A/N: Hi guys, here's the next installment.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have gone longer than I should've with this chapter (as in, it's too elaborate for no reason). Could be wrong, can't be sure just yet. But, as justification, I felt it necessary to set a baseline of sorts that represents first impressions that characters have about each other. These first impressions are important because they reflect the magnitude and the depth of any changes in perception the characters have over the course of the narrative.

Also, special thanks to my new beta reader, Alsodef. Glad to be working with you.

Hope you guys like it.

"What is truth worth?" he asked.

A piece of timber crackled after being tossed into a small fire. The owls hooted and crickets chirped. The breeze cooed sweetly and the leaves rustled in an otherwise silent forest.

He repeated, "What is truth worth?" This time he looked at the steel sword that lay upright, buried in the earth for about a fourth of its length. It was as if he expected the weapon to answer him, but it didn't. Frowning slightly, he moved his gaze to his water case fashioned from the section of a bamboo stem. Closing his eyes then, he held the case over his head and swallowed its contents in one gulp. Whatever it was that he drank made him wince a little. It was a moment of pain followed by a numbing gush of relief. Eyes open and darting once again to his companion of steel, he waited for a reply. As he watched the flawless blade intently he couldn't help but notice a reflection on its gleaming, smooth surface – the reflection of a man he only barely recognized as himself.

A man with unkempt hair, an unshaven beard, patches of dirt and mud on his face and most prominently, intense yet tired eyes stared back at him from the reflection. The man he saw was not the man he thought he would see more than a decade ago. Adoration and honor were to be his reward, yet here he was, in a jungle, with naught but notoriety to distinguish himself from everyone else.

"Is this what truth is worth?" he mused, moving his eyes from the reflection over to the flickering firelight. He wished for one more sip of the drink which he recalled having emptied barely moments ago. A disappointed sigh escaped his lips as he moved to retrieve the sword at his side. With one swift motion the sword was freed from its hold in the ground and he placed it back in its sheath, preparing to sleep for the remainder of the night.

Laying his head on a low, flat rock he closed his eyes, waiting for blissful sleep which he knew would not come. Still, he tried to keep his eyes shut and his mind clear of disturbances. Several moments passed as he lay there tossing and turning on the grass-covered earth, searching for the perfect position to ease his sleeplessness. But it had started to seem like his insomnia was incurable. After all, sleep was not for those with blood on their hands.

Many minutes later, the drink seemed to finally take effect and his eyelids grew heavy when the sounds of the forest were joined by a low rumbling, like rocks rolling off the side of a slope in the distance. At first, the sounds did not interfere with the drowsy feeling he had. However, the rumbling only got louder over time. Unable to rest easily, he opened his eyes wide paying attention to the noise – where it was coming from, what it could be. As the noise grew louder, he understood that its source was getting nearer. The low rumbling was actually several thuds coming together, approaching closer. It was then that he understood the noise to be caused by trotting horses and horses were not known to roam wild in these parts of Ionia.

He got up quickly and extinguished the fire he'd created. Wearing his spaulder and grabbing his sword, he snuck into the bushes trying to get a glimpse of who it could be roaming the hills at such an odd hour. Bandits, perhaps? Or, a caravan?

Peering into the faintly moonlit forest, he waited, patient and alert. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword and he lay crouched when the first horse ran past him a few yards ahead. Observing the riders he could tell they were here for battle. Uniforms, heavy weapons and the crest of Ionia emblazoned in gold all pointed to the fact that these were soldiers sent by the Ionian leadership, no doubt to dispose of the traitor.

For a moment he closed his eyes, as intoxication and emotion had caused him to once again remember some unforgettable actions in his past. His brow furrowed as he tried to remain unaffected, but all he could do was lie to himself about it. The weight of sadness and the burden of guilt can only be borne for so long. Yet he had to persevere, for he had vowed to set things right. Opening his eyes then, he counted the number of riders, pushing away the painful memories and steeling himself for a fight.

Around twenty five soldiers rode past him while he stayed hidden. The last of them was now out of sight and he wondered whether to seek them out, take the fight to them, or to wait to be discovered or worse, ambushed. A third alternative, to carefully follow after them from a safe distance to learn of their intentions before acting in haste, is what he finally settled on.

Still crouched on the ground, he moved in the direction he had last seen the horses go. He walked several yards ahead before he could hear the sounds of neighing and some talking. He surmised that the party must have stopped. The possibility that the soldiers were out to capture him seemed that much more probable now. Yet, he continued after them stealthily.

