Harumi's POV
We started walking again after eating the fried eggs. It wasn't much, but it was all we could muster. Cole's stomach grumbled loudly.
"I already gave you half of my share," I said, "So did Nya."
"My stomach can't help it! I'm not the one complaining!" he justified himself.
"Well, guess what?" Jay offered, "Look at all that grass! A feast wherever, whenever!" He plucked a few blades of grass and stuffed them in his mouth. "Mmm mmm!" Cole gave him a look of disbelief. "What?" Jay put his hands up in the air.
He's losing it, I thought, though a part of me knew he was right. Eating plants could prevent starvation. So I, too, tried it out. It was... edible.
"You're doing it, too?" Cole asked. I shrugged in response.
"Fill up our stomachs before the mountains come!" Jay chanted, "There won't be any yummy grasses there!"
Soon we found ourselves all shoving mouthfuls of the stuff into our mouths. Even Cole. At least it didn't taste bad, not that it was good. Besides, cows ate grass. So why couldn't humans? (And I was dead anyway)
After everyone had their fill, we went on walking for some time, and soon found our path blocked by a girl. Her green eyes were so green they looked unnatural. Even greener than Lloyd's.
"Hello," she said without smiling, "I'm Chrysanthe. Two of your friends have met me already. I came to heal him." She gestured towards Cole.
We looked at one another, slightly baffled. Then, seeing as there was nothing else to be done, Cole stepped forward and held out his arm. Chrysanthe gently put her hands on his lump, and as she began chanting some ancient language, it began visibly shrinking. Cole sucked in his lips and stared at us, Jay watching the healing with intense curiosity. Then she stopped abruptly and Cole's arm dropped to his side. He blinked twice before unraveling the bandages as Chrysanthe somehow pulled a few baskets of food out of thin air and began passing them around. My stomach began growling embarrassingly.
"You are hungry," she said, "But be careful not to eat too much. I do not know how far the nearest town is."
I stared at her stupidity with my mouth slightly open. Then she reached behind her, pulled out a small, dark blue vial of something, and placed it in my hand.
"Keep this," she said, placing it in my hand. "A drop will suffice."
"For what?"
"You'll see. Beware of the Shadow Knight." And she flew off without another word.
"What's it for?" Jay asked.
"Jeez, how much trouble would it have been for her to just tell us?" Nya said.
"I mean, some help is better than no help," Cole added, still staring at his wrist.
"Are you feeling better?" Zane inquired.
"Yeah..."
"Well, um, shall we move on?" I asked, hastily putting the food into my bag. The others nodded and we resumed our walk.
...
"Hey losers, did you miss me?" A voice called out, drawing everyone's attention. I turned around and saw Morro jump off of his Wind dragon, an easy grin on his face. Behind him, Lloyd carefully slid down the side and landed, taking a minute to steady himself.
I beamed and began making my way over to him, but he pushed me back.
"Wait. Shadow Knight check!"
Morro snickered.
"Wait what?" I asked.
Lloyd stared into my eyes as his widened. Just as I wondered if he was doing a staring contest, he blinked and averted his attention back to his cousin.
"Does that count?"
Morro shrugged. "Probably."
"Does what count?"
"Ooo-kay," Lloyd said, beginning to chew his bottom lip, "Could you guys just, uh, display your powers for a quick sec?"
"This does not make sense," Zane said, but did as he was told, albeit confused.
"Ok did anyone kiss anyone?"
"Um... what kind of question is that?" Nya asked skeptically, "Since when did you... you know what never mind."
"Ok then, guess everything's alright."
"Where's my sister?" I asked, ignoring the weirdness of the situation.
"We haven't, um, found her yet," Lloyd said.
"She'll show up," Morro shrugged.
I groaned and clapped my hand to my forehead.
...
The flames of the campfire danced in the twilight, giving everyone's faces a faint orange glow. Jay began trying to figure out just how close to the fire he could hold a slice of bread without burning it to a crisp, which I figured he did in order to entertain Nya to keep her distracted from the thoughts associated with fire. She still seemed a little sad, but for the most part she was laughing at every joke that came out of his mouth, even the unfunny ones. I, on the other hand, was being pathetic and sulky.
