It takes two
Chapter 25
Found my place
PrincePacman47: Well, it was assumed that Harumi ratted the resistance out, but it was proved that Garmadon just changed the location of the Oni masks. The broken pieces are mending, but it will take time for Harumi and Lloyd to truly figure out how they feel about one another. While Lloyd is responsible for the release of the serpentine, he is not really responsible for the great devourer. Remember he was just a kid who wanted his father's love. And Liv being in the situation she's in now is more of her fault than Harumi's. Sure Harumi had a lot of influence on the decision, but Liv brought back Garmadon so she could tell him that she was sorry for what happened in the past. In the end it was Liv's choice, and ,maybe she chose the wrong one, maybe she didn't. Everything happens for a reason.
Honestly, Nya's just trying to get through the week. She's been doing pretty good, too. She managed to get more than two hours of sleep, Harumi finally came to her senses and joined the right side, they finally have a solid plan to save Liv and stop Garmadon, the elemental masters decided to join the fight, and most importantly, Nya's on the road to somewhat coping with the death of her entire family.
So when Lloyd drops the bomb that her brothers aren't actually dead, Nya almost (Almost) passes out.
She stares blankly at Lloyd for a good moment, trying to see if this is some sick prank. Nah, Nya thinks. Lloyd wouldn't go that far. "Are you sure?" Skylor asks, her voice soft. Like she doesn't want to hope.
Lloyd nods, shakily. "I'm sure." He says. "The guys aren't dead."
The garbage depot is silent, then Skylor cheers, and soon the others join in. Misako covers her mouth in shock, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Nya pulls Skylor, Lloyd, and Pixal into a hug, holding them all tightly. The elemental masters clap and cheer, happy that the ninja aren't gone for good.
Nya would be cheering too if she wasn't about to break down in sobs. For a week she thought her family was dead, and now they're not? And while she's glad that they're not dead, it's a bit annoying. No one can die properly nowadays.
Again, Nya is ecstatic that her brothers are still alive, wherever they are, but sheesh. No one likes to die the old fashioned way, apparently Because causing loved ones pain and heartbreak is so much better.
"How do we get them back?" Skylor asks, pulling away from the group hug to wipe her eyes.
"Mystake said that they have to find a way on their own. So I guess we just have to hope the guys can figure it out." Lloyd says, eyeing the old tea shop owner.
"Let us hope they do." Pixal adds, her bright green eyes flashing. "We cannot afford to take on another disruption of our own plans."
"Pixal's right." Misako says, standing next to Lloyd. "We just have to hope that the boys can find their own way, so we can deal with Garmadon."
Various nods and whispers echo in the depot, the elemental masters look around at one another. "How does Green Ninja plan on stopping Lord Garmadon?" Karlof asks, gaining a few nods in agreement.
"Well, our plan is to use the Oni masks to pull him from my sisters mind, and send him back to the departed realm." Lloyd says, gesturing to the mask of deception, vengeance, and hatred. "But we would have to be at the temple of resurrection for it to work."
Ronin scoffs, pushing himself off the back wall of the depot. "We barely made it out of Borg Tower, now you want to sneak into the temple and perform some ritual?" He huffs, smirking. "You kids must really like finding new ways to get yourselves killed."
"I'd rather die than my sister." Lloyd says, his gaze firm.
"O-okay! Listen, no one is dying." Nya says, glaring at Ronin. "We have the masks and an army of elementals, we've got this."
"We just need to plan everything out, and then we'll be good to go." Harumi says, immediately getting looks from the other elementals. The white haired girl shrinks under their gaze, and Nya can't help but feel a little sorry for her. Although, seeing Harumi fidget and avert her gaze is wonderful, with everything she put them through and all, but she's trying to help them now. And that counts for something.
"Seriously, what the hell is she doing here? She's our enemy." Tox says, scowling at Harumi. Some of the elemental masters nod, sparing Harumi with glares. Lloyd sighs, standing in front of Harumi.
