I would pierce the heavens

And frost the earth

To keep you safe

My friend and love

___

Khun Aguero Agnis prided himself on his ability to anticipate. He was a strategist, and that meant being able to ace a game of chess and predicting the opponent's next move. He was by no means a guide, and while guides saw a path to walk on, he always considered all possible paths and took the one with the least risk. To anticipate, he would always say with pride, was a core skill of his.

And that was why paved the way for White to literally feast on souls, wantonly (and abundantly) in order to be sufficiently reinforced to fight off Kallavan. For Bam.

But if there was something he failed to anticipate when making this decision, it was Bam getting angry with him.

Bam's bandaged fists were clenched. "...
Khun, you fed him souls? White?"

Khun was torn between arranging his face to look apologetic, or innocent. He tried a hybrid of both without much success. Leesoo stifled a snigger beside them. It wasn't everyday that he got to see Khun look like a wounded kitten.

"Bam, that was the most practical way to make sure you got out safe and sound." Khun attempted to reason. And they were already dead, he added mentally. Not that Bam would appreciate it.

Bam closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitted together, as if trying to understand.

Uh-oh, not a good sign.

"Bam...?" His voice sounded oddly small.

Bam's eyes fluttered open, but his usually bright golden eyes were lackluster. It had been an exhausting last twenty-four hours – they had just retreated from the Nest after his showdown with Kallavan. Even though Bam was able to inflict significant damage on the ex-commander, before he could land a potentially finishing blow, Maschenny decided to join the party and the prowess of her Yellow May and lightning spear was more than enough for the weakened Karaka, White, and Bam. The Jahad princess was electrified by the stink of the battle, and she gave them a preview of her hell. The team activated Plan B with her earlier than expected intrusion, and would regroup with Yama's team on the other side of the Nest.

Bam shuffled his feet. "I'm tired, Khun. I'm going to bed."

"Black turtle!" Rak called after him, stumpy legs running as fast as he could to catch up. Khun was speechless.

Bam was angry, with him?

White sidled up to him. "I told you that boy is not going to like how his best friend fed me lots of delicious souls!" He cackled heartily, white hair a shimmering curtain behind him. He had deliberately let it slip to the young slayer candidate how he had regained his power. Such a lovely, vulnerable friendship, he mused. He was excited to see it break to pieces.

Khun was not amused.

"Go away, bastard," he muttered.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and caught Hwa Ryun's eye. The redhead gave him a half-hearted shrug. She wasn't going to help him either. They would reach Yama in less than thirty hours and she didn't have the mood to play mediator.

Khun anticipated, with his best senses, that Bam wouldn't be angry for him for long.

Or so he thought.

***

Bam stuttered awake. There were no alarm clocks in the Tower, much less in a floating ship. They woke up by regulating their shinsoo cycles within the body with rigorous discipline.

This morning Bam was made awake by the turbulence within him.

He pressed a palm to his face, as if trying to forget the series of events that happened at the Nest. He had failed to defeat Kallavan, failed to save Jinsung... and he had failed to give confidence to the people around him.

He looked across the room.

Khun was a still sleeper and slept on his back, arms resting at his side. That position, Bam mused, was almost as if he was in the same frozen state again, when he was trapped in Evan's ice coffin to be kept alive. Khun told him on one of their insomniac nights that it was the best position to spring to one's feet to fight if needed. Khun was taught from his mother's womb to always be on guard, even when asleep. Bam was the opposite. He always curled into a ball with his arms around himself, because even in his unconscious state, he was afraid of being alone. He remembered back in the Hell Train where the beds were small – the nights where he could curl up against his best friend's shoulder were the most comforting memories of sleep.

Khun looked angelic, his ivory skin slightly luminous even in the dark. He is no angel, a voice inside Bam's head mocked. He fed thousands of souls to the devil.

Bam stood up soundlessly, changing into his slacks. The amber sky signaled a morning rain coming, and the clouds were heavy with moisture and pressure. They were in spirals, and if one's eyes followed them, they were twisted in motifs that seemed to lead to nowhere.

He walked noiselessly through the short hallway, nodding to Karaka who was contemplating on the couch. That man never seemed to need rest. Bam slipped into an empty room that was designated for training. Shinsoo blazed on his palm as he drew forth an orb and mediated, to calm his mind, and to silence his heart.

He had to get stronger, faster. So that Khun would never need to do something like that again, just to save his life.

