He stared at the grave, eyes sad, mouth trembling. Regret plummeting down his circuits. Five months, five long and painful months. How he was able to survive that, he will never know.

Maybe it was those kind words she spoke, or those lovely things she said. Living and thriving in his memories, it made him smile. Yet no memory can keep joy for years, so here he stood, not even a year after, here he was staring at her grave.

Agonizing pain that flooded his body, made him come here. Made him stay here and stare at what should still be. She should still be living. It was unfair.

She made this unfair, what right did she have to just leave?

Not right at all!

She shouldn't have left; she could have just fixed herself up instead of Ninjago city. But no, she did what she did and now she was gone. Forever.

Placing the simple gift, a bouquet of roses, red ones to be exact; he set them on her grave. The touched the polished rock, his hands gently running over the words which had been craved in. Her name, her birth date along with her death date, some things that barely described even a quarter of who she was, and a heart; those were carved into the polished rock.

He felt like crying, sobbing actually. He just wanted to fall onto the ground and weep to his metal heart's content. His hearts that is made of gears, wires, screws, and bolts. But what made it special is that it had been binded by love. Love that he never knew existed until she came along and caused it to bloom.

He desperately wanted to just crash onto his knees and pound the ground in anger. Scream at her grave for being unfair, and just leaving everyone behind. He then wished to cry and beg for her to return, or awake from such a horrible nightmare.

Instead he turned away and forced himself to walk towards the exit of this gloomy cemetery. Without warning a young girl ran into him. Tears streaming down her face, her nose dripping mucus, and sorrow was overflowing her eyes. She looked at Zane with a scowl and got up.

He simply asked, "Are you ok?"

She bitterly responded, "No, what do you care?"

"Well I care because you are crying. Would you like to talk about it?" Zane asked kindly.

"No!" she spat as she stood up. "You wouldn't understand!"

"How do you know?" Zane questioned in a monotone voice.

"You wouldn't know how it feels to lose someone important." Turning away after the bitter accusation, she started to walk away.

"It hurts doesn't it? You want to yell at them, but at the same time cry, right? It aches so much that you cannot help but talk to them even though you know they'll never respond." Zane stated as best as he could, at least without breaking down.

The young girl turned around and nodded. She gave a questioning look on how he was able to relate to such emotions, how he knew such things. Zane simply sighed, but still held his mourning look.

"Trust me, I know how it feels."

The girl broke down in front of him. She cried and wailed, begging for her best friend who had been deceased for over a year now. Tears trickled down her flushed cheeks, her eyes now red and bloodshot, her hands and arms sore from all her pounding.

Zane hugged the poor child; to young was she to lose someone so important to her. She looked no older than ten at the max. She wept even more into the ice ninja's chest. Blubbering about her dead friend and mumbling sorry every now and then.

Finally she collected herself enough to stare at the ninja and mutter her name, "Charlotte."

"Zane." He responded while looking back at the young girl.

She looked away, "I'm sorry, I'm just so upset."

Zane mumbled, "I understand."

"How?" the girl questioned, she still wiped away a few stray tears.

"I lost someone important to me as well."

"Family?"

"No."

"A friend?"

"Yes," Zane replied, but the way he did made the young girl think.

"Did you love her? Like were you in love with her?"

The question itself caught him off guard. He looked at her with a tiny smile, "I suppose I did. I cared deeply for her, and I do not believe I will ever care the same way I did towards her for another."

"She was your true love?" she asked with curiosity.

Zane gave a slight nod, "I believe she was."

"I'm sorry that you lost your true love." The girl had mumbled sadly.

Zane glanced at the young girl and sighed, "I have only one regret, I wish I told her how I felt."

"You never told her that you were her true love?!" the girl was taken back at this.

Shaking his head in disappointment, "No I didn't. I really should have though. If I could go back in time and change it all, I would. She really was an amazing and beautiful person; I wish I could see her one last time."

The young girl fidgeted with her shirt and sighed, "The day before my friend died, we got in a fight. I said mean things, but I never got to apologize. She died before I had the chance." Tears slowly rolled down her face.

Zane comforted the young girl until she ceased her tears and continued to speak with Zane. "Why didn't you tell her you loved her?"

Zane sighed, "Because I wasn't sure how to accept, let alone reveal my feelings. I thought that it would be better to keep them hidden and remain friends."

"Oh…" the girl mumbled. She stared at Zane and then asked, "Did she love you?"

Zane nodded, "Yea, she did. But I rejected her feelings; I thought it was for the best."

Nodding in an understanding matter, she stood up and smiled, "Thank you Zane. I'm sorry for your loss, and wish you the best in life." She slowly walked away.

Zane then hollered, "I wish you the same Charlotte! And keep living for your friend!" Once she was out of sight, he continued to find his way out of the cemetery.

Despite the bitterness that lied within the truth, he gave a light smile. He knew that she would want him to smile and enjoy life. He knew that, but still deep down inside him, the pain still bubbled.

Every morning he woke up early, and for a brief moment, there is peace in the world. No reason to feel an aching, or feel any pain, or the need to cry. Then it all comes crashing back down onto him and he remembers it all.

Throwing his shurikens down onto the ground, his vehicle appeared. He took one last look towards the cemetery in the general area of where her grave lied. He then sighed, "My only regret…I wish I would have told you."

OoooO

Ok, so…..I have some big news. There shall be a sequel to All For One! Mostly due to the fact that a lot of you wanted one and my mind started to come up with several different ideas. So in conclusion, I would try to work on more than two stories, and one shots along the way. I feel kinda proud! :) Alrighty then, till next time!