Hey thanks to all who turned in a review for me: Prince Vince gets a cinnamon roll for being first this time. Thanks go to Visigoth (squash!), Irma 1 (Terima kasih), KiiroK (much love girl), Irma Rokz (you do rock girl), Spyder (Lord of the Flaming Marshmallows), and Lord of Darkness (muwahaha). I would also like to thank and welcome Blaze da Dragon (Irma's unofficial bodyguard) and AzhureTigress (I like your sig…and thank you for a review). Everyone clap and whistle…welcome to you both; thank you for joining us at the Whale Pit. Extra kudos to Mr. Spyder for picking up on something I wondered if anyone would pick up. Well done sir; here's a peanut butter cookie. I love it when my readers pay such wonderful attention to the story that they pick up things before I actually write them. This has happened a few times now with Spyder and Visigoth. Well done gentlemen…keep those wheels turning. Ok, so here we go with chapter 15.

Chapter 15

Irma rested on her hands and knees; she was breathing hard and trying to ignore her aching back. Every inch of her body felt bruised and over-stretched; her lungs overtaxed with her ever increasing demands for oxygen. She had just failed Luba's demonic "obstacle course" for the fifth time and Irma had had just about enough of the feline caretaker's barking. Irma's head was pounding and she was sweating so much she thought she might be able to make a whole new Water Guardian.

Irma rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. She rested her hands against her badly bruised ribs and gulped great breaths of air. It wasn't long before she felt a telltale paw on her shoulder and heard a familiar growl.

"Get up Guardian…we're not finished yet."

Irma gritted her teeth and opened her eyes. She glared at Luba, "Oh yes we are," she gasped. "I can't move another step."

Luba growled and hauled Irma roughly to her feet. Irma's cry of surprise did nothing to endear her to the caretaker. "When I give you an order, you follow it."

"And when Hell freezes over, I'll actually respond to that tone of voice! When you give an order?! What is this, the Army!"

"We do not have time for this! You are to submit to my authority as your trainer. The Oracle has charged me with readying you to return to battle as the Water Guardian. As of now, you are not even ready to battle a suckling cub!"

Irma clenched her fists and was about to let fly with a scathing comeback; but something stopped her. Cornelia had always said she was too hot-headed, so Irma decided, this once, to try a different tactic; she tried to see things from Luba's point of view. Luba had been guarding the Aurameres for who knew how long; they were like her own children in a way. Irma knew Luba just didn't want to see them misused in any way. Irma unclenched her fists and took a deep breath. When she felt she had her temper under control, she looked at Luba.

"Alright, Luba………I'll try."

"You must do better than try; you must push yourself Guardian. You must complete the exercise and stop making excuses. Your enemies are not here; you face no one but yourself. You are failing more miserably than I dared fear. If you would apply yourself and ignore your foolish hallucinations, you would not be fatigued or hurt. But instead of heeding my instructions, you continue to hide behind your imagined traumas and continue to blame them for your failures. This is unacceptable Guardian!"

Irma's fists began to clench again and she felt red-hot anger boil in her chest. This time, she knew she wouldn't be able to control it. Fixing Luba with a withering glare, she replied, "Fine, I will try harder. But I have a question first."

"Yes?"

"Are you naturally bitchy, or do you have to work at it!"

Luba growled deep in her throat. "You are an ungrateful cur! You are unworthy to be a Guardian! You have been entrusted with an indescribable responsibility and you don't even realize what an extraordinary gift you've been given. You curse your position because it interferes with your childish whims! You are unworthy of this gift. You were unworthy from the beginning; you are unworthy now; and you will never be worthy should you live for ten centuries! You are a fool, you are a failure, you are a mistake!"

"And you are a bitter old woman trying to live her unrealized dreams through those of us who were chosen to bear these gifts! You're just pissed because the Oracle never chose you to be a Guardian. You're nothing but a glorified babysitter with eternal PMS. You're stuck in the same room for the rest of your miserable life; you have to watch your precious Aurameres lend their powers to ungrateful beings not even worthy to scrape the toe-jam from your paws; and you haven't had a good lay in three-hundred years! Your life totally sucks, but that doesn't give you the right to be the Wicked Bitch of the West!"

Luba gazed open-mouthed and stunned at her young charge. No one had ever spoken to Luba like that…no one had dared. She spoke in a low tone as she explained, "The services I perform could never be understood by the likes of you, Guardian. If I do not watch over your Aurameres, then chaos would be allowed to enter. Your powers would spiral out of control and destroy you. I save your life and the lives of your friends every day by preventing such a disaster. This is why I remain here, tied eternally to your Aurameres; it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. For the good of all beings in the universe, I remain eternally tied to Candracar. This is why I am "stuck in the same room for the rest of my miserable life," as you so eloquently put it."

