Thank you FrozenSoapbubble and TrinityCrystalPrincess89 for dropping a review! you guys are amazing, thank you:)
FrozenSoapbubble: Nah, these kiddos never get a break. Wu had better let them have a serious vacation one of these seasons. As per requested, adventure in Chen's dungeon, m'lady!
TrinityCrystalPrincess89: No worries at all! I hope everything is ok in your life. I always love hearing from you guys!
Enjoy!
When Yuki came around, the first thing he noticed was the lessened pain; His back and shoulders didn't feel like knives were stabbing them anymore, just a dull ache resided in his bones: nothing compared to before. He flexed his muscles experimentally and almost cried in relief.
He cracked his eyes open blearily and stretched, letting his claws retract. The cuts on his paws had crusted over in dark scabs, and he bought one up to clean.
He paused when he felt a fabric underneath him and a cold hand brush his forehead. He glanced up, a rush of joy flooding through him when he saw a familiar titanium face. "You were asleep for a long time, Yuki. I was beginning to get worried."
Yuki leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, savoring the gentle touch. He had missed this, when it was just him and Zane on the Bounty, when he felt only warm, safe, and home.
He stopped though when he felt the slight tremor in the ice ninja's metal hand. When he opened his eyes again he noticed the sad - no, scared - expression on his face. Even with his new face Yuki detected the almost haunted look in his eyes. Then he remembered the horrible shriek the ninja let out before he passed out.
Yuki sat up shakily and looked him up and down in concern, trying to decipher what was wrong with the nindroid. He wished he could simply ask what was wrong, pushing down that sense of helplessness inching up his throat. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong, other than the burn marks, but those didn't seem to be what was bothering him.
Zane gave an unconvincing smile as he gently stopped Yuki from climbing onto his shoulder. "Don't worry about me," he dismissed, "save your strength for later."
Yuki wasn't ready to let the subject drop by a long shot, ready to attempt a second climb onto Zane's shoulder when his ears picked up the faint sound of boots coming down the corridor. Zane noticed too, breath catching as his head snapped up at the noise. Yuki bristled at the door unbolting, spotting a flash of red through the barred window. Zane hastily grabbed Yuki, hiding him behind his back and slipping his wrists back into the unlocked shackles.
Skylor unlatched the door and slipped into the tiny cell, gingerly closing the door behind her. Yuki peaked out from behind Zane and saw her stand before the chained former ice master with a look of… guilt? It was hard to see from Yuki's point of view.
The cat stared up at her, trying to pick her apart. She didn't look all deranged and crazy like the two men she was with before, but she also had the scent of someone who's always had to look over her shoulder, a kind of alertness - wariness - you usually only found in animals. He sniffed again and caught a slightly more pleasant smell. She smelled like… she smelled like a bonfire on a cold night, reminding him a little of Kai actually.
Skylor cleared her throat to break the uncomfortable silence, "I… wanted to ask if there was anything you wanted," she mumbled quietly, keeping her focus on anything but Zane's eyes and shifting uncomfortably under the white ninja's harsh gaze. After a tense pause, she continued hurriedly, almost to the point of rambling, "look, I'm - I'm sorry about all this, I really wish it didn't have to be this way. Believe me, this was all my father's idea..."
It was almost impossible to read Zane's reaction. Yuki craned his neck to look up at Zane's cold expression, devoid of any emotion he may have had before. He sensed... anger? Yuki blinked. Zane was never angry. But the air that was radiating off the former ice master was absolutely frightening. Skylor seemed to sense it too. Yuki shuddered and retreated a little further behind him.
Still, the ninja kept his tone low and even, though the iciness in his voice was unmistakable, "You abducted me, took me from my home - from my family, locked me away, and stole my power. No, I do not want anything from you."
Skylor bit her lip and took a step forward, a look of definitive guilt tormenting her features as she jumped to defend herself, "Look, I- "
As soon as Skylor was within reach, Zane snatched his hands out of the cuffs and clamped a titanium hand around her neck.
"Give me just one reason I shouldn't kill you now." His voice was dangerously even, a hundred times more terrifying than any explosive reaction Kai could ever give off. Yuki recoiled in shock, freezing in full view of the scene unfolding.
Skylor gasped as her air supply was nearly completely cut off, nails scratching uselessly at his fingers as the nindroid glared at her.
Yuki tore himself out of his stupor and scrambled up to Zane's feet, the cat biting down on the ninja's pant leg and pulling with all his might.
It didn't actually do anything to physically move Zane, but it was enough to make him falter and glance down in surprise, loosening his grip on Skylor enough for her to summon a ball of flame and shove it into Zane's face.
