Leaving The Past

Taking The Crown

A scream woke her up, causing her ears to ring even worse than usual due to the honeysuckle that still seemed to linger in her system.

What the hell?

She wondered, slowly getting out of bed and following the noise, only to find herself outside the room that Adora was staying in.

Slowly opening the door, Catra found her former best friend sitting up in bed, arms wrapped around herself as she seemingly trembled form whatever horrors her mind had played out to her.

"Hey Adora, You okay?"

She noticed how Adora jumped at the sound of her voice before trying to school her features, but even in the dark Catra could make out the trembling of her the other girl's body.

"Catra! What are you doing in here?"

Adora demanded, only to earn a chuckle from Catra who leaped across the room and onto the bed.

"Adora, remember we grew up together. I'm not going to fall for your tough girl act...Now spill... What's wrong? It's not like the protector of the universe to be nearly in tears." Catra responded, tail curling around Adora slightly, watching through the darkness as her former best friend seemed to deflate.

"I keep seeing her...Feeling her touch. I know you had it works Catra, So much worse but she….She hurt me too alright? It was like I would never be good enough, that if I made one mistake I was a failure and when I close my eyes, I'm back in the fright zone, surrounded by shadows and she…can we not talk about this?"

Catra wasn't sure how she felt when she heard this but Adora didn't cry and yet. She sounded on the verge of tears.

"Hey, that witch can't get to you now." Catra said, lightly elbowing her before adding "Don't take this the wrong way but I could stay the night if you want. Spirits knows that you put up with my constant nightmares enough growing up."

Catra couldn't believe she had said that but she also knew they she didn't like seeing the usually strong girl that he had declared her rival so broken.

"You don't have to."

Adora's response was so meek that Catra wondered if this wasn't a test of some sort.

"I offered, didn't I dummy?" She retorted, tail tightening around Adora slightly before she added "come on, I'm beat and my head is busting...Which I currently hate my parents for by the way. Plus I know you have to be tired. I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Catra….Nevermind. Just thanks."

Catra felt a sense of deja Vu at her own words, which were so much like ones that had passed between the two of them in the past. However she shook it off, knowing that if she thought about it she would become bitter.

And Adora needed support not bitterness in that moment, she could be angry with Adora again tomorrow.

Just not tonight.

Lightly putting an arm around Adora, Catra fell backwards onto the bed, effectively bringing Adora down with her.

"Don't...You would have done the same for me."

Adora snuggled closer then, face pressing against Catra as a silence passed over them then even though Catra could easily smell the tears that Adora was hiding in the front of her shirt.

Shadow Weaver fucked with both of us it seems….I guess no one had an easy time under shadow Weaver. But I won't let Shadow Weaver lay a hand on her again. Even if she didn't get tortured….Even if I did have it worse, If it was bad enough to give her nightmares then it had to have been awful.

Catra thought, closing her eyes and tightened her arm around her.

"No more playing hero Adora. No more taking the world on your shoulders, Everyone needs to pull their own weight. With or without the princess alliance or She-Ra."

She muttered, eyes narrowing as she turned her attention towards the ceiling, her mind making itself up to what she had to do.

She didn't know how long she had lay there with sleep alluding her but she felt Adora curl against her in her sleep, murmurs escaping her lips as more peaceful dreams overtook her and Catra couldn't help but purr.

The familiarity and warmth getting to her, but she didn't care.

Not if it kept Adora safe from the mental torments that Catra herself was used to battling alone.

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C'yra was surprised when Catra walked into the council room the next morning, dressed in regalia and carrying herself with an air of importance.

"Mom...I need to talk with you, on the subject of the princess alliance." She announced, causing the whole room to grow quite.

"Catra, you haven't even connected with the runestone…" Anu began, earning a growl from Catra who stalked over toward the glowing orange stone that decorated the far wall of the room.

"I don't need a magician to tell me how this works. I've watched Shadow Weaver do it multiple times. I know how it works." Catra retorted bitterly, closing her eyes as she pressed a hand to the smooth surface, watching as the energy swirled inside of it before traveling up into her arm.

She could feel a warmth growing inside of her, something warm and safe. So unlike the time she had touched the black garnet.

"Catra, the stone grants abilities based on one's physical strength. It's not fancy but…" C'yra began to explain, only to earn a smirk.

"You forget, I don't need fancy. I just need something that would allow me to kick Shadow Weaver's ass."