Summary: When a mission goes wrong and Akali is left badly injured, Shen realises just how much she means to him as more than a friend. But when Akali gives the report of the mission, new suspicions arise.

….

"Akali, come here. I have a task for you." A deep voice sounded through the room.

The Fist of Shadow was silently meditating when her Master appeared with a request. Looking up, she noted his grim expression. Giving an inward sigh, the kunoichi refrained from frowning; she knew the task would be nothing good.

"Yes, Master."

Akali stood up quickly and obediently followed her master, closing the sliding doors behind her once they entered his room.

When he sat down on the polished wooden floors, Akali followed, sitting on her knees as she awaited his request. The tension in the air was almost tangible. His usually calm facial features were replaced with agitation and Akali felt a nervous pit forming in her abdomen.

The silence continued for a few more seconds before he spoke.

"I'm sure you know of the many enemies we have accumulated over the years. Both in and out of the League."

With a swift nod, Akali stared into his face. It was marred by a scar that went across his cheek and eyes hardened with battle and war. The respect she felt for him could only be compared to the respect she felt for her teammates.

"My sources claim that one of those enemies has been sending us threats for quite a while now. Lately, he has been bolder and is outright challenging us. I want you to kill him and return with one of his possessions as proof."

It was, in all honesty, a strange request. Tasks to kill someone was by no means a rare thing. But to be so sure as to want proof?

Yes, strange indeed.

"Will this be a solo mission?"

He gave a strange expression before nodding.

"Yes. Your agility and stealth will be most needed for this task. You must not be seen. You leave tomorrow with five days to finish. Understood?"

Nodding again, she silently and stood up to leave but was surprised at what he said next.

"Do not let anyone know what your task is about. Not even your fellow teammates… And be careful. This may or may not be a dangerous mission but do not take risks."

….

Standing at the entrance to the institute, she tied her hair into its usual ponytail, the ebony strands flailing wildly as she quickly secured it into place.

Her master's words were still echoing in her mind. Usually her missions were simple and easy. Why was he so tense? She would be sure to ask him once she returned. Something was not quite right and she was sure he knew it.

Taking a deep breath she took a step forward before turning her head to the back.

It was always like this. She would give the place one last look before she left.

And say a silent prayer that she would come back alive.

….

She was late…

Akali prided herself on punctuality. She was always first to arrive for anything. And yet… it had been several days now. Her task was set to be less than a week. Five days to be precise. Usually she would finish early and come back on the third or fourth day.

No more. No less.

According to their master, it would be simple.

But she was not here. And that alone was enough to evoke some sort of worry in the Eye of Twilight.

Shen sat, legs crossed, meditating. Or he would be if he could concentrate. His failed attempts at meditation could only be pinned onto the unsettling absence of his closest friend. Something about her being near always calmed him, made him at ease.

But when he heard Akali was to leave for a mission, he asked her about it. All attempts was futile though as she was tight-lipped about the whole thing. Everything about it seemed odd.

He sighed and pushed those thoughts away. Taking a deep breath, he attempted yet again.

But suddenly his eyes shot open when the door slammed against the wall with a frantic looking Kennen standing there.

"Shen…! Akali is…!"

Kennen didn't finish his sentence but it was enough for Shen to understand.

He stood up immediately and left quickly with the smaller ninja.

….

The halls of the league's hospital seemed to drag forever as the doctor explained Akali's injuries.

Where had Kennen disappeared to? Shen looked around, keeping an eye out for the smaller ninja but he was gone. He tried to hear what the doctor was saying while ignoring all the ailing patients walking down the halls.

4 broken ribs.

1 broken arm.

Various bruises.

12 stitches along her thigh.

Mild concussion.

According to the reports, her foe was strong. They had battled and in the end Akali had won, killing her enemy, but with many repercussions on her side. But the report wasn't accurate. It was what they had assumed.

The mission was a failure.

He hadn't heard that word in so long.

