Please find the glossary for this chapter. Enjoy!
Haori - formal Japanese overcoat.
Geta - wooden sandals worn by samurai, geisha and maiko;
Sake - Japanese rice wine, usually about 18-20 percent proof.
Koto - Japanese 13-stringed instrument, resembles a zither.
Shamisen - Japanese 3-string instrument, resembles a guitar.
Shiromuku - white, bridal kimono
Montsuki - Japanese bridegroom ensemble, consisting of a black kimono, black-and-white striped hakama and black haori emblazoned with a family crest.
Following the announcement that a wedding ceremony had been arranged for Zane and Pixal, a brief interval was negotiated, and Zane was whisked away by Mr Abakhan. The waitresses went around the room with more drinks, while Nya, Ruby, Rose and Rae performed a simple festival dance to keep people entertained. Meanwhile, Zane was being decked out in the traditional wear for a groom, specifically designed and created for him using the measurements Mr Abakhan had on file.
"Fortunately, your body hasn't changed," Mr Abakhan mentioned as he draped the black haori over Zane's shoulders and pointed to the white embroidered circles on the upper parts of the kimono. "I couldn't find your father's family crest, so I used the traditional symbol for ice as a substitute."
"This is wonderful," Zane smiled, admiring his reflection. "you truly are the most gifted designer in Ninjago."
"You flatter me too much, kind sir," Mr Abakhan beamed. "how is the fit?"
"Perfect."
Zane observed the quality of the black kimono and black-and-white striped hakama, and although it had been a while since he'd worn geta sandals like these, he was very comfortable in them. Suddenly, his friends came to see how he was getting on.
"Wow, you look great!" Lloyd declared.
"Thank you." Zane sheepishly grinned.
"I can't believe our little Zane is getting married!" Jay wept jokingly. "For real though, this is really cool."
"We never would've guessed you'd be the first to get hitched." Cole stated.
"Yeah, Jay maybe, possibly me," Kai surmised. "but you? You're just one big surprise."
"C'mon you guys," Lloyd interrupted. "Wu's ready to start."
They all walked back to the main hall; the music was still playing, and the girls were still dancing. As they came through the curtain, Mr Borg raised his hand and the music paused. Once more he tapped on the microphone, the low murmur of chatter halted, and all eyes were in his direction. Nya and the girls moved to stand to the left of Pixal, who was herself standing by Sensei Wu. Zane walked towards them, with the ninja following behind, and he stopped in front of her. On seeing Zane in his traditional attire, Pixal's facial circuits glowed brighter; how handsome he looked in this manner of dress.
"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience," Wu announced over the microphone. "we will now begin the union of Pixal Borg and Zane Julien, with the traditional san-san-kudo."
Ruby came over and placed a small wooden table before the couple, and returned to where she once stood, followed by Rose, who placed three wide-mouthed cups on the table, and Rae, who placed a bottle of sake on the table. With the girls back in their original places, Sensei Wu poured sake into one of the three cups.
"The bride and groom will share three cups of sake, in a gesture known as san-san-kudo; the way of three-three-nine," Wu loudly explained, before handing the first cup to Pixal and lowering his voice. "take three sips from this cup, then fill the next one with sake."
Pixal was a little unsure, not knowing if she was capable of taking in fluids, until she saw Mr Borg nodding assuredly at her. She took three gentle sips, as she was told, and placed the cup on the table, before filling the next cup and handing it to Zane. Their hands lightly brushed together, and they exchanged a minor static shock.
"Odd numbers cannot be divided in two, and so are considered extremely lucky in a joining ceremony such as this." Wu continued, as Zane took three sips from the cup, then filled the third cup with sake.
Wu looked at Zane, then Pixal, and back to Zane, then made a gesture with his hands. Understanding the silent signals of his sensei, Zane took a sip from the cup and handed it to Pixal. She also took a sip and handed the cup back to Zane. Zane took one last sip and placed the cup on the table.
