Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Destiny’s Bounty was quiet, too quiet. Usually chaos would always somehow manage to flood the ship, drowning everyone inside. Whether it was disgruntled yelling while the boys played video games, the clanging of metal as their vehicles were being repaired, or the sounds of their weapons clashing. Usually, sound would fill the ship, it was never quiet; the Ninja were exhausted, although that seemed like an understatement. The sounds of snoring and steady breathing filled the ship. The ninja just had a major break in a long and important case regarding the biker gang that worked closely with the villain, Oni, a dark hooded, masked figure who has terrorized Ninjago for years. When all hope seemed lost, they had finally had a successful win against him, by arresting what must have been his entire crew or at least his biggest players. It wasn't huge in the grand scheme of things, but it didn’t lack any less victory in their hearts. 

The peaceful sleep they shared was awoken violently by the shrill sound of their alarm. Their once calm demeanor was replaced by the sounds of screams, gasps, and a loud thud, as Jay hit the floor. 

“OWwwwwwWww,” Jay’s voice wavered, as he struggled to recover from being catapulted from his bed. 

The ninja continued to hide underneath their blankets and pillows, as a seemingly well rested Lloyd sat up from his bed and, well, blew up the alarm. Simultaneously solving one problem while creating another. 

“Ughhh, sunrise exercise? I hate sunrise exercise!” Jay exclaimed as he slowly stood up, stretching his back. 

“Yeah, you’d think Master Wu wouldn’t make us considering how late we were up last night,” Cole added. 

Kai signed before he slowly made his way to the bathroom. “At least we won’t have an extra two hours of training.” 

The other ninja sighed in response, as they began to get ready; well except for Lloyd who hadn’t moved from under his covers, “Did he really fall back asleep?” Cole asked the other begrudgingly, tempted to give him a comical wake up call.

“As much as I would love to see what you’re planning, we could at least let him sleep a little more?” Kai responded, as he placed his hand on his shoulder. “He’s had a rough night,”. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Cole signed. Kai somehow always knew what he was thinking. As he watched Kai finishing making his way to the bathroom, Cole couldn’t help but smile to himself.

 Lloyd didn’t fall back asleep, in fact, he didn’t even fall asleep the previous night. His mind couldn’t rest, it wouldn’t rest. Every time he closed his eyes he couldn’t stop thinking about last night. 

It was 12:30 AM, the night’s cold air sent shivers down his spine. The bright and colorful lights of Ninjago City illuminated the street. Lloyd sat up from the pavement, his eyes unable to focus on anything. Not the police cars, the lights, the sounds of weapons clashing. “Find the calm inside, Lloyd, find it!” No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t; his breathing wavered, his hands were shaking. “Why is this happening,” Lloyd exclaimed before taking another deep breath and closing his eyes. “Please guide me mom,” Lloyd could feel his deep breaths calming the rest of his body. As Lloyd got up, he felt a plan forming in his head. 

“Ice, X, Lightning, focus on the other members of the biker gang!” His voice was suddenly clear. “Water, Earth, Fire, and I will switch between offense and defense on the big guy!” Lloyd yelled at his other team members. The chaos slowly being drowned out by the sound of his teammates agreeing and following his plan. The more the fight continued, the more uneasy he felt. The assailant was big; bigger, and taller than anyone he’d ever seen. His skin was pale, it almost seemed gray in the lighting. He had various different tattoos across his left arm and chest.There was something in his gut that told him something was wrong, but what? This feeling solidified when they were somehow able to subdue him. “This was easy, too easy”  Lloyd muttered to himself, but he couldn’t help but celebrate with the others. However, this didn’t stop his stomach continuing to tie itself into knots. 

The Green Ninja led the criminal to the back of the police van, before handing him off to a police officer. “Enjoy your days at Kryptarium Prison!” Lloyd smirked, a scent of cockyness in his voice. Oni’s goon stopped walking, as he slowly turned around to face the Green Ninja. “You think you have a win? Ha! What if I told you this was all part of the plan,” the man mocked before he was led into the back of the police truck. The last image Lloyd saw of him before the doors were shut, was a smirk that rivaled one that could ever come from a Devil; sending a shiver down his spine. Lloyd could feel his brain slowly overclouding; the vision of his smirk poisoning his mind.

Lloyd’s eyes shot open, his breathing uneven. He took a deep breath in an attempt to center himself, but couldn’t help but continue to speculate on what he meant, something wasn’t right, but what? The weight of his words held Lloyd down like a ton of bricks. He didn’t know what he meant, he didn’t know what to expect. What are they planning? What were their motivations? How many more of them are there? For the first time in a long while, he was stuck. Not stuck while playing scrabble stuck, but stuck in a shit ton of glue stuck. He had to think of something, but for some cursed reason- he was stuck. He couldn’t think of anything. Heh, some leader he was.

Lloyd slowly removed himself from under his covers, his mind still racing. It was for nothing though. Out of all the cards laid out in front of him, he could only draw blanks. Once he had reached the bathroom, Lloyd chuckled at the sight of his hair and the heavy bags underneath his eyes. 

“At least I still look somewhat presentable,” Lloyd chuckled to himself trying to make light of his appearance before splashing his face with water in an attempt to wake himself up. As he looked up from the faucet, Lloyd sighed. It was a sigh he was all too familiar with. They were always running, always fighting, with practically no breaks between their missions, training, and work. Not to mention his classes, duties, and other responsibilities with his father. It’s like he’s been burning the candle at both ends, hell, there was no candle just the wick. 

As Lloyd continued getting ready, brushing his teeth he was struck with a pit in his stomach. He felt a gnawing in his gut, something was going to happen, but what? And with that thought there was a deprivation of the color in his eyes. His eyes were a vibrant, emerald green, but the more he stood there, staring at himself; the more his eyes faded into a colorless gray. Lloyd spit out his toothpaste, looking back up at his reflection, clearly taken aback. “Okay, that was a bit sooner than I would have liked,” the green ninja thought aloud. He knew it would happen soon, but definitely not that soon.

Lloyd continued to slowly get ready, messing with his already messy hair. “Maybe they won’t have me do extra practice for being late- for being- I’M LATE” the sudden realization hit him like a freight train. His once tired, secluded demeanor was replaced with him frantically running back into their bedroom where he threw off his pajamas and replaced them with a simple green gi. It was simple, the fabric was the same green that once complemented his emerald green eyes. Dark gray diamonds covered the main part of his gi, specifically his chest and legs. A lighter, much more firm gray belt that matched the armor on his right shoulder is used to tie his gi together, while separate pieces of fabric of a dark green were wrapped around the lower part of his shins to cover the separation between his uniform and shoes. The most stunning part of his gi lay on the left and right sides of his chest. There were two symbols, one of a light green, gold and the other was solid black. 

He was sure he had never run so fast, at least not when chasing, or more accurately running from Oni’s men. Master Wu hardly ever tolerated tardiness to training, but the other ninja? They were much worse, Lloyd was sure he’d never hear the end of them teasing and tormenting him. As he reached the deck of the ship, it was silent; that is, apart from the sound of birds flying, the city bustling, and the wind blowing. “Oh great,” Lloyd muttered, as he quickly joined the rest of his team.

“Well look who decided to join the party?” Kai teased as he followed Master Wu’s stretching techniques. The other ninja laughed, of course catching Master Wu’s attention. 

“Pinching crab,” Master Wu stated as he leaned forward getting into the proper position, the ninja followed. “Nice of you to join us Lloyd, hope your beauty rest was worth it,” Master Wu chuckled to himself, as did the other ninja, though much louder. 

Lloyd could feel his face growing redder and redder. He hadn’t been late to sunrise exercise in years, probably since he was 14, no 15, definitely 17 at the latest though. “Sorry master, I- I’ve just had a lot on my mind recently, i-it won’t happen again,” Lloyd responded, he was with everyone going through the motions, but he either stared at the skyline or down at the wooden deck, indicating something was plaguing his mind.

“Young Garmadon, as the leader it is fine to work through cases in your mind, but you mustn’t during training or combat, it’s how you get killed,” Wu lectured, there was some bite to his voice. The other ninja slowly began to stop laughing, it was like they knew he was lecturing them as well. 

Lloyd stared at the floor dropping his pinching crab position, “Yes Master, I’m sorry Master, it won’t happen again,” His voice quivering, he looked defeated, almost like a wounded puppy. He wasn’t upset he got in trouble, but rather that he let himself get distracted, be distracted, be exhausted. He knew better, he was the leader, he should have known better, so why was he so distracted? Nevertheless, Lloyd shook his mind of his questions, of the criminal’s voice, and his words. 

Master Wu didn’t say anything in response, he just kept looking forward. There was definitely tension that everyone could sense, each ninja afraid to break it. The awkward silence was broken by Master Wu. “Tree pose,” his voice seemed to have lost the same bite in his voice, but Lloyd could still hear it- it was the only thing he could hear. 

After about an hour, sunrise exercise concluded. Everyone made their way back inside to the kitchen for a nice cup of coffee. As Lloyd followed his teammates, he could hear bits and pieces of their conversations. 

“How do you look so beautiful after only 4 hours of sleep, Nya?” Jay expressed as he stared into Nya’s eyes. “Seriously, you get more beautiful every day,” His eyes never left hers, even when she blushed, even when he blushed. 

“I could say the same thing about you,” She giggled, clearly joking. Jay, just like they all did, looked pretty rough. Jay rolled his eyes in response and their hands intertwined with each other’s. 

“Gross!” Kai snickered, as he pretended like he was going to barf. “Get a room, you two!” Everyone couldn’t help but smile, including Lloyd. 

Just then he was attacked from behind, Cole’s right arm was around Lloyd’s neck and his left arm was around Zane’s. “What are you two up to today?” Cole asked, clearly trying to lighten up Lloyd’s mood. However, when he didn't answer; Cole sensed he asked the wrong question. 

It was Zane who responded, “Lloyd’s itinerary today is filled with meetings and appointments with Garmadon, his advisors, classes, not to mention he also has an important dinner with Garmadon and some surprise guests that I was not made aware of,” Zane was firm in his response, his bright blue eyes stared straight, as he was looking through their schedule in his database. 

“Just the duty of being an heir to a conglomerate,” Lloyd chuckled, as he tried to make light of the situation. However, it did a better job than he hoped since Cole jumped on top of him, simultaneously messing up his hair; not that it wasn’t already messy. 

“Ohhh yeah, mister heir over here wants to take everyone out for dinner!” Cole yelled towards the others. His laugh was deep and full, as he continued to not only mess up his hair and drag him along to the kitchen where everyone was. Lloyd couldn’t help but laugh along, especially when sounds of cheers came from his teammates. 

Zane stared at his fellow ninja, with a puzzled look on his face. “I do not understand what is so amusing, especially since Lloyd would not be able to purchase dinner for everyone tonight, as he has an important meeting with his father,”. The other ninja slowly stopped laughing as they looked at each other, only a breath away from laughing again. 

“However, there are no engagements tomorrow night, so Lloyd would have to buy everyone dinner then,” Zane added with a wink towards the youngest ninja. Everyone burst out into laughter. 

Thankfully his remark removed Cole off Lloyd as he shifted towards Zane and gave him a hard pat on his shoulder, “Glad we have you to lighten the mood, you tin can” Cole chuckled. 

The ninja’s laughter died down, as Master Wu entered the room. He was awkward, Lloyd was awkward. This was awkward. 

“Sohoho, I’m going to go…uh… clean the uh.. Toolkit!” Kai quickly broke the silence before hurrying out of the room, going in the opposite direction of the mechanics room. 

Slowly but surely the other ninja hurried out the room in a desperate attempt to not be caught in the middle of the crossfire. Both Master Wu and Lloyd stood in the kitchen, silently sipping their coffee and tea.

It felt like 5 hours went by before Master Wu spoke, “nephew I’m sorry if I was too blunt, this morning.” He took a long pause before continuing. “I want you to be okay, ever since your mother…” Wu seemed to trail off, attempting to connect and bond with Lloyd over his late- well missing mother. 

Everything went silent. Lloyd was silent. He could see that his uncle was talking to him, airing out his grievances, sharing from the heart, but he couldn’t hear him. It was as if he was under water. The sounds around him muffled, the air was thinning, his chest was tightening. Lloyd tried to open his mouth to say something, but no matter how hard he thought of something to say, the more he drew up a blank. FSM, why was talking about his mom so hard?

He coughed. “Zane and I need to go, I have an early morning meeting,” His voice was unsteady as he somehow managed to push out the words. “See you later, uncle!” Lloyd called out as he ran to not only find Zane, but to be able to properly breathe again. 

Master Wu was left in the kitchen alone, only the light sound of a ticking clock filled the room. The familiar feeling of his mind started racing again; “Why is this so hard?” He thought to himself. “You never had trouble talking to him Misako, please guide me,” Wu continued to wonder. He turned to look outside the window, before taking another sip of his tea. 

Harumi had woken from her sleep around 8:00 am. As she sat up in bed, she yawned before slumping back against her pillows. “ Ugh, I wish for once I could just sleep in,” she complained to herself, as she rolled back into a comfortable position. Which lasted for 5 seconds before an obnoxious alarm went off on her bedside table, the princess groaned as she threw the blankets off and begrudgingly got out of bed. Harumi slipped her feet into her slippers, as she began to get ready for the day. 

Only a minute had passed before there was a knock at her door, “Your highness, are you ready for me to enter?” It was her attendant, Raya. 

“Yes, Raya, you may enter,” Harumi responded as she looked into the left upper corner of her mirror. She hated speaking so formally, she wished it didn’t matter. Afterall, she has known Raya since she was 9 years old, that’s 9 years! Of course they would be great friends by now if the circumstances weren’t different. 

Her thoughts were interrupted, “Is everything alright your Royal Highness?” Raya had asked. Harumi didn’t even process that Raya had picked up her brush and began tending to her hair. 

Harumi cleared her throat, “Um yes, and Raya, you know you can call me Rumi right? Or at least Harumi?” she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful as she waited for her attendant’s response. 

“You’re very kind Princess Harumi, but you know I am unable to refer to you in such a casual light, I must respect the will of the King and Queen. My apologies to your Highness,” Raya’s voice was clear and unwavering. 

And with that Harumi looked straight into the mirror, her demeanor shifted; it wasn’t a dramatic shift to an outside eye, but to Harumi it was violent. She had tried so hard to make friends her whole life, and each time she had come up short. Everyone was afraid of going against her parent’s will, so much so that her wishes never seemed to matter in retrospect. Harumi was silent as Raya finished doing her hair, makeup, and dressed her. The only thought in her mind was, “FSM, I gotta get out of here as soon as possible,”. There was no denying that the palace was huge, but somehow it seemed suffocating. Harumi was never allowed to be alone, she always had Raya and multiple guards with her at all times. Frankly, it was exhausting. She was forced to keep up the persona of the ‘perfect princess’ at least for her parent’s and her people’s sake. 

Raya put Harumi’s hair up into a bun as a beautiful gold and green accented hair pin held her hair in place. Her bangs were pushed to the left side, she hated them like that. She wore white face makeup with red accents to her cheeks and eyes, with matching red lipstick. Her gown was made of exquisite silks which were accented by her gold and jade jewelry and royal crest. Her gown was made out of multiple different layers: she wore a long white skirt underneath her dress that showed through the bottom. Underneath her dark green dress shirt she wore a traditional black top that went up to her neckline. Overtop of her dress shirt and skirt, Harumi wore a Jade colored dress that was tied around by a fabric belt that was accented by a gold and black rope. Her outfit was fit with an outer dark green cloak that was accented by red and white details. Lastly, Harumi wore a long white cape, its collar stood straight at least 6 inches above her shoulders, it bore multiple, large, hand painted red lotus flowers. Her shoes were simple 2 inch heels, which were decorated with a nice green lace and gold flower accents.

Harumi couldn’t care less about what she wore in comparison to her upcoming discussion with her parents in addition to leaving the palace. “Im 18,” Harumi thought to herself. “They have to let me leave the palace at some point,” She had been holding on to what little hope she had left, she needed a win today, she needed something to continue to hope for. Harumi was followed by Raya and 2 palace guards into the throne room, it was beautiful. Red gold adorned pillars stood high as blue accented the rug and the large gilt screen that stood behind the thrones, which were placed on an elevated platform. Her father and mother sat in their thrones. Her father’s was placed in the center of the platform and in the center of the gilt screen. To his right, sat her mother’s throne. It was the same structure, except for the fact it was around a foot shorter in size. On her father’s left sat Harumi’s throne, it was only a few inches short of her mothers. 

“Good morning, Princess Harumi,” Her mother spoke to her, as she approached her throne. 

“Good morning, mother, father,” Harumi bowed with her response before sitting in her throne. “FSM, I can’t believe that even my parents are so formal even with me,” Harumi thought to herself. Her duties primarily consisted of her sitting next to her parents either in the throne room or library. Every now and then her father would ask for her advice on various different matters, but mostly Harumi just sat there. 

With only her mind to keep her company, with a fit of bravery Harumi looked to her parents, “Mother, father?” Harumi asked, her voice still clear even though she could feel her stomach tie itself into a knot.

“Yes, Harumi?” Her father replied with a smile on his face. They both turned to her. “Here we go,” she thought to herself, before pushing down her anxieties. 

“I was wondering, since I am destined to be Queen and someday rule Ninjao.” She could feel her left leg start to shake. “I would like to study at Ninjago City University, so I am better able to understand our subjects, myself, and the material better,” She could feel their suddenly cold expressions towards her, well her idea. 

It was her father who broke the silence. “Absolutely not, you know you are not permitted to leave the palace, it is much too dangerous,” the Emperor dismissed her. “Your mother and I will never allow it, now enough of-” 

“But father please, I promise I will abide by the rules you and mother do when you leave the palace, ple-” Harumi interrupted, her clear voice replaced by a wavering, desperate voice. 

“Harumi, you know,” Her mother stopped her father from yelling any further. “It is far too dangerous for you, you are the only heir to the throne. Protecting you is the most important thing your father and I could ever do for you,” unlike her father's, her mother’s voice was soft and caring. She knew where Harmui was coming from, she knew her daughter felt lonely, felt trapped, just like she did as a child. 

“Exactly, which is why your mother and I have arranged a proposal for you,” Her father continued, unknowingly adding the fuel to Harumi’s fire. 

“A WHAT?!” Harumi yelled. She could feel her hands shaking and her face turning a deeper and deeper shade of red. “Seriously?! You both control my whole life, tell me who I can and can’t talk to, how everyone can refer to me, and now THIS?” Harumi has never been this angry in her entire life. She could feel her two hands forming fists, her nails digging into her palm.

“I don’t believe you two! I’m 18, I should be attending university, hanging out with my friends, not talking about getting married!” Harumi continued exploding at her parents, 18 years of being trapped in a palace, of being told how to behave, of being forced to be a perfect fucking princess. “I’m not ready to be queen, hell, I’m not ready to get married!” 

It was there, where her father matched her rage. “That is no way you should talk or behave, young lady!” Her father’s voice continued to rise. “You have a duty, to me and your mother, to the people of Ninjago!” His voice echoed throughout the hall. “ I will not tolerate this any further, when the time comes you WILL marry him. We will not take no for an answer,” and with that Harumi could feel the anger continue to rise within her, it was boiling over. But, she took a deep breath before responding, “As you wish father, if I may, I will take my leave now until,” She sounded defeated, a tinge of anger lingered in the back of her voice. Harumi looked towards her parents and bowed before turning to leave the throne room. Her graceful walk grew faster and faster, in an effort to prevent her parents or anyone from seeing her cry off her makeup. 

Chapter Text

Lloyd had changed out of his green gi and into a tailored black three piece suit, with a white button up shirt, a simple black tie, a white embroidered pocket square, simple all black dress socks, and a pair of shiny black dress shoes. The outfit was boring to say the least, with only a simple ‘Garmadon Industries’ pin accented the right side of his lapel. It wasn’t Lloyd’s decision to wear such a plain suit, but his father’s. To Lord Garmadon, it was important that he and Lloyd looked pristine, perfect, untouchable. Lloyd on the other hand didn’t care about how he looked, to be honest; he’s never been interested in someday running his father’s conglomerate. The idea of being stuck in meetings for hours on end and having hardly any time to himself made him sick to his stomach. There was something in him though, something in the back of his mind, his heart. 18 years old, and he could hardly say anything against his father. He so desperately wanted his approval; his acknowledgement. It felt like no matter what Lloyd did, it was never good enough. He could only be trapped in the idea his father had of him, if he had one at all. 

It wasn’t always like this, there was a time when Lloyd, his father, and mother were intertwined with each other. They were each other’s rock, and his mom was the glue that held them all together. Lloyd’s mother never faltered in her parenting, because of his mom they were a happy family. Without her, they were just strangers. 

Lloyd brushed through his hair before styling it to the sides, with only a small section of hair fell across his forehead. His hair wasn’t all the way brushed and gelled back, thank goodness, but it still didn’t feel like him. His once wavy, messy hair cleanly sat on top of his head; no fly away in sight. He looked so different, put together, almost as if the weight of the world wasn’t on his shoulders. 

Lloyd took a deep breath before exiting the bathroom to find Zane disguised as his human self in his usual gray two piece suit. He was holding a Borg-Pad and Pencil. 

“Good Morning, Master Lloyd,” Zane’s voice was clear and firm. “I went at liberty to go through your agenda notes in preparation for today’s meetings,” Zane continued, as he showed Lloyd the multiple pages of his agenda. 

“Thanks buddy, but you know, you don’t need to call me ‘Master Lloyd’ when no one else is here” Lloyd chuckled. “Just Lloyd is fine,” he smiled at his friend. 

“You’re right, my apologies, Lloyd. I just get too in character,” Zane smiled. “It is my duty to get you to the dinning room for breakfast with your father,” Zane said, as he pushed his blonde haired friend in front of his floor-length mirror. Lloyd couldn’t help but shake his head and smile, while Zane ensured his suit and hair looked perfect. 

“You ready?” Zane asked as he looked at Lloyd through the mirror. 

Lloyd hadn’t really thought about that, was he ready? He had to be, it was time, time for him to face his father- well possibly face him. It’s been years since they’ve eaten breakfast, or hell, any meal together. The only time they really talked was through meetings. Zane could sense a shift in Lloyd’s demeanor. His eyes were just staring at himself in the mirror, a soft, almost fragile expression went across his face. 

Zane didn’t say anything, he just placed his hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay Lloyd, I’ll be with you every step of today,” his voice was calm, reassuring. His bright blue eyes stared into Lloyd’s, who turned to face his friend. A quiet whisper came from Lloyd, Zane could barely make out his words, “thank you”. Lloyd then immediately turned to his right, as he began making his way to the door. 

“You coming?” Lloyd asked, turning around. His voice was steady and clear; like a switch had been flipped. “I thought it was your duty to get me to breakfast on time?” Lloyd laughed and very clearly teased before turning back around, as he began to walk towards the door. Zane couldn’t help but feel bad for his younger friend, as he jogged to catch up to him. 

The mansion Garmadon and Lloyd lived in was huge, to say the least. It was the definition of modern. White walls, floors, bright white lights, black and purple accents in specific areas. It was blinding, Lloyd missed the historical influences from the Monastery and Destiny's Bounty. This, this was just too much. As they made their way down the left hand side of the double staircase, they were greeted by the morning sun piercing through the crystal chandelier; illuminating the world around them with small, diamond shaped rainbows. It was beautiful, almost making this entire architecture catastrophe worth it. 

Two servants opened the double doors on the west hand side of the dinning room to allow Lloyd and Zane to enter. Much to their surprise Garmadon was sitting at the head of the glass table on the North side of the room. His gray hair was cleanly swept back, it was styled similar to Lloyd’s only it was much cleaner and gelled; almost like it was a brick attached to his head. He wore a similar black three piece suit to Lloyd, only there were threads of dark purple woven throughout. His tie and handkerchief were a similar dark purple. He didn’t bother looking up, as the two entered into the dinning room. He just stared, almost thoughtlessly at his paper. 

“Good morning father,” Lloyd spoke, his voice somewhat echoing throughout the essentially quiet room. Zane followed Lloyd to the opposite end of the dining room table, where Zane pulled out Lloyd’s chair at the right hand corner of the table, before taking several steps back and stood at the wall. Lloyd took a deep breath, in agony waiting for his father’s response, but more importantly he turned towards his mother’s chair on his left; he couldn’t sit at the head of the table at the South side, that was where his mom sat.

“Hmm, oh yes, morning,” Garmadon replied, his voice as cold as ever. Hell, he didn’t even look up from his paper towards his son, or say his name at the bare minimum. 

Lloyd looked down at his plate, there was an omelet made with vegetables and bacon. On a much smaller plate to his right was sliced brie, apricot jam, and freshly made croissants. To his left was a stack of small pancakes topped with maple syrup, whipped cream, and a fresh assortment of berries. Directly in front of him there were two glasses, one was a simple glass of iced water and lemon and the other was a blended caramel, oat-milk latte. Just because he was an heir didn’t mean he had any less of a sweet tooth. 

The silence hung around him like a heavy chain, slowly eating away at him. Only the sound of their forks and knives making contact with their plates filled the room. If his father wasn’t here, Zane would have sat next to him and they’d have eaten together, laughing. But with his father here, everyone had to be on their best behavior, including himself. 

Lloyd slowly chipped away at his food, but with each bite his stomach tightened; something was wrong. Lloyd couldn’t possibly decipher what it could have been, but he knew something wasn't right. Something was going to happen, he just didn’t know where, or why, or when, or how. 

“Just my luck,” Lloyd quietly muttered to himself, his anxiety worsening as he looked around the dining room. His eyes darting around was somehow noticed by his father, even though he sat around 8 feet away. 

“Everything alright?” He asked, not even looking up from his paper. 

Lloyd cleared his throat. “Yes father, just admiring the decor,” he responded, a hint of uneasiness in the back of his throat, Lloyd forcefully took another bite of his omelet. 

“Are you a Garmadon?” His father asked, looking up towards his son. There was some bite in his voice, as he stared into Lloyd’s seemingly gray eyes. 

“Yes, father” Lloyd immediately responded, hiding the fact that the left side of his mouth was still chewing. 

“Then why am I so clearly able to make out your weaknesses?” Garmadon’s voice boomed towards Lloyd. “They should be hidden behind a vault, away from view, not sprawled out across my table; I thought I raised you better,” Garmadon scolded before looking back down at his paper seemingly in shame. 

“Raised me? You did no such thing! Mom was there, it was mom who took care of me! You-You just stole her success, and after she went missing, you- you did nothing for me!” Lloyd thought to himself. After a deep breath, Lloyd turned towards his father. “Yes, father; I’m sorry father. It won’t happen again,” Lloyd felt paralyzed. He couldn’t turn away from his father, not until he acknowledged him, or at least met his eyes. 

Garmadon looked up for just a second, making eye contact with Lloyd, only for just a split moment. “Mmm, your 4:00 meeting has been canceled. Our dinner meeting has been rearranged to 5:00 from 6:00, so I expect you to be ready by 4:40,” Garmadon said, while looking back down at his paper. 

Lloyd was left there, left with nothing. His father wouldn’t acknowledge him, he could never. It was like he was trapped outside in the pouring rain. His father gave him nothing. He saw Lloyd as nothing. This mansion felt like a prison, like he was trapped inside a cage. This one was different from the ones he’s been trapped in before, there was no way out of this one, no one to rescue him. 

“Yes father,” were the only words Lloyd could muster. 

There was a slight breeze in the air, Harumi looked towards the sky and closed her eyes. She could only feel the cool breeze meet her. It was peaceful. There were no rules, no guidelines, nothing. There was only the sky, the wind, the subtle sounds from the garden, and Harumi. She sat on a small stone bench underneath a barren cherry blossom tree, in front of her was a simple, but beautiful traditional garden. Koi fish swam within the pond, with an assortment of moss-covered rocks that served as stepping stones and shelter for the fish. The green bonsai trees and other vegetation covered the surrounding area. Only a simple red bridge could be seen behind them. It was beautiful. This was beautiful.

Harumi took a deep breath before exhaling. This garden was her life line. It was her battle-ground; it was where she explored; it was where she could be a kid. It didn’t matter that she was a princess out here, what mattered was her adventures and stories. This was her special place. Whenever there was an issue, she was here. It was the only place she could go, where her title didn’t matter, where she could request her attendant and bodyguards to watch from afar. It felt like the only place where she could feel alone. 

The only sounds were from the gentle breeze as it blew through the garden, the hanging green bonsai trees, and the waterfall. Within the small pond, there was a wide assortment of different types of koi fish. There were orange and white koi fish, black and white koi fish, red and white koi fish, and amalgamations of red, orange, black, and white. The koi fish splished and sploshed throughout the pond. Harumi could feel the envy rising within her. They didn’t have responsibilities or duties people depended on, they just swam. The splashing from the waterfall into the pond and the sounds of birds chirping helped to fill the seemingly empty void in the garden. 

Life should be simple, it shouldn’t be too much for her to buckle. Harumi longed for a peaceful life, where she could have just live. Where her entire life wasn’t examined through a microscope, where her worries were about what class she was going to take, about who she was dating, about what she was having for dinner, anything. 

Harumi took another deep breath and exhaled, as she looked up she stared at the barren branches of her favorite cherry blossom tree. Her once soft smile slowly turned into a frown. 

“You and I aren’t so different, are we?” she whispered, still looking up at the tree. Harumi was almost afraid to make a sound and disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. 

“You’re more alike than you know, young one,” a gentle voice responded, making Harumi jump before turning to see her mother approaching her and sitting down. 

Princess Harumi struggled to find the words to say to her mother, she didn’t know how to break the silence. Even though she was always supposed to know the exact words to say, she struggled finding the right words. Something that could ease the tension and hopefully ease the quarrel between her and her parents from this morning. The silence felt suffocating, as each mother and daughter waited for the other to say something, breaking the silence. Harumi continued to search through her brain, coming up with nothing, she decided the best course of action wasn’t to speak as a princess, but as a daughter. 

“I- I’m sorry for yelling at you and dad,” Harumi looked down at her hands. “I- I just sometimes feel trapped here,” she could feel her eyes fill with water. “It- It’s just sometimes it feels like I have no one, no one to just care for me, not because it’s their job or that I’m a princess. I just want someone to care for me, just for someone to be my friend,” She sat in agony, for what felt like forever, awaiting her mother’s response. 

It took her mother a few minutes to respond, she just looked straight ahead at the garden; as she too searched for the right words to say. “I know,” The Empress finally responded, her eyes still looking towards the waterfall. “I felt the same way, when I was your age,” Harumi’s mother’s demeanor shifted. Her eyes shared the same cloudy vision as her daughter’s. She had never seen her mother so upset before, she’d always kept up an appearance to her, to the palace workers, and to the people of Ninjago. It was almost like a mask began to fall, maybe her father was the only one who saw her without her mask on. 

“I was young and foolish,” Her mother continued, her glass covered eyes never shifting. “I left the palace when I was a little younger than you, to meet your father,” she chuckled, as she playfully nudged her daughter. However, as quickly as she nudged her daughter and smiled softly, her tone shifted. 

“An attack was made on my life. I almost lost your father, Hutchins,” her voice and hands began shaking. Harumi couldn’t think of anything to say or do besides holding her mother’s hands, tears streaming down her face. “We did, however, lose your uncle. He shielded me from the onslaught of attacks and in the end paid the ultimate price,” the Empress’ voice began to quiver while she continued to look at the rushing water as it fell onto rocks and later into the pond.

The Empress took a deep breath. “It was my foolishness that got him killed,” Harumi was shaken to her core. “Why have you never told me?” she asked her mother before looking back down at the swimming koi fish. 

“I- I’m embarrassed,” Her mother answered, choking back tears. “I caused this family so much heartache and misfortune. Everyday I wish my brother was still here, that he was king and I served in his court. My foolishness, put your father, put me, put your grandparents, put you into this position.”

Before Harumi could respond, the Empress turned to face her daughter, holding her hands. “My dear Harumi; The life of a princess, of royalty is hard, but you were born with great purpose; you have the power to do more than most in their whole lives,” her mother’s voice was clear, it no longer wavered like it did before. 

Harumi’s mother held and rubbed her daughter’s cheek. “I know it isn’t easy, but we’re strong. You’ll make it through this little one,” her mother’s voice was soft, drawing circles on her back, as Harumi silently cried into her mother’s arms. She clinged onto her mother, like a joey to a kangaroo. Harumi had never felt like a child before; her whole life she had always felt like a young adult with way too much responsibility. However, at this moment she felt like a young, lost, lonely girl. 

She didn’t know how much time had passed, she only knew that she didn’t want this to end, she never wanted to let go. Something in her gut told her this was the last moment they’d have together like this. Her silent sobs and tears slowly began to stop. Harumi couldn’t bear to let go of her, as she gripped the back of her mother’s dress and cloak tightly. 

As the Empress leaned her head against her daughter’s, she began to sing,

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper I love you

Birds singin’ in the sycamore tree

Dream a little dream of me

Say “nighty-night” and kiss me

Just hold me tight and tell me you miss me

While I’m alone and blue as can be

Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading, but I linger on, dear

Still craving your kiss 

I’m longing to linger ‘till dawn, dear

Just saying this

Sweet dreams 'till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams, whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

Harumi slowly began to stop crying, only a few sniffles remained here and there. Her mother’s voice was soft, beautiful, and angelic. As it rang out into the garden, Harumi slowly began to feel at peace; her mother’s voice in tandem with the beautiful sounds of the garden. Harumi slowly began to recall her mother singing to her as a young child: once when she slipped and fell into the pond, another was when she couldn’t fall back asleep after a nightmare, and another time was after she fell playing adventurer and twisted her ankle. 

As Harumi’s mother finished singing, she gently stopped holding her, as she lifted her daughter’s chin up. “My dear sweet Harumi, you mustn’t let your inner qualms stop you from becoming the person you were always meant to become. You will find a true friend, just as I found your father,” the Empress smiled looking down at the Princess. 

Harumi struggled to find the right thing to say, but all she could manage was a simple nod in response. Her mother nodded, before helping Harumi stand. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up for our guests will be arriving in no time,” the Empress motioned for Raya and their bodyguards to attend to her young daughter. 

Harumi just sighed, as she was whisked away back into the palace. The princess managed to turn around looking at her mother, who sat back down on the bench underneath the tree and continued to stare into the garden. 

“You and I aren’t so different, are we?” Harumi thought to herself, before forcing herself to hold her head up high. Afterall, as much as she hated it, she had to follow her duty, her destiny. It may not be the path she wanted, but it was the least she could do for her mother, even though some part of her still longed to be free from the palace walls. 

Chapter Text

The car ride to the mystery destination was fairly long and really boring, because Lloyd’s father and his attendant, Kozu, were with him and Zane; so they couldn’t speak freely or have any fun. Instead, the car ride was in utter, uncomfortable silence. “How do I keep managing to find myself in these situations,” Lloyd thought to himself before smiling silently to himself as he looked out the nearest window on his right. They were driving through Ninjago city before parking the car within a specialized parking area.

“Lord Garmadon, we’re here,” the driver broke the silence before opening the door on the left hand side.” His father didn’t reply or even acknowledge the driver, he simply stepped out and began walking out of Lloyd’s view from his seat in the car with his attendant closely behind him. The door handle on his right began to open, Lloyd nodded a ‘thank you’ as he and Zane exited the car. 

“This is the-” Lloyd softly whispered, as he looked up at the huge 12 foot mahogany doors, with gold detailing placed at the top, bottom, center, and throughout the left and right on either side of each door. On the edge of each door, where the two met, there were two gold plated lotus flowers. Each side of the lotus flower had 6 petals, well they looked like petals? Or maybe feathers? No, it was definitely a lotus flower. Lloyd wasn’t too sure about what the symbol made of gold was, or what the symbol inside each of the gold petals was. The symbol on the inside of the flower was carved out of the gold, allowing for some of the purplish, reddish, mahogany wood to peer through. 

“Palace of Secrets,” Zane finished Lloyd’s sentence for him as the two stared upwards, where Lloyd’s father and Kozu stood atop the stone staircase. The two of them looked at each other before hurrying to the top of the steps on the right of Lord Garmadon. 

“Hello and welcome to the Palace of Secrets, I am Robert Hutchins, Master of Arms and Counsel to the royal family. I welcome you to the palace Lord Garmadon, Lloyd Garmadon; and these are,” He gestured to Garmadon’s left and Lloyd’s right where Zane and Kozu stood. 

“Hmm Yes, these are our own respective attendants, Kozu Stone and Zane Julien. Their names were in the documents we sent over.” Garmadon’s voice was clear as he stepped towards the man, not backing down from him. 

“Ah yes, right this way,” Hutchins responded, clearly not backing down either. Hutchins had dark salt and pepper hair that was combed back, with a matching full, trimmed beard, his left eye was almost a caramel brown, while over his right eye he wore a black eye patch. He wore a traditional kimono, where many of his clothing pieces were made out of the same matching green fabric and was adorned with gold and dark gray detailing. He wore a light gray hakama that had a tighter fit than the ones Master Wu wore. Underneath the pieces of his kimono, Lloyd could barely make out that he was wearing gold and black chain armor. This detail was also seen around his waist underneath his long haori. 

As Hutchins turned around the large doors began to open, Lloyd and Zane followed behind Garmadon and Kozu. Lloyd didn’t like going around saying he knew his father really well, but he could sense something was wrong at the very least; Lloyd could feel a knot in his stomach forming and growing ever so tighter with each step. This feeling was briefly stopped for a moment as they entered the palace. 

The ceiling looked to be about 20 feet up in the air, as bright floor to ceiling red pillars that had beautiful bands of gold surrounded the top and bottom of each pillar; on two pillars at the very center in the room had two beautiful gold lotus flowers, behind them were a pair of large gorgeous double doors. Bright molding surrounded the room and the details on the ceiling. The walls were a dark grayish-blue, with the same symbol on the doors on the upper quadrant of the room. Bright gold banners hung from the ceiling. Intricate light golden designs cover the banner, with a dark green oval placed in the very center of the banner. Within the dark green oval, there’s the image of a deep red lotus flower. The floor was made out of an intricate wooden tile design, as multiple red lanterns hung from the ceiling. It was gorgeous. Lloyd had never seen something so beautiful in his entire life. His father’s mansion looked really ugly in comparison, not that Lloyd even liked his father’s mansion. It felt cold, dark, and desolate. The Palace of Secrets felt warm, it felt nice. 

Hutchins led Garmaadon, Kozu, Lloyd, and Zane through a beautiful hall on the right. It felt like a maze to be honest, there were different hallways and rooms surrounding his every turn. Thankfully, Lloyd had a pretty good idea of where they were after each turn and he knew Zane was already working on his schematics just in case. 

It felt like Hutchins had made an abrupt stop with the way Lloyd wasn’t really paying attention. They stood in front of a similar, but smaller pair of mahogany, gold accented doors with two armed soldiers standing on either side. It was crazy how every door looked the same, was beautiful, and that Hutchins was miraculously able to know exactly where to go. If Lloyd hadn’t been trained as a ninja, he knew he’d be fucked.

“The royal family is waiting for you inside the dining room,” Hutchins immediately broke the silence, before motioning for the two soldiers to open either side of the dining room doors. 

The dining room was gorgeous. The walls were a beautiful, dark red, with traditional painted enamel details on each of the different sections. The painted scenery looked to be inspired by a traditional village with multiple buildings, walls, and flora scattered throughout the dining room. The artwork on the wall looked to be inspired by the enamel paintings on either metalwork or porcelain. Gold trim lined each of the sections of the red paintings, it was at the bottom where the gold trim met with the quarter-round trim near the bottom of the wall. At the top of the room, beautiful gold crown molding went around the entirety of the dining room. Hanging from the center of the ceiling was a beautiful, large gold and crystal chandelier. The floor was made out of a similar wooden design, as the entryway of the palace. 

At the very center of the room, there was a beautiful dark oak dining table. The dining room table had 7 placemats set, there were multiple gold porcelain charger plates placed in front of each of the red and golden chairs. On the top of each plate, there was a silk and gold napkin folded into a swan. Lloyd instantly knew this was a formal table setting when he saw it. To the upper left of the charger plate were a bread plate and butter knife, while the center had a pair of small, black wooden chopsticks, a small dessert fork, and spoon. The upper right corner had three crystal wine glasses filled with water, red wine, and champagne. To the direct left of the charger plate were three forks, and on the right hand side there were two knives and a soup spoon. It was definitely different to how he ate in his father’s mansion and definitely way different to how he and the other ninja ate at the monastery or on Destiny’s Bounty, which was more family style. While Lloyd thought the room was beautiful, he thought it was kind of overkill to tell the truth. It was beautiful and miles better than how his father decorated, but it still felt like a lot. 

“Presenting, the Royal Jade Emperor, Empress, and Jade Princess of Ninjago,” Hutchin’s voice was loud and strong, as he faced the King and Queen at the north side of the table before taking a bow. Of course Lloyd and the others followed Hutchins’ example with a full 90 degree bow. “Your Highnesses, may I present to you Lord Garmadon, his son Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, and their attendants Kozu Stone and Zane Julien,” Hutchins gestures toward them, as the three members of royalty nodded. Almost immediately after the Emperor nodded towards the group of 4, they were quickly shown to their seats by different servants. 

Lloyd and Zane were taken to the left hand side of the dining room where he sat directly across from the Jade Princess. “Holy shit, she’s gorgeous,” Lloyd thought to himself, completely blown away at how beautiful someone could be. Her eyes sparkled within the golden lighting, they were a beautiful shade of jade green. Her hair was pure white, like fresh fallen snow. Lloyd could feel a pit form in his stomach, he didn’t know exactly why though. How on earth was he supposed to talk to her? He was just a simple 18 year old kid, it wasn’t like he was in his green gi, he was himself- well as himself as he could be. 

“Welcome to our home, Lord Garmadon, Lloyd, Kozu, and Zane,” The Emperor’s voice was clear and almost magnificent in a sense. He held his crystal wine glass up. “To our two families becoming one and making the Realm of Ninjago stronger!” As Lloyd too lifted his glass up, the realization hit him like a freight train. “Holy shit, I’m getting married,” Lloyd thought to himself. His face slowly lost his smile, before he quickly forced one, as to not show his true emotions. He looked across towards the Princess, who smiled beautifully as she faced her father on the opposite end of the table. “Either she’s really good at pretending or she’s genuinely excited,” Lloyd thought to himself before taking a sip of his champagne. 

Harumi was silently screaming to herself. “Oh for the love of the First Spinjitzu Master, this is beyond awful.” She hated this just as much as Lloyd did, only Harumi definitely hated it more. No, she despised it. She wanted to do this for her mother, but she couldn’t shake just how pissed she was. How could she marry someone she had literally just met, if sitting across from her meant they actually met; but she was sure it didn’t. 

Harumi couldn’t quite make out the conversation her parents and this boy’s father were having and to be honest she didn’t really care. Their wedding wouldn’t be until they were both 25, she didn’t even know Lloyd’s age. “Oh my FSM, I really hoped he’s not younger than me,” Harumi thought to herself, as she picked up another piece of tofu from her small plate. She looked up at the light blonde haired boy, his eyes looked almost sunken; like he had never had a peaceful night’s sleep in his entire life. 

Harumi stared at the seemingly thin boy, he definitely had a baby face if he was older or he really was a kid, kid. Besides his eyes being sunken, they were a dark gray in color. Appearing devoid of life, Harumi couldn’t help but think, “this poor guy.” His hair was cleanly combed to the sides, with a small blonde section of hair hung in front of the middle of his forehead. His suit was boring, also, like the person who picked it out had absolutely no fashion sense. To put it bluntly, he didn’t look too special, he didn’t look like he would one day rule Ninjago beside her. He ate slowly and not a lot. Each dinner course, he would only have a few bites; never finishing his plate. So either he didn’t have an appetite or he was a picky eater. Harumi hoped it wasn’t the latter. 

They made eye contact for only a brief moment, even though his mouth was full with a bite of rice and tofu, he still smiled gently towards her. Harumi couldn’t help but return the smile, before she quickly looked down at her plate. “Ughhh, why was this so awkward?” Harumi thought to herself before taking another bite of tofu and rice. 

Harumi turned to her left, where his attendant sat. His name was Zane Julien or something like that. His hair was a lighter shade of blonde than Lloyd’s, it was styled almost straight up into a perfect quiff all around. His eyes was a bright, icy, blue. The way he acted and moved seemed almost robotic, like he’d been trained to do this since he could walk. His suit was even worse than Lloyd’s. It was a gross dark gray suit. There was no color on any of them, well besides Lord Garmadon, who had threads and accents of dark purple within his outfit. 

This was probably the most boring meal she had ever had in her whole life. Her betrothed wasn’t even talking to her or attempting to say anything, all he managed was a small smile but that was it. She couldn’t blame the boy, but still! They were engaged to be married, this dinner was supposed to celebrate that; on the contrary it did nothing of the sort. 

The two fiancés sat awkwardly, in silence across from each other. Harumi didn’t know if her parents caught on to the flaming catastrophe this dinner was, but as she looked down the table, they were just chumming it up with Lord Garmadon. “Oh great, just great,” she thought as she looked back up at Lloyd. The two accidentally made eye contact, again. Only instead of a small smile on her face, she 100% looked pissed off. She could tell the boy knew. Her rage soon settled, only to be replaced with guilt. It wasn’t his fault they were both betrothed to one another. It was their parents’. Harumi tried to play it off with a small smile, which Lloyd of course returned. However, Harumi could sense she made everything more awkward between the two of them. 

Lloyd actually broke the silence, “I’ve never eaten so many courses in my life,” he forced a simple chuckle out. 

Harumi, for the first time in her life, didn’t know what to say. She was surprised he said anything to be honest, or that she was actually stunned into silence. Not to mention that he clearly forced a chuckle out; oh boy, this felt so awkward. 

“Yeah, in my opinion it’s too much sometimes,” Harumi let out a simple laugh back, making eye contact with Lloyd. 

“I-I can see why, I don’t feel like I’ve ever eaten this much to be honest,” Lloyd matched her smile, as he let out a small laugh. 

“Yeah, I know right; Or the little meals that are only a bite or two?” Harumi laughed. “What’s the point of that?” She asked before taking another small bite of her tofu. 

“I know!” He exclaimed looking at her, leaning closer, as he softly hit the table. Harumi had a feeling his walls were beginning to fall, to be honest, she also felt like her walls were coming down too. 

The rest of dinner went by in a blur, Harumi cared more about talking to Lloyd and his attendant, Zane, than eating. There was definitely a shift in Lloyd’s dynamic. He was smiling and laughing, like the kind of laugh where he’s not making any noise. He was cute like this, he was cute when he was himself. Harumi couldn’t imagine herself being happily married to Lloyd an hour ago, but seeing him here like this, she could picture herself having a great life with Lloyd. 

Lloyd’s attendant, Zane, was a funny character, the way he spoke was almost robotic. His voice was clear and to the point; it’s not like he wasn’t funny, it was just a different funny than Harumi had seen before. He and Lloyd looked close, almost like he was his older brother. Harumi knew how lonely being an only child felt, but seeing Zane and Lloyd’s banter she couldn’t help but long for something they had- even if just a fraction. Zane was also tall, like tall tall. He looked around 6 foot, which was definitely taller than Harumi and he looked taller than Lloyd. 

At this point, Harumi didn’t really know why the three of them were laughing, or why her eyes began watering, or why her stomach began to hurt. She had never laughed this hard in her entire life; either they were really funny or Harumi was really sheltered. It was most definitely the latter.

The final course was soon brought out, it was a beautiful lychee mousse, topped with strawberries and cherry blossom petals. It looked almost too beautiful to eat, but while Harumi was looking closely at her’s, she could see Lloyd digging into his- almost without a care in the world. His eyes lit up more and more with every bite. He was eating his dessert faster than Harumi had seen him eat any of the other courses. Harumi couldn’t help but giggle towards her blonde haired acquaintance. Lloyd didn’t say anything in response, but he did smile towards her. It was almost ear to ear, as he shoveled another spoonful of his moose in his mouth. 

As Harumi took a bite of her dessert, she was honestly shocked at how good it was. It was a different dessert that her family usually had. Harumi’s eyes couldn’t help but light up too, the dessert was light, creamy, and floral. 

“Wow,” Harumi muttered under her breath as she took another bite of the dessert. Somehow Lloyd was able to hear her soft words, he looked up towards Harumi. “I know, I don’t think I’ve ever had something this delicious to tell you the truth,” Lloyd chucked, before taking another huge bite of the mousse. 

To be honest, Harumi doubted him a little regarding his last words. Lord Garmadon didn’t look like the kind of guy who would spare any expense, even if it was dessert related. “Me too,” Harumi answered after she finished a bite of her mousse. “By the looks of it, either you’d never had a sweet before or you have a massive sweet tooth,” Harumi giggled, as she took another bite. Her eyes were almost taunting, not in a bad way, but definitely in a teasing way- and oh boy did Lloyd know it. 

Lloyd began laughing, like full belly laughing. He even laughed through his response. “Oh no, I definitely hate sweets so much,” He winked towards both Harumi and Zane and the three of them couldn’t help but laugh together. Harumi didn’t know why it was so funny, to be honest, it didn’t feel very funny. However, there was something about Lloyd that made Harumi laugh. Something that allowed her to be herself without a care in the world. 

This feeling didn’t last, for any of them. Garmadon’s voice echoed throughout the dining hall. His voice was deep and stern. It was only a simple cough to gain their attention, but something in it made Harumi feel unsettled. Lloyd and Zane’s demeanor shifted, they sat up straight, their eyes facing Lloyd’s father. Lloyd’s eyes sunk, in fact, his whole energy sunk. What was once a kind, funny, care-free person, was instantly the same boy she met at the beginning. He looked lost and scared. Harumi could feel her eyes softening for him, as she looked towards her parents. 

The sun began to slowly set behind the mountains of the palace. Warm reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows filled the sky. Blues and greens slowly crept their way into the sky with the coming of night. The sky was in harmony with each other, each color in perfect unison. The two of them couldn’t help but smile when looking towards the sun, as it slowly began to disappear behind the mountains. 

The two walked in silence with each other, Harumi knew Lloyd felt awkward because she felt awkward. It being just the two of them felt different than it did when Zane was there during dinner. At least the garden was beautiful. Seeing the red and stone lanterns throughout the palace gardens which helped light the garden in a warm golden and red light. The lights weren’t insanely bright, they were almost dimmed. The greenery allowed for the light to be almost warped and distorted, the garden took what was placed there and made it it’s own. 

While they looked over the garden on the red bridge, Lloyd was the one who broke the silence, surprisingly. 

“It- It’s beautiful,” his eyes never leaving the image of the garden. 

“It truly is,” Harumi answered, looking over the garden. She wanted so desperately to connect with Lloyd, maybe he would be different? Maybe he would see her for her? Not as just a princess. Though she didn’t know exactly how she would go about it, she was stuck, her brain was empty. How exactly was she supposed to connect with a boy she knew hardly anything about? 

“I know this might not be what you want-,” Harumi started to say, in a desperate attempt to connect with him, somehow. 

Before she could finish, Lloyd answered, “It is truly an honor to have been chosen by the Royal Jade Emperor and Empress. I promise that I will do my best to honor you and your family, Your Highness,” His voice was different. He stared into the garden, seemingly void of any thought. He was different, different than he was, no less than 15 minutes ago. A pit began to form in Harumi’s stomach. 

“Please Lloyd, call me Harumi,” she paused, as she turned toward her blonde haired fiancé. “Call me Rumi,” she could feel her heart beating faster and faster in anticipation of his response. 

Lloyd turned to her, there was a long pause, as the two stared into each other’s eyes. Lloyd looked back into the garden, his voice was soft, almost a gentle whisper. “Thank you, Princess Harumi.” Lloyd wanted so desperately to call her ‘Rumi’, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t mess up his father’s instructions, he couldn’t hurt her- but it seemed he already did. Lloyd wanted so desperately to make his father happy, but at what cost? Lloyd’s heart sank into his stomach. 

A bomb went off. Harumi could feel the pit in her grow deeper and deeper. It was like a bottomless pit. He- He wasn’t different. He was the same. He only cared about her title. Harumi turned away from him. She could feel her eyes stinging, as she held back tears. It was this moment where Harumi could feel the hope in her heart dissipate. “Would anyone ever see me for me?” Harumi thought to herself. Even her betrothed couldn’t bother to call her by her name. It felt like he didn't acknowledge her, he acknowledged her title. 

The pair stood in silence for what felt like forever. Both seemingly lost, especially when it came to each other. Harumi had hoped for a map, but she couldn’t find it in Lloyd. Maybe it was better she stopped focusing on him. Love was just a story for fairytales, right? Right. She felt as though her mother’s experience with love was an anomaly. It wouldn’t happen to her, no one would see her the way she so desperately wanted. 

Lloyd wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. As Lloyd Garmadon he could barely advocate for himself, but as the Green Ninja- he could do anything. Maybe Princess Harumi felt differently than him? Maybe she didn’t like him? Maybe this was a bad idea? Maybe they shouldn’t get married? The questions came right after the other. Lloyd couldn’t even answer a question, or think of a possibility. Maybe he could just talk and see what he says? No, he couldn’t risk saying the wrong thing, again . 

It was Harumi who broke the silence. She didn’t even turn to look at Lloyd. “It’s getting late, we should go inside,” Harumi began walking back towards the palace. In a sudden flash Lloyd found himself practically running to her. He couldn’t think of what he could say, but somehow his body knew. 

Lloyd had grabbed Princess Harumi’s hand. She was shocked, he was shocked. Lloyd cleared his throat. “Your High-,” he paused. “Princess Harumi, I- I’m sorry that this is our- our life. I know it’s not the one you wanted, but in every way I can I won’t stop you from happiness. I don’t want to be a roadblock in your life, but if this is our destiny I will do my best to honor you and it with, with my whole being.” Lloyd was nervous, that was abundantly clear. He didn’t even look towards her, only the ground. 

Harumi was stunned to say the least. She didn’t turn around to look at Lloyd. She couldn’t, not when he was saying all that! Lloyd was kind, maybe kinder than she deserved. What was once anger and disappointment was replaced with- oh hell- she didn’t even know what. It felt like they were standing there forever. “And I you, Lloyd.” It was all she could think of saying. Harumi slowly began walking towards the palace, her left hand slowly leaving Lloyd’s. He was left there alone; he stood there unmoving for just a moment, before he began walking behind Harumi. There was a slight pang in his chest. Why? He couldn’t even tell himself. 

Chapter Text

Harumi couldn’t sleep. With every toss and turn, she was more and more awake. Falling asleep at this hour felt pointless. It wasn’t like it was 5am, but 1am was close enough right? In her head, Harumi knew not falling asleep soon wouldn’t be the smartest ideas she’s ever had, but how could she? Her brain wouldn’t stop talking. It was loud and seemingly endless, like she was thrown overboard into the eye of a whirlpool. 

Falling asleep felt pointless. Not to mention, what the hell was Lloyd talking about? He’s a weird character. Weirder than his attendant, Zane. Weirder than his dad. What did he mean? So he knew it’s not the life she wanted, but didn’t do anything to try and make the best of it? Or that he doesn’t want to prevent her happiness? 

“Ughhh, he was sooo confusing!”  Harumi couldn’t help but exclaim as she buried her head in her pillows. “Everything he did was!” 

Harumi paused the whirlpool of thoughts for just a moment. Maybe she wasn’t being fair. His dad definitely seemed like a character and not the one anyone would want to mess with. Harumi deeply sighed. She felt trapped to say the least and the dinner last night didn’t really soften the blow of the whole marriage thing. Especially since she had more questions than she went into it with! Sure, they were mainly about Lloyd- but only about the marriage aspect and what he was talking about specifically. And just like that Harumi was down another thought spiral. 

It was quickly interrupted by the sounds and bright lights from fireworks in the nearby distance. To say she was woken out of her thoughts spiral was an understatement. It was like she was thrown out of her head and to the window. Harumi let out a fairly quiet yelp, before she scrambled to her balcony and threw open the screen doors. 

The lights and sounds hung over a small sector of Ninjago City, near the pier. Something in Harumi began to build. How she longed for peace, something that allowed her to just be a normal girl. Well- fuck it. 

Harumi snuck over to the kitchen and grabbed, well, whatever she could. She grabbed different fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, bread, and even some desserts. “We have all this food at the palace, much more needed for three people,” Harumi thought to herself, as she crept back to her room.

She couldn’t possibly wear a dress going out, but she found a simple light, mid green jumpsuit with gold and white vertical stripes on either side, with a fabric belt tied around her waist. Underneath her jumpsuit she wore a simple white t-shirt that was detailed with red painted lotus flowers. It was a bit bright, but Harumi didn’t have anything else for her to wear. To try and calm down the brightness of her jumpsuit, she threw on a dark lincoln green jacket. It had little buckles and pockets on the side; though it was a bit long in the back, Harumi decided to tuck the back underneath the fabric belt. She grabbed the sack of food and left through the open screen door. 

Harumi had never scaled a building before, much less climbed anything. She didn’t really think of the logistics to it, but she could do it. Right? This was going to be really fucking hard, but she could do it. She could do it. She could do it! Harumi slowly made her way down to the outer walls of the balance. She felt like a turtle, she was moving so slowly, terrified she would fall. Then her parents would really be mad at her. Not like they were already going to be pissed if they found out, but Harumi didn’t want to take any chances. As she made her way towards that side of the pier, Harumi didn’t really scale any walls or jump from rooftop to rooftop. She instead traveled by buildings that were right next to each other. It made the journey harder and much more tedious, but hey, she’s never done anything like this before. Next time she’ll do better. 

Lloyd couldn’t sleep. He tried, but he really couldn’t. He had never seen his father that angry before, much less at him. Lloyd shook his head and he flipped from one rooftop to the next. He couldn’t think about stuff like that, especially when he’s multiple stories up. Lloyd took a deep breath before looking in his distance. The Palace of Secrets. It was even more beautiful from this location. 

“Ugh!” Lloyd exclaimed as he buried his head in his hands. He really messed things up with the Princess, maybe if she knew that he was the Green Ninja things would be different. But Lloyd couldn’t think like that. It was imperative their identities remained a secret, especially from Harumi. He had to protect her. Lloyd looked up towards the palace, There was a balcony that sat in front of what looks to be windows, and screen doors? Lloyd’s stomach turned. Something wasn’t right. He knew Zane didn’t need rest, but after that night, Lloyd thought Zane would.

Lloyd ran as quickly as he could to the balcony. It was a mess. There were pillows, books, boxes, and clothes scattered about. He looked towards the vanity on the left side of the open screen doors, which had a golden crown. Lloyd searched his memory from that night- it was Princess Harumi’s crown! She had been taken. Lloyd ran back out to the balcony and scanned the nearby area, where he saw a girl, holding a sack leaving the palace. 

It all came together in a moment, “She’s got the princess!” Lloyd exclaimed. There were no guards in sight. He took a deep breath and lept from the balcony. He was on her tail. He jumped, flipped, and rolled on to various different rooftops, careful to not let her know he was onto her. Everytime Lloyd thought he caught up to her she was in a completely different place; he had a lot of ground to cover. He couldn’t let her get away, he would never forgive himself. Lloyd chased after her, lost in his thoughts when he almost, well, when he almost ran off a multi-story building. 

“You gotta be kidding me?” Lloyd was frustrated. He didn’t have time for this! She was getting away with the princess. He took multiple steps back before fully jumping off the building. He swung from one closeline to the next. He eyed a ladder on this left and reached for it. Lloyd did make it there, but the force of his jump seemed to knock the rusted ladder off the building. There he was, dangling 10, 15ft up in the air with nothing to help him. Before Lloyd could even have a second to think, the section of ladder he was on fell. Lloyd scrambled in his brain about what he could do to break his fall, when a hand grabbed his gloved one and pulled him to safety. 

It was when Harumi pulled him up from the side of the building, where she was met with the Green Ninja?! Had he been following her or was he just out on patrol.

The silence was quick when the masked man asked. “Who are you?” He took up a fighting stance towards her. 

The kidnapper gulped, before slowly lifting her hood off. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but gasp. It- it was the princess! She was the one he was after. She was the one who stole the princess. She was the one who saved him. “Princess, I thought you were kidnapped; I was trying to save you,” his voice grew soft, as he put his hands behind his back, smiling. 

“Was that what that was?” Princess Harumi asked, her hands matched Lloyd’s as she leaned closer to him, clearly teasing. “From my vantage, it looked like I was the one saving you.” The princess remarked, still very obviously teasing him, as she walked closer to the large bag she had dropped during the rescue. 

“Then who’s in the bag?” Lloyd asked, he was obviously very confused at the whole ordeal of this situation. 

“You mean what’s in the bag.” Princess Harumi corrected him. “Food for the less fortunate. Even though I’m confined to the palace, I want to try to give what I can.” She smiled at the Green Ninja. 

“But your bedroom– it was ransacked.” Lloyd said, his curiosity bubbling over. 

The princess grew increasingly embarrassed. “Yes. I can be quite a slob.” She answered, her fingers fidgeting. “Thank you for noticing.” She joked, as she placed her hands on her hips leaning towards the masked ninja. 

She was different from how she was at the palace. She teased, laughed, and joked around. Her voice felt less strained and far more relaxed. Lloyd’s face couldn’t help but become hotter. Now he was embarrassed. Lloyd took a step closer to the princess. “I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean–” Lloyd was interrupted by the man, Hutchins from earlier today. 

“The princess is gone. Find her!” He yelled. The two of them were pleasantly surprised they could hear him from all the way over here. 

Lloyd looked towards the princess, her face went pale, as she sprang into action. “They can’t know I left the palace. You have to disguise yourself. Hurry!” She exclaimed, throwing a gray jacket and dark green beanie towards the ninja. As she too, lifted her jacket’s hood back on. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but comply. He zipped up the jacket, put the beanie on to disguise his hair, and repositioned his mask so it would only cover his mouth and nose. Sometimes protecting one’s identity makes one feel foolish. 

Lloyd helped Princess Harumi down the tall building. They were in a small town within the outskirts of Ninjago City. The village was beautiful; Lloyd couldn’t help but smile at the princess whose eyes were wide at the beautiful site, the two of them couldn’t help but smile. The road was broken up by a beautiful canal, as red lanterns were strung throughout the various different buildings. Lights from people’s homes and electronic signs provided a warm glow throughout the street. 

The people were running around, seemingly celebrating? But why? What was there to celebrate, it wasn’t like it was a Ninjago holiday or anything like that. Even though many of the townsfolk were celebrating, they also huddled around fires in cooking pots, coughing, they were hungry. 

Lloyd was deeply saddened by this image. His father never liked Lloyd to share their family’s wealth- and he sure as hell knew his father didn’t. Lloyd couldn’t help but smile as he watched the princess give out food to anyone and everyone. Her smile never left her face, Lloyd guessed she was having the same conflicts he was. 

Princess Harumi broke the silence. “Some things are easier to do when you’re not a princess. If I asked my parents, they would never allow it- but these people are hungry, and we have so much food back in the palace.” Her voice was soft, gentle. Lloyd couldn’t help but smile at her, while he helped hand out food to the children in the area. 

“Oh! Oh!” One young boy yelled. 

“Please!” a younger girl exclaimed. 

Soon enough there were multiple children around the two. Each almost shouting the word please, the children were desperate. Their clothes were worn and dirty, their faces tired and sunken. Lloyd could feel he was on the edge of letting a waterfall erupt. 

The princess, however, did not falter. “Patience, little ones.” Her gentle voice seemed to help bring a wave of calmness over the children surrounding them- Lloyd somehow included. 

“There’s enough for each of you.” She continued, as she and Lloyd passed the children the bag. Nodding her approval as the younger children took the bag to a group of adults, their parents the two of them thought. 

“Excuse me little one,” Harumi asked a young girl following the bag of food. “May I ask what you are celebrating?” She asked leaning down to match the young girl’s eye level. 

“Because last night the ninja arrested a bunch of bad guys that were hurting our village! It's our way of saying thank you and that the mean guys aren’t here anymore!” She yelled, growing increasingly excited, before she turned around to catch up with her friends. 

“Wow, you really are a hero,” Harumi turned towards the Green Ninja, teasing him. 

“Huh, but you know I don’t think any of us would consider ourselves heroes,” he replied, looking down at the ground. Harumi could tell she hit a nerve, but wasn’t really sure what. As the two continued walking along the upper path, Harumi wanted to apologize. She wanted to say something to him, but he was a hero. How was she supposed to comfort a hero? How was she supposed to comfort someone who saved hundreds- if not thousands of people. 

“Can I ask you a question?” He asked, turning towards the princess. “Do you enjoy being a princess?” 

Harumi was stunned. He really just asked her? Did she? The princess didn’t have to think very long or hard about her answer. “Everyone thinks being a princess is supposed to be easy and wonderful, and I guess it’s okay– but a lot of the time, it’s really hard.” Harumi’s voice was still soft, but a sadness washed over her. 

He had caught up with Princess Harumi. “Huh, tell me about it.” The young ninja replied, looking off into the river on his left. “Not being a princess. I mean being the Green Ninja.” He exclaimed, desperate to not make what he said sound not as weird, as he thought it did. He quickly lost his frown, as he scratched the back of head.  

Harumi couldn’t help but stare into his deep green eyes, they were like emeralds. They were probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in a long time. Harumi shook herself off from what she was feeling, as the two walked in tandem onto a stone arched bridge. The two stared out into the town illuminated by the red lanterns, moon, and stars. 

“We have to live up to a role that was bestowed upon us. We never chose these mantles we hold.” Harumi looked out into the city. A part of her felt like it was her mother talking, instead of her. Maybe one day she would understand. Understand what her mother had told her that afternoon. 

“I know. It’s hard to live a normal life.” The Green Ninja continued to look down at the canal. “At least I get to wear a mask, but you–” he turned away from the flowing river to Princess Harumi, clearly lost in thought. 

“I wear my own masks.” Harumi interjected, smiling. “Sometimes painted, sometimes a kidnapper of princesses!” She joked, lightening the mood, as she pulled her hood back on to face the ninja. “Mwahahaha,” Harumi did her best evil laugh, it wasn’t Ninjago Theatre good, but she did her best.

The masked ninja couldn’t help but smile and by the way his eyes curved, the princess knew he was smiling. “In my defense, I’ve had a long day,” he said, clearly playing along. 

Harumi took off her green hood, as she stared into his beautiful green eyes she felt something in her chest; hope. Maybe this person, who she had never met before, knew nothing about, could see her. The two scooted closer to each other. “Why are you even up this late?” Harumi asked, staring deeper into his eyes. “Out on patrol?” She mused. 

The ninja turned away from her, as he looked deeper into the canal. He took a deep breath, “Heh, no. I uh- uh,” he struggled getting the words out. Harumi placed her hand onto his deep green gloved hand, seemingly giving him the support he needed to continue. “I had a big fight with my father, and I don’t think I’m going back– at least not for a while,” he answered. His voice was soft, almost at a whisper like he was afraid to admit it. The princess couldn’t help but feel bad for him, all she could do was squeeze his hand in support. 

The two sat in silence for a bit before the Green Ninja continued speaking. “It-It’s okay. It was a long time coming anyway. The first time I could ever stand up to him, so that’s gotta count for something right?” He asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

The princess was about to say something, when the sound of snickering and glass breaking caught their attention. “More Sons of Oni,” Lloyd muttered. “Picking on young, defenseless kids.” He could feel the anger rise within him. “These people have enough to worry about. They shouldn’t have to be bullied by low-level street thugs,” as Lloyd began walking over to teach them a lesson, he suddenly remembered the princess was right behind him.

Lloyd turned to face her. Her hands shaking, a scowl on her face. Even though she was angry, he couldn’t help but notice she was also scared. Lloyd took a deep sigh, as he looked toward the biker gang and back towards the princess. He had to protect her. He couldn’t let her get caught in the middle of anything. However, before he could say anything, Princess Harumi was already right behind one of the thugs. “Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me?” Lloyd thought to himself. 

Even though Harumi was brave, she was really fucking scared. She had never fought anyone before, much less street thugs. They were bullies, they were problematic individuals who prayed on the less fortunate. Oh how she hated them. She couldn’t sit around and do nothing. 

She patted one of the men on the shoulder, stunning him, as he turned around to face her. “Excuse me gentleman, please don’t involve children in your mindless games. Now run along young ones,” She motioned for the children to run away, and well they did. The biker, however, didn’t take so kindly to having them run away. He turned towards the princess, he towered over her. She was 5’5’’, so Harumi was a little above average, but compared to these guys she felt like an ant. 

Before he could do anything to her, a green light flashed in front of her. The Green Ninja sprang into action, as he began fighting all 6 of the biker thugs. Each tried to land one up on him, but none seemed to manage even though they had weapons and he didn’t. “He sure is incredible,” Harumi thought to herself, she wished she could fight like he did. If she did, she’d never let anyone use their power to hurt someone else ever again. 

To be honest, the fight felt like it was over soon, especially after Samurai X joined the fight. None of the biker gang members could even come close to defeating them, honestly it was kind of sad. The Green Ninja somehow managed to find some rope as he tied them up for the police and Samurai X confiscated their weapons. Harumi, to put it lightly, was star struck. 

“Princess!” He whispered as he grabbed her hand and pulled her further from the tied up criminals. “You shouldn’t do that! You could have gotten hurt, or worse! You have to be careful!” He yelled, while holding Harumi’s shoulders staring deep into her soft green eyes. 

Harumi knew where he was coming from, but she couldn’t stop her blood from boiling. “I couldn’t sit and do nothing! They were tormenting those poor kids, I- I- I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do anything!” She yelled back, only much louder than the Green Ninja had anticipated. 

His demeanor softened, he felt the same way. The villain terrorizing Ninjago made everyone on edge. He knew where the princess was coming from, but he didn’t exactly know how to help. She couldn’t leap into action, she wasn’t trained. 

His concerned grip on the princess loosened. “I know what you mean, but it’s still dangerous. Maybe if you knew how to fight it would change things, but you have to be careful, okay?” His voice was soft and gentle. He also believed in her? Believed she could make Ninjago a better place if she could fight to protect its citizens. Maybe, just maybe. 

They slowly found themselves back on the bridge overtop the canal. “Princess–” the Green Ninja began before being interrupted by the princess. 

“Please, call me Rumi.” One last try she thought to herself, maybe he was different? Maybe he was unlike all the others?

Lloyd felt a pang in his chest. Those are almost the exact words she told him earlier that night on the bridge in the garden. He wanted to. He wanted to call her ‘Rumi’, but his father– his father was not in his life right now. He couldn’t hold him back, he wouldn’t hold him back; not anymore. 

He signed, “Rumi, I should get you home,” he responded, for what felt like forever, for the both of them. Harumi could feel her eyes light up, her heartbeat speed up. He was different.

“Yes, you really should be home. Your Highness.” A deep male voice responded. Both Lloyd and Rumi knew the owner of the voice, Hutchins. 

“Ah, Hutchins,” Rumi responded, briefly looking up at the Green Ninja. 

“May I ask what you’re doing outside the palace?” He asked, barely leaving any room for either to say something.

Lloyd didn’t know what to say he followed her here, because he thought she was a kidnapper, kidnapping the princess, but was actually the princess who snuck out of the palace to give out food to the people of this town. It was all very complicated and Lloyd didn’t think he should say something.

“I- I- I’m sorry Hutchins,” were the only words Harumi could find. She didn’t know how to talk to him, to tell him, he wouldn’t understand. He was nothing like Green Ninja. “But please don’t be mad at the Green Ninja! He- he protected me, made sure I was safe,” she smiled toward her masked friend. 

Hutchins could only sigh. “My thanks are in order. The Jade Emperor is giving a speech at 2pm tomorrow, he is worried in regards to the increased levels of crime throughout the city. Not to mention he would like to thank you and your comrades for protecting the people of Ninjago, but also the princess.” Okay- Lloyd wasn’t expecting that or Rumi for that matter based on her deep breath. 

“It would be our honor,” the Green Ninja rescinded, bowing at a slight angle towards Hutchins. 

“Very well, now,” his person turned towards Rumi. “The streets are not safe at night, Your Highness. I must insist you return with me at once.” Hutchins reached out to her, grabbing Rumi’s wrist pulling her down the side street and into a black car. Even though she knew she'd be chewed out immediately by Hutchins and her parents, Harumi couldn’t help but smile. “He called me Rumi,” she thought to herself as she rode in the car silently next to Hutchins, who spent the 10 minute car ride scolding the young princess. 

While he watched her leave in the car, Lloyd took off the jacket, beanie, and fixed his mask. He quickly made his way to the rooftop, as he followed the car all the way back to the palace; till he knew she was safely home. “Rumi.” He whispered to himself, as he traveled by rooftop towards Destiny's Bounty.

Once inside the palace, Harumi was met with her mother. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid, she wore jade colored, silk pajamas, with gold thread weaving throughout it. She wore simple dark green slippers and a matching embroidered robe. Harumi could feel her heart sink into her stomach. Memories of her talk on the bench in the garden with her mother began to flood her mind. Harumi didn’t really care if her dad was upset with her, but her mom? Her mom was a different story. 

She looked towards her mom, who was carrying a green glass candle holder. The candle was a little more than half-way burned. She looked towards her mother’s green eyes, which were similar to her own. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying. Harumi’s heart sank deeper and deeper into her stomach. 

Once her mom saw Harumi she didn’t say anything. Even as her daughter pleaded with her. She wasn’t the Empress of Ninjago anymore, she wasn’t a mother, she was the 17 year old girl. The 17 year old girl who lost her brother, she lost who would have been her step sister. She was a mother who almost lost her most prized treasure, her daughter. She couldn’t keep herself from pulling her daughter into a hug, as the two of them fell into each other. One of them was crying, this time it wasn’t Harumi, but her mom. Harumi didn’t really know what to do, but let her mother cry into her shoulder, as she drew circles on her mom’s back. 

Chapter Text

The drive back to the Garmadon Mansion felt long, Lloyd couldn’t help but think about Princess Harumi and everything she said. It felt like a bomb going off, for the two of them. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the cause for her misfortune. He knew it wasn’t his decision, but he also knew that his relationship with his father seemed to ruin what would have been the foundation of their friendship. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but curse at himself. He never had the courage to stand up to his father and now someone’s been caught in the crossfire. The guilt began to overfill within Lloyd. Never in his life did he think his father would have him be married, to a princess no less? It was all too much. 

Lloyd stared out the window, looking at the passing cars and buildings. The cars and buildings drove by in a blur, everything seemed to blend together. The lights were beautiful, but Lloyd missed traveling by building. There he could truly see the lights, but here in a car, the lights didn’t feel as important as he thought it was. Lloyd could feel his smile begin to fade into a small frown. He didn’t care if his father could tell what he was thinking; Lloyd couldn’t even tell what he was thinking. He was tired. Lloyd just wanted a break, a break from being on edge all the time, a break from always appealing to his father. A break from wearing stuffy ugly suits. A break from having to be a shell of himself. He wanted, he wanted his mom. Lloyd felt like a kid who fell off his bicycle, but he wanted her. He wanted to talk to her, because she listened, she cared for him. Sure, his father did too, but his mom actually felt like his mom. 

