Chapter Text
Her hood was pulled down as she carefully crossed another open street. Pink may have been too bright to not bring any attention to her, but she was still less recognisable than with her white hair. Right now the only thing that mattered was for Lloyd to not see her - which was weird. She waited months to be able to finally speak to him, and now when she got her chance, she was running away. She always was doing it - escaping when it was getting to difficult to deal with. She couldn’t see him, he deserved to get away from her. The universe created the perfect opportunity for her to leave him alone. He deserved better than her being near him. She knew that all of those worlds that he spoke to her was just his guilt, that he couldn’t save her. His need to prove himself that even she could change. It wasn’t enough, she screwed too much.
A sudden music threw her away. She quickly picked up her phone and scoffed after seeing the caller ID. “Miyo, as much as I would like to talk to you, now’s not quite the time.” The girl’s voice echoed from the other side. “At the restaurant again? Girl, you need to take a break. But I’m not calling about that. Kinda. I talked with Skylor recently and we came up with the idea to make some sort of the event to unite everyone even more. It's kinda today and we need someone to pick up the flowers. Can you do that?”
The girl sighed. Another event she didn't knew about? Although, she couldn't blame anyone but herself. With every day she spend less time at the restaurant and more with the Borg couple. She already spoke with Skylor and from the next month she wouldn't be working there anymore. As much as she wanted to keep apologising, Skylor always cut her off and repeated that it's an opportunity for her. Those weren't the only thing she spend her time on. It may seems that the situation in the Merged realms become more calmer over the time, but unfortunately the truth wasn't as beautiful. Recently the media become full of new gangs showing up, wanting to take the power when the ninjas were gone. It was just Sons of Garmadon all over again, just less destructive. Harumi was pissed on that, they really didn't have the time for that now. The police was barely holding it up with the numbers. Hence her nights had changed into race on the streets to help with stopping them. She was tired but at least the police could be more calm.
Another sound came as Miyo send her the address for the pick up. It was somewhere in Ninjago and she could have sworn that she remembers it from somewhere, she just couldn’t point from where. She typed the address into the maps app to figure out her route. Thankfully her bus was stopping on the stop next to her which saved her some time. Normally she would have just walked there but it was getting late and she didn’t had a lot of time. She promised to met up with Celeste for something that needed to be done by the next week. The ride was quite fast, only a few stops and she was out of the vehicle. Now she just had to cross several streets to reach her destination.
She was getting closer when she heard some screaming nearby. By the sound of the voice she could have sworn that it belongs to some young girl. She sprinted towards the source while reaching her mask from the backpack - a black oni mask with small pink details. For some it may sound weird that she choose this particular design considering her past, but she feel really connected to it. The black colour was perfect for not taking much attention and she started warming up towards the pink. Just more than a year ago she would have died thinking of wearing it, but after getting that blanket from Mrs Walker she really started liking it. The hoodie she was now wearing which was also the gift form the older woman was another prof for that.
As she was getting closer she put the mask on after making sure that no one saw her. She didn’t even want to find out how many laws she was breaking due to her vigilante job, but “Kijō” become a pretty well know figure by now. Her vigilante alter-ego was pretty liked by the citizens, but it didn't gave her any right to do it. That’s why she needed to protect her identity from the police - an arrest was the last thing she needed now. The Commissioner may be found of her but she was smart enough to know that he wouldn’t be able to take her side. A couple of days ago her appearance during the meeting in Borg’s tower became a public information. The press didn’t even though for a second to put Cyrus’s and Celeste’s involvement in it and she didn’t want to create problems for them due her stupid mistakes.
As she reached another street the blood inside her started boiling. A couple of guys from Viper Kings circled around a young girl. At the first second she wasn’t able to tell her identity but as one of the guys moved to the side she recognized those blonde locks. Dominique was laying on the sidewalk while holding up her knees. Harumi could see how the blood soaks her pants. She couldn’t believe how they were stupid enough to attack someone during the day. There was a chance that the information about the police’s current state somehow reached the wrong ears.
