It has been a pretty hectic week for the resistance including the jade princess. She rested calmly on her bed as another day passed by, more astoundingly painful to deal with than the last. When did things take such a turn? Was it when she met Collin? Or had it been the tension between her and the unspoken green clad ninja?

Ah, she hears tapping by her bedroom window. The girl's eyes fluttered open and her train of thoughts faded in an instant. She hurried out of bed and went to open the window, a small smile forming on her lips as she recognized the newcomer. "Collin," she mouthed behind the closed window. This was the boy that
had been visiting her for awhile now.

She felt like with his presence, she can forget the commotion she's caused to her family, he made her smile in short. Carefully, Harumi opened her window allowing the boy access to her room. The first few times that he's visited her, Collin was reluctant whether or not he should enter a girl's room. However, now they were friends.

"Hey Rumi--sorry, should I not call you that?" Collin was smiling back at her until he had realized his mistake. Harumi shook her head, chuckled and gestured him to come take a seat on her bed. "It's alright, you can call me that whenever you wish." She told him softly. The boy gave an appreciative nod.

"Good, I didn't want things to be awkward between the two of us." He made an excuse. Harumi blushed a little and glanced away for a second. Of course things could have gotten awkward between them after the kiss especially, but that only occurs when one of the two doesn't like the other. Though in Harumi's book, she has taken quite the liking to the boy. She doesn't guarantee that he'll accept her feelings in return but she has come to notice that's he quite friendly towards her.

"What? No, of course not." She responded in a fit of laughter. A small moment of silence occurred between them as Collin dreamily sighed and stared in the girl's eyes.
The room was dimmed out, the window was opened to allow a tiny stream of wind to waft by and the white-furred Pomeranian puppy was napping neatly on her doggy bed. It was a beautiful and peaceful night.

As the two chattered along, a pair of green eyes blinked from the bedroom door. It was half opened and the so called visitor had a defined view of the conversation. The blonde saw Rumi sitting down on the bed with another guy, she was smiling and laughing. It broke his heart a little bit but sadness wasn't the only thing he felt in his bones.

Quite suddenly, Lloyd lunged out from his spot. "What do you think you're doing?!" He growled out, curling his fist a little back before charging straight for the two. Collin blinks as the front door burst open and shrieked as someone intended to attack them both.

The boy immediately ducked, leaving Lloyd's fist to come into collision with Harumi. As much as he wanted to harm the latter...he ended up hurting his own girlfriend.
Harumi let out a pained cry and stumbled to the ground due to impact. His eyes widened at the sound of her piercing scream.
"No wait, hang on a second.." he tried.

Collin shot a glare at Lloyd as he stood back up from crouching, he instantly rushed over to Harumi, whose back was now pressed against the bed. "Can't you see what you've done? Who even are you anyways?" Collin angrily scolded Lloyd upon seeing Harumi's weakened state. The green ninja growled, shaking his head in opposition.

"I didn't mean to hit her! I wanted to hit you!" He argued, stepping a bit closer. No, such a mistake cannot be repaid anymore, it seems. Too soon, had Collin shook his head and dismissed the boy. Too soon had Lloyd felt so pathetic and lost after a single blow. Too soon, had he been punished. Time seemed to stop when the four other ninjas ran inside the girl's room.

"What happened here? We heard screaming and-" Kai was the first to speak but promptly silenced himself when seeing Collin beside Harumi and placing a finger near her eye. The Fire ninja crossed his arms and glanced at Lloyd. "What happened?" He asked again, this time more serious.

Lloyd frantically shook his head, no...his best friend was getting ideas. No, no, he didn't punch her! He swears! "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" He begged the fire ninja sorrowfully to be believed. As Kai glanced back at Harumi, Zane steppe forward and drowned himself. "There appears to be a black eye on Harumi." He informed the others.

