ACT 29
Katarina looked around her surroundings as if she was being chased by some madman, or possibly looking out for someone who may want to assassinate her. But, truth be told, she was just really really really excited to see Ashe again.
Actually, the letter Ashe had Vi give to her is folded and safely tucked inside the cellphone case she currently has strapped around her thigh. If she were the one who to decide, she would have probably brought the jersey with her. But, Cassiopeia prohibited her from doing so.
She decided to settled in pacing back and forth in front of her seated siblings, the two following her with their own eyes.
"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming..." She chanted over and over again.
"Who's coming?" Cassiopeia inquired in curiosity and confusion.
Only to be ignored.
"She's coming, she's coming, she's coming..."
"You know, if you keep saying that over and over again, people might get the wrong idea and misinterpret those words as something sexual."
"Cass actually has a point." Talon agreed in a murmur.
"No," She stopped pacing and faced her siblings. "You two are just a pair of perverts."
"Says the girl who humped her girlfriend awake." Cassiopeia murmured, snickering behind her hand.
"What was that?" Talon asked, not really catching what their sister just said.
"NOTHING important." Katarina cut in before Cassiopeia could utter anything else about THAT moment.
"What are you three conversing about now?" Marcus queried as he approached them, noticing Katarina's blushing face but not bothering on commenting about it.
"Nonsense... and stuff."
'Okay, that was a pretty lame excuse.' She thought to herself, resisting the need to sigh.
"Who were you talking to in the phone earlier?" Her father asked her.
"Her."
"Her?"
"Ashe is coming." Her two siblings chorused.
Marcus quirked an eyebrow. "She is?"
"Yeah," She nodded. "She... told me to wait for her here."
"It looks like you are quite nervous about it."
"Of course not." She denied to her father, waving a hand feebly.
"I doubt that."
She suddenly felt like her siblings and her father had suddenly united because of a common goal, to tease her and fluster her out of her comfort zone. She started a little debate with her siblings, while her father watched her with a ghost of a smile.
Marcus watched as he saw his daughter become like herself again, and he only has one person to thank for that. 'Thank you, Ashe.'
"Katarina, you're blushing." Talon pointed out in his usual flat tone.
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!" Cassiopeia intentionally teased.
The two may not admit it out loud to Katarina, but they enjoyed having the normal her back and out from its depressing shell.
Katarina felt like she was going to blow a vein due to the absolute annoyance her siblings caused her. She intended to continue her childish 'argument' with her siblings when...
Tug! Tug! Tug!
She felt someone pull on one of her fingers. Turning to her right, she found a little girl, holding a teddy bear and a cone of ice cream.
"What?" She asked, her tone snarky but less meaner than the usual.
"Why are you wearing a dress?" The girl asked.
"She's waiting for her prince charming." Cassiopeia answered for her.
"Shut up!" She growled at her sister.
"What does he look like?"
"White hair, blue eyes, pale skin." Talon described to the girl.
"What can't you two understand about 'shut up', huh?" She practically screeched at the two.
"Ooh, you're a princess?"
"Yes." Cassiopeia and Talon chorused.
"Ugh!" Katarina groaned, wanting to strangle the pair at the same time.
"I'll keep a look out for him." The girl said with a smile before she began skipping away.
Katarina was in the middle of turning around to face her siblings again, when...
"Princess!"
Following the origin of the call, she found the girl again, a fair distance away from her, waving her teddy bear up in the air to get her attention. When the little girl noticed that she had captured her attention again, she began to speak again.
"My name's Annie, and this is Tibbers!" She introduced herself and her stuffed toy. "What about you?"
"Katarina!" She called back, replying to the girl's inquiry. If she were her old self, she probably would have been a bitch to the little kid, but ever since she met Ashe, her 'snark level' had gone down significantly.
Annie smiled and waved goodbye. "I'll find your prince, Princess Katarina!"
As the girl skipped away, dangling her teddy bear beside her, Katarina finally faced her siblings again. Cassiopeia had a teasing smile on her face, while Talon looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing..." Cassiopeia snickered yet again. "...Princess Katarina."
Talon feigned a cough to cover up his quiet laugh, covering his mouth and clearing his throat to add more coverage.
"I'm going to fucking kill you both."
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Ashe had originally planned on taking her car to get to Valoran Park, but she only managed to drive out of the neighborhood. Once she was close to the main road, she parked her car at the side due to the traffic jam ahead of her.
Seeing that using a vehicle is out of her options, she decided to run. Yes, she was still far from her destination, but she could care less. She put all of her energy into her legs as she ran, adrenaline pumping in her veins in each passing second. She huffed and puffed, not stopping for a moment to take a break.
