HEY GUYS IM BACK
IM SO SORRY I COULD NOT GET THIS OUT SOONER, SCHOOL SHIT HAS BEEN HECTIC
ANYWAYS, HERE YOU GO!
It had been 4 months since Crystal was born, and now, Harumi's life was upside down. Luckily, she and Lloyd had enough money to afford things like diapers and clothes. However, that didn't mean that Harumi was never stressed.
Harumi woke up to Crystal crying next to her. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her child out of her crib. She wondered how Lloyd didn't wake up.
"It's ok, Crystal. Moms here." She cooed and Crystal eventually stopped crying.
After about 5 minutes of holding her, Harumi laid her back down. She crawled back into bed, only to wake up an hour later to Crystals crying. This time, however, Lloyd woke up. He took one look at Harumi's face and saw how tired she was.
"Harumi, I've got her. You go back to sleep, it's 2 in the morning." Lloyd told her
"Thanks, Lloyd. What would I do without you?"
Lloyd got up and held his daughter for about 10 minutes before setting her back down.
This time, she didn't wake back up.
X
Ultraviolet sometimes wondered how Harumi did it. I mean, Harumi's not even 18, and she's almost 18. And ultraviolet knew she couldn't look after a baby for a day, much less take care of one 24/7. She has witnessed Harumi putting aside her own needs to care for Crystal, such as stopping schoolwork for the day to feed Crystal, or not eating lunch to play with her baby.
The whole not eating thing concerned Ultraviolet and Killow at first, but Harumi assured them there was nothing to worry about. She remembered their last conversation.
"Harumi, your not eating lunch. Do I have to call someone?" Ultraviolet asked
"Im busy, UV. And no, you don't need to call someone, I'm fine."
"But-"
"Im not having another relapse, Ultraviolet. I'm fine, I promise," Harumi replied, irritated
"But you skipped lunch! Im worried, and so is Killow."
"Wait, you told Killow? UV, I'm fine."
"Killow disagrees." Ultraviolet said back
"Killow is a brain-dead idiot who doesn't think things through sometimes." Harumi laughed
They both laughed
"If it makes you feel better, I'll go eat leftover pasta right now."
"Please do."
X
Harumi got a whopping 4 hours of sleep last night, the most she's had since Crystal was born. Luckily, Lloyd was there. Otherwise, she would lose her shit.
A baby is more work than meets the eye, Harumi thought to herself one day while watching Stranger Things with Lloyd one night. She never realized how much work it would be. Maybe she should have thought of that before she had sex.
Crystal was really high maintenance, Harumi realized. She often woke up in the middle of the night to feed her, or to play with her.
"Lloyd, how much work is Crystal to you?" Harumi asked out of the blue
"A lot, why?" Lloyd asked her
"Never mind, I was just wondering."
X
Killow was allowed over at Harumi's house once a week. It was Harumi's idea.
Killow went over on Wednesdays
When he got there, the first person he saw was Ultraviolet. Ultraviolet thought she would play a practical joke on Killow.
"Hi, Killow." She greeted
"Hi, Ultraviolet."
Ultraviolet took a deep breath
"Harumi threw up her food after lunch."
"What?!" Killow was alarmed
He went upstairs to find Harumi with Lloyd, and Crystal in her crib
"Harumi, I have a question for you, and answer honestly."
"No, "Hi Harumi, nice to see you again?" Harumi said
"Hi, Harumi. Nice to see you again. Now for my question."
"Sure. What's up, Killow."
"Did you throw up your food after lunch? And please answer honestly."
Harumi did a double-take
"What? No, I didn't. Why do you even ask that?"
Ultraviolet held back a chuckle.
"Because Ultraviolet said she saw you after lunch."
Harumi laughed, but have Ultraviolet a death look
"I don't know what Ultraviolet told you, but whatever it was was a lie."
Killow decided to take her word for it
X
That night for dinner was Tacos and chips, something everyone liked
Once everyone got their food, they all sat down
"So, whens Killows trial?" Nya asked
Nya had gotten so much thinner every since Crystal was born, and Harumi was very suspicious of her.
