Authors Note: I started this story wanting to focus a bit on personal writing goals with plot/character development. Expect to see both in this chapter, which I do recommend reading as a setup to the lemon. If you really don't give a shit, Chapter 2 is the place for you, but it might not seem as intense without first reading this page.
If there are any grammar/spelling mistakes, please leave a comment of it and I will promptly fix it.
The cloaked assassin swiftly and cautiously moved through the densely fogged Ionian forest. Despite the chances of being discovered in this remote area and time close to null, years of training and discipline left each footstep carefully placed and impossible to track. Gliding along the edges of trees and branches, a small clearing briefly outlined her stature, identifying her as Katarina, the Sinister Blade. The brief illumination of her features gave time for anyone to see that she certainly lived up to her name. She appeared cold, hard, and calculating, and although beautiful, a ridged jaw line and facial expression depicted a mercenary on a mission. However, that was far from the actual purpose of her presence in Ionia. She was not on any particularly important operation, but instead sent on a routine scout mission to collect intelligence on one of the royal families. Pausing, she silently and gracefully ascended one of the larger trees, standing on a branch as she crossed her arms under her chest and leaned on the trunk. Staring up at the full moon and night stars she sighed, and her hard exterior temporarily faltered as a longing look emerged from her blue-green eyes.
In a bitter tone she thought, "What the fuck am I doing out here?"
Wincing, she bit her lower lip knowing the answer to her own question. In times of war her assets were invaluable to the Noxian party, but with peace washing over Runeterra, she'd been frequently sent out on simple tasks she believed was work for grunts. Regardless of the "morals" intensely forced upon her in training, she was still human, and thus couldn't help but to feel hurt. So many emotions and urges had been held back, but she thought it was rightfully so as she once had an honorable purpose to fulfill among the Noxus ranks. Again she released a sigh, dropping to sit down on the branch and continuing to gaze thoughtfully at the night sky. Despite her normally assertive, dominating personality, as her significant missions became infrequent she found herself having much time to ponder. She begun to grow fond of these pondering times, wondering what other feelings she previously neglected as weaknesses or novelties. However, her training had not faded from her, and she became aware of a body closing in proximity.
Broken from her thoughts, she whirled to stare at the person who would dare approach her, her mind instantly running through the possibilities as she jumped to her feet and her hands instinctively flew to her knife hilts. As her vision readjusted, she could make the silhouette of some clearly monstrous being slowly sauntering from an opposing tree branch.
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" she growled, slightly shaming herself for being so distracted. Had she been more aware, a knife would've pinned the approacher to the tree that they stood upon the moment they arrived. Come to think of it, she was completely unaware whether or not the figure had been watching her for the entirety of her night gazing.
"Oh, I think you know who I am ..." a sultry voice purred back as the silhouette came within reach of the moonlight. The monstrous being turned out to be Ahri, the Nine-Tailed fox; she was as striking as ever, Katarina merely misplacing her tails as appendages while she lacked proper vision. Her tails, face, and bright amber eyes gleamed as she hopped over to the tree branch Katarina was on. Carelessly moseying over, she lightly brushed against the stunned Katarina as she plopped down next to where she was previously sitting. A toothy grin emerged as Ahri looked up at her, Ahri motioning with her eyes for Katarina to sit back down.
"I... what ... who do you think you are?!" Katarina yelled, baffled at her audacity as she was almost a complete stranger. Although she had heard tales of the fox, most were warnings of her alluring beauty and power. While the beauty was clearly present, her power seemed to mysteriously radiant off of her. Her confused face was quickly replaced with an assertive glare, her hands never leaving her blade hilts.
"Hmm..." Ahri replied, seeming to be deep in thought as she gazed up to the sky. "Well, I could be Swain, maybe Warwick even..." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. She looked at Katarina and her eyebrows raised as she exclaimed in a surprised look, "Maybe, just maybe, I'm actually Ahri, the Nine-tailed fox!" She waved her tails with extra emphasis on her last couple words.
