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~And it's all fun and games
Till somebody falls in love

But you already bought a ticket
And there's no turning back now~

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The sun was below the horizon now, its last rays stretching across the indigo sky. Lanterns down in the city were aglow and people flooded the streets in order to take part in the third and final day of the New Year celebrations.

Dragon cutouts fluttered through the air while children ran around with sparklers in their hands. Parade after parade advanced on the roads, bringing along processions of dancers, musicians and costumed acrobats. Fireworks blasted among the stars in the night sky, showering colors on the people below.

High above all the noise and jubilance, on the roof of a tall building, stood Harumi. The escape from the palace and the climb onto the rooftops had caused a few strands of her hair to come loose. She didn't bother to right them and let them flow freely in the gentle breeze.

She had to admit; it felt extremely good to be free. She hadn't wanted to leave the palace when the attack of the Sons was due but now, she had half a mind to stay out here all night. The lights from the fireworks shimmered in her eyes and she felt a real smile pulling at her lips.

Another blast shook the sky, followed by green and red embers. Harumi's smile spread into a full grin and she couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy the silence of the night sweetly laced with the euphoric celebrations.

She hadn't smiled like this in years for nothing had made her feel so free. She had snuck out numerous times before to guide the Sons of Garmadon or to do research. But all those times she spent the night away from the palace, she never felt as unconfined as she did now.

"The city's beautiful from up here, isn't it?"

Harumi looked back to see Lloyd approach her. He had taken off his mask the moment they'd left the palace so Harumi could see his flushed face under the moonlight. She glanced down at the illuminated streets and boats and convinced herself that it did indeed look beautiful- even if it meant agreeing with her enemy.

"It looks magical," she whispered. "I've only seen beautiful things in my dreams." She clasped her hands behind her back and gazed up at Lloyd who had come to stand next to her. "Never in reality."

"Really? From what I've seen, the Palace of Secrets is magnificent as well," Lloyd replied. Harumi noticed his cheeks were growing red so she continued gazing at him flirtatiously. Lloyd gave an awkward cough as the princess shuffled closer till their shoulders brushed against one another.

The princess sighed. "Beautiful things don't trap you. The palace has always done so."

Lloyd pouted in thought. "I'll have to disagree here. Beautiful things attract people, bringing them close enough to trap them. I can name a few."

"And what are those?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Friendship and family for one. They are lovely aspects but you're always stuck in expectations. You're not supposed to break their trust or give up on them." Lloyd smiled at the lit up sky thoughtfully, a joyous glimmer in his green eyes. "Then, there's love too. The feeling of being in love overwhelms you at times but it's still beautiful."

Harumi felt her heart pace quicken a little. She searched for words but ended up saying, "Have- have you ever fallen in love?" She immediately regretted that when the Green Ninja bit his lip instead of replying.

Finally, he muttered. "I . . . think so."

"I did too; once a long time ago," Harumi whispered before she could stop herself. It's like the "ghost" wanted her to share her deepest feelings with the very person that landed her in this mess in the first place. And she had no power to try and stop it.

Lloyd smiled interestedly. "You did?"

The girl nodded. "But it turned out be misguidance." She was telling her tale of woe to the one who broke her. The irony was constricting her thinking and she imagined fate laughing at her. She saw Lloyd's smile drop in the glow of the fireworks.

"I'm sorry."

Silence made way between them. Harumi feared it might give rise to more unnecessary discussions so she decided to divert the blonde's attention.

"So, where had you run off to, anyway?" she asked suddenly, attempting to keep the conversation away from sensitive subjects. "You said you had planned something?"

"Wha- Oh, yeah!" Lloyd grinned sheepishly. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope you didn't mind being left alone for a few minutes."

Harumi shook her head. "Not at all. So, what is it that you went to do?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Lloyd took her hand in his and pulled her along, presumably to the "surprise". Harumi should've been used to the Green Ninja's hand coming in contact with hers every now and then. But she would still feel butterflies every time Lloyd would do so.

