A sigh escaped one's lips, "Ninjago, one of the 16 Realms... My home. Our home- has been overrun by the oni, the creatures of darkness themselves. My friends and I have been on our mission to save Ninjago for months now. We've run and hidden for so long from them oni. It's a bit of a complicated situation with these dark creatures. I have no idea how they even returned after me and my friends destroyed them years ago... but now they're back and how they survived and returned to Ninjago is the least of my concerns for now.

It all started a year after my dear friend, Nya's, sacrifice to save this world. It was just another day in Ninjago when Quin, or should I say Harumi, appeared in our lives. She was disguised as an ordinary citizen and slipped right under our noses. We set off to the forest of the snakes, the Ophidian Forest, and that was when we found out that this Quin girl was actually the former Quiet One undercover. We may have not believed her story at first, but after we encountered an oni, we chose to follow Harumi in search of an artifact that she believes could turn Nya back to human, the Pearl of Reversal...

Unfortunately for us all, a snake almost as big as the Great Devourer knocked us right out of the sky and we had to travel the rest of the journey on foot. We crossed a river to Weed Shores, advanced to the Enchanting Hills, and made our way through a forest before we eventually came across a deadly monster. We fell off a cliffside trying to escape the beast but it turns out that we had unintentionally arrived ourselves in the Endless Sea at last.

Next, we retrieved the Pearl which was no easy task. Took us lots of tries before we eventually succeeded and escaped with all our limbs intact. After all that hard work, we got ambushed by the oni and were taken their prisoner in the Oni Temple. All hope was lost for us Ninja before Harumi helped us get our mojo back and we escaped from the oni's clutches. We got real lucky there...

The few weeks that followed after our escape was just filled with us seeking the ocean for our friend, the Master of Water, Nya. I call it seeking the ocean because we were searching for her living incarnation of the sea, which meant we were just searching for a needle in a haystack. So then we came to the conclusion that we wouldn't find Nya this way, and we retreated from our search to go back to the surface.

What happened after we reached the surface is beyond me. It happened out of the blue one night when my friends and I were trying to get Jay to call it a night inside the Hydro Bounty. We came up to the deck and a bright blue light was emitting from Nya herself. She had somehow found her way to us and our Lightning friend was over the moon about it and so were the rest of us.

After our reunion with Nya, we had to set off again to look for the Temple of Water. The oni had destroyed the Pearl into five pieces when they captured us and Harumi believes that we could still turn Nya back with the help of the Temple. We had a few complications on our way there but Nya came to our aid right in time before the oni could destroy us for good. The next day after we made it to our destination, we did the ritual to turn Nya back to human. We camped at the Temple for a few weeks to recover but the oni had located us so we had to make a quiet flee.

We spent a night in a cave once we were far enough from the oni. And on that very night, we discovered the Prophecy of the Golden Child, the Prophecy of the Children of Dragons, and the riddle of the Two Keys. And the rest is history... We orchestrated a plan and launched it the very next day. From that day forward, we went our separate ways and have been split up since.

PIXAL and I's part in this plan is to find Master Wu and Lord Garmadon, but alas, up until now, we still find ourselves stuck in a maze full of dead ends... But I know that the path we seek is never a straight line, so here I am now, still on the search for my master. And I have no intention of giving up because ninja never quit-!"

"ZANE!" PIXAL shouted in his ear, "Snap out of your overly descriptive monologuing detective self and help me find a lead! I cannot do this on my own," She concluded before facing the other direction while scrolling through her high-tech bracelet.

Listening to his significant other and partner, he dropped the act and looked at her. He observed her focused self and sighed, "PIXAL... I am trying my best to help but we have been at this for days now with no success. I am only trying to lighten the mood so that you do not overheat your circuits with all of the thinking you have been doing in the past few days."

The female samurai nindroid stopped what she was doing and shut off the bracelet, making sure she saved all the data she has collected, "I am glad you care, Zane. Truly, I am. But our main priority right now isn't protecting me, it's saving Ninjago from the destruction of the oni. And we cannot do that if we slack and do nothing," She finished before continuing her research, her bright green eyes filled with determination.

"PIXAL, just stop and relax," When she didn't reply, he shook his head and added, "Okay, we can just analyze all the information we have gathered so far first," That got her attention, "Agreed?"

She sighed in annoyance, "Fine, I agree. After this we can do whatever you think will help me 'relax', okay?" She held her hand out.

The Ice Ninja smiled and took her hand, "Okay, deal."

