Ehhhh, I know, I know, this is unexpected, but honestly, I find this ship doesn't get enough love. The only time I do see Shen and Ahri having an intimate moment is when she's being an open-legged whore. I like to think of her as confused beauty, maybe wanting to actually have a talk with someone who ain't staring at her breasts all day lmao. Shen strikes me as that type of guy.

So this is just my view and interpretation of them, and how their friendship (and relationship) is. Hopefully, they won't be super OOC.

Hope you enjoy! (and hope this doesn't get spammed)

Shen sat alone in his dojo, looking blankly ahead to the land of Ionia. He was right in the center of the building's highest points, allowing him to see Ionia as far as the eye could see. The moon was high and its pale moonlight bathed the beautiful land, showing that Ionia, despite damage from the Noxus Invasion, still retained its natural beauty.

It was a perfect view, but Shen couldn't bring himself to admire it.

Even though he was by himself, Shen scanned the area before changing his position to the traditional meditation. He closed his eyes and his body visually relaxed. Upon opening them, Shen's eyes, that were normally glowing with the empowerment of the spirits, no longer possessed such traits. He'd come down from his heightened senses and held a more humane look. The ninja took off the top half of his mask, placing it aside.

Shen was silent for what felt like an eternity before he finally closed his eyes, and muttered a name that would only make his stomach form a knot.

"Akali…"

It hadn't been too long since she left. Akali no longer wished to Prune The Tree or to follow the Kinkou order and their ways. Despite the Noxian Invasion having been pushed back, on and off, there were still smaller attacks happening to their land. In front of the whole order, she declared the impotence of the Kinkou, all its talk of spiritual balance and patience accomplishing little. Ionians were still dying in the land, and Akali would defend that land.

Shen let her go, knowing this was the path she must take, but it also caused something within him that he was never allowed to feel as The Eye of Twilight.

"The Eye is blind to fear, to hate, to love – to all things that would sway equilibrium."

He looked up at the stars, beginning to do something that his father would undoubtedly beret him for.

Shen contemplated his beliefs.

The balance of the order was said to be preserved no matter the situation or consequence.

Where had that gotten Shen?

He lost his father. He lost Zed, a man he considered to be his own brother as a younger age. And now, he'd lost Akali, his best student. The one he'd taught since she was just a little girl.

How long would it be until he lost Kennen? How long until everyone else in the order denounced its teachings and went on their own path like Akali? Shen always tried to avoid these troubling thoughts as he had to preserve the tradition, but he also wondered…

The ninja placed his spirit blade before him and put his regular blade adjacent to it. He sighed.

"How long… can a man balance and walk between two worlds, before the actions of one jeopardise the other?" He asked himself.

He closed his eyes, and for the first time in being The Eye of Twilight, felt something wet roll down his cheek.

It was a tear.

"Shen?" A faint voice asked.

The ninja slowly lifted up his head. He knew who it was, but he didn't think he'd hear it. Shen's hindsight caught a figure's silhouette to the left. A few white fluffy tails waving around gently as yellow eyes glowed. They stepped forward, revealing themselves to be Ahri, The Nine-Tailed Fox. Shen was actually a little surprised.

"Ahri… you came."

The vixen frowned at him and sighed. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything Shen… but when I received your note and given what happened… well, I just had to come."

Shen didn't offer a response. Ahri slowly paced to him, sitting down opposite of him in the traditional leg style that he was doing. He looked into her eyes, how they resembled the fox that she once was before becoming more human. Her ears seemed to twitch. She was often sultry and upbeat, but not around him. Ahri felt like she should respect Shen.

"Why did you come?" He asked.

"Because you're my friend." She replied. "You asked me to."

Shen cocked an eyebrow, Ahri sighing before choosing different words. "Well look, what I meant is… you're one of the few people I know that doesn't see me for what I am. You see past my beauty and treat me like I'm human. I like to be around you Shen… and seeing you in a sad state also makes me sad."

Despite seeming like an unlikely accomplice, Shen did ask Ahri to come. They both had a sort of a mutual friendship. He wouldn't have done this unless he had no other choice. Shen had nowhere to turn to; no father nor a real family to talk to. Ahri may have had this seductive and even sinister nature to her reputation, but she felt something with Shen.

After hearing her words, one of Shen's brows lowered as his gaze seemed to soften. Ahri looked at him, noticing the slight glistening. Her ears lowered.

"She just needs some time Shen." Ahri whispered. "She's finding her own way on the path towards what she deems to be balanced."

