A/n- Though this wasn't the first completed chapter, this chapter is what started the one-shots book. It stemmed from a headcanon that Lloyd has 'situational' claustrophobia (seriously the ninja have risked their lives a lot of times- there's going to be trauma. Screw kid show logic) and it evolved from there.
Awareness trickled in, coming with one overwhelming sense. Pain! In his knees, chest, head, but most jarringly his shoulders and wrists.
'Wha...?' It was a testament to his many past escapades that Lloyd didn't immediately move or try and open his eyes. Instead he focused on using his other senses to figure out what was going on around him.
He hung limply from something, limbs pulled spread eagle. Thick, heavy, and presumably vengestone, shackles dug into his wrists holding him upright. 'Hence the searing pain in my arms.' Wood creaked, a steady breeze pulled at his body, feet shuffled nearby. Raucous laughter emitted suddenly from behind him.
Memories rushed back to Lloyd. 'The Quiet One! Ru-Harumi. I must still be on the deck of the Destiny's Bounty.' He'd jumped on the ship after the Sons of Garmadon stole it while the ninja were busy with the giant crab. 'Jumped right into Killow's hands.' He thought darkly.
Even without wearing the Mask of Deception the man was a force to be reckoned with. Attempting struggle earned him a blow to the head before he could muster enough energy to go all elemental on them. It must have incapacitated him long enough for them to subdue him. In hindsight Lloyd realized his anger had not produced his best plan ever. See current predicament.
"We have it all in hand." The female voice was sharp and cold. And horribly familiar.
Pain flared again, but this time it wasn't physical. His heart had taken a serious beating from Harumi smashing it into pieces. She'd played her game all too well.
He bit back a growl of anger. Sure he'd had his fair share of enemies. He was a ninja for goodness sake, the legendary green ninja, and look at him now. Strung up like a Christmas goose. This wasn't the first time he found himself in a bind- rather literally- but never before had a betrayal cut him so deeply. Not even when Kai sort of betrayed them on Chen's island. Probably because he'd never been enamored in the one who stabbed him in the back. Yet here he was, duped by the girl he had fallen hard for and being taken back to Ninjago City to see the resurrection of the completely evil version of his father.
'With my family history it's just my luck the girl I like is an evil sociopath. So Skylor was working for her father to help capture us at first, and P.I.X.A.L. has attacked us a couple times due to computer issues, but they were both being manipulated. This time I was the puppet with strings.'
He'd fallen hook, line and sinker for her mask. Some fool he'd been.
The pull on his arms became too much. Lloyd shifted his weight to his feet, which were mercifully touching the ground, his movement causing the chains to clink. A sudden silence descended. Deciding there was no delaying the inevitable Lloyd opened his eyes. Ultra Violet stood inches from his face. Years of training kept him from outwardly reacting but his heart started in surprise.
"Look who finally joined the party!" Her loud, high-pitched voice did nothing to help his throbbing head. Or his mood. He merely glared at her. "Ooo touchy, touchy." She laughed, grating Lloyd's nerves all the more.
Continuing to ignore her Lloyd looked around. He was indeed chained on board the Destiny's Bounty, to the bow side mast, facing the control room. Facing her.
Harumi stood, proud and erect on the deck. Every inch a princess even in her cast off hoodie. Yet Lloyd detected something different about her. It could have been the fact he'd never seen her hair loose, the white strands dancing around her shoulders in the breeze. Maybe it was that glint in her eye that burned a little too brightly, a look he recognized from his own father's eyes when he coveted the golden weapons. The cold stare accompanied by a smirk only sealed the appraisal.
Perhaps it was just him seeing the real Harumi for the first time.
The ship shifted course and the sun's fading rays dropped directly behind her. Before the light momentarily blinded him he saw it illuminate Harumi in an eerie glow. If Lloyd didn't know better he would have sworn she was the Angel of Death incarnate. Maybe she was. Stranger things in Ninjago had happened.
Killow walked into Lloyd's line of vision, breaking him from his musings. "I thought the ninja were supposed to be a challenge but you've really made it too easy for us."
