All the right reasons, all the wrong seasons; Gen

[onew]

All the right reasons, all the wrong seasons
8069 words. PG-13.
- f(x); Gen, implied Luna/Krystal and Amber/Sulli.

author onew.
summary With the world covered in so much darkness, only the Keeper of the Light can save it. That is, if the Seeker finds the Keeper in time.
notesI originally wanted to edit this fic before posting is for real, but RL got in the way. For kpop_olymfics. Thank you so much to Prim primroseshows for the last minute, super quick beta! ♥


Once there was a spell cast
upon a fruitful land.
The evil mistress said, "It has befallen on you,
as I have said beforehand.
Should you not work against a goal
and never work as one,
the world will come to an eventual dry spell
and all riches will be gone.

"So heed me carefully, heed me quick
for this is all I've got;
in these two years of laughter and gain
you'll have to counterplot.
Seek the one who the light seeks
and never let her go
for only she who is the keeper of light
shall be able to end to it all."

The Legend had always spoken of the Keeper of the Light.

It was often said that one would easily know who the keeper of the light was. True to her name, she would radiate with a light like no other and everyone would bow down to her in the hope that she would go out to break the spell cast on the world. She would draw a long arrow from her quiver and aim it at the cross at the top of the Tower of Light, and light would fill the area once the arrow hit the cross. All shadows would be broken and the sun would rise again, never to be chased for fear of not coming back.

That was what the Legend said.

But in the contemporary world of today, one would be called crazy if she looked for "a girl who shone like no other and had the ability to dispel the darkness in the world". So Krystal sank in her seat when she was called "weirdo" for the nth time that day and was almost stowed away to a mental institution.

"Still no luck, Chief," Krystal said in the receiver. Seconds after, she hung up and rested her head against the metal pole near her seat in the subway. She could give up for now and sleep; her stop wasn't until five more stops after, anyway.

The train had just arrived at Gayang when Krystal made a smart decision of looking up to watch the passengers come and go. And so it was true - one would know the Keeper of the Light with just one look.

The girl sat beside her and she held all her excitement in, fighting the urge to smile. A few seconds after, she turned to the girl with bright eyes, saying, "It has been a while, Keeper." The girl shot an inquisitive look at her and before she could even react, Krystal took her hand.

The city lights shone brightly behind them and within seconds, they disappeared into the blinding lights.

They always said it was easy to spot the Keeper.

"Especially for the Seeker of the Light. Good job, Krystal!" A girl in a wheelchair beamed at Krystal and gave her a pat on the back. "I guess we can start the mission now since we've got the Keeper on our side. After we train her, at least. We don't have much time, after all." The girl watched as the Keeper's features contorted in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Victoria, and I'm the Chief of The Resistance. Please call me Victoria."

The so-called Keeper raised her hand.

"Um, that's not it. I just... don't understand. I think you've got the wrong person."

"Oh no, the Seeker can never make a mistake with finding the Keeper! You are the one." Vitoria shifted in her seat and gestured for the Keeper to come closer.

"Your name is Luna, isn't it?"

"Well, not really. I mean it's not my real name." Luna scratched the back of her neck in uncertainty, lips quivering a bit. "That's what my friends from the Glee club call me, at least, because I'm a night person."

From behind Luna, Krsytal took a few steps forward and placed her hand on Luna's shoulder. "You're the light that dispels the darkness, that's why they call you Luna. That's what the Legend says." Krystal watched as the confusion in Luna's features intensified. Krystal just laughed in amusement.

So Luna was the Keeper of the Light.

Luna wasn't really Luna, not before she was recruited by the group they so fondly called 'The Resistance' and before her fellow Glee club members called her that. She was Sunyoung to most people who didn't belong to the organization, Sunyoungie to the people closest to her heart. But ever since she learned about her powers, she set 'Luna' as her default name and wore her hair differently so that people wouldn't know it's her. Sunyoung was already dead, and was never to come back.

They wouldn't really notice, after all.

She didn't really stand out in the Glee club, and the people around her thought she was weird and was too bright for their own good. Not figuratively, at least, because she always had this little crown of light on her head, to which people would normally comment, "So you think you're an angel now, huh? What a poser."

She never really liked being 'bright'.

But the situation was different now - this light she had could actually be used to save people, so she indulged in it for once, taking in pride that she could produce something like this.

Being the Keeper of the Light, she was able to control light and create light out of nothing. All she had to do was focus all her energy in a part of her body and will for it to be released. She could fire light balls with her hand, light beams with her fingers, and sometimes create little balls of light with just her eyes.

Meanwhile, Krystal was the Seeker of the Light. Her primary duty was to find the Keeper and to aid her in her missions. That, and to train her for all the missions she could possibly face.

"Can you try creating bigger balls of light this time? Like so."

Krystal stretched out her hands, summoning an array of mirrors. The mirrors surrounded one of the small balls of light that Luna made, and the small ball steadily grew significantly bigger as the mirrors moved farther from the core. "I'm pretty sure this is something you can achieve. You are the Keeper, after all."

