A/N Phew, college is picking up so it may take longer than usual to pump out the next chapter, it's just a matter of finding the time and motivation to sit down and write in long stretches with my schedule. Either way, enjoy!

Khada Jhin floated in a white void. A quick look at his hands confirmed he was wearing his costume. He felt strangely self-conscious whenever this dream occurred, and wanted to make sure he had it on.

Twin crimson theater curtains swept into existence in front of him, and Jhin knew the show was about to begin. He fell, and soon landed in a comfy seat of the same blood red. A quick look around confirmed he was in the theater, front row. The curtains were still closed, but it was expected. He was four minutes early as usual.

He looked in the seat beside him on the left, and saw the program neatly resting on it. He picked it up and read it aloud, as he always did.

"Tonight, a shining star performs. A gifted celestial and a healer whose skills are envied by Piltover's finest doctors, she will pleasure you tonight with her angelic dance that can calm storms."

"Wow, this is gonna be great huh?"

Jhin started, not expecting the voice. In the seat to his right sat Jinx. Armed with a giant bucket of popcorn, her attention was riveted on the curtains. She was new. "Why, yes." Jhin said warmly, recognizing his fellow producer. "This will be our first big performance together. I cannot wait to see how it turns out."

"Me neither." Jinx said excitedly. She offered the bucket to him. "Want some?"

"Oh I couldn't." Jhin insisted. "I never eat on the first performance of the season."

"Aw come on..." Jinx pleaded, shoving it in his face. "Do it for me, partner!"

Jhin was the agent of Order, he knew this. However there was no harm in humoring Chaos every once in a while. Besides, as the agent of Chaos Jinx could and should push him like this. In the same way he could push her to being more orderly at times. In this way they could become more intertwined in their thoughts and actions, and create true art.

"Alright." He conceded, reaching for the popcorn. "I'll take some."

Jinx's happiness was palpable, and Jhin had to admit she looked almost like a different person when her smiles weren't motivated by passion towards her art. "Yes! You won't be disappointed, this has just the right amount of butter! There's exactly four pads in this bucket!"

Jhin's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Really? No wonder this was sublime." Have I done it? He thought. Has some of Order rubbed off on her already?

Jinx's eyes suddenly turned mischievous. "However... There's five scoops of popcorn in the bucket." She giggled with a devilish grin, holding up five fingers.

Jhin couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you certainly have a gift for surprise."

"Yeah, and you have a gift for that planning stuff." Jinx answered. "A true artist."

Jhin was touched. "Well, I cannot take the credit alone, partner."

Before Jinx could reply, the theater darkened. Spotlights appeared and trained on the rising curtains. "This is it." Jhin whispered, his pulse quickening. "This is our first production."

The curtain raised, and a celestial in a flowing white robe was revealed. There was a strange exotic beauty in her lavender skin and golden eyes, at least Jhin was certain it was the case among her kind. Whatever her kind was. Her white robe reached to the floor, and her head was lowered with her eyes closed. A golden sash adorned her waist, matching bracelets clasped around her wrists.

She raised her head, and her face had a serene expressionless look to it. Jhin leaned forwards to make sure he didn't miss a moment.

Her golden eyes opened and looked placidly ahead. She raised her arms slightly, and twirled around as she began her life's dance.

"One" Jhin whispered, keeping track of the acts he had written.

Part of Jhin feared that the long robe would hamper her movements, but his concerns were unfounded. She moved as gracefully as a Ionian Dreamdeer, and would leap and spin as if the robe wasn't there. She didn't speak a single word. She didn't need to. Her movements spoke bounds.

They spoke of the lonely and sad celestial that Jhin happened upon, under his guise as Khada. Her slow swaying motions showed her despair after being banished from her heavenly realm and her resulting loss of purpose. Every joyous leap told of their long talks, and how they began to become friends. It was Khada that introduced her to the village near her grove. It was Khada who made her hope again, who made her spirit soar whenever he showed up.

"Two."

Her arm movements told of the healing she performed on the inhabitants of her new home, and her brightened face told of how she was not only accepted but embraced. She fell to her knees and acted out the motions of healing, and Jhin recalled all the times she treated wounds he received while pursuing a new art piece. She never knew the truth of his injuries of course, but it was for the best. He very much doubted she would understand his brand of art. Not until the end.

"Three."

