A/N: I am being matched against Bronzies and the occasional Silver/Gold in normal games now, and I'm not even level 30 yet. Now all my stupid, low elo mistakes are being punished QQ FIX MATCHMAKING PLZ LEMME ENJOY BEING A NOOB FOR A WHILE MORE

Still, I am in an elo low enough where a squishy Varus and Morgana tower dive a Sona who most likely has her ult up in an attempt to chase a low-health Quinn, who then gets a double kill :)

Haruka

Katarina's POV

"What did you say?" I growl, stopping mid-step and turning to face a group of boys sporting wildly dyed hair and multiple tattoos and piercings hanging out by a deserted alley, every muscle in my body tensing as I ready myself for combat.

Flanking me, Talon and Darius exchange worried looks as one of the boys saunters over, hands in his pockets, sneering, "Oh, look, it's the whore's sister." I growl again and he snickers, asking, "Do you deny it? Everyone knows how that sister of yours slept with practically anyone with a dick and died choking on cum."

"Hey, maybe she slept with women too, whores aren't picky," one of the others adds, muttering something offensive about homosexuals under his breath. Another boy says that she might have slept with women to get the attention of men, because as everyone knows, that's the "only reason" women sleep with each other. My blood boils, adding on to the fury swirling in the pit of my stomach, and I subconsciously reach to my belt for a knife.

Just as the bastard and his gang begin to laugh amongst themselves, congratulating each other for the insults and making up more, I attack him immediately, a knife in each hand, blades biting deep into his flesh and drawing lots of blood. He screams, backing away unsteadily, staring at the scarlet river that pours from his body with terrified eyes. "Y-you're crazy!"

"Not new information," I respond icily as I rush at him again, scoring one long strike against his side. He screams in agony and flails his arms uselessly, commanding his goons to attack me. These kind of "gangsters" disgrace organizations like Noxus, going around pretending to be big badasses when they can hardly fight without outnumbering the enemy ten to one and all they do is sit around smoking, insulting people and hitting on bimbos. Not at all bothered by his little attack Chihuahuas, complete with sparkly collars with plastic spikes, I easily disarm them before settling into a painfully familiar motion, spinning on one heel while throwing multiple blades at all my targets with speed and lethal accuracy. Scraps of old conversations fill my head as, with each rotation, I dispense a knife in each idiot's target board of a body.

Today, I will be teaching you one of my favorite moves. It is a deadly beauty, just like you, Kat, the Death Lotus. Practice hard and never give up, alright?

You're a natural at this, Kat! Now, let's set the bar higher…

That's my girl. You did wonderfully, just watch out on the third rotation, your aim gets a little sloppy then.

Well done! I'm really proud of you, Kat, that was perfect!

When did you learn to move that fast?

I see someone's been taking the initiative! Good job!

Father…

The painful feelings interrupt my flow and I stop, tears pricking my eyes, blinking furiously to dispel them. My family… the fact that I have lost them still hits me hard…

Sprawled on the ground beneath me are the bastards who insulted my sister, bleeding severely from multiple deep wounds but not yet dead. The wounds are not fatal, though the extreme blood loss may kill them. Walking over to the one who approached me, I grab him by the neon yellow-green hair and snarl, "Say another word about my sister, and this will be a kinder fate than what you will have to endure."

He squeaks in response, coughing up blood feebly, and I instruct Darius to go call them an ambulance so they will be able to spread this valuable lesson to the other idiots in the underworld. I will not have anyone defaming my little sister; her name is all I have left. I should not have let her go… I should have told her to stay… The emotions hit me like a Darius to the gut, drawing an involuntary hiss from my throat at the impact.

"Boss, you okay?" Talon asks, resting a hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off immediately and snap at him not to touch me, barking at the two to get a move on as we still have a job to do. They exchange worried glances again, pissing me off, and I give them both a knock on the back of the head to show them I'm still feeling myself.

"That's more like the Katarina we know," Darius mumbles under his breath as he rubs his sore head, making Talon shake his while smiling slightly. Those two… sometimes it feels like they see me as a little girl instead of a powerful, violent, heartless gangster the world thinks I am.

