Season 11.5 [Rewrite]

33

Azure eyes met the dark ceiling. He checked the clock. Five thirty.

Moving his eyes to the duffle bag of supplies, Zane stilled the butterflies inside his chest.

Everything would be okay.

Throwing the covers off, Zane slipped the duffel bag on. It consisted of a simple change in clothes and the card used for communication. The ninja required a quick stop at Muskrat's, as he had left the kusarigama.

Peeking outside and making sure the halls were clear, Zane slipped out, undetected. The ninja passed the halls silently. Observing a light blue screen in the game room, he glanced back. Nya and Jay had fallen asleep together, Jay drooling on her shoulder. Zane smiled at the sweet sight and set his eyes on the mission ahead.

He had told Lloyd of his departure, so having a ninja missing at breakfast wouldn't be too alarming. Zane hoped Lloyd wouldn't drop this tip into Master Wu's lap, or else trouble would spell.

Creeping past the two and activating the sequence to the base, Zane slipped into the elevator. When it chimed open, Zane ran his eyes over the many vehicles.

The same vehicle he used to get around rested in the back. The ninja ignored the gift, another option selected. Security was almost breathing down his neck. There was a high chance a bug had been placed inside.

A smaller, more civilian-like bike caught his vision. Swiping the keys off the hanger, he set his duffel bag in the smaller part of the bike.

Zane quietly slapped the button to exit, driving underneath the opening exit. Closing it along with his tracks, Zane looked up to the stars. It was still quite early -- stars lined the silent sky -- but he was wide awake.

Today was the day. Two missions laid on his plate, missions consisting of good and evil. Not only did Zane have to participate in the tournament, but all night time responsibilities would be shouldered off to the ninja.

The problems didn't end there. The utmost caution was nessecary in dealing with this mission. He didn't want to be caught by Master Wu, nor inflict permanent damage. Zane hoped he wouldn't encounter them.

Neon lights dazzled, fake stars among the sky. He was approaching Ninjago City. Zane closed his eyes, shifting the bike into autopilot. Slowly, yet carefully, he revealed the scroll's curse inside. Over the course of this month break, he learned more and more about it. At first, the longing made him unhappy, providing a splintering pain inside. Why couldn't he kill someone, it argued. After a while, it threatened to foster into something ugly. Luckily, enough people had been injured for him to get a grip on it, but Zane worried what would occur if it grew too much.

Eyes reflecting the lights of the city, he let it go. That overwhelming intensity of the curse returned, and Zane let loose the laugh. There were so many victims walking out on the street, it was laughable. Yet a greater prize gripped his mind, and he departed from the richer ends of Ninjago.

Swinging the bike into a puddle, Zane gazed up upon the building. It was abandoned, or in great disrepair. Crows cawed in the bitter winter air, screeching out the presence of the ninja. Disguised by the time he left the cave, Zane silently opened the door. A staircase was lit with lanterns at the side.

"Boo!" An annoyingly-alive brown haired girl filled his vision, and he debated on stepping outside. Frustration curled inside, prompted by the scroll's influence.

So when a look of fury burst across the ninja's face, Juliet frowned.

"Mad already?" The ninja pondered whether to hide his disgust, but Juliet rolled her eyes.

"Don't bother. While you're at it, don't even hide your emotions in the tournament." Trystan arrived. Walking down the staircase the fighter, fell into a broken board. Shrieking, Trystan cast a glare to Juliet.

"Seriously? Not even a warning?" Juliet shrugged, and a pair of kusarigamas hung in her hands. Zane raised an eyebrow. He had never seen the two act so familiar. Most likely because he wasn't here half the time.

Trystan stood, toe to toe with the ninja. Casting his blue eyes into Zane's own, he searched for any sign of hesitation. The ninja was resolved to this mission. Knowing that intimidating aura would remain, Trystan beckoned for the kusarigamas.

"I'm assuming you know your friends are joining?" The friendly bond dissipated. It was time to get back to business. Still, Zane spotted the brief look of regret which crossed Trystan's face. It vanished without a trace, but Zane caught the sympathy.

"Yes." Juliet bent down with a smile, holding the sharpened end of the blade with her finger.

"Don't get captured." Juliet sang and heaved the blades in the air. The ninja retrieved it, fastening it into position.

A smirk crossed his face. "Why would I? It would ruin all the fun for me." Trystan scoffed at his tone. The smallest bjt of regret circulated into the Christmas air.

"Coordinates are on the card." Juliet dimmed on the happy-go-lucky tune. "We'll wire you a million." Owl eyes burned into the ninja. He could care less about the money. All he wanted to do was have some fun.

Rickety door sliding, he gave one last look behind. Trystan and Juliet didn't send regards, waiting for the ninja to depart.

"We'll see you later, when you come back." Zane closed the door, and pulled out the card. Switching bikes assured none of the ninja would recognize the vehicle.

In other words, his trail was completely hidden. As the stars began to fade, signifying the beginning of a new day, a terrifying smile spread at the presence of the sunrise. He was excited.

