"Agura?"

Nnn...huh?

"Agura! Agura, come on! Wake up!"

"Wh…what happened?" Agura slowly arose, trying to push off the cold stone only to be restrained by Sherman. The four faces of her teammates, minus Vert, were looking down at her with worry.

"Don't move." Sherman said softly, wrapping something around her wrist.

"Wh-Where's Vert?" She asked them.

"He's…he's with Pyrofrost, Agura." Spinner reminded her gently.

"Oh." She murmured, remembering…the horror. Him throwing her onto the ground; Sherman's skull cracking against the stone…

But it wasn't him. She tried to convince herself.

"Come on." Agura stood, brushing Sherman off and biting her lip in pain. "We're going after him."

"Bu-but-"

"He's our leader, Spinner." Agura said, leaving no room for argument.

"Agura, you can't drive with your wrist." Sherman pointed out, uneasy at facing the wrath of the huntress.

"I can and I will." She threatened, taking her place in the Tangler. "Now let's go."

Uneasily, the rest of the team entered their vehicles and followed her.

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"Hmm…I believe my brother Calamar is next in line to be resurrected." Pyrofrost pondered as he drove next to Vert. The former leader stayed silent.

"Why so glum, my apprentice? Soon our evil shall be known across the Multiverse!" The Ancient One laughed evilly.

"The Battle Force 5 will follow us." Vert spoke, an emotionless tone in his voice.

"Yes, they will, won't they?" Pyrofrost pondered, a grin forming on his features. "How perfect. They will witness the rising of my brothers, aided by their own leader." He sneered. "The utter betrayal. How ideal."

"Yes, Lord Pyrofrost." He spoke again in the hollow tone that had taken place of his voice.

"Ah, here we are now." Pyrofrost announced as they entered a rock cavern. The Ancient One paused, tilting his head. "I hear the engines of your teammates, Vert."

"They are not my teammates." He growled.

"Hm. Good answer." Pyrofrost nodded as he came upon a tombstone-like formation in the rock. "Soon, my brother." He whispered, drawing a finger upon the cold surface. Vert observed calmly when his head snapped up at the sound of engines approaching.

"They are here!" He rasped, adrenaline already pulsing at the prospect of a battle.

"Attack them! No mercy!" Pyrofrost commanded, mounting his vehicle. The distance between the two sides grew smaller and smaller until they finally clashed.

"How are we supposed to fight? We can't hurt Vert!" Spinner cried into his com-link.

"But I can hurt you!" Vert roared as he sawed into the side of the Buster; his jealousy of Sherman's previous actions still fresh.

"SHERM!" Spinner screamed as his brother was dragged out of the tank, torn between self-defense and injuring his once-friend.

"I've waited a long time for this." Vert grinned evilly as his hardened fist connected with the Cortez's jaw. Sherman grunted, fueling his desire for bloodshed.

"SHERMAN!" He heard Agura's cry from across the battlefield, satisfaction filling him as he swung again and again, hearing the hollow thud mixed with his former teammates' cries.

"Vert."

He looked up to the towering shadow over him. Her face, from behind the windshield, was full of grief and grim determination.

"I don't want to do this. Let. Him. Go." Her voice held a hard, steel edge, and Vert emotionlessly dropped Sherman to the ground.

"Happy, princess?" He sneered.

"Human, the artifact!" Pyrofrost roared, and Vert whipped his head around to see Zoom just about to snag the flame. He leapt into the Saber, racing the scout just as the flame was captured. Pyrofrost screamed in rage, pursuing the motorcycle.

"HUMAN!"

"I'm coming, master!" Vert shouted, spinning around only to be knocked over by the Tangler. The car stood in between him and victory. Vert tensed in prospect of a battle, only to droop in shock when Agura stepped out from the undercarriage of her car.

"Vert." Her once cool voice now sounded shaky, scared even. What perfect prey. He thought to himself as her eyes shimmered with tears.

"Vert, please. Listen to me." Agura pleaded. He coldly glanced her over, hesitantly stepping out of his car, arms folded.

"What?"

"Just hear me ou-"

"Ha! A foolish mistake, human!" Pyrofrost roared from behind them. "Vert, now!"

Sneering, Vert easily lifted her into the air, relishing the endless power of his new abilities. Agura screamed as her limbs began to stretch apart; soon to be torn off her body if nothing could be done to stop the monstrosity Vert had become.

"V…Vert…" She struggled weakly, cut off by a horrid cracking sound as Pyrofrost was finally defeated, his crystalline body shattered into pieces by the joint power of the Reverb and Chopper.

