Author's notes:

Hey, I wanted to share with you the next chapter I'm working on.

As always, I hope you will like it, if not, please let me know in the comments. So, I can improve my writing for the next piece of text :D

PS. I must inform you that my last semester on 2nd degree is speedy coming to its end, so it can result in rare updates. I need to write my diploma work and quite a few other stuff. More than that, the period since the beginning of the year has been hectic, to last the least, in the case of my work as a software developer. Still, I promise to update as frequently as I can.

Anyways, as always, I would like to thank you for everything. I would want to thank you for all kudos, comments, bookmarks, follows, everything to say the easiest way. I'll soon post the rest of the chapter. Hopefully before the weekend. See you next time :D

PS. Sorry, it has taken more than it should. Still, hope you will like it.

Changelog:
2021-04-01: A short preview was posted.
2021-04-03: I have added some paragraphs.
2021-04-08: The full chapter was released.

Schedule for the nearest future:
3. Sometimes it's just better not to know (next chapter)/(possibly rewrite).
4. Exiled you say (next chapter).
5. Kiss the rain (next chapter).
6. Whispers in the Dark (new chapter)/(possibly extending beyond just 2 part story).
7. Story of one lost soul (2 next chapters)/(The war call|The heart not so cold).
8. Prisoner of Your Eyes (next chapter).
9. Black Diamond (2 next chapters)/(possibly finishing the story).
10. The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (2 next chapters).
11. Alone (2 next chapters)/(possibly rewrite).
12. Last Christmas (finishing up the story).
13. My home is where my heart lies (a long, possibly 10k + words chapter).

End of author's notes:

The flickering lighting system in the northern hospital wing's mess hall struggled to fill the room with enough light. Currently, the canteen had all but one occupant. The raven-haired woman was sitting at the smallest possible table at the very back of the spacious room. Based on her attire, she must have been a nurse working there. Akali – cause it was the name of the said woman – was deep in her thoughts. In front of her, on the table, her handwritten notes were put. Two thick notebooks could be spotted there. One of them had the word "anatomy" carved on its cover, while the latter had "physiology". Akali was exhausted. She had to put a formidable effort for her eyes not to close. At the very front of one of the largest hospital's halls, the small clock was softly ticking, measuring the passage of time. The item was hanged just above the entrance. On its left, the buffet station could be spotted. The clock's face showed the 11pm.

"An hour till the next round around the hospital," the raven-haired woman thought, sparring a quick look at the clock. She allowed herself to sigh. After all, today could not have been described as easy.

The black-jet-haired woman was waiting for someone. That very person had promised to be here, today for her. Yet, as it was to be expected, the person was yet to arrive. With another deep sigh, the nurse returned to her notes. She tried so hard to focus on the revision. Still, her mind seemed to be occupied with other thoughts, preventing her from putting her sole attention toward the neat notes. She knew that it was foolish of her to believe that this particular person would fulfil her promise. Yet, still, once again, she believed.

The notes lying before her needed to be revisited. After all, her final exams were set to take place tomorrow. To some extent, her future depended on her results. If she had passed, the new possibilities of the future would have been opened for her. The future outside the League, outside the Institute, was at her hand's reach. The only requirement was to pass the exams as best as it would have been possible.

"She is late, again," the nurse sighed a couple of minutes later. "Maybe… just maybe, her match was prolonged," she thought. However, she would not put any money on that bet.

Still, the sadness haunted Akali, at least to some extent. She did not expect, wanted much. All she had ever asked for was for that particular person to be here with her when she would need her the most. However, life did not seem to be on her side in that and many other cases. The woman she wanted to see was most likely fighting god-knows-where, not even remembering what she had promised. Yet another sigh was allowed to happen before the raven-haired woman returned to her notes. Her exhausted, bloodshot eyes began inspecting the notebooks' content - line after line of neat italic handwriting. The nurse did not know how many times she had done that chore so far. However, the fear still lingered inside her mind. The fear that she would not have passed tomorrow's finals.

