A deep, rumbling voice pulls him from his grief.

"Grieve not. You will soon be joining him." The words lack comfort, the words a threat.

It infuriates him to his core. The voice on his shoulder needs not to speak, Lloyd makes the choice himself.

He gives in.

The familiar comfort of metallic indigo floods his system, this time condensed in his chest, spreading outwards like a beautiful infection. This time, Lloyd doesn't just give in. He welcomes the dark power, he accepts it into his soul, his very being. It's overwhelming, in the most sickly-sweet way imaginable.

The only way to describe how he felt, in that very moment, was powerful.

His body lurches around, arms flexing, to face the overlord. Compared to the omnipotent power before him, towering over Lloyd and the body of his father, Lloyd felt small.

No matter.

He charges for the embodiment of evil, hesitation be damned. His power shoots out his palms like fire, spreading like gas, burning and corrupting anything it touched.

Oddly enough, the power had a scent to it. Flowery, and metallic. Almost like a corpse's perfume.

He nears the large crystal, the very one the overlord emerged from. From his peripheral, he sees a figure in the crystal, resembling the shadowed figure the Overlord had been previously reduced to.

"Lloyd!" Harumi's voice calls to him, sounding hasty, trusting, and warning. As he turns to her, a sword whisks past his inhuman form and lodges into the figure of the crystal. "Use the sword!"

He wastes a sparing glance at her, before gripping the handle of the sword with one hand a pulling, dislodging the sword from the now unrecognizable figure and clutching it like a last hope.

It wasn't.

Lloyd charges again, in a blur. His powers become uncontrollable, his movements rash and unpredictable. He swipes wildly with the sword, shooting bursts of dark power whenever he deemed necessary: constantly.

He flashes in and out of a corrupted daze.

One second, the overlord's skin is under his nails and he's shredding, the next, his enemy is rearing up on his hind legs. A powerful force pushes past him, attacking the overlord's exposed stomach. A blood-curdling scream nearly shocks Lloyd from his power craze. Nearly.

The next moment, he and his father are delivering a combined finishing blow to the embodiment of evil.

He explodes in a flurry of lightless dust, his form disbanding. The Overlords' power fades from the land under their feet, threatening to topple the floating island to the ground.

Lloyd hears Harumi shriek, as she's hurled sideways into a cluster of magenta. Before he can stop himself, he's grabbing her, toppling to the nearest roof.

They land, fairly safely, all things considered. The boy's flaxen hair returns, his Oni form finally fading.

He lays there for however long, Harumi beside him.

They do nothing but breathe. The events play over in his mind, over and over until he finally understands what he did.

Lloyd had saved his enemy's life.

Harumi seems to have the same revelation. Her breath quiets, as she prepares to question him.

"Why did you help me?"

Lloyd is having none of it. "Why did you help me first?"

She goes silent.

Lloyd is surprised by his snapping tone. She had the right to know why he helped her, as much as he had the right to know why she helped him. But he couldn't bare to think of why he would help her after everything she'd done.

Harumi pushes herself up, sitting up against the parapet of the rooftop. Lloyd mimics the movement, leaning just beside her.

Harumi breath hitches. "You were winning. I wanted to be on the winning side."

She's lying.

Lloyd adopts Harumi's tone. "I don't that's it, Rumi." The nickname sounds strange, coming from his mouth after so long. He feels strange with his tone, too. It's so similar to hers, he fears he's becoming her.

The girl pushes to a squat, before standing, heavily. She stands in front of her, and something in her stance reminds him so closely of his monocratic master. She speaks, quietly.

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think, Lloyd."

Then she neals, whispering something in his ear that Lloyd can't quite seem to put his finger on. It was vague, poetic, and reminded him still of his master.

Then she twisted, and walked away.

Something in Lloyd told him not to follow her.

Master Wu wouldn't change his mind, even if he'd known. She was still evil to him.

Even if he'd known she'd helped to defeat the very man who saved her life.

Harumi helped us, Lloyd thought. Harumi isn't evil, Lloyd hoped.

He snaps back into focus.

He glances across the room, at the sleeping figure of his teammate.

In a tired blur of motions, Lloyd wakes Cole from his slumber, telling him to get ready, before getting ready himself.

They had been instructed not to wear their gi, and instead wear something formal. Lloyd didn't understand why their gi wasn't considered formal, but he wasn't one to refuse an order.

He only had one suit, if it could be called a suit. It was provided for him by their master, Lloyd assumes the rest of the ninja had similar items.