Luna smiled sheepishly, unsure if she was capable of producing such.

"Okay, I take it you're already tired. Let's call it a day for now." Krystal smiled at her softly and gave her a good pat on the back. "Good job."

"No."

Krystal turned around sharply and shot Luna an inquisitive look. "Come again?"

"I said no, let's not stop the training. Not yet, at least." Luna teetered on the edge of certainty, lips quivering as she watched the drastic change in Krystal's features. She gulped down hard.

"Okay." Krystal walked back to her place and settled on the stool just beside Luna, smile still intact. She watched as Luna transformed from unsure to definitely sure, light coming out of her hands. Luna then gave her an affirmative nod.

"Let's give this another try."

Amber had the ability to control fire. She was often in charge of helping Krystal with Luna's training, if the former was away for a personal mission. Sulli, who worked alongside her, had the ability to control the wind. She and Amber made a great dueling duo, and they knew each other very well already, which was why they took great pleasure in 'getting to know Luna', instead.

"So tell me, how did the two of you meet?"

Amber rubbed her chin, her eyes shifting between Luna and Krystal.

"I told you already, right? I saw her on the subway, then I took her here. End of story."

"But that's too uneventful! Didn't your meeting have theatrics or anything?"

Luna shook her head. "Not at all."

"Well, I guess some things just really suck." Sulli threw her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes. "That, or destiny is just boring sometimes." Sulli was biting her lips and trying hard not to laugh by the time she ended and even if she wasn't looking, she knew Krystal was glaring at her.

Amber burst into laughter. Luna had her fair share of laughing, and Krystal just shook her head and sighed.

The last of Luna's training days had soon come, and by this time she had already memorized the simulated tests by heart. She easily dodged the knives, then the bullets, and swiftly found her way to the target. In a blink of an eye, she split the target into two, her hand glowing vibrantly.

Luna hid the smile creeping to her lips behind her hand.

"Okay, that's good for now!" Krystal called out from the other side of the room, snapping to make the simulated field disappear.

"Here." Krystal threw a bottle of water at her and Luna caught it with her left hand.

"I see you've got the simulation tests memorized already."

"Yeah." Luna smiled weakly and uncapped her bottle, drinking half of its contents. "I can't really take too much of your time anymore. The Chief said we have to do something soon, or else the people will be in danger."

"Haven't I told you to stop calling me Chief?"

Victoria came from behind Luna and Luna almost jumped off her seat in surprise. "Please call me Victoria. 'Chief' makes me sound to old."

"But you are," Krystal said flatly. Victoria raised an eyebrow at her. Luna just laughed.

"Anyway, you're right, Luna. I'll meet you two and the other members later; we'll discuss our plan for tomorrow's movement." Victoria gave the two a curt nod and turned in her wheelchair to leave.

Tomorrow was the first day of the two most important years of their lives.

---

It was a time of war and struggling. Gone were the days when people could sleep peacefully and not worry about where to hide and how to dodge bombs when they woke up, when Luna didn't worry about which part of the world to save first and which to put off for a later time.

Their missions were nothing short of exciting - they were more neck-breaking by the minute, exhausting and adrenalin-pumping all at the same time. They mostly encountered weird creatures that were easy to take out with a couple of hits, but the enemies grew stronger with each passing day. Some months after, a new brand of enemies arrived, and they called themselves 'Invaders'.

"Invaders? As in Invader Zim?"

"Um, yes, but not quite." Victoria nodded rather hesitantly and handed everyone a copy of the Invaders' picture. "I think you already know that they come in large groups and there's normally a head Invader or something of that sort. I'm not yet sure about this, but I think the main idea of this game is to take out that head Invader first, and the rest will follow."

And for the next few battles, that was what they did.

The Invaders proved to be more worthy opponents, though. They weren't so easy to take down, primarily because they had the ability to self-resurrect themselves, even if they had already been hit and crushed into pieces so many times.

Amber shot fired a large fireball at the group of Invaders approaching them, sending the Invaders flying to the side. Amber gestured for Luna to aim at the head Invader.

"Do it, now!"

With a loud grunt, Luna released the energy and fired at the Invader in the middle of the moving platoon. The ball of light, upon contact with the head Invader, made the entire group of Invaders vanish, and Luna fell to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"They're getting stronger now," Luna managed to say in between heavy panting. "If this keeps up, we won't be able to handle all the attacks."

"Don't worry." Victoria came from behind them, wheeling herself forward in her wheelchair. "We'll find a way." She beamed brightly at Luna, then at Amber and the rest of the group.

Luna glanced at the throbbing vein in her left hand. She gripped her hand tightly and brought it close to her chest.

They had to find a way, and fast.

But it wasn't that easy.

"Quick, to your right!"

