Chapter 2

The run across rooftops and through the streets helped refocus her mind and ebb away the anger. Exercise always helped with that. The rush and hum of energy was a comforting sensation. Sadly, it was always a short one.

She found UV and Killow at Laughy's. They both looked up when she approached them.

"Can we help you with something?" UV asked, drawing out a sai and toying with the blade. Her eyes scanned Harumi for any possible threat. She wouldn't find any, of course. It was too dangerous for her to be found with anything.

Harumi lilted her head to the side and said in a soft voice:

"I need to speak with all three of you."

UV's eyes went wide before narrowing and looking her over once more.

"They let you out?" Killow said, tilting his head and examining her as well.

"I don't have much time," Harumi said, her voice still soft. "Where is –"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. A blade was pressed to the fabric protecting her neck. With a careful glance to the side, she was Mr. E. It took him less than a second to register who she was, and the sword was sheathed.

UV led them to the balcony overlooking the rest of the karaoke bar. With a few growls and snarls, she chased a few recruits back down to the noise and ruckus.

"Didn't think we'd see you out for a while," UV said, leaning her back against the banister to face Harumi.

"I didn't plan on coming here for a while," she said. "Things are… complicated."

"Has something come up?" Killow asked, folding his arms across his chest.

She clenched and unclenched her hands. She ran the words over in her mind and decided that being honest was going to be the most helpful.

"I am going to be married off," she said.

UV gave a snarl and turned around, her back to Harumi. Killow's face softened for the briefest moment before he sighed and returned his expression to a scowl. And Mr. E… he remained unmoved, as usual.

"Do you want us," Killow said, "to take out this… betrothed?"

"I am going to be married off," she said, clasping her hands in front of her, "to one of the ninja."

UV and Killow both straightened, looking at each other and then back at her. UV's face turned into a smirk.

"Well," she said, "that's certainly interesting. Planning on working that into everything?"

Harumi… blinked. She really hadn't thought that far ahead yet. She really just came down to Laughy's to explain the complications to their plan. How her inevitable – and unfortunate – marriage was not going to help things.

She hummed, her mind already spinning and calculating a possible web.

"It would really depend on who the Emperor and Master Wu have me marry," she said, her words slow as she pieced things together. "From what intel we have on them, the Water Ninja and the Lightning Ninja are together. Both of them are not available."

"Which leaves the Ice Ninja, the Fire Ninja, the Earth Ninja, and the Green Ninja," Killow said, counting them off on his fingers.

Harumi gnawed on the inside of her cheek. They could honestly force her to marry any of them, and it would be bad. Her mind turned over each positive and negative for each ninja.

Eventually she sighed and shook her head.

"I'll need to find out who it is first and then base my plan around that," she said. "I'll find a way to update all of you on how things are going to change. For now…"

She looked at each of them. She wet her lips under the mask and nodded.

"For now," she continued, "keep recruiting people. We're going to need as many as possible in order to summon Lord Garmadon."

The three of them agreed, and she slipped back out with little fanfare. A few of the recruits gave her some looks, but they didn't bother her.

When she was far enough away, and she was certain no one was following her, she tugged down the mask and looked around. She supposed she could head back to the palace – she should head back to the palace. But…

Her stomach growled. Her hand shot up to it as she looked around, her cheeks and tips of her ears blushing. No one was paying any attention to her.

Well, if the emperor hadn't upset her, she would have eaten more of her dinner. Pity for him and the empress, that there was a Chen's Noodle House right down the street. And they had spicy garlic noodles.

Checking her pockets to make sure she had her wallet – she did – she headed to the restaurant chain. There were two hours still until they closed, so she didn't feel too horrible about coming in for food.

With a quick glance around, she saw the place was mostly empty, save for one woman wiping down some tables. The woman called out a greeting when she heard the chime from the door.

"Please sit anywhere you like," the woman said, looking up for the first time. A tired smile turned soft when their eyes met.

Harumi took a seat at the first booth by the door as the woman came over to her. The woman smoothed her red hair back, stopping by the seat opposite Harumi.

"You're out late," she said, taking out a notebook and a pen. "Planning on breaking curfew or something?"

"Maybe," Harumi said, brushing some hair back behind her ear.

The woman laughed and smiled warmly as she laughed.

"What can I get you, kid?"

"Um, some spicy garlic noodles? Extra garlic? Please?"

"Sure thing. Water to drink?"

"Yes."

The woman tucked the notebook and pan away, heading into the kitchen. There was some noise of pots and pans clanging, and then some sizzling. In a few moments, the woman came back out with some water.

"So, breaking curfew," she said, setting the glass down. "Any reason why?"

"An act of teenage rebellion."

The woman snorted, and said, "I like you, kid. I'm Skylor."

She held out a hand to shake. Hesitantly, Harumi took it. What name should she give?

"I'm… I'm Haru."

Well, that could work.

"Nice to meet you Rumi. I'll be back in a few with your noodles, okay?"