"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked me.
I really didn't feel like talking to him, so I didn't answer. Even though I was relieved that he was back, I didn't want to deal with anyone until we found my sister. My stomach twisted into a knot, likely due to guilt and annoyance at myself for always taking Lloyd for granted. But I had more pressing matters at hand.
His face, expectant at first, faltered, and he turned away after I didn't reply for over ten seconds. Though I knew I was being a jerk and he didn't deserve this kind of treatment, the stubborn side of me still refused to talk.
I quietly got up and left as Jay was exclaiming "Eureka!" and sat down with my arms around my knees, far away from the fire. My hands clenched into fists, the dirty fingernails digging into my palms. Wisps of my stringy, greasy hair hung over my face in a way that defied gravity, so filthy that they barely reflected the firelight. I reached up into the back of my skull and scratched, feeling immense satisfaction at the temporary disappearance of the itch.
"Harumi?" A soft voice rang beside my ear. Though I wasn't able to tell whose voice it was by the sound, I knew it was Morro. He was the only person who called me "Harumi".
I still ignored him, as I didn't want to talk to anyone. And he was a "one".
"So, uh, I didn't find her. I mean I tried to, but then I came across the cave and Lloyd was there, so I figured I'd bring him back first, and uh, that drove away the little motivation I had for finding Ruby. So yeah."
I didn't reply and scoffed a little.
"I'll go and find her."
This caught my attention, and I looked up.
"It's dark, so we have to find her as soon as possible."
"I'll do it myself, since nobody else wants to. You don't have to force yourself," I muttered, somehow sounding rude at the same time.
"You can't go alone."
I hesitated. "That's basically what you're trying to do."
"I'm less important."
Now he had my full attention. Furrowing my brow, I stared at him, and even in the darkness, could see the green of his irises. Crickets chirped, and I felt a light breeze toss some strands of my hair backwards. I opened my mouth and closed it several times, not knowing what to say. He wasn't smiling, but something told me he was trying very hard not to laugh at my blundering.
"Are you serious?" I finally let out. The question sounded more like a statement.
Morro nodded curtly, his lips still pursed.
I stood up. "I'm going with you. And you can't stop me."
He stood up from his half-kneel as well and grinned. "It's my honor to escort you, my princess."
"Try calling me that again."
Morro chuckled softly, formed his dragon, and I climbed up behind him. We took off, the night air brushing past my face and throwing my hair back. Stars glistened in the indigo sky, and the wind sent shivers down my spine. I felt goosebumps rise up all over my arms at first, but soon they faded away. The fire was only a tiny speck on the ground, and one could barely make out five little figures circled around it. In the west, the sun still hadn't completely set, and the sky was a light pink. I squinted at the body of water towards the southwest, which Zane had said was a gulf, and that it would be the next place we went to.
"Do you like it?" Morro asked, shouting over the wind.
"Yeah, it's nice," I replied, still feeling dead inside but a little better.
"Okay, now we get to business," he said, and looked down.
"Oh yeah," I said, having temporarily forgotten about her. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he said, still scanning the ground. "You know what, let's drop a little lower. We won't see anything from up here." He flew closer to the ground.
"Why were you and Lloyd acting so weird earlier? With the 'Shadow Knight' thing?"
"I promised her..."
"Who?" I asked, staring at the ground.
"Chrysanthe, the queen of this land. She told me and Lloyd things about the Shadow Knight."
"And you can't tell me?"
Morro paused. "Well, you are the Chosen One. I suppose I could..." His voice trailed off.
"I wouldn't tell anyone else anyway," I said.
"Not even your sister?" he joked.
"No..."
"I mean, she did tell Lloyd because she thought he was the one, so..."
"Ooh, please!" I pleaded.
"Okay, okay!" he laughed. "He can shapeshift, and mostly turns into females. The only fail-safe way to recognize him is that his eyes change color according to his mood. And he can't change into one of us, because he can't duplicate our powers. That, and..." He stopped.
"Why can't you tell the others?" I asked.
