(a/n:  Sorry for the delay.  I meant to have this out sooner but the last couple days at work have been heinous and long.  I hope you enjoy it though and thank you for continuing to follow me!  <3 )

           Their battle high wore off quickly as the bleak darkness around them reined them in, illuminated only by the watchlight Eleanara had set for them.  The camp fire had been completely demolished and the dull glow from the lava the construct had bled turned to dust when it did.  It did not take long for concern to take the place of victory as two of their party were still down and one was missing.

           Summer immediately moved to check on Siwon and Kyuhyun while Leeteuk tried to locate Eleanara.  It took Kharin and Eunhyuk just a little longer to let go of that moment.  They stepped back and the fingers of their hands entwined as they were unsure who to follow after.  After a moment, she pushed Eunhyuk gently after Summer, reluctantly releasing his hand as she headed for the watchlight.

           Both Kyuhyun and Siwon were fortunate that they were in range of the illumination as it helped to keep panic at bay.  Kyuhyun shifted carefully under Siwon’s limp bulk, listening to the sounds around him, relieved that the battle had at last wound down.  The paralyzing fear of the fire creature had finally worn off and he felt his cheeks burn in shame and embarrassment.  Harshly, he muttered, “You can get off me now, Siwon.”

           Slowly, Siwon stirred, not quite so dazed anymore, but still filled with a vague sense of dread.  At the upset words, he tried to move as Kyu requested…well, demanded, and then froze, the first traces of real panic reflecting in his face.  In a voice barely more than whisper, he murmured in disbelief, “No…I can’t.”

           “Stop kidding aro-” the words died on his lips as something in Siwon’s eyes frightened him.  Real worry took root as he saw the ever sturdy and reliable Siwon stricken by fear.  “What’s wrong?” he asked instead, dreading the answer.

           “I…I can’t feel my legs,” Siwon stammered, the sound broken and small.

           “Oh …” Kyuhyun stated, the words out before he could stop them.  Carefully, he looked around to see who was nearby.  “Hey guys!” he called firmly, more than a little nervous to move.

           Summer was the first to reach his side and she looked both confused and concerned.  “What’s wrong?” she asked as she knelt beside them and placed a hand to Siwon’s upper back lightly.

           “Siwon can’t feel his legs,” the younger man explained quietly, looking as lost as the one on top of him did.

           Summer’s gasp was almost lost in Eunhyuk’s cry, “What?!”  Kharin froze as she drifted close enough to hear the admission.  Her eyes searched out Leeteuk, heading into the darkness blindly and she was torn…  Finally, she headed after the earth elementalist, half the watchlight in hand.  There was nothing she could do for Siwon…

           In the back of his mind, Leeteuk heard Eunhyuk and he felt a pang of worry but his heart was already racing.  This was the way she had been hit…he was sure of it.  The attacks had happened so fast, it was hard to keep an eye on everyone at the same time, but he was almost positive that she had been thrown this way.  He just couldn’t see her…  Neither the light she had made nor the moon, now hidden behind the smoky sky, showed her form anywhere.  “Where are you?” he asked quietly, worried as he knelt to the ground to listen…to see if she was moving at all.  Now, when she wasn’t calmly at his side, her absence sounded louder than thunder.

           The sound of someone coming up behind him made him look back and he saw Kharin holding half the watchlight in her hand, one side cleanly cut.  “Did you find her?” she asked, raising the light up to see better.  Determinedly, she did not look back at Siwon, but she still had to swallow the lump in .  When they found Eleanara it would be okay…

           Leeteuk had been about to answer her but then the light she brought with her flickered on a figure on the ground ahead of them.  Without a word, he leapt from where he was kneeling and sprinted to it, fear filling every part of him.  He could hear Kharin right behind him so the closer he got, the more clear things became and he felt his breath catch in his throat.  Kharin stopped so abruptly beside him he didn’t need to see to know she wore a similar expression on her face.

