Guys, Im taking this into my own hands. There's not enough Ninjagº (sfw) vore writing, so I shall add to it :)
Context/Content Warnings
Contains: Some (SFW) Vore towards the end, a hella lot of g/t, bad injury (but not like- gory descriptions), and many many personal headcannons. One mainly being I kinda ship Zane×Cole. But if ya wanna see it as platonic, I have written it so it can be interpreted as such too.
This is very self-indulgent if you cant tell....
This takes place between seasons 4 and 5. I've not seen any season past season 10 or 11, I can't remember exactly, so yeah.
Also, important personal headcannon for this fic: Zane kept his more human looking form, not cause I dont like his titanium form. I just like my drawing design I made
Btw it's in first person, so it's hard to tell, but the person who is the pov is Cole-
Fic under cut:
It was a normal fight, honestly nothing special. Just defend the Bounty from a few wannabe villains. That's all we had to do. But it's never that easy, not for us.
Our ship wasn't soaring the clouds today nor parked near the city, but rather parked near a small mountain. We went there in search of a few caves that we were told housed a potentially dangerous artifact. Our plan was simple.
Get in, get out, and destroy the object.
But as we parked, and some treasure hunters flooded the Bounty, we didn't take the time to notice the ground beneath us, or rather lack of. That's where a large pit sat, unnoticed and waiting.
Among the commotion, I started a tussle with one of the bandates near the edge of the ship. She shoved me against the railing, knocking some air out of my lungs. I was quick to retaliate, sending a swift kick to her gut and sending her a few feet backward. Another swift kick, and she was out.
Before I had time to catch my breath, a panicked shout drew my attention. Zane had gotten cornered, 5 treasure hunters surrounding him.
I pushed myself forward, ignoring my still stinging lungs. Of course, they would go after Zane first, I thought bitterly. He was made of metal, and to them, an item practically begging to be sold. This is the third batch of these guys we've run into this week, and I still hated that was how all these treasure hunters and collectors saw him. I hated it with every fiber of my being.
As I got closer, Zane managed to kick one my way, prompting me to, instinctively, punch them, thankfully knocking them out. Now we were 2 against 4. This got the rest of their attention. I smirked. Something about it felt good, watching Zane fight back. It was almost like he was getting back at them in a way, but I knew that was very unlikely intentional. Zane had a heart of gold, with an intent to hurt no one if avoidable.
As these thoughts played in my mind, I didn't notice the large footsteps behind me. In an instant, someone behind me grabbed my shirt. They were much bigger, so much bigger than me. I couldn't even react before I was in the air. They flung me back but kept their grip on my shirt. I was slung forward, then their hand let go, and suddenly, I was flying in Zanes direction. Treasure hunters dove out of the way just before I landed on top of Zane, knocking him and I onto the ground. Due to the way I was thrown, my head took the majority of the impact.
My head started throbbing instantly. All of the aches and pains I had suppressed until now were showing full force. Each breath burned, making me think I broke a rib. I tried to get up, but I felt my consciousness slipping.
My ears were ringing, but I still managed to make out bits and pieces of Zanes' voice.
First, Zane muttered something I couldn't understand. But his next question was one I was all too familiar with.
"Cole, are you ok?"
I could only groan in response. With that, everything started to blur. I couldn't push myself off of him, and I knew the quicker he was back on his feet, the better this would be for the both of us. Thankfully, Zane understood what was happening and pushed me off himself. He didn't give me the grace of placing me down too gently, but I dont blame him. He had bigger problems.
Now that I was on my back, I could see bits of movement, a large figure was starting towards us.
I couldn't see anyone else, Kai, Jay, Lloyd, and even Sensei were all nowhere to be found. My blood went cold, and momentarily, my heart stopped beating. Had something happened to the others?
No matter how hard I fought to get up, how much I told myself I needed to keep fighting, I was starting to loose consciousness. My eyes started to close on their own, and I soon felt myself getting lifted into the air once more by the larger treasure hunter. The last thing I remember was falling. Between the pressure change and my pre-existing head trauma, I couldn't stop myself from passing out before I even hit the ground.
