Harumi's POV

Nya shouted something as she threw off her manacles, but Jay's screams were all we could hear. Despite everyone's efforts to restrain him, he managed to wrench himself out of our grasp and threw himself onto the Shadow Rider.

"WHERE. IS. COLE?!" he shrieked, dragging the person into a headlock. The Shadow Rider buckled over and Jay was on top of him, hardly even noticing when he kicked the lunch tray and sent glop flying everywhere.

The expression on his face sent shivers down my spine, even though I wasn't the one he was targeting. Jay's eyes were wide open, almost in a maniacal way, and his hair stuck up all over his head, his mouth twisted into a snarl. Never would I have thought that sweet, lighthearted, freckle-faced Jay could even make that sort of face. Combined with his skinny, malnourished look, he seemed almost unrecognizable.

"JAY!" Nya cried as the Lightning Ninja began zapping at the Shadow Rider with his powers before the person could even respond. She jumped on top of her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. It wasn't until after a few moments until he realized what he was doing and finally calmed down, panting as if he'd just run a marathon.

The cloaked figure fell limply to the ground, twitching with each spark.

There was a moment of silence, soon broken when the Blue Ninja yanked himself out of Nya's grip and began racing down the hallway.

"STUPID SHADOW KNIGHT, COME AT ME!" he screamed. Nya hesitated for a moment and shot after him, then I did too, though running was much harder with handcuffs on. Rushed footsteps behind me told me the others were doing the same thing.

"COLE!" Jay howled as we tore after him. "COLE WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH YOU?!"

Heart pounding and head erupting into pain, I ran as if I'd never ran before, blinded by pain but guided by the noise. Then an ear-splitting screech rang out from somewhere beyond the walls, and I knew someone must've heard us and were now sending more Shadow Riders over. Jay's wails grew louder and more frantic, and soon my ears were ringing with the yells and head-splitting pain. I would try to visualize the map and figure out where we were going, but that was impossible.

Perhaps he was headed towards Cole's cell.

But I couldn't remember where that was, either, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to find it, as it took everything in me just to stay upright without stumbling over something or someone. And I figured the Lightning Ninja didn't either and was simply running around blindly like a dog chasing its tail.

Just as I tripped over my feet and fell to the side, the pain vanished. Panting heavily and leaning against the walls, I opened my eyes just in time to witness what happened next.

Rocks shot up from the ground. I froze and turned, my eyes retracing them back to their origin... Lloyd. Suddenly Jay was silent, and it seemed that even the shouts quieted down.

The Green Ninja stared at his two fists on the stone floor, his face pale. Sometime during the chaos, he must've taken off his shackles. If he had control over the element of Fire after Kai died, then...

Nobody knew what to say, and the silence lingered in the air, its heaviness almost tangible. Nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

"This... is all my fault," Jay sniffed. Everyone stared at him, wondering how in the world he came to that conclusion. "I should've salvaged a first-aid kit! Why couldn't I have just taken one?! SOMEONE TELL ME!" He pressed both hands to the wall, his entire body beginning to shake. Tears streamed down his reddening face as he collapsed onto the floor, his legs no longer able to support his weight.

Before anyone could say anything, several dozen Shadow Riders came from all directions and grabbed us each. I assumed they were taking us back to the lunch quarters but instead, we were led straight back to our original cells. Glop dripped steadily from my arms and to the ground.

I glanced over my shoulder to see three cloaked figures struggling to heave the Blue Ninja, who seemed unable and unwilling to stand, to his feet. Jay's auburn locks flopped lifelessly over his face, the bounce that his curls usually possessed gone. He screamed, as if in pain, his voice raspy and unrecognizable. The Shadow Riders stumbled a little whenever the Lightning Ninja leaned their way. Normally Jay would probably think doing such a thing was fun, but now, he looked like he was enjoying this about as much as the Shadow Riders were.

