Seth had heard water falling, so he and Homura followed the sound until they reached a waterfall. The two had collapsed in a heap at the bottom and laid there, regaining their breath. Seth had found some strength in his wounded body and sat up against the rock configuration. He had pulled Homura over to where he sat and helped her lay her head down. She offered a quick thank you, but then stared, her eyelids were drooping.

"Sleep," Seth softly said. Homura looked up and turned away, coughing, before she laid her head back on his chest. The earth wielder gently ran his hands through Homura's tangled hair, working out the knots. Homura would tense, and her hands would begin to tremble, followed by the rest of her body, but Seth found that when he hummed softly and ran his hand through her hair, the fire wielder relaxed and would fall back into a deeper, peaceful sleep.

Seth peered around, assessing the cavern and the waterfall. The way they came was dark and foreboding; only those who had a fine line between courage and stupidity would dare to adventure to find them. Looking back on the decision to get Homura out of harm's way, Seth decided to take the corridor, only to find there was no light. He just kept going until he found the waterfall. Surely taking her back to the monastery so his father could help with her condition would have been wiser, but it was an instinct as leader to take care of one of his comrades.

Maybe he shouldn't have left Paige and Brook though. He shook his head. Idiot, if you hadn't left, Homura would've been in an even worse condition than she is now. She couldn't have defended herself, you did the right thing, even if it doesn't feel like you did. Brook and Paige are probably looking for us right now.

The waterfall was soothing. Listening to the water crash into the serene river was like music to the earth weilder's ears. It put his racing mind to ease and the butterflies in his stomach had subsided for the time being. The adrenaline rush he had felt while fighting was rapidly wearing off, leaving him exhausted and tired, but he had to stay awake for Homura's sake.

The rhythm of the waterfall was enough to lure anyone to sleep, and Seth could feel his head beginning to lob to the side and his eyelids droop. The earth wielder shook his head. He gently laid Homura down on the ground and got up to stretch. His body ached from the fight, but he pushed those thoughts from his head and made his way over to the lake.

Reaching his hand into the water, the cool temperature only amplified his fatigue, but he continued to fight from collapsing onto the ground or worse, into the water. Seeing Homura's reaction from when she had dove in to get away from them had stayed with Seth; he wouldn't make her dive after him with her injuries. That wasn't the way he had been raised; the way his parents expected of him was to treat those around him with respect, even if they didn't do so to him.

"It wouldn't hurt to wash off though…I don't think Father would approve of me or the others coming home covered in blood…" Seth thought aloud. Taking one last glance at Homura, who hadn't moved or awakened from where she was laying on the ground, Seth dove into the lake. He opened his eyes, seeing the bottom was littered with shells. He scrubbed at the dried blood on his gi, and then ran a hand through his knotted hair. At least the water had helped work out the knots and grease, even if it was only temporary. He popped up, catching his breath and crawled out of the water.

He wrung the excess water out of his hair and shook it, sending stray water droplets flying. Man, did it sure feel good to feel the water trickle down his neck, and be clean after fighting a massive army. Seth went back over to where Homura was sleeping and laid an arm around her. The discomfort that was stained on her face had vanished, and what replaced it was a serene look; it looked odd on her face that was usually stoic or angered, but it placed a sense of calmness in Seth as he looked down at the fire wielder.

Seth leaned his head against the rock, feeling more water droplets trickle down from his neck onto Homura's cheek. He wiped it away and sighed, peering around the cavern once more. The rock formations didn't appear too complex; their textures were mostly smooth, while some had some rough ones. Seth could scale them pretty well, but he also had to take in consideration Homura would be on his back. While she was small and light, he wouldn't be able to climb through the gaps with her. That only left him with one option.

Wait until Paige and Brook showed up.

While it didn't set well with Seth, knowing part of his team was out there alone, being separated from their leaders, he trusted Paige could get through and make sure Brook stayed calm. The lightning wielder had a tendency to overreact and turn his stealthy and speedy advantages into disadvantages when he realized how dire the situations were. Even though the earth and lightning wielders were inseparable as best friends, it was one of those quirks and a flaw that Seth loved about his best friend.

He looked down at the sleeping fire wielder once again. Placing a gentle hand on her cheek, he noticed the rosy color of them, along with her freckles that seemed out of place on her pallor skin. Carefully moving his hand up, he felt the scar; it was rougher than the rest of her skin. The mark that she refused to let heal in silence. The whole reason she had trained with the rest of them to become a ninja. All of it was so she could fight the adversary that had taken her father from her and left her with a permanent reminder of where she had failed.

All the suffering she had gone through- all the mixed emotions that had spiraled and caused Homura to lose her way must've been the biggest reason why she had been kidnapped. Seth didn't want to even imagine how fragile she must really be. The earth wielder decided then that he would stay by Homura's side through thick and thin if it meant she could heal from the trauma and feelings of worthlessness after what happened that fateful night.

Homura shifted, opening her eyes slightly. Her amber eyes were bleary, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The first thing she saw were the crystals that belonged to Seth. She attempted to sit up, but felt the earth wielder's hand gently keeping her in place. Opening her eyes fully, she could see the genuinity in Seth's eyes, which eased her worry and she allowed herself to trust him.

