***Welcome back to a magical land of fourth wall breaks, deceptive romance, and...the death story of Rumi's parents?!***

***(Lloyd's POV)***

I hear rocks and clods of dirt pelt the top of the earth drill. The ground trembles beneath me, and I begin to cough at all the dust filling my lungs. I guess my ninja hood must've been lost in transit.

Nya tries to cover my nose with her sleeve while Cole grunts in pain. He splays his hands on either side of the vehicle, keeping soil from burying us under here.

With the side of my body that isn't entirely in agony, I cling to Nya, my best friend and quite possibly the last person I'll ever see in this world.

And suddenly, the roaring of falling dirt stops.

I take a huge breath. "Everyone okay?"

"Fine," Cole wheezes, still using his powers to keep the SUV from collapsing on us. And to keep our oxygen supply from being crowded by dirt, which would be bad.

"Do you need a drink?" Nya asks Cole, uncovering my face.

"Yes, please," he grunts.

In the dark, I hear her wiggle over to him.

I harness the bit of sanity left in my head. "We need to keep talking to a minimum, so as not to waste oxygen. Chances are, it will be a little while before our team or the authorities can get us out from under here. That means no talking."

"Tell yourself that," Nya grumbles.

"How are you doing, Cole?" I ask, ignoring her sass.

"Worse than before," he sighs. "Trying to hold up a vehicle that weighs two tons isn't easy. Lloyd...I hate to break it to you, but I don't know if your father or that freak who was after us made it. We're buried" – he lets out a groan of pain – "we're buried twenty feet under the surface."

I clench my eyes shut. I don't like the idea of anyone dying, even if they're evil.

And that guy in the ugly mask...he saved my life. I have a duty to make sure he gets out of here safely.

Nya comes to nestle herself beside me. "Are you thirsty?"

"A little. Limit using your powers, okay? We need to save our fresh air."

"Got it, boss." She transports a small spurt of water into my mouth.

To be honest, I've been in worse situations before. I'm pretty sure. I mean, I've been in scarier situations. There was the fire at Kai and Nya's place this summer, or literally any of the times some thug has come at me with a knife.

This is just a matter of waiting and not wasting air.

Cole grunts. "Guys...I don't know how much longer I can keep this thing from crushing us."

Nya wriggles over to him, and I can hear her shaking his shoulders. "Pull yourself together, man!"

I wince at a jab in my side. "Theoretically, I could blast our way out of here, but it'd take the two of us working together, Cole."

"And I could keep you guys hydrated," Nya suggests. "See, I'm good at more than just communications!"

"Now is not the time to argue your worth," I growl. "Cole, are you up to try it?"

"I'm up for anything that gets us out of here without suffocating or being crushed."

"All right, then," I say, bracing myself. "On the count of three, I'm blowing a big hole in this thing, and you're keeping that hole from filling in with your earth powers."

"A hole? In my baby?" Cole asks incredulously. "You so owe me one!"

"Whatever! One...two...three!" I use my good arm to blast a hole above us.

Cole manages to catch the dirt before it fills in, but soil rushes in under our feet. He must've lost his control on the ground below us.

"Good," Nya encourages. "Just twenty or thirty more of those power blasts, and we'll be out of here!"

"Not helping," I groan, launching another power blast.

"Well,, sorry, but I was trying to be helpful! Cole, is there any chance you can push the dirt under us upward? I don't know that we'll have the strength to climb up. Lloyd's injured pretty badly."

"Your guys' strength?" Cole laughs humorlessly. "What about mine?"

"Look, unless either of you need a drink, the only thing I can do to make things better is boss you around! Lloyd apparently doesn't like encouragement, so this'll have to work!"

"Oh, I so need a milkshake after this," Cole groans. "I deserve a milkshake."

"And I deserve to be stuck in a hole with people who remember to wear deodorant, but you don't see me complaining!"

"Shut up already," I beg. "It's hard enough to focus with a splitting headache, a busted arm, and a few broken ribs!"

Cole buckles, and dirt comes hurtling down toward us. Nya reaches up her hands to stop it, forming an orb of water.

"Great!" Cole cries. "Just great. Do you know how much harder it is to lift mud than dirt?"

"I'm keeping you from suffocating!" she vociferates.

I groan. "Cole, let it go! Are you ready to use your powers to get us out of here?"

Nya's hold on the mud breaks, and it splatters on us. She barely manages to catch herself and keep the rest of the dirt in check.

"Come on!" Cole yells. "This is literally our lowest point! We're in a hole!"

"Stop talking like Jay!" I command him. "Help Nya. I'm going to shoot again. On three! One...two...three!" I launch a burst of power upward.

That's when we see light.

"We're saved!" Nya exclaims. "But – how? We didn't shoot more than ten times!"

"Power of wind," Skylor grunts from above us.

Nya grasps Cole's shoulders, kneading them with her hands. "You can finish this, Cole! Just a little further! And by the way, you are so taking a shower after this!"

"Least of our worries," I grumble.

Jay's swollen face appears at the top of the hole.