He briefly looked to his friends; Jay had been reduced to a blubbering mess – even Cole looked like he was going to shed a tear – while Kai and Lloyd smiled proudly. Pixal too glanced over at the girls beside her. Nya delicately wiped her eyes with a tissue, Ruby and Rae were positively agog with happiness, and Rose – much like Jay – was bawling like a child.
"The sharing of sake symbolises the union of two people and their families," Wu smiled at them both warmly. "what fate has brought together; no mortal can break apart."
Wu gently raised Pixal's left arm, then he reached over to lift Zane's left hand and placed it over Pixal's. Cameras flashed all around the room, committing this moment to be kept forever. He then stepped back, leaving them to face one another.
With her cheeks still radiating a vivid purple, Pixal lovingly beheld the nindroid in front of her as he curled his hand around hers. Zane beamed an adoring smile at Pixal and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. Those striking green eyes of hers glittered at him, her purple circuits sweetly glowed and her shining red lips gleamed. The whole room appeared to be collectively holding their breath, waiting for Zane to make a move. He pressed his lips to hers, sealing the san-san-kudo with a sweet, delicate kiss, and the room erupted into applause.
Zane let go of Pixal's hand and fully embraced her as she draped her arms around his neck. Once again, the world seemed to fade away for a minute, as they enjoyed this moment for as long as they could. Even as they broke their sumptuous kiss, they spent a few seconds just looking into each other's eyes.
Nya grabbed a glass and a fork from a nearby table and made a clattering sound with them. The applause died down enough for her to speak.
"In honour of this momentous occasion, the Odori dancers would like to dedicate this year's fuyu no odori performance to the bride and groom " She began, turning to address the happy couple. "would you care to join us?"
"We'd love to." Pixal replied.
Sensei Wu lifted the table – sake cups and all – and followed Kai, Cole, Lloyd and Jay as they moved to the side, eager to see what would happen next. Pixal and Zane moved to the middle of the dancefloor, as Ruby, Rae, Rose and Nya stood around them in a diamond formation. The orchestra players switched from their usual stringed instruments to more traditional ones, taking up a koto and a shamisen; except for the violinist, she opted for a taiko drum.
"I do not know this dance." Zane mentioned.
"You do not need to know this dance," Pixal assured him. "just listen to the music, let it guide you."
He smiled at her confidently; he had said those exact words to her a few years ago, when she had rebuilt him, and he spent an evening in her private bedroom, teaching her how to dance. As the violinist began beating out a steady rhythm on the taiko, the koto joined in with mid-tempo strumming, while the shamisen played a much smoother, melodious tune.
The girls in the outer formation began the winter dance by facing outwards and rolling back and forth on their geta sandals. They gestured up with their hands and swayed downward with their arms, then as they brought their arms up again, they alternated stretching them out and pulling them back in; left arm out, right arm in, right arm out, left arm in. They twirled to the left and clapped once, then twirled to the right and hopped into a sidestep, swaying their arms up and clapping again.
The audience clapped to the beat as the girls took small steps forward and rolled their arms upward, then took small steps backward and rolled their arms down again, repeating the motion by rocking on the balls of their feet.
They paused to double-clap three times, then faced the bridal couple as they began the routine over again. Encouraged by Pixal's excited smile, Zane grinned and copied the moves shown to him. He deftly mimicked her movements to a tee. As the two of them moved in time to the music, it was like watching two sides of a mirror interact with one another. Not a foot or hand out of place, Zane and Pixal danced as if they had been built to do so, keeping pace with the odori dancers and each other.
Without missing a step, Nya waved Jay over, hoping to encourage more people to join the dance. Jay naturally dashed over to her and started trying to copy her moves, with mixed success until he got the hang of it. Ruby and Rae also waved to people in the audience, luring Jasper and Misako from their seats to have a go. Seeing Jasper up on the dancefloor, Cole also took the opportunity to join in.
