"Hey Zane, what's up?" Jay greeted cheerfully, walking into the entertainment room. Zane had only been there an hour or so since he'd been talking to Sensei Wu.
"I'm just reading." He said dismissively, eyes never leaving the journal in his hands. His falcon sat comfortably on the back of the couch, perched so he could look over Zane's shoulder.
"Whatcha do to your ankle?" Jay asked, not liking the quiet.
"I sprained it while I was training."
"Bummer. Find anything new in there?" Jay sat on the couch beside Zane and craned his head slightly.
"I don't think I did. Though I suppose there could be hidden meanings, and there are plenty of things I have yet to tell you." Zane answered thoughtfully. He looked up a little, resting the book on his lap.
"Really?" Jay sat up eagerly and attentively. Zane chuckled a little at his enthusiasm.
"In one of my father's entries, it mentioned that I had another experimental function similar to the sensitivity dial I told you about. It was more of a lever though, if I recall correctly. The difference for this one was that the sensitivity affected me emotionally, and not physically." He explained.
"Fascinating! Did he ever use it?"
"Quite often. It was predominantly during the time in which he also tested with my physical sensitivity, but he didn't shut it off immediately as he did the other, because he knew it wouldn't have the same kind of effect."
"Makes sense. There are plenty of emotional pains, as I'm sure you've come to know, but I think the majority of us are most affected by sadness and happiness. As long as their for the right reasons, they're pretty quick to overcome." Jay speculated. He'd moved so he was cross-legged on the couch, leaning forward and with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. As he spoke, though, he sat up a little more, and used his arms for exaggeration.
"Exactly. It did begin to get fairly irritating, though. Especially when he was using both sensitivity functions at once. Whenever I hurt myself, not only would it be unnecessarily painful, but it also became an over-the-top emotional situation. Though a bit embarrassing, I must admit that I did tend to cry a lot when the function was activated, which only made my irritation grow." Zane rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Ha ha! Man, I guess I can see that. Dr. Julien must have had his hands full."
The two went silent for a moment, both thinking distractedly. Zane was remembering what it was way back when, as he'd made a habit of, but Jay looked like he wanted to say something.
"Hey, Zane?" He asked after a moment. Zane looked at him, curiosity and comprehension showing in his expression.
"What was it like before you found out about Dr. Julien? When you couldn't remember him?" Jay asked slowly He seemed uncertain, like he was afraid he was pushing boundaries.
"Before I could remember? I… Don't know." Zane paused for a moment, putting a hand on his chin as he thought.
"I almost don't remember what it felt like. I can't remember all the way back to right after my switch was flipped. It was like… Like having amnesia, I suppose. Which makes sense, considering I had technically had my memories made inaccessible. I figured I must have had something happen to me when I was little. I thought that, maybe, I just couldn't remember being a child. And I assumed my parents had died, or gone missing, or that they couldn't keep me as a child and so gave me away or left me to fend for myself. I couldn't remember being under the care of anyone, ever, except for myself. I would roam from one village to another, and I always had the urge to take care of anyone who couldn't do so for themselves."
A memory flashed in Zane's mind, something he'd heard from his father multiple times.
'You were made to protect those who cannot protect themselves.'
Zane sighed a little. Before Jay could tell him that it was okay and that he didn't have to keep going, he continued.
"I remember that when I was in the water, especially cold water, I felt both at peace and at war with myself. The outside world would be blurred, both visually and audibly. It always felt like I was on the verge of remembering something important, but I never could quite remember. I was drawn to the idea that I would be able to remember my childhood and my family if I could be at peace long enough in the water. If I could overcome the conflict in my mind. I was convinced that if I could just meditate long enough in a place that no one could disturb me, I would remember and I would feel settled. All I wanted to know was where I came from. It was oftentimes lonely, and I would feel abandoned and unloved. I wasn't disliked by those I met, but I wasn't necessarily liked either. People would get excited when I was prepared to attempt breaking a water meditation record, but would leave, unenthusiastically, when I finished, whether or not I'd been successful. And the more I tried to remember, the longer it took me to expand my meditation time and to overcome conflict with peace, the harder it got. The longer I had to wait, and the more I focused on this idea that water meditation would solve my problems, the more anxious I became to try and remember.
