Chapter 192: Christmastime (Part 1)

Back on the Bounty, peace rained down on the Resistance. Christmastime.
Admittedly, it was a risk, relaxing even a little, with Zephyr still on the rise, but they had no other leads, and thus, were stuck. Everyone had split up into their own tasks, often working with a small group---Lloyd, Quiet, Warrior, Hatred, Nix, and Mystaké were hanging up decorations throughout the ship, traveling from every door frame to each cabin and the deck, plus the railing. Opal, Cloud, Princess, Mirage, and Oni Harumi had gone out to get more, since the others were being QUITE generous with the tinsel and bows. Meanwhile, Garmadon, the three girls, Casual and Child Harumi (who was very happy to be back home) were decorating the tree.
It was a beautiful tree; many of them stopped by and stared at its forest-green needles. It was just as tall as Garmadon! It hadn't taken them long to scour the entire ship for the lost cardboard box of multicolored ornaments. And a bonus---fairy lights, which Child Harumi loved.
Even with constantly tangling herself in the lights that were bigger than her, she was the joy of the day. It felt like nothing could ruin such a spectacular mood, with Christmas in the air. And of course...there was food.
Mystaké, Princess, and Lloyd had asked for everyone's help to make a Christmas dinner. Although he wasn't the greatest at cooking, the green ninja still had SOME basic experience on how to make decent food (better than Jay, at least...and Cole's was even worse..). He was picking up a few things from Mystaké, who, although she made some very...questionable concoctions sometimes, was overall a good cook. And of course, Princess Harumi was in charge of dessert.
There was a storm of aromas swirling in the kitchen, ranging from mashed potatoes to roasted turkey and homemade jam. Everyone made themselves useful, except for Harumi and the puppies, who were making a mess in the corner of the kitchen. Their faces were white with flour, and Cloud, who already had white fur, was now a cream-ish color. As she quickly shook it off her, it fell in an oval outline around her paws, and Harumi giggled, also trying to shake it off her cheeks and chin.
In the background, Garmadon saw Mystaké adding an unknown pinch of silver dust into the pot of chicken noodle soup. When asked what it was, she told him not to worry. He was about to interrogate her further, but everyone was disturbed by the sound of breaking porcelain. A small dish lay shattered on the ground, at Quiet's feet, and everyone laughed. Princess Harumi expertly sweeped it up and set the pieces aside on the little empty space left in the corner between the counter and cabinets. The work resumed, and she started to make the pie crusts, one for an apple pie and one for a pumpking pie.
Garmadon stood back for a moment to watch.
"What a catastrophe."
He smiled.

After they had finished, the Resistance set all the dishes out to cool. Meanwhile, Garmadon, Kaitlynn, Jade, Lilla, Casual and Child Harumi set to finish decorating the tree. Jade had turned on some of her favorite Christmas tunes, and had started dancing as she decorated. Kaitlynn rolled her eyes but still continued nonetheless. Child Harumi was using a crate as a step stool to reach up to the higher parts of the tree. Casual Harumi stood back for a moment, just as Garmadon had done.
"It's so beautiful," she sighed, with her signature smile.
"I must agree," Lilla joined her a few feet away.
Child Harumi climbed onto the couch nearby, holding a shiny silver gift-shaped ornament in her hands. Jade saw her reach higher than she really could, and instinctively grabbed her before she fell.
Harumi cried out. "Hey! Put me down!"
"That's dangerous, okay?" Jade kneeled down to her, a hand on her shoulder.
"I was just standing on the couch, nothing more!" the child argued, shrugging off her hand.
"No, Jade was right...for once...you could have fallen and hurt yourself," Kaitlynn told her.
Harumi looked into every face that was staring back at her.
"How about...you want to go bake some cookies?" Jade suggested, hoping desperately she would agree.
Child Harumi consented, reluctantly. She went to the doorframe, and had just passed out of eyeshot when she heard her name inside. She stopped, and sat outside the frame, choosing to listen to Lilla and Jade defending her while Kaitlynn talked to them. Finally, she left.

When she entered the kitchen, Child Harumi met Garmadon, who was already there.
"Why so sad?" he asked her, looking at the crestfallen expression she wore.
"I'm fine," she said, instantly rearranging her face little by little so he didn't notice.
Garmadon turned on Jade's Christmas music, and began putting some trays of cookies in the oven, humming along to the pop tunes, as they were now familiar from the number of times the girl had played the same songs. While he crouched by one of the drawers, searching for the chocolate chips, Harumi crept over to the bowl. A little taste test wouldn't hurt...
She started to eat the contents, slowly, until Garmadon called her name, asking if she knew where the chips were.
Harumi jumped, and accidentally knocked peppers into the bowl.
"I...no, I don't," she caught her breath. "Maybe try asking the princess?"
"Hm...oh well, it'll just have to go without," he said nonchalantly, not seeing the red-brown peppers sprinkled over the already-brown cookie dough. "So, are you still not going to tell me what happened?"
Harumi considered it for a moment, but eventually determined he wouldn't understand. She fell quiet.

