"We would already be in Ionia if it weren't for Sunny Day slowing us down, you know."

Diana grimaced at Riven's stern tone. "I know."

"I said midnight," Riven recalled, still looking ahead, not acknowledging Diana at all. "It's past midnight and we aren't there yet. I do wonder why?"

Diana sighed. "Riven…"

Riven looked at her. "Will she ever stop being insufferable?" She suddenly mused out loud, looking at Diana as if she had all the answers. "Because I swear on the memory of the Crimson Elite, if she doesn't stop being this unbearable, I'll steal this kill from you and claim it as my own."

Despite Riven's dark humor or, better said, lack thereof -just like in the Chosen Of The Moon's case-, Diana chuckled. The fact that the Noxian wasn't using an angry tone but more of a curious one did not help the case but only made her find it even more comical. "I hope she'll stop being annoying anytime soon. If not, the kill's all yours."

Riven looked somewhat relieved, her red eyes open wide as she nodded, "Thank you, thank you." She said, trying to hide a smirk of her own as she looked at the ground.

They walked a few steps, side by side, and suddenly Leona was out of the Noxian's mind, her head plagued with the night, the silence, the calm tranquility.

And Diana.

"Hey, it would be wonderful if you could do that thing you'd do to me."

Diana looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Which thing?"

And Riven found it hard to meet her eyes, so she was still staring ahead as she said, "Helping me sleep."

Diana was trying to look for the Noxian's eyes, but a hand taking her own and entwining its' fingers with hers made her look down.

Riven was holding her.

"I was able to sleep last time, but it wasn't a restful sleep." She eyed Diana out of the corner of her eye. "Unfortunately, it would seem that I'm completely dependant of you for that."

Diana offered the girl a sad smile. "Then you don't have to worry, for I'll take care of it forever, if necessary."

Riven's eyes hesitantly moved towards Diana's, something so intense shining in them that the Empyrean had no words to describe it. "Can you promise me so?"

"I swear it on my Goddesses, Riven."

There had been no doubt from her side.

The white haired warrior chuckled and looked away.

She didn't let go of her hand, though.

"Can I ask you something?"

Riven looked at Diana at that. "Sure."

The former Scholar looked into red eyes as she said, "If you dislike her so much, why did you stop me from killing her?"

Riven's eyes softened, a certain wisdom to her demeanor that Diana had never seen before, even if she had felt it.

And her words were proof of it.

"Because I wouldn't want you to do something you'd regret later on. She's as important as you to the Empyreans, as crucial and essential, no matter how hard headed she is, and she shares a very deep link with you, whether we like it or not. I would hate to see you kill her only to end back in the beginning, with no way to clean your name and a broken soul to bear for eternity."

Then Riven's stare grew intense as she added, "I'd hate to see you battle ghosts in your sleep, as someone else we know does." And a sour wink of an eye.

It could have brought Diana to her knees, the despair she felt at that.

Instead, though, the moonlit warrior squeezed Riven's hand.

She kept the pressure there as the Noxian squeezed back.

They heard approaching footsteps and suddenly Leona came to view, as she walked side by side with them, flanking Riven this time, instead of leaving Diana in the middle between them.

Riven paid her no mind.

Diana felt uncomfortable and looked ahead.

A very, very unstable and rather awkward silence settled over them all.

"Riven."

It hadn't been Diana who said the name.

"Hm?" The white haired woman hummed, looking at Leona with confusion, not having expected the Solari to try and engage with her in a conversation.

"How is it that you're alive?" Leona asked, a deep frown on her face. "You were reported dead during the Noxian inva-"

"I know, no need to keep talking." Riven let out between gritted teeth, with no real anger against Leona in her voice, but fear for her mental state forcing her to stop the words from coming out of the auburn haired woman's mouth.

Thankfully, Leona quieted down.

"Whatever you believe to be the story, I can assure you that the Noxian Invasion didn't go like that."

