***

“Skylor come out!” her mother cried as she motioned her to come forward.

 

Skylor didn't move from her hiding place.” Come find me!” She called back.

 

Her mother shook her head and laughed. “Sky sweetie come now,” she began. “Your father and I have something for you.”

 

Chen, who was sitting next to his wife, noticed a bundle of red frizzy hair sticking out behind one of the trees. He nudged his wife who then gave him a head nod to go get her.

 

“Now, where could Skylor be? Do you know dear?” he teased.

“No idea…”Skylor’s mother smiled as she replied.

 

“Hmm… she’s not behind this bush.”

 

 

Skylor snickered.

 

“Is she behind the rock?” Chen lifted a rock and looked under it. “Guess not.”

 

“Maybe…” he slowly tiptoed to the tree. “Maybe she’s here!”

 

 

“Ah! No! Wait!” Skylor laughed as Chen picked her off the ground and lifted her in the air.

 

“Come on baby girl. Don’t you want to see what mama has for you?”

“Yes!” Skylor exclaimed, smiling wide.

What was that?” Chen questioned, worry in his tone of voice.

 

“I don’t know …and I really don’t want to find out.” His wife replied.

 

They began to walk faster now. Another one went off.

 

They sped up their pace even more.

 

They were running now, but it still followed ....right on their tails. There was no escaping.

 

There never was a chance of escape. Someone was going to be left. It was only a matter of "who" would be left.

 

“I smell smoke. Do you smell it?” Chen looked back over the hill to see a cloud of blackness rising behind them.

Another canon sound roared.

 

“Lord no.” He exclaimed.

 

“What?” Skylor’s mother looked back at the cloud. Several figures were now rising from it as well.

“You will burn.” They said in unison.

 

 

Without even a second of hesitation she quickly handed Skylor to Chen.

 

”Take Skylor. I’ll hold them off.” She said firmly.

 

‘’No. You won’t. We’ll do it together.” Chen grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back.

“Chen there’s no time! If I can hold them off you two can escape. I’m the only one with Elemental power. I can fight them.”  

“I'll be fine. Save our daughter.”  she said even though in reality she knew she wouldn't be.  It was the only way to get Chen to leave.

 

Chen stared her down for moment then let go.

“Run.” She said.

***Memory end***

 

Chapter 2

 

Skylor jolted up from her bed gasping.

 

She thought she had buried that memory deep within her mind. She swore she did.

She shivered and ran her hands up and down her freezing body.

 

Forget. Forget. Forget.

But she couldn’t forget. As much as she'd like to believe she did. She never really could.

 

Skylor got up from her bed and opened her closet door. There in front of her was a dusty brown box.

 

She took it down and unfastened the clasp. There laid that same small rag doll her mother gave her when she was a child.

 

Her hands started to shake as she lifted it out of the box. She hadn’t touched it in years. It was too painful to.

She visioned her mother’s face when she gave that doll to her. She was so happy.

 

Then she saw Chen. The Chen she actually cared about. Granted he was still evil, but with her mother there…you wouldn’t have been able to tell.

 

 She brought out a whole new personality in him. The little bit of good.

 

One tear dropped on the doll. Then two. Then three. 

 

 

Then they poured down uncontrollably.

 

Why was she crying? She wasn’t supposed to be crying. She wasn’t supposed to care.

Stop it. Stop it right now.

“Skylor, Sky are you there?” the familiar voice began.

 

Skylor wiped her eyes and went over to her door. Kai was standing there.

He wasn’t wearing his normal ninja suit though. He had on a red hooded jaket and washed out blue jeans, but his hair looked as if he just jumped out of bed

.

“I know it’s late, but-“

Kai looked up and noticed her reddened eyes.

“Are you ok?” he questioned, quite concerned.

 

“Yeah, come in.” Skylor said as she opened her door wider.

 

Kai noticed the small doll sitting on her bed. “I didn’t know you collected dolls.” He said in an almost teasing tone.

“I don’t. It…was my mother’s.” she looked away from Kai to keep her composure.

 

“Oh…” Kai whispered. Skylor had never mentioned her mother to him before. It wasn’t like he had really asked though. Things like that can be painful to talk about and he knew that feeling better than anyone.

 

“You miss her don’t you?” He said as he walked up to her.

 

“I try not to think about it…” she replied, back still facing him.

 

“Really …why?...I mean-if you want to tell me. You don’t have too. I understand.” He stepped back a bit to give her some space.

Chapter 2 Continued...

 

“Maybe it was just time.” Kai suggested. “I know it took me a while to accept that my father was gone. Same with my mother.”