Later, after dinner, everyone had settled down for dessert and a good Christmas movie. They all piled on the couches together, some of them on the armrests, a few with puppies or a child in their lap, and a few of the unlucky ones squished on the floor, or standing. Elf played noisily throughout the room.
Jade looked around the room, saying, "The decorations turned out amazing, you guys," then turned to Lloyd. "We did a great job."
Child Harumi was tilting in her seat, her eyelids drooping every few minutes, but denied it, insisting on staying up late to watch the movie. Garmadon soon carried her out to her room despite her protests, and she was forced to sleep, still huffing at how unfair it was.
But not for long. Child Harumi awoke to yelling. She ran out and into the hallway, where she heard Jade's heavy breathing more clearly. Kaitlynn was, the entire time, blaming the little girl for the spicy cookies. Everyone's mood instantly dropped, and they were all grumping because of the cookies---minus Jade, of course, who was looking for some cold milk.
Kaitlynn shouted, "It was probably the child who did it while you weren't looking, Garmadon! As a prank!"
Garmadon denied it. "I would have SEEN her do it! I was with her the entire time and I didn't see anything!"
"It's definitely her," Kaitlynn continued arguing, and Garmadon was becoming irritated. "She's an irresponsible brat who has her own ideas about everything! It's time you admit she's not the best little girl."
Child Harumi teared up. "I wish I was never born," she whispered.
The tears slid down her cheeks, and they grew white by the time they fell off her chin, from the flour collected on her cheeks. When she next opened her eyes, Harumi squinted, from the bright blue light a few feet away from her nose. It started to travel away from her, and Harumi stumbled hastily after it. "No, wait!"
The blue orb led her through the now-dark hallways of the Bounty, and eventually, they neared the edge of the deck. Although, in the dark, Harumi couldn't see the outline of the railings that well...
It wasn't until she knocked into the telescope that her head spun, and the dizziness sent her off the edge, falling to the ground below.

"Harumi?" Lloyd's voice called into her now-empty bedroom. He started to panic.

When Harumi woke up, she saw she was on top of a bed. Although, it wasn't her own. Looking around, she tried to recognize the Bounty, but her surroundings weren't familiar. They were extremely different. She heard someone clear their throat, and they walked in.
A man, dressed in fur-lined, bright red clothes, and a silver-gray beard came towards her.
"Who are you?" Harumi asked him.
"My name is Nicholas."
His presence was foreign, yet somehow she felt at peace...somehow, protected. Bright blue eyes twinkled down at her, despite his age, but they were cracked with worry.
"Why do you look so sad, child?" he asked her, and Harumi felt compelled to answer, though he was not known to her as well as Garmadon.
"I wish I was never born," she burrowed deeper inside the velvet covers, as his face fell.
"Tell me."

Over the course of her story, Nicholas sat patiently beside Harumi. He listened to her without fail, and interrupted her only a few times for clarifications.
"I see," he said finally, when she fell silent. "Well...I hope you know that you are always welcome here, but...I assume you want to go back home now?"
She nodded.
"I will take you back," he reassured her. "But...it is dangerous for you to be out. I know you know what I mean. You must find your own ways to stay safe."
She gave him a hug that couldn't reach around his whole body, but he accepted it.

When she returned to the Bounty, with a bright white glowstick in her hand from Nicholas, Harumi avoided the telescope. As she slowly approached the living room again, her nerves heightened.
Garmadon was the first to see her, and quickly, everyone piled over her in a hug.
"How could you just LEAVE like that?" he choked out.
"I..."
Before she could answer, Kaitlynn brought her into an apologetic embrace. "I'm sorry."
And Harumi could tell she meant it. But just as she was enjoying the newfound peace, she suddenly felt very, very sick...
She collapsed on the floor, her vision going blurry again for the second time that day.
"Harumi...what's wrong?!" Garmadon asked her, and this time she answered.
"I wanted to taste the cookie batter...and...it was raw...my stomach doesn't feel good..."
"Classic uncooked food," Jade sighed desperately. "She caught salmonella."
The rest of the room went quiet, and Garmadon pleaded for her to stay awake. "We need to get her to the doctor. Or get a doctor here. Immediately."
He rushed her to bed, but as soon as he left for any possible medicine that could help, Harumi found herself fighting for life, and losing. She tried to sleep, but it was as if something was forcing her to stay alive and draining out all her energy at the same time...
The door being thrown open was the last thing Harumi witnessed in her consciousness.

(A/N: Hi everyone, Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas to those who do celebrate it! I hope everyone can relax for a while---I myself have been hibernating for the past week---before we get back into it and pull through until summer. Take care! ~Ash)