Lloyd bit his tongue to keep from shooting back a response. 'They just want a rise out of you. Don't stoop to their level.'
So much easier said than done as Killow also seemed to feel the need to invade Lloyd's personal space. He grabbed Lloyd's collar and jerked him off the deck. The movement only went a few inches before the shackles around Lloyd's ankles pulled taut. Hissing in pain Lloyd glared as fierce as he could muster.
Killow only laughed. "Really ninja. Do you think that intimidates me? I can show you true intimidation." Killow tightened his grip in one hand and drew back with the other.
"I'd prefer to keep him in one piece for the ceremony, Killow. I think his daddy will want to deal with him personally, don't you agree?"
Lloyd's breath hitched in his throat. He hadn't noticed Harumi's approach.
"Where's the fun in that?" Killow's breath made Lloyd want to gag. Seriously had he never heard of a toothbrush?
Harumi raised an eyebrow calculatingly. "I'm sure something will be left after. And if not there's... other messes to finish cleaning."
There was a pause as Killow digested her words. "Fair enough."
Abruptly he let go of Lloyd. Though unprepared Lloyd managed to land on his feet before his arms took the brunt of his weight. Killow stepped back allowing Harumi room to move closer. It was probably a good thing for Harumi that Lloyd was chained at the moment since he felt like punching the princess in her face as hard as he could. Harumi's smirk deepened as if she could read his thoughts.
"I have to thank you, it was so much easier to get the mask with your help than it would have been with baby Wu. In fact we couldn't have done it without you."
Lloyd clenched his fists, making the chains rattle. "Harumi you can't do this! You don't know the forces you're dealing with."
Scoffing Harumi pulled out the newest recovered mask. "I think I know quite well. This is the Mask of Hatred. Fitting because do you know what has kept me going these last several years? The absolute loathing I have for the ones responsible for ruining my life. For taking everything away from me!
"Since it happened I deceived the emperor and his wife every day, pretending to be their perfect little princess when in fact I was only the replacement for what they could never have on their own. I waited patiently until I could enact my vengeance. You will pay for what you did," Harumi leaned close, her eyes sparking, "since you're the one who did this to me."
Lloyd grit his teeth. "What happened was a larger tragedy than any of us could have realized as it unfolded, but I didn't turn you into a heartless manipulative gang leader. You did that on your own."
Her hand flew so fast Lloyd almost didn't even see it. His face whipped sideways with the blow and immediately his eyes started watering.
"You have no idea what it's like having the carpet ripped from under you-"
She probably would have gone for a lot longer but the combination of the slap and her words turned the pain burning inside Lloyd to full blown anger.
"I don't know what it's like!?" He snapped, completely cutting off her next words. "You obviously didn't do your research. I'm living proof circumstances don't have to define you! My dad, the evil mega lord of the Underworld- that you want to bring back- and my mom abandoned me. I was raised and mercilessly bullied at a school for criminal masterminds. I lived on the streets for six months before the whole snake fiasco and moving in with the ninja. I lost my remaining childhood to a potion and don't get me started on the battles I've faced since joining the team.
"I'm sorry you lost your parents and if I could change my past actions I would, but please," Lloyd's voice took on a softer tone, "Rumi that doesn't have to define you. You don't have to be the bad guy here."
"You think we all came from hard backgrounds?" Lloyd looked to his left where Ultra Violet leaned against the railing. She screeched out a laugh. "Think again. Some of us just enjoy this. Besides," she grinned at some unknown joke, "the Quiet One isn't a bad guy, but a bad girl."
"It doesn't matter because it's no longer about me." Harumi's tone sent shivers down Lloyd's spine. "But it is about your family."
"Rumi you can't bring him back! Especially if it's only the evil part of him. I faced that version of him once and he almost leveled the entire city! How many children will you condemn to the same fate you-" He was interrupted with another strike to the face.
"I think we've heard quite enough from you. Ultra! Gag him. I'd hate for him to miss the reunion because of some 'unfortunate accident.'" If looks could kill Lloyd would definitely have been dead ten times over.
