It takes two

Chapter 23

What was I thinking?

SilverCerulean: Aw, thank you! Harumi is one of my favorites, too.

Marysue9084: Thank you for the advice, I'm trying to keep everyone in character, so your advice is great!

PrincePacman47: While i'm sure having Harumi with him will help, you have to remember what, exactly, she did to him. And as much as I would love to sweep all that betrayal and heartbreak under the rug, I can't. Because I need to give Lloyd the time to try and forgive Harumi, because that's something we never got in the show. And because Harumi's worn a mask her whole life, it's going to be hard for her to finally take it off. Because like the old saying goes; Old habits die hard. And yes, Morro is a prime example that destiny can be defied.

Oh and people, go read PrincePacman's 'The tournament of elements' and the squall 'March of the villains.' Absolutely amazing stories! And quick fyi, the character profile for my OC from 'A package deal' is up.

Garmadon was absolutely furious with Liv. The blond girl doesn't really care, though. She is pretty proud of herself at the moment. She'd managed to stall her father and the SoGs long enough for Harumi, Nya, and Lloyd to make it safely to...wherever they were headed. She can't risk her friends and brothers safety by knowing where their Resistant base is. So for now, Liv will use her twin telepathy to find Lloyd when she needs to.

"You are never taking control again, you hear me, Girl?" Garmadon sneers, pacing back and forth at the top of Borg tower.

'This is my body, and my powers, and my life. So if anything, I should be the one telling you that you'll never take control again.' Liv says, albeit for the sole sake of getting on her father's nerves.

"Ah, and yet I am the one who is still in control while you sit in the darkness of your own mind." Garmadon snaps, whirling around to face an enemy only visible to him, and him alone.

'I'm stronger than before, father.' Liv says, eyeing her father. 'And I will not be pushed aside so easily.'

"We will see." Garmadon says, walking away. Liv stays, staring over the city before she's pulled back to her father.

'We shall see, indeed.'

Harumi hung back behind Nya and Lloyd as they ran through the back alleys of Ninjago city, still reeling from the choice she just made, and wondering what will happen next. Nya and Lloyd whisper softly to each other, probably talking about the coming future that awaits Liv.

Harumi knows why she made her choice, she knows why she made all her choices, good and bad both. She chose to dawn the mask of the Quiet One when her parents died, she swore to avenge them by resurrecting Lord Garmadon, and making sure Lloyd suffered for what he did to her, so that's what she did. She lied, she wore masks, hid secrets, got close to the twins and the ninja, she was fake. Because Harumi will only know when she's made the wrong choice when her knees begin to buckle. And her knee's might just give out.

She blew up the Jade Palace and killed the Emperor and Empress, she did what she had too, and her plan was in action. All the gears of her master scheme were working in perfect harmony. She was close to Lloyd, and she had his trust. That's all she needed. Harumi could see herself easily forgetting all about Lloyd, all about the way he smiled at her, all about the way he looked at her, talked with her, loved her.

Harumi told herself that when she was finished, Lloyd would never look at her like that again, he would look at her with the same rage that glows in Harumi's eyes. He would despise her, and that's what she wanted. She was okay with that.

But now Harumi messed up. Because she got too close to her enemy. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Harumi kept her enemy too close, opened doors that she should've kept locked, opened her heart to someone she trained herself to hate with every fiber of her being.

And now her enemy has become her friend. And Harumi has no idea what to do.

She chose to leave the Sons of Garmadon in the dust, chose to join The Resistance to save her friend from death and take back the city she ruined. But that doesn't mean the decision was well thought out.

Sometimes, you gotta take chances. Harumi took a chance with the Sons of Garmadon, with Lloyd, with Liv. She took those chances, and now she's taking a chance with The Resistance. But how will Harumi know if she's taken too many chances? How will she know when she's putting too much faith in a chance?

How is Harumi supposed to just….just discard the mask she's worn almost her entire life? How is she supposed to be real with these people when she trained herself to be anything but? Harumi knows that there was something in the web of lies she fed to the Ninja, to Lloyd. And she doesn't know if he's in love with her, or the mask of the perfect Jade Princess. Does he still feel love where there wasn't supposed to be?

Does Harumi herself find love where there wasn't supposed to be?

