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"On your left!"
The White Ninja threw a shuriken to his left, hitting and knocking out a crook as they were charging towards him with a hammer in their hand. The shuriken flew back towards the nindroid, who caught it. He missed using shurikens
"Got him, thanks Cole!"
"Just keeping my eyes out for you, tin can!"
The Black Ninja spun with his hammer, sending nearby crooks flying into the walls. All the ninja were keeping an extra eye on Zane, it hasn't been very long since their return from the Never Realm, and Zane was still getting used to being himself again. He didn't need to come on this little criminal bust, but the White Ninja insisted on coming, how else was he going to get used to taking down bad guys again if he didn't get his hands dirty out in the field.
It was just a simple avocado smuggling ring they were busting. Nothing too big, but they can't have these smugglers and their low quality avocado overflow the farmers market and ruin many small businesses. The best guacamole is made with the best avocados, home grown with hard work.
It was going so well. But anything can go wrong in a blink of an eye.
Zane was simply restraining some smugglers, when he could see one of them in the distance making a run for it. The White Ninja chased after them, Cole and Lloyd following after while Kai, Jay and Nya kept their eyes on the already restrained smugglers to make sure they didn't get any funny ideas to escape. The runner was too far away, and even with ninja agility there's no way they'd be able to catch them. Out of instinct, Zane shot out some ice towards the runner, to freeze them inplace to allow the others to catch up to them. But Zane forgot just how much more powerful his ice has become ever since the Never Realm, holding the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu non stop for over six decades is bound to cause some…permanent alterations. Instead of simply freezing their feet, the ice instead froze the runner whole, trapping them in a solid block of ice.
After that everything just got worse. Zane suddenly lost control of his ice, stray blasts shooting out like sparks from a faulty computer. Lloyd quickly took cover, and began to call for the other ninja, especially Kai. Cole was much slower in taking cover, mostly due to him trying to calm down his friend. The nindroid was deaf to the world around him, trapped in his own head as the ice and snow surrounding him got more intense. The elemental energy surrounding Zane burst outwards in an attempt to keep anyone away from him. Cole was sent flying into a pile of boxes when a burst of elemental energy hit him right in the chest.
Thankfully, the other ninja quickly arrived. Nya had something in her hand, that she swiftly put onto Zane's wrist. The out of control ice immediately vanished and the mini blizzard surrounding the White Ninja calmed. Zane collapsed, but Nya caught him. The two make their way back to the Bounty. Jay went to check on Cole to see if he was alright. Other than being thrown back into some wooden boxes, he was fine if not a little cold from Zane's outburst. Lloyd and Kai were looking over the frozen smuggler, Kai using his fire to melt the ice. Thankfully it was meltable, so they should be fine, maybe a little chilly. Hopefully the commissioner will provide them with a thick blanket and hot chocolate before they get their punishment.
Lloyd couldn't help but worry for Zane, and he had a bad feeling in his gut that things were going to get worse before it gets better.
***
Zane was in the courtyard, training. He's working on regaining better control over his element so he wouldn't accidentally freeze someone solid or if he has another outburst he'll be able to calm his element down without the need of vengestone. He had a small piece of vengestone on his person, just to dampen his power to a more controllable level. One day he'll get used to the effects of the forbidden scroll, it's going to be a long, difficult road to walk, he'll get there in the end.
The Master of Ice gently throws his element at the training dummies, freezing the wooden pillars halfway. Still a bit too much frozen in his eyes. The best way to immobilize an escaping foe is to freeze them up to just above the knees, minimizing movement but doing little harm.
The sound of the monastery doors opening and the creaking of the wooden deck drew Zane's attention away from his training and towards the Master of Earth.
"Greetings Cole. What brings you out here?"
"Hey Zane, just thought I'd check up on you and see how you've been doing."
"I've been doing alright, simply trying to get used to my element after…everything."
As Zane watched the Black Ninja go and grab some sparring weapons, he couldn't help but notice something was a bit off about him. For starters, he was dressed in a gi that seemed to cover up everywhere but his face, along with a bright orange scarf clearly belonging to Jay. It was strange because one - most of Cole's gis nowadays are made of thin fabrics that tend to expose a decent bit of his skin, primarily his arms and chest (he likes to show off his muscles, and Zane can't help but stare). And two - it was summer, and the middle of a heatwave too.
