{Alright, so to review the Red-Tie AU, I'll repost the String explanation from my "Two Hearts, One String" Jaya!String!AU. If you've already read that, feel free to skip! I'll just edit it a bit for the Pixane dynamic. For this AU, we're pretending Jaya!Ties didn't happen. I already wrote one on that, don't need to do it again.}

~~~

When the Tying happened, it was the most alive moment in Zane's life up to date. He'd never expected to get a Red-Tie, being a nindroid and all. But the second he laid eyes on Pixal, everything changed. Possibilities flickered into existence. Numbers and statistics bent to make way for fate to intervene. The impossible was no longer impossible. He was almost human, even if just for a second.

Of course, he'd heard of the soulmate legend. Everyone had, if they were someone worth knowing. But he'd never known anyone who was actually Tied. Being romantically Tied (or Red-Tied, as it was more commonly known) was as rare as being an Elemental Master, according to Wu.

Being romantically Tied meant that when you met your soulmate, a red string would connect you from then until death. Only the connected pair could see the bright red string connected to each of their hearts. The further a person got from their Tie, the harder it tugged on their hearts. Stay far enough away for long enough and physical pain would start to set in. One Tied couple had died when they were forced apart and died of heartbreak and the physical pain it caused them. It was extremely, incredibly rare nowadays to be Tied romantically.

However, being platonically Tied (or Green-Tied) was more common, with a green string connecting the wrists of those who would become best friends someday. It could connect two, three, or even more people at once when they all met (eventually). Only those who were connected could see the strings, so if you were in a friendship where only one person saw a string... generally it didn't end well. Thankfully, those weren't very common.

Yes, it caused a few friendships to split but it also caused some to form! Most people were content with the green strings they had, even if they never found a red one. Some people counted their strings and boasted about them, as if they were celebrities. It was considered rude, but it continued nonetheless. If a couple got married without being Red-Tied, they usually still found a way to be happy with the person they chose, despite the challenges.

However... some people couldn't bear the thought of never being Red-Tied. Some became bitter and angry at fate for not helping them find a soulmate. They locked themselves away and tried to tear down the ideology of the Strings. They were called the Broken by the rest of Ninjago. Why, you ask? They strung others without strings along with their ideas until they snapped. They "broke" their own strings, so to speak, before they were even formed.

Zane and Pixal had both accepted they probably didn't have a Red-Tie to be Tied with. Zane had heard of the legend before he knew of his nindroid status, so once upon a time he'd hoped he might have one. Up until today, though, he'd accepted he couldn't have one. After all, he didn't have a physical, beating heart to connect. Pixal never even considered having one. She was created to be an assistant, not have a romantic relationship.

Zane had a few Green-Ties with the people on his team (which he was pleasantly surprised at), but Pixal never had any. Cyrus Borg was considered her family since he created her and family members didn't get Ties.

That was before. Before villains over Ninjago City and destroyed it all. Now, technology was more advanced than ever and Pixal was brought into existence. Before she knew about the ninja, she'd been perfectly content running Borg Industries alongside Cyrus Borg as an assistant droid. Now she was here, face-to-face with a droid like herself.

"Permission to scan?" She uttered her required phrase. Hesitantly, Zane nodded. He couldn't help but feel something amazing was about to happen. He was starstruck already, what could be better? "You are Zane. A droid like me. What does Zane stand for?"

"I stand for peace, freedom, and coura-" Before he could finish talking, a spike of energy in his power source pulled him forward, causing him to stumble over his own feet. Pixal barely caught his hand before he hit the floor and they both paused, catching the other's gaze and freezing. "Oh." Zane was mesmerized by her eyes. Such a pretty, vibrant green. Her synthetic skin was so soft. Unlike his, hardened by so many battles. He didn't even feel worthy to be touching such gorgeous hands.

Pixal cocked her head slightly at his low utterance and wide eyes. Then her mechanical brain kicked back into gear and she straightened back up. "Apologies. Let me help you up." Pixal apologized in what she hoped was a professional tone. Only, when she tried to pull her hand back, it didn't want to come. She tried again, to no avail. "Odd." She examined their fingers, which she didn't realize were intertwined. "Oh." She didn't even want to pull back anymore, to her own surprise.

She glanced back up to see if Zane was having the same problem, but he was already looking at her when she lifted her head. She smiled sheepishly and looked back down at their hands. Why was her facial temperature rising so quickly? It could be any number of things, actually...

A soft gasp from Zane brought her out of her thoughts, where she realized a red line was slowly making its way over both of their hands. It started from her left pinkie and traveled over her silver skin and his yellow, to her other hand and wrapped around to complete the illusion that their hands were tied together. Red strings of fate, she realized. Red-Ties.

She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, when a sudden yanking on her chest alerted her to what was currently happening. Zane reached forward to make sure she didn't fall and instead fell backward with her on top of him. Somehow, when they landed, their lips connected briefly. Both sets of eyes went wide and they pulled back immediately. Neither wanted to admit they'd enjoyed the second-long connection.

Red coated both of their cheeks as their fingers finally were able to separate. Pixal quickly got off of him and Zane helped her up like the gentleman he was, both of them still avoiding eye contact. Pixal gasped when she realized something was different. "A... a Red-Tie!" She exclaimed and hesitantly reached out to touch it. It responded to her touch, so it had to be...

Hers? How could it be hers?

"I... do not understand. But I would like to." A strange sensation in her chest made her stomach do flips. It felt good. Really good. She actually had a Red-Tie!

"I do not understand either, but what I do understand is you are most exquisite, my lady." He gently took her hand and leaned down to kiss it, smiling star-strickenly when he looked up.

"Uh oooooh! I think Zane's got a cruuuuuush!" Jay sing-songed. Kai elbowed him and rolled his eyes, ignoring Jay's squeak at the forceful nudging.

"You dummy! They just got Red-Tied! Of course he has a crush on her!" He told Jay. Kai glanced back over to the droids with a knowing smirk {*coughBigBrotherKaiatitagaincough*}. He was happy Zane had found someone to connect with that was like him. Nobody had expected two mechanical beings to get Tied, but here they were and it happened.

"But how did that happen? They don't even have hear-" Jay started to ask and Cole smacked Jay's arm with the back of his hand.

"Shut up and let them have their moment, Zap Trap." He rolled his eyes at Jay. Jay hmph-ed but internally he was happy for them {In this AU, I probably won't reference my Jaya!Red-Tie, but it could happen if you want to connect them}. Maybe he and Nya would be like that!

"I...thank you." Pixal smiled bashfully at Zane's poetic speech. She didn't even know she was capable of such expressions. "I'm afraid I am not one for such...poetic words, but I do appreciate the sentiment." Why did she long to hold his hand again?

"Groooooss!" A random kid in the class they were supposed to be taking on a tour interrupted. Laughter broke out across all the adults and Cole went back to deal with the kid.

"Shall I see you again soon, silver lady?" Zane gently took one of her hands and smiled softly. He really did speak in poems, whether or not he knew it or cared. "I feel as if I have known you for longer than what short time we have spent together already."

"Oh... oh my. Yes, I'm sure we will meet again..." Pixal hesitated as she searched for the right words. Something she'd never done before, "...metal gentleman." She offered a teasing smile, another first, and he returned it. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it again.

"Zane! Quit snogging your new girlfriend and get over here! We've got stuff to do!" Jay's shrill voice cut through the noise in the air effortlessly and Zane chuckled.

"Even when he is not the center of attention, Jay always finds a way to be heard." He paused, glancing at where he still held her hand. Letting go felt wrong. His hands would feel so empty, he knew it. "I'm very sorry. I have to follow them. I will return, I promise." He smiled and pushed a few silver strands of hair away from her face. He had to tear his gaze away from her to back away, which Pixal smiled at. He glanced back once more with a smile and she waved, feeling strangely empty already without him there.

He narrowly missed walking into the elevator door frame. She giggled when Kai's arm shot out to pull him into it before it shut. "Goodbye...Zane." She whispered to thin air. She could feel the fabled tugging at her heart growing as the distance between them stretched further.

"Pixal! These kids are getting rowdy!" A service droid shouting at her drew her from her now Zane-oriented thoughts. She rushed off to help with a slightly dazed smile and a pep in her step.