Then I was brought around a corner and could see him no more, though his cries remained as sharp as ever, and I heard them as clearly as if he stood right next to me.

The walk back to my cell was lengthy, but in time, we got there. And long after my escorts' footsteps had died down in the hallway, I could still hear Jay's wails echoing through the cave.

Morro's POV

Ruby was furious.

Not at the temporary chaos that ensued (which she said didn't matter because everyone was losing their heads and we didn't go through any parts of the cave that we hadn't mapped out yet), or at Lloyd's usage of Earth (she said the Shadow Riders could fix it anyway), but at the fact that now she had to do something about the handcuffs, since it wouldn't make sense if the Shadow Riders figured out the Ninja could break free and not do anything about it.

She paced the raised platform in the throne room while the Shadow Riders stood in perfectly neat rows and columns, awaiting her word. I had blended into the crowd beside Toran, even though Ruby had offered for me to stand off to the side of the stage. Luckily for me, she didn't seem suspicious, but then again, I wasn't exactly doing anything suspicious. Or it would be better to stop thinking about this altogether.

The room had been silent for the last ten minutes, and I was getting restless. Standing stiffly in place wasn't exactly my preferred way of wasting time; I'd much rather be lying in a comfy bed. Any shuffling sounds would be magnified so I didn't dare move, as nobody else moved, and the only sound I could hear from them was their steady breathing. And even that was quiet.

Was there even a point to all this silence? I didn't think so.

"Okay, I can't figure everything out alone," Ruby snapped suddenly, "Does anyone care to contribute any ideas?"

My hand shot up. So did several others.

"Go ahead, whoever wants to go first," Ruby said. Even though she was at least a hundred feet away from me, I could hear her just as clearly as if she'd been standing only a few feet away.

"We could give them a ball and chain," someone offered.

I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "How are they going to escape in that? Next."

"We could have people watch over them over the duration of the lunch period."

"How would they discuss their escape plan? Or escape? Next."

"We could have more people escort them."

"Then we look stupid because it's obvious to both sides that they can escape while lunch is being delivered. Next."

"Then we could have more people bring lunch."

"How would they escape then? Next."

"What if we tighten the handcuffs?"

"If they can slip out the previous pair only an idiot would assume they can't slip out of these. They can think we're dumb, but not unbelievably dumb. Next."

"I think we should still tighten the handcuffs," I said, "Even though that won't actually help, since they know how to escape anyway, we still need something to stop them from using their powers. Then we station Shadow Riders everywhere. Well, not everywhere everywhere, but significantly more than necessary, so nobody will be breaking out of their handcuffs or out of the lunch prison since they'll assume there are guards everywhere in the halls. As time goes on, the number of guards will start to decrease and over time they'll notice a difference and think we're underestimating them.

"Then sometime during the fifth week when they successfully map out the cave, they'll be going down the predetermined path which won't have any guards on them, and they'll just think it's because we thought they didn't know about it. I'll be the one delivering lunch that week so I can appear like I'm putting up a fight but still lose since I know their strengths and weaknesses. As for the guards that they will come across before getting to that path, it'll be like a surprise attack so they can take care of it. Or really, just pretend that Lloyd's lightning knocked you out cold or whatever."

I paused, feeling eyes on me. If they actually thought this trash plan could work... Free respect points for me I guess. A lot of Shadow Riders didn't really have anything to do anyway besides train all day, so guarding the halls wouldn't be too bad, right?

"And it shouldn't be that much work, since you only have to stand guard as the prisoners are passing, which would only be a few minutes a day in total," I added quickly.

Ruby furrowed her eyebrow slightly as she considered my proposal. "Wouldn't they get suspicious that there just so happen to be a lot fewer guards by the time they map out the cave?"

"Good point," I said, "Though I don't think they'll be escaping anytime anyway since they need a map, but they think we think they could get out anytime soon. Oh wait, you know what, it would be better to just put guards along the paths to their cells to look like a lot but the actual escape route has like one person there. Then the number won't change over time. So it'll look like we're trying but also we're guaranteeing that they can still escape."

