Dreams and Desires
Chapter 33
Turnabout
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
Tw: eating disorders
Harumi stormed down the hallway, eyes ablaze and hands shaking with fury as Lloyd's snarky voice continued to echo in her mind. Oh, yeah, because you're such an expert on eating disorders, aren't you?
She shrieked at the thought, having to hold herself back from kicking the nearest wall. It wasn't just that Lloyd was ignorant of her past or that he was downplaying the risks of calorie restriction; those transgressions she had expected. His tone had just been so grating to the ears, so uncharacteristically arrogant, while also being entirely dismissive of the concept that she might actually understand what he was going through. Whenever he got defensive about things like that, whenever he reflexively did everything in his power to push her away, it made it pretty damn hard to want to help him.
"But that's just what he wants, isn't it?" Harumi sighed, slumping against the wall and slowly sliding down to the floor. Over the past few days she had learned so many new things about Lloyd, someone she had previously thought to be an open book, but there was always something more. She still couldn't figure out why, in that moment of desperation, when his mind was compromised and corrupted, he had chosen to return to this macabre academy. Lloyd had unfinished business here, that much Harumi was certain of, but whether he would ever willingly face his past was another matter entirely.
Shoving aside her many lingering worries, she scampered to her feet and walked back through the foyer. Finally, as she made her way through Darkley's derelict dormitories, she found the right room, the only room for her.
Creaking the door open, she had to cover her mouth so as to not choke on the thick cloud of dust that emerged to greet her. Staggering inside, the afternoon light was refracting sharply through the broken windows, draping the wooden floorboards in dense, angular shadows. She passed by the first of two four-poster beds, both of which were adorned with dark curtains that looked like they had been set on fire multiple times. Stopping next to the far bed, she reached down to slowly run her hand along its torn, ragged sheets. Shabby livings had never been a staple in her life, having grow up in the lap of luxury, but she had slept in places far worse than this since her assumed death. Slowly running her hand through still more dust, she wondered how long it had been since anyone had slept here, and how many more frigid nights it might last for.
Feeling her mind start to linger, Harumi quickly cleared her throat and drew her arm back. Turning to the far closet, she shoved it open and snatched up Lloyd's green backpack. It was considerably lighter now that most of their clothes had been emptied into the wooden, rickety dresser, but she still made sure to rifle through the remaining belongings to see if there was any space she could free up for the trip she had planned for later in the day. Slinging the bag around her back, she slammed the closet shut again and strode back into the hall. Her hand clenched on the doorknob, Harumi took one last, longing look at the dormitory that had once been assigned to noted villains Lloyd Garmadon and Brad Tudabone, before beginning her trip back across this empty, discarded boarding school.
Arms clenched firmly behind his back, Garmadon slowly opened his eyes to gaze out upon his barren surroundings. The inky, black void below, and the imposing, silver walls that snaked around his world would be more than enough to dishearten the average person. In such a lonely state, life was rapidly ticking away, yet moving at a standstill. And he could do nothing but grin.
"Welcome back, Master of Water." Garmadon muttered, not even bothering to turn around as the sound of hurried footsteps grew louder. "Are you here to waste my valuable time again?"
Nya slowed to a halt before loudly scoffing, probably shaking her head in disbelief. "How is any of your time valuable? You have all the time in the world, and nothing to do with any of it."
Now it was Garmadon's turn to scoff. Of course it wasn't just her, he had to remind himself. All of Kryptarium Prison was filled with narrow minded dolts, and their short-sighted focus on the external never ceased to astound him.
"Trap a sane man in a cage and eventually his mind will run away with itself." he said quietly, his voice lofty and distant. "But an insane man in a cage will think twice as much in half the time."
Nya exhaled, quietly but more than loud enough to imply that she was genuinely perturbed. Garmadon let the vague, almost proverb-like statement hang in the air for a few moments longer, just long enough to really start to get under her skin, before fully turning around to face his irate guest.
"If this has something to do with that pathetic pansy you're always traipsing around after, then I'll save you the trouble. Yes, of course I know where he is, and-"
"Where's Lloyd?" she cried, interrupting Garmadon and fixing him with an expectant glare. He furrowed his brow, finding himself ruffled by both her impatience and presumptuous nature, before letting his face melt away to a more blank, unyielding expression.
"Last time you were able to discern his location without my help." he said bitterly, eyes narrowing as he failed to entirely mask his lingering annoyance. "This time I doubt that will be the case, and I am not going to give you his location for free."
"Why the hell not?" Nya was even more frustrated than usual, not that that was particularly surprising. Her eyes, narrowed to slits, showed the same amount of restless fury as always, but there was a level of added weariness, a sag to the edges, that bought him even more leverage.
"Oh, always in a rush, always on the edge." Garmadon turned away, beginning to slowly pace around his puny cell. "I do not understand why you care so much about this boy."
"I don't care about Lloyd specifically!" she snapped, before quickly catching herself. "Well, I do, but, well, not like that!" Garmadon paused, lingering for a moment at the edge of his cell. He had obviously touched a nerve there, but he had yet to discern whether Nya was lying to herself or simply incredibly defensive about her relationships. Not that it really mattered to him.
