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"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." ~ Romans 12:15
For a moment, Lloyd felt as if he could have sprouted wings and flown. The rest of the Ninja had returned. Wu had returned, and his memories along with him. Lloyd had his powers back, and the city was safe again, free to rebuild in peace. Even his father's vague warnings were barely a blip on his radar amongst all the celebration and sheer, unwavering relief. He didn't bother to stifle his grin watching P.I.X.A.L. and Zane embrace and Jay lift Nya into the air, spinning her around in excitement as she squealed and tried to hide her smile behind an outraged glare. A little farther away, Kai and Cole helped a paramedic team lift Skylor into an ambulance, ignoring her insistent cries that she was fine and that looking at her was a waste of their precious time and resources, while Wu set out to check on Firstbourne.
Lloyd knew all too well that later, when the lingering adrenaline finally wore off, everyone would be on the verge of passing out. To care about that now, though, seemed utterly pointless.
"Just another day in Ninjago," Kai remarked as the group began to reconvene, naturally melding together in the way that had become almost instinctive over the last few years. "I wonder what tomorrow holds?"
Cole groaned. "Don't even talk to me about tomorrow. All I want right now is to find something to eat—preferably something so sweet I can feel it rotting my teeth out of my head—and then fall into a bed somewhere that isn't completely destroyed." He kicked a piece of debris pointedly.
"We all need a bath, too, if we can get one," Nya said, still clinging to Jay's side as though afraid he might disappear again if she let go. "No offense, but the First Realm must not have given you many opportunities. You five smell like dragon manure baked in the sun for days and then doused in sweat for good measure."
"Hey!" Jay said defensively, though there was no real force behind it. A slight flush colored the tips of his ears.
Kai, who had positioned himself between Nya and Lloyd, rolled his eyes. "For the record, that's not very far off from what actually happened. Just wait until you hear everything we saw in the First Realm, though! I don't think there's anywhere else like it."
"Indeed," Zane agreed with an easy smile. "Though for Cole's sake, perhaps it would be best if we share the details over a decent meal."
Hearing his team—his family—bantering with each other again was enough to make Lloyd want to laugh and cry at the same time. His gaze began to wander around the fallen buildings of the ruined city until it landed on one in particular. His breath caught in his chest, and he nearly choked. Just like that, the joy and contentment of the last few moments shattered.
Harumi.
How could he have forgotten?
The world around him faded into little more than a hum of noise and a blur of color as he turned and sprinted toward the wreckage of the once-unremarkable apartments, and the other Ninja's confused and worried shouts were lost behind him. All he could see was the pile of rubble.
Lloyd spiraled as the image of its collapse played back over and over, the way he could have sworn he locked eyes with Harumi as it crumbled. A million thoughts he hadn't had time to think came swarming back like a cloud of hornets digging into his mind. Could she have survived? What if she had? Would Ninjago be better off if she were dead? Would he? First Master, did he want her dead? A thick wave of shame almost made him gag.
Unbidden, the memory of walking with her as they handed out food to Ninjago's poor returned to him, and he felt the sudden desire to scream. That same stupid, incessant voice that always turned up when he thought of her began its relentless crusade anew. It wailed that not even Harumi could be such a good actress, that there must have been some truth to her words, her actions. That not all of her was bad, and she could prove it—would prove it—if only he could manage to sway her.
Lloyd barely slowed down enough not to barrel full speed into the rubble. Sharp rocks and pieces of glass and metal dug into him as he scrambled to climb it, though he took no notice of the cuts and scrapes they left behind.
"Harumi!" he bellowed, his voice breaking as he spotted a patch of rubble that looked like it had belonged to the roof. He crawled toward it through the ocean of debris. "Harumi!"
Settling dust coated his throat, and he coughed. His eyes stung with tears. Whether they were from the dust or his own thoughts, he couldn't say. Probably both.
He grabbed a jagged chunk of concrete and heaved it away, then immediately reached for another. Brick after slab after block tumbled down the side of the pile of wreckage, and as each one was cleared, Lloyd scrabbled for the next.
"Harumi!" he screamed again, hoarsely.
A pair of arms wrapped suddenly around his chest and hauled him backward. Lloyd gasped and swung blindly, flailing against the vise-like grip. One of his elbows connected, and his assailant hissed in pain.
"Lloyd, stop!" Kai ordered, his tone demanding but tinged with underlying concern. "You're tearing your hands to shreds!"
"I don't care!" Lloyd said breathlessly. He continued to struggle, but his brother's arms refused to give. "Let me go, Kai! I need to find her! She could still be alive!"
Another set of hands found his shoulders, then Nya's face was blocking his view. She clutched him tightly, further preventing his escape, but her voice was carefully even.
"You will do no one any good by hurting yourself, do you hear me?" she said.
Lloyd sagged back against Kai's chest, falling limp in defeat. "Please, I need to find her…" he said weakly.
Nya's gaze flitted across his face, taking in the raw desperation and fleeting hope. "Fine," she said after a long moment, "but you have to let us help. And do something to protect your hands."
With a slight huff, Kai released him, and Lloyd staggered for a second before clumsily rushing back to the spot he had been digging through.
"Lloyd!" Nya called. "Your hands."
Lloyd hastily tore a few strips from his already mutilated gi and wrapped his hands as snugly as he could, then bent down again to drag away another chunk of concrete. This time, Kai, Nya, Jay, Zane, and P.I.X.A.L. joined him, each tugging at bits of glass and concrete and steel, while Cole moved systematically between them to heft the largest chunks out of the way. It still seemed to Lloyd, however, that everything was happening in slow motion.
Why couldn't they go faster? Why couldn't he? He wanted to yell at them to hurry. He wanted to break something. He wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. But none of that would help Harumi, so he kept digging, even when one of his makeshift hand wraps ripped off.
Time ceased to have any meaning as he worked, one minute flowing into the next, until Jay let out a short, strangled gasp and Cole nearly dropped the thick section of wall he had just lifted. Lloyd was on his feet and over to Jay before any of the others could react, and he dropped to his knees to make out what his brothers had uncovered.
Harumi was there.
Her eyes were wide and glassy, and her mouth was twisted in an agonized grimace. A deep, ragged gash spanned most of her forehead, the blood from it drying down the side of her temple and into her tangled, silvery hair. One side of her torso was crushed and broken where the wall section Cole removed had been lying.
"Rumi?" Lloyd choked out. One of his teammates muttered a quiet curse behind him, but he couldn't tell who. He reached a tentative hand out to touch Harumi's neck, to feel for a pulse. Her skin was warm, but not nearly warm enough, and there was not even a whisper of life underneath his fingertips.
A sob tore from his throat. Then another. His hand found its way up to Harumi's cheek, which he stroked gently with his thumb. His vision blurred with an onslaught of tears that poured, uninhibited, down his cheeks. Vaguely, he felt an arm wrap around his trembling shoulders, but he didn't react. He just continued to cry and cup Harumi's rapidly cooling face and stare—stare at the remains of her mangled body… and his mangled heart.