Where is Zane?
I shot open my eyes, a swelling sense of panic rushing over me, but to my surprise, I couldn't see anything. Where am I?
I felt terrible. I think I broke my leg, maybe my arm too. I rolled over, helping relieve the pressure off both of my most likely broken limbs. There was a light far above me, but I couldn't see anything else that would help me figure out where I was. I couldn't get up, I couldn't see anything, I couldn't even speak. All I could do was lie and wait.
For hours, the shadows jumped at me, making my heart race in my ears. I knew I couldn't do anything, and that made the dark that much more terrifying. It was sufficating, how dark and alone I felt. Seconds felt like hours, and hours felt like days. No matter what I did to calm my anxiety, nothing helped. All I could do was lie in the silence and pray someone found me.
"Cole?" I heard Zanes voice calling from above. My heart leaped out of my chest, tears forming at the corner of my eyes from gratitude. He had found me.
"Here." My voice barely even came out.
After a few long moments, I felt the ground beneath me shake, and a loud thud echoed beside me.
"Cole?" This time, Zanes' voice echoed through my very core. My good arm instinctively went to cover up my eyes and ears.
I felt the earth shake a bit more, then a gasp echoed somewhere above me. Slowly, a blue light was brought closer, one I recognized as Zanes eyes. I loosened up upon that realization, unfurling and opening my eyes once more.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. I sucked in a quick breath once I could finally see again. Zane towered over me, his meer hand was about as long as I was tall. I wanted to move away, but seeing that about half of me was broken, that was not an option. Slowly, he crouched down. Then gently he put one of his hands down and softly plyed his fingers under me. He lifted me up a bit, then placed his other hand under me as well.
"Cole?" He paused, a bewildered expression plastered on his face, "Cole, can you hear me?" His voice was a wisper now, but even his wispering seemed to completely surround me.
Between the shock of this whole experience and my hurt ribs, I was finding it increasingly harder to speak. I couldn't find my voice. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a pathetic squeak.
His thumb rose and started to brush over me. He didn't apply much pressure, but once he got to my broken arm, I couldn't help but flinch.
Zanes must have noticed that, since his eyes narrowed a bit, something he mostly did when he was annalizeing our 'injury status', as he tends to put it.
"Im going to get you back to the ship, alright?" I was grateful that he continued to keep his voice at a wisper.
I nodded again, to which he started to stand up.
Curling his fingers over me a bit, he suddenly shouts upward, "I FOUND HIM."
This sudden blast of noise hurt, making me return to the covered position I was in before. Zanes shout echoed through the pit, making me shutter in pain a few more times before the noise finally weakened.
Soon, Zane was lifted up, and as a result, I was too. As soon as I was out, noises boomed around me. One question seemed to come through the commotion in unison. "Where's Cole?"
I heard Kai, Jay, and Nya for sure, but Lloyd, I couldn't make out. Did he get kidnapped again? I knew Lloyd was another one of us that the treasure hunters tend to objectify, and that only increased my worry.
I felt Zane move his fingers again, this time unfurling them so that I would lay flat on his palm.
A series of gasps came from the group, and finally, I heard Lloyd. "What happened?" His voice, knowing he was ok, finally allowed my nerves to relax a bit.
"I dont know," Zane sighed in response, "but Cole is not in good condition. He has 3 broken ribs and a broken thigh bone. And his humorous bone is broken as well."
"Zane, now is no time for jokes." Jay piped up.
"The humourus is the bone in the upper arm, I am not displeased with Coles' humor." Zane said blatantly. I could hear the annoyance in his voice. If I had been able to speak, I would have tried to ease the tension, but unfortunately, I still felt too winded.
"Let's get him back then." Nya, the only one who seems to have more than half a brain cell most days, finally chimmed in. It was as if the same thought rung through everyones head, as everyone seemed to simultaneously start back towards the Bounty.
