Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies...

Hi guys,

Firstly, a huge thanks for all the reviews! They are lovely and I'm really glad that you guys enjoy my story. Please keep up the support!

Also, if you haven't checked out my other story 'It's the Little things that count', I've updated recently with a Nine/Five one-shot. If you have looked at it and reviewed, a massive thanks. Next update should be in a couple of days.

Soon DarkseidShrike will be posting the story : 'The Fall of Five: United we Stand'. You guys have got to read it; I've seen some scenes and wow, its good. So once that's out don't hesitate to read and review!

Don't worry, Henri's back soon!

So, read on and enjoy...

John

I dodge the dagger hurled at me and rip my sword through the mog's stomach. It groans and falls to its' knees. I deal it a death blow in the head and it explodes to dust.

I stand up and take a look around. I can't see Six so I assume she's invisible and dealing out death to the mogs. Two is nearby, shooting a steady stream of bullets at the mogs. She's an excellent shot which is coming in handy and especially will when we meet up with the others.

There are at least 100 more mogs. They sent a huge army to deal with us but they didn't estimate my rage and Six's ability. I've been a machine, ripping through mogs without thinking. The pain of Sarah's death has suddenly come back to haunt me and the only way I can get rid of it is through revenge.

Another mog charges at me but I easily deflect the blow with my sword and stab it through the heart. I feel like Nine, enjoying every mog death. I know how he felt; we have to revenge everything they've ever done to us.

I aim a huge fireball at a group of mogs in the distance and release it. It's on them before they realise and they scream as the flames engulf them. I don't feel any twinge of guilt, instead I feel joy.

There's something wrong with me.

More mogs continue to charge at me but I senselessly kill them all. I stab, shoot, crush and the numbers slowly diminish. I see Two staring at me stunned as I continue to wreck havoc amongst the enemy.

I smile at the taste of ash in my mouth.

There's only about 30 left; Six has come along to help me fight against them. She's also incredible, fighting with an ease and grace that you only achieve after years of training. I'm so mesmerised by her I don't notice the mog creeping up on me until i'm stabbed in the side.

I cry out and fall to the ground, holding my side. I hear Six cry my name but I have other things to worry about. The mog stands over me, laughing at me until it explodes into dust. Two stands next to me, gun in hand. I try to smile but find myself slipping away.

"Two! The stone!" I hear Six order. Two nods next to me and rummages in my backpack. I want to be annoyed that she's looking through my stuff but I can't find it in me to speak. I feel too weak.

Six rushes over and snatches the bag from Two, rifling through it much quicker. She looks scared and I realise she's worried about me. I try and tell her not to worry but I can't speak very well and anything I do say is incomprehensible.

"Shoot them!" she orders Two, who nods shakily and stands up slowly. "Hurry!" Six snaps at her. Two pales but continues to mow down the mogs with her bullets.

Six leans over me, stone in her hand and presses it to my wound. I gasp and ball my fists up at the sudden surge of pain I experience. I groan and close my eyes, trying not to cry from the pain. I feel a soft touch stroking my cheek and I know Six is trying to help me through the pain. Despite my intense feelings for her, it doesn't help.

Eventually, the pain disappears and i'm up again, ready with my sword. Six jumps back, shocked at my ferocity as I throw myself into the fight once more. I have one goal: to kill all the mogs I can.

I rip through another mog and it screams in pain before it explodes into ash. There are only 20 or so left; none of them are good enough to beat us. I laugh as I see some run away from me but i'm too fast. I race ahead of them and cut them down in their tracks.

I see a couple of agents nearby also try and leave but I won't let them. Agents helped kill Sarah; agents ruined her life. I sprint to them and grab one by the neck. He screams in panic but I snap his neck before he can be helped. Another man aims at me with his gun but I laugh and rip his gun away with telekinesis and shoot him with it.

There are only two agents left, a middle-aged man and a young woman. She's crying with her hands in the air and I would feel sorry for her but her fair hair reminds me of Sarah. I harden my heart and am about to shoot her when Six appears next to me. She grabs my arms and wrenches them behind my back in a vice-like grip. I struggle but she's so much stronger than me.

