Cereal. Oh, how Lloyd missed eating cereal.

For months, he'd been eating lunch for breakfast, and as delicious and filling as it was, it had nothing against the perfection that is cereal.

The crunchy texture of the chocolate-flavoured puffs, softened by the creamy delicacy of milk, was just delectable. What's even better about cereal, specifically coco puffs, is that once you're done eating the crunchy deliciousness, you had the perfect concoction of milk and chocolate flavouring left in the bowl. Like a thin chocolate milkshake.

He could almost taste it now, the sweetness of the chocolate-flavoured milk running down his throat; unfortunately, it was interrupted by the tangy taste of peanut butter.

Lloyd scowled as he bit down on his toast.

There was only enough milk for three bowls of cereal, and Lloyd woke up last. He was stuck with toast. Toast.

But honestly, he wasn't that bothered by the lack of cereal.

He was more bothered by the awkward air between the team.

It had been so long since the team had been all together. Now that they were in the same room, sharing a meal, no one knew what to say. Even Kai and Jay, who were usually the chatty ones, sat silently, staring devotedly at their cereal.

Cole quietly tapped his spoon against the table, in thought. The noise ate away at Lloyd's sanity. Tap tap tap, over and over, so repetitive and graining that Lloyd had to put his toast down in fear that he'd smoosh it in his hands.

Tap tap tap.

Tap-

He finally stops the tapping. He takes a deep breath.

"Okay, I'm just gonna say what we're all thinking." Cole sits up straight. The team finally looks up from their food, nearly shocked by the sound of another person speaking. "What do we do now?"

Oh. Lloyd rubs his thumb over his knuckles. He had in fact not been thinking about that.

What do they do now?

Now that the team was back together, were they going to go back to how they were? How were they before, though? They spent months, sometimes years, fighting for Ninjago and its people. Lloyd had spent the larger part of his life as a ninja, fighting with his friends and uncle. They were Ninjagos shining light.

But now, Ninjago had the new ninja to protect them. They were fast, agile, smart, and worked together like clockwork. What use were the old ninja?

Zane is the first to answer, "We could get back together?"

Kai chuckles, picking up his spoon and talking through a mouthful of Ninja-os. "Well, yeah. What else would we do?"

Lloyd's head spins for a second. What else would he do? He'd never seen a future for himself other than being a defender. The only times he'd ever even considered another future was when Nya disappeared, and when he was a child.

These thoughts were new to him. What opportunities were out there for him?

Jay seems to share his thoughts. "Well..."

But Lloyd is first to voice them. "What if we split up again?"

His friends jump at him in surprise, hands hitting the table, while Lloyd remains staring at his abandoned toast. The ninja ramble shocked protests, unintelligible before Kai speaks clearly above the others.

"You're basically our leader!" He waves his hands erratically, confused. "How can you say that?"

Nya places a calm hand on her brother's shoulder, grounding him. She places her other hand on the table, as if trying to ground Lloyd as well. As Lloyd glances up from his plate, the look on her face could only be described as sisterly.

"This isn't like you, Lloyd. Is something wrong?"

His breath hitches. This isn't like me. Is this not like me?

Lloyd hadn't felt like himself for some time now. He's not sure when, and he's not sure how, but he's changed, and he knows his friends see it too.

He nearly forgets to respond.

"No, nothing's wrong, I just-"

"Is this about finding Harumi?" The master of earth cuts him off before he can excuse himself.

"If this is about finding Harumi, then we'll gladly help you, Lloyd."

Lloyd nearly flinches at the mention of her name. Harumi, Harumi, Harumi. His nose twitches.

Like hell they'd help him find Harumi. Why would they help him in this way again? They didn't owe Harumi anything, not to mention the terrible things that Harumi had caused for the whole team.

But they wouldn't get off his back about his endless search. Sure, he didn't want to break up the team just to look for Harumi, however, finding her was his top priority. He could never move on without confirmation of her safety.

