KyuJong tailed the two Keepers out of the library building and out into a back parking lot. It was obvious they were looking for their next target, whispering amongst themselves and nodding towards various people.

Frowning, KyuJong hung back and observed them for a moment. The crow spirit was flitting in and out of trees overhead, never straying too far, while the monkey spirit hung off his Keeper’s shirt and chattered. It was the longest KyuJong had ever seen spirit beasts out for; DongHae had seemed to draw his own spirit beast back inside himself after finding out there were no more immediate battles to be had. In contrast, these two Keepers seemed completely at ease with having their spirit beasts around them.

As he watched the crow in the trees, KyuJong realized with a jolt that he wasn’t the only one who could see the spirit beast…so could animals. A few birds in the trees fluttered around the crow and struck up a chorus of song, darting through the branches playfully. And as a woman walked a dog not far away, the dog started to bark at the monkey who was now perched on top of his Keeper’s head. The monkey screeched in return, making his Keeper wince and reach up to flick the monkey’s side in reprimand.

Noticing all this gave KyuJong the time to work up his courage. He had no idea how these two Keepers would react should he approach them. Would they try attacking him like DongHae had? He wasn’t as afraid of a monkey and a crow as he was an electric eel, but being pecked by that large beak would still hurt.

At the same time, he wasn’t willing to let this chance just walk by. Squaring his shoulders, he walked to where the two Keepers were whispering to themselves.

“Hey,” he said, stopping behind them. “What wasn’t very nice, pranking that poor kid.” He winced inwardly at his own voice. Couldn’t he have come up with something better to say?

The two Keepers turned towards him, one smiling and the other confused. “What?” Asked the crow Keeper, feigning ignorance. “Prank who?”

“The guy back in the library,” KyuJong replied, folding his arms across his chest. “With your spirit beasts. Why would you pull something like that on someone who can’t even see them?”

KyuJong watched the pretend confusion switch to wariness instantly. “…We’re not taking any challenges,” the monkey Keeper said, stepping back. “So don’t even ask.”

“I just want to—“ KyuJong started, but couldn’t complete his sentence. The monkey suddenly launched itself at his head and he staggered back with a surprised yelp. He ended up on his back on the ground, the monkey spirit pulling at his hair and clothes as he tried to fend it off.

The monkey screeched in his ear before letting go. Opening his eyes, KyuJong saw the two Keepers running away. The monkey raced after them, climbing up onto it’s Keeper’s shoulders. “Hey! Wait!” He yelled, ignoring the stares he was getting as he scrambled to his feet and ran after them.

They ducked inside, obviously hoping to lose him in the crowd. Panting a little as he pushed in through the main doors, KyuJong looked around for any sign of the two Keepers. A silvery glow disappearing from around one corner caught his attention and he ran after it, ducking around the people in his way and muttering apologies as he knocked into someone’s bag.

The Keepers were fast, but so was KyuJong. Seeing them duck into an empty classroom, falsely thinking he was far enough behind not to see them, KyuJong slowed down to catch his breath. Approaching the shut door, he grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

The two Keepers weren’t alone. Sitting on a desk in the corner with a guitar in his lap, DongHae was looking at them in confusion.

“That’s him!” the monkey’s Keeper pointed at KyuJong, his monkey screeching in agreement.

“…He’s the one trying to challenge you?” DongHae asked, expression still confused.

“I’m not trying to challenge anyone,” KyuJong exclaimed in exasperation. “I just had some questions!”

“He doesn’t have a spirit beast, he can’t challenge you to anything,” DongHae told the monkey’s Keeper.

“…No spirit beast?” The crow’s Keeper wore an expression of disbelief. “But he can see them.”

“I know he can, but he’s no Keeper,” DongHae waved at KyuJong with a grin. “Hi! Sorry about these two, they’re a little dumb sometimes.”

Both Keepers immediately protested that. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black, Hae,” grumbled the monkey’s Keeper, eyeing KyuJong warily still.

