Chapter 85: Collision
Chapter by: LillaSmolBean
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An eternity, that's what it felt like in her mind. But as the white haired girl was pleased and satisfied this fine morning, with the ethereal events that happened yesterday, she felt a small figure jump onto her arm and licked her on the cheek. It was too surreal what happened hours ago, yet it felt like a wonderland. Perhaps her relationship with Lloyd was too good to be true, look at him now, not paying attention to her nor refused to forgive her when everyone was practically worried for her the night she was kidnapped by Collin himself.
"Good morning, Cloud." Her train of thoughts fled away and focused on the white ball of fur currently laying on her arm and licking her face. Harumi giggled and yawned, gently nudging the puppy aside so that she can push away the bedsheets from her legs.
The puppy barked happily and jumped off from the bed, rushing over a wooden basket, it was filled with all of her favourite toys. Harumi's eyes glistened and widened as Cloud leaped into the small basket to allow her paws to dig through a pile of other toys, only to return to the surface with a small green ball.
"Oh silly Cloud, do you wanna play?" Harumi rolled down the sleeves of her pyjamas prior to walking over to Cloud.
Overjoyed with her owner accepting to play with her, the Pomeranian puppy brought the ball over to Harumi and with prompted barks, she wished to play fetch.
However, grabbing the small ball from her puppy's jaw, the white haired girl let out a helpless sigh. She twirled the ball around her fingers, even being so bold to crouch down to the ground and lay on her stomach. "A simple kiss, who would have knew..." she started with a big smile.
Ah yes, it had been on her mind. The kiss, that is. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Not even did she gave herself some peace in her mind and refraining to think about it in her sleep. No, it wasn't that easy. Harumi ended up playing around with the ball herself, she examined the toy and screeched quietly. She threw the ball to the wall and Cloud reluctantly ran over to capture the ball. "You saw him, right? Collin, he's so..." she couldn't find the right words.
Cloud brought the ball back over and tilted her head in confusion. Harumi grabbed the toy and fixed her position to a sitting one. "I don't know, there's something about him that makes me want to know more about him. I want to get to know him more, he's a really really good guy." She finally broke out her current impressions of the boy out to her puppy.
She threw the ball in the exact spot, only a few inches closer to the door and watched peacefully as the puppy went to go fetch it.
The puppy brought the ball over and this time, the animal already pieced together Harumi's actual impression on him, she seemed too helpless enough and she was giggling—Cloud had seen the blush on her cheeks that night and currently. The puppy softly growled at her owner in which Harumi shook her head with a small laugh. "Oh stop that, Cloud. You've never been kissed before nor been in love." She replied in more as a protest to defend herself. Yet she said it so carefree.
Had she just admitted it? Was she really admitting out to not only Cloud but herself too that she had fallen in love for Collin? After one mere kiss too, surely it couldn't have affected her opinion that badly- She only liked the idea of him being around to support her and fill in the empty void that Lloyd is currently giving out, she felt safe with him....Harumi placed her hands on her burning hot cheeks and she giggled.
"Oh that's the exact definition of love, isn't it? Oh I really am in love with Collin." She finished her string of thoughts.
The puppy rolled her eyes, even daring to bark back at Harumi for saying such things—for betraying Lloyd like this. "But he betrayed me first! He hasn't forgiven me until now so I can only assume he doesn't want to continue on our relationship!" She retorted. Yet again, the puppy growled and her fur stiffened as she pushed the ball away with a single paw.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry Cloud, I know what you're thinking...ah but it's hard! Collin is just...he's the only one that's been able to talk to me, he's so funny and so...it's like he's there for me, something that Lloyd isn't doing right now." Her tone was at first silent as a husk but she thought more and more of that boy...Harumi seemed more fond—and happy and interested to talk about him. It reminded her how much love had been drained out just for him.
She felt a little bad that they were clogged up in her room as she was throwing around some rants about a girl such as her, being in love. Her eyes glanced over to the leash hanging on the wall. Harumi stood up from the ground and addressed to Cloud, who was fetching for the ball that rolled its way under the bed. "Forget the ball, why don't we go on a walk together?" She suggested.
At first the puppy was skeptical whether or not Harumi was going to use this walk as a "background change" for her ranting. You know, something more in debt, somewhere beautiful where she could confess her heart out for the boy who suddenly came into her life. Cloud growled at the thought before dismissing it. To be fair, she wouldn't deny a good walk with her owner, the puppy barks in agreement.
