Prologue

Lloyd had never been to this part of Ninjago City before, let alone known about it until now, but as he walked up the steps of the Ninjago City Court, he was worried he wouldn't be able to pull this off.

With Harumi agreeing to his initial plan—much to the Police Commissioner's dismay—a little squabble rose up which led to the argument being taken to court. His mother was surprisingly supportive of him taking up the responsibility to raise a child, and had managed to convince the ninja to support him too.

"You'll do fine." Kai, his honorary brother, wrapped an arm around his shoulder when they reached the top of the steps. "If I know anything, it's that you always know when to do the right thing. All you have to do is convince a few more people of that."

Lloyd rolled his eyes at his attempts of comforting him in the worst possible way. "Great. No pressure at all." He took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

He had asked one of the ninjas to be there for him in case he says something wrong or he loses his control—knowing that bringing all of them would only cause unwanted chaos—and he chose Kai. But he knew he was only here because he did not want to decorate the monastery with the others.

As they made their way past a row of doors, Lloyd stopped in front of the one the Police Commissioner had asked him to go to.

"Hey." Kai called as he reached for the door knob. Lloyd stopped to take a look at him. "If it helps, this is your family you're fighting for. Maybe that can remind you why you're doing all this in the first place."

Lloyd smiled. He hadn't taken that into account and he was lucky Kai had told him that.

He's right. For Rumi and the baby.

The boy nodded and sucked in a deep breath before entering the courtroom and prepared for the first time he was ever going to fight the Police Commissioner.

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He expected a full court once he entered but he was surprised to see only a few people filling the dozens of chairs that were laid out across the floor. The judge wasn't even there yet—much to Lloyd's relief—there was, however, Harumi and baby Lumi in one corner.

Lloyd then realized that it was a private trial. It seems like they did not want that many people to find out that the Green Ninja had a child with one of the recent villains of Ninjago City. The scandals it would bring. And it would most likely ruin their reputation.

But Lloyd didn't feel bad. Not a single inch of his body was filled with regret of what they did that night—he really just didn't want to talk about it—because the second he saw that baby, he knew he wanted to take care of it for the rest of his life.

Speaking of his daughter, her cries filled his ears one more time which made him break out into a run. He passed through all the chairs as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving Kai to walk on his own, until he reached his little family (which he is still reluctant to call them that).

"Lloyd! Thank goodness. I can't get her to stop crying." Harumi pleaded, her lips forming a pout and Lloyd noticed the bags under her eyes. He held out his hands and immediately went to hold the baby.

"Hey, Lumi. Did you keep your mommy up last night?" He spoke softly and fixed the little swaddle she was in. Lloyd started rocking the baby from side to side as she continued to cry. "Please don't cry anymore. If you do, they might not allow me to take you home."

The crying started to die down, growing more and more quiet the more he talked to her. From the side, Harumi watched with amazement on how he handled the situation. She really couldn't do this without him.

Her body visibly tensed up when she caught sight of the Master of Fire walking behind Lloyd. She immediately went to fix her orange jumpsuit and tried to make herself a little more presentable.

It had been a long time since she had seen the ninja, after her little 'resurrect Garmadon plan' she hadn't heard from them since. But now that she was going to live with them, Harumi prepared herself for whatever was to come.

She was there for Lumi and Lloyd. Those were the only factors that kept her going and made the situation a little more tolerable. She was planning on earning their forgiveness but whether or not they give it did not affect her plans on trying to be a better person.

I'm a mother now, for goodness sakes.

She let those words sink in and for the first time, it felt real. Harumi still had a hard time accepting that their silly little night together would lead to this, especially after she vowed to never go back to that memory again.

But seeing Lloyd take care of Lumi, she thought maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

"Our little Green Bean is growing up." Kai commented as he watched Lloyd put Lumi to sleep. He wiped his eyes—which neither of them could tell whether it was a real tear or a fake one—and cleared his throat. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course." Lloyd held out his arms and passed the baby to Kai in the most-gentle way possible. "Lumi, this is your uncle. Please do not take after his reckless attitude."

Harumi let out a giggle when she heard those words—leaving Kai to shoot a glare at her—which made Lloyd turn his attention to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked with genuine concern as he took a seat beside her.

"Mhm." She nodded and tucked her hands in her lap. "I'm a little nervous I guess. If this doesn't go well, then I don't know what will happen to her."

Lloyd understood her concerns and went to take her hand in his. "I promise. It will go well, for yours and Lumi's sake. I will make sure of that." He offered her a smile, one that would often brighten up her day in the past no matter how much she hated to admit it, and squeezed her hand.

"Okay." Harumi let out a deep breath and nodded. "I trust you." She returned his smile and was surprised to see a growing blush on his cheeks.

A small cough from behind them was enough to make the pair pull away from each other and try to act as normal as possible.

Harumi covered her face with the strands of her white hair while Lloyd turned his head to see who interrupted them. He wasn't surprised to see the Police Commissioner standing there with his hands behind his back.

"We will begin in five minutes. 'Till then, please refrain from contact with the prisoner." He stated and narrowed his eyes at Lloyd.

"She has a name." Lloyd glared at him and spoke through gritted teeth. He hates it when he always fails to address Harumi, and even his daughter, by their names.

"I'm sure she does. We all do."

Was all he said before walking away and taking a seat on the other side of the room. Harumi placed a hand on top of Lloyd's and that's when he noticed a ball of energy was forming at his fingertips which immediately died down at her actions.

