I stood beside Lloyd and Kai as we all surrounded Zane. We had found him near one of the cliffs. Some of his wires stuck out of his face, and in places on his arms and legs. There were some scuffs of dirt and dents on him as well. I bit my lip as I stared down at him. It looked like the fight had taken a bad turn, and whoever had done this to him was ruthless, precise.

I trailed my eyes over the wires connecting him to different monitors. I looked to the others' faces, seeing their frowns and furrowed eyebrows as they looked at Zane. Even Harumi looked upset by the sight despite her original reaction earlier.

"How bad is it?" Lloyd asked, breaking the silence.

"He has extensive damage to all systems. His neural net and cognitive cores suffered severe failures." An image of Zane's build came onto the heart monitor screen, then the list of his systems that failed were pointed out beside the model. My eyes widened at the list.

"Can you save him?" Nya questioned, sounding desperate as her eyes fell back to Zane.

"I've diverted power to critical life functions. But Zane will have to do most of the work." Pixal explained. "He must reconfigure his system and reboot himself." Pixal continued.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Harumi spoke up. Her hands were clasped together as she stared up at the screen, seeming hopeful.

"We have to keep moving. Or the Sons of Garmadon will find us. They'll do anything to get their hands on the child." Lloyd answered.

"I just don't get how a baby can be a key." I nodded at Kai's reply. The idea had confused me too when Cole had come on board, a baby tight in his hold. I wasn't sure what a baby could do to find a mask, let alone help retrieve one.

"I don't either, but that's what they said." Cole told Kai, a new tightness in his voice. "They called him the key to the third mask." Cole added, repeating what he had told us earlier.

"If Cole's right, we need to disappear. Get as far away from Ninjago City as we can." Lloyd determined. I looked to him, eyes wide by the idea.

"Leave Ninjago City?" I asked, though I knew the call was probably the best one. I just had never been out of Ninjago City before. But that was back then, and now, I didn't have a choice. Jay hummed in frustration.

"Doesn't seem right. Abandoning Ninjago City." Jay argued as he glared down at his hands.

"We're not abandoning. There are others who will protect her." Lloyd told him.

"Like who?" Kai questioned, resting a hand on his hip.

"There's always Samurai X. Whoever that is." Nya answered for Lloyd with a shrug.

"Whoever it is, they're going to have to cover for us until we get a handle on things." Lloyd said, his brows furrowing as he pointed to the screen. "Pixal, set a new course. Anywhere but here." Lloyd commanded. Within moments, I felt the boat shift underneath my feet as it changed course.

"I'll stay here with Zane. At least one of you should go check on the baby." Nya told the others and a slow realization came over their faces, remembering we had left the baby alone. Who had that idea?

The ninja went running, but I stayed for a little longer, moving to Zane's side across from Nya. Slowly, Harumi left too, her stare hovering on me as she went.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, staring down at Zane's metallic skin. It shone despite the dim lighting of the room. Nya's eyes flickered to me, both confused and surprised.

"What?" She breathed out with the shake of her head. "Why are you apologizing?" She asked, her voice soft as she walked to me. I looked back up to her and shrugged my shoulders.

"I feel like part of this is my fault. You all have been protecting me and my sister. Now, Zane is-"

"Not your fault." Nya cut me off. "(y/n), whether or not we had you with us, the Sons of Garmadon would still be rampaging through the City. This still could have happened to Zane. There is no need to put the blame on yourself." Nya put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle smile.

"But I-" Nya shook her head, then pulled me into a hug. I relaxed in her hold, listening to the beep of the monitor behind me.

"The last thing you need to do is blame yourself. Blame the Sons of Garmadon, The Quiet One, anyone else but yourself." Nya whispered, and I nodded despite the knotted feeling in my stomach. I still felt some burden from what happened to Zane, some fault in him being targetted.

"Why don't you check on the boys? God knows they don't know how to handle themselves, let alone a baby." Nya suggested as she pulled from the hug. I huffed a laugh and nodded. Nya gave me another smile, then ushered me to the door. "Go on, I'm sure Lloyd would be excited to see you." I scoffed, cheeks burning again as I shoved her hands away.

"I'm going, I'm going. But not for Lloyd." I told her, and she rolled her eyes, an amused smile now pulling at her lips.