So then they spent an hour or less discussing all the info they have on Master Wu and Lord Garmadon's location. Though almost all of their leads just led them to a dead end one after another. It seemed useless. It was hard to pinpoint someone's exact location if they hadn't have had contact with you in a long while and Master Wu left them about a week before Quin appeared.

An exasperated sigh left PIXAL's lips as she got up and paced, "This isn't working. All of the leads I found just led us to a dead end, again and again. What am I missing, what did I not find..."

As she muttered to herself, Zane looked down at the ground he was sitting on and frowned, "Master Wu... he left without a word. Just a week before Quin- I mean, Harumi arrived, he was already gone. He told us he..." That was when he gasped and realization washed over his facial features.

PIXAL noticed and glanced at her lover, "Zane?" She turned to him, "What is it? Did you find something?"

"PIXAL, the note."

"The... note?"

"Yes."

"I do not follow. What note, Zane? I have many recollections of many different notes."

"The note that Master Wu left us... or at least, the note he left for me."

"Master Wu left you a note?"

"I only just remembered it, I swear it, PIXAL. I am so sorry for not remembering it earlier."

"It's no trouble, Zane. Just what did the note say?"

His eyes blinked once and twice before he said, "Master Wu left me a note saying 'Before the hands of time turned back the clock for me, we were going to settle here'."

PIXAL raised a brow in confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Alas," Zane shook his head, "I have not figured it out either."

She sighed and started walking further, "Well, I think that's enough discussing for now, Zane. And as I promised, we can go relax now. Let's just go for a walk..."

He gave a tired smile and nodded, walking up to her side, "Sure."

Keeping a firm grip on one of her katanas and one of his shurikens in their right hands, just in case they ran into any danger, they kept on moving forward, deeper and deeper into the forest they knew very little about. With a relaxed and composed figure, PIXAL looked at the floor as she made her way through the trees in front of Zane.

She looked as cool as a cucumber on the outside, however, inside, her mind was still deep in thought even though the whole point of this stroll was to get their mind off of the mission. It wasn't working for the female samurai nindroid and, because they shared a heart, Zane knew. He could feel it in his systems whenever his other half was distressed. And now, was one of those times.

Zane treaded right behind PIXAL and could just sense her troubled mind. He frowned at that before biting his lip and looking in the other direction. Mentally sighing, he thought back to the time when they first met each other. PIXAL was no more than a simple machine that followed orders and didn't have a mind of her own. She was just a robot, nothing more than a droid that was programmed to listen to the instructions given to her.

The moment he laid eyes on her, he had his breath taken away. She was the most beautiful person he's ever met and after getting to know her better, she was also the most extraordinary and remarkable person he's ever met in his whole lifetime; and that is a pretty long time when you count his years spent in Ninjago so far and the decades he had spent in the Never Realm as the Ice Emperor.

He never thought of it before but now that it was stuck in his head, he couldn't help but think of it. He and PIXAL have never really had much time as a couple together. They were just too busy saving the world that they never got a chance to spend time together as a normal couple. Yes, they aren't humans. They're nindroids but they are no less real than any other beings in the 16 Realms, they still have thoughts, feelings, emotions, and will.

With nothing to lose, and the opportunity to finally talk about it in private, Zane spoke up, "PIXAL..." That got her attention as she stopped in her spot and turned around to look at him with those mesmerizing bright green eyes, "Can we talk?"

"Of course, Zane. What do you want to talk about?" She gave him one of her sweet smiles that he could spend forever looking at without ever getting bored.

"About our relationship, PIX," As soon as she heard him use her nickname, her eyes visibly widened in surprise. She did not expect that, he never used nicknames for anyone, not even PIXAL, "It has come to my concern that we have a complicated one..." His eyes showed worry, which made her worry as well.

Frowning, she asked, "What is so complicated about our relationship? I thought we are compatible..."

The hurt in her voice made Zane's heart ache. He never liked it when anyone made PIXAL upset, intentionally or not. But this time, it was he who caused her to feel that way.

"But we are, PIXAL. You and I are compatible. I love you more than anything or anyone in this world," He stepped forward and grabbed her hands in his, flashing her a small smile of assurance, "You have had my heart. I will never stop loving you."

His words made a shy grin appear on her lips, leaving her flustered and flattered as she slightly looked away, "Neither will I. The moment you gave up half of yourself to me was the moment I knew you'd always be the only one for me. You are my one and only, Zane."

Placing one of his hands behind her head, he pulled her closer to him until their foreheads touched, "I'm glad..." His joy was quickly replaced by sorrow and fear once he pulled away, "But that is not what I wanted to speak to you about."

