Hello everyone! Chapter fourteen has arrived! I know it took awhile, but at least the wait wasn't as long this time! I thankfully had more time to work on this chapter then the previous one! I will be going on vaction at the end of March, which Im really looking forward to since I'm going to Sakuracon in Seattle! I'm so excited! Yeah anime!
I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate everyone's comments! I also need to say a very big thank you to LordofDarkness2099, who many chapters back through several messages convinced me to add the couple I'm introducing here. I know you've been eagerly awaiting this chapter my friend and I hope it meets your expectations! Once agian I ask for reviews so I know how I'm doing! On a final note, a disclaimer: I do not own the song "The Will to Love" in any way, shape or form.
Chapter 14: Hidden Feelings
Lighting burst from Becky's hands, zapping a trio of Shoran that were charging at Irma from behind. The former Water Guardian gave her a quick thumbs up before returning to the fight. Becky quickly turned and fired more bolts at another group that were coming form another direction. Everywhere she looked there were Shoran, they were completely surrounded by the lizard men. Amy was creating geysers from an underground river. Pillars of water exploded beneath the enemy's feet, throwing them through the air. Sarah was entangling as many of the bad guys as she could in vines that she made burst forth from the ground. Lisa was using her powers to create clouds of dust to blind and confuse the enemy. Trista rained fireballs onto the heads of the Shoran from the air. Will and company were in the thick of it, trying to keep enough of the Shoran at bay so they didn't get overwhelmed, but the situation wasn't looking good. Becky would've opened a fold to get them out of there, but she couldn't stop fighting, none of them could.
"Not exactly the mission we had planned, hunh!?" Trista said in frustration. Becky couldn't agree more. She could see the situation was hopeless, they had to get out of there and fast.
"Everyone! Punch a hole through the thinnest part of their lines! We need to make a run for it!" Becky called out. Will signaled to the others and they all converged on one spot and started cutting a path through the enemy. Trista and Amy assisted from the air, blasting the Shoran with fireballs and water bolts. Sarah made a thick wall of dirt pop up from the ground, slowing down the advance of the troops behind and to the sides of the team. Lisa created a wind funnel to push the lizard men out of the way. "That's it! We're almost through!" At last there was a break in the enemy's formation. Even as they made a run for it the gap began to close and Sarah's makeshift barricades were breached. The Shoran swarmed at the retreating group, trying to run them down. A large knot of them suddenly formed and ran strait into the middle of the group on the ground, cutting them into two separate groups.
"Crap!" Irma shouted out. The girls provided air support, trying to help those that had become surrounded. Which included Will.
"Mom!" Becky cried out in fright. She fired several lighting bolts off at once, nailing several Shoran. The sudden reduction in enemies gave Will's group a opening to retreat, but away from the others.
"Becky! Get out of here! We'll meet up later!" Will cried as she and those with her retreated into the nearby woods, the Shoran right on their tails. Becky was about to go after them but a sudden barrage of arrows blocked her.
"C'mon Becky! We have to go!" Lisa cried out. The young Keeper of the Heart hesitated for only a moment before reluctantly flying off towards the rest of the group. They were pushed in the opposite direction from Will, but here was no help for it. The Shoran were just to numerous to try and fight. Especially with their now reduced numbers. In their flight they came across a dried riverbed that sat in a shallow gulley. They followed the dried stream for what seemed like forever. Finally after the sounds of pursuit had faded and it looked like everyone was about to collapse did Becky call for everyone to stop.
"I think huff that we huff lost them." Becky said, out of breath from the run. She and the other Guardians had landed and ran with the others so they wouldn't be spotted form the air as well as not to get ahead of those who couldn't fly. In a detached part of her mind Becky vowed to exercise more during gym class. She quickly took stock of who was there. Lisa, Amy, Sarah and Trista were all there, just as out of breath as Becky. Irma was sitting against one of the curved walls of the riverbed. Her head was tilted back, her eyes closed as she struggled to catch her breath. Kaz stood to one side, bent double at the waist. Taranee sat down next to him, clutching her side. Caleb was there as well, and even with his superior stamina he was obviously winded. The others were gone though. Hay Lin, Cornelia, Chase, Nella and Will had all been cut off and driven who knew how far away Becky thought desperately. She couldn't figure out how things could of gone so bad so quickly. It was just that morning they were telling each other that this mission was going to be easy, just some simple recon and the possibility picking up a few more members of the scattered remnants of Eldrin's army.
It had only been a week since they had rescued the prisoners that Logrim had been holding in the abandoned fort. Elyon and the people of Meridian had risen to the challenge of helping the refugees of Eldrin. A large camp had been set up on the plains near the castle. Thanks to some fresh air, good food, and the generosity of Meridian's people the refugees were quickly recovering. Chase had brought several people back to Kandrakar to talk with the Oracle and the girls about what they had been asked about while being tortured. Unfortunately, they didn't learn much from these talks. The stories provided were all the same. While being tortured they were asked about any legends or stories that told of a glowing green stone and where it could be found. Chase claimed that were no such tales on Eldrin, leaving them with still no clue as to what Logrim was after.
