Yasuo entered his convenience store early at 6:30 AM. Glancing at the counter, he saw Riven standing behind it, her eyes looking hallow with dark circles underneath. Her white hair looked disheveled as if it hadn't been washed for days.

"You alright?" he asked, checking all the display racks to see if all the things were in place. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

"I-It's nothing," she murmured.

"Are you still bothered by that boy quitting?"

She flinched, and he knew that he'd struck bullseye.

". . . Yes," she finally answered, bowing her head. "I-I just have this feeling that he quit because of me."

Yasuo raised an eyebrow. "Why would he quit because of you?"

"I-It's . . . private." There was a guilty look on her face.

"Well, okay then." He turned around and headed toward the entrance. "You might be overworking by working from 6 AM to 1 PM straight every single day, though."

"I'm fine."

Shrugging, he opened the door to get out.

"S-Sir . . . ?"

He stopped and fixated his sleepy eyes on Riven. "Yes?"

"I-If a person did something horrible to another person . . . and he doesn't forgive that person but instead promises not to hate her . . . could that person forgive herself for what she'd done to him . . . ?"

Yasuo just stood there, thinking for a moment.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "But, maybe do something for him to earn his favor."

With that, he left.

Riven sighed, looking out the window at the nearly-empty street.

"Do something for him . . ." She whispered under her breath. "But what?"

She let out a sigh and rubbed at her eyes.

I wonder what he's doing now . . .


"A-Akali! S-S-Stop!" Jeffric yelled.

"Come on, Jeffric," Akali said, suppressing her laughter. "Everybody wants to see how you look like! Don't be shy; just come out and show them your beauty."

"N-No! Y-You can't make me!"

Ahri, Kai'Sa, and Evelynn were all laughing while watching Akali pulling at a fluffy-looking pink tail that was poking out from behind the slightly open door to Ahri's room. Ahri didn't know what that pink tail was, but it was funny nonetheless.

All of them were wearing casual clothes; Ahri in her pair of pink pajama pants and a white shirt that said 'Adorable Foxy' on the front, Kai'Sa wearing a black skirt and a purple and blue sweater, Evelynn wearing a pair of tight jeans and red sleeveless shirt that had a golden heart on the center, and Akali in her recently-bought pair of dark-blue legging and a white T-shirt that said 'Kiss the Rogue'.

It was Saturday morning. Several weeks had passed since the day she'd confessed to him. She and Jeffric had been sleeping on the same bed since then, sometimes on his bed and sometimes hers. Ahri didn't do anything sexual to him; they just hugged and kissed while rolling on the mattress.

She still didn't want to do 'it' with him yet because she wasn't prepared and she didn't want to take his innocence. But, Evelynn had been pressuring her to do 'it' and it made her mind divide into two sides on the matter.

Don't you love him, Ahri? One side of her mind asked her. Don't you want to give him everything you have? Or is your love a lie?

It's still too early to do it! The other side retorted. Wait at least a few more months . . . and don't you dare tell me that my love is a lie.

"Everybody is waiting!" Akali said, pulling the tail with both of her hands again.

"I-I don't want to!" Jeffric wailed, sounding exhausted. The tail moved forward and backward, like the rope in the tug of war.

Ahri stared at the situation happening in front of her while lying on the sofa in the living room, her front pressed onto it.

"Uh . . . what am I looking at?" she asked, glancing at Evelynn.

She gave her a smile, which sent a chill down her spine. "You'll see."

Suddenly, she heard Jeffric crying out. She quickly glanced back at the door to her room and saw him lying on top of Akali, his back pressed against her front. He tried to scramble off from her, but Akali, with her quick reflexes, hugged him from behind.

"Oh, no you don't," she said slyly as she stood up from the ground, bring him up with her. "You can't run away now, Jeffric."

Jeffric struggled in her arms, trying to run away while making some noises like a small horrified animal.

"L-Let go!" he cried out. "I-I don't want to show them what you did to me!"

But, it was too late because Ahri, Kai'Sa, and Evelynn saw fully what Akali did to him.

Kai'Sa started laughing silently with one hand covering her mouth. Evelynn whistled with a sly smile on her face. Ahri eyes just grew wide in shock as her fox ears straightened up and her nine tails froze in place.

