Fear.
Catra was scared.
Why was she scared again?
Horde Prime has given her peace.
In front of her, Adora's stupid face frowned brokenly, the clones of Prime holding tightly onto her arms to keep her still. To keep her from reaching out to Catra.
Adora.
Horde Prime's hand on Catra's shoulder tightened. As if he heard her thoughts.
Of course, he did.
He was in her thoughts too.
But his brief lapse of anger, the pain caused from his nails digging sharply into her skin, awoke something inside of Catra.
The world around her cleared, and the fog in her mind evaporated.
Adora, why are you here?
Panic gripped at her chest, anger squeezing at her throat like an invisible hand as she wished so bad that she could just scream how much of an idiot she was. Catra felt her entire body stiffen as the back of her neck pulsed like a collar being tightened around her.
Why did you come for me?
Peace, little sister. His voice emerged like a whisper in her ear, plucking at her thoughts and gently waving them away like a soft caress.
A part of her felt... good, to just listen, for once. To not fight. To just lay down and accept it all, because why should she care?
She was slowly being edged out of the forefront; where she had previously held the wheels, His presence gently guided her away, replaced her hands with His, replaced her mind with His. Catra felt like a kitten again, lost and so, so deeply out of her depth.
Her lips settled into an eerie smile, her eyes glowing green.
Another part of her, deep inside where His reach failed to leash, Catra screamed. It echoed in the back of her mind like faint whispers inside an endless cavern, bouncing against the walls of her cage built from the essence of His presence.
LET ME GO!
She clawed at the fog and darkness, nausea climbing up the back of her throat as she felt her body move from the outside, fighting against the one person she desperately tried to save.
Another thing she failed at doing.
LET ME GO!
Catra bit and chewed, clawed and scratched, the phantom collar around her neck tightening. Squeezing. Harder. Harder.
She couldn't breathe.
Moments of lucidity passed when she finally broke through His control. Moments where Catra tried to make Adora see sense, in those moments—to let her go. To, maybe (hopefully)… kill her, if she had to. She wanted Adora to. There was nothing left for her back on Etheria, but Adora was determined.
Catra always liked that about her, but right now, that was the last thing she needed, or wanted.
Please, let me go! Catra begged, helplessly.
She wasn't sure if she was talking to just Him anymore, but Adora was never one for taking "no" as an answer.
"I'm going to take you home!" Adora cried, blue eyes crinkled in agony, the blonde hair she always kept in a ponytail brushed against her shoulders, messy and rumpled as her clothes, torn and ripped from Catra's claws. Regret surged inside of her like an acidic dagger, crawling up the back of her throat as Catra noticed the scratches on Adora's face.
"Promise?" Catra replied weakly, eyes stinging.
"I promise!"
Her control slipped like water spilling from her hands once more, and her body became His no matter how hard she tried to catch her consciousness dripping between her fingers.
Disappointing.
Pain exploded in the back of her neck.
Starbursts of light flashed in the darkness of her mind, which He held with an iron grip. The ground beneath her faded, and Catra felt like she was falling.
You can kill me, but Adora will always beat you. She sent to him—her final act of defiance.
Green eyes glowed from every corner of her mind as He growled at her.
I had such high hopes for you, little sister. Horde Prime clutched at her throat with an invisible hand. What a waste.
Pain.
So much pain.
Catra's eyes rolled to the back of her head, weightless.
She was flying.
She was dying.
The tether between her and Him snapped.
His presence inside of her vanished, but Catra herself was barely holding on. She wanted to…
What did she want?
Her mind was in pieces, shredded by His touch and departure, like ripped paper scattered across the ground after an angry tantrum. She wanted to hold Adora's face one last time, but her body on the outside was weak. Dying. Her breaths came out like death rattling from her lungs. She could barely feel, the warmth of Adora's body and the firm hand on the back of her head the only thing keeping her from fading.
When had she fallen?
She pictured Adora's face instead, smiling in that way when they were still back in the Horde, lips mouthing the words she longed to hear one more time.
Hey, Catra...
When Catra finally gave up, she did so feeling the warmth and safety of Adora, a place where she knew nothing could hurt her anymore, because that was where she felt safest and most comfortable. The darkness slid into her mind like welcome hands to take her home.
Home.
Didn't Adora promise...
She didn't know how much time had passed, cocooned inside the dark like a babe, wrapped in its embrace. But something was… nudging her. Light edged into the corners, making its way inside her cocoon.
Light?
Catra didn't want to leave—she wanted to stay wrapped up forever.
Catra, come back to me. You're not finished yet.
But I am. I'm tired.
Please.
She knew she could never resist when Adora used that tone. Catra slowly spread herself, stretching an arm out towards the light, fingers opening to reach out to whoever was on the other side. A force grasped her hand, holding tightly before it pulled.
Catra breathed, the sharp taste of air caused her lungs to spasm, making her cough.
She opened her eyes and saw the sky glittering with tears from the woman that saved her.
"Hey… Adora."