Luna dodged the explosion and ran off to the far end of the block, her hands wide open as she summoned every bit of energy she still had. She released the power in her hands, aiming them at core of the shadow spider, sending the Invader exploding. When the smoke cleared, Luna was already on her knees, down on the ground, clutching her arm tightly.

"Good job, Luna."

"Thanks, Chief. I mean Victoria." Luna nodded and smiled as Victoria helped her up. She didn't bother dusting off the dirt on her shirt anymore; she had grown accustomed to this by now, after months of battling forces from unknown sources. If her senses were correct, they'd be receiving another signal in a while.

Sulli moved closer to Luna and gave her a pat on the back and a reassuring smile.

"We're getting a signal from Japan," Amber called out to the group, her eyes fixed on the gadget in her hand. Her nose scrunched. "If my calculations are correct, we should be getting ready in thirty minutes." Amber then showed the markings on the gadget to Victoria, getting down on her knees so that Victoria could see better.

Victoria nodded thoughtfully. "Hm. You're right."

Luna almost laughed at herself; she'd gotten way too used to everything by now.

"So, are we flying?" Sulli asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did so. She looked at everyone for confirmation - Luna was just smiling, Amber simply shrugged, and Krystal was the only one with a verbal answer.

"Sure. That is, if Victoria doesn't mind."

"Oh, don't mind me. You guys go ahead and take on the bad guys. Just take the camera so you can keep a record of your battle." Victoria threw a capsule the size of a pen at Amber. "Just press the top and it'll know what to do."

Luna, Krystal, Sulli and Amber all lined up and gave Victoria a sharp salute. "Roger!"

Five seconds after, they were already airborne.

People like them weren't all about completing missions and performing kick-ass moves, though. Amber, for one, was rather fond of taking care of plants (when there was one in sight, at least). Sulli was pretty fond of playing video games and coming up with ideas for them.

Krystal, meanwhile, had developed a fondness for observing Luna.

It wasn't hard to develop an interest for Luna. She was really talented and strong-willed, making her an excellent fighter all-in-all. She was also open to suggestions and criticisms, and this was what Krystal found most interesting about Luna.

Except sometimes, Krystal felt that she wasn't just fond of observing Luna from a fine distance.

She was, to say the least, drawn to Luna. It was perfectly logical, though - she was the Seeker of the Light and Luna was the Keeper. They were destined to be 'drawn' to each other, so to speak. That was what the Legend said, after all.

It wasn't really hard to be drawn to Luna.

For one thing, she was bubbly despite her perpetually being unsure of herself and her capabilities. She also had a way of making you feel like you're the only one who existed in her world whenever she talked to you, her eyes fixed on yours and nothing, no one else. Ultimately, her smile was downright captivating, and if one wasn't drawn to it, Krystal swore she didn't know what else would.

"You're off your game." Luna came from behind Krystal, her standard sunshine smile on her lips. "Now you've got a simulated wound."

Krystal had just finished going through her training routine and she slipped just after she had landed on the padding on the floor, causing her to twist her ankle and incur several wounds.

"You make it sound so bad," Krystal replied, laughing lightly. "In the real world, it's just a scratch. Don't worry about it." She then flashed her brightest smile in the hope of outdoing Luna's own, but to no avail.

Luna shrugged, smile still on her lips. "Whatever you say, master."

"Master? You're calling me 'master' now?"

"Well, you are the one who trained me, and I think it's but fitting to give you what you're due." Luna's eyes strayed and her lips quivered.

"And I'm due a title? Oh come on." Krystal walked to where Luna was, dragging her left foot. "You're the Keeper, the savior of the universe. That's what the Legend says but well, you get the idea." Krystal scratched the tip of her nose. "If anything, I'm the one who's supposed to be calling you 'master'."

Luna laughed a little. "I guess this won't end."

"Maybe, so you better get some rest now. Big day tomorrow." Krystal gestured for Luna to run along and get to her regimen before sleeping, but Luna didn't budge. Krystal assumed Luna was going to ask about the big day, so she quickly said, "One of the many big days, at least. You know what they say: anything can happen in a battle!"

Krystal laughed rather nervously and turned around to walk back to her place, and it wasn't until she turned around again that Luna left the room. Krystal stayed rooted in her position, chest constricting a bit, so she clutched at it tightly, heaving a sigh.

It wasn't so hard to be drawn to Luna, after all.

"You know you can't do it, right?"

"Huh?"

"You can't like her."

Krystal buried her face in her hands. "Of course, I know that. 'Seeker and Keeper must not come to be, else the world will be in disparity.'" Krystal recited a line from the Legend and Amber recited it with her. Krystal took a deep breath.

"And besides, I like her for her talent, that's all."

Krystal's voice was muffled in her hands, but Amber could hear her clearly. "Yeah, but you'll never know with these kinds of things."

"These kinds of things?" Krystal scoffed. She put an arm around Amber's shoulder, pulling her close. "Hey, I'm good. I'm just a bit disturbed that I'm talking to you about a girl, that's all."