KyuJong blinked repeatedly before smiling nervously. “Who are they?” He stepped into the classroom, closing the door behind him.

“This guy’s HyukJae,” DongHae pointed at the monkey’s Keeper. “And his spirit beast is Wukong, say hi Wukong.” KyuJong winced and covered his ears at the answering screech. “The crow’s Muninn, and his Keeper’s JunSu.”

“I still don’t get how he can see Muninn and Wukong,” JunSu was frowning, apparently over being called dumb while HyukJae kept protesting. “Can he see Abaia too?”

“Yeah, and Pantera from what I could tell,” DongHae replied, placing his guitar down on the desk beside him. He grinned childishly at KyuJong. “Can you see any others?”

KyuJong frowned. “I’ve never seen any others before. What are spirit beasts, anyways?”

“What are they?” HyukJae asked, baffled. “You mean you can see them but you don’t know?” Wukong started laughing from his perch on HyukJae’s head. KyuJong flushed in embarrassment.

“Don’t laugh,” DongHae pursed his lips. “Our spirit beasts told us who they are, but he doesn’t have one.”

“They told you who they are?” KyuJong looked at Wukong; no matter how hard he listened, all he could hear was a monkey’s chatter.

“Well yeah, spirit beasts talk to their Keepers,” JunSu shrugged, sitting down on a desk. “They’re kind of fussy and don’t talk to Keepers other than their own unless they absolutely have to.”

“Huginn talked to you too,” HyukJae piped up, then winced when JunSu kicked his leg. KyuJong frowned, putting the extra name away in his mind to ask about later. He had more pressing questions.

“Well, what are they?”

“They’re guardians of our world,” DongHae replied, holding out one hand. His eyes shifted into a deep gold and the same color emitted from his skin, pushing out of him. From inside the gold light the eel Abaia appeared, seeming to come out of DongHae’s chest. It swam through the air to settle behind DongHae. KyuJong’s eyes widened, before the crow Muninn caught his attention. It swooped down to land on JunSu’s shoulder with a caw, it’s eyes the same deep purple as it’s Keeper’s. Taking another look at HyukJae, KyuJong saw silver in his irises.

Transfixed by the different colors, KyuJong almost missed when DongHae started talking again. “They protect us from threats…not just their Keepers, but the whole world. Things used to be very dangerous, centuries ago, and spirit beasts couldn’t fight on their own. So they chose human partners called Keepers, to help channel their energy. The stronger the human, the stronger the spirit beast. In order to keep the spirit beasts strong, Keepers would challenge each other to spirit battles.”

Spirit battles…KyuJong thought about the one he’s seen just recently, between Abaia and that panther. “I tried to ask that teenage kid about the battle…the one with the panther spirit, last night.” He frowned. “He didn’t want to answer me.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t,” DongHae grinned. “Pantera lost the spirit battle.”

“Pantera lost?” HyukJae interjected, surprised. “First of all, why were you crazy enough to challenge Pantera?”

“Pantera’s Keeper this time was no good,” DongHae shook his head. “Overconfident and green and was gonna get himself beaten eventually. That’ll be several Keepers in a row she’s gone through, she must be running out of candidates by now.”

KyuJong watched them, confused. Seeing that he didn’t understand what they were talking about, JunSu cleared his throat. “Pantera used to be a very formidable opponent, but she’s had horrible luck with Keepers since her best one died a couple years ago.”

“So…if the point is to challenge other Keepers, why did you run away from me?” KyuJong looked at HyukJae and JunSu, frowning. “When you thought I was going to challenge you.”

They both went silent at that, looking at each other. “That’s our business,” JunSu said finally, standing. “None of yours. You don’t even have a spirit beast. It’s better for you to just not be involved, believe me.”

KyuJong quickly got out of the way as JunSu walked to the door. “I’m going to class. You coming Hyuk?”

“Yeah,” HyukJae called, giving KyuJong an unreadable look before following after JunSu. “See you around Hae.”