"You're hurt and sick," Seth's raspy voice began. One of his hands held hers while the other was gently placed on her stomach. Homura looked up, seeing the different colors of blue swirling in his eyes-they reminded her of a cerulean sky mixed with grey clouds. His voice softened, letting Homura hear the small high-pitch it had when it was quiet; "Please, if not for my sake, for your own good. You've been through a lot."

Those words, and the tender tone was enough to lure Homura back to the depths of sleep. The soft touch on her hand, and the other gently running through her hair in a delicate motion put her racing mind to rest. A thought struck her; was she really falling for someone? Hadn't she always prided herself in working on her own, but now, she had this satisfied feeling that seemed to spread every time she was near the earth wielder. Was she falling faster than she could have ever imagined possible? Deciding to dwell on it later, she let the folds of sleep whisk her down the serene river once again.

The purring that sounded like a cat hit Seth's ears. He looked down, seeing it was Homura who was making the noise. One of his hands was continuing to run through her hair, while the other was what Homura was clutching onto, her grip tightening at times. It seemed he was her anchor to fighting off unwanted nightmares as she slept to recover.

Loud, obnoxious footsteps echoed throughout the cavern. It was enough to make Seth jump into a defensive position in front of Homura. A leader's duty is to protect his comrades with his own life if he had to. The ground beneath his feet began to rumble in response to his rushing emotions, and he took a deep breath to try and calm down.

"I am picking up two heat signatures," a voice that sounded eerily familiar hit Seth's ears. Immediately, his muscles relaxed. Still standing, he looked around, trying to pinpoint where his friends would appear. There was the main corridor that he and Homura had come through, but now that he was looking closer, there was another way; on first glance, one would've missed it unless they studied the wall to a "T". "They are where I believed they were, near the waterfall."

A tendril of lightning snuck its way out of the corridor and into the main area. The hairs on the back of Seth's neck stood up, but he knew who it belonged to. The ground had stopped rumbling, and there was once again silence aside from the waterfall. A figure clad in grey stepped out, followed by two others, one clad in navy, and the other in snow and charcoal. The figure in blue became a blur, and Seth hit the ground when the navy-clad figure tackled him.

"Seth!" Brook's shrill voice cried out. The earth wielder opened his eyes, seeing the lightning wielder was the one who had tackled him. His back ached from hitting the ground, but he kept quiet. The warm feeling of seeing his team safe and sound from harm blossomed in his chest, all that was left now was to get Homura back to the monastery; taking down Adekave's army would have to wait for another day. "Seth! We're all okay! We're alive!"

"Yeah," Seth responded, grunting. "Can you please get off of me? You're too heavy."

Brook scoffed. "Says you. Look! We found another elemental master!"

As if on cue, Karl stepped forward, a smile on his face once again. He put his hand out and offered it to Seth. Seth took it and stood, scanning the unfamiliar teenager in front of him. He stood one to two inches taller than he, which was an impressive feat, and his hair reminded him of Kai's with the way it stuck out. A gut-wrenching feeling suddenly filled him, remembering how that was all Homura cared about; how was she going to react when she set eyes on this skinny teen?

"Ay! The name's Karl! I can control dark and light matter!" Karl exclaimed, jumping up and down. Seth clicked his tongue quietly. Just from quickly assessing the lively adolescent, he hadn't faced the hardships life had to offer, and Seth had made himself a promise that he would keep this Karl away from Homura, no matter what. The fire wielder didn't deserve such liveliness that the matter wielder presented.

"Nice to meet you," Seth commented shortly in a guarded tone. Brook and Paige shared a look of concern as they watched Seth go over and gently pick Homura up, looping her arms around his neck and holding her legs like he was giving her a piggy-back ride. "Now that we're all together again," he flashed a glance that was as cold as ice towards Karl. "Let's head back. Paige, lead the way."

Paige nodded her head and began walking towards the main entrance and exit way. Seth shifted Homura's weight, earning a little groan from the fire wielder. He gently placed a hand on hers, letting her know he was still there.

...

The group walked out into the light, laughter filling the air. They had survived; that was all that mattered to them, aside from Homura's health. Speaking of the fire wielder, she had woken up midway through the ascent from the caverns. Seth was supporting her as they stood just outside, a smile adorning her face despite the constant fatigue that continued to weigh her down.

Homura had taken one look at Karl and rolled her eyes. Even though she was weak, she had still managed to poke some fun at the matter wielder, although Karl just continued on walking, whistling as they went. Seth took his time to ensure Homura was alright, and just slowed his pace, keeping the others in sight.

"Seth…?" Homura quietly asked. The earth wielder turned, letting her know he was listening. A faint smile appeared on her face. Seth smiled, seeing she still had her dry sense of humor. "T-Thanks, for everything…"

The five continued to walk in silence until the monastery loomed in the distance. They eventually arrived, just as dusk was falling; saying a silent prayer, they opened the doors, just to see Cole standing in the middle of the yard.

"About time you all showed up. Spill it," were the only words out of his mouth.