A/N: Thank you to all those who have been following this story and been putting up with my super slow updates. I'd like to admit that when I first started writing this story, it was intended to be a complete fluff piece between Ahri and Riven, but I generally don't like romance stories that don't establish how emotional connections come about, which led to all of... this. As such, the seriousness ends after this chapter. To all those who climbed on board specifically for the heavy bits, I apologize. The rest of the story will take a complete turn, and will continue to be updated here.

Ahri was tired. She had not been able to sleep for the last two days for some unaccountable reason. Her new roommate was restless, sure, but as Riven rocked quietly in a foetal position in the corner with blood-shot eyes, there was no reason why Ahri should not have been able to sleep either. Instead, she tossed and turned all night, feeling so tired her head throbbed.

Ahri did ask Riven why she refused to sleep lately. Was there something wrong about the bed? Did she want the bathtub spruced up? Maybe the change in her situation was too upsetting, or she needed less meat in her diet?

The fox remembered her last dream with startling clarity. But was it really her dream? If she dreamt Riven's dream, the young warrior's erratic behaviour made more sense. Ahri had been human for a while, but she had never heard of any magic that let people share dreams. So, for the first time ever, Ahri went to see Kayle.

As Ahri entered the library, the middle-aged official snapped out of his power nap and scrambled to arrange the folders in an accessible way for the fox. But both he and the Judicator were surprised when she walked straight up to the winged fighter instead.

"Have you heard of a spell that lets you see other people's dreams?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Oh, ok, bye then."

"Wait!" Kayle grabbed Ahri around her wrist, tugging her back. Most people did their best to get out of conversations with her, and absolutely none had tried to initiate conversation before. "I'm sure the magic exists, but it's just out of my area of expertise. If you'll find the spell anywhere, it will be in this library."

"But I can't read."

"Can't read! No, no, no, we can't have that! Let me help!"

So, for several of the most painful hours of her life, the fox tried to teach her hand enough dexterity to hold onto a pen correctly and learn her letters.

The Judicator smiled and nodded every time Ahri looked up from her attempts at copying out Kayle's symbols, as if she had all the time in the world to watch an adult struggle at what children grasped so easily. Well, technically, she did.

It was only when Ahri was squinting hard at her messy "A" that she was scrawling out for the umpteenth time, that she realized that the sun was already starting to set. Her stomach growled at this knowledge.

"Oh no! I have to go, I have to feed…" She trailed off, realizing that Riven would probably not want her to spread knowledge of her current state around.

"Feed what? Are you keeping a pet? Because according to clause 12.65 of the Institute of War's rulebook of living on the grounds, you are not allowed to house a pet in your room unless you have been granted special permission, which can be verified with a certificate signed by…"

"Feed my stomach. You heard it rumble, right? It's like its own person, you know, talks more than I do. Ha ha, yes, I have to go feed it now. Ok, thanks, bye."

At the market, Ahri filled her arms with whatever groceries she could reach easily, and scrambled back to her room.

The moment she slipped through the wall, she was knocked to the ground by a body shorter than hers, but larger in girth.

Riven growled as she tore open packets of dried noodles and salted meat, shoving food in her mouth faster than she could chew, but just as fast as she could swallow. For a few horrified moments, Ahri thought Riven was going to start choking at any time, but thankfully she did not.

Riven's hair was disheveled and sticking out in all sorts of random places. It was only when Riven finished eating that Ahri reached for a stick of jerky, while the other woman glared at her.

"Where have you been all day?"

"I'm sorry. I'll make sure to stockpile some food in here so you won't get hungry again while I'm gone."

"No! That is not the problem! Well, it also was, but I need you here!"

"What do you mean?"

"I have no sword to defend myself!"

"I think you are pretty safe in here."

"No! Don't you see them? Can't you hear them? They're already in here, and I can't get out!"

"Who is here?"

"Them! Terrible, crawly monsties, they climb over your skin and nibble at your toes! They wait in the shadows, waiting for you to fall asleep so they can sip your blood and whisper in your ears!"

"Whisper in your ears? Are you talking about cockroaches?"

"Cockroaches! So you know about them too! So it's true that they talk?"

"Maybe to each other, but cockroaches can't speak in human tongues."

"Lying! You're lying! You're on their side aren't you?"

