Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season that is filled with jolly and joy that they are supposed to bring you! Consider this my Christmas present to you all who are a big fan of this story... Chapter 9!
Meanwhile, after the incident. Day 7.
"Lux! Lux!" Garen yelled at the top of his lungs. He was at the front of the group, running faster than even Teemo and Kennen at the spot where Lux had fell. It was too fast for him to comprehend everything that had just happened in these last few moments. He had just saw a dead Teemo come back alive right before his eyes, then seconds later his beloved sister fall into the depths of Runeterra. He practically skidded to a stop at the hole Lux fell through, looking down in horror as Garen could see the white in Lux's eyes disappear right before him.
"LUX!" Was all Garen could yell, tears immediately beginning to stream down his eyes. He reached his hand down the hole, not accomplishing much but reaching to her from far above. He noticed the others slide up before him, Teemo and Kennen at his side.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, stop!" Teemo yelled at the emotionally infuriated Garen who looked like he was going to practically throw himself down after her. Teemo grasped Garen's shoulders with both of his hands, Garen pushing up against it like he was going to jump after her. "Hey, hey! Listen! It's ok! Garen, it's ok! Listen to me!" Teemo said frantically, trying to calm Garen. What he didn't expect was Garen to throw his arms around Teemo, practically strangling the poor thing, and began sobbing into his shoulder. It seemed very awkward to Teemo, a big man holding a small yordle. Teemo couldn't help but let him be though, right now he needed everything he can get. Slowly, Teemo reached his arm as far around him as he could and held him.
"Oh my god…" Kennen said quietly, observing the hole. It was deep, that was for sure. You definitely couldn't see the bottom of it. The hole revealed the giant trench beneath it, rocky edges traced the walls. Kennen stood up, not wanting to look down. He put his hands on his head and began walking in circles, traumatized by the situation as well. "What the FUCK is happening!" Kennen yelled, stomping the ground as he did so.
"I wish I could tell you Kennen, I really do." Tristana said, pacing in a circle around the hole. All of them surrounded the hole, Kennen just a bit off to the side looking infuriated. Garen had released his grip on Teemo now, still sobbing on the side, his eyes bloodshot.
"Wait… wait everyone." Lulu said quietly. They all turned to face her.
"What Lulu?" asked Teemo.
"Be quiet for one second! Listen!" Lulu said urgently. Still looking confused, Teemo did what she said, and the others did what she said. Nothing was happening around them, the only sound they could hear was the wind blowing ever so slightly…
… and a faint splash that echoed off the walls of the abyss.
"Did you hear that?" Lulu asked, looking up. All of their eyes went wide.
"A splash…" Tristana said, straining the word.
"Meaning that there's water down there." Teemo confirmed. Slowly, his face turned a bit happier about the situation.
"Oh yes, because a small puddle of water is going to save her." Garen said, groaning out the words. The others looked between each other. He had a point.
"The water's not shallow." Lulu said, standing up. "If it was, we would've heard some bones cracking as well." Lulu said, making Garen cringe and have Teemo, Kennen, and Tristana glare at her.
"We don't know what's down there…" Tristana said, trailing off a bit.
"You're right, we don't. That's why all we need to do is for Lux to get out of there safely by herself." Kennen said. He approached Garen and kneeled down in front of him. The moment really got to him, Garen's face had dried up tear streams all over it. Kennen placed his hand on Garen's shoulders.
"She's alive, I can guarantee that." Kennen said in a comforting tone. Garen almost instantly loosened up. "But right now we can only hope for her to get out alive… You love her, right?" Kennen asked, which seemed like an odd question. Garen looked up at his chocolatey brown eyes.
"Yes…" Garen said slowly.
"Then have faith in her and she will surely come back." Kennen said, releasing his hand and standing back up again. Garen sat looking at the spot where Kennen just was, still looking where his eyes were. He was right. Garen couldn't do anything right now, all he had to do was believe she could get out alive. Kennen walked over towards Teemo, who was too busy contemplating on what to do next. He was taken by surprise when Kennen placed his arm on Teemo's shoulder, turning him around to look at him. They just looked at each other for a short while before Kennen finally gave in. He laughed once and wrapped his arms around Teemo, giving him a hug. Teemo hugged him as well.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." Kennen whispered into Teemo's ear. Teemo gave a small laugh.
"I won't, trust me." Teemo said to Kennen. He pulled back, clasping onto Kennen's shoulders and looking at him a bit more. "That reminds me…" Teemo said, instantly getting up and walking over towards Lulu. She noticed him walking towards her, but didn't have enough time to say anything before Teemo gave her a hug, knocking Pix off her shoulder who began to fly in the air next to them.
"Thank you Lulu for… whatever you did back there!" Teemo said, chuckling at that last part. It was true, Teemo had no idea what Lulu did to save him, but it worked.
