Will of a Warrior – Chapter 7: Finest Hours
They woke up early the next morning when they set sail back to Ionia. Zhan was still sad that Jin didn't revive, but he knew that finally he could once again see his family and live in peace and harmony away from Noxus.
Riven came right by Yasuo as he looked out into the ocean. "What will you plan to do once you get back home, Yasuo?"
"Clear my name, and probably retire for a good while. I am burnt out on being a wanderer and traveling all sorts of different lands trying to find what suits me best. I finally realize Ionia is the place where I belong."
"I'll be more than happy to help clear your name if that is what it takes…"
It took less time traveling back to Ionia than it did traveling to Noxus. Once they got on land, Yasuo smiled. "I have been far from home much too long."
Udyr laughed. "You're back where you belong, Yasuo. Everyone has a purpose in life, and sometimes it is just hard to figure out what that purpose is. I think for now it's time to settle down."
Ahri hugged Yasuo when they were walking to the entrance. "Will you stay with me?"
"Hey, I have to protect you, right? Of course I'll stay with you."
They knew they would be halted once they got close enough, and of course it was none other than Irelia who came out again.
"You have got to be kidding me this time. The entire village of Ionia is being rebuilt, and you invite a Noxian warrior, a Noxian soldier, and the same traitor back? You've really lost credibility this time, Udyr."
"Step aside, woman. They will do more to rebuild this land than you will by sitting here and contemplating who should live here."
Irelia made an angry face, but she let everyone in because she knew there was no way they weren't getting in any other way.
Firstly, Udyr went home to see Nidalee. Once he opened the door, Annie jumped right on him with ambition.
"UDYR! ANNIE WAS SO SCARED! TIBBERS WOULDN'T TALK TO ME FOR SO LONG!" Annie was crying, but smiling at the same time.
"There there, child. There is nothing to worry about any longer. Let's go wake up your mother, shall we?"
Annie nodded, and they came in silently. Annie jumped on Nidalee's bed with joy, even though Nidalee was still tired and confused. "Sweetheart, I could use some rest after…that day…"
"I'm home, darling." Nidalee opened her eyes for a slight moment after hearing this, and saw Udyr.
"Udyr?"
"Ionia isn't going to rebuild itself, is it? Come on now, we can do it together."
Nidalee's eyes were fully open now. Her face turned bright, once she realized Udyr had used the wish of the gem to revive her. "You really did it this time, Udyr. I love you."
Nidalee got right up and kissed Udyr. Annie walked out the room because she didn't understand what they were doing.
Next, Riven came with Yasuo to court to testify for Yasuo. Everyone gasped when they saw Riven's sword, and she confessed to hundreds of Ionians she was the one who killed their Elder.
"I use to work for the forces of Noxus, but that is long and gone. I am willing to accept any punishment, as long as you allow Yasuo to live here freely."
The jury talked amongst themselves for quite a while, but came to a quick decision.
"We, the people of the Jury of Ionia, find Riven the Exile guilty of murder of our Ionian Elder. Seeing as how she came here willingly with no intention of getting away, the punishment will be much less severe. We shall put you under house arrest with Yasuo for one year. You are free to help rebuild Ionia as long as you give us your whereabouts the moment you leave home."
Riven was delighted with their decision. "Thank you, thank you very much! I couldn't have asked for a better place to live after finally getting away from Noxus."
The jury all sat down, and the Ionian Judge came down from his chair.
"As for you Yasuo, you are going to make sure that Riven is kept in check every single day. You should make certain to not let her out of your sight for most of the day, unless there are certain situations. I think we all agree you were a trustworthy person in the first place and had no right to accuse you of such a crime. We give you our humble apologies, Sir."
"It was nothing, good Sir. Being away from Ionia really taught me how great this land really is once I get past the guilt trip part. I've wandered for a long time to many lands, but none could give me the same feeling as this land, and I'm glad to be back."
Riven and Yasuo went back to Ahri's house as Yasuo explained the situation.
"Riven is sentenced to house arrest for one year, so really this is the ideal place for her to live for now. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all! Hey Riven, do you mind if we talk in the other room?"
