Deadly Deception

Chapter 17

Ionia, more like Vionia, am I right?

The shouting wasn't fading as much as they would have liked. Even though the two Vastaya were moving through the trees, and throwing feathers out to the sides to try and throw them off their trail, they were still being closely followed. Usually, they had no problem losing humans, but they had something different on their side this time.

"Rakan!" His ear twitched, and his hand held onto the trunk of the tree he landed on so he could spin around and face his girlfriend, who was perched on her hands and toes. "We need to do something different, babe."

"Yeah, they might have a dog this time." He scratched the back of his head and then jumped onto the same branch. "You remember that little island, Xayah? The one nobody lives on?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Go there. I'll join you later." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and jumped to the floor, turning back to give Xayah a grin and a wink before running in the direction they came from. Xayah reached out to him half-heartedly, rolled her eyes, and pushed herself into a jump to the next branch. There wasn't any stopping him now.

Rakan had a huge smile on his face, swinging his arms forward for momento. The humans that were chasing him skidded to a halt, surprised by the Vastayan that appeared in front of them.

"Hi boys!" Rakan laughed, pulling a gem-encrusted knife from his belt. "Looking for this?"

"Ah, so you're the thieving little bastard." Large hands moved a couple of the humans out of the way, who lowered their guns. The guy who looked to be the leader, a tall, muscular redhead, messy hair parted by two, twitching ears.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who hates wearing a shirt." Rakan grinned, watching the huge guy look down, and then raise an eyebrow at him. "What are you gonna do about it? Track me down some more?"

"If you don't hand me that dagger back, I'm going to make a crater in the ground with your body." His feathers stood up slightly, but the grin stayed on his face.

"What's your name, big guy?" The wolf raised an eyebrow this time, crinkling his scar.

"Sett. Don't you know it?" Rakan shrugged, sheathed the dagger, and ran at them. Before Sett could even blink, red and yellow feathers covered his vision to the right, and the three men went down from cuts from talons, or well-aimed punches to throats. He moved to grab for the bird, but he moved way too quickly and slashed a hole in the last guy's chest, then dropped low to sweep Sett's feet out from under him. He was definitely slower, mostly due to size, but stared up in confusion when he felt Rakan sit over his stomach.

"Nope, don't know it!" The half-vastayan just continued staring. "You're pretty hot, but sadly for you, I'm taken."

"Get off!" Sett swung a hand harshly, trying to break a rib, maybe an arm, and growling when Rakan jumped off of him.

"Watch that phrasing!" He looped his feather-cape over his arm and pulled it over his chest before bowing. "You're not getting your dagger back, and you're going to leave myself and my lady alone, okay?"

"What makes you think I'm gonna stop trying to track you bastards down?" He growled, pushing himself to one knee and dusting off his white pants.

"Well, if you don't, it's gonna hurt for you, isn't it?" Rakan gave him another grin, turned, and ran. Sett just watched him leave with narrowed eyes, then looked to the mercenaries that had been taken down and sighed. Better to track those birds down later than lose some men.

Where Xayah and Rakan had split wasn't too far from the island that they always hide out on. He ran through the thick grass, not getting his talons and toes tangled in it due to practice. There were a few thoughts about stopping for a moment to cover his scent with dirt, but that was quickly thrown out. Rakan doesn't want to mess up his beautiful hair, of course. When he reached the edge of the main island, he didn't see any sign of his girlfriend on the shore.

"Xayah!" Rakan called, after cupping his hands around his mouth. There was no answer, but one of her purple feathers flew out of the trees and sunk into the ground where sand met dirt. He was confused, but waded into the cold water and started to swim the few metres between islands, shivering and grunting as the chill reached his bones. When he crawled onto the sand, he paused on a second to shake the water out of his feathers and hair like a dog, then stood up and carefully walked past the trees, wary of why his girlfriend hadn't called back to him. It was unnerving, staying as quiet as possible and looking for someone who could be anywhere. The pressure lifted off of Rakan's shoulders, and he almost called out to her happily before Xayah turned and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Look," She pointed to a broken off branch. "Someone is here." He stared at her in confusion for a few moments, then walked to the broken branch and ran his fingers over it, healing the exposed wood through magic.

"How does somebody else know about this place?" He asked, smiling down at his girlfriend when she put an arm around his waist.

"I'm not sure, but it could be anybody." They both watched the branch heal and sprout a few leaves before Rakan let go, and then looked around the trees.

"It's going to take me a while before all of these are healed."

"Don't worry about it right now, babe." Xayah put a hand around his bicep and gently pulled him along. "We still need to hide from that half-breed bastard." He let her pull him along, staring sadly at all of the broken branches. He couldn't hear them crying; he wasn't as strongly attuned to nature as some of the other Vastayan in Ionia, but he knew when plants were in pain. Whomever did this definitely did not know how to treat nature. Out of the corner of his eye, Xayah's ears flattened, and he looked in the direction they had been walking, seeing an open campfire next to the abandoned house.