"I did eventually give up, though. When I could never break that point of almost remembering, I began to think it useless. So I simply focused on breaking my own record time and time again. I focused more on the meditation than anything. There was a day that I'd been in meditation, and wondering to myself what I was really meant to do. If I couldn't even remember where I'd come from, what was the point? I was questioning myself. But it was that day that I met Sensei Wu. He quite surprised me when I opened my eyes and took note of the fact that there had been another person sitting beside me. My first thought was that he looked at peace with himself, as I had been trying to be. He sat calmly. He didn't even look like he was trying. It fascinated me. What had me startled was when he poured his tea, which, no matter how I try to extend my logic parameters, makes no sense. And then he proceeded to drink out of the cup, which only served to confuse me further. It was that day I met you and Cole. Soon following, we met Kai, and then, of course, Nya. I suppose you should know the rest of story as well as I do."
As Zane finished his reminiscent background story, he turned his head back to his book. He didn't read it, but simply stared at it, still in thought. It was such a strange time, to have learned to accept that he didn't have a blood family, and that he'd taken the ninja as a surrogate family instead.
Jay had shifted onto his stomach, legs bent and resting on the armrest of the couch, whilst his head sat in his hands. He'd been listening to Zane intently, breathing in every word. He hadn't gotten around to what he really wanted to tell Zane though.
"Why do you ask?" Zane said suddenly, in response to the question he was answering. Jay stifled a laugh, Zane giving him a funny look. It was quite a long-winded answer, but Zane still seemed to remember why he'd been explaining his past and even kept in mind to ask why.
As Jay gathered himself, he said, "I was wondering about it. I just… I've had a family my whole life. Every second of memory was from a time when I had parens. Even now. They've been supportive and kind and loving… I never had to wonder where my next meal was coming from, or whether or not I'd be able to have decent clothing, or whether we could afford to have clean drinking water pumped to our house. Or even if I would have a house to live in. We weren't exactly rich, but I always had enough. Earlier today, though, it occurred to me that… That there was a time you never knew. I don't know if it was that hard for you, but before you found out about your father, you said to us that you'd been an orphan your entire life. It finally dawned on me that you'd been without parents nearly your whole life, and I don't really think you'd accepted any of us as family until a good few months had passed. I just wanted to know what it was like, just a little bit, to not grow up the way I did."
Zane looked at him uncertainly before saying, "I share your… curiosity. I never thought about how you'd grown up so differently than I."
Jay smiled warmly.
"Aww, you guys!" An extra voice exclaimed. Zane and Jay both turned, utterly startled, to see Kai, Cole, and Lloyd sitting at the door, similar expressions of admiration and attentiveness to Jay's. Had they been there the whole time?
"WHAT?! Have you guys been eavesdropping this whole TIME?!" Jay leapt up from his spot, throwing his arms into the air exasperatedly.
"You guys are so. RUDE!" He blurted out.
"H-how much did you hear?" Zane asked quietly. It wasn't that he didn't like the others hearing, he just preferred to know when there was more than one in his audience. Jay asked him specifically, so he poured out his gushy story on him, and everyone was listening?
"All the way back to 'What was it like before you found out about Dr. Julien?'" Kai said, imitating Jay's voice.
"I don't sound like that!" Jay complained.
"Oh, shut up, you totally do." Cole said. The three eavesdroppers stood up and walked in, not giving Jay, who huffed and folded his arms, a chance to argue.
"Did you really grow up like that?" Kai asked.
"Yeah. It's not as bad as it could have been, though." Zane answered nonchalantly.
"Naw, maybe not, but I never knew you thought about that sort of thing so often. I always saw you as calm and collected." Cole commented.
"I suppose I'm fairly skilled in making myself appear so." Zane mused. The group chuckled.
