A one shot idea that I got from a car ride. Idk why. Btw, Zane is 27 in this au and Echo is 19.

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Family.

If there's one thing that Zane Julien didn't have, it's that.

Sure, he had Dr Julien, but locking off those memories didn't help with the pain Zane felt when the other ninja's families all came on Christmas. Knowing that he didn't have any more family was paining him. Sure, the ninja were all one big family, but he never felt what it was like to have a complete family. Kai and Nya had each other, as well as Ray and Maya. Cole had his parents for a short while. Lloyd, well, had his family. Jay had two families, both adopted and biological. Arin had loving memories with his, even if they were lost. Sora's felt like one when she was younger. And Wyldfyre had Heatwave and her dragon family. Only Zane never knew what it was like to have a family now. So every time Christmas came, he always made an excuse to go somewhere, as he didn't want to feel how much pain he used to feel when seeing his teammates reunite. Sure, Sora's parents never came, and Arin's were lost, but they had each other and Riyu.

Every time, during Christmas, the ninja would all try to get Zane to meet their families. He only came out for the Christmas dinner they had together. However, the ninja never succeeded in getting Zane to join Christmas. Christmas was supposed to be fun for him. He was the master of ice, he's in his element. Well, Zane got rid of that thought years ago. Every Christmas, Zane would just disappear.

So two weeks before the next Christmas, all the ninja minus Zane gathered up for a meeting. Kai said, " guys, this has to stop. Zane's gloominess is taking all the fun out of Christmas for all of us. Do you know how much it pains me to see his face every time we reunite with our families?" Arin replied, " yeah, although this would only be the third Christmas I had with you all, I've noticed it too." Lloyd sighed, " if only we could find another member of Zane's family. That would be nice. Zane wouldn't be alone anymore."

Hearing those words, Jay and Nya tuned to each other, faces mirroring each other. Drowning out the conversations the others had around them, Nya said, " Jay! Zane does have a family! Remember Echo?" Jay grinned. " How could I forget the little rusty tin can? He helped us a lot." Nay said, " I think we have our answer." Jay pondered, " but where do we find him?" Realization dawned on the two ninja's faces as they remembered where they found Echo.

Meanwhile, Kai was talking, " I mean, how hard will it be to find someone who actually knows Zane? I mean, we can just walk right up to-" he was interrupted by Nya and Jay exclaiming, " the lighthouse!" " yeah, the lighthouse- wait, what?" Jay said, " Zane does have a brother! When you four were trapped in the djinn blade, me and Nya went to the lighthouse, and met Zane's brother, Echo!" Arin, Sora and Wyldfyre looked confused. " what?" Sora asked. Meanwhile the rest of the ninja were saying, " oh, that time? You met Zane's brother?" Nya said, " yeah, we did." Lloyd grinned, " then we have a game plan. It's time for a trip to the lighthouse!"

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Zane sighed as he looked out of the window. It started to snow, and the snow wasn't fun anymore. To the nindroid, it was just a harsh reminder of the pain he felt every Christmas. So when he heard a knock on the door, he was confused. Every Christmas, around this time, the ninja knew he needed space, so they just left him alone, occasionally dropping by with concerned questions, and they wouldn't knock. So, Zane opened the door, and found Jay and Lloyd. " Hi friends, what do you need?" He asked. Lloyd said, " oh, nothing. We're just here to tell you that we're going out on patrol, and it's your turn to hold down the fort here." He and Jay rushed off, not before Jay said a quick "bye!" And ran off. Zane stared after them, before realization hit him. " But wait, isn't it Kai's turn to stay here?" He stood there confused.