The Solari didn't miss the numbness in Riven's face, the contrasting fury in her eyes.

"I know the version that circulates your lands." She said harshly. "That I entered the Placidium, bloodthirsty. That I avoided the fallen because I wanted a real challenge. That I humiliated the only one who stood in my way." She looked at Leona, her eyes looking like a bloody battlefield, "That I struck down Irelia Lito and left her in a bloody puddle, before some creature from beyond saved her life and she kicked me out, Zaun's aid annihilating me." She finished, a mocking tone to her words as she remembered Singed's help.

Then Riven looked ahead again as she said, "I never made it to the Placidium."

The Night was as silent as a graveyard.

"I guided the Zaunite Unit with the Crimson Elite. Irelia and her soldiers met us outside the city. We battled until we saw a flaming arrow in the sky. The Ionian Captain and I managed to understand what would happen and protect ourselves, but we had to bear and watch the rest die slowly. It was too much for me, so I fainted. I woke up the next morning, alone amongst a sea of bodies and silently left, the faces of the dead haunting my every step, my reputation destroyed and my life considered to have reached its' conclusion. We hadn't known about the biochemical terrors. We had no clue of what kind of horror we were escorting into Ionia."

She narrowed her eyes, "I hate Zaun for that. I hate Noxus, too, for attempting that prideless war. I hate myself for being a Noxian. So now I'm on my way to Ionia, not only to help my dearest friend, but also to find a certain peace of mind." She looked at Leona, "Does that answer your question or do you feel like torturing me more by asking for details, too?"

Diana became alarmed at that. "Riven-"

But a hard look from Leona quieted her down.

Then the Solari was looking into Riven's eyes, a serious look on her face as she said, "I was just curious as to how you were still alive."

Riven's lip was raised in a snarl, teeth showing as she said, "Well, curiosity killed the cat."

"It was not my intention to offend you."

"Well, you offended the memory of my comrades."

"I apologize for that."

Riven closed her eyes. "Just shut up."

And, surprisingly so, Leona did just that.

And they kept walking.

But Diana couldn't take them anymore- "Did you two hear that?"

Riven and Leona slowly moved into an action stance, Riven favoring offensive as she prepared to strike an unexpected foe, Leona shielding the Noxian's back.

"No," Riven said, scanning their surroundings with the movement of her pupils, "What did you hear?"

"Oh," Diana focused straight ahead, "Maybe my powers allowed me to hear it."

"Moon senses and all that?" Leona asked, trying to sound doubtful but sounding worried instead.

Diana nodded, "I can sense more during nighttime." She looked at the two of them, "I'll walk a few steps ahead and scan the path, you two keep going. I'll let you know if I see something."

Riven and Leona nodded, "Understood." The Noxian said, both of them slowly moving once more, watching Diana as she disappeared in the darkness, leaving only a rush of lunar light behind.

And then the former Hand of Noxus saw Leona strap her shield to her back, "You can drop your guard, you know?" She heard her say.

She must be crazy. "What do you think you're doing?"

Leona smiled, "We're fine, there's no threat." Leona said, relaxing immediately. "She just wanted an excuse to leave us for a bit."

Riven seemed doubtful, but listened to Leona nonetheless, dropping her guard, slowly. "And how do you know that?"

"Because she's a pretty bad liar." She said, looking ahead to where Diana had been before speeding up. "She's always been very bad at lying."

Riven could recall Diana mentioning that fact about herself during their games of questions. "You're right," She said, sheathing her blade, a frown still on her face.

Leona nodded. "Yeah."

Then they fell quiet, but Riven could only think of one thing.

This is going to be a long, very awkward, night.

What in the Void do you think you're doing?

Diana sighed and closed her eyes as she kept running. "By the Gods, Skadi, you sound like my mother."

But you didn't get to meet her, what do you mean?

Diana abruptly stopped running, a shocked expression on her face. "Okay, that was incredibly rude of you." She said to her protector, surprised at the dark humor, but not really offended.