Nya and Lloyd stop suddenly, and Harumi almost runs into them. She steps back, looking at the back entrance of what she can only assume is Skylor Chen's noodle house. Lloyd hesitates briefly before knocking twice on the steel door.

A few beats of tense silence pass, with Nya, Lloyd, and Harumi constantly looking over their shoulders. Keeping an eye in every shadow as if Garmadon will come out and strangle them. A slot in the steel door opens, revealing a pair of hazel eyes. Lloyd and Nya shift, startled.

No doubt thinking of their lost big brother.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" The voice from the other end of the steel door demands. The voice of a woman they knew well.

"Old friends." Nya says, moving so Skylor can see her, and blocking Harumi from view. "And we need some help."

The slot closes, and the steel door swings open with the creak of weak metal. Skylor's eyes fall on Nya and Lloyd, and she hugs them both, dragging them inside. Harumi has an awkward moment to wonder if she should follow Nya and Lloyd inside, or if she should wait outside for a bit.

"I guess I'll wait here, then." Harumi says to herself as the steel door closes.

Inside the noodle shop, Skylor's eyes rove over the two ninja, tears in them. "I saw." She says, with uncharacteristic sorrow. It's tearing Lloyd apart to see such sadness in her normal bright, hazel eyes.

Skylor looks at Lloyd with a pitying gaze. "I saw what happened from the roof, I saw you." Skylor whispers, her eyes glassy with memories as she looks at Lloyd. Unlike Nya, and Pixal, and his mother and Liv, Lloyd actually saw his brothers die. He could almost feel their panic as the colossus grabbed the Bounty.

And Harumi was right there, laughing.

Laughing.

Laughing!

Laughing!

She was laughing as his brothers were crushed. And now he's working with her? This could be another trap, Lloyd thinks. This could be another mask, another lie meant to break them, destroy them. End The Resistance before it has the chance to start. Tear them apart from the inside, then squash them like bugs.

Does Lloyd trust Harumi again? Liv trusts her, Nya...might trust her. But does Lloyd? Should he open his heart to the same person who broke it? Should he bring down his walls and let her back in? Or should he freeze his heart to the one person who continues to set it ablaze?

Nya and Skylor hug, pulling Lloyd in with them. They grieve together, let their tears fall together, and they remember their friends together. And now they're united under one cause, kept alive by one heartbeat, one mind telling them that they must keep going.

"We left her outside." Lloyd says, softly. He'd forgotten about Harumi.

"Huh?" Skylor says, pulling back from the hug and towards the steel door. She opens the door, and stops dead at who stands in the alley behind the noodle house. "You." Skylor gasps, her expressing morphing into unbridled rage.

Harumi stands silently in the doorway, making herself stand taller, masking her fear with shocking efficiency. "You're the reason they're dead." Skylor says, her eyes alive with the fire that burned in Kai, in the fire that burns in her shattered heart. "You're the reason Kai is dead!"

Harumi shrinks back the slightest bit under Skylors anger. The redhead stands a few inches taller than Harumi, but the former Quiet One squares her shoulders, trying not to give out under the pressure of her choices, and the lives that those choices cost.

She killed the ninja, yes. She got what she wanted, Harumi saw Garmadons return, sort of. And she saw Lloyd crumble like she did as a kid. And that's what she wanted, but now how does she apologize for the lives she took?

Does Harumi even want to apologize?

She's the Quiet One, she is. That's the mask Harumi wore for so long, and it doesn't feel like a mask to her. It feels like her. Who is Harumi? Who is she trying to be? Who is she trying to fool? Harumi has lived behind masks and lies. Painted masks, and Oni masks. Little white lies and huge, dark, life changing lies.

Skylor is in her face now, Lloyd and Nya are standing awkwardly off to the side. "What the hell is this?" Skylor says, looking at Nya and Lloyd.

"She's...with us. The Resistance." Nya says, slowly. She spears Harumi with a piercing gaze, trying to read her. To see if Harumi really is a part of The Resistance.

Skylor scoffs. "Really?" She sniffs, looking at Harumi in distaste. "You're a part of The Resistance against the demon you brought back?"

"Yes, I am." Harumi says, she hears a bit of the Quiet One come to life in the cold, icy tone of her voice.

"No, you're not." Skylor says, standing over Harumi. "How do you expect us to trust you after everything you did?"

