A/N: This story has actually been in the making for a long time. I had the outline of this story drawn out way back in 2013 when I first made my fanfiction account and the blueprint for Wicked Games predates even Unexpected Travelers! To the OG fam, we really came far!
This piece is strongly inspired by the fanfic "Ahri x Katarina" by TheModernWriter which when I read back in 2013 (yeah I know it's a smut... still enjoyed it though) felt like it had real storyline potential.
On another note, Ahri and Katarina have actually been my OTP for the longest time lol. They both have strong personalities, but possess very compatible characteristics (plus they're hot together lmao). I also feel as though a relationship between these two would be an interesting thing to explore lore-wise. Why? Picture this.
If Garen and Katarina are in a relationship, peace will eventually blossom for both Noxus and Demacia.
If Ahri and Katarina are in a relationship, only distrust and conflict will develop.
I.
A shadowed figure dashed through the sea of trees with the silence of a ghost. The dead of the night masked her every footstep as it hopped from tree to tree. No footprints. No traces. Years of training had taught her to blend into the deep darkness and mimic the quietness of phantoms.
The only evidence that she was ever there was the near silent rustle of the trees as she skillfully maneuvered high above the treetops with grace. A brief reprise from the many branches finally allowed the moonlight to catch a glimpse of the master assassin.
Katarina Du Couteau. The Sinister Blade.
Months ago, the Institute of War was suspended indefinitely as the vast majority of Summoners had returned to their home dimensions. Without the all-powerful Summoners acting as peacekeepers. Valoran morphed into a land rife with terror. While fighting has yet to erupt, the lack of an overarching power to hold either Noxus, or the Shadow Isles down put everyone on edge. Minor states such as Bandle City had already started re-arming itself in fear, but they themselves weren't the only ones concerned.
And now we return to the subject of Katarina. She was sent on a scouting mission to collect information on the nation of Ionia. To Noxus, Ionia was… difficult to discern. Yes, the two nations had their fair share of wars, and one could very much argue that Katarina's scouting missions would help develop strategies if Ionia ever entered battle with Noxus again. But that was only one half of the story.
Ionia can be described as very isolationist, that is they don't concern themselves with the rest of the world. An attack on the homeland would rally all Ionians to battle, but elsewhere? One could even make a betting guess that Ionia wouldn't interfere at the brink of a country's collapse.
But Noxus wasn't taking any chances. There were too many powerful inhabitants despite its peaceful nature and a countering plan needed to be conceived at the very least.
It had been several hours now since Katarina first stepped into Ionia. Talon was scouting the countryside while she herself was charged with the Vastayan Forests. But as Katarina continued to navigate through the thick forest trees, she couldn't help but feel as she was being followed. Something was definitely off…
On her next hop she dropped from the branch and swung herself up in the air. Landing with a simple thud, she stood up straight.
"Whoever you are, show yourself," she called out, her daggers already unsheathed. "Don't be a coward."
A feminine giggle chimed through the night sky. "My, oh, my… what gave away my presence?"
Katarina recognized that voice, especially one of a fellow champion. "Your scent. Especially with the downwind coming, you could do a better job masking yourself."
"Are you saying I smell nice?" The voice giggled again before the rustle of leaves caught Katarina's attention and Ahri's form fell from the treetops to the branch opposite of her.
Katarina was caught a bit off guard by the fox's sudden appearance. She always held a natural beauty that captivated men and women alike. Those piercing golden eyes of hers and the wry smile she held only made Katarina narrow her eyes.
"Ahri," Katarina half stated, half growled, in which the fox happily wagged all nine tails in response.
"Awww, did you miss me Katarina? I mean the Institute only closed a few months ago, but still…"
"Now what makes you think I would do that?" Katarina said as she brandished her daggers towards Ahri.
"Why come to Ionia then?" Ahri fired back. "I doubt people come sightseeing in the middle of the night, least of all Noxian assassins."
"That is none of your business." Katarina was slowly losing her edge as Ahri prodded deeper and deeper. She would eventually discover her purpose in the secluded nation if Katarina didn't shoot back with force.
But that was a difficult thing to do. Not many champions in the League could match Katarina in both sheer confidence and in cunning. A few came close, but they were often lacking one or the other.
Katarina only scoffed when Ahri's smile grew wider as she merely sat down nonchalantly on the tree she was standing on.
Ahri was one of the few exceptions capable of both.
"Oh really?" Ahri peered. "Because the way I see it, Noxus sent their little assassin to Ionia because Swain fears our power, is that it?"
Katarina went on the offensive again. "Think carefully before you speak another word. I will not have the Noxian honour insulted," she spat.
"Hit the nail on the head, huh honey?" Ahri spoke... and merely tilted her head to the side as a dagger whirled by her face. Ahri plucked the dagger out of the bark beside her as she examined it with a chuckle. "Because I think this…" she said as her fingers danced upon its razor edge, "is a metaphor for your jaded, insecure persona..."
That did it. Immediately, Katarina unlatched another dagger from her belt and charged at Ahri, intent on covering the fox woman entirely with puncture wounds.
Ahri merely held her hands out wide and fell backwards down the tree tops, all while the chime of her laugh echoed through the wind.
Katarina growled and quickly proceeded to dive after her.