He didn't have time to protest before hands grabbed his hair and jerked his head back. An oily rag was shoved in his mouth. Breathing heavily through his nose Lloyd tried to fight the sudden feeling of suffocation. A cruel smile danced on Harumi's face.
"While I'd like to offer you as a welcome gift, you don't have to be in one piece, or even alive, for the ceremony to commence. Just keep that in mind." With one last glare Harumi sauntered back to the helm.
Ultra cackled. "We wouldn't want things to get boring around here now would we?"
Her grin sent shivers down Lloyd's back. He could only hope the others were faring better than himself, and that they had a plan because right now he was coming up blank.
"Get down!"
"Nya watch out!"
Kai and Jay shouted simultaneously as the titan crab lashed out.
Nya jumped sideways, barely avoiding being skewered. Concentrating she drew water up from the lake and threw it at the creature. The water splashed off him harmlessly. 'Right, giant aquatic crab.' She rolled to the side as its tail careened toward her.
Over the roaring in her ears she could hear little Wu's giggles as if he were enjoying the show. Hopefully he'd stay back out of the way because they really couldn't keep an eye on him at the moment.
"My turn!" Cole created his tornado of rocks.
Kai, Nya, Zane and Jay blasted the crab along its body, trying to distract it long enough for Cole to get close. He swirled in front of the crab's face and stopped abruptly. The forward momentum carried the earth directly into the crabs face. Roaring in pain the beast stumbled back a pace flaring it's limbs. One claw caught Zane sending him flying 50 yards across the water. He disappeared beneath the waves.
"Zane!" Four voices cried out in sync.
Cole let out a wordless yell and charged again as Nya focused on the spot where Zane went under. A few agonizing seconds later his titanium head bobbed to the surface. Jay let out an audible sigh of relief.
Kai turned back to the crab, fire blazing from his fingers to his shoulders. "You're so gonna pay for that!"
Launching into his own spinjitzu Kai sped toward the crab.
"Wait!" Zane's shout stilled the ninja. They all spared him a glance with varying levels of shock.
"Are you crazy?" Jay practically shouted.
Zane spun but remained several paces from the crab. "Watch." The crab made no attempt to attack, it merely stared, mezmorized.
"So what?" Kai growled.
"I think it fascinates him."
"Uh it's trying to kill us! I don't care if it thinks we look cool!" Jay shouted.
"Again I ask so what?" Kai tensed, ready to attack again. The crab seemed to understand the action and lashed out forcing Kai to jump back a pace.
"Don't." Zane's voice held a strong warning. "What's one of the earliest lessons Master Wu gave us as a team?"
"Ooo guessing games!" Jay put a hand on his chin to think. "Always listen to him?" Zane shook his head.
"Things aren't always what they seem?" Nya called as she dodged another swipe from the crab.
Cole dropped his guard completely and cut his eyes between Zane and the monstrosity as if knew what Zane was thinking and didn't like it. "The best way to defeat an enemy is to make him your friend."
"Exactly. I believe we are in need of friends right now."
"I'm not sure if he's feeling the same way!" Kai yelled as he was forced to dodge a tail strike.
"To be fair we were attacking it."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Not helping Cole!" The crab bore its beady eyes into Kai who readied two balls of fire.
"No, everyone freeze!" Zane shouted.
There was a pause filled only with a snort from Jay. Nya sent him a puzzled glance. "What am I the only one who caught- you know what nevermind."
The ninja remained still as Zane walked toward the giant creature. "Look Wu's not afraid of him, and I think it's for a reason."
He nodded toward the toddler who was still reaching his hands in the air calling, "Cwabby!"
"He was also giggling when Ultra Violet poked him with her sai!" Kai burst out. "I'm not sure if he's the best judge of character at the moment!"
"Maybe, maybe not. But it's likely the First Spinjitzu Master came here at some point after the Oni hid the mask. Possibly just to make sure it would be very difficult for anyone else to retrieve it. That could be why this crab seems to recognize spinjitzu."
