#stop nindroids abuse

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Never the Dark

CHAPTER 17

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Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16

warnings: discussion of past child death, drug abuse/addiction

HOW BEAUTIFUL, THESE THINGS YOU DO // IN CASE THEY HELP, THESE THINGS YOU DO...

Tumbling headfirst into another Realm is never a graceful thing.

Wu’s words before he’d sent Zane flying through that portal are playing on repeat- He can see his face drawn and shuttered in sorrow as he splattered the realm tea across the throne room floor, “I am sorry I couldn’t protect you,” He says as the ground under the Ice Emperors feet grows unstable, “I am so proud of all you are, Zane- The white ninja, the first nindroid, my student, and my friend. I hope one day you can forgive me.” Zane has never seen Wu cry before.

the ground vanishes beneath him, and he’s falling.

Nindroid. Nindroid. Nindroid.

NINDROID.

He’s a nindroid. He’s- he’s-

The impact is not gentle. He lands in mud at least, the cushion of it just barely enough not to snap his spine with the force of it. Back first he crashes on the side of a wet hill, a mound of earth slick with muck that he tumbles down until he rolls to a stop at the base in a mess of broken armor and tangled limbs. His mouth tastes like old blood and oil and he can’t think- can’t- can’t calm the utter horror and panic crawling up through his wiring-

Memory floods his processor hot and uncomfortable, his world expanding from a tiny cold pinprick to an unfathomable reality of loss. He didn’t realize what he was missing- couldn’t understand the absence of it. Now it's all he can feel. A gaping chasm opening up in his chest that eats and eats until all that remains is the memory of a good man and the bloody remains of a bad one.

He’s Zane. He’s Zane Julien, Dr. Juliens son- he’s supposed to protect those who cannot protect themselves. He- oh FSM all those people- the krag- Blood blood blood. Blood and ice. A flash of that awful blade when he didn’t feel bothered to freeze, a flash of the blade when he needed to make an example out of the insignificant resistors- no,no, no, he didn’t do that. That couldn’t have been him, please.

He rolls onto his hands and knees and dry heaves. He hasn’t eaten in sixty years, nothing comes up. Everything aches, his body buzzing with the echoes of power that burned out everything that he was. The delicate sensors lining his body are raw and frazzled, overwhelmed with a constant flux of power that leaves his synthetic nerves overworked and raw. It feels like each of the tiny nodes had been scrubbed down to its copper insides with steel wool. His head is pounding as if he were a human who’d cracked open his skull. He’s half convinced if he reaches up to touch his forehead his fingers will turn wet with his coding- spilling out of him like blood.

The staff was gone. Not in his hands. His thoughts- so nebulous and thready while on the throne- connect together again with the humming under his skin contained and the remaining pieces of his sanity back. He feels so dizzy and wrong footed, everything in the world turned on it’s side and it will never, ever be right again. What did he do what did he do-

There. In the dirt, only a few feet away. The staff glows faintly, enticing him.

His body shudders with the afterimage of a constant, brutal ice-burn.

His stomach rolls with the taste of blood.

He lunges for the scroll, white-hot panic overwhelming every sense in his body until he’s got the delicate parchment in both hands. He tears it in two before going back again, rending it to pieces until every drop of that caustic power flickers and dies. He keeps tearing it far past that, until the pieces are so small there’s no chance it could ever be reconstructed. He’d tear it to atoms if he could get a better grip on it. He can still feel it in his mind. He can still feel blood on his hands. What has he done?

His vision is obscured by black spots. The panic and fear won’t subside. The soul crushing agony of who he’d become is suffocating him. He can feel his fans kick on into high gear in a desperate attempt to cool his insides down but it’s no use. He doesn’t even know where he is, if he’s safe-

Did any of the people under his rule ever feel safe? Does a monster like him deserve to feel safe? 

Wu didn’t think so.

His chest spits sparks and Zane gasps in pain before his elbows fold and he finally, mercifully passes out.

He wakes up in a cave. That should alarm him, but he’s so exhausted all he does is blink blearily up at the ceiling. It’s still hard to breathe- to move air through his aching, hot insides- but in a different way from panic now. It’s as if he doesn’t have the strength to force his fans to turn. His limbs feel heavy in the absence of the scroll's power and he’s so numb to everything around him. The ceiling above him flickers from the light of a fire. It’s warm, wherever he is. A face appears above him and he can’t focus on it- featureless, smooth, empty.

”Rest.” A voice orders, but there’s a motherly lilt to it that has Zane closing his eyes.

Part of him worries he might die here.

What does he deserve?

The next time he wakes up he’s scrambling out from underneath the blanket of furs cocooning him so he can dry heave onto the floor again, his whole body is trembling in pain. The numbness has retreated and in its place a bone-deep ache that leaves him wrung out and hung up to dry. It’s as if his wires were torn out and ran through a washing machine before being haphazardly shoved back inside. His vision is muddled with black-and-gray splotches, all blurry on the edges, and all he can hear is the sounds of his fans straining to cool his inner mechanisms. He’s deaf and blind and so vulnerable it makes his power source stutter. Fear fades away into pain and confusion- where is he? Why is he here? What did he do? He can’t keep his head on straight to answer any questions. It doesn’t matter, anyway. He hurt so bad he was certain he would die.

A hand rubs circles between his shoulder blades.

The final time he wakes up, he still feels exhausted. Not so bad that he would immediately fall asleep again, but it’s lingering. A thick weariness that lays across his shoulders like twenty pound weights. His skeleton aches and his sensors cramp- despite how lifeless he feels, his body is still wound tight with tension. He opens his eyes slowly, blinking in the green firelight.

He’s laying on his side this time, and there’s a bucket by the pile of furs he’s sleeping on. His head is still pounding and he has to continuously dismiss blaring red WARNING pop-ups from his vision as he struggles to sit up. The amount of effort it takes to get his uncooperative hands underneath him is monumental, his joints refusing to listen to him. A baby treehorn just learning how to walk flashes across his mind, and he almost smiles at the thought. It’s only once he’s vertical and leaning back against the cave wall that he realizes he’s not alone.

They’re sitting just on the other side of the fire, staring at him through the dark eyes of an expressionless mask.

His body is too exhausted to fight, so he simply stares back and tries to measure up the person across from him. His mind races- this was the same mask as before. This person was trying to- to help, “Were you the one who took care of me while I was incapacitated?” He says slowly into the space between them. His words crackle in the fire.

They don’t acknowledge him, simply looking down and continuing to stir a pot set near the fires edge, in the warm pale embers. The air smells sharp with spice and it makes Zane’s weak stomach turn.

He waits for a long moment, “My name is-“

”Don’t care.” Her voice comes out cutting and disinterested.

He wants to ask her more questions, but he bites his tongue. She didn’t seem like she was in the mood to talk, and frankly neither was he. Even mustering up those two sentences was a monumental effort. He allows silence to fall and tries to pool his strength, looking her up and down to try and glean any information.

She’s dressed in thick green wraps and furs, and on top is a set of carefully crafted armor. It’s the same off-white as her mask. If Zane had to guess, he’d say bone considering the texture. The bone of a massive creature, that is. It’s painstakingly carved and sanded down smooth and sharp in all the right places. Fully articulated gauntlets that don’t hinder her work over her dinner, an intricately whittled chest plate and pauldrons, arm guards, shin guards, plated armor sitting over her hips and stomach. Everything is lined with decorative curves and swirls. He doesn’t ask her about it, even if he wants to.

He fidgets awkwardly, looking around the cave next. It strikes him suddenly just how… lived in the place feels. It’s not a temporary camp, but a home.

Below his sleep mat was long pieces of burgundy wood and when he shifts, he feels the tell-tale flex of raised flooring. The fire she cooked in was recessed into the ground and surrounded by stone bricks to protect the wood around it, and a hole has been meticulously chipped into the ceiling to allow smoke to pour out safely. The cave is large, stretching deep and wide and other than her own bed across the fire, the space is filled with all sorts of luxuries and amenities. Furs are spread across the floors like rugs and there’s a space along the wall where sheets of paper are hung to dry- there’s a whole space for paper making, large jars filled with lye and pulp and frames for sifting. Next to that is a station for making paint and brushes. Next to her bed there’s a woven basket filled with rolls of hand-dyed fabrics and sewing supplies and the fruits of that labor are all around the home- pillows in bed, cushions at the table, curtains by the bath and laundry basin, even what looks like a bean bag made from the furry hide of some speckled animal sitting near his bed with a clutter of paper, charcoals, and other art materials pilled messily in a basket next to it.

There’s clearly a kitchen area tucked away in the far corner, wood shelving filled with rows and rows of dried herbs and spices, preserved fruits, breads and crackers and blue rice. A low counter of stone for food prep, Knives, spoons, pots and pans- two cups set out to drink from, two bowls and two spoons. She had everything in duplicate, even the stone table had two cushions on either side for another person to sit. There were more woven baskets, wooden chests, a laundry hamper, dying flowers in vases, and-

To his left, at the foot of the bed, is a stuffed pigeon hand sewn from soft fuzzy fabrics. It’s rumpled and bald in some spots. Well loved.

He blinks and his eyes flicker to the decor hung on the walls. He’s skimmed over them first, not really looking- but he does now.

All of that handmade paper is taped up and filled with child-like drawings of animals and plants and two people holding hands. The most prominent is a drawing of a large, poorly drawn armored woman wearing the same mask as the woman across the fire wielding a sword and protecting a smaller figure from a large monster trying to attack them. In nearly illegible script, with arrows pointing to the two figures respectively, they are labeled “MOMMY” and the other “ME.”

Without thinking, he reaches out to touch one when the woman speaks again.

”Do you eat?” She asks sharply, snapping him back to attention. He blinks, confused, “You aren’t human. Do you need to eat?” She clarifies, sounding almost annoyed.

”Yes, I can eat.” He answers.

She jerks her armored hand towards the table, “Sit.” She orders, taking the pot of soup over to the table and settling onto the green cushion with her legs crossed.

Zane is slow to follow because his whole body still aches. He stops short of the table when he notices the staff of forbidden spinjitzu propped up against the wall. It’s just a normal staff now that he’s torn the scroll off. That feels… wrong. Too anticlimactic. It should have ended another way.

She motions to the seat across from herself and he lowers himself onto the red cushion gingerly, wincing as his knees hit the ground harder than he intends.

In front of him, scratched into the stone in that same childish script, is the name Kiryu.

She serves him a big bowl of the food she’d prepared, covering the name completely. His stomach is still feeling touchy, and the strong smelling food does nothing to entice him to take a bite. He doesn’t technically need to eat, under normal circumstances. Nothing about what has happened is normal, though, and his body is begging for fuel to burn. So he picks up his spoon.

She’s mastered the art of eating under her mask, keeping her face completely covered while she picks at her dinner. It’s mustard yellow, thick, and filled with mystery chunks. When he finally hypes himself up enough to take a bite, he’s surprised at how bland it is. He might actually be able to stomach this. After his first swallow, his hunger makes itself apparent and he starts to eat a little more animatedly than he had before.

The woman finishes first, pushing the nearly-full bowl away and wiping her mouth off on her sleeve, “Do you know where you are?” She says finally, after watching him eat for an uncomfortable amount of time.

He places his spoon down slowly, unsure where this conversation could lead, “No, I do not.” He answers respectfully.

She regards him for a long moment, “You are in the Realm of Madness. You were sent here because you did something terrible, I imagine.”

The world stalls.

“What?” he says blankly. Sure, this place was- was strange, weird, whatever but- of course Wu didn’t send him back! He wouldn’t unleash the ice emperor on ninjago, no- but he thought- why would he think he had any chance at going home? His stomach turns violently against the food he’d just eaten.

“Calm down.” She orders sharply, and he hates the part of himself that latches on to that. The part of him that wanted someone else to tell him what to do.

He balls his hands into fists and consciously moves his internal fans, the equivalent of taking a slow deep breath.

“We all call this place something different. Exile, eternal prison, hell- the kids from Chima have this silly, flowery name for it. Tomb, or something close. Ninjargons the only one that doesn’t call it what it is- a form of punishment.” She stands up, going into the kitchen and taking out two cups and a leather bag, “They only send the worst of us here to suffer. They consider it kinder than death. I used to agree.”

He focuses on the one thing in this conversation that doesn’t make him want to scream, ”Who is they?”

She sits again, popping the cap on the leather bag and pouring a dark spiced rum into her cup, ”Anyone who opposes you. The good people, the ones who don’t have the stomach for blood.” She caps the bag and slides it closer to him, offering.

He can hardly swallow past the lump in his throat, ”I did not want to hurt anyone-“

”Don’t make excuses for yourself.” She says coldly, any trace of maternal inflection replaced by a viscous intolerance for pity. She looks at him hard, “I know what that was.” She nods to the staff by the wall, “I know what you are. That staff in the hands of an elemental master- well, it’s not hard to connect the dots.”

He shakes his head, “no- it was not like that-”

“What, then?”

Zane swallows hard against the accusation in her tone and tries to organize his thoughts, “I- lost my memory, I did not know who I was-”

“So you hurt people.” She finishes flatly. He flinches. “And you were good at it, too. That’s why you’re here. None of that other shit matters, kid- all it comes down to is that you were a monster they needed to destroy.”

There’s no words he can string together to make anything okay.

She lets out a mirthless chuckle, “At least some people had their reasons. No memory, huh? So you did all the things you did… because you could.”

Neither of them say anything for a long time. The fire grows low. She stands up to tend to it, leaving him alone at the table.

”What am I supposed to do?” He asks softly.

”Suffer.” She says bluntly. “Survive. Pay your penance. There are plenty who take the easy way out. I don’t care.” She gets up to tend to the fire.

”Why am I here?”

Another log goes on the fire. She looks up at him like he’s irritating her, “I just told you.”

He winces again before clarifying, “No, why am I here, In your home?” She stays quiet so he adds, “You helped me, and I am beginning to understand that is not something you typically do.”

She snorts at that. Another long pause, “I was there. I saw you fall. Scavengers would have found you in no time and you’d be dead by now.” She motions to his body, “Mechanics are scarce. Mechanics as good as yours even more so. If you want to survive in this place, you’ll need to hide every part of yourself or they’ll tear you apart and barter with your insides.”

A life in hiding. A life in constant fear.

Alarm bells ring in his head, “What do you want from me?” Because he was vulnerable and helpless and if she wanted to rip his head off and offer his hard drive to the highest bidder- well, he couldn’t defend himself.

Part of him wonders- would you even try?

“Nothing.” she answers without hesitation, but there’s no insult at his insinuation. “A few years ago, maybe I’d have killed you myself. Not now. I’m too tired for that.”

He doesn’t understand.

“I am not a kind woman.” She continues slowly, “I never claimed to be. My cruelty cost me everything. Perhaps part of me wanted to do something good in the end- a drop in the bucket weighed against all my transgressions. What good does a monster saving another monster do? I don’t know.” she shifts the embers at the edge of the fire, her voice taking on a contemplative lilt, “and what good have I done you, preserving a life for you here?”

“...Thank you.” he offers.

She doesn’t laugh. He thinks she might want to, “I don’t deserve your gratitude. I have done nobody any good my whole life.”

“I don’t believe that’s true.” Zane argues softly, eyes straying over to the stuffed pigeon plushy again.

She’s follows his gaze. Without a second glance, she stomps out the embers that spread too close to the wall of the fire pit, “You should sleep. Tomorrow you will be on your own.” She adds a log to the fire and places a cover over the top to keep the fire burning longer.

He gets up slowly from the table, making his way across the floor on aching legs before gingerly laying down on his bedmat. She doesn’t take off any of her armor as she settles under her own blankets.

Exile. Eternal prison.

Hell.

this isn't hell. he'd been in hell in the never realm, when he was on that throne. Still, this is a punishment. The worst kind of punishment that could be executed.

Wu sent him here, to this place. He must have believed he belonged here.

Blood flashes in his mind's eye. Exposed organs, death rattles from punctured lungs, bodies thin with starvation after frost killed any crops-

He does belong here.

Monster.

The next morning- is it morning? Zane has no idea- he wakes up alone. It isn’t until he musters up the strength to climb the rocky opening to the surface that he finds her. She’s sitting near the opening of the cave criss cross, with her back ram-rod straight. In front of her is a massive wall of mist, reaching past the clouds in the dim purple-red sky. He doesn’t know what to do other than sit next to her, so he does that.

She doesn’t acknowledge him.

She’s holding a picture in her hand- not a modern photo that he knows, but something older. Something fragile.

“Is that your son?” He asks.

“Yes.” She says quietly. He’s maybe seven in the photo, still so young, with skin so pale it’s translucent and wisps of bright blood red hairs poking from his head. Veins, ribs, and organs are all visible through his skin where she’s posing with him. She’s wearing her mask and holding him close, and he’s smiling at the camera with too many teeth- some sharp and jagged. Behind them is a strange forest- this photo was taken here, in the Realm Of Madness.

“He’s gone now.” She says simply.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not as much as I am.” there’s nothing else to say, so they watch the day pass.

She reaches up and pulls her mask off.

Her face is bumpy and fuzzy, almost like felt, with a hundred colors overlapping and banding in random waves that follow the raised ridges along her skin. Colors blend and mix in bright, technicolor bursts similar to the sheen on an oil spill- and they move along her face and neck in pulsing flashes like currents shifting on the ocean floor. It looks like someone had taken the way her reflection looked on turbulent water and shaped her skull from it, nothing about her symmetrical or smooth- she has no nose and he can’t find her mouth of eyes, but he knows she has them. They ate together. She lookers at him. Old feathers poke out of her skin in sporadic patches and he can’t tell whether or not shes grown them or simply lost all her others. His processor can’t comprehend what he’s looking at- it doesn’t compute. Every time her tries to formulate an opinion it’s as if he hits a computing error and he has to start all over again.

Her head expands and contracts as if it was breathing.

He can’t stop looking at her. She doesn’t seem to care.

“The Realm of Madness is not a mercy.” She says, her face splitting in half to reveal perfect white teeth- jarring in the mess of the rest of her, “It changes us. I have held on for a long time, But I am tired now, and I miss my son.”

She stands and deliberates for a moment before she tosses her mask and the feather cloak around her shoulders to the ground at his feet, “Take these. I don’t need them anymore. The others of this land call me Birdy- hide in that too.”

”You are leaving?” Zane asks, scrambling to his feet.

”I am the original monster in this realm- I am the first. My suffering is done, and I am going to rest now.” Birdy says, voice light with the relief of an ending, “I’ve paid the price. I’ve paid it all.”

She turns towards that abrupt wall of mist and takes her first step forward, heading straight for the thick wave of release waiting for her.

Zane stands as quickly as he can and follows her with the intent to do- something. He doesn’t know what. What was the mist? What did it do? It sounded like death- he couldn’t just let her do this- a loud red warning pops up in his vision the moment the gas contacts his inner workings.

WARNING ‽‽‽‽‽‽‽‽ RADIATION FIELD Processing failure imminent Motor function failure imminent Power source failure imminent RAM failure imminent

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

He steps back and stares into the mist, looking for her retreating back for several moments.

She’s gone.

He stays in Birdy's cave longer than he cares to admit. It feels wrong, but he just… doesn’t know what to do. For nearly a whole week after Birdy's disappearance into the mist, he’d still been reeling from the damage to his body from… everything that happened. His self repair programming wasn’t designed to tackle the mess he’d made of himself, but it should work well enough that he isn’t constantly leaking power and weak.