"Your persistence is commendable, but entirely unwarranted, Master of Water." Garmadon closed his eyes, clearing his mind to check for sure, before nodding slightly. "Even with the death of my pathetic little brother, I can no longer sense any clear unbalance of light and dark. His soul remains shrouded in shadows, but not engulfed in the dark as it was before."
"And in what universe is Lloyd being almost evil a good thing?" Nya yelled.
"Perhaps you're the one who's trapped, Master of Water." Garmadon laughed, his voice sharp and cutting as his own patience began to wane. "One should always be wary of a dreamwalker, of course, but I am starting to think that this new Master of Dreams is either a poor excuse for a villain, or not one at all. You would not likely benefit from taking him out."
"Oh, god, I don't want to kill anyone." Nya said quickly, her tone equally disgusted and mortified. "Just, you know, get that prat away from Lloyd."
"Whatever you say." Garmadon shrugged, cocking his head slightly to face her. "If you want him gone, I have a pair of demands. Firstly, you arrange for my permanent, unconditional release, and secondly, you let me go face the Master of Dreams. Alone."
"What?! No way, that's not going to-"
"Take it or leave it." Garmadon threw up a halfhearted wave, smirking to himself as he turned his back to Nya. Slowly strolling back to the far side of his cell, he could almost sense her clenching her fists and seething with rage.
"Oh, damn you, you…" Her voice trailed off, as she struggled to find the words to voice her conflicted emotions. Garmadon said nothing, staring down at the void while remaining visibly indifferent. He was hedging his bets, of course, appearing to show no interest in his possible release in the hope that her moral resistance would begin to crumble under the weight of her boundless sentiment. Were he in her shoes, the decision would be as clear cut as could be; maintaining the containment of a sworn enemy was far more important than assuring the safety of an ally who was not clearly in immediate danger. But the ninja had never seemed like bright folk.
"Ugh, give me a few days." Nya murmured finally, her voice hollow and listless.
The world was in utter disarray. A cacophonous symphony of screaming children and cackling ghosts were crashing down into the water together. Swaying on uneven, wooden planks, perhaps the last building still standing in this sleepy laketown, Lloyd exhaled slowly. Trying to ease his nerves and block out the sickening sounds of siege, he continued to charge his powers.
"Stop! Please, don't." The weary blond started, before grimacing in annoyance and tightening his grip on the glowing, bright crystal. The hobbled, pained ghost was practically pleading with him, fixing him with a disgustingly pitiful look that betrayed his war-torn gi and striking, jet-black hair.
"This isn't your world anymore, Morro." Lloyd backed away, cautiously retreating towards the cyan portal as his dark reflection drew closer. "You had your chance. The Realm Crystal must be destroyed. The First Spinjitzu Master never wanted us to have it."
"How do you know that?" Morro whimpered, his desperation devolving into almost a pining now. As Lloyd felt his back brush up against the far wall, he opened his mouth to retort, then froze in place. Morro stood still, eyes wide and face unsure, as the verdant flashing that had been lighting the room began to dim slightly.
Lloyd's gaze was distant, and his face was scrunched up in deep thought. "I, well, he couldn't, couldn't have wanted this…" His voice trailed off, as Morro slowly slithered himself up against his body. He exhaled, surprised and more than a little uncomfortable with how close his parasitical foe was.
"Dear, oh dear, Lloyd." Morro crooned softly, staring deep into his eyes. "It's so loud and scary out there, isn't it? With that Realm Crystal, we could go somewhere a little quieter, more peaceful."
"What the hell are you talking abou-" Lloyd's voice was cut off, as Morro suddenly leaned in and kissed him. Maintaining physical contact for the briefest of instants, not that a ghost could hold him for that much longer, he pulled back quickly. Lloyd's face was now bright red, and his breathing unsteady as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Putting a hand up to brush the hair out of his eyes, Morro smiled at him slyly.
"I think you know…"
Lloyd blinked, panting rapidly as a loud crunching sound brought him back to life. He whipped his head around, face flushed and heart pounding, to find Harumi leaning against the doorframe, loudly biting into an apple.
"You know, you really hurt my feelings." she said obnoxiously, not bothering to finish chewing before speaking. "So, as your punishment. I took the last honeycrisp."
"Rumi, how did… I, I don't-" Lloyd's voice trailed off. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, not when his face, his smile, his hair, his lips… all of it was still so clear. Sure, Lloyd had been curious about boys before, just like everyone else, but he couldn't believe that that was the fantasy he had just fallen into. It's not… no, anyone but him!
"Anyway, what do you want, leftover tuna or a peanut butter sandwich?" Lloyd looked over, his face still burning as Harumi was loosening the straps to his backpack. Pulling her arms free, she deposited both his bag and her half-eaten apple on a nearby desk. Rummaging around for a couple of moments, she quickly pulled out the two food choices she had given him. Not that he could even think about food right now.
"I, I… did, did you have something to do with that, that dream?" he asked quietly, his voice shaky but eyes now narrowing with suspicion.
"Huh? Must have been a daydream, cause you weren't asleep." Harumi answered absentmindedly, setting down his lunch on the desk, and tossing her apple back up into the air. "What were you dreaming about, honeycrisp apples?" She laughed, catching her snack at its aerial peak and taking another loud bite. "Nah, you're probably more of a granny smith fan, aren't you?"
