Chapter 12

It was noon when they finally arrived home. Harumi had quickly run into Pixal's arms and squeezed her metal body, after Zane of course. Then, with an apologetic smile on her lips, she handed over her busted prosthetic and begged for Pixal or Jay to fix it.

Of course, both of them had agreed.

Then, she was off to bed. The next time she woke up, it was because she was hungry. It was dark out, the clock read 2 am. Harumi had eaten an entire watermelon she found in the fridge and then went back to sleep. Next she woke at noon.

The group decided that they could have a victory party on Friday, but until then, they would do nothing. Just rest, eat and rest some more. And Harumi had no problem with it.

She spent her time in silence with Lloyd, the two playing video games or watching movies. She did notice that Lloyd seemed preoccupied with something, he didn't feel as present as usual. But Harumi understood, after the weekend they had had.

Friday ultimately rolled around, and Harumi found herself applying makeup on her face for the first time in what felt like forever. She teased her hair slightly and adorned the most comfortable clothes she owned, just a black vest with two layered skirts and a belt. Some jewelry to make her sound like a walking jinglebell. Then she was out of her room and in the living room.

"I can't believe we lost..." Harumi said, her head between her hands.

"Don't blame yourself, we did everything we could." Nya comforted her, sitting beside her and rubbing circles on her back.

"You two are being so dramatic!" Cole laughed.

"This is a perfectly appropriate reaction!" Nya yelled.

"I've never lost a game of charades before, let me mourn!" Harumi added, her face painted with defeat.

The laughter of everyone else filled the living room. Even Nya cracked, which Harumi felt incredibly betrayed by. But to her best efforts, she couldn't keep the smile from spreading to her lips.

This was all she hoped for, all she wanted after the events of Shintaro.

As she scanned the room of laughing people, her eyes landed on Lloyd. He had a small smile on his lips, but his eyes were zoned out.

"Bro, you good?" Kai then nudged him, as if on cue.

Lloyd broke out of whatever he was thinking and turned toward Kai with a surprised look.

"Oh, yeah man. Just a little tired still," he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Harumi tore her eyes away from him, as Kai whispered something to him, giving them privacy.

"The first loss is always the worst," Jay said with a chuckle, but a comforting smile.

"Can we just delete this from the records? Please, I can't have my integrity questioned like that..." Harumi pleaded, half joking, half serious.

"Harumi, are you trying to bribe the judge?" Zane asked with an amused smile.

"No," she scoffed, leaning backward. "I would never do that," she waved. "But I do make pretty good dumplings..." she whispered, leaning toward Zane again.

Zane laughed, Nya snickering beside Harumi.

"Does someone need a drink?" Lloyd asked, Harumi's attention turning back to him.

"I need two..." Harumi sighed, still devastated after her loss, and unsuccessful bribery attempt.

"I could have a beer," Cole requested.

"I still don't understand how you can drink something like that," Kai scoffed, drinking his self-made Tequila Sunrise.

"You just have a baby mouth," Jay snickered.

"Well you are a baby," Kai said with a lot of attitude.

"Says the guy who-" "Please, could you not start arguing..." Zane sighed, stopping Jay before he could really get it on.

"So, two drinks for Harumi and a beer for Cole?" Lloyd asked over Kai's and Jay's bicker, which Zane failed to stop. He stood up, gathering some empty glasses.

"No, not for real," Harumi chuckled. "I'll come with you," she said as she stood up and gathered some empty bottles.

"What do I wanna drink..." Harumi asked herself as she browsed the drinks in the fridge.

"Have you really never lost a game of charades," Lloyd asked, his tone amused.

Harumi turned her head up to look at him, leaning against the kitchen counter. His arms were crossed, a playful smile on his lips. He looked so handsome.

"Never! I swear, me and Val are an unstoppable duo," Harumi laughed, turning her attention back to the fridge. She selected a bottle of beer.

"Note to self never to play against you two," Lloyd laughed. "I bet we'd be good together."

Harumi dropped her beer bottle. Her hands froze, she froze. A raging blush attacked her cheeks, her mouth slightly agape from the shock.

The beer bottle thumped onto the floor, fortunately staying in one piece.

"God, you okay?" Lloyd said, immediately kneeling for the bottle. Much to his dismay, Harumi also simultaneously kneeled for the bottle and-

THUMP!

