Zane slowly opened his eyes.
It took a few moments to register exactly what was happening. He was clearly laying down, as his immediate view was a grey ceiling and a surgical light-head. He blinked a few times, closed his eyes, and stretched his arms over his head. The last thing he remembered was being locked in battle with Lloyd… seeing a misfire in response to one of his pot-shots… running to protect Pixal from said misfire... and after that – nothing.
Zane turned his head to the right, only to see Pixal herself sitting quietly beside him. He promptly sat up, startled by her presence. She sweetly smiled at him, and his heart began pulsing uncontrollably.
"Your Imperial Highness," He lowered his head respectfully, silently grateful that his new body was appropriately covered. "forgive me, I was unaware that you were here."
"Fear not, Zander, I have merely come to oversee your rebuild," She beamed. "and I must say it is coming along nicely."
"What could I possibly have done to earn your attention during such an average operation?" He humbly asked.
"You risked your life for me," She purred. "it is the least I could do to get you back."
Zane was riveted to the spot. He had said those words to Nya when he first decided to give half of his heart to Pixal; the power to New Ninjago had been switched off, and with it, Pixal herself. But that was 6 years ago, and she never heard him say that. He paused, still utterly stunned by her choice of words, when he suddenly realised that this situation was his own doing, as it was him who had put her in danger in the first place.
"I apologise most fervently, Your Highness, I did not intend for Master Lloyd to aim his final attack at you."
"That's the risk I took by allowing a battle to occur in the council meeting room." Pixal admitted.
"Your Highness," Miru said, approaching with a tablet in her hand. "per your instructions, all the required upgrades have been installed."
Pixal softly took the device from Miru's hands and cast her eye over the details. She nodded approvingly as she swiped across the screen. Zane floated away on a cloud while he watched her, so completely enamoured that he didn't hear any of her quiet discussion with Miru. Even as Pixal gestured from the tablet screen to him and back to the tablet, Zane remained blissfully unaware of what was being said.
Until Pixal addressed him directly.
"…I hope that is alright." She said.
"My apologies, could you repeat that?" He asked.
"I wish for you to have a scar that mirrors mine," She reiterated. "do you give consent for this procedure?"
"Of course, Your Highness," He lowered his head again. "though I am deeply saddened to see you scarred to begin with, I am honoured to bear such a mark in solidarity to you."
"Such loyalty and devotion from someone so new, is almost unheard of," Pixal smiled, resting her hand on his shoulder. "you're a refreshing change of pace."
"It is most becoming." Miru verbally nudged.
"Indeed," Pixal murmured. "I look forward to seeing you at this afternoon's council meeting – Lord Zander."
She leaned over and placed a soft kiss above his left eye. He almost melted on the spot. With another warm smile, Pixal turned on her heel and waltzed out of the room. Miru gave Zane a smug, knowing grin as he wallowed in the physical affection given to him.
"You're certainly making all the right moves," Miru nodded. "I have never seen anyone ingratiate themselves so quickly!"
"She must know who I am," Zane smiled. "I am certain of it."
"I would not go that far," Miru chuckled. "now close your left eye and sit still – I'm a perfectionist and this scar must be perfect!"
Zane did as he was told, and Miru approached with something resembling a scalpel. He soon felt the blade carving out a specific path on his face. There was no blood obviously, but there was pain. A distinct, yet familiar pain. The closest he could describe was perhaps the sting he felt in his heart that night of the blackout, when Pixal reached out to him for confirmation that they were not so different after all, moments before shutting down.
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"I'm sorry, I should've warned you that my hand is not gentle." Miru apologised, having noticed the errant tear.
"It is not the blade," Zane corrected. "it is a memory from several years ago."
"About Lady Borg?" She hinted as she sat in a wheeled desk chair and put the cutting tool on a nearby desk.
"Yes." He wistfully sighed, reaching up to touch the engravement.
"What was she like back then? Her Highness?" Miru shuffled over to him with a metal file in her hand and gestured for him to close his eye again.
"She went by her first name, and she was Mr Borg's assistant; Pixal was – if you'll pardon the expression – very automated in her mannerisms at first," Zane mentioned. "she introduced herself by the acronym that spells her name, but when she asked me "what Zane stands for", I thought she was asking what I stand for as an individual."
"And what did you say?"
"'I stand for truth, justice, and courage in the face of all who threaten Ninjago'; Jay clarified for me, saying 'she means your name, tin-head!'," He laughed at the memory. "Pixal didn't mind that I had misunderstood, she just smiled at me… I knew in an instant that I was in love with her… "
"What a beautiful sentiment." She admired.