           Eleanara lay on her side in a slowly spreading pool of red.  Her torso was soaked through and her golden hair was matted with drying blood, carelessly covering her face.  Fearing the worst, Leeteuk practically threw himself down beside her, heedless of the blood staining his knees.  “Eleanara…” he murmured with a shaking voice as he reached a tender hand to move the hair away from her face.  She did not stir at the contact at all, but he could hear a painful wheezing sound issuing from .  “She’s alive,” he swallowed hard as relief washed over him at the revelation.

           “Thank the gods,” Kharin murmured breathlessly as she set the watchlight down and shifted to the other side of the small, wounded body.  Carefully, she rolled the injured woman to her back, trying to find the source of the blood.

           Leeteuk hissed when he saw it first, an ugly and deep gash splitting the whole of her right side below her rib cage.  “Oh ,” he breathed.  “, , ,” he continued as he tore off his shirt and pressed it to her side in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

           Kharin bit her knuckle hard as she watched the pair in front of her.  Only now, when they didn’t have a healer, did they recognize their folly in not having any sort of back-up plan.  It had never crossed their mind that Eleanara might end up in a position where she would not be able to heal…  “Oh gods…  Siwon,” she murmured, the voice muffled behind her fist as her gaze drifted between the injured elementalists.  Leeteuk heard her and met her gaze.  The look in his eyes nearly broke her heart.

           He took a shaky breath as he tried to think clearly, but it was so hard.  The only reason Kharin would mention Siwon now had to mean he was beyond normal help…  “Come on,” he stated quietly as he gently picked up the small, torn body into his arms and held her close.  “She’ll be okay,” he told her firmly, though they both knew he was saying it for his own benefit as much as hers.  “You’ll be okay,” he whispered quietly into Eleanara’s hair as he walked carefully back to the others.

           As they returned, Kharin picked up the watchlight and noticed the rock that Eleanara had been torn open on.  It wasn’t particularly large, but it jutted from the ground awkwardly, a slab of stone about the height of her fist, stained red.  Impulsively, she shattered it with a shadow blade, intensely, unreasonably angry.

           Summer and Eunhyuk managed to roll Siwon off Kyuhyun without causing him too much pain, but it was obvious he was holding a lot of it back.  They had made him as comfortable as they could with a folded shirt from someone’s pack under his head and a sleeping roll thrown over him.  There was obvious pain in his eyes, but he smiled encouragement at them.  “At least we won,” he offered with a ghost of humor.

           “It’s going to be okay,” Eunhyuk assured him, holding his right hand tightly, his eyes watery with tears.  “You’re going to be fine.  You’ll see,” he smiled bravely, though his voice was thick.

           Kyuhyun held his other hand, a vast array of emotions shifting across his face.  “Dummy,” he started weakly, his grip tightening on the other man’s hand.  “When are you going to learn to get out of the way,” he asked as a tear crawled down his cheek.  He didn’t even bother to wipe it away.  Siwon had saved his life today…there was no doubt about that.  And here he was; broken and smiling for the rest of them so they wouldn’t worry.

           “When you don’t need me to be there anymore,” he answered honestly.  He laughed weakly and looked up trying hard not to cry, though despite his best efforts, one tear slid from the corner of his eye.

           The simple sincerity made Kyuhyun’s chest tighten and he leaned forward to place his head on Siwon’s chest.  He couldn’t even say anything.  The words simply failed him so he held his hand and soaked the cover with his tears.  He felt one of Summer’s arms come to rest across his back and he took a shuddering breath.  Her free hand covered his and Siwon’s, offering what comfort she could.

           When Kharin came running back into camp and immediately started tearing apart one of the packs searching for something, they were all surprised and alarmed.  Eunhyuk had to ask because the others didn’t.  “What’s happened?”  He relaxed his grip slightly on Siwon’s hand as he raised himself up, fearing more bad news.