"Gee, and here I was thinking it was because of your sparkling personality…"

"I do not expect someone of your limited intelligence to comprehend my duties, cubling…"

"Maybe not, hairball; but I do understand one thing…those that can do; those that can't teach!" Irma raised her fists in front of her chest.

Luba had had enough of the child's insolence. She growled deep in her throat and raised her claws in front of her chest.

"Why you insolent………"

"Bring it on Fluffy!"

"Luba!"

Luba had just pulled her right paw back to strike the ungrateful whelp when the crack of authority stopped her. She held that position and glowered at Irma; she wanted so desperately to put the arrogant Guardian in her place. One swipe with her claws would have the girl bleeding on the floor and begging for mercy. Nevertheless, Luba knew her place, even if the Guardian did not. She lowered her claws and turned to face the Oracle.

The young man stood near the entry with an older blonde woman at his side. The woman was tall and graceful, and though certainly a senior citizen, she still possessed a striking beauty in her face. The Oracle stepped forward and held Luba with his piercing gaze.

"Luba, you will desist this instant. Nothing gives you the right to strike another member of this congregation."

Luba lowered her head, "Yes Oracle."

The Oracle continued, "I think perhaps the Guardian's training has come to an end for today. Halinor, will you please take the Guardian back to her Elemental Chamber?"

The blonde woman stepped forward and extended her hand to Irma. "Come child; follow me."

As Irma passed Luba, she hissed, "This isn't over…"

The feline caretaker responded with a curl of her lip, but said nothing. Irma left with Halinor and the Oracle turned to Luba.

"My dear friend," he sighed, "What has happened that would cause you so much distress?"

Luba turned her back to the Oracle as she spoke. "The girl is incorrigible. She does not understand her place or her responsibilities. Being the Water Guardian is nothing but a game to her; she does not realize how deadly that game can be. When I try to teach her this, she resists and makes excuses. I long for the days of Cassidy, Halinor, Kadma and Yan Lin. They understood what was at stake when they were chosen as Guardians. They took their duties seriously and always sought wisdom from you. These new Guardians believe they know better of themselves and strike out with anger when we try to assist them. They do not see the bigger picture…"

The Oracle smiled. "They are young Luba; they must be allowed to grow into their powers and responsibilities. Cassidy, Halinor, Kadma, Yan Lin, and Nerissa were a few years older when they were chosen to be Guardians. With age comes wisdom."

"But Oracle, I fear you have made a grave error with these five girls. Their lives are so busy, their attitudes so coarse. Would it not be better to cut our losses now and start over?"

"You know as well as I do, Luba, that it was not just I who chose the Guardians; the Aurameres themselves also had a voice. I believe the Aurameres chose well; the Guardians are learning every day to rely on one another. They show great concern for each other and that, more than anything, has given them great power."

"But now that Nerissa has returned, we need the Guardians more than ever. Candracar is vulnerable to her Oracle; if she manages to get the Heart of Candracar from the Guardian Leader, she will destroy us all……like she destroyed Cassidy."

"I do not believe the Guardian Leader will ever relinquish the Heart, Luba. As long as she holds it, Candracar is safe from Nerissa."

Luba turned back to the Oracle. "Nerissa has killed two Guardians now Oracle; what is to stop her from destroying the Leader and taking the Heart? Your hope that Nerissa would regret her first murder has proven to be vain. Her conscience will not stop her and I fear the Guardians are too weak to defeat her."

The Oracle's eyes clouded over with momentary sadness. He sighed and turned away from Luba. "Cassidy's death was cruel and I believe Nerissa bears some guilt for her actions. As for slaying the Guardian Leader and taking the Heart by force; you know that will not succeed. The Heart must be relinquished willingly; no one has the power to take it by force. Even the Leader's death would profit a would-be thief nothing. You must show greater faith in the Guardians, Luba; they will need that faith now more than ever. They have suffered a cruel reality while they are yet children. They know they face death every day, but that has always been an abstract notion…until now. Worse, they know the Water Guardian's death was precipitated by a former Guardian herself. They face their own mortality as well as betrayal on a very personal and intimate level. If they should learn to deal with this, they will become more powerful than the former Guardians ever were."

The Oracle turned again to face his longtime friend. "Luba, the Water Guardian must never know that she died those weeks ago. I fear she would be unable to cope with the shock."