She leaped back to her feet and looked to the sky with her arms outstretched, then twirled back into the rest of her dance. It told of her quest of penance for her actions that had resulted in her banishment. Her dance here wasn't perfectly clear in its meaning, as while she and Khada were close, she had closed herself off whenever talks of what exactly she had done to deserve banishment came up.

She then did one more flair of movement then turned towards the silent audience of Jhin and Jinx, and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she bit her lower lip in a silent protest of what was to come next. Jhin stared. Her beauty was certainly there, but it wasn't perfect. Not yet. She looked so vulnerable, so needy of adoration, of protection. This look would need to be immortalized. He had yet to create art of this kind of emotion.

This was why the fourth act was so necessary. It entombed the canvas in its most beautiful moment, and Soraka deserved this much. Whether she had developed any romantic feelings for Khada was unimportant, as all the emotion she had towards him was present in her face at this moment, to be treasured forever. Jhin himself certainly wanted to treat Soraka well, he wanted her to have the perfect death.

He stood up from his seat, and pulled out Whisper in a dramatic flair of reverence. It was loaded with the bullet of Spring, her favorite season.

"Four."

Whisper's paint of life laced through Soraka's forehead, shattering her horn and killing her swiftly. She fell to the wooden floor, blood escaping the wound in her head. A single rose flew from the seats to land on the stage. A beautiful performance to the last.

It was done. Jhin turned to Jinx and whispered, "Come, the final piece is awaiting us."

Jinx didn't answer. Her face was solemn. She followed him to the stage, still clutching her popcorn.

When they climbed the staircase to the stage, Jhin was beside himself in joy. What he saw was a glorious painting, raised from the floor.

Soraka's body was frozen in the beautiful pose of the vibrant body in flight, from a slanted angle. While her back was flat against the stage floor, her legs were bent on the floor in the motion of turning in midair. Her right leg was extended straight outwards from her body at a slight angle at the hip, and her left leg was bent slightly to create the effect of motion captured. Her right arm was extended as well, her fingers loose and parallel to her right leg.

Her left arm was against her chest, clutching the rose and holding it to her lavender lips. They were slightly parted as if sighing in pleasure from smelling the flower. Her eyes were closed, and the shattered pieces of her horn fell among her loose snow white hair to form a halo.

Her blood pooled around her body in the shape of angelic wings. Not one drop soiled her robe. Surely she was art, an angel of artistic magnificence.

Jhin looked upon his masterpiece in pride, then his world exploded.

Jhin awoke with a start as a secondary explosion sounded in the direction of the coastal harbor. He got up from his nap among the mossy trees that littered the Fyri Forest and stretched, wondering briefly why he didn't sleep in the hotel. He looked down at himself and remembered why. He was in full costume. He checked his pocket watch. It was the day Jinx was supposed to arrive, and she certainly announced her presence well.

He checked his equipment to make sure they were sound, then casually walked down to the harbor.

He was fully prepared to handle curious stares from the townspeople, as he usually came here as Khada. But there was nobody to be seen. The entire city was abandoned, and two buildings were smoking pieces of rubble.

At the very least, Jhin thought, I know what scared them off.

He looked around for signs of Jinx, but he didn't even hear the sounds of her guns blazing. Curious indeed. Did she think he was late and decided to go elsewhere?

He wandered to the city square and noted that the plaque dedicating the city to one of the nature spirits was plastered graffiti. When he got closer he realized that there were words written on it.

HEY, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, THEN YOU BETTER RUN!

BECAUSE THERE'S A SUPER MEGA DEATH ROCKET HEADED THIS WAY TO MAKE THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION EVER!

IT MAY TAKE A WHILE CUZ I WENT WAAAAAY OFF SO I COULD SEE THE ROCKET TRAVEL!

SO UH, YEAH, UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE DEBRIS I SUGGEST YOU RUN, KAY?

3 JINX

Jhin whirled around and his face paled to the color of his mask. He could see the rocket coming now. It was almost close enough to hear. With a startled cry escaping his lips, he took off at full speed towards the ocean nearby.

No sooner did he jump into the cool water did the world above him flash white and rattled his eardrums with a deafening explosion.

He climbed out of the water when he was sure it was safe, then immediately regretted it when he started having to dodge debris that was falling from the sky. One particular plank of wood hit him on the head, and made him see stars briefly.

He thought it was his head injury that made him see the figure walking through the smoke that covered the area, lit by scattered fires.