"My, my," Evelynn said, crossing her arms. "You actually look like her, Jeffric."

"I did the makeup by myself!" Akali said proudly. "Since there are some differences with Ahri's and Jeffric's face even though they look quite similar."

Ahri couldn't believe what she was witnessing.

"Akali . . ." Ahri said slowly, wondering if she was hallucinating. "Did you . . . did you actually forced Jeffric to cosplay . . . my old self?"

Jeffric was wearing her old popstar outfit; including the cap, a pink foxtail—which was obviously fake, and a pair of fox ears—also fake. Akali must've bought the tail and the fox ears on the internet and brought them with her. The tail hung behind him; the almost invisible belt that the tail was attached to strapped around his waist, and the orange wig covered his long brown hair.

And, makeup decorated his face, which miraculously made him look like her younger self. The only missing feature was the golden eyes; Akali must've not bought any golden contact lenses because wearing them was painful.

Plus, Akali even stuffed some things in the chest section of Ahri's popstar outfit to act as fake breasts—because Jeffric of course had none of his own.

"A-At least get the wig off me . . ." Jeffric whispered in total embarrassment, trying to cover his face with his hands but failing due to his arms being detained by the hug from behind. "I-It's uncomfortable . . ."

"No can do," Akali answered with a broad smile on her face. "I didn't take photos yet."

"Ph-Photos?!" Jeffric cried out in horror. Then, he started riggling more aggressively in Akali's arms. "N-No! I-I can't do it! Please n-no!"

Akali laughed, sounding almost evil. "Sorry, but you've got no choice, little guy."


About an hour later, Jeffric was sitting in the corner of the living room, hugging his knees while staring at the wall. A gloomy atmosphere hung over him like a shadow.

"J-Jeffric, I'm really sorry," Akali apologized nervously. "I admit that I went too far, and I'm really, truly sorry about that."

She was sitting on her knees behind Jeffric, pleading for forgiveness at Jeffric.

Kai'Sa and Ahri sat on the sofa with an awkward silence settled over them like a rain cloud.

Evelynn was leaning on the side of the sofa, staring into the smartphone screen that she was holding in front of her.

"Huh, a new sportscar on sale," she commented. "Oh . . . never mind; it's not my style."

"Eve," Kai'Sa whispered nervously at Evelynn, glancing at Jeffric and Akali, "don't you think it's . . . not the situation for checking for sportscars . . . ?"

Ahri had mixed feelings about the current situation. On the one hand, she'd a fun time watching Jeffric in her old popstar outfit posing in front of Akali's smartphone. She'd made him pose in various poses; her old iconic pose that included the saluting and a large smile (though, the smile he made looked horrified rather than happy) or some poses that had him lean forward in an attractive way or something along the line. One time, Akali even made Ahri pose with Jeffric, like standing back to back with him.

But, on the other hand, Ahri suspected that what Akali did trigger some bad memories. Forcing him to do things that he didn't want to do? Definitely triggered something unpleasant.

"H-How could you do this to me, A-Akali . . ." Ahri heard him whispering in a grief-filled voice. "I-I thought you were my friend . . ."

"I promise that I'll never do this kind of prank again! I swear!" Akali really looked desperate, glancing back at them for some help.

"We're sorry, Jeffric." Kai'Sa sounded genuinely apologetic. "We did go overboard there . . ."

"Yeah, we did," Evelynn agreed.

"Drop the smartphone first before saying that, Eve . . ."

"Akali was just trying to pull off an innocent joke on you as a friend," Ahri said, scratching the side of her head with a nervous smile on her face, her fox ears twitching. ". . . she wasn't trying to make you feel miserable or anything like that."

Jeffric was silent for a moment. Then, he finally said, "Okay . . . I think I understand."

"Yeah!" Akali threw her arms around him from behind, rocking him sideways excitedly. "Thanks, Jeffric."

"N-N-No n-n-need to th-thank me!" Jeffric said, his stuttering getting worse.

"Rogue," Evelynn said, putting her phone into her jeans pocket. "You didn't forget that Jeffric is Ahri's property, right?"

"Boyfriend," Ahri scolded her. "Not property."

