Homura's face hit the dirt while her communicator kept running. Her body was beaten to its limits, and trying to force more out of it was already breaking her even more. Shaking, she reached a hand out, hoping to find something that could be of use to her that had been buried in the dirt.
No such luck was ever present for her.
What kind of cruel game had she been placed as a pawn in? She had been placed in this cursed world, and had everything plucked from just out of her reach. No matter how much training she did, or how hard she tried, it never seemed to be enough.
Her father had been taken from her by the enemy in attempts to save her. That had all been in vain. She was still within the enemy's grasp; it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before her fortunate streak of luck ran out. Darkness couldn't win- no, Homura wouldn't let it win and take over the very world her parents and her comrades had fought so hard to protect.
"N-No," she croaked out. Her fingers hit something sharp; was it one of her katanas? No, it couldn't be, she hadn't brought them. She grabbed the foreign object by the sharp blade. A smile lit up her face when she saw what it was; one of her daggers she kept in case of emergency. It had probably fallen during her plight from the enemy. "H-Heh, maybe I can use this for a distress signal…"
Homura shook her head. Without the presence of her katanas nearby, she couldn't summon her fire. Unlike her comrades and father, she had to be near a weapon to use her fire due to her not fully overcoming the…trauma in the past. A pang of jealousy rose up in her heart. It was always her holding the others back; why did they continue to seek her even when she was too far behind power-wise? It still didn't make any sense, not even after pondering on it while being captive.
She could still hear her communicator buzzing around on her arm. The shouts and quickened breathing of her comrades provided her with a sense of relief. They were on their way. Whether or not they made it in, she didn't know, but she needed something to clutch onto so her pathetic limbs wouldn't snap and be whisked away by the thrashing current that continued to loom deep inside.
Gently picking up the dagger in her hand and ignoring the warm substance that trickled from her fingers, she let out a sigh of relief. If worse came to worse, she could use this to defend herself. Her body ached with every small movement, and she could've sworn she was freezing.
Homura took one more glance at the barren world around her. It seemed peaceful, almost too peaceful, but the fire wielder knew better than to trust the sereneness. After all, it had been calm before that fateful night. It had been quiet then, and that was when everything spiraled out of control. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye, and she was still suffering the consequences of that night.
"Homura!" a faint voice that sounded extremely familiar reached her ears. She felt herself being turned over. She opened her eyes, meeting the sapphire and crystal-blue ones of her cousin and Seth. She felt an ice-cold hand on her forehead; looking up, she saw it was their nindroid friend and ice wielder, Paige. Her eyes caught her katanas hanging on Brook's back; she could slowly feel her control over fire growing stronger and stronger.
"She is not well. She has a fever and worse from being held captive. We must get her out of here right away," Paige commented. Seth gently picked Homura up and cradled her head, stroking her matted hair from her face. The fire wielder grimaced from Seth's gentle touch, so he pulled his hand back and cradled her head.
"Paige, we don't just have Homura to worry about," Brook pointed to the corner. Torches illuminated the wall, signaling the enemy was nearing the team. Homura opened her eyes, she cleared her throat, wincing from the fire it set in her throat. She began to move, and Seth shot a look down at her that clearly asked 'what are you doing?'
"I can be sick later," Homura rasped. She got up, leaning heavily against Seth. The earth wielder looked down, concern weighing heavily on his features, but he held his tongue. Brook tossed Homura her katanas. The fire wielder caught them and tightened her grip. "Right now, we need to get out of here-" she coughed, then continued; "We're in the hornet's nest all because of me. You guys go, and I'll follow."
Seth placed a hand on Homura's lips, despite her complaints. "No. We aren't leaving you to burden this alone. Sensei brought us together for a reason; we don't leave anyone behind regardless." He looked down, seeing Homura's narrowed eyes and sighed. "We're a team. We're going to do this together."
Reluctantly, Homura let out a sigh that unexpectedly evolved into a coughing fit. Seth kept a hand on her back until it let up and she could breathe again. She nodded her head in appreciation and gripped her katanas again.
A crooked smile formed on the fire wielder's face. "Then lead the way, Rocky."
Seth and the others smiled in return. It felt nice having the leaders back in their places, although the timing was off.
"I suggest we travel by shadows-" Seth started before Homura hopped in.
"-and take them down using stealth only!" She exclaimed. Seth and she shared a high-five after reading the other's mind. Brook and Paige could feel the heavy tension leave the room momentarily when their leaders were reunited. Smiles adorned the teenagers' faces as they prepared to take their stand against the enemy.
The light that once illuminated the cavern was growing dull. Homura held her fist out, igniting it. She turned to Seth, signaling it was time to go. They had discussed more of their plan, but man, did it sure feel good to have the fire return to the team. She looked up, noticing the faint lantern light of Paige and Brook on the far end of the cavern. Homura had lit a lantern from the cavern corridor and handed it to the ice and lightning wielders.
Watching for the countdown, Brook and Paige felt energy and adrenaline pump through their muscles. The feeling had become familiar during their missions, and it was like they had been shot out of a canon when the countdown ended. Shurikens and nunchucks pulled, the ice and lightning wielders jumped from their hiding place along the ledge.