It was just a dress shirt, with a black pair of pants. He could choose to wear a blazer, a vest, or neither. He chose the vest.

It was... green. That was about it. It was incredibly plain.

Lloyd hears Kai burst down the room to their shared bedroom, soon followed by a shriek from Cole.

Lloyd is glad he moved to the bathroom to change.

"AH! Sorry, sorry! I didn't know you were awake!"

"Kai! Get out!"

"But I need my suit!"

"Get it once I'm done changing!"

"I'll only be a second-"

"Kai-!"

Lloyd chuckles. Oh, he missed his team. He missed their shenanigans and chaos, he missed it more than he could ever think to admit.

"Lloyd!" A banging on the door, and shenanigan 2 begins. "I need to get ready! Hurry up!"

Lloyd decides to play into the chaos. "What? Just get changed in the bunk room." He conceals his snicker.

"Are you being serious? Kai and Cole are in there!"

"What? They are?"

"Yes!

"What if they're not? Go check." Lloyd smirks.

"Fine, I will!" As Jay stomps off to the bunk room, Lloyd sneaks out from the bathroom, lurking back up dock. He hears Cole screach as he's walked in on by a second person, and struggles not to fall over in laughter.

"Lloyd."

He whips around to see Nya, laxly crossing her arms. "Nya!"

She gives him a knowing smirk. Lloyd laughs, being caught red-handed. "Quick, take the bathroom before Jay gets it!"

She jumps to action, saluting him before sprinting to the bathroom, quietly closing it behind her. Just in time, Jay storms back out of the bunk room and bangs on the bathroom door. "Lloyd, you phony!"

Lloyd, from the hallway, salutes him and runs off.

He hears the chaos behind him blur into white noise as he sits on the hull, waiting for his teammates to finish getting ready.

Looking over the parapet of the boat, he eyes Ninjago City, creeping closer. Lloyd guesses that they'll arrive in under ten minutes, but who knows, maybe the bounty will crash and they'll all break their legs and have to crawl there. If that happened, it would take around a day.

The first to join him is Cole, finally having been able to get dressed.

Lloyd's assumption was right: they were all matching. He and Cole wore the same pants, and shirt, the only difference being Coles's lack of a Blazer and Vest.

Nya is next to finish. She's a bit different, wearing a black shirt instead of a white one. She chose the blazer, blue.

Quite a while later, Kai joins them. He's sporting the blazer.

Nya gapes at him, deep offense evidant on her face. "You copied me!"

Kai pauses. Lloyd snorts at them. They were completely matching, both wearing the same black pants, black shirt, and unbuttoned blazer. The only difference was the colour of their blazers. Their faces even looked the same!

Nya turns to glare at him. Kai glares as well, and Lloyd can hardly contain his laughter.

Cole voices Lloyd's thoughts, also struggling to contain his chuckles. "You even glare the same!"

Nya and Kai whip around at each other, simultaneously, and the two onlookers fall on each other in laughter. "Kai, this is your fault!"

Kai looks bamboozled. "My fault? How?!"

"Details aren't important!"

"What?!"

Cole actually falls on the ground laughing, and Lloyd nearly tumbles after him. He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. Yeah, he missed this.

"Well, we can't be matching." Kai attempts to compromise. Nya smirks.

"Okay. Button up your blazer."

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Cole also nods, from the floor. "Yeah, if you keep matching I think I'll pee myself."

A new voice jumps in. "Excuse me?"

The team whip to the voice to see Jay. He stood behind Kai, a baffled look on his face. Lloyd is about to offer some context, when he realizes.

Jay is wearing the same blazer, pants and undershirt as the rest of the team, but his vest is oddly familiar to Lloyd... almost like he'd worn it years ago...

He puts a finger on it. "Hey- wait, is that the vest you wore on that show?"

The look on Jay's face nearly makes Lloyd lose his composure. He springs to action, clamping a hand over Lloyd's mouth and taking him aside, ignoring the green ninjas' protests.

Once they're out of earshot- actually, still within earshot, but far enough away, Jay whisper screams in his ear. "I told you not to talk about that!"

Lloyd smirks at him. "Talk about what?"

Jay gives him a sharp 'I know you know what I mean' look. Lloyd speaks up once more, ignoring the warning. "Is that why you needed the bathroom?"

He faces him slowly. "Huh?"

"To put on your makeup?"