Harumi thought a moment before she spoke
"June 26, I think." Harumi replied
"Yeah, that's the date." Killow said
The other ninja had returned from the other realm and were very surprised to find out Lloyd had a kid. The mother? Harumi. They eventually came around though.
"So what's gonna happen? Killows already in jail." Jay asked
"I don't know. Maybe new charges." Skylor replied
Harumi realized this wasn't something that was uplifting, so she changed the subject
"So, how do you guys feel about that Netflix show Stranger Things? I think it's pretty good." Harumi said
"It's awesome! The monster is so cool! And the girl with the mind powers...I forgot her name, is epic!" Jay said enthusiastically
"Eleven. That's her name." Kai said
Killow remembered something he heard Rebecca say back at the prison.
"Harumi, Rebecca likes that show too. We get tablets at the prison for Netflix purposes."
Harumi sat straight up
"Look like you two have something in common after all." Killow laughed
"We are nothing alike! She's a maniac!"
"Whos Rebecca?" Cole asked
"A crazy elemental master who tried to kill me, twice." Harumi replied in a matter-of-fact tone
"So back to Stranger Things...whos your favorite character?" Lloyd asked everyone
Mike was Nya, Killows, and Garmadons reply
Eleven had the majority with Harumi, Lloyd, Jay, Cole, Ultraviolet, Tox, and Neuro all favoring her
Dustin had Zane and Skylor
Lucas was the least favorited, with Misako and WU favoring him
And Will had Luke
"What about Hopper? Im, sure he's someone's favorite." Nya said
"Hoppers dead. He died in that explosion at the end of the third season, remember?" Kai said
"No, he's alive and well." Nya replied
"Wait, what?" Kai said
Nya looked up is Hopper still alive Stranger Things on her phone and sure enough, Netflix has confirmed he's alive
"Rebeccas favorite character is Hopper. She actually cried when he died." Killow remarked
Everyone laughed
"I mean, here are 3 things that have to happen in season 4. One, Eleven reunites with her dad. Two, Hopper and Joyce get together. And three, Robin gets a girlfriend." Lloyd said
"Wait, Robins gay?" Jay asked
"Have you ever seen the show? Robin tells Steve she is gay in episode 7, season 3 when he told her he liked her!" Nya replied
Everyone laughed again
"I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Nya said.
Nya had been doing that for about 4 months and Harumi was suspicious
Harumi got up as well and followed Nya, without her knowing
Nya got to the bathroom and closed the door. She locked it.
Harumi jumped up and grabbed the key without Nya hearing her.
Harumi pressed her ear to the door and listened
For about 3 minutes, everything was quiet, then, Harumi heard gagging noises
Harumi started to pick the lock and the noises stopped
Harumi walked in to see Nya hunched over a toilet, with thrown-up food in the toilet
Harumi closed the door and talked to Nya
"Nya, why are you doing this?" Harumi asked in a worried tone
Nya started sobbing
"Why do you think? I want to look like all those other girls. They are pretty." Nya said through tears
Harumi was shocked, but knew what to do
"Sit down next to me." Harumi offered
Both Nya and Harumi sat down on the floor together
"Nya, I know you want to look different, but this is the wrong way to do it." Harumi started, softly and calmly
"But I want to look beautiful! Like you!" Nya sobbed into Harumis shoulder
Harumi was shocked
"Nya, I think your beautiful just the way you are, no matter what weight." Harumi reassured her
Nya looked up through her tears
"You- you think my body is beautiful?"
"Every body is. Do you know what I would have given to have a body like yours when I was in middle school? I wanted big breasts, I wanted guys to notice me."
Nya stopped crying and looked at Harumi
"Funny. I always looked at you and wanted to be small. I wanted small breasts, like yours. No offense."
"None taken."
They were both quiet for a moment before Nya spoke
"How did you know?"