"So what do we do now?" Sarah asked after another interview that produced no new clues.
"That's hard to say. Logrim has a huge army. Trying to take them on directly isn't exactly a good idea." Becky stated.
"I think we need to bolster our own forces and gather information." Chase said.
"Okay, but how do we do that?" Trista asked.
"Remember how I said my father ordered the remainder of our army to fall back to the capital? Well, not all of them were able to make it back in time, and from what we learned while on the run they had set themselves up as several small resistance bands. We were on our way to meet up with one of these bands when we got ambushed and you found us." Chase explained.
"So you suggest that we try and track down these guys and bring them back to Merdian." Becky said.
"Exactly, and while we're looking for them we watch Logrim's men and see what they're up to."
"Well, it sounds kind of random to me, but I don't have any better ideas at the moment." Becky said.
"Okay, I know just where to start." Chase then went on to describe an area where one of the pockets of soldiers might be. The following day they went in. Once again Nella had managed to sneak her way into the group. By the time they realized the young princess was there it was to late to send her back. Chase was of course furious and vowed to find a way to keep her from coming. Things went well at first. They managed to locate the soldiers rather quickly, while it was only a group of fourteen men they were still excited by the find. They sent the soldiers to Meridian and proceeded to try and gather information on the enemy. They searched for awhile, trying to find some sign of Logrim's men, but they couldn't find any trace of them. After a few hours they became discouraged and grew careless, which led them to walk right into an entire company of Shoran. Before they new it they were surrounded and were fighting for their lives, leading to their current situation.
"Trista, Taranee, can you try and contact the others telepathically, see where they are?" Becky asked.
"Trista has the best chance of doing that. My range isn't what it used to be." Taranee said. Trista closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, calling out to Will, Hay Lin and Cornelia.
"Sorry, they must be too far away." Trista said after a couple of minutes.
"So what do we do now?" Sarah asked.
"We'll rest here for a few minutes, then go back and look for mom and the others." Becky said. She felt incredibly guilty for their current predicament. Something had told her that just blindly wandering around enemy controlled territory was a bad idea, but she had gone along with it anyway. And now Will and the others were missing. What if they were hurt or even… Becky quickly banished the thought from her mind. She couldn't think like that, she had to believe they were okay. "Irma, Taranee, Caleb, Kaz, I'm going to send you back."
"Like hell you are!" Irma said quickly. "We're just not going to take off while our friends are in trouble!" Taranee nodded in agreement.
"In case you've forgotten, my pregnant wife is out there!" Caleb said.
"As are my brother and sister!" Kaz said.
"Look, it's my fault that this happened. I should of never let us come here without a plan. I have to fix this." Becky hung her head in shame. Tears began flowing from her eyes.
"It isn't just your fault Becky." Irma said. "We all made a mistake, we got sloppy, plain and simple. Don't blame yourself so much, just learn from the experience." Becky was surprised at Irma's statement, she would of never of guessed that the former Water Guardian could sound so wise.
"Alright, you guys stay. You're right, you can't leave your loved ones behind anymore then I could." Becky said. She then turned and faced at Lisa. "Looks like you're playing scout again." Lisa turned invisible and went to have a look around while Trista monitored her thoughts. After finding no sign of their pursuers they returned to the sight of their battle to try and pick up Will's trail. It wasn't very hard, the Shoran that had gone after them had left a very obvious path for them to follow. The only problem was that it destroyed any evidence of where Will and the others had gone.
"I think it's safe to say they didn't catch them." Taranee said at one point. "The trail they left suggests they were blindly searching for them. They must of turned off at some point and the Shoran missed it and just kept on going."
"But that means we missed it too." Amy said. "Any luck contacting them Trista?"
"No, I've been trying forever, they must still be on the move." They continued to follow the trail, hoping to find some clue to where Will's group had gone. That hope died when they suddenly came to the edge of the forest and found themselves at the bottom of a large expanse of rocky foothills.
"Crap! There's no way we can track them now!" Becky cried out in frustration.
"It doesn't matter much now. The sun is setting, it'll be dark soon and we can't track them if we can't see where we're going." Caleb said. "We should find someplace to camp for the night."
"Are you sure Caleb?" Irma asked. "What if the Shoran are still chasing them?"
"If we can't find them then neither can they." Irma nodded in acceptance of Caleb's logic.
"Hey, I think I see a cave up there." Sarah said, pointing to an opening in the rocky hills. The group made their way up the slope and found that indeed it was a cave. The entrance wasn't very large, but he space beyond it was quite large.
"Perfect, we can rest here tonight and start again in the morning." Becky said. "I just hope mom and the others have someplace safe to sleep tonight."
"Heck, for all we know they made it to some village and are sleeping in beds instead of on the ground like we're going too." Taranee said.