He couldn't move on without knowing where she was.

That's what she'd whispered to him, after all. The last time they saw each other, when Oni power was still fresh on his fingertips.

So Lloyd decides to end the search.

"No. I'm- I'm not looking for Harumi anymore." It's a lie, of course. He'd never give up. But his friends don't seem to notice the lie.

Shouts of surprise ring about the table.

"What?!"

"But you were so determined! How could you give up now?

"Is this why you wanted to split the team?"

Zane places a cold hand on his shoulder. "It's brave of you to move on, Lloyd, but splitting the team will cause all of us harm."

A stinging feeling rises up the back of his throat. It's familiar. Back when he was caged, and Harumi had her hand outstretched to him, he'd had this same feeling in his throat. Last time, his eyes had watered. This time, his nose twitches.

"No, It's- no, I'm sorry, it was a dumb idea. Let's move on."

But the team aren't ready to move on just yet. How could they? Their leader had just suggested something so detrimental to the team.

Jay nudges his arms toward Lloyd, grabbing his attention in an act of sympathy. Jay's face is arched in an attempt to empathize. "If you're worried about Master Wu stopping you again, then you bet we'll keep it a secret."

He almost huffs at the promise, his stress turned bitter. How ironic. Jay is the one who leaked his secret in the first place, Lloyd plans to learn from that mistake. He'd lost his trust.

A metallic voice rings beside him, snapping him from his churlish thoughts.

"Did we miss something?" It's Zane. He'd been expecting a different voice.

"Master Wu found out that Lloyd is looking for Harumi." Cole innocently responds to the nindroid's question. Lloyd is having none of it.

He flares up, a hitch in his voice, "Was! Was looking! And can we just move on?" He's surprised by his own agitated outburst. He really has changed.

Lloyd hangs his head for a moment, avoiding the confronting stares of his friends.

When he looks back up again, the team is awkwardly glancing around, avoiding his unapologetic stare.

Why did I have to yell for them to listen to me? Lloyd asks himself.

You wouldn't have had to yell if they really cared about us, someone responds.

From the corner of his eye, PIXAL shifts, folding her arms over the table. "Well... If we are moving on, I have an idea as to what we could do moving forward."

The boy looks to PIXAL as if she's his shining light. "What's your idea, Pix?"

The nindroid pulled a file out from under the table, brandishing it on the table. With one glance, Lloyd can see the team is already invested, desperate for a distraction.

"A couple of nights ago, the Ninjago City police station received a distress call from a secluded town called Staynes." She slips a sheet of paper out from the file and unfolds it, revealing an updated map of Ninjago. She points to a small valley, labeled 'Staynes', just northeast of Metalonia.

Kai taps his finger on the table, as to grab her attention. "What was the distress call about?"

As mature as Kai is trying to be, his neck is tense, and his eyes are too fixated on the map for it not to be a facade. Jay, next to him, is in a similar situation. His eyes are stuck on the map, but Lloyd can tell he's trying his hardest not to look at him.

PIXAL remains the only team member who had truly moved on. She slips a second piece of paper from the file. It's a transcript.

"Apparently, an explorer has stolen a spear from the town." A photo is attached to the transcript. A group of explorers are gathered in front of a statue. The statue is of a man dressed in formal robes, with a long braid trailing to his shoulders, his face covered by the shadow of his hat. But that isn't important. The statue stood brandishing a spear to the heavens. The spear is made of potent gold, the head of a dragon on its butt.

Lloyd thinks little of the spear as he looks at the photograph. It looks like any other spear.

Until PIXAL elaborates. "The spear is an ancient artifact, which theoretically holds the power to banish those struck by it to the Dark Island."

Lloyd feels his heart rise up in his throat.

A simple, plain-looking spear, holding such a dangerous power? How did they not already know about it?

The power to banish people to the dark island... surely the townspeople would take advantage of such a weapon.