Evelynn fixated her cold eyes on her with a scary smile on her face. "Those are same thing, Foxy. And, don't deny that you consider him as your property."

"I certainly don't," Ahri huffed indignantly. "How could a person consider someone else as their property? That doesn't make any sense, Eve."

"Oh, really?" Evelynn's eyebrow was raised.

Ahri gulped nervously because that meant something was going to happen.

Suddenly, Evelynn turned her face to look at Jeffric. "Hey, Jeffric, do you want to go to a motel with me tonight?"

"WHAT?!" Ahri jumped off from the sofa and grabbed Evelynn by her shirt's collar. "How could you, Eve; he's mine! Moreover, I won't let you corrupt him, do you understand me?!"

Evelynn smirked. "See?"

Ahri's angry expression turned into a dumbfounded one as she let go of Evelynn's shirt collar, nervously glancing at Jeffric and her. "Um . . . uh . . . I can explain."

"No, you can't," Evelynn said, a sly smile growing on her face as she winked at Ahri. "You just got busted."

"Yeah . . ."

"Umm . . . what's happening?" Jeffric asked. He looked confused about Ahri being angry at Evelynn for asking him to go to a hotel with her.

"Adult issues, Jeffric," Akali answered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Learn it when you grow older."

"But, I am an adult."

"Well . . . you're a special case."

Jeffric lowered his head. "You didn't have to point out that I'm on the short side . . ."

"I-I didn't mean something like that!" Akali said quickly. "It's just . . . your mind isn't ready."

Kai'Sa raised her hand, drawing everyone's attention. "So . . . when are we going to eat breakfast?"

Ahri, who was watching Jeffric and Akali talking to each other with a warm smile on her face, happily looked at Kai'Sa.

"I could make breakfast," Ahri offered.

"No need to, Foxy," Akali said proudly. "We bought things to eat."


"Spicy fried chickens?!" Ahri asked incredulously, staring down at the plate of spicy fried chickens that Akali had microwaved. "For breakfast?"

"Well, yeah," Akali said a matter-of-factly. "Evelynn and I ordered spicy chickens for two yesterday night and we didn't eat that much, so there are plenty of leftovers."

We were all sitting around the dining table, and I was still in Ahri's old popstar outfit.

When could I take these off? I wondered, glancing down at Ahri's old popstar outfit that I was wearing.

"B-But . . . spicy fried chickens for breakfast?!" She massaged her forehead. "I should've made breakfast instead . . ."

"I kinda wanted to eat them these days," I confessed, picking up a chicken leg from the plate. "They look tasty, too."

"Then I've got no problem on this matter." After saying that, Ahri picked up a wing and tore a small chunk from it with her teeth, and started chewing.

"Wow, foxy," Evelynn said with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't buy anything your boyfriend wanted to eat?"

"Jeffric, darling." Ahri turned her face toward me with a sweet smile on her face, her voice matching it. "Whenever you want to eat something, tell me, okay? I'll buy whatever they are."

I nodded, swallowing a chunk of the fried chicken. "Th-Thank you."

"Hey, can we watch something on the TV?" Akali asked, pointing at the thin and big TV screen attached to the wall just next to the dining table with her thumb.

"I like the quiet right now," Ahri answered, patting my head covered by her popstar cap with her clean hand.

"M-Me too," I agreed with her, an embarrassed smile spreading.

"Me three!" Kai'Sa chimed in, thrusting her fist into the air.

"The news these days are so depressing," Evelynn stated, holding a wing with both of her hand. "No need for depression at the start of the day."

"Oh . . ." Akali looked slightly down. "Okay . . ."

After we finished eating, we washed our hands, brushed our teeth, and then went to the living room.

When we all sat down on the sofa or the ground next to the coffee table, Kai'Sa turned her face toward Ahri. "By the way, Ahri," Kai'Sa said with a slightly excited smile. "Don't you have something to announce?"

"Oh, that," Evelynn, who was sitting next to the coffee table said; a sly smile growing on her face. "Yeah, Ahri; I think it's time."

"He's gonna love it." Akali, sitting next to me on the sofa, said excitedly, glancing in my direction.

What's happening . . . ? I thought.

Ahri, who was sitting next to me, leaned forward and reached her hand down the coffee table. When she pulled her hand out, it was clutching something.