"Don't mention it. Anything for my best friends." Lulu said, making Teemo smile. Lulu retracted, smiling at Teemo but noticing he had a questioning look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"How did you get all the way out here in the first place?" Teemo asked.
"Odd story actually." Lulu began, twirling her staff in her hand a bit. "Yesterday me and Pix visited the Glade once again. It was a nice trip, being back in Pix's homeland. I bet you felt a bit nostalgic, didn't you Pix?" Lulu asked. Pix replied by fluttering back and forth, doing a backflip mid air. "Anyway, when we were leaving it put us in a random spot in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea why it happened, it just did. All of a sudden I heard a random BOOM coming from off in the distance. I didn't know what it was, curious I tried to follow it." Teemo's had a pokerface on at this part. God damn Kennen, firing off Tristana's rocket… "After a day's worth of traveling I fell asleep against a tree. I wake up the next morning and I find that Pix wasn't with me."
"Ahh." Teemo said, putting the pieces together. However Teemo had a much harder time believing the way that Lulu was acting. Normally she was a much quirkier person than this, but something about this encounter made her a different person as of now.
"But I thank you Teemo, I really do." Lulu said softly, grabbing Teemo's shoulders. She looked into Teemo's eyes. "And it's good to see Kennen back. I don't know what happened between you two before, but I hope it never happens again." She said quietly, looking over towards Kennen who was sitting by the hole away from Garen and Tristana.
"It won't Lulu, I promise you that. Whatever happened between me and Kennen is gone." Teemo lied about that last part. It's true, that night still hung around him like a dark cloud whenever he looked at Kennen. Lulu detected this, looking at him in disbelief.
"Good, because I never ever want to see the strongest relationship break up before my eyes ever again." Lulu said, striking something in Teemo's mind making him remember that. Suddenly Lulu blushed, her face twisting in an odd but cheeky smile.
"What?" Teemo asked.
"So… are you two… together again?" Lulu asked, laughing a bit at the question. Teemo sighed.
"No…" Teemo said, looking at Lulu wide-eyed. Her expression didn't change, like she was awaiting another response. Finally, Teemo gave in.
"Not yet."
"Yay!" Lulu cheered, spinning in a circle once before landing back on her feet facing Teemo, already looking dizzy. "Now while you and Mr. Ninjaman over there settle each other out, I'm going to go check in on the big guy." Lulu said, giving Teemo a smile before walking off towards Garen. Now this was the side of Lulu Teemo liked to see, the quirky and adorable side of her. Turning around he noticed Kennen sitting by himself at the edge of the hole. Teemo slowly made his way towards him, sitting down next to him and letting his legs dangle over the edge of the hole.
"How was that?" Kennen asked about their conversation, not looking Teemo in the eyes.
"It's always an interesting conversation with Lulu." Teemo said smirking and looking down. They sat quiet for a while not saying anything. It was awkward between the two, as well as they already had an exhausting day. Kennen looked up after some time, looking around them.
"I just realized, its like the entire family is here again. Me, you, Tristana, Lulu. All we need is Rumble and we'd be in our group again." Kennen said. Teemo looked up at him. He always looked so peaceful when nostalgic. It was comforting. "Does Rumble still have a thing for -"
"Oh yeah, big time." Teemo said laughing and finishing the sentence for him, knowing what he was talking about. Kennen chuckled a bit, turning back to Teemo. They looked into each others eyes for a while before Kennen came to a realization. His eyes widened, making Teemo give him a questioning look. Without saying anything, Kennen's hand shot up to Teemo's face, landing on his cheek lightly. Teemo blushed at the sudden move, but Kennen didn't do anything but look into his eyes, with almost shock.
"How have I not noticed this before." Kennen said quietly. Teemo now had an even more questioning look on his face.
"What do you mean?" Teemo asked.
"Your eyes… they are not the same color as before." Kennen said, making Teemo only more confused. Whatever he was talking about, he had never noticed it himself before. Kennen sat there looking into Teemo's sky blue eyes in wonderment, but also disappointment. Why?
"What do you mean?" Teemo asked. Kennen opened his mouth but was cut off by something else.
"Hello! Hey, is anyone up there!" A voice called. Teemo and Kennen looked at each other, wondering what the voice was. They looked back at Garen, Tristana, and Lulu, all having the same confused expression on their face. They looked around each other, but no one was there. They all looked at each other once again before coming to a mental consensus about where the sound came from. Below. Simultaneously, they all looked down into the trench below them.
"Hello!?" The voice called again frantically. This time they noticed how the voice echoed off the walls. They all looked at each other hesitantly for a moment before Garen leaned his head over.
"Hello!" Garen called out.
"Hey can you tell me why the fuck a girl just fell down here!?" The voice yelled, obviously panicked by the situation.
"Long story." Garen said, looking at the others and shrugging his arms. He didn't really know what to say. "Is she ok?" Garen asked.
