"Zane Julien..." Sensei muttered as he approached the massive mansion. "I didn't even know Julien had a son."

He knocked at the door, the Julien crest donning the polished wood. A butler answered the door, and raised an eyebrow.

"Can you not read? The sign clearly says-"

"I know what the sign says. This is urgent."

"The Master is not expecting any visitors right-"

"I'll only need a minute. Please."

The butler thought for a minute, and then sighed. He disappeared into the house, and Julien appeared a few minutes later, long white hair tied back into a ponytail. He wasn't old by any means, but the white hair ran in his family. As did the insane fortune the entire family possessed, which meant that this man's son was likely to be as spoiled as his father. Hopefully, the teen took after his late mother.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly, his teeth white enough to star in a toothpaste commercial. "I'm very busy, old man."

"I only want a minute. Your son-"

"I don't have a son," He responded coldly, too quick to be true. "Leave."

"But I-"

He was cut off with a slam of the door to his face. Wu almost knocked again, but instead just sat on a bench near the doors of the mansion. A few hours later, a small figure appeared out of the side of the house holding a bucket, a long cloak obscuring any of its features. Sensei hastily made his way over, and the person froze in their tracks when they heard his footsteps.

"Excuse me, I would just like to ask you a few questions," Wu approached, and the figure removed the hood. A young teenager with white hair stared back, eyes scared and nothing like the cold determination Julien possessed. "What's your name?"

The boy froze, unsure of what to do, before he pointed to his throat and shook his head.

"Are you sick?"

Another head shake.

"Wait, are you mute?"

A nod. The teen flinched like Wu was going to reach out and smack him, and the implications of that alone made Sensei's mind go crazy with everything that could've happened to the boy.

"Are you Zane?"

The boy nodded slightly, dumbfounded. Now that he knew who he was for sure, Zane did look an awful lot like his mother. The same shade of blue eyes, and a short stature. He couldn't have been taller than five foot seven. Then again, he was still young.

"Do you know any sign language?" Wu asked, and Zane winced. Setting the bucket down, Zane made a few motions, but quickly drew his hands back, crossing his arms.

"I'll take that as a yes. How would you like to come with me? I can promise you a better life," Sensei offered, and saw the spark in the boy's eyes. He nodded eagerly, ditching the cloak. Under it, he wore a simple white button down with black dress pants. Casual attire for such an important family.

"Do you have anything you want to grab from the mansion?" Sensei asked, and Zane shook his head, glancing back only for a brief moment. "Well, let's go then."


"There's another one? And here I thought Jay was bad enough!" Cole jokingly rolled his eyes, and Jay elbowed him.

"Contrary to Jay, you may have to be more careful with your jabs, Cole."

"And why is that?" Jay asked.

"He comes from an abusive family, and even the smallest gestures may cause him panic."

Any laughter in the two students' eyes drained quickly.

"Oh," Cole said awkwardly, and Sensei left to retrieve his new pupil. When he returned, Zane trailed close behind him, practically stepping on his shoes.

"Hi," Jay said softly. "What's your name, kid?"

Zane froze, and Sensei realized he had forgotten to tell them about the whole mute thing.

"His name is Zane. My apologies, I forgot to tell you both. He's mute."

Jay's mouth quirked into a weird smile.

Hi, my name's J-A-Y. I know sign language, if that helps. Jay signed, and Zane stared before signing back tentatively.

Why do you know sign language? You are clearly not deaf or mute.

I had a deaf friend growing up.

"Um, am I supposed to know what's going on?" Cole asked, and Zane quickly signed sorry before shrinking back. Jay shot him a dirty look, and started signing again.

It's alright, that's C-O-L-E. He's loud, but a real nice guy once you get past the gruffness.

Where do you keep your paper and pens? I am supposed to write, not sign."

"What?" Jay said verbally, confused. "I'm fairly sure signing is normal, dude." It was then that he noticed that the boy's hands were shaking.

"Woah, are you ok?" Cole went to grab his hands to steady them, but Zane flinched, pulling away. Cole stepped back, remembering what Sensei warned them about.

"Stop," Sensei said softly, as not to alarm Zane even more. He was wide-eyed, waiting for a blow or a hand around his neck or anything else that would leave a mark visible for days afterwards.

"Yes, Sensei," Both ninja answered quietly in unison, bowing slightly. He motioned for them to leave, and they did, Jay glancing back as he left with worry written all over his face.

Zane's heart was still hammering, but the panic in his eyes was slowly dying down.

"You're safe here, Zane. I promise. I know it'll take you a while to believe it, but no one here is going to hurt you," Sensei said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Zane tensed, but slowly relaxed, his shaking fingers stilling.

"Now come, I'll show you to your room. We can go shopping tomorrow for new clothes for you. For now, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in those clothes." Sensei led Zane though the hallways, the boy trying to create a mental map of the monastery in his head. Escape routes were always useful. For now, he just had to trust that he wouldn't have to run anytime soon, and that his new Sensei wasn't lying when he said that no harm would come to him in this strange, unfamiliar place.