"Here," she said with a broad and cheerful smile on her face. "This is for you."

Looking down at it, I accepted it. It was a box which's sides were covered in wrapping paper.

"B-But it's not my birthday," I said in confusion.

"It's just a gift for you," she said with a wink. "Now, open it up."

Slowly, I opened the lid of the box, which opened up like a case. As it opened, my eyes grew wide in shock.

"I-I must be dreaming," I whispered, not believing what I was seeing. "Th-This is a dream, r-right?"

"Nope!" Akali slapped me on the back with a joyful laugh. "Congrats, Jeffric; you finally received your first ever smartphone!"

Evelynn and Kai'Sa started clapping, a small smile that wasn't quite cold on Evelynn's face, and a genuine smile on Kai'Sa's.

"Congratulations!" Kai'Sa sounded really happy.

"That's a recently-released model," Evelynn said regarding me with her usual cold eyes. "It wasn't cheap."

"Says the woman who buys sports cars . . ." Akali grumbled. "And Ahri bought it; not you, Eve."

"Says the girl who still has to pay for my broken vacuum cleaner." Her smile became cold, making Akali flinch.

"S-Sorry, Eve . . ."

"Are you sure about that, Rogue?" Eve raised an eyebrow, which made Akali flinch again, not making any eye contact with her. "If you were actually sorry, you'd have already paid me the money."

"I-I-I'll pay you when we go back home," Akali reassured her. ". . . please don't kick me out . . ."

Evelynn sighed. "Fine, but don't you dare forget about paying,"

Their words entered one ear and out the other as I kept on staring at the smartphone in my hand. It was a slick and thin object, having a darkish-blue body. I looked at it from every possible angle to see if this was an illusion.

It wasn't.

"Ahri . . ." I finally whispered, looking at her in disbelief. "Did . . . did you actually bought this . . . for me?"

Ahri was beaming so much that I thought the room was lighting up. "Of course I did, darling; it's for you."

My eyes started blinking rapidly as I bowed my head. "Thank you . . . so much, Ahri."

Before I could hold back, tears started to pour out of my eyes as I began to cry softly. After putting aside the box and my new smartphone on the coffee table, I covered my eyes with my palm. But the tears kept on coming.

A smartphone; the thing that I'd always wanted yet I'd accepted that I'd never get in my lifetime. To me, it was an object that only people out of my league could get their hands on. I thought it was something I was restricted from for the rest of my life. But yet, here I was, holding a recently released one in my own hand.

I was crying not of sadness or grief, but happiness.

A pair of arms wrapped around my body as a familiar warmth engulfed me.

"Now, now, darling," Ahri whispered, sounding like peaceful ocean waves in my ears. "Is everything alright?"

"E-Everything's fine . . ." I answered, controlling my voice from trembling as I wiped the tears away. "I . . . I just d-didn't expect to receive this . . ."

"You wanted this for a long time?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well, I'm happy that I've bought it for you, darling."

Suddenly, a pang of guilt vibrated around my heart.

"You're giving me so much . . . a-are you sure my presence is my repayment to you, Ah-Ahri . . . ?"

"Of course it is."

When I looked up, our eyes met each other. At that moment, I thought I saw a tinge of fear in them, like the eyes of a war veteran who was remembering something horrifying in the war that they were in.

"You won't even imagine how helpful you are to me, Jeffric." She said in a warm voice that reminded me of a summer breeze. The fear was gone, from her eyes, replaced with bliss and loveliness. "And, I'm just glad that I can provide my love to you."

Then, she leaned forward and pressed her soft, comfortable lips to mine. They felt so good on my lips that I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. And, knowing that she wanted me to do so, I hugged her back.

"Move out of the way, Eve." I heard Akali hissing at Evelynn.

"Alright." Evelynn's voice sounded as if she were restraining laughter. "Guess I shouldn't disturb the couple when they're kissing, should I?"

When Ahri leaned so close into me that I'd no choice but to slowly tilt back, my back felt nothing where Evelynn should've been sitting.

Soon, Ahri was on top of me, her lips pressing onto mine with more power than before. Ahri's old popstar cap almost fell off from my head as the orange wig moved slightly in its place. My face started to grow hot as sweat trickled down from my hair beneath the wig.

