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"Tell me, Lloyd. How many times has Ninjago almost fallen on your watch? How many times have you ninja failed, and let others pay the price?"

~ Harumi

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WARNING: Violence and blood (no gore!)

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A loud ringing sang in Lloyd's ears, his hearing warped as he blinked to awareness. Hazy smoke surrounded him and he coughed, a burning sensation ripping into his throat and lungs. Wincing, the green ninja forced himself up- trying to push aside the shock. Nya. Neuro. His friends- Neuro's family. He needed to make sure they were okay. Another explosion sounded, somewhere to his right. It sounded far away but he knew that wasn't the case.

"Protect the kids!" He tried to yell, his voice was raspy and ragged but his words were loud. There was a flash of white and Lloyd squinted, barely able to make out the form of Zane climbing the turned-over couch towards where the children had been.

Lloyd scanned his surrounding. One of the walls had been blown in but all things considered it wasn't too bad. At least the apartment was still upright. They must not be using very strong explosives. Nya was getting to her feet as well, a hand pressed to her bleeding head as she used the other to sweep water over the fires that were growing in various spots. Lloyd looked to his right, Neuro groaned from the floor, clutching his leg. The blonde quickly moved towards him and helped the man sit up.

What happened? Neuro asked in his mind, looking dazed.

Lloyd fumbled to figure out how to reply. Uh- an explosion? He tried to project back.

Where are the kids? Michi? Neuro immediately went to stand but grunted when he put pressure on his right foot.

Lloyd clocked it. He's hurt then. Could be a sprain or a break.

I'm fine, Neuro's voice huffed in his mind again. Lloyd shrugged sheepishly. Right. Telepathy.

Zane was going to help your family, Lloyd assured him. The image of his companion rushing over flashing in his mind. Can you sense anyone? Did the attackers leave?

Neuro paused for a moment, then his gaze went dark. No. They're still here. Lloyd's eyes darkened and he raised his head to call out to his teammates.

"We're not out of this yet!" Lloyd shouted, he reached for his katana and slid it from his sheath with a shing! "Nya, Kai! Focus on damage control. Zane, Jay! Get Neuro's family out of here! Cole- we're on defensive! Watch out for whoever set off these explosions! They're still here."

"Ninja-Go!" The team chorused in response.

Nya pushed her hands forward, a blast of water clearing out the fires that had sparked before them, allowing Lloyd to help Neuro towards where Jay was prying open the window to the fire escape.

"No," Neuro halted them. "I'm not leaving."

"Neuro, you need to get out! We got this." Lloyd told him hurriedly, trying to pass the man off to Jay.

"I'm not a child, Green Ninja," he said, almost amused. "I've fought beside you before. Besides, you don't even know where our assailants are."

Lloyd sent an exasperated look to Jay, who simply laughed. "He's got you there!"

"Fine. But as soon as things get dicey, you leave." Lloyd ordered. "You may be older but I've been in these kinds of fights far longer than you have."

"Agreed." Neuro closed his eyes briefly for a moment. "They're still outside the apartment. Around three or four. But... I can't make out what their intentions are."

"Nothing good I'm sure," Lloyd muttered. Neuro grabbed a broom from the cupboard and began to use it as a cane, quickly making his way through the broken and toppled items. As they passed, they saw Zane with Mika on one shoulder and Cato on the other arm. The boys had their shirts pulled over their mouths and Michi had pulled up her scarf to cover her own.

"Put on your hood," She advised Lloyd, stopping. She took off her scarf and wrapped it over Neuro's mouth before tucking her face into her turtleneck. "The smoke isn't good for the lungs and we don't know what's in these fumes."

"Smart." Lloyd said, yanking on his hood. "Get your family to safety- and if any of my team is badly injured keep them with you. We're going out there."

Michika glanced at her partner, obviously concerned but she didn't protest. She simply pressed a kiss to the side of his head and stepped back. "Be careful."

Neuro reached to brush a hair out her eyes. "You too."

A loud creak and another crash sounded as the ceiling above them began to weaken. Cole appeared by Lloyd's side and lifted his hands with a grunt, the scar on his forehead glowing orange. "We need to move!" He growled with effort.

"Stay behind me!" Lloyd told them. With a blink, his eyes began to brighten- the green turning even more vibrant as he slid into the first spinjtizu form, glittering emerald energy sparking around his finger tips. With a shout, he blasted open the door. Contorting his body, Lloyd leaped into spinjitzu, the tornado of elemental power flowing around him as he flew through the doorway.

"It's the Green Ninja!" Someone shouted, a more feminine voice. Lloyd was immediately hit by a blast, causing him to break his form. He landed delicately on his feet and raised his head to glare at his opponents. They were all squished inside the apartment hall, though the explosions they caused opened it up by destroying some of the other apartments. Lloyd could see the tenants there scrambling away, rushing out onto the fire escape as fast as they could. 