Zane recoiled, stumbling back more likely from surprise than actual injury, and blinked at the red flame dancing across her fingers. He snatched his hand away from her as it licked his forearm, leaving a dark streak of soot. He stared at her. "You, you have seen Kai?" He managed, the fear and anger from before giving way to astonishment and, dare he say it, the tiniest sliver of hope.
Skylor panted, rubbing her neck with one hand while defensively keeping the flame between her and Zane with the other. "Yeah I've seen Kai," she hissed, "he's in the tournament. Idiot saved my life." She looked pointedly and nodded in his direction, "You used to be one of the ninja, right? You were the one the Overlord killed."
Zane didn't answer, tilting his head as his eyes flickered in thought. He looked down at his hands, a look of realization dawned on his face as he cut back to the doubled-over girl in front of him, a look of horror spreading like a forest fire. He cautiously crept closer to Skylor and bent down to her level, offering his hand. "I - I am sorry. have violated my purpose. I wish to make amends for the harm I caused you."
Skylor narrowed her eyes warily at the nindroid, unconvinced of the former ice master's sudden change in demeanor, keeping her fire lit angry red. Zane sighed as if he expected it and instead simply settled down on the floor so he could look Skylor in the eyes. "I understand you do not trust me, I hope to regain that trust one day. But please, you said that the master of fire is here. Are the other elemental masters here as well?"
Skylor didn't take her eyes off Zane, but decided to answer him after a brief pause of deliberation, "All the masters are here. Sound, gravity, nature, speed. My father invited them all." She swallowed and wiped a sweaty strand of hair out of her eyes.
Zane frowned, "I was not aware there were other masters besides my friends and me."
Skylor eased herself tiredly against the wall, tucking her legs beneath her and keeping her fire aloft, though now more to see better than to warn Zane away. The flame cooled just a little into a muted vermillion. "Yeah, they're lots of us. I'm the master of amber, I can absorb others' powers." She held up her hand to demonstrate a little spark of electricity, the flame disappearing for a split second before igniting again. Zane nodded in understanding.
"They're all here, even the green ninja," she continued, making Zane perk up slightly, "My father told the ninja you were alive to lure them here." She said it so casually Zane couldn't help but blink at her, and Yuki didn't miss how sick he looked when she mentioned he was bait for his friends.
Skylor noticed the little cat curled up behind Zane for the first time and cocked her head. "Where'd the little guy come from?"
Zane twisted around and gave a little smile at the cat, reaching over and settling him on his lap, "Honestly... I do not know," he admitted, Yuki felt a wave of relief as Zane scratched his chin with his usual gentleness, "Yuki rescued me a long time ago," he chuckled, "he still does. I can't for the life of me figure out how this little cat has made it all the way here though."
Yuki rescued Zane? Well, that wasn't accurate at all. Yuki nipped the tip of the ninja's finger in protest, but Zane just chuckled and bopped him on the nose. Yuki gave him an offended look.
Skylor tilted her head and cracked a small smile herself, watching the two. Zane looked up, seeing her expression he bashfully offered the cat over to her, "You can pet him if you like."
Yuki was surprised and how fast Skylor took up the offer, eagerly reaching out to carefully cradle Yuki close to her with a care that could rival Lloyd's. She bit her lip almost childishly as Yuki snuggled into the loose folds of her gi, feeling the tension seep out of her bones as she stroked the warm fluffy ball.
Seeing her relax, Zane continued, "Why has your father bought these elemental masters together? Why is he stealing our elemental powers?"
Skylor looked up hesitantly at the door as if someone might come barging in any moment. "He's obsessed with Anacondri legends from the old battles with the Serpentine. Clouse found this spell that can turn him and his followers into the mythical snakes, and collecting elements from the masters is the only way to do it." She snorted to herself at how ridiculous it sounded, even to her. "My father really likes the Anacondrai. They're stronger, tougher, and bred for war. He wants to take Ninjago for himself, and he needs an army of them to do it..."
She drifted off, looking off into space with a troubled expression growing.
"And when you say followers, you mean you?" Zane asked softly.
Skylor brought her gaze back to the nindroid and nodded slowly, "yeah… yeah that means me." She shook herself and huffed, waving her hand, "look, I can't really talk about this. Clouse would have my head on a platter if he knew I was here. I—I should go," she reluctantly set Yuki aside and made to get up. Zane's eyes widened in a panic and held out a hand to stop her. She furrowed her eyebrows and ignited the flame in her hand again, this time larger than before.
