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Harumi walks in front of Lloyd, looking for any opening to escape. She turns to him as he cuts more vines out of their way.
“That looks like hard work, Lloyd. Why don't you let me take a turn?”
“Not a chance.” She shrugs.
“Suit yourself.”
As they walk further into the jungle, Harumi narrows her eyes. “You know, this reminds me of the last time we were here together. Don't you remember? Just you and me, fighting our way through the jungle-”
“Stop it,” Lloyd growls. Harumi smirks.
“Stop what?”
“You know what, Harumi. Stop trying to- get in my head.”
“Oh, are you thinking about me?” Harumi turns, facing Lloyd. “What about?”
“Not about you, now walk.” Lloyd turns Harumi around, shoving her forward. Harumi continues to walk.
“Well, I think about you. About how things could've been different if you just chose us over your friends.”
“You made your choices, Harumi. Don't judge me because mine didn't involve resurrecting my father.”
“Resurrecting Garmadon was a necessary step. Don't you see, the world needs someone strong enough to keep people in order? Then fiascos like our city getting attacked won't happen-”
“You caused the city to be attacked, in a period of peace. Everything that's happened since you stole that mask- it's on you.” Lloyd sliced more vines out of the way, somehow signaling the end of their conversation. But Harumi wasn't done.
“We can still be together, Lloyd. If you come back with me and surrender-”
“I said no, and I meant-” Before he could finish, Harumi had pushed him to the ground and taken her sword.
“Ha! Thanks!” Harumi runs, ignoring Lloyd’s yells.
She runs forward, yelping as her foot sinks. She tries to wriggle out, immediately noticing her mistake.
“Shit.”
Lloyd wasn't far behind, falling into the same issue.
“Well, that worked out well didn't it-”
“Don't. Move.” Harumi hissed out. Lloyd glared at her.
“Why wouldn't I? Of course, I'm gonna move. I'm up to my waist in mud!” Lloyd began to try and twist out.
“I said don't move! It's not mud. It's quicksand.” The ninja’s eyes widened with realization.
“Shit.” Harumi sighed, looking around.
“Can you reach those vines?” She pointed upwards. Lloyd reaches towards the vines, groaning.
“Gimme the sword.” Harumi raises a brow.
“No, you’ll-”
“Look, Do you wanna get out of here or not?” Harumi thinks about it, before handing over the sword.
Lloyd uses the sword to bring over a vine for them to grab onto, swinging them out of the quicksand. Harumi screams, landing on top of Lloyd. She groaned, lifting herself up. Lloyd just stared at her, for once with no anger on his face. She stared back. Harumi couldn't help but think about the other day, of her dream-
“You can get off me now.” Lloyd looked at her weirdly before responding:
“You're on me, Rumi” He shoved her off, making sure he had the sword.
“Oh, so it's 'Rumi’ now?”
“Would you prefer captive?”
“We both know you're not ready for that kind of commitment-”
“Well, who’s fault is that?”
“Yours.”
“Wrong. Give me your hands-” Lloyd grabs some vine, starting to wrap her hands together. Harumi pushes back, taking the sword before he falls.
“Ha!- hey!” After being swept up in Lloyd's spinjitzu, Harumi was left with her wrists wrapped up and no sword. She huffed, “Cheater.”
“I would have committed- I was ready to commit. But then the girl I loved used me to resurrect my dad and destroy the place I swore to protect. You betrayed my trust and broke my heart on the same day. Sorry I'm not ready to let you do that to me again.”
Harumi looked at Lloyd, hoping her feelings were concealed. Hoping her voice wouldn't break.
“Do you truly love me, Lloyd?” almost on instinct, he responded.
“Every day.” Harumi’s eyes widened, and her heart ached.
“Lloyd-”
“There! I see them!” Aspheera shouted from the skies. Lloyd cursed, pulling them both into the shade.
As the council argued, Harumi cleared her throat. “I never meant to hurt you-”
“Ha! That's rich. Stay quiet.”
“Did you have it?” Lloyd sighed, finally looking at Harumi.
“Have what?”
“The- the dream. Where you were there, and we- and you said that! What you just said-”
“Keep it down-” Lloyd scolded before he took in all her words. “Then- you-”
“Yes. I had it. And you had it. Why?”
“I don't know, now’s not really the time to talk about it-”
“With the way things are going, we may not have any other time. In a few minutes, they'll find us or we’ll die in some other death trap-”
“So what do you want us to do? Talk about our feelings? Dreams are different from reality, Rumi. When we're dreaming, there’s no lines drawn between us.”
“Why does there have to be? Why can't we exist?”
“Because- there’s nothing left.”
“You just said you loved me, hell you still call me Rumi. there’s something there, Lloyd.”
“As long as we are on opposite sides, there can't be. I have a duty to my friends and the people of Ninjago. And if you dead-set on destroying it with the Overlord, I can't-”
Harumi leaned forward, kissing Lloyd. This was nothing like the kiss they shared in the dream; they were sweaty and covered in dirt and sand and other things- but somehow just as enchanting. Lloyd lifted his hand, resting it on her face. And this kiss wasn't just a diversion- it was something more. Maybe a hello, or a goodbye. Harumi would try to figure that out later.
They parted, staring at each other for a moment. Then Harumi kicked the ninja away.
“I'M OVER HERE!”
She needed to know what to do- what was right. And she couldn't figure that out in the middle of a forest.
Lloyd looks at Harumi, hurt before running. He stops at the edge of a cliff, Harumi catching up with him.
“Lloyd-”
“Again?! Really, I thought maybe-”
“I do! I swear, I just need time-”
“Time is up, Harumi. You have to make a choice. Because you can't have both.” As her final sentence, the bounty begins to rise out of the cliff. Lloyd smiles, jumping towards his friends.
“No. No! That's impossible!” Harumi screams.
As the bounty makes its escape, tears finally spring from Harumi's eyes. Lloyd’s words ring in her ears:
“Time is up, Harumi. You have to make a choice.”