Dreams and Desires

by LaLloyd271

Takes place after Hunted. Lloyd finds himself still needing Harumi long after her death. Despite his best efforts, he just can't make himself hate her. He becomes ashamed of his lingering feelings, distancing himself from everyone else in his life. But when a mysterious stranger claims that they can make his dreams a reality, Lloyd will have to decide what he truly desires most.

32. Scars

Dreams and Desires

Chapter 31

Scars

*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

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Tw: self-harm

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He slowly trudged up a set of old stairs, following a dark and rather decrepit path as a pair of obnoxious grunts shoved him along. The dampness in the air and delicate rock formations lining the walls seemed to suggest that they were underground, but he knew not where. It was difficult to see due to the dim lighting and, having trekked through many caves in his time, he knew just how unremarkable they could be. Directly ahead his enigmatic captor was calmly strolling along, humming a quiet tune to herself without a care in the world.

"So this is your true face, without the mask." he muttered through gritted teeth. "No wonder you covered it."

"Bite your tongue, Green Ninja!" Harumi snapped, whipping her head around at the snarky remark. "The fight is all but over." Lloyd scoffed in response, rolling his eyes slightly at her unwarranted overconfidence. Leverage was not something he currently possessed an overabundance of, but it would take a lot more than this to break his resolve.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked bitterly, narrowing his glowing eyes with heavy suspicion.

"Trapped in the Palace of Secrets all my life, it gave me time to make a few… alterations, you could say." She sweetly smiled back at him, feigning politeness before turning away. She continued walking up the stairs once more, choosing to answer his query with an almost bored and indifferent disposition.

"Yes, I destroyed the palace, but I was careful not to damage the Temple of Resurrection." she continued melodramatically. On that foreboding note the grand procession finally reached the surface and found themselves baked in warm sunlight. She smiled to herself, glancing around and quickly beginning to examine the ongoing renovations. Her people were already hard at work making the necessary preparations for the impending ceremony, but, before she could say anything further, one of her generals came rushing up with a worrying progress update.

"The ninja have survived, Quiet One." Ultra Violet said stiffly. "They are in the city."

"What was that you said about the fight being over?" Lloyd asked coolly, smirking with satisfaction and continuing to badger her with his naturally defiant attitude.

"Let them come!" Harumi yelled, growing increasingly tired of his constant belligerence. "If anyone tries to stop me, I always have my insurance policy." She turned around, calmly smiling and pointing towards her valuable prisoner. Lloyd's eyes widened in horror as he finally noticed a very familiar woman being forced into a cage.

"Mom!" he screamed, looking over as terror crossed his face. He desperately wrenched at his restraints, but could not break free as the pair of grunts held him back.

"Lloyd!" Misako cried, finally spotting him as the metal door slammed shut. Without warning she was thrown to the back of the cage, knocked off her feet as a large mechanical crane slowly lifted the imprisonment into the air.

"She's crazy!" Misako said frantically, glancing over at their erratic host before looking back at her scared son. "She wants to bring back your father." Harumi smiled devilishly before turning away once more, starting to slowly pace across the decorative tiling.

"I've been so looking forward to this… family reunion." she said softly, clasping her hands together and giving off an air of complete serenity. Her measured tone was unnerving, cold and disinterested in a very calculated fashion. Lloyd found himself utterly disgusted by both her inexorable hubris and unrelenting cruelty, with the pair of disturbing traits once more emboldening him to action.

"Let her go!" he spat, still pulling against his chains to no avail. "This is between us."

"No, Lloyd." she said quietly, slowly turning to face him with an arrogant smirk across her face. "There was never anything between us."

---

Lloyd woke with a start, finding himself back at the Monastery of Spinjitzu completely drenched in sweat. His mind was racing, left dazed and disoriented in the wake of such devastating heartbreak. It had been a couple days since he last had to deal with one of these nightmares, making the experience all the more jarring. The perverse dream had entirely befuddled his senses, for it had drawn upon one of his most tainted memories. Harumi's infamous cheap shot was absolutely gut wrenching and, even though that was all in the past now, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

Lloyd flopped back onto his pillows, slowly steadying his breathing and desperately trying to center himself. After about a minute he hesitantly sat up, looking around his surroundings in search of Harumi, but for once his mischievous partner wasn't playing any tricks on him. She was still laying next to him; her eyes peeking open with mild concern.

"What's going on?" she mumbled groggily, clearly picking up on the heavy fear in his face. Lloyd was scared, that much was obvious, but as always the true depth of his emotions remained shrouded in ambiguity. When their eyes finally met, the fear was buried behind a mask of indifference.

"It's nothing, you can go back to sleep." he answered quietly, giving her a strained smile and putting off the tense conversation until later. Harumi narrowed her eyes with suspicion, knowing full-well that he was lying, but chose not to push it. At this point she had stopped draining his dreams to sustain herself and she really needed a full night's rest.

Lloyd wanted to do the same, as judging from the lighting it was still pretty early in the morning, but as usual his attempts to fall back asleep were futile. He just couldn't keep the vision out of his head and, after a few minutes of tossing and turning, he gave up altogether. Figuring that it would be easier to distract himself with productivity, he snatched up an assortment of dirty clothes off the floor and silently snuck out of his room.

Returning to the now deserted Monastery was still a rather strange notion in his mind. Wandering those halls was far from nostalgic and to a certain extent Lloyd almost felt guilty about coming home. Partially because it brought back painful memories, partially because he still wanted to prove that he and Harumi could make it on their own, and partially because he genuinely felt like he didn't belong here anymore. But those worrying thoughts remained at the back of his mind as he distracted himself with a series of mundane tasks.

Now, while the infamous pink gi incident had given him a long-lasting reputation for being poor at cleaning clothes, Lloyd was perfectly capable of doing his own laundry. Starting that process was the first of his thrilling escapades and it was followed shortly by the often-overlooked pursuit of personal hygiene. It had been over a week since he last took a shower; a fact that was made all the more clear to him as the warm water washed away a disgusting mix of dirt, rubble, blood, and sexually compromising bodily fluids. Overall, the serene and strangely aromatic environment made for a mostly soothing experience, although he was still wary of lingering for too long.

Lloyd generally tended to be far more impatient when he was tired, so, when he couldn't immediately find a hairbrush, he begrudgingly wrapped his hair up with a towel and made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed the coffee maker and, after about a minute of rummaging around the cupboard, was quite relieved to find that the ninja still hadn't found or confiscated his stash of espresso shots. That wasn't particularly surprising considering how they hadn't been here either, but it had nonetheless been another source of perpetual anxiety for his paranoid mind. He angrily paced around the kitchen until his coffee was ready; incredibly anxious to get his fix.

---

Harumi had just drifted back to sleep when a distant rumbling roused her once more; she heard a faint and largely indescribable noise rolling in from the west, one no louder than the softest whisper. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her, or perhaps whatever she had been dreaming about had briefly seeped into reality, but she couldn't shake the anxiety. She rolled over on the bed and was given another sudden shock when she saw that Lloyd was gone. Her fear increased tenfold until she remembered their puzzling encounter earlier in the morning. They had both woken up before, and although he had quickly encouraged her to go back to sleep, it was painfully clear that he had not followed his own advice.

"Now why the hell would he have done that?" Harumi mumbled sarcastically, sighing slightly as she threw aside the covers. Having nothing better to do, she groggily got out of bed and started sauntering around the eerily quiet Monastery. She had spent a fairly long time studying the ninja's movements before choosing to put her plan into action, so the general layout of the building was far from unfamiliar and tracking him down took barely any time.

Considering how caffeine intake had been a fairly consistent part of his daily routine, she was entirely expecting to find Lloyd sitting at the kitchen table with his morning coffee. The fact that he was there right now was far from surprising on its own, but his somewhat indecent appearance caught her completely off guard. Lloyd was currently wearing nothing besides a pair of towels around his waist and hair, and, while Harumi was not necessarily unaccustomed to seeing him so scantily clad, seeing his bare skin still damp and glistening like that was utterly intoxicating.

"Aw, you could've told me you were gonna take a shower." she teased. "I might have joined you." Lloyd's face immediately turned scarlet and he forced a smile before quickly averting his eyes; displaying a festering anxiousness that far surpassed his natural awkwardness.

"What's wrong?" Harumi asked tensely, her voice dripping with sudden concern. Lloyd sighed, keeping his gaze fixed on the window above the sink for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes were hazy and unfocused; he seemed lost in another world, or perhaps, another life.

"I had another nightmare." he muttered distantly, his gaze finally drifting back towards his worried companion. The chilling memory was still ringing in his head and, even though he held no grudges about the betrayal, he also couldn't fully look her in the eyes.

"Well, it wasn't me." Harumi said quickly, noticeably disconcerted by the revelation. Sucking the life out of his dreams would have been largely advantageous to her, but she hadn't been behind his latest vision.

"Yeah, I know, and that's what worries me." he snapped, crossing his arms and frowning irritably. "I don't think I've had an organic nightmare since my father died." His eyes began to water ever so slightly at the thought and he quickly turned away to save face; staring off at the nearby window once more.

"I'm sorry." Harumi whispered, lowering her head out of shame. Lloyd scoffed indignantly, rolling his eyes and immediately dismissing her misplaced apology.

"You weren't the one who killed him, but that's neither here nor there." he mumbled. "Right now we need to find a-" He was abruptly cut off as the source of his elusive fears finally arrived, evidently descending into earshot from the clouds above. His eyes widened with horror and he immediately jumped out of his seat, scampering over to the window he had been eyeing before.

"Oh, why now?" Lloyd asked rhetorically, shaking his head in utter disbelief. "I just can't have a moment to myself, can I?" His fellow ninja were definitely here now, he saw it clear as day. He craned his neck back and squinted a bit just to make sure, but the visual confirmation hadn't been necessary. He could recognize that ship anywhere, on nothing more than the hum of the engines.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harumi asked worriedly. Lloyd nodded stiffly, as his head drooped lifelessly over the sink. His shoulders began to slump and his knees slightly buckled under him, as his paranoid mind ran on fumes. It looked like he was falling into some sort of a stupor and Harumi quickly moved to check on him.

"Where's the sword?" Lloyd asked suddenly, whipping his head around with an almost crazed look in his eyes.

"What?" she sputtered. "You, you were just…"

"Yeah, whatever, I temporarily diverted excess energy to my brain so that I could figure out how to get out of here." Lloyd interrupted. "Now, where did you leave the Sword of Sanctuary?" Harumi hesitated, averting her eyes and looking down at the floor. She quickly worked out where he was going with this and indeed, it was going to be just as much of a liability as he anticipated.

"I think it's… it's out there." she answered solemnly. "In the courtyard." Lloyd quietly seethed in response, throwing his hands up in defeat and slumping back against the sink. He silently looked out the window again to gauge how much time they had left, before starting to steady his breathing a bit.

"Oh, how I would love to run away right now." he said softly, talking more to himself than Harumi. "But they can't have that sword, they just can't. I suppose there's nothing else for it, I'll have to go get it back and stall for as much time as I can."