There was also the minor issue of massive emotional breakdowns he was struggling through every few hours, when he couldn’t stop thinking about everything that happened. He wasn’t exactly at his best. Compartmentalization takes time, and sixty years was a lot to pack away.

He spends most of his time putting away Birdys things- packing up the drawings on the wall in a wicker basket wrapped in leather to preserve the art work, folding old clothes and packing them inside too- there were baby clothes here. Shirts and shoes for toddlers, tunics for a child. He wasn’t going to stay here forever, and the way she spoke about scavengers… he didn’t think any other person in the realm would treat these precious items with the respect they deserved. So he bundles it all up and hides it under the wooden floorboards.

He finds a stash of handmade candles and lights two for Birdy and her son. Hopefully they are both at peace now.

The idea of staying here indefinitely crosses his mind, but he can’t quite bring himself to truly consider it. No matter how much he wants to just curl into a ball and turn to dust here, safe in this tiny little home, his skin crawls at the idea. This wasn’t made for him. The bed he’d been using wasn’t his. Zane was sick of settling into a place that wasn’t his to take- the throne he’d spent sixty years on wasn’t made for him, either. It was already bad enough that he was going to take her mask and her cloak, maybe even her name- but that was different from her home. The things she wore were a disguise, hiding away the honest pieces of herself.

Her home was where she was herself, genuinely. He couldn’t make a space for himself here. It wasn’t right.

Three weeks after everything, he puts on the mask.

It’s hard to see out of, and it feels awkward on his face. It wasn’t hand carved for him, but Birdy's warning sits bright and clear in his mind. He had to keep his face covered- he’d tried cloaking, but the hologram projectors along the nape of his neck and down his back were all damaged too badly and the image came out glitched.  He clasps the feathered cap over his shoulder and prepares to venture out into the hostile world he’d found himself in.

Hostile. right. 

He needed a weapon, and the only thing here… the only thing he truly felt confident wielding was the staff. Two more days pass before he can bring himself to pick it up. With the scroll gone, it’s just a normal staff with a normal blade that he used to gut a man who made an attempt on Vex’s life-

He slams down his mental shields on that memory before he can taste the blood it left behind. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about what you are.

Monster.

A day after that, once he’d found a pale canvas bag and filled it with food, spices, and a few other essentials he might need, he finally steps out of the hole and back into the world.

The wall of mist is still there, calm and steady. He’s not sure what else to do so he just… starts walking. He keeps the mist to his right and travels parallel to it, waiting for the swath of empty flat land to change to… anything else. The world is dim and bland, a colorless expanse of darkness that seems to go on forever. He keeps walking. His mind drifts back to the Never Realm but the memories burn.

He tries to think about something else, but the only other thing that jumps to the forefront of his mind are his friends, and that hurts in a different, just as painful way. He’s not ready to think about them. What would they think of him now?

He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Don’t make excuses for yourself, monster.

He keeps walking.

Two days pass before he sees a forest. He almost hesitates to leave the mist behind… it was ultimately familiar now, a security blanket of sorts. The mist held a threat he knew. The jungle was filled with possibilities, and in a place like this none of them could be any good. He detaches himself from the mist anyway and treks across the broad empty expanse of no man’s land between the two biomes before he steps in a place with deep red trees and strange flora.

He’s always been good with animals, and he attributes that to why he’s able to catch himself before he stumbles right into a predator's strike range. He avoids the tree that trembles with the weight of something massive up in its branches, he turns away from the distant sound of buzzing because nothing good sounds like that, and when he notices a large shape lumbering through the bushes up ahead he presses himself against the red bark and waits for it to pass. He keeps his mind focused on the world around him and doesn’t think about anything else.

That’s when he notices the strange oblong fruits hanging from a coiling vine growing up the side of a tree. They’re orange in color and are covered in thin hair-like protrusions. Zane reaches out and carefully runs the back of his finger over the fruit- the hair is soft and flexible, almost sleek. He grasps the fruit on one hand and plucks it, noticing how it comes off the vine without a fight. He tucks it in his satchel and keeps moving, now with his eyes peeled for more vegetation.

A string of bead-like vegetables here, completely flat speckled fruit there, a corkscrew tuber that’s twisting itself out of the ground. Zane may have been a homicidal maniac for the past sixty years, but he was also a chef. He’d have to analyze his haul later to make absolutely certain it’s edible so that the others can eat-

The sharp stab of pain feels almost physical as his processor stalls. He stops walking, sliding down the trunk of a tree to sit on the soft ground. There is no one else to cook for.

Loneliness crawls up his chest and sits in the back of his throat.

What have you done? He asks himself, staring blankly at the dark forest around him. You have ruined everything.

He doesn’t know how long he stays sitting there before he stands back up and moves on, more subdued than before. He’s been alone before, in the empty space after his father died and before Wu found him. He’d survived that loneliness then. He could survive this too. He was good at surviving. He keeps exploring the forest. It’s absolutely massive, and seems to go on forever- so he just keeps walking.

His internal navigation system is acting strange- it’s keeping track of his movement through the forest, and it seems to continuously loop over on itself even though he knows he hasn’t been walking in circles. It must be broken too.

Twenty six days pass before he comes upon a small camp set up between trees, large swathes of thickets cleared away for enough room for a fire and a few tents. He doesn’t notice that at all, not at first.

What he sees first is a strange animal. Despite his misgivings about the fauna in the forest, he can’t help but move in for a closer look. It had a fat body, broad neck, and a pointed head. It was precariously balanced on four spindly little legs. Stranger still, the long hair along the back of its neck was braided, and the tail sticking out from its hindquarters matched. Thrown over its back was a saddle. It looked similar to a saddle used for a walloper, all leather and straps with a blanket laid underneath for the animals comfort. It made a strange, apprehensive sound as he approached it from behind so he slowed down and stepped along the side so it could see him better. It shifted on its hooves but seemed to calm down when it's dark eyes were able to clock him.

It had strange colors, piebald black and white with a pink nose. Its tall ears pointed towards him, flicking as it sized him up.

He’s not at his best. If he were, he probably would have realized what exactly a saddle means- this animal belonged to someone. If he had realized that, he would have been on the lookout for the owner, and probably wouldn’t have boxed in so easily.

He’s still a ninja through and through, and while he may have been completely enamored by the strange beast he was nervous enough that his processor was still hyper-vigilant of the world around him. A subtle twang, the hiss of something fast-

He jerks his hand back half a second before an arrow whizzes past his fingers, burying itself in the tree directly behind him. He whips around and flicks the staff in his hand to grip it better, preparing for a fight- but the silence that settles after that is heavy and so, so still. There’s movement in the trees around him, at his sides, and when he strains his hearing as much as he can there’s the barest hint of footsteps behind him.

The bushes on the other side of the camp rustle and then part as a woman and a man approach him almost casually. Confident they have the upper hand- which they did. Zane is tense and stiff as they come to a stop in the middle of their camp, sizing him up casually. He wasn’t certain he could fight effectively enough to make it out of this in one piece.

“Hello there, stranger.” The woman says with a lazy smile. Tall, dark skin and salt and pepper hair, covered in a plethora of extra eyes that roll and dart as she speaks.

The massive wolf at her side bares his teeth and looks at Samira like she’s lost her mind, “Let me chase her off, Samira. She was trying to steal Cowie.”

Finally, Zane gets a good look at the man-

He’s not a man at all. Not a human, at least. He was an absolutely massive wolf- taller than Zane by at least two feet with ruddy gray fur. His ears, face, and basically anywhere Zane could see were striped with old battle scars, but the thing that stood out the most was the way one of his arms dragged along the ground, digging gouges in the hard packed dirt with the massive bone shards that spilled out of his skin in even spaces. With his head turned, Zane could see these bone spurs poked out of each vertebrae in his spine as well.

It changes us all. Right.

“Wox, darling, you need glasses.” The woman says airily as she steps closer. Zane backs up as far as he dares with the threat behind him still hidden, but she doesn't pursue any further. She stops walking at Cowies (?) side and she looks relaxed, but her hand is sitting purposefully on the hilt of a wicked looking knife. Zane imagines he doesn’t look too friendly with his staff in an iron-grip, but Birdy had told him pretty explicitly that the people here would gut him if he gave them a chance. She gestures to him, “Where’d you get that mask?”

Wox looks confused for a moment, scrutinizing Zane until he seems to realize that he’s not the original owner of the mask. He’s still glaring at him hatefully and Zane knows he has to stay aware, just in case the guy swings at him with the morning star that makes up his arm.

“It was a gift.” He says truthfully.

She stares at him for a long time. Her eyes make her nearly impossible to read- but it seems she has no problem seeing straight through him, “What’s your name?” She asks next.

He hesitates. Zane… Zane doesn’t feel right, anymore. Not after what he did. He couldn’t use any of his old nicknames either, and he’d sooner take a punch from Wox than tell her to call him Emperor. “Call me Birdy.” He says finally, awkward and more than a little unsure.

Her jaw works as she mulls that over. “Were you trying to steal my horse?”

Horse. So that's what that thing was. He shakes his head, “No ma’am.”

“Oh, he’s polite!” Samira brightens at the formality before she turns to her companion, “See, Wox, he wasn’t trying to take her!”

“Then what was he doing?” Wox growls, pinning him with a distrustful look.

Birdy feels a little silly and childish as he admits, “I was attempting to pet her.” He nearly cringes at his own words, shuffling on his feet and trying not to look guilty.

Samira grins, and there’s a spark in her eye, “You can pet her.” She says graciously, beckoning him over. She drops her hand from the hilt of her knife, “She can be a little skittish around new people, but if i’m here she should be fine.”

There's a long moment where no one moves before Birdy finally takes a step forward. Despite everything, he was still a sucker for a good pet. He approaches slowly, keeping his eyes on Wox, before he reaches out a gloved hand and runs it down the horse's thick neck. He can’t feel the texture very well through his gloves, but he feels when she presses closer to the touch and he can't help the small smile that blooms under his mask.

“My name is Samira.” She introduces herself kindly, but she’s watching him- looking for any sort of reaction to her name, “Here, pet from her nose up. She likes that.”

Birdy follows her instruction, watching in fascination as the horse makes an adorable whinny sound at the affection.

“I have to apologize for Wox. he can be a bit protective of our things.” She says with a wince, “He means well.”

“It is alright.” He pulls his hand away, “Thank you for allowing me to pet her.”

Samira grins wide at him, with a bit too many teeth, “Of course. It’s nice to meet you… Birdy.”

He inclines his head.

She hums a little, “We’re headed back to Oasis here, soon. Would you like to accompany us?”

“Oasis?”

She smiles that same, too-wide smile. As if he’s playing right into her hand, “It’s a refuge for the people stranded here. I’m like the mayor, you could say. Wox is my second in command and Barath- he’s around here somewhere- is the brains of the operation. We built it so the people here could have a community and a place to call home.”

The look in her eyes feels sickly similar to Vex’s, but Zane shoves that thought away immediately. Vex’s cruelty was too fresh, too raw and recent. He shouldn’t let Vex warp his view of Samira- besides, there’s no cord connected to his head for her to rip out. She couldn’t take his memories. He wouldn't allow himself to become even more of a monster than he already was.

He rapidly runs through his options. They were… extremely limited. Sure, he could decline- and she seemed willing to accept that answer and allow him to leave with no trouble, but then he’d be right back where he started. Alone, walking through this forest without a clue of what to do or where to go, without any knowledge of the realm. Aimless wandering.

Maybe one of his biggest weaknesses is that he craves a purpose.

“If you do not mind my presence, I will accompany you.” He says formally.

Wox snorts roughly, “We’re taking in strays, now?”

Samira makes a motion with her hand and more people come trundling from the forest around them and begin breaking down camp, “I took you home, didn’t I?” She responds with a mischievous smile, then adds, “Besides, he’s not a stray. He’s one of us.” She says with a wide grin.

They only start moving when Barath returns. He’s a strange man, with a pair of thick glasses that only seem to enhance the way his eyes dart around wildly. He’s almost constantly taking notes, scribbling down observations from the world around them. When he first sees Birdy, he cocks his head to the side like a curious dog would and says, “Did you kill her?”

Birdy jerks at the question, “No.” He says, too defensive, “She gave me her mask willingly.”

“That is not like her.” He says simply, squinting at Birdy. A moment passes before he flips to a new page in his little notebook and scribbles down a new note, “I don’t believe you.” He says simply, and walks away before Birdy can say anything else.

He hangs back and tries not to get in the way as people collapse tents and stamp out the fire pit. He would offer to help, but the people here are whispering to themselves and throwing him unwelcoming glances. It seems Barath is not the only one who believes he’d bloodied his hands for this mask.

“You’re quite the sensation.” Samira says as she slings a pack over Cowies back, “Don’t be discouraged by their attitude. It’s been a long while since we’ve had a newcomer sent here.” She looks at him curiously, and Birdy doesn’t realize she’s fishing for information he shouldn’t give.

“I did not mean to make anyone uncomfortable.” He murmurs, all but confirming his recent arrival.

She smiles sharply, “We’re villains, Birdy. Skepticism is in our nature. They’ll come around.”

He shifts uncertainty at the reminder of who exactly he’s surrounded by, and Samira tracks that movement with knowing eyes.

Barath pulls out a heavy looking dial from his bag and holds it up for a moment before he begins walking away from camp, disappearing into the woods. Wox notices immediately, “Oy, wait for the rest of us!” he snaps, and the small party scrambles after him.

The trek though the forest is a strange thing- Barath twists and turns randomly, cuting a strange path through the foliage that Samira, Wox, and the others all dutifully follow. When Birdy checks his internal systems, he realizes the looping path problem he’d been facing is nonexistent now. Samira watches him quietly from on top of Cowie. She’d asked him to stay close to her, and as they walk her eyes stay fixed on him.

She misinterprets his body language, “We’re not walking in circles.” She informs him.

“I know.” He says without thinking.

There’s no reaction from her other than a curious hum, “Do you?”

He wisely stays quiet this time.

Another hour passes before Samira speaks again, “Do you know why we have to take a path like this?”

He shakes his head.

“We call it the evershift.” She says, and proceeds to spend the next few minutes explaining the way this realm is designed to drive a person crazy. Straight lines become circles. The cardinal directions are meaningless. To navigate through this place, you have to understand how the earth shifts. One wrong move, and you’ll be lost. “Barath invented a compass- he doesn’t like it when we call it that, but I've never been mechanically inclined. I’ll call it like I see it. It helps us navigate through this place accurately.”

Birdy redirects more power into his navigation system so he takes on more information, making a map and comparing the way the ground moves so he can begin to travel on his own. It’s a slow process, but now he has an idea of how to start.

“Tell me about yourself.”

He glances at her uncertainly.

Even his hesitation seems to please her, “Alright. I’ll tell you about myself first, hmm?” she leans back, “I was born in Cloud Kingdom centuries ago- I know, I look fantastic for my age. I was, essentially, a daycare worker. I took care of the children of the scribes in the main hall.”

Wox glances back at her but doesn’t comment.

“I saw a great deal of destiny's written… and I came to disagree with the system.” She says lightly, “War, famine, death, sickness- why must we write it? So I started a rebellion. The elders weren’t happy about that, so now I am here.”

She looks at him expectantly, and Birdy hesitates. “I am from… the Never Realm.” He says, stilted.

“Not originally, hm?” She asks, “You don’t speak with the right cadence.”

“...Ninjago has not been my home in a very long time.”

There’s an intrigued light in her eyes, “Just who are you, Birdy?”

“I do not know.” He admits, the truth of it making his circuits curl in sharp pain. He used to be Zane. He used to be the Ice Emperor. Now he was stuck in a realm he didn’t know wearing a mask and hiding in a name that wasn't his. He didn’t know who he was.

“There is plenty of time to figure it out.” She says kindly, and allows him to mull over his identity crisis in peace over the rest of the trip back home.

His first impression of Oasis is that it’s far larger than he anticipated. He didn’t expect this realm to be filled with so many people- were there really this many people banished to this place? All ages, all races, hundreds of people who were so horrible they were exiled to this hell to never return? He follows the group quietly as they pass through a set of large gates and wind around deep halls until the reach the entrance to a stable. Samira dismounts Cowie and greets another woman who was waiting for her return.

“Ila.” Samira smiles as she hugs her friend.

“How was the mission?” Ila asks, the tentacles pouring out of her belly wrapping around Samira in greeting.

“Very successful. We were able to extract four funeral flowers before the mist became too caustic.” She grins triumphantly.

Ilas two toned eyes peek over Samiras shoulder curiously, zeroing in on Birdy.

“And,” Samira adds, “We ran into a new arrival.” pulling away, she motions to Birdy.

He steps closer, “Hello. Call me Birdy.” He offers his hand.

“You’re not afraid?” Ila says in wonder, pushing her curious tentacles down so she can shake his hand with her own.

Birdy was good at surviving, and part of that meant adapting and doing it quickly, “I am not.” he says truthfully, even as her tentacles wiggle free to touch his gloves and the edge of his sleeve inquisitively.

“Ila is my personal assistant and chef.” Samira introduces.

Birdy feels himself perk up, “Chef?”

“You like to cook?”

“I do.” He says sincerely, carefully extracting his hand before Ilas tentacles can wiggle under his gloves and touch bare metal.

Samira smiles at that, “Why don’t you show our friend the kitchen while Barath, Wox, and I take the flowers to the lab for processing?”

That’s how Birdy ends up here, deep within the halls of Oasis palace marveling at the foreign technology set up around the room. Most of it is old, traditional ways of cooking- brick ovens, rooms for drying and preserving meats and spices, fire pits with huge pots and pans, a well dug into the earth that brims with strange not-quite-right water. The only bit of actual mechanical engineering in the room is a massive metal freezer filled with fresh meats and vegetables.

“This,” Ila points at the strange hairy fruit he’d pulled from his bag, “Is called filler fruit. Packed with protein, it’s a good, hearty meal.” They’d been going through the things he’d scavenged in the forest and taken from the original Birdy's home slowly. “Not much can be done with it flavor wise, though.”

She teaches him about everything in his bag that’s edible and some things that aren’t (“It makes for a nice perfume if you soak it,” She says about the strange corkscrew tuber, “But it’s toxic to eat.”) She goes down the line until she stops at a jar of pale purple ground spice, “Oh, this is basically mustard seed.” She sighs wistfully, “I used to make candied fruits using mustard. The kick it adds is divine.”

Birdy blinks before he pushes it a little closer to her, “You are welcome to keep it.” He says sincerely.

She smiles thinly, “You’re very sweet, but I can’t.” She hesitates for a long moment, “Barath hates the taste, so I don’t even keep it in stock.”

Not long after this, Wox appears in the kitchen, “I’ve got your room ready.” He says gruffly, obviously unhappy that Birdy will be staying under the same roof as he is.

“My room?”

“Samira insists you stay as long as you like.” He jerks his chin, “Follow me.”

He falls into a routine here, accidentally. He helps Ila with breakfast and lunch before she has to attend to other duties, he joins Samira at her private table for dinner at her insistence, and he learns all he can about everything the realm has to offer. The longer he settles in, the more irritated Wox becomes. Even Ila starts to subtly prod him about his conversations with Samira- but there’s not much to tell. She’s firmly established herself as a friend and doesn't push for information or say anything uncouth or untoward.

One day, after dinner, she invites him to her office.

She pours herself a generous cup of some type of whiskey, sipping it slowly as they sit in companionable silence.

“It was chaos when I first came here.” She sighs softly, a wave of exhaustion weighing down her shoulders ““There was no community, no society- just violence and lots of pain. You’ve noticed it, I'm certain. We’re all… different, here. Our bodies have been changed by the realm- that is the nature of madness.”

