Hello readers! Thank you for sticking around this long, I've finally reached the double digits on chapters so that's always a fun thing. This chapter is pretty long compared to my others, so prepare yourself. Just a few quick notices before the story:

Firstly I recently published the first chapter of a little side story I've decided to write. It's a crossover between League and a game I've been playing recently called Undertale (I'm sure you've probably heard of it.) Please go and give that a read if you're enjoying this story as I'll probably be updating that fairly frequently too.

Secondly, and I made this point in my side story, but I am now taking commissions for stories. I really enjoy writing this, but sometimes I like to write something fresh so that I don't feel like I'm slaving over these chapters. So if you want something written about any pairing or situation then send me a PM. (disclaimer, I'm not a great erotic writer but hell, if you want me too I can give it a try.)

Finally I just want to thank my proofreader Nanoshock for reading my work before I publish it to you guys. He writes some pretty cool stuff himself you know, so you should check him out as well, (especially if you like lemons, the guy literally a citrus tree).

Anyway, enjoy the chapter and feel free to leave a review if you want too.

Chapter 10 - A Matter of Perspective

"It is apparent that she was far more severely injured than you thought when she was brought in, causing her to lose control over her abilities. The runes in the cells only activate when the inmate actively tries to draw forth their powers, but for some reason her subconscious was putting her magic into overdrive, causing the temperature in the cell to skyrocket. We've used different runes to suppress this aura, and after treatment it seems her fever is going down and she should recover soon. It's a good job you got to her when you did, otherwise she could have gotten a lot worse."

As Soraka finished explaining her patient's status, Lux let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, can we go visit Aki soon?"

"If the Head Summoner allows it you should be able to, I doubt she will regain consciousness in the next 48 hours though, her body is exhausted." Soraka replies.

"I would very much encourage it." Horthorn explained, "I am happy that you managed to find out her name at least, it should allow us to track down her true identity. In the meantime, if you could spend some more time with her and help her fit in I would appreciate it."

With the conclusion of the meeting the champions left Horthorn's office. Lux followed Soraka down to the Infirmary to check on Akira, leaving Riven and Yasuo alone as they left the Summoner's chambers.

"Wow Lux really is something isn't she?" Yasuo smiled as they exited through the ornate doors that guarded the Summoner's Chambers. "She only met the girl for like, a minute? If that? And she's already calling her nicknames and sitting at her bedside."

Riven chuckled. "She was exactly the same with me when I arrived. She used to hang around outside my room for hours waiting for me to come out. All she did was exchange greetings with me, but I would always shun her away."

Thinking back on it Riven felt bad for how she had treated Lux back then. No matter how many times she told her to leave she would always be back the next day with another bright smile. Even after they had become firm friends Lux always dismissed her when she tried to apologise, claiming that the difficulty of them becoming friends just made their bond that much stronger.

"Well if she got through your tough shell, what chance does flamey have, hey?" Yasuo joked.

"Hey what the hell do you mean by that?" Riven pouted, "I'm nowhere near as bad as her!"

"Haha yeah don't worry about it." Yasuo chuckled as he winked at Riven, walking on ahead of her. "I mean if you try hard enough you can even pretend to let your hair down now and again."

"I-I…" Riven stuttered, taken aback by Yasuo's teasing, "You're just saying that because you're so lazy!"

Giving a smile Yasuo turned off the path away from the main buildings and towards the sizeable forest that bordered the Institute grounds.

"I'm not lazy, you're just stuck up. It's a matter of perspective, and yours is just a tad out of whack." He replied, not turning around as he strolled casually onwards.

"Hey wait up! You can't just go swaning off after saying something like that!" Riven cried after him. Frustrated, the only response Riven received was a casual wave as Yasuo continued along the path.

"God what is this guy's problem, he's such an ass!" She thought to herself, before quickly pursuing the Ionian warrior.

It was mid afternoon, and like many a fair Autumn day the sun was lazily beginning it's descent, its rays flickering across the sky as if to signal their imminent departure. The Northern winds blew softly through the golden branches of the forest. Though they were still warmed by residual heat of such a nice day, they carried a hint of sharp Winter air, causing Riven to pull up her collar to protect her neck from the cold. The air was quiet, only disturbed by the rustling of the leaves and the gravely footsteps of the two champions as they strolled through the Autumnal forest.

