When I first saw you, you were quiet.

Silent but strong, an admirable princess

Even though that was a lie, all lies spring from truth

Even after our troubled past, I still love you for it.

~a Lloyrumi tale~

I never expected my tale to end this way.

     It was always, 'the hero rode off with his princess into the sunset and they lived happily ever after.' For me, it was more of, 'the princess walked into the sunset and left the hero behind.'

     Ever since that fateful day where Harumi had left us, I found myself worrying. Was she safe living in the woods? Had she found shelter, or was she living in a cave and suffering from some rat disease? What if she had died and wasn't coming back to me? What if she had died, and was now married to Morro in the spirit realm, leaving all thoughts of me behind forever?

     It always turned from questions about her safety to questions about my own heart. I understood that I still loved her, but why did it hurt so much to let her go? Sometimes these worries would drift into my sleep and her face would appear in my dreams.

     There were times where she would kneel in the dirt with twigs in her ratted hair, clawing at the ground to find worms to eat. Other times she would be staring at a sunrise blotted out by trees, whispering to the wind like it was the only thing that cared.

     I would wake up in a panicked sweat, wondering why I had let her go in the first place.

     My friends assured me she would be okay. Kai said if she could take over Ninjago while we were on duty, then she could survive out in the wild. Jay joked that I shouldn't underestimate her ability to find her way back to me. Even Cole, the loneliest out of all of us, told me to relax.

     Yet, when I watched Jay swell up with pride when Nya announced she was with child, and my other matched friends nuzzle their partners with joy at the news, all I could think about was her. She told me she would come back. She had to come back.

     I often wondered if I only loved her because of a prophecy.

     Whenever I thought about why I loved Harumi, all I received were horrendous flashbacks. I could see the glint in her eyes, the red streaking across her face, the force of her grip as she made me watch my whole world being torn apart. I had hated her because of it. She had stolen my heart and ripped in into a thousand tiny shreds.

     Yet, when she came back from the Departed Realm, she was different. Still Harumi, but softer. She was willing to help. Willing to fight for good. Willing to lay down her life so that I could live another day.

     The same girl who broke me stitched me back together.

     She said she loved me.

     She promised she would come back.

     I waited for months as Nya's belly swelled and everyone bought her more gifts than she probably needed. Kai kept deflecting as Jay teased him for his sister being a parent before him, while Skylor huffed that she actually needed to want a child for reasons other than brotherly competition. Everyone ate way too much cake at the baby shower, and Nya announced the baby was going to be a girl. I could barely force the frosting down.

     Why did I love Harumi?

     Happy memories came this time, visions of when we first locked eyes, when we spent time together in a poor alley talking about our destinies, the days I cheered her up from her grief, the excitement in her eyes as we explored the unknown, and the apologetic sorrow as she fell from a collapsing building. Even though my first feelings were her were nothing more than my own hormones working against me, now I felt different. This girl had been through so much, and a lot of her tragic backstory resembled my own. Her parents died, leaving her to fend for herself at a young age. She wanted to be evil and looked up to Lord Garmadon. She did some bad things that ended up causing a bunch of chaos for Ninjago. Finally, she turned around and helped save the realm.

    Harumi knew what it was like to be trapped within a destiny prewritten by writers beyond our reach.

     She knew how I felt; she understood me.

     But those weren't traits of a lover, only those of a friend. So, why was she special?

     After Harumi had left, we spent days patrolling the city to make sure the Overlord didn't show up again. There were never any signs of him after that fateful day so long ago. Minor criminal gangs would pop up every now and then, but nothing serious ever happened. Since Jay was concerned about Nya's welfare, they basically retired from the team. Sure, Jay still came on our 'missions' every now and then, but he was mostly away trying to get a job and help his new family settle down.

     Our patrols were quiet without the joking ninja around, which made me even more wistful. I had always wished for a normal life, but this was different. I had imagined a life where my friends and I could spend all day together like usual, yet also one where we weren't plagued by various chaotic evils. While life was living up to the second standard, it was far from the first.

