Note: Hi! I'm not as active on here as I am on the Ninjago wiki, so I have a lot more fanfictions than the single one I have posted here. However, I do have this one multi-chapter fanfic that I am on the verge of finishing (there will be 11 chapters, excluding an epilogue) Shadows of Amethyst is a Crystallized rewrite, and takes place (not quite sure where it would fit but the episode "Dragon Form" might be the best). Anyway, the mistakes, grammatical and punctuational are all intentional, at least in the first half. I have tried my best to rid this chapter of any mistakes that I did not intend to keep. This fanfic will take place mostly from Lloyd's POV, but will have a few chapters from Kai's. Hope you enjoy! :)

Spider's in the house

A cry of pain, snapping bones, blurs fighting

Sleep, sleep

I blink my vision blurring and clearing randomly

Spider bit the mouse

I try pushing myself up I need to help I need to help but the two pieces of the broken bone in my arm snap together sending a wave of pain banishing me back to the ground

Sleep, deep

A blur with long, straight white hair rushes to my side, asking, words and apologies and questions spilling out of her mouth I want to tell her to stop I don't understand gibberish gibberish gibberish. It's all gibberish. But my mouth doesn't seem to work.

Harumi?

Don't wake up or else

You'll find a spider in your mouth

Lloyd, are you OK

Lloyd, please answer me.

Lloyd.

Lloyd, please.

"Lloyd, please wake up. You're starting to scare me."

I groan, my eyelids feeling like they're plated with Vengestone. Not only that, but my mind is fuzzy, a headache throbbing, everything ringing ringing ringing. My arm hurts I think it's broken.

The voice sighs, "At least I know you are alive, even if you are in bad shape."

I try to speak, but I can't focus enough to string the words in my mind into a coherent sentence.

"Perhaps don't speak until you have recovered enough," the voice advises. A firm but gentle hand pushes me into a sitting position and tilts my head, pressing something to my mouth.

I want to protest I know what's coming and I don't want to go back, but instinct overrides frustration, and my body accepts the liquid as it trickles down my throat. Darkness pulls me back.

When I come to, my mind is sharp and clear, focused and aware – aware of the pain in my arm. I wince, shifting my weight, causing a sharp jab of pain. I am lying on a hard surface, most likely raised, the edge of it digging into my right shoulder. My legs are resting on a cardboard box, a hardcover book under my back. Almost as if someone thought I was in shock, although, given the circumstances, I may have been. I hear a sharp intake of breath, and I turn to face it, wincing as my arm sends a fresh wave of pain through my body. I stop myself from clutching my left arm with my right, hesitant to jostle it and be punished even more.

"Try not to move so much," the young woman, Harumi, tells me.

"Bit late for that," I reply, glancing at my arm. My broken arm, the left one is bound tight against my body, in a sling. "Did you…–"

"Yes," she cuts in, getting up from her position in the corner of the small shop we are taking refuge in. She walks over to the counter on which I am lying and helps me up, gentling her movements when I wince.

"What happened? Where's my father?" I ask as soon as I'm on my feet.

Harumi bites her lip, surprising me. She doesn't care much for others' feelings, doesn't care if it hurts or if it may disturb them. That she's reluctant to tell me must mean whatever happened was terrible. My blood freezes at the thought of what may have happened, and Harumi's clearly not going to put me out of my misery and tell me. I want her to just tell me. I want to tell her how cruel it is to keep me waiting. But then I realize, he's not really just my father. She loves him in some twisted kind of way,

"I'm not sure about your father," she says, "All I do know is that he distracted the Overlord while I got you to safety. Well…," she pauses, glancing around at the store, "Relative safety."

I look around at our refuge, trying to see what she means. It's a small shop that appears to sell food, but I can also see a few first-aid supplies and other items. One wall, the one facing the east, is completely abolished, a purple crystal glowing ominously in its place. It smells faintly of spices and its stock is thrown around haphazardly, spilling out of the shelves and onto the floor. Pictures line the walls where shelves do not reach and its small business tone, from the small space to the virtually unheard-of brands, carries ghosts of happiness and friendship. I can see that this business is small by choice, not because it isn't prosperous. "Where are we?"

"Nigella's Place," Harumi replies, "We used to come here all the time… before the Great Devourer. My parents were close friends with Nigella. After they died, I snuck out of the palace to come here just because. Nigella never cared if I didn't buy anything. I think she thought of me as a kind of like an intern."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask. I'm not sure whether she's trying to trick me again, to get me to let down my guard before betraying me again. Maybe it's the truth, but I'm wary enough to be dubious when it comes to Harumi. Why does this have to be so complicated? And why is it that e/very time I decide that I'm over her, she has to go and do or say something that brings me right back to where I started? I don't know much about her personal life and she remains mystifying enough to keep me invested when she decides to open up. Yet she's used this before to her advantage. My feelings are an oxymoron, I despise her but I love her, I push her away but it's not just her I hurt. Why does my life have to be so complicated? It's almost like I'm in some elaborate movie franchise. Why can't I just like a girl and be able to like her in peace?

