As each elemental went in search of something they were drawn to and keeping an eye out for the destruction of innocence they often blurred from their elemental figure into pure force. As they melded between the forms they still had a sense of being but not that of humans, but as their elemental form. Each and everyone of them felt a vast freedom, a connection so profound it was beautiful and yet ever so soft was a connection they felt to their human side, to their guardians.

At the campsite Darryl, Marc, Darren and Maya sat quietly around the fire. They had doubled the amount of stones around the fire to make it harder to spread and were idly feeding the fire. Marc gawked however when Irene appeared out of nowhere. She appeared dark and her eyes had a vehement glow.

"What are you doing here?" Marc asked as he got up to stand.
"Oh please, you think I am here for you, how niave. Get out of my way." The voice was partially Irene's but there was something different about it, something sinister. "I am here to stop you."

Irene moved towards them and Marc went to stop her. She simply waved her hand in a dismissive manner and Marc was flung a few feet away winded by the sudden unseen blow. The rest stood but they too were flung aside like rag dolls. Irene walked forward and then stopped suddenly. A laugh so deep and terrifing escaped her lips as her skin bulged and her body slowly took shape. Where Irene once stood a dark evil stood, a deamon with almost black skin and red eyes glared at them before blinking out of sight.

Marc being the first to manage to get up helped Darryl get up and in turn they helped Maya and Darren. They were mostly fine though Darren seemed to have twisted his ankle in his fall.

"We have to warn them." Marc said.
"How do you propose we do that." Darren asked nursing his sore ankle.
"I think I may have an idea." Darryl replied.

Darryl decided to get everyone to sit down in a circle and hold hands. They closed their eyes and his suggestion and tried to slow their breathing before trying to send their thoughts of warning to their respective charges. A few minutes later Darryl dropped his hands in defeat.

"I dunno, it seemed like a good idea but I don't think it is working."
"Perhaps it's our positioning."
"What do you mean?"
"Well each element is related to a direction is it not?"
"Go on."
"Well Kat is obviously Earth and the direction for that is North so I should sit here to be more connecting to her."
"I get what your saying. Might work, heck can't hurt to try." Darryl said with renewed hope.
"Okay Earth is North so I will sit here, sorry Darren. East is Air, that's you Darryl, South is Fire, Maya and last but not least Darren you take West for Water."

They all shuffled and tried once again to hold hands and reach out to Jade, Kat, Kate and Sarah. This time they each felt a warmth in their hands and in their hearts. As they opened their eyes they could see a colour streaming out like a ribbon and then swirling around each other in a little dance before each colour shot of in a different direction.
They sat that way for a little longer not saying a word, feeling that their message would reach and just holding onto the warmth they had felt through that small but significant act.

Each elemental saw the ribbon and then felt the message rather than heard it. Then they saw what the message was about. A darkness was spreading across the sky and decending upon the earth. It was to be a race to meet their destinations.

Sarah was the first to reach her destination. She looked at her surroundings. She was in an alleyway. A young boy was there, his knees brought up to his chest, his head resting on his knees looking down into his lap. He seemed so lifeless and his shoulders slumped so far down they almost seemed to reach the ground he sat on. Sarah reached forward to touch this lad, to reach out to him in some way when she saw the shadow beside him, pushing him down. Then she was pulled away, her hand still outstreched, tears of fire streaming down her face.

Kate reached a little girl who laid in a hospital bed. There where wires everywhere, and machines with constant blips and bleeps that interrupted the serenity on the little girls face. She seemed peaceful as she spoke to her mother telling her that she was ready to die. There was a calm that was eminating from the little girl in a soft blue aura that was trying to reach her mother but was stopped by the shadow. Kate wailed at the shadow and it cared not for her. Then she was pulled away.

Kat found herself in a family home. It was neat and tidy and homey yet felt deserted, as if no-one was there. Kat walked softly through the house without making a sound til she found one room. Inside was a middle aged women, she was rocking back and forth muttering to herself, 'It must go here, it must go here...' as she moved vases, furniture, everything within the room. For one moment her eyes focused as she looked directly at Kat and came towards her. She reached the doorway and hesitated before she heard something, the shadow was there, he moved a vase and that noise was enough to distract that poor women. Kat went to reach out to the women, to make her see clearly again but the shadow just laughed as Kat was pulled away.