From the doorway, Wu stood watching. The group continued to chatter on, and he smiled contentedly. He would continue to hold a fondness for every one of the adolescents stood in the room before him. And he was glad to see Zane getting better.
By now, it was only a matter of days before he would be ready.
"Eavesdropping, are we?" A voice near him spoke. Wu turned around.
"Misako." He greeted.
"Don't worry; me too." She chuckled lightly.
"I am pleased to see their admiration for each other grow, especially as Zane continues to get better."
"I would have to agree. Have you told Zane about your piece of the will, yet?" She asked. Wu sighed, sounding almost disappointed.
"No, not yet. Very soon, though." He answered, turning around and away from the door. Misako followed.
"You sound worried." She pointed out.
"I am. Dr. Julien wanted me to go through with this, but I cannot determine whether Zane will react positively or not." He replied, stroking his beard as he thought.
"Maybe not, but if his father believes it is best for him, the only thing you can do is carry out this plan and see what happens." Misako said, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course. Thank you, Misako." Wu smiled gratefully.
"Anytime, Wu. Zane means just as much to me as he does to any of the others. And even the wise, old Master Wu needs encouragement from time to time." She smiled in return. Wu simply nodded his agreement.
As another week passed, Zane and the other ninja had each had their chance to bond with the other, bringing them all closer as a whole. And Zane himself was finally becoming able to cope with the loss of his father.
At one point, Nya and Kai had spent some time with him, showing him how they coped with growing up without parents, and still managed to run a blacksmith shop. Being that there were two of them, Kai, the elder, took role of parent and watched after Nya from the moment he realized that they were alone.
"We were just playing one day, while our parents were working. I don't know what happened, but at one point, they were just… gone." Kai explained.
Nya had never thought of him as a parent, but most certainly an older brother. She'd gained the mindset that older brothers just came that way. Kai spent every day pouring over his father's books and designs, teaching himself, and, eventually, Nya, how to blacksmith. Growing up, they'd burnt themselves plenty, as you can imagine, but did actually figure out how to create tools and weapons. When they were still little, the town's people took pity on them and were pretty constant in making sure they had food and clothing to keep them going. As they got to be old enough to create and repair tools, selling them for decent prices even, Kai took charge of budgeting and became the one making sure they always had enough. It hadn't even really occurred to Nya for the longest time that she might not have a home or food to eat if it weren't for her brother.
Kai had even taken it upon himself to do all the little in betweens, kissing scrapes better, tucking his sister in for bedtime, buying her toys from time to time. For Nya, who didn't know her parents very well at all, she hadn't missed too much of what it was to have a parent. Kai, however, had. The difference was that his parents had left a fully functioning shop which he learned to utilize, placed in the middle of the friendliest villages in the whole of Ninjago. He'd learned to make a spot for he and his sister growing up without parents, but Zane hadn't.
Then Jay, of course, had already related his story to him. He'd always had both his parents. He'd always had one home. He'd always had everything that he truly needed in life, and it was always enough for him. It made him humble. The only thing he ever wondered about, except for the cool toys they couldn't afford when he was little, was what it was like not to have that kind of comfort, which he learned from Zane.
Cole, though, had almost an entirely different story. It was similar, in many ways, but almost the exact opposite, too.
Thing was, when Cole was little, his mother had passed away, rather than his father. He grew up somewhere in between. They had a nice home and more than enough food for their little family of two. His father, a different kind of "Blacksmith," had made a name for himself. He and the rest of his group, the Royal Blacksmiths, constantly had shows they performed at. So, despite the attention from his father, and the wealthy amount of schooling and good living conditions, Cole was often left home alone.
His father was rather a good guy, but didn't really know how to be the same kind of affectionate parent that most had. Firm, back-breaking hugs were about as close as he got. He was a right-jolly guy, too, and payed for any kind of classes Cole wanted to take, dance being the only one he enforced. Cole'd grown up more rugged because he never had the same kind of comfort from his father. "Goodnight"s were rather brief and meals were lonesome. It was a bit of a strange relationship he had with his father, but not necessarily a bad one.
