Zoe looked out her bedroom window and over the mountain peaks. It was a beautiful night, the stars shining like diamonds against the inky black of night. The moon shone full and bright and their wasn't a cloud to be seen. Though it had only been two days, she missed the Bounty. Not that she didn't like the mountains, she was just used to the sea. She closed her eyes and let the mountain winds hit her face. She sighed and frowned. It just wasn't the same. Suddenly, she felt very claustrophobic, as if the walls were being closed on her. Zoe grabbed her guitar and jumped out the window. Grabbing the trimming on the window pane, she swung her self to the wall and shimmied up to the roof.
Zoe strummed her guitar and hummed a tune, not really knowing what to play. She thought of her life, how terrible it for 16 years. She thought of the ninja finding her and welcoming her. She thought of Zach and how he died. She thought of Garmadon and how he almost pulled her over to the Dark Side... She thought of Zane...
Smiling, Zoe placed her fingers on the neck of the guitar, held down the strings, and began to play.
I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart
But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start
You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go
You put your arms around me and I'm home
How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?
I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown
I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home
The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved
I never wanna leave you but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone
You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go...
I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home
I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth
And I've never opened up
I've never truly loved 'til you put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go
I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close
You put your arms around me and I'm home
You put your arms around me and I'm home
"That is beautiful," a voice said quietly. Zoe whirled around to see the red eyed Zane and smiled.
"Jay still not fix your eyes?" she asked, patting the spot beside her. Zane sat down and shook his head.
"No. he is too busy trying to beat Kai's high score." Zoe laughed and he smiled. They sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't awkward. Zoe found whenever Zane was near her, she felt safe, like nothing could go wrong. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes.
The evil Zane was confused. He and his brothers were created to do one thing: obey Lord Garmadon. His master, the dark lord, ordered him and his brothers to impersonate the ninja and convince Zoe to come over to the Dark Side. It was a simple order. That's all it was. And that's how he viewed it. At least, how he had viewed it. Lately, his mission seemed, well, harder. Pretending to like Zoe, to act like he loved her, was... easy. He should be happy about that right? Wrong. It just made him confused. When he pretended to be like someone, he knew it was pretending. But when he was with Zoe, it didn't seem like pretending. It seemed... real.
Evil Zane looked at Zoe. His breath hitched in his throat. Zoe's eyes were closed and her head was back. She was bathed in moonlight, making her skin look a creamy color. Her long, thick eyelashes stood out against her pale skin. Her baby pink lips looked so soft, so kissable. He remembered how they felt against his. Suddenly, he wanted her. He wanted to grab her, kiss her, and never let her go. He was snapped out of his reverie when she opened her emerald green eyes and turned to face him.
"You know, when Mom and Dad died, I never stood any closer than five feet away from a knife. Or any weapon for that matter. I thought they were evil. And that's what I thought for six years. Then, I met you guys. And I realized, a sword by itself is not evil. A sword can be used to slay an enemy, or used to save a friend from suffering. A sword can cut ropes that bind the helpless. A sword can be a threat or it can be a symbol of leadership.
"Like with our battle against Garmadon (Evil Zane couldn't help but inwardly smirk at that). Him and his followers fight us with swords and nunchuks and shurikens. We know in their hands they are evil. And yet, look at your own weapons. They are good and made pure by the purpose of which they are put. A weapon, Zane," she said looking him straight in his eyes, taking his hand, "is good or evil depending on the intention of whoever holds it."
The red eyed ninja looked back into her soft emerald eyes with his fiery red ones. In them, he saw sincerity, trust, and... love. Her words began to sink in. Maybe... he didn't have to be evil. Maybe... he could be good. Something snapped in him. That self sure cocky ego of his had disappeared. He stood up suddenly, and pulled her up with him. Swinging the guitar over her shoulder and onto her back, he pulled her to him, slamming her to his chest so hard and so sudden that she let out a small gasp. The red eyed Zane being slightly taller than Zoe, literally stared her down. She looked up at him with wide eyes. Her mouth opened to say something, but no sound came out. Zane lowered his gaze from her eyes to her slightly trembling lips.
Without warning, he crashed his lips onto hers, his mouth raving hers. She moaned slightly due to the impact. Her eyes fluttered shut and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Evil Zane lifted Zoe up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He growled quietly and slid his hands up her shirt. She gasped as his cool hand touched her bare skin. He took his chance and slid his tongue into her mouth. Her grip on him tightened and she pushed her tongue to his. The two battled for dominance, their tongues flicked at each other like fire. The fire eyed Zane growled again, but this time louder, darker. He moved his hands under her shirt from her back to her hips and tightened his grip. Zoe moaned and sank into his arms. His grip on her tightened even more and all the fight in her disappeared. He pressed her tongue to the bottom of her mouth with his and rolled it around her mouth, trying to memorize every square inch of her mouth. The grip of her legs around his waist loosened and fell back to the ground. Evil Zane broke the kiss and brushed his lips along her jawbone and up to her ear.
"Let's go inside," he whispered huskily in her ear. The female ninja let out a shuddering breath and nodded slightly, hanging onto his neck to keep her up. He chuckled darkly and with one swoop of his arm he brought the guitar back over her shoulder and onto her front and gathered her legs up, holding her bridal style. Zoe laid her head against his chest, clutched her guitar to her chest, and took in short, shaky breaths. Evil Zane carried her into her room through her bedroom window. He laid her on her bed, took her guitar from her, and put it back on its stand.
He walked back to Zoe's bed and pulled the covers over her. She grabbed his wrist and he looked down at her. "Don't go," she said softly, her voice nearly cracking. He looked at her seriously and quietly said, 'Would never dream of it." With that he crawled under the covers and pulled her to him.
Zoe snuggled up to his chest and said half asleep, "I love you, Zane."
Evil Zane looked at her sleeping face and said softly, "I love you too, Zoe."
~~ Wind~~
Zane leaned against the rail of the Bounty. The full moon shone brightly, not a cloud in sight. He remembered how Zoe would love to watch the moon. She would sit outside and quietly play her guitar. Sometimes she would sing. And sometimes, if he was lucky, she would sing just for him. He loved her voice. It was beautiful. That was the only word he could come up with to describe it. Beautiful. It was strangely silent and Zane didn't like it. The sea wind whistled through night, cutting the silence like a knife. He heard voices and saw Kai.
'Why are you up?" the fire ninja asked.
Zane looked back at the ocean. "I couldn't stop thinking," he said.
"About?"
"...Zoe," the nindroid said quietly.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Kai said and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. Zane looked at him. "We'll find her, Zane."
The nindroid looked up at the full moon and whispered, "I sure hope so,"