He shakes his head when she offers him a glass, but she’s not offended. “Mutations are hard on the body, Birdy. Uncomfortable at best, agony at worst.” She fishes a key from her pocket and uses it to open a hidden compartment in her desk, “You’ve toured the Jelly farm. You asked me what we were farming… well, I think you’re ready to know. When I first saw a jelly, I watched her use the poison on her lures to take down an undertaker.” She fishes out a small vial made of dark glass, impossible to see what’s inside. “Paralyzed it and ate it right up, and it gave me an idea. She numbs you first, before she eats you. If I could use her poison, refine it just right, maybe I could take that numbness and use it to take away that pain.” She uncorks the vial and tips it over her palm, a small pink marble rolling out to settle over her heart line, “And with a bit of help from Barath, I did it, and I built Oasis around this thing right here. It’s amazing how easy it is to bring people together when pain is out of the equation.” He studies it for a long moment, “That is a noble thing to do.” He offers quietly. “After everything I’ve been through, Birdy… I know pain. I can see it.” She takes a moment to really study him, “You’re in a lot of pain, Aren’t you?”

His throat feels tight and he struggles to swallow. She holds the pill out, “Here.” Samira says gently, “it works on emotional pain, too- and it’ll help you later on, once the chaos of this realm sinks its teeth into you. It will only get worse from here.”

There’s no guarantee it’ll work on him. There’s a possibility it will. Maybe he’ll be able to sleep again, without nightmares- maybe he could think about his friends without his chest feeling like it’s caving in on him. He’d been keeping himself distracted, had been doing everything in his power to keep his mind away from the brutal parts of his life that threatened to tear his heart from his chest. He was in pain. A constant, bruising agony that ate away at his processor in quiet moments that threatened to kill him with it’s cruelty.

Monster.

Suffer.

Penance.

What does he deserve?

He reaches out and slowly, tenderly closes her fingers around the pill and pushes it back towards her chest, “Thank you, but I cannot accept this.”

She looks at him strangely, her expression unreadable.

“Okay.” She says finally, dropping it back into the bottle, “...But the offer still stands. The first one is always free.”

“You’ll have a few hours from the first entrance before the mist induces irreparable delirium and you’ll be too confused to leave.” Barath says jovially, “If that happens, try and make it as close to the exit as you can so I can have someone go in for your body. It’s been too long since I've done a decent dissection.” He says with a bright smile.

“...I will do my best.” Birdy responds.

“Don’t listen to him, you’ll be fine.” a woman to his left reassures him, wrapping thick straps of leaver over her hands.

“No, you should definitely listen to him.” Wox remarks sourly, “He may be a nutjob, but he knows his science.”

“I’ve been in the mist plenty- I’ve got a good feel for it.” Lena continues, “I can get us out before things get to the point of no return.”

This is the first and only time Birdy has seen Samira look anxious, “The flowers are deeper than they’ve been before. Are you sure you’ll be able to reach them?”

Lena frowns at the ground and finishes wrapping her hands, “Just have some of the pinks ready for me when we get out,” She says, her fingers drumming on her thighs at the thought of a brand new sleeve of pills waiting for her. She shakes out the tension in her shoulders and smiles at Birdy, “Ready?”

When Birdy had volunteered to go into the mist, he’d had a good idea of what he was signing up for. He knew this was a risky thing- Samira said there were people who refused to go back in, even if she offered them a cure pill in return. Barath knew it was some type of toxin in the mist that attacked the flesh, preying on organic material with extreme prejudice. He hadn't quite realized it was radiation, and Birdy wasn’t able to explain how he knew that so he couldn’t say much.

What stuck out to him the most about Baraths notes on the graveyard was that it wasn’t so hard on inorganic material. You didn’t get much more inorganic than a robot. Theoretically, he should be able to last far longer than anyone else- even if his own systems were certain he would eventually go down like anyone else. Part of him insists that this doesn’t make any sense- he has to remind himself this is the realm of madness. Nothing makes sense. That was the point.

He inclines his head. Lena gives him a thumbs up and, with Baraths compass in hand, they plunge into the mist.

There’s no talking in the mist- keep breathing shallow and even, and don’t do anything strenuous. Nothing that could move the mist through your system faster than necessary. Absolutely no running. It’s a painfully slow affair. The little flickers of life he sees in the mist is strangely familiar- green grass. Brown dirt. If he were in the height of delirium, collapsed on the ground and struggling to get his bearings straight, he might think he was home again.

He can feel the mist seeping inside his mechanics. It feels strange and unsettling, like fingers brushing over his ribs and internal wires- but so far there’s no confusion, and he doesn’t have that strange buzzing feeling Barath describes as symptom zero. Lena, however, does seem to be feeling something. She keeps shaking her head like she’s trying to flick water out of her ears- but ever the professional, she soldiers on.

Deeper and deeper they trek, and as they walk Lena gets more and more lethargic.

There’s a weight settling over his skeleton too, but he’s still able to keep moving at a steady pace. She has to keep pausing to read the compass, changing directions every now and then into a winding route through the mist. She stares at the compass longer and longer each time, like trying to read text that’s too small. She's shaking her head more often.

The flowers Lena signs to him, pointing at the tall white buds rising out of the mist in front of them. Moving her hand in the proper configuration to convey that message seems to be a monumental task.

You okay? Birdy signs back, worried.

She looks confused, like she’s unable to understand what he said. She just turns around and goes to the flowers without responding, taking out a small paring knife and cutting them free at the base. Birdy follows suit- each cut spits out a fresh cloud of mist, thicker and whiter than the air around them.

He cuts another flower.

Why was he cutting these flowers again? There’s a reason, isn’t there.

Holding three in his hand, he stares down at the delicate petals. They’re pretty.

He blinks and shakes his head hard- he was on a mission. He cuts another before his processor catches up with him and reminds him to check on… on the girl who came in with him. Lisa?

He glances over and for a second he’s not sure what he’s looking at. There’s a lump on the ground. She’s got only one flower in her hand.

The flowers are so pretty. Why were they taking these?

A red warning pops up in his vision and he can't read it, the words too jumbled and wonky to piece together. That doesn’t make sense- his automatic systems weren’t damaged in the fall. Yet, he can’t understand the warning. The mist. He needs to get out of the mist.

When did he get on his hands and knees?

He stands up on unsteady legs and there’s a brief moment of clarity- he had to get out. They both had to get out, now. He stumbles over to Lauren and grabs her around the waist, hauling her up and holding her loose limbed body in his elbow like a football.

“Nn.. no.” She groans, clawing at the ground until she can wrap her hands around the flowers he’d dropped to grab her, “Need… need pinks…” she slurs desperately, clutching the delicate buds to her chest.

“We have to get out of here.” He argues, surprised at how steady his voice was. He still had time. The mist that the flowers spat was concentrated and strong, but now that he’d stopped harvesting them the fog had receded enough to allow him space to think. He has to wait until she’s got the flowers before he can walk, her struggling making it hard to keep his steps straight without falling.

He starts moving while he can think somewhat straight again. He doesn’t have time to spare to study the compass- each passing second threatens him with that looming confusion. His internal navigation is still steady. He has to trust that the mist hasn’t ruined that yet- so he focuses all his brain power into following the path back out. Less twists and turns, now that he’d mapped the way in. he should be able to get them out fast.

He needed to get them out fast. He was okay, he knew that-

Her nose is dripping with blood, bright red and harsh against the pale orange fur on her face. She’s panting and muttering something- Too far. I went too far. I had to- i needed pinks- i need- we went too far- and her time is running out. His arms feel heavy, but he can still carry her. He won’t leave her. He won’t.

Eons pass. It feels like years. Part of him whispers that it would be so easy to lie down, a homesick urge to rest among familiar green grass and dirt. It would feel so good.

He breaks out of the mist into fresh air and his knees hit the dirt again. He drops Lena in a heap on the ground and coughs up white mist until his internal fans run clear again. Thankfully, he still has the presence of mind to shift his mask to keep his face covered while he spits out thick white mucus.

Samiras knees hit the dirt beside him, “Birdy-” She reaches for him but he sits up, batting her hand away.

“I am fine. Tend to Lena.” He says roughly, swaying in place.

When he looks at her, she’s wide eyed in shock, “You can still form sentences?” She asks, awed.

“How long were we in there?” he asks.

“Twelve hours.” She whispers, “Every other team was unable to return before they hit eight.”

Samira insists he and Lena both ride Suncup back to Oasis even if he argues that he’s fine to walk. Halfway back, he’s grateful for her forcing him on the saddle. His head is still pounding, but he’s mostly happy that being up on horseback makes it easier for Samiras and Wox to field Baraths burning desire to poke and prod and interrogate him on exactly why he was so unaffected by the mist. He can’t think of a suitable lie with the exhaustion still weighing him down, so he’s grateful for the obstacles between the two of them. It also gives him a chance to monitor Lena- she hadn’t woken up yet, and her nose was still dripping blood on Suncups gray coat, but she was alive.

Barath wasn’t certain she’d make it back. They just had to monitor her until they could get her to Oasis’s infirmary. As long as everything went smoothly, Birdy was sure she’d be okay. Her vitals were stable.

This is the Realm of madness, and he’s part of the ninja. That’s a double whammy that ensures nothing will go smoothly.

He’s pulling Suncups reigns before he really even processes that everything has gone to hell, yanking the horse off the beaten path and into the underbrush. He whips Suncup around a tree and into the foliage and leaps off, pulling Lena with him and tucking her in the roots of a massive interwoven bush before he rushes back out to help the others.

It looks like a sand eel, almost. The same massive, gaping mouth and tiny eyes, but that’s where the similarities end- the rest of it is thick with fat, it’s twelve legs segmented and hairy and ending in long thick claws for climbing trees like a sloth. One wouldn’t have been bad, but six had dropped around them. Pack hunters. Wox smashes one on the side of the head with his mutated hand and it’s skull cracks and gives- a gruesome sight as blood splatters across the floor.

Barath is standing off to the side dodging debris and eagerly taking notes in his little booklet, more interested in documenting the creatures strange chittering communications than stopping the ambush. The handful of other warriors that’s accompanied them are trying to beat back the rest of the horde to little effect.

Samira jumps to the right, rolling across the dirt as the largest of the beasts attempts to flop its body on top of her- it’s preferred hunting method, it seems. Crushing its prey to death with its massive weight. She leaps back to her feet, turning around too slow- she doesn’t expect it to roll.

Birdy throws himself across the clearing and into Samiras side, the two of them sliding across the ground out of range of the beast's death roll. Birdy is back up in record time, and a wave of vertigo rolls over him. The mist is still lingering in his system- but there’s no time to breathe. The eels are eager to eat, and they don’t care for a fair fight. The alpha zeroes in on Birdy and charges, massive muscles bunching under it’s thick skin with deadly intent.

He hasn’t used ice since the Never Realm. He couldn’t bring himself too- it had been a tool of oppression for so long that the idea of even forming a snowflake made Birdys skin crawl. There was no other option here, though. Not with the beast bearing down on him, not with how weak he still was. He’d have to run after this, take off away from the group- if they’d kill him for his mechanics, there was no telling what they’d do to use his powers.

He reaches deep in his chest, in the cold space that’s always been there-

He flings his hand out. He’d freeze the ground. Their claws were too wide and flat to grip ice. Without traction, it wouldn’t be able to fight. None of them would. That had to be enough. So he draws up from that well deep in his heart and prepares himself to run and hope that Lena will be okay-

-And nothing happens.

The world stutters to a stop.

Ice, the one constant in the past sixty years- the one thing he could truly rely on, even in his darkest moments. His faithful companion during the good at the bad. It didn’t respond to him anymore. The cold chill in his chest is a echo of something he used to have. There’s an empty cavern inside him that expands suddenly, like realizing it was there has allowed it room to breathe and now its crushing his power core and all his internal wiring with the nothingness growing inside him. It stretches down his arms and legs, out to the very tips of his fingers until he is a hollow husk of a man who used to be someone important. Every piece of his body feels fragile and thin, everything he is suddenly a threadbare piece of cloth so thin and insignificant one wrong move will crumble him to dust. He is powerless.

He is alone.

It’s autopilot that saves him and Samira both. The deep set need to survive has him springing away from the beast's path, arm looped around Samiras waist to drag her with him, and it’s his one stroke of good luck that he’d been in front of a tree when the thing charged him. It smashes into bark and it squeals in pain, blood running from its mouth in thick rivulets. It begins to claw up the same tree it’s just dented with its head, chittering a strange song that has the four remaining beasts all pull back. The alpha scrambles up the trunk and leaps across the canopy, the rest of its pack scurrying after it until there is only their little scouting party and the fading crackle of shifting tree branches left.

Mourning has become such a constant part of his life here that he should be able to shelve the loss of Ice and continue on as normal, but he can’t. It feels so much more visceral than what has happened so far- he’d lost everything. Why this, too? Why?

What have I done?

What does a monster deserve?

Suffer.

He swallows down the scream that threatens its way up his throat. He needed to distract himself, he needed to put this away for a moment when he is alone and can fall apart in peace. he can't think about it. he's good at not thinking about things.

He stands up and looks to Samira, who’s already up and briskly brushing the dirt off her pants. Birdy jogs over into the woods where he’d left Suncup and Lena, pleasantly surprised that the skittish horse hadn’t booked it the moment they’d dismounted. He offers the horse a shaky pet before he eases Lena out of the bushes he’d hid her in and back onto Suncups back, leading the two of them back to the main path. Another party member had been injured, and Birdy insists he ride with Lena the rest of the way back to town.

It’s a quiet, somber affair now- everyone on edge, prepared for the next attack that never comes.

Ila waits for them in the stable, and when they arrive with injured she rushes out to fetch the nurses to help. Birdy accompanies Lena to the medical wing- he’s not sure why. He feels responsible for her now, after protecting her. He just had to see it through to the end. He has to make sure she was okay, after everything. They allow him to sit with her after they check her over.

Two hours after they finally make it back, Lena wakes up.

“How are you feeling?” Birdy asks quietly. The room is lit with only a few candles, and Lena still squints against the brightness.

“Did we get the flowers?” She asks instead of responding, whispering it the way people with strep throat whisper. He remember how raw his insides felt after the mist- it would be doubly worse for someone not so mechanically inclined.

“Yes, you did.” Samira answers for him, stepping into the dark room at the perfect time.

Lena straightens up at the sight of her, “My payment?” She asks with a weak smile, eyes flashing with need. Samira produces another of those black vials and hands it over to Lena, who struggles to pop the cork so she can pour all six pills into her palm with a happy sigh.

“As for your payment…” Samira turns to Birdy with a tight frown, “Not only did you get the flowers, but you saved Lenas life and mine. I… owe you.” She bites out the last two words, like it’s agony to say it. Like she wanted nothing less than to offer those words.

By his side, Lena gasps.

“So,” Samira continues, pulling out a small leather bag, “I am going to give you this. Then we’ll be even.” She tosses him the bag.

He catches it automatically, curiously opening the top to reveal an oblong black pill. “Samira, I do not want any painkillers-”

“It’s not a painkiller.” Lena says, voice dripping with longing.

“You survived the mist longer than anyone else ever has.” Crossing her arms, Samira looks away, “There was another like that- his trips to the mist changed him faster, damaged him far more quickly than the rest of us. That’s what happened to you too, isn’t it? You haven't been here the same time as the rest of us, but if you ran into Birdy then you were by the mist. You’re mutated, and it’s far along.”

Lena leans forward, “It’s the cure.” She says reverently, “It takes away the chaos and the pain. It returns you to who you used to be, before this realm destroyed you.”

He looks down at the little pill. So unassuming for the respect it demanded, for the amount of good it could do.

But he was a robot, and he didn’t need it. He was a monster, he wouldn't deserve it.

He picks up the glass of water by Lenas bedside and holds it out to her, dropping the pill bag onto her lap, “Take it.” he says simply, “I do not want it.”

He’d be a fool to ignore the way Lenas face twisted with pain each time she moved- her skin was thick and heavy from the realm, and it weighed so much it threatened to slough off her body each time so moved too quickly. She was covered in silver-white striped stretchmarks under her fur and scars from where her skin had gotten so heavy it’d torn free from her muscles underneath. Her tail was docked halfway down- it’s grown too heavy and had dragged along the ground to the point it was raw and weeping blood too often for her to salvage it. Leather wraps, tight clothes, anything compression helped- but eventually her body would grow so heavy that she wouldn’t be able to move. With the cure, she could be okay for a while longer.

“No!” Samira snaps angrily, immediately taking a dangerous step closer, “You can’t just- give it away. That was my repayment to you, for what you did for me.”

Lena scrambles to take the pill before Samira can make a move for it, swallowing it dry before following it with a hasty gulp of water.

“You gave it to me, so it is my choice what I do with it.” He argues back.

Samira snarls, “That is not how it works. I didn’t do anything for you, now! I still owe you!” she waves her hands around angrily.

“I do not care about repayment!”

“That doesn’t matter!” She lets out an explosive breath, pinching the bridge of her nose like fighting an oncoming headache, “Fine. fine! I’ll repay you some other way!” she spins on heel and storms out of the room, a vacuum of fury being sucked out with her.

Birdy stares after her, confused and irritated. He didn’t want pinks, he didn’t want the cure!

“Thank you.” Lena says quietly. He turns around to face her- her skin hasn’t changed much outwardly, but there's a blissed look of relief relaxing the constant furrow of her brow. A pink pill is missing from the pile in her lap too, “I owe you.”

He feels a fresh bubble of frustration well up his chest, “No, you do not.”

She relaxes back onto the pillow in her bed, “Yes, I do. That’s how it works here. You do something for someone, and they owe you- the bigger the favor, the more you can ask for. For a cure pill, I’ll give you whatever you want… anything you ask.”

He rests his hand lightly on hers, the anger fading into exhaustion, “I do not want anything from you.” He says quietly.

There’s a long moment of silence, “I have to repay you so… I’ll let you in on a secret, okay?”

“You do not have to-”

“Samiras the bad guy.” She mutters softly, “She wants you to think she’s this reformed philanthropist, but that’s not true. She wants control. It’s all she’s ever wanted, and this is how she gets it.” She begins to languidly put the leftover pills back in their case, “Pinks are painkillers, yeah, but they’re also the most addicting thing you can put in your body. It only takes one, and you’re dependent on them- everyone wants one all of the time, and Samira controls the production. She and Ila are the only ones who actually know how to formulate them, so no one else can replicate it. Oasis isn’t a town, it’s her territory- and there’s a price to be paid by everyone who steps food on her soil.”

“A price?”

She shrugs, “food, spices, textiles, labor- all of it is promised in exchange for pinks. If we don’t comply, we don’t get any. It’s how she maintains control- and no one has any dirt on her, so no one can leverage anything to change the status quo. Ila is completely loyal to her, so if Samira is killed I think she’d let this place burn before she blabbed. No one can do anything but live by her rules.”

“Samira has never owed anyone a serious favor… until you. I imagine you won’t be able to get anything too outrageous, but it’s the principle of the matter. Everyone will know she owes you before long, and that’s not a good look for her. If people realize she's not infallible they'll start to get ideas.”

She pins him with her brilliant gold eyes, her gaze intense and focused, “You need to be careful, Birdy. You have a target on your back now- she’ll go to great lengths to discredit you and lower your reputation. You might even be in an ‘accident’ soon… you’re in the lions den, kid.” She smiles at the irony of that statement coming from a lioness, “Don’t let your guard down.”