"No!" Vert roared, his leader and purpose gone. Zoom now held the flame, having yet to realize that Agura was in grave danger. In a surge of anger, her arms were pulled even further away from her upper body.

"Give it up, Vert." He heard Spinner from behind him, Sherman unconscious. Zoom and Stanford soon pulled up to join him.

"Your 'boss' is dead. We have the flame. It's over."

"It isn't quite over yet, weaklings." Vert hissed, jerking his head up at Agura. The three gasped in horror.

"Agura!" Zoom screamed, running for the Chopper. Laughing, Vert flung the motorcycle away from him.

"You'll do nothing until I get that flame." He demanded.

"Don't….do it, Spinner!" Agura gasped through the burning sensation in her joints. The huntress doubted she could hold on much longer, before her appendages were completely ripped from her body.

"Oh, they'll do it, alright." Vert chuckled maliciously, stretching her further. Agura's involuntary cry of agony made Spinner bite his lip in anxiety.

"Take it!" He thrust the burning flicker at Vert; never wanting to touch it again. "Just…let her go."

"NO!" Agura cried. "Vert, please! Just…remember the good we did for the Multiverse? We were chosen to save it, not help destroy it! You don't have to do this, Vert. You still have a choice. You have to fight it, Vert. I know you can."

He froze for a moment, hearing her words over and over again. Agura winced, struggling against the invisible force that held her immobile.

"Vert…I love you too much to lose you."

He was shocked still, everything forgotten as his hold on Agura released, dropping her from the air. He unwittingly reached out and caught her; his wide eyes meeting hers. Warm, familiar and full of tears. Vert's choice was made.

"I…I…"

The leader was overwhelmed as everything faded into a hazy mist.

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"How is he?"

Muted voices.

"Exhausted, mentally and physically. It will take some time to fully recover from the effects of the pure, unfiltered evil within that artifact."

Sage. He was home.

"Good thing we destroyed it, huh?"

Destroyed it? That was all Vert needed to know as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next few days passed in a haze; fragments of conversation caught, voices identified and forgotten just as quickly.

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now?"

"We can only give him time."

"But it's been three whole days!"

"I'm worried too, Spinner. The only thing to do now is pray."

Footsteps shuffling in and out.

The flutter of someone's lips, brushing his forehead. Within, Vert cried out, wanting the person to stay, but his mouth felt full of cotton. He was immobilized.

"We should really do something!"

"There's nothing we can do, Zoom."

"Well…where's Agura? She turned him back in the first place, anyway."

"*Sigh* I'll try to find her. She isn't doing so well either."

"I know, but…maybe they can help each other."

Wait! Don't go!

What was wrong with Agura? Vert wanted so desperately to move, to find her, but his barely-conscious mind and body would not respond. And so he slept on.

"Grace is starting to wonder, you know. She keeps asking how Vert's doing. I said he was sick, but it won't work much longer."

"I know, I know."

"Did you find Agura?"

"Not this time."

"Yeah, being our hunter she's not bad at camouflage either. I'll take another look."

"Thanks, Zoom. Good luck."

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"Agura?" Zoom called in the upstairs level of the garage. From just outside, Agura sighed. She couldn't leave Zoom, but the huntress didn't feel up to talking to anyone right about now.

"Here." She called half-heartedly, swiping furiously at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, uhm…" Zoom shifted awkwardly from one foot to the next. "D'ya think you could try talking to Vert?"

"Oh. Y-Yeah, sure Zoom." Agura muttered, darting away from him so he wouldn't see she had been crying. Zoom knew much better than that, but didn't want to point out her flaw. They needed everyone at their strongest these days.

"A-are you okay?" He stammered. Agura's tense shoulders dropped as she sighed deeply.

"No." She reluctantly admitted, glancing towards the door of the infirmary. "But I will be."

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"Vert?" Agura asked softly, tapping at the door to his section of the infirmary. No response.

Of course not. She sighed, sinking into the chair beside his bed.

"Oh, Vert…" Agura sighed, brushing the dirty-blonde bangs away free from his forehead.

"You just had to take the sacrifice, didn't you?" A bitter, half-smile formed on her face.

"…I always thought you were strong, Vert. But maybe…" Agura gripped his hand tightly, a tear filling the corner of her eye.

"Maybe not strong enough."

"…Strong enough to do this."

Agura gasped as Vert tediously leaned forward just far enough to kiss her cheek.

"Vert…How-"

"Shh." He pressed a silent finger to her lips. "Just…thank you."

"For what?" She whispered as he traced her cheek, his touch sending shivers down her spine. Their lips brushed once more.

"For saving me."