***

Khun was dreaming – one of the rare times he dreamt. He dreamt of blurs of blue, and blood. Bam's smile faded into black, and somewhere he heard Rachel's laughter, and Kallavan swam into focus. "Bam...!" his dream-self sounded desperate, and it didn't sound like him at all.

Cobalt blue eyes opened in the darkness.

He immediately looked over the room, but the bed was empty. A thin blanket was folded neatly beside the pillow.

He placed the tips of his fingers on Bam's pillow, and it was cold. Bam must have been up at least an hour ago. Outside the aircraft there was a faint pitter patter of the rain and it made the room more chilly than he remembered. It didn't help that his temperature still fluctuated, especially after using a significant amount of the firefish's powers to help boost White.

He swung a jacket around his shoulders and stepped out. There were no mirrors in the aircraft, and there was no need for one. No one climbing the Tower wanted to sit in front of their own reflection and loath themselves, but fill it, at other times, with that pride of their sin, and smiling with secret pleasure, at their misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden of taking so many lives.

Khun had no need for mirrors. His hair was always perfect anyway.

He felt Bam's shinsoo even before he reached the training room. He cracked the door a silver. Glistening beads of shinsoo hung still in the room, with his best friend in the middle of it all, as if time had frozen. Such control. Such beauty, he marveled inwardly. And he didn't mean the shinsoo.

"Bam, how are you feeling?" The young slayer's feet touched the ground and his twin wings fluttered.

"I'm okay, Khun."

Khun frowned, a wrinkle on his attractive face. That was exactly what Bam would say when he wasn't fine. But what bothered him was how his friend's back was still turned towards him. It was standoffish and detached, a far cry from the usual smile that Bam would have usually managed even at his lowest points.

He started towards Bam, a hand in his pocket to keep warm. "You did your best Bam, we need to talk about this – " He was greeted by a shinsoo blob in his face even before he could reach his favorite companion. He dodged – as if that could stop him! – and came face to face with another bubble that stood in his way.

"Go talk to White, Khun. Don't you have a lot more to talk to him about?"

Khun blinked in disbelief. Was Bam still angry with him?

He swiped at the bubble, getting it out of his way. Good thing that he was one hell of a straightforward person (besides when hatching devious plans, of course), and he wasn't going to shy away from an honest conversation.

Khun sidestepped a couple more shinshoo pellets.

"He meant nothing, and he was just a pawn to protect you." He contemplated letting himself get hit a couple of times if that could mollify Bam. His quick brain had already done the math – only 102 more blobs before he would reach his target. If he allowed 30 percent of them to hit him, he could probably reach Bam in under a minute, and still be in one piece.

No, Bam's shinsoo proved his calculations wrong, as the bubbles started to divide themselves further to occlude his path.

"Bam – " he pleaded, not liking where this was going.

Someone tapped on the door. Hwa Ryun leaned against the frame, her arms crossed. "Get out, Khun. You're disturbing my god."

"He's not anyone's god," he panted, trying to keep up with the maze of raindrops still coming his way. Only 492 more to get to Bam.

An armored tentacle curled around Khun's body and yanked him towards the door. "I'll get him," Karaka said helpfully, and Hwa Ryun nodded in approval.

"Karaka!" Bam was mortified.

Khun glared at the tin-can of a man, and Karaka's yellow eyes met him in challenge.

"You have got something to say, son of Khun Eduan?" The lightbearer could break out of the hold relatively easily using his ice – Karaka wasn't holding him too tightly, and he knew that they just wanted to give Bam some quiet space.

He relented with maturity. Indeed it did not seem to be the best time to talk to Bam.

"We'll talk again, Ba - !" Hwa Ryun had already shut the door.

***

Hockney busied himself with his morning caffeine ritual in the kitchen. There was a hissing, bubbling sound from his favorite moka pot which he carried in his lighthouse. He whistled happily, tipping the dark contents into a clay mug. The aroma of coffee beans hit his nose, and he was delighted. Hansung Yu, that terrible coffee addict, would approve. He slipped in a cube of butter and chocolate, and stirred.

A door banged shut somewhere down the aircraft's corridor and he sighed. The small, slow moment was destroyed.

He poked his head out of the kitchen and raised his eyebrows. Khun was flanked by Hwa Ryun and Karaka, arguably his two least favorite people in the aircraft.

He sipped his coffee. "What's going on, guys?"

Khun pursed his lips. "Nothing." He took the cup from Hockney's hands, and took a gulp. "I was just being escorted by my bodyguards." He made a face. "Did you add chocolate in there?" He enjoyed his coffee black.