“And maybe, if you can… get out of town.”

[beybladeninja]

I had this idea for a Future AU based off of my Elemental Masters AU, and it involves the My Hero Academia universe. I’ve posted this on my Wattpad account, but I’m curious as to what others think.

(If you are sensitive to talk of bodily harm, blood, or child abuse, please do not read this.)

PREPARE THYSELF.

I call this: UNITIZED AU.

—————

In the future after each of the boys have Awakened their Elements and they are revered as the world's protectors, a new enemy arises in their home Realm. A company by the name of Unitize, who claims that their main purpose is to spread peace and prosperity throughout the world.

And the company's chairwoman, Ms. Yang, sees the boys as a threat. She doesn't understand why the world relied on a group of kids to secure their safety, and apparently had been doing so for generations. She sees them as some sort of monarchy that had an centuries old iron grip on the world. Such a power dynamic threatened the influence of Unitize. HER influence.

So she resolves to destroying them and the line of Elemental Masters completely.

To start, Ms. Yang pulls a Hitler - she reverses all media and social propaganda about the boys to make them seem like the bad guys. With the public no longer on their side, PIXAL advises the boys to flee and go into hiding. Out in the wild, they are alone and scared. Perfect prey for Unitize.

Soon Ms. Yang kidnaps all of the boys and takes them to an underground bunker, where she experiments on how to stop the Elemental Cycle. They refuse to talk, to the point that they’re considered mute by many, but they let her know that it doesn't matter what she does. If she drains their power, they will simply come back in time. If she kills them, the Elements will simply find worthy successors and the Cycle will continue anew.

But then Ms. Yang discovers that the boys are powerless when surrounded by vengestone. After experimenting with the stone, she has her scientists create a liquid substance that mimics its nullifying effects. She orders the boys encased in tanks of the stuff, which are then frozen, thus freezing them as well. Her plan is to keep them frozen in the vengestone substance for eternity, keeping the Cycle from continuing and keeping the boys from interfering with Unitize.

But to ensure that the Cycle stays paused, Ms. Yang takes it a few Hitler steps further. First, she has the frozen boys moved to places around the world where their Elements would be useless - Xander and Lui are moved to the Polar Ice Caps, Fubuki and Naoki are moved to volcanic islands, etc.

Then she hunts down any and all people that the boys were close with, especially friends and family. If the Elements are able to escape their frozen prisons, she wants to ensure all possible successors are eliminated. The search is long and hard, but she's unable to find anyone that was closely associated with the boys.

Nearly an entire town of people... gone.

Whatever. Better for Ms. Yang anyway. Problem solved without any dirty work.

But it's not good enough. She wants all traces of them wiped clean off of the Earth - no one can remember their legacy. A few political tricks and reversed propaganda later, and she's able to get the entire sport of Beyblade illegal. Tournaments cancelled, arenas torn down, stadiums recalled and destroyed. Nothing to remember the boys by.

With that all done, she was free to take care of PIXAL, who she was able to find unlike the rest. The Nindroid warns her that the loss of the Elements is a loss she could never understand. Nature would find a way to fill their absence, and the result would be something Ms. Yang could not control. She arrogantly doesn't believe PIXAL and gives the order to have her disassembled.

It should have been over. Ms. Yang believed herself to have won, and Unitize was in complete control of the world.

But then a few days later during a press conference, where she was going to declare the "Elemental Menace" over and done with, a man ran onto the scene and started screaming that a baby had just been born.

A baby that could glow.

Nature found a way.

—————

Many historians have argued over the circumstances that led to the creation of Quirks. A disturbance in Earth's magnetic fields? A foreshadowing of glory? A warning for doom?

No. They were made for something much more complicated.

They were made to fill an absence.

An absence so great, so crippling... that it could never fully be filled.

—————

(Fast forward to the year 2175.

I read somewhere a long time ago that this year is when My Hero Academia takes place, and it honestly makes a lot more sense to me than the current timeline.)

Pro Hero Selkie is on patrol with his team when his echolocation picks up a mysterious object on the bottom of the ocean floor. Upon bringing it on board the ship, they discover it to be a hunk of some sort of veined quartz.

And Selkie's echolocation also reveals that there's a foreign form inside the quartz.

Curiosity caused Selkie's team to crack open the quartz. They didn't expect to find much - maybe a fossil of a long deceased dinosaur that got caught between two slabs of quartz deep within the Earth's surface.

They didn't expect a young boy with tan hair and bright lime eyes to come tumbling out.

The boy is catatonic and refuses to talk to anyone, staying in his designated room with only short bursts of loud physical panic attacks to inform the crew that he's even there. He's offered food, but he leaves all of it untouched.

Selkie keeps trying though, coming to his room everyday and talking to him in an attempt to get him to open up. Little by little, his frantic shell cracks and he's able to answer Selkie's questions in short, one word answers. Does he know how he got in that quartz? Yes. Will he tell them how? No. He's actually one of the few people who find Selkie cute.

But still. No one knows what to do with the kid.

A few days later, though, the crew is attacked by a band of pirates. They use a type of experimental drug that strengthens their Quirks into something nearly unstoppable, and the Heroes find themselves outnumbered and outmatched.

That's when the mysterious boy decides to repay his hosts' kindness. He reveals a control over the Earth's gravity that has both Hero and Villain flailing. The Villains are powerless against this new adversary, and they have no choice but to surrender.

The boy had meant the action as a truce between him and the Heroes, but they were terrified. They had never seen a Quirk of this magnitude before. It had made their decision for them - they had to turn him over to the Hero Public Safety Commission.

When the boy finds out where they were sending him, he has a full blown panic attack. He speaks in full sentences for the first time and begs both the Heroes and Commission members not to throw him in a cell, that he simply can't go back there, and that he'd do anything to keep himself from being thrown into one.

So the Commission gives him a job. At the moment, they were at tense odds with a group known as the Paranormal Liberation Front, led by a man known only as All For One. If the boy could help the heroes in defeating the PLF once and for all, they would consider not throwing him in a cell.

Naturally, the boy had no choice but to accept.

So he soon finds himself on the battlefield between the Heroes and the PLF, right as Pro Heroes Endeavor, Hawks, Tsukuyomi, and Earphone Jack were fighting the infamous All For One. While he was fighting the Heroes, AFO kept boasting about his ideals and how the Heroes had no chance of winning. The boy hears all of this and it reminds him of a certain woman from his past. A woman whose last name rhymed with “sang”. The memory of the woman makes him angry. AFO makes him angry.

So he uses his abilities to increase the force of gravity acting on the outside of AFO's body so that's stronger than the force of gravity acting on the inside of his body.

Effectively tearing the man to shreds.

But the boy isn't done. The battlefield is covered in fires. Still controlling gravity as to keep AFO's remains afloat, he carries them over to one of these fires and feeds them into the flames little by little, with speechless people on each side of the war watching in horror. No Quirk the man had could possibly bring him back from such a far gone state.

When he's done, he runs away from the battlefield; anyone who tries to follow him is blown backwards by an unseen force. With everybody still in shock, no one else tries to stop him. It's not until after the battle is over, when Tomura Shigaraki is defeated, that search parties are sent out to find him.

Izuku Midoriya uses his abilities of Float and Danger Sense to eventually find the boy in a restaurant - in SPAIN. The boy had apparently gone there after killing AFO, by reasons and for reasons Izuku could not begin to understand. The staff, having watched the news coverage on the war in Japan, had taken pity on the boy, giving him a glass of water and a plate of seafood paella. Despite all that’s happened, the boy had quite the appetite, and had three quarters of the food chowed down by the time Izuku had arrived.

The boy doesn’t respond to Izuku’s questions when he approaches him. Questions like where he came from, what his Quirk was, what had possessed him to commit such an act - it all goes unanswered. When Izuku asks him what he wanted, however, his response was quiet and simple: "I want to make a home for me and my brothers to go back to."

Izuku sympathizes with the boy. After all, he also has a power that he occasionally loses control over. He promises to give the boy a stable home. The boy is still wary, but he has no where else to turn. He takes Izuku's hand and his offer.

The Commission fights tooth and nail to gain custody of the boy - someone with his power could prove valuable in the future - but Izuku's class and teachers stand with him on his decision to keep him. What he needs is a home that makes him feel safe. The boy would never admit it out loud, but he was grateful for their support.

During negotiations with Principal Nezu in regards to where he would be staying on UA Campus, he was offered a chance to room with one of the other classes, but he turned it down. He instead asked if he could stay in one of the empty dormitories, which was usually used for storage. When asked what he could possibly need so much space for, his response is strangely ominous: "I don't intend to be alone for much longer. I have nineteen brothers... and I intend to find them all."

For legal reasons, he was asked to sign his name on the lodging agreement. He signed it Kit Lopez.

—————

Extra Facts

- The boys didn't think much about Unitize at first - it was just another company that promised world peace. They figured it would lose popularity in time. If only they knew how wrong they would be.

- The reason why Ms. Yang couldn't find any of the boys' close acquaintances and family was because PIXAL got to them first. She'd overheard Ms. Yang's plan to eliminate them all and rounded them all up. She explained the situation to them and led them to the First Realm, where she also explained things to Firstbourne. The First Mother agreed to protect the outsiders, and she used the extent of her powers to freeze the Realms in time. All of them except the boys' home Realm and the two Departed Realms, so time would have the illusion of continuing. Meanwhile, PIXAL returned to the Home Realm to deal with Unitize herself.

- PIXAL was never able to find the boys before she was disassembled and tossed into the scrap heap, but she wasn't finished. Her central processing system was still functional, so she manipulated the wires in her ruined body to dislocate and grant her movement. It was a long, slow process, but she was able to return to the streets of the city and continue her search for her boys. Her ocular and hearing devices were removed, so she has to rely on touch (the signals through her wires) to get around. Her jaw had also been broken during her disassembling, so she can only speak in vowels. She comes off as frightening to those who see her, so she's taken to wearing a mask. She's now known as the "Metal Banshee" and is told in ghost stories and "be good or else" stories. She still searches for her boys by feeling the facial features of those she ensnares in her wires. If they're not any of her boys, she immediately lets them go and starts searching again.

- Unitize was going strong after the boys were frozen, but their hold started weakening when Quirks appeared. People started to realize that the company didn't have a handle on everything and lost trust in them. Ms. Yang suffered a mental breakdown at her losses and eventually committed suicide.

- The boys were placed in places that would further nullify their powers. Kit was placed in the ocean floor because gravity doesn't matter down there - if you're not lighter than the entire ocean, you're pretty much dead. With this thought in mind, Kit has been researching past Unitize facilities and trying to figure out where each of his brothers are most likely to be. He can often be found in the UA Library.

- Kit absolutely HATES being touched. It brings back bad memories.

- Kit's necklace was a gift to him from PIXAL - all of the boys got one. It's a specialized locket that's in the shape of a flower so it can hold many pictures at one time. The clasp is made of titanium and is DNA sensitive, so if anyone besides Kit tries to take it off, they get a painful shock instead.

Relationship Headcannons:

- The only UA student that isn't afraid of Kit is Hanta (since I headcannon that Hanta is of Mexican ancestry - Spaniards and Mexicans don't have the same culture, but they have similar tastes). Kit had been making churros and albondigas for his supper, and Hanta had caught a whiff of the dishes and popped on over to see what was cooking. Unsure of what to do, since none of the other students had ever willingly approached him, Kit gave him a plate. Hanta fell in love with his cooking and started stopping by more often; eventually the two became friends. Hanta is constantly hounded by other students who want to know what the mysterious newcomer is like.

He teaches Kit about all that had happened in the years that he'd been frozen, or at least his knowledge of the facts: the emergence of Quirks, the creation of the job of Hero, and the establishment of Hero schools like UA. In return, Kit tells him about how the world used to be: beys, bey arenas, bey stadiums everywhere. Hanta is confused as to the concept of Beyblade, but he listens like the dutiful best friend he is.

They would also speak Spanish to each other in public to mess with others - which annoys Denki and Mina to no end!

- Next is Eri. The little darling is curious about the newcomer on campus and starts spying on him from afar. Kit, being the ever observant boy he is, notices after the first few times and calls her out. She's embarrassed, but Kit assures her that he's not mad and starts talking with her. She starts coming over nearly as often as Hanta and the three of them become really close. Eri's caretakers (mainly Mr. Aizawa) are uneasy about her being near a boy who quite literally ripped a man to pieces, but as long she doesn't come home crying, they're okay with it.

- Izuku Midoriya is the one who found Kit after he'd killed AFO, but the display of power had chilled him just like everyone else. He brought back the kid and gave him a home, but he tries to keep his distance. Kit spends a lot of time in the library though, and can often be found reading in multiple places on campus. Izuku occasionally spots him with one book or another, and, being a fellow book nerd, curiosity often pushes him to get closer to see what book it is. Kit always looks up when he gets too close though, prompting Izuku to jolt and scram.

-Katsuki Bakugo acts high and mighty and often approaches Kit about sparring with him to establish who's stronger, but Kit could care less. He's not afraid of Katsuki; he's seen scarier threats from Lui.

In fact, I picture him telling off the angry Pomeranian something like this:

"I've seen worse than you. I've DEALT with worse than you. There are several things in this world that are worse than you, and I'm sure you're well aware of that. So why do you keep trying to act all tough, huh? Trying to make up for something?"

Imprisonment has made him sassy, ladies and gentlemen.

- I've already established in my AU that Kit has a knack for rapping, though I also think he could be a pretty good singer if he let his voice go soft. When he's not reading or needs to think through something, he sings a song from back in his day. Kyoka Jirou, the musician of the class, hears his singing coupled with the odd lyrics and thinks he's a great singer. Of course, she'll never get close enough to tell him that.

- Ochako Uraraka is IMMENSELY intimidated by Kit. His power over gravity is far greater than her Quirk, and she feels both awed and terrified by his prowess. She stares at him often, wondering just how much power could fit into such a little body. Whenever he catches her staring, she flinches and tries to hide her intimidated fear. Kit knows she's afraid of him, but couldn't care less about contradicting it. If anything, he's quietly enjoying the attention.

- Minoru Mineta is hated by practically everyone on UA campus, and Kit is no exception. He hated the guy from the moment he first laid eyes on him, mentally calling him a "purple prick". His attitude towards Minoru only got worse when he noticed his intense perversion of the female student body. He threatens Minoru every time he notices him being creepy - he's as feared as Minoru is hated, so the guy tries to keep his hands in his pockets whenever Kit is around.

- Kit's Element is greater than any Quirk the Hero population has ever seen, and he often uses that amazement to show off. Whenever he sees high-flying Heroes like Tsukuyomi and Hawks, he jumps into the sky to show them up, passing them with yelled quips like "on your left" and "move over birdies - there's a new sheriff in these skies". The two bird Heroes are flabbergasted by his speed, and Hawks is slightly intimidated by the new flying Hero.

- Kit often prefers Spanish dishes, though his time spent around Japanese brothers-in-arms has made him crave their native dishes as well. He's terrible at cooking them though, so he heads to the UA cafeteria whenever he's craving Japanese food. Everyone is too scared to sit with him, and he often comes when Class 1-A with Hanta isn't there, so he sits by himself. Pro Hero Lunch Rush takes pity on him and gives him dishes that he always enjoys. Most of the school faculty is afraid of Kit, but at least he has a friend in the cook.

Lunch Rush knows what Kit did, of course - the whole faculty knows and that's why they're afraid of him. Even MR. AIZAWA has second thoughts about being in the same room with him. But Lunch Rush doesn't care; he's just happy that he has a new satisfied customer.

(Lunch Rush was so hard to draw. What does he look like under that mask, anyway?)

- Neito Monoma picks on anyone who isn't Class 1-B, and Kit is unfortunately no exception. Whenever he gets going though, Kit makes it clear that it's not worth his time and he doesn't give a shit. He just holds up his middle finger and walks off, much to Neito's annoyance and everyone else's amusement.

(Yes, that is supposed to be Neito - I didn't even try on his hair.)

- Also, neither Mr. Aizawa nor Neito can Erase Kit's power or Copy it - they don't understand that it's not a typical Quirk. The fact that they can't affect him to any degree makes them even more on edge around him, though Neito tries to hide his uneasiness by messing with Kit more often.

- Mirio Togata is afraid of Kit like everyone else, but at least he tries to get along with him. He pulls the same stunt he did with Izuku and pops his head out of numerous surfaces. Kit's lived with guys that could dissipate into smoke and travel through shadows, so he's not fazed, just slightly weirded out. It'll take him a bit to open up to Mirio like he's done with his other allies, but it's a start.

[ninjagojay457]

Zane the Pain :'(

[blursed-ninjago-ideas]

Whumptober 3

Happy FMA day! I had another coworker chose this one. I did an expanded list for them to chose from, so Pixal gets hit with the whump stick today.

Prompt: Taunting

Randomly Selected Whumpee: Pixal

--

Well Pixal was maybe just a little in over her head.

It started simply. The ninja got invited to Shintaro. They were only suppose to be gone for a day or two. It’s been longer and Pixal had done her best to keep Ninjago safe.

Of course this was the time the Mechanic got lucky and she got decidedly unlucky.

So there Pixal was, strapped down on a dirty work table with no back-up coming. Not ideal.

She hoped whatever was keeping the others wasn’t life threatening, but knowing their luck they were in a vengestone cage or something. Pixal could only tell herself that they were capable ninja that would be fine and go back to figuring out her own mess.

Her limbs were deactivated and her chest was open. It was uncomfortable on it’s own, but in enemy hands it was nerve-racking. Who knew what else the Mechanic would be doing to her systems if she didn’t get out of there.

Speaking of Pixal’s personal devil, he finally walked back into the room, a box of tools on his hip.

“Hello girly!” he said.

“I would appreciate it if we skipped the false pleasantries. What do you want with me?” Pixal said.

The Mechanic tutted at her before sitting down on a rolling chair. He kicked the floor and launched himself to her. Dumping his box out on a nearby surface, he adjusted a large pair of work goggles.

“You really didn't last long without the others did you?” he said “It’s been a few days of no ninja and here you are, captured and at my mercy.”

Pixal rolled her eyes.

“Some Samurai.” he laughed “You know the first Samurai X, Nya, she was a brute! Almost a shame she hung up the armor and put on the gi, you know? She knew what she was doing. The ninja could trust her to handle things without them.”

“So you have me strapped to a table to compare me to my friend and imply I’m incompetent in my job? Is that all?” Pixal asked.

“I can compare you to your predecessor and imply your incompetence while I work.” he shrugged.

Before Pixal could ask about said “work”, he reach into her chest and started unscrewing something.

Pixal’s nerves and feelings didn’t work the same as a human. Her surface sensed things similar to how a human’s skin felt touch, but internally: it wasn’t anything so comparable. She wasn’t numb to her components. There was sensation when they were touched and moved. It was impossible to describe in a language created by and for humans though. It was something even Zane barely understood; he was far more human than she was.

So when something came loose, it was unpleasant, jarring, maybe even painful in a less than physical sense. None of those words were quite right, but they were as close as Pixal could get to describing her very unique experience.

“To be honest I would’ve preferred the white one, but I guess you’ll do.”

The Mechanic prattled on, uncaring, or maybe even unaware of what Pixal was feeling.

“I don’t suppose I could just ask you to stop tampering with my systems?” she said, trying to ignore her discomfort and violation.

He laughed. It was almost a joke, she supposed.

Then he started to shove things around, looking for something.

“Where is that thing?” he mumbled.

“You know the ninja are going to stop you, again.” She said, two could play at the taunting game.

He laughed again as he found what he was looking for.

