It Ends with Us

Chapter 13

 Lucas's hands ran along the length of the sparring staff. He held it across his body waiting for Lance to make his move. Head tilted forward slightly, eyes closed, although the action made no difference to him. A footfall sounded to his right. It barely scraped the metal flooring before he was swinging in that direction.

Expecting the move Lance reacted with enough time to get to Lucas's other side. Lucas now stood with his back facing him. They had been going at this for a couple hours now. In the first hour Lucas had managed to master in what direction sound was coming from. His next step was to figure out how to land an attack without making his move obvious.

Panting, Lance moved around Lucas in a circle, his hand tightening and relaxing on his own staff. Lucas followed him around the circle with his ear, listening to the soft footfalls and his labored breathing.

All at once Lance lunged. Lucas was ready for him and he blocked the staff. Granted his the staff bounced off his fingers but he still managed to block it. Lucas wasn't prepared however when Lance went for his legs and he suddenly found himself on the floor. The staff rolled a few feet away finally free of Lucas's sweaty palms.

Unwrapping his arms from around Lucas's legs Lance rose to his feet, "You okay bud?"

"Yeah just stunned is all," Lucas replied from his position on the floor, "That was a little unexpected."

"In battle everything is unexpected. So expect the unexpected." Lance replied, helping him to his feet. "We'll keep training until you feel comfortable."

"That's not happening," Hannah's voice startled the two males. Glancing back to the training deck entrance the duo stood still as Hannah approached. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail. Her atlas uniform was unzipped a couple inches from where it was supposed to be. Had she been an actual cadet or crew mate the zipper would have to be up under her neck pinching the skin in most cases.

"You have no right to tell me what to do," Lucas snapped. He looked where he thought her voice had come from but he was off by a couple inches.

"I'm the oldest which leaves me in charge," Hannah persisted. If she could stop her brother from risking his life she would.

"You're only the oldest by thirty seconds! Besides it's your fault I am this way." Lucas could tell that what he said hit a nerve by the silence that followed.

Then he heard Hannah's feet shift. "Fine. If that's what you really want to do but don't blame your death on me as well." Then the sound of her footsteps receded from the room. Only when the click of the door sounded did Lance speak.

"If we need to take a break-"

"No. I can keep going. Hannah just feels guilty about what happened with our parents, and now she's trying to make up for it."

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"He's blind! There's no way he's going to be able to fly a lion let alone fight hand to hand if it comes to it!" Hannah had cornered Shiro in the cafeteria along with the other Paladins. "I can't have him out there. Even if he knows how to fight I can't stand the thought of having him out there."

Shiro covered his mouth with his hand. As he did so he made eye contact with Pidge. She glanced back at Hannah. The girl had trapped them at the table for the past five minutes, pleading with them to keep her twin from being exposed to battle.

As much as they wanted to keep all the interns from such a horrid battle, they all knew they couldn't. "The lions pick who their pilots are," Shiro started, "If he isn't picked then fine, but if he is then there must be a reason the lion chose him."