"I'll have you know that there are no cockroaches in my room, thank you very much! Besides, I don't see what's wrong with cockroaches. It's not like they can hurt you. In fact, I think they're a little cute."

Ahri had spoken with the intent to rile up Riven. She hated seeing her sitting in the corner all day in silence. But instead, Riven only responded in a whisper.

"Do you really think they're cute?"

Maybe it was maternal instinct, but before she knew it, Ahri had wiped her hands clean on her sides, and pulled Riven into her arms. She tried to run her hand through Riven's hair, but her fingers got caught in a tangle. When the stiff, white hair refused to yield, Ahri patted Riven on the back instead.

That night, the moment Riven fell asleep, so did Ahri.

Riven wondered why she was floating three stories up in front of a window. The wind was strong that night, and it whistled around her, making nearby tree branches chatter. Amongst all the noise rushing through her hearing holes, was a very urgent whispering.

"Intruder! Find it!"

Riven was not sure what was going on, but she suspected that whatever she was supposed to be looking for was behind that window. She grasped the bottom of the frame and tugged upwards until it slid open silently.

Something about this dream body felt so powerful. Like it was engineered to slither through the night and assassinate those careless enough to fall asleep. She rocked her head back-and-forth in great swinging motions that flung her head from her chest to her back. In doing so, the smell of something sweet filtered in through a membrane at the bottom of her chin.

The scent was intoxicating, and her chest cavity throbbed. It emptied her mind of all thoughts except for one.

"Kill it."

She could see it clearly in the darkness. A small lump curled up underneath the blankets on a bed located on the far side of the room. Riven pushed her way through the window, flowing half-way onto the floor before she stopped, realizing what she was about to do.

"I don't even know who this intruder is."

"Kill it", repeated the voice.

"What do you think?" Riven asked, turning to a cockroach resting on her shoulder. She turned her head to the other shoulder. Nothing was there.

The cockroach shrugged as well as any insect could shrug. "Doesn't matter to me. Can we eat it?"

Again, Riven rocked her head forward and back, letting another waft of scent overwhelm her. A ball formed in her throat.

"Kill it."

"Ok. Wait! No! I won't!"

"KILL IT."

"No!"

Riven yelled loud enough for Ahri to startle, raising sharply in bed.

Ahri stared at the strange monster seemingly stuck between the inside and outside of the room, shaking its head to-and-fro at her.

She screamed, which caused the white blob to fall the rest of the way into the room, sending a cockroach flying from its shoulder and scuttling to find a dark corner. Instinctively, Ahri threw her arm forward, intending to summon an orb of energy at the thing, but nothing would come.

"Why are you here?" asked Riven.

"Where is here?"

"This is my dream. Why am I dreaming about you?"

"Your dream! Amazing!"

"So? What are you doing here?"

The fox thought for a moment. "Do you like stories, Riven?"

"What does it matter? What stories would you know that I don't?"

"Then how about you tell me a story? Please?"

"Why?"

"To pass the time until morning."

"Well… I guess, as long as it means I get some control of this dream, and nothing weird happens."

"I promise, nothing weird will happen. Just, can I put in a request?"

"What?"

"Can the story be about something kind you've done? I'm in the mood for something cheerful."

"Oh, I've done so many kind things. I spent most of my life serving Noxus."

"Weren't most of the things you did for Noxus war-related?"

"Yes. Oh, you probably don't understand. They're kind because there were not in my own interests, and I wasn't comfortable with doing a lot of it."

"Like what?"

"I wanted to fight to spread the might of Noxus, but there were so many strange orders that I had to carry out. They were orders that had never been asked of by the High Command before. It was as if Noxus was actually setting out to win instead of just fight. 'Demoralize the villages after capturing them', they said. 'So they won't rise up later after we take all of Ionia', they said. So I did it."

"What did you do?"

"It was my job, as the leader of my troop and representative of Noxus to make an example out of the village leaders, male or female. I don't have the equipment, so I'd take the pommel of my sword, pull down (or up, depending on what they were wearing) their clothes, and put it up their…"

"STOP", yelled Ahri. "That's what the commander did! You're the same as him!"

"The one from your story? I wouldn't say so. I mean, he seemed to enjoy what he was doing."