~~~

~ time skip to end of season 3 ~

{Y'all know what's comin'...}

Pixal couldn't believe it. Couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't believe her eyes. Her breaths came in short, ragged bursts and her heart ached with pure, raw emotion. Too many to sort and quantify, too human for her coding to process. A sharp jabbing in her chest kept pushing her closer to stasis, a state of body and period of time equivalent to a human going into a coma.

Ever since their Tying, Zane and Pixal had been inseparable. Though they were Tied, the others had never seen them do more than hold hands. Certainly less than what Jay and Nya did in public, that's for sure. Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

They'd been inseparable, which meant the distance between them had never been stretched like it was right now. It wasn't even the distance that hurt so much as the emotional and physical turmoil Zane was experiencing right now. With their Tying, as well as sharing a power source now, they were able to feel each other's pain. At least a dull sense of it, anyway. If this was a "dull sense", how much was he feeling?

A glitch in her vision and a spike in pain levels almost sent Pixal over the edge into stasis. "Please, hang on. Just for a little longer." She begged in a whisper from where she and Nya waited atop Borg Towers. One hand clutched her taunt, red string and the other latched onto the railing in front of her while the wind swirled around both ladies. A few months ago, Pixal never would've been able to understand this feeling building inside her right now.

Now, she knew it had to be love. Yes, that was the first time she'd thought about loving anyone romantically. It hit her like a ton of bricks, at the same time she heard Zane shout, "I am a nindroid...and ninja never quit! Go ninja, go!"

The next spike of pain in her power source was beyond anything she had experienced before. She wanted to scream at him to stop, to come back to her, but she couldn't. The only one she'd ever found like her and he was dying. A blast of ice swept over the city as she reached out to him.

P.I.X.A.L. System Message:

Error. Conditions too extreme.

Entering stasis mode.

3...

2...

1...

Stasis mode activated until conditions can be returned to a manageable level.

