HII ITS MEEE AGAIN

Please, no hate for anyone / anything unless it's Harumi. I was a few years late to watching Crystallized bc I didn't know it existed but everyone was talking about how she 'redeemed herself'

(SPOILERS FOR CRYSTALLIZED)

UMMM- SHE BETRAYED SOMEONE ELSE, THAT IS NOT REDEMPTION. SHE FOUGHT THE OVERLORD BECAUSE HE KILLED HER PARENTS BUT GIRL, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT. SHE BLAMED A 12 YEAR OLD(wild guess I have no idea how old he was) AND HE WS TRYING TO STOP THE GREAT DEVOURER FROM. KILLING. EVERYONE. HE COULDN'T SAY, "OH SORRY I'LL KEEP IT AWAY FROM YOUR STAIRS, SO YOU CAN LEAVE," YEAH, HE LET THE SNAKES LOOSE BUT YOU- UGGGH I CANT WITH HER!!

(Spoilers end and so does my rant, Adelaide just got home from fighting the left over villains)

Tw: stealing anxiety/ panic attack/ nightmares

I make my way slowly towards my bed in the shared bedroom. My hair was still wet from my long shower, but I feel warm in my fuzzy Christmas pyjamas.

"Oh! Hi, I did not see you there, how was your mission?" Harumi bubbled brightly. She was sitting on my bed, with one of my drawers open beside her.

"Hi," I say, trying to keep the skeptic tone out of my voice "what are you doing?"

She seemed slightly panicked before returning to a calm state "well, I couldn't f-find any pyjamas to-er... wear!" She finally spat the sentence out, and I nearly rolled my eyes at her forced lies.

"Great." I say bluntly. My eyes travel to her hand, and she gently pulls it behind her back. "What's that you got there Harumi?"

"What?"

I begin to get angry. My hands curl into a tight fist, but my face stays in a tight lipped smile. "In your hand. There's a piece of paper, and considering you were in my drawers, I think I should be allowed to be suspicious, don't you think?"

She smiles at me. "Oh-this? This is a piece of paper that I was writing on. Diary..! Yeah... Diary! Got some... uh... private things in there."

I look down at my fists, they glow brighter and brighter as I get more frustrated, "well. I didn't ask what it was, just let me see it."

I see her begin to get angry too, and it was satisfying.

"You wouldn't hurt me, right?" Her face got red, but her face displayed a put together smile.

"You wouldn't steal from me, right?" I retort. I drop my smile.

"Never! Princess's honour! Believe me!" She holds her hands similarly to a boy-scout does, one over her heart and the other in the air. I take that opportunity to grab the paper from her raised hand.

Dear diary.

It reads. I recognize it immediately from the diary I had when I was younger.

I have learned a lot about Lloyd after meeting with him again today. I know he went to that school for bad boys or whatever, but he's really nice to me, even when fighting the rest of the ninja. I don't see how he could be 'bad' or something! He's just a really sweet kid!

Love, Adelaide

I scrunch my face in confusion and read the next line.

Dear diary.

I haven't wrote in here for a long time, but I decided to write on the same page to save paper. To clarify, it has been a few years, and technically I am 14 now because of the Tomorrow's tea thing. I'm going to revisit this later and be like 'what? Oh yeah I'm a lot younger technically!' I might forget to write for a long time, but I was right about Lloyd. He is sweet, and the green ninja! Who would've thought!

Love, Adelaide

I look up at Harumi and she uneasily looks away. "Why did you rip this out of my diary?"

"...I...Er...You...Lloyd..." She blurts randomly.

Dear diary.

Today I got some "pointers" from Kai and Cole about Lloyd, being honest ever since Chen's Island, I've liked him- a lot. I've only told Kai and Cole because if I told Nya she'd get into the girl talk and I want to feel like part of the team, and they're like my big brothers.

ANYWAYS, the pointers were how to tell if Lloyd liked me back or not. They know him best and they 'know the signs of when he's in love.' They said that he blushes around me, always talks about keeping me safe, and he trips over his words when he's around me. Kai does that with Skylor a lot so does that mean he likes me?

Love, Adelaide

I flip to the other side. "some diary you've written here." I say sarcastically.