With exaggerated movements he launched into his ice spinjitzu, but instead of going for the crab he stayed in one place. Now that it wasn't being attacked on all sides the crab stopped and watched Zane with something akin to interest in its eyes. After a minute Zane dropped out of the tornado.
Everyone held their breath as Zane took a cautious step forward. "Hello, friend. I am sorry. We didn't mean to cause you distress. Your appearance startled us and we reacted badly,"
"He's going to get himself flattened!" Kai's whisper-shout made the crab tense but Zane glared in his direction and he fell silent.
"I don't know if you knew of the Oni mask hidden here but it's been stolen by people who wish to use its power for evil. However, it's not only the mask they stole, but our friend too. If you are willing would you help us return to the city? Our presence is needed there to fight on behalf of the people."
Zane took another step forward, putting himself in easy striking distance if the crab chose to lash out. "Please, I do not think we can do this without you." Then Zane reached an arm out and turned his head, leaving himself open to the creature's mercy.
For a long dreadful moment nothing happened, the crab stared down at Zane as if it were weighing his words. Then slowly it reached its head down and met Zane's hand.
"No way!"Jay gasped. "I saw that in a movie once."
Zane broke into a smile and stroked its snout. "Thank you." Turning he addressed the rest of the ninja who stared at him in awe. "I believe we have a friend to save and a resurrection to stop."
Cole was the first to snap out of it. "You're right. Come on everyone, let's go save Ninjago- again."
Grim determination settled over the group as they hoisted themselves and Wu up on the crab.
"Don't worry Lloyd," Cole spoke what they all were thinking, "We're comin' for you."
The night passed tortuously slow. Lloyd expected as much but it didn't take away the discomfort. The rag sucked the moisture from his mouth, but it also caused a disgusting pool of saliva under his tongue to build and spill down his chin. They didn't let him down to use the head and as the night worse on that problem became more and more... pressing.
Beyond that sleep was virtually impossible, not only because he was stuck upright and pain burning in his arms would jerk him awake if his legs didn't help share his body weight (even with the numbness in his arms from being above his head for so long), but also due to the guards Harumi stationed to keep an eye on him. They didn't seem to appreciate being forced to stay awake either and took their frustration out on an easy target (i.e. Lloyd). Nothing so much that would leave obvious marks, but their constant poking with sharp objects got old a loooooong time ago.
Surprisingly Lloyd could empathize somewhat with their frustrations. He didn't really see the need for them here either. Much to his chagrin Lloyd knew he was good and stuck. He might be the green ninja but he was still human (Lego?). There wasn't really anything he could do to help himself at the moment.
By the time the first rays of morning broke over the horizon Lloyd figured he could count on one hand how many minutes of sleep he'd gotten. It was safe to say he was thoroughly miserable. And bordering on delirious. He now had two nights without sleep (and no- briefly unconscious after falling from the Bounty during the storm did not count) and he was definitely feeling it.
The exhaustion must have been more evident than Lloyd realized because Harumi laughed when she saw his face in the morning light.
Lloyd had his own shock when he saw her. She'd completely dropped the Jade Princess look and now wore black leather pants and a jacket, the picture complete with a SoG insignia on her shoulder. How had she managed to hide that part of her so completely until she went all homicidal Lloyd had no idea.
"Rough night?"
It wasn't like he could respond adequately with the gag still firmly in place. He managed a weak glare but it didn't last long before his chin drooped to his chest.
She chuckled but Lloyd didn't have the energy to respond. Two presences closed in at some signal Lloyd missed. He tensed but they reached for the chains securing his wrists. As soon as the chain came loose his arms flopped heavily to his sides. Immediately the sensation of pins and needles started building at his shoulders, trickling painfully down to his hands. The shackles were quickly connected by a length of chain in front of him.
Lloyd attempted to take a step forward, the burning in his arms overwhelming his senses so much that he forgot about the cuffs still attached to his ankles. He pitched forward, limp arms unable to break his fall. Over the roaring in his ears he could hear Harumi tisk.
