Hi everyone, SK here.

Jeez why is this book ending so quickly... there's barely any chapters left and it feels like I started it yesterday. *ahem* ANYWAY.  I don't have much else to say here, so let's just begin.

As always, enjoy~!

Oh, and happy late birthday Ash. :)

!!! WARNINGS: IMPLIED implicit content- what you think it is

Valerie

Relaxation feels godly when you can't feel anything at all.  

Well, it felt godly at least.  The effects that my recent nap had on me are beginning to fade away now that there are very important and stress-ridden conversations happening about the future plans for the fairies.  

My knees flutter up and down as I sit cross-legged on the grass, always having the ever-apparent need to move no matter what.  I've almost gotten used to the soft whispers of August's voice that faded in an out of my dreams as he was talking to himself, because the strong, authoritative tone coming from him now feels like an electric shock from Zekrom.

"We seriously need to think about this with our brains, Ver," he's saying to his sister, a fairy who is clearly not interested in listening to him.  "You're not using yours."

The distant sounds of fairy chatter and the cheerful yips from Mist Pokemon we let roam free for a little while are cut off by Verity's equally strong tone.  "I am using my brain, you're the one that's acting because of fear.  Fear of the humans."  Both twins are sitting on either side of me, so I am literally in the middle of their argument.

I can spot my Frosmoth off in the distance, Nombles looks happy to let her silvery wings free in the wind.  "A fear that's not irrational in the slightest," counters her brother.  The annoyance in his tone can be heard a mile away.  "I was captured like so many of the others.  You don't know what happened between the scenes."  

"Then tell me, because as the other Leader I need to know what happened to all of you."  Mom and Dad both sit silent beside their Leaders; the Advisors are no different either.

August shivers a bit.  "Well they didn't give us food or water, so we had to make those from magic- of course they tasted disgusting but what choice did we have?  The guards would taunt us, some would get close enough to touch us..." he trails away, sounding a bit blue.  Blue, just like his eyes, just like the sky behind him.  The sky, the great big sky.  I look up and take a deep breath in.  I let it out.  Blue like the ocean.  Blue like the lake where we had our first kiss.  

Blue like the air when we'll have our last.

"Your Lightness, please continue," urges Dad as gently as he can muster.  The look on his face is as concerned as Mom's is.

The Light Leader takes a deep breath then exhales.  "Lance would take away my 'cage' because he wanted frequent meetings with me.  Whenever I returned, I would see all the fairies who were left there battered and bruised, fairies whose wings were torn apart just like paper.  The humans did something to them every time I was gone, and I-" he tears up, "I can never forgive myself.  They needed me and I wasn't there."  His voice pitches a key higher as it breaks, the opposite direction his mouth is curving.

The fairies don't seem too traumatized.  Then again, I wasn't there, and August wouldn't make this kind of stuff up just for a sob story for his sister.  Turning my head toward the Creation Elemental I can tell just how much he's beating himself up over this, so I put a tentative comforting hand on his shoulder.  He doesn't react, and not wanting to repeat the start of our first big fight, I retract my hand.  

"I... really?  That really happened?" Verity sounds to be in shock, a terrified, mortified kind of shock.  The worst kind of shock.  

August nods at his sister, hastily wiping his eyes.  "Y-Yeah.  And you know, there was the whole thing that happened when Lance killed me- I died.  I died because I didn't see any other way out for the rest of them, but now that I'm back I'm not going to play right into this war business just because we want revenge.  Karma strikes like an Arbok, you see it when you least expect it to show.  The humans that did us wrong will have something wrong done to them as a payment, that's just how balance works.  Right now we need to focus on everyone's safety, and that means getting out of here before the humans find us.  We only need to go long enough for Valerie to finish her second Queen's test, and then she can erase the spell."

Karma.  Once again I avert my gaze upward, and I see that same red leaf from before grasping for dear life onto that tree.  I feel bitter, a honeysuckle-sweet bitter.  August's right.

Karma.

"Yes, everyone's safety should be of our concern," Verity fires back without a beat, "and you're right on one thing.  Val'll be becoming the Queen soon, meaning the spell will be reversed.  After that happens, we can maintain peace.  Peace will be gifted to us essentially for free, it's literally guaranteed.  Why not get our revenge while we still can?  We don't have any consequences."  The Dark Leader is huffy at her brother, huffy as usual.  She wants to inflict pain because she's in pain, she is in immense pain herself.  She wants to fight it.