Even though it was already late, there were still chores to be done, to be attended to. At the nearest table to her left, the small desk lamp was shimmering. The nurse brought it here a couple of hours ago. She was well aware that the lighting system in a mess was doubtful, to say the least. Their light used to be described as white. Yet, currently, it was a mixture of something intermediate between white and intense yellow. The raven-haired woman allowed herself to stand up for a couple of moments, just to relax her stagnant muscles. Afterwards, Akali sat down as comfortably as it was possibly on the oak chair. Her usual nurse clothing was so damned uncomfortable. The heat inside the canteen did not help at all.

The upper part of her uniform had been unzipped partially, leaving the woman with a decently sized cleavage. Akali allowed herself to chuckle openly when she realised what she had done. After all, her boobs were notoriously the topic of her drunk friends' comments. Maybe she did not have breasts as big as some other women fighting inside the Institue, but her size was decent. Not that she found herself unattractive. She was far from such an opinion. The nurse considered herself a beautiful young woman whose one of the deadliest weapons was her beauty. After all, when she had entered the League for the very first time, she had fooled everyone. Almost all had believed that she would not have been dangerous. They all had said that she had been too innocent of posing a threat. Funnily enough, it had taken her only a couple of days to establish herself as one of the deadliest assassins that the League had ever seen.

Akali usually kept her long raven hair clipped into a ponytail. It was the most convenient solution to her, at least if the fight was a conversation topic. However, for today, the woman allowed her hair to be down. The long strands of black as night, delicate hair fell onto her muscular back. One of her dearest friend – Kennen – was known for describing her as a slim/athletic woman, curved in crucial areas. She knew all too well that it was just a mocking, playful comment that aimed to raise others' jealousy.

The silence ruled all over the canteen. After a while, it became difficult for the raven-haired nurse to cope with that. She needed some sounds to fill the air, to fill the space. And… by that, she did not mean the sound of the flickering lighting system. She managed to endure another minute more, but she got fed up with the silence in the end. Without an ounce of hesitation, she got up and walked straight into the massive wardrobe. Inside of it, there were radios, mp3 players and other similar pieces of technology.

Without overthinking, Akali turned on the nearest radio, setting the frequency for her favourite station. In a matter of moments, the air began filling with the soft, rhythmical sounds of guitars. The nurse allowed herself to smile broadly. It would be fair to say that no one would have predicted that the calculated, calm assassin like her would be attracted toward the heavier sounds. Still, in the very end, it was the truth. Metal/rock music was something that Akali held dear. Slightly encouraged by music, she returned to her notes, once again reviewing them.

The sounds coming from the radio made her felt calm, allowed her to relax. Despite her exhaustion, she kept going. After all, these notes would not be read by themselves. The knowledge written on these pages would not magically make its way inside her head. Listening to the songs that she most likely had heard hundreds of times affected her slightly. She felt nostalgic.

She dedicated herself entirely toward revision. If not for the clock, she would not have noticed that an entire hour already passed. Akali was so focused on her notes that she nearly did not hear the light footsteps coming her way. She heard them only when they came to their end. The slightly alerted nurse lifted her head, looking for the newcomer. Sadly, she did not find anyone. In front of her, the mess's emptiness could be found, filled with the shimmering lights. It took her a couple of moments to realise that it would be wise to lower her gaze. As soon as she did so, she spotted a little boy. The unexpected newcomer could not have been older than 5. He was wearing the pyjamas in a mixture of blue and green colours. A huge brown teddy bear with enormously large eyes was held by the child by his frail chest. Below the short-cut chestnut hair, lively, little green eyes emerged. He was using his free hand to wipe his face, trying to cast away the sleepness.

"Hey," Akali immediately warmly said toward the kid while standing up. "What happened? Why are you not sleeping in your bed, hmmm?" she asked, slightly worried about why this child was wandering around the hospital at such a late hour, alone.

"I… I… I…," the child began mumbling before tears ran down his cheeks and a cry left his throat. "I… I lost… pills that mummy gave me. Mummy… said that… doctor ordered me… to take them," he added whilst sobbing.

"Hey, do not cry, buddy," the nurse tried to cheer the child up. "Do you remember how do these pills look like?" she asked. She came closer to the small boy and started to clean his face with pulled out of a pocket-handkerchief.

