Requested by: NinjaMelissa, lovestarr, Guest

Request: Zane/PIXAL

Warnings: Spoilers, character death

Zane stood at the end of the conveyor belt, his arms spread in a welcoming gesture. PIXAL merely stood staring around her in shock, until her green eyes finally rested on him, a smile slowly making its way on her face. There he was, in all his glory, her white ninja. His appearance had changed greatly. His blond hair now completely silver, he had no synthetic skin to cover the rest of his metallic body, and was now adorned in a silver gi and armour. His eyes remained a cold yet comforting icy blue, but had no hint of light grey like they used to.

His appearance may have changed, but she knew deep down that he was still Zane. He survived, and that was all that mattered to her.

"Are we...compatible now?" Zane asked, still finding his own voice unfamiliar to him. It sounded much more computerized than before, and he hoped PIXAL didn't mind it. She didn't move towards him, her lips moving as though to speak, but she made no sound.

"Zane..." she murmured. She raced down the rest of the conveyor belt, slamming into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Unlike Zane, who could cry, no tears streamed down her face, but he could hear PIXAL sobbing into his shoulder. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, PIXAL," he replied, running his fingers through her synthetic hair. "I'm alive. I know I look different, but..."

"I don't care. You're still you, and we're still compatible." She hugged him tighter. "We will always be compatible, Zane."

"I'm...glad to hear it." They stood in silence, simply enjoying each other's company after having been separated for so long. While Zane was trapped in the systems and rebuilding himself, he never stopped thinking and worrying about PIXAL, and how she was faring with his "death". Now that he was back, those thoughts disappeared, and he resolved that he would never put her through such a thing ever again.

Neither of them noticed a girl at the opposite end of the conveyor belt. "Um, excuse me?"

Zane and PIXAL turned to look at her. She appeared to be in her late teens, like the rest of the Ninja. She had bright red hair tied up in a ponytail, contrasting with her tan skin and primarily orange clothing. The pair stayed silent as she made her way towards them.

"Who are you?" PIXAL asked. "How did you get in here?"

"I just walked in, that's all. I'm looking for Mr. Borg. I couldn't find him anywhere else, so I figured he would be in here." She stretched her hand out in a polite greeting. "My name's Skylor, by the way."

Zane, feeling a bit suspicious of her, hesitantly accepted the greeting, shaking her hand. "I'm Zane. And this is PIXAL." For a split second, he thought he saw a flash of orange light between their hands, but he brushed the thought away.

"Zane, the White Ninja of Ice, correct?" she asked. When he nodded, her polite smile faded, turning into a look of sympathy. Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, "Listen, I'm really sorry about this, but..."

She shoved Zane backwards, causing him to stumble into PIXAL behind him. "Now!" Skylor called out, leaping out of the way as several men swarmed them from every side. Each one wore what looked like a skull, and their bodies were completely covered in snake tattoos.

"What is this?" Zane asked as their enemies drew closer. "How did you all get in here?!"

"Everyone is at your funeral," PIXAL explained. "The tower was left vulnerable. It would be easy for anyone to sneak in without anyone being alerted." She stood back-to-back with Zane. "But I do not think these intruders will leave unless we resort to violence." She gave him a worried glance. "Can you still fight?"

He pointed to a glowing part on his back, and she recognized it as his power source, only this time it was whole again. "Don't worry about me, PIXAL." With that, he swung his fist into the nearest enemy, kicking him in the stomach to knock him back.

"And I may not be built for combat, but that does not mean I cannot fight for myself!" She grabbed another enemy into a headlock, kneeing him in the chest before shoving him to the ground. "We have to get to the others, Zane! We must fight our way out!"

"I had the same idea!" Mirroring each other's movements and attacks, Zane and PIXAL knocked the intruders left and right and, when it seemed like the girl called Skylor would block their path, sped past and to the automatic doors.

When the doors opened, however, they were met with a man dressed in red, his thick black hair tied back in a low ponytail. Even when faced with the two androids, the corners of his mouth were curved upward into a detestable grin.

"And just who are you?" Zane hissed, a ball of ice forming in his hand as he prepared to attack. "I suggest you get out of our way, or I will have to use force."

The man merely chuckled. "Master Chen will be pleased to finally meet you, Master of Ice. I would be happy to escort you to him...but I'm afraid you will be unable to return here for quite some time."

"What do you...who's Chen? What are you talking about?" The entire situation was far too confusing for Zane; he felt his processor would go into overdrive if he didn't get an answer for his questions soon.

"Always wanting to know more... There are just too many questions you don't have answers for, aren't there?"

"Yes, now either move out of my way, or answer me: what are you doing here?"

The man shook his head, and Zane's eyes widened as he saw an odd purple glow in his hand. "You'll find out in time. But keep this in mind..." He shot a blast of purple smoke at Zane, sending the nindroid flying down the conveyor belt. "... Only one can remain."

Several of the intruders held PIXAL back as the man walked threateningly towards Zane, who was struggling to his feet. She stared in horror as he pulled out a strange device sparking with electricity at one end, pressing it to the centre of Zane's power source. She tried to block out the sound of Zane's pained scream, to block out the sight of him convulsing as he was electrocuted.

"Zane..." she whispered as his eyes slowly dimmed and shut, falling to the ground. The man turned back around to walk to PIXAL, who started to struggle ferociously against the hold of the enemies.

"So... Where are the others? The other Ninja?" he asked, the smirk on his face unfaltering.

"They are down below, at the statue," PIXAL hissed through her teeth. "When they find out what you have done here, I cannot guarantee your safety."

He nodded. "I heard they were grieving. It will be simple to bring them, then." Before PIXAL could ask what he meant, he shouldered past them, waving a hand dismissively. "She's fulfilled her purpose. Bring the nindroid...and take her apart. We'll still bring her, of course, but Master Chen would rather she was...out of commission."

She gasped, watching them carry Zane past her and out the door. She tried to reach out to him, but was held back. Skylor gave PIXAL an apologetic look before leaving as well.

One enemy gave PIXAL's left arm a forceful tug, and she felt it shift out of the socket, tearing a few of the wires. Another ripped off her chest panel, exposing the mechanisms beneath, including her half of Zane's power source. When she tried to call out to Zane again, she felt something pierce her throat. She looked down, barely seeing the tip of a green blade.

Oh, Zane... She watched helplessly as they left, the black-haired man smirking at her again. The last thing she felt before one enemy reached to take out her power source was her left arm being torn out. I'm sor-

Yep. Killed mid sentence by a Jadeblade.

This is basically just my idea of how everything went down before the beginning of season 4. Speaking of which, it starts in officially in North America soon :D

Thank you to NinjaMelissa, lovestarr, and Guest for requesting this pairing! I hope I didn't break your hearts! Stay tuned!