"Yeah, they're probably sitting in hot baths eating a warm meal right now." Becky looked at Irma in concern. The brown haired woman just didn't sound like herself. She wasn't the only one who noticed either. Both Caleb and Taranee looked up at the hint of stress in their friend's voice.
"You okay Irma?" Taranee asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Irma said quickly.
"Look, you don't have to hide it if you're worried, we all are…" Taranee said, she reached out to Irma, but she wouldn't let her friend touch her.
"I'm fine, really." Irma said. Taranee didn't look convinced, but didn't push the matter either.
"Why don't Kaz and I go find something to eat while the rest of you set up camp here in the cave." Caleb said.
"Good idea, I think we can all use something to eat after the day we've had." Becky said. Caleb and Kaz left while the girls went about the business of preparing the cave for the night. Sarah made beds for everyone by making clumps of grass and vines pop out of the dirt floor. Taranee and Irma went in search of firewood. When they came back Trista started a fire in a fire pit that Becky had built in the back of the cave. Lisa meanwhile was erasing any trace of their passage up the mountain in case the Shoran came back. Amy filled up several stone basins that Sarah had made with water. Just as they were finishing up Caleb and Kaz came back with several small rabbit like creatures that they had managed to catch. Soon the cave was filled with the scent of roasting meat. Everyone ate in silence, no one felt like making conversation right then. They were all afraid to speculate on what had happened to the missing members of their group. Trista kept trying to establish contact with them, but always came up empty handed. As the evening wore on people drifted away form the fire, lost in their own thoughts. Soon only Becky and Lisa were left.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Lisa asked.
"Of course I am, how can I not be?" Becky said. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "We've been separated for hours now and we can't find her."
"Will's a fighter Becky, she'll be fine and so will everyone else, you'll see." Lisa put her arm around Becky and pulled her close. A sharp sound caught their notice. They looked towards the source and saw Irma absently tossing rocks at the wall of the cave. She had a blank look on her face, not even paying attention to what she was doing.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's worried." Becky said. She watched Irma with growing concern.
"Well yeah, three of her friends are out there. Caleb is probably going out of his mind right now as well. We're all worried." Lisa said. Neither of them said anything after that. They just sat there staring at the fire, letting it's glow warm their skin. Becky and Lisa weren't the only ones to have a conversation that night either. Trista was sitting off to one side thinking to herself when Kaz suddenly appeared.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked. Trista just shrugged, Kaz taking the gesture to mean yes sat down next to her.
"How you holding up?" Trista asked once Kaz was settled.
"Alright I guess." He said. "I mean, yeah, I'm worried of course. But there's not much I can do about it right now."
"We'll find them. I mean, your sister is with them after all. I've seen her when she's pissed off, I doubt those scaly idiots would stand a chance against her, I know I wouldn't." Kaz chuckled a little at Trista's attempt at humor.
"You're right about that, she can get scary when she's mad. She was like that even before the invasion. I remember this on time a few years ago, we snuck a shriek bug into her bedroom. When she walked into her room the bug let out this high pitched noise that scared her to death. You should of heard her scream. When she figured out it was us she chased us all over the castle." Kaz got a smile on his face as he recalled the event.
"That's the sort of thing that makes me glad I'm an only child." Trista said. After a moment they both started laughing. When they calmed down they looked into each others eyes for several seconds. They quickly turned away when they realized what they were doing, the both of them going furiously red in the face.
"You're a very amazing girl, you know that?" Kaz said after a moment of awkward silence.
"Yeah right."
"I mean it, I've never met anyone like you." Kaz said earnestly. Trista suddenly scowled and turned her face away.
"Look, Kaz, I appreciate what your trying to say, but you don't want to bother with me. I'm not the kind of girl you bring home to mom." Before Kaz could respond Trista got up and walked off, leaving the young prince to wonder what he had said wrong.
"We should get some sleep, we've got a long day ahead of us and we'll need to be rested." Becky said some time later.
"Good idea, you guys get some rest, I'll take first watch." Irma said. She got up and started walking towards the front of the cave.
"What about you?" Taranee asked.
"Someone has to keep an eye out for trouble. Don't worry, I'll come wake one of you up in a couple of hours." Before anyone else could protest the brown haired woman left the cave. Becky didn't know what to make of Irma's behavior, there had to be more going on then her just worrying about he others. She just couldn't figure out what. Becky yawned and headed over to a pair of the grass beds that Sarah had purposely placed close together so Becky and Lisa could sleep next to each other. Lisa was already laying down on one. Becky plopped herself down on the other, bone tired. She gave Lisa a kiss goodnight before dozing off.
She awoke sometime later. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but it couldn't of been long because it was still dark out. The fire had collapsed into a bed of glowing embers. She looked around and saw that everyone was out cold. One of the grass beds was empty and a quick check revealed that Irma wasn't there. Thinking that since she was already awake she would go relieve Irma from watch duty so she could get some sleep herself. As she exited the cave she could hear the sound of someone singing. Looking around she spotted Irma sitting on a outcropping of rock, staring up at the night sky. Becky listened in curiosity to the song Irma sang.