"Her friends will tell her Oracle. This cannot be prevented…"

"We cannot help that; we can only hope the Water Guardian will have the strength to bear that knowledge when the time comes. We must hope she will possess the wherewithal to lean on her friends."

Luba snorted, "She has too much pride to even admit she may need help!"

The Oracle smiled, "She is young Luba, and headstrong. She has experienced trauma on a level no one should ever have to experience; much less a young child. Her confidence has been shaken; her faith in her friends has been tested. Physically, she has been healed; but psychologically, I fear we may yet lose her. The Joining is a difficult and traumatic method of healing; the Water Guardian is certain to experience flashbacks and terror. We must help her with these."

Luba growled and bared her teeth. "I am not a nursemaid Oracle! I am not here to wipe her tears or quiet her mewlings! I am here to retrain her muscles and her powers; I cannot do that unless she is willing to accept me as her teacher."

"You must be gentler with her Luba; your demands may be too overreaching at this point in the Guardian's recovery. This particular exercise you have chosen is designed to be physically exhausting; perhaps she is physically unable to meet the demands of this exercise."

"Physical exhaustion is not the problem Oracle; on the contrary, I find the Guardian to be in excellent physical shape; especially considering she's been immersed in water for the past two weeks. No, Oracle, the problem is psychological. She is unable to complete the course because she cannot deal with her irrational fears."

"Please explain my friend," the Oracle prompted.

"The first time she ran the course, she hesitated at the Ring of Fire. Only by audibly cajoling her, was I able to convince her to move forward. Then at the Lightning Strike, she was nearly struck because she refused to move through the area. Only her fear drove her across the field and to the door at the other side. At the Gauntlet she concentrated so much on destroying her first opponent she failed to see her additional targets. She swore the opponent was Frost the Hunter. The only opponents in the exercise are Lerdens."

At a nod from the Oracle, Luba continued. "Her other runs were less successful than the first. Her second run was a disaster from the beginning. She was so caught up in her fears that she lost concentration at the first obstacle. She was struck hard in the stomach by a log and thrown several feet. Her third run ended with her curling up and refusing to face the Ring of Fire at all. During the fourth run, I deactivated the Ring of Fire to see how she would tackle the Lightning Strike. She took three steps and then panicked. She was struck in her chest with a bolt before I could deactivate it. She screamed and shook for half-an-hour. Her final run, she allowed herself to be thrown from a ten-foot height by one of the Lerdens rather than face the Ring of Fire or the Lightning Strike again. She is too afraid; she is refusing to run the exercise again."

The Oracle nodded. "All natural reactions under the circumstances I think."

Luba shook her head. "No Oracle, you do not understand. Though all of her failures were disappointing, only the first was truly disturbing. The way she decimated the Lerden, the supposed Frost the Hunter, was terrifying; even long after the Lerden ceased to be a threat, she continued to assault it. Had that been an actual living creature instead of a hologram, it would have been killed. The Guardian exhibited anger eerily reminiscent of Nerissa long ago. Can we, in good conscience, subject the other Guardians to this level of hate and rage?"

"It is unfair to compare this Guardian to Nerissa, Luba. Nerissa was corrupted by greed and power."

"And the Water Guardian is infected with rage and terror; two very powerful emotions. Add to this the trauma of her torture and the trauma of the Joining……where do we draw the line Oracle? Nerissa's anger destroyed Cassidy; whom will the Water Guardian destroy before we take action?"

The Oracle lowered his head and closed his eyes. After several minutes, he spoke. "I will think on this Luba." Then the Oracle turned and exited the room.

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Yan Lin delivered several steaming dishes of noodles and rice to the basement. As she turned to go, she said, "Remember girls, all you have is each other."

As Yan Lin closed the door behind her, the four Guardians looked around at each other. Cornelia was sitting in a chair, her knees pulled up to her chest. Hay Lin lay on her back on the floor, the soles of her feet pressed against the wall. Taranee leaned against a table, her arms folded across her chest. Will sat on that table, her hands bracing her behind her back. Cornelia was the first one to speak.

"So, we're all here; what now?"

Hay Lin only glared and turned away. Taranee spoke up quickly before an argument could ensue.

"I think we all need a little help dealing with what's been happening over the last few weeks. Let's face it, any one of us could buy it at any time……and one of us just did. Without Candracar's intervention, Irma would be dead now. Sorry, but that's just too freaky for me…"

"It's freaky for all of us Taranee," Will said. "I guess I've always known that something like this could happen, but it was just so way out there. Honestly, I never actually thought we would ever have to deal with it. You know, one of those it-will-never-happen-to-me sort of things. There are so many emotions I'm feeling, that I can't even begin to describe how exactly I feel…but one thing I do know is that I'm plenty scared."