She was blown back by the powerful blast of cold air and snow. Before she hit the ground, she was aware of something in her chest releasing. A pressure she'd grown used to and fond of disappeared only milliseconds before her senses shut down and she was left in darkness.

~~~

P.I.X.A.L. System Message:

Rebooting from stasis mode.

3...

2...

1...

Normal functions resumed. Reboot complete.

Pixal's systems whirred back to life and her eyes struggled to focus on the ceiling above her. Was it a ceiling? Oh. The Borg Industries logo. She must be in the workshop.

"Pixal? Are you back online, my dear?" Cyrus Borg's voice was a little distorted but distinct enough so Pixal recognized it. She nodded slowly and felt someone help her to sit up on the cot she realized she sat atop. Her first thought was to reach for Zane. Her second was reaching for her string. "Oh, good." Cyrus sighed in relief and smiled tiredly. "I was afraid we'd lost you for a while there." Pixal looked around and only saw Nya and Jay with Cyrus. Where were the others?

"What was the duration of time I was unoperational for?" Pixal asked. She wanted to delay thinking about what had happened for as long as possible. Maybe if she simply didn't think about it...no, that was illogical. Nya and Jay exchanged glances. "How long?"

Cyrus sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Almost a week, dear." A... a week? How badly had conditions been so her programs had shut her down for almost a whole week?

"But we got you back online now! You can help us look fo-" Nya's eyes widened when she realized she'd brought up something Pixal wasn't ready for yet.

"Look for...?" Pixal trailed off and waited for Nya to finish. A beat passed before she caught her meaning and she gasped. Only then did she remember to stop and look down at her string.

Or... what used to be her string. In its place, a black stub. She pressed her hands to her mouth and choked back a sob. The familiar, comforting pressure of pushing and pulling she'd grown used to had vanished. Zane couldn't be gone. She'd just found him!

"Hey, I might not be the best guy to tell you this but Zane really did care about you, ya know?" Jay tried to comfort Pixal. "He didn't talk about you a ton or anything because he just isn't that kinda guy but he did have this neat sketchbook that he filled up with pictures and drawings of you when you weren't loo-" Nya glared at him and elbowed him in the gut. "Ow!"

"Not helping!" Nya whisper-yelled at her partner. Or...whatever they were. She still didn't know after the Perfect Match Machine. "Pix?" Nya slowly approached Pixal, who was still shaking her head. "We, uh... we found this over where he..." she trailed off and reached into her pocket, drawing out a long, black string. She put it on Pixal's knees and hopped up next to her.

"I think he'd want you to have it. Even if he isn't here anymore, at least you'll have this." Nya whispered and hesitantly put an arm around the droid to pull her closer. Jay awkwardly shifted from foot to foot across the cluttered room. He felt like he was imposing on a sister moment or something. He busied himself by "not listening" and instead stepping further away and studying a blueprint of...whatever it was Borg was inventing at the moment. Cyrus wanted to comfort his daughter as well but instead rolled over with Jay to keep him company. His knowledge of this particular subject was very limited, so he left it between the girls.

Pixal nodded slowly and brought her hands away from her face. "Yes. Yes, he would." She said softly and scooped up the string, staring at it with a blank expression. Nya missed the instant of change in Pixal's expression as an idea struck her. "Now, if you would excuse me. I have something I must attend to." Pixal clutched the string in one hand and slid off the table. "Thank you for your actions. I appreciate your hard work more than you will know." She nodded at the trio and swiftly exited the room, ignoring their questions of where she was going.

Keeping her head high (not to keep the emotions at bay. That would be ridiculous-), she power-walked down the hallway to the computer room. The other droids she passed on the way moved out of her path instantly. Once word of her Red-Tie to Zane had gotten out, she'd become very popular both inside and out of the Borg Industries community. The droids saw her as some sort of miracle while some humans thought she and Zane were cheating their way to publicity by using Red-Ties.

Of course, that all changed once Ninjago City News had caught Pixal and Zane's Red-Tie breaking on screen. Nobody ever expected two non-human beings to connect in such a way. They were proved wrong. "Pixane" had proved them all wrong, as the teenage girls of Ninjago City had dubbed the couple during their short time together.

Now, she strutted down the hallway, determined to keep up appearances as the strong droid she knew she was expected to be. Finally, she reached her destination: the computer room. She didn't know why she was in there. Perhaps it was because this was where she and Zane had spent the most time, or maybe she still felt the phantom tugging of the string she now held in her hand leading her there.

"You are Zane, a droid like me. What does Zane stand for?"

She turned from the window she was staring out of at the sound of her own voice.

"I stand for peace, freedom, and courage."

Zane's face appeared on the monitors. She gasped and ran towards it, pressing her hand to the first screen she approached. "Zane? Is that you?" In her closed fist, the string started to tug. She glanced down at it, only to find it was slowly returning from black to its previous vibrant red. It started to tug harder at the sound of Zane's voice repeating over and over.

She let her hand fall open and immediately the now bright-red string floated up from her hand to her chest. Her eyes widened and she gasped again. It was reconnecting! She stepped closer to the computer with Zane's gentle smile on it and the string attached itself to her chest, once again becoming taunt.

