After a moment to ensure that Ryan was gone, Raven and Lloyd finally signed in relief. During this time, Kai had finally made it to where Lloyd and Raven were. They didn't see him, but he continued walking up to them, quietly.

"Whew man, that was crazy," Raven said, as Lloyd replied,

"Yeah it was."

They both smiled at each other, but then Lloyd looked away sadly, thinking about something. Raven walked closer to Lloyd and asked,

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Then Lloyd asked,

"Raven. Does Ryan like you?"

At that question, Kai stopped walking and looked at them in surprise. Then he quickly jumped behind a tree that was nearby, so that they wouldn't notice him.

Raven was also surprised by Lloyd's question, but then she signed and replied,

"Yes, he does."

Lloyd looked at Raven, in surprise to her answer, and asked, "How do you know?"

"Well..." Raven said, as she rubbed the back of her neck and continued,

"When you guys ran after Ryan, he came to camp and gave me a scroll to read right before he disappeared. At first, I ran into the Bounty because he knocked out Dr. Julien, so I went to get some medicine for him. Then I read the scroll and it said that he wanted to meet me alone that night to tell me something that had to do with my mother. So, I snuck out of camp that night, and that's when I met him and we talked. He told me about how the villages were fighting one another, and that Silva was going to take down each one, and then he told me that he liked me and he tried to kiss me, but I stopped him and then he left.-"

Raven was interrupted when Lloyd yelled out,

"WHAT?!"

Raven held her hand to her mouth, as Lloyd's eyes widened and his expression was clearly in shock.

"He tried to kiss you?!" Lloyd asked, as Raven's hand slowly lowered from her mouth.

"Yes," Raven said in a low voice, but loud enough for Lloyd to hear.

Then Lloyd became a little flustered and said,

"I-I don't understand. Why would he try to kiss you? I mean, you don't like him like that right? And he's the enemy so that w-wouldn't make sense right... That... That Jerk! Where is he?!"

Lloyd turned around to see if Ryan was still around, with anger and a hint of jealousy on his face.

"Lloyd, no. It's alright, don't bother. I prevented him from kissing me before-" Raven was interrupted by Lloyd, who said,

"Really? Or is that something else your keeping from me?"

Raven was surprised by that, but then she replied,

"Lloyd, I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't lie to you."

Then Lloyd said, "But why didn't you tell us? Or at least me? I thought, I thought we had something, you know, special between us."

Raven took one of his hands into her own, and said, "We do Lloyd. We do. And I would tell you everything. The only problem was that Ryan told me not to tell anyone, and to come alone."

"Well, what if that was a trick to kidnap you?" -Lloyd

"He said it wasn't-" -Raven

"How would you know?" -Lloyd

"I- I..." Raven was beginning to get flustered, which made her snake accent show, but she tried to control herself, as she said,

"I don't know okay, I don't know! I didn't want Ryan to hurt anyone if I didn't come alone, and I didn't want him to get angry if I didn't come and end up doing sssomething horrible to everyone. Although, I don't think he would of, but I didn't know before! I'm sssorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want sssomething bad to happen to anyone, and you essspecially, but I can assure you that I hold no feelingsss towards Ryan that I do for you, Lloyd."

Raven started to tear up a bit, but Lloyd didn't notice because he was looking down, thinking about what she said. Kai noticed, but he didn't want to get involved in something like this.

Then Lloyd turned around and stood looking into the fountain water.

Then he said, "I... I need time to think Raven, please."

Raven looked towards Lloyd sadly, but then a memory flashed in her mind, as she remembered a promise Lloyd made to her, and she to him. Raven quickly walked up to Lloyd, who's back was turned, and she tried to turn him around towards her.

"Lloyd, Lloyd!" Raven called, as she tugged his shoulder gently, and a little more the second time she called him.

Lloyd pulled his shoulder away gently but firmly, as he stood his ground, with his back still turned. At that point, Raven started to slowly back away, step-by-step. As she did, Raven felt her heart swell up and tear, as tears started streaming down her cheeks. Kai saw this, and even he felt a pang in this heart seeing the hurt and tears on Raven's face. Then Raven swiftly turned and ran off, as Kai followed after her, without Lloyd taking much of a notice of him.

"You think Raven is alright?" Zane asked Auria, as they hurried through the forest.

"I sure hope so," Auria replied, as they continued on their way, when they saw Garmadon running ahead of them.

