Strife Bringer

War… Aatrox spoke under his breath, savoring the sound of the one word that brought him joy. He smiled, balling his left hand into a fist and popping each one of his knuckles. Beneath the frayed, black travelling cloak he wore, Aatrox turned his crimson eyes to gaze across the city that sprawled out before him. Too peaceful… He immediately thought, a sour expression crossing his face. But the expression was quickly replaced by a smile again. Things will change… he reminded himself, Yes… things will change very soon. Finally, Aatrox rose from his perch atop the towering wall that surrounded the Demacian capital city. He reached up, pulling the hood of his cloak lower across his face. Things were progressing too slow. War was coming too slow… and he, Aatrox, certainly did not want to wait for war. He wanted blood, and he wanted it now. Popping the knuckles in his right hand, Aatrox abruptly turned and descended from the wall, down to the ground below. A small grin briefly crossed his face as a mischievous plan to hasten the onset of war entered his mind. Yes… Aatrox thought pensively All it will take is the head of a Demacian politician… and a Noxian flag… Aatrox reached into a pouch at his waste, allowing his hands to close around the piece of cloth that lay inside. He already had a flag that he had stolen from Noxus a few days ago, now all he needed was a head…

Aatrox quietly slipped into one of the various crowded streets that led to the Demacian capital building. In the bustle of the lively city, no one bothered to look twice at his towering form, everyone was too caught up in their daily activities. Smiling to himself, Aatrox allowed his mind to drift and recall the actions that he had taken in the past days. Approximately one week ago, Aatrox had infiltrated Noxus; taking his initial steps to sow the seeds of conflict. It was simple really, all he did was paint a few walls with the blood of some Noxian guards and leave a small Demacian standard issue sword at the scene. Aatrox chuckled slightly as he recalled the next thing that happened. Upon finding the mutilated bodies of the guards and the sword, Noxus immediately claimed that Demacia had broken the rules set forth by the Institute of War and demanded that they have retribution for the crime. Of course Demacia denied all allegations and staunchly refused to meet any of Noxus' demands. At this point, the two nations were at each other's throats, neither side willing to compromise with the other. Aatrox smiled again. Too easy… He thought. Again, Aatrox smiled as he anticipated the conflict to come. Finally, Aatrox brought himself back into focus. His surroundings had changed drastically, no longer was he in the crowded city streets, he was now in the portion of the city where only the social elite could afford. Aatrox's lip curled slightly with disgust as he glanced at the spacious gardens and elegant mansions. The main part of the city had at least an element of chaos to it. Here, everything was simply far too serene; too peaceful. Quickening his pace, Aatrox moved swiftly through the district, trying to keep as low a profile as possible, although such a feat was significantly more difficult given the lack of distractions in the spacious streets. Abruptly, Aatrox felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle. Instinctively, he ducked into a nearby alleyway, heeding his body's reaction to danger. Seconds later, Aatrox could hear approaching footsteps and a woman's voice.

"No. And do not ask me again. I will not be in the company of a weakling such as yourself." The woman's voice floated through the street. It was a strong, sharp voice, thickly accented in a way that Aatrox couldn't quite put a name to.

"But madam! It would be of great-"

"I SAID NO. Are your ears of no use? Or are they simply clogged with your own stupidity that you are unable to understand my words?" The woman interrupted arrogantly. The footsteps sounded faster as the woman increased her pace, trying to drop the individual that was pestering her. Finally, the woman hovered into view from the alleyway. She was young, mid twenties was Aatrox's guess. Her figure was thin and lithe, clearly well toned and muscled from years of physical conditioning.

"Lady Laurent, please just-"

Fiora stopped walking mid-stride and turned upon the suitor that was persistently following her. In one fluid motion, she brought up her left hand and clamped it down over the man's mouth.

"You have tried my patience enough today!" She snapped angrily as she brought her face dangerously close to the man's. Fiora released the man from her grip with a rough shove that sent him to the floor, landing hard on his posterior.

