"How long until The Obelisk is ready?" demanded Nocturne. He was growing increasingly impatient with this "ritual" Malzahar jabbered on about. The anxiety, the thrill, the excitement that possessed him was making him less and less tolerant. He wanted blood flowing NOW, and every second that he had to wait for his revenge was as slow and painful as the years he spent in imprisonment in the institute.

"I understand that you are eager, but we are trying to create a portal, an enormous one at that, to the Void! It will take days, perhaps weeks to amass enough life force to open a permanent doorway. That is where you and the Void-Born come in."

At this, Malzahar pulled out seven crystals, each one was black as Nocturne himself. Nocturne picked them up, and noticed them do something. He didn't understand what it was, but he could only describe it as the opposite of glowing, like it wasn't emitting light, but absorbing it. To him, it was beautiful; the crystal feasted on his most hated enemy, and seemed to be resonating power he could only dream of. He felt as though these crystals were meant to be a part of him, to empower him so he may destroy all his enemies. Malzahar took notice of this and explained what the strange objects were.

"Those are crystals from the shrines where Cho'Gath escaped The Void. They are capable of absorbing, and feeding untold power using the life force stolen from powerful creatures. The Void-Born hold seven as well, and are out fulfilling the final task at hand: you must find creatures of incredible power and use their souls to fuel these crystals. Said souls will feed into the Obelisk, and then as they are freed into the Afterlife, incredible amounts of energy shall be released and absorbed by the Obelisk. Then, we may use that power to create a portal, and cover the world in darkness!"

Nocturne relished in the thought of slaughtering the world, burning everything down and feeding all those souls into himself. He could see the beauty in his twisted mind: streets lined with corpses, innocents slaughtered and consumed or enslaved, summoners on their knees begging for release as he butchered their minds, their sanity, and then their bodies. And all he needed to do was kill a few beings of great power. And who was more powerful than the champions and especially the summoners of the League of Legends? He truly would relish in his slaughter.

"What do you mean there's only one goddamn room left!" shouted Katarina. Talon could only try to hold back the urge to burst out laughing at her intolerance. He was failing, considering that low chuckles had escaped his throat. Katarina only glared at her companion, then turned back to continue yelling at the inn keeper. He didn't see the big deal; it was only sharing a room.

-flashback-

"So you know any good inns in town?" Katarina asked as the two made their way towards the center of Bilgewater.

"None you would approve of. I know you can be picky about where you sleep." Talon replied, the memory of the hay pile in one corner, no furniture, and no blankets.

"I've been in war camps sleeping in-"

"Comfortable general's tents with three hots and a cot, while the REAL soldiers, like myself, slept in thick plastic bags that sank into the mud without so much as a canvas and two sticks to keep us dry."

"Oh, cry me a river." Katarina frowned while Talon only grinned. No matter what, he would find a way to beat the woman at her own game.

"Whatever. How about here?" She said, pointing to a large, three-story wooden tavern called "The Admiral's Quarters." The building was actually painted, and inside there were rugs, carved, wooden, cushioned chairs, and granite bar tops; all luxurious factors that said "this place is decent".

Talon put his hood up, and his face mask, and then told Katarina to conceal her identity like him. "Less likely that we will be held up or have our whereabouts reported to Noxus." He explained. She only nodded, and purchased a black cloak and hood from a nearby market vendor. The pair then entered the tavern to see if any rooms were available.

-back to present-

No matter how much she argued, it was in vain. There were no rooms left, save the penthouse, considering everyone, except the League Champions Gangplank and Miss Fortune, were too poor to afford it. She was just going to have to share a room with Talon. She sighed in frustration, as though she was about to kill someone, but that would only bring unwanted eyes.

"Fine, give me the stupid room key." Katarina conceded. 'I swear, if he snores in his sleep…'

Talon paid for the room with the last of his money, and was holding back his urge to mock her for being so ridiculous over having to share a room. He started thinking to himself about his past, when the General forced him to go on tour with the Army. 'I've slept in tents more tightly packed than slave ships, with only mud for carpeting and she's complaining about two people in one luxury inn room? Marcus if you fucked up anywhere in raising your kids, it was spoiling them rotten.'

Katarina was handed the room key and she began her ascent of the stairs ahead of Talon. She didn't want to face him out of fear that her cheeks were as red as her hair. Her mind yelled at her, 'It's just Talon, get a grip of yourself!' However she did not feel her blush ending soon, so she hurried to get ahead of her companion. She didn't understand why she was acting like this, but then again this was Talon, and he unnerved her at times for no particular reason other than just being around.