"Huh?" Auria said, and then Zane said,

"What is Garmadon doing here? I thought he was back in the city?"

As Auria and Zane caught up to Garmadon, he explained that he was following Lloyd.

"I saw him run in this forest with the rest of you, so I decided to follow. I heard a crash not too far away from here, so I decided to follow the sound. It should be just beyond these trees," Garmadon said, and Zane and Auria nodded.

The three stepped past the trees, and they saw Lloyd standing near a fountain. Certain parts of the ground were burnt, cracked, broken, and iced. Auria, Zane, and Garmadon ran over to where Lloyd was.

"Lloyd, your alright." -Garmadon

"We were worried." -Zane

"Where's Raven?" -Auria

Lloyd looked slightly towards them and said. "I'm... alright, and Raven is fine. I fought Ryan and he left us alone."

"Then, where is Raven now?" Auria asked.

However, before the question was answered, the four heard footsteps, and they turned to see Kai walking towards them. His hood was off, and he looked pretty upset. Then, to everyone's surprise, especially to Lloyd, Kai punched Lloyd right in his face. Lloyd stumbled back, as Zane, Auria, and Garmadon gasped.

"Kai! What are you doing?!" Zane asked, but Kai ignored him, as he stood focused on Lloyd with fiery anger.

"Why did you say all that Lloyd?! You didn't have to be such a jerk!" Kai yelled, and Lloyd replied,

"A jerk?! Your the one who just punched me in the face! And besides, it doesn't matter anymore. I-If she likes Ryan, then... then I don't care!"

"Yes you do! Don't lie! You do care, that's why you acted the way you did! You care about her a lot! I should know, I've been making fun of you and her with Flare for awhile!" Kai said, as Lloyd looked away.

Then Kai signed and said, without yelling, "She's crying."

That caught Lloyd's attention, as he turned towards Kai, confused and concerned.

"What? Why?" Lloyd asked.

Kai replied, "You didn't see because your back was turned, but I did. I followed her when she took off. She ran to a fountain and started saying things to Pearl, like how she feels everyone's suffering is her fault, and that she should have just let herself get caught. She blames herself for everything. She's so upset... and hurt!"

Lloyd looked down, taking in what Kai just told him. He didn't realize how much pain Raven must have been enduring this whole time, having to watch as her friends fought to protect her, and how they would get hurt... like Kai when he became a vampire, Marcell who's forced to work for Silva, his mother when Silva hurt her, and even himself. He never wanted to be the source of Raven's pain. He wanted to protect her, care for her, and be there for her always. Of course, being sort of a jerk about it by accusing her of lying, and not hearing her out was pretty harsh.

'I did act like a jerk... I didn't even consider what she's been going through...' Lloyd thought, as guilt began to set in.

"Lloyd," Auria said, as Lloyd looked up at her, and she continued,

"I think there's something you should know. Raven went to speak to Ryan before we got here-"

"I know that, she told me," Lloyd said.

"But, did she inform you that Ryan tried to kiss her, and she pushed him away saying that she already had someone else?" Auria asked, as Lloyd's eyes widened in surprise at those words.

Then Zane added, "Yes, it's true. Auria and I had followed Raven that night to make sure she wasn't in harm's way. We were able to hear their conversation, and to the point when Raven informed Ryan about having someone else, Ryan was able to guess that it was you, and Raven even admitted to having a growing affection for you."

Lloyd was more surprised by this, as his feelings for Raven grew stronger, knowing she felt the same for him.

Then Garmadon said, "Lloyd, when you and Raven were sitting together that day before we went to sleep, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. From what I heard of the story so far, I think I understand why Raven may have broken down here. I think it has something to do with what you said that day to Raven, about never turning..."

In that moment, a realization had struck Lloyd, as he remembered the promise Raven and him had made to each other:

("Raven. I will never turn my back on you. I will always help you no matter what. I promise." -Lloyd

"And I'll never turn my back on you either Lloyd. I promise, too." -Raven)

Lloyd felt an overbearing guilt upon his heart, as he started running with all his might to where Raven had fled to.

Garmadon, Auria, Kai, and Zane looked on, as Lloyd disappeared into the forest. Then Auria turned around and saw the others heading their way and... uh oh.

"Oh no," Auria said, as the three guys turned around.

"Hey, they finally showed up... Uuuh, who is that?" Kai asked, when he noticed a black Serpentine slithering towards them.