“Not when they’re too busy stopping you!” he said.

Pixal gasped as she felt him connect something foreign to her.

This could be more accurately described as pain. It was as close a word as humans got to what it was like to feel a burning, invasive, consuming force push into every processor and connection in her system. To feel her own thoughts dissolve and end, only to relaunch as something else.

“You’re going to destroy your friends for me.” he chuckled “Or at least distract them for awhile.”

Pixal twitched as the malware ripped through her soul like a hyperactive child abusing a jungle gym. It was the only piece of her that wasn’t converted and repurposed, but it wasn’t untouched. It was a unique form of agony, but maybe a human could understand would it felt like to have knives dragged across their soul. It didn’t destroy her, but it left her feeling tender and weak. She wondered if Zane felt anything, having the other half.

Her green eyes turned red and The Mechanic clapped in excitement.

--

So that turned out alright. I liked getting into how a Nindroid might not feel things the same as a human and how to explain it with human words. It was a fun concept to play with and I might do it again soemtime.

-Ivy

[purplerose244]

My thoughts on Ninjago the Island!!! 🏝🏝🏝

So, gotta be honest... this is not a Blind reaction thing, I actually watched it in French first so I know most of the stuff already 😅 It's entertaining, it got great animation, but nothing more than that in my opinion 🤷‍♀️

Still there is stuff I liked or I want to point out, and finally I'm seeing the English version so I can actually understand what the HECK they are saying 🤩

Alright, nothing else to say, here we go!

UNCHARTED

I haven't actually seen anything Clutch Powers related before Ninjago, is he always like this? I love that he is a jerk honestly, just wondering 😂

Press F for respect for intern Dwaine (at least he seems to like being... used?)

Clutch: It's just a bunch of rocks! It's not alive!

Totem: I'm about to end this man's whole career

Wait, Misako is part of the explorers club? ... that would have come in handy in season 11 to get the scroll of Forbitten Spinjitzu from the club instead of begging uncle Powers for it... *sighs* I don't mind plot holes in Ninjago like most fans I think, but if you wanna make Misako relevant again at least pay attention to the details 😅

Wow, after the end of season 13 I would've thought Wu was going to go through a midlife crisis, not Misako 😂😂

Oww, everytime I hear I get 😢 Bless your soul Kirby, always in our hearts 🖤🖤🖤

Well hello Brian

Always nice to see you 😊

Twitchy Tim must have been pretty interesting to voice 🤔 I like him enough, he's fun and all, maybe not at the level of the characters we got last season

Okay, the place is called the STORM belt, there are LIGHTNINGS, and the sand of the beach is BLUE. Are we gonna address any of these similarities to our Bluebell here or not? 😅

Wait, Tim was giving a hot air balloon tour, does that mean other people where with him? What of them? Are they dead? Did he let them die on the island?... am I reading too much into this? Probably 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Alright, the part of the boats? SO COOL 🤩🤩 I literally can't say anything bad about the animation at this point

Why did they think leaving Kai, Jay and Cole on one boat was going to be a good idea 😂 Also Zane just randomly doing sick tricks on his vehicle, love that nindroid

I'm guessing Nya is keeping her water abilities for her season 🤷‍♀️

Yep, yep, this is why the creators try to keep Pixal out of the adventures, with her everything is way too cool and easy to access to 😎😎

Twitchy Tim: There are statues that become alive!!

Lloyd:... so it's a season 2 stone army ripoff, we've seen worse

It's a cute episode overall 👍

THE KEEPERS OF THE AMULET

OKAY THE INTRO IS SO FREAKING COOL 🤩🤩🤩🤩

So Twitchy Tim has temporarily taken over Jay's role of spazzing out and complain about worse case scenarios... in another occasion they might have bonded over this, maybe 😂

Okay, survival position? MOOD

Nya: DRAGOOON 😱

Me: DRAGOOOOOOON 😍😍😍

Why am I not surprised that Jay was the one that named him Zippy? 💙 Also HE'S SO CUTE 💕💕💕 Love how in every adventure, we always get very different types of dragon in this show 👌 I'm a simple person, I see a dragon... 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Oh-oh, it's the "Lloyd's done with this crap"'s face

This means serious business... am I that used to LEGO characters that this way of crossing arms on the chest looks almost normal to me? 😅

Soooo, Master of the Mountain clearly gave Cole too much development... because now he got demoted to "the one who is always hungry" 🤦‍♀️ I'm all for Cole's endearing love for cakes, which is super relatable, but if you're gonna push it on his fun side, at least be coherent 🙃

Is it just me or it feels like the writing of this special was made by someone different from the one of season 13? Like, it's not bad, just less engaging and witty. For now. Maybe I'm being premature 🤷‍♀️

New way of nerfing powers, we got... weird, sucking power totem thingies... OKAY

My gosh I really can't say anything about the animation, look at that! It's all cinematic with such a light! YES!! ���

I'M SORRY

WHY ARE WE LOOKING OVER THIS??? IT LOOKS LIKE COLE'S LAVA PUNCHES BUT THEY ARE JAY LIGHTNING FEET??? IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT AGAIN??? WHY ARE WE IGNORING THIS??? 💙💙💙💙

So they at least addressed that lightning isn't a Jay's thing only anymore 😅

Alright, Jay having a mental breakdown because of a bridge because it always breaks, that's the Bluebell I know and love 😂😂 Nya telling him to keep moving was cute too 💙❤💙❤

Okay, I'm sorry but this really bothers me, what kind of lightning can instantly knock out the MASTER OF LIGHTNING??? Like, my gosh, really??? I hope they give us an explanation, like it's some sort of special lightning, because this really doesn't sit right with me. Jay is lightning proof, we've seen it in Skybound, we've seen it in Sons of Garmadon, I DON'T BELIEVE HE WOULD JUST BE KNOCKED OUT LIKE THAT 😡😡😡

Soooooo, storm amulet? Being one with the lightning? Is that the reason why Jay got to be the sacrifice? 😅

THE GIFT OF JAY

Alright, I am kinda looking forward for this one, what did Bluebell actually say or do to get him into trouble this time 😂😂

Oh, he just... introduced himself... well that was underwhelming

SENSEI👏YOU👏ARE👏A👏FREAKING👏GOD👏STOP👏GETTING👏KIDNAPPED👏BY👏RANDOM👏VILLAINS👏

Bring ooooon Lloyd Grills 💪

Okay I did like the little speech, definitely resonates with how Lloyd survived this long even though everything wanted him to give up, even his father... I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING 😭

Jay out there making the real questions 😂

Awwww Edna used to call him gift of Jay? I can totally see it, so cute 💙💙 Makes even more sense if Libber actually left Jay at the Walkers' door...

Pff, Jay made the connection I would've done honestly 🤷‍♀️ Like, him being the master of lightning really didn't give these dudes any impression or inspiration? Any cool idea, full Road of El Dorado style? 🙃🙃

Lloyd out there abusing of the animation budget 💚💚💚

Somehow these ninja never actual sneak in, it's always a huge mess everyone knows about beforehand 😂 It's familiar though, I'm used to it and happy with it 👍

I might not be the biggest Misako fan, but you know what I am a fan of?

LEGO HUGS 😍😍😍😍😍

Dang it uncle Powers, you just got here to make a mess did you 😅

Not the first person of the fandom to say this, but Jay looks absolutely lovely with that flower crown 🌺🌺🌺

Oh poor greenie

Lloyd just has the worst luck 😓

Jay: Why would I be the gift?

Kai: Yeah who would want Jay?

Nya: Huh, me?? 😡

Got some very good Jaya for this little special, can't complain 💙❤💙❤

I mean, not matter how big of a snake Wojira might turn out to be, we've already seen the biggest and the second biggest snake of all so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Whoa, at last... IT WAS THE FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER THAT HAD SOMETHING HE SHOULD'VE TOLD WU A LONG TIME AGO!! 😱 Wu, you got pulled a Wu, how does it feel? 😂

Again, Jay freaking out, kinda my jam it's too funny 💙💙

Wow Kai way to be hominous offscreen 👏👏 I miss talking about my flame babe, this really isn't his time 🤷‍♀️

THE TOOTH OF WOJIRA

So when I first watched this I was genuinely, really excited about knowing the truth behind all this. It turned out very different from what I first thought, but at least in this case it's okay (besides I was pushing with the lightning meaning just to see Libber again 😅😅😅)

I feel like the guys get their powers stolen or blocked so much it takes them a minute to remember "Oh wait I can literally burn my way out" 🤷‍♀️

SPINJITZU YAY 🤩

I... forgot that Misako knows how to fight 😅 She knows how to do spinjitzu too if I remember correctly...

NYA BEING LIKE "OUT OF THE WAY IMMA SAVE MY BOYFRIEND AGAIN" ❤💙❤💙

Gotta love how they were all crazy worried about Jay, like, this is something that never changes through the show. They really care so so much for each other 💕💕💕

Ooohhhh, okay, so Wojira does seem to be the main villain of next season according to the story. I remember Tommy saying that we needed to have faith and this is probably why. The special was okay, nothing too much, and hopefully that too much we will see in Nya's season 😍😍😍

What the- pff, I didn't notice this the first time 😂

At this point I can't tell if that one short with the chicken of the movie carried a hate or a love for chickens in the actual show 😂😂

Nice to see Jay standing up for himself at least for a little while 💪 Also Lloyd being "He's our trouble", aww family 💜

THERE IT IS

MY BRUISE HEART IS SOARING 🖤💙🖤💙

Gotta give props to the voice actors, voicing an explanation while fighting must be pretty hard! WE ARE BLESSED WITH AN AMAZING CAST!!! 🤩🤩🤩

And there he is, our favorite jerk... shaved Ronin 😂 He does look a little weird, but it's fair, new animation and all. Not the weirdest until now 🤷‍♀️

I genuinely had to make a mental check to see where we are with Ronin now, like, he started as a villain, then a partner, he betrayed us, became an ally, he hunted the ninja, then joined them, that timeline was erased, he was around in SoG and... wow this man is chaotic 😂😂

Yaaaay, Twitchy's last minute redemption act! Lloyd is too good at motivational speeches 👏👏

A bit of Lava OTP/BrOTP

Cause it's good for the heart ❤🖤❤🖤

Okay, Scooby doo reference, why not? Also honestly, I'm confident Ronin has seen A LOT of jails and prisons... probably won't stay behind bars for long 😅

Mammatus: sorry for imprisoning you and almost killing your friend

Kai: no biggie, that's how we make friends in this show

Alright the "And Clutch Powers" gag made me chuckle 😂 ... wait where is he- DANG IT UNCLE POWERS

Okay, this is the last time I say it I promise, but I mean. I MEAN

THE ANIMATION GUYS 😍😍😍

Aaaaand sensei you jinxed it 😅 But you apparently awakened Nya's season so I'm gonna forgive you on this one 😉

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are a few little details that bothered me a little, and it wasn't as exciting as I maybe hoped it was going to be, but it was fine. Enjoyable still. These characters make me like the show, even when it got nothing too impactful 🤷‍♀️

But I got triggered about that lightning thing with Jay 😅 I guess I'll just fanfic whatever I had in mind...

Don't have to repeat myself about the animation *chef's kiss*

The writing was really less engaging, a little normal in a way? Idk just a feeling. Nice to see Ronin again though, I really like him. And nice to see Jay freaking out, I really like that too 😂

To be honest I wanted to put down my thoughts on this one because I REALLY wanna do the same with Nya's season 🤩🤩 I already know that Maya is gonna be there and I am so HAPPY already!!! 💙💙💙

So that's it from me! Thank you for reading me ranting, see you next season! 😊

[fanfalc-616]

The Rights Of A Nindroid

Chapter Twenty-Six

(Previous Chapter Here)

Yeah okay this took forever,,,, have fun with it! (;

Also it was too long for one post again so I’ll reblog this with the rest-

Cryptor struggles to find the solution to the latest puzzle they gave him, doing his best not to let frustration show on his face as he ignores Kyle and Martha talking in the background.

He hates this. He just… he wishes that there was some way out, some way to be free, some way to be okay again.

But there’s not. He’s stuck here, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

He feels tired. So tired. Nothing even seems to make sense anymore, so his only real choice is to just… keep going. Even if the only way he can do that is to follow their orders.

Exhausted, he takes a moment’s pause from the puzzle, absent-mindedly listening in on part of the conversation going on behind him.

Martha is the one speaking. “- and when Sentry is here, we’ll be able to-“

Hold on. Did he just hear what he thinks he did? Did she just- Sentry? She’s going to bring Sentry here?!

He whips around, turning to face them. “What did you just say?!” He demands, ignoring the voice screaming at him to just do what he’s told. He can’t sit there and do nothing, not while his friend is on the line!

Kyle seems to wince some, but Martha glares. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned with, General.” She snaps. “Do not speak out of turn again, and go back to your task.”

He completely disregards the order, only staring at the two of them. They- they’re going to bring him here?! No, no, Cryptor’s been behaving, he’s been following orders, why would they-

“General, calm down.” Kyle interrupts his train of thought. “You knew it would come to this eventually, right?”

Cryptor can only stare in sheer horror as he struggles to come to terms with the implications of what they’re saying. “I- no. No, I didn’t- I-“ He abruptly stands up, pushing the small bench he’s on backwards as the metal screeches, but he ignores the loud sound, barely even able to hear it over his racing thoughts.

“No!” He shakes his head rapidly, struggling to figure out what to say. “You- you can’t-“

“Sit down, General.” Martha orders, her expression one of annoyance.

Fear and anger take over him, leaving him trembling. “You can’t hurt him!” He shouts, trying to come up with something, anything he could do to stop this.

“General! There's nothing you can do about it!” Kyle snaps, an aura of almost unease around him. “Calm down or you'll get hurt yourself!”

Okay, there’s something going on here, usually he doesn’t get so many warnings, why would-

Oh, who cares about what’s going on with that?! Sentry is at stake here!

His words showcase his fear and anger, his voice trembling as he snarls the words out. “I- I can’t just sit here and follow orders when- when you’re going to-“

Martha’s voice is dark as she narrows her eyes at him. “That’s enough, General.” There’s a clear threat to her tone, and just that is enough to make him start shaking…

For a few moments, all he can do is stand there, fighting against the urge to cave, to do what she says, to hopefully avoid punishment-

It’s a struggle, but he manages to hold his ground. “No.” He gets out, making himself hold her gaze. “No, I can’t. It’s not.”

He forces the words out even as he feels his power source kicking into overdrive- he’d rather have it ripped out than let them do what they’ve done to him to the innocent nindroid back at Borg Tower.

Shifting on his feet, Kyle seems to want to say something- but after a moment, he minutely shakes his head, looking over at Martha- likely for instructions.

Every gear and wire inside him feels abuzz with the mechanical equivalent of adrenaline, but he can’t think of what to do or say. His mind is running so fast that he can’t catch up, leaving him only able to stand and stare as the fear floods through him.

“Take it to the training room.” Martha turns to some guards as she speaks, still seeming annoyed. “It appears it needs to relearn an old lesson.”

The words send their own kind of fear through him, the thought of a punishment leaving him shaking even more. But he does his best to shove the feeling down, letting himself be escorted back to the training room and tied down once again.

There still seems to be something off about the blond as he dismisses the guards, but in all honesty, he doesn’t have enough processing power to even try and think about what it might mean.

Kyle sighs, but it doesn’t seem to be out of annoyance. “Okay, use the usual method. Just shocks for an hour.”

Wait- what? That’s it? Well, he- he doesn’t want to be punished more, but usually he gets in more trouble for this kind of thing.

He starts to voice his confusion out loud, but the shock he gets serves as a reality check, reminding him of his situation.

He’s not allowed to speak unless spoken to.

There’s silence, for a while. Which is surprising in its own way- Kyle usually gives him a lecture about what he did wrong while he’s being punished, but this time he’s… oddly quiet.

After all this time, you’d think that Cryptor would have grown numb to the pain. With everything he’s gone through, some shocks are hardly the worst thing in the world.

But somehow, he never seems to be able to quite adjust to it. Every blast of pain is just as bad as the one before it- and sometimes worse, when they start accumulating.

Breathing deeply, he looks down at the floor, struggling to hide how much it hurts. It’s- it’s not really real, anyway. It’s just… just a digital reaction designed to warn him that his circuits might be in danger. But he’s not in any real life-threatening danger, so all it does is-

A particularly painful shock jolts him from his train of thought, and he grinds his teeth as he struggles to push the pain from his mind.

In all honesty, he’s lucky that he’s had the life he did. With all the abuse he suffered from before the facility, he had actually gotten the chance to learn how to cope with this kind of thing.

But Sentry, on the other hand…

No. No, he can’t think about that. He can’t- there’s nothing he can do at the moment, he just needs to keep breathing, needs to not think about it, needs to not imagine what Sentry’s screams would sound like, needs to not picture the way he would curl in on himself as he struggled to cope, needs to not even consider what he might look like after going through even half of what he and Zane had-

He’s pulled from his downward spiral by Kyle, the blond suddenly speaking- and loudly, at that.

“OKAY! Okay, that's enough! An hour is way too long for that small of a mistake, I- Stop!”

When the shocks die down, Cryptor still can’t figure out what’s going on. Something is going on here, but Cryptor honestly doesn’t have the energy to piece together what.

He knows that he’s shaking like a leaf, and it makes his gut churn thinking about how damn weak he is, but he doesn’t dare lift his gaze.

It takes a moment for him to remember what he’s supposed to do. Right, they finished a punishment, he- he needs to confirm that he learned from it.

“ ‘m sorry, Master.”

The words are choked out and pathetic, and just hearing his own voice like that makes him want to cringe.

For some reason, Kyle seems to look uncomfortable, almost regretful in a way. “It's okay, it's- here. Let me-“

He trails off in favor of taking off Cryptor’s restraints- and after he does, he turns away, looking at the far wall.

For a second, the door tempts him. No one is watching, it would be so easy to-

No. No, he can’t do that. He has to stay, to follow orders. He gets hurt if he doesn’t follow orders. And while this punishment wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, that just means that the next one will probably be worse.

A hand comes to clutch at where one of the chains had been pulled a little bit too tight- with the shocks, he actually hadn’t even noticed the way they were digging into his plating until now.

Once again, he remembers what he’s supposed to do. Kyle let him go- and early, at that. He’s supposed to acknowledge that.

There’s no pride left for him to ignore as he speaks. “Th- thank you, Master.”

Kyle doesn’t react, looking almost lost in thought. He brings a hand up to his face, and if Cryptor didn’t know any better, he’d say the blond was trembling.

Alright, something is definitely up here, but Cryptor isn’t going to risk getting punished again for asking. Whatever it is doesn’t seem to be causing any immediate harm, so he’d be better off leaving it alone.

With no orders or distractions, his mind begins to drift. And unfortunately, his stupid processer takes him back to Sentry.

He really, really doesn’t want him to get hurt, but no matter what he does, it won’t make a difference. They’ve proven time and time again that he’s too pathetic to stand a chance, and… it’s hopeless.

Well, he- he could try to, at the very least, minimize his suffering. There has to be something he can do for that, right?

He could try taking punishments for him, but they’d catch on pretty quick, and then they’d just start hurting Sentry to get to him more. He could do something worse after every mistake Sentry makes to make them put it in kind of perspective, but that would just prolong it.

He- he could… help them. Help them- help them break him. If Sentry’s not really there anymore, then he won’t be suffering. He-

A feeling of disgust wells up inside of him as he realizes what he was even considering. No, he can’t do that, he can’t do anything like that! He can’t help them do that to him, he- he just-

Cryptor forces himself to keep breathing, trying to get his shaking under control. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Sentry, but if push really does come to shove…

He’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it.

