A/N: Hello! I know, people have already done this with Ninjago: little snap shots of the Ninjas in their everyday school lives, but after reading so many good Fanfictions from other talented authors, I got inspired to write my own. Also, I have a lot of High School story prompts that I would love to use on these adorable characters.

Hope you enjoy reading this. :)

One-Way Spark, Part 1

Lloyd couldn't help himself. As inconspicuous as possible, he flicked his eyes to the left, away from the documentary that was playing in history class. There was a new girl in school. But she wasn't just any girl; this was princess Harumi, daughter of Ninjago's royal figureheads, though her average attire wouldn't have made that obvious. The royal family didn't have any real power, of course, but that didn't make Harumi's arrival to the High School any less important.

Harumi had instantly become the topic of the day. Every hall Lloyd walked down, he would hear someone talking about her. At first glance, he was starstruck, a feeling that was foreign to him, but not unwelcome. So the fireworks that went off in his heart were no surprise when the teacher assigned Harumi's seat next to his.

At first Lloyd didn't know what to do. Should he say hi? Should he even be looking at her? As the son of Garmadon, Lloyd was typically self-conscious around his peers, and he wasn't sure if Harumi would feel the same disdain for him as everyone else. Because of this he hesitated, keeping his mouth shut and eyes forward, though he did steal a glance every now and then when the teacher wasn't paying attention.

His nerves went skyward when she initiated conversation.

"Hi," she whispered, a small but friendly smile playing on her lips. Everything about her was gorgeous. Her hair, a loose yet fitting bun, the lightest of colors, went well with her green sweater and jeans, though Lloyd supposed he could have been biased on both colors. It took him a moment to realize his staring might be taken as creepy, and he shook himself awake, panicking to find the right response.

"H-hey," he choked, clearing his throat and shuffling a hand through his hair. He briefly looked at his feet under his desk, trying to keep his fidgeting at a minimum.

Harumi didn't seem to notice. Or she didn't mind. "My name's Harumi," she went on, before chuckling to herself in embarrassment. "...though, you probably know that already."

Relieved, Lloyd allowed himself to quietly laugh with her. "Yeah. I'm Lloyd." he shuddered then looked away. "But, I bet you knew that already, too."

"Lloyd… Garmadon?" Harumi guessed.

Lloyd bit his lip, and with a sinking heart he nodded.

"I thought you were familiar." He was shocked to hear no malice in her tone. Daring to face her again, he noted she was actually grinning. She thereafter looked sympathetic. "It must be hard to see your dad try to destroy Ninjago so much."

Lloyd gaped, stunned. He was at a loss for words, so Harumi took that as a sign to continue.

"I lost my parents when I was little," she confessed. "I was adopted into the royal family."

Not expecting such personal exposure, Lloyd blinked and sat up a bit straighter. The royal family of Ninjago had always had such private lives; any information about them was little known, so this was news for him to hear. He sighed. "Wow. I'm… sorry to hear that."

Harumi was smiling again, almost shyly. Lloyd's heart fluttered. "Sorry," she said, blushing. "I'm making things depressing, aren't I?"

Startled, Lloyd said, "No!" he ducked when the teacher gave him a warning glare. More quietly, and with his head low, Lloyd continued, "I mean, maybe. But, to be honest, it can be nice to… talk about those kinds of things with someone."

Harumi's beaming face told Lloyd she agreed. They focused back on the documentary, but kept passing shy looks in the movie's duration. It was sometime later the bell went off, interrupting the historic film, and prompting the students to get up and gather their belongings for the next period. The teacher was in the middle of last-minute reminders on projects that would be due soon when Lloyd got his backpack together. He stood up, facing Harumi eagerly, but noticed she was no longer at her desk. Turning, he watched just as she left the room, and with haste he scurried out before he could lose her in the crowd.

"Harumi!" he called, not too loudly for fear of drawing unwanted attention. Thankfully she heard him and paused to let him catch up. Lloyd stopped at her side, aware he didn't have a plan on what to say, and just stood there awkwardly. Harumi began to giggle behind her binder, and Lloyd blushed, smacking himself on the inside.