"Ow!" Both of them moaned as they both lifted a hand to cover the spot where their foreheads had collided.

"Sorry!" Harumi apologized quickly, scanning Lloyd to see if he was alright.

"No, no! I'm sorry, I lunged for your drink," He laughed and dropped his hand from his forehead. There was now a slightly red circle there.

"U-um... W-what did you say?" Harumi chuckled awkwardly as the two stood up from the floor.

"When?" Lloyd questioned but then continued. "Oh! Just that we'd make a good pair-" Harumi's heart skipped a beat. "in charades."

The sting of disappointment stabbed Harumi's heart, but she quickly tried to turn her uncomfortableness to a laugh. Which then ended up sounding very awkward.

"Ooh, yeah right!" She laughed awkwardly. "I think so too," Harumi added, trying not to think of the alternative.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked with a concerned smile on his face.

"Y-yea, just a little dizzy. You have a hard head," Harumi laughed, now sounding more natural. The blush on her cheeks also seemed to have calmed down.

Lloyd's smile seemed to drop slightly. This had been happening all week. First they'd be all normal, then suddenly it was as if something switched in his head.

"I uh... Do you wanna go outside? Get some air?" He then proposed, taking a step sideways out of Harumi's way.

"Sure, but first we have a beer to deliver," Harumi said and grabbed another beer from the fridge.

The two dropped it off to Cole, interrupting a very intense discussion whether or not Kai was more mature than Jay. Lloyd and Harumi did not give a statement to the jury, Zane.

As they opened the door to the courtyard, the cool air outside felt good on Harumi's skin. She breathed in deeply, Lloyd walking past her and sitting down on the steps of the porch. Harumi admired the night sky, as the Milky Way was quite visible.

"I'll never get tired of the night sky," Harumi said as she sat down, next to Lloyd.

Lloyd looked up as well, the two were quiet for a while.

Harumi wasn't sure if she should ask. She wanted to. Wanted to ask what was bothering him, what was wrong. She wanted to help. She knew it must be something from Shintaro, but what?

They hadn't really talked deep all week, just existing in each other's spaces, making jokes and bantering lightheartedly.

Harumi wasn't sure if this was even a topic she could help with, but she wanted to help nonetheless.

"Can I vent?" Lloyd then said, Harumi's interest immediately hooked.

"Of course, always," she said, maybe a little too quickly. She turned her attention away from the night sky, and to Lloyd.

He sighed deeply, turning down to look at his hands. "Wu wants to marry Misako," he then revealed.

"What!?" Harumi yelled out, louder than she meant. Lloyd quickly snapped his head up to look at her, and Harumi immediately raised her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I just... what?" Harumi said, now more quiet.

"My words exactly," he scoffed. "He told me on the Bounty, when we left Shintaro. After he had told me about his retirement, he... he asked my... blessing," he sighed out.

Wu had told them about his retirement, which made sense in Harumi's head. But this? Not a word.

"I... That's..." Harumi couldn't find the right words. She cleared her throat, mentally slapping herself. Get it together! "What did you say?" she then asked.

"I told him I needed to think about it," he sighed.

"And?"

"And I have. I still don't know what to tell him..."

"What are your thoughts on it then?" Harumi prompted, keeping her tone neutral and soft.

Lloyd sighed, turning up to look at the night sky. "First I was angry," he started. "I was angry at him, I was angry at Misako. I was angry that they were moving on. It all felt... unfair..." he sighed, scratching his head. "But the more I thought about it, I realised why I was angry..."

Harumi breathed out. She knew the answer. "Your dad?" she prompted.

Lloyd turned to look at her, then he nodded. "I was angry, because I felt like they were leaving him behind. I felt like Misako was betraying my dad... I felt like Wu was betraying him. Marrying his wife. But..." he let out another sigh. "They've been dating for years, they've been in love for longer than that... Misako hasn't been married for two decades, Wu and Garmadon settled their differences over her... My dad was fine with it, all of it... I just realized that... I wasn't ready to move on, but that doesn't mean I can't allow other people to."

Harumi let out another deep breath. She turned to look up at the sky. "Have you been thinking about him a lot?" she asked.