"I…," the kid started to stutter again before reaching to his pocket. "Mummy… said that I should take these," the boy added, handing her the now-empty packet.

"Oh," Akali frowned for a moment, looking at what the kid gave her. "Do not worry, buddy. I have these inside the nurses' room. Come with me, and I will give you a new pack," the raven-haired woman said with a heart-warming smile.

Thankfully, the pills the kid was prescribed could be described as common. There was no need for her to contact the doctor before giving the pack to the kid. Furthermore, this medication was included in the batch she had sorted a couple of hours ago.

"Come with me, buddy," the raven-haired nurse repeated herself.

The brown-haired boy hesitated for a moment before reaching out for Akali's hand. The nurse encouraged him to do so with a broad smile. Akali noticed that the kid's skin was a bit too cold for her liking. He must have caught a cold during his stay in the hospital. The nurse allowed herself to think for a moment or two more before heading toward the mess's exit.

The nurses' room – she had mentioned before – was located a couple of levels below them. Usually, if she were to walk beside the kid, she would opt to use the elevator. However, currently, it was not an option she could take. Most if not all of the hospital's lifts were old. Even though the technicians had inspected them according to the manufacturer's recommendations, it did not prevent the mechanism noise's constant increment. The noise would be potentially more than enough to wake up the children staying in the hospital. As far as she could remember from today's meeting, there were quite a few kids here.

Sadly, as she expected, the kid had strengths only for a couple more minutes. As soon as he could no longer muster any strengths more, he started sobbing again, stopping walking. Nearly instantly, Akali started to pity the boy. Without much thinking, she picked him up effortlessly. She held the kid close to her chest. After a moment or so, she pressed forward, feeling the soft, regular beating of the child's heart. Even though it was evident that the kid had seen her for the very first time, he trusted her endlessly. It could be proven by the fact that the boy started falling asleep whilst being carried by the strong nurse whilst listening to the steady rhythm of her steps.

It was just a matter of time before they reached their destination. Reaching the nurses' office took them a little more than a couple of minutes. The raven-haired woman woke up the kid with a light shake. She waited for the child to fully regain his conciseness before giving him a pill to swallow and hiding a pack inside his pocket. The expression that appeared all over his tiny face was priceless. For such moments, the young woman was willing to endure the difficulties of the usual day. That expression of emotions was enough of reward for Akali. She was happy that once again, she helped someone. The raven-haired woman decided to give her little patient one more pill. The medication would help the child to fall asleep.

Truth be told, she barely managed to ask what room he had been put into before the boy fell asleep. With little to no effort, she picked up the kid once again, carrying him inside her defined, strong arms. Without anything better and more important to do, she headed toward the kid's room. The boy's weight could not be taken into consideration in her case. With a light, swift movement, she pulled him closer before exiting the office.

The walk to the mentioned room did not take long. To be perfectly frank, only several minutes passed since she had left the nurses' office. In front of her, there was a hall 623. The leading door was of clean green colour. In compartment to the others, it was relatively new. Without much hesitation, the nurse opened the door and came in. Inside, there were 4 beds. In three of them, the children could be spotted. Akali could not identify their gender since each of them decided to hide under the duvet. The most memorable comforter she spotted was embroidered with aeroplanes. With a broad smile, the raven-haired woman pressed forward. A moment later, she reached the kid's bed. With as much care as she could muster, she lay down the child, then wrap the duvet around his tiny frame. The material was covered in green and blue stripes.

Whilst looking at the asleep frame of the boy, she realised something. Whilst looking at the child's calm face, she felt the same pain, the same worry as earlier. It was not a pain in a physical meaning, yet she could feel as if her heart was bleeding right now. Where was her so-called "partner" currently? Where was she doing instead of being here with her now? The nurse needed her to talk to, be right beside her, and loosen the stress built inside her. She was not there for her, which made Akali sad. Time after time, the raven-haired woman had been being disappointed by the actions of her so-called "partner". And… yet, it had been evident that another chance would have been given. It was truly ridiculous if seen outside of the box. There was no reason for Akali to continue pressing forward, trying to salvage this relationship, putting her best effort for it to succeed.