Dear diary.

It's only been one day since I wrote in this, but Lloyd got really sad about his dad today. And I don't blame him, weather we all want to admit it or not, we loved having Sensei Garmadon around. I learned Lloyd's biggest fears today

1.) being used, because he's really kind. I don't quite know if that's one of his fears, or more of mine for him.

2.) Becoming anything like his father before becoming a sensei (evil Garmadon)

3.) any of us dying

4.)failing master wu, or anyone in general

5.) being a shooty green ninja. Or failure in general.

6.)not protecting everyone. He wants to make everyone happy, and he is hurt when he doesn't.

He said he's most scared of losing me though.That was really sweet. I think I love him.

Love, Adelaide.

I look back to Harumi, still sitting on my bed.

"You go through my drawers, diary, and probably a bunch of other things for-what- a small story about my crushes, tomorrow's tea, how Lloyd used to stutter, really?" I say in an unimpressed tone.

"Just curious!" She chirps.

"'Curious?'" I echo while deepening my frown. "Or stealing? Why do you want this page?"

She sighs before slouching more, in defeat. "I wanted to know how to tell if Lloyd felt the same way, it's killing me. I found that and..." Tears pool in her light brown eyes, and I can't help but roll my green ones. "I just wanted to know if somebody finally loved me, is that such a crime?"

"No, but stealing is." I state bluntly. "Even if it is just a small paper."

She sniffs and straightens up "my deepest apologies, then."

"Yeah, yeah. You're on my bed, princess." I grumble with a small sigh.

She hops up and rushes out of the cabin. I collapse face-first on my bed, and don't bother to pull the blankets over myself. My muscles ache, but I manage to sleep.

Yes, I am writing another dream while she has another nap. I like writing dreams so deal with it. 🥰

I stumble around a white room. My pyjamas are swapped out for a bloody and torn version of my gi. The knees are fully gone, my bloody and scabbed ones are revealed. Most of the fabric, was ripped, or even just missing in some clumps.

"Hello?" I call out to the room.

In answer, a door appeared from the wall to my left. Two men walk in, and I recognize them from beating their ass earlier today.

"Who are you? Why am I here?" I try to move, but then I realize this is similar to my last dream, where I am only watching.

"You're gonna help the quiet one tonight for her ceremony."

"What ceremony?!" Oh, how I crave these answers. Like a parched man craves water. It's just natural to me. Some people talk a lot, and I ask questions when held hostage. I assume I am a hostage, because I would never help 'The Quiet One' willingly.

"HAHA- sucks to be y-you!" The smaller one breathed with a stutter. "How's your last moments going, how useless do you feel, you're the e-elemental master of light and you are rendered defenceless, at our m-mercy!"

"I can still beat you ass, so choose your next words carefully." I threaten.

"N-Not really!" He refers to my wrist and I look down. A vengestone bracelet stays firmly clamped just below my hand. I tug at it and try to break it, but it only ends it my wrist bleeding, adding to my many injuries.

Was I in a fight?

"Well, we'll leave you now, but we'll be back." The bigger one says.

The room swirls and I'm back on top of a broken and very... Purple..? Borg tower. The night hides the figure in front of me, but not the one beside me.

"Lloyd? What's going on?" I try to ask, but nothing comes out of my mouth. He gulps and turns back to the hidden figure.

"Follow my lead, dodge everything and do not engage. If you die-" He says quietly.

"I won't!" I whisper back to him "And what is he doing?"

"I believe he is-ahh!" Lloyd barely manages to grab me out of the way as a dark purple energy shoots at us.

"I cannot fight you, but I can resist you."

"I ca-"

The dream swirls again and I am in a dreary cell, on the floor. Tears pool in my eyes, but I refuse to let any drop.

"Why?" I ask to nobody in my line of vision. "Out of anyone, anyone in all of Ninjago, I am the one you kill. This could've been s-so much easier for you.." My voice cracks and wavers, but I curl deeper into the wall.

"You know who would hurt him most dying? Honestly, you said it yourself-" My breath catches at what Harumi says. "You, he meant it before, and I doubt he thinks anything different. You should've seen him when you left. Desperate, horrible nightmares, empty- like the shell of a person." She taunts.

