronin's!"

Lloyd's eyes widen. "I – oh, my. I should've guessed. I was just so worried about her..." He shakes his head. "Okay, I'll call Kai. You can get our jet ready, and we'll travel by air. That'll be faster."

Zane places a hand to his forehead. "According to my scanners, it will take us half an hour to get to Stiix, as long as we have sufficient fuel and the current air traffic does not increase."

"According to your..." I shake my head. "Zane, as soon as we find Nya, we're getting your head checked."

Jay races out of the monastery. "I'm here! Are you all ready? Why" – his eyes bug – "why are you all standing around?! Don't you know that Nya could be in real trouble?"

That sets everyone in motion.

After getting the jet set up, we all buckle up to listen to half an hour of Jay fretting over Nya. We don't complain, though – I think we're all just happy to hear him talking. He's usually so quiet nowadays, and that's pretty scary.

Lloyd calls Kai over the jet's Bluetooth. Needless to say, he's relieved and furious at the same time. He told us to go ahead and leave without him, since he didn't want to slow us down – he intends to drive to Ronin's and probably get a speeding ticket in the process.

Thirty minutes later, we arrive in Stiix. We all try to pile out at once, but the jet door isn't really big enough. We get in a momentary traffic jam before Jay climbs over my back, falling over my shoulder and onto the ground. Once he's gone, we actually have space to move, so we all go bursting into Ronin's shop.

"Nya!" Jay yells. "Nya, are you okay? Did – "

"She's not here," says a deep voice. I look over to see a choppily shaved guy wearing a straw hat and reclining his feet on a wooden desk.

Anger flashes over Jay's features. "Ronin."

"Walker. How's it going?" His tone is deceptively jovial.

Jay scoffs. "How can you even ask that?! You killed my mom!"

Lloyd frowns. "How did you even get out of prison, Ronin?"

"Hunted down Ultraviolet when she got out." He shrugs. "The city cleared my record in return."

"Oh, great." Jay plants his hands on his hips. "Because you're just the picture of a righteous citizen!"

I grab him by the arms before he can do something he regrets. "Easy, Jay. This is about Nya, not your birth mom."

Jay's expression only gains in anger. "Ronin, what have you done with Nya? Because if you dared – "

"Relax, kid." Ronin rolls his eyes. "She dropped in yesterday, then left for who knows where. I mean, I have a few ideas, but I'm not telling – not without the right price, at least."

Jay sputters. "We're teenagers! You think we have money?"

"You'd better, or you're not getting information. Nothing in life is free." He picks up a newspaper off his desk and begins flipping through the contents.

Lloyd pulls out his wallet. "How much are you asking?"

"You're actually giving into this guy?!" Jay exclaims.

Lloyd keeps his tone even, trying to calm Jay down. "Trust me, paying Ronin for a little information is much better than using brute force. We want to get Nya as quickly as possible."

Ronin smirks. "The voice of wisdom. Let's start things off with one hundred."

Lloyd rolls his eyes. "No."

"No deal, then."

"Reduce the price by fifty. I know for a fact you're not going to talk much."

Ronin sighs. "I guess you'll never know what happened to – "

"Okay, okay!" Lloyd groans, handing over a bill. "One hundred. Gosh, I wish Nya was here to haggle for us. She's so much better at it."

"She learned from the best," Ronin replies.

I frown. "Wait – Lloyd, how do you have money?"

"I borrowed my mom's wallet. Figured it was for a good cause."

Ronin cuts in. "Okay, for one hundred...Nya left a note for you, Bluebell." He grabs a slip of paper from his pocket and hands it to Jay.

He eagerly opens it and scans the contents, then looks up, panicked. "But – this does nothing to tell us where she is right now! Don't you get that she could be in the clutches of some – "

"Let me look." I grab the note from his hands and quickly read over it.

