You were up in the early hours of the morning, already taking on the training course again and again. With only a few minor scrapes and bumps, you were making good progress.
You tried to call upon your new Element as you jumped from one carousel to another. A sudden wave of dark green had flickered by your eyes, and the world around you blurred for a moment.
Your ankle caught on something, and you fell to the ground. All traces of your Element disappeared into the air. You landed on your stomach before rolling over to your back with a heavy sigh.
You were getting closer.
You sat up before pulling yourself to your feet. You jumped at the course and tried again. You weaved through the swords and danced between the axes as you called upon your new Element once again. You spun in the air, and the dark green power within you manifested, swirling and moving around your form.
Then you crashed into a swinging punching bag. You were thrown aside and landed painfully on a wooden mast. A spark of pain shot up your back as you rolled off and finally landed on the ground. You landed face-first against the ground, far too much in pain to properly assess your injury. You quietly whined.
You were fine, you tried to tell yourself. You weren't permanently injured.
It didn't stop it from hurting like hell, though.
You shifted onto your back and stared up at the cloudy sky above. The sun had long since risen from the horizon, now hiding behind large collections of clouds. You took a small breath in and let it out. You continued to pitifully lie on the ground as your back continued to painfully ring.
"You okay, (Y/n)?"
You looked upwards to find Cole on the deck. He was in his black ninja gi already, though his Scythe of Quakes was nowhere to be found.
"Yeah," Your voice just barely cracked as you forced a small smile. "I'm fine, just... taking a break for a bit."
"...You sure you're alright?" Cole asked. He seemed really unsure.
"Yeah," You repeated. "Just need a break." You glanced back to the sky once more, mentally pointing out different shapes in the sky.
You heard footsteps, and soon the black ninja was lying beside you. His head was pressed up against yours as he stared up at the clouds, too. "Why are you training so early in the morning?"
"I kind of should," You said. "I need to learn Spinjitzu, too, since I have my own Element, now..."
"No need to push yourself this hard," Cole told you. "With Garmadon gone, there really isn't much for us to do."
"You never know when he will be back."
"But it'll be a while, right?" Cole pressed. "I mean... It takes more than a week to collect enough energy to come back from... wherever Garmadon went."
"...Maybe," You sighed.
"C'mon," Cole sat up and turned to face you. "Zane's cooking breakfast, today. We should get there early so the others don't eat it all!"
"Zane is cooking?" Despite your previous pain, you were up on your feet quick.
You and Cole entered the dining room and both quickly took a seat. Zane was just finishing up cooking and brought a few plates into the dining room. You were just about ready to dig right in.
Everyone suddenly burst out into laughter.
You had jumped in utter surprise before glancing up at everyone. Everyone except Zane was laughing.
"What's so funny?" Zane asked.
"Dude, where did you get that?" Jay pointed towards Zane's outfit. He was wearing a pink apron with white lacing over his ninja gi.
"My apron?" Zane questioned. "I bought it quite recently. Is it not customary to wear an apron to keep oneself clean during cooking?"
"It is, but it looks ridiculous," Kai mentioned.
"It's literally just an apron..." You muttered. "What's so funny?"
"C'mon, (Y/n)!" Jay chuckled. "You gotta admit, it is really weird."
"Dude, I'd wear one, too, but none of them fit me," You shot back. "Besides, it looks nice on him."
"I..." Zane hesitated. "I suppose we don't share the same sense of humour," He quietly told the other ninja.
"Well, then," Cole picked up a pancake from his plate, "how about this?!" He threw the pancake right at Kai.
The pancake smacked against Kai's face before it fell onto the table. "Dude!"
Cole only laughed aloud. He glanced at Zane, who wasn't amused in the slightest. "C'mon, you had to have found that funny."
A pancake shot right back at Cole, though this one was covered in syrup. It stuck to Cole's face before he quickly peeled it off. "Hey!"
"Gotcha," Kai smirked.
"Oh, it's on!" Cole challenged.
"Nope!" You immediately got up from the table and ran out of the room. "I'm not going to be a part of this!"
"Aw, (Y/n)—" You didn't bother listening to your friends' complaints. You heard more food being tossed around, along with laughter and shouts and declarations of battle.