Tears, happy ones, filled her eyes and she smiled. "It is you." She whispered to the screen. "I shall see you again."

"Are we... compatible now?"

She nodded at the recorded voice and pressed her forehead to the screen, closing her eyes with a soft smile. "We are compatible."

~ time skip to right before the beginning of season 4 ~

{For this part, imagine Pixal sitting at Zane's statue, talking to it like it's him. Telling it all about how their string is reconnected and she's going to find him, she swears it. Then, out of nowhere, something hard hits her head and she gets "knocked out". The aftermath of that is where this scene starts}

P.I.X.A.L. System Message:

Rebooting...

3...

2...

1...

Reboot complete.

Systems online.

Pixal awoke in a sea of black. Black as far as the eye could see. She immediately started to observe her surroundings but when she tried to move, her movements were restrained. Her sensors picked up footfalls and she tensed as they got closer.

Whoosh!

Her visual sensors were flooded with light and she struggled to keep up with the sudden influx of information for a second. "Dear Pixal. I've been waiting to get my hands on you." An unfamiliar voice spoke. Already, Pixal decided she didn't like this man--whoever he was.

"Who are you?" She asked without her voice wobbling, which she was proud of. While she waited on an answer, she observed her surroundings again. A dungeon of some sort, perhaps? Clearly, she was chained to the ground right now, so that definitely checked a box on any "dungeon" checklist.

A dark form blocked her observations and she looked up. Right into the face of an exuberant, brightly-colored man with a staff. "Must you even ask? I am Master Chen! I am inviting you to take an extended stay in my dungeon! Only...there's a story I simply must tell you first!" Chen started to circle the nindroid, staying just out of her reach. "My advisor, Clouse here," he motioned with his staff to someone out of Pixal's sight, "says we are running out of metal for our noodle machines. 'Why, wherever will we get such metal and where did the extra go?' I asked him.

"You know what he said? 'Why, Master Chen, I have the answer! The metal man Zane has just sacrificed his body to defeat the Overlord. Perhaps we should take advantage of the opportunity and use-' "

"No! You... you can't!" Pixal shouted and strained against her chains. "I- our string is sti-"

"Oh yes, your little Red-Tie, is it? Shame it broke." Somehow, she didn't think Chen was sorry at all. "Unless...it isn't? Don't strings only break when one or both members are dead? It would be a shame if one was lost somewhere, thought to be dead." He leaned closer to her with a smirk and she frowned, refusing to back down. He waited for an answer, then shrugged. "Oh well. If you won't talk, I have no use for you."

Chen turned to Clouse, who was out of Pixal's field of vision. "There's no reason we can't use her metal if she won't. Dismember her and use her metal to repair the noodle machine." A chill ran down Pixal's synthetic spine and she froze. Chen started to walk away and she shouted to his back.

"Take me apart? Why? I have done nothing against you to provoke such actions!" He stopped in his tracks and banged his staff on the ground.

"My dear, sweet, nindroid...it's what I do. It's what I live for, to use poor, unfortunate beings... like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to." He didn't even have to look at her for her to know he was smirking. {This phrase sound familiar to anyone? Perhaps from a certain little mermaid...?}

He leaned over to Clouse and whispered something. Pixal only caught a few words before he straightened up and strutted out.

"...obey...string...alive...doesn't...know..."

Her mind raced to try and piece together their meaning. Who would obey? Her? But how would they know her string had healed? The only others she'd told had been the ninja. They'd kept it a secret from the press for a reason, after all.

"Unchain her." A low, raspy voice from the corner behind her drew her gaze. Finally, she caught a glimpse of Clouse for the first time as he stepped into the light. A dirty, greasy, disapproving man with pinched lips. She didn't hesitate to put him firmly in the "Enemy" tab in her hard drive files. Her hands were released by two guards, allowing her to stand but not move very far. Her feet were still attached to the ground.

"Restrain the android." She only had a second to react as the two guards both pulled tasers from their belts and zapped her on both sides simultaneously. Sharp pains flowed through both sides and she fell to the ground. Add that to the pain of being separated from Zane for so long and she was almost ready to give up. Although, the pulling didn't seem as strong right now as it used to be.

"Get off of me! You slimy, dirty li-" Pixal tried to get back up and Clouse didn't hesitate to land a swift kick to her head. Her whole internal structure was jarred for just long enough for Clouse to pin her shoulder down with his foot. She wasn't going anywhere soon.

The last thing she got to see was Clouse's snarky little smirk as he reached into her chest panel and flipped off motor control. She was now powerless to move and fight back as he flipped her vision switch. This wouldn't be a pleasant experience, she knew for sure as she braced herself for the pain sure to follow.

~ time skip to after they rescue Zane, right before they go back home ~

Zane, freshly rescued, was crushed in a hug by Nya. "Zane! You're back!"

"What? What is on my back?" He asked and she laughed. {Ik this scene doesn't go like this--I needed some way for their string working while she's in his head to be introduced}

"Nothing. Where's Pixal?" She asked and let go reluctantly. He smiled and tapped his temple. Nya's smile dropped a little. "Yeah, I know she's in your thoughts. But where is, you know, her actual body?" Zane frowned slightly and tapped his head again.

"She's right here, Nya. Her neural drive is fused with mine now. See for yourself." She shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I believe you." Nya stepped closer as if that would help her see Pixal better. "Hey Pix, I missed you." Nya waved with a smile and both Zane and Pixal waved back simultaneously.

