Skylor looked at the map, "The Endless Sea. I've never been there before."

"I haven't even been there before." Kai admitted, "And if I haven't, I highly doubt that you would have." Skylor gave him a look and he shrunk back while chuckling nervously.

Lloyd was leading the mission, "Okay, our mission starts now. We'll be going through most of Shintaro's forest before making it to the first location, the Ophidian Forest." He turned to Quin, "Quin, what can you tell us about this forest? Do you have any idea what dangers it might contain?"

"The Ophidian Forest... The meaning of 'ophidian' is a snake. The Ophidian Forest is filled with them." Quin explained, "The forest is filled with lots of snakes, whether it be venomous snakes, normal snakes, or even giant snakes."

Jay looked at her, "Giant snakes? Like the Great Devourer?" He questioned.

Quin shook her head, "None of the snakes in that forest is related to the Great Devourer. They just might be similar to it."

"Then I suggest we keep our distance from the surface." Zane suggested.

Lloyd nodded, "Zane's right. We'll have to stay in the skies. There's no telling what these snakes are capable of."

Kai raised his hand, "Just a question."Quin nodded for him to continue, "Are there any serpentine? Like Hypnobrai, or Fangpyres, or Constrictai, or...?" He trailed off, hoping Quin will get where he's getting at.

Quin understood and shook her head, "From what I know, the Ophidian Forest doesn't have any serpentine." She turned to PIXAL, "PIXAL? Would you mind doing some research on this forest?" She asked.

PIXAL replied with a head shake, "I do not mind. Zane?" She turned to him, "Would you mind helping me?"

"Sure. Come on." Zane took her hand and led her towards their sleeping quarters.

Lloyd smiled, "What else do we know about the forest so far? Other than it being filled with serpents?" He queried.

"Not much. Unfortunately, that's all I know." Quin admitted, looking down.

Lloyd placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's not your fault."

Cole joined in, smiling, "Yeah. None of us knew that we were going to be entering a creepy, snake-infested forest."

Kai spoke up as well, "It's kind of becoming a routine for when we start an adventure. This always happens." He smirked.

"True. I've only been on two missions so far and in both times, we had no idea what we were going to do. Nor what we were going to have to face." Skylor smiled.

Vania jumped in, "They're all right. I've been on one mission and it was crazy. We just went with everything that happens. When it happens and what happens."

"I guess that's true." Quin started, "I can't say that this is my first mission... I've been on one before. It was a different feel since my intentions were... different, you could say." She divulged.

Lloyd frowned before assuring her by saying, "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You were probably just confused or something like that." He grinned.

Quin shook Lloyd's hand off of her shoulder gently, "Yeah, I was totally just 'confused'..." She muttered in sarcasm before sighing, "I'll be at the wheel if anyone needs me." She informed as she walked towards the bridge of the flying ship.

They all looked at her as she left, concerned frowns stuck on their faces. Skylor broke the silence by looking at them and saying, "Is it just me or is there something she's hiding from us?" She asked.

Kai nodded at her, "I've been having that feeling too. Topics that shouldn't be disturbing seem to make her really uncomfortable..." He agreed.

"Is it something from her past? Or maybe we have a history with her and we just don't remember?" Jay considered while stroking his chin.

Vania decided to say something, "Maybe. But her aura..." She trailed off as she rested her cheek on her hand, "It reminds me of someone. I just can't place it."

"Hmm... Lloyd." Cole turned to the Green Ninja, "Is there any other pointers that could lead to us ever crossing paths with Quin?" He asked.

Lloyd looked down and said, "Uh... Does her being good with kids help? Because she was really great with helping kids go through the stage of loss." He voiced his thoughts.

Cole looked at Kai, who returned the gaze, before saying, "I guess so. Do we know anyone from our past that is good with kids?" He asked.

Jay repeated the sentence again and again, hoping to get something from it, "Good with kids. Good with kids. Good with kids... Good at helping others at the stage of loss. Maybe she went through that stage herself? That might be why she's good at helping those who suffered the same fate." He suggested.

"Stage of loss? Who do we know that's been through a stage of loss?! Too many to count!" Kai yelled.

Cole sighed, "Okay. What else, Lloyd?" He questioned.

Skylor agreed with Kai, "I think we know too many people that's been through a stage of loss..."

"Hmm... She has a scar on her right eye. I'm not sure of the size but she did say that it was a pretty large one." Lloyd said.