"Uh… I was just wondering if you needed help finding your classes," he stuttered, impressed with his quick thinking. It wasn't a lie, either; he genuinely wanted to do what he could to make sure she was comfortable.

And Harumi did appear grateful. She held up her paper schedule. "I was given a tour over the weekend…"

Lloyd tried not to look disappointed.

"...but I wouldn't mind some company." she finished.

Eagerly Lloyd started to walk forward. "Great! I happen to like your company, too." Realizing he might have just assumed her mind, he quickly rephrased, "I mean, not that you like my company- - uh, it's nice to be with a friend." He tried to shut himself up but couldn't. "Not that you're my friend! We, we barely know each other after all, and, well- -"

Harumi stopped him with a laugh. Lloyd's ears burned. "I wouldn't mind a friend," she admitted timidly.

The tension in Lloyd only began to dissolve. "R-really?" But he had to ask. "Even though my... dad is Lord Garmadon?"

"I don't see why not."

That was enough to put Lloyd at ease. For the first time in ages, he had a genuine smile. Lloyd was quick to notice from her schedule he only shared one class with Harumi, that being history, but that didn't soil his mood. There was always time to catch up during lunch, and even though he didn't pack his own food most days, it was his favorite period of High School. He practically bounded down the hallways when lunch came around, heart pounding in excitement at the chance of finding someone who really understood him as a regular kid. Of course he always had his Ninja friends, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya, but there was something about Harumi that made her different from the others. Perhaps it was because she could empathize with his family issues. Alright, so none of the Ninjas had a perfect family life, but Harumi was so gentle, and so… wow. Lloyd couldn't express it in words. All he knew was he couldn't wait to see her again.

Turns out she was harder to find than he originally thought. Lloyd scanned the cafeteria vicinity; the regular cliques had already settled in their usual spots, including his friends, whom he found waving at him. At first he ignored them, his hopes gradually dimming when there was still no sign of Harumi. Discouraged, he trudged towards his friends' table, sliding next to Zane with a quick nod of greeting. On Zane's other side was Cole, leaving Jay straight across from Lloyd at the edge and the two siblings next to Jay. Lloyd tuned out their conversation to keep watch for Harumi, figuring she might have gotten lost or was taking a bit longer to get out of class.

Nya broke him out of his thoughts. "Lloyd, are you okay?" her voice bordered concern, prompting the others to look his way expectantly.

Distractedly he switched focus to return their gazes. "What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." As soon as the words were out he continued his scanning.

The five exchanged glances outside of Lloyd's knowledge, but didn't push him. They resumed their conversation as normal, only to face him again when Lloyd suddenly jumped to his feet. There she was! Harumi had just walked inside the cafeteria, carrying a shoulder bag and looking nervously at the crowd of teenagers. With no regard for his surroundings, Lloyd hustled to meet her, forcing himself not to look too eager.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, shortly after criticizing himself for possibly saying that too loud. He sheepishly grinned. "How're you liking the school so far?"

Harumi relaxed. "It's nothing like I expected," she admitted, making Lloyd wonder if that was good or not. "But it's nice. I… feel like I can be myself for once."

Lloyd nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "Do you have somewhere to sit? I have some friends I usually sit with, but if you're not comfortable, we can- -"

"I'd love to meet your friends!" Harumi interrupted, shrinking back thereafter. "If that's okay."

"Yeah, of course!" Lloyd led her through the cafeteria, ignoring the stares the two got on the way. In the back of his mind, he supposed it was baffling that the princess of Ninjago would befriend the offspring of the City's baddest villain, out of all people.

The five Ninja were watching Lloyd and his companion almost obsessively. Lloyd stood beside the table with Harumi and happily led introductions.

"Guys, this is Harumi. Harumi, this is Kai- -"

"'Sup?"

"Zane,"

"Many greetings, fellow teenager!"

"He's Jay- -"

Jay grinned awkwardly.

"Cole- -"

Cole nodded.

