A/N: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

This chapter is dedicated to Dragon At Play who was the only reviewer for the previous chapter.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not disappointed by the lack of response to the last chapter because I am. It's not the numbers of reviews that count but I do value the opinions of my readers and I like to hear what you think. I'm not sure if it's the same for others, but when I write it's because it is something that I love. I put my heart into everything that I write and spend hours at a time trying to work time into my schedule to update as soon as I can and to plan complex ideas and storylines. The reason I started uploading to Fan-Fiction was to get feedback on my work and to improve in my writing abilities, and reviews are the only way for you to tell me how I am doing and what I need to improve on. I'm not a perfect writer, I'm more than happy to admit it, but the only way for me to learn more about my writing is from you. So thank you for taking the time to read this authors note, enjoy the chapter and if you could give me some feedback I'd truly appreciate it.

Warning: This chapter contains blood and character death suitable to the T rating.

All errors are mine.

Chapter 5

The Darkest Night

A yell, it was faint, strangled, choking - as if it had been building in her throat and had only, just now, been granted its desperate release. It was enough to make Helia's eyelids flutter open so he could look to the left, inspecting his partner in crime for signs of distress. He didn't know what she was dreaming about but knew better than to judge. He had woken up screaming more than a few times over the last few weeks and if his hand wasn't throbbing as much as it was to disturb his slumber, then he supposed he would be doing the same. Opening his eyes brought about the nightmarish reality that only his dreams could offer an escape from, and even they weren't cooperating.

Looking at the clouded sky, Helia released a breath, his mind slowly drifting back to the night that everything changed.

"The stars are so beautiful," Flora beamed, stepping outside the restaurant she and Helia had just spent a beautiful evening enjoying. The night air was warm and her eyes drifted to the sky where she inspected the constellations and suddenly took Helia's hand in hers and raced forwards. Pulled playfully along he didn't resist and after a while she stopped near a tree.

"Look," she pointed and Helia knelt to inspect the tiny cluster closer. They were small blue petals, curled around one another so tightly that they looked like they were spherical in shape. He smiled as they glowed a beautiful blue. "They are moonlight orbs." Flora explained, kneeling next to him. "They're only activated by the moonlight during the season of love, aren't they beautiful?"

"They are but I think I have something better," Helia teased, pulling Flora back to her feet. "Have I told you how much you mean to me?" She nodded as his hand cupped the side of her face and she leaned into his touch. The moonlight bathed the two in a mystical blue, making Helia's eyes sparkle and captivate Flora's heart.

"Tonight was magical," she gushed.

"Well we do live in the Magical Dimension," he joked, earning himself a comedic hit to the chest.

Flora balanced on her tiptoes while Helia supported her waist with her hands.

"I love you," she whispered softly, her arms linking behind his head. Helia closed his eyes and leaned in to steal a kiss when he felt a finger prevent his show of affection. Opening his eyes, slightly bewildered, Flora chuckled, turned on her heel and walked backwards, shaking her hand. "Not so fast, we're not home yet."

Helia laughed the smile on his face seemingly impossible to remove. He loved Flora more than anything; she was his heart, his life, his being. Everything that he hoped to achieve in his future involved her by his side, her hand in his own - his breath synchronised with hers.

And all it took was one moment – one second – for his world to shatter.

Flora was on her knees, eyes withdrawn and body barely staying still. She swayed to her side and Helia raced forwards as quickly as his body could carry him. He skidded to his knees by her side and held her against his body, feeling warm crimson blood seep through his fingertips and the wounds on her back and body that bled to the ground.

"Flora! Flora! No!" Helia cried, lifting his right, bloodied hand to her face. He found her gaze, his vision watery from the tears that were about to fall. "Flora-"

"I…I-I'm o-okay," she stuttered softly, her voice barely audible above the wind.

"Let me get help, I'll go and get some help." He went to leave but her hand stopped him. She placed it against his cheek and he leant into it. "S-stay…w-with me."

Her eyes drifted close. "Don't… you can't l-leave m-m-me."

"It's g-going to be ok."

"No…I can't live without you." His bottom lip quivered, the tears from his eyes streaming like rivers, their salt reflecting under the moonlight that made the blood pouring out of his fiancé's body a dark, almost purplish colour. She used the last of her energy to look her love in his eyes, and somehow the both of them knew the truth, that in that one final moment, she wasn't coming home.

"I love you," she sighed, eyes drifting down but not fully closing.

"I love you!" Helia yelled, cradling her body closer to his own, his teeth chattering against each other and eyes closing with grief. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he muttered over and over until his words would no longer come.