"I wasn't dreaming about fruit!" Lloyd snapped, jolting his body against his restraints and nearly knocking his chair over in the process. After quickly remembering his current state of entrapment, tied to a chair with his wrists bound in vengestone, he slumped back in his seat.
"But, uh, I guess it was, well, fruity…" Lloyd felt stupid the second the words left his mouth, and, from the look of it, Harumi had to stop herself from immediately laughing. His cheeks were beginning to burn even more, as he struggled to comprehend his confusing vision and the knowledge that she had had nothing to do with it did little to satiate his restless mind.
"Oh, shit, you're serious." Harumi's joking veneer wiped almost away immediately, and she tossed her apple aside without a second thought. It clanged off the wall, loudly banging in and out of the wastebasket near the door. Snatching up the leftovers, she half-ran, half-leapt across the classroom. Taking the same seat as before, she leaned up against the back of the chair and deposited the food in front of him.
"Eat, please." Her voice was steady, but strained. "Here, do you want some tuna?" Lloyd shook his head, grimacing slightly at the paltry offerings now laying on his desk.
"I don't like eating meat too much." he mumbled, struggling to keep eye contact. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harumi nod curtly and pick up the peanut butter sandwich instead. She held it up, then began waving it up and down impatiently when he made no move to accept it. Struggling to move his hands, both because of his flummoxed mind and the vengestone restraints around his wrists, Lloyd sighed and begrudgingly accepted the meal.
"So… do you want to talk about him?" Harumi asked carefully, smiling slightly as he took his first bite of food on the day. "I mean, whoever this mysterious guy you were fantasizing about is."
"Ugh… I, I don't know, no, no, I can't be…" Lloyd shut his eyes, turning away again. "I'm sorry, Rumi."
She scoffed, waving at him dismissively. "For what? As long as you still love me, nothing's changed."
"I do, I swear!" he cried, tears beginning to well in his eyes. "There's nothing going on between me and Morro! He's, he's dead anyway, and I, I never liked him like that to begin with!"
"Morro?" Harumi's voice grew sharper, eyes now narrowing slightly. "You mean that ghost guy who possessed you, right?"
"Uh-huh." Lloyd nodded, his voice growing increasingly hoarse. "I had a nightmare about him earlier today, but, but this time it was different, different than how I remember. It was when we were back at Stiix, like, when he was trying to get me to give him the Realm Crystal. And, instead of goading me by talking about my father, he… tried to, erm, se-seduce me."
"Did it work?" she asked flatly, showing no signs of emotion one way or the other in reaction to his rambly revelation.
"I don't know!" Lloyd yelled, dropping the half-eaten sandwich and throwing his head in his hands. "I should have felt disgusted, I mean, I feel terrible about it now, but, but when he kissed me in, in my dream, it felt… alright. I don't understand any of it. I would never want to make out with the depraved ghost who possessed me for weeks!"
"Sounds kinda kinky to me." Harumi shrugged.
"You're not helping." Lloyd said quietly, unsurprised but more than a little bothered by her deadpan humor. He felt both disheartened and disillusioned now, as still more tears stained his weary face.
"Right, sorry." she murmured, pushing her chair closer towards the desk. "Listen, you know I don't give a damn if you're bi, or pan, or questioning, or whatever. Instead of focusing on, you know, how much you are or aren't attracted to-"
"I'm not attracted to Morro!" Lloyd snapped his head up, eyes now ablaze with conflicted, confused rage.
"Yeah, I gathered that." Harumi rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh before continuing. "Like I was saying, instead of wasting time arguing about that, let me ask you a question: do you have something you want to say to me?"
"Oh, right." Lloyd lowered his gaze again, his voice losing its edge as the lingering guilt he felt was pressed to the front of his mind. "I was stupid, I, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for calling you out like that."
"Thank you." Harumi murmured, her voice slightly stiff but not holding any resentment. "Although, if you truly want to make it up to me, you should keep eating your lunch."
"Sure, yeah, of course." Lloyd mumbled, nodding quickly as he retrieved the half-eaten sandwich. "So, uh, would you be willing to, uh, tell me about your experiences with anorexia? I mean, only if you want to, I know that's super personal and all but-"
"No, it's fine." Harumi interrupted, smiling nervously at him. "Uh, well, I guess for me it came from the same place as my self-harm. Just like how my adoptive parents expected me to be socially docile and unchallenging, they also expected me to look like some sort of picturesque doll. They always held me to such an unrealistic standard of thinness and beauty, and starving myself was one of the only ways to maintain that. Not that I could ever stop there."
"It's never enough, is it?" Lloyd echoed softly. His eyes were still lowered, watery and hazy, but he could tell Harumi was shaking her head.
"No, it's not." she whispered sadly. "Fitting into the Empress' old dresses never made me happy. And, even after I started the Sons of Garmadon, it took years and years for me to look at myself in the mirror and not feel worthless. Ultraviolet helped me a lot with that, actually. The thoughts never fully left, but, in time, she helped me to block out the noise and focus on being a bad bitch."