"- -and Nya."

"Hey there," Nya smiled at Harumi kindly. "Nice bag."

Harumi returned the smile and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you. Uh…" she eyed Nya briefly. "...Nice jacket."

"Thanks."

Moments after Harumi settled down by Lloyd, Kai leaned over from across the table curiously. "So you're that new girl everyone's been talking about, right?"

Harumi looked shocked. "E-everyone?"

Lloyd shot Kai a nasty look but didn't have time to cover for him.

"Technically only 72% of the student body," Zane corrected Kai with a toothy grin. "If you wanted to include the school staff, that would make up- -"

Lloyd cut him off with a forced laugh. "Ahh, stop exaggerating, guys," he next gave Zane a warning glare.

Zane was offended, oblivious to Lloyd's scowl. "My calculations are never exaggerated."

Cole had a thick pair of headphones over his head, and he temporarily let them slide around his neck. "Don't listen to them," he said with regard to Harumi. "This stuff usually blows over in a week or two. Might as well enjoy your days of fame while they last."

Harumi still seemed nervous, and desperate for the situation to remain somewhat controlled Lloyd blurted out, "So, uh, Harumi… what kind of things do you like to do in your free time?"

It was a good distraction for now. "I don't have much free time in the palace." she revealed after a moment of thought. "I'm afraid there's not much I can say that will be interesting."

"But you live in a palace," Jay started, somewhat confused. "How can that not be interesting?"

Harumi bit her lip. "Well- -"

"A palace? Woah!" Kai interrupted, eyes sparkling. "That's right! I forgot you were part of the royal family." he suddenly looked out of place and whispered to his sister next to him, "Should we, like, bow or something?"

Nya responded with an elbow to his ribs.

"I am," The princess maintained eye contact, but was clearly uncomfortable. "But sometimes, I wish I could live a more normal life. One without so many responsibilities."

"I get it," said Lloyd. Though he would never trade being the Green Ninja, the duties that came with it were often exhausting.

Lloyd opened his mouth to say something else when seemingly out of nowhere strutted in Chad. Chad admittedly had a suave nature, and was openly aware of it, too; his signature jock jacket matched the cheerleader's outfits as well as the school colors. As Chad walked by holding a lunch tray, his elbow jutted right against Harumi, who squealed and clumsily fell into Lloyd. Chad's grip on the tray wobbled and a cup of hot chocolate spilled over the table, mere droplets splashing Harumi while the rest plunged over Jay's face. Jay shrieked and similarly toppled towards Kai, but ended up falling backwards on the floor instead.

Kai, Nya, Zane, and Cole were the first to stand up. "Hey!" Nya snapped.

However Chad's attitude was thoroughly innocent. He took a moment to freeze and survey the situation. "Oh. My gosh. Harumi, I am so sorry." He pulled out a wad of napkins as if that was normal to carry around in one's pocket. "Here, allow me." He offered the princess one before overcompensating to dry the table with the rest.

Gradually lifting himself from the floor, Jay whimpered, wiping the liquid off with his scarf. "What about me?"

Chad looked at Jay as if he hadn't noticed him before. "Oh. You got a little something right there- - yeah." Chad couldn't hold back chuckles. "Here you go." He picked up the already soaked napkins and tossed them at Jay, who spluttered and fell again.

"Dude!" Kai exclaimed fiercely, helping Jay to his feet. "Not cool."

Chad laughed and, with a self-important smirk, shrugged it off light-heartedly. "I said I was sorry, dude, jeez."

Anyone who didn't know Chad probably would have believed him, too. But the six Ninjas had been dealing with Chad since the start of their freshmen year. He might have been appealing to a general crowd, but when it came to Lloyd and whoever befriended Lloyd, there was no friendly innocence involved, and anything that looked like an "accident" was a cover up to hide the animosity- - not that anyone would do something to stop it even if it was blatantly obvious.

Even Zane wasn't impressed by Chad's act. And he was almost always happy. "That is unlikely true." he said matter-of-factly.