So many strangers on the street.
Yeah, nearly everyone you meet.
Can't relate, can't translate, can't create
a connection. No.
Easier to keep your distance.
Tread the path of least resistance.
Don't engage, keep to your cage, stay offstage.
For protection.
Becky was amazed at Irma's singing voice, she was almost as good as Sarah. The song was really cool as well. A catchy, upbeat pop song from the sound of the words. But there was something else in Irma's voice. A sad undercurrent that carried a hint of loneliness to it. Becky wondered why Irma would use such a tone. But before she could ponder things further the lyrics that Irma sang next not only answered some of her questions, but shocked Becky to her core as well.
Then everything changes.
She's there. Life rearranges.
Winged angel from above…
Helped me find the Will… the Will to love…
The Will to love… The Will to love…
I figured I'd stay on the shelf.
Truth be told, didn't trust myself:
Always fade, don't make the grade, too afraid
Of rejection. Oh…
I didn't think I had the strength
To find a girl on my wavelength.
Just a runt, always punt. No will to hunt
For perfection.
Becky couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was a love song that Irma was singing, and if she was interpreting the words right, the song was about her mom!
Then everything changes.
She's there. Life rearranges.
Winged angel from above…
Helped me find the Will… the Will to love…
The Will to love… The Will to love…
Game's full of surprises.
Live our share of compromises.
Still when push comes to shove…
She's just the Will to love.
She's just the Will to love.
I found the Will to love.
And everything changes.
She's here. Life rearranges.
Winged angel from above…
She is just the Will… the Will to love.
The Will to love… the Will to love… Oh…
The Will to love…
When she finished signing Irma buried her face in her knees. Becky could hear faint sobs floating through the air. The young Keeper slowly approached her, unsure on what to do.
"Irma…" Becky said gently. Irma gasped in fright, her hand instinctively going to the handle of her short sword.
"Becky… It's you, geez you scared me." Irma said. She quickly wiped the tears from her face. "What are you doing up?"
"I woke up and thought I'd take over for you." Becky said.
"Oh, you don't need to do that. I'm not tired." Irma said.
"Well how about some company then?" Becky asked. Irma nodded and Becky took a seat next to her. "It's a nice night out, hunh?"
"Yeah, it is. The sky sure is pretty, but very different from our own." Irma said. Becky just nodded in agreement. There weren't any of the familiar constellations among Eldrin's stars, and they had two moons as well. The bigger of the pair was a deep blue while the smaller one was bright purple. They sat silently for a bit after that. Becky knew she had to ask Irma about the song, but wasn't sure how to approach the subject. What if her suspicions were wrong. Finally her curiosity got the better of her, she just had to know for sure.
"That was a lovely song." She said suddenly. Irma looked at her in surprise.
"You, you heard that!?" She blurted out.
"Yeah, I did. It's about my mom, right? Where'd you hear it? Was it something you wrote?"
"Uh, no. Matt wrote it for her, back when they were your age." Irma said. Seeing the confused look on Becky's face Irma elaborated. "It was when they were just starting to date, long before he started cheating on her."
"Oh, so why were you singing it then?" Becky asked, even though she already had a good idea what the answer was.
"I always liked it. I mean, it's a good song. Even if it was written by a jerk who broke your mom's heart. I obviously don't sing it around Will, but it reminds me of her."
"A song about mom." Becky said quickly, a simple plan forming in her mind.
"Yes."
"Who you're in love with."
"Well yeah… Hey!" Irma cried out, confirming for Becky what she had been guessing at for the past few minutes. Irma's mood over the last few hours was suddenly much clearer. She was scared for Will's safety, the woman she loved.
"That's what I thought." Becky said.
"You sneaky little…" Irma said shaking her head.
"So how long have you been in love with her?"
"For as long as I can remember. Maybe form the minute I met her, I don't know." Irma said sadly.
"And you've never told her?"
"No, and I always pretended to be boy crazy so she wouldn't catch on. Heck, I even went on a couple of dates with Martin just to keep the pretense up." Irma shuddered involuntarily.
"But why? She obviously isn't bothered by such things. I know I was terrified to tell Lisa how I felt about her, but I did and look what happened."
"Yeah, but there's a difference. Lisa felt the same way about you. Will doesn't, she's strait." Irma said sadly. "She likes guys. To her I'm just one of her friends, nothing more. I've come to accept that." Becky wasn't sure how to respond to that, so instead she changed the topic slightly.
"So do any of the others know how you feel?" Becky asked.
"Hay Lin knows. I couldn't keep it from her. She's been my best friend since we were little kids, and it's really hard for me keep secrets from her. Elyon knows too, she walked in on me and Hay Lin talking about it once and I had to tell her. And I think Taranee suspects something. I've accidentally let my mind wander around her and she's looked at me like she has an idea how I feel. As far as I know Cornelia, Caleb and Blunk don't know anything."
"And what have Hay Lin and Elyon suggested you do?" Becky asked, sensing her opening.