I let a single tear fall.

"You are a sorry excuse for a person." I wipe my tears and get up. A chain around both my wrists keep me from approaching the bars. I see Harumi in the dim light, red lipstick seemingly drawn across her forehead. I lunge and she slightly flinches.

"What has he ever done to you, huh bitch? NOTHING!" I yell."He has probably saved your sorry ass many times! But you only focus on one time a snake killed your parents! If you think that he's the villain, that bleach has gone through into your brain!"

"This is my natural hair colour!"

I roll my eyes and mumble "suuuure."

"You should join me, Lloyd has killed one of your own family too." She says calmly. I spit on the ground and make a gagging movement.

"Bleh, I'm sorry, first off- eww. Second off- I kinda hate you, and third off- I kinda love him! And fourth- SHUT THE FUCK UP THAT NEVER WORKS JUMP OFF A CLIFF HOE-RUMI!"

The room changes again and now it's a temple with a bowl in the middle, on a pedestal.

"The old palace? The hell are we doing here?" I struggle against people holding my forearms.

"You seem to be cursing more since we kidnapped you." The shorter one states.

I raise an eyebrow and look at him. "I will say whatever the fuck I want, and do whatever the fuck I want. Once the ninja get here, you guys are fu-" The man on my left grabs me by the throat and lifts me off the ground.

"You're not going to be able to see them, even if they get here. You're dying, remember?"

I claw at his hand and kick his legs. He doesn't let me go. I begin to panic and-

The dream finally comes to a close, I feel my airways reopen and someone stops screaming.

Spoiler, it's me.

"You okay?" Someone groggily asks me. I hear mumbles and rustling and I look around.

"Sorry," I whisper to the dark room. I manage not to choke on the tears I hold back, and half-fall-half-walk out of my bed, and to the bridge. My breath catches and my hands shake. That didn't feel like a dream, it felt like the last one. A memory, or a message, or something that if said aloud would sound very stupid. I race to the bathroom as quickly as my half-asleep legs will take me and slam the door. Voices talk in the direction of the cabin. Footsteps tread outside the bathroom door and I prepare for the 'talk.'

Not anything about boyfriends, or the 'deed,' but the 'are you okay?' or the 'it was just a dream' talk. It happens too often, because I am perfectly fine.

"Adelaide?" Nya says from outside the door. "Can we all come in?"

I wipe my eyes and clamper onto the toilet, with the lid down. "Yep. But I'm fine." My voice catches in a weird way, and I clear my throat. The door creaks open, in a hesitant way (if doors can open in a hesitant way) and the whole lot of the ninja minus Zane stand in the doorway.

"You weren't kidding when you said all." I state bluntly.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd's voice was slightly deeper from sleep, and his hair was messed up and fluffy, his pyjamas are a dull green top and grey sweatpants. I gulp and look away.

Don'tblushdon'tblushdon'tblush.

"As I said, I'm great! I just needed to uh, go pee." I nod vigorously and plaster a fake smile on my face.

Lloyd sighs and a bit of his hair falls into his face as he leans on the wall. "Just- stop pretending, because we can help you, but only if you let us all the way in."

I hesitate this time, and I hope nobody notices "why are you so worried guys? Honestly, people have nightmares all the time and they are okay." I give a double thumbs up and the team look at me with doubt in their faces, so I might not be the best actress.

"All of you have nightmares too!" I urge, "and you guys don't reach out for help,"

Lloyd gets closer to the toilet and studies my face.

"What are you doing?" I ask quietly. I hope he can't hear my heartbeat, because it spiked when he even moved, or looked in my direction.

"Hm," he says groggily.

"'Hm?'" I echo.

His head turns and his eyes soften. A small smile, a sad one sits on his face, only a foot from mine. He whips his head around at something one of the ninja say, but I don't hear it.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Nya asks softly.

Kai enthusiastically joins in "we can make you feel better!"

"Or we can even play uno!" Jay says with a reluctant smile.

"Or just do something fun!" Cole joins too.

The lights flicker 3 times, a ninja code for project.

Pixal's doing something and they don't want to tell me.

I blink gratefully to them and to Lloyd and he backs up to go back to the team. I get up and hug all of them.