"Lloyd, I really don't think-"

"Just listen to me!" he yelled, turning to face her with an exceedingly agitated expression. "Yes, they might be my friends, but right now the only thing I care about is keeping you safe. Now, you might not like it, but you have to admit that it's just better if I talk to them alone. They think you're a lunatic and if you come out with me it's guaranteed to be a fight."

"What, so you just want me to sit back and do nothing?!" she asked angrily, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Being sidelined like this was infuriating for her, especially since he had asked her to do the exact same thing just yesterday. He'd better not be trying to salvage his relationship with Nya.

"Oh, quite the contrary." Lloyd answered quickly. "I started a load of laundry earlier and I think it should be done right about now, so I'd really appreciate it if you could go pack up our clothes. Maybe get some food from the pantry and whatever else you think we might need, and then get out of here. And, if you do intend to ignore that request and spy on my conversation again, then you'll have to go get your Master of Dreams outfit out of the laundry anyway." Harumi grimaced at the thought, but slowly nodded in agreement. She didn't have to like it at all, but his plan made sense logically and going outside while wearing a pair of Nya's pajamas would be asking for trouble.

"Alright, fine." she said finally. "But when things go south, and I'm sure they will, I'll be ready to save you."

"You always do." Lloyd said sweetly, moving to gently kiss her on the cheek before turning towards the adjacent door. He finally removed the towel wrapped around his head, tossing it into the otherwise empty sink and ruffling his hair up a bit. He put his hand on the doorknob and cracked it open a smidge, still feeling a bit scared to go through with it all.

"Lloyd, are you sure you don't want some other clothes?" Harumi asked tensely. "I mean, I don't mind, but you know, it might be chilly out there." He chuckled, shaking his head and turning back to face her with an impish grin on his face. That hadn't actually been the source of his hesitance but her question had lightened his spirits nonetheless.

"Nah, I'll be fine, and besides, public indecency makes people uncomfortable, so I figure it plays to my advantage." he said cheekily, pushing the door fully open and strolling out into the courtyard. Harumi smiled sweetly at his departing figure and began to walk back down the hall.

"Oh, and could you maybe look for my hairbrush?" Lloyd asked suddenly, popping back into frame before quickly closing the door behind him.

---

Just as soon as Lloyd took his hand off the doorknob, the hair began to stand on the back of his neck. The whirring engines had finally stopped and he slowly turned around to find a metal anchor rapidly descending into view. There were a pair of ninja on either side of that anchor, and, although they were still too far away to identify, the blue clothing gave him a pretty good idea of who was coming down to meet him.

"Perfect." he muttered under his breath, turning his attention back to the all-too familiar courtyard. Their training equipment wasn't out right now, so he found the Sword of Sanctuary almost immediately, resting against the decorative murals on the opposite wall. The painting of Morro sent a shiver running down his spine and goosebumps crawling up his arms, but, trying not to think too much into it, he quickly snatched up the sword and skirted back across the courtyard.

"Lloyd?"

Jay and Nya had evidently arrived and they were both staring at him with equally dumbfounded expressions. Nya's face flushed with embarrassment and she looked away from him almost instantly. His appearance was just as unsettling as he expected, but it wasn't simply the fact that he was scantily clad that took her by surprise. There was no getting around it, Lloyd was just so thin.

His limbs were fairly muscular but they now looked limp and lifeless; largely devoid of his usual fighting spirit. Due in large part to his frequent exercise and many skipped meals over the past few months, he had technically developed a slight hourglass figure and his rib cage was almost popping out of his chest. His overall complexion was looking a bit better, but it still showed some signs of the torture and abuse he had suffered just days before.

"Uh, aren't you cold?" Jay asked impulsively, completely missing the larger implications of his physical features. Nya flashed him an irritated look before pointing towards the ship, mouthing for him to go fetch the rest of the ninja. He reluctantly agreed, running off and frantically screaming up at the parked ship.

"So… I see you managed to free Jay after all." Lloyd muttered, his tone somewhat jeering but still fraught with weary disdain. It was more of a plainly stated observation than a cruel joke, but either way, Nya didn't find it very funny.

"Yeah, no thanks to you Lloyd!' she snapped. "Hiding the key, was that supposed to be some sort of strategic decision or did you just do that out of spite?!"

"I don't know, it wasn't my idea." he stated dismissively. Nya rolled her eyes in annoyance, quickly connected the dots and figured out who must have been responsible.

"Of course, and where is the resident psychopath now?" she spat, her eyes cutting like daggers as she stared him down. Lloyd shrugged slightly; granted, he legitimately didn't know where the Master of Dreams was right now, but, even so, he was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain an aloof disposition.

"They're not here." he answered quickly.

"Yes, I can see that." Nya said angrily, growing more and more irritated by the second. His tone of voice was not strictly tongue and cheek, but it still came off as rather coy; a result that she figured was in no way unintentional.

"I'm here by myself, if that's what you're wondering." Lloyd added, now lying through his teeth completely and forcing a smile. "We went our separate ways." This response was far from wholly reassuring and Nya was still incredibly suspicious, but her expression noticeably softened at the thought; she so wanted it to be true.

"Does that mean you'll come back with us?" she asked tensely.

"No, I didn't say that." Lloyd muttered stiffly, frowning as he glanced back towards the Destiny's Bounty. The rest of the ninja were making their way over now: Jay was strolling back into view, Zane was sliding down a custom-made path of ice, Cole was tentatively following him, and Pixal was flying down in her Samurai X suit. None of that worried or surprised him in the slightest, although Kai's continued absence stuck out like a sore thumb. But even that observation paled in comparison to the most startling development, for Misako was climbing down the anchor, her face stained by tears.

"Oh Lloyd!" she cried, nimbly landing on the ground and immediately breaking into a run. "I was so worried about you." Lloyd was shocked and appalled by how much of a mess she was, but he didn't think much of it at the time. The idea of having to justify himself to his friends was already scary enough and this was not a conversation he wanted to have with his estranged mother.

"Get away from me!" he yelled, wildly brandishing the sword at her before turning his attention to the rest of the ninja. Misako skidded to a halt before slowly retreating, completely taken aback by his icy hostility. There was a bitter edge to his voice that scared the living daylights out of her, but in sharp contrast, his eyes were filled with a nervous fear that betrayed his otherwise commanding tone.

"Lloyd, we're not here to fight you." Nya said quietly. "Just… please put the sword down, you don't want to do this." Lloyd looked over at the precious weapon he held, then back up at his only remaining friends and family. They were all somewhat haggard and emotionally drained, but no one looked more scared than Jay, which made sense since fighting their rogue leader to the death was not simply a hypothetical in his mind. Lloyd couldn't bring himself to look Jay in the eyes, not when they were filled with so much fear and pain.

"You're right, I don't want to fight you guys." he admitted quietly. "I've already spilled enough blood and besides, my hair's still drying." This got a hearty laugh out of his rather tense peers and he let that inconsequential sentiment stew for a little while. He had used the joke both to lighten the mood and stall for time, and, as he pondered how to best keep his friends in line, his gaze began to absentmindedly drift toward his other arm.

"Now, I'm guessing you guys have a lot of questions and I am willing to indulge them to a point." Lloyd continued quietly. "But I'm not coming back. That's my decision and I don't care what any of you think about it. Again, I don't really want this to end in a fight, so, here's what I'm gonna do instead. If any of you make a move, I'll cut myself."

Almost immediately a chorus of gasps rang out in front of him and similarly horrified expressions crossed each of their faces. They were all stunned into silence by the threat, sharing worried looks and collectively holding their breath to see who would have the courage to respond to such a statement.

"Lloyd, none of us have ever wanted to see you in pain." Zane said finally. "And you know this just as well as I do, or else threatening to harm yourself wouldn't be such an effective ultimatum. I would strongly advise against cutting and other forms of self-harm under any circumstances, but I acknowledge the fact that I am grossly uninformed about the subject. I suppose it's ultimately your decision to reveal or hide as much of the truth as you please, but I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say."

"Yeah, duly noted." Lloyd said sarcastically. "That sort of sentiment would have been a lot more helpful a couple months ago, but better late than never, I guess. And, speaking of late… hello Pixal! I can't believe I didn't notice you were back, how have you been?" Pixal was taken aback by both the sudden attention and Lloyd's jarring mood swing, but seeing him act so cheerfully wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She shared a concerned look with Zane before quickly turning back to face him.

"I am doing well Master Lloyd." she answered meekly. "But, I take it, the same cannot be said for you?" The smile instantly slipped away from his face, warping back into a contemptible frown when the focus was flipped back towards his mental instability. He was still utterly mortified at the thought of having this conversation, but there was just no getting around it now and he was determined to buy Harumi as much time as he could.

"Yeah, you could say that." he muttered distantly. "You weren't here for most of this, Pix, and, come to think of it, neither were you, mother, so I think I'll just start at the beginning. A few weeks ago I started having nightmares, and-"

"What were you actually dreaming about?" Jay blurted out.

"I'm sorry?" Lloyd asked nervously.

"Well, it's just that, before you left the Monastery you told us about your nightmares, but you never actually mentioned what they were about."

"I… no, I, I don't want to talk about it." Lloyd said quietly, turning away and beginning to tear up at the thought of his visions. He was playing up his emotions just a smidge in order to gain their sympathy, but having to see Harumi's tragic fall had genuinely torn him to bits at the time.

"Might I offer a compromise?" Zane asked. "I will not force you to answer the question if you don't want to, but I have formed my own hypothesis about the contents of your nightmares and I am very curious to see whether my conclusions were accurate. I propose that, instead of making you speak up, I could simply present my theory to you; perhaps, away from the rest of the group if that would make things easier, and then you would still have the choice to not respond one way or the other."

Lloyd's eyes were wide with surprise and he found it incredibly difficult to manage the conflicted feelings he felt towards the idea. Ignoring the offer entirely would probably be the safer play because, even though he wouldn't need to say anything in response, his physical reaction or body language could betray his hand. But if Zane had somehow discovered the truth then he needed to know, and if Lloyd didn't let him say his part, he would be stuck playing a paranoid what-if game.

"Yeah, alright then." he answered tensely. "Whisper it to me." Zane nodded curtly, moving to approach their fallen leader with the utmost caution since he was not lowering the sword. He calmly leaned in close, putting himself just inches away from Lloyd's unkempt hair as he prepared to finally test his hypothesis.

"Were you dreaming about Harumi?" Zane asked softly, his voice barely audible to Lloyd and completely indistinguishable to everyone else. Lloyd's face went bright red almost immediately and he seethed in frustration, which was all the confirmation Zane needed. He smiled with satisfaction, effortlessly dodging an errant sword swing before scampering back to join the rest of the ninja. They all gave him puzzled looks, but he waved them off, respecting Lloyd's wishes and keeping the discovery to himself.

