Request: Can you make a Oneshot in a Ninjago Au where Mr. E is the Quiet One but no one knows yet and Harumi is good?

Requested by: ColdWaterChicken (guest)

Warnings: Good Harumi, crushing on an already-paired character (Zane)

Pairings: Harumi/Lloyd, Harumi/Zane

AU: Good Harumi

A/N: Apologies, but I kind of screwed with S8's timing because it affects the flow of the story. Also, the whole thing is quite relationship-oriented, less action-oriented. If that's not what you wanted, tell me and I can change it.

Jade Nindroid

Harumi was having a panic attack.

Sitting on the floor of the bounty, she curled into a ball, holding her legs and resting her chin on her knees. She didn't even want to look around the bedroom of the bounty, where the Ninja, Cole, Kai, Nya, Jay, Lloyd, and Zane all lived some of the time.

She felt too exposed, too scared. Her parents were dead- even if they had adopted her, her home was gone, and some mysterious 'Quiet One' was out to get her and the Ninja.

Speaking of the Ninja, that led to the real reason Harumi was hiding in the bunkroom. Zane was on a Ninja mission. As much as she tried to not be a fangirl as a child, she couldn't help but sympathise with the Ninja's large fanbase.

Five boys (and one girl) with magical powers that fight to protect the country and are all kind and reasonably handsome? It was any girl's dream. Though she'd avoided becoming a hardcore Ninja fan, living in the base of your heroes was enough to make anyone's head fuzzy.

Not only that, but Harumi had a huge crush on one of the Ninja: Zane.

He was so different from the others, calculating and intelligent, but with a sense of warmth that radiated from every fiber of his titanium being. Harumi couldn't think when she imagined him. He was kind and funny, oh, gosh, her mouth was dry and her heart was beating just thinking about him.

But now, he was on a mission with the Ninja in Black, Cole, and wouldn't be back for a few hours… if he even came- No, no! Harumi shoved those thoughts away. There was no way she would let her fear for Zane's life control her. Scrunching down beneath her Green Hoodie, Harumi sighed, resting her forehead on her knees.

"Hey, Harumi?" A voice asked. Harumi looked up to see the Water Ninja, Nya, kneeled before her, smiling slightly. "Are you okay?"

Harumi hadn't noticed she was crying but quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Hmm? Yes, I'm fine."

Nya moved to sit beside her, rather than going away like Harumi had hoped. "You're worried about someone, aren't you?"

Icy shock ripped through Harumi's ribcage, even though simply having a crush on someone wasn't illegal. It just felt… wrong, though. Zane wasn't a human, he was a Nindroid. Was it wrong for a human to love a Nindroid? Was it like interracial relationships? Probably not, since robots aren't another race. What if it was like a cat and a raccoon got married? They're not the same species, but… close enough?

"...Yeah," She finally answered Nya, looking away at the pictures on the wall. One of them happened to be Jay, Cole, and Zane all whitewater rafting (It had to be assumed that Lloyd was holding the camera and Kai was safely back on land). Her heart jumped at the shape of Zane's smile. "Sorry, I guess?"

"That's okay, I get it," Nya answered, following Harumi's gaze to the bulletin board. "I always hated getting left out of the action."

"Have…" Harumi bit her lip, wondering if Nya would judge her for liking Zane. He was like a brother to the Water Ninja… right? "Have you ever had a crush on someone but don't know how to… express it?"

Now Harumi just wanted to hide beneath the beds and never come out. She covered her blushing cheeks. Here she was, sitting on the floor with the Water Ninja of all people, her IDOL, and she asked about relationship advice?!

"Yeah, all the time," Nya answered, fingering a wood chip that had come off one of the walls. "It's kind of hard to tell someone something when you're not sure if they agree, right?"

Harumi nodded, relaxing slightly. "...Yeah."

"One of my friends still has the same problem," Nya shrugged. "It's a part of life, I think. You just have to take the chance." She tossed the wood chip across the room and it landed in a half-melted candle from Couch, Shower, and More.

A feminine voice crackled over the intercom. "Nya, if I may disagree, I believe that taking unnecessary risks, especially when one is still learning about their urges and desires can be detrimental to one's mental health."

Harumi looked around slightly. "What do you mean, um, Pixie?" She didn't remember the A.I.'s name, but that was her best shot.

"Pixal," The A.I. corrected gently. "For example, when I first met Zane, I suddenly had feelings that I'd never known about before, and it was rather difficult to manage those emotions while also wondering whether he reciprocated them. Fortunately for me, he did, but I only told him after observing his behavior and emotions for enough time to be sure of his feelings."

Harumi's heart dropped. Zane… was in love with… someone else? Another girl? Harumi slumped over and covered her eyes.

There was the heavy thudding sounds of footsteps and a figure appeared in the doorway. "Nya!" Lloyd stumbled into the room. "Cole's back but Zane's missing. We need you on deck! Now!"

Nya glanced at Harumi, before leaping to her feet. "I'll be back soon, Harumi."

Harumi slumped over as Lloyd and Nya ran out of the room, covering her eyes and beginning to cry. Zane was missing, and not only that, he was in love with another girl! Everything felt… hopeless. Glancing at the walls, Harumi took a shaky breath and stood up, walking over to the bulletin board.

Observing the pictures, she smiled slightly. It seemed like these Ninja were closer than just friends. Glancing over them, her heart skipped at a picture with Zane in it. Next to that one was a female Nindroid with pale white skin and green eyes. Above those two was a photo of Cole with an older man who vauegly resembled him, a family photo of Jay, a Cliff Gordan fan poster (for… whatever reason) and a smiling redhead girl in an orange hood.

Smiling slightly, Harumi observed a photo of Zane as he looked curiously towards the camera. The photo beside it made her laugh, however, as it featured a snapshot of Lloyd at the Ninjago City Aquarium getting attacked by a seagull.