“See you Hyukkie!” DongHae called, picking up his guitar and standing as well. “Guess that’s my cue to leave as well.” Abaia disappeared in a burst of golden light that was reabsorbed into DongHae’s skin.

“But…” KyuJong watched as DongHae crossed to the door.

“You have a lot of questions,” DongHae laughed, stopping beside KyuJong with a broad smile. They met eyes for a long moment before DongHae suddenly clasped KyuJong’s shoulder. “Stop asking, and start looking. You’ll learn more that way.”

KyuJong watched DongHae leave, not sure what to say to that.

It took him some time to write down everything he’d learned in his notebook. Finding an isolated corner of the school, KyuJong sat down and did his best to get his scattered thoughts down on paper, frowning.

Keepers challenge each other to strengthen their spirit beasts. Which would explain the two fights he’d seen so far, when he was little and just yesterday. What did the fights do to the Keepers though? He remembered the teenage boy who’d passed out when Pantera lost against Abaia. If the spirit beast lost, it seemed to have some sort of repercussion on the Keeper. But what exactly, just a loss of energy?

DongHae had said the Keepers strengthened their spirit beasts, so maybe the opposite was also true. Maybe when the spirit beast was tired from losing, it tired out the Keeper too.

For some reason, HyukJae and JunSu don’t want to accept challenges. Why? If the point was to strengthen their spirit beasts for protection, then why not take challenges? Maybe they just didn’t like to fight, or their spirit beasts were weak. He would have thought a crow and monkey wouldn’t last long in a fight, but he’d thought the same about an eel and look at how Abaia had proved him wrong.

Abaia. Wukong. Muninn. Huginn. Pantera. The names of all the spirit beasts he knew so far. They weren’t Korean, that was for sure. He already knew that Abaia was the name of a mythical eel, but the myth just didn’t match up with the spirit beast. And who was Huginn? The name had put a frown on JunSu’s face and a crease in his forehead.

Normal people can’t see or hear spirit beasts, but they can feel them. At first he’d thought the spirit beasts would be like ghosts to those who didn’t know they were there, but the prank on that guy in the library proved otherwise. Even if no one could see the spirits, they could make contact with them.

Not being a Keeper yet being able to see spirit beasts is not common. All the Keepers he’d met so far had expressed surprise when KyuJong had been able to point out their spirit beasts. Was he the only non-Keeper who could see them? And more importantly, why? JunSu had posed the question, but KyuJong didn’t have an answer any more than they did.

Stop asking questions, and start looking for answers. DongHae’s suggestion, which was damn near impossible to follow. How was he supposed to get any answers if he didn’t ask any questions? Where was he supposed to be looking, anyways? Or was he already looking, just not hard enough?

By the time all his thoughts were written out on paper, KyuJong had a headache. Sighing to himself, he stood up and pushed his book into his backpack.

“KyuJong hyung!”

Blinking repeatedly, KyuJong looked around. A head of blond hair caught his attention, and he saw Kevin waving at him as he approached. “Oh, hi,” he grinned. “What are you doing here?” He’d learned that Kevin didn’t go to university, instead living entirely off his career as a professional model. So it was a little strange to see him on campus.

“Meeting with KiBum,” Kevin replied when he was closer, stopping. “He took over a studio for one of his projects, and needed help with the shoot. What’re you doing?”

“About to head back to the apartment,” KyuJong replied, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Ah,” Kevin nodded, frowning. “You were really missed last night, what happened?”

“I had to make a call,” KyuJong squirmed a little at the despondent look on Kevin’s face.

“HyungJoon hyung was really upset,” Kevin said morosely. “So were we.”

It was like kicking a puppy. “I’m sorry,” KyuJong said quickly. “I’m free this weekend. Maybe we could get together?”

“I’m busy this weekend,” Kevin lowered his head sadly. “I don’t get time off often…”

Trying to think of how to get the younger man to cheer up (he had a horrible guilty conscience), KyuJong struggled. “Okay, uh…how about I go get us some pizza then? You’re meeting with KiBum on campus, right? I’ll get us some dinner and meet you wherever he is, maybe see just what it is you’re doing.”

