The dojo halls were silent, the only sounds being the muffled footsteps of four people. It had been a long time since Mel and Erik had set foot in this particular dojo, and Adam and Rion had never been here before. Kara was still off on her special training, and Seth . . . .
Seth was here. Somewhere.
"Just what exactly are you planning to do when we find him?" Adam said in a whisper, not exactly sure why he was speaking so quietly.
"We try and talk him into coming back with us," Rion answered. The blond kid wouldn't admit it, but he knew as well as the others that the Defenders weren't themselves without Seth. And ever since the Arboth incident, Seth hadn't quite been himself either.
Erik held out a hand, stopping the group. "Hold on a sec." Reaching down, he picked up a dark blue metallic device: a communicator. "Three guesses as to who it's from," he said, passing it to Mel.
The Wizard girl took it, hesitated a second, then pressed the activation button. The top of the device rose, revealing a miniature Seth standing inside, arms folded.
"Should've known you guys'd come after me," he said, not cracking a smile. "I'd've been surprised if you didn't, actually. Of course you have to it's useless, right? That I'm not coming back with you?" He shook his head. "Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like Flinch on one of his surrender speeches. Anyway, I made my choice at Arboth: I'm not a Defender anymore. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can stop K'tahsh from getting the rest of the Icons from under your noses. Best of luck." He smiled once, then the recording ended, the top of the communicator sinking into the base.
"Not exactly . . . encouraging, is it?" Adam muttered. A swift elbow in the ribs from Erik quieted him. Rion was watching Mel, who was staring, deadpan, at the communicator. He'd spent enough time around her and Seth to know they thought much the same way. He knew what was coming . . . .
"We'll split up," Mel said, turning to look at the others. "Meet back at the entryway in an hour. If you find Seth, let him know why we're here, then find Rion or me. Don't try and drag him along with you. That'll just make him more resistant in the long run."
"Why do we have to find you or Rion?" Adam asked. "Does it have to be that specific?"
"Think about it," Erik put in. "It was because of the mecharm that I made that Seth went off to Arboth in the first place. Anything associated to me like that isn't about to put him in a talking mood. And Adam, you . . . well, you and him haven't really gotten along since the start. It'd come to blows before conversation. That just leaves Mel and Rion."
•x•
Seth watched from an overhead balcony as the others split off, in four different directions. All looking for him. Adam and Rion would be the easiest to avoid, but Mel and Erik . . . they knew this place as well as he did.
He watched as Mel waited until the others left before reactivating the communicator, listening to the message again. She studied it carefully as she listened, that much he could tell, but studying it for what?
Leaning on the railing, he continued to watch. The message ended, the communicator closing. Mel held it up to face height, before hitting the record key on the side. The device opened, ready to record her face and voice.
"Seth, it's me. I know you know we're here, and I'm returning your message. The others have picked me to be leader while you're off like this because of 'previous experience' or whatever, but all of us know that we're not the Di-Gata Defenders without you. That's why we're here: not to drag you back, but to talk. That's it. Seth, I . . . ." She hesitated, her observer waiting for her to continue. "I couldn't tell the guys this, just because of the uproar it'd cause, but I miss you the most of any of us. I don't care what it takes, but when I leave this dojo, I'd prefer to have you coming along." As if from lack of anything else to say, she cut the recording, powered off the communicator, and set it back on the floor where they'd found it.
Stepping back from the rail, Seth waited until her heard her footsteps continuing on, following them just out of sight. Smiling to himself, he slipped off down another corridor. Messages seemed to have the most effect on them. All right. That could work.
•x•
Adam and Rion had paired up, neither knowing the dojo corridors. Everything was eerily silent, their footsteps echoing off the polished stone walls.
"Hard to believe that they lived here," Rion murmured, looking around. "But it makes sense that this was where Seth would come back to."
"Not to mention – ow!" A paper-wrapped cube had bounced off the top of Adam's head, landing on the floor in front of the two boys. They exchanged glances before Rion reached down to pick it up. Unfolding the paper from the cube, it was revealed to be a Tracking stone. The message itself read:
"Just so I can keep tabs on you. Erik has the tracker itself. He'll keep me updated as to where you are.