"Even this sky reminds me of him. It reminds me of the night he was... brought back," Lloyd sighed, and Harumi felt a stab in her heart. She turned to look at him. He turned to look at her. "I thought about him a lot, back in Shintaro," Lloyd said. "Every mistake I made, it brought me back to him. It brought me back to the fact that he had always tried his best. Yet he kept making the wrong choices. And those choices ultimately led to his... well you know," he shrugged.

"Did you... Did you feel like that? That each of your choices was wrong? That they were going to... lead to your..." Harumi couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.

Lloyd sighed, and looked back at his hands. "When I was in that cage, and you were somewhere else. When we had that fight, when Vania had died, I... I did. Even after we were rescued, after we defeated the Skull Sorcerer, after everything was good again, I couldn't help myself but to feel like if I had made better choices, everything could've gone better. But then... when we were back on the Bounty, leaving it all behind us. Wu came up to me. I... I asked him how my father lived with himself, knowing all the wrong choices he had made," Harumi noticed a tear rolling down Lloyd's cheek.

"What did Wu say?"

"He told me that my father had thought it had all been worth it, because those choices had brought me into this world. Every bad choice he had made, had ultimately led to me being where I am today." Tears started flooding down Lloyd's cheeks, but a smile was on his lips. "Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a pity party," he sniffled, wiping his tears.

"You've been holding that in for the past four days, you're long overdue for a cry," Harumi said with a smile.

"I feel like I cried more during that weekend than in months," Lloyd smiled.

"Yeah, same..." Harumi chuckled.

There was a comfortable silence between them. They gazed up at the stars, Harumi searched for constellations.

"Can I... ask you something?" Lloyd's voice said after a while.

"Of course," Harumi turned her head toward him, their eyes met.

"What..." Lloyd started, but quickly stopped. "How... did you... How did you know Vania was going to... try to... you know?" he then asked, his every word careful.

Harumi didn't know what to expect for Lloyd to ask. She knew she had to explain it at some point, but hadn't prepared that it would be now.

Harumi let out a sigh. "When... When me and Vangelis were in the cages, Vania revealed herself. I was in shock, as you all were too, but after that she left me and Vangelis by ourselves. Then Vangelis... he told me everything. He told me the story he told you the following morning. And I... something just... clicked I guess," Harumi returned to that moment, when she felt like the earth beneath her had moved, and she could finally see the sun. "I had... revealed my darkest secret to you and... even though I thought you had abandoned me, you hadn't. Even though I told you everything. You were only trying to help me, but I refused to accept it. When we were in the cave, after Vania's death. And then after Vangelis told me everything I could just... see that Vania was just like me. She was a good person, forced to do bad things," Harumi shifted her gaze from the courtyard gates to Lloyd. "And even though I still don't quite understand, you... you saw something in me. When you rescued me from the streets, you still saw the good in me. And you... you saved me. I didn't understand it then, but you believing there was something good in me, made me believe there was a chance that maybe there actually was," Harumi said with a smile, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"So you chose to be that person, for Vania?" Lloyd said, a small smile on his lips, his eyes soft.

Harumi nodded. "I knew that she only needed one person that believed in her goodness. And to her luck she had two," Harumi smiled. "But... I'd still say I was luckier... 'cause I had you," Harumi said, before her thoughts caught up to her words.

A blush rose to her cheeks again, as she realised what she had said.

But... The air around her felt different this time.

As she looked into Lloyd's eyes, there was something different in them.

There wasn't confusion in them, like usually there was when Harumi said something like that. His eyes were... inviting.

The moon lit his face, making him glow like an angel. His hair was open, framing his face. His lips were slightly apart.

Then Harumi remembered something.

"Harumi I-" "What was it you wanted to tell me," Harumi stopped Lloyd's sentence.

Lloyd looked taken aback.

"When you released me, before we separated. Back in Shintaro. What was it you wanted to tell me?" there was an urgency in Harumi's words. She felt insane, maybe she was grasping for signs that weren't there, but she had to know.

Lloyd's eyes widened as he remembered the moment. He cleared his throat. "I uh..." he started, but stopped. He looked away from Harumi.

They had inched closer together, shoulders just inches apart.

"Harumi I..." He lifted his head back, his eyes still soft and inviting, but there was a certain nervousness in Lloyd's body language.

"Yeah?" Harumi prompted, her heart threatening to fall out of her chest or put her in cardiac arrest.

"Can I kiss you?" he then said, Harumi's heart stopped for a moment.