Diana, you're missing the point—

"I needed a time out," She finally confessed, her legs slowly moving on their own accord. "I was getting tired of them throwing daggers at each other. Hopefully, they'll reach some sort of common grounds now that they're alone."

Well…

"And when I say I need a time out, I mean I'd like some time to decompress, instead of argue with you."

Skadi didn't answer her at that.

"Thank you."

Again, she was greeted with silence.

Diana walked towards a tree and slumped down, sitting on the ground, her back against its' trunk.

What the Hell was Leona doing with them? Yeah, sure, looking for answers, but what had sparked such a search?

Surely, Helena.

And how did Helena know about Skadi and Edlyn?

Hopefully, reading, because if she had met them, somehow…

...then that could mean she's in danger, in a way.

Leona's sudden appearance and apparent alliance had thrown the Empyrean for a loop, but she guessed that it meant things were finally coming together.

It also meant they might get complicated, though.

She sighed, looking up at the sky.

New Moon.

"Is this a sign, my Goddess?"

No answer.

Diana's expression turned into one of boredom, one eyebrow raising as she was slightly annoyed but not at all surprised.

"Hah, hah. Silent treatment. Very funny."

You did put me on time out.

"You know I didn't mean—"

She quieted at a faint, distant sound.

What was that?

She stood up, looking in that direction.

The sound grew louder.

Sounds like marching.

It does.

Her eyes widened at that fact.

The sound became louder and louder.

If it was marching, then it wasn't a simple scouting group.

Judging by the thundering steps, it was a whole battalion.

Shit.

"Shit," She echoed her mistress, turning around and-

Run!

-running like the wind.

"You remembered that."

Leona hadn't been expecting the quiet warrior to speak, so she didn't really hear her. "Huh?"

"I said that you remembered that." Riven repeated, looking at Leona. "About Diana."

Leona frowned for a moment, trying to make sense of the woman's words." What, that she's a bad liar?" Riven nodded. "Yeah, I like to believe I remember her pretty well."

It bothered Riven that Leona had remembered a fact about Diana. It made her feel a certain way, it made her look for a reason to prove she knew Diana better. "But you only know a memory of her. She's not the same woman she used to be when she was a Solari, are you aware of that?"

Leona's frown deepened at such words. "What do you mean?"

And she got lost in red eyes as Riven continued speaking, an emotion unlike the contained fury from before shining in them. "You remember Diana the Acolyte, the Scholar, the moon-addled Solari. You never got to know Diana, the Lunar Priestess, the Chosen Of The Moon, the Empyrean. And truth be told," She smirked a bit, feeling she had caught the warrior. "You don't want to know her, either."

It kind of offended Leona. "That's not-"

"You can lie to me all you want, but just like Diana is a very bad liar, I'm a very good one. And if there's something good liars can do," She rolled her shoulders, demonstrating how at ease she was, knowing she was right. "Is detect lies, no matter how good they are."

Leona stumbled over her own words, a faint blush covering her face. "I, I just, I-"

"You don't want to admit she's changed. If anything, you want things to go back to how they used to be." Riven said, interrupting Leona.

She sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine. You win. I'm not okay with this."

She didn't acknowledge the other side to Riven's statement, the part that said she wanted to go back to normal.

But, wasn't this a new normal?

"There you go," Riven said, a teasing tone on her voice. "Doesn't it feel good admitting it out loud?"

Leona nodded, "I must admit it does."

"There's nothing inherently bad with you not accepting her just yet," Riven said as she looked ahead. "Diana is completely aware of it. She's giving you time to come to terms with the fact that you've been fed lies. She's giving you time to open your eyes and see the truth."

Leona once more felt insulted. How dare the Noxian subtly suggest she knew Diana better than her former lover? "And how would you know all of that? How would you know what Diana thinks and believes so well? She was the one to feed me lies in the first place." Leona added, as if trying to emphasize a point she was trying to make.