As he tiptoed quietly on the grass, he could not help but wonder when he had last encountered soldiers out to arrest or kill him. It took a lot of effort on his part to recall that it had been more than a year ago since the Ionian leadership had tried anything. Chuckling at the thought, he decided to find out what had emboldened them enough to try again after so long a gap.

Slowly he crept forward until he could see the soldiers through the thicket. At least part of his inference about the soldiers was right - they were resting. He could see horses grazing and the men stretching their limbs after a tough ride uphill. But there was still no hint about what they had set out to do. Against his better judgment, he decided to move in a little closer in the hope that he could overhear something about their mission. Tracking and following targets was not for a swordsman. It was in the repertoire of ninjas to watch from the shadows and strike at the most opportune time. The very thought of it annoyed him, yet he had no choice but to follow the men quietly.

The waiting was about to pay off, he thought, when two soldiers wandered off from the bulk of the group. They were walking uncomfortably, mumbling under their breath and what better than disgruntled employees to get the most reliable information about their employers, he thought. As they headed into the bushes far to his right, he stalked them trying his best to hear everything they said.

"What a day, eh?" said one soldier to the other, who nodded in response.

"I finally got some time with my lady after weeks of being posted out of the capital when there came a knock at my door and this fellow told me to get ready and go to the city stables immediately," the other said.

"That's terrible!" exclaimed the first. "I was told it was something really important and I thought I'd get more coin for this assignment. I would never have agreed if I was in your situation," he snorted patronizingly.

"Say, do you know why we're here?" asked the other.

This was the part that most interested the silent listener hidden in the bushes behind them. He paid close attention to the soldiers at this point.

"I heard some things, but I don't know for sure," the first soldier said. "There's trouble down in Ibaki, but they don't know what's causing it."

The two men stopped walking and it seemed like they had reached their destination, which happened to be another patch of thick bushes. Turning such that their backs faced each other, they proceeded to relieve themselves in the brush while continuing the conversation. The lone, hidden spectator silently cursed himself for having to put up with this obscenity.

The soldier continued, "I heard that people in Ibaki are being killed and they don't know who's doing the killing."

"Really?" the second soldier wondered.

"Yeah, but that's not all. I also heard that Yasuo was last seen around here and I bet they think that he's been killing those people. I'm sure the lady wants him dead once and for all. That must be why we're here," he said.

The silent spy was now convinced that the party was out to capture him, yet he did not know how to deal with the situation. He had successfully fought several soldiers on his own on many occasions in the past. There was no reason to believe that this instance would be any different. Yet he wondered whether he should fight them simply because he could. Fighting had begun to bore him terribly, especially the kind of fighting where his opponents were no match for him.

A single moment of preoccupation was enough to distract him from the two men he was following, and the larger party of twenty odd men that were camped nearby. His vacillation continued unabated until he heard the sound of a twig snapping, as if underfoot of someone approaching him from behind. Alert once again, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to retaliate should someone attack. A second, milder sound followed as he quickly turned and pointed his sword at the source of the noise. Much to his surprise and relief, it was just a wild goat. He thought it odd that a goat should be wandering about alone at night. They usually lived and travelled in herds. But he thought no more of the creature, until it started bleating.

Wide-eyed, he tried to get the inexorable beast to quiet down. But the imbecile creature would not cease its vocal onslaught. Deciding finally to force the creature to shut up even if it meant killing it, he drew his blade to the side ready to swing at its neck, when suddenly he heard the loudest cry he had ever heard coming from a man's throat.

"Yasuo!" came a loud shriek. "It's him! He's here!"

He had been discovered.

Incorrigible as he was, Yasuo smirked and slowly stood up to face the screaming man. It was the soldiers he had been following that had finally found him. Ironic, he thought. His sword still in his hands and the bleating goat still at his back, he waited for them to make the first move. The drink from before made him want to exhibit his flawless technique with an intensity that could not normally overpower his sense of reason. Yet, at that moment, the notorious murderer, master of the wind blade, stood before two scared grunts with a mocking smile on his lips as if beckoning them to attack him.

The two soldiers, quaking in their boots, drew on their weapons which, fortunately, they had not placed at camp. Cold sweat had begun to trickle down their forehead and along the side of their neck. Even the mild breeze had started to feel ice cold, causing them to tremble more. But fear was a funny thing. Sometimes it would cause one to flee, at other times it would cause one to fight impossible odds and such a thing could be witnessed even now. Finding it difficult to remain in his spot facing this most formidable enemy one of the soldiers charged at Yasuo, screaming as he ran while the other stood still, almost frozen, and did nothing but watch.