Whilst looking at the sleeping boy, she found an answer, she realised the evident truth. She had been in love with her so-called "partner" for such a long time. And… yet, she had failed to recognise, to name the feeling properly. She sought to have her by her side. She wanted to be a special one for that particular woman. Her fantasies had gone as far as to picture them both raising up the kid. Even though they could not naturally have offspring, it would not have bothered her. After all, many children had been abandoned. For one of them, they could have been its parents, its family, its world. Unwittingly, her eyes began turning glassy. The tears stored for such a long time wanted to roll out finally. Not knowing that she had been observed, she leaned in, planting a kiss on top of the kid's forehead. For a few quick moments, she allowed herself to stare into the soundly sleeping boy. The longer she stayed here, the worse she was feeling. She needed to go. She needed to return to her chores. With a bit of hesitation, she exited the room, starting her round around the endless, empty hospital's halls.

As Akali had initially expected, the round around the hospital had taken her nearly an entire hour. So, when the nurse returned to the mess, she was not surprised to spot someone already residing there. On the oak chair, she had sat earlier, the young woman of beautiful facial features was seated. The long, straight hair of blood colour was her trademark. As always, she allowed them to fall in cascades onto her back.

"Hey Kat," Akali greeted in an exhausted tone, emotionlessly. "You are as always late," she pointed out, closing in.

"Ohh," the red-haired woman gasped, trying to fake offended. "Wouldn't you even greet me properly?" she asked with undisguised flirtation in her rich voice.

"No," the nurse replied simply. "I no longer believe that it has any sense at all," she added emotionlessly.

It took a couple of moments for the redhead to decrypt the true meaning of the nurse's words.

"Why?" she asked immediately after the realisation.

"Should you not ask about that yourself?" Akali responded with a question of her own. "I will make it easier for you this time. I can not rely on you," the raven-haired woman uttered, looking straight at her eyes. "Do tell me, when was the last time you have arrived punctually on our date? When was the last time when I would not have to wait for you, worry?" she asked additional questions.

"Never?" Katarina tried to change the mood of the conversation.

"Precisely," the raven-haired nurse responded coldly. "You have never been on time. I came to the sad realisation that I am some sort of a toy or doll for you. I am a beautiful toy that, as for now, you are still playing with. However, it is not for me to foresee for how long will this state remain. I do feel that such a moment will come sooner or later. You will get bored toying with me, discarding into the dark corner, abandoning me," she added with undisguised bitterness in her voice.

In the meantime, one of the most well-known Motorhead's songs began. The melody of the song was light, subtle, clean, yet filled with emotions. "One more fucking time" slowly started to slowly fill the mess with every single passing moment.

"You're no toy for me," the shocked redhead uttered slowly, standing up, trying to come closer.

"Pfff," Akali allowed herself to scoff, to express her belief of what was just said. "How? Can you prove that to me? Where were you tonight when I needed your company before the finals tomorrow?" the nurse said with a more and more hoarse voice. Her eyes became glassy again.

"I was in the Institute. I had a couple of extra matches to participate," Katarina replied, lowering her gaze slightly.

And I will plead no contest

If loving you's a crime

So go on and find me guilty

Just one more fucking time

The raven-haired woman sang with tears running down her cheeks. They were running in two long lines, disfiguring the bright, noble woman's face. The last thing Akali currently had in mind was the worry for the ruined makeup.

"That's it. Just give me one final damn chance," the redhead made a comment. "Akali, please."

"Ehhh," the nurse sighed heavily whilst backing off. "You will get it even though I know you do not deserve it. Do you have any clue why? Because I love you. I have been in love with you for such a long time, yet I could not muster the courage to say it up loud. I only realised that very recently when I was looking at my little patient. I love you, Katarina. You… the person who would have killed me without blinking an eye only a couple of months ago. You would have killed me without regrets, without an ounce of mind. I love the woman who is a bloodhungry assassin. For whom the feelings do not matter. Even after all of these, I still love you. Maybe… I am just stupid, unwise, a madman - it does not matter. I can not express it any other way - Goodnight," the raven-haired woman summed up with a breaking down voice.