Though Winter was fast approaching, the leaves still held defiantly onto their branches, refusing to yield like so many of their ancestors before them against the inevitable fall they would soon be facing. Riven followed curiously as Yasuo meandered up the twisting path that led deeper into the forest. The trees around them grew thicker and taller, proudly displaying their years of growth through their firm oaken armor as they stood along the path like knights standing watch. The beauty of the forest shimmering in the dimming light showed a side of nature completely alien to the white haired warrior.

"Is this how he sees the world, even after all he's been through?"

After a few more minutes they approached a truly enormous tree, over twice the size of any of the ones that surrounded it. The shadows of the surrounding trees danced across the bed of browning leaves that covered the forest floor, as if to pay homage to their mighty king that stood in the centre. Taking quick look back, Yasuo smiled at Riven and began to climb the tree. His confidence as he jumped from one branch to the other making it clear it wasn't the first time he had made this ascent. Around half way up he stopped and sat on one of the branches.

"What are you waiting for mopey? I thought you were used to letting your hair down!" Yasuo called, smirking down at Riven.

"Hmph, don't think you're clever breezy!" Riven replied, as she ran at the tree.

Following in Yasuo's footsteps Riven began jumping from branch to branch. It was a lot harder than Yasuo made it look. Despite her strength, Yasuo had far greater agility than her, and she began to stumble as the branches got further apart.

"Damn Yasuo and his windy jumping shit." Riven thought to herself as she looked upwards. She couldn't see Yasuo, but he was probably already at the top, laughing to himself as he mocked her attempts to follow him. As she jumped to the last branch, fear suddenly gripped her as she realised her mistake. The light had almost vanished, and in the shadows cast by the canopy she had misjudged the distance between the two.

"Shit! I can't die like this!" Riven cried to herself as she stared at the 60ft drop below her. She looked around desperately for something to grab onto.

"Woah! Careful there clumsy! You could kill yourself doing stuff like that." Yasuo mocked, his strong hand grabbing hers. With a sigh of relief Yasuo pulled her up onto the branch.

"You know this is kinda becoming a habit now, you should probably be more careful," Yasuo warned. Though he was still smiling, Riven could hear the concern in his voice.

"Well this time it's your fault, you're the one that led me up here!" She pouted.

"Hmm, I guess this one is kinda on me then. Don't worry I'll make it up to you then." He smiled again, before picking her up bridal style and carrying her to the top of the tree, using his wind to effortlessly jump up the few remaining branches.

"Hey what are you doing! You can't just pick me up like… like…" Riven gasped as they emerged from the canopy. As Yasuo put her down she looked around in awe. The tree towered over its neighbours, and owing to the institute itself being raised above the city below, they had a clear view of their surroundings. The grand buildings that housed the Institute of War shined brightly in the last beams of the Autumnal sun, reflecting its majesty and power to all those who dwelled in the city below. The sprawling metropolis that had grown from the small band of traders that had once supplied the League spanned several miles across the coastal area. In the distance, Riven could see the busy traders and fishermen working hard to finish up their work before the day was done. Large ships from all states dotted the waters as they sailed into the docks to rest for the evening. Anything from small sailing ships that carried tourists from Ionia, to mighty steam vessels from Zaun and Piltover visited the multicultural city that had quickly become the cultural and economic capital of Runterra.

Looking out eastwards Riven could see the forest continuing on into the distance, the Great Plains of Demacia lying just beyond their leafy veil. The trees moved in unison, the peaceful winds sending ripples across the auburn canopy, like the final stirs of a great giant before entering a deep sleep.

Riven took a deep breath as she realised she had been holding it in while she admired the sight before her. Yasuo sat down on one of the large branches nearby, beckoning her to join him.

"You don't want to miss this part," He grinned as he pointed out over the docks and towards the horizon.