Cole slouches back in his chair, folding his arms. "Why would they hold on to something like that?"

"I do not know. The station received very little information," PIXAL deadpanned.

Nya tutts before she speaks, flicking her hair in PIXALs direction. "You said the police station got the message, right?"

"That is correct."

"Then won't the new ninja be one the case already?"

Lloyd furrows his brow.

Those new ninja... they were the new protectors of Ninjago. Ninjago didn't need the old ninja.

Zane butts in, metallic voice ringing ever so slightly. "No. They refuse to do anything outside of their jurisdiction, so this is up to us."

Lloyd grins a bit at that. So they would only protect the city? There they go, taking the flashy stuff.

At least they hadn't been fully replaced.

He straightens his back, feeling a small click, and speaks for the first time in what feels like forever. "Alright, then we'll find the thief and return the spear to the town." He smiles at his friends, and to Lloyd's surprise, they smile back. They seem genuine, as far as Lloyd can tell, and he's glad that they were able to move on.

His friends prove him further right. Kai, Nya, and Jay bicker, beginning to bet over who they think the explorer is.

Nya thinks it's Ronin, and Lloyd, surprisingly, disagrees with her. While Ronin was a piece of trash, he wasn't evil. Besides, he doubts that the ancient weapon of evil would catch the bounty hunter's eye.

In that case, he's willing to agree with Jay. While Kai jabs that whoever Jay suspects must be innocent, Jay makes a good point. Clutch Powers, the famous explorer. He'd frequently caused issues for the group, like stealing ancient artifacts and discovering ancient tombs. An ancient weapon sounds like something he'd like to steal.

Cole jumps in to make a point. "What if this is a new explorer?"

It's a good point, but... Lloyd highly doubts that. He doesn't necessarily have a reason to doubt him, it's mainly a gut feeling. They must know the explorer somehow, he just knows it.

Once the bets are set- 20 on Ronin, 50 on Clutch, 10 on random- Lloyd stands up.

"Well, it's settled then. PIXAL, can you go tell Wu the plan?" She nods at him. Zane places a hand over hers.

"I'll go with her," Zane offers. They both stand to walk out the door, but before they do, Zane turns to the others. "Cole, Jay, you are both on dishes."

Simultaneously, they screech. "What?!"

The synchronised sound makes Lloyd chuckle a little bit.

Kai hits at Jay's knees as he stands up in protest, "I thought it was Lloyds' turn?"

"No, but you are on clearing the table, Lloyd," Zane smirks at him, directing PIXAL and himself out of the room before the chaos unfolds.

Lloyd groans in protest, and Cole chuckles at him. Lloyd glares back, simmering in the irony.

While Cole and Lloyd face off in a fierce battle of eye contact, Kai nudges Nya from the corner of his vision, whispering something in her ear. Nya obviously couldn't hear what he said.

"Well..." Kai, ever dense, announces their departure. "While you guys are doing that, we'll be doing our own very important jobs." He hooks his arm around his sister, trying to drag her up with him.

Nya gives Kai a speculating look, shrugging her shoulders and whisper yelling "What did you say?!"

Kai raises his eyebrows at her, nudging her with his free elbow. She shrugs again.

Lloyd laughs as Kai huffs, leaning down to whisper. She seems to have finally understood what he meant, as she jumps to standing, effortlessly dragging her brother up with her.

"Yes! Very important!"

They race out the door excitedly, most definitely going to play video games.

Jay sobs as he drags Cole up, shuffling sadly towards the kitchen. Lloyd wastes no time, not wanting to keep his friends waiting.

He starts with the plates and cutlery, as any good table-clearer would. He scrapes the leftover food onto one plate, stacking all the cutlery on after it. He stacks it onto the other plate, before moving on to the bowls.