"Shocked to see me?" Brook asked as he shot a stream of electricity towards Adekave and his minions. Hearing the snarl, the smirk that was once on Brook's face had vanished, replaced with a whimper and look of fear.
"I believe it is wise to save the humor for after the battle," Paige commented as she shot a blast of ice towards the ground. Most of the minions lost their footing and fell, sending painful cracks throughout the cavern as they landed on their backs. Paige chuckled. "Feeling a little…chilly, or pain?"
Brook and she shared a high-five as they gave a thumbs up to Seth and Homura. Seeing this, the earth and fire wielders jumped from their hiding spot. Seth had his scythe pulled and struck it into the ground, causing the cavern to shake. Homura held both her katanas in one hand and readied a fireball.
Seth hit the ground again with his scythe, cracking the ice that Paige had set. The ground shook and then a crack formed, pushing the soldiers aside to slip and fall over. A smirk played on his lips as he lifted his scythe with one hand. Flashing a wink and a smile at Homura, he charged into the army still standing, hitting the ground occasionally with his scythe.
Homura pulled herself up onto the ledge, wincing when she heard an odd sound coming from her wrist. Maybe Adekave had done worse to her than she originally thought; she shook her head. She would worry about her injuries later; right now, she needed to do her part in the plan to slow Adekave and his army's advance down. Lighting her fist on fire, she threw fireball after fireball.
The fireballs hit the mere soldiers that had somehow survived the attacks from the other elementals. Smirking from under her bandana, she watched as the fires licked at the remaining figures. Signaling where she stood, the others nodded. She pulled her katanas and charged into battle, meeting with the three. They stood back to back and formed a circle-like shape, all holding their respective weapons.
"Ready guys?" Brook smirked. The three nodded in response. "Let's go!"
He sparked a burst of electricity through his nunchucks, sending a stream of it through the air. Paige created spheres of ice, sending them like shurikens to accompany the streak of electricity. They hit the soldiers that Adekave dared to send out to protect him.
"I do wish I could sometimes control water. That would have made that attack worse," Paige muttered as rows of soldiers fell. Brook placed a hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile. The ice wielder shook her head and grabbed her shurikens. "Let us see how Seth and Homura are doing."
Seth and Homura panted. It was getting old trying to fight basically an entire army that was wishing to capture the four teens for their elemental powers. Seth hit the ground, causing rocks to form, making a circle shape around him and Homura. They slumped against the rocks, their breathing labored. Seth pushed his bangs from his eyes before looking at Homura. Her skin was pale, and her breathing was much more labored than his, as he expected. He was still baffled at how Homura could even stay on her own two feet after going through so much. A part of him felt guilty for not making her sit this one out for her own safety.
"Why don't you stay behind here and let us handle it? This is only making your condition worse," he softly suggested. Homura looked up, her eyes narrowing. The fire wielder shook her head. "Homura, look at yourself. You've been held hostage for who knows how long without nourishment, you've been whipped and put through the ringer, yet you still expect your body to fight as it normally would?"
The amber-eyed girl fingered her scar. Something in the room snapped, and Homura hid her face between her hands. Seth attempted to move closer to her before he heard her hiss something at him.
"You expect me to sit this one out? Who do you think gave me this scar? Who do you think took my father from me?! Don't you understand this, Seth? I can't sit this one out…t-this is my fight and-" Homura's voice faltered as she stifled a sob. "It's all been darkness. You wouldn't understand the sheer agony of missing someone who you've looked up to for your entire life!"
Seth went quiet. He didn't know what to say. Had the fire wielder been holding those emotions back for the time she had been at the monastery and captive? Seth shook his head. Those thoughts of how long she held them back didn't matter at the moment, all that mattered was that one of his comrades was hurting and breaking down, and it seemed like his job to right the path.
He went over and placed a hand on Homura's shoulder, and the other below her chin. He gently lifted her chin up, gazing into her eyes. Unshed tears glistened in them as she tried to pull away, but Seth held her there. His hand moved from her chin and onto her cheek, brushing the stray tears that had fallen. He ran his other hand through her hair, then brushed it by her fingertips.
Homura looked up, her eyes wide. Never had she been treated with such…gentleness since her father was taken. She used to have a happy family. It seemed ever since the accident, it appeared there was nothing left to find happiness in, no matter the various things she tried. She would always have her guard up, even though deep down she hoped someone would come and save her from the darkness that suffocated her.
Seth had always been there whether she wanted him to be or not. He was there to comfort her, and push her out of her comfort zone; to make her a better person. Seth had taught her through their short time being teammates that it didn't matter if you had a hard or easy past, all that mattered was how you dealt with it; whether you let it tear you down, or you let it build you up was your decision; Homura understood this now; Seth had been trying to show her the path to light. All he needed was for her to accept his hand, and he would help her.
"Homura, let me guide you…please, just let me, and I can help you," he softly said. The fire wielder nodded her head. He gently took her hand and helped her up. A ghost of a smile played on Homura's lips as she looked around. The sudden motion of Seth's lips on hers made her jump, but feeling the strong grip of Seth's hand in hers and the other around her waist made her relax. "Should I not have done that…?"
Homura placed her free hand on Seth's cheek. "No, it's okay. Come on, Brook and Paige need us," She removed her hand and tugged at her other hand, pulling Seth along with her. "We've got the rest of this army to take down."