Without wasting any more seconds she ran towards the gang. Before they managed to realise that they aren’t alone she already managed to kick one of the guys behind his knees, making him fall down. “What the- who the hell are you?!” One of the guys screamed as she charged towards the other one. He was trying to hit her but her height made it easier to dodge and lay a kick into his stomach. “That mask- Randy I think it’s “Kijō”!” Another one screamed back to his colleague. That didn’t stop her - it actually made her want to hit even harder. They knew who she was, there was no point of holding down. “You mean as in this vigilante?! Didn’t she broke dow the Frosted Sisters last week?! They were the best weapon dealers in the north.” It seemed like her fame was quicker than her. She didn’t expected that the information would spread that fast. It would explain their attitude then - their dealers were gone and they weren’t prepared for an actual fist fight. As she dodged another hit she dragged one of the guys by hand and lead him straight to the wall. She was now left with the last one - the one that was called “Randy”.
“These guys are idiots, they relay on weapons too much. I’ve told them to pick up some actual fighting lessons but they didn’t listen. Now look where it got them.” Harumi’s gaze shifted from her opponent towards Dominique. The girl was scared and wounded, if she wouldn’t get treated soon she may end up with a nasty infection. She charged at Randy with her full speed and aimed to his knees. The guy only smiled and tried to kick her himself. Her unsuccessful dodge made her fall to the ground. She could feel the pain in her left leg. This guy was no joke and she really needed to top up her game. Relaying on her hands seemed like the best option in this one. She stood up and ran towards Randy. She wasn’t the master when it came to fighting but she couldn’t deny her abilities - especially not when she knew that it was time to start playing dirty. This choice wasn’t her favourite one buy it did save her ass a couple of times before.
Harumi started trying to hit her opponent in the head. Randy quickly catched on and stood his guard. A couple of hits later she changed her target to his stomach - it was her plan all along. Randy only bended down slightly and hit her with his whole strength in the head. She didn’t had the time to weaken the attack which forced her to move a couple of steps back. Her head became dizzy for a second. Before she managed to collect herself Randy was already next to her - his first meeting her face. This time she wasn't able to keep standing as she feel on the ground. She could feel blood dripping from her nose. She tried to stand up and stay balanced. Her vision started getting blurry and her mask wasn’t helping at all. She turned towards Randy and noticed box cutter in his hand. “No weapons, huh? What a hypocrisy.” He slowly walked towards her while playing with his knife. “Time to finish it girly.”
He charged at her with his knife pointed towards her stomach. She managed to catch his hand and started wrestling with him. He was strong but she had her unfiltered rage, which seemed to be enough. She wanted to force him into tripping she she could get Dominique and run away. She kicked Randy in his knee and tried to lead his hand up. Unfortunately he managed to keep his balance enough to ai at her face. The knife cut trough her skin that wasn’t hidden behind the mask. She hissed at the pain and with last bits of her strength she swung her knee and landed it perfectly into Randy’s stomach. He dropped his knife while squatting down in pain. Harumi didn’t stop to celebrate and rushed towards Dominique. She grabbed the girl by the hand and ran with her towards the flower shop. It was just two streets away which would be close enough for them to hide. In the meantime she took down her mask - she knew that she can trust this little girl with her secret.
“Listen Domi, you cannot tell anyone that you saw me wearing this mask. I may be helping people but I’m doing something that’s really illegal and I may end up getting some people in trouble. Do you understand?” “Mhm.” It was enough of an answer for her, she understood that Dominique may still be processing some things and needed time. She smiled slightly as she saw the name of her destination. They both ran inside and closed the door. One of her hands immediately reached the wall next to her to gain even a bit of a support. Dominique clenched tightly to her leg. Harumi wasn’t able to define voices from each other - everything was turning into a goop in her head. At one second she felt Dominique letting go which probably meant that someone was helping her. She felt something cold on her neck and flinched. She locked her eyes with some guy that she belived that she knew from somewhere. He told her to move her head down and she did as she was told. In the corner of her eye she noticed another familiar face - this one belonged to the girl that was going through the first-aid kit to find the bandages. As her bleeding stopped her head was raised and the guy now was cleaning her face. She could hear Dominique’s faint giggle which put her at ease.