Disgracefully, one of his teammates had left most of their milk untouched. He vows that whoever had wasted such a creamy chocolate delicacy would be defeated by his own hands, no matter the cost. He pours all the leftover cereal and milk into one bowl, and similarly to the plates, stacks it onto the other two.

He picks up both stacks, lugging them carefully to the kitchen. Jay is currently filling the sink with hot water and too much dish liquid, forming a bubble mountain. Cole is waiting patiently beside him with a tea towel.

He drops the stacks on the bench, leaving quickly to grab the cups. Cole and Nya had tea, a wise choice, ba dum tss. He and Kai had juice, while Jay had opted for water, left half empty.

He quickly chugs the leftovers of his own juice, before pouring all the leftover liquids into his cup, creating a strange-looking concoction.

He grabs all the cups, cradles them, and carries them haphazardly to the kitchen.

Cole is on the floor, sweeping up the broken shards of a plate. Lloyds abandoned piece of toast lays face up beside the shards. What an unfortunate piece of bread.

Lloyd leaves quickly once he's done his part.

What do I do now? He ponders.

He strides his way back to their bunk room while he thinks.

Once PIXAL tells Wu the plan, he'll probably call a team meeting. We'll discuss the plan further, and then we'll probably leave right away. It's why they work so well- we're all pretty well thought out and hasty.

Lloyd glances down, noticing that he's still in his pajamas.

I should probably get out of my pajamas...

When he enters the bunk room, he gravitates straight to his bed. Oh, how he'd love to lie down on the cozy mattress and never move again. Sleep until the bags under his eyes disappear for good. It's only a dream.

He resists the urge to give up and reluctantly drags his draw open. In the draw is his gi, shiny and surprisingly undamaged. He carefully plucks it from the compartment, placing it on his bed. In the back of his draw sit his old gi, of which he had many. Over the years, he had collected so many, and he's sure if he looked far enough he'd find the gi he'd worn as a child. It would be so small now.

A part of him thinks of how cruel it was that a child needed to wear such clothing. The gi of the prophesied green ninja, how ironic it was that it was him.

But the green ninja wasn't so special anymore, was he?

He had been prophesied to defeat the great Lord Garmadon, but what good was he once the dark lord had been defeated? Was the green ninja just another ninja in the end?

Lloyd sighs, pushing the unwanted thoughts aside.

He's just as important as the rest of his team.

As he pushes himself to his feet, a sour sight catches his attention.

It's one of his old gi. Tattered, wrecked, old, but still his gi.

But not just any gi. No, it was the same gi, from all those years ago. The armor was chipped and faded, his knee pads were cracked and missing chunks, and his sleeves were ripped at the ends. He'd fought so hard, back when he thought his friends had been killed. He had been through so much then, and it showed in his gi.

The gi reminds him of those hard times.

But mostly, it reminds him of Harumi.

He just can't seem to get her out of his head, can he?

She'll always be there, a friend to that other voice. She's there in every decision he makes, every tumble he takes.

And suddenly, he's falling.

He plummets toward the earth, wind whistling past his ears as his hostage shrieks in terror. He sees it- the fear of death in her eyes as she gasps, right before they hit the water.

It takes him a second to wake up. He's floating, just in front of her out cold figure. He breaches the surface, gasping and sputtering for air. It almost reminds him of the last time he'd nearly drowned.

That time, Kai had saved his life.

This time, he didn't need that.

He clutches onto Harumi, folding her arm over his shoulder and pushing her head out of the water at his own expense.

The fast-moving current drags them faster than he can handle.

River weed brushes his legs.

Is the land getting further away?

Lloyd is panicking.

Rivers were never his strong suit.

An overhanging tree slips into his view, and Lloyd sets his fear aside, treading as hard as he can to grab onto it.

Harumis added weight drags him down, but he persists, desperate to survive, desperate to breathe.

Just as he thinks he's past the tree, that he'd lost his chance, his foot hits something and it slows him down, just in time to grab the branch.

He sobs at his success.

But he's not safe yet.