How the hell could he know?! Lloyd was absolutely beyond bewilderment at the development and it took nearly all of his self-control to not slice that smug look off of Zane's face. His eyes were ablaze with damnable rage, but at his core he was far more worried than angry about it. Either way, he didn't have much time to dwell on it, so, after taking some deep breaths, he slowly turned to address the group again.

"Anyway…" he seethed, his face still burning in the hot sun. "Turns out those dreams were entirely contrived and completely out of my control, which was really relieving. While it was all happening though, I was just so… scared and confused, I didn't want to tell anyone. Still don't, actually. Like, I really don't like talking about any of this, but whatever, I'll answer some questions."

"Lloyd?" He looked over almost immediately; his eyebrows raising slightly as he found that Jay was the one now seeking his attention.

"You said at Borg Tower that the Master of Dreams abducted you." Lloyd slowly nodded in agreement, not bothering to dispute or argue the point.

"Yes, I was taken from this Monastery against my will." he answered calmly. "Although, I'm not really sure why that's relevant… unless you thought I was lying before?"

"No, no, it's just… well, okay, maybe I would like to double check your story now that you're not corrupted anymore." Jay admitted sheepishly. "Is that alright?" Lloyd shrugged, lazily waving his free hand to signal that he could continue fact-checking his tale of woe.

"Uh, okay." Jay mumbled, nervously glancing at Nya before turning back to Lloyd. "So… you also said that this Elemental Master tortured you." Lloyd paused, frowning and furrowing his brow as he considered the point. It was the truth of course, but it was also one that he chose to ignore completely.

"Torture is such a harsh word." he said finally.

"Lloyd, they locked you in a vengestone cell and wouldn't let you eat anything!" Nya cried, absolutely horrified to see that Lloyd was once again downplaying his intense suffering.

"Honestly, I've had worse nights." he said flippantly, shrugging indifferently and still showing no visible signs of discontent.

"Lloyd!"

"Fine, sure, you could say that I was tortured." he conceded finally, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in resignation. "What of it?" Jay shared another worried look with Nya, before hesitantly turning to face Lloyd again.

"Uh, I'm getting to that, just bear with me." Jay answered anxiously, before continuing his train of thought. "So… you also said that they forced you to steal the Sword of Sanctuary and pin the crime on Dareth, right?"

"Eh, technically they only wanted me to steal the Golden Armor." Lloyd corrected. "The sword was just an afterthought, I only grabbed it to ward off those stupid security droids. Plus, just to set the record straight, they didn't actively make me steal it either. I mean, they wouldn't let me leave unless I agreed to steal the armor, but, after that, I was entirely able to walk out of the deal they cut. I didn't."

"What the hell did they offer that would make you commit a crime and put an innocent man behind bars?!" Nya screamed.

"They, they told me they could bring back my father." Lloyd lied, staring directly at Misako as he desperately tried to push away all the guilt welling inside of him. "I think one of their powers is the ability to create tangible visions or something, I'm not really sure how it works to be honest. But I think it has to be something or someone that a person truly wants to see, and I… I just saw my dad again. Then they went on and on about how they could make that dream permanent if I got my Golden Power back and… I just couldn't let it go."

As always, Lloyd was holding back a wealth of emotion, but the twinge of sadness in his eyes tore Misako apart. Every horrifying thing he had just said, every heinous act he had committed in the past week, none of it mattered to her. It was immeasurably cruel on his part, to intentionally choose such a relatable and personal motive for this latest fabrication. It may not have been the truth, but this fib in particular pulled from an equally valid and genuine source of lasting pain. It was so heartfelt that no one there doubted him for even a second. At least, almost no one.

"Lloyd, I do not seek to invalidate or disregard whatever motives you might have had for breaking into Borg Tower, but the fact remains that your actions were illegal." Zane started tensely. "Our role as ninja has always been to uphold and enforce the law, and, regardless of your reasons, thievery goes against everything we stand for. I recognize that the Golden Armor has since ceased to exist in any physically tangible manner, but an innocent man is still rotting in Kryptarium Prison. As such, I implore you to return the Sword of Sanctuary and assist in exonerating Dareth."

"No, this sword is mine and it always has been! " Lloyd spat, his voice fueled by sudden vitriol and contempt. "I don't know about you Zane, but I specifically remember Fenwick entrusting me with the Sword of Sanctuary! Sure, thanks to Morro's possession I was still helplessly trapped within my own mind, but he still physically gave it to me and Morro isn't here anymore to claim ownership of it. Either way, our good friend Cyrus holds no legal rights over its possession and there is no way in hell that any sane jury would possibly condemn me for taking a sword that I lent to him in the first place!"

The ninja were all taken aback by his latest mood swing, but the actual point was far from invalid. Zane had to concede that, from a certain point of view, Lloyd was the rightful owner of the sword, and he would be hard pressed to prove otherwise. He had nothing left to say, for Lloyd had ruthlessly tore his arguments to shreds and basically disproven his entire point. Now, Zane was still ridden with guilt over Dareth's wrongful imprisonment, but he saw little point in pushing the issue any further. This entire conversation, he realized, was quickly devolving into little more than an exercise in futility.

"So… what happened when you got back to the Dark Island?" Jay asked anxiously, finally redirecting the conversation and resuming his guided questionnaire session. A wave of relief seemed to wash over Lloyd's face, as all of the anger dissipated just as quickly as it had arrived. In its place, however, emerged feelings of shame and embarrassment, causing him to lower his head and meekly stare at the ground.

"Well, the Master of Dreams doubled crossed me, of course, locking me in that vengestone cell and turning my life into a living hell." he answered quietly. "But they didn't actually want to hurt me, not really. They tore down the facade of the Green Ninja, Ninjago's most fabled hero, and slowly rebuilt him in their own, twisted image. Sure, on a superficial level they succeeded in turning me against you all, but you know the thing about pain and rage? They're blinding."

"See, by goading me into unlocking my Golden Power again, I think they were trying to fashion me into something of a weapon. And it worked like a charm, I mean… I was absolutely bursting with power. But, once I gave into my Oni side, all of that anguish couldn't be controlled or distributed in the exact way they intended. They did a sloppy job of corrupting me and, to be honest, that's mostly why you were able to beat me Jay. Please don't feel bad about it, I really don't blame you for knocking me off that tower, but the only reason you had an opening in the first place was because I was having second thoughts."

Those warnings were ultimately in vain, as Jay's face was ghostly white and he turned away almost immediately; unable to face Lloyd as a new wave of guilt overwhelmed his system. Jay was still reeling from the knowledge that he had almost killed one of his best friends, and learning that he had inadvertently taken advantage of a moment of weakness, made everything so much worse.

"Lloyd, you told me yesterday that the Master of Dreams, in your estimation, wasn't a bad person." Nya interjected, holding her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows in suspicion. "I don't care how much of this ordeal you might feel personally responsible for, and I definitely don't think you deserve a pass for everything you've done, but how the hell can you say that what this meddling bastard did is okay?!"

Lloyd glared at her for a couple seconds, before scoffing indignantly and turning his gaze to the far wall. It was a fair question, but that thought did little to satiate the mounting anger that was still festering inside him. Explaining this without revealing Harumi's identity would be a pretty tall task, and he already didn't like having to justify his actions to his so-called friends.

"Well, look at those paintings over there!" he started angrily, waving halfheartedly toward the murals on the courtyard wall. "Those were all drawn to commemorate the most profound struggles and conflicts we've dealt with as ninja, right? But if you pay close attention, you'll start to see just how one-dimensional most of our foes have been. By my count, only two of the villains we've fought have been really complicated and nuanced people. Ooh, who could they be?"

"Well, it can't be Samukai because he just wanted control of the Underworld, right? It was something like that I think, although I don't really remember since I wasn't there for that one. Garmadon was corrupted by the venom of the Great Devourer, which basically just meant that he was a villain because he was biologically evil. It was the same thing with the Overlord, except way worse. Now, Pythor just wanted to get revenge against the surface people for the Serpentine Wars. Fairly understandable motivations, but they weren't all that complicated. Clouse had pretty much the same reasons, except he had a vendetta with my dad specifically. With Chen… honestly, I still don't know what his deal was. He was just obsessed with snakes, I guess? And then there was-"

Lloyd purposely skipped over the sixth mural, saving it for later in his argument, but he lost his train of thought when his gaze fell upon the seventh mural. That painting had puzzled him for months now, ever since Jay and Nya had tacked it on to the original plans. They had vaguely talked about an alternate timeline and fighting with some sort of pirate genie, but none of it made any sense to him. At the time he had figured it was probably just a really elaborate prank that Jay had planned, but he felt the strangest sense of familiarity as his eyes jumped from the bizarre floating islands in the background, moving to the brigade flying ships, before finally resting on the golden teapot. His eyes were hazy and unfocused, as a set of tainted memories that, by all accounts, he shouldn't even have, began to seep to the surface.

"Lloyd?" He shook his head, fervently shaking the fleeting images from his eyes and bringing his attention back to where he was. He looked over at Nya, whose impatient expression was now marred by bits of worry and concern. Clearing his throat slightly, he quickly turned back to the paintings and resumed his argument.

"Anyway, Krux and Acronix had aspirations of world dominance because… they thought they had the strongest element and that meant they were entitled to rule, I guess? I don't know, I always thought that was one of our weirder adventures. And with that, there are only two people left that I haven't talked about yet: Morro and Harumi."

"I think this should largely go without saying but Morro's possession was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life." Lloyd admitted quietly, shivering slightly at the thought. "But, for as cruel of an opponent as Morro was, I would argue that he was also our first really human villain. Yes, what he did was clearly wrong and I don't think I'll ever fully forgive him, but no foe before him made me truly question what it means to be a villain. Sure, we're the good guys, right, but… I find it difficult to label Morro as a truly bad person. I think he was far more broken than evil, and, in the end, he made peace with his demons. With Harumi… it's even more complicated."

"See, I don't really think she was a bad person either. I can probably empathize with her plight more than anyone else here, because, in a lot of ways, we were one in the same. I think it's fair to say that we both dealt with more death and loss than the average person our age, and we both had these prestigious mantles forced upon us. Rumi grew up alone and abandoned, the same as me. The difference is, of course, that I eventually got my parents back, in one form or another. Then I found you guys and I've never been short of friendship since. Harumi had no one. That doesn't excuse her actions, far from it, but I can look at what she did in context and see much more than just another common criminal. And, as much as I hated myself for trusting her too much, I never thought for a second that she was beyond saving."

"Now, with all that being said, what does this have to do with the Master of Dreams?" Lloyd asked rhetorically, finally returning to the original question that had spawned this tangent. "It's all just to say that I can't look at the world in shades of black and white anymore. Like… Zane, when you sacrificed yourself to save us from the Overlord, we all went our separate ways and there was this really tough grieving period for quite a while afterwards. And, when everyone else pretty much gave up on being a ninja, I stayed behind. Protecting the people of Ninjago, stopping criminals, that was really all that mattered to me back then. I never really stopped to think about the human element of it all."