     When the nurse came out of Nya's hospital room to verify that we could all see the baby, Kai rushed in there before any of us could process the news. I slowly followed a sighing Skylor into the stuffy room to find Nya cradling a crying young girl. The baby was bald and tiny, with her little mouth open. Jay was tickling her feet, and Nya couldn't stop smiling despite the obvious pain she had just gone through.

     Kai nuzzled his niece, sobbing like an idiot that his little sister had grown up.

     Jay announced the baby's name was Bequeath before anyone could ask, refusing to change it even after Kai insisted that Jay shouldn't lace a joke into his firstborn's name. Cole was the first to get the baby to stop crying by singing to her. Zane joined Jay in playing with her little grasping hands. We were in there for so long that the nurse had to shove us out so Nya could have some privacy. I'm pretty sure all of us cried tears of joy at some point.

     I spent that night imagining what it would be like for me to hold my own firstborn.

     Kai was the next to 'retire'.

     Skylor, before her marriage to Kai, had opened up her father's island as a place for people to live. She kept the noodle factory there; she just made sure it was run by paid employees. Before long, people started to move there and colonize the place. Parts of the dangerous jungle were leveled and drained. Houses sprung up like dandelions in the spring, and before long, lots of citizens were living there. They called it 'Skylor's Island'.

     Skylor lived there and acted as mayor (though her island was completely loyal to Ninjago City and its laws), ruling both the island and her company with honesty and goodness. Kai was being trained to enter as her equal in the field, so he could help her with the many responsibilities of being a leader. The result was that he took several long vacations to the island to get moved in and trained on how to run a business. With all of our ninja adventures over the years, none of us had a chance to go to college and get degrees. Kai was lucky to have a high school diploma, so he barely had any idea of what he was getting into.

     While Jay and Nya permanently settled down to raise their daughter properly, Kai moved away to Skylor's Island to join his wife as head of a noodle empire. Soon, it was just Zane, PIXAL, Cole, and I traveling around Ninjago, making sure everyone was safe.

     Master Wu insisted that I settle down and at least finish getting through high school. I had dropped out of school at a very young age and had never really had a chance to catch up with my ninja adventures. So, with a heavy heart, I left my team to settle down at Steepest Wisdom II. I was officially hired there as an employee, and I did full time online school on the side.

     I still couldn't believe Master Wu had gotten another tea shop opened up. The first one had to be shut down due to Morro, the second one closed due to 'non-canonical activity' (according to Master Wu), and the third one was burned down by Kai when we fought off Malevolence's Vermillion. The city had been kind and insured the last tea shop, so Master Wu had Steepest Wisdom II up and ready to serve in only a few weeks.

     Without having time to go on the hour-long city patrols, I spent my time doodling while listening to school lectures. Often, I would find myself sketching a nose in the margin of my paper. Eyes would have to follow a certain distance above the nose, followed by bushy eyebrows and a thin-lipped smile. Sometimes I'd draw bangs over the forehead, others I'd tuck the hair behind the ears. For some reason, the blue pen we used to mark receipts had make its way into my room, so I'd use that to fill in the eyes.

     A crude sketch of her face would stare back at me, making me forget whatever the online teacher was saying.

     It looked like a five-year-old had tried to draw her, but it was still Harumi. I could still see the gleam in her eyes; I could still imagine her smiling at me as we worked together to make bread for dinner. Maybe if she were here, she would help me figure out my homework. Maybe if she were here, we could scrub tables together and laugh at annoying customers. Maybe if she were here, we could fall in love all over again.

     What made her so special? Why was it that every time I thought of her, I felt like a piece of myself was missing?

     I finally worked up the courage to approach Master Wu about it. I had found him in another one of the upstairs' rooms, packing his things. He wanted to retire to the monastery and spend the rest of his days there. He told us that it was weird for people to see him never grow older, and at some point, he would outlive most of us. He would be gone, but not too far that we would never see him again.

     I asked him if I only loved Harumi because of a prophecy.

     Master Wu laughed at the statement, a strange wistfulness coming over him when he replied no.

     He said a prophecy was something that stated what was going to happen, not something that changed what was going to happen. He likened it to a mother telling a child who was determined to touch a hot stove that they would be burned. Since the child was determined to touch the hot stove, it did not matter what the mother prophesied. She was only describing the events to come, not altering them. Master Wu then went on to ask me that if I did not know about the prophecy, would I still love Harumi?

