ORIGINAL Quiet | Rewrite Available

5| these answers that come into my mind unbidden

"To be truly free of who you were, you must forget your feelings."

~ Harumi (The Quiet One)

******

Lloyd honestly was seconds from losing it. As soon as he set his eyes on her it all came rushing back. Every moment he was with her was painful. Every time she spoke he could hear the echoes of The Quiet One taunting him, every time he looked at her he felt like his heart was been stabbed and twisted with a blade, ever since he saw that innocent smile it was like an old wound had been torn open.

He had been doing well. Lloyd had been so confident that he was finally moving on. Slowly he had picked up the broken pieces of his life and climbed that mountain until he almost got to the top. But as life always does, it had to tear out his stitches and knock him so far down that he was left with his head spinning and heart bleeding.

Lloyd watched Harumi like a hawk, the elemental energy tingling in his fingertips in case she tossed a knife at him. He tried to act normal as they parked within the monastery walls. As the blonde girl hopped out he took out the remote they gave him to activate her anklet.

"This building is beautiful." Harumi breathed as he led her through the courtyard. One of the monks working outside caught sight of the young woman and let out a squeak of surprise before running off. Harumi blinked in confusion and turned her sad gaze to Lloyd.

He swallowed and just nodded to her to enter through the front doors. "They should be open."

Harumi took a deep breath and stepped up to the doorstep, turning the handles and pushing inside. As Lloyd expected the whole team was waiting right at the door making the girl give a startled gasp. They all flinched at the unexpected noise, hands moving to the weapons they not-so-subtlety had on them. Kai glanced at the green ninja, his face unreadable but his eyes wary.

"Harumi," the name tasted sour on his tongue. "This is my family."

Lloyd pushed himself inside so that he could introduce the group. "That's Jay, to his left is Cole, Zane, Kai, and Nya." He said simply. Harumi tilted her head as they watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Did you know me before... all this happened as well?" Harumi questioned curiously.

"Yes, we did." Zane gave her a gentle smile at the same time that Kai snorted loudly.

Harumi's brow furrowed and she glanced hesitantly at Lloyd for some sort of clarity. Lloyd closed his eyes and breathed slowly. He knew this was as good as Kai would get when it came to the situation but the obvious disdain in his teams' faces stung.

"Zane," Lloyd addressed the nindroid since he seemed to be the only one capable of hiding his unease towards their new house guest. "Can you show Harumi where she's sleeping?"

The master of ice carefully took Harumi's bag and lead her down the hall. As soon as they disappeared around the bend, all respectful appearances dropped and sets of eyes stared at him.

Lloyd ignored them all and left the hallway before they could say anything. He knew exactly how stupid this idea was. It would be much safer for Ninjago if she had been placed in a well-protected safe house with millions of guards and security. But he couldn't rest knowing she was there- scared, alone, and lost.