"Sometimes I wish that I could just forget the whole thing and go back to thinking that the bad guys are always unequivocally bad people who don't have any redeemable qualities. But I can never go back, not anymore. Which means that, yeah, when I say that the Master of Dreams isn't a bad person, please trust that I know what the hell I'm talking about. And I never said they were a goody two-shoes either, but you all immediately jumped to the conclusion that I'm being controlled by an anti-social psychopath or something. That's not who they are, not really."

"Well, okay, if they're not as bad as we think, then why do they insist on wearing a mask?" Nya asked. "Hmm? Lloyd, based on what we know about their powers and how they can manipulate others, I just can't take that on blind faith. I want to believe you, I really do, but… what if this is just something they wanted you to think?"

"I'm not being controlled by anyone!" Lloyd screamed, almost losing his grip on the sword as he threw his arms up in anger.

"Fine, prove it then!" Nya fired back. "Who is the goddamn Master of Dreams?"

"I can't tell you." he said softly. "I'm sorry, but I just can't." His expression had gone from passionate rage to somber resignation almost instantly, for he had finally accepted the utter futility in this argument. Nothing he had said up to that point mattered; his arguments, his persuasive reasoning, and genuine reflection, it had all been utterly meaningless. Without a legitimate name or face to go off, his friends were never going to trust him.

"Uh, Lloyd?"

Lloyd rolled his eyes almost immediately, annoyed by all the questions and growing more and more impatient with this never-ending conversation. But, he held back a frustrated sigh when his brain registered who was addressing him this time. At this point, he would prefer almost anything to ruining his relationship with Nya even more than he already had, so indulging a different sort of question would suffice. I'm buying Rumi more time, that's all that matters.

"Yes, hello Cole!" he said excitedly, practically beaming at the sight of him. "Sorry you haven't gotten a word in yet, what do you want to know?"

"You… when we fought at Borg Tower, did you steal my powers?" he asked hesitantly. Lloyd looked down at the ground, overwhelmed by a sudden bout of guilt. He nodded slowly, refusing to look Cole in the eyes as he did it.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Well, if you've still got your Golden Power working and all, could you maybe give my powers back to me?" Cole asked nervously.

"No." Lloyd deadpanned, his voice ruthlessly cold and indifferent. Cole had already resigned to the possibility that his powers might be gone for good, but the almost disingenuous nonchalance in his response just seemed demeaning. For the briefest of moments, this impulsive reaction got the better of him, and Cole took a tiny step forward. He stopped himself almost immediately, but it was already too late. Lloyd made good on his promise and cut himself.

A chorus of screams and gasps echoed across the Monastery, but he couldn't understand why. Sure, there was loads of blood now pouring from his forearm, dripping down and seeping itself into the worn-out granite. But, rather than stinging pain or soreness, he felt a sort of calming sensation washing over him; easing his worries with a false sense of security. In that moment, intentionally hurting himself had been almost as soothing as when Harumi lovingly stroked his hair. In a way, it was almost like expressing himself; finally giving his friends a physical reminder of just how much he had suffered and continued to suffer. This was the first time he had ever tried cutting, and, for the first time in a long time, Lloyd felt totally in control.

He just stood there, blankly staring at them all with a somewhat dejected expression. He honestly wasn't sure what they were all so surprised by, given that he had warned them ahead of time. It really bothered him to think that they were still so blind to his pain, and the muddled disgust he saw in those expressions stung far more than the physical pain ever would.

"You see, Cole, I wasn't done talking." Lloyd said quietly, glowering at him and completely ignoring the fact that his arm was profusely bleeding. "I stole your Element when I fully embraced my Oni heritage, and it was only through those powers that I managed to take it in the first place. Specifically, I used their innate Dark Magic, which I no longer have any control over. So, unfortunately, I don't think I can return your powers unless I get corrupted again. I really don't want that to happen, and I know Jay definitely doesn't want that to happen either, so yeah. Sorry."

"Lloyd, you, you, just…" Cole sputtered, completely lost for words as blood continued to freely pour from his friend's arm. He had let his emotions get the better of him for just a second and that was all it took. His elemental powers, which had been at the forefront of his mind for the past day, were suddenly meaningless. In a somewhat bitter twist of fate, the act of cutting had been a thrilling, almost invigorating experience for Lloyd, but an absolutely horrifying spectacle for his friends and family to observe. They will never understand.

"No, shut up, shut up!" Lloyd cried suddenly, his eyes widening with horror. "Ah, there's something I'm missing, something I've overlooked, something… important! What it is, what is it?!" He was frantically glancing from friend to friend, consumed by manic energy as he desperately tried to remember what he saw before. Now, Jay and Nya were equally scared and worried, Cole still wouldn't face him, evidently ridden by guilt, the nindroids looked mildly puzzled, of course, no surprise there, and then… Oh.

There was one person who didn't belong in that group, one person whose emotions bore far more complexity than anyone else's. Lloyd smiled weakly, sighing to himself and shaking his head in resignation. Only now, at the end, did he understand.

"Mom… why were you crying?"

"Well, Lloyd, I… I was just happy to have you back!" Misako answered quickly. "I thought we'd lost you."

"No." Lloyd muttered distantly. "No mother, you're definitely lying to me now. I know the look and feel of grief, no one better. You're sad." His eyes widened in horror at this realization, and his mind finally jumped to the worst case scenario. There was something even more worrying to him than those drying tears, and it was a topic he had been avoiding out of fear.

"Oh no, it's not Kai, is it? Please, no, it can't be. He's not-"

"No, he's still alive, fortunately enough." Nya said bitterly. "You would know Lloyd, seeing that you were the one who put him in the hospital in the first place!"

"Sorry, er, fine, well… that's good to know, I guess." he sputtered awkwardly. He really wasn't sure what to say, but he was incredibly relieved to know that he wouldn't have to live with the guilt of killing one of his best friends. It was a source of constant anxiety that had been plaguing him for days now, and facing those fears should have been the end of it. The conversation should have wrapped up right then and there; he could even have left on reasonably good terms, had he only managed to not think too much into the situation. Sometimes it's better to just take what you've got and not ask any more questions.

Lloyd quickly made a mental note to visit Kai in the next couple of days, but, as he lifted his gaze back up from the ground, he couldn't stop himself. Everyone was still so tense and unnerved, as if they were all hiding behind a thin veil of secrecy and tattered hopes. Oh, how he wanted to soak in the moment for a little while longer; to keep pretending like there was nothing else going on here, but he just couldn't ignore the strangeness of it all. Because, of course, if Kai's fate was truly all that was in contention, then wouldn't Nya be more broken up about it? It made no sense for Misako to be the one crying, unless…

"Yeah, but there's definitely something else though, right?" Lloyd said worriedly, as the smile instantly vanished from his face. "Why am I even surprised at this point, of course there's still something you're not telling me! Come on, what is it, what aren't you talking about? Wait, hold on, no, no, it's not just you, mom, it's everyone! The way you all look at me, oh… I'm trying to think of a better word than dread."

Misako was barely maintaining her composure at this point, but what puzzled him even more was Cole's continued aversion. He was still refusing to look at Lloyd, but now he seemed a lot more shaky and uncharacteristically somber. Jay and Nya were almost as broken up, and both of the nindroids were frowning with a twinge of sadness. After what seemed like an eternity, Zane awkwardly cleared his throat and began the unenviable task of breaking the news to him.

"Master Wu is dead." Lloyd froze in his tracks, staring at the nindroid in disbelief. He had been completely ignoring the news for the past few days, so this was actually the first time he was hearing about it. Wu's absence certainly explained why everyone was so sad, but he just couldn't believe it. How could he have died? It couldn't have been old age, he was already like a thousand years old, so there was nothing except…

"Oh, no, no, no." he whispered, still blinking back tears and wrestling with blind denial.

"Yeah, they found his bleeding corpse at the Ninjago Museum of History." Jay said bitterly, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms in an accusatory manner. "I heard he was lying right outside of the gallery of Stone Warriors, but then, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"No! No, I… I, I didn't… I couldn't have. It's… it's not my fault, I didn't do anything!" Lloyd was just sputtering for air, desperately lying to himself and to his friends to save face, and all that was coming out of his mouth now was glorified word salad. The rest of them hadn't even worked it out yet, that he was the one who had killed Wu, but Lloyd was sounding less and less sure of himself by the second and the suspicious glares began piling up all too soon.

He felt trapped, suffocated and stymied as the ninja began to turn on him, instantly badgering him with frantic questions and screaming at him with ruthless derision. At the same time, his own reaction to the heartbreaking news was compounding the predicament, for he simply couldn't pay his so-called friends any mind. Lloyd's neural pathways were being flooded by such a poignant wave of emotions that he was struggling to keep his eyes fixed on any single object. His vision began to blur and it was as if the entire weight of the world was crashing down on his chest, knocking him off balance both mentally and physically. There was a sharp ringing in the back of his mind, growing louder and louder and quickly drowning out the scornful din. In the blink of an eye, he had lost any semblance of concentration on what lay before his eyes, and, within moments, he would lose his consciousness as well.

Lloyd keeled over and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

---

Harumi was rushing back and forth between the cabinets and fridge, still trying to pack for the upcoming trip. She was still there in the kitchen when Lloyd cut himself, and, although she wasn't even trying to listen in on the spirited conversation, she had heard the unmistakable sound of a sword breaking through skin. It had taken every bit of restraint she possessed to not run out right then and there, both to come to Lloyd's defense and also because she didn't want to miss the fight that she knew would happen eventually. Harumi relaxed considerably when no further sword strikes came, but, just as soon as she finished pillaging the pantry, she sprinted out of the room in search of her makeshift elemental uniform.

As promised, the light load of laundry Lloyd had started earlier in the day was done now, and she stuffed his remaining uniforms and casual wear in his old green backpack. She donned her tattered cape and mask, smirking slightly before stowing the stolen pair of Nya's pajamas in the same bag. She doubled back, running back across the Monastery and up to the second floor. Giving Lloyd's bedroom a brief, final look-over, she ducked out a window and began climbing over the roof towards the central courtyard. The muddled sight she soon found there, however, was beyond anything she imagined.

"What the hell?" Harumi was absolutely livid, shocked and appalled as her eyes fell upon Lloyd's lifeless form. She immediately looked at the other ninja for some sort of explanation, but they looked just as surprised and confused as she was; they certainly weren't celebrating like it was a victory. They were all rooted to the spot, giving each other worried looks and simultaneously waiting to see who would be the one to check on him. After what seemed like an eternity, Nya took the first step, nervously walking over and crouching down next to Lloyd. But he didn't stir at all and, after a few more seconds of silence, Harumi gritted her teeth, and began charging up her elemental powers. At the same time, Misako was saying something indiscernible, something to which Nya seemingly agreed; she reached down and began moving to push the Sword of Sanctuary further out of reach.

That's when Lloyd's arm snapped up like a snake to grab his favorite weapon.