Clearly being mocked, Katarina had an urge to simply stab her for her insolent tone and move on with her mission, but she couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued. With Katarina widely known as an intimidating, ruthless killer it wasn't very often, or perhaps ever at all, that she had been approached and spoken to with such carelessness. She was frozen in thought at what the vixen wanted with her, why or how she found her, and the whole absurdity of the situation.
"Hellooo? Anybody there?" Ahri whispered at her. "You're still welcome to sit back down if you want to, you know?" Ahri was looking at Katarina with concern.
"Seriously, stop staring at me. I mean gosh, I know I'm gorgeous and all," Ahri said in her mocking tone, batting her eyelids, "but you don't have to make it so obvious you're ogling."
"Ogling?" Katarina scoffed, unsheathing a blade. "I was merely considering how similar you look to a rug I once owned" she spat. She toyed with the knife, staring at her reflection in the metal as she turned it over. "And I assure you, that rug isn't nearly as mouthy as you are. But don't worry. I could fix that before you had time to blink." Katarina shot Ahri a vicious look at the last sentence, now brandishing the weapon at her.
To Katarina's complete disbelief, Ahri let out a disarming laugh, before twisting her body on the branch to face her. She laid stomach and elbows down, using her hands to prop up her head as her leg's slacked and kicked over her back in an almost seductive pose. Her eyes gleamed up at Katarina, and she flashed her a wide smile; Katarina's face once again displaying shock and confusion.
"What a coincidence! You remind me of a toy I once owned," Ahri purred. "She wasn't nearly as mouthy as you are, but I'd bet I could fix that for you, too." Ahri winked, and her eyes brightened as her smile expanded.
Katarina sneered, "Is that a threat? I'd love to see you even try." She leaned back against the tree, crossing her arms over her chest but still gripping loosely to the blade. Despite her initial alarm, her curiosity steadily increased with each word from Ahri.
Ahri's legs slowly pedaled over her back, and she was shifting weight from one elbow to the next as she tilted her head, peering up at Katarina. "Believe me, I'd love to try. A new challenge is fun once in a while, wouldn't you agree?"
Katarina pin-pointed the source of her intrigue. Whether or not it was all talk, Ahri seemed to have a prowess that she thought was unmatched; or at the very least, stronger than that of Katarina's. The confidence in Ahri's speech was something that Katarina was unfamiliar with. Mostly everyone cowered in front of her, being pre-apologetic as if they were scared to even mildly offend her.
"But I think a proper introduction would be nice before we try to maul each other," Ahri spoke, tilting her head up and almost moaning on the last couple words. "If you haven't been able to already guess," Ahri said, rolling her eyes, "I am indeed Ahri, the 9 tailed fox."
"Hmm, Ahri the 8 tailed fox seems to have a better ring to it, doesn't it?" Katarina chuckled as she spun the knife in her hand. "And I could really use a cushion right now." Her words, albeit holding a playful tone, were meant to be hostile. She briefly gave a longing look at Ahri's tails while biting her lower lip, then reverted her stare at her face to gauge the reception of her hostility. She was met by that ever unwavering smile, and sighed as she finally gave up and slid down next to her, sheathing her weapon. Katarinas back remained against the tree as she sat cross legged, staring expectedly at Ahri. Ahri simply glared back into her eyes, but wore a smug grin of satisfaction at Katarina's cooperation.
Prompted by the silence, Katarina asked the question which was nagging her all along, "So ... what do you want?" She was unsure how to phrase herself, and Ahri gave an inquiring gaze, tilting her head. "Why did you approach me?" Katarina finally said.
"Straight to the questions," Ahri pouted. "I think a better question is what are you doing in my forest. Did you forget this was Ionia?"
Katarina averted her gaze, silently cursing under her breath. Her curiosity allured by Ahri, she almost completely forgot about the mission which she was on; while the mission itself was trivial, it still was of significance that her presence remained undetected.
