Homura continued running until she tripped over a rock and landed hard on her side. She swore she heard a pop, but tried to get back up. She had hurt someone, and in turn, relapsed into the fear of being saved by her father. Biting her lip, she sighed. She had come to the realization that she would never get over it. She would always be trapped in a loop that led back to the day.

Pushing herself back to her feet, Homura continued to go. She didn't wish to be found. All she would do, regardless of what it was, would only hold the team back. Perhaps it would be better if she returned to her loner ways. Nobody could get hurt that way. Homura didn't want to know what would happen if she stayed with the others-she had already hurt Seth, and she wouldn't want to risk hurting her cousin or Paige.

Lost and broken.

Those two words echoed in Homura's head. She curled into a ball, and for the first time in a long time, tears fell down her face. The walls that she had put up after that day were fragile, like pieces of delicate glass. The longer she held it in, the more cracks began to appear, until they ultimately cracked and fell. It was over, and if somebody didn't come and save Homura, she would fall off the cliff, and the pieces would only shatter more, leaving her broken beyond repair.

Darkness began to fall, but to Homura, she welcomed it. She had always been in the shadows, and the falling of night welcomed her even more. Long gone was the innocent child who spent her days running around the yard, and in the place was a lost, broken young lady. The bond and her father shared was unbreakable… but now, that bond had fallen through the cracks.

It was cozy, the darkness was. Homura felt she had never left. Once her eyes closed, it was there that she realized she would never be who her father was. He was fearless to the point of stupidity at times, but that and his loyalty was what made him Kai. The realization hit, and it hit hard. She would only be a shadow of what her father's legacy was.

There were footsteps, but Homura didn't care who it was. If it was the others, great; if it was the enemy, she wouldn't put up a struggle. Images went through her head like lightning. If it truly was the enemy, she would be united with her father in the afterlife in heaven. It was like the walls were falling-almost like a twister had gone through, and she was suffocating underneath it all.

"Homura?" came a soft voice. Homura buried her head between her arms. No, they couldn't see her like this. Not weak and broken; she had the reputation of being rough around the edges and a loner; not full of despair and longing to have a true family again. She felt a hand on her shoulder. After she wiped the tears from her eyes, she looked up, seeing Paige was kneeling beside her. In the moonlight, she could make out Brook's skinny build and Seth's crystal eyes.

"Homura, we wanna know what happened," Seth said as he knelt down. Homura met Brook's gaze, and with her pleading eyes, she begged him to tell the others to stop. Brook shook his head.

"You should be the one to tell them. It will bring you out of that place. Trust me and just do it Homura," Brook whispered. Homura bit her lip, fighting back a sob that had risen to her throat. The three sat, Paige continuing to comfort Homura with Seth and Brook waiting for her to spill it all.

"M-My father was…taken by the darkness and its army —he saved my life. They were after me, but he took the blow," she fingered the scar on her face. Seth held his breath, his eyes wide as he made eye contact with Paige and Brook. Brook only nodded, having known the whole time why his cousin had ran when she had drawn blood from Seth during their spar. "Adekave said he'd be back for me…" she spoke again in a trembling voice.

Silence hung heavy around the quartet. There was no attempt to try and break the suffocating hold that was seemingly around them all. Seth, nor Paige, didn't know what to think. They had no idea their teammate was holding back such traumatic events; she had always seemed fine, aside from her temper. Thoughts swirled in Seth's head. He wondered if that was what his father was referring to when they were introduced to each other. That had to be it.

Seth placed a hand on Homura's head. Her hair was soft, almost like a velvet or fleece blanket. Homura wiped her eyes again; they were red and puffy, like the only reason she had run was to come cry. He understood; he hated people seeing him cry, but it often helped him when he realized he had the support of his comrades to get him through, so he hoped Homura would understand his actions. They kept quiet, waiting for Homura to say something.

"It was just a scratch, Homura. I'm not dying or anything. Yeah, it hurt, but I'll live. At least I'll have a nice scar," Seth smiled. Homura looked up and laid her head on Seth's chest. He was taken back, but laid one of his hands on top of the teenager's head, and the other around her, pulling her into an embrace. "We figured the sight of blood brought you back. We just want to let you know that we're here for you. Talk to us about these things; you'll be stronger because of it."

The four stayed quiet. A light rain began to fall in the desert. Homura's eyes closed, and her soft snores were in tune with the drizzle. Brook tapped Seth on the shoulder. The earth wielder turned, seeing a smile on his best friend's face.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" Paige asked softly. The smile on Brook's face faded, and he nodded. "Why did you not tell us? We could have helped her ease into things."

"I didn't know how she'd react. I also thought she needed to tell you both on her own. She's been having these episodes like what you guys saw, and she often thinks she would be better off on her own," Brook explained. He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly. Seth placed a finger on his lips, signaling Brook to be quiet.

"Alright. Well, we know what we can do to help. It's late. We should head back before my father gets mad at us for being out instead of being asleep," Seth responded. Paige and Brook nodded their heads and stood up. Seth looked down, seeing Homura's face. Gone was the tension and the aura that had surrounded her earlier. In its place was a broken, terrified young lady who was trying to stay strong despite the unfortunate twists in her life. Homura shivered, and Seth took his sweatshirt off and placed it around her.

The three ninja headed back to the monastery. Homura continued to sleep peacefully in Seth's arms. Paige and Brook were conserving quietly in front of him, but Seth could hear snippets of their conversation.

"-you think that she will join us? Even after we coax her?" Paige was asking. Brook ran his hand through his hair, messing it up some.

"Yeah. She'll open up. Just give her some time. I wouldn't know how I would feel if my parents did that and ended up in the hands of the enemy," Brook replied. Seth shook his head. Leave it to the son of Jay to try and lighten the mood up. It worked though, Paige's laughter carried across the dunes, and Brook's soon joined.

"What about that time she tried to run from us? She didn't look none too thrilled about the water," Seth asked. Brook shook his head, as did Paige. Seth gave them a look that clearly read 'I'm confused'.

"Dude, you do know what her element is, right?" Brook asked. Seth nodded.

"Fire. Wait-"

"Fire and water, not to mention ice, are opposites. It is only natural to assume that when Homura jumped into that water, she was not pleased. Terrified would be more accurate to describe how she felt," Paige sighed. Seth nodded his head again. It didn't shock him now to know that the young fire wielder hated water. "Come, we must be silent, or else Sensei Cole will have our heads and make us train nonstop until we learn not to sneak out."

"I'm sure if he saw we brought Homura back, he'd let it slide one time," Seth looked around. The monastery was quiet; all the lights were turned out, signaling it was well past midnight. Seth pulled a finger to his lips, silent telling the others to tread lightly. Homura shifted slightly, but when they got inside, Seth laid Homura on her bed and covered her up, leaving his sweatshirt on her small frame. Brook and he left, leaving Paige in the room that they shared.

"Sleep well, my sister. When you awake, it will be greener on the other side," Paige whispered. She changed into her pajamas. The young ice wielder turned the light out and crawled into bed. Paige pulled her snowy blanket over her and her eyes closed.