Season 11.5

Episode 7

Zane blinked his eyes, groaning from a splitting headache. He focused his gaze, clearing the black spots from his eyes.

Where, where am I? He sat on a carpet floor, and eased himself up. The room was dimly lit, and he sat on a red carpet lined with gold. A wooden chandelier swung overhead.

Right! The others, the fight. And, I did it again. He groaned. Zane sighed, then stared at the floor. He then brought his gaze onto his hands.

I killed five people. He thought in terror. He glanced at his shirt, and saw the blood there.

I killed five people and enjoyed it. He thought, widening his eyes. He cried and buried himself in his hands.

Will I ever stop this madness? He thought to himself. The door opened, but he ignored it. All he could about was the poor souls who had suffered.

"They're not dead, you know." Zane looked up at his visitor. It was the same man who had watched him during the fight.

"They're not?" Zane stood up. The man shook his head no.

"They're in the infirmary. You beat them pretty badly, but they're going to be fine." The man sat down on the chair, and faced him.

Zane watched him with sorrowful eyes, then sighed. "Do what you want with me. I deserve it." He said mournfully.

The man chuckled. "On the contrary. In fact, I would want you to do anything with me." Zane looked at him confused, then raised his eyes.

"Muskrat?" He said. The man nodded.

"And I'm assuming you're the one called Zane?" Zane nodded.

The man stared at him, then spoke. "Originally, the plan was to wipe you all out. But I put a pause on that plan."

Zane raised his eyes. "Why?" He said. Muskrat leaned in.

"What I saw that night at the bar was something that shouldn't have happened." He spoke.

"You mean, when I hurt all those people?" Zane spoke softly, with remorse.

Muskrat pointed at him. "For a ninja whose job is supposed to protect the people, that was way off what you were supposed to do, wasn't it? All of us at the bar saw straight through your disguise, but the precision and elegance of that fight." He whistled. "It was a stunning performance."

"Stunning?" Zane said. "I could have killed them!" He shouted.

"But you didn't." He said. "And we could use someone like you." He said

Zane stared at him. "I could never leave my friends!" He roared, his eyes flashing colors. The man held up his hands.

"I'm not saying to pick sides. I'm just offering a solution." He said.

"To what?" Zane asked.

The man waved his hands. "I know the looks of someone who's torn between doing good and bad. And you need to decide, before it gets out of control. So what I'm offering doesn't only benefit me. It gives you a chance to stop tearing yourself apart, and let go." He said, leaving the room.

"By the way, we'll get you a fresh change of clothes. You wouldn't want to be looking like that in front of your friends." He added before leaving.

Zane moved onto a chair in the room and sat on it. He closed his eyes, and could feel his hand on the knife, and relived the actions he did. He shuddered.

I'll just have to make sure I have better control of myself. He thought. Zane got up, and was about to open the door when the little girl came back in.