"As I got to know her a little more, it was clear that she served Mr Borg with devotion and took her duties seriously."
"Well, that hasn't changed at least," Miru chuckled, filing and neatening the scar she had just created. "even now, everything she does, she does with dignity and enthusiasm; yes, Lady Borg takes her role and obligations to heart."
"Does she still have it?" Zane asked.
Miru paused and gave him a quizzical look, to which he tapped on his chest. She soon realised he was asking about Lady Borg's actual heart.
"Of course!" Miru vigorously nodded. "She is burdened by the missing half, but that does not stop her doing what she needs to."
"Do you know why she has only half a heart in the first place?" Zane baited.
"I heard that Lady Borg once had an inferior heart – one that was dependent upon the electrical current of New Ninjago in order to function – and that a blackout completely deactivated her," Miru gently filed the inside of the scar she had just engraved on Zane's face. "she would have stayed that way, if not for Kura-okami, who gave up half of his own heart to save her."
"From the very first moment I met her, I knew I would give my life for her," Zane murmured, as a wide, nostalgic smile swept across his face. "at first, it impacted my ability to fight, but we soon realised that we could fight together; there was something beautiful in that moment, when we fought back-to-back – connected by our shared power source."
Though initially losing himself to his thoughts, he soon noticed that Miru had stopped modifying the scar on his face. He looked up to see her turned away from him, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned back to him, smiling weakly.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine, I am just so deeply moved by your dedication to Lady Borg," She sniffled some more. "I dare say you are even more dedicated than Lord Kai!"
"Does the title of Lord have particular significance?" Zane wondered. "Or is it just symbolic?"
"It is completely legitimate!" Miru hastily barked, placing her hands on her hips. "Lord Kai, for instance, holds power over the north-east segment of Ninjago, from the Airjitzu Temple, across the Wailing Alps, up to and including the Corridor of Elders."
"Wow."
"Wow is right," Miru chirped as she finished her task. "by calling you 'Lord', it means she intends to give you some form of control over Ninjago."
"To be honest, I am just relieved to be accepted into her inner circle."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and after a few moments an older gentleman entered the room.
He had a short-back-and-sides haircut, with the occasional smidgeon of grey among his dark chestnut brown hair. Half-moon glasses rested on the bridge of his nose and a soft tape measure was draped over his shoulders, and despite the traditional attire that everyone else was wearing, this man had all the appearances of a more contemporary person; black pants, white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and a black waistcoat.
He first approached Miru with a garment bag, containing a new silver shozoku to replace the one damaged during the battle. He then turned to Zane, gave a full 90-degree-angle bow and smiled politely.
"Lord Zander; allow me to introduce myself," He spoke in a deep, smooth voice. "my name is Kilos Abakhan, head of the textile department and executive tailor to Her Imperial Highness the Shogun– I have been sent to obtain your measurements for new attire befitting your recent promotion."
"Thank you, but it really is not necessary…" Zane began.
"Pardon my insolence, My Lord, but my orders come from the Shogun," Mr Abakhan explained. "she has requested that you be measured in time for your first official appearance tomorrow evening."
Zane glanced at Miru, as if asking for confirmation that his new body was finished, and he could stand without issue. She nodded. Zane shuffled to the edge of the table he was sitting on and tentatively stood up. With another brief bow, Mr Abakhan took the tailor's tape from his neck and began measuring various parts of Zane's body, muttering the numbers under his breath with every dimension taken; arms, legs, waist, torso, head-to-toe, shoulders… he was certain that all relevant measurements were recorded for this new, elegant project. As he noted the numbers onto a small pad of paper, he once again bowed.
"Thank you for your time, My Lord." He said as he left the room with one final bow.
"I'm really not comfortable with this level of formality." Zane mentioned with a half frown.
"You will need to get used to it I'm afraid," Miru shrugged. "Lady Borg has seen fit to add you to her select list of daimyo, with that comes a certain expectation."
Zane pulled a discontented face.
"I know, I know, it is not what you are used to," Miru empathised. "but do not think that being a Lord excludes you from fighting – Lady Borg requires her Lords and their vassals to fight when she needs them to."
"That is comforting, I would not be happy sitting idly by while others fight."
"Lady Borg does not believe in sending others to do her dirty work, she is right there beside them," Miru gestured to her right eye. "how do you think she got that scar in the first place?"
Zane's expression became dark and ominous.
"I only care to find out who did it to her," He growled. "I willfind them, and I will make them pay."
"You seem very determined to achieve retribution on Lady Borg's behalf," Miru sighed. "I guess it would do no good to tell you that it does not bother her at all, and that she has long since forgiven the perpetrator."