Hockney caught the dryness in his tone and decided that it was time to change the topic.

"How's Bam?"

"He's training hard."

The scout studied Khun carefully. "He's still angry with you, isn't he?"

Khun credited Hockney for having more perception than he thought. Observation was the strength of a scout after all.

"Have you said that you're sorry?"

He met Hockney's mysterious eyes and realized he had not.

"If I would have done the same thing again, does that mean I'm sorry? " Khun's expression was pensive.

It wasn't that he didn't care about what Bam's values were, or what was important to Bam. Hell, if he didn't care about what Bam thought he would have made sure that Rachel was dead a long time ago. In a painful way. But his best friend's life was the absolute top priority – there were no arguments or doubts in his mind. And no, he didn't like taking risks with his top priority, which was why White happened.

Leesoo joined the party uninvited. "Khun Aguero Agnis, saying sorry?" He clapped a hand on Khun's shoulder sympathetically. "But it was your fault, mate. Go apologize to Bam."

Khun looked at them both incredulously and held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm outnumbered here. Is anyone even on my side?"

"We just don't want Bam to be distracted," Leesoo said, settling his arms on his knees. "The last time you did your sleeping beauty thing in the ice box, he stared at your frozen body for at least a fucking hour every single day."

"And after every training he would ask – is Khun okay...has he woken up?!" Leesoo was doing a terrible job at mimicking Bam's voice, and Hockney guffawed beside him. Khun shot him a dirty look.

"Now go say sorry, and Bam can focus on finishing off Jahad's army."

"You don't have to say it twice," Khun said, already on his feet.

"Hey, you going in empty handed? At least bring some breakfast?!" Hockney called after him.

***

Khun rummaged through the pantry. Bread... sausages... bananas...butter... chocolate? He was pretty sure the bananas were from Rak's stash, who always carried his favorite food with him.

"What am I supposed to make with these?"

Leesoo tried to be helpful. "Uhh, a sausage banana sandwich? With a chocolate drizzle?"

He was given a look. "What do you think I am, some restaurant chef?"

Khun attempted to light the gas. The stove sputtered and died. It was always a bit temperamental, but this really wasn't the best time.

"It was working this morning when I made my coffee," Hockney said serenely.

"Thanks so much for the help," Khun replied sarcastically.

His hands were on his hips. Now, how should he do this without a stove? Novick was the best cook on the team previously and he never needed to lift a finger. Not to mention back in the enormous Khun manor there were butlers, chefs, waiters, pâtissiers and sauciers. And sommeliers of every beverage possible.

"Oh, silly me," he muttered. He could create fire to cook them – what was he thinking? He rolled up his sleeves and tucked a stray strand of silver blue hair behind his ear.

His summoned firefish did a dance around the kitchen before smoldering the contents of the frying pan instantly. A burnt smell wisped through the kitchen, and the three men exchanged wide eyed glances. The burnt sausages and bread sizzled pathetically on the pan, and the flaming sweetfish gave a last satisfying flick of its fins before disappearing into Khun's body.

Oops.

Maybe Bam would give him extra points for effort. He chucked them on a plate.

Five minutes later, Khun shoved the plate in Leesoo's face. The burnt toast and sausages were untouched.

"Sounds like you're still not forgiven."

"Eat it, you bastard."

Rak stomped into the room and gave a roar. "WHICH STUPID TURTLE BURNT MY BANANAS?"

Leesoo sighed and rubbed his chin. It was going to be a long day.

***

"His Majesty has an idea," White said, fluttering beside him. His effeminate visage was handsome, but looks were always deceiving.

Khun ignored him.

"I have an idea to make that boy forgive you," White continued, undeterred.

"Now, don't look so sullen, you should be honored that His Majesty is willing to be your advisor."

The slayer of the Arie family followed Khun determinedly, his white robe trailing behind him.

"You were helping me after all, so I decided to help you." He gave an innocent smile when Khun finally turned round to face him.

"Well, spit it out." Khun said. "Your great idea."

White's breath grazed his ear. "If I put a hole through your chest, I'm assure you that the brat will forgive you instantly," he purred. And I'm sure the soul of Khun Eduan's son would be utterly delicious. He was still hungry.

He stiffened as felt the cold tip of a spear pressed against his back. Khun's hold was steady.

"You're becoming more like your father, Aguero."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Do not compare me to my father."

White tossed his long white mane indulgently. "Well then, if you don't like my excellent suggestion, His Majesty will take his leave."