Jay, I'll be back at the monastery by Monday night. I'm staying someplace safe. Tell Lloyd to fold his laundry, and please apologize to Cole for me for that little scratch on the earth drill's bumper. Take care of yourself. – Nya

I blink. "What was that about a scratch on – "

Lloyd sighs. "This is hopeless, Ronin. What about those places you thought she might be hiding out?"

"One place, actually." Ronin folds the newspaper. "I need more money for that information, though."

"One hundred?"

"Three hundred."

"My mom's going to kill me," Lloyd sighs, handing over three hundred.

Ronin settles the bills in his cash register. "Okay. When I got back yesterday and found Nya gone, I did see a newspaper left laying on the floor. One name had been underlined in pencil."

"Whose?" Jay demands. "I don't want her being alone with some stranger who – "

Ronin interrupts him. "The name was Cliff Gordon."

***(Seliel's POV)***

At four in the afternoon, my early morning shift at work is finally over. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Cole in a few hours, but right now, my feet are swollen, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I really just want to take a nap.

The walk home from my job is half an hour long, so I have time to think about whether I should tell Cole about Nya. She said she'd be back at the monastery within a day, but I don't want him worrying about her. I'm good at keeping secrets, but this one...is different.

***Music Cue***

It's a dark, rainy day – the kind of one you'd see in a romance movie when your favorite couple breaks up. This is much worse than any romance movie, though.

It's the day of my mother's funeral.

I try to hold back tears as I pull my black sweater up to my nose and inhale the scent. It's my mom's – well, I guess it used to be my mom's. It still smells like her, though.

"Why'd you have to leave me?" I choke out, rubbing my nose against the knit fabric. "Mom, I still need you."

But there's no answer. And I have a feeling there won't ever be one.

The pastor who's performing the funeral taps my shoulder. "The service is supposed to start now. Do you want me to hold it off for a few minutes? Just to see if anyone else is coming?"

I look up from my mom's casket to scan the rows of pews in front of me. No one has showed up to celebrate my mother's life – not even my dad, even though he asked the preacher to speak today and set up the funeral at this church.

He's probably getting madly drunk, and I'll end up dealing with it when I –

"Sel?" someone says softly.

I swallow hard and glance to my side. It's Cole.

"You came," I say, for lack of anything better.

His concerned brown eyes study mine, and he hugs me tight. "I'm sorry I'm late, Seliel."

"It's...it's okay. You came. That's better than anyone else did." My voice breaks.

He pulls me tighter, and I know he understands what I'm going through. He lost his mom, too. Cole and I have a connection.

Tears finally have the gall to dribble down my cheeks. "You're the best," I choke out.

"No, I'm not. You deserve better. People who are the best wouldn't have arrived late." He rubs my shoulders. "Let's go sit down, Sel. My dad's waiting outside – you probably understand why he didn't want to come in – but he'll be waiting in the car to drive us to the graveside service, okay?"

"Okay." At least I'm not stuck awkwardly riding with the pastor.

Cole keeps an arm around my shoulders as we locate a pew in the front of the building and take a seat. The pastor deems that as his cue to begin – he speaks of love and loss. But really, who does this guy think he is? Everything he knows about my mom is what he learned by talking to me.

He reassures us that she's happily in the Departed Realm, but I don't even know if that place exists. It's nice, the idea of an afterlife, but I know for a fact the guy who's preaching can't prove it's real. He's still alive, so he can't have been there.

Once the service is over, I head up to the casket to give my mother one last goodbye.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you," I sniffle. "Dad says we're moving – moving someplace hours from here. It's called Nom. But I don't want to go." I rub my hand over my teary eyes.

Cole strokes my shoulder in a silent sign of support.

"I'm going to miss you," I swallow. "I already do. Please, come back. If there's any way...please!" I break down in sobs, and Cole holds me close.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sel," he promises. "I'm here for you."

When he sees I can't say anything else to my mom, he clears his throat and speaks to her lifeless form. "I'm...I'm not much good at this, especially after I lost my own mom – Lilly. You two would've been friends. Too bad you moved here after she passed." He sighs. "But you did a good job raising Seliel. She's turning out just fine."