"Well this is just sad." She knelt in front of him and jerked the gag out of his mouth, leaving the cloth around his neck. "Are you sure you're supposed to be the 'savior of Ninjago?' Because it's a pretty pitiful picture from where I'm standing."
"That might mean more if you were actually standing." Lloyd's hoarsely spat.
"Hmm and to think I was actually just about to let you wash up." With difficulty Lloyd kept his mouth closed, this indignity wouldn't compare to what he'd be facing if he didn't make it to the restroom soon. She laughed cruelly, "That's what I thought."
She motioned to the guards and they hauled Lloyd to his feet. They didn't trust him to be alone, which was probably smart, but rather awkward. It was better than the alternative though. Lloyd took the opportunity at the sink to take several gulps of water, his dry throat soaking in every drop.
When he finished he was pulled back up on the deck. This time he was shoved to a sitting position next to the mast. Lloyd's aching legs were grateful. His arms were left in front of him but a long length of chain wrapped around his middle pinning him to the mast. Not the most pleasant but better than what he endured all night.
Now in a position that would better support him Lloyd's head bobbed forward. Though he knew he should be vigilant his worn out body had other ideas. So there with full daylight illuminating the deck and ten loud SoG members moving about the deck, Lloyd slipped into a troubled sleep.
He wasn't sure how long it'd been when he woke up, but his thoughts actually followed the direction he wanted, so it had to have been a while. Sunlight streamed from directly above above adding weight to that assessment.
The last few days all blurred together in his mind so he wasn't sure how far away Primeval's Eye ended up being from Ninjago City. The detours along the way didn't help the mental map he drew. But as Lloyd glanced around he realized it didn't matter. Ninjago City was coming into view dead ahead.
An uncomfortable feeling squeezed on his stomach. Harumi's ceremony ticked closer and Lloyd was still at a loss how to stop her. Plus he wasn't sure how the other ninja were doing- would they make it back to help?
His anxious thoughts were cut off when Harumi barked at one of her underlings, "Bring me a towel."
'Why the heck does she want a towel?' Lloyd wondered. If she wanted to re-gag him the disgusting cloth still hung from his neck. It also wouldn't work well as a blindfold, she could just turn his hood around if she really wanted to, and it wasn't like he didn't know where they were going. There was the fact that a wet towel could hurt like crazy. Living dormitory style with a bunch of guys the greater portion of his life taught him that early on. But that didn't seem to be her style. She struck him as more of a blade person- if she wasn't using her fists.
Instead she took the towel to her face and scrubbed it. Lloyd watched large amounts of make-up streak away. The bottom half of her face remained flesh colored, but the top half darkened to a harsh red. As if she couldn't get weirder at this point.
Her eyes flashed when she saw Lloyd watching. "It was the Emperor's idea. We couldn't let the public know their princess had been horribly scarred by a childhood trauma could we?" She cackled, the sound rivaling Ultra Violet's crazed giggles.
Evidently said scars were more than skin deep.
Buildings surrounded the ship; they'd arrived back in the city. 'So not great.' Occasional cheers wafted from the city below making Lloyd's blood boil; the people thought the ninja had returned only for the Bounty to mask the SoG's entrance- as long as they stayed away from the gunwales. Hopelessness tugged at at Lloyd's mind- would Harumi's ceremony go through with the city being none the wiser until it was too late? As much as Lloyd missed his father this was not how he wanted to be reunited.
The engines roared at a different pitch and the ship's trajectory moved straight down. Lloyd lurched with the abrupt change. 'These bikers do not know how to properly steer the Bounty', he grumbled internally. Solid brown wall of the Palace of Secrets rose around the ship. If Lloyd thought the descent was rough he wasn't prepared for the jerk that could hardly be called a landing. He noticed with grim satisfaction that several of the gang members pitch forward and one actually face planted. The smug feeling only lasted a moment since Harumi turned her attention to Lloyd one the ship stilled.
"Bring him!" Harumi shouted to Killow, glee evident in her voice.
