The Quiet One

1 | Pseudonyms

Hello there!! Welcome to The Quiet One. I won't talk much now, but I can't wait for you to read it! Have fun, Harumi can finally speak...

The name "Harumi" has many meanings. Sunny, spring, fruit, sea. The emperor and empress named me Harumi because it also means govern and beauty. They wanted me to be beautiful and powerful. Just like them.

But I don't want to be like them.

The name Harumi is a good name for a princess. I am not a princess. I am not Kokoro or Harumi, and I have grown to be a new, different person. Kokoro and Harumi- they are just pseudonyms.

Fake names.

Not me.

Everyone knows who the Quiet One is. When I used to be Kokoro, nobody knew who I was. After Day of the Great Devourer, I then was Harumi, but still most people didn't know who I was.

But slowly and surely, people started to hear about a Quiet One. It was on the news.

A orphan girl that never speaks.

She's quite the quiet one.

Do you even think she can talk?

Why did the emperor and empress adopt her?

If I could change anything, it wouldn't be my name. It would be something else. Something much different. Or rather, someones much different.

💮

I lived in Ninjago City my whole life. My mother, Akari, didn't have a job. My father, Takeshi, was a trader at the docks.

I was your average child in Ninjago City. I had figurines of each ninja. Zane, Kai, Jay, Cole, and when Lloyd became the Green Ninja, I made sure I got Lloyd too.

Since I watched the Ninja battle evil and save our cities and lives, I knew everything there was to know. I knew that Zane felt like an outsider. I knew that Kai was protective of Nya. I knew that Jay had a major crush on Nya (and I always have and always will believe that they make a perfect match). I knew that Cole was the leader until Lloyd became the Green Ninja. I knew that the latter was Garmadon's son, and that Lloyd's love for his father almost turned him evil.

Once, I had gone to bed but couldn't sleep. I pretended to sleep, closing my eyes tightly, but listening to my parents speaking in the other room. They were discussing the news, politics, the weather— nothing interesting.

Then the name Lloyd Garmadon flew out the room. I heard my mother tell my father, "That's some boy."

I listened harder. Papa said, "No wonder his mother sent him to Darkley's, how could she have managed him? Goodness, he must have been difficult to raise. Imagine if that was Kokoro."

Mama and Papa laughed at the idea-- me, turning evil for them, demanding candy from snake-people. "That wouldn't happen. There's too much innocence in that heart of hers," Mama said with a smile of which I couldn't see.

I lay with my favorite green blanket tucked to my chin. I thought, slightly rebelliously, "Well, I would turn evil for them."

How ironic.

💮

For my birthday one year, Mama and Papa managed to get enough money to buy me a birthday cake. It had ten candles of varying heights and sizes, each shakily supporting a meager flame. There was one gift, wrapped beautifully in a gold ribbon, sitting on the table.

Everything was dark, except for my glowing cake. "Make a wish," Mama whispered. The candles flickered. Shadows danced across our faces.

I squeezed my eyes shut and thought, I want to be Nya, I want to be Nya, I want to be Nya.

PFFFFWOOOOOOSH.

"Happy birthday!" Mama and Papa cheered. I couldn't see anything, as I had just blown out the candles. I heard Father scramble for the lights, and I saw Mother beaming at me once the lamp came on.

We ate the cake. I had never and will never eat anything so good in my life. It tasted of love, happiness, sugar, frosting, and family.

I opened the gift next. It was from both Mama and Papa, and I saw a completely new set of the Ninja team figurines. It displayed the five male ninjas, but the box said it included six figurines.

I tore open the box. Nya's figurine was covered, as the ninja were stored shoulder-to-shoulder and her figure was covered by the package.

There were katanas, shurikens, scythes, nunchucks, and the Golden Weapons. Despite the amazing quantity of the set, I dove for Nya's figure first. I mulled over my gift, amazed that my parents scraped together enough money and spent it on me.

"What did you wish for, Kokoro?" Papa asked curiously.

"If I tell you, does the wish not come true anymore?" I said nervously.

Mama and Papa glanced at each other. Mama shrugged. "No, I think it still works, honey."
"Okay." I took a deep breath in. "I want to be Nya!"

"The Red Ninja's sister? Kai's sister?" Papa questioned.

"Well, Fire Ninja, not 'red ninja'," I corrected, though I was beaming at my parents. I began playing with my figurines. "She's amazing."

I didn't see them look at each other in confusion and sadness. Too late, I know why. They feared I wished for a different life.

I didn't.