Shen lowered his head. "I was trusted to embrace being The Eye of Twilight. When the invaders came, Zed left the order while I focused on maintaining the spiritual energy. It led to a bloody coup under his command and the destruction of the temple. It was all because I cared more for the balance of the spirits instead of following my instincts and emotions. When I look back, perhaps following those instincts would've been the better option."

Ahri bit her lip, her ears remaining flopped down as Shen kept talking. She could pick up the forlorn tone and she actually felt like she'd shed a tear.

"How long do I follow the spirits until their route leads to oblivion? I lost a man I considered my kin, and now I've lost Akali. I failed her. I failed my father." Shen said.

"Shen." Ahri said softly, the ninja looking at her with sadness. She took his hands with hers and held them up. His felt cold while hers felt warm. "You did not fail him, and you did not fail Akali. Without you, Akali would've never found her own way. You were her teacher, and she was your student, but it was only your duty to teach her the ways of the order."

Shen continued to look into Ahri's yellow eyes. She looked at their entwined hands and gently pressed them against his chest as she leaned closer.

"You showed her where to look, but that's all a teacher can do. For the student, they must figure out for themselves what they see." Ahri said softly. "You did that for Akali, and to me, that's the sign of a good teacher."

Shen looked at her, Ahri seeing that his expression and gaze had become a little softer. Her lips curled upwards when seeing that with her ears no longer flopping. However, she then saw another hint of sorrow appear, Ahri's ears twitching this time as she felt a new presence.

It'd surfaced from Shen, and Ahri knew what it was.

It was love. Love that he held for Akali. A feeling that he was said to be long free of, but Shen was human. No matter how emotionless he'd become, or tell himself that he didn't consider himself to be human, Shen would always indefinitely be one.

"Shen?" Ahri asked. "What are you feeling?"

She could've just straight up told him, but Ahri believed it was better for Shen to admit it himself. He noticed her eyes glowed ever so softly, her tails swishing around all the while. The ninja sighed in defeat.

"I feel emotions that I was trained to resist. Emotions that make me doubt my ability to lead the order. Emotions… that jeopardise my duty as The Eye of Twilight."

"No Shen." Ahri said with a stern tone. She leaned closer to him than one would expect. "Those feelings may interfere, but they are part of what being a human is. I've seen it in the memories, even from the ones of those Noxian soldiers. I once thought that Noxians were monsters… just like me." She said as she looked away briefly. "But they were also human. They felt emotions like pain, sorrow, even fear… but they also felt something that makes them human. The true meaning."

Shen felt her hands entwine with his again. She brought them up and pressed it against where his heart would be. Shen looked at her with solemn eyes.

"It was the feeling of love." Ahri whispered. Her eyes glowed a little pink briefly. "Every human, no matter their duty, or which nation they originated from, can love. A Noxian and a Demacian can love one another. Your father… he must have loved at some point in his life."

The ninja's eyes lost the hurt they had in them briefly. Ahri smiled yet again. She felt his heart racing.

"Shen, sometimes it's easier to follow your emotions instead of just ignoring them. Especially when it's the emotion that makes you human." She said. "I do not know if you truly loved Akali, but it was something similar."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Shen looked at Ahri with another hint of sadness.

"But I'm The Eye of Twilight." Shen said almost breathlessly. "I'm not allowed to have one side be greater than the other. I cannot let it blind me. The consequences could be dire."

"But aren't you technically doing that right now?" Ahri asked. Shen blinked. "I mean… you're in favor of not giving into your emotions at the moment, and that's causing unbalance, no?"

Shen's eyes darted away, thinking about her words. After a few moments, he silently nodded.

Ahri's mouth twitched with mirth momentarily.

"Shen, tell me." She said softly. "What is it that you love? Or like, if that word's too extreme."

The ninja sighed. His eyes blinked several times as he felt something build inside him. Something that he'd never really considered during his time as the Eye of Twilight. He couldn't bring himself to answer, and Ahri chose to help.

"You know what I like?" Ahri asked, catching his attention. "And before you jump to a conclusion, it's not sex. Well… maybe some of it, but that's not all."

Shen huffed.

Ahri deemed it as a chuckle.

"What is it that you like?" Shen asked not looking.

Before answering, Ahri took his hand with hers and clasped her other one over it. This caught Shen's attention and Ahri's heart began to race.

"I like to be around you Shen." She stated. "I'm probably repeating myself here, but you're one of the few people who see me for who I am, and not what I am. I have little to no memories of my home… but when I'm with you, I feel like I'm part of something… with someone who understands me." She said, smiling warmly.

