Chapter by: LillaSmolBean
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Being accompanied by yet again another troupe of ludicrous town guards, Harumi didn't have many prompts to another escape plan. "This place again.." she mutters in a low tone as she takes in the emptiness of the dark lord's throne room. She never really liked how his throne room was so close to a steep fall but he was the emperor, she should not question it.

Tacky black stone throne with a wasteland of destruction below it all. Harumi gulped when she was knelt down by the guards pushing on her back. "Head up." An ominous voice called from above her, Harumi immediately obeyed and when her eyes met with the one who commanded her, she saw how the dark oni's four arms extended towards her.
"Hello Harumi." He greeted seriously.
She did not at all expect that.

She expected that he would have started scolding her for her pathetic reason to escape this tower unattended. Her lips pursed to breathe for a moment then when she began to speak in response to that, "What were you thinking?!" Garmadon suddenly lashed out on her. Harumi winced and thought to herself.
'Ah I shouldn't have spoke too soon..'

Glancing back at the furious man in front of her, she sighed. There was no escaping it now, huh? He was wild and irritated and she had no defence against herself. "I'm sorr-" she was interrupted by yet again another yell. "You left without my permission, you let yourself be seen by the townspeople! What if your greedy friends found you?!" He grabbed her by force. Harumi felt the memories of when she was first attacked by Garmadon relive through her mind.

"I didn't! I swear! I wore the hood and-and, Cloud!" She abruptly remembered. Where was Cloud?  In a panic, Harumi glanced all around her but only saw the mocking faces of the SOG guards. She attempted to hide a growl only to focus her attention back at Garmadon. The man's eyes narrowed over at a buff man, presumingly a guard, who just exited the lift. "Looking for this mutt?" He addressed to the white Pomeranian who just entered the room along with the buff man. Harumi shook her head angrily, "She's not a mutt." She growled, bearing off her canines for this time. Cloud whimpered, being held up by the neck fur by the guard. He approached his emperor but Garmadon told him to halt. "Keep the dog chained up."

Harumi's eyes flared up at the order made by the dark lord. She immediately lashed out and attempted to break hold from the SOG guards pinning her down. "No, don't you touch Cloud!" She argued against the oni's wishes. Garmadon just shook his head at her then turned his back. Harumi felt her vision getting blurry, she couldn't take it anymore. 'I hate this.." she admitted in her helpless and anger-blind mind. It was the last word she heard from Garmadon in days, almost a week even.
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At the start of a new week, Garmadon patrolled the hallways of the highest floors in contempt. How should he say this, lately he's been feeling...guilty? He hadn't seen the white haired girls in many long days and has been kind of waiting to hear a positive response from her. He considered apologizing to the girl but sometimes pushed the idea back to make room for new plans to control the terrified people of Ninjago, how to reduce the resistance to a submissive and weak group.

"Listen, it was wrong what you did but I'm sorry." He growled and scrapped it off his apology idea lists. No no, she surely can't forgive him with something like that and he knew it. His whole goal for today was without a doubt be forgiven by Rumi. As for Cloud, he was sure that the adorable pup was doing terrible without her owner. Hopefully the guards treat her nicely like Garmadon asked them too.

His palm curled into a fist and he silently stood in front of her bedroom door. He sighed and knocked quietly. "Harumi." He called, waiting for a response from the teenaged girl. Oh man oh man how he messed up every single thing about her life so far, killing her lover, limiting her escape plans, keeping a human being like her captive with no way out, isolating her from her very own companion...Yet to think, the girl admired the oni very much, calling him her "hero." There was still no response coming from inside.

It was a bit past sunrise and he lately heard from guards that she barely had any sleep lately. Perhaps it was due to too much grief? He didn't understood a human's feelings all too well, he admits.
"Harumi." He knocked again, getting a bit impatient as the fourth knock passed by.
And another one goes by then a sixth, no response. Garmandon's blood red eyes flared up in extreme impatience. "Harumi." He growled before slamming the door open.

It may have been an intrusion of privacy but who was the dark lord to waste? He needed to see Harumi this instant and what he was greeted by instead was an empty bed with messy undone bedsheets.
His breathing slowed down and he shut his eyes to take in the sight. So he was impatient for nothing then? She wasn't even here. "Harumi?" He growled, in search for the white haired prisoner. He searched everywhere in fact, even dared to look under the bed in case she made it her new hideout from Garmadon and the other guards.

He couldn't find her, she wasn't present in this sole room. But he took such care didn't he? So why, why wasn't she here? Surely she couldn't have had anywhere else to stay? Garmadon dashed out of the room and intentionally grabbed the closest guard by the arm. The guard, obviously terrified and albeit stunned at first that his dark lord unexpectedly grabbed him, managed to chicken out these few words: "L-Lord Garmadon!" He cried while his companion watched him with the same amount of fear.