He was a nindroid, he was quick to notice things like that. But hearing such news shattered the green ninja's heart even more. He silently rose his head, his eyes swelling up with tears and his mouth opened in disbelief. "H-Huh..?" He genuinely was a pitiful sight at the moment.
Zane sighed and facepalmed. "Lloyd, did you hit Harumi?" He honestly seemed rather disappointed at the mere possibility.

Again, the green ninja snapped back in defence to himself. "Never! You know I'd never hit Rumi!" He protested. Cole's eyes directed to Collin, who was holding her head up with his head. He could barely make out the questions of: "Tell me where it hurts. Here? or here?" Collin was whispering therefore some words are barely audible, but the earth ninja could determine that Collin was no threat.

"Well it can't be that guy, he's helping her out." Jay pointed out the black njnja's remarks. Kai and Zane seemed to have agreed, Lloyd only sharply inhaled. This was it, his friends believed the stranger over his own words. They believed that he'd hit Harumi on purpose, was he a fool for even trying to win this debate?

Lloyd turned over to the door to spot four more figures walk in the door. "What's going on here? Why is Harumi on the ground?" Mistaké along with Nya, Skylor and Ultra Violet came on equally as concerned as the guys. The green ninja was sinking, well he felt like it anyways. More people would find out about his 'crime' and scold him for it. What else is gonna happen? Can it get any worse for him?

Mistaké rushed to Rumi's left side and noticed Collin on the other end. She said nothing to him, focusing on assisting the white haired girl first. "Harumi, are you alright?" She softly questioned, the old woman fingers held on her arm loosely as a form of comfort. The white haired girl groaned and slowly opened her eyes after keeping them shut the entire time. She didn't want to hear anything of this nor see it. But unfortunately, she had heard any single word.

Every single protest and her heart collided against a sharp thorn.
Harumi hesitantly shook her head. She believes that the pain from the black eye was bearable yet she still alerted Mistaké that she wasn't doing alright, FSM. "I-It wasn't him...it wasn't Lloyd." She meekly spoke out to the woman. Mistaké takes a glance at the half-shaken green ninja before turning back to Harumi and Collin.

Collin gave wide eyes before glancing away from Mistaké's field of view. The elderly woman sighed and stood back up only to find the other four ninjas scolding Lloyd on his "poor life decisions", it seems that they don't really believe him when he says that he didn't punch her.

"I didn't do it, I really didn't! I didn't wanna hurt Rumi." He paused to point a finger at Collin, in which the latter only sank further onto the bed. He tried to move back but he was at his limit. Harumi shook her head at him despite the pain of her black eye taking over. Lloyd stepped closer to where Collin was sitting. "You, you were the one who kissed my girlfriend! Guys, I tried to tell him off! Come on! He kissed my Rumi, guys!" The green ninja painfully tried to convince his friends' minds.

Nya was the first to react, she raised a brow and shook her head.
"But look at him, he doesn't seem to show an interest in her at all, not in that way anyways. Lloyd, maybe you're not getting enough sleep." She remarked with a tiny smile.
Lloyd was too shaken up and angry to take her advice into account, he crossed his arms and his voice equally in a snappy one: "You don't know that! He may just be acting along!" He tried again.

Skylor glanced over at Collin, then Kai then at Nya before finally landing on Lloyd's own distraught and betrayed look. "I know a look of love when I see one, Lloyd. I agree with Nya, it seems that they're just friends." She pointed out. Things just got even more worse, huh?

'So this is how Rumi felt when no one believed her...' Lloyd muttered and thought to himself, the guilt of his past actions and rejection slowly begging to be set free from a cage crafted from firm arrogance.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well I'd say," the dark oni lord passed by the doorframe of Harumi's room. Everyone stopped yelling at either Lloyd or Harumi and turned to face the antagonist for the past two months. It grew dead silent as Garmadon pointed a finger at Collin's cheek. "If he truly were to be kissed, where's the lipstick?" He questioned.

Lloyd almost cried out in frustration. He placed his hands over his face and tried to calm down. But so many things were happening at the moment, so many people didn't get the situation and his point of view. He'd happily explain but no, they all took Collin's side anyways, even his own father.
"No! It happened yesterday, he kissed her on the lips for all I care! Gah, I don't know!" Lloyd whimpered out.

