I know...I said that I would give you a wedding next chapter, I'm sorry. I do not have the entire chapter ready right now, but soon.

This chapter is going to be detail on Zane's torture, plus some pre-wedding stuff. So be warned, a few minor blood/gore things. But it is not that bad at all. If you made it through the last chapter, you'll be fine. This is much less descriptive than the stuff with Kai.

Please leave a comment!

The sun shone warmly on the monastery that morning as the two men walked together outside of its gates in the trees. One of the men was a tall, handsome blue eyed man with slicked back blond hair that seemed as if it had been meticulously groomed that morning. He had his left arm looped through another man's right elbow to support the brown haired, shorter man with an ugly limp as he walked along with a cane in his left hand.

They were coming near the end of the short circuit around the monastery. The worn dirt path would take a healthy man a grand total of three minutes to walk, but took an average of ten minutes for the invalid and his escort.

"Are you excited, Zane?" The brown haired man asked. His hazel eyes looked up at the blond with a mischievous glimmer.

Zane's face flushed a shade, and he nodded after a moment. "I think excited is a gross understatement, Kai." He said quietly, a smile gracing his lips. "No words could possible describe the elation I have right now." He walked patiently at Kai's side, not judging him for the slow pace. The man had been stabbed nearly three weeks before and though he was making a remarkable recovery, he still could only walk short distances. And even the short walks caused him pain. But Kai swore that he would start to lose his head if he did not get some fresh air once and a while, so Zane had started taking him out on small walks every other day, if he wasn't too busy with work in the city.

Kai grinned teasingly. "No, you've got to have some word that would work." He said. "Come on, Zane. You're like a living thesaurus. Come up with a good word for..." He scrunched his eyebrows as he continued walking at his torturously slow pace. "How about joy?" He finished the sentence. "That's an easy one. Come up with a few antonyms for joy."

"You mean synonyms?" Zane said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, whatever." The shorter man rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

Zane snorted and was silent a moment. "Mirth," he said slowly. "Bliss, ecstasy-"

"There you have it, Zane." Kai said with a nod. "Bliss, mirth, elation, ecstasy, joy. That's what you are feeling."

Zane sighed. "You are forgetting an important element, brother."

Cobblestones replaced the dirt path, indicating the near end of the walk. "I am terrified."

"Of what?" Kai asked patiently.

"Of many things," the Nindroid said with a short grunt. "I guess you could call it wedding jitters. But it could also be called anxiety, because I am terrified of letting her down." He sighed slowly. "I am afraid that I may not being the man she needs me to be. I am not very good at this. Especially with my brain condition."

Kai leaned heavily on his cane as they walked though the gate and into the courtyard. "Does everything you've been doing for Nya for years now not count?" He asked, now breathing heavily. "You've been more of a man to her than I could ever hope to be, Zane, stress problems or not. You do realize that, don't you?" He looked up at Zane's blue eyes for conformation.

Zane looked at him for a long moment, trying to make sense of what Kai had just said. "And it's more than that, Kai." He said. "I don't think I've ever told you, but I can't have kids."

This made Kai stop short. It took Zane a moment to realize that his brother-in-law had stopped, and he almost made both of them trip as he backpedaled and looked at Kai, his face full of embarrassment and shame.

Kai cleared his throat and spoke. "Have you told Nya?" He asked.

"Yes," Zane nodded. "She told me it didn't matter, but I could see it in her eyes. She was disappointed." His eyes found the stone floor, and he stared at it as he waited for an answer.

He heard Kai sigh quietly amidst the sounds of birds chirping and the other men laughing in the kitchen.

"Zane," the master of fire said after a long moment. "Who are you kidding, man?" He tried to find Zane's eyes, but the Nindroid was looking at the ground. "Hey, look at me." He said firmly.

Zane slowly looked up, and Kai continued. "Nya loves you," he said with an encouraging smile. "You're all she ever talks about. I think you're overreacting. There are other ways to get kids, you know." He slowly took a step forward with his left foot, still leaning heavily on the cane.

Zane went into stride next to Kai once again, and they cleared the distance between them and the front door within a minute. "Thank you, Kai." He said with a faint smile. It was a smile that seemed more relieved than anything else. "I appreciate your words." He opened the door with his free hand and spoke again. "Where do you want me to set you down?"