Jade was flying and flying following a thread that was taking her this way and that before she reached a clearing. There was a hill with a single tree under which was a huge gravestone. Their names seemed familar to Jade but she couldn't place it, for once the knowledge she was held was gone.
She read the message.
"Here they lay, unknown to their own, their sacrifice great, a part of necessity, a duty so cruel and yet required they gave themselves willingly."

The message seemed to strike Jade to the core. She gently reached out to touch the gravestone, a need to understand, to feel a connection to get more than the words could express. Then the shadow appeared, it swatted her like a fly and glared at her as it screeched it's anger at her. She gathered herself and went once more for the gravestone but the pull came as strongly as it had the others and she too was pulled away.

They found themselves standing in black. They could not see but could sense each other, a small comfort.

"I will not have you interfering." The darkness spoke to them, the words seemed to touch them all with an ooze of pain, despair, hatred.
"You have no choice, we are the elements, we are energy in the purest form, you can not destroy energy." The four spoke in unison, their words strong.
"No, but you can change it." The darkness spoke, again the oppression of his voice seemed to close in on them.
"You can not change love." Jade said directly to the darkness. For one brief moment in that complete defiance she was able to connect with the others, and they knew what to do. They then turned in on themselves, drawing from within before pushing out. The darkness tried to push hard against them, to close them in and trap them but they pushed back and slowly lights appeared out of the darkness. The red, blue, green and yellow seemed to contrast against the darkness so much that they appeared extremely bright. As the colours grew, they grew and reached for each other. Spindles of colour from each element reached out to each other and intertwined so much that the colours started to meld and became a pure white light. It pushed against the darkness and then shattered, sending flecks of white each and every direction, the darkness screaming in agony.

The force behind the light shattering manage to send each and every one of the elements back to the people they saw.

Sarah saw the boy and the shadow still trying to opress him. She smiled at the shadow and it flinched. Then gathering herself she sent forth bolts of fire and the fire at the shadow. It howled and released it's grip on the boy before vanishing. Sarah reached out and gently touched the lad. He looked up his eyes focusing as if seeing for the first time and looked at her. She smiled and forced a single tear which fell. The boy reached out and caught the tear in his hand. A dawning in his eyes of hope spread through his body as that tear absorbed into his skin. "I will not forget you." He said in thanks. Sarah felt a gentle pull and turned to see a red thread. She saw it swirl into Maya's face and the memory of Sarah came back. She nodded acknowledgement and then with a final goodbye to the boy she followed the thread back.

Kate found herself back by the little girl, the shadow taking one look at her and moved a few steps back. Kate sang to it, the tune piercingly painful even as it attempted to block the noise by covering it's ears. It screamed as it vanished. Kate smiled and then went to the little girl. She stood beside the little girl and hummed as she helped the girl send out the soothing waves towards her mother. The mother stopped crying and her face filled with awe. Kate shed a tear for the little girl who caught it in her hand but instead of it absorbing like it had in Sarah's case she managed to hold the tear out for her mother. Her mother looked at her daughter quizzically as she couldn't see what was in her daughters hand. She reached out to hold her daughters hand anyway and just before she held that frail hand she saw the tear. It seeped into her skin as her daughter died in that moment. She then looked at Kate and managed to see her.
"She was right." She said meekly. Kate nodded. Then she saw a blue thread which formed the face of Darren. Like Sarah her memory came back to her and she followed that thread.

Kat stood outside the doorway, her heart ached for the women before her. Without second thought Kat reached for her bow and arrow and shot at the shadow. It tried to deflect the arrows but they came faster and faster as Kat let of arrow after arrow. No longer able to take the torment it flew out the window. The women stopped shuffling around the room and looked at Kat again. Kat reached out to the women and the women took her hand and stepped through the doorway. The worry in her face vanished and a smile so broad made the women look so beautiful that it touched Kat's heart. She shed a tear and the women reached out and took it from her. She stared at it for a moment before it seeped into her skin.
"I never lost faith, I just couldn't seem to find you."
"I am always here." Kat replied.
A green thread reached out to Kat and Marc's face formed within it. Kat remembered him but felt torn between her love for Marc and this kind lady who reminded her of her own mother. "Go on dear, I will be okay. I know my task."
Kat went to follow the thread but at last moment turned and hugged the women and then followed the thread.