"A scar? On her right eye? That sounds cool." Jay simpered.

"Jay, focus." Cole scolded.

Jay raised his hands up in defense, "Okay, okay. Sheesh, I'm focused."

"How did she get the scar?" Kai asked.

Lloyd tried to remember what she told him, "If I wasn't mistaken, she got it from an accident. She also said that it was when Lord Garmadon was in control of the city." He summarized.

"When Lord Garmadon was in control of the city? That was years ago. Did she say what kind of accident it was?" Skylor asked.

Lloyd shook his head, "No, she didn't."

"A scar from a few years ago? It must've been a bad one." Vania spoke up.

"Great." Kai started with a frown, "We just had to get suspicious of Quin. Now I'm getting even more curious. This is just great." He complained.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kai." Skylor tried to calm down the hothead.

"Sorry. But I'm just frustrated! Quin is our friend and ally right now. Getting suspicious of her sounds kind of wrong..." Kai looked away.

Cole sighed, "He's right. It doesn't seem right to be skeptical of her." He turned to Lloyd, "What do you think Lloyd? Should we just leave her alone?"

Lloyd had a blank look on his face while looking down to the floor, "I don't know. I don't want to barge into her life like this but..." He trailed off.

"But?" Cole and Jay asked simultaneously.

Lloyd sighed, "But I feel like we should? I don't know how to say it, but there's just a feeling that I know her." He looked back at the others, "Yesterday evening when I went out to find her, she was jumping over buildings. Then something happened, she landed on a busted ladder and it cracked-" He explained.

Jay jumped in, cutting him off, "Wait a minute, stop right there. Didn't that happen to you on the night when the Sons of Garmadon attacked the Royal Palace? You told us that you were chasing a 'thief', who was actually Harumi."

Lloyd nodded, "Yes, it did happen to me. I told Quin about it. The weird thing was that it was as if she knew that it ever happened to me, which should be impossible. Maybe it was just me though." He wondered.

"It was probably just you. Not even Sensei Wu knows about that." Cole dismissed Lloyd's suspicion.

Jay, however, thought about it, "Maybe that could be a clue."

Kai looked at him, "What could be a clue?" He asked.

"The fact that Quin knows a lot about what happened to Lloyd." Jay smiled.

Skylor yawned, "It took us a few hours to get to Shintaro. It's not night yet but I'm pretty beat. Didn't get much sleep last night... I'm gonna call it a night." She started walking towards the sleeping quarters but stopped, "Kai, I'll be sleeping with you tonight. Goodnight!" She yawned and left.

Kai nodded, slightly surprised, "Oh! Uh, sure! I'll see you later, Sky. Goodnight!" He yelled back, waving. He looked like he was thinking of something before saying, "You know what? I'm gonna go to sleep as well. Goodnight, guys." He said before leaving.

Lloyd looked at the rest, "Are you guys gonna retire for the night too?" He asked.

Jay nodded, "Yeah. Now that Skylor said it," He paused to yawn, "I'm getting pretty tired. Well, night, guys." Then he left.

Cole looked at Vania and they both nodded. He looked at Lloyd, "Mind watching the first night, Lloyd?"

Lloyd smiled and nodded, "Yeah, sure. I don't mind. You guys just go on."

Cole left first, "Goodnight." He called out.

And Vania said, "Thanks, Lloyd. We'll see you in the morning, I guess?"

Lloyd nodded, "See you tomorrow, and goodnight." He smiled.

Vania nodded and waved while leaving, "Goodnight."

Once all of them left down to the cabin, Lloyd walked up to the bridge. He saw Quin driving the ship. She looked happy and relaxed. Lloyd smiled, "Hey. What'cha doing?"

Quin smiled back at him, "Oh, nothing much. Getting away from crowds just relaxes me." She inhaled, "Nice to get away from uncomfortable questions." She admitted.

Lloyd then frowned, "Do you mind telling me more about your past?" He asked, "If not then it's okay too."

Quin clicked the autopilot and left the bridge. She gestured for Lloyd to come with her. They both sat at the front of the deck, looking at the sunset. Quin closed her eyes and sighed, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that it isn't the right time. If I told you now, you wouldn't understand." She explained.

Lloyd looked away, "I understand." He smiled and looked back at her, "How 'bout if I tell you about my past?" He proposed.