     Zane and PIXAL were the next to leave.

     Cyrus Borg was getting on in his years and needed assistance running his extremely wealthy technology monopoly. PIXAL was then contracted as a co-owner, so she had to spend most of her time helping run the company. Zane followed suit and became a medical doctor, using his motto to protect those who could not protect themselves. He spent his time helping people research how to eradicate diseases. He did his job tending to the poor and sickly very well, using his time doing good in other ways than just fighting off evil masterminds.

     Basically, it was just Cole patrolling the city every day. He spent his time watching over Ninjago alone. I admired his dedication.

     I found I didn't have a lot of time to grieve when my life was so busy. Full-time school took up most of my day, and any time I wasn't doing that I was working long shifts at Steepest Wisdom II. Before I knew it, invitations were coming in for Bequeath's first birthday party, which seemed like a sudden shock.

     It had been over a year since she left.

     Over a year, and she still hadn't come back.

    Cole got into a lot of trouble at the party.

    The birthday baby Bea wasn't allowed to have sugar since she was so young. Yet, every time Jay and Nya were distracted with their guests, Cole would feed her a small piece of the birthday cake. Bequeath really enjoyed cake. She squealed with delight every time we passed her with a plate of some, reaching up for more whenever she saw it.

     I held the baby a lot, messing with her dense, curly hair. Bea had her father's hair, but it was her mother's color. Her face appeared scrunched up with her narrow eyes and chubby cheeks, but her constant cooing made her an adorable baby. I spent a lot of time playing with her and making her laugh.

     Zane told me he thought I'd make an excellent father.

     I could tell Cole had the same longing that I had, but I didn't know whether his job was harder or not. Cole adored Bea probably more than anyone else, which was fitting since he was her godfather. Cole adored children in general, and I could tell he wanted nothing more than to settle down and have a big family. Yet, he still hadn't found the right person yet. Like me, he was still waiting for his soulmate to come along. He still had to deal with life whilst waiting for opportunity to knock.

     Time passed in a strange blur.

     I graduated from high school that spring; all of my hard work paid off. I had taken some high school classes before settling down at Steepest Wisdom II. After staying there I had done double the work to make up for lost time. It was satisfying to finally have some sort of education to attach to my name. At least I wasn't a total failure in that field.

     I still wished she could have been there to tell me I did a good job.

     Would I have loved her without a prophecy?

     I think so.

     The first time I saw her smile, even if it was fake, it was still enchanting. She looked like she actually cared about the welfare of her people, that she believed that we could lead Ninjago to peace. I remembered the smiles we shared, the times when we would bare our souls to each other. I had fallen for her long before a prophecy, and when I thought about her now, it wasn't the prophecy that came to mind.

     I imagined peeling the twigs out of her ratted hair and nursing her back to health. I fantasized helping her feral mind back to an educated one, whether that took hours of teaching or not. It didn't matter how messed up she would return from her journey in the wild, in my mind I would always care for her.

     It wasn't long before another round of good news came.

    Skylor announced that she was with child. Well, Kai announced it. His ego was even bigger than Jay when it came to these things.

     We all met up to tour their mansion and have lunch together. Everyone oohed and ahhed at every immaculate hall stuffed with priceless materials. We all congratulated the two of their coming happiness, then ate way too many noodles.

     The next day I was filled with an unexpected sadness.

     The last time Skylor and Kai had a major event was when they were married. The day after that was the day Harumi left us. It had been quite a while since that day, yet now I didn't feel so lost.

     Harumi had left because she was a broken soul trying to find peace.

     I needed solitude because I was broken too.

     We were like two broken halves, trying to find our way back together. We had both hurt each other, yet in the end we had found our peace. I had released the Serpentine, who ended up setting off the events that would kill her parents. She had brought back my father and shattered my heart. We had both done wrong, but we both had come together in the end. We weren't that different, her and I. We connected. We were compatible.

     It was the weekend the day after our visit to Skylor's Island, and weekends were always busy days at work. I had a very long shift that required me to smile at every annoying customer that came my way. I took the orders; I dealt with every face.

     By the end of the day, I could barely keep up the act.