"On the couch," Kai replied. "Thanks, Zane."

Zane helped him into another room, where a few couches sat facing each other, centered around a glass coffee table. "No problem," he replied.

Kai clung to Zane's arm tightly as he lowered himself onto the couch. After he was situated comfortably with a blanket and a book Zane left the room again.

He went into the kitchen for a snack, finally deciding on two apples. He went back to the courtyard and sat on the front steps in peaceful silence, listening to the pleasant noises all around him, which mainly consisted of loud birdsong, a gurgling river just outside the gate, and the other men inside, who were still talking and laughing.

He took a bite out of one of his apples, chewing slowly as the sweet juices ran over his tongue.

Arms suddenly grabbed him from behind, and his heart seized as a million different scenarios ran through his head. Was it Cryptor?

No, Cryptor had been dead for a couple weeks now. It was someone else. What? Who? What? His mind wouldn't function because of his complete terror.

"Hey, frosty," Nya whispered in his ear. "You okay? You're a little rigid."

Zane forced himself to breath, and he slowly got his heart under control. Not Cryptor, he told himself. You are safe, she won't hurt you.

He reached for her hands, which were clasped on his chest, and realized that he was trembling. "Please, Nya." He said fervently. "Don't do that."

Nya observed his shaky fingers as they clasped firmly over her own. "Sorry, Zane." She kissed his cheek and gave him a squeeze. "I should know better by now."

Zane clasped one of her hands in his own and kissed it gently. "It's okay, love."

Nya turned to face him and sighed as she observed his pale face. "No, it's not okay, Zane." She said as she sat down next to him. "I'm surprised that you still have these stress attacks." She leaned her head on his arm, because she couldn't reach his shoulder. "I love you, frosty." She said softly. "I really hope you can start feeling better soon."

Zane kissed her forehead. "I'm sure I will, Nya. It's just hard for me to tell myself that he's actually gone." He sighed shakily and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I have a hard time telling myself that he can't hurt me anymore."

Nya wrapped her arm around his middle and gave him a squeeze. "I love you so much, Zane."

He chuckled softly, easing the tension in his chest. "You just said that, you know."

Nya gave him a warm smile and got as close to him as she could. "I don't want you to forget it."

They sat in silence together for a long while, simply enjoying the pleasure of the other's company. The sounds of laughter and talking inside the monastery stopped after a stretch of time, only making the birdsong seem louder. Not that either of them minded, because they both loved the feathered creatures.

Zane slowly composed himself, wondering of he ever really would be free of the horrific memories that plagued him day and night.

After a bit of research a week ago, he had decided that he had a case of post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. The only thing that even remotely calmed him was having Nya in his arms. His love for his fiancé and everyone else in the monastery was what kept him going. Without them, he was certain that his brain condition would be much worse.

What seemed to confuse him more than anything else was the fact that he had only spent nine hours with Cryptor, and less than a day in the enemy's custody. Three weeks later, he still had not recovered from the encounter. It may seem irrational for such a strong, steady man to be brought so low in a mere twenty or so hours, but Cryptor was by no means a merciful captor, nor did he exercise restraint when he tortured his victims.

"The wedding is in a week, Zane." Nya said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Zane looked at her face and smiled. "Yes it is, love." He kissed the top of her head. "Are you excited?" He was painfully aware of the fact that Kai had asked him that same question ten minutes earlier.

Nya nodded and let out a small yawn. The heat always made her feel sleepy. "I'm just glad that the Nindroids are gone, and we can finally live in peace."

A chuckle escaped Zane's throat. "Until the next evil arrives," he said. "Face it, love. You know it'll happen eventually."

"Yeah," Nya said reluctantly. "But we are at peace for now, and we have the reward money for defeating the Nindroids, so we can hope for at least a few months of peace in our new home."

"Which we can move into in a week," Zane added. "I still feel guilty about us taking most of the reward to purchase that house, but we do need our own home, since we are a couple."

"Not officially," Nya corrected him. "Remember, we don't even sign the papers until the day before the wedding."

Zane gave her another one-armed squeeze. "Papers don't mean a thing, Nya. You and I both know that. He paused a moment. "What is your favorite bird?"