Zane was worried that his friend would catch a heatstroke. Out of instinct, he scanned the Black Ninja to see if he wasn't over heating in his gi. To his confusion, Cole's internal body temperature was cold, just under 36°C. Zane made a mental note to keep an eye on Cole's internal temperature in case it fluctuates.
Cole tossed Zane some rubber shurikens, while he grabbed a wooden scythe. Zane couldn't help but notice a few streaks of white mixed in with the black of Cole's hair.
"Cole, are you alright?"
"Huh, yeah I'm fine, just a bit cold that's all. Hoping some sparring will warm me up."
"But it's the middle of summer."
Cole just ignored Zane's concerns and got ready to spar. Zane spun his rubber shurikens in a taunting manner. Maybe some sparing would do them both some good.
Zane immediately threw a shuriken towards his comrade, but Cole rolled out of the way and attempted to sweep the nindroid's legs. Zane anticipated the move and jumped back before freezing a shuriken and throwing it. With the vengestone in his pocket, he doesn't have to worry about accidentally hurting his friend.
"Oh, we're using our powers huh?"
With a smug grin, Cole stomped a foot on the ground, causing the mountain to shake a little. Then he summoned a pillar of stone right under Zane's feet, sending him flying in the air. Cole wasn't worried, because Zane can quickly recover. The nindroid frozen a pathway down the pillar, sliding down while aiming to snipe Cole with a surprise shuriken.
As he scanned his foe, he froze in horror and ended up losing focus, slipping on the ice. Cole rushed towards his friend, worried for him after that tumble.
"Zane! Are you alri-"
Cole waa suddenly wracked with pain in his chest and collapsed to the ground. Zane quickly went to see if he's alright, but he looked anything but. His hair was a lot more white, and he was cold to the touch despite the many layers of clothes he's wearing. Zane's scans showed that Cole's internal body temperature had gone below 30°C, and it was dropping more and more by the moment. Zane was confused, he didn't know what to do, he was scared.
"MASTER WU!!! ANYONE!!!"
Zane tries to shake Cole awake, but the Black Ninja is unresponsive. Soon enough Master Wu and the other ninja arrive at the scene.
"M-Master Wu! We-We were just sparring…and then Cole just collapsed! My scans…scans show that his internal body temperature is below 30°C…b-but he's still getting colder despite what he's wearing! I don't know what to do!"
The ancient master examined his student, quickly recoiling after touching Cole. He takes the man's shirt off to get a better look at him, only to see a chunk of ice on his chest. Everyone recoils and gasps. How could this have happened? When did it happen?
"Master Wu, what's going on with Cole?"
Lloyd asked, fearful for his friend. Wu simply picked up the man and began to make his way inside.
"Lloyd, make a cup of tea. Mix in warming tea leaves and healing tea. Quickly."
Lloyd quickly ran ahead to the tea room, while Wu made his way to the medical ward. Everyone else followed, except for Zane. The Nindroid simply stared at his own hands, frost gathering by his feet. This wasn't…his fault right?
***
The atmosphere in the medical ward was tense. Everyone stood silently by Cole's bed, scared for him. In the short time since he collapsed and was brought inside, his hair was almost fully white with what few streaks of black remaining practically being smothered. He didn't suit white hair at all. The ice in his chest had grown, covering half of his biceps, and it was only spreading. His fingers had also begun to turn to ice. He was pale, and despite keeping their distance. The others could feel just how cold he was.
Master Wu gently poured the tea down Cole's throat. It was hard to tell if he was conscious or not. He was groaning in pain and shivering, but he wouldn't respond or open his eyes. The ancient man sighed and approached his students, who were eager to hear any news about their friend. Wu just sighed and shook his head.
"I…don't know what's happening. Despite giving him the most potent of teas, his condition seems to be worsening at an alarming rate. I fear by the end of the day…he'll be nothing but ice…"
The ninja all collectively gasp. Kai slams his fist into the nearby table, angry he can do nothing but watch one of his closest friends die. Jay buried his face into Nya's shoulder, shaking like a leaf and he tried his best not to cry. Nya simply patted her boyfriend's back, a vain attempt to comfort him when she was seeming. Lloyd looked down to his feet, clenching his fists, failing at holding back tears.
Zane started to back away from the group, frost gathering by his feet and the room becoming much colder. He wraps his arms around himself, shaking his head. He's known…ever since he did that first scan, that this was his fault. He saw that the source of Cole's sudden affliction, the coldest part of his body, was his chest. The same place where a stray blast of ice struck Cole during his outburst yesterday. It was his fault.