Morro hesitated. "I don't know. But something tells me we shouldn't. I already broke my promise by telling you. But I mean, you're... you know. Just don't tell the others yet. Promise me you won't."
"I won't." I promised.
"Okay, so apparently you're not the only person who can take the Crystal Blade."
"Oh." Somehow I wasn't that surprised.
"Also, if the Shadow Knight kisses you you're corrupted."
"Like on the lips?" I asked. What kind of messed-up way of corruption was that?
"Pretty much," he said with an air of disgust. I made a face.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"What?"
"He's not after Jade City."
"And?" I said, suddenly dreading the answer and feeling my chest tighten. Somewhere in my mind I knew what it was already, but I needed him to confirm my theory. And if he did—
"He's after Ninjago."
I felt numb. Though the fate of Ninjago had absolutely nothing to do with me at this point, there was just something about it that I didn't want gone. Even back when I'd wanted to take over, I had childishly thought that this way Ninjago would be better off. Looking back that was stupid of me, but either way I didn't want it destroyed. Sure, I'd enjoyed the sight of the city in ruins and the Colossus towering over the buildings, but once I realized to the full extent what that meant, I'd realized that although the Ninja weren't perfect, they were the best thing we had and I should've been thankful for them.
"Why?" I asked after finally having found my voice again.
"I don't know," he whispered.
I remembered what Emperor Garmadon had said about wanting to protect his father's realm. His ultimate goal was to preserve Ninjago and keep it from succumbing to darkness.
I remembered the Ninja, how they took me in after I bombed the palace despite the fact that I was a complete stranger.
I remembered Lloyd and the way he cared for me during my stay.
I remembered how he said my name when I died.
I remembered his eyes. His bright green eyes, which had lost their glow in the fight with the Emperor. I wondered if he'd got his powers back.
I remembered how I had taunted him, how I had nearly destroyed him.
"We can't fail." was all I could muster.
"No, we can't," Morro agreed.
There was a long, awkward pause.
"You know, there actually haven't been other attacks."
"There haven't?" I asked, stifling a yawn. I hadn't slept the night before.
"Yeah."
"I wonder why he hasn't crossed over yet."
"Maybe he's missing something"
"Shouldn't we be searching for that instead?" Suddenly our plan felt so stupid. We weren't even 100% sure the Crystal Blade would even defeat him. Or if it even existed. Just as I opened my mouth, Morro spoke.
"Wait, I just realized that the Shadow Knight knows we're looking for the Blade. And he wants it as well, since Chrysanthe wanted us to get it for her so she could give it to the Shadow Knight. Which means that it can defeat him." He turned to me, beaming, his green eyes somehow visible in the darkness. If he were driving I'd be screaming for him to turn back around but he seemed to have pretty good control over his dragon. "This means we're on the right track! What luck!"
"But why is he wasting time worrying about the Blade when he can just get his stuff and go?"
Morro turned back around and thought for a moment. "He might have to wait a long time. Like maybe he can only go at the next blue moon or something. So he knows that we'd get there before he can go to Ninjago." he analyzed.
I gasped. "That means we still have a chance!" I wanted to throw my arms around him but that would be awkward.
This was my chance to save Ninjago. I felt a grin spread across my face and my heart rate increase rapidly. This was my chance to redeem myself.
Morro flew on, and soon enough, I began to feel my eyelids droop. My hands slipped and I tumbled backwards. I think I started falling. And my head began to hurt.
I forgot what happened after that.
Lloyd's POV
I didn't know for how long we had been watching Jay's skits before I realized Morro and Rumi were both missing. At first I just thought they had gone to bed, but after checking each tent twice, I concluded that they had left. Then I remembered how Morro was looking for Ruby, only to find me instead, so that was probably what they were doing. I felt a pang of annoyance about the fact that one, nobody told me, and two, my cousin going off with my girlfriend in the dead of night. Alone.
Just as I was wondering whether I should go and look for them, he came, with Rumi asleep in his arms. I stared at him steadily, the irritation probably shown pretty clearly on my face.
"What?" Morro asked, expressionless.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"There's no reason for me to. It's not like I did anything."