Failure.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

But honestly? Something didn't feel quite right about it. Something was out of place. Hardly would Akali ever come home half-dead. That had only happened once and since then she had put herself on a task to become stronger. To never lose a fight. So her coming home looking like something a cat dragged in was certainly an unpleasant shock.

….

The room was a dazzling white. Akali's bed was one among eight which was next to the window at the end of the room. He could see hers from the doorway.

Shen felt his stomach drop when he saw his closest friend. She was lying on her back, IVs connected into her arm. Her face was devoid of her mask and badly bruised and swollen, to the point one could barely know it was indeed Akali. Her head was bandaged around her forehead and her once lustrous black hair was matted and dirty. Her left arm, in a cast, rested on her chest as she slept less than peacefully.

Though not visible, Shen guessed that her body must've looked just as bad.

Keeping a stony gaze on the doctor he asked, "Can the damage not be healed with magic?"

The doctor looked apologetic when he answered. "Unfortunately, no, we cannot. Her foe used magic," the doctor explained. He paused before continuing. "We fear that any more of it and it could cause more harm to her. Until some of the magic removes itself from her body, she will have to heal manually."

Shen knew that a body could only handle so much raw magic. Too much of it and humans would start to show abnormalities. With the injuries Akali had, that would be even more detrimental to her health.

The Eye of Twilight swallowed before he continued. "And how long will that take?"

"Between one and three days, more or less. We will let you know if there is any change. She should be able to leave next week but she must return for constant check-ups for her arm and the damage to her head. "

Nodding his approval, Shen headed towards her bed, taking a seat on the white chair beside it. Casting one more glance at the doctors retreating figure, he dragged his eyes to the sleeping kunoichi.

He sat watching her face, the rise and fall of her chest, her laboured, struggled breaths before he looked to the white tiles of the floor. Clasping his hands together, he took a deep breath before letting it out.

Was she reckless again? She was known for being a little reckless. Careless. Rushing into something with little thought. Did it manage to get her into trouble this time? One would think Kennen would be more impulsive than she was, but no. Always charging in like a bull straight into chaos.

Lost in his train of thoughts, Shen casted looks frequently at his injured friend.

"Akali… what have you done now?" he muttered softly.

She gave no response, as expected.

But it left a mark.

Staring out the window a few beds away, Shen noticed the setting sun.

Was it that late? He had been so lost in his thoughts that time flew quickly.

Giving the sleeping woman one final lingering look, he stood up and silently left the room.

….

'I should have been there.'

That was the thought Shen woke up to the next morning.

His dreamless slumber was broken by the time it was dawn, as usual. He would have to continue with his vigorous training. Would it be different? Would the change be noticed?

An image of Akali appeared in his head, uninjured. Then it was replaced with her in the hospital. The Eye of Twilight suddenly felt a feeling weigh him down. Something he had not felt in a long time.

He sighed at the realisation.

Guilt.

Seeing Akali's broken body evoked many feelings in him, but guilt was the most prominent. He was supposed to be the one to protect her. He was supposed to be looking out for her.

At some point in his past, he had made a silent vow to never let her get hurt on his behalf. He knew he could've gone with her. But his Master was strict.

"Ninjas work best alone, Shen."

That sentence had been told to him so many times, he had lost count. It wasn't that he thought his comrades were weak, not at all, but the fact that there was the risk of them dying. And even though it really wasn't his fault, the Eye of Twilight felt the guilt weighing him down.

Anger, disgust, guilt, sadness.

Anger towards her for not being careful.

Disgust towards himself for not being there to protect her.

Guilt for knowing that all of it could've been prevented if he was there.

And sadness at seeing her so… broken. Why he was feeling so much for her was unknown to him.

As a member of the Kinkou, feelings were meant to be locked out. Kept away from the eyes of many. Especially Shen. But Akali was his friend, teammate, and companion. Was he not allowed to show some compassion for her?