Catching sight of Katarinas hesitation and sudden change of confidence, Ahri was quick to speculate her intentions in Ionia.
"Hmm, I wonder what could be in the direction you're heading," Ahri glanced upwards quizzically. She turned wide eye'd putting her hand over her mouth, feinting surprise. "If I remember right, The Ionian royal family lives that way! What could it possibly mean that a Noxian assassin is traversing there?"
Katarina closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to massage her forehead in frustration and annoyance. Despite the condescending and sarcastic tone Ahri used, she was undoubtedly interesting. But she had caught Katarina at the wrong time; and the knowledge she held of her presence now made her a loose end and liability. Although Katarina was on a simple scout mission, she would be accountable for leaving undetected if the mission complicated and force was used. She sighed internally, before unsheathing and flinging a dagger with incredible power and accuracy in a blur of motion. Before the dagger even glided off of her hand towards the stationary Ahri, her body shifted as she begun to leave the branch with absolute certainty that the weapon lethally found its mark.
To her disbelief, in an equally swift blur of motion the knife to was enveloped in a ball of blue, glowing energy, and Ahri materialized inches from her face. Without leaving time for Katarina to even gasp, Ahri had her pinned against the tree trunk, her gleaming amber eyes peering into Katarinas. Katarina couldn't make sense of what had happened; never before had she failed to assassinate a target, or so blatantly misjudged the capability of it. To her repute, she had little to judge Ahri off of, but had been careless in assuming that she could be so easily disposed. Her face was twisted into an expression of horror and surprise, knowing between the postion Ahri had her pinned and the humming ball of energy still present in her left hand, she was at Ahri's complete mercy.
However, the surprise again turned into intrigue and confusion as she felt Ahri's body pressed against hers. Her eyes locked into Ahri's, and she was not met with a glare of anger or condemnation, but one of shining excitement. She could feel both their pulses and breaths racing, despite Katarina being the one clearly in danger and subdued with the threat of the now buzzing orb. In a short revelation, she figured Ahri must similar to herself; taking pride and enjoyment in her kills. She was merely excited over the soon to be spilled blood.
She shut her eyes, wincing at the pain she expected to befall her. She felt in utmost shame and disappointment at herself for meeting such an unembellished end. Instead, she was met with silence as the glowing orb hummed to a stop, being absorbed in Ahri's palm. She apprehensively opened one of her eyes, believing perhaps Ahri had unexpectedly decided to spare her, although she was sure it would come with other ultimate retributions. Instead, she saw Ahri's own closed as her lips softly pressed against her own.
Katarina's eyes jolted open as her face flushed red. Her brows were raised high in complete shock, and she couldn't even begin to comprehend what had happened. But just for a moment, she felt herself eager to lean in, to feel the warmth of Ahri envelope her into bliss ... suddenly aware she forcefully shoved Ahri off of her staring in total horror. Ahri absorbed the push in a few graceful backwards steps, her eyes opening and remaining on Katarinas own as she licked her lips with a playful and provocative giggle.
"What, the ACTUAL, FUCK!" Katarina screamed in bewilderment. Just a few seconds ago she was preparing herself for inevitable death, only to be met with a much more passionate transpiration. What confused her the most is how she felt almost drawn into it, the presence of the body of another being. Everything Noxus within her shot alarms through her mind; other people were danger, they were hazards, and even more so when they were within such close proximity.
Ahri gazed at her sardonically, as if she didn't understand the source of and was insulted by Katarina's outburst. "You'd think those words would be better spoken by me, no? I've been nothing but friendly and inviting, and you've just been threatening. Last I checked, throwing a dagger at someone is generally hostile." She spoke matter-of-factly, her eyebrows arched and hands on her hips. "Besides ... I could've sworn there was at least a bit of mutuality." A light smile emerged upon her lips.
"NO ... that was just WIERD ... I mean ... Disgusting! ... it was just... UGH!" Katarinas hand's clawed at her head as she crouched against the tree in utter frustration. There was a truth to the words Ahri spoke, but she couldn't bring herself to figure why or how it was sensible. Exasperated, she shot up and yelled, hurling daggers at Ahri once more.