"I'm not sure," she tells me, drawing me away from my bitter thoughts, "I guess it doesn't really matter." She turns away, her shoulders drawn in a defeated sort of way. She sighs resignedly, then draws up on herself. She doesn't meet my eyes as she begins to gather supplies from the mess that Nigella's Place has been reduced to, placing them in a knapsack.

I watch carefully, observing the items she chooses, ignoring the ones she throws to the side. She's packing supplies, mostly edible and water, but I see a first-aid kit join the other objects in the knapsack. I want to know what she's doing, but knowing her, if I ask, she'll probably reply snarkily that I should be able to guess. So, I just watch, thinking that perhaps she's preparing for a journey. But is she planning on running away? Packing supplies so the two of us can be on the move in case the Overlord searches for us? Harumi stands up, closing the knapsack and placing it in my free arm.

"Hold this," she says, walking back to the corner she had placed herself in when I first woke up and grabbing a similar bag. She rifles through it, finding something and drawing it out. Then, she turns back to me, striding to the sales counter. She places the thing and a note by the till.

"What's that for?"

She gives me a weird look. "What does it look like? I figured you would complain or something if I stole those, so I'm paying."

"And the note?"

"That's private. Don't look at it if you know what's good for you," she warns, glaring at me. "Contrary to popular opinion, you don't need to know everything."

"Fine," I say, "What's the plan then?"

"We're going to Mystake's tea shop, it has something we need," she replies nonchalantly.

I take a sharp breath, trying to suppress the Oni trying to break out at her indifferent tone. Mystake's death was partly – no, mostly – her fault. She should feel at least some regret over it. "Why?" I manage to keep the anger from my voice, although my tone sounds somewhere between annoyance and upbeatness. "Isn't it abandoned?"

"Yes, well, it still has something we need," she says, "Actually, something you need. I suppose you still want to defeat the Overlord?"

I raise an eyebrow. She should know me better by now.

"Then, stop complaining, and let's go," she hisses, walking out the front door. "And be quiet! The Crystal Warriors are still roaming the streets."

I follow, quietly, thinking. I am careful in my actions, the placement of my footsteps. I don't want to be infected like the crystal zombies mindlessly wandering the streets. Ninjago City looks like something straight out of a dystopia book, a city in its apocalypse. Anyone who hasn't found safe cover by now is surely infected, and if Harumi and I aren't careful, we could be, too. Although, maybe that's what she wants? But isn't she against the Overlord? Haven't I seen her reluctant and sometimes even irritated at what he wanted to do? And I doubt she feigned the anger in her voice, her face, her attacks when the Overlord revealed his role with the Great Devourer. This isn't some kind of ambush or tactic to capture me?

I just can't figure her out, though I suppose that's part of what I admire about her. Her uncanny ability to remain hidden in plain sight, a natural ninja, like the creature she so adores, a spider. Even so, it's frustrating me. Can I trust her or not? And why can't I make up my mind about what I feel about her?

"You know, I've been thinking about that time you channeled the Oni," she tells me.

"It doesn't matter," I reply brusquely.

"Sure it does," she says, "You held back. Which implies you do not approve of Oni instincts."

"Why would I? All they know is destruction and hatred, a bit like you," I say.

"Oh, Lloyd, as if. I know more than that. Love, heartbreak, sorrow. That's what scares you so much because I'm not some heartless machine. And anyway, wasn't Mystake an Oni? Didn't she know more than destruction and hatred?" she counters.

"Yeah… well…–" I start, struggling to keep my voice level and soft. My hands curl into fists as I bury the Oni clawing my insides. It's so strong and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it down. But it doesn't help that Harumi keeps talking about Mystake with apathy, indifference, and criticizing tones. Mystake, a wonderful woman who helped so much when my father had taken over Ninjago. Harumi shouldn't be able to talk about her like that. She shouldn't be able to keep a straight face. She shouldn't be allowed to not feel at least some guilt.

"It doesn't matter. You don't accept your Oni side," she states.

"Yeah, I don't. So why are we still talking about this?" I growl. I pretend not to notice the slightly monstrous sound.

"Because I'm trying to help," she replies, stopping and turning to face me.

"Oh, yeah? Then how about not trying to get inside my head, trying to make me feel bad for not liking I'm part Oni?" I shoot back.

"If you're fighting to restore the balance, you're not exactly setting a good example," Harumi sighs, "The Overlord's mission is to extinguish the light, to destroy the balance entirely. He is suppressing good. Therefore, to restore the balance, do you really think the hero should be doing exactly what the villain is? Because all that will succeed in is helping the villain with his cause."

"What are you talking about?"

"Listen because this will be the last time I tell you. Darkness does not accept light, but light accepts dark. Light always creates darkness, not the other way around. The Overlord does not accept light and you do not accept darkness, and two negatives cancel each other out. So, either you'll always be at a stalemate or you'll both be destroyed and the balance will fall with you. Either way, the Overlord's mission shall be completed and by extension, you'll lose. So, you need to accept the darkness, even your own, because it does exist," she explains, "Darkness doesn't need light to exist, it just is. But as I said, light creates darkness, and everywhere light goes, darkness has already been there. So, why deny darkness its existence? That's what allowed the Overlord to rise to begin with."