Everything came crashing down for the boy, his world..everything. No one was on his side, people were yelling and he felt so tiny in regards to his own father. He contained no power over the situation whatsoever and he hated it...no one would listen to him. Was this karma for the way he's treated Harumi? The white haired girl frowned at the oni lord before sighing. "Lloyd didn't punch me for FFS sake, he really didn't!" She tried to explain herself.

But as the norm went by and the relationship rules, no one ended up believing her as well. Lloyd and Harumi found themselves on the same boat however with all of these debates and people insisting to not trust the ones involved in the problem's words, the boat may end up sinking into the ocean of lies.
Ultra Violet upon hearing Harumi's protests, gave her slit eyes.

"Why are you defending him when he clearly hurt you?" She asked in a loud tone. Everyone silenced themselves and proceeded to listen to what would Harumi say, even Lloyd did quite frankly. Feeling pressure build up, Harumi shook. "I-I um..." she began to mutter. She glanced over to Collin who slid his hand into hers and but her lips. No, this can't be happening.

She was panicking, what if she said the wrong thing that holds all three of them guilty of a simple crime? Yes Collin kissed her, yes Harumi likes the both of them and yes Lloyd punched her, accidentally. But being set on the spot here, she felt like she was running out of time...running out of words to explain herself. "Lloyd really didn't.."

Ah, what's the use? Everyone will bash out at her for being wrong. Why keep fighting?

Mistaké stood up from the ground and gestured everyone to follow her following instructions: "It's pretty late and we need to give Harumi some space. Please, I'd like everyone to leave, you too Collin." Mistaké lightly asked. The ninjas nodded, not wanting to upset the elderly woman any further and stepped out of the room.

So did Nya, Skylor and Ultra. The girls except Ultra gave small smiles over at the woman sides leaving Harumi. The only ones remaining were Lloyd, Collin, her, Garmadon and Harumi. The green ninja glared at Collin as he heard Mistaké's instruction. Collin sighed and stood up from the ground as well, he didn't leave on instinct though, which terribly upset Lloyd.

"But I can't leave my friend wounded like this." He admitted, giving a worried frown over to Harumi. The girl shook her head and changed her position so the she was now sitting on the bed. The ground can be quite an uncomfortable spot. Instead of allowing the problem to get even more worse, Mistaké ushered both Lloyd and Collin to their respective exits. "You can both see her when she's better." She told Lloyd as she pointed at the door and Collin by the window.

Both boys have hesitant looks before figuring out that they couldn't argue against the wise Mistaké. "Rumi, I'll be back, I promise." Collin began to slowly crawl out into the outside world.
Hearing the princess' nickname only used by him, infuriated the green ninja even more. Therefore, as spite, "Rumi, I'm terribly sorry about this guy being a jerk." He apologized with clenched fists.

Harumi lightly winced, even if she wasn't Collin himself, she felt that.
The girl laid down on her bed and sighed, "It's alright, Lloyd. Goodnight to the both of you." She told them both quietly as the two went out of the room their separate ways. Mistaké sighed, shutting the window and Garmadon shut the door.