The freckled boy slaps his hand over Lloyd's mouth, but it's too late. The other ninja snicker from behind them. Jay shakes his head, denying the prude allegations. "I am not wearing makeup!"

Nya crosses her arms laxly, "You totally are."

"No! I'm not!"

Lloyd, muffled behind the hand still pressed to his face, plays more into the mischief. "It's ogay, you gan admit it."

Jay is still not having it. "Shut it, Lloyd!"

He licks the hand that blocks his mouth, and Jay screeches, wiping the saliva off on Lloyd's shoulder. "Lloyd, I'll have you know I have not worn makeup since!"

Lloyd raises his eyebrows at him. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"You can see it!"

"Ninja."

An old voice speaks above the rest, cutting their fun to a swift end. Like well-trained dogs, they quiet, and face their master, ready to listen. "We are here."

The bounty comes to a stop in Ninjago Harbor. Looking over the edge, Lloyd could see two familiar figures waiting patiently for them.

Jay spots them also. "Zane! PIXAL!"

"Hello, Jay!" PIXAL responds, waving her arm above her head at the boy. Cole approaches the edge as well, brandishing two paper bags. "Get up here already! I have your suits!"

The pair of nindroids share some quiet words, before PIXAL smiles, and they march onto the bounty.

The two are quickly overwhelmed with hugs and greetings, as well as prying questions from their curious friends. Lloyd wastes no time greeting his friends with a hug for both of them.

He feels as though the nindroids had come a long way. Back when the team was first formed, when Lloyd was a kid, he hears there was a separation between Zane and the others. He wasn't there when it happened, but when he did join the team he could still see that tiny emotional separation in the team.

It happened with PIXAL, too. When they first met the nindroid, the team saw her as nothing but that: a nindroid. If not for Zane, the rest of them would have destroyed her when she was corrupted by the overlord.

Even when she joined the team officially, only Zane really knew her. Saw her.

Now, the two nindroids have found a comfortable place together. They deeply understand and relate to each other. They're compatible.

Master Wu joins the greeting circle, placing a stale hand on Zane's shoulder. "Zane, PIXAL," he nods at her, "It's good to see you again. But, we should leave the catching up for after the party."

Zane nods, and just as quickly as they arrived, the two disappeared off into the cabin, paper bags in hand.

The rest of them wait patiently. Well, as patient as a group of teens and young adults can be.

Kai and Nya have a game of paper scissors clamp to decide who buttoned up their blazer. Whoever had the most points when Zane and PIXAL got back would win.

Thankfully, they don't take long.

Nya wins by a surprisingly long shot, 29 to 8, with 12 draws. Lloyd doesn't even understand how it's possible for someone to win with such a huge number. It was a game of luck! What did Lloyd have to do to get some of that luck?

Kai, reluctantly, buttons his blazer up. Cole calls him a schoolboy, which is fairly ironic since he also looked like a schoolboy.

They exit the bounty shortly after, and begin the long walk to Ninjago Park.

While the rest of the team are giddy and noisy as they walk, jumping and teasing each other, Lloyd walks in silence.

How could he be excited about a party, when he knew what was going to happen afterward?

"I'll talk with you after the party. Let's not spoil the occasion, shall we?"

Lloyd, as grateful as he was that they hadn't already talked, was still ticked that his master would do this to him. Give him good news, only to tell him that he was going to immediately ruin it after? It was cruel, and torturous. He'd rather bike back to Stiix than experience this horrible feeling of suspense.

And what about the rest of the ninja? They hadn't done anything wrong. Well, neither had Lloyd, but in his master's eyes, he must seem like a traitor. But the others did nothing. They got to come to this thank you party and act like the happiest people on earth. They got to have fun and act like nothing was wrong, while Lloyd felt like he was being hung over cold suspense by a broken crane.

By the time they reach the park, Lloyd hasn't said a word.

A large crowd is gathered beneath a stage, quiet murmuring buzzing about. Some citizens recognize the hoodless ninja, proudly congratulating them for their honour. Lloyd nods and thanks people where he can, as to be polite.

A screeching hum interrupts the silence. Lloyd winces, but doesn't cover his ears as his friends do. The humming continues on for a bit too long, before it's sharply cut off by tapping that echoes across the city.

The crowd, and the ninja, uncover their ears, standing to listen.

The mayor, figure ever-unimposing, stands self-assured in the center of the stage, microphone in hand. He clears his throat. "People of Ninjago City, may I have your attention."

All the murmuring about in the crowd halts, as the mass crowd hush.