"Great! But first, I think it's about time that you get a collar, don't you?" Harumi smiled at her puppy's change of attitude and grabbed the leash from the wall. She then walked over the nightstand by her bed and pulled forward a drawer. "Garmadon gave me these along with you but I never really had the time to ask which one you liked best." She pulled out three collars from inside.
It's been a while back, yes. Though, she remembered the day vividly to when Garmadon gifted her the white furred puppy along with some accessories for her, Harumi couldn't be any more ecstatic.
She placed the three collars in front of Cloud and waited for a reaction. "You see, this one's quite suitable since I'm often seen in green." She gestured to the dark green collar to her left, Cloud gave a small inspection before letting out a quiet bark.
Harumi sighed and moved on to the one completely on the right. "Unless you wanna roll with pink, I don't mind." She shrugged. Well really, it was the puppy's decision to what she would be wearing.
It was her collar after all. Cloud gave another quick glance at the pink collar shown by Harumi before looking down on the final one: a plaid pink and green one.
"I mean, you can always have a little of both!" Harumi chimed, watching in the corner of her eye as Cloud started to bark in amusement. The white haired girl lifted the chosen middle collar up from her bed and placed it around Cloud's neck. This was it, this was her collar now. The puppy gave a happy look, it seems. She bounced off the bed and ran around, picking up the leash by her teeth. Harumi chuckled.
"You look great in it too, now come on, let's go." She as well, got off the bed and picked up the bell-loop part of the leash and headed straight for her room's door.
Perhaps maybe her feelings may die down? Maybe it won't be too bad in the end....
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Now as feelings went along this fine morning, Lloyd Garmadon had been feeling nothing but fury since the night.
He had caught her—no them. Harumi was with another boy, she kissed another boy.
He clenched his fists and watched over the skyscrapers of Ninjago city, no, he needed to put his mind off of this problem and focus on calming down.
He couldn't stay angry forever even though that's what the world seemed to have offered him for now. He knew that staying angry wasn't the right behaviour to go, especially if you were a leader of a team. He glanced up at the skies, wondering if things were going to return to normal. Would they? Or would his heart not soften for the white haired girl?
"Yo Lloyd," a voice rang from the other side of the deck. It was specifically calling for him, it seems. The green clad ninja snapped out of his thoughts and faces the newcomer, the one who needed him for now. The boy nodded at her greeting and sighed, it was Jet Jack, who looked snazzy and cheerful as always. "Hey," he responded quietly.
"How are you holding up?" She asked, equally stepping over closer to him and leaned on the railings as well. Lloyd sighed, how exactly was he feeling about all of this, right now? He was far too concerned and mad to involve himself into any conversations with others therefore he immediately cut off any friendly questions. "I'm fine." His response was bland and a practical lie. Something was more important on his mind right now.
"I was meaning to ask, where were you and half of the girls including Cloud and my father last night? What happened?" He turned over to Jet Jack, with a calm and neutral look on his face. Before the Mohawk-wearing girl could respond to his question, another voice came up from behind the both of them. "It was because of Harumi." Faith came onto the deck to join the two of them.
Lloyd flinched at the name while Jet Jack sighed in frustration. An explanation was going underway and she already knew what he might say next. "Lloyd, at least try to listen." Jet Jack tried. Faith was ready to continue on with the story but she needed Lloyd's consent first or not this story will end up ruining his mood. Though with much consideration and 'lack of interest', "Go on ahead, I might listen." He muttered.
So Faith started to explain ahead. "Me, Jet Jack, Ultra Violet, your father and Cloud went on a hunt to locate Harumi's whereabouts—" she was interrupted short by the blonde promoting her with a question. Lloyd has said he didn't want to listen but Faith couldn't help but grin at the question he had asked. "Whereabouts, what do you mean?" So he was interested in this whole ordeal?
Faith continued along with her little explanation—or more so, story.
"She had been kidnapped in the middle of the night by an unidentified nor seen boy that Harumi only had the time to see and speak to." Faith responded. At least, for that last one, she earned the details from the tea-loving woman. "Stop it." Lloyd didn't want to hear the rest of the explanation, he understood already—too much really, which led him to the assumptions of doubting things.
"Lloyd?" Jet Jack prompted as she let go of the railings to see that Lloyd started to walk off away from the two. What had he been doing? He had been silent which gave him more time to observe whether or not Harumi was feeling down. Ugh, he only had himself to blame! How could he? How could he allow her...to fall in the wrong hands? "I said stop." He demanded, repeating his previous request.