“What the hell happened to you both?” Harumi’s head turned towards the source of anger. Her eyes widened as she looked down. This was a face that she would never forget. Brad Tudabone. Lloyd's best friend from Darkley’s. She knew that they stayed in touch after Lloyd had left the school which would have meant that he exactly knew what she did, and there was a high chance that the others knew too. She just couldn’t believe her luck. Just as she was avoiding her meeting with Lloyd she ran into his friend. She listened to Dominique explaining the whole situation, hoping that she wont tell her secret.
Brad was yelling, even a deaf person could realise how angry he was. She couldn't blame him, he knew Dominique so it was normal that he was worried about her. She was just a child and there was no telling that she wasn't good enough to keep her safe. It was more reasonable to leave her with them, and that's what she did. Brad gave her the order and she could have sworn that he hesitated, like he wanted to tell her something. Maybe even offer help. She left before she put more trouble on the group.
Every next step brought her more pain than the last one. Whatever happened to her leg during the fight didn't seem like something she could walk off. She would have to ask Liam to drive her to the hospital to get it checked. Maybe it won't give up on her before she would get to the restaurant.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Haru what the fuck happened to you?!” The girl could hear Miyo’s scream as soon as she walked through the door. Some people got to her and took the boxes from her hands. She could feel Skylor's hands on herself which gave her needed support. “Dad what are you waiting for?! Get R.E.X. and help me get her to the hospital!” Harumi watched as Miyo dragged Ronin towards the exit. Skylor took her and followed them to the ship. Both women helped her get inside comfortably and the younger one sat next to her. Ronin entered his vehicle and started it. Skylor stayed on the ground and watched as it moved away towards the city.
Harumi wasn't able to focus on anything in particular. She could hear Miyo asking her questions and turning towards her father to make him speed up. Ronin was starting to loose his patience as they were at the maximum speed, but his daughter completely ignored his words. Harumi’s head started spinning and she started loosing consciousness from the pain. She kept telling herself that everything soon will be over.
~~~~~~~~~~
The lights from the ceiling blinded her for a second. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit ignoring the slight pain. With a quick scan of the territory around she could easily tell that they managed to get to the hospital. As she was about to get from the bed to look for someone the door has been opened.
“Looks like someone finally woke up, how are you feeling dear?” A young woman entered the room, she couldn't be older than her than by a couple of years. She could see a tag on her lab coat - “C. Walker”. She looked at the doctor, her face decorated with a gentle smile. “Good, only a bit sore.” The woman started approaching her and checked her vitals, after confirming that everything was in norm, she smiled. “This was a close one, your knee is heavily sprained and there was an ugly wound on the side of your head. Did you got in a fight? Or were you attacked by people who aren't found of you?”
Harumi didn't like how perceiving this woman was. Mentioning a fight wasn't a good move if she wanted to keep her identity a secret so the attack was the only reasonable option. Before she could open her mouth the doctor spoke again. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but the police will be trying to figure it out. They are already on their way as they only waited for us to tell them that you're awake. Many may not treat you as their royal but you still own your title. Your involvement in development of Ninjago after the Merge is also good enough of a reason for people trying to find out the truth.”
Harumi didn't like when others were prying into her business. She needed to somehow tell only part of the truth, to not say that she knew the girl and that she doesn't remember how she looks like. This was her only way out.
Mrs Walker stayed for a couple more minutes to check on her head and leg. As she was heading towards the door they got open by a quite tall man. He smiled upon seeing the woman and turned towards Harumi and greeted her. The girl only let out a small “hello” and smiled awkwardly. She looked for his name tag - “V. Walker”. At first she though that they could be some sort of family members - but upon seeing no visual similarities and noticing how they act around each other she could deduct that they must be married. They both waved at her and left her on her own.