Killow lumbered over, grabbing Lloyd's collar. His rancid breath washed over Lloyd as he laughed, "Soon, little ninja, Garmadon will be here and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
'We'll see about that.' Lloyd bit his tongue hard to keep from spitting the words in Killow's face. He didn't need to be mocked over their hollowness that he was only too aware of. That action ended up being a mistake when the chains slackened around Lloyd and Killow dropped him harshly to the ground. His teeth snapped on impact, drawing blood. Allowing himself a small exhale of pain Lloyd kept the rest of his features in check. The gang members gathered didn't seem to notice since they were already laughing at his expense.
"Come on, we still have much to prepare." Harumi marched off the gangplank, humming creepily.
Two guys acting as guards hauled Lloyd to his feet and shoved him after her. Lloyd could hear Killow's heavy footsteps behind them. Tensing his shoulders Lloyd considered trying to escape while he walked (somewhat) on his own, but a swift glance around the courtyard discouraged that.
Besides his escorts walking inches behind him him, nearly thirty leather clad individuals swarmed about. Lloyd guessed half of them had one weapon or another trained on him- some guns, crossbows, and a sizzle next to his ear indicated a taser of some sort. With his powers, and therefore dragon, stifled by vengestone and standing there hopelessly outnumbered behind giant walls, it didn't seem like an attempt would give him anything but an excuse for a beating.
Gritting his teeth he let himself be led toward a surprisingly intact section of the palace. The two story tower was surrounded by a moat. A small stone bridge, with several gaping holes, connected the destroyed Palace of Secrets with the ancillary tower. Why did the palace have weird extra towers that didn't even connect to the main building? With rich royals why ask why-
Harsh hands shoved Lloyd toward the tower. Apparently his internal appraisal wasn't appreciated. Climbing up the rickety stairs that lead to the second level Harumi's humming turned to singing that creepy spider song, seriously how had that not been a red flag earlier? Lloyd shook his head, stupid hormones. Bitterness rose at the thought of how infatuated he'd been with her.
A large fist drove into his shoulder blades making Lloyd dangerously lurch forward. Lloyd's escorts caught his arms before he fell but Killow's chuckle from behind made Lloyd's blood run cold. He really was at their mercy, and the Sons of Garmadon weren't known for such
Shoving down the fear that rose within him Lloyd focused on his anger. "It's no wonder you hid your true face, since you were hiding the monster underneath."
Was it a low blow? Probably. Did Lloyd regret it? No.
"I didn't ask you." Harumi whirled on him, anger coursing through her features. She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, her face was impassive. "But it doesn't matter, you've lost."
"Where are we?"
"The Palace of Secrets of course. I'd have thought you'd recognize it since you served as a guard." Lloyd gave a deadpan glare eliciting another grating laugh. "Oh, specifically? This is the Temple of Resurrection. Here you will see the dawning of a new age. Though I wouldn't count on being a part of it."
"Like I'd want to be." Lloyd spat.
Harumi grinned but merely turned and continued up the stairs. Bright light poured from the doorway momentarily blinding Lloyd. When his eyes adjusted he found himself on a stone platform. Large red and black walls rose high above him but there was no roof. Whatever charge Harumi set to the palace had caused a lot of damage here too, though the floor seemed stable enough. Several SoG milled around moving rubble and building- was that an alter?- in the middle of the terrace.
Creaking echoed and something moved in Lloyd's peripheral vision. Warily he glanced up only for his breath to be stolen. A small circular cage, the same dull gray as his current shackles, swung down from the busted rafters. 'Not again!' His current position attested to the many precarious situations the green ninja had found himself in over the years, but whenever a cage was involved...
Little Lloyd clutched the iron bars though they burned from being under the hot desert sun. His heart clenched as his friends battled the samurai for the snakes' pleasure. All because they came to rescue him, the screw up child. The hope that flared at seeing their faces only for the crushing despair to strangle him as they all blasted out of the arena leaving him alone. Again. Days passing, wondering if they'd forgotten him. If they'd decided to leave the nuisance of an evil warlord's son to his just desserts...