Nya pondered this a moment. The quick change in the conversation surprised her greatly. "I like kites," she said. "You know, the large birds that basically coast on the air?"

Zane nodded thoughtfully. "They are a beautiful, majestic type of bird, aren't they?" He brooded on this a moment. "Do you know which type is your favorite?"

Nya hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "I forget what it's called," she said slowly. "It's brown."

"A whistling kite?" Zane suggested.

Nya shook her head. "No, that isn't right. It has something to do with bugs, I think." She held her hands about a foot apart. "And it's only about this big."

"Ah," Zane nodded in understanding. "A snail kite?"

Nya snapped her fingers. "Yes, that's it!" She said triumphantly. "I like their eyes. Sort of bluish grey, and really big and round."

Zane had to smile at her antics. Nya had a passion for birds that rivaled his own.

"Why did you want to know, frosty?" She asked.

Zane shrugged nonchalantly. "No reason." He stared out at the sky above the tall walls of the monastery and watched his falcon fly in lazy loops for a while.

Nya noticed his awkward, tense silence and addressed it. "What's wrong?"

Zane noticed that he was trembling, and he broke his stare. After pushing his thoughts into a semblance of order, he spoke. "I-I don't know," he said. "I just...I'm scared."

Nya furrowed her brows. Zane was never scared. Even if he was, he never told anyone, He was too reserved for anything like that. "Of what?"

"It...has to do with Cryptor," he said reluctantly. Could he tell her? Dare he even speak of the things on such a beautiful day? His tale was better suited for around a campfire. Horror stories, he thought. That's what my tale would be called.

Nya sat in his arms and felt his body tremble under her like a soft earthquake. He was having a relapse now, of all the times he could have chosen?

Then again, it was not his choice. His condition was something out of his control. She reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed his cheek. "You want to go for a walk?"

Zane shook his head slowly and sighed. "Maybe later. Right now, I think..." He pursed his lips. "I think I need to talk about what happened that night."

Nya felt her heart catch for a moment before beating again. "You really do trust me with this?" She asked, dumbfounded. Zane had never given anyone even an inkling of a clue about what his torture had been like.

Zane nodded again. "I have to explain why certain things make me so..." He searched for the right word. "Anxious."

When Nya did not speak, he began before he could talk himself out of it. "I was driven like an animal for eight, maybe nine hours after I was taken from the Bounty," he said. "I got beaten whenever I tripped or fainted. When we finally arrived at the large camp, I was blindfolded and shackled in the tent they had prepared specifically for prisoners. It had everything in it, from chains on the wall to whips, taser guns and tools for...disassembling machinery. That was my first clue to the fact that they had been planning on capturing me the whole time, and that my volunteering had only made it easier for them."

He went silent for a long moment, and Nya dared to look up at his face. He was staring at the far monastery wall as if it were a screen, and he was reliving the dreadful memories all over again in his mind, not just recalling little details. He looked as though he thought he was actually there, with his wide eyes and mouth parted slightly, as if in horror.

"What happened next?" She prompted. "Take your time."

Zane took a deep breath. He could not have an emotional breakdown in front of his girl.

He stared at the wall in silence for several long minutes before he finally felt strong enough to speak. "I am so ashamed," he said. "The things they made me do are unforgivable. You will see, when I am done with the story, why I have not told anyone. It's not because what was done down there was terrible, but because I was the one who did the them." He clenched his fists on his lap. "I am sorry, Nya," he said quickly. "Please forgive me."

Nya scooted close to him and brushed his hair from his face. The gesture made him stiffen. He seemed too afraid to even look at her, too afraid to continue his seemingly unneeded apology.

"Zane?" Nya's voice broke him away from the darkness, and back into the courtyard. "You don't have to tell me."

He eventually relaxed his muscles enough to blink and swallow away the dryness in his throat. He had to tell her the story. The whole story with no exceptions, no tears, no external weakness for her to find.

"They stripped and shackled me between two posts in the center of the room," he continued. "I was still blindfolded, and my wrists were in the fetters about seven feet above the ground, forcing me to stand, because the steel had dull spikes around the inside of the band. Not sharp enough for a person to be able to cut their wrists and potentially bleed to death, but sharp enough to hurt terribly if you tried to go limp and hang by your hands."