Harumi's thoughts were running inside her head. So many things happened in a span of couple hours that she was barely keeping up with all of it. Firstly she found out that Lloyd is in the city after he brough some kids and a dragon into the Monastery. Then she stopped a gang from stealing money from Dominique. Later she stood face to face with one of Lloyd's friends, and after coming back to the restaurant she lost consciousness and ended up in a hospital. With the addition of the events from last couple of months it was no wonder that she started going insane. As a loud groan left her mouth the door suddenly opened.
The Commissioner stood in the middle of them with two policeman standing behind him. She recognised them from the day when she brought Garmadon back. All three of them approached her bed with stern expressions. She couldn't stop but get anxious and stressed by the whole situation. Her gaze was fixed on the oldest man and his face softened.
“We heard from a couple of people about your recent involvement. I have to admit I always knew that you will come back to us. Unfortunately it's not a time for sweet words, we need to talk about this situation”. The Commissioner pointed at her wounds and the bed. She took a deep breath - she knew that there's no escape.
“I was going to pick up a flower order for Skylor's restaurant. On my way there I heard a group of guys that approached a young girl. I didn't know their business but they weren't looking like they wanted to make friends. I managed to fight them and then I run away with the girl and left her at the flower shop. I came back with the order and started loosing her consciousness and later woke up here”. She didn’t liked lying anymore. It was her way in the past but now she wanted to change, and this was one of the things she wanted to focus on the most.
“So you don’t know the girl nor the people who attacked her?” “No, and before you ask I didn’t had time to make a mental note of their images. I was focused on different things”. The Commissioner nodded and wrote something in his notebook. They asked her a couple more questions and soon they left as well.
The Borg couple entered shortly after them. Both Celeste and Cyrus had worried expressions on their faces. The woman hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. The man grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Harumi couldn’t help but smile. Those two were her rock bottom in those last months and she couldn’t be enough thankful for them in her life. Just as she believed that they reached their top of caring over her, they were now seeing her at the hospital. After seeing their faces she wondered for how long she was out, and how bad her condition was.
“Promise me that it won’t happen again. It’s enough that we have one daughter that throws herself into danger.” Cyrus’s words echoed in her mind. Why would he said that? It was like he saw her as his daughter. But why? She was nothing like Pixal. The nindroid was perfect in every way, she on the other hand was broken. Why would they wanted to see someone like her as their own?
She didn’t had a lot of time to thing before Walkers entered her room. Edna had tears in her eyes and Ed was wiping his nose with a tissue. “Thank First Spinjitzu Master that Skylor called us. Sweetie you look horrible. What exactly happened to you? You know what? Don’t worry with explaining anything, just give me the names and I will solve it.”. Ed was doing his best to ground his wife down. Mrs Walker was always a high spirit especially when someone she cared about was hurt.
They both took a liking in her after that one time when Jay brought her and Cole to their family dinner. It was his turn to look after her and he really didn’t want to reschedule his own parents. At first he wanted someone to switch with him but they already made plans. Kai was helping out Skylor at the restaurant that day, Zane promised Pixal that they will help Borg with his new project and Lloyd was meeting his friends for Gene’s birthday. Asking Nya was out of the question as they still had a hard time talking after their break up. Besides she already had her own plans with Benthomar so it still left her with him. He wasn’t very happy with this course of events but Cole reassured him that it will be fine - and to Jay’s surprise Harumi behaved for the whole event. At the end she even helped with washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. After that day every now and then Jay was bringing something that his parents wanted to give her. One day it was her now favourite hoodie, other the blanket, the set of hand painted mugs, and other things that filled her wardrobe and made her apartment even more cosier.