"W-why?" was what Harumi's mouth said.

"Because I... I like you Harumi. Like a lot. And like in the way Nya likes Jay, or Kai likes Skylor. I think I've liked you like that since the day we met. The moment I looked into your eyes, I knew they were the ones I wanted to gaze in for the rest of my life. The moment I heard you laugh, it was the only sound I wanted to hear for the rest of my life. And the... the moment I got you into my arms for the first time, I... I knew..."

Harumi didn't know what to do. Her body didn't know what to do. She was frozen, but her mind raced.

"I..." she breathed. Then her hand rose to his left cheek, her gaze dropped to his lips. Then she pushed forward and her lips met his.

The kiss was everything Harumi had thought.

It was soft, and gentle. It was warm and so inviting Harumi never wanted to stop.

Lloyd's warm breath tickled Harumi's face as they pulled apart.

Harumi was out of breath, even after that one kiss. It felt like she had run a marathon. She backed out slightly

"I don't... I don't know what to say..." she mumbled out.

"How about, 'me too' or 'I don't like you'," Lloyd said with a breathy voice, a smirk on his lips.

"Lloyd... of course me too," Harumi breathed out.

Lloyd pulled her back into another kiss.

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"Do you think my hair looks okay?" Lloyd asked, turning toward Nya.

"Turn around," she instructed from Lloyd's bean bag chair.

Lloyd turned around.

"Then to the side," she said, and Lloyd turned. "Upside down?" her voice said, and Lloyd turned to look at her with a confused look. Only to find an amused smirk on her lips. "Stop worrying, it's not like she's a stranger," she said, standing up and walking to Lloyd.

"No, but... it's our first, like... date date," Lloyd said, running his hands through his hair once more, turning to face his mirror.

"And this is going to be a change in your relationship, but for the better," Nya said, stepping next to Lloyd, looking at him through the mirror. "Don't be nervous, it's the same Harumi you've always known. Just... go wherever the wind takes you," Nya smiled, squeezing Lloyd's shoulders.

He turned around to face her. "Thanks, you're the best," he said, hugging Nya.

"I know. Now come on, she's probably been waiting for you the past fifteen minutes," Nya said, letting go of the hug and handing Lloyd his wallet.

"What? What time is it!?" Lloyd quickly grabbed the wallet and turned around.

It was still 2.45.

"It's just something we girls do," Nya shrugged with a smile. "Go get her tiger," she said, ushering him out of the room.

Lloyd gave her a nod and walked out of his room. As he arrived at Harumi's room, he let out a silent breath.

"Rumi, you ready to go?" He knocked on the door.

He heard shuffling, but in a few seconds the shoji opened. And revealed her.

Her hair was in two pigtails, slightly teased. She had her usual makeup, white base, black eyeliner and black lipstick. She wore a floral patterned black tie-up shirt with long bell sleeves and black shorts with fishnet tights.

Lloyd just stared at her in awe for a moment. He tried to eat up every inch of her outfit, now that he could stare. Still, he felt a wave of embarrassment and he cleared his throat.

"You look... so beautiful," he said, not as confidently as Kai had taught him.

She smiled fiddling with her hands. "You don't look half bad yourself," she said with a teasing tone.

This was all a bit too much for him. He was weak, weak for her.

"You ready to," he had to clear his throat again. "To go?" he managed to get out.

"Of course," she nodded and the two left the hallway.

Lloyd tried to contain his thoughts and wants, but by the time they got into the elevator, he couldn't anymore. He pressed a kiss on her soft lips, fearing he might never be the same anymore. Now that Harumi was...here with him. Not that he ever wanted to go back to a time without her.

"Do you wanna drive?" Lloyd asked as he fetched helmets for the two of them.

"You can. I'm sure now that we're... well you know," they never really said that they started dating, but was that necessary? "I'm sure you're more than eager to make an impression, like boys do in the movies," she laughed.

"Do I need to impress you?" Lloyd asked with a smile as he handed Harumi her helmet.

She was quiet for a moment, as she pulled the helmet on. "No, you're quite impressive already," she said, her voice slightly muffled.

"There's always room for improvement, right?" Lloyd said, smirking, as he hopped onto his bike.

Harumi didn't say anything more, just hopped onto the bike as well.

Lloyd revved up the engine, and they were off.