Ahri kept on pressing her lips against mine hungrily like there was no tomorrow, hugging me more tightly as if she never wanted to let me go.

A moan escaped from her mouth.

"Oh my, they're such a passionate couple, aren't they?" Kai'Sa cooed.

"The past Ahri and the present Ahri kissing each other . . ." Evelynn said in an amused voice. "This is . . . interesting."

"Be quiet, Eve; you're ruining the moment," Akali said grumpily.

I tried to stand up, but Ahri didn't let me by going limp, letting her weight press me onto my sofa even more.

When she finally pulled back, some of the lipstick that Akali had put on my lips again after brushing my teeth was smeared on Ahri's. Now, she was smiling happily with her head playfully cocked to one side.

"Oops, I must've gone slightly far with this kiss," Ahri said half apologetically and half jokingly, her nine fluffy tails wagging behind her.

I turned my head, not meeting her eyes as I blushed more than before. "I-I don't mind," I whispered.

"Are you sure about that, darling?" she asked, pressing her hand on my chest. It pressed onto the soft things that Akali had stuffed into the clothes to act as . . . woman's breasts. "I can feel your heart beating even through this."

Whimpering in embarrassment, I covered my face with my hands.


Akali and Evelynn was in Evelynn's sports car, driving to their apartment.

"So, don't forget to pay for the vacuum cleaner, Rogue," Evelynn said, glancing sideways at Akali. "Or else."

"I know," Akali answered, stifling a yawn. "This time I won't forget; I promise, Eve."

"You better."

Both of them didn't talk for a while as Evelynn drove the sports car through a now-dark street, only lit up by street lamps and lights of the buildings.

"You know," Akali finally broke the silence. "Ahri looks so . . . carefree these days, doesn't she?"

Evelynn nodded. "I think so, too. I suppose Jeffric helped her soothe her mental state."

Akali pressed the side of her head on the car's side window. "It's good to see that she's almost healed from the hate she received from the haters." She then stared out at the buildings blurring past. "Imagine what would've happened if we hadn't prevented her from being exposed to those . . . disturbing drawings that were sent to your E-mail."

Evelynn grimaced slightly. "If we hadn't taken away her phone, forced her to not watch TV, and stopped other people from asking some questions related to that in public, she might've found out, Rogue." Evelynn's voice sounded darker than usual as her grips on the steering wheel tightened. Her eyes became narrower as they stared at the empty road in front of her. "She might've even quit K/DA from the shock of it, considering the pressure she was already in back then."

"Well, at least the guy who sent us those pics is behind bars." Akali let out a sigh. "Still can't believe he was on the other side of the planet."

"We're in the age of the internet if you've forgotten." Evelynn looked sideways at her for a moment before staring at the front once again. "There are no boundaries anymore."

"Well, I know . . ." Akali made the window roll down, letting some cool wind hit her face. Then, she turned toward Evelynn with a sudden grin on her face, changing the subject by saying, "But, I guess we should be happy that Ahri is fully returning to her old self, right? I mean, she's even started meeting her fashion designer friends and going out shopping!" Akali sniffed happily and wiped away a tear that was filling her right eye. "I'm so happy for her, you know?"

Evelynn's eyes relaxed. "Of course, Rogue. The K/DA comeback might come sooner than I'd expected if Ahri becomes better and better like this."

Now, a smile replaced her grimace. "If nothing bad happens, we'll see Ahri once again standing on the stage without anything dragging her down . . . like the time when we'd our first concert."

"Good old times," Akali sighed in nostalgia as she closed her eyes and smiled, the wind still cooling her face. "Like good old times."

Suddenly, the side window slid upward, blocking the cool wind from Akali.

"Hey!" Akali complained, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at Evelynn. "I was enjoying the wind here!"

Evelynn, pulling her hand away from the window controller that was on her side of the car door, gave her a cold smile. "You should be thankful of me, Rogue; I'm just preventing you from getting a fever."

"I might get a fever if u keep on smiling like that . . ." Akali Grumbled.


That night, we were lying in my bed, the blanket containing our warmth. Each night, we decided which bed—mine or hers—to sleep in and most of the time hugged and kissed until we fell into sleep. And today was similar.