- Mel "
Rion shrugged, handing the note to Adam. "I guess we keep the stone with us, then."
The thief's eyes narrowed. "Or not. This isn't Mel's writing. And I know for a fact that Erik didn't have tracking stones on him when we left. Seth's trying to pull one over on us."
"Well, it almost worked," Rion said, diplomatically.
•x•
Erik watched the little red blip on the screen of his gauntlet. The blip marked Seth's sigil energy signature to be directly above him . . . now. Stepping out from under the balcony, he turned. The dark-haired boy was leaning against the railing, looking back at him.
"Hey."
Caught slightly off-guard, Erik took a second to find his voice. "Hey yourself. Where've you been all this time?"
Seth shrugged. "Around. I see you and the others got my message though." He grinned. "Figured you wouldn't listen to it. You're all too stubborn for that."
"Your fault for teaching us that, then." Erik winced inwardly as Seth's expression turned stony. Not the best word choice, right there . . . .
"I thought you were supposed to let Mel or Rion know if you found me," the dark-haired boy said coolly.
Erik nodded. "All right. See you soon."
"If at all."
Both boys went their separate directions, Erik looking back just before turning a corner. Seth was already gone.
•x•
The doors to the dojo library opened, Mel stepping through, shutting it behind her. She took a moment to scan the room, remembering twelve years of practically living in this room. But now, she was searching for something other than a book. She was searching for a friend.
Walking past the aisles, she stopped as a quiet thud sounded from behind and to the left, down the row she'd just passed. Taking a few steps back she paused, looking at the guilty book that had dropped from the shelf.
Moving towards it, she glanced around. Either Seth was here, or the book had just jumped off the shelf of it's own accord.
The History of the Di-Gata Defenders (Abridged). That was the title. Oh, very funny, Seth.
"We could've been in this someday," Mel said aloud, for his benefit. "Then the Spell of Binding messed everything up. You, me, all the others – we're not going to wind up in a history book. Not if we don't have a proper leader."
"You seem to be doing a pretty good job."
Turning, the Wizard faced Seth, who'd stepped into the entrance of the row behind her. The stone-covered stump of his right arm was clearly visible, a reminder of just what it was that had made him leave in the first place.
Mel folded her arms, pressing the book against her chest. "You're getting pretty good at sneaking around."
"Enough with the small talk, Mel. What are you and the others doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"It's obvious that you can be singularly frustrating when you want to be."
Mel smiled innocently. "How else can I manage to be the only girl at the moment?" She tossed the book at him, his left hand reaching out to catch it. She smirked. "Nice catch."
Seth glanced down at his left hand: his non-casting hand. "Yeah, and your point?"
"If you can catch a book that heavy with just your left hand, why can't you learn to cast again?"
Seth rolled his eyes, setting the history book on a shelf. "Mel, we've been through this a hundred times. Learning to cast again takes years of training. Without my right hand, I'm useless. I'd be slowing everyone else down, K'tahsh would get the Icons, and RaDos would fall to the Ethos."
He fell backwards as Mel tackled him, landing flat on his back. She leaned over him, pinning his shoulders to the ground. Blue eyes glared at him, seeming to spark as her anger built.
"Don't even start that with me, Seth! I don't want to a hear a self-sacrificial story from you because I don't want to make you look bad when I blow about a thousand holes in it."
Seth glared right back. "Says the girl who almost left when her Wizard attacks got to her."
He blinked a finger poked directly between his eyes. "Exactly. Key word: almost. And do you know why I stayed? Because someone talked me into staying, no matter if I was slowing you down, because I had talents the team needed. And if there's a talent we need right now, it's your talent as a leader."
"Can you get off me, please?"
Mel sighed, getting to her feet. "Why am I even bothering? You didn't have great listening skills at the start of all this, and that much certainly hasn't changed." She watched as Seth stood, laughing quietly to himself. "What?"
"Nothing, really," he said, grinning. "I just don't see you this mad very often. Thought I'd enjoy the moment."