Quin looked down, "That's the thing, Lloyd. I already know a lot about your past." She sighed, "You got hurt a lot. If I tell you about me now, it'll just hurt you even more." She groaned in frustration, "I don't even have to see it to know that you'd be upset."

Lloyd raised a brow, "Why would I be upset if I don't even know who you are?" He asked, a bit of anger detected in his voice.

Quin looked at him with frustration, "Look, Lloyd. It's hard, okay? If I told you it would make things even worse than it already is!" She yelled.

Lloyd narrowed his eyes on her, "What do you mean it would make things worse than it already is?" He yelled back.

Quin got up from her seat and stomped her foot on the ground. She groaned in frustration, "It's very complicated, Lloyd!" She shut her eyes closed and said, "I've been on the Bounty before. I've been on a mission on this ship before. Not too long ago!" She admitted.

Lloyd also stood up, "How long ago?" He asked.

She took a sharp breath and walked closer to the railing, "A few years ago. Two or three. I'm not sure." She sighed.

Lloyd gasped, "But that's impossible. Me and the ninja were still using the ship. There is no way that you could've gotten on." He gaped.

Quin walked away from the deck, "I'll tell you when the time is right. Okay, Lloyd? Now's not the time." She said calmly as she went below deck

Lloyd just stared at her before groaning. Once she was out of earshot, he said to himself, "I just had to get into her personal life, didn't I? I should've just left her alone." He facepalmed before going back to the steering wheel. He found something near the wheel and just threw it down to the deck in frustration.

At the same time, Quin walked down the stairs and facepalmed, "I shouldn't have said that. Maybe I should've just told him." She stopped walking and groaned, "No. But then he would get mad and turn around. I don't even know if they're coming today. If there is no news about it yet, there is no way to convince the Ninja that I'm not lying." She sighed and slumped down the wall.

She wanted to scream, but held it in. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. She frowned, taking out a picture. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, her voice slightly cracking. She started sobbing, "I'm a terrible person. I should just tell him." She muttered.

After a few minutes of crying, she finally got up and went into the sleeping quarters. She saw everyone asleep. Jay was asleep in his bed. Kai and Skylor were sharing. Cole and Vania were also sharing. Turns out, PIXAL and Zane were also asleep. She sighed. She looked around and saw a bunch of pictures on a board.

Memories.

She took out the picture that she was looking at earlier. She had a teary smile on her face before she mumbled, "I hate to lie to you, Lloyd. But you'll see tomorrow." She took a magnet and stuck the picture onto the board. She took a step back and smiled weakly, "Hopefully, it'll go smoothly. But knowing my luck, it'll probably go downhill." She whispered.

She sighed and slipped into Lloyd's bed. He'll be on guard tonight, so he probably won't go to sleep tonight. Maybe, maybe not. She sighed. A tear slipped from her right eye and the red scar was visible again. She closed her eyes and just cried herself to sleep.

After she fell asleep, Kai opened his eyes. He looked over to Skylor. He shook her and she opened her eyes. Skylor groaned, "What is it, Kai? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here?" She asked groggily.

Kai sighed, "Sorry I had to bother you, but I heard something from Quin." He said.

That grabbed Skylor's attention as she shot up from the blankets, "Kai, you shouldn't be eavesdropping on her." She scolded.

"I know, I know. But I couldn't help myself." He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "She said something about her hating to have to lie to Lloyd. And she also said something about hoping for something to go smoothly, but she has a feeling that it'll go downhill." He finished.

Skylor's eyes widened for a second, but she closed them and sighed, "Kai. I know you want to figure this out. After everything Quin did, you're getting more and more suspicious of her. But maybe we should figure this out tomorrow?" She suggested.

Kai sighed and nodded, "Fine. But we need to tell this to the others." He added.

"We will. But we'll do it tomorrow." Skylor pulled him down and they both fell asleep.

After a few hours, Lloyd did decide to go to sleep. He left the Bounty on autopilot again and left to go to the cabin. He closed the door and went to his bed. Before he could even look, something caught his eye.

It was on the picture board. He walked towards it and saw a picture of him and Harumi. He gave a sad frown to it. He closed his eyes before inhaling. He opened his eyes again and decided to just sleep.

He was slipping into bed when he saw Quin, sleeping peacefully. Her face had tear stains. "She must've cried herself to sleep." He thought. He sighed quietly and just slipped into the covers with her.