"Yeah…" The voice called, less confident this time which had Garen worried. "But she's out cold right now. Probably knocked out from the water she fell into." The voice said, making Garen raise an eyebrow.
"Well at least we know she's ok." Tristana said, nerved by the situation.
"Can you get her out of there?" Garen asked to the unknown voice below.
"I'm going to stay with her for now until she wakes up. Once she does though, we'll make our way upwards." The voice said. Garen was nervous about that, not knowing who the man was and to trust him or not. "Until then, the entrance to this cave connects to a road just… north of here I'm guessing. You should make your way over there and we'll meet up at the entrance." The voice finished. Garen leaned his face away from the hole now.
"Well, at least we know where we're going now." Kennen said. He looked between everyone. Teemo had gotten up and began to pace back and forth behind them. Tristana was still sitting next to Garen. "Well, what now?" Kennen asked, looking over at Teemo. He was thinking, and thought a bit longer before finally deciding.
"Tristana, you don't mind escorting Lulu back to Bandle City, do you." Teemo asked.
"Of course not." Tristana said, getting up and heading over towards Lulu.
"Good… Ok." Teemo muttered to himself. "Ok, so me, Kennen, and Garen head off to look for this cave. Tristana and Lulu are heading back to Bandle City. Tristana, can you please inform Poppy of what has happened so far, and by that I mean everything that's happened so far." Teemo said, putting emphasis on everything.
"Sounds like a plan." Tristana said.
"Ok, then lets get going. Got no time to waste." Teemo said, now everyone getting up from where they were. The fight and the time they spent here was a lot longer than they had thought. By now the sun was already already heading down, but the orange in the sky has yet to show. Teemo was gathering his stuff when Tristana came up and kneeled down next to him.
"You're doing this just to spend some time along with Kennen, aren't you?" Tristana asked, a smile creeping along her lips.
"Basically." Teemo said, making him and Tristana laugh.
"Well I'm proud of you." Tristana said, looking down and helping Teemo pack some stuff in his bag. Teemo smiled and looked down, continuing to do what he was doing.
"You sure you can get back safely?" Teemo asked.
"Of course, it's me and Lulu. Plus I'm sure that it will be a very interesting conversation with her on the way back." Tristana said, smiling at Teemo. "I wouldn't be worried about me though. You should be worried about yourself and Kennen."
"I know mom, I know!" Teemo said sarcastically making Tristana laugh again. He was pretty good at that, probably explaining why they were best friends. They both stood up.
"Go get 'em tiger." Tristana said last to Teemo, giving him a smile and patting him on the shoulder before walking away. Teemo looked back only to find Tristana and Lulu walking through the trees out of sight. He sighed, turning around to find Kennen and Garen packing their things up on the side. By the time Teemo had gotten to them, they were done.
"Are we all ready to go?" Teemo asked. Garen nodded.
"Yup." Kennen replied.
"Then let's go." Teemo said, taking the lead with Kennen next to his side, Garen trailing slowly behind them. As they headed through the treeline, Kennen whipped out his satchel. Without digging through it for long, he tossed something up in the air to Teemo, which Teemo instinctively caught between his fingers. It was another shuriken.
"Keep it." Kennen told Teemo, a smirk on his face. "You're good with them." Teemo didn't respond at first, inspecting the shuriken.
"Why thank you." Was all Teemo could say. Kennen didn't respond to anything after that, making the rest of the walk quiet. However they could both feel the same sense between them. It was concerning how difficult it was for them to talk to each other, each of them still having the memory of that night looming around them like a dark cloud. Only sometimes Teemo would look at Kennen and Kennen would look at Teemo, but only a few times did it happen at the same time. When it did, it felt uncomfortable, almost awkward in a sense. Something needed to happen between the two…
That's why tonight…
Sooner than later did the moon decide to rise. It was a cold night, few clouds circling in the air to cover the moonlight and shimmer from the bounty of stars that scattered the sky. The air only barely touched the fur of the yordles and the skin of the human before ricocheting off into a new direction, continuing to rebound off of trees until the air eventually made their way back to them again. It was a full moon, which caused the light from the moon to be greater than ever before as it stretch across the forest that they traverse. It was a silent night, the only sounds were footsteps from the venturers wandering the forest at night. The moon wasn't at its peak yet before the group decided to set up camp for the night in the middle of the forest.
A campfire was lit in the center of them all, crackling as sparks from the fire occasionally flew into the air. There was nothing else to eat except for Teemo's mushrooms for the third night in a row for them. Slicing it into pieces, Kennen used a stick to put slices of mushrooms onto them for all of them, making nice mushroom kabobs as they held it over the fire to let it cook.
"Are you ok Garen?" Kennen finally asked after the hour or so of silence between the,.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Garen said, looking up at the yordle. "Why? Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just that you seem so unphased by what happened today." Kennen said quietly, trying to make it sound not too direct. Garen laughed at his question, which took him by surprise.