"They say that I should confess how I feel to her. Hay Lin really started in on me about it when we all found out about you and Lisa. For three days it was all I heard from her is. 'You need to tell Will, she has a right to know. You're not doing yourself any favors.' I thought I was going to go insane."
"Well, they're right. You should tell her how you feel, if only to get the weight off of your shoulders." Irma opened her mouth to speak, but Becky stopped her with a raised hand. "Hear me out. I know why you think you can't tell her. I don't think you're afraid of being shunned like I did, if you did you would of never of told Hay Lin and Elyon how you feel. I think you're just afraid of the possible rejection. However, you love mom so much you don't want to let go of your feelings for her, and the conflict is tearing you up inside." Becky reached out and put her hand on Irma's shoulder.
"I suppose you might have something there, at least it sounds about right." Irma said quietly.
"I think it is. You want to know something? I think mom is lonely, I see it in her eyes sometimes, she doesn't have anyone special in her life. And you know what? You're lonely too, I can tell just by looking at you. Believe me, I know the feeling. I want mom to be happy, I can't promise she'll return your love, but honestly, I think you could fill that void in her heart. I think it'd be great if you were part of our family." Irma just sat there speechless, a rare occurrence for her. She looked at Becky with a dumbfounded look on her face.
"Becky, I don't know what to say." She finally managed to say after several seconds of openmouthed silence.
"Say that when we find mom you'll tell her how you feel."
"I, I don't know. I'll think about it, okay?" Becky nodded reluctantly, knowing she wasn't going to get any more of a commitment out of Irma right then. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"
"What about you?"
"I want to stay here for a little bit longer. Don't worry, I'll wake Caleb up in a little bit. It'll be fun to hear him grumble and moan, he's gotten kind of soft since his rebel days are over, need to toughen him back up a little." Becky was relived to hear some of Irma's normal personality back in her voice. She got up and headed back inside. As she walked away she could hear Irma once again signing, and it made her smile to know there was someone that loved her mom so much.
The next morning they had a hurried breakfast of leftovers form the previous night and broke camp. Becky told Lisa about her conversation she'd had with Irma the previous night. The blonde haired girl was surprised at the revelation. They decided that for the time being that they shouldn't tell any of the others and should concentrate on finding the missing members of their group. They returned to the path made by the Shoran that had pursued Will's group in the hope that with fresh minds and full daylight they would catch some clue they had missed the previous day. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. After several hours of pouring over the trail for the smallest clue they ended up at the site of the earlier battle empty handed.
"Crap, this is getting us nowhere! We need a bloodhound here!" Trista cried out in frustration.
"Son of a…!" Caleb suddenly yelled as he slapped his forehead.
"What is it!?" Amy asked worriedly.
"Why didn't I think of this before! Blunk!" Looks of comprehension suddenly appeared on Irma and Taranee's faces. The others remained confused however.
"Passlings have incredible senses of smell! Blunk knows Will's and the others scent! He can track them down in no time!" Irma said excitedly.
"Quick! Becky! Send me to Meridian! I'll grab Blunk and get him here in no time!" Becky wasted no time in opening a fold for Caleb. Becky watched Irma while they waited for Caleb to return with Blunk. The young woman was on the verge of jumping out of her skin as she anxiously awaited for Caleb to come back. Becky wanted to say something, but was hesitant because she wasn't sure how much Irma wanted the others to know. After what seemed like an eternity a shimmering fold opened up and Caleb stepped out followed by Blunk.
"Sorry I took so long! It took me longer to find Blunk then I thought it would. I also left word for Elyon that we might need her." Caleb said.
"Good idea, hopefully we won't need her though." Becky said. She turned and looked at the Passling. "Think you can find my mom?" She asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Blunk find Will and others!" Blunk said confidently. He stuck his nose to the ground and began sniffing noisily.
"He sounds like a pig…" Trista said under her breath.
"Will go this way!" Blunk said excitedly, pointing down the pursuit trail.
"We know that!" Irma cried out.
"It's fine Blunk! Lead on!" Taranee said quickly, looking at her friend with a perplexed expression on her face. Blunk put his nose back to the ground and started sniffing again. He unerringly led them down the path. After following it about halfway Blunk suddenly turned off the trail and went trough some large bushes.
"How did we miss this!?" Sarah said when they saw the footprints in the mud beyond the underbrush.
"They must of used those branches to swing over the bushes!" Amy said pointing to the low hanging limbs of a nearby tree that were just a couple of feet above the brush. "That's why we didn't see any signs of them leaving the trail! They didn't leave any!"
"That is so like Will! She hasn't lost her touch in the least!" Irma said with a huge grin on her face. Blunk led them trough the woods and onto a game trail. After going for a couple of miles they broke through the edge of the woods near a small village.
"Will go towards town!" Blunk said pointing at the village.
"Ha! What did I tell you guys!? They must of holed up here last night!" Taranee said in triumph.