At the same time, August is in immense pain, but he doesn't want to cause pain.  He wants to run from it.

Two sides of the same coin.

Yin and Yang.

Some of Verity's words echo in my mind.  "Peace will be gifted to us essentially for free, it's literally guaranteed."

Oh, it is guaranteed.

But it will not come for free.

Oh no, it's the opposite.

It's a price that I don't know I can pay.

A dry laugh escapes my throat.  It's funny almost, the concept of peace coming for free.  

Nothing comes for free.

"Did I say something funny...?"  It takes me a second to realize that all eyes are on me, Verity's question hanging in the air by an invisible thread.

"Kind of."  A sad smile graces my face as I stand up.  "Excuse me, I'll be back."  I leave the crossfire circle that hasn't really become a crossfire just yet, although it's about to.  There's something, a feeling, something inside of me.  A vision maybe.  Something, something, something.

A wind blows through my hair as I trudge away, empty yet full of meaning.  It almost pushes me forward so I can't look back.  Consequently it also pushes some of my hair into my face, so it makes it hard to see a way forward.  I can't look back, and I can barely see forward...

Ah.

I know what I have to do.

With trembling hands I push the chocolate-brown strands out of my eyes, and at last the path ahead is clear.  Why was that so hard?  It was just a simple motion.  Technically it's not a path in front of me, but an open field.  A forest lies to my left, the one currently housing the fairies, and a world of possibility lies to my right.  

I take a step to my left, then pause.  Do I need to go back there?  No.  The fairies don't need me right now, they don't. 

My feet turn in the opposite direction.  Somehow, so does the wind.  It pushes me away from the rest of the fairies.  The grass is soft, soft like clouds, soft like the clouds above my head.  The white puffs of water vapour stare down at me with mighty and imperial gazes as I return them with wide eyes.  As if answering some sort of call, a small opening forms between the clouds, letting in some of that magnificent blue.  A single beam of sunlight lights the ground in front of me, golden and imperial with its shine.  I reach out to touch it, but it promptly disappears...

... until it reappears several feet ahead of me.

I smile.  So it's going to be a game then.  I'm okay with games.

The sunbeams lead the way as the wind continues to push me.  This open field, with just groups of wildflowers, weeds, and soft grass... the wind... the clouds... the sun...

The sun.

I have to follow the sun.

No.

I have to follow the light.

I have to look for the light.

All of these things, visions upon visions, hints and almost tips, stacked into one long trail for me to reach an end.

This sunlight chase almost makes me want to laugh, so I do.  The wind laughs with me as it pushes me along, acting like a younger sibling instead of a non-sentient being.  The sunlight ahead taunts me as if it's a friend just begging for a race, eyes alight with burning fire.  The clouds, the older guardians that are there to simply watch but end up joining in.  

Air swirls around me.  I feel free.  Blades of grass tickle my toes as I run.  Run.  

Run.

Isn't that what I've been doing all this time?

Running from my emotions.

Running from my visions.

And now, running from my karma.

Run.

It's become something I'm extremely good at.

Eventually, I reach the end of the field.  A cliff is apparently my destination, a high rocky structure that overlooks a blissful-looking lagoon.  Carefully, despite my ability to fly, I take hesitant steps toward the cliff's edge; I don't want to fall.  One step, then another.  And another.  

I reach the edge.

I look down.

My eyes widen.

The beautiful blue lagoon begins to swirl, almost as if a whirlpool had suddenly formed in its center.  Out of thin air a flash of gold appears, growing bigger.  It matches the cerulean patch, the two colours swirling and rotating together but never mixing.  After a few moments, the gold patch moves to the lagoon's center and it's replaced by a swatch of dark blue.  The two blue hues revolve around the gold circle before joining it.  The three colours form a beautiful spiral that continues to grow outward until it consumes the entire lagoon whole.  

I bite my lip as I see a familiar leaf glide across the lagoon, I can see it clearly even from this far away... somehow.  As it floats across slowly, without a care in the world, it calms the waters.  They return to their normal colours as it passes.  Once the leaf and all its scarlet glory reach the other side, it disappears.

