Between The Raindrops

Zane Speaks

Being a Nindroid, I never fully understood the strong emotions and feelings that humans are gifted- and in most cases, cursed- with naturally.

But after the death of my father, I developed feelings of grief, loss, and a horrible aching in my heart… sensations I never thought would weld up inside my chest. I felt so feeble, afraid, and alone.

But I was not, and I knew it well.

Kai was an orphan too, and had been for a couple of years.

At first, I was nervous to speak with him on the topic, for I did not want to hurt his feelings, which were very sensitive due to the fact that he'd had a troublesome past.

As a result of all my hesitation, I had begun to avoid the Master of Fire whenever I could.

I am not sure if Kai ever questioned it, or maybe he just did not notice.

Nevertheless, I felt I needed to speak with him… to free myself of the burden of carrying these terrible emotions alone.

And when I finally mustered enough courage, I decided to speak with the Ninja of Fire about my torturous guilt.

That night, it was drizzling outside. I could tell because the raindrops spattered against the roof of Garmadon's monastery at a high frequency, and Kai was nowhere to be found.

I knew of Kai's… interesting habit to stand in the midnight rain and just… stand there. We'd always wondered why he had done this, but we all knew better than to question him aloud.

Now it was time to find out.

With all the hesitance in the world, I stepped out onto the balcony and marched over to Kai.

"Nice night, huh?" The Master the Fire asked without turning from the view of the misted forest ahead, chuckling.

"Indeed. The sunset is beautiful."

We snickered for a moment or two, then fell silent.

But I was tired of silence. So, I broke it.

"Kai, how do you do it?"

Kai whipped around, an expression of bewilderment on his face. "Do what exactly?"

"How do you… how can you stand living with the knowledge that your parents won't be there for you ever again?" I took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh. "I mean, I can't go a second without thinking of my lost creator. But you can do anything, and not be affected by the death of your parents. How?"

Kai gingerly placed his hand on my shoulder. "Zane, I can't go a day without thinking about my parents. Trust me, I know how you feel. After my father died, I went through a long period of mourning and staying locked away in my room. But I realized later that I had a responsibility to care for my sister, my shop, and my village."

"But… how can I stop this horrible aching in my heart that keeps me up at night and haunts my dreams, when I have them, anyway."

"You just have to press on," Kai replied wistfully. "I still long for my father's guidance, but he visits me in my dreams… almost ever night. Sure, it's not the same, but it still gets me through the day…" Kai sighed. "Just remember this: there's always someone out there that cares about you. They may not show as much love toward you as your father, but they still care about you, and that's all that matters. You're not alone."

I gazed up at my companion, concerned. "But… but what if I forget about him?"

"That's not possible. My old man's been… gone for about two years now, but I haven't forgotten. And I never will. And neither will you."

Kai paused for a minute to let the thought sink in, then said, "Got all that?"

I smiled and chuckled, "I guess so…"

"Good. Now, let's get to bed, before Sensei Garmadon finds us and questions me about this… habit."

As we marched inside, I thought about Kai's advice, and I realized he had a point. But there was something else that I had to know.

"Uh… Kai? Why do you stand out in the rain?"

"Well, my father and I always stood outside in the rain, because it felt really good during the summer… well, I guess it always felt good. Anyway, my mother would get so mad! It was hilarious! Eventually, we did it just to annoy her. Boy, was she angry with us when she found out about our habit! She always said something about me getting hypothermia, or something."

"I hate to admit it, but your mother had a point," I pointed out, earning an eye roll from Kai. "Standing out in the rain is already a big risk, but at night… well, let's just say your mother had a right to be worried about you."

Kai shook his head. "Whatever."

After that talk, I was desperate to get to bed. Who knew a Nindroid could get so tired?

So eventually, I slipped into a doze, and I was met with a delightful surprise.

"Father?"

"Hello, son. I missed you."