"Then what is it you want to talk about?" She questioned, uneasiness covering every single feature she had.

"I never realized it before because we both have always had our hands full with other important matters but... other than our infrequent and occasional times spent together on dates, have we ever just spent time together, just the two of us, without needing to worry about the fate of Ninjago resting on our shoulders?"

PIXAL opened her mouth to answer but not a word came out, just silence. She closed her mouth and took a few seconds to think about it before replying, "I- I never thought of that either. I have never realized how occupied we are with our duties as the protectors of this land... Zane, that knowledge gives me a weird feeling. I cannot find the words to explain it."

"It's a mix of feelings that I receive. Like grief, sorrow, and regret altogether."

"I feel a similar one. Just with a little bit of anger."

"Why do you feel anger over this, PIXAL? I will not judge your answer."

"It's because... I wish we had a normal life. I wish we didn't have to worry over the safety of Ninjago continuously. If all that is not possible then I just want to have a shot at it. I know it seems unusual, or even crazy, for two nindroids to be accepted and treated normally by society but, I just want to know how it feels to be... human."

She felt Zane take her hands in his and he put their hands in front of her chest, "You are no less human than any of the Ninja or any human being that exists, PIXAL. We may have metal and wires instead of skin and veins but our looks aren't what defines us. It's the inside that counts, not the outside... Even if you are the most beautiful in my eyes. I wish you could see that."

If PIXAL was a human with blood, she knew that the blood in her body would be rushing to her cheeks and turn pink after Zane's statement. Instead, she felt electricity rushing to her face, a tingly feeling in her cheeks.

"You really are my other half. You always say what I need to hear."

"PIXAL, never listen to anything others say about you, because it is not true. No matter what people might say, you are stunning... breathtaking... one of a kind... perfect in your own way. No one will ever come close to you."

She exhaled with a genuine smile, "Thank you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Zane."

"So are you to me," He gave a smile back to her.

They were then met with silence again, a comfortable one though. They continued their way through the forest with unbreakable smiles plastered on their faces, hands intertwined with one another, and their weapons in their free hand.

PIXAL's smile quickly vanished and she muttered, "I have something to tell you," She started, rubbing her arm nervously.

"You can tell me anything," Zane looked at her with the most trusting expression on his face and the comfort his eyes gave her made her gain the confidence to finally reveal what she's been keeping a secret for a very long time now.

"I have been keeping something from you, ever since Nya's departure," She locked her hands together in front of her, "Losing Nya made all of us lose a part of ourselves and I got desperate to find something that would rid me of that feeling. That is why I did what I did."

Now, Zane's eyes showed concern, "I didn't know you felt that way. You could've come to me. I would've helped in any way I could."

PIXAL sighed, knowing full well his words were true, "I know, I know. But I did not want to burden anyone with my pain as I knew everyone was going through it as well. I had to just take it and handle it by myself, as did everyone," Her eyes were full of care and determination, she just wanted to protect the others.

"Your selflessness is admirable, but I do not see you as a burden, none of us do. If you came to me, we could've worked out our situation, together."

"There are times I wish I had come to you instead of lying in bed with my emotions constantly attacking me from every side, cornering me without leaving me any space to escape from it by myself. My emotions just would not give me a break. I couldn't take it anymore one day and I just..."

"You just what? PIXAL?"

She didn't respond immediately, instead she looked at the sight beside her. PIXAL found herself slowly walking to the edge of the cliff they had accidentally made it to. She got close to the edge at a safe distance and held onto a tree bark as she took in the breathtaking sight. It reminded her of the time when they all first made it to the Enchanting Hills.

The view just took her breath away. A smile covered her facial features as she took in nature's beauty. Being really deep in nature had always given her a type of comfort, the one that made her feel relevant, that she was a part of all of that. That she was a part of nature just as much as everyone was.

Zane inched closer to PIXAL at a leisure pace before holding onto a tree himself and looking out with her. He then took her hand in his, knowing exactly was she was thinking, "You're a part of all this, PIXAL. Everyone is. Don't ever think otherwise," He then smiled, still looking out.

Not taking her eyes off of the view, she revealed, "I made another droid."

Her confession hit Zane like a ton of bricks falling on him. His eyes widened and he turned his head to take a good look at her face, trying to figure out if she was lying or not. Even if his heart told him what she said was true, he couldn't believe it.

"What do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Inhaling sharply, PIXAL pressed her lips together, too scared to give Zane an explanation. But as soon as he put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, she found the courage, "I made a droid for us to, um, raise."

A brow raised, "Can you define raise?"