He prioritizes himself, hauling his body up, before dragging Harumi with him. Her arms fold over the thin trunk, and she's still unconscious, but that's fine. She's alive.

Lloyd swipes the sword from Harumis back, impressed that it had managed to stay with her after he pulled her off from such a height.

After he- wait... why in Ninjago did he take her with him?

His head starts spinning, and he feels his consciousness slip from him for just a second. Man, he was beaten.

The girl sputters to life next to him, and Lloyd acts quickly, brandishing her own sword against her defensively. "Don't try anything."

She blearily pulls herself further onto the trunk, clutching onto it to ground herself. Lloyd does a similar thing. He pushes himself to his feet, preparing to waltz across the tree, Harumi behind him.

But Harumi stays down, clutching the tree like a lifeline. She's wheezing air into her lungs, eyes barely open, and Lloyd almost feels bad for her.

Almost.

"Get moving."

She doesn't look at him. She just takes a deep breath in before responding.

"Give me a second, Lloyd."

Lloyd isn't having it. "You've had enough time, get moving!"

"Why would-" Harumi looks up to be met with the sharp end of a sword. She huffs, she knows he won't do it. "Why would you even take me with you? That was incredibly stupid!"

"I don't know, just get moving!"

He points the sword dangerously close to her temple. Harumi tutts and huffs, but now she's not sure whether he'd hesitate. Finally hauling herself up, she seems to struggle to stand, and Lloyd plans to use her weakness against her.

She follows him off the trunk, slowly, carefully; move too fast and Lloyd will swing at her.

He practically drags her to the safety of the undergrowth.

He stares intently at the sky, at the crystal temple. He knows that they'll come after them, and it's only a matter of time before they're found. They're in the middle of Prime Evils' eye, and escaping will prove to be... difficult. Especially with Harumi as a hostage. Lloyd isn't too hopeful about escaping.

At least with the dense forest, they can hold out for longer.

He turns to get moving, but instead finds Harumi slouched against a tree.

He can't deal with her, and she knows it.

She's taking advantage of his weakness.

He flicks the sword at her, motioning for her to get going. Without much much objection, she moves, opting to walk in front of him.

She's limping, he notes. He notes that he's limping as well, but chooses to ignore it.

They walk one in front of the other, in relative silence. Now and again, Lloyd pushes past her to cut through the bramble. He doesn't trust her with the sword like the last time they were here. Never again. Never.

Lloyd notices that even now, he still sees the best in Harumi.

He still wants to trust her.

Lloyd shoves her back in front after he cuts through thick bramble. She stumbles, but laughs at him nonetheless.

"So, Lloyd. Enough of the awkward silence; why did you take me with you?"

"I thought I said no talking." Lloyd jabs at a tree to right. It groans back at him, and he walks a bit quicker.

"No, I don't think you did." She swivels her head to smirk at him.

"Yes, I did." Lloyd scowls back at her.

"No, you really didn't." Her eyebrows raise in arches and she turns back around, narrowly avoiding a branch in her path. "So why did you take me with you?"

Lloyd cuts at the branch in front of him, a little more aggressively than a twig deserved. He huffs annoyedly at her. "I don't wanna answer that."

She laughs at him again, too happy for someone who had just been kidnapped. Lloyd feels his heart in his mouth at the sound.

"Why's that, Lloyd?" She swings around a tree, lurking around it until she's behind him. "Too embarrassing?" Lloyd shoves her back in front. He knows what she's implying when she says that.

"What would your little friends think of you if they saw you now?"

His nose twitches.

Lloyd remembers the simmering rage that had filled him when she'd mentioned his friends. At the time, he'd thought they were dead. Killed in a collapsed subway station, by Harumis crystal spiders.

He remembered how he clutched that sword. How he'd wanted to drive it through her skull that very second.

He remembered the little voice taunting him for having such thoughts all on his own. You don't even need me, it had said.

