A/N: Oh look at that a fanfiction. My first one, at that! Anyways, what's up guys, I'm Silver's Flare, but just Silver is fine. But yeah, this is my first fanfiction so fingers crossed this all goes well! There's also going to be a thread going up on the League of Legends forum, so go check that out for a lot more information, as I'm lazy and probably won't be very informative in my author's notes X3. I was really inspired to start this after reading NyokaKione's Wounded, and couldn't resist writing some KatarinaXAshe. Make sure to check out Wounded, its amazing. Anywho, on with the story!
Chapter 1: Are You Always This Charming?
Darkness, deep impenetrable blackness, enveloped the clearing, wreathing around the tall woman who stood, motionless, in the middle of it. Though no source of light was present, a strange illumination emanated from the cruel, wickedly curved blades she clutched in both hands, thin, nimble fingers curling around them with practiced ease.
Her breathing was heavy, chest heaving as though she could not get enough air. Her eyes, two fierce emeralds, were wild with fright and rage.
"Darkness... Will consume you..." A deep, rasping voice hissed from the shadows.
With a roar of outrage, the woman flung one of her blades towards the source of the voice, the knife spiraling in a deadly arc towards the wall of darkness. It passed into it, hitting nothing, and came flying back out at her, landing a hair away from her foot, nearly taking off a toe.
"Weak... So weak, Katarina..." The voice laughed, on the other side of her now. Snarling, Katarina ripped the blade from the ground, whipping her head around, trying to pinpoint the source of the horrid noise.
Boom.
A loud, echoing crash woke Katarina, the noise reverberating through her skull. She sat bolt upright in bed, breathing as heavily as she had in the dream, her long red hair plastered to the sides of her face with sweat. Glaring around, she found the source of the noise outside her window.
The world was a bleak, gray backdrop, driving sheets of rain pounding the glass panes relentlessly, wind howling and screeching. A bolt of lightning lit up the dark sky, turning it white for a split second, quickly followed by another clap of thunder. The distant mountains of the Freljord had been reduced to a black smear on the horizon.
Growling, Katarina kicked the sheet off of herself, grabbing one of the many knives she kept next to her bed and twirling it in her fingers expertly, not at all afraid of cutting herself. She paced back and forth in front of her bed, bare feet making soft pad pad pad sounds on the carpet.
This is not the first time that dream has occurred. Katarina thought agitatedly, spinning the blade faster in her deft fingers.
It's always the same though, that voice, the darkness. Faster and faster the blade went, until, losing control of it, the mercilessly sharp blade sliced Katarina's thumb open, splattering the edge of it with crimson.
"Shit..." The assassin growled, licking of the blood from the cut. It was salty on her tongue and she grimaced. Inspecting the cut, the woman found it was not deep and she snorted. Katarina picked up the blade and examined it. It was made of silver, expertly carved by the best Noxian weapon makers. Weighing it in her hands, she relished as she felt the perfect balance of it, just right for throwing at a fleeing opponent.
She whipped around suddenly, hurling it against the wall and adding yet another gouge mark to the growing collection. It sank deep into the wood and stuck, landing right where Katarina had intended it to. Suddenly, a voice spoke in her head.
Sinister Blade Katarina. The voice was deep and slow, belonging to one of the head summoners. You have been summoned to compete on the Fields of Justice. Prepare yourself.
A wicked grin crept across the knife wielding Noxian's face. She grabbed her belt of knives and strapped it on, slinging her larger swords across her back. Whispers sounded in her mind, speaking softly in a language Katarina did not understand. A bright purple summoning circle materialized around her feet.
Katarina wrenched the knife out of the wall.
"Let's do this."
Shadow's concealed the lithe figure of Katarina as she crept through the brush in the jungle, keeping a wary eye out for enemies. Rain still poured down, drenching everything, and thunder rolled through the Rift often.
Her blades were poised as she stealthily slipped towards the top lane, were the enemy Riven was harassing her teammate Nasus, pushing him away from the minions he so desperately needed.
