"Hey there Kai!" Jay called out as he ran into the valley. The Fire Dragonblood looked up in surprise from his special blade, which he had been cleaning for who knows how long.

"Jaybird, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again?"

"Class was unusually short today, want to know why?" He grinned and the dragonblood examined him closely. His eyes suddenly shot wide open and motioned for the freckled teen to stop walking.

"You used flowers to knock out the dragonblood and I know that because they're still in your pocket!" He snarled and Jay reached into his pocket and felt the petals of the flowers brush against his fingers. He chuckled nervously as he walked back up the path and quickly threw the small flowers away. After making sure they wouldn't come back in the valley's direction, he walked back down the trail.

"How did you know they were in my pocket?"

"Flowers are like smoke to dragonbloods, we can smell them in the air but as long as they don't get too close nothing will happen."

"Then why didn't you notice when we crashed?"

"We were flying with the wind so the smell was blown away from us and I wasn't expecting to go left until you drove us into it." He glared lightly and Jay almost laughed at the mistake he had made this morning.

"Sorry about that."

"I guess it was partly my mistake." Kai sighed. "We should both be more careful, it could've turned out much worse."

"How?" He frowned.

"Well, while I was growing up sometimes I would hear stories about younger dragonbloods accidentally crashing into fields like that one, and falling asleep." He explained. "They can't wake up because they're constantly surrounded by the plants, and no-one can go get them out or else they'll end up just like them, so they just lay there sleeping... slowly dying."

"Oh..." Jay muttered sadly. They sat in silence for a minute or two, almost as if they were remembering the unfortunate ones. Kai broke the silence, and for a moment Jay wishes he had recorded the following line.

"Well, I guess you kinda saved me back there so...um..." He trailed off and made a coughing sound, but Jay defiantly heard him mutter a quick thank you under his breath.

"What was that?" He smirked but Kai looked away, almost ashamed of himself.

"I didn't say anything." He huffed and Jay started laughing as the dragonblood rolled his eyes. Sometimes Kai really did just act like a kid, and even though Jay hadn't known him for long it just seemed so out of character.

"What? What's so funny?" He asked, giving the ginger-haired teen a serious look, Jay wasn't affected.

"You act like such a little kid at times!"

"What do you mean sometimes? For all you know I could run around this pit chasing butterflies and making daisy chains." He counted and Jay immediately stopped laughing.

"Do you really?" He asked and Kai gave a look that said what do you think and Jay just sighed, lying down to try and stop himself from giggling again. The thought of Kai skipping around making daisy chains had him in stitches.

"Do dragonbloods have any other general weaknesses?" He suddenly asked and Kai raised his eyebrows at the question.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Pwease?" He begged as gave him a look that has never failed before, puppy eyes. Kai sighed, before scooting closer to him. He stuck his thumb out and placed it just below Jay's ear.

"There."

"So what does that do exactly?" He asked and Kai seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"A gentle pinch there will knock any dragonblood out cold, not just asleep, unconscious... takes at least an hour or two to wear off... and it only works on their right side."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but try not to use it too much." He warned and Jay couldn't help but grin, trying to casually put his arm around Kai's neck, but of course, the brunette noticed, standing up. "No, you don't." He growled and Jay's grin widened as he stood up. Kai smirked, before suddenly running off. Jay smiled, chasing after the Fire Dragonblood.

Even just on foot, though, he was much faster than Jay.

Kai played with him like a cat with a ball of yarn, letting him get close enough to catch up to him before sprinting off again, but it was pretty fun, and Jay swore sometimes he almost reached him without him noticing. Kai darted around a tree, Jau following, but he didn't see some of the roots sticking out of the ground and tripped, bringing Kai down with him.

It took them a second to realize what had happened, but Jay managed to jump closer to Kai before he got up.

"You're not getting away this time!"

"No, don't!" He growled playfully as Jay tried to reach for his neck while he hit the human's arms away. They were both laughing the whole time, and after a few minutes Jay gave up.

"You win." He laughed breathlessly.