"The King," Auria said.

Everyone else was following him, and you could see the nervousness on their faces, as they traveled with the Viporeon King. Kai, Garmadon, Zane, and Auria watched as they approached, and King Terrin had such a stern expression that all four of them gulped and tried not to look nervous.

"What do we tell him?" Kai whispered, then Zane replied in a whisper,

"I think it's best to stall the King until Lloyd and Raven make up."

"I hope they make up soon," Garmadon whispered, as King Terrin approached the four.

"Raven!" Lloyd called out, as he ran passed the trees, searching for her.

Then he ran passed some more trees, until he saw Pearl. She was laying curled around a fountain, since it was pretty small, and sitting near the edge of the fountain was Raven, who was looking into the water. Lloyd slowly approached Raven, which made Pearl lift her head as she growled at him. He stopped walking and looked at Pearl, nervously. Then he looked down, and then back up at Pearl and said,

"Please Pearl. I want to talk to her. To make things right."

Pearl looked at Lloyd for a moment, and then she nodded and looked towards Raven. Lloyd nodded, and then he slowly approached Raven, more nervously than before.

'W-What can I say? W-What do I do?' Lloyd thought, as he stopped walking.

Then he heard a grunt from Pearl, as she gestured with her claw for Lloyd to go to Raven. Then Lloyd signed and continued walking towards Raven. He walked near the edge of the fountain, about three feet away from her.

"R-Raven," Lloyd said.

Raven lifted her head, but then her head went back down, as she continued to look towards the water.

Lloyd continued, "Raven. I'm... I'm so sorry Raven. I-I overreacted. I just, I just. I really like you Raven. So much that, when I thought of Ryan trying to take you away from me, I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you... I..."

Lloyd tried to speak, but he couldn't make the words come. He rubbed the back of his head, and then he moved closer to Raven, about a foot away. Raven was still looking towards the water. Then Lloyd looked out towards the water too.

He felt regret and shame for his actions, but deep in his heart, there was a feeling that had long since been growing ever since he first met Raven. A feeling that was small, but it just continued to grow, as it became more apparent the longer time he spent with her. The feeling was powerful, but it was possible to sum it up in just three to four words.

After watching the water ripple when a leaf landed on top of it, Lloyd couldn't bear to hold it in any longer. That powerful feeling inside of his heart couldn't be hidden anymore. Lloyd looked towards Raven and cried out,

"Raven, I love you!"

At that moment, it was as if time stopped.

Pearl's eyes widened from hearing Lloyd's words. Raven was in a shock, which prevented her from reacting for the first few seconds. But then, she lifted her head and turned towards Lloyd, with tear marks still on her face. Her mouth was open in surprise, as she gazed at him, and he gazed at her. They both looked right into each other's eyes, and felt as though they could see into each other's hearts.

Unknowingly, they both slowly moved closer together until they were some inches apart. Then Raven slowly began to smile, as did Lloyd. He placed his hand on her cheek, as she took a hold of it. Raven's heart felt light and fluffy, as she felt alleved from the pain she felt a moment ago. Then Raven said,

"I forgive you, and, I love you too Lloyd!"

Lloyd felt his heart became weightless, as her words processed within his mind and straight to his heart.

Then Raven said, "I'm sorry Lloyd. I should have told you-"

Raven stopped speaking when Lloyd raised up his other hand and said,

"It's alright Raven. I understand."

Raven's smile widened, and Lloyd's did the same. Pearl felt happiness for her master, as Raven and Lloyd continued to lovingly gaze into each other's eyes.

Then Pearl heard rustling in the trees ahead. She started to growl, as Lloyd and Raven turned to see who was coming. Then a black Serpentine emerged from the forest. Raven was a little surprised, and Lloyd was bewildered. Pearl lowered her head immediately in respect for the King.

As Terrin approached Lloyd and Raven, he felt something in the atmosphere... something familiar.

"Daddy!" Raven said, as she ran and hugged her father.

Terrin embraced Raven, for the fear of losing his daughter was great, but now it ceased to nothing.

"You are sssafe my little darling," Terrin said, as he stroked Raven's hair.

"I am daddy, and it's because of Lloyd," Raven said, as she held onto her father.

Terrin looked up at Lloyd, who stood back and watched. Then, after the hug, Terrin slithered towards Lloyd.

"Lloyd," King Terrin called, as Lloyd gulped and replied,

"Yes sir?"