There’s an almost numb feeling spreading through him, but he’s thankfully given something else to focus on when he hears Kyle’s quiet murmur.

The blond’s voice is strained, even breaking a little as he talks. “...'m sorry, Gav…”

He seems to be trying to shove the feeling down as he clears his throat, and Cryptor could almost swear that he’s near tears.

“I'll t-take you back to your locker. You'll say you- you'll say you learned your lesson if anyone asks. This is a one-time thing, okay?” His eyes narrow as he finishes, but with how he looks, he’s hardly threatening.

The words he’s saying aren’t making any sense, but Cryptor isn’t going to turn down a break when it’s offered.

“Y- yes, Master,” he nods. The confusion is eating away at his processor, but he forces himself not to show it. If he does, he’ll be dragged right back into the training room.

Kyle starts to take him back to his locker, and Cryptor keeps his gaze on the floor as they walk, trying to keep his mind away from Sentry and what might happen to him.

He’s shaking, trembling, and he shouldn’t be- showing emotion this much isn’t a good idea, but for some reason, he’s still just being taken away from the training room.

Stepping inside the small cell, he still can’t wrench his mind away. All this time, all this sacrifice to protect Sentry…

“... all of this to protect you, and it didn’t make a difference…”

Crying.

It’s something he hated before. A sign of weakness, of something that could get in the way of a task.

But now?

Cryptor wishes he was allowed to cry.

The door is abruptly slammed shut in front of him, Kyle using much more force than necessary. There’s clearly something going on with the blond…

His confusion intensifies some, but in the end, does it really matter? Kyle was right. There is nothing he can do. Sentry is going to be brought here and broken whether he likes it or not.

He can only hope that he breaks before he has to watch the one he loves do the same.

{ { { { { { { { { { ~ } } } } } } } } } }

[fires-of-ninjago]

Chubby Zane Rights (Continued)

As promised last week, here's my latest continuation to Chubby Zane!

I'm just sorry this one took so long, but as I said last week, I was just bogged-down with work.

Title: Hot Ice

Word Count: 1,478

Pairing(s): Oppositeshipping

Warnings: Fat Shaming, body image, homophobic slurs, implied abuse

Kai downed the rest of his drink as Dareth droned on about one of his many, many exaggerated achievements. Zane looked down at his lemonade as he listened to the story. The more he heard, the more he thought that it sounded just too far-fetched to him. I mean; Dareth, just finding Garmadon’s Helmet of Shadows, and using it to control the stone army like that? Just how could someone get that lucky?!

“...Are you guys even listening?” Dareth asked. Kai gave him one of his signature, cocked-smiles that made everyone instantly believe that he knew exactly what was going on...At least, those who didn’t actually know him, anyway. Zane recognized it as his slightly drunk, but faking focus grins.

“Of course!” Kai said. “Hat falls out of the sky, monster army suddenly obeying your every command, horrifying visions of days yet to come, nightmares of the First Master’s childhood, I hear ya!” Zane perked up at the mention of those last two parts. He normally tuned most of their middle-aged friend’s ramblings out mid-way through, but lately, his boyfriend seemed to be paying closer attention the more he drank. Dareth took a swig of his own drink, and for the first time, Zane realized that it was the same as Kai’s.

“I think you two should slow down?” Zane asked; “Those are your third and fourth whiskey’s tonight.” Kai gave him a side grin as he winked.

“C’mon Zane! We all just got our teaching certs; we’re celebrating!” Zane nodded as he felt the frost crawling along the side of the glass.

“Yeah!” Dareth cheered; “And after all of the- *BUUUURP!*” Zane scrunched his nose as the smell hit him like a steel pipe. Had he been human, then his eyes would definitely be watering at the potent smell of garlic and alcohol. Kai however, was fanning his face.

“Aw, Dareth! How many of those garlic rolls did you eat?!” He said. Their friend gave them an embarrassed chuckle as he leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that guys,” he said as he gave his now plump stomach a pat. “They were just so delicious, I couldn’t help myself!” Wait, what? What did he mean by that? Zane looked down at the empty baskets sitting in front of him as he realized exactly that was.

“But Dareth, one of those was supposed to be for Kai!” The look on the Brown Ninja’s face changed to confusion as he looked down at the remains of the food.

“Huh? But Kai here told me that he wasn’t all that hungry, so he told me to take it.” So that’s what happened; Zane figured something like that was the case, but now that it was out in the open, the Nindroid wasn’t going to let this chance to dive deeper pass by.

“Kai,” he began. When was the last-” The doors to the bar burst open before he could finish the thought. The two of them turned to see a group of bikers standing there.

“Sup, Gerald,” the old man at the head of the group said to the barkeeper. Zane noticed the burn scar on his cheek as he leaned against the bar. “We saw you ‘ere havin’ a party in here and decided to invite ourselves!” They surveyed the bar, grinning as Zane and Kai kept their heads down.

“So who’s this party for anyway?” One of the other bikers; a much younger woman asked as she stepped closer to the bar. “What, is it someone’s birthday? Are one of these widdol’ kiddies finally old enough to be let out of their widdol’ strollers?” Zane could see steam building in his boyfriend’s eyes at how they were taunting the owner, but there was nothing that they could do, especially while Kai was still processing all of the alcohol that he’d drunk.

“Listen guys, I don’t want any trouble,” the bartender said. “But the group I got here tonight...I don’t think-” The lead biker reached across the bar, and grabbed the bartender’s shirt, pulling him close.

“Since when do I care what you think!” The leader asked. Zane was getting ready to jump into action, when Kai decided to slowly stand up.

“Hello Bart,” Nya said in an unusually calm voice. Every alarm in Zane’s head was going off as he recognized that name. Both Zane and Dareth turned to see the two of them standing; the Nindroid felt his power core skip a pulse in fear as he saw the same dark look reflected in the eyes of both siblings. Bart however, seemed to laugh.

“HEY!” He howled as he released the bartender from his grip; “if it isn’t my two favorite kids!” Bart held his arms open, like he was expecting them to run into them.

“Like hell!” Kai shouted; “If you know what’s good for you, then you ‘n your friends will leave.” Zane felt a chill run up his spine as he heard the venom in Kai’s voice. He didn’t know exactly what happened between them, but he knew that it was bad; especially by the way he partially closed his bad eye whenever anyone asked about it.

“Oy! Is that any way ta’ talk to yer foster daddy?” Zane’s eyes went wide as he realized what this was. Kai practically snarled as he readied himself to attack, only for Nya to beat him to the punch. She came out of nowhere; her fists making contact with jaw in the blink of an eye, sending him spinning back as he hit the floor. Nya huffed as she screamed. If it weren’t for the younger woman intercepting her next hit, she would have pummeled him into the tile. Kai however, wasn’t far behind.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” He shouted, as he jumped into spinjitsu. Flames licked the bar, setting some of the glasses aflame as he barreled towards them. With a look of fear in his eyes, Bart rolled out of the way just in time for Kai’s foot to miss him by a hair. His leather jacket smoked as he hopped to his feet.

“Holy fuck, where da’ hell did ya’ learn that shit?!” He asked. Kai looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth, when Zane hopped in to put out the small fires from the now flaming drinks.

“Hold up, Jefe,” The woman said, as she staggered out of Nya’s grip. “They’re the fuckin’ ninja!” Zane could see the delight start twisting in Bart’s eyes, as he let out a low, manic laugh.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!” He clutched his stomach as he ran out of breath; blood beginning to run down the side of his face from a cut caused by one of the rings that Nya was wearing. “Yer’ shittin’ me!” Zane could feel the rage building in the siblings, as the older man continued.

“Ta think, you two would grow up to be this famous! Maybe there is a place fer ya in my family after all?” He gave Zane a good once-over as well as the gears started grinding behind his eyes.

“An’ you must be that ice ninja,” he started. “Yer a lil chubby, aren’t cha? Well as long as ya’ can fight like Twig and Shit-foot here, ya can join too.” Zane froze as he heard what he said. It had been so long since he’d even thought about it, that he’d stopped trying to hide his weight a long time ago, even if he still chose to wear loose-fitting clothes whenever he could. It was almost faster than the last time, but now Zane saw Kai launch himself forward. If it weren’t for Zane managing to grab one of his arms, then he would have tackled Bart out-right.

“SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH-!” He howled at the top of his lungs. One of the other bikers laughed as they all moved to encircle the trio.

“Haha, aww, look-et how he’s jumping to tubbo’s defence; how cute.” Now Zane was starting to feel the taunts as he struggled to hold-back his boyfriend. It would be so easy to let him go; even his primary programming: Protect the unprotected, was having trouble deciding if he should keep holding Kai back. Just as Zane was about to try and defuse the situation himself, one of the bikers shouted as he was electrocuted.

“KAI, ZANE, NYA! DUCK!” The trio didn’t even think about it; in one felled motion, they all rolled to the ground as Cole came zipping above them, taking down two more of the group. Once they were on the ground, both Kai and Zane jumped up, and with a practiced ease, blew a spray of ice and fire to create a chilly mist. That was when Zane felt his programming make it’s choice: Protect Kai and Nya from the people who hurt them.

[anotherninjagoblog]

Ninjago Fic Rec

…..that literally nobody asked for :P. Except, I’ve searched around a couple times for recs and don’t find them all too often. So I decided to share some :)

Multi-Chapter Fics

Pretty Penny Tavern by SibillaScribbles08: ya’ll this story is so sweet and just overall brings out the feels. It is sort of like a restaurant AU where Ronin is the boss and basically takes care of all these kids. My description is terrible but please check it out :D

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12732393

Kids Again by ZaneBoi: ugh I love this story. It’s based of the idea of Child’s Play if only Zane and Cole had been turned into kids, and the ninja become babysitters :P Alas, there is fluff and angst. And probably as a warning because there is some mentions of child abuse.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15723627

Transcendent: Ruination by Nindroid: Lego Ninjago Movie Universe fic where the ninja finally get tired of being treated like garbage, and decide to see how they like it when the protectors become the villains >:D

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14112792

Meet Again by NorthPen: AGH THIS STORYYYY :’(. Very emotional Reincarnation AU, where once I started, I just couldn’t stop, no lie

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308709

Recalibrate by Scorch_The_Earth: Glaciershipping <3 angsty and fluffy story

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8501464

Oneshots

Those Nights by pensivepretzil: post s6 light jaya angst. Very well written :’)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12109329

Nindroid by pipasa: “five questions Zane was asked about being a nindroid, and one he couldn’t answer.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7222663

Okay I probably have loads more, but this was just at the most recently read in my AO3 history. Please rec me some too lol :P

[fallenangelofsalt]

#JayAngstIsTheBestAngst

have 2 Jay-centric angsty AUs

WARNING: abuse, human experiments, inhuman experimentation, near-death experiences, stockholm sindrome, mentions of scar and injuries, rape/non-con, poison, torture, emotional mainpulation, basically lots of messed up stuff in the name of angst.

The Lieutenant

his AU begins in season 3, during the whole perfect match fiasco. in this AU, he is actually more upset over the fact it took so little for Nya to start to doubt their relationship.

(because yeah, Jay was a jerk that season but come on, Nya and Cole never showed interest on each other before that as far as i know, so is pretty damn clear that it was just a badly-written love triangle the writers made for the sake of conflict, and it somehow caused me to be salty over season 3 Nya and Cole because WHAT THE HELL GUYS???)

during a mission, the place they were in began to fall apart. everyone fled except for Jay, who was pinned with his right side(left for us) crushed under debrids. the nindroids found him and took him to the Overlord.

the Overlord then decided to make Jay loyal to him via stockholm sindrome. so he basically abused and spoiled Jay at the same time to confuse him, and eventually Jay started falling in love with the Overlord and is convinced that the ninja abandoned him.

the Overlord ordered many experiments to be made on Jay’s body in order to make him stronger, replaced the limbs(and eye) crushed by the debrids with high-tech prostetics, and began training Jay in order to make him the perfect soldier, all the while telling him how much he loved him and giving him gifts.

so by the time Zane killed the Overlord, Jay was already willing to die for his master.

the Overlord dies, but manages to transfer the golden power to Jay at the last second, and then Jay saves Crypthor and Mindroid, along with a handfull of regular nindroid soldiers, and escapes in order to mourn the Overlord and plan how to take over ninjago and avenge the Overlord. also making an army in the meantime because no rush, there’s probably gonna be another villain next week and when they get defeated we can recruit them.

they kinda adopted Echo and Morro, also Clouse joins them too.

(did i mention he can easily bench press a stone warrior no problem)

in other words: OP traumatized mom friend Jay who’s in charge of taking over ninjago in the Overlord’s name after said bastard got killed.

personality: sad, depressed, neutral, can hide his emotions perfectly. is extremely caring.

The Capitain

begins in season 6, in the tiger widow’s nest. i just read a fanfic on AO3 where Jay gets bitten(on a wish and a-- oh no). in the fic he dies but then i remembered the rules said: no love, no harm, no wishes. it said nothing about immortality.

so Jay gets bitten, manages to take the poison from his own injury, and before he dies Nadakhan shows up and Jay says: “i wish to live”

and Nadakhan gets so pissed that now he can’t make Jay wish himself in the sword of souls that he decides to give him immortality. so now the only way for Jay to die is if a very powerful oni uses most of their energy to kill him. 

the poison never left his body either and it ends up connecting to the remnants of venomari venom, so now he has retractable fangs filled with poison that sends people in a deep sleep(they don’t die, just stay comatose for a while. the poison is just as powerful as the tiger widow’s, but his immortality bleeds in and prevents the victim from dying), also two extra arms he keeps hidden.

his torture in the misfortune’s keep is a hundred times worse, because now they’re not just making him wish himself away, Nadakhan wants him brain dead so there’s no way he’ll get out of the sword. you saw the rape warning? yeah, that happens. 

(stop touching him, stop calling him birdie, stOP--)

but instead of breaking him, it just fuels his hatred and betrayal, so he pretends to be docile, to be broken, and slips his venom in Nadakhan’s drink. while Nadakhan is uncouncious, Jay gets the sword of souls and traps him inside.

he then takes over the ship, killing the members of the crew who hurt him the most(he leaves cleence because he likes him and dogshank was kind to him sometimes), eventually trapping the ninja in the sword as revenge for sending him to his (almost) death, leaving the replacement team to protect ninjago.

he’s also kinda crazy and is convinced the sword of souls is sentient and talks to him. he is very manipulative but also protective of those he cares about. don’t call him birdie if you want to live.

[aweebwrites]

Allies Ch12

Warning: Minor character death, decapitation, abuse of a minor

“The Golden Peak.” Garmadon says, seeing it on the horizon. “The source of the gold that made the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu and the place where these very same weapons will become one.” Garmadon says holding two of the four weapons, the other two secure on his hips.

He then turned to his son.

“I want you to remain here on the Garmatron for now.” He told him and Lloyd frowned. “Your fight will come to you, whether I like it or not. I suspect Wu will send his own son after you. Any child of Wu will be powerful so he must be drawn away from the Golden Peak. The Garmatron does have the ability to ascend the mountain but I’d rather not risk it falling in and corrupting the Golden Peak. This fight could still go sideways so I am entrusting you with the Dark Matter the Garmatron carries. Staying on the Garmatron at the base of the mountain serves to satisfy all of those problems.” Garmadon says, checking to make sure that it was fueled and ready to attack if it comes to it.

“Alright.” Lloyd nods, able to accept that.

As long as he was helping, he would be fine.

“Naturally, they’ve been expecting us.” Garmadon says as Wu and his selected soldiers came into view. “Halt!” He called and his army came to a stop a short distance away from Wu.

Garmadon dismounted the Garmatron then, his army stepping aside as he walked towards his brother, his lower arms folded behind his back as he carried the Scythe of Quakes and the Sword of Fire in his upper arms.

“Your reign of terror will end today, Garmadon.” Wu says once Garmadon came to a stop before him.

“Oh, something will end today alright.” Garmadon says lightly unphased by his brother’s golden glare. “You’re outnumbered and overpowered. It would do you and your soldiers well to end your fight here.” He hummed, expression cool.

“Never. We will fight your evil to the very end.” Wu says raising his sword to Garmadon. “You may hold the Golden Weapons now, but not for long.” He promises with a glare.

“So you hope, Wu.” Garmadon says, allowing for the intensity of his determination to show through when he spoke next. “But know that absolutely nothing, not even the First Spinjitzu Master himself returning from the Departed Realm will stop me from achieving my goal.” He says darkly, tightening his grip on the Golden Weapons and Wu sneered.

“Attack!” They yelled simultaneously, swinging their swords at each other, gold clashing against dragonbone.

“Where’s the Green Knight?!” Morro yelled as he used his wind against the charging army- only to grit his teeth once the Stone Soldiers remained unaffected, the Nindroids hunkering down before charging the second he stopped.

“I’m scanning the area!” Zane yelled over the noise of combat, using his ice to freeze as many of them as he could. “There! On the vehicle!” Zane yelled, picking up the same energy readings from the distant figure on the Garmatron, grunting once the Nindroids and Stone Soldiers broke free from his ice.

Fine. He’ll have to double layer it then.

“I’ll clear a path!” Kai yelled then charged ahead, Morro right behind him. “Fire!” He yelled, summoning a huge ball of fire and wacking it ahead with his sword, the force behind it enough to clear a path as the army were forced to move, the one Nindroid that wasn’t fast enough getting thrown back.

“This is our chance!” Morro yelled and used his wind to keep the path clear as they rushed forward.

“There he is- huh?!” Kai says, eyes wide as a red eye looked down at him expectantly from his higher vantage point.

“Kai! The Generals-” Cole cut himself off as he, Zane and Jay caught up to the duo, staring up at the figure there wide eyed.

“Well well. You’re all here.” Lloyd says lightly as they looked at him owlishly.

“What is it? Isn’t he the Green Knight?” Morro asked confused, itching to fight this smug bastard who was clearly not on their side.

“That eyepatch… His eye...” Jay whispered, realising that both matched the Umberian that beat them.

That Umberian was…The son of Emperor Garmadon?! The same blond kid from 6 years ago?! He was the reason behind the Jamanakai Village wipe out they barely survived!

“Your eye…” Zane whispered and Lloyd reached up to rub the eyepatch where his eye hurt as badly as it did on the day of the incident.

“A loss and a lesson learned.” Lloyd says then looked down at them, expression cold. “I’m sure knowing that fills you with just as much amusement the day I lost it, doesn’t it.” He spoke darkly, red eye glowing with his hatred.

Yes, he remembered then, seeing them there vividly.

They had tied him to a stake in the ground, binding his hands above his head, even going as far as to tie his fingers separately to prevent him from using his claws to cut the rope and escaping. Lloyd was terrified as he struggled against the too strong, too tightly bound rope, wanting to go back home, hating that he had left to begin with. Why hadn’t he listened to his father? To his protectors? None of them knew he was here, none of them expected him to come here. They won’t be able to save him...

He flinched once they all began yelling at him, surrounding him as others brought sticks and hay at his feet. He looked down as they gathered it wide eyed. No! They wouldn’t! They wouldn’t try to burn him, would they?! He cried out once a rock hit him hard in his side, tears falling down his cheeks as they began picking up more rocks, throwing it at him and he turned his face away, trying to grasp his ability to transform, to fly away from these people but he was too terrified to think straight.