He kisses my hair. "Do you have anything else to say?" He tilts my chin up so my eyes can meet his.

I shake my head, still blubbering like a baby.

"Let's head out, okay?" He guides me through the church doors and out into the foyer, grabbing his umbrella out of the courtesy holder.

"You didn't tell me you were moving," he says quietly.

"I'm s-sorry," I mumble. "I wanted to keep it a s-secret. I didn't want to h-hurt you."

"You don't have to keep secrets from me, Seliel. You can trust me with whatever's on your heart, okay?" He opens the umbrella, then holds it over us as we walk together outside.

"I have to l-leave behind e-everything I l-love," I force out, the words watery. "I'm leaving Mom...leaving you."

"We can always contact the police, Sel – tell them about your dad's abuse. You still have your bruises from the day before yesterday, so we have proof of domestic violence. Then, once your dad was apprehended, you could stay in Ninjago City. I'd feel better knowing you weren't in his hands."

"I'm not in his hands," I insist. "I can take care of myself, Cole. But I don't want him coming after one of us because we contact the police and make him angry."

"Seliel – "

"Some secrets are better left as secrets, Cole."

I find I've made it all the way back to my trailer, and I blink.

I don't recall anything from the walk home.

I really need a nap.

Shaking my head, I walk into the mobile home and eye the apples Cole left me with last night. I'm hungry, but...

I'm not ready to eat just yet. I'll do it after I get some rest.

Nya pokes her head out of the bedroom. "Hey. I went shopping, by the way – of course, I had to go to a rundown dollar shop where no one would recognize me, but I still went shopping." She walks over to the small fridge and pulls out a carton of milk.

I eye her. "Did you poison that?"

"Dang it," she mutters, eyes gleaming. "She's onto me."

I sigh. "Thanks for shopping for me, by the way. It's...really nice of you." Even if I won't eat half of what she bought.

"You know, I thought you would be happier about that, but okay." She grabs a glass from the kitchen cabinet and pours herself some milk from the carton. "How was your day at work?"

"Mediocre."

"Same. It was kind of boring around here. I never realized how much I enjoyed having Kai and the rest of the guys for company." She takes a big swig from her glass, then swipes a finger over her upper lip. "By the way, I found some weird tech stuff under your dad's bed while I was cleaning. It looked expensive."

Cole's right: Nya and I are similar in a lot of ways. I'm pretty sure our minds are in the same place. If my dad has access to electronics...

"You think he stole it?" I ask.

"There's really no other explanation, unless he won the lottery." She wrinkles her nose. "I'm good with technology, but some of this stuff is even beyond me."

"Huh. Weird." I yawn. "Well, you're welcome to play around with it. Maybe you'll be able to figure out if it was stolen from a particular source with closer observation."

She looks at me sympathetically. "Tired?"

I'm just not good with sympathy, so I brush her off. "A little. I'm probably going to take a nap, so..."

"Okay. What time is Cole coming to get you tonight?"

I shrug. "Around six-thirty, I think."

"Great. I'll hang out in the kitchenette until around six-ish, and then I'll go hide out in the bedroom again, if that's okay."

"What if I said it's not okay?" I smirk.

"What if I said I don't care?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Nya, I do believe we're destined to be frenemies." I shake my head. "What a shame. See you on the flip side, loser." I toss her a wave before heading into the bedroom.

As I look around, I realize that Nya did a pretty good job cleaning it earlier today. However, I do see one stray piece of tech poking out from under my dad's bed.

I pick it up, examining the structural design. I don't have much access to machines unless I'm at school, but I know for a fact this is unusual. It appears to be some sort of...spear? And what's with the glowing power source on the back?

Strange, indeed.

***Okay, so that wasn't surprising/sad/confusing at all. Trust me, Nya is NOT staying with Cliff Gordon, but it needed to be done for the plot ;)***