"Well, I guess you're in the wrong place." Lloyd laughed, cracking a smile for the first time in hours. "This is Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, not Darkley's School for…" His voice trailed off, his face now flushing with embarrassment. No longer emboldened by the courage his Oni blood gave him, he couldn't bring himself to call her such a vulgar term; even if she was using the word in a self-affirming fashion. Clearing his throat loudly, he blinked away the embarrassment and quickly changed topics before she could start teasing him.
"Say, why don't you untie me now and we can go vandalize the sign out front?" Harumi tilted her head to the side, brow furrowed as if she was mulling it over, before turning back and shaking her head.
"Nice try, but no." she answered cheerfully, smirking in a not-so serious fashion. "You're not out of the woods yet, Lloyd. But, tell you what, I will take off those vengestone handcuffs and go get you your sewing stuff. Then I'm going to pick up some more food and stuff and then I'll be back. Whenever you finish working on my gi, you can go."
Lloyd groaned in annoyance, opening his mouth to retort, then promptly stopped himself. Although a part of him still wanted to run, longing more than anything to fly away on his Elemental Dragon and be lost in his thoughts all alone, he had promised Harumi that he would finish making her ninja gi. She definitely deserved one now, considering that she had just mastered Spinjitzu.
"Alright." he said finally, nodding his head slowly in agreement. Harumi smiled again, before hesitantly reaching into her pockets and pulling out a silver key. He set his hands down and, after a bit of rickety, jangled fiddling, she succeeded in unlocking his vengestone handcuffs. Lloyd let out a heavy sigh of relief as they loudly clattered onto the desk; shaking his aching wrists, he slowly felt his powers beginning to return to him.
"You better not go anywhere." Harumi warned, meeting his now-glowing eyes with obvious trepidation. After a moment of pained, awkward silence, whereby he felt utterly exposed by her cutting gaze, she turned away and walked out into the hall.
Sighing wistfully, Lloyd slumped back in his seat and stared at the far wall of the classroom. Even if they had left this conversation on markedly better terms than the last one, it had done little to ease his lingering feelings of confused, internalized shame. The logical part of his brain was telling him that there was nothing wrong with liking boys, and that dreams weren't necessarily an indication of reality anyway, but the emotionally damaged part couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong. He felt dirty and shameful, and as he sat there, unable to shake away Morro's haunting voice or the brief, scintillating feeling of that kiss, Lloyd though that being reduced to a mere hand at the grindstone was exactly what he deserved.
"Oh! Wait, sorry, I forgot to tell you before." Lloyd started, looking up in surprise to find Harumi darted back into view. Traipsing across the room, she snatched up his backpack again and began rummaging through it. Tossing assorted items every which way, her face lit up when she finally found what she was looking for.
"See, look, I found your hairbrush!" She pulled it out from the bag, holding it up for a few seconds before tossing it across the room. The brush was halfway across the room before he even registered that Harumi was no longer holding it, and he shut his eyes, sticking up his arms in desperation to shield his face from harm.
The sharp impact he expected did not arrive, and after a few moments, he heard Harumi snickering. Slowly opening his eyes, Lloyd looked down and saw that it had fallen harmlessly onto his lap. Indeed, it was his viridian green, color-coded and labeled hairbrush, which he had not for the life of him been able to find this morning.
"It was mixed in with Kai's stuff for some reason." Harumi said pleasantly, answering his unspoken question. "Maybe try using it, you've still got a bit of bedhead there."
It shouldn't have been such a big deal, but, as Lloyd stared incredulously at that plastic brush, he found himself astonished beyond reproach. In the midst of all the chaos and torment that had accompanied their departure from the Monastery, she had remembered and fulfilled this, the smallest, most inconsequential of his selfish requests. Finding himself overwhelmed by gratitude and humility, he lifted his head and slowly glanced back at Harumi.
"Thank you. For everything."
Dispelling her Elemental Dragon, Nya leapt down and landed softly on the deck of the Destiny's Bounty. Eyes darting from side to side, she saw that no else one was out here training or keeping watch, and she relaxed slightly. Calmly walking across the deck and up the stairs, she carefully slid open the door to the bridge, trying not to make much noise. Most of the ship's systems were turned off, and the room was lit only by the natural light leaking in through the windows. Letting out a sigh of relief, she hurried to the other side of the room.
"Long time, no see." Jay muttered distantly. Nya froze, hand clutching the doorknob, and slowly turned her head around. He was sitting on the other side of the room, his arms crossed and back leaning up against the Bounty's steering wheel. She cursed under her breath, angry at herself for walking right past him without noticing, but there was nothing she could do about that now.
"Oh, hey there, Jay." she smiled awkwardly, blinking her eyes slightly to readjust to the dim light. "Want me to turn on the lights for you?"
He slowly sighed, evidently unamused by her attempt to lighten both the mood and the room, and put down the issue of Starfarer he was reading. Nya felt her eyes drawn, not to the thick stack of comics still at his side, but to all the other comics that had already been read and tossed aside in her absence. She felt another wave of shame flood her mind, as the sheer number of issues strewn across the floor offered a poignant reminder of just how long she had been gone for.
"Where have you been?" Jay's voice was tense, coming off more tired and worried than angry. He had the look of a parent who had just found their child sneaking in after curfew, but neither the experience nor energy to give off such an authoritative presence.
"I… I was visiting Kai." she lied, feeling incredibly guilty and nervous, but managing to maintain her composure.
