Elicitation

By Eadon

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Riot; I just play with their characters.


When Akali came to, and after her eyes adjusted, she looked about her surroundings in confusion. A thin, gray blanket was draped over her, a small fire popped and crackled in a pit nearby, and while there was a roof above her the cracked walls bore large, gaping holes. The hard floor below her was made of wood, rice mats laid scattered and shredded around the room.

Where was she? Akali lifted herself into a sitting position, or at least she meant to before a paralyzing pain erupted in her body and the floor began to spin. With a groan she laid back down, her eyes shut tight as she willed the nausea to go away. Moments passed before the floor stopped spinning, but her body was still aflame with so much pain she couldn't pinpoint what exactly was hurting.

She laid there staring at the chipped ceiling trying to recall how she came to be in this condition. Memories came to her in bits and pieces. She remembered pursuing Yasuo. She fought him. He fell and she recovered his sword. It was a blank from there.

If she was still alive then could he be as well? She didn't bring herself into this room, obviously, someone else did. Did that mean her mystery savior also helped Yasuo? She had to check if he was alive.

Her voice was weak as she cried out from the agony that exploded from her wounds. She nearly retched after she managed to roll herself onto her stomach. Through willpower she never knew she possessed, Akali was able to crawl to a battered door with torn rice paper.

The door slid open before her. She only managed to see a pair of feet, large and wide, most likely belonging to a male. Then the pain became too much and the darkness embraced her again.

It was evening when Akali awoke again. Moonlight squeezed into the small room through one of the holes in the wall, and the smell of herbs drifted into her stuffed nose. She was lying on her back, the blanket draped over her again. She flexed her shoulders and promptly regretted her action. A wave of hot pain stabbed at her muscles and joints, a groan squeezed from her throat.

She heard movement beside her before she could see it. Upon instinct she bolted upwards and, by habit, reached for the knife she always kept within her clothes, only this time her arm failed to move and she was completely unarmed. Well, she tried to sit up, but something held her down.

Instinct continued to take control of her limbs; Akali tried to free herself but only succeeded in further hurting herself. Her attempt at movement halted the moment her eyes focused on her caretaker. She frowned as she stared at the very man she tried to kill, Yasuo.

The swordsman looked haggard. His face was pale, which made the dark circles beneath his eyes all the more noticeable. Akali's gaze swept over him for any hidden weapons. His gauntlets and shoulder guard were gone and his sword was absent from his waist. Despite much of last night's events being hazy, assuming she slept for no longer than a day, Akali thought Yasuo was fully clothed. Now his upper clothing was in tatters. She lowered her eyes and then noticed his arms and torso were wrapped in makeshift bandages.

This doesn't make any sense, Akali thought.

She tried to kill him. He tried to kill her. Why was he treating her wounds? Wait, was he treating her? Maybe he was one of those people that enjoyed watching their enemies suffer a slow death. If that was the case, why did he bother with covering her with a blanket?

"You shouldn't move." Yasuo spoke. His voice was hoarse as if he'd been running an entire evening in freezing temperatures. "You'll open your wounds again."

Akali frowned as she studied his eyes. She couldn't see any cruelty in his brown orbs. What was he playing at? Did he think that by sparing her she would spare him in return? He would only be hastening his death. Once Akali was able she would have to finish Yasuo. For now, she would play the weak, injured party. Not that she had a choice in the matter as she could barely lift her shoulders without feeling nauseated.

Her mouth and throat were so dry she coughed when she tried to swallow. Yasuo immediately figured what she needed; he was slow to turn while he poured water into a cup. Akali watched him as best as she could, though she knew it was stupid to be worried he would slip something into her drink. She would be dead if he just left her outside.

She studied the way his body moved, his movement was stiff and slow. His hands shook slightly as he poured the water. He was pushing himself to his limits just to cater to her. The ache in her head increased when she tried to think of what Yasuo would gain by helping her. She would think about it later. Her attention drifted to the many bandages around his arms and torso. Most of them were blood stained.

Yasuo's hands were surprisingly gentle as he helped her lift her head and pressed the wooden cup to her lips. Akali hated to be fed the water like an invalid, but at the moment she truly was one, she couldn't lift her own arms. She didn't even want to know if she would be able to hold the cup if Yasuo was barely able to and he was capable of sitting up.

She drained the cup in a few gulps. "More?" Yasuo asked. Not sure if her voice would be louder than a whisper, she settled with a slight nod.

With her thirst satisfied, exhaustion hit her. Akali mentally cursed, she had just woken and now her eyelids grew heavier. Maybe if she just rested her eyes for a moment. Yasuo said something, but strangely his voice sounded muffled.

Akali woke with a jerk and a hoarse scream escaped her. Something crawled in her torso, every nerve of her body burned. Tears blurred her vision, but she still was able to make out a shadow peering over her. She reached for the stranger, her fist clenched tight and aimed right for their face, but something grabbed her and held her down. The pain continued until she thought she would vomit or pass out, perhaps both.

After what felt like hours, but it was only a few seconds, the wriggling in her gut ceased. The pain lessened, but was still very much present. Akali struggled to calm her ragged breathing; every extension of her lungs just hurt her wounds further.