Mel watched him for a moment, shaking her head. "You can be singularly frustrating when you want to be."
"I try."
"I really wish you wouldn't."
Seth smiled slightly. "Mel, come on, look at the truth. I can't cast without my right hand. This makes me effectively useless." He covered her mouth as she started to protest. "Wait a minute. My turn. If I'm useless to the team, there's nothing for me, so I have to leave. It's as simple as that."
Looking back at the Wizard girl, he paused, then shut his eyes. "Oh no. Oh no no no no no." Mel didn't need to have her mouth uncovered at the moment. The blue eyes were in full 'teared-up-sadness' mode: one that had been perfected over twelve years, and a weakness when used on certain people. Like Seth.
He risked opening one eye. Mel was smirking back at him, arms folded. "I'm still not coming back."
She sighed, conceding defeat. "Then after the others and I leave, go back to the hall where you left your message. I left one for you."
Seth nodded. "I know. I watched you record it. Glad to know someone misses me as much as I miss everyone else."
Mel hesitated for a second, then stepped forward, wrapping both arms around him, hugging tightly. Seth smiled, returning the gesture, both trying to commit the moment to memory.
Something touched the side of Mel's face, causing her eyes to open. Seth's cheek, pressed to hers. A voice quietly whispered, "I'm glad the others picked you to fill in for me. You'll do good."
She leaned back, looking up at him. "Not as good as you, though. Last time I filled in, I nearly got the entire population of Arboth vaporized."
Seth shrugged. "You gotta take the good with the bad."
"Hypocrite."
He grinned. "I'm going to miss the sarcasm," he said, one side of his mouth tugged up in a half-smile. "But really. You'll do fine. You just need a confidence boost."
Mel looked at him skeptically. "And how are you going to manage that?"
"Close your eyes, first."
"Seth – "
"Mel . . . ."
She gave a sigh of exasperation, before doing as he asked. Within seconds, lips touched, telling all without a sound. Mel smiled, felt Seth do the same, as they stood, together, locked inside a chaotic memory frozen in time by unbreakable ice.
It ended all too soon.
Resting his forehead against Mel's, Seth broke the silence. "Guess you gotta go, huh?"
"Yeah. I guess so." Neither moved, each thinking their own thoughts.
I just kissed the one girl who's been there for me for years . . . and I want to give that up? All because of one thing that's wrong with me? She doesn't care that I've got one hand, she believes that I could learn to use the other . . . what's stopping me? And why didn't I see this sooner?
He's always been there for me, he stood up for me when my Wizard attacks were taking over, he was the one who went with me to the Pinnacle, helped make me what I am. I can't just throw that away. If he talked me back from walking out, I can do the same for him.
"Mel –"
"Seth –"
They paused, each waiting for the other to continue. Mel spoke first.
"Seth, if you were able to talk me back, why can't I do the same for you. From the sidelines or the front lines, you can still be a leader, no matter if you have just your left hand."
Seth paused. "You really don't care that I just have one hand?"
She looked at him, incredulous. "Seth, I wouldn't care if you had three hands, or none, let alone just your left. Losing a hand doesn't change you are, it only changes how you look. And I care way more about the inside you than the outside." She put both hands on her hips. "But do you really have to ask that when I just kissed you? For the love of sigils, Seth, -"
He raised his hand, cutting her off. "Okay. That's all I needed to know."
"Needed to know for what?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he grinned at Mel's 'get-to-the-point' look. "You asked if I was able to talk you back, why couldn't you do the same for me. I've got news for you, Blue-eyes. You managed to." He caught her as she hugged him again, spinning her around.
Stopping, Mel took Seth's face in both hands blue eyes locking on gray. "You're sure. You're not just saying that to get me out of your hair?"
Placing his left hand over her right, Seth grinned. "You're not getting rid of me now."
"I've been trying for twelve years. It hasn't worked. And somehow, you've gone pretty much glued yourself to me." Newly reinstated leader and Wizard smiled, lips coming together in a second, celebratory kiss.
Neither would notice when Rion walked in five seconds later.