"It's okay." She assured him with a smile and kept her hand on top of his. "He's not worth it."

"Um, Lloyd?" Kai asked from behind him, the baby still in his arms.

"Yeah?"

"You have an attorney right?"

Harumi's eyebrows perked up at the mention of the person. She completely forgot they were at a real trial and was now concerned whether he came prepared or not.

"Actually, I do." He answered—much to Harumi's relief—and nodded his head. "Zane and Pixal managed to get me one before I left."

The door burst open once again, making all heads turn in its direction, and revealed the judge that was going to be holding this trial. Lloyd's palms grew sweaty, which he tried to hide by wiping it on his gi.

It was starting to get too real and too fast. Dozens of doubts entered his mind and he couldn't put a stop to it. The only thing that made his thoughts stop racing was when he caught sight of Lumi playing with Kai.

She was waving her arms in the air in front of him and Kai was more than happy to play along. He smiled and turned his head to see Harumi with the same expression as him.

The door was opened again to reveal a familiar nindroid disguised in a suit that matched his briefcase. Lloyd had a smirk on his face as he watched him walk towards them. No one ever said it was against the law to bring your own family as your attorney.

"Zane?!" Kai shouted in a whisper when he caught sight of the nindroid sitting behind them. "You're his attorney?"

"Affirmative." He confirmed. It seems like being a nindroid with dozens of available disguises, was proven useful in situations like this. "Pixal and I prepared a disguise that will last the whole trial."

"And, with his intelligence, it will be hard for them to say no." Lloyd interrupted, his nerves finally starting to calm down.

"Indeed." Zane tapped his briefcase which made Harumi tilt her head at the sight of it. "Good afternoon, Harumi." He acknowledged her presence, making the girl jump.

"O-oh. Good afternoon, Zane." She responded, her voice a little shaky but she still managed to place a small smile on her face. "It's nice of you to help out. Thank you."

"I am only doing what is right, Your Highness." The nindroid bowed his head which made Harumi shake hers in response.

"Please, there is no need to do that for I do not deserve that title."

"As you wish." Zane turned his attention back to Lloyd who now had the baby in his arms. "Is this your daughter? She is quite beautiful."

"She is." Lloyd nodded with a smile. "Lumi, this is your other uncle. Please inherit his intelligence." She whispered the last part but it was enough for the four of them to hear.

"Hey!" Kai exclaimed, clearly offended that he was already deemed a bad influence.

"Pleased to meet you, little Lumi Garmadon." Zane reached his hand out to shake the baby's hand gently, a smile forming on his face.

The sounds of a gavel echoed through the courtroom, a signal that it was finally time to start the trial. Lloyd looked towards the judge and sighed, he was really doing this now.

"You'll be okay. If I know anyone who can handle this much pressure, it's you." Harumi whispered into his ear as he passed the baby back to her.

Lloyd nodded and smiled, remembering who he was fighting for. "Thanks. I will see you later." He leaned in to place a soft peck on Lumi's forehead before he got up and left with Zane to go to the front of the courtroom.

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The trial went on for a few hours, the argument strong on both sides but Lloyd held up his front. The Police Commissioner stood no chance against the Green Ninja when he was mad. His face was starting to turn red, his tone harsh, and he kept glaring at the man every once in a while.

He knew things between them would never be the same. But given how he treated his girls, Lloyd was okay with that. It seemed like the judge had had enough of their bickering and made to put an end to it.

"Order. Order in the court." He banged his gavel on the small circle platform where it rested.

This brought silence to both Lloyd and the Police Commissioner. Harumi was on the edge of her seat the whole time, a little thankful that Kai was there to help her with Lumi despite their troubled past, and she couldn't help but bite her fingernails.

This was her chance at freedom and a chance to start a new life. To become a better person and prove to herself that she can be a good role model to her child. Just like how Lloyd is.

This was just the push she needed and she prayed that the First Spinjitzu Master would work this in their favor, and maybe a little for the sake of his Great granddaughter.

When the trial finally came to an end, she was pleased to hear that they were allowing Lloyd to take them home, under careful supervision of course, but she was happy nonetheless.

"You did it!" She exclaimed when Lloyd came walking back to them, a proud smirk plastered on his face. "Thank you!"

He engulfed her in a hug and squeezed her tightly, never wanting to let go. All his worries and doubts were gone after knowing he won the case. Harumi was hesitant at first, but she eventually hugged him back with the same energy.

"Why don't we take a picture to remember this moment?" Kai suggested, handing Lloyd the baby once they pulled away from their hug. "Zane?"

"Of course." The nindroid smiled and nodded. "I can safely store it in my memory and have it processed later on."

Lloyd and Harumi smiled for a picture and immediately back at each other.

"Your daddy did it, Lu." She grabbed the baby's hand and caressed it while Lloyd tried to hide his cheeks. It seemed like the temperature rose and only he could feel it.

A small smile formed on Lumi's face which made the couple immediately melt at the sight.

"What are we waiting for? We have a party to get to!" Kai exclaimed, breaking their little moment, and held up his phone to show a text from Nya that everything was ready.

After a few security measures with the police, which involved a cuff that was locked around Harumi's ankle to keep track of her, they were all free to go.

Kai and Zane led the way, occasionally conversing about his statements during the trial, while Lloyd and Harumi stayed a good few feet behind.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, adjusting the strap of the baby bag he was carrying.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Harumi smiled and nodded. She was finally free.