Harumi focused on the ceiling above her. What a terrible turn of events had this become. Does every day ever since the kiss need to be terrible?
~~~~~~~~~~~
The elderly woman returned over by the girl's bed and glanced down on her. "I can make some tea if you'd like, it's pretty late at night and it'll help you fall asleep faster." She proposed, well really, even if it was such a calm moment now with no ruckus, the white haired girl would probably think that it would be too harsh on her part to ask Mistaké to make her some tea.
Really though, she didn't mind.

Harumi shook her head, burying the back of her head deep into her pillow. "No, that's alright. Thank you though, Mistaké." She gave a faint smile as appreciation.

However, as the sweet moment between the two ladies lasted as long as possible, bitterness arrived right by the girl's door. Garmadon leaned on the wall and pointed a single finger at the white haired girl. "So, did you really kiss that boy that Lloyd was making such a big deal about?" He questioned.

Harumi instantly growled, shooting her head back up from the pillow.
"What? No, I didn't!" She instantly retorted through beared teeth. As much as she tried to seem intimidating in his eyes, it simply didn't work for Garmadon hummed in delight. "You're a terrible liar, Harumi. The fact that you answered so quickly and so loudly proves it. Well...I suppose he's good looking." He slid such a comment.

It flustered and angered Harumi to hear such mockery at the end by the four armed man. "Shut up, I didn't ask for you to even speak!" She yelled back in defence to Collin and to herself. Harumi's angry comebacks had became pretty wild and unpredictable, it even woke Cloud up from her slumber.

At first, the pup was confused to why there was so much yelling going on but seeing Garmadon in room along with them already gave her a sharp idea of what's happened here. So the puppy tried to lunge at him before being stopped by Harumi. "Cloud, don't worry." She reassured the puppy.

Brief silence went on between all four of them; Garmadon was smirking, Harumi was glaring at him, Cloud was sitting alongside her owner and Mistaké was exhausted from seeing them argue once more. The elderly woman looked over to Garmadon with narrowed eyebrows. "Leave Harumi alone, she's already been through enough, you're not helping at all. She confronted the four armed oni.

Garmadon gave a little sneer and Harumi smiled lightly at Mistaké. She was glad that through all of this, there was still one person who has not left her side at all. She was grateful to have Mistaké in the resistance...and for having her here to help her out. She appreciated the woman's attempt at comfort.

"I was just overseeing things from my point of view, I want to settle things between the resistance and myself. But it seems that there's a minor conflict going on between-" Garmadon's explanation was interrupted by a scowling coming from the white haired princess. That was it, no, she have him in this room anymore, she didn't want to listen to anyone wanting to complain with her.

Therefore, she stood up from the bed, clenched her fist and curled it back before striking the man's chest. Her arm glowed as the usual and as she had taken in what she has done, she received blank stares coming from the two of them, Garmadon especially.

"What did I..." she gulped, looking down at her own glowing arm. What happened? She didn't want to punch the oni lord in the first place, she only felt her blood pumping...an instinct telling her to harm whoever disagreed with her. Was it out of a fit of rage?

Mistaké ushered Garmadon away for real now, she pushed him out of the room, opening the door out of force. "Garmadon, you need to get out now! Can't you see what you've caused? You don't have any empathy at all, even to poor Harumi. So please, leave!" It was a fair and understandable message, if it was Mistaké talking, he felt no need to argue and left the room.

No empathy, huh? Was an oni...no, was he really that arrogant? Did he not know what it was to care and love for others?
~~~~~~~~
As the night resumed on, Harumi rested peacefully in her room, the blankets were pulled up to her chin and she was fast asleep. Mistaké left an hour earlier to allow Cloud and the girl to rest for the rest of the new coming day.

However, one certain boy couldn't bother to leave her alone. Blonde hair and green eyes peaked from an open creak of the bedroom door. "Rumi..." he muttered, frowning as he spotted the girl sleeping soundfully. He wanted to apologize to her, don't get him wrong. But would it really be the right choice? She betrayed him too!

Everything needed explanations, everyone needed to speak at some point. For Lloyd cannot see a straight line anymore, he thought he could by believing his own testimonies...by believing what he heard and saw from the people he trusts.

Trust...it doesn't seem plentiful at the moment.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hiya! LillaSmolBean here and thank you for reading chapter 87 of Reconciled Hearts! I certainly hope you enjoyed it just as much as I loved writing it!^^ Things are certainly going down in this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts! Will Lloyd and Collin get along, I wonder?(I personally think not! Look at them)

For the love of FSM, someone give Garmadon lessons that it's bad to be arrogant in life, please! Anyways, that settles with my author's note! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! May be sooner than expected, cya!^^