"Really?" Jay laughed coldly, a bitter, unamused sound that lacked his usual spunk. "That's funny, because Cole, Zane, and Pixal went to Ninjago City Hospital hours ago, and none of them said anything about seeing you there."
"Oh, um, right…" she muttered, her face falling as she found herself caught in a lie. "Well, how is he?"
"Kai's awake finally, thank goodness." Jay was still eyeing her suspiciously, but his face softened when he saw Nya react with genuine gratitude. "The doctors wouldn't let anyone see him though because they're running some more tests on his lungs and respiratory system. At least it was something like that, I don't remember exactly what Cole told me because after that he handed his phone over to Janice."
Nya was still smiling softly, unable to focus on his ramblings as a wave of relief flooded her system. When she had gone to Garmadon, she had tried to block out her lingering concern for her brother's health with logical reasoning, telling herself that, since she knew where Kai was and knew that he was not at risk of further injury, her time would be better used trying to track down her best friend, who she could actually help. That compartmentalization, while very convincing, was unable to prevent her from being overjoyed at the news that her brother was recovering, of course.
"Apparently, the doc's now speculating that I was already recovering quickly from my injuries before Lloyd fully healed me because of residual golden power." Jay continued, his voice a little more steady but still filled with petty annoyance. "Like, she said that Lloyd might have subconsciously started healing when we blacked out, and since I was next to him, I might have absorbed some of that. So now I'm being officially begged by their governing medical board to submit to voluntary testing on the healing effects of Golden Power."
"Are you planning on becoming Janice's lab rat?" she asked jokingly, her voice absolutely dripping with sarcastic disbelief. Jay laughed, a little more cheerfully this time, and quickly shook his head in response.
"No, I volunteered to help Misako keep watch of the Bounty this afternoon specifically to avoid being swarmed by doctors and researchers. Besides, if they're after magic healing juice, it's Lloyd they want. God, if that kid better ever finds himself stuck in that hospital, they'll probably try to milk his powers dry for the sake of the human race."
Nya's face fell at the mention of Lloyd, and she began to blush with embarrassment. Jay gazed at her curiously, his face scrunched up and puzzled-looking, before his eyes began to widen with realization. "Oh, god, don't, don't tell me you were out trying to track down that bloody murderer!"
"He needs our help, Jay!" Nya cried, her face filled with boiling anger that faded away almost immediately. Jay was starting to tremble with fright, eyes darting around and limbs quivering erratically. While he had referenced Lloyd in passing just moments prior, and done so in jest, now he looked utterly terrified at the thought of seeing him again.
"And what if I need him out of our lives?" Jay's eyes were ablaze with biting anger, and Nya was taken aback by the absolute venom in his voice. But, while it might have sounded like a petty, selfish request on the surface, she knew him too well for that. Something was wrong, and so she crossed the room in an instant, dropping to sit across from him on the floor. He ignored her gaze, but took a few deep breaths and seemed to let his anger dissipate a little.
"I'm sorry, it's just… it's been every day now." he said softly, his eyes lowered now. "Flashbacks, nightmares… I can't seem to get that damn fight out of my head. And I couldn't, I couldn't do anything to stop him. Now or then."
Jay paused, clenching his teeth and turning away. His lip was quivering, like he was desperately trying to hold back a wave of tears, and Nya saw now that the anger and bitterness in his eyes had been all but replaced by sadness and desperation. Ironically, it took every ounce of her compassion not to reach over and hug him. In this moment, she knew he just needed someone to really, fully listen to him.
"I sent Lloyd to his grave and then wrenched him back from the edge." he whispered finally. "But I can't make him want to stay here anymore than you can. Whatever his problems are, I can't fix them, and I don't want any part of whatever hair-brained scheme you have planned to bring him back. I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't."
"Okay." Nya nodded quickly, more than willing to concede that request. "You don't have to help me if you don't want to. Actually, that's probably for the best, now that I think about it."
"Wait, why?" Jay suddenly spun his head around, his eyes boring into her with hawk-like suspicion. "What exactly is your plan to find him again?"
Nya paused, biting her lip anxiously as she pondered how exactly to tell him. "You aren't going to like it."
Everything was still. The afternoon light was beginning to wane now, but, as Harumi slowly flicked to the next page, the scattered sunlight was still more than sufficient to read from. While the new issue of Teen Idol she was skimming through was far from highbrow literature, she had been far too mentally drained over the past few days to bother actually enriching her mind. Lloyd hadn't said much of anything since she came back from getting more supplies, discounting the small yelp he made when he had accidentally pricked himself with his sewing needle. Whether he was simply engrossed in his work, wisely respecting her need for a break, or both, Harumi was quite pleased with the peace and quiet they had been sharing for the past few hours. I suppose you could say we're alone together.
"Done." Lloyd's voice was quiet and indistinct in a way that suggested he felt no personal pride or sense of achievement in having finished making her gi, but when she looked over, she did sees a level of restrained, understated joy in his weary eyes. She slowly set down the magazine and got up from her seat, crossing the room to inspect his handiwork.