~~~~~~~~~~
The week passed and Harumi was finally discarded from the hospital. Celeste even took some time from work to pick her up and leave her at their house - the move was finally completed during her stay. Both women headed towards her new room. Harumi would be lying if she said that she not excited. Celeste and Cyrus took matter in their hands as a welcome gift but promised to take inspiration form her last apartment and to use all the things she was gifted.
The house was massive due to needs of Cyrus’s disability, the need to put as many inventions as possible also took it’s part. Her room was placed at the end of the hall - opposite to the one that belonged to Pixal. As they reached the door Celeste nodded to the younger girl to encourage her. Harumi took a deep breath and opened the door. She was speechless, the room was exactly how she dreamed it to be. They painted the walls pink and added white furniture. All of her things from her apartment were there and fitted perfectly with the rest of the room. A couple of flowers various string lights were placed around the room.
Celeste walked towards one of the closets. “I’m sure that this is something that you’re going to like”. The woman opened the door and revealed the inside. Katanas and other smaller weapons were hanging from the door, The back of the wardrobe was covered with different outfits. At the top shelf were placed masks with different designs.
Harumi didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know from where it all came from. The only answer that came to her mind was that they somehow found out about her side gig. She looked at Celeste confused and the woman only smiled.
“You were getting more tired every day as the crime rates were lowering. We had a theory that you’re somehow involved. We were just about to give up and ask you when I noticed the mask in your bag during one of the meetings. Cyrus and I talked about it and we decided to support you slightly. So how do you like the surprise?”
Harumi didn’t know what to say, not only they were worried about her well being that they wanted to find out what is wrong with her but they also sponsored her new equipment and took the time to design her outfits. She felt tears building up in her eyes as she ran towards the woman and hugged her tightly. Celeste giggled softly and started creasing her hair. She was glad that the girl became more comfortable with other people and their touch. It made her proud of how far she came.
“I will leave you for now, I still have some work to do at the tower. The whole house is for you to use. I will let you get comfortable and I better not see you coming to work or exercise. Are we clear?” “Yes ma'am.” Harumi saluted jokingly which made the woman rubbed her head playfully. They separated at the entrance and Harumi was left alone - but for the first time she wasn’t feeling lonely because of it.
The girl came back to her room and sat with the laptop. She was curious what was happening in the city since that day with Dominique. She scrolled throught the NinjagoTV page. Some robberies, small accidents, weather info, another post about the ninja and an article.
Sudden coma incidents in the whole city, the reason still unknown. Doctors suspects an effect of some unknown drug, the police reminds to stay cautious.
She looked at the text with shock. Was this the reason why the police showed up at the hospital? Were they wondering if she could have been the next victim? Harumi was trying to wrap her head around it. Sure the drug could have been the answer but they should be able to find traces of it inside victims. If she wanted to be honest she was worried that it may have been a result of the Merge, or a different shit that involved an ancient evil or something like that. She knew that she needs to look into the situation more and find out the truth before things escalate. She had a week to go through the whole internet before she can search for the information in person. Harumi knew that she may end up needing some help - but now she knew that there are people she can count on.
~~~~~~~~~~
Several members of Viper Kings moved around the base. They were talking, playing around and drinking. Soon one of the members ran inside to a surprise of his friends. He quickly opened the door and his face tensed upon seeing the person inside.
“Boss, there was another problem with the shipment. Our new dealers are trying to get away from giving us our new equipment.” “I will deal with it later, you’re dismissed.” The guy wasn’t convinced but he still left the room. The eyes of the Boss returned towards the screen. Right in front of him was a photo posted after the latest rebuild of the Monastery. He zoomed at Harumi who was standing between Lloyd and Jay. The man reached his hand towards the screen with a couple of white strands in it. He twirled them slightly and started laughing.
“Oh princess, if you really wanted to keep your secret identity you should have dyed your hair. Now making you pay won’t be so hard”. Randy’s smile didn’t leave his face as he picked up a file from the drawer. Right in the middle of it were two words written in bold letters - Harumi Jade. She may had get rid of some of her problems but her current actions were putting her in danger she was not yet ready for.