"Like, raise as in... raise a child. For me to mother a child, for us to be parents to a child of our own," She looked opposite of where Zane stood, fearing what his reaction would be to her putting him into a responsibility she wasn't even sure he wanted or not. But she got her answer when he gave her his reply.

"PIXAL," Came his comforting voice, "It is not that I do not want to be the father to your child but... I am surprised you did this without my consent."

She frowned, taking a glance at his face. It was filled with shock, joy, and slight disappointment. She sobbed without tears, "I am sorry."

He sighed tiredly, "Don't be. I am not angry or upset with you, PIXAL, just slightly disappointed. I would have preferred it if you came and talked to me instead of doing this. It certainly did not have done you any good and it certainly is not something I am ready for as of the moment."

"Yes, I know. I know. I also wish I had come to you instead of doing what I did but it is not like it matters anymore. I never got to finish project WINTER because of this whole oni invasion and even if I did, I would not have powered it until I told you about it."

"Project WINTER? Why is it called that?"

"Because I started working on the droid during winter and because you have the Elemental Power of Ice, I figured that it fit to name our future child something like that."

He hummed with a hint of eagerness in his voice, "Hmm. I like that idea. Maybe, just maybe, we can finish project WINTER after we deal with the oni... Can I ask something?"

"Of course."

"I know that Nya's departure is not the only reason you made project WINTER. Please, tell me what the actual reason is," He pleaded. His worry for her was crystal clear.

"I... I don't think you want to know, Zane."

"Why would I not? You are my other half, PIXAL. I want to know everything about you. But right now, that is all I want to know. Why?"

"Because- I, uh- Because I... I was worried."

"Worried about what?"

"I have cried about this for many nights. Because my worry comes from the thought of possibly never having a child," After she had said this, Zane's lips curved downwards into a frown, "But then I remembered, how we came into this world in the first place, Dr. Borg and Dr. Julien created us and here we are now, mere droids with the thoughts and emotions a human has... that got me thinking for many days and nights now, that maybe I could create my own child for us."

The smile that she flashed him as she confessed her worries made his heart melt at the sight. The sun shone from the horizon and made her look like an angel as the sunlight reflected off of her figure, he then found himself revealing a secret too.

"I didn't think this topic would come up for a while but, I will not lie when I say that I too have had the thought of what I would do after all of our friends retire. I am not a human and would not be able to reproduce and have offspring unlike the rest of them. It has lingered on my mind for a while and I was really going to accept that I would grow old just with you and not get the joy of experiencing parenthood."

He could hear PIXAL exhale a breath, "I really thought I was the only one of us that has even had the thought of children. I mean, we are still this young so I figured I was the only one."

Zane then beamed and took her hands in his, "PIXAL, look," She turned to look at him, "I cannot promise that we will have our child as soon as this invasion is over but..." He blinked and paused to gather enough courage to say what he was going to say, "As soon as this all blows over, I promise you, we will finally tie the knot between us and say our 'I do's."

She couldn't contain her excitement and the next thing she knew, she had pounced on him and embraced him in a very tight hug. Zane let out a yelp as he stumbled backwards a bit but regained his balance and hugged back. He spun her around a bit as she teared up in joy. He soon found himself joining her cries of joy.

Once he set her down, she still held her arms around him and smiled, "You always know, Zane. You always know what I need and when I need it."

"This might sound weird but... I do not find this out of place that this is happening in the middle of a forest. I have always thought I'd be proposing inside the Monastery, safe from any danger. But it just feels..."

"It feels right to me, Zane. I could care less that you decided to say it right now. This is just what I needed to hear," She embraced him again, "Thank you. For everything."

Returning it, he closed his eyes in contentment and smiled, sighing, "It's no problem. Thank you as well, PIX."

She felt her smile get wider as he used her nickname, "Of course, Zane."

"If it makes you feel any better that I am not yet ready to have a child of my own," He pulled away from the embrace, "We can start working on project WINTER once we are wedded. It will probably take a while before we figure out how to get her properly running anyway."

"Hmm, I always knew I made the right decision when I first fell for you but... every day that passes, you just prove it to be right more and more."

"Same with you, PIXAL."

"I love you, Zane."

"I love you too."

Zane placed a hand on her cheek and he pulled her in for a kiss. She returned it with the love she had for him. She then placed a hand on his shoulder, walking closer to him until their figures were touching.

When they pulled out of their kiss, "Sometimes I wish I could turn back the hands of time and reveal to you that I was Samurai X instead of keeping it from you. I would've reunited with you earlier and I wouldn't keep having my heart ache every time I saw you out as a ninja. I had to deny everyone you guys guessed I was, I still remember that day Jay yelled who I was at the Temple of Airjitzu and I responded with nothing," She giggled.