"Stop, John! This is enough!" she hisses in my ear. The two agents turn and flee but Six won't let me follow. I growl in anger and annoyance but she doesn't let me go.

"Stop this! This isn't you!" she cries desperately. I stop struggling and fall limp, trying to trick her. She falls for it and lets go of me in surprise when I use my chance. I'm up in my feet and begin to race after the two agents when my feet sink into the ground and i'm fastened in place by rock.

"Six! Let me go!" I shout angrily. She must have used her element legacy. I see Two nearby, scared. I glare at her and she cowers even more.

"John, this isn't you" Six pleads, standing in front of me. There's some part acknowledging that she's right but the rest of me doesn't care.

"I'm warning you Six" I threaten. She shakes her head but I see tears in her eyes.

"John-" she begins but I don't let her finish. I grab her arm and drag her towards me, twisting her around in the process. Her back's pressed against my chest with my sword to her throat.

"NO!" Two screams leaping forwards. I hear Six gasp in shock as the blade presses closer and blood trickles down her neck.

"John please" she whispers. I need to let her go and calm down, some part of me realises but the rest of me ignores it. I focus on the bloodlust raging in me.

"Let me go Six. I don't want to hurt you" I warn. I feel the ground give way from my ankles and I can move again. I shove Six to the floor and am about to continue after the agents but they've disappeared. They've gone.

"You let them go!" I roar turning to Six. She stares up at me, resolute.

"There's something wrong with you John. This isn't you" she says, staring at me concerned and scared. She's right but I feel this iron strong grip over my actions. I can't stop what i'm doing.

"You IDIOT!" I scream at Six, dragging her up by the arm. She doesn't fight back, too stunned by everything that i'm doing.

I raise my sword in my hand and see alarm feature on Six's face as it swings towards her. I can't stop the blade from moving and I know it will hit her, will kill her. I'm being controlled by someone else, i'm sure of it, but I can't help myself.

The sword swings down to catch Six but it never falls. Two leaps forward and grabs my arm, ripping the sword from me in my moment of shock. Without thinking, I backhand her and she goes skidding across the floor, unconscious.

"Two!" Six cries out. I still have a grip on her arm so she can't go over to make sure Two's ok.

"John, please stop this" she whispers to me, stroking my face. I can feel the iron grip on my mind but I can't fight it. I'm too weak.

"I can't" I gasp out, my strength being sapped. I feel sweat on my brow and my breathing quickens.

"Try" she whispers.

I concentrate on everything I care about: Six, the Garde, BK, Sam, Henri... I imagine them all in one place with me, all of us alive and well. I think about everything that matters to me, everything that can give me strength. I fight back against the will controlling mine.

Suddenly, the iron control over my thoughts disappears and I collapse to the ground, weak and panting. Six smiles in relief and kneels next to me, still touching my face.

"What happened?" she asks gently, brushing hair out of my eyes. I sob and lean into her shoulder. She wraps her arms around me and kisses my forehead.

"I think it was Setrakus... he had control of me somehow, though I don't know how. He's so strong... I couldn't fight back" I reply. She nods and I fall silent in her arms.

I feel terrible for what I've done but I know it wasn't me doing it. My main fear is how much control Setrakus has. How can we beat someone who can control minds from states away?

"Come on, we need to go" she says eventually, pulling me to my feet. I nod shakily and then lift Two over to me with telekinesis. I place her in my arms and she falls limp against me, still unconscious. I feel awful for hitting her and I hope she'll forgive me. Six smiles at me and all at once, I feel a million times better.

As long as I have her, everything will be ok.

Xxx

Five

I sit on the sand in Texas, frustrated tears streaming down my face. My lips are still burning from the kiss Nine and I shared and I can still feel his hands running along my arms. I shiver and wrap my arms closer around myself, trying to forget out it.

Which is going very badly, by the way.