Jinx tossed her hair back and hefted Fishbones on her shoulder. "Hey Jhin, ya miss me?" She asked with a wide grin.

The legacy of the Kinkou Order followed Elder Kaisi into the depths of Tuula prison. Shen had tried prying the old man for any information on Jhin's current state, but the elder's lips were sealed on that matter.

The elder seemed more interested in talking about the prison, or rehabilitation center as they liked to call it. On and on Kaisi prattled on about Tuula's success rate and how well the inmates, or guests, were treated there. He insisted that their fine treatment contributed directly to their speed in recovery.

"Regular prisons fill them with negative energy." Kaisi was saying. "If they work to empty themselves of this negative energy, the system fills them up again, making rehabilitation impossible. However here we continuously pour positive, lively energy into their lives. We work with them to eliminate their negative energies and they are cured in no time."

"Has this worked with Jhin?" Shen asked, trying to guide the conversation back to a useful avenue.

"Did you know that our success rates have doubled in the past decade?" Elder Kaisi asked warmly.

"Enough stalling." Akali snapped. "Tell us what we want to know."

Elder Kaisi stopped at a large door separating the courtyard from the inner sanctums. A bin sat nearby. He motioned to it while moving to block the door. "As part of our commitment to keep negative energies from our guests, we ask if you would leave your weapons here."

Akali stiffened. "Not a chance."

Shen nodded in agreement. "This is hardly a usual visit. We are visiting someone potentially still dangerous. We would like to keep our weapons. What if we kept them concealed?"

Kaisi shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot allow this. Weapons carry a negative energy about them, visible or not."

"I'm staying outside then." Akali said defiantly, then she turned to Shen and bowed. "If anything happens Master Shen, signal and I'll be there."

Shen hesitated a moment, then conceded. "Alright." He removed his steel sword and his spirit sword and placed them, still sheathed, reverently inside the bin. "Are you coming with me Kennen?" He asked.

Kennen shook his head. "Not a chance. Sorry Shen, but I know they are going to have us just sit quietly in front of Jhin's masseuse door waiting for him to come out. No thanks."

Shen nodded understandingly. "I see. Well, I need some quiet time to meditate anyway. I will come back with the information needed."

Kaisi then stepped to the side and allowed Shen to pass. Closing the door behind them, Elder Kaisi led the way.

Further attempts by Shen to glean information were ignored, and as they walked two more monks joined them.

"They need to give Jhin his supper." Kaisi explained.

Eventually they came to a door numbered 44.

Shen waited as Kaisi knocked softly on the door. After a moment Kaisi said, "He must be asleep."

Shen was immediately suspicious. "How do you know he simply refused to answer, or didn't hear you?"

"He has always responded before." Kaisi said.

"Check if he's in there." Shen said, suddenly very keen on getting inside.

"We have the well-being and privacy of our guests to think about." Kaisi said gently. "He will have to come out eventually. If he is being difficult then he will simply have nothing to eat."

"I don't have that kind of time." Shen said as he realized that they had no intention on letting him in. "You're hiding something Kaisi, and I want to know what it-" CRACK!

His words were interrupted by a sudden stick to a pressure point in his back followed by a swift kick to his face. Shen went down hard, his head spinning as his training slowly came back to him. His reflexes were sluggish however due to the strike to his back, and half of the time he couldn't even move a muscle even if he wanted to.

When the monks to his side roughly grabbed his arms and lifted him up, he noted that he was on the ground a moment before, and the pain of landing came to him a moment later.

Kaisi opened the door and gestured to the empty room with the smile still plastered on his face. "It's Master Kaisi dear ninja."

Shen was thrown into the room, and assigned a guard that monitored his ki flow and struck him in another pressure point when Shen started to get feeling back in his body. When Shen collapsed on the floor again, he was bound by ki cuffs lined on the inside with spikes, designed to restrict Shen's use of his ki.

Shen couldn't speak at the moment, but his very alert and deadly calm eyes spoke volumes.

"Don't worry about your students Master Shen." Kaisi said as he turned to shut the door on him. "They will join you shortly. You must understand, this is all necessary. We will free you after a month, but right now we cannot afford you three looking for Jhin at this moment."

Shen's mind raced. Jhin wasn't here.

His dream was accurate. Khada Jhin was free to terrorize the world once again.

Akali waited for what felt like five minutes when Elder Kaisi returned. "Where's Shen?" She asked.