As she looked the Sun was finally finishing its journey across the sky. As it crashed into the ocean, waves of golden light flashed across the water. The rolling waves catching them a creating a brilliant light show that signalled the end of another day. Riven was completely captivated by the dancing beams, they were the most beautiful thing she had seen since she had arrived at the League. From beside her a calming melody began to play as Yasuo took out his flute. The beautiful Ionian tune only served to heighten the serenity of the sunset. Tears began to stream down Riven's face as she was overwhelmed with emotion.

"Damn it Yas, I can't believe you did this. Is this why you're always so cheerful? Because you know how to find beauty in such unexpected places?"

"Hey are you ok? You're not upset are you?" Yasuo asked, his tune coming to an end.

"No I'm fine," Riven replied, trying to hide her tears by looking away from him.

"Hey are you crying?" Yasuo moved around her, looking her in the eyes. "Look I didn't mean to upset you…"

"It's not that… It's just…" Riven blushed. "Why is he getting so close?"

"Just what?" Yasuo asked confused.

"It's just so beautiful, thank you…" Riven smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She looked back up at him. His face was really close to hers and she could feel another blush burning on her face.

"God he's really handsome up close, and this atmosphere too… is he going to..?"

She closed her eyes, waiting for Yasuo to make a move. She could hear the leaves rustling beneath him as he moved closer. She prepared herself, taking a soothing breath before she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her forehead.

"Ow! What the hell!?" She exclaimed, opening her eyes to see Yasuo grinning at her. His hand still hovering over her face where it had just flicked her.

"Hehe, maybe I was wrong about you Riven. You haven't even taken me on our first date yet and you already expect me to put out. I can't believe you think so little of me." He said in mock disappointment.

"You-you… you fucking idiot!" Riven shouted in frustration, pushing Yasuo as she turned away in embarrassment.

"That complete asshole, I can't believe he was just toying with me like that!"

"Hey come on don't be mad, I was just kidding" Yasuo replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, you're always fucking kidding aren't you, maybe you should learn when to stop!" She cried.

"Hey that's not fair…"

"Yeah it is! You bring me up here and show me all this just to mess with me? I thought you were being nice!"

"Hey just listen…"

"No I'm done listening to you! I'm not putting up with-"

"RIVEN" Yasuo shouted, forcing her to turn around.

"What could you possibly have to- hmph!"

She was cut short as Yasuo's lips crashed into hers, her eyes opening wide in shock as she froze. Her mind went blank as she felt Yasuo's soft lips on hers as his rough hand caressed the back of her neck. Her body ached for warmth of another human being after so long and she closed her eyes, leaning slowly deeper into the kiss. After what felt like an eternity their lips parted, Yasuo placing his forehead on hers as his other hand moved to hold hers comfortingly.

"I'm sorry Riven, I guess I'm a bit of a coward after all," Yasuo whispered softly.

"Oh… That's ok…" she replied slowly, her mind still processing what had just happened as she squeezed his hand back.

They stayed like that a while, neither of them wanting to break the silence as they slowly became enveloped by the growing shadows.

"Guess I owe you that date now then?" Yasuo chuckled, as he raised his head to look into Riven's eyes.

"Fine, but you're paying." Riven returned his smile before leaning into him softly.

The next day.

With a groan Akira opened her eyes, squinting against the bright light that shone through the large windows of the infirmary. She rolled over in the soft hospital bed, her tired mind slowly realising that she had no idea where she was. As her eyes adjusted to the light she took a look around the small room. She immediately realised this wasn't an Ionian hospital, let alone the small infirmary that was housed in the monastery - she had spent enough time in there to know. The room was well furnished, and though she hadn't seen western furniture before, it looked similar to what she had read about in books. She noticed that next to her, a chair had been pulled up close to the bed. Though it was currently unoccupied, a light blue jacket was draped over the back, which from the design further led her to believe it was Demacian in origin.

"So not only do I have no idea where the hell I am, but apparently I've had a Demacian at my bedside..."

Pulling herself up, she held her head in pain. Though the rest of her body actually didn't feel too bad, considering she was in a hospital anyway, her head felt like she had drunk enough to sink a Noxian warship. She liked a drink as much as the next person, but she had never drunk so much as to lose her memory completely. Casting her mind back she remembered the Old man arguing with Yamagi over the escalating war in the East, and since then she had been avoiding him. Beyond that everything seemed blurry, and she couldn't pick out anything specific.