Harumi thought for a second
"I have a painful past with anorexia and bulimia. I made the same mistakes your making right now. Only I did it for a year and a half, and actually passed out at a public place."
Nya was shocked
"What happened?"
"I was shopping with Ultraviolet and Killow at the mall when I was 12 and a half. Once we left the first store, I started to feel faint, like I was blacking out. About 30 seconds later, I passed out."
Nya clapped her hand to her mouth
"Ultraviolet caught me and Killow called an ambulance. I was taken to the hospital. I almost died, in truth."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Harumi. I didn't know." Nya said
"At first, it was a game. But I didn't realize that it was a deadly one. So please, for god's sake, don't do this. I can help you recover, but do not do this anymore Nya, its not good for you."
Nya nodded
"But how do I lose weight in a healthy manner?" Nya asked
"I can show you some things that I did at the ED recovery hospital for exercise that are safe." Harumi suggested
"I would love that."
Nya and Harumi walked out of the bathroom and sat back down at the table. Everyone was suspicious, but didn't say a word
Suddenly, Nya spoke
"There's something you all should know."
Everyone got quiet
"Nya-" Harumi started to speak
"It's ok, Harumi."
"So what's up?" Jay asked
Nya took a deep breath
"For the past 4 months, I've been hiding a secret. A painful, dangerous one."
"What secret?" Kai asked her
"I have bulimia."
Everyone spoke at once
"What?!"
"Nya, why?"
"You should have told us!"
"Yeah, we could have helped you!"
Suddenly, Harumi spoke. And not the calm manner she usually speaks in. This was a sharp, stern tone.
"Guys! That's enough! No more questions!"
Everyone shut up, and Ultraviolet and Killow exchanged looks
"Is she going to get better?" Jay asked in a small voice
"Yes."
"So why do you care? How do you know so much?" Lloyd asked
"Because I had bulimia, as well as anorexia, when I was 11."
Suddenly, the table burst into chatter
"You too?"
"Why?"
"Are you ok now?"
"Guys!" Ultraviolet raised her voice
Everyone went silent
Jay asked to talk to Nya in private and Lloyd asked to talk to Harumi in private
WITH JAY AND NYA
Nya and Jay entered their room.
"Nya, why?" Jay asked
"Because I wanted to look like those girls on magazine covers, it was stupid."
"There's more, Nya. I'm your fiancee, I can tell when your hiding something.
Suddenly, Nya burst into tears
"I thought I had to look a certain way for you to love me! I thought if I gained weight, you would leave me!" Nya shrink down to the floor
Jay walked up to her and hugged her
"Hey, hey, I would never deny you because of your weight. EVER. You will always be beautiful to me."
Nya looked up
"Really?"
"Really."
"But what about those standards that society has?"
"Those are unhealthy pieces of shit. The last thing I would want is for you to become anorexic and bulimic."
He hugged her tighter
They then kissed
WITH LLOYD AND HARUMI
"How come you never told me?" Lloyd asked after he closed the door
"Because I was scared!"
"Of what?" Lloyd asked calmly
"I was scared that you would leave me! I was scared that you would go and leave me here." Harumi said
"Harumi, you know I would never do that to you." Lloyd walked toward her and they sat on the bed
"I know. I just thought you would want someone who was...I don't know...curvier...someone like Nya. Not someone whos flat chested like me."
Lloyd looked at his girlfriend
"Harumi, it doesn't matter what's on the outside. It matters what's on the inside. I would never leave you because of your weight or looks. EVER."
"But what about those standards that men like to apply toward women?" Harumi asked
Lloyd laughed
"Those standards are quite honestly, ridiculous if you ask me. They are unhealthy and deplorable. I'm on your side, those shouldn't even exist. The whole perfect woman idea is outdated and morally wrong."
Lloyd hugged her and kissed her
"Listen, your beautiful just the way you are. Never change for someone, change for yourself. And I would never do anything to destroy our family." Lloyd made a gesture toward a sleeping Crystal
He hugged her again.