I would recommend looking over the first two Nya's Journey fanficsbefore reading this one, but it's not required, of course. :)

Finally! Sorry for the wait, I finally found the time to get this written up. Just a reminder, please don't expect any updates next week. I'll be extremely busy, sorry. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago. If I did, the Cole/Nya/Jay love triangle would not exist, and Pythor would have friggin' stayed dead back in season 3. (My least favorite snake. Skales forever!)

Guardian Angel

Nya's eyelids fluttered open slowly and skimmed over her deep, dusky grey surroundings. The bed was warm, but that was partially because the larger body of her fiancé was under the blankets with her.

A warm, sort of fuzzy feeling tickled her chest as she peered through the darkness at his large back. As was proper for any person at this early hour, he was sleeping soundly.

So what had woken her up? It could not be later than three-thirty in the morning. She winced and hugged her relatively flat stomach.

So that's what it was. To her dismay, the unmistakeable feeling of nausea churned her insides.

Reluctantly, Nya reached for the edge of the blanket and threw it away from her body. She shivered as her bare feet hit the floor. She scooped her thin, cotton robe up in her hands and wrapped it around her like a blanket as she darted through the door. It didn't take a genius to figure out that a pregnant woman needed to be close to a toilet twenty-four hours a day.

The hall was dark and silent, save for the sounds of her feet as they carried her to the bathroom. She closed the door and locked it behind her, then got to her knees next to the basin and allowed her stomach to reject last night's dinner. She shuddered as she stood up and washed her hands and face. Her knees trembled as she pressed her palms to the granite counter and examined her eyes in the mirror. They were slightly pink, and the bluish bags under her eyes were screaming the inhumanity of being woken up at such an early hour.

Taking a step back, she pressed her hands over the material of her spaghetti-strapped shirt and examined her belly. How much longer would she be able to hide it? Jay wanted her to tell everyone right away; he was so proud and excited to become a dad, and wanted to show his unborn child off to the world as soon as possible.

After today, she told herself. When the wedding is over, I'll tell them.

A soft knock sounds on the door, making her jump back and wrap her robe around herself in a flash. "Nya?" Zane's soft, whispery voice filtered through the cracks in the door. "Are you all right?"

She should have known. Zane was usually up by this time, wandering around like a ghost as everyone else slept.

Nya tied the rope in a quick knot around her midsection and opened the door. She managed to wrap her mind around the muscles she needed to project a smile and did so as enthusiastically as possible. "G'morning," she whispered. "Sleep well?"

Zane nodded once. He looked excited. "Come with me," he said. "I want to show you something."

Nya held out a hand, which the Nindroid stared at skeptically. "Take it," she whispered. "I'm still tired, and my eyes don't work very well in the dark."

Hesitantly, Zane did so. He pulled her down the hall and through the front doors of the Garmadon monastery.

"What's this about?" Nya asked as she was pulled out into the center of the courtyard.

Zane let go of her hand and pointed at the sky. "Up there," he whispered.

Nya did so. The sky was black, with the slightest hint of indigo trying to make itself known. Stars shimmered brightly all around her in a shimmering dome. "It's pretty," she said through a yawn. "Just like the stars we see every night."

"No," Zane insisted. He pointed again. "Look."

Nya turned her head to the sky once more and watched the stars twinkle. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of a bright tail of light. She gasped. "What was that?" She asked.

The way Zane's eyes lit up and his shoulders rolled back with his light laugh made Nya smile. "A falling star," he said.

Nya joined him in quiet laughter a moment later as wonder flooded her being. "How did you know it was coming?" She asked.

Zane's eyes, though alight, had a certain ambiguous nature that hinted at regret as he blinked at her. "I could just sense it," he said. "You could say that the Future gave us a small gift."

"Huh," Nya said softly. She yawned again.

The humor in Zane's eyes gave way to concern as he watched her cross her arms over her diminutive chest. "Why are you up?" He asked. "It is foolhardy for you to be awake in your condition."

Nya examined him skeptically. "Why are you up?" She countered. "You've been staying up late and waking up early every night for a month. It can't be healthy for you."

Zane shrugged. "I'm fine," he said. "As long as I don't exert myself too much, I can go for long periods of time with a minimal amount of rest."

"Well, what have you been doing?" Nya asked. "All I ever see you do is wander around. You hardly make eye contact with anyone anymore, and you avoid conversations like some sort of disease."

