Headwaters:
Yasuo growled, slicing a low hanging branch from its base, watching as it tumbled to the forest floor accompanied by leaves and bushels of wild nuts, his katana flashed in the afternoon sun every time he raised it to cut a clear path, which was countless times in the dense overgrown forests of Ionia. Riven followed behind him, making sure to keep out of the range of his blade while simultaneously flicking away pieces of torn leaf and the occasional twig that nestled in her hair due to her companion's frantic swings.
"Perhaps you'd want to be even more careless and slice my throat while you're at it," she grumbled, crushing a cicada that found its home in her ponytail with a bandaged hand. "After all you did just hack down a quarter of the forests shrubbery."
Not turning to face her, he shifted his grip, using two hands to cleanly slice a log in two. "Then perhaps you would like to take the front, it's not as if I know where the nearest spring is after all…"
Crimson eyes bore into his back as she swore underneath her breath. As much as she would have liked to, he was the one that knew where they needed to go. Instead she sighed, a thin smile secretly flourishing on her lips. "Jackass."
Ignoring the comment, he continued his work, easily clearing a path for them as he scanned the forest canopy for a hole or crack. Normally, they would have taken the main road from the Placidium back home, but pressing reconstruction had cut it off, forcing them to either stay a week more or traverse the wild forests, and while neither of them would have opposed to stay a few more days, they both knew well that they would have overstayed their welcome. "Keep your eyes out Riven, the spring is underneath a gap in the trees, or at least it was last time I visited it."
Raising an eyebrow, she readjusted the straps on her bag automatously, looking up to the blanket of dark green that towered above the two. "How long ago did you visit this place?" she asked idly.
"A few years or so, before I left Ionia for the first time."
"I see. Was this with Julius?"
At the mention of his name Yasuo's grip faltered, his blade jamming itself into a thick branch, the noise it produced akin to a shriek as it dug into the wood. Riven's eyes widened, quickly sidestepping the foliage to grab his arm. "Hey? You okay?"
Her eyebrows furrowed as he stood there numbly, fingers still wrapped around the grip of his weapon. "Yasuo, say something," she said, a blend of irritation and worry gradually seeping into her words. "Your good at being an idiot, what gives?"
Blinking, he turned to her, as if he'd woken from sleep. His storm grey eyes connected with her ember ones, finally pulling him back into reality. Jerking slightly, he looked down at her arm holding his, then shook his head for good measure, his ponytail flailing behind him. "Sorry, I just…" he began, scratching his head. "…I haven't heard that name in a while…"
She rolled her eyes, watching him tug his blade from its nook with one swift movement. "You almost had me worried there, try not to do it again."
He gave her a tiny grin, checking his sword for chips from the failed strike. "Not even a please?"
With a huff she moved closer to him, planting a kiss on his lips before backing away with a somewhat pleased smile. "Please."
Another hour had passed before they had begun to see the slivers of orange light that cut through the dense canopy. Yasuo, exhausted from his work was now carrying their belongings while she made short work of the fauna with her fully extended blade, his navigation no longer needed. Instead he stayed silent for the most part, admiring the Noxian as branches fell all around them, captivated by the gentle hum of her awakened weapon.
Without warning, she stopped, causing him to miss his step and bump into her. Luckily for them both she was hard to move, instead glancing at him with the faintest smirk. "We're here, you can let go of me now."
"Ha ha, very funny." He muttered, moving beside her to see their destination. For the most part is had remained unchanged throughout the years, though some miniscule features had appeared or disappeared since his last visit. It was a very simple location in honesty, a small cave of pale rock, a modest clearing and a sizeable spring that took up a little over quarter of the area, the afternoon sun sparkling across it's rippling waters.
"Well, it's quite beautiful. Not what I was expecting" she mused, her blade beginning to collapse into its old form once again.
With a nod, he walked towards the clearing, avoiding the plethora of sharp rocks that littered the floor. "I came here to hide after I became the unforgiven, stayed for a good amount of time until the water started to dry up". Dropping their bag on the floor, he sat on it, sighing in relief.
Riven walked over to the flowing spring, seeing her distorted reflection in the shimmering water. "Looks like it started flowing again, thankfully."
Dropping to her knees, she promptly discarded her gauntlet and unwrapped her forearms, dipping her burned hands into the water, cupping them. It was cool and inviting, the simple touch of it seemingly refreshing her. She let an audible sigh of pleasure escape her lips, keeping her hands submerged.
The comfort in her voice made Yasuo smile, a warmth playfully flickering within his chest. While they had been together for almost a year now, he relished every time she enjoyed herself, every time she smiled. "Might want to actually drink it before your dirty fingers taint the waters, dear."
While she felt like returning remarks, her parched tongue begged for the cool water that tingled her fingertips. Scooping out a generous handful she drank deeply, making a strange noise as she finished it off, licking her lips curiously.
It was sweet, unnaturally sweet, as if syrup had been diluted into the spring. The noise attracted Yasuo's attention as he stood, making his way to her. "Something wrong, Riven?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"This water tastes… Strange," she muttered, absentmindedly drying her hands on his pants. "Not bad, but different."
He kelt on one knee, scooping up some water before drinking it himself. True to her word it was remarkably sweet, almost similar to the wine they had received from Vi's last Snowdown gathering. Even the meagre drops that stayed on his fingers prickled with a soothing numbness. "Strange… Last time I was here It tasted nothing like this…"
Riven nodded, looking at the scars that trailed up her forearms and palms. "Whatever it is… It's nice," she admitted, dipping her fingers in once again. "It's like the ointment Soraka used to give me to treat my burns."
Although he didn't realise it, a warm smile was plastered on his face as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. For a moment he simply stared at her, somewhat perplexed at how calm she was. After what seemed like an eternity of watching her he chuckled softly.
"Take as long as you'd like." He whispered, kissing her on the cheek softly. The Ronin then stood, making his way to unpack their belongings for the night…
…Unaware of the red on her cheeks, and the fingers that touched where his lips had been.
Well.
It's been a while.
Basically to sum up why I left FF for a long time, I couldn't deal with the ridicule I recieved after friends found out I wrote. Decided to keep it secret until I finished my HSC and I didn't see them every day.
That day has finally come.
This is my official return to this site! After some pretty bad reception to (stupidly) deleting my old Lucky Hand story, I've got a few things in store.
1. Rewriting the entire of "A Lucky Hand" and "Project: Invictus"
2. Reupload the old chapters of "A Lucky Hand" for those who wish to read it again.
3. Continue with this work, "Among the Reeds".
Among the Reeds will be a smaller drabble series mainly circling around pairs or singular champions, if you'd like to see one throw it in the reviews! I also have a small list already, but I'm totally open to requests!
It's great to be back, and thanks for not abandoning me lads!