Right, so, listen up y'all! I've been super busy. I'm in the last week of school (or when I started writing I was, probably not when I'm actually done with this chapter) and I've been car shopping and I've got my birthday here on June 1st. (Yay, me!) Basically, I've been unable to find a good time to get to writing, but I'm trying. Next, the story is not updating properly, so nobody is seeing any of my new chapters! I have to post them individually as their own stories for people to see them, but I'll also be putting them in this collection. Now, this story is a request from The Night Ninja. It's basically the idea that Zane is adopted by Wu after Dr. Julien's death. I think it's a little weird, but I also think I have a really good way of incorporating this idea into my writing, so I think it'll do alright. As an added plus, and if you're creative enough, there may or may not be hints of Zane x Nya in there for all you Zaya lovers… Not my favorite ship, but I think it can be really cute at times. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! -LizzyLucky
This… This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to happen like this at all. It started like a regular day. They all got up, ate breakfast, and went to the deck to train, as usual. They sparred with each other and used the equipment for a while. If it weren't a weekend, they would have left Destiny's Bounty and gone to Wu's new school to teach. And, as usual, after two hours of training, they were alerted to the mail's arrival. Their faithful and underpayed mailman had, once again, trecked across the city and several miles into the desert, carrying a stack of a few dozen envelopes for the ninja. However, he carried one of the envelopes separately, and as he gave the Bounty's door a firm knocking, his expression became grim. "Mail's here!" Nya opened the door, and called for the ninja. There was a *thump* in the background, followed by the pounding of footsteps and a crash, what sounded like someone launching themself into a door, and then came the glorious view of five rowdy boys stumbling over each other in a race for the door Nya stood at. The mailman held out the large stack of mail nervously and watched as the ninja grabbed handfuls of the paper until the pile was gone. "Heh, thanks." Nya thanked. "Sorry about them." She added apologetically. "Eh, no worries. Hey, before I go though, I've got a specially addressed letter to Zane." The mailman held out the separate envelope he had, and, seeing as how Zane had already run off with the others, Nya took it. "Oh. Okay. Thank you, again!" The mailman nodded and smiled, turning as he waved his goodbye and walked back out into the snow. Nya closed the door and looked down at the letter. Very akin to Zane's personality, the envelope was silver, and had a snowflake design on the front. It didn't have a return address or name. Walking down the hall, Nya looked back up and walked into the ninjas' shared room. "Hey, Zane, one more letter for ya." She said, holding up said letter. "What? Zane got extra fan-mail?" Jay exclaimed. Each ninja was sat on the floor, sitting around each other in some form of a circle, and their mail already sorted into individual piles for each. "Jay, you already have more fan-mail than most of us." Kai said pointedly. Jay's pile was a little larger… (shh!) "Oh. Right. Heh." "For me?" Zane asked curiously, standing up. He walked to Nya and calmly took the envelope from her. He studied it front and back, before opening it and pulling out the slip of paper from inside. "Well, Zane? What's it say?" Jay asked, sitting up as tall as he could. "I don't know." Zane said. "Give him a sec, Jay. Jeez." Cole said, rolling his eyes. He picked up one of Jay's envelopes and slapped him in the arm with it. "Ow…" Jay complained, feigning hurt. Kai snickered at their antics. Zane had only just begun to read the letter, sitting down as he continued. The other ninja watched him eagerly. Zane turned his head at the paper, as though responding to something in it. He creased his eyebrows, apparently confused. Then, his eyes widened. "But he was…" He mumbled. As he read another line or so, his shoulders bounced upward slightly and he grasped onto the paper with both his hands. His expression became more alarmed than confused and his back went rigid. "Zane? Is everything alright?" Kai asked. Zane shook his head quickly, as though waking himself from a trance, and looked up to Kai, who looked concerned. "I-" Zane tried. He stopped himself and his arms slowly sank, the paper still held within their grasp. Lloyd moved to tap Zane on the shoulder and ask what was wrong, but Zane flinched as he lifted his hand. Not giving anyone a chance to say more, Zane very suddenly stood up and ran out of the room. "Zane!" Kai yelled after him. The remaining ninja stood up and ran out the door, each now just as alarmed as Zane had looked. Nya moved to follow, but paused to turn around and pick up the dropped letter Zane had been reading. "Dearest Zane," She read. "We understand your connection with a "Dr. Julien," who has expressed his wishes for us to periodically inform you of his life events. Each letter has been personalized by Dr Julien and are as follows:
"Happy Birthday, Zane!"
"Update for your falcon."
"Treehouse cleanup."
"Celebration of return!"
We have been instructed to hand down to you Dr. Julien's will at the time of his passing, and regret to inform you as such. The lab results conclude the origin of death to be a heart attack, as a result of old age and poor health condition in past years. As a surrogate family member to the White Ninja, we wish to hold both a private funeral and a public memorial in honor of Dr. Julien, should you chose to attend. We await your quick response and will respect your wishes in regards to the suggested events. As a concluding note, Dr. Julien's will has been included in the envelope addressed you, and we encourage you to read through it before presenting it to an official. We are sorry for your loss.
Sincerely,
The Ninjago City Council." As Nya finished reading, she lowered the page. "Oh no. Zane…" She said quietly. Her heart had practically ripped in two. Shaking her head quickly, the way Zane had done earlier, she gripped the paper and ran out of the room, dashing down the hallways and in the direction she'd heard the ninja running. She quickly wiped at her eye, the start to a tear she didn't want to fall as she ran. Half way down the hallway, she crashed into someone stepping out of a doorway. "Woah!" She yelped, stumbling backwards and just barely keeping her balance. She caught the color white and immediately assumed she'd bumped into Zane. Looking up, she instead saw Sensei Wu. "Sensei! Forgive me." She said, bowing her head respectfully. "Is something wrong?" Wu asked, nodding his acknowledgement to her apology. "Something is very wrong, Sensei. Zane-" She cut herself off, not sure how to continue. Was she intruding by reading the letter? Was she going too far by telling Sensei Wu? "Zane, what?" Wu asked turning his head at her. "Zane- I think Zane needs our help." She said quietly. Wu, seeming to understand on some level, nodded and didn't prod. Turning around, he calmly walked down the hallway the direction Nya had been running. The two made their way down the hallway, Nya more anxious than Wu, and eventually made it to the deck. There was no one there. "Where'd they all go?" Nya asked, running out to the middle of the deck. "Were they here?" Wu asked curiously, turning his head back and forth as he looked. "Well… I didn't see them here, but they were running in this direction. Maybe they went to the kitchen or something?" She pondered, creasing her brow in concentration. Though he didn't say anything, Wu already had an idea of where they'd gone. If Zane was bothered by something, he often would go to the Birchwood forest. The ninja were likely to follow. That and, well, the footprints in the snow were fairly indicative. Without saying a word, Wu walked to the edge of the deck and turned around to watch Nya. She'd begun pacing and listing ideas to herself, working into a frenzy. After a moment of pacing, she noticed Wu watching her and stopped, in the middle of counting on her fingers. "Sensei?" She asked. "Follow me, please." He said calmly. Dropping her arms, Nya walked over to Wu as he jumped up on top of the rail and then down to the ground. Imitating his actions, she leapt to the ground beside him and finally caught sight of the footprints, a mental "Oh!" going off in her head. She trailed them with her eyes and saw them disappear into the Birchwood forest. "The Birchwood forest?" She cocked her head, pointing. "Yes. You implied that Zane was distressed, and he often retreats to the safety of his childhood home during such times." "Oh. Yeah. That makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?" She facepalmed. Wu chuckled lightly. As they began to walk down the trail of footprints, it started to lightly snow. Nya relaxed her shoulders and looked up into the sky, which was entirely white and gray. She grinned. "I always liked the snow. It's so pretty and calming. Days like these are so nice for any kind of mood." She said euphorically.
"Yet another reason Zane's element of ice fits him so well. Though ice and snow are not the same thing, they work hand in hand." Wu commented. "Yeah. He's kind of like the snow. He's gentle and kind and just a pleasant person to be around." "Agreed." A moment of silence passed by and Nya's grin faded. "I hope he's okay." She said sadly. "What happened?" Wu asked. He had a very fatherly manner about him, something that, while he didn't always show it, became a key part of his personality, and a reason the other ninja had grown closer to him over the years. He and the ninja, and Nya, had really become like a family, and they cared for each other like it. They called each other brothers and sister.
For the moment, Nya had frowned at his question, unsure how to answer. "I don't know if it's my place to tell you. I already feel like I may have been intruding by reading through his letter." She said, placing a hand on her chin in thought. "Understandable. But I cannot help Zane if I do not know what ails him." Wu said, looking at Nya. She thought for a moment, eyes scanning back and forth over something invisible, then nodding decisively. "Okay." She said. "He received a letter earlier that- that said- That Dr. Julien passed away…" She trailed off uncomfortably and felt her heart lurch. Wu remained silent and looked down at the ground as they walked. "Oh, dear…" He said.