Like dogs, Lloyd notes.

"For months now, the people of Ninjago City have been hard at work, rebuilding, and repairing, what was lost to The Crystal king and his army. Our great city was on the brink of destruction, and it would have been completely destroyed, if not for the ninjas, both old and new."

Like clockwork, the crowd cheers in hoots and whistles, clapping their hands like madmen. Wu pats each member of the team on the shoulder, as if saying 'This is all for you'.

Lloyd smiles.

Mayor Trustable continues. "Our brave new ninja fought valiantly, and defeated many enemies with nothing but their hands, motivated by my overwhelming trust and the funding I give them, as well as the safety of the city." The mayor gestures for the new ninja, still masked, to join his right side on the stage.

They trail up, standing firmly and proudly. It's a stark difference from their usually flashy style, a difference that gives Lloyd whiplash.

The crowd cheers once more.

Mayor Trustable waits until the crowd quiets before continuing.

"When the team was overwhelmed by the Crystal King himself, the old ninja stood up to face him." He gestured again, this time, to them.

Wu speaks quietly from behind them. "That is your cue."

Kai puts an arm around Lloyd and drags him to the stage. Lloyd feels so proud of his friends. They defeated an entire army, they deserved so much more than just a thank you. They deserved the world.

As they walk on stage, he spots some familiar young faces in the crowd. It's the kids at the newspaper warehouse, who provided refuge for the ninja and other innocents who had been trapped in the city. Lloyd smiles at them.

The crowd cheer for the old ninja. Wait, old doesn't sound right.

Experienced. The crowd cheer for the experienced ninja.

"They fought a quick, powerful battle, which led to much devastation and expensive property damage. In the end, the team defeated the Crystal King, saving not only our great city, but the whole of Ninjago, from a terrible fate. On behalf of the city, thank you for saving us..."

The team smiled at one another, patting each other's backs. Lloyd catches his master's eye, and he earns a quick, proud smile.

Before the crowd could cheer again, the mayor concludes his speech.

"...However undermining your tactics were."

...What?

He feels his heart drop to his stomach.

His eyes flicker from his masters, to his fathers. He looks how Lloyd feels: distraught.

His tactics?

Why would he say his tactics were undermining?

A little voice speaks to him.

It probably has to do with your powers.

Lloyd speaks back.

My powers?

It's not just him. Everyone thinks that your powers, your tactics, are-

Evil?

The little voice stays silent.

Do they think I'm evil?

Lloyd feels trapped in his headspace. He's surprised that such a small, snarky comment could throw him so far off.

But.. It wasn't just a snarky comment, was it? It was a seed, a thought, ready to be grown in everyone's minds.

"The green ninja is part-Oni. What if he turns evil?"

"His father is evil, who's to say he isn't?"

"The power of the Oni have nearly destroyed our city countless times. Can the green ninja really be trusted?"

Lloyd can practically hear the thoughts of the civilians before him. The mayor had planted that seed of distrust in their minds, it was only a matter of time before their minds were overtaken by vines of doubt.

The roots would entangle their minds quickly.

Then, his own little seed is planted in his mind as a tiny intrusive thought wracks the corner of his brain.

It would be so easy to destroy these people.

Lloyd feels his eyes gravitate slowly toward the crowd. They're clapping and cheering for the ninja as they walk past, unaware of the green ninja's disgusting thoughts.

Wait- he's walking. When did he start walking?

The crowd parts way for him- no, his team. He's walking with his team. How did he not realise? Where are they even going?

The world finally comes back to him, his ears flooding with cheers, and thank yous, and- oh, goodbyes. That's where they're going.

They're leaving.

Lloyd feels like he only just got there.

Slowly but surely, the crowd disperses from view, and the group is at the wharf.

His friends are talking. Lloyd tries his hardest to listen.

"I can't believe they gave most of the credit to those phonies!" That was Kai. He slouched his shoulders in incredulity. "'Fought valiantly'? They were crystallized almost immediately!"

"Yeah!" Jay nods his head in agreement. "We were the ones who kicked their vengestone-butts!"

Zane bursts in as well. "The new ninja did absolutely nothing. If anything, they made the crystal army larger."

"Half the city already knew we did the butt-kicking, too, so there was no point in lying!" It's Nya this time. Lloyd can see her on his left, stepping over a damaged board on the wharf. "I mean, even the paperboys know we saved the city!"