---

Nya gasped, instinctively taking a step back and almost tripping over herself. Lloyd drew the sword next to him, before slowly lifting his head off the ground. He peered at her quizzically, unsure of how or why she had moved closer, before a sly grin drew itself across his now-dusty face. He leapt into the air, landing softly on his feet and falling into an over-dramatic bow. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he cut his arm again, tearing once more at his still bleeding skin. Nya screamed in fright, immediately scampering back to the group and staying as close to Jay as possible. Granted, the Master of Lightning was even more terrified than her, but it wasn't because of the self-harm. Rather, it was the fact that Lloyd's eye were the same color as the blood that continued to pour from his arm.

"Oh, by the saints, that's better." Lloyd muttered, cracking his neck back and forth and ruffling his hair up a bit. "I tell you, it is so nice to be in control again." He grinned, devilishly smirking at his closest friends and family in a rather uncharacteristic fashion. They greeted him with looks of disgust and terror, still stunned to silence by his sudden change of heart. Up on the rooftops, Harumi was now torn between enthrallment and anxiety. She cared for Lloyd as a person and didn't want to use him like some twisted puppet anymore. She knew in her heart that she shouldn't like seeing him like this, that it was wrong and went against everything he stood for, but, just like at the hospital days before, she found herself unable to turn away or do anything to stop the corruption from spreading. Why is he so attractive when he's like this?

"Oh, come on, what's wrong with you people?" Lloyd pouted, still furious with the lack of response he was getting. "You look like you've seen death itself! Oh wait, you have!" He burst out in laughter, howling like a maniac and appearing more and more like Morro than ever before. After a couple seconds he pulled himself together, and paused to consider what might be holding them back. He put his hand to his chin to show that he was in deep thought, before leaping back into action with a renewed sense of manic energy.

"Ooh, is it my outfit, that's got to be it, right?" Lloyd asked sarcastically, knowing full well that wasn't what they were put off by. "You know, you're right, I am a little unkempt. That is a fair point. Well, to hell with the raggedy! Time to put on a show." He closed his eyes and began twirling around, spinning and pirouetting like he was training for a ballet. As he swayed this way and that, the towel around his waist began to glow, eventually enveloping his entire body in similarly green fabric. He was shapeshifting again, using his now-accessible Oni powers to make himself a bit more presentable, but, rather than simply fashioning himself a new gi or hoodie, he wanted to defy everyone's expectations in the grandest way possible. And that including his own preconceived notions of what was truly acceptable to wear in a suffocatingly rigid society.

When he finally stopped prancing around and opened his eyes again, he saw every one of the ninja's staring at him dumbfounded. The nindroids, as usual, had more measured reactions, but even they were taken aback by his bravado. Lloyd had plucked from the depths of his memory a gorgeous emerald dress, one that was befit for the Jade Princess herself, and decided to wear it himself without an ounce of self-consciousness.

Harumi, for that matter, was completely floored at the sight of him. It was such a startling choice that she had to bite her lip to stop herself from immediately laughing, but, the more she thought about it, the less amusing a decision she found it. In the strangest of ways, the dress really suited him, and she couldn't help but beam with pride. When Lloyd embraced his Oni side, he was generally overconfident to a fault and that allowed him to do things he would never be able to do otherwise. Sometimes that meant really terrible things like trying to murder his closest friends in cold blood, but today it meant that he was trying to defy traditional gender norms. And that was something she could totally get behind.

"Lloyd, you're wearing a…" Nya sputtered. "Even I wouldn't wear something like that."

"Well, why the hell not?" he snapped, twirling around to display all of the dress' intricate curves and details. "Don't I look ravishing?" She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but ultimately conceded the point. It wasn't that he looked bad, not really, but it was just odd. Perhaps it was because Nya was herself a tomboy, and had never really understood the appeal of getting all dressed up, but, whatever the reason, she was uncomfortable with the idea of him acting more feminine than her. When she looked towards Jay for support, he simply shrugged in response.

"Hey, as long as he's not trying to gut me like a fish, I don't care what he wears." he answered quietly. He still couldn't maintain eye contact with Lloyd, not when his eyes were such a deep shade of scarlet. However, given the circumstances, he was just grateful that Lloyd's Oni side was making him into merely a manic trickster, rather than a broken, heartless killer. He was still dangerous and unpredictable; that was pretty much a given, but now his motives and intentions were far less clear.

"So… not only are you turning into the spitting image of your father, but you're a nancy boy as well." Misako said icily, crossing her arms and glaring at her unrecognizable son. She was looking down on him, both literally and figuratively, and while Lloyd was entirely expecting hostility from her, the actual source of resentment caught him off guard. How the hell is she more disgusted by me wearing a dress than the fact that I killed her brother-in-law?

"Misako!" Nya screamed, immediately starting to reprimand the so-called adult in the room for her completely inexcusable insensitivity. "You can't say something like-"

"Oh shut up, I don't need your help Nya." Lloyd interrupted, hastily collecting himself and waving off her support. "Nah, I see how it is. Because what, this bitch seems to think that she has a say in how I live my life? Oh, I'm just such a disappointment, aren't I, mother?"

"Yes, I have to admit that I'm very disappointed in you." Misako answered solemnly. Her tone and general body language seemed a bit less combative now, suggesting that she had, at least partially, realized how rude her previous statement had been, but the disdain did not fully leave her voice. Lloyd seethed, opening his mouth to fire back another retort, before quickly thinking better of it. He shook his head slightly, before viciously whipping around and striking Misako across the face with a conjured manifestation of Destruction.

"Say that to me again, and you're dead." he whispered menacingly, before calmly pulling back and dismissing the elemental tendril.

"Hey Lloyd?" Cole interjected, anxiously trying to change topics before things got uglier. "First off, love that for you, you look great, no matter what anyone else here says or might be thinking." His tone came off as slightly joking, but he truly meant every word of it, and Lloyd seemed to appreciate the sentiment. He smiled at the compliment, a little less wickedly than before, as he was genuinely excited to get such glowing feedback.

"Aw, thanks!" he squealed excitedly. "I knew you'd be the least likely to question it, seeing that you're not really straight to begin with. But, then again, who is these days? Anyway… I think that's enough with the flattery. You want something, what is it?" Cole was caught completely off guard by the ambiguous jab at his sexuality, to the point that his face completely flushed with embarrassment. Jay sent him a puzzled look, but he shook his head, awkwardly clearing his throat before immediately changing topics.

"Uh, well, you said earlier that you wouldn't be able to use Dark Magic unless you were able to use your Oni powers." he started. "Judging from the uh, red eyes, and whatever that purple weapon thingy was, I think it's safe to assume that you have them now, so… would you maybe be willing to give me back my powers?" He knew it was a dangerous request, especially given how volatile the powers supposedly made him, but he figured it was worth a try since Lloyd hadn't completely devolved into the sort of bloodthirsty assassin Jay had so vividly described.

Lloyd's eyebrows had involuntarily raised in surprise, but he refused to send any other signs with his body language. With the ninja all anxiously waiting for his response, he simply stared at Cole with a blankly bemused expression. He said nothing, before slowly moving his free hand up to his chin and tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, alright." he said finally, nodding curtly and bringing the still-bloody arm back down to his side. This answer, coupled with the sheer nonchalance in his voice, surprised literally everyone standing in that contentious courtyard, included the hooded stranger looking down from the roof. It was just bizarre; how, in this destructive mindset, Lloyd could somehow shift from a state of bloodthirsty rage to absolute tranquility in the blink of an eye. The immense control he now possessed over his emotions was astounding, if a little creepy.

"Wait, you- you're serious?" Cole asked. "Just like that, you'll give me back my powers?" Lloyd shrugged, still maintaining his bored composure and acting like this was no big deal.

"Hey, I might be a neurotic schizoid, but that doesn't mean that I lack any sense of class and honor." he answered jokingly. "So yes, of course, I would be more than willing to return your powers to you. After all, it's not like I would really need mastery over Earth to kill you."

"Uh… right."

"But I won't do it for free." Lloyd continued plainly, as if the threat he had just made meant nothing. Cole sighed, rolling his eyes before looking back at his enigmatic friend. Of course they'll be a price to pay.

"How much do you want?" he asked impatiently.

"No, I don't want money." Lloyd said quickly, chuckling quietly and fixing him with a curious gaze. "Let's see… I want my sewing kit back, as well as the uniforms I was sprucing up. Actually, maybe find my golden Techno Gi too, while you're at it. I'm sure you have everything stored on the Bounty somewhere, since, what, I'm guessing you all only came here in the first place to drop off all the stuff that the Master of Dreams took from the Monastery, right?"

"Well, yes, we did, but… hey!" Jay whined. "Why do you need to take my gis, anyway?"

"That's my business, thank you very much." Lloyd snapped icily, "And, what does it matter anyway? You weren't gonna wear them again, were you?" Jay crossed his arms and continued to glare at him with no less annoyance than before, but he eventually conceded the point. His expression softened a bit and he slowly nodded in agreement.

"Fine, whatever." he mumbled, turning away and beginning to trudge towards the metal anchor. "I'll go get his majesty's special sewing kit and golden robes, and I'll even offer up my own clothes as tribute. Hopefully that'll appease you and whatnot." Lloyd immediately seethed with anger, still enraged by the running joke that he was royalty, but he stopped himself from dishing out any more punishment. Instead, his eyes widened and a wicked grin began to snake up his face.

"Oh, now isn't that funny." he muttered cunningly, waiting for Jay to depart completely before addressing the whole group. "Isn't that just the best thing of all? I'm the master of disguise but I can't hide anywhere, not from you filthy apes. Deep down, you all know what I truly am, don't you?" He waited eagerly for a response, hoping beyond hope that one of his friends would connect the dots. None of them had any clue what he was getting at, not that he really expected them to be able to explain it in words. But, just like before, they all looked at him like he was crazy. How fitting.

Lloyd waited for Jay to return with his items, before abruptly snapping his head down and shutting his eyes. Limiting external stimuli as much he could, he honed his shapeshifting abilities once more. He felt a twinge of sadness as he started to overwrite his clothes, ripping apart the fabric and rearranging the gorgeous dress he had worn so fondly. But he had another role to play now, and it was one that, in a roundabout sort of way, he had been destined to fulfill since he first met the Jade Princess herself.

Within moments that beautiful flowing dress was gone, and along with it went all of the freedom and ambitious vulnerability it represented. In its place, Lloyd had fashioned himself a far more stoic and socially rigid getup, but it was no less grand. He wore a black undershirt under a set of eloquent green robes; a spontaneous creation that, once again, featured a throwback to his beloved Techno Gi. Running down the left side of his body, he had replicated the flowing fiery pattern from his favorite ninja suit, while adding in some white and purple highlights. The outfit was held together, literally and metaphorically, by a white flowing cape adorned by scarlet lotus flowers. He had also conjured up a four-pronged silver circlet, with a jade gemstone in the middle. And, as for the rest of his face, he had purposefully drawn back the scars he received from Harumi's earlier torture sessions.

"Hello." Lloyd said quietly, grinning wickedly at his captive audience. 'I'm your mad prince."