Smoke and darkness choking him as the snakes jarringly made their way into a volcano. Amazement at seeing his father, the evil Lord Garmadon, fighting alongside the ninja out of love for him. Free falling into the canyon and watching helplessly as lava came closer and closer. The stark fear of assurance that he was about to die right before Garmadon and Kai intervened at the last second...
The now green/golden ninja in training watching as Pythor shoved his father off a cliff after he'd tried so hard as Lord and Sensei Garmadon to keep Lloyd from the Overlord's clutches. Not being able to see if Garmadon resurfaced. The agony of uncertainty over his fate as Pythor dragged Lloyd away from the ledge. Being thrown to the ground in the Overlord's glass cage, screaming in pain as his power, and subsequently his life force, drained drop by drop...
Grown and full fledged green ninja lying in a cage, exhausted and powerless in Moro's possession. Dangling high above the ground like an exotic bird hung up for show. Unable to rest even in the short moments when Morro released his body. Replaying the atrocities committed through his body as Lloyd could only watch in horror. A prisoner in his own mind. The shame at being taken so easily and now being used as a weapon against his city, his brothers. Would they ever forgive him? Trying to remain brave and call out Moro even when Lloyd didn't have much hope for a rescue...
Alone. Powerless. Some of the lowest moments of his life.
Blinking away the memories Lloyd tried to control his expression before any of the SoG noticed. Harumi was turned away from him, surveying the workers. Killow and his guards stood just behind him out of view, but he caught Ultra Violet watching him with a calculating expression in her crazed eyes. Lloyd met her gaze as evenly as he could, but he got the impression he wasn't fooling her.
She hurried to Harumi and motioned her over away from Lloyd. Irritation flashed in Harumi's eyes but she pointed to Lloyd's guards, "Lock him up."
The men dragged Lloyd to the nearest cage and threw him in causing him to smack his face into the bars. He groaned in pain and turned just as the door slammed behind him. Fighting the rising tide of panic Lloyd forced himself to look through the bars. 'They're not closing in. I can still stand and sit and see out.' Still it took several deep breaths before he could hear anything over the ringing in his ears. 'I'm fine, I'm okay. I'm okay...' With what felt like a superhuman effort Lloyd shoved his emotions down and focused on Ultra Violet and Harumi.
They were still talking on the other side of the platform. He couldn't hear what Ultra Violet was saying, but Harumi let out a frustrated yell accompanied by a kick to an unfortunate biker who stood too close.
"How did they-?" She burst out but abruptly stopped when she saw Lloyd watching her. Whatever it was Harumi didn't want him to know which meant it had to be bad news for her.
'She said 'they.' Does that mean the rest of the ninja made it back?' At this point he could only hope so. This whole situation was a mess and if the ninja didn't get back in time he wasn't sure how this could be any worse...
It seemed fate wanted to test that theory. More figures emerged from the shadowy door one of them looked like-
"Mom!" Lloyd threw himself at the cage door. It didn't budge. 'No, no, no!' This couldn't be happening. "Mom!" He shouted again.
At his voice Misako paused in her struggle against her captors. "Lloyd! She's crazy. She wants to bring back your father." There was a small tremor in her voice.
Harumi left Ultra Violet and walked over to the gray haired woman. "Which we couldn't have done without you finding little Wu for us." She sent Lloyd a smug smirk. "As you can see Lloyd, I make sure my plans come with an insurance policy."
That horrible siren thought of everything
"Let her go Harumi!" Lloyd jerked at the door with his chained hands. "This is between you and me!"
Harumi scoffed, "Please Lloyd, there was never anything between us."
With that statement the strength left Lloyd and he slumped to his knees. Harumi watched with a cold smile on her face. "Thanks to you I learned the power of a broken heart. I look forward to seeing it be your undoing." She turned to her followers gathered. "Hurry and finish! The ceremony begins at nightfall!"
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked back toward the entrance.
"You won't get away with this!" Lloyd shouted after her. Harumi didn't even bother to respond.