"Might be true, but then again, it's also true that she didn't know any better and, when she did know, you didn't listen." Riven looked at her eyes once more, this time something even deeper piercing through Leona's stare. "I never got to know Diana the Solari, but I did get to know, and very well, if I may add, Diana, the Empyrean. You know a memory of her, while I know who she really is, now, with all the changes and backstory justifying them and let me tell you this; If you think she'll forgive your sins, you're dead wrong."

Leona got lost for a brief second, "My sins?"

And Riven stopped walking, turning to Leona and grabbing her by the collar, bringing the Solari's face close to her own. "You killed her father," She said between gritted teeth, "And that pisses me off as much as it pisses her off."

Leona felt the need to defend herself. "She killed mine," She answered in a tone just as angry. "An eye for an eye."

And Riven's eyes grew in size for a second. Then, after her surprise washed away a bit, she released Leona, mirthless laughter bubbling up her throat and out of her mouth. "Oh, Leona, you really are stupid."

The Solari didn't like that, "What did you say?"

Riven stopped laughing and looked at Leona with a dark smile. "I said you're stupid."

And then Leona was the one grabbing Riven by her clothing, "You'd better take that back now." She said, finally tired of the Noxian's antics.

"But really, should I? I mean, after all, you're the one being dumb, not me."

And Leona finally asked what Riven had hoping she would. "And what would make you believe that?"

"The fact that you actually believe Diana would kill the man who was like a father to you."

It confused Leona. "She did."

Riven tried not to laugh at her idiocy. "Really now? And what would be a good motive for her to kill him, hm? Tell me, what would be a reason she could have to kill Khait, the only man who helped her when no one else did or could?"

Leona released Riven. The Noxian just asked her the same question again.

"Why would Diana kill Khait when he was the only one to stand by her side, the whole time? Not even you would do that for her and you were her lover."

Leona felt like she couldn't breathe. It wasn't true. "Stop that."

Had Diana talked about them being lovers to this woman?

"Why would Diana kill Khait and then wield the khopesh he made with so much respect for its' creator?"

"Cut it off."

"Why would she-"

"Stop."

And Riven stopped at the quiet, soft plea.

Leona was looking away from her, her back to the Noxian, her hands on her ears.

It reminded Riven of herself every time she'd have to go back in time, when she'd be asked about the night when her only friends had been killed.

"Okay." She said.

Because she knew she wasn't making Leona think.

She was making her see Khait's body, lifeless, on the ground.

That wasn't her aim.

Still...

"This is what I feel every time someone asks about that night." Riven told her, spite contorting her face. "The night Noxus and Zaun played me and my own for all that we were. I don't want to spill any more Blood for Noxus. I want to spill Noxian blood, instead. Do you understand?"

She hadn't asked in hopes for an answer.

Riven turned as she saw Leona focus on her words once more, the fear that had gripped her heart slowly untightening its' hold.

"And before you think I'm lying, because I did say i'm a very good liar, think of this," Riven added, going back to their previous conversation. "A liar lies because there's something to win from it. What do I get from lying to you? Nothing."

Then her mouth betrayed her, when she quietly added, "If anything, I got something to lose."

Leona heard her.

But she wasn't ready to confront the Noxian again, after the mental massacre she faced because of her.

So, quietly, she let out a long breath as she closed her eyes and stood straight, reopening them only to see the bright, night sky, filled with stars and a New Moon.

Then, she heard movement, so she turned to look at Riven.

The Noxian was frowning. "That wasn't me." But she heard it, too.

They suddenly saw Diana running towards them, a somewhat comical look of fear on her face.

And, behind her, the Solari.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello! Me again. The other day I noticed I accidentally updated the same day I started this fic, only one year later. Happy birthday, SaG!

I hope y'all enjoy. These chapters are being short mostly because this is a complicated scene, to say in a way.

Since y'all have been so patient (I mean, 34 chapters, y'all.) Let me say this: Up next; Ionia.

Cheers!