"If you didn't want to do it, why did you? Couldn't you have been merciful?"

"I was being merciful. Would you rather I killed them instead?"

"There are things worse than death!" Ahri gasped at her own exclamation. What an un-fox-like thing to say! Ahri covered her face, and Riven was not sure if she should interrupt her moment of silence. "I hated her", said Ahri, finally.

"Who?"

"The old woman. For killing the boy."

"I wonder why she didn't just kill the commander. He was clearly out of bounds. I would never touch a child."

"Why didn't you say anything when I first told you the story?"

Riven shrugged. "Wasn't my place. But you're not real, so I can say whatever I want."

Ahri was awash in a myriad of emotions, but she had to take in deep breaths to keep down her growing frustration at Riven.

"So what makes children so different?"

"Isn't it obvious? Context always matters. Never hurt children or fellow Noxians."

Ahri knew her next sentence would be safe to say, given that Riven still thought she was a figment of her imagination. "What about the girl with the braid?"

"My actions were just, but I was too young, stupid, and selfish to know better. My beliefs have changed since then. Now I understand that Noxians are to be kind to one another, for practical reasons of course. You can't fight wars outside your borders if you're fighting within. Noxus distributes its resources equally, regardless of whether your parents are war heroes or farmers. If someone's wheel breaks, or they need help building a house, the whole neighbourhood will make sure what needs to be done is done before supper. Of course, I was no exception to lending aid."

Ahri slapped herself on her forehead. "Why didn't you say this when I asked for a story about you being kind?"

"I didn't think of it right away. It seemed so normal that it wasn't worth mentioning."

"That's it, I'm going to bed. Maybe if I fall asleep, I'll wake up in the real world."

"Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to tell you about something. Well, not really you, I'd never say this to you in the real world, but I know you're just a part of me now."

"Oh?" Ahri's interest piqued.

"I hate you."

"Excuse me?"

"It's not your fault. You just remind me of the battle you saw me lose. I should've died then, but Noxus used Zaun technology to cheat its way to victory. Even so, I should've atoned for it by killing myself, but I don't know why I didn't. I don't know why I still haven't. I've always wanted to tell someone, but I know I can't. This is my burden to bear."

Ahri was speechless. She then realized that she was stroking something and had been for a while. Looking down, she saw a cockroach resting on her index finger, enjoying the feeling of her thumb running over its body. Riven noticed this too.

Ahri kissed the top of the cockroach's head. "Does she have a name?"

Riven inhaled sharply.

"She does."

Ahri understood that it was no coincidence that her eyes opened at the same time as Riven's.

Maybe it was because of the way Riven stared at her, or because Ahri was prone to making bad decisions in the early hours of the day, but before she knew it, Ahri's tongue slipped.

"It wasn't just a dream."

The fox froze in fright. But there were no cuss words, no strangling fingers reaching for her neck. Riven just closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Then, to her surprise, she reached around Ahri and nestled her face into her chest and inhaled.

"Ok", was all she said.

The following weeks were all very strange to Ahri. During the day, Riven was surprisingly clingy, always insisting on leaning onto the taller woman as they ate, and refused to sleep unless she was cradled in Ahri's arms. Despite all this, she rarely spoke, communicating only through shy, upturned eyes and the occasional grunt. It felt as if Ahri were taking care of a small child instead of an adult.

Every time Ahri came home from her reading lessons with Kayle, she found Riven sweaty, disheveled and out of breath from running around the room in circles. She wondered if Riven was doing it because she was used to extensive exercise, or because it forced Ahri to give her a bath. Riven's favourite time seemed to be the period after climbing out of the tub, when Ahri sat down behind Riven to comb through her hair.

"How was the bath?" Ahri would ask. "Was the water temperature comfortable?"

"Yes", Riven would say.

Running the fine comb made of ivory through Riven's hair, Ahri would ask, "Does it itch anywhere?"

"Nooooope", Riven would respond.

The whole time, Ahri would smile fondly at the young woman, who despite appearing a similar age, was of course, significantly younger than the long-lived fox. She did wish sometimes, that Riven would take the comb from her and work through her hair too. But those wishes were too ambitious.

