A/N: I decided to give my Syndra/Zed shorts their own separate story from my other Short Story fic because I was writing so many and it was kind of weird with so many Syndra/Zed chapters and so few other ones in between. Also, I'd say the chapters so far are like 98% fluff, so I apologize if the title was misleading. :c

Anyways, enjoy!

"At least try to explain."

Zed exhaled loudly, but not all together impatiently. He tried to pull the right words together to describe what his shadow was and what it meant to him, but it wasn't so simple.

Something Syndra was having a very hard time understanding.

"The shadow is… Me, essentially. We are one and the same. Without the shadow, I am not whole. We are physically separate entities, to a degree. But we need each other."

His words fell short, even to his own ears. Syndra shook her head, hair whipping slightly across her back.

"But you said you could control it, that you are superior to it. How can that be, if it is yourself?"

Again, Zed struggled for words. Never before had he had to deal with someone so… Nosy. At first, her questions had been easy to answer. But Syndra was smart, and Zed had never had to explain himself to anyone before. Her increasing inquisitions were getting more and more difficult to answer, without spending the entire day trying to explain.

He stood up from where he and Syndra had been sitting, half meditating in one of the quieter parts of the forest surrounding Zed's temples.

"I'm done with questions for today."

Syndra sprang after him, having to move considerably faster to catch up with him.

"You hardly even answered my question."

Zed tried to shoot her a scathing glare, forgetting again that she couldn't see past the mask. He settled for a dismissive wave of his hand, which Syndra had come to expect.

She was very good at frustrating the ninja into silence.

She caught the hand, pushing it the opposite way he had intended for it to go.

"I hate it when you do that."

Zed rolled his eyes solely for his benefit, retracting his hand.

"Is that so?" He intoned, voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

Syndra frowned at the mask, thinking not for the first time how annoying it was to be faced with a piece of metal, and not an actual face.

A face, she fully realized just now, she'd never seen before.

"Fine, forget what I said about the shadow. I've decided I don't care."

Zed threw up his hands, but kept his steady pace towards the temple.

"Now that that's settled."

"Far from it." Syndra retorted.

He chose not to reply.

"I have a different question."

He groaned, trying to increase his pace, hoping his longer legs and desire to be alone would help him leave Syndra behind. But she was persistent, as always.

"It's easy, I promise."

"No."

"Oh please," she practically whined. "It's much simpler than the last one. Even you could answer it, challenged as you are."

Zed said nothing. Syndra waited as patiently as she could, following him all the way back to one of the smaller temples that belonged exclusively to him. This is usually where she took her leave for the day, having never been invited inside and not feeling intrusive enough to enter herself. Today, however, she wanted answers. She picked a spot in the grass and rooted herself there, crossing her arms and refusing to move a muscle. Zed stll carefully kept his back to her, mimicking Syndra's stance.

Finally, he heaved a sigh, loosening his posture and rubbing the back of his neck.

"What?" he breathed. "What is it this time? I'm very tired, so don't take too lo-"

Syndra wasted no time in interrupting him.

"Why do you wear a mask?"

Zed moved his hand reflexively to his face, as if to rub tired eyes, his hand colliding slightly with the mask in question.

"It makes me look really scary."

The earlier sarcasm that had colored his voice fell flat. He turned to face her.

"Oh haha." Syndra smirked, waving her hand through the air. "Very scary, you got me. What is it really?"

He laughed, and the sound was very, very sad.

"No special reason, really. You're overthinking it."

Syndra screwed up her face, returning her arms to their crossed position on her chest.

"Then take it off."

She knew immediately she'd made a mistake, from the way he stiffened so quickly.

"It's time for you to leave."

And without another word, he left her there, outside his room, knowing she screwed up but also knowing there was nothing she could do to fix it. She stood there a moment longer, then did as she was told, and left.

It was weeks before she saw Zed again, several long weeks that weighed heavily on her mind. And while she waited for Zed to forgive her enough to speak to her again, she had plenty of time to consider what he'd said about his shadow that day.

She thought she understood now, how you could be separate from someone but still one and the same.