The lights and noises of the city soon faded away, they were at the outskirts of Ninjago City, where the only thing surrounding them were multiple acres that housed the wealthy. Of course his father had to live in a place like this, where the main point he wanted to get across would be that he was rich enough to live here. The darkness seemed to overcrowd them the further they drove down the street, with only the bright lights from the lamp posts illuminated the world around them. 

Once the car pulled into the wrap around driveway, the engine stopped. The driver let Garmadon and Kozu out first, before coming around to the other side of the car to let Lloyd and Zane out. It wasn’t too late around 9pm, so Lloyd was hopefully thinking he and Zane could play some video games in his room before they both had to turn in for the night. 

“Stone, Julien, leave us.” Garmadon commanded as the four of them entered the mansion’s double doors. And just like that Lloyd’s hope was crushed. 

“But father–” Lloyd pleaded. He never liked being alone with his dad, the only way he could be with him was if someone else was there, preferably Zane. 

“I command it,” Garmadon shouted, interrupting Lloyd. Even though he was a CEO, there were times he spoke more like an army’s general. 

“Yes father,” Lloyd whispered as he turned towards Zane. He couldn’t tell what his friend was thinking, but somehow he had a pretty good idea. “It’ll be okay friend, my comms will be on in case you need me.” Lloyd was grateful for his nindroid friend, but not because he was his attendant, but his friend. 

Kozu and Zane, if at the same time slightly bowed towards Garmadon before taking their leave through the servants’ entrance. And just like that, Lloyd was alone. Alone with the man who practically terrified him into being the son he always wanted. Lloyd was scared to move, he was worried his father would scold him for trying to leave before his father could say anything. So the two stood there, opposite of each other. Lloyd waited to hear from his father; and Garmadon, staring right back at his son. 

It felt like the two had been staring at each other for who knows how long, before Garmadon decided to speak. “So, how was spending some quality time with the princess? I hope your laughing during dinner didn’t ruin the betrothal.” Garmadon’s voice was cold even towards his own son. Lloyd felt like he was walking on a tightrope, like one wrong move would send him falling towards the end. 

“It was fine, father. And to my knowledge the princess would still like to go through with the wedding.” Lloyd put on a brave face, as he looked towards his father. He was determined to not back down either. 

“Fine?” Garmadon scoffed. “It should have been great, the princess should be falling for you, falling to your feet.” His voice grew louder and louder with every word that left his mouth. 

“What did he mean?” Lloyd thought to himself, staring at his father in disbelief. “Did those words really come out of his mouth?” He was stunned to say the least, what could his father possibly mean by that? Lloyd scrambled through his brain, searching for something to say; anything at all. 

“It is your duty as my son to have the princess wrapped around your finger. Do you hear me boy?” Garmadon was practically shouting towards Lloyd. “I could give less of a fuck if you loved that stupid princess, it’s your job to get her to love you.” Garmadon demanded. His voice echoed throughout the mansion’s entrance underneath the glistening chandelier. 

“Around my–?” Lloyd paused, his demeanor shifting. Usually he would just take it, take what his father said, but what he said about Princess Harumi? Like she wasn’t her own person, like she couldn’t make her own decisions. Like she was an object to be used for his own selfish ideals. This wasn’t about the betterment of Ninjago, it was about the betterment of Garmadon, himself. 

“Why exactly do you want her wrapped around my finger, father?” Lloyd took a step closer, challenging his father. 

Before Garmadon could speak, Lloyd continued to accuse his father. “What exactly are you planning for the royal family, father?” Even though his father was taller than him, something in him stirred. It was a feeling he’s experienced many times, but couldn’t exactly pinpoint where. 

Garmadon didn’t say anything for what felt like a long time, only the scowl on his face began to grow the more. Lloyd spoke and stared into his father’s eyes, further angering his father. “You insult me boy, do you really think I would be so foolish as to go after the royal family?” His eyes looked like they were glowing, but Lloyd thought it was just the dim lightning playing tricks on him. “No matter what I’m planning or doing, you are MY son! It is your job to do and follow what I say. Do you understand me?” Garmadon’s voice was somehow colder and empty, like the anger inside him fueled his being.

“How did his father become this?” Lloyd asked himself. Where was his father who laughed and smiled? His father who would hide Lloyd in his arms during the scary scenes of movies? “Where was his dad?” A part of him wanted to nod his head and go upstairs to his room and crash; he was beyond exhausted and his father definitely wasn’t helping. But a larger part of him wanted to say something. He wasn’t a pawn in his plans, his life. He wasn't a business tool, his father could use at the top of the hat. Lloyd could feel his face reddening, his hands shaking, his blood boiling. 

“No,” Lloyd simply stated, staring into his father’s dark gray, cold eyes. “I’m not a pawn in your game. I’m my own person with my own wants and needs. I’m not an extension of you, if anyone I’m an extension of mom. If you would even understand that or love her.” Lloyd’s voice was the clearest it’s ever been when speaking to his father. He wouldn’t deny the fact that he was scared, but he couldn’t live like this anymore. He couldn’t be a shell of a person anymore. He only hoped his father would see that. 

The sound of Garmadon’s palm hitting Lloyd's cheek echoed throughout the mansion. The light of the moon slowly began to leave the father and son, as the two were left in darkness. Lloyd's left hand slowly met his cheek, it was burning. He had been hit before, by Oni and his group of thugs, or during training with the other ninja. But this was different. To say Lloyd was shocked would be an understatement, even his father looked stunned. Lloyd couldn’t find the words to say, he just began walking up the stairs to his bedroom. Even when Garmadon called out towards him. “Lloyd! I- I’m sorry I didn’t mean–” from the bottom of the staircase he didn’t turn around. Lloyd missed his mom even more than he did earlier. 

Once in his room Lloyd packed two bags of all the necessities he could think of. This included a few changes of clothes, his toiletries, his favorite photo of him and his mom, and a few of the video games he’d like to play. He could get the rest of his stuff later and besides everything else didn’t really feel like him, practically everything in this room felt like his dad’s. Besides, the most important thing Lloyd could do was leave- just like his mom. A part of his heart hurt that his father would lose someone again, that he was losing his dad. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized his father died years ago.

Lloyd slowly changed out of his black suit and into his green gi. Lloyd Garmadon needed a break, so the Green Ninja would take over for the time being. Lloyd left a note on his bed before he left: 

I’m visiting Uncle Wu for a little bit. 

Don’t come for me.

 I’ll marry the princess, but not for you, for Ninjago. For mom.

– Lloyd

As Lloyd opened his center window, he turned looking back towards his room. A part of him didn’t want to leave. A part of him still longed for how things used to be. A part of him longed for the way he used to laugh with his parents. It seemed that part of him was dead too. Lloyd turned back to look at the outside world. The moon shining almost directly above him, the gentle, cold breeze through the surrounding trees, the stars sparkling in the sky. He took a deep breath in before placing his right hand to his ear on the right side of his mask. 

“Zane, can you tell Master Wu I’ll be at the Bounty in a few?” His voice was quiet and soft. “Oh and Zane, how much PTO have you saved up?” Lloyd chuckled slightly as he jumped from his balcony and towards Destiny's Bounty . 

The sun rose like it always did, only this time was different. Garmadon pushed those uncertain, uneasy feelings deep into the back of his mind. He didn’t have time to think about his foolish son or his actions. He didn’t care. His son would straighten himself out soon enough. Garmadon usually paid his son no mind, but something in him still stirred, even if it was faint. 

Garmadon’s room reflected the rest of his mansion. It looked barren and cold, but to Garmadon it was pristine, nothing was out of its place. Besides, his late wife, Misako was more of the interior designer. 

Garmadon pushed his thoughts about her, about his son into the back of his mind. Seemingly locked behind a vault in his head. He slowly got up out of his bed, when multiple servants entered his chambers to help him get dressed and ready. The first group of servants dressed him in his usual black and dark purple suit, while the second group took to his hair, and skincare. He couldn’t be bothered to do his own, it felt pointless in the grand scheme of things when someone else could do it for him. He couldn’t understand why his son would insist on doing everything himself, but at one point in time, he might have felt the same way. 

Garmadon couldn’t care to talk or even make small talk with his servants. They were only there to do a job, not make friends, so why give them a platform where they think it’s okay to mingle with others or even him? They were background characters in his life. Background characters who are unworthy to speak to him. He is their lifeline, their purpose. 

Once Garmadon was dressed to the nines and looked presentable he began walking out his room, leaving his servants to now clean his bedroom. Directly outside his room, his attendant, Kozu Stone, stood with a Borg Pad and Pencil waiting for him. 

“Good Morning, your Lordship.” Kozu bowed slightly, as he began following Garmadon. “Where would you like to take your breakfast today, sir?” Kozu asked, fiddling with the Borg Pad. 

“The dining room,” Garmadon replied, not even looking towards his attendant. “Is my son already there?” He asked, seemingly uninterested in the location of his son. 

Kozu paused, for only a moment before continuing after Garmadon. “No sir, he left this note in his stead,” Kozu stated, handing Garmadon a note. “He placed it on his bed, Sir. And his Attendant Zane is taking a short leave from the company.” Kozu continued, staring at the side of Garmadon’s head anxiously waiting for his response. 

Garmadon couldn’t help but scoff towards his son and his actions. He crumpled up the note and threw it into the trash. He couldn’t be bothered with the dramatic flare his son bore. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed in him. He couldn’t help but judge him. His actions were a direct representation of himself, his son who had no respect, who was so careless towards his own father. 

Garmadon either nodded or shook his head, as Kozu asked him questions about upcoming meetings and business proposals. He couldn’t help but still think of son, who messed everything up; for him, the company, his plans. Garmadon could feel the anger rising within him. Usually his son always listened, so what happened to his obedient kid, who took everything he said as law?

Breakfast was quiet. Garmadon loved the peace of a quiet morning, where only his breakfast and paper could occupy his mind. He had no son that could bother him, nothing that could distract him from what really mattered. He couldn’t help but smirk, he’d make himself even more feared this afternoon, then he’d be one step closer to– 

His mind faltered. It hurt. His chest hurt. Garmadon looked up, passed his paper, he stared at the opposite chair on either side of the table, then to the seat on its right. There was no food set out, not even a place setting. Garmadon didn’t think he missed his son, but maybe something within him did? Deep, deep inside of him. He didn’t even know why his chest hurt. He didn’t know why he longed for his ungrateful son. 

Garmadon turned his attention back towards the chair that sat at the opposite side of the table. “We’ll see each other again, don’t worry, my love. This- this is all for you.” He thought to himself, before taking another sip of his hot, black, coffee. 

Chapter Text

The light gently peered through the windows of the cabin on Destiny's Bounty . It was a warm light, streams of golden and pink light flooded the bedroom onto the wooden floors and walls. The sounds of birds chirping echoed throughout the cabin, waking Lloyd up from the most peaceful slumber he’s had. He didn’t toss and turn like he usually did, or wake up countless times. 

For the first time in a long while, Lloyd woke up happy. He didn’t wake up on edge, today he could just be the Green Ninja. Today and hopefully for a while he didn’t have to be his father’s son. He wasn’t awoken by the shrill sound of the alarm in his bedroom at his father’s mansion or the anxiety of having to work under his father’s watchful eye. This morning, he could just play video games, laugh with his friends, and be himself. 

Lloyd sat up in bed, looking around towards the other  ninja. They were still asleep in their own respective beds. He pondered the idea of attempting to fall back asleep, but decided to brush it off. Sure he didn’t get home or to sleep till after 3, but 4 hours was good enough for Lloyd, and it was nothing a little coffee couldn’t fix. Lloyd slowly got up and out of bed to change out of his pajamas into an oversized green striped top, with a pair of somewhat baggy black sweatpants. Training didn’t start till 9am today, so he reveled in the notion of relaxing before training and their mission later that afternoon. Every now and then the floorboards creaked with Lloyd’s step; he felt like a kid trying to dodge each creek, as he jumped from one side of the floor to the other. He’s always been light on his feet, but the sounds of creaking floorboards echoed throughout the ship. 

Thankfully it wasn’t an incredibly long walk to the kitchen, so the melody of creaking floorboards soon ceased. “Oh thank goodness,” Lloyd muttered through an exhale, as he further retreated into the kitchen. Lloyd made his way to the counter adjacent to the refrigerator, picking up a small container of coffee grounds. He measured out the coffee and water, before hitting the start button. The silence of the kitchen was soon drowned out by the gentle spurring of the coffee machine. Lloyd leaned against the small kitchen island, patiently waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. 

He couldn’t help but think about her, think about her kind eyes, her warm smile; everything about her. He thought she was beautiful during dinner last night, but nothing compared to her in the village. Her eyes sparkled under the warm light of the lanterns, her smile was warmer than it ever had been. He didn’t even notice himself beginning to smile, but just before he could truly smile a wave of doubt invaded his mind. “She doesn’t even know who you are, you hurt her last night. A walk through a village doesn’t change the fact.” Lloyd thought to himself, his smile slowly beginning to fade, but before it faded fully he was attacked from behind. 

All Lloyd could see was a red sweater attacking him from up high; it was too late to fight back. Before he knew it and as expected the hand started ruffling and messing with his hair. Lloyd couldn’t help but scream, not because he was scared, but because his (messy) hair was getting messed up. 

“You’ll have to do better than that!” The voice yelled from behind him. “I got you, green bean!” Lloyd knew that voice better than anyone, it was Kai. 

“Kaaaiii,” Lloyd struggled underneath his grasp. Lloyd was strong, but he definitely wasn’t as strong as Kai or Cole. “Okay! Okay! You got me! I yield, I yield!” Lloyd tried to break away, he was way too tired for this, way to sleep deprived for it too. 

Kai slowly let go of his younger friend, he was laughing. Laughing way too much if you asked Lloyd. He wasn’t tired of his friends’ antics ever, but he wasn’t feeling his best today. 

Kai practically keeled over laughing, his eyes watering, practically falling onto the floor. Lloyd couldn’t help but smile at his older comrade. “You’re ridiculous, Kai. And it wasn’t even that funny.” Lloyd managed to force out in between laughs and rolling his eyes. 

Was every morning like this? There was a sudden pang in his chest. It felt like he missed out on so much with the other ninja. Sure, they trained together and he often spent the night with them, but he couldn’t help feel envious towards them. Lloyd felt angry with himself, was he really too stuck in his head to have moments like these? He wished he could go back in time, to at least change something. But a louder voice in his heart couldn't help but long for more moments like this, he couldn’t help long for this feeling to last forever. His smile slowly began to fade the more he looked down at the ground. He couldn’t shake this feeling, the feeling that he’s lost so much. The feeling that he chose feeling empty with his dad, instead of– 

Lloyd's inner thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Lloyd slowly looked up off the ground, Kai was there smiling looking down at the younger ninja.

“Hey, buddy. I know it’s weird to get used too, but we’re all here for you, okay” Kai’s voice was significantly softer, it was warm. “I know I don’t understand fully, but I’m here if you need someone to listen to or talk to. I promise Lloyd.” Kai was staring into his younger friend’s deep green eyes, while Lloyd was staring into Kai’s warm brown eyes.

The two stared at each other, for what felt like forever in Lloyd’s mind. He didn’t know what to say, no words came to his rescue. He couldn’t help but feel like he finally had a sibling, one he’s always wanted. But something in him was scared, scared that he too would leave him. Even if the words couldn’t find their way to him, his body knew exactly what to do. It knew exactly what he needed. 

Lloyd lunged for the red ninja, pulling him into an embrace. Kai, surprised at first, before further pulling the green ninja into a tight embrace. He didn’t really know what happened the previous night. Lloyd hadn’t mentioned anything to him, Zane or the other ninja. Heck, Kai didn’t even think he told Sensei Wu. 

Lloyd melted into Kai’s embrace. Thankful for him, he tried thinking of what to say. But a part of him couldn’t even think or speak about what happened last night. He didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t. 

The silence was interrupted by the ‘brring’ of the coffee machine, as coffee slowly filled the coffee pot. Lloyd quickly got himself out of the hug, his eyes felt wet. He cleared his throat before reaching for his coffee mug and wiping his eyes, before Kai could see. Lloyd felt a hand on his left shoulder. 

“I meant it, I’m here for you Lloyd.” Kai said, not wanting to press him to share any further even though something burned in him. He wanted to fix Lloyd’s problems, because he was his younger brother whether he liked to admit it or not. 

Lloyd, still looking away muttered a small, “thanks.” Soon a hand went past him into the cupboard, as Kai pulled out his red mug.

“No problem, greenie.” Kai smiled, pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking a drink of it. 

Lloyd could feel himself growing more and more disgusted. “Ew! Black coffee dude? Seriously?” he exclaimed, shocked that anyone would want to drink black coffee of all things. In his eyes, it tasted like mud water. 

Kai only shrugged, taking another deep sip of his coffee. “So? It’s better than pouring a hundred packets of sugar into it and calling that coffee.” Kai teased back. He was never huge on coffee, but he was too tired to really care. 

Lloyd’s mouth dropped further and further. He felt insulted. It wasn’t his fault coffee needed to be sweet for it to be good. He poured coffee into his mug, before adding in creamer and about 10 or so spoonfuls of sugar. Lloyd turned to Kai’s disgusted face. He knew Kai hated things that were too sweet, so he kept adding more. Once Lloyd felt like it was sweet enough he took a deep sip of his coffee, staring at his friend’s disgusted face.

Their back and forth bickering was interrupted as Cole stepped in between them, pouring himself his own coffee. He was still in his pajamas, a pair of black sweat pants and a gray band hoodie. Lloyd wasn’t too sure of what band it was, but he assumed he either had no idea who they were or he had a surface level idea. Cole took one sip of the coffee before muttering, “the coffee’s fucking bitter.” Seemingly too tired to realize Kai and Lloyd were on the opposite sides of him, who instantly burst into an explosive laughter. 

Cole was shocked out of his half asleep state, nearly tossing the coffee mug out of his hand. His high pitched yelp seemed to echo throughout the Bounty, only followed by the echoing laughter of Kai and Lloyd. The earth ninja couldn’t help but sigh, as he felt his cheeks turning a deep shade of red. Cole couldn’t help but laugh along with the other ninja. 

“What? It really is crazy bitter.” Cole joked around, thus making his two team members practically fall over laughing. Kai was laughing so hard he placed his hand on Cole’s arm in an attempt to keep himself from falling over. Suddenly instead of the over pressed coffee taste on his tongue, he couldn’t stop focusing on Kai’s hand. Kai’s hand, his hand on his arm. Cole wasn’t really too sure why he cared about it, but something in him could only think about his touch. His touch on his arm. Cole’s face felt hotter than ever before.

“Okay you nutjobs,” Nya rolled her eyes as she entered the kitchen, looking to pour herself a cup of coffee. “We have training to get too.” Nya spoke through her yawn while pushing towards the coffee pot. 

“Heh, heh, heh, yeah.” Cole replied, quickly trying to pretend like everything was normal, which it was. He sipped on his coffee in one hand, while he nervously cracked his fingers on the other hand. 

It took a few seconds before Lloyd and Kai stopped laughing. It was a moment that Lloyd really needed. He could feel himself deeply exhale, something he hadn’t done in a long time. 

Kai sighed, in an attempt to catch his breath, though it was unsuccessful in the long run. Especially when Nya took a sip of her coffee. “Ugh, the coffee’s gross today.” Thus causing an eruption of laughter between the three other ninja, leaving her clueless as to why her friends were laughing so hard over burnt coffee.

“Ughhh!” Nya exclaimed. “I’m going to go wake up Jay.” She set down her coffee cup, before making her way to the boys’ cabin. 

“Maybe I should make another pot?” Cole asked in between his chuckles, clearly not trying to hurt Lloyd’s feelings. 

“Yeahhhh, probably,” Lloyd laughed. “Maybe you could teach me how to make a proper pot?” Lloyd asked, a glimmer of hope in eye. 

“Of course, bud.” Cole replied. His voice was warm and his smile’s always been kind. “I’ll show you right now if you want.” He dumped the rest of the coffee down the drain along with his own cup. Lloyd scooted his way over to Cole and followed the best he could at how his friend prepared the coffee. 

2pm seemed to come around faster than Lloyd or any of the other ninja thought for that matter. To say he wasn’t nervous, was well an understatement. It was his second or third time meeting the princess if he was counting dinner last night. Lloyd did his best to shove those feelings to the back of his mind. It didn’t matter that he was nervous, what mattered was protecting the royal family, and most of all Rumi. He couldn’t, no he wouldn’t. There was something about her, something about her that made Lloyd want to protect her. He shook his head from the thoughts. He needed to focus. He was a ninja, for the First’s sake! 

The sun beamed down on the city of Ninjao, it was a bright day with hardly a cloud in the sky. For early August, it was too hot and unbearable. There was a gentle breeze throughout the city, especially down the street leading to the palace. The Palace of Secrets was beautiful in the daytime, but there was something about it in the night that truly made it breathtaking. 

Each of the ninja stood on their marks, each surveying the area in case something were to go wrong or happen. Lloyd stooped atop the gate to the palace, he was practically on top of the royal family. Not to mention his excellent vantage point over the crowd. Nya was the only one wearing her street clothes, the rest were in their color coordinated gi’s. She wore her signature black leather jacket, overtop a halfway buttoned up blue satin shirt, and a pair of black, loose pants. She wore her signature black doc martens that she wore everywhere, along with some silver jewelry around her neck, wrists, and ears. She wore her hair up her favorite messy ponytail. Cole, Kai, and Jay were on the right hand side of the street overlooking the street from their specific angle, while Zane was on the left hand side, bow ready to be drawn. 

There were people and cameras seemingly everywhere, each person there seemingly only interested in catching a glimpse of the royal family with the amount of camera flashed Lloyd noticed. He knew there would be lots of people in attendance to the Emperor’s speech, but certainly not this many. Not to mention the large number of police and palace guards who were stationed along the palace steps and in the street keeping the people from the royal family. The amount of people added a layer of difficulty to the equation, especially since they didn’t know exactly who they were looking for. It felt like they captured Oni’s entire crew, or maybe they had just scratched the surface.

There was a special podium placed in front of the palace’s outer gates. It was a dark oak podium with a deep red banner hanging on the front of it, there were golden details along the edges and center of the banner. Everything seemed fancier when it was owned by the royal family, which was to be expected. 

“As many of you know, my family has kept a private life.” He spoke into the microphone, his deep voice echoed throughout Ninjago City. Lloyd surveyed the area, just as the other ninja did in their respective placements. 

“We aren’t interested in meddling with current affairs. But as crime has risen, so has our concern.” The Emperor continued, each Ninjago City citizen was entranced by him in one way or another. Lloyd seemed to stare out into the crowd looking for something that indicated Oni’s presence or another villain’s . 

“So it is time to step out of the shadows and into the light.” The Emperor took a few steps closer to the podium, he was illuminated by the bright light of the sun. He had lost a substantial amount of cover the moment he stepped into the light. Lloyd thought it might be best if he aided Nya in support on the ground, especially with the Emperor’s change in position. He flipped and slid down one of the large pillars on the right hand side. This way he could keep a better eye on the Emperor and Rumi. 

The crowd began cheering at the Emperor’s proclamation. The shutters and flashes of light seemed to be happening a lot more frequently now, thus further complicating the mission. 

“Ugh, I don’t like this one bit.” Nya spoke into her comms within the crowd. “If the royal family likes their privacy, why give such a public speech?” 

“I think it’s nice. They're reaching out to the people.” Jay responded, as he surveyed multiple different news trucks.

“Why all the hate, sis? You just don’t like getting gussied up.” Kai responded,somewhat teasing his younger sister.

“All that gold and glitter is for show. The royal family are figureheads. They don’t have any real power. What purpose do they have?” Nya grumbled into her comms. 

“Their purpose is to be protected, as do all our traditions.” Zane lowered his bow slightly. He turned towards the right hand side of the stage, where the Green Ninja stood there, just staring up towards the royal family. “I believe Master Lloyd has spotted something of interest.” Zane commented, as he too stared towards his younger comrade. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but stare at her, Rumi looked beautiful. Not that she never stopped looking beautiful, but she didn’t look like herself the more he looked at her. In his eyes, Lloyd felt like she looked the most like herself that night by the canal. There she didn’t have the same worried expression she currently had, even if she attempted to hide it. Her gown was similar to the one he saw her in yesterday, her makeup and hair too. He could feel his eyes widen, as she smiled sweetly towards him. He could feel himself growing more and more nervous with every second, until he forcefully turned himself away from her gaze. 

“Looks like he’s got an eye for the princess.” Kai teased within his right ear through the comms. 

“I guess green is her favorite color.” Jay added, also in an attempt to make his younger friend embarrassed of sorts. 

Lloyd just rolled his eyes, before placing his right hand to his ear. With a press of a button, he spoke. “You do know I can hear you, right?” He asked, not wanting to give them the satisfaction they so desperately wanted. “The Emperor is almost finished. Let’s just do our job.” He instructed, though it was partly a desperate attempt to get them off his back. 

Each of the Ninja tuned back into what the Emperor was speaking. “... And always stay united.” He exclaimed, raising his right fist into the air; causing the people’s cheers to be even louder as they too followed suit.

Something felt wrong. Something was going to happen. Lloyd knew something was going to happen, he just didn’t know how soon it would be happening. “Be on the lookout.” He stated, there was a level of desperation in his voice. Lloyd was determined to not let anything happen to her or her family. His eyes darted around the crowd and through the nearby buildings. He couldn’t see anything, nothing jumped out at him. The only thing he could see were innocent civilians celebrating or taking photos. Nothing screamed out at him. 

Each of the ninja peered into the crowd. Zane thought he had found something, someone with a weapon perhaps? But it turned out to be a false alarm, he only pulled out his phone. Kai, Cole, and Jay split up to gain a better vantage point of their surroundings and possible blind spots, with Cole staying in their original position. Nya carefully read the individuals who were by her throughout the crowd, waiting for someone to move or anything. 

Lloyd stared into the crowd, a balloon slowly started to rise, “it- it’s Oni’s symbol!” Lloyd thought to himself. “I see a–” he attempted to speak into his comms before he was interrupted by the sound of a blood curdling scream. It was almost like a banshee’s scream that seemed to echo throughout their immediate area. Lloyd quickly looked around frantically trying to find whoever released the balloon and who made that insane scream. 

Within the crowd he caught a bright light, it wasn’t like the cameras or anything like that. The shining light grew nearer and nearer to his surrounding area. “A kunai!?” Lloyd suddenly realized. “But where?” He quickly estimated the expected path of the weapon where it landed– 

Lloyd's thoughts were interrupted by his actions, as he quickly jumped towards her and her mother, tackling them both to the ground. The knife landed into one of the mahogany outdoor gates, directly where the princess had stood. 

The street erupted into chaos, as people ran and hid or cowered where they stood. It was overshadowed by the loud echoing of popping. None of the ninja were sure if it was gunshots or something else. Though it was better to be safe than sorry. Nya ran through the street, searching for someone, or more accurately anything! Even though she was actively pursuing a threat she couldn’t help but help the people of Ninjago City who were in attendance. 

Lloyd’s voice rang out through the comms. “Is the threat clear?” He asked, only slightly moving up from where he’s shielding Rumi and the Jade Empress. 

Nya continued her search, mindful of the civilians surrounding her. She looked towards the ground, where Nya spotted it. “Huh. Firecrackers.” Nya spoke into her comms. “False alarm.” Though the last bit of what she said sounded like it was more for the people than the ninja.

With the threat clear, Lloyd awkwardly got up off of Rumi and her mother. Extending his hand out to the Jade Empress and lifting her up off the ground. He then turned his attention towards the princess, Rumi. He extended his arm out towards her, she happily took it. She was smiling, even though a direct attempt on her life was made only moments ago. Lloyd couldn’t help but return her smile though, he was grateful they were able to see each other so soon. 

Once he lifted her back onto her feet, she turned towards him. “Now we’re even,” she whispered, just so only Lloyd could hear. He was stunned to say the least, not knowing what to say. He didn’t know if he should be sincere or not, or if he could joke along with her. He felt lost so to speak and not to mention stuck. Lloyd’s always been a talker, but for some reason right now he felt like there were no words he could think of. He tried to react to her in some way, but the second Lloyd left his head, she was practically gone. The only image of her he had was the back of her dress while she walked through the large gates. Something in him wished he could have said something, anything to her. Something in him wanted to run after her, but there was a greater voice in him to stay where he was. He didn’t even process that the other ninja had walked over to him.

He was a little distracted, so to say he was surprised when Hutchins approached him and the other ninja was an understatement. Hutchins exhaled before he spoke. “You protected the royal family. You have their gratitude. You are invited to be their guests in the palace,” Hutchins bowed slightly towards the ninja. He seemed almost reluctant to invite the ninja into the palace.

“Heh. No one ever gets invited to the palace.” Jay commented, not trying to hide his excitement from the other ninja or Hutchins. Lloyd couldn’t help but slightly chuckle to himself at that statement, since it was just last night Lloyd and Zane were at the palace. 

“Are you sure they meant us?” Jay asked, his eyes lighting up. 

“It’s just a palace. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.” Nya added, clearly uninterested in everything having to do with the royal family.

In an attempt to prevent any kind of argument from happening, Lloyd bowed towards Hutchins. “We’d be honored.” Hutchins returned his bow towards the Green Ninja. Thankfully it wouldn’t be until nightfall when they were able to enter the palace. So, Lloyd had a few hours to calm and prepare himself to see Rumi again. He was determined to not be as awkward as he was just then. He just hoped she would enjoy seeing him and that she was okay after the eventful day she’s had. 

Lloyd could feel his eyes light up, but felt as though a shadow was sneaking up on him that would make themselves known in time.

Chapter Text

Even though Harumi had met the Green Ninja before, she was still nervous. Afterall, he was entering her home after saving her life! For the second time, no less. Not to mention that her family hardly had any guests in the palace, besides family. Harumi stared into her mirror, hyper fixating on her appearance as she made sure her fly aways were tamed. To be honest, Harumi didn’t really know why she cared so much about how she looked. “It was to make a good impression on all the ninja.” She thought to herself, desperately trying not to think about it.

Harumi stared into her jade green eyes of her reflection in the mirror, for some reason she thought her eyes were more full of life even if she narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. It was kind of funny to be honest, especially with the cherry on top being she didn’t really know why. 

Harumi took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down a bit and to prepare herself for seeing him again. She’s a princess, there’s nothing that she couldn’t do, right? Well except for a certain handful of things, or two handful of rules she had to follow. Other than that though, Harumi could do anything even if it was saying her hellos and thank yous to Ninjago’s heroes. She couldn’t help but think about what the Green Ninja said last night. “Huh, but you know I don’t think any of us would consider ourselves heroes.” She couldn’t get his wide eyes out of her mind, or the way his pace started to slow after she said that. Harumi didn’t really know why he didn’t want to be called a hero or treated as one, something in her wanted to know why. But another part of her didn’t want to press him, after all she doesn’t even know who he is. 

Harumi shook those thoughts from her mind. Tonight would go fine, hopefully better than her father’s speech went earlier that afternoon. The bar wasn’t crazy high, but she wanted to make a good impression. She wanted to show them that the work they do for Ninjago is deeply appreciated in one way or another. Harumi had an idea that if her and her parents gave just their thanks and gratitude it would be enough, but she wanted to show her thanks somehow. She wanted to say thank you with only something she could give. Harumi couldn’t cook or bake them something. She could only draw stick figures, so something artistic was out of the question. She could play the piano and sing, but didn’t want it to be awkward, the First knows she’s had enough of that from the past day. 

The more she tried thinking of something to be a gift, she couldn’t quite hit the nail on the head. Everything she thought of wasn’t good enough or was directly related to her being a princess. It wasn’t a bad thing or a bad place though; she just wanted it to be from her heart, not from her title.

The princess’ thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her screen door. “Your Highness, it’s 10 till 6. The ninja will be here soon.” Raya’s voice spoke through the door, not knowing if she should enter or not. 

“Thank you, I’ll be out in a second.” Harumi called back, turning towards her door. “This was it.” She thought to herself, as she took another deep breath before exiting her bedroom chambers. 

Raya and her two bodyguards followed in close proximity to Harumi, but they kept somewhat of a distance from her. It was different from how they usually walked behind her. Harumi guessed it probably had something to do with her quarrel with her father and the talk she had with her mother from yesterday. Though Harumi didn’t mind the sudden change, it allowed her to take a break from being the ‘perfect princess’. Their space allowed for her to breathe properly, it felt like she didn’t have any eyes on her. It felt like she had her own space, her own bubble where only she could enter. 

There was still some lingering awkward tension between her and her father at breakfast that morning, although he made no comment about her leaving the palace last night. Harumi thought either her mom didn’t tell him or she did and he just wasn’t saying anything. She hoped the awkward tension would be gone, especially with their guests coming soon. 

Just like that and definitely before Harumi knew it or even processed it, she was at the door to the throne room. She deeply exhaled before nodding to each other guards on either side of the throne room’s gigantic double doors. She was ready, she had to be, but she had to be ready. And just like that the doors were opened, then promptly shut once Harumi and her entourage entered the room. 

“Good evening, Harumi.” Her father looked up from his throne towards his only daughter. 

“Oh thank the First.” She thought to herself before responding. “Good evening, father, mother.” Harumi slightly bowed when she was a few steps away from the stairs on the platform. 

The three of them sat there for what felt like forever. It was a nice silence, but the anxiety building up in Harumi was almost too much for her to bear. It felt almost suffocating. It caused her stomach to flutter and her heart rate to increase. Her anxiety had never been this bad and it couldn’t possibly be anything else though. “Ugh, I just wished they would get here already!” Harumi grumbled to herself. She was tired of waiting around for them to get here, especially as the fluttering in her stomach grew more intense.

Almost like she willed it to happen, Hutchins opened the double doors to the throne room. The ninja not far behind him. “I present to you the exalted Emperor and Empress of Ninjago and their daughter, the Jade Princess, Princess Harumi.” His voice rang out throughout the huge room, in thanks to the high ceilings. The Emperor nodded, as the Empress and Jade Princess stood up along with him.

There he was. He was directly in front of her practically. Harumi couldn’t help but make eye contact with him, like she did all the other ninja. But when she made eye contact with the Green Ninja, her stomach began fluttering even harder and her chest began to tighten. The Jade Princess hoped it would soon pass otherwise she’d have to speak through it and she definitely didn’t want to do that. 

Thankfully the ninja walked into the throne room fairly slowly, so it felt like there was plenty of time for her to calm herself down, at least somewhat. Each of the ninja stood in a horizontal line together, as each of them bowed towards Harumi and her family, well, except for the Water Ninja who had to be reminded by the Green Ninja. Harumi didn’t mind though. 

“We are honored by your presence.” The Emperor said, as he and his family bowed towards the masked individuals. 

“The honor is all ours.” The Green Ninja answered, as he looked back up towards the royal family. There was a slight pang in her chest, she couldn’t help but fall deeper and deeper into his eyes. 

Before Harumi knew it, her mouth and body were moving on their own, as if they were completely unaware that she was entranced by the Green Ninja’s eyes. 

“I have read much about you. Your heroics will surely become legend.” The princess began making her way down the steps towards the ninja. 

“The Fire Ninja, the hothead who acts without question.” She gestured toward the red ninja on the far left side of the group. Even through the mask, Harumi could see he had a scar over his right eye, with his deep auburn eyes that seemed to warm everything his eyes touched. He bore a red gi that had black and gold embellishments throughout the detailing, along with a matching black fabric belt and gloves. By the ways his eyes looked, Harumi could tell he was smiling as he bowed towards the princess.

“The Earth Ninja, the rock and foundation of the team.” Harumi moved to the Fire Ninja’s right, where the Master of Earth stood. He had deep brown eyes that appeared soft and gentle which did go against his large muscular frame. He was the only ninja to not wear sleeves, with only a dark silver armor piece protecting his left shoulder. He wore a black gi, with gray and orange accents that were just as soft as his eyes. The Earth Ninja bowed, as Harumi began walking to his comrade on his left. 

“The Lighting Ninja, the joker whose mouth is as fast as lightning.” It seemed she had caught him at a bad time, since his eyes darted around the front section of the room. Harumi had a feeling that wasn’t the end of his character, but only the surface. He wore a deep blue colored gi that had black, white, and gray accents to it, along with a tactical belt that went over his right shoulder adjacent to his armor piece. He bowed towards the princess, his eyes lighting up as he shook his friend’s shoulder.

“The Ice Ninja, the cold and calculating android.” Even though he bore a mask there was something about him that she couldn’t help but get out of her head. A part of her felt like she knew him from somewhere, but where? 

Before she could finish her thoughts the likeness of the Ice Ninja changed what little of his appearance that she could see and his voice. “Nindroid, Your Highness.” He bowed towards her. His gi was mainly comprised of white and gray, while various bits of blue highlighted specific areas. 

“And the Water Ninja, the girl I’ve always wanted to be ever since I first heard about her. With her mastery of water and her skill that could rival any master.” For a second, Harumi thought she went a little too far into detail, but she couldn’t help it. The Water Ninja was her favorite, she felt connected to her, not because they were both girls, but because of what they both had to face from others. 

“I like her.” The Water Ninja exclaimed looking at her teammates before bowing towards her. The water Ninja wore a mostly gray gi with accents of black and light blue throughout it. Her suit also had special armor around her waist that appeared to mirror a skirt. 

Harumi turned towards the last ninja, the Green Ninja. The one who she had met the previous night. The first person to call her ‘Rumi’, the first person she ever felt seen by. “And the Green Ninja.” She stared further and deeper into his eyes, while he stared deeper into her’s. Time seemed to stand still for just a moment; Harumi searched her head for something to say, but she came up blank. How was she supposed to acknowledge him? Last night he had said he never felt like a hero, so she couldn’t say he was “the youngest, but most powerful protector, the chosen one,” like what kind of cruel joke would that be?

She couldn’t help but feel like everyone was staring at her, everyone waiting for her to say something about him. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. Her mind came up blank. All Harumi could think of was to clear her throat , hopefully ending the silence. 

“Thank you for inviting us into your home.” The Green Ninja looked towards the Emperor and Empress, but as well as Princess Harumi. His voice was as kind as ever, even if she basically left him hanging and practically unintroduced. It was almost like he was doing it to get the attention off of her and placing it onto himself, but she couldn’t be sure.

“It wasn’t us. It was our daughter.” The Emperor commenced, gesturing back towards his Harumi. 

“And she would like you to stay with her until the threat to her throne is over.” Her mother added. 

“Wait, I didn’t say that.” Harumi thought to herself. All she said was that she wanted to thank the ninja for protecting her and her family earlier that afternoon. But the more she thought about it, the more she understood why it could be interpreted that way. 

“These are troubling times, and as long as they come after our daughter we cannot rest without knowing she is safely protected.” Her father interjected. “Which is why I was requesting the six of you to act as bodyguards outside the palace.” The Emperor slowly looked defeated, the more he pushed out his words. 

“Huh?” Harumi couldn’t help but ask. Did she hear her father right? Did he really just say what she thought he did? Harumi couldn’t believe her own ears. She couldn’t believe that her parents would even suggest it or that Hutchins would agree to it. 

“Yes, my dear daughter.” Harumi’s mother replied as she moved towards her daughter. “The three of us think it would be best for you, until after the threat is over.” The Empress placed her hand on the sides of Harumi’s arms. She rubbed them gently. “Besides I know how much you want to leave the palace,” she added, trying to add a little humor to the situation. 

Harumi felt so torn. She wanted to leave the palace, but not under these circumstances. She wanted it to be her decision, not someone else's. Here she was again, her whole life being planned without her even being a part of the meetings. It was her life, after all. But as angry as Harumi was, a large part of her didn’t want to leave her parents. What if something bad happened to them? She would be unable to do anything. 

“I took it upon myself to have Harumi enrolled into Ninjago City University under a false pseudonym, as well as set up an apartment for her nearby campus.” His voice was still stern, but a part of Harumi could tell he was both disappointed and concerned over the course of action her parents decided on. 

“But–” Harumi could barely say anything before her father said something. 

“No buts, Harumi. Your mother and I have been noticing strange things around the palace and it’s just not safe for you right now. The best thing for our family is if we are in separate locations with a stand in for you here.” In her mind, Harumi knew her father was right. That it made the most logical sense, but it hurt to be forcibly removed from her parents, from the only home she’s ever known.

“Heh heh, strange things?” The Lightning Ninja whispered, perhaps too loudly. 

“Hmm yes, but my guards and I are looking into it. So it is not your concern.” Hutchins' voice was cold and calculating. He could barely look towards Harumi.

Harumi could tell something was wrong, but she couldn’t form any sentences. She couldn’t speak even if she wanted to, the words wouldn’t even be able to leave her mouth. This is what she always wanted, but there was something about it that felt wrong. She couldn’t find it in herself to be happy. 

“Which is why we are asking you to take care of our daughter, please Green Ninja. You saved and protected her more than once.” Harumi’s mother was staring directly towards the Green Ninja, her eyes beginning to glass over. 

“I- I would be honored.” He managed to push out, while bowing towards Harumi and her parents. 

“Then it is settled. Princess Harumi’s primary bodyguard will be the Green Ninja, while the others will act as her secondary protectors.” The Emperor declared, seemingly looking to everyone but his daughter. 

“Wait! Don’t I get a say in this? After all it’s my life, it was me they tried to kill. Don’t I get a say in anything that happens to me?” Harumi forced out, she was desperate for a choice. For something, but so far she was only grasping at straws. 

“Enough!” Her father bellowed. “You have a duty to us, to the people of Ninjago.” His voice was loud and dismissive. “I will not allow you to disrespect your mother and I again. Now go to your room. You’re leaving in less than an hour.” Harumi couldn’t help but feel her eyes beginning to water, as she turned to run out of the Throne Room. 

Everything felt pointless. She’d never be able to be a normal person. She was trapped by her royal blood. Trapped by the rules already laid out in front of her. She could hardly breathe. 

Harumi didn’t know what to bring. She didn’t know what clothes of her’s to pack. Her pajamas were embroidered with her initials. “It might be too much,” she muttered to herself, as she opted for what little clothing she had that didn’t scream she was a princess. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She threw her toiletries into a small bag before tossing them into one of her suitcases. Harumi thought her books and journals from her school work could be useful so she threw them into another suitcase. She threw her makeup into her suitcase. Harumi didn’t really care about being neat and organized, not that she ever did really. But there was something in her that cared a whole lot less. 

She could feel her eyes slowly beginning to feel more and more tired, like they were unable to keep her tears back. Just when she felt like it was safe to cry there was a knock at her door. Startled, Harumi wiped her tears. “Please come in.” 

“Your Highness, I was wondering if you needed any help packing and changing.” It was Raya, Harumi wanted to say no. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to cry, but a larger part of her wanted company. 

“Yes, please.” Harumi managed to say. She had a feeling she looked like a mess, like she was becoming less and less of a princess the more time went on. 

Raya was quiet. She didn’t say anything, besides fold what few clothes Harumi had packed and organized her suitcases. Raya carefully removed specific toiletries and Harumi’s hairbrush, before motioning for the princess to sit at her vanity, where Raya gently removed Harumi’s makeup and took care of her skin. Once finished, she undid Harumi’s hair by removing the hair pin that was the main reason it stayed up in the first place. Everything was set gently on the vanity top, where Harumi thought her double would soon use it. As Raya brushed her hair, Harumi couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and scared. Was someone really after her? Would the ninja be enough? What about her parents? It felt pointless to stop the incessant worries and commotion that plagued her mind. 

“Excuse me, Your Highness. Would you like to get changed now?” Raya’s voice stunned Harumi out of her thoughts spiral. As she looked up into the mirror, she saw her bangs were neatly sitting on top of her forehead and her hair was separated into two neat braids on either side of her head. 

“Hmm? Oh... yes.” 

Raya began with removing Harumi’s jewelry, before removing her gown and changing her into a palace servant uniform. She wore a simple loose brown colored dress with a tan colored apron over top and her shoes were a matching pair of tan flats. She looked less and less like herself, like the Harumi she knew, and more like a young girl who lost everything.

Before Harumi could even think or say anything, Raya wrapped her arms around her. “Please stay safe, I’ll be waiting for you to return in one piece,” she whispered. Harumi couldn’t think of anything else to do but hug her back. It was a quick hug, but it was one she needed. 

“Let’s get you to the car.” Raya let go of Harumi and guided her to the door. 

Outside of her bedroom door, two of the ninja were waiting to carry her bags. It was the Lightning Ninja and Earth Ninja. They were standing almost perfectly still besides the two of them poking and pushing at each other. Harumi couldn’t help it when the corners of her mouth turned slightly upwards at the two ninja. Once they saw her, the two of them straightened back up clearly pretending like they weren’t goofing off. 

“Are you ready, Your Highness?” The Earth Ninja asked, taking a step towards her. 

“Yes, thank you.” 

As Raya walked with Harumi towards the servants entrance she couldn’t help but overhear the two ninja bickering. 

“Why do you get the light one? This one weighs like a ton of bricks!” A higher voice yelped. 

“Well motor mouth, you snooze, you lose.” A lower, warm voice mocked.

Harumi couldn’t help but snicker and think it might have been best if she left a few of her books and journals in her room, but ultimately decided it was best that she brought them. She looked to the back of Raya’s head, who was leading her to the servant's entrance. It was from here on that she wasn’t a princess anymore. A part of her couldn’t help but feel relieved while another part of her was terrified for what’s to come. This was the beginning of a new chapter and the end of an old chapter or at least an intermission.

The walk to the servant’s entrance wasn’t too long. It was in an area of the palace that Harumi had never traveled to before. Which made sense why she didn’t, but she was still a little disappointed that she didn’t know everything about the palace that she thought she did. It was a long hallway with lots of doors, some of which lead to the kitchen, pantry, laundry room, and who knows what else. At the end of the there was a brown door and by the way Raya was headed, it seemed like the exit. And Harumi knew that’s exactly what it was when her mother and father came out of the door followed by the Green Ninja. 

“Now’s the time,” Harumi muttered to herself. 

Harumi walked up to her mother first. “My dear sweet Harumi. I love you so much. Please be safe.” Her mother held her tightly, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to let go of her daughter, her only child. Harumi didn’t want to let go either, she didn’t know what she’d do without her mom. What would happen in the outside world? For someone who desperately wanted to be free from the walls that trapped her, she was petrified to step outside. Her mother slowly let go of her and pushed Harumi towards her father. 

He could barely look his daughter in the eyes. His parting gift for his daughter was nothing but a simple pat on the shoulder; he only briefly looked her in the eyes before walking back down the long hallway back into the palace. The Empress gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek, as she too began walking down the hallway following the Emperor.

 Harumi was left there, she felt alone. She felt like her parents were almost throwing her away or getting rid of her. She knew it was for her own good and for the people of Ninjago, but Harumi couldn’t help but feel betrayed to some extent. She couldn’t help but feel like her parents didn’t care, she knew they did, but they had a difficult time showing it. She wanted them to care. She wanted them to show that she cared. She wanted them to fight for her. Harumi didn’t know how long she watched her parents slowly walk down the hall. It felt like forever, for some of it, it felt like they would run back to her; but they never did. 

Harumi felt a hand hold hers on her left hand side. She looked towards her hand, a green glove. She slowly looked up, it was him. Oh right. Harumi had forgotten he was here, she was so caught up with her parents she completely forgot he was there. His eyes were the same kind, emerald green she remembered. They stood there like that for a while, their hands intertwined, with Harumi afraid to say something. The Green Ninja broke the silence. “Are you ready?” He asked, his voice as gentle as she remembered. 

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

The car the Green Ninja led Harumi into was a normal dark gray Borg car and was definitely an older model. It didn’t look like any kind of vehicle a ninja would drive let alone the Green Ninja. 

“Huh.” She couldn’t help but comment on the irony of the situation. Here she was, the heir to all of Ninjago, about to get in a rinky dink car while being protected by the Green Ninja. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed it wasn’t something a little cooler or something that would be a little more fortified especially for her protection. 

“Hmm, not very impressive is it?” He asked, an heir of coolness to his voice. Harumi hadn’t even heard him behind her; not that she had the best observation skills but she assumed she’d be able to at least tell if someone snuck up on her. She’d definitely have to work on that. 

“Oh! Not- not that it's or unimpressive it’s just–” She didn’t really know why she spoke aloud, she didn’t mean too. It was just a long, tiring day. And to be honest, she didn’t really know what she was saying or thinking for that matter. 

He soon broke down laughing, seemingly unable to hold it in for a while or for as long as this conversation was going. His laugh was cute and sweet, along with a childlike energy to it. 

He tried calming himself down somewhat, wiping the tears that formed underneath his eyes. 

“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic, it wasn’t that funny,” Harumi giggled, clearly teasing the Green Ninja. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him, it was an endearing rolling of her eyes though. He seemed different from their first meeting. He seemed happier. 

“You’ll see princess.” The Green Ninja winked at her before making his way over to the passenger’s side of the door. Smugly, he opened the door for her, waiting for her. 

She couldn’t help roll her eyes at him again, he sure had a flair for the dramatics. Even though Harumi wanted to pry for answers, as to what he could possibly be talking about; she desperately wanted to curl up in a bed. 

Harumi slowly trudged forward and slid into the car, but not before she could shake her head towards the Green Ninja as she tried not to laugh in front of him. She slowly stepped into the car and sat down. The inside of the car looked like how she expected the outside to look. There were gadgets, buttons, and levers covering most of the dashboard with a screen in the center. Harumi couldn’t help but get slightly out of the car to look at it closer, then back into the car, then back outside. This car was strange, it wasn’t like anything she had ever seen before. She couldn’t help but turn towards the Green Ninja who had gotten into the driver’s seat. Her mouth slightly agape as she stared at him.

“I know, crazy right?” He turned towards her, his eyes folding on the outside. He was smiling. Harumi couldn’t do anything but nod and buckle her seat belt. 

The Green Ninja pressed a button to the right of the steering wheel, turning the car on. He then tapped a button on his wheel, causing the light on the center screen to light up. There was a masked person standing in front of presumably another screen. Only instead of cloth masks the ninja wore,they wore a black helmet with a white section that went over their mouth. The top of the helmet had gold horns? Harumi wasn’t too sure, she had never really seen a helmet like this before, except on Samurai X. Though she still wasn’t too sure how to describe the helmet or outfit they wore.

“We’re on our way X, see you soon.” The Green Ninja said, looking straight ahead, as he shifted into ‘Drive’. The masked person simply nodded, before the screen shut off. 

“So, do you want to listen to music?” 

Harumi didn’t hear him. She wasn’t even paying attention, which was reserved for watching the palace slowly shrink in size as they drove away from it. She knew she should be excited, but a part of her longed to sleep in her own bed, or to sit next to her father while he filled out paperwork. Instead she was in a car with someone she didn’t really know, driving further and further from the only thing she’s ever known. 

The lights from the city and other cars blurred together, colors of red, gold, blue, and green flew past them. Everything seemed to blend together, her mind could hardly follow what the outside world was up to. So much for seeing the outside world. There wasn’t anything she could look at or even focus on, that is, except for the moon that loomed overhead of them. At least that was one piece of normalcy she had. 

Harumi leaned against the window, it was cold; sending shivers up and through her body. She didn’t care, she just wanted to rest her body even for a second. It wasn’t insanely late, around 10:30 pm, but all the crying caught up to her. She was exhausted, but her eyes couldn’t even close, they wouldn’t, she wouldn’t let herself fall asleep. She had to stay awake at least for a little bit until she knew everything was okay, somehow.

It felt like they were driving for hours. They were near the outskirts of Ninjago City or somewhere near there. She wasn’t too sure on where they were, only that with each passing minute, she was growing colder and even more exhausted. A slight shiver went up through her left hand. She didn’t care, she couldn’t even be bothered. It didn’t matter to Harumi that she was cold, she couldn’t stop thinking about the looks in her parents eyes, the way Raya hugged her goodbye, the way her father didn’t even hug her goodbye, the way the Green Ninja held her hand, the way she left everything behind. 

She couldn’t believe it let alone process it or everything. It felt like everyone expected her to be okay with this, when she didn’t even have a say in any of it. She looked up, out the window. The buildings were smaller, only a few lights surrounded them. 

There was suddenly a warm breeze that landed on her face. She couldn’t help but shift her eyes up towards the dash. The Green Ninja was reaching towards the vents on the front of the car shifting them towards her. “He must have noticed I was cold.” She thought to herself, the corners of her mouth pulling slightly upwards. He was unusually good at reading her, whether it was what she was thinking, or what she needed. Even though Harumi longed to feel known her whole life, she wished a part of her was still coated in at least an ounce of mystery. 

She shifted upwards, sitting up. Her head mildly stung from lying in the same position for who knows how long. She looked to her left, towards the Green Ninja. He was leaning back, his right elbow relaxing on the console and his left hand was on the upper left of the steering wheel. He glanced at Harumi, his eyes looked soft and gentle. She couldn’t help but return the same look with a small smile. 

She cleared her throat. “So- um, where are we going?” She asked, pushing for some kind of answer. 

“Well it’s not our headquarters, but it’s similar.” He answered, his eyes not leaving the road. 

“Yeah I figured as much.” Harumi laughed. “I mean where exactly.” She responded sarcastically. 

“It’s classified.” He said. His voice was as straight as an arrow.

Harumi couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping slightly. She was shocked. How was she supposed to trust him or the other ninja to protect her if he didn’t even share anything with her? Ugh! He was just as bad as her parents and Hutchins. 

“Kidding.” He said, glancing over to her. “We’re heading to our ship, Destiny’s Bounty . The others are docking it out here, while I drive us there.” He answered. Catching her off guard. 

“Oh.” She answered before punching him hard in the arm. 

“Ow! What was that for?” He yelped in pain. Harumi didn’t think she hit him that hard, but maybe she was stronger than she thought. 

“That’s for joking with me!” She crossed her arms, facing him. “That wasn’t very nice of you Mr. Green Ninja.” She humphed. 

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. My apologies Ms. Harumi Jade.” He was as smug as ever and was definitely leaning into it. 

She couldn’t help but burst into laughter, neither could the Green Ninja for that matter. Their laughs in harmony with one another. 

It took a few minutes before Harumi was able to collect her composure. “Also, is there a name I can call you? Green Ninja is a little too complicated for my taste.” She asked, partly hoping for something more than a nickname. 

He stopped laughing just like that. He only looked through the windshield, barely even acknowledging Harumi. She didn’t think she asked a tough question, but maybe she struck a nerve. Afterall, they had secret identities for a reason. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked, she felt like she shouldn’t have pried. She wouldn’t anymore, at least about that. But a part of her couldn’t help but remain curious as to who he was, who everyone was.

She felt guiltier the more she stared at him, watching him grow more and more uncomfortable with every passing second. He looked like he was thinking about something, contemplating something. His eyes never wandered from the road. He didn’t even make an attempt to glance at Harumi like he did before. Now more than ever she wished she could at least read and understand others as well as he did. She longed to be able to understand him or at least a part of him like he understood her. 

“We’re here.” He said, breaking the overwhelming silence the two were swallowed by. He pressed another button to his left, which opened a warehouse’s doors. Before he pressed the same button from earlier, turning the screen on. 

“We’re here X, could you lower the anchor?” 

The Samurai only nodded before shutting off the connection, as Lloyd pulled into a parking spot. There were large cars, jets, and motorcycles throughout the warehouse each one facing the opposite end of where the doors opened. Just like that the two sat in overwhelming silence. Harumi was nervous to even get out of the car, unsure of what to do. 

Just like before, the Green Ninja picked up on her feelings like he’s done a million times before. He simply unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car to open Harumi’s door for her. His hand extended towards her’s. She hesitated for a moment before taking it. Even after she was out of the car, he didn’t let go of her hand while he guided her through a door on the left hand side of the warehouse. 

Outside in the cold air there was a large chain hanging from the sky where an even larger anchor met the ground. 

He took a careful step up onto one of the anchor’s arms. Overcome with anxiety, Harumi let go. She couldn’t help it, she was scared. She couldn't even see the ship he mentioned, if there really was a ship up there. All she saw were clouds.

His arm stayed extended towards her. “Do you trust me?” They were the only words that he spoke within the last 10 minutes he said while looking directly into her eyes. His eyes were a beautiful, emerald green that glistened underneath the street lamps. Harumi felt like she had no choice but to trust him, but she did. She trusted him. He had saved her life on more than one occasion and protected it. Not to mention he was asked directly by her mom. All Harumi could do was nod, before taking his hand and standing on his left side on the anchor. 

He placed his hand to his right ear. “Alright X, bring us up.” 

The anchor moved suddenly, scaring Harumi out of her mind. It was almost instinct for her to reach towards him and hold him, like her life depended on it; it did. He shifted in response, turning slightly towards her, where he could still hold the pole of the anchor with his left hand and hold her with his right. Her eyes were squeezed shut, barely even peeking at the ground. She gripped him tighter and tighter. 

“Don’t look down, look at me.” His arm tightened around her. Even with how tight the two were holding each other, she struggled turning her eyes to face him, fearing that if she turned her head even a little she’d fall. 

“Trust me, Rumi. I’ll never let you fall, I promise.” She was stunned. Not only by how kind and gentle his voice was, but the sincerity in it. Something in his voice made Harumi trust him, something in her heart trusted him. 

Almost unconsciously, she lifted her head to look up at the Green Ninja. A slight misstep of her feet would have sent her falling, but he never let go of her; he steadied her. He carefully held her while she found her balance, before Harumi hid in the crook of his shoulder. He didn’t let her fall, Harumi felt her mind ease slightly the further she buried herself into him. Harumi could sense he didn’t mind though, it was almost like she really was getting to know the green eyed ninja. 

The anchor slowly stopped the more they got to the top before coming to steady halt. 

“Alright, Rumi. I need to hold on tight and not let go. Can you do that for me?” She couldn’t say anything, only nod. Obviously she wasn’t going to let go, she was probably hundreds of feet in the air. 

“I think it might be best if you close your eyes, also.” He added looking down at the frightened princess. Harumi nodded. Gripping him as tightly as she could, her eyes glued shut. 

Harumi didn’t really know how to describe what just happened, but it felt like she was flying based on the way their bodies moved. Still, she didn’t want to let go, even as her feet hit the wooden deck. It didn’t matter that they were safely on the ship when they were still in the middle of the sky.

He chuckled. She was scared out of her mind and he chuckled? She couldn’t help but give him a semi-hostile glare. 

He chuckled again. “Heh, sorry. It’s just we’re here. You’re safe.” For some jerk who was just laughing at her, he made no effort to remove her off of him. 

She let go finally, breathing a sigh of relief. “I don’t ever want to do that again! Please tell me that’s not the only way to get onto this ship?!” She could feel her hands still shaking, pulling them behind her to hopefully hide it from the observant ninja. 

He scratched the back of his head. “Yeahhh, well about that. Not when we’re in the air, but when we’re in the water it's as easy as can be.” 

“Oh you have got to be kidding me.” She couldn’t stop herself from giggling. Of course it would be easier to get inside. Besides, whose idea was it anyway to make a ship fly? They belong in the water. 

Another shiver sped through Harumi’s spine, catching the eye of a certain Green Ninja. “Let’s get you inside, it’s been a long day.” She wanted to argue with him, but he was right, she was exhausted. 

She nodded following him inside. To be honest, she wasn’t really paying attention to where he was leading her or her surroundings. She could only focus on the back of his deep green gi, the dim light that illuminated the chestnut wood, and the creaking of floor boards. For a ninja headquarters, it was sure hard for anyone to sneak around with how loud the floorboards sounded.

He led her to a tall oblong shaped door with a circular window towards the top and a weird circular door handle. Sounds of metal filled the hallway, as he turned the circular handle open. 

“The others fixed you up your own room and everyone’s excited to meet you tomorrow.” He said, gesturing towards the inside. 

It was a simple room, a warm light illuminated its surroundings. Towards the corner of the room there was a wooden twin bed adjacent to a small nightstand. It wasn’t anything like her room at the palace, but in a good way. It was a nice change of pace, even if it reminded her of a storage closet. 

“Sorry if it’s not much, I know it’s probably not what you're used to.” He commented. 

“No no!” She panicked slightly, not wanting to seem ungrateful for their kindness. “It’s perfect, I- I’m glad it’s different from my room at the palace. It’s less of my parents and more- more me.” She looked towards his eyes, which she could tell were growing more and more confused. “Like I can make it my own.” Her jade eyes facing his green. 

The outer corners of his eyes shifted, growing closer together. She couldn’t help but smile too. There was a certain light in his eyes and she was sure it wasn’t from the warm light hanging from the top of the ceiling. Harumi could feel her eyes glowing as well, it was just the two of them. It’s felt like it’s always been the two of them since their faithful meeting last night. She was beyond grateful for him, but not because he’s saved her and protected her more than once; but because of the way he looked and acted around her. He didn’t walk on eggshells around her, he didn’t see her as only a princess. He saw her as a person, just like she saw him. Which she knew was different from how others saw him and how her certain fiancé saw her. 

Harumi couldn’t help but long for a lull, a break. It felt like the last few days there was always something insane happening, but her life’s always been like that. She knew it wasn’t going to be much of a break in the long run, but this was her break. It was a break from all her royalty duties; oh how she longed for this, only under different circumstances. 

The more they stood there beside each other, the more Harumi grew more and more exhausted. She turned to face him, ready to say goodnight, but before she could say anything he turned around at a minor jog before ducking into a nearby room. 

Huh. She’d be lying if she said she expected that, though she couldn’t help but giggle slightly at how weird this guy was. She retreated further into her room, her two suitcases were placed neatly at the opposite end to where her bed resided. Her nightstand held a simple lamp, phone charger, toothbrush, and toothpaste. They were so sweet to her, they already did so much for her. She could cry. 

Harumi thought it’d be best to start unpacking what little clothing she brought in an attempt to make her room a little more cozy and put together. But as she unzipped her first suitcase, a wave of exhaustion traveled through her. It’d probably be best if she went to bed instead of organizing her room. Harumi finished zipping her suitcase open when the sudden realization hit her. “Oh, that’s right. I didn’t pack any pajamas.” She mumbled slightly, disappointed. She wasn’t exactly in the most comfortable clothes. Looks like her sleep tonight would not provide the rest and relaxation she hoped for. 

Somehow on cue, the Green Ninja turned into the room. A pair of black sweatpants and moss green crewneck in his hand. 

“I wasn’t sure if you brought anything to wear to bed, so until we can get you something a little more permanent, I thought this might do.” He placed the two pairs of clothing on the bed for her. 

However, Harumi didn’t turn to face him. Part of her was too tired to even turn around and another part of her couldn’t comprehend how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time. She wanted this for so long, but she wanted her parents’ blessing not to literally be forced out of her home. 

The room went silent though Harumi didn’t notice, she was too lost in her thoughts. She was lost in the situation that was now her life. Her mind couldn’t quite comprehend what had happened, but it could at the same time. Everything was much too complicated. Everything was just a lot. Harumi didn’t even know her shoulders were so tense, until a gentle hand was placed on them; it was him. She looked up and found the Green Ninja, there was a gentle look in his eyes. He didn’t need to say anything, she knew he was there for him. She knew he would do anything for her. She knew him, even if it wasn’t as much as the other ninja, but her heart knew and that’s what mattered. 

“I- I know it must not be easy. Leaving everything you ever knew behind, your life being entrusted to a eighteen year old kid-” so that’s how old he was, thank the First. “-being forced to hide a part of yourself…” He cleared his throat, seemingly trying to clear the lump that had formed. “But I promise that you’re not in this alone, you have me, the other ninja, our Sensei, Samurai X, and those from the palace will always be there for you. I promise, Rumi. Nothing could keep me from honoring my word.” 

He was so sincere, so kind, so reassuring, so sure of himself; of everything. Even though his words didn’t make her feel one hundred percent better about everything, it was a start. And boy, was Harumi glad she was about to go through life with him, even if she didn’t know who he was. 

“Thank you. It means a lot. I mean it.” She attempted to assure him that his words meant a lot to her. Hopefully he was smiling, even if it was a small smile, like hers.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He helped her to her feet before turning towards the door, not wanting to prevent her from getting ready for bed. “Good night, Rumi.” He whispered, leaning on the door frame. 

“Good night-” She wanted it to be a little more personal than just a good night, but she didn’t know what to call him. That is, until it finally popped into her head. “Good night, G.” She whispered, smiling softly. 

He nodded, before he quietly left the door frame. Harumi fished through her belongings before she found her toothbrush and mouthwash, no toothpaste. But thankfully the ninja left her some. She wished she had paid more attention to where everything was, but she would make do. It couldn’t be too far away and she was right. It was the door across from where she saw G go into earlier. Harumi sort of sped through brushing her teeth and using her mouthwash, but she was exhausted so it was fine. She’d do a proper brush in the morning, whenever she woke up.

After somehow figuring out how to use the strange wheel attached to her door to close it, she changed into the clothes he brought her. Even if the sweatpants and crewneck were definitely too big for her, they were sure comfortable. The bed, however, was nothing like her bed back home but it wasn’t bad. With the lights off the room felt even smaller than it was, but she didn’t mind. All she wanted was a peaceful night's sleep, even if it took everything in her. 

Chapter Text

His face was burning. The air was hot, it was almost suffocating. He wasn’t sure what was happening or where he was. Everything he felt throughout his body was overwhelming and felt like it was on fire. 

His eyes suddenly burst open. His body, everything about it hurt. Everything about it burned. Forcing himself to look up. Multiple pieces of debris covered his entire body. He was trapped. Trapped in some kind of burning building. Trapped under all this rubble. He took a deep breath before attempting to lift the beams off of him. He grunted before using all of his strength to attempt to push it off of him. It was no use. It was too heavy.

Unwilling to meet defeat, he took another deep breath before screaming as he pushed the beams off of him. He used all the strength he could muster and it proved to be worth it. Through just as fast as he gained his bearings, his vision grew foggy, though only for a moment. 

Lloyd looked down at his hands. They were his, but they were bloodied and bruised. Something happened here, he wasn’t necessarily sure what had happened, but a part of him knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Something in his gut twisted and folded into itself. 

He shook his head, attempting to at least focus on something around him. Even if he could barely focus on his surroundings. It was almost like there was a dark cloud preventing him from moving or even breathing. No matter how hard he tried to suck air into his lungs, it was pointless. He couldn’t breathe. Lloyd’s body couldn’t help but give out; he stumbled to the floor, his vision grew cloudy. The only sounds that seemed to fill the smoked room were the crackling of fire, the cracking of wood and Lloyd’s desperate coughs. 

The fire grew hotter and hotter, like he was trapped in the center of the sun. It was the hottest fire he had ever felt and it only seemed to grow hotter and hotter. He needed to breathe, he needed air, he needed to survive. 

Slowly and very carefully, Lloyd struggled picking himself back up onto his hands and knees. His body couldn’t help but violently cough in a pointless attempt to cough out some of the smoke and other debris he must have inhaled. It, just like all his previous attempts, was pointless.

“No” A voice spoke out, catching him off guard. 

As much as Lloyd tried to respond to the voice his throat burned. His voice was incredibly hoarse; his words barely formed complete sentences. 

“Who–” Lloyd somehow managed to push out. 

“No, do not speak. Save your strength, she needs you.” The voice spoke out again. It was a woman’s voice and something in him knew it. 

Lloyd managed to look up, where he saw the room he was in; a hallway. He recognized this place, but he wasn’t entirely sure from where. The walls were adorned with burnt tapestries and paintings. The walls were too difficult for him to tell what color they were, even the floor looked beyond his knowledge. 

He shook his head in an attempt to refocus himself on the task at hand. He pushed his head to look forward. Where someone laid underneath a wooden beam that must have fallen onto them. Their white hair sprawled out across the floor. 

“You promised her.” The voice spoke out. 

Like the roof tumbling onto him, Lloyd was hit with a sudden force of realization. Of course. It was Rumi. He pushed himself further. He had to save her. He promised her. He couldn’t go back on his promise. He struggled to make his way to her, inching his way forward. Every movement caused his aching body to scream out at him. It seemed every step of the crawl he did, the more his body was on fire. His body wanted him to give up, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t go back on his promise. He’d never forgive himself if he did. He pushed himself, more than he ever pushed himself in his entire life. 

After what felt like an eternity, he made it to her. “Please be alive, please be alive.” He forced out, reaching his fingers to read her pulse. The more he searched for it the more nervous he grew, before he let out a heavy sigh of relief. 

“Oh thank the First” He muttered, pushing a strand of hair off her face. “Alright come on Lloyd, you can do it. It doesn’t look that heavy.” He pushed himself back up onto his feet, even if he wobbled slightly and his vision blurred he pushed himself through; he endured it. 

Now it was time for the beam. He gripped the side of it that was extended in the air. He took a deep breath, well as deep as it could be, and attempted to lift up the thick red beam. However, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he yelled with each push; it was futile. He wasn’t strong like Cole or Kai, he was weak in comparison. He needed their help, he always needed their help. He couldn’t do it. He wasn’t strong enough. The beam was too heavy. Lloyd was too tired. Pain continued to shoot all throughout his body, Lloyd couldn’t help but wince. He couldn’t save her. His body started to give up, like he was beginning to face away. His clouded eyes stung, as they met the smoky air. He went back on his promise. He inadvertently ki–

“No, son. You must not give up. You are strong enough. I believe in you. She believes in you.” 

Of course. It was his mother’s voice. It had been so long, he forgot what her voice sounded like. Suddenly he felt a deep pang in his chest. Oh how he wished he was a better son to have remembered what her voice sounded like. It was just as kind as he remembered. And she was right, he could do this. He was strong enough; he had to be; he would be. He would save Harumi for both of them. He couldn’t let either of them down.

He closed his eyes, his mind focusing on the fire, the smoke, how breathing was incredibly painful, how much his eyes burned, how much his body screamed out at him. All of which he could bare, all except for losing her. He had to save her. He had too. He couldn’t lose anyone else. A ninja never leaves another person behind, especially her. 

He shifted his sore fingers, regripping the wooden beam. It would be for both of them, his mom and Harumi. Lloyd took a deep breath in, slightly wincing. It was now or never. He channeled all of his strength, his adrenaline and pushed as hard as he could; him and his body screaming as he successfully pushed it off of her. 

“Rumi! Rumi!” He yelled, shaking her slightly. “We need to go!” 

Her eyes slightly shifted, but before he could take notice of everything a part of his facade quickly faded. There was a deeper, burning sensation in his leg. The pain, it was too much. His vision began to fade quickly, with his body failing in return. 

All he could do was watch the building, the hallway he was in crumble around him. The heat and smoke were suffocating. For a moment all Lloyd could see was red and gray; he could hardly feel his hands; they were shaking so bad. 

He shook those thoughts from his head, he had to push through; for her. However, the sounds of wood cracking suddenly took his attention away from his recovery. All he could see was a large red beam on fire falling directly on top of him.

Lloyd shot up from his pillow, gasping for any kind of air he could have. No matter how hard he tried, his breathing couldn’t calm down. He had never had a nightmare like that before, one that truly scared him to his core. He felt a line of cold sweat across his forehead. He looked down towards his hands; they were violently shaking. The pain he felt, the things he saw; it all felt real, too real. 

He couldn’t help but curl into himself, his chest buried into his legs. He was still shaking. His mind couldn’t forget anything from his dream, it was too vivid, too intense. He tried focusing on his breathing, but it was too rapid, too intense. His lips and teeth slowly met each other, before digging into one another.

Lloyd was left hugging himself in a dark room where the only light was from the moon. He didn’t know why he was freaking out, it was just a dream. But no matter how much he tried to push it from his mind; he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget it. He couldn’t forget the way Rumi’s body laid underneath the wooden beam, he couldn’t forget how weak he felt or the way his body cried out in pain, he couldn’t forget the sound of his mother’s voice. He prayed to the First that he’d never forget it. He couldn’t forget the horrifying sounds that surrounded him or the way the building crumbled. The more Lloyd thought about it, the more his panic grew. He was frightened to his core and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

Suddenly overrun with emotion; he paused. Lloyd couldn’t breathe. No matter how rapid his breath was, he wasn’t getting any air. He wasn’t getting any air! His hands gripped his comforter as tight as he could, though with every passing moment he was terrified he would wake someone up. He could breathe if he really tired hard enough. 

So, Lloyd did the thing he did best. He left the room to somewhat hide from the others; he didn’t want anyone to see him like this. He knew they wouldn’t make fun of him, but he didn’t want to worry anyone. Things had already gotten weird since he left his dad’s place last night with everyone. He was supposed to be the leader and here he was making everyone worry; he wouldn’t make anyone worry ever again. 

The creaking of floorboards drowned out the sounds of his painting, as he made his way onto the deck. He was met with a cold gust of wind, it wasn’t as gentle as it was in the city last night. He wasn’t complaining though, the cold breeze of wind was like needles throughout his exposed hands and face. It gave the feeling into his hands again. 

Lloyd wasn’t keeping track of how long he’d been outside for, but he did know that the more time he spent outside the easier time he had breathing. So what happened must haven’t been nothing or subsided. By the look of the moon, it couldn’t have been more than 1:30 in the morning. He’d barely even slept for very long, but he felt well rested enough. Besides every time he closed his eyes he could see it, he was there again in his dream. Lloyd didn’t know why he couldn’t forget it, but he was over it. He’d just make himself forget it, or at least try to. 

He leaned his forearms against the railing. The sky was beautiful, the moon and stars shined brighter than they did in the city but not nearly as bright as compared to back at the Monastery. He could feel himself exhale along with his shoulders releasing some of their tension. The tension wasn’t really gone, it could never leave him. He missed her. 

His Uncle Wu had told him that as each day passed, the pain of her absence would somehow ease, but the more she was gone the more he missed her. His uncle was wrong. The pain in his heart would never be gone, until she was home. He told her not to go, he told her to stay home with him and dad. As a child, Lloyd hated when his mother would leave on her archaeological expeditions. He had just wished he tried harder. He wished he pushed her to stay. He knew he was only just a kid, but it still felt like his fault. 

Oh what he would give for his mom to come home. What he would give for them to be a family again, because where he and his father stood currently it felt like he was alone. On some basis he knew he wasn’t, but the thought still lingered in his mind. The thought he wouldn’t have what he always longed for ever since she left through the door. He didn’t even remember what the door to his old house looked like, he could only remember his mother’s face as she walked out the door. 

He could feel tears fall from his eyes down his cheeks, he didn’t care. He was alone, with no one to hear his sniffles or see the tear stains on his cheeks. For the first time in a while, Lloyd felt like he could let go. Where he could just give in to all of his emotions, all of his feelings. He was falling into longing, into despair, and there was no one here to pull him out. He was much too tired holding up a front that he couldn’t possibly rebuild, not right now anyway. 

The cold winds sent shivers up his spine, as they made the tears on his face sting. As much as he wanted to, Lloyd couldn’t leave the cold. He wasn’t ready to be surrounded by warmth just yet. He wanted to be cold for a few moments longer. The cold gave his body something to do, something that wasn’t focusing on his nightmare or the absence of his mom. Another cold shiver went up spine, he could feel himself deeply inhale and exhale. 

Here he was, alone in the bitter night; with only his thoughts to keep him company. He longed to feel this peace forever, but he knew it wasn’t meant to last. 

“G?” A soft voice called out to him, startling the rest of his air out of him. 