"Yeah! We'll walk into the inn and find them lounging around looking all rested while the rest of us show up looking like we slept in a cave, which would make sense cause we did." Irma said happily. Becky giggled at Irma's rambling. There were smiles on everyone's faces, but those smiles quickly vanished when the sounds of screams floated over from the village and columns of black, oily smoke floated into the sky.
"Oh what now!?" Trista cried out. Lisa took to the air, she called out to the others in a horrified voice.
"It's the Shoran! They're burning the village!"
"Why can't we catch a break!?" Trista shouted angrily.
"Guardians! Let's move!" As they took to the air Becky continued to shout out orders. "Amy, Sarah, Lisa, try to contain the fire! Trista! You and me will try and hold off the Shoran. Irma! You and the others get the townspeople out of there!"
The fires started by the Shoran were spreading quickly through the village, over a dozen buildings were already engulfed in flames. Amy shot twin streams of water down on the roof of one building, extinguishing the flames before it completely burned down. Sarah showered clouds of dirt over several burning houses, smothering the fires. Lisa used air blasts to blow out a burning building like it was a candle. Yet despite their efforts the fires continued to spread, the fires leaping from one building to another. While Amy and the other two worked to suppress the fires Becky and Trista were doing their best to hold off the Shoran. They attacked from the air, throwing fireballs and lighting bolts at the lizard men. They pushed the Shoran away from the town so they couldn't go after the villagers who were fleeing in a panic. Irma and Taranee were doing their best to round up the frightened citizens while Caleb and Kaz led them away from both the fires and the Shoran. Irma spied a young girl crying in fright, a loud crack sounded out as a burning timber split above the child. The young brown haired woman dashed forward and scooped up the girl moments before the burning wood crashed down where she had been standing. Irma deposited the girl into the arms of her mother who came running up. Caleb then led the two of them away. All through the chaos they were looking for Will's group, but saw no sign of them.
"This isn't working!" Amy shouted. "The fires are to big for us to fight on our own! Lisa! Make a whirlwind in the center of the flames!"
"But that'll just make the fires worse!" Lisa cried out.
"Trust me!" Lisa shook her head and did as Amy said. The flames quickly grew stronger once she created the tornado, but Amy quickly acted upon her plan. She fired a large stream of water directly into the center of the air funnel. The centrifugal force of the spinning winds sprayed water in every direction at once.
"That's brilliant!" Sarah shouted happily as she augmented the water funnel with more of her dirt clouds. The burning wood of the buildings hissed and popped as they were doused by the giant sprinkler that Amy had devised. They moved through the village with the water funnel and between that and Sarah's dust clouds the fire was soon contained. The Shoran roared in outrage at seeing their handiwork ruined. They fired a barrage of arrows at Trista and Becky, creating a long enough pause in their attacks for the Shoran to rush the village. With bloodlust in their eyes they sought anyone they could vent their anger on.
"Ah crap!" Trista yelled in anger.
"Watch out!" Becky called out to those on the ground. Irma spun around at Becky's warning, she planted her feet, drew her short sword and watched as the Shoran bore down on her. She had a grim, determined look on her face. These were the bastards that had chased and tried to kill her beloved Will, and she was going to make them pay. A group of six surrounded her and grinned at what they thought was going to be an easy kill. They raised their swords and charged. Irma ducked the blow of the first one and slashed him with her sword. Two more came at her and swung low. Irma jumped over their blades and kicked one of the astonished lizard men in the face, sending him flying. She landed on the blade of the other one, pinning it to the ground. Before the shocked Shoran could try and pull his sword free Irma punched him in the face. Another of her attackers ran forward with the tip of his weapon pointed forward. Irma spun around to the side, her blade flashing in the sunlight. Even as the lizard man fell Irma turned to meet the attack of another Shoran. Their blades clanged together and the Shoran pressed forward with all of his weight. Irma suddenly stepped back, causing the lizard man to stumble forward. As he fell Irma drove the handle of her sword into the back of his skull, knocking him out. The last Shoran came up behind Irma, his sword raised high over his head. Irma just slammed her fist into his face, knocking him backwards. Irma smiled at the results of the fight and turned to leave, not noticing one of the Shoran sit up and draw a knife. He pulled his arm back and threw the blade before collapsing.
"Irma!" Irma spun around and there was the sound of metal hitting metal. The throwing knife spun in circles and buried itself in the ground. Irma gasped at the sight of a familiar redheaded woman crouching nearby, her knives extended out from her sides. A huge grin crossed Irma's face as the woman slowly stood up.
"Will!" she cried out happily.
"Sorry I'm late." Will said apologetically.
"Better late then never. Are you okay?" Irma asked as tears of joy formed at the corners of her eyes. The battle cry of the Shoran interrupted their reunion. Several dozen of the mercenaries looking to avenge their comrades surrounded them.
"Later, looks like we've got some more butts to kick!" Will said. She raised her knives and stood back to back with Irma.
"Got your back!" Irma said. The Shoran rushed them all at once. The two woman fought in unison, it was like a dance. They spun and twirled around each other, striking out with their weapons, and protecting each other from harm. After several minutes of intense fighting they were breathing hard and sweating heavily. "Just like the old days, hunh?" Irma asked as she parried a sword strike.