In the way that they were similar, both Cole and Zane had never known their mothers, Zane still unsure as to whether he ever even had one. What made it different was how Zane had thought he'd grown up alone. When he'd first been activated, his father was encouraging and kind and affectionate. When his memory had been flipped he'd thought he was alone, simply roaming from one place to the next, as he'd explained to Jay. It wasn't quite the same, but Zane was glad to know that Cole understood what it was like to have a father, but feel alone at the same time.
It took him long enough, but at this point, Zane had nearly forgotten about the piece of the will that Wu had. And he'd finally learned not to care anymore. If his father had something he didn't want Zane to know, he had to respect that.
Little did he know, that was exactly what Wu was waiting for. Rather, that was what Dr. Julien was having Wu wait for. It may not have been completely necessary to wait so long, and it likely wouldn't have quite the same effect that Dr. Julien had wanted at this point, but regardless, that's what was going to happen.
Wu himself had actually been unsure of this plan, but Dr. Julien seemed to have had this planned for a long time. In fact, the both of them had had it in mind for a very long time, far before the old tinkerer's passing.
And that had to be good enough.
A few more days more passed and it had officially been two months since Dr. Julien's death. Or, at least, since the announcement of his death. If he really thought about it, Zane actually didn't know if he'd died in the same day that the announcement was made. It was an odd thought, but after this time, he'd learned to overcome the grief that came with those kinds of occurrences.
These were the kinds of thoughts that passed his mind as he awoke one morning, thankfully a weekend. As life went on, he had to continue being a teacher in Wu's school, though the world of crime seemed to take pity on him, as being a teacher was the only other responsibility expected of him up until he could start functioning more clearly again.
"Morning, Zane!" Kai greeted cheerfully, peeking his head over the edge of the top bunk. Zane almost flinched, remembering his dream.
But this isn't a dream, and Kai means no harm. He reminded himself.
"Good morning, Kai." He replied after a moment. Kai chuckled and jumped down to the floor.
"How's that sprain doing?" He asked casually as he walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Standing up, Zane turned around and grabbed onto the corners of his bedsheets to straighten them out.
"It has almost no effect anymore. I believe it would be safe to remove the bandage later today." He answered, moving his pillow to the side as he fixed his blanket.
"That's great!" Kai exclaimed cheerfully. Zane smiled gratefully. It wasn't really a big deal, but he appreciated the notion. These little things the other ninja came up with throughout the day to check on him really helped.
After a few seconds of silence, aside from the shuffling of fabric and running of the sink, Kai suddenly cleared his throat.
"Hey, uh, Zane?" He asked, almost nervously. Zane hummed in response, indicating he was listening.
"You think you'd be up to a picnic later?" Zane almost stopped what he was doing. It wasn't all that odd of a question, and he'd gotten pretty used to the questions directed to him starting with 'think you'd be up to,' but it seemed a little bit out of the blue. And, based on Kai's skeptical tone of voice, it probably was. Something about it was just… strange. But not strange enough, nor taxing enough, to turn down.
"I suppose so. Where will we be going?" He asked curiously, as he finished with his bed.
"Erm… I don't know. You'll have to ask Sensei." Kai answered, suddenly sounding just as curious as Zane.
"Hm. Alright. Where has everyone else gone?" Zane stretched out a bit, grabbing his own toothbrush from a bag in his dresser before turning toward the bathroom as well.
"They're already up. You seemed really tired last night, so we let you sleep in a bit. Cole's in charge of breakfast today. And wouldn't you believe it, it's actually edible." Kai explained, chuckling at his own joke. Zane smiled amusedly. As he took his spot next to Kai, he paused.
"How did you know? Didn't you only just wake up?" He asked, this time it being his turn to sound skeptical.
Kai choked. The scrubbing motion of his hand as he brushed his teeth stopped abruptly and he started coughing, a look of horror written on his face.