Harumi doesn't answer right away, and Skylor crosses her arms. Waiting for Harumi's answer. Nya asked Harumi if she really cared, if she ever cared. And Harumi told her that she doesn't know.

Nya came to Harumi out of pure, last ditch desperation. And Harumi made the quick choice to read the next chapter of her life, instead of re-reading the older ones. But Nya asks Harumi to be the girl Lloyd fell in love with, or the friend that Liv believes she is, or the girl the fallen Ninja thought her to be.

The problem is, that Harumi was a mask, a lie. A mirage that showed the Ninja what they wanted to see, told them what they wanted to hear. And Harumi doesn't know how to wear that mask again.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness." Harumi says at last, her eyes meeting with Skylor, Nya, and Lloyd. "I'm not asking for your trust, either." She looks at Lloyd, staring deep into his scarlet eyes. "I just - just want to try and see...If I can be better, be who you all thought I was."

Lloyd cracks a hesitant smile, daring himself to let the wall down, if only a little bit. Skylor still looks weary of Harumi, but she huffs and walks away. Harumi stares after Skylor as she leaves.

"Oh, don't think I forgot about what Garmadon said about Liv. We'll talk later." Nya adds, shooting Harumi a fire glare in warning before following Skylor. The message that the stare holds is all too clear. Touch him, and I'll kill you.

Harumi sighs, running a hand through her white hair. Her hair is longer than Harumi would like, and she's getting tired of this runny, jagged red paint on her face, too. Lloyd stares at Harumi oddly, like he wants to talk, but also doesn't know if he should strangle her.

"If you have anything to say to me, might as well say it now." Harumi huffs, slipping a small rubber band from her pocket to tie her hair up.

"I don't even know where to start with you." Lloyd says, jumping up to sit on top of the back counter with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Harumi is caught off guard by how young the action makes him look. With his pale blond hair a tangled mess, his scarlet eyes wide and bright, his cheeks puffed out in exasperation, It's easy to forget that Lloyd is not as old as he seems. And it's a slight comfort to see that she's not the only one wearing a mask.

But Harumi still scoffs, raising an eyebrow. "You can start by showing me where the bathroom is." She says, looking around.

Lloyd doesn't answer at first, looking like he's trying to remember himself. "Down this hall and to the left." Lloyd finally says, softly. Harumi nods as she leaves. The noodle house is deserted, and soft chatter from upstairs catches Harumi's attention.

From what she can tell, it's Nya and Skylor. In the middle of a hushed argument. Harumi's name on angry lips floats through the air, and Harumi quietly heads up the stairs, stopping right behind the banister.

The stairs open up to a whole other floor of the noodle shop. It looks almost like an apartment. Skylor and Nya stand in front of each other, their voices mingling into a soft, but intense debate. A man with a straw hat sits in a chair in what could be a little kitchen, watching the two girls squabble with a slightly amused grin.

"...I do not trust her!' Skylor says, her voice low.

"I don't trust her either, but Liv does. And we need all the help we can get." Nya argues.

"Liv is also the one trapped in her own mind by her bloodthirsty, murdering maniac of a father! So why are we trusting her again?" Skylor hisses in retort.

"Liv's the reason we made it here! And Harumi is her friend." Nya bites, slumping down onto the couch and rubbing her temples. Skylor loses a bit of her steam, and sits down next to the raven haired girl.

"We just have to." Nya says, barely a whisper. "We didn't believe her once, and now look where we are."

"I just think we should watch her, and keep our guard up, that's all." Skylor finally sighs, and Nya nods.

Harumi slowly walks back down stares and towards the bathroom. "I'm helping you, aren't I? " Harumi grumbles once she's in the restroom. She turns on the water, ready to wash her face.

These people don't even trust her! What's the point? Why help them? Questions like those fill Harumi's head as she washes the red paint off her face, putting her hair into a high ponytail. Harumi looks at herself in the mirror before turning the lights out. She thinks about walking around the noodle house, but decides to go towards the back of the shop where Lloyd still waits. She did say they'll talk later.

As expected, Lloyd still sits on top of the counter, his eyes flickering with memory. He blinks when Harumi comes in, and even attempts to smile. Harumi sits on the counter across from him, and the faintest hints of a smile grace her features.

