I am now all caught up with the show, so all seasons are available to request on. This one-shot is for Fxreflies, sorry if it not exactly what you wanted but I have a hard time writing broken love. This one-shot is an AU of season 11.
Aspheera had just banished Zane to the Never realm, leaving his brothers and sensei to think he was dead. Zane repaired the mech then broke the scroll of forbidden spinjitzu, it was just too dangerous. He used the mech to walk to a nearby village. The formlings welcomed him and he joined them as a nine-tailed white fox. One afternoon he was entertaining the children of the tribe, those who had not yet found their animal form. He often told stories of his adventures with his brothers.
"And then woosh, we burst into our tornado of creation and turned those skeletons into a fun ride," said Zane to the younglings. All the kids cheered.
"Mr. Ninja do you ever miss home? Do you ever want to go back?" asked a young boy
"One day I will find my way home, but I have a duty to protect any realm I reside in, no matter how temporary," said Zane
"Tell us again how you beat the evil Sons of Garmadon," said one of the kids making a growling noise.
"How about tomorrow little one, it is getting late and I must journey to the village on the great lake, they have a small issue with a giant fish who keeps breaking their nets," said Zane
"Awe," sighed all the kids
"Do not worry little ones, I will be back by morning," said Zane. He transformed into his fox form and headed out, finding paws faster than feet. He did want to get home, he often wondered where his brothers were, did they think he was dead? Did they miss him, did Pixal still love him? He shook these thoughts from his head, he had to protect the people of this realm, his purpose was to protect all those who could not protect themselves. He sighed and transformed back into his normal form. He approached the village.
"Ah Zane, thank you for coming, this massive fish is uncatchable and keeps destroying out nets," said the elder.
"Do not worry mam, I will handle it," said Zane as he dove into the frigid water, thanking creation that his element was Ice. He found the massive fish and sent a blast of Ice at it. The massive fish floated to the top of the lake and Zane surfaced to the cheers of the village. He went to go dry off by the village fire. He enjoyed spending time with the children of the villages and they were always happy to see him.
"Zane the village lost a young family not too long ago and the village has been doing it's best to raise their only child but she needs structure in her life, a stable home, would you be willing to raise her? We have seen how well you interact with young ones," said the elder.
"Of course I would be willing, how old is the child?" asked Zane
"She was born shortly before we met you and her parents were lost before you first came to our village, the child is only six months old," said the elder
"Where is she?" asked Zane. The elder nodded to someone and they left only to return with a beautiful little baby girl.
"Her name is Aurora," said the elder. Zane took the little girl into his arms, promising that he'd keep her safe and give her the home she deserved. Many years passed and Zane fostered many children from both tribes, he had lost count of how many great-grandchildren he had now. His house was in between both villages and he looked nothing like his former self. He had a long silver beard and a staff made from the branch of a traveler's tree, he still wanted to go home but he had a life here now. One day another child was brought to his doorstep, her blonde hair and eyes seemed familiar somehow.
"Her name is Harumi, the name came to her parents in a dream along with the instruction that she must be raised by you, something about atoning for actions in a different world," said Sorla, the new elder of the great lake. Zane took the little girl into his arms, she stared at him.
"Grandpa you are almost 500 years old now, are you sure you are up for raising another child?" asked Boreal, his great great great great grandson, a descendant of Aurora.
"Yes my child, I am," said Zane. He wondered if the little girl in his arms remembered anything of her past life. But she was a baby, a child who needed his care, he could not allow her actions in a former life to tarnish this one. Many years past and Harumi was a young woman, though she remembered everything from before her life now, she also knew that her action in this life were hopefully making up for those in the other realm. She chuckled at how much her new dad looked like his old sensei.
"Rumi dear, run along to the formling village and fetch Akita and Kataru for me? It is time for their ninja lesson," said Zane. Once every 50 years he trained two children from one of the villages to become ninjas, this time it was two formlings that had been his students for a while now.
"Yes dad," said Harumi, putting on her fur coat and heading outside to begin the journey to the formling village. Zane did look like a silver version of Wu, same beard, same hat, the only difference was his robes were more ice-themed and were thicker for warmth. He sighed, 519 years he had been here, protecting the people of this realm, he missed his home.