The opponents themselves didn't look like much. They all mostly seemed to wear dark outfits scrapped together by various clothing. Clearly most of their money went towards the weapons they were using. While they were also cobbled together, the weaponry looked like a mix of technological and traditional. The normal martial weapons with sleek metallic finishes and strange buttons and bobs.

Lloyd slid into a defensive position, wary. He had no idea what they would be able to do. The first combatant didn't make him wait for long. They directed their spear at Lloyd, a red light flashed and another explosion flew towards the green ninja. He swerved to one side, narrowly dodging it. Using is momentum, Lloyd spun and threw a shot of his own back. The attackers all yelled and quickly ducked out of the way.

"Don't let him scare you!" The spear-wielder shouted to their companions. Another round of shots began.

Do you recognize their masks? Lloyd tried to send to Neuro, leaping forward, katana spinning in his hand.

Not off the top of my head, no. He replied grimly. The masks in question were half masks, completely covering the top of the wearer's face from the nose bridge and the cheeks all the way to the hairline- though their hair seemed to be covered with a cloth as well. The masks were black but from the top sprung two almost horn-like shapes. The borders were gold, and had a relatively simple design on the edge but some writing caught Lloyd's eye.

"What-" the side of the spear slammed into Lloyd's side, slamming him into the wall. Pain bloomed in his shoulder and ribs, creeping out in what would probably end up being a purple bruise. He struggled onto his elbows, groaning. "That was not fun."

"Hey! Take a look over here!" Cole's voice rang out. Lloyd looked up to see the other ninja rushing over. Luckily for him, the apartment walls were made out of concrete, with a flick of his hands the walls were pulled even farther a part and pieces started flying at their assailants.

"Stay firm!" The spear-wielder yelled. Another came forward, a burlier looking person, and they brandished a large hammer. They smashed the hammer into the ground and a shield formed around them- knocking the debris back at the ninjas.

Lloyd swore colourfully when one of them clocked him in the jaw, sending him stumbling back a few paces.

"Excuse me?" Kai said offendedly, appearing in the comms.

"Oh please! He learned it from you, you donkey." Nya huffed as well.

"Guys- I kinda need to focus here." Lloyd grunted. He thrust a hand forward, trying to pour as much power as he could into breaking the shield. It flickered and Lloyd grinned, readying his sword. Just as it was about to break, Neuro spoke in his mind.

Behind you!

Lloyd only had a moment to react when a blade came swinging towards him. It brushed against his side, grazing him as he slid out of the way.  Cole roared and he tried to knock into the opponent with his scythe but the other attackers still there ganged up on him, flinging fire and blades until he was forced into defence. Neuro, despite limping, rushed to help him, using hand-to-hand to take on the spear-wielded and occasionally pressing a finger to his temples to aid mentally. Randomly, one of the attackers would fumble their weapons or mix up commands. Each time Neuro would grin.

Lloyd stayed where he was and eyed the newcomer. They were on the taller side and wore a different mask. One of their eyes was covered by an eyepatch, so they had a half mask opposite to their companions- instead covering the bottom part of their face. But it had the same hold detailing and strange writing. They stood for a moment, simply watching Lloyd as he slid into a fighting stance, head tilted thoughtfully.

"What?" Lloyd demanded impatient. "You aren't going to fight me?"

"This isn't personal." The filtered voice replied, almost apologetic, before they swung their staff back and pointed it at Lloyd's face.

The green ninja met him in the middle, weapons clanging painfully against each other as the two pushed forward. Lloyd ducked another swipe and crouched, smoothly dragging his leg into a sweep. The opponent reacted by jumping back and delivering a harsh kick to Lloyd's chest. The boy went flying but he rolled into it, quickly recovering in time to block the next swing.

Bam. Bang. Clash. Shing. Hit after hit after hit. The two went back and forth for a while, neither gaining much ground. Lloyd could see his opponent waning, their blows becoming less strong. He wished he could say the opposite for himself but he could feel his moves getting sloppy as well, the bruise on his shoulder ached and the cut on his side was starting to twinge. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Eventually, Lloyd stepped back and sheathed his sword.

"That's it." He said, panting. "Let's end this." Both hands reached up and circled back, reaching to his chest before his right arm was thrust out- palm flat. Life radiated from his chest and plunged down his arm, into his hand. The power blast surged, leaping out and hitting the attacker. They went flailing, staff clattering out of their hand. They forced themselves up, looking up at the ninja before them as Lloyd readied another shot.

He let a small ghost of a smirk grace his lips. "Come on, try me now."

