"Harumi?" The Zephyr, who was now in childish form, joined us. "Orphaned princess of Ninjago?"
Jay laughed nervously, burying himself in my shoulder. "This doesn't look good!"
"No kidding," Cole added, tearing at the sleeves of his new robe. "Gosh, why'd you have to give me the torture of a robe with sleeves?" He tore them off. "That's better."
Jay glanced at him, chuckling a bit. "You've never been fond of sleeves, have you?"
"Last I checked, Princess Harumi was back in Ninjago!" the wind spirit replied. "I don't recall her being here. We usually know about these things."
**
Wow! Very nice!
I'm sorry, every time I read the word " Zephyr" I think my character.
I pulled up my hood, watching them from in the window. I hoped they didn't know it was me, but my plan was working perfectly. In time, Lloyd would abandon his current love and turn to me.
Don't wake up or else...
Eight thin legs poked at my hand, and I picked up the spider, turned it off and put it in my pocket. "He'll never see my true intentions if I make him love me enough. He'll be blind...blind to my plans...and attached to me..."
It was several days until Lloyd returned, holding his shoulder in pain, limping and out of breath. He collapsed in front of the Ninja's bungalow, his breathing shallow and shaky.
Jay was the one to open the door. "Lloyd? Harumi...oh, that...psychopathic...murderous..."
"Witch?" Nya finished for him.
Lloyd nodded. "She poisoned me, lead me out into the wilderness, tried to manipulate me, tried to kill me, and finally set a monster on me. Eventually I had to shove her off the cliff she tried to push me off."
"I'm sorry," Jay replied as he helped him up. "Please. Sit down."
Lloyd obeyed and sighed, wincing as Jay and Nya worked on wrapping his arm. "I should never have trusted her! I should have known she was shady in the first place. But that- that darn spider! And how did she even get up here in the first place?"
"What else happened, Lloyd? Anything?" Nya asked.
"Well, she did tell me her story. I felt sorry for her...for a split second. And then I regretted any and every positive feeling I'd ever felt for her. She was heartless and mental. She never loved me. She just fed on my crush on her." Lloyd grunted. "I should have never even looked her in the eye. Hanna, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for not telling you. Even if you did hurt her for it...she deserved it."
"As am I," Hanna replied. "For ever being the first Silent One in the first place."
Lloyd nodded. "My body hurts, but my heart hurts worse. Does anyone have any heart medicine?" He smiled weakly.
Jay chuckled. "I have my poetry."
Lloyd smiled. "That's great. I need to connect with you guys anyways. But- no cuddling. Seriously. My body hurts all over."
"What about jokes? A wise man once said laughter is the best medicine." Jay chuckled. "A wisecracking man, probably."
Lloyd chuckled softly. "This is why I'm glad I have people like you on the team."
"Yeah," Cole replied. "What would our team be without a certain Jay Walker to lift our spirits, eh?"
"Heheh...thanks," Jay replied.
"Guess we'll be looking after our master for a while, huh..." Kai smirked a little. "I like it."
In the midst of their peace, a giant shadow loomed over their heads as a great beast descended on the place.
As fear began to build up in my body, I heard voices, possibly Zephyri, shouting.
"Go! Go! Back into your cage! Back- back- back!"
Our bungalow didn't get hurt.
A twenty-something male Zephyr came up to our currently open door. "Sorry about that. We have yet to train that guy. We're trying to prove that the more hostile beasts can be tamed...that was a Ventus, a Zephyr beast from our forests. Not sure what to name it yet, we're just calling it Jeff."
Jay snorted. "Jeff?"
"Jeff," he replied. "Well, see ya." He floated off.
"Well, that Jeff looks like he'd be a handful even for an entire crew of Zephyri men." I propped myself up a little as Zane handed me a piece of chocolate. "Why thank you."
Zane nodded at me. "You are most welcome."
I nibbled on it. It felt good. "So, any ideas?"
"Why don't we just relax for a bit? I mean, Lloyd's had it hard lately. I think he deserves a break." Jay smiled at me.
*** A twenty-something male Zephyr came up to our currently open door. "Sorry about that. We have yet to train that guy. We're trying to prove that the more hostile beasts can be tamed...that was a Ventus, a Zephyr beast from our forests. Not sure what to name it yet, we're just calling it Jeff."
Jay snorted. "Jeff?"
"Jeff," he replied. "Well, see ya." He floated off.
"Well, that Jeff looks like he'd be a handful even for an entire crew of Zephyri men." I propped myself up a little as Zane handed me a piece of chocolate. "Why thank you."
That's an awesome name for a mysterious, hostile beast. Jeff.
Don't tell me you slipped that in because I suggested chocolate to give to Lloyd!
*** A twenty-something male Zephyr came up to our currently open door. "Sorry about that. We have yet to train that guy. We're trying to prove that the more hostile beasts can be tamed...that was a Ventus, a Zephyr beast from our forests. Not sure what to name it yet, we're just calling it Jeff."
Jay snorted. "Jeff?"
"Jeff," he replied. "Well, see ya." He floated off.
"Well, that Jeff looks like he'd be a handful even for an entire crew of Zephyri men." I propped myself up a little as Zane handed me a piece of chocolate. "Why thank you."
That's an awesome name for a mysterious, hostile beast. Jeff.
Don't tell me you slipped that in because I suggested chocolate to give to Lloyd!
I smirked at Hanna as we played chess and I was winning .Out of nowhere, she was winning though, and before I could rise up and defeat her, she won with a hearty "Checkmate!"
