Request: Cryptor/Zane

Requested by: LeonardoTheLeader, No name 120

Warnings: Yaoi

Zane picked his way carefully through the forest undergrowth, pushing stray branches out of his path as he walked, and avoiding stray twigs and piles of leaves that could cause anyone to be alerted to his presence. It had only been a couple of days since the Ninja had fought the Nindroids at the junkyard, and were now camping out in the forest to continue their search for the ones that had escaped from them.

He was on another scouting mission that night, and was in charge of searching for the Nindroids' base camp, while the others patrolled the surrounding area. He didn't mind having to sneak through the more densely wooded areas of the forest just to stay hidden in order to find their enemies, but every rustle of leaves made him feel a bit paranoid, as though he was being watched.

Eventually it all became a bit too much, especially once the wind kicked up, so he decided to climb up the nearest tree and continue his search from there. For a human, it would be very difficult to spot any branch thick enough to hold his weight through the darkness, but his night vision made the task quite simple.

Branch by branch, he made his way forward, guiding himself along by brushing his hands across tree trunks whenever they were close enough. He soon spotted a flickering light in the distance, and began to speed up his actions, while simultaneously trying to keep his movements as quiet as possible.

He soon came to the last tree branch and, much to his relief, discovered the source of the light. A campfire was lit in the centre of a clearing, and a rather sizeable group of Nindroids was milling about below, General Cryptor included. Why they needed a campfire at all was beyond him, but the important thing was that he found the Nindroid base camp.

Zane lifted a finger to the earpiece everyone had received back at their own camp, and began to whisper his report. "This is Zane. I have successfully found the location of the Nindroids' base camp."

It was a moment before anyone spoke, and he flinched at the sound of Jay's loud voice speaking before anyone else's. "Wait, seriously? None of us have even found anything yet! Are they at least doing anything big?"

"Not that I am aware of, but I must keep my voice down, and I recommend the rest of you do the same. I do not want any of us to be caught."

"We hear you loud and clear, Zane," Kai's voice crackled in the earpiece. "Let us know if something happens, and we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Thank you, I'll-" He had no time to finish his sentence when he heard a loud crack, and realized too late that in his rush to find the source of the light, he had perched himself on a thinner branch, one that wouldn't hold under his weight. He yelped when the branch snapped off the trunk, and he was sent tumbling to the ground, landing with a loud thud. He felt the earpiece fall off, but he wasn't sure where it was.

The noise was loud enough to catch the attention of every Nindroid in sight, unsurprisingly, and Zane was too stunned to move from where he crouched. He gulped once he made eye contact with Cryptor, and felt his systems grow cold when the general seemed to smirk at him.

"Well, what do we have here?" Cryptor growled, stepping closer. "The original Nindroid." He chuckled darkly. "Oh, that's right. You'd rather be known as Zane, the White Ninja of Ice. Nothing but a bucket of bolts merely pretending to be a human."

At that moment, Zane knew he had only one option: Run. He sprang from where he sat, aiming to whip around and race back to where he came. Before he could even reach the forest's undergrowth, however, he felt a strong hand grip his arm and drag him backwards. He tried to pull against it, but another Nindroid grabbed him by the shoulders, and another hand took hold of his other arm.

"Bring him to me," Cryptor ordered.

Zane struggled in the grip of the Nindroids holding onto him, but couldn't free himself. He was soon brought to stand in front of Cryptor, feeling his red-eyed gaze burn into him. He would have turned his head away, but he felt the general's clawed hand grip his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Leave us. I wish to speak with the traitor alone," he said to the Nindroid warriors, spitting the word as though it were a poison. They listened at once, releasing the grip they had on Zane and backing away from the pair.

Before he could run, Cryptor grabbed him by the front of his collar and dragged him away, over to what looked like some sort of shelter. Zane was thrown against the wall of the shelter, one foot stomping down on his chest to hold him down.

"So we meet again," Cryptor hissed, glaring down at him. "What gives you the idea that it's perfectly fine to invade our camp, traitor?"

"I was never a traitor," Zane retorted. "I would never ally myself with the likes of you. I fight for peace, while you fight for the Overlord, which is essentially the same as fighting for nothing more than destruction." He winced when the foot on his chest pressed down harder, feeling nervous that his chest cavity would cave in from the force.

"Even fighting for peace involves destroying or losing something, fool. Face it. No matter what side you choose, whether it's fighting for that group of spineless ninja or fighting with the ones who truly understand you, something must go. If you choose us, you may lose a few so-called friends.

"But if you choose them, you lose any chance of having anyone understand the troubles we know you face, the troubles that I know you face. They will never understand how it feels to be a Nindroid, but I certainly do. And you wouldn't want to destroy someone who feels even a slight empathy for you, hmm?"

Zane looked away, feeling rather stung by Cryptor's words. He soon felt his foot lift off his chest, and a pair of arms looped under his to lift him off the ground and up against the wall, two hands appearing on either side of his face. He turned his gaze back to Cryptor, who was much closer to him now.

"When I fight for peace, the destruction has a point, a meaning," Zane explained through gritted teeth. "But when you fight for the Overlord, there is no purpose behind the destruction. You destroy simply for the sake of destroying." He kicked Cryptor in the chest with all his might, stepping away from the wall. "I have said it once, and I will say it again: I will never join you, and I will not stop fighting for my friends."

He raced back into the woods, climbing up another tree once he was far enough away from the base camp. Even as he continued through the trees, he could hear Cryptor's voice calling after him, feeling a wave of dread pass over him upon hearing his words.

"Nindroids don't belong with humans, you fool! You will realize that soon enough, even if it requires a little reprogramming in your system to do so!"

Whew, this pairing can be a little difficult to write for, but I hope it was okay :3

Quick reminder, though: I would really appreciate it if you guys were a little more specific with requests (scenarios, etc). That way I know exactly what it is that you want :)

Thank you to LeonardoTheLeader and No name 120 for requesting this pairing! Stay tuned!