Nya was appalled. She snuggled close to his body, a new level of appreciation growing in her chest. She'd only heard the beginning of the story, and a chill was already running down her spine. He was braver than she had ever imagined.

Zane wrapped a sweaty arm around her and closed his eyes against the wave of terror. "I was given fifteen minutes to rest before they began flogging me," he said. "That was the physical portion of my torture. They beat the body first, so that my mind was weaker when they began the worst part, which I will tell you in a moment. The Nindroids did the flogging in intervals. I would have ten minutes of beating, then fifteen minutes to rest. They did that for about two hours. I only remember that because the sun was beginning to go down when Cryptor finally told them to stop and leave for the last time. I was so numb that I didn't feel the pain in my wrists when my legs gave way and left me hanging by the chains. Having the blindfold was one of the worst parts, because they could sneak up on me and begin the beating without me even knowing they were there until the pain was already on my back, or my arms, or...I need not continue on that one. The blindfold was there for the specific purpose of keeping me disoriented. I could not see them, so I had no clue when or where the next blow would hit. "He stopped again and seemed to lose himself in his thoughts.

Nya laid a hand on his chest and sighed deeply. "You don't have to tell me, Zane. It's okay."

Zane shook his head firmly. "I need to tell you," he said. "I think it will help some, knowing that someone else can help me carry the burden. I just hope you can forgive me for what..." He swallowed. "For what I did."

Nya was more concerned than ever. What could he have done? If anyone needed to beg for forgiveness, it would be those Nindroids, of whom the team had already defeated and destroyed. They payed for what they had done to Ninjago with their lives.

"They unlocked the chains, took the blindfold off, and made me stand on my feet," Zane said. "It took a couple beatings, but I eventually stood and walked to the far side of the tent, where they shoved me to the floor and bound my now skinless wrists in coarse, scratchy ropes in the same manner as the shackles before, only these were positioned about four feet from the ground, so I could sit down. I think I must have passed out, because everything went black, and when I woke up, everything was dark. I'm not sure if the sun was down, or of the tent's thick canvas blocked it out. The only light came from a strange bulb in the center of the room. It seemed to float somewhere between the floor and the ceiling, which made me think I might have been hallucinating."

He shuddered slightly. "Cryptor came in with two young men, bound hand and foot, and set them on the floor of the tent, leaving a few paces between each of us. It was a sort of triangle, I guess. He told..." His voice faltered, then he started over. "He told me that we had one hour to get acquainted, then he left. None of us had any clue what would happen when he came back. Their names were Zachary and Ashton. They had been kidnapped a few days before. They had received no rough treatment, unlike me, and had merely been prisoners. That only added fuel to my idea that Cryptor had been planning to take me for a while, and had captured them simply to break my mind."

He stopped a moment to compose himself again. "When Cryptor came back, he walked right up to me and explained the 'game,' as he called it. Every hour, he would bring in two people, then leave us alone. After the hour was up, he would come back, and I would decide which one he was going to kill."

Nya could not contain the gasp. "Oh, Zane," she managed. "Tell me he didn't."

Zane looked at her with his grayish blue eyes, sparkling with tears, and shook his head. "No," his voice was cracked and low, barely above a whisper. "He told me that either I would choose one to set free, or he would shoot them both. That was how he played. I was the judge, he was executioner. But if I didn't play by his rules, he would kill both. I tried to talk some sense into him, but he would not change his mind. So...so I chose Zachary. Cryptor shot him in the head, and let Ashton go free."

Nya's mouth was agape. "So...he said that he would kill them both, unless you chose?" She asked. "You told him which one you though deserved to live more than the other."

"But it wasn't my place," Zane said angrily. "I should not have been forced to do such a thing. He might as well have given me the gun and forced me to shoot them myself."

Nya caught the word 'them' and her mind started reeling. "There was more than one set?" She asked.

Zane nodded, seemingly unable to do anything else. "There...there were five other sets," he said slowly. "I selected six people in total, and they were shot. I chose six others who survived and were set free."

He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing like a fish for several seconds as he forced out the words. "And they weren't all men, either." His voice came out all wrong. It was strained and squeaky, and full of guilt. "He had several different sets. I had to chose between saving the man or his wife...the mother or her daughter...the eight year old boy, or the fifty year old man." He pressed his eyes shut and began to cry silently, his chest heaving with the convulsions. "Oh, I am so, so sorry, Nya." He said over and over again. "I am so sorry."