Meanwhile, Rose shook her hips a little more than was customary, in a bid to grab Kai's attention. It kind of worked, as Lloyd saw the signs first and dragged Kai onto the floor and placed the fire ninja next to his new admirer.
More and more people got up to dance – some making the moves up as they went along – and Jay saw this as a chance to show Nya what he'd learned from Zane. The next time she stretched out her arm, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her close. He placed his hand on her waist and draped her wrist over his shoulder. Nya, completely blindsided by his forwardness, blushed furiously. Jay grinned at her, his cheeks also going red when she laced her free hand around his and smiled, batting her eyes at him.
It's now or never… He thought to himself.
He instantly took the lead, going straight into a loose box step and twirling around with her, making smooth, tango movements with his legs. They shimmied together for a minute or two, when he suddenly let go of her waist and in one swift motion, spun her out and then back toward him. Even as they danced around together, she couldn't believe how light he was on his feet; he had never been this forthcoming with this ability – and she suspected he might have had some help learning these moves – but at the same time, she wasn't going to argue with how much fun she was having and how special she felt in that moment.
By this point, the timed and strategic fuyu no odori had dissolved into people dancing as they normally would. Which was par for the course – the whole idea of the winter dance was to get the guests up and dancing with them – and it was a roaring success in that respect. Nya started to get into the swing of it and began sashaying her hips and moving her legs as Jay had; delicate, rhythmic steps taken at just the right moment. She was really enjoying herself, laughing joyously as he spun her around one more time and dipped with her. As he pulled her up, she giggled some more and smiled widely at him.
"Wow, that was fun!" Nya exclaimed. "I had no idea you could dance like that!"
"Thanks," Jay beamed. "I wanted to surprise you."
"Consider me surprised." Nya remarked.
Jay clearly worked hard to learn how to dance in time for the gala, so Nya figured he deserved a more tangible acknowledgement. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, brushing her lips against his for a lingering moment. That one moment was not enough apparently, as Jay enthusiastically kissed back, thoroughly enjoying the reward she offered him. When he realised just how forward he was being, he stepped back and – anticipating a bad reaction – tried to pre-emptively win her over with one of his best smiles. It soon became clear however, that Nya didn't mind at all, in fact, she rather seemed to enjoy it.
"C'mon, let's get a drink." She suggested.
"Sure!" He replied.
Jay wasn't the only one who appeared to be having a spot of good luck with the ladies; Cole had been exclusively dancing with Jasper – the young lady who helped them with their tuxedo accessories at Ninjago 109. The orchestra players started packing up and a DJ came in to take over, leaving a momentary pause in the music while he tested the speakers. Cole and Jasper had decided to get some refreshments and opted to lean against the far wall rather than sit with the others.
"So, how do you know Hedges?" Cole wondered.
"He's my neighbour," Jasper answered. "I designed the tattoo on his leg."
"I haven't seen it," Cole mentioned. "but I'll bet it's amazing."
"Well, he seems to like it anyway," She said, downplaying her artistic merit. "and it's nice to be able to use my fine art degree for something."
"Woah, does that mean you went to Ninjago University?!"
"Yeah, I wanted to do graphic design, but dad was an art historian, and since Ruby went off to be a seamstress, it fell on me to follow in the old man's footsteps," She mentioned. "I only started working at the department store to support myself while I'm apprenticing at the museum on weekends."
"I know that feeling; my dad's a Royal Blacksmith, so there was a lot of pressure on me to go to a theatre school, but I'm so much better at being a ninja." Cole looked around, wondering where dad was – he hadn't seen him since he got to Borg Industries.
"Thank you." She suddenly stated.
"What for?" He asked.
"That day when you and your friends came to the store, I was having a really bad day; just about everything that could go wrong, went wrong," She said as she turned to him with an affectionate smile. "then you came over, and started chatting me up… I felt so relaxed and happy… so, thank you – you really cheered me up."
"I'm glad to be of assistance." He grinned.