I find myself falling to my knees.  My eyes drift toward the sky, desperate for anything, anything at all.  

There's nothing.

"It's ending..." I murmur, a tear escaping and running down my cheek.  "It's all ending."  

I look behind me to the Spirit that brought me here.

"Your Majesty, why did you show me this?"

The Spirit of the first fairy Queen drifts toward me, standing at my side.  Her hair, long and angelic, floats in the wind and takes on the colour of a fresh sprig of mint.  "I didn't.  This vision was created by your mind, your Time skills.  I merely wanted to witness the next Queen using her skills."

"It's ending, all of it," I tell her tearfully.  "This story is ending soon, and its beginning will be its end.  That terrifies me."

"But it will not be like that forever," the first Queen reminds me, her regality clearly intertwined with her voice.  "This chapter is coming to a close, but the book is not ending."

"It is," I sob.  I'm smiling, and I'm crying.  I'm happy, but I'm sad.  All this pain, this conflict, will be over, but all the happiness I felt, all the happiness they felt, it will be gone.  It will be erased.  "It is."

Or, perhaps it was merely a mirage created by the sands of Time.

Perhaps it never even existed.

The former Queen sighs.  "In a sense, you are right."  She smiles at me, her emerald eyes showing me immense sympathy.  "But you will have your own blessings after, as you just saw."

"Yes."  They don't last forever, blessings never do.  All blessings morph into curses at some point, it's only a matter of... a matter of...

"Your Majesty, you were friends with my parents, weren't you?"

Gardenia nods.  "Yes, very good friends.  I knew them both well in their former lives, you see."

My smile grows thin.  "Then tell me, how were you able to cope with inflicting that curse upon them?  How were you able to make them immortal, knowing what it would do to both of them in the long run?"

The Queen bows her head, looking slightly sad.  "Well, you see... I don't exactly know.  I talked it over with them each separately- of course at the time they hated each other, and they wouldn't have agreed if they knew the other would be immortal as well."  A gentle wind blows past her, blowing her hair toward the blueness of the lagoon.  "When I performed the spell they were both furious... naturally.  But you see, they didn't know what I knew.  They didn't know that in a very, very long time, they would become the best of friends, partners, parents..." she looks at me.  "Because you see, Valerie, while blessings can turn into curses, curses can also turn into blessings."

"So knowing what the future had instore for them made it more okay for you- mentally I mean?"  Gardenia knows, she really knows what it's like to go through this, and I refuse to ask Alara for anything now other than the Staff, because it's about to belong to me.

She nods, albeit a bit slowly.  The clouds begin to fade, more sunlight filling my eyes.  "In a sense, in a sense.  It might not make it easier at the time... but you will know how to perform your spell just right.  You will do it well."

I'm completely awed by the Queen's faith in me, but I'm still doubtful.  Events are happening left and right, everything is going to come to a grinding halt soon and I'm not sure if I've prepared enough for it.  "But-"

"No buts, Valerie."  The Spirit's voice is unwavering and strong as she looks toward the horizon.  The wind blows in that direction too, is it asking us to go there?  I'm sorry, Wind, not today.  "You've seen so far that Time is a curse, but now you're beginning to see how it can be a blessing.  Savour all you can.  Treasure every moment."

"I'll try."  I should probably be getting back to the fairies.  Turning back to the former Queen, I ask her one final question.  "Your Majesty, will you be ther-"

She's already gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

I feel more refreshed walking back to the fairies' current campsite.  Well, refreshed isn't really the word.  It's more like... I feel ready.  I've accepted the future, I've accepted all of its twists and turns, I've accepted what I'm going to have to do now.

The sun is setting.  I spent a lot more time than I should've sitting on that cliff, all alone, but something compelled me to stay.  Nombles came with me after a while and it was kinda nice, just sitting there with the wind and the wildflowers and the water.  It was peaceful.  I don't know what it was that kept me there to be honest, all I know is that my parents are probably worried about me staying out all day when I have this Elemental exhaustion.  New term, not bad.

"Valerie!"

My head turns in the direction I heard the voice, and annoyingly I find myself having to push a few hair strands out of my face in order to even see the person.  Pale blonde hair, round-rimmed glasses, both are obvious tells to me that the fairy calling my name is Clemont, even from this far of a distance.  I quicken my lazy walk to a sprint in order to get over to the Advisor quicker.