"Erm, heh- Uh… It was… I- Heh-" He stuttered for a moment. He rinsed briefly with a cup of water before coughing and turning to look at Zane, a look of both confidence and uneasiness making itself clear in both his voice and his stance. Then, with more confidence than he obviously had, he said,
"After I ate breakfast, I came back in here to take a nap. See, when you woke up, it woke me, and I figured I best get up…"
Zane eyed him up and down, not really believing him. And now that he thought about it, Kai was even already dressed for the day. Had he been... waiting for him? And if he thought about it more, he realized that Kai didn't generally brush his teeth until after he'd eaten in the morning, quite unlike most the other ninja, Zane included.
Instead of commenting on it, he simply shrugged and went on to brush his teeth. Kai let out a quiet sigh of relief, which didn't go unnoticed. As Kai had suggested earlier, he'd have to ask Sensei Wu.
Zane walked into the dining room, dressed for the day and teeth brushed.
"Mornin', Zane!" Jay waved energetically as he closed the door behind him.
"Good morning, Jay." Zane answered, smiling broadly. He was actually feeling remarkably cheerful today.
"Oh-hoa, looks like someone's in a good mood!" Cole commented, laughing a little from his spot at the table. A stack of simple pancakes sat on a cooling tray in front of him. They smelled delicious, and, to everyone's amusement, Cole was even wearing the silly, frilly, pink apron from the kitchen. (Just imagine, fangirls…)
"I suppose I am. I'm feeling much better today." Zane replied, grin unfaltering.
"Ah, Zane, you're up!" Wu exclaimed from behind the group. Zane turned to see Wu enter the room, then nodded his head toward the elderly man in a respectful manner.
"I am glad to see you're feeling better today, if I presume correctly." Wu smiled warmly.
"You do. I'm feeling remarkably refreshed." Zane said simply, gesturing with his hands to the room around him.
"Have you eaten, yet?" Wu crossed his hands behind his back in a more thoughtful posture. His expression had become almost worried.
"No. But I was intending on doing so." Zane said. He looked oddly at Wu, unsure as to the sudden change in mood.
"Ah. Good. Very good. Please do so." Without another word, or time left for Zane to say anything about it, Wu turned around and left the room, his expression becoming even more grim. He looked like he was anticipating something, but not something good. And he didn't seem to want anyone to see his concern.
"Did something happen?" Zane asked, turning back to the table. "Is Sensei alright?" He was surprised to see similar expressions of confusion around the rest of the room. Each held not only confusion, but just a touch of guilt. It left Zane with the feeling that there was something they were hiding from him, especially when none of them could seem to come up with a proper excuse.
"Is there something I don't know?" He asked. What was it that they couldn't trust him with? He couldn't recall this happening before, except for a surprise party they'd put together for his birthday a good number of months before. And even then, he'd never felt quite so… left out about it. It hadn't happened with anyone he knew, really. Not them, not any of the minimal friends he'd made traveling from town to town, not Sensei Wu. So why did it feel so…
Familiar?
Was that the right word?
Yes. Definitely. It had happened before, but when? They were keeping something from him, and he just couldn't pin down what it was. And he couldn't figure out when exactly before he'd had something kept from him.
Why did it hurt so much?! Urg, now he was just confused! What couldn't they trust him with? It couldn't be another surprise party. They wouldn't do that two years in a row, and his birthday was still a few months off anyway. And none of their birthdays was coming up, either. Heck, even if one had, they would tell him about whatever they were planning.
Why couldn't they trust him?! Did he do something wrong?
As his thoughts started racing, he creased his eyebrows frustratedly. This was a bad kind of familiar.
And suddenly, he knew it. His mouth opened a little and his shoulders slacked, his arms falling limp at his sides.
He'd nearly forgotten by now. But it was just like when he'd discovered there was something in Dr. Julien's will that he wasn't allowed to know. He thought he'd finally gotten over that.
But it hurt so much now.
