It had been far, far too long since Ninjagp had reached a state of true peace. Lloyd was happily reunited with his family, and the ninja were more than happy to see him. Harumi had paid a visit to Acronix and Aunt Josephine, discussing the whole...parents situation. Zephyr's defeat, inevitably, allowed everyone to begin the transition back to their normal lives.
"Yeah, right after we finish fixing all the damage he caused," Kaitlynn interrupted.
"Well, I thought that was quite obvious, also, ruuuude!" Jade retorted.
"Moooving ooonnnn...." Lilla continued.
As far as the palace goes, the repairs are nearly done! The entire team has been lending all their hands and legs to restore all the broken pieces of Ninjago City. In other words: all is well.
"Yes, yes, and then?"
"Aww, the sad news..."
Lilla smiled sadly. "The time has come."
"We did, of course, know the end of our adventures with the Resistance would come eventually, but...now that it's actually here...it seems so much worse. As much as we love our realm we found bonds and friendship from the others, and now we have to leave."
"BUUUUUUUUT-"
"BUT, as Jade mentioned, there is something important that needs to happen first."
"Sorry, wha? What's the important thing? This is the part where I get lost, hehe," Harumi asked Lilla, to no response.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you sooo much!" Jade threw an arm around Harumi and pulled her in.
"Well, it won't be goodbye forever," Kaitlynn reminded her. "Oni friends means they can always reopen the portals for us, so we can see each other again sometime."
"Speaking of which, where IS everyone?" Harumi asked them. "I know they said to go to the palace, but aren't all the repairs already done??"
"Ah, yes, let's go find out!" Lilla laughed. "Oh, but first, uhhh, the three of us have to go grab some stuff, we'll meet you there, okay byyyyeeeeee!"
Before she could utter a single protest, they were gone. Harumi turned to the palace, which was across the bridge, and shrugged, heading towards it.
When she reached the palace steps, Harumi knocked on the doors, to no response. She paused for a beat, then knocked again. Nothing.
Slowly, she pushed them open, and it was completely dark inside.
"Hutchins? Hello? Anyone?" she called out, and the lights blazed on to reveal a crowd of people facing her.
"HAPPY SIXTEENTH HARUMI!" they shouted.
Harumi was stunned. "What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master are you guys doing here?!"
Lloyd stepped forward. "Well, last week, Acronix told us your birthday was coming up..."
"So we decided to throw together a party for you!" Kai finished.
"I...I can't accept this. I—"
"You can and you will."
She turned to face Garmadon, who emerged from the crowd.
"Happy Birthday, Harumi. We are all very, very proud of you."
Tears threatened to form in her eyes.
"I don't...all this...it's...you didn't have to..."
"Harumi, NO ONE has done what you've done. And it's your special day, so just enjoy it," Nya gave her a smile, and the tension in her heart began to fade.
"I love you guys so much."
After the hugs came the real party. The dance floor was crowded with guests, couples mostly. Jay and Nya, Zane and Pixal, even Matias and Macy.
While most of the guests opted for the high energy, upbeat style, Lloyd and Harumi were sticking through slow dance together, arms wrapped around each other.
Acronix smiled from a distance, until the lights started to fade, and the stage was illuminated by a single spotlight. Lloyd nudged Harumi towards the stage, and she stumbled towards the center.
"Um...wow. I....sincerely thank you all for being here. I appreciate all of you for your support and help."
There was a loud cheer from the guests and her family.
"I just want to say, I've been on a very, very long journey. I don't think it ends here, and that neither scares me nor makes me happy. I've lived a hundred different personas in sixteen years, and from all of that, I need to say, thank you to the Resistance. You guys taught me how to have a strong soul in addition to a strong body. Taught me how to laugh again, love again, and to feel again what it means to have something in your heart that is worth fighting for. You became not only my friends but my family, and I am eternally your faithful warrior and Resistor.
"The Resistance never quits!" she shouted.
"The Resistance NEVER QUITS!" a cry echoed from the crowd below, as she exited the stage, and Wu took her place.
"The cake, please!" he called to no one in particular.
From two small black doors tucked away in the corner of the room, a chef emerged, carrying a two-tiered strawberry cake.
Harumi took her place at the table as he set it in front of her, and began to turn red as everyone started singing for her.
After everyone had received a slice, and smiles littered the room like flowers in a field, the speeches began.
Lloyd stepped up to the stage.
"Happy Birthday Rumi."
A series of "aww"s were heard around the room.
"I just want to say that I've never met anyone like you. I really, really do love you. Besides being the prettiest girl I've ever seen, you're a fighter on the inside and out, and every moment I spend with you is a moment I would keep under lock and key and save in my heart forever. I'm grateful for every day we face villains, and, at times, the entire world, together. I'll stay with you forever, even if that means different amounts of time for each of us. Thank you."
He exited, and everyone clapped and whistled for him. He returned to his seat next to Harumi, and she immediately stole a kiss before the next speech started.
"Okay, no smooching yet, the party's still going," Cloud interrupted from the stage, and the two broke apart, embarrassed.
"Harumi, you are my best non-puppy friend and I love you so much. We trust each other with our lives, and I promise to keep you safe until mine ends. Which is NOT soon, by the way!"
The crowd laughed, and Cloud hopped down from the stage.
"Anyone else?" Wu asked, and no one came forward. He nodded.
"To Harumi!" Lloyd raised his glass. So did everyone else.
"To Harumi!" they repeated, and drank.