A long moment of silence. Zane shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced over his shoulder at the sealed double-doors of the monastery gate. "Meditating," he said finally. "I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I feel that I just need time to...clear my head."

Nya shifted her weight awkwardly. "Oh," she said. "Yeah, I understand that feeling."

"You do?" The way Zane perked up reminded Nya of dejected dog after being offered a pat between the ears. "So you've have stuff on your mind too, then?"

Nya dipped her head. "Lots," she answered with a sigh. "But my biggest problems aren't gonna go away with meditation."

"Really?" Zane shot another quick glance at the doors. Why did he keep doing that? "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Nya said quickly. She grimaced. Too quickly. "Sorry, Zane. It's nothing personal. I just...need some time to gather my thoughts before I discuss it."

"Isn't gathering your thoughts something achieved through meditation?" Zane asked, drawing an exasperated eye roll from the girl. He smiled, stepped forward, and gestured for her to follow him to the small front door into the monastery. "Go back to bed. You can meditate there while I do my thing out here." He opened the door for her and swept his arm in a grand gesture. "Get at least a couple more hours of sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for you and Jay."

Nya rubbed her eye with the heel of her wrist. "Yeah," she agreed. "I'll do that. Thanks, Zane." She walked through the door and allowed the Nindroid to shut it, setting the thick wood of the door between them. With another yawn- she was tireder than she had originally thought- she padded back down the hall to her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"Nya?" Jay's drowsy voice filled the air. He turned his body and peered at her through the darkness. "You go to the bathroom again?"

Nya peeled off her robe and climbed back into the bed beside him. "Nausea," she explained. "But I'm better now."

Jay draped an arm over her body and pulled her close. "Good," he said. "I'm glad. We don't want you to get sick on our special day."

Nya snuggled close and inhaled his sweet, relaxing scent of spruce needles and soap. It was a unique combination, but it was comforting.

"Zane is awake," she said after a minute.

"Goodness," Jay mumbled tiredly. "Doesn't the guy ever sleep anymore?"

Nya giggled. "Apparently our sweet Nindroid gets his power from meditation instead of siestas like the rest of the world," she joked. "He showed me a shooting star."

A long pause before Jay's body jerked. He snorted and nestled his head deeper into her hair. "Sorry," he mumbled. "You say something?"

Nya curled into his warmth and closed her eyes. "No," she sighed. "It was nothing. Good night."

Jay was already fast asleep.

Zane turned his head to the two huge double-doors. With every passing moment, the feeling that a danger was lurking beyond those walls grew stronger. His sixth sense was screaming the six-letter word over and over in his mind. Danger...danger...danger...

"Not again," Zane moaned. He rested a hand on his katana as he slinked down the steps and ran across the courtyard. "How did they even find me here?"

While he had not been lying to Nya about his meditation, he had another secret reason for his newly gained habit: guarding his sadly naive family.

He opened one of the silent gates a crack and stepped out into the grassy woods of the Tranquil Forest. His booted feet made no noise as he narrowed his eyes and glared into the darkness.

A glimmer of red showed momentarily through a bush before disappearing. It flashed again, and Zane knew that he'd found his target. There! He drew his weapon and charged toward the flicker.

A shadowy figure leapt from the bush, sword drawn, and lunged at Zane. Its attacking techniques were alarmingly similar to the blond Nindroid's; the way that its thrusts were rapid and precise, the way that its wrist twirled when it brought its sword up for a thrust, and the way that it stood on its toes as it leapt backward to avoid one hit after another.

"Cryptor doesn't give up, does he?" Zane hissed softly; he did not want to wake the rest of the team.

"What was your first clue?" The black Nindroid replied sarcastically. "He sent me here with direct orders to eliminate you. He's growing weary of you killing off our men."

Zane threw his katana forward with a grunt, aiming for the android's chest. "Alone?" He asked. "He should have learned after six failed attempts that sending one assassin in the dead of night isn't going to stop me."

The evil Nindroid ducked the blade easily and sidestepped to the right. "Four of those men had been sent to you with a proposition to join his army," he reminded his adversary. "You killed each of them. He's through with being nice."

Zane's blade lodged itself in a tree. After trying unsuccessfully to dislodge it, he turned to his armed adversary with narrowed eyes. "Ready to be victim number six?" He asked. "I'm tired of saying no. Get lost before I rip out your circuit boards and shove them down your throat."

