The Crazy Art Called Love

2 | Living on The Edge

~~Harumi's POV~~

20 minutes earlier

"Hutchins, please!" I pleaded as I tried to get past his body which was currently blocking the door.

"You have gone out with Princess Vania for 3 times straight this week. It is easy to spot trouble, Princess." Hutchins explains and continues to block all my attempts of getting out.

"It's a field trip. We're going to learn about the ancient cities!" I reasoned. The truth was, all I wanted to do was get away from the palace.

I don't care what we end up doing as long as I do not see the Emperor and Empress. Not after what they tried to pull 2 days ago.

"You have been learning about its history since you were 12, Princess Harumi. I do not think it is necessary for you to go outside." He had his hands behind him and stepped to the left where I was just about to move. "Whatever information you need, it is present in our archives."

"I'll be back before supper. I promise."

"No can do. I suggest you go back to your quarters." Hutchin stood his ground and I huffed in response.

I stomped back to my room and laid on my bed. What was I going to do now? I opened my phone to ask Vania if she could pick me up.

Me: Vany! Hutchins caught me. Can you come get me?

Vania: Sorry, Rumi. Change of plans. My father is not letting me get out today. Maybe another time, okay?

Me: It's alright! I'll find something else to do.

I had a feeling she was up to something but knowing her dad, she probably had queen training today. I lay there staring at the ceiling wondering what I was going to do next. That's when it hit me. I scrolled through the contacts of my phone and started typing when I found the right one.

Now

In order for Lloyd not to know I'm the princess, I texted him the address for a noodle shop I always went to since the royal family was not that big on fast food and take outs. Everything was cooked by professional chefs and made to fit our diets.

I had to get out of the palace. But how? I went to my closet and grabbed a casual outfit that would help me disguise myself. After putting it on, I went out to my balcony and measured how far it was from the next roof.

"Well, here goes nothing." I whispered to myself and pulled the hood over my head. I jumped down the ledge and landed a few feet away from the edge of the roof. Phew.

It was stealth mode from now on. I quickly ducked behind a pillar when I spotted two guards on patrol in the gardens. They can't know I left, otherwise, I would be done for.

I jumped from one roof to another to get a good distance between myself and the palace. Once I was far enough, I made my way down the streets and headed towards the noodle shop.

A light green car was parked right outside the moment I arrived. The roof opened and Lloyd jumped out. He was wearing something different from when we first met, kind of like a suit.

It was the same color as what I was wearing. His face still cute as ever but I sense happiness in his eyes. I wonder what that meant.

"Hey, Harumi!" He greeted with a wide smile on his face. I giggled and made my way over to him.

"Thank you for picking me up. How long have you been waiting?" I inquired after giving him a hug.

"I actually just got here." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ready to go cliff jumping?"

"Definitely!" I exclaimed and he helped me into his car. I was hesitant at first but if I wanted this pain to go away, I had to do it.

I took a seat in the back because it was only built for one person but good thing there was an option for a passenger.

"Where exactly are we going cliff jumping?" Lloyd asked from the front of the car as we drove out of the city. It was impressive how fast we were going and I couldn't even feel a thing.

"I heard Hiroshi's labyrinth has some good places. Ooh, maybe we can go rock climbing too!" I was really excited at the thought of doing those things.

It was my only way of coping with everything that was going on in my life since I was still too young to be drinking. I like the feeling of adrenaline pulsing through my veins every time I go zip lining or bungee jumping. It helps me forget about everything bad in my life.

"Easy, Harumi. We'll take it one at a time, okay?" He laughed at my excitement. Did he find me adorable?

"Sorry. It's just feels nice to get away from my parents for a while."

"Why? Did something happen?" He turned his head to look at me, his bright smile was slowly fading.

I did not know what to tell him. I'm not exactly good at sharing feelings or telling anyone about my problems.

"Uhm.." Was the only thing that escaped from my mouth. I couldn't. Not now at least. Maybe one day, when I myself have healed too.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Lloyd quickly fixed his posture and focused on driving.

"No. It's okay, Lloyd. You didn't do anything." I quickly assure him.

"Harumi?" He asks. His voice soft and comforting.

"Yes?"

"I know we just met, but if you ever need anyone to talk to. I'm always here." Lloyd turned his head to give me a smile.

That same smile brought up butterflies in my stomach. Just seeing it already brightens up my day. I realize that I was staring and quickly shook my head.

"Of course." I returned his beautiful smile with my own.