"Zane, wait!" Kai called out, reaching a hand outward. "Come back!" Jay cried. "What happened?" Cole asked as they ran. Zane had started running faster as he touched the snow outside the Destiny's Bounty. He huffed as he ran, but didn't slow down. The other ninja took off after him, trying to get him to slow down. What could have been in that letter to make Zane run off? They'd been chasing him for almost 10 minutes now, he running deeper and deeper into the Birchwood forest. The other ninja had eventually realized that he was running toward his father's old treehouse. Zane, being a nindroid and having a lot of experience in general, had run much faster and much longer than the others and had gotten quite far ahead of them. As he saw the treehouse line up in his view, he looked behind him for the other ninja. He couldn't see any of them. He might have slown down a bit had it been anything else, but seeing the old home only made him quicken his pace further. "Father!" He called out as he approached. When he reached the door, he skidded to a stop and pushed it open, rushing inside. That's when he slowed down. The house was a mess. Not as bad as the first time he'd discovered it, thanks to a bit of help from the other ninja. When his father had come back to Ninjago, he went to live in the old home once more, and the ninja helped him to clean it up a bit. Now, however, the house was dreary. It was unkempt and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Not a good sign. "Father!" He called out again, looking over the edge of the railing. Looking down, there was no one he could see at the bottom. Leaving one hand on the railing, he ran down the steps, taking them two at a time. When he reached the bottom, he stopped and had to suck in a breath of air. As bad as it was at the top, it was worse at the bottom. The dust was even more thickly layered. Aside from the dust, things were moderately well organized, but what drew Zane's attention was a desk with a single lamp on it. The lamp was on its side, the glass of the bulb shattered over a half-finished blueprint sketch. There was a pencil and several pieces of paper scattered on the floor by the desk, and the stool which once stood there had been knocked onto its back. Taking a few steps forward, scenarios flashed through Zane's head. He looked at the desk and closed his eyes. The vision of the desk didn't disappear, and as he turned away, he could see his father moving a shaking arm quickly to grasp his shirt, knocking over the lamp as he did so. Zane shook his head, trying to shake the image away. He opened his eyes again and watched a shadow of his father stagger backward and knock the chair over, other arm dragging a pencil and several pages down with it. "No!" He shouted defiantly. He hadn't seen what happened here. Who's to say it actually happened? There was no way! Zane shook his head twice more, moving a hand to his forehead, as though the physical contact would slow his thoughts. "No, no, no…" He repeated, voice growing both higher in pitch and softer with each "no." He walked over to the desk, studying it more thoroughly. The blueprints really were only half finished, and he couldn't tell what exactly it was supposed to be. Bending down, he picked up one of the pages on the floor. It had crease lines in it, as though it had been folded. There was writing on it, and as he moved to read it, he realized it was his own handwriting. It was a letter that he had sent Dr. Julien. Looking at the other two pages on the ground, he realized one was also a letter he'd sent, but that the other was something else. He set down the page he held and picked that one up. This one was in Dr. Julien's handwriting. There were a few sentences, one unfinished. It was a letter addressed to Zane. "My dearest Zane," It started. Every letter from Dr. Julien began this way. "I am pleased to hear your progress! I never programmed you with cooking skills, nor with such capacity for emotion, but it sounds like you've done just fine learning these things on your own. I also wanted to thank you and your friends for helping me with cleaning up this old treehouse. You did an excellent job! But that's not why I write this letter now. I have news: I would like t-" The letter cut off there. Where there should have, presumably, been an "o" was instead a squiggled line, very blotchy, then a large downward streak on the page. Zane's eyes began to water. The image of Dr. Julien stumbling backward and dragging down these pages flashed across his mind once more, and Zane choked out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Dr. Julien had died thinking of him. His creator. His father. And what was his only living relation. Zane was alone, now. A short sob burst from his mouth, surprising him. "He can't be- He can't be gone!" But he was. Had he been sick? Injured? Did he have heart issues? Why didn't he tell Zane? Why wasn't there a warning? Was there a warning? If there was, Dr. Julien would have recognized it. "You promised you would tell me if anything like that ever happened…" He said quietly, almost accusingly. "I could have saved you!" He mumbled, his hands shaking. Suddenly, he didn't even feel sad anymore. He felt… Angry. Betrayed. Dr. Julien left. Not even caring if there was anyone there to see or hear him, he stood up and threw the page downward. "How could you leave? Why didn't you tell me? I could have done something, I could have helped! You promised you would tell me! You promised! You lied, and you left!" He shouted angrily, throwing his arms up. He kicked the chair with every accusation, and finished by kicking it so hard that it flew across the room and smashed into the wall, breaking one of the legs and leaving it a mess of several broken pieces on the floor. He stopped and watched as the wood clattered, anger fading as quickly as it had come. He broke his father's chair. He broke it, one of the few things he felt he had left to hold on to now, and it seemed so overwhelming suddenly that he slid to the floor and felt himself go numb for a moment. Consumed by grief, he pulled his knees to his chest and struggled to hold in tears as he began to thoroughly realize that there was no denying Dr. Julien's death. Or the fact that he no longer had family. "Zane! Augh, there you are!" Exclaimed a voice. Zane looked up and saw, standing at the entrance, Jay, looking over the edge. Kai stood behind him, huffing and puffing, hands on knees, and Cole and Lloyd trailed in just behind him. "Whatcha doin' here?!" Cole asked between huffs of breath. The four walked down the staircase, each becoming concerned as they noticed Zane's position. Kai, noticing the messed up desk and chair, was the first to ask. "What happened?" Zane tried to answer but nothing came out of his mouth. He gawped for a moment, then shut his mouth again and hung his head. He couldn't even answer them properly. "Zane, what's wrong? You can tell us." Cole said as gently as he could, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Zane's shoulder. "You're not- you're not hurt, are you?" Kai asked worriedly. "No." Zane answered quietly, finding his voice. Jay hunched his shoulders sadly upon hearing Zane's suddenly tired voice Kai walked around Zane and looked at the desk, catching sight of the shattered glass of the bulb and the spilt papers, one of which was slightly crumpled. "What was- What- How did-" He tried to say. He couldn't finish a sentence, as he began to realize what may have happened. "Heart attack." Zane almost whispered. He choked on the words, tears threatening to spill as he uttered them. "Zane…" Jay trailed sadly. "He's… Gone?" Lloyd asked, walking and kneeling by Zane, who sucked in a breath of air. Another voice near the top of the stairwell spoke up, drawing all the ninja's attention. "He's gone." It said with finality. There at the top stood Sensei Wu and Nya, both looking forlorn. They walked calmly down the steps, approaching Zane as they reached the bottom. Zane looked up to Wu with an almost pleading look, like he was hoping for the entire situation to be a dream, or just a really cruel joke. Wu put a hand in front of Nya, stopping her. He took another step forward and knelt down directly in front of Zane, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "And he's not coming back." The ninja each watched, heart-broken, as Zane finally broke and let a sob escape his mouth. A single tear fell with the sob, and Zane tried to wipe it away with the back of his hand. As the one was wiped away, two more slid down his cheeks and another muffled sob escaped his mouth. He tried, for a moment, to stop the sounds, and used both his hands to wipe away tears and cover his mouth. But the harder he tried to conceal himself, the harder he cried, until he got to the point of being unable to do anything but sob openly. The usually calm, level-headed, composed-in-any-situation Zane became child like. It didn't matter that he was an android. He had interests, hobbies, likes, dislikes, morals, emotions. Emotions which, like any regular person's, could be aggravated, encouraged, or hurt. And no matter what he was made of, he was just as human as the other ninja. After Zane had had a good cry, surrounded by the ninja and his Sensei, he had actually fallen asleep. When he'd started crying, he was immediately surrounded and hugged by everyone in the room, each offering physical and emotional support as he allowed himself to depend fully on them. It had been perhaps an hour and a half before he calmed down enough to compose himself, at which point he had exhausted himself in more ways than one. His sobs died away and his tense body relaxed in his spot, where he fell limp into the arms of Wu. Before they left, Zane was laid on an old couch at the side of the room and the ninja decided to tidy up the old treehouse one more time as a sort of respect to both Dr. Julien and Zane. The wooden chair was repaired, the broken glass cleaned up, light bulb replaced, tools and papers organized, and the entirety of the home dusted. It took them almost two hours, but the old home was left immaculate, with nothing but a few unfinished designs and written notes left on the old desk, never to be finished. Even by that time, Zane had remained asleep, and the ninja agreed on simply carrying him home, rather than waking him. At that point, as mentioned, it had begun to get dark and no one had eaten lunch or dinner. By the time they reached the Bounty, it was late enough that no one could care less about whether or not they ate before going to bed, and so decided on simply doing the latter. Zane was taken to his bed, left in his ninja gi, where he slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Each ninja, as well as Nya and Sensei Wu, had retreated to their own beds and fallen each into a dreamless sleep. Their day of goofing around, training, and announcing fan mail to each other had ended very differently than expected, and left everyone drained of energy. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"Good morning, Zane!" A cheery voice announced itself. Zane was startled awake and sat up quickly, almost hitting his head on the upper bunk. He turned to the voice to see Kai, a large grin on his face. "Morning?" He responded, still groggy enough that it sounded more like a question than a greeting. "Are you ready to go?" Kai asked. As Zane turned to look at him again, he realized that the other ninja were there too. And Nya. And Sensei Wu. "Ready to go? Where?" Zane asked curiously. He was confused. "Oh, silly." Kai chuckled uncharacteristically. Then, in a much darker tone, "You have to leave." "But- But why? Was I supposed to retrieve something last night that I forgot about?" Zane sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "No. You just have to leave." Kai folded his arms, his expression becoming just as serious as his tone. "Did I do something wrong?" Zane stood up, worried. Surprising him, and nearly pushing him back down to the mattress, Jay stepped forward and shoved a large bag into the Nindroid's arms. "What?" Zane asked incredulously. "He said leave." Jay growled at him. Zane's eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening in horror. He looked left, right, and behind, noticing that not one of his possessions was in sight. "W-what?" He repeated shakily. "As in go! Adios, robot!" Cole shouted harshly, shoving Zane into the ground. The ninja closed in on Zane, creating a tight circle as he picked himself up off the floor. Kai stood just in front of Zane, tall and menacing. "Get out of the Destiny's Bounty, and don't come back." He said. Zane shivered. Kai had never sounded so threatening. The red ninja's voice rumbled low, coming out more gutteral. "What did I- What did I do?" He asked, trying to grasp at the bag handed him. "Nothing. You never did anything. You're useless to us, you homeless, orphaned machine." Kai replied angrily. "M-machine? Orphaned? But I'm not- I didn't chose to-" "No, you didn't! And that's exactly it, isn't it? You didn't chose to be a robot. You didn't chose to let your father die. Or did you? You let him die. You knew you could have done something. You just didn't chose to. You can't chose to do anything, because you're a robot. You do what you're told to do." Kai said accusingly, taking a step forward. "No… I don't… I wanted to save him, but he didn't- He couldn't- I'm not just a robot… I-" "Shut up! You're made of metal and wire and programming! You're a machine! And we don't need you!" Jay shouted. Zane backed up a few steps, hugging his bag to his chest. He bumped into his bed and had to stop walking. The other ninja stepped toward him. "That's enough!" Wu said loudly, stepping between the ninja. For a moment, Zane was relieved to see them broken away from him. But he frowned upon seeing the scowl on Wu's face. "You will leave. Your creator died when you could have saved him. How do we know you won't leave helpless people to fend for themselves when they need you most? You're a mistake, Zane, and we can't risk lives on you." Zane nearly dropped his bag at how harsh Wu sounded. "I-I'm not a mistake. Dr. Julien wasn't- h-he wasn't just m-my creator, he was my family! I tried, I really, really tried! P-please! I-I won't risk lives!" Zane pleaded desperately. "No, Zane. He wasn't your family. You don't have family. You don't have family now, and you won't have family later. You never had family. Because you're just a pile of emotionless metal slapped together to look human. You never had a father, and we were never your brothers." Kai growled. "Out!" "Leave!" "Shoo!" The ninja grabbed at Zane's gi, pulling him back and forth as they tried to push him toward the door. As he was yanked through the middle of the circle and thrown to the other side, he just barely managed to keep from falling over and grabbed the doorway to steady himself. Just as he had done so, his bag was thrown at his middle, knocking him down to the ground, bag landing on his lap. Wu stepped forward from the group, looking surprisingly frightful standing above Zane. "You won't be needing this anymore." He said simply, leaning down and grabbing hold of the gold badge on Zane's gi. With one fluid motion, he ripped the piece of metal out of the fabric and left Zane stunned. That emblem defined his element, as well as his place among the team. Before Zane could even stand up, the rest of the group crowded up around him, ripping away small pieces of the once-pristine gi and kicking at him. One kick to his leg. Another to his foot. Then one to his back. That one hurt! A foot rammed into his chest, pushing him onto his back. He moved his arms over his head to protect it as various shoes began to kick and stomp unforgivingly at his chest and sides. "No!" He cried out dejectedly. "No, no, no!" He agonized. The word repeated itself as he went numb, closing his eyes tight, trying to flush the pain away. "No!" He opened his eyes again, prepared to jump up and run. Instead, his head hit something hard as he sat up. "O-ow…" He muttered. The shouting stopped, and he realized that the only thing hurting was his head. His vision finally clearing, Zane registered that… there was no one there. Everything was quiet. A warm light flooded the room. Looking around, he quickly noticed that none of the other ninja were in their beds. In addition, his belongings were all still in place. "It was… A dream." He concluded. What time was it? "Zane? Are you okay?" A worried Kai skid to a stop at the doorway. "We heard shouting." He explained. Zane creased his eyebrows, still feeling flustered. "I'm fine." He said. It was only part true. He was relieved the dream wasn't real, but that same dream had, at the same time, presented every single one of his fears to him in the most vivid way possible. "You don't look fine. It's been a long few days." Kai responded. "Just a bad dream." Zane stood up, recognizing that he had a hand up against his forehead. "Did you hurt your head or something?" Kai asked, sounding half worried, and half amused. "I hit it on the bunk. I'll be fine." Zane paused as he approached the bathroom. "What time is it?" He asked, putting his hand down. "Nearly 10:00." Kai answered. "Uh, in the morning! You didn't sleep that long." He added, chuckling. "Good to know." Zane said, smiling slightly. "Hey, are you alright? From yesterday, I mean?" Kai asked. "I don't know. It's a little bit hazy. I feel numb." Kai couldn't honestly think of anything to say in response, so instead said, "When you're ready, Cole made some waffles for breakfast. They're Eggo, by the way, so they can't be too bad…" Zane smiled. Cole had indeed gained a reputation for not being the best cook. But, seeing as how these were toaster waffles, pre-made and cooked, he probably couldn't have messed them up. As Kai left the room again, Zane walked up to their bathroom sink, looking in the mirror. He frowned. 'Homeless, orphaned machine!' The phrase from his dream echoed in his head. He flinched as it repeated itself. He knew he wasn't a machine. But homeless? Orphaned? Technically, he was orphaned. Before he first remembered his father, he had been sure he was orphaned his whole life. It was lonely, and sometimes he wondered about it, but… He'd learned to accept it. Especially as he met the other ninja, and Sensei Wu. So why did it hurt so much more now? To know that he was orphaned? He had no siblings. He'd never had a mother. Had he? He wished he could have asked his father, but now… A single tear slid down his face. He'd never have that chance. His father was gone. His only family. The only family that he'd ever had… 'No, Zane. He wasn't your family. You don't have family. You don't have family now, and you won't have family later. You never had family.' Why wouldn't it just leave him be?! This stupid dream! Wasn't it enough to know his father had died? To see the treehouse in a wreck? To find that half-written letter and know that Zane was the last thing Dr. Julien had been thinking of? Wasn't it enough?! Now this dream, now all these horrible things he'd heard in the voices of his best friends? And they wouldn't leave him alone! He looked into the mirror. He looked terrible. His eyes were dull, with bags underneath them. He had tear streaks on his face and his hair was dishevelled. He still wore his ninja gi, instead of his characteristic striped pajamas. He must have fallen asleep some time the day before. "Perhaps some breakfast would do well." He muttered to himself. He turned toward the door decisively, making his way toward the kitchen. He walked slowly in the halls, looking at pictures hung on the wall. Pictures of their whole group, or family pictures the ninja had brought with them. After all, they were all technically still just kids. Even in their late teens. Having things with them, ways to remember home, ways to remember their family. Except Zane, of course. Nya and Kai had a bit of trouble with that one, too. Neither of them could remember their parents very well, much less what might have happened to them. They still had each other, but they still had only a very few pictures from their childhood regardless. Zane had the one that he found in the treehouse that first day. He found it a bit strange now that he hadn't taken any more with Dr. Julien since freeing the aged tinkerer.
It had been nearly a week since Dr. Julien's death. Zane had felt both grieved and numb at the same time. He didn't know what to do with himself. After two days, the funeral was held. Everyone occupying Destiny's Bounty had gone, as well as their families. Even Zane's falcon had shown up, which had been bittersweet for Zane. The falcon had been flying about Ninjago for a time, and Zand had almost entirely forgotten about him. The small robotic creature had a soft spot in Zane's heart, and had only grown more precious as Zane said his goodbyes. The day after that was the public memorial. Zane had chosen not to attend. He would watch from their television set, but wouldn't go. It was endearing to see groups of people crowd around the City hall in honor of Dr. Julien, many sharing how much they respected the old man, both because of his contributions to science and justice, and because of how much he had meant to Zane. Two days after that, Zane had finally cleared himself enough to read Dr. Julien's will. As most had expected, he had been left with rights to the treehouse, as well as to the work inside it. He could either sell or keep the inventions within. Zane, without question, had decided upon the latter. He had also been left a small, saved-up fund of near $1,000, which originally would have gone to a very expensive piece of machinery that Dr. Julien had wanted to tinker with. As Zane had been surprised to discover, however, there was more than one piece of paper for the will. He'd read through the first and, at the very end of the page, saw that the second piece was meant for Wu, and that Zane was not to read it unless Wu decided otherwise. Other things had been left for the ninja, such as little trinkets that Dr. Julien had made. He'd left portions of Juggernaut, who guarded the treehouse before Zane discovered it, and several blueprints for inventions he never got to put together, which he thought the ninja would enjoy putting together. In the end, though, aside from the death itself, what bugged Zane the most was that there was something his father didn't trust to tell him. Wu had some extra piece of information and, despite Zane's pleas, had not been willing to tell Zane what was scribed on the aged piece of paper. Zane had eventually given up on asking, however. It was consoling to see what kinds of things his father had built and designed, and he enjoyed spending time in the old treehouse following his father's death. At least, as much as he could with all that in mind. He couldn't think of anything that Wu's piece of the will could hold, and Wu seemed unmovable in telling Zane, so he instead distracted himself with other things. He would re-read old letters from Dr. Julien, bond with his falcon, or study his own old blueprints and their notes. He'd discovered a few very fascinating things, functions he didn't understand, parts he didn't know he had. For example, he apparently had a sensitivity dial hidden closer to the front of his lower left abdomen. There were old journals explaining things like this, and he'd learned that Dr. Julien hadn't only built him for a companion and guardian. True, Dr. Julien had missed having a family, and was lonely with his trinkets and machines, so built Zane. In addition, the Birchwood forest could be very dangerous at times, so he needed a protection of sorts. But there were other things, too. Dr. Julien had come to decide that when he built Zane, he wanted to make him as human as possible. It had actually taken him a very long time to develop a proper method to create artificial intelligence, artificial emotion, and, for that matter, artificial pain. It was explained in the journal that Dr. Julien had wanted to experiment with this area a bit, wanting to see how well pain could be tolerated, thus why Zane had a sensitivity dial. There were 10 different levels, going from least to most sensitive. Level one was supposed to be average sensitivity, and each level's number following was the number of times more sensitive Zane would become when they were set. As it turned out though, Dr. Julien had grown to love and care for Zane much more than he had planned for, and couldn't bring himself to continue with this experiment of sorts. It would, however, explain some of Zane's earliest memories, in which things such as scraped knees and little cuts hurt immensely, and tickle fights were to the point of practically disabling him. (Though a little more reading proved that Dr. Julien had made him a bit extra ticklish anyway, just for the fun of it.) Discovering these sorts of things, and reading this old journal, had been comforting to Zane. There were even notes directed to him throughout the old book which he hadn't been shown before. Fond