Ignoring his inner quarrel, he slowly prepared himself for the day ahead.

…

"Shen! Concentrate!"

The training had indeed felt different. Knowing that Akali was on a mission and knowing she was in hospital knocked out was a totally different story.

His thoughts were continuously wandering off, more often than not to his friend and companion.

And his Master had noticed this when they were sparring.

The old man's angry frown was betrayed by the concerned look in his eyes.

"Shen… I understand that Akali's injuries are severe and it is upsetting. But you must not let this deter your training! Each one of us will get injured during our lifetime but when it happens you must not let it get you down."

Those words made something snap in his head. His spine stiffened as the realisation hit him that Akali's grievances was getting to him way more than it should.

What was he doing? Acting completely different because of one measly wounded teammate?

Why?

Giving his Master a look of anger he asked, "Just what was the mission Akali had to complete? What type of task would you set here to do for her to come back half-dead? And why are you not telling any of us what it's about?"

Closing his eyes, the Master replied, "That is none of your concern, Shen."

Feeling a bubble of anger rise in his chest, Shen took a breath and calmed himself down. There was no point in getting frustrated now. It wouldn't change anything. He knew his Master could be just as mum about everything like Akali was when he'd asked her before she left. He wasn't going to push it.

….

Visiting Akali again had been surprising. It had been two days since his last visit. The pent up frustration he had felt had now dissipated and he felt it was okay to see her again. She was still asleep but she had been cleaned up. The shine had returned to her hair. Her bloodied bandages had been changed with new clean ones. And the swelling in her face had gone down immensely. She was also more at ease while she was asleep now.

Something caught Shen's eye while he walked to her bed. There was something scribbled on her cast.

Taking a closer look, Shen rolled his eyes when he read the words written in bold black ink: "Kennen was here!"

Had the Heart of the Tempest been here earlier? That was probably where he disappeared to during their training today. Sitting on the chair he watched as another patient was brought in, asleep, and was put on one of the beds. A few nurses made sure everything was okay with the patient before leaving and Shen's attention was once again back on his friend.

Shen watched Akali silently as she slept. Though the woman was more comfortable than the day before, her injuries still stabbed him in the chest each time he gazed at them. The guilt wouldn't leave. It wasn't his fault, right? His eyes trailed over her peaceful face to her right arm lying outside the white sheets of the bed.

He stared at her hand and he had a sudden urge to take it into his own. Before he even knew what he was doing, his hand found its way to hers. Her dainty fingers slipping between his calloused ones. He squeezed it softly and he could've sworn that the hand twitched but after no movement thereafter, he assumed he had imagined it. But just as quickly as he had taken her hand, he let go. He shouldn't be doing that.

Soon after a nurse came around to Akali to check up on the sleeping kunoichi. The nurse looked at Shen before saying: "I'll just be a minute." She gave him a small smile and continued to check Akali's IV drip, her temperature, and heart rate. When everything was as it should be she turned once again to the somewhat curious Eye of Twilight as he watched her.

"She should be waking up soon. I'm sure you're very worried." She gave him a smile as her eyes flickered from him to her, a glint of amusement shining in them. "Since you're here, I'll bring her food. She has difficulty eating. You wouldn't mind feeding her would you?"

Shen shook his head as the nurse's smile grew into a full grin. "Great! I'll be right back!"

…..

True to the nurse's word, Akali's eyes twitched a few minutes after. Shen, who was staring out the window when this had happened, was oblivious to the woman's confused look when her eyes had opened. Seeing her best friend made her feel nervous. Had he heard of the mission? Was that why he looked so distressed? The fear of having disappointed him was more than she could bear.

She watched him a little while longer before finally deciding to say something.

"…" No words came out of her mouth. Whatever she wanted to say never escaped.

His head turned slowly towards her, noticing the small sound she made, and she noticed how his eyes grew larger for a second before returning to normal. To her surprise he looked almost happy that she was conscious.