Jet Jack tried to tap his shoulder as a sign of comfort and remorse however the green ninja pushed her away, in a manner of him not being in the mood. "Get away, I don't wan't to talk anymore!" He stormed back in direction of his chambers. Jet Jack and Faith looked at eachother in confusion and sadness as Lloyd grew indecisive with his mind.
"Am I doing the right decisions? Have I gone too far? Should I have forgiven her?" When he was out of view and back in his own room, Lloyd placed an arm over his eyes as he laid down on his bed. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Would she have met that boy and forgotten about me? No...does she even still love me?" He asked himself. He truly was hesitating, he was concerned.
Perhaps, he should consider forgiving her for what she has done....the boy shook her head. "She doesn't deserve any forgiveness, it was only a trick of hers. Once I forgive her, she'll go behind my back and hurt me again." He changed his mind almost instantly. He didn't want to get hurt by her again, no, not after all of these months. The green ninja was left torn for the meantime, he hated it.
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About two hours after the encounter, Lord Garmadon was making his way from the deck to his own room. He hummed a small melody while keeping his arms behind his back. Not much was on his mind, aside from what this puny little resistance had planned for today. Though, he wasn't going to lie, the team reacted quickly and properly during Harumi's disappearance. The ex-sensei was rather impressed that they managed to find her so quickly.
He halted when he had spotted a window opening from the hallways. That's the particularity of living in the bounty. Not many escape routes and anyone living on the boat can have a view of what's happening inside of the room at a certain angle. He peered his head over to the side and caught a glimpse of a green-hooded figure retreating back inside of the window. He narrowed his eyes.
He stood there in an idle manner, planning his next few words to her as he had come to the realization that it was the jade princess along with her dog. With Cloud now inside of the room, the princess lowered her hood and shut the window behind her, Garmadon was observing her.
However, the silence broke as Harumi stared at her wall, addressing to a certain man: "Can a girl not have a peaceful walk with her dog? Hey, tell me, why are you looking at me?" The girl had known he was looking at her without actually turning around.
Garmadon shrugged, not really surprised. For someone who was agile and involved herself with the oni masks, he knew that Harumi would catch him sooner or later.
Garmadon tapped the window, not bothering to make such a detour and use the front door, this Harumi rolls her eyes and make her way back to the window to open it again. Cloud lay satisfied on the girl's bed and lowers her head down on the bedsheets, it seems that she was delighted with her walk for today.
With Garmadon now inside of the room with them, he stands by the wall, continuing to observe her without another word. It was clear that his silent and observant behaviour irritated the girl but with clenched teeth, she paid no mind. She grabbed her sketchbook—usually the ones she uses for doodles and unfinished sketches before sitting down beside Cloud. "You know, you're really boring just standing like a lamp." She admitted.
But Garmadon didn't respond, only tilted his head and pouted. Harumi sighed and began drawing the base of a sketched up tree—there wasn't really something in particular she wanted to try drawing though she guesses that she can draw the beautiful environment she saw today on her walk with Cloud. Loads of trees, a nice happy sky along with birds and water fountains. She didn't get too far though, for the next two minutes, still at the base of the tree, she drops her pencil and looks up.
"No really, cut it out, what do you want from me?" She gives him a cold glare and refused to pick her pencil right back up until he answered. He wasn't a piece of furniture that she picked out for her room after all, nor had she ever asked for an oni display by the corner of her window.
Accepting defeat, Garmadon finally sighs himself and crossed his arms. "You were a fool yesterday night." He started off with a time equally as disappointed and monochrome. Harumi raises a brow and fiddles with her pencil, still though, she didn't look back down on her half empty sheet of sketching paper. "Did you really go through all of this trouble to tell me that?" She hisses. The man shook his head, no she wasn't understanding. As his job as a father-model for her, he needed to inform her that what she did was wrong.
"I'm talking about last night, why did you suddenly run away? What in the right mind makes you think that what you did was safe? Were you really that foolish?" He questioned the white haired girl, still not softening his tone when asking her about such things. Harumi's eyes slightly widened as she almost dropped her pencil again. Though she flinched and glanced away for a second. "It wasn't out of my own will, I was kidnapp-"
"Love can do crazy things, huh? So affection-starved, you became delusional."
Her eyes narrowed and she let out a small growl. How dare he say such things? Why would he? Was he...mocking her? Calling her out for wanting attention, no, affection from any type of guy?
