Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

Nya's turn. This one was hard. For some reason, I just couldn't find Nya's voice when I wrote the first draft. I hope I've managed to fix that up now, though. Also, I headcanon the characters being certain heights, and Zane is the tallest in my mind, so my writing this time around will reflect that. This one takes place shortly after Tick Tock, so be ready for feels. Lots and lots of feels.

Chapter Three: Nya

Nya wandered the Destiny's Bounty, looking for something to do. The ship was currently docked on a secluded mountain side as the ninja figured out what to do next in their search for the Fang Blades. The Bounty was in perfect working order. She had already run maintenance checks several times. She was bored, but she didn't feel like playing video games or watching television.

With a sigh, she walked out onto the deck of the ship, figuring she'd take in the scenery until inspiration struck. Once she was outside, she found she wasn't alone. Standing at the rail, falcon perched on his shoulder, was Zane. Nya didn't think he'd noticed her yet, and debated whether or not to bother him. He'd received quite a shock the other day, and she wasn't sure if he would appreciate her company at the moment.

Zane didn't notice her arrival, but his falcon did. When it swiveled its head to look at her, it drew Zane's attention as well and he turned to face her. The expression on his face shocked her. She wasn't used to seeing him in pain. Worried, hurt, or confused, perhaps, but not in pain. Finding his memories had, in a way, left him with more questions than answers, but given his unique situation, the others found it difficult to help.

Nya frowned as Zane quickly hid behind an agonizingly fake smile. "Hello, Nya," he said. "What brings you out here?"

"Hey, Zane," she replied. "Nothing much, really. Do you mind if I join you?"

She could see the emotions warring on his face even as he tried to hide them. She would understand if he said no, but it was clear that he didn't really know what he wanted.

"If you'd like," he said finally.

Zane turned back to the landscape as Nya joined him at the railing. The falcon tipped its head at her, fluttering its wings. She knew it shared a connection with Zane, and wondered if it was trying to tell her something. If it was, she wasn't getting the message.

The two stood in silence for quite a while before Nya finally spoke. "What are the others up to?"

Zane shrugged. "Last I saw, they were playing video games."

"Oh. You didn't feel like playing with them?"

"No."

Nya had never really tried to talk to Zane before, but she knew from observation that it could be difficult to get him to open up. She didn't want to come off as pushy, but she thought it might be a good idea to try to get him talking.

"Is something wrong, Zane? You seem upset."

Zane was silent for a long while. He wouldn't even look at Nya, keeping his gaze fixed on the horizon. The falcon shifted uneasily on his shoulder.

"Yes," he admitted finally. Nya waited, but he wouldn't elaborate.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

He shook his head slowly, and jumped as his falcon let out an irate sounding screech.

Nya couldn't help laughing. "I think he wants you to talk to me," she said.

Zane's brow knit in anger and confusion. "But I do not wish to."

"And that's okay. I'm not going to force you."

He studied her for a moment, the anger draining from his expression to be replaced by something else Nya couldn't quite put her finger on. Loneliness, perhaps? He turned away.

"I miss my father…" Zane said quietly.

"Oh." It wasn't at all what Nya wanted to say, but it was all that would come out. It was unfair that Zane had spent so much time searching for his missing memories only to find, once he found them, that the man who had created him had already passed away. Such was life, though, and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

Zane raised his hands, and Nya was surprised to see that they were trembling. "It's strange," he said, studying them, "all that time I spent searching, I never once suspected the truth. Even now, I find it hard to believe. My father built me to mimic a human as near as he could. I don't feel like a machine, though I know that I am. And now I know that with a single flip of a switch, I could once again lose everything that I hold dear…"

Zane trailed off, clenching and unclenching his fists, his hands still shaking, now worse than before. Slowly, he turned to face Nya. She was surprised once again, this time by the tears glistening in his eyes. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but before she could, he continued talking.

"My father told me he loved me with his dying breath and then stole my memories," he said, voice choked as tears began to stream down his cheeks unchecked. "Why would he do that, Nya? I do not understand."

"Oh, Zane…" Nya had to blink back tears from her own eyes as she stepped forward, pulling Zane into a hug after all. He didn't fight it, but being so much taller, he rested his head on hers as he started to cry bitterly. The falcon let out a quiet chirp and fluttered over to the railing, watching the situation with curiosity.

Nya wasn't sure how long they stood there before Zane's sobbing began to wane. She let go as she felt him begin to straighten up, bringing up a hand to wipe at his eyes. She wasn't surprised to find that he didn't seem at all embarrassed about the situation.

Tired of standing, she gestured to the deck and asked, "Why don't we sit down and talk?"

Zane agreed with a nod and the two sat down, leaning back against the rails. The falcon bounced over until it was standing over Zane's head. It leaned over to peck affectionately at his hair. A small, genuine smile cut through the pain on his face.

Nya watched Zane lift his arm to ruffle the falcon's feathers. She didn't want to interrupt his brief instant of happiness, so she waited several moments before speaking again. She knew what she was going to say next was probably going to hurt.

"Zane," she said, and waited for his full attention before continuing. "I can't answer your question. I didn't know your father, so I can only guess what his reasons were. Honestly, though? It sounds like he was trying to spare you the pain of losing him in the first place."

Zane mulled that over. "Having experienced things from both sides, I actually prefer having my memories, even if they are sad. Not knowing at all was much more difficult to bear."

"I can only imagine what that must have been like. To be frank, it makes me glad to know that my parents are gone, and that Kai and I weren't burdened with questions about what happened to them."

"It is preferable to be sure I am an orphan rather than be an amnesiac, yes. Being able to remember my father is better than not knowing him at all." Zane paused, frowning. "Do you think he realised what he was doing to me when he switched off my memories?"

"Of course not, Zane! I mean, it's clear that he loved you. I doubt he would have done this if he'd known how much it would hurt you. He must have had your best interests at heart, but he didn't realise exactly what he was doing."

"He caused me so much unhappiness with that one decision … but I would still give almost anything to be able to see him again." Zane paused and fixed Nya with a worried expression. "Is that normal?"

"Perfectly," she replied with a smile. "Take it from someone who knows. It'll get easier as time goes by, but you'll never stop missing him."

Zane nodded slowly, but didn't reply. He held out his arm and the falcon flew down to perch on it once again. He watched as it preened its feathers – feathers that looked as real as his skin, though both were in fact some kind of facsimile – and wondered how Dr. Julien had done it. He and his falcon were two of a kind; there was nothing else in Ninjago like them.

"Thanks, Nya," Zane said finally.

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Nya replied with a smile.

It was at this moment that the other ninja came barrelling out onto the deck, laughing and talking animatedly about the round of video games they'd been playing. The laughter died down when they spotted Zane and Nya, but the atmosphere remained cheerful.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Jay. "Whatcha doing?"

As she and Zane stood, Nya noticed that Zane's expression had become carefully blank and closed off. It bothered her, but she supposed it made sense. Just because she'd managed to get him to open up once didn't mean that he would be so willing to talk forever after. Still, she hoped he would learn from their chat and let his friends in a bit more in the future.