When she reached the top floor, she was surprised to see Talon waiting for her in front of the room door. 'Right, that whole free-climbing, or running thing…' She unlocked the room, and immediately wanted to strangle that damnable woman for running a brothel, not an inn. Inside the room was one bathroom, a small kitchen area with a dining table, refrigerator, and stove, and a small bedroom/living room with 1 double bed and a fairly new television set. 'One fucking double bed, are you serious?!' Her mind screamed. On the outside, however, she kept control of herself. She immediately rushed inside; she felt her cheeks burning again.

"Talon, remind me to kill that woman before we leave Bilgewater."

"No can do. Believe it or not, she's familiar, an old contact of mine if I remember right. Helped feed me info on anything that would help me find… well you know. I cut ties back when I was nearly caught in that jail in Kalamanda." Katarina only scoffed at this as she crashed onto the bed. Talon walked in behind her, and surveyed the room. He chuckled at the sight of the "bedroom".

"Are we sharing?" He asked mockingly. Katarina's eyes shot open and her cheeks flushed.

"What?! No! Of course not! What would make you-" She was absolutely losing it. 'Why do I feel so stupid?! Ugh, I'm being weak in front of him again!' she thought. Whatever she was feeling, she hated it.

"Relax, Kat, it's just a joke. I'll take the floor. Just get me some pillows and blankets and I can make a decent makeshift bed." She was acting weird, and Talon wasn't sure why. Did she find his presence unsettling? Was she embarrassed, scared, or angered by having to sleep in the same room as him? 'Women do love their privacy. Maybe that's it.' He thought.

Katarina only began unpacking her bag, pulling out a black tank top and grey sweat pants to sleep in. Talon decided to remain in the same clothing he had worn for the past week or so, and began setting up his makeshift bedding with blankets and pillows. When he finished, he laid back and rested his head on a pillow, closing his eyes. He felt like he was being watched, and he looked up to find Katarina standing over him, staring.

"What?" he asked. At this she scoffed, and then made him feel like an idiot.

"I have to change! I'm not going to take off my clothes in front of you! Get out!"

Talon pulled his hood tightly over his head as he got up and stepped out. He was praying to God that she didn't notice his cheeks were red. 'God, this is one awkward night.' He had to remember his courtesies, even if he never had any reason to use them since the General left. He normally stayed around his old hideout in the Noxian ghettos. He rarely contacted the Du Couteau family, except on special occasions like holidays, missions, or if he had free time to kill (which was an extremely rare occurrence considering all the poor souls waiting to die out there). Since there was no nobility in the sewers, there was no need to be polite. But now he was in the same cage as the woman he was to show utmost respect to. 'This is going to be hell, isn't it?' He thought, remembering that his recent attraction to her was only going to confuse and humiliate him more.

"Do you need anything, sir?" said a cleaning maid who broke him from his thoughts.

"What? Oh, actually yes, can you bring more pillows and blankets up?" He decided the floor could always be a little more comfortable. The maid nodded, and said she would look for any spare bedding that would be lying around. Long after she left, he finally heard Katarina cal out from the room.

"Alright, you can come in now!" Talon sighed and opened the door thinking 'It's about time. Why do women take so long to get ready for anything?'

She was laying out her outfit for tomorrow: an identical, tight fitting black jacket and pants, her newly purchased hood and cloak, and her combat boots alongside her father's daggers which were sheathed. He blew out the candle as Katarina went to lie down on the bed. He pulled his hood back, his face illuminated faintly by slivers of moonlight slipping through the cracks of the window blinds, and went back to go sleep on the floor.

"How can you be comfortable on that?" she asked as he lay back again.

"I'm not, but it's better than being alone in a cold, damp, stone sewer." She had a lot to learn of the lives of the unfortunate, but for some reason deep down he hoped she would never have to learn.

Katarina stared at the ceiling, wondering what it must have been like, to suffer as Talon did. 'Here you are born to wealth and family, and him born to nothing but hatred and solitude. It's a miracle he's alive and sane; well sane enough.' She thought to herself, remembering he was a stone cold killer, and master assassin at the end.

"Do you have any memories of your parents?" she blurted out. She couldn't imagine what life would have been like to never have known her father, or her mother; to have never been loved, nurtured, and cared about. But he did, and he was cold and distant from most people because of it. 'Maybe I might learn something new.'

Talon was caught off guard by the question, but he recovered quickly enough. "Well, that question seemed to come out of nowhere." At this Katarina started to apologize, but Talon only assured her it was fine and continued. "I suppose no, not one. I've been alone since my earliest memory of walking out of sewer muck, and into the streets when I was three." 'Why would she be interested in something as trivial as this?' he thought. Katarina gave him a look of sympathy, but before she could speak he cut her off.