Yasuo was only too happy to show his skills. Smiling still, he watched the charging soldier almost causally. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and he was prepared to execute the plan free of error. When the soldier had approached close enough, Yasuo merely blocked the incoming blow with his sword and kicked the man in his knees causing him to trip and fall to the ground. The force of the soldier's charge made the fall that much more painful to bear and he wailed. But before the man could get up and begin again, he found Yasuo bent over him with the tip of his sword pressed against his neck. Given this position, even gulping could prove dangerous.

Yasuo shook his head looking at the man on the ground. The message was clear - any sudden moves and the sword would find its way into his throat. In the meantime, the remaining soldiers had gathered at the source of all the commotion. Yasuo now found himself surrounded, albeit by soldiers who were too scared to advance on him. Everyone had their weapons drawn, but no one dared to move, lest Yasuo should kill their comrade on the ground.

Yasuo eyed the crowd carefully. Counting their numbers again, he found that there were thirty men about twenty of whom were regular foot soldiers while the remaining, from their badges of office, seemed to hold a higher rank. Still, no one made any attempts to engage him in battle. It was unbecoming of them. The soldiers and Yasuo stared at each other, neither sure of the course of action to be taken until there walked through the crowd a woman that clearly did not belong in their midst.

Yasuo had seen this woman before, most Ionians had. This woman, Karma, Duchess of Ionia, was the savior of the land and protector of its people. Her rise to prominence coincided with his disgrace. While she was propelled to the position of Elder in the council, Yasuo was cast away, his dignity robbed and his reputation tarnished. The Noxian invasion had changed the fortunes of many people, but none had gained from it like she had.

He was taken aback to find her there. Being the de facto leader of the nation, would she really deign to accompany a group of soldiers to capture one criminal, exceptional though he may be? On one hand, it seemed possible considering that Yasuo had killed countless men who were after him, escaping each time and eluding the authorities for over a decade. On the other hand, there were other, more capable people who could have accompanied the soldiers to capture him today. The blind monk, Lee Sin, peerless warrior, or Irelia, the leader of the National Guard seemed better suited to fighting him than the enlightened one. Karma's skills made her the ideal spiritual teacher, not a combatant. Being fellow members of the Institute of War, Yasuo had witnessed Karma fighting both against and alongside him. She was helpful to her team, indisputably, but her contributions were little more than trivial according to him. It didn't seem fair that Karma should become leader of the nation while others remained subordinate to her.

Yet, he did not think of her as the kind of woman who would take on dangerous expeditions out of pride. It could not be that she decided to chase him down because she wanted to prove her prowess in battle to everyone. Curious, he wanted to hear from her, directly, the purpose of their visit to the forest. "Have you come to kill me?" he asked, his tone bordering on condescending.

The answer was slow to come, however. It had been a few seconds since the question had been asked and Yasuo cocked an eyebrow looking at Karma derisively.

At last, she replied to him, "No."

Her expression concealed no malice or trickery. Yasuo could find no traces of dishonesty in the way she stood, or the way she looked back at him, but despite all evidence to the contrary, he did not trust her.

"Why are you here, then?" he asked her with the smile having long since faded.

"That is of no concern to you. Let the man go and we shall be on our way," she said, gesturing to the soldier mewling at his feet. But Yasuo would have none of that.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, smiling once again. That soldier was all that stood between him and thirty others waiting to bash his skull open. "I have another proposal for you," he said, "This one stays with me and the rest of you are free to go."

"I didn't think you would stoop so low as to take hostages, Yasuo," she spoke dispassionately.

It was typical, he thought, reprimanding someone for doing what they absolutely had to on the grounds of morality. She'd spoken the words that every leader is expected to speak at least once in their lifetime. It was almost a kind of tradition, passed down from generation to generation in Ionia.

"Spare me the lecture, lady," he snapped back at her.

"Show some respect, you scum!" bawled one of Karma's men. At that point Yasuo merely laughed, unable to contain his amusement at the incredibly scripted way in which the conversation had proceeded.

"Enough," came Karma's voice almost immediately.

Yasuo was still smiling to himself. Karma had the choice of agreeing to battle where she would lose at least one man immediately and several others soon after, or to leave with twenty nine men in exchange for one which, as was clear already, would have her men rebelling against her in no time. He enjoyed watching Karma's every move and every expression. Nothing like the satisfaction of seeing an opponent caught between a rock and a hard place, he thought. But life's events were not so easily predicted, not even by him.

"I agree to your terms but before we leave, I must have a word with your hostage," Karma said, contrary to his expectations.

The soldiers were visibly shocked and offended, just