She had felt a deadly swarm of them attacking her stomach when they had scaled the palace wall together to reach the roof. They were there when he offered to catch her before she jumped herself. The overpowering moment of them all was when he had helped her cross the beam.

Harumi loved and despised it at the same time. She was confused as to why she was feeling this way. What was this?

'Love. You're in love, little one.'

The girl frowned. It soon turned to a scowl as she rudely pulled her hand away from Lloyd's. The blonde, however, seemed too excited to notice. They stopped at the edge and Lloyd pulled out the dreaded grappling hook from before.

'Oh, no. Not this again,' the princess groaned internally. She tried to appear more thrilled on the outside though. She hated every moment that would lead to the two of them being too close to one another. It undermined her entire image of having a grudge against the Green Ninja.

And that's exactly what happened.

A few minutes later, Harumi found herself pressing her face into Lloyd's shoulder and trying to suppress a scream as the blonde trapezed through the air to get to the other building. The intensity of the tightness with which she held him made Harumi worry that Lloyd might die due to lack of oxygen.

That would get the job done quicker than expected.

Lloyd landed them both on a much widely spaced roof and separated himself from the girl. "It's a long way there so I guess we can speed things up."

"What do you mean?" Harumi recognized the roguish tone of voice if the mischievous smirk wasn't convincing enough. It was an indication that Lloyd was about to do something completely unexpected. She was baffled when the blonde casually began walking backwards, eyes trained on her. She bit her lip when the edge of the roof came nearer but the boy went on.

"They're easy to conjure when you aren't focusing too much on being safe," Lloyd muttered, smugly shuffling back to the boundary. "It depends on how confident you feel in that moment."

Grudge or not, Harumi worried for the young man's mental state as he mumbled cryptic things and willingly stepped closer to a potentially dangerous fall. "Wh-What are you doing?" she stuttered, moving closer.

Before she could reach him, the Green Ninja gave her a wink and leaned back, letting himself fall down. "Lloyd!" the princess screamed, rushing to the edge of the building as the boy disappeared from view. However, she recoiled when a giant green figure zoomed past her towards the sky.

Harumi's mouth fell open at the sight before her. A magnificent dragon soared overhead, flapping its giant wings in a steady, periodic manner. It threw back its head and roared so loud, Harumi could feel the concrete beneath her feet tremble. It was composed entirely out of green energy with emerald smoke issuing from its jaws and snout.

"You like it?" Lloyd yelled from atop the creature, a huge smile pulling at his lips.

The girl only stared silently in amazement. Lloyd lowered the dragon next to the roof, and tugged at the reins. The winged reptile obliged and steadied itself. Harumi stepped back as a response to instinct but Lloyd's smile eased her.

"It's okay, he won't hurt you," he grinned, looking proudly at the dragon below him. "I can get us there quick on foot but you don't seem to be a big fan of parkour, I can tell."

"I'm just . . . not used to it, that's all," the girl mumbled distractedly as she tried to avoid being swept away by the giant wings.

Fright and excitement fought a war inside Harumi as she managed to climb onto the dragon. She settled behind Lloyd but refrained from putting her arms around his waist.

It wasn't until the creature had begun moving that Harumi felt a violent jerk and almost fell off. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, not having a choice but to hold tightly onto Lloyd.

Again, Harumi thought bitterly. Coincidences were one thing but this was getting ridiculous.

Her sourness quickly vanished when Lloyd directed the dragon to fly above a street packed with citizens. Balloons were let up and a few groups shot confetti into the air. People started cheering at the sight of the dragon and chants of "Go, Ninja, go!" erupted from the crowds.

Lloyd chuckled at that. "Man, I wish the others really had come along. We could've led a procession of our own."

Colors exploded all around Harumi and she couldn't help but excitedly shake Lloyd's shoulder and point out all the various things she noticed below. For a good few minutes, it felt like everything had changed. She didn't feel like she was a criminal mastermind bent on revenge. Nor did she feel like a duty-bound heir to the throne who was going to be crowned in a few years.