It was quite a spectacle. Katarina twisted and contorted as she flung the weapons with all her strength, turning the area between them into a field of flying steel. Ahri, suddenly confronted with Katarinas full vexation, found herself having to focus on the use of her magic and athleticism to nimbly dodge each dagger and summon balls of energy to collide with the ones she could not. The air was filled with the sound of gasps and groans of concentration as the champions spent their entire force on either attempting to kill, or preserve their own lives. Bright light shown through the forest as the space was consumed by the glint of steel and gleaming explosions of their collisions with Ahri's magic. Seeing that her assault was being parried, Katarina charged, and it was her turn to materialize inches away from Ahri, briefly suspended in the air. However, the only kiss she gave was between the back of her heel and Ahri's stomach as she kicked her off the tree. Ahri exclaimed as her eyes shut in pain, and she tumbled out of Katarina's vision into the dark forest floor.
A resounding thump echoed as she landed, while Katarina crouched on the branch, breathing heavily in exhaustion, as she peered towards where Ahri landed. She hoped that Ahri was finally rid of, but the thought was half hearted; despite her earlier advances, the considerable fight she put up was interesting, even fun. Her initial anger and frustration had passed over, and at this point Katarina was disregarding any mission protocol or the Noxian voices nagging her at the back of her head. She felt as though these were the feelings she had suppressed through her life; eagerness, anticipation, and curiosity. She slid off the branch and landed on the forest floor, giving her vision time to readjust from the prior brightness of the night sky and battle. Looking around, she was genuinely surprised to see Ahri nowhere in sight, and now begun to slightly panic as she spun around, trying to find where she might be through the looming tree trunks. As she turned, a bright light enveloped her vision and a sharp pain in her stomach sent her reeling backwards, landing against one of the trees. She opened her eyes to see Ahri standing over her, obviously weary but still holding the resonating sphere.
She glared at Katarina with a look of annoyance, but a playful tone still within her words as she spoke. "I guess I searched the wrong place if I was looking for passion with you. But did you really think you could fight me?" She mockingly laughed at Katarina, but it was clear that she was equally exhausted.
Snarling, Katarina leaped up and appeared behind Ahri, forcing the blunt of the blade against her throat. She now shoved Ahri into the tree she was once backed against, Katarina pressing her body against hers and she restrained her from moving. Ahri complied, knowing the smallest twitch could lead to the blade slicing through her throat. The orb recceded, as it was taking an increasing amount of energy for Ahri to use her magic. "Did I think I could fight you? No, I was knew I could," Katarina chuckled, with the condescending tone Ahri had been using.
In a blur of motion, Ahri knocked the blade out of Katarinas hand with her own, tilting her head back and barely avoiding its edges as it spiraled upwards. She shifted her elbow as she spun around for it to collide with Katarinas back, now forcing her against the tree with Ahri in the open. However, rather than being stuck pinned to the tree as Ahri was, Katarina reacted, twisting around to have her back land against the trunk. It was a purely tactical decision, allowing her to fight the would be attacker back; but in the situation Ahri's momentum brought them to collide front on, knocking the wind out of both of them. Still vaguely focused, Ahri reached upwards and grabbed the sailing dagger. As they both caught their breath, she pressed harder against Katarina as both their faces flushed with the closeness and warmth of one another. Ahri loosely traced the blade over Katarina's neck, constantly closing the distance between their faces as they stared intently into each other's eyes. "If you know you can, what's stopping you from doing so?" Ahri whispered.
Katarina begun to whisper back a retort, only to have it silenced by Ahri's finger over her lip and a mouthed Shhhh. Finding herself in a situation so similar to before, she felt inclined by her desires and curiosity to continue it. Amidst all of this, it was Ahri's turn to be surprised as Katarina forcefully pulled her hand down and closed the gap between their lips, caressing Ahri's with her own.