Omar's Journal

Another Brother!?

"Uhhhhhhhhhhg!" I groaned as I dragged myself into the teacher's lounge after another long day of dealing with children.

"What have they done now?" Nya asked never taking her eyes off the computer. Our students drive us insane in a new way everyday so what they do no longer interests us.

"For once it's not the tiny terrors. It's Carter." I told her as I loosened my tie.

"He's a royal pain. Always asking me for money when he's the who gets a salary. Plus he always wants me to use my ninja status to get him some promotion and junk like that. He's driving me insane." I explained as I flopped on the couch.

"I'm with you on that. Older brothers are annoying." Nya sighed. "Hey!" Kai exclaimed. "We are not!"

"While older brothers can be annoying, they normally mean well." Zane said calmly. "How would you know?" Cole asked skeptically. "Yeah, your an only child." Jay reminded him.

"That's not exactly true." Zane started. "While I am the only son my father ever had there was a boy in the village orphanage who took me under his wing as his little brother and I excepted him as my older brother. His name was Jackson."

----------~FLASHBACK~----------

Five-year-old Zane sat on the far end of the orphanage play ground. He'd only been there for a week and the other kids didn't seem to enjoy his company. They kept saying he was 'weird' for reading as much as he did and being as smart and as quiet as he was.

"Hiya." Someone said. Zane looked up and saw a boy about his own age smiling at him. "I'm Jackson. What's your name?"

"Zane." He replied softly. "Nice meet ya. Wanna play?" Jackson grinned. "Are certain you want to play with me?" Zane asked. Jackson laughed, grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the play structure.

"Hey Jackson come play with us." Some kids called from the swings. The two boys started towards them.

"No weirdos allowed!" One of the girls snapped. Zane shrank back.

"If you want me to play you gotta play with my friend too." Jackson told them firmly. "Come on. Ditch the weirdo!" Another girl called. Jackson crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Fine play with the weird kid. See if we care." A boy scoffed.

Jackson just shrugged and led Zane to the sandbox. "You did not have to do that." Zane told him as they played. "I know." Jackson grinned.

----------~DIFFERENT FLASHBACK~----------

Soon the two boys were nearly inseparable. A few other kids started to include Zane in their games (they saw it was the only way to get Jackson to play) and started being nicer.

Unfortunately not all the kids were too interested in being nice.

Jackson looked around the playground for Zane. He wasn't by the slides, sandbox or with any of the other kids.

"Stop! Give it back!" Someone cried from across the playground.

Jackson looked over to the benches to see his friend surrounded by three seven-year-olds who were playing 'monkey in the middle' with a book that Zane had probably been reading.

"Hey! You leave my brother alone!" Jackson called as he ran over.

Before the older kids could comprehend what was happening Jackson had wacked each of them in the shins with a wrench he'd snuck out of a maintenance closet. The older boys hobbled off sniffing and muttering.

"And don't come back ya big meanies!" Jackson shouted after them. He turned to Zane. "You ok?" He asked as he handed him his book.

"I am fine. But why did you do that?" Zane asked. "They were being mean." Jackson shrugged as he threw the wrench over the fence.

"They will tell on you." Zane said raising an eyebrow. "Let them tell. I don't care." He laughed.

A few minutes later one of the orphanage supervisors came over saying how Jackson was in big trouble for hurting the other boys but Zane stepped in front of him.

"Jackson has done nothing wrong." He announced. "He merely defended me from those bullies."

Jackson smiled. It was good to have back up.

----------~DIFFERENT FLASHBACK~----------

While the boys were self proclaimed brothers that didn't mean they always saw eye to eye.

When they turned ten the orphanage staff moved them in to the rooms with the bigger kids. The boys were finally roommates.

"I want the top bunk!" Zane announced they got to their new room. "Not happenin'!" Jackson told him.

He grabbed the back of Zane's shirt and pulled him back. "The top bunk goes to the oldest. That's me." Jackson smirked.

"That is not fair. You are only older by a few months Jackson!" Zane protested. "It's still older Zanie Boy." Jackson chuckled as he ruffled Zane hair and hoisted himself up to the top bunk.

Zane sat on the lower bunk and sulked. Partially over not getting the top bunk, partially over the nickname Jackson continually called him.

"Hey Zane?" Jackson called softly. When Zane didn't answer Jackson climbed down and sat next to his brother.

"Here." He said sliding a dragon sized chocolate bar into Zane's lap. "Really? For me?" Zane smiled. "Yeah. What are big brothers for?" He said half teasingly.

"Why do you call me that?" Zane asked. "What? Brother?" Jackson asked. Zane nodded.

"Look. I heard some kids saying that if your not adopted by the time your ten you'll never get adopted. Even if they're right I will always be able to say I have a family. Your my little bro. I've got your back and you got mine. So when you get adopted, cause we both know you will, don't forget about me. Ok?" Jackson grinned.

Zane smiled back as his brother messed up his hair again.

  -----~END OF FASHBACKS~-----

"Sounds like you two were close." Crystal said softly. "We were." Zane replied. "Well were is he now?" Cole asked.

"Not to long before Sensei Wu found me the orphanage became over crowded and had to send some of us to other villages. Jackson was sent to the other side of Ninjago and I haven't heard from him since." He explained.

"He sounds like a great brother." Kai consoled. "He was and I can only hope to see him again."

A/N A super big thanks to Ice-Ninja for letting me use her character🤗