My birthday is a quiet, low-key affair. Amy, Key, Emily, and Jon wanted to throw a party for me but I politely declined.  

“Hana, you need to do something fun,” Emily whispers, lines of worry appearing on her face again. My friends have noticed how morose and despondent I’ve been these past few days, and the four of them have been trying to do anything to get my mood up. “This will make you feel better, I promise.”

And so, in the end, I relented on the issue of the party. 

Emily, Amy, Key, and Jon arrive at my house laden with a towering homemade chocolate cake that they baked themselves, boxes and boxes of aromatic take-out from an Italian restaurant, and immaculately wrapped presents. Jon is carrying a box full of noise makers. “Happy 17^th birthday!” Amy exclaims, ruffling my hair.

I smile weakly. “Thanks, guys."

“We have to fatten you up with cake and food,” Key flashes me his signature cheeky grin. He has a point. Over the course of the past week my eating and sleeping schedule has been a mess. As a result, my cheeks are hollowed out and dark crescents have appeared under my eyes. I look awful.

Suddenly there is a knock at the door.

“Who could that be?” Emily wonders, scratching her head. 

I can’t help but feel hope swelling up in my chest. Maybe it’s him. Maybe he’s come back.

I sprint to the door; I can make a silhouette of a tall man standing there. A gigantic beam spreads across my face.

“Kri-,” I say joyfully, opening the door, but then I freeze.

It’s not him. It’s Kai.

“Hana.” The look in his eyes is sympathetic. He knew who I was hoping for. He's experienced the same moments. “We heard it was your birthday.”

“We brought you a present.” Avi is walking up the steps to my condo, lugging a large box. “Happy birthday, Hana.”

“T-thanks, guys.” I force a laugh, trying to hold back the tears forming in my eyes. “This really means a lot to me.”

“Who’s this?” Jon asks curiously, stepping over to see who has arrived.

“Two of my close friends,” I reply. “Mind if they join us?”

“Of course not!”

Avi and Kai meet Emily, Amy, Key, and Jon, and the seven of us begin my birthday celebrations. At first, we were all stiff and tense (especially me, Kai, and Avi), but after a while Amy’s sarcastic remarks, Emily’s kindness, Jon’s crazy antics, and Key’s idol impersonations loosen us all up, and for the first time in a long while I find myself having fun.

Giggling as Kai shakes a Sprite bottle and opens it in Avi's direction, I make a small prayer of thanks for my friends. If they hadn't come, I would still be wallowing in my misery. Suddenly, Emily asks, “Hey, shouldn’t Kris be here? Aren’t you two friends, Hana?”

I drop my glass full of Coke and it shatters to the ground, breaking into millions of fragments.

It is dead silent in the room.

Kai and Avi look shell-shocked.

The sound of his name makes me hurt so, so much. All of the horrible memories I forgot about these past few hours, like those last few moments Kris and I experienced together, how Kris was declared a traitor at the impromptu Hado council at HQ 3 days ago, and was given permission to be captured and maimed on the spot if seen, how Avi, Kai, and I grieved together after I broke the news to them.

Everything comes rushing back to me.

“I’m sorry… did I say something wrong?” Emily murmurs uneasily, biting her lip.

“N-no…,” Avi stutters. “Um, well, Kris… he… suddenly moved. He’s not coming back to Spring Valley again.”

A lump forms in my throat.

He’s not coming back to Spring Valley again.

“So he’s gone for good?” Amy twists downwards. “I never liked him, but dang…,”

He’s gone for good.

“Hana, is that why you’ve been so down lately?” Key asks quietly. He reaches over and pulls me into a hug. “Now that I see, all three of you look down. It’s okay, you guys. You’ve got us!”

“We’re better than five Krises combined,” Jon sniffs mock-haughtily. “All of us are here for you.”

It’s okay, girl. You’ve got us.

All of us are here for you.

“We put the EY in Spring Valley!” Amy winks, and I can’t help but crack a smile at her lame joke.

“Just because Kris has moved away doesn’t mean you have to be so down!” Emily exclaims. “If you ever need to talk to anyone about it, just come to us.”

Just come to us.

It feels like the layer of grief that has been covering my heart this past week has suddenly been lifted by these 4 kind, open-hearted people in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kai and Avi perk up as well, thankful expressions on their faces.

I can’t pine over Kris my entire life. I can’t be that weak. Instead, I’ll train as hard as I can to harness my chi and get stronger.

I’m going to fight for the Hado, even though there’s so much mystery shrouding that organization.

Because when it comes down to it, Hado is good and Kado is bad. When I show him how much stronger you can get through good means verses evil means, he’ll come back to the Hado. Maybe then he'll recognize me as his equal.

It’ll be painful, but with the help of my friends, I can do it. 

A/N: Wow, it feels really bittersweet finishing "Fighting for Light". I've wanted to write this story since the 8th grade and it feels amazing finishing it. The sequel is posted here, so subscribe if you want to! (it's rated M for certain reasons which I will not disclose, so if you're not comfortable with it it's totally cool). 

Thank you to KJYxSE, bluecherryblossom, shootingstar73, iluvmyblingbling, MeGustaSNSD, liurinyu, PrincessVivi, huhudad, shinix, and IIVEEH for upvoting. It means a LOT to me :') I'm so grateful.