 

Skylor felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She probably sounded so selfish to Kai. Sitting here going on about her problems when he went through the exact same thing some yeas ago.

 

“I’m sorry Kai. I probably sound so-“she began.

Kai pressed his finger to her lip and shook his head.

 

“It’s fine. I understand.” He said. “I’m just happy you trust me enough to tell me something like this. Most people would keep quite.” He added.

 

“Yeah.”Skylor said as she thought for a moment.

She was tired all on this depressing talk.

 

“Well, enough about this.” She put the doll back in the box and slammed it shut.

“What brings you here?” she questioned, quite interested as to why the fire ninja was visiting at these hours.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

 

“Well, Cyrus is just about done with Pixal’s new body. So, you know Zane’s happy about that. Finally getting his girl back. That’s where everyone else is at right now.” He said.

 

“I didn’t know if you wanted to go too or not. Or…um perhaps get a quick bite to eat. I haven’t had dinner yet.” He stared at the ground. “I don’t know if you did or anything.” He voice grew quieter as he finished.

Skylor grinned and tried not to laugh. Kai was actually pretty cute when he’s wasn’t being a total flirt.

 

 

“I guess we could go somewhere right quick. Besides I think Pixal and Zane would want time alone. You know.”

In full honesty Skylor was eager to meet the female android. Kai had told her a lot about her and she sounded pretty interesting, but she also knew Kai most certainly did not come all the way done to her place to invite her too that.

Nope, he had to have a plan somewhere.

Meanwhile in Borg Industries something very different was happening.

 

Zane was standing outside of Cyrus's Office.

 He had been pacing back and forth for the past hour.

 

“If you keep doing that you’re going to make a hole in that floor.” Lloyd said as he looked up from a comic book.

 

Zane stopped. “Sorry.”

 

Lloyd sighed. “Its fine Zane, I was joking. You look like you could use a good joke right now.” Lloyd looked back up at Zane.

 This was honestly the only time he actually saw him really scared…and worried.

 

Zane hid his emotions very well. He almost never got angry. He was always calm and suppressed.

 

Not today though. Today he was different.

 

“Yeah.” Zane responded, but his mind was really elsewhere. All he could think about was her.

 

Zane really never spoke too much about his feelings to the other ninja. The feelings of loneliness, always being different, sometimes being left out.

 

It always sort of haunted him after he found out his true origin. No matter how hard he tried he would never be like them. 

 

Never.

 

He wasn't human and he never could be. Sure he blended in pretty well before, but now he was even more different.

 

More like her. He sometimes wondered if she ever felt the same way. Maybe that was why they became so close.

 

They were the same. They were compatible.

She was the only one could ever relate to him.

The only one.

 

Not to say he wasn't grateful for the other ninja. They were his friends...his brothers. They always would be, but...sometimes they really didn't understand. Or didn't understand enough.

 

Simple things they take for granted. Simple things he couldn't do. 

 Human things.

 

Zane thought for a moment longer and as he listened carefully behind the door. He could hear the tools, the metal ...all of it. 

Time seemed to pass so slowly. "Why is it not over yet?" he would think to himself.

 

All he wanted to do was see her.

 

 

Enjoy some Zane feels while I go finish these next parts. 

Cyrus watched as her eyes slowly opened.

 

“Welcome back.” he said as he smiled.

 

She tried to sit up, but slipped.

 

“Ah-now, be careful. I made some improvements to your mobility systems. It may take a while to get used too. How does it feel?” he questioned, quite eager to get her opinion.

 

“It…It feels different.” she said, while tilting her head. She briefly looked around the room and then to her hands. She turned them over and just ...stared. They felt different. 

 

She then ran them across the table she was sitting on top of.

Weird.

She never had really noticed the texture of that table. Let alone felt it. Cyrus must have done more to her than just advance her mobility.

 

 

“Good different or bad different?” Cyrus questioned interrupting her thoughts. He was a little concerned now. Her processer could be rejecting the new body.

 

Pixal laughed and then returned to her observations, “Good different.”

 

Cyrus’s eyes widened slightly. Then he smiled again. “I...I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before.” he said.

 

Pixal stared at him. “Is that good or bad then?”

 

“Good... Very good. That means you’re expanding beyond your programing. I -I didn’t know if you would be able to do that. “he said, his voice trailing off.

 

He still never got over what happened to one of her older models. That emotional break down she had was the reason why he started giving them emotion suppresser chips. He never planned for them to be that way, but he had no choice.

 

Pixal however, was able to surpass it when Zane gave her part of his power source.

 

Cyrus never did fix the chip after that.

She didn't need it anymore.