It was quiet for a few minutes. Mainly because I couldn't help but stare at the back of his head. If only he'd turn around and I could see those mesmerizing green eyes once more.

"May I ask why you're up and going at 7 in the morning?" I tried to make conversation and leaned forward to make myself comfortable on the back of his seat.

Lloyd kept his eyes on the road but glanced in my direction every other minute.

"Morning exercise and training. Our Sensei thinks it's best to start the day early." He explained with a yawn.

"So you are, the green ninja?" I asked in awe. I knew he was familiar. That explained his powers too!

"I thought you already knew that." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well you looked familiar to me. But I didn't know for sure." I giggle to hide my embarrassment.

"Really? How many guys do you know can shoot energy blasts from their hands?" Lloyd joked which made me smile.

"Just you." I said and I saw a hint of redness in his cheeks. Probably just flustered or something.

"We're here." He cleared his throat and slowed the car to a stop.

We were on the edge of a forest and there were huge mountains to my left which I would love to scale up.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked while I got out of my seatbelt. Come to think of it, I only had oatmeal for breakfast.

"Not much, you?" I responded. He probably skipped breakfast since he had training first thing in the morning.

"Not yet. But the owner of the noodle house gave me some take out. She's kinda the girlfriend of one of my teammates." Lloyd held out a bag of food.

"Mm. It smells good!"

We quickly set up a little picnic and opened each box of food. As I predicted, the food tasted as good as it smelled. Definitely better than what I get served at in the palace.

~~Lloyd's POV~~

Hacking our way through Hiroshi's labyrinth was not how I imagined my morning to go. Although, none of my mornings go the way I planned anyways.

Harumi told me there were supposed to be signs towards the place where people offered the cliff jumping activity and I stood there wondering who on earth would want to put up something like that.

Clearly they were very smart businessmen for it did not take long for us to find a line in the middle of a forest.

"What's going on?" I asked, rather confused why there were people here.

"I told you. Cliff jumping is fun!" Harumi giggled from behind me and started skipping in her step to get to the line.

"It's Lloyd Garmadon." People began to whisper when they spotted us. It was probably not a good idea to wear my gi but I can't turn back now.

"Who's that girl he's with?"

"Do you think it's his girlfriend?"

The rumors became intolerable and I think Harumi noticed how uncomfortable I was because she pulled out her phone to distract me before opening the camera app.

"What's that for?" I ask, wondering what she was up to.

"I want to take a picture to commemorate our first adventure together." She smiled and raised her phone.

Her smile was contagious and I ended up posing for more pictures than I expected.

"These are adorable! I'm definitely framing them." She exclaimed as she scrolled through the results of our goofiness.

"Can you send them to me?" I inquired. I thought about sending them to my friends but I also wanted to keep them for myself.

"Of course." Harumi responded enthusiastically and I soon felt my phone vibrate in the pockets of my gi.

When we got to the front of the line, we paid our fees and I watched as the professionals strapped Harumi in a harness. I stood by the sidelines to film her because I was not going to try that.

"Lloyd?" She turned her head towards me.

"Yes?" I looked up from the camera to answer.

"Why aren't you joining me?" She tilted her head.

"Uhm." I tried to think of an excuse that won't make me look like a coward. There was a line of people to my right and I did not want to hear their rumors once again. "I don't really do this stuff, Harumi."

"Don't be silly! Come on." She instructed one of the staff to place a harness on me and my eyes widened when I found myself on the edge of the cliff. "Ready?"

"No--." I did not have time to finish my sentence before Harumi grabbed my hand and jumped.

I screamed as we fell from the ledge which was 30? 40 feet high? I did not care about the height because all I could think of was the ground coming closer and closer to my face.

"Harumi!!" I yelled and turned my head to see her laughing and feeling excited about all this.

"Isn't this fun?" She called back and I immediately shook my head.

The wind blew straight at my face causing my hair to get pushed back. My heart felt like it was going to explode and I think I left my stomach back at the top.

I spotted a large body of water at the bottom of the cliff when we almost came to a stop. We both dangled over it, my feet gracing a bit of the water.

"Are you okay?" Harumi laughed as she noticed my grip on her hand was pretty tight.

"I-I'm fine." I tried to act tough and put a strong exterior but I think she saw through that.

"Do you still have my phone?" I nodded and handed it to her. I was wondering how that survived that fall. "Say cheese!" She took another selfie before placing it back in her pocket.

"How do we get back up?" I asked. Cause we seem to still be dangling over the water.

"They're going to pull us back up." Harumi giggled and right after she said that, I felt the harness being tugged upward.