"We already went over this, you're not allowed to ask that question. We've been over it too many times." Lloyd sighs, sounding tired. Harumi shoulders her way past Lloyd. Standing off to the side near Ronin. The thief and the former Quiet One seem to get along nicely, must be a reformed bad guy thing.
"Whatever." Tox says, rolling her eyes. "So, what's this plan of yours?"
Nya, Skylor, Pixal and Lloyd all look at each other, smirking. "I'm glad you asked."
Fitting in is hard. That's all Harumi has to say.
Ronin seems to understand, though. Having been a fellow enemy of the ninja, now he's their alley. Takes one to know one, he told her. Harumi remembers the conversation she had with Lloyd before the colossus found them. She was so mad at him, so mad at what he did to her parents. But then she remembered that she did the same thing to his friends. And sure the ninja might still be alive or whatever (Which Harumi totally doesn't understand, like how did they even escape?)
Anyways, what she's trying to say is, Harumi just wants to bury the past. She wants to forget all about the sons of garmadon, forget all about what could've been between her and Lloyd. Because when she thinks about it, she gets so angry and bitter and full of hatred. It infuriates her.
"I need her!"
Why does Lloyd need her? Why does she feel the same? They fought so perfectly together when Garmadon found their hideout. Harumi remembers that terror she felt when Lloyd jumped off that roof, and when the sons of garmadon tried to capture him a day ago. Why does she feel this way? She shouldn't. She doesn't want to. How many times can she lie to herself? How many masks can she wear until she loses herself?
Everything would be so much easier if she knew how Lloyd felt about her. Because his confusion is confusing her! All she's trying to do is find her place in the world, and she can't do that until she finds her place here.
Garmadon is silent. Staring out over the city, he's well aware that the Green Ninja and the resistance are somewhere out there, but he'll find them. Or, they'll find him. Either way works in his opinion.
He can feel his daughters burning determination, her strength. She wants control over something that Garmadon is using. And he will not let her have it. It's a shame she'll never unlock her true potential, really. They could have ruled all of Ninjago. But, alas, Garmadon isn't concerned with his daughters futile attempts at control, he's more interested in why the resistance thought it was a good idea to steal the oni masks from him.
But, for their sake, Garmadon will let them play around a bit longer. He's curious to see what they come up with.
Lloyd sighs, spreading out the map of the resurrection temple. "So, if we enter through here, then we should be able to perform the ritual." Nya says, pointing at a spot on the map of the temple of resurrection.
"But Garmadon has to be near the temple for it to work." Lloyd adds, and the other elemental masters nod. "We could build a vengestone cage to contain him."
"Sounds like a plan." Skylor says, rolling up the map and clapping her hands together. "Harumi, what do you think?"
Harumi starts, staring at Skylor quizzically. "What?" She asks.
"What do you think? You used to be on their side, so what do you think?" Skylor says again, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, um…" Harumi says, pulling out the temple's map again. "It's great and all, but the hardest part would be getting Garmadon into the vengestone cage. Everything else from there on out should be relatively easy." She says, pointing out different places they could enter the temple unseen and ways to trap Garmadon, and in the worst case scenario that they have to make a run for it, the fastest way to escape. But it won't come to that. They're going to end this, once and for all.
Lloyd nods, turning to face the rest of the resistance. "Okay, everyone, this is it." He declares, forcing as much confidence into his voice as possible. "Nya, Pixal, and Karloff, you three work on making the vengstone cage, Ronin and Skylor, you guys work on getting the vengstone. Everyone else, get ready for the fight of your lives."
The Resistance members cheer, setting off to complete their tasks. Lloyd nods as Ronin and Skylor promises to have the vengestone by the end of the day, and he follows Mistake back into the upstairs office, and Harumi's eyes linger on him as he goes. A tap on her shoulder has her on alert, and the wite haired girl turns to see Neuro.
"Oh, it's just you." Harumi says, leaning back on the wall. "Wait, you're the master of the mind, right?" She asks, a plan forming in her head.
"Yes, I am." Neuro says, calmly.
"Good, I need a favor." Harumi continues, she can already tell Neuro is reading her mind, so she forces the details of her favor into her head. Neuro nods once he has the plan, and begins walking towards the upstairs office.