I was suddenly filled with jealousy, with rage that came from nowhere. "Don't think I'm done with you yet." As the others turned their heads, I placed my hands beneath the table and began to lift it up, before letting it go, throwing it into Hanna's chest with a mighty growl.
"Lloyd!" Jay yelled, his voice already filled with fear.
"Stay back, motormouth, or you'll never speak another word." I pushed him aside, chuckling with content. "Now the Ninja can finally feel what I feel. I can destroy Lloyd from the inside." I covered my mouth, but something inside made me uncover it as I reached for a knife in the kitchen. The real me was terrified, but that ghost inside me- Harumi's ghost, no doubt- was enjoying this.
I aimed and felt a sharp pain in my chest. Water poured over me and I was myself again, but it was too late. I could already feel my consciousness slipping.
"We should take him back to Ninjago," Kazeki muttered, and a Zephyri man took me by the arm, followed by another, as they pulled me down into Ninjago City, put me on a stretcher, and sent me to the ambulance. My consciousness faded before I could see it.
As soon as Nya poured water on Lloyd, he was in great pain, and some Zephyri women took us back to Ninjago. Though they put us on the Bounty, we immediately ran to the hospital.
We threw the doors open, the wind pouring in and pushing us forward. We stopped at the counter. "We're here to see Lloyd Garmadon!" I quickly told them.
"Are you sure you want to see Llo-"
"YES!"
"Second floor, ward 608." The receptionist looked solemn.
We darted through the halls, dashing in. Lloyd looked terrible already, hooked up to a CPAP machine as another contraption counted his heart rate, which was slow and unstable. His wounded chest was wrapped in linen. It brought stinging tears to my eyes.
"Hey..." Lloyd opened his eyes when heard us come in. "You really do care about me, huh?" He chuckled weakly.
I held his hand, cold and trembling. "You're...you're gonna be okay, Lloyd. They can...they ca...can fix you, can't they?"
"I don't know. I'm pretty close to the end." He looked down, and I blinked numerous tears away. "But with my last few breaths, I just want to say I'm sorry." His breathing was shaky, and the tremor in his voice made me bite my lip and look down. "I'm sorry for eve-"
A sharp inhale made my chest shake as my heart pounded a mile a minute inside it. Everything was cold and blurry, and nothing could warm the world. As my body broke down, my head made contact with hard, cold metal and a larger, rougher hand than mine held onto my own. "I'm sorry too, Lloyd. Forever."
A hand of the same kind touched my shoulder, and I felt soft lips kiss my cheek. "It's alright, Jay." Nya's voice was as weak as mine, but hearing the feminine tone of the love of my life warmed me inside, just a little. Her head fell onto mine, her dark tangles buried in my ginger curls. "We're still together."
"I am sure you know why we gathered here," Zane said. "Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, all-powerful Green Ninja and protector of Ninjago, has passed on tragically in the past week, slain by the ghost of the infamous Princess Harumi."
Silence. My heart lurched at hearing that name, sadness and anger messing with my head.
"You all remember him," he continued. "He was the son of feared Garmadon, grandson of the benevolent First Spinjitzu Master. He defeated many foes, and he was who connected us together. He was the one who lead us on, even if we feared there was no hope."
I looked away from the others. I couldn't take it. It was too much. I just wanted to knock over those candles, rip that photo to pieces. I shook my head and ran off. I could barely see Jay reaching for my hand as I ran.
He was like a brother to me. I can't just accept defeat like this! He's Lloyd Garmadon. There's no way he's gone! HE CAN'T BE GONE!
I kept running, across the streets of Ninjago City, through the woods, even crossing the canyons in the Sea of Sand. He had to be alive! He had to be somewhere, even if it wasn't here!
Sweat poured down my face so that I was pretty sure I was making a river. My body felt shallow and shaky and hot. But I had to find him.
Finally, my breathing slowed, my feet failed and I collapsed in the Birchwood Forest snow, my mouth dry and my head pounding. And that's when it happened.
I thought I was hallucinating. But it was clearly real. A pair of hands firmly grasped my shoulders, and I heard a friendly chuckle. The face in front of me definitely had tousled golden hair and bright green eyes.
*** "Stay back, motormouth, or you'll never speak another word." I pushed him aside, chuckling with content. "Now the Ninja can finally feel what I feel. I can destroy Lloyd from the inside." I covered my mouth, but something inside made me uncover it as I reached for a knife in the kitchen. The real me was terrified, but that ghost inside me- Harumi's ghost, no doubt- was enjoying this.
I aimed and felt a sharp pain in my chest. Water poured over me and I was myself again, but it was too late. I could already feel my consciousness slipping.
*** I held his hand, cold and trembling. "You're...you're gonna be okay, Lloyd. They can...they ca...can fix you, can't they?"
"I don't know. I'm pretty close to the end." He looked down, and I blinked numerous tears away. "But with my last few breaths, I just want to say I'm sorry." His breathing was shaky, and the tremor in his voice made me bite my lip and look down. "I'm sorry for eve-"
A sharp inhale made my chest shake as my heart pounded a mile a minute inside it. Everything was cold and blurry, and nothing could warm the world. As my body broke down, my head made contact with hard, cold metal and a larger, rougher hand than mine held onto my own. "I'm sorry too, Lloyd. Forever."
A hand of the same kind touched my shoulder, and I felt soft lips kiss my cheek. "It's alright, Jay." Nya's voice was as weak as mine, but hearing the feminine tone of the love of my life warmed me inside, just a little. Her head fell onto mine, her dark tangles buried in my ginger curls. "We're still together."
What? Nononononononononononono, that didn't just happen-- Did it? Holy cow. Holy cow. O_O