"Kennen, just because I'm… well me… doesn't mean I still have much to learn." Garen said, almost relaxed, leaning back a bit. "What you said to me today, I believe it. The only thing I can do is to have faith in my sister and believe in her. That's what we did today for Teemo as well, we all had faith in him." Garen said, pointing over towards Teemo.
"Well, the only thing that kept me alive was Lulu's spell -" Teemo began but Garen cut him off.
"Nonsense. If we all didn't have faith in you, you wouldn't have a purpose in living. If we all didn't care for you and believe in you, you wouldn't be here right now." He said, almost strictly as he trying to get his point across. "Teemo, honestly, you are the mind and body representation of you and your people. Your personality keeps everyone in Bandle City driven to what they do best, and that is to live on. You demonstrated that perfectly today." Garen said, now leaning in a bit. Teemo listened intently, a smile coming upon his face.
"And Teemo, I think I know who has the most faith in you." Garen began again, this time turning and gesturing to Kennen who had just blushed. "Kennen, today I may have witnessed the most amazing thing ever in my career today, and that is what you did for Teemo. From that I can tell you have strength, not only in power but by feeling. You kept yourself and Teemo alive in an almost impossible to live situation. Now I don't know how you managed to do it, but your heart is that of the tempest: strong." Garen said. Kennen didn't know what to think of this and neither did Teemo. All they knew was that Garen had taught them a thing or two about themselves that they had yet to fully realize until now. A smile was upon both of the yordles faces now. Garen leaned back now, putting his hands behind his head. He chuckled at a thought and smiled widely.
"Lux was right, you two do have something special between each other. I'm a tough nut to crack when it comes to talking about emotions with people other than my sister, but I think you two have split me cleanly open. Now I don't know what happened between you two before but just know, you have my approval." Garen said with the widest smile Teemo and Kennen have seen him give so far. With that he got up from where he was. "Now if you guys don't mind I'm going to get some sleep. Today's been a long and tiring day."
"Go ahead." Teemo said, nodding. With that, Garen crept over to his sleeping bag, slipped in it, and instantly started snoring.
"Wow…" Was all Teemo could say after that. Kennen looked over to him.
"Alot to take in, huh." Kennen said quietly, Teemo nodded. They sat there in silence for a few moments.
"Are we really that important though?" Teemo questioned.
"I think we are, we just haven't come to realize it yet." Kennen noted. Teemo nodded, turning his face to look at him. Kennen, feeling his gaze, returned sight. Teemo gave off a shy smile, which made Kennen laugh a bit. In reality however, this was just another awkward moment between the two.
"Well uh… I think I'm going to go get some sleep." Teemo said coyly.
"Yeah… me too." Kennen said. It still took them a moment to actually get up and for them to walk over to their sleeping bags which weren't too far away from each other. With a thump, both of them practically jumped into their sleeping bags. Teemo rolled onto his side, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Goodnight Teemo." Kennen said from the side.
"Goodnight Ken." Teemo said softly, closing his eyes.
It was almost too tempting to say "I love you".
"Hey Trist." I called over to her, who just happened to be here. She was dressed casually, wearing a white tank-top and black shorts.
"Hey Teemo, didn't expect you here all by yourself this late." Tristana said.
"I'm not supposed to be here by myself." I said. I turned myself around to look inside the restaurant. I saw the dim lights making the place look so romantic, it was almost a dream but an embarrassment to go into by yourself. "Have you seen Kennen? He was supposed to go out to dinner with me today." I asked, worried.
"Not at all." Tristana said, shaking her head. This only made me more worried. I began pacing back and forth. Tristana noticed my concern, not knowing what to say. "If it helps, you should go check over at his place. It's not too far from here." She said. I stayed silent, not knowing if I should or not.
"He hasn't been himself lately." I said. Tristana looked at me confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked perplexed.
"I don't know how to describe it. He's seemed nervous whenever he's been talking to me lately." I said. I didn't want to go more in-depth into it even though I've seen him do even more strange things lately.
"That's weird…" Tristana said, trailing off. I turned around to look inside the restaurant. I could see the table that we were supposed to sit at.
"I'm going to go look for him." I said. I couldn't contain it anymore. I was too curious.
"Ok…" Was all Tristana said before I headed off past her. I walked down the street, noticing that I was walking faster the more and more I thought about it. Some people looked at me, wondering why I was walking so fast. I could ask myself the same thing. Why did I feel nervous? I know Kennen very well, I knew he could take care of himself. Even still though, he shouldn't be this late and I shouldn't be this nervous, yet I was. I can't explain the feeling, I was feeling all jittery, but not in a good way.