"Tell her I missed her as well and explain our strings, as well as our current situation." Pixal told Zane. He relayed the message and started to explain. Their strings didn't pull anymore, since they were literally together all the time now, but they could tug on their end to alert the other if they wanted attention. A slightly awkward situation, but it worked.

He explained how their string had healed after he rebuilt himself and how it had led to Pixal's body being used as scrap metal. The others gathered around as he explained more and all of their faces registered similar negative emotions.

"Please, tell them not to worry about my body. I am perfectly content with staying in your head." Pixal told Zane. She didn't want them to worry about her body, which was probably destroyed by now. This was much more efficient anyway. Even if she would rather have a body, she would be much more useful if they didn't have to constantly keep track of her. Plus, now she was always with Zane!

Zane frowned and responded aloud to Pixal, which looked weird to the others since they couldn't talk directly to her. "But...how am I to help you then? It's your choice, it always will be, but would it not be much more beneficial to you if you had a physical body?"

Pixal shook her head. "No, this will suffice. Thank you for your concern, however." Zane smiled softly and sighed. She was always so selfless when it came to others and their concerns. They were rather alike that way, always putting others before themselves.

"Alright, snowflake. Whatever you think is best." He relayed her message and they accepted reluctantly, after some convincing by Zane. Finally, they could head home now and get away from crazy Chen!

~ time skip to right after Zane got yeeted to the Never Realm ~

{Okay, so, imagine for this part, they know Zane is alive but there's a night between when they figure that out and when Wu tries to leave. That's when this takes place}

Two years later and Pixal never thought she would lose Zane again. Once was more than enough, but twice? She never imagined he would leave twice. First at the talons of the Overlord and now at the claws of Aspheera. Of course, they'd had many close calls before, but only those two incidents had resulted in Zane being totally separated from her for this long.

She'd stayed hopeful that this would be like last time, where her string would connect again after a short period of time, but alas. It was not so. However, something else strange happened instead.

Her string had turned black, like last time, but instead of snapping, it stayed connected. She was hopeful this was just because of the fact that Zane had gotten banished and not necessarily "killed", therefore could be rescued. {For those of you who have read THOS, you know strings in different realms will be connected, just weakened. It will be similar here.}

The first few days, it still pulled. It pulled weaker than before, but the tugging was still there. After another week, it stopped tugging save for once every night when she dreamed of him. Every night it was the same dream: they were falling and she couldn't hold onto him anymore. He fell down into the abyss and a bright light flashed around her while she watched him fall. Then she woke up and clutched her string until she fell asleep again into a dreamless sleep. It was a cycle she couldn't break.

Tonight when she awoke, her string was different. It turned from solid to translucent. Her hand passed through it like Cole had passed through her by accident once when he was a ghost. What did this mean? Was Zane forgetting about her?

But...surely not. She thought about him every day, surely he thought about her too. He promised he'd never forget her. They made that promise together, once they'd rescued him from Chen's dungeon two years ago. Neither had forgotten, as they took every opportunity to remind the other about it if they were feeling down. Of that she was certain.

Pixal contemplated going to talk to Nya, but didn't even have to move from bed before said ninja came into her room. "Pix? You having nightmares again?" Nya asked softly. Pixal nodded slowly and released her hold on her string. "Can I come sit with you?" Another slow nod. Nya went over to sit with the droid and offered a hug, which Pixal accepted immediately {wehaveDad/BigBrotherKainowgivemeMom/BigSisNyapls--youcannottellmePixdoesn'tseeNyaasamother/bigsisterfigure-}.

For who knows how long, they sat in a tight hug. "I miss his hugs." Pixal whispered. A wave of sympathy washed over Nya and she smiled sadly.

"I know. I'm sorry we couldn't get to him in time. We'll get him back, I promise." Nya knew her hugs would never measure up to Zane's, yet she hoped she could at least help fill some of the hole that was left by his absence. The soft thrum of Pixal's processor through her gi comforted Nya, though she knew she was the one who came in here to comfort Pixal.

"Thank you, Nya. I appreciate your concern." Pixal mumbled and slowly pulled away from her {*cough* big sister *cough*} teammate.

"You sure you'll be alright? I can stay here if you want me to," Nya offered. Pixal shook her head. "Alright. Tomorrow, though, we'll work even harder to make sure we get Zane back from the Never-Realm, okay? I promise." Pixal nodded slowly and Nya slid off the bed. "Goodnight Pix. Sweet dreams." She padded over to the door and closed it almost all the way, peeking back just for a second to make sure Pix was really alright.

"Goodnight Zane. I love you. We'll find you soon, my heart." Pixal mumbled to the window, filled with moonlight. Nya 'aww'ed quietly and closed the door with a soft click. Then she quietly made her way back down the hall to Jay's room for the night.

~ realm skip to Zane during his time in the Never-Realm ~

Zane Julien System Message:

Diagnostic error. Power cable disconnected.

Reset in progress.

3...

2...

1...

Reset complete.

Rebooting in progress.

3...

2...

1...

Reboot complete. All systems online.