"You know it." Will answered with a grim smile. She knocked one Shoran down that was quickly replaced by another. "Looks like we're in a bit of trouble here." She bent forward and Irma rolled backwards across her back, landing a kick to the jaw of the lizard man she was fighting followed by driving her feet into the chest of the Shoran in front of Will. Irma stood up and Will spun around so they were once again back to back.
"Yeah, but it's nothing we can't handle." Irma shot back even as the Shoran closed in on them. A cry of surprise from the back made the lizard men in the front turn in confusion. When Irma saw what was going on she cried out in triumph. Hay Lin was creating a path through the enemy with her staff. Taranee and Cornelia were right there helping her. Will shouted out too when she saw Caleb, Chase, Kaz and Nella coming from the opposite direction.
"We're here!" Hay Lin shouted out merrily.
"About time!" Will shouted out. Soon all of them were engaged in the fight. One by one the Shoran fell. The girls joined the fight having already dealt with the Shoran in the other parts of the village. Using their powers they easily mopped up the remnants that Will and the others were fighting.
"Retreat!" One of the Shoran shouted out and the mercenaries quickly fell back, taking their wounded with them.
"Mom!" Becky called out happily as she landed and gave Will a fierce hug. "We were looking all over for you!"
"Same here, we left the village this morning to look for you guys. When we saw the smoke we hurried back." Will explained. Becky looked around and saw similar joyful reunions among the others. Looking over Will's shoulder she saw Irma standing off to one side. She knew what she had to do.
"Irma was really worried about you." Becky said as the broke the hug with her mother.
"Really?" Will said as she looked Irma in confusion. She walked over to her friend. "You were worried about me?" Everyone looked at what was going on between the two women.
"Well, uh, yeah. I mean you aren't as young as you used to be." Irma tried to make it sound like she was joking, but failed. Hay Lin looked at Irma from behind Will and urged her to say something. Irma just remained silent.
"Is something wrong?" Will asked.
"No, nothing." Becky groaned in frustration. She could tell Irma wasn't going to say anything so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
"Winged angel from above… Helped me to find the Will… the Will to love…" She said in a singsong voice. Everyone stared at her in shock.
"Where did you hear that!?" Will asked.
"I heard Irma singing it last night." All eyes went back to Irma.
"Irma?" Will said.
"Yeah, I was." She said quietly.
"Why were you singing Matt's love song about me?" Will looked Irma in the eyes, searching for an answer. Irma closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that there was no escaping it now.
"Because I love you." Irma said before moving in and kissing Will. Hay Lin cheered and Taranee just smiled. Cornelia and Caleb had stunned looks on their faces. Irma finished kissing Will and slowly backed away.
"Irma…" Will said in a bewildered voice. "I don't know what to say. I'm not sure I… I don't know if…" Irma looked completely crestfallen at Will's response.
"You don't have to say anything. I, I know you don't feel the same way. I won't mention it again, so just forget this happened, okay?" Irma turned and ran off, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Irma!" Hay Lin called after her friend as she went to comfort her. Becky felt terrible, she should of never pushed Irma into confessing.
"We should get the villagers to Meridian. The town is wasted." Amy said in an attempt to get everyone's focus of what had just happened. "Plus the Shoran could come back with reinforcements." While they ushered the villagers through a set of folds Will took some time to think. She felt very confused, she had never considered the possibility of being with another woman, she was strait wasn't she? Irma was one of her best friends, but she had to admit she liked the feeling she had gotten from the kiss, but she liked guys, didn't she? She had always been very close with Irma, they had grown even closer after Matt had cheated on her. Irma had spent countless hours with her, helping her get over her broken heart. But she didn't love her, not like that, did she? Could it be she was just in denial? Will stopped and thought about what she looked for in a person. She liked to laugh, so a good sense of humor was important. They had to have a caring heart and willing to help those in need. And most importantly they had to be loyal. Irma was all of that and more. But she wasn't a lesbian, was she? Will closed her eyes and searched her heart, looking for an answer and tried to form a picture in her mind of who she truly loved. The image that came to mind gave her the answer she was looking for. She needed to find Irma and give her a real response.
Becky had just seen the last of the villagers through the folds. The others were waiting to go back home now and she was looking for Irma and Hay Lin. She was kicking herself for the mess she had created. She should of just left well enough alone, but instead she had stuck her nose where it didn't belong and now both Irma and her mom were hurting. She found Irma and Hay Lin sitting on a pile of rubble at the far end of the village. Irma had her face buried in Hay Lin's shoulder crying profusely.
"Irma, I'm so sorry, I should of minded my own business." Becky said. Irma looked up and wiped the tears from her face and managed a weak smile.
"You don't have anything to apologize for Becky, I always knew this was how it would turn out. I just didn't want to deal with it." Irma said. Hay Lin hugged her best friend in an attempt to comfort her.