I'm completely in love with him. If I hadn't realised that before, I certainly know it now. Our kiss has revealed the knowledge that had been trying to break out inside of me. I lean my head on my knees and sob. Why did he have to do that?

I know separating us is the best option otherwise our feelings will be used against us. The idiot just doesn't seem to realise that i'm trying to help us, not make things worse. But he had to kiss me, make me lose control over my actions. He's not stupid at all; he knows exactly what he's doing.

And I don't know how long I can resist him.

I look down at the ground and gently draw in the dirt with my finger. I notice i'm drawing the number nine over and over and I quickly rub it away. I can't leave any sign, even one as small as that. Nothing should ever be left behind by one is us.

"Well, what do we have here?" my head snaps up and I jump up, reaching for my dagger at the sudden noise. Mogs surround me and I had been so preoccupied with Nine and my crying, I hadn't noticed. Why am I so stupid?!

I scrabble around for my knife when I realise with horror that I left it behind in the hotel room. I assumed I'd be safe with Nine. Fear sets in me and I take a couple of steps back. The lead mog grins cruelly and loads his gun slowly, taking his time. I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves. I have to be in control; I can take on these mogs easily if I concentrate.

I focus my element legacy in me and throw a fireball at a couple of mogs. They scream and try to jump out of the way but I manipulate the fire into a stream which follows them. They die pretty quickly once the fire catches them. Another mog slams into me and we fall to the ground. I roll out of the way and sweep the legs out from under another mog and it cries out, lying on the ground stunned. I bring a rock down onto its' temple and it explodes into ash in seconds. I grab its' sword and stand up. Now the real fight begins.

Another mog jumps for me but I step out the way easily. I swing my sword round and into its' back and another one bites the dust. I grin at the irony of that statement and I see a couple of mogs shrink back. They underestimated me before but now they know i'm a real threat. Good.

I focus on the ground beneath a small group of mogs and allow the earth to move up and wrap around their feet. They scream in panic as their ankles are sucked into the ground and they can't move at all. I kill them pretty quickly after that.

I turn to the rest of the mogs who have decided retreat is the best way to go. I never give them that chance. I'm on them before they can run off; dust filling my mouth and covering my skin once i'm done. I turn around waiting for others to come but nothing does. I breathe a sigh of relief and push my hair from my eyes.

I need to get to the others and warn them of the threat. I hope they weren't attacked by mogs. I turn to go.

"Nicely done, but can you take me on?" I hear the cold voice say and my blood turns to ice. My heartbeat temporarily stops but then picks up, even quicker than before. I close my eyes in resignation.

"Setrakus" I say, turning around. He stands there, a smug smile on his face and holding his whip and cane. He grins at my look of horror.

"Number Five. We finally meet in person" he says grandly. I swallow and want to step back but my pride won't let me. I won't be weak.

I don't speak and his grin increases. I stare at him, scared out of my mind. I'm not ready for this fight; i'm not Pittacus. I'm just tired and hungry and my weapons are too far away. I'm not prepared for this fight and I know I'll lose. I could turn invisible and run away but he'll track me with mind control.

I have no option but to hope that he won't kill me.

He swings his cane and a blue electricity races out of it. It hits me and I fly away, landing stunned a fair distance away. I groan and prop myself up on my hands and knees, my hair hanging around my face. I hear him laugh and I try and use my element legacy on him.

It doesn't work. He's taken my legacies.

I panic and scramble up onto my feet, my hands shaking from fear. He's in front of me now and smirks when he sees my horrified expression.

"What did you do?" I ask, my voice a whisper. He smiles lazily and takes a step closer. In response, I stumble back and trip over a stone. He laughs as I crawl back.

"You're pathetic you know. I'm ashamed to call you my heir. I had thought about keeping you on once I've destroyed the human population but now..." he says, his eyes glinting with hatred.

Fury fills me. Nobody ever calls me pathetic. With a cry, I lunge up and aim my sword at his neck. He ducks but looks a bit shaken. I swing the sword again and it catches his leg, causing blood to pour down his leg. I watch astonished and then horrified as his wound closes up.