>_<

After a good forty minutes had passed, Zane found grasslands and ocean as his audience. Grass shifted left and right, the ocean climate calm. Not even the frigid temperatures played a role in deterring life, animals crawling as he zoomed by.

However, the silent atmosphere came to a close. As he homed in on the location, vehicles from every angle joined together. The ninja was soon greeted by people of every kind, weapons hanging by the back.

One driver sent a quick look over to the competition, but shuddered. A malicious grin grew upon in his face, pleased to have someone to contend with. Driving into the lot, the ninja swung the duffel bag on his shoulder and proceeded into the building.

"This should be it." He muttered, aware of his tendency to speak to himself. The crowd of fighters proved his point; only certified citizens allowed to carry weapons in themselves. To gather in such fashion meant someone was breaking a law.

The scroll's curse grew, prompted by the amount of people, but he put a hold on it. He would wait for the tournament to let the feeling take control.

Entering through the doorway, a crowd of fighters had already gathered. The tournament was open for registration from last night,to the morning. Approaching what appeared to be the registration center, Zane sent a large bit of surveillance on the crowd.

The room was large -- the size of an auditorium. It was designed as a stadium, and he stood at the front of the registration area. White walls and glass windows were the highlighting theme, spanning across the entire stadium. As his turn in line came up, Zane handed the middle-age woman his card. Gavin had informed the ninja to just hand the card in, and he would be fine.

Throwing his focus on the room, Zane spotted the slight pause from the woman behind the stand. She eyed him, casting a good look at the ninja. Zane returned the glare, wondering why she interrogated him.

"A Yulta member, huh?" She whispered in the cold of morning. Her voice was soft and low, but he earned a few stares. The ninja ignored the callout, and the woman entered him in. Handing the card back, she waved the ninja away.

"Here you go, Azne." The ninja stopped, and the whole room felt a mental chill. Anger fanned in waves, the ninja the epicenter of it. Caution overtook the crowd, and it was well placed. The ninja was furious.

"Azne?" Zane twitched his eye, irritated by the word choice. Someone plucked the letters in his name and shuffled them around. The ninja could imagine a certain girl cackling at the joke.

The woman slid the plexiglass across as a defensive measure. She didn't want blood on her clothes early in the morning. Behind a wall of protection, she affirmed his statement. Noticing the growing attention on the ninja, Zane calmed his temper. It would have to wait later, when the game started.

The ninja strolled through the crowd, and fighters began their conversations once more. Eyes still traced the ninja, and he felt it on his back.

Duffel bag at the side, Zane got comfortable on one of the benches. Fighters cleared his path, and he loved their fear. But he reprimanded himself. He had less than three hours left for the tournament. There, he could let it all go.

Not that the feeling wasn't free already. The scroll's corruption brimmed to life, and his sanity was making sure he didn't finish the tournament here and now.

To control the bursting emotions, he turned his attention to the fighters themselves. As fighter after fighter came inside, he examined each and every person. Each fighter knew how to wield their weapons. They were almost the same level as Kenya, or, heaven forbid, Kai or Lloyd. Their complexion displayed it, scratches, muscles, and simple cuts showing signs of hard work.

He desperately wanted to destroy the foundation. That hardworking effort would be crushed, causing them to despair. Zane loved every part of it, to his personal dismay.

The appearance of a rice hat, silver hair, and an unknown third party made the ninja's search falter. They were here.

Fighters noticed this too, and the room became a stand off. Weapons were drawn in the span of a second, but the three ignored the drawn attention. The woman in the booth let her eyes rest on the three.

"The ninja's teacher." Her eyes moved to the one at his side. "Team mate." Then to the man at the right. "A policeman."

Silence overcame the stadium. Malicious intent swarmed, fighters waiting for the signal to attack. It was up to the admission center to decide fate.

The woman pushed her glasses in, the frames reflecting the intensity of her thought. Letting the door slide open, she indicated for the tickets.

P.I.X.A.L. reached over and provided them. Fighters glared, angered over the administration's actions. The woman smirked, handing the tickets back to the three and winning to the fighters.

"Why so angry? It's the first time for two things, a Yulta member, and the ninja team. Aren't you all excited?" The knowledge washed into the crowd, riling up excitement. It was a fight to be anticipated

As the crowds parted, introducing the two rivals, Zane had only one thing in mind.

"Why?" He silently whispered to the crowd. He was imbalanced. The appearance of his friends tipped the scales into his sanity. The scroll's curse was an incoming hurricane. One had to take control. The ninja didn't hesitate in his decision.

Zane quickly closed his eyes, pulling back the love of friendship. The temptation was to take over, in order to mask himself. Opening crystal, bleak eyes, that dreadful smirk appeared. He was itching to start this tournament.

Slinging that duffel bag over, he took the path of carnage. Zane treaded between the parted crowds, approaching the ninja and the police man. The trio did the same, lighting a fire to the incoming conflict.

A confrontation awaits.