I walked out, and already I could hear the baby's cries, though faint. I sighed, walking along the deck until I was walking in the hall that led to the joined sleeping quarters. Here, the crying was way louder, enough to make me wince as I pushed the door of the room open.

"Oh! Maybe he needs a diaper change." Jay said as he passed the baby to Cole. Cole held the squirming baby far from him as he continued to cry.

"Oh, my gosh, do we even have diapers?" Cole asked as he held the baby further from him. I mentally facepalmed as the baby only cried louder from being held up in the air.

"Why would we have diapers? We're Ninja!" Lloyd cried out, throwing out his arms, clearly frustrated as Cole tried to console the baby.

"Ooh! Maybe we we can use one of our hoods instead." Jay suggested as he bounced on his toes.

"Not my hood." Kai quickly objected, shaking his head.

"We'll draw straws. Loser gives up their hood." Lloyd told the group. I sighed, giving a slight shake of my head as I walked to the group. I held out my hands once I reached them. Cole understood what I was silently asking, and gave me the baby without hesitance, biting his lip as he watched me adjust the baby in my arms.

I turned my eyes down to the baby, looking at his shiny brown eyes as he stared up at me. He was still sniffling, but was already seeming to calm as I rocked him against me. I began humming a soft lullaby, one I remembered Hutchins singing to me when I was younger to calm me down. I always found the words creepy to say, but the melody was what had always soothed me.

Soon, the baby was asleep, and I continued to gently rock him, taking slow steps around the room. I could hear the hushed whispers from Cole, Kai, Jay, and Lloyd, and when I looked up to see them staring at me in surprise. Lloyd had a small smile on his face as he watched me, and I returned his smile, before looking back down, my cheeks heating. I bent over, being careful as I put the now sleeping baby in the crib.

"Wow. You're really good at that." Cole noted and I gave a small shrug, looking back to the boys. Lloyd's eyes were still on me, his cheeks flushed a bright pink.

"He was just tired." I tried to reason with a shake of my head as I clasped my hands together. The bandages there rubbed together. For a moment, I had the fleeting thought of having Lloyd check underneath them, then I pushed it away for another time.

"That's the lullaby Hutchins sang to us." A voice spoke from the doorway. I looked to see Harumi there and I nodded.

"Yeah. It was the one thing that he could use to calm me down." I replied as she came closer, staring into the crib. Harumi nodded.

"Me too." She murmured, sending me a small smile. "The lyrics I never quiet understood though." I huffed a laugh, turning my eyes to the crib.

"Me either." I said softly. For a moment, it was quiet, then Harumi turned, leaving the room. I was quick to follow, wanting to find the time to check up on her since, in all this chaos, this was the first time she had interacted with me and looked happy about it.

"Harumi, wait." I hurried after her, leaving the boys with the sleeping baby. I hoped he wouldn't wake again soon. Harumi paused by the rail of the Bounty. She looked out at the clouds, the lightening that traveled between them. I came to stand with her, looking out as well.

"How... how are you? We haven't talked much lately." The next flash of lightning was reflected in Harumi's eyes as she glanced at me. She was silent for a moment, and I almost thought she wouldn't talk.

"Do you miss your mother? Not the Empress, but your birth mother." The question caught me by surprise, and I stared at Harumi for a beat.

"What? What kind of question is that? You know I do." I answered, confused on where the question came from in the first place. She had her fair share of watching the moon with me, or even talking about the parents we lost when we were younger. We had confided in each other often about it since it was the one link we shared.

"What would you do to find her?" Harumi pressed, turning to me. Half of her was illuminated by the sun setting, but the other half was hidden in the shadows.

"Father tried to find her, you know that. We assumed she wasn't alive or fled Ninjago City." I told her. I still didn't understand where she was taking this.

"That's not what I mean. If someone came to you right now and asked, what would you do to find her?" I shrugged, not actually knowing how to answer.

"I'd love to find my Mom, and she could probably answer a million of my questions. But I need more context. I-I wouldn't want to harm anyone just to find my mother-"

"What about the Emperor and Empress? Hutchins? Do you miss them?" Harumi questioned, raising a brow. Her voice was low as she stared at me.