"Is everything alright?" I ask him anxiously.

Luckily he shakes his head, a relieved-sounding sigh escaping him.  "Yes, sorry for worrying you.  His Lightness just sent me out to search for you, he said it was getting dark and he was worried for your safety."

August, worried for my safety?  With all this power I can easily handle myself.  Still, it's nice to know that he cares.  "Wouldn't it have been faster to send either one of my parents for me?"

"Your pa- oh."  I haven't been referring to them as my parents much out loud, so it's no wonder that Clemont forgot.  "Both of the Leaders said they wanted the Ministers to have a break for once, and to be honest, I agree."

Yeah, me too.  "Shall we head back then?"

"Yes, let's go."

As Clemont and I journey back, I find an opportune chance to ask him about the conclusion that August and Verity came to earlier.  "So, what ended up happening after I left?  What conclusion did they reach?"

"After..." he trails off, sighs, and starts back up again.  "After a lot of back-and-forth-" Jeez, I know they fight a lot as siblings but is this really the time to be arguing- "they came up with two options.  They want to let you choose which one will be the plan, considering your Elemental powers."

My only response is a simple nod; I don't bother asking him for the details because I figure the twins will just tell me themselves.  

Thankfully the fairies' new place isn't that far from us, and I give Clemont a little wave as I wander off to find both of the Leaders.  By now the sun has finished setting, the clouds dissipating to give us a perfect night sky.  It's a bit sad that we get perfect skies while the ground we're standing on is corrupted with malice.

Lots of the fairies are settling down for the night in these little hammocks or just on some blankets on the grass.  It's a very warm night, it's not like everyone needs piles of duvets to maintain a nice body temperature.  Tensions seemed to have died down a little, which is a good thing.  Negativity in real life always finds a way to crawl into dreams, and dreams are supposed to be precious and pure.

Some lights flash in the corner of my left eye, so I turn in that direction to see both Leaders and my parents standing together off to the side- probably to let everyone else get a decent sleep.

"Hey, sorry I was gone for so lo-"

"Where were you!?" August whisper-shouts, looking distraught.  

I chuckle at him softly.  "Sorry.  I was just conversing with... an old friend-" I toss a meaningful glance at both my parents- "and afterward, I just lost track of time."  Ironic isn't it that the Time fairy loses track of it.

The Light Leader doesn't look convinced, but he knows when to pick his battles.  "So, not sure if Clemont told you, but Verity and I each have a proposition for you.  Tell us which one sounds best."

"Alright, go ahead."  Let's try and make this quick, I'd like some alone time with Auggie before I go to bed.

"I'll start."  Verity steps forward.  "The day after tomorrow at dawn, we'll go to the border of our forest- in the human side of course.  Because of the whole situation with the Colony it's only natural that they placed humans in and outside of the forest.  We go to them and kill them all with our magic.  We get our revenge but it also sends a message to Lance that we aren't going to back down, and just because he tormented some of us doesn't mean he has the power.  Val, if you can try and have your second test ready to go by then, then we can just reset everything right after."

August lets out a little cough.  "My proposition is different.  We stay here, lay low for as long as we can- or as long as we have until you complete your second Queen's test, Valerie.  Then you can reset everything, and not only will life go back to normal, we'll be able to move back to the Colony and resume life like nothing ever happened.  No one will have to, albeit potentially, die during battle."

Mom looks toward me.  "Not meaning to pressure you, but lives are resting in your hands.  Make a wise decision."  Jeez, thanks Mom!  I wasn't feeling pressured enough as it is.

Despite these two Leaders in front of me offering their opinions, I'm afraid I have to offer them one that's entirely my own.  "I have my own idea," I propose.  "I'm not sure if I'll have my second test ready for the day after tomorrow, but that's when we will retaliate- but not with our magic," I add when Verity begins to look all excited.  "We'll be using our Mist Pokemon.  It will be a battle, but a battle with our Pokemon."

"But would humans agree to that when they can, very easily might I add, use their weapons?" August points out worriedly.  "We can't just give ourselves an unfair disadvantage if we're going to fight."

