A/N: After goodness knows how long, we finally have number 4 out of 10 for this challenge!

Character – Sky
Prompt - Ice

In the distance, so faint he could hardly hear it; countless explosions, the earth torn to pieces, the land laid to waste. The sounds were muffled by the fuzziness in his head, by the blood that pounded hot in his ears. He couldn't move, couldn't scream. He couldn't feel anything, his body paralyzed, completely numb. He tried to focus his broken mind, tried to wake up, but it was impossible. Fear constricted his already weak heart. Was he dead? He tried to remember, remember what had brought him to this.

He flinched at the thought of that cursed battlefield going up in flames as countless attacks were fired around him, giant craters left in the earth, trees brought to their knees. They were images he didn't want to recall, yet images he never wanted to forget. Images he never wanted to see repeated. He desperately cast his mind back to that darkness and evil that had surrounded him. He thought about the only light that shone in the dark, the only glimmer of hope amongst the choking cloud of defeat. Bloom had been by Sky's side through all of this, they had looked out for each other, kept each other strong. The more he thought about her, the more desperate he was to wake up, to see her smiling face again.

Once again, Sky racked his brain for any recollection of what had happened. Events flashed through his mind, ragged pieces that didn't seem to fit together. The countless deaths he had witnessed, the number of friends he had had to say goodbye to, each one harder than the one before. Only a few hours ago, when the fight was at its peak, was his bravest warrior and best friend shot down by a powerful attack. Sky had tried his best to save him, but moments later and Brandon was lying dead in his arms. The scenes replayed in his head, the heartache resurfacing with fresh pain, like salt in a wound. The images slowly came together as his mind became clearer and clearer...

"Sky!" Bloom screamed out, her voice filled with fear.

Sky turned, searching for her from his cover in a hole that had been blown open in the earth. Panic rose in his heart. His eyes scanned the landscape, desperately searching for her among the wreckage. A harsh purple glare attracted his attention, and when he looked harder, amongst it was Bloom, struggling to free herself from the darkness.

"Sky!" She called again.

Without even thinking it through, Sky leapt from his spot, narrowly avoiding a crackling orb of dark magic. He darted across the field, leaping over the dead and wounded as he went, diving out of the way of oncoming attacks.

"Bloom, I'm coming!" He yelled as loud as his lungs would allow. "Hold on!"

As he ran, he spotted a swift movement in the blackening sky. Just a flash of shadow, heading in Bloom's direction. His leg muscles screamed at him to slow down, but he knew he couldn't. Pressing himself even harder, he ran faster, until he finally reached her.

"Sky?" She cried, still searching.

It was then he realised that she couldn't see, that the darkness was closing in around her.

"I'm here!" He shouted. "Hang on, I'm gonna try and get-"

He was cut off as an attack came into contact with his back, and he was knocked to his knees. The pain shot through his every nerve, and he cried out in agony. He staggered to his feet, drawing his sword, ready to cut down whoever was doing this. Turning, he saw a young witch, dark energy swirling in each palm. Sky looked her over, coming to the conclusion that she was no older than seventeen. He paused, sword in the air. She was so young. She shouldn't be here, fighting in a war. He couldn't take this child's life. Somewhere out there she had a family that loved her. She had her whole life ahead of her. Who was he to tear that away?

She watched him, her smirk wavering a moment, as fear registered in her eyes. Sky sighed, lowering his sword slowly, offering mercy in return of mercy. That was when her smirk returned. Before Sky could react, she pushed her hands forwards, and shot two jets of powerful dark magic towards him. Sky just managed to dodge out of the way. Instead, the attack hit the earth with incredible force. The noise of the explosion deafened him as the force sent him flying backwards. He could just about hear a high pitched scream as he fell through the air, until his body made contact with the hard ground, his head smacking the floor as he landed. He heard a sickening crack, before everything around him faded to black.

The pain shot through his body, so violent that it jolted him awake. Eyes flying open, air being gasped into his lungs, Sky attempted to sit up, but could lift no more than his head. Suppressing a scream, he gave up, collapsing his head back onto the ground. Every breath burned in his chest, but his desperation for oxygen drove him on. He squinted against the sudden change of light. All he could make out were the dark looming shadows that stretched before him. Gathering his breaths, slowing them as much as possible, he once again tried to sit up. Seeping burns across his face stung his skin. The metallic taste of blood was fresh in his mouth, the smell strong in his nostrils. He felt it running down his jaw and neck from his ear, felt it sticking his hair to his head. It mingled with the dirt of the battlefield, cracked mud and dried blood thick around his eyes, making it difficult to keep them open.

His restlessness built up, until he released a roar of anger, forcing himself up, screaming out against the pain that twisted inside him. The sky was dark, the horizon lined red with the blood of the fallen. Dust and fog hung thick over the landscape, fires crackling around him, jagged ice sticking out over rocks and trees. The remnants of dark magic were everywhere, dust and smoke climbing the ever darkening sky. After the noise of the battlefield, the explosions and screams from the dying and wounded, it was eerily silent. The only noise was the distant crackling of the dying fires and his own shaking breaths. Bloom's scream rang in his ears as his eyes desperately searched for her. With shaking arms and legs, he slowly rose to his haunches, hot tears flooding his face. Sky tried his best to force the pain from his mind, but it was impossible.