"Oh, Lloyd… this is beautiful." Her new ninja gi, built from Jay's old Resistance Robes, had been dyed a seafoam green shade with verdant highlights and a cyan belt to boot. The name of her element, Dreams, was embroidered on the front, right along a strip of those secondary, verdant highlights. Visually, the gi was a quaint compromise between her element's color scheme, as well as her personal affinity for Lloyd's elemental color scheme, and she quickly snatched it up from the desk. Skipping across to the back of the class, she took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes, and began to spin.
Even with her eyes closed to slits, she could still kind of see a bright, cyan hue growing around her as she continued to twirl around; changing out of her sleep clothes and into her new gi all in one fluid motion. As soon as she was sure the gi was on, she tossed aside the stolen pair of pajamas and began to steady herself again. Finally, she stopped spinning altogether, and her world fell dark once more.
"Wow… you look great." Harumi slowly, anxiously opened her eyes and glanced down at the gi, hoping it looked as good on her as Lloyd apparently thought. Although she couldn't quite tell how well it fit her without looking in a mirror, even this obscured angle made her giddy with excitement. It had been months since her fall, months since she had dressed in darker hues and chosen to paint her face red, and months still since she had worn clothes that actually belonged to her. Back then, she would have scarcely believed then that she would ever want to don a ninja gi, especially one so bright and bubbly, but now, it just felt right.
"Oh, yeah, uh, I made this too." Harumi looked up, just in time to catch another piece of clothing he had tossed her way. Her jaw hit the floor as soon as she saw what it was. Her eyes were twinkling now, and she slowly ran her hand across the cotton fabric, astonished by just how similar it was to the old half-hoodie piece she had worn when they first met. The shade was lighter than the original, matching perfectly with the light green highlights on the gi, and the four letters of her nickname were embroidered onto the four respective pockets.
"Won't wearing this increase the odds of my secret identity being revealed?" She raised her eyebrows suspiciously, while still slipping her arms into the hoodie anyway.
"Oh, I didn't think of that." Lloyd's face was filled with sudden fear, but he quickly relaxed and waved dismissively at her. "Ah, whatever, I don't care. I have no intention of meeting up with my idiot friends any time soon, not that would be observant enough to even notice that."
Harumi snickered, smiling even wider as she skipped back across the room. He had just finished packing up his sewing kit, and, just as he looked up, she bent over the desk and wrapped him in a tight hug. He seemed to recoil somewhat in surprise, before quickly accepting the embrace, almost melting into her arms.
"Thank you for doing this." She leaned in, resting her head against his for a few moments longer before finally drawing her arms back. "Now, come on, let's go explore the rest of this decrepit school."
Gayle felt her lip trembling, as she slowly flicked her eyes back across the scene of destruction. Sure, she had seen plenty of crime scenes before, and it was her duty to inform the citizens of Ninjago about threats from time to time, but this was something else entirely.
"NGTV reporter Gayle Gossip on the scene at Kryptarium Prison." she said hesitantly. "Last night, a prison riot erupted here, resulting in the deaths of three inmates and four staff members. Another twenty people are being treated for injuries, and an unconfirmed number of inmates are believed to have escaped. An internal investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the riot, and security footage from the time of the event is not currently available. Fortunately, we have an inmate here who may be able to shed some light on the situation."
"Thanks, Gayle." Dareth said coolly, putting a hand up to smooth his hair as Vinny turned the camera his way. "Yeah, I'm not sure how he got out, but I'm pretty sure that Lord Garmadon started the riot. At least he was leading it, anyway. Uh, I was getting my beauty rest at the start, but when I woke up, he was screaming and throwing… I don't know, purple flames or something, at all the prison staff. Eventually he fought his way to the controls and opened all the cells, and then it was just bedlam."
"Well, Warden Noble did confirm that the people responsible are being hunted down as we speak." Gayle said quickly, trying to make her voice sound reassuring. "The names of the fugitives in question have not been yet released, although multiple sources within Kryptarium have confirmed to NGTV that the Dark Lord himself escaped last night."
"I think he did, yeah." Dareth nodded solemnly in agreement, wincing slightly from the movement. "Roughed me up on his way out too."
He gave a strained, wincing grin as Vinny zoomed in on his heavily bandaged arm and ribs. Gayle felt her eyes widen, and she felt a twinge of sorrow as she closely looked over his injuries. It was sad to think that, in the context of this riot, those filthy, bloody bandages still marked him as one of the lucky ones. Clearing her throat and slowly turning her attention back to the camera, her face was stony and her tone graver than ever.
"If you find yourself face to face with Lord Garmadon, do not try to fight him."
He couldn't escape the din. The air was interminably stale here, and his heart was pounding. Jay was pacing across the bridge, his mind whirring with gruesome ideas and terrifying what-ifs. Eyes darting every which way, he saw the rest of the ninja still standing in the same spots they had been in for the last half-hour. They were less fidgety, less obviously distressed than he was, but they sounded just as worried about the news as he was.
"Right now, I don't think we should do anything!" Nya cried, frantically trying to make her voice heard over the rabble. Jay shook his head, continuing to pace and ignore the debate. He wouldn't look at her, paralyzed by the terrible possibility that… no, she couldn't have done it. It had to be a coincidence. A horrible, bloody coincidence, but a coincidence no less.