He fumbled catching his breath, as he desperately tried to keep his secret identity a secret. He cleared his throat, pulling his hood on and closing the strings just a bit so he could hide behind his hoodie. Before he could say anything, she spoke again, as she stood next to him overlooking the sky. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t look.” She paused. “Even though I really want to.” She let out a soft chuckle, her eyes facing forwards. She really wasn’t trying to see his face, though he knew that when she does see his face, she’ll be disappointed or hate him. ‘Lloyd Garmadon’ wasn’t really the best person, unlike the Green Ninja. The Green Ninja was a better person, he was something that people could be proud of, he was someone Rumi could trust to protect her; not whatever he was without the mask on.

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them, seemingly were both either too focused on their surrounding night world or were both too nervous to say something. For Lloyd, it was definitely because he was stuck in his head. Even the princess of Ninjago’s arrival couldn’t pull him from his thoughts. 

“So, you couldn’t sleep either?” She asked, still staring into the empty night. 

A lump started to form in his throat. He tried to somehow swallow it, but he couldn’t seem to push it further down his throat. The only sound Lloyd could make was the sound of him clearing his throat. Though it didn’t seem to help his endeavors. Subconsciously, he could feel his teeth make contact with his lower lip. 

Lloyd wanted to nod, but he knew with their specific circumstance needed him to say something. He hated keeping secrets from anyone, but there was something about her that tugged at his heart. 

He mustered up the courage to say something, but he could only say, “Mhmm.” Lloyd’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. He hoped she heard him, so he didn’t have to repeat himself. He wasn’t his usually confidentish, happy, carefree self right now. He was almost a shell of himself. He was the same kid, who lost his mom, the same one who was picked on relentlessly at his boarding school, the one who had greatness thrust upon him at 14 years old. He was just a kid; they were all kids. 

She scooted closer to his left hand side; he could feel his entire body grow more and more tense. Though she didn’t say anything or really do anything for a while. They both just stared into the night sky, in peaceful silence. 

Rumi placed her hand on his. It was warm and conforming against the cool breeze. Even though he wanted to look at her, the lack of a mask prevented him from doing so. His eyes couldn’t help but glance over towards Rumi. Her hair was still in the two french braids from earlier, while her cheeks were a deep pink and his clothes were definitely too big for her, but she held her own. Her body wasn’t shivering and if it was, she put up a good front. 

They stood together, her hand placed overtop his for a while. He wasn’t really sure how long they’d been standing there, but seeing her okay and not unconscious underneath a wooden beam brought the reassurance he needed after his nightmare. 

“I know our specific situation isn’t the best, but I hope we’re able to become friends in the time we have together.” 

To be honest, her statement took Lloyd off guard. Here she was, standing next to him, practically holding his hand. At any moment she could look over at him and rip his hood off of him revealing his identity to her, but with each moment that past; she didn’t. 

“I- I hope so too.” He paused, measuring his next words carefully. “Though I hope you’re okay with my identity staying secret.” 

“I do want to know who you are, I’m not exactly sure what it is, but there’s something about you that makes me yearn to know.” Lloyd could feel his heart sink into his stomach. “But it’s not my place, so I won’t try and figure out who you are. You have my word, G. It’s hard to trust someone without knowing who they are, but can’t that be said for everybody? We all have parts of ourselves that we keep hidden, but it’s up to us to have faith in those we surround ourselves with. I’m growing more and more trusting of you and in relation the others, but all things take time. Right? So here’s to trusting each other.” 

He could feel her hand move from the top of his to his palm. She gently squeezed his hand, he couldn’t help but comply as he returned the squeeze. 

Something in what she said stuck with him, he could feel his face growing slightly warmer and the beating of his heart speeding up. It must have been his exhaustion slowly creeping up on him. 

“Here’s to trusting each other.” Lloyd responded, glancing at the white haired princess. 

He could only catch her slightly nodding and smiling in return. A cold gust of wind nearly broke her composure, as she fumbled slightly following the wind’s harsh contact. Here they were, in the freezing cold; Rumi comforting him when she should be inside resting. But she didn’t leave, even as her fingers grew colder or her back shivered. She was too good of a person for him. 

Breaking the silence. “Let’s get you inside and back to bed. You’ve had a long day and I wish I could say tomorrow was any different.” Lloyd slightly let go of her hand in an attempt to usher her back inside. 

“I–” she took a moment, sucking air in through her teeth; almost like she wanted to say something but didn’t. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go in first so you don’t have to worry.” She smiled, before turning towards the entrance of Destiny's Bounty . 

She took three steps before Lloyd called out to her. 

“Rumi, wait!” He paused for a moment, measuring exactly what he wanted to say to her. “Thank you, it- it means more than you know.” Lloyd could feel his voice grow weaker and weaker to some extent; almost as if he wasn’t exactly sure of what he truly meant. 

She nodded, a bright warm smile appearing on her face. “And thank you G.” 

He couldn’t help but watch her leave, or from a sudden feeling in his chest that missed her. He didn’t really know why, but a part of him wished they could have stood there for longer. He couldn’t help but shake his head and look towards the sky.

“Am I doing the right thing mom?” Lloyd asked the sky, hoping for some kind of sign from her. It felt like he was staring into the unknown for hours, searching for something that could indicate she was here or at least watching over him. 

However, the sky brought nothing. There wasn’t a sign, at least none he could see. Lloyd exhaled a defeated sigh. It was probably best if he went to bed too, after all there wasn’t a lot he’d be able to do if he was half asleep. 

Begrudgingly, he made his way inside and then to his bed. He slipped into bed, glancing at the clock to his right side; it read 3:30am. Lloyd let out another sigh, he was supposed to be awake at 7am the following morning. Looks like he wasn’t getting a lot of sleep to begin with. 

He pulled his wrinkled covers up to surround him as he twisted to his left, however when Lloyd closed his eyes all he saw were the images of the cracking beams and intense fire that surrounded him. He could feel his hands start to shake and the beginning of his heart starting to race. 

Lloyd did his best to shake the images from his head, but it seemed nothing he did worked. It seemed these images would be stuck with him forever. All he could do was to attempt to push his thoughts to the back of his head and he tried to get some rest. 

Chapter Text

The shrill sounds of an alarm filled the air. Cole couldn’t help but pull his blankets over his head. For just once he wanted to sleep in, it seemed like forever since he was able to sleep in at least nine. 

With a deep sigh he got up from bed to turn off the alarm. Looking around he saw the other’s beds. Zane, Lloyd, and Jay were still asleep while Kai’s bed looked to be freshly made. Knowing the long day everyone had last night, what harm could an extra thirty minutes be? Surely Sensei Wu wouldn’t mind if everyone got a little more sleep. 

Cole decided it was best if he set a thirty minute timer on the digital clock, so the others could get some more rest and so he could check in on what Kai was up to. 

He put on his gi, in a small effort to conceal his identity from the princess. Though he did hate the idea of having to wear it all the time, especially in the place where he and the others were supposed to move around freely. Though he knew it was his duty, as a ninja to protect her while also maintaining his and everyone else’s secret identity. 

As quietly as he could, he made his way out of their quarters in search of the hot headed ninja. He had to be somewhere around Destiny’s Bounty, but the questions was where exactly. 

Sounds of pots clanging and the scraping of metal filled the halls the closer Cole made his way towards the kitchen, which is exactly where he thought Kai might be. And it was made more apparent, as Cole followed the loud echoes of metal and other other sounds. 

Sure enough he found Kai in the kitchen over the stove. He wasn’t wearing his gi; instead he was still in his pajamas, which was a simple loose red t-shirt and a pair of black sweat shorts. It was hard to tell if there was anything on his shirt, but the eggs and flour that covered him made that a difficult task. Not to mention his hair wasn’t gelled at all and messily sat across his forehead and head. 

There were splattered eggs seemingly everywhere; on the kitchen counter, the walls, cabinets, fridge. Cole didn’t even know they had that many eggs or how many eggs were scattered around him. Not to mention the amount of bacon and flour that covered the floor and walls. 

He couldn’t help but smirk at how silly the red ninja looked. Here was the Elemental Master of Fire, who could hardly cook- whatever it was he was cooking. 

Cole let out a soft chuckle, catching the attention of his slightly younger friend. Definitely caught off his guard, Kai lept, letting out a loud yelp; who immediately let go of his spatula, therefore tossing an egg into the lighting fixture. 

Neither of them could keep it in any longer and both bursted into an explosive laughter. Both practically kneeling over in an attempt to find time to recover from laughing so hard. 

“What in the First are you doing?” Cole asked, in between his laughing. 

Slightly wheezing, Kai found the footing to answer Cole. “I- heh heh- thought it would be nice if I cooked breakfast for everyone, but um- I sorta can’t really–” 

“Cook?” Cole finished his sentence for him, placing a hand on his hip. 

Growing a little more pink, Kai scratched the back of his head. “Yeah.” He let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t know, I just wanted to do something nice for everyone especially since Lloyd’s been–” He paused, struggling to find the words. 

“More distant than usual?” Cole asked, hoping to help him find the right words Kai was searching for. 

The Fire Ninja softly exhaled, struggling with their younger friend’s closed off behavior. He always seemed a bit distant, but he was still able to laugh and joke around with everyone. No one wanted to force him or anyone to say anything; that’s not how one would go about supporting their friends. Cole knew better than anyone how hard it was to open to others, or find the energy to smile; especially after he lost his mom. In his head Cole knew that in time he would tell them when he was ready, but his heart wanted to almost overwhelm him with support. Though he knew that might push him away even more, since it would have pushed him away. 

Cole glanced over at Kai, who looked as defeated as he felt. Something in him twisted, he hated seeing his friends upset; especially Kai. He knew that since he was the oldest, minus Master Wu and Zane, he had to say something to ease his anxieties. Cole took a deep breath, looking towards his brown haired comrade. 

He walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s not easy, since we want to show him our support but we don’t want to show him too much support and push him away. It’s a hard balance, but it’ll be okay; he’ll be okay.” Cole paused in an attempt to read Kai’s expression; he looked somewhat better, but still a little worried. So Cole thought he’d try and find a way to lighten his spirits.

“But I think a homemade meal from your friends is exactly what he needs, what everyone needs.” Cole continued, smiling towards him. When Kai didn’t really respond, he lept into action picking up a bowl and some of the uncracked eggs that remained. He reached for the milk, salt, and other ingredients that he assumed would be in pancake mix. 

This caught Kai’s attention, who was a little confused at his friend’s sudden readiness to start cooking. “What on earth are you doing?” Kai asked. 

“Helping! What does it look like, airhead?” Cole replied, not hiding the fact that he was jokingly rolling his eyes. Kai gave him a somewhat dirty look before pulling out his phone to find a good and not too complicated pancake recipe. 

Cole liked the way Kai looked when he was at a loss for words, but there was something about him right now that made his chest swell. Ever since head known Kai, his heart was attached to his sleeve, in his eyes at least. Cole knew Kai liked to hide behind a cocky exterior, but just from the way they grew to know each other or how fast they connected, he’s always cared deeply for his friends and those he saw as family. It was something he greatly admired and respected about him. 

He didn’t even notice his body tensing, as Kai moved closer to him to share the recipe. They were so much closer together than before. With Kai reaching over him to measure out the milk. Each moment they had close like this was another moment closer to Cole feeling like he was becoming the Elemental Master of Explosion rather than Earth. 

Cole could feel his heart beating faster, which didn’t make sense. He wasn’t nervous, or was he? He didn’t really know. But a large part of him wanted it to stay just the two of them. 

He didn’t really care about how much time had passed, especially since they were having a lot of fun together. Whether it was preparing the pancakes, eggs, or bacon. Cole wasn’t the best cook in the kitchen, but he and Kai did their best preparing food for everyone. 

“What are you two doing in here?” A feminine voice asked. 

The two, almost in unison, turned around to face Nya, who was typically the first one in the kitchen. 

“Making a surprise breakfast for everyone!” Kai yelled back, before turning back around to flip a pancake. 

“Surprise breakfast? Huh?” Nya asked, slowly eyeing the rest of the room, which they hadn’t even started to clean. Though a small smile appeared across her face, as she quietly laughed before making her way to set the table. 

“Um, I can finish up here if you want?” Cole asked, trying to breathe at least a small amount with Kai’s absence. 

“Wanting to get rid of me?” He joked, slightly bumping Cole’s side. “Yeah, I should probably get a bit cleaned up.” Kai continued handing the spatula to Cole. 

“Thanks buddy! I’ll help clean, so don’t worry about it all by yourself!” He called out, as he ran down the hall. 

Cole couldn’t help but smile as he watched him run out of the room and down the hallway. He didn’t even notice the fact his face slowly started burning up, while he stared where Kai was last standing. 

“I think your pancake’s burning.” Nya’s voice spoke from behind him, reeling him back to reality. Cole quickly flipped the pancake, praying to the First Nya didn’t see how red his face was. Though as much as he prayed, it didn’t seem to do any good. She pulled herself up on the empty counter space next to him, lightly kicking her feet. 

“Sooo, do you want to talk about it?” She asked, her eyes peering into his soul. 

“Not sure what you mean.” Cole answered, avoiding her eyes like his life depended on it. His left hand couldn’t help itself from cracking its knuckles. 

She slightly chuckled, leaning into the cabinets. “Sure, Cole, sure.” 

Rumi’s eyes slowly opened, as she woke up. The smell of wood flooded her sense of smell and for almost a second she forgot where exactly she was. She quickly sat up, scanning the area before the reminders hit her from last night. She was at Destiny’s Bounty, with the Ninja. Her whole life had changed in just a moment and she could barely catch up. 

There was a sudden knock at the door. It was a voice she hadn’t heard before. 

“Your Highness? There’s breakfast ready outside, if you’d like some?” They asked.

There was something about the voice that caught her by surprise, something in his voice reminded her of someone. Harumi shook her head of those thoughts, it was a crazy idea. There was no way the small circle of people was also connected to the Ninja team. She couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. After all, their voice was somewhat robotic? She knew he was an and– nindroid, but there was still something about it. 

“Oh! Thank you! Yes! I’ll be out in a moment!” She called out, hopefully loud enough for them to hear. 

“Wonderful, Your Highness; would you like me to show you the way?” The voice asked through the door. 

That was a good question, did she? No, she could probably figure it out… probably. 

“No, I-I think I’m okay! Thank you though!”

“Very well!” They called back, just before she heard the sounds of footsteps grow quieter. 

Harumi took a deep sigh before throwing off her covers, which was followed by a large stretch and even larger yawn. Looking back at her bed, she thought about making her bed. It wasn’t like she’s never made her bed before, it was just about the lack of time she had to get ready and prepare for her duties; but she didn’t need to, not anymore. 

She hastily threw her comforter and blanket on the bed; at least attempting to make it look somewhat presentable. By the time she was done pulling the corners of the comforter to the corners of the bed, it hardly looked as nice as it was when she got there. She couldn’t help but shrug at her handy work. 

Rumi turned towards her two suitcases. Here was another task for her to attend to. She didn’t have very many clothes with her, so she opted for the same dark green jumpsuit she wore the same night she met G. Before then, Rumi didn’t believe clothing held memories… until then. There was something different about the jumpsuit, the deep green of the jumpsuit no longer reminded her of the palace, but reminded her of the first moment she could breathe; the first moment they had together; it was what she wore when they first met.

She pulled her hair into a loose makeshift ponytail, before she finished getting ready. 

Harumi took a deep breath before walking further down the hall from the bathroom. She wasn’t super sure where to go, but the sounds of talking and laughter echoed through the halls. So, she thought she might as well follow those sounds. She followed the sounds of laughing from a closed door at the end of the hallway. She reached her arm out towards it,slightly hesitating to open it. She was nervous to say the least, she was worried she’d ruin the mood when she opened the door or if she’d remain an outsider. And to say this was a different environment from her life before was an understatement. 

Harumi took a deep breath, carefully twisting the door open. The Ninja sat around a low, rectangular, dark oak table. There were various different plates around the room, each stacked with an assortment of different breakfast options. Each plate of theirs were stacked with pancakes, bacon, fruits, toast, and eggs. A part of her felt overwhelmed with the sounds of laughter and the choices laid out across the table. 

As the slight creaking of the door filled the room, the laughter seemed to instantaneously die down; everyone turned towards the door, towards her. 

She could feel them all staring at her, she of course was staring right back at everyone. She took a deep breath before somewhat forcing a bright smile on her face. “Good morning.” 

“Morning!” 

“G’ morning.”

“Good morning, Rumi.” That was the only voice she could really recognize out of the different ones that replied to her. After all, she was horrible with remembering names and faces; only this was a lot harder.

Much to her surprise and savior, G slightly nudged his head towards the empty seat on his right hand side. It was adjacent to the Water Ninja, who sat at the center of the table. She didn’t want to make it seem like she hurried over there, but she knew her acting skills could use some work. 

She sat down in the floor seat, crossing her legs together. Across from her sat the Lightning Ninja and to his right sat the Master of Earth, then the Fire Ninja, Samurai X who sat at the head of the table, the Ice Ninja who sat to G’s left. Looking in front of everyone’s mismatched plates, she stared at the different foods unsure of what to have. G gave her an encouraging nudge, but Harumi couldn’t help but shake her head. 

“I think I would rather wait till everyone else is finished eating. I- I don’t want to keep you all on edge.” Her voice just above a whisper, as she fiddled with the fabric of her jumpsuit on her thighs. 

“What do you mean?” G asked, his eyes looked as kind as ever and he looked better than she assumed he looked last night. 

“It’s just with your secret identities is all, I don’t want to keep you from being able to eat and relax freely.” Rumi could feel her eyes begin to cloud over; she hated feeling like an inconvenience. 

“Is that what would make you most comfortable?” He asked, leaning slightly forward towards her. 

She couldn’t help but ponder it for a moment. Did she? A part of her didn’t want to inconvenience the Ninja, but a larger part of her didn’t want to be alone. She could feel her brows furrowing while she thought of what exactly she wanted to say. To be completely honest, Rumi wasn’t even sure. But it was a small way she could say ‘thank you’ to the ninja. 

“Mhmm.” Harumi nodded, looking up towards G and the others. “If it’s okay with everyone else?” She asked, somewhat hoping they would tell her to stay. 

But before anyone could really respond, G got up from the table, his arm extended toward her. “I’m not super hungry right now, so if you want I could give you the tour?” He asked, the outer corners of his eyes moved closer together. 

She couldn’t think of what to say, but she guessed a part of her did. Rumi nodded before taking his hand and was pretty much dragged out of the dining room. 

“What about the pla–” The Lightning Ninja’s voice called out to both of them. 

“Later!” G interrupted, pulling her into the room right across from the dining room. 

It was a kitchen, there was a small little window on the left hand wall of the room, along with light oak cupboards lining the back wall. There was a small island placed in the center of the room and two cute little bar stools. Harumi couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to cook such an extravagant breakfast in a kitchen this small. 

“Here’s the kitchen!” He exclaimed, still dragging her all around the room to various different spots. “Here’s the fridge,... pantry,... stove,... coffee machine,... and the most important thing-” He opened a cabinet underneath the sink. “-fire extinguisher!” Seemingly noticed her perplexed expression, as she slightly tilted her head. “With a bunch of fire and disaster prone ninja, it comes in extremely handy more than you know.” He joked. 

Rumi couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer irony of it all. Here she was with the greatest protectors of the land, who could summon elemental powers from their hands were somehow so heavily disaster prone and depended on a fire extinguisher. 

Seemingly now a bit embarrassed, the Green Ninja grabbed her hand as he pulled her down the hallway. He threw open various different doors. He showed her the games room “-we’ve got video games, board games if you’re into that sort of thing-”, training room “-when we’re not training on the deck that is-”, weapons room “-for all your sharp objects pleasures-”, med bay “-hopefully you won’t spend any time here-”, electronics bay “-also doubles as the mechanics bay, for your robotics pleasures-”, and lastly the bridge “-where we spend most of our time, or for the most part-”. For a ship that looked so small on the outside, it sure was big on the inside. 

The bridge was located at the top of the Bounty. It was practically filled to the brim with different buttons, gadgets, and screens that seemed to cover almost every inch of this place. Rumi was shocked at the amount of technology there was. She wasn’t even sure what half the stuff even did, but it definitely looked straight out of a movie or tv show. 

G pressed his right hand to his ear. “Got it, we’re in the bridge.” 

“They’ll be here soon, just making sure everything is warm for you.” He smiled, turning towards Rumi. 

“So to go over the plan?” She asked, slightly leaning on a piece of machinery. He nodded, leaning next to her. 

“We’re going to go over the plan with everyone on how we’re going to keep you safe before we go off on a little adventure.” 

Even though she couldn’t see exactly what his face looked like, she knew he was smirking. “Wait, adventure?” Her eyes couldn’t help but widen, as her head snapped towards him. 

He let out a soft chuckle. “Easy there tiger, patience.” He winked, adding fuel to Harumi’s ever growing curiosity. 

Before she could even respond, the sound of outside chattering flooded the atmosphere. Harumi shot her head up towards the ladder, where a white hood soon peaked through. It was the Ice Ninja, followed by the Earth Ninja, Water Ninja, Fire Ninja, Samurai X, and the Lightning Ninja. Each of them stood around the front of the bridge by the steering wheel in a half circle. Harumi took a deep breath, before stepping up to meet them. 

G cleared his throat. “Alright, so those who will remain in the bridge are the Ice Ninja and Samurai X. They’ll keep an eye out for you from here in the Bounty; checking on the surroundings and keeping watch. While I may be glued to your side-” He nudged her arm. “-The Water, Lightning, Earth, and Fire Ninja will be on patrol on the outside of your apartment and campus.” 

She couldn’t help but suck in air through her teeth. She’s had a lot of realizations, especially within the past few days and this wasn’t like anything she hasn’t already experienced. Rumi didn’t think she would ever get rid of her anxiety, but she couldn’t help but be excited. She was finally getting everything she ever dreamed of. 

“Alright, let’s do this.” Harumi nodded, her demeanor couldn’t help but perk up. 

Chapter Text

It seemed like just last night she sat awkwardly in the passenger seat of G’s weird not very ninja-like car. He sure liked to keep his secrets; first it was his secret identity, not that Harumi didn’t understand why he and the rest of the ninja kept it a secret, but seriously? Not telling her where they were going for the second time was kind of annoying. 

“So are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?” She asked. 

He chuckled, slightly eyeing her. “Well where’s the fun in that? Surprises are way more fun anyways.” 

Harumi bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know, I feel like I’ve had enough surprises for one lifetime.” 

Was she being a little forward? Yes, yes she was. But it was true, she didn’t care for surprises anymore. Her entire life wasn’t filled with surprises; it was structured, ordered. Everything about her entire life was planned out, even this. It was all decided by her parents and advisors, and was thrust upon her. Her entire life was changed in one night; by one surprise. 

For once, Rumi wanted a sense of normalcy. At first it was to be a regular young adult girl, who didn’t live confined to the palace. But now she wasn’t so sure if that’s the normal she wanted. Everything about it was really confusing, here she was living her dream, well sort of. And all she wanted was to be home with her overbearing parents, well for the most part. 

The window peered into the outside world. Harumi had never really seen the outside world in the daytime before. Here she was practically in the heart of Ninjago City, the people bustling going about their day to day lives seemingly without a care in the world. The light poured into the city, reflecting off the insanely tall skyscrapers. It was beautiful, almost as beautiful as the city was at night. Nothing could beat Ninjago City at night; that was for sure. 

Harumi looked up from her window, where she realized the air was thick with tension. The two of them stuck in silence for who knows how long. 

“We’re going to a few stores, that is to get you some proper clothing options and furniture for your apartment.” He said while making a left turn. “ Look Ru- Rumi, I’m sorry for surprising you. I know this mustn't be easy and I know I’m not the best person to have around 24/7 but–” 

“G, it’s okay. Sure, I’m getting kind of tired of being surprised to say the least, but I’m glad it’s you I get to be by.” She couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, but the heat on her ears did somewhat surprise her. 

“Yeah, me too.” 

There was the uncomfortable feeling in her chest again. 

He turned the car into a covered parking lot, where he drove around for a bit and passed plenty of good parking spaces, before seemingly finding the perfect spot. It was somewhat towards the front of the mall’s entrance, underneath one of the dim yellow lights. 

He shifted the car into park and turned the car off. “Well you ready for your first trip into the mall?” He asked, turning towards her. He no longer had his mask on, instead he was wearing his green hoodie. The hood wasn’t pulled up over him like it had been last night, his hair was a shade of chestnut brown and still wore a mask to cover the lower half of his face. His eyes were a somewhat similar shade of gray to a certain someone she had met before. 

“Contacts.” He blurted out. “The others thought it might be a little less revealing of who we actually are. Just to be on the safe side. Don’t worry though, I won’t wear contacts or a wig when I’m with you. It’s much too itchy.” 

“Oh! Well it makes sense, ninjas are masters of disguise.” She did wonder how he was able to put them in so quickly, but decided not to dwell on the fact. 

“Hmm, yeah.” He shook his head slightly, turning towards her. “You ready? 

Harumi nodded, opening the side of the car door. Stepping out of the car, she was honestly surprised to have found him standing there; his arm extended towards her. Which she happily took.

The first store was a clothing store, Harumi wasn’t exactly sure about which one it was. She was much too focused on the chaos that seemed to pour right out of the mall, every store, window, and kiosk. It was 10 in the morning, how were there so many people here? There were more people in the mall around her than she had ever been surrounded by. Luckily, she was with G so she felt safe for the most part. 

“How’s this?” He asked, holding up a light green sweater.

“You only say that because green is clearly your favorite color.” Rumi smirked, placing her hand on her hip. 

“Well maybe. But it doesn’t change the fact it’s the main color I’ve seen you in.” He joked, pushing the sweater more towards her direction. 

She couldn’t help but eye the sweater. It was a moss green sweater that looked to be one of the softest things she’d ever touch. Giving in, “hmm okay, I’ll take it but you’re carrying it and all the bags.” Harumi quickly added before he could say anything. She didn’t dare turn around and give him a moment to protest her one sided compromise. 

It wasn't like G was wrong, green was her favorite color; light green specifically. Though he didn’t need to know that he was right. Instead, Rumi was going to go around pulling everything off the shelves she liked and would throw them into the arms of her now gray eyed protector.

She couldn’t help but drag him around pulling, light green, beige, white, pink, and other various different colored clothing that complimented her main choice pieces. Shopping wasn’t that big of a deal, as it was often portrayed in the movies. Though, it’s not like she didn’t enjoy dragging G around to various different stores. Or for the fact that she somewhat enjoyed seeing his annoyed glances or the way his eyes couldn’t help to look towards the ceiling every time she placed another clothing item, pair of shoes, or a silly little trinket in his arms. 

She wasn’t entirely sure how long they were going around or how much she had initially grabbed from the various different stores, but the sight of him practically drowning in shopping bags helped her gain a greater understanding of how much time had passed. 

While dragging him to another store, his voice suddenly broke the silence. “We’ve been going for a few hours now; you want a drink or snack or something?

Harumi just turned around, a specific flare in her tone. “Hmm alright. Just a quick break though.” She winked at the partially annoyed ninja. 

A slight sigh escaped his mouth. “You’re enjoying this way too much, aren’t you?” He asked, giving her a look she’d come to know and recognize pretty well. 

They decided on a simple meal. She had a strawberry matcha milk tea with boba along with a bowl of rice, tofu, and other vegetables. She was excited about taking a moment to sit and eat something, especially after the long few days they had. 

Though as G slumped into the chair across from her, the lack of tray in his hand. 

“Not hungry?” Rumi broke the silence. “You didn’t have any breakfast really.” 

He cleared his throat. “Hmm yeah, it’s just probably not wise to eat when I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you and besides I’m usually not very hungry in the mornings.” 

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that sentiment. “You’re kind of ridiculous are you?” She managed through her laughter. This, of course, took the ninja off guard who looked a tad bit insulted at Harumi’s observation. “I mean seriously. Yeah you have a job to do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a moment to relax or something. Like seriously, we’re supposed to spend every day together for who knows how long.” She paused, searching for the right words to say. “You deserve a break.” 

She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting as a reaction from him, but seeing him pick up her pair of chopsticks and stealing a piece of her tofu and broccoli? That definitely wasn’t it. She couldn’t help but scoff, she was royalty and here he was stealing directly from her plate. 

“What?” He asked, his mouth full of food under his mask. “Thought you wanted me to relax or something?” He carelessly shrugged, leaning back in his chair. 

“Ugh you’re the worst.” She muttered, snatching her chopsticks from his hand. Now it was his turn to burst out laughing. 

Lloyd hated clothes shopping, but he hated furniture shopping even more. He followed Rumi around while she sat on various different pieces of furniture, or took photos of others comparing them, or when she went back and forth between two pieces of furniture that looked almost exactly the same. 

Though a part of him didn’t necessarily mind; he was happy for her. He was happy that she finally got a chance to be a normal person, though most college kids couldn’t afford the crazy amount of clothing, makeup, skincare, or furniture they purchased. Which was thankfully bought with the card Hutchins had given them. Thank the First . 

He couldn’t help but slump on a comfortable corduroy couch. He was tired, not to mention they had to build most of this stuff. But seeing her smiling and so much more full of life than before made his aching feet feel worth it; almost. 

Even if he did hate the mall, he didn’t hate her, or her laughter for that matter. 

Something in him couldn’t help but be jealous of her; envious almost. For even just a small fraction of her life, she’d get to live a relatively normal life. She’d have no responsibilities, no world to save and protect, no one to look after, a lost mother, and neglectful father. He longed for a life where he didn’t have to worry about protecting Ninjago, or saving the world, or the issues he had with his father.

However, as quickly as he started to feel envious of the princess it dissipated just as quickly. He couldn’t believe what he was thinking. She was forced out of her home; the only world she’s ever known and her protection was trusted with others her age. Sure, she got to be normal for a bit, or whatever that really means, but she was also in an entire world of unknown. His jealousy certainly wouldn’t help her find the normalcy she needed, he wasn’t even sure if life would ever be normal; at least for a while. 

“–ello? Hello? Earth to G.” A voice called out to him, pulling him from his thoughts. 

“Geeze, for a ninja you sure are really day dreamy.” Rumi teased, tossing a pillow towards him.

Obviously he was embarrassed. He spoke all of last night and this morning about promising to take care of her, to look out for her, and here he was daydreaming. 

“I uh- well- um- I- I’m sorry princess. Um, I didn’t mean to, uh it’s just.” He couldn’t find the right words to say that would magically ease the situation and make him not look like a total idiot. 

She smirked, before she crumpled next to him, laughing. It seemed a lot of their interactions involved laughing at each other, at least they were that day. 

“It’s really no worries. I’m kidding, obviously. Besides, we're furniture shopping, not exactly a dangerous activity.” Her arm nudged him, sending shivers up his arm. “Strange.” He thought to himself, no one’s ever really made him feel like that.

Lloyd gave her a soft smile, but he knew she wouldn’t really be able to tell he was smiling; though a part of him wanted her to know he was. 

“I think I’m getting fairly tired. After all, I’ve been running around non stop, doing most of the heavy lifting.” She turned towards him, with that same look in her eyes. She was kidding again, or she didn’t even want to acknowledge how much he carried today. 

All Lloyd could think to do was push her, it’s not like he pushed her hard or anything, but he pushed her enough to where she was caught off balance and fell into some pillows on the couch. 

She scoffed. “Ugh! You are the worst!” She retaliated, pushing him back. 

“No you are! I carried the bags, while you were speed running this entire mall! 

“You know you could have really hurt me?” She placed her hand over her chest, while her mouth dropped. “I am the princess of Ninjago and this is how you treat me? Outrageous!” She exclaimed.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her, before he decided to play along with her antics. “You’re so right, princess! I deeply apologize for the way I behaved. It is unbecoming of the Green Ninja. How am I able to make it up to you?” He asked, slightly bowing towards her. 

She lifted her chin, a simple hum escaped her mouth. “You sir, shall cook dinner tonight and carry everything into the apartment when the time comes.” 

Lloyd wished he hadn’t said anything. “As you wish, Your Highness. Only one problem with that, I can’t uh cook.” He mumbled, but it seemed pointless as Rumi started making her way out of the furniture store. It wasn’t like he and Zane couldn’t make something for dinner that night, maybe he could benefit from a few cooking lessons from his blue eyed friend. 

He couldn’t help but eye her longingly, he could feel something in his chest. It was a feeling he wasn’t very familiar with, at least not since he was a kid. 

It took a little under a week for everything to arrive at her new apartment. She spent her nights aboard the Destiny’s Bounty while she spent her days in her new home, where she attempted to make it feel just as so. 

It wasn’t like she wasn’t excited, though the act of building furniture for five days definitely made her grow less and less excited. 

“Are you going to help, or what?” She judged, rolling her eyes. Her fingers twisting the allen wrench around and around. She liked furniture shopping, but building the furniture was an entirely different story. 

He didn’t respond, only letting out a deep yawn, as he leaned back against the dresser she was working on. For someone so weirdly mysterious, he sure was utterly annoying. Harumi did the first and arguably best thing she could think of at the moment; she threw a nearby pillow at the seemingly relaxed Green Ninja. 

His whole body stirred the moment the soft pillow made contact with the side of his head. A loud and sharp shrill escaped the young ninja’s mouth, as he practically jumped 12 feet into the air. 

“Was he lost in thought or was half asleep or something?” Harumi asked herself, staring inquisitively at her startled companion. She didn’t really feel bad though, she was the one doing all the work and he was over here staring into space. 

He cleared his throat a few times in an attempt to catch his breath. “I, I uh what?” He asked, slightly shaking his head. She couldn't hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes. G couldn’t help but slightly slump in response, there was a weird look in his eyes. Maybe she shouldn’t have woken him up from his daydream. Though before she could pry at him for answers as to why he was staring off into space he broke the short silence. 

“Here, let me take a go at it.” He suggested picking up the allen wrench and a long screw. He turned towards the dresser, slowly twisting the screw into its place. He was unusually quiet recently, especially now. Usually he would drag his feet and complain about having to build something; claiming he wasn’t the best ninja for the job. But right now, he sat there peacefully twiddling away at another screw. The dresser was starting to look like something, now that it had most of its drawers, but something still ate away at her. 

“You okay?” She asked, her back leaning against the dresser; hoping for something, though she wasn’t sure what. 

“Hmm? Yeah.” His voice was tired, almost cold. It didn’t sound like he meant any malice behind what he said. 

“Come on.” Her voice was firm. Rumi stood up, her hand extended towards the Green Ninja. “We should take a break, okay? And besides, I want to relax for a little bit before my first day of classes.” He didn’t take her hand, he just looked up staring at her. His eyes looked tired, she felt a pang in her heart at the site. She couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty that she was the reason for his exhausted demeanor. 

“Look Rumi, I–” He started. 

But that was enough for her. She stood up, gripping his hand tightly. She pulled him out of her soon to be bedroom. 

She didn’t really have a good idea where she was going, but it was clear; they both needed a break. This week felt long and dragged out for the most part and it was just going to keep getting longer. She pulled him into the fire escape, up several flights of stairs. Even when her legs wanted to give out from running up who knows how many stairs, she kept pushing while pulling him behind her. 

It wasn’t until they were met with a heavy metal door with a sign labeled ‘Roof Access’ at the top of the stairs when she stopped. 

Panting, he exclaimed. “Wha- What the heck?” He leaned against the railing, his breathing growing more and more even. 

Harumi swallowed the lump in her throat, as she too tried to even out her breaths. “I, huh, I wanted a break and you’re my protector so you- you have to come with me.” She looked behind her, giving him a playful look. 

“Yeah, but you could have told me instead of pulling me up–” He paused, his shoulders loosening slightly. She wasn’t mad that he seemed upset or bothered by it, to be honest, she probably would be a little bit too. As much as she liked to tell herself that she knew the Green Ninja, it was times like these where she realized she didn’t really know him at all. 

He sighed, moving past her and opening the door. Bright light shined into their eyes, both couldn’t help but squint at the bright light from the sun. It was almost sunset, by the look of the sun’s position in the sky. 

“It feels like I’m closer.” She mumbled, allowing herself to be drowned in the sun’s warm rays. It was warmer and more comforting than it had been at the palace. It was like being wrapped in a big hug; one she didn’t want to pull away from. She knew scientifically, she wasn’t very close to the sun, but that didn’t stop her feelings. 

“Yeah.” His soft voice spoke, pulling her towards the edge of the rooftop. 

There was a metal garden bench overlooking the city; surrounded by various different planter boxes and other garden furniture. 

She raised her eyebrow at him, before taking a seat on the bench; enjoying the sunset. He sat next to her, his emerald green eyes shining in the golden sun. The two sat in silence for a while, only the sounds of the city could be heard by Rumi. She didn’t mind it really and she didn’t want to poke at G for any longer, especially since she did just drag him up several flights of stairs. 

Though the more she stared into the horizon, the more her heart and soul tugged on her. Here she was, smiling, having fun, and enjoying the outside world while her parents were home in the palace probably worried out of their minds. She felt guilty, so incredibly guilty. As much as she felt guilty for loving her freedom, she was scared of the new life she would soon live. 

“I’m scared.” She spoke, her eyes not moving from the setting sun. 

“Scared?” He asked, turning towards her. 

Rumi nodded. “Yeah, I’m scared I won’t make any friends, scared something will happen, scared to be away from my family, scared that something will happen to them while I’m here; happy.” The words just seemed to pour out of her, she knew she was scared before now, but now there was a layer of guilt and greed that she couldn’t seem to shake. She was happy, free here even, and the greed in her longed to keep it for as long as she could. 

He placed his hand on hers. “I know you must be scared, scared that it will change everything. But that’s the thing about change, it changes everything we know.” He paused, his words doing a poor job of helping her feel better. 

“But the future is what we make of it, it’s the result of what he put into the world and how we react to others and our surroundings. Sure, we don’t know everything or what will come to be, but that’s the beauty of life. We are in charge of our own destinies, not the other way around. I know change is scary, but the most important thing you should know is that you’re not alone. Your inner circle is only growing Rumi and I have faith it will continue to grow. You’re a great, kind person and anyone would be lucky to call you a friend.” She had a feeling he was smiling, he always smiled when he looked at her, especially when his eyes were soft. 

“Lucky? Huh?” She asked, eyeing him. 

“Well, yeah! Of course! Yeah!” He panicked, throwing his arms up from her’s.

Harumi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “I’m only kidding. But thank you, it means a lot. Though I still am scared to take this next step.” 

His hand was intertwined with hers again. She could feel some kind of warmth creep into her cheeks and ears. 

“Our Sensei always says, ‘that without risks we’ll never know how far we’ll truly go,’ and I think it applies to this as well. It’s okay to feel comfortable, needed even but there’s a point where it gets suffocating. Almost like you’re trapped in the same old schedule and mundane life. That’s why I’m here. If not, I’d probably still be living with my father, working tirelessly everyday in boring meetings.” He laughed a bit at the idea and the notion, but she could tell it was eating away at him. 

Sighing. “I know what you mean and I’m ready to grow and be my own person, but–” she couldn’t exactly find the right words she wanted to say. 

“– but there’s something holding you back from being able to truly grow?” He asked, finishing her sentence; her exact thought. She was slightly surprised to say the least, but remembered their talk by the canal. This was something he struggled with too. 

Rumi slumped into the bench. “Yeah and I guess it has to do with my parents, but also that boy.” Her head falling against the top of the bench. 

For some strange reason, G froze. “A boy?” He asked. 

Growing slightly annoyed at the thought, she couldn’t help but practically explode all her misgivings regarding him and the situation. “Ugh, yeah! My parents and his dad or whatever decided we should be betrothed. Which in my opinion is ridiculous. And I know we have till I’m 25, but ughh. They should have just talked to me, I wish it could have been my decision. Then this too! It wasn’t even my decision. I just want to make my own, but nooo I’m the Princess of Ninjago or whatever and I don’t even really like him.” She was surprised at her word vomiting, but a part of her didn’t really care.

He was still frozen. “Oh.” 

“I mean he’s nice, but I just don’t think we connected or even could. We just seem like two different people. You know?” She looked towards him, hoping for some kind of validation in her feelings. 

“Yeah.” He muttered. “But that’s not a ‘now problem’, or a ‘now decision’ that you can make. It seems like something out of your control for right now, so when this is all over you can go on dates or whatever with him, then you can think about it and work on growing closer together. I know it’s not perfect, but you deserve to think about yourself for a while, not him.” 

“A ‘now problem’?” Rumi asked, slightly confused at the sentiment. 

“Oh that’s something the other ninja taught me, a ‘now problem’ is something you can focus on right now, that’s in your control, while others are for later you; future you.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, “if that makes sense.” He let out a small laugh.

“It- It does, thank you G.” She smiled, her anxieties weren’t totally calmed down but she felt better about the situation. 

All she could really do in the moment was stare into the sunset with G, though the more she stared, the more a specific question popped into her head. 

“Hey G?” She asked, turning slightly towards him. 

“Yeah?” He asked, almost copying her same movement. 

“Are we friends?” She asked, hoping that just maybe, just maybe. 

“Yeah, I would think so. Do you?” He asked, his eyes wide; almost hopeful. 

A smile began to form on her lips. “Yeah.” She answered, turning back to look at the sunset. 

She made a friend, her first true friend. 

Chapter Text

Soft rays of light gently peered through the cracks between the curtains hanging in Harumi’s window. The sounds of birds were quickly interrupted by the sound of an alarm. Her eyes slowly lifted open as she took in her messy bedroom. Furniture boxes were left scattered throughout her room along with the various different packaging materials. It wasn’t much, but with the mess it certainly felt more like her bedroom at the palace.

Begrudgingly, she threw the covers off her bed and walked into her ensuite bathroom. Getting ready was never her favorite part of the day, but doing it and spending time with herself was definitely better than being fussed over. 

She opted for a simple, yet cute makeup look, since it was one of the only things she got to do by herself in the morning, well besides brushing her teeth and her skincare. However, there was a slight problem; Rumi didn’t know how to do her hair. Sure she could brush it and somewhat braid it, but styling was an entire different problem. 

She could feel her cheeks growing redder and redder, as she left her bathroom to find G, surely he could do a better job than she would. Rumi found him outside her room on the white corduroy couch they had picked out from earlier in the week. He sat in the lotus pose, his hands placed neatly on his thighs, with his eyes closed. 

Before Rumi could ask him, his voice filled the empty air. “Everything okay?” He asked, his eyes still closed. 

She couldn’t help but fiddle with her pajama pants, her embarrassment slowly rising. “Um I sorta need help with my hair.” She mumbled, her eyes facing her bunny slippers. 

“You need help with what?” He asked, standing up.

“My hair.” Rumi mumbled, avoiding looking at his eyes. There were a lot of things she didn’t know how to do and it was growing ever more apparent. She didn’t know how to do laundry, or do her hair, or cook, or really everything. Harumi hated how sheltered she grew up while living at the palace, but now it felt like she was behind everyone else here. 

“I’ll definitely try! But no promises.” He winked, pulling her towards the bathroom. 

Even if G was kind of a child sometimes and was annoying, he never made her feel bad about how much she didn’t know. Even if he didn’t know how to cook, or he always stared off into space, or the way he slightly teased her; he always comforted and looked out for her. 

He stood behind Rumi in front of the mirror, carefully undoing her braids and began to brush out her hair. His hands gently moved and held her hair in an attempt to not pull at it. 

“Do you want it up or down or?” He asked, eyeing her in the mirror. 

“Oh! Um, maybe half up half down?” He just nodded and continued to brush out her hair. His hands gilded softly throughout her hair, Rumi could feel her heartbeat steadily increase the more he held her hair. Once he was certain there were no tangles, G twisted the sides of her hair before pulling it to the back of her head. He pulled out a hair tie from his right wrist and tied it around her hair. He gently pulled at some pieces, before stepping back; proud of his work.

Harumi eyed her hair, shocked. She was shocked at how nice her hair looked, her bangs were brushed neatly atop her forehead, and she loved the way he seemingly effortlessly pulled her hair back. But most importantly, she loved the way she didn’t look like a princess. 

After looking at her hair in the mirror, Rumi turned around to face him. “Thank you, it looks really nice.” Ever since she met him, she’d always been grateful for him, but now more than ever. She hoped he could see just how thankful she was for him. It was almost an unconscious act as she leaned into him slightly, their faces now a few inches apart from each other. She looked up into his green eyes, her only physical connection to him. It was the only thing she really knew about what he looked like. She could feel a sensation climbing up in her, she wasn’t sure what it was, but she didn’t want to push it away. 

G on the other hand, did. He grew incredibly awkward as he moved past her, carefully avoiding her touch. He cleared his throat. “Uh- uh- I- I- uh, I’m going to leave you to finish getting ready. Uh- I’ll be outside.” He sputtered, searching for the right words, but never actually finding the right words. 

Before she knew it, he practically bolted out of her bathroom. Harumi was left there standing in the same position, she couldn’t help but burst out into a small laughter. He was cute, weird, but cute. 

She decided to wear her new gingham sage green baby doll dress. Rumi decided to pair it with her cream colored ruffled socks, with some pieces of gold jewelry around her neck, wrist, and ears. It was a simple outfit, but something on the more comfortable side was probably better. Even though her thoughts were practically just guessing. 

Outside her room, on the wooden circular table was a plate with a bagel, topped with an egg, salt, and pepper as well as a small bowl of strawberries and blueberries. 

The corner of her lips perked up slightly. “And here I thought you couldn’t cook.” 

“Heh, heh.” He laughed awkwardly. “I can’t, well not really, except for a few things.” He shrugged his shoulders, while he continued to load the dishwasher. “I’m going to drive you there, then watch out for you from vantage points. The other ninja will, as well.” He leaned against the counter, turning towards her. “That sound okay?” 

Harumi on the other hand, was busy taking a bite of her bagel and egg. “Hmm?” She asked looking up, her mouth still full of food. 

“I’m going to drive you there, and the other ninja are going to look out for you on the ground, while I survey the surrounding area.” He answered. “That sound okay?”

“Mhmm!” She replied, swallowing her bite of food. “But can’t we walk instead? It’s a nice day out and it’d be a shame to spend it in the car.” 

He tilted his head at her, seemingly thinking about something, before nodding. “Yeah, sure we can walk.”

Even if she wasn’t a big breakfast person, she did her best to finish most of her food. She slipped on her chunky mary janes, and grabbed her leather satchel bag before following G out the door. 

Her first class of the day was her music theory class. It probably wasn’t the best choice for her 9:30am class, but it was the only class open. 

The room was located in the bottom of the music building, which was an old fashioned brick building. A trail of ivy covered the majority of the seemingly every side. It felt like straight out of a movie, it was everything she imagined it to be. She took a deep breath, adjusted her bag’s strap; before stepping through the double doors.

The classroom was set up with twelve two person tables placed around the room in a half circle. At the front of the room there was the professor’s desk, along with a whiteboard, and an upright piano.

Harumi opted to sit near the back, as much as she wanted to make friends she was still incredibly nervous about meeting new people. She pulled out her Borg Pad and Pencil and did her best to sit patiently for the lecture to begin. 

“Excuse me? Could I sit here?” A warm voice asked, startling her. 

She looked up to find a tall man, he looked a little older than herself. His skin was deep and his eyes were dark chocolate. His hair was pulled into a half bun, while the bottom section layed a little below his chin length. He was wearing a burnt orange shirt underneath a black corduroy jacket, which was overtop a pair of black jeans and a pair of black converse. Overtop his right shoulder, he was wearing a large sunset orange crescent bag.

His eyes were wide and warm, with a deep smile between his lips. 

She nodded, a matching smile forming between her’s. “Hi, I’m–” Rumi paused, thinking back to the last meeting she had with the ninja. 

The Ice Ninja stood at the front of the bridge, everyone stood around him with her in the center. 

“In an effort to protect your identity from Oni, we’ve placed a body double at the palace who will stand in your stead. 

While out here, you will be going by a different name and backstory.” He handed Harumi a folder. “Everything in here has everything you’ll need and the details about your new identity.” He paused, eyeing the princess carefully. He took a step toward her, placing his metallic hand on her shoulder. 

“I know this isn’t easy, but it will only be temporary in the grand scheme of things.” His bright blue eyes pierced through her, but his robotic eyes offered their sympathies to her. 

She looked down at the manila folder. Inside this folder was her whole life- correction- whole new life. She wasn’t the Jade Princess of Ninjago anymore, at least it didn’t feel like it. Who knew the loss of her title that trapped her inside the palace wall made her feel so sad. 

She shifted in her seat, watching as her classmate sat in the seat to her right. “I’m Suki. Nice to meet you.” She smiled, putting her hand out. 

He gladly took it, shaking her hand. She was honestly, partly surprised at how strong his grip was or the roughness yet gentleness of his hands. “Nice to meet you too Suki, I’m Cole.” He grinned. 

She couldn’t help but smile to herself, as her anxieties slowly started to melt away. Maybe this wasn’t as scary as she thought.

“Thought I could use a little refresher.” He chuckled slightly, opening up his sheet music notebook. 

She couldn’t help but smirk at the fact. “ Yeah me too. It’s been a while since I’ve really played.” Rumi added, pondering the last time she truly practiced or played the piano. It was a hobby she hated as a kid. She was forced to sit still and somehow reach her small hands across the keys. Her mother and father pushed her to at least complete her lessons, but by the time she was 16 she despised the fact. Though as she grew older, the more she missed it. 

It was strange, for the majority of her life she hated everything about the palace: it’s rules, guidelines, restrictions, the fact she didn’t really have any friends, and the list could definitely go on. But being free from its eye and grasp, she missed it; longed for it even. 

She shook her head slightly, reminding herself that she wasn’t a princess; at least for right now. Even though she wanted to lose herself in her thoughts, she couldn’t think about it right now especially when class would be starting soon. 

“So- um, do you play any instruments?” She asked, turning towards him. 

Of course he probably does, Harumi inwardly scolded herself. She’d never been good at small talk and honestly hated the entire idea of it. She hoped her new classmate would do most of the talking. 

“Oh yeah! Well, my dad had me learn a lot of different instruments ever since I was a kid. He heavily pushed the piano on me, but I prefer playing guitar or the drums. They’re more my speed, I feel like.” He chuckled slightly. “What instruments do you play?” He asked, looking at her.

“My parents were the same way, they wanted me to pour my entire soul into the piano. Which I didn’t mind, but I don’t know it just felt sort of–” She struggled to find the right words to say, especially when it came to talking to a stranger. 

“Suffocating?” He answered, there was a small glint in his eyes. She wasn’t exactly sure what his eyes were saying, but they looked almost like they were longing for something; though she wasn’t sure what. 

“Yeah, exactly. Harumi mustered. 

“Yeah.” He forced out, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Noticing Cole’s somber look and how it matched her own, she wanted to do something to not only raise his spirits but also her own. 

“But we’re here now, on our own terms this time.” She smiled, praying to the First he felt a little better. 

He looked up from his notebook, his eyes were wide and a soft smile began to grow on his face. “Yeah, you’re right.” 

She couldn’t help but match his smile. Things felt like they were going to be okay, even if she barely remembered anything about music theory, or was currently in the process of making a new place feel like home. 

Not only did she feel lucky over being protected by Ninjago’s greatest protections, but she felt lucky that she was able to find someone who looked and seemed so kind. 

“Alright everyone! Good morning Class, I’m your Music Theory II Professor-” He continued, introducing himself to the class. 

Rumi prided herself on being a good listener, but there was simply too much excitement welling up in her. Who knew she’d ever be excited over class, about music theory no less.

… 

The fifty minute class seemed to go by fast, even though it was mostly note taking and was a quick refresher in her mind; thankfully she knew more than she thought she did. 

“Okay, I think it’s official. I forgot everything.” He laughed, though there was a hint of anxiety in the back of his throat. 

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, me too but it’s not as bad as I thought it was. Besides we’d be in Music Theory I if that was the case, but we both did well enough on the placement test to be here.” She smiled, packing her things in her bag. 

“Yeah, but I definitely feel like I’m going to need to study and practice a lot for this class.” He sighed, putting his bag over his shoulder. 

“Me too, but maybe if you want we could study together?” She asked, hoping she didn’t sound desperate. 

“That sounds great! Here’s my number-” He pulled out a small piece of paper from his bag dotting his number down. “-and text me a good time you want to meet?” He smiled, easing her nerves. 

“I will! Thanks Cole! It was nice to meet you!” She called out to him, as he turned the opposite direction. 

“Great! Nice to meet you too, Suki!” He called back, before turning around. 

She had really made another friend, well she wasn’t exactly sure if she could call them friends yet, but it felt like they were becoming fast friends. Even though she thought this class was going to kick her butt, she was ecstatic about the beginning of her Freshman Year. 

Harumi’s next class was Ninjago Contemporary Literature, not one she was super excited about, but was somewhat looking forward to learning more about Ninjago. Her classes at the palace practically drained its history into her head, so she thought why not learn about Ninjago’s Literature.

This class was located within one of the Arts Buildings. Its appearance was similar to the Music Hall despite it being on the complete opposite side of campus, only the amount of vines running along the brick wall practically doubled. The sides that Rumi did see only had a small amount of red bricks peeking through. 

Inside, there were long tile covered floors that almost acted as a maze. Her classroom was located on the first floor of the building in one of the large lecture halls; and by large lecture halls she meant large lecture halls. There were multiple different fold out seats with small fold down tables next to them. If there was one thing that was accurate to the movies, it was definitely this room besides the abnormally small desks. 

There looked to be about 8 rows of seats throughout the entire classroom, she didn’t want to sit in front of the classroom again, especially in a class of this size. So she opted to sit in the middle to back of the room, in the middle of the sixth row. 

There were a few people scattered throughout the room, but there weren’t really a lot of people there. She did have a class period to chill between this one and the last one, so thankfully she didn’t have to sprint from her music theory class to this one in 15 minutes. 

Slowly but surely, the class started to fill up as more and more people started entering from the two doors on either side. The majority of individuals sat alone in random seats scattered throughout the classroom, while others found their friends and sat together. 

There was that lonely feeling again, she hoped her interaction with Cole wasn’t a random fluke and she was able to make more friends. However, the more time went on and the more people who didn’t sit next to her began eating away at her. 

She took a deep breath, taking out her BorgPad and Pencil. At least she was going to have the extra space next to her with someone not sitting on either side of her. 

“Hi, do you mind if I sit here?” A feminine voice asked. 

Harumi turned to face her. Her skin was a golden medium and she had a beauty mark underneath her right eye. The girl’s hair was pulled into a messy ponytail that was almost towards the top of her head. Her hair was practically midnight black, the way it reflected the lights overhead.

She was wearing a maxi length black dress with dark gray flowers scattered throughout her skirt. Overtop she wore some kind of black band tee, though Harumi wasn’t exactly sure of the name. She had on a plethora of various different kinds of silver jewelry along her neck, wrists, and hands. She wore a black, almost oversized jacket on top of it. Her shoes were platform red doc martens.

Holy First , she looked so cool. 

“Um–” Her words got stuck in her throat for a second. “Yeah of course!” Harumi forced out, perhaps a little too loudly. 

“Awesome, thank you!” She smiled. “I’m Nya and this is my boyfriend Jay.” She gestured behind her, where a boy with auburn curly hair stood.

“Hi! The name’s Jay!” He exclaimed sitting down next to Nya. 

He had pale skin, with freckles adorning his cheeks, and his right eyebrow had a slit in it. His eyes were a deep dark blue, probably the deepest but somehow brightest blue she had ever seen apart from Lloyd Garmadon’s assistant. 

He was wearing a Fritz Donegan vintage t-shirt, along with a plaid shirt composed of various different colors of blues and white. He was wearing a pair of loose light wash jeans, along with a pair of funny socks that had little puppies on them, and a pair of dark blue crocs; in sports mode of course. 

“Nice to meet you too! I’m Suki!” She matched their smiles, excited she was meeting more and more people. 

Nya reached into her black and blue tote bag, pulling out a BorgPad and Pencil which she placed on her desk, as well as a blue notebook and a mechanical pencil which she handed to Jay.

“Heh heh, thanks Nya.” Jay said, scratching the back of his head. 

Harumi caught a glance of Nya slightly rolling her eyes, but it wasn’t the kind that screamed she was annoyed but something endearing? Though she wasn’t sure if that’s how she wanted to describe it, she did know that it reminded her of her and G.

“Anytime Jay.” Her voice was definitely teasing, as she slightly elbowed him. 

The three of them were quiet for about two seconds before he filled their small section with his voice.

“I really don’t know why you encouraged me to take this class with you.” He complained, leaning a bit back in his seat, or as much as it would allow. “I mean, I’m a ‘get hands dirty kind of guy’ and that doesn’t include paper cuts.” 

“Oh hah hah, you read plenty of Fritz Donegan comics and you haven’t gotten a paper cut once.” She teased. 

“Well you should see me using a filing cabinet, it’s far too dangerous for anyone especially me who is a trained ni–” He was properly cut off with an elbow jab to his side from Nya. Harumi wasn’t sure how Nya looked at him, but based on his tone it was probably a glare. 

“–Owww!” He complained, rubbing his side. “I was going to say ninja fan, duh.” There was a slight harshness to his words, but it wasn’t of malicious intent; more like he was trying to ease the situation. 

It was at the point where Nya gave him one of her dramatic eyerolls, before she turned back towards her BorgPad. 

It was also at this point where Rumi lost all her composure and she started violently giggling. She thought they were sweet, but she also thought they were some of the funniest people she had ever met. This, of course, caused the two of them to stare at her inquisitively before they both started laughing along with her. 

This was nice, this felt nice. Even if they would only be friends in class or not really friends at all, though she hoped it wasn’t the latter. 

“If you think we’re funny now, you should see us with our friends Cole and Kai.” He exclaimed, leaning somewhat further back in his seat. 

“Wait, Cole?” She asked, could they be talking about the same Cole she met in her music theory class? She felt a little silly for asking since there were so many people named Cole, but what exactly was the harm in asking?

“Yeah, Cole Brookstone. Dark black hair. Kinda edgy, a little awkward–” He paused for a second. 

“Really cool looking?” She asked, using the best words she could use to describe him. 

“Yeah! That’s him!” He answered, growing increasingly more excited. “Nya Nya Nya, we should all meet and drag Kai with us sometime! Like it’s kinda crazy how we all know each other! I mean what a small world!” He rambled on, shaking Nya’s shoulders.

“Good afternoon everyone!” The Professor called out, but that didn’t stop Jay from continuing to set up a meet up between the five of them. 

His voice was at a whisper now. “ When are you free?” He asked, leaning closer, and more accurately above Nya’s desk. 

She pondered the thought for a moment, she wanted to do some more unpacking tonight and generally just take a load off. “Maybe tomorrow? I only have one class.” She whispered back, slightly leaning towards them. 

“When’s your class?” He asked. 

“Umm 12:15 I think?” She answered, even if she wasn’t a hundred percent sure. 

“So do we want to do brunch? Maybe around 1:40? So you have time to get there from your class.” 

“Sure, that sounds great.” She answered.

“Awesome! We’ll text Kai and Cole so don’t worry about it!” His excitement growing. 

“Guys, now that we got everything figured out, pay attention.” Nya scolded, though she was looking in Jay’s direction. 

“It’s just the syllabus, I don’t care about the syllabus.” He whisper yelled back at her, clearly teasing. 

“Well pay attention anyways.” Nya whisper yelled back, turning her attention back to the professor. 

Harumi stifled a laugh, looking back towards the front of the classroom. 

…

Unlike her last class, this one didn’t go by very fast. Her literature professor talked so incredibly slowly and so confusingly. She was just happy this class was over, even if she had 4 chapters to read before her class on Wednesday. 

She followed Nya and Jay outside the classroom and then outside the building. She didn’t mind that they were talking and she was only walking next to them in silence. As a child she hated silence, or rather being quiet. But I didn't mind it so much anymore, it was nice just being able to listen. To not have any walls up or be on edge all the time; it was nice. 

They came to a fork in the road, Harumi went right while Nya and Jay went left. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Harumi called out to them, waving her hand in the air. 

“Bye Suki! It was good to meet you!” Nya called out. 

Jay paused, raising his arm up, waving. “Bye Ha–” He was forcibly smacked upside the head by Nya who whispered something incoherently to him before dragging him away.

“Bye! Hah Hah Hah!” He shot some finger guns towards her direction. “See you tomorrow!” He called out, before loosening out of her grip. 

She couldn’t help but stare at them and the way they disappeared over the hill. She wondered why he said that or why Nya smacked him, but she didn’t think about it too much and continued on her way home.

At one of the benches on campus sat a man with a familiar green jacket and seemingly familiar brown hair, it was G.

Once she was within a few feet of them, he perked up looking at her with his piercing green eyes. Was he waiting for her to get out of class? That was sweet, she couldn’t help but smile as she walked closer and closer to him. 

“Waiting for me to get out of class?” She asked, placing a hand on her hip. 

He stood up from the bench, their faces mere inches away from each other. She could feel her heart beat faster, as she looked up at his eyes. For some reason she wanted this moment to last forever just like their moment this morning. She wasn’t sure why and before she had a chance to think about it G stepped back from her, clearing his throat. 

“So how were your classes?” He asked, starting to walk down the path. 

She shook her head, before she jogged slightly to catch up with him; her pace soon matching his pace. “It was okay, different than I thought it was going to be if I’m being honest. But it wasn’t bad, definitely more boring than movies made it out to be.” 

He snickered out a laugh. “Yeah, school was never my thing so trust me I get it.” He added, his eyes focused on the crosswalk in front of them. 

She smirked to herself. “Yeah, I can see why.” 

“But you’ll do great, I just know it.” He looked like he was going to say something, but stopped himself for a second. “I made lunch or, well, prepared it.” He added, seemingly changing the subject.

“Between this morning and right now, I’m starting to think you lied about not being able to cook.” She asked, eying him, as a smirk appeared across her face. 

“What? Like you think that the Green Ninja doesn’t have a few tricks up his sleeve.” He smirked as he put his hands behind his head, turning around as he walked backwards directly in front of her.

“Okay, I can’t wait to finally see one.” She said, toying with him.

The Green Ninja stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Meeting your heroes always disappoints.” His arms fell from behind his head. “But, I really can’t cook-” He laughed. “The Ice Ninja showed me how to prepare everything for Spring Rolls and it seemed easy enough.” He shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands in his pockets looking for the keys. 

“Awe! That’s adorable!” She exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. “But I don’t think you could ever disappoint.” She added, smiling playfully. She noticed G falter slightly at her comment, but decided to keep him on his toes as she practically sprinted past him up the three flights of stairs to their apartment. 

“No fair! You got a head start!” He called out, following her up the stairs.

“Then I guess you’ll just have to catch up!” She called back down.  

Chapter Text

This wasn’t Lloyd’s first stake-out; he’d done it multiple times, but he always had a friend with him. This was the first time he would be doing it alone. It wasn’t like he was nervous, but a part of him wished one of the other ninja was with him. It was just easier when there was more than one person with him, they’d be able to talk and eat, but he was on this part of the mission alone. 

It wasn’t like he and Harumi didn’t talk and connect, but a part of him could never truly let loose and just be himself. He was always working, he was always an inch away from being pushed over the edge, and he couldn’t even begin to form some sort of connection with her. She was a princess and he was, well, he was Lloyd Garmadon and not Lloyd Garmadon at the same time. 

He felt more like himself while he was the Green Ninja, but he couldn’t form any of the attachments he could as the Green Ninja, hell who was he kidding? He could barely form any when he was ‘Lloyd Garmadon’. 

It’s not like he didn’t wish he could grow closer to her, something in him pulled him to her while the other forcibly pushed her away. It was all too complicated for him and his liking. 

He couldn’t help but let out a large and exaggerated yawn, his arms stretching above his head. Being on a stake-out meant he had little to no sleep, though it did give him extra time to practice meditating. He was never very good at it, something about sitting too still just irked him for some reason. 

Lloyd didn’t mind the lack of efficient sleep though, every time he closed his eyes as he tried to fall asleep all he saw was the crumbling building and smelt the ash that surrounded him. A cold shiver went up his spine. He shuddered at the thought of his dream. 

He pulled his phone out of one of his pockets in his Gi, checking the time; 2:49am. It was still night time. He peered through the crack of Harumi’s room, making sure she was still there. He saw an asleep Harumi lying in the middle of the bed, her arms practically still holding the book she was reading. He took a deep breath, sighing out; she was okay. Thank the First , though he couldn’t help but smile at her, she looked so peaceful. 

He took a quiet step into her room, mindful of the packing materials crowding the floor. He placed a receipt in between the pages of her placement and set the book on her night stand. He pulled her comforter further up to ensure she was properly warm enough and shut off her lamp, before quietly shutting the door closed. 

Relieved, he took another deep breath, pulling his mask off. It felt like it had been years since he last had it off, which was probably the biggest downside of this entire mission. He always wore a metaphorical mask when he was home with his father, but it was an actual mask that he had to wear seemingly all of the time.  

He took to the bathroom, hoping that splashing himself with water would help him feel a bit better and a bit more awake. Looking in the mirror, he saw himself a little too worse for wear. His hair was disheveled, the bags under his eyes were deep and dark, and his skin felt pale and sunken. He was really tired, but something in him told him not to sleep; was it duty? Or fear? He didn’t really know. 

He didn’t really mind it, after all he has and could always look worse. He bent down in front of the sink, splashing cold water on his face. However as soon as the cold water met his skin, he felt a sharp pain in his head. It was almost like his head was on fire. Everything went cold and numb, it was like his body stopped working; like nothing was working. 

He could feel the panic rising within him, he’d never felt anything like this before. It was somehow different from a concussion, but somehow a thousand times worse. His body and mind were failing him, he could only rely on the bathroom counter to hold him somewhat steady. Lloyd shakily opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, barely able to focus on his shaking hand. 

However, just as soon as he got his bearings his legs started to violently shake, giving out from under him. As Lloyd hit the floor the pain in his head skyrocketed, his hands pressing against his temples to try and relieve some of the pain; it was no use. 

His vision was black, but as quickly as it fell it soon began to grow a deep red. 

Lloyd was back in the burning building, its structure growing more and more unstable. He was shocked to say the least, was he having another nightmare? Something wasn’t right. 

His vision started to shake and wary, struggling to collect his bearings. But it seemed pointless as he fell to the ground. He wasn’t sure how long he was staring at the floor or into himself, but as he looked up he saw multiple layers of rubble practically crushing him. He tried to lift it off of him, but it was no use, he couldn’t push it off of him; it was too heavy, it was suffocating. 

He did his best to look around the room, the beams were falling from the ceiling and from the sides of the walls. His surroundings were charred and burnt tapestries hung from the ceiling, they were too damaged for him to know what was on them. 

“Great, just fucking great.” He cursed, still struggling to push the fallen debris off of him. 

There was a flash of red. 

Before he had the chance to curse again, he was standing, limping but standing. An unconscious Rumi on his back as he navigated through the corridors. Nothing about it was familiar except the smell of burnt wood and harshness of soot that he inhaled. 

Something in him wanted to give up, but something in him had to keep going. He couldn’t give up now, not when the lives of Rumi and the other ninja rested on his shoulders; literally in a sense. 

His body grew weaker and weaker, his powers were useless as they tried to heal him, but it was useless. He felt his knees buckle, falling to the ground, his hands were hot; his whole body was hot as they screamed out of him. 

He. Had. To. Keep. Going.

Because their lives depended on it. 

Lloyd shot up from the bathroom floor, his breathing deep and heavy as he struggled to catch his breath. His hand placed over his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. He forced his breaths to slow down a bit, which thankfully helped him calm down even a bit. 

Why was he still being forced to go back there? Back to that First forsaken room, where his entire life seemed to be on the edge of ending, but it wasn’t only his but Harumi’s too. He was scared. 

He hoped they were just nightmares, but a part of him feared it was a sign something bad was going to happen. 

He decided to stay on the floor for a bit, at least until his head felt a little better. Though he couldn’t exactly get the horrors of his nightmare out of his head. 

Lloyd did his best to shake those memories from his head, but it seemed the more he moved the more sick he felt. Even though he had been leaning against the bathroom cabinet, his head still felt like it was being stabbed and his body felt weak. Whatever happened and whatever he was feeling ate away at him; mind, body, and soul. 

He took a deep breath, pushing off of the floor, and utilizing the counter as a makeshift railing just until he got back up. Okay, until he didn’t need it anymore. Which was until he got out of the room, where he needed to lean against the wall until he was able to slump into his usual spot on the couch. 

Lloyd checked his phone, the time read 5:11am. 

“Damn I must have been out for a while.” He thought to himself, not bringing him any ease or peace of mind. Besides Rumi’s class wouldn’t be until the early afternoon, so it’s not like she’d be getting up right about now. So it’s not like he needed to put his mask on right away, but the more he thought about it the more he thought it’d be best to put it on. Even if he hated the notion or the idea. 

Begrudgingly, he slipped his mask back on. It was better to be safe than sorry. Besides it’s not like he wanted to deal with the fact that he was actually her fiancé by having her find out about it. Not that he was necessarily against or for the idea of getting married. He just wanted it to be their decision and him being the Green Ninja could complicate that for them. 

Sighing, he went back into lotus pose. Trying to shut his eyes, but every time he did it didn’t bode well for the backflips his stomach was doing. He took a deep breath and another, and another, and another. Hoping the breathing exercises he was taught actually did something for him. 

After a while of practicing his breathing it felt like it was pointless, but there was a moment the Green Ninja felt more at peace; like he could actually fall asleep. He knew going into it that he wasn’t going to get a tremendous amount of rest, but any rest was better than none. Especially after his spill in the bathroom fifteen minutes ago. 

Sighing, he did his best to recollect himself; finding the calm inside of him, if that was even possible. Lloyd took a deep breath, placing his hands onto his thighs. If he wasn’t able to fall asleep, he’d thought it’d be practice for him to practice meditating. 

The only sounds that seemed to fill the space were the car noises here and there from the outside world, the quiet ticking of the flower shaped clock Rumi picked out, and the humming from the refrigerator. All sounds he ignored throughout his day to day life, but in the calm of night it gave his mind something to focus on rather than his nightmares. 

He wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, but he eventually nodded off to sleep. 

He was back in the mirror-like world and before he knew it, he was pulled into a concrete room. Which looked strangely like a Kryptarium Prison. A pit began to form in his stomach. 

Blurs of red, blue, and black sped past him in one direction while blurs of gray, white, and dark blue went past him in the opposite direction; the ninja. 

He fell through the floor once again, waking up at the top of the watchtower staring over the practically dusted floor of the prison. The penetrating sound of the alarm filled the air, with the sound of metal clanging, and the faint sounds of his friends’ elemental power. 

His mind felt slow, as it began to scream out at him; begging him to return to his body, begging him to wake up. But that was the thing, the more he willed himself to wake up the deeper he fell. Lloyd stumbled against the railing, which looked to be the only thing holding himself up as he pressed his wrist into his temple. 

As he pressed up against the railing he was sucked back through the floor, just as he was beginning to gain his bearings. 

Only this time he was submerged in water, he didn’t know how he got there. Only the thought of air and the way his lungs screamed out at him were the only things on his mind. His head was practically stuck looking straight up, he tried to look at his surroundings but it was no use. He was trapped looking upwards. He pushed his body to move faster, his legs seemingly going as fast as they could towards the surface. But just as he was about to reach it, he was pulled from his dream; or more accurately, nightmare. 

He shot up from the couch, his dao sword in hand. A soft, light green, blanket fell in front of him. 

“Oh good you’re awake!” She exclaimed, pulling her satchel over her shoulder. “I thought about getting something at the University Cafe.” She added, slipping her chunky mary janes on. Rumi's hair was down, her front sections sat neatly, framing her face. She was wearing a white, flowy tank top underneath a light green cardigan, which was overtop of pair of loose medium beige pants. Her signature gold jewelry hung from her neck, ears, and wrists.

“Uh– I– uh.” He stuttered, scratching the back of his head. Confusion soon filled his thoughts, how long was he asleep? What time was it? Did he miss something? 

Seemingly reading his mind, Rumi spoke up. “You were asleep when I came outside for the first time, a little over two or so hours ago? It looked like you could really use your sleep, so I placed a blanket overtop of you.” She paused for a second. “Oh! Right, it’s about 11am. A little after though, I think.” A small smile spread across her face. 

“Right.” He mumbled, only barely following along. His breath still felt slightly uneven, but thankfully the princess didn’t seem to press him about it. 

“Do you want to come with me?” She asked, leaning slightly forward towards him. 

He swallowed a lump in his throat. “No, I, I think I’m okay.” It wasn’t a lie, every time he had a nightmare like that he was always left too shaken to eat; too nauseous. Even the idea of food was too much for him and his aching stomach. Not to mention how much his head screamed out at him. 

Her smile faded. “Well, will you walk me there?” She asked, picking up her keys from the entryway table. 

He felt a small smile form between his lips. “Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Her smile seemed to reappear just like that. “Well what are you waiting for, go get your disguise on!” She yelled, as she moved to practically push him into the small spare room. It was technically his, though he preferred to sit on the sofa, since it was practically right outside her room. 

He put his loosest clothes over top of his gi, pulled off his green mask, replacing it with a black face mask and pulled his hair underneath the brown wig. Though he felt too tired and weak to will his eyes gray, so they stayed green. 

As he went to twist the doorknob, he felt a sudden sharp pain pushing through his scalp. He faltered slightly, though did his best to ignore it. It wasn’t important. She was. After taking a few deep breaths, he twisted the doorknob, calling out to her. “Hey Rumi, you ready?” He asked, doing his best to seem okay. 

Rumi happily munched on her chocolate croissant, as he followed the signs towards her next class, thankfully it was located in the English Building from earlier. So she already knew where her class was, so her anxiety from yesterday practically dissipated. She was also more excited for this class since she technically already had a friend. Sure it was her other classmates’ friend, but it definitely still counted especially since they were all getting a belated lunch together. 

Her ‘Intro. To Philosophy’ class was located upstairs in a slightly smaller lecture room. There looked to be about half the size of her literature class, which was nice but at the same time meant more ways she’d be randomly called on which was the worst. 

Harumi decided to sit a little towards the back in the middle section, just like her other two classes. She placed her satchel bag to her left, she was looking forward to meeting them. Cole had said she wouldn’t be able to miss him, but a part of her doubted that to an extent. They knew who he was and what he looked like, she didn’t. 

She sipped her matcha latte, as she ate the last bite of her chocolate croissant. Even if they’d be stopping by the same cafe for lunch, she was glad she grabbed something to keep her stomach from crying out at her or to keep her awake. 

Rumi pulled out her BorgPad and Pencil, checking the time; 12:10pm. He was probably the latest out of Cole, Nya, and Jay which she couldn’t help but softly smirk at. Though the more class was about to start, the more she wondered if he was even coming. Every time she heard the door close, she couldn’t help but look up; seeing if anyone was going to sit next to her. 

About a minute till class started, the door opened again. Looking up she saw a tall, medium skinned man walk in. Though the way his hair was spiked up, he looked even taller. He had a scar overtop his left eye and wore a bandaid over his right. He was wearing a muted red loose t-shirt, along with some loose black pants. His shoes were red, white, and black. It looked to be hightops from some kind of sportswear company, though she wasn’t sure. He was wearing a black messenger back that hung from his left shoulder. 