"Look." Harumi says, if Lloyd's not going to say anything, then she will. Because sure, Harumi chose to join The Resistance on a last ditch request, and she really didn't think it through. And sure she was glad in the moment, she didn't have second thoughts in the moment. With all the "We will rise" stuff, and Liv's future being revealed, Harumi was feeling pretty confident.

But come on, really? "We will rise stronger than ever!" That's not her, sure she's all for teamwork and all that jazz (Maybe). But - just...really? "I'm all for stopping Garmadon and saving Liv, really I am!" Harumi says, fiddling with her hair. "But I just." A sigh. Where was she going with this again? "I'm not the perfect princess that you thought I was, and I'm not sure what it is you expect from me. Because I know there was something in that for you, but there wasn't supposed to be something there for me."

Something about that sentence sets Lloyd off, and he glares at Harumi. "Stop, just stop." Lloyd says, waving his hands in the air. "Stop playing with my heart just because you can't figure out your own." He says, hopping down from the counter and heading up the stairs towards Skylor and Nya.

Harumi sits silently on the counter, shocked. "Oh Lloyd." Harumi sighs, getting down from the counter. "I wish I could."

Liv sits quietly in the darkness of her mind, tapping her foot patiently. She could easily contact Lloyd if she really wanted to, maybe even visit him with her little spirit thing. Her father isn't really good company to have.

He's been in a mood since Harumi swapped sides, and Liv is enjoying every second of the entertainment. But she can only watch Garmadon yell at poor bikers before she's bored.

She thinks about what she now knows, the path that she's forced herself to walk. Liv can picture how it happens, though. It's really quite obvious. Garmadon and Lloyd were probably battling, that final duel to regain the city and vanquish the darkness once and for all.

But Lloyd can't kill Garmadon without killing her, and now he knows that.

So now he won't do it.

It's not that Liv wants to die. She would much rather stay alive, and be with her brother. But how is he supposed to defeat Garmadn if he's too worried about her? Because unless Lloyd can figure out a way to separate Garmadon' mind from Liv's, then well…

It's like killing two birds with one stone.

Liv is ready to make the choice when the time comes, because she knows that Lloyd won't. And as much as she hates to take that choice away from him, she has to. Because unless destiny can be averted, unless they can change the future, then Liv will die. Either at her own hand, or Lloyds.

"So, Lloyd. We need to know how it happened." Nya says, gently. Lloyd shifts, biting his lip. He doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't want to even remember it. But he knows he has to, if only just so they can make a plan to stop it.

"It's going to be dark and cloudy, and I heard a dregon?" Lloyd says. Nya raises her eyebrows at the dragon part, but doesn't say anything. "We were at the top of Borg Tower, just me and her."

Nya and Skylor nod, not wanting to push the touchy subject. "There's a lot of holes in that little prophecy." Ronin says, sitting up in his chair. "What time did it happen? What day?"

"I don't know, Ronin." Lloyd huffs, his head in his hands. "I'm just telling you what my grandfather showed me."

Ronin sighs, but sits back down, eyeing Harumi. "So why's she here?" He asks, jerking a thumb in Harumi's direction.

"She's helping, apparently." Skylor says, disbelief clear in her voice. Ronin nods, turning away from Harumi and sipping at a cup of coffee.

"So basically, if we keep Liv and Lloyd away from Borg tower, and watch the weather and keep an eye out for….any dragons, we should be able to prevent this." Nya says, it's a vague plan and they all know it, but the dragons should be a dead giveaway of when they need to find Liv and keep her away from Borg tower.

"Okay, that could work." Skylor agress. "We keep Lloyd and Liv as far from each other as possible until this is all over."

Lloyd nods hesitantly. It's a long-shot, but it could work. Just like the final battle. Keep Lloyd away from Liv long enough to stall the future, and they should be able to pull this off. Everyone nods in agreement, and their shaky plan is in action.

Great, one problem partially solved. Now onto the other two thousand.

This was...a weird chapter to write. I dunno. I kinda completely forgot about Misako and Pixal and Dareth in this chapter, but they'll be in the next one. How did I do?

Next time: The Resistance flee Skylor's noodle shop when their cover is blown, the elemental masters come to their aid, Mystake provides some much needed closure and wisdom, and Lloyd finds his voice.

GreenGirl~