Without thinking, without an ounce of hesitation, Akali grabbed her notes, leaving whilst still quietly sobbing.

The events that unfolded hit the red-haired woman a couple of moments after the departure of the nurse. The silence began soaking her, wrapping itself around her. The silence was being broken by the soft guitar solo, which was concluding the song.

Suddenly, something that probably no one would have expected happened. The bloodhungry assassin of Noxus sat heavily on the chair, crying. She was weeping bitterly cause she knew she had hurt someone extraordinary, special for her.

"I need to fix it. I need to make things right," Katarina whispered before the blessed emptiness sucked her entirely. Still, the pain remained.

The very next day arose sooner than Akali wanted it to. Even though her body and mind were still exhausted, at their last end, she forced herself to proceed with her plan. The raven-haired woman reached her destination more than half an hour before the first exam was set to take place.

If someone had looked at her, she would have been described as cool, calm, collected. Yet, what was happening inside of her could not have been more different. Appearing as calmly as she could possibly, she crossed the awe-inspiring entrance to the academy. It was prepared as a tunnel. On its walls, the figures of men, animals or floral had been carved into solid stone. Each of these carves was made with precision and dedication, the masterclass.

After a couple of hundreds of meters, the crossroad was located. Each of the outgoing branches had a floor made out of white as snow marble. In some places, the endless blackness of the obsidian could be spotted.

In the middle of the corridor leading to the exam's hall, she met her best friends. Shen and Kennen were both wearing elegant black suits. The nurse somehow managed to muffle the laughter after spotting the tiny yordel in the suit. He truly looked ridiculously.

It was only a matter of a few short moments before they spotted her. In front of them, the Kinyoku's heiress was walking. The soon-to-be doctor, miss perfection. Akali was clothed in a pristine white shirt. Over it, she had a black blazer. The long skirt in the colour of the night was reaching her calves. Underneath it, the dark tights could be seen from time to time. Even though the raven-haired woman was not a fan of heels, she opted for them. At least 3-inches high stiletto in the colour of onyx was a really rare sight to behold in Akali's case. The soon-to-be doctor had her hair tied up in a long braid reaching her buttocks. In her right hand, the woman held a small briefcase filled with paper, pens.

"Woah," Kennen greeted Akali with a loud gasp. "You look phenomenally. I bet someone's about to score the top today," the tiny yordel allowed himself to joke.

"Sure, it is the goal after all," the raven-haired woman replied cooly.

"Give her a break, Kennen," Shen ordered. "She is already under a lot of stress," he pointed out. "Still, I agree with our brother. You will pass these exams with ease. Just do not overthink things. It is all that you need to know," the man added, flashing a small smile.

"We're here to cheer for you, kiddo," yordel said. "We believe that you're more than ready for these finals. Anyways, we'd want to wish you luck!"

In the very next moment, he extended his right hand. Shen put his own on top of it nearly immediately. He did not need to utter a single word. A moment or so took Akali to realise what was unfolding. She was so stupid. After all, it was their way to start each mission. It was their ritual. It could be described as a silent promise that they would return no matter what difficulties they would find alongside their tasks. Her eyes became glassy in a matter of a fraction of a second. Knowing all too well that she could not allow them to roll out, she wiped her eyes instantly. There was no time for her to reapply makeup.

As soon as she dealt with that minor problem, her hand rested on top of theirs. When they had been assigned to be a team, this ritual had been born. It had taken place many years ago, yet the bond that had connected them still remained. It was built on top of friendship, the brotherhood that could not be destroyed, contaminated.

"You're going to be the best. As always, if I might add. Remember, we believe in you, Kali," Kennen uttered his last words before the Kinyoku's heiress entered the hall.

Taking all of her finals took her more than a couple of hours. To call her exhausted would have been a massive understatement. All Akali wanted to do was to take a quick shower and go to bed. Sadly, firstly she needed to reach her small yet luxurious apartment.