Shen was unsure of what to say. He felt something dwell within him. It was a warm feeling, like a fire that seemed to be burning up the current pain… and emotions he'd been feeling recently. He could see how vulnerable Ahri's eyes looked. He felt his hand shaking, realizing that hers were as they had it trapped.

"So Shen… what do you like?" She asked again, hoping that what she said gave him an idea.

He took a deep breath.

"I like… well… I like the... friendship… that I have with you." He said slowly.

Ahri couldn't stop herself from blushing. The words he said had the same effect that her words had on him. Butterflies invaded her stomach and she smiled warmly.

"And you're human because of that Shen." She murmured. "How are you feeling now?"

Shen sighed. "I'm feeling something... that I haven't felt in a long time. Perhaps even provoked it. It's a warm feeling." He said, unsure of how to further register it.

Ahri's ears perked up, and for the first time since she got here, she smiled warmly… and it soon became a grin.

She could feel his emotions. She could feel the coldness of his sorrow being doused, and a warm feeling take its place.

"Feel everything, because you're healing. And you are allowed to experience all your emotions at once, or in waves. Feelings give you the permission to start the process of making your way back home, and finding yourself." Ahri said softly. "Trust me… I've been there."

Shen exhaled once again. He was unsure of Ahri's words in some instances, but when he looked into those yellow, vulnerable eyes that showed true, and rare compassion, he couldn't bring himself to question it fully.

He no longer felt cold, or hollow inside. Instead, he felt warmer than before. His mind was clearer now. He felt… balanced.

Shen turned to Ahri, no longer feeling solemn, or forlorn.

"Everything happens for a reason." He said, sounding less sad and more, well monotonous. "Perhaps the path Akali is on right now will lead her back here one day, but as you said Ahri, it's not my job. I opened the door for her, and now she must find her own way."

He felt her hands change positions on his. Ahri cupped his hand with hers, and with a gentle, passionate-like movement, placed her tender lips upon his hand. Despite being presumably an emotionless man, Shen raised a brow. He could see her cheeks had heated up, and her smile slowly fading.

Shen picked up an imbalance in her mind.

"Ahri?"

Now it seemed like the tables had been turned, slightly.

The fox sighed. "Shen…" She began. "Can I tell you what else I like? Wait... no… what I… love?"

Shen's eyes narrowed. He could pick up the distress in her voice, and mind. Normally, he'd be suspicious, but after the words Ahri said, and given how different she seemed right now compared to how she usually was, Shen chose to help.

He put his fingers on her chin, turning her slowly toward him. He almost widened his eyes when seeing fluids pool up. His gaze became serious. "Yes Ahri. You can tell me."

"The thing I love… is you." She said solemnly. She didn't look away after saying it, but the fluid under her eyes seemed to trail down lightly. "And I mean that… from the bottom of my heart."

This time, his eyes widened in disbelief. Ahri could see how puzzled he was, and it made her stomach swell up. She figured he'd say nothing after that.

Silence. Nothing but silence happened between the two who were bathed in the moonlight.

Until Shen finally spoke.

"You… love… me?" Shen asked, his monotone voice betrayed by an unusual tone of astonishment.

Ahri slowly nodded. She used her thumb to wipe one eye. "Shen, if there was one thing I'd give you in this world, it'd be the ability to see yourself through my vision. To see… just how much you mean to me."

Shen was at a loss for words. He couldn't comprehend or even begin to fathom the new, warmer feeling inside him when she said those words. His mind eventually boiled down to the simple answer.

"Why?"

"I already told you Shen." Ahri answered, sounding a little offended. "You don't know how hard it is for me to find someone like you. To just…"

Her voice croaked as her throat swelled up. The fox girl's breathing was bated, and her lips quivered. Shen could only grimace. Ahri's words stirred up emotions he hadn't felt, and he couldn't break them down through the means of words. He looked at Ahri who cleared her throat, though she was still lightly weeping.

"To just find someone who doesn't see m-"

Ahri's words were stopped when Shen put his index finger over her mouth. Her eyes undoubtedly widened with her ears flopped. She froze for a few seconds as Shen seemed to stare into her very soul. He brushed aside her tears and sighed.

"Do you really mean those words… Ahri?" He asked.

Ahri's eyes darted away, her head nodding slowly before looking at him again.

He wasn't as surprised as before, given that this new information started to resurface hints from the past. Their friendship wasn't what most people would have in mind, but the rare times they did socialize, usually when Akali was with Ahri and bumped into Shen, she acted differently. In Shen, Ahri found a male friend that she couldn't find in any other man. His talks with her opened up new doors that she wasn't even aware existed.