Kaisi smiled warmly. "Shen wanted me to tell you to meet him at the capital. We went in to see Jhin, but something troubled Shen. Instead of telling me what it was, he told me to give you two this message and then teleported away."

Kennen was saying something about wasted time, but Akali didn't hear him. Her eyes flickered, ever so slightly, down to the weapon box. Both of Shen's blades were still in there. Most interesting of all was that the spirit blade had not moved an inch since Shen's entry inside. Her eyes flickered back up to Kaisi within a fraction of a second, and while she didn't smile in acknowledgement, her lips didn't frown either as she nodded. "We'll leave right away Master Kaisi." She said.

With that she turned on her heel and dutifully walked out of the inner courtyard, with Kennen in tow. The pair said nothing as they walked through the outer ring of the complex towards the outer wall and exit. Akali's mind was busy churning up a plan.

Shiru was still at the now permanently unlocked gate, and Akali found it strange that he didn't show any surprise towards Shen's absence. He stepped aside without a word and let them pass.

The two ninja disappeared inside the forest that surrounded the north side of Tuula Prison, and immediately stopped. "Shen's in trouble." Akali said in a rushed whisper.

Kennen nodded quickly. "I guessed. Shen would never leave to go anywhere without telling us." He replied.

"It's not just that; his spirit sword didn't leave the weapon box. His spirit sword always travels with him when he crosses the astral plane."

Kennen grinned. "Guess it wasn't such a stupid idea for Shen to bind his ki to the spirit sword huh?"

Akali's lip twitched in annoyance. She had yet to give Shen slack for binding his ki to the spirit sword, and she wasn't planning on doing it any time soon. "It is a stupid idea." She asserted. "The thing literally floats in the spirit world and has a giant tether on him. Anybody with the slightest amount of spirit sense would see him coming a mile away thanks to that eyesore."

"It doesn't look that bad." Kennen insisted. "It's pretty cool."

Akali was certain at this point that Kennen just grew used to the thing, as he was much more in tune with the spirit world than she was, and therefore could see it all the time, whereas she could only see it after meditation. "We're wasting time here. I need you to go to the capital and tell the elders about what's going on here. Do not go to the Tuula Elder if you can help it. I'll stay here and free Shen."

Kennen nodded. "Good luck. I'll meet you at the capital." With that, he shot off through the forest as his body crackled with energy. Akali didn't have the heart to tell him that he in fact could not go the speed of lightning.

She turned back to the complex, the final stages of her plan forming in her mind. She pulled the green mask over her lower face and crept stealthily to the western edge of the wall. She calculated that she could get to the inner courtyard fastest once she scaled it.

Brandishing her kama, she dug one between the bricks and pulled herself up. She used her other arm to dig her other kama into the bricks and pull herself higher. Once she reached sufficient height, she dug the toes of her shoes into cracks in the wall for extra foot holds. Once she got a pattern down, she swiftly scaled the wall. She stopped at the top, poking her head over the top in a sweep for sentries. Her suspicions were correct: there was lax security here.

She leapt onto the top of the stone wall, and wasted no time climbing down the other side into the inner courtyard. Once she reached the ground, she slipped her kama back into her belt and did a final check for signs of life. Satisfied that there none, she walked to the weapons box and inspected it.

As she expected, the spirit sword was right where Shen left it. The monks must not have gotten the sense to move them. Which makes no sense. She thought. If they were spiritual in the slightest, they would have seen the tether and realized that Shen was making a literal path to him. The implications made her tense slightly. With an effort, she forced herself to calm completely. She needed to meditate.

She dropped to a cross-legged position and closed her eyes. While Shen and Kennen could see into the spirit world with little effort, Akali had to do special exercises, but she never minded. Shen and Kennen had given up some of their time for physical training for their studies in the spiritual arts. Akali had no such excuse.

She lowered the mask from her face; the last thing she needed was restricted airflow.

She breathed in slowly and deeply, and softly chanted in an ancient Ionian dialect designed to hone her ki, and focus it inwards towards her spirit, then outwards. The twin dragons of Body and Spirit twirled endlessly in her mind's eye. As she spoke, she imagined Body to descend, and Spirit to ascend.

"Lath Na Ryi. Sae Eleisa Ryi. Lath Na Ryi. Sae Eleisa Ryi."