You did not want to get syrup and butter all over yourself. It would be hell trying to clean up afterwards. You could feel the stickiness just from thinking about the mess.
You disappeared outside before glancing back and listening. You could still hear them all shouting and laughing aloud, even from all the way out here. You exhaled and shook your head before staring forward at the still-active training course.
You sighed before making your way through the course. You found the hidden button near the monastery's front door and pressed it. The training course slowed to a halt before shifting itself into the ground. Panels slid into place, and the training course was completely gone.
You returned to the monastery before dropping onto the small deck. You sat just out of the sun's rays as you exhaled and simply enjoyed the wind.
"(Y/n)?" You looked back to find the white ninja behind you, no longer wearing his apron. Zane glanced at you in curiosity. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," You replied. "I don't want to be in there for that food fight."
Zane held a small smile before it disappeared. "Indeed. It's quite the mess already, and they are still at it." He sighed. "My apron is in the wash, now."
You shook your head with a weak laugh. "Syrup is the worst to clean..." You glanced up at Zane. "When they are done, I can help."
"I could handle it myself," Zane insisted. "Or perhaps I can force the others to help. It is their mess, after all."
You smiled. "That would be better."
Zane quietly sat down beside you. You could still hear the others shouting and laughing inside. You internally cringed at the mess they were making.
You really hoped they kept it in the dining room.
"Did you think I looked nice in the apron?" Zane asked.
"Yeah," You immediately answered. "Looks better on you than on me."
"Why would that be?"
"I mean," You motioned to yourself. "I'm too tall. I wore one a long, long time ago... Though now it might go down to..." You motioned to your waist, "here, maybe..."
"Have you considered making your own apron?" Zane questioned.
"Eh, not really?" You shrugged. "I don't... bother with making new clothes. I know Dad doesn't mind if I ask for anything, but I don't want to waste things. I don't cook as much now, either."
"Ah, I see," Zane nodded. He was quiet for a short moment. "Thank you."
"Huh?" You quietly asked.
"It has been a while since I have gotten a... genuine compliment," Zane stated. "The others simply call me weird whenever they find something... different, about me."
"What?" You stared at the white ninja. "Why?! That's not nice." You turned and glared at the courtyard. "I'm more different than you, but they only say mean things about you...?"
"Do tell me if I ever sound rude," Zane began, "but you are different in a way that I am not. You are from another Realm, one that is completely unlike this one. Your differences are... understandable, in a way, as you are not from Ninjago."
You glanced up at Zane. He was solemnly staring at his hands within his lap.
"I am from this Realm, yet I am extremely different," Zane said. "I do not understand things that are considered common knowledge. Jokes, sarcasm, figures of speech... I do not fully understand certain parts of everyday life, as the others have said. I am not supposed to be so different."
"That's... That's not rude at all," You said. "I—... You're not..." You struggled to form the words you wanted to say. You wanted to tell Zane that he wasn't all that different, but would that mean anything from you? Like Zane stated, you're from another Realm. Your perspective is so peculiar compared to anyone in Ninjago. You thought he was completely normal, but you're anything but in the Realm of Ninjago.
Does your opinion matter?
"...So what if you are different?" You hesitantly began. "Just because you don't know some things or do some things differently doesn't mean you're weird." You shrugged your shoulders as you glanced down at your lap. "Everyone does things differently. Everyone has different thoughts and emotions all the time... Everyone is different. If people are the same, it... would be boring, right?"
"Still..." Zane quietly protested. "I... feel as though I am too different. I..." He paused for a short while. Zane seemed conflicted. "I occasionally feel like I am not... welcome in this world. I... I've felt like this for quite some time, even before Sensei had found me."
"I'll be different with you, then," You offered. "I... can't do anything to make people accept you, but I can at least be here with you. Or... maybe I could tell the others to not be so mean about that." You offered a quiet laugh. "They say I'm cool when I'm different... They should say the same for you, right?"
Zane stared ahead, pondering. "You do not have to say anything to them... But thank you." Zane turned your way with a small smile. "I am glad you 'have my back,' as the others might say."
You grinned and nodded. "If you ever need anything, just let me know."
Zane glanced down for a moment. He silently placed his hand upon yours. "Thank you."
You turned your hand and clasped Zane's. "Of course."