The hospital corridors were white, a complete contrast to the droplets of red that marred its perfect canvas down the hallway to the emergency room. Another sticky drop fell from Helia's hands to the floor, his suit was covered in it and though nurses had tried to offer him council he turned them away. The love of his life was gone, and talking about it wasn't going to bring her back.

Distant voices filled the corridor, the sounds of confusion filling his muddled mind. He managed to stand to his feet and turn to meet their gazes, instantly widening the moment they saw the blood on his clothes and the bloody handprint against his face, already crusted and dry. They stopped instantly, mouths slightly open, waiting for the answer that he knew he had to give. Forcing his eyes to look to theirs he shook his head.

Bloom was the first to fall, the weight on her shoulders pulling her to the floor where Sky quickly reacted to pull her into his arms. Stella buried her head into Brandon's chest while Layla did the same to Nabu. Tecna wiped the tears from her eyes and found herself holding Musa who was in a similar state, Timmy muttered something about it all being terribly illogical and Riven stepped forwards and placed a hand on Helia's shoulder. "Let me take you home," he whispered and Helia nodded softly, walking through the congregation that parted like the red sea. Normally he would have offered some words of wisdom, words of comfort, but nothing passed his lips.

He was numb from head to toe. And when he stood outside the door to his home with the keys in his hand he found it difficult to move. Musa stood in the background with her arms crossed, tear streaks against her face as Riven approached his side and pried the keys from his fingers. Carefully he unlocked the door and opened it for his friend. His own hardened heart softened and sunk to the bottom of the deepest ocean when he saw the rose petals on the floor guiding from the entrance to their bedroom, the candles that were lit for so long they had been melted down to nothing and a single rose on the table, sitting elegantly in a vase with a note that stated 'yours forever'.

"Are you going to be okay?" Riven asked nervously, knowing full well that it would take a while for anyone to be 'okay' with what happened. Though suicide wasn't something he thought Helia was capable of, during times of great distress anything was possible. Riven didn't know what he would have done if Musa's life had ended the same way.

"Yeah," Helia finally spoke, the first word he managed to utter.

"Are you sure you don't-"

"I need her back!" He snapped, turning on his heel, face full of fury and eyes burning with rage. Bloodied fingers curled into fists. "That's what I need and if you can't give it to me then you should just leave!"

"There was nothing else you could have done," Riven reasoned but Helia shook his head and looked away again.

"You weren't there," he sighed softly. "I just wish this was a dream, I wish that I would just open my eyes and everything would be back to how it was…but that's never going to happen." Musa stepped inside the door before she walked to Helia and placed a hand against his arm.

"If you need anything, and I mean anything, you let us know okay?" Helia didn't snap, he just nodded his head. "There is something you could do actually."

"Anything," Musa replied.

"I need help…picking what Flora should -" He couldn't finish the sentence without new tears forming in his already red and sore eyes but he didn't have to speak another word.

"We'll pick something nice for her, I promise," Musa smiled solemnly, knowing that it didn't meet her eyes no matter how much she wished it would to offer some sliver of comfort. "Do you need any help clearing this?" She looked to the petals and the candles though Helia shook his head.

"No…I'll do it." Musa nodded before Riven stood by her side and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, with a final goodbye and offer of help, the two left and closed the door behind them, leaving Helia alone inside the house that had become his hell. He walked to the table and picked up the vase before throwing it to the floor where it smashed into pieces. He kicked the walls, broke glasses and finally ended up on the floor, surrounded by memories that whispered in his ears to torture him.

It had all seemed like a dream, until the day of Flora's funeral when he stood over her open casket. He lifted one of her cold, pale hands into his own and held it tight before leaning forward and planting a kiss against her forehead. "I will always love you," he whispered before tribute after moving tribute were given to the crowd who dabbed their tears away with tissues and clung to one another for support. But the pain he felt could not be dabbed away with anything, much less a tissue, and he had no hand to hold, no shoulder to cry on, nobody to truly share the burden with other than himself.

I love you.

Blinking the remaining tears into submission, Helia wiped the tracks from his cheeks and turned to the left to see Icy looking at him, her piercing blue eyes staring right into his soul.

"You ok?" she asked and he nodded.

"You?" She nodded.

"We should keep moving…" She stood to her feet and he followed, carefully manoeuvring himself to stand. Once eye to eye neither said a word or made a move.

"I don't know what you might have heard," Icy sighed.

"Nothing," Helia interrupted, catching her a little off guard. "I didn't hear anything…and I don't think you heard anything either."

"Agreed," she nodded before walking ahead, making Helia release another sigh and look to the full moon one last time.

I love you too.

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.