Chapter Text
Time never stopped, no matter how much it might have felt that way; it continued on its course as it always had, caring about nothing but its own existence, without even glancing at those trapped in the webs of its past. It didn't consider stopping the first time he lost her, much less the second, and it certainly wouldn't do so what seemed to be the third time; when he believed history would repeat itself once more, subjecting him to a suffering that, though all too familiar, he refused to experience again. He knew no one could blame him for that. After years of being apart, all he asked for was the chance to spend with his beloved the life they'd never been able to live, something that seemed too much to be granted to them.
She lay on the ground, her breaths too faint to be noticed from a distance. A few years ago, perhaps his emotions would have driven him to rush to her side, but he was no longer that person, no matter how hard he tried to change it. In an instant, a rage born of pain overwhelmed him, squeezing his chest and spreading through his limbs. Tears welled up in his eyes in desperation as he ran towards the culprit with a single goal in mind, every trace of reason abandoning him.
He had to kill him.
He sensed his friend's helplessness in trying to stop him, the last remnant of the person they knew dodging them so as not to hurt them. Amid their pleas, they told him that she would be all right, that they had to back off before anyone else got hurt —including him—, but it was already too late. The strength of three men wasn't enough to quell the desire —the need— to tear his enemy to shreds, to wound him, and to toy with his misery until he had the mercy to end his life. He would make him regret even thinking of hurting the person he loved most; he wouldn't leave him with any option but to beg for his forgiveness. He would make sure he was incapable of harming anyone else. He knew that feeling better than anyone else there, and he would give up his own sanity if it guaranteed that she would never have to face it.
“Jay, please, stop!” Kai cried. “I know how you feel, but this isn't right!”
He tried to grab his arm, preventing him from continuing to strike his opponent's —now disfigured— face, but Jay pushed him away with his elbow. No thoughts crossed his mind, nothing but the instinct to destroy the being in front of him. He grabbed his head and slammed it repeatedly against the rock where his body lay, disfiguring him until he was unrecognizable, until fragments of his skull flew off.
“Shit! Shit, shit!” Cole shouted. “H-He killed him!”
“Jay, stop!” Zane pleaded. “He's already dead! You killed him! Please, don't keep going!”
Jay stopped dead in his tracks and looked at his hands, now drenched in blood that wasn’t his own. He turned his head slightly towards the others, his vacant gaze speaking for itself. He stood up and walked to the opposite side, turning his back on his companions; his breathing was ragged, and his vision was strangely blurred on one side.
“None of you will tell Nya about this,” he demanded with chilling seriousness.
“Jay, I don't think-” Kai said.
“Nothing, Kai! No one will say a word!” He turned around, stepped closer to him, and held his gaze defiantly. “We'll forget this ever happened, and what just happened won't happen again, okay? Not a single word. Ever.”
“You're making a big mistake.”
“That's my problem, not yours. You don't have the slightest idea what I went through, so I get to choose how to handle it. We won't talk about this again, and if any of you gets the brilliant idea to bring it up, believe me, I'll find out.”
There was a long silence. Everyone else nodded, a deep sadness on their faces. From that day on, nothing was the same, but in reality, everything had changed long ago. It only took one mistake, one lapse, and one sacrifice for everything to collapse. More than a misfortune, Jay was a warning, the beginning of a disaster foretold years ago. It wouldn't be long before the others fell into the same abyss where he now dwelled.
Suddenly, a voice —sweet and serene— called to him from afar.
“Jay.”
“Jay.”
“Jay, you're okay. Everything's fine. I'm here.”
Jay opened his eyes. It was Nya, looking at him with concern. She had changed a bit since then —or rather, almost entirely— but not just physically. She had cut her hair; it now fell slightly above her shoulders, layered but still retaining its natural waves.
“Did you dream about that again?” She asked, stroking his cheek. “I'm fine, see?” She said, letting her gaze sweep over her body from head to toe. “We're fine.”
Jay smiled.
“Yeah, it was that again,” he sighed. “Years have gone by, and it seems I still haven't gotten over it. And, to be completely honest with you, I don't think I ever will.”
“You will,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “I'll be there for you through it.”
Jay was silent for a moment, realizing what day it was.
“I'm sorry, I almost forgot. Happy anniversary,” he said, kissing Nya's ring before taking hold of her hips, pulling her even closer to him.
Nya gave him a mischievous look, grabbed his shoulders, and turned around, ending up on top of Jay.
“I was waiting for you to say that. If you'd really forgotten, I don't know what would've become of you,” she laughed.
“Hm, really?” He kissed her lips, cupping her face in his hands. “I think you know perfectly well.”
He looked at her for a moment, waiting for her to nod so he could slide his hand under her blouse, cupping one of her breasts and running his thumb over her nipple. Nya moaned and threw herself onto his neck, leaving the marks of her teeth on his skin.
“Let's…” She catched her breath. “Let's save this for tonight, okay?” She said, lying back on the bed only to sit up seconds later.
Jay nodded.
“I'll be waiting until then,” he winked. “How about some fried eggs for breakfast?”
“I'd love that.”