Twitching a brow, Garmadon asked: "Where is Harumi?" in the most dead-toned and serious tone someone could ever imagine. This was the voice that told someone they were in danger therefore should be running, this was the voice that everyone should be afraid of. But the guards had no choice but to stand there or else waste their precious lives. "S-She um sir.." one stuttered one. Garmadon clicked his tongue, adding pressure to the guard's arm. In which, he whined quietly.

"Where." He demanded a bit more louder this time before he changed his attack stance slightly. Instead of holding the guard down by his furious claws, he now has both guards in the air and held up by his dark magic. In a chocked cry, "She's in the d-dungeons my l-lord!" The guard in most pain admitted to their emperor. That made the man drop the two guards instantly and the two fell to the ground, gasping for air. "M-My lord..." a guard wanted to apologize but Garmadon stepped on his hand, desperately reaching out for him.

"Don't." He crushed it and could have sworn to hear bones crack from under him. His eyes flared up and the two guards were now faced with a beast, a truly real beast. Garmadon luckily didn't kill them, but was close to, he made his way towards the dungeons like said. In order to finally settle things with Harumi.
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Ended up running there, Garmadon pushes aside the guard on patrol duty, might have scolded him for listening to his comrades for once then clawed the dungeon's gate open. "Harumi!" He gasped out, searching for the girl in the smelly and lonesome room. He found the white haired girl, quietly drifted off to asleep on the ground.

He rushed over to her side and picked her up from the filthy ground. He wiped some dust off her cheeks and realized an untreated wound to the forehead. When seeing this, he figured he should check for any other injuries. "I told them not to mess with you." He protested, clearly angry with his recruits. He began walking back upstairs and towards the medical room in Borg tower. Not many injuries, the most critical one being her bleeding forehead.
Aside from that, she had scratches and scars on her legs and a long mark on her left arm.

"Come in Harumi, let's heal you up." He cooed and flinched when he looked back down to check if she was doing alright. The girl mumbled something incomprehensible in her sleep and rolled to her side still staying in his arms. Fresh tears rolled down from her cheeks and Garmadon felt his non locatable heart melt in almost wonder. "There there." He wiped off the incoming tears. He brought her close to her and caressed his cheek against her own, "I'm sorry, I can bring Cloud back, just forgive me." He asked.

Surely he wouldn't receive a response but atleast he knew Harumi wasn't disposed in some alley way he had no idea about.
He continued to walk towards the medical room, even earning glances from passing patrolling guards, some even being so bold to even question their former boss's state. Garmadon obviously shushed then with closed canines. Harumi hissed slightly in pain before returning back to sleep. Through the journey, Garmadon hummed a small tune, to help her sleep better.

He didn't need much from the medical room actually, just a bandage he needed to wrap around her bleeding forehead.
Garmadon did just that and noticed how Harumi shook her head, probably due to discomfort. He sighed and apologized once more. "You'll understand when you wake up." He muttered promisingly. With Harumi's forehead all fixed up for now, he brought her to her room. Well atleast, that's where he thought his next destination would be.

He was walking in the halls of the Ninth floor, close to where the white haired girl's bedroom was before he encountered a charging ball of fluff run in the opposite direction as him and Harumi. Three guards chased after the ball of fluff before they recognized their boss, standing there unimpressed as always.
"What is this?" He questioned, referring to why Cloud, the white Pomeranian was seen with a muzzle and pretty much seen running away. The muzzle surprised him to be quite blunt, if Harumi were to see this..

The guards halted and watched as their boss approached close, still holding Harumi in his arms. He repeated his question, "What is this?" a bit more louder and menacing this time. The guards froze in their places, "Well you see Garmadon-"
The speaking guard was interrupted by Garmadon glancing back at Cloud to claw the muzzle off by force. Cloud didn't appreciate the sudden gesture, even barked in defence a little before her protests died down at the sight of Harumi in Garmadon's arms.

She stayed behind Garmadon's legs as he dealt with the ones that trapped her away.
"I'm just not being heard at all today. Why treat the dog badly?" He inquired. The guard gulped and proceeded to answer:
"Well-" but he was stopped when his companions told him that Garmadon was walking off. "Save it. I don't wanna hear it." The dark lord said, walking off with Harumi and Cloud, who trotted behind him.

Luckily for the man, the girl's room was nearby when Cloud abruptly appeared.
He set Harumi down on her own bed and pulled the covers to her chin. The puppy barked and set her place right by Harumi's feet. Garmadon stared at the two girls with a small smile. "Look I'm really sorry, to the both of you. Will you ever find it in you to forgive me?" He asked quietly. Cloud laid her head down on the blanket and prepared for a proper nap while Harumi lay unresponding.
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A/N: Hey Lilla here and thank you for reading chapter 68! Ah things are getting exciting huh? Who else here thinks that Harumi is getting a little fed up with Garmadon? It's been a while since she's been captured as well! And Cloud! What do you guys think Cloud feels about Garmadon? Tell me all about it down below! That's all for now, I'm kind of exhausted after writing this, haha. Cya till the next one!^^