A/N- I don't have any music up there, but if you wanna get into the mood, listen to the playlist 'Peaceful Piano' on Spotify. That's what I used to write this!

Harumi's POV-
I walked through the dark and damp corridor that led to the mecha hanger bay at the Phantom Elite headquarters.
We had all decided to go after Kirv first, and we needed our old mecha to do that.

I had the entire squad- minus Seliel behind me. When I looked at us, I realized how much the four of us had changed since the first time we met. It scared me, to think of how different things could've gone if everything hadn't worked out so perfectly.

We reached the door. Once majestic, the gateway was now rusted and old. It made me wonder if we could still get through.

I walked up to the access panel. The machinery was old, and the plating covering the wirings of the panel had been smashed into shards of glass. I presumed the damage had been done by one of our own when the police raided our base after the Morro Incident.

I ran my bare fingers over the buttons, then punched in the code. Nothing happened. After three more trials (with no result) I turned to Nya. Nya immediately whipped out twin pistols. After everyone moved out of the way, Nya repeatedly shot at the control panel. After minutes of gunfire and a slowly opening hole in the wall, we could make it through.

The air in the hanger was dusty and still. Particles floated around the room, glittering as they slowly made their descent to the ground. I had never been into the hanger like this before, but it was expected. After two years of not being touched, a place like this would start to gather dust. But I was still stunned with what I saw.

Before the hanger bay had been full of energy. It was always filled with some team or another rushing to their mechs to depart on some exciting mission.

Gone was that energy, the spirit. The air, as well as everything in the bay, was still and silent.
All the people were gone, as well.

The team and I walked across the large room, not bothering to try the cart that had taken us around the bay before. Nya took Skylor by the arm, protectively, as if she was afraid that the blind girl would get lost in this still, colorless, open, world. I longed for Jita by my side. I gripped my arm tightly. I'll find her. I thought. I'll see her again.

We passed Pixal's and Seliel's old mecha- the machines formerly known as Digital Crest and Shadow's Breath lay crumpled and broken in a dark corner of the room.

Nya split off in a different direction, taking Skylor with her. I watched as the two of them walked away, hand in hand.

I turned around to face my mech. Originally titled Princess of Ninjago, I had recently changed my mech's name to The Emerald Phoenix, dedicated to the Konesheti. The mech was tall, and lanky, with shimmering green plating with red and white accents. Dust had settled across the surface of the vehicle, and the battle wounds from two years ago still remained untouched.

I walked over to the little station I kept near the foot of my mech and grabbed some water and mech polish, then I got to work.

I worked for hours, first giving the mech a full-body shower to clean off all the dust. After I was certain my mech glimmered like the silks I wore as Senator, I climbing inside the gaping hole in my mech's chest and got to work.

Inside the mech, it was dark, and the whole area was rank with the smell of engine grease.

At some point, Nya came in and told me she was done restoring Aqua Dream, then proceeded to lecture me about my inapt skill at mechanics. Nya soon banished me from my own mech and told me to grab a shower- I looked worse than I did when Morro possesses me, she said- and relax a bit.

I took Nya's first instruction before I thought about the seconds

The water felt cold on my skin. After hours of work, the chilled water felt good as it washed away the grease and sweat that had accumulated on my skin.

After my shower, I made my way back to my mech, only to be shoed away by a yelling and cursing Nya, which is not a welcoming sight.

After being chased away by the future goddess of water, I sat on the steps leading outwards. The hole in the wall, the door to the outside, was open. I had no idea who opened it- it hadn't been open when we got here- but nonetheless there was a large opening in the wall, letting a slight breeze in.

I didn't hear Pixal come up to me until she spoke, and even then it wasn't startling. The world- for this one moment- seemed at peace, and yet I knew I couldn't rest here. Jita was out there- I needed to find her.

"So this is where it begins." Pixal said, waking me from the peaceful state I wished had lasted longer.

A/N- that was nice. I like this chapter. Memories.