"You are crazy. Like not bad kind of crazy but the crazy where you enjoy this stuff." I commented.

I had to admit, when you realize you're not going to die, cliff jumping was pretty fun and I'm glad I got to try it out with her.

"Wanna go again?" She offered with a wide smile on her face. I could tell she was enjoying this.

"One last, then we go home." I gave in. If it made her happy, then what did I have to lose?

"Yayy!" Harumi squealed in excitement and I couldn't help but laugh.

The next time we jumped, I did it with confidence and ended up bringing Harumi down with me. For once, I let myself be free from the responsibilities and just enjoyed hurling toward the ground at a speed even Zane couldn't calculate without looking twice.

"I see you're beginning to loosen up." She smirked from my right and I simply shrugged. My screams turning into shouts of happiness.

I barely noticed the time when we got back to my car. It was already 2 in the afternoon and I'm pretty sure my family was worried sick about where I had gone.

"Is something wrong?" I asked Harumi. She, too, looked distressed about the time.

"I guess we got too caught up in the fun, we lost track of time." She started fidgeting with her hands. "I'm sorry to cut it short, but is it alright if we head back now?"

"I was just thinking the same thing. The team is probably worried since I haven't texted them where I am." I scratched the back of my neck before opening my car and offering my hand to help her inside.

"Did you spot any reporters in the line earlier?" I could tell she was nervous. I wonder what's getting her worked up.

"No, not really. Why? Is there a problem?" I couldn't help myself.

"It's just, people saw us together. And knowing you, you're probably going to be featured in the news." She started. "And I kind of..snuck out."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to take care of that." I laughed and offered her a comforting smile.

"Thank you, Lloyd." She said. "For that and for today. I had fun."

"Me too. I didn't think I would ever try that but I'm glad I joined you today." It was true. Spending time with Harumi opened lots of possibilities I never knew I would be able to experience.

"Maybe we can do it again sometime." She offered. Her confidence seemed to shine.

"Harumi, are you asking me out?" I teased which made her blush.

"No!" She stated a little too quickly. "Just, a thing between friends. That's all." Her need to clarify things with me made a chuckle escape my lips.

"I was only teasing." I assured her and she let out a sigh of relief. "How about next time, I get to pick."

"That sounds like fun. But make sure not to make it boring, I like feeling adrenaline through my veins."

"I got it."

I dropped her off at the same noodle house since she kept insisting the whole ride.

"See you soon, Lloyd." Harumi called back and waved at me before walking through the streets.

As much as I don't want her wondering the city alone, I respected her privacy. Maybe one day I'll get to see her home.

~~Harumi's POV~~

I climbed over my balcony and was instantly greeted by a knock on my door. I quickly ran into the bathroom, changed from my outfit and ran the shower.

"I'm in the bathroom." I called out from the door and soon the knocking stopped. I really hope that Hutchins did not bother to check up on me during the hours I was gone.

To make use of the water that I was already wasting, I stepped in and cleansed myself of the dirt and sweat I gathered from today's adventure.

After a cold shower, I grabbed my robes and walked over to my closet to find something appropriate for our afternoon events.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Harumi.

A voice called and I looked around to see no one. I started running to the direction of the voice that sounded so familiar.

"Hello?" I called out into the void of nothingness with hope of a response.

Look out the window, Rumi. I was now in a car and I looked out the window to find a carnival to my right.

We'll take you there someday, sweetie.

But I want to go now!

Someday, okay?

Yes, mommy.

Oh no. Not this memory. Not again.

How about we play a game of I spy? My father suggested when he noticed I was sad. Or at least, the little girl beside me was.

She had dirty blonde hair which was tied into two braids, she wore a brown shirt and grey pants. The same clothes I was wearing when I lost it all.

Okay! She beamed in excitement.

I spy with my little eye, something red.

The younger me looked around to try and find what my father was talking about.

I know! It's that red stop sign.

Excellent, Rumi! Your turn.

Uhm, I spy with my little eye a yellow light!

What yellow ligh--? When my father turned his attention back to the road, a truck was headed our direction. He tried to swerve to avoid it but the car ended up going out of the road.

I gasped and shot up from my bed before that nightmare could even continue. My eyes were filled with tears and I started sobbing.

I wanted my parents back. I wanted out of this place, and yet, there's nothing I could do but cry.

I always wondered what it would be like if I hadn't survived that day. If the Emperor and Empress never adopted me. What would I be now? Who would I have become?

Through the night, it became hard to fall asleep. I was terrified the dream would come back to me.