"I care not to see you ever again." Fiora spoke haughtily as she glared down upon the suitor with eyes as sharp as razors. The man whimpered in response before he finally turned and fled in the other direction. Fiora stood rooted in her position for a few seconds before she straightened herself and drew in a deep, calming breath. The action brought her face into full view from Aatrox's angle. Her brown hair, highlighted with a bright crimson, flowed loosely about her face forming an almost curtain like veil about her sharp eyes. Fiora drew in another deep breath before she opened her eyes again. Slowly, she turned to continue in the direction that she was originally travelling in. The action turned her gaze directly into the alleyway. Aatrox instantly ducked behind a large dumpster and swiftly moved towards the other end of the alley, wanting to avoid undesirable contact with other individuals. Unfortunately, the movement caught Fiora's eye. Immediately, she grit her teeth as her temper quickly spiked to a dangerously high level yet again. Fiora swiftly strode into the alleyway, intent on at least giving the individual that was eavesdropping from the shadows a piece of her mind. However, as she turned to peer behind the dumpster, only a pile of dust met her eyes. Surprised, Fiora straightened up and glanced around the area, wondering where the individual could have disappeared to. Again, she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eyes. She turned her head, just in time to see the tails of Aatrox's cloak disappear behind the corner of the alleyway.

"Not even the courage to face me?" Fiora demanded angrily as she pursued Aatrox down the alleyway. That comment stung Aatrox's pride. Every inch within him wanted to turn and slaughter the woman following him, but Aatrox kept himself focused on his real objective. Even if he did kill the woman and used her as a tool to instigate war between Demacia and Noxus, there was no guarantee that she was an individual of high importance. Aatrox needed to be sure that the individual he killed would most certainly cause a war.

"Get back here peasant!" Fiora spoke again, her voice nearer than before. She's gaining on me? Aatrox thought questioningly to himself as he turned another corner, trying to ditch his pursuer in the maze of alleys. Unfortunately, Fiora knew the entire city of Demacia as well as she knew the back of her hand. Rather than following Aatrox down the alley he had taken, Fiora turned, leapt over a low wall to her left and waited in the shadows. Unbeknownst to Aatrox, the path he had taken looped around and led straight to where Fiora was waiting. As Aatrox's footsteps approached, Fiora unsheathed her rapier and lunged out of the shadows. She clearly had no intention of hitting Aatrox, as her strike would have passed directly in front of Aatrox's throat. Fiora merely wanted to frighten the individual that was eavesdropping on her into never doing so again. However, being a seasoned warrior who had seen centuries of conflict, Aatrox's combat instincts instantly kicked in. The moment he saw the flash of steel from the shadows, he instinctively summoned his sword and deflected the piercing lunge. Immediately, Aatrox counterattacked with a downward strike. Fiora nimbly parried the blow and lashed out again at Aatrox's neck. Twisting away, Aatrox managed to avoid the strike, but the tip of Fiora's rapier ripped through the cloth on his hood. Aatrox quickly backed away as the hood fell slightly, briefly revealing his hellish face. Reaching up, he tugged the garment back into place. Furious, Aatrox scowled beneath his hood, angry at both himself for instinctively fighting, partially revealing who he was and also because he had been caught off guard. Curious after having a glimpse of a face, Fiora moved slowly in a semi-circle, trying to get a better view of Aatrox's face. He didn't comply. Instead, Fiora analyzed what she could see. The blade. It was a sword unlike any she had ever seen before. With three sharp serrated edges that tapered down to a sharp needle like tip, the blade appeared as though it thirsted for blood. But more than that, the sword appeared to writhe and pulse, as though the blade itself were alive. Upon seeing her scrutinizing gaze, Aatrox backed away slowly, his desire to leave evident. Immediately, Fiora felt the edge of her lip curl with annoyance. He was clearly suppressing his desire to fight, she could see the burning desire for battle in the faint, blazing glow of his red eyes. More than that, however, Fiora was fascinated. A mysterious swordsman with enough skill and dexterity to counter her speed? Such a thing had never occurred before, and she was definitely not about to pass up the opportunity to fight such an opponent. A sudden movement from Aatrox brought Fiora's attention back to reality. Without a further reason to hide his abilities, Aatrox leapt and glided onto the roof of the closest building. He glanced back, tentatively at the woman standing on the ground below him. Every cell in his body had the urge to engage in glorious combat, but Aatrox ground his teeth, resisting the urge as much as possible. Fiora, on the other hand, had no intention of letting the mysterious figure leave. But Fiora knew better than to chase after him again. There was no guarantee that he would be willing to turn back and fight her. Fiora wasn't a gambler; she worked with certainty and precision. Rather than follow Aatrox, Fiora leaned the weight of her body onto her left leg, and placed her left hand on her hip; a gesture of absolute comfort and nonchalance. Tilting her head slightly, she finally spoke:

"Running away?" Fiora taunted in a voice that was irresistibly arrogant. "And here I thought I had a challenge…" Fiora's words stabbed at Aatrox's pride, cutting deeply in a manner that was rarely ever done. Fiora couldn't help but smile as she watched Aatrox's grip about the hilt of his sword tighten with rage. She knew she had struck him when his knuckles turned white from the force he was putting on his blade. Finally, Aatrox gave in to his barbaric desire to fight. With a savage leap, Aatrox landed back on the ground across from Fiora, his eyes blazing with bloodlust. Fiora met his gaze with a smile of anticipation. Lightly, Fiora bounced on the balls of her feet before settling down in her classic duelist stance. Aatrox, on the other hand, didn't feel like waiting. Savagely, he roared and dashed towards the duelist, swinging his massive blade in a horizontal cleave. Fiora nimbly danced backwards, a hairs breath out of reach from the thirsty tip of the blade. She counterattacked immediately, lunging with a piercing stab at Aatrox's chest. Rather than parry the blade with his own sword, Aatrox used his right forearm to deflect the stab by placing his arm along the flat side of the rapier and shoving the sword away from him. The unconventional block surprised Fiora, but only for a nanosecond. Instead, Fiora attacked again, this time with a downward diagonal slash at Aatrox's open shoulder. Again, Aatrox surprised her by abruptly bringing his colossal blade thundering upwards. There was a resounding clang as Aatrox's sword made contact with Fiora's rapier. Aatrox had put so much force behind the strike that Fiora was knocked back slightly. Fiora immediately returned to her stance, fixing Aatrox with a scrutinizing gaze. The last clash was strange; under no circumstances should her opponent have been able to force her back. One, his blade was large, thus it should be slower. Two, she had downward momentum and gravity on her side. Yet, he wielded the blade as though it were as light as her rapier. Fiora finally came up with a possible conclusion when Aatrox brought a hand up to his face and wiped blood off of his lip. So he uses his own life as a medium to increase the strength of his strikes Fiora thought.