"I really hope this isn't Demacia" She thought to herself, looking around the room again. "The old man is gonna kill me if he finds out I snuck off here to go drinking. Though at least it seemed I had a friend while drunk."

Akira's eyes admired the unusual jacket that had been left behind.

"From their taste in clothes I would guess it was a cute girl, hehe at least drunk me has good taste."

She was interrupted by the door to the room suddenly opening and a surprisingly familiar doctor walking in.

"Oh you're awake," Soraka exclaimed as she entered the room, "Once again your recovery speed amazes me… Akira isn't it?"

Though she had never actually met the celestial before, she was famous for being the best doctor in the whole of Ionia. That, and her appearance made her hard to confuse with anyone else.

"Uh yeah it is, what do you mean by 'once again?', have you treated me before? And for that matter, where are we? I seem to be missing some memories with my hangover…"

"Hangover? What do you mean? You haven't had any alcohol since you arrived here around a week ago. Why, are you suffering from headaches?" Soraka replied as she moved to examine her, putting her hand on Akira's forehead.

"Your fever seems down at least, memory loss might be due to some of the treatment I gave you yesterday, what do you last remember?"

"Hmm, I was arguing with the old ma- I mean the Elder about the war. And I remember leaving the Temple because I was angry. And after that it's all a bit blurry…" Akira scratched her head trying to remember what had happened.

"I mean, if you say I've been here a week, my injury must of been pretty bad."

"I think your memory loss might be worse than you think, by Elder were you referring to Yamagi?"

"Yamagi? Why would I… oh shit!" Akira exclaimed as she tried to get out of bed only to be held down by the sealing runes that shackled her. Looking down in confusion Akira noticed the runes engraved bracelet on her wrist. "Am I a prisoner? Don't tell me that asshole Yamagi drugged me and took me to the front lines! The Old Man will have a fit if he thinks I ran off here!"

A sudden realisation dawned on Soraka's face as she attempted to calm the struggling Fireblade. "Akira, listen to me very carefully. As far as you know, what is the current state of the Conflict between Ionia and Noxus?"

"I dunno, Yamagi has been fighting off border skirmishes for the past year, you going to tell me it's escalated since then?"

"Not exactly, the seven year conflict ended almost two years ago. From the sounds of it, you have no memory of the past 8 years…"

After half an hour of discussion Akira was pretty shaken. Soraka had done her best to fill her in about what had happened, but Southern Ionia had been the first place to be hit when the Noxian fleet invaded and her old Temple had been listed as one of the first great casualties of the war. What made the whole thing worse was that she couldn't remember any of it. Not what she was doing during the Invasion, how she survived, or what she had been doing these past 8 years.

What scared her the most however is how Soraka had described her actions over the past few weeks. She could believe she would seek out Yamagi to try and fight him. Hell, given the chance she would have fought him when he went to visit her master. She also believed that she would go around seeking out strong people to fight as a general rule of thumb, once again she would be doing that already if the old man hadn't forbid it. However, she never believed she would do this out of a desire to kill them. Sure she was stubborn and took great pleasure in fighting and beating her peers, but she would have never killed an opponent she beat unless it was absolutely necessary.

"What the hell did I become after all those years alone?" She shuddered, "What if I become that person again when I remember?"

Soraka had said that the so called 'Institute of War' in which they currently resided was full of people with similar stories to hers. Apparently they would of accepted her even if she had willingly committed such acts, which alone scared her slightly. What if this was just a place where psychopaths fight for the amusement of crowds? Can they really trust people like her to settle nation-wide disputes? Despite all the trepidation and questions swimming around in her head, one thought stayed fixed at the back of her mind.

"If this place is home to all of the greatest warriors in Runterra, I really want to beat them all!"

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. Akira looked up, wondering who could be at the door.

"Come in." She cried, "I wonder if it's the owner of the jacket?"