I rounded the sharp corner, coming face to face with another row of apartment buildings. Tristana's was on the right hand side about half-way down the street. The lights were on inside, meaning that she wasn't planning on staying out long. On the left hand side were the apartments of Ziggs and Rumble, Rumble's apartment being easily noticed on the bottom floor by his exclusive and exquisite garage, even though inside it was pretty unorganized. Rounding the corner again the street continued on for the same length as the last, this time though it had an ending. At the end of the street was Kennen's house. For only a single yordle it seemed large for just him, however it was bought for him, Akali, and Shen for whenever they would visit. It was an ordinary two-story house.
The lights in their house were off. I could tell, you would be able to see them on through the window at this late at night. This had me worried. I walked up their wooden front porch, stepping up the stairs as they creaked under my feet, and knocked on their door. After a minute of waiting, no one came to answer the door. This had me worried. I knocked on it again, still no response. I tried a few more times, expecting someone to come but no one ever did. Then I remembered what Kennen had told me. Stepping back a bit, a lifted up the doormat and there was a spare key to the house. Quickly snatching it up, I unlocked the door and opened it.
What I saw scared me. The house. The living room seemed to be completely void of any life in it. It seemed as if someone packed up and left as quickly as they could. No lights were on and the place seemed as if it hadn't been occupied in a few hours. But that had to be impossible! I saw Kennen today, I knew Shen and Akali were staying here and at least one of them would stay to take care of the home if they did anything. This would've been the first time they were all out of the house at night. Quickly I ran up the stairs. I opened the door to Shen's bedroom, no one was there. Akali's room, nothing. Kennen's room… empty.
I panicked. I ran down the stairs and out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't think about anything right now except what I just saw. Why was the house empty? It didn't look natural. I ran down the street this time, rounding the corner back again. I had my head down when I almost ran straight into Tristana. She was coming back from wherever she was with a bag in her hand.
"Is everything ok Teemo?" Tristana said worried about me. She could see the concern in my face.
"Kennen's house, it's empty." I said hurriedly, jumping on my feet a bit. "I'm going to check my house. Maybe he went there."
"Teemo, let me come." Tristana said. I stopped her.
"No, if anything goes wrong I will come to you." I said, raising my hand up. Without waiting for a response, I walked past her.
"You better come to me Teemo!" Tristana yelled at me before I turned the corner. My house was on the opposite side of Bandle City, however it wasn't a very long walk to get there, especially since I knew every shortcut to get there. I walked through every alleyway, cutting the time to get to my house probably in half. My house was more noticeable than the others around mine, only because I actually took the time to decorate mine. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my housekey, almost ramming myself into the door before I was able to unlock and open it. I walked in and slammed the door behind me, my heart racing. I looked around, all the lights were off, just like a left it. However there was no sign of Kennen being there.
I sighed, exhausted from all the running around I was doing. I decided to give in. I couldn't stand walking back out there and waiting for him again, it was almost midnight and our dinner was supposed to happen a couple hours ago. Carelessly, I took off my jacket and threw it onto the living room couch. I hung my head down, disappointed and still worried by the events that happened tonight. Slowly I walked towards my room and opened my door. My room was as dull as ever, I thought in my gloom mood. A single bed, a few bookshelves, and my lamp that was on…
Wait… I didn't leave any lights on.
I immediately froze in my doorway at the realization. How could that happen? Suddenly I noticed something. I piece of paper lay on my bed, neatly folded in half. Taking a deep breath, I walked up towards the piece of paper. I sat down on my bed and picked it up. I looked at it for a second to before unfolding it. I was traumatized to what the note said.
"I'm Sorry.
- Kennen"
"Psst! Hey, wake up!"
Teemo woke to a jolt of unexplainable feelings. His heavy eyes shot open, red from his restless night. He was panting heavily, his chest heaving up and down fast. His arms felt heavy and sweat was dripping from his forehead. But he awoke to something nudging him on the shoulder. In reaction, he quickly rolled himself over and shot upwards, still sitting when he came face to face with a concerned Kennen.
"Wha- What just - What…" Teemo managed to say, still shaken up from what happened. Kennen placed both of his hands on both of Teemo's shoulders, preventing him from shaking.
"Teemo, it's ok! Calm down! You had a nightmare." Kennen said, shaking Teemo's body a bit to try and get him back to his senses. Teemo shook his head, opening his eyes again to Kennen.
"Damn right I had a nightmare." Teemo mustered, shaking his head again. He seemed to have regained most of his senses at this point, but Kennen still looked at him worried.
"I came back to see you tossing, turning, and sweating, clenching your eyes completely shut. I knew something was wrong." Kennen said, taking Teemo's hands in his now.
"Yeah…" Teemo hummed. "Wait, you went somewhere?" Teemo asked, suddenly confused by what he said.