Quin's body shook for a second and Lloyd noticed it. She rolled over to him and buried her head in his chest. Lloyd blushed at the sudden act. He knew she was asleep, but it was still flustering. He decided to just let her do it and just fell asleep.

⊱ ─────────{.⋅ ✧ ⋅.} ─────────⊰

PIXAL and Zane woke up first, which wasn't surprising. They always get up early to make breakfast or just because they wanted to get up. Next one up was Lloyd. He's used to it but forgot that he fell asleep with Quin. So when he got out of bed, he accidentally pulled her with him, which resulted in both of them landing on the ground. Quin was on top of him and Lloyd was underneath her.

The loud thud caused everyone in the room to wake up, startled. They all started saying and asking random things simultaneously. That was before they notice that Lloyd and Quin were on the floor, tangled in each other.

Kai instantly burst out in laughter, "What happened?" He asked in between laughs.

Jay also started laughing, "I'm sorry. Are we interrupting something?" He asked teasingly. Quin and Lloyd's faces were red. Cole also started laughing. Jay then said, "Does anyone know where the camera is?" He asked.

Cole got up and said, "It's at the bridge. I'll get it!" He said before running upstairs.

Lloyd and Quin panicked, not wanting to get photographed like this. They started trying to get up. They also brought the blanket down with them which only made it harder for them to get out.

"I'm sorry! Uh, just let me get up." Quin apologized.

Lloyd, at the same time, was also apologizing, "Sorry! I was just trying to get up."

They both got up eventually. But as they did, they heard a click. They looked towards the source and saw Vania with the camera in her hand, "Gotcha." She chuckled.

"Mind if I take a look?" Skylor asked the girl. Vania just nodded.

Quin fidgeted with her hair, "I'm just gonna go." She said before walking off.

Lloyd nodded, "Same here."

As soon as she was out of sight, Quin ran to the deck and took a breather. Everyone that was below deck went up and as soon as they did, they saw the scar. Everyone gasped.

Quin, still no knowing that her scar was revealed, asked, "Why is everyone looking at me like that?" She raised a brow.

"Is that the scar you were talking about Lloyd? Cause I don't think that how a scar looks." Skylor pointed out.

Quin gasped. She took a mirror out from her pocket and Skylor was right. Her scar was visible. It covered her right eye completely and it also had weird sharp edges. She didn't have her powder with her so she just covered it with her hand.

Vania gaped, "Why does it have sharp edges?" She asked.

Quin grumbled under her breath, "I knew it was all gonna go downhill." She sighed, "It can't get any worse than this right?" She asked herself in a whisper.

"PIXAL? Where did you put the research?" Everyone heard Zane ask.

"It's at the deck, Zane." PIXAL replied to him.

Everyone saw Zane walk down from the bridge. They all looked at him. Zane walked down the stairs but tripped on something. He yelped as ice shot out of his hand when he fell. The ice was headed straight towards Quin.

Her eyes widened, and just before it hit her. Kai shot out fire from his hands and melted the ice before it could hit Quin. The ice melted all over Quin, leaving her drenched in water.

She muttered, "It did get worse. Just my luck." She frowned.

"Quin! Are you okay-?" Lloyd cut himself off when he noticed something. Paint, "What?" He instantly backed up.

The others noticed his confusion and came towards Quin. Paint was dripping down from her hair. It was golden blond just a second ago, but now it was white-blond. The water also made her ponytail loose.

Ready for the questions and screams. Quin closed her eyes and sighed. Her hair was down. It was white. She had bangs when it wasn't tied up. Her hair went down to her waist. Everyone recognized her in an instant.

"I can't believe it." Kai gasped.

"It can't be." Cole muttered.

"How is this possible?" Jay asked no one in particular.

Vania's eyes widened, "You're her. It's you."

Skylor just gawked, "This is impossible."

PIXAL heard the commotion and came over with Zane. They both gasped.

"This morning had just turned into a disaster." Jay added.

Kai then remembered that Lloyd was here. He looked towards him and saw his expression, "Lloyd?" He asked.

Lloyd just stood there in shock. He shook his head, trying to deny it. He blinked a few times, trying to see if he was dreaming.

... Silence.

Jay asked this time, "Lloyd?"

Everyone was looking at him now.

Lloyd finally snapped out of it and came towards 'Quin'. He reached his hand out and took her hand away from her eye while questioning...

"Ha- Harumi? Is it really you?"