"It is true that Garmadon is an unknown, just like Lloyd and the Masters of Dreams are at the moment." Zane's tone was composed as usual, but even he looked rattled by the news. "Even if we decide to go after any of them, where are we supposed to start? We know none of their motives, intentions, or locations, and right now, we do not even know that he has indeed escaped."
"Right, I'm sure that he would have peacefully returned to his cell after inciting a riot." Cole said obnoxiously, rolling his eyes. Jay chuckled coldly under his breath, silently nodding in agreement without an ounce of joy.
"No one is saying we should go hunting for him." Misako said softly, her voice a little unsteady and filled with a smattering of disgust. "But if Garmadon brings another fight to Ninjago, we have to be prepared to respond. And, god I hope it doesn't get to this point, but.. we may need my son to win against him."
"I believe Lloyd simply wants to be left alone." Zane said quietly, his voice affected by the tiniest bit of sadness. "I too wish he was with us now, but his actions, as confusing and inconsistent as they have been, all indicate a strong desire for estrangement. Whether temporary or permanent, I believe that it is his right to remove himself from our company if he so wishes."
"It doesn't matter what he wants!" Nya screamed, eyes wide with rage. "This is a matter of life and death. Sure, Garmadon might just attack Ninjago City again or something, but he might also want revenge against Lloyd for putting him in prison! He's the most dangerous person in Ninjago, and he's the only person who can track down Lloyd!"
"You would know that, wouldn't you?" Jay cursed himself, immediately regretting having opened his mouth at all. His voice was barely audible, already softly spat under his breath, but of course, barely audible noise was crystal clear to the two nindroids. Pixal and Zane shared a confused, puzzled look, then both turned their eyes his way.
"Jay?" He turned at the sound, breathing sharply at the sudden, unwanted attention. The arguing had ceased now, and quickly, everyone's eyes were boring into him. When Nya's gaze finally met his, it was not like the others. Her eyes were filled with guilt and desperation, as if she was imploring him not to say anything about where she had just been. Is it because you had something to do with this tragedy?
"What do you think we should do?" Jay paused, thinking over the question for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head in resignation. It was pointless to argue. While he was now sure that Nya wasn't in love with Lloyd or something like that, the truth was even more dooming. She would always see Lloyd as the scared little kid who got kicked out of Darkley's, and seemingly nothing Jay could say would ever open her eyes to his flaws or his needs.
"My opinion doesn't matter." His eyes watering and voice hoarse, he turned away, pushing through the door and out into the hallway. It wasn't as much storming out the room as it was a meekly departing, but the effect was the same. He didn't have the energy to fight with her, nor the energy to avoid the fight she would probably bring his way anyway. As he continued trudging across the Bounty, he knew in the back of his mind that Nya was probably chasing after him now. And Jay wasn't sure that he wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Hey, I thought you said we weren't using powers!"
The overgrown lawn was ablaze now, as the glowing green fire continued to dance from blade to blade. Lloyd felt himself frozen in place, and he slowly lowered his eyes to the cause of the flames, his still outstretched hand, then to their recipient. Harumi looked only somewhat-angry, and her complaint had been delivered in a kind of joking manner, but that didn't mean that he hadn't lost control of his powers. That was a problem.
"Shit… I didn't mean to do that." Lloyd quickly ran over, frantically stamping his feet to put out the flames that were inching closer to her bemused figure. Once he was satisfied that the courtyard was no longer inflamed, he let out a sigh of relief. Despite the risk of harm being alleviated, he remained puzzled and concerned. It shouldn't have been possible for his powers to activate without direct thought, but then again, he had seen weirder things happen with regards to Elemental Powers over the past few weeks than he had in the entire rest of his life. This was par for the course, he thought.
As Lloyd slowly walked back to his spot, he turned his arm over, hoping Harumi wouldn't notice him checking the same arm that he had cut. In the last drill, she had blocked a strike from him and ended up hitting his arm pretty close to those wounds, which made it sting more than pretty much any arm block had. When he slowly rolled down his sleeve and looked at the fraying bandages, he saw a brand new pool of blood seeping through. Nodding to himself and sighing, he had received confirmation once again that, subconsciously, his Elemental Powers were far more concerned with his continued survival and wellbeing than he himself had ever been. Unless my Oni side takes over, of course. Then it's the opposite.
"I'm going to come in with a back-leg ax kick." Lloyd quickly rolled his sleeve back up, then turned his body to the side and put his guard up. "Defend and counter it however you want."
Harumi nodded, putting her arms up and matching his stance. Once he was sure she was ready, Lloyd swung his right leg high up above her head, then brought his foot crashing back down. She didn't seem fazed, quickly shoving his leg out of her face and throwing out a back-leg roundkick towards his exposed chest. But Lloyd had already lowered his guard in anticipation of the low kick and blocked it without much trouble, making this the third straight draw. Predictable counter.
"You're incorrigible." Harumi chuckled quietly, her arms crossed with playful annoyance. "I'm never calling you Master Lloyd, you know."
"Good, because I don't want you to." Lloyd shrugged, smiling indifferently as he slowly walked back to his spot. "Now, I'm going to-"
"Ugh, I've had it with these stupid drills." Harumi interrupted, groaning and shaking her head with annoyance.. "Can we just spar now?"
Lloyd chuckled, his face lightening with an even wider grin. "I thought you'd never ask."