"Maybe you're not so weak after all..." he says, smiling. He got the reaction he wanted, yet I don't care anymore. All I can think about is escape.

He swings his cane around and I duck. Our weapons clash as they meet over my head, Setrakus pushing down on them. I begin to crumble under the extreme pressure and I duck and roll. He grunts and falls forward, having leant his whole weight on me. I stand up and kick his legs out from underneath him and he falls.

I breathe a sigh of relief and am about to run off when something cold and sharp wraps around my ankle. I cry out and fall down as my feet are tugged out from under me. Setrakus scowls and wipes blood from his mouth as he stands over me, whip in his hand.

He brings it up after unwrapping it from my ankle with a twist. Before I can move, he lifts it up and then brings it down on me. It hits my torso hard and the end catches my face. I scream from the pain without thinking and he begins laughing. The pain is excruciating; I can't help but cry out.

"NINE!" I scream, praying he'll hear me. He's got heightened hearing so hopefully he will. If he's not too far away.

Setrakus laughs again and lifts the whip up, delivering another agonising blow to my body. I remember Six saying black rock appeared after he did that to her, but he must have disabled that power because nothing happens. Maybe he just wants to torture me instead of incapacitate me.

It's working pretty well.

"You're weak and an embarrassment to Lorien. Why you were chosen to become an heir of an elder, I'll never know." Setrakus mocks. He brings up the whip again and I wince, waiting for the blow. I close my eyes as it begins to fall but it never hits. I open my eyes quickly and stare in shock.

"Nine" I whisper as he wrestles with Setrakus for the whip. Nine's the only one strong enough, fast enough to take on Setrakus. He must have heard me call and would have come to save me, no matter what. I kick at Setrakus' feet and he goes down, giving Nine the advantage. I stand up and grab the sword I dropped earlier. Nine looks at me grimly and then Setrakus is up again, continuing the battle with Nine.

It's amazing to watch. They're both as deadly and fast as the other; moving in motions too fast for me to see. I can tell that they're both equal fighters which makes me relieved that Nine isn't being defeated.

How wrong I was.

There's a shout and then I see Nine fall down, clutching a wound in his leg. I run over to him and stand over him, my sword in front of me. Nine manages to stand up behind me but it's clear he needs help.

"You can't win" Setrakus taunts. He lashes for me with his cane but I swing my sword up to catch the blow. The shock jars my arm but I stay put. I grimace as he begins to push the blades closer to my face like he did earlier but Nine throws a kick at Setrakus' stomach. The blades fall away and I stumble back, my arm muscles screaming in pain.

The next couple of things happen very quickly yet I remember it all with painstaking detail. Setrakus swings his cane at me and I duck to avoid. As i'm distracted, he then flicks his whip so that it curls around Nine's arm, who is dragged forward. I try to lunge up and grab him but Setrakus gets him before I can. Nine's face stares at me, shocked and confused as I cry out his name.

They disappear.

I stand in the desert all by myself, staring at the place where they last where. There had been rumours that Setrakus had every legacy like Pittacus but this proves it. He just teleported with Nine. He took Nine away from me.

"No" I whisper in shock at what just happened. I look around desperately, hoping for some trick. But it's real; Nine is gone.

"No" I whimper, tears in my eyes. I had never imagined losing Nine, he was the one constant in my life recently.

Tears stream down my face and I run my hands through my hair in dismay. I feel terrible; distraught and in pain from losing Nine go. It's my fault, I should have done more.

"NO!" I shout, flinging the mog sword I borrowed away into the desert, anger and despair filling me.

I wish Nine were here. I need him now more than ever which is ironic considering i'm beside myself over his disappearance.

I just have to believe that Setrakus won't kill Nine. He'll use him as bait instead. I try to suppress the emotional pain inside me but it's too strong.

I was weak. I let him get captured.

I turn on my heel and race back to the hotel. I need to get the others and then we can save Nine. We have no other choice; I won't rest until Nine is safe. I won't leave him alone with Setrakus for longer than necessary.

And if Setrakus hurts him, I swear he won't live long enough to regret it.