If this was Kai, let’s just say Cole was right. 

He made eye contact with her, waving his right hand over in her direction. She, awkwardly, waved back as she removed her satchel from the seat next to her. 

He hurriedly moved towards the seat Rumi had saved for him, slumping down into it. He pulled his notebook and pen from his messenger bag, before leaning back into his seat. She couldn't help but stare at him, mildly confused. With each passing day she felt a little more lost in the people department to some extent. 

“Oh for the love of the First Master , hi.” He exclaimed, seemingly noticing her confused stares. He reached his hand out, for a handshake she thought. 

Rumi reached her hand out, shaking his hand. His hands were like Cole’s to some capacity; they were rough, but also soft to some extent. They were also surprisingly warm to the touch, more than she had felt before. 

“I’m Kai.” He said, leaning back in his chair. “And from what I’ve heard you’ve already met Cole, Nya, and Jay.” 

“Mmhm!” She answered, as she took another sip of her latte. “I’m Suki.” She smiled. 

He matched her smile, “well it’s a pleasure to meet you Suki. I’m only sorry it had to be in a citation like this.” Kai mumbled, growing more and more annoyed to some extent. 

She could help but chuckle at the sentiment. “I take it you’re not a school kind of guy.” She teased, opening her BorgPad. 

He only slumped further in his seat. “What gave it away?” 

“Hmm let me see.” She teased him further. 

“Because I couldn’t be bothered to open up my notebook?” He asked, slightly rolling his eyes. 

“Well there’s that and-” She gestured towards his slouched demeanor. 

“What can I say? I like being comfortable.” He shrugged his shoulders, a side smirk forming in between his lips.

“Even Jay wasn’t this resistant to class or learning.” She added, not trying to push him further. But it only seemed to do the opposite. 

Kai perked right up, opening his notebook and unclicked his pen. His laid back energy was seemingly destroyed and was replaced with immense focus she’d never seen before. Turns out she accidentally hit a nerve or a rivalry of some sorts? 

Rumi couldn’t help but burst out into a quiet laughter, earning an eye roll from her spikey haired companion. 

“Don’t want Jay to beat you?” She asked, playing along and definitely into whatever the two had going on. 

Caught off guard to some extent. “Well– uh– no.” He stumbled through his words, attempting to figure out what he was saying, or going to say, or about why he suddenly cared so much.

“Ughhh.” He slumped back into his chair. “If you must know, he beat me at Fist to Face Two last night and hasn’t let me live it down since.”

“ Fist to Face Two ?” She couldn’t help but ask, confusion washing over her. 

“Yeah Fist to Face Two! Probably one of the greatest video games ever invented. There’s like four out now, I think. But it’s definitely my favorite installment.” He answered, his excitement rising. Though he did notice her ever present state of confusion. “Have you ever played a video game?” He asked, turning towards her. 

Before she could answer, the Professor began class. “Attention everyone, I apologize for the late start. But welcome to your first class of ‘Intro. To Philosophy…” 

Rumi looked up, preparing herself to begin taking notes when a piece of paper found its way onto her desk; it was from Kai. 

So?? You can’t leave a guy hanging

She couldn’t help but smirk slightly, pulling out a pen from her satchel. 

I don’t think so, no lol 

She slid the piece of paper back towards Kai, who wrote something down quickly and sent it right back.

Wait???? Really?? How have you never played a video game before? What rock have you been living under?? 

Rumi pondered the thought for a moment. She couldn’t say that she was raised in a palace where everything was decided by her parents. 

Haha! Well my parents were pretty over protective, which doesn’t really make sense in the long run

She slid the paper back to Kai, before quickly dotting something down in her notes. 

We have to tell the others at lunch today, like how crazy is that?? We have much to teach you, young grasshopper 

She accidentally let out a laugh, though it wasn’t as loud as she thought it would be. Thank goodness. 

I can’t wait! Though I’m not sure you’d be the best teacher, haha! 

She knew it may add fuel to his fire, but she didn’t really mind it. 

Heyy!! Low blow! And besides I’m not as bad as Cole!! He’s more of a Prime Empire , story based game guy anyway. Not so much of a battle, or racing game kind of guy like yours truly. Though Prime Empire is sick

To be honest, she wasn’t really paying any kind of attention to what was going on. She was more intrigued at their video game talk and growing excited about possibly being able to play one. Though a part of her got a little peeved at G, that he left out such fun and vital information.

Hehe, sorry! Also, Prime Empire? Racing? Story based? I feel silly asking all these questions tho, but I’m really intrigued to tell you the truth

She heard Kai take a deep exhale before frantically writing down on the opposite side of the paper. 

Okay so Prime Empire is a game where you have to save this city and you do that by gaining the three ‘keytanas’ which can be obtained through racing, exploration, and other kinds of various different challenges. There’s something called ‘side quests’ which are quests that you can do and sign up for to earn gold, or level up, or earn various different rewards. 

Racing games are another type, with a bunch of different kinds. So there’s motorcycles, racing cars, and well I guess those are the only real ones. It really depends on the game tbh, but there’s usually a bunch of different power ups that give you crazy speed or give you defensive/offensive stuff. 

And story based games are games that center around some kind of story. There’s cutscenes and usually the kind of responses you enter or choose change the story to some kind of extent. Or they’re like a story, but you don’t have the anxiety of picking the right choice to ensure the best ending. 

Wow. She wasn’t expecting that much. 

Wow. Who knew? I bet that’s only the surface, huh? Also based on your explanations what Cole likes best and plays the most seems to be the best choice and coolest out of everything

She passed the paper back to Kai, who huffed slightly.

Yeah, I can’t argue with that lol. Cole probably is the coolest out of everyone I know, but DON'T TELL HIM THAT!!! His ego will get too crazy big for all our sakes. 

Reading the note back, she couldn't help but chuckle silently at him.

Yeah that would be really bad, wouldn’t it almost be like a certain spikey haired person we all know who definitely doesn’t have a big ego.

She slid it back to him. 

HEY!! I DO NOT OMG RUDE!!

She shook her head slightly, doing her best to hide her laughing.

Hey it was your sister who said it, not me lol

He let out a scoff, only writing the words 

HA HA VERY FUNNY >:(

She couldn’t help but silently laugh. 

Lol sorry :)

He slid back the paper, rolling his eyes, and tapping his pen slightly on his table. 

Nah, it’s chill. I’ll just kill her later. >:D

Harumi couldn’t help but let her mouth fall slightly open, before he pulled the note back. 

I’m kidding. Well, slightly kidding. 

She was slightly confused to a certain extent, but to tell you the truth this was the most fun she’s ever had during a lesson. 

LMAO! 

… 

The rest of the class went by the fastest a class or lesson ever happened. Not that her or Kai did any work or paid any attention, but thankfully the lecture slides from the class would be uploaded to their class website so it wasn’t like they were missing anything. And besides it’s way more fun to have fun than it is to actually pay attention. Not to mention she did learn a lot, though it was mainly about video games. 

“Oh thank the FSM, I’m so glad to be done with class. In my opinion it’s too much sitting around.” Kai grumbled, stuffing his empty notebook and pen into his backpack.

“Yeah, it is a lot of sitting isn’t it? Especially since it's an hour and fifteen minutes long instead of fifty like my other ones.” She added, neatly putting her things away. 

“Oh yeah, Nya had mentioned you were in her and Jay’s class yesterday. So sorry for your loss.” He teased. Rumi thought it might have been regarding Jay, so she didn’t ask for him to clarify. 

“Yeah, I’m only part time right now. Just testing the waters a bit before I sign up for more.” She pulled her bag over her shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.” She smiled. 

“Sick! I think the others are going to meet us there.” Kai began making his way through the aisle then up towards the door, Rumi followed. 

She was excited to truly meet and hang out with everyone, but she couldn’t help but feel like something or more accurately, someone was missing. Rumi felt like a part of her was missing, like her friends wouldn’t know the true her. She spent her whole life wishing for friends, she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d hate her if they somehow found out or if she’d mess it up. Rumi only had one friend after all. 

She followed Kai to the opposite end of campus, large trees loomed overtop of them. Multiple students sat on different sections of the lawn, in hammocks hanging in between trees, or throwing frisbees. Everyone seemed to be in their own world, it was nice. She’d never people watched before, but she loved watching everyone walk around and go about their lives. A part of her felt like a creep, but it's not like she was staring at anyone or anything of the sorts. She just enjoyed the fact that people surrounded her lived their lives, seemingly to the fullest. 

The cafe was located at the corner of the street across from the edge of campus. The bottom half was made up out of red bricks while the top half was painted in a light cream color. The outside was surrounded in cute planter boxes that framed the wooden chairs that surrounded the entrance. 

Once they got to the door, Kai opened it, and held it open for her. 

“Thank you!” She replied as Kai followed her in. 

“No need to thank me, I do it for all my friends.” He answered, a wide smile in between his lips. 

She couldn’t help but return the same wide smile as they stood in the front of the store. 

Rumi looked around, looking for their friends. The walls were the same color of cream as the top half of the building on the outside. The atmosphere was warm, comprised with multiple different plants, wooden furniture, and various different arm chairs. Directly in front of the doors to the cafe was the counter with the cash till, pastries, and the espresso machines. She looked toward the back left of the restaurant where she spotted a group of people sitting at a long rectangular table. Various different hands popped up, waving over at them. She waved back, as Cole walked over to meet them. 

“Hey.” He lowered his hand, placing it slightly in his front pocket. 

He was wearing an oversized black shirt that seemed to have different fashionable rips in them with bits of orange peeking through. He was also wearing a pair of light wash, loose, blue jeans that were cuffed above a pair of doc martens. So if he already wasn’t practically a foot taller than her, he was now. 

“Hey!” Kai waved back. “What’s with the others?” 

“Oh they thought we could order first and they’d save the table for us, then they’d order after us.” Cole replied standing next to Rumi who was now in the middle of two giants.

“Ohhhh that makes sense.” Kai answered, turning towards the chalkboard menus a few feet in front of them. “What are you thinking of getting?” He asked, turning towards her and Cole. 

That was a good question, she looked up towards the menus eyeing them carefully. She was still a bit tired so a matcha latte sounded nice. “Hmm, probably a matcha latte and-” Rumi continued to eye the menu. “-ooh! A caprese sandwich sounds nice, so probably that!” She answered, growing increasingly excited. 

“Oh that does sound good!” Cole replied, his chin resting on his hand. 

“Ewww!” Kai exclaimed. “Matcha tastes like if you were to eat grass.” 

“Oh shut it Kai.” Cole said, moving his hand from his chin to punch his shoulder, who yelped in response. 

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing, slightly keeling over at her two friends. 

Kai ordered first; he ordered a croissant breakfast sandwich along with a caramel latte. Rumi ordered her vanilla matcha latte and caprese sandwich next, while Cole ordered a cappuccino along with a chicken curry and a slice of chocolate cake. Once they all finished ordering and had had their number cards, they followed Cole over to their table. 

“Hey!” Jay yelled standing up. “You all took forever to order.” He grumbled pulling Nya towards the counter to order their food. 

“This is why you should have eaten breakfast this morning.” Nya teased as she followed him. 

“Gross.” Kai reacted, while he faked gagging at the two. 

“I think they’re sweet.” Rumi replied. Sitting at the head of the table, while Kai sat on the opposite side of Cole. As Kai sat down next to Cole, she could notice a slight tensing in his shoulders and well whole demeanor. She could help but eye the two specifically. She may have grown up in a palace alone from others, but she could tell when something was up. 

The three of them chatted about their classes and their excitements for this semester. She learned a bit more about Cole and his anxieties surrounding their music theory class. Even though Rumi wanted to offer her support, she didn’t want to pry or open up old wounds. Instead, she just told him they’d be in it together. Kai mentioned how he was thinking about majoring in kinesiology, or something along those lines but he wasn’t sure. He was like Cole in some capacity; he enjoyed the family business somewhat as a hobby, but wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it for a job. 

Harumi, of course, understood. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be a princess or royalty or wanted to rule Ninjago. It was all complicated and overwhelming, but she was glad she wasn’t alone in feeling like this. 

Jay and Nya returned, the two of them holding hands as they sat down in their previous seats. Jay was wearing a long blue crew neck shirt that he rolled up the sleeves to, along with a pair of white overalls. The strap on the right side had a yellow smiley face pin, while he was also wearing another pair of fun socks and matching blue high top converse. 

Nya was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a cheer red button up shirt that was tucked into her black jeans. It was buttoned once towards the bottom, where it was tucked in. She was wearing her black leather jacket, as well as her red boots. As well as her silver jewelry peeking through. 

“So how was your Philosophy class you two?” Nya asked, as she sat back down. 

“Oh! Um well it was…” Rumi couldn’t help but pause, they didn’t pay any attention at all and instead spent the entire time talking about video games which didn’t even seem possible. 

“Oh yeah, we didn’t pay any attention and spent the entire time talking about video games.” Kai nonchalantly said, as he slightly leaned back in his chair. 

“I didn’t take you for a video gamer, Suki.” Cole said, looking up. 

Now growing more embarrassed, Rumi sighed as she began twiddling her fingers. “Well um- I’ve never actually played a video game before. Kai was teaching me about them.” She muttered. 

“Whaaaaat?! That’s crazy! How have you not-?!” Jay asked, well more so screeched. He only stopped when one of the cafe workers stood over the opposite end of the table. A tray of food and drinks in hand. She definitely looked confused and only slightly concerned. Jay immediately slumped into his chair, as Kai and Cole fought off their laughter. 

She handed Rumi, Kai, and Cole their food and drinks before saying she’ll return with Jay’s and Nya’s. As soon as she left the two of them couldn’t hold their laughter in any longer and burst out laughing. Nya only rolled her eyes, before giving him a playful kiss on his cheek; Jay immediately blushed. 

She returned carrying back the same black tray with a plate of french toast on it and a watermelon red bull, which was Jay’s. As well as a plate of avocado toast, fried egg, and two slices of bacon with an iced americano which was Nya’s. 

Once all their food was there, everyone began diving into their food. Rumi’s eyes couldn’t help but widen at the taste of her latte or her sandwich. Looking around it seemed everyone was also enjoying their meal. 

“Okay, but how have you not played a video game?!” Jay asked, shoving a bite of his french toast into his mouth. 

Rumi hummed, finishing her bite of food. “Well my parents are super over protective and only now started to release the reins a little bit.” She shrugged, taking a sip of her latte. 

“Well we’ll all have to play together sometime and teach you!” He announced, his eyes wide with excitement. 

“Yeah! We’ll have to teach you the ways of the video game!” Cole added. 

“Hey! I feel like I should get some credit here.” Kai interjected. “After all, I am the one who taught her about video games.” 

“Easy there hot head.” Cole teased. “And besides, you only told her types of games, not how to play.” 

“Ugh, I am not, boulder brain!” He retorted, a smirk forming between his lips. 

“Sure, sure, sure.” Cole waved his hand, doing his best to hide his wide smile and beaming eyes. 

“Easy there you two.” Nya rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her americano. 

Harumi could feel her smile extending, she was so happy. She had made a group of friends almost scary fast, but she was ecstatic to spend this entire and maybe next semester with them. It seemed like a while before she was able to truly let loose like this, she was able to just be herself. She had no worries or obligations to think about’ all she had to do was just be, oh and how she was tremendously grateful for that. Though the more she felt happy and free the more she worried about her parents and the more her heart missed a certain green eyed ninja. 

Chapter Text

Cole wandered throughout the basement of the music building, as he searched for Harumi, who was somewhere in one of the practice rooms; though he wasn’t sure which one. The hallway, as creepy as it was, was lined on either side with various different sized piano practice rooms and other soundproof rooms. 

He had only been in class for two weeks, and it was two weeks too many. He thought he left everything musical behind when he left the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts . When he was sixteen, he swore he’d never participate in music again. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. He missed playing various different chords on the piano while his mom sat next to him helping remind him where his fingers went, or when he’d play the piano as his parents danced with each other around the living room. Those were the only things he missed about music and the act of playing it. Cole didn’t miss the insane amount of pressure his father placed on him from when he was thirteen years old. He wanted to spend time with his mother, not sit at a stuffy piano. 

Cole shook himself free of those thoughts, he couldn’t be on edge right now. He had a princess to watch over and a music theory test to study for. He had to be on top of his game, though a large part of him wanted to turn around and bolt home. 

He walked up to a music room towards the opposite end of the hallway, next to another flight of stairs. Cole sighed, slightly annoyed he had to walk through an almost never ending, creepy hallway. He turned towards the door, checking his phone. ‘Music Room 26’; looking up this was the one. Harumi’s name, well her alias was written across the sign up sheet. 

He knocked on the door, before stepping inside where he saw her sitting in front of the upright piano, sheet music placed in front of her, as her fingers gently pressed down at the keys. 

“Hey.” He waved, setting his bag down on the floor next to the opposite side of the piano from where she was sitting. 

“Oh Cole! Hi! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. Do you want to sit? We can go through it together.” 

He smiled, nodding his head, as he sat down on Harumi’s left hand side. He pulled his notes and sheet music from his bag, placing a sticky note of everything that’d be on the test in a few days. 

Ow wow, someone’s prepared.” She smirked, slightly elbowing his side. 

Cole shrugged. “What can I say? Anxiety’s a funny thing.” He joked. 

The two of them sat in front of the piano, as they fiddled with the various different keys, chords, scales and modes, rhythms, really the introductions to the whole works. As much as Cole was nervous regarding the test, or more accurately the class, even if it was just for a semester, their study session proved he remembered a lot more than he thought he did. 

“Man, we’ve really studied a lot.” Cole observed, standing up from the piano bench, stretching his back. 

“Yeah we really have.” She turned towards him slightly as she used the piano bench to pop her back. “What do you say we take a little break?” She suggested. 

“Now that’s music to my ears.” Cole added, not passing up an opportunity to make some kind of joke. 

“Hah hah.” She teased, as she sat down on the floor. 

Cole, slumped down across from her. He leaned back on his hands, crossing his ankles. 

“Hey Cole?” She perked up. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Uh sure, shoot!” He answered. 

“What’s your sign?” She asked. 

“My sign?” He couldn’t help but slightly tilt his head towards her. 

“Yeah! Your sign, like zodiac sign?” She clarified though she wasn’t exactly sure herself. 

“Ohhhh. Uhhh I think I’m a Taurus?” Cole wondered aloud. “Why do you ask?” 

“Oh! I was talking about it with Nya and Jay in class. I still don’t know a lot about it though.” she answered.

“Hmm yeah. I don’t really get it myself though.” He smirked, leaning back on his hands. 

“Well from what they’ve said you’re, quote, such a taurus.” She smirked. 

Caught off guard, Cole perked up. “What do you mean? ‘I’m such a taurus’?” He asked, eyeing her slightly.   

Harumi looked up at him, there was a mischievous glint in her eyes; she hummed. “I don’t really know, you’ll have to talk to Kai about it though.” She winked at him, as she leaned back against the piano bench. 

Cole could feel his face warming, almost like he was surrounded by fire; a kind, courageous, funny, handso– He shook his head, instantly trying to cover up the fact that he was blushing. There was something about Kai that spoke to Cole’s heart, as ridiculous as that sounds. He wasn’t sure of his feelings about him, but there was one that he did know; there was definitely something between him and the Fire Ninja. 

“Wha– What? Why? Why would I–? Kai’s not a big zodiac guy either.” Cole rambled, growing increasingly embarrassed. 

It seemed his rambling and sudden jump to her suggestion didn’t convince her that there wasn’t something going on between the two of them. Harumi continued to eye him, almost as if she didn’t believe him or more accurately, he didn’t believe himself. 

“Uh huh, sure, sure.” She paused. “You know he talks about you a lot and you can never know unless you try.” She hinted standing back up, as she sat back down at the piano bench. 

Cole just sat there, stunned to say the least. He wasn't even sure of his own feelings, how could Harumi understand them? They had only just met. How could she possibly know how he felt about him, especially when he had no idea?

He sat there in silence, Harumi did too as she fiddled with the A Minor chord on the piano. He just stayed there, sitting on the floor. His hands were now in his lap as he played with his emotions.

Harumi broke the silence. “I’m sorry if I overstepped it’s just–.” She paused, looking down at her fingers which were placed gently overtop the keys. “When I see you two together, or when you two talk about each other, there’s something there.” She muttered, her hands frozen over top the piano. 

Cole couldn’t help but smile softly at that. “He talks about me?” He asked, his eyes lighting up. 

She smiled. “More than you know. It gets kind of annoying actually.” She teased. 

He could feel his chest beat faster and faster. Though he couldn’t think about that right now, they were in the middle of an important mission for who knows how long. He didn’t have time to think about stuff like that. Though he didn’t know when he’s ever get the chance to truly think about it; after all, their whole purpose in life was to save the world. 

“Maybe.” He muttered, the outside of his lips tugged upwards. Cole stood up and sat back on Harumi’s left side, his hands laid gently over top of the keys.

“Oh come on.” Harumi pleaded, as they walked home. 

“Why do you possibly want to know my star sign?” Lloyd asked. 

“Because!” Harumi complained. “It’s important that we know more about each other, you know trust and stuff?” She pleaded her case. 

A part of him wanted to oblige; she was right in the area of trust though. It wouldn’t make sense or be productive if they remained strangers, especially after they’d been living together for weeks, possibly months, no one really knew.

He sighed, his hands shoved further into his hoodie’s pockets. This was a hard predicament, especially since he was Lloyd Garmadon aka her fiancé. It’d be weird explaining that the Green Ninja had the same birthday as Lloyd Garmadon. Therefore, making it slightly easier for her to figure out his identity, which would definitely complicate things. 

He exhaled deeply, as Rumi looked at him with her wide, bright, jade green eyes. Her eyes were pleading for him to give her this, for them to grow upon their friendship. He sighed, after all, he’s never been good with keeping things from the people he likes. 

“Okay, maybe. I have to think about it.” He waved his hand, brushing her off, a smile forming on his lips. 

This made her eyes light up even more. “Really? Yes! Omg!” She exclaimed, her feet slightly skipping the rest of the way home. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but laugh. “I only said maybe, I do have a secret identity to keep. You know?” He asked, clearly teasing her. 

“Oh! I don’t care about that!” She blurted out, still skipping. “You’re yourself, right?” She asked, her excitement shifting. “I mean, just because you wear a mask doesn’t make you any less you. So it’s not like your secret identity is any more or less you. It gives you a chance to be yourself right? Like without all the pressure of being you, like out of the mask.” She responded, staring in front of her; seemingly lost in thought. 

Lloyd, to tell the truth, was stunned. He was shocked at everything she said and a part of him thought that she was right. He looked down at the ground, noticing his green gi poking underneath his black sweatpants. 

He sighed. “Virgo.” He muttered, catching the ear of the princess. 

“Wait, you’re a–?” Rumi asked, seemingly not hearing him earlier. 

“My star sign; I’m a virgo.” He reiterated, still looking down at his feet.

“Virgo?” She asked, pulling out her phone; possibly looking it up. “Wait?!” She explained. “That means that your birthday happened already or is going to soon?! What day?!” She asked, pulling at his arm. 

Lloyd couldn’t stifle his chuckle. “I thought the agreement was that I told you my star sign.” He teased her.

“Well can’t I change the deal?” She pleaded, her eyes growing wide, almost like a small puppy. 

There were those eyes again, Lloyd was a weak man; definitely not his area of expertise. He let out a heavy sigh. “September twenty-second.” He answered, unlocking the door into their apartment building. 

“Wait?!” Harumi explained, now aware of her volume; she lowered it slightly. “That’s tomorrow!” She whispered yelled, staring at him annoyed. 

Lloyd took a second to ponder that, yeah it was tomorrow. Was it really tomorrow already? Was he really turning nineteen years old then? He looked slightly towards the sky, wondering how long he’d been out of it since he didn’t even know his birthday was tomorrow. 

“Whoops.” Was all he could say, that and the shrugging of his shoulders. “Guess it just slipped my mind.” 

“How? It’s your birthday! It’s so exciting!” She exclaimed her excitement growing. 

They reached their door, Lloyd pulled out his keys, unlocking it. His demeanor shifted. “Huh, guess I just never thought about it.” He answered, avoiding her gaze. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, kicking her shoes off on the bench. “It’s such a magical moment, it’s like one of my favorite days in the year.”

Lloyd threw off his jacket onto the small bed in the separate room, along with his black sweatpants, and brown wig. He exited the room, only to be bombarded with questions from Harumi: 

“What do you want to do for it?” 

“How did you forget?”

“We should do something!” 

“Ehhh, I don't know.” Lloyd responded, moving towards the kitchen to begin cooking dinner. “I’m not really a birthday guy.” He shrugged.

“What?! How?” Harumi wondered, following him around into the kitchen. 

He shrugged, sitting on top of the counter. “It just– it wasn’t important to my dad, I mostly worked on my birthday. So I guess, it just lost its magic, but the ninja helped celebrate it in small ways, which was nice.” 

Rumi’s demeanor shifted, sitting next to Lloyd on the counter, her hand resting on his. “I’m sorry, G. I didn’t mean to pry.” She said, her voice soft, and wavering. 

Lloyd shrugged again. “It’s okay. It's just a birthday.” 

“Did your mom feel the same way?” She asked, her thumb gently rubbing the back of Lloyd’s hand. 

There was a sudden pang in his chest. He had a few good birthdays here and there, while his mom was ali– here. He missed her. He missed the way she messed up his hair every morning or the way she made him a stack of blueberry pancakes with a candle in the middle every birthday. His birthdays used to be magical, but with the loss of his mom and the way he grew up so fast; it just seemed less and less important and meaningful. 

He sighed, his left hand rubbing the fabric of his gi. There were lots of things that Lloyd missed and the way his parents celebrated his birthday was one of them. After his mother went missing, his father fell into despair, completely focusing on work and only that. Lloyd became an afterthought. He became a boiling pot of water on the back burner, one his father would never remember. One Lloyd had to pick up the pieces of, even if he was just a kid.

“I– we lost my mother a couple of years ago and–” He paused, his voice starting to shake. Ugh, why was talking about her so hard for him to do? He sighed, catching his breath. “Well after we lost her, my dad just forgot about it or it wasn’t as important to him as it was to her.” 

Rumi was silent, her hand moving from a top his, intertwining them.

“It’s okay, I mean. He dealt with the loss his own way, just as I did.” He muttered, staring at the light red, terracotta tiles that lined the floor. 

“Oh G, but he shouldn’t have done that.” She broke the silence. “You were just a kid, you needed support. I’m sorry you didn’t receive the care you needed during that time.” She mumbled, her left arm wrapped around Lloyd’s back.

“Rumi, I–” Lloyd paused, lost for words. All he could really do was lean his head against hers, enjoying the warmth and kindness that radiated off of her. 

They remained there for a while, the two of them mellowing in the silence. The rays from the sun slowly began to dissipate as it moved behind several of the buildings in front of their view. Lloyd could feel his heart and head go back and forth. It was pointless, at least that’s what it felt like. Though he quickly pushed those thoughts and feelings away; he didn’t have time to think about this, he was a ninja on a very important mission for the entirety of Ninjago. 

Harumi broke the silence, once more. “G?” She asked. 

Lloyd hummed, not even looking up from the floor. 

“If you don’t want to do anything for your birthday, we don’t have to do anything. But if you’re okay with it, I could plan something? It wouldn’t be very big, just the two of us?” She asked. 

Huh, he thought about it for a moment. It was a Saturday and most of their threats were locked away. It couldn’t hurt to have fun outside of their apartment, after all being stuck in here would eat away at anyone’s sanity. 

“Sure.”

Rumi pulled her head up from his shoulder. “Really?” She asked, her eyes wide with hope and anticipation. 

“Yeah.” He answered, turning towards her, leaning slightly back so their faces were further from each other. 

She crumpled into his arms, squeezing him tight. “We’ll have so much fun tomorrow! I promise!” She exclaimed. Lloyd hugged her back, though not as tightly. 

“Now what do you say we get dinner started?” He forced out, his mind still trapped at his childhood birthdays. 

“So ready! I’m starving.” She smiled, hopping off the counter. 

Lloyd couldn’t help but smile, maybe celebrating his birthday wouldn't be so bad. 

Lloyd and Harumi decided on making a lemon pasta with broccoli and a small side salad. Neither of them would really classify as cooks, but without Zane being there, Lloyd really stepped up. Though there were still some accidents in the kitchen with over boiling pots of water, spilled pasta, and generally it was usually a mess everywhere. But the two of them didn’t really care; it was a time where they truly got to let loose from the restrictions that binded them to a straight line.

Lloyd was back in the red world. He looked around, unable to move, desperately trying to see if something came out of nowhere, but nothing did. However, the more he stood around, the more anxious he became and felt. Something was wrong, especially since usually something would have happened by now, but there was nothing. 

All of a sudden Lloyd heard the piercing, shrill sound of a scream. It reminded him of a banshee yell of sometime, but he didn’t have time to focus on that as a shadowed figure threw multiple kunais at him; some of which he was unable to dodge or they’d hit Rumi. He couldn’t let that happen. 

Each one that hit him or scraped his shoulder, leg, or abdomen sent waves of pain throughout his body. He was frozen, unable to move as this shadowed figure continued to yell and scream at him. 

But the one thing that scared him the most was the way Harumi gripped on to the back of his jacket for dear life. 

He was soon pulled down from beneath the floor, he back in Kryptarium Prison as he watched his friends go up against hordes of villains most of them looked to be Oni’s men, as that was evident with the large, towering gray skinned man stood behind menacingly Cole, who too busy fighting another thug. 

“Co–!” Lloyd tried to shout, but it was useless. He was forcibly pulled from this nightmare. 

Lloyd woke up with a startle to the sound of birds chirping outside of the open window, as sun streamed in through the windows. He usually despised mornings, but somehow each day they grew more and more beautiful; for some reason. 

He looked down, he was still in the lotus pose he fell asleep in last night. But the tension from his dream weighed heavy on his shoulders. It was the similar he saw of the ninja fighting in Kryptarium Prison, only this time there were black sais thrown in his and Rumi’s direction and the villain towering behind Cole. It seemed odd, but he decided not to focus on it. There was also a blanket that was laid out across his chest and lap. Rumi must have put it over him again. 

He stood up stretching his arms over head and twisting his back, the sounds of popping filled the empty space. He felt satisfied at that, well mostly until he heard a familiar voice echo throughout the room. 

“I don’t know how you do that.” She judged, looking partially disgusted. 

Lloyd cracked his neck. “Hey when you sleep on a couch sitting up, you’ll understand.” He teased, folding the blanket. 

“But you really should be sleeping in the other bedroom.” Rumi protested, crossing her arms. 

“You’re very sweet, but I have a job to do and that’s to keep an eye out for you. Just in case someone enters, I need to be ready.” He answered. 

“Wow, comforting.” She smirked. “Anyways, you sir need to get ready. And none of this ninja business, okay? It’s your birthday, you deserve a break.” 

“But I–?” Lloyd started.

“Nope, no buts. I’m the Princess of Ninjago and you have to do what you’re asked.” She proclaimed. 

“You mean ordered?” Lloyd retorted, the same smirk appearing on his face. 

“No, well, no! Get ready G!” She defended, turning around to enter her bedroom. 

Lloyd decided to get ready as well as he searched through his clothes in the dresser in the spare bedroom. He opted for a pair of light blue jeans, a loose white shirt, which were underneath a dark green, denim like material, jacket. Overtop he wore a black sling bag that sat directly in front of his chest, Lloyd decided his shoes would be a pair of matching green high top converse. He pulled his brown wig over his head, placing a black face mask across his face. He was ready. 

Lloyd practically waited hours for Harumi to finish getting ready, though it wasn’t really hours, it was more like an hour or an hour and a half at most. She didn’t even ask him to do her hair like she usually did every morning. He plopped himself on the arm rest of the couch. As he sat down a chill and sharp pain went down his spine from the base of his neck. It wasn’t the worst he’d ever felt after a dream, but granted it wasn’t like it didn’t hurt. Lloyd did his best to will it away, but it did nothing. Only the sound of an opening door seemed to distract him. 

He looked up to find Rumi, she was wearing an olive green ruffled button up, which was underneath a white cream, flowy dress. It had ruffled along the short sleeves that sat directly on her shoulders and along the bottom hem of the dress. Tortoise shell buttons lined from the top of the dress down to the bottom, though Lloyd thought they looked more like a fashion statement than for practical usage. She was wearing her signature gold jewelry, white ruffled socks, and her hair was pinned back on each side by a small green bow. 

First , she looked beautiful.

“Happy birthday, G!” She exclaimed, hugging him. Lloyd, of course, awkwardly pulled his arms around her waist. His touch, ever so gentle

Once the two pulled away, he found himself stuttering. “Um– You– You–” He began, his breath slightly catching; for the first time in his life he didn’t know what to say. 

Rumi giggled. “Thank you, G. You ready to go?” She asked, pulling her leather purse over her right shoulder. 

Almost brought back to life. “Yeah– Yeah! You?” He asked, scratching the back of his head. 

He looked towards her, she was pulling her brown mary janes on. A large smile spread across her face. “Yep!” 

Lloyd nodded, pulling his shoes on as well. The two opted for walking instead of a car, nice days were her favorite and he couldn’t just deny her of that. Though there was a pit in his stomach that didn’t seem to fade away, especially without his dao sword in hand.

Their first stop was a small diner only a few blocks away from them, entering the busy section of Ninjago City. The diner looked to be themed from a couple of decades ago, it looked like something Jay would enjoy or heck, any of the other ninja. There were pinball games that lined one end of the restaurant, while the rest was filled with red colored booths, black and white checkered floors, old fashioned pendant lights, and a jukebox in the corner. It was a beautiful, small, hole in the wall place. It was definitely a place that his father would never allow him to go, but good news he wasn’t there to control his life; at least for right now.

Lloyd decided to get a plate of blueberry pancakes with extra whipped cream and a side of mixed fruit; he also opted for an apple juice to drink. While Harumi got a plate of stuffed strawberry french toast and a cup of hot chocolate. Since it was September, it made sense,due to the breeze that had begun to grow colder. But the sun helped provide the warmth they needed. 

During brunch, the two laughed over small little things or the way the other people in the restaurant talked so loud they could hear their conversation from across the restaurant. And as much as the two wanted to not pay attention, they couldn’t really help themselves but eavesdrop. 

After they paid, or more accurately, Harumi paid, she dragged him to a nearby building; The Ninjago City Aquarium. It had been so long since he’d been there, probably since he was a child. So it must have been his child self that practically squealed as they entered the building. There were so many different kinds of fish, other aquatic life, sea turtles, sharks! The list was endless. He didn’t really mind that most of it was him and Harumi dragging each other around as they read every single placard and studied every single animal. 

He felt like a child again. 

After the aquarium the two of them decided it’d be fun to explore the city some more, Harumi had never seen it and Lloyd never really experienced it outside of what his father allowed him and his missions. They walked through Ninjago CIty Park, they even found a couple of cute bookstores and cafes that would be fun for them to sit in and keep around. 

As the sun began to set, Lloyd and Harumi decided it’d be nice if they rested their feet and their stomachs at a bakery. Upon entering, Lloyd could feel his whole world light up. The amount of sweets sold by this bakery was astonishing. He could help but stare longingly at a menu.

“Wow if I didn’t know better, I’d day you have a sweet tooth.” She joked, playfully nudging his side. 

Lloyd, now embarrassed, scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, just a little one.” He smirked. 

“Somehow I get the feeling that you’re lying.” She noticed, eyeing him. 

He threw his hands up. “Okay you got me.” He held his hands in front of himself, almost ready to be taken into custody. 

Harumi giggled, her hand covering her mouth slightly. Lloyd caught himself staring and quickly looked away hoping she wouldn’t notice. Thankfully, she didn’t. “G, I think I’ll let you off the hook just this once, after all, you are one of the heroes of Ninjago.” 

“Oh corruption, I see?” He teased, Rumi’s cheeks slowly turned a brighter shade of pink. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but it was suddenly their turn to order. 

“Excuse me? Are you two ready to order?” The employee asked. Lloyd looked down at Harumi, who nodded. 

Lloyd ordered a slice of red velvet cake, mentally noting to take Cole here sometime if the cake was good. Harumi decided on a slice of strawberry shortcake. They sat down in front of one the windows; there was something off about where they were though. He couldn’t shake the growing pit in his stomach. 

“So did you have fun?” Harumi asked, taking a bite of her cake. 

It took a moment for him to register what she said. “Oh– Oh yeah! I did, thank you. It felt nice to just be me and not, you know.” He trailed off, as he stared into his red slice of cake with cream cheese frosting; his stomach turned. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Harumi answered. Her smile wavered slightly, but she forced it back on. “Okay, favorite thing we did today?” She asked, taking another bite. 

Lloyd hummed, as he took another bite of his cake. “Probably the aquarium, I forgot how much fun it was. What was yours?” 

Harumi turned her head upwards. “I think just spending time being ‘normal’ with you was nice.”

“Does that count?” Lloyd asked, giving her a look. 

“Yes! Of course it counts, especially coming from two kids who know practically nothing of normalcy.” She crossed her arms. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” He smiled, shoving a large spoonful of cake in his mouth. Once finished with his bite, he practically keeled over, it tasted so good. “Ugh, I love red velvet cake. It’s definitely the best flavor out of everything.” 

“Hmm, I don’t know about that G.” She winked. 

“No it definitely is.” Lloyd argued. “Vanilla isn’t that great on its own and neither is chocolate.” 

Rumi scoffed. “Is’t red velvet cake chocolate cake?” She asked. 

“Huh. I don’t actually know, but it’s still better.” He proclaimed, smiling wide and proud. 

It was there Harumi burst out in laughter, barely able to keep her composure anymore. “If you say so G.” 

Once they were finished with their cake, they decided it’d probably be best if they went home. Lloyd and Harumi made it about halfway home when Lloyd caught the faint sound of someone shuffling behind them. His heart sank into his stomach. This couldn’t be good. Lloyd turned around, as he noticed Harumi was falling slightly behind him, admiring Ninjago City at night. Oh no. 

He bolted, calling out her cover name. “Suki!” Harumi instantly whipped her head towards him as he noticed a reflection of a knife or more accurately a kunai. A kunai that was headed straight for the princess.

At this speed he wasn’t going to make it in time and he didn’t have his sword to deflect it. Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Lloyd lunged forward, shoving her to the ground; deja vu flooding his mind in more ways than one. 

“You okay?” Lloyd asked, looking down at the shaken Harumi. Her breathing was slightly uneven, but she slowly nodded, yes. “Okay, are you hurt?” He asked. She shook her head. “Okay good, I need you to stay behind me, okay?” He asked, carefully helping her stand up. She nodded once more, standing behind him. Lloyd used his body to shield her, as he got into a fighting stance. 

Suddenly in the silence, there was a loud shrill that echoed throughout the street they were on; almost like a banshee laugh, just like the one from his nightmare. Lloyd had a sinking feeling that he might need back up, he pressed his hand to his ear; tapping his com. 

... --- ...

There was no response, something was wrong; something must have happened. Lloyd could feel his heart sinking further down. He and Rumi were alone in this. 

Chapter Text

The ninja sat around the couch in the games and lounge room. Cole, Jay, Zane, and Cole sat about a foot away from the tv; their eyes focused on the screen. A new game of Lava Zombies had just come out and her boyfriend, being her boyfriend, already had it pre-ordered.  Pix sat directly in front of the coffee table, her eyes fixated on Jay’s console, which he had short-circuited that morning. Nya, on the other hand, was sitting on the couch, adjacent to Jay. She sat with one of her knees propped up against the arm rest, while her other sat bent against the couch.

Even if them taking their classes was just a cover up, she wanted to do well in her literature class. Nya had always been somewhat good at school, but she was a little disappointed Harumi hadn’t signed up for some kind of engineering class; though it made sense in the long run. She turned to the next page of her book, even if paying attention was harder than usual with the boys’ insanity. 

“Okay! Okay! Hold on! Zane! Zane powerup!” Jay shouted, nudging his brother with his left shoulder. 

Nya couldn’t help but glance every so often at the screen. She wasn’t sure about how this Lava Zombies game was different from the last one, but seeing her friends relax and take the edge off was certainly nice. But she thought no harm of it, she could always school them the next time they played Unagami Kart . 

“Ack! Jay! Cover me! I’m going for the loot box!” Kai yelled, his fingers twiddling away at the various different buttons and triggers on his controller. 

She couldn’t help but smile softly, turning her attention back towards her book, The Bronzefinch , which was for her Contemporary Literature class, but the more she tried to read it, the more distracted she got. Her mind kept turning back towards the tv, they boys had somehow beaten the last level they were on, and were now fighting a large monster made of lava? In some kind of mountain? That seemed ridiculous, in what world would someone have to fight a tentacle having monster, or zombie? Whatever it was. She rolled her eyes, turning her attention back towards her book. 

Nya wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she had finished the fifth chapter, so she thought she should have a well deserved break. She placed a spare receipt paper in between the last pages of chapter five and the beginning of chapter six. 

She stood up, as she made her way towards the kitchen. Nya opted for pouring herself the remaining coffee, adding about a cup of boiling water to her mug. It wasn’t like she could let a perfectly good cup of coffee go to waste, right? After all, she had to get to chapter fifteen by their next class. Nya sure didn’t miss school per say, and times like this definitely didn’t make her miss it any less. 

She sighed, leaning against the counter top; taking small but deep sips of her homemade americano. Nya glanced over towards the clock on the stove, it was 8:17pm. Even if it was still fairly early in the night, she couldn’t help but feel exhausted. With her classes plus her scheduled hours of patrol before she switched with another ninja. She yawned deeply, it was exhausting to say the least.

Nya had gotten about 5 deep sips of her drink when bright, loud, and red alarms started blaring throughout Destiny’s Bounty . Knowing she probably wasn’t going to be able to finish her coffee in a timely manner, Nya decided to quickly chug it before running to meet everyone in the Bridge. 

Lights and sounds blared through the Bridge more so than anywhere else in the entire bounty; various different lights were blinking from various different icons and screens that covered the majority of the bounty. 

“Pix!” Nya yelled, jumping at the wheel of the ship, while the others took to investigating the multitude of lights blaring. “What’s going on?” She asked, pressing a button to lift the anchor from its resting place. 

Pixal’s tapping at the computer grew more and more frantic as she scoured for the location of the stress call. She stepped back for a moment, her eyes wide. 

“Pixal? What’s going on?” Cole asked, looking up from a slightly smaller screen next to her. 

“It’s Kryptarium.” She mumbled. “There was an explosion.” 

“Wai– Wait wait? Explosion?” Jay asked, his mind coming to the realization. “That means–?” 

“There was either a break in or break out.” Zane finished the thought for him. 

“Alright! Well let’s get this show on the road!” Nya jumped at the buttons next to the wheel. “Hold on! We’ll be there soon!” 

Destiny’s Bounty shifted, nearly sending Jay and Kai on the floor, as Nya turned the ship slightly South West towards the prison. 

“What about Lloyd and Harumi?” Jay asked, stumbling slightly against the great speed they were traveling. 

“We can’t bring the princess into this dangerous situation.” Zane answered. “I trust Lloyd will keep her safe and they are located up North in Ninjago City, which is approximately five clicks away from their known location. If we are in aid, we can always send an emergency distress signal.” 

“Nya sighed. “I just hope it doesn’t come to that.” She muttered, Jay, the closest one to her seemed to be the only one to hear her. 

She felt a warm hand grip her. Both Nya and Jay’s hands were holding the handles on the steering wheel. She looked slightly upwards to stare at Jay’s deep blue eyes, as he looked in her warm, hazel eyes. The two ninja shared each other’s gazes, a small smile appearing on both their lips. It appeared they were both able to give each other something the other needed. Nya could feel her heart beating faster, now looking really forward to letting them go.

Kai sighed, leaning against one of the control panels. “I just hope he’s having better luck than we are.” 

Harumi stared in front of them slightly, her eyes barely peeking out from under G. She looked down the long alleyway that stood in front of them, where the two of them heard the loud screeching from. From the looks of it, there didn’t appear to be anyone down the alleyway, though all she could see was darkness and slight shadows from the fire escape. But the sight of not seeing anything, made her anxiety grow and practically claw into her. 

How could she not have noticed? How could she let herself get so distracted? But thankfully, nothing happened to either of them. 

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing could come out. It was almost like her fears had taken away her ability to speak. To fight it, she tried swallowing the lump in her throat. It felt heavy, as it partly fell down her throat. She was so scared, her mind could barely seem to function. But being here, with G helped; though it was microscopically. 

“G, what’s going on?” Rumi forced out, her voice low and wavering; almost afraid to make a sound. She was tightly gripping the back of his green jacket. She felt like her world was exploding, though a part of her knew what was happening; she hoped it was just her fears jumping out at her. 

Another blood curdling cry echoed throughout the alley way in front of them. It couldn’t even be covered up by the sound of a motorcycle engine. G reached down slightly to pick up one of the black sais that fell onto the ground; one of the ones that barely missed her. She reached towards G’s jacket, gripping it like her life depended on it. 

He stood directly in front of her and as the sounds of screams grew closer, G’s left arm bent slightly around her waist, shielding her from whoever surrounded them. 

It only took a few seconds for Rumi to be able to slightly make out the figure that sped closer to them and before she knew it, they were circling the two of them. Her skin was so pale it seemed almost gray, her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, while most of her hair on the sides and back of her skull were shaved. She was wearing a black, sleeveless leather jacket, with purple, and silver accents. She was wearing black pants, with a leather and silver belt, and accented by silver chains on her left side. She was wearing purple, steel toed boots; Rumi felt a chill go up her spine. 

G, on the other hand, stood his ground. He was firm in his stance, his grip around the sai tightening. 

“Who are you? What business do you have with us?” He asked. His voice was deeper, much colder than she had ever heard it before. 

“Who says I need to have business with you to want a little mayhem?” She snarled, jumping off of her bike; allowing it to ram into a nearby brick wall only a few feet away from where the two of them stood. 

G scoffed. “Well if it’s anything like your hair, it shouldn't be as insane.” He mocked. 

Harumi stifled a laugh, though she couldn’t hide it from- well whoever it was. 

“Ugh! How dare–” She squealed. “Think it’s funny do ya? Well you won’t think it’s funny when I–” 

“Now, I’m not going to let you finish that sentence. Let’s keep this between you and me and not involve her, she’s innocent in whatever this is.” G interrupted, his resolve remained steady. 

“Ohh that’s where you’re wrong.” She snarled, twirling the sai in her right hand. “This is only just the beginning, and I’m here to make sure you know just exactly what’s coming for you.” She mocked, toying with the two of them. 

Rumi tried to follow what she was saying, but it opened the doors for a list of overbearing questions, she couldn’t keep her mind from asking. What is coming? How is this only the beginning? What exactly does she mean? 

“Oh blah, blah. All you villains say the same things, you talk the same way. ‘Something is coming for you,’ ‘watch out for what we have planned,’ ‘things will change forever.’ It’s all the same.” G complained, now very annoyed. Rumi knew he’d been doing this for a while and maybe all their villain sayings were the same, but really? She’s staring down at us, with probably a dozen sais to their one. Not to mention that Rumi couldn’t even fight or at the very least defend herself. 

“Ugh! You really are the worst aren’t you?!” She screeched. “I wasn’t even supposed to fight you, but now– Well now Green Ninja?!” She paused, her right hand now leaning on her hip. 

G sighed, his shoulders lowering slightly. “Well this can’t be good.” 

“Ugh really, G?” You had to keep talking?” Harumi criticized, slightly leaning to his left hand side. 

“Well honestly, I didn’t think she'd, you know?” He reasoned, or did his best to reason. 

“What?! You didn’t think she would, what?” Harumi pestered. “Be crazy?! She rammed her motorcycle into a brick wall!” 

“Well you know, I–” G stammered. 

“Ugh! Can’t you two just pay attention to me?!” The woman pouted. “I’m the one with weapons!” 

“Okay, G maybe we should– I don’t know– pay attention to her?” Harumi pressed, shaking his left arm.  

“Well look who finally caught on!?” She mocked, instantaneously throwing the sai in her right hand. 

Harumi could barely react as the sai was flying directly towards her, now visible shoulder. She cursed, wishing she stayed behind G like he said. All she could really do was forcibly shut her eyes, awaiting the impact. 

But there was no impact; nothing hit her. Rumi shakingly opened her eyes. He was now standing directly in front of her, the sai in his right hand held up in what would have been in trajectory of her. Though by the looks of it and the way he was slightly panting, it didn’t do much to deflect the pure weight of the sai. 

“G.” She breathed in heavily. “Are– are you okay?” 

G only nodded, his grip solid, as he held the sai. Rumi could barely hear him, his voice was just above as whisper. 

“This is going to be a long night.”

Nya’s grip on the wheel was steady, even as the rest of her team ran around her grabbing various different weapons to prepare for the assault on Kryptarium, or when the air suddenly began to overwhelm her senses with smoke and the warmth of a heavy fire. She could feel her fingers tighten around the handles of the steering wheel. Nya’s nerves almost overflowed, but she couldn’t allow herself to be worried right now, even if the majority of their enemies and criminals they put behind bars were mere moments from possibly breaking free; absolutely nothing to worry about.

“Guys?” Jay’s voice called out from the deck, his eyes glued to what lay beyond the side of the ship. “You might want to come see this.” 

Even though Nya could smell and feel what was happening from her position, seeing it was an entirely different feat. She learned forward as much as she could, her right hand still holding onto one of the wheel’s handles. Nya looked out, as best she could, where she was accosted with the sight of Kryptarium Prison. Smoke had practically surrounded the concrete building, there were multiple holes in various different sections of the prison, the red fire peering through, and faint sounds of screams echoed throughout the night’s desert. 

“Oh my God.” Kai gasped, his mouth practically on the floor. “We need to help everyone!” He shouted. 

Nya helped descend the ship slightly at the quickest possible chance she could, sending the anchor down into a bed of sand. She took one last look at the prison, her heart sinking. They were ninja, danger was basically the majority of her job description, but she couldn’t shake what could be coming their way. 

Shaking her head free of those thoughts; Nya mentally scolded herself, she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted or worried. Especially when her friends’ and family’s were in danger. She grabbed her trident, from where it leaned against the wall, slipping it through the holster on her back. She took a deep breath and slid down the sides of the ladder. 

“Okay, we’re going to split up into two groups. The first will be allocated to fight off and extinguish the fires in the right side and outerwall of the prison. The second group will head to the left and focus on protecting the citizens who are still inside or are being held captive by whoever decided this would be a smart idea.” Cole announced. “The first group will be comprised of Zane, Nya, and Pixal. While the second group will be Jay, Kai, and myself.” 

“What are we going to do about the inmates?” Nya asked. “Even if they are criminals, they don’t deserve to be caught up in this fight; unless they started it, of course.” Nya asked, a hint of playfulness in her voice. Even if they were ninja, it didn’t mean they needed to be serious a hundred percent of the time. 

Cole paused at that notion, seemingly searching for the right thing to say. “Zane, Pix? Do you know how much of the prison is damaged?” He asked, turning towards the two nindroids. 

“Outside scans indicate that most of the outer wall across the center and right hand side, have been badly damaged, but without a proper scan we are unable to accurately determine the state of the rest of the prison.” Pix answered. 

Zane nodded. Once inside, we can start doing scans of the prison. But based on the blueprints in my database, in a situation like this, the warden and guards should be in a secret hatch in the warden’s office; unless–” 

“Unless, what?” Jay thought allowed, his eyes darting between the other ninja and the prison. 

“Unless, they are currently being held hostage. We do not know who we are up against, so it’s imperative that we keep an eye out for them and each other.”

“Zane’s right.” Kai agreed, as everyone nodded or added in agreement. 

“Okay, let’s do this.” Cole stated, his arm outstretched to the center of their circle; Zane, Pix, Nya, Jay, and Kai followed suit, each one of them placing their hand on top of each other’s. 

“Ninja–Go!” Everyone yelled in unison, their hands raised towards the sky. 

It was now or never as everyone jumped off the side of the Bounty towards the prison, almost subconsciously her arm reached on to pull against Kai’s gi; stopping him from taking a step onto the railing. 

He almost instantly whipped around, even if his mask was on she knew his brows were riddled with worry. 

“Hey, you okay?” He asked, now fully looking at her. 

“Yeah I just–” She paused. “Take care of yourself okay? And– and take care of him too.” She mumbled, letting go of his sleeve. 

He stared at her for just a second, almost thinking about something. “I will, I promise; you take care of yourself too.” He responded, his voice soft. 

Nya just nodded, pulling her mask up. “Let’s go kick some ass.” 

“Now you’re speaking my language.” Kai definitely smirked. 

The two siblings jumped onto the railing as a brief stepping stone before jumping onto the walkway that led to the prison. 

Once within the outer gate, Nya and Kai sprinted in opposite directions. As she ran to meet up with Zane and Pixal, she did her best to put out any of the residual fires that surrounded her. Even if most of the fires had been put out, inside the prison practically boiled, who knew having a bunch of hot fire in a reinforced concrete building could bake the entire air humid and hot. 

There were so many twists and turns in this prison, she wished she followed them more closely the way this place felt more and more like a maze. 

Eventually she found them in what looked like to be the food hall. They were positioned in different corners of the room, their focus fixated on the fires that loomed around them. Pixal was in her mech, focusing on deploying water overhead and on the second floor. While Zane was stood in the center of the room, facing what looked to be at the South end of the room. Even if the room felt like the inside of a sauna, Zane’s ice did help combat the heat a bit, but it wasn’t enough.

Nya cursed at herself internally. She should have left with them, but she needed to tell Kai, especially if she wasn’t able to tell Jay. She mentally cursed at herself again, now wasn’t the time for her to scold herself; now was the time for action. She engulfed herself into a spinjitzu tornado, before landing back to back to Zane.

“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late to the party.” Nya smirked, releasing a wave of water from her hands towards the opposite end of the room to the fire at the North end of the room. 

“I do not understand. How is this a party?” Zane asked, his head turning slightly towards her. 

“I must concur; I do not understand what is fun about this?” Pixal added. 

“It’s well– it’s a figure of speech– ugh! Forget it!” Nya gave up at explaining, besides she could do it later or when she had help from another ninja who could possibly lift the weight from her shoulders. 

Just as her voice left her mouth, the fires only seemed to erupt and explode within the now overcrowded room they were in. It was almost too much to bear, the heat, the dry air, the growing lack of oxygen. To say the least, Nya was tired of it and it seemed like Zane was too from what she saw. All she did was give her bright, blue eyed brother a glance; one he immediately returned. 

She and Zane simultaneously erupted into their Spinjitzu tornadoes. The two ninja flowed around the room in perfect harmony, as water and ice seemed to explode from their palms; being sent to the overwhelming force of the fire that surrounded them. Nya summoned all her strength, all the remaining water in the air to fight against the now semi-retreating flames that surrounded her. 

Nya paused for a minute, her hands meeting her knees, slightly keeled over, panting. “Heh, heh. “We– heh– have– heh– to– find– a– different– way.” She paused, her breath slowly recovering. “We need to find another way, cause this isn’t working!” Nya yelled towards the direction of both Zane and Pixal. 

“Pix! Nya’s right! We need to somehow set off the sprinklers!” He yelled up towards his lover. 

“I can try to access the water system through the electrical panel, but only if it’s still intact.” Pix responded, just before she pressed different buttons on the control panel within her mech; sending it flying to the lower right end of the room. 

“Let’s hope it’s still working.” Nya added, sarcasm and desperation dripping from her voice. 

“Indeed.” Pixal jumped from her mech, her gaze fixated on the control panel in front of her. She took various different tools from her equipment bag, as she fiddled with the various different wires and screens that lay within it. 

Nya picked herself up from her knees, she knew she and Zane had to do their best to keep the fire from interfering with Pixal, but oh boy, she wished her technological friend could hurry. Keeping up with the overwhelming, intense fire was almost too much for her to keep up, especially when there was hardly any humidity in the air. 

She could feel her movements grow slower and the way the water that flowed from her fingertips felt weaker and weaker the more she willed for her water to flow from them, until there was nothing. Nothing left her fingers, as Nya was left on her knees. Her breaths labored, unfocused. A part of her feared if she went too far, a smaller part of her knew for certain she did. 

Her eyes were hazy, overwhelmed by the smoke and heat that overwhelmed her senses. She didn’t know how long she had spent there, until her eyes focused on Zane who was leaning in front of her. He was gripping a block of ice as he moved Nya’s hands to better hold it, he then placed another, much longer brick of ice against the back of her neck. The coldness against her warm skin sent shivers down her spine, mentally cursing at the fact, before she leaned against it. 

Mouthing the words ‘thank you’ was all she could really do, as Zane blurred from out of her vision. She guessed it was to check on Pixal and help protect her from the fires that still surrounded them. Ugh, fire really was Kai’s element; stubborn, not to mention persistent. 

She only hoped and prayed to the First Spinjitzu Master that the others were more okay than they were, but before she could properly think about them the sound of pipes creaking echoed throughout the food hall. And before she knew it, water seemed to pour from overhead. Nya wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed from when her knees met the concrete, or Zane left her vision, but she was incredibly thankful for the coolness and peace from her element.

It was almost instantaneously that her strength returned to her. She could feel the element of water coursing through her veins, especially when surrounded by her element. She practically jumped up from her seated position, the water falling from the ceiling beginning to surround her. 

“Ohh, yeah!” She yelled, as she bended the water across the room to various of the last remaining locations of fire that were scattered throughout odd sections of the room. “Alright, now that felt good.” She added, a grin blossoming across her face from ear to ear. 

Nya turned to Pix and Zane who were still over by the control panel, which was now short circuiting. It looked like they were talking, but with the loud sounds that boomed overhead, it was hard for her to make sense of what they were saying. 

“Everything okay?” She asked, as she joined them. 

“Yes, it’s just there was something that happened disabling me from turning the sprinklers on at the other end of the prison. So if something were to happen down there–” Pixal trailed off, her bright green eyes slightly widened. 

She could feel her heart sink slightly. “Well then we better find the warden, officers, and low-risk inmates quickly.” She interjected, trying to find and hold onto some semblance of hope. 

“Yes. Let’s” Zane added, as both he and Pix nodded. 

Nya had only hoped the others were doing okay and could hold out for a little bit longer. 

Chapter Text

The boys were, in fact, not doing okay. 

It started with Kai meeting up with the others late. As he ran down the hallway, alarms blaring, lights flashing red, he mentally cursed at himself. Why would Nya be asking him to look after Cole? That made no sense, yeah they were friends, but she was dating and in love with Jay. So why did his mind automatically think of him after she asked him to take care of him? 

So when he met up with Jay and Cole and they either berated or teased him about showing up late he just brushed it off. 

“Water pulled me back to talk too, that’s all.” Kai grumbled, as the three ninja turned a corner. The debris littering the floor, practically doubled. 

“Ooo! What’d she say?” Jay asked, growing visibly more excited, but also worried about his partner. 

“Nothing, just wanted us to stay okay.” Kai shrugged. He couldn’t tell them that she asked for him to look out for Jay or that he immediately thought of taking care of Cole. 

“Well, we’ll all be sure to do just that.” Cole added, leading the team down another turn. “I hope they’re okay too.” 

“Same here!” Jay nodded. 

“Ditto.” Kai answered, as his eyes glanced over to the Master of Earth. 

Something in his chest beat faster, but it didn’t feel like it was from them running into battle, or because he was running, but something more. It was a feeling he felt that one morning Cole walked in on him attempting to make breakfast and they stood close next to each other, or when he caught Kai’s eye during training, or really anything between them. They’d always been good friends, but– 

Kai’s mind was shocked out of his thoughts, as they were forced to stop running. Throughout the entire prison, debris from various different walls, ceiling panels, and floor tiles were scattered, but this was different and it seemed the closer they got to their destination, the worse it was. Earlier they could mostly run freely, but now they had to climb over multiple sheets of metal and drywall. All while sparks carelessly shot out in multiple directions. 

Something in him sunk. With this amount of rubble, it seemed to be too much more than a simple ‘break in, break out’ kind of situation. Which meant not only did they break in, were planning to break out, but also that they had something sinister planned. 

After one long corridor, they were met with the largest section of the prison, where the worst criminals were kept. It was a tall circular room with cells practically lining every inch of the wall, on each level. A large, fifteen foot tall watchtower was placed in the center of the prison. On usual occasions, there were multiple different guards stationed around the entire perimeter; today, there weren’t any guards besides the few that were tied up in the corner, unconscious. Thankfully, there weren’t any large holes that needed to be prepared in this room so that was one thing they didn’t have to worry about. 

The only thing different about the last time they were there was the lack of criminals in their cells and the large number of them, weapons in hand, waiting; waiting for them. Many of them were still in their striped prison uniforms, while others were wearing biker jackets with a specific symbol on the back of them. Kai knew it when he saw it; an Oni . These were Oni’s men, either they planned to be captured or had somehow managed to plan a breakout without anyone noticing. 

The Fire Ninja did a quick estimate of how many of Oni’s men he saw. There looked to be a little more than forty-five of them. He groaned. Nothing was ever easy, was it? 

And Kai never liked to admit when they were in over their heads, but they might be right now, but just on the slimmest of margins. There were three of them, as of right now. So it looked like fifteen of them to one ninja. So it wasn’t the worst odds they ever had, but they weren’t odds Kai was in the mood for right now. 

As they entered the room, the three ninja made eye contact with almost every villain they helped put behind bars. Kai grumbled, this was annoying. And they’d probably have to take care of all the inmates that did escape. Ugh, not to mention he had a stupid paper due. They really should have stopped Lloyd from advocating for her to go to university. 

When the villains’ eyes caught the three of them entering, their eyes seemed to light up. The one in the center looked to be about eight feet tall, his skin gray, which was covered in multiple different tattoos. The Fire Ninja instantly recognized the man. He was one of Oni’s right hand men, so that meant they all had to keep their guard up. Something in his gut told him this wasn’t going to be easy. 

Kilow smiled a wicked smile, locking eyes with each of the ninja one by one. He took a calculated step forward. His hand hovering over top one of his guns on his hilt. 

The group of ninja raised their fists ready to strike. 

“Not so fast.” A lit flame between his fingertips. 

Cole and Jay instantly lowered their hands. “Really?” Jay groaned. “That’s what you had to say?” He asked. 

“Yeah, not your best work there buddy.” Cole added. 

“Ugh!” Kai exclaimed. “We don’t have time for this.” 

“Including your terrible choice of words.” Jay smirked. 

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Seriously? They were staring down their mortal enemy’s henchmen, couldn’t this wait? 

“I agree.” Killow smirked, grabbing the three ninja’s attention. “This is much more fun.” He taunted, pulling out a gun on his holster firing it in their direction. 

Cole raised his arms in the air, pulling up a wall of earth, breaking through the concrete flooring. The bullets stopped on impact, only moving a few inches into the earth. Once he was sure everyone was safe and no one was injured, he paused, scratching his head. “Whoops.” 

“Really appreciate it there Earth, but I thought we didn’t want the prison more destroyed?” Jay asked, his voice breathless. In part of the gun that was just shot at them and in part that Cole had torn through the thick, practically impenetrable floor in the prison. 

“Heh, heh.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Got it, no more powers from me.” He smiled widely, well, it’s not like he could see his comrade was smiling, but somehow he knew.

“Only if you really need to.” Kai interjected, now gripping the hilts of his dual katanas. “Let’s do this and guys?” 

“Yeah?” They asked, their voices overlapping. 

“Stay safe.” 

“You too.” 

He stared into Cole’s eyes for a moment, as Cole did his. It was like he wanted to make sure the other knew how vital it was for the other to stay safe. Something about this was different, but they didn’t have time to think about it; not now anyway. Especially since Jay was giving them both an odd look. 

“So?” The Blue Ninja broke the silence. 

“Right!” Cole answered. “I’ll focus on the guys in the middle, Fire you take the guys on the left, Lightning, the guys on the right.” 

“Let’s do this!” Jay exclaimed. It was like Kai could feel his hair standing on end, not that it wasn’t already. 

The Fire Ninja wanted to interject, if Cole couldn’t use his powers how would he stay safe against Killow? But then again, Cole was the strongest on their team and his skills with hand–to–hand combat and his hammer made him a force to be reckoned with. So, instead he nodded. It wasn’t a vigorous nod by any means but a calculated one. It was one that said, ‘okay, but if anything happens I’m kicking your ass,’ he hoped it came off that way anyway. 

The Earth Ninja nodded, pulling his hammer from his back. He gripped it firmly with two hands, his right thumb rubbing the handle. A way Kai knew Cole was centering himself for battle. “Let’s go kick some ass.” 

The three ninjas erupted in Spinjitzu, going in their separate directions. Kai bolted for the left side of the prison, his swords and fire targeting the lower level criminals that stood either at the front or the outskirts of this group of prisoners. Some of them looked like new recruits, which he got from their messy movements that were all over the place, or their improper form with a sword, gun, or daggers. 

He groaned. This felt worse than training, some of them just wouldn’t stop coming and it wasn’t like the majority of them posed any kind of threat to him or the other ninja. This felt like a walk in the park, which was usually a sign for something that was going to happen. But he chose to ignore those feelings and just relish in the fight. 

The blades of his swords made contact with the barrels of guns, the small blades of daggers, or the wood of bats. Really? Not even metal bats. Either these thugs were pulled from off of the street right before this or they were all bad and he meant really bad. The last time they had fought Oni’s men a few weeks ago it was a challenge; not to mention he was sore and recovering from the minimal injuries he experienced. This definitely wasn’t that.

As his right elbow made contact with another thug’s jaw, he grumbled at the sheer amount of criminals surrounding them. He knew there were a lot, but so many of them just seemed to keep coming. It didn’t even take all his strength or force to push them back with his sword, but it was more so annoying. 

However, there was one criminal that seemed to prove to be somewhat of a challenge for him. At first, he was a few feet from getting the jump on him, but Kai caught on quickly, calling upon his fire, sending a wall of fire between them. His hair was practically fully white, minus the brown roots coming in of course. It was messy and ruffled, insinuating this was one of the criminals who broke into the prison. That and his outfit; he was wearing a tactical leather vest overtop a blue and purple tank top with the Oni symbol on them. He was wearing blue jeans, along with black steel toed boots. He had an eyebrow slit through his right eye, and a messy, unkempt stubble. 

The man only snarled at the Red Ninja, gripping his sai tighter. His knuckles whitening against the hilt of his pure black sai. He front flipped over top the wall of fire, only resting a moment before lunging towards Kai. He gripped his dual katanas through his gloved hands. Every other villain he fought seemed as though they were picked up off the street, while he seemed to move with such accuracy. Well it wasn’t his level of accuracy, but it definitely felt like he had some sort of training or actually knew proper technique when it came to weapons. 

The man thrusted the weapon into Kai’s direction, who easily deflected it with his sword. But that didn’t stop him, as he continued to pull out multiple different black sais from his vest and holsters. He threw them towards the Red Ninja, who either dodged or deflected them from making impact with his body. 

It wasn’t like the man had terrible aim, his emotions were just really out of control and thus threw off his game. And boy did Kai know about letting one’s emotions get the better of them, especially when it came to fighting. The man continued to grunt, as Kai deflected his presumably last sai with his sword. 

“Heh.” The Red Ninja smirked. “Looks like you’re all out.” He mocked, definitely wanting to taunt the man a little. 

The white haired man groaned, before he began laughing. Kai took a step back, mentally cursing. He didn’t mean to set the man off, but it seemed he was a little too taunting and mocking him and his albeit poor ninja skills. He only faltered for a moment, gripping the hilt of his swords tighter, before bringing them into a fighting position.

“You ninja are all the same.” The man spat, his voice deep and raspy. “Think you’re saving Ninjago, but you don’t even know the meaning of the word.”

Kai lowered his swords slightly. “What do you mean?” He asked, now choosing his words carefully with the man. 

“What I mean is Oni’s got something big planned and then there will be a reckoning.” It was now this man’s turn to taunt him, but more accurately, haunt him with those words. 

“What is he planning?” Kai asked, practically shouting. 

“Heh.” He scoffed. “You’ll see.” The man sneered. 

He pulled out a black dagger, from its holster across his back as he bolted for Kai. His eyes were almost bloodshot, while the rest of him didn’t look that much better. It was almost like his anger was taking a hold of him; controlling him. The man no longer attacked him with his sloppy forms, instead he was all over the place. His anger seemingly doubled the last time since they sparred. He was definitely stronger, but his arms, legs, and body were practically everywhere. 

The man swung his right arm, hoping the blade of his dagger would make contact with Kai’s skin. Even when Kai thought he would, he never followed through, even when the Red Ninja would have been too late to dodge him, or if his foot got caught against a loose piece of debris; the man never did what he intended to do. Almost like something was controlling him or locked out the other senses. And Kai never really believed in magic, except for elemental powers, but he would never classify them as “magic”. 

Everytime Kai moved out of the man’s way, he was somehow right there. Kai groaned internally. He and the others didn’t have time for this especially if the others were dealing with guys like this. He had to find an opening in this guy, but his movements were somehow so fast that he couldn’t find an opening while keeping this guy from cutting him. Ugh. And he couldn’t stop thinking about the others and whether or they were all okay, or about Cole– 

The man’s yell broke him out of his head. He groaned, doubling over. His hands now resting on his knees. His breath, heavy. He didn’t even seem to notice Kai even if they were standing about six feet apart from each other. Kai paused, lowering his head to eye the man, who continued to grip his head, as he wailed out in pain. His breathing was getting more and more uneven and now Kai was more nervous about having to give this guy medical attention after he tried to draw the ninja’s blood. 

His screams grew more and more in pain, as did his breathing. It was now uneven and shaky, but his body hardly moved. It was like it was attempting to catch up with him and Kai didn’t even blame the dude for it. He would also be tired and extremely sore if that’s how his body moved, it was like this dude wasn’t even human. 

“Hey, uh.” Kai paused. “You okay?” 

The man’s head shot straight up, like all of the pain he was just feeling moments ago never happened. He growled towards  the red ninja, his entire body shaking, as his hands became adjacent to that of claws. His body was still hunched over, but his back was much more arched than before. It was like he was a predator stalking his prey. Kai’s mouth fell open at the sight of him, especially when he caught a glance of the man’s once brown eyes, which were now a medium shade of cool purple. 

“Uhh. I’ll take that as a no.” Kai said, backing away slightly. 

The man or now monster did not take light of that as he lunged forward, the dagger consistently being thrusted at him. If Kai thought his speed was unusual before, he definitely thought it was unusual now. The Son of Oni was much faster and much more aggressive than before. And Kai was blissfully reminded that even if he had super natural capabilities, he was still human. 

He winced as the blade of his dagger pierced his skin at his upper arm and side. He pushed the man away, his left hand making contact with his wound. Thankfully, there wasn’t enough blood to indicate it was bad or required stitches. He quickly felt his side, sighing in relief.

He had to take care of this and he had to take care of it quickly. He couldn’t wait for Nya, Zane, and Pixal to get here for him to be taken care of; this was something that he had to take care of now. He couldn’t risk the others joining the fight just to get hurt, or First forbid if Jay and Cole were in the same predicament as he was in. He needed to join his team members, he had a promise to keep up to both Nya and himself. 

The Master of Fire took a deep breath in an attempt to collect himself to some capacity. He could do this. He could take this guy, he was just a lowly thug underneath Oni. He couldn’t possibly be that hard to fight, but there were those eyes again. Those purple, empty, soulless eyes; eyes that seemed to stare directly into his soul, causing a flood of anxiety and uneasiness to wash through him. It was like there was something about this guy that ate Kai alive. He shook his head of his thoughts and fears. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted so he needed to get rid of this guy and fast. 

The Red Ninja lunged for the man, immediately targeting his right leg, where the majority of his body weight was leaning on. He sped quickly towards it, kicking his right knee in somewhat, before the brunt end of one of his katanas made contact with the man’s back. He hoped that was it, but like everything in Ninjago, it was only the beginning of things. 

The man lay face first on the ground, after not even attempting to brace himself for the impact. Kai couldn’t help but feel somewhat sorry for him, afterall getting hit in the face or his face hitting anything always proved to be painful to some capacity. 

The silver haired man groaned, pushing himself off a few inches of the ground. His entire body was shaking, like he was almost seconds away from conking his head against the concrete again. But he didn’t instead he snarled and grunted at Kai, definitely taking him by surprise. After everything this man put his body through, how was he not exhausted? How did he not give up?

The man pushed himself off the floor, turning to attack the Red Ninja once more, but after several steps his eyes faded back to their usual brown, before rolling to the back of his head. His entire person soon followed suit, as he was once again laying on the floor, but this time; unconscious. 

Kai stared at the man for who knows how long. A puzzled expression across his face. “What the hell just happened?” He asked himself, but more accurately the world. He never thought he’d ever experience something like that; something that was straight out of a horror film. 

He quickly shook his head, jumping into action. He sat next to him pulling out a pair of Ninjago Police issued silver handcuffs. This guy was the only real threat out of everyone here, and besides when the others got here, they could always round up the others. He decided on turning the man over onto his back, before propping him up against some rubble. Afterall, he was a Ninja, not a monster. 

He looked up trying to find either Cole or Jay, but as Luck would have it, he was now on the opposite end, much farther than he originally had intended, or was. He rolled his eyes, as he began running back towards the entrance, where he hoped his two teammates were. 

Kai’s eyes soon caught a glimpse of Jay, who was busy electrocuting a line of Oni’s men; each of them passing out on top of each other like a group of dominos. He breathed one sigh of relief, now he had to find Cole. He ran past the watchtower to the entrance of this prison’s wing. Panic rising in him, as he was unable to find the Master of Earth. He wouldn’t forgive himself, he couldn’t. 

His prayers to the First Spinjitzu Master were soon answered, as he caught sight of him fighting a group of heavily armed men. Looks like he really pulled somewhat of a lucky straw with the men he fought. 

But the smile that subconsciously formed across the Fire Ninja’s face quickly faded. He assumed since he hadn’t seen Killow anywhere, Cole must’ve taken care of him. But he couldn’t be further from the truth, as he was now standing directly behind Cole. Kai felt his stomach twist and turn. He broke out into a sprint, even if his legs were sore, or because he was currently bleeding out of his side. None of that seemed to matter, what mattered was Cole, his comrade, his friend, his– 

“Cole!” Kai yelled, as loud as he could. He could feel his vocal chords twist at how much he pushed them, but there had to be a chance, a chance that he’d be okay. 

The Earth Ninja looked up, no doubt a confused expression on his face. 

“Cole! Behind–!” He started to warn him, but it was too late, as Killow’s grip was  now tightly against him. Even if Cole was the strongest out of everyone, the fighting he went through fatigued him and he was no match for Killow. 

No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. 

Chapter Text

There were only a handful of times where Kai was frozen. The first was when he and Nya got lost after accompanying their mother to the farmer’s market, the second was when he accidentally burned Nya when they were playing before they were told about their elemental powers, the third time was when Lloyd was badly injured three years ago, and this; this was one of those times. 

He stood there, next to the watchtower, frozen. He stared at Cole who was still fighting against Killow’s grip around him, but the more he moved, the more the monster started to squeeze him tighter and tighter. His heart ached. 