Back in Ninjago Wu had finally decided it was time to confront Aspheera on what she had done to Zane.
"It took you three years to come to speak with me, you are free and I am once more Unjustly imprisoned," said Aspheera
"Unjustly? Zane was innocent, he had no part in this, he was one of the kindest, bravest souls I have ever known, and you destroyed him," said Wu
"Destroyed? You think I wanted to destroy you? I wanted you to suffer as I did! I banished him, to the one place that you cannot help him, to the Never realm!" laughed Aspheera. WU gasped and ran out.
"WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW WU!? WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?!" laughed Aspheera.
The episode continues as normal
The ninja was in the forest when they came across a village on a lake. They entered Sorla's house and warmed themselves by the fire, it was the middle of winter after all.
"You are a long ways from home, where do you come from?" asked Sorla
"We come from a place called Ninjago, we are looking for a friend of ours," said Lloyd
"My great great great grandfather is from Ninjago, ah the stories he has told, all the villages in this realm know him, he protects us and trains select few of us to be students of his," said Sorla fondly, the ninja looked at each other.
"I will bring you to him, he lives in the forest. He may know where your friend is, though the villages have long forgotten his true name, to most of us he is grandfather ice," said Sorla. They came to a clearing where two formlings were sparing, an old man overseeing their progress, he looked like a metal version of sensei Wu.
"Zane?" asked Lloyd. The man looked up, bright blue eyes stared at Lloyd. The man smiled
"519 years I've waited for you all to find me," said Zane
"Zane!" shouted all the ninja running towards their lost brother, hugging him.
"Dad I made tea," said Harumi coming out of the house with the teapot. Stopping when she saw the ninja.
"Harumi," gasped Lloyd
"Lloyd I-I," Harumi started.
"Save it, I don't know how you got here or why but I don't want to talk to you," said Lloyd
"Lloyd, she was reincarnated in this realm, I have raised her since she was an infant," said Zane, resting his hand on Lloyd's shoulder.
"I still don't trust her," said Lloyd
"Lloyd, I've changed," said Rumi.
"No, I'll never forgive you, you broke my heart and then the world," said Lloyd
"Rumi dear why don't you get Akita and Kataru back home, I will talk to them," said Zane. He motioned for the ninja to enter the house.
"We are so sorry it took so long for us to come for you, Wu only just went to talk to Aspheera, it was three years our time, I guess time works differently here," said Kai
"Kai have you gotten your powers back?" asked Zane
"Yeah, it took a while but yeah," said Kai
"What about Pixal?" asked Zane
"She still misses you, the nightmares stopped after about a month but I don't think a day goes by where she doesn't think about you," said Nya. Jay and Kai couldn't stop giggling
"What is so funny?" asked Zane
"Master Wu is going to do a double-take when he sees you," laughed Jay
"I suppose so," chuckled Zane, stroking his beard.
"Well now that we've found you we can get home if Cole hadn't dropped the traveler's tea," said Lloyd
"The only problem is that I have a family here, and my students," said Zane
"Grandpa, We can take over training the formling twins, you deserve to go home after so long," said Boreal. Zane sighed, he'd have to bring Harumi back with him if he went to Ninjago.
"How do you plan on getting us all home?" asked Zane. Suddenly Harumi came back, Lloyd glared at her, but Zane could see that there was still a glimmer of love in his eyes.
"There is a traveler's tree at the top of the mountain, the leaves aren't strong enough to get us home but the berries will, I have not tried it because I have had to protect this realm, but if my grandchildren feel up to the task then I will leave the realm in their care," said Zane
"Are you leaving me here?" asked Harumi
"Of course not my child, you will come back to Ninjago with me, it will be the last step in the process of healing," said Zane
"He even talks like Wu," Jay whispered to Kai
"Does this mean Pixal will be my new mother?" asked
"Only if you want her to be," said Zane
"Does this mean Zane is older than Wu?" whispered Jay
"I don't know how old is Wu?" asked Kai.