“What’s going on here?” Lloyd looked up then, hiccuping as four armored figures the Knights of Fulgor walked to the front of the crowd, their eyes widening at the sight of him.

“What are-”

“He’s the son of Garmadon!” One villager yelled, interrupting the Fire Knight and Lloyd knew he wouldn’t get any help from them, seeing their expression change at that news.

“He came to torment the village, just like his father!”

“He stole from our vendors!”

“He has to be punished!”

“We have to end that monster’s bloodline!”

“He injured two men already!”

“He’s already corrupt like him! He’ll be nothing but a murderer too!”

Lloyd yelped once a rock hit his cheek, a sob immediately following.

“... What should we do?” The Master of Earth had asked the others, their eyes filled with nothing but scorn and hatred at the sight of him.

“... Leave him to the villagers.” The Master of Fire spoke up with a sneer then turned away.

“But-”

“Let’s not forget. He’s Garmadon’s seed. Nothing good will come from his existence.” The Master of Earth says, cutting off the Master of Ice.

“Cole’s right Zane. It’s best to get rid of him now than have him growing up into even more trouble. We can barely handle Garmadon himself but to take Garmadon and his son? We might now win a fight like that.” The Master of Lightning says as they retreated to the back of the crowd, watching as they pelted him with stones and words.

Blood ran down the side of Lloyd’s mouth and the side of his head as he sobbed uncontrollably, unable to escape the villagers’ wrath. He looked to where the Knights of Fulgor were, seeing them laugh as they watched him while accepting candy from the same vendor he stole from before mounting their horses to leave. That was the last thing he saw from his right eye before a large rock hit him square in his opened eye, making him see stars as he screamed, wetting his clothes. He saw a villager approach with a torch then as he cried tears and blood. They were going to kill him… Burn him... He released a high sound of distress then- surprising him when he had it immediately be responded to with a furious roar.

Everything was a blur to him then but the villager had dropped the torch out of horror, the others screaming once, they all looked up to see Emperor Garmadon himself and three of his 4 generals ride in quickly on their Floating Cougars, the Emperor jumping off his Cougar before it even got close to the ground. He landed with an echoing thud on his feet, lifting his head- then gasping in horror at the sight of his son bound and injured, the torch that fell next to the pile of hay starting to ignite. He rushed over, stepping on the torch and outing it immediately as he dropped to his knees before his son, his right eye beginning to swell as blood and tears streamed from it.

“My son…” Garmadon choked out in anguish, using his claws to free him from the ropes that bound him, holding the shaking form of his son close as he curled up in his arms, pressing himself closer to the familiar scent of his father, sobbing into his chest. “My son… What have they done to you…” He whispered, closing his eyes tight, tears of fire rolling down his cheeks as Kozu stepped on the chest of the man who intended to burn the prince, two of his swords poised at his neck as he sobbed and apologized.

“Stop right there!” The Master of Ice yelled as they charged forward but Kozu did not stop, had decapitated the man and had held his bloodied swords in place, poised and ready to attack.

While Kozu, Cryptor and Pythor had gone in to fight the Ninja, Garmadon’s fiery tears had not stopped, not in the face of his now unconscious son. No, but his black, bitter rage did grow. Dark, destructive energy billowed from him as he sneered a seething growl escaping his lips. They… Will… Pay ! In that moment, the power given to him and the power he had all along synced and merged, changing him, making him shift into a form he hadn’t known he had access to. The battle between the ninja and his Generals came to a halt in the face of the massive black dragon with purple highlights that held something, someone precious in its front, right paw. Kozu’s eyes widened as he took air, black and purple smoke gathering in his maw as each flap of his massive wings echoed like thunder.

“Retreat!” He called hastily, getting on his Floating Cougar quickly, the other Generals quick to do so as well, knowing that they best move quickly once the Stone General reacted so critically.

“We need to leave. Now.” Cole says as he quickly mounted his horse, turning it around immediately and grabbing Jay as he ran by.

“Wait! What about the people?!” Kai yelled as Zane did the same from his horse, having no time to fetch theirs from where they had wandered farther away.

“There’s nothing we can do in the face of that but avenge them! We need to get far away! And fast!” Cole yelled over the loud rumbling that started up as the energy from the dragon’s mouth built.

“Will we make it?!” Jay asked, looking back as he gripped Cole’s waist tightly.

“We better!” Cole yelled as they pushed their horses as fast as they could go.

Kozu watched with the other Generals from above and behind their Emperor as he destroyed the village and a large perimeter outside of it in one blast, leaving behind nothing but a crater coated in black ash behind. No-one could have escaped that blast at least not without war bred horses that had the stamina to run that quickly for that long. Everyone in that village, man, woman and child perished that day, not even bodies left behind. Kozu had flown behind the dragon form the Emperor took that held wicked horns and spikes as they returned to the castle, this dragon far larger than even his father was, displaying frightening energy. So this was what his father would have been like if he had taken Garmadon’s power for himself. The Emperor had landed in the courtyard of the castle, barely able to hold and immediately began returning to his original form, cupping his arms to hold his son.

“Medic!” Cryptor had called and not even a second later, the castle doctor and her nurses came out to take his son he reluctantly let go of.

Once he had watched them take his son to the infirmary, all eyes turned to Pythor who was looking pale behind his scales. Both Cryptor and Kozu had watched as Garmadon had stalked towards the Serpentine General who was visibly shaking, sputtering out half formed excuses. Garmadon hadn’t addressed them, instead, he had stopped before the General, grabbed his staff and walked away. Cryptor was surprised he was only letting him get off with being demoted if taking his staff is anything to go by. But they soon realised how wrong they were about that once Garmadon used his powers of destruction to destroy Pythor’s staff- if only to gain access to the 4 fang blades inside it.

They all held a look of trepidation as he slotted them all in the statue of the Great Devour in the north corner of the courtyard that sent venom from the statue’s fangs trickling down into the hole that opened up, waking the slumbering serpent. A low hiss sounded as green, acidic mist rose up from the hole. The head of the Great Devour slid out before the rest of its large body followed. It roared then before noticing Garmadon and lowering its head, nuzzling him as Garmadon stroked the top of its head.

“This, will be the last time you defy my orders.” Garmadon finally spoke as Pythor stood there, frozen in fear. “Because of your negligence, my son suffered pain and trauma he should never have… And now… So will you.” He says with a glare as the Great Devourer coiled around him, its head next to the Emperor, waiting for a command.

“Swallow him.” Was all Garmadon says and the Devourer slithered forward, the spines around its head flared open as it came up to Pythor.

“W-wait! No, please!” Pythor begged as he slithered backwards.

He screamed as he tried to slither away but the Great Devourer struck, swallowing him whole.

“Do not leave the castle walls. I will send you back to sleep in a few moments.” Garmadon says coldly as he walked by and the Devourer curled up in a large coil, watching him as he turned into the castle.

He of course, headed directly for the infirmary where a nindroid was scanning his son for any further injuries.

“How is he?” Garmadon asked as he folded his hands behind his back, wringing them with anxiety.

“So far he doesn’t have anything that’s broken. He does have some impact bruising, swelling and cuts that will heal up on their own in a few hours.” The Umbrian says as the Nindroid stepped back but Garmadon sensed a but. “There is one critical damage however…” She says, turning to the fearful Emperor.

“That eye of his. The blunt trauma directly to it has severely damaged his cornea, iris and lens of it. It will heal in a little over a week but…” She says, glancing back at the still unconscious 9 year old prince as the Nindroid returned to add soothing balm to his injuries. “He’ll never see from that eye again.” She whispered and Garmadon was devastated, his heart squeezing for what his son had endured.

It couldn’t be helped that he was a curious child. It was just unfortunate that was the place he ended up… Son…

When Lloyd had regained consciousness, he was in his father’s quarters, a place he hasn’t been in for a long time. He remembered everything and had hated himself for not listening to the warnings he received. But more than that… He glared up at the ceiling as his eye throbbed with pain, his small body burning through their pain relief medication with his fast metabolism.

… He hated the Knights.

__________________ (And there you have it. The story of how Lloyd lost his sight and why he hates the Knights so much! The rest of the war continues tomorrow! Thanks for reading!) __________________ Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 | Ch10 | Ch11

[sayijo]

A/N: Mikey please don’t kill me.

Summary: Kardin’s backstory.

Words: 3.9k

Warnings: Verbal and physical abuse, gore, swearing.

“You. Don’t tell me what to do.” A calloused finger pointed towards the nindroid’s chest. Kardin stood off to the side of a smooth, dark wooden desk with a small golden lamp barely illuminating the walls. 

The nindroid was dressed in a clean dark, black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. He stood up straight, his hands behind his back, staring dead ahead. His red eyes cut through the shadows, remaining unblinking. 

“Did you fucking hear what I said!?” A husky voice spat out, and a few moments later an angry fist came slamming down onto the table, jingling a few golden coins laid on its surface. The nindroid flinched slightly at the sound but forced himself to remain still. 

“Of course sir. It won’t happen again.” Kardin spoke, his tone monotone, lacking any sort of emotion. He gazed over at the man who was slumped in the luxurious chair behind the table, covered in shadows. 

He was probably in his forties, but it was hard to tell. His face was covered in creases, like it had been caused by frowning all the time. Multiple golden rings adorned his fingers, diamond jewels lay studded in the middle of them all. Gold chains dangled from his neck and the lenses of his glasses glinted off the lamplight, making his pale green eyes glint like a halo. 

His pitch-black suit was slightly ruffled. When he grinned, Kardin could see the cigarette stained teeth, along with three gold teeth. He was poorly shaved, and always had one of his feet tapping against the ground. There was a lit cigarette held in his right hand. 

“Well?! Don’t just stand there, you fucking waste of space, get out of my sight!” The man spat out, shaking his hand, shooing Kardin away. The nindroid did a small, curt bow, before he spun on his heel, and made his way out of the room. 

“Stupid work of nuts and bolts.” The man took a long drag of his cigarette as he watched Kardin leave. 

—

“Bring me a cup of tea, would you?” The man snapped. He was busy counting all the dollar bills from the stack held in his hands, purposely going through the bills slowly to kill some time. 

No answer. 

His eyes snapped up to where Kardin was seated in an armchair beside the door, acting as a watchdog for him. 

The nindroid was slumped over in his chair. His suit was ruffled, messy, and torn in places from continuous days of hard work. Dark circles formed underneath his eyes and his hair was a mess. His breathing was soft and quiet. 

“Hey!” 

There was a small whirring noise as Kardin awoke. His head raised itself to look at the man, red irises coming into view. He brushed his raven hair out of his face and blinked once, taking the time to straighten up his shirt. 

“Yes, sir?”

“I said, gimme a cup of tea. I’m losing my patience, Eleven.” The man spoke slowly, hatred and venom bleeding into his tone with each passing second. His grip tightened on the stack of remaining bills, the sound of crinkling paper accompanying the motion. 

Eleven. The number was engraved in a dog tag that hung off the nindroid’s neck from a thin silver chain. 

“Of course, sir.” Kardin stood slowly, straightening his back as he nodded curtly. “However, sir, I have to remind you that my name is Ka—”

“You can’t do anything fucking right, can you?!” The man shrieked, shooting to his feet and scattering all of the bills around to the floor. Kardin very noticeably winced at his tone, his gaze cast down at his feet. He bit his lower lip, his eyes darting around for a few seconds as he visibly shrunk away. 

“Now look at what you fucking did!” The man snarled, gesturing towards the litter of green bills on the red-carpeted floor. He growled again, chewing on one of the large gems from one of the rings on his fingers, surveying the damage. 

Kardin moved forward to clean up the mess. 

“Get out of my sight! Pathetic useless waste of my cash!”

“Of course, sir. I will be right back.” Kardin flinched again as he spoke quickly, hastily removing all hints of emotion from his voice. He got up, straightening his back before bowing curtly again. 

He whirled around. 

And then he was gone. 

—

Kardin came back with a hot mug of matcha tea. The white foam that lay on the surface was designed in a floral design, the tea softly wafting up steam. The drink took him at least ten minutes of work. He smiled softly down at the drink before he knocked quietly on the wooden door. 

“Come in.” Came the gruff voice. 

Kardin reached forward and quietly pushed open the door, listening to sound of it swinging effortlessly on its polished hinges. He could see the boss raise his head slightly to glare at him, and the nindroid raised the mug of tea as it to bring emphasis to it. 

“Bring it here.”

Kardin quietly made his way over to the side of the desk, before gently reaching down to place the mug of steaming tea onto the surface of the table, making sure to keep it in a place where the boss wouldn’t knock it over by accident. 

The man looked at it for a few seconds, before he snorted and rolled his eyes. 

“This isn’t what I asked for.”

Kardin’s eyebrows creased. He found himself searching through his memory drives, looking for the exact wordage used. 

“I said, gimme a cup of tea.” 

“You did not specify the beverage you would like. So, by that logic, I have chosen to give you the drink of my choosing.”

“I said this isn’t what I wanted.” Mob boss spat in his direction, but Kardin didn’t even move an inch. He thought for a few seconds before he stood upright and straightened himself. He gently held the mug, cradling it in his hands lightly. 

“Then, sir, what would you like?” Kardin asked softly. He cracked a small smile and the boss’s face morphed into one of complete fury and anger. 

“Don’t you talk like that to me! I fucking own you, you stupid fucking machine!” The boss swatted at Kardin, knocking the mug out of his hands. The nindroid grimaced slightly as the piping hot liquid splashed all against his black suit, the small floral design he had spent ten minutes on gone in an instant. A brief rush of pain surged itself to his sensors, and he had to hold back from letting out a small yelp. 

The mug fell against the carpet and thankfully remained intact. Kardin knelt down and picked it up, slowly, afraid that the situation would escalate. He remained kneeling on the ground, his posture slouched and looking down at the ground. 

“You’re more pathetic than any other droid I had.” The man jeered, and Kardin remained staring down at the stained carpet. 

“Fuck off! I have to get someone to clean this fucking mess. No good failure of a droid.” The man sighed loudly, glaring daggers at Kardin. Even though the nindroid wasn’t looking at him, he could feel the man’s eyes boring into the back of his head. He nodded mutely before he slowly got to his feet and made his way out of the room. 

—

Kardin was tired. He got around one hour of sleep a night, and he often leaned against the nearest wall to rest his eyes. Shadows formed underneath his eyes and he became much like a zombie: mindless, dragging himself around. 

He was getting better at his job, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get beat up. His suit would get scuffed, torn, and dirty, only replaced whenever the boss would take him out to show him off. Little scratches lined his arms, hands, and neck. 

His clothes always smelled of cigarettes. He was sure his entire time spent around smokers had permanently made the scent stain his hair and the fabric. 

People would jeer at him and say nasty words, but he just learned to filter out the noise. Only focus on the boss, and the boss only. 

—

“Hello? Sir? There’s no smoking allowed in the casino.” One of the men stationed outside the large glass sliding doors piped up, leaning towards the boss. A young chap, probably barely older than twenty. 

The boss stood there, on the final step at the doors to the grand building, a cigarette held in one of his hands, dressed in one of his obnoxious orange suits. Kardin stood rigid on the step behind him, giving the young man a gaze before staring back off ahead. 

The boss glanced over his shoulder at Kardin, who barely reacted, before he looked at the young chap once more. He made a move to toss the cigarette down on the ground, but the young man’s hands shot out to stop him. 

“Excuse me sir, but please don’t put your cigarettes out on the ground.” 

“Aw, can’t leave me alone, can you?!” The boss snapped. He looked around him before he looked up at how the building would stretch out and tower over him. He looked back at Kardin once again, who merely tilted his head slightly to the side. 

“Eleven. Come here.” The boss snapped, sloppily gesturing for Kardin to move forward. The nindroid stepped onto the final step, standing to the right of the boss. 

“Your arm. Roll up the sleeve.” The boss growled, his tone very apparent that he was in a hurry. The wind picked up slightly, sending the smoke flying in Kardin’s direction. 

Kardin did as he was told. 

He held out his exposed arm towards the boss, before turning it so that the palm was facing the sky. The young chap’s eyebrows creased in confusion for a few seconds, glancing over at them. 

The boss took his lit cigarette in his hand. 

He pressed the lit end into Kardin’s arm. The nindroid grimaced, his fingers slightly twitching as he struggled to remain still. He could feel the blazing hot heat against his skin, could feel as it definitely left a mark on his plating. 

A surge of fear and confusion felt like it would claw itself out of his chest. He was so, so, scared for his life, the first time in his life. The boss would never hurt him, would he? 

All of it was violent words thrown his way. Boss would never physically hurt him.

Right?

“Here.” The boss tossed the cigarette butt in Kardin’s direction, who had just rolled down his sleeve. The nindroid caught it, but his fingers trembled as he slipped it into one of the pockets of his suit. 

“Alright listen, pretty boy, gonna let me in now?” The boss growled. The man standing beside the door recovered from his stunned shock, before he swallowed thickly and nodded, gesturing for them to pass through. He gave Kardin an apologetic glance, shaking his head but only so that the nindroid could see it. 

Kardin could feel his artificial heart sink. 

The boss walked through the door and Kardin trailed behind him. 

—

Wonderful. 

Just absolutely wonderful. 

Kardin gently cradled his side as he swayed down the hallway. Some members of a rival gang had jumped him on the street, and while he had managed to fight them all off, it had to come with some injuries. 

Maybe the injuries weren’t all that bad. 

His light grey suit had dirty boot prints all over it, and he winced as his fingers traced an area of his chest that had been kicked multiple times. He gritted his teeth violently as fresh tears sprung to his eyes, but he was quick to wipe them away. 

He found himself slumping against a wall to catch his breath, his side lighting itself on fire every time he took a gasp for air. His vision swam with bright colours and it would distort. 

Okay. Maybe this was serious. 

He forced himself to continue forward. He had to. He just needed to make his way to his room. 

He grumbled as he planted a hand against the wall to steady himself. He struggled to right himself, but his feet kept tripping over one another, his legs feeling like jello. 

He found himself on his hands and knees, gasping as a swarm of pain overtook him once more. He let out a choking gasp before his arms buckled out from underneath him and he collapsed onto his side. The world spun violently and he struggled to obtain a sense of direction. He gasped pathetically, trying to clear the tightness in his chest. 

Distant voices came from somewhere behind him, just down the hall. 

Dammit. 

It was fellow gang members. 

Kardin forced his arms to move, planting a left palm onto the ground as he weakly pushed himself upward into a seated position. His legs strained to move him up, but he barely even lifted his body three inches off the floor before his legs collapsed again. 

He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. 

He just wanted all of this to stop hurting. He wanted the pain to go away. 

He tried again. 

No use. 

The voices got louder and clearer. From what Kardin could tell, there was a conversation going on. His breath hitched, fear building up in the back of his throat at the thought of the assault that would come his way if they saw him like this—

“Oh shit! It’s Eleven!” A sharp, shrill voice sneered from behind him, and it took all of Kardin’s willpower not to wince. His hands curled into fists and his arms shook with strain as he attempted to get up.

“Aw fuck, what’s gotten him so beat up? The little robot got all hurt?” Another voice spoke in a mock-pity tone, and there was a wave of jeering laughter. Kardin flinched before he managed to push himself up to his feet, swallowing the scream of pain that had almost tore itself out of his mouth. He turned around to face them. 

“Stay down you little bitch!” Kardin could barely even react before he found himself back on the ground, his left cheek stinging with pain. He whimpered softly, a hand reaching up to cradle his face, but his face soon morphed into an emotionless one, and he stared down at the ground like he normally would. 

“You couldn’t even protect yourself against that? What sort of security guard are you?” A third voice joined in, and the three of the gang members began howling with laughter. 