---

Jay abruptly skidded to a halt, almost dropping his supplies as his face grew incredibly pale. The rather poignant getup quickly sent a chill down his spine and the suddenly visible scars brought back all of his lingering guilt; he stood there, frozen by fear before nervously gulping and slowly inching back into place.

"Uh, yeah… I got all of the sewing stuff, your majesty." Jay mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes as he tossed over the pile of gis and collated kit. Lloyd snatched them out of the air with his spare hand, looking almost bored as he did it.

"No, actually, it's your highness." he corrected snarkily. "Majesty is the title for a ruling monarch or emperor, with highness being the heir apparent or next in line. Since you were the jackass who decided to constantly make fun of my relationship with Harumi by calling me a prince, you might as well get it right."

"I… I'm sorry." Jay whispered, almost starting to tear up as he once again started to see the true impact of his ignorant quips. It didn't matter that he had just been joking around, or that he tended to use humor as his own coping mechanism. Never taking anything seriously had finally come back to bite him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Lloyd said dismissively, rolling his eyes and quickly waving off the apology. "You're not alone in this by any means, and besides, you're not the one who's asking me for favors. Right, Cole?" A witty smile curled up his face, as he slowly set down his sewing spoils and turned his attention towards Cole. Absentmindedly swinging the Sword of Sanctuary back and forth while he skipped across the courtyard, he stopped right in front of his powerless friend.

"Kneel."

"Uh, I'm sorry, what?" Cole asked, utterly baffled by this sudden request. Lloyd seethed, impulsively winding up his arm and drawing back the sword. Suddenly faced with a very sharp blade swinging towards him, Cole shut his eyes, and his hands quickly shot up out of reflex. He stood there, nervously waiting to defend himself against the incoming strike, but nothing came of it. Confused, he slowly opened his eyes again and turned his gaze to find the Sword of Sanctuary resting just a couple centimetres away from his cheek.

"I said, kneel." Lloyd spat. Glancing back and forth between the decorative sword and its wielder's menacing glare, Cole slowly obliged; dropping to one knee and bowing his head slightly. Lloyd smiled curtly, in turn lowering the blade so that it harmlessly rested upon his shoulder.

"See, I will give you your powers back, but you're going to have to earn them first. I want you to take personal responsibility for the part that you played in all of this; how none of you noticed or cared that I wasn't doing okay after we defeated the Sons of Garmadon. Start talking, now."

"Uh… " Cole was caught off guard by the question, and he was still feeling embarrassed about being in such a submissive state, but after a bit of thinking he figured out what Lloyd was getting at. He lifted his gaze from the ground, sharing a worried look with Jay before hesitantly turning towards the self-appointed prince.

"I, I don't know where to begin." he muttered weakly, his voice weak and filled with remorse. "I should have noticed something, I mean… we all should have been there for you. I didn't realize that you were struggling in time to do anything about it and I don't have any excuses for that. I couldn't stop the Master of Dreams from kidnapping you and I wasn't able to rescue you before you managed to free yourself. I still don't remember what I did at Borg Tower, but I hope you know that I never would have wanted to fight you, much less kill you. Lloyd, I-."

"No." Lloyd interrupted, meticulously pushing the sword right up to the edge of Cole's skin. "You don't get to call me by my name. And I'm not the Green Ninja either, not anymore. You all gave me this demeaning title, so use it."

"Oh, I must humbly beg for your forgiveness, sire." Cole said overdramatically. "The esteemed Mad Prince himself, who stands here as an omnipotent god amongst men; just being in your presence is an honor in and of itself. But I do hope that you can find the strength, somewhere in the depths of your cold, royal heart, to return my powers to me, your highness." The entire response was just dripping with sarcasm, a sign of subtle disrespect that Lloyd wouldn't tolerate in the slightest. He furiously whipped around, smacking Cole upside the head with the sword and immediately knocking him to the ground.

"Alright, that's enough!" Jay snapped. "Lloyd, I'm the only one who should be apologizing to you. Well, unless you plan on flying over to the Ninjago City Hospital and literally dragging Kai out of bed, that is. Either way, Cole wasn't the one who decided to call you a prince, I was, so why are you making him take the blame for everything? If you're going to punish anyone, punish me."

"I'm about to." Lloyd whispered, slowly turning back to Cole with an almost venomous smile on his face. Without warning, his eyes started to glow and the ground beneath his feet literally began to quake. He held out his free hand, slowly forming a convulsing mass of violet energy and targeting it directly at Cole's chest. He cried out in pain, still helplessly sprawled on the ground and now spasming back and forth. Violently shaking and convulsing from the sudden surge of energy, his agonizing screams rang out across the courtyard and far past the Monastery walls. Jay immediately started moving to help his friend, but Nya quickly grabbed him by his shoulder and yanked him back. This sight brought a smile to Lloyd's face, for it was exactly what he expected to happen. Didn't I just warn Jay that he was the one getting punished?

"Look!' Nya cried, frantically pointing at the beam of energy as she struggled to hold him back. Jay was still seething with rage and seeing his best friend being tossed around like a ragdoll was an absolutely nauseating experience. But, when he begrudgingly followed her advice and took a closer look at the purple beam of Destruction, he saw that it was actually interspersed with little bits of rock and sediment. After several seconds of interplay the purple glow vanished entirely, completely overshadowed by the brown, chalky hue that represented the Element of Earth. Lloyd was indeed returning Cole's powers to him; he was just doing it in the most drawn out and painful way possible.

"There, it's done." he muttered, quickly snapping his hand back as the transferal process concluded. As a whole, the ninja weren't sure if they should thank him for returning Cole's powers or condemn him for making it a torturous experience. Jay's gaze was flipping back and forth between the two of them, seemingly contemplating whether to help up his best friend or go strike at their fallen leader. However, he was still feeling incredibly uneasy about Lloyd's appearance and general demeanor; that, coupled with the tremendous guilt he felt over their prior fight, kept him rooted to the spot. He wasn't going to hurt Lloyd, not when the events at Borg Tower kept swimming in his mind, and, although their reasons were less personal than Jay's, it seemed that no one else there was eager to start a fight.

"Oh, just get up already." Lloyd snarled, looking down at his helpless friend with a slightly bored and rather unforgiving expression. Cole winced in pain as he pushed his upper body off the ground; as he glanced towards Lloyd, he still seemed incredibly dazed and ultimately, he wasn't able to fully lift himself off the ground. After all, he had just taken an absolute beating, both physically and mentally. With all of the Destructive energy that had been ravaging his body, the fact that he had actually gotten his powers back hadn't quite sunk in yet either.

"Get up!" Lloyd screamed, now grabbing at Cole's neck and forcefully wringing him forward and backwards.

"Enough!"

Lloyd froze almost immediately, his eyes suddenly widening with horror at the impossible voice. His grip quickly gave out, and Cole fell back down to the ground, confused and puzzled by his sudden change of heart. Some of the ninja had called out to him, but that wasn't what got his attention. It wasn't Jay, Nya, Zane, Pixel, Misako, or even Harumi, for that matter, whose command had stopped him in his tracks. He lifted his gaze slowly, hoping beyond hope that his ears were playing tricks on him, but there he was. Master Wu was standing a few feet behind the ninja, peering over at him with a rather bemused expression.

"How?" Lloyd asked incredulously. "You're not even supposed to be alive, you, you can't be here."

"And yet, I am right where I am needed to be." Wu said plainly. "I hope you are not too bothered by my presence, dear nephew."

"I… uh, well, you're still not going to stop me!" he snapped, suddenly unsure of what to say and how best to react to his uncle's enigmatic brand of kindness.

"Oh, I don't intend to." Wu answered, chuckling slightly with a warm smile on his face. "I'm sorry that you feel it necessary to push away all of your friends and family, but I am confident that you will find your way, with or without my help. Perhaps it will take you just a few days to find yourself again, or perhaps it will take you a few months. Even many years from now, you may find that this conflict within you has not truly been resolved. As we speak, your soul is still engulfed in darkness, but it is less pervasive than when we last met. Your mind is not made up yet; as if it is being pulled in two different directions. I suppose you have never walked a particularly straight path in life, and however long this journey takes, I hope you remember that everyone here cares for you deeply."

Lloyd blinked rapidly, utterly bewildered and rendered almost speechless by the kind, old specter. He wouldn't admit it to himself, not when he was in such an unstable mental state, but he desperately needed his uncle to be here. No one else, besides maybe his father, could have commanded his attention and respect like that; up to now, Misako had been the only other grown-up here, which meant basically nothing because he didn't respect her authority in the slightest. Wu's sudden appearance already seemed to be defusing the situation, but, unfortunately, nobody else knew what was going on.

"Uh, who is he talking to?" Jay asked quietly. He was mostly looking at Nya, who simply shrugged in response, but it was quickly apparent that no one else had heard Wu talking. They had all followed Lloyd's gaze, doing a double take and checking to see if anyone was actually behind them, and none of them saw anything either.

"I did not detect any audible or visual stimuli that could have logically caused Lloyd to react like that." Zane stated quickly, glancing back and forth between Lloyd and where his eyes were fixed.

"Wait, you guys didn't hear any of that?" Lloyd asked worriedly. His tone and demeanor had noticeably shifted, with much of his anger dissipated in favor of his normal awkwardness and anxiety. His scarlet eyes had even started to soften at this point, but when the ninja all shook their heads and continued to look at him like he was crazy, he quickly fell back towards the dark.

"Oh, I should have known, how could I have been so stupid?!" he snapped, pacing back and forth and beginning to glower at his uncle. "You're not back from the dead, of course you aren't! It's just that somebody never listens to me!"

With this he started wildly scanning the courtyard and its adjacent roofs, searching intently for the source of the projection. He spotted Harumi fairly quickly, who sheepishly waved at him for a couple seconds before retreating back out of sight. He flashed her a furious glare, but begrudgingly turned back to Wu so as to not reveal her hiding spot to the rest of the group.

"I'm sure you told all of them, didn't you?" he asked coldly. "That the Master of Dreams can create temporary hallucinations or whatever? It's strange though, because I can't think of why I would want to see you of all people."

"You and I both know that's not true, young Master Lloyd." Wu said softly. "It is true that I never got the chance to explain to you how the Element of Dreams works like I did for the others, but you nonetheless seem familiar with their apparition ability. So you must know that, by definition, I could not have been summoned from the Departed Realm if you did not genuinely wish to talk with me."

Lloyd scoffed, crossing his arms in defiance and pouting slightly. He so hated to admit it, that some part of him longed for a chance to make amends, but it was completely sound logic that he couldn't argue with.

"Okay, fine, whatever." he started, putting his hands up in defeat and shaking his head in resignation. "It's not because I wanted to see you though, because I don't. Frankly, I didn't really want to see any of these bitches either, but look where that's gotten me. For an introverted loner, I really do a good job of soaking up the spotlight."

With this note he started walking across the Courtyard again, nonchalantly shoving Jay out of the way and moving to stand in front of the spirit of his departed uncle.