Being so far away to do anything, his fire wouldn’t even reach him, he didn’t even know if Spinjitzu would be enough for him to reach him in time, or if he could get past any of the other goons. 

He did his best to shake his head of his thoughts and worries. Though it didn’t do much for the terror he was feeling, but he had to try. Cole deserved that much at the very least and he couldn’t let anything happen to him. He would even swear to the First Spinjitzu Master that he would do his best to protect him. 

Even if Kai felt like he was frozen for a millennium, he only stood there for a few seconds before he broke into action. But to him, it was a few seconds too many. So now he had to make up for his lack of action for three seconds. 

He erupted into his Spinjitzu, his body flying towards his friend. His swords collided with the semi-armored men that charged at him. He grunted, he didn’t have time for this, he needed to get to Cole and Killow. They still felt so far away from him, no matter how much he moved or how much progress he made, Cole was still so far away from him. He mentally cursed. It was too loud for Jay to hear anything, Nya, Zane, and Pix weren’t here yet. Not to mention that Cole was about one more squeeze from passing out. 

He sighed. How could he have not taken care of that guy sooner? It was just one guy. It wasn’t like he was an elemental master, so he should have been able to take care of him, but there was something about him that made him uneasy. Something about him that made his heart beat faster or the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He should have taken care of his guys faster. He grimaced, pain launching up from his side. His body wanted to pause, but he couldn’t. He had to keep going. He had too. For Cole, for Nya, for everyone. 

The hilt of his sword hit the pack of another low life criminal, gritting his teeth to keep going. Kai continued to push through, whether that be the pain he felt, or the practical army that raced towards him. He expected it, of course, but what he didn’t expect was for them to fight like that; with such technique and accuracy, that is. It wasn’t like they were on his level or any of the others’ for sure, but it was still annoying that he had to put in more effort when all his mind was focused on was getting to and helping Cole. 

He grunted, as he pushed one to the floor. Of course, not before shoving another one of them. But thankfully their strength didn’t outmatch his, or that other guy’s for that matter. So, the Red Ninja had one thing going for him. He made a mental note of a checkmark in the ‘wins’ column. 

Kai spun around, dodging someone’s attack. He dropped to the ground, immediately spinning around in a circle; his foot knocking the guy on the floor. The ninja bolted right up, his hands free from his dual katanas. 

That was all it took for him to be charged by several of Oni’s men, who tackled him to the floor. It seemed no matter how much Kai pushed the others around or resisted their hold, it proved to be useless. As the Red Ninja was forced to watch Killow take away a struggling Cole. 

He grunted, moving faster than he thought he could. But no matter how much he struggled, the criminals on top of him never faltered their grip. Ugh, the ninja grunted. He didn’t even know where Jay was, or Nya, or Zane, or Pix. Not to mention, he didn’t even know how Lloyd or the princess were doing. He had heard an S.O.S. signal from his comms earlier, but there was nothing he could have done. It was pointless. Logically, he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy mission, but he hoped it wouldn’t be this bad or chaotic. Then again, their lives were anything but ordinary. 

The Fire Ninja hoped that maybe just maybe he could get free, or that they could have some kind of reinforcement. He could only struggle against them for so much longer. 

Harumi had always thought that she would be brave in the face of danger, but staring at G’s gi slowly stained red, she realized she was not brave; in fact, she was very much terrified. G on the other hand didn’t seem as anxious, as she did. Which of course made sense, since he fought crime like every night. Even if it was still unnerving, especially if he was acting kind of smug. 

She was even afraid to speak. She didn’t want to serve as a distraction, anymore than she already did, but they were out in the open. Not even the lights of the nearby buildings were turned on, almost like they walked into a ghost town. The princess decided to stay huddled, as most as she could behind him. And as much as she wanted too she wanted to grip his gi as tight as her fingers would allow, but she knew it would only be a disservice to him. 

The Green Ninja grunted, as he pulled one of the sais from his left arm. Harumi couldn’t help but wince at the fact, at the stinging pain, that must have erupted throughout his arm. 

“I’m fine.” He whispered. And she decided to give him that. He sure didn't seem okay, but she decided no to push it. So she just nodded, even if his back was still shielding her from– whoever this was. 

The woman in front of them sneered, as a sickening grin appeared across her face. “To be honest, I was only sent to deliver a message, but the boss never said I could have a little fun first.” 

“Heh.” G smirked in response. “And here I thought you were someone worthy of my time, but it turns out you’re just the messenger.” He joked, clearly wanting to either enrage her or at least damage her ego. 

“Why you!” She snarled, reaching into her holsters pulling out the same black sais. “The others always talk about how annoying you ninja are and you- you really are!” She exclaimed. 

“Awe, you do know we think of that as a complement, right?” He mocked. 

Harumi couldn't help but snicker. Even if they were in a potentially life threatening situation, he still somehow manages to make her laugh or feel a bit more at ease. But it didn’t totally take away her feelings from it, especially since she was staring at the the two sais she was holding, but also the ones along her belt. 

“Augh!” The woman screamed, as she lunged for the ninja. 

G immediately moved towards her, while instinctively Harumi stepped a few steps behind her. 

The pair's sais clashed against each other. The woman was moving fast around the ninja, each of her movements contrasted G’s precise movements. It was as if he was dancing; Harumi couldn’t even take her eyes off of him. There was something about seeing him in his element that didn’t allow her eyes to be taken away from him. That and of course she didn’t want him to get any more hurt or for her too. 

The woman, one of Oni’s lackeys, Harumi assumed, but then again she wasn’t too sure. The more her hits didn’t land against the Green Ninja, the angrier she got, and the more her attacks got faster and erratic. Honestly, G looked like he was taking a walk in the park. It was truly amazing to watch and she couldn’t help but wish to be a part of the action. 

Harumi was immediately pulled from her thoughts when G practically appeared directly in front of her. Her eyes went wide as she looked up to find G staring into her Jade eyes. She noticed his nervous expression and what looked to be an unconscious criminal lying on the floor. 

“I need you to hide behind those bushes over there. Okay?” He asked, squeezing the sides of her shoulders tightly. She didn’t know what to do; a part of her wanted to stay there with him, while another part wanted to hide. She didn’t really know why she wanted to stay in the line of danger, but she eventually nodded slowly. 

G breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. Go now, while she’s not able to do anything.” He insisted, letting go of her shoulders. His eyes caught a glimpse of hers and vice versa. It was there, where she could see his emerald green eyes. But there was something about his eyes that caused her stomach to sink. Looking at him like this, she could see the deep bags underneath his eyes or the way his eyes seemed to be drained of energy. She didn’t know how long she was staring at his eyes, but apparently it was a fairly long amount of time, since G gave her a funny look, tilting his head.

“Okay.” Harumi whispered. 

“Okay.” He whispered back, his eyes following her to make sure she made it behind the bushes safely. She thought it was a bit dramatic, but understood why. Begrudgingly, she headed to the small set of planters, which was a little over ten feet away from where G was. 

Even if he said to stay here and hide, peeking over top the bushes couldn’t hurt. While hiding, she could see thim take a defensive stance against the woman who managed to recover, even with the blood dripping down the side of her head. Even though she was bleeding, her attacks appeared to be much crazier than before. 

The sounds of the black iron clinking together seemed to echo throughout the small plaza they were in. By the looks of it, it looked like G was struggling more than he was a second or so ago. His feet stumbling backwards, as the sai looked closer and closer to flying out of his hands from the sheer force she was doing. 

Though as he managed to block each of her attacks, she continued to grow angrier and angrier. Her attacks paused for a moment, as the same sickening grin appeared across her face. “If you don't want me to have a good time with me, then maybe your little friend is more than happy to take what you won't.”

Harumi could feel her chest not only tighten, but her heart rate speed up. Even if she came over here, she would be unable to defend herself against someone like her. She only hoped G could keep this criminal away from her. 

“She has no part in this, your problem is with me.” He insisted, doing his best to keep her from Harumi. 

“Heh, that’s where you’re wrong.” The woman sneered. “Anyone who’s with you is my business, is Oni’s business. Everyone you surround yourself with, is up for the taking.” 

She could feel a sinking feeling in her stomach, that only seemed to grow, especially as the woman raced towards her throwing her sais in her direction. Immediately, Harumi ducked further and further towards the ground. Her hands wrapped around the sides of her head. Wishing and hoping she could just disappear, that she could be home in her apartment with G or with her friends from University. 

The sounds of the iron sais meeting the cobblestone pathways never seemed to falter, but soon they did. However, the sound was replaced by a snickering laugh that only made her stomach sink deeper and deeper. 

Even if Harumi’s instincts told her to stay hidden behind the bush, something in her willed for her head to peek over the top of the bush. 

That’s when an audible gasp escaped her. There she saw him, G standing directly in front of where the sais would have definitely hit her. He was standing so still, like if he moved even an inch, she’d be open to being hit by the wave of sais. 

Her jade green eyes accidentally drifted towards the woman standing in front of them, who was now about six feet away from G and about ten feet away from her. She stared into her deep purple eyes, and grayish skin. The woman just stared back at her, her eyes filled with bloodlust. 

“There.” She smiled wider. “That’s better. Now Green Ninja.” She stepped closer to him, to the point where their heads were parallel to each other. “Oni is coming for you and when he’s done with you, there will be nothing left of this stupid city.” 

Harumi shuddered, lowering her head further and further down into the bushes. 

“Goodbye Greenie, till we meet again.” She smirked, turning around to walk away, before abruptly stopping. “Oh. And make sure to bring that girl with you, she makes you a lot more fun.” 

And with that she was left, getting back on her beaten up motorcycle, and driving away; not before a banshee-like yell echoed throughout the night. 

Even with her gone, Harumi was too afraid to move. There was something about being in a life or death situation that terrified her to her core. But she couldn’t just sit here, G was hurt and by the sound of it, hurt badly. She willed for herself to move, but her whole body was shaking. She could barely even stand, barely even move. 

But the sound of a large thud hitting the hard ground seemed to shake her from her thoughts. Slowly, but carefully she looked over the bush to find G keeled over on the ground. His hand wrapped around the sides of his head, his breath shallow and unsteady, as crimson red soaking through the green color of his gi from all angles. He looked to be in so much pain, it made Harumi’s heart twist and turn. 

With that sight, Harumi jumped towards him, nearly tripping over her feet on the way there. 

“G, G!” She yelled, shaking his shoulder lightly. “You need to wake up, we need to go! G! Please!” 

Harumi could feel tears well up behind her eyes, some of which even managed to escape and fall past her cheeks. 

But he didn’t respond, only disheveled grunts and shallow breathing came from the Green Ninja. She didn’t know what to do. She had never been in this position before and it wasn’t like she could call her friends from University or anyone from the Palace, they’d never let her leave again and she’d be forced to live away from all her friends. 

“G.” She pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need you to wake up. I can’t do this without you.” 

The Green Ninja continued to take in shallow and uneven breaths, his body thrashing around, almost like a young child having a nightmare. The sight of him hurt Harumi to her core. Maybe if she was stronger, maybe if she could fight, then maybe he wouldn’t be in this position; maybe he would be okay and bleeding out in front of her. First Master , she didn’t even know how to take care of his wounds. 

“Please.” 

Nothing. He didn’t move or anything, his eye lids didn’t even twitch. Harumi could feel her heart sinking, as she too sank further and further into herself, adjusting his head to lie on top of her thighs. Her hands gently stroked his fake head of hair, as his face grew more and more wet from her tears. 

“Please.” She tried again, leaning closer to him. “I need you to wake up, I don’t know what to do.” 

With that he shot right up, his hands pressed tightly against the sides of his head. Terrifying Harumi out of her mind for a second, before she relaxed somewhat now that he was awake. The Green Ninja was gasping for breath, his eyes darting around their surroundings, which only seemed to make his breathing more ragged and disheveled. 

“Hey, I’m here.” She quickly wiped her tears from her eyes and cheeks before smiling, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

G turned towards her, at the sound of her voice; his demeanor almost instantly relaxing. His entire body shifted around, as his eyes looked her over, as if he was checking her over for injuries. 

“I-I’m okay. I didn’t get hurt.” She assured him, an instant lump forming in her throat at the sight of him. 

“You’re– you’re shaking.” He observed, his breath still shallow. His hands took Harumi’s in them, squeezing them tightly. 

“Just a little shaken up.” She reassured. “I’m okay, I promise.”

He stared at her for a moment, as if to tell if she was lying or not. But her gaze or demeanor never faltered. Sure, she was still scared out of her mind, bitter that there was nothing she could do to help him, but she wasn’t injured. The woman had never reached her. 

He soon breathed a sigh of relief once he was certain Harumi wasn’t lying, before falling against the cobblestone pavement. He only took a moment to rest, taking a few deep breaths in, trying to hide his obvious wincing. But she noticed and it only made her heart twist more. 

He pushed himself off the ground. “We should get back, don’t know how many of them could be around the corner.” He broke the small silence between them. 

“Huh?” Harumi asked, a slight tilt to her head. 

“What do you mean ‘huh’”? He asked, returning the same confused expression. “The warriors dressed in purple? With the snake tattoos?” He continued, as if giving Harumi hints of what he thought happened. 

“No, that's not right. She was wearing purple, but there were no snake tattoos.” She told him. “She also said she was alone and she left a little bit ago.” She corrected, attempting to judge his expression from what little of it she could see. Which by the looks of it, seemed like his expression fell. 

“Oh.” 

Harumi grew more and more worried about him. “G?” She asked, placing her hand on his. “Are you okay?” 

He flinched somewhat at the question, as he looked down against his hands. “I–” He paused, rubbing his hands against the green fabric of his gi.  “I don’t know.” He confessed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked.

G just shook his head. 

Harumi exhaled. “Okay, let’s get you home now and patched up. Okay?” 

There was no use in prying him for information, after all it seemed like it would make him more closed off. But she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily, but what mattered now was to get him the care that he needed

He nodded. 

“Do you need help moving?” Harumi checked. 

He paused, before slowly nodding again. 

“Okay, here.” She said, holding her hand out to help lift him up, which he eventually took. 

Carefully, Harumi put his hand around her neck, while she carefully took her right arm around his side, serving as a sort of crutch to the ninja. 

“Let’s go home.” She smiled, looking upwards at him. 

He just nodded again, his eyes avoidant of Harumi's gaze.

As the pair walked home, she couldn’t help but feel like she was the cause of his injuries. After all, she was the one who he was protecting with his life, like his didn’t even matter in comparison. She couldn’t help but wish things were different. That the two of them met in a different life or one where he wasn’t the Green Ninja and she wasn’t the Jade Princess. 

She sighed. One can only dream. 

Chapter Text

Kai struggled against their hold. 

“Get off of me!” He grunted, pushing against them. 

The criminals on top of him only seemed to strengthen their hold and to tell the truth; it was really hurting Kai’s ego. He couldn’t help but grimace under their hold, but he couldn’t help feel somewhat proud of himself that he needed to be held down by seven of his men? Yeah, it was definitely seven. 

One of Oni’s men pushed further against his back, which pressed into one of his cuts from his last fight, sending a wave of stinging pain throughout his side. Okay, he thought he was annoyed before, but now? Now, he was really annoyed. 

The Fire Ninja erupted in Spinjitzu, simultaneously knocking the six criminals off of him. Once they were all off of them, he shrugged. Six and seven were close together, so he was right, by estimated standards. 

His eyes darted around the prison complex searching for Jay. He had to make sure he was okay before he went after Cole, especially since he didn’t want to face the wrath of Nya if something happened to Jay.

Kai’s heart had begun to sink. Where was he? He wore a deep blue, he couldn’t be that hard to find? Everything was going wrong and he was supposed to keep everyone together, but he didn’t, he couldn’t. 

“Fire!” A voice called out and Kai instantly felt some of his shoulders relax. He now clocked that he had one less ninja to find out of– he outwardly sighed– everyone else. 

“You okay man?” Jay continued. “We noticed you hadn’t joined us, so Earth had me check on you.” 

That made sense, but it didn’t help him grow more enraged with himself. He was supposed to have met up with them and he didn’t, now Cole was– 

“Lightning, Earth was taken by Killow.” He paused, his breath laboring. “I– I don’t know where he took him and I don’t know how–” 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Jay said, now standing in front of Kai. “Look, he knew the risk when he told me to go look for you. As much as I hate to say this and go after him right now, he’d kick our asses if we left our position before we took care of these guys.” 

“But–”

“When the others get here, you can go look for him. I promise.” Jay reasoned. 

He just nodded, picking back up his dual katanas. But he couldn’t help but wonder why Jay was the one to tell him to stay, usually he’d have to tell him to focus on the mission at hand. Ugh, he internally rolled his eyes. There’s too much to keep track of. 

Kai and Jay stood back to back, their respective weapons in hand, elemental powers tingling between their fingertips. 

Soon enough, a large group of Oni’s men surrounded them. By looking at them, there appeared to be fifteen to twenty. By the looks of it some of the others still remained incapacitated, but some were still managing to recover. So it went from fifteen to twenty then twenty to twenty-five. Kai grunted. It seemed all he was doing over the past few months was roll his eyes. 

As they lunged at them with their black coated weapons, Kai and Jay defended their positions, pushing back against them with impeccable force. It wasn’t like they were really strong or anything, but he didn’t really care about them; he cared about making sure the others were okay, he cared about going after Cole. 

The two of them continued to gain ground, utilizing their weaponry expertise, as well as their elemental powers to not only keep them back, but hopefully keep them incapacitated while the Police Commissioner or the Warden take care of them. 

“What’s going on in here?” A feminine voice rang out and the two immediately turned to find Nya, Pix, and Zane standing at the entrance; each of them somewhat confused about the massive hole in the ground directly in front of where they were standing. 

“Guys!” Jay called out, relief etched in between his voice. “First Master, we thought it wouldn’t take that long! You guys scared the–” He paused himself. 

“Our apologies, we experienced some trouble with the fire and had to ensure the Warden had measures put in place for the criminals.” Zane explained, as he and the others joined them. 

“All good! Just glad you all are okay!” Kai called back as he ran in the direction to where Killow had taken Cole. 

“Where are you–?” Nya started to ask. 

“To get Earth!” he called back. “Oh! Ice! There’s a guy over there with white hair, grumpy expression, bad stubble; scan him for me?” 

“Uhhh, sure?” Zane answered. 

And with that Kai continued to sprint into one of the back areas of the prison. His eyes darted around him, desperate to find the Earth Ninja. He threw open every single door, only to find various different small storage closets, offices, break rooms. Man, this prison had an awful layout. 

“Earth!” He called out. “Earth, where are you?” He continued to call out for him, as he threw open one of the final doors, to find Cole standing over top and unconscious Killow, his hammer resting over his shoulder. 

Kai couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping. He was fine. Relief instantly flooded his mind, body, soul; all of it. 

“You’re okay!” He exclaimed, rushing toward the other ninja. 

Cole’s breathing is heavy. “Yeah, barely. This guy is a menace.” 

“Did he hurt you? Did he–?”

“I don’t think so, probably just some bruises and scrapes I think.” Cole answered, his voice overflowing with warmth; a kind of warmth Kai had never experienced in someone else's voice before. 

Kai shook his head slightly. “I’m glad, but you should still be careful.” Kai responded, his voice laced with a lot more malice than he intended, but Cole seriously terrified him to his core. 

“Sure, but only when you do.” Cole teased. 

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I’m serious. You really scared me out there and you shouldn’t have let Lightning leave.” 

Now Cole was upset. “Look, we didn’t know where you were, you said you’d meet up with us and we hadn’t heard from you. Then we heard the S.O.S signal and wanted to check on you since we couldn’t leave and something was preventing us from using our comms.” Cole answered, crossing his arms. 

“Look, I get it and I appreciate it, but I was fine.”

“Oh sure you were.” Cole shrugged. “Come on, we have a team to meet up with.”

“Co– Earth. I–” Kai started, but it was no use. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how he felt, and he didn’t know why he said that. 

Kai just closed his mouth and followed him outside the room, back towards the main area of the prison with the others. He hoped there would at least be some of the criminals left so he wouldn’t have to stand awkwardly next to him or anyone. 

But of course it didn’t seem to work out that way, as most of them were tied up. However, there was something that greatly seemed to confuse both Kai and Cole. 

“Were there uh, were there more guys?” Kai broke the silence, eyeing the amount of criminals who were tied up and handcuffed. 

“I am not sure I understand. These are the same amount of criminals as when we entered. They weren’t very hard for us to take down though.” Pix answered, confusion lingering in her voice. 

“That’s just the thing, there were like fifty guys here earlier. Right?” Kai asked, eyeing Cole who appeared to not want to look at him, and Jay who was looking around atop a pile of debris. 

“Yeah, I could have sworn there were more.” Jay observed, his eyes still searching. “And most of them were a lot tougher to fight than these guys. I don’t know what happened.” 

Nya’s eyes grew wide. “Earth?” 

Cole just nodded, turning slightly away from Kai. “Yeah and there was–” His eyes soon went wide as the same thought appeared in both of their heads. “We didn’t–” 

“Killow.” Kai finished his thought. 

The Fire and Earth ninja sprinted towards the room, their breaths heavy and laced with fear, which was soon confirmed as they ripped open the door to find nothing. Killow was gone. They had messed up, messed up real bad; presumably in more ways than one. 

“I–” Kai began, but he couldn’t finish his sentence. Just like before, he was at a loss for words. 

“Come on, we should get back before they wonder where we had gone off too.” Cole had broken the heavy silence and was now holding the door open for him. 

“Thanks.” Kai muttered, his head hung in shame. 

Cole just seemed to nod, as he followed Kai back to where the other ninja were.

“Everything okay?” Nya asked. “We’re just about ready to turn these guys in and debrief before heading home.” 

Kai deeply exhaled. “Killow’s gone.” 

“What?” She asked, disbelief washing over her. 

“He escaped.” He stated blankly, his eyes avoiding the other ninja. 

“Whaaat?! How did that happen?! I thought with the two of you–” Jay rambled. 

“It was my fault. I should have properly taken care of him, but got distracted. I’m sorry guys.” Cole interrupted, which simultaneously caught the Fire Ninja off guard. 

“Wait–” He attempted. 

Cole just waved him off. “ I'm team leader, while Green is on his mission. It was my fault. I know better. I shouldn’t have–” He trailed off, as dark chocolate eyes met Kai’s amber. The two seemed to stare at each other for a while, but it only proved to be a few seconds. Cole cleared his throat. “I should have ensured he was taken care of instead of rushing back to the fight here.” 

“I understand, Earth. It is unfortunate that we have lost such a key player, but after reviewing the footage, it seems we lost more than just one big player.” Zane spoke to the group, followed by Pix, and the Warden. 

“No.” Kai grimaced. “So our?” 

“Yes.” Zane stated. “Somehow the more experienced criminals and higher ranking criminals of Sons of Oni escaped.” 

“So that means we lost more of his men than we gained.” Nya sighed. 

“More like gained criminals who aren’t in his circle.” Pix corrected. 

“So, we’re worse off than we started?” Jay asked, or more accurately yelled out. “Ah great! Oh great! Just what we need.” 

“We’ll figure it out. The most important thing is that we have each other.” Cole reasoned, but it seemed he didn’t believe it either. 

That’s when it hit Kai, as his eyes went wide. “What about that guy, Ice?” 

“Ah yes, he was behaving very strangely, almost like he was in a trance of some sorts.” Zane commented. “Samurai and I think it might be best if we transferred him to a nearby hospital, allowing for more tests to be done.” 

“Yes! That’s perfect.” He exclaimed.

Even though Kai felt somewhat relieved regarding the situation of the man, there was something in him that still felt uneasy regarding that man, or more accurately, this entire experience. 

Cole stared into his reflection within the port window in the kitchen. He couldn’t believe what had happened that night. He couldn’t believe how he somehow managed to do everything right for the first half of the mission only for it to all come crumbling down. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to act as team captain. Lloyd had asked him too, trusted him too, but he only made a mess of things. 

His eyes drifted towards his small espresso cup. He stared into a strange shape of milk froth that somehow formed on his cup after pouring the steamed milk. On a better occasion, he’d have tried to do some kind of art, but right now he couldn’t be bothered. 

He took a deep sip of his espresso, the warmth of the coffee and steamed milk seemed to warm him from the inside out. But it didn’t do enough to calm his nerves or ease his worries regarding the break out at Kryptarium. He had only wished he had gotten Killow, but instead they ended up with fifteen wannabe criminals picked off the street and one criminal who, to be honest, freaked him out. 

He leaned against the kitchen counter, his eyes focusing on the steam wafting from his cup. His mind lost in thought, as he recounted every step, every action, searching for something he could have done to ensure it wouldn’t happen. 

“That espresso looks pretty interesting, especially if you’ve been staring at it for First Master knows how long.” A sarcastic voice observed. 

The dark brown haired ninja looked up to find his best friend, Jay leaning against the door frame for a moment. 

“Oh First Master Jay!” He yelped. “ You can’t just sneak up on a guy like that!” 

Cole recovered himself, his eyes meeting Jay’s. The Blue Ninja was out of his gi, he was wearing blue pinstripe pajama bottoms, along with a loose light blue t-shirt, and his bright blue bunny slippers. 

He smirked a little. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Nya, Pix, Zane and I were going to watch a movie if you wanted to join us.” 

Cole took a deep breath in. “Maybe, I still need to get cleaned up.” He offered, but in reality, he didn’t want to. There was a pit in his stomach, one that reeked of failure and disappointment. How could he face his team after everything he did, or more accurately didn’t do. 

Jay had somehow seemed to notice his disappointed demeanor, not that he was hiding it very well either. He took a few steps towards his best friend, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s okay. We all make mistakes and it doesn’t make you any less team leader.” He smiled.  

He just took a deep breath in, his dark brown eyes gazing into the small cup of espresso. It was much less warm than it was before. The cup no longer radiated heat and the frothed milk looked even more disheveled than it did before. 

Jay squeezed his shoulder. “I mean it. We’ll figure it out.” 

Cole took another deep breath in. “Yeah.” 

“Get some rest bud, but I don’t know how much hot water will be left after Kai’s done.” He chuckled, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, which he did appreciate. 

“Oh, First Master.” Cole grumbled, his expression slowly morphing from a frown to a small smile. 

“Yeah.” Jay chuckled. “So you better pray he left some for you.” 

“One can hope.” Cole joked. 

He took one last look at his espresso mug, before dumping the now cold contents down the sink. He left the kitchen, as he headed back towards their cabin, briefly passing the living room with the majority of his friends. He could feel his breath hitch briefly. 

He passed by the bathroom right across from their hall, the door slightly ajar. Taking a quick glance as he passed by, noticing the fire ninja doing his best to take care of a few cuts lining his person. 

A part of Cole wanted to continue walking, as a means to not face him, but there was a greater part of him that wanted to help him. His cuts looked like they were in fairly hard to reach places and he wanted to be a good friend, even if a part of him felt like he failed him. So, after a brief back and forth, Cole quietly knocked on the bathroom door, doing his best not to laugh at the way it startled Kai. 

The Red Ninja carefully opened the door, slowly looking up towards his friend. 

“Oh, uh, Cole, you scared me there.” He stuttered a bit through his words, but it was evident a small smile was present between his lips. 

“I thought you could use some help.” He stated, trying to seem as normal as possible, even though his heart beat continued to speed up. 

“Oh.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I might need a little help.” 

He slowly opened the door, allowing for Cole to step in. He briefly scanned the various different first aid supplies that had been strewn about the bathroom. There were gauze pads, band aids, various different disinfectants, and medical tape around the counter top. 

“Do you want to sit on the counter?” Cole asked quickly, his gaze focused on the medical equipment rather than the ninja in front of him. 

“Oh uh, yeah.” 

Carefully, Kai pulled himself on top of the counter. Clearly not wanting for Cole to see how he winced. 

Once atop of the counter, Cole began grabbing the various different medical equipment he’d need to treat Kai. He started by opening one of the packets of alcohol wipes, but not before taking a minute to warn his friend about the stinging pain he’d soon endure. 

Gently, Cole took the fresh alcohol wipe to the small cut along his upper arm. He did his best to not press very hard into his tan skin, as he took to not only disinfecting his cut, but also as he cleaned the surrounding area from blood. 

The two sat in silence as Cole continued to work on taking care of Kai. Both seemingly not wanting to talk to the other, but it was a much deeper feeling that seemed to eat away at them. Cole quickly seemed to finish taking care of his shoulder wound before moving to his wound on his side. 

The tension seemed to eat away at him, just his luck that out of everyone he could have liked, it would have to be one of his closest friends, and it was just his luck that he somehow managed to lead him in a mission that failed within his fingertips. 

Kai’s breath hitched, as he sucked in his breath through his teeth.

“I’m sorry if I’m pressing too hard.” Cole spoke, breaking the silence; now feeling slightly worse than he already felt. 

“No no no.” Kai reasoned. “It’s not that.” 

Cole took a minute to pause, looking up at Kai, who was now a few inches taller than him. He gave him a quick nod, indicating that he could continue. 

He took a deep breath in. “I’m sorry.” Cole couldn’t help but be caught off guard, but continued to stay silent, as Kai continued. “I should have been quicker, but because I took so long you–” He paused, his gaze now drifting downwards and to the other side of the bathroom. 

“It’s not your fault. I made the choice as team leader.” Cole said, shifting the blame onto himself. “I should have been better about it, about everything, and now because of me–” Cole trailed off, as he continued to wrap his friend’s side. 

“I understand it was your call, I just wish.” Kai paused, as he searched for the words. “I wish Lloyd was here so you didn’t have to be on your own.” 

Cole paused briefly, before continuing. 

“I also don’t blame you for anything.” Kai finished, his gaze still far from Cole. 

“I don’t blame you either.” Cole mentioned, as he finished wrapping.

It was here where both Kai and Cole looked up at each other, their faces only a few inches apart. There soft breaths meeting each other. Cole gazed into his amber eyes, which radiated warmth that seemed to warm him up from his core, more than a cup of espresso could. 

Kai looked down slightly, their eyes now meeting each other. Something in Cole’s chest willed for him to look away, but something deeper in his chest made him stay. He couldn’t take his gaze from Kai’s amber eyes, as he allowed himself to become lost in his eyes. 

He didn’t know how long they stood in front of each other, gazing into the other’s eyes, but Cole didn’t want to move; he couldn’t. And it seemed like Kai couldn’t either, as he continued to make no effort to move away from him. 

Which was only made more apparent as Kai lunged himself towards Cole, their lips interlocking with each other. It took him by surprise at first, but he soon melted into his touch. Their lips pressing into each other’s, his hands gripping Kai’s side, mindful of his injuries. Kai gripped Cole’s face, as if to pull him closer and closer to him. 

Cole could feel an incomprehensible fire shoot through him, one that he didn’t want to lose, one that he was glad to be lost in. 

The two ninja slowly pulled away from each other, their lips instantly missing the other’s presence. 

They stared into each other’s eyes, both shocked at what had just happened. He couldn't help the way his mouth dropped, as his eyes reeked of disbelief. 

“I– uh– well–” Kai stuttered, as he hopped down from the counter. 

“Hey.” Cole grabbed Kai’s hand in an attempt to keep him from running. “We don’t have to talk about it, but if you do, I’m always here.” 

Kai took a deep breath, before smiling. “I know and I do want to talk about it, just after we get cleaned up.” 

“It’s a date.” Cole smiled, his face turning instantly red after he realized what he had said. 

“I look forward to it.” Kai answered, a wide smile beaming across his face. 

Their hands soon let go of each other’s, not until after the two ninja gave each other a reassuring squeeze. Cole continued to stare in disbelief at Kai, as he watched him begin to leave the bathroom and head for their cabin. 

He couldn’t help but smile at the way Kai looked, or the lingering feeling of their lips pressed together. 

Just as quickly as he missed their lips together, his adrenaline spiked, Cole couldn't stop his hands from pulling Kai to him; allowing for their lips to embrace once more. A part of him was scared, terrified, even that this was just an accident, a mistake. One that he would be forced to hide in the back of his memories, in some sort of vault he'd never see again. 

But his fears seemed to evaporate, as Kai leaned into his lips. The two of them pressing deeper and deeper into each other, like if they let go for even a moment, they'd never feel this again. He could feel his heartbeat grow faster and faster, like all his hope was now pinned onto his amber colored eyes, his chestnut brown hair, his kind and protective heart, his entire person. 

Their lips soon pulled away from each other, but it didn't stop Cole's heart from practically beating out his chest. 

"Couldn't get enough of me?" Kai smirked. 

Cole just smirked in response, letting his hands gently glide down Kai's arms, reveling in the touch shared between them. Their eyes slowly meeting each other's, briefly catching glimpses of the other's lips. 

"I'll take that as a yes." Kai smiled, as it looked like he was about to lean in for another kiss when– 

"Kai! Cole! Are you coming for movie night? We need someone to make the deciding choice!" Nya called, presumably from the living room. 

Kai audibly sighed and Cole felt a part of him tense at the fact. 

"Be right there!" The brown haired ninja called back, before turning back towards Cole. 

There was a beat between the two of them, as they both waited for the other to say something. 

Eventually, Kai broke the silence. "I- I should go." 

"Yeah- I'll join you after I-" He gestured to the shower behind him. 

"Yeah, I- I look forward to it." The Fire Ninja smiled before he left to get ready to join the others for a movie. 

Cole was left in the bathroom, but he didn't feel lonely, in fact, he felt more alive than he ever has before.

Chapter Text

Harumi stared into her reflection in the mirror, her expression sunken, red, and tired; her soaked white hair dripping on the floor. The only thing that managed to provide a bit of warmth were her warmed matching light green gingham pajamas and her green bunny slippers. But it didn’t stop the sinking feeling that continued to eat away at her. 

She took one of her sage green towels to her hair, drying as much as she could without taking a blow dryer to her hair. As she did her best to not burst into a thousand tears, even if some of them had managed to fall down her cheeks, which she instantly wiped away. Harumi grimaced at her reaction; this wasn’t the time for her tears to be shed, after all, she wasn’t the one who was taking care of her bleeding body in the bathroom over. 

She couldn’t help but wonder, fear, that he would leave her, that she’d be forced to lose her closest friend, her friends from university, her freedom. Would he really go back on the mission? It wouldn’t be the first time she had been promised something only for everyone to go back on their word due to her specific circumstances. 

Harumi sighed, splashing her face with cold water. She could feel her shoulders tense at the sudden cold that fell across her cheeks, but Harumi didn’t mind. In fact, she relished in the freezing water, especially as a means to keep her tears from escaping behind her clouded eyes. 

She looked up from the sink, eyeing herself in the mirror, once more. Her mind going back and forth on whether or not she should leave her safe haven of a room- or bathroom.  A variety of questions and worries overwhelmed her mind. Would he even want to see her? Especially since he got hurt defending– 

With that, Harumi decided to check on G. She was sure she’d feel even worse if she decided to practically ignore him, especially when he was tending to his wounds. 

Harumi removed her robe overtop her pajamas, before she exited her room to find G and hopefully help him care for his wounds or spend some time together relaxing over something way less terrifying. 

She carefully creaked the door open to reveal an empty living room, which caused her stomach to turn slightly; he must still be caring for his injuries, she thought. Her feet stepped against the wooden floor, much quieter than she intended, but she didn’t want to terrify the poor guy especially after the night he had. 

She almost immediately spotted the second bathroom, the light from the cracked door illuminating the nearby area. Her hand hovered over the bronze handle, as her eyes caught a glimpse of G in the mirror. He had multiple different bandages overtop his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. She could feel her chest tighten at the sight of him, but his golden blonde hair seemed to pull her from her thoughts. 

His golden hair sat messily atop his skull, some of his curls were still intact, but most of them were splayed out and undone. He was leaning over, presumably caring for one of his injuries that Harumi had indirectly caused. From the angle she stood at, she couldn’t tell whether or not he still had his black medical mask on, but she couldn’t see his face; thank the First Master . 

Now there was something in her chest that seemed to make her heart beat faster and faster, there was something about his golden hair that continued to pull her in. But she couldn’t, she couldn’t betray his trust like that. If she had somehow exposed herself to his secret identity, even by accident, she might lose this friendship. 

So, instead, she decided on taking a few steps back, and allowing her voice to gain his attention. 

“G.” She called out. “I was wondering if you needed anything?” 

“Oh! Uh! Gimmie a second!” He called back, as the sound of rustling and items moving practically echoed from the bathroom to the hallway. 

She couldn’t stop herself from chuckling slightly, before being interrupted by G throwing the door open. Harumi could feel her cheeks instantly lift at the sight of him, before her eyebrows continued to rise at the sight of him. He was wearing his white t-shirt, which sat loosely over top of his chest. From her point of view, her eyes couldn’t help but catch the blood stains and tears that now resided in it. He no longer had his brown wig on and his messy blonde hair sat freely in the light from the bathroom. He was still wearing his black face mask, but his cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink. 

Harumi did her best to keep her gaze up towards him, but even that continued to make her cheeks and ears grow warmer. 

The two stared at each other, before he decided to break the silence. “I uh didn’t have my wig. It’s– it’s uh in the other room.” He used his thumbs to point to the spare room he used. 

“Oh! Well that’s okay– I mean if it’s okay with you then it’s okay with me obviously.” She stammered. 

By the way his cheeks turned upwards, she could tell he smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. You okay?” 

Heh. That was a good question. Was she okay? Like really okay? She didn’t know. She was still terrified out of her mind and the guilt continued to eat away at her. Maybe she was always meant to feel guilty, that it was something that came with her title. 

In this brief moment, Harumi couldn’t help but hate and despise her title more than anything. It was something that seemed to rule her everyday life, no matter how much she tried to run, no matter how much she tried to escape; it always seemed to be right behind her, haunting her. 

Harumi then felt a soft touch on the side of her arm and a reassuring squeeze woke her from her thoughts. Her eyes bottled to G, his eyes were almost the same shade of green, as they have been, except for the fact they looked a tad bit duller, but Harumi assumed it was just a trick of the light. 

“If you want we could hang out for a bit? I’ll just need to clean myself up a bit.” G broke the silence, his hand still providing a comforting squeeze. 

“I– I would like that.” Harumi smiled. 

“Great!” He exclaimed. “I’ll get cleaned up and quickly report the incident.” 

That shook Harumi to her core. 

“No!” She yelled, it was now her turn to hold the sides of his arms, only it was a lot less comforting squeeze. “You can't! I can’t be forced into that palace again or be taken away. I can't, I just can’t!” She could feel her eyes glass over, as she did her best to blink past it. 

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, I won’t let that happen.” His voice was now soft and somewhat reassuring, but it didn’t stop the fear that overwhelmed her. 

“But you don’t know that.” She interjected. “You don’t know how controlling they are, how much of my life is actually theirs. They’ll always find a way to keep me at that palace; this is my only chance at some sort of freedom please. I can’t lose my friends.” She pleaded, gripping the bottom of his shoulders. 

It was then that she could see G’s demeanor falter slightly. His eye color almost blinked for a moment, as his brain seemed to search for the right thing to say. The two stood there in silence for who knows how long, but Harumi couldn’t bring herself to calm down, not until she knew she wouldn’t be dragged back to that palace. 

“… Okay.” He broke the silence, his voice carried the weight of Harumi’s please, but also of something much deeper from the depths of his mind. “I won’t say anything.” 

She could feel her heart swell up as she enveloped him into as large of a hug as she could manage. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She exclaimed. 

Slowly, she could feel his arms against her back, albeit they barely made contact with her clean pajamas. She relished in their touch, something about it made her feel at home somewhat, which is crazy because home for her was the palace or the apartment; it couldn’t possibly be a person. 

Carefully, he pushed away from her. His gaze somewhat averted from hers. 

“I– I uh– I’m going to get cleaned up.” He forced, not even taking two seconds before he turned around to stop by his room to obtain a change of clothes. 

“G.” Harumi reached out to him, both verbally and physically by grabbing his hand. “Thank you, I really mean it.” 

He smiled beneath his mask. “Anytime, Rumi.” 

And not before long, he had retreated into his room, followed by the bathroom. 

Harumi was left in an empty apartment, her mind somewhat calmed at the fact he wasn’t going to share their unfortunate encounter, but her mind still raced at said encounter. She shook her mind of those thoughts, doing her best to relax every part of her. 

With that, she flopped onto the couch, pulling a soft crochet blanket over top of her. Maybe she wouldn’t be trapped any longer, maybe she’d be free from her royal life, even if it was just for a little bit. 

Lloyd practically melted under the warm water of the shower, his muscles somewhat relaxing underneath the hot water, his golden hair sitting somewhat firmly over top of his forehead. 

He sighed heavily, as his hands moved his hair from over his face back. He really needed this, it felt like forever since his hair had gotten the attention it deserved, but thankfully the other ninja weren’t here to laugh at him. Maybe he’d let his golden locks free more often, especially since Rumi had seen it and it’s not like she recognized him per say; not to mention he despises that bloody wig. 

He shut the water off, shivering at the sudden chill that attacked his person. He quickly dried himself off and changed into a loose green hoodie, along with a pair of darker, more muted striped green pajama bottoms, and a pair of plain black ankle socks. 

He stared into his reflection in the mirror, his eyes a significant shade duller than earlier; he really overdid it with the amount of blood he allowed himself to spill. But it’s not like he could have allowed for the sais to hurt her, that not only went against his whole person, and one of his friends. 

He sighed, putting some product in his hair, so his curls didn’t look like a sad mop on his forehead. Placing his black mask on, before stepping outside into the rest of the apartment. 

Lloyd was met with a somewhat dimmed apartment, only the living room seemed to be one giving off light, with he greatly undersoon. After missions like these, he and the team would always crowd around the couch to rest and avoid any kind of deep acknowledgment of what they had just experienced. 

He appeared in the door frame, eyeing an exhausted Rumi, as she was curled up on the couch, warm blankets on top of her as she searched for some kind of movie, Lloyd assumed. 

“Having a good time?” He asked, leaning against the right side of the door frame. His arms crossed in a relaxed position. 

“Ugh.” Harumi huffed. “Not really, I’m not sure what to watch.” 

Lloyd couldn’t help but smirk beneath his mask. “Here, let me help.” He offered, but just as he was about to move towards the couch, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his mind. 

“No.” He grunted softly, his hands practically sprinting to the sides of his head. The pressure from his hands didn’t help much when it came to aiding the pain, but it was enough to get his eyes to open, even briefly. 

He could see Harumi’s blurred silhouette in front of him, he couldn’t quite make out her expression, but with his heart practically beating out of his chest and his head screaming at him, he couldn’t even focus on the way her lips moved, or her touch on his arm. 

Lloyd was abruptly surrounded by an overwhelming amount of red, the darkness settling in over top of him. His eyes wandered around his surroundings, searching for something. His heart continued to race, as he was just as quickly accosted by masked men in red and black, with hints of purple throughout. 

There was something about them that seemed oddly familiar. It could have been the purple snake tattoos across their face and bodies, or the purple spears held tightly between their hands. 

He followed their eyes, coming across Rumi, who was currently recovering against the wooden flooring. Her breathing was uneven and her eyes were practically seconds away from overflowing with tears. 

“Rumi!” He called out, but it proved useless as he was pulled beneath the red mirrored floor. 

He was met with the cold rush of the ocean, as he fell deeper and deeper into the ocean. His body practically sank, but his hands were extended almost like he was reaching for something. His heart sunk; or someone. 

He was just as quickly met with the suffocating feeling of smoke that remained in his lungs, as his body trudged onwards through a darked stone tunnel. Another cold feeling rushed through him, but this time it wasn’t from the surrounding water, it originated from himself. Which was not at all comforting to say the least. But before he could investigate any further, his body hit the ground.  

Returning to his body after these– nightmares, was never easy. It always felt like his mind practically fell into this body, almost reminiscent of his brain scaring itself awake. 

His chest still pounded and his breath still heaved. These were exhausting, overwhelming even. But there was that sinking feeling in his chest. Did what he saw in his dreams actually happen or was it merely coincidence? Like everything else in his life, he had no clue. 

Slowly, the rest of his person seemed to awake, as his eyes began opening, blinking away the white spots within his vision. He soon caught a terrified Harumi, as he rubbed his shoulders and allowed his head to rest within her lap. 

Their eyes met and Lloyd was sure she’d practically kill him out of relief or anger for scaring her. 

“Oh First Master! ” She exclaimed. “I was going to call the ninja or emergency services or something.” Relief was etched between her words, but it quickly seemed to fall. 

“Are.. are you okay? I mean like I don’t need to actually call the ninja or anyone else?” 

His head still ached. He grimaced at the pain that practically radiated throughout his entire person and as much as he wanted to remain on the floor, he knew he shouldn’t. Since, it would mostly worry Rumi even more and he already felt terrible about it. 

“I– I’m okay.” He groaned, as he shakily sat up and leaned against the door frame. 

She smirked. “Uh huh, sure you are.” She paused, looking down, her mind searching for something to say.

“I’m okay, really.” He muttered, placing a reassuring hand on her knee. 

Harumi just drew into herself, pulling her knees to her chest. 

“You were muttering something and earlier you said something about men with snake tattoos.” She observed. 

“I– well– I–” He stuttered, now it was his turn to pull his knees to his chest. 

“And I’ve noticed that you’ve been out of it lately, you’ve been exhausted, more on edge, and frankly terrified. I– You don’t have to tell me anything, but I want you to know that I’m here if you ever want to talk and I want you to focus more on yourself.” She paused. “You can’t waste all your energy focusing on me.” She muttered, but it wasn’t quiet enough for him to not hear. 

“Rumi, I–” He paused, his mind searching for the right words. 

It wasn’t like he could tell her what he’s been seeing in his dreams; she’d think he was crazy and to be honest, he thought he was crazy. But it’s not like he could tell her that he couldn’t sleep, his mind was plagued with nightmares and it’s not like sleeping ever gave him a break. Lloyd felt as if he told her that he’d be more than willing to lend her his life, not only because it was his duty as a ninja, but also because their friendship means the world to him. He couldn’t not tell her, there had to be a layer of trust between the two of them. 

“Harumi.” He broke the overwhelming silence between the two of them. “I’m going to tell you something and you need to promise to not laugh, or say anything or, tell anyone, and if you don’t believe me, don’t tell me.” 

Her eyes seemed to widen at these words, or for the pure fact he called her ‘Harumi' and not ‘Rumi’. She gave him a funny look, that was only highlighted by the fact that she tilted her head. 

“Okay.” 

Lloyd took a deep breath, before deeply sighing. “Okay.” 

“Um, so for the past few weeks I’ve been having a lot of strange dreams or nightmares; I should say. But they feel real, like it feels like I’m actually there. I can feel the pain, like it still feels like I’m drowning or have smoke lingering between my throat and lungs. But the thing about them is that I saw what happened today; I dreamt it.”

“You mean like deja vu?” She asked. 

“No, it’s different; like I could see her, I could hear her voice, I could feel the pain from the sais. It was like– It was like I knew what would happen, because I’ve seen it; I’ve lived it before.” 

He paused, before continuing. “I would like to sit here and tell you that I’ll be better about getting more sleep and taking better care of myself, but I can’t. I haven’t had a proper night’s rest in weeks. And to be honest, I’m scared to sleep.” He grimaced at how weak that makes him sound. 

“G, I– I’m sorry. That sounds like a lot of weight on your shoulders.” She comforted him. “Have you talked to your Sensei or any of the other ninja about it?” 

He shook his head. “I can’t talk to them about it, they’d get all protective and I just– I just don’t want to deal with it.” 

“But they could help, you never know.” She offered and encouraged him. 

“I can’t. I just can’t” He reasoned, but he knew it wasn’t really a reason, he just hoped she wouldn’t press him too much about it. 

“Okay, since you didn’t tell them about today, I won’t say anything.” She smiled. “But there has to be something you can try with your new foresight ability.” 

Lloyd couldn’t help but laugh as he leaned against the door frame. “Okay, I’ll try all the things you want me too.” 

She instantly perked up, a bright smile erupting across her face. “Good! Now come on, I want to watch something fun!” She pleaded, jumping up onto her feet; her hands practically dragging him to his feet, which of course, he obliged. 

The two plopped onto the couch next to each other, curling up under a blanket as they scoured for just the right movie to relax too, as a means of recovery from their crazy night.  But Lloyd didn’t really care about what movie they watched, he only cared that they were together and that he was exhausted enough to hopefully have a few hours of sleep. 

And if he was being honest, Lloyd found himself falling asleep quicker than he had before. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was pelted with sais or had to lie to his closest friends about it, but he didn’t want to fall asleep. There was always something about being awake when the world was quiet and it always felt more magical when he was surrounded by the people he cares about. There was something about the two of them on the couch at twelve thirty in the morning that seemed to keep his eyes open, as the two talked on and on about their favorite movies and television shows; something he never thought he’d ever connect with out of the ninja and Pix. 

He didn’t know what was special about the two of them sitting on the couch together, but it was enough to feel like home– or the beginnings of it.

Chapter Text

Garmadon leaned back deeper into his chair, his hands intertwined, as they rested on the chair’s arm rests. His breaths were deep and drawn out, as he waited for the call. 

It all rested on this. This was the first real step he’d make to finding and bringing back his wife, so if his men accomplished this, he’d be so much closer to seeing her deep brown eyes, her kind smile, her everything. He and his son would finally be a family again; it meant that Lloyd would come home. 

The air in his office was cold, sending a burning feeling throughout his lungs, but he never minded the cold. Garmadon didn’t care that it gave him goosebumps up and down his arms and legs. He didn’t care that it practically sent shivers down his spine. The cold was merely a part of him now, almost like it merged with him and became who he is; or rather he grew more and more cold in his old age. 

But nevertheless he didn’t care. That’s what made him a good businessman, a good leader. And as of right now that’s what truly mattered. 

The black rotary phone on his left suddenly filled the room with its loud rings, as they echoed throughout his empty office space. 

This was it, he thought. His mind only focused on the possibility of everything turning out okay, that everything was right and– his breath hitched. He couldn’t allow himself the feeling of victory just yet, especially since those blasted ninja seemed to foil his every plan. 

Slowly, he pulled the receiver closer to his ear. 

Silence. 

“Hello? Who is this?” He asked, his voice suddenly much more firm and cold. 

“Ah, hello sir. It’s Killow and Ultra Violet here to report our missions.” They answered. 

“Hmm, yes; speak.” 

Killow spoke first, his voice was clear with no practically no sign of disappointment in his voice. “The plan at Kryptarium was successful. We managed to trade out the low level thugs with our men, with seemingly none the wiser and almost all managed to escape.” 

“Almost?” Garmadon clarified. His voice only continued to grow more detached and bitter than before. 

“Yes Sir, unfortunately they somehow managed to capture Luke.” 

An undeniable rage shot throughout Garmadon and his entire person. How could he have been so foolish to even trust Luke with that kind of power? How could he have trusted any of them with that kind of responsibility? He was sure the words ‘don’t let anything happen to Luke Cunningham’ left his mouth and into the ears of his subordinates. 

His right fist slammed into the desk, causing the various different items on it to shake at its sudden magnitude. 

“You fools!” He yelled, his voice hoarse and exhausted. “You were specifically instructed nothing was to happen to him? Now he’s in the hands of the enemy? Do you understand what will happen if they figure out the spell we cast? Do you not understand the severity of the situation?!” 

“Yes Sir, I understand. I have several of my men looking for where they could have possibly taken him–” 

“I don’t care how many hours of days it takes, find him!” Garmadon interrupted, his fingers on his right hand digging further and further into his palm, while his fest pressed deeper into the desk. 

He couldn’t lose Luke, not when he was so close. Not when this ancient power was so close to his fingertips, not when Misako was so much closer to finally coming home. 

“Yes Sir.” 

“You had better hope you find him for your sake.” Garmadon snarled, his mind and his chest overcome with anger and hate. He wasn’t going to let any idiot in between him and his family. 

“Yes Sir.” Garmadon didn’t care that Killow’s voice was suddenly downturned and terrified; he should be. He should be scared. After all, Garmadon wasn’t the one who failed his mission. He wasn’t the one who allowed the ninja to capture one of his most important players. 

“Good.” There was a slight pause in between his words. “Now Ultra Violet, please tell me how your mission with the Green Ninja went?”

“Ah, yes Sir!” She grinned. “I was able to find the Green Ninja and was able to understand why he hadn't been sighted with the other ninja in some time. It seems he’s watching over a girl, but she seemed ordinary enough that was the weird thing. But still he protected her, I was even able to get some hits in as well.” 

“Hmm.” 

Why would the Green Ninja be following and protecting a girl? She had to be of some kind of importance if he was tasked with protecting her, but who? His thoughts seemed to travel at the speed of light, each important politician's daughter flashed through his mind, but no one seemed to stand out to him. 

“Tell me more about this girl, Ultra Violet.” He demanded, pulling out a pen and paper. 

“Well Sir, her hair was the most noteable feature about her. It looked almost pure white in the lighting, but it was more yellow.” She paused. “Well– she– she uh–” 

“Were you so focused on the Green Ninja that you didn’t even pay the lick of attention to her?” He scolded, the rage in his voice continued to grow. 

“Well Sir, I–” 

“Enough!” Garmadon’s voice boomed throughout the phone’s microphone and his empty office. “It seems I can’t trust either of you with shit. I don’t want another word from any one of you. Ultra Violet, you will help Killow find Luke Cunningham.” 

“But Sir, what about the Green Ninja and the girl?” She asked, continuing to ignite the rage throughout him. 

“Ultra Violet! Hold your tongue!” He scolded, his eyebrows furrowing. “I have decided to trust an old business partner with this matter. Maybe unlike you two he won’t fail. I don’t expect to hear back from either of you unless you have rescued Luke or he’s dead.” 

“Yes Sir!” The two spoke at the same time. “We won’t fail you.” Killow added. 

“Somehow I have a hard time believing that.” Garmadon snarled, his words radiated anger and disappointment. 

With that, he was done, placing the telephone back on its hook. He couldn’t believe those two had both failed him, but it seemed those who said they could move the world for him, couldn’t. But at least their loyalty was the only seemingly decent thing about him. 

His eyes couldn’t help but wander, honing in on the picture located in the back right end of his desk. A thick layer of dust was present over top of it. The picture, itself looked to be almost sun damaged the way the colors were much paler than he remembered them. Or it’s always been that color; he didn’t really know. 

Through the dusted glass he could make out his own face, he looked to be a lot younger in age and his joy and happiness radiated from his wide smile. Over his shoulders, he could make out his son; he too was a lot younger, a lot more happy than he remembered. There was something about seeing his deep almost red eyes and his carefree, joyful smile. A part of him wished he could have seen it, maybe even once more. But then his eyes caught her, Misako. Her hair was a gorgeous deep brown, her eyes were closed almost like she was laughing about something, but Garmadon couldn’t remember. He couldn’t bear to even think about her, not when he was the reason for her disappearance, for her passing. But he’d make things right, they’d be reunited, they’d be together. He would do anything for his wife, just as she, at one point, would do anything for him. 

He could feel his chest weigh himself down, his mind doing its best to ignore it, but this feeling continued to eat away at him. He had to see if maybe, just maybe– 

Garmadon pulled out the panel on the right side of the desk, where he could make out multiple different buttons, each with their own purpose. He pressed the top row, middle button, which instantly sent a message to Kozu that Garmadon had requested for his presence. 

He waited, it was only for a few minutes but it seemed to continue to allow for something in his chest to turn and twist. First Master , how he hated this feeling. 

A steady knock woke him from his thoughts. Finally, he silently grumbled to himself, before he called out to let Kozu come inside. 

His assistant quickly entered the room, but not before shutting the ten foot doors behind him.

“Yes, Lord Garmadon?” He asked, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. 

“Ah, yes Kozu. Has my son made any contact yet? The words felt like a joke coming out of his mouth, how foolish his own son to run away from home to seek guidance and a relationship with his brother no less. Not even counting the fact that he left his work positions to someone inferior, to someone who wasn’t even a Garmadon. 

Kozu sighed quietly. “Unfortunately Sir, I have not heard or received anything from young Garmadon. He has not responded to the letter we sent to his current location, at your brother’s Monastery.” 

Garmadon could feel something sink from his chest further into his stomach. An unmistakable feeling echoing throughout his person, one he was not sure of or had any clue how to describe. But the only sound that managed to escape him was a quiet scoff. 

“Keep a watchful eye out for him or any word from him.” Garmadon instructed. 

Kozu nodded. “I will, Master Garmadon. Is there anything else you require from me?” 

Garmadon just shook his head. “No, you are dismissed.” 

With that, Kozu bowed slightly and left his office. Once again, Garmadon was alone. Just as he was every day, even if he was surrounded by people, he never felt as though it wasn’t just him in a room by himself. But now, in this moment; he truly was alone. 

Anger quickly bubbled over him from his chest and out of his person. His hands shook with rage, his body and brain unable to truly understand his feelings. The only thing he seemed to register was how angry he was. 

Garmadon cried out, his hands continued to shake as he pushed away the small contents on his desk, sending them to the floor. His breath panted heavily, his person somehow able to recover. But the sound of glass radiating allowed for his feelings to break through once more, as his could feel his entire soul twist and turn. 

He rushed to the far side of his right desk, his soul continuing to twist as he eyes saw it; the photo, one of the last times they were a happy family was shattered, surrounded by shards of glass, their gleeful faces now subject to the horrors of the outside world. 

He fell to his knees, his hands instantly grabbing hold of the broken picture frame. His entire person practically fell into pieces, as he held it to his chest. His heart beat faster and faster the more he held it to himself, his mind and chest unable to accurately describe the intensity of his feelings. 

It seemed the only thing he could do was to allow for his fingers to be cut by the glass and for silent tears to flow down his cheeks. Garmadon wasn’t even sure he could cry, but he didn’t seem to notice it fully. 

But he only seemed to know one thing and that was he would do anything to bring his family back; No, he would bring her back; they would be a family again; Lloyd would smile like this again.

It had only been two days since Kryptarium, but it had felt much longer. At least that’s what the other said, Zane didn’t really understand how time could feel different? But he nodded and agreed with the others nonetheless. 

But he was glad to have known that no one had been injured and that Lloyd had ended up being okay despite his S.O.S call. It was good to know that he was growing a lot better at communicating with him and the other ninja, even if everything proved to be okay. 

He and Pixal had spent the past few days looking over and reviewing the security camera footage from that night, both of them unable to truly understand the sheer magnitude of what Kai had experienced, but just from looking at the two of them battle each other, Zane knew something was wrong with him and that was exactly why he and Kai were here at Borg Industries. 

Thankfully, Dr. Borg had offered for him to stay there in one of his medical wings, which all the ninja were very grateful for. Though he wished they were able to get there sooner, but Kai said he had a paper to write and class to attend, which of course he understood. Even if it was through undercover work, it could still count towards credits in case he or any of the other ninja wanted to complete their schooling. 

The car ride to Borg Tower went by slowly and quietly, which Zane didn’t mind either. Especially since it seemed like Kai had something on his mind, the way he stared outside the passenger’s side window. Zane didn’t want to press him, at least not until he was ready. 

It wasn’t before long when they arrived, the two ninja staring up at the incredibly tall tower, as the two slipped through an open window in the back of the building, before making their way to the specific elevator. 

The elevator music seemed to only add to the tension Zane could sense. 

“Are you nervous?” Zane asked. 

“Well– no– I–” Kai stuttered before sinking into himself. “Yeah, just this guy really freaked me out and it terrified me to say the least. Like there was something about him that I just can’t place.” Kai sighed. 

“That is most understandable. It was an uneasy video to watch.” Zane added. 

“Well at least you and Samurai could see it.” Kai shrugged. 

And almost on cue, the elevator came to an easy stop as the two ninja were greeted by one of Dr. Borg’s doctors who had been briefed on the situation at hand. 

“Ah, Ninja welcome in. I am Dr. Peters” She spoke, she made the motion for the two to follow. She was wearing a pair of small black heels, along with a business formal black dress, which was covered by her white laboratory coat. She was wearing a pair of black rectangular glasses, along with her light brown hair that was pulled back into a braided bun. “The criminal who you brought is Luke Cunningham. He has several past misdemeanor charges and felony charges. According to his police file, he’s been an active member in the Sons of Oni for some time.” 

“Wow. Kai muttered. “Do you know what’s up with him? 

“Unfortunately, my team and I are having a hard time determining his exact circumstances. He hasn’t been the easiest patient to examine.” She answered, as they came up to his door. It was locked and dead bolted in multiple places and it seemed by the different scanners at the side, it only allowed for a few certain individuals to enter. 

“It is understandable if he is not a great patient. We have experience with multiple criminals receiving medical care that have been cooperative.” He added, attempting to ease the situation somewhat. 

“Not this patient.” She clarified. “He appears to be in some sort of trance, which often makes it difficult for me and my team to properly take care of him.” 

She opened the different locks she could before scanning her ID on the right hand side, before leaning down for one of her eyes to be scanned. Once cleared and the door began to open, she turned back towards the boys. 

“If it’s a lot for you to see, I’d understand.” She said, just before the door opened fully; revealing the man.

His skin was pale, but it looked as if he was almost illuminated by a dark shadow. Deep purple highlighted underneath his eyes, while his eyes appeared to be some kind of muted purple. Zane wasn’t even sure he had ever seen anything like that before. He was also shaking violently, his limbs pushing against the straps that held him down. And he only seemed to grow more agitated right after he made eye contact with himself and Kai. 

The man thrashed and pulled roughly at the straps, which managed to keep him attached to the bed, but it didn’t do much when it came to holding him still. 

“Mr. Cunningham, these gentlemen here would like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?” Dr. Peters checked with him, but even her kind voice only proved to anger him further. 

“No! Get out of here!” He snarled, his mouth barring a set of fangs Zane didn’t even know he had. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you both! I swear!” 

“Now Mr. Cunningham, please calm down, this isn’t good for you.” She reasoned but it didn’t prove to be much use as he only thrashed his body around more. 

“If I may, Dr. Peters?” He interjected. “Would a small dose of a sedative help? It might help us talk to him.” 

“Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to take sedatives very well; they have no effect on him.” She shook her head. 

“How is that possible?” Kai asked, his eyes wide; with what, Zane wasn’t sure. 

She shook her head. “I do not know, but there’s something about him that doesn’t appear to be human. Almost like something was done to him, or he did something to himself. 

“What do you mean? Not human?” Zane asked. There was no way this man could be anything but human and seeing him lying there only seemed to prove his opinion.

But instead of a response, Luke Cunningham only thrashed more and more and it seemed he might break something the way he was extremely aggravated. 

“Let’s take this outside.” Dr. Peters suggested, as she pushed the two of them out of the room. 

The door closed softly, as his screams were now drowned out by the thick metal doorframe. Dr. Peters leaned to her radio on the front of her laboratory jacket. “I need someone to come check on Mr. Cunningham and hopefully calm him down.” 

“On my way!” A male’s voice echoed throughout her radio. 

“Thank you!” She spoke again into her radio before guiding Zane and Kai into a conference room of some kind. 

“I do apologize for his behavior, but I had never seen him that agitated before. When it comes to me or anyone within my team, he’s still aggressive but that– that was on an entirely different level.” She sighed, sinking into one of the chairs. 

“It is most alright, you couldn’t have known.” Zane added, hoping to provide some sort of comfort. 

She only sighed again. “Thank you. Until we know more about his situation, here is a copy of his behavior and his medical tests. Of course I will have Dr. Borg inform you if there’s any updates, but until then I hope this should suffice.” 

Dr. Peters pushed the thick envelope towards the two ninja and Zane picked it up. “Thank you, once again, this will be most beneficial.” 

“Yes, but there may be someone else you can communicate with, someone who is familiar with the supernatural.” 

That caught Zane off guard, of course it wouldn’t be something supernatural. Those didn’t exist and as much as he read Ninjago folklore, that was all it was; folklore. But much to the Ice Ninja’s rescue, Kai broke the silence surrounding them. 

“Thank you! We’ll look into it.” Kai said, almost pulling Zane out the door. “We’ll see you sometime soon!” He called back. 

Once safely inside the elevator, Zane gave his friend a weird look. “I do not understand, why would we look into supernatural beings if he is not supernatural?” 

Kai sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the glass. “I don’t know, Ice, but there’s something about this guy that makes me think the same thing and I’m sure Sensei Wu would understand where I’m coming from especially after seeing that.” He gestureed to the envelope in Zane’s hand. 

“Well if it something that you believe, I shall help determine if that is the case.” He smiled. 

“Thanks bud.” Kai returned his smile. 

The two ninja left Borg Tower together in a comfortable silence, as the two pondered what exactly happened to this poor man.

Chapter Text

Harumi tossed and turned, her mind continuing to race no matter how comfortable she was. The young princess couldn’t help but think back to that night two weeks ago. How did they find them? Did they know where they were? Should she have let G tell the other ninja what exactly had happened? Why did her heart ache so much seeing him like that? Why did it race every time they were together? Why was she born a princess? Just why?

“Ugh.” She groaned, placing one of her pillows across her face. Begrudgingly, she removed the pillow to her chest, as she held onto it tightly. 

This was all too much and she didn’t know how to process any of it. Albeit that night she thought she understood everything, but it seemed the more time passed, the more questions she had. A part of her felt like she couldn’t ask G about it, he was dealing with his own stuff; he seemed more distant, almost detached and Harumi could hardly blame him, after all she too felt all those same feelings. It definitely didn’t help that she was sort of avoiding him for the past few weeks. There was just too many unknown feelings that only overwhelmed her. 

It wasn’t like she could confide in her friends about it, they’d look at her like she was crazy, not to mention she’d be blowing her cover. 

So, instead Harumi decided that lying in bed or having extra sweets was a sufficient way in self care after well– that night. And that’s what the young princess decided on, she’d treat herself to something, anything to get her mind off of all the questions crowding her head. 

She carefully rolled out of bed, slipping her feet into her soft slippers. Her gaze drifted to the alarm clock on her bedside table. 1:37, the time read, causing a deep sigh to escape her lips. It didn’t matter that she had class tomorrow or that she had to finish her reading for her literature class.

Her feet tiptoed across her room, out the door, and into the small hallway where she was met with G sitting in lotus position on the couch. His eyes were closed, so maybe he could be asleep? She hoped he was for her chest’s sake. 

Though her breath seemed to catch as a creak echoed throughout the barely lit apartment, causing his eyes to dart open, which seemed to search the entire premise as their gaze finally met. 

“Sorry.” She whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

“You didn’t. Is everything okay?” He replied softly, standing up. 

That was a complicated question. Was she stressed out of her mind that something like that was going to happen again? Yes. Did G’s vision scare the hell out of her? Also, yes. Did being near him make her chest pound faster and faster? Also, yes. Did she have so many feelings, both good and bad about this, about everything? Absolutely. But she couldn’t just unload all of that. He was the one who was hurt, not her. She was fine . Everything was fine. After all, the only thing that should be stressing her out is the fact she’s way behind on the reading. 

Harumi didn’t know what to say. How could she lie to him? To herself? Ugh, all these feelings were so hard. 

“Rumi?” G asked. By the sound of his voice he was much closer to her than he was earlier and she was right. Her head slowly looked up to find him messy blonde hair and all staring back at her. The only real thing separating them was the black mask that sat on the lower half of his face. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? It’s okay if you’re not.” He reasoned, most definitely in an attempt to comfort her. She appreciate the sentiment, but– but– 

“Not really.” She muttered. Her voice was suddenly soft, almost reminding her of her younger self. She hated that feeling, she hated feeling vulnerable, but lately that’s all she felt like. 

G only nodded, taking her hand into his calloused one. Though it was rough from training she relished in the feeling of their hands together, their closeness, everything about this, well– except for the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

He carefully led her into the kitchen, sitting her down at the circular table. She watched as he fiddled with a pot and a thing of milk on the stove. He carefully stirred it back and forth for a few minutes, Harumi relishing in the comfortable silence between the two of them and the soft bubbles from the pot of milk on the stove. He grabbed a mug and a packet of some kind and mixed the two together, before placing it in front of her.

She placed her hands around the mug, allowing the warmth to comfort her. Her eyes drifted to the cup; hot chocolate. Harumi barely even noticed the soft smile that formed between her lips. 

“Careful, it’s pretty hot.” G smiled. 

“Thank you.” Harumi returned his smile, carefully taking a sip of her hot chocolate. 

The silence loomed over the two of them. On any other occasion, Rumi would be bothered by it, but there was  something about right now; something about how she was feeling, something about her, something about him, about the two of them in silence that comforted her. 

She absent mindedly gripped the mug tighter. It was a simple light green mug with two little bunnies lying on a picnic blanket, surrounded by soft pink flowers. She was almost jealous, jealous of these bunnies, their carefree attitude. Here she was in the middle of the night, drinking hot chocolate because she can't help but forget everything that happened. The air that sent shivers up her spine, the way the woman’s snarled at the two of them, her voice, the way her heart practically beat out of her chest, the way he was– 

Rumi shook her head slightly, hopefully not enough to arouse suspicion from her green dressed friend. She couldn’t think about that, she’d have to keep her sanity to some degree, to keep that memory in the back of her head as far away from view as she could. 

Her gaze slowly drifted back to her mug, the bunnies looked so happy, peacefully asleep, so relaxed, and here she was the complete opposite of everything. How ironic. 

“Do you want to talk about anything?” G asked, his voice soft and comforting. Had she been so bad at hiding how awful she’s been feeling? But she knew the answer, she had been and of course the ninja tasked with her safety could see right through her. 

Rumi didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know how to react. Part of her wanted to explode with all the words and feelings that had been cooped up in her head, while another part of her wanted to forget everything that happened, and while the last part of her wanted– wanted– she didn’t know. 

She cleared her throat slightly before speaking. “Are you okay?” 

Her head was still turned down, she didn’t want to see his face, for him to acknowledge how much she failed him. But to her surprise he only exhaled a small chuckle. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He answered. Rumi slowly lifted her head to face him. By the turn of his eyes, she knew he was smiling. 

“It was nothing a little ibuprofen couldn’t fix.” He laughed, leaning slightly back in the chair. 

But that only made her feel worse. She saw him, she saw how much he bled, she saw the amount of blooded gauze was in the bathroom trash can, she saw how tired he was emotionally and physically. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but she wished he wouldn’t. She wanted him to tell her just how bad it was, she didn’t want to be shielded from the world and the horrors of it. 

She was more than just a young princess, she was a person, granted she was heavily shielded, but now wasn’t the time for that; now wasn’t the time for her to be protected. She had a duty to Ninjago, to him, to herself. Surely there was something she could do. Something that would prevent anything like that ever again. 

Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Maybe she should have stayed at the palace. Maybe she should have forgotten all about it. She didn’t know what to do.

“But are you okay, Rumi? What you experienced, that’s– that’s something no one should ever have. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. I’m always here for you.” He broke the heavy silence, placing a comforting hand on her’s. 

She appreciated the sentiment and the kind words, but it didn’t ease the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

Rumi exhaled a heavy sigh, unsure of the words that were about to escape her. 

“I think so. I mean I– It was hard. Sometimes I can still picture it, like I’m still there, like she’ll be here waiting for me, for us, but– but I want to be able to do something about it.” She answered, her voice detached and wavering. 

“I’m sorry, Rumi. I shouldn’t have let what happened happen. But I promise we’ll take better caution and care in the future.” He answered, most likely purposefully ignoring her last few words or he didn’t understand the exact manner she meant. 

She desperately wanted to have a chance next time, for her to be stronger, but she couldn’t ask G not after everything. Maybe it was pointless or maybe he didn’t care, or maybe he was like everyone else in the palace. 

So, instead she just nodded. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” She smiled. 

“Yeah, if I need to do more, let me know. Do you want to watch a movie or we could–” G spoke, probably to get her mind off everything that was clouding it. 

Harumi appreciated the gesture, but the idea didn’t seem to stick. It just felt like it seemed like too much. 

“I’m kinda tired to be honest.” She interrupted. “Maybe some other time?” She asked, adding a small smile to the end of her question. 

“Oh, yeah; of course. I’ll keep watch, so just focus on getting a good night’s rest.” He returned her smile. 

She just nodded, before getting up to go back to tossing and turning in her bed. Here’s to hoping tomorrow is better.

Rumi didn’t sleep, she couldn’t even get comfortable. She just stared at the ceiling, her eyes focusing on the turning of the fan overhead. There was something about the repetitive motions of the way the fab continued to turn and turn and turn. She couldn’t bear to turn it off, but the chill that formed in her room was enough to force her out of bed. Harumi liked the creativity of the fan, but she despised that cold chill that only served as a terrifying reminder. 

She slid out of bed, not before checking her phone. ‘7:54’ was just a few minutes until she had to get up. She turned off the fan, but not before she turned off her alarm. 

She decided on wearing a simple pair of light blue jeans and an olive green sweater. Even if her hair and her outfit were simple, her past was just as slowed as it had been. 

Her music theory class went by like a blur especially since she had spent the majority of it trying to not nod off, much to her and Cole’s dismay, but it’s not like she could have told him what she experienced, or that she was actually the princess who was being protected by none other than the Green Ninja. No one in their right mind would ever believe her, she hardly even believed herself. 

Out of all her classes, her least favorite was definitely her contemporary literature class. It wasn’t like she hated reading, she just hated the daily discussions, the weekly quizzes on the reading, listening to her classmates talk about a book they had no clue about. In fact, the only good part about this class were her friends, Nya and Jay. They made class a little more bearable if there ever was such a thing. 

She begrudgingly entered the lecture hall, her mind focused on everything else except the last book they read or were supposed to have read. 

But to her surprise only Nya sat in her spot, Jay was missing. 

“Hi.” Nya smiled. “Jay isn’t feeling very well, so he won’t be in class today.” 

“Oh, okay.” Rumi answered, sinking deeper into her chair. A suffocating question pushing itself from her lips. 

“Have you– Nya?” She asked, anxiety flooding her person. 

“Yeah?” Her raven haired friend smiled, giving her full attention to her. 

“Have you– Do you know where I can learn martial arts?” She asked. 

Nya looked somewhat shocked, like she hadn’t really expected a question like that to leave her, but her expression soon softened. Was she expecting her to ask a question like this?

“I may know someone who’d be willing to teach you.” She alluded, a smirk growing across her face. 

“Wait– really? You mean it?” Rumi exclaimed, excitement flooding her voice for the first time in this past week.  

“Of course. I can teach you class everyday after this class if you want?” Nya chuckled. 

“Yes. Oh, First Master, yes that sounds perfect!” She smiled, not one that was forced; it had been so long since she smiled like that. 

“Perfect!” Nya smiled, turning back to the front of the classroom where their Professor had just started the lesson. 

It had been two weeks. Two long weeks of training and classes. 

A part of her enjoyed the feeling of her feet practically flying in between kicks, the power her legs and arms held. But that was pretty much all she enjoyed. She hated the way her muscles ached for hours after her training session with Nya, she hated how exhausted she was, or how during most of their sessions she could barely even stay on her two feet when up against her. There was one thing she did know and it was that there was no way Nya was human and how she wasn’t a Sensei or Master of some kind, because First Master she never made anything easy. 

Rumi was put onto a new diet to help provide her with enough energy, nutrients, and protein. She also had her practice her stretches and drills, whether it was punching or kicking for at least an hour before and after her lessons with Nya. Every Wednesday she had to get up at five am for something Nya called’ Sunrise Exercise’, where she had to do multiple different stretches and meditation. She was so very tired.