Now, we were lying side to side, facing each other as we panted for breath. We'd been locked in a deep kiss for several minutes while rolling on the bed. My clothes were drenched in my sweat, and I presumed that hers were the same. Thankfully, Akali had let me take off the popstar outfit before she, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa left.

My new smartphone was on the nightstand next to the bed, placed right in front of a white vase containing a bouquet.

As her softening breath touched my face, her arms wrapped around my body once more.

"W-Wait," I protested, nervously glancing sideways. "C-Can't we just sleep now? We r-rolled enough in the bed, d-didn't we?"

"Don't worry, darling," she purred, hugging me close to her. "It's something different."

Before I could protest, she turned on the bed with me still in her arms. When I blinked, I found myself lying on top of her, some strands of my hair blocking my vision.

"See, it's something different," she pointed out with a playful smile, brushing the strands of hair out of my face.

"I-I guess so . . ." Gulping nervously, I felt her nine fluffy tails pressing onto my back, caging me into her embrace.

"Well, that's settled then." Her hand gently patted the back of my head as she kissed me on the forehead. "Goodnight, my beautiful darling."

"Ah-Ahri . . ." I whispered hesitantly. "B-Before we sleep, could you . . . could you sing the vocal part of Rockabye . . . ?

When she raised an eyebrow at me, I quickly added, "I-I really loved the way y-you sang the song back when we all celebrated my adulthood . . . a-and some of the lines w-were the things that I've wanted to hear b-back then . . . and I s-still do."

She softly patted me on the back. "No problem, darling."

Nestling my head next to hers, I closed my eyes.

That was when she started singing, her soft and beautiful voice gently flowed into my soul, making me feel as if I were floating through a sea of stars; the current leading me to somewhere beautiful.

She works the night, by the water

She's gonna stress, so far away from her father's daughter

She just wants a life for her baby

All on her own, no one will come

She's got to save him

She stroked the back of my head with her slender fingers, making purr.

Laughing softly, she continued:

She tells him "ooh love"

No one's ever gonna hurt you, love

I'm gonna give you all of my love

Nobody matters like you

I felt myself starting to drift into sleep, her voice starting to mix with the flow of my mind. That was when she started to pat my back to the rhythm of the song.

She tells him "your life ain't gonna be nothing like my life

You're gonna grow and have a good life

I'm gonna do what I've got to do"

Now, my soul was flowing through the stars, embraced in her voice. The tenderness of the lyrics and her warmth making my chest feel soft and cozy.

So, rockabye baby, rockabye

I'm gonna rock you

Rockabye baby, don't you cry

Somebody's got you

Rockabye baby, rockabye

I'm gonna rock you

Rockabye baby, don't you cry

Rockabye . . .

Being in the arms of someone you love while drifting to sleep must be one of the few blessings of this world. As I recalled how I used to sleep before meeting Ahri, a pang of sorrow poked through the cozy feeling in my chest.

Back then, the only companies that I had were the lamb and the wolf. Even though they felt real, there were still times when I yearned for a real person to embrace me when I was lying on my bed; Someone who was actually real. Someone who I could hug in a deep embrace. Someone I could tell about the things that were troubling me. Someone who I could actually feel the warmth from.

Now, I had Ahri; her warmth now sharing mine.

"Thank you . . ." I whispered before I was completely consumed by welcoming and blissful darkness.


Ahri stopped singing when she felt Jeffric go limp on top of her, starting to breathe gently.

At that moment, Ahri yearned it. She yearned to take her clothes off and let Jeffric touch her after waking him up. She yearned to give him the most beautiful night of his life. She even yearned to give him her chastity.

Her hand slowly drifted down from his back to his waist.

Maybe I should do it today?

Her fingers finally reached his pants, and they almost grabbed it and pull it down, but she quickly stopped herself.

No . . . not yet.

She glanced sideways at Jeffric's sleeping face next to hers. It looked so innocent just like his inside. Did she have a right to take it away from him? Doesn't it make her selfish to take it? He doesn't even know what the act of making love even was.

Someday . . . yes . . . someday, Ahri, she told herself, closing her eyes. He is not going anywhere . . . and you, too, are not going anywhere . . .


(A/N)

Damn, I finally finished writing this episode. I hope this made your day.