"Hello?" Where was he? A cave, perhaps? Why was he in a cave, of all places? Something was wrong. What was this...thing attached to his chest and why did it feel so wrong to see it floating randomly?

"My emperor," a voice came from his left and he glanced over. A man was bowing in front of him, holding a staff.

"Who are you?" He asked the strange man. "Actually... who am I?" The man in front of him raised his eyebrows and stood again. The man held out the staff towards him.

"Why...I am your loyal advisor, Emperor. You...you are the Ice Emperor. You have been unjustly overthrown from your throne and banished to these icy wilds. This is your staff of power." He held the staff out and Zane took it. He was the Ice Emperor?

"What shall I call you? And what is my name? Simply 'Emperor'?" Zane asked as an enormous surge of power flowed through him.

"You may call me...well, just call me your trusted advisor, Vex. You, on the other hand, have many titles. To keep them all in line, we simply refer to you as Emperor." The advisor slid over to Zane and slid an arm over his shoulder, as if in a show of friendship. "Your memory was erased by the evil beings who have overrun your palace on the North Plains. We must use your Ice Scepter and conquer it back!"

"Yes...yes, we must." The Ice Emperor answered, his voice growing slightly lower as he clutched the staff tighter. The power building behind the staff was huge! He had all the power he could ever need! He would have no problem annihilating all who stood in his wa-

"What does Zane stand for?"

"I stand for peace, freedom, and courage in the face of all who threaten Ninjago."

"Are we...compatible?"

"We are compatible."

A split second and he was back in his own body again. Who said those words and why did they make his heart hurt? His hand instinctively moved to his chest, where the red...thing sat. Yarn? Thread? String? One of those had to be right, right? Every time he thought of that girl he'd seen the red string tugged hard on his chest.

"Emperor?" Vex asked him. Zane--that was his name, right?--shook his head to clear the strange thoughts that flooded his memory.

"I'm fine." He answered quickly. "Let's go take my palace back." The Emperor marched forward, never letting go of his staff. The "advisor" grinned evilly behind him and followed. The perfect plan was falling into place.

~ time skip to during Zane's rule ~

The past few decades, the Ice Emperor had been ruling with an iron fist. He'd grown ignorant of the string attached to his ice-cold heart. There were even rumors that his ice was so intense, his own heart had turned into a shard of broken ice. The pain had numbed and he was now immune to whatever was happening to the string. Every day it got a little darker and a little more faded away.

The first 5 years he was here, every night he dreamt of the same girl. Silver hair, green eyes, a soft voice calling his name. Zane.

White hands with red streaks reaching out to him and a panicked scream as he fell into a white void. Zane!

The one thing he couldn't seem to forget was the bright red strings on his chest and hands that appeared in every single dream. ZANE!

The first 5 years he actually tried to pay attention to the chestring, always waking up clutching it and wincing at the tugging, but little by little it started to turn black and stiff.

The longer he stayed, the less he cared. He hadn't had a single dream in years, sleeping fewer hours every day and spending more time atop his throne clutching his staff. He didn't know who Zane was anymore. He was the Ice Emperor now. Whoever this girl was clearly didn't matter to him anymore or she'd be here with him, helping him rule.

Once in a while (the time between these incidents had increased since he'd stopped dreaming), when he rested for the short amount of time he'd grown used to, he'd have a brief thought of someone named Pixal and how much he missed her. And every time he rolled his eyes at himself. Obviously he couldn't miss anyone. He couldn't afford to show weakness or the savages who stole his palace the first time would come back and take over.

Tonight was different. Tonight was the first night in 36 years his string had pulled. 60 years he'd been here and it had been 36 since he'd last felt the nearly-invisible black string tug at all. He couldn't even touch it anymore. His hand fell right through.

"My Emperor," Vex announced himself with a bow. The Ice Emperor looked up and sat up straighter {alright, so for sake of me not adding 2k words of stuff that doesn't matter, assume Lloyd was thrown into the dungeon and met Kataru first thing, then was brought up to meet Zane later}.

"Who is this?" He asked angrily. Nobody entered the Ice Emperor's chamber unless he'd given the order directly.

"This peasant was telling another prisoner that he was one of your friends," the advisor spat out the last word as if it was a curse. He nodded his head a little and the guards threw a green-clad man on the ground in front of the throne steps.

"Zane?" The green man asked hopefully. The Ice Emperor scoffed. Who was this stranger and why was he imposing on his territory?

"I am not Zane. I am the Ice Emperor, and you will bow before me!" The Ice Emperor stood from his throne and roared at the man in green. Something in him told him not to totally demolish the green man yet. He released the energy ball that was building up towards the ceiling, where ice shards rained down around him. "Speak."

"My name is Lloyd. I'm the Green Ninja from Ninjago." Lloyd swayed on his feet as the Ice Emperor approached, slow step by slow step, down the stairs. "You're Zane. My br- friend. Master of Ice. I've come to-"

Vex scoffed and shoved Lloyd back onto the ground when he attempted to move towards the Ice Emperor. "Be quiet, stranger. Do not address your emperor as anything other than 'Ice Emperor'. And of course he is the Master of Ice! Look around you!"

Lloyd grunted as he fell to the ground again. He stayed there while footsteps approached him. He never thought he would be scared of Zane. The gentlest member of their team, corrupted and lost. He blinked back a few tears before they could escape and listened.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