"I mean, yeah, they took me in when my Mom left. Hutchins helped me adjust to my new life. They were family too. Like you, you're my family. I don't want to leave you alone in this." Harumi's eyes hovered on me, and she bit her lip.

"What would you do for them back? Or for me?" I tilted my head, shaking it.

"I don't understand. It would be the same answer as before. Of course I want them back, but I wouldn't just recklessly do anything, and- and to protect you, how could I do that right if I'm sacrificing someone else?" I told her. I wasn't wanting to create harm just to have something good, that wasn't fair to whoever's life I messed up.

"Why not?" Harumi pushed as a scowl slowly formed.

"I don't want to hurt people. That-that's not fair. I'd be more guilty than happy." Harumi shook her head at my answer.

"Then maybe you don't want them, not really. Perhaps you just don't want to be alone, which is why you're fawning over the ninjas like some fangirl." I blinked, stunned by the accusation.

"What?" I asked, feeling dumb-founded by her change in attitude. I searched over her face, but I couldn't read her expression.

"You've always longed for someone to constantly be with you. It was your mother, then Hutchins, then me, then now it's the ninja. You just keep upgrading, don't you? Better to have many than just one." Harumi spat. "Well, you should get used to the idea of loneliness, because after the mission, after the Sons of Garmadon, why are the ninja going to hang around you?" Harumi hissed out while she stepped closer to me. Lightning clashed and thunder followed it. I backed away from her, mouth feeling dry as I stared at her.

"I- I don't-" I tried, but no words came to mind. I looked around, wanting help, a way out, but the others were still inside.

"You can't fathom not being dependent. It's why you needed me to step up to take the Palace instead of you, the eldest. It's why you need me to speak for you. It's why you can't do anything to bring your families back, and now you're left with me." Harumi whispered, glaring at me. My chest felt tight as my back hit the wall of the ship.

"Why? What..." Tears sprung in my eyes as I looked at her. I couldn't even defend myself against her, having not expected her words. Why was she being so mean? I wanted to ask, but the words died in my throat.

"Hey, Princess (y/n)? Why don't I check on your wrists and leg?" I turned my head to see Lloyd calling me from across the deck. Worry was on his features as I faced him, but I simply nodded, scrambling away from Harumi. I didn't say anything to her as I passed her.

"Run, run, run away." I huffed a breath, trying to ignore her. She's just grieving and everyone grieves in different ways. Everyone grieves in different ways. Everyone-

Lloyd gently grabbed my arm, leading me back to one of the rooms. I realized now I was shaking, and my tears were beginning to slide down my face. I wiped at them quickly, though I knew Lloyd had seen them by the look that came across his face when he glanced back at me.

Lloyd opened the door to one of the bedrooms, and by the green coloring, I had to assume it was his. He led me to the bed, watching with a conflicted expression as I hopped up onto it. Lloyd grabbed one of my hands, then gently began to unravel to bandage around it.

"What's bothering you, Princess?" Lloyd asked quietly. I was too upset to correct him on not calling me by my name again. I shrugged, watching as he finished the first wrist. The skin underneath was still pink, but the swelling had definitely gone down over the last handful of days.

"It doesn't matter." I murmured, and he scoffed.

"Says who? You're crying. It matters." Lloyd finished unwrapping my left wrist now. Surprisingly, the blisters were gone, only leaving minuscule red bumps in their wake. The rest of the skin was pink, like the other wrist. I shrugged as he studied both of them.

"We have bigger things to take care of." I tried to argue and Lloyd shook his head.

"That doesn't negate your feelings, Princess." He whispered. I stayed quiet after that, not knowing what to say. I was still trying to process what even happened, everything Harumi said- I didn't understand where it came from. "I'll be right back." Lloyd told me, and I nodded, only partially listening as he left.

Now, with him gone, I let my eyes wander around the room. The bedding was green, but everything else was wooden, like the ship. On the wall was a small window, and I could see the clouds we passed by, though the sun was almost completely set now. Beside his bed was a bedside table, and across from me was a bookshelf, though it had more comics and photos. Even small green ninja trinkets were standing on the shelf. On the last wall was the closet door, but I couldn't see in it as the doors were closed.

"Your wrists are healing a lot faster than I thought." Lloyd noted as he came back in the room. More bandages and ointment were in his hands, but when he was next to me again, he dropped them onto the bed.