This wasn't their kind of thing, but Amber let Krystal rest her head on her shoulder. She was going to keep quiet about this; Krystal didn't have to worry. Krystal wasn't so fond of displaying her affection like this, that Amber knew.

"You just think too much," Amber mumbled, and she soon felt Krystal's shoulder shake in laughter. She then found herself laughing, thoroughly convinced that, hey, this was Krystal - she would never lose control of what she felt and was feeling.

She was cold as crystal, after all.

The war had been going on for a little over a year already, and the Invaders were increasing by the day. The Resistance now found it hard to tell whether they'd be arriving in the evening or morning because the Invaders no longer stuck to a pattern or a formation - they were everywhere.

To top it all off, the Invaders have grown alarmingly strong and took so much time to eliminate. At the rate they were going, they would be forced to sacrifice the safety of other places just so they could protect another.

Amber quickly made her way around the Invaders, stationing herself behind them. She was trying to test out her theory that their weak spot was at their backs, but she was wrong - the didn't even budge an inch.

The Invaders turned around and aimed their guns at Amber.

A strong gust blew and sent the Invaders falling to their knees. Sulli sustained the winds until she couldn't feel her arms anymore, and she shot a glance at Amber, one that said, "I can't do this anymore."

Amber turned around to face Victoria who had mirrors all around her, serving as her shield.

"My flames are dying, Vic. Luna can barely summon the light anymore, and Krys and Sulli are just too tired." Amber paused for a while, trying to catch her breath. "We have to retreat for now."

"We can't!" Victoria exclaimed, fists balled and shaking. "We've come so far; we can't give up now!"

"But look at-"

"All we have to do is to find the source!"

Amber looked at Victoria for a while before saying, doing anything. From the corner of her eye, she saw Luna and Krystal shooting them curious glances. "You've never spoken about a 'source' before." She wasn't so sure about it, but for a moment she thought she saw a look of nervousness wash over Victoria's features. Curious to prove Victoria's statement, she turned around and faced the group of Invaders running to their direction.

"Luna, we need some light!"

Luna concentrated every bit of her power on her right palm and held it up high, firing balls of light to the sky. Some remained in the air and some fell on the Invaders, reducing them to crystals. A rather sharp sparkle caught Luna's eyes. There is was - a red crystal at the center of the moving group of Invaders.

"Amber, take out the Invaders to your left! Sulli, you take care of the ones to your right," Luna called out to the two, and the two nodded in affirmation. Luna then shot a glance at Krystal. "Krys, can you summon mirrors between the rows of Invaders?" Krystal nodded and stretched out her free hand. Luna focused on the red crystal.

"Okay, Luna, do it!"

With the Invaders at the side taken down by Amber and Sulli, the image of the red crystal was clearer now. With all the energy she had left, Luna fired a beam of light at the red crystal, the mirrors bouncing off the light and causing additional damage. In a second, the red crystal burst into fine pieces until the light consumed them all, and the Invaders were soon nowhere to be found.

Amber quickly glanced at Victoria.

"Tell us - how did you know about the source?"

Victoria wheeled herself to the nearest pile of papers, snatching some files from them, then proceeded to face Luna, Krystal, Amber and Sulli. "I've been studying the recorded observations of the battles you've had thus far. Some of them weren't so important, and one of the more notable observations was something about a red crystal that the observer dubbed as 'the source'."

"And the observer is?"

"Me." Victoria beamed brightly at the end of her statement. "Since I don't have abilities unlike the four of you, I was hoping I could help by making observations and sharing them to you."

"But Vic," Amber began, scoffing, "this is the only time you've shared your observations with us."

"That's because I wasn't so sure about them!" Victoria furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Amber intently. "Are you implying something, anything?" Her voice was noticeably a few octaves higher, holding much conviction albeit shaky.

Amber shook her head and looked away. "No. Forget I even said anything."

"Good." Victoria then moved closer to the group and handed everyone papers that had information on their next plan of action. "Study the brief and I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. For now, you have to rest."

Amber turned around without another word and left. Sulli, Luna and Krystal all nodded curtly, then exited the office.

Amber was lounging on the shore when Sulli arrived. She had asked for some private time, but Sulli seemed to be eager to know whatever she was up to.

"You seem to know something we don't," Sulli said faintly, and settled beside Amber who was staring at the sky. "Come on, spill," Sulli prodded and nudged Amber lightly.

"Never mind. I think I'm just paranoid."

"It won't hurt to share what you know, though. Who knows? You might be right."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, with Sulli shooting occasional glances at Amber. She didn't want to go over the edge; it was best to let Amber talk about things in her own time. So when Amber spoke up, Sulli indulged.

"Victoria never shared any information to us before. Other than the Invaders' locations, of course." Amber's voice drifted off and she was staring at the sky again, aimlessly and blankly. "And the source, it was the first time she ever talked about it."

"Maybe she wasn't so sure about it at first? That's what she said." Sulli gave Victoria the benefit of the doubt; Victoria had never lied to them before, after all. What Amber said was beginning to shed some once unnecessary light on Victoria's identity, though.

