Chosen by Destiny
HOLY F %$IN' MONKEY SH#T!
I can't believe U readers actually LIKED the last chapter! I thought I would be the most hated person in the universe 4 making Zane cry, but your positive reviews just filled my heart with rainbows! (find out what game I'm referring 2 with that quote) Thank you! Now time 2 see if Heather and Zane can resolve their issue here! Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Winter turns to Spring
The ninjas told Sensei Wu how Heather left after learning that Zane was a robot. The old man went up to his mechanical student, whose face was still stained with oil. Not even the Finnish robot can hide everything from this wise old man. Looking at his once glowing optics, Wu gave a look of understanding towards the nindroid, because he knew how he felt. Believe it or not, he had a similar experience, so long ago…
"I do not blame Heather for her actions yesterday, nor should any of you."
"How can you say that!? You weren't there Sensei! That bitch just hurt our own brother- !"
Before Kai could finish, Zane did the one thing nobody ever thought he would do. Ice lashed out against fire when the ice wielding robot caught the fire ninja's shirt in his fists.
"Don't ever call her that! Don't you dare speak of her that way!" The nindroid growled at Kai in an extremely threatening voice. Everyone, especially Kai, was taken aback by the usually calm ice ninja's anger. But the last thing the robot wanted was further conflicts between him and his teammates. The blonde ninja let go of Kai's gi and retreated to the back of the room before the situation could get ugly, giving everyone else nothing more than an expression of deep sorrow that seemed to be permanently stuck on his pale face.
"Gosh, I've never seen Zane like this. It's disturbing." Jay muttered.
"Come, my students. We'll continue our talk outside. Zane needs time to find himself again."
With everyone gone, the white ninja was left alone with his thoughts. The nindroid curled up in the corner of the room, burying his face in his knees.
'I doomed myself from the very start. I was never destined for any companionship. Heather is a real living human being who can feel true emotions, and I'm just a heartless machine, an object doing only what it's programmed to do, not meant to have any feelings at all with an artificial personality easily altered with a simple switch.'
Zane's optics were empty, so he couldn't shed more oily tears. In spite of being a robot, he still can't get rid of the emotional pain plaguing his mind.
'But I can't erase this unbearable sensation within me. Why did I feel pain from her words if I'm not supposed to have any emotions? And how was I able to feel joy with my comrades, sadness when the Great Devourer swallowed Sensei, and anger when my evil copy made an attempt on Heather's life? Perhaps that was how my father designed me. Maybe he built me so I could feel and experience life not as a cold machine, but more akin to a human being. My own thoughts, the wounds I have suffered in countless battles, and the bond that I share with my teammates and Heather are all a testimony of my own free will.'
With a new resolve, the Finnish ninja cleaned his face and left to catch up with the others.
'I know who I am.'
The ninjas were back on the roof where Heather was last seen, discussing what to do next. Wu expressed his concerns over the situation and its impact on his plans.
"We all should've expected the kunoichi of nature to not take this information very well. I was hoping she would still stay, but not even I can be correct with everything. Unfortunately, we'll have to put the search for the third kunoichi on hold. At least, until we can convince Heather to come back to us. That is if we can find her."
"But we don't have a clue where she is. She could be anywhere in Ninjago." Cole explained.
"Heather hasn't been anywhere in the continent, except for here and Arbouria. She most likely went back to her hometown, where she would find some comfort in familiar grounds."
Wu still had to decide who should go get her but he had one person in mind.
"Nya," The yellow kunoichi looked up at the mention of her name, "Go and convince Heather to rejoin us. What she needs right now is a common friend she can confide the troubles within her heart to." Nya nodded and prepared to leave.
"Sensei!"
The group turned around to see Zane, whose face was no longer marred with oil.
"Sensei, I'm going to Arbouria too. I desire to make peace with Heather."
"Zane! Are you crazy!? Do you realize what she did to you!? She practically ripped your heart out of your chest and crushed it right in front of you!"
"I'm pretty sure robots don't have hearts, Jay."
"I didn't mean that heart, Kai!"
"You are both right. I do not have the same physical heart as humans, but I do have feelings, my own personality, and my fair share of emotional joy and pain just like all of you."
"Zane is right, my students. Whether he's man or machine, he's still one of us. He must repair his relationship with Heather in order to collect the shattered pieces of his broken heart. Now, both of you, go and find our missing ally."
Nya and Zane hopped onto Star, and the duo began their lengthy journey back to the forested lands of Arbouria.
Heather locked herself in her room, first thing when she returned to Arbouria. She didn't go to the garden she cherished so much, she didn't even bother to change out of her uniform, and she didn't even greet her parents, who were VERY surprised to see her returning so soon. No, she confined herself in her own little sanctuary to shed true tears of sadness and heartbreak.
"Heather…? Sweetie? Is everything okay…?" Her mother asked from behind the door.
"I-I'm fine…" The English girl lied. This was her problem alone and she didn't want her parents to get involved in her personal drama.