Harumi nodded, taking a sip of the water. It was colder than she was normally comfortable drinking, but it was tolerable.

True to her word, Skylor returned a few minutes later with a bowl of spicy garlic noodles.

"Here you go," Skylor said. "Enjoy!"

Before the bowl was even set down in front of her, Harumi's mouth began to water. The smell was more than enough, but the sight of it? Perfection. She wasted no time digging in, humming in delight at the strong garlic taste breaking through the bite of heat.

She was almost more than halfway through her bowl when another person walked in. She slowed down her eating to listen.

"Skylor!" the person, a man, called. His steps faltered when he saw her sitting in the booth. He smiled at her and scratched the back of his neck. He looked… familiar. Although, she couldn't quite place where. The casual clothes, all shades of reds and browns. "Sorry. I didn't see you there. Do you know where Skylor is?"

Before she could answer, Skylor appeared from the back.

"Don't harass my customers," Skylor said.

"I didn't think anyone would be here," he said.

To Harumi, she said, "You can ignore him. I do, whenever I can."

The man stood there, mouth gaping as his brain slowly tried to figure out what to retort with. Skylor snorted out a laugh.

Harumi slurped in the remainder of the noodle that had been dangling out her mouth. Rather loudly.

The man looked down at her, his mouth still gaping open before turning back to Skylor.

"I have about an hour and a half left before closing," Skylor said to the man. "Take a seat. Did you want anything?"

"Puffy…puffy potstickers?"

Skylor rolled her eyes and headed back into the kitchen.

"Uh, mind if I sit here?" he asked. "I don't want to dirty any other tables."

"Um." Harumi looked around. There wasn't anyone else here besides Skylor. So, she understood that, but… "I… I guess?"

"I'm Kai, by the way." He held his hand out to her as he sat down. She shook it. His grip was firm and very warm.

"Haru."

His eyebrows raised, but he smiled easily.

"You're out late."

"I'm breaking curfew." Best to stick to what she said to Skylor.

"An act of teenage rebellion. Had to deal with that myself."

She looked him over.

"Bet your parents were happy with that," she said.

Something flicked across his face for a brief second. It was gone before she could blink.

"Nah," he said, casually draping his arm across the back of the booth seat. "My little sister. She was a bit of a wild child."

"You're calling Nya a wild child?" Skylor said, setting down a plate of puffy potstickers.

Nya. That was a name Harumi knew. There were very few people with that name. Especially, when she gauged the age of the man – well, older teen – sitting across from her. There was only one Nya that came to her mind.

And since there was only one Nya, then the Kai before her was none other than the Fire Ninja.

"You didn't know her when she was thirteen."

Skylor rolled her eyes again, a small smile on her face. Kai scooted over on the seat, offering it up to her. She took it without protest.

Harumi silently ate her spicy garlic noodles while the two of them chatted. Kai and Skylor were comfortable around one another to the point that Skylor stole a puffy potsticker from him, and he didn't even protest.

"When Nya was thirteen, the two of you were living at the Monastery."

"Do you really think that stopped her?"

"Can you believe him?" Skylor said to Harumi.

Harumi shrugged.

"I've never met his sister, so I can't say," she said.

Kai smiled cheekily at Skylor. Skylor, in return, elbowed his side.

It wasn't long after that Harumi finished her noodles. The part of her that wanted to get out was screaming to get up and just leave, while the other part of her who had manners forced on them was waiting for an appropriate moment.

There was no appropriate moment.

She sat there, smiling politely with her hands folded in her lap, observing.

Kai and Skylor were close. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. How close, though, that was the question. One that Harumi would never know.

"Shit," Skylor said when her watch beeped. "I need to start cleaning up. We'll be closing soon. Are you finished?"

"Oh," Harumi said. "Yes. Um. How much do I owe?"

"Don't worry about it. You had to deal with him. That's more than enough."

"Are you sure? I can –"

"Kid, word of advice," Kai said. "If someone's giving you free food. Take the free food."

"And you get the joy of helping me clean dishes," Skylor said to him.

"What? Oh, come on!"

He might have protested the whole way to the kitchen, but he took the dishes and started washing them.

"You should head on home," Skylor said, grabbing up a spray bottle and a rag. "It's getting late."

"Breaking curfew," Harumi said. "Remember?"

Skylor gave her a soft smile.

"You're too good a kid for that, trust me. And whatever your parents did, it's not worth you going home in the back of a police cruiser."

Harumi didn't know how to respond to that. So all she could say was: "Oh."

"Do you want Kai to walk you home? Big brother instincts and all that."

"No, I'm… I'm right down the street." Not a total lie. The palace was some the street and then some. "I should be okay."

"If you're sure."

"I am! Goodnight!"

Harumi waved at her and slipped out the front door. She'd really been out too long, but the spicy garlic noodles had been worth it.

She paused and turned back around to watch as Kai exited the kitchen and pressed a kiss to Skylor's head. Skylor laughed and rose up just a little to kiss him back.

Well, that possibly removed one more ninja from her list of possible fiances.