"Oh yeah…" Kennen said shyly, blushing a bit as he did so. He stood up. "I went out and found something that I wanted to show you. I came back to wake you up." Kennen said slowly, offering him his hand. Teemo eyed him for a second before taking his hand, helping Teemo stand up. He was still a bit jittery from his nightmare but he was fine. Looking over he saw Garen, still sound asleep. Curious he looked up, only to find that the moon had just now reached its peak height, standing right above them showering the area with its ivory light.
"What are you going to show me?" Teemo asked.
"You'll see." Was all Kennen replied with. He wanted to ask more but couldn't when Kennen grabbed his wrist and dragged him along. The forest is a peaceful place at night, especially with the moonlight granting vision of what would've otherwise been pitch black. With the light you could see how the plant life around them rested, they leaves of the trees swaying in the crisp night air, and the starlight reflecting off of puddles that lay scattered on the ground from a previous rainshower. The forest was completely silent at this time of night. Not a sound could be heard except the footsteps of the two yordles walking through the forest.
It didn't take long for the two to reach their destination. A small outcropping in the forest made the moonlight light the red carpet to a cliffside just beyond the trees. Spreading flat out near the edges of the cliff was a blanket, cleanly set up by Kennen, along with his satchel. Kennen skipped across the grass towards it, plumping himself down on it. He spun himself around, looking at Teemo with a playful smile on his face. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Teemo to sit. Slowly, Teemo made his way towards the blanket, sitting himself down on the soft material. He looked at Kennen, who had now begun to lay down, his head away from the cliffside. Kennen looked at him, raising his arm up and pointing over the cliffside. Teemo's gaze followed Kennen's finger. He crawled up to the edge of the cliffside and saw what Kennen was talking about.
It was a miraculous view. It was a high cliffside, giving him full view as to everything past the forest. What stood off in the distance was a sight that Teemo had never ventured out this far to see. Mount Gargantuan, the great chain of mountains that separate north and south Valoran, more commonly known as the Great Barrier. It was a sight to behold. He could see the very peak of the highest mountain, scraping the clouds with its grace. Not only that, from here Teemo could also see the Mogron Pass, the split in the center of the mountains that allowed travelers to gain entry to either part of Valoran. It was grand. Not only was it such an amazing view, but also because much has happened here in the past. Legends and stories have all derived from the great mountains, the most common myth being the sun goddess, the moon goddess, and the spartan.
"Wow…" Teemo let out, enjoying the view very much so. Without noticing, Kennen crept up to him on his side, laying down next to him.
"You like?" Kennen asked. Teemo could only nod, his mouth agape at the view. Kennen laughed at this. "You've never been this far out, have you?"
"No… my missions normally revolve around Bandle City. None of them have taken me out this far." Teemo said, still staring at the mountains in awe. Kennen pointed again in front of Teemo's eyes.
"Look there. Do you see something?" Kennen asked. Teemo looked over towards Kennen was pointing. It was a different part of the mountain, except this time much lower than the last. The peaks towered only a small distance over where they were at now. There was a break in the ridges however. Teemo looked to see what Kennen was talking about. It was a detail so small the scout had to squint his eyes to see it and was surprised Kennen found it. There was a light seeping through the cracks of the mountains.
"Lights…" Teemo said quietly. He didn't have to look to know that Kennen was nodding. Teemo pondered to what they could be, coming up with the only possible conclusion.
"Are those the lights -"
"To Demacia?" Kennen finished for him. "They are. You can see the busting city lights from here." Kennen said, looking at the lights himself. They stayed and stared out at the view for a while longer, both of them taking in the beauty. Even at night you can see the snow pile up on the tips of the mountains. It was a wondrous view.
"This is unforgettable." Teemo said, leaning back from the cliff a bit now. Kennen stayed, enjoying the view for a bit longer. "Everything that has happened these past few days… its almost too much."
"How so?" Kennen asked, turning his head to Teemo. Teemo now lay back on the blanket, stretching himself out across it.
"Well I've met the two most amazing humans that I've ever met." Teemo said, obviously referring to Garen and Lux. "And I also got to see you again." Teemo now looked at Kennen.
"And is that a good or a bad thing?" Kennen asked.
"So far it has been a good thing." Teemo said, a smile trickling across his face allowed Kennen to laugh again. It was always amazing to Teemo as to how much Kennen could laugh at. He was very boisterous in that sense. Kennen now got up, turning and walking towards Teemo. He sighed.
"This outfit can be so hot sometimes." Kennen complained. Teemo raised an eyebrow, looking up to see that Kennen was already stripping the upper half of his body of the purple ninja garb. He pulled it over his head with ease, revealing a plain white tank top underneath. He slowly worked off the purple pants, showing that he wore plain black shorts underneath to compliment his shirt. He threw the purple attire aside, landing on his satchel as he sat down next to Teemo. Turning his head he noticed Teemo staring at him with a cheeky smile. "What?" He asked.