"She knows who did it?!"
"No, but Her Highness considers it a waste of energy to bear such a grudge and resolved to let go of her anger; I would advise you do the same."
Zane wavered slightly. If Pixal had forgiven her attacker, perhaps it was worth him also forgiving them. He only vaguely noticed Miru fussing around him, until he felt the sensation of fabric being draped over and across his body.
"I can dress myself you know."
"Oh, you mean like before?" She snorted derisively. "You looked so untidy! The council may not have noticed that your greaves were on backwards, but I did – it's a wonder you managed to wear your gi the right way!"
"It must have been the body you gave me," He teased. "how could you be surprised about my dressing skills when I could not even use my ice powers in that shell?"
"Oh ha, ha," She rolled her eyes at him. "well, you look much better now anyway."
"This body is much better also," Zane added. "it feels identical to my original one."
Miru began switching off all the equipment in the room. She turned off the computers, the myriad of chargers for the tools she used, and the light that Zane had woken up to, before walking over to the door. She turned to look at Zane – who had not moved at all while she was walking around and deactivating things.
"Well, come along, we must venture out into New Ninjago."
"Are we actually going outside?" He asked.
"Of course," She chuckled. "this is not an ivory tower which we cannot exit; are you coming with me or not?"
"Definitely!" He enthusiastically followed her out of the room.
"I appreciate your eagerness," Miru smiled. "I did not realise that going outside was such a big deal."
"I wish to see the city, see the people, feel the sun on my face."
"Sun? Not so much at this time of year, but you will be pleased to know that the weather is more suited to your supposed element."
"Winter comes again…" Zane sighed contentedly.
They travelled through the city in a norimono, carried by a pair of android dragons, and accompanied by two guards.
Zane was pleasantly surprised to see that New Ninjago looked just as modern as he remembered, if not more so. He noticed that many of the citizens were wearing traditional clothing intertwined with contemporary garments, and despite the technological advances, there was a definite air of old-world customs prevailing through the modernity.
As if the world itself was welcoming him back, snow began to fall. Zane lit up at the mere presence of the icy weather, as several snowflakes landed on his face. He closed his eyes and smiled. He was so happy, that he was sorely tempted to jump out of their transport to experience the cold just a little bit more. Miru chuckled.
"I have never seen a droid this excited about winter, aside from Lady Borg of course." She commented.
"Droids do not feel the cold the way humans do," Zane replied. "perhaps that is why I enjoyed being the Master of Ice so much, because even though I could not feel the cold, I could experience the cold through my powers; it made me feel more human."
"How profound," Miru mused. "Lady Borg's joy of winter is rooted in her love for Kura-okami – statistically, it is the one time of year when she is least likely to be triggered by any perceived disrespect towards Him."
Suddenly, they halted. Miru gazed outside and saw that they had arrived at their destination.
"Come along, we are here." She insisted as she got out.
"Where is 'here'?" He asked as he followed her.
"You'll see," Miru said, bowing and gesturing toward the door in front of them. "you first, My Lord."
Zane grinned and shook his head at her insistence on being decorous but humoured her anyway by entering the building before her. Miru chuckled and went to go in after him, but something caught her eye; there, in their norimono – right where Zane had been sitting – was the unmistakable pattern of crystalized frost. She blinked a few times, contemplating for a moment whether he created it, or if it was a by-product of their open door-style carriage. She didn't have time to focus on it though, as she swiftly recalled that she was here for a reason.
She entered the plain-looking storefront and quickly locked onto Zane, casually chatting with a young girl at the counter. Zane's Lordship had not yet been announced to the public, or the girl would have been reprimanded for her impropriety.
"Welcome, Miss Miru." the young lady bowed to her.
"Good afternoon, Lotus," Miru said. "is Jasper here?"
"Yes, Miss Miru, she's in her work room." She replied, pulling aside a nearby red curtain.
"Thank you, Lotus," Miru bowed her head and turned to Zane. "follow me, Zander."
Zane waved to Lotus as they proceeded through the doorway once hidden by the curtain. They strolled through a long corridor, adorned with hand-painted portraits of various people – some who Zane recognised and some he didn't. Soon, he would be confronted by another familiar face. As they approached another curtain at the end of the hallway, quiet yet emotive voices could be heard.
"Stop, I have to finish this painting!" a female voice giggled coquettishly.
"Aw, come on, you've been working on this for ages," a male voice pleaded, his tone positively oozing with flirtatious energy. "can't you take a little break, just for a cuddle, when I came all this way to see you?"