After the toast was over, it was finally time for the gifts.
"Oh my goodness..." Harumi gasped looking at the stack of gifts on the table.
"Ooopeennnn themmmm!" Jade urged one towards her. It was in sparkly purple wrapping, a relatively flat, square box.
As she opened the box, Harumi laid her eyes on a delicate silver chain necklace with a purple jewel pendant.
"It's...gorgeous..." she stared, and read the card to see who it was from.
"Something to remember us by," Lilla told her, and the three girls gave her a tight hug, which she returned.
"I'll keep it safe," she promised, moving onto the next box, but before she could, Garmadon came forward. She paused.
"Harumi, I...apologize. I...I didn't know what to get you."
He looked down, and the guilt was evident in his voice, and the lines of his face, instead of the blood-red eyes that could no longer show sorrow.
"It's okay. You've already given me the best gift I could ever ask for, without even knowing it, years ago."
Cloud came to Garmadon's feet and affectionately snuggled by his ankles.
"You gave me Cloud, Garmadon. My savior, protector, and friend. I couldn't ask any better gift from you."
He ran to give her a hug, kneeling to tighten the embrace, for he was quite tall.
"I'm happy I could do that for you."
She smiled, reaching for the second box, instead of the pile of cards stacked next to it. She was surprised to see the giver's name written on it: Wu.
"Master Wu..I...you didn't have to get me anything!"
"This is a gift we give back to you regardless of your birthday. We give back to you for all your years of service with us."
As she unlidded the box, her jaw dropped to see the contents: her very own ninja gi.
She stared at Wu, and then the ninja, who only offered the biggest smiles.
"I couldn't..."
"It is yours to keep, Harumi. I am honored to be the one to gift it to you," said Wu.
"And it is an honor for all of us to watch you become the warrior you are today," Garmadon agreed.
"You've come a long way," Mirage told her, and Opal nodded.
"And still a long road ahead, with many more adventures, both in the world and in your heart," Lloyd smiled that smile at her, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Harumi, just accept it," Acronix told her. "You've finally made it to the end, and we couldn't be happier for you."
"We can train you, to be a ninja. We will help you as much as we can," Lloyd reassured her.
"We can help if you need it, with your Oni powers. We're staying in Ninjago," Opal told her. "You have support all around."
Harumi went quiet for a moment. Her first thought was that she needed some time to think about this. But then, what exactly was there to think about? Zephyr was gone, there was nowhere else for her to go, no one else to fight. And she would be with her family.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Cheers erupted, wringing the palace of the silence that had sat while she pondered what seemed now to be her heart's dying wish.
"Everyone say cheese!" Jade yelled, pulling out her selfie stick. The Resistance crowded around Harumi and looked up st the camera, which clicked and flashed white while Harumi blushed pink.
The cleanup of the party was light work to all those who had been repairing the palace in recent weeks. But now, the next day had come, and Jade, Lilla, and Kaitlynn were approaching Opal's portal.
They stood before it, and a voice made them turn.
"Thank you girls for everything."
Harumi sounded as composed as she could, but the part of her heart that had their bandages wrapped around it was slowly breaking.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll miss you," Garmadon said sarcastically. "But, all jokes aside, we hope to see you three again."
"Take care," Matias said, Macy on his arm. "I owe you guys so much."
They turned back to Harumi, who was now crying.
"Does it really have to be this way?" she cried into their arms, knowing the answer could just as easily be no.
"You guys have done so much for me," she said shakily. "Got me the Realm Crystal so I could go home, fought in battles that were never yours, chose to sacrifice so much...and I can't ever thank you enough."
"We'll see you again soon," Jay promised.
"Oh, I never liked goodbyes," Jade pouted, starting to cry.
"You're welcome, Harumi," Kaitlynn told her. "Don't hesitate to call us for help if you need it."
Slowly, they pulled away, and headed for the portal, sending the last few waves out to their friends, stepping through the portal even as goodbyes still echoed behind them.
As the portal closed, so did Harumi's eyes, not wanting to watch them go.
Even after hours passed, and Harumi now stood stargazing on the deck of the Destiny's Bounty, her heart already felt incomplete.
She recognized the feeling of a presence behind her before the sound of footfalls came into focus. She turned to face Garmadon.
"May I join you for a bit?"
"Of course," she moved over so they could share the same viewpoint.
"Such curious little things, aren't they?" he said softly. "You just see them or find them one day and suddenly they're the most beautiful thing in the world."
She wasn't entirely sure Garmadon was referring only to the stars.
"I know you will miss them, Harumi," he said somberly, but with a smile. "And that is because they healed you in ways other people never could, undid the damage so many caused. They were as close as sisters to you. And they will remain with you forever, okay? So get some rest now. Feel better tomorrow."
He left her on the deck, and she let her hands rest on the smooth wood. Whilst her mind was too occupied with what Garmadon had just said, she didn't realize the presence of another man until his hand slid on top of hers, resting there.
Harumi turned to see Lloyd, staring up at the stars as well. She rested her head on his shoulder, until he moved behind her, so that she could lean backwards against him, and wrapped his arms around her, chin resting on her shoulder.
"Hello, gorgeous," he said softly. "Having trouble sleeping?"
"Too much to think about," she sighed, already feeling the weight in her stomach lift just with his presence.
"I know. But you'll be okay. Because you always make it through, no matter what," he said stoutly, and for a moment, if only a moment, she believed it, and there were no storm clouds of hesitation.
Chapter by Ash