Looking himself over properly for the first time, he noticed a huge wound in his left calf, his entire lower leg engulfed by brutal burns from that wretched witch's attack, and his ankle was twisted at an odd angle. His chest was horrendously bruised, and he was certain from the pain that at least one of his ribs were cracked. He could only imagine the horrific state his face was in, what with the amount of blood that he could feel. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the cries from his aching body, he staggered to his feet, leaning on his right leg and clutching his chest. Tentatively, he took a step forward, dragging his left leg behind him, screaming out in agony against his injuries.

"Bloom?" He called out, his hoarse, scratchy voice echoing out across the wasteland.

He squinted against the dust, the smoke clamouring the air thick in his lungs. There was no one left, not a single sign of life anywhere. How long had he been out? No further than ten meters away from where he had fallen, he spotted a deep dent in the earth, blown out from the explosion Bloom had been unable to escape from... His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. Somewhere deep inside of him, he already knew what he was going to find as he neared the crater.

His tired mind swam, causing his vision to blur. He staggered over to the edge of the crater, his heart hammering inside his chest, a painful reminder that he still lived in this hell on earth.

"Bloom?" He called out.

He listened, desperately hoping he would hear her voice calling back to him. Silence.

Crouching down, he got closer to the crater. The loose earth crumbled away, and he slid over the edge, landing on his knees. Hopeless tears stung his eyes, as with trembling hands he began to shift through the mud, desperately searching for any sign of her.

"C'mon..." He hissed through his tears. "C'mon!"

All reason fled his mind. He didn't care about the odds. He just knew he wouldn't stop until he found her. He continued to scrape away the mud, his muscles aching, his mouth dry, his eyes swollen from the mix of tears and blood. The crackling of the fires around him seemed to get further away, as his ears filled with the sounds of his own ragged breaths, his chest erupting with the pain from his broken bones.

And yet he struggled on, scraping the earth away, always looking. He wasn't going to stop, not until-

A pale hand stained with dirt surfaced from the mud. Sky's breath caught in his throat. It was ice cold. Although the voice in his head told him to stop, told him it was useless, that there was no changing what had happened, he ploughed on. He scraped back more and more crumbling earth, the hand giving way to an arm, giving way to a shoulder, until a sprout of muddied red hair revealed itself.

Sky snatched his hands away like he'd been burnt. He opened his mouth in a silent scream. The tears fell afresh, and when he could finally breathe again a strangled sob escaped his lips. The pain and agony twisted inside him, tearing his heart to pieces. He threw his head back and roared into the ether, his misery echoing back to him. He wanted to curl up right there and just give up. What was the point in going on anymore? But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't just leave her here, in an unmarked grave in the middle of a battlefield. She deserved better than that.

He fought with his trembling hands, forced them to continue to pull away the dirt. He didn't want to have to see her, not like this. But he knew he couldn't abandon her.

Through his blurred vision, he uncovered her chest, her neck…finally, he began to see her face emerging from the mud. Her blue eyes had dulled and glazed over, staring blankly into the darkened sky. There were streaks down her cheeks where her tears had washed away the dirt on her skin. A large wound on the back of her head stained his hands with her blood.

Sky wrapped his arm under her upper back, lifting her closer to him. Her arm hung loosely beside her, her head lolling to one side. He laid a shaking hand on her cheek, turning her face towards him, holding her close to his chest. With gentle fingers, he closed her eyelids, wiping away as much of the grime as possible. Despite her battle wounds she still looked at peace, and Sky longed to join her, away from this pain and suffering. He longed to see her smile once more, to feel her arms around him, her lips on his. He longed for the overwhelming loneliness he now felt to be lifted, for him to be taken now, by her side where he belonged. The coolness of her skin seeped through his own, a cruel reminder that she was truly gone, that she would never again open her eyes.

Between cries, Sky held her tighter, and placed a gentle kiss on her ice-cold cheek. A final farewell to the only love in his life.

Leaning heavily on his crutches, he watched as his wife, the greatest joy in his life was pushed into the burning flames. He couldn't bring himself to bury her, not after the events of the war. It seemed too cruel to return her to the coldness beneath the surface of the earth.

A single tear escaped his eye, the last he could possibly cry. He felt the chill of the liquid flow down his face, an icy finger caressing his cheek. It was then that he realised he could still feel the cold on his lips. The final impression Bloom had left on him, an imprint he would carry for the rest of his days. A reminder for him never to forget. Never to forget that cursed battlefield that went up in flames, though it could never again thaw the cold emptiness of his sorrowed heart.

A/N: So, it has been waaaay too long since I wrote anything for this forum, anything for this fandom in fact! And I must say it's been nice to go back to my roots of fanfiction after such a time away. I hope you enjoyed the fic, and please please pleeeaaase, go and have a look on the forum! There are tons of creative challenges on there and I know any new people would be more than welcome! Thanks again for reading,

Gemma Cane xx