But for how tired she was, she was also determined to get stronger, to not be the weakest link anymore. The time of useless princesses was over and she was certain that the next time something like that happened, she’d be ready, and she hoped to the First Master that she would be. 

Once their Friday training session was over, Rumi instantly collapsed against the floor. Her legs and arms were sprawled out against the floor, her white hair practically inches away from falling completely out of her bun. 

“Was it just me or was today’s training session a lot harder than Wednesday’s?” She breathed out. 

Nya chuckled, as she sat down next to Rumi, her hands holding her person up. 

“Well, you have been doing really well so I thought that we might take things up a notch. But you’re not done yet, you still have your forms and stretches to do, so don’t get too excited just yet.” She smirked.

“Ugh.” Rumi complained. “Can’t I just rest one day?” 

“If you want to not take proper care of your muscles and let your technique falter then sure.” She smirked again. 

“Ugh fine.” She gave in, pushing herself back up to her feet. 

Harumi planted her feet carefully, as she moved her arms ready to strike against the padding Nya was holding. 

“Okay, one.” Nya instructed. 

Harumi kicked her right leg up, her foot making contact with the padding, her left leg planted firmly on the floor beneath her. 

“Okay good, keep your back straight. Two” Nya continued to instruct. 

She followed her friend’s guidance, straightening her back, before she continued to kick again. 

“Okay, three.” 

Harumi continued to kick, allowing her body to go through the motions, feeling the impact of her foot and the padding, the way her body and Nya’s seemed to connect. It was like the two of them were working together even if she was just holding the padding for her foot to make contact with. 

It wasn’t before long until the two friends fell into a somewhat calm rhythm. Whether it was through kicks, punches, or stretches. 

Harumi didn’t really understand how they were so calm, so in sync with each other, it was just going through the motions; nothing more. But there was something about it that almost helped her understand, helped her feel more connected, not just to Nya, herself, but to her surroundings. 

She was almost proud? Proud that she came so far, proud that the young girl who desperately desired freedom and strength was finally getting a taste of it and she didn’t want to stop now. She was done being weak, even if a part of her still felt like it, she was on the path to becoming more than she ever thought she could be. 

Chapter Text

It’s been weeks, almost three months since Lloyd was called to the Bounty. He’d spent most of his time with Harumi or looking out for her during her University classes. It’s not like he hated spending time with her, but being away from his– everyone for so long started to eat away at them. He had never not seen or spent time with them in the same amount of time, where they only shared small glances and nods as they watched out for her. 

He was grateful, Hutchins and a few undercover guards would be there with Harumi while he attended the meeting with Sensei Wu and the other Ninja. If he was being honest with himself, he was excited to be out of the apartment, to have a break from his mission. Maybe it was because the two of them spent most of their time together, or maybe it was due to the suffocation he felt whenever they were together. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. 

It was obvious to Lloyd that they would probably need a break from each other and that’s exactly what he was afraid of. It wasn’t like he hated spending time with her or his mission, but he was starting to develop the idea that she didn’t feel the same way about him. It was painfully obvious that Harumi was growing and becoming distant from him, he really liked spending time with her, but recently over the past few weeks she wanted to spend less and less time with him. She would always brush him off, or the time they actually spent together was overwhelmed with silence. 

He knew being Harumi was difficult and he wasn’t making it any easier. He had failed one of the main rules of his mission; to not develop an attachment. And that’s exactly what he had done. He knew he should have stopped himself when he started to grow a liking to her, to force a shield in front of his emotions, but the more time they spent together the less and less he could force himself to not care.

But now more than ever, he feared that Harumi had grown tired of him, that she would rather have someone else be her protector; that maybe she hated them. But maybe she or the Royal Family didn’t need him anymore, maybe everything was okay at the Jade Palace, maybe his duties were done and he and Harumi never had to see each other anymore. 

He couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest, as if his heart twisted in on itself. He’d be stuck with his father, he’d be stuck in that mansion, he’d be stuck in his arranged marriage, which was something he knew they both didn’t want. But he knew he couldn’t keep her here, it wouldn’t be right. If his freedom was her imprisonment, then it wouldn’t be right. He’d be just as bad as his father, if not worse. 

So, he continued to leap throughout the city. His mind raced as much as his body did. The wind felt nice against his ears even if the majority was covered with his mask. He needed to stop himself from these feelings, he needed to stop his mind from racing; after all, it was his duty to do so. 

It felt like he had just left their small apartment moments ago when he arrived at Destiny’s Bounty, almost as if he had been here this whole time. 

It felt good, it felt like home. 

Once landing onto the oak wood of the ship's frame, he was met with the familiar smell of incense, Zane’s cooking, and the surprisingly comforting smell of oil. 

He was also met with a hug, but he would describe it as a tackle. 

The young ninja couldn’t help chuckle, as his back lay against the warm wood. “It’s good to see you too.”

“You know, you could always see us after our classes are done. You don’t need to run away after each class, you know.” Nya smiled, lightly punching him in the shoulder. 

“You should have heard Hutchins, he was very adamant about the rules we have to follow.” He raised his arms up in defense after taking his hood off. 

“Still, we haven’t spent time together in so long. We missed you.” She returned his smile. 

“I missed you guys too.” 

“All of us?” A familiar voice asked. 

Lloyd was going to answer ‘yes, of course’, but then he was suddenly pulled downwards as Kai began to ruffle his very messy hair. 

“Ughhh.” He could only grumble, pushing the fire ninja away. “It’s not my fault that I’ve got a major case of mask head.” 

“Sure, buddy, sure.” Kai winked. 

He could only roll his eyes in response. 

The three ninja stared at each other for a moment, basking in their reunion, as if this moment was the only break they’ve gotten in a while and the only one they would get for a while and he was proven right. 

“Oh good! You’re here.” Zane called out to them from the doorway. “Master Wu’s been expecting you. He needs to go over something with us.” 

“Welp, duty calls.” Kai shrugged, as he followed Zane into the rest of the Bounty.

Nya and Lloyd followed him, but there was still something eating away at him. Something didn’t feel right, almost as if something or someone was lurking in the shadows of Ninjago. He couldn’t help when a shiver went up his spine, it seemed everyone else was on edge too by the looks of it. 

In the meeting room, Master Wu sat at the head of the rectangular tea table, Zane and Pixal sat on the left side, while Jay, Nya, and Cole sat on the right. Kai slipped into the seat opposite of Cole, leaving the seat directly opposite of Sensei Wu open. 

He sighed deeply, before sitting down. 

“Good, now that we’re all here, I have some important business to go over with everyone. Mr. Hutchins of the Jade Palace has just sent word of our required presence at the Palace for the Festival of the Winter Sun.” Master Wu stated, placing a letter onto the tea table.” 

“Like to be rewarded, honored?” Jay inquired, partly as a joke by the way he laughed afterwards, which earned him an elbow to the side from both Nya and Cole. 

Master Wu just smiled softly. “Unfortunately, no. For your duties will be centered around taking care of and watching over the Palace, ensuring the safety of the Royal Family, other dignitaries, and the–” His throat bobbed, as if he was uncertain of what to say next, but it seemed to have quickly passed, but his next words only stunned Lloyd and his fellow ninja. “The Garmadon Family.”

Kai practically spit water out of his mouth, Nya and Jay’s mouths were gaped, and Cole just stared down the table to Lloyd. 

“What do you mean to protect the Garmadon family? Lloyd will be there with us. He won’t be a part of the festivities, right?” Cole asked. 

“Do you want to tell them, nephew? Or should I?” Wu asked, but by the look in his eyes Lloyd knew he wanted himself to tell the others. 

He sighed, a deep, heavy, exhausted sigh. 

“I– uh, well– I’m betrothed to the Princess.” He muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“You’re what?!”

“Since when?” 

“No wonder you two spend so much time together.” 

“How?”

Were some of the only exclamations he was able to decipher. 

“Uhh, a couple months. Zane and I went with my father to the Palace.” He clarified. “It’s not like she knows me either.” 

“What do you mean, she doesn’t know you? You’ve spent how many months together?” Jay asked. 

“No.” Lloyd attempted to clarify. “She doesn’t.” His answer sounded a lot more defensive than he intended, but it seemed to get the others off his back which was nice. And it wasn’t like he was lying, he was telling the truth. Harumi didn’t really know him, just like how he didn’t really know her. They were just two individuals assigned to the same mission, that was all. Nothing more. Sure they might have been friends in another life, but in this one the two of them were just strangers. They were just two completely different people whose paths just happened to cross. 

Master Wu cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to them. 

“The celebration will serve as an announcement of not only your betrothal, but to Oni as well. Master Hutchins and the other generals of the Royal Guard have speculated that he will attempt to make an appearance or some kind of statement. It is our job to prevent anything from happening. Lloyd, you will be focused on directly protecting and supporting Princess Harumi since I suspect the two of you will spend most of your time together with the Emperor, Empress, and your father.” He explained, just before taking a long sip of his tea. 

“The Celebration will take place at the end of the week on Saturday. You’ll be wearing your traditional kimonos along with your masks. Pixal will be there as well with Dr. Borg. There she will provide support and if needed will directly help protect the Empress and Emperor of Ninjago with Zane.” 

She nodded. 

“Kai and Nya will be stationed at the main entrance to the Palace. There you will survey the guests entering the Palace.” 

The two siblings nodded, glancing at each other for a moment.

“Jay and Cole will walk and survey the perimeter of the Palace, looking out for any dangerous activity. While Zane will be centered within the upper balcony within the ballroom. In case anything happens Lloyd will be in charge of the Princess, Zane and Pixal will look after the Emperor and Empress, while I want Cole to help protect the people and help them escape. Kai, Nya, and Jay will work on taking on and defeating Oni and his men if possible.” 

Everyone around the table nodded, mentally writing down their placements. 

“I will be stationed on the headset within the Bounty at our rendezvous location number five, just west of the Palace in case anything goes wrong, we will all do our best to meet there. And please communicate whether or not you need back up please communicate into your headset. We’ll be on an open call, so we should hear everything.” He paused for a moment. “Any questions?”

Each of the ninja turned to look at each other, but their eyes fell to Lloyd who was just sitting and staring directly at Master Wu, he knew he looked at a loss for words and he was. He was shocked that this was happening, that he was a part of it as himself, that this would serve as a moment the whole world would know that he was engaged to a princess and heir of Ninjago. 

The other ninja seemed to sense the tension in the room and carefully filed out of the room, Cole pausing for a moment to squeeze Lloyd’s shoulder, before he too left the meeting space. 

“Nephew, I assume there’s a lot on your mind–” His uncle started to speak, but it was no use, as the words would just start pouring from the young ninja’s mouth. 

“Yeah, there’s a lot on my mind! I mean, does she know about this? What about my identity? What does this mean for me and my father? What does this mean for the ninja? And my being a ninja? I just– I just don’t understand. Why were we just told of this now and not?” He rambled, but quickly forced himself to pause, allowing himself to take a deep breath. 

“I understand nephew, but with the anxiety coming from the Palace, they only just shared this information and to be honest I do not understand why we are going through with this celebration but the Emperor and Empress think the importance of showing a unified peoples including you ninja will serve against Oni and his men. As for the princess, I imagine Hutchins is communicating with her about it right now.” He paused, looking down at his tea. “It has been good to see you Nephew. Your father has been looking for and awaiting your return. I understand it must be difficult after everything, but your father– he– he isn’t perfect, but I believe he’s trying.” 

Lloyd didn’t know what to say, he didn’t even know what he felt. The only thing he did know was that he needed to get out of this room and he needed to get out here. 

“Okay, I’ll do this, but I can’t promise I’ll go back to living with him.” He argued, looking away from his uncle. 

But to his surprise, his uncle just smiled. “No one is asking you, Lloyd. I imagine the princess is almost done by now.” 

He knew what his Uncle Wu meant or at least implied. He was implying Lloyd should be on his way back, after all, he was currently on a mission. 

So he nodded, standing up. “It was good to see you too, uncle.” 

He made his way out of the room and on his way to the deck where Nya was waiting for him. Her arms were crossed and she had a certain look in her eyes, like she had something she needed to get off her chest. 

“Oh, Lloyd!” She exclaimed as her eyes caught him. “I need to talk to you.” 

“I– I have to get back Nya, duty calls.” He attempted a smile, but he knew it was pointless to lie to her. He could barely keep track of everything. 

“Don’t let your secret identity get in the way of your happiness, Lloyd.” She smiled. “You’re more than the Green Ninja.” 

He didn’t deserve her. She was like the sister he never had and she was like the younger brother she never had, but he didn’t want to put that on her; he couldn’t. After all, that was hardly fair and he'd be forever terrified that she'd leave him or grow to hate him like- he stopped himself from finishing that sentence. He couldn't think about that right now, even if he felt sick to his stomach.

“Tell that to Ninjago.” His lips pressed into a thin line before he pulled his mask over top of his head and began jumping throughout the city back to their apartment. 

Once home he immediately noticed the car parked in front of their apartment complex, they were still here. But he was unable to tell whether or not someone was in the car, due to the clouded, dark windows. 

He decided to go in through the window of the living room. Carefully, he slid into the room to find Harumi sitting on the couch, her arms crossed. It looked like she was about to cry. 

“Are you okay?” He asked 

She sighed, sinking deeper into the couch, pulling a pillow into her arms. 

He sat down on the chair adjacent to her spot on the couch. “I just heard myself, are you doing okay with the news?” 

“I– I don’t know to be honest.” She paused, pulling the pillow closer to her chest. “I thought I had more time, more time away, more time to try and convince my parents I didn’t want to be engaged to some snobby heir.” 

He did his best to not wince at that statement. 

“I mean I don’t even know him and what little time I spent with him proved that I didn’t want to get to know him anymore, let alone marry him. I’m not a prize to be won, I’m not a tool for my parents, and I refuse to be one.” She continued. 

“Rumi– I–” He reached out and placed a hand on her knee in an attempt to comfort her. 

“I mean I don’t even see myself falling for him, I, I– there’s someone–” She forcibly made herself stop talking. 

“I mean I–” She stuttered. Then all of a sudden her eyes widened. “Maybe you could go away with me and spend some time together, you know, run away from it all.” She was almost shouting at this point.

Lloyd couldn’t help the way he was taken aback, that he was stunned she’d even suggest that. He couldn’t help the way he removed his hand from her knee, sitting further back in the chair. 

“Rumi– I can’t do that, you know I can’t” His voice was quiet, almost like he was afraid of what else might come out of his mouth. 

“But why? It’s always been you and me, G.” She pleaded, leaning closer to him. 

“You know why. Oni, the other ninja, my family.” He paused, he could have continued, but he thought she got the point. 

She slumped back into the couch, messing with her fingernails. But just as quickly as she came up with her previous idea, she came up with another. 

“What if we figured out a way for us to be–” Her voice was shaking and it looked like she was going to cry, but he couldn’t let her finish that sentence.

“Don’t even finish that, Harumi. You know we can’t” He couldn’t tell her who he was, she would hate him, he hates himself. He didn’t know what to do. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, he couldn’t. Lloyd couldn’t, maybe the green ninja could, but that’s who he was when he wasn’t bombarded with his familial responsibilities. 

“But there must be something we could–” She continued, sounding desperate. 

“No, we can’t.” He scolded, looking away from her. “You have your responsibilities and I have mine, we’re not our own people. I don’t want you to feel like this, but I can’t stop it, you can’t, there’s no one who can stop it. Maybe it’ll be different, but it won’t be now.” It wasn’t the green ninja who was spilling his guts, but Lloyd. These were his thoughts, his feelings, his Pandora's box that was just opened. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

She just stared at him, wide eyed in shock. Never had he thought he’d ever yell at her, or that she would ever stare at him like that, but there was no going back now and it’s not like he said anything he didn’t agree with. 

“I don’t believe you. You’re supposed to help people, be a beacon of peace and look at you. I don’t even know why I ever enjoyed your company.” She spat, her face instantly looked taken aback at the sudden venom in her voice, but she didn’t care; Lloyd didn’t either. 

“What about you?” He argued. “I never know where I stand with you. One minute you love spending time together, the next you want nothing to do with me, the next you want to run away with me, and–”

“I couldn’t bear to look at you or be in the same room with you because it was my fault you got injured, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t stop it. So, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings so bad, but I don’t care anymore. And it looks like I was wrong. I was wrong to feel that way about you.” She was definitely crying now, that was obvious the way tears practically poured from her eyes.

Lloyd felt his stomach tie itself into knots. He messed up. 

“Rumi, I–” He reached his hand towards her. 

She smacked it away. 

“Don’t you ‘Rumi’ me. You have lost the right to call me anything other than my title. In fact, I want nothing to do with you, nothing. I don’t want to see you ever again, after the celebration on Saturday, I’m moving back into the Palace.” 

He was too stunned to think, to speak. He had been so good before about not letting his relationship with his family get in the way of his relationships, of letting his own thoughts and fears from getting in the way, but it all just proved fruitless. He had destroyed it, ripped a part of theirs and it looked like there was nothing he could do to mend it. 

Before he could comprehend what was happening, she picked herself up and quickly packed a bag. It felt like she was gone forever, he hadn’t even moved, hadn’t even processed what had happened, what he had said, what she had said. 

“Goodbye.” She yelled, before swiftly slamming the door behind her. 

He was left in the apartment, now so much quieter, so much darker, so much lonelier than it had ever been before. 

He had pushed her away, like he pushed everyone away, and now their friendship felt miles away, like there was nothing he could do to prevent it. 

Lloyd had stayed so strong, so angry for their entire fight, but once he heard the start of the car and the absence of it on the side of the road, he could feel himself sink onto the floor. Quickly ripping his mask off, to allow for air to enter his lungs, for him to fight back against the tears that so desperately wanted to escape. But instead he swallowed the lump in his throat, pulled his mask back on, before he headed back to Destiny’s Bounty through the window. 

It seemed he’d be home a lot sooner than he meant.

Chapter Text

Lloyd couldn’t help but cringe at his sweaty palms or the creeping anxiety that couldn’t help but eat away at his person; his soul. 

Not only would he be face to face with his father, but he’d be face to face with Princess Harumi, where he’d have to go about the evening and perhaps the rest of his life pretending he had no idea who she was. He’d have to go about the rest of time believing he had no idea what her favorite colors were, her favorite books, foods, her hopes, dreams, desires. He’d have to pretend that every story she would share with him was a story he’s never heard before. But then, of course, he had no idea if they even had a future together. Sure their parents determined they were meant to be together for the rest of their lives, but that’s not what mattered. What mattered was how she felt, how he felt.

His eyes drifted to his reflection in the mirror. Defining lines and color underneath his eyes practically screamed out of him. He had never realized just how worn he’d looked before and maybe it was because his mask practically never left his head in these past few months, or the fact he was back in his bedroom within his father’s mansion; that he was only a short walk away, that his presence seemed to haunt him at every waking moment. 

It wasn’t just his presence that served as a reminder of the distant man he was expected to call a father, but it was the newfound way his father carried himself. The aura that surrounded him was one the young ninja had never felt from his father. It was one that did more than haunt him, but terrify him. 

Though Lloyd couldn’t afford himself to contemplate these feelings, he couldn’t afford to be distracted even if the air that surrounded his person ate away as his person, at his being. 

So, he opted to take a long lasting look of himself in the mirror. His wavy light blonde curls sat neatly atop his forehead. He should gel his hair back, to be the man his father wanted him to be, to be the man he was raised to be. But her presence ruminated in the back of his mind, her voice, her thoughts, and feelings. The way she laughed at how messy his blonde hair was, the way she stared into his green eyes, the way her sheer presence in the room was enough for him to smile. 

There was a twist of a knife in his chest. He really was an asshole to her, wasn’t he? 

Lloyd opted to finish the rest of his skin and hair care, allowing his curls to remain, uncombed, ungelled, true. He didn’t care if his father would scold him for how unkempt his hair was or how the Garmadon Family Legacy would be ridiculed and mocked due to his display, but he didn’t care, couldn’t be bothered. He wasn’t the same person as he was from just a few months ago. 

Even if his display would arouse anger within his father’s chest and fear within his own, it was what he owed to her; what he owed to himself. 

He twisted the door handle of his bathroom, where he was met with a light green kimono, with dark green and gold detailing. It was beautiful, traditional, and perfect. It was everything his father expected him to be, everything his Uncle Wu expected him to be, everything Ninjago expected him to be.

Begrudgingly, he had gotten dressed ensuring each part of his kimono was in the proper place, that would ensure no one would look at him as though he didn’t belong. His gaze caught the mirror in the corner of his bedroom, eyeing each placement of clothing. By the looks of it everything was in the right, but knowing his father something had to be wrong. 

It was then a soft knock echoed throughout the room. 

“Come in.” He called back, perhaps too quietly, by the hesitation on the opposite side of the door. 

To his surprise his father’s assistant, Kozu Stone, opened the door to his room, bowing slightly. 

“The Master is awaiting your presence in the car, Sir.” 

Lloyd couldn’t help but cringe at being called ‘Sir’, after all, he was barely in his early twenties. He most definitely wasn’t a ‘Sir’, but it was just one of those moments where Lloyd knew he had to hold his tongue. He might not have considered himself a ‘Sir’, but his father was an entirely different story and he knew not to go against his father’s word. 

“I’ll be down in a moment.” He replied, briefly turning towards the door. 

Mr. Stone just nodded, closing the door before he left to no doubt return to his father’s side in the car. 

It was moments like these where Lloyd longed to not be alone within his father, where he wished Zane could have accompanied him as his assistant, just as Mr. Stone did with his father. However, he knew the most important part of tonight’s festivities was the Royal Family’s protection. If he could go up against Oni and his men, Lloyd should have no problem with a fifteen minute car ride and a festival celebration with the girl he knew despised him. 

Yeah, piece of cake. 

Even if his kimono was perfect, even if his hair was the proper way he wanted it, his ensemble still wasn’t complete; in fact, there was one thing missing. Out of his side table next to his bed, he pulled out a small, ornate box. It was an unassuming box, one that was specifically designed to appear as it held a set of cufflinks, but in reality it held his comm link. It served as the connection between himself and the other ninja, the line between life and death, putting it bluntly. 

Once he was sure his comms were linked, he made his way towards his father’s car. It would be the first time the two of them spent time together in such a closed space, he only hoped that he wouldn’t feel more exhausted after the car ride than he did before. 

His father’s chauffeur was standing on the left side of the car, patiently awaiting his arrival. He picked up the pace slightly, before nodding to the young man, and sliding into his seat. 

Immediately, upon entry he could feel his father’s eyes on him. Lloyd wanted to do everything but make eye contact with his father. He wanted to stare at the window, see how many trees he could count before they entered Ninjago city, he wanted to think of all the possible things he should say to Princess Rumi, he wanted to ensure his connection with the other ninja, or think about their traditional kimonos, that no doubt matched their signature colors. 

Logically, Lloyd knew he should look up towards his father. The two of them had to face each other eventually, they had to discuss what had happened between them, they had to address the ever present, growing rift between the two of them, because if they didn’t he feared they’d never be the same father and son they were so many years ago. 

He shifted his eyesight to his father, who was sitting in front of him on the opposite side of the car. His father had his signature frown present across his face, it was one that said he knew he was better than you, even if he was referring to his own son. He was wearing a deep purple and black kimono, one that reeked painfully of status and upper class. First Spinjitzu Master knows his father revelled in the mere idea he was better than the rest of Ninjago.

“Your hair isn’t gelled.” He overwhelmed the silence of the car, his voice filled with his signature malice and disappointment Lloyd had always known. 

“I didn’t want to gel it.” He answered blatantly, his father didn’t need to know the main reason was because he had actually been lying to him for the past three months. 

“I should have hired someone to take care of it.” His father shook his head. “I knew it was a bad idea when you said Mr. Julien would be unable to attend tonight.” 

That angered Lloyd more than it probably should have. He wasn’t like his father, he was competent enough to be able to do his own hair. He didn’t need a thousand assistants or even one to do his own hair, or anything for that matter. Who would even give him a double take over his soft curls, it wasn’t like he had just rolled out of bed or anything remotely related. 

“I didn’t need him or anyone to do it, I like it curled, and it felt more me than having it gelled back.” He replied, trying his best to not sound annoyed. 

“It looks unkempt.” 

He was annoyed and he didn’t bother trying to hide it anymore. 

“I know how to style my own hair, father. I like my curls, mom did too.” The words poured out of him faster than he could think. He knew he shouldn't have brought up his mother, that was a low blow. He knew it was a weak point between both him and his father; one of the few things the two of them shared. 

It did the exact opposite he wanted it too, his father only seemed to grow more and more enraged. 

“Don’t you dare bring her up.” He said, curtly. 

“She’s my mother. I should be able to bring her up.” 

“Not as a weapon to use against me, you will tarnish her memory.” He scolded. “You are not to live in my house if you are to speak against me like that.” 

“I like living with Uncle Wu.” Lloyd didn’t really care if he had hurt his father’s feelings. A part of him was done trying so hard to appease him, while the other part only craved it. It wasn’t like he enjoyed his newfound relationship with his father either. He longed for the days when the two of them would spend the evening laughing over a silly movie, or would go to the park together, or not fight with each other. It seemed those days were long gone. 

His father hummed, turning away from his son, pulling away from the conversation. 

Lloyd wanted him to at least fight for him, for him to plead for him to stay, for his father to apologize for being too hard on him, or hitting him that night, or yelling at him when he wasn’t the exact person his father wanted. Maybe the father he had grown up with was gone, maybe he too died when his mother disappeared, maybe all his desires for them to be a family were pointless, maybe everything regarding his family was.

“I expect you to leave no later than ten.” His father, once again broke the silence. 

Now this caught Lloyd off guard. He and his father were expected to stay for the fireworks and last bits of celebration and dance at eleven. His father was all about appearances and presenting the best front he could to ensure the public and shareholders were pleased. So, the last thing he ever expected to come out of his father’s mouth especially when it was connected to the Royal Family. 

“But father, we–” 

“My word is final. I do not care if you go to live with my brother, but you will ensure that you are not there for the last two hours of the festival; understood?” 

“Yes, father.” 

He knew he wouldn’t get any kind of answer from his father, but that didn’t ease his worries in regards to just how confused he was. His father loved being in control, he loved how power made him feel, he loved how much his word mattered at the end of the day, and how much his sheer presence mattered. Maybe his father was changing, maybe he was slowly becoming less and less self important, but he couldn’t ponder the thought any longer until they drove past the Palace Gates. They must have decided for them to enter through the back way, smart. 

They drove past a crowd of people, who were either trying to catch a glimpse of the most powerful, elite members of Ninjago society or individuals who were lucky enough to have been invited. 

Ice blue and red lanterns lined the entrance to the Palace and surrounding street. It looked beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. In a normal world, he would have been comforted by the soft glow of the lanterns, but the idea of being close to her again only seemed to terrify him. 

His anxieties only seemed to grow once in the palace, which was pleasantly decorated in the same icy blue and red colors. At least some things remained the same, thank the First Master for tradition. 

And then that’s where he saw her and she still remained to take his breath away. 

Princess Harumi was dressed in a jade green kimono, which was decorated with pink and cream colored cherry blossoms and the occasional white and red crane. Her soft white hair was pulled into a traditional hair bun with a deep green and light pink hair pin. She was truly gorgeous. In another life he might have felt lucky to be betrothed to her, in another life she might have felt lucky to be betrothed to him, but unfortunately in this one their betrothal only suffocated her. 

He took a deep breath. He had to get through this night, not only for his sake, but hers too. 

If someone were to use the word annoyed or bothered to describe herself right now, she would have laughed in their face; they didn’t even come close. She didn’t want to be here, she didn’t want to celebrate, much less with the boy she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with, the boy she had only spent one evening with. 

Her parents had been betrothed to each other, but they had spent their entire childhoods together. Which was way different than just meeting him and then immediately having her entire world exploded. But then again, she could have been engaged to someone years and years older than she was, so maybe he wasn’t so bad, even if she’d never admit that out loud. 

A part of her was happy to be home, a large part. She had taken for granted the kind and reassuring aura her parents provided her. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they were some of her favorite people in the entire world, even if they defined her by her royalty and every responsibility that weighed upon her shoulders. They were home, she was home. Being away from them for so long helped her realize that, they helped her see that even if things weren’t perfect, even if life wasn’t the way she wanted it to be, she had her family, her few friends from University and that was enough. 

The young princess could feel her stomach twist, things were almost perfect. And maybe that was the life of a princess. Maybe she was destined to have life never be perfect, maybe she and G could never reconnect, maybe she had burnt that bridge, but maybe he was right. He was right to insinuate she was naive, he was right to be just as angry with her as she was with him. But then when she thought about how stuck they were and how okay with it he was, she couldn’t help but allow her anger to linger. 

Was she so wrong to allow herself to be so angry? He was around her age with an abnormal sense of responsibility, a huge weight on his shoulders just as she did, but how could he be so okay with a predetermined life, for her life to be decided by others, for his own? 

She felt cruel she was not only overly judgemental by his actions, but also because she was about to spend the evening with her betrothed thinking about someone else, the person she– she didn’t know how to describe them, or her feelings for him, but maybe she could try to be at least friendly with him. After all, her mother had never steered her wrong. She would try, for her mom; she owed her that much. 

Princess Harumi was standing on the right side of her father, while her mother stood on the right. It always felt wrong to sit up here while everyone else had a good time, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze on her, but now she longed to have that be the most of her worries. She didn’t want to dance with him in front of everyone in her almost movementless dress. How her ancestors, how her mother danced like this, she’ll never know. 

Her gaze briefly caught him. He was standing across from her at the end of the ballroom. He was dressed in a green kimono, while his father looked practically unrelated to him. The two could not be so different. His father’s dark, gelled hair and his light blonde, wavy curls. Something about which seemed to make her heart twist. There was something about him, something about the green he wore, something about his hair, that almost reminded her of him, but that wasn’t possible; it couldn’t be and it was more obvious when their eyes were only a few feet apart. G had emerald green eyes, while Lloyd’s was an empty gray, like all the life had been removed from them. 

Once he, his father, and his father’s assistant were in front of them, they deeply bowed. She nodded back, as her parents did too. 

“We are glad to welcome you both to the Palace.” Her father spoke, a deep smile prevalent across his face. 

“Thank you for welcoming us into your home.” Lord Garmadon replied. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate our children tonight, just as the entirety of Ninjago will share.” Her mother shared her father’s smile, maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad. 

Harumi, dear, would you and young Garmadon like to spend some time together before the start of the festivities?” Her father asked, but she knew he wasn’t asking. She wanted to roll her eyes, to not hide her annoyance at her father’s obvious attempt to get the two of them together, but she couldn’t, not in front of company at least. 

“Yes, I would love to. Lloyd, will you please follow me.” She smiled, hoping she masked her hesitation. 

He just nodded. This was going to be a long night. 

He followed her throughout the ballroom, the two of them ignoring the various different hor d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne, or politely bowing to various different guests. She serpentined her way throughout, sticking as close to the walls as she could muster, before she exited the Palace onto a balcony overlooking the garden. 

She hoped she lost him, that he was somewhere lost in the crowd of people, but much to her disappointment, there he was, right behind her. 

She just stared at him, partly because he was still behind her, but also that here in this dim light, she almost didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t the same boy from a few months ago. He wasn’t by any means a different person, the sad look in his eyes was still the same or the way he carried himself like he was in front of her parents. But he also looked more like himself and less like his father, the way his neat curls sat, the green kimono that almost contrasted his gray eyes. 

He almost looked like someone she could be friends with. 

The sudden realization of silence was almost startling, but maybe silence was all she was comfortable with right now, after all the two of them hardly knew each other, but maybe they should talk to each other. 

Thankfully he made the decision for the two of them. 

“You sure know how to sneak through a crowd.” He smiled, resting his elbows on the balcony railing. 

She giggled, though she hoped he didn’t hear that. The young princess decided to join him against the railing, as she too looked out onto the gardens. 

“I mean when you spend your whole life at events like this you get good at avoiding everyone.” 

“Yeah.” He exhaled. “Events like these never get easier, do they?”

“No, they really don’t and most of them are either here to get drunk or something from my parents.” She laughed, but he didn’t. Instead of sharing in the sheer ridiculousness of Royal parties and get-togethers, he only looked out to the lanterns in the garden. 

Silence fell over the two of them again, Harumi searching her mind for something she should say, something to provide any kind of comfort between the two of them, something to ease the new fallen tension between the two of them, but the more she thought of what to say she found nothing. How was she supposed to provide any kind of comfort to a person she barely even knew? It didn’t make sense, right? The two of them weren’t friends. In fact, they were the furthest thing from it, but a large part of her wanted– she didn’t know, she wanted to get to know him, but she also didn’t. 

It was complicated, everything felt complicated. 

But now wasn’t the time for her to go through any kind of crisis especially when it came to her relationship with her fiance. 

“My mom would take me to her Explorer’s club meetings or she and my dad would take us to various different galas. It was nice for a while, but then when she–” He paused, by the light in his eyes it looked like he was fighting back tears. “My dad and I stopped going, this is actually the first party we’ve been to in years.”

Harumi didn’t know what possessed her or why she even did it, but she couldn’t help but place her hand on top of his. He looked as if he was going to cry. 

His shoulders shifted slightly, but he didn’t provide any physical indication that he was uncomfortable with her hand on his, so she didn’t move it. 

“So, this means a lot.” He smiled, turning towards her. His eyes were glossed over and there was a small smile present across his face. 

“Spending time outside away from the party?” She asked, unable to stop herself from giving him an odd look. 

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it’s kind of confusing, but being away from all those eyes, all the responsibility, looking out over the garden; it’s nice.”

“Yeah, especially if we don’t have to dance, I’m all for it.” She smiled. 

“Yeah.” He chuckled again. “I have no idea how you’re going to dance like that.” 

“Omg you and me both.” She laughed. 

It wasn’t long before the two of them fell into a comfortable presence with each other. Harumi would never have admitted how much she enjoyed their presence together, but it was something that was definitely growing on her. She was somewhat surprised at how much they were able to connect with each other, how they shared a lot of the same experiences when it came to the sheer amount of pressure put onto them by their parents. It was comforting to find someone who she shared so much with, she never thought she would, but here he was; a friend. 

A friend who she never thought she’d be friends with, let alone friendly with. But even as the two of them laughed together, she couldn’t help but long for her late nights with G, or when the two of them would laugh over dumb movies, or how he somehow ended up bruning pasta. Making a new friend was comforting, but missing them? Harumi hated this feeling more than she thought she could ever hate anything. 

She didn’t know what time it was or what event the two of them ended up missing or how much her parents were going to scold her, but she didn’t mind. The sudden hitch in his breath pulled her from whatever story she was in the middle of. 

“You okay?” She asked, stepping slightly towards him. 

He didn’t answer, only stared into the never ending abyss that was the garden in front of them. 

Lloyd suddenly took her hand, panic laced within his eyes, his voice, his entire person. 

“We need to get out of here.” He said, pulling her to the opposite end of the balcony. She had to pick up her pace, her shoes, her dress keeping her from going as fast as the two of them needed to. 

“Lloyd?” She asked, her feet moving faster. “What are you doing?” 

He didn’t answer for a moment, only rushing to the opposite end of the balcony, his eyes darting between the railings, the nearby trees, everything. 

“Lloyd, answer me, please.” She internally cringed at the sight at how much her voice was shaking. Rumi could hardly keep herself from panicking, from the dread, and the terror that something was wrong and there was nothing she could do. 

He huffed, turning back towards her. 

“Are there stairs on the outside? Anything?” He asked. 

“No, there aren’t any.” She shook her head. “Lloyd?” 

He didn’t answer her, he took her hand and rushed through the first door he could find. She followed him and followed him, his path growing more and more eradicate, almost as if he was preventing someone from following the two of them. 

Once she had been following him for First Master knows how long, she forcibly pulled her hand from his. 

“I’m serious Lloyd, what’s going on?” She huffed, annoyance laced within every part of her voice. 

He sighed, stepping closer to her. “Somethings wrong and I need to get you out of here.” 

Lloyd spoke almost matter of factly to her, almost like there was a secret that she wasn’t keyed in on. 

“But Hutchins told me the ninja are here, they’ll help us, we just need to find them.” She pleaded, the two of them shouldn't have been out here on their own. If something was wrong they needed to find someone who could help them. 

“Look–” He was interrupted by the overwhelming sound of their surroundings shaking violently. It was almost too much for her to bear, something was wrong and they needed to get out of her, they needed to do something about– 

“Rumi, look out!!” Lloyd called out to her, pushing her to the ground. 

The young princess couldn’t comprehend what had happened before everything went black.

Chapter Text

Harumi violently coughed, as her body begged her mind to wake, pleading for her to fight for her survival. But she couldn't possibly force her eyes to open, her head was practically screaming out at her, her body was tired, run down; in fact, she didn’t even know how she was moving right now. 

The sides of her feet hit and smashed against the side of something, or more accurately someone else . She was being carried. By who exactly? She didn’t know, but she had to leave, she had to get out of here, she had to run, she had to find Lloyd, Hutchins, her parents, the ninja, G. Oh, First Master, she wished he didn’t take what she said a week ago to heart. She couldn’t imagine leaving this plane of existence without him. She needed him, they needed each other. 

She woke with a start, her breath heaving. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think, she could barely see. Her eyes blurred as smoke evaporated what little moisture remained in them, her throat desperately desired something to calm the burning sensation, but that was the least of her problems. She had to get away, she had to fight for her survival, for her family, for the chance to see tomorrow. 

Harumi forced her body to stir, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t give up that easily. With whatever remaining strength she had, she was going to get away and she was going to run, she was going to make her way to the rendezvous, she was going to make it out of here; she had too. 

She pushed against the figure holding her, her body moving in as many different directions as she could muster, and her legs kicked every which way. She had to try anything and everything possible to get away. 

It appeared that she caught them off guard as they fell forward allowing her to quickly slip from their gasp. 

Good, she thought. She might have a chance to get away, she just had to get to the nearest hidden passage. She pushed herself off the floor, turning down the hall on the right. She had only a little ways to go and a little ways would get her there. Harumi almost tripped over herself as she pushed her body to run, even if it greatly protested just how much it hurt her. She shook her head, she could tend to herself later. 

All hope in her chest evaporated as she felt a tight grip around her wrist. 

No, no, no, no. This wasn’t happening. She had to get away, she had to pull herself away from this person, she had to do whatever she could to get away, she needed to run, she needed too– 

“Rumi.” A voice broke the heavy silence, preventing her mind from spiraling. 

She stopped trying to get away, her mind unsure of just exactly what was happening. She wanted to turn around to face the person behind her, who called her by that nickname. Harumi knew that voice, but at the same time she had no idea who it was. The voice sounded so different, hoarse, exhausted, a shell of what she knew it was. 

Slowly she turned around to face him. Her heart hoped she’d fall into his arms, that the two of them would apologize for the awful things they said, that they’d make it out of here, that it was just a bad dream, that she would wake up on their couch together and everything would be okay. 

Her stomach dropped. 

It wasn’t G, it was Lloyd. It wasn’t the one person who was supposed to protect her, it was the person she spent the last few months of her life hating. But the moment the more she thought about him, the more she realized she couldn’t hate him. It wasn’t his fault, he wasn’t the cause for it. Honestly, she wouldn’t blame him if he hated her the same way. 

He slowly opened his mouth to say something, but she jumped into his person, her hands wrapped tightly around his neck. She was just thankful that she was with someone she knew. 

“Oh, Lloyd! I’m so sorry. I– I didn’t know what was going on. I was so scared.” She cried, pushing her face deeper and deeper into the crook of his shoulder. The comforting scent of his cologne was gone, he was so unbelievably warm, he was shaking, just like she was. Oh, First Master she should have realized who was carrying her to begin with. 

Much to her surprise, he pulled her closer. His arms tightened around her waist. A part of her wanted to stay like this forever, to hide from everything that was around them, to hide from the fear that everyone she deeply loved was gone, that she would be alone. 

She hadn’t even noticed she had started to cry. 

“Hey, hey.” He whispered, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, gently wiping her tears away. “I know it hurts, I know everything hurts, but we need to get you safe. Okay?”

“I promise.” He brushed a loose section of hair behind her ear. 

Harumi took a deep breath, her lungs pleading for clean air, her throat pleading for some water, anything. 

She didn’t want to talk, it felt like she couldn’t talk without tears pouring from her eyes. So instead she opted with a slow nod. 

“Okay, let’s get you out a back door.” He smiled, one of his hands gently holding hers. 

“No.” She mumbled, immediately catching his attention. “There are secret passages everywhere.” 

She could have sworn she saw him breathe a sigh of relief, like an incredible weight was lifted off his shoulder. Almost as if now they stood a chance at escaping, like they’d really make it out of here. 

“Which way, Rumi?” He asked, his voice remained calm and caring. It was almost unsettling the way he was so calm, the way he was so sure they’d make it out, that everything would be okay. That the shy, awkward, terrified boy from earlier that night and from so many months ago was the same person. They couldn’t be, it didn’t make any sense. 

“We’ll go right here.” She said, pointing down the hall she was going to run down earlier. 

“Okay. Do you want me to carry you or do you think you move on your own?” He asked, his voice still laced with a kindness and understanding she never thought she’d ever experience with anyone else. 

“I can do it.” She said, attempting to convince the two of them. She wasn’t sure, not really. It felt like she was only moments away from everything going dark. She was shaking so violently she was scared it would shake the life out of her. She was terrified of what had happened, of what was going to happen. But she had a job to do, after all she was a princess above all. 

He smiled softly. 

“Okay, let me know if it gets too much though.” 

She nodded, most definitely not hiding just how confused she was at the difference in him. In his voice, in his words, but she couldn’t think about that; not right now, anyway. 

He squeezed her hand tightly and she squeezed it back. The most important thing is that they were together, that everything was okay, that they were going to be okay. At least she hoped to the First Spinjitzu Master it would be.

Lloyd led her down the halls, she would shout left or right to keep them going in the right direction even if the decorated pedestals provided little landmarks. The two of them kept themselves low from the smoke and surrounding fires that at times were a little too close for comfort. Surprisingly, the palace around the two of them was darker than she pictured. She hadn’t been able to see, much less recall any features of him, or the upper bannisters and paintings within the hallway. Much of everything was destroyed, burned. Harumi couldn’t think about that right now though, she shouldn’t think of all the memories that filled these halls. What mattered now was their survival. 

Harumi hadn’t known how long the two of them were traveling, just that Lloyd kept his pace steady, which in turn kept her from lagging behind. She knew they were close, that the two of them were only a couple of feet away from–

A shriek echoed throughout the palace, immediately sending a shiver down the young princess’ spine. She knew that scream, she knew who was here, she knew that there was no point in running, that they were doomed, that this was the end. 

Her breath hitched, catching in her throat. She couldn’t believe anything that was happening, she had hoped that she would never see her again, but it seemed nothing ever followed her hopes. She knew there was no chance the two of them could ever hold their own, that they’d be at her mercy, and it was a blade she never wanted to look down again.

Lloyd squeezed her hand tighter, he knew how much that scream terrified her. Could he hear her breath, or possibly pick up on the increase of her heart rate? Whatever it was, she– 

A hand behind a corner quickly pulled Lloyd and by proxy, Harumi into the shadows where they lay. She was so terrified, this was it, there was no way out now– 

“Oh thank goodness you’re okay, your Highness.” A familiar voice provided an instant comfort to her; Hutchins. Thank goodness, but if he was here and her parents weren’t– She couldn’t finish that sentence.

Instead, she allowed herself to be comforted, if only for a moment. 

“Oh, Master Hutchins! Thank goodness!” She threw herself into his arms, but even though she was thrilled to see him, she couldn’t help but ask him. “My parents, are they?” 

He shook his head. “I was separated from your parents when the explosion happened, I’ve been looking for them. I’m sorry it wasn’t better news, young one.” 

The young princess blinked back her clouded eyes, she couldn’t allow herself to fall apart; not yet, anyway.

“But there’s still hope.” He smiled, it was one of the rare times she had ever seen him smile. Though it did little for providing her any kind of comfort, she knew he only smiled because he thought she needed it. 

“Come on.” he tugged her hand in the direction of the closest, unclosed off emergency escape. “We need to get you and the mask out of here.”

“Do they want it?” She asked. Harumi had recalled seeing the orange Oni mask, it had always been kept away from reach. Never had she thought it held this much importance. 

Hutchins shook his head. “We don’t know, we just know that it cannot fall into anyone’s hands. It needs to be protected. I am entrusting it to you, Harumi. I need to find your parents and you need to escape with the mask.”

He pressed his hands into two specific bricks in one of the palace studies, allowing for a passageway to open up where the stand in logs had been placed. 

“And you, young Garmadon.” Hutchins paused. “I am unsure of where your father is, I have not seen him or Mr. Stone for sometime.” 

“He said he was feeling unwell and left early, thank you for your concern though.” Lloyd bowed. 

Hutchins nodded, before turning back towards Harumi. 

“I do not want to make you afraid, young one, but you hold more power in your hands and heart than you know.” He turned to Lloyd. “And I expect you to take proper care of her.” 

He nodded. 

“Now go.” He assured the two of them. 

Harumi immediately entered the passage, turning around when Lloyd had not followed. 

“Do you know of the ninja?” He asked, panic laced within his voice. 

“I saw the Ice and Lightning Ninja within the palace, they distracted one of the intruders so I could sneak away.” 

“I– thank you.” Lloyd then followed Harumi into the passage. 

“Hutchins?” She called back. 

“Yes, your Highness?” 

“I look forward to seeing you soon.” She smiled. She knew she had to have hope and faith that her loved ones would be okay, that they would all make it out of here, that this would all end up being a memory they could look back on.

“And I, you, your–” He was interrupted as a motorcycle gang forced their way into the study. 

“Run!” He called out to them, now closing the passage. “I’ll keep them off of you!” 

“No! Not without you!” She cried, she couldn’t leave him, they couldn’t. 

“Get her out of here!” Hutchins called back, unsheathing his weapon. 

The passageway closed. There was nothing she could do. She felt like she might start crying any second now. Lloyd wasted no time grabbing her hand and beginning to run down the stone tunnels. She curled her fingers tighter and tighter around the mask, her knuckles now white. She didn’t know a lot about the mask and what it meant, but she knew she had to keep her promise, she had to keep it safe even if it was the last thing they could do. 

Harumi didn’t know just how long they were running or how much distance they had covered, but she could barely navigate these tunnels by herself and Lloyd had never even stepped foot in here before. Maybe them getting lost was the key to their survival? She could only hope. 

The pain in her thighs willed her to stop, her hands fell to her knees, and her breath panted violently.

Lloyd paused his sprinting, as he stopped to squat next to her. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

“I know.” She whispered. “I just need a second.” 

“I know.” 

The young princess sighed deeply, it felt like she was close to falling apart. She wanted to stay here forever, to just avoid all her responsibilities after this horrid night, she wanted to hide from everyone and everything, until she knew they were all safe. 

But it seemed everything about this night didn’t go in her favor, as shuffling and screams echoed down throughout the cold, barren tunnel. 

“We need to go.” He whispered, his eyes narrowing down the two tunnels behind them. 

Harumi nodded, but her legs continued to shake violently. She could barely stand on her own. Lloyd couldn’t carry her, if she was in this amount of pain then he must be too, not to mention it would only slow them down. 

She looked up to him, her eyes giving away just how terrified she really was. 

Without missing a beat, he pushed her behind himself, taking up a fighting stance. She didn’t know if he could hold his own, but she had to believe that something could hold them off. 

As if on cue the motorcyclists continued to make more and more distance on the two of them. Each of them had a weapon in hand, ranging from small firearms, to daggers, and swords. 

She braced herself for their impact, awaiting for the two of them to be captured, or worse, but it never happened. Much to her surprise, when she looked up there he was, somehow holding his own against the thirty attackers. He had picked up a sword off one of them and by the looks of it, it looked like he was moving absolutely perfectly, not one beat, or movement out order. Every moment, she thought they were going to land a blow on him; he somehow deflected it and overpowered the assailant. His movements were so fluid, it almost reminded her of– 

He lurched forward, his body falling to the ground. One of them had gotten a lucky hit of some sorts. The last five to seven attackers turned towards her, their movements, the look in their eyes mirrored a predator hunting its prey.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Sure Nya had taught her how to do specific punches and kicks, none of which actually seemed to have prepared her for fighting someone, especially this many people. 

Harumi took quick steps backward, but her dress was caught underneath her shoes, which unfortunately sent her to the ground, where she was forced to look up at the men who no doubt did something to Hutchins, who attacked, her home, who– 

She raised her hands to her face, allowing the orange colored Oni mask to rest in her lap. She closed her eyes, bracing for a hit, but it never came.

Carefully, she opened her eyes, expecting to see one of them raise their weapon to her. But only a flash of emerald green flooded her vision. 

No, it couldn’t be. She looked up to see him, Lloyd, but his eyes. His eyes were– Harumi’s mind raced, unable to process any of what had happened. Was he the Green Ninja? Was he G? Was he the one protecting her? It didn’t make any sense the two of them were so incredibly different, that it didn’t make sense, but then the more she thought about it the more it made sense. His light golden curls, his voice, the way he loved all things sweet. It might actually be him. She might lo– really care for Lloyd Garmadon? 

It was jaw dropping to watch him fight and win against men who were either a head taller or their shoulders were much wider than his. Lloyd or the Green Ninja, never looked like he knew how to fight, but she stood corrected. 

Especially, as the last of the bikers fell. Each and every one of them is now unconscious. Maybe they had a chance to get out of here. Maybe everything was going to be okay. Maybe nothing was–

The sound of metal clanging pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up, her eyes catching Lloyd as his body slumped to his knees. 

She raced towards him. “Lloyd, are you okay?” 

Her breath caught in her throat when she dropped in front of him. 

“I’m sorry.” He slurred. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.” 

He really was the same, wasn’t he? He used this time to comfort her instead of taking the necessary measures to communicate his needs or take care of himself. She couldn’t hate him, no matter how mad she was at him. After all, what would she do in his situation? 

“Hey, it’s okay. We can talk about it later.” She comforted him, placing a reassuring hand against his chin and cheek. 

“I–” He inhaled a sharp burst of air, wincing as he was unable to catch his breathing. 

“Hey, hey. Shhh.” She whispered. "Let’s get you out of here." 

“How bad is it?” He mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. If she wasn’t inches from him she was sure she wouldn’t be able to understand him. 

She didn’t know. It was much too dark for either of them to see clearly, especially since some of the light bulbs got hit during the scuffle. But she couldn’t leave him hanging, he needed to know. The smell of iron that flooded both their senses, was hardly anything to provide them comfort. 

Before she could come up with an answer, his left hand glowed the same emerald green she had come to love so much. It felt like she couldn’t breathe, she knew why he was in so much pain, why he could barely breathe.

Almost directly underneath his lowest hanging rib on his left side, there was a massive tear in his kimono, which was stained profusely in red. 

The glow of his hands quickly went out as a dry laugh escaped him. “That bad, huh?” 

A heavy silence fell over the two of them. Both of them seemingly had no idea on what to say. 

“You need to take this." He pulled something from his ear. “And run. Leave me. You’re more important.” 

Harumi shook her head violently, even if he shoved the small object in her hands. 

“It’s my communicator with the other ninja, they’ll help, you just need better service.” He pleaded, his voice sounded weaker by the second. 

She quickly placed the comm in her left ear, but she wasn’t leaving him, there was absolutely no way she could ever leave him. Instead, she pulled his left arm over her shoulder and begun to move forward. 

“Rumi.” He fought, but he couldn’t fight against her hold. 

“You helped me, you saved me in more ways than one. I’m not leaving you.”  

He was silent after that, both of them were. Even as she struggled to hold him up or he struggled to keep up, they kept moving. This was their last chance and they both knew it. 

But quicker than she would have liked, the two of them fell. 

“No, no, no.” She recovered, pushing him up against the wall. He couldn’t have fainted not now, why now? 

“Lloyd?” She pleaded. “Stay with me, you have too. Please, I’ll never forgive you.” Her vision blurred, as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks, but she couldn’t cry, not until they were safe. 

Her fingers tapped and untapped the communicator that sat in her ear. 

“Please, please, please, please, please.” She continuously murmured to herself, they had to have signal, they just had too. 

It felt like an entirety till someone finally answered. 

“Lloyd?” A  male voice asked, an oddly familiar one at that. 

“Oh thank the First Master! Help me, he’s hurt, I need help. I don’t know what to do. Please!”

“I– Who–?” The male voice began to ask. 

“It’s Harumi and I know about Lloyd. Please there must be something you can do.” She pleaded. 

“On the communicator, just below the big button you were just pressing there’s a smaller one, press it.” A new voice echoed throughout her ear. 

Harumi did as she was instructed. “Like that?” 

“Yes, good. We have your coordinates and should be there shortly.” The voice paused. “Princess Harumi, is Lloyd available?”

“I– no.” She stuttered. 

“I see, we’ll bring the proper materials to care for him. Just sit tight, we’ll be here if you need anything.” He sounded just as in pain as she was, just as scared. It seemed he had that affect on a lot of people 

She knew the ninja attempted to comfort her, but it didn’t work. Instead she just pulled her knees to her chest, allowing Lloyd’s head to rest against her shoulder. Things would be okay, they had to be, she hoped.

Chapter Text

She counted every minute, every second until they got there. It took roughly five minutes and twenty seconds. 

Five long agonizing minutes. Five minutes where she had to sit next to Lloyd listening to his sharp breaths, where she had to press her hands deeper into the wound on his abdomen, where she had to sit in the dark waiting. 

Harumi pressed her head deeper into the stone lining the walls of the tunnels. She didn’t mind that it hurt, or sent pulses down her spine, she didn’t really care. How could she? How could she care when she didn’t know if her parents were alive? Hutchins? Or Lloyd? She was powerless, there was nothing she could do. 

The only comfort the long, deep tunnels provided her was the horrifying sounds from the upstairs seemed to have been drowned out. She could no longer hear the screams that echoed throughout the ruby red walls, or the sounds of gunshots that seemed to echo throughout them. What was once a peaceful, secluded, palace was now overshadowed in– 

She couldn’t even utter those words or any words for that matter. 

So instead Harumi sat against the cold cobblestone floors, her hands continuing to become soaked in blood, while her eyes continued to blink back tears. Not yet, not yet, she thought to herself. 

It was too soon, too early to allow herself to cry. 

It was then she realized someone was standing in front of her, with their hand rested gently on her shoulder. 

Her heart sank into her stomach, as terror flooded her entire person. No, she wouldn't let anything like this happen. She couldn’t let all the sacrifices everyone had made for her be in vain. She had to do something, she had to stop them, 

Harumi bolted up, but it didn’t do much use as she was gently pushed back down against the cobblestones. 

She slowly lifted her eyes, there was a woman in front of her. The woman’s hair was pulled into a ponytail, her sliver, metallic hair reflecting what little light remained in the tunnel. 

“Easy there.” Her voice was so sweet and calm, heavily contrasting her last thirty? Forty minutes? “You’re still hurt, I haven’t finished bandaging you.” 

“I–? Who?” She stuttered, searching her mind for who this could possibly be. 

“I am Pixal, but you might know me as Samurai X.” She smiled, winking. 

Oh, that woke her up. How small of a world was it that one of her parent’s closest friend’s daughter is the legendary Samurai X? She was the one who was a part of that meeting with the other ninja all those months ago. 

Slowly, Harumi’s mind began to relax and ease into her cool surroundings, allowing her eyes to focus clearly on Pixal in front of her. By the looks of it, she had pulled her armor over her purple, floral kimono. It looked beautiful, the way the light purple was accented by white cherry blossoms. However, over the bottom half of the dress and sleeves were covered in blood, rubble, and ash. This was supposed to be a celebration of the winter moon, of its history within Ninjago, of peace, but all this night brought was spilled blood and terror.

She watched carefully as Pixal continued wrapping her left shoulder. Harumi stared at her somewhat puzzled, she hadn’t even noticed she was bleeding; from her shoulder, thigh, or head for that matter based on the soft pressure around said extremities. Adrenaline was a strange thing, but maybe she didn’t care what had happened to her, maybe what she really cared about was– 

“Lloyd? Is he?” She asked, doing her best to not focus on just how much her voice shaked. 

“He’s okay. Some of the other ninja are tending to him now, but–” She paused, as if she was searching for the right thing to say. “We didn’t have what he needed so two of the ninja began taking him back to the ship. I wanted to make sure you were situated before I moved you.”

“Can I see him?” 

Pixal nodded, extending one of her hands to her. “Can you stand?” 

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. She could stand, she would stand. She wouldn’t need to lean on anyone anymore. 

Harumi took her hand, allowing Pixal to pull her to her feet. Her right thigh screamed out at her, willed for her to rest, but not yet. Soon, hopefully, but not just yet. She nodded, insinuating she was ready. 

“Very well, I am here if you need me.” She smiled. 

The walk through the rest of the tunnel was unbearably long. It felt like they were walking in circles, that leaving this place was pointless and they would forever be stuck here. It seemed only a few months ago she felt trapped by the Palace’s tall walls, but now she was just suffocated by it; all the light and love that once filled these walls was gone. Maybe at one point in her life, she’d be happy to run through the cobblestone tunnels, but now? Now, she wanted nothing more than to leave this haunting, unrecognizable place. 

Only a few more moments, she continued to tell herself. In no time she’d be out of here, or maybe this was all a nightmare she’d wake up from. 

It didn’t matter how much she hoped, how much she willed, and prayed for this to all be some bad dream, this was her reality. Nothing around her seemed to care that she had just lost the only home she’d ever known, that she had to go on living even if her family had no idea she was alive, that some monster was after her, or that one of the only people who actually knew her was fighting for his life. 

Questions had begun to not only rattle and shake her mind. None of what had just happened made any sense. How could anything like this happen? How did the entire rug get violently sweeped out from under her? Who did this? What did they want? Why? 

Harumi was mere seconds away from beating out of her chest, nothing felt right. How could she even trust anyone anymore? Someone must have done this? Someone must be out for her, for her family. First Spinjitzu Master, it felt like she couldn’t breathe, but she had to keep going; Not for her, for Lloyd, for G. Surprisingly, Harumi wasn’t that angry with Lloyd. She understood why he omitted the truth, she’d do the same in his position. After all, she knew just how much one’s title could overwhelm and control a person. 

“We’re almost there, Your Highness.” Pixal broke the silence, making a sharp left turn. “I apologize for it being a longer walk than I’m sure you're used to. I wanted to ensure your safety and limit their ability to possibly follow us.”

“Oh. That’s fine, thank you.” She paused. “You can call me Harumi, by the way; I really don’t mind.” 

“Of course, Harumi.” She smiled. 

There were dozens of questions that racked her mind, but now most of them were centered around the ninja, especially if she’d be spending First Master knows how long with them. What were they like? How do they train? Do they always live at the Bounty? What did she have to expect with them? If she wasn’t terrified out of her mind, she’d be thrilled, ecstatic almost at this new found adventure. 

“Um Pixal?” Harumi asked.

“Yes?” 

“What are the ninja like?” She didn’t know why she was so nervous, but these were the legendary heroes of Ninjago. Maybe she could have gotten to know them earlier, but at the time she didn’t really care and she wasn’t being forced out of her home because it got blown up. 

Much to her surprise, Pixal paused, her green eyes possibly searching for the right thing to say. Were they wanting to keep their identities secret? Were they wanting to keep it from her? Was she only privy to the green ninja’s identity? Would he have told her if not for being backed into a corner? 

“They’re a little nervous to meet you.” She replied simply, before continuing to walk towards the Bounty. 

“Me? Why?” Harumi picked up her pace as much as she could. 

“I think it would be best to wait until we reached the Bounty.” Pixal exhaled. 

Harumi just nodded even though she wanted to ask more questions, she pretended that was a solid enough answer for her. Though a large part of her wanted Pixal to just tell her, for her newfound ally to share with her why the ninja were nervous for the two of them to meet. Why exactly was it so important for them to wait till the Bounty? 

The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence and by the way Harumi’s leg burned, they had been walking for a long amount of time. 

She watched curiously as Pixal pressed into three different pieces of stone at the end of a dead end of what appeared as a dead end. 

The wall in front of them forced itself open as it slid to the right side revealing the port. She knew they were daily close to one of Ninjago City’s ports, but she didn’t know the Palace tunnels connected to it. No wonder her right leg was practically on fire. 

“This way.” Pixal instructed, just after she closed the tunnel door. 

Harumi followed as Pixal weaved through various different shipping crates and other pieces of ship equipment. 

There at the end of the dock was Destiny’s Bounty and at first glance, it looked almost empty, except for the soft light at the top of the mast. It looked the exact same, it felt just as unrecognizable as it did before. However, a part of her felt almost connected to it through Lloyd, through their memories here together. Everything seemed so complicated then when it came to the two of them and it surely didn’t feel any less complicated, but she enjoyed it all the same. 

“I assume they’ll be in the briefing room downstairs.” Pixal thought aloud as they entered the ship. 

Harumi simply followed. Her heartbeat and mind practically battling itself over and over again. She knew she was safe and her body pleaded for rest, that was the smart thing to do, but she wanted, no, she needed to see him. It seemed she needed a lot of things, actually; She needed to see if Lloyd was okay, she needed to meet the other ninja, she needed to find out what was going on, but most importantly she needed to know if things would be okay.

Pixal led her into a room at the end of the hall, which she had briefly seen when Lloyd had given her the tour. 

As Pixal opened the door, Harumi took a deep breath. 

Inside she found each of the other five ninja. She chose not to think about how her heart sank when her eyes didn’t find Lloyd. Of course it made sense that he wasn’t there, he was hurt, he needed his rest, and Harumi was sure she would do what she could to find him. 

Each of their masks were still on, standing next to each other at the opposite end of the room. At the far left of the group stood the ice ninja, earth ninja, fire ninja, water ninja, and lastly the lightning ninja. Each of them looked so much more human than she’d ever thought they could look. When she first made their acquaintance, they looked untouchable, but here? Here their ninja suits were worn, stained with soot, blood, and were torn. By the looks of it all of them were exhausted and most certainly ready to collapse into each of their beds, just like she was. 

“Hi.” She mumbled, raising a hand to awkwardly wave at them. 

“Princess Harumi.” The ice ninja began. 

“Please, just Harumi is fine.” She interrupted, a soft smile forming across her lips. 

“Harumi, we know this night couldn’t be easy for you and we wouldn’t want to add to your anger, but there’s something each of us have to tell you before we go over just exactly what happened.” He stated. 

“I understand.” She nodded. 

“Our secret identities are known to those in this room, our Sensei, and of course, Lloyd. Due to this situation, we have decided to share them with you.” He paused for a moment before continuing, taking his mask off in the process. “I am Zane, you might remember me from the dinner with Lloyd, Lord Garmadon, and your family.” 

He still had the same bright blue eyes, kind voice, and quiffed blonde hair. It made sense to her that he was one of the ninja. After all, just from the dinner alone she thought they were close. 

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled. 

“Hi, Harumi. I’m Cole.” The earth ninja spoke as he took of his mask. 

Her smile quickly fell, while she had only met Zane once it was under the guise of her engagement to Lloyd. When she met Cole it was in her music theory class, the two of them becoming close friends. 

The ninja left no time for her to say something as the fire ninja began speaking. 

“And I’m Kai.” He said, almost so nonchalantly. She could feel her throat bobbing, her anger steadily rising with each ninja who introduced themselves. 

“I’m Nya.” The water ninja said, taking off her mask. 

There was no use in making it go on, she knew who the lightning ninja was, who he must be. How could she have been so foolish? Each of her friends she knew, she met with each of them practically every day. Not once did they say anything, not once did any of them say 

“You probably know who I am already.” The lightning ninja laughed awkwardly. “I’m Jay.” 

Now, all of them were maskless. Each of their eyes spoke something she had no idea of. Harumi didn’t know if it was apologetic or indifference, but each of their expressions continued to and only deepen her anger. 

“I know this isn’t easy.” Cole spoke, taking a step towards her. 

“Of course it’s not easy.” She snapped. On a previous occurrence she would have never dreamed of snapping at someone she had just met or re-met? She didn’t bother thinking about the logistics, the only thing that she could process was her rage. “Do you know what it’s like to lose your childhood home because some psycho wants to blow it up? Or having your only friends be ninja hired to protect her by her parents, no less? No you don’t know, you have no idea what it’s like. I didn’t think any of these past few months were a lie, but it seemed that’s all I knew.” 

Harumi didn’t mean to yell at them, but how could any of them blame her? How could she blame herself? She had just experienced something no one should have to and then was told that the man she had grown to deeply care about was her betrothed all along, or that the friends she made for the first time in her whole life was just a lie. 

She couldn’t stand it anymore, she couldn’t take it. She was so angry, so betrayed. She had to get out of here, she had to go. 

“I can’t stay here anymore.” She spoke softly before darting out of the room. 

Even though she had gotten a tour, everything about this place was so unbelievably complicated. Each of the doors to all of the rooms practically looked the exact same. So when she thought she found a place to get something to leave, she was met with the kitchen, a games room, or the medical bay– 

Lloyd. 

He was lying in a medical cot, where multiple different tubes and wires were either in his nose, arms, and onto his chest which was wrapped heavily in gauze. She didn’t think he got hurt so badly, but maybe she couldn’t see him properly then the way she didn’t see her entire life for the past few months.

At first, she almost didn’t process the man who sat next to him on a chair. It wasn’t until he spoke till she snapped her head up to face him. 

“Ah, Your Highness.” He smiled, turning to face her. “I am Wu, the ninja’s sensei and Lloyd’s Uncle.” 

His mustache and beard were so long, probably the longest she had ever seen and he was outfitted in a traditional white kimono, along with a bamboo rice hat.

“Hello, please, call me Harumi.” She muttered, standing still in the doorway. 

“I know you’ve had a long night and it’s important that you need rest, but I know why you’re here and I think he would love it if you were here.” He smiled. 

“I– Thank you.” She stuttered. 

Sensei Wu nodded, leaning onto his bamboo staff to stand. 

“I know none of this is easy and there are a lot of fears and questions flooding your mind, but as their teacher, I want you to know that each of them meant well and only did what was asked of them. Their actions are not their own, but the memories and experiences you all shared are.” He rested a comforting grip onto her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Do not let your anger prevent you from finding joy in your life.” 

“I will do my best, Sir.” She replied.

“Please call me Wu.” He smiled, before gently closing the door. 

Part of her wanted to run, she wanted to go on her own. She was so angry, but she couldn’t leave. She had no idea if her parents, or Hutchins were alive, or if Lloyd was okay. She didn’t even know what she would say to him. Harumi didn’t know if being with him would make her feel any worse or any better, but none of that mattered. She couldn’t leave him. She wouldn’t forgive herself, she promised him and it was a promise she would keep. 

Slowly, she decided to sit where Wu was just sitting. 

Here she was so much closer to him than she was in the doorframe, here she could see just how sickly he looked. Lying in this bed he looked so small, so fragile, like the lightest touch could break him. His entire skin was pale, there were deep lines and purple underneath his eyes, his body was covered almost head to toe in bandages, and his hair was messy and unkempt. 

Carefully, she intertwined their hands together. His palms were so cold, it was like she was touching ice. 

“Lloyd?” Her voice broke, silent streams falling from her eyes. 

“Please, are you there?” She begged. She couldn’t face them alone, she couldn’t do anything alone, especially without him.

“I met your friends, you knew all along, didn’t you? They seem nice, but I can’t get past the idea that they’re not actually my friends, that it was all just a lie. But you didn’t lie to me, right? If you didn’t, maybe they didn’t either.” She exhaled a shaky breath, Harumi didn’t know she was holding. 

“You have to get better, you have to wake up soon. Okay?” She pleaded, her voice continuously growing thicker with every word that poured from her. 

She squeezed his hand hoping to the First Master he would squeeze back, that there would be a sign, but the only thing that filled her mind was a steady, low, heart rate. 

“That’s okay, just focus on getting better.” She sighed. 

She quickly scooted her chair closer to him, allowing her head to rest fairly adjacent to his. Her head immediately felt the effects of that night, as sleep called out to and took her. 

Maybe things would be okay tomorrow, maybe she would be less angry when she woke up, but deep down she hoped that this was just a bad dream.

Chapter Text

Harumi didn’t know when they arrived at their destination, but the steady stopping of the Bounty gave her a good indication. Either they were anchored somewhere or they had some sort of base of operations. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, only that she was back in her makeshift room from a few months ago. She didn’t remember falling asleep here, but was grateful someone didn’t let her destroy her back. 

There was one thing she was certain of, however, and that was she didn’t know if she could face the ninja after the way she exploded at them. It wasn’t like she said anything she didn’t outwardly disagree with, but she knew she shouldn’t have communicated her feelings like that. Not only would it give her mother and etiquette teacher a heart attack, but Wu was right. She shouldn’t have let her anger overwhelm her mind, but what’s done is done and maybe there was something she could do to offset the awkwardness from last night. 

She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed. This was going to be a long morning? Afternoon? Rest of the night? She wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t hide away here forever. 

So, she pushed herself off the bed and opened the door. 

To her surprise, she was met with the ice ninja or Zane. He looked like he was going to knock, by the way his eyes widened in surprise. He looked much more alert than the others last night and that didn’t really seem to change, even his hair was perfect then, now his gi only matched the vibe of the rest of him. 

“Oh. Hi, Zane.” She did her best to smile. Out of everyone, she was probably the least upset with him. They had only met once and it’s not like they had really gotten to know each other in those few hours. 

“We’ve arrived. I just thought I’d let you know in case you were still asleep.” 

“Oh, thank you.” 

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, each of them almost afraid to make the first move or break the heavy silence between the two of them. 

“Would you like to follow me?” He asked. 

Harumi just nodded and the pair left together. Though she expected to be in the air or water like her previous experiences with the ship, they were not in the air or water, but within some sort of underground cavern of some sorts. 

“Where are we?” She asked, as she surveyed her surroundings. There were large screens and tables that littered one area of the cavern, while the other was filled with the ship and other vehicles. It was truly astounding.

“We are in the basement of Sensei Wu’s Monastery. Here we store our vehicles as well as our computer which is our main source of information and data regarding Ninjago.” Zane stated, offering a hand to her. 

She took it, this dress made everything harder and it wasn’t just the skirt’s lack of legroom. Her smile was no longer forced, but true as her eyes scanned the surrounding area. The sheer size of this base was insane, she could only imagine what the rest of it looked like. 

“The elevator to the Monastery is this way.” Zane gestured to a tall cylindrical structure in the middle of the basement. 

“Lead the way.” She replied. 

There was a brief moment of silence between them before Zane spoke again. 

“I understand your unease around us and the situation.” He glanced at her, as if he was measuring her reaction. “It was a complicated situation. They wanted us to guard you at every moment, but Lloyd suggested it might be beneficial if some of us were undercover to keep a better eye on you. We didn’t know who exactly was after you and he didn’t want to take any chances when it came to your safety.” 

She hummed. 

“I know we had only met once, but I weighed the pros and cons and decided it was the best course of action. It allowed us to maintain our public display, but also ensure you were always looked after. Knowing what I knew now, I would have gone against the statistics. I know this doesn’t make up for everything, but I want you to know how important your safety is” He looked at her, before pressing the main floor on the elevator keypad. He looked remorseful, like he had been thinking about last night for a considerable amount of hours. 

“It’s okay, Zane. I understand. It was a complicated task for all of you and I bet my parents or Hutchins didn’t make it very easy for you.” She half laughed, before continuing. “I’m sorry I, well, snapped at all of you. That wasn’t fair.” 

“Your reaction is most understandable. I want you to know that based on our experience at dinner, I’d be most honored to be your friend if you’d have me.” He smiled, his eyes wide in hope. 

“I’d be honored to be your friend too.” 

It was then the elevator came to an abrupt stop and the doors soon opened revealing a living room of some sorts. It was almost the perfect blend of traditional and modern, that and the sheer amount of random cups, plates, and blankets that were scattered about the room.

“I apologize for the state of the Monastery, we haven’t had any time to clean.” 

“It’s okay, I’m actually a bit of a slob so this is nothing.” She bit back a chuckle. 

“Ah, I see. Well then, I hope it is to your liking.” He smiled. “Your bedroom is this way, or I can give you the tour if you’d like.” 

As much as Harumi wanted the entire tour, she was so incredibly exhausted and was a few seconds from falling back asleep. It wasn’t like she was going to be leaving anytime soon, so what was a belated introduction to her new home? 

She nodded. 

Zane showed her where the kitchen, games room, living room, bathrooms were before they stopped in front of a traditional screen door. 

“Here’s your room.” Zane smiled, pulling the screen door open. 

It was a nice, cozy room. She had all the necessities one might need; a soft rug, a bed, desk, and wardrobe. Honestly? It felt like too much and too little at the same time. She wanted to be home in the Palace with her family, she wanted to be in their apartment sitting on the couch without a care in the world with Lloyd. 

“It's nice.” She forced a smile. “Is um, Lloyd?” 

Zane nodded in understanding. “I can show you where the medical bay is, if you’d like? Kai’s in there with him right now and I didn’t know if.” He trailed off. 

“Maybe in a bit then? I think I just need some time alone.” It wasn’t entirely the truth, she did want to be alone, but she wanted to be with him more than anything.

“If you’re in need of anything, please let me or any of the others know.” 

“I will, thank you.” She nodded. 

Zane stepped slightly out of her room, but just before he shut the door he looked up to Harumi. 

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Harumi.” He smiled. It was a sweet smile, one that his heart poured out of, one that made her a little more comforted than she felt moments before. 

Harumi didn’t know what came over her, but she practically threw herself onto him; pulling him close into a hug. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before pulling his arms around her to comfort her. She was grateful he hugged her back, but she never knew someone could be so cold. 

The two stood there for a moment, before pulling away from each other. 

“Thank you.” she smiled, desperately blinking to keep her ears at bay. 

“I am happy to help, Harumi. Are you hungry? I could make you something?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“I– no, I think I’m okay; don’t you need to sleep?” She asked, matching his head tilt. 

“Though I am programmed for sleep, it is not required for optimal functioning.” He nodded, but before she could respond he continued. “I’ll let you get some rest and when you wake, I’ll make you something if you’d like.” 

“Okay. Thank you, Zane.” She smiled. 

He smiled, just before shutting the door leaving Harumi alone in her new room. It wasn’t like it was a bad room, it was just not what she needed. What she really needed was just out of arm's reach or was miles and miles away. So, she took a deep breath before her eyes caught a green hoodie and a pair of dark gray sweatpants folded neatly at the foot of the bed. 

She sighed, even though she was still angry with them for lying, well omitting the truth from her, they were still so sweet to her. It wasn’t like she wasn’t going to say no to a change of clothes or better yet a shower. 

Harumi opened the door of her bedroom where she was met with Jay, the lightning ninja. He looked as if he was going to knock, but then he screamed jumping back. 

“Hi! Oh First Spinjitzu Master! You scared me.” He exclaimed, placing a hand to his chest as he took some deep breaths. 

“Oh. Hi, Jay.” She couldn’t help but smile even if she wanted to avoid him and the other ninja for however long she could. “Everything okay?” 