memories, traits Zane had gained, encouraging and loving sayings. Reading them made it seem almost like Dr. Julien hadn't passed at all, and made not knowing Wu's part of the will just a little more bearable. To go even further, the other ninja had been very supportive and delicate throughout the whole thing, always being extra sure to ask him how he was, that he got enough to eat, was resting properly. And as Zane began to recover, he also began to open up again, growing more eager each day to tell them the things he'd learned while he was at his father's treehouse. They'd even joked to repeat some of Dr. Julien's experiments, to which Zane shuddered. They would laugh and hug it out, becoming more light-hearted as Zane began to accept Dr. Julien's death. But, even when things seemed to be going back to normal, Zane remained dissatisfied. Just knowing that he was technically orphaned now, that the father he had grown to know and grow close to was gone... Yes, he'd begun to accept the death, but he had no living relations. His falcon was the closest he would ever get again. And while he called the other ninja his brothers, it just wasn't the same. It wasn't helping that Wu wouldn't tell him that last piece of the will, either. He felt unfulfilled, and it still hurt. Eventually, his visits to the treehouse became less frequent. He'd finished the journal, also bringing it back home, and had gone over just about every piece of machinery and blueprint in the old workshop. Now, he'd begun to run out of things to do. After the defeat of the Overlord, Lloyd became known as the Golden Ninja, and had gained nationwide fame. He was constantly going to shows, giving speeches, accepting rewards, performing demonstrations, or working with his father. He was virtually never home. On the plus side, there was also no danger for him to deal with, unless you counted fangirls. (Honestly, girls, we really are pretty scary, huh?) On the downside, it meant there was nothing to do. Ninjago city was safe and in the process of not only being rebuilt, but being majorly upgraded as well. The ninja watched as it became the picture of what they all imagined being the future. There were clean sources of fuel, automated history machines and guides, robotic workers for everything, hovering vehicles, magnetically charged street signs and stop lights. One of the most notable things was the one, massive, efficient power source, shared by absolutely everything electronic in Ninjago City. This combined with the fact that this fabled Overlord, the biggest, most powerful, most catastrophic villain Ninjago had ever seen being utterly defeated, made Ninjago the exact opposite of a target. All the bad guys had settled down. While this was very good news for Ninjago, making it safe and reliable for all its inhabitants, it meant the Ninja had absolutely nothing to do. They were unneeded in just about every way, though still praised loved by all the citizens. This is what led them to being teachers in Wu's new school. Followed by, of course, the fateful arrival of that life-shattering letter from the City Council. As a result, Zane now spent most of his time training. He didn't know what else to do with himself. It was always either working as a teacher, or training as a useless ninja. He'd done everything that could really have been done after Dr. Julien's death, and aside from cooking and training, he didn't really have any hobbies. There was always water meditation, but as the season began to grow cold, he found it harder to do so. Not that he couldn't, of course. He'd grown very skilled with working in cold water, but it was, indeed, more difficult, and most certainly not as safe for his health. (Even though Zane's a Nindroid and his element is Ice, I still like to think that he has his own body heat and has to maintain a proper temperature…) And so he trained harder. He'd virtually mastered every move he knew of, and continued to learn new ones, as well as make up his own. He became stronger, faster, and more focused. It was all well and good, but with no danger and no need for ninja, it didn't do him too much. Either way, this is what he did. He'd worked into a routine of wake up, eat, teach, train, eat, reminisce, sleep, and repeat. Weekends were a little different, of course, where he wouldn't have to teach, and he would spend that extra time either training even more or re-reading Dr. Julien's old journal. It was only a matter of time before he had the book memorized, or hurt himself through over-exertion in training. On one of these over-exerting weekends, he did just that. Naturally. "And just how did you sprain your ankle, again?" Nya repeated, still skeptical. "The target board on the post was loose when I attempted to kick it. Resultantly, I had not rebounded as expected and I rolled my ankle upon landing on my feet." Zane explained. Nya shook her head. "Only you could manage to do something like that, Zane." She said, a hint of humor in her voice. Zane smiled gently. "I suppose so." "Hold still, please. It's kinda hard to twist wires back into place if you won't stop moving." "My apologies." Zane replied sheepishly, willing himself to keep still. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" Nya looking up at him from the ground, where she was working on his ankle. "It's not comfortable, but I'll live." He said from his spot on the couch. "Okay. Just let me know if I'm being too rough. I'm not exactly a robot, but I can't imagine that twisting wires inside one's leg would be comfortable. Especially not with the complex nerve system Dr. Julien created for you." At the mention of his father, Zane's shoulders slumped slightly and his expression fell. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I can forget how much of a delicate subject that still is." Nya apologized. She sounded guilty. Truth was, most of the nina had forgotten. It had been a good month since they'd found out. "It's okay. I still miss him, but it is what it is. You cause no offense." Zane smiled reassuringly. Nya did the same. After a moment of silence, she exclaimed, "There! No more broken wires! Now we just need to patch up the skin and keep you off that ankle for a few days. That's gotta be a plus to being a Nindroid. Healing doesn't take as long with minor injuries!" Nya chuckled lightheartedly. "Minor ones, true. Thank you, Nya." Zane said respectfully. "No problem. Just try not to make it anything more than minor next time. Actually, I'd be pretty pleased if you just didn't hurt yourself at all, next time!" She laughed. Zane chuckled. "I'll do my best." He said with a grin. "And I wouldn't expect any less!" She added enthusiastically. As she began to patch Zane's ankle back together, a roll of bandages on the floor and at the ready, her expression became more serious. "Hey, Zane? If you ever, you know, need someone to talk to, you're welcome to come to me. I know it's not the same, but both my parents went missing when I was pretty little. To be honest, I don't think I was quite so close to either of them as you were to your father, but both Kai and I know what it's like to lost a parent." Zane wasn't sure what to say. It was so kind of her, and it was actually starting to make him somewhat… emotional. This kind of reaction from him wasn't usually easily evoked, and he wasn't certain how to express such feelings. It was a little uncharacteristic. "I… Thank you, Nya. I appreciate it and will keep that in mind." He said with genuity. Nya smiled warmly. A few more minutes of silence passed, and Nya had managed to get the bandage wrapped securely around Zane's ankle, studying her work as she finished. "Should be all ready to go! Just, not too fast. Or harsh. Actually, try not to walk on it tons. And maybe don't train till it's better!" She said, a pause between each sentence. Nya could really be a bit of a mother hen, sometimes. "Don't worry, Nya! I will be cautious." Zane assured. As he stood up, thanking her yet again, he decided it would be best to simply rest for the day. With that in mind, he turned for the largest room in the Destiny's Bounty, filled with video games, books, movies, snacks, and, what was now occupying his thoughts, his falcon and his father's journal. As he exited the room, he focused on his feet, watching to be sure he didn't step on his foot wrong and aggravate his sprain. He kept one hand on the wall, leaning on it heavily. But, seeing as how he wasn't looking where he was going, he pretty immediately bumped into someone already in the hallways. Looking up and uttering an apology without even thinking about it, he met the eyes of Sensei Wu, to which he began to apologize more excessively. "Forgive me, I wasn't looking where I was going. I was just going to the- to find the other ninja, I wasn't paying any attention, Sensei. I didn't mean to-" "Slow down, Zane. One apology is plenty. What have you done to your foot?" Wu asked, noticing the bandage. "I sprained my ankle whilst training." Zane said simply. "I see. Well, that's no good. I suggest you rest up, then." "Yes, Sensei." Zane replied. He clasped both hands in a respectful gesture and bowed, but stumbled on his ankle as he stood without his arm against the wall to support him. Before he could trip or fall, Wu grabbed onto his upper arm with both hands, pulling him straight so he could put his hand back against the wall. "Be careful, my student." Wu smiled sympathetically, and Zane sheepishly. "Thank you." Zane said with a chuckle. As he began his slow walk down the hallway, testing his balance without the extra support, Wu decided to walk beside him. "How are you persisting today?" He asked. "I am doing better. I miss my father, but I am… Okay." Zane answered. "Very good." Wu said delightedly. Zane looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't speak. "What is troubling you?" Wu asked, noting this. "There would be no point in asking you; you have already denied my request persistently." "Ah. The last piece of Dr. Julien's will, I presume. You will have to forgive me. For now, at least, all I can tell you is that I have promised to keep this piece of information undisclosed to you until the time is time will become ripe, but not now. And I do intend on keeping my word." Wu explained. "It is the most honorable thing to do. I just wish my father had trusted me enough to tell me himself. Not that it would matter now. It is impossible to ask him myself, considering that he is no longer here. Considering, that I don't… That I don't have a father, anymore." Zane said, turning his head away almost shamefully. "Nonsense, Zane. Perhaps Dr. Julien has passed on, but that does not mean you no longer have a father. He will always remain so as long as we remember him. Dr. Julien will always be your father. And you still have the Ninja. They are your brothers. Nya, your sister. And I will always be your mentor. We are your family." Wu said, putting a hand on Zane's shoulders. He'd adjusted enough to his ankle now that he no longer leaned on the wall. "But it's not the same thing. I care for each of you as such, and would call you family, but…" He trailed off. "But none of us is a direct relation. Not by blood, nor law, nor, in your case, creation. We are all surrogates. Dr. Julien was your father. He was your family." Zane nodded sadly. As they reached the end of the hall, he pushed open the door to the room he'd been seeking, and smiled slightly at Wu. "Yes. And now that I do not have Dr. Julien, I feel as though I do not have family." He said with finality. Before Wu could really respond, Zane turned around and walked into the room, not bothering to close or open farther the door. He sat down on a couch, and sighed, hunching his shoulders. It wasn't often he confided something like that in anyone, much less his Sensei. He'd grown to trust Wu, though. He trusted him differently than he trusted anyone else, and didn't feel quite so uncomfortable as he would with the other ninja. Still though, he felt it was more than enough to confess to someone in a day. As he pulled out his father's journal once more, calling his falcon via wireless connection at the same time, Zane settled into the couch as comfortably as he could. Wu watched him, concern bubbling in his mind. He hadn't wanted to aggravate Zane, but he now held a very important bit of information. Like he had said, he intended on keeping his word. He was going to see Dr. Julien's plan through, and what Zane had just admitted had taken it a step closer to its end. The time was nearly ripe.