The ride to Ninjago City gave Lloyd time to cool off. Kinda.

Harumi's body was still pushed against his back, her... against his back. Her hands wrapped around his waist, which did not help his situation either.

But he breathed deep breaths as he tried to control himself. He had sworn he wouldn't become an animal in heat with her, he didn't want to put pressure on her, at all. They'd go slowly, go at their own pace.

They arrived at Ninjago City Park, and after Lloyd had cursed all the taken parking spots, he finally found one. Harumi hopped off first, Lloyd following her. They both took off their helmets, Harumi's hair slightly more messy now than it had been. But Lloyd didn't even want to see his.

"Are you cold?" Lloyd asked. It was April now, and Ninjago City was located in a desert, but just to be sure.

"No, I'm fine," she said, and held out her hand. "Shall we?" she asked.

A smile spread on Lloyd's lips. He stuffed the bike's keys into his pocket and took her hand. They started walking toward the park.

"Did you call Val?" Lloyd asked as they walked.

Harumi chuckled. "You're not supposed to know me this well on a first date," she said, turning up to look at him.

"Sorry, did I ruin the mystery?" Lloyd said with a smile.

"Totally," she smiled, looking toward the park.

"Can I have a scoop of Pistachio, please?" Harumi said, pointing at the tub of green ice cream.

"Yes of course, cone or cup?" The vendor asked.

"Cone," Harumi answered with a smile.

"And for you?" the vendor turned toward Lloyd, handing Harumi her ice cream.

"A scoop of mint chip, please," Lloyd smiled, and could feel Harumi roll her eyes beside him.

"Cone or cup?"

"Cup," Lloyd smiled.

"Psycho," Harumi said quietly, but with a smile on her face.

"Says the girl who dips popcorn in ice cream," Lloyd bantered back.

Harumi scoffed. "That's delicious, it's the perfect balance between sweet and salty," she argued.

There was an amused smile on the vendor's lips as she handed Lloyd his ice cream. "Will you be paying separately or together?" he asked.

"Together, I got it," Lloyd said, pulling out his wallet and handing the vendor his money.

"Thank you, have a nice day," the vendor smiled as the pair paid.

"Thanks, you too," Lloyd smiled.

They walked along the park pathways, stopping at the duck pond. There was a chilly breeze, but the sun balanced it out.

The two sat on a bench, focusing on the ducks playing in the water.

"So..." Harumi started, leaning back. She turned to look at Lloyd. "How long have you... been wanting to tell me?" she asked.

An embarrassed smile spread on Lloyd's lips. "Well, first of all, you need to know that I'm an idiot," he started with a smile.

"Noted," Harumi said, licking her ice cream.

"And I didn't... quite realise what I was feeling toward you until like... a month ago?" he revealed, his tone embarrassed. "But like I said yesterday, I've... liked you since we met. I was just an idiot about it and didn't understand my feelings."

"What made you realise them then?" Harumi asked, her head slightly tipped to the left.

"It was during that thunderstorm in March. When you... came to my room and... fell asleep next to me. I might've... looked at you a little bit and then it just... clicked."

Harumi gave a small chuckle and then nodded, licking her ice cream.

"When have you known?" Lloyd said, the burn in his ears dying down slowly.

Harumi lifted her head to look at him, then smiled as her gaze shifted to something behind Lloyd. "When I bumped into you. In the temple," she revealed, and Lloyd's heart swelled.

"For real? Even though I almost exposed you the same night?" Lloyd chuckled.

"There was a moment of doubt, but you quickly... recovered," Harumi smiled, her gaze shifting back to him.

And it was as if he'd been teleported back in time. Back into that temple, back to that moment. They were there, standing in the hallway, spilled tea on Lloyd's suit and the carpet below them. Lloyd remembered exactly what she had looked like that evening. Her hair tied up to a bun, thick bangs falling over her eyebrows. She had much more natural makeup, but Lloyd preferred her own personal style.

But most of all, Lloyd remembered her eyes. Those eyes felt like a warm embrace from the moment he looked into them. They were glittering the same way now as they were back then.

Lloyd pressed a soft kiss on Harumi's lips, the flavors of pistachio and mint chocolate chip mixing.

As Lloyd pulled away he was breathtaken. By the goddess that sat next to him.

"Harumi, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

A wide smile spread to her lips. "I thought you'd never ask."