"Do you want me to put it out?"

"It looks like it's been done plenty of times." Xayah said, pointing to scorch marks in the grass. "This person might be a mage." Giving her a soft hum, Rakan focused on the shack, trying to feel for any energy.

"There's someone in there." He pretended not to notice his girlfriend's feathers standing on end. "Their energy is weak, though…" His caring instinct took over, and he walked towards the door, opening it a couple of inches to peek inside. "It's clear."

"Be careful!" Xayah grabbed the waistband of his pants. "You could get hurt!" Rakan put a protective arm out in front of her before opening the door completely.

"It's okay, Xayah. I don't think that they're awake." He still carefully walked over to the bedroom door and opened it an inch, looking around until he saw the comatose woman on the bed. "What the-"

"What is it?" Xayah ducked under his arm and instinctively unsheathed a few of her feather daggers, holding them between her fingers before relaxing. "A woman? She doesn't look okay." She almost took a step before the front door opened again, and a shout brought their attention to it, Rakan turning to look and barely ducking in time to dodge a pot full of water that was thrown at his head.

"Who the fuck are you?!" The person that just entered was filthy and dishevelled, wearing nothing other than tattered shorts and a bright necklace. "Get away from her!" Rakan barely managed to move out of the way, after having a second of confusion about a shirtless woman charging at him. Xayah was also caught off guard, but didn't think much about it because she wasn't even looked at. "You didn't touch her, did you?" She asked quietly, kneeling next to the bed and gently stroking the sleeping woman's red hair.

"No… do I know you from somewhere?" The matted mess of pink hair tilted up, then turned to look at Xayah, tattoo wrinkling and blue eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.

"I… don't know…" The 'VI' on her cheek was a good indication of her name, and it definitely sounded familiar to the two Vastaya.

"What's, uh, wrong with your friend, there?" Rakan's eyes moved over the giant burn scar on her back. "What happened to you?"

"I can't really remember…" Vi looked back at the other woman. "There was an explosion when we were trying to escape… I tried my best to save Katarina, but it wasn't enough…" The two Vastaya shared looks. "We've been here for like… 40 days?"

"She's been asleep this whole time?" Rakan asked, taking a step forward before a sharp glare made him step back. "Hey, chill out. I just want to help."

"We don't know them, honey." Xayah gripped his arm again. "We don't need to help them."

"But… I feel like I know you." Vi mumbled, shaking her head. "I don't know why, but I trust you guys."

"Then move back." Vi was very reluctant to move, but shuffled back on her knees, keeping an eagle eye on Rakan's hands. He hovered one over her chest and focused on what could be wrong, then moved his other to her head, grinning when he felt a stronger pull of bad energy. "I got it, don't worry." Xayah stepped up behind Vi with a spare blanket and tied it at the back of her neck.

"I'll make this into a shirt for you. We all need to have some decency." Vi grinned sadly and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry, I just haven't needed a shirt since it's just been me and my wife here." Rakan almost stopped his healing out of surprise.

"Wife?" He couldn't even glance back.

"Yeah, I know, we're a weird pair." Xayah chuckled and sliced the blanket in half with one of the daggers, tying the end around Vi's waist.

"There we go. That'll work for now."

"Thanks…" Vi looked up at her, face moving to confused. "I feel like I know your name, but I can't think of it."

"Xayah." Vi nodded and looked back at her wife, who, in the process of being healed, started to glow with the magic. "Have you really been out here for fourty days by yourself?"

"I think so. I started keeping a tally after the fifth." She pointed to a spot on the wall where tally marks were scratched into the wall with a pointed rock. "All I've needed to do was keep her safe and alive." The vastayan kept her hands on Vi's shoulders, just so she had the upper hand in case she got violent again. It didn't seem like she would, because Rakan was playing the role of healer, but it was always good to be prepared; especially with the sight of two giant, metal hands in the closet. "Do you know where Piltover is?" Xayah looked down again, only seeing matted, pink hair. "That's home."

"We're in Ionia. How did you get from Piltover to Ionia?"

"We were in Noxus before." Hearing that, both Vastaya had to bite their tongues and tense their muscles from going into full defensive mode. "Since some guy tried to kill us, I don't think they like us." Xayah leaned back and looked at the huge burn scar. There were definitely some powerful mages in Noxus, and any of them could have done that. Still, if they survived an attack like that, and were enemies of Noxus, there shouldn't be any danger; especially if Rakan was bringing the stronger woman's wife out of a coma. "I can't remember who they are, though."

"It's alright." Xayah patted her shoulder, and Vi looked up at her. "Nobody in Ionia likes Noxians. You're… not Noxian are you?"

"No… I'm from Zaun."

"What about your wife?" Vi looked at Katarina again, silently wondering what was taking so long.