Jade found herself back at the tree and looked at the tombstone. The shadow was there still trying to block her path. Jade stood her ground, well as much as a fae that is no larger than a couple of inches. The shadow laughed at her mockingly. Gently a wind picked up, the branches of the tree swaying in the breeze. The shadow noted the breeze but looked at her indifferntly. When the breeze picked up a little more it looked without wanting to at the tree. Not quiet focusing the shadow saw the illusion that Jade was creating. It started to shake in terror and yelped each time the wind whipped at it. Finally it gave up and fled. Jade allowed the breeze to die down and landed near the base of the tombstone. She walked the last distance her wings folded down. She reached out and touched it and closed her eyes allowing the voices she had always known to communicate to her. She understood where they were from, why they were going and why she was never alone. She pulled her hand away. Her eyes brimming with tears as she knew her existance as Jade and what her life would be like as a fae. She flew up and took a seat on a branch in the tree contemplating what to do next. She saw a soft yellow thread drift near her and she saw Darryl's face form within. She hesitated not wanting to take any course of action. The face softened and then nodded. It shed a tear and that tear floated over to Jade and sunk into her. She remembered her family and Darryl being there when she needed, and most of all she remembered the love they had given her. She stood and patting the tree, took one last glance at the tombstone. "I will return," she promised and followed the thread.

At the campsite Darryl, Darren, Marc and Maya were again holding hands. They were chanting, calling for the elements, calling for their loved ones. Their voices harmonic. They only stopped when they felt hands on their shoulders. They opened their eyes to see Jade, Kate, Kat and Sarah standing behind them. There was much rejoicing and hugging. After they settled down Maya asked what happened.

Jade was about to explain what happened when the deamon form of Irene came back. It's ears were bleeding from Kate's song, it's chest wounded from Kat's arrows, burns were seen all over it's body from both the fire Sarah had dished at it and the wind burns that Jade had caused. The demon collapsed, it's breathing laboured.

"You think you have one, but I will still take this one with me."

With that and a haunting laugh the demon left Irene's body but the wounds remained. They all ran forward. Kat held her hands over Irene's aura trying to help heal the wounds. Jade followed Kat's example and soon everyone had their hands hovering just above Irene's body. They all pushed aside their annoyances towards Irene's past behaviour and thought only of her well being. Slowly their hands glowed and that glow showered down upon Irene life snowflakes. She healed before their eyes but she never woke. They packed their stuff quickly and Jade drove Irene to the hospital.

It was a few days before they had managed to gather again. Marc told them all of Irene's recovery. She had awoken a few days later, her memories mostly gone. Her parents had decided to move her. Irene had however remembered how she felt about Marc and he spoke of how he knew that part of her behaviour was not entirely her own. The regret in his voice made Kat suddenly wonder if he still loved Irene. He turned to her as if hearing that unspoken thought and shook his head as he took her hand. Kat felt a deep reasurance.

Again the request of what happened was made. Sarah told of her story, then Kate, then Kat but Jade said nothing.

"What did we do exactly, I mean how did we save innocence." Sarah asked. "There is a moment in everyone's life that they retain a special innocence, the kind that you see easily in babies as they see the world with fresh eyes, taking in everything. We got to touch that and strike the chord within those people, an opportunity for them to see the world again and all it's glory. We gave them hope and that comes from the last element, spirit."
"What about you Jade, you didn't tell us what happened with you."
Jade told them about her parents grave.
"Who did you save. I mean we all shed a tear and embued them with part of our element. You didn't say anything about that."
"I know. Darryl was the one to shed a tear actually as I needed the element renewed in me. When I touched that grave I understood a lot of things but I still overlooked something important. Love. Darryl's tear brought back everything you have ever done for me, a love that has no source but exists all the same. A simple lesson really but one that is rather direct."
"And you came back, which is important." Darryl said pulling Jade into his lap.
"So what now, do we loose our elemental power?" Sarah asked.
Jade shook her head but Kat was the one to answer. "You can't loose something that is a part of you. That was a bit about what Jade learnt. A lesson we can all share."

They continued to chat well into the night with a renewed passion for life, love and each other.