Katarina landed with a soft thud, soundless after years of perfecting her craft. Her eyes scanned across the field, but the night made it difficult to track the fox. Instead, she had to rely on her other senses.
The faint rustle of leaves drew her attention to the left.
"There!"
She had just enough time to duck before a dagger whirled by her face from the same direction turned towards and trimming a few strands of her hair as she recovered. It was the same dagger she launched earlier.
"You're pretty fun to play with, Katarina," Ahri said as she emerged from the trees. "A little feisty, but still…"
"I can't have anyone discover my presence in Ionia," Katarina said calmly for the first time in their meeting. "So unfortunately for you, I need to put a fox to sleep. Permanently."
"And quite edgy too," Ahri said as she stretched herself out before entering into a stance. "But I'll take you on. Come."
Katarina was about to charge again, but to her surprise Ahri in every sense of the word materialized in front of her. An arm was raised to lessen the blow, but Ahri's roundhouse kick rammed into her with the force of the Noxian army. She was sent skidding backwards several feet and her arm went completely numb.
"I don't think you can handle me just yet, kitty cat," Ahri chuckled. "We're not in the Institute anymore and that means there's nothing left to suppress our powers."
Katarina grit her teeth. Ahri was right. In the Institute of War, she was empowered through Summoner magic and granted her infamous blinking technique, the Shunpo. Only her sister, Cassiopeia and her foster brother, Talon truly had access to magic. Cassiopeia gained her abilities through her Serpentine Curse, while Talon was born with his invisibility powers.
Herself? Outside of the League, she was heavily handicapped, especially when facing a mage such as the one smirking directly across from her.
"Hello? Earth to Katarinaaa. Anybody there? Cat got your tongue?... Or is it fox got your tongue in this case?" Ahri began to ramble. She momentarily forgot about Katarina as she mumbled to herself over this dilemma.
Katarina on the other hand saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike. The League may have provided her with magic, however her quickness was natural.
"Or maybe it is the fox who got the cat who- oh!" Ahri reacted in surprise as she narrowly crouched under the dagger from Katarina's outstretched arm. Katarina quickly launched into a flurry of thrusts, jabs, and kicks all which Ahri danced around with ease.
"Wymun Ku?" Ahri asked as she continued to maneuver in between strikes. "A lightning-quick knife fighting style designed for one-handed use. A knife fighting staple actually. It's weakness? There are too many openings to attack the joints."
Immediately, a sharp pain wracked Katarina's arm as Ahri caught an incoming slash with one hand and struck her wrist, then her elbow in rapid succession. All feeling was lost in her right arm, rendering both appendages completely useless as they hung loosely off her shoulders.
"How… how did you know the weaknesses of a Noxian knife fighting style?" Katarina asked in disbelief, now at the complete mercy of the fox.
"Oh that? I invented it," she stated as if it were the most uninteresting thing in the world. "Patent pending," she tacked on with a smirk.
Katarina's eyes widened. "You're the fabled wandering fox master?... But that was centuries ago..."
"A woman should never reveal her age, but I like you Katarina," Ahri chuckled. "As of… 2 months ago, I am 923 years old. Quite a bit you can pick up after nearly a millennium of living..."
Katarina was speechless.
Ahri made a mock of checking her empty wrist and her piercing yellow eyes returned to Katarina with a smile."Let's wrap this up quick. I gotta go soon..."
Step by step, Ahri slowly closed the distance between Katarina and herself, while the Noxian could do nothing but await her impending doom.
But utter shock washed all over her as two fingers tilted her chin upwards and a soft pair of lips pecked her on the forehead.
Before Katarina could even react, Ahri spoke up.
"It's been a fun little charade, kitty cat, but I want to remind you that you're nothing but a pawn in this grand game of chess," Ahri said as she suddenly began floating in the air. "Play time's over."
Ahri's form glowed a bright blue as her tails flared behind her and in the very literal sense. Katarina watched in horror as the forest branches came to life and swallowed her whole within them.
"Kat! Kat!" The voice grew in volume as she groggily regained consciousness. "Kat! Are you alright?" came Talon's voice.
"Huh? What happened?" Katarina asked as she awoke. Upon glancing at the destruction around her, she instantly remembered the enemy she fought. She quickly attempted to get up, but Talon rested his hand on her shoulder, dissuading her.
"Don't worry about the fox. I've chased her off."
Katarina's mind was still spinning from their encounter. It wasn't the battle itself that shook her, but rather Ahri's words.
"You're nothing but a pawn in this grand game of chess."
Katarina thought back to the mission brief prior to leaving for Ionia and the strangeness of the whole ordeal. Swain, Darius, Leblanc… they all acted… unnatural… as if there was more to her mission than simply gathering information.
"Talon." Her foster brother's ears perked up. "Let's head back to Noxus."
Talon nodded and donned his hood. Propping Katarina's arm across his shoulder, he bounded off into the dead of the night.
But high above them, another being watched the two leave with great interest.
"Quite an interesting woman… Naive, but a welcome participant in these wicked games. I sure hope Ahri knows what she's doing…" the swordsman said before he too disappeared in the wind.
A/N: With this story fully online, that means I'll be working on at least 4 others concurrently. This is just a reminder that if updates are slow, I am not dead nor am I dying lol.
Cover photo deadass the first image you find when you google "Ahri and Katarina."