She just felt like . . . a normal girl. A girl who was enjoying New Year like everybody else. A girl who was rebellious like all the kids her age. A girl who was considered worth loving by a hero. She felt free, weightless, unbound like the wind in her hair.

However, the enrapturing feeling of freedom was destined to be of a small time period.

They raced over the canal systems, the slum settlements passing below them. Amidst the throngs of people, Harumi saw a clique wearing festival masks. They looked awfully like the Oni masks; the means of facilitating Lord Garmadon's return to power. In a matter of seconds, reality came crashing down on her.

What was she thinking? She could no longer be ordinary. That part of her was dead. Her only goal was to build an empire that would rightfully deserve Ninjago and bring the Green Ninja to his knees. Harumi suddenly felt scared of the person in front of her. His influence on her was too strong. She feared it might turn her.

She wondered how disappointed the Sons were going to be if they saw her having the time of her life with none other than her enemy. They would definitely question her loyalty. And what about Hutchins? She had promised him vengeance. Wasn't she letting him down this way? The girl wanted to slap herself. Why had she ever agreed to go on this outing?

Harumi spent the rest of the ride with her head down, not daring to look at the beautiful people and celebrations way below the clouds.

'Please . . .'

She could practically feel the "ghost" sobbing as it begged her.

'Please, he can help you. Just let go. Set yourself free. Set me free . . .'

But she didn't listen.

. . .

"Watch your step," Lloyd said as he helped the princess down from the dragon. They had landed on a high rising tower near the town square from where most of the vast city was visible.

Safely off the creature, Harumi saw as the ninja bid it to revert back into fragments of energy and dispell in the air. She found herself wondering how beneficial it would be if she could capture every Elemental Master for such useful tricks after Garmadon's rule over Ninjago would finally be established.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she felt herself being pushed to the other side of the building top. "This way," she heard Lloyd's excited whisper in her ear.

Halfway across, the Green Ninja moved ahead and jovially gestured at two unlit lanterns that lay waiting side by side. "Surprise! We're gonna be letting up lanterns in honor of the beginning of a new year."

A smile stretched across Harumi's face and, surprisingly, it wasn't forced. The princess suddenly became overly excited at the sight of the lanterns, enough to not notice the sense of genuine happiness invading her gloomy conscience. She bounded over to the ninja, stopping only a few inches from the paper lamps.

"Where did you get these?" she asked, eyes sparkling with a childish glow.

Lloyd shrugged. "I snagged a pair from those stalls down there." He nodded at the crowd of lanterns gathered in the spacious ground below. "Every New Year, on the third day, scores of people lead the anniversary processions to Heaven's Point."

The Green Ninja crouched at the edge of the roof, looking down at the ground. "Every year, a new place is chosen as Heaven's Point. From there, people release thousands of lanterns into the sky as means to wish a New Year to their dead loved ones. Prayers, good luck, love notes are just some of the things you can deliver to the departed this way."

"Like the Day of the Departed?" Harumi wondered, sitting next to the blonde.

Lloyd smiled. "Yeah. But less spooky."

Harumi played with a strand of her hair, lost in thought. She mulled questions over in her mind. Why had the Emperor and Empress never educated her on cultural traditions? Or maybe they had but she'd been too bored to pay attention.

"I've never been allowed to handle objects like lanterns," she spoke, eyes still trained on the unlit lamps. "That's to say, I've never sent messages to my parents on the Day of the Departed. Or any other time for that matter."

"Your parents?" Lloyd mumbled. "You mean your-"

"The ones before the Emperor and Empress," the princess confirmed, cutting him off.

They grew quiet for a moment. Then, Harumi felt something being pushed into her hands. Looking down, she saw one of the lanterns that Lloyd had brought. She moved her gaze up to see the ninja grinning at her. She shot him a questioning look.