It was so strange. I never realized just how much I would miss the light until it was taken from me. I gazed up at the lamp above me, fixated on its lumosity. Most of my life, I had taken light for granted, but now, I couldn't be more grateful for it.
"How are you feeling?" The unexpected question made me nearly jump out of my skin. Zane must have come back into the room. It was only 15 minutes ago that he had left to take a well-deserved break, and honestly, I expected him to be gone for longer with how much work he put in to get me patched back up.
After I got back on the ship, Zane and Sensei both started to treat my wounds the best they could. With me being small, it was difficult for anyone but Zane to put my splints into place. He was the only one with such precision. Sensei, though he had tried, his hand kept shaking too much to do any good. This also was why they decided it was best for me not to get a cast since they could easily put it on too tight and hurt me more. They decided instead that no one would be allowed to handle me, but Zane.
This was something I found relief knowing. I had already started to imagine Jay coming in here to tease me over goodness knows what and getting too rough. It was strange how a part of me was now afraid of some of my friends. I didn't like it.
"Better." My voice was still weak, but at the very least, I had some painkillers now, so my lungs weren't on fire.
I had been set on top of a pillow, meaning I was a bit higher than I would've been on the bed. It wasn't too much higher than the bed, though it still allowed me a better view of the room. The pillow also meant I was more comfortable, which was a nice contrast to laying on the hard rocky ground in the pit.
Zane dragged his chair closer to me. He once again loomed over me, but in the light, now I was able to make out his face easier. I hadn't realized just how detailed his skin was till now. Even though it's not real, up close, you wouldn't be able to tell.
"Do you remember anything after you fell?" Zane broke the silence again.
"No," I shake my head, "I fell, and the next thing I remember is...." I fall quiet. Even the memory of how scared I felt sent cold dark shivers down my spine. "Waking up." I quietly finish.
"Is there anything that happened between you waking up and me getting there?"
"No..." I felt guilty for the fear I felt. Im sure they all were up on the bounty fighting, I shouldn't be pittied for falling in a hole. And I'm not lying, saying nothing happened since nothing did happen. But on the other hand, a lot felt like it happened. That fear was real. The pain was real. But neither of those should be anyone elses problem than mine.
Zane went quiet. He looked like he was thinking, but sometimes I can't tell with him. We sat like that for a while before Zane finally announced he was going to make dinner.
If I make a little in between part, I will link it here
Days passed. I was under strict orders that, until my bones were healed, I was not to leave the bed, save for when I needed to use the bathroom. It was long and boring. I couldn't play video games, nor could I even play board games. All I could do was watch TV and occasionally talk with one of the others. Zane came to check on me the most, but Jay made a point to seek me out a few times and mock me for my height. He made a point to remind me of the fact that I had called him short, and now the rolls are reversed and blah blah blah. I think he was trying to cheer me up, in his annoying Jay kind of way, but I honestly got tired of listening to him and zoned out most of the time.
The four days I lay in bed were practically tourture. I have never felt more lucky that my elemental powers also helped increase my bodies ability to heal itself. I may have gone insane if I stayed any longer.
Zane came in late on the fourth day of me lounging in bed. Once he announced that I could take both of my splints off, I did not hesitate to free myself from my confinement.
Once I managed to pry the splints off, it dawned on me. What was I going to do? I had been so focused on being able to leave this bed and the pillow that I hadn't thought much further than that.
Zane grabbed both of the splints I had set aside and placed them gently on the nightstand. Then, with a tired smile, he turned back towards me. "So, you're free now." He said with laughter in his voice, "Where do you want to go?"
"I dont know... I didn't think about it much."
"Well, I think I have an idea." A more sincere smile tugged at Zanes face, one that I wasn't sure if it was just friendly or one I should be suspicious of. His palm rested on the bed in front of me, but I hesitated to move myself onto it.
"I dont like that smile of yours. You're not bringing me somewhere to pull a prank on me, are you?" I narrow my eyelids, glaring right into his eyes.
He laughed at my suspicion, "No, no, I promise. This is a good surprise."