"Listen, I know being a ninja keeps you busy and everything, but maybe we could hang out sometime?" She wondered, shuffling closer and brushing her hand against his. "You know, outside of formal events and stuff?"
"Yeah, yeah, that would be great!" Cole enthusiastically nodded. "In the meantime, what's say we have another dance?"
"I'd love to." Jasper smiled, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the dancefloor.
Benson sat between his best friend and his boyfriend as they all enjoyed a drink together. The gala was definitely in full swing now, and most of the guests were on the dancefloor; even the newlyweds were still dancing, displaying moves that the average person would likely not be able to pull off.
"Ah young love, am I right?" Hedges declared.
"I'm glad to see you've come around," Benson laughed. "you were really bitter about them before."
"Yeah, but I realised that everyone should have the opportunity to find love-" Hedges paused to have a drink. "-even droids."
"I think they're so cute together!" Jack noted as he stifled a giggle. "Looks like the earth ninja stole your date."
"Who? Jasper?" Hedges snorted. "Pfft! No way – she's too young for me – but her sister is one of the Odori dancers, so I figured it would be fun for her to be here too."
"Hey there, gents, may we join you?"
Hedges turned to see Ed and Edna standing beside him.
"Yeah sure, have a seat." He smiled.
"Why thank you, young man." Edna smiled back as they both sat down.
"Hedges, Harry Hedges; security personnel," Hedge introduced himself. "nice to meet you."
"Ed Walker, this is the missus, Edna." Ed beamed.
"Nice to meet you." Edna grinned.
"Hi, I'm Bailey Benson, also security personnel, and this is Jack Jensen my boyfriend." Benson added.
"Hello." Jack smiled and waved.
"Oh, how sweet!" Edna cooed.
"So, how do you know the newlyweds?" Benson asked.
"Our son is friends with them, he's one of the ninja," Ed replied. "they came to our scrapyard a couple times."
"Oh yes, they're such an adorable couple!" Edna said.
"Which ninja is your son?" Jack asked.
"Jay." Ed nodded.
"The lightning ninja?" Benson squeaked.
"Yep, that's the one." Edna beamed proudly.
"Oh my gosh! He's my favourite!" Benson excitedly shuffled in his seat. "I've only met him once but he's super nice!"
"He's a good boy," Ed stated. "it would be nice to see him more often, but being a ninja keeps pretty him busy there."
"Yes, ninja work is not as easy as I first thought," Lou chimed in as he took a seat next to Jack. "Lou Henge – I'm Coles father – nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Jack Jenson – huge fan of your son," Jack shook Lou's hand eagerly. "they've all been through some scrapes for sure, but they always come through in the end."
"I dare say this little celebration is a nice break for all of them." Lou surmised.
"How about a toast?" Hedges wondered, raising his glass. "To the ninja, who keep us all safe and expect nothing back, may the year ahead be good to them."
"Cheers!" They all said in unison, clinking their glasses together.
"And one for the newlyweds, may they stay as healthy and happy as they are tonight." Lou suggested.
"Here, here!" Again, speaking all at once, they clinked glasses once more.
"Oh, I do love a wedding." Edna wept as she watched Zane and Pixal dancing.
"You've always been a romantic there, hun." Ed chuckled, patting his wife on the shoulder.
"So, when are you two planning to get married?" Hedges asked Benson and Jack.
"Oh, um, we've only just… I mean-" Benson stammered.
"Oh Hedges, stop tormenting him," Jack laughed, squeezing Benson's hand reassuringly. "when we're ready, you'll be the first to know, we promise."
The gala was starting to wind down now, as it was very nearly 1am, though the DJ was still going strong.
Mr Borg's closest friends and acquaintances, important clients, board members, esteemed members of the public and even some celebrities; everyone, at some point or another, had approached Pixal and Zane, to congratulate them and wish them well for the future.