Kardin attempted to stand up once more. He stood slightly slumped over, glancing over at the trio of gang members who stood towering over him. He shrank back slightly, his fight-or-flight response kicking in immediately. He knew that he couldn’t fight back, knowing that he would be punished severely. He bit his bottom lip for a few seconds.

He turned around and walked away.

A hand grabbed his suit from behind and he was dragged backwards. He was roughly slammed against the tile floor, wincing once his back crashed into the ground. He whimpered softly as there was a harsh kick to his ribs, his arms shooting upwards to shield his head. He turned over onto his side, curling into the fetal position. 

The kicking wouldn’t stop. There were kicks to his back and chest area, a harsh punch to his face. His hands shot up to cover his cheek, and there was a sudden kick to his chin. His head shot back, and he tasted oil in his mouth. He cried out again, feeling as something in his mouth dislodged. 

“Look at the little thing. Can’t even protect himself.”

“Worthless piece of trash.”

“Useless waste of space. I’ve never seen a droid as useless as you.”

All Kardin could do was just curl up there and just take it. 

—

A punch from his boss.

—

Cigarettes being put out on his arms.

—

Kicks to his body.

—

Harsh words. 

—

He wasn’t sure how long he could take it. 

Any day could be his last. Just one wrong move and he would be done for.

—

Kardin never knew he could feel so much relief. 

He had just plucked a small child off the street after they had run into traffic chasing after a balloon. He made a move to lightly scold child before a loud bang had rung out. The sound had tore itself through his sound sensors, leaving a ringing noise in his ears.

Sniper.

Citizens scattered in every direction, screaming and tripping over one another as they attempted to flee. Kardin flinched before he sprung into action, immediately diving to the ground, positioning himself so that he could shield the child with his entire body. 

He threw his arms over their small shaking form, curling his body around their back.

But there were no more shots. No more screaming.

No more noise. 

Kardin glanced upwards, scanning his surroundings. 

The entire plaza was now empty. Abandoned personal items lay scattered all over the floor. A stray newspaper pushed itself along the ground from the wind. Overturned strollers and backpacks lay flung around the floor. 

He uncurled himself around the child and told them to run, watching as they took off down one of the alleyways connecting to a large plaza. 

He brushed himself off before he stood completely, turning to face where his boss and a few gang members had stood.

Except, this time, the boss was on the floor.

Dark red blood and brain matter splattered itself onto the ground from a fist-sized hole on the right side of his face, where his eye was. The glasses lay on the ground, one of the lenses completely shattered from the shot. He lay half sprawled out of the limo that he had stepped out of. His head and torso lay on the ground but his legs stayed in the car. 

His left eye was glazed over, dead green eye staring in Kardin’s direction, his mouth half-open in a yell. The interior of the limo was also slightly splattered in blood, blood running down the boss’s orange suit and white dress shirt underneath.

The woman sitting beside him in the limo was screaming bloody murder with blood splattered over her dress and face.

Kardin’s eyes snapped around, taking in all the other gang members that stood around the limo.

He could register that they were reaching for their holsters.

There was no way that he could be able to fight them all off. And given that the boss that he was serving was now dead, he wasn’t obligated to stay behind. He could see as they pulled out pistols before he spun on his heel and bolted. 

He cringed as he could hear shots ringing out, his arms shielding his head as he swerved to the left and bolted down an alleyway. He could hear them screaming and yelling as he made random turns, hearing as shots chipped off the brick of the buildings surrounding him. 

“Run run run.”

He wasn’t sure for how long that he had run for before one of his legs completely gave out from underneath him. He crashed to the ground before a flaring pain came shooting up from his left knee up to his skull. He gasped, his vision blurring for a second as he pushed himself up into a seated position.

He glanced down at his left knee. 

The metal was completely torn open from a shot. Black oil-stained his light gray suit, dripping down onto the ground. It was then that he registered to pain in several places on his body. Adrenaline probably had kept the pain away until he had run a safe distance. He could feel a burning cold feeling on his right shoulder, and another one on his right bicep. 

There was one that grazed his left shoulder, the skin tore open from a bullet that was still lodged in his body. 

And there was one on the right side of his abdomen. Blood slowly seeped into the shredded part of his suit. His left hand shakily reached over to grip itself over the wound, trying to keep the pain at bay. He shakily got to his feet, but immediately fell over again. 

The shot must’ve obliterated his knee joint. 

He glanced around for a few seconds before he attempted to hobble up onto one leg. 

He screamed out in pain as he fell over onto his front. His vision darkened as he gasped for breath, his arms reaching out as he dragged himself on the cold pavement, leaving a trail of dark black oil on the asphalt. 

He had to get somewhere safe.

He had to.

There was talking from somewhere down the main alleyway. 

“No no no no!” 

He didn’t want to go back there. He couldn’t. He struggled to get to his feet, but his legs made questionable creaking noises as he struggled to get to his feet. He cried out again, failing to hold back the sob that tore itself out of his throat.

A pause.

“Shit, did you hear that?” 

“No!” Panic filled Kardin’s mind like water. He scrambled around for a while, trying to drag him on the ground faster. His torn open knee joint scrapped on the pavement, making a noise akin to rusty metal. 

Footsteps drew near.

Kardin found himself staring up at four figures who gazed down upon his broken body.

—

“Woah! Kardin buddy!” Rae had to duck out of the way as Kardin stumbled into the kitchen after a long mission the night previous. The human laughed softly, flipping around at the overcooked bacon strips in the pan that he had slapped onto the stove. The nindroid stared at them for a few seconds before he sleepily rubbed at his eye.

“You ever...cooked before? You’re not supposed to scorch them.” Kardin took a break in the middle of his sentence to yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. Rae chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at the nindroid. 

“Hey now! Don’t tell me what to do!” Rae laughed softly, running a hand through his long, dark brown locks of hair. 

Kardin froze up.

“You. Don’t tell me what to do.”

“I— I’m sorry!” Kardin cried out, scrambling backwards slightly. Rae turned in his direction, looking slightly startled. His eyebrows creased in concern before he made his way over to Kardin. Panic took hold of Kardin’s breathing, and he scrambled back even more. He bent down a bit, giving a curt bow. 

“I— I’m sorry! I just— give me a second chance! Please! I— I just need a second chance! Please don’t hurt me. Please!!” Kardin cried out. His hands held out in front of him in fists in a defensive stance, his eyes squeezing themselves shut. He could hear Rae softly approach him, flinching at the noise.

He could feel as hands wrapped around him. 

He whimpered softly, shrinking away from the touch. 

Rae pulled him in tight. Kardin blinked in confusion for a second before his arms shot out to wrap around in the human in return. He buried his face in Rae���s shoulder, a warm feeling filling his chest as he shook softly.

“No one is gonna hurt you, buddy.” Rae whispered softly, running his hand up and down Kardin’s back. The nindroid nodded meekly against Rae’s shoulder, tears silently trailing down his cheeks. 

Kardin hugged tighter.

“It’s okay.” Rae laughed, who also tightened up his hug in return.

“It’s okay.”

[watersparks357]

Hi Ninjago Fandom..

This is just my two cents on the discorse that's been circulating. My rant is below the cut. (I apologize in advanced, it's long)

I’m gonna start with the fact that this is one of the nicest fandoms I’ve joined. Even though we’re small and people think we’re goofy for liking a kids show, there’s a lot of camaraderie. I’ve seen that with the interactiveness from our top fan artists and writers, and the sheer kindness and encouragement extended to younger members. It’s.. refreshing.

But, it seems we all forget, myself included, that we did not make Ninjago. The Hagemans and their team did, and despite all their plot holes, screw ups, goofs, and ignorance, we stayed. We may not have liked it, but we stayed. And, at least in my own opinion, that says a lot. And while shows like these are gauged towards teaching moral lessons to kids who don’t even understand basic writing, they’ve slowly been nodding at the fandom these past few years. The writing has gotten better because they saw fans giving CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Not just ‘ugh, that season and this character and this ship sucks’ but the long rants I’ve seen dissecting seasons and characters and ships and WHY they went wrong. And as much as I immediately want to hop on the defensive for this, stopping myself and thinking, I see people’s points. And how they can go a little off the rails.

If I was writing something, and someone wrote me something like that, sure, I’d be a little hurt at first; but then you realize it’s one of the best compliments you can get, left-handed or otherwise. This person cares, so much, in fact, that they saw beyond what you envisioned. You inspired them, even out of anger or spite, to write something back. To try and build on what you did, help cover up holes you didn’t even know were there or mattered. It’s the equivalent of killing a character at the end of a novel and having a reader come up to you, crying and upset, and say “How could you!? That was my FAVORITE character!”. It stings, but then it hits you that your story, your fictional mishmash of words and thoughts, made them feel genuine attachment and emotion.

I feel like, yes, the raging war we’ve fought with the writers has certainly exhausted them. We demand a lot. Facts that were never really thought of. What’s Lloyd’s age now? What was it before? What’s his mental age? What are their last names? What do their faces humanly look like? Where do the show and movie differ and change? Why is Wu so cryptic? Are they teens or adults? How much time has passed? And what age does that make the nindroids? Our list goes on and on and on..

Thus, because of these questions, we have our shipping issues. Where does Lloyd fall? Is he of legal age or a minor? Does his mental age factor into this? AND we don’t even know anything about age-restrictions in the Ninjago universe! Kai and Nya ran a blacksmith shop, which is very dangerous and very hard as what? Young teens? Definitely not legal in this world. And the nindroids, does they’re physical age count? Or do they have, like, a designated age when they’re built? Do they get ‘aging’ upgrades? 

These are all things I’ve tried to rationalize, trying to find the morally correct ground in these debates. I mean, pedophilia, VERY BAD, but how can I say a ship is or isn’t without solid proof? And the Hagemans aren’t helping by giving us conflicting information online and in the show. But that’s when I realized that, maybe, their entire intention was to leave it vague. Open-ended, so each viewer has their own twist. Maybe you adore the canon couples, or maybe you think everyone is just straight single. Maybe you saw greenflame, or bruise, or glacier, or techno, or popsicle, or samurai. Maybe Lloyd is a tiny kiddo to you or he’s become a big, grown adult. But it was how you saw the show and how it affected you.

Granted, again, really need Ninjago to define their moral standards so as not to send bad messages to the kids BUT, the point is we all saw it different. And I think we forget that. While it is important to uphold the moral code, keep definite pedophilia out of the fandom, tag and store our NSFW works (not shove them at the creators), respect others boundaries and what they’re comfortable around, we step on one another. Now I’m not saying tiptoeing around is the answer, just... a little more respect. A gentle decline before you jump down their throat, a well-worded criticism, an encouraging note rather than something entirely negative.

But, like I said before, things have gotten better. The stories are getting more complex. They’re pandering to their older audience more, seeing as we’re the ones who make up half their views. And buy half the merchandise. They see us and hear us, and they are trying their best to improve so we finally give them the approval they deserve.

Yes, all the pairings are heterosexual. Yes, most of them are not well written and vaguely abusive (subjectively). Yes, there are major arcs and redemptions and development that they couldn’t do justice. Yes, there are so many holes it’s not even funny anymore, BUT, they are still going. And a lot of shows quit when the fanbase starts yelling. They get scared of the backlash. And so far, we’ve been very good about it. But I’d hate to see us shoot ourselves in the foot.

Mostly, I’m saying think before you type. It’s okay to be defensive, but you gotta remember this is supposed to be fun. And not all of us agree, but we get along! We make it work! We get through it. Even when they’re trying to kill off characters or traumatize Lloyd again. It’d be a shame to let this fandom go down the gutter like so many others have.

Well, at least, that’s my take on it, as scrambled and nonsensical as it may be. I’m just a fan, I do some writing, I do some art. I like it here. 

[fanfalc-616]

The Rights Of A Nindroid

Chapter Twenty-Seven

(Previous Chapter Here)

Hey guys on a scale of one to ten how much to do hate me?

I bet that number’s about to go up a few notches~

Cole can’t focus on his work.

He’s trying, he’s doing everything he can, but his brain refuses to cooperate, instead going back to one single fact.

Today is Zane’s birthday.

Or, well, ‘creation day’, as he would say in a fondly exasperated tone.

No matter how hard he tries to focus on right now, the only thing he can think about is how happy they all were together.

It’s been so long, so, so, so long, and Cole curses himself for not being able to remember all the details. The little angles of his smile, the brightness of his blue eyes, the softness of his synthetic skin when they held hands… it’s all so hazy now.

But when he closes his eyes, he can still remember how they were when they were together. How startled he had been when they realized Cole was strong enough to pick him up- and how much he laughed and half-heartedly lectured him when Cole abused that ability. How he started pranking Jay by pretending not to understand metaphors and jokes that he actually had already figured out. How he would insist on keeping their bedroom clean and organized even when Kai would absolutely trash it two days after he picked it all up.

His mind is just flooded with memories of him, images and events and feelings- Zane is the only thing he can think about.

He would always insist on pointing out how ‘illogical’ birthday wishes were, he would refuse to let anyone else make the cake- well, at least after Cole’s failed attempt at it.

Zane… he’s irreplaceable. And they- they’ve lost him before. After they fought the Golden Master, after he died. The team split up, they couldn’t even look at each other without painful memories attacking them.

Because… Lloyd leads them. Cole holds them together. Kai keeps them going towards their goal. Jay makes jokes and keeps their spirits up. Nya stops them from falling into their own self doubt.

But Zane? Zane was the one who brought life to them.

He helped Lloyd when he didn’t trust himself enough to lead. He helped Cole when he fell apart. He helped Kai when he felt he couldn’t keep going. He helped Jay when he woke up from nightmares he refused to explain. He helped Nya when she second-guessed herself.

Zane was always there, always bringing out the best in them, always protecting them from whatever tried to hurt them.

Cole can’t let this keep going. He can’t let the purest, kindest, gentlest person he knows be hurt like this.

Whatever they’re doing to him there, he can’t stand for it. He can’t fail, he can’t give in, he will do anything and everything to save him.

He loves Zane with everything he has, and Cole refuses to let them keep him from him.

Zane may not be human, but Cole wouldn’t want him any other way.

They will never take away the one he loves.

{ { { { { { { { { { ~ } } } } } } } } } }

Another wire is pulled on.

Another set of circuits is jostled.

Another panel is pushed to the side.

Zane stares blankly ahead, doing everything in his power to avoid acknowledging it. He had even turned off his artificial respiratory system- with the way his chest plate is open and inner workings are exposed, his circuits don’t need the extra cooling.

A hand pulling his power source almost out of his chest makes a strangled whimper escape the back of his throat. The pain is overwhelming, but he grits his teeth and forces it down.

Showing emotion gets it hurt. And it doesn’t want to get hurt.

After a few more moments of struggling with his own thoughts, he allows himself to listen in on what the people working on him are saying.

The one typing notes into his computer frowns in thought. “Was it- yeah, I think it was actually built today. The exact year isn’t here, but I think it’s sixty? Seventy? Somewhere around there?”

Zane feels himself tense up. He- it’s his birthday? Well, more technically, ‘creation day’, but the others had always insisted on referring to it by the more human term. They-

“Hey, Original. What year were you built?”

The direct question grabs his attention, and he takes half a moment to think back- it’s been quite a long time, given that he watched his father grow old.

“My original body was completed and activated sixty-three years ago. My current body was completed two years, one month, two weeks and six days ago,” he answers, forcing his voice to remain emotionless.

Something is aching in his chest- and it’s not because of the way his workings are being probed.

Has it really been that long? It’s been… over eight months. He’s been here for- for so long, he-

Another weak whimper is forced out of it with the manipulation of his power source, and he once again tries to muffle it.

His birthday. It had always had such good memories attached to it.

He can remember the time Cole had taken it upon himself to be the one who baked the cake. Flour, sugar, eggs- the ingredients ended up almost everywhere except for in the baking sheet. It had been extremely amusing- but in the end, Zane had decided to spare him from his repeated failed efforts and make the cake himself. His attempt was, thankfully, edible.

With that memory, he’s reminded of another- when Kai had somehow gotten it into his head that he must get Zane the best present. The hours and hours the red ninja had spent researching and trying to find what he would like the most actually did serve a use- Zane didn’t think that any copies of that book were still around, and it was very much a pleasant surprise when Kai gifted it to him.

Not to mention the first birthday they celebrated, the one after they had missed the first year due to Zane’s amnesia. Jay had decided that it needed to be perfect, with absolutely no room for error. He spent so long looking into details and small factors that really made no difference, but the pride he had showed was too endearing for Zane to be willing to point that out.

But… in the end, he honestly couldn’t care less about the food, gifts, or decorations.

What really made it special were his friends.

Zane can hear its own processor working as he tries to push the memories into the back of his mind. He- he doesn’t want to remember, it doesn’t want to think about what he used to have, he doesn’t want to acknowledge that he’s never going to have that again, he-

No, no, he needs to stop, it needs to get the thoughts out of its head, if he keeps this up he’ll likely begin to cry, and he doesn’t want to get hurt again, he’s so tired of being hurt, he-

/“Hey Frosty!” Jay had chirped as he pushed the cake towards him. “Happy Birthday!”

“Hey, hey, someone turn off the lights!” Kai waved his hand around as he tried to get someone’s attention. “I’m gonna light the candles!”

Zane’s mouth had quirked up. “I highly doubt blowing out small fires on a pastry will grant any wishes,” he pointed out for the upteenth time, well aware of the response he would get.

“C’mon, Zee, don’t be so technical about it. It’s a birthday wish!” Cole had rolled his eyes, but his annoyance was clearly playful as he flicked off the light switch.

With the candles lit, Zane had smiled as he listened to the poorly tuned singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ from his boyfriends.

When the song ended, Zane had chuckled before blowing the candles out, even though he had no wishes in mind.

He didn’t need any birthday magic- not when he had his friends beside him./

Against his will, his respiratory system is reactivated, his breathing coming in raggedly. Fighting back the urge to cry, Zane breathes out a few quiet words.

“I… I wish I could see you again.”

Once they escape, it’s like a dam had been broken. Despite his best efforts, there’s nothing he can do to stop the sobs torn from him.

The memories… he has just enough of them to torment him without comfort. He can remember their experiences, but not their faces. He can remember how he felt, but not the details of the events that caused the coded emotions.

It can hear the way he’s ordered to stop, but the voice seems so distant, almost muffled. His body refuses to follow the command, and he continues to cry, wishing with everything left inside of him for one thing, just one small, simple thing.

To see his friends.

Just one last time.

They can take him back after, if they wish, and he will return. It will allow them to take him here if he must, if only he could only talk with them once more, just to tell them one final thing.

Just to tell them goodbye.

He’s not going to last here for much longer. He knows this. And it pains him to know that he will never truly see them again. Even if they find him later, once he has truly shattered in their grasp, he… he won’t be Zane anymore. He won’t be the one they recognize. He’ll simply be a puppet, a thing for them to command and control.

And it’s not that that he’s scared of. He knows that this will be his fate. He’s already numbed to their commands and actions against him.

What hurts is knowing that he will never be theirs again. He’ll never be their teammate, their friend, their lover…

He’ll only be a shadow of the one they had loved.

He will not love them in return.

And they will have no choice but to accept that.

His chest panel is closed, and he’s roughly taken from the table, towards the training room. Even as he chokes on his own sobs, it doesn’t resist them.

And even if he can’t truly say it to them, even if they won’t ever hear it… he can tell them. He can tell them what he needs to say.

“I will love you to the very end, my friends.”

“Goodbye.”