Editor's note:
I had to edit the previous chapter because I messed up on copy/pasting that excerpt of the full manuscript. I am continuing to write on this story even as I update it, so I apologize if I update this slowly.
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"Do I really have to get up?" Vi complained with her eyes still shut. The bed was far too comfortable to do something so silly as leaving it. Maybe getting Katarina jailed was enough? "Nah," Vi thought aloud as she forced herself up, "I gotta find this other shit too. Jinx, you-" Vi stopped cold; she'd roomed with her sister and caught herself on two things. First, it was Jessebelle, not Jinx. She'd have to get used to that. Second, Jessebelle was not in the room. "Jessie?" Vi called.
"I'm here," Vi turned her attention to the bathroom. Slowly, groggily making her way over to it, she opened the door and nearly fainted in shock. "I can't tell if you like it or hate it," Jessie said with a small smile. Vi opened and closed her mouth like a fish several times, causing her sister to giggle.
"It" was Jessie's new haircut. She'd had the pigtails cut off by Demacian hairdressers early that morning; unlike her sister, Jessie was an early riser. Now her blue hair flowed down a couple inches below her shoulders. "This was how both of us always liked our hair when we were young… Jinx is gone now. I want her erased entirely," She explained.
Vi nodded and ruffled her sister's hair, causing the girl to curse and take the brush in her hand to it again. Vi stood there for a moment contemplating what she would look like with that same hairstyle. It'd probably get in my face during a fight, she thought with a grin. "I love it," She told Jessie, putting an arm around her shoulder. Then she laughed. "But you're wrong about something."
Jinx put the brush down and turned to face Vi. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. Jinx may have been a lie. The criminal, the lack of concern or empathy for other people, that was all a mask. But somewhere," Vi said, putting a hand on Jinx's chest, "somewhere in there lays the badass that was able to cause so much annihilation. And somehow," She added with a grin, "I feel like we're gonna need that. Jinx was always part of you… she simply took over when you wished to not exist," She said.
"When the hell did you become so sage and deep?" Jessie asked amusedly as she packed up her guns from the bedroom.
"No fuckin' idea. Maybe I was really into that kind of shit before the whole smash-my-memories-in deal," Vi replied with a smirk. Jessie sighed and shook her head, then frowned as a voice filled her head.
She's right, you know. I'll always be here… you've got your own life to live now, though. Call me when you need me, Jessie blinked and smiled as she understood. Her mind was telling her to move on… and to not forget what she was capable of. She looked over her shoulder at Fishbones, down to her hip at Pow-Pow and grinned. Oh yeah. She was capable of a lot. "Vi?" She called as her sister opened the door out of the room. Vi turned around. "I think you're right. I think I like the name," She grinned. Vi smirked and laughed. Jinx was back in business.
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"Alright Cupcake, we're ready to roll. And holy shit," Vi added as she joined the others. The curse had been directed at the group's new car, a bus-like vehicle with a turret mounted on top and one that could emerge from the back. Jinx whistled low as she sprinted up; Vi hadn't exactly slowed down to keep pace with her. The whistle brought attention to her, which then turned into stares of shock.
"What, something on my face?" Jinx asked innocently. Caitlyn opened and closed her mouth a few times like Vi, trying to find words to express her… what? She asked herself. Disbelief? Shock? Vague amusement? Wonder? "I wanted a change. My whole life has changed. I didn't want to keep the old image, y'know?" Jinx explained. "But… I think I've gotten used to my old name. Call me what ya want, but I'm still goin' by Jinx," She added with a grin.
"Why am I not surprised? All right, let's get moving. We've got Noxians to hunt. And it looks good," Caitlyn finished, point at Jinx's hair. Jinx just kept grinning and piled into the vehicle. "Who's driving?" Caitlyn wondered as she got in next to her. She hadn't exactly talked to Jarvan about who was driving this rather massive machine. She blanched when Vi came around the front holding the keys. A moan from the back drew the ladies' heads.
"We are so doomed," Teemo said. Tristana had her face in one palm, none-too silently praying for a quick death. Lux quirked an eyebrow and even Jinx looked nervous. Vi rolled her eyes and turned the key, her eyes lighting up to the sound of the engine roaring. "Oh lord," Teemo squeaked again as the pink-haired Vixen revved it up a couple times.
"Thanks Jarvan! We'll bring it back safe!" Vi called as she took off. The Demacian army bid her farewell in the distance as they drove on, meeting the road that led to Noxus. "Oh, be quiet," She added at Caitlyn's muttered "We hope."
Half an hour passed. Some random banter had broken out amongst the passengers and Vi was having a blast piloting the badass "Battle Bus" as she'd dubbed it. But the fun was not to last; Vi looked up in her rearview and saw another large, armored vehicle pulling up behind them. A vehicle that what appeared to be some sort of dark angel was driving.
"Oh, shit. Morgana," Lux muttered, turning in her seat to follow Vi's gaze. Behind her they could clearly identify Katarina's sister, Cassieopia, Talon, Warwick and Draven. Morgana extended her hand out the window and fired a black blast at them, met in midair with a light binding of Lux's own creation. "Looks like the Noxians want their assassin back!" Lux yelled over her shoulder.