"I never wanted to kill you, you know." he whispered. "It was just… I mean, you were in my way, and I, I needed to get out of there, so I knocked you down. I didn't mean it, honest! Maybe you were right, and we shouldn't have even gotten to that point in the first place. but either way, I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I must admit, that I was not expecting, nor was I ready, to leave this realm so soon, but I have accepted my fate." Wu said softly. "Now, I wonder… how will you learn to accept yours?"

Lloyd nodded slowly, breathing out in genuine relief at the news. His uncle was being as cryptic as always, but still, there was no edge to his tone; no lingering sense of resentment or hostility over the circumstances of his death. Mystically mixed messaging notwithstanding, Wu had forgiven him, and that was all Lloyd really needed to know. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the ninja with a slightly nervous expression, before shaking his head and choosing to ignore their puzzled looks. The Sword of Sanctuary clanged to the ground as he wrapped his uncle in a tight hug. His corruption had already begun to waver at this point, but now his eyes were quite literally flickering between red and green.

Which meant that it was the perfect time for Harumi to dispel the apparition.

---

Lloyd started at the sudden change, jumping up in surprise as his uncle drifted away. He stood there, stunned for a few moments before slowly drawing his hands back to his side and tightening his fists. His entire body seemed to be quivering, shaking with rage and anguish, before his muscles abruptly relaxed and a smile began to snake its way across his face.

"You know, you're not completely off the hook yourself." he muttered, reaching down and retrieving the fallen sword. "You've made your point, and yeah, I suppose all this stupid talking is starting to get pretty dull, but this isn't over. For now though… do you want to help me mop the floor with these pathetic pansies?"

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask." The ninja all turned at the voice, and Zane's eyes specifically shot open in response. The Master of Dreams was continuing to deepen her voice, and again, it sounded more masculine than how she naturally spoke. But both Jay and Nya, and Lloyd, before he knew who she really was, had still found that her voice sounded familiar. None of them had been able to place it, but, since he was a nindroid, Zane was much better at detecting patterns and cross-referencing details with his previous experiences. He couldn't be sure of their identity from just that, of course; he would definitely need to gather more data if he wanted to figure it out, but it sounded very familiar.

He wouldn't get anything else, however, as Harumi fired off a pair of energy blasts before any of the ninja could move. Thinking ahead as always, she had wanted to take out Zane and Pixal first because of their eidetic memories; the less tangible footage they had of her as the Master of Dreams, the better. As such, she breathed a huge sigh of relief when the cyan beams hit their mark, knocking out Zane and Pixal in quick succession. With her largest concern now out of the way, she relaxed into a fairly casual stance and waited to see how exactly the remaining ninja would react. Sure, I could just knock them all out in a few seconds, but where would be the fun in that?

Jay seemed incredibly taken aback by her arrival, as he had leapt a few steps backward and barely stopped himself from screeching out in terror. Cole wasn't quite as stirred, which was partially because he was still a little groggy from Lloyd's attack, but he still looked a bit hesitant as he moved into a fighting stance. Misako wasn't really sure quite what to do, given just how outmatched she was in this duel, but she slowly moved her hands into a fighting position. Nya, on the other hand, wasn't quite as worried as she was angry.

"I thought you said the Master of Dreams had left!" she screamed, whipping her head around and fixing Lloyd with an absolutely livid expression. He shrugged indifferently, before quickly crossing his arms and beginning to widen his already wicked grin.

"Well, technically, I did tell them to leave." he answered slyly, before lazily firing a beam of Destructive energy in her direction. She dodged it easily, although she seemed incredibly annoyed by having to do so. Seeing him act like this was absolutely infuriating, but Nya still didn't really want to hurt him, so she begrudgingly turned her attention back to the Master of Dreams.

"So, does the dream killer actually want to fight now, or are you too scared?" she asked gruffly. "Just gonna make it easy on yourself and knock us all out with your flashy light show?"

"Nope, I'm just waiting on you, sister." Harumi answered snarkily, crossing her arms and quietly laughing to herself. Nya scoffed, then narrowed her eyes and began scanning her surroundings for a source of water. She couldn't see anything usable, as the piping system inside the monastery wasn't quite close enough, and, even if it was, it would be in an unideal spot. Guess I'll have to make some myself, or…

She shot a cursory glance at Cole, nodded slightly and whipped out towards Harumi. Cole kicked out at the ground in front of him, spraying a small but spherical boulder towards her. As Nya moved into her stance, she caught a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye; Harumi quickly caught the sword in stride and spun around, but when she tried to swing her arm, she found that her arm wouldn't move. A sharp, twisting sensation was crawling under her skin, and, just before the rock crashed into her, she saw Nya straining a grin; still holding her arms out and struggling to control this abundant source of water.

Unable to move out of the way or try to parry, the flying chunk of rock hit Harumi square in the jaw, knocking her off balance and sending her stumbling backward. Nya dropped to one knee at the same time, overwhelmed and extremely drained by the effort of physically restricting her opponent; she had never tried to manipulate the water within a living creature before, and, although she was pleased with herself for pulling it off here, the sheer cruelty of it left a sour feeling in her mind. Why do I feel bad about this?! If this guy is controlling people's minds, then it's only fair to control his body in return.

Cole was not as winded from his attack, and immediately started running across the Courtyard just as soon as he saw the Master of Dreams go down; hoping to snatch the sword from their grasp if he could. He only made it a few steps, however, before feeling a whip-like sensation strike him in the back, making him double over as he winced with pain.

Jay was completely shell-shocked, blinking rapidly and slowly falling to the ground as he struggled to keep his focus. He slowly retreated out of the way, falling to the ground as his vision clouded over. The memory of their fight at Borg Tower continued to torment him, as the terrifying specter that Lloyd had been returned in full form, and his feelings of fear and guilt were far too overwhelming.

He could barely watch as Lloyd struck out again, shoving Cole out of the way with the purple tendril before swinging it back towards Misako, who was the only other person still standing. Her eyes were wide and filled with sadness, but her shock did very little to abate Lloyd's fiery rage. With the path now clear, he ran over to Harumi, quickly offering her his hand and helping to lift her off the ground.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, his voice filled with a level of genuine concern that didn't seem to fit with his villainous demeanor. She nodded slowly, shaking her head back and forth to regain her bearings. As she dusted herself off, his eyes began slowly flickering, once again swimming between red and green. But, now that his protective instincts had been somewhat alleviated, anger was still the most dominant feeling he could latch onto. Oh, they're gonna regret doing that.

Lloyd whipped around, firing off another set of purple tendrils to ensnare everyone who was still conscious. He wrenched back, pulling at the ninja and Misako until they were helplessly dangling in front of him; all turned around and disoriented by the vine-like constructs. Much in the same way that Nya had been controlling Harumi before, he now resembled some sort of macabre puppet master, with the ninja as his marionettes.

"Why… why are you doing this?" Jay cried, shivering with fright and convulsing against his bonds, desperately trying to break one of his hands free. The sudden jolt had broken him out of his borderline-catatonic state, but he wasn't any less scared than before.

"You know, I tried to do the whole nonviolence thing, I really did." Lloyd said bitterly, lazily releasing his grasp and flinging his subjects in opposite directions. "I've realized now that it doesn't matter what I say, since, what, you all just think I can't think for myself anymore? No, the truth is that this is how I feel, how I've felt for as long as I can remember! But I wouldn't expect any of you to understand that."

"Lloyd, please… you're not alone." Nya choked, spewing up dirt and phlegm as she struggled to her feet. "Maybe you're right, maybe we don't understand what you're going through right now, but that doesn't mean we can't try! And, either way, it sure as hell doesn't give you the right to throw us around like ragdolls!"

"Oh, would you rather have me actually try and kill you?!" Lloyd snapped, slashing out and sending another purple tendril to wrap around her neck. Nya gasped, as she found her breath stolen away both literally and figuratively. She blinked rapidly, trying to choke out an answer before beginning to fervently shake her head from side to side. He smiled, quickly dispelling the manifestation of Destruction and letting her fall to the ground; completely red-faced and gasping for air.

"You ought to be a little more grateful." Lloyd mused, chuckling to himself and turning away from her. Just as soon as he averted his gaze, he felt a familiar shot of electricity hit him across the jaw, sending him hurtling backwards. Jay was absolutely seething with rage, charging in with a full head of steam. It was a rather surprising development, one that caught Harumi especially off guard, but to Lloyd it made perfect sense. Jay may have been incapacitated, still reeling from all of the horrors of their last fight, but he had just gone after Nya, and, if nothing else would get him to spring into action, that certainly would.

"Finally!" he cried, sitting up and applauding Jay for his effort. The singe marks now running down his face and neck seemed to have no effect on his appreciation; if anything, the sensation of burning flesh made him look that much more excited. Lloyd brought a hand up to feel his face, before flashing Jay a cheeky grin and quickly leaping to his feet; pulling his hands up into a fighting stance and preparing to counter the second he got within striking distance.

However, Harumi spun in to intercept the strike, knocking his arm out of the way with the blunt side of the sword and taking his legs out with a lightning-fast round kick. She had seen his intended attack thanks to the Sword of Sanctuary's precognitive powers, and, as she executed a perfectly timed counter, her moves seemed to flow like never before. She kept going, hitting him with a backridgehand to the cheek before firmly knocking him out of the way with a vicious side kick to the gut. Even as Jay stumbled off the side, landing in a heap near the wall, her momentum carried her forward and she entered a sort of dance-like state.

Lloyd looked on in amazement, as ripples of cyan-colored energy began to form around Harumi. She tore across the courtyard, having finally grasped the art of Spinjitzu and finding herself unable to stop or control her excitement. Lloyd was thrilled too, absolutely beaming with pride as she moved towards the other ninja, but he soon felt his excitement shift towards worry. Spinning with reckless abandon, and looking like she was getting caught up in the moment, Lloyd sighed and began charging up his powers.

Cole took a step back, waiting for her approach to line up before striking at the ground and hitting her with an Earth Punch. The magma strike broke through the spinning tornado of energy, sending Harumi flying backwards. She landed right on her neck, groaning in pain and letting the sword drop to her side. Lloyd looked down at her, briefly checking to make sure she hadn't landed wrong or been seriously injured by the blow, before turning back to Cole with a vengeful look on his face.

"So… I take it we're done with the foreplay?"

Cole barely had time to look over before a massive burst of energy struck him in the chest, sending him hurtling backwards toward the parked ship. He narrowly missed being skewered by the anchor, although it nicked his leg as he went by. He skidded all the way across the courtyard, eventually stopping right next to the front door. Lloyd relaxed, pulling back his arms and smiling in satisfaction as every one of the ninja was now, in some form or another, helplessly laying on the ground. However, while every one of the ninja was currently incapacitated, he was still short a person.

Up to that point, he had almost completely forgotten about Misako, which was probably because she had had literally no impact on the combat. But, as he stood there, marveling at his own handiwork, he caught a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye. Turning too late to successfully counter the attack, he was forced to try and duck out of the way of Misako's spinning figure. He was only grazed by the move, but it knocked him off balance and sent him stumbling off to the side. Ah shit, I forgot she could do Spinjitzu.