Before I can make any sort of response to that, my phone begins to vibrate violently in my pocket. Whipping it out, I glance at the caller ID and feel a warm, fluttery sensation in my stomach when I see the letters on the screen spell out "Ashe". Answering immediately, a smile tugging at the edges of my lips, I pretend not to hear Talon mumbling about it being my "boyfriend", wondering what on earth Ashe would be calling for. Suddenly, worry grips my chest as my mind wanders to dark, hopeless scenarios of the girl I love lying in a pool of her own blood after a beating, struggling to get help...

"Katarina," her voice makes my insides melt like butter, chasing all the clouds away, a concerned tone crystal clear in her usually dead voice, "Why are you not in school? Are you unwell?"

She's worried about me… the realization sends more warmth through the chilly wasteland that is my cold, unfeeling heart, and I respond, "I'm fine, just have some things to take care of." A smile tugs at my lips once more as I tease, "I'm absolutely honored that an heiress such as yourself would even bother to think of a lowlife like me."

Her voice sounds faintly amused as she replies, "Don't get too full of yourself, Du Couteau." The teasing note in it makes my heart skip a few beats, filling with fluffy feelings and unicorns and rainbows. Too happy to feel disgusted at myself for now, I whine, "Aww, I thought you liked me."

Talon and Darius give me strange looks that I ignore as she replies, sounding flustered, "S-shut up!" I wonder how heartmeltingly adorable she must look right now, with reddened cheeks and embarrassment shining in her ice blue eyes…

"Would you like to go out tomorrow?" I ask without thinking, instantly regretting it when Talon and Darius begin to snicker; I should have waited for a more private time to ask something like this…

"You mean… like a date?" Suppressing the girly desire to squeal over how adorable she sounds, I respond that it can be whatever she wants it to be, my heart fluttering when she says, "Alright, but I am not going to miss any lessons."

"Fine, how about we go get ice cream after school again?" She responds positively, making butterflies do somersaults in my belly and warmth fill my chest. I never thought that one simple, common word with just four letters could make me feel so happy… Damn, Du Couteau, you're seriously losing it… Should have known this would happen, you're a teenage girl after all…

The moment I hang up, Talon immediately begins sing-songing like a middle-schooler, "Boss has a girlfriend~! Boss has a girlfriend~!" Darius joins in, waggling his eyebrows like some sort of pervert, and I kick them both in the shins, warning them to keep their traps shut or else I will bring their guts to their mouths.

Undaunted, Talon says softly, the teasing note in his voice replaced by a serious, slightly concerned tone, "Hey, Katarina, whatever it is, you know we're here for you, right? Noxus is family, and family always sticks together." What's with the lame sentiments? Are we gonna learn about how sharing is caring next?

"You may blackmail and abuse us a lot, but we always got your back. Whether you're gay or not… it doesn't matter squat to us," Darius adds, making a little face at the blackmail part. A teasing tone enters his voice as he says, "We know you care about us, boss, in your own sick, twisted way."

"Don't get too full of yourselves," I respond immediately, the warmth in my tone barely disguised, "I just keep you around because you're easy to bully." Talon laughs while Darius shakes his head with a small smile, mumbling something along the lines of "what are we gonna do with you?" under his breath.

The sound of sirens alerts us that we better get moving, and Darius smashes the bastard's phone he "borrowed" under his heel, coating it in blood to get rid of the fingerprints. With that, the three of us head for our destination again, silence enveloping us as it always does whenever something about my sister is mentioned, each thinking our own private thoughts of her.

Ashe's POV

Layer after layer, I strip off both my clothes and masks, carefully laying them down by the sink as I avoid looking into the mirror, not wanting to see the bruises over my right cheek and left eye that father just bestowed upon me. I will worry about covering them up tomorrow, for now, I will ignore them.

My cowl is the last thing to go, and if I could, I would never remove it no matter what the situation. Even in bed, it protects me, a veil for me to hide behind, a rock for me to cower under, able to cast my face in shadow to hide me from the world.

That is all your existence revolves around, hiding. Your fears, your desires, your needs, your opinions, you hide them all. Behave. That is all you are capable of doing. Biting your lip, lowering your head and cowering like a dog. Behave.