A faint smile can be found on her face with every step she took. She couldn't help it. The thought of seeing Katarina again, it made her heart leap up with joy. As she ran, she felt the presence of her father for a moment before it disappeared. A tear ran down from one of her eyes and she wiped it with her sleeve, releasing a brief and mildly breathless laughter.
"Thank you, father."
With newfound energy, Ashe picked up her running speed, passing countless people that gave her curious looks. She didn't blame them though. After all, it's not like everyday they see some person running down the sidewalk wearing a tuxedo with their top clothing half-unbuttoned.
"Katarina... Wait for me..."
When she caught the sight of Valoran Park, she pumped all the running energy she possessed into her legs and swiftly crossed the road that was filled with cars still stuck in traffic. The park was averagely filled with people, so there weren't too many people for her to look through to find Katarina. She stopped at one of the entrances of the park, planning to scope out Katarina from her location.
But, before she could even start looking around, she felt someone tug at her left sleeve. Looking down, she found a little girl with wide green eyes, which reminded her of a certain redhead, pinkish-red colored hair and a unique brown teddy bear. The little girl also has a chocolate ice cream held with her other hand.
"Hi!" The girl greeted with a smile.
"Oh, umm, hello."
"I'm Annie."
"I'm... I'm Ashe." She introduced back as she steadied her breathing.
"Why are you all tired?" Annie asked her innocently, taking a few licks from her ice cream.
"Oh, uhh..." Adrenaline was starting to leave her system, and she knew that if it were to completely disappear, her whole body would collapse due to the distance she had ran just to get where she is right now. "I'm... I'm looking for... for someone right now."
Annie examined her state of dress and audited her facial features carefully before asking, "Are you the prince?"
"Huh?"
The little girl then pointed down on one of the stone paths marked on the grass and dirt. "There's a princess over there. Maybe she's your princess!"
"Me? Prince? Princess?" She was confused with Annie's words, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask the girl if she had seen a certain someone she came to the park for. "Umm, Annie, have you seen a girl here with red hair? She also has green eyes, like yours, and she has a scar on her left eye and...-!"
"Ooh, ooh! You mean, Princess Katarina?"
'Princess Katarina?'
Despite the mild confusion the title caused her, she nodded her head. Annie pointed at the same stone path she had pointed to earlier, an excited smile on her face.
"I knew it! She's over there! She's waiting for you!"
Ashe gave Annie a tired but thankful smile. "Thank you, Annie."
She went around the little girl and ran down the path, hearing Annie bid goodbye to her over her shoulder.
"Bye, Prince Ashe!"
She internally chuckled at the 'formalities' before she let her mind refocus back to her task in finding her 'princess'. The thought of calling Katarina a princess almost made her laugh. Those thoughts were disregarded soon enough though, her focus returning back to its original goal.
She ran, and ran, and ran...
And finally...
She found her.
Ashe's run slowed down to a jog until she was walking, a bit unsteadily since her legs were already worn-out and she had already exhausted all her energy, except for a teeny-tiny ounce that's currently keeping her from falling down the ground. Basically, if she were a car, she's running on fumes now.
Katarina's back faced her, and Ashe can't help but admire the tantalizing skin the backless form-fitting red dress displayed for all the world to see. It felt like months had passed ever she had seen Katarina, despite the fact that it's only been a few days.
Her focus was taken away from the beautiful sight before her when her legs were screaming for her attention, telling her to give them a break, for they are nearly on the edge of dying and just turning into jelly. Every step she took as she moved forward, her legs would tremble and threaten to collapse under her, but she still forced herself to continue.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to shout for Katarina's name. Yet, her vocals had other plans. She felt like she had only whispered, but apparently, that so called whisper was enough.
"Katarina..."
With speed that can rival lightning, Katarina spun around, the hem of her mermaid dress flying outward beautifully and elegantly, as she faced her.
Green met blue.
...
...
...
Ashe tiredly smiled.
"Hey..."
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As cheesy and cliché as it sounds, it felt like time had stopped for Katarina as soon as she saw Ashe there, all disheveled and mussed. Regardless of Ashe's messed state, the Avarosa still looked charming and bewitching. If she were asked now, it actually felt and looked like Ashe's alluring level had gone in an all time high.
'Is it possible for her to actually be handsome and be beautiful at the same time?'
'Of course it is. This is Ashe we're talking about, you idiot. She's practically the living embodiment of perfection.'
'Can't argue with that.'
"Ashe!" She practically cried out as soon as her mental conversation with herself was over.
Katarina practically dashed forward, and next thing Ashe knew, she was already in front of her. She, without wasting a precious second, immediately wrapped her hands around Ashe's disarrayed self, tightly holding the other against her.
The scent of peppermint, mixed with Ashe's fragrant-like smell of sweat, hit Katarina's nose like a speeding bullet, and she inhaled it as if it was an irresistible toxin. It completely intoxicated her, that's for sure, and she didn't mind it one bit.