“Oh! Right, yeah! Nya and I stopped by your apartment and she brought some of your things. We figured it might not be nice if you had some of your own things, though we couldn’t bring everything, but we can take you back if you'd like.” He smiled, picking up a few duffle bags off the floor. 

She stared at him for a moment, he was the same as he was in their class together. He was just as talkative, just as jumpy, just as kind, and fun. Maybe they weren’t pretending to be friends? Maybe. 

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.” She smiled, taking them from his hands and setting them on the floor of her new bedroom. 

The two of them just stared at each other for a moment and for a second she thought he was going to leave, but she couldn’t let him leave without asking him a question first. 

“Jay? Can I ask you a question?” She asked. 

“Yeah, anything,” He smiled.

“Were we actually friends in college? Or was it all just for the sake of the mission?” She knew it was a sudden question for her to ask, but she couldn’t not ask him. She needed to ask him if it was all just a lie, if everything was for nothing.

He took a deep breath. “I like to think we were, I mean it was nice getting to be myself with someone other than the other ninja.”

“I think we were too.” She smiled. 

“Then it’s settled!” He exclaimed. 

“What’s settled?” 

“That we’re friends.” He sounded so serious, much more serious than she had ever heard him. “I’ll leave you to settle in, let us know if you need anything.” He called out before walking down the hall.

To say these past few days haven’t been a whirlwind would be a lie. It was almost too much for her to keep track of, especially when she could hardly recount these past twelve or so hours. 

Even though she wanted to race after them and figure out her emotions and their friendships, the sight of her person was enough for her to push those thoughts to the side. Her kimono was torn, dirty, and covered in dried blood, her hair was seconds away from completely falling out, and her makeup was so speared it was hard to tell what colors went where.

So, she allowed herself to decompress in the shower, the steam that surrounded her provided her with the warmth she had been missing out on, longing for. Harumi sighed, changing her clothes before looking into herself in the mirror; her eyes were sunken, dark circles lined the areas underneath her eyes, her eyes were swollen and red. It seemed no matter how hard she tried not to cry, it wasn’t enough to keep several tears from falling. 

Harumi decided to change into one of her pairs of sweatpants, socks, but opted for the emerald green hoodie that was folded ever so nicely on her new bed. It was almost like he was there with her, that he was right next to her, that their arms were wrapped around each other in a tight hug– she felt a sudden lump form in her throat. 

How could she think those things? He lied to her for months, he made her believe that the person she despised so much was actually someone she genuinely liked, he was a few doors down fighting for his life after risking it for her. Even though a part of her wanted to yell at him, there was a greater part that wanted to cry by his side, but she didn’t know if she could see him; Harumi didn’t know if there would be anyone there or if she could keep herself from shedding just a couple more tears. 

Though if there’s anything that life taught her anything, it was that she didn’t know anything. How was she expected to go about her day when the entire rug was slipped out from under her. So instead of going somewhere she had no idea about, she decided staying in her new room and relaxing in her bed was enough for her. 

The young princess stared up at the ceiling for some time, where she allowed her mind to empty. Here, in this room the outside world couldn’t reach her. Here, she was able to just be Harumi. Here, she didn’t have to think about her parents and whether or not she would see them again. Though, just like everything else in her life it was pointless, as silent tears fell down the side of her face while her mind drifted off to sleep. 

Harumi wasn’t quite sure just how long she was asleep, but the lack of sun beams throughout her window gave her a pretty good idea at just how much time had passed. She took a deep breath, pushing herself off her pillow to swing her legs over the side of the bed. Her gaze quickly caught the electronic alarm clock on the side of her bed, the time read, ten twelve at night. 

A part of her wanted to stay in bed, as a means to hide away from the world while it continued to pass her by, but the sudden sound of her stomach rumbling pushed her to her feet. She quickly put her slippers on and stuck her head out of her bedroom. 

There were soft, warm lights that illuminated the hallway. The smell of incense and wood flooded her senses as she creeped towards the where she remembered the kitchen was. Hopefully, there was someone there since she had no idea where any of the ninja slept, or had any desire to wake anyone. Maybe she should have braved the outside of her bedroom, after all. 

But, thankfully her prayers were answered as the kitchen light was already illuminated. She carefully stepped into the room, where she was met with Cole, who was partly illuminated by the refrigerator light. 

“Hi.” She mumbled. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should just turn around and run back into her room and lock herself away. 

“Oh! First Master!” Cole yelped, jumping backwards. His hand immediately jumped to his chest, as he spent a few seconds catching his breath. “Hi, Harumi.” He smiled. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.” She laughed, doing her best to ease the unfortunate tension that bled over from the previous night. 

“All good, all good.” He laughed. “Care to join me for a snack?” 

“You read my mind.” She smiled. 

The pair decided to cook themselves some instant noodles with a side of ice cream. It was definitely an odd mix, but Harumi wanted something savory while Cole wanted something sweet, but both didn’t mind some of the other so both it was. 

They sat in silence for some time, but somehow it wasn't awkward, it was actually nice. She thought it was nice to spend time with someone else where they had no outside worries; whether it be related to her classes, to her duties as a princess, or the fact that everything practically exploded in her face. 

“So, is Kai the guy you’ve been talking about?” She asked, a sly smile appearing across her lips. 

Cole choked on his noodles, coughing rapidly as he tried to gain some kind of sense of composure. 

“I– I–” He stuttered, his eyes wide and darting between her’s. 

“Oh, it so is.” She teased, punching him softly in the arm. “First you tell me you got with a guy, then you two start spending more time together, then he spends time with us while we work in the practice room, and the way you brushed each other’s hands last night?” In all honesty, maybe she should have kept her mouth shut, but her mouth moved faster than her mind could to process just exactly what she was saying. 

“Okay, okay. Shhh” He laughed, placing a hand to her mouth. “We aren’t ready to talk about it with anyone yet, so please keep your mouth shut.” He joked, removing his hand. 

“My lips are sealed.” She drew her finger across her mouth. “But how did it happen? Just if you want to talk about it.” Harumi whispered. 

“So, you know it happened after the breakout at Kryptarium and well I was giving him some first aid in the bathroom and one thing led to another and we, well kissed.” He smiled, a deep pink erupting from his cheeks. 

Harumi could barely keep herself from squealing, she was so happy for them and so glad the two of them were finally able to get together. It made a little more sense why Cole was so vague these past few months when it came to him. 

“Oh First Master! That’s wonderful! It took you both long enough.” She laughed. 

Cole joined her, as the two leaned against each other; sharing in the bliss of each other’s company. It didn’t matter that she was a princess or that he was a ninja and both of them were technically undercover for the past few months. What mattered was that they were two friends who loved spending time together. 

They fell into a comfortable silence again, Harumi’s head resting on Cole’s shoulder. He quickly shifted to face Harumi and she turned to him. 

“I’m sorry about these past few months.” He said. “I know there must be a billion questions going through your head right now, but I need you to know that I didn’t become your friend because it was my assignment. I became your friend because of who you are and how much you care for the people you love, and–” 

“Cole.” She gently interrupted, a wide smile present across her face. “ I know and I think if I’m being honest a part of me will be upset, but I understand. There was the chance I could be in mortal danger and would need immediate protection. I would do the same thing” She smiled. 

“I’m lucky to be your friend, Harumi.” He leaned against her. 

“And I’m lucky to be yours, Cole.” She rested against him as well. 

“Now, since we talked about me and Kai, what’s going on with you and Lloyd?” He asked, smugly. 

“Okay, you’re done.” She laughed, gently pushing him off of her. “There’s nothing going on between us, we’re just friends.” 

“Right.” He raised an eyebrow. 

“We are!” She countered. 

“I believe you.” 

“Right.” Harumi rolled her eyes, before sighing. “I don’t even know if I can think about him right now.” 

“Cause of what happened?” Cole asked, his eyes suddenly soft. 

“Yeah, I mean he willingly gave his life for mine and is now–” The words died on her tongue, she couldn’t bear to think of him like that or necessarily want to. He had always been so strong, so full of life, the way his laugh echoed throughout her mind reminded her of such. But with him lying in that bed, after what he did for her, after the way he told her to run and leave him behind; after everything. 

She hadn’t even realized she had started to cry, the tears just seemed to flow so effortlessly down her cheek, but she didn’t care. Harumi didn’t try to stop them from flowing, she wasn’t even botched by her now stuffy nose and cloudy vision. 

“Hey, hey. Come here.” He pulled her into a tight hug, his hand gently cradling the back of her head. “It’s okay, he’s going to be okay, he’s going to be okay.” 

Harumi continued to allow herself to cry, clinging onto Cole’s shirt, as if her life depended on it. She appreciated the fact that he tried to make her feel better, but it didn’t do much for her tears or aiding her worries. She knew that neither of them necessarily knew he was going to be okay and there was nothing the two of them could do to ensure it. They couldn’t even bring him to a hospital for First Master’s sake. She just hoped Cole was right and that he’d be awake soon. 

She didn’t know how long the pair of friends sat holding onto each other, but when Cole led her back to her bedroom after she refused to see him before she went to bed in fear of what she might witness. She just hoped she’d be able to fall asleep without experiencing any nightmares. 

She was wrong. 

Harumi woke up with a start the next morning. Her racing heart, sweat silken forehead, and heaving breath were the only indicators that she had a nightmare that previous night. She couldn’t recall anything from her dream, but the feeling of her fallen stomach provided enough imagery for Harumi regarding the subject matter. 

There was a rough banging coming from the other side of the screen door to her bedroom. So, she forced herself out of bed and slid open the door. 

She was met with Nya on the opposite side of her door. She was dressed in a matching cyan and gray workout outfit, her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of white and blue tennis shoes. 

“Uhh, hi?” Harumi answered her door. 

“Come on, let’s get you dressed.” She placed a hand on her hip. “It’s Monday, we have training to get to.” 

“We’re still?” She started to ask, but that look in Nya’s eyes, there was no use in attempting to get out of this. “Give me five minutes.” 

“I’ll be in the courtyard.” Nya smiled. 

Harumi shut her door. She exhaled a deep sigh to center herself, before she changed into her matching green work out clothes, her tennis shoes, and pulled her hair into two different french braids. The last thing she wanted to do was get gross and sweaty especially after she practically melted in the shower yesterday, but Nya was right. She couldn’t let herself lose what little progress she’s made when it came to martial arts. 

She met Nya in the courtyard of the monastery. She was setting up two different yoga mats and preparing wrappings to the left side of hers. 

Once the two of them made eye contact, Nya’s eyes lit up. 

“How excited are you?” She asked. “Her entire demeanor somehow radiated enough energy for the both of them.” 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. 

“Great! I thought first we could do some stretching, then you’ll practice your kicks and punches, and we’d finish it off with some meditation. Sounds good?” 

She nodded. 

The two of them stepped onto their respective mats, as they worked through the various different stretches they did at the beginning of each session. 

The only sounds that echoed throughout her ears were the cool breeze that flew by her ears, the sounds of birds chirping for a distance, and Nya’s calm voice as she listed out various different stretching positions. 

It was oddly comforting, the only nature Harumi had ever really experienced was in the Palace Gardens where everything was meticulously placed, everything there was designed for and to perfection, but here? Here, nothing was touched by perfection. Here, it was all nature’s art. Here, just like the birds and plants surrounding her, she was free. 

The two of them moved onto practicing and working through Harumi’s hits and kicks. With each lunge, block, kick, and punch Harumi found her breathing growing more and more rapid. However,  she also found the energy that she fought to maintain weeks ago, now came so easily to her. This was a feeling that was almost unknown to her, she had never felt her blood heating up so much or the way her chest was beating this fast. She didn’t want it to stop. 

Nya lunged for her, making her left side a clear target, but what she might have seen during their last training session, practically flew past her senses this time. 

The side of Nya’s right side of her forearm made quick contact with the side of Harumi’s left, before she knocked her feet out from under her, and sent her to the ground. 

“Lucky shot.” She groaned, rubbing her side. 

“Sure. You left yourself wide open.” Extending her arm to her. “Fighting while utilizing your rage can be beneficial, but you have to keep it from preventing your mind from thinking critically.” 

Harumi grabbed her hand, allowing herself to be pulled up. 

“I wasn’t fighting with rage.” She wanted to curl in on herself, if her mother could see her now. 

Nya just gave her a look, allowing her eyebrows to raise. 

She sighed. “Okay, maybe I was working through some stuff.”

“Which is okay.” Nya added. “But in a fight, you can’t let your emotions get in the way. Use them to your advantage.” 

Harumi took a deep breath, measuring her friend’s words carefully. She knew Nya was right, but she didn’t care about thinking with her head in a fight, when she could just allow her anger and rage to make her punches and kicks more powerful. Never would she allow what happened Saturday night to ever happen again. 

A deep pit formed in her stomach. There’s no way Nya would understand where she was coming from. So she decided not to fight her on it and just nod. 

Nya continued helping her work through various different attacking and blocking methods that she could use, but Harumi’s head couldn’t help but drift. She had never felt more powerful than she did in that moment and was more than determined to feel it again. The hot feeling that exploded throughout her person which each block and hit were addicting, especially since she’d be able to protect him .

It felt like a blink of an eye as they moved onto their cool down exercises and had begun meditation, but the image of Lloyd in the tunnel, the smell of smoke, the uncomfortable feeling throughout her finger tips, the tree branches that peered over the top of the Monastery walls, and the pleasant chirping of birds flying overhead.

She couldn’t do this anymore. She wanted to get out and run away from it all, but she forced herself to remain seated. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to, even if everything in her pleaded for her to stay. 

She grimaced at herself, she was furious with herself. How could she do this to him? How could she leave him alone in the stupid bed? How could she not visit him? All because she, what? Couldn’t stand the idea of him being in pain, that she couldn’t stand herself. 

“You okay?” Nya asked, breaking the suffocating silence. 

“I– yeah.” She lied through her teeth. She just wanted to be by his side. “What kind of tree is that?” She asked, obviously changing the subject. 

“Ah. It’s a cherry blossom. Although it’s a few months away from its bloom.” Nya smiled, turning back to her. “You sure you’re okay?” 

“I need to see him.” She muttered. Nya would understand, right?

“Go to him. We can always meditate with each other another time.” She motioned towards the main entrance to their home. 

Harumi didn’t need to be told twice, as she practically jumped to her feet, pausing to focus on the mat and Nya. 

“Don’t worry about it, I got it.” Nya nodded. “But before you go, I want you to know that– well–” 

“I’m glad we’re friends too.” She smiled, grateful that Nya too matched hers. “Thanks, Nya!” She called back as she raced inside. 

She took a quick shower and pulled on her new favorite green sweatshirt and a comfortable pair of gingham pants. She knew it was probably overkill, but a part of her needed some sense of normalcy and getting sort of ready was it. She slipped on some warm socks, as she did her best to keep herself from running to the medical bay.

Harumi was grateful that the door to the medical bay was open and that Kai was sitting peacefully on one of the bedside chairs. He was holding a game console, his fingers darting between the joysticks and various different buttons. The young princess breathed a calming sigh; She wasn’t in this alone, she didn’t have to experience it by herself. 

She softly knocked on the door frame, smiling as their eyes met. 

“Hi, Harumi. I can go if you want.” He offered, as he prepared the objects at his feet to move out of the room. 

“No, you’re okay. I think we could all use the company.” She smiled, entering the room. Harumi sat within the chair on Lloyd’s left, just opposite of Kai. 

Her gaze drifted to his face. It was as if a frown was permanently etched into his face, the way that’s how she’s only seen him within these past few days. He was just as pale and looked just as tired. Maybe he would wake up soon, she prayed to the First Spinjitzu Master that he was. 

“He looks better than he did Saturday.” Kai whispered, his eyes looked sunken, and his brows looked to be permanently furrowed, just by the way he looked at the younger ninja. 

“That’s good, I’m glad.” She did her best to smile, but she didn’t really believe him. 

The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for some time, before Kai went back to his game, making an effort to turn the volume down slightly. Maybe Rumi should have brought something to keep her mind busy, but she hadn’t thought about that; just him. 

So, she opted to hold his hand in hers. To Kai’s word, it felt much warmer than it did the last time she saw him. Hopefully he’d wake up soon, hopefully the two of them would be reunited and laugh about all of this. Only time would tell. 

Her hands began rubbing and examining his palm. She could make out several different calluses, a physical representation of his craft, while the faint scars that covered his hands only made her heart jump into her throat. How much had he suffered at the hands of villains like Oni? How much had he hurt? How much had she contributed to that hurt? 

She sighed, sinking deeper into her chair. 

She would make things right, she would be there when he woke. 

“How was training with Nya?” Kai asked, not hiding that he was merely trying to distract her. 

“Oh, uh. It was fine.” She mumbled. “I think I’m getting better?” 

“That’s great! Nya said you’ve been catching on to it really quick.” He smiled. 

But the two of them soon fell into silence, the steady beeping of the heart monitor filled the room. The feeling of his hand in her’s, the sight of him in this bed was enough to steal all the words from her throat and she was hardly in a position to fight it. 

So, both Kai and Harumi sat in a comfortable silence. Each of them focusing on Lloyd rather than each other, each of them hoped he’d wake soon. But it seemed only time would tell. 

She squeezed his hand tightly, hoping for some kind of squeeze back. But there was nothing. She could feel her heart sinking into her stomach, but she couldn’t allow her mind to wander; That’s not what Lloyd needed right now, he needed her to be strong for him, just as he was strong for her. 

Though as her eyelids grew heavier and as her mind drifted off to slumber, she had dreamt or imagined something or someone gently squeezing her hand.

Chapter Text

Lloyd pushed and pushed himself. He had to get her out of here, after everything he said, everything he did and didn’t do; he needed to make it right. So, he pushed on. He pushed past the explosive pain in his side, the ringing in his ears, the way his eyes worked tirelessly to stay open. 

He knew he could keep fighting, keep trudging on if need be, though with each step he took, he thought that he may be more injured than he first thought he was. Each step took most of, if not all of his strength even as he leaned into Harumi. Oh, First Spinjitzu Master he messed up. Maybe he should have radioed for backup, but he had to get her out of there and couldn’t risk any delay whatsoever. But in doing all he could to protect Harumi, he only put her at more risk and harm. Some protector he was.

As they continued down the seemingly endless hallway his eyes couldn’t help but droop. It was like weights were attached to his eyelids and as much as Lloyd was determined to see this to end, his overwhelming exhaustion served as an unfortunate hindrance to their escape plan. 

The young ninja wasn’t sure how long or how much the two of them traveled before he felt like he couldn’t go on anymore. He could always go further, he could always push himself more. Except when the outside of his vision clouded in black or as white dots danced throughout his eyesight. His words seemed to die on his tongue as a wave of black overtook him. 

Lloyd woke with a start and to his surprise he wasn’t in pain, but before he could allow himself to relax he made a rather unfortunate discovery; he wasn’t home. He wasn’t in his bedroom in his father’s mansion, his room in his and Harumi’s apartment, his bed in the bounty, or his room in his Uncle Wu’s Monastery. He was surrounded by a sea of red and his own reflection became cloudy in the mirrored floors. 

He couldn’t help the way a multitude of questions overwhelmed his mind. Why would he be here? Was this just a dream? A nightmare? Did something happen to him? Did he–? 

He did his best to shake those thoughts from his head. He couldn’t waste time worrying about First Master knows what, he needed to find a way home or rather get himself to wake up. Though as much as willed for his feet to move, they remained planted right where they were when he first woke up. No matter how much he twisted, turned, pushed, or pulled his body there was nothing to show for it. 

“Okay,” he grumbled. It seemed like he was trapped here and with his feet planted here as well, which definitely gave him any kind of annoyance. 

He knew this world, he was a ninja, he was determined to get home; he needed to get home. 

So, he forced his foot forward pulling it from the tight grip it held onto him with. But he was stronger, he had to be. It wasn’t like he could just wait around for however long to be brought back home. He had to do this himself. Utilizing all of the strength he could muster, he pulled his right leg from the iron grip that desperately tried to keep it in place. He carefully placed his foot hopefully pulling him out from this death grip of an area. 

However, once his foot landed onto the floor the entire area around him opened and he fell into a black void; both his mind and person. 

This time his eyes slowly opened, every action from his person desired for them to remain closed. Everything about him was so tired, the way his muscles tensed at every action, the way his eyelids blinked away the dots that formed in his vision, or the throbbing pain in his head. 

But much to his dismay, he wasn’t home or in any kind of bed, he was strapped to a wooden chair. His eyes looked around as best he could. He was in some kind of basement, where only one light hanging from the ceiling served as the room’s only form of illumination. There were various different metal tables that surrounded the back corner of the room, while another chair sat adjacent to his right. Even if he was terrified of just how exactly he got there, he was relieved to know that he was alone. 

He swallowed his rising bile, doing his best to not lose his composure he was so very bent on maintaining. Lloyd leaned his head back against the chair hoping the pressure could somewhat calm his pounding headache; it didn’t. His lungs protested with every breath though there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. His forearms were strapped so tightly to the arms of this chair he was sure there would be marks across them. Still, he had to try and escape or at least contact the other ninja. But as Lloyd shifted in his seat, he felt his entire body tense and shake in protest. 

Something was wrong, though he couldn’t quite place it. 

It felt like something and it wasn’t the blood that continued to drip onto the floor.

But as much as his mind wanted to wander, he couldn’t allow himself to be sidetracked. He could only allow for one thing on his mind and it was to escape.

The rustling sound of metal echoed throughout the room, just before the sharp creaking from the door at the left hand side. 

The sight of white, blonde hair sent his heart into his shoes. He wasn’t alone. In fact, the one person who he never wanted to be in this predicament, let alone again sent his mind racing. How could she be here? Where were they? Was she okay? 

He failed her. Again. 

His body protested as he began pushing his body around backwards and forwards in an attempt to get free, but it made no use as he was met with a wave of purple and he fell against the floor. 

Lloyd’s eyes woke with a start within the mirrored world that surrounded him. His heart mere moments from pounding from his chest. Never in his life has his body ever felt like that, never in his life had he ever been so terrified. 

He knew there was a good chance he’d experienced some kind of deja vu, but he hoped it was just a dream.

It had to be. It needed to be. For his sanity and hers. 

Lloyd closed his eyes, finding peace within the comfort within the sheer fact that he wasn’t strapped to a chair, at constant worry he was about to throw up the contents of his last meal, or that Rumi wasn’t at risk of being subject to the same torture as he was. 

Never did he ever think this extension of his mind would ever provide any comfort, but here he was. 

Though that thought exploded as he felt someone place an albeit gentle hand on his shoulder.

He instantly jumped back, spinning to face who placed a hand onto his shoulder. Though at the sight of her, he instantly felt his vision grow cloudy and his heart stop. 

“Are– are you really here?” He stuttered, ignoring the way his heart stuttered. 

“I’ve never left you, Lloyd.” She smiled. 

For a moment he just stared back at her. Her coffee brown hair was the same as he remembered from all those years ago, her chocolate eyes were filled with the same amount of warmth as he continued to dream of. He thought he would never see her again, that his last memories of her would be her leaving out the front door to go on another expedition. But here she was, standing a mere foot away from him. 

He crashed into her, throwing his arms around her; pulling her as close to him as he could manage. It felt like a breath of fresh air, a warm hug, it felt like a treasure he’d finally found a treasure he had been searching for. 

She too pulled him close, savoring in each moment the mother and son were able to hold each other. The pair stood like that for a while, Lloyd not bothering to continue to blink back his tears like he did before, there was nothing that could stop the waterfall now. 

After some time, his mother stirred. She pulled back from him slightly, with her hands gingerly placed on his shoulders. 

“Sweetie, I’m not sure how much time we have.” Her eyes too had begun to swell with water. “There’s something we need to talk about.” 

Lloyd nodded. 

“There are three Oni Masks, you must prevent them from falling into the hands of–” She paused, her eyes searching him; almost as if she was choosing her words carefully. “Oni.” She finally said. “He will try to obtain them and with them he will be able to permanently alter the shape of our world, you must not let him get his hands on them, you must do everything in your power. Do you understand me, son?” 

Never in his life had he ever seen his mother so stern and so serious. Surely, he would have when he had become a ninja, but they unfortunately missed out on creating any more memories together. 

“I– wait? You mean the masks Rumi and I were given from the Royal Palace? What could he want with that weird thing?” 

“Yes, son.” She answered. “Please talk to your uncle, dear.” 

She placed one of her hands against his cheek, which Lloyd happily leaned into. He was so incredibly grateful to have these moments with her, but he couldn’t help but feel there was a large piece of the puzzle he was missing.

“Uncle Wu?” He asked, not daring to move away from her touch. 

“Yes, dear. Now, you need to wake up though. The others need you, I need you to share this with them.” 

“But we’ve barely had any time together.” He protested. 

“Oh, Lloyd.” She slid her thumb up and down his cheek. “We’ve had days together here.” 

“But–” He started, the words unable to form between his lips. “What does time look like here? Will what I saw happen? Is–” 

He could feel his thoughts practically explode from his head. He knew he barely knew what was happening, but this only solidified it within him. How was he supposed to know exactly what was going on? How was he expected to have any kind of understanding? The only thing this place brought him was fear. 

“Shhh.” She whispered, as she brought Lloyd’s forehead down somewhat to meet hers. “Shhh, all will make sense in due time. But Lloyd, you need to promise me that you will do whatever you can to prevent the Oni masks from falling into his hands.” 

He didn’t really know what she was asking him, how could Oni masks be used to evil and darkness? Surely they were the same as festival masks, but a deep pit had formed within his stomach. His mother wouldn’t make herself known to him especially here and not somewhere more pleasant. 

“I will, mom. I promise.” He nodded. 

Even if he didn’t have every piece of the puzzle, he could find just exactly what he was missing. Though he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d even start this entire process or how he would tell the rest of the ninja, Rumi, or his uncle. But he was determined to not let the last request of him from his mother be for nothing. 

She placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Her eyes locked onto him, seemingly taking him all in. He was sure he looked much different than he had all those years ago, while it was as if she had been in a time capsule, he had been subject to the world and all its misfortunes. 

“But before I go, before you go. Does you being here mean that you?” He trailed off. As much as he wanted to know, how much he needed to know, the words just seemed to die on his tongue. He was terrified of everything that she could say. He didn’t want to hear the form in which she had left him, but a part of him needed the possibility of everything to become just one thing. 

“Oh, Lloyd.” Her voice softened. It was like he was a child being comforted from a bad dream. “I never wanted to leave you, it wasn’t my choice. If I could have stayed with you, I would have.” 

Well that was cryptic. What was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to respond? What exactly happened on their last expedition? How many puzzle pieces was he missing? Too many to count it seemed. 

But before he could respond, his mother broke the brief silence. 

“Wake up, Lloyd. Wake up!” 

He shot up from his bed, his chest and abdomen instantly screaming in protest. But he didn’t care, he was more so occupied with the fact that his chest pounded and his breaths were as panicked and heavy. 

“Lloyd, Lloyd.” A voice broke through the terror in his mind. “Hey, hey. Easy now, follow my breaths.” He instructed and soon enough their breaths matched. 

It was after his heart rate and his lungs had relaxed when he took in just exactly where he was. Sterile white walls were in front of him, while the same blue cabinets lined the other side of the wall. He was home in the Monastery. 

He was met with a comforting, yet exhausted face of Kai. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were sunken, as deep shadows protruded underneath them. 

“Kai.” He croaked, though a part of him felt like it shouldn’t have sounded like this. After all, he had just spent First Master knows how long speaking with his mother while he was unconscious. 

“Here.” Kai came to his rescue, providing and helping him quench his thirst from his green water bottle. 

Lloyd had never drank so eagerly in his entire life. Once he was finished he wiped his mouth clean of what water had somehow managed to escape from the sides of his mouth. He looked up at Kai, who was still crouched over him. It looked as though he hadn’t left his side this entire time, which he did appreciate, but he wished the fire ninja would have taken some better care himself. 

“You look like shit.” Lloyd chuckled, hoping he could get some sort of positive, non worried reaction from his older friend. 

For a moment, Kai just stared back at him. His eyes were wide and slowly blinked back at him, but they eventually softened as he leaned back in his chair. 

“You should see yourself, greenie.” Kai chuckled, running his left hand through his hair. “You really scared us for a bit there, you know?” 

Lloyd leaned deeper into the pillow behind him. “I’m sorry.” 

It wasn’t like it was a lie, but he would go through this all again if it meant that she was okay, that his friends were okay, that his family was. First Master, he would even do it for citizens on the street that he had no idea who he was or hated his guts because that’s what it meant to be a ninja. 

Though he hated the idea of just how worried his little stint had made anyone, he hoped they understood where he was coming from that night, or that maybe no one had thought about it too indepthly. 

Kai sighed, taking Lloyd’s hand in his. “It’s okay, bud. None of us had seen it coming.” 

“I should have.” He mumbled. 

“It’s okay, Lloyd. Really, they slipped past all our noses.” He paused for a moment, before changing the subject. “Let’s get you some food, okay?” 

The young ninja watched as Kai picked himself off of the chair and headed out of the med bay. He allowed himself to slouch into the pillows behind him, thankful he didn’t have to force his body to keep him upright. But he couldn’t shake that he really should have known what would happen, that the Palace would have been attacked, that it would catch on fire, that he and the others would be forced to fight them at fifteen to one odds. 

But then it hit him. He had seen this before, months and months ago, but then it was nothing more than just a bad dream. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but here he was after the Jade Palace had exploded and the rug had been swept out from under all of them. 

He should have done something about it sooner, he should have realized what it had meant, but then it had just been a strange sense of deja vu. Now, it was much more complicated. His fears were in fact reality. His dreams felt real, the pain he endured scared his soul, and even the idea of sleeping was sometimes too much for him to bear. He had thought Rumi referring to it as ‘foresight’ was a bit dramatic, but maybe she was more right than he was. Could he really see the future? Or was it all just coincidence? He hoped it was the latter, but deep in his gut he knew it was pointless to hope. 

Maybe there was some way to keep him and Rumi from being kidnapped, from being forced under the water, from any of it really. But the question was how; how was he supposed to tell her, or the others? Was everything set in stone or was it subject to change? First Master, he had never expected he’d experience something like this, let alone anyone. 

“Guess who’s back with food!” Kai called out, sticking his head in. “And guess who I brought.” 

Lloyd’s head instantly perked up, hoping to see her familiar face, hoping to see that she was okay, and that she had made it out of this in better luck than he had. 

Zane popped his head in the room, following Kai. It wasn’t who he had been hoping to see, but he’d always enjoyed Zane’s company. 

“Glad to see you’re up, Lloyd.” Zane smiled, his blue eyes illuminating a shade brighter. Lloyd had seen those eyes all too much, knowing he was currently in the process of conducting a scan of his person. 

“How long have I been out?” Lloyd asked. 

“About five days, Lloyd. It’s Wednesday morning,” Zane replied. “Your levels seem much better as well, may I check your incision sight?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” he answered, sinking deeper into his pillow. 

Zane quickly checked underneath his bandages, before he rebandaged it, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Everything is looking better, Lloyd. Though I would try to avoid any kind of heavy activity or lifting for a while, your body is still recovering. So, just do your best to rest.” 

Kai snorted, which Lloyd did his best to ignore. “I’ll try, thank you Zane.” 

Zane nodded and headed out of the room, shutting the door gently. 

“Is Rumi okay?” Lloyd asked, his head snapping to Kai. 

“She took what happened pretty hard, but she’s been doing better. Her and Nya are outside training right now, but I think she likes us all, if not, she should be an actor.” Kai answered, fiddling with the soup spoon. 

He was taken aback somewhat, but was glad she seemed to be getting along well with everyone. “Oh. That’s good. Can I see her?”

“Yeah, but only after you eat and take some extra care of yourself.” Kai insisted, holding the soup spoon up to him. 

Lloyd just nodded and begrudgingly allowed Kai to spoon feed the bowl of congee Kai had gotten for him. He was thankful it stayed warm even though it took him a good extra twenty seconds to take each bite. He was grateful the others had done such a good job at taking care of him, but also of how well they were taking care of Rumi. 

Once his bowl was finished, Lloyd exhaled a deep sigh. Even though he wasn’t particularly hungry after waking up, that thought evaporated into thin air as he devoured the bowl Kai had brought him even if it was the slowest amount of time he had eaten. 

Kai began taking a brush to his hair, even taking the time to spray it with water to help remove tension from what he was sure were a thousand tangles. The two sat in silence for some time, Lloyd wasn’t sure why Kai was doing this necessarily. Surely he could have brushed his own hair, right? Or maybe he was more injured than he thought, why else would Kai willingly brush his hair? 

“You don’t have to brush my hair if you don’t want to.” Lloyd broke the silence, fiddling with the soft blanket over top of him. 

Kai paused, pulling back from the younger ninja. “Do you want me to stop? I can stop if you want me too, if it’s too much.”

“No, I just meant it if you didn’t want to anymore.” Lloyd clarified. “I know you probably have other stuff going on. So,” he trailed off. 

“I want to be here, Lloyd. I mean that and I would do it again and again.” The fire ninja paused. “And I think I speak for all of us when I say that we all care for you and will always take care of you.” He leaned forward to face Lloyd. Even if his eyes were exhausted he could see just how relieved the older ninja was that he had finally woken up. 

“I really care about you and the others too.” Lloyd whispered. He knew they were all friends and were all really close; they had been for years. But he was terrified that their friendship with him was considered a stepping stone. Maybe he was wrong for feeling that way or that he was terrified they would somehow grow indifferent towards him. 

“I know, buddy. I know.” Kai smiled, going back to brushing out the last few bits of the tangled mop that sat on his head. 

After his hair was brushed he took another greedily drink of water. Kai had offered to get Rumi and Lloyd just nodded. Though he didn’t think Kai missed the way his throat bobbed or the way his hands grew clammy before he left. So, he sat anxiously in his bed, doing his best to keep himself upright. He couldn’t allow himself to be exhausted or at least for her to see him like that. 

Suddenly, much to his surprise the door to the med bay was thrown open and his eyes met Harumi’s jade green eyes. By the red lines surrounding her irises he could tell that she had been crying, hopefully not over him. Her hair was damp and hardly brushed, she was wearing her green bunny slippers, along with a pair of gingham pajama pants, and one of his hoodies. Lloyd could feel the tips of his ears immediately increase in temperature, though he hoped it would just go unnoticed. 

It only took a few seconds for her to run to him, her arms instantly wrapping themselves around his neck as she buried her head into his shoulder. He did his best to resist wincing at the sudden movement, but a large part of him didn’t care about how much pain he was in, just that she was okay. 

“Oh Lloyd!” She cried into his shoulder. “I’ve been so worried about you, I’m so sorry about what happened. You– you got hurt because of me and I couldn’t do anything to help you.” 

He began stroking the back of her head. “Hey, hey. Shhh.” Lloyd held her as tightly as he could manage. “I’m okay, it’s not your fault. Okay?” He asked, lifting her head up to meet his. 

Harumi sniffled, quickly wiping her tears away. “Okay.” She whispered. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, his hand shaking overtop of hers. He wanted to intertwine them, but he couldn’t not after everything. That wasn’t fair and he couldn’t do that to her. 

She let out a soft chuckle. “Me? You’re the one who–” She stopped herself from continuing, looking down at his chest and abdomen. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She whispered. 

Lloyd let out a breath that he wasn’t sure he was holding, his body allowing himself to fully relax and share in an ounce of calm. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 

The pair sat awkwardly for a moment, Harumi still sitting on the edge of his bed and Lloyd couldn’t bear for her to leave their close proximity. He had so much he wanted to tell her and he had so much he wanted to ask her. But he wasn’t exactly sure what he should say or do to ease the tension that was knitted within her brows. He wasn’t the best with words, or thoughts, or feelings, but he had wanted for them to gain some relevance of understanding. 

“I’m sorry about lying to you.” He spoke finally. Lloyd hated the way his voice shook or the way the back of his eyes tensed with a waterfall he was determined to keep behind a dam. 

She shifted, her eyes staring at his hand as it rested across his stomach and blanket. “I don’t blame you. I understand why you did, FIrst Master, I would have too. I was mad and for a while too, but then I realized how much you and the others were going through; just how much fear and expectations were piled high onto your shoulders. I never expected you to be perfect for us to be, but I was scared we were going to lose what we had. She wiped a tear from her left side of her cheek. “I couldn’t lose you, Lloyd. I don’t know what I'd do.” 

He hesitantly placed his hand onto her cheek, doing his best to not let her see the cannula sticking out of his wrist. He placed his hand onto the side of her cheek, allowing his thumb to brush away some stray tears from her face. Much to his surprise and joy, she leaned into his hand. 

“I was scared that we’d lose it too, that I would lose you.” He whispered, his hand not leaving her cheek.

“You won’t lose me.” She nodded. 

“And you won’t lose me,” He answered. Though the two of them knew that they couldn’t exactly pretend they wouldn’t lose each other in the future or be separated, the sheer notion was seemingly enough for both of them. 

“Can I stay here?” She asked. 

“Of course.” He answered. 

Lloyd scooted over to the side of the bed, creating enough room for her to lay next to him. He knew it was a long shot, but much to his relief she slid in next to him, though she remained on her side, allowing him to have more space than herself. Typical, Rumi. He thought to himself. The pair leaned into each other, allowing their heads to rest on the other. And for the first time in months the two of them were able to rest somewhat peacefully. Though he wasn’t sure how long it would last. 

Chapter Text

Lloyd wasn’t sure how much the others would believe him let alone his uncle, but he had to figure out what his mother meant. He took an instinctive deep breath at the thought of her, causing a sharp pain to erupt throughout his chest and abdomen. 

Ugh, he really wasn’t going to get used to this. 

The thought of his mom being out there somewhere, alone, lost, and far from home was almost enough to turn him into a kid again. Her last moments of life were a mystery to him, but she had given him a mission and he wasn’t going to make her last wish to him be in vain. 

The fact he had to wait for the others only added to his anxiety, while the steady beeping of his heart monitor to his left made him want to tear his hair out. He understood Zane and Pixal’s point of view, but he was over it. He’d been awake for three days, after all, so surely it was enough to warrant being in his own room and bed. The stale white walls, the smell of disinfectant, and the horrid fluorescent lights did nothing to aid in his recovery. 

So, here he sat in almost complete silence while he awaited the arrival of his team, uncle, and hopefully Rumi. Hundreds of questions flooded his mind; most of them had to deal with the fact he had no idea how everyone was going to react or how he was going to explain anything and everything. 

Piece of cake, really. He snorted. 

He had to make sure this was going to go well especially when the entirety of Ninjago depended on it. Though he needed to understand what exactly had happened from his uncle, if he was feeling inclined to share. 

Ugh, his head fell back onto the pillow. How was he expected to understand and interpret what his mother had told him when he didn’t even have all the pieces? Lloyd hated puzzles and even more so when pieces were missing. He was a part of a race where the other players were given a fresh start. As if this entire mess couldn’t get any harder. 

A soft knock echoed throughout the room, waking him from his thoughts. 

“Come in,” he called back, though it might have been softer for anyone to hear. 

But to Lloyd’s surprise, Harumi’s head peaked through the doorway. And he couldn’t help, but smile at the sight of her. Maybe things would be okay after all, maybe he didn’t have to worry, because at least she was with him through this. 

“I didn’t know if you wanted some company before you, you know.” She gestured, taking her usual seat on his bedside. 

“You mean the fact that my whole surrogate family will think I’m crazy after I tell them?” He chuckled, but the laugh quickly died between his lips. Lloyd had never referred to them as his family, but he couldn’t escape the truth anymore even if he wanted to. 

The young ninja looked to his pale hands, chipping away at his fingernails. He didn’t know what he was going to do, just that he might end up losing the people who meant the most to him. He couldn’t go back to live with his father, maybe he could run away, but he couldn’t do that to Rumi or his friends. So, his hope hindered onto them and their reactions. 

A warm presence made herself known, as Rumi placed a gentle hand onto his. Lloyd’s emerald green eyes couldn’t help but meet her jade green eyes. He had never seen eyes filled with such warmth or care and he couldn’t help but stare deeper and deeper into them. 

“They love you, Lloyd.” A warm smile appeared between her lips. “I see it every day and I’m sure you do too. I mean Kai didn’t leave your side for days, Zane is always cooking your favorite foods, Nya is spending her spare time training me, Jay always makes sure your bedside table is stocked with candy and a charged gaming console, Cole is always making sure you have a fresh set of clean clothes and sheets, Pixal is working on upgrading all your vehicles and suits, and Wu is in here every night.” 

She eyed him carefully and when she didn’t respond, Rumi leaned in closer to him. “I mean it, Lloyd. You have to know that.” 

Did he know that she meant it? Yes and no. He knew Harumi had spent more time with everyone, especially since all of their secret identities had been revealed. But he was still terrified. He was so unbelievably scared that he would lose them just like he basically lost his father all those years ago. Would all his family members be the same? Would they consider him worthless like his father did? 

He couldn’t even bring himself to nod. He couldn’t jinx it, he couldn’t risk the disappointment that would flood their eyes, that would push them further and further away from each other. 

“Lloyd?” Her voice was so incredibly sweet and kind, it was almost nauseating. How did he deserve her? He didn’t really know, but he felt so entirely relieved that he wasn’t going through this alone. If a princess believed him, surely the people who he’d spent the better part of a day with would too. Right? 

He sighed. “I know. It’s– It’s just hard to know. You know?” He stuttered. The words that left his mouth felt clunky at best. He didn’t know what he was talking about or if any of this made sense. 

“I know what you mean.” She smiled. “It’ll be okay, though. I promise.” 

Lloyd nodded, turning back towards his hands which had now become uncomfortably clammy. 

“So how’s everything been with the other ninja or when they search?” Lloyd asked. Ever since he woke up from his long nap, Rumi had clearly been avoiding the topic around not just the ninja, but her family as well. He couldn’t blame her, but if Lloyd couldn’t let his mind wander, neither could he allow hers. 

He looked to her, waiting patiently for an answer, but it never came. 

“I understand you might not want to talk about it, but I’m here if you want to talk. Okay?”

“Okay.” She answered finally after some time, a clearly forced smile appearing across her lips. 

Lloyd nodded, turning back to his hands. Maybe the biggest thing he should be worried about is keeping his mouth shut. 

Thankfully, a knock broke the suffocating silence between the two of them. 

“You two, okay?” Nya called out, her head barely poking through the door. 

“Yeah!” Rumi called back, her voice suddenly enthusiastic and full of life. He swore he heard her voice falter somewhat, but he couldn’t say anything. Not now anyways. 

Nya popped into the med bay, followed closely by Jay. Nya sat at the edge of his bed, while Jay sat to the left of him. 

“Soooo.” Jay teased, leaning closer to Lloyd. “You two talk about anything interesting?” His eyes darted between the two of them. 

Lloyd instinctively looked at Harumi, hoping she would say something, but it seemed she too looked at him. They stared at each other awkwardly, both seemingly unsure of what the two of them should say. Lloyd wracked his brain for something to say, but he had never been good at lying to them. 

“Ohhhh all that, huh?” The lightning ninja smirked, but much to Lloyd’s chagrin it earned him a punch in the shoulder from Nya. 

“Oh leave them alone.” She laughed, but it was a laugh that also gave off the impression that she wanted to know what the two of them talked about. Though he was thankful nonetheless.

So, instead he just opted for playfully rolling his eyes. “Yeah, Jay. We have business to attend to.” 

“You’re lucky you're still hurt.” Jay chuckled, leaning one of his arms on the bed.        

It had barely taken five minutes before the rest of the team had crammed their way into the med bay, which in Lloyd’s eyes was very well nearing capacity. Though he didn't seem to mind it, he enjoyed spending time with everyone and this was the first time he had really gotten to spend it with everyone together. So, what was a cramped room where he was going to be sharing probably his biggest secret. Of course, minus the fact he had a secret identity; though everyone in this room knew it. 

“Okay, nephew.” His Uncle Wu, who was sitting directly across from him at the foot of his bed, began. “We’re all here, what did you want to share with us?” 

Lloyd instinctively took a deep breath. While Harumi’s hand instantly curled around his and offered him a warm smile.

“It’s okay. You got this, I’ll be right here with you the whole time.” She squeezed his hand tighter.

It wasn’t like he could avoid this forever, so he nodded and took a deep breath. 

“Okay, so for the past few months I’ve been having a lot of strange dreams and I didn’t know what they meant, but I think I have somewhat of an idea now.” 

He carefully looked at the others, only continuing as he saw each of them nod. 

“It started off with feeling like I missed something when we faced Oni’s men and helped get them arrested. I saw things I never noticed before, but then the dreams became violent and real. I would wake up feeling like I couldn’t breathe, but the thing is–” He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. “I saw things; things that would end up happening.” 

“Could it have been deja vu? Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen things before they’ve happened too.” Cole offered his reassurances.

Lloyd just shook his head. 

“That’s what I thought too, but it became and grew to be a lot more at. I saw what happened in Kryptarium Prison, I saw what happened to me and Harumi, and I saw what happened at the Palace.” I knew what was going to happen and when it was going to happen.” 

“Wait.” Kai held up a hand. “What happened to you and Harumi?” 

He took a deep breath. “Well the same night they broke out of Kryptarium, someone presumably connected to Oni attacked us. We got away, obviously, but not without some bumps and bruises.” 

Lloyd chose to ignore the way Harumi snickered at him. 

“That was months ago! Why didn’t you say anything?” Nya asked, a stern look appeared quickly across her face. 

“I decided not to because I knew Zane would have to report it to Hutchins, which meant that Harumi would be taken back to the Palace. And I didn’t want to take away her first chance at freedom.” He answered. 

“But you could have told us.” 

“You were dealing with a bunch of guys at Kryptarium there’s no way I would after what all of you experienced. I know for a fact it wasn’t easy.” He shrugged, doing his best to hide the wince. 

“Wait–” Zane interjected. “What did you see, exactly? 

Lloyd wracked his brain as he tried to remember what exactly he saw before he began. “I saw the watchtower at Kryptarium Prison and the way Killow was attacking Cole, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I saw the woman with her kunais and felt the pain each of them caused. It was almost too much, but I couldn’t escape it. Each night I saw it all over and over again.”

“But, it didn’t stop there.” He continued before anyone could ask any questions. “I also saw and felt the fire from the Jade Palace attack. I could see myself and Harumi in the same exact place as where we were. The way the tapestries burned were the same, the way the walls were charred were all the same. I dreamt I was drowning, that I was trapped in an endless ocean and I couldn’t even break out of the water. I saw men with purple snake tattoos and–” The young ninja paused, unsure of whether or not he should share his last vision. How could he trust that they would let him leave the Monastery, it wasn't like he knew the lead up of how it would happen, just that it would. 

“Did you see anything while you were asleep?” Cole asked, from the wall opposite of himself. 

“I did. I spoke with my mom.” Lloyd could feel their jaws dropping as though they didn't believe him, but he continued. “She said Oni was after three Oni masks. With them he’ll have the power to alter the world and not for the better. It’s imperative we get them before he does, though I think he’s already ahead of us with one.”

Lloyd paused taking in the room. “None of you believe me.” 

“It is hard to believe.” Nya broke the heavy silence. “But if it’s what you think the next move is, I believe in you.” 

“Diddo,” added Jay. 

“Me too,” nodded Cole.

“Though I believe this is all highly improbable, we are a team and we must stand united as such.” Zane answered. 

“I too, agree.” Pix stated. 

Each of their eyes turned to Kai, whose arms were leaning against the back of the chair. “Look– I–” The two brothers made eye contact with each other, emerald eyes meeting his amber. Lloyd could see just how conflicted the master of fire was, but was grateful when he eventually caved. “Okay, fine. But you’re being checked over again for a concussion.”

“Duly noted.” Lloyd smiled. 

He noticed everyone’s gaze turned to Harumi. 

She shrugged. “I think you all know my opinion on this.” She smiled. 

With that, Lloyd squeezed her hand tighter as he turned to meet his uncle. Master Wu was white knuckle gripping his bamboo staff, his head downturned, but he made no effort to meet Lloyd’s or any of the other ninja’s. 

“Master?” Lloyd asked. He couldn’t help the way his voice wavered. 

“If what you saw is true Lloyd then I fear each of us must prepare for the battle of a lifetime.” He stated.

“Sensei?” Zane asked.

Their Sensei cleared his throat. “This is what your mother and I feared, it’s what the two of us left to protect. But it seemed our efforts and her sacrifice were in vain.” 

Lloyd couldn’t believe what he was saying. How long has this been kept from him? What exactly were he and his mother doing? And where was his father during all of this?

“It all started a long time ago…” His uncle began.

Chapter Text

“Wu?” A familiar feminine voice asked, lifting the young master from his thoughts. 

His eyes looked up to find her, Misako. He never thought he’d see her again, not since she had gone on to become a famous Archeologist and Professor. She was wearing her signature golden glasses, braid, and warm eyes were the only thing he could recall from their days at the academy. Though, she still appeared to be the same Misako that he came to know and care about. She still had that desire for knowledge in her eyes and a confidence that rivaled even his brother’s. 

“Misako?” He couldn’t help but ignore the way his voice warmed instantly at the sight of her. It was like a candle had been relit, as if its soft glow had illuminated a once dark room. 

“Well aren’t you a sight?” She smiled, pulling him to his feet and wrapping herself around him and he had no choice but to return it. Her presence really was equivalent to that of a warm hug and it was one he couldn’t bear to let go of. 

But not everything lasts as the two pull away from each other. Though the smile that had appeared across his lips couldn’t be extinguished, not that easily. Looking at her here, it was clear that she had deep crescent moons underneath her eyes, which were only accented by a deeper purple. 

“I could say the same for yourself.” He chuckled. “How have you been? I hope the Explorer’s guild has been treating you well.” 

“Oh, as well as any entry profession.” She shrugged, but Wu knew she was being modest. After all, out of him, his brother, and Misako, he was the one who had stayed home to carry out the duties of Master of the Monastery. He couldn’t deny his father’s final request, even if he dreamed of running far from Ninjago. 

 “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he hummed. 

He briefly turned his gaze to the books she had set down on the table he had been sitting at. A pile of books wasn’t anything new in her arsenal, but he couldn't help but study the large book resting on top of the stack. 

‘The Oni, an Anthology’

Wu couldn’t help that a part of him wanted to laugh at the fact that the smartest person he knew was seemingly pouring herself into books about bedtime stories. He remembered being terrified as a young boy, but his father had always reassured him; they were nothing more than stories. 

Misako’s own gaze followed Wu’s and for a moment they were both staring into this anthology of legendary demons who were the embodiment of evil and fear. For a second, Wu thought she was going to laugh over the fact. That she would laugh and she would share how it was just over a lecture she was preparing to give her students. 

But the laugh never came. In fact, she appeared to grow even more serious. She looked away from him, her eyes darting between the book and the floor. It was almost like she was embarrassed? No, Misako never had anything to be embarrassed about. This was something much greater, something that Wu should have ignored looking back. But how could he? So, his feet stayed glued to the floor panels beneath him. 

He stared at her for some time, waiting for what she was going to say, waiting for whatever she had to stay. Instead, she turned to leave; to walk out the door, for everything they had to catch up on was. It was like she had given up or he wasn’t privy to the same knowledge she was. 

This was not the Misako he remembered. 

“Misako?” He broke the heavy silence between them. He couldn’t let her go, especially not after seeing the unrest within the windows to her soul. She couldn’t leave and he couldn't leave her. It had been years since they had seen each other and he wasn’t going to let the next time be a greater amount of time. He owed it to the both of them, to their friendship, to their history. 

“If there’s anything you want to talk about.” He reached for her shoulder, gripping it gently. How could all the air within the room have been sucked out? How could only a few years pass change the person he was once closest to in the world? He couldn’t live with himself if he let her go out that door, not without some kind of explanation. 

He wasn’t the type to give up easily, especially not with her. 

“Misako?” He asked again. Wu avoided thinking about the way his voice slightly shook. 

To his relief, she turned around to face him. She looked like she did all those years ago, her eyes wide and her cheeks were slightly red. She looks just like they did at thirteen; wide eyed, bright, and terrified for what was to come. But just like they were at thirteen, they were going to go through whatever it was together. 

Wu waited for what seemed like an eternity for her to break the silence, for him to be allowed access to whatever thoughts swirled around her brain. 

“You won’t believe me.” She whispered and Wu had to crane his neck to hear her clearly. She shook her head slightly, as she spoke. 

“Misako, you are my closest friend. Of course I’ll believe you.” He smiled. He hoped she was okay with the fact he used present tense when referring to them and their friendship, but he couldn’t bear to lie to her. She was his best and closest person to him. He hadn’t even seen his own brother in years, but the real presence he missed was her’s. 

She smiled at that, much to his relief. She hesitantly nodded and he followed her as she led him to a table and chairs within the back of the library. It was surrounded by a plethora of various different books and was illuminated by one low hanging light directly atop the table.

The table was littered with a multitude of various different books and journals, each of them sat open to what looked like a specific page. He sat down in the seat across from where most of the journals and other research sat; Misako took that seat.

“You remember the Oni?” She asked, her gaze was now glued to him. As if she wouldn’t dare to remove it from him. 

“Of course.” He simply answered. He wanted, no he needed to get and understand as much as he could about what had plagued Misako’s mind. 

“The legends of them are true.” She stated. 

For a long second the two friends just seemed to stare at each other. Wu, for the first time in his life, couldn't seem to formulate a response. There was no possible way the stories of his childhood were real, much less were believed to be true by the woman sitting across from him. But the more he stared across at Misako, the more his heart sank into his stomach. She looked so serious, like everything within these texts were worth his weight in gold and then some. He couldn’t believe what she was saying, but deep down he couldn’t go against her and her desires. So, even though he didn’t believe her, Wu just nodded. 

“You don’t believe me,” Misako stated flatly. 

“I– It’s hard to believe.” He stuttered. He knew he couldn’t hide much from her after all their years together and she knew it too. 

She hummed, her eyes turning back to her work. It seemed he lost her again, but as selfish as it was he couldn’t lose her again. 

“But I believe in you , Misako and I’ll help you with whatever your research may be.” He knew it was a longshot, but he could never lie to her and he couldn’t leave her alone to face whatever it was she was researching. 

She smiled at that, looking up to face his eyes. “Well I could use some help. That is, if you don’t mind.” 

Wu happily took the invitation and opened a large book to his right. Though upon skimming the text he painfully realized he was out of his element, but he couldn’t put off what he promised her. It was his duty to see it through. 

“What exactly am I looking for?” While the benefits of legends were not lost on the young master, however he wasn’t exactly sure what the two of them were researching. 

He studied the way Misako paused, her hand frozen in place along the page. It almost seemed like she was debating on how exactly she should share the information weighing on her mind. 

“The three Oni Masks.” She whispered, before turning back to the book beneath her hand. 

Wu wanted to know more about them, what exactly were these ‘Oni Masks’? And why were they so important? What about them did Misako desire? But he stopped his tongue from slipping. It seemed as though she was done speaking, like she was bored of all things outside of the words within her page. So, he forcibly turned his head back to his own readings in front of him and hopefully one of them would find the information soon.

The sound of porcelain clinking against each other shook Wu from the book beneath his head that for a brief moment served as his pillow. 

“What?” He startled for a moment, before immediately relaxing into the back of the chair. “Oh, Misako. You scared me.” He laughed. 

“And here I thought you’d still be reading the passage like you said you would.” She tilted her head at him and Wu couldn’t help but stare into her chocolate brown eyes or the way her smile brightened the room. 

Wu forced himself to look away from her even though his heart desperately pleaded with his mind. He couldn’t lose focus, not now, not ever. It would be a disservice to himself, Misako, his family, and the entirety of Ninjago. So, Wu forced his gaze back to the thick text in front of him. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he shrugged. Though he knew just how exhaustion pulled at both him and Misako. The two of them were on day 465 in total of research within the Library of Domu, though it failed to include the amount of research and time they spent working outside of this secluded library. 

Misako hummed, before allowing herself to sit in the seat across from him. The pair sat in silence while Wu poured himself over the text in front of him and while Misako poured the two of them a cup of tea. 

The text in front of Wu so far offered no relative information, much less anything new. Its contents shared bits and pieces of the legend of the Oni and the Dragon and what little was known about their abilities. However, just like all legends, the knowledge of said beasts was often dependant on who was asked. 

Wu leaned his head over the back of the chair, the walnut wood poking deep into the nape of his neck. Oh how he wished he could be running the Monastery’s training course for the thousandth time; at least his brain and eyes would receive some kind of break. 

“Tea?” She asked, a white and blue porcelain teacup and saucer rested with her hand and palm. 

“Depends, is it caffeinated?” He looked up, as one of his eyebrows raised slightly. Though he didn’t care about whether it was or not, if he was being honest to himself. At least his mind would have something to focus on rather than miles and miles of text. 

“Was there ever any doubt?” She smirked, placing the saucer and teacup to his left. 

She quickly made herself a cup of tea before sitting back down into the uncomfortable wooden seat across from him. Misako carefully lifted the cup to her lips, taking a small sip from it. 

Wu darted his eyes from it, from her, from everything. It was almost enough to make him lose every sense of his composure, every ounce of restraint he had built for all these years. And it wasn’t like the two of them didn’t have more time. So, the young master forced his eyes back into his book. 

He took a glutinous drink of his tea, the hot liquid travelling quickly down his throat; offering a warm hug throughout his entire person. It didn’t do much in the moment to satisfy his sleep deprived person, but it was enough to keep his eyelids from drooping. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t know what to say. The two of them used to have so much to share, but now the only interesting things between them were the mountain of tomes. So, he shut it. Maybe his father would reprimand it, using this as some kind of lesson on how communication is the foundation of friendships or something along those lines. But how was he supposed to talk to her when she hardly seemed interested in what he had to say if didn’t have to deal with the Oni. 

She hummed looking up to him. Here, he could see just how much her downturned glare hid just how exhausted she looked. He could clearly see the deep lines and colors under her eyes, but they looked so much fuller than he had ever seen them; there was a newfound light present. 

Wu weighed his options. He could say it was nothing, allowing the two of them to turn back to their reading or he could find some way to connect. The young master swallowed, a soft smile forming across his lips. 

“I was wondering if you’d like to go to the tea shop by the academy?” He looked at her, an unease eating away at his stomach. Though she just tilted her head at him and before she could respond, he did his best to ease the tension. “I was just thinking it might be nice to talk without having to–” he gestured to the books in front of them. 

Though to his surprise, she laughed. That same warm, inviting, care-free laugh that he had always loved, that his ears had not heard in so many years. He must look like some kind of fool now, but he didn’t mind like he thought he would. All that mattered to him now was just that he had gotten to hear her sweet laugh and be reminded of her smile. 

“If you want to talk now, we can,” she laughed. “I’m sure another hundred or so books wouldn’t mind if we take a small break.” 

Wu smiled, but a part of him broke on the inside. For a second it didn’t matter that he heard her laugh or seen her smile, but instead he only wished his younger self had done something to keep them from separating. Now, he really didn’t know what to say so he turned his attention briefly to his tea, taking a brief sip. 

“How was your most recent archaeological expedition?” 

“Ah, it was thrilling. Though the most we uncovered were ancient pottery sherds and a variety of ancient stone tools. One of my mentors at the Explorer’s Club hypothesizes they could be from the First Spinjitzu Master Era.” She explained. “In fact, I’m glad you brought up talking to each other, I know how close we were all those years ago, so I wanted to talk to you especially since–” She trailed off for a moment and for that moment Wu felt his heart beat in his throat. Could she feel the same way as he did?

“Garmadon was there, he went with me.” 

And just for that moment he had a chance, because now that hope had been obliterated. 

“It wasn’t supposed to happen, but when you spend months together at a dig, you grow closer and well; First Master, I don’t really know how to say this,” she rambled. “And I know how the two of you fought the last time you saw each other, but I think I love him, Wu, more than I had ever loved anyone. I’d understand if you stopped helping me, or if you left, or–” She trailed off, her voice, her demeanor, everything about her person had changed within this moment and even if Wu’s heart had sunk into his feet. 

He placed a comforting hand overtop of hers, the words pouring out of him faster than he could think of them. 

“Misako, I could never be mad at you over something like this. My brother and I’s issues are ours and ours alone, not yours. I am only glad you have found someone who makes you feel this way. Thank you for telling me,” he smiled. Even if a large part of him longed to be with her, a larger part of him was just happy for her. 

“Oh, Wu. Thank you.” She breathed a sigh of relief, taking his hand into hers. “I’m so glad everything will be okay with us.” 

He wasn’t sure if things really would remain okay between the three of them, but he hoped that maybe he and his brother could somehow reconnect, just like he and Misako did. It seemed everything, for a brief moment, was looking up for them.

Their trips to the Library of Domu soon growed to be less and less frequent. Misako was put on bedrest, as she and his brother Garmadon spent time preparing for the arrival of their son. So, Wu offered to spend his free time rummaging through various different books and scrolls hidden within the wooden shelves of the library. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t offered the two of them to help prepare for the arrival of their newest family member, but Misako insisted they had it covered and his presence within the library was of better use to them. But his brother had continued to glare and almost look down on him. It was like they were still barely grown and he still had to be the one father appreciated. Wu shook his head. He couldn’t focus on the past. The issues present between him and Garmadon were not the problems between himself, Misako, and his unborn nephew. 

The young master’s time was predominantly spent within the Library of Domu or taking care of his father’s monastery. It wasn’t the most exciting life he had envisioned for himself as a young boy, but it was more fulfilling than anything he could have dreamt. 

He focused on the pages in front of him diving deeper into the text. This particular scroll was much older than the ones he had ever seen and the ones he had spent his entire life studying. The page was worn and in several sections looked as if it was close to being ripped in two. His hands gently examined the long page in front of him. The characters within the page were older than he thought they’d be; one from a different age, one his father had taught him. Maybe this was another legend he had already read or maybe it was an indication he had grown closer to the knowledge the two friends had spent years seeking. 

The scroll told of a time long before it had a name where a realm far away from them was home to both the Oni and the Dragon. Two powerful, mythical beings who were said to possess extraordinary powers that could shake the very rock beneath them. It was just as his father had said, what he as a young boy feared. 

The Oni and the Dragon were constantly at war with each other, each fighting for the greatest purpose they had to offer. The Oni sought out for destruction, their powers could break away and decay every part of their surroundings. While the Dragon fought for the ability within the world to create, their powers could raise mountains, oceans, winds, the options of creation were endless. 

Though as the two warring sides fought for control, a child was born of both Oni and Dragon. He was said to be the perfect balance between both destruction and creation. However, in order to fight for the balance he was forced to leave their realm and help create a new one. This world, he vowed, would be a balance between the opposing forces. It would be one his ancestors and future children would find and adore. It would be a world for everyone, a world that rivaled his home. 

This story was oddly confusing, but there was something eerily similar about it. Something about the characters on the page spoke out to him, pulled at him. And he was forced to not take his eyes off the pages in front of him. Maybe this was it, maybe it was the beginning. He didn’t really know what it was or what it meant, but then he spotted it. 

There at the bottom of the page he could see them. The masks they were looking for. The first Oni wore a red mask and to the man’s shock had four separate arms. It was almost like he was looking at some horrifying creator, the spawn of nightmares. He turned his gaze to the second Oni, who was much, much larger and bore an orange mask. Finally, he looked at the last Oni, who was wearing a purple mask. Though it wasn’t the only image along the page, for there was a green loong dragon, who circled the three Oni. 

This was it. This was what they were looking for or at least a part of it. He knew of them, he knew of their legend. He knew what exactly to look for. This was a sign, a sign of what; he did not know, but a sign nonetheless. 

He wanted to send for Misako, for her eyes to gaze upon this scroll, but he stopped his thoughts. He couldn’t continue, he couldn’t reach out to her over something he was sure she already knew. She was living her peace and it was a peace he could not shatter. So, he turned back to the scroll, practically drinking it in. When she returned to their weekly escapades to the library, he would spill every bit of knowledge and writing as he could. 

The more texts and words his eyes took in, the more he searched for. He would find something, he would find the ‘what’ that she was looking for. He would find the masks and the mystery exuded. 

His hours within the library would quickly outweigh the hours home. At times the monastery was a dream to him, a part of him, of who he was. Wu knew just how much his father would scold him, how he was searching for something he didn’t know even existed. All the while he ignored his own past, as if it were beneath him. It was almost laughable and if he was Garmadon, he wouldn’t stop his brother from laughing. 

But the sheer possibility of what might be, is greater than the reality one is trapped in. 

It would be four years till he found something else that indicated anything of the Oni masks, though it wasn’t of where they were, but rather a warning. 

The pages told of the three masks that exuded the powers of the three Oni warlords. It told of how twisted they would become, it told of how it would poison the bearer, but it also told how the locations of said masks would tear at a person’s soul, that whatever ritual the three masks would allow them to perform, it would never outweigh the pain caused from said masks. 

His heart dropped. Why had Misako been looking for them? What was so important about them? Ritual? She had never felt like more of a mystery to him, just as the pages beneath him. Why did he recognize the way the characters were written? Why did it remind him of– 

No, it couldn’t be. How did his father know of these masks? Of the ritual? But it made sense. His father was a man of mystery to him, much like the rest of Ninjago. Wu didn’t know what exactly he would do next except for searching for some kind of inkling of a map and he would find a way to somehow convince Misako to abandon her search.

It was another two years till he found something that resembled a map, even the fact that the small stone idols resembled each of the masks he had seen within the scroll. He knew what he had to do as he carefully wrapped each stone within a white piece of cloth and placed them within his satchel. He then placed each scroll and text he had somehow managed to find. 

The long walk to their home gave him enough time for him to think of what exactly he should say, but maybe the warning would be enough for them. Maybe he and his brother would reconnect, maybe things would be okay between them. Though it was not lost on him that he had a nephew there as well, so he decided to stop for a small bag of rainbow sweets. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it served as some kind of peace offering. 

Much to his surprise their home was larger than he had pictured. Much larger than their father’s traditional monastery. During their anger-filled parting, his brother had said he had no desire to continue their father’s legacy or any part of his teachings. His home wasn’t surprising, but it still burned a hole into his chest. 

He knocked onto the heavy walnut doors, his breath catching as it opened. But he was not met with Garmadon or Misako, but a small boy with a head of blonde hair. He stared into the boy’s eyes, a tint of green sent the master’s eyes wide. 

“Hello?” The boy asked, hiding his head behind the doors that towered over him. 

“Good evening, young one. I’m uncle, Wu. I have come to speak with your mother.” 

The young boy turned behind him, a loud yell echoing throughout the home. “Mom! Someone named Wu!” He turned back to Wu, the majority of his body remaining hidden by the doors. “I’m Lloyd.” 

But Wu hadn’t been given the chance to respond, as Misako was at the door pulling it open. 

“Lloyd, what have we said about not answering the door?” 

“Sorry, mama,” Lloyd answered. 

She sighed, turning to face him. “Wu! Please come in! Unfortunately, Gardmadon is away on business, but please come in.” 

He graciously accepted her invitation, entering the home. It was decorated from top to bottom in various different photos and other items of decor, Wu assumed she had found from various different flea markets and antique stores. 

“I have a gift for young Lloyd, if that’s alright?” He asked, taking in the young boy in his entire person. He was wearing a pair of light green overalls, overtop a striped shirt. He was wearing little dragon slippers and nodded eagerly at the mention of a gift. 

“Of course.” She answered, a soft chuckle filling her words. Though her smile seemed to die as she saw the bag of candies. ‘Really?’ she mouthed.

“Yay!! Thank you!! You’re my favorite uncle!” The young boy exclaimed, eagerly opening the bag and shoving a small handful of three candies into his mouth. 

“Alright, Lloyd. Why don’t you go play with your toys while your uncle and I talk?” She suggested. 

“Awe, okay.” Lloyd pouted, before taking himself and the bag of candies into a room over. 

Wu stared at the boy in awe. There was something about him that left a mark on him, it wasn’t just because he had met his nephew for the first time, but something deeper that he would understand in several years to come. 

“Come this way,” she said, leading Wu into the closest door to their right. Based on the large desk and the multitude of various different books, it must have been her office. Or at least some kind of study. “Tea?” 

Wu nodded. He watched carefully as she poured the tea into teacups for the both of them. How was he supposed to ask her what this meant? How was he supposed to warn her of a danger the two of them were facing down the barrel of. 

He watched her carefully as she stirred a small spoonful of honey into her tea. The soft clinking of the teaspoon and porcelain teacup rang throughout the room. 

“So,” she broke the silence. “How have you been?” 

It wasn’t a personable question. It was a question one would say to their acquaintance, not one of their closest friends, but maybe that’s what the two of them had become. But instead he swallowed the lump that had formed within his throat. 

“Fine, how have you been?” He asked, staring deeper into his tea. 

“Busy, she said flatly. “But Lloyd’s wonderful, isn’t he? I never thought about settling down, but he makes me want to spend all my time here with him.” A soft smile encroached between her lips and a warm glint present within her eyes. He had never seen her like this and he wanted to see her like this for the rest of their time within Ninjago. 

Instead, Wu hummed, taking a small sip of his tea. The two sat with each other, in a steady silence. 

“I need to talk to you about the Oni Masks.” The words were heavy on his tongue. “I found something.” 

Her eyes lit up immediately. “You found the map?” 

He sighed, choosing his next words carefully. “No, but I did find a scroll of my father’s, it’s a warning. A warning of how dangerous these masks are and how they have the power to ruin all of Ninjago.” She didn’t need to know that he found each of the clues. 

Her eyes sank, but she shook her head and rolled her shoulders back. “It’s alright, little is known about them and they are a legend, after all.” It seemed she too was choosing her words carefully. 

“Misako, he has other scrolls. Each of them–” He attempted to reason.

“Do they give some kind of clue as to where they are or just what might happen if they are really cursed.” She interrupted and as he stared into her eyes, he could see the desire returning. It was a look he had never seen from her and it was one he didn’t want to see again. 

He sighed. “Misako, these masks are dangerous. Think of yourself, of Garmadon, of your son.” But just as the words left his mouth, he knew it was a mistake. 

“Don’t bring him up. You have no right to.” She snapped. “If you’re not here to share what you have learned and where the masks might be, please leave.” 

For a moment Wu stared blankly at her. He had never imagined the two of them would fight with each other, but he hadn’t had the energy to fight, so he swallowed his words. Slowly, he utilized his bamboo staff to bring him to his feet. 

“If the danger my father speaks of is true, I hope you are prepared for the horrors you are about to bring into the world.” With that he left, the last words he had ever said to his dear friend were out of anger. The last time he’d ever see her was a part of some desperate plea to keep her from unleashing a can of worms onto herself, her family, and the entirety of Ninjago. 

It wasn’t until a couple of years later, where he had learned of her passing. It was so sudden, he hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye, or the chance to rekindle any part of their friendship. It was as if his soul was sucked out of him, like a part of him died. 

He wasn’t sure how she had passed on, but he feared it was connected to the Oni masks. He had spent all these years wondering if they truly had some reason to do with her death, but in this moment staring in front of the ninja, in front of his nephew, and the princess of Ninjago that his fears were confirmed. 

Chapter Text

Harumi carefully slid the knife across the onion, chopping it into small, uneven pieces. It wasn’t like she was a professional chef or anything, but the fact she was even trusted in the kitchen was enough for her. It brought her back to those nights where she’d sneak into the kitchen, looking for some kind of sweet treat to hold her over till morning. Her favorite chef, Mary had always made her extra dessert and kept it hidden in one of the smaller fridges along with writing her a special note. Each night they’d write back and forth to each other until, well, until Harumi had to leave. It’s not like she would trade her time away or anything of the sort, but she missed those special moments. 

She missed moments where she and Raya spent time together, or the little notes Mary had left for her, or the moments where she and her parents laughed over dinner, or the gentle sound of the waterfall, or the energetic songbirds that woke her with their song. It was odd that in this moment, while cutting an onion that she longed for the tall walls of the Palace. She’d never thought she’d miss it, but here Harumi was, missing everything and everyone about it.

She wondered where everyone was now, but the horrifying memory of her home on fire brought about a terrifying reminder. The ninja had been going back and forth searching for any survivors or– she couldn’t bear to finish her thought. Her mom and dad were okay, Hutchins, Mary, Raya, everyone was okay; they had to be. She knew it was wishful thinking to think they were all okay and the explosions hadn’t spared everyone like she hoped but she couldn’t think about what it meant that they were all gone.

Harumi shook her head of those thoughts and any others that tried to attempt to plague her mind from nothing thinking about that or about anything. It wasn’t like she didn’t think about them, but it wasn’t like she wouldn’t see her family again. Things would be okay, they always were. 

It wasn’t like her mind was just filled with thoughts of her parents and Hutchins and everyone from the Palace whom she held dear. Their talk with Lloyd and his uncle still weighed on her; he said he needed some time to think things through but she couldn’t get it or him out of her head. He’d already been through something unimaginable and now the rug was pulled out from under him. She had never really had friends before, so she didn’t really know what to say. How were you supposed to help someone when you had no idea what to say? 

She forcibly turned her attention back to the bamboo cutting board in front of her. Though she couldn’t remember if she had been asked to cut half an onion or a full onion. It wasn’t like it really mattered, but she wanted to get it right. The young princess had never cooked before and was ecstatic she was put on tonight’s list as who’d be helping Zane. Surely, he wouldn’t mind some extra onion? But just as she slid the knife through the onion once more, her eyes had begun to form tears. 

For a moment, she thought it was nothing but once the tears started to swell within her eyes, there was almost nothing that could keep a few from falling. Harumi almost didn’t realize she had been crying, but a friendly voice shook her from her mind. 

“You know the reason many individuals cry when cutting onions is due to the enzymes and sulfuric acid they produce, which create a chemical irritant also known as propanethial S-oxide.” Zane popped in next to Harumi, a wide smile present on his face but his smile quickly faded as he noticed Harumi’s unchanging glum expression. “I’m sorry, did I do something to offend you?” 

A small chuckle escaped her lips, before she quickly wiped her tears with one of the sleeves of her thin sweater. “No, I’m fine.” She forced her lips to smile, but it seemed to only make Zane more concerned.

“If you are not fine, you can tell me. We are friends.” He smiled. 

She stayed silent, unsure of what she should say. The tension in her shoulders, in her heart were the kind someone could cut with a dull knife or even a butter knife. She didn’t even know what she was feeling, so how was she expected to tell someone? It wasn’t like she had nothing to say, but rather she had a suffocating pressure in her chest telling her she shouldn’t say anything.

But Zane only continued to smile as he grabbed another cutting board, knife, and tomatoes. 

He began chopping the first tomato. “When I was younger, there were lots of things I didn’t know but I had a great dad and friends who helped teach me things. I may be a nindroid, but there are still new things I’m learning.” He placed the cut tomato into a bowl, before grabbing another one. “When you first got here, do you remember what I told you?”

Harumi racked her brain on what he could have possibly said. He said a lot of things during that moment, but eventually she decided on just shaking her head. 

“I said ‘if you ever need anything you can always talk to myself or any of the other ninjas’ and I want you to know that promise still stands. We are friends and friends look out for each other.” 