Nya stared at him with wide eyes, her lip quivering as she tried to untangle the mess. Everything she thought she understood about his condition melted away. This was not a man who was afraid that Cryptor could be out there, trying to get at him and hurt him physically. This was a man torn by guilt because of the choices he had been forced to make. He was so torn that he had been reduced to an out of control train of emotion on a crash course for depression.

It was finally making sense to Nya now. Zane thought he was a monster. He thought he was a murderer of women and children. He thought that he was undeserving of forgiveness.

Nya touched his shoulder tentatively, to see how he would react. After receiving no reaction, she scooted close to him and made hushing noises as she tried to comfort him. "Listen," she said softly. "I forgive you, frosty. Nothing you did is going to make me love you any less." She wiped his eyes gently with her sleeve. "That was so brave of you, Zane. You are a strong man, going through all of that and coming out again." She offered him a smile. "I'm proud of you."

Zane opened his eyes slowly and shook his head. "No, Nya." He said in a wavering voice. "I am not strong. I am a coward. If I had any sense, I would have refused to comply with his demands and-"

Nya pressed a finger to his lips. "If you had refused to comply, there would have been twelve dead people instead of six," she said. "You did a good thing. You know that, right?"

He stared at her in silence for a long moment, scolding himself for showing his weaknesses like this. "How could you be proud of what I have done?" He asked, voice raw like sandpaper. "How could you forgive me for such an act?"

Nya kissed his forehead gently and laid her head on his chest. "Because I'm your wife-to-be," she said. "However awkward and foreign the word may seem now, I am yours. I am supposed to forgive you."

She threw her arms around him so suddenly that he couldn't react. "I love you so, so much, Zane." She said. "Thank you for going through that for us." She put her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck. "If you hadn't done what you did, Cryptor would have killed us. Then where would Ninjago be?"

Zane processed this a long moment, unblinking, before returning her embrace. "I...I don't know," he answered her question. "Nowhere good, I guess."

Nya nodded and pulled away, so she could see his face. "You are a hero, Zane." She said. "It is terrible that those six people had to be the price, but you weren't acting of your own free will. Cryptor was doing it all. You are not responsible for their deaths."

Zane looked into her teary eyes and became aware of the fact that he was once again crying silently. He absolutely hated his weakness, but he knew he could not hide it any longer. Nya had peeled away his shell and exposed the delicate, fragile skin underneath. And he loved her for it. It was like plucking out a thorn. Painful for the first moment, then less so thereafter.

"Zane?" Cole spoke up behind them.

"Yes?" Zane was all too aware of the tremor in his voice and the wetness around his eyes.

The black-haired man stood in the doorway, pale as a sheet. "I...I hope you don't mind that I heard all of that," he said in an equally shaky voice.

Zane's eyes flickered with panic, then mild annoyance, then a weak smile. An upward turning of the lips and a deep breath. "And what do you have to say about my story?"

Cole was silent for a long moment. He looked almost gothic, with his black hair and pale skin. His black eyelashes seemed accentuated by the lack of blood in his face. "I am horrified," he said slowly. "I cannot believe that Cryptor did that to you." He walked toward the couple and held out a hand. "And I have never respected you more, brother. That was truly the most amazing story I've ever heard, and we are undeserving of your friendship. What you went through for us is something I will never forget."

Zane took the hand and allowed the man to pull him to his feet. Nya stood up and stood next to them. "Did anyone else hear?" She asked.

Cole shook his head. "Garmadon tried to come through the door once, but I shoed him away. One eavesdropper is plenty enough, I think."

The Nindroid offered a grateful smile. "Thank you, Cole." He said. "I appreciate that."

The master of earth opened up his arms and pulled Zane into an embrace. "No," he said quietly. "Thank you, Zane."

Kai was reading a book in bed when Nya walked in one night several days later.

He set down the book and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Hey, sis." He grabbed his cane from the wall and leaned on it as he got to his feet. "Ready for bed?"

Nya gave him a distracted smile and nodded. "Yeah," she said.

"Uh-oh," Kai said. "What's wrong?" He slowly made his way to where she stood bent over a dresser drawer, selecting nightclothes.