The thunking of Zane's staff echoed in the icy chamber and he stopped in front of the so-called "Green Ninja". Lloyd slowly looked up, where Zane stood with a scowl visible under the cracks in his mask. There was so much hate in those eyes. But there was more too.

Confusion. Loss. A feeling of giving up. Hopelessness. Brokenness. Lloyd wanted to cry just seeing his gentle, helpful brother so terribly broken and hateful like this. "Please, Zane...please, come back t-"

Zane cut him off angrily and pointed his staff at Lloyd's face, which made Lloyd squeeze his eyes shut and look away. "You're lucky I haven't frozen you yet, Llo-"

"Zane!" A little Lloyd ran through the Bounty, trying to find Zane. Finally, he found him in the kitchen! "Zane! Can you teach me how to cook?"

"Hello, Lloyd." Zane smiled at the interruption. "Of course I will. Always glad to have more helping hands." He took off his apron and put it on the hyper boy with the black hoodie, ignoring the whines of it being too girly. "Let us begin."

"My Emperor?" Vex asked. When the Ice Emperor didn't respond, he glared at Lloyd. "Now look what you've done! You've immobilized-"

"Lloyd." Zane continued like nothing was wrong and retracted the staff from pointing at Lloyd. Only this time, his voice was a little higher, a little smoother. A little more like the voice Lloyd knew and loved.

"Zane?" Lloyd asked hopefully. Vex opened his mouth to speak but the Ice Emperor held up a hand. "Fine...but I just have one question."

Zane nodded once, very slowly. "Very well. One question." Something in him told him to listen to this Lloyd fellow. Perhaps he had useful information.

Lloyd shifted from hands and knees, sitting back on his feet so he could look Zane in the face. "Who is Pixal to you?" He hoped this would crack Zane and he would let go of the staff. Next time he froze, Lloyd would grab it.

According to plan, Zane was sucked back into a hidden memory.

"Zane. May I...ask you something?"

"Of course, anything. You have my heart."

"Was I...more useful inside the computer? Because I want to be a useful member of the team, and yet...I like having a body. But if you require my assistance in your headset-"

"The choice has always been yours, Pixal. And I for one, like seeing you like this."

Lloyd glanced over at Vex and when he wasn't looking, leaped towards Zane. He grabbed the staff and rolled away, Zane finally taking notice. "Zane! This isn't you!" Lloyd backed away and tried to run, instead running right into Vex.

He backtracked, only to slip on a patch of ice and fall onto his back. Vex grabbed the staff and wrestled it away from Lloyd. A firm kick to the center of Lloyd's chest effectively broke his grip on the staff and Vex snatched it away.

"My Emperor," Vex knelt in front of the Ice Emperor holding the staff in front like an offering, while off to the side, Lloyd struggled to catch his breath.

"No," Lloyd groaned and forced himself to his knees. "Zane, please. This isn't you. You're a good guy, you just need to remember. {Did I get to this point and forget about Akita? Yeah. Do I care or have the time to rewrite? Nah}

"Punish him for intruding on your palace and your empire." Vex raised his voice and looked up at the Emperor, who was now glancing between him and Lloyd. "Punish him!" Vex demanded, gripping the staff harder. Zane reached out towards the staff and his hand hovered over it. Right as he was about to touch it-

"Greetings, friend. If you have found this recording, then I am no longer here.

My name is Zane. I am a stranger in this land, trying to find my way home. It is difficult to keep track of the days in this place. It feels like I've been here a long time, but I refuse to give up hope.

I am attempting to repair the mech. Unfortunately, the processing unit is damaged. In order to fix it, I must connect myself to the mech and run a system diagnostic.

If anything were to interrupt the diagnostic, it could cause my operating system to reboot. In case something goes wrong...this is the last recording of Zane, Master of Ice. Son of Dr. Julien and student of Sensei Wu.

I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves and I have tried to fulfill this purpose.

Goodbye to my friends...

And to my Red-Tie, Pixal..." he put his hand, complete with tattoos, over his heart, where his string was.

"I love you."

...

Pixal.

Lloyd.

Nya.

Kai.

Jay.

Cole.

Sensei Wu.

Where were they? He grabbed the staff from Vex and in a moment of panic smashed it on the floor, ignoring Vex's shout not to. A wave of icy energy shot through everyone in the room, clearing all the ice instantly. Vex turned and with an angry shout charged with a knife towards Lloyd, who was still struggling to maintain balance.

"Vex! Do not hurt him!" A blast of Zane's non-corrupted ice and Vex was encased in a thick block from neck to toes. Zane glanced back at Lloyd and tore off his face covering with a smile. "Lloyd."

"Zane! I knew you'd remember. I knew it." Lloyd grinned and ran to hug his big brother. Zane stiffened but immediately melted into the hug, something he hadn't recieved in 60 Never-Years. His last hug had been with-

Pixal! Where was she now? He gasped and pushed away from Lloyd, looking down at his chest. "Pixal. My Pixal. My...my string." He mumbled. The stiff black string was ever so slightly returning to its old red, melting back into its original form. A tingling sensation settled in his chest that grew stronger by the minute.

"No! I cannot- This will not- Release me!" Vex sputtered from inside his ice prison. Lloyd glanced back at Vex and scoffed.

"You really think we'd release you after all that? You gave my friend a corrupted staff so you could take over a whole realm! That's not something I can just forgive and forget." Lloyd crossed his arms, expecting Zane to back him up. "Zane?"

"Where are the others? Have I hurt them in any way?" Zane turned and asked Lloyd with concern filling his icy blue eyes. "I fear I may have done more damage then I can undo."

~ realm skip back to Pixal since we all know what happens from there ~