"Showing off now are we?" Teemo said with a playful laugh. It always surprised Teemo at how different he looked without his ninja outfit on. The purple garb covered up so much of his body. It was thick as well, showing Kennen to be much wider than he actually was. Underneath the fabric was a completely different looking person. He was much skinnier without the garb, revealing his, for a yordle, muscular tone of body. Now you could easily tell that his and Teemo's fur colors are pretty much identical. Turns out Teemo's mushrooms haven't changed him much after all.
"What? Do I look different?" Kennen said, looking down to observe himself. Teemo laughed.
"No, you look fine." Teemo said as Kennen looked back at Teemo with a sly grin. He knew that Kennen was a god of sarcasm, he just liked to play along. Kennen knelt down and lay himself on the blanket next to Teemo. Together they lay and looked up at the stars as they glistened peacefully above them.
"What was the nightmare about?" Kennen asked boldly, breaking the peaceful silence between the two. Teemo's body stiffened at the subject.
"It was nothing." Teemo tried to blow it off. It didn't work.
"No,it's not nothing. You've had trouble with nightmares in the past and I know your reaction the best when it comes to them." Kennen said. This was true, Kennen and Tristana were the only people to know about Teemo's past nightmares and how constantly he had them. They never ended well. The only thing to relax him about it was to talk about it. Teemo sighed.
"It was about that night…" He didn't have to go into anymore depth to know what he was talking about. The night Kennen left. Kennen turned his body towards Teemo, who was clenching his eyes shut.
"What about it?"
"Everything." Teemo replied slowly. Kennen nodded. They stayed silent with that for a while, Kennen staring at Teemo and Teemo looking up into the sky. The silence was broken when Teemo heard a sniffle. He rolled his head over to see Kennen, his eyes pooling tears. It was clear he was trying his best to hold them back.
"Believe me Teemo when I say that night is as clear in my head as it is yours." Kennen said, his voice shaking. "It was a night where after it was all done I could never forgive myself for, and it was something you forgave me so easily for." A tear eventually broke through, rolling down his face and getting caught on the fur on his cheek. His next line took Teemo off guard.
"Why? Why did you jump in front of me to save me today?" Kennen said, this time bursting out into tears. He had to cover his eyes, too embarrassed and emotional to look at Teemo in the eyes. "Why did you save me when I did something so horrible to you, that you should've never forgiven me for! I don't deserve to live like this when I know I did that to you!" Kennen yelled at this point, releasing all of his stress.
"Kennen…" Teemo said quietly, low enough for Kennen not to hear. It tore him to see Kennen like this, it practically ripped his soul out. Seeing Kennen being eaten away at by guilt was something Teemo dreaded to see. He did not want this to happen.
"I just don't understand! I can't live with myself after knowing that I did that to you! It pains me knowing that every night I go to sleep having done such a horrid thing! And it shames me to know that I will never be -"
However Kennen was cut off when Teemo swiftly broke Kennen's hold on his eyes, grabbed his face, and planted his lips onto Kennen's. Teemo pushed into Kennen, kissing him with every bit of feeling he had pinned up inside. Kennen jumped a bit, not yet familiar with the feeling of Teemo's lips pressed up against his. It was a feeling foreign to both of them, yet felt so good once again. Kennen fell into the trance, kissing back at Teemo. Every ounce of guilt and regret flushed away from him in an instance, leaving him in a state of pleasure and ecstasy for the first time in a long time. It was disappointing when Teemo pulled back on the kiss, leaving Kennen starstruck.
"My lover?" Teemo said, finishing the sentence for him. They both looked into each others eyes, both flourishing in the state that they were in. Teemo moved his hands down Kennen's back, pulling him closer to him.
"Kennen… a year ago I made a promise with you to always protect you. Then and forever." Teemo said with the warmest eyes and smile Kennen has ever seen. "I'm a man of my word. I never go back on my promise. Today I fulfilled my promise by saving you, and today you kept your promise by saving both of us." Teemo took a deep breath and started again.
"What Garen said about you today… he described you perfectly. You are the strongest and most affectionate yordle out of us all. You are the reason that we fight another day, and you are the reason that I am alive right now." Teemo said, every ounce of emotion pouring out of his voice. Kennen's eyes held back more tears, however this time they weren't tears of guilt. This time they were tears of joy, a feeling Kennen hasn't felt in a looked down, giving off a small chuckle. "However, he did leave out one very important detail."
"What is it?" Kennen asked, bring his hand down to Teemo's face and lifting it up so that they looked into each others eyes again. Teemo smiled.
"You're mine."
Kennen couldn't hold the urge back any longer. Knowing that there wouldn't be any consequences, he leaned his head in and kissed Teemo. This time the kiss was slow, both of them absorbing every aspect and enjoying every moment of it. Both of them remembering what the other tasted like, how it felt, the ecstasy of the moment. A feeling that they thought was gone forever now returned, better than ever.