She stood up with a small bundle in her arms and shut the drawer with her foot. "Nothing," she said as she went into the walk-in closet and shut the door.

Kai stood still and stared at the closet door in silence, considering his options.

Consider: Tomorrow was the wedding.

Consider: They just got back from town after signing the papers, so they were technically married now.

Consider: She was in a foul mood, and needed a hug.

The door opened a minute later, and Nya came out wearing baggy sweat pants and a tank top.

Kai never understood woman's choice in dress. Why wear sweat pants if you were just going to wear a skimpy top? Sort of defeated the purpose of staying warm.

He smiled at her and went back to his bed. He sat down slowly, ignoring the pain in his side as he moved. It was a part of him now, and he had learned to almost entirely block it from his mind. "Come over here, sis." He said.

She walked over to the bed, but Kai stopped her. "Hold on," he said. "Grab the brush."

Nya let out a low groan of annoyance and turned on her heel. She grabbed her hairbrush off of the dresser and went back to the bed. She slapped it down in his palm.

Kai gave her a short laugh. "Someone's in a bad mood," he remarked, grabbing her hand. "Sit down. You're not getting out of it."

Nya plopped down with her back to Kai, legs crossed on the bed. "Why are you so persistent?" She grumbled.

"Why are you so grumpy?" Kai shot back with an annoying grin. "You and Zane are, by the government's standards, officially a couple. Then you come back in a mood that would make lemons pucker. Aren't you happy?"

Nya sighed heavily. "Yes, Kai. Of course I am happy."

"But..." Kai prompted.

"But he's ignoring me!" Nya exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and jerking her hair out of Kai's grasp. "This whole week he's been keeping himself cooped up in the basement, and won't let me even touch the stairs."

"Huh." Kai grunted and got a hold of her hair again. "Details, please?"

Nya was silent for a moment as she bit her lip. "There isn't much to tell," she said. "He's always been partial to the basement as his quiet getaway, but I was allowed to come down whenever I wanted. About a week ago, he approached me and requested that I stay away from the basement for a few days while he did some cleaning. He knows that dust and mold make me contract the flu virus, and didn't want me to be sick." She paused for a moment.

"But he has been more interested in cleaning that basement than spending time with you?" Kai asked. "That's what you're thinking?"

"Yes," Nya said with a light sniff. Kai knew she was in the verge of tears. "I don't understand why he would want to do such a silly task on the week of the wedding. He's-"

"Nya," Kai interrupted. "Listen, baby. You're going to hate me for saying this, but he's got a life too. Being a married couple is going to mean that you both need to make sacrifices. Right now, that sacrifice would be letting him do what he wants." He chuckled as he ran the brush through a section of tangles. "Basements can't stay dirty forever, you know. If he wants to clean, let him. Tomorrow, you guys will have your own home, and he will be forced to let go of any cleaning project he's been working on here." He leaned forward carefully, minimizing the pain in his old wound, and kissed her cheek. "Patience, love, forgiveness, and respect. Got it?"

Nya nodded and turned to face him. Her brown eyes were wet with tears, but she had a smile on her face as she gave him a hug. "You're so smart," she said. "Thank you so much, big bro."

Kai set down the brush and returned the hug. "Anytime, sis."

Cole crept into the basement as quietly as possible, tiptoeing down the stone steps and into the dusty room below. It was dank and relatively dark. He reached the bottom step and looked around at the mess. I thought Nya said that Zane was cleaning, he thought.

Zane was standing at a table lit by a single bulb directly above it, his back turned to the intruder as he worked fixedly on some project at the table.

Cole came up behind Zane, arms crossed casually as he observed the mechanics on the wooden table. "What do you have there, Zane?" He asked.

Zane gasped and dropped his screwdriver on the floor, startled by his voice. He turned to face Cole, clutching his chest with his right hand and breathing heavily, eyes wide with alarm. "Please stop that!" He exclaimed, placing his left hand on the table and leaning heavily on it.

Cole backed up a single step. "Sorry," he said. "I forgot about your..." He didn't know how to say it without coming across as insensitive.

"Condition?" Zane filled in, pupils contracted to pinpoints. "Call it what it is, Cole. Don't sugar coat it. I have an anxiety problem, and I know it full well. You won't offend me by saying it to my face."