The person chuckled, staggering to their feet unsteadily. But their stance remained relaxed and they left their staff where it was. "Ninja truly never quit, do they?" They mused.

"It's not really our style." Lloyd rebutted.

"Neither is it mine." The single dark eye began to glow grey. "I know where she is now. You can't stop me."

A chill creeped up the ninja's spine and Lloyd opened his mouth, about to ask what he meant. But a hand reached up, curling around something around their neck, a talisman? An amulet? Something- and they stretched out their own arm, fingers flowing in a curved unnatural way. Just as Lloyd was about to release his power, the fingers suddenly crushed into a fist. Horrible, torturous, mind-numbing pain sang through Lloyd's head. It was sharp, like a thousand needles were being plunged into his cerebrum, then carving its way down his spinal cord, ripping into each nerve as it went. It was cold- as if ice water had been plunged into his skull and was leaking out of his ears. There was no escape. Screeching. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pains pain. Make it stop. Make it stop. Please. Please. Make it stop. Help-

I'm here.

And just like that, a calm wave washed through Lloyd's mind. It creeped into each crevice of his brain, soothing the surface and driving away any lingering spikes of pain. There was comfort there. A familiar presence sweeping, consuming, and healing his mind. His body immediately relaxed into it, knowing it could be trusted. It felt caring- it felt warm. Like an ally and like a friend.

Gradually, his mind seemed to relax as well, brain functions stuttering back to life. He blinked, trying to make sense of who he was, reality, time, space- everything. The blonde boy shakily raised his head from the floor. He hadn't realized he had fallen in the first place, trembling against the cool tile, as he stared up to the figures looming over him.

"Neuro." Lloyd whispered.

The assailant's head twitched and they stood still. It was clear that they were studying Neuro, looking him slowly up and down. "You're the master of mind then?"

Neuro's frown deepened, something dark glinting in his eyes. "You'll see soon enough." Instead of just his fingers like he usually did, Neuro brought his full hand up to his face, contorting it around the side of his head. He narrowed his eyes, focus locked in as his fingers twitched.

"Who are you?" Neuro growled.

The attacker stood still for a beat, as if they were unaffected, until suddenly they were pushed back a step, grunting. They shook their head but did not budge further, raising their gaze to meet Neuro's. A hand creeped up to their neck again.

"No, no," Neuro tsked, as if he was chiding a small child. His voice dropped in intensity. "Keep your hands down."

The other snarled, angry- their body was tense and their hand shook as they tried to fight it. Neuro took a step forward, his face losing all emotion, and one hand slid out in a lowering motion. The opponent eventually had to relent, shaking hand forced to their side.

"You attack my home, my friends, my family," Neuro bit out. "And then you dare to abuse the powers of the mind in my territory. You don't know who you are messing with."

The hand stayed pointed towards his victim, Neuro never let himself waver, zeroed in on the enemy. "Now you will answer me, who are you?"

The attacker winced, head tossing as Neuro continued to press, moving closer and closer, eyes becoming even more narrowed. Finally, they let out a huge gasp, eye watering and chest heaving. Neuro's eyes suddenly widened and he took a step back, hand faltering for just a moment.

"You're-" Neuro managed to gasp. But that was all his opponent needed. They reared their head back and smashed it into Neuro's. The master of mind stumbled away, surprised, with blood already streaming from their nostrils. They grabbed their staff from the ground and struck the other man across the face, sending Neuro sprawling onto the ground.

"You may know who I am, Mind Master," the attacker laughed dryly, delivering a kick into his side. "But you won't be able to tell anyone."

"No," Lloyd gasped, voice barely a whisper. He fought to push himself up, his body protesting with every movement.

They clutched at their necklace, a grey energy swirling slightly around them. They raised another creepy hand, this time the movements seemed sharper and more aggressive. Neuro yelled and clutched at his head, and they pushed further, leaning to press a delicate thumb to the centre of the man's forehead.

"Get away from him!" Lloyd screamed, lunging forward. An explosion went off, catching him from behind.

"Lloyd!" Cole yelled. The other boy went careening away, the scene of burning in his nose as he struggled to stay conscious. He could barely feel the pain anymore. Everything was fuzzy, even his vision as he watched grey energy creep from the enemy's thumb and circle around Neuro's head.

"Sleep." They whispered.

And that's when everything went dark.

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"You look horrible." Harumi said as soon as she saw him, unsure what else to say.

She finally was able to talk with the mysterious boy and she had been immediately startled to see him covered in scratches, bruises, and a split lip. His face was bandaged, his nose looked burned, and he barely seemed to be holding himself upright.

"Thanks." The blonde said sarcastically, reaching to pick at the gauze on his wrist. "You're... looking better."