Cornelia spoke quietly. "Back at the cave-in, when I wasn't able to get Irma's heart started again, I felt sort of………I don't know, empty I guess. All I could think was that I would never have another argument with her ever again. That I would never hear her call me Corny; that she would never again make a smart remark about our enemies, or talk back to the gym teacher. It was all so overwhelming…"

"But that didn't stop you from wanting her dead two weeks ago, did it Corny?" Hay Lin retorted nastily.

Uh-oh, Taranee thought, here we go………

But instead of lashing out, Cornelia's eyes began to well up. She buried her beautiful face in her knees and sobbed quietly. The other three Guardians stared dumbfounded; that was the last thing any of them had expected from Cornelia. Will started to drop down from the table, but Taranee grabbed her shoulder.

Wait, she said telepathically.

Hay Lin had rolled right-side-up and was now sitting on her hands and knees. Confusion clouded her normally happy brown eyes as she watched Cornelia's body shake with sobs. Presently, Hay Lin's almond-shaped eyes began to tear-up as well and she crawled over to Cornelia. The Air Guardian knelt in front of Cornelia's chair and placed her hands gently on the Earth Guardian's knees. Cornelia looked up and stared into Hay Lin's reddening eyes. Hay Lin opened her mouth slightly and cocked her head. She shook her head, unable to speak. She reached up and wiped a tear away from Cornelia's cheek.

Cornelia tried to smile through her pain. She reached down and gathered the Air Guardian into a hug. "Oh Hay Lin," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Hay Lin, sobbing as much as Cornelia now, shook her head. "No Cornelia……I'm sorry. I was so awful to say those things about you; they weren't true and I shouldn't have said them. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Only if you can forgive me. You were right; any chance at life is worth taking. I was just so worried that Irma would be so screwed up, you know? That she wouldn't be Irma anymore…"

"I know, it's okay, I know."

"I don't want Irma dead, Hay Lin; I never did, I never would."

"Shh, shh, I know. I had no right to say those things; I wish I could take them all back. But all I can do is offer my sincerest apologies and ask for your forgiveness."

"You have it Hay Lin; you have it!" Both girls smiled and sobbed even harder.

Will raised her eyebrows. Well I can't say I expected that…

Me either, but I'm not gonna complain about it, Taranee answered.

Okay, one problem solved. I guess that's good progress…

Yeah, but it's not enough.

I know.

Cornelia and Hay Lin finally turned to the others. Hay Lin spoke first.

"We're sorry if we caused a lot of friction because of our fight." Cornelia nodded in agreement.

"We're just glad you two have made-up," Will responded. Taranee smiled.

The four friends sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Will spoke up.

"Is anyone else having trouble sleeping?"

Hay Lin nodded. "I haven't had a good night's sleep since we got back from Meridian. I just keep hearing her voice, you know? She was so desperate…"

Cornelia squeezed Hay Lin's shoulder. "But she's okay now Hay Lin. She'll be back here before you know it."

"Yeah, but in what capacity?" Will asked.

Everyone looked at Will in shock. "What? You know we're all thinking it." Will defended herself.

Taranee sighed and nodded. "Yeah, actually I've been thinking about it a lot. I think we need to be prepared for the worst. And she's probably not gonna want to talk about it…at least not immediately."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Taranee continued. "But there's something else I've been thinking about too………" She trailed off.

"What?" Hay Lin finally prompted.

Taranee shook herself as if she'd just been woken up. She cast her eyes to the floor. "I don't know guys…I'm kind of ashamed for thinking it…"

"Whatever it is Taranee, you can tell us," Cornelia encouraged.

Taranee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The thing is……I'm not sure I want to be a Guardian anymore. I mean…………I-I don't want to die…"

Everyone looked at each other in silence. No one knew what to say; because the fact was they had all been thinking the same thing.

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"If ever there was a poster-child for having your pet spayed or neutered…" Irma grumbled as she walked beside Halinor.

Halinor grinned at the young Guardian. "Luba can seem a little……coarse at times, but she means well Irma."

"She means to kill me, that what she means………wait, did you just call me Irma?"

"That is your name isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but nobody around here seems able to use it."

Halinor smiled again. "Well, I never was much for formalities. Is it alright if I call you Irma?"