The master of earth placed a gentle hand on his best friend's shoulder. His green eyes were gentle and soft. "Listen, I wasn't trying to chew you out. I was just curious to know what you were doing." He wasn't going to lie to himself. Zane's behavior concerned him deeply. And after hearing his story a week ago, his concerns had only grown.

Zane took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wanted to keep it a secret," he said. "But I can tell you, since you've already seen it." He brushed Cole's hand away from his arm. "Just promise me that you won't tell Nya."

Cole let his hand drop to his side as he nodded. "Sure thing, Zane."

Zane ran his fingers through his hair and looked back at the table. "This is Nya's gift," he said, gesturing to the machine on the table.

Cole stared at the object for a moment. "Is it a bird?" He asked.

"Yes," Zane said. "A kite, actually. I'm going to give it to her tomorrow."

Cole looked into Zane's eyes and examined them carefully. All of the fear that had shadowed his face moments before had vanished, giving way to pure excitement and joy. His blue eyes were alight with childlike energy as he grabbed a screwdriver and messed with something in the bird's panel.

It had no feathers yet, which was part of the reason Cole had such a hard time identifying what it was. By all accounts it looked more like an oversized mechanical football than a bird.

"What do you think?" Zane asked, drawing Cole out of his thoughts. "Will she like it?"

Cole smiled a broad, albeit somewhat forced smile. "The wedding is tomorrow, Zane." He said. "It's eleven o'clock. We should both be in bed." He nodded slowly and patted the android's shoulder. "And yes, I think she will like it a lot."

"Will she love it?" Zane asked, setting down the screwdriver and going for a bolt.

"Naw," Cole shook his head, making Zane stop and stare.

"Why not?" Zane looked concerned. "What makes you think she won't love it?"

Cole shifted his weigh awkwardly from one foot to the other before speaking. "Because she'll be so caught up in loving you," he said. "There's not room for much else in her heart. But yes, she will definitely like the bird."

Zane looked relieved. He let out a short yawn and took a drink out of a water bottle on the floor near his foot. "This project is taking longer than I had anticipated," he said. "But I should be done within an hour or two. I just need to tighten a few bolts and get the feathers attached." He held up the robot and held it at Cole's eye level. "What do you think of its eyes?" He asked.

Cole looked into the bird's large, round eyes, which were unblinking and dead. "Bluish grey," he observed. "Nya's favorite colors."

"Actually, orange is her favorite," Zane said. "She likes deep, reddish oranges and most shades of blue." He set the bird down and grabbed a single feather from a cardboard box on a shelf. "She also likes grey and brown." He gave a slight shrug as Cole took the feather from him. "It's a good brown mix, don't you think?"

Cole held up the feather and ran a finger across the tiny segments. The feather had a little bit of grey, with some orangish brown mottled into it. "It is remarkable, to say the least." He handed it back. "So are you going to attach the feathers individually?"

Zane widened his eyes and shook his head. "No, I would not waste time with such an effort." He took the feather and went back to the box. He took out what looked like a small rug made up of feathers instead of fur. "I started this a few days ago." He set it on the table carefully and smoothed the grayish brown feathers, so they all laid the same direction.

"It is not real feathers," he explained. "They are synthetic, just like the skin." He turned over a corner of the strange material. "It's a lot like my skin, the difference being that I have hair instead of feathers." He stroked the soft feathers. "The skin was one of my father's inventions," he said. "Such a brilliant mind, it is a shame to have lost him."

Cole touched the soft, downy feathers and pieced together Zane's broken explanation. "So the skin will grow the feathers in the same way you grow hair?" He asked.

Zane nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Cole gave Zane a genuine smile and hugged the robot tightly for a long moment. "I'm going to bed," he said as he let Zane go. "Good luck, don't stay up too late, and try not to have too much fun with your last few hours as a bachelor."

Zane smiled back, his face flushing slightly. "I'll try, Cole." He said. "Thank you for that wise advice." His tone was mildly sarcastic.

Cole snorted once and went back up the stairs, leaving his best friend to finish his work without any more interruptions.

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Expect the next chapter within a few days. C:

So what do you think? Do you like my torture methods? I thought it was clever. Poor Zane...