"Don't pity me, Kat. I've already lived that part of my life, and looking back is begging to die. There's no time in life for regrets, or reflections. It will kill you in the end. All there's time for is to keep moving forward, to keep living. What happened happened and nothing will change that, so choose to look at the present, at survival. If you always focus on what could have been done, or worry about what you will do years from now, your life will pass you by and you will die accomplishing nothing." He felt passionate about what he spoke of, like he need not censor a word out of fear of judgment; it was liberating, in a way.

Katarina remained silent, thinking about what Talon had told her. He never spoke like this to anyone, as far as she knew. The deepest he went when it came to what he thought about was telling the story of his life before service to her family, like when he told her about his first murder, a street rat like himself named Kavyn. It was as if he finally let someone in his mind.

"So you choose not to dwell on the past?"

"Yes, there's not enough time in life to worry about it. There's only the present, and survival. Living under the threat of starvation, murder, dehydration, sleep deprivation, etc., will teach you that. If you refuse to learn, you die." Talon surprised himself. He never really explained his thoughts to anyone before, especially with such fervor and passion. But for Katarina, the truth seemed to just come out only for her.

Katarina committed his words to memory. It was good advice, and she noticed he was truly setting his mind free. It was amazing and kind of intimate how much he told her without worrying about what she would say. This was him in the purest sense. She felt closer to him than anyone in that moment. She wanted to be closer, to understand him more, so she pressed further.

"Talon, what do you think about if not the past?"

"Honestly, not much." He replied with a chuckle. "Tell me Kat, when was the last time I thought about something before doing it?" Katarina laughed, and smiled down at him. He looked back up into her eyes, and for a few moments they held each other's gaze.

She was beautiful in the moonlight; her hair was shimmering like rubies, her face shined like ivory, and her eyes glittered like emeralds in the moonlight. She looked down, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, but she looked back into his face studying his hard jaw line, his chiseled facial features, the scar on his cheek, and his earthen brown eyes. He wanted to lean forward, to find her lips and push his own against them. Their faces drew closer, and their lips were about to meet when a sudden knock came on the door.

The two separated quickly, blushing. Talon rubbed the back of his head staring at the floor, while Katrina only looked out the window in the opposite direction. "I should get that." Talon said as he got up and went to answer the door. And there she was, the goddamn cleaning lady, carrying a bundle of blankets and pillows.

"I found some extra sheets, and such. Would you like me to bring them in?"

"No, I can get them." Talon replied, fighting every urge in his arm to shoot forward and extend his hidden arm blade. He grabbed the blankets, stuffed them under his arm, and fought to gently shut the door instead of slam it. 'I swear if I wasn't trying to lay low…'

Talon walked back over to his section of floor and began setting up the blankets and pillows to be more relaxing. Katarina had already settled back into her covers, but she was still awake. One avoided the other's gaze, embarrassed to meet the other's eyes after the previous moment.

"Ahh, well I suppose we should go to sleep, don't you Kat?" Talon said in a rushed voice, as though he were running from what almost just happened. Katarina enthusiastically agreed, trying to process what she was feeling towards the man next to her. Talon pulled the covers of his makeshift bed over his face, with Katarina mimicking; both trying to hide their emotions from the other.

"Sleep well, Kat."

"You too, Talon." Talon chuckled, for reasons unknown to her. She thought nothing of it, and went to sleep thinking of how she was so close to him. Talon, however, felt his sanity becoming more and more fragile the more he thought of what would happen when he finally fell asleep. He craved rest, and also feared it, unknowing if he would finally sleep in peace, or be damned to oblivion in the realm of nightmares once more.

Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Yes, I decided to write like a speed demon, and by God I did it! As my Christmas gift to all you readers and supporters out there I give to thee another chapter, much earlier than usual. :) Just a little thank you for getting this story almost to 3,000 views! Now you all know the usual plz fav and review, so I doubt I need to repeat that. I want to give a quick shout out to the author of Priorities and Duties, another Talon/Katarina fanfic that I extremely loved, and it was a huge influence on this chapter (those of you that read it probably already saw the allusions in there ;) Now, in the last chapter I proposed a crazy idea, that I personally want to write, but I want to see how you guys react first. If you think its an awesome idea, or would like to see it, leave a review saying so. If not, once again, leave a review with your answer in it. That voting thing will probably last until I get to chapter, I don't know, mid-twenties, thirties? Anyway, I really want to thank you all out there that take the time to enjoy reading this, or leaving a review with ideas to make it better :) This one's for you guys and girls out there! Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Years to all!