"Please do……I wish everyone would drop this Guardian bit and call me Irma. Maybe then, home wouldn't feel so far away…"

Halinor smiled sadly and walked on in silence. She knew the young Water Guardian was suffering, but Halinor wasn't sure she was the one to relieve it. She glanced sideways at Irma. The bruising along her ribs and back was clearly evident, as was the slight limp. But the proud young Guardian was refusing to show any weakness. She did her best to hide that limp, and only winced when she thought no one was looking. Halinor was reminded of another Water Guardian so very similar to the one that limped slightly beside her. Cassidy had shared many of the same qualities as Irma; a biting wit, a strong sense of duty, unquestionable loyalty, a love for life that clearly showed in her laughing eyes. Playful and compassionate with a soft-spot for the underdog, Irma was practically a mirror-image of Cassidy. No wonder the Auramere had chosen her as the new Water Guardian.

They arrived at the Elemental Chamber of Water and Halinor held the door for Irma. Irma walked in and looked around. "Well this looks familiar," she said.

"Yes, I'm sure it does. It's where you woke up following your healing."

Irma grinned and let herself fall into the water. She felt peaceful and calm in the perfect liquid. Her aches and fears seemed to melt away. She surfaced and latched her arms over the side of the giant pool. "Come on in, the water's perfect!"

Halinor laughed as she sat down near the edge of the pool. "No, I don't think so Irma……we Fire Guardians don't really care much for water."

Irma grinned and swam a few laps before returning to the side of the pool near Halinor. "I don't know what it is, but I feel so free in the water."

Halinor grinned, "Of course you do Irma. Water is your element; it's as much a part of you as your heart or your lungs. It's only natural that you would feel comfortable in the water."

Irma's eyes darkened. "No, I mean, I feel safe in the water. I don't feel scared or……" she let the sentence hang.

Halinor nodded. "That's a side-effect of your healing process. You spent two weeks in the water while you recovered, so you probably associate it with feeling better; at least on an unconscious level. You're not the first Guardian to seek solace or healing in their Elemental Chamber; Cassidy used to come here a lot………" Halinor looked sadly off into the distance.

Irma noticed her sadness and felt a little out of place; like she was intruding on a private family matter. Presently Halinor returned her gaze to Irma and smiled. "You should get some sleep Irma; Luba will be plenty upset tomorrow. Somehow, I doubt she'll take it easy on you."

Irma groaned. "I feel like I was flattened in a stampede of crazed wildebeests. There is no way I can do it all again tomorrow…"

"A Guardian has natural accelerated healing abilities. By tomorrow, you'll feel a lot better. I promise…"

"Well here's hoping. Alright guess it's time to get out of the pool…"

Halinor shook her head, "No, you should sleep in the water. You'll feel better."

Irma narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Sleep in the water? Hello…that's how people drown."

"Yes, but not you."

"Okay...why not?"

"Because you're the Water Guardian Irma! The water obeys your commands; it won't let you drown. That's why you didn't drown during your healing process and that's why you won't drown while you sleep."

Irma had a silent Duh! moment. "Oh yeah……that makes sense I guess."

"Don't worry about it; you have a lot on your mind. Good night Irma."

Halinor rose to leave. As she walked away, Irma called out to her. Halinor turned and waited politely.

"My friends………are they okay?"

"The Guardians are just fine."

Irma nodded. "Good……that's good."

"Good night Irma," Halinor said again.

"Good night Halinor."

As Halinor left the room, the lights in the Elemental Chamber dimmed. Irma knew it was meant to encourage her to sleep. She slipped fully into the pool and let herself float to the middle. She wondered if her friends thought about her at all. She thought of Hay Lin and suddenly felt very lonely. Still, it was an improvement over the terror she had felt while running Luba's obstacle course. Irma sighed and closed her eyes; she hoped she would be able to get some sleep.

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As Irma's eyes slid behind her lids, someone waited for an opportunity. She watched as the Water Guardian relaxed in her element. She smiled as sleep finally overtook the Guardian's ravaged mind. Slipping quietly away from the one-way glass that surrounded the Elemental Chamber, she walked purposefully to her own hidden meditation chamber. Settling herself in the middle of the floor, she closed her eyes and began to murmur in a strange tongue. As the spell left her lips, she smiled again.

Soon, Guardian, soon. The Heart of Candracar will be mine. Your pain will continue Guardian; my hold over you is eternal; you will forever be my slave!

Nerissa laughed with evil glee as she quietly entered the Water Guardian's dreams.

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Oh dear, poor Irma. Looks like it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Let me know what you think; just hit that lovely "Go" button and leave a review……….please. Cheers!