"Akali… You're awake." He seemed much more relaxed, Akali noticed and tried to get into a sitting position. He stopped her however, shaking his head.

"Do not exert yourself. Let me help you."

He stood up from his seat and gently moved her up so she could sit comfortably. Putting her pillows against the bed for her to rest her back against, he sat once again down. He hadn't noticed the blush on Akali's face as he helped her.

The nurse from earlier arrived with her food on a platter. She placed it on Akali's lap, gave Shen a wink and an encouraging smile to Akali before leaving.

The Fist of Shadow frowned at the food. Since it was still somewhat morning, they gave her eggs and vegetables to eat. She knew it would taste horrible, since it was at the hospital, but food is food. She sighed and attempted to eat with her uninjured hand. She was stopped yet again by Shen who had been quietly watching her.

To her dismay he started to feed her the food. Giving him a sceptical look, she allowed it. Where was all this … weirdness coming from? Shen was kind, yes, but was he so worried about her to help her to this extent? Maybe she was overthinking everything and he was just offering a helping hand since hers was… unusable at this point.

Not thinking about it any further, she just ate what he gave her until there was nothing left. Horrible as it was, the thought behind what Shen did was comforting in its own way. But just having him there was enough for her.

….

The Fist of Shadow concluded something: Hospitals were amazingly boring. You sat whole day not being able to move around, as the nurses would get very angry, and stare at walls which were blindingly white. Occasionally a new patient would come in but then chances were, that person was sleeping. There was no one to talk to. Visiting hours started only from late morning to late afternoon. It was almost dusk, from what she could tell, and sleep was beyond her.

There was absolutely nothing to do. But soon the nurses would make their nightly rounds and drug Akali. Thereafter she would sleep until the morning when Kennen and Shen would visit. It was four more days according to the doctor that she would be able to leave.

She wouldn't be able to train at all. Her chest ached when she breathed in, though the painkillers numbed that as well as the pain in her arm and thigh. She would also have to walk around in a cast for a while till they could heal her through magic. She wouldn't have any rift matches for a bit either.

Frowning, she gave a bored sigh. What a long, long while that would be.

Being injured was not something she would like to go through often.

Then there was the conversation she had with Shen earlier that day. Soon after he had fed her, he had asked about her injuries. In other words, how she had gotten them.

It hurt to lie to him. But she had to. Until their Master gave her permission, she was not to utter a single word about the task. Trying as it was, she would not give in so easily. Soon, Master would come speak to her personally and then, maybe if he approved, she would tell her comrades.

There was a knock at her window and she looked up. To her surprise Kennen stood watching her with a mischievous grin on his face. He lifted up the window and jumped into the room, landing on Akali's bed. She wondered why her window was even open and decided to leave it be… Kennen was always planning these kinds of things.

"So? Doctors say anything?"

"Yes, I can leave in four days' time. Is that good enough for you?" She teased and he snorted.

"Better than staying here another week," he muttered and Akali gave a small laugh but she felt as though there was another meaning behind that sentence. There was a small silence between the two and Akali felt something different. There was never a silence with Kennen around.

"What is it?" she asked him, scanning his face for any emotion.

"Well you see…" he paused before taking a breath. "Shen is really different without you around, Akali. Today he blew up at Master because he, no, we don't know what happened to you. I know you're probably supposed to keep quiet about it and all, but don't keep us worrying so much."

Akali was silent a she stared out the window. He was right, absolutely right. There was nothing she could say to him to reassure him of what was happening. Nothing at all. And noticing this, the yordle sighed and quietly left the room once again through the window

…..

A/N: Please leave a review. I would love to know what anyone thinks and whether I should continue posting new chapters. If there is positive feedback, a new chapter may or may not be posted within next month… exams and stuff.

A warning though, this story might not be lore friendly. I'll try to keep everyone as in character as I can but I will tweak a few people to fit the storyline more.