Zane sighed, sagging slightly, "please... don't go yet," he pleaded. Skylor hesitated and looked from the door back to Zane.
He looked curiously at the ball of fire, "You like the element of fire, don't you?"
Skylor turned her attention to the flame, a smile flickering on and off in sync with the fire. She leaned back against the wall, staring almost mesmerized at it, the rest of the world seemed to fall away around her. "It's the easiest one I've ever absorbed. I've never had an element take to me so easily." She murmured, watching it flit happily around her palm and between her fingers like a living thing. She turned and smirked at Zane, "unlike ice. Your element hates me, you know."
Instead of responding bitterly, as Yuki might've expected, Zane chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I had trouble with it the first time as well. I froze myself solid actually."
Skylor sputtered an unexpected chortle, making Zane raise his eyebrows, but he continued, "My friends had to use me for a sled to escape an ice dragon."
"You're kidding."
"I am being completely sincere." He held up a Hand of Honesty. "Ice does not like a rigid master, despite its nature. it needs you to trust it enough to let it form the structure it desires, more than you crushing it into the shape you want." He cupped her hands in his and she extinguished her flame to let him, curiosity etched on her face. "Just let it come to you."
Skylor gave a skeptical look but narrowed her eyes and concentrated, her brow furrowing. Zane bought her hands together and rubbed circles in her palm, relaxing the tense digits, "Trust in it, it wants to be let out."
Skylor's eyebrows eased a little as crystals began to form at her fingertips, growing larger by the minute into feathers of white plumes, snaking gracefully around her forearms as if tentatively exploring.
"That's right," Zane nodded, letting go of her hands to give her full range as she swept an arc of ice across the floor and the wall in a gust of cold air, making her hair ripple and frost cling to her eyelashes. Zane chuckled in approval while she scrunched up her face and giggled, "Dad's gonna be happy with this."
The smile drained from her face. She frowned and shook her head, shoulders sagging. "I… I really do have to go, though," She sighed, sending a weak smile to the white ninja, "thank you for… everything." She gave one last friendly scratch to Yuki's ear before crossing to the door. "I'll come back, I promise. Just give me a day or two to -"
"Wait!" Zane swallowed, fearing the answer to his question, "Just one more thing, is there anything you can tell me about Pixal?"
Skylor frowned, "Pixal?"
Zane looked disheartened, but took a breath before continuing, "She helped rebuild me." He explained. "She and I are… compatible." He looked up at her hopefully. "Do you know if she is here?"
A bad feeling crawled up Yuki's throat at Skylor's expression. She licked her lips nervously, "the other droid Ronin brought with you?"
"Skylor, where is she?" Zane asked, fear lining his words.
She tapped her nails against the door frame, sighing deeply in a 'what the hell' manner, defeatedly giving a "come on," motioning for Zane to follow her.
Zane shared a glance with his cat before scooping Yuki up, Yuki's paws still being too sore to walk on, trailing close behind the master of amber out the door, feeling a breath of freedom wash over him as he abandoned the stale prison.
The former master followed the redhead wordlessly, alarm spiking in him as he read her anxious vital signs. The maze practically dripped with a menacing mix of tech and magic. Skylor had to stop him from stepping into the line of view of more than one hidden camera, not to mention one or two spells Clouse had put in place for some out-of-bound cells. Yuki felt Zane shutter and he knew exactly why; He was trembling himself. This place was wrong. An evil resided in the shadows, in the cobwebs, in the puddles of filth. He wanted out, the promise of real freedom tantalizingly close. All he needed was to find Pixal and he could escape. He could finally see his brothers again and this whole nightmare will finally be over. He'd even give up his ice permanently if it meant he could just be with family again.
"Here," Skylor whispered, snagging Zane out of his thoughts, reaching into one of her pockets and bringing out a ring of corroded keys. She turned it into the locked door with a groaning clank.
She swung the heavy door open and took a step to the side so Zane could enter. The nindroid scanned the room, taking in the dim silhouette of a desk, the blue light of a laptop illuminating piles of…
"No..." Zane croaked, circling the table slowly, letting Yuki drop to the floor. Resting on the cold surface next to the laptop was a slender titanium arm, tangled in an array of wires and severed metal, "Pixal..."
Skylor turned her head away and stayed in the doorway keeping watch.
The laptop flickered, and the face of Pixal popped up in a tiny burst of static, making Zane start. She looked exactly as she had the first day Yuki saw her, not a trace of the damage Ronin inflicted. And she looked at the ninja standing before her with one of the saddest smiles Yuki had ever seen.