This… This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to happen like this at all. It started like a regular day. They all got up, ate breakfast, and went to the deck to train, as usual. They sparred with each other and used the equipment for a while. If it weren't a weekend, they would have left Destiny's Bounty and gone to Wu's new school to teach. And, as usual, after two hours of training, they were alerted to the mail's arrival. Their faithful and underpayed mailman had, once again, trecked across the city and several miles into the desert, carrying a stack of a few dozen envelopes for the ninja. However, he carried one of the envelopes separately, and as he gave the Bounty's door a firm knocking, his expression became grim. "Mail's here!" Nya opened the door, and called for the ninja. There was a *thump* in the background, followed by the pounding of footsteps and a crash, what sounded like someone launching themself into a door, and then came the glorious view of five rowdy boys stumbling over each other in a race for the door Nya stood at. The mailman held out the large stack of mail nervously and watched as the ninja grabbed handfuls of the paper until the pile was gone. "Heh, thanks." Nya thanked. "Sorry about them." She added apologetically. "Eh, no worries. Hey, before I go though, I've got a specially addressed letter to Zane." The mailman held out the separate envelope he had, and, seeing as how Zane had already run off with the others, Nya took it. "Oh. Okay. Thank you, again!" The mailman nodded and smiled, turning as he waved his goodbye and walked back out into the snow. Nya closed the door and looked down at the letter. Very akin to Zane's personality, the envelope was silver, and had a snowflake design on the front. It didn't have a return address or name. Walking down the hall, Nya looked back up and walked into the ninjas' shared room. "Hey, Zane, one more letter for ya." She said, holding up said letter. "What? Zane got extra fan-mail?" Jay exclaimed. Each ninja was sat on the floor, sitting around each other in some form of a circle, and their mail already sorted into individual piles for each. "Jay, you already have more fan-mail than most of us." Kai said pointedly. Jay's pile was a little larger… (shh!) "Oh. Right. Heh." "For me?" Zane asked curiously, standing up. He walked to Nya and calmly took the envelope from her. He studied it front and back, before opening it and pulling out the slip of paper from inside. "Well, Zane? What's it say?" Jay asked, sitting up as tall as he could. "I don't know." Zane said. "Give him a sec, Jay. Jeez." Cole said, rolling his eyes. He picked up one of Jay's envelopes and slapped him in the arm with it. "Ow…" Jay complained, feigning hurt. Kai snickered at their antics. Zane had only just begun to read the letter, sitting down as he continued. The other ninja watched him eagerly. Zane turned his head at the paper, as though responding to something in it. He creased his eyebrows, apparently confused. Then, his eyes widened. "But he was…" He mumbled. As he read another line or so, his shoulders bounced upward slightly and he grasped onto the paper with both his hands. His expression became more alarmed than confused and his back went rigid. "Zane? Is everything alright?" Kai asked. Zane shook his head quickly, as though waking himself from a trance, and looked up to Kai, who looked concerned. "I-" Zane tried. He stopped himself and his arms slowly sank, the paper still held within their grasp. Lloyd moved to tap Zane on the shoulder and ask what was wrong, but Zane flinched as he lifted his hand. Not giving anyone a chance to say more, Zane very suddenly stood up and ran out of the room. "Zane!" Kai yelled after him. The remaining ninja stood up and ran out the door, each now just as alarmed as Zane had looked. Nya moved to follow, but paused to turn around and pick up the dropped letter Zane had been reading. "Dearest Zane," She read. "We understand your connection with a "Dr. Julien," who has expressed his wishes for us to periodically inform you of his life events. Each letter has been personalized by Dr Julien and are as follows:
"Happy Birthday, Zane!"
"Update for your falcon."
"Treehouse cleanup."
"Celebration of return!"
We have been instructed to hand down to you Dr. Julien's will at the time of his passing, and regret to inform you as such. The lab results conclude the origin of death to be a heart attack, as a result of old age and poor health condition in past years. As a surrogate family member to the White Ninja, we wish to hold both a private funeral and a public memorial in honor of Dr. Julien, should you chose to attend. We await your quick response and will respect your wishes in regards to the suggested events. As a concluding note, Dr. Julien's will has been included in the envelope addressed you, and we encourage you to read through it before presenting it to an official. We are sorry for your loss.
Sincerely,
The Ninjago City Council." As Nya finished reading, she lowered the page. "Oh no. Zane…" She said quietly. Her heart had practically ripped in two. Shaking her head quickly, the way Zane had done earlier, she gripped the paper and ran out of the room, dashing down the hallways and in the direction she'd heard the ninja running. She quickly wiped at her eye, the start to a tear she didn't want to fall as she ran. Half way down the hallway, she crashed into someone stepping out of a doorway. "Woah!" She yelped, stumbling backwards and just barely keeping her balance. She caught the color white and immediately assumed she'd bumped into Zane. Looking up, she instead saw Sensei Wu. "Sensei! Forgive me." She said, bowing her head respectfully. "Is something wrong?" Wu asked, nodding his acknowledgement to her apology. "Something is very wrong, Sensei. Zane-" She cut herself off, not sure how to continue. Was she intruding by reading the letter? Was she going too far by telling Sensei Wu? "Zane, what?" Wu asked turning his head at her. "Zane- I think Zane needs our help." She said quietly. Wu, seeming to understand on some level, nodded and didn't prod. Turning around, he calmly walked down the hallway the direction Nya had been running. The two made their way down the hallway, Nya more anxious than Wu, and eventually made it to the deck. There was no one there. "Where'd they all go?" Nya asked, running out to the middle of the deck. "Were they here?" Wu asked curiously, turning his head back and forth as he looked. "Well… I didn't see them here, but they were running in this direction. Maybe they went to the kitchen or something?" She pondered, creasing her brow in concentration. Though he didn't say anything, Wu already had an idea of where they'd gone. If Zane was bothered by something, he often would go to the Birchwood forest. The ninja were likely to follow. That and, well, the footprints in the snow were fairly indicative. Without saying a word, Wu walked to the edge of the deck and turned around to watch Nya. She'd begun pacing and listing ideas to herself, working into a frenzy. After a moment of pacing, she noticed Wu watching her and stopped, in the middle of counting on her fingers. "Sensei?" She asked. "Follow me, please." He said calmly. Dropping her arms, Nya walked over to Wu as he jumped up on top of the rail and then down to the ground. Imitating his actions, she leapt to the ground beside him and finally caught sight of the footprints, a mental "Oh!" going off in her head. She trailed them with her eyes and saw them disappear into the Birchwood forest. "The Birchwood forest?" She cocked her head, pointing. "Yes. You implied that Zane was distressed, and he often retreats to the safety of his childhood home during such times." "Oh. Yeah. That makes sense. Why didn't I think of that?" She facepalmed. Wu chuckled lightly. As they began to walk down the trail of footprints, it started to lightly snow. Nya relaxed her shoulders and looked up into the sky, which was entirely white and gray. She grinned. "I always liked the snow. It's so pretty and calming. Days like these are so nice for any kind of mood." She said euphorically.
"Yet another reason Zane's element of ice fits him so well. Though ice and snow are not the same thing, they work hand in hand." Wu commented. "Yeah. He's kind of like the snow. He's gentle and kind and just a pleasant person to be around." "Agreed." A moment of silence passed by and Nya's grin faded. "I hope he's okay." She said sadly. "What happened?" Wu asked. He had a very fatherly manner about him, something that, while he didn't always show it, became a key part of his personality, and a reason the other ninja had grown closer to him over the years. He and the ninja, and Nya, had really become like a family, and they cared for each other like it. They called each other brothers and sister.
For the moment, Nya had frowned at his question, unsure how to answer. "I don't know if it's my place to tell you. I already feel like I may have been intruding by reading through his letter." She said, placing a hand on her chin in thought. "Understandable. But I cannot help Zane if I do not know what ails him." Wu said, looking at Nya. She thought for a moment, eyes scanning back and forth over something invisible, then nodding decisively. "Okay." She said. "He received a letter earlier that- that said- That Dr. Julien passed away…" She trailed off uncomfortably and felt her heart lurch. Wu remained silent and looked down at the ground as they walked. "Oh, dear…" He said.