I climbed onto his hand, slowly, and still not feeling reassured. I found that sitting down is a lot less disorienting than laying down or standing, so I sit facing him.
I marveled at how large his hand was, even though he now had carried me many times, it was still something I could never quite get over. His hand so large that I could stretch my legs out fully and still have enough room to lay down.
He gave me a reassuring smile, then started out the door.
He carried me down the hallway and past a few rooms before turning into a doorway. I instantly recognized the room as the kitchen, even though it was now so much bigger. There was a delightful smell in the air.
"Mmmm, cake." I take another wiff, "Chocolate cake. " I specify.
"Your nose never ceases to amaze me, Cole." Zanes hand shook lightly as he laughed.
"I'm just that good." I smile, looking up at him.
A timer starts to go off, and with me turned towards Zane, I could see the exact moment he realized what the timer was for. He quickly placed the hand I was sitting upon on to the counter and gently nudged me off with the other. Wasting no time, he headed off, spinning around and rushing towards the oven.
Zane opened a drawer and pulled out two oven-mitts. I knew he didn't need them, and I'm sure he knew as well, but I guess it was a habit he had before discovering he was a robot. I also think that there's also a part of him that loves the oven-mitts since it was a gift we get him often.
Reaching forward, Zane opened the oven, sending a new wave of delicious chocolatey scents my way. I practically shook in anticipation as I saw him pull the source of the smell from the oven.
"One, Two, Three..." I mumbled as he took the tin of cupcakes out. He had made a total of 12 cupcakes. This means that if I take Zanes's portion, I get a total of 4 cupcakes! I big smile crept across my face.
I get up, still a bit wobbly from having sat mostly still for four days, and wander over to the cupcake tin. Zane was taking the cupcakes out and placing them on a rack to cool down faster.
"So I get all of them, right?" I give him the best pleading smile I could muster.
He rolled his eyes with a laugh, "No. You get two. Everyone gets two, or else they may need to make a movie about what happened when one of you got three instead."
Zane always had a way of making me laugh, "But I get your portion, right?" I step forward, closer to him and the edge of the counter.
"Not this time."
"Please tell me you're not giving them to the treasure hunters. You know they dont have a good bone in their body!" I joked.
"Ah, no matter how much I would love to see the look on everyones face at that, no. I am putting them away for when we get back to the city."
I furrow my brow, "But we won't be back to the city for a while! I mean, we haven't found the object thing, whatever it was - yet. And we still need to fix this!" I gesture towards myself.
"We have been looking while you were healing, Cole. Nia thinks she may have figured out where the object is. We're going to go tomorrow to try and retrieve it." My sholders slump. They have been looking without me?
"I thought you guys would wait." I mumble, on one hand, I was a bit bitter about it. They all went cave searching, finding who knows what cool objects and stuff, while I had to sit here and be on bed rest.
But, I could also see their side of it. They needed to get this done. If we didn't find this mysterious object, someone else would.
"Im sorry, Cole." Zane must have heard me muttering to myself.
"Well, at least I can come with tomorrow." I flop down on the counter, forgetting about my newly healed arm and leg. I let out a small shreak at the surprise pain. Zane reached forward to grab me but decided instead to hover his hands, ready to help me if needed.
"Cole," as Zane says this, his expression softened, "you aren't going to be coming with us tomorrow."
My heart dropped, "What?"
"You can't come with us tomorrow, Cole. It's too dangerous, and we can't risk you coming while you're..." Zane paused, considering his next words carefully, "... like this."
"I can still help!" I plea, I can't stay back again. I need to help. I have to help. "I still have my elemental powers! I can move some rock still! What if you get trapped? Then what? I am the Earth ninja! That's what I do! I move rocks!" I could see it. My words were doing nothing to convince Zane, and as I tried to reason more, I found I was grasping at flimsy straws, "I can still help..." I wisper.
"I am sorry, Cole. It's not only me who thinks you should stay. Sensei, he was the one who made the final decision. You need to stay here." Zane gave a sorry smile. "Rest up, maybe once we get back, you will be back to normal, and you can help us figure out what the mystery object is."