"I'm okay."

"Then why was there tear marks on your face? And when we came in your breathing was strained, your nose was red. Adelaide." Lloyd's breath reaches my ear, but tickles my neck.

I shiver at the cold air and at the cold feeling creeping down my spine.

"Don't forget that we need to talk later, right?" Lloyd says lightly to me. I catch his crooked smile and butterflies erupt in my stomach. I know that it is just because of my nightmare, and lying, but the words still give me a small dopamine boost.

"Right."

He shrugs and runs a hand through his hair, "let's just talk right now, if that's cool."

Everyone exits the bathroom and soon enough, me and Lloyd are leaning over the railing of the Bounty like we used to.

"Promise me something?" Moonlight catches on his face, like my breath catches in my throat.

"Y-Yeah." My usual confidence melts away.

"Don't lie. Please, if you're going through something, just tell me because evidently from tonight you know that I'll find out."

"It was just a nightmare."

I can't look at him, I know it was not 'just a nightmare' but I need to figure out what it is before I go telling anyone something that sounds stupid.

"The stars look, uh- great." I break the uncomfortable silence and muster the courage to look back at the person next to me. Lloyd looks abruptly away when he sees I'm not looking at the stars anymore.

"Del? Can I call you Del again?" I nod and he continues. "Don't do this on your own, please. Whatever it is, or whatever it will be."

"You already said that, and I already said I wouldn't."

"Just be honest, nothing you say sounds stupid." He looks intensely into my eyes. I can't blink, or look away. He doesn't look at me like he did a few days ago, but rather in a caring, happy way. Similar to how he used to, not like he was sad, or looking at me as my father, but finally looking at me for me again.

"Well-" I begin.

"Lloyd? Lloyd? Oh- am I interrupting something?" Harumi asks, in a slightly passive aggressive way.

Lloyd becomes a mess, "no! Of corse not, but er-" he looks to me. "Well, yes, but... Anyone else tired? I'm really tired! Night guys!" He rushes out of the situation and Harumi turns to me.

"So, I tell you that I finally like a boy, and you make a move on him!" Harumi turns on me in an aggressive fashion.

I blink and look at her in surprise, slowly gaining the confidence back, and guess what I got too- my temper! "Make a move? Excuse me? He was helping me out because I had a nightmare!"

"Do I look like an idiot? Don't answer that, but I am not stupid! Your excuse is the same as a 3 year old's? For a ninja you sure suck at lying! A fucking nightmare?"

"Princess, calm yourself before you wake everyone else up."

"I always was told that the peach ninja was a slut, I heard it when you and Lloyd broke up, but now I'm seeing it first hand! Adelaide Thomas, you are such a slut!"

The amount of self-control it takes to not slap this bitch right now.

I feel anger, but I only raise a brow. "You finished, or are you just going to keep yelling at me like a little kid?" I say bluntly. "Because if you want to fight like little kids, I'm all for it, I just wouldn't bet on the non-elemental master."

"You know what?" She laughs angrily. "You know how many other people would never have caused him to be in that much pain? You hurt him, you don't deserve him, you- UGH! If I would've known him sooner, I would've saved him so much pain, and time that he spent on you."

"Hold up, I have little interest in Lloyd like that. If you want to get with him, I wouldn't give two shits, okay? Shoot your shot. Just stop insulting me, and the time I had with him, because it wasn't wasted, so just shut your pretty little mouth, because I wasn't doing anything wrong, unless talking to someone in your family." I sigh with a very tight smile. "But if you really wanna call me a slut, just shut your fucking mouth before you -or I- do something we regret."

"Honestly, leave my fucking man alone you bitch, or you are gonna need those shitty powers of yours."

I roll my eyes and walk away. "Didn't need that extra honestly." I grumble and go to make myself cereal.

SO- I originally wrote a very rushed plot twist in here, but I decided not to. It seems too early and well, rushed I guess. I got grounded and the only way I can watch Ninjago for reference of what happens is on Netflix on my phone so this is a little filler.

I literally got grounded for using my phone- 😑

Word count for the chapter : 3237 words.

Stay safe, and I'll see you soon. ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️

💕 Grace