"Zane," She said softly, prompting Zane to bring his eyes up to meet hers, "I wish you didn't have to see me like this, I'm sorry we couldn't say goodbye."
Zane sat on his heels, resting his head on his forearms, eyes glistening. He didn't seem like he could respond.
"I know, this isn't how we thought we'd be," she continued in his silence, "This is where my journey ends, but... the same is not necessarily true for you. You have your entire life ahead of you." She reached her virtual hand out as if she could touch his cheek.
Zane's breathing hitched, "what good is living life if you're not in it?" he managed, a tear trailing down his face and splattering on the table.
"I will always be a part of you," Pixal murmured, her big green eyes holding Zane's in place. He put his hand on the screen where Pixal's was.
Zane turned to a USB port resting next to the laptop, blinking green. He wiped at his eyes, staring at it curiously. "You're right." He began, reaching for the port, "you will always be a part of me." Yuki twitched his tail in confusion when the Pixal's image vanished to a blank screen, looking to see Zane pull the flash drive out of its port and insert it into the back of his head.
The nindroid's eyes shut as a faint smile played on his mouth. "Only upgraded, Pixal," Zane hummed at some unheard voice, pausing when he glanced over at a bin of parts on the table. A soft glow pulsed beneath a pile of scraps. Zane peered at it curiously and leafed through the tub, the glow getting stronger as the parts shifted. Finally he pulled out a pale semicircle laced with hair-thin silver wires, pulsing softly in his hands. Zane bought closer to him, staring at it with a mix of awe and wonder.
"... No, I... I just thought I wouldn't see it again..." He again answered the voice in his head.
"Clouse is coming!" Skylor hissed from the doorway, causing Zane's head to snap up. She shut the door in a panic, grabbed Yuki, and shoved Zane and herself under the table.
The three sat dead still as they heard the door creak open and Clouse's silent feet pad into the cell. Yuki felt Skylor's hand shake slightly despite her stony face following the sorcerer. Zane closed his eyes and clutched Pixal's heart close to himself to hide the faint glow.
Clouse walked over to the table, mumbling to himself as he clicked away on the laptop. Skylor tucked her foot closer to her chest before his foot brushed it. She tensed further when the sorcerer's muttering grew darker, the sound of him rummaging through the scrap bin centimeters above her head.
"Where…?" He muttered. The two that needed to breathe stopped breathing when Clouse stiffened, complete silence smothering any rational thought. Yuki saw the tips of his fingers curl around the lip of the table, knuckles white.
All three of them jumped when Clouse pounded his fist on the wood, swiping several objects off the table in a crash. "Snooping brat!" He growled, turning on his heel and crossing the room in two steps, yanking on the door handle, "wait till I get my hands on her…" The rest of his cursing faded with him as the sorcerer stalked down the corridor.
The three each counted their respective thrumming heartbeats until there was only silence once again, Skylor letting out a long slow breath before hoisting herself to her feet, offering a hand to Zane. "We need to get you back to your cell before Clouse notices you're gone," she said grimly as Zane took her hand.
The former ice master frowned worriedly, "are you going to be alright? Clouse appears to be a dangerous man."
Skylor just scoffed and glanced both ways down the hall before signaling for Zane to follow her down the familiar path. "I've been avoiding that creep my whole life. This tournament has made it so much easier." She stole a smile over her shoulder and suddenly shifted into another woman, then blinked out entirely once she crept into a patch of shadow, popping up across the hall in another pool of darkness.
Yuki started in surprise in Zane's arms while the ninja just raised an eyebrow, "the master of form and shadow?"
"Uh-huh," Skylor bit back her proud expression once he caught up to her, sighing when she realized they reached Zane's cell.
"This is you," she attempted to joke, unbolting the door, "anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable?"
The joke flew right over Zane's head, as per usual, "Just make sure you'll come back." He squeezed her arm reassuringly. "I will get both of us out of here." Yuki mewed in objection. "I mean all three of us," he smiled as Yuki sneezed in satisfaction, closing the door behind him and giving her a last look through the bars.
Skylor gave him a look back and shook her head sadly, "Nah, no one ever really escapes this place. I'll come down to see you guys as soon as my round is over. I'll bring some food for Yuki." With that, she turned and vanished into thin air, only the echo of her footsteps giving away her presence, leaving Zane once more alone with Yuki.
He took his gaze from the tiny window and turned to Yuki, "I do believe it's about time to formulate an escape plan." He murmured with a smile.
Heck you, Clouse. No one likes you.
As always, thank you for reading and if you have the time, reviews give me life.
Now go have a lovely day!