"Let me know if you ever change your mind." He gave a sly wink before slithering away. "Good riddance," Khun muttered.

His pocket sounded the next moment. It had been relatively quiet the last few hours, now that most of them were together again. He looked at it. "CALL ME NOW – ENDORSI".

He connected to her pocket immediately, just in case. "Endors-"

The princess cut him off abruptly. "How's Bam?"

Khun rolled his eyes. "And here I am, calling you back immediately just in case you were on the brink of death," he responded dryly. There were times where he wasn't sure whether to rejoice or be bitter at the fact that Bam was the object of affection of many.

"Bam's fine." Just ignoring me.

"He hasn't responded to my messages."

"Well maybe he has more important things to do."

"..."

"I'm just worried about him." His annoyance subsided at her concern.

"You know he's always hard on himself. He'll be fine."

"Take care of him for me for now. He's mine when I'm back."

"You need a reality check, Endorsi."

"Whatever," she replied, but he could hear a smile in her voice. "Don't you dare attempt to die on us again too." They acknowledged at one point that they were similar in one of the rare, private moments they shared when Bam was thought to be dead. They were both a conflicted mix of pride and insecurity, but were ready to protect Bam with their lives.

Khun was suddenly struck with a thought. "Hey – don't hang up on me yet," he quickly said. "If someone gets you angry, how do they get you to forgive them?"

He could hear the wheels of her brain turning. She was always delighted to give opinion – she had lots of those. "I'd need sincerity," she said brightly.

"Maybe he would need to sing me song."

"Your singing leaves much to be desired."

"Pfft – which is why the person asking for forgiveness needs to do it."

She contemplated further. "Or maybe get me a gift. Or some flowers."

"Why are you even asking me this?" She was suspicious. Time to hang up.

"I'll get Bam to call you. Take care." He disconnected.

Gifts... flowers... sincerity. Khun put two and two together. He grinned. He knew exactly what to do.

***

Bam wiped the perspiration off his forehead with the edge of his sleeve. He had been training since morning, but he didn't feel any more powerful. There was a strange, empty feeling in his heart. It was almost as if someone had opened a gaping hole in his chest. He recognized it. It was the feeling of being alone.

As he walked through the aircraft's corridor his stomach rumbled. He looked accusingly at his abdomen. That's what you get for not eating Khun's breakfast, he chastised mentally. He had kicked Khun out of the training room (rather gently!) in the morning, and made a mental note never to station his best friend in the kitchen. He had no further appetite for the rest of the day.

He felt a chill on his damp skin as he neared the room that he shared with Khun and Rak. Is Khun training with his ice? Bam pushed open the door tentatively, and his eyes widened.

"Wha - ?"

The room was filled with ice. There were clumps of – he squinted – flowers? The ice flowers glistened in their sprays, thin layers of ice formed into exquisite patterns that curled into petals. Beautiful ribbons of ice crystals swirled around the room, giving the impression of willow, leafy like structures adorned with spiky twigs. As he blinked, astonished, blooms of hibiscus continued to spring near his feet.

But what amazed him was the ceiling. It was as if someone had painstakingly dotted them with uncountable ice crystals, forming a dome that followed the curve of his eyes. They twinkled peacefully. If they had voices, they would have whispered to Bam that he was not alone.

Khun's eyes lit up. With his silver hair and translucent skin, he was the most enchanting flower in the ice garden. Not to mention the gorgeous smile that he had on his face right now.

"Bam, you're here!"

Khun started over, but stopped in his tracks as his chest tightened involuntarily. Bam immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Khun!"

Bam caught his arm, and Khun's other hand was to his chest. "I'm fine, Bam. My body temperature's just been all over the place again. Maybe I over exhausted myself when producing all these ice," he said sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Bam."

Bam looked at him and softened. "I'm not angry with you, Khun." He made sure that Khun was steady on his feet before he released his hold.

They looked at each other for a long minute.

"I'm just angry at myself." Bam lowered his eyes. "I'm angry at myself for not being strong enough." His lips started to tremble, and he looked away. "I couldn't save my teacher. I couldn't defeat Kallavan... I even needed White...!"

Khun held Bam's shoulders and turned him round. Bam was no mollycoddle and there was something so large, powerful and changeless about him.

"You are amazing, Bam, and there is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe."

Bam's forehead thudded against his shoulder as tears slid down his cheek, the hole in his heart slowly closing as Khun wrapped his arms around him in an embrace. He remembered he last wept in Leesoo's arms when Jinsung was taken captive, but this felt oddly more comforting in ways which he couldn't explain.