Xxx

Eight

"Ok, now carefully aim your hands towards the target" Adelina instructs me. We're in a random field near enough to Chicago. We'll be there tomorrow and I can't wait to see the others. I'll show off my new legacy to them, which will show Nine not to mess with me.

We decided to do a bit of training because my master legacy can still be temperamental. Adelina's been really useful and shown me how to control it. She's definitely improved as a Cepan. I know she and Marina had a small talk after their argument and have begun to sort things out but things are nowhere near fixed between them.

"What do I do now?" I ask Adelina through gritted teeth. It's hard holding this level of power back and i'm sweating from the effort.

"Release it" she instructs. I breathe a sigh of relief and the fire shoots from my hands and hits the target we set up. I feel tired from the sudden lack of energy but I know my legacy is improving. I can control it so much better than before.

"Much better" she says as I turn to her. I smile and run a hand through my hair. I'll need to cut it again soon; maybe Marina can do that for me. I'm sure she'd do a better job than I ever would.

"Right, I think you need a break; we've done enough for one day" she says, smiling at me kindly. I stretch my arms back as we begin to walk back to Marina and the others, who are waiting at the end of the isolated field. She's sitting on the hood of the car and eating an apple. She laughs at something Adam says and I find my heart flutter at the sight of her.

"Thank you for talking with her... to convince her to forgive me" Adelina says to me. I smile and shrug my shoulders.

"It's all right. She'd regret it otherwise" I say. She nods and we both look at Marina. She smiles and waves at us when she sees us looking. I grin back at her and my pace increases slightly so I can get to her quicker.

"You really love her, don't you?" Adelina says to me. I blush at her piercing gaze but I nod.

"Who couldn't?" I reply to her. She smiles and looks away, silently agreeing with me.

We reach the others and I automatically go to Marina, leaning on the hood next to her. Adam grins at me from where he's standing and I smile back. He's a good guy and i'm glad he's on our team. He's a strong fighter and really helped me get out of that base alive. I'm not sure all of us would be here today if it weren't for him.

"So, how was practice?" he asks me. I groan and drop my head onto Marina's shoulder. She laughs but doesn't push me off.

"Hard work. You have no idea how much control you need for a master legacy" I complain. Marina smirks and taps her head.

"Oh I do. Remember, I got mine first" she says cheekily. According to Adelina, mind control is Marina's master legacy and it's likely it could be Five's too. That means the Garde are almost fully developed; we just need to learn to control our legacies. So now Setrakus will be trying even harder to catch and kill us.

"You're supposed to pity me, not make me feel inferior" I say, pouting and making my eyes wide. She laughs again and kisses my forehead. I lighten inwardly but try to remain pitiful on the outside.

"Hmm, I don't know. What do you think?" she asks, looking at Adelina, who shakes her head and grins at Marina.

"Don't feel sorry for him; he needs to man up" she says. The others all laugh and then I turn to Marina.

"Why won't you defend me? You're supposed to be my girlfriend" I moan. She grins and ruffles my hair.

"Fight your own battles" she teases. I sigh mournfully and Marina rolls her eyes. I hop up onto the hood next to her and take her apple from her, taking a bite out of it in the process.

"Hey! That's mine" she protests. I grin and continue to eat it in exaggerated bites.

"You didn't feel sorry for me so now I don't feel sorry for you" I reply. She smiles but doesn't reach back for her apple. I stick my tongue out at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Mature Eight, very mature" she says. I grin and take her hand.

"What's going on?" Three mutters sleepily, getting out of the car. He's been asleep the whole time and it's a shame he can't stay that way. I try not to scowl and Marina shoots a warning glare at me.

"Be nice" she warns me in a whisper. I sigh but smile at Three anyway, trying not to make it look fake. It's not that he's a bad guy; in fact he's really nice. The problem is, he's idolised Marina ever since he realised she saved him. I know she's the first Loric girl he's met and yeah, I guess she is pretty amazing, but does he really have to have a massive crush on her? Especially when she's going out with me.