"Well, looks like I saved the worst for last." Lloyd muttered. "What does my negligent mother have to say for herself now?"

"Lloyd, I don't-"

Misako was cut off almost immediately. Just as soon as she started talking, Lloyd leapt up and ferociously kicked her across her face, aiming for the same spot where he had slapped her. She was caught off guard, falling to her knees and reflexively coughing. She brought her hand up and lightly touched the bruise, before slowly looking up at her troublemaking son; fresh tears began to well in her eyes.

"On second thought, I don't even care." He flashed her a cheeky grin, before moving to recollect his belongings. Quickly tucking the pile of gis under his arm and snatching up his borrowed sewing kit, he walked over to Harumi. She looked a little shaken, but she was on her feet again and had reclaimed the sword. Lloyd paused, briefly looking back at the disorderly assortment of bodies he was leaving in his wake, before turning away and offering Harumi his free hand.

"What a gentleman." she purred softly, tightly clasping his hand with a wide smile on her face. "Or, well… I suppose, as gentle as a power-crazed madman can be." Lloyd shook his head, still beaming with manic glee as he closed his eyes. Concentrating intently in order to tune his Oni power of teleportation, he found a place in his mind and began envisioning himself there. As he did so, a purplish cloud began to surround him and his partner, signalling their final departure from the Monastery of Spinjitzu.

This was the final chance for the ninja to strike, and with Lloyd's focus consumed, Jay intended to do just that. Jumping to his feet, he shot a perfect strike of lightning through the hazy cloud and began sprinting towards the pair of targets. Unfortunately, Harumi was able to easily intercept the attack and block it thanks to the Sword of Sanctuary. In turn, she fired a cyan beam towards her aggressor. Jay managed to dodge it, but the effort of having to do so slowed him down and bought them just enough time to get away.

"I am sorry to cut this short, it's just… things to do, places to be." Lloyd said distantly. "But hey, you know what, Jay? I had a splendid time." He disappeared into thin air, dispelling the cloud and leaving Jay behind, who arrived just a hair too late. With the gateway suddenly ripped away, he lost his momentum and toppled to the ground.

"Oh, gee, you're welcome!" Jay screeched, throwing his hands up and venting at thin air. "I'm so glad we could provide some paltry entertainment for his royal highness!" He sighed, collapsing back to the ground in defeat as the rest of the ninja staggered to their feet.

"You know, all things considered, I think this could have been a lot worse." Cole said wearily, grimacing with pain as he slowly walked back to the rest of the group. "I mean, you said that Lloyd was out to kill us the last time he was like this, and now, all he wanted to do was jaw with us a bit. Sure, it was kind of embarrassing and more than a little demeaning, but isn't that better than the alternative?"

"No, it isn't." Jay whispered. "Lloyd wasn't trying to kill us today, but not because of his morals. This was just sport."

---

Lloyd and Harumi fell to the ground, landing hard against the unkempt grass; fortunate, however, to avoid the jagged, stone path that snaked its way towards the towering building behind them. Harumi quickly ripped down her hood, tried to breathe in some fresh air, and found her throat clogged up. She started coughing, rasping uncontrollably and spewing tiny bits of rock onto the overgrown yard. After a couple seconds she managed to get her airways cleared up, but she was still clutching her side and blinking rapidly.

"Ah jeez, Lloyd, please remind me never to tag along with you for that." she mumbled, groaning in pain and cracking her neck. "That teleportation process… shit, it's never gonna get any easier." She slowly pushed herself up off the ground, forcing her eyes open in order to check on her traveling companion. Lloyd was silent, sitting with his legs crossed and his back to her in an almost sullen position.

"Did you know?" he whispered. His voice sounded shaky and his body was almost quivering as he spoke. His eyes were fixed on the ground, but it didn't seem like he was really looking at anything in particular, or actually paying attention to the person he was speaking to, for that matter.

"Know what?" Harumi asked hesitantly, unable to intuitively guess his line of questioning. Lloyd seethed, unfolding his feet and viciously whipping his head around. He bared his teeth and his eyes burned scarlet as he stared at her. His gaze remained cold and distant; it didn't seem to waver at all for an agonizing amount of time, but, finally, his expression softened and his eyes fully shifted back to their normal shade of green. All that fury was replaced with, perhaps, the most emotionally distraught expression she had ever seen upon his boyish face.

"That I killed him!" Lloyd shrieked, throwing his head in his hands and struggling to hold back a wave of tears. "Master Wu… my uncle, he, he was the one member of my family I actually liked, the only one who's always cared for me. I mean, my dad… he loved me, but it was so complicated, and, he's not the same man anymore. But Wu, you know, he, well… I could heal Jay, I can probably heal Kai whenever I see him again, but this… it's irreversible. I'm a murderer now, and nothing will ever change that."

"I, I didn't know." Harumi sputtered. "I'm sorry, it's… it's not your fault, and I shouldn't have ever pushed you towards becoming more… well, more like me. I'm sorry that I ever let you get like this."

"No, you're not!" he cried, glancing over with a look of utter betrayal on his face. "I mean, why else would you do that, bringing Wu back and letting me try to make peace with him, just to throw it away and push me right back to the dark?! I just… why did you make me fight my friends? I didn't want to do it, Rumi."

"I, I don't know why I keep hurting you, Lloyd." she admitted. "I just really needed to fight with them. Maybe, I think, well… I guess I'm still getting used to genuinely treating you as my partner, and not some pawn or boy toy. That doesn't excuse what I did, or make up for everything else I've put you through, but please, I'm trying my best to learn! I just don't have your kind heart."

"Yeah, so you keep saying." Lloyd muttered. "I'm not even gonna get into all the terrible things you've done, or we'd be here all day, but, really, what have I done lately that was kind? Hmm? Stealing from Cyrus Borg? Sure, that was my stuff anyway, but then pinning the crime on Dareth, was that kind? How about literally hospitalizing my friends? Locking up Jay? Ki… killing my uncle?"

He could barely even say it, not before a wave of tears finally came crashing down. He buried his face in his hands, uncontrollably sniffling and whimpering as the full weight of what he had lost started to overwhelm him again.

"Oh, Lloyd…" Harumi whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She quickly leaned in, offering him a shoulder to cry on and reached up to comfort him. Lloyd recoiled sharply, knocking away her hand and turning away; hurriedly rubbing his eyes and trying to wipe away all of the tears staining his new robes. At that thought, he looked down suddenly, as if he had entirely forgotten just what he was wearing. He scoffed, rolling his eyes and quickly undoing the clasp to his cape; cracking his neck and stretching a little now that his movement was less restricted.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but yeah, I'm not sure this whole royal outfit works for you." Harumi admitted. Lloyd strained a small smile, before quickly staring back down at the ground. He started anxiously fidgeting, rocking back and forth along the grass with a somewhat dazed look on his face, before abruptly stopping and looking up towards his hair.

"I seem to recall the Jade Princess Harumi wearing robes just like these." he mumbled distantly, absentmindedly removing his silver circlet and running his hands over the cold metal.

"Well yes, I did, but I hated wearing that stuff!" Harumi laughed. "Plus, I think you looked better in the dress." Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise, and he slowly glanced over at her with an almost terrified expression.

"Oh, yeah… I actually wore that then, didn't I?" he said nervously, wide-eyed and now looking even more uncomfortable in his own skin. He quickly looked away, shoulders sagging as he blinked away still more tears. Harumi sighed, quickly leaning in again to rest against him. He didn't offer any resistance this time, still staring at the ground and looking like he was about to cry again.

"So you wore a dress, big deal." she muttered, slowly stroking his hair and trying her best to ease his mind. "I don't like wearing them that much, and I'm betting that Nya probably doesn't either, but it's not her, or anyone else's, place to tell you what clothes you can and can't wear. Of course, I do get to tell you what you look hot in, and trust me, you've definitely got the looks for it, pretty boy."

"Well, thanks." Lloyd said softly, smiling weakly but still looking incredibly uneasy. "I don't know, it's just… it's not something I've really had the means or the confidence to do on my own. I'd say that it was just my Oni side acting up, nothing more, but you know how terrible I am at lying."

"Yeah, that's true." Harumi murmured. "Just how long has this been eating away at you for?"

"Uh… I think I first thought about dressing fem after the Battle of Stiix." he answered hesitantly. "I hated all the publicity we were getting and I thought that crossdressing might help me avoid the press a bit. That attention thankfully faded on its own, but I guess ever since then I've had a bit of a fascination with wearing dresses and skirts and…" His voice trailed off, and he sighed, shaking his head in resignation. He clearly wasn't comfortable talking about this and he looked almost ashamed about it.

"It's okay Lloyd." Harumi whispered, still gently caressing his hair.

"Yeah, I know." he said stiffly, frowning in annoyance. "I just… I don't know how my mother could be more upset about me dressing up like that than the fact that I, I killed-"

"Oh, Misako's just old." she interjected quickly, not wanting him to get focused on his guilt again. "That's all it is, I mean, people of her age just don't tend to be very accepting when it comes to us not fitting into gender stereotypes. Trust me, my adoptive parents were old, crusty shitbags too. If I had cared enough to dig them actual graves, they'd probably be rolling over in them as we speak."

"Why, because I'm not noble enough or because you aren't being a proper princess?" Lloyd quipped halfheartedly. A tiny hint of a smile seemed to cross his face, but it vanished almost instantly; replaced by a dour expression still wrought with fear and discomfort.

"Probably a little of both." Harumi laughed. Lloyd nodded slightly, still looking gloomy and uncomfortable with this conversation. He yawned, stretching back and cracking his neck again, grimacing at just how sore it was.

"I think I need some air." he said solemnly, gently pushing himself to his feet and beginning to walk away. "I'm just gonna go flying for a bit, maybe half an hour at most, and then I'll be back."

"Oh, okay." she said quietly, her face falling a bit as he left. "Wait, but then… what about your arm? Your cuts, they, they probably need to be bandaged and besides, you're still supposed to be resting your legs!" Lloyd stopped for a moment and looked down at his arm. He slowly pulled up his sleeve to look at the self-inflicted wounds, having seemingly forgotten about them until now.

"I'll be fine." he called back, quickly rolling his sleeve back up so she couldn't see them and shrugging off her medical advice. Harumi looked on with a terrified expression, fervently glancing around and debating what to do as he continued walking away. Not willing to let him run off with reckless abandon for the umpteenth time, she reluctantly pulled her arm up and fired a cyan beam at his retreating figure. Lloyd froze where he stood, before crumpling to the ground in a heap.

Harumi quickly rose to her feet and ran over to him. She began checking his vitals and making sure that he hadn't been otherwise injured from the fall. Once satisfied with his physical condition and completely sure that he was fine, she sighed wistfully and slowly sat down next to him.

"Why am I so bad at being good?"

---

I'm back, bitches. Yes, I know it's been a while, and no, I don't feel like explaining why. Let's just say there's a reason I decided to write about self-harm.