ninjago one-shots [x reader]

Hope to Cling to: Zane

-requested by someone on Wattpad
-I was struggling for a while but finally got this done
-sorry, unedited because I'm actually really tired lol

Summary: Zane is dead after the fight with the Overlord. You search for him without help.

What was this feeling? Deep inside, you knew something was wrong, and it drew a pit further and further into your very soul. It had been days since you've seen Zane. Maybe even months. You weren't sure after all that happened after the Overlord's final defeat.

A part of you still clung to the hope that Zane was alive, wherever in Ninjago he was. Yoku never did see him die, and all that was left of him was a plate from his face.

"(Y/n)?"

You swallowed the lump in your throat and pushed back the odd feeling in your stomach. "Hi Cole." You didn't mean to soumd so offhanded, but with all rhe thoughts swirling in your mind, how couldn't you? "I'm a bit busy right now."

He leaned on the threshold and crossed his arms sullenly. "If it's Zane you're after, then I can't let you leave." You stuffed a gi into your bag and zipped it tight. "I'm not after Zane." you quietly grumbled. Cole raised a brow sceptically.

He knew what you wanted. After months of searching, you still hadn't given up on him. It was only a matter of time before finding him became your obsession, and that was simply something he couldn't allow. "You can't get past me." he stated. "Even Sensei said you should give it a rest. You have to learn to--"

"Let go?" You shouldered the bag and turned to the window. The low creaking of the Bounty offered in comfort to your running thoughts. You found it fueling your desire to leave, as if in its wooden splinters it knew you were on to something all along.

"I can't let go when there's a chance Zane's alive. If it were me, he wouldn't have given up on me."

Cole pushed off the threshold with a furious frown. "But you saw what happened! There was ice everywhere after the final battle! He may have been the Master of Ice, but even that--how can anyone survive that?"

"He's still the Master of Ice." you said through gritted teeth. "I know he's out there." Cole made his way into the room. His brows were knitted together tightly, and by the way his shoulders tensed, he was doing his best not to burst. "Where? If you know then why don't you tell us?"

"Because I have to trust my instincts! I don't know where exactly he is, but he's alive. I know it!"

"You can't trust a gut feeling like that."

"It's not your decision Cole," you retorted, turning to face him. "You may be my brother, but you won't boss me around like dad did." That hit a nerve and you knew it. The absolute look of betrayal in his darkened eyes made you fall short. His past at Marty Oppenheinmer was not something anyone brought up. It didn't matter how many times his relationship with dad mended--there was still a hole that couldn't be filled in his rock-solid heart.

You ripped open the window and met Cole's eyes one last time. "If I don't come back in five months, consider me dead." He let out a scream, made a run for it, but it was too late. You jumped out of The Bounty.

Cole watched as you flew through the air. A moment later, you opened your parachute and made a descent towards the ground. That would be the last time he saw you for a long, long time.

------

This was the last time you ever rented a cheap hotel for an overnight stay. You shouldered your backpack and pulled up your hood. The blankets, curled up into the shape of a body bag, was a nice final touch you were sure Zane would never approve of.