Kennen pulled back, letting himself breathe for a moment. He opened his eyes, seeing Teemo's in returned, but this time something was different. An aspect of Teemo that Kennen had only recently thought was lost was held not to be true. Kennen's smile became wider than ever at seeing it. Slowly Kennen brought his hand up and placed it right next to Teemo's eye. It only made Teemo that much more beautiful.
His eyes… they were now a bright shade of purple, Kennen's favorite color.
There was only one possible explanation to what caused this change.
Love.
"There's something magical about you Teemo…" Kennen managed to say, still adoring his now magnificent purple eyes. "I'm not quite sure what it is, but it makes you even that more special to me." Kennen said, choking up on a few of his words. This feeling, it truly was foreign to him. He was glad it returned. Kennen wrapped his arms around Teemo, pulling him closer to himself. Teemo's head lay on Kennen's shoulder when they rolled over and looked up at the stars together, still holding each other tightly. The stars sparkled above them, even them knowing that something special had just happened.
"This reminds me of our first date." Teemo said quietly. Kennen, intrigued, rolled his head over to look at Teemo.
"Go on." Kennen said. Teemo noticed the commitment in his voice and laughed a little.
"Well we had just come back from eating out… and then we agreed to go watch the stars on my roof." Teemo said, a bit nostalgic from the memory.
"Yes…" Kennen said, with the same tone of voice. Teemo rolled his head over to look at Kennen, blushing when he finally realized what he wanted him to say.
"And then we… made out." Teemo said, but couldn't help laugh at how oddly he said it, making Kennen laugh as well.
"And how did that feel?" Kennen said, exploring the purple in Teemo's eyes.
"Great…" Teemo said, smiling at him. They both stayed that way for a while, exploring each others eyes, something Kennen couldn't get enough of. Teemo's eyes were now mesmerizing to him, the bright shade of purple bursting and blossoming to Kennen like a flower.
"I think it's safe to say that we've been caught in a poison again." Teemo said. Kennen smiled, knowing what he was referring to.
"Oh really?" Kennen asked, Teemo nodded against his shoulder. "And how does that feel?"
"Well you don't realize it at first." Teemo said, moving his body a bit. "Once you're infected the first symptoms are a tingling sensation in your body, along with your stomach fluttering like a million tiny butterflies." Teemo said, now grabbing Kennen's side and stroking it, as if demonstrating the spread. Kennen closed his eyes. "And then slowly your body begins to feel warm at its presence. It spreads, travelling all over your body before it reaches your head." Teemo said slowly, traveling his hand up Kennen's fur before reaching the back of his head. Teemo pulled himself closer to him. "But you can feel the warmth strongest in the heart." He placed his other hand onto Kennen's heart. He could feel his heart racing inside him. "At this point there's no denying it. The poison has fully engulfed you and there's no cure. What would you do?" Teemo asked, pressing his forehead up against Kennen's. Kennen now opened his eyes, his only centimeters away from Teemo's. He knew there was only one possible answer for his question.
"I would let it infect me." Kennen answered, a smile spreading across each others lips as Teemo leant his head in, kissing for the third time that night.
"I love you Teemo, now and forever."
"I love you Kennen, now and forever."
And that was a night certainly both of them will never forget.
So I was debating whether to post this now or on Christmas day, but then I got to thinking "Who's going to want to read fanfiction on Christmas Day when they will be out celebrating the holiday?" so then I thought what other way to enjoy Christmas Eve than reading lovey-dovey Teemo and Kennen stuff ;). Anyways, thank you for everyone that is reading this chapter and who really enjoyed it, because so far this was my favorite chapter to write because I could really get into character with Kennen and Teemo, both of them being my favorite characters in game and out. This was something a bit different then I'm used to writing, and I honestly thought I did a pretty good job. As always, feedback is appreciated for my upcoming works. I read my feedback for chapter 8 and, I admit, I rushed through that one a little bit just so I could get to this chapter. Some of you may be wondering if I rushed this one, since it came out so soon after chapter 8. Truth is I just love writing, and that takes up most of my time beside playing LoL. For the future of this story, the next few chapters are going to be coming from a different point of view than the last, so for these next few chapters we are straying away from Teemo, Kennen, Garen, and Lux, and going to a different perspective. I am also going to be writing another story that I'm going to have the prologue up for the same time I post Chapter 10, so keep an eye out for that. Anyways, that you everyone for reading this story on a wonderful holiday season and have a very Merry Christmas. I will see you all later :).
P.S: Just some quick shoutouts for some of my inspirations and choices for this chapter. Teemo's purple eyes are inspired by "The Heart's Lament" by KallingMeKaprix. If you haven't read that, go do so, it is a very good Teemo and Kennen story. Also, the last part of this story was based off of LoL forum user xwlr for writing an amazing one-shot on the "Winning the Heart of a Tempest" forum page. Huge shoutout to those guys!