"I always win." He smirked arrogantly and Jay rolled his eyes. Neither of them went to get up, so they just lay under the old tree, silently enjoying each other's company.

"It was pretty cool when the Earth Dragonblood fell asleep; no-one knew how I did it."

"Really?" He asked, his voice wasn't sarcastic at all, he sounded genuinely surprised by the fact.

"Yeah, I doubt anyone else even know dragonbloods fall asleep around flowers."

"Seriously? No one's ever wondered why we stay clear of the florist or any places with large flower beds?"

"Nope, I guess since things can be destroyed from a distance they never made the connection." He shrugged and he heard the brunette chuckled, and mumble something like about stupid humans, but Jay didn't protest, because looking back on it, he realized it was a pretty big thing to just overlook. It wasn't like everyone had a lot of flowers, but places that did were rarely robbed or burned down.

While he was thinking, Jay remembered something he had been meaning to ask the Fire Dragonblood for a while now.

"Do you ever get cold here?" He asked as he looked over at the brunette, who looked back at him in confusion.

"What makes you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Well... to be honest, it's an improvement from where I usually stay, so I'm gonna have to say no."

"That's good." He sighed, looking at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, causing the clouds to paint the sky in a beautiful pink and bright orange. It was a gorgeous sight, but like anything nice, it came with a hidden catch. Jay would have to leave now unless he wanted to walk home in the dark.

"I better go." He groaned quietly, standing up. Kai nodded, standing as well.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, bye." He smiled as he walked out of the valley and started heading home...

****************

It was really starting to get dark by the time Jay got back into Ninjago. The smile was still on his face as he thought back about earlier, just messing around with Kai like they had been friends for years, at least, he hoped they were now friends. It would be nice if they could just spend more days like that, but they both had more important things to worry about. For Jay, it was not dying in that ridiculous training. For Kai, Jay guessed it was learning to fly again and getting back to the dragonbloods' secret lair.

Jay couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

After spending so long with Kai sometimes it was hard to believe he really was a dragonblood, let alone one of the most feared Ninjago had ever known. Jay was almost at his house when he walked past the arena and saw the door wide open. Edna never forgot to lock the door, Ed maybe, but not his wife. Even if she did she would never leave it wide open. Jay's mind told him to ignore it but his curiosity got the better of him. As quiet as physically possible, he crept through the door.

The lights were still off and it looked like no one was here, but Jay listened anyway.

The sound of gentle footsteps came from the stairway to the booth Ed and Edna watched their lessons from. Jay held his breath, walking over towards the stairs. He suddenly turned to face the culprit, and almost passed out relieved when he realized who it was.

"Zane, what are you doing here?" He hissed and the paler teen nearly jumped out of his skin, looking over his shoulder at Jay.

"Jay! Don't scare me like that!" He whispered.

"Sorry, just what are you doing here?" He asked. They both kept their voices to a whisper since in the near-silent arena they could hear each other fine without the need to raise them.

"Come on." Zane sighed, before motioning upstairs. He started running upstairs, two at a time, and Jay had no choice but to follow him and make sure he didn't do anything crazy.

"Zane, we really shouldn't be doing this." He cautioned but by the time he caught up to the older boy he was already standing in Ed and Edna's booth, leaning as far as possible over the rail without falling over. A small notebook was in his left hand and a pen in his right, his icy blue eyes shining with something Jay didn't understand.

"Amazing aren't they?"

"Amazing?" He asked as he followed Zane's gaze, and gasped. From here he could see the whole arena, but that wasn't the best part. He could see inside the cages where the captured dragonbloods were kept. The Wind Dragonblood was pacing around its cage, the Ice and what Jay believed to be the Poison Dragonblood appeared to be talking to each other through cages. The cutest scene to Jay, however, was the Lightning and Earth Dragonblood.

They were curled up asleep in the corner next to two each other, a wall of vengestone bars the only thing that separated them.

