Ninjago - Heart of Stone

Chapter Nine: Across the Sea

"The only people I need are the ones I keep in close company," he said. Lexi smirked.

"That's sweet," she said. "Everything you say is so sweet." She turned to him and frowned. "Do you like Misako?"

Zane blinked. "I... do not wish to answer that question."

"So you don't?"

"I believe her apology leaves much to be desired," Zane said carefully, "but I also know... deep down, beneath all her tears and suffering, she is a warrior. Her grit has been buried beneath years of heartache and misery, and she has undergone too much suffering and tragedy to fully understand that she is at fault."

"See? That's what I mean- you make to sound so lovely." Lexi scowled. "I can't stand her- and I don't care if that makes me a horrible person, or an even worse daughter. She abandoned me, and now she just comes waltzing back into my life, expecting to be welcomed with open arms-"

"It's normal to feel contempt for a parent," Zane interrupted, "and you are well within your right to be angry." His voice was calm, like the breeze that ripples across the surface of the water. Lexi might have allowed it to soothe her had she not been determined to finally speak her mind.

"I am angry," she snarled, "I'm angry, and I'm bitter, and I hate her. I hate the way she cries all the time, and the way she looks at me, like I'm some... some... some charity case, or a little lost puppy she's taken in. Misako is not my mother. She gave me up, she chose to leave me behind to start her own adventure, just like she did with my real mother. Her own sister, left behind for what? For a man- for Garmadon."

"It is unreasonable," Zane agreed, nodding slowly. Lexi slammed her fist against the railing, dissatisfied with the lack of pain. She wanted to feel it shooting through her arm- she needed to feel it-

She blinked, realizing that she was shaking, gripping the railing so hard that blood was beginning to leak through her fingers. She removed them instantly, hastily wiping the blood off on her pants, determinedly avoiding Zane's gaze. He was staring at her hands, a look of utmost care in his eyes.

"Lexi," he said softly, "I hope you know that I care for you, very deeply. And I consider you a sister, if not by blood then by bond."

Lexi nodded, refusing to look up. As close as they were, she didn't want Zane to see her cry.

"And Lexi..." she still didn't lift her head, but she could picture his face. Zane was looking down at her with love.

"Family is not forged by the flow of blood, but by the choice to love someone. Love, Lexi, is always a choice, and true love is never the wrong choice to make."

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"You know, when you told us we were using their blood to find the island, this isn't what I imagined," Kai grumbled. Lexi turned to him and scowled.

"What did you expect?" She asked. "You thought we were gonna spill our guts into the sea and follow the trail?"

"I thought you'd know where to go," Kai retorted, crossing his arms. "We've been sailing for nearly a day, and we're no closer to finding the island than we were back in Ninjago."

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't smell an island from miles away," Lexi snapped. "Why don't you stand around under the sweltering sun and try to sense darkness for hours on end, then you have the right to complain."