When her tears rolled down the side of her face and her vision cleared, she realized it was Yasuo that was leaning over her. Memories of the fight came back to her. For a moment she thought she dreamt the entire thing of him providing medical treatment.

All Akali could hear was the rapid thumps of her own heart. Once her heart rate slowed she was able to hear everything else in what looked to be the same little hut she awoke in. A fire crackled. A constant drumming along the roof, a sound that confused Akali for a moment before she realized it was raining. Drops of water leaked into the hut through the numerous cracks and holes. It was then that Akali noticed the thin blanket over her was damp, and was bunched at her waist.

Water falling into water roused Akali from closing her eyes again. Yasuo was still beside her, he rung water from a rag before he placed it on her abdomen. The pain shot up her spine, but it wasn't as agonizing as earlier.

"You had a lot of dirt in your wound." He explained to her as he continued to dab at her injury. Akali sucked in a breath. "I had to clean it out."

"Why?" She hissed.

Yasuo paused, his brown eyes glanced at her a moment before he looked back down to her wound and continued to clean the blood. "I would think you ninja's would know a thing or two about preventing wounds from getting infected."

Akali ignored his tone about her profession; she would ponder on it later. She shook her head slightly. "No," her voice was still hoarse. "Why help me?"

The swordsman remained silent for so long Akali figured he would leave her question unanswered. He set aside the bloody rag and then rinsed his hands in another bowl of water before he took a handful of green leaves and crushed them between two flat rocks. Akali recognized the smell of the leaves, yarrow.

Yasuo didn't look to be an expert on medicines, but yarrow is a common enough plant on Ionia and great for cleaning wounds. Maybe she didn't have to worry about dying in her sickbed. But she still couldn't understand why he bothered with her at all.

After he thoroughly crushed the yarrow leaves, Yasuo added the mush to a bowl and poured a dash of water into it. Once the substance became a thick paste he rubbed it onto Akali's side. She bit her lip to keep a yelp from getting out and gripped the damp blanket tightly. For having heavy, calloused hands he continued to be gentle as he wrapped her midsection with fresh bandages.

Once he was done, he gathered all the bowls and rags. Before he left the house he looked back at her. "I'm not helping you." He paused, probably to mull over his words. "I mean, I won't kill a defenseless person." With that he left.

If it didn't hurt to laugh, Akali would have indulged in a chuckle. She wouldn't laugh because of Yasuo's words. No, it was her utter confusion that was laughable. It wasn't her place to wonder if she was doing the right thing to kill Yasuo, but still she wondered. If he was a murderer then why didn't he leave her to succumb to her wounds? Without his intervention she would have bled to death. He must think that by saving her life she would spare his and perhaps try to clear his name.

A weak moan elicited from Akali's throat. Thinking about Yasuo's intentions just gave her a headache. She wondered how Shen was able to do this all day. No wonder why he was so serious and rarely ever laughed or smiled, he must have a permanent headache.

With Yasuo now out of the room, Akali had the opportunity to find her weapons. Or any weapon. As great as it was to be treated in bed, the longer she waited to kill the swordsman the harder it would be. He was already recovering faster than she, he was able to move and stand on his own while she grew dizzy and lightheaded just by sitting up.

She braced herself as she tested the mobility of her shoulders. Moving them still hurt, but not as badly as before. She recalled Yasuo's wind blades bit into her shoulders. The wounds must be severe to prevent her from moving her arms.

The worst of her pain came from her side. She looked down and then realized she wore nothing but her breast band and lower small clothes. The bandage around her stomach was already stained with blood. That would explain why she felt lightheaded. It was a struggle to crawl to a wall and use it to help her stand. She had a final wound on her thigh; it flared whenever she put any weight on it.

She was slow to move about the small house for she was frequently hit with dizzy spells and the lightheadedness refused to fade. Still, she used the wall for support to move about and search for a weapon. A large metal pot filled with water sat next to the fire, steam floated above the rim. There were a few small bowls and cups.

There were still no weapons.

Akali cursed. Okay, so Yasuo was intelligent enough to keep any weapons hidden and out of the house. Before he returned, Akali limped back to her spot and faced a new challenge, attempt to lie back down. She never had the chance to bend over before Yasuo walked back inside.

"What are you doing?" He promptly asked.

The shorter woman faltered, but strong hands steadied her. She couldn't help but stiffen upon the physical contact, she half expected for him to pull out a knife. No attack came; he simply kept her from collapsing.

"I need a private moment," she admitted. It wasn't a complete lie, but it was the best excuse to wander outside alone. Provided he respected her privacy.

"Oh." He replied. "Of course. Did you…uh…do you—."

"–I'm fine on my own," Akali interrupted. Truth was she doubted she could walk two steps on her own, but she refused to show any type of dependency on Yasuo. It was a stupid prideful feeling, she knew that. It would be a decent enough tactic to appear dependent on him and strike when he, hopefully, least expected.

But first, she had to find a weapon.

She feared Yasuo would fully recover before she could and would either run off when he felt she would be well enough on her own, or overpower her should she try to kill him. No, she needed a weapon to even the odds.