The experience during the day was a stark dichotomy to that during the night. As soon as the duo fell asleep together and Ahri walked through the doors of Riven's mind, they whispered, "I want to know more about you." And they sat together in front of the roaring fire, curled up into themselves but never touching, and telling stories of their past. Murders, war crimes, near-death experiences, they told it all. They never discussed them afterwards, save for the one time Ahri smiled at Riven after a particularly difficult tale to tell, and touched her on her robotic arm.

"I'm glad."

"For what?"

"I feel that you are becoming more merciful."

"How so? There isn't anyone to be merciful to here except for you."

"Of course there is. Mercy is to show compassion or forgiveness to someone who you have power over."

"What are you saying?"

"Who do you have the most power over?"

This gave Riven a lot to think about the next day while Ahri was out.

It was not until the day after that Riven finally spoke more than a full sentence during the day, and it was not related at all to their earlier conversation.

"Where have you been going anyway? You only came back from league matches covered in blood a few times. Or have you gotten better at avoiding injuries?"

"Kayle has been teaching me how to read, but I don't think I'm very smart, because I'm not doing very well. I'm still having problems writing out the alphabet."

"Writing the alphabet? That's not how you learn how to read! Stop going to see Kayle, I'll teach you myself."

"Oh, that's very kind. But I'm thinking about just giving up. I don't think I'm very teachable."

"That's ridiculous, there's no such thing. Just give me a chance, ok?"

"Ok, fine. What do you need me to bring?"

"Bring? You don't need to bring me anything, I can get it myself. Have you forgotten? My two month punishment ends tomorrow. I'll be allowed to pick out everything myself."

The room seemed to come crashing down around Ahri. Had it already been so long? Had she really thought that living together like this would keep going on forever, if Riven actually had a say in the matter?

Riven may not have had Ahri's powers of emotional perception, but it is usually pretty easy to tell something is amiss when someone frowns and stops responding to questions and prompts for several minutes.

"Come here", Riven said.

Ahri moved to sit behind Riven, but Riven pulled Ahri to sit in front of her instead. Riven took out the comb, and slid it through Ahri's long, black hair.

In what would become their last dream together, Riven and Ahri did not speak as much as usual. Riven rested her head in Ahri's lap, and Ahri mourned the lack of hair to run her fingers through.

"Hey, why are you in this body anyway?"

"You know what, I don't know."

"Do you think we can get you back into your real body?"

"I guess we'd have to find it first."

"Oh, I know where it is."

"What? Where?"

"There's a room in this house that doesn't have a door to it. I think it's in there."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know. I've been here for a while, and I have a pretty good grasp of physical space."

"Ok, can you go get it then?"

Ahri slipped away, but it was not long before she came back huffing with a red face as she struggled to carry everything in her arms. When she got to Riven, she gently lay down Riven's dismembered body parts in front of her.

"Just a second, I left your legs behind."

Riven stared at her own face trying its best to stare back at her without eyes in its sockets. She located her eyeballs nearby, and pushed them back into her dismembered head. They slid in like coins to a coin slot.

Ahri came back, carrying a leg under each arm. She looked pleased with herself, as the little toes bounced with each step.

"So, how do we put me back together?"

"I don't know."

Ahri picked up an arm and tried to stick it into the socket in Riven's torso. It went in, but fell out when she jiggled it a little.

"Oh! Look! There's a little hole at this connecting part. It looks like a lock, but I didn't see any keys in the room."

"Keys? There should be plenty in here."

Riven pinched the skin at the front of the torso, and like a zipper, it came undone. Out poured hundreds upon hundreds of keys, and yet, there were only a few locks.

"Well, the night is long", said Ahri.

"Yeah, we have plenty of time."

And so, the two worked together on the little puzzle. Soon enough, all the pieces were attached, and they had put all the keys back into the torso, just for good measure.

"What do we do next?" asked Ahri.

"I think we have to get my brain back inside my head."

"Ok." Ahri patted her lap, and Riven rested back in it.

"Is this going to hurt?"

"Maybe."

Ahri ran her fingers along Riven's head, but it was as smooth as ever. All she needed was one small crack, and she could force her way in.

There! It was practically invisible, but the feeling was there.

She pushed the fingertips of both her hands onto the crack, and pulled with all her might.

Riven screamed, and Ahri screamed with her.

It hurt a lot. But she was free.