My face grew hot. "Well..."
Morro set Rumi down carefully. "I'm going to find Ruby," he said and got back on his dragon. I watched as he flew off then looked back down at her. Her chest rose and fell at a steady rate, and I figured that it would be stupid of me to hold Morro against his actions. After all, he was the only one of us who knew how to make a dragon, so it made sense that he decided to help Rumi find her sister. I carried her into her tent and later explained to the others where they'd gone.
After another half hour or so, we decided to go to bed.
...
The sun was already shining brightly by the time I awoke the following day. I scratched my head and pushed myself into a sitting position as my eyes adjusted to the light. Zane was sleeping soundly, but Morro's spot was empty. I crawled out, careful not to wake him up, and sure enough, my cousin was picking off breadcrumbs and tossing them into his mouth.
"Rise and shine," he said.
"Hi," I replied, tired.
"So, uh, last night I told her about that stuff. She has a right to know."
"Yeah, I figured. Did you find Ruby?"
"She's in the tent." He nodded towards the girls' tent. "She was all 'Oh my gosh, I could kiss you, Morro!' I was like, eww, no." He laughed, then caught himself. "Don't tell Harumi, though."
"Of course not."
"Guys?" I heard, and saw Rumi walk out of the tent, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?"
"Good morning," Morro greeted her, and tipped an invisible hat. I chuckled.
"What happened?" she repeated sleepily.
"You fell asleep, so I brought you back." Morro said, "Did you see Ruby?"
"Yeah, thanks," she said with a grin, her blue eyes brightening.
Morro returned the smile then went back to his slice of bread. Rumi took a seat beside me and quickly pecked me on the cheek.
"So," she said, "Are we going to arrive at the gulf today?"
"I dunno," I said, laughing, "You're going to have to ask Zane. I'm clueless."
"It's not that far, you know," Morro pointed out, "We'll probably get there today."
"Good," Rumi stood up and stretched. "Maybe I'll take a bath or something." She blushed. "You guys should, too. We all stink."
"Now that you've said it aloud, I feel very uncomfortable," Morro chuckled, "I mean, I knew that we did, but ah..."
I laughed. "Yeah, we should all take a bath. Not to mention wash our laundry."
"We'll leave as soon as the others are up, I guess," Morro said, "And maybe eat an apple each. We can catch fish at the gulf," he rubbed his hands together, "I feel like I haven't had any sort of meat in forever."
...
"Did you do the Shadow Knight check?" I joked, tapping Morro on the shoulder. "With Ruby, I mean."
"Oh come on," he said, laughing, "If he impersonated her, he wouldn't be so eager to kiss me."
"Maybe he might," I grinned, "He could turn you evil."
"Lloyd," Morro rolled his eyes. "He couldn't act like her. She keeps on trying to get to me. That's how she acted last night."
"Do you think you might like her back?" I teased, "She is the heir to the throne."
"Okay, seriously, stop."
I laughed.
Since everyone had filled their stomachs (and we'd carefully made a rationing plan), everyone was able to walk much faster. And by late afternoon, we'd reached the gulf.
"Ooh ooh, can we please play a little bit?" Jay begged.
"Who are you asking?" Cole laughed, and the Lightning Ninja shrugged.
"Honestly, why not," Morro said, automatically assuming the role of the person calling the shots.
"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Zane shouted, and we ran at full speed towards the water.
Just as we were about to reach it, a huge wave came crashing down, drenching everyone. A coughing fit broke out and we laughed.
Then we realized Rumi was gone.
A/N: Omg it's finally Friday. Only today I suddenly realized I had to update so I went through and edited the entire chapter (because I don't think I've done it with this one before). So so far I haven't gotten any homework done but oh well. I think I have a chemistry test on Wednesday and a Spanish quiz on Monday... eh whatever, what's school?
So this chapter concludes the Mountains chapter of TJC (which I think is personally my least favorite part). Any thoughts/predictions?
Thank you guys so much for sticking through with me. In the last week we made it to 1k comments which is awesome!
Ok now I really have to do my homework. Thanks again!