Sitting down on the floor, Harumi sighed, observing the photos tiredly.

Footsteps alerted her to the presence of someone else, and, looking up from the floor, Harumi watched Lloyd enter the room. "Hey, Rumi? I wanted to talk…"

"Sure," She patted the space next to her, watching him silently as he sat down beside her. "About what?"

"See... Harumi, I, um, I," He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "Have you ever been in love with someone but weren't sure how to act?"

"Yeah," Harumi fiddled with the string on her hoodie, feeling oddly guilty. "I've felt like that before. Why?"

"See," Lloyd glanced at the floor. "See, there's this girl that I like, I mean, I really like her, she's clever and pretty, and… she understands what it's like to lose someone close to her. But I don't know how to tell her how I feel."

"I don't know either," Harumi sighed, looking at her shoes. "I liked someone for a while, and he was smart and handsome and tall, but it turns out he has a girlfriend, and now I feel… guilty?"

"I get it," Lloyd sighed, staring at a picture of Kai and a redhead girl hiking together. "Dangit. Feelings are hard."

Harumi laughed. "Yes, they are. They're really hard."

Lloyd reached out and laid a hand on hers. Harumi tried to ignore it, but something in her chest pulled slightly, craving the cozy, secure feeling on Lloyd's touch. She blushed.

"To be honest, I forgot we had some of these photos," Lloyd shook his head nostalgically. He lifted his other hand and pointed. "Like that one, when I got attacked by a seagull. I kept yelling at everyone to help me, but they took pictures first."

Harumi wrinkled her nose. "That's not very nice."

"It's just the guys being the guys," Lloyd shrugged. "I mean, I did the same thing when Jay exploded the toaster, or when Kai lit a can of spray paint on fire."

Harumi laughed. "Your brothers do those things?"

"The toaster one was an accident. The spray paint… wasn't," Lloyd laughed, he sat up suddenly. "Hey, we should take a picture for the bulletin board!"

"...Why?" Harumi asked and Lloyd rummaged around in a drawer and pulled out a beat-up zebra-striped polaroid camera.

"Just to remember, I mean," Lloyd blushed. "I think that'd be kind of nice, but you don't have to if-"

"Okay," Harumi came to stand beside him. "As long as you can take one for me, too. Oh, and if you explain who half the people on the bulletin board are."

Lloyd chuckled but lifted the camera. At the last second, just as Harumi was blinded by the flash, he put his arm around her. The shutter clicked twice, and Lloyd moved to see how it came out. His arm didn't move.

"Hey, it came out good!" Lloyd exclaimed, holding up the photo. He turned, sticking it to the bulletin board with a thumbtack in the shape of a panda. The camera whizzed again, and Lloyd handed the second picture to Harumi.

She smiled at it slightly, at the goofy expression on Lloyd's face, and at her own, oddly cross-eyed look.

"Do you still want to know who these people are?" Lloyd asked, motioning to the photos.

"Oh, yeah," Harumi shook her head, clearing the cottony thoughts that had begun to clog her brain. "Who are they?"

Lloyd pointed to the android. "That's what Pixal's physical body looked like," He moved his hand to the redhead in the orange cloak. "This is Skylor. She and Kai are… kind of a thing," He leaned down to whisper. "Even though neither of them admit it." Pointing to a slightly overweight man in a sloppy brown gi, Lloyd identified him as 'Dareth'. Beside him was a picture of a one-eyed man, who Lloyd called 'Ronin'.

Harumi smiled slightly, and her eyes darted to the picture she and Lloyd had just taken. Now she was included on the wall of the Ninja's friends and allies.

Tilting her head, Harumi jumped slightly when she touched Lloyd's shoulder. She hadn't realized he still had an arm around her waist. Lloyd let go and stepped away slightly, blushing. "Sorry," He mumbled.

Harumi only nodded in agreement. She stared at the photos for a long time. "Hey, Lloyd? I… I think I'm in love."

"You do?" Lloyd asked, turning his head to look at her.

"Yeah," Harumi looked at her hands, blushing. "Lloyd, I think I'm in love with you."

Lloyd's eyes widened, and his breath hitched audibly. "You… you do?"

Harumi swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut, and nodded.

"Rumi… I… I was wondering how to tell you,"

Harumi's eyes snapped open. "Wait, that girl you were talking about was me!?"

Lloyd chuckled. "Of course. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Nya?" Harumi shrugged. "I don't know."

"NYA?!" Lloyd made a face. "Ew, that would be like… dating a sibling, bleh…" His nose wrinkled, and he shuddered violently.

"So, you think when this whole thing is over, do you, want to go out?" Harumi asked nervously.

Lloyd beamed. "Of course!"

There was a knock at the door. Lloyd looked towards it. "Come in!"

Nya pushed open the door, her face strained. "I have news. We found Zane, but he's hurt. The other thing is…" She trailed off.

"Did you discover the identity of The Quiet One?" Harumi asked, stepped towards her.

Nya nodded. "The Quiet One is Mr. E, and… he's a Nindroid."

"A nindroid?" Lloyd came to stand beside Harumi. "...How?"

"I don't know," Nya answered, "But Cole and Kai have been asking to see you two."

Lloyd nodded, taking Harumi's hand. Nya ducked under the low doorway and headed to the stairs. Harumi glanced back at the wall of photos and touched the one in her pocket gingerly. No matter what happened from this point onward, she had Lloyd at least.

And that was enough to keep her going.

A/N: CUT!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I for sure enjoyed writing the dynamic between Harumi and Zane. It's a pretty unique ship that I've never seen before.

Next oneshot: I think it's about time I write a sequel to Mirror, Mirror. :)

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