"But… You don't sound fine at all. Is something bothering you?"
"No… I just have more tears to shed."
"Well, if you need anything, your father and I will be right here."
With her mother away, Heather sobbed more loudly, but she kept her voice as subdued as she could within her pillow, with no one to speak of her problems to but herself.
'I'm such a fool! I should've known Zane was too perfect for me. I should've known he was just a machine. No human could be that perfect, and so handsome… so… wonderful… so…'
The heartbroken girl tried to shake off her lingering attraction towards the ice ninja. Why would she want to be with him if the robot will just go for some younger girl once she grows old? He probably had the means to erase her from his memories, if he could record them. He could just forget about her with one flip of a switch. She knew there were other fish in the sea of potential boyfriends, but she still can't imagine herself with anyone else but Zane.
'Zane…' Heather wished she could forget all about him, but unfortunately, she wasn't a robot…
Zane and Nya traveled in silence. The yellow kunoichi should've known Heather wouldn't take this very well. She was, after all, the kunoichi of nature, who had an affinity for not just plants but all sorts of organic life, and a relationship with an inorganic being would be strange. But as Wu said, all she needed right now was someone's shoulder to cry on, and Zane also needed to patch things up with her.
"So Zane," Nya looked at the nindroid, "Do you really want to come with me? Heather was very upset yesterday. You might set her off again if you show up in front of her."
"I am actually aware of that, Nya. But I understand she is in pain too. We have to confront each other to repair our relationship. If we don't, Heather will never be able to trust me or any of us, and I don't want to carry this emotional burden within my circuits forever."
"I understand, Zane."
"Nya?"
"Yes?"
"Do you see me as nothing more than an object?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Face it, Nya. I'm an inorganic humanoid with no heart. I probably wasn't intended to have any emotional attachments. You all will eventually die while I remain the same, and I dread the day that will happen. Does that make me too different from the rest of you?"
"Zane, take this from me. You're our brother, no matter what. Your body may be made of metal and gears instead of ours of flesh and blood, but that is a completely shallow reason to think we wouldn't treat you as one of us. And your feelings, your emotions, they are real. So what if you were created and not born? You are who you are and you have a very special place within our group. You are one of us, don't ever doubt that."
(*) "Nya, kiitos. Jay is a very fortunate young man to have someone as understanding as you."
"Oh stop Zane, you're making me blush."
However, Nya was glad to be there for Zane during his time of need. Now if only she could do the same for Heather once they reach their destination…
The kunoichi of nature continued to mope in her room, she already emptied all the tears she had to shed, but that didn't make her feel any better. Again, a knock came upon the door, but this time, her father called her.
"Heather, there's someone who wants to see you."
"Tell them this is not the right time." The heartbroken girl managed to say through her pillow.
"Actually, she says it's very important and she wishes to speak to you right now."
'She?' Heather was confused. Why would a girl visit her at a time like this?
"C-come in…"
The teal kunoichi's bloodshot eyes widened when she saw no other than Nya in front of her.
"Nya? Why would you come all the way here?"
"With what happened last night, you should know." Nya replied sternly.
Realizing why the kunoichi of metal came, Heather literally turned her back on her. But Nya was persistent. She sat herself next to Heather and turned her around so they can face each other.
"Heather! You can't run away from your destiny. You MUST come back to us. Not just for Zane, but for the entire world. We need to have all the kunoichi if we want to save Ninjago. You must make up with Zane, or at least, give him another chance."
"Nya," Heather began, "Zane and I weren't meant to be. I brought this upon myself for rushing into a possible relation with some non-human. We're through. He can just forget about me and move on. I just have to do the same."
"Don't say that! Zane may be a mechanical being, but he also has his own free will and has his own thoughts and feelings, just like us. He was hurt by what you said to him yesterday. Believe me, he's able to wipe out his own memories, but he doesn't want to."
"W-why…?"
"He's still one of us. He cherishes all the happy memories me made with his creator and us, he mourns alongside us during the most trying times, and he has his own desires and thoughts like a normal human. And he wants to continue making new memories with you."
Heather bit her lip to suppress a gasp of surprise.
'New memories? With me…?'
"Why would he…?"
"He has feelings for you he never felt towards any of us."
"B-b-but he's a robot!"
Nya decided enough was enough. She HAD to make Heather see Zane for who he was.
"Heather, answer me and be honest. How would you feel towards Zane if he told you he wasn't human from the moment you first met?"
"I-I would be shocked…"
'I wouldn't be surprised.' Nya thought.
"What else? Would your opinion on him change?"
"I… I…"
"Would you still see Zane for his personality and not his origins if you still gave him a chance?"
Heather tried to imagine herself and Zane the moment they met. Except he would tell her he's a robot and expose his inner circuitry to her. She may not go into an angry outburst, however…
"I… would still be upset, but…"
"But…?"
"His personality… There's something about it… If he told me, I still… might be drawn to it…"
"See? If you can just look past Zane's background and see him for who he truly is, you can still try to come to an understanding with him. Just give your relationship with him another try."