She felt Ashe encircle her arms around her torso, and as soon as she felt one of Ashe's hands touch the bare skin of her back, she sighed, finally, in content. Burying her face in the crook of Ashe's neck, she showered the pale skin with featherlight kisses. She loved the sweet and salty taste she tasted as she kissed the sweat-blanketed skin of Ashe's neck.
"Ashe..." She whispered against the skin.
Without a single sign of warning, Ashe suddenly fell to the grass at the side and onto her back, pulling her along and causing her to fall on top of the said female. She would have probably yelp in surprise if she wasn't too engrossed in practically 'devouring' Ashe's neck.
Raising her head and pulling it away from its sweet perch, she gazed into a pair of cerulean eyes, while the owner of the mentioned eyes still had this tired smile on her sweaty face.
"Hey..." Ashe repeated, feeling the fatigue set in. "Is it alright... if we... lie down for... you know, just a bit? I'm a bit... tuckered out."
Katarina smiled as she wiped the sweat on Ashe's face with her own hand.
"Why are you so tired anyway?"
"I... I traveled... on foot... from Grump Street... to here."
Her eyes mildly widened. "You ran all the way?"
Ashe nodded, replacing her tired smile with a dopey one, which caused Katarina's heart to skip a beat for second. Knowing her chest is against Ashe's own, she wondered if Ashe could feel her thundering heart and if her heart is in the same state.
Curious to feel her lover's own heartbeat, Katarina ran one hand down from Ashe's shoulder to her bandaged chest, which is currently on display due to the half-buttoned polo and open vest.
The unsteady heartbeat she felt under her palm made her own increase its beating speed. Looking up to the Avarosa's face again, she released a silent breath of awe as she gazed at Ashe face, which has the sunlight beaming down at it and giving it a sightly and ethereal effect. Ashe, whose eyes were closed just a moment ago, opened them and looked downward, meeting her gaze.
When a long moment passed with nothing happening but them staring into each other's eyes, Katarina broke the eye contact and turned away, blushing lightly.
"I'm sorry," Ashe apologized, caressing her cheeks with her hands. "I'm sorry if I had hurt you in any way and...-!"
She leaned over and took Ashe's lips into her own, cutting off her apology. The kiss lasted for at least three seconds before she reluctantly pulled back and settled on leaving a few light kisses on Ashe's vulnerable collar bone.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. All that matters is that you're here now."
Ashe smiled, but Katarina could still see a small gleam of sadness in the cerulean hues. Obviously, Ashe has yet to tell her something.
"Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned. "Did something happen?"
...
...
...
"Father's dead." Ashe informed her in a murmur after a short moment of silence.
Katarina returned her look back to Ashe and found her lover possessing a neutral emotion in her eyes.
"Ashe, I..."
"But, I think... that's a good thing."
"How... can you say that?" She asked, a tad bit confused with Ashe's words.
"At least he won't have to suffer with the chest pains, the stress, Sierra... Everything. He's finally at peace."
Katarina slowly nodded.
"That's also the reason why I'm here and not getting married." Ashe continued. "Nothing and no one is holding me back anymore. Sierra can keep the family fortune for all I care. I don't want anything in my life, honestly."
She slightly frowned. "Surely you have something you want. Your friends. Lux, Vi, Caitlyn and more."
...
...
...
"I guess I do have something I want." Ashe then quickly added. "Or to be specific, I have someone that I want."
All of a sudden, she felt Ashe firmly grab her hips and push her upward until she was face to face with her, leaving two or three inches as a space between their faces.
Ashe now genuinely smiled.
"And that someone is already right here, in my arms."
...
...
...
Katarina threw her hesitation over her shoulder. She dispelled the tiny gap between them and crashed her lips onto Ashe's, her lips molding perfectly against Ashe's own. Her hands hooked around Ashe's neck and held her by the nape. Using her hands' position, she pulled Ashe towards her and deepened the kiss, the kiss that she oh so craved for from the past few days.
As soon as Ashe parted her lips, her tongue swiftly darted inside and met Ashe's halfway. Their kiss is much needier than the kisses they shared in the past, and she loves it.
Oh, how she missed the feeling of Ashe's soft lips against hers. She wordlessly wished their kiss would never en...-!
"Ahem."
Ashe gasped for some air as soon as Katarina pulled away. She turned away from her lover and looked over her shoulder and found her father, her siblings standing just behind the general.
"Listen, Kata," Cassiopeia started. "As much as we'd like to leave you alone, let me remind you that we're in a park, which is a public place where people are already staring at you."
Sure enough, some of the people around them were blatantly staring at the two of them, some murmuring between themselves.
"And," Talon spoke up. "If you and Ashe are to continue further with what you two were and are planning on doing, it will probably evolve into something more... scandalous, which may result in having authorities arresting you both."