"Maybe, but she should have still shared that piece of information with us. We could've tested it out. She wouldn't get hurt! We're here to protect her; we always have!" Amber's features were now distorted in confusion, the trace of her veins showing on her temples. "And one more thing: how can she be the head of an organization for people with abilities when she, herself, doesn't have an ability?"

"You're judging her just because she's not like us?

"No, no," Amber replied, shaking her head in the process. "It's just weird because I saw her talking to plants the other day, and a vine snaked around her wrist. She didn't look scared or anything. It's just... weird."

"Coincidental," Sulli quipped.

"As if she was so used to talking to them already," Amber added.

"Who's used to talking to who?"

Amber turned around sharply to face the newcomer. "Luna. She's talking to the townsmen as if they've know each other for a long time already."

"Isn't she the friendly one? Her being shy is just a front!" Victoria was a few feet from them, wheeling herself to get closer to the two. She chuckled a bit in reply to Amber's statement, stopping just behind Sulli. "For a moment there, I thought you were talking about me."

"There's nothing interesting about you, Vic." Amber scoffed and laughed, and Victoria slapped her on the arm. "Unless you're hiding something, of course. That would make things interesting."

"A twist?" Victoria peered at Amber through her bangs, a small smile on her lips.

"A very good twist."

"Oh well, you'd have to find that out for yourself." Victoria then gave Sulli and Amber a good squeeze on the shoulder, then wheeled herself back to the quarters. "And don't stay up and out too late, you two. The boogie man might come out to get you!"

Sulli shook her head and turned to Amber. "Maybe we should head to bed. As Krys always says, big day tomorrow!"

Amber took some comfort in Sulli's words and soft smile. Without another word, they made their way back inside and to their beds, getting a well deserved rest.

Amber, however, did not manage to make it back up the following day.

"Okay, what happened?"

The look on Sulli's face was a mixture of different emotions - shock, desperation, disappointment and frustration. "I- I don't know. I only remember hearing her scream and the scream being cut off and-"

"And what?" Krystal gestured for Sulli to go on.

Sulli bit her lip. "And I saw vines."

"You mean this was caused by the elements?" Luna moved a few steps closer to Sulli. "But aren't they supposed to be on our side since we're guardians of sorts? And Amber's controlling an element, too."

"Yes, but I'm sure I saw vines." Sulli buried her face in her hands, then massaged her temples and faced Krystal and Luna. "I can't be mistaken. They caught me by my wrists, too."

Krystal moved closer to where Amber was supposed to be, carefully examining the area and careful enough not to tamper with any possible evidence. She gestured for Luna to come, then pointed at something. "Can you shed some light on this area?"

Luna nodded and did as she was told, illuminating a small area of Amber's bed. Luna wasn't so sure if her eyes were deceiving her, but those seemed like thorns and some very thin vines. She quickly glanced at Sulli.

"We've got a situation here."

When Sulli gathered them for a conference the following day, Luna didn't expect to be getting this kind of information.

"You mean Victoria can control plants?"

"Ssh." Sulli drew her index finger to her lips, gesturing for Luna to lower her voice. "That was what Amber told me the night before she disappeared. She said she saw Victoria talking to plants-"

"Doesn't Amber do that, too?"

Sulli looked at Luna sternly. "-and that a vine circled her arm and she wasn't the least bit scared." Sulli hesitated for a while, then continued, "I- I don't know, I don't want to think that Victoria did that, but I saw her talking to plants earlier."

Krystal took a deep breath and let it out heavily, a frown surfacing on her lips. "At this rate, we'll never know." But just as soon as she said this, Luna placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We will. Just give me some time."

In a blink, Luna disappeared.

"You should be going after her, you know."

"I don't see why I should," Krystal replied, shrugging.

Sulli laughed lightly at Krystal for a while, then hit her lightly on her arm. "Well, for starters, you're the Seeker and she's the Keeper. Shouldn't you be aiding her in whatever she does?"

Krystal stood still for a while until she got back to her senses and quickly got to her feet, following Luna. Sulli simply watched, leaning against the wall.

The Keeper and Seeker must always be together, after all.

Luna wouldn't have told Krystal about her little plan, had Krystal not prodded so much that Luna almost called it an invasion of privacy.

"You could have just told me that you were planning to 'shed some light on certain matters' instead of just running off to Lord knows where." Krystal put her hands on her hips, eyes void of anger and, instead, just filled with fatigue.

"What if I just wanted to do things on my own?"

"You can't do things on your own!" Krystal clapped her hands on her mouth immediately after saying that, surprised at her own course of action. "I mean, it's my duty to know what you're up to," Krystal then began, trying hard to redeem herself, and she tried even harder when she saw the look of confusion on Luna's features. "I'm your Seeker, remember? I have to protect you."