"No… Piltover." Rakan pulled his hands away, and the redhead took a sharp gasp of breath, her green eyes opening wide. The enforcer got up quickly, almost knocking Xayah off of her feet as she shuffled over to the bed, taking her wife's hand. "Kat! You're okay!" The assassin's eyes turned to her, and a few moments later, she covered her mouth with one hand and jumped up, not realizing how long she had been asleep, and collapsing to the floor again when her legs failed. Rakan's fifth sense kicked in, and he stepped back as Katarina threw up onto the floor.

"Well, that's a nice thank you." He joked, folding his arms.

"I'm… where am I?" She asked, barely being able to look around before Vi pulled her into a strong hug, tears in her eyes, and hand moving to gently stroke her hair.

"You're okay…" It took a few moments of thinking before she hugged her back, looking over at Xayah and trying to think of where she recognised the Vastayn from.

"Vi," She moved back, holding her wife's biceps and looking into her exhausted eyes. "What happened to us? I can remember something about to hit us, you grabbing me, and then… nothing."

"You're in Ionia, for a start." As soon as the word 'Ionia' left Xayah's mouth, Katarina's heart sunk. "You got attacked by Noxians, from what Vi told us, so you're pretty much in the right place."

"Yeah… I'm amazed that we're alive." Vi stood up and helped her wife to her feet, keeping hold of her arms to make sure that she didn't fall. "How long… how long have I been asleep?" Vi didn't speak, and instead looked away at the tally marks on the wall.

"Geez- sorry to interrupt here, but that puke is starting to stink." Rakan said, followed by Xayah stepping over and punching his arm. "Ow! It does!"

"It's okay, I'll clean it." Vi, still with a grip on Katarina's hand, led her into the (cleaner) living room and smiled softly at her. "You okay, Kat?"

"Yeah…" The Vastaya followed them out, talking in their own language and sitting at the small table. "I'll be okay, but I'd like a better explanation later."

~X~

From her view, sitting next to the small shack, Xayah had her chin in one hand and a partial scowl on her face as she watched those two weird humans run through different exercises to build Katarina's muscle mass back up. It had started simply, with the assassin pushing down on her wife's hands, and now they were standing on their hands. She wracked her brains, trying to figure out where she knew them from. There were faint memories, but nothing concrete. None of them could completely remember where they knew each other from. Xayah knew Rakan, because of course they had spent years together. Vi and Katarina were in a similar place, just in a smaller timeframe. Of course, both humans needed to leave, because the Vastaya needed to hide out from that 'half-breed bastard', as Xayah put it.

"Xayah!" She was shaken out of her thoughts, and looked up to where Vi was smiling at her. "Want to come join in? You look bored." Another mystery was actually how friendly that this pink-haired woman was with them, and how Xayah actually felt a sense of trust in her.

"I'm fine, thank you." Vi just shrugged and turned back to Katarina, dropping her feet into a stable stance and throwing air punches. Katarina was smiling at her and half-heartedly copying her, as she yelled with each punch.

"Here comes the flying kick!" Rakan shouted, jumping down from a tree behind Vi, leg extended and toe beans spread. She barely had the chance to dodge and catch him, carefully laying him on the floor and kneeling over him, but making it look like she slammed him down.

"Not so fast, villain!" Katarina rolled her eyes, still smiling, and stepped away. "You can't get me that easily!"

"That's what you think!" Rakan swung his legs up, catching Vi's shoulder and kicking her away. As the two energetic people play-fought, shouting cliches at each other, Katarina walked over to Xayah and sat down next to her, not noticing her move away slightly.

"Has Vi told you where she wants us to go?" The Vastayan raised an eyebrow at the question, but the redhead was too focused on watching her wife.

"Why? Can't you make your own decisions?" That response got a sharp glare.

"I do not need to explain myself to you. I just want to know where she wants us to go." Again, the glare of this woman felt familiar, but Xayah couldn't place it.

"Piltover." Katarina looked at the floor and played with the frayed edge of her trousers. "Your home, remember? Or do you have amnesia?" The Assassin froze up. Of course she lied about her being Noxian. If any Ionians knew, they would try and kill her in the guise of defending their home.

"No, I remember my home. Before this happened, we were talking about moving to a bigger home." That wasn't completely a lie. She didn't admit it before, but Katarina hated the idea of having a wall on one side of her bed. "How would we get back there? I don't exactly want to try swimming again."

"You'll have to find that out on your own, princess." Xayah said, fighting back the urge to shout over at Vi and Rakan when we accidentally slashed her arm with his talons, but decided it wasn't needed when she just shook the blood off and laughed. "Rakan and I don't leave Ionia, so I wouldn't have any idea."

"I can't imagine why anybody would want you anywhere else." She didn't see Xayah's smirk.

I told you guys that I'd get better without the awkward bump from the last chapter.