I sat there, defeated. I couldn't believe that I was being left behind. How could I keep them safe? How could I save them from the bounty?
The cupcakes started to sound less and less appetizing the more I thought of what tomorrow would bring for my brothers.
I woke up early the next morning. I had to get a good head start. I shuffle to the side of the bed, clinging to the sheets as I made my way down. Finally, once I reached the floor, I encountered my first obstacle. The door had been shut the night before, and I didn't know if I would be able to open it myself. The crack under the door was too narrow for me to fit under, so that wasn't an option. The door had a lever handle, so perhaps I could open the door?
I look around in an attempt to find something I could use to pry it open. The problem now I faced was that I was small, and I couldn't see much around the room. I walked back towards the bed, prepared to have to climb back up it so I could just see what was around the room. Just a moment after I grabbed onto the sheets, I saw something shiny under the bed. There was a clothes hanger under the bed.
I hesitate, the eery and mysterious shadows taunting me. My heart raced, I couldn't seem to look away. If I looked away, then it may consume me, the dark. My reason broke through my anxiety, telling me I had to go into the darkness, if just for one brief moment.
Shakily, I inched forward, feeling for the form of the clothes hanger with my feet. Soon, I felt the cold metal through my clothes. I quickly grabbed it and drug it back out to the light.
I had the clothes hanger, now to put it to use. I headed back towards the door, bringing the clothes hanger along with me. Once I reach the door, I swung the clothes hanger up, stretching my arms out and standing on my tip toes to give myself any bit of extra height.
The hanger caught at the handle, and I pulled down while also moving backward to open the door.
Finally, I was in the hallway. Though it was darker than the recovery room, it had many dim lights that fought off the dark enough for me to feel safe. Besides, the dark was the least of my worries now. I scurry along the edge of the wall, carefully listening for footsteps. I never thought that I would have to be so careful in my own home. But I had to pay attention, both because I dont want to get caught, and also because what would happen if someone didn't see me. The idea that someone could come along and accidentally step on me was one that I ran through my mind as I sped down the hallway.
I stopped at one familiar door. This is what I was looking for, my brothers room. Im sure right now they were still asleep, which was good for me. Unlike my recovery room, I knew that this door had a chip in it.
I believe Kai had said it was from Jay 'borrowing' my scythe. Whatever had happened before, it happened to work in his favor now.
I slunk into the dimly lit room. The only source of light was from outside the window where the moon was now lowering in the sky. Although it was difficult to see, I knew this room at least, and as such, I still found my way around. I creeped along the edge of the bunk beds, careful not to make a single noise.
In a heap on the floor, I saw my long-term goal, Zanes ninja suit. I darted over to the cothing pile, picking up and moving stuff out of my way until I found one of his pockets. I crawled inside, squirming to get comfortable as I did so.
A quiet but relieved sigh excaped my lips. Im going with them, whether they like it or not.
My brothers were too predictable. They woke up late, of course. Nia had already gotten dressed and was ready for them to start their search. Everyone was scrambling to put on their gear. Even Zane seemed to be unprepared, seeing that he didn't notice that his suit was a bit heavier today.
I bounced around any time Zane made any kind of big movement, including running, jumping, and turning. All of those being things Zane apparently does often. When Zane finally sat down to listen to Nia's brief, my head didn't seem to care and just kept spinning.
I couldn't hear much of Nia's ramble, but what I could hear clear as day was Zane. Normally, I tune out a lot of these long, borning, and often too elaborate plans. But today, I found it hard to disassociate. Any time I would finally zone off, Zane would ask another clarifying question. It hadn't dawned on me how many questions he asked before going on a mission. I swear he could write an essay just about the mission brief.
It took a while, but Zane eventually ran out of questions. Now, I thought, we could get on to the fun part.
