#Yumie: WHY IS IT CALLED A BERRY THEN?

[iiryoku]

A strawberry is not a berry.

[ekacucumber]

Ninjagotober 2023

by @alastair-1205

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❀ Prompt: Prophecy

❀ Main characters: Zane, Yumi(OC)

❀ Timeline: Season 11

❀ Summary: Sometimes we are unwilling to believe in bad prophecies.

❀ Word count: 716

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Yumi freezes in front of Zane in a wetsuit. She is quite surprised to see such a choice.

"Oh, good afternoon, Yumi."

"Hi..." Yumi looks at Zane in confusion. "Why are you dressed like that, underwater mission?"

"No, we're having a bathtub."

"Oh... Do we have a bathtub in the monastery?"

"Sort of, Kai and Nya are working on it right now. Do you want to join us?"

Yumi hesitates, clutching the scrolls in her hands, but firmly refuses.

"No, I promised Wu to help him in the archives this morning... I mean, it's still better than combat training."

Zane smiles and puts hand on Yumi's shoulder.

"I understand. Good luck then."

Yumi looks at Zane's face carefully and senses that something is wrong. He is concerned. He's worried. Even though he smiles, something bothers him. This thick feeling touches Yumi's mind like a thorn.

"Zane, what are you thinking about?" Yumi quietly asks.

"Um... A bathtub?"

"No-no-no, not that... Have nothing happened this morning?"

Zane's smile fades. He crosses arms over chest and looks away.

"Nothing really happened... Just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about."

"Zane." Yumi feels offended. As a Dream Master, she fully understands importance of dreams and nightmares, and it is unpleasant for her to hear such words from Zane. But Yumi tries to calmly clarify the situation. "Can you tell me about it?"

"... Okay."

Zane tells about images he saw in the vision. A burning serpent, an ice castle, a dragon with freezing breath... Yumi listens to him carefully, but gets more questions than answers. Also, all these images feel weirdly familiar to her.

"I see..." Yumi says. "That's odd for sure... So, you're afraid that these events can happen?"

"Yes," Zane nods.

"You know... We've been through a lot of things. I think we can handle everything if we stick together, no matter how cliché it may sound." She smiles. "Do you agree the team work is a dream work?"

"Yes, I agree," Zane smiles in response and even chuckles. The tension goes away.

"You guys are strong, I believe you can do everything together."

Yumi sighs with hidden envy. Sometimes she also wants to be a heroine, well, at least once.

"Hey, Zane, are you going?" Cole, dressed only in shorts and his signature soda cap, enters the corridor, calling loudly to a friend. "Oh, hi Yumi, do you want to have a bathtub? The water is just perfect."

"No, thanks, I need to do some chores, haha," Yumi adjusts the scrolls, as if hinting at how busy she is.

"Well, you don't know what you're losing!"

*＊✿❀⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤❀✿＊*

Yumi wraps herself more and more in a blanket in front of the fire, shivering from the cold and unbearable pain.

"Here, drink it," an old man offers her a cup of hot berry tea. "It will help you recover, girl."

Yumi has to make an effort not to spill the drink with shaking hands. After a sip, warmth spreads through her body. She sighs and closes her eyes, feeling absolutely tired.

"Thank you..." she says quietly.

"Thank those hunters who brought you here," the elder replies. "Your clothes is stange and unfamiliar. Where are you from, girl?"

"Ninjago... It's really far away from here."

"So, why did you come, girl?"

Yumi opens her eyes to look straight into elder's face.

"I'm looking for my friend Zane. Have you met him?"

"No. Sorry, I can't help you with that... You'd better rest, girl." After saying this, the elder leaves the hut.

As Yumi drinks the tea and warms up, her mind clears, and she realizes everything that have happened.

The Ninja released Aspheera. This burning serpent banished Zane to another realm. And Yumi was also sent here. The Never-realm turned out to be a deadly cold place... And a dragon with freezing breath tried to kill her.

Now Yumi understands why she has been bothered by a sense of déjà vu all this time. She had the same dream that Zane had told her about. The Dream was trying to warn both of them, but they failed to receive the message. The Dream Master failed to save her friend from the terrible future.

Yumi covers up her face with both hands and silently cries in grief.

The prophecy was fulfilled.