Sinister Blade, I have no need of your assistance. The Curator of the Sand's deep, measured voice spoke in her head. Katarina snorted silently.
Yeah, my ass. Riven's bullying the hell out of you. Just Wither her, and we can kill her. You need your farm. The assassin felt him agree, though begrudgingly. Watching, Katarina waited until the opponent had pushed the wave of brightly colored minions towards Nasus's turret.
Now. She hissed.
"Wither!" Katarina heard Nasus command, and she summoned her energy and used her Shunpo to teleport just behind the Exile.
"Boo." The woman growled, and sank her blade into Riven's flesh. A cry of surprise escaped her lips, and she tried to retaliate, but it was too late. Katarina's cruel knife carved a deep gash in her neck and blood poured from it, pooling at her feet. Though weakened immensely, River swung her huge sword at Katarina, managing to strike her heavily across the chest, blood bubbling to the surface.
Though she was now wounded, Katarina sliced her neck again mercilessly, and felt the sheer excitement as metal hit flesh and the killing blow was struck. Riven disappeared in a flash of light, her near lifeless body taken away for healing, where she would then be put back onto the fields.
"An enemy has been slain!" The announcer's voice was barely audible over the driving rain, but Katarina felt a rush of satisfaction. Yet another kill to add to the list this match.
The Sinister Blade nodded to Nasus, who dipped his head in gratitude and continued to hit minions with his Siphoning Strike. If they were to win this match, Nasus was needed heavily, as bottom lane had already taken heavy blows, losing a turret. The middle turret was, much to Katarina's displeasure, dangerously close to falling. She had hardly made a dent on the opponent's structure.
Katarina melted back into the jungle, rain blurring her vision a bit. As she slipped through the trees, a sound made her freeze. It was the rustle of wings, and a moment later, a screech sounded overhead.
The champion's head whipped upwards, squinting as water fell into her eyes. An icy white hawk circled overhead, and it cawed once more before flying back off in the direction it came.
Katarina was confused for a moment, then understanding dawned on her.
"Oh shit..." She made to leap for safety, but there was a distinct twang of an arrow being released.
Time seemed to slow down around Katarina. She saw the great, crystal arrow fly from the bushes, heading straight for her heart. Knowing there was no way to dodge it, Katarina turned, allowing it to strike her in the shoulder instead.
The shock of the impact returned the assassin to the present, feeling the frigid cold spread through her limbs, making them heavy and useless. Pain blurred the edges of her vision, but with her remaining strength, she summoned up a Shunpo. In a puff of purple smoke, Katarina had disappeared and reappeared where she thought the archer was.
Startled, Ashe stumbled out of the bush, giving Katarina the opening she needed. Long red hair flying, the Noxian's blade aimed for the Frost Queen's throat, but Ashe was to quick. She neatly dodged and, knocking an arrow, aimed it straight at Katarina's heart.
Too drained to Shunpo again, Katarina futily tried to dodge, but Ashe's arrow was true.
"God dammit," she groaned, and succumbed to the wave of darkness.
Katarina awoke in a brightly lit room, looking down on Summoner's Rift. Looking down on her team getting slaughtered. Though her body was blissfully painless, her ego was not.
"Get me back down there," she growled at a summoner.
"In a moment, you need a bit more time to heal." She replied evenly.
"No, now!" Katarina snarled. She was determined to get a kill on Ashe, nursing her wounded pride. She had been sloppy, she should have known that there would be someone coming to finish her off after Riven had managed to strike her.
Speaking of Riven, she was now wailing on poor Nasus, who attempted to fight back. The bottom and top lane were destroyed, and only one turret stood between the opposing team and the middle inhibitor.
The female summoner sighed. "You may go now. Be careful."
Katarina snorted at her and felt herself being plunged back into the fray. Battle cries assaulted her ears, but she ignored them all, seeking out her prey. Ashe. Katarina spotted her, taking down the turret and moving to the last inhibitor. She sprinted towards her, but was interrupted as Alistar, the great brute, slammed into her, headbutting her away from Ashe. Katarina sprinted again, but Alistar was like a wall. Each time she tried, the bull would hit her up in the air or knock her away.