Opening the door carefully a curious face peered through. The young girl was definitely Demacian, her bright blonde hair and glimmering blue eyes typical of natives to the city state.

"Oh so you are awake!" The girl smiled as she stepped into the room. Akira's assumption was quickly founded as she noted the matching shade of blue and complimentary white of the visitors outfit.

"Hmm, looks like my intuition hasn't dulled over the years. But if she isn't here cos I picked her up while drunk…"

"Here I brought you some food if you're hungry." She produced a small box she had been carrying behind her back, giving Akira another brilliant smile before sitting down in the chair next to her.

"I wasn't quite sure what you liked, but I ran into Karma down in the dining halls and she said that you'd probably like it!"

"By Karma, is she talking about the Ionian Elder?" Akira thought to herself as she opened the box the young Demacian handed to her. Sure enough, inside the box was a fairly fancy, but traditional Ionian breakfast. A mixture of soft steamed rice, miso soup, and a collection of assorted greenery so diverse that she didn't actually recognise much of it. Either way, a loud growl from her stomach made her realise how hungry she was, and she quickly began devouring the food.

"Uh, I don't want to seem rude or anything, especially after you've obviously been sitting by my bedside, but I don't actually remember who you are." Akria said in between mouthfuls of food.

"Oh yeah, Soraka mentioned that! So you really don't remember anything from like the past eight years huh? Like not even the past few weeks? The fight with Riven, Jax and Yasuo? Superheating the basement next to Vel? None of it?"

"Uh no sorry, are they all ok?" She asked sheepishly. She didn't usually mind how many people ended up hospitalized during her fights, most of the time she was included in that number. But after what she had heard about her actions, she was worried she might have killed someone close to this girl.

"Yeah they're fine! Well Yasuo had your sword through your stomach for a short period of time, but he's a lot better now and I think he's starting to hate you a lot less! Riven is just generally a bit mopey anyway, but she's the one that got us to make sure you're ok so I don't think she holds a grudge."

"Oh that well that fills me with confidence, thanks," A hint of sarcasm in Akira's voice as she stared curiously at the blonde. "Why is she not making a big deal about me hurting her friends? She's talking like I accidentally spilled tea down their shirts or something."

Seeing the confusion in Akira's eyes , the girl's face changed to a pout. "Awh don't be upset Aki, Yasuo basically came to the Institute to kill Riven and now they make a really cute couple! By that logic, you guys should be going on like a triple date or something!"

"Is she actually being serious?" Akira thought to herself, "I guess this place is full of weirdos after all. Also..."

"No-one calls me Aki," She said, looking sternly at the girl.

"Awh really? I think it's pretty cute." She continued to pout.

"Do I look like the sort of person who uses cute to describe herself?

The girl paused, studying Akira before smiling again. "No, but I do love the whole Tsundere thing you've got going on there, it's definitely suits you." She gasped, "Is this your true form Aki!?"

"Has anyone ever told you you're really annoying?"

"Yep, usually daily. I think one day I got like, 34 different people to express frustration with me," She made an effort to dramatically sigh as if thinking back to some great adventure, "Those were the days…"

"Am I really friends with this girl?" Akira sighed as she held her hand over the girl's mouth, muffling her torrent of information about people that she had annoyed over the past month.

"Ok you can stop now." Holding her hand firmly in place as the girl tried to feebly pry it off. "Now I'm going to take my hand away, and you're going to tell me your name and how we met, and then if I remember I will let you continue talking about how many times you've hidden your brother's armor. Ok?"

The girl pouted, and then slowly noded. As Akira took her hand away the girl took in a deep breath. "Wow you're really strong Aki, maybe even stronger than Riven when she does that!"

Akira glared at her.

"Ok sorry sorry, I'm Luxanna Crownguard, but everyone calls me Lux. As you probably guessed I'm a Demacian! And as for how we met, well we met like 18 hours ago in the dungeons. You were you passed out because you made the room too hot for yourself, we were going to interrogate you for murder, good times all round right?"

"So basically we're complete strangers?"

"Nooo, we've been talking for at least 10 minutes now so I'm pretty sure we're friends." She beamed.

"Yep, this place is definitely full of weirdos…"