{Unless I get a request to write an alternate, more angsty ending, I'll be posting only this fluffy one, just FYI}

It had been a little while since the ninja team had gone to the Never-Realm. Pixal had been working as the sole guardian of Ninjago while they were away. She'd had a few close calls, accidentally electrocuting herself once or twice in battle and almost going offline permanently.

However, that was in the past now. She sighed and flopped back onto the couch in the now-clean game room. Her string had been tugging weaker and weaker every day but she was trying to not give up hope. "Their chances together outweigh Wu's alone," she repeated to herself for the tenth time that day.

A whoosh from the courtyard outside the game room grabbed her attention. She sprang up, ready to defend her home, and quietly dashed out to see what it was.

A giant pink portal had just opened! She gasped and ran back in to get Wu. "Master Wu! Come quickly!" She called and ran back out to the portal. She could vaguely see figures through the haze and excitement started to build. Her string suddenly snapped tight and yanked her forward. "Woah!" She stumbled towards the portal, past Jay, Nya, and Kai. Her breath hitched as the one figure she'd been so worried about step through.

"Zane!" He was pulled towards her at the same speed she rushed towards him. She wanted to get there before the developing spikes of pain in her power source got too high for her to process.

"Pixal!" The shine of Zane's smile could rival that of the sun's when he finally met her in the middle. She threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up, spinning her around once before setting her down. Pixal buried her face in his neck and Zane squeezed her closer to him, intent on never letting her go again. He missed holding her like this. How could he have ever forgotten her?

Zane could feel his beaten-down emotions rushing back, wave by wave, as Pixal's touch healed all his hurt. Just one touch, that's it all it took for him to start to heal. All the horrible things he'd been victim to seemed a little further away right now as he reveled in being able to be with his Tie again. "Oh, my lady, my darling...I've missed you so much. It's been years since I remember hugging you last," he whispered and stroked her silver curls.

"Years? It has only been a few days." She paused. Perhaps time passed differently there. "...How long were you gone?" Pixal pulled back just enough to look up and meet his gaze. His eyes weren't the same as when he left. Where they used to be bright and questioning everything, now they were confused and jaded. She could see a spark of his old self hidden behind all his pain, though, so she was determined to bring it back.

"60 years." He gulped and looked away sadly. "I...it was hard to keep track of the time, through everything..."

60 years. Time must work a lot differently in the Never-Realm. "What did they do to you?" Pixal cupped his face and frowned with concern. His metal was dented and scratched and although their string was bright as ever, that didn't necessarily mean he was alright.

He leaned his head into her touch and his eyes fluttered shut. He put his hand on top of hers and smiled sadly. "I brought it upon myself. I was...well, that's a story for later," he sighed. "I think my time would be very well spent with you instead." She smiled at that and stood on her tiptoes to reach him for a kiss.

Bliss.

Complete joy.

Perfect.

It was the most beautiful kiss Zane had ever experienced. Not that he'd had very many that could even rival this one, but it was a nice thought anyway. He'd forgotten how gentle Pixal's hands could be or how soft her lips were, even though they were metal. He didn't mind. In fact, he loved it more.

Pixal, similarly, had missed these kisses immensely more than she could say with any amount of time given to her. She slid her arms back to around his neck and pulled him down so she could reach him easier. Instinctively, though it had been years for him since he'd done it, Zane moved his hands down her back to dip her down.

"Woah!" Cole came out of the portal and almost stumbled into the nindroid couple. "Give a guy a little warnin', would ya? Geez..." he grumbled as he walked past. Though rare to see anything above the occasional hand-holding from the "Old Married Couple," he really didn't want to see that right now. It was cute, but he had more important things to do!

Zane and Pixal took no notice. They were too busy memorizing the others' contours of their faces and lips. Instantly, their hand tattoos were lit up with red again and looked connected from the angle Cole had been at.

When Pixal and Zane had to separate for air, Kai nodded slightly. "Nice." He mumbled with a slight smirk. So Zane did have a rebellious side, not even answering Cole to show off how he was kissing Pixal. Even from here, he could tell they must be whispering sweet little nothings to each other by Pixal's giggles and Zane's grin. Judging by the smiles on both of their faces and the fact that Pixal was still dipped down, Zane probably hadn't noticed they were still there.

"C'mon, let's just leave em alone. They've been through a lot." Cole tried to shoo the team along.

"Hey! I went through a lot too, losing my powers! I should be allowed to spy on whoever I want." Kai crossed his arms and scowled. Cole rolled his eyes and pushed Kai back a step.

"Get outta here, porcupine." Kai reluctantly followed the ex-leader out of the courtyard and the portal shut with a pop!

As soon as they were gone, Zane brought Pixal up from the dip. "Now we can really have our leisure time to ourselves," he explained with a half smirk. "Besides, you and I have a magnetic connection, do we not? We are compatible, silver lady?"

Pixal giggled and nodded. "We are compatible, my metal gentleman."

The whole rest of the day was spent in each other's arms in various spots around the Bounty, hiding from the team and simply enjoying the other Tie's presence back in their arms. They really had an inseparable magnetic connection, didn't they? ;)

THE END