"Zane, wait!" Kai called out, reaching a hand outward. "Come back!" Jay cried. "What happened?" Cole asked as they ran. Zane had started running faster as he touched the snow outside the Destiny's Bounty. He huffed as he ran, but didn't slow down. The other ninja took off after him, trying to get him to slow down. What could have been in that letter to make Zane run off? They'd been chasing him for almost 10 minutes now, he running deeper and deeper into the Birchwood forest. The other ninja had eventually realized that he was running toward his father's old treehouse. Zane, being a nindroid and having a lot of experience in general, had run much faster and much longer than the others and had gotten quite far ahead of them. As he saw the treehouse line up in his view, he looked behind him for the other ninja. He couldn't see any of them. He might have slown down a bit had it been anything else, but seeing the old home only made him quicken his pace further. "Father!" He called out as he approached. When he reached the door, he skidded to a stop and pushed it open, rushing inside. That's when he slowed down. The house was a mess. Not as bad as the first time he'd discovered it, thanks to a bit of help from the other ninja. When his father had come back to Ninjago, he went to live in the old home once more, and the ninja helped him to clean it up a bit. Now, however, the house was dreary. It was unkempt and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Not a good sign. "Father!" He called out again, looking over the edge of the railing. Looking down, there was no one he could see at the bottom. Leaving one hand on the railing, he ran down the steps, taking them two at a time. When he reached the bottom, he stopped and had to suck in a breath of air. As bad as it was at the top, it was worse at the bottom. The dust was even more thickly layered. Aside from the dust, things were moderately well organized, but what drew Zane's attention was a desk with a single lamp on it. The lamp was on its side, the glass of the bulb shattered over a half-finished blueprint sketch. There was a pencil and several pieces of paper scattered on the floor by the desk, and the stool which once stood there had been knocked onto its back. Taking a few steps forward, scenarios flashed through Zane's head. He looked at the desk and closed his eyes. The vision of the desk didn't disappear, and as he turned away, he could see his father moving a shaking arm quickly to grasp his shirt, knocking over the lamp as he did so. Zane shook his head, trying to shake the image away. He opened his eyes again and watched a shadow of his father stagger backward and knock the chair over, other arm dragging a pencil and several pages down with it. "No!" He shouted defiantly. He hadn't seen what happened here. Who's to say it actually happened? There was no way! Zane shook his head twice more, moving a hand to his forehead, as though the physical contact would slow his thoughts. "No, no, no…" He repeated, voice growing both higher in pitch and softer with each "no." He walked over to the desk, studying it more thoroughly. The blueprints really were only half finished, and he couldn't tell what exactly it was supposed to be. Bending down, he picked up one of the pages on the floor. It had crease lines in it, as though it had been folded. There was writing on it, and as he moved to read it, he realized it was his own handwriting. It was a letter that he had sent Dr. Julien. Looking at the other two pages on the ground, he realized one was also a letter he'd sent, but that the other was something else. He set down the page he held and picked that one up. This one was in Dr. Julien's handwriting. There were a few sentences, one unfinished. It was a letter addressed to Zane. "My dearest Zane," It started. Every letter from Dr. Julien began this way. "I am pleased to hear your progress! I never programmed you with cooking skills, nor with such capacity for emotion, but it sounds like you've done just fine learning these things on your own. I also wanted to thank you and your friends for helping me with cleaning up this old treehouse. You did an excellent job! But that's not why I write this letter now. I have news: I would like t-" The letter cut off there. Where there should have, presumably, been an "o" was instead a squiggled line, very blotchy, then a large downward streak on the page. Zane's eyes began to water. The image of Dr. Julien stumbling backward and dragging down these pages flashed across his mind once more, and Zane choked out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Dr. Julien had died thinking of him. His creator. His father. And what was his only living relation. Zane was alone, now. A short sob burst from his mouth, surprising him. "He can't be- He can't be gone!" But he was. Had he been sick? Injured? Did he have heart issues? Why didn't he tell Zane? Why wasn't there a warning? Was there a warning? If there was, Dr. Julien would have recognized it. "You promised you would tell me if anything like that ever happened…" He said quietly, almost accusingly. "I could have saved you!" He mumbled, his hands shaking. Suddenly, he didn't even feel sad anymore. He felt… Angry. Betrayed. Dr. Julien left. Not even caring if there was anyone there to see or hear him, he stood up and threw the page downward. "How could you leave? Why didn't you tell me? I could have done something, I could have helped! You promised you would tell me! You promised! You lied, and you left!" He shouted angrily, throwing his arms up. He kicked the chair with every accusation, and finished by kicking it so hard that it flew across the room and smashed into the wall, breaking one of the legs and leaving it a mess of several broken pieces on the floor. He stopped and watched as the wood clattered, anger fading as quickly as it had come. He broke his father's chair. He broke it, one of the few things he felt he had left to hold on to now, and it seemed so overwhelming suddenly that he slid to the floor and felt himself go numb for a moment. Consumed by grief, he pulled his knees to his chest and struggled to hold in tears as he began to thoroughly realize that there was no denying Dr. Julien's death. Or the fact that he no longer had family. "Zane! Augh, there you are!" Exclaimed a voice. Zane looked up and saw, standing at the entrance, Jay, looking over the edge. Kai stood behind him, huffing and puffing, hands on knees, and Cole and Lloyd trailed in just behind him. "Whatcha doin' here?!" Cole asked between huffs of breath. The four walked down the staircase, each becoming concerned as they noticed Zane's position. Kai, noticing the messed up desk and chair, was the first to ask. "What happened?" Zane tried to answer but nothing came out of his mouth. He gawped for a moment, then shut his mouth again and hung his head. He couldn't even answer them properly. "Zane, what's wrong? You can tell us." Cole said as gently as he could, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Zane's shoulder. "You're not- you're not hurt, are you?" Kai asked worriedly. "No." Zane answered quietly, finding his voice. Jay hunched his shoulders sadly upon hearing Zane's suddenly tired voice Kai walked around Zane and looked at the desk, catching sight of the shattered glass of the bulb and the spilt papers, one of which was slightly crumpled. "What was- What- How did-" He tried to say. He couldn't finish a sentence, as he began to realize what may have happened. "Heart attack." Zane almost whispered. He choked on the words, tears threatening to spill as he uttered them. "Zane…" Jay trailed sadly. "He's… Gone?" Lloyd asked, walking and kneeling by Zane, who sucked in a breath of air. Another voice near the top of the stairwell spoke up, drawing all the ninja's attention. "He's gone." It said with finality. There at the top stood Sensei Wu and Nya, both looking forlorn. They walked calmly down the steps, approaching Zane as they reached the bottom. Zane looked up to Wu with an almost pleading look, like he was hoping for the entire situation to be a dream, or just a really cruel joke. Wu put a hand in front of Nya, stopping her. He took another step forward and knelt down directly in front of Zane, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "And he's not coming back." The ninja each watched, heart-broken, as Zane finally broke and let a sob escape his mouth. A single tear fell with the sob, and Zane tried to wipe it away with the back of his hand. As the one was wiped away, two more slid down his cheeks and another muffled sob escaped his mouth. He tried, for a moment, to stop the sounds, and used both his hands to wipe away tears and cover his mouth. But the harder he tried to conceal himself, the harder he cried, until he got to the point of being unable to do anything but sob openly. The usually calm, level-headed, composed-in-any-situation Zane became child like. It didn't matter that he was an android. He had interests, hobbies, likes, dislikes, morals, emotions. Emotions which, like any regular person's, could be aggravated, encouraged, or hurt. And no matter what he was made of, he was just as human as the other ninja. After Zane had had a good cry, surrounded by the ninja and his Sensei, he had actually fallen asleep. When he'd started crying, he was immediately surrounded and hugged by everyone in the room, each offering physical and emotional support as he allowed himself to depend fully on them. It had been perhaps an hour and a half before he calmed down enough to compose himself, at which point he had exhausted himself in more ways than one. His sobs died away and his tense body relaxed in his spot, where he fell limp into the arms of Wu. Before they left, Zane was laid on an old couch at the side of the room and the ninja decided to tidy up the old treehouse one more time as a sort of respect to both Dr. Julien and Zane. The wooden chair was repaired, the broken glass cleaned up, light bulb replaced, tools and papers organized, and the entirety of the home dusted. It took them almost two hours, but the old home was left immaculate, with nothing but a few unfinished designs and written notes left on the old desk, never to be finished. Even by that time, Zane had remained asleep, and the ninja agreed on simply carrying him home, rather than waking him. At that point, as mentioned, it had begun to get dark and no one had eaten lunch or dinner. By the time they reached the Bounty, it was late enough that no one could care less about whether or not they ate before going to bed, and so decided on simply doing the latter. Zane was taken to his bed, left in his ninja gi, where he slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Each ninja, as well as Nya and Sensei Wu, had retreated to their own beds and fallen each into a dreamless sleep. Their day of goofing around, training, and announcing fan mail to each other had ended very differently than expected, and left everyone drained of energy. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"Good morning, Zane!" A cheery voice announced itself. Zane was startled awake and sat up quickly, almost hitting his head on the upper bunk. He turned to the voice to see Kai, a large grin on his face. "Morning?" He responded, still groggy enough that it sounded more like a question than a greeting. "Are you ready to go?" Kai asked. As Zane turned to look at him again, he realized that the other ninja were there too. And Nya. And Sensei Wu. "Ready to go? Where?" Zane asked curiously. He was confused. "Oh, silly." Kai chuckled uncharacteristically. Then, in a much darker tone, "You have to leave." "But- But why? Was I supposed to retrieve something last night that I forgot about?" Zane sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "No. You just have to leave." Kai folded his arms, his expression becoming just as serious as his tone. "Did I do something wrong?" Zane stood up, worried. Surprising him, and nearly pushing him back down to the mattress, Jay stepped forward and shoved a large bag into the Nindroid's arms. "What?" Zane asked incredulously. "He said leave." Jay growled at him. Zane's eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening in horror. He looked left, right, and behind, noticing that not one of his possessions was in sight. "W-what?" He repeated shakily. "As in go! Adios, robot!" Cole shouted harshly, shoving Zane into the ground. The ninja closed in on Zane, creating a tight circle as he picked himself up off the floor. Kai stood just in front of Zane, tall and menacing. "Get out of the Destiny's Bounty, and don't come back." He said. Zane shivered. Kai had never sounded so threatening. The red ninja's voice rumbled low, coming out more gutteral. "What did I- What did I do?" He asked, trying to grasp at the bag handed him. "Nothing. You never did anything. You're useless to us, you homeless, orphaned machine." Kai replied angrily. "M-machine? Orphaned? But I'm not- I didn't chose to-" "No, you didn't! And that's exactly it, isn't it? You didn't chose to be a robot. You didn't chose to let your father die. Or did you? You let him die. You knew you could have done something. You just didn't chose to. You can't chose to do anything, because you're a robot. You do what you're told to do." Kai said accusingly, taking a step forward. "No… I don't… I wanted to save him, but he didn't- He couldn't- I'm not just a robot… I-" "Shut up! You're made of metal and wire and programming! You're a machine! And we don't need you!" Jay shouted. Zane backed up a few steps, hugging his bag to his chest. He bumped into his bed and had to stop walking. The other ninja stepped toward him. "That's enough!" Wu said loudly, stepping between the ninja. For a moment, Zane was relieved to see them broken away from him. But he frowned upon seeing the scowl on Wu's face. "You will leave. Your creator died when you could have saved him. How do we know you won't leave helpless people to fend for themselves when they need you most? You're a mistake, Zane, and we can't risk lives on you." Zane nearly dropped his bag at how harsh Wu sounded. "I-I'm not a mistake. Dr. Julien wasn't- h-he wasn't just m-my creator, he was my family! I tried, I really, really tried! P-please! I-I won't risk lives!" Zane pleaded desperately. "No, Zane. He wasn't your family. You don't have family. You don't have family now, and you won't have family later. You never had family. Because you're just a pile of emotionless metal slapped together to look human. You never had a father, and we were never your brothers." Kai growled. "Out!" "Leave!" "Shoo!" The ninja grabbed at Zane's gi, pulling him back and forth as they tried to push him toward the door. As he was yanked through the middle of the circle and thrown to the other side, he just barely managed to keep from falling over and grabbed the doorway to steady himself. Just as he had done so, his bag was thrown at his middle, knocking him down to the ground, bag landing on his lap. Wu stepped forward from the group, looking surprisingly frightful standing above Zane. "You won't be needing this anymore." He said simply, leaning down and grabbing hold of the gold badge on Zane's gi. With one fluid motion, he ripped the piece of metal out of the fabric and left Zane stunned. That emblem defined his element, as well as his place among the team. Before Zane could even stand up, the rest of the group crowded up around him, ripping away small pieces of the once-pristine gi and kicking at him. One kick to his leg. Another to his foot. Then one to his back. That one hurt! A foot rammed into his chest, pushing him onto his back. He moved his arms over his head to protect it as various shoes began to kick and stomp unforgivingly at his chest and sides. "No!" He cried out dejectedly. "No, no, no!" He agonized. The word repeated itself as he went numb, closing his eyes tight, trying to flush the pain away. "No!" He opened his eyes again, prepared to jump up and run. Instead, his head hit something hard as he sat up. "O-ow…" He muttered. The shouting stopped, and he realized that the only thing hurting was his head. His vision finally clearing, Zane registered that… there was no one there. Everything was quiet. A warm light flooded the room. Looking around, he quickly noticed that none of the other ninja were in their beds. In addition, his belongings were all still in place. "It was… A dream." He concluded. What time was it? "Zane? Are you okay?" A worried Kai skid to a stop at the doorway. "We heard shouting." He explained. Zane creased his eyebrows, still feeling flustered. "I'm fine." He said. It was only part true. He was relieved the dream wasn't real, but that same dream had, at the same time, presented every single one of his fears to him in the most vivid way possible. "You don't look fine. It's been a long few days." Kai responded. "Just a bad dream." Zane stood up, recognizing that he had a hand up against his forehead. "Did you hurt your head or something?" Kai asked, sounding half worried, and half amused. "I hit it on the bunk. I'll be fine." Zane paused as he approached the bathroom. "What time is it?" He asked, putting his hand down. "Nearly 10:00." Kai answered. "Uh, in the morning! You didn't sleep that long." He added, chuckling. "Good to know." Zane said, smiling slightly. "Hey, are you alright? From yesterday, I mean?" Kai asked. "I don't know. It's a little bit hazy. I feel numb." Kai couldn't honestly think of anything to say in response, so instead said, "When you're ready, Cole made some waffles for breakfast. They're Eggo, by the way, so they can't be too bad…" Zane smiled. Cole had indeed gained a reputation for not being the best cook. But, seeing as how these were toaster waffles, pre-made and cooked, he probably couldn't have messed them up. As Kai left the room again, Zane walked up to their bathroom sink, looking in the mirror. He frowned. 'Homeless, orphaned machine!' The phrase from his dream echoed in his head. He flinched as it repeated itself. He knew he wasn't a machine. But homeless? Orphaned? Technically, he was orphaned. Before he first remembered his father, he had been sure he was orphaned his whole life. It was lonely, and sometimes he wondered about it, but… He'd learned to accept it. Especially as he met the other ninja, and Sensei Wu. So why did it hurt so much more now? To know that he was orphaned? He had no siblings. He'd never had a mother. Had he? He wished he could have asked his father, but now… A single tear slid down his face. He'd never have that chance. His father was gone. His only family. The only family that he'd ever had… 'No, Zane. He wasn't your family. You don't have family. You don't have family now, and you won't have family later. You never had family.' Why wouldn't it just leave him be?! This stupid dream! Wasn't it enough to know his father had died? To see the treehouse in a wreck? To find that half-written letter and know that Zane was the last thing Dr. Julien had been thinking of? Wasn't it enough?! Now this dream, now all these horrible things he'd heard in the voices of his best friends? And they wouldn't leave him alone! He looked into the mirror. He looked terrible. His eyes were dull, with bags underneath them. He had tear streaks on his face and his hair was dishevelled. He still wore his ninja gi, instead of his characteristic striped pajamas. He must have fallen asleep some time the day before. "Perhaps some breakfast would do well." He muttered to himself. He turned toward the door decisively, making his way toward the kitchen. He walked slowly in the halls, looking at pictures hung on the wall. Pictures of their whole group, or family pictures the ninja had brought with them. After all, they were all technically still just kids. Even in their late teens. Having things with them, ways to remember home, ways to remember their family. Except Zane, of course. Nya and Kai had a bit of trouble with that one, too. Neither of them could remember their parents very well, much less what might have happened to them. They still had each other, but they still had only a very few pictures from their childhood regardless. Zane had the one that he found in the treehouse that first day. He found it a bit strange now that he hadn't taken any more with Dr. Julien since freeing the aged tinkerer.
It had been nearly a week since Dr. Julien's death. Zane had felt both grieved and numb at the same time. He didn't know what to do with himself. After two days, the funeral was held. Everyone occupying Destiny's Bounty had gone, as well as their families. Even Zane's falcon had shown up, which had been bittersweet for Zane. The falcon had been flying about Ninjago for a time, and Zand had almost entirely forgotten about him. The small robotic creature had a soft spot in Zane's heart, and had only grown more precious as Zane said his goodbyes. The day after that was the public memorial. Zane had chosen not to attend. He would watch from their television set, but wouldn't go. It was endearing to see groups of people crowd around the City hall in honor of Dr. Julien, many sharing how much they respected the old man, both because of his contributions to science and justice, and because of how much he had meant to Zane. Two days after that, Zane had finally cleared himself enough to read Dr. Julien's will. As most had expected, he had been left with rights to the treehouse, as well as to the work inside it. He could either sell or keep the inventions within. Zane, without question, had decided upon the latter. He had also been left a small, saved-up fund of near $1,000, which originally would have gone to a very expensive piece of machinery that Dr. Julien had wanted to tinker with. As Zane had been surprised to discover, however, there was more than one piece of paper for the will. He'd read through the first and, at the very end of the page, saw that the second piece was meant for Wu, and that Zane was not to read it unless Wu decided otherwise. Other things had been left for the ninja, such as little trinkets that Dr. Julien had made. He'd left portions of Juggernaut, who guarded the treehouse before Zane discovered it, and several blueprints for inventions he never got to put together, which he thought the ninja would enjoy putting together. In the end, though, aside from the death itself, what bugged Zane the most was that there was something his father didn't trust to tell him. Wu had some extra piece of information and, despite Zane's pleas, had not been willing to tell Zane what was scribed on the aged piece of paper. Zane had eventually given up on asking, however. It was consoling to see what kinds of things his father had built and designed, and he enjoyed spending time in the old treehouse following his father's death. At least, as much as he could with all that in mind. He couldn't think of anything that Wu's piece of the will could hold, and Wu seemed unmovable in telling Zane, so he instead distracted himself with other things. He would re-read old letters from Dr. Julien, bond with his falcon, or study his own old blueprints and their notes. He'd discovered a few very fascinating things, functions he didn't understand, parts he didn't know he had. For example, he apparently had a sensitivity dial hidden closer to the front of his lower left abdomen. There were old journals explaining things like this, and he'd learned that Dr. Julien hadn't only built him for a companion and guardian. True, Dr. Julien had missed having a family, and was lonely with his trinkets and machines, so built Zane. In addition, the Birchwood forest could be very dangerous at times, so he needed a protection of sorts. But there were other things, too. Dr. Julien had come to decide that when he built Zane, he wanted to make him as human as possible. It had actually taken him a very long time to develop a proper method to create artificial intelligence, artificial emotion, and, for that matter, artificial pain. It was explained in the journal that Dr. Julien had wanted to experiment with this area a bit, wanting to see how well pain could be tolerated, thus why Zane had a sensitivity dial. There were 10 different levels, going from least to most sensitive. Level one was supposed to be average sensitivity, and each level's number following was the number of times more sensitive Zane would become when they were set. As it turned out though, Dr. Julien had grown to love and care for Zane much more than he had planned for, and couldn't bring himself to continue with this experiment of sorts. It would, however, explain some of Zane's earliest memories, in which things such as scraped knees and little cuts hurt immensely, and tickle fights were to the point of practically disabling him. (Though a little more reading proved that Dr. Julien had made him a bit extra ticklish anyway, just for the fun of it.) Discovering these sorts of things, and reading this old journal, had been comforting to Zane. There were even notes directed to him throughout the old book which he hadn't been shown before. Fond