Realizing it was futile, the team watched in dismay as their nexus was destroyed, exploding into a cloud of purple.
"Defeat." The voice announced, grave and solemn.
"Oh shut up," Katarina growled. She was going to figure out who that was and put a knife through them. Next thing she knew, she was on the great stone starting platform, facing the enemy team, who clapped one another on the back and celebrated their victory. Turning away in disgust, Katarina made for the light that would bring her back to the Institute of War.
"Katarina?" A soft, measured voice spoke behind her. The Sinister Blade halted, recognizing the voice as Ashe's. Turning around with undisguised hostility, she glared at the archer.
"What?" She spat, green eyes venomous. Ashe smiled pleasantly, not at all deterred by the prickly demeanor.
"I wanted to commend you, your fighting style is excellent." Ashe's blue eyes were sincere. Katarina rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that's why you managed to kill me so easily." She growled, turning away again. Ashe laughed softly.
"Are you always this charming?" She chuckled.
"Only on Tuesdays." Said Katarina dryly. With that, she stepped into the glowing light and, throwing one last glare at Ashe, felt herself being taken back to the Institute.
"Katarina, a word?" Katarina stopped, looking around. Jericho Swain was standing in front of her, his red-eyed raven Beatrice perched on his shoulder
"What?" She growled, hostility coming from her in waves. Swain smiled pleasantly.
"I need to talk to you about a certain matter that-" He began, but was cut off.
"It can wait," the crimson haired woman snapped at him, taking out a still bloody knife and twirling it menacingly. Still, Swain was not unnerved.
"It is of the utmost importance, I assure you. It requires your immediate attention." He said earnestly.
"And I don't give a shit. If you haven't noticed, Swain, I just got back from being absolutely slaughtered in a match, and I'd like a shower, so if you'll excuse me," Katarina pushed roughly past the general, making a point of swishing her knife close to his throat. He said nothing, only watched her as she departed. Katarina could feel his eyes burning into her as she walked down the quiet, dark hall towards her room, but she did not turn.
Katarina banged open the door to her room, leaving a trail of mud and blood as she stalked in.
"My my, look what the cat dragged in," the slightly hissing voice of her sister came from the couch, and the assassin looked up to see the bright green eyes of her sister looking at her.
"Get out," Katarina snarled. She was in no mood to deal with Cassiopeia's antics, Swain had already pissed her off enough. He hadn't even done anything really, he just pissed her off. It was the way he was so commanding, thinking he had supreme authority over everything.
"Is that anyway to greet your dear sister?" Cassiopeia pouted, rising from the couch and slithering over to Katarina. Katarina rolled her eyes and glared.
"Cass, I'm tired, so I suggest you move, or I'll make you," she brandished a blade for good measure. Cassiopeia just snorted, making for the door.
"I was just gonna talk to you, god. Are you always this charming?" She hissed, pointedly slamming the door. The fight drained from Katarina, and she stared at the door her sister had just left through. She slammed her knife into the coffee table, the black hilt quivering from the force of it.
Are you always this charming? The words echoed through her mind, but it was not Cassiopeia's voice who said them, it was Ashe. The Freljord queen's gently teasing voice seemed to fill the assassin's head. Shaking her head agitatedly, Katarina retreated to the bathroom, trying to get her stupid voice out of her head, wanting nothing more than to put a knife through someone, anyone.
As she turned on the shower, Katarina caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her clothes were torn and ragged, and blood covered her face, hands, and chest. She kept gazing at herself, trying to see what others saw. When Katarina looked at herself, she saw battle prowess and ferocity. When others looked at her, all they saw was murder and violence. Hatred rose like bile in her throat, towards nothing in particular. Just burning hatred. Huffing, she turned, tossing her hair to the side, and it was as red as the blood that covered her.
A/N: Yeah first chapter what up. I hope you guys like it, please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading! ~Silver