The master of the mind comes back a few minutes later, standing next to Harumi. "So? What did you see?" She asks, eagerly.
"His feelings are mixed, confused. He does not know what to think of you, but does not want to lose you." Neuro says, Harumi thanks him, and the elemental walks away. "You owe me." Neuro calls as he walks, and Harumi shoots him a thumbs up.
Now listen, Neruo can read minds, and Harumi needs to know what Lloyd thinks of her so she can know what to think of him. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. And now that she knows, she can sort her own feelings out, find her own place.
Lloyd doesn't want to lose her, and maybe Harumi doesn't want to lose him, either. She joined The Resistance with the hopes of saving her friend, she didn't join to patch things up with Lloyd, she doesn't even think it's possible.
But now that she's here, and that it's a possibility, does Harumi want to take that chance? Does she want to try and bridge the gap between them? Lloyd comes down from the office, waving to Mystake and coming back down stares. He smiles softly at Harumi before heading over to help Nya design a cage for Garmadon.
Harumi takes a deep breath, walking up the stairs towards Mystake, who was sitting in the office pouring a cup of tea. "Uh, Mystake?" Harumi asks, pushing open the door.
The elderly woman looks up from her tea,smiling warmly at Harumi. "Hello, child." She says, patting the spot next to her. "Come, sit."
Harumi takes a seat, and Mystaké pours her a cup of tea, and the white haired girl takes it gratefully. "I have a question." She says, hesitantly. "It's about Lloyd,"
"Funny you should say that." Mystaké says, sipping her tea. "Young Garmadon was just talking about you."
"He was?" Harumi says, putting down her tea. "What..did he say?"
Mystaké laughs, placing a hand on Harumi's shoulder. "He is confused, much like yourself." She says. "But surely you have different feelings."
Harumi sighs, she wishes she felt differently. "It's just...he confuses me. He's supposed to hate me, but he doesn't. And I'm supposed to hate him, but I don't." She says, watching the tea swirl around in her cup. "I only joined The Resistance to save Liv, not repair my relationship with Lloyd."
"Ah, but you want to, don't you?" Mystaké grins.
Harumi glares into her teacup, refusing to answer. But her silence says it all, apparently. "I don't know!" She shouts, exasperated. "He's responsible for my parents death, I can't exactly sweep that under the rug and move on with my life."
"He was a child, same as you." Mystaké interjects, shaking her head. "He was a little boy who was abandoned by his parents, and taken away from his sister. All he wanted was the love of his absent father, and releasing the serpentine is how he assumed he would get it."
"But my parents are still dead, and it was his fault." Harumi argues, turning to scowl at the blond down in the depot.
"Is it really Lloyds fault? Or do you just need someone to blame for the death of your family?"
Harumi looks away, downing the rest of her tea and standing up. "Thank you for the tea." She says before leaving the office, heading back down into the garage depot.
Lloyd swings his sword in swift, clean arcs over his head, the blade slices the air above him. He smiles to himself, just a few more days, and Liv will be okay. Take that, stupid destiny. Lloyds about to save his sister.
The plan is full proof. Really, it is. They're going in two groups, one to take out the guards and secure the perimeter, and another group will be performing the ritual. They're going to go in the same way they got into the temple the first time. Pixal and Nya are going to lead the first group through the river surrounding the temple and sneak through the underwater entrance, while the second group, lead by Lloyd and Harumi are going to go through the back. And while Lloyd doesn't know how well he's going to work with Harumi, he has to try, for his sisters sake. He can't let anything get in his way now. He has to be completely focused...
The hardest part by far will be getting his father into the vengestone cage. He's not going to go quietly, and they have to be ready. He's not going to lose his sister because they weren't prepared.
Lloyd turns around swiftly, the tip of his sword aimed at Harumi's chest. He sighs, lowering the blade. "Wanna spar?" She asks, drawing a dagger.
"I - sure." Lloyd huffs, the two circle each other, their weapons drawn.