Cole managed to finally get Jasper's phone number and roughly ten minutes earlier, had escorted both her and her older sister Ruby to where they were catching their ride home. Rose managed to get a kiss from Kai – albeit a perfectly innocent peck on the cheek – before she had to leave early to take Rae home; Rae had enjoyed one too many cocktails and only tapped out when Rose reminded her how bad her last hangover was.
While Rae was the only one who went overboard on the drinks, she wasn't the only one to indulge a little; the whole team had enjoyed their share of the open bar – even Wu was not immune to the call of sake, as over the course of the night he'd finished the bottle used in the san-san-kudo ceremony. He and Misako had left about an hour ago, driven back to the hotel by one of Mr Borg's staff.
"Well, I hope you liked your surprise wedding," Nya giggled. "it was so difficult keeping it a secret."
"It was beautiful," Pixal nodded, taking Nya's hand. "we both thank you so much for all your efforts."
"Yes, it was very sweet that you arranged all this for us." Zane agreed, putting his arm around Pixal's shoulder.
"Weddings are just so emotional for me!" Jay wept.
"We had noticed," Lloyd chuckled as he stumbled and pulled Jay into a headlock. "you sappy cheese-ball."
"Dude, get off me!" Jay laughed.
"C'mon Lloyd, let the sappy cheese-ball go." Kai shook his head and smiled.
"Aw, you're no fun!" Lloyd pouted as he let go of Jay and promptly draped himself over Kai. "Give me a piggyback!"
"Alright, alright," Kai relented. "but just until we get downstairs."
"He really shouldn't have had that last drink." Cole grinned, somewhat enjoying the sight of Lloyd being so uninhibited.
"You're one to talk, I saw you and Jasper during that last dance before she left," Nya smirked and leaned toward Jay. "if her sister hadn't been here too, she probably would've taken him home with her."
"What would Mr Hedges make of that?" Pixal wondered aloud.
"Depends on how soundproof her apartment is." Nya snickered.
"Oh my…" Pixal put her hand over her mouth to cover the shocked expression on her face.
"Speaking of which, are you guys coming back to the hotel with us?" Nya asked Pixal.
"I did take the liberty of booking a special suite for you both," Cyrus Borg interjected. "as part of my wedding gift."
"Thank you, sir," Pixal bowed. "that is most kind of you."
"Come now, I do think it's high time you called me 'dad'," Cyrus insisted. "you are, after all, my daughter."
"Thank you… father." She said.
There was a collective moment of emotional overwhelm at hearing Pixal refer to Cyrus Borg as her father for the very first time. It was all too much for Jay, who promptly burst into tears, while the others certainly became misty eyed at the whole affair. A waitress soon appeared with a tray of champagne, much to everyone's surprise – last call was at least ten minutes ago.
"I realise that you're all quite tired-"
"And some of us have had enough alcohol for one night." Cole joked, gesturing to Jay and Lloyd respectively.
"-but I haven't had the chance to give a toast all evening," Cyrus mentioned. "and this is indeed a very special occasion."
Everyone took a glass of champagne and held them up.
"To Pixal and Zane; my darling daughter and wonderful son-in-law, may you have a long and happy future together-" He paused as a few tears fell from his eyes. "I'm sorry, please give me a moment…"
"To Nya, who helped arrange the wedding," Kai took over while Mr Borg composed himself. "to Mr Abakhan, for his excellent tailoring of the shiromuku and montsuki, and to Mr Borg, without whom none of this would even have happened."
"Here, here!" Lloyd agreed from his place on Kai's back.
"Here, here…" Zane nuzzled his face against Pixal's.
They all clinked their glasses together, and took a sip of champagne – well, most of them took a sip; Jay, Nya and Lloyd had a little more than that.
"Alright, that's enough." Kai insisted, taking Lloyd's glass out of his hands and placing it on a nearby table.
"Well, your ride is waiting outside the main entrance," Cyrus mentioned. "I'll bid you all goodnight for now, but hopefully you will join me for a celebratory lunch later?"
"It would be an honour." Zane bowed.