Flumptober (Ninjago Challenge)

October 12th

Title: Fighter 2 Will Be . . .
Prompt: Returning Villain
A/N: One of my favorite scenes.  Dialog is from S12E12 - Stop, Drop and Side Scroll!

Lloyd couldn't help but have his breath taken away as an involuntary gasp escaped his lips.

"Lloyd." 

Lloyd.

His name.  How could she say it so sincerely?

"H- Harumi?"  Her name rushed out of his mouth and he hated how he couldn't say it evenly, how his tongue tripped over her name.

Jay and Nya turned to look at each other, confused. 

"It's good to see you again Lloyd."  She started walking towards him, arms gently stretched to her sides, welcoming him for a hug.

"How?"  He moved towards her, like a moth to a flame.  He couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to.

Jay's heart felt like it fell into the pit of his stomach as panic filled his veins.  "It's not her Lloyd! It's just a trick!"  He rushed forward to rescue his friend, but was blocked by an invisible wall.  His eyes went wide.  "A force field!"

Nya mirrored his worry. "Lloyd!" she screamed out, "LLOYD!" She joined Jay in banging on the force field.  There had to be a way to reach him, Lloyd was about to get his heart cut in two. 

Harumi smiled sweetly as she charmed Lloyd with her words.  Jay and Nya were frantically banging on the force field, screaming at Lloyd to get his attention. Nya watched in horror as Harumi lunged at him, piercing his heart.

"Lloyd!" she cried out, a feeling of helplessness clawing its way into her stomach.  Lloyd regained his wits then blocked and parried her attacks.  Nya watched as Lloyd's face fell. It made her heart ache.

"I can't fight her!" Lloyd shouted at them, defeat plastered across his face.

Jay grimaced and grit his teeth. "It's a simulation! It's not her!" he shouted back and slammed his fist against the force field in frustration.  Nya pulled her hands to her chin, worried.  Lloyd was a fierce warrior.  He had saved Ninjago countless times, even fighting against his own father more times then they would like to admit.  But right now, Nya felt scared for her friend, her baby brother, her you-are-not-in-the-boy's-club companion.  His heart was still broken and she didn't know how to fix it.

They traded blows, slowly bleeding points off each other's health bars. 

"Ah!" Lloyd crouched down in pain and tried to catch his breath. "Harumi, don't do this!" 

Jay wanted to electrocute the whole system to bring down the force field, knowing full well his efforts would be futile.  Don't plead with her!

"You left me, Lloyd! All the people you save, and where were you when I needed you? Where were you?!" 

Jay felt a chill walk down his spine.  This game was in their heads and using their guilt and fears against him.  Unagami had to be stopped at all costs.

The two continued to trade blows until Harumi realized she was lower on health.  Their swords clanged together and sparks flew, faces inches apart.  "Lloyd," she started, her voice airy and vulnerable.  Jay wanted to scream It's a trap!

"I don't have long," she continued, eyes darting away while biting her lip, "But I wanted to say: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. If you could only give me another chance?" she asked hopefully, the features on her face genuine.

"Harumi, is it really you?" Lloyd wanted to believe, he wanted so bad to believe it was really her, that she had repented, that she actually loved him.  His arm, holding his sword against hers, felt weak.

Jay couldn't believe how easily Lloyd was being played.  He banged on the force field again, trying to control his rage. "No! Lloyd! It's not Harumi! The computer's just trying to get into your head!' He punched the invisible wall again, hoping this time he would finally get through. "It's nothing but a program!"  His voice was growing horse from all the shouting. 

Lloyd finally looked at his friends and cast them a helpless glance, then turned his attention back to Harumi.

Stop entertaining her!  Jay briefly wondered how he didn't see the signs before.  Lloyd hid it well from them.  Or he was too busy with his own love life to notice.  Jay inwardly sighed and made a mental note to talk to Lloyd after they got out of Prime Empire.  He unfortunately knew a thing or two about broken hearts.

Jay pressed his face against the force field, trying to will it open with his mind.  He watched as Lloyd and Harumi exchanged more words then hits, then finally ran at each other with a simultaneous TKO, watched as Harumi dissolved into nothingness and Lloyd fell to the ground, cubed.

"No!"

Jay fell forward as the orange force field disappeared and Nya raced ahead.

"Lloyd!" she screamed at his cubed form, trying to reach him before the aerial drone collected him for Unagami's transmutation gate. Her efforts were trivial as Lloyd was whisked away. 

Jay skidded to a stop next to her and was thinking a lot of things, none of them worth saying out loud.  The last Key-Tana materialized and he couldn't even spare it a glance.  His eyes stayed glued to the ground, trying to settle the rage swirling within him.  He needed to get his head straight, they were down three teammates and down three lives each.  Panicking and dramatic freak-outs were not an option. 

Nya looked to him, devastation tainting her delicate features. 

"Jay."

He looked at her, shattered.

"What do we do?"

He suppressed the urge to let his jaw quiver.  Pull yourself together!

"We do what we have to do."  His voice was low and he forced it to be even.  He grabbed the stupid Key-Tana.  "We get our friends back--" he raised the Key-Tana in the air and it yielded to him, "--and we stop Unagami."

Nya nodded, drawing from his strength.  They stared at each other.  Years of working together and all they needed was a steely glance to mentally affirm one another.  Two against the world.

They headed towards the exit, ready to take on Unagaim, ready to get their friends back. Together.