Lloyd is surprised to hear his own voice interrupting their banter, calmly. "We don't need Mayor Trustable to tell us what we know we did."

Master Wu hums in agreement, and the team nod at him, courage regained.

Lloyd knows he's not talking about who saved the city. He's talking about how, but his team takes the words without a grain of salt.

"Lloyd." His master's voice echoes through his eardrums. He follows it to the source. "It's time we talk."

Wu wastes no time, stepping up the bounty and into the cabin. Lloyd sighs. He'd nearly forgotten about the talk.

"...Yes, master."

His friends give him comforting pats on the shoulder as he walks past, but he can only shrug them off. He doesn't want their shallow sympathy.

He follows after the ancient man, feet skidding under his weight. Since when was walking so hard? And since when was it so warm?

Why did Lloyd's hands shake in time with his heart?

When he finally made it on board, the autocratic aura emanating from the cabin made his stomach lurch up into his throat. Why do I feel like throwing up? What is this feeling? Lloyd racks his brain for an answer, but doesn't receive one until he sees his master waiting for him.

The feeling lurches again.

Oh.

I'm nervous.

Wu glides the door shut behind him, trapping them both in the stagnant air. Lloyds breath hitches at the implication.

It's one on one. Uncle versus nephew, master versus student.

Wu bides no time. "I think you know what this is about, Lloyd, So I will not humor you." The master's words were harsh, laced with deadly knives preparing to strike. He strikes, "I don't want you looking for Harumi."

Lloyd cuts back, mimicking his master's tone, a curse of empathy. "But why not?! She could be out there somewhere, and I-"

"And you what, Lloyd?" His master is ruthless. He towers over Lloyd, imposing and authoritative. "Harumi is dangerous. Not only has she manipulated and kidnapped you time and time again, but she's released countless dangers upon our city." Wu twists to face away from him. "You would think you learned your lesson, but clearly, you have not."

Lloyd's nose twitches.

For a moment, the line between Wu and Harumi fades, and he sees her in place of his master, confidently announcing nearly the exact phrase to him.

"You'd think you learned from it, but you haven't, clearly. Because you are trusting, and gullible, and weak." She had bitten those last words at him, like she wanted him to learn from it.

Ah. If Harumi is dangerous and manipulative, then what would that make Wu?

"Why are you looking for her, Lloyd?

He bites his bitter tongue, and answers. "I owe it to her." His voice is even, but it's unsteady. He's losing his composure. "I owe everything to her. She helped me defeat the overlord, Master Wu, and now she could be out there all alone, she could-"

"Lloyd!" The fusillading voice stops him before he says something he'll regret. Wu turns to face him again, liquid disappointment running off his face. "You do not owe her anything." Lloyds eyes sting at the words, his throat feels sour. "You may think she helped you, but she did not."

But Lloyd doesn't listen to what Wu has to say. He singles out those six words like they were said in bold and marinated in glitter. You do not owe her anything.

Is that how he thinks? Lloyd glances at his hands.

The words were discouraging, to say the least. But as discouraging as they were, they finally enlightened Lloyd's understanding of his master's intentions to the fullest.

He takes what feels like his first breath in since entering the cabin.

Then he breathes out.

He understands his master now. Fully.

Green eyes remain glued to the floor as he speaks. "..This is the second time you've stopped me from looking for her."

"Excuse me?" Lloyd doesn't dare to look Wu in the eyes. But he speaks on.

"When that building collapsed under her. I searched for her. You stopped me." Lloyd feels his breath hitch silently. He can hardly breathe.

This time, it's Wu who doesn't dare to speak.

Something in Lloyd revels in sick satisfaction. "She nearly died that day, you know?" His tone is accusatory, bitterness dripping like honey. "The Overlord found her between realms and resuscitated her. He bargained her life, for her loyalty, and if you hadn't stopped me from looking-"

"Are you accusing me of-"

"-If you hadn't stopped me from looking for her, I could have saved her, and none of this would have happened!" Lloyd finally locks eyes with his master. The weight of his words bare on him and he stumbles. He feels nauseous.

"Lloyd!" Wu's face is watered with pity, and still, that vague disappointment that only an uncle could bare. But unlike an uncle, there wasn't a drop of sympathy. "Are you hearing yourself?"

He can't think anymore. His vision is blurry, his knees feel lax and his shoulders stiff. He might throw up.

Before he can leave, bitterly, he answers his uncle.

"Yes, I am."

He takes his leave from the cabin, the door left hanging open.

-

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