Request: could you do one that explores Kai's thought process as Zane is sacrificing himself and Kai's mental health downward spiral afterwords?
By: The Night Ninja
This might be a bit bad, but here it is!
No. No, please don't do what you're about to do. Please. Please stop. Zane looked at Kai pleadingly. He had to do this. To save everyone. Reluctantly, Kai sighed and nodded. A look of determination came over Zane's face.
He hopped over to the Overlord. He grabbed onto the golden armor. Everyone was free. Now let go. Please let go. Why aren't you letting go? We're fine now. Let go, and then we can find a way to stop the Overlord. But Zane didn't let go.
"Why isn't he letting go?"
"His heart! It's reaching critical mass!"
"If his heart overloads, he'll blow. He'll never survive."
The words blurred together, but he couldn't just say nothing. His boyfriend was sacrificing himself all of Ninjago. For me.
"Let go of him, Virus. What are you doing?"
Zane glanced down at his boyfriend. "I am a Nindroid. And Ninja never quit. I love you, Smokey!" He yelled.
"I love you, too, Virus! I love you!" Kai screamed as he was dragged into a sewer. When they came out, there was only ice. And Kai screamed in anguish. In anger. In hatred. His little Virus was gone.
The memorial was... Happening. Kai was supposed to speak. He had to.
"Everyone wondered what powered Zane. I'd like to think it was love. His love powered me, and I loved him. We were happy and together. He will always power me forward. Wherever you are, Virus, I will always love you." Kai expertly hid his emotions. But it had started to snow. Zane always loved the snow. And Kai cried. He cried for Zane, he would never dry like this for anyone else. His sobs filled the air, making everyone's heart break. And for the second time, Kai's scream filled the air.
Kai stayed at Zane's memorial until midnight. When everyone left, he cried again. He asked why Zane did it, why he would ever think to even want to sacrifice himself. And Kai was the answer to every question. Zane would do anything for Kai, but now he would never do anything for him again.
Kai never got used to the feeling of an empty bed when he woke up. Every morning he would get up and go to Zane's memorial. He would stay there for ours, watching as people would pass by and bow to the statue in gratitude. Once a week, he would see one of the others. They wouldn't speak to each other, just offered silent comfort. Sometimes Nya went with him in the mornings, but would only stay for a few minutes before not being able to take it and leaving with tears falling off her face.
Kai missed stealing Zane's hoodies and playfully fighting with him for whatever hoodie that was stollen. Now, all he could do was wear the hoodies in comfort, while his lover was still gone.
Whenever Kai was having a particularly hard day in winter, it would always snow. He immediately felt comfort in that. He felt that it would snow for him, and that was Zane's way of showing Kai he still cared. On days it did snow, Kai would sit outside until it stopped snowing. He barely realized that he could seriously get himself sick, but he never did.
Kai was eventually able to stop going to Zane's memorial ever day. He went once a week, but if he ever passed it, he murmur an 'I love you, Virus', and move on. He rarely saw the other ninja at the memorial any more. He knew that Jay was hosting a game show now, he watched a few episodes of it, but couldn't take seeing one of his friends pretend to be happy. Lloyd was still at the bounty with him, Wu, and Nya. Lloyd would often ask Kai to hang out with him, but he was denied every time. Eventually, Lloyd left.
Kai didn't mind being on the bounty alone with his sister and his sensei. It made him start to feel slightly better, he just wished that everyone else was here, too. Then they could be an almost family again. Except this time, the almost was highlighted and underlined three times. Because while they were an almost family before, now they were an incomplete almost family. It hurt. And he still didn't know where Cole was.
Kai stopped eating. Well, he would eat when Nya and Wu forced it down his throat, but other than that, it lost its appeal. Zane was always the best cook. He would make any horrible food taste good, but now whenever he ate, Kai stopped trying to imagine Zane had made it. Because Zane hadn't made it. And Zane loved cooking for everyone, it was his favorite. But now he couldn't cook anymore.
Kai could tell he was getting thinner, and he knew Nya and Wu noticed, too. They started to force him to eat more often. At point, Kai thought about puking it up, but decided Zane wouldn't want him starving himself to that degree. Well, Zane wouldn't want him to starve at all, but Kai just didn't want to eat anything Zane didn't make. Which just happened to be everything. Because Zane can't cook anymore.
Blades became... Endearing to Kai. But whenever he started going down that thought process, he would stand up and sit near Nya. She wouldn't let him start cutting. Nya thought he was improving and would make small talk with Kai, which he would eventually join in on. It took his mind off things.
But then one day while doing this, he couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like if any of the other ninja died as well. If Wu died. If his sister died. At which point he sobbed into Nya's shoulders. And she comforted him. It made him feel better. He started talking to Nya more, and he started to stop starving himself, and he was able to keep his mind off blades. And Kai smiled for the first time since Zane's death.