It was obvious that Luna didn't buy any of what Krystal had just said as she closed her eyes tightly, scoffing and shaking her head. A few seconds after, Luna opened her eyes and fixed them of Krystal's.

"Then what good is a protector who needs protecting?"

"Okay, I was wrong. I don't have to protect you. I have to be there for you."

"You don't have to follow me around all the time!"

"Oh God, you don't get it." Krystal shook her head vigorously, biting her lower lip occasionally to restrain herself from saying anything that she might regret. There was a tentative pause in her actions before she turned to Luna to attempt explaining again.

"Look. If you're not comfortable with this Keeper-Seeker thing, just let me know. I'm just heeding the Legend because it's accurate to the point that it freaks me out." Krystal had a sharp intake of breath before continuing, moving closer to Luna as she did so. "I don't want all our efforts to go to waste just because I wasn't there for my Keeper when she needed me."

Luna scoffed, then smiled. "Your Keeper, eh? Since when did that happen?"

It took Krystal a while to understand what Luna meant by saying that and not looking at it from the surface. "Ask the Legend. It knows everything." Krystal teetered in her seat when Luna laughed heartily, shaking her head in the process. Whether or not she gave the right answer, she did not know, but she did know that Luna's laughter was infectious and made her nervous just a bit, what with her now cold hands.

Deciding not to prod any further - that, and having understood Krystal's point already - Luna walked up to Krystal and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her down to ruffle her hair and, in the process, tackling her to the floor. This sent Krystal falling and Luna regaining her balance just before she dropped unceremoniously on top of Krystal, her hands on either side of latter. Luna held her breath for a while; she didn't see this coming.

And to think that, just a while ago, she was having an argument with Krystal.

Krystal looked different from this point of view, with Luna on top of her, towering, dominating her. She looked so much smaller like this, with her arms propped to her sides and her body shaking all over. Luna drew her hands to Krystal's shoulders, gripping them for balance. Her hands were trembling, but then it might just be Krystal. But her hitched breathing gave her away.

Slowly but surely, Luna leaned in for a kiss, her lips almost only grazing Krystal's. But then Krystal caught her by surprise, angling herself a bit to get a better feel of Luna's lips. They let their lips do the work, their heads tilting in one direction, then another, finding a perfect fit.

All of a sudden, Luna's eyes fluttered open and she pulled away, breathless. She didn't know how she came to be kneeling in between Krystal's legs, or how Krystal was already sitting, albeit awkwardly - she only knew she was touching her lips and that she could taste blood. Krystal must have bitten too hard at one point, and she didn't feel it until now.

"Krys... tal." The name rolled of Luna's tongue smoothly, then her breath hitched. "We should be thinking of how to save Amber and- What-"

The next thing Luna knew, Krystal's hands were already around her waist and Krystal was pulling her too close for comfort, the latter's face buried in her chest. She was sure of it; Krystal could hear her heart pounding a bit too fast, but she didn't seem to mind.

The Legend didn't speak of anything about this, though.

And to think it was supposed to know everything about man and the world.

Krystal sat beside Luna and across Sulli at breakfast the following day. She tried to ignore Sulli, but when the latter started hitting her legs with her foot repeatedly, it became hard to do so.

"Someone's trying to have her breakfast here, you know!" Krystal said with a rather forced smile, eyebrow twitching. She almost sneered when Sulli snickered and when she caught Luna suppressing her laughter beside her. She turned back to her coffee and took a sip, but then the coffee was still too hot. She had just burned her tongue, she thought.

"Ow, that hurt."

"Awww. Did it?"

Krystal and Luna turned around sharply at the sound of the voice. Victoria gestured for Sulli to remove the seat next to her so she could settle there, and she turned to the other two with a smile. "Is the coffee too hot?"

"Apparently," Krystal mumbled, and Luna nudged her in her side. Krystal bit back the scowl threatening to spill from her lips and, instead, just nodded and replied, "Yeah."

"Careful, Krys. You don't want to be traversing hot waters." Victoria was smiling too sweetly for Krystal's good, yet she just nodded curtly, ignoring the urge to wipe the smile off Victoria's face. Victoria then turned to Sulli, the same smile still on her lips.

"Oh, I see Amber hasn't come back yet."

"She said she was going to," Sulli paused for a while, looking at Luna as if asking for a place. "To the U.S. for a while to let her parents know she's still alive. Told me she'll just give me a ring if she'll be coming back already. Didn't she tell you?"

Sulli watched as Victoria raised an eyebrow, her features shifting from calm to alarmed and back to calm, again. If she squinted hard enough, she could see the fear in Victoria's eyes, but this was enough - Sulli was sure she saw some flaking skin near Victoria's ears and - were those very thin vines growing from behind her ears? Sulli blinked twice. She was possibly seeing things, but the vines were still there, albeit really faint.

Sulli quickly looked at Krystal, leading the latter to that part of Victoria's face with her eyes. Krystal blinked once in affirmation. Sulli wasn't merely seeing things at all.