Not that I've made that clear to him, obviously...

"How was your sleep?" Adam asks Three, winking at me. He thinks this is all hilarious and I suppose I would find it funny too if it were happening to Nine or John.

"It was ok I guess. Just kept on dreaming about my Cepan" he says, his face dropping at the end. I feel sympathy for him; dealing with the death of your Cepan is hard, I'll give him that.

"Don't worry, it gets better with time" I tell him. He smiles at me and I find myself doing the same, unable to be harsh to him.

"Yeah, and soon we'll almost all be together again" Marina says. Three's eyes light up a little when she talks to him and I suppress a groan. Instead I focus on the conversation at hand.

"When will we get to Chicago?" I ask Adelina, who's studying a map. She looks up absently and then smiles at me.

"Tomorrow, if all goes well" she replies. I nod and then hop down from the hood.

"Walk with me?" I ask Marina. She grins and jumps down next to me. We link hands and I can't help but notice the glint of jealousy in Three's eyes. I smile to myself at that; she's mine, not his.

We get some distance away, out of the others' eyesight and hearing range when I begin to relax properly. We're under a couple of trees so it's pretty private which is nice. I haven't spent enough time with her recently and I've missed being alone with her.

I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her waist, resting my hands on her lower back. She smiles and leans into me, her hands placed on my chest with her chin propped up on them. Strands of hair frame her face, gently blowing in the wind. She couldn't look any more beautiful to me than she does now.

"Ugh, why does Three have to like you in that way?" I moan, finally able to complain about it freely. She grins and shoves my arm lightly.

"Aw, can't take the competition, huh?" she teases. I roll my eyes.

"I would so win; he wouldn't stand a chance" I brag. She laughs and shakes her head.

"Why do guys always get so protective?" she mutters.

"Hey!" I protest, although it's true in my case. It's not my fault she's perfect. She smiles gently, probably read my mind, and reaches us to brush some hair out of my eyes. I relax immediately and smile at her.

"It's cute" she says. "And it makes a girl feel appreciated" she says. I laugh.

"I always make you feel special" I protest again. To prove a point, I lean down and kiss her, cutting off her argument. She doesn't resist at all.

Our lips move together slowly and wonderfully. There's really nothing like kissing the girl you love. She smiles against my mouth as I pull her closer and run my hands through her silky hair. Her arms wrap around my neck, tangling in the curls at the nape of my neck.

I'm not sure how long we kiss for. It's our first proper one in ages; we don't like making out in front of the others, especially not Adelina. When we're both desperate for air, I pull away but still want to taste her skin. I kiss down her neck as she gasps and tips her neck back a bit, giving me better access. I gently kiss the spot just under her jaw, when she pulls my mouth back up to hers and we continue our smouldering kiss.

We eventually pull away but don't step out of our embrace. I gently stroke her cheek and she blushes. She always turns red when I do that, even after dating for over a month; she's still shy around me. It's sweet and one of the many reasons I love her.

"Bet Three can't do that" I say smugly about our kiss and her reaction to it. She laughs and moves away but takes a hold of my hand. We begin to walk back to the others but very slowly.

"Really? You're never going to stop now" she complains. I grin at her and she softens, smiling at me affectionately.

"You love it" I say. She shrugs.

"I love you and since you insist on being jealous, I guess I'll have to live with it" she says, grinning at the end.

"I'm not jealous... just competitive" I argue. She rolls her eyes.

"Right, sure you aren't. You know maybe Three isn't such a bad idea, I bet he wouldn't be like this..." she teases.

I stop and pull her close again, mock glaring down at her. She grins cheekily back.

"I'm going to have to stop this once and for all" I say decisively, trying not to smile. She laughs and raises an eyebrow.

"Oh right, how will you do that?" she asks, ever so sweetly. I grin mischievously and bend down, brushing our lips together so that they're almost touching. Her lips tremble slightly and I smile.

"This" I whisper against her lips and she reaches up to close the distance.

So, what do you think's going to happen to Nine? And was John being taken over by Setrakus or was it someone else?

Please review!