"Fascinating." Fiora said aloud. She lowered her stance slightly and lunged again at Aatrox, this time with the intention of winning. Immediately, Aatrox felt the increase in pressure from the duelist before him. Backing up, Aatrox defended himsel, blocking and dodging her lightning fast blows as best he could. Finally, Fiora dashed at top speed, placing herself behind Aatrox. Before he could turn and block or counter, Fiora landed a precise slash directly in Aatrox's blind spot. Aatrox felt a slight burning sensation as Fiora's rapier met his flesh and made a clean incision on his right shoulder. Fiora stopped her assault and allowed her opponent to compose himself. To her surprise, however, her opponent's body language exhibited no sense of discomfort. Instead, when she looked into his hood, she could make out a wide grin plastered across his face. Hmph Fiora breathed out as she lunged again. Again, Aatrox defended himself, but was wounded again when Fiora bested him with her superior speed. Still, he smiled. The process repeated another time, and another time with the same results. Fiora grew impatient. She was winning, yet there was no hint of him loosing. Abruptly, Fiora decided to change her strategy. Rather than back off after a successful strike, she would continue until he backed off. Fiora lunged again, attacking in a lightning quick succession of stabs and slices. Aatrox again blocked and parried, getting slightly wounded by blows that he couldn't deflect entirely. However, when Fiora neared the end of her attack string, Aatrox chose not to defend himself. Instead, he attacked with a frighteningly fast blow. Fiora felt her rapier stab directly into her opponent's chest. However, she was immediately forced to withdraw her strike in order to defend herself from Aatrox's own attack, thus reducing the severity of the blow she had landed. Fiora barely had enough time to raise her rapier and deflect Aatrox's counterattack. Again, the blow was incredibly heavy, causing Fiora to stagger slightly as the slash glanced off her blade. Aatrox seized the opening to begin his own string of attacks. Much to Fiora's surprise, Aatrox's attacks had increased in velocity and quantity while still maintaining the same strength. It was now Fiora's turn to be defensive. Nimbly, she skipped backwards, parrying and dodging Aatrox's deadly blows. Finally, she saw an opening. Dodging to the side, Fiora deflected one of Aatrox's slashes in the direction opposite to the side she moved. Immediately, Fiora brought her blade down in a diagonal slash across Aatrox's chest. Again, Aatrox could have deflected the blow and minimized damage, but he chose not to. Instantly, blood spattered on the floor from the heavy wound he sustained, but at the same time, he forcefully grabbed Fiora by the shoulder, immobilizing her. At the same time, he stabbed at her gut with his serrated blade. Immediately, Fiora's eyes dilated as adrenaline shot through her veins. Such a wound would most certainly be fatal. At the last possible second, Fiora used her rapier to deflect the stab, simultaneously twisting her body out of the way of the stab. Fiora let out a cry of pain as she felt the serrated edge of Aatrox's sword cut into the side of her body, damaging her ribs severely, but avoiding critical injury. Before Aatrox could strike again, Fiora swiftly brought her rapier down on Aatrox's outstretched right arm. Again, her blow cut deep into his flesh, causing blood to splatter on the floor and Aatrox to loosen his grip on her. Fiora jerked away from her opponent, breathing heavily and clutching at her bleeding side. Aatrox, on the other hand, was relentless. Despite his wounds, he attacked even faster and heavier. Fiora forced her damaged body to dance out of the way of the crushing strikes. Luckily, although Aatrox seemed to have gotten faster, he also appeared to have gotten sloppier. As Fiora skipped out of the way of strikes, Aatrox's blows made resounding crashes with the floor and walls around him, explosively causing dents and holes in the various objects he struck. Finally, he paused. Breathing heavily, he fixated the duelist with a blazing stare. His eyes conveyed a message that couldn't be described by words. A single, simple gaze, holding all of the fierce enjoyment, freedom, lust, and above all, respect for the opponent he fought. The two stood there, gazing at one another in silence until the moment was abruptly ruined by the thundering footsteps of approaching guards. Immediately, soldiers poured into the alleyway, blocking all exits and possible escape routes and forming a circle around the cloaked figure. Fiora suddenly found herself being pulled away from her opponent by a rough pair of hands. Instantly, her temper exploded.

"UNHAND ME PEASANT!" She snarled and lashed out furiously.

"We must tend to your injuries Lady Laurent" Came a stern reply. Fiora twisted her head slightly and gazed into Xin Zhao's eyes. He had good intentions, but Fiora didn't care. Shaking off his restraining arms, Fiora shouted:

"This is MY duel, cease your interference!" She snapped, eager to return to her battle. However, the soldiers refused to listen. They continued to close in on the cloaked figure. Needless to say, Aatrox was just as furious as FIora was, if not more so. Outnumbered, he quickly weighed his options. He could easily massacre each and every one of the soldiers here, but that would reveal his fighting style and potentially reveal his identity. Angrily, Aatrox again forced himself to resist the temptation of battle. Instead, he forced himself to do the most undignified action he could take. He fled. Crouching low, Aatrox leapt a phenomenal distance into the air before taking wing and soaring out into the open sky. As the distance between him and his opponent increased, Aatrox felt a strange longing tug at his chest an unsettling feeling that he had never felt before, but he pushed the feeling out of his mind, instead focusing on the countless number of objectives he had failed to complete in infiltrating Demacia. Aatrox snarled angrily, letting a breath of air pass through his gritted teeth. As he flew, he reached down into the pouch at his waist and produced a dagger and the stolen Noxian flag. Weighing the flag with the dagger, Aatrox hurled the cloth back at the guards in the alleyway. Aatrox continued his flight without looking back.

"That better suffice..." Aatrox muttered angrily as he suppressed his rage. Although he didn't look back, Aatrox could feel his opponent's eyes gazing after him. What he didn't know was that she too felt the same unsettling longing in her chest as he did.

Author's Note:

Hi everyone, hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter to this miniseries. I know Aatrox x Fiora seems like a little bit of a stretch to make, but I really feel like the two are more alike than they are different. More to come later, but hopefully this doesn't flop on its face.

Other news: I'm still working on the final installment to my series on Syndra and Irelia, but I'm in a bit of a rut as far as that story progression goes, so I'm taking a bit of a break from those two. If you guys like my writing style, check out my other stories!

Thanks for reading!