A cacophony of chairs screeched against the floors as everyone stood at once. Once again, I started to sway and bounce. At one point, I think they were climbing down a rope, but it was hard to keep track. Everything was so disorienting that it was hard to even tell where I was. Were we in the cave yet? Or are we still on land? Did we even get off the Bounty yet? None of my questions seemed to be answered by the lighthearted chit chat that started from the group.
Once again, I wasn't able to hear what anyone else had to say other than Zane, which made it hard to figure out what was being said. The more I tried to fill in the gaps, the harder it became to understand what was happening. After about 15 minutes of me trying to decipher the illogical code, I gave up.
Who knows how long I have been in this pocket now. So far, they haven't seemed to run into any blocked paths, nor have they trapped themselves inside a cavern, which was a good sign.
How much longer will this take? All I wanted to do is get back to the Bounty, tell everyone I was here the whole time, and reassure them I can go on missions still. Maybe I couldn't walk by myself, but I was small and able to go places most cant. Imagine if I was this small when we got locked in the cage that one time. I could have gotten us out. I could be helpful.
We have to be in the cave now. There is a musty smell in the air, and I have to suppress the urge to sneeze every ten seconds. This could not be a worse time for my allergies to rear its ugly head.
We passed a particularly dusty portion of the cave. My heart sped up, I can't be caught now! They will just bring me back and go on without me! I hold my breath, hoping that if I dont breathe in the dust, I won't sneeze.
I had to breathe eventually, and as soon as I caught my breath again, I felt the overwhelming urge to sneeze. It started to rise from my nose and through my mouth. I had to stop it, I tried, doing everything in my power to stop the sneeze.
I breathed out once more, and the need to sneeze wad suddenly gone. I silently celebrated my victory.
I celebrated too soon. My sneeze snuck up on me. It was too late to stop it, so I tried to cover it up the best I could. But it was too late, I felt Zane come to a sudden hault.
"What was that." He asked, I heard the unease in his voice.
Some replies came from my brothers, but again, none that I could hear. My heart beat in my ears. Maybe Zane would write it off as the cave shifting. It does that sometimes, right?
An intense pressure shoved against my side for a moment before quickly disappearing. Zane gave an annoyed grumble above me.
Suddenly, a hand appeared, enclosing me in its grasp. It brought me up out of Zanes' pocket to be level with his face. He made sure to keep me facing towards him but didn't lighten his strong grip on me.
"Cole." The ice in Zanes' voice made my heart skip, I hardly hear him angry, and never is it towards me. His lips were thin, and his eyes were practically piercing through my soul. Normally, I can fight back, spit words, and defend myself. But his grip has become so tight that I was starting to struggle to breathe.
I wheezed a bit, doing my best to keep my composure. With my ability to breathe, slipping now, though, it remained difficult.
"Zane," I gasped in between desperate breaths, "Breathe. I can't."
The moment those words left my lips, Zane hand loosened, and so did his expression.
"What are you doing?" This was the Zane I knew now. He was annoyed, sure, but he wasn't the same as he was only a moment ago. He tilted me back a bit and set me down on his other palm.
"I -" Before I could get the sentence out, Lloyd brought up a finger to his lips. I turned to watch as Lloyd creeped towards a 90° turn in the cave. Just as quickly as he peered around the corner, he retracted his head. Turning back towards us, he wispers something. I couldn't hear it, I can't seem to hear anything lately. I turned to look at Zane, hoping he heard it. One look at his face told me he did.
I started to open my mouth to ask him to repeat what he heard, but shut it when I saw Zane already opening his mouth to reply.
(Start of events in comics here 1 + 2)
I watched as he didn't speak, but rather just kept his mouth open for a moment. One second, I was on Zanes hand, staring up at Zane. The next, I was shoved forcefully towards Zanes face. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a mass that glowed a light blue. Any time I tried to move, tried to reorient myself, I was pinned down again. I felt the confined space push me head first into another tighter tunnle.
The light followed me, and with this light came many new noises. There was a distinct ticking noise, along with the sound of what I assume was gears grinding together. Soon, blood started to run to my head, and my brain felt light.
