A Second Chance

Chapter 14: Why Didn't You Tell Us?!

Lloyd turned away from Harumi and grabbed his head, "This can't be real. This is just a figment of my imagination!" He turned back to face Harumi again, "You're not Harumi. You died from that building accident with the colossus." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again and carefully said, "You're not real." He denied.

Harumi tried to grab Lloyd's hand but he retracted it. She then opened her mouth and said, "Lloyd. I can explain everything." She tried, but Lloyd wasn't convinced that it was Harumi.

Lloyd opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Jay, Kai, and Cole who stomped over towards Harumi, shooting questions at her in anger. Jay was looked the most irritated out of the three. Kai looked a little calmer than Jay. And Cole was just shooting questions at her rapidly.

"Why are you here?!"

"How did you even survive that fall?!"

"You lied to us! Again!"

"Granted, we never saw how you fall, but that's beyond the point!"

"It was a big mistake coming here, Harumi."

"Have you not learned your lesson after the first time lying to us?!"

"Why?! Just why?"

Harumi covered her ears from the questions that were being shot at her. It was getting very annoying and she shouted, "Stop!" The three of them stopped firing questions but still had an angry look on their faces, "I will answer all of your questions, but not all at once. I can explain everything." She answered, trying to calm them down. It seemed to work a little bit because the boys backed down.

Lloyd pushed through the three and walked towards Harumi. Harumi froze and said, "Lloyd. I know you're mad at me, but please! Hear me out." She pleaded.

Lloyd ignored her and asked, "How do I know you're the real Harumi?" He put more emphasis on the word 'real'.

Harumi paused but then she said, "Ask me something that only the two of us know about. I'll answer it." She said confidently.

Lloyd turned his head ever so slightly. After a few seconds, he turned back to the girl and asked, "What did we do the first night we were alone together?" He shot calmly. He had asked this question to the avatar of Harumi, and she had answered incorrectly.

She took a deep breath before saying, "We went to the Canals of Ninjago City. To give food to the poor." She answered.

Lloyd was about to say something but then remembered, "I already told you that..." He whispered, which was audible to everyone around them. He inhaled and asked again, "What did we talk about when we were on the deck over Dead Man's Squall?" It was a question and a topic he had never asked nor told anyone about. Only he and Harumi knew of it.

Harumi raised a brow and looked away for a second before locking eyes with Lloyd. She closed her eyes, "We talked about our parents. About your dad and about my parents." She answered as she opened her eyes.

She looked at Lloyd who was forcing back a smile. He let his mouth turn upwards into a smile for a few seconds while saying, "You're not a fake. It's really you." He then frowned and sighed, "Why did you lie to me? Again?" He asked slowly. Harumi opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Lloyd's eyes were filled with relief and betrayal, "Is it so that you can trick me again? The map you found, is it leading to another artifact for you to get revenge on me?"

"What? No! It isn't another one of my revenge plans." She gasped.

"Then what is it? It's clear by the number of hints you gave me that you wanted all of us to find out that you're Harumi. But for what reason?" Lloyd asked.

"I wanted to help you." Harumi said quietly.

Everyone behind Lloyd were still silent, so Lloyd asked, "Help us with what?"

Harumi sighed, "I wanted to help you to find an artifact that could make you guys whole again." She said while looking away and closing her eyes.

Kai decided to step in, ignoring his anger at Harumi for now, "What do you mean 'make us whole again'?" He asked while raising a brow.

Harumi faced them again, "I know about Nya's sacrifice to save Ninjago. She became one with the ocean," She paused to breathe, "And I know how to get her back." She admitted.

Jay gasped and came up to her face, "You know how to get her back?!" He asked. Harumi nodded, "How?!"

Cole pulled Jay away from Harumi, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, how do we know you aren't lying to us?" He asked Harumi.

PIXAL came up towards Cole, "She isn't lying." She simply said.

"How do you know?" Kai asked skeptically.

"She has no evil intentions. I scanned her the night she came here." PIXAL explained.

"But how could you know for sure?" Cole asked, Kai nodding behind him.

PIXAL narrowed her eyes at them, "I triple-checked." She answered.

"We still don't know for sure!"

"Yeah! Sometimes scanners could be wrong, PIX."

"If they were wrong, then it would've said so in one of the times I scanned Harumi."

"Then scan her again!"

"There is no point in doing so. My father's scanners only need a three-time use for a certain answer."

"Just do it again. There's no harm in it."

The three of them started arguing with each other. With PIXAL defending her answer and Kai and Cole trying to get her to scan again. All of them trying to prove a point. Jay decided to jump in at one point, but no one can hear him in their little argument, "It's for Nya! I say we just do it."

Zane decided that he had to jump in before their argument gets any worse than it already is, "I suggest we hear Harumi's explanation before deciding anything." He suggested.

Skylor nodded, "I second that. I had an evil father once, and Kai was willing to hear me out before doing anything else. So I think we should at least listen to her." She agreed with the nindroid.

"I also have an evil father. But Cole still stuck by my side." Vania smiled, "I say we hear her out."

Cole groaned, "Just because Vania will listen, I guess I will too." He side-hugged his girlfriend who smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Kai looked at Skylor who had a smirk on her face, "Fine. I'll hear her out too. Only because Skylor will." He smiled at Skylor who now had a triumph smirk.

"If there's a chance in getting Nya back, I'll hear her out." Jay sat down and looked at Lloyd, "What about you Lloyd?"

The Green Ninja looked hesitant to listen to the girl who broke his heart. He wanted to forgive her but he couldn't. He needed to be cautious in case she was lying this entire time. He looked towards the side for a second but then looked back at Harumi. Her eyes were pleading with him to hear her out.

He sat down beside Jay, "I'll listen to your explanation." He smiled. Harumi smiled back at him.

Harumi sat down in front of everyone and said, "I'm not hoping for your forgiveness since I left a major blow on all of you. I just hope you'll help with this mission." She sighed, "Let's start from the beginning..."