"Zane? You alright, buddy?" Kai surprised him, stepping in through the door just behind Zane. Zane jumped a little bit and blinked a few times before simply leaving the room. He'd lost his appetite.
"Zane!" Kai called after him as he walked away from the dining room and towards their shared bedroom, without even thinking about it.
There was a pretty extreme Déjà vu about all of this. And it set off all the wrong things. Even though he'd begun to heal from the loss of his father, it felt just the same, all over again. A wave of negative emotion hit him, almost physically, as he felt a near repeat of the day he read that letter.
It was the same thing…. All over again…
He'd woken up, on a weekend, in a spectacularly good mood. The positive atmosphere of a room, in which he sat with all his friends, became something else entirely as he realized something that hurt him and he was so unaware of how he was supposed to react to it that he didn't. He couldn't talk, so he walked out and went to the first place that popped into his head.
The first time it happened, he ran, sprinted, all the way to the treehouse in the Birchwood forest. This time, he was aiming for his room. But he didn't make it quite that far.
"Zane, hold up!" Kai called, he and the other ninja running out to help. Zane had stopped himself right at the edge of the deck. Simply stood there, staring down at the ground, covered in melting snow and ice. He was gripping the deck hard enough that his knuckles had gone white.
"Are you alright?" Kai placed a hand on Zane's shoulder, squeezing it gently in an attempt to get his attention. When Zane didn't say anything, eyes darting back and forth as he mumbled something to himself, Kai grabbed onto his other shoulder and pulled him around to face his direction.
"What?" Zane asked confusedly, eyes widening. Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't do that!" He cried out, leaning forward somewhat.
"I'm sorry." Zane said. He felt… small. Was that even a thing?
"We were worried! Are you alright?" Kai all but demanded. The others crowded around him with similar expressions of concern.
"I-" Zane started. He couldn't think of anything to say.
"Here, let's just get you some breakfast." Kai stood up straight and gestured back to the dining room. Lloyd moved to Zane's other side and each put one of their hands on the Nindroid's back, pushing him gently forwaryd. Zane didn't say anything, but simply walked with them, unsure of how he felt at all anymore.
"I'm not hungry. I need to talk to Sensei." He said monotonously, struggling to turn around. Jay jumped in where he was trying to turn and blocked the way. As Zane turned to go the other direction, he realized Cole had done the same thing. He was blocked in, on a path straight to the dining room.
"Uh, sorry, Zane! Sensei said you had to eat breakfast before anything else this morning!" Jay said, doing his best to sound upbeat. Why was it so important that he eat? They hadn't done something to his food, had they?
"I promise it's not poisoned!" Cole added with a nervous chuckle, as if he could read Zane's thoughts. Sighing, Zane trudged along, not quite sure what to think of the situation.
"Don't worry, Zane. They're just worried because you were up so late last night. Wu had actually wanted to talk to you about something today, but he suggested you rest and eat first. I think they're just being a bit overprotective after everything that's happened." Nya explained sympathetically. Zane relaxed at this, his head clearing a bit. Though he still felt a little bit on edge, he walked more willingly, breathing out as though he'd been holding his breath. Each body around him relaxed visibly, though Zane hadn't noticed.
They managed to get Zane to the dining room, and he ended up eating enough pancakes to last him a week.
Following breakfast, they absolutely insisted on him playing video games with them, something they hadn't done together in a couple of weeks. After that, they had him re-go over his father's journal, each listening to him re-read it contentedly. Then they dragged him into the kitchen to help make sandwiches for the picnic Kai had mentioned that morning.
It seemed so strange, at first, that they wanted him to do all these things. Most the time, they were off doing their own things. Training, playing video games, reading comic books, just whatever it was they liked doing. On occasion, they would do things two or three people together, and they were constantly passing each other and doing daily training sessions altogether besides, but to do so many things together in one day was… strange. Even if he'd had a rough morning, Zane had recovered enough that he didn't think they would put so much effort into making sure he had proper company.