"But you wouldn't of had to deal with it if I had just kept my big fat mouth shut." Becky wiped a tear from her eye. "I pushed you to tell her and you're paying the price for my mistake. I wanted the two of you to be happy, but I didn't think things through."
"Listen to me Becky. It does hurt right now, it hurts beyond all measure." The young Keeper flinched at Irma's pain filled words. "But at least now I know for sure that there's no chance for the two of us, and that's better then just wishing and hoping. I was so scared that I would lose her before I let her know how I feel. I took my chance and I have no regrets. I'm glad you did what you did."
"So am I." Will said startling everyone.
"Hey…" Irma said.
"Hey yourself." Will said. "How you doing?"
"I'm fine, really."
"No, you're not." Will walked towards Irma and knelled down in front of her. Hay Lin looked at Will's face. Whatever she saw made her suddenly get up and grab Becky's arm.
"I think they need some privacy, so why don't we get out of their way." She said as she dragged Becky away.
"Hey! Wait a sec!" Becky said in protest. Hay Lin put a finger to her mouth and nodded towards Will and Irma. They rounded a corner and they ducked down so they could watch what was going on without being seen. "Hay Lin, what are we doing?" Becky asked in a whisper.
"Just watch." Was all the young Chinese woman said. The peered through a gap in the charred timbers unseen.
"Will, I know you must be a little freaked out, and I'm sorry. And don't blame Becky, she was just trying to help me. Lets go on like before and just be friends, okay?" Irma said.
"I don't think that's going to happen." Will said.
"Don't say that Will, you mean too much to me. I know I can't have you for a girlfriend, but I'll die if you aren't my friend either." Irma said quickly. "I know this is a lot to take in right now, and if you need some time and space I'll understand." Irma stopped talking when Will put her hands on Irma's shoulders.
"Irma, for once, just be quiet." Will put her hand s on Irma's cheeks and pulled her into a loving kiss.
"Will…" Irma said breathlessly when they came up for air a couple of minutes later.
"I've done some thinking Irma, and I realized how much you mean to me. I can't imagine what my world would be like if you weren't in it. I'm not sure where this is going to lead, but I do know that I love you Irma Lair, and I want us to be a couple." Irma began crying in joy and hugged Will close.
"I love you so much Will, you don't know. You're my everything and you've just fulfilled my deepest desire. Thank you so much!"
"You're very welcome." Will said as she stroked Irma's hair. She was crying now as well. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be in love and it was wonderful to be reminded what it was like by someone so close to her heart. It felt even better then when she had been in love with Matt. She looked over Irma's shoulder and grinned. "You two can come out now." Becky and Hay Lin jumped out from their hiding spot. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces.
"That was so beautiful! I can't wait to tell the others!" Hay Lin shouted in delight. She ran off calling for her friends. Relief flooded through Becky, she loved seeing her mom so happy.
"Let's get back home, me and Irma have some things to talk about." Will said. Becky could only nod. They returned to the cheers of their friends. Everyone congratulated Will and Irma. Becky got them back to Earth, once back home Will and Irma instantly went out to celebrate. Becky stayed up waiting for her mom to get back home, but by eleven o'clock she decided Will wouldn't be back anytime soon and should get some sleep.
The next morning Becky awoke with a yawn. She crawled out of bed and went to see if Will was up yet. She stuck her head in her mom's bedroom and quickly ducked back out, her face a deep shade of crimson. Will and Irma were fast asleep in Will's bed, and from the clothes strewn around the room she guessed they were both naked under the blankets that covered them. Becky took another quick peek, trying not to see anything she shouldn't see. Both Will and Irma had very satisfied smiles on their faces while they slept. Becky went to make some breakfast for herself, trying desperately to remove the image of what she had just seen from her mind. She figured that in the future she'd have to be more careful. She blushed even more deeply when she started thinking about what it would be like to make love to her own girlfriend.
And there you have it! Chapter fourteen is done! What did you think of me using "The Will to Love"? I couldn't come up with another way for Becky to discover Irma's fellings for Will and then I remembered the song and it just seemed like the perfect way to reveal Irma's love for Will. Thankfully it didn't take me long to track down a copy of the full lyrics. The next chapter is already in the works, but I can't say for certin when it'll be done! I'm porbally not going to get much work done next week since it's my birthday! I almost forgot! I'm cooking up a couple of oneshot prequels/side stories to B.L.A.S.T.! I got the ideas for them back when I was writing chapter 9. One is about Lillian learning of her powers and joining the council. The other is about Will's breakup with Matt and Irma's reaction! Don't expect them anytime soon however, as they're still in the planning stages at this point, but I will get them written and posted at some point! (Sorry for the long arthor notes, I seem to be in a chatty mood!)
Preview time! Next chapter: A member of the team is kidnapped and the girls are given an ultimatium, surrender or the captive dies! Who is captured and what do the girls do? Find out in chapter fifteen! (Oh man, I need to tone it down with these previews! I'm starting to go a little overboard!)