Lux grabbed Pow-Pow, marveling at the fact that she was able to lift it and Jinx sidled up next to her with Fishbones aimed at the truck. Caitlyn flanked her other side with her rifle, one eye closed and already taking aim. They all opened fire, causing their pursuers to swerve hard.
Morgana gave the wheel to Cassieopia and jumped from the van, opening her wings and landing with a flare of darkness in front of the three gunners. They leapt back and aimed, but Morgana bound all three of them with her soul shackles. She grinned as black lightning formed around her hands but quickly jumped aside as Vi charged in full-force with her best arms forward. The fallen one growled and leapt at Vi.
"Thanks," Lux said before uttering a very unbefitting curse as Talon and Warwick landed with catlike grace into the fray. Caitlyn fired a point-blank potshot at Morgana, who simply shackled it to the ground and laughed. Caitlyn went to aim again then froze as a thought occurred to her: Vi was by her side. Jinx and Lux were in front of her dueling with the new opponents. She ticked each of them off on her fingers, then looked to Vi. If Vi wasn't driving…
Caitlyn closed her eyes. She questioned the mere thought of looking at the driver's seat. Partially because she knew what she was going to see. "Vi?" She began, eyes still shut. She prayed that she was wrong.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to ask you this very simply and I want a simple answer: Did you, or did you not leave the yordles to drive while we fought?" Caitlyn opened her eyes and cringed. Morgana's eyes also widened and flew to Vi first, then to the aforementioned driver's seat. Vi gave a sheepish grin and bit her lip, which caused Caitlyn to rub her temples before turning around.
Sure enough, Teemo was driving… sort of. The bus jerked in random, harsh directions as he "drove", which consisted of him yelling to Tristana which pedals to hit when and heaving his weight onto the wheel to turn it just in time to avoid complete annihilation. "Are you SERIOUS?!" Morgana practically screamed, completely forgetting the fight. A good thing, too, considering that no one was being able to fight under the current conditions. Lux constantly kept hitting unintentional targets (some poor squirrels, a rabbit and even Jinx) and the armed among them had stopped using their projectiles for fear of hitting a friendly.
"If you fucks hadn't jumped us I wouldn't have had tooooooooo!" Vi shot back, interrupted by another lurch that sent her flying. Behind Morgana she saw Caitlyn and Jinx literally kick their foes off the bus, forcing the enemy truck to screech to a halt lest they hit them. Vi grinned; the odds were stacked against the fallen angel now. She reached out to knock the Morgana out the back of the bus but lost her footing, causing her to stumble past her target. Momentum took over and soon she was teetering on the edge, wheeling her arms wildly to try and stabilize herself.
Jinx screamed as she looked past Morgana at her sister on the brink of death; the enemy convoy would be back up by now, and their discovering her would be the end for the enforcer. She ran to grab her sister's hand, but a sudden right turn sent her crashing face-first into a seat. Jinx moaned as her surroundings faded from view. She slid down the seat unconscious. Caitlyn and Lux were thrown on their backs in the middle aisle while Morgana took to hovering in order to keep her center.
Vi wasn't so lucky. The sudden movement put a guillotine down on her battle of gravity, sending her tumbling from the bus and onto… Vi opened the eyes that were squeezed shut in anticipation to find herself surrounded in a purple field. Morgana had, for some reason, soul shackled her as she took to the sky, reaching down and grabbing the officer by the wrists. Weakened by her last battle, Morgana's soul shackles did not last long, but Morgana had Vi safely on the ground when they faded.
"…Why?" Vi panted, leaning over on one knee and looking at her enemy/savior. Morgana remained silent, attempting to answer the same question in her own mind. "Damn it!" Morgana started as Vi swore. "There's no way we can catch up to the bus… and they can't come back without…fighting… shit," Vi realized as Morgana's vehicle, driven by Talon pulled up. The cloaked man grinned as he stepped out along with his fighting faction.
"So. Vi, hm? At least we can play with one of them. Morgana, shackle her so we can take her back home," He sneered. After a moment of inactivity from Morgana, he cocked his head. "What's wrong with you, winged hellspawn? Detain her!" Morgana bit her lip. Vi was too weak to fight at full power. Her gauntlets had been damaged from Morgana's shackles. She was an easy catch.
"I… don't think it would be wise to take her," Morgana said. Warwick narrowed his eyes. Excuses, reasons and even pleas flew through Morgana's head. Should she simply try to get Vi away from the group? Or…?
"Why not?" He growled. "The bitch nearly killed me. She'll deserve what she gets." Morgana closed her eyes. Something deep down was telling her not to allow Vi to be detained. She balled her hands and black magic crackled down her arms. "What do you think you're doing?!" Warwick roared. Morgana grit her teeth; she'd had just about enough of the dog.
"I think I just had a revelation," She said before binding the wolf. He howled in pain as her darkness surrounded his feet. Talon leapt at the angel, his blades tearing into her wings as she prepared to take off. Morgana screamed but beat her wings anyway, snagging Vi and rolling to avoid another blade thrown. She heard various threats yelled into the night but smiled in satisfaction as she flew.