"Ah, yes! Yes, I remember now!" Victoria laughed a little, a nervous note in her tone. Her eyes strayed for a while before going back to her plate, her coffee, anything that was just right before her eyes.

The rest of the group just laughed with her as they turned back to their breakfast, shooting looks at each other occasionally, sending each other the same message - Confirm what, or who, the 'source' really is and eliminate it at once, even at the expense of their lives.

They were the protectors of the world. They had to take risks just to fulfill their duties, after all.

"So we can safely say that Victoria caught vines in her hair."

It was late in the evening when they convened at Sulli and Amber's room. There was a tentative pause in Sulli's actions before she replied to Krystal's statement, lips drawn to a thin line. "Well, yes, because humans without abilities can grow vines from their hair now."

"Well," Krystal began as she took a few steps forward, "we can attempt to render Victoria incapacitated for a while."

"Did that already. I slipped something in her drink that will paralyze her body for twenty four hours. Wasn't sure if it worked," Luna quipped.

"Or we can find Amber and run away."

"That's cowardice," Sulli said faintly, frowning.

Krystal massaged her temples a bit. "What if we just kill her?"

"That's not possible. I'll kill you first."

Victoria's presence was enough to shock the living daylights out of them, but the fact that Victoria was standing and not relying on her wheelchair for balance was even more shocking.

"How did you..." Krystal's voice drifted off, and she found it hard to speak, lest make any movement. No poison had kicked in, though - this was a combination of fear and shock.

The doors were locked, and so were the other possibly entrances to Sulli and Amber's room, but Victoria was at the doorstep, grinning rather smugly. 'The key,' Sulli told herself, 'there's no way she has it', but before she could even contemplate on the argument completely, Victoria gave her a simple and concise answer as to how she was able to unlock the door.

"Yes, Sulli, people without abilities can grow vines from their hair."

The next thing they knew, Sulli was down on the floor, completely paralyzed, and Victoria was preparing to assault Krystal.

"Ah, sh-" Krystal quickly summoned mirrors all around her. As if on cue, Luna summoned a blinding light. Within seconds, they had managed to get out of the room.

Victoria cried out in frustration, eyes tightly shut so that no light would permeate. But it was too late.

"Luna!"

Krystal had set up a camp not so far away, and made sure they were safe - at least for the next few minutes - by setting up a barrier around them. "This should keep us safe, for now."

"We don't have much time." Luna looked up from Sulli's body to Krystal, worry written all over her face. "Whatever Victoria did or injected her with, I'm sure it's not doing good things to Sulli's body." Luna looked back at Sulli and found the latter's shoulders and lips trembling in accord, her breathing heavier than the usual. Luna gulped down hard.

"First thing tomorrow."

"But-"

Krystal got down to her knees and placed her hands on Luna's shoulders, fixing her eyes on the latter. "First thing tomorrow, we'll do whatever it takes to cure Sulli and find Amber." She watched as Luna nodded hesitantly, resignation in hear features.

"If we want to go against Victoria tomorrow, we need all the rest we can get."

Krystal couldn't really sleep that night, what with the thoughts in her head troubling her. They barely had any time left to save the world, and the same applied to saving Sulli and, probably, Amber. She tried coming up with a strategy based on her observations of Victoria, but to no avail - she simply didn't know how Victoria battled.

Victoria was always sitting peacefully on her wheelchair, calm even in the midst of trouble and turmoil - still and stable like the Earth. She showed no fear for the Invaders, even if they had become twice as strong as they used to be.

It all made sense. She had been working with the Invaders all along, and that was why she knew about the 'source'.

Krystal hugged her knees close to her chest and rocked herself back and forth, in an attempt to calm herself down and to lull herself to sleep. She took one good look at Sulli, then Luna, then at their headquarters not so far away. Somewhere in there lay a person they used to trust and respect, a person who, they thought, could never hurt a fly.

Somewhere in there lay a Victoria they never knew they'd come to meet.

It was written in the Legend that the Keeper was to end all the sufferings of man. What people failed to take note of - one of the many things, anyway - was that the Legend went on to say, "When Fire and Wind team up with Ice and the Keeper sheds some light, it shall thus come - this element for which the people fight. From this do people get nutrition, and all the things they need, but never will they realize that this element wishes them to cease to 'be'."

People were fighting for a better world, a better Earth, yet Earth itself was the one who was to bring everyone to an ultimate death.

"Wake up, Luna," Krystal whispered in the former's ear, shaking her just mildly, enough to wake her up. "It's a big day today."

Luna looked up to her with sleepy eyes and smiled a little. This was enough to wake her up.

This was the plan: Luna was to bring Sulli to Victoria's room - or laboratory, maybe a hideout - and look for the antidote, and Krystal was to battle Victoria out back. Once Sulli was restored to consciousness, she'd be battling alongside Krystal and Luna. As for Amber, they would find her, eventually - Amber had to be somewhere in the headquarters, somehow.