"Quiet," said Zane, wacking the two of them over the head with his staff
"Ok, looks like Wu, hit's like Sensei Garmadon," said Kai rubbing his head. Lloyd was giving Harumi the cold shoulder. Zane sighed he'd speak with Lloyd about this once they got back home, for now, he had to pack. He winced as his old joints frequently locked up and popped, nindroid or not over five hundred years was a long time and the winters were harsh even with him being the master of ice.
"Harumi dear, could you help me out, please? My leg got locked up again," asked Zane
"Sure dad," said Harumi going over to her father and helping him walk to the bedroom.
"Old, Wise, Hits people with a stick, teaches, long beard, hat, face Kai, Zane is Wu 2.0," said Jay
"Yeah but this means Zane can't come with us on missions, not if his joints keep locking, he's going to have to stay at the monastery with Wu," said Kai
"I'd rather him safe at the monastery anyway, I don't think any of us could handle losing him again," said Lloyd.
"How do we get to the top of the mountain where the tree is?" asked Cole
"I will give you a map, unfortunately, my joints and others systems are rather rusted and I would only slow you down, otherwise I'd come with you, Rumi knows the terrain around here I will send her with you," said Zane.
"Yes dad, I will accompany them," said Harumi
"I don't think all of us need to go," said Lloyd
"You're right, Jay and I will stay behind and help Zane pack, the rest of you can go get the berry," said Kai. Lloyd grumbled something under his breath but begrudgingly left with the others. Zane sat down in his favorite chair and sighed.
"So why are you trying to rekindle the romance between those two?" asked Kai, referring to Lloyd and Harumi.
"Because she was sent here to this lifetime to atone for her actions in Ninjago, she has all her memories from her past life so that she can make up for what she did, I believe part of that will be rekindling that small spark of romance between her and Lloyd," said Zane
"What's it like being an all-knowing sensei?" asked Jay
"I do not claim to be all-knowing, Jay, I merely know a great deal from experience and quite a few parenting mishaps, speaking of which, you mentioned it being three years since I was banished, why does Nya not have a ring on her finger? Or Kai I thought you and Skylor would at least have made the Yin Yang promise? Why has nothing drastic seems to have happened since I've been gone?" asked Zane
"Because we thought you were dead, we've spent the last three years trying to get over losing you," said Jay
"I'm sorry, I should have come home the minute I found out about the traveler's tree," said Zane
"Don't be, we know you felt you were needed here and besides, none of us would have forced you to leave your kids and grandkids," said Kai
"So how many grandkids do you have?" asked Jay
"I have lost count, it seems every day I get a new great-great-grandchild," chuckled Zane
"How do you keep track of their names?" asked Kai. Zane smiled and pulled out a scrapbook that was almost bursting at the seams. Any time a new member of my family come into the world, I get sent a picture," said Zane
"It must have been hard to have to watch your children grow old and pass on," said Kai, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"It was but having my grandchildren and great-grandchildren nearby helped a lot, and once Rumi came to me I had a child to raise and cherish once again," said Zane
"If Nya and I ever have kids please help us," pleaded Jay
"The job of a parent is to raise their child so they can spoil their grandchildren, the same goes for aunts and uncles, should you leave your child in my care at any point, I will spoil them rotten, just as I'd expect you all to do the same for any children Pixal and I have," smiled Zane, several hours later the rest of the ninja came stumbling in, covered in snow and out of breath.
"DON'T EVER MAKE ME KEEP THE PEACE BETWEEN THOSE TWO AGAIN!" exclaimed Nya pointing at Lloyd and Harmui who looked like they had been arguing. Nya flopped onto the couch, Zane sighed he knew it was going to be hard to get Lloyd and Harumi to rekindle at least a friendship but the way things seemed right now, even that was off to a bad start, maybe Wu would have some advice, then again, maybe not, Zane was a good century or two older than Wu and had been through quite a few wars, King Grimfax had heard of Zane's powers and had requested his aid in the hundred year war that was between the northern villages under Grimfax and the Southern Fire tribes. The war had lasted a century and Zane lost count of the number of times he had almost died. There had been many more wars in the centuries. It was safe to say that Zane was wiser than Wu.