"It's amazing, I mean everyone says they're so vicious but if you actually manage to find them when they don't feel threatened...they just socialize and play just like humans do," Zane explained in awe. "It's so confusing; you just don't know what to believe anymore." He added as Jay looked between the cages. The dragonbloods looked like they were all in prison cells.

"Why am I suddenly ashamed to be human?" He suddenly said without really thinking and Zane laughed.

"Sometimes I felt the same way." He admitted as he closed the book and passed it to his friend. Jay couldn't help but it was similar to his own. Sketches with notes here and there, messy yet perfectly organized. "But if I managed to get enough evidence, to prove that not all dragonbloods are dangerous, we wouldn't have to fight these wars all the time." He explained and Jay looked at him in amazement. The boy who had been so sure the Fire Dragonbloods were evil, doing so much to prove dragonbloods were not all guilty.

"What 'inspired' you to do this?" He asked and Zane chuckled, before looking back over the arena.

"I just don't think it's fair that spirits are judged as a whole, it's like saying one person commits a crime so you need to throw all humans in jail." He explained and Jay knew his next question would lead to a very difficult conversation, but he just had to ask.

"Do you still think Fire Dragonbloods are bad?" He asked and Zane frowned but seemed to understand what Jay was really asking.

"If a person commits a crime, you don't through the whole human race in jail." He admitted. "You take that one individual to court, analyze the case and then reach a verdict; but I've... seen the evidence, and have already made my decision, guilty." He added coldly. Straight away Jay knew what Zane was talking about, his mother and little brother. Jay smiled sadly, before trying to lighten the mood.

"Aren't there usually 12 on a jury?" He asked and Zane laughed weakly, shaking his head.

"You certainly are a strange one Jay Gorson."

"Thank you, I do try." He smiled as Zane skim-read the page, before looking up and gasping. Jay turned to face the final two cages Zane was looking at. The Lightning Dragon had put its arms through the bars to wrap around the sleeping Earth, who had somehow fit its head through the vengestone bars and was resting on the Lightning's lap.

"Why must they make me feel so terrible for being human?" Jay groaned.

"And that brings me to the only question I cannot answer." Zane sighed and Jay looked at the boy in curiosity, and the taller teen understood the message. "They're superior to us in practically every way; strength, agility, endurance, they could easily kill us all and never have to put up with this again, et they don't." He explained as he motioned to the cages, and Jay realized it was true. "They endure all this pain, but why? Could it be they don't really want to steal from us? Or is it because they think they have enough blood on their hands? Or do they truly fear us?"

"Why must you do this to me, Zane? Now I need to know!" He exclaimed and Zane grinned, before checking the time on his cell phone.

"Sounds like we both do, but for now, sleep awaits." He said as Jay looked at his own phone and saw it was just past eleven.

"Yeah, more training tomorrow." He groaned as they both made long faces. They started walking downstairs when suddenly, they both froze and Jay felt his blood ran cold when they heard footsteps.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" Ed's voice called out. Zane quickly ran over to the wall and slammed his fist against it. Jay turned to him, wide-eyed, wondering if he was trying to get them caught, but then, to Jay's amazement, the wall shifted and revealed a small passage. Zane ran through and Jay quickly slipped into the passage as closed, leaving no trace they had ever been there. They could still hear Ed through the wall, and Zane motioned silently for them to start walking.

Using their phones light, they walked through the pathway for roughly ten or so minutes, before Zane came to a halt.

He tapped the ceiling and then pushed it out, before climbing through the hole and then helping his friend out. Jay looked around and couldn't believe where they had come up.

"The great hall?" He asked out loud as Zane dusted off his clothes.

"Yep, it's an old passage they used when they first built the arena." He explained and Jay's eyes widen.

"That would make it over a hundred and twenty years old!" He explained and Zane grinned.

"True; well... I best be off." He sighed as he walked out of the great hall and Jay stood still in thought for a quick minute, before leaving as well. He casually walked back to his house before collapsing on the couch, too tired to walk upstairs. The fire was still roaring, and he fell asleep looking at the orange flames dancing on the black charred wood...