But things didn't go as planned.

"Good morning, ladies," Victoria greeted, smiling smugly at the three. "I see you're back. Did you want to talk about how you can make up for your grave misconduct?"

Luna clenched her fists in anger. "No!"

Luna disappeared in a flash, reappearing just behind Victoria to fire a series of light balls at her. Victoria managed to dodge some of them, but most of them were clean hits.

"Not bad, Luna!" Victoria was smirking, and this clearly wasn't a good sign. Luna made a run for it, and fast. "But you're not good enough!"

They ran around in circles, launching attacks at each other, but barely even making contact. When Luna got close enough, she asked, "Why, Chief? Why are you doing this?"

Victoria simply shook her head, and Luna swore she might have caught the slightest look of sadness in Victoria's eyes. "Because this is my destiny."

Krystal picked Sulli up and hauled her over her shoulder, then circled Victoria and Luna, creating a large protective barrier that would separate their battlefield from the rest of the world. Just when she was about to leave Sulli outside the barrier, Luna fired a light ball at her, causing her to be sent outside the battlefield.

"Luna, what are you-"

"Just do what I was supposed to do!"

"What?"

"Save Sulli!"

A series of vines headed straight for Luna's arms and legs, and she managed to dodge all but one that wrapped around her left leg, sending her to the ground. Luna fired an array of light balls at Victoria again, distracting her from controlling her plants. With a good kick, Luna was able to free herself from the vine, and ran again.

They had been going at this forever.

Krystal almost swore she shouldn't have come back from looking for the antidote if this was the scene she was going to witness - Luna was on the ground, with a bruised arm and a possibly fractured leg. Victoria had her fair share of wounds, but Luna was more bruised than she was.

Krystal gulped down hard. There was a reason why Victoria was the head of the organization, and this was exactly the reason.

"Aaaaaah!"

Krystal's eyes quickly fixed on Luna, watching as the latter cried out loud as she got back to her feet. If Krystal was sensing things right, she was already low on energy, both physical and light energy. She couldn't bear to just watch from the outside.

"Luna! Luna, let me in!" She pounded hard on the mirrors, wondering why they weren't breaking when she was always able to, even with only a flick of the wrist. "Luna, I need to help you! I have the antidote now! I-" Some more pounding; the mirrors still didn't break. Krystal dropped to her knees.

This was no use.

Luna had enveloped the mirrors in her own energy.

"No!"

The next scene looked like this: Luna charging towards Victoria and Victoria enveloping the two of them in vines once Luna got close enough. There was a blinding light and that was all that Krystal saw.

She saw no more.

---

The battle was long and hard. Victoria was unyielding, even in her most desperate and weakest moments, and Luna was just as headstrong. In the end, Luna had to pour all her energy into one shot - just one shot - and get as close as she could to Victoria, releasing the light in a blinding flash.

If she went a little further, she might have lost her life, but Victoria might have already surrendered in the very end.

Once the light had subsided, Luna found Victoria in her arms, limp and lifeless. The small smile on Victoria's lips was a sign of surrender, the faintest tear stain on her cheek a sign of her being human. And there lay the Victoria she first met - good-natured, human, a girl like them who had the ability to possibly make a change in the world.

With Victoria's death came the end of the Invaders and the fulfillment of the Legend.

Luna saved the world.

Sitting on a rock in the middle of a vast plain wasn't her choice of a hero's welcome, but then she wanted to stay away from all the buzz and ruckus, thus the quiet place. Her hands were so soiled and bruised; she could barely feel them anymore. Running her fingers through the crevices of the rock in front of her, she sighed.

She saved the world.

"I knew I'd find you here."

Luna turned her head sharply and smiled when the features of the newcomer came into focus. "Hey, Krys."

There was a definite air of uneasiness around them as Krystal walked closer to Luna, maintaining a good distance between them when Krystal stopped in her tracks. Even after the war, the message of the Legend was still fresh in her mind. But then Luna was smiling weakly and Krystal thought it was but fitting to walk a bit closer to the former.

"They told me to pick you up," Krystal began, a bit unsure, then her voice gradually gained confidence, "You're needed back there."

"Again? I thought the war was over."

"You're throwing a party, didn't you know?"

"Oh, that." Luna chuckled lightly. "I'm enjoying the silence right now. You'd have to convince me before I go."

Krystal laughed lightly as Luna's stubbornness. She worried her lips a bit in thought, then turned to Luna. "Well, Sulli's already up and about."

Luna's eyes perked up a bit. "Oh?"

"And so is Amber," Krystal followed up, smiling.

With a deep yet contented sigh, Luna stood from her seat and walked towards Krystal, the small smile on her lips still intact. She limped a little - she was lucky to have just incurred a wound and not have lost her entire leg - but Krystal was fast to come to aid, slinging Luna's arm over her shoulder.

The walk was long, the day was coming to an end, but Luna was looking forward to everything, just like the day of her first real mission.

It was just the start of a new mission, after all.