She rolled her shoulders back, forcing a smile onto her face. “Thanks, Zane. You too.” She turned back towards her messily chopped tomatoes, before turning back to him. “I’m sorry that I’ve been on edge recently or absent. I just don’t want to think about it, I can’t imagine them really being gone. So, I’m doing my best to focus on the next steps instead.” 

Zane took a tentative step forward, placing a reassuring cold hand onto her shoulder. “I think it’s important to take the time you need, but also not to ignore them completely.” 

She knew that, she knew it made sense. She knew that her emotions, however negative or bad, were good in the long run, but she hated this feeling. She hated how much she longed for her mother’s arms or how every night she wakes up from nightmares. So until she had them in her arms and could apologize for everything, she’d focus on other matters. After all, it’s what she was taught to do. Her parents taught her how to run Ninjago and even though she couldn’t lead from the top of one of the tallest peaks in the realm, she could at least hold out hope. 

A sharp chill sped up her back. “I know,” she whispered. 

The two returned to a seemingly comfortable silence, though she wasn’t sure on what was threatening to be released from her vocal chords. So, the young princess opted for silence. And it looked like Zane was also happy with the silence since he made no effort to break it for some time. 

During the silence, Harumi found herself absentmindedly chopping at the larger onion pieces or trying to make them look as uniform as she could. If she wasn’t a princess anymore, she certainly didn’t have the life of a chef to hold out for. She had to bite back a laugh at that, maybe things weren’t all that bad; unlike her superior chopping skills. 

But then, for a moment a word popped into her head. “Wait, what did you mean by ‘nindorid’?”

Now, it was Zane’s turn to bite back a laugh. It was crisp and warm, it reminded her of a soft, powdery, snow that she had played in as a child. Before, he had seemed so serious, but now looking at him she knew he was so much more than gentle and serious. 

“I forgot that you do not know.” He laughed. “I am not human, but a robot made by my father.” 

Harumi’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped. How was that possible? He certainly looked human and acted as such. 

Zane just smiled, his eyes creasing. And Harumi just found herself staring into his bright blue eyes. His eyes were filled with so much history, so much personality; Nothing of what she was staring into said he wasn’t human. She knew Zane would never lie to her, but she couldn’t believe that a part of him wasn’t actually human.

“For a lot of my life, I didn’t know who I was or why I was like this. But then after meeting the ninja, my family, I found who I was.” He continued to smile, but a solemn expression soon formed between his brows. “Sometimes, I don’t know if I’m–” He forced his lips closed shut, causing them to form a tight line. 

Though for a moment she didn’t really understand why he was upset, but then it hit her. Harumi couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had a role to play in his uncertainties and anxieties. A knot had begun to form with her stomach. She didn’t really know how to make him feel better, but besides the truth.

“When we first met, I didn’t know what to make of you if I’m being honest. You were the attendant of the man my parents chose to have me marry. But, you never looked at me the way our parents did. You were empathic and caring and– That’s not how someone would look at me if they weren’t human. And then when I first got here, you looked out for me making sure I had meals in the fridge when I didn’t feel like eating.” For the first time today, a wide smile appeared across her lips. 

“Yes, but–” he tried to argue. 

“Zane. We’re friends, right?” She asked, he nodded. “Friends don’t lie to each other, especially when they’ve gone through all we have. Right?” 

She watched expectantly, though soon thrilled he returned her smile. 

“Right.” He nodded, a sense of relief washing over him.

“Good,” she smiled. “Now, tell me more about being a nindroid.” 

“Alright,” Zane chuckled. 

So the two of them stood in the kitchen, chopping food and talking about how being a nindroid was probably the coolest thing she had ever heard of. Her father loved anything related to science-fiction and here he was, a science-fact. Though a part of her cringed as she repeated this to Zane, her father’s words echoing through her. 

It had seemed the ice ninja picked up on the way her brows suddenly furrowed after the statement even if she attempted to hide it. 

“If you’d like, I’m sure I can finish up here.” He broke the sudden silence, as he gently stirred the vegetables within the pot. 

“Are you sure?” She asked. “I thought there was still a lot more to do.” 

“There’s just preparing the sauce, pasta, broccoli, and tonight’s protein,” Zane answered, not taking his eyes off the pot. 

Harumi could feel her mouth open wide. Surely that was a lot? But instead of arguing she just rolled her eyes, she knew what he was doing. He knew she wanted some time by herself, or more accurately with Lloyd. 

“But you’ll let me know if you need help?” 

Zane just shrugged. “Maybe, though Cole said he’d help with dinner at some point this week.”

She bid her farewells, her feet carrying her fast to medical bay where hopefully she and Lloyd could provide some shred of comfort with each other. Though as soon as she opened the door, the young princess wasn’t met with his presence. His blankets were a mess and everything that had once been attached to his person was strewn about the bed. 

‘Where could he have gone? And was he okay?’ Were the only two questions that flooded her brain.

Harumi decided to check everywhere and anywhere, but preferably sticking to what she knew or estimated to be his favorite spots. She checked his room, the Bounty, the games room (all of them), the gym, but all came up with nothing. And based on Kai and Jay’s expressions in the games room within the Monastery, they too didn’t know he left his bed. 

Though a brief look outside, and one of the Monastery’s doors were ajar gave her the answer. 

She quickly threw on a thick jacket, while slipping on a pair of shoes. Harumi wasn’t sure why he was out here, but their talk with Wu earlier gave her a fairly good idea on what exactly was going through his mind. And honestly? She didn’t blame him.

“I thought you were still on bed rest?” Harumi chuckled, as she poked her head out of the Monastery doors. 

He just turned to her briefly, before turning back to the clouds that slowly passed by. Even if he acted like he was okay, she could still see the way he tried to bite back a wince. She carefully sat next to him on the cobblestone stairs. The pair sat quietly for a few moments, her eyes darting between both the horizon and Lloyd next to her. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked. 

For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer, that the two of them would sit until dinner was ready, they were too cold, or one of the other ninja came outside and forced them back in. But then his voice, his sweet, soft voice broke the soft winds that surrounded them. 

“I don’t even know what I would say,” he replied. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Harumi exhaled a deep breath, allowing her person to lean against her palms. “I don’t even know what I would say.”

That got him to laugh. It sounded painful and there was definitely a certain edge to his voice, but for a brief moment it didn’t seem like he cared or he did a bad job at showing it. But in this small moment out of all their time together, she found herself laughing too. 

“Yeah.” His breath hitched, as he attempted to catch it in a way that didn’t send waves of hurt throughout his person. However good he tried to hide it. “That makes sense.”

The two of them looked back out to the horizon, the sun was setting now. Brilliant hues of pink, oranges, and yellows bled so gracefully into the deep blue sky that surrounded them. She stared breathlessly at the sky, it seemed more beautiful here; More beautiful than she had ever imagined. And him being here somehow made the sunset pail in comparison. 

“I’m sorry I made you leave.” He spoke, his breath so incredibly soft she had to crane her ears to hear him.

Harumi would be lying if she said the apology didn’t startle her. She wasn’t upset with him for needing time, for needing space. “You shouldn’t be,” she answered and she meant it. First Master, she hoped he knew just how much she meant it.

“But–” He began, before pausing to face her. The twisting of his person must ache a great deal, but he didn’t show just how much it hurt him. “You’ve spent so much of your time making sure I’m okay, I haven’t been spending enough time making sure you’re okay.” 

Now that startled something within her on a much deeper level than she thought anything earlier. She didn’t know exactly what she should say, but she didn’t blame him for everything. It wasn’t like everything wasn’t exactly a walk within the park, but with him things seemed possible. With him, things felt like everything might be okay; Even if she was unsure. 

“But you have,” she argued. It wasn’t like she was grasping at straws, but spending time with him whether the two of them fell asleep side by side, or when he showed her Fritz Donnegan, or whether they just sat in silence. Though the rest of her thoughts seemed to have fallen somewhat short. 

He bit back a laugh. He didn’t believe her. One would think at least someone would take a princess’ words as the truth. 

“You calling me a liar?” She argued, though there was no bite within her voice. 

“I– I–” He stuttered, but when their green eyes met his expression softened. “No. It’s just–” 

“Lloyd, I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it, is the thing.” She admitted, as she had begun to pick at the cuticles of her nails. “I’m constantly terrified that they’re gone or that I’m going to lose you. I–” A lump formed in her throat, promptly cutting off any thoughts or words she had. 

“Rumi, I–” He paused, for a moment before bringing her into a tight hug. 

It shocked her and she knew it was hurting him, but she couldn’t force herself to pull away. His touch was almost like being touched by the softest of blankets or the sun with how warmth immediately blossomed within her chest. She wasn’t sure how long the two of them leaned against each other, but when they finally pulled away and his touch evaporated from her person the young princess found herself more at peace than she had all day. 

“If you want to, or if you want me to just listen, or if you–” He rambled, interlocking their hands together. Though her chest had blossomed with warmth, the freezing touch of his hands did nothing to help her warm slightly. 

“Lloyd,” she interrupted, her hand squeezing his. “Thank you. And if you need to talk, I’m here.”

He leaned his head against her shoulder and as much as she wanted the two of them to stay out here forever, she knew if they stayed out any longer the two of them would both be at risk of getting some kind of sickness and she didn’t want to be scolded. So, she helped Lloyd stand and make his way back to the medical bay, where he hopefully didn’t have to stay any longer. But right now, nothing else mattered to them besides each other, their promise, or the residual touch of each other against their person.

Chapter Text

It had been days and the more hours that passed the more enraged the water ninja grew. She had been working tirelessly to find just exactly where these stone idols were located. And it definitely didn’t help that any scrolls about the Oni Idols were purposely destroyed by Sensei Wu to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands or that he purposefully put measures in place to prevent him from remembering their exact locations. She understood why he chose to do what he did, but now his incredibly thought out decision was now a huge hindrance for her. 

Nya had poured herself over the various different information over the Idols for First Master knows how long and a story from years ago from a place none of them had time to search. But much to her grief, there was nothing online about the three ‘Oni Generals Idols’ which was just her luck. It wasn’t like there was a lot online about ‘Oni Masks’ either besides costume or festival masks; nothing about the ‘Three Oni Warlords’ or anything of the sort. 

It quickly became certain that even Sensei Wu had no idea on where the masks could be. There was a general idea, but without the scrolls or anything of the sorts there was no way he or anyone for that matter could be certain. 

So, going through various different CCTV footage quickly became the only logical task she had come to while Sensei, Zane, and Pix poured over the various different tomes, scrolls, and texts at Domu Library. Maybe they found something, but as the hours continued to press on the less hopeful she grew. Which was only further explained by the lack of information given to her by the CCTV footage of various different pawn shops. 

Nya huffed, leaning back against the chair within the basement of the Monastery. It wasn’t like she knew it was going to be easy, but she at least assumed it would go over marginally better. 

She stared into the metal rafters tens of feet above her, fighting back a yawn. So she pushed herself up and drank the rest of her coffee and forced her eyes to go through the various different screens of footage. 

Her fingers tapped the spacebar on her keyboard, her pupils darting across the various different corners of the screen; She hoped for something, but all she saw were antique furniture and various different overpriced junk. Nothing screamed out at her, nothing jumped out at her. It was like her Sensei had just made up the ‘Oni Masks’ and sent them on a wild goose chase. 

Surely if they existed there would at least be something about them or their existence, but here she sat going through multiple years worth of video footage with nothing but a simple sketch drawing of what she should keep an eye out for. 

“Ugh!” She exclaimed, dragging her fingers through her hair. Maybe this was pointless or that she was looking through all the wrong information, but they had all decided this is where some of them should look while the others checked out Domu Library. Though it’s not like she necessarily wished she could trade places with any of them, this was getting to be a bit much.

Almost in defeat, she rested her head against her arms. Maybe she needed some kind of break, at least a short one. So, she allowed herself to take a moment to close her eyes; Just for a second she thought and before the young ninja knew it, she drifted off to sleep.

A soft shake of her shoulders almost sent the water ninja to her feet, but a soft, familiar set of hands gently kept her from rising. 

“Hey there, sleepy head.” She looked up to find Jay smiling down at her. 

She softly smiled at her boyfriend, a warm feeling appearing throughout her entire person. She stretched her hands to the sky and practically popped every single joint in her body. Nya knew she probably shouldn’t have let herself fall asleep or should have slept in a bed, but it seemed pointless with everything she had to do. 

Nya opened her eyes to find Jay’s bright blue ones staring deep into hers. Almost instantly it felt like all her frustration and anger over these stupid Oni Masks and Idols evaporated. The pair both closed their eyes and gave each other a soft kiss on their lips. She pulled away, resting her head onto his shoulder. Even just for a second she allowed her eyes to close for a brief moment before forcing her gaze back to the various different screens in front of her.

“Maybe we should get you to bed?” Jay suggested, as a small line now present in between his brows. 

For a moment she pondered the idea. Sleep did sound absolutely amazing, but the sheer possibility of them finally defeating Oni was like a drug that she desperately desired the taste of. Nya would sleep after they found something, or her body would force her to take some kind of nap; Whichever came first.

Nya sighed and shook her head. “I’ve been searching for this information for what feels like forever and all I’ve found in a vase that looks like the one Kai and I broke when we were kids.” A bitter laugh escaped her. 

Jay looked at her and for a moment it looked like he wanted to say something, but he eventually sighed, as a large smile appeared throughout his lips. “Well it’s a good thing I brought some things to help the search.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

He gestured to the various assortment of snacks and bottles of what appeared to be soda. “A bunch of different snacks and drinks to keep the two of us fueled and don’t worry. I have a nice boring americano for you.” He laughed, before turning back to his girlfriend and posed in front of her. “I also have me.”

A soft smile quickly appeared across her lips, but she couldn’t let him get off the hook as easily so when he pulled up his chair Nya couldn’t help but punch him in the shoulder. 

“Thanks, Jay.” Nya laughed, before taking a sip of her americano. 

He rubbed his shoulder, though Nya knew she didn’t hit him that hard. “Anytime.” 

So, the two poured themselves into the various different pieces of footage they could find and even though the task was just as grueling both ninja enjoyed being hopelessly frustrated together. 

She still didn’t enjoy what they were doing and she got a sneaky suspicion that neither did Jay, but neither of them said anything. It was like Jay knew this was something Nya had to finish or at least find some sort of clue. And it was like she knew that Jay wanted nothing more than to be elbows deep into fixing and updating their various different pieces of equipment and vehicles for what felt like the tenth day in a row. So, she continued to search through whatever information she could find while Jay did the same.

Nya wasn’t sure how many hours she scrolled through various different scholarly articles looking for something while Jay searched through the CCTV footage and much to her dismay reality tv show episodes regarding pawn shops and abandoned storage lockers, but at least it kept things from being boring. The only sign that the two of them had was the sheer amount of rappers that sat in the once empty trashcan nearby. 

It was after a fair bit of silence and an excruciatingly annoying long episode of reality tv where something came jumped out from her laptop screen to her. 

The newspaper article was dated about thirty-five years ago where the previous Emperor and Empress of Ninjago donated some of their pieces to the Ninjago Cultural Museum for a special exhibition regarding the Oni. Within the article it listed multiple different pieces that were said to be from the Post First Spinjitzu Master Era, which aligns with what Sensei Wu had told them he found. So maybe there was a chance, a small possibility that this could be somehow related to the “Oni Masks’. However, as she searched through the various different photos taken by the newspaper company had any kind of mask or idol of the sort. 

Nya exhaled. She was so close to finding them or having a general idea, but this meant that there was a good chance they were out there. So she couldn’t let herself give up. After all that;s not what ninja did and that’s not the kind of person she is.

“Hey, Jay.” She broke the comfortable silence between the two of them, which nearly spooked him off his chair. Of course Nya had to laugh at him, before she pulled him closer to her. “Take a look at this.” 

It took the lightning ninja a bit of time before he recovered his startled breathing, but soon enough he began going through the newspaper article. As he read Nya could tell that he was thinking the same thing as she did. 

“This is…” he trailed off for a moment before he found the words he wanted to say. “Do you think Harumi knows about this? Maybe she knows where they are or has an idea?” 

Nya felt her head nod quickly up and down. “Yes! That’s what I think!” 

It only took a moment when both Jay and Nya raced upstairs to the Med-bay where she always spent most of their time. The two raced in to find Lloyd working on lifting weights while standing as Harumi spotted him. 

Harumi tilted her head at the pair, before she giggled lightly to herself. “You two okay?” 

“Well– yes! You see Nya and I were going through stuff downstairs and well– She found something that we think you might know about.” Jay stuttered between his heavy pants as he caught his breath. 

Harumi nodded, following along. 

“I found a newspaper article from thirty-five years ago about how the royal family donated some of their pieces to a special exhibit about the Oni. Which everyone thought was of legend, but–” she shook her head. “Anyways, do you know if they might be there or of a clue?” 

Slowly she could see the young princess’ demeanor change into a much more solemn one. Harumi took a deep breath before speaking. “My family did talk about it, but most of the pieces were put away into a vault that I didn’t have access to. Are there any photos you have of what they might look like? I’m not too sure what you’re looking for, though.”

Nya nodded, while Jay ran back downstairs to find the drawings. Harumi and Lloyd had been in the Medical-Bay while they discussed the plan even if the younger ninja had protested or requested he be a part of this mission. 

When Jay returned with the sheets of paper, Nya could have sworn she saw her face go white as a ghost. 

“Rumi?” Lloyd prompted, placing a reassuring hand onto her shoulder. 

“This one,” she pointed to the second drawing. “This is the one Master Hutchins gave me when we left the Palace. I wasn’t sure what he meant by it, but oh, First Master. I must have lost it when Lloyd–” Harumi quickly cut herself off, her eyes had glassed over. 

She immediately felt uneasy and her heart sank at her realization of why exactly the mask, as priceless as it was, needed to be left behind.

“Harumi,” Nya spoke softly. “Where did it end up?” 

Harumi’s throat bobbed. “It must have been farther back in the tunnel from where you found us.”

Nya nodded. She knew the outcome of the Palace and how there was little to nothing left of it, especially after Oni’s men practically moved in. So, instead she swallowed. “Thank you, Harumi. You’ve been really helpful.” 

The young princess just nodded and she and Jay took it as a sign for them to leave. 

“Do you think Sensei, Pix, and Zane had any luck?” Jay asked, as the two entered the elevator. 

“Hopefully more luck than we had.” She sighed, leaning her head onto Jay’s shoulder. 

The next day went by much slower than their previous times shut in within the basement. It wasn’t like she and Jay had anything better to do, but she wished the two of them could train or anything that didn’t involve an insane amount of blue light in her eyes. 

Nya thought she was almost asleep when a call was attempting to patch itself through within the main computer. Excitedly, Nya looked up to find an incoming call from Zane. 

“Zane! She yelled. Which was enough to peak the microphone and spook a half asleep Jay out of his chair. 

“Hello to you too, Nya. We think we found something that could help us with our search.” Zane said.

“That’s great!” She exclaimed, but a furrowed line appeared within her brows. “We thought we found something, but it seems Oni got to it first.” 

“That is most unfortunate,” Zane replied. “May I ask what you discovered?”

Nya told him about the newspaper, the Oni Mask and how it was presumably lost or taken by Oni’s men within the tunnel. Zane, for the most part, stayed silent except for a few clarifying questions. 

“I see,” he voiced. “But that means there’s a good chance we still have a two out of three chance when it comes to finding the Statues and Masks. And Sensei Wu only said we need one of the masks to prevent Oni from destroying Ninjago.” 

“That’s great,” She said, “how soon do you think you’ll be here?” 

“About an hour or so.” He answered. 

She and Jay waited in their seats within the meeting room while they waited for the others to arrive home and for Kai and Cole to come home from going to the market. Within about an hour Kai and Cole trickled in closely followed by Sensei Wu, Zane, and Pixal. Once everyone had found their seats; Sensei Wu cleared his throat.

“I know this hasn’t been easy and I thank you all for the work you’ve done throughout the past few days. I know it hasn’t been easy. But thankfully we were able to find some kind of clues that may lead us to the Oni Statue of Vengeance and the Oni Statue of Hatred.” He nodded to Pixal who set out three different maps. 

“These Maps are as old as the First Spinjitzu Master Era. They indicate the possible places as to where I might have placed them, though I am unsure at how accurate they may be.” 

“Wait– wait– wait–” Jay interrupted. “Sensei, how do you not remember where you left them or kept any kind of map or something?” 

Their Master sighed. “I was nervous someone would seek me out for my knowledge and based on what Zane told me about the Oni Mask of Deception, I was right. So, I took a special kind of tea to make me forget but before I did I ensured the clues were hidden in several different maps within the Library of Domu. Though I am unsure of which ones lead to the hidden Idols.”

Nya swallowed the lump in her throat. Even if they had three maps and had confirmation that the Oni Mask of Deception was no longer attainable for them, they were still not doing fairly well in terms of location or even possessing anything relating to the Oni. 

“Three maps, three teams?” Kai thoughts allowed. 

“My thoughts exactly. One of these maps leads to the icy tundra north, so Zane and Pixal will go there. The next leads to the City of Stiix where Nya and Jay will go. And the last map leads to the Great Ninjago Peak where Cole and Jay will go. Any questions?” Master Wu asked.

“Are Lloyd and Harumi going to stay here?” Cole asked, looking to the door. 

Their Sensei just nodded, looking at his cup of tea. “Unfortunately, with the amount of danger you could experience I am unsure of sending both Lloyd and Harumi on a mission knowing he is still recovering and her lack of training and importance to the people of Ninjago.”

A moment of silence passed. 

Nya swallowed the lump in her throat. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

Kai grunted, as he practically dropped the stack of various different boxes onto the deck of the Bounty. Thankfully, it was the last couple of boxes he needed to drop off and eventually stow away below deck. But at least for now he could decompress, especially for the big journey ahead of him and Cole. 

He leaned onto the backs his elbows which were resting on one of the medium stacked crates, allowing his perfectly styled and gelled hair to rest just above the same wooden crate. Kai’s eyes fell closed. There was something that twisted in his stomach, something about this wasn’t right but unfortunately, even after searching his mind over the past few days nothing seemed to come to mind. 

He huffed, opening his eyes for a brief moment where his amber eyes caught his younger sister, who from his point of view looked a few moments away from setting him on fire which would be counterintuitive and terrifying. Kai did his best to hold in a chuckle, knowing his sister would probably punch him in the shoulder for even thinking she could. Though it wasn’t like he was that far off.

“Hey,” Kai nodded, as she had come closer to him. He shut his eyes, turning his head back to face the ceiling.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see her cross her arms then roll her eyes before she laughed and leaned against the same stack of creates. 

The pair of siblings were quiet for a moment before she broke the silence between them. “I thought you were supposed to be packing supplies?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Kai exhaled a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Just needed a second to think,” he shrugged. “Do you have a bad feeling about this also?” 

Nya turned away from him for a moment, it was as if she was thinking about what she wanted to say. And for a moment he thought she would call him crazy or that his gut was imagining things but much to his relief she answered him. 

“You too, huh?” She asked. “I should have assumed you didn’t trust it either.” 

Kai’s amber eyes met his sister’s brown eyes. She had a look deep within her eyes that seemed to remind her of himself. Their childhood wasn’t what one would call pretty, but it wasn’t the worst one out there. So, while their parents worked to keep their home afloat Kai took to spending his time with Nya. He made sure she was fed, that she drank enough water and did her homework. For a long time he thought she’d grow annoyed of him or how bossy he was, but that day, thankfully, had never seemed to come. 

“It’s weird. For days we don’t find anything then everything we need to know suddenly appears? I don't know, it’s weird.” She exhaled. 

“Yeah, weird.” He muttered. 

For a moment, the two of them fell back into silence. Each of them seemed uneasy about what they would come to face. Whether or not they came home with the other two Oni Statues and Masks didn’t seem to matter if it meant the unspeakable happened. He almost lost one of his siblings, he couldn’t afford to lose another. 

There was a flow of uneasiness within the Monastery, as they all struggled with how this might be their last mission in their conquest to defeat Oni for good. How he wished Lloyd would be able to go on this mission with them, how he wished they didn’t have to be split up to face something they had no real idea about, how whatever they were destined to face could very well be from a time unlike their own. 

Kai sighed, biting back a groan. Everything about this was frustrating and they were supposed to be okay going in blind. He was supposed to be okay with Nya going into this without a real idea on what she and Jay would face, or how scared he was he would somehow do something to get Cole injured, or for Zane and Pixal, or that Lloyd would try to sneak aboard the ship like he did when he was younger. 

During moments like these, albeit the amount of times he actually had time to breathe was little to none, Kai found himself acting more as a concerned friend or worried older brother. Even if he was both of those things, it always felt like something he had to force into the back of his mind. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Nya shift, almost as if she was about to move to finish helping Jay back their vehicle. He reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Nya turned around, her head tilted slightly. 

“Be careful. Okay?” He asked. “Both you and Jay.” He had to be sure that the two of them would be okay, that his sister would come home to him, that the two of them would go to the New Year’s celebration at Jay’s parents’ house. 

Nya smiled, a laugh escaping her. For a second Kai thought that she would laugh and make fun of how obvious his request was, but instead she just smiled  “You too.”

Kai’s smile instantly matched hers and for a moment he thought she was about to leave, but then she added something that practically made his heart jump into his throat. “And Kai? You don’t need to worry about me so much. I’m okay, we don’t have to be on our own anymore.” 

What was he supposed to say to that? How had his sister practically looked into the inner workings of his soul and somehow managed to retrieve what he and Cole had done so well at hiding. At least he thought they did. 

Instead he just nodded, muttering an “Okay.” In hindsight he probably should have added a ‘you too’ but somehow he knew that she already knew what he was going to say. 

He and Nya bid their farewells, both needing to leave as soon as they could to ensure they had a leg up on Oni and the criminals who followed him. Kai moved back to carrying the different crates into the storage room below deck. While he carried the seemingly months worth of supplies, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Nya had said. Had she somehow known that he never allowed himself to get close with anyone because of his promise to his parents? Had she somehow known with everyone that he had ever flirted with he kept at an arm’s reach. Had she known the thought of failing as her older brother terrified him the most? 

Knowing Nya, probably. 

He pulled out his phone from one of his gi’s many pockets, unlocking it as he too leaned onto the stacked crates. The time read five twenty seven in the morning, which was much too early for himself or anyone to be up. Maybe he should say goodbye to Lloyd, Sensei Wu, and Harumi but decided against it. Lloyd needed his rest and so did the others, but he had to be sure that Lloyd wasn’t tucked away somewhere. 

So, when Cole suddenly burst out laughing over how Kai’s legs stuck out from under the bed. Kai internally cringed hoping that maybe just maybe he would still be found attractive. 

“Find everything you’re looking for down there?” Cole asked between his gasps to catch his breath. 

Kai grumbled as he began crawling out from under the bed, but then when he saw Cole’s face. His handsome features that were somehow both strong and soft served as a magnet and practically pulled him to Cole. Kai hadn’t known what had come over him, but his hands sandwiched Cole’s face between them as their lips pursed against each other. In these moments when they were together, Kai was certain he had never felt fire like he had before. It was like he was the elemental master of time the way it just seemed to stop, the way nothing seemed to matter anymore besides the two of them. 

It was almost terrifying, no, it was terrifying.

Kai instantly pulled away from them, both their breaths recovering from the lack thereof. 

Cole looked at him stunned at the sudden kiss, but a soft smile formed throughout his features and for a moment Kai couldn’t help but gaze at the earth ninja’s lips. But he couldn’t bear to think about that right now, not when they had a mission, not when he had a thousand and one different responsibilities on his shoulders. By the looks of it Cole seemed to notice and quickly pulled away from the fire ninja, leaving him without his warmth, his presence reminiscent of a ghost of where he once was. 

Cole cleared his throat. “I’m going to double check everything and then we can go?” 

Every word of meaning seemed to die on his tongue. There were so many things he wanted to say, he wanted to let Cole deeper into his heart, but he couldn’t. Not when the entire world was at stake, not when he had a sister to watch over, not when he had their other teammates to look out for. It seemed like there would never be a good time, but he couldn’t stop himself from going against his purpose; his duty in life. So instead of every word that raced through his mind, he just nodded and gave a, “See you in a second.” 

Though Kai’s gaze followed Cole as he left out of the room and presumably upstairs to the bounty. He couldn't help the way his eyes softened or the twisting in his chest. How was he expected to choose between his desires of his heart? Whatever the answer was, it seemed like he wouldn't be discovering the answer just yet.

Deep down Kai knew this mission was either going to pull them apart or bring them closer together.

Jay packed the trunk of his Storm Racer Jet with everything one might possibly need. He had the basic necessities, such as; food, extra uniforms, weapons, but he also carried one of his gaming consoles just in case things were slow. And knowing the city of Stiixs it was going to be very slow and boring and awful. So, of course he had to be prepared for anything that may arise. The top of the list, obviously, included boredom. 

Once he was sure everything was packed, he closed the small hatch within his Jet. It may have been more suitable to take one of their vehicles, but with how far away the CIty of Stiix was and how much anxiety chilled him every time he stepped onto those planks he would do everything he could to shorten the length of this trip. 

He exhaled deeply, placing his hands onto his hips admiring just how well he packed the Jet. The Lightning Ninja was sure his old man would be proud, but just as the thought permeated his mind, his eyes seemed to glass over as he realized just how much he missed his ma and pa. It had gone from several weeks to months to now almost two years since he’s spent more than a couple of minutes with them. 

Jay took a deep breath, adjusting the top of his gi. He would see them soon, he would proudly tell his ma just how much he and Nya loved each other, he would tell his pa every piece of equipment he’s worked on. He used to be embarrassed about growing up in a junkyard, but now in the late moments of the night he spent it longing for his rickety old bed and the echoing sound of clanging metal in those later hours. 

He rarely ever got lost in his head. When he did he usually distracted himself with an abundance of videogames or by talking about whatever he could possibly in this moment, but it was in these rare moments where he didn’t say a word. Usually, his mouth and his elemental power would compete against each other in terms of which moved the fastest, but his lips only slightly parted away from each other.

As a Ninja he was trained to recognize even the softest of steps and the quietest of breathing, but he couldn’t; not right now, at least. He couldn’t be pulled from the thoughts and the ever present memories of his mind. Maybe he and Nya could make a quick visit, though they’d have to back track and he’d have to explain that he was the Blue Ninja of Lightning. Definitely not a conversation he wanted to get into and he was sure he’d send his mom into some kind of heart attack knowing he was going up against various different criminals and villains. 

Safe to say he was shocked when he felt a slight jab at the sides of his stomach. 

Yelping, he turned around, where he was almost face to face with the most beautiful girl in Ninjago. She looked up at him and just by the sight of her deep brown eyes, the beauty mark underneath her eye, the way her gorgeous black hair was pulled into a pony tail, or the way her smile was brighter than the sun. Instantly as he saw her, he could feel his frown lift into a deep smile. It wasn’t like all his problems were solved, but a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. 

As Nya’s eyes stared into his own, her expression turned from one of laughter into one of worry. It wasn’t the first time the two of them confided in each other or how Nya was the only person to see this side of him as of late and vise versa. 

“You, okay?” She asked, pulling his hand into hers. Her hands carried with them a slight chill, it was like he was standing on a beach facing the ocean’s breeze. As their skin met, Jay wanted to pull her close and never let her go, but he knew they couldn’t. He knew they had a job to do and he knew Nya was the best one to do it. 

But it’s not like he couldn’t lie to her, he had tried once and she instantly knew he was lying and had something extravagant planned for their first year anniversary. 

“Yeah, just thinking about my ma and pa is all.” He sighed. Jay couldn’t hide the way his expression quickly became downturned at his statement. 

Her expression soon matched his own. “We can go visit them whenever you want,” she replied. She rubbed his hand with her thumb, before pulling him into a hug. It wasn’t like Jay was necessarily the shortest member of the team, but he did have a few inches on his partner. Though he couldn't not hug her, so he pulled her even closer to his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head just barely. 

“It would mean the world to me, I think my parents would probably die from excitement.” He laughed. “But let’s focus on the mission for now, I wouldn’t want the others to show us up.” 

That got a deep laugh out of her. “More like show you up.” 

Jay just smiled, gently kissing the side of her cheek. “I’m looking forward to it,” he winked. Earning him a playful punch in the side of his arm. 

Nya playfully rolled her eyes, before she took his hand and dragged him to the jet. 

He couldn’t help but smile as he gazed upon Nya’s ponytail and the way it swished back and forth. Even if he was anxious about what they’d face, he knew that it would be okay because the two of them would be together. So he pushed past his fears and climbed into the Storm Chaser Jet. 

Soon enough the pair took off and the Lightning and Water Ninja were on their way to Stiix, where they’d hopefully find one of the Oni Warlord Idols where they’d be able to catch up to Oni and prevent him from unleashing a forbidden evil.

Zane adjusted their bag of various different tools and supplies on the larger snow mobile. It wasn’t like the two of them weren’t the most suited for this type of climate, but he and Pixal had to be as efficient as possible. Especially if they were going to get a lead on the Sons of Oni, not to mention that they needed to learn more about their plans in order to accurately and strategically combat and prevent them from succeeding. 

The Titanium Ninja shook his head. There was a lot they had to do and it wasn’t like they had an infinite amount of time, especially since an ‘infinity amount’ didn’t really exist. But as the others would say the point still stands, they were running out of time and desperately needed a lead. 

He shook his head slightly, taking the time to ground himself in order for him to focus on the mission. 

Zane turned to the side of the car where he was met with Pixal’s legs sticking out from underneath the snow mobile. He felt a warmth in his chest where his and Pixal shared half their power source. He couldn’t help the way his instantly grinned at the sight of her and just how brilliant she is. 

He leaned against the side of the mobile. “Everything looking okay down there?” 

“After running through the basic procedures and overlooking the engine, I have determined that the Ice Ninja Mobile is in perfect condition.” She smiled after pulling herself from underneath the vehicle. “I am glad none of the vehicles needed any intense repair or this mission would have been further pushed back and we may have faced a greater chance at losing one of the remaining Oni Idols.”

Zane nodded, openly sharing his agreement with Pixal’s statement. This really did feel like their last hope. Though with their choice of teams, their odds of obtaining and even destroying on of the Oni Masks and or Idols was above sixty percent. Even though he never liked to rely on just odds, things were looking fairly okay. 

“Yes. I am most grateful we have at least a thirty percent head start.” He replied, offering a hand out to help Pixal to her feet. 

The Samurai let out a small laugh, taking her partner’s hand which allowed him to help pull her up. “Yes, a thirty percent head start is quite beneficial with our particular circumstances.” 

Zane knew she agreed with his statement, but didn’t lose an opportunity to gently tease him and he was gracious for it. He was so incredibly thankful for these moments especially when the two of them risked getting damaged and needed repair. Even though he had been on approximately three thousand, four hundred, and fifteen various different quests over the years, the feelings didn’t get any easier. He would do whatever he could to protect those around him and those who cannot protect himself as his father had given him the purpose for.

He looked to Pixal, his bright blue eyes staring into her bright green ones. Their power crystals hummed in unison and just like that this one where the two nindroids were the only beings in the entire universe. He relished in just how close the two of them felt. He could feel the various different electrons throughout her wiring, the way the various different pieces of metal were in perfect harmony with each other. It was as if he was listening to a melody, one that he could always hear, one that he would never run from, one that grounded him when everything else tried to pick away at him. 

“I feel highly comfortable that you and I are on this mission together.” Zane broke the comfortable silence. His sky filled eyes were filled with nothing but warmth and kindness for his other half. 

“I too am glad that we were paired up for this mission together.” She returned his same soft look and smile. 

Zane nodded. “Though I think the name of the ‘Ice Ninja Mobile’ needs some work.” He teased. 

“Do you not think it is adequate enough? What are your ideas?” She asked, tilting her head. She was still smiling, just as he was. 

“I think the Samurai Ice Mobile is a much better fit.” He smiled wide, turning his head to meet hers. 

Pixal smiled wide, stepping forward to place a kiss on his cheek. “It sounds perfect.”

Chapter Text

Zane’s gaze looked upwards towards the large mountain that stood in front of them at the most northern area of Ninjago. Though he and Pixal had planned to experience variations of different weather patterns, unfortunately the two of them had not correctly estimated just how bad the blizzard would be this high in the mountains. 

The snow beat down on the pair of nindroids, while the wind threatened to push them off the side of the steep cliffs. It wasn’t anything the two of them weren’t prepared for, though with the unforeseen weather patterns Zane weighed the pros and cons of continuing on their journey to the marked area on the map. 

“I think it might be best if we take shelter somewhere.” Zane yelled back to her. His titanium hands gripped the handles tighter. If he was human surely he’d be white-knuckeling them with just how much the wind pushed against him. 

“I think that’d be the most beneficiary!” She yelled back, as she looked up from behind Zane’s shoulder. Her bright green eyes seemed to search the surroundings for some kind of shelter. For a moment it felt like there was nothing to be found against the endless white snow, but then she exclaimed as she appeared to locate a place for them to rest. 

“Thirty-four degrees North West,” Pixal relayed the information to him. “There’s a small cave against the mountain that we should be able to wait out the storm in.” 

Zane nodded, while his schematics followed just where she had said and soon enough he spotted the small section of gray, indicating some kind of cave entrance. He drove the Samurai Ice Mobile to the outside of the entrance where the two of them quickly hopped off and headed into the cave. They had decided on placing the mobile behind a large boulder in order to prevent any excess damage from the snow storm. 

Once the pair of Nindroids had brought in some of their supplies to the cave, they both sat down next to each other, leaning against the cavern wall. Even though he was the Master of Ice and the two of them were Nindroids the cold didn’t eat away at them too much, he was worried about how the surrounding ice and low temperatures would affect their metal bodies. They had to get to their destination quickly for what was now a multitude of reasons. 

He sighed resting his head against the cavern wall. His mind weighed just how much their statistics had been affected by their unexpected pit stop. If they waited here for a few hours it would end up putting them about a day behind with the expected depth of snow and including how much they traveled within the blizzard. Based on that information his and Pixal’s probability of succeeding dropped to about fifty-five percent. 

“Are you hurt?” Pixal had asked him.

He looked over to her where he had seen just how worried she looked. Her eyes were downturned and gently held his hand in hers. Zane did his best to shake his thoughts from his head, he hadn’t meant to worry her. 

He shook his head in response. “No, I am unhurt. Are you alright?” 

She nodded. The two sat in silence with each other for a bit, before Pixal had broken the silence. “Do you think the temple exists?” She asked. 

Zane didn’t know what to say. He had trusted the words they found within Domu Library, but it was strange that there was no legend centered around the Oni Warlords except for the ones Master Wu had told them. It went against what he knew, but he trusted his Sensei. Though he couldn’t lie to her, especially about something he understood so well. 

“I think I do believe it is real, because of what Master Wu had shared. Though if I am being honest, I remain unsure about the Temple due to how little is known and discussed about them.”

Pixal nodded. “I think I am feeling the same way about it as well. It makes me wonder what ese about the world I do not know or what lies beyond it. How much history was erased or hidden from the texts we learned from.” 

Zane followed along, nodding in understanding. “I think it’s about what makes us alive,” he thought aloud. “Living is about learning and we were made to learn as well, not to be all knowing.” 

She smiled at his words, taking the time to rest her head against his shoulder. “I am glad we are able to go through this life together.” 

“I am too, Pix. I am too.”

In order to allow themselves to rest and for their bodies to rest and recharge the two nindorids powered themselves down to about forty-five percent. While the two of them were asleep the storm outside had settled to just a flurry, however it seemed the pair weren’t alone on the mountain. 

…

Zane awoke with a shock, as a heavy bolt of electricity barreled through his entire person. He could hardly do anything to counteract what had happened. The only thing he was able to recall was a man in black leather biking outfit with a black and red helmet before he powered off. 

…

He awoke to the sound of hushed talking. He didn’t understand what had happened or who these men were but based purely off the leather jacket he saw and the various different biking gear within his surroundings gave him a pretty good indicator as to who was behind this. 

Zane searched his database for any kind of indicator or piece of information that could tell him where he was, how long he was decommissioned, Pixal’s location, or communicate with their team. But much to the nindroid’s chagrin a large part of his database remained in need of repair. The only thing that seemed to work was the date; five days had passed and it was around 13:24. It meant that he and Pixal had been gone from the Monastery for a week and currently he had no way of relaying their distress. 

His gaze looked around the room, where hopefully he would find Pixal or some kind of key to the shackles that could free him. Though he was unable to find any of the sort. He huffed in annoyance, before activating one of the saws in his forearm. Zane decided he would break free, find Pixal, discover who had kidnapped the two of them, and then escape; In that order, of course.

At about halfway through the metal handcuffs that bound him to the wall behind him he heard hushed voices and the metal turning of what appeared to be a key. Instantly, he disengaged the small saw and closed his eyes. 

The soft steps seemed almost too soft, as if they were a ninja or someone with similar training. Though as much as he wanted to peer into his kidnapper’s eyes, he forced them to remain shut. He wouldn’t risk giving them anything, but it meant he in turn wouldn’t gain any knowledge. Even though the mission was important, finding his love outweighed anything he could possibly learn. 

Soon enough the echoing sounds of their footsteps left his room and his eyes peered open only to catch two red katanas strapped to the back of the biker’s back. The same red and black helmet alerted something within his database. This was the individual who had kidnapped them, this was the one who had shocked him that night in the cave five days ago. 

Once he was sure no one else would enter he broke himself free from the chains that tried to bind him. Zane weighed the pros and cons, he knew he couldn’t travel throughout the main hallway, so he opted for traveling through vents in the upwards corner. The metal echoed throughout his person, while he listened for anything of benefit. 

He had been traveling through the vents for about twelve minutes when he heard the sound he had been waiting for, searching for; Pixal’s voice. Zane paused at the vent where he peered at Pixal and the same one in the red and black biker helmet. 

“What have you done with Zane?” She asked, her voice echoed throughout the empty room like a poison. “Why have you taken us?” 

The masked figure just stood there in front of her, no words left their mouth, but the silence served as enough of an answer. It pained the crystal in Zane’s chest. He wished he could jump to her rescue, but he didn’t know how many of Oni’s men were there or how skilled the man with the red katanas were. So, he waited until there was an opening. The nindroid felt a soft hum of his chest. Pixal . It was her agreeing with him. So, the two of them waited, together, on opposite ends of the room.

It took approximately twelve and a quarter minutes for him to leave and another four minutes till Zane jumped down from the vents to free the other half of his soul. 

Once freed, the pair practically jumped into each other’s arms. 

“Oh, Pixal!” He exclaimed. “Are you hurt? Is there anything you are in need of?” 

She squeezed him tighter. “I am just waiting for my reboot to be complete. Are you alright?” 

“I am afraid I may be in need of a little more than just a reboot.” He smiled. “Come, I have been traveling through the vents and have a fairly good idea of how we can escape.” 

Pixal nodded and followed him into the vent, both of them not daring to say a word until they made it outside. Though as they escaped the building the two nindroids were met face to face with the man in the visor, but thankfully it seemed like he was alone. 

Good, Zane thought. He and Pixal had a greater chance of escaping with minimal damage with the two of them against one man. Even though he had somehow managed to sneak up on the two of them and incapacitate them. Now, they knew what to expect and were ready. They weren’t going to let Oni or any of his followers get the jump on them anymore.

Without warning, the man pulled out his two katanas and raced toward them. Pixal dodged left, while Zane went right. Once he ensured she was out of the way Zane fired his elemental ice toward the masked figure. He had hit his joints such as his shoulders and knees, before sending ice towards his chest. But it didn’t seem to slow the man down. Either he was like the man currently being held or he was something else entirely. 

Pixal brought her forearm up to block him and was able to grab his wrist and dislodge one of the red katanas. The two engaged in a battle of swords while Zane utilized the surrounding ice and snow around him to aid Pixal. But the man in black fought back harder and stronger pushing her out of the way before rushing to Zane. 

The Ice Ninja summoned a sword of ice to keep him back as he used his strength and energy to fight against him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Pixal behind them several feet away looking as if she was preparing something. He sighed, pushing against the man harder. 

“Who are you?” He yelled.

The man with the red helmet pushed him back and as Zane caught himself against the snow brought out a sharp pillar of ice from the ground beneath him. It launched into the man, sending him flying into the wall behind him. What should have incapacitated him only took him mere moments to get up from and it was there when he saw it. Their left shoulder had begun sparking. 

“You are like me.” He whispered. For so long he had thought he and Pixal were the only ones who were as advanced as they were. 

But they weren’t alike. That much was clear or the nindroid in front of him had controlled, altered, or perhaps he was simply built that way. He had felt a twisting in his chest. Zane always realized how lucky he and Pixal were, but now it was true more than anything. 

“Zane! Look out!” He briefly caught her warning and unfortunately Zane had caught sight of the nindroid too late. 

He fell back, his arms stretched outright to keep his opponent from his face and chest. The nindroid reached as far as he could to grasp any part of him in a desperate attempt to make any kind of resting impact. Even though he was presumably a newer model than himself, Zane was surrounded by his element and there was nothing Oni or anyone like him could do to get the edge up on him. 

Zane could feel a gentle hum in his chest and his crystal hummed back. Three, two, one. He counted to himself, using his feet to push the man up and away from him while mid air Pixal used a small device to shock the nindroid. He fell with a hard thud against the snow covered ground. For a few seconds, both Zane and Pixal stared at the limp, metal body waiting for it to move, but it never came. 

“Oh, Zane!” She exclaimed, pulling him to his feet. 

He immediately pulled Pixal to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. As relieved as he was that they were both free from Oni and his newfound nindroid, one thing kept eating away at him; There was one man he knew of that would have the money and resources to create something so advanced. Now, they just had to repair themselves in order to call out to their fellow ninja.

Four days earlier, twenty-two miles away from the Ninjago Peaks.

Cole’s eyes drooped as his grip on the wheel on the Bounty lightened somewhat. He and Kai had been traveling for almost two days on their way to the Great Ninjago Peak and as excited as he was to climb a mountain, there was something eating away at him. Ever since he was a young boy, he knew he was different, that he wasn’t like the other kids in his class. Part of that was due to his being an elemental master, but he’d also come to realize that the way he was supposed to feel about girls, he felt with boys. 

It was never something he had said out loud, but that night when Kai had kissed him in the bathroom or all those nights when the two of them held hands, stole glances of each other, or touched their lips together. Never in his life did he think his heart would beat this fast or his stomach churned, but then that night at the Palace happened and everything changed. 

The tension between him and Kai remained, but there was something different about it, that much was obvious. Kai had locked himself away either looking after Lloyd or busied himself with training. It wasn’t like he blamed him, but it was like a rug had been pulled out from under feet. The sudden shift in their relationship weighed on his mind like a heavy cloud, though as much as he wanted to ask him about it, there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say since his fears far outweighed the anxiety in his stomach. 

So, he swallowed the ever present lump in his throat and forced his eyes in front of him. It didn’t matter that he was exhausted or that he had to practically force his eyes open. He’d rather do that than think about what exactly is weighing heavy against his shoulders. 

Cole sighed, allowing his shoulders to slouch. Maybe he should grab a bite to eat to hold him over. Hopefully they had packed something sweet, or maybe they had enough for him to bake a cake from scratch. It wasn’t like he really knew how to bake, but he could learn. 

The touch of a hand appeared on his shoulder and he couldn’t stop himself from jumping at the sudden touch with his breath caught in his throat. 

“Woah!” Kai laughed. “Have you been out here all night?” 

Cole rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back to the steering wheel. “Maybe.” 

“Uh huh. Maybe you should eat something and get some rest. I’ll keep watch for a bit.” The Fire Ninja suggested, elbowing his side. 

A part of him wanted the two of them to keep watch together, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. It was counter productive for him to focus on anything but the mission and it wasn’t like he really knew where he and Kai stood as of late. It wasn’t like he thought he would actually fall asleep, but maybe he needed a break before they arrived the following afternoon. 

“Okay, yeah, sure.” Cole shrugged. “I’ll be, uh downstairs if you need me.” 

For a moment it looked like Kai was shocked that was his answer, but Cole was too tired to unveil his carefully hidden feelings, especially if it meant he had to stay out in the chill of night at three in the morning. 

As much as Cole wanted to lay in his bed and stare aimlessly at the ceiling, he also wanted Kai to ask him to stay or that Kai might suggest he went with him. But just like Cole, Kai elected to not say whatever had caused the furrowed line between his brows. 

Kai softly sighed. “I’ll let you know in case I see anything.” 

“Thanks,” Cole nodded. 

The Earth Ninja headed downstairs into the small kitchenette where he searched through the various different cupboards and refrigerator shelves for something he could eat. At the end of his minute long, brisk search he opted for handfuls of dry cereal. It wasn’t a meal for kings by any means, but he could hardly be bothered. 

Cole flopped onto the couch, resting his head against the backrest, while one hand grabbed another handful. The Earth Ninja took a deep breath, allowing his head to fall back, his gaze now facing the ceiling. As he stared deeper and deeper into the ceiling, slowly his eyes fell shut and the young ninja fell asleep. 

Cole was awoken to the sound of red lights and the shaking of Destiny’s Bounty. He bolted upright, a sickening feeling erupting throughout his entire person. He instantly raced towards the bridge. Terrifying thoughts echoed throughout his mind. If anything happened to Kai he wouldn’t forgive himself. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to take a break. He was so terrified. Would the mission be okay? Would the Bounty? Would Kai? 

His feet practically leapt up the stairs, his heart beat continuing to beat out of his chest. 

“Kai! Kai! Where are you?” He yelled. “Kai! What’s going on?” 

At this moment it didn’t matter to Cole that he wasn’t using code names or who heard it. In fact, he didn’t even realise what he was saying. All that mattered to him was Kai, all that filled his head was him and he would do whatever he could to keep him safe. 

“Oh! Cole! Thank the First Master!” Kai finally responded. 

He raced into the bridge, where he was face to face with the Fire Ninja, who was straining against both the wheel and the various different buttons on nearby equipment. Without sharing any of his words, he brought his hands and placed them around Kai’s. It wasn’t like the action sent waves of heat and fire throughout his hands and arms to radiate within his chest, but he couldn't stop himself from helping especially when the fate of Ninjago resonated on whether or not they were able to obtain one of the Oni Masks. 

Kai panted as the two ninjas, together, utilized their strength as they pulled the wheel in order to level the Bounty and prevent it from tipping over. “I don’t know who, but someone just started attacking us.” He grunted.

Cole nodded, his arms glowing a deep orange and gold as his super strength gave them the last push they needed for the flying ship to become level, but before they could celebrate in their prevention of their free fall a large explosion shook the hull of the ship. 

“I’ll stay at the wheel and try to get us away, you go to the weapons and see if we can fight them off.” Cole instructed, his fingers flying over the various different buttons and screens nearby.

Kai immediately raced to the back of the bridge reaching for the various different screens and remotes that control various different weapons along the sides of the Bounty. The familiar sound of their own weaponry had begun firing back into the bleak of night. And for a moment it had felt like they were making a difference in facing them, but just as the small thought crossed his mind, another large ricochet echoed throughout the night. 

The Earth Ninja’s eyes instantly widened as he realized what had happened as he stared at the blinking red light of the left booster on the screen in front of him. His deep chocolate eyes stared into the blue light of the screen awaiting for the backup boosters to kick in, but they didn’t start up and soon enough Destiny’s Bounty and the two ninjas aboard were in freefall. 

“Kai!” Cole yelled behind him, as he used his strength to pull the wheel in some kind of an attempt to ease the force at which the ship was falling out of the sky. “The distress signal to the other ninja, the Monastery- can you?” 

“Already on it.” He responded and soon enough the two of them were right next to each other, both pulling up on the wheel as hard as they could. 

Even as Cole’s arms glowed their familiar orange and gold, it barely made any kind of difference in slowing just how fast the two of them were falling and the close proximity of the trees beneath them caused his body to move before his brain could process just how quick they’d make some kind of crash landing. 

The Earth Ninja wrapped his arms, his person around him and tackled him to the floor. Neither of the two ninja could process what had happened before the bow of the ship made contact with the forest below. 

The crash landing was equivalent to being tossed around an industrial dryer and as the young ninja grunted attempting to sit up, but as soon as he made the effort a sharp pain erupted throughout his left arm into his shoulder. 

He winced in pain, but a hand, a person was behind him helping him sit up. Carefully, Cole blinked back the sudden brightness that was forced into his eyes where he was met with Kai’s face. 

“Easy there,” his fellow ninja had responded. “You’ve been out for a bit.” He smiled softly, but Cole could see the way exhaustion bit at his expression by the way deep purple lines highlighted his under eyes. He stood there, holding a small water bottle out in front of him.

Cole smiled softly, taking a small sip of water. “How long was I out?” 

Kai shrugged. “A few hours. Nya and Jay heard our signal, thank the First Master; though they’ll be here later tonight. 

Cole nodded, grateful that the two of them didn’t have to repair this bounty by themselves especially when his shoulder protested every movement imaginable. 

“You, okay?”

By the way his shoulders shook, Cole could tell Kai had bit back a laugh, but his expression suddenly turned quite solemn. “Yeah, I’m okay.” The two had fallen into silence, but eventually Kai had begun to speak. “I’m sorry about earlier.” 

Cole opened his mouth to respond, but Kai continued. 

“I mean about last night and about these past two weeks. I–” he swallowed. “I’m scared. Scared about Oni, the fate of Ninjago, my sister, Lloyd, the other ninja, you. And I don’t really know why but the idea of us, of letting myself be so free and in love terrifies me. For so long, it was just me and Nya so the idea of it not being the two of us anymore is…” The words died on his lips. “I don’t know.” Kai rested his head in his hands. 

Cole, using his good arm, placed a reassuring hand on his knee, causing Kai’s hazel eyes to meet his. 

“When my mom died, I was forced to grow up really fast. My dad spent more time performing than he did with me or anything else. The house had gone from overflowing with love to it practically being void of it all. I thought it was pointless, to care about someone else like that when all they did was leave you or disappoint you. But as I grew older and when I met Jay and we started training as Ninja, I realized that love wasn’t those things. It was about trust and not letting that person go and well a bunch of other things but you know what I mean.” 

Kai had been silent while Cole spoke and for a moment he thought he sounded crazy, but then Kai’s lips pressed into his and Cole pressed his in return. Cole curled his right hand around Kai’s knee while Kai placed one of his hands against the Earth Ninja’s cheek. It didn’t matter how long the two were there together, just that the two of them both seemed starved of the other’s touch. 

“Cole,” Kai pulled away from him. “I love you.” 

It was a bomb had went off in his chest, the greatest bomb to ever explode in the history of bombs. 

“I love you too.” He responded before kissing him again. 

Love was trying again, love was going through heartache and loss, but not being without your person and it seemed both ninja were ready to dive into who they were together.

The day before at the city of Stiix. 

The city on stilts was unlike anything she had ever seen and at first glance it was not much. The floorboards beneath her and Jay’s feet creaked with each step and at times it was enough for the main support beams to shake backwards and forth. At times it was enough to send Jay into her arms or nearly send him into them. 

Even though the city of Stiix was one of the main exports of fish and various different ocean life, the smell of salt and fish forced their way into their noses. And at least for a bit, Nya was sure she wasn’t going to have seafood for quite some time. 

The sound of a crane quickly caught her attention, and it seemed like a group of construction workers were repairing a section of the pier or adding to it. The sound of the metal from the crane practically echoed throughout the surrounding area and it didn’t help the unease that rested within her person. 

Nya turned her attention towards the small shop the two of them had stopped in front. It was a simple looking shop with its exterior matching the various different buildings throughout Stiix. The only thing that seemed to signal the shop’s purpose was a small vertical, wooden sign with the word ‘Antiques’ written on it in black paint. It was the only place she and Jay had researched that actually had anything that remotely looked like one of the Oni Idols, but the camera quality in the shop had been grainy at best. Not to mention it had been several days since they had actually seen anything regarding the inside of the shop. She just hoped that the Idol was still here and that they didn’t drive all the way out here for there to be absolutely nothing for them to find. 

A gloved hand curled around hers and she could feel herself smile behind the mask, her anxieties eased somewhat and nodded towards her partner. 

“You ready?” She asked. 

Jay nodded. “Let’s get this statue.” 

He followed Nya as she entered the wooden door, the sound of a soft bell signaled their entrance to the small antiques shop. Upon their entrance a low, hoarse voice called out to them from what she presumed was some kind of storage room. “Have a look around! I'm just finishing up back here.” 

Nya and Jay’s eyes quickly found each other and nodded. This was their chance to look around for the Idol without some kind of overworked shop keeper breathing down their necks. As if in perfect sync, the couple nodded to each other and split up to different parts of the rooms. 

The young ninja was practically shocked at just how many small things were shoved into the small store. It was like various different eras of Ninjago’s history were shoved to the ceiling. Each marketed ‘priceless’ item was precariously balanced on precariously attached shelves. It was almost admirable, but there was no way the two of them would be able to find it if it was even here. 

“Any luck?” Jay asked, resting his head onto Nya’s though the two were almost as tall as each other with her combat boots on. 

She shook her head. “Just junk, junk, and more junk. You?” 

It looked as though he was going to respond, but the same voice from before had once again echoed within their ear drums. How had neither of them seen him coming? Or much less heard him coming? A knot in Nya’s stomach had begun to turn, there wasn’t something right. No regular person would be able to sneak past two well trained ninja in some antique store. 

“Hey, lady.” He grunted. “If you don’t like anything, the doors are right there.” He pointed behind them to the same oak door they had entered. 

The man had long ginger hair, as well an eye patch overtop his right eye. As Nya took in the middle aged man in front of them, she wanted to roll her eyes, but thankfully was able to stop her eyes from reaching the ceiling. 

“Sorry, just looking for something in particular.” She did her best to wave him off, taking Jay’s hand in hers. 

The man laughed. “Nah, most of this stuff is junk. But you two are looking for something special?” He smirked. “I got rings and pendants a plenty. Of course the good stuff will cost extra.” 

Nya forced a grin. Of course, someone who owned an antique shop like this would love to wring a young couple out of whatever hard earned money they had. So, she and Jay looked at the various different rings and Yin and Yang medallions for something that struck them, but the only thing Nya had seemed to find was ‘junk, junk, and more junk’. 

It took mere moments of this man trying to coerce them into buying an overpriced, ugly, fake ring when the Water Ninja had enough and she wanted to make some kind of headway in the mission they had originally set out on. 

“Oh, dear!” She exclaimed in an overly cheery voice that she was sure terrified Jay. “What was that statue your grandparents had?” 

Jay nodded, playing along. “Oh right! It was some kind of small Oni Statue. Do you have anything that’s like it?” 

The shopkeeper nodded slowly. “I might have had something like it, but unfortunately sold it off to some biker lady a few days ago.” 

Ultra Violet, she thought. And Nya was sure Jay had the same feeling too. 

Either the image they had seen of the Idol was the actual thing or Ultra Violet was tricked, just like they would have been. They had to tell the others to keep watch for the other Sons of Oni and that Sensei Wu was right. It wouldn’t be long until they were going toe to toe with Oni. 

She looked at Jay and gave him a quick nod and soon enough he was pushing her out of the room because they had to meet his grandparents for dinner. 

“You think that was Ultra Violet?” Jay asked, once they were a few feet away from the shop’s store front. 

“There’s no doubt about it,” Nya answered. “I just hope the others had better luck than we are.”

Chapter Text

Lloyd leaned against his headboard, after practically living in the medial wing he had never been more relieved to be in his bed than to be trapped in one of those small hospital beds. His arms were crossed behind his head, but he couldn’t focus. There was nothing he could be doing, but there were countless things he should be doing. He should be on a mission to find one of the Oni Idols with the others. It wasn't like he had a brisk brush with death or the fact that he kept seeing things. But really, he was fine, he really was. Even if he had to constantly remind himself of the fact. 

His gaze traveled to the clock, it read, eight thirty-seven. With a heavy sigh the green ninja forced himself out of bed. Though a part of him wanted to rot away in his room. He wasn’t able to go on a mission, he wasn’t permitted to do any kind of heavy training at risk of opening his stitches. But there was one thing that pulled him from his shadowed room; Harumi. She was just a door away and as much as he was feeling trapped, he could only imagine how trapped she felt. 

The young ninja trudged through the Monastery to the kitchen. It wasn’t like he was the greatest chef, but with the other ninja gone it wasn’t like he couldn’t prepare breakfast. After all, the two of them lived together for several months and somehow the two of them managed to get by. 

He opened the fridge, then the pantry, followed by the fridge once again. As much as he loved pancakes or any kind of breakfast food, he had no idea on how to cook it so instead he opted for two bowls of cereal. 

As he finished pouring the two bowls with cereal and placing a spoon into each bowl. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Lloyd took a deep breath, staring into the various colored loops that danced within the small bowl of milk. Even though he was here in the Monastery far from danger there was something that ate away at him; something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his finger on just what it was.

“Wow, what do I owe you for this gourmet meal?” A voice echoed throughout his mind, shaking him from his thoughts. 

Lloyd blinked at her, before immediately softening. He stared at her for a moment, she was wearing her usual gingham pajama pants, green slippers, with her hair in two braids, but the thing that made his ears grow an all too familiar red. She was wearing one of his green goodies. His cheeks followed suit, noticing at how his emerald green hoodie was oversized on her, or the way she had to roll up the sleeves. 

For a moment he couldn’t help the way his gaze lingered on her or the way his heart beat had begun thumping rapidly. As soon as his brain reset somewhat, he diverted his gaze slightly, forcing himself to blink himself out of his trance. Lloyd smiled widely at her, but the lingering feeling in his chest remained. 

“I think it earns me a marathon of the Fritz Donnegan movies,” the green ninja smirked. 

He didn’t miss the way Harumi’s eyes faced the sky or the way she laughed to herself. “But I think I remember the two of us promising a certain Lightning and Earth Ninja that you wouldn’t show them to me without the two of them being present.” She retorted, folding her arms across her chest. 

Lloyd could feel the way his face fell. It wasn’t like he had forgotten about their promise, but he wanted to distract himself from the very obvious fact that he was home while the rest of his team were on a mission. They had already been gone for a few days and neither team were expected to return home after their respective missions for some time. But it was his favorite series and all he wanted to do right now was take a break from everything. Though it seemed like nothing in his day to day would go right, everything served as another reminder that trapped his person here or that kept him from serving his purpose as the ‘Green Ninja’. 

Harumi’s face quickly fell after his own, as she must have seen the way his demeanor had changed. She reached what would have been a comforting hand out to him, but he looked away from her, from everything, and set his eyes onto the two different bowls in front of him. A part of Lloyd wanted to run, like how he did when his mom had left and never came home, or when he found out he was the Green Ninja, or when his father had told him he’d be forced to work at his company, or the way he was forced to marry this very girl a few feet away from him, or when– who was he kidding? Everything. But even as he wished for his legs to move, they stayed still. He couldn’t run away from everything, as much as he wanted to. 

“Sorry, I just–” The words seemed to die within his throat. It was like everything in his head was suddenly lost to not only everyone else, but himself as well. Lloyd felt ridiculous, like that of a child. He was an adult, but the unease in his chest seemed to swallow him whole. 

The touch of soft hands gave him the reassurance for their green eyes to meet, where he was face to face with Harumi and her kind smile. 

“You have nothing to apologize for, things have been hard for a while.” She took a deep breath, wrapping a comforting hand around his. 

Lloyd slowly nodded, staring deeper into what was definitely two bowls of soggy cereal. It wasn’t like anything she had said was outright wrong, but it didn’t change the way their worlds had been flipped upside down and were expected to sit around while said worlds tried to be repaired. 

The two of them fell into a somber silence.

“Have you ever been on a picnic?” Harumi asked. 

That probably caught the young ninja off the most, out of everything from this morning. It shocked him so much that he couldn't help the way he exhaled a small laugh. Out of all the things he thought she might say, a picnic wasn’t one of those things. 

“A few times when I was a kid,” he laughed. “Why do you ask?” 

Harumi shrugged. “I’ve never been allowed to be on one and well I thought it might be the perfect thing we need to relax and take a moment for ourselves.” 

For a moment, Lloyd stared at her; his brows were furrowed. But soon enough his smile reappeared between his lips and his eyes had lit up. “I’d love to.” 

The young princess’ eyes and smile matched his own in a second. “Oh! Great! Let's get ready and we can go!” She called out, after bolting out of the room. 

Lloyd’s smile faded into a softer one, but there was still a remaining unease present within his person. Something about today preyed on his mind, something wasn’t right. It was almost like he had lived a part of this day before, but it was a different feeling than the one he had from his visions. So, a part of him just wanted to label it as ‘anxiety’ and not something he should be overly worried about. 

He decided anything from a shop in the nearby village would be better than the unfortunately very soggy cereal that he had prepared. But instead of taking a bite and further ruining his mood, he decided to clean up his mess before he told Sensei Wu about their plans for a picnic.

Once the two bowls were cleaned, dried, and put away he knocked on the screen door to his Sensei’s room. 

It was quiet for a moment, before his uncle spoke. “You may enter.” 

Lloyd opened the door, taking a seat opposite of Master Wu. 

“Sensei, Harumi and I would like to leave the Monastery; if that’s alright. And of course you are welcome to come with us if you’d like.” 

The older man took a steady sip of his tea. “Hmm. I don’t see why not. As long as you promise to protect the young princess and don’t do anything to aggravate your healing injuries.” 

A part of Lloyd wanted to retort and point out that if he needed to protect her, he’d be unable to not aggravate his injuries, but he decided that maybe he shouldn’t say what was on his mind. So, instead the young ninja decided to nod and smile at his Sensei. 

“Thank you, Master.” He stood and quickly bowed before stopping himself at the door. “Would you like to come with us?” 

In return, Master Wu smiled at him. “Thank you, young nephew. But I am needed here to monitor the communicator with the other ninja in case they are in need of backup.” 

Lloyd nodded. “I understand. Let me know if there’s anything I can do when we get back.” 

His uncle smiled. “Thank you, nephew.” 

He smiled, leaving the room to get ready. Lloyd opted for a pair of green jeans, a white t-shirt, green jacket, with a pair of green sneakers. It wasn’t the best outfit he had ever worn, but it was pretty much all he had here and it was the most comfortable thing he had besides of course his gi or pajamas. Lloyd looked at himself in the mirror, fixing his hair in various different spots when a soft knock echoed throughout his room. 

He quickly opened his screen door, revealing Harumi waiting for him outside. It only took a second for him to take her in, but for a moment longer his gaze remained on her. She was wearing a pair of black mary jane shoes, light green corduroy pants, and a cream colored blouse. The pair stood there for a moment, the two of them seemingly taking the other in, but each of them remained there for a moment. 

Once Lloyd had realized he had been staring at her, he cleared his throat softly, bringing a hand to scratch the back of his head. 

“Do you uh, want to go?” He asked, hoping to the First Spinjitzu Master, that she didn’t notice just how awkward he was, or the fact that he was definitely staring at her. 

Harumi coughed softly, shifting away from him slightly. “Yeah, yeah,” she viscerally nodded. “Let’s go!” She hurriedly left the hallway and the two of them walked to the elevator, followed by the walk to one of the cars. The pair were quiet as they walked throughout the Monastery, when Lloyd opened the door for her, and as they drove to the nearby village. 

As he drove throughout the valley, his stomach began to twist and turn. It was like it had been flipped inside out or upside down. It wasn’t like he had eaten anything that morning or the night before that made him uncomfortable, but he just chalked it up to being related to the fact he hadn’t eaten anything for the past twelve hours. 

He pulled the car into a small parking place near the bottom of the large mountain where the village resided. Jamunakai was a small village, but that didn’t mean it was any less bustling as Ninjago City. The main street was filled with various different stalls selling various different fruits, vegetables, and various different trinkets. Small family owned restaurants and shops lined every street and different paths. The people were friendly and kind, bright smiles and faces among each and every face. But the best thing about Jamunakai village was also several miles out from Ninjago city, which in Lloyd’s case was a huge breath of air. Here, he wasn’t his father’s song. Here, he could just be Lloyd. And now this was something Harumi got to experience herself. Here, she could just be Rumi. She didn’t have to be the princess, she just had to be herself. 

This was their place now and nothing could change that. 

As the two trekked up the small staircase leading to the mountain, Lloyd found his gaze drifting to her. He took in her expression, the small ways her eyes drifted to the surrounding flora, the way she seemed to light up at the sounds and sights of the forest, the way she pointed at the nearby fauna, and, of course the way she excitedly tugged Lloyd’s sleeve and pointed to every flower she could find. And Lloyd couldn’t help but smile at everything. He understood how refreshing and almost life changing it was to be free from the box the both of them grew up in. 

“Oh my First Master,” she exclaimed. “This place is amazing!” 

Lloyd chuckled. “Just wait until you see the picnic spot.” 

“What are we waiting for!” She grabbed his hand and led him up the path, nearing the village’s entrance. 

Lloyd’s smile couldn’t help but widen, but something about this felt off, but he pushed those thoughts further down. Surely, the two of them deserved a break away from everything. The others were on their missions and he and Rumi only had a few moments of peace such as this. 

Both Harumi and Lloyd traveled through the market, admiring each and every stall filled to the brim with fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and small trinkets. There was something there at each and every stall that seemed to catch their eyes. 

Lloyd wasn’t sure how long the two of them traveled throughout the small market, but by the time the two of them had gone through each stall, the sun was now much farther west than it had been when they got there. 

“You ready for your first picnic?” Lloyd said as he playfully nudged her while they walked down the small trail. 

“Yeah, so excited!” She laughed. “Is this spot really as beautiful as you say?” She gave him one of those looks, the kind of looks that ‘is this really as beautiful as you say it is?’ 

He knew a part of why she was asking was because how can something as simple as eating on a blanket within the grass was really something extraordinary, but he knew Harumi. He knew how she loved the small things or the way he was practically being dragged there. So he decided to sit on it for a moment, part of the reason was to create a small sense of drama, but the main part was so he could think back on just how wonderful picnicking was. 

The first time he went on a picnic it was with his mother and father. It was supposed to be for his birthday, but the date had to be pushed back; The first time was because his mother was called out to a dig, the second time his father had a meeting, and the third reason he could remember was because Lloyd had come down with a small cold. As a child he remembered being so excited to do something he normally wasn’t allowed to, but now, looking back, it was just another moment where Lloyd was put second to his family’s ambitions. 

The young ninja didn’t notice how his smile had fallen, or the way his eyesight had drifted to the trail beneath him. It wasn’t like this was the first realization he had regarding his upbringing, but it was a different feeling when his mother was involved. With his father involved, a boiling anger and fear overcame him, but with his mother? He only felt a deep loneliness and loss. 

“You okay?” He vaguely heard, but the thoughts that consumed him almost trapped him in some kind of trance. 

“Lloyd?” He felt a hand take hold of him and hearing his name was enough to snap his head out of it. 

He shook his head, a small smile instantly blossoming across his face. “Yeah? Sorry.” Lloyd chucked, scratching the back of his head. 

Harumi pulled him to face her. She had that look in her eye, one that said she knew what he was thinking about. Her thumbs rubbed up and down his hands, doing her best to comfort him and ease the worry in the base of his stomach. 

“Lloyd?” She asked, while one of her hands moved to his cheek. Her thumb gently moved up and down his cheek, while her other fingers cupped his face. He resisted every urge that told him to lean onto her hand, but in the end he was weak against his own emotions. 

“Are you okay? Do you need a moment? Or should we go home?” Her eyes were filled with worry, the one that ate away at a person. 

Lloyd wanted to scold himself. This was supposed to be about her, about relieving her anxieties and worries that plagued her. But instead, here he was only adding to her strife. But there was a part of him that couldn’t be made at himself, not when Harumi cared so deeply about him, not when she wasn’t upset with him. 

“Rumi, I– I’m sorry. I just–” Lloyd's thoughts were interrupted, as the sounds of leaves and branches crunching within the distance snapping him out of wherever his mind was going. “Wait, shh,” His eyes darted to the surrounding foliage. 

Something was wrong.

Something was off. 

“You need to get out of here.” He mumbled, placing his body in front of hers. 

But it was too late. Masked men with large purple snake tattoos leapt out from behind the nearby trees and bushes. Each of them wielded onto purple crystal swords and donned the skulls of what looked like to be snakes. 

“Lloyd!” Rumi exclaimed, her nails digging deeper into his arm. 

There wasn’t enough time for him to think of anything remotely comforting to say with the way the masked men charged towards the two of them. He cursed under his breath dodging, reflecting, and kicking away at the men who stood before them. Some part of him knew that they shouldn’t have left the Monastery today or that he should have brought some kind of weapon with him. 

All the two of them had were a small picnic basket, various different types of foods, a small blanket, and the small trinkets the two of them picked up for themselves and the other ninja. So there was nothing that could prove of any benefit, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t at least fun for him to throw cakes and their small appetizers at them even if it hurt him to waste such delicious sweets. 

With every kick, punch, and move deflected Lloyd could feel the weight on his limbs. Even though Harumi had martial arts training, the skill of these attackers was almost too much for the two of them. 

It was almost too much for him and then that’s when it happened, his emerald elemental power erupted throughout his palms against the attackers. Crap, he had blown his cover. Everything that he had worked so hard to maintain was gone just like that. Now, all that mattered was to keep them from spilling his secret. 

Even though he utilized his elemental power, there were what felt like twenty to their two and only one of them was a highly trained ninja. Not to mention, that all the fighting was getting old or anything.

He pressed on, even as fatigue weighed down on his muscles. 

Then he heard it, that terrifying sound. A sound that haunted the young ninja’s nightmares. From then on it was like his mind was wired in on that one sound, one person, on her. Just like that he stopped fighting and his elemental power faded from his palms. Slowly, his head turned to where he faced a much larger, muscular man placing one of the swords against Harumi’s neck. 

It was like everything around him was frozen. She was the only one who mattered and she had a sharp blade and muscular arm trapping her.

“What do you want?” He sneered. “Let her go and we’ll give it to you.” 

The man’s expression twisted into some kind of cruel smile and he spoke in what almost sounded like only grunts. “We only came for her, but it seems like we’re taking you too.” 

For a brief moment it was like everything became slow motion and he was forced to watch the man with the purple snake tattoo raise his arm against her, preparing to make a blow to her person. 

Lloyd rushed forward, but it was too late. He was too focused on her, he neglected to care for his own person. There was nothing he could have done as the cursed blade made contact with his back. As blood poured from the deep cut, it felt like his back was burning, the pain was almost too much. Though Lloyd did his best to resist collapsing, it was too much for him or for his own body. 

The last words he remembered before collapsing were of Harumi. “Lloyd!” 

Then everything went black. 

She startled herself awake, her heart was racing, almost as if she had just woken up from a bad dream. But that’s just it, she did. 

The room she was in was nothing like anything she had stayed in before. It looked almost as if it was straight out of a historical drama, except for the fact this wasn’t anything like her bedroom growing up. 

Harumi took a mental checklist of everything she knew. She was somewhere she didn’t know, she had no idea where Lloyd was, and she was most likely kidnapped by the same people who have been trying to attack her for First Master knows how long. So, basically she knew nothing. 

“Ugh!” Harumi exclaimed. Everything felt hopeless and even though a part of her wanted to cry, she couldn’t let any tears fall until she and Lloyd were okay. 

Just then a knock echoed from the outside of the screen door and the breath was sucked out of her lungs instantaneously.