Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin because it's fun. Hah, spin. You get it!? I'm funny!

Don't really have anything to say about this. It's a series of short stories set in chronological order, in which Zane talks to the other characters about things to do with family. This chapter takes place at some point between the two pilot episodes. That's all.

"Bonds of Blood, Ties of Friendship"
Started Dec 24th 2015

Chapter One: Kai

Zane paced the monastery walkway, agitated. It wasn't long after the disaster at the mine, when Kai had screwed up everything. He was usually fairly even tempered, but he just couldn't shake the irritation. Perhaps it wasn't his place to lead the team – that job fell to Cole – but he still took the safety of the team to heart. When one teammate disobeyed the rules, they all suffered for it. Someone could have been hurt, or worse.

So caught up in his frustration, Zane didn't notice the other ninja until he almost ran into him. Pulling up short, he gave Kai an annoyed look. Kai returned it in kind.

"You got a problem, snow cone?" Kai grunted.

"I do, actually," Zane started, but Kai didn't give him a chance to continue.

Throwing up his arms in a rage, Kai yelled, "Geez, not you, too! I just got finished listening to Cole rant for like an hour! What IS it with you guys!?"

"Do you have an issue with the safety of the team?" questioned Zane.

"What team? Who said I wanted to be part of a team? I just want to rescue my sister and go back home."

"And you figure the best way to do that is by endangering yourself and those around you?"

"Hey, no one asked you to join me. I could have done it on my own."

Zane didn't reply right away. It was difficult to get him truly angry, but something about Kai triggered his temper. Still, he bit back his retort and took a moment to think about the situation. "And if you hadn't? What then?"

"Yeah, that's what Cole said, too," grumbled Kai.

"Then perhaps you should listen to him."

"Whatever."

Zane narrowed his eyes. "I can imagine what Cole must have said. Did he suggest that, were you to be hurt or killed, you wouldn't be able to take care of your sister anymore?"

"I'm not stupid! I know that!"

"Did you ever think about who would?"

That brought Kai up short. He spluttered angrily for a moment before falling silent. It was clear to Zane that Kai hadn't even considered the question until now. The sight of Kai unable to hide his panic actually managed to calm Zane down.

"Your heart is in the right place, Kai, but you need to use your head a bit more."

Kai just grumbled in response and started to stalk off. For a moment, Zane was content to just watch him leave, but something changed his mind. Taking quick strides, he caught up to the fire ninja.

"Kai?"

"What?"

"Tell me about your sister."

Kai stopped and turned to face Zane, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zane shrugged. "I do not know your sister, so I do not feel as fervently about her rescue as you do. Don't misunderstand, I will still help because it is the right thing to do, but perhaps if I knew more about her, it would help." And, Zane suspected, it could help strengthen their team bond, but he didn't say that aloud.

Kai mulled this over for a moment, studying Zane. So far, he really hadn't taken the time to get to know the others. Jay seemed interesting, but he could be so childish sometimes. Cole spent too much time yelling at him. Zane had initially struck him as standoffish, yet here he was, trying to engage him in conversation.

"Okay, why not?" he said finally.

The two sat down on the monastery stairs. An awkward silence fell, Zane waiting for Kai to start. Finally, Kai let out a breath and slapped his knees.

"I don't know where to start," he said. "I mean, Nya's… just Nya. She's my little sister and the only family I have left in the world. After our father passed away, it became my job to look after her." Kai's expression became fierce as he stared at the ground. "And a fine job I've been doing of it so far."

"It's not your fault," said Zane, placing a hand on Kai's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"Yeah, right." Kai sighed. "To be honest, I kinda thought Nya might have been able to free herself by now. She was always the one who excelled in martial arts. Until now, all I really knew were swords."

Zane nodded. "She would have sought you out by now if that were the case, so it does stand to reason Samukai still has her."

Kai clenched his fist. "He's gonna pay for that."

"Yes," agreed Zane. "But don't forget to let us help."

"If you can keep up with me, sure."

Zane's expression became unreadable. Kai frowned. "Hey, if it were your sister in trouble, you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same."

"I…" Zane trailed off. He actually couldn't tell Kai anything of the sort. He didn't even know if he had a sister, let alone how he would react if she were in danger. He would like to believe he would do the right thing and trust the team to help, but he really didn't know. "I can't say that I would."

"Geez, Zane. Really?"

Zane blinked at the hostile response. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"Are you seriously telling me you wouldn't do everything in your power to rescue a family member?"

"No, I am saying that until I had knowledge of a family member that has been kidnapped, I do not know how I would react."

"Are you always this… calculating?"

"I do not know what you mean."

"Don't you ever do anything without thinking it through, first? No spur of the moment reactions at all? You're like a machine, cold and practical to a fault."

Zane was hurt by Kai's accusation, but after thinking it over for a moment, he realised Kai wasn't wrong. "Not that I can remember, no."

Kai smirked. "Well, give it a try sometime, okay?" He slapped Zane on the shoulder before getting to his feet and running off, presumably off to wherever he had been heading beforehand.

Zane watched him go, feeling more confused than anything. He wasn't sure if he'd gotten through to Kai or not. He supposed only time would tell.