“Okay!” Kevin’s expression completely flipped. “We’re meeting in room 180, Building G. KiBum hyung likes deluxe pizza. See you there!” He hugged KyuJong and hurried off.

Blinking after him, KyuJong shook his head and turned to find the nearest pizza place. He’d just been duped.

It didn’t take him that long to find a pizza store, the food taking a small chunk out of what money he had. Counting what was left in his wallet, KyuJong sighed. Okay, before meeting HyungJoon on the weekend he’d have to look for a job. Which meant even less time to look for spirit beasts, but there was little to be done. He needed emergency funds at least, and couldn’t bear the thought of phoning home to ask for money when his parents needed every won that came in.

It took about half an hour to get the pizza and find the building Kevin had said they were in. Stopping outside the studio room, KyuJong knocked on the door.

It clicked open, KiBum blinking on the other side. “Oh, hi KyuJong.” He grinned and opened the door wider.

KyuJong stepped into the dimly lit room. “Why’s it so dark in here?”

“Photoshoot,” KiBum replied, motioning to the set-up on the other side. There were a few spotlights set up, Kevin sitting down beside them. “The project’s about using shadows.”

“Sounds like fun,” KyuJong chuckled, nearly tripping over a wire.

“Maybe we should turn the lights on,” Kevin suggested.

“I’m fine,” KyuJong shook his head, placing the pizza box down on a side table. “Dinner’s served.”

“Thanks,” KiBum grinned sheepishly, sitting down next to the table. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“You should eat more,” Kevin fussed, scooting over to join them. KyuJong sat down opposite KiBum, opening up the box of pizza.

“Says the model who eats only fruit and celery,” KiBum sniped, frowning at Kevin. “Seriously, were you planning on eating any of this? You don’t like half these toppings.”

“I ate before,” Kevin replied, shrugging.

“No you didn’t, liar. Here.” KiBum picked up a slice of pizza and picked off the mushrooms and green peppers as Kevin protested.

“Why did you say to get deluxe if you don’t like it?” KyuJong asked, confused.

“Because he’s a -up,” KiBum replied, Kevin flushing. “I love deluxe pizza, and he wasn’t going to eat it anyways. Here.” He held out the pizza to Kevin, free of the toppings Kevin didn’t like. “If you don’t eat I’m bringing you to see mom again, and she’ll make you.”

“Don’t,” Kevin sighed, pursing his lips a little at the pizza before taking it with a mumbled ‘thank you’.

Watching them, KyuJong smiled softly to himself before reaching to pick up his own slice of pizza. He was still trying to figure out their dynamic, but they seemed close. It was kind of nice being able to see them like this; he’d known how awkward KiBum especially could be out in the public eye, so it felt like he was privy to some important secret. Even if it was only KiBum making sure Kevin ate properly.

Lifting the pizza to his lips, KyuJong looked up and froze. The shadows behind KiBum had moved, a darkly glowing silhouette emerging from around the younger brother. Sleek body half-hidden by the darkness, Pantera the panther spirit laid down beside KiBum and rested her head on the human’s knee.

Bam! Another chapter :D

A massive THANK YOU to Forever5501 for voting up the story! <3 We passed the 100 view mark sometime yesterday, so I'm giddy. What a great thing to come back home to.

It looks like there might be updates twice a week for a while (or at least more often than once a week), until August anyways. I'm entering in a couple challenges, here and on LJ =3 So more stories incoming!

Hope you enjoyed~ comment and subscribe if you did! <3

@ping501: That is a very good question :D Unfortunately it would give away the whole story to answer it :P

@Forever5501: Okay bb~!! Thank you for commenting and subscribing here too :D I'm currently pestering Kat to see which of our co-written fics should be posted here first...I'm leaning towards either Decerto or The Sworn, but we'll see~!