She contemplated this thoughtfully. "Very well, but if they think they still can't escape by then because of the amount of guards, how will they escape? If escape fails the second time we're gonna have to tighten a lot of security measures."

"You can convince them that it's now or never," Toran piped up, "Since the number of guards won't seem to decrease. Remember, they're the ones escaping, and since we can guarantee that they'll get free, we won't have to worry about what comes after. And if worse comes to worst and they screw up somehow, we'll just turn a blind eye because we're just as desperate and they won't be able to think straight during an adrenaline rush anyway."

I gave him a grateful smile, even if he probably couldn't see it through the hood.

"Wait," someone said, "What if one of us just frees them?"

"And how suspicious would that be?" Ruby said, "Whoever frees them has to have some sort of incentive to be doing that."

"What if we say we're secretly rebelling against you?" another asked.

"Well, wouldn't they be suspicious that there are literally no guards roaming around? And too much rebellion would raise more questions than you can answer. Harumi is smarter than that. She's not going to easily trust someone just because they say they're rebelling against me when there's no other evidence to suggest that."

"What if we start being nice to them over time? We did give them a bath last night."

"Okay, trust me, that's not how a rebellion works." Her tone signaled the end of the discussion.

I had been about to mention how the halls were completely empty during the barrel ceremony. It made sense, though, since Ruby wouldn't want her enemies to think that her minions were rebelling against her. Especially since the Ninja might end up talking too much and actually convince them to rebel. Then Ruby would be in for some trouble.

"So are we going with the pipsqueak's plan?" a Shadow Rider asked with a bored voice. I glared in his direction, and Toran snickered a little beside me.

Ruby paused for a bit and mulled it over one last time. I went over the checklist myself in my head. The Ninja would think we were trying to stop them from escaping, they'd still be able to go at the right time, and they wouldn't have issues or become suspicious. That should be everything.

There was a murmur of discussion, and I figured they were all impressed. Who's nothing but a second-rate spy now?

Of course, this wasn't my actual plan. But they didn't need to know that.

Ruby walked off the platform and through one of the side doors. "Okay, dismissed."

Harumi's POV

I sank into a corner of my cell, thanking the heavens that the pain had finally gone away. My head had been throbbing the past half hour, making it impossible to do anything other than sit and wish for it to end.

A dull ache remained long after the pain receded, making it still hard to think straight. Not that there was anything to think about.

So much had happened in the past hour. I shut my eyes tightly then opened them again and started at the ceiling. It still hadn't sunk in yet.

We'd lost Kai, then the Crystal Blade, then Cole. Who or what was going to go next?

By the time we figured out our escape plan, would it only be Morro and me left?

I attempted to curl my hands into fists but there was no strength left in me. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed not without difficulty and licked my lips to moisturize them.

Unwillingly, my thoughts trailed back to Lloyd and Morro. I still hadn't spoken much to Lloyd but I didn't know how. He deserved an explanation for why I was acting like this, and honestly, so did everyone else. Keeping this big of a secret was not only selfish on my part, it was a really important piece of information that would allow everyone to better understand the Shadow Knight's plan.

And since when did I start liking Morro? Just the thought made me feel queasy and weird but I couldn't deny it any longer. My stupid crush on him was eating me alive from the inside out, and the intense fluttering in my stomach and brainfreezes whenever he was close made me unable to think straight and feel lightheaded. It was so stupid.

I thought back to the first time we met, where he called me "that terrorist girl who marches around wearing a goth costume to try and look intimidating." Groaning, I buried my face in my hands. Why did I still remember this stuff?

It was hard keeping track of time nowadays, so much had happened that I couldn't believe I met him only a month ago. Somehow my opinion of him had changed so much in such a short amount of time. With a sigh, I recalled the first time he took me onto his dragon. It had given me this feeling of liberation that had made me temporarily forget about finding my sister. Or maybe I remembered wrong and it wasn't as exciting as I thought it was. Either way, the fact that I looked back upon the situation as fondly as I did, which I couldn't help but want to punch myself for, said something.