Most would deem Shen to be a boring individual, and he kind of was, but Ahri took an interest when they spoke. As time went on with their relationship, Ahri considered Shen a close friend, and while he didn't think of it earlier, Ahri was possibly the closest, and the only friend he had that didn't revolve around the order.

But then, she started to feel something else. It was similar to what she did to others, but there was something she'd never think she'd find in her lifetime.

The urge to have somebody to love. Somebody to wake up next to, and knowing that they won't leave.

She'd found that in Shen, and while she mainly wanted to come here to help him, their talk sparked those feelings. However, she also felt like she was taking advantage of him, his vulnerable state of angst and sadness making him seem like a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

Her thoughts on that disappeared in a flash when feeling something warm on her shoulder. It was Shen's palm. She slowly turned to him, butterflies in her stomach while there was also a knot. Her eyes held innocence as her ears twitched. She could see the question in his eyes, and she spoke.

"Can you… love me?" She whispered. "Shen?"

He swallowed before exhaling audibly. He was thinking.

Silence took over. But it wasn't a weird silence. It grew comfortable, and when Shen's palm moved from her shoulder to her neck, the knot began to loosen. Shen continued to stare into Ahri's pupils. He couldn't find the words to say, so he chose to let actions do the talking.

Their lips met in a quiet session, and time seemed to stand still. Ahri felt Shen's lips press against her soft mouth. She tasted delicious, and Ahri felt a rush through her at the feeling of Shen's mouth again hers. Her ears stopped flopping, her hands moving up to Shen's.

So long she'd wondered how Shen's lips would feel. How he tasted.

She didn't have to imagine that anymore.

When they separated, Ahri put her hands on his shoulders and took a few breaths. Her breathing was bated which was unusual. She looked at Shen with needy eyes, and after a few moments, she closed the distance between their mouths. Shen was only surprised for a moment as their lips were interlocked in a warm moment of intimacy

Ahri began to moan pitifully through their kissing. The way his tongue felt exploring her mouth with such care was something she'd never felt. The kisses grew hotter as Shen felt small doses of his training fade away, He cupped Ahri's face gently as they continued to softly exchange fluids.

Eventually, the kisses grew quite heated and the breaks were shorter. Ahri couldn't get enough of Shen's taste, the way their tongues danced. She took one of his hands, guiding it down to her chest, but felt a hint of restraint.

The kissing came to a stop, Ahri looking into Shen's eyes. She could see his hesitation in going down further. The fox felt her heart race, and she put her hand on the back of his.

"Put your hands on me, Shen." She whispered.

The restraint was gone, and Ahri kept looking into Shen's eyes as she gently pushed his hand onto her ample chest. His training was crumbling faster now, the lust that'd been held up for so long spreading to every part of Shen's body. They kissed again with Ahri making sounds of longing as Shen cupped her breasts, caressing them as they threatened to overwhelm his hand. He felt frequent exhales through her nostrils as they kept kissing. Ahri felt something wet slide down her cheek.

It was a tear. And she couldn't fathom as to why it happened.

Perhaps it was the feeling she'd felt so long for Shen. She'd dreamt of this, and it was happening.

Shen's restraint was overwhelmed, and he acted on instinct. He wasn't unfamiliar with intimacy, and when Ahri's legs moved around and over his legs, Shen's hands moved down to her bubble-shaped rear and grasped at the cheeks that resulted in her being forced to wrap her legs fully around his waist as he lifted her up higher. Ahri gasped with the motion, putting her hands on his head as he began to make love to her neck as Ahri's chest was pressed against his neck, her chin-grazing over his head, wanting to feel Shen in any possible way.

She felt something hard contact her inner thigh under her skirt, and Ahri's eyes lazily looked downward, her mind hazy from her high.

"Shen… you're…"

"I know." He replied, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Don't sound like that." Ahri murmured. "It only proves that you're human. That you have emotions… and urges."

His grip became tenser when she said that, Ahri's heart melting from his touch. He gently kissed her neck, one hand coming off her buttocks to tangle itself in her black locks. One of Ahri's hands took a handful of her red top, and with a pitiful cry, she yanked it down, resulting in her breasts bouncing and jiggling after being freed from their prison. She did the same with her skirt that stayed at her ankles given her position.

In this situation, most people would find the measly clothing to be irritating, but Ahri didn't even notice. She wanted this. She wanted to feel Shen inside her. Ahri moaned when Shen kissed her breasts and her hand reached his waistline, untying the knot of the fabric before pulling it down far enough to reveal his member.

"Ahri…"

"Shh." She cooed. "Do you trust me?"

When she said those words, they were always filled with malice.

