The Split Element- Book 1 (Ninjago: Zane X Oc)

The Benefit of Grief...

Aly's POV:

The Morning:

We had walked through the desert all night, and the sun was now directly above us. Once again, my powers were refusing to work, so I couldn't help us cope with the heat. Zane was having similar problems with his powers, but he was unaffected by the heat, and just kept walking while the rest of us were slowing down.

"So...you're not...thirsty at all?" Dareth asked him, exhausted. "No. Being a Nindroid is not without benefits." Zane bluntly told him as he kept on walking. "I wish I were a Nindroid." Dareth admitted. "No...you don't." I sighed. "A lot has...has happened to him over the...years that makes being a Nindroid...an inconvenience." "B-but you gotta look at the...plus side." Dareth objected as we made it over a large hill.

There was a road, and we spotted a small van driving down it. "Hey. Hey! Hey wait!" Kai shouted as he started to run towards it. "Stop, please! Stop!" I yelled just as we made it to the road. "Help! Help!" Kai managed to draw the vans attention, and it stopped before backing up towards us.

I noticed Zane's face change, and he looked more human. But instead of his usual white hair, it was a light blonde. I didn't think much of it, and put my attention on the van as it stopped in front of us. Inside was an older-looking teenage girl, around 17, with bright pink hair tied up in twin-ponytails with glasses.

"Hi, guys! Whatchu doing way out here?" She asked us, and we quickly had to lie. "We were, uh, camping. And we got a little lost." Kai lied. "Ah. How come you're dressed up like the ninja?" She wondered, finding it suspicious. "There was, uh, a costume party." I told her. "Yeah, yeah. Lots of people are doing it. Anyway, yeah, we could really use a ride." Dareth added, getting straight to the point.

"Sure! Hop in." The girl smiled, opening the van door. "Thanks." Kai responded as he climbed in with me and Dareth following. Zane climbed into the passenger seat before we buckled up, and drove off.

The girl started playing a song on her phone, one I'd never heard of before. It was soothing, and that mixed with the air conditioning, was nice. Kai nudged me, and gestured to my hands. I looked at them, confused until I realised what he meant.

I opened my palms, and quietly tried to use my powers. Thankfully, they worked. So I gave Kai some ice, allowing him to melt it into water. I gave Dareth some Ice as well, and soon Kai melted it for him.

"So, you don't recognize these guys?" Dareth asked the girl as he finished up his water. "No, why? Should I?" She wondered, which Kai quickly denied. "He's just joking. Hehahaha." He gave a fake laugh while leaning over me to hit Dareth, telling him to shut up. "Sorry if this is rude to ask, but are you moving..." I looked behind me, and noticed a guitar case with the name Sally on it. "...Sally?" I asked her, trying to ease the tension.

"Yep! All the way to Ninjago City! I'm gonna be a singer. I'm gonna be like, on the radio, and TV, and in concerts and stuff." Sally seemed really excited about it, and I'm glad she was. Moving can be a big change for people. "Is this one of your songs?" Zane wondered, earning a nod. "It sure is! What do you think?"

Sally turned up the music slightly, letting us hear the lyrics.

"Dig deep inside, and you will feel: an inner strength, an inner steel."

Kai, Dareth and I started nodding and tapping along to the music, showing we were enjoying it. "Wow. You wrote that? That's great!" Dareth exclaimed, making Sally chuckle. "Thanks!" "But humans are not made of steel." Zane pointed out, clearly not understanding the meaning of the lyrics. If his emotions were turned on, he'd know...

"Of course not, silly!" Sally started, turning the music down. "It's a song, to make people feel better! Songs can help people come together and find their way. That's what I want my music to do." "That is a worthy cause." Zane responded. "Yeah! It's great, Sally." Kai added. "Oh, you guys are sweet." The girl smiled, clearly flattered.