"Zane buddy, are you okay? You're frosting up."
Jay approached Zane, worried for how his friend is doing, but Zane fearfully smacked Jay's hand away.
"S-STAY AWAY FROM ME!!! I…I DON'T WANT…DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU T-TOO!!!"
The nindroid backs further away from the others. His voice glitching out, a quirk that occurs when he gets highly emotional. The others looked at him confused.
"Zane what are you talking about, you'd never hurt us."
"But I…But I did L-LLoyd…"
The room started to get colder as frost coated the area Zane was starting.
"I-I hurt…hurt Cole… I froze him…froze his heart… He's d-dying… He's dying and it's all my FAULT!!! I KILLED COLE!!! I KILLED HIM!!! KILLEDHIMKILLEDHIMKILLEDHIM-"
The nindroid screamed the same phrase over and over. At this point the frost around him started to protrude sharp icicles and a mini blizzard began to surround him. He was having another outburst. Kai grabbed the vengestone cuffs and tried to approach Zane, but the nindroid had lost all control of his element. Everyone was knocked back by a blast of elemental energy.
They all quickly got up, thankfully no one was directly hit by any stray elemental blasts. They looked around for their friend, but the nindroid was gone, all there was was a hole in the wall, surrounded by frost, and a cold chill in the air. Zane had fled.
"We need to go after him, before this outburst of his goes out of control!"
Kai immediately takes off, following the frozen trail Zane left behind. Nya followed after him.
"But what about Cole? We can't just leave him like this!"
Wu agrees with his students.
"Take him on board the Bounty. We need to keep an eye on his condition."
Jay and Lloyd nodded as they slung Cole's arms over their shoulders and tried to carry him to the Bounty . The Black Ninja was so cold.
Once everyone was on board, they saw a huge blizzard forming in the distance. They made their way towards it, towards Zane.
***
Zane just ran. He didn't know where he was running, he just had to run. He couldn't stay, not after what he did. He didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone else. He thought he was doing well, at getting his element back under his control, but in the end, he just hurt the one person who he cares about the most. And how he's going to die. Cole's going to die and there's nothing that can be done to save him.
It's all his fault.
It's all his fault Cole's going to die.
It's all his fault all those people in the Never Realm suffered.
It's all his fault.
Maybe it would've been better if he didn't regain his memories.
Maybe it would've been better if he remained in the Never Realm.
Maybe it would be better if he just…if he just…just…
Zane froze in his steps, literally as ice formed around his feet, keeping him in place. The blizzard around him raged on, blowing cold wind and snow all over the area.
***
"Over there!"
The ninja neared the blizzard. It was a lot bigger up close. They could feel the cold biting winds just from outside the storm. If they were going to enter it, they'd need to wrap up warm or else they'll likely freeze to death.
"Zane's tracker shows he's in the center of this blizzard, however that is also the coldest zone, I doubt any of us could make it there without freezing."
Nya was examining some hastily gathered data on this snowstorm. It had been split into three zones, getting colder the closer to the center. It was also expanding, getting bigger. It was hard to tell if Zane was stationary or on the move, but if they didn't stop this quickly, it won't be long until all of Ninjago is frozen.
Their goal clear, the ninja geared up, in many layers of clothes as they can fit, some thick rope to attach themselves to so no one will get separated and lost, and a whole lot of vengestone so if they do manage to reach Zane they could stop his outburst through nullifying his powers. What is normally a great inconvenience to them has become a great tool…if they're able to survive and find Zane. None of them had their hopes up, worry for Cole's condition still lingering deep in their guts. Master Wu said he'll stay behind to do his best to prolong Cole's condition as much as possible, but he didn't have hope for a miracle.
He watched on as Lloyd, Kai, Jay and Nya ventured into the storm, praying they'll find Zane, but he was unaware of another making their way into the storm with the same goal in mind.
***
He felt so cold. His chest was killing him, like he had been stabbed and the knife was still embedded into his heart. Cole had been feeling cold ever since the avocado smuggler bust. He knew it had something to do with Zane's accidental outburst, but he didn't say a thing because he didn't want the nindroid to spiral into self blame for hurting him. He was still recovering from everything that had happened in the Never Realm, all those lives he unwillingly hurt because a man with a heart full of malice twisted his friend into a puppet he could commit atrocities without directly soaking his hands in blood. Everyone knew it wasn't Zane's fault, but the nindroid still blamed himself.