"No one's stopping you now, princess," he replied, handing her the lantern.

Harumi took it, studying the art on the sides. She eyed the contraption as if she couldn't believe such an interesting thing existed. A hand appeared in front of her. Lloyd had stood up, waiting for her.

"Come on, they're about to start," he pointed out. Harumi rose to see people streaming into the ground and rushing over to the stands. The two watched as everyone pulled out lighters and matches and began lighting up their lanterns.

"Wait for it," Lloyd whispered.

Harumi held her breath as the city below became punctuated with a million, flickering points of light. A single firework whizzed past her and exploded high up in the sky. Harumi guessed it was a signal for the lanterns had been released and were now slowly ascending towards them.

"Ready?"

The princess turned around and saw Lloyd's finger alight with green energy. Instinctively, Harumi extended her lantern in his direction. Lloyd reached in and poked the wick, causing it to burn with green flames. Harumi gasped as the lantern glowed a bright green and began heating up.

She cautiously held it away from her, waiting for Lloyd to light up his. The warmth of the lamp traveled though her fingers, easing the tension. The underlying fear of getting caught by her comrades disintegrated as quickly as it had took over. By the time Lloyd was ready, she was eager to start. The other lanterns had almost reached the height of the building they were on, rising quietly but rapidly. She wanted theirs to be the highest.

The two of them stood face to face, their respective lanterns in front of them.

"For your parents," Lloyd said.

"For my parents," the princess smiled.

"We'll let go on three," Lloyd decided, face aglow from the various lights. "One."

"Two," Harumi muttered.

"Three." They both spoke in unison, simultaneously lifting the lanterns.

The two sparks of green stood out in the sea of golden lights. Thousand balls of fire surrounded them, warming up the cold night air. Trapping or not, Harumi had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

She had to resist the urge to place a hand over her mouth and cry silent tears. Just watching the lanterns dedicated to her parents brought back the homey feeling she had always felt with them. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to have them right here beside her.

And just like that, cold cut through the coziness. She seethed. The one who had betrayed her was standing next to her where her parents should be. He was the reason they were gone. The negativity came back in such turbulent currents, she almost didn't notice Lloyd whisper to the lights.

"Happy New Year, Dad."

Harumi snapped into the present. Dad. Father. Garmadon. Her sweet smile morphed into a wicked smirk as she regarded Lloyd's glazed eyes. He was looking up at the stars as they were being greeted by the ones from the earth.

"You must really miss him," Harumi spoke, hiding the hate in her voice.

"More than you know," came back the weak reply.

'Please! Stop! Don't do this!'

The princess struggled to shut out the silent screams. She reached out her hands and grabbed Lloyd's. He looked down from the sky, eyes wide. She put on the most concerned face she could manage while the blonde stuttered.

"If I ever get the chance to bring him back for you, I promise I will take it," she whispered.

The blonde sighed. "Rumi, it's not that sim-"

Harumi raised a hand to stop him. "There's one thing you should know about me, Lloyd."

"What?"

"I never break my promises."

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Me: aNd aT lAsT I SeE tHe lIgHt, iT iS lIkE tHe fOg hAs lIfTed
aNd aT lAsT I SeE tHe lIgHt, iT iS lIkE tHe sKy iS nEw-

Ultraviolet: Oi, Taylor Swift! We have an audience. Stop your blabbering.

Me: oH, I kNoW! *Inhale* a wHoLe nEw wOrlD, a nEw fAnTaStIc pOiNt oF vIeW-

Ultraviolet: That's not what-

Me: oH, wAiT- *deeper inhale* aT lEaSt oUt lOuD, I wOn'T sAy i'M iN lOvE-

Ultraviolet: Smh

Me: iT's nOt mY fAuLt sO mAnY sOnGs fIT tHis-

Ultraviolet: *whacks head with bat* There. That's better.

Me: bEaUty aNd tHe bEaSt- nAh tHiS dOeSn'T cOmPuTe-

Ultraviolet: I will kill you-