"I'm not sure if I can. Not after what happened."
"The past is in the past, Heather. We can't change what's already happened. But we also have to face the present in order to build a future for ourselves. What kind of future do you want?"
"I… don't know…"
"I understand, and I think there's someone you should see right now."
Nya got up to leave, whispering to someone behind the door after she opened it by just a crack. Heather looked up with curiosity as the ebony-haired girl stepped aside, allowing that person to come in. Standing next to the yellow kunoichi was none other than…
"Zane!?"
"Heather…"
The English kunoichi's gray-blue eyes welled up with tears. The brunette covered her face in her hands and cried again. Zane wanted to comfort her but when he got close, she backed off as if he carried some contagious disease. He actually expected this, but that did nothing to alleviate the anguish he felt because of her actions. Nya knew she can no longer get involved. This was Zane and Heather's problem and they had to fix it on their own.
"I'm gonna give you two some time alone, and Heather, remember what I told you."
Nya shut the door behind her, leaving Heather alone with just the robot she harbored feelings for. She still wasn't sure how to deal with this. No longer wallowing in tears, she finally looked up at Zane. The nindroid's eyes were filled with sadness and… concern…
"Zane, why do you want to see me? Especially after the way I treated you…"
"Heather, you can't change the past. I should've known you would react in such a manner. I do not blame you for your words or actions."
"W-why are you forgiving me for all this? I said those hurtful things to you."
"People say and do things that can hurt others, or put them in an unsavory predicament. It's a part of human nature."
"How can you understand that!? You're not human!"
"I may be a robot, but my father built and programmed me to go through life like a human as closely as possible. My thoughts and my own personality are all proof."
"But… y-you…"
Zane moved close to Heather, wiping away her tears. The girl didn't flinch at his touch.
"Heather, if there was any way for me to become a true human, I would gladly take it. But I am who I am and I can't change that. And what can never change is my bond with all of you. I don't want to delete my memories either, for both good and bad. I also don't want to change the way I feel… for you…"
This made the human girl finally realize, whether the ninja of ice was human or not, she would always have these warm feelings for him, and as for the blonde humanoid, it was mutual.
"I-I-I can't deny these feelings I have for you. I know you're not a human but even if I know only up to this point, I still can't break free from my emotions."
"Heather, if you want to know, I also have feelings for you I can't deny either."
Cold arms wrapped the girl's form in a warm embrace, and graceful subtle ones found their way around the robot's neck. Heather's tear-filled irises looked up to meet Zane's icy optics that told her more than any spoken words could. The nindroid felt something run down his face.
"Zane… are you crying…?"
The nindroid touched his cheek and found out that his optics were leaking with oil again.
"I do not understand. I am no longer sad, yet I continue to shed tears."
Heather brushed away the white ninja's dark tears, her face ever closer.
"Zane, humans also cry when they're happy. They're tears of joy. Do you feel happy with me?"
"Heather, I never thought I could understand human emotions, but thanks to you and everyone else, I'm able to experience and share new feelings with all of you."
"So…"
Even as 'tears' continued to leak from his eyes, the ninja of ice gave her a warm smile.
"Yes. I believe I am experiencing true happiness, which I can only feel with you."
Heather finally smiled for the first time since she left. Zane was a robot but nothing can change the way she felt for him. Eyes glistening with true tears, her lips were so close to his pale ones.
Their faces were very close, she could smell the wintery fragrance of frosted pine and mint. But instead of an anticipated touch of the lips, Heather rested her head upon the nindroid's chest, hearing the humming of gears in place of a heartbeat. The kunoichi of nature started to weep as her arms slipped away from his neck to let her hands rest on his chest, repeating his name.
Zane stroked Heather's light brown hair with his fingers, resting his head on her silky locks. The first kiss was considered by many as the defining moment of a relationship, but he didn't care. These feelings he and Heather felt and shared for one another was all he needed to understand the emotion humans called 'love'.
Even if he didn't get the chance to share a kiss with Heather, even if he would short-circuit or get struck by a virus, or even have his life taken from him at any given moment, he didn't mind. As long as he had this wonderful bond with the teal kunoichi, Zane was ready to face whatever lied ahead of his path in life. The nindroid only wanted a relationship with a girl who was willing to give him a chance in spite of his inorganic origins. He was pretty much okay with not having his first kiss here.
This moment was all Zane Julien ever wanted.
(*) kiitos = thank you (Finnish)
Awwwwww! How sweet & fluffy was that? Like Zane, I really don't find kisses necessary to make things romantic. I wanted this chapter to be more 'sweet' than 'mushy'.
I also wish to apologize for treating Zane like crap in the last chapter, I really hope not to do that again anytime soon.
Again, 2 my reviewers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your reviews really motivate me and this story. Now that Zane & Heather have reconciled, I can finally get 2 the third kunoichi and her relationship with one of the remaining guys (can't tell U, I hate giving away everything before I write it).