Riven followed her, and Ahri's face went from smiling to serious. "Let's get one thing through first: Don't even dare get between me and Yasuo. Since I'm letting you live here, I expect you to be on your best behavior, okay? Also, I would prefer if you left your Noxian-self back home, and to this first things first is you need new clothes. We'll go shopping later, but I just wanted to get my main point through. Are we clear?"
Riven laughed. "Yes Ahri, I understand. I still think tensions between me and Yasuo are a bit too high to even consider something like that, haha."
Ahri came in closer to her face. "It's not a joke, honey. I know Yasuo has a thing for you, but I've already lost too many people because of rough competition, and I'm not going to lose more."
Riven looked awkwardly into Ahri's eyes, and tried not to stare directly at her. "Y..Yes, Ahri."
Lastly, Zhan went back home. "Noxus has been a hell of a place, and now that I'm back home it can be so much simpler now. Jin, I will miss you, brother…"
He opened the door, and said, "I'm home, everyone!"
"Dad? DAD'S BACK!" His first son, Yakazo, came rushing down the stairs. His wife came right behind him.
"Zhan, you're finally back. I missed you so much, dear!"
"I missed you too, Jane. I'm back for good, too. Noxus won't be ordering me around anymore."
He hugged Yakazo, and kissed Jane. Afterwards, he sat down on the couch to relax and breathe for a bit. "Where are the rest of our children?"
"Yuno is asleep, and Takashi is out to get groceries. I'm sure they will both be excited that you're finally home. I know that you've probably been out for long and are exhausted, so just relax for the rest of the day."
"Gladly."
Later that night, when everyone got settled in with their new life, they all agreed to meet each other at the Festival of the Gods around midnight. They went to the exact same spot where Udyr proposed to Nidalee.
Udyr initiated the conversation, as he watched the fireworks go off in the near distance. "Life is really good, now that we are all home and have our respective lives once again. I know that this probably won't last for long, but it doesn't get any better than this."
Ahri was still hugging Yasuo tight, so as to send a message to everyone else, and most importantly Riven. Yasuo also was happy to be home. "Life sure is confusing sometimes as well. Now that it all makes sense, I am glad to be here."
Zhan was the last one to talk. "You people are really the best. Ionia use to be my regular homeland until I lost my job and was forced to work for that terrible land, Noxus. I haven't seen my family in years, and now that I have, I can say life couldn't get any better right now." He looked over especially to Ahri. "I would also like to personally thank you, Ahri, for giving my brother a good life. He always lived in doubt of others, and never had the time to do anything fun or different. I know it may seem funny that he hadn't even had his first kiss, but you did something special for him. I miss Jin a lot now that he isn't here."
"Who said that?" Right out of the night, Jin appeared right behind Zhan. "I had a rough night sleep, and you all went on without me. Thought I wasn't going to make it to the party."
Zhan got up, and was overwhelmed with joy. "JIN! BROTHER, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE HERE!"
"Now that I am here, I can finally speak for myself. Ahri, you gave me some of the best moments of my life, but I hope I can find my destiny back here in my homeland."
"My pleasure, Jin." Ahri smiled at both of them, as they were both very excited to be back home.
After a while, they decided all to go home. Udyr decided to be the one to end the night.
"Get a good rest, everybody. Today should be everyone's off day from all the chaos and randomness of our daily lives. Once again, this might not last for too long, but we should just relax and live life the way we envisioned."
Yasuo went off with Ahri still holding his hand. "Good night, Spirit Walker. I'm sure we'll end up fighting together one of these days, but for now I need some rest."
Zhan and Jin went off. "As do we. Jin, you can stay with me until you find something you wish to do."
Udyr looked at Nidalee, and kissed her one last time that night. "Maybe this time we can start on the right note."
Nidalee smiled back. "I'm just happy that you are here now. You don't need to worry any longer."
Udyr and Nidalee stayed for a bit as they watched the last fireworks set off in the night, until they finally went home and could live the normal life which they wanted for so long.
THE END.