Getting there took her more than she anticipated. However, when the lock clicked, announcing the unlocking, she sighed. It was just a matter of moments before she could get some rest. Unfortunately, something was off. She senses it as soon as she opened the door. Someone was inside her apartment. She was pretty sure about that.

Carefully, quietly the shoes were taken off. The blazer was the next to go. The 3 top buttons of the shirt were undone, sleeves pulled up. Inside the locker on her right, one of many pairs of kamas was hidden. Across the entirety of her apartment, there were lockers just like that. She had placed them there for the comfort of her mind. At any given moment of day or night, she knew she would have the weapone next to her in any situation. Without an ounce of hesitation, she grabbed her trusted blades and proceeded, delving deeper into her home.

She was moving with a grate of a cat. It would be a difficult task for anyone to hear her steps. After all, she had been forced to train that particular skill since she was little. Within a couple of minutes, she reached the living room. This particular room was usually lightened by a huge lamp hanging high near the ceiling. However, today it was not the case. The light was coming from many sources that Akali identified as multi-coloured scented candles scattered across the entirety of the room. On the comfortable couch upholstered in white leather, the red-haired woman was sitting - a glass of red wine visible in her hand.

"Oh, you're finally here," Katarina greeted the nurse with a broad smile. "I assume you've passed the finals – congratulations," she added immediately. "I've thought that we could celebrate it somehow," the woman pointed out at the bottle of expensive, semi-sweet red wine standing on the table.

"I do not drink alcohol," Akali replied. "You know that. However, we can talk if you want," she offered.

"I didn't know that you're not drinking," the redhead admitted, lowering her head slightly.

"Ahh," the soon-to-be doctor uttered with bitterness. "I must have forgotten that you do not know anything about, or rather close to nothing."

"But, we can still make up for it," Noxian assassin quickly responded.

"How? Why?" the nurse asked, fixing her gaze on Katarina.

"Yesterday, you said that you love me," the red-haired woman started. "I've been thinking about that. I care dearly for you. I'd want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Kali," she added.

"Kat," the raven-haired woman called for the attention. "We both know that you are unable to love anyone, anything. The fighting is the closest thing that I can think about that you truly love. In me, you see the independence, the challenge. It is what you liked, what you seek. However, what you truly desire in me is my body. If you want it so badly, come and take it. Even though it will be difficult, sad for me, I will not stop you. But, please, do not lie to me. Do not dare to say that what you feel toward me is anything but lust, desire," she expressed her feelings.

As if to prove her words, she basically ripped her shit off. Akali was left in a simple lace bra in a colour of grey. The piece of clothing emphasised the roundness of her decently-sized breasts. Unintentionally, the red-haired woman exhaled heavily, then gasped.

"Pff," the raven-haired woman scoffed. "As I said, it is just lust," she pointed out sadly. "If you still desire this body, come, I will give you everything that it can endure. Still, remember I will not be here. I will seal myself in the castle of my mind whilst you satisfy your carnal desires," Akali explained emotionlessly. As if she came to an agreement with her fate.

"So teach me how to love!" Katarina exclaimed loudly. "Teach me how to love you properly. Teach because all I want is you," she added in a whisper-like manner.

Without hesitation, the redhead jumped off the couch, vanishing the gap between them in a matter of moments. Without thinking, she pulled Akali closer, leaned in, capturing the full, kissable lips of the heiress.

"Teach me that even if it required the rest of my pitiful life," Katarina whispered.

The raven-haired nurse lowered her head slightly. A couple of prolonged moments were spent analysing the redhead's face. Finally, she decided to lean in, hovering just above Katarina's ear.

"As you wish, kitten," she whispered right into the ear of the red-haired woman.

The world around Noxian assassin started to spin out of a sudden. Akali descended onto Katarina's lips in a heartbeat, conquering them with ease. The explosion of new raw sensations, emotions was overwhelming.

It could be said that for Katarina, the world ceased to exist when Akali was kissing her. For her, the only meaningful aspect was the raven-haired woman. The woman Noxian would fight for - the woman who was worth fighting for.

The heiress seemed to be a light in the shadows. So welcoming, yet so dangerous.