Zane let out a chuckle as well, remembering full well how that day was; very chaotic, "Yes, that was amusing to watch..."

Before the hands of time turned back the clock for me.

We were going to settle here...

Before the hands of time turned back the clock for me, we were going to settle here.

"Before the hands of time turned back the clock for me, we were going to settle here."

He gasped, startling PIXAL, "What's wrong? Zane?"

"Before the hands of time turned back the clock for him, we were going to settle there."

"What?"

Zane turned to look PIXAL in the eye, "Master Wu's note to me. He said that before the hands of time turned back the clock for him, we were going to settle here. The Hands of Time are Krux and Acronix. They turned back the clock for Master Wu, they turned him back into a baby. Or at least, their Reversal Time Blade did."

"Mhm," PIXAL nodded, placing her hand on her chin, "What are you referring to?"

"Where do you think here is?" He pointed at the horizon, "Master Wu's note was an encrypted code to tell me where he was headed before he left. I cannot believe I didn't figure this out sooner."

As Zane brought his hand up to his forehead, PIXAL grabbed his hand and brought it down before asking, "Where is here exactly?"

He let out a breath while smiling, "The temple the Ninja and I were going to live in before we went our separate ways to search for Master Wu. The Temple of-"

"The Temple of Airjitzu!" She cut him off in shock, only now realizing what the code on the note meant, "He had meant to tell you that he was going to the Temple of Airjitzu!"

"Yes, exactly," His smile was contagious and soon, PIXAL found herself smiling as well.

Now that they knew where Wu was, they had to decide on a course of action. They had to choose between two of their choices; go after Wu right now themselves, without anyone knowing where they were and whether or not they were safe... or go to their rendezvous point, which is Shintaro, and come up with a plan with the others who were hopefully safe back at the Ivory City.

"Well, what should we do now? Do we go to the Temple of Airjitzu now or do we go to Shintaro and tell the others?" The female nindroid asked, her expression regaining its seriousness once more.

Zane copied her stern expression and nodded, "What do you suggest?" Emphasizing the 'you' to PIXAL.

He trusted her with his life, with his everything. He didn't think she knew the best course of action, but he knew. She was the smartest being he knew, having wits in both book and street smart.

"I suggest we go back to the others. I do not want to risk both of our lives in a mission without the others knowing where we have gone," She gave her opinion and he agreed full heartedly.

"I trust you, PIX." Those four words alone were enough to give PIXAL all the confidence she needed.

PIXAL replied with a bashful grin, "I know you do. You say it all the time, Zane."

Zane chuckled, "Because it is true, PIXAL. You are the most intelligent person I know."

"But..." Her voice faltered with every word that came out of her mouth next, "What if I mess it up one day? What if... a choice I make ends up being the reason for someone's demise? I do not want to be responsible for anyone going through that."

She had daggers in her eyes but her look softened as soon as Zane's comforting words entered her ears, "None of us are capable of never making a mistake," He pulled her into a hug, "We are all human after all, no matter how we look or where we came from. We are all beings who are not flawless. I cannot say that you will never make a mistake, but a mistake is a mistake. It is not something we have meant to do. And I will be with you every step of the way if you ever make an error. I will never leave you on your own ever again, PIXAL. Never."

She melted into the hug, "T-Thank you, Zane."

"No worries. I am just trying to make up for our lost time."

"I cannot thank you enough for that," She beamed, over the moon at his efforts, "I love you."

"I love you more," He held her tight, never planning to let go and leave her ever again.

Zane could care less if he was going through something. If he was ever feeling down, exhausted, or upset, he would always be there for her. That was a promise he made to himself, starting from then. No matter what he felt or thought, it would never stop him from being by her side to be her shoulder to cry on.

After breaking away from the embrace, PIXAL turned back to the matter at hand, "Do you still have the flare?"

Zane shook out of his thoughts and dug into his gi before pulling his hand out with the flare in hand, "Yes, I do."

"Light it up now. Let us get our ride back to Shintaro safely, and then we can prepare for the dangerous journey ahead of us," She smirked, excited and ready for their little trip across Ninjago.

Zane nodded with a small smirk of his own and held the flare above his head. He then turned to face his lover, "PIXAL," He started.

She looked back at him and said, "Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you-"

PIXAL wrapped her arms around his shoulder and covered his mouth with her hand. While smiling, she sighed happily, "I know. I do too."

And she connected their lips as the flare lit up sparks above them as if they were kissing under fireworks.