I think I started liking him sometime after the second attack. Even now I could still remember clearly how the sun reflected off his... No.

How pathetic. He had attacked me at least three times after that, even though he wasn't the person to blame. But it was only natural for me to associate the outbursts with him, and if I was attracted to that... Was I mentally ill or something? Had my sadism morphed into a sick form of masochism?

Probably.

On the other hand, he had always been so understanding and encouraging whenever he was sane... I always loved it when Morro would talk to me about my problems and insecurities and make me feel better. And he was just about the only person who would do that.

The mere thought made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, against my will.

Not to mention he was kinda cute.

No, Harumi, stop. He's way too old for you.

But technically he was a teenager, right? Even if not chronologically, he was one physically and mentally... I was pretty sure people didn't age in the Cursed Realm.

Then again, he would still be too old for me. He was at least in his late teens. I was not.

Crushes were stupid. And why did Morro of all people have to be the first person I ever liked? Why couldn't it have been Lloyd? Why couldn't it have been Lloyd?

I groaned again, attempting to shove his face out of my mind. It was impossible, and the more I tried the harder it became.

I spent the next five minutes? hour? or so sitting there feeling stupid as my heart began pounding even more intensely against my chest.

I imagined confessing to him the next day.

That would just make things awkward. Morro obviously did not reciprocate my feelings, even if I was desperately searching for signs I'd find none. But that didn't stop me from constantly making up scenarios in my mind in which he would say stuff like "I've liked you for a while too, Rumi."

How. Cringe.

And even then, I continued to cling onto a shred of hope. Some desperate part of me constantly wondered if his refusal to call me "Rumi" meant something. Though my more logical side already figured that he just found it weird.

Then I reminded myself that he seemed to have a thing with Ruby. Fine, she had been the first person to have a crush on him... And it was clear that they didn't have any chemistry before, so what prompted the sudden change?

I also couldn't help but feel salty at my luck. In every single book I'd read, in every movie and TV show I'd secretly watched, the love interest would always reciprocate the main character's feelings. And here I was, crushing on a guy who had a zero percent chance of liking me back. I guess I wasn't the main character, then.

I scrunched up my hair in frustration and heard footsteps from the hallway. Without looking up, I knew it had to be that Shadow Rider that came by my cell every night around this time. I ignored them as always.

Why were boys so confusing?

Jay and Nya had no idea how lucky they were.

And now I sort of understood what I had put Lloyd through. Whatever I felt, I knew it was only a fraction of what he'd had to suffer at my hands...

I deserved to die—and then I remembered that I was already dead.

Even after all this time, I was still the same heartless, selfish person I had started out as. At a time like this, when Cole was... gone, I still had the audacity to agonize over something so trivial.

I curled into a ball with my arms wrapped around my knees. Some of the slimy glop found its way onto my face, but I ignored it, since stuff like this no longer bothered me. I felt like I didn't have the right to be bothered anyway.

My mind drifted back to the conversation I had with Morro over the gulf. It was almost as if I could feel his presence beside me and see his hair flying in the air. Sometimes I wondered if he did that on purpose to look cool. At the thought, I barely held in a smile. He had been so sweet and comforting as we dissected the prophecy...

I suddenly realized I still didn't feel any grief.

That meant...

Someone else was going to die.

And once again, it was because of me. 

A/N: So it's been... how long? Two months. 

I am really bad at this. Also I will probably post a oneshot (can't remember how long it's been since i updated that) within the next few days so if you're interested, look out for that I guess? 

I hope y'all are doing well. 

I will finish uploading eventually... 

Good news is there are actually people at my college who watch Ninjago so I won't be bullied to death for this oop-

Anyway, thoughts? 

Thanks for still reading this if you are...