After a few moments, she felt her senses heighten. She felt her awareness reach down inside her, and thoroughly embrace her spirit. Her awareness then spread out, searching for other spirits. With her eyes still closed, Akali knew the closest person was currently Shiru, and he was nowhere near her position. She didn't bother sensing farther outwards, as she was in a secluded area. She opened her eyes slowly and was greeted with what was simultaneously an eyesore and a vital clue.

The spirit sword glowed brighter than usual, and a faint purple line radiated from it, pointed straight inside the inner chambers. Akali sprang to her feet and went towards the weapons box. Leaving the spirit sword behind, she took Shen's steel blade and strapped it to her back.

She slowly pushed the doors; even though they didn't make a sound she opened them just enough for her to slip through, and closed them behind her. She pulled the mask back over her face and then went to work.

She used the shadows for cover, creeping with the perfect balance of speed and stealth. She didn't run into anybody as she sprinted down the halls, but several times she had to stop moving or change direction to avoid running into somebody. She had no intentions on killing anybody. Yet.

Once she was nearly discovered.
As she slid her shoulder across a wall to avoid a monk's detection, she froze as the armor on her upper arm scraped against the stone wall. In a stroke of luck, the monk sneezed at around the same time, and therefore didn't notice the blunder. He went on his merry way and Akali thought of Shen with irritation. She still didn't understand why he insisted she change her outfit. While she honored his wishes as he was the current master of the order, she still resented the more armored clothing at times. Master Kusho saw nothing wrong with her previous one.

Soon she came to a room where Shen's presence radiated. Across from the door stood a monk, dressed as a fighter rather than in loose fitting robes like his brothers.

She frowned. She didn't have time to get around him.

She leaped out of the shadows and slashed out with her kama, as silent as the night. The monk died before he hit the ground, actually hitting it with a rather loud THUD.

A swift kick brought the door down. Shen was on the floor in an incredibly uncomfortable position, looking completely paralyzed. A small pool of drool pooled around his face. The monk next to him keeping him sedated only had time to leap to his feet before he was dispatched in the same manner with which she killed the first.

After she finished, she turned and examined the cuffs. Ki locks. She thought irritably. This is going to be a pain to remove. For him anyway. "Hold still." She said aloud as she placed Shen's wrists flat on the floor to give the cuffs something to rest on.

"Akaaal-" Shen started, but his words slurred beyond that point. "Waaaii...AHHH!" His final attempt to speak was cut off in a pained shout as it felt like his cuffs suddenly contracted hard enough to send the spikes straight through his wrists.

Akali's foot swung around and came down hard on the cuffs, splintering them into pieces. Her foot stopped after striking the cuffs so she wouldn't hurt Shen too much. "Come on, get up." She reached down and helped Shen get to his feet. He nearly fell over from the numbness in his limbs, so he leaned on Akali for support. "Now, what were you going to tell me?" She asked.

"Not to kick me in the wrists just to break the cuffs." Shen said, using his now free sleeve to wipe his mouth.

"Whoops." She replied dryly. "What did you find out about Jhin?"

Shen stiffened, then looked at her with a look that seemed almost haunted. "The only thing I found out is that he isn't here anymore."

Akali did a double take. "What? That's impossible. No prisoner has escaped Tuula prison before."

"Apparently Jhin has." Shen said. "What's worse is that the monks here know it but act as if he's still here. They are hiding his absence, though I cannot imagine the reason why." He looked around. "Where's Kennen?"

"He's going to the capital, to warn the elders that Jhin has escaped."

Shen nodded. "Alright. We have to meet him there. We can then figure out if the Tuula Elder knew of this yet said nothing." He looked to Akali. "Put your arms around me and hold tight."

Akali's eyebrow raised. "What?"

Shen didn't catch her tone. "I'm going to teleport to Kennen's current location, which should get us close enough to the capital to get there on foot. I need you to hold on to me tightly so you can be taken along for the ride."

Understanding flickered across Akali's face, and she immediately felt a flush of foolishness for assuming Shen's intentions. "Right. My mistake Shen." You know you've been doing too many solo assignments when you've forgotten how your friends are. She thought with a twinge of regret as Shen opened a portal across dimensions. She knew what Shen's upbringing had been like, and what the last few years had put him through, and knew for a fact that there was only one thing on his mind, now and perhaps for the rest of his life.

The maintenance of Balance.

Shen prepared to teleport to Kennen, and one thought echoed throughout his mind. It had been bothering him for quite some time.

I wonder what I can grab for lunch today...