Meanwhile, the ninja were getting the new destiny's bounty ready for their trip. Jay and Lloyd came back just in time to go. Nya said, " good, everyone's here. Who's driving?" Everyone looked at each other before Nya sighed. " Guess I'll drive." She said. The ninja all stood on the bounty while it took off. The snowy sky was a gentle reminder of their families coming to meet soon. Sora dozed off at the side of the ship, the gentle hum of the engines putting her to sleep while Arin settled down next to her. To Nya, they looked cute together. Like a family. Even that little baby dragon, who pounced onto Arin while the boy had to hold back a giggle, so as to not wake Sora. Jay and Cole were in the boys' room together, talking about all the times the bounty had crashed. Kai walked in and joined the conversation.

Lloyd and Wyldfyre were talking together, well, more of Wyldfyre talking. She was so excited to know that Lloyd was part dragon. Nya drove through the snowy sky, the start of the winter yet to come. Soon, she saw a light flashing in the night sky. She dropped the anchor on the sand and parked the bounty there. The others all came out onto the deck, including a very groggy Sora, who got woken up by a crazy baby dragon. " we're here guys." Nya said. They went down the anchor chain and up to the door of the lighthouse, Nya equipped with a toolbox. Jay knocked on the door. " Hey, Echo! It's us, Jay and Nya! Remember us?"'the door opened slightly , revealing a pair of orange eyes. " Jay! Nya? Is it really you?" He asked. " Yeah, Echo, it's us." Nya said. The door opened fully, and Echo jumped onto Nya and Jay, hugging them in a robot hug. Now, the others had a good look at Echo. He was a rusty copper robot, and one of his legs had fallen off already. Echo led them inside, where after introductions, Nya said, " Okay, Echo, I'm gonna fix you up good as new, so stay still." Echo, confused at this sudden statement, asked, " why Nya?" Nya grinned, " there's someone we want you to meet." Echo only stared in surprise and confusion.

Soon , Echo was all fixed up. His rusty parts were cleaned and his arms and legs were all tightly secured to his body. Nya worked wonders on him. Echo could not thank her enough. " whoa! I feel like a brand new nindroid! Thanks Nya!" Nya grinned, and the ninja all went onto the bounty, including Echo. He took this time to ask, " Nya, who am I meeting?" Jay answered, " Oh, I know this is a lot, but you're gonna meet your brother." Echo stared. He had a brother? Sora caught his look and laughed, " yeah, you have a brother. Zane." Echo stared. " Zane. Have I heard that before?" Cole chuckled. " you'll see when we get there."

At the monastery, Zane meanwhile was pacing the floor worriedly. It was past midnight, and the ninja hadn't returned from their patrol. The last thing he wanted was for his ninja family to get lost out there. He sighed, wondering if he should search out there for them. Suddenly, he heard the bounty's engines and ran to the hangar bay to meet the ninja. Jay stepped down first, and when he saw Zane, he nervously asked, " h-hey, Zane? What's up?" Zane narrowed his eyes. " You know what's up. It's 1am and you were supposed to be back three hours ago!" Jay said, " hehe, must have lost track of time. Anywho, we want you to meet somebody." This time, all the ninja came down from the bounty, with Echo hiding behind Nya and Arin. Zane was confused, "meet who?" He asked. This time, Arin and Nya moved aside, revealing Echo. Zane and Echo stared at each other for a moment, before Jay broke the silence. " okay, so Zane, this is Echo, your brother. Echo, Zane." Zane couldn't believe his eyes. He had a family member, alive and well, all this time? It was unbelievable.

Echo nervously asked, " Brother? I had a brother?" Zane nodded hesitantly, not believing it either. Echo's tears streamed down his face. "So, I won't be alone during Christmas anymore?" Zane was shocked. " Echo, you felt like that too?" Echo nodded. " Every Christmas , I see sailors reuniting with their families on ships and boats. I see the mayor and his family on the news. It makes me wonder if I have any left." Zane smiled, "I too have felt the same. Well, now you have, brother." They shared a hug.

The other ninja looked on with happiness. Some joyful tears even came to some of their eyes. Afterwards , Zane and Echo had thanked the ninja for bringing them together. Christmas that year was a joyous one for once.

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Old oneshot from my old account. Hehe. 

1.6k Words

- Aly

18/2/25