Despite the despondent feeling, all Lloyd could tell her was to shut up.

She doesn't listen.

"What about that master of yours?" She nudges under a branch that Lloyd swipes at. "Would he be disappointed?"

Yes, he would be, Lloyd thinks. But his hand just tightens on the sword evermore, his jaw clenched tight and his eyebrows furrowed. He won't fall for it.

He's careful.

"I don't wanna hear it, Harumi."

She just doesn't listen.

"Oh, but what would your father think?" His breath audibly hitches. Harumi knows she's winning. "Do you think Garmadon would be proud of you?"

"Don't bring my father into this!" He widely swings the sword, barely missing her as it lodges itself in a tree. It screeches, and Lloyd flinches.

Lloyd is mad at Harumi. He's so mad, he just wants her to shut up!

What's that ringing noise?

Why is the wind suddenly so loud?

Was he always this heavy?

Harumi- Harumi is laughing again. She's laughing at him again, he can hear her echo throughout the jungle.

But Lloyd whips to face her, and she's talking, but he can still hear the laughter.

"Why, Lloyd?" She's so quiet when she speaks. "Are you getting mad?"

The world is quiet for a second.

It's not peaceful.

It's deafening and white hot.

He knows what she's doing now. She's manipulating him. He can see it so clearly now, how each and every one of her words is cherry-picked and driven, purposeful and careful at the same time. She's so amazing at what she does, and Lloyd is so gullible, he's the perfect victim to her mastermind.

He doesn't respond.

"It's perfectly fine to be angry, Lloyd." She takes a too-gentle step toward him. "Emotion is human."

Lloyd feels his words hitch in the back of his throat. He knows what she's trying to do yet he's still falling for it so easily.

He tries to talk, to respond, to argue with her, but he can't find the words.

He stays silent.

She pouts he lip at him.

"Oh, but I guess it's different for you, isn't it?" She folds her arms behind her back. Lloyd feels off balance. "Hard to be human when your anger is seen as evil."

He finds his words in the white-hot silence. "You know nothing about me, Rumi!"

"And yet I know you the most, Lloyd!" She snaps back at him. Her grin is gone. "You don't allow yourself to be angry, but with me, you can be! I want to help you be human, Lloyd!"

"Don't start this!" Lloyd takes a stumbling step away from her. "I know you're just trying to get into my head again, I won't fall for it!"

"Then don't fall for it." Her voice is so eerily calm it makes him nauseous. She places a hand on her sternum and steps toward him. "Take out your anger on me if it makes you feel better."

She steps toward him again, grabbing the sword in a careful motion.

She folds his hands around the handle.

His blood runs cold at the implication.

She looks up at him like he's a child. "Get rid of the source of all your problems."

His heart beats so heavily against his ribs, his hands shake.

He can't believe it.

"Kill me, Lloyd. Embrace your anger, become human."

He can't believe it.

He can't believe he almost considered it.

He regains his breath. His words come back to him again.

"No, I can't-"

"Do it!"

"No!"

In one swift motion, the sword is ripped from his hands by the girl before him. She lunges powerfully at him, Lloyd dodges as second nature.

He collapses under his knees, however, and Harumi takes a long step away from him.

She's laughing for real, now. Loud, bellowing chuckles that make him dizzy.

"You stopped being human a long time ago, Lloyd!" She breathes deeply between her sentences. Lloyd looks up at her, and the sun behind her head makes her look like a deity.

"You'll never be the same, so embrace your difference, and join us." She's patronizing in the way she speaks, and in the way she extends her outstretched hand to him. "Join me!"

A clever ad-lib. It almost convinces Lloyd, it makes the speech feel targeted and intimate. He nearly clutches her hand.

But he can't.

"If you think I'll ever join the Crystal King, then you don't know me!" His voice cracks and shakes.

Harumi just shakes her head with a knowing smile.

And she runs away.

She knows he'll run after her.

-

-