     My feet hurt from standing in the same place for nine hours, my shoulders ached from leaning down so much to grab the teacups, and I constantly massaged my fingertips from their soreness of constantly screen-tapping.

     I could barely hold my smile for the customer in front of me, and there were several more people behind them. At least I'd get to clock out after the line was completed.

    I directed the customer aside, typing my name into the register for the next person. I was running out of energy for smiles, so I lifted the corners of my lips and mumbled, "Hello, and welcome to Steepest Wisdom. How can I serve you today?"

     "Hi, I'll have a small cup of Earl Grey."

     I typed in the order, wishing that the end of my shift could come faster.

     "Is there any way you could add cinnamon to that?"

     "Just cinnamon?"

     "Yes, please."

     I tapped the buttons. "Anything e—"

     Wait a second. No one ordered Earl Grey with cinnamon. They might try it with cinnamon and chocolate, or cinnamon and caramel, but never just cinnamon. Earl Grey with just cinnamon was disgusting, but I only loved making it because it was—

     Harumi's favorite tea.

     Slowly, I looked up, seeing the customer in front of me for the first time.

    Harumi's deep blue eyes twinkled, a small smile crossing her pale lips.

    "Hello, Lloyd."

    My mouth dropped open, which seemed improper, but I was too unsure to act. I had dreamed of this day for too long, imagining every way I would react to any situation possible. I often expected a big entrance where she'd burst through the door with the sun illuminating her figure.

    She had never just appeared in my fantasies like a normal person.

    I was too tired to make a big scene. Besides, there was a large line of customers behind her. I couldn't exactly jump over the counter to twirl her around in the air.

    Silence was starting to pool between us as I stood there, my fingers twitching with an anticipation I couldn't place. My cheeks warmed up as she smiled at me, feeling just as much of a little boy as I had when I saw her for the first time.

    "Will that be all for you today?" I croaked, feeling my mouth dry and my heart flutter.

    She nodded, strands of her shorter white hair falling into her face. She looked as tired as I felt, dressed in a thick maroon overcoat despite it being summer. It seemed as if she had just gotten off an incredibly long train ride where they kept the air conditioner turned up too high.

    She wasn't a feral creature of the wild.

    She looked normal.

    Lighter from her grief and stress and worry.

    Ready to live life again.

    "Can I get a name?"

    She laughed, reaching up to tuck the loose hair behind her ears. "I know you still have a while until you close—"

    "No, I get off in a few minutes. Give me two seconds to rope someone else into my position."

    "—but I'll be over at the corner table." Harumi gestured to a softly lit spot near one of the windows. The lights of the city shone through, providing a wonderful view of the place I had called home for so long. "Finish your shift, Lloyd."

     "But—" 

     "I'll be waiting."

     The words echoed between us, remnants of a time long past.

     A time where we both had stared at each other with a new understanding. A time where everything had seemed to click. That's when I understood.

     I had waited this long for her, and she was willing to wait for me.

     My broken half. My beautiful, patient broken half.

     Would I have loved her without a prophecy?

     Yes.

     After insisting that she pay for her tea (which I tried to claim which was on the house), she glided off to the table, carrying a very heavy-looking knapsack with her. The same knapsack she had left with. She really must have just gotten off a train.

     And gone straight back to me.

     As the next customer walked up, I felt a new kind of smile grow over my exhausted features. A new energy, a new life, had sparked inside of me, one that I hadn't felt in a long time. The everyday noises of a normal life turned into a beautiful melody, encouraging me along. Each customer was only a simple obstacle to overcome until I could see her again. The line dimmed in the light of my mind.

     She was here; she had returned to me.

     Just like she promised.

     I barely felt my sore fingertips as they danced across the screen to type my clock-out code. I didn't even take time to remove my apron. Harumi sat in the corner table she had referred to, offering a shy wave as I came over to her.

     She was here; she was here; she was here.

     I never expected to wait for so long, yet it seemed the perfect amount of time. She had found enough time to help her through her grief, and I had found enough time to discover myself and my feelings. As strange as it was to end a story that way, maybe it was only the end of a book on another chapter of my life.

    I never expected my tale to end this way. But, perhaps, this was only the beginning of something incredibly new.

Finis.