"What is he doing here?" I exclaim. "How is lightning supposed to get us out of this hole?"

"I can theoretically use the power of wind," he mumbles, his voice marred by the surgery he had earlier. "In Episode 10 of the Ninjago series, I possessed that element. It's probably just a one-time plot hole in the show. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use it again."

Nya's expression turns to anger. "What do you think you're doing up? You just had surgery! You're still weak! You could cause further bleeding in your mouth, and it might take you longer to heal!"

"You needed help," he argues.

Cole finally gets us a few feet from the top, and Nya crawls right out. She sticks her finger into Jay's chest. "Go sit down!"

Kai throws his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're okay," he sniffles.

She pulls out of his embrace. "Not now, Kai! Can't you see what horrible condition Lloyd is in? Help him out! And Cole's about to faint from exhaustion, if you couldn't tell!"

"Stop yelling," I beg her. "We kind of have a problem: My father and that masked guy are still buried under the avalanche!"

"The authorities will be here momentarily," Zane informs us, "so they will be able to help uncover your father, Lloyd. But I must caution you that he may very well not be alive."

"If he stayed in his drill, he should be fine," I reassure myself.

Skylor and Jay continue to blow as much dirt into a huge pile as they can. Nya's telling Jay off. Kai's busy telling his sister how scared he was that she wouldn't make it. And Cole...he's flopped on the ground, breathing heavily.

I try to sit up, but the pain in my side is too much. I inhale sharply.

Zane kneels beside me. "You have a gash on your forehead, Lloyd."

Hearing my name, Nya stalks over. "Yes, he does. And if you take a closer look, you'll also find that his arm is broken, and he has a couple of cracked ribs. That's what we can tell so far, at least. There was this crazy ugly masked guy down there who thought pigtails were still in style, and he apparently had super strength or something. He bashed in the sides of the earth drill until Cole and Lloyd got out to fight him."

"He was wearing a mask?" Zane inquires. "Describe its features."

"I don't know! Like I was paying attention to his ugly face while my best friend was getting pummeled!" She throws her arms in the air. "It was purple, I guess. And it had gray and gold embellishments. That's all I remember."

Zane's expression is troubled. "By your description, someone was wearing the Oni Mask of Hatred."

"What's an Oni mask?" I bite out.

"There are three in existence," Zane elaborates. "They are the masks of deception, vengeance, and hatred. Each gives the wearer enhanced physical strength and special powers, but the mask of hatred is the strongest. It makes the one who bears it virtually invincible."

"Deception? Hatred?" Nya asks. "Those don't sound like happy names, Zane." She clutches my hand. "Hanging in there, buddy?"

"Yeah," I exhale, pain jutting into my side. "So whoever had the mask of hatred could theoretically have survived getting crushed under all that dirt?"

"Theoretically," Zane replies. "It's actually quite likely. Unless the wearer took off the mask, he's still alive."

"I wonder who's working with my father that would own a mask like that," I mumble, closing my eyes.

Nya shakes my good arm. "Lloyd, you can't fall asleep right now. Gosh!" She pulls off her hood and presses it against my head. "That should suppress the bleeding. Why do Ninjago City's emergency forces have to be so unreliable?"

"They're not properly funded by the mayor," Zane explains. "Most emergency officials are ill-trained, and their vehicles are limited in quantity."

"That puts all my fears to rest," I mutter.

Nya squeezes my hand. "It's going to be okay, Lloyd. Zane can confirm that."

Zane frowns. "It depends on what, exactly, you're referring to. Should Lloyd be suffering from internal bleeding, things may not be 'okay' for his physical health. His father could very well be dead, which would not be 'okay'. And – "

"Never mind, Zane," Nya sighs. "Just stay with me, Lloyd. We're going to take care of you."

"Need to call...Rumi," I hiss. "She called me...earlier. Important, I think."

"Do you know her number?" Nya asks. "I think I kind of might have left your phone in the earth drill. By accident, of course."

Hurt shoots through my head. "Great," I say, surrendering to the darkness. "Just great."

***(Harumi's POV)***

I woke up...well, who knows how long ago. All I can think is that everything hurts. I'm being crushed by thousands of pounds of dirt at every moment, but...I'm not dead.

***Music Cue***

The night my parents died flashes before my mind. Blood...so much blood...and screaming. And I was tucked underneath my bed, hugging my teddy bear to my chest. I may have been thirteen at the time, but a stuffed animal was the one thing I could hold onto.

"You're my little quiet one, remember? Don't make a sound," my mother warns me, shoving a box under the bed to help hide my presence.

"I won't," I swallow, trying to be strong. "But why do you have to leave me?"

She strokes my white-blonde hair. "If you're alone, you'll be small enough he won't find you, Rumi-Roo."

My dad's nickname for me causes tears to prick my eyes. "Daddy...do you think he made it?"

Her bottom lip trembles. "I...you know I always tell the truth, honey. And I sure hope he's alive...but I don't think so."

I sniffle. "You two can't die, Mom. I need you!"