Blinking furiously to prevent the tears from sneaking up on me, I step gingerly into the shower, wincing minutely when the wounded muscles in my thighs scream in protest at the movement. I should not have gone to archery practice today, by the time I had finished the first lap of the stadium, my body was shrieking in agony, and it still has not forgiven me for pushing it too far.

Closing my eyes, a thousand thoughts running through my head as warm water flows down my body, plastering my hair to my scalp; I heave a sigh of relief as my mind repeats the information given to me just moments ago. Lord Tryndamere is not feeling himself today and will refrain from his usual visit. Any other disturbances to his schedule will be reported to you in due time, my Lady. I am safe for today…

Looking down at my body, I bite my lip as my eyes trace the discolorations that cover my arms, mark the hollow of my throat, encircle my neck, flower across my ribs and spread over my legs. Many are bruises set upon bruises from days of continuous beatings, extremely tender to the touch. It makes showering a rather unpleasant experience, but I still forcibly prolong my showers as they are the only true moments of privacy I have in this house, the only time where I can sort through the thoughts and emotions I have suppressed throughout the day.

Pressing my forehead against the cool marble tiles, I sigh softly as I contemplate the largest disturbance my torturous existence has ever endured: the arrival of Katarina Du Couteau. Fiery, snarky, independent, fearless, and strong, she does not spare a thought to what others think of her, doing as she pleases when she pleases. I envy her for that, being the leashed dog that I am, but I also like her, for some strange reason, and I feel as if I have known her all my life. Her presence comforts me, makes me feel warm and safe, which is extremely strange considering who and what she is. I long to stay by her side, to spend every moment I can with her…

It cannot possibly happen. You have obligations you cannot flee from. Behave. She is from a whole other world, one you can never hope to inhabit. Banish those foolish emotions. Behave.

Running fingers through my hair, I sigh again, my pining heart unwilling to listen to the cold, truthful words from my brain. Ever since I have met her, Katarina has unleashed all sorts of strange emotions I have not felt either in a long time or ever in my life. Warm, safe, happy, free, wanted, my heart does not wish to have to give them up. Ever since she walked into my life, she has been a ray of light in my dark world, growing steadily brighter as we grew closer. The day she held me as I cried, the evening we spent together at the park… I want more days like them; I want to continue spending time with Katarina Du Couteau. But how can I?

The house of Freljord breathes down your neck. Do not think for a moment that your leash has slackened. Behave. You were born to fill this role in your hands. It is your inescapable destiny. Behave.

Biting my lip in an attempt to stop my tears from falling, I stare quietly down at my trembling, wounded body, wondering what in the world I should do. It is indeed my body, but it was designed by my father for the purpose of enticing a rich young man to further aid the Freljord Company. So, who has the right to make decisions for it? A purebred puppy has no choice on who it will be sold to, and I am something akin to that helpless animal, trapped by the whims of my designer. My opinions, my desires, my needs, they have never mattered and never will.

Indeed, you have no say on what happens to you. From the day your father decided he wanted a daughter, your fate has been sealed. Behave. There is no point rebelling against him. You are the pedigree dog and he is the master. Behave.

No… my heart refuses to accept that, to give into that, it longs to continue meeting Katarina, though my brain keeps telling it that our strange relationship is only temporary at best. I have finally experienced happiness and do not want to let it slip between my fingers, even if it will only turn around and bite me in the arse in the end. The redheaded assassin, a beautiful danger and a dark mystery, calls out to my soul like a siren, drawing me in and leaving me only a single way to escape: to deny her. And like the foolish sailor, I am willingly moving closer toward her, willing to lose absolutely everything for just a moment of contentment. Even if I am drowned after reaching her arms, at least I get to die in her embrace…

You will regret this, Ashe Avarosa Freljord. When your heart crumbles in your hands, you will regret this. Behave. There is still time to protect yourself. Do not buy into pointless hopes, you are smarter than that. Behave.

Well, I will regret this someday, but that day is not today. Until the crippling agony of despair descends upon my heart once again, I will continue to reach desperately for a beautiful light that will never stay.

A/N: So, do things still seem interesting to you? Or should I stop?

I'm really sorry that this is so short, but I just can't find any way to make it longer. Hopefully, I will have more in my head to pen down for the next chapter.

Please leave a review, they motivate me to write faster!

Haruka