By the time they were ready for the picnic, however, he'd forgotten about how strange it seemed. Honestly, he'd begun to enjoy the day. He was still a little jittery from that morning, but he enjoyed his time with his brothers. Uh, and sister.
Thing was, that was the point. It wasn't that the ninja didn't like spending time with Zane, even altogether like this, but these different activities were very much on purpose. They were planned, and Zane was well fed and relaxed for a reason.
The picnic, as you may or may not have guessed, also had a very definite purpose. And as well as the day had been going so far, Zane was in for a surprise. Not necessarily bad, but not good, either.
"Hurry up, Zane!"
"Yeah, don't want to keep Sensei waiting!"
Zane chuckled at the antics of his brothers. Jay had grabbed onto Zane's arm, much like a child, and gently pulled him along, a goofy smile adorning his face. Kai had grabbed onto their picnic basket, which really just looked like a stereotyped basket you would see in the movies, and carried it along as the ninja stumbled over each other in an energetic race for end of the path.
As spring began settling in, green grass and bright pink cherry blossoms surrounded the dirt trail which the ninja and their Sensei travelled on. It was a few miles long, starting at the far edge of the park in the outskirts of Ninjago city, leading to a small meadow-like area in which the group had planned to picnic.
"Settled, guys! It's just a picnic. I don't think we're really in all that much of a rush." Nya commented, though hiding a giggle herself.
"Eh, whatever. We're taking a day off, who says we can't be a little crazy?" Cole said from beside Nya. He wasn't quite so energetic as the other ninja, instead choosing to walk beside Nya, Wu, and Zane, but was enjoying the overall goofiness of the situation regardless.
It was a bit like when they'd first met as a group, Zane decided. Maybe not the first time, but when they were walking side by side, telling each others' stories on how they'd met Sensei Wu and become ninja. They were messing around plenty, but still took their work seriously.
"Where has your mind wandered to, Zane?" Wu asked suddenly. It sounded like an odd question until you considered the fact that Zane had completed dazed off. He had been feeling kind of tired.
"I was just thinking." He answered.
"What about?" Jay asked, turning on his heal and slowing down so he could walk beside Zane.
"About when we met and how we used to bond when we didn't know each other well." Zane replied honestly. He smiled, remembering all over again what it felt like to meet and bond with his brothers.
"Oh! I remember! Like, when we were still looking for the golden weapons?" Jay asked enthusiastically. Zane chuckled.
"The very same." He said.
"Ha! Yes! Hey, remember all the different ways we met Sensei?" Jay continued.
"How could we forget?" Kai almost rolled his eyes, slowing down to walk with the rest of the group.
"I'll still never be able to figure out how he did what he did…" Cole half-whispered, leaning forward and cupping a hand over his mouth as he did so. This time Kai did roll his eyes.
"Well, at least some of them are explicable. I mean, he was just sitting behind a billboard when he met me. And we've already learned all the things he did when he rescued and met Kai. Heck, even sitting on the edge of a cliff when he met Cole doesn't sound surprising anymore!" Jay listed.
"Yeah. When he met Nya, though, I could never figure out how he could fight using his shadow. The only logic in that is the fact that Garmaddon's physical energy had been banished to another real. The only way he could show up was in shadow form, but it still doesn't make sense." Kai remembered.
"And it doesn't need to." Wu butt in.
"Maybe not. But you know what really gets me?" Cole clasped his hands for exaggeration, the others waiting for him to continue.
"How did he manage to pour tea," He paused. "Underwater?!" The group burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of the thought. They'd given up on trying to explain that one a long time ago.
"Heh, sorry my 'how I met Sensei' story can't be as interesting as any of yours. He's my Uncle. I've known him for pretty much as long as I can remember. I'm told I first met him during a rainstorm when I was only two. My Mom was on the way from Ninjago City to her own home, which was outside the city. It got stormy enough that she had to find a place to stop, and it just happened to be my uncle's home that was closest." Lloyd explained.
"Not quite. That was our second encounter, and you were only a year old, not two." Wu said. He was walking slightly behind the group, but walked forward now to join the conversation. As he did so, the ninja watched him eagerly, wanting to hear more.