memories, traits Zane had gained, encouraging and loving sayings. Reading them made it seem almost like Dr. Julien hadn't passed at all, and made not knowing Wu's part of the will just a little more bearable. To go even further, the other ninja had been very supportive and delicate throughout the whole thing, always being extra sure to ask him how he was, that he got enough to eat, was resting properly. And as Zane began to recover, he also began to open up again, growing more eager each day to tell them the things he'd learned while he was at his father's treehouse. They'd even joked to repeat some of Dr. Julien's experiments, to which Zane shuddered. They would laugh and hug it out, becoming more light-hearted as Zane began to accept Dr. Julien's death. But, even when things seemed to be going back to normal, Zane remained dissatisfied. Just knowing that he was technically orphaned now, that the father he had grown to know and grow close to was gone... Yes, he'd begun to accept the death, but he had no living relations. His falcon was the closest he would ever get again. And while he called the other ninja his brothers, it just wasn't the same. It wasn't helping that Wu wouldn't tell him that last piece of the will, either. He felt unfulfilled, and it still hurt. Eventually, his visits to the treehouse became less frequent. He'd finished the journal, also bringing it back home, and had gone over just about every piece of machinery and blueprint in the old workshop. Now, he'd begun to run out of things to do. After the defeat of the Overlord, Lloyd became known as the Golden Ninja, and had gained nationwide fame. He was constantly going to shows, giving speeches, accepting rewards, performing demonstrations, or working with his father. He was virtually never home. On the plus side, there was also no danger for him to deal with, unless you counted fangirls. (Honestly, girls, we really are pretty scary, huh?) On the downside, it meant there was nothing to do. Ninjago city was safe and in the process of not only being rebuilt, but being majorly upgraded as well. The ninja watched as it became the picture of what they all imagined being the future. There were clean sources of fuel, automated history machines and guides, robotic workers for everything, hovering vehicles, magnetically charged street signs and stop lights. One of the most notable things was the one, massive, efficient power source, shared by absolutely everything electronic in Ninjago City. This combined with the fact that this fabled Overlord, the biggest, most powerful, most catastrophic villain Ninjago had ever seen being utterly defeated, made Ninjago the exact opposite of a target. All the bad guys had settled down. While this was very good news for Ninjago, making it safe and reliable for all its inhabitants, it meant the Ninja had absolutely nothing to do. They were unneeded in just about every way, though still praised loved by all the citizens. This is what led them to being teachers in Wu's new school. Followed by, of course, the fateful arrival of that life-shattering letter from the City Council. As a result, Zane now spent most of his time training. He didn't know what else to do with himself. It was always either working as a teacher, or training as a useless ninja. He'd done everything that could really have been done after Dr. Julien's death, and aside from cooking and training, he didn't really have any hobbies. There was always water meditation, but as the season began to grow cold, he found it harder to do so. Not that he couldn't, of course. He'd grown very skilled with working in cold water, but it was, indeed, more difficult, and most certainly not as safe for his health. (Even though Zane's a Nindroid and his element is Ice, I still like to think that he has his own body heat and has to maintain a proper temperature…) And so he trained harder. He'd virtually mastered every move he knew of, and continued to learn new ones, as well as make up his own. He became stronger, faster, and more focused. It was all well and good, but with no danger and no need for ninja, it didn't do him too much. Either way, this is what he did. He'd worked into a routine of wake up, eat, teach, train, eat, reminisce, sleep, and repeat. Weekends were a little different, of course, where he wouldn't have to teach, and he would spend that extra time either training even more or re-reading Dr. Julien's old journal. It was only a matter of time before he had the book memorized, or hurt himself through over-exertion in training. On one of these over-exerting weekends, he did just that. Naturally. "And just how did you sprain your ankle, again?" Nya repeated, still skeptical. "The target board on the post was loose when I attempted to kick it. Resultantly, I had not rebounded as expected and I rolled my ankle upon landing on my feet." Zane explained. Nya shook her head. "Only you could manage to do something like that, Zane." She said, a hint of humor in her voice. Zane smiled gently. "I suppose so." "Hold still, please. It's kinda hard to twist wires back into place if you won't stop moving." "My apologies." Zane replied sheepishly, willing himself to keep still. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" Nya looking up at him from the ground, where she was working on his ankle. "It's not comfortable, but I'll live." He said from his spot on the couch. "Okay. Just let me know if I'm being too rough. I'm not exactly a robot, but I can't imagine that twisting wires inside one's leg would be comfortable. Especially not with the complex nerve system Dr. Julien created for you." At the mention of his father, Zane's shoulders slumped slightly and his expression fell. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I can forget how much of a delicate subject that still is." Nya apologized. She sounded guilty. Truth was, most of the nina had forgotten. It had been a good month since they'd found out. "It's okay. I still miss him, but it is what it is. You cause no offense." Zane smiled reassuringly. Nya did the same. After a moment of silence, she exclaimed, "There! No more broken wires! Now we just need to patch up the skin and keep you off that ankle for a few days. That's gotta be a plus to being a Nindroid. Healing doesn't take as long with minor injuries!" Nya chuckled lightheartedly. "Minor ones, true. Thank you, Nya." Zane said respectfully. "No problem. Just try not to make it anything more than minor next time. Actually, I'd be pretty pleased if you just didn't hurt yourself at all, next time!" She laughed. Zane chuckled. "I'll do my best." He said with a grin. "And I wouldn't expect any less!" She added enthusiastically. As she began to patch Zane's ankle back together, a roll of bandages on the floor and at the ready, her expression became more serious. "Hey, Zane? If you ever, you know, need someone to talk to, you're welcome to come to me. I know it's not the same, but both my parents went missing when I was pretty little. To be honest, I don't think I was quite so close to either of them as you were to your father, but both Kai and I know what it's like to lost a parent." Zane wasn't sure what to say. It was so kind of her, and it was actually starting to make him somewhat… emotional. This kind of reaction from him wasn't usually easily evoked, and he wasn't certain how to express such feelings. It was a little uncharacteristic. "I… Thank you, Nya. I appreciate it and will keep that in mind." He said with genuity. Nya smiled warmly. A few more minutes of silence passed, and Nya had managed to get the bandage wrapped securely around Zane's ankle, studying her work as she finished. "Should be all ready to go! Just, not too fast. Or harsh. Actually, try not to walk on it tons. And maybe don't train till it's better!" She said, a pause between each sentence. Nya could really be a bit of a mother hen, sometimes. "Don't worry, Nya! I will be cautious." Zane assured. As he stood up, thanking her yet again, he decided it would be best to simply rest for the day. With that in mind, he turned for the largest room in the Destiny's Bounty, filled with video games, books, movies, snacks, and, what was now occupying his thoughts, his falcon and his father's journal. As he exited the room, he focused on his feet, watching to be sure he didn't step on his foot wrong and aggravate his sprain. He kept one hand on the wall, leaning on it heavily. But, seeing as how he wasn't looking where he was going, he pretty immediately bumped into someone already in the hallways. Looking up and uttering an apology without even thinking about it, he met the eyes of Sensei Wu, to which he began to apologize more excessively. "Forgive me, I wasn't looking where I was going. I was just going to the- to find the other ninja, I wasn't paying any attention, Sensei. I didn't mean to-" "Slow down, Zane. One apology is plenty. What have you done to your foot?" Wu asked, noticing the bandage. "I sprained my ankle whilst training." Zane said simply. "I see. Well, that's no good. I suggest you rest up, then." "Yes, Sensei." Zane replied. He clasped both hands in a respectful gesture and bowed, but stumbled on his ankle as he stood without his arm against the wall to support him. Before he could trip or fall, Wu grabbed onto his upper arm with both hands, pulling him straight so he could put his hand back against the wall. "Be careful, my student." Wu smiled sympathetically, and Zane sheepishly. "Thank you." Zane said with a chuckle. As he began his slow walk down the hallway, testing his balance without the extra support, Wu decided to walk beside him. "How are you persisting today?" He asked. "I am doing better. I miss my father, but I am… Okay." Zane answered. "Very good." Wu said delightedly. Zane looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't speak. "What is troubling you?" Wu asked, noting this. "There would be no point in asking you; you have already denied my request persistently." "Ah. The last piece of Dr. Julien's will, I presume. You will have to forgive me. For now, at least, all I can tell you is that I have promised to keep this piece of information undisclosed to you until the time is time will become ripe, but not now. And I do intend on keeping my word." Wu explained. "It is the most honorable thing to do. I just wish my father had trusted me enough to tell me himself. Not that it would matter now. It is impossible to ask him myself, considering that he is no longer here. Considering, that I don't… That I don't have a father, anymore." Zane said, turning his head away almost shamefully. "Nonsense, Zane. Perhaps Dr. Julien has passed on, but that does not mean you no longer have a father. He will always remain so as long as we remember him. Dr. Julien will always be your father. And you still have the Ninja. They are your brothers. Nya, your sister. And I will always be your mentor. We are your family." Wu said, putting a hand on Zane's shoulders. He'd adjusted enough to his ankle now that he no longer leaned on the wall. "But it's not the same thing. I care for each of you as such, and would call you family, but…" He trailed off. "But none of us is a direct relation. Not by blood, nor law, nor, in your case, creation. We are all surrogates. Dr. Julien was your father. He was your family." Zane nodded sadly. As they reached the end of the hall, he pushed open the door to the room he'd been seeking, and smiled slightly at Wu. "Yes. And now that I do not have Dr. Julien, I feel as though I do not have family." He said with finality. Before Wu could really respond, Zane turned around and walked into the room, not bothering to close or open farther the door. He sat down on a couch, and sighed, hunching his shoulders. It wasn't often he confided something like that in anyone, much less his Sensei. He'd grown to trust Wu, though. He trusted him differently than he trusted anyone else, and didn't feel quite so uncomfortable as he would with the other ninja. Still though, he felt it was more than enough to confess to someone in a day. As he pulled out his father's journal once more, calling his falcon via wireless connection at the same time, Zane settled into the couch as comfortably as he could. Wu watched him, concern bubbling in his mind. He hadn't wanted to aggravate Zane, but he now held a very important bit of information. Like he had said, he intended on keeping his word. He was going to see Dr. Julien's plan through, and what Zane had just admitted had taken it a step closer to its end. The time was nearly ripe.