I shake my head.  "Not if we propose to them a deal.  Tomorrow, I will travel back to the Castle to tell Alara to give this message to Lance: bring your strongest trainers to the forest's edge to battle against the fairies.  Lance is blinded enough to agree to anything that has the words 'battle against the fairies' in it.  I'm going to add this proposition for when I meet with Alara: If they faint all our Pokemon, they get to have our forest and can capture every single one of us.  If we faint all of theirs, then the war ends and they have to let us go in peace."

"Wh-What!?" Verity exclaims in another kind of whisper-shout, looking extremely shocked at my words.  "You're going to let the Colony go just like that!?"

Once again I shake my head.  "No, obviously not.  If we are to lose, then we run for it, just like August wants.  We can all teleport to a place even farther from where we are now, and wait out our days until I can fix everything.  If we actually win, well... problem solved, right?"

"I must admit, while peculiar, this plan does not sound that bad..." Dad trails away sounding deep in thought.  "However, in the case that the humans do not agree to this battle, I advise that we should simply do what His Lightness wishes.  Hide away until everything can be fixed."

"As much as I love a good battle, I agree with the Light fairies here," Mom interjects when Verity opens her mouth to protest.  "It's not just revenge, it's the fairies' safety we're thinking about here."

The Dark Leader lets out a sigh.  "Alright... fine.  I guess I'm outnumbered, no sense fighting that.  The plan is settled the- wait.  Val, do you really want to go back and see Alara by yourself?"

"I'll bring my Spirit Soldiers with me," I assure her.  "Rest assured, I won't let her try anything."  Glancing around, I add, "I think everything is settled, so we can all go to sleep."  A small smile escapes me.  "I'm kinda exhausted."

"We've got some blankets for you," says Dad to me at the speed of light, sounding anxious.  "We also-"

I motion for him to stop.  "Thanks," I tell him lightly as I link arms with August, "but I'm gonna spend some time with August first, so if another fairy needs them, they can have 'em."  My mouth curves upward into a slight smile.  "Plus, I know enough magic by now to summon blankets, I mean, come on, what do you take me for?"

"A-Ah, of course," Dad agrees hastily.  "Well then, if I do not see you, have a good sleep," he tells me warmly.  Mom echoes his words, and the two walk off into the dead of night.

"I think I'll go to bed too," Verity announces with a yawn.  "Good night, you two."

"Night!" August and I tell her in unison.  Once she leaves, and it's just the two of us alone, I speak up.

"Let's go somewhere a little farther away, just you and me," I urge him.  He looks a bit confused and a bit flustered- even in the dead of night his flusteredness makes him look utterly adorable- but he agrees.

Holding each others' hands, we march off into the night for some well-deserved alone time.   I missed so much time with him, I... I don't want to miss anymore.  Not while I have him here with me, I want him with me.  

My palms grow sweaty as I know what's about to happen, and I think August can sense it too.  "Are you sure?  Now?"

I turn my gaze to his face.  The darkness is doing its job well, but I can still see the hesitancy in his eyes.  "I missed so much time with you, and you're the only person I love, Auggie.  I don't want to miss the chance with you."  Cue my nervous rambling.  "But of course I don't want to pressure you or anything, this is a choice we should both make together it just seems that everything is happening left and right and eventually things are going to change but not eventually, it's going to happen soon and I-"

"Woah, calm down," he whispers.  He puts both hands on my shoulders, looking at me kind of intensely.  "You're absolutely certain.  Right?"  I know what he's thinking, he doesn't want to do anything that we'll regret.

The only thing I'll regret is not taking this opportunity.  I give him a nod.

We eventually settle down in a quiet spot pretty far away from everyone else because Gardenia forbid that someone interrupts our alone time.  Heavy breathing, smiles from both of us.  "Is this your-"

I cut off his question with my answer.  "Y-Yeah, what about-"

"Same."

"Ah."

Our lips meet and I find myself melting into him.  Both of us fade into the motions, and for once, I only think about the present.  Not the future.  I don't know what effects the outcomes will have...

... or maybe I do, and I'm not sure how to face them yet.

Yeah okay so y'all know what they're doing, I don't need to say anything.  This is like my first time writing anything remotely sexual and ahhhh me no likey.  But *ahem* anyway, that was the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it.

5 more chapters left, people.  I'll see you in the next one.