"I met you, Lloyd, on the day you were born. You most certainly shouldn't be able to remember that, and your mother likely doesn't remember either. Misako was very drowsy that day, and hardly remembers getting up that morning. I was there to support her, as was my brother."
"Huh. I never knew." Lloyd said thoughtfully.
"No, I wouldn't expect you to. It was only weeks after your birth that Garmaddon was overwhelmed by the venom running through his veins which turned him evil. But if you were to ask him, he would remember that day just as vividly as I."
"That's… kind of cool, actually." Lloyd decided.
Before anyone else could comment or bring up another story, Wu walked up and stood right beside Zane.
"Zane, may I speak with you a moment?" He asked. It sounded like a rhetorical question, but Zane nodded anyway. Wu gestured to the space ahead of the still chattering group, and the two sped up a little, out of earshot of the others.
"Is something the matter, Sensei?" Zane asked. He held a genuine curiosity in his eyes.
"No, no." Wu responded. A troubled look remained in the old Master's expression, but he continued anyway.
"I heard earlier that you wanted to speak with me?" He asked, sounding uncertain.
"Ah- Yes, I did." Zane said, quietly. Wu turned to him expectantly, and Zane began to explain how odd he thought the behavior of the ninja that morning had been. They'd been so insistent on everything.
Wu, in response, explained the same thing that Nya had earlier.
"Yesterday was a very busy day. Perhaps you will recall how late we returned? You were awake latest. Your brothers have been hyper-aware of your state of wellbeing as of late because of your reaction to your father's death. I believe they were simply being overprotective."
"I… suppose. It makes sense. I still wonder, though, why are we picnicking today? Would not next Saturday have been better?" Zane responded.
"I have plans for next weekend. This Saturday was more convenient due to the fact that not one of us has outside plans." Wu explained.
"How did you know?" Zane turned his head curiously.
"Zane, when you get to be as old as I am, you tend to become far more observant of the actions of those around you." Wu said simply. Zane opened his mouth to say something back, a confused expression already on his face, but Wu stopped suddenly, folding his hands behind his back and looking up at something. Zane followed his gaze, catching sight of a massive tree a bit off to the side of the trail. It looked to be an Oak tree, and it absolutely towered over the two, its leaves and bark very healthy, rich colors. Zane looked at it, half in awe, and smiled gently.
"Here we are!" Wu declared. "Now, who has the basket?" He turned around, looking at Zane, who shook himself out of his awe, expectantly. Zane looked about himself briefly before shrugging.
"I believe Kai was the one who had it last." He said. As he turned around to call Kai, however, the red ninja was nowhere to be found. In fact, none of the ninja could be seen, Nya included.
"Where-?" Zane uttered the unfinished, unanswered, question. He began to turn back to Wu but gasped as he was tackled to the ground.
Zane struggled, wiggling between the surprisingly strong arms of Wu himself. He looked up at the old master with shocked and questioning eyes. What's happening?! Was the unspoken question.
"Forgive me, Zane." Wu said. As he pressed Zane more firmly in place, he pulled open the panel on the Nindroid's chest, which only proved to cause Zane more panic.
"Sensei- What are you- Ow!" Zane yelped when Wu reached in at the left of where his belly button would have been and grabbed onto something, pulling the item out roughly. Several wires, which were previously attached to whatever her'd pulled out, broke off and snapped back into their place in Zane's abdomen, causing him to yell out.
As Zane continued to struggle, Wu reached back at the broken wires and did his best to twist the broken ends together, knowing full well that Jay or Nya could create a more permanent fix later. One wire, two wires, three, four, five, repaired. Zane jerked painfully with each one, but as Wu got to the sixth and last one, Zane let out another shout, then froze suddenly.
As the last wire was put back after being repaired, Zane completely calmed, going limp in Wu's grasp. He stopped struggling altogether and leaned back against the ground. His face became blank and his vision going white.