Kai couldn't help but rush to Zane's memorial and talk about what had been happening. He told Zane about what he had been doing to himself and then he told him about his closer relationship with his sister. That day was the first day Kai started to heal. And then everything went to shit.
When Lloyd contacted him, he was so close to denying. But, Nya convinced Kai it would be good to see his old friend again. So, Kai listened and went to meet Lloyd. And Cole. And Jay. He was surprised, but he felt relief all the same. He was also angry. At himself because he didn't know the people he used to call brothers anymore. And Kai knew the others felt the same.
When Lloyd suggested they ad a knew member to the team, Kai was beyond pissed. How dare he try to replace Zane? How dare he try and say that it was time to move past Zane? And Jay and Cole were angry , too. Kai was able to take it out on the people that were robbing the restaurant, and they decided to join the Tournament of Elements.
Kai met Skylor, and decided to try and have a crush on her. It didn't work. He was good at pretending, though. He was just glad that the others thought he had moved past Zane. Until they found out that he was most likely alive. And Kai stopped pretending. He was happy. Until Lloyd kept telling him that he was selfish for wanting Zane back just because there was a n chance of him being alive. He said it was unfair to Skylor, but Kai knew Skylor didn't mind. Kai had asked her if it was okay for him to pretend the two had a crush on each other, and she said she was all for it. And because she was into girls. Kai was pretty sure that Nya was bi, so he said that when this whole tournament thing was over, he could try and introduce the two.
Things didn't really go to plan. Kai had to pretend he was all for Chen's idea, even though the asshole stole Kai's and everyone else's power. And Kai had to literally betray Lloyd. And that hurt. But Lloyd understood when Kai was able to whisper it to him, kinda. And then Kai was corrupted by the staff.
"No one is taking my staff!" The corruption yelled. "You never knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. And you never will!"
Lloyd winced at that. He had lost Zane too, but he didn't realize that Kai loved Zane that much.
"I-I can't control it. I don't want to control it! Never mind me dying in Zane's place, it should have been you! Ah, what am I saying? Nothing I don't already feel! Why don't I make it right and kill you now?"
"No, Kai, don't!" Lloyd pleaded.
Kai's eyes kept flickering from the golden amber they usually were to the dark blood red that his corruption had. "I'm doing this for Zane! D-don't listen to him! Shut up! You're just too weak to admit that Zane would want this! No! Zane would never want anyone dying in his place! He would want us to move past this! No! This. Is. For. Zane!" And Kai's eyes were gone. His personality was overtaken by this sinister darkness that took over him.
Until Cole and Zane smashed through the ceiling, knocking the staff out of Kai's hand. Shaking off the shock, Kai lept for the staff and smashed it on the ground. Everyone's elemental powers rushed to them, and Kai saw Zane. Alive.
"Virus?" It was whisper. No one could have heard it. But Zane did. And his face lit up.
"Smokey!" Was gleefully yelled.
But Skylor was being taken away and Kai had to save her. She had helped him so much, and Kai still needed to introduce her to his sister.
"I'll be back, Virus! I have to save a friend! For Nya!" And Zane understood. He nodded and let Kai leave while he and everyone else continued fighting.
After everything, Kai went to apologize to Lloyd. Because he knew Lloyd just lost his only family. And he knew how it felt, but Wu was talking to him, and when Lloyd saw Kai's apology in his eyes, Kai could see the forgiveness in Lloyd's.
Skylor and Nya were hitting it off quickly, and Skylor gave Kai an excited smile, which he gave a thumbs up to. Jay and Cole were quietly talking, while everyone else was talking amongst themselves, too. That just left Zane and Kai.
"Hey."
"Hi.
Awkward silence.
"I'm sorry." Zane finally said.
"For what?"
"Well, I left you. Just like that. And I know you've been grieving, Cole said as much. A few other told me I had to talk to you. Apparently it was very difficult for you. Not that it wasn't for me! I missed you, too. It's just, you thought I had died, and I didn't it, and-"
"Oh, shut up! I'm just happy that you're back! Don't you ever do that again, understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. I think, we have a lot to talk about..."
"Yes, we should probably start off with how thin you look. Did you eat at all?"
"When I was forced to."
"Well, I hope that you won't force yourself to eat when I give you things to eat. I don't like how thin you are."
"Well, you better get on that, then."
"I will."
They walked to the bounty, when did that get here? and Zane found enough food for a meal between the two of them. It was better to eat first and get to the hard stuff later.
Was that good? Depressing enough for you? Please tell me how I did on this chapter, I really don't know. Anyways, incorrect quote to lighten the mood?
Zane: Kai, do you think we talk about our relationship enough?
Kai: Yeah. Do we have any Fruit Roll Ups?