He rested his chin on Khun's shoulder. They were the same height now – maybe he an inch taller – but he saw them as equals, in every other way.

"Khun."

"Hmm?"

"Don't do that again."

"The next time, I will defeat Kallavan on my own." Khun recognized that determination. It was the same look that Bam had when he said he would follow Rachel to find out the truth. It was the same look when he said he would defeat Jahad. It was the same look which Khun couldn't say no to.

Khun's eyes flickered. "Okay," he replied easily.

"Can we stay like this a while longer? I'm cold," he lied. His temperature was at least a good forty degrees as the firefish raged within his body.

"And at least admire my handiwork for a bit," he complained. The ice garden had taken longer than expected to complete as it needed a healthy dose of creativity.

Bam laughed and he was relieved – it seemed like such a long time since he had heard that laughter. "What on earth were you thinking, Khun? And are those turtles?!" He caught side of three turtle sculptures at the side of the room.

They stayed like that, chatting without a care in the world as if there wasn't a war raging and as if the Tower did not exist. They spoke about the ice flowers with great enthusiasm, the meticulousness of the dew that Khun crystallized on the leaves, and their interpretation of the stars. In the days to come Khun would have referred to this memory as the halcyon moment.

Outside, the rain had stopped, and the sky was painted a deep violet, casting a purple glow in the room.

It was the calm before the storm.

***

Epilogue

The battle at the Nest continued less than twenty-four hours later. Khun remained behind as the team's control tower, and to keep close eye over White. He gave Bam his promise that White would be starved from now on (to which White responded petulantly that they were idiots to not serve His Majesty). The last thing that he said to Bam was: "Be careful." A shark cannot swim with his minnows forever – those were the words from Evan that stayed with him, and he knew that Bam would have to face his battles alone.

He observed the clashes from his lighthouses and gave instructions calmly. Bam had, finally, after a bitter and bloody battle with Karaka, rendered Kallavan unconscious and opened the first wall. Yama, Doom and Paul were still engaged with Yasratcha in a battle of life and death for the honor of their clan.

They were faced with the 4th army Corp Commander at the second wall, and Jahad's army had laid a trap. Khun was able to give intelligent instructions, enabling the group to maneuver past Jahad's deadly game of chess, but they were unable to find the last piece of the puzzle to break through the second wall. They were slowly but surely being worn down. It was matchpoint.

Khun knew that they had to open the second wall now. It was too late to retreat. It was now or never.

He hesitated for a split second before sending a message through his pocket. White watched him silently from behind.

"Ha... it seems that you never fail to have a backup plan."

Khun looked over his shoulder. White gave him a calculating look.

"You're playing with fire, brat."

Khun stood up, as he watched Bam finally break through the second wall. The group was elated even though they were unsure why the second wall had suddenly gave way. They assumed that it was one of the miracles of the young slayer candidate who was destined to bring change in the Tower. There was too much stake to think any further, and advancement to the waterfall was key.

His eyes traced the last of Bam's silhouette as the wave controller flew past his lighthouse and into the maze that would lead to the center of the frozen waterfall. If he had known that this would have been the last time he saw Bam in a long time, he would have etched in his memory this moment until it hurt. This was the furthest Khun could go. His pocket sounded, and he gave it a glance.

"IT IS DONE. COME NOW, IF YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE."

He knew it was time. I have to go.

He walked towards the exit of the floating aircraft. He took nothing at all. The only thing that belonged to him was not here. White narrowed his eyes, deciding whether he was worth stopping. The swordsman was mildly surprised when Khun suddenly turned, as if forgetting something. Everything happened in a split second.

White's eyes widened a fraction. "You...!"

He disappeared in a flash into the white heavenly mirror that stabbed through his heart. Khun tucked the blade into his pocket.

"Can't have you telling tales to Bam again," he murmured.

He stepped out of the aircraft and looked up. The sun hung high in the air, as if foreshadowing Bam's victory.

I'm sorry, Bam.

His steps brought him further away from the ship and towards the Nest. His footsteps felt slow and heavy, and his heart weighed.

Even if one day you may treat me with disdain...

A slender figure at a distance beckoned him – a lady with hair an identical color to his. The woman smiled. She knew that he would come.

I will still choose to save your life, all over again.

**
Author's notes:
I meant for this to be a lighthearted piece of fiction. But as I wrote this, I realised that it is likely there will come a point where Khun will have to leave Bam to protect him, given his complex web of relationships with the ten families. What do you all think?