"Shut up. Love has nothing to do with this, I was kidnapped!" She yelled at the oni lord, shoving aside her notebook and crouched down to grab her slipper. She ran at the man and slapped his arm with it. "Shut up! I never asked you!" She growled once more. This time she threw the slipper onto his cheek and stormed back to her bed.
The two glared students eachother for awhile before Garmadon shut his eyes and leaned back onto the wall. "You are right, you weren't the one asking." He replied calmly. He didn't seem at all concerned that he set off the white haired princess, nor was he concerned for his well-being at the possibility of getting destroyed by her. She's a human after all, what can she do?
"But you don't see the bigger picture. Likely story it is of you being kidnapped, I think that's not the case." He continued, ignoring the occasional hissing and growling coming from the princess. Despite all of that, she still searched around for more objects to throw at him.
"If I said I was kidnapped, then you best believe I'm not lying. My abductor just so happened to leave the area at the right time. It would be a petty mistake not to do so." Her angry expression turned into a brief amused one for a second.
The fact that she hid Collin's identity from Garmadon confirms her doubts and restraints that she really did consider him as a friend—she wanted to protect him.
"Well you don't have any proof for that." Garmadon remarked as a matter of fact-ly. Harumi rolls her eyes and crossed his own arms. "Well you don't have to. If you really do care about me, that is. But why would you? You sold me out and practically almost everyone here flat out refuses to talk to me. So yeah, thanks for that a lot, 'father'." She grumbled.
It angered the man, without a doubt. With how sarcastic and petty that comment was, still, he felt rage beneath that typical calm demeanour of his. "Look here, Princess. I will not say this again but you can't be doing irresponsible and childish things like sneaking out-" he was stopped with a small gasp coming from his "opponent".
"You're calling me childish, now?" It was short questionable—certainly unpleasant, request for him to repeat that. Possibly she could have given him the opportunity to change up his words a little. You know, those words that don't provoke her much further. But he didn't listen, he shook his head. "As a matter of fact, Harumi, you quite are. Why, what happened to all that courage? Why became so impulsive? Surely, you could have realized it by now." He mentioned.
Her eyes flared up and she stood in front of her bed, her fists clenched though she had not noticed a faint light coming through her sleeves—but Garmadon did. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, he tried to step away from the girl. However, Harumi was more than willing to close the distance between them. She raised her fist and tilted her head a bit, giving her the room to push her arm back. "I don't want to hear what you think when my story is clear."
A small raised fist turned out to be as a tiny earthquake, lasting from the ground beneath them and the end of the tiny room. Harumi stared down at the injured man beneath her. "How's that?" She questioned, not keeping her eyes off of him. She wasn't smiling nor frowning, only stared at him while keeping her fist to his stomach. The oni lord gasped for air. His lungs felt crushed at this point and his back was drowning in a void of pain.
Despite all that, he tried to get up from the ground but Harumi didn't allow him to. She only gave a light punch to his stomach again and growled. "I said: How's that?" She repeated. A weak laugh escaped his lips and he rose off the ground for a few seconds.
The glowing on her arms eventually stopped and she toppled over her bedroom's carpets, her head hit the ground and she soon lost unconsciousness. Garmadon was freed from her grasp and he stood up carefully.
He looked down on the collapsed figure laying on the ground.
He lifted her from the ground and set her down gently on her bed, Cloud gave him a confused look but remained near Harumi anyways. He leaned in a bit closer until his lips were near her ear and whispered:
"What I thought about that sudden attack of yours?" He paused to glance at the girl's arms, they were normal, not glowing. She wasn't hostile anymore.
"Quite foolish of you, princess."
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A/N: *takes out shield and sword* Ohhhhhh my goshhhhh, yeah I- uh, *whispers to Jdizzle's closet door* we're quite in trouble aren't we? I told Jdizzle that I would protect her from the angry readers out there(Haha, do feel free to rant in the comments, we absolutely love to hear what you have to say!) and I guess here I am protecting myself from the angry waves, I do hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless!^^
Oh right, I wanted to wish @sisterbrotherchan a happy happy birthday 🎉 They certainly deserve all of the happiness today because of how much of a great person they are!^^ Best birthday wishes coming from the both of us! (I certainly hope that your day wasn't ruined with what's currently happening in both of our chapters, you can complain all you want, haha!)
Anyways, thank you so much everyone for reading this chapter. I'll see you all in the next one!
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