Elementals

Chapter 19

"You were having a nightmare about the loss of your sister...loss of your partner." He says. How does he reach the conclusion that we shared the same dream? "What makes you think that?" I ask him slightly defensively. "I saw everything the way that you saw it. It was as if something or someone connected our minds so that I could see it: you, the Seniors, Rocky..." My breath is shaky as he goes on. I fiddle with my hands the best as I can before I even think about saying anything.

"Have you said anything to anyone?" I then finally ask. I'm actually surprised when he shakes his head. "Why?" He turns his head towards me for a moment. "It's not my story to tell. Besides, I've been trying to make you trust me so I did anything possible to make your secrets, my secrets. I guess it will be from now on as well." He goes on. "You're a smart one, I'll give you that." I let out, slightly giving him credit. "Not as smart I would've liked to be sometimes..." He answers with a slightly heavier tone. What I thought I saw earlier is coming up to the surface now.

"Seems to me like you've got some demons of your own..." I then let out as he seems to be catching his breath. It feels like he wants to talk about it but he's struggling to find the right words. I know somehow that it is connected to the person that was here earlier and I'm just wondering right now if I should ask him or not. "I guess we have that in common...none of us are really good at hiding our emotions." He lets out surprising me. I lift on my shoulder slightly innocent. "You seem better at that than me, but...it doesn't mean I don't see that something's bothering you and I might even know what. It's about Rain, isn't it?"

Breeze:
I'm slightly surprised by her so precise notion. I turn my head over to look at her. I have no idea how to respond to that. Somehow I know she did suspect him but...but I didn't expect her to be so straight forward about it. "That silence right there just gave me the answer..." She says, mimicking my words from earlier. I half-smile at first before the conversation with Rain comes back to me. "It wasn't just any normal conversation...him insulting me or pushing me further towards the edge..." I start. She looks over at me intently. "No, this one was...this one was special one could say." I say as I let her wonder on it. "How is that?"

I stay quiet for a moment as I try to find a way to formulate it into one sentence. Although it's pretty straight forward to me how this was a different conversation, I can't find any words to describe it further. "I met him on my way back to our quarters a few hours ago. When he pushed me for your location he seemed genuinely worried about you." She starts as I turn my attention towards her. "In fact he was angry at me for not looking after you better. Of course he ignored my frost-injured hands and then there was the lack of knowledge that you felt like I insulted you after our meeting with him and Ember..." She lets out.

"As insulting and hurting it was to hear it, you were just telling the truth...to them and to me." I answer as that part has really just gotten in the back of my head. It's nowhere near of where my concerns are now. I know she was right. Looking at her, I see that she's turning her attention towards the floor. "Well, I have a bad manner of telling the truth to people. I tend to hit people in the face with it and I never think twice about it...least I haven't before now. I'm sorry for doing that to you..." She lets out. This might be the first time I actually hear her say something nice...sort of.

"Imagine that, you're actually apologizing." I manage to say slightly amused about it. She looks over at me confused. "Are you finding that funny?" She asks me as if she was to be offended by it. "I kind of am...I mean, I've barely known you for what, two days? In that period of time I never heard you say anything that hasn't been...condescending, rude?" I let out matter-of-factly. She raises an eyebrow immediately. "Oh, do you want me to go back to that? Because I can do that" She then asks me. "No, I like this new thing we've got going on...whatever that is." I let out as after a while, both smiles fades away.

"You look scared..." She then says. I look over at her for a while before I look down on my hands. "That's quite observant..." I let out. My hands are slightly shaking as I sense that feeling inside my chest about to shut me down completely. "What happened?" She then asks. "I guess I can finally say that I cut the cord with my brot...with Rain." I correct myself. Blaze seems a little surprised at first as she corrects herself in the chair. "How did he react to it?" I actually find myself smiling ironically back at her. Once again she seems confused by my reaction.

"There's quite an irony in that, actually. He said that he's been treating me the way he has to make me stronger, more independent on him." I let out as she nods. "And now that I actually just cut the cord, he goes on about how I'm never gonna be strong enough without him." I sigh deeply. "What do you believe? That he was trying to make you stronger or is that just a way to get inside your head?" She asks me. I shake my head as I truly don't know what Rain's really up to. "A part of me believes it to be true, but another part of me has had enough of all the times he's been able to trick me." I answer as she leans back on the chair as I actually realize something...

"I'm probably not the best conversationalist on this topic...considering my past with losing my sister...I'd just be happy to have her around." Blaze lets out as it hits me in the face. "Yeah, I know..." I admit as I think about how this isn't the right topic to discuss with her. "I'm not gonna guilt-trip you into a decision, but you should be absolutely sure that cutting the cord is what you want...I mean, I know he's been hurting you and humiliating you for years, and maybe he was telling the truth earlier, maybe he wasn't...but he's always going to be your brother. That's a bond you'll never be able to fully break." She goes on as I keep my attention at her.

"You need to be absolutely sure that you can handle him not being in your life." She finishes as she looks at me. "A couple of days ago, I wasn't..." I admit as she turns curious. "And what's changed since then?" "I didn't have a partner back then, but I do now. I'm no longer alone..." I let out. She looks down on her hands. She doesn't say anything for a while as I let the silence settle between us.

Getting to know Blaze, I've realized that learning to trust all over again, craves a certain amount of strength in all of us. She didn't trust me and I didn't trust her...mostly because we didn't know each other's stories. I didn't know of all the pain, anger and fear that she carried around. More to the point, I didn't understand it. Now I do, because I've recognized the very same things inside of me. I know that's how we can learn to trust each other, to rely on each other the way we need to.

"...and neither are you." I complete as she looks up at me. She eventually nods agreeing. "I know...I just needed to get used to the idea of learning to trust a new partner." She lets out as she struggles to find a right way to describe it. "It went both ways..." I let out. "I guess that's how it is with new partners..." Blaze admits as she turns quiet. "I wanted to trust you right away but...there was just something in your nature that stopped me." She's turning even quieter now. "That also went both ways...I considered you a coward in the beginning...I don't do it now, obviously, but in the beginning..." She starts defending herself as I half-smile at her.

"I think I've proven otherwise by now, don't you?" I ask while referring to the state I'm actually in. "By surviving it, you definitely have..." She answers back confidently as I'm starting to sense my strength fade away little by little. "I should probably let you sleep...come to think of it I should get to sleep as well." She suddenly says. "Thank you, I would very much appreciate that...and yes, you really should sleep as well." I answer. She lightly shrugs at my comment as I see her heavy bags underneath her eyes.

"Wait, how do we do this from now on?" She asks. "You mean how do we sleep?" I ask her slightly raising my eyebrows. "No, you idiot...how do we, you know, get through sessions, life, challenges and stuff?" She asks. I can only come up with one simple answer to that question. "As a team..."
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A/N: So sorry it took me this long to get this up. I really struggled to find the right mood for this chapter. Also I've had some rough days in between and I just needed a break from the writing itself. I hope you enjoy. I plan on making a little time-jump for Chapter 20 so hang on to your hats

ALSO, please let me know if you're entering the One-Shot-Challenge. Remember the first 18 chapters are the ones that count! Dead-line can be pushed! ;)