Ultra Violet had no such qualms. "Or what, you'll cry?" She cackled and directed the men holding Misako to the other cage several yards parallel to Lloyd's. "There's no stopping this little ninja."
Lloyd wanted to bang his head against the cage bars but he knew self inflicted injuries would help nothing. He grit his teeth as he watched the men roughly push Misako into the cage. Ultra Violet was right- he couldn't stop this.
Prisoners taken care of the bikers returned to their tasks, not even taking the time to post an official guard. Lloyd might have felt insulted, but he was too focused on his mother.
It had been several months since Lloyd had last seen her. Having been looking for Wu she would only pop back into Ninjago City when absolutely necessary before heading out again. Lloyd didn't really enjoy being seperated from her for so long again but she wrote weekly letters to Lloyd. Though most of them were pretty vague about where she'd been incase the letters fell into the wrong hands. They locked gazes and Lloyd knew she was looking him over for any injuries, but they didn't try to talk. There was nothing to say, at least not in front of these monsters, so the afternoon and evening dragged by in silence for Lloyd and Misako.
Apprehension built in Lloyd's gut as dusk fell. His brothers (and sisters- P.I.X.A.L had a body for over a year and didn't tell them!? Screw keeping loved ones safe. They were the ninja, and all of Ninjago knew their identities anyway- but he'd have to come back to that trail of thought later) hadn't arrived yet. Torches cast ominous shadows on the floor and dais. Harumi approached the alter holding the three masks. Lloyd gripped the bars of his cage. The ceremony was about to begin.
An intense battle that you can watch in the episode later...
Though Ninjago City didn't seem to sleep, as Lloyd sat on the rooftop of the moored Bounty at 2am a lull had descended on the bustling metropolis. Maybe it was just resting easy now that the nefarious Sons of Garmadon were behind bars and their plan foiled. Maybe it was the calm before the storm. Whatever the reason Lloyd appreciated the momentary quiet. The rest of the ninja were too relieved that Harumi failed they hadn't noticed Lloyd's silence after the police carted everyone away.
Now, hours later, he still couldn't sleep. Instead he chose to keep a silent vigil... and maybe try to sear his emotions about the whole ordeal.
A soft tap sounded behind him. "Mind if I join you, son?"
Lloyd grunted in response. Misako took that as a yes and sat next to him. They were both quiet for a minute, watching the flickering lights of the night cityscape sprawled before them.
"So the baby was Uncle Wu. We managed to get him out a couple weeks ago, but we didn't see you at the base."
Misako sighed. "I think I was kept at the palace, but I'm not really sure."
"I'm sorry, mom! We didn't even know to look for you. I didn't even think that you'd be a prisoner... I should have-!"
"Lloyd stop please." Misako hugged her crumbling son. "This isn't the first time I'd disappeared. You had no reason to think anything of it."
"But I should have realized it'd been too long between letters. I should have-"
"Lloyd," Misako's voice held a scolding tone. "You had a lot going on and you shouldn't have to worry about me. It's my job to worry about you."
Lloyd scoffed and turned away. "Still..."
"There was nothing you could do. They caught me unawares and separated me from Wu after I found him. But that's a story for another time." Her voice became softer. "How are you doing?"
Shaking his head Lloyd leaned back. "That's a good question..." His voice dropped off. Misako waited. Finally Lloyd spoke again, "I guess... not great. I just can't believe I let myself get deceived like that."
"You're kind and want to see the best in people. There's no shame in that."
Lloyd gave his mother a deadpan stare. "Tell that to the thousands of people who were put at risk because I let a pretty girl charm her way into using me to try and bring back an all evil version of Dad. So yeah, trusting people is a good thing."
"Don't let one person's actions change who you are Lloyd. And today, in the end you did what you had to do and won the battle."
"So why does it feel like a loss?" Lloyd hated the shake in his voice.
Misako sighed. "There are some battles where even a win hurts. Especially when it involves the people we love."
Lloyd grimaced. Wasn't that the truth.