Bitterly Lloyd put himself between Chad and Harumi. "Just leave us alone."

Chad shook his head at Lloyd as if in disbelief. Jokingly he nudged the blond. "And you wonder why no one likes you." With one last snort he left their table, but not before adding over his shoulder mockingly, "Oh, uh, you gonna drink that, Jay?"

The silence that followed was awkward.

Jay excused himself to the bathroom to clean the hot chocolate off his face and clothes, leaving the others to stew away in the aftermath of Chad's random but unsurprising interference. It was often he tried to soil the day of the group, but dragging Harumi into it, who was still so new to the school, was crossing a line.

"Um…" Lloyd started quietly, keeping his gaze steadily on his hands. "Sorry about Chad. He can be really…"

He broke off when Harumi put her hand next to his. "It's okay," she reassured before trying for a joke. "It'll take more than a hot drink to scare me."

Despite himself Lloyd mirrored her smile. By the time Jay returned, Nya got an idea to brighten the atmosphere.

"Why don't we play an ice-breaker?" she suggested. "We could ask questions around the table. Everyone has to answer them to keep it fair."

Happy for something to do, the group agreed and started with a question from Nya. They continued the game throughout lunch period, oftentimes pausing to poke fun at each other for the most trivial of things. Harumi began to enjoy herself, much to Lloyd's relief, and when the two simultaneously answered "green" for their favorite color they couldn't stop from looking at each other and laughing.

The hour ended all too soon. Harumi was the quickest to finish packing, being ready to go by the time the bell stopped buzzing. She was already leaving when the others had just begun to stand up.

Lloyd wanted to go after her, but the heavy teenage traffic kept him from getting far. He sighed, wishing she would at least give him a chance to wish her good-bye, before turning when his friends start chuckling and giving him pointed looks.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"You like her," Jay chirped, his freckles creasing with his grin.

Gaping, Lloyd stuttered, "What? No. I mean, she's a nice girl- -"

"That you like," Cole added bluntly.

Kai's face was exploding with cheers. "And she likes green!"

Zane's usual large grin was irremovable. "And you defended her from Chad. I 'ship' it!"

Lloyd tried to hide his embarrassment as the six walked out of the cafeteria. "You guys are reading way too far into this," he insisted, knowing full well he was denying the truth.

"Don't worry, Lloyd," Nya reassured with a wink. "Your secret's safe with us. And hey, if you ever need relationship advice, my door is always open."

Lloyd's face flushed as the others laughed. Kai pulled him into a half-hug, half-headlock and rifled through his hair, the others giving him playful shoves and pats on the back as they parted ways. Lloyd freed himself from Kai's death grip, smiling for their sake. As soon as they left he allowed his smile to slightly fall. With one last look around the crowd, he resigned to his fate of not seeing Harumi again that day and finished his last few classes with as much positive energy as possible.

0o0o0o0

Lloyd tossed his backpack on the dining room chair. It had been a long day, but it had also been a great day. Despite missing Harumi even after school ended, he looked forward to seeing her again tomorrow, considering her mere presence was the highlight of his 24 hours.

Lloyd searched his pockets for his phone, frowning when he found them empty. Eyes trailing to his backpack, he rummaged through the zippers, blinking when his hand came across a folded piece of paper. He didn't remember having that in there. Curiosity piqued, he picked it up.

It was a phone number.

And it was signed "Harumi".

Lloyd's insides bubbled with glee. He read the number over and over again in his head, memorizing it as if afraid of losing the paper. Maybe that was why she left the cafeteria so quickly! She seemed shy enough; maybe she was too afraid of offering it to him face-to-face. Instantly accepting that logic as fact, Lloyd carefully hid the piece of paper in his hand, using his other to find his phone with more purpose. Guess he didn't have to wait until tomorrow for their next conversation!

A/N: What luck for Lloyd! It's almost too good to be true! Suspicious? Expect drama in the next update...

Not every snap shot will be a two-parter; this one just ended up being longer than I anticipated. If you guys have suggestions for me to write, I'd love to see them. :)