"In summary, we will not permit you two in having sex in public." Marcus stated without a single trace of embarrassment or any emotion whatsoever.
Cassiopeia choked on her laughter behind the general, while Talon acted like he didn't hear anything. Katarina turned back to Ashe and hid her warm face from her family. When she looked up to Ashe, she found the other female blushing madly, which she assumed because of her father's straightforward words. As she silently surveyed Ashe's blushing face, a smile made its way to her back to her lips.
With a pinch of reluctance, she got off of her girlfriend. As soon as she was back up on her two feet, she offered a hand to her lover, who accepted it in an instant.
"Since there is no more wedding, we should probably head home." She heard Talon say.
"Umm, can we... make a stop over?"
"Where?" Cassiopeia asked with a tilt of her head.
"Valoran Cemetery."
All of them, including Ashe herself, turned and directed their attention to the grand general.
Ashe nodded after a second. "Yes, there."
She wound her arms around Ashe's waist from the side. "For your father?"
"Mm-hm," Ashe turned her head and faced her, smiling a bit. "I want to introduce you to him."
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Ashe and Katarina walked through the cemetery, careful not to step on any of the graves present and marked on the grass. Marcus, Cassiopeia and Talon stayed behind at the car, the same car that had came for them after the traffic jam passed. They had asked the caretaker of the are they're currently in, so when the man told them to look for the freshly-made grave, it wasn't too difficult to find Alkove's grave.
They stopped at the foot of the grave, both silently looking at the rectangular patch of dirt standing out from green grass. Katarina spared a glance at Ashe's direction and found her girlfriend surprisingly smiling. It wasn't a bright one. In fact, it looked depressed. She wondered to herself why Ashe would smile at a time like this.
"Ashe?"
"When I was young, my father told me that when the time comes and I visit his very own grave, I should never frown nor cry, because he told me never wanted to see me do any of that in front of him."
"I'm sure he's willing to make an exception right now." She said to Ashe, while the wind howled lightly, feeling as if it was agreeing with her words.
Her girlfriend chuckled. "No need. I came here not to only visit him, you know."
Katarina nodded.
"Father, this is Katarina,"
She felt Ashe stroke her forehand with her thumb soothingly.
"She's my girlfriend, and... I hope you approve of her, because no matter what you may say or do," Ashe turned away from the grave and faced her, making her heart perform a flip inside of her as soon as she met her alluring gaze. "I will never let her go."
"Ashe...?"
"Hmm?"
She broke the gaze, knowing she won't be able to focus on her words if she were to get lost in her lover's eyes.
"May I... have a moment with your father?"
Ashe smiled, a true and genuine smile, and nodded, turning away and making her way back to the car after bidding her father small farewell and promising to come back soon. Once Ashe was a fair distance away from her current spot, she refocused her attention on the grave.
"Umm, uh, hi..."
She cleared her throat.
'I'm clearly out of my element.'
"Okay, uh," She scratched the back of her head.
'Fuck, I suck at this.'
"Let me start by saying that your daughter is wonderful and that she's really great, beautiful and um, sexy, but, I, uh, don't mean anything perverted or anything like that. I mean, she's sexy, yeah, but it's not like I was checking her out and uh... Bah, I suck."
Katarina wanted to start gripping and pulling her hair out. She was only talking to a grave, yet she felt like Alkove was standing in front of her.
'Maybe because he actually might he in front of you.'
"Listen, uh, Mister Avarosa," She briefly looked over her shoulder and spotted Ashe leaning on the car and patiently waiting for her to finish. "I know we haven't really met eye to eye, but..."
A serious but not intimidating expression invaded her facial features.
"I love Ashe. I love your daughter more than anything else in the world, and I promise you, sir, I won't let anything happen to her. She's the first person to tear down my walls and I'm glad she did. Heck, I'm eternally grateful for it. I truly hope you approve of our relationship, because honestly," She sighed and smiled to herself, banishing her serious face. "I'm a bit of a clingy girlfriend, and I'm probably going to make sure Ashe and I are inseparable."
...
...
...
Much to her surprise and expectation, the wind blew and made her hair fly back. The breeze didn't make her cold, but she could feel a presence close to her, and it felt as if someone had just placed a hand on her shoulder.
The smile on her face widened slightly.
"Thank you, sir."
...
...
...
The presence she felt slowly started to fade.
"I promise, I'll take care of her."
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Author's Note: There will be two more chapters next which are the long-awaited sex scenes I'm sure a few of you readers have been waiting for. ;) One chapter is where Katarina doesn't use a strap-on, and the other is, well, where she uses one. :3
So, I was in the mood to let another champion make a cameo, and I ended up choosing Annie! ^_^
I hope all of you are enjoying in reading this. :D
