2 months later…

Everything is dark, I'm alone. And it's like someone dropped me in a giant pool of the blackest paint. I try to swim but I can't see and can barely move. Am I falling? I am.
I try to scream, but no sound comes out of my mouth. What was I expecting when both my lungs and mouth are full of nothing? My body shivers and my mind races.
I feel a familiar warmth somewhere close I open my arms trying to reach it, always in vain. I'm sure I'm reaching the ground, but I never do, so I keep falling.

Until I wake up.
Soaked in sweat, like always.

I thought being home would change this. But it didn't. As usual I won't have any more sleep tonight, so I sat on the bed, my back against the wall reaching for some cold.

Maybe Janna and Leona are right, I'm ready to move on, from Katarina, from everything in general, I don't feel hurt anymore, it doesn't ache as it used to anymore.
It feels right to be home. My friends are here. Our house is still the same, maybe I'll even take my old guitar to the league, or maybe I'll buy a new one so I can recall the old times when I used to have music classes.

Roaming around my shelves I find an oooold picture of me and Leona, another with Jinx, my graduation from magic school, my dumb competitions with Janna, our 1st day on the league, we were so happy…

It's not like we aren't now, I mean, the three of us are home and Jinx will be joining one of these days. Oh, how I missed mom and dad, Garen did too, but he is a man, and men don't show feelings as he says, it only makes me laugh.

"Lady Luxanna, breakfast is ready." – Kara entered the room.

"Oh Kara, how I missed you!" – I greeted her with my best smile of true happiness, I put on my best dress and ran down the stairs, Janna was reading on our interior garden, she liked it there, Leona was about to arrive so we could take a stroll around Demacia in order to see old friends and go to the farmers market. – "Morning Janna." – she seemed too distracted to notice I'd spoke to her, so I went closer and waved, startling her. – "Sorry." – I said laughing.

"Oh hey Lux." – she said reacquiring her composure. – "Is it breakfast time already?"

"Yeah." – I kept laughing.

"Don't mock me little girl!" – she said, laughing herself. – "Someone's in a good mood." – she put her hand around my waist as I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Oh, you smell good today."

"TODAY?! Shall I be offended?" – we laughed for a while until Kara came to the room again.

"It's good to see you two having fun, we are used to see you in the battlefield and let me just say, if you permit me such a statement I'd say you two, and lady Leona are the best fighters we could have asked for. Demacia is in good hands. Now, off to breakfast, mister Crownguard is waiting for you inside."

I ran inside to greet my father and mother, hugging both.

"Oh Lux, we missed you both so much."

"Good morning mister and miss Crownguard." – Janna said shyly.

"Such good manners Janna, but come here." – my mother said pulling Janna in for a group hug.

I think Janna blushed a bit.

"It's always a pleasure to have you with us." – Daddy said greeting her too.

"It's always my pleasure to be here, Mr. Crownguard." – she smiled. We had breakfast and waited for Leona in the gardens, Janna was reading, I was having the time of my life with the guitar and listening to the birds almost sing along, winter was coming but it was always good to just sit on the grass and enjoy any bit of sun we could get.

Leona eventually arrived greeting us warmly. It made me feel home, even if I was already home.

We went for a walk.

"Hey look! It's Buddy." – the beige dog threw himself at us asking for a good belly rub.

"Who's a good boy?" – Leona talked to the dog, he seemed to understand as he was smiling and liking her hands and face. We just stood there enjoying the moment.

Going to downtown we ended up encountering old Bill, that old man who always reads the news on his balcony, that other coffee shop owner who always gives us a cup of tea, and Tessa.

"Hey girls!" – Tessa smiled. Her shop smelled like fresh fruits and vegetables. I'd literally kill to have these things on the league.

"Hey Tessa, how's it going?" – Janna asked.

The woman told us about her children and how she wish they could go to school and finish studies instead of possibly going to a war that eventually will happen. She also talked about her dreams and trips, her husband and the fact that her kids are grown up and almost living home so she and her husband thought of adopting a dog, or maybe two.
We took our fruit and ended up eating pears on top of a wall near watching the river flow, just to take Leona home by dawn.

"Where have you been young girl?" – her mother seemed mad. Until she saw me and came to hug me and cover me with kisses. – "Oh Lux! I can't believe you're here. Would you girls please stay dinner?"

"We can't, I'm sorry… Kara and my parents are waiting for us, but we'll stop by tomorrow, I promise." – we said our goodbyes and headed home.

When we were about to enter the house Janna stopped asking me why I was so tense, that's when I told her about the dreams.

"Oh, really? It means you're a star guardian! Just like me and Ahri and Soraka and a whole bunch of champions!" – she was happy, I was too, even though I didn't knew what any of that meant and it probably got my anxiety even worse than before. – "Don't look so concerned, just relax a bit, I'll go to your room tonight to explain some things, and maybe help you relief some stress." – she winked and I smiled.

That night she really went to my room.

"sooooo… what's this all about and where do I sign in?"

"Oh, but you already signed in, even if you didn't. It's something you can't really refuse since it has interplanetary range."

"what do you mean?"

"It's something way bigger than you or me. You' will help save the world, all our nations, from a greater enemy, bigger than any of those we've fought this far."

"But why me?!"

"I asked the same…" – she smiled – "Probably cause you're brilliant, and you'll give a great leader for a team."

We kept talking, I tried to understand, but for now all I could ever hope for was a night of sleep and this nightmares to stop.

She kept telling me to have patience and to be calm and collected.

"But what if I'm not enough?"

"Don't worry about it. You're one of the best, otherwise you wouldn't have been chosen. Now let's get you calm and relaxed in a tub full of hot water, bath soaks and a bottle of champagne." – she leaned to hug me, our eyes crossed. For a moment there I forgot everything, everything stopped. I leaned further, our noses brushed, our fronts touched, our eyes stared into each other's soul, for just a second I could see everything. My brain rushed and I couldn't control the impulse to kiss her. Our lips softly brushed. I blushed, what was I thinking.

"I'm sorry…"

She had her hands in my lap, one reached for my face, pulling me closer for another kiss. A more passionate one, her lips were softer than silk and her hands felt soft and cold on my face. It felt too right to be wrong.
She took a fraction of second to breathe and stared into my eyes, smiling. The tenderest, warmest and overall perfect smile I've seen in such a long time. How could someone as calm as her end up being so passionate and kissing someone as messy and impulsive as me?

"About that bath…" – she pulled herself together and got up, headed to the bathroom and turned on the water. I just lay in the bed, hearing the water falling, listening to her sing softly.

She came back, took me by the hands, and made me dance a bit.

Her gentle hand on my waist, her intoxicating perfume of roses and green tea, her butterscotch hair falling perfectly over her shoulders covered by a white blouse that waved as we moved. I could stay like this forever. When I noticed, we were already in the bathroom.