ninjago imagines

broken | zane j.

Set after S11,  Zane is no longer the Ice Emperor and is back in Ninjago but still has the memories from when he was.

TW: PTSF, flashbacks, anxiety, self blame.

Zane deals with PTSD symptoms from the Never-Realm, causing him flashbacks.

• • •

Faces. That's what Zane remembered most out of all his memories as the Ice Emperor. Faces of the people he captured. Hurt. Froze.

He'd never forget how they looked at him. Like he was the monster that lived in their nightmares, the devil who lurked in the dark shadows. 

He probably was their biggest fear. That part hurt the most—

"-ne. Zane!" Jay called, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" he asked, deep brown eyes filled with concern.

Zane forces a small smile towards the lighting ninja. "Sorry, Jay. I was...thinking about something." 

"Okay, well, we better get to training." Jay said, returning his smile.

"You are right. We should go." Zane responded, grateful the other teen hadn't questioned deeper. 

Their footsteps echoed across the empty hallway they were following, and Zane was eerily reminded of the wide, hollow castle he'd lived in for so many years. 

Reaching the training rooms, Jay pushed the doors open, dark hazel wood creaking slightly. 

"Hey, you guys are late." Lloyd said, looking up. His eyes found Zane, and his sensors picked up a rising heartbeat. He allowed a small smile at him, and it slowed.

"Uh, Master Wu said we were practicing sticks today." Lloyd nodding towards a pile of a sticks leaning against the opposite wall, 

"Staffs, Lloyd, not sticks-" Kai cut in.

"Okay, okay, staffs, whatever-" Lloyd interrupted him, rolling his eyes. 

This all went unheard to the ice ninja, staring at the weapons, lost in thought. Staffs. He hadn't picked one up ever since the day he returned from the Never-Realm. Not even anything remotely like one. 

Jay was fiddling around with them, finally picking out two and walking back to him. 

"Here." He hands Zane the staff absentmindedly, still distracted by something else.

The weapon felt familiar in his hands. Way, way too familiar. His memories dragged him back to just a few weeks ago, when-

His fingers tightened around the frigid metal, raising it above his head. Ice cracked sharply around his grip, already frozen for years, decades on end. A blast of magic flew out from the staff's head, and-

"Zane?" He snapped out of the dream- no, memory, and blinked, world in blurry darkness for a second. 

His teammates stared at him, gazes full of worry. And fear, he saw. 

With a start, Zane realized he'd broken the staff, splintered half lying on the ground. 

"I-" He stuttered weakly, thoughts muddled and confused. He dropped the other half, wood clattering loudly against the floor in the silent room, and backs out the door. 

How could he have let himself slip like that?

• • •