The Nindroid laughed as he watched his unarmed half-brother flounder, trying desperately to find a plan of attack- or escape, the far more likely of the two options. "Such strong words from such a weak, gentle, inferior piece of scrap metal."

The ice ninja growled. He leapt forward and threw the side of his left hand at the inside of the villain's elbow, collapsing it and making the gloved hand drop its sword. But before the weapon could hit the ground, Zane reached out and grabbed the hilt with his right hand.

"Call me weak," he spat as he lifted the katana and held it to the evil Nindroid's Adam's apple. "Gentle is always a compliment. But you may never call me inferior." He prodded his adversary's blackened skin with the tip of his blade. "Go back to your master. Tell him that if he dares send another opponent to kill my family in such a disgraceful manner again, I will not be this lenient." His blue eyes bored into the shocked red irises on the other side of the sword.

"You..." His evil opponent stuttered uncharacteristically. "How did you do that?"

Zane withdrew and set the sword at ease, point shoved deep into the dirt. "You men are as relentless as the desert sun," he said. It was a quote from Nya's book- the other Nya, from the future that would never happen, of course. "But as consistent as the ocean tide, I will not fail to protect and provide for those who dwell within my waters."

He thrust his left arm toward the monastery. "This is my family. Even though they sleep through this, completely unaware of the fact that I have spent the last month of my life protecting them from you, I will not falter. The ocean does not tremble beneath the hot sun, and neither will I." He returned the evil Nindroid's scowl. "Get out. Now."

The Nindroid glowered at its subjugator vehemently for a long, tense second. "I'll be back," he said. "And next time, Cryptor will send me with two men instead of one."

"Put two suns in the sky, and what happens?" Zane asked cooly. "The ocean will create more water vapors that turn to cloud, blocking out the heat and replenishing its depths with refreshing, clean rain."

This seemed to confuse the evil henchman. He blinked once, twice, thrice before taking a reluctant step back.

"A wise man knows when he's been beaten," Zane said. "I suggest that you at least try and pretend to be wise before I change my mind and kill you."

The Nindroid finally turned and ran, not offering any response. After a moment, he morphed his arms into a pair of wings and, using the rocket propulsion system in his boots, took to the sky.

Zane dropped the angry facade with a sigh and watched as the Nindroid flew off into the distance. After he was certain that his half-brother would not return, he went back to he tree and retrieved his sword.

He mulled over what to do with the evil Nindroid's blade. Leave it here? Not an option. He had done a decent job of covering up the evidence of his scuffles so far, why should he start leaving a sloppy trail now?

He looked the weapon over quickly. It had many chips and scratches in it, but that was to be expected from a weapon as low-quality as this.

He finally decided to bury it. There was a patch of soft, silty sediment beside the river about a quarter mile west of where the monastery stood. He could dump it there, and within a few days the mud would smooth out, leaving no evidence of his fight whatsoever.

Except for the hole in the tree, of course. But that could hardly be helped.

"Welcome to the past," Zane said under his breath as he slid his katana back into its sheath and started his short trek to the riverbed. "A land of evil Nindroids, late-night sword fights, and unrequited love."

Hehe...I thought that last line was sorta funny. Sorry if that sun/ocean metaphor confused people-I did my best. :)

Please review/follow/favorite! And thanks for all of the positive feedback on my new songfic, Forever and Always. Honestly, that was the best response I've ever gotten for a one-shot. Nine reviews in twenty-four hours? Wow. Thank you so much!

What do you think of this drastic plot twist? I mean...one chapter, we've got a happy little family of four, and...*counts on fingers*... Four chapters later, we have a family of two! Poor Zane...what do you think is going on in his head? I've been staying away from that tricky one...it's best not to poke a sleeping bear, if you get my meaning.

Do you think he'll go back to his old house in the Birchwood forest and take the tea in a later chapter?

What gender will the baby be? What about its name? How will Zane take having an infant around the house (or Bounty) again? And how will the wedding go? Do you want comedy (everything that can go wrong does) or regular romance (perfect wedding...) Yeah. Not too enthusiastic about that second option.

What about Cryptor? What does he have planned for Zane and the rest of the team?

Please review with your opinions, plus what you liked (or disliked) about this chapter! Constructive criticism appreciated and encouraged. Have a cookie, awesome followers! ( :: )