This sentence held none. It only held compassion… with a hint of desperation.

His grip became tighter on her butt as Ahri's nine tails began to circle around both her and Shen. She pulled him in for a passionate and long kiss, their eyes closed as her white tails finally formed a shelter-like shape, creating an aura of white. She cupped his face, her eyes glowing with her animal nature. Shen exhaled softly.

"Shen… take me. Please." She said in a needy tone.

He slowly nodded, and one of her hands moved down to his member, first moving her thumb across the head to give it lubrication, and then guided it to her entrance. Shen didn't let her do all the work, moving his hands down to her thighs and firmly gripping them as Ahri allowed him to do the deed.

The way he handled her body with such care and compassion left her helpless, and she was okay with that.

Shen spread her legs a bit apart, before lowering her onto his member, Ahri's womanhood being lubricated from her own essence from their foreplay. When she lowered onto him, Ahri bit her lips, throwing her head back, mouth agape with a pitiful mewl, her chest bouncing from the sudden action.

Shen groaned loudly, his teeth gritting before abruptly becoming calmer. He could feel Ahri's warm, inner walls being stretched from his length. He wondered if he should stop, but Ahri's legs didn't loosen, only tightened, her nails even digging into his back.

"Oh Shen." She whimpered, her toes curling and her breasts pressing against his chiseled body.

She gasped when he entered her, her hips bucking whenever he did. It was a mixture of pleasure and pain, but soon, the pleasure was greater than the pain. Shen's thrusts weren't harsh or zealous, they were caring, and gentle.

Ahri rarely got that.

The vixen began to let out little squeaks and moans as they settled into a rhythm. Her walls clenched as he slipped in before sliding out. Her mind focused on one thing; clinging to him with all her might and her body got the message. Her heels dug into his back, and her hands drew light blood as Shen's thrusts didn't let up. The ninja groaned, strained, and grunted, his sounds mixing with Ahri's as their flesh slapped together. She held on like her life depended on it as her moans became small cries and even screams.

She could feel something rising inside her, Ahri losing her voice as her hips bucked violently. She couldn't hold on much longer, and Shen was in the same state. She needed to hold on tighter and took her hands off Shen, only to entwine her arms tightly around his back, her legs pulling him closer as she surrendered her body to him.

"Ahri… I'm getting…"

"Do it." She breathed. "Please."

"But… you-"

"Please Shen." She begged. "Do it. I want to feel you… and your warmth."

Shen couldn't reply, as he reached his climax.

And Ahri did too.

Ahri threw her head back, mouth gaping as she silently screamed and endured the most intense and pleasurable climax she'd ever had.

Shen's control was lost and he quit resisting. His member twitched, and then he expelled sticky fluids into the warm core of Ahri. He shuddered, having felt nothing this good in forever. His essence flooded the fox girls depths, reaching the furthest points and not leaving a single part uncoated.

He groaned quietly, limping back with Ahri's tails dispersing around them as she slumped on top of him, spent and exhausted. She rested atop his toned body, feeling that it was trembling and her brows knitted together.

"Shen… you're trembling." She said with concern.

She felt his hands tangle themselves into her silky hair.

"I'm fine." He replied.

Ahri hummed quietly, listening to her heart return to its normal pace as Shen's did the same. A minute or two passed by before Ahri crawled up to meet Shen's gaze. She looked into his eyes with a weak smile.

"Shen… how are you feeling now?"

He hummed, thinking about his next words. He looked into the curious eyes of the vixen.

"I'm feeling… perhaps a little… better." He said, likely conflicted on how he should feel about this.

"Do you think you'll… take what I said earlier… into consideration?" Ahri asked.

Shen sighed before answering. "I'm… I'm not sure. It's… I'm just…"

"Shh." She answered. Ahri knew how difficult this may be for him to figure out at the moment, given that they were lying naked on the floor. She wouldn't force him into something he wasn't sure of, nor would she guilt trip him. "How about… we sleep on it?"

Shen stared at her for several moments, before he gave a rare, small smile. Ahri blushed and even giggled afterward.

"I'd like that… thank you… Ahri."

Instead of choosing to get up, they just remained there on the floor, Ahri's tails acting as a make-shift blanket as she rested under Shen's chin, feeling it lightly graze against her head.

It put a smile on her face, knowing she'd helped out a close friend with a personal issue, and for Shen… well, he felt less stressed for reasons he couldn't comprehend.

It'd vanished, and that put a rare, but pleasant smile on his face as he and Ahri drifted off to sleep.

The vixen smiled as she rested. She felt something that some said Shen never had.

Emotions.

His emotions