Harumi makes the first move, running at Lloyd with her dagger at Lloyd's side, the blond slides out of the way, slamming the hilt of his sword into Harumi's stomach. The girl, coughs, blowing a strand of hair from her face and charging.
Even though her dagger is smaller, Harumi still puts up a good fight. Forcing Lloyd into defense while she takes the offense. "You're pretty good." Lloyd says through gritted teeth, the clash of their blades drawing the others attention. "But i'm better." The blond twists his sword, sending Harumi's dagger flying across the depot. He holds the tip of his katana to her chest, smirking with pride.
Harumi grins, ducking under Lloyd's blade and sweeps his feet out from under him. The blond falls hard, and Harumi jumps to her feet, scooping up Lloyd's katana and holding it to his chest. Lloyd blinks, surprised.
"You thought." Harumi says, grinning as she puts down the katana, reaching a hand out to Lloyd. The blond hesitates before taking Harumi's outstretched hand.
"I let you win, that move was really predictable." Lloyd says, hastily.
"Whatever you say, Green Ninja." Harumi laughs, handing Lloyd his katana and picking up her dagger. Lloyd's cheeks heat, and the blond sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fine, you win this round." He relents, rolling his eyes as Harumi grins with pride.
Skylor and Ronin come back a couple hours later, with a sack of vengestone. Apparently they had to go to Stixxs, and grab some from Ronins old pawn shop. Why the thief had vengestone in the first place is beyond them.
"Okay, now that we have the vengestone, we can start constructing the cage." Nya says, taking the sack from Skylor.
"Handcuffs would work better, we can't exactly sneak a vengestone cage discreetly into the temple." Ronin suggests, and the others nod.
"Alright, handcuffs, then." Lloyd says. "How long will that take?"
"A few hours at most, we should be ready to perform the ritual in two days tops." Skylor sighs, stretching out her arms and walking over towards Pixal and Karloff.
Lloyd claps his hands together, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, we're going to invade the temple in two days. Everything needs to be ready, we've only got one shot at this." He says, confidently. "Here's the game plan, we're splitting into two groups. One to secure the perimeter and one that will be in the temple. Nya and Pixal, you guys are going to lead one group through the river and secure the perimeter. Me and Harumi are going to lead the second group through the back. You guys can pick your teams."
Nya and Pixal pick their team of Tox, Paleman, and Shade. And Lloyd's team is comprised of Karloff, Skylor, Griffin and Neuro. Their jobs are as simple as they can be, Nya and Pixals team will secure the perimeter and take out any SoG. And Lloyd and Harumi's team will have the hardest task of containing Garmadon and completing the ritual.
"Okay, we all have our missions and groups. Karloff, Pixal, and Nya, you guys get started on those venestone cuffs. And the rest of us need to train. I'm not sending anyone in if you're not ready." Lloyd says, putting his hand in the middle of the group. The others stack their hands on top of his, grinning all around.
"The Resistance never quits!" The Resistance shouts, throwing hands in the air. The group splits up, Karloff, Nya, and Pixal rushing off to make the vengstone handcuffs and the others running off to train for the coming battle.
Harumi turns to sharpen her dagger, when Lloyd comes up behind her. "Wanna spar?" He asks, hopefully. The white haired girl smiles.
"Sure." Harumi says, twirling her dagger in her hand. Lloyd smiles, a small, almost hesitant smile, but it's good enough for her.
In just a few more days, Garmadon will be defeated and Liv will be freed. This entire mess will be behind them, and maybe things will go back to normal. Harumi and Lloyd's blades clash like the crack of thunder, trapping the two in a deadly, yet graceful dance. Their smiles shine brighter than the dying sun, and Lloyd's laugh lights a flame in Harumi's heart. Everything's coming together, things are starting to fall into place. And Harumi knows her place in The Resistance.
It's by Lloyd's side.
Things are starting to come to a close! We've only got a few more chapters to go! Lloyd and Harumi are coming around, and things are about to go down.
Next time: The battle begins as The Resistance breach the temple of resurrection. And it's time to see if destiny can really be avoided, and changed.
GreenGirl~