"Yeah. I've always seemed to heal a little faster since I was a kid." I replied, watching as he grabbed the burn ointment and began to put it on my right wrist first. Lloyd nodded, as if something clicked for him.

"Ah, I see. So you're magic." Lloyd said with a smile and I huffed, shaking my head.

"No. Just good genetics, I guess. That's what Hutchins said." Lloyd hummed, moving to my left wrist.

"Are you... missing him? Is that why you were sad?" My smile fell and I shook my head at him.

"Harumi and I... I don't even know if it was an argument. She's been a little distant this last week, and when I tried to talk to her it went..." I paused, not knowing how to describe it. Lloyd frowned as he flicked the ointment closed with a flick of his wrist.

"What'd she say? If you don't mind me asking." I swallowed, watching as he began to rebandage my wrists. I sighed, then shook my head.

"I'd like to not talk about it right now." I told him and Lloyd nodded in understanding.

"That's okay. But when you want to, I'll be here if you need it." I smiled up at him as he finished rewrapping my wrists. For extra measure, he placed a kiss over the bandage on my left wrist, then my right. I stared at him, eyes widening as I felt the blush quickly rise to my cheeks. Lloyd snickered at my reaction. "You know, to help your 'good genetics' heal even faster." Lloyd told me with a smile. I gave a slow nod, still not knowing what to say.

Lloyd knelt down in front of me, and rolled up my capris over my knee. I watching him, a new blush rising to my cheeks as he gently grabbed my leg, making me jump.

"Calm down. I'm just looking at your knee." Lloyd murmured as he undid the brace around my knee. When him and Zane had first looked at it, it had been a light purple and painful to move. Now, as Lloyd slowly moved my knee, bending and then unbending it, the skin had returned to its normal color. With each movement, a sharp pain hit, then it went away again. "This hurt?" Lloyd asked, looking up at me as he moved my knee again. I winced, then shrugged, trying not to look too uncomfortable.

"A little. Not enough that it bothers me to move, but I still feel it." Lloyd nodded at my answer, then put my brace back on.

"That's also healing a lot faster than I thought. You sure you're not magic?" I huffed at Lloyd's question, then shook my head.

"Sorry to disappoint, but no." I answered. Lloyd scoffed.

"You could never, Princess." Lloyd gave a lopsided smile, as he stood. I took the chance to turn away from him, not knowing how red my face must've been, and not wanting him to know either. Lloyd hummed at my reaction, then he bent down to be in my line of sight again. "You're easy to fluster." He commented with a smirk.

"Well, if some pretty ninja didn't keep flirting with me." I countered with a playful glare. Lloyd's smile widened, his teeth showing now.

"Aw. You think I'm pretty?" Lloyd teased. "My bewitching worked." Lloyd dramatically sighed in relief, then pumped a fist in the air. I bit my lip, hiding my smile as I shoved his shoulder.

"Hush. I thought I was supposed to be the magic one." I told him, and Lloyd quickly shook his head as he shook a finger at me.

"Ah, ah. You said that you weren't." Lloyd countered. At this, I simply stuck my tongue out, not knowing what else to say. Lloyd scoffed. "Immature, Princess, but I guess since you're royalty, I must let it slide." Lloyd bowed, overexaggerating it enough to make me laugh.

"Thank you for your kindness, Green Ninja." I replied in an exaggerated accent. Lloyd opened his mouth, ready to reply, but was cut off by Pixal on the speakers.

"Can everyone come to control?" Pixal requested. Immediately, our playfulness dissipated as we were reminded of the situation at hand. And now I was thinking of Harumi again. Lloyd must've noticed the change in my mood, because he quickly stopped me before I could get up.

"Wait, Princess. I have something for you." Lloyd opened the drawer of his bedside table, then he pulled out my bracelets. "I was going to wait, but because they're healing so fast, I didn't see harm in you wearing them again. Just have to wear them over the bandages, obviously." I smiled, letting Lloyd slipped them around my wrists. "And bad weather is also common in Dead Man's Squall, so to prevent you from being sick-" Lloyd walked to his closet. When he opened it, I could see the different gis that took up one side, and on the other was just casual clothes, though I had yet to see him in anything but a gi.