           “Eleanara’s been hurt bad,” she stated in a clipped tone, finally dumping the pack and then grabbing the set of clothes and the waterskin before heading for Leeteuk who was still holding the light elementalist.  She turned around and almost angrily snatched at the first sleeping roll that came to hand.

           As soon as she had it laid out, Leeteuk placed his charge on it so that the wounded side was up.  None of them were great at treating wounds.  They knew the basics but Eleanara had been the one to really focus on it.  She would know exactly what to do in this situation…

           His hands trembled as he removed the bloody shirt and looked at the wound once more.  “Oh ye gods,” he murmured again, fighting panic.  Frantically, he gestured for the waterskin and doused the wound, washing away bits of debris and dirt that had clotted in it.  There was little that they could do beside stop the bleeding and hope that she woke up, but if they didn’t manage the first part, the second wasn’t very likely.  None of this was lost on the group clustered around Siwon and his face took on a very gray sheen as he realized he might well be stuck like this and that Eleanara could die.  Unconsciously, his grip tightened on both hands held in his and they responded in the same fashion.

           As best they could, Leeteuk and Kharin patched up Eleanara and, two sets of torn clothes later, they sat back, having done what they could.  Kharin wiped the blood off her hands, using her pants as nothing else came to hand.  Her anger had drained away a while ago and all that was left was weariness and a dull hope that refused to be extinguished.  She saw a similar look in Leeteuk’s eyes as he gently rocked back and forth, back and forth, with Eleanara in his arms.  Unable to watch any longer, she took a shaky breath and stood up.  She managed to find another sleeping roll and she folded it gently around Leeteuk’s bare shoulders, flinching when he didn’t even react.

           Eunhyuk approached Kharin quietly.  With gentle, slender hands, he carefully pulled her up and into his arms where he cradled her tenderly.  “It is going to be okay,” he assured her softly.  “Come on.  You need rest,” he urged her, walking her over near Siwon who was still awake, surprisingly enough.  Summer and Kyuhyun had fallen asleep some time ago on his other side, curled up side by side, their hands still lightly entwined with Siwon’s.

           “Believe in her,” Siwon murmured softly as Kharin came to rest beside him, with Eunhyuk on the other side of her.  Right now, it was the only hope he had…

           Kharin turned into the hollow provided by Eunhyuk’s body and she clung to him.  At least when he had been hurt, she had been worried but fairly sure he was going to be fine.  Leeteuk didn’t even have that…  With Eunhyuk’s arms around her and Siwon resting his other hand on her shoulder, Kharin passed out, glad to give up on her worry, if only for a moment.

           Leeteuk heard everything that was going on around him and was even mildly glad the others were able to get some rest, but…  Carefully, he regarded the small figure in his arms and ever so lightly, he hugged her to him.  From all that he could figure, it had been the heat and the flames that had undone her.  Her hands had been badly burned, her face was flushed and damaged by heat if the raspy breathing was any indication.  Likely she had fainted and then lost control which had resulted in the rest of the injuries.

           And every breath she took he prayed was not her last.  She had lost so much blood before they had been able to stop it…  “Come back to us,” he whispered quietly into her hair.  As the helpless tears started again, he whimpered, “Come back to me…”  It was going to be a very long night.

           Hours later, the watchlight finally failed as real dawn began to approach, lightening the sky.  The sun was still hiding, not yet having made an appearance when Leeteuk focused blurry eyes as he fought sleep for the umpteenth time that night.  He was not going to succumb…  He couldn’t yet.  He had to wait…had to see…  Numbly, he looked over at the others who were still resting in sleep’s embrace.

           He was still watching them sleep when Eleanara shifted.  It was such a small move, he wasn’t sure he had felt anything but then she took a deeper breath and as he looked down at her with hopeful, deep chestnut eyes, she opened hers.  “Leeteuk…” she whispered, the paper thin sound the most wonderful thing in the world just then.  Almost delirious with relief and filled with this inexplicable joy, Leeteuk held her as close as he dare and wept into her hair.