Blazing: Ninjago Oneshots

Inhuman (Glacier AU)

A/N: I don't ship this but it was still fun to write lol

The gray sky looms over the city, and though the sun should be setting around this time, you can't really tell. I sit at the top of a building with my legs dangling over the side, watching the hustle-bustle of the city below. With a sigh, I hold up my hand in front of me. It's transparent.

I don't know why I still keep wishing the whole ordeal was a dream and or that it could be magically reversed. This cursed ghost body is permanent. My brothers have insisted that nothing has changed, though I've noticed that they've kept their distance. I know that they believe I need time alone and am grateful for the space they gave me, but I've never felt more lonely.

Snow begins to fall slowly, and within a few minutes there is a fine layer of white coating the roof and treetops. Several snowflakes fall right through my outstretched hand, which I soon drop to my side. It's pointless. The only way I will be able to catch anything is if I concentrate really hard, and after a while it gets draining.

Zane used to find it fascinating how I didn't need to concentrate to stand on the ground, and on the contrary, needed to if I wanted to phase through it. He hypothesized that it may have something to do with my element since it was so contradictory. I, on the other hand, don't really care about physics since the existence of my powers alone probably defies several of its laws, but after seeing Zane get so excited about it, I didn't have the heart to tell him to stop.

As much as my current situation sucks, I can't help but smile at the thought of him. I recall how when we first met, I thought Zane was a weirdo. Once I got to know him, I realized that he is so much more than just the "smart guy" or the Nindroid, and sometimes I wonder if we could be more than friends...

But that was stupid to think about. He has P.I.X.A.L. and I am... a ghost. Undesirable in both worlds, the living and the dead.

The snow doesn't make me feel chilly, which is saddening. Of course, the feeling of being freezing cold isn't exactly a welcome one, but I haven't felt anything in so long that I wouldn't even mind pain. I miss being a normal person. Old me would've shivered under these circumstances since I'm wearing nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, but I just feel numb.

Because of the fog shrouding the city in mist, I can't see anything beyond maybe a hundred feet or so. Still, I know the Bounty is perched on a rooftop not far away. I told the others that I would just come out for a walk and be back soon, so they're probably waiting for me to return. When I left, they had offered to come with me, but after I said no thanks, they simply nodded and didn't ask again.

Sometimes I wish I could just disappear. Every time I walk through the hallways with my shoulders slouched, the concerned looks on everyone's faces feel like a stab to the heart. They shouldn't be concerned for me. I should stop being a sore loser and just get over it already. And whenever Zane offers to do something for me, I simply wave him off before he can finish his sentence. I feel like a terrible friend, especially when I see him open then close his mouth before he says anything else. Every muscle in me is dying to ask him what he was about to say, but I stop myself. He doesn't need my stupid ghost troubles bothering him.

I wonder how he felt when he first found out he was a Nindroid. Not to mention the fact that he had to watch his father die all over again. Zane has had it so much harder than me, and I have no right to act this way.

"Cole?"

I almost jump at the sound of his voice and jerk my head around. If I was still a human, I probably would've cracked my neck.

"Oh, hey Zane," I say, barely able to hold his gaze. Looking into Zane's piercing blue eyes makes me feel as if every muscle in my face is betraying my inner thoughts, and I begin feeling increasingly vulnerable. I don't like this feeling.