The swordsman broke his hold from her and settled himself against the wall opposite of the exit. Akali felt her face heat up in annoyance when she noticed his lips pulled into a small smirk. He knew she wouldn't be able to walk without assistance.

Now determined to prove him wrong, Akali concentrated on simply placing one foot in front of her and repeating the action with the other. She hissed when her injured thigh flared after she put her body weight on it and she nearly collapsed. Luckily she was close enough to the wall to remain standing. Moving her arms pulled at the wounds on her shoulders painfully.

"You okay with going out like that? It's raining, and a bit cold." Yasuo said right as Akali slide the door open.

The ninja looked down on herself, she only wore her underclothes. Her body shivered as a breeze tickled her pale skin. Truth was Akali didn't feel embarrassed by her lack of clothing in front of the man. It was obvious he saw her in her current state while she was unconscious. There was no one else present. And she avoided getting whatever was left of her attire from getting soaked since she had no way of recovering her extra clothes.

"I won't be long," she told him. This time she did lie. If it took her so many minutes just to leave the small house, no doubt it would take longer to search for her missing weapons.

By some miracle Akali stepped out of the house and remained standing. Despite it being during the day, the thick and gray clouds darkened the skies. Akali shivered again and sorely wished she could rub her arms. She slowly made her way to the closest house. Sadly, the house was vacant of anything but dirt and chunks of the caved in roof. Well, the place provided the privacy she needed anyway. By the time she stepped out she was exhausted.

Best try again later, she thought as she headed back to the house Yasuo occupied. A wince formed on her face as a sharp pain stabbed into her foot. When she checked what she stepped on her heart nearly leapt out of her chest, one of her throwing knifes poked out of the ground. The only problem was where would she hide it? If she placed it in her small clothes Yasuo would surely notice it.

As exhausted as she was, Akali retreated to the roofless house and hid the knife there. She could always retrieve the blade once she was able to move her shoulders without blacking out.

With the last of her strength, the ninja retreated to the occupied hut, her teeth chattering and her small clothes and hair thoroughly soaked. Her entrance startled Yasuo. Akali noticed how his hand immediately went to his waist, but his sword was absent. He visibly relaxed once he realized it was only her.

The room began to spin which made it impossible to tell where her spot was. She settled for pressing her back against the wall and slid down. Despite the cold settling into her bones, Akali was far too tired to care for the blanket or huddling close to the fire. She was asleep the moment she shut her eyelids.


Yasuo watched the woman warily. He underestimated her before, when they fought, and he paid dearly for that mistake. Despite her being in worse shape than he, he still expected her to bust in and kill him. Instead, she limped in, heavily leaning on the wall and winced with every step on her bad leg. He envied how easy sleep came to her.

The swordsman rarely managed to sleep longer than a few minutes at a time. Dreams of the woman beside him running a blade along his throat woke him often. Sometimes he dreamed about the Elder. Or his brother in his arms, his body rapidly cooling.

Yasuo stood with a grunt. He didn't want to think about those bad memories. If he couldn't sleep then he would keep himself busy. The woman didn't stir when he approached her and not even when he gathered her in his arms. Her weight pulled at his wounds painfully.

The ninja's skin was pale enough to practically be translucent and her lips were a light shade of blue. Yasuo placed her as close to the fire as safely as possible. After all the work he put into keeping her alive he wanted to avoid her rolling onto the flames. The blanket she used earlier would have to do to dry her off.

As Yasuo dried her as best as he could, his thoughts turned to what felt like the fiftieth argument regarding his decision to remain with the woman instead of running off and leave her to fend for herself.

A heavy sigh pushed through his lips. Yasuo made up his mind that night when he awoke in shock from his wounds and found the woman was still alive. He was tired of the death that clung to him everywhere he went. Both he and the woman survived their battle. He wouldn't let her die by his hands if he could help it, she had as much of an equal chance as he to survive.

The swordsman chuckled. It would be the first time he didn't emerge from a fight as the sole victor. His eyes lingered on the woman's face. She was attractive, young. Why she chose a deadly profession as a ninja Yasuo couldn't comprehend. But she fought well. Very well.

His eyes traveled down to her shoulders and to the carnage of what remained of her skin. The way the wind cut into people was like a thousand small cuts in all directions, and the wind cut deep. If the woman wasn't wearing shoulder guards the wounds would have been far worse, very much like the wounds on her torso and thigh. If only he had more, better supplies to treat them.

The woman's bravado to walk on her own caused her wounds to reopen. It was going to be a long, sleepless night for Yasuo again. He reached for the bowls, herbs, and makeshift bandages and got to work.

Part of him knew he was making a huge mistake of sparing her. But he couldn't bring himself to leave. He just hoped the woman would give him the same courtesy and not kill him. Wishful thinking, he knew. Yasuo vowed he would never kill anyone that wasn't self-defense.

Ninja's don't hold the same code of honor as he did.


A/N: For those that pay attention to the smallest details. In order for Akali to have a breast band, let's just pretend in this fic's universe her fighting clothes are actually practical.