If only he said something, then they probably wouldn't be in this mess. He was somewhat aware of what was going on around him. Something about his heart, and that there's nothing that can be done to save him. Then Zane had another outburst, spiraling into self blame over his condition. Cole wanted to tell Zane it wasn't his fault, that it was an accident, but the Nindroid fled.
He had to go after Zane, but he knew the others wouldn't let him. So he had to wait until everyone else was distracted by their own preparations for the rescue. Using all his strength, Cole made his way out of the infirmary on the Bounty, and made his way to the deck, jumping off and heading right into the storm. He really should've wrapped up, but it wouldn't matter, he'd still feel as cold as winter.
First Master it was so hard to see in this blizzard, and everything looked the same. Just nothing but white snow and frozen trees for as far as his eyes can see. The snow went up to his knees, so it was hard to move through, or maybe that was just the internal freeze in him slowing him down as flesh froze into ice. Frost had started to form all over him, hands basically ice. He didn't have much longer, but he wasn't going to die without reassuring Zane.
After what felt like forever, Cole spotted something in the distance. It looked like a person, simply just standing there in the middle of the blizzard. He trudged forward, trying to get a closer look. They were frozen in place, literally, ice crawling up their legs. Frost was also coating them, much in a similar way to the frost coating him. They had their arms wrapped around themselves like they were hugging themself, and they were shaking, not from the cold, but from sadness. Cole could tear them crying.
"Zane!"
He called out to the figure, hoping his gut was right, that it was Zane. The figure froze, guess his gut was right. Cole tried to get closer, but sharp icicles shout out around him like a hostile shield.
"What are you d-doing here Cole?"
"I'm here to talk…before I-"
"Don't finish that sentence!"
Cole ignored Zane. He had to talk, before he finally froze.
"Before I freeze, I just wanted to tell you that this…isn't your fault… And I don't just mean my heart, the Never Realm too, it wasn't your fault. You were tricked by a twisted man into becoming his puppet, and don't say that you should've seen through his lies, you just had your memory accidently wiped clean. You were a blank slate.
I understand why you would feel that way. It goes against your moral code. You were built to protect, so when you hurt someone, it's like you go against the very thing you were made for. You may think we hate you…but we don't. We want to help you Zane. You don't have to walk this road alone."
Cole reaches out a hand to Zane, hoping the nindroid will take it. Zane's eyes start to well up with frozen tears, the ice keeping him frozen where he stood shattering into snow. Zane takes Cole's frozen hand, and the blizzard stops.
But as soon as the blizzard stops, Cole collapses. Zane is quick to catch him, but the Black Ninja is nearly completely frozen. Cole can barely feel anything but the cold.
"Guess…my time's up… I'm sorry…"
Zane shook his head, his tears now thawed and flowing down his cheeks.
"No, I won't let you die like this! I refuse!"
"There's…nothing that can be done…"
"There's got to be something! I'm not letting you die here, Cole! I can't lose anyone anymore! I can't lose you! I love you!"
Cole was left speechless at Zane's confession.
"I…didn't know you felt the same way… A shame…"
Zane's thoughts were running a mile a minute. He had to do this before Cole froze forever. Without hesitation, Zane kissed Cole on the lips.
Cole simply closed his eyes. What a nice first…and last kiss. He felt warmth in his heart for the first time in what seemed like forever.
***
The ninja were trudging their way through the blizzard. Kai was keeping everyone warm with his fire, a boon for this mission. But by the First Master it was hard to see anything in this blizzard and the snow was getting thicker and deeper by the minute.
Just then they receive a message from Wu. They turn on their communication devices to see what their master had to say.
"Ninja! Cole has vanished! I fear he went after Zane!"
"Don't worry Master, we're close to the center of the storm!"
The ninja hastily made their way through the blizzard. If Cole had indeed gone after Zane, there's no way he'd be able to survive in these conditions. They had to find him quickly, before it was too late.
Then out of nowhere, the blizzard stopped. The sky began to clear and the snow started to melt. Just as they were wondering what could've caused Zane to calm down his outburst, Jay spotted some figures in the distance. Quickly making their way towards the figures, the ninja were surprised to see Zane and Cole, kissing and hugging. What really surprised the ninja is that Cole no longer looked like he was slowly turning to ice. His hair was fully black, his skin was a healthy shade and no longer was his body covered in frost and ice. Somehow, Zane saved Cole. The ninja kept their distance from the pair, Lloyd sending a message back to Wu to update him.
"Everything's going to be alright, Master Wu."