King Terrin put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and said, "On behalf of all the Viporeonsss and myssself... thank you for protecting my darling daughter. You are truly worthy of the title Ultimate Ssspinjitzu Massster."

Lloyd smiled and nodded.

"Glad I could help you sir, anytime," Lloyd said.

"Call me Terrin," Terrin said, as Lloyd nodded.

Then Terrin turned around to see that the others just arrived.

"Raven! Your alright," Nya said, as she ran over to Raven, as well as Auria, Christa, and Flare.

"Hey! We were worried about you," Flare said, as she placed her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"I'm so glad to see you Raven! Your not hurt right?" Christa asked, as she looked Raven over to make sure.

"I'm fine," Raven said, as she looked towards Lloyd and added, "Thanks to Lloyd."

Everyone looked towards Lloyd.

"You actually beat Ryan?" Jay asked, and Lloyd replied,

"Well, I was able to stop him from taking Raven..."

"But you didn't defeat him," Flare said with her hand on her hip.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah, no. I mean, we were in the middle of an attack, but Raven canceled it out. Then Ryan decided to leave us alone."

"Whoa what? Raven cancelled out your attack? and Ryan's too?" Cole asked, as everyone looked towards Raven.

Raven laughed nervously and rubbed her arm.

"Interesting. Raven, how were you able to cancel out their attacks?" Sensei Wu asked.

Then Raven replied, "Well. I don't know, I just didn't want them to fight anymore, so I hit between their laser... beam... moves with my water staff, and well... it ended up canceling them out."

"Incredible," Misako said.

Raven smiled and shrugged her shoulder.

Then Garmadon said, "Well, I guess you weren't showing us your true potential before, eh Raven?"

"I didn't know I could do that," Raven said, as she held her water staff before herself.

"Hey Sensei," Kai whispered to Sensei Wu, as he turned towards him.

"You think Raven could unlock her true potential? I mean, she does have an elemental weapon, kind of like the golden weapons," Kai asked.

Cole just so happened to be listening, and asked, "Now that you mention it, could all of the girls unlock their true potentials? They each own an elemental weapon."

Sensei Wu thought about it, and then he whispered, "I'm not sure. Although, the platinum weapons and the golden weapons are similar, it is possible that the girls could unlock their true potentials."

Zane and Jay were also hearing Sensei Wu speak, and all four guys looked towards the kunoichi.

"Alright everyone! Thissss hass been a pretty sssstimulating time, but we should really get sssome shut-eye for the ressst of the night," Terrin said.

"But what if something happens when we're asleep?" Christa asked, and Dr. Julien added,

"That's right. What if Ryan didn't come alone?"

The king thought about that, but then he said, "Do not fret. I'll handle thissss."

The king turned towards the Viporeons, who stood waiting for orders, and said,

"Anaca, ssstand in center. Serpana, take the North. Carrie, take the Sssouth. Vena, take the Wessst. Fajra, take the Eassst. Ssssend out the Viporeonsss in each area, and choose the best Viporeonssss to sssssearch out thisss foressst. I'll be around until each area is secured. Move out!"

"Yessss, your highnesssss!" The Viporeon leaders bowed, and slithered off into the forest at high speed.

The King turned to the others and said, "Go back to your roomssss. We'll be on watch."

As Terrin began slithering away, Raven ran up to her father, and said,

"Daddy... please be safe."

Terrin looked into his daughter's eyes, and smiled softly. He took Raven into his arms and they hugged once more.

Then Terrin whispered, "We'll be fine my dear. Oh, and Lloyd issss a good kid. It'ssss no wonder you like him."

Raven looked at her dad in surprise, and then she smiled and nodded, as her dad smiled back. Then he slithered off.

"Alright everybody! You heard the king. Let's go to sleep already," Flare said, as she stretched and started walking, as the others followed.

Lloyd and Raven were close to the back of the group. They looked towards one another and smiled, as they reached out and held hands. Kai noticed this and smiled, as he followed along with the others.

Christa and Cole also noticed, and they both smiled, and looked towards one another. They gazed into each other's eyes without realizing that they were, until they heard a cough, and saw that Auria stood between them, unamused. Then Christa and Cole immediately looked away, embarassed, as Auria walked a little further ahead of them. Christa slowly turned towards Cole, as he turned towards her and their eyes met. They both looked away from one another with a blush on their faces.