Zane put his hand over his mouth, wondering what they were walking into. Miru simply raised her eyebrows at Zane with a cheeky smirk before she giggled and wrenched the curtain open. Inside the room, was a young lady with long, fiery red hair. She sat at a canvas, brushing away, seemingly completely alone.
"Ah, Miru, how good to see you!" She purred.
"Jasper, you're looking well," Miru grinned knowingly. "for a moment I thought you had company."
Jasper nervously chuckled, while Miru spun around and looked up into the darkness of the high ceiling. She watched the shadows intensely; the faintest whirring could be heard as she examined the blackness of the high ceiling.
"I know you're there, Master Cole," Miru stated. "there is little point in hiding."
To Zane's surprise, Cole soon appeared from his shadow-laden vantage point up in the rafters.
"Okay, okay, you got me," He jumped down in defeat and held his hands up guiltily. "how come you always find me no matter where I hide?"
"Oh, my dear Master Cole," She playfully scoffed. "how quickly you forget that I-"
"'-Am She who Watches, and nothing escapes me'," Cole interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. "I know, I know, it was a stupid question."
Miru chuckled - he knew her too well.
"Aren't you supposed to be training?" Miru baited.
"I ducked out to come and make sure Jasper was safe, her sister hinted that something big is gonna happen, and I thought she may need protecting," He admitted. "please don't tell Lloyd, I really don't need another lecture about 'neglecting my duties'."
"I shall say nothing." Miru promised.
"So, who's this?" Cole asked, nodding his head toward Zane.
"Allow me to introduce Lady Borg's newest court member," Miru responded demurely. "Master Cole, this is Lord Zander."
"A Lord?" Cole dropped his casual attitude and bowed deeply. "please forgive my lack of formality, My Lord, I didn't know."
"No one does yet, his announcement ceremony is tomorrow evening; indeed, that is why we are here," Miru explained as she looked at Jasper. "your presence is required to document this occasion."
"Of course, I would be honoured."
Zane had yet to say a word, as he tried to take in the image of the ninja who stood before him and compared it to the one in his memories.
Cole had aged, just as Kai and Lloyd had, but seemed much more friendly towards him than the others. His windswept hair had grown enough to be tied into a short ponytail, and he was now apparently much more interested in girls than he used to be. He also had a huge dragon tattoo on his right arm, going from his shoulder to his wrist, framed by the black sleeveless hoodie he wore.
Zane was jolted from his thoughts by Miru, elbowing him in the side.
"Pardon my silence, I was just admiring this wonderful artwork on your arm." Zane remarked.
"Thank you, My Lord." Cole bowed his head.
"As you know, Lord Zander, all who pledge allegiance to Lady Borg must undergo some form of body modification on their right side – except you of course, Lady Borg requested something special for you," Miru winked. "many opt for a palm-sized tattoo, but Master Cole was so moved by Kura-okami's sacrifice that he went for a full sleeve."
"It must have been very painful." Zane noted.
"Not as painful as losing my best friend." Cole mentioned with a wounded, reminiscent expression.
Jasper quietly stood up and placed her hand on Cole's shoulder. Zane was incredibly moved by Cole's gesture of loyalty, unaware until now that Cole thought so highly of their friendship.
"By the way, when we arrived it sounded like there was more going on than just protection." Miru smirked.
Cole and Jasper both turned red as a cherry as they realised that they'd been overheard.
"Well, it saves me an extra trip having you both here," Miru handed each of them a gilded envelope, sealed with a wax stamp. "I trust you to pass this onto Sensei Wu, on my behalf."
"You can rely on me!" Cole confirmed, before turning to Jasper and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Later, babe."
Without another word, the earth ninja took off through the back exit.
Miru bowed to Jasper and turned to walk back through the corridor, followed by Zane, who smiled and politely nodded his head before leaving. As they traversed the corridor and walked out of the shop entrance, Zane was overwhelmed with the weight of his lengthy absence.
"Cole looks so different now," Zane sighed, as they walked back to the norimono. "I cannot help but wonder if all my friends have changed in such a manner."
"Everything stayed right where you left it, but it still changed while you were away," Miru responded, gesturing for him to enter their transport before her. "you have been gone for 6 years and not changed one bit, but change is inevitable."
"I know," Zane sighed, sitting where he had before. "but I didn't plan on taking 6 years to return."
"Perhaps I should not tell you what else has changed since you've been gone." Miru baited.
"I doubt anything else could surprise me at this point." He sighed again.
"We'll see…"
"By the way, how did you know Cole would be here?" Zane wondered.
A cheeky, knowing grin slowly stretched across her face.
"Oh Zander, how quickly you forget," Miru chuckled ominously. "that I am She Who Watches, and nothing escapes me…"