"Oh. Thank you." He was right. Harumi had been allowed to started moving around more. Adam had been helping her start walking now that she had more strength and she'd even been allowed to bathe with assistance. Her face was still a bit gaunt and even a light breeze could knock her over, but her eyes looked much brighter than they had before and Harumi was starting to see the dark circles fade away.

The young man coughed, shaky and hallow, and he shakily reached for the styrofoam cup of water Adam left. His hand trembled as he sipped from it, a bit spilling onto his lap but he stubbornly continued to drink before putting back with a refreshed sigh. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his sleeve and sat back casually, as if they were old friends catching up.

"Has anyone come in here recently?" He asked at last. "Anyone out of the ordinary?"

Harumi frowned. "Other than you? No."

He pursed his lips, obviously agitated despite trying to pretend he wasn't. "What do you know about this whole... situation, Ru- Harumi?"

"Well..." Harumi frowned. "They said they thought I had been dead. But then they found me in a coma. They say... I used to be someone important."

The boy nodded, expression contemplative. "They were."

Harumi waited to see if he'd tell her more, leaning forward anxiously for something- anything more on her identity.

He looked away. "I don't know- I don't think I'm allowed to tell you."

She huffed in frustration. "How am I supposed to trust anyone if you don't tell me anything?"

"I know- I'm sorry. It- it must be frustrating. But we don't know the state of your mind- it was... it could be something health related or even supernatural. I don't want to mess with your memories. And... you were someone really important." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "By revealing this information you... I could put you further at risk. There... there are people out there who know where you are, Harumi."

Anger, sharp and strong spiked through her chest and Harumi had to clench her jaw to keep from snapping. The emotion was so foreign but powerful and it startled Harumi enough to pause. She had been awake, yes, but being stuck in one room for so long with minimal human interaction hadn't allowed her to have many emotions beyond boredom, confusion, and, well, sadness. She hadn't realized her temper was this sensitive and it was both terrifying and a bit exciting to learn.

"Is that why there is so much security?" She nodded to the police officer. "Because... I'm this 'important person'?"

The blonde paused for a moment. He seemed to be thinking over their words. They all seemed to do that. It was as if they were worried she would break if they said the wrong thing. "It's one reason." He said at last.

"And... my parents?" Harumi asked tentatively. "My family? My friends? Where are they?"

The boy winced. "Harumi- I just said... I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Please." Harumi stressed, desperate and pathetic and sad. "Please, I don't know anything. I don't know who I am- I barely even know why I'm here! At least give me this."

Something seemed to crack in him as she said this and he looked away. He pressed his lips together, a shaky hand reaching to pull at his hair before he finally looked to her, eyes nervous but honest. "Your parents... your parents passed."

The words sunk into Harumi like a stone in water, heavy and weighted, sinking down, down, down. Some part of her had assumed her parents weren't in the picture, given that they never visited their recently awakened daughter, but it still opened a dark maw inside of her. It was aching and deep, but familiar, like she had scratched back open an old scabbing cut. She had nothing. No one. No true family to give her a connection to who she was.

"I'm so sorry, Harumi." The boy whispered. She could tell he meant it to. It wasn't the empty apology people typically gave when faced with grief. It was direct and sincere and so raw. Harumi could look into his eyes and tell that he speaking to her with his whole being. This boy, she realized, truly wears his heart for all to see.

"And friends?" Harumi whispered, eyes burning but she fought to keep the tears back. "Do... is there anyone in my life for me to remember?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, barely recognizable but still there. A slight tremble of the hand and only a second of doubt before slowly, the boy reached over and took Harumi's hand. The bandage on his hand was itchy and his hand still shook slightly, but his grip was strong. It seemed to tell so many unsaid things.

"I'm here, Harumi." He said, shy, nervous, sad but oh-so vehement. "I'm- I am here for you. And you... we're going to get you out of here. There are people out there-looking for you and it's not safe. So you can come with me and I'll... I'll look out for you."

Harumi let out a wet laugh, confused and touched all the same. "But I don't even know your name."

He grinned, exhausted and wobbly. "That's easy. It's Lloyd."

NOTE ****

There ya go! Some Llorumi to satisfy your cravings. I'm sure some of you have been quite disappointed by the amount of plot I have in here. Considering most of my books are very much more slice of life, more character-driven-type things I'm definitely not used to it either.

But as a demi girlie I am a sucker for slow burn and the flame is on low! But I'll be sure to feed you Llorumi fans more now that Harumi is awake and talking 😂

I hope you enjoyed! I'm almost out of uni hell week (midterm time) but it has been getting super busy 🥲. I can't guarantee another chapter right away but I am going to work harder to have more updates.

Once again, thank you all for your patience and readership. You don't know how much it means to me! 🩷🩷

LuckyBugBooks 🐞