"How did the arguments start?" asked Zane
"Oh you know the typical, one trips refuse the other's help to get up, type scenario, then it was just bickering the rest of the way up and down the mountain," said Cole. Zane sighed, he had expected Rumi to be the one to make things difficult, not Lloyd.
"Lloyd, you remember the key lesson that Wu taught us all? The one that helped us accept you into our midst?" Asked Zane
"No, I'm not going to listen to you spout wisdom," shouted Lloyd walking off. Zane had almost forgotten how stubborn Lloyd was. Zane got up and went after Lloyd.
"Lloyd, I am not asking for you and Rumi to jump into anything, but I do want you to try to be friends with her, She is a different person now," said Zane
"Easy for you to say, you raised her," said Lloyd
"That's exactly how I know she is a different person, Lloyd do you think I would have allowed her to become a conniving, scheming liar?" asked Zane
"No, I know you wouldn't," said Lloyd
"Please at least try to get along with her, if not for yourself then for me?" asked Zane. Lloyd hugged his brother.
"Ok, I'll try, but only for you Zane, I've really missed you," said Lloyd. It would take a few days for Zane to say goodbye to all of his family and the people he had grown close to over the years.
"Will we ever see you again grandpa?" asked one of the little girls
"Maybe one day if you ever come to Ninjago," said Zane
"I don't want grandpa to leave!" cried one of the little ones.
"Sweetie, when time ends I will see you again in the final realm," said Zane, all the little ones hugged him.
"Grandfather, at least take little Karra with you, I don't know how well I can take care of her," said one of the young men, he had lost his wife to a wolf attack a few weeks ago and was left with his infant daughter. Zane took the little one into his arm, he had long forgotten which child each of his family was descended from but he cared for all of them, no matter how many generations had passed. They all took Zane's bags and everything got loaded onto the mech and Land bounty, which they fixed after finding it. They went through the portal all at once. Zane holding tightly to little Karra. They got out of the bounty seeing Wu and Pixal. Zane went last.
"Zane," said Wu hugging the man, before doing a double-take,
"I didn't know you could grow a beard," said Wu
"Well, 519 years does tend to change a person's features," laughed Zane.
"What is with the child," asked Wu spotting the baby in Zane's arms.
"This is Karra, one of my great great great great great grandchildren, I adopted quite a few children over the year so my family just kept growing, her father lost his wife a few weeks ago to wolves and asked me to take the little girl, knowing I'd raise her, I also raised Harumi, she was reincarnated into the Never Realm 19 years ago and given to me," said Zane
"That answers another one of my questions," said Wu looking at the young blonde woman standing slightly behind Zane.
"Her and Lloyd are at a bit of an impasse at the moment," sighed Zane. He was absent-mindedly rocking the baby back and forth. Then Pixal came over.
"Zane," she said as she looked at him. Tears of joy sparkling in her eyes.
"Pixal, you haven't changed a bit," said Zane. Harumi took little Karra into her arms as Zane and Pixal kissed, holding each other close. When they finally parted, Pixal twirled Zane's beard in around her finger and giggled.
"You look like Wu," she giggled.
"I've been getting that a lot lately," smiled Zane. That night Zane was filling everyone in on what happened to him in the Never Realm. Zane noticed that Harumi had left, her silhouette could be seen through the door. He sighed and grabbed his staff, ready to go talk to his daughter, Pixal saw him and went with him. They went on either side of Harumi.
"Bad memories?" asked Zane softly
"I just never thought I'd ever be back in Ninjago, never expected a second chance," she said
"Well you are so I think you should make the most of it," said Pixal
"Your mother is right, make the most of the extra time you have been given," said Zane, Pixal smiled, she was a mother now, and how ever many greats, grandma. All in one day. She didn't care that her new daughter was a former villain, Zane had raised her this time, she wasn't evil. Harumi remembered what her very first family had told her back in the departed realm.
"You have had three families already, but the one you need is still to come," she smiled even if she and Lloyd never became a couple, she had a family who loved her. But then she frowned again.
"Lloyd will probably hate me forever, he'll never forgive me," said Rumi
"Give it time and he will, show him who you are now and he will see that he is being foolish," said Zane pulling his daughter close. She knew Garmadon was still at large but he was no longer her emperor, he was her enemy.