(End of events in comic)
A few seconds after I thought I was about to pass out, I was pushed into a larger chamber. It was soft, and it had the same blue glow as the other one had before. It was definitely bigger and stretchier than the other two. That said, it was still very cramped. I was forced to lay down, as the ceiling was practically brushing against my hair, and the rest of my body was pressed into the sides of the room. Something about this place was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
A series of sporadic movements tossed me about a bit, but comparatively, it was not nearly as bad as it was in the pocket.
What would be my train of thought asking me where I am and what was happening got interrupted with a series of muffled shouts. I instinctively sunk into the rippling soft cloth underneath me, hopeful that it will keep me safe from this unseen danger.
The same sounds of gears and gadgets still were present but much more muffled now. The ticking was still audible too, but I had to strain to hear it.
There is where I stayed for a long time, trapped in the chamber. The pillow-like surroundings kept me in place for the most part, but every once in a while, there would be a bigger movement that caused me to fly into one of the walls. The walls, though, were soft and squishy, making the experience when I wasn't getting slammed into them actually kind of enjoyable.
After a while, the movement slowed down and finally came to a hault. Just as I started to bask in the peace, a loud voice from above brought me back. "He's fine. He's in my storage compartment." I recognized the voice instantly as Zane. I wonder who he was talking about? Who would even fit in his storage compartment? I have seen it before, it's small. No one was that small.
My breath hitched. I am that small. I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized just where I was. It was embarrassing how comfortable I had felt here. I lightly pushed at one of the folds around me, as if feeling it would help confirm.
I tried to push myself up, to put a bit of space between me, and what I now knew was Zane. My efforts were foiled as my back hit the top of Zanes storage chamber, and I flopped back down.
Zane started to speak again, "Is that all of them?" He must be talking to our brothers.
After a brief pause, where I assume someone had responded, Zane continued, "Then let's get moving again."
So they weren't going to bring me back. That was a relief. I can stay on the mission with them. Zane would let me out, and I could finally have some normalcy back in my life.
I felt Zane start to move again, this time, though it was more methodical, and the chamber only swayed slightly with each step. He wasn't making any sort of motion to let me back out. Did he forget?
I lightly knocked at the glowing pillow in front of me, "Um, Zane?" He didn't slow his pace. I waited for a few seconds, but he didn't respond.
"Zane?" This time, I raised my voice more in case he couldn't hear me the first time.
Zane started to slow his pace, meaning he heard me this time. "Yes, Cole?" He still sounded very annoyed with me.
"Are you going to let me out?" I poke at a spot next to me, hoping he would understand what I was getting at.
"No, I am not." He said matter of factly.
I'm a bit surprised. "What?" I scoff, not able to stop the word from coming out of my mouth.
"You not only disobeyed Sensei. But you also put yourself in danger and, by extension, could have put us in danger, and you still have no remorse for any of it." His tone reminded me of how he spoke to Lloyd when he was younger, something that hurt more than I thought it would.
"Im not a kid. I can handle myself just fine." The hurt seeping into my words.
Zane grumbled, a sudden pressure from the outside squeezed me to the opposite side of the chamber for a moment before releasing me once more. "I know you aren't a kid. But you need to listen to me, Cole. You aren't indestructible. You are putting yourself in more danger than I think you realize by being here. I dont want to lose you." He sighed, the previous annoyance in his voice fading. "There are bad people in these tunnels, and if you get separated from us all, it would take is for one to grab and toss you to..." The chamber pushed in again, "I can't lose you, ok?"
I couldn't think of anything to say to that. All the tension and defensiveness in me disappeared in an instant. How could I have been so neglectful. I know he cares about me. That's all he meant, and I should have known.
The pressure once again released, and I flopped onto the plush beneath me. I hadn't realized until then, but I had been tense. It had been exhausting, keeping that grudge. I relaxed, sinking furtherer into the pillow beneath me. Closing my eyes for a minute wouldn't hurt, right? I nestled my head down, and as I felt Zanes speed pick up to catch up with the others, my mind started to wander into the best sleep I have ever had.
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