"You're strong, sweetie. You can make it alone. And if you lose us, I just have one more request for you."

"What is it?"

"I want you to – "

There are footsteps in the hall, and she lurches away from my bedside, trying not to give away my hiding spot. She scrambles into the closet, breathing heavily.

My door slams open, and a dark-clothed figure slinks in.

"Revenge," he hisses. Yes, he literally can hiss – he's half-snake. He got a human body, but the tongue and deceitfulness of a serpent.

His feet come closer.

"I can smell your fear," he taunts.

I block out all thoughts of danger. I know Slitheraa just wants me scared. That's how he finds people.

I lay there for seconds, minutes, hours. When my dad first realized Slitheraa might come after us, my mom learned how to induce herself into a trance-like state that reduces fear. Once she mastered the skill, she showed me.

That's what I pull myself into – the lie that there's nothing to worry about, no reason to move. I let feelings of warm fuzziness overtake me, releasing all my nervous energy in waves.

I don't come out of it until a flashlight shines in my eyes.

"There's a girl under here," calls a police officer.

Police. I'm safe. My dad's a cop, and his friends have finally found me.

"Is it okay to crawl out now?" I swallow.

"Yes, it's okay. Are you injured?" The officer extends his hand.

I take it, wiggling out from under my bed. "I'm fine." Panic fills me. "My parents. I – he went after my parents."

His eyes widen. "Your parents? I...I think we may have found your mother. You'll have to identify her."

"Is she all right?" I whimper.

"N-no, sweetheart." He pats my back. "What's your name?"

I'm about to answer when recognize the voice of my dad's best friend.

"Rumi?"

I run to him, falling into his arms. "Are my parents okay?" I demand, crying into his shoulder.

"I...sweetie, I didn't think any of you had made it. How did you survive?"

"I hid. But you didn't answer my question."

He presses his hand to the back of my head, holding my face to his shoulder. "I'll tell you outside, okay, sweetie? You shouldn't be inside to see this."

"To see what?"

He places a hand over my eyes, then guides me down the hall.

I push his fingers away. "What shouldn't I – "

My face whitens. " – see," I finish, my voice devoid of emotion.

Death. This must be what it looks like, smells like –

***You can stop the music here ;)***

I suddenly realize the weight on my limbs is considerably lighter, and the crushed feeling is gone from my body. How am I not dead?

The mask. It must've been the mask.

I push my arms against the dirt above me, and...it moves.

I force my body up, and I feel the resistance against my torso completely fade. My fingers rub the grime from my eyes.

The first thing I notice is a breeze blowing against my chest.

I'm free.

I pull myself out of the shallow dirt I'm now in, bracing my hands against the ground. It's completely dark outside, and this place is abandoned.

However, piles of dirt lay scattered everywhere, and I see where Garmadon's vehicle was excavated.

Garmadon! Did he really leave without me, before telling me what my parents' last wish was? He worked closely with my dad to protect our small town. Well, I think Garmadon actually was some sort of mob boss who exploited criminals into submission, but whatever! He's the only one who knows what my parents wanted from me!

I run back home through the night. I need to change and shower so my not-parents aren't suspicious, and then I have to see if the Jades know what happened to Garmadon. I'm sure it's on the news. Garmadon's always on the news!

I get so lost in my thoughts, I don't notice until my backyard is right in front of me.

And Paleman is staring at me, wide-eyed.

The mask makes me bold, and I grab his shirt collar. "You tell the Jades you saw me, and I make you miserable. Understood?"

"Who...are you?" he swallows.

I realize he can't identify me under the mask. Oh! That's useful. And now...

"I'm nobody," I huff, dropping him and racing to the side of the house. I scale up the wall to my room, then shove open the window, knowing full well I didn't lock it earlier.

Paleman shouts from below. "Someone, help! There's a criminal breaking into my sister's room!"

I bite my lip, thinking quickly. I end up running into the bathroom, wrenching on the water for a shower, and dumping all my dirty clothes in the floor. I shove the mask of hatred into my vanity, then swiftly rub shampoo into my hair.

Someone bangs on my bedroom door, and I hear a shout over the roar of the water. "Harumi!"

I shut off the faucet, letting my pale hair dangle. "Hello?" I call back in my flirtiest tone.

"Unlock your door," the voice of one of our hired servants says.

"No way," I tease. "You just wanna see me in a towel."

"There's someone in your room!" the help yells.

"Of course, there's someone in my room." I tuck a towel around my body, then exit the bathroom. "I'm in my room, silly."

"There's an intruder!"

I giggle. "Oh, Hutchins, I'm sure it's just one of my boytoys. They're always out to see that kind of thing!"

"Open your door," he commands.

I finally unlock it, and he barges in, followed by several other servants.

"Golly," I chuckle. "I didn't think I had that many fans. Well, I'm sorry, but I need to get back to my shower. Toodle-oo!" I wiggle my fingers at them and saunter back into my bathroom.

I really hope this towel is covering everything.

***Final chapter and epilogue will be out in a few hours...***