Tales from a Split Element (Ninjago Zane X Reader One-Shots)

Old Friends Part 2...

Seasons 9-10: Cole and Y/n focus

Cole watched from the courtyard doorway, watching as Zane was helping Y/n with her training. He demonstrated by throwing a high kick, and stood back to let the girl try. She recited the move in her head, and went for it, only when she did she lost her footing and fell.

Zane immediately knelt down to help her, but the girl just laughed at her mistake. The Nindroid wasn't immune to her laughter, and found himself chuckling as he offered her a hand.

Cole smiled as he let out a breath, realising in that moment, he'd found his old friend.

Not long later, Zane let Y/n have a break while he went to check on the others. The girl was left to herself on one of the benches in the courtyard, drinking from a bottle of water as she tried to relax. Cole noticed she was on a break, and approached her.

"Hey, Y/n." He spoke up, catching her off guard. "Gah! Oh, Cole it's just you. You startled me." She giggled, looking up at him. He just smiled. "Sorry about that." He sat down beside her, and held his hands, rubbing one of his palms with his thumb. Y/n noticed that he seemed off. "Is everything okay? You don't seem like...you?" She said, making the Master of Earth sigh and shake his head.

"Nah. I just wanted to talk to you about something." He told her, which she didn't expect, and it immediately made her worry. "About what?" She asked, hoping it wasn't about something she'd done wrong. Cole thought, and collected himself.

"When you were little, did you have this friend you'd do everything with?" He wondered, which confused the girl. "I mean, I had a few close friends growing up." Y/n responded, not sure where this conversation was going. "Okay. How about your mom? Did she have a close friend who would come over a lot, or even go over to her house?" Cole asked, which made Y/n think. And the longer she did, the more she seemed to remember.

"I...I guess so, yeah." She spoke, playing with her fingers before snickering. "Why are you asking me this?" "I was just curious. Do you remember what your moms friend looked like?" Cole continued. Y/n was left to her thoughts again, digging through memories buried deep within her. "I think...from what I can remember, she was tall, wore her hair in a bun. She was really pretty, oh and she was strong, like, really strong." She chuckled. "I think I remember her using me as weights one time. Uh in a playful way of course." She told him, which made the boy laugh.

"My mom was like that." Cole told her, setting off a lightbulb in Y/n's mind. She stopped, and stared at Cole with narrowed eyes. She started to remember those times; times where a beautiful lady would come over to her house and talk to her mother. She'd always bring her son. He was just a bit taller than she was, with dark hair and bright brown eyes. Looking at Cole, she realised it was him.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait." Y/n quickly spoke. "That was you?!" She exclaimed as a smile was painted on the Master of Earth's face. "Yeah. You remember it now, don't you?" He asked, making her slowly nod. "Yeah. Gosh how did I forget." "Time's a weird thing." Cole sighed.

Y/n was again left to think, and more things started to link together. "Hey, wait. Is that why you've been so nice to me since I joined?" She wondered, making Coel once again nod. "Yeah. At least I think so." He started. "I knew something was familiar about you, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that was. But the one thing I did know is that I trusted you." The girl sighed, looking down. "...Even after everything I did? I've changed a lot since we were kids, Cole."

Cole stopped, and nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, thinking about that now I probably should've been more cautious. Time does crazy things to people." He spoke. "It does..." Y/n's mood didn't change: she was clearly troubled, and fell silent. But Cole quickly tried to offer support. "Hey." He put his hand on her shoulder, making him look over at him. "You're not that person anymore, and lately, I can still see that kind girl coming out again." He smiled, but quickly realised what he said, now flustered. "I, mean-" Y/n couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you're right. I guess getting away from Rumi was all I needed."

"Yeah." Cole agreed, sighing. "But just know, she can't control you anymore. You're your own person, and only you can decide who you want to be." He told her, making smiles appear on both their faces.

"He is right."

Just then, Zane walked back out to the courtyard, standing ahead of the two. "The only one that can decide who you are, is you." He said, making Cole nod. "So, who do you want to be?" He asked. Y/n looked away, thinking. But, she didn't know. "I don't know." She responded. "...but maybe after I officially become a ninja, maybe then I'll know." Y/n said to the boys, looking up at Zane who gave her a smile and nod. "Well, in that case, would you like to continue?" He asked, not thinking when he offered the girl his hand.

Y/n looked at his hand, almost not knowing what to do. But she soon came to her senses, and took it, standing up. "Yeah." She smiled, feeling her face heating up. Trying not to feel awkward in this new situation, Cole quickly stood up, stretching his arms. "Mind if I join you guys?" He asked. "I've got a thing or two to show you, Y/n." He grinned, lightly punching her arm.

"It's not too difficult, is it?" She wondered. "Nah. You'll get it pretty quickly I think." He responded, walking out to the training space. "Are you ready? Aside from what Cole has planned, I have a few more advanced moves for you to start practicing." Zane told her, taking off his jacket before neatly folding it.

Y/n chuckled, psyching herself up before quickly taking a stance. "Bring it on!"

10/05/23