The pair bowed, then, eyes narrowed and hearts racing, began their first sparring match. Lloyd put his right leg in front, shifting to a southpaw stance, and Harumi did the same. No longer restricted to defensive fighting, she quickly moved in with a series of front side kicks, all of which he blocked, before feinting with a backfist and baiting a guard raise. Chest suddenly exposed, she threw a back-leg round kick, which was perfectly timed but just a little offline. Lloyd dropped his hands back down just quick enough to brush the blow to the side, and he danced away to the edge of the grass.
"Nice try." he said breathlessly, beginning to circle around her with a wide grin. "If your left leg was as good at kicking as your right, that combination might actually work."
The somewhat backhanded compliment drew daggers from Harumi, who silently switched to an orthodox stance, putting her right leg in the back where it would have more power. The two fighters soon settled back into a rhythm as Lloyd continued to circle the overgrown patch of grass, staying light on his feet and making her match his timing. After throwing out a few front-hand feints, which didn't fool her, he declined to strike and Harumi rushed in with a backfist. As soon as he saw her move, Lloyd raised his right knee like a left-handed pitcher winding up to throw, then snapped his leg out to brush across her cheek. Harumi, by virtue of having attempted a blitzing motion with the backfist, basically ran into and then ran past the kick. When she turned around to face him again, her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape. She slowly lifted a hand up to her face, which was unblemished but filled with visible confusion.
"What was that?"
"Twist kick." he answered happily, excited that he had finally been able to execute the technique in one of the only situations where it was actually viable. "It can be a good open stance finisher, but it's risky and mostly useless in actual combat."
Harumi nodded quickly, seemingly taking his explanation as a hint to avoid giving him an open look again as she put her right leg back in front. Of course, while keeping the combat closed would limit his counters, it would also limit her ability to set up offensive strikes. Without clear direction, she was a much more aggressive, impulsive fighter, which was partially why Lloyd had been trying to focus on shoring up her defense in their training, and as they continued their dance, his training seemed to be working. She was growing more patient, more tactical as the fight drew on, and from that point on they continued to exchange kicks and punches without anyone landing a clean hit. She wasn't necessarily winning, but she was hanging in there now and ready to capitalize on any slip ups.
Finally, after nearly two and a half minutes of sparring had passed, Lloyd felt himself beginning to tire, and he knew that she could tell his pace was slowing. Harumi smirked, lowering her guard ever so slightly and taking a tentative step forward, but he didn't give her the chance to strike this time. He charged in with a high hook kick, an unusual lead that caught her completely off guard, cleanly striking the side of her face as her guard remained just under her chin. His final, desperate gambit had paid off, but the smile on Lloyd's face wiped away instantly as she fell to the ground, landing hard and getting the wind knocked out of her.
"Oh, my god, Rumi… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Without warning, he felt his legs give out and he toppled into the grass. As soon as he was down, Harumi pounced on him to gain top position, then landed a pair of clean punches against his chest. Staring up at her smiling face, rendered speechless by the sudden turn of events, he found himself caught between feelings of relief, anger, and pride. On the one hand, he was incredibly glad that she wasn't hurt, and he was continually impressed by her general savviness and fighting instincts. On the other hand, getting fooled by a deceptive sweep takedown didn't feel great, physically or emotionally.
"Yeah, uh, that wasn't part of the lesson." he stuttered finally. Harumi laughed, nodding in agreement as she released her hold on his chest and rolled off the side of his body.
"No, I guess not. But maybe you and your friends should think about practicing some more grappling arts. That's the more fun stuff in my opinion."
Lloyd silently nodded, making a mental note to study ground fighting more in the future. Lying there, gazing at the clouds passing by with Harumi at his side, he was struck by an overwhelming sense of contentment. He had always been happiest when he was training, as it provided the thrill of a fight without the stakes of real combat, and being able to pass on what he knew to Harumi and see her improving every day made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. At the same time, he knew that there was so much more he still had to learn, and the idea of being able to grow alongside her, both as a fighter and as a person, was everything he had ever wanted.
"Harumi?"
Lloyd blinked, his brain not fully comprehending what he had just heard. His skin went cold and his mind began to turn to soup. That voice had been like death itself, ushering in a wave of darkness and gloom that he thought he had put behind him. And of course he doesn't even care about me, it's Rumi he's here to see.
He sensed Harumi shuddering and shivering as well, and she slowly looked towards him, her face aghast with terror and rage. He didn't know what to say, what he could possibly tell her right now that would be of any consolation, and so he said nothing. She sighed, put on a brave face and stood up to great the unwelcome guest.
Lloyd rolled over to look back at Darkley's, in desperate denial of what was standing right in front of him. Wishing and wishing that he could savor the peace and quiet for just a little while longer. But those happy clouds in the sky were gone now, and the pit in his stomach was growing larger by the second. Feeling like he had already lost this fight, he begrudgingly rose to his feet anyway, summoned all the courage he could muster, and faced his greatest fear.
"Hello, father." Lloyd and Harumi said at the same time, both staring hopelessly at the King of Cruelty, the Doer of Destruction, the Captain of Chaos: Lord Garmadon.
You know, it's a wonder what illness, insomnia, and an incessant desire to avoid family members over the holidays can do for writer's block.