STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
by Cyanne

An interlude between Parts Thirteen and Fourteen of Onyxmoon's "Destiny Strikes Again"

[excerpt]

"Stormy," Buddy whispered. Stormy knelt and held his dying body in her arms.

"Take care, Buddy Blue," she whispered.

"Buddy!" Rainbow cried, and knelt at his side.

Buddy smiled and managed to turn his head to look at her. "You'll win, Rainbow Brite--" He twisted his body, writhing in pain. He gasped. "I know you will . . ." He smiled once more to everyone. "You've all been so wonderful..."

"Aw heck," Red cried, trying not to cry, "just *die* already!" He held his face in his hands.

"Red!" Lala screeched.

"No...he's right..." Buddy closed his eyes. "It's time." He breathed deeply. It was his last breath.

He went limp and still in Stormy's arms. She was crying. "Thank you," she whispered softly, then kissed his forehead gently.

A few feet away from where Buddy Blue had drawn his final breath, a fierce green glow slowly began to surround Patty O'Green. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Everyone turned, startled, to see Patty, her color pulsating with power, her blue eyes glaring at Stormy, who was still clinging to Buddy's lifeless body. Green sparks danced at her fingertips, and the green aura that surrounded her newly-matured body was so vivid it was almost blinding.

"You," Patty spat, gazing daggers at Stormy, whose eyes had widened in shock. "You killed him."

"Patty!" Red said warningly.

New tears began to roll down Stormy's cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but her lips trembled and no words came out. The expression of misery in her eyes struck the hearts of all the Color Kids--except one.

"You killed him," Patty repeated steadily. "It's your fault Buddy's dead." Her right hand twitched, and a small ball of green fire slowly took shape in her palm. "And, so help me, I'll make you pay for it."

"Patty, stop it!" Rainbow cried, feeling a twinge of real fear. Patty's fury, when aroused, was formidable, but Rainbow had never seen her like this. She was almost as terrifying as Stormy had been under the influence of the Darknesss. Rainbow felt her heart lurch. Is that what this is? Has Patty been possessed by the Darkness, too?

"Patty, you're scaring me," Canary cried. "Stop this now."

Oblivious, Patty took a step toward Stormy. "Take your hands off him," she commanded.

Stormy stumbled to her feet, her lips white with pain and terror.

"Patty, I didn't--I--he was my friend too!"

"SHUT UP!" Patty screamed. The green fireball now crackled between both of her trembling hands, having grown to the size of a bowling ball. "You don't know what friendship is! All you know is rain and hate and darkness! You don't deserve his sacrifice!" Gleaming trails of tears flashed on Patty's cheeks. "Buddy was one of the most caring people I have ever known. He was good, and kind, and compassionate--everything that you are not! He would have given his life for anyone--and he gave it to save the likes of you, a twisted, black-hearted witch who doesn't-- couldn't--care about anyone but herself!" The ball of green energy became concentrated; the rest of the Color Kids and Rainbow were forced to shield their eyes from its painful brilliance. Patty's face was illuminated in green, her usually-blue eyes now a fierce, flickering turquoise. She looked like a goddess--or a
demon. "Buddy shouldn't have died," Patty continued. "It was mistake, a mistake I'm going to make up for!"

This isn't the Darkness, Rainbow thought. But it's something the Darkness can feed on. I've got to do something before it's too late. "Stand back," she ordered to the Kids. "I'm going to try something."

Patty felt the power flowing through her, pulsating to the rhythm of her heart, churning through her bloodstream, saturated in the air that circulated through her lungs. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear, she couldn't think of anything but her anger, her pain, her despair-- and the urge to do away with the cause of her terrible anguish. Something had gone terribly wrong, but she could make it right--she would make it right. The forces gathered in her mind and heart, preparing her for the outburst of power and rage that would destroy her along with the source of her woes, but she was beyond caring. Her palms were burning, crackling, itching for the explosion that was only moments away--And suddenly, everything stood still. The roaring in her ears abruptly ceased, and the light that had blinded her disappeared. Patty blinked, her eyes adjusting to the change. Faintly, as if through a thick haze, she saw the rest of the Color Kids, Rainbow, Krys, and Brian, standing before her, staring at her with wide, terrified eyes. What are they afraid of? Patty thought, confused. She looked at Stormy, standing petrified like an animal whose death is imminent and who is too frightened to leap to safety. There was someone standing beside her--Buddy.

No, Buddy was dead. He was staring at her, too, but there was no fear in his eyes--only compassion. "Patty, don't do it."

But Buddy's dead.

"Please, Patty, for me. Don't do it."

"But she killed you," Patty whispered.

Buddy shook his head. "I chose to die--so that my friend could be free. I couldn't abandon Stormy to the Darkness, and I can't abandon you." He took a step toward her, and Patty noticed that she could see Stormy's expression of terror through his hazy form. "Don't hurt Stormy," Buddy said, "because if you do, you'll become a tool of the Darkness, just like she was." He smiled faintly. "If I could, I'd give my life again, to save you. But I can't, so you've got to do it yourself. And I believe in you, Patty, just like I believed in Stormy."

Patty began to cry. "I don't want you to be dead, Buddy."

"I won't be if you remember me," he replied.

"Buddy, don't go--I can't do this alone--"

Buddy smiled again. "But you already have."

Something flashed before her eyes. The world lurched, and her senses came roaring back. Patty closed her eyes against the sudden, blinding white light--the light of the rainbow . . .

Rainbow's beam of light encircled Patty, soaking up the angry green aura.When it was gone, Patty collapsed to her knees, shaking and sobbing. Her friends immediately surrounded her, hugging her and offering words of comfort.

Rainbow released the rainbow beam from her belt and watched it dissipate. She now understood what had happened. Brian had told her how people could react differently to grief, especially sudden, deeply-felt grief. Some grieved openly, like Stormy, others let it eat away at them until their humanity was gone. Patty's grief over Buddy's unexpected death had overwhelmed her. Not knowing how to deal with feelings she had never experienced, she had let her sadness turn to anger, anger that had left her dangerously vulnerable to possession by the Darkness that had almost claimed Stormy. Rainbow suppressed a shudder over how close Patty had come to succumbing to her grief. She had been ready to kill Stormy for Buddy's death. But something had stopped her. Just before Rainbow had released the rainbow intended to cleanse the Darkness from Patty's mind, Patty's face had undergone a change, something that made the color drain from her cheeks and her eyes widen and fill with tears. Rainbow had a feeling that, if it were not for that change that had come over Patty upon the threshhold of the fatal expression of her grief, the rainbow would not have been enough to stop Patty from destroying both Stormy and herself all at once.

Patty was being gently helped to her feet by Red and Canary. Her sobs had subsided somewhat, but the experience had left her weak. Rainbow knew it would be a long time before Patty recovered from the shock of Buddy's death--indeed, before they all recovered from the first parting that had ever been experienced among them. But there will be more, she thought. We knew that going in. This war is far from over. We knew there would have to be sacrifices. Buddy was the first. Who will be next?

Rainbow felt an arm slide around her shoulders. Knowing who it was without having to look, she leaned against Brian's strong shoulder and allowed the first tears to fall.