I bite my lip, processing what she said. It's a lot to take in, and I don't like what she's saying, but I know the others would say it's logically sound. It even sounds like something that could work. One problem, though, is how I accept something that only surfaces when I am truly infuriated and have no control over. How do I know that the Oni in me doesn't end up siding with the Overlord and destroying everything?

The rest of the walk is silent, Harumi allowing me to mull over her words smugly. Luckily, we don't run into any enemies and we make it to Mystake's tea shop fairly quickly. Harumi and I go into the back room, where Mystake stored all her magic teas, and I wait quietly for Harumi to grab what she needs. It takes her a minute, but she eventually finds what she is looking for.

"Great," she says, "Find a kettle and a cup."

I comply, guiltily pilfering through Mystake's stock. They had rebuilt the shop in honor of her, as a kind of memorial, but the crystal apocalypse affected it just like it had everywhere else. The little stock that hadn't been damaged or thrown out during the repairs before and after the Oni Invasion is spread all over the floor, spilling from the shelves in the back room. I see Mystake's painting of the Legend of the Oni and Dragon – the one she had told me reminded her of her home realm and that despite turning her back on her fellow Oni, still missed – is ruined and torn. One person even broke in and defiled it with graffiti. The Oni inside is bubbling, reveling in the fury I feel, the sense of loss, and I push it back down. Not now. Can't afford for the Crystal Warriors to find us.

I finally find what Harumi needs and present them to her. She sets the cup aside, pouring water from a plastic bottle she had found into the kettle, and attempts to use Mystake's stove. It wheezes exhaustedly but turns on. She smiles in triumph and sets the kettle over the stove.

"Now we wait."

Once the water reaches boiling, Harumi takes the kettle off, pouring it into the cup I had found. She places a tea bag inside and waits as it steeps. After about five minutes, she takes it out, places the bag aside, and hands it to me.

"Drink," she instructs.

"What does it do?"

She shows me the label on the box she had gotten the tea bag from.

"'Alleviatea,'" I read, "'Heals physical, non-mystical injuries. Warning: may cause extreme pain.'" I don't touch the proffered cup.

"Lloyd, the effects only last a minute or so. Broken arms take at least six weeks to heal," Harumi says.

"How would you know?" I demand.

"Because the Emperor and Emperess administered it to me when I had broken my arm," she answers. "They thought it would get in my way during my princess duties." She says the last two words with disgust, almost spitting them out. She glances at me, and seeing that I still haven't touched the cup, sighs. "Look, Lloyd, I'm merely trying to help. I don't want to cause you any more pain than necessary…–"

"Sorry, what?" I ask, backing away.

"You know what I mean. Don't pretend otherwise. Do you really want to wait six weeks to resume your war with the Overlord? I'm offering a way to hasten that wait."

I glance back at the label, then at Harumi. She watches curiously, though she makes it clear that my decision doesn't matter to her. Perhaps this is the reason, something that had long been buried by the hurt, yet always so easy to unearth, tells me that I should trust her. Another part, the wary part, agrees, before adding for now. Ninjago can't afford six weeks and the Ninja are the only ones who can protect it, and we need to be at our best. Which means I can't avoid the chance to give us a bigger chance at defeating the Overlord. I sigh, before picking up the cup and taking a sip.

"It'll only work if you drink the whole thing," Harumi tells me.

I gag at the taste. "If evil were a flavor, that would be it."

"Yes, I believe that is meant to be intentional; to keep people from depending on it too much," Harumi agrees. "Though taking it in sips will only prolong your misery. With the taste, I mean."

I look back at the tea, its color reflecting its vile taste. Let's just get this over with, I think, quickly mentally barring myself. I bring the cup's top edge to my lips, and gulp as much as I can down. I pull away spluttering and coughing. The pressure behind my eyes, which I just realized I have, starts to build. I feel myself sway, but I bring the cup back up to my lips and down the rest in one gulp.

I don't remember falling, but suddenly, I'm on the ground. My arm has slipped out of its sling and I am cradling it against my convulsing body. I can't control anything, only going along for the ride as my body reacts to the pain. "Extreme pain" is an understatement. There's no way of describing this accurately.

I moan as the broken bone fits itself together. I can feel the individual cells working overtime, being born from the mother cell, gathering energy provided by my blood cells, preparing for mitosis, and splitting into two cells. I can feel the older cells dying, being replaced by other cells. I'm panting from the strain of keeping up with the rate of growth, and it doesn't help that each breath feels like a burst of fire, each time my chest brushes against one of my arms, it sends a ripple through my body, blossoming and exploding like fireworks throughout my nervous system.

Then, just as I think I can't take anymore, it recedes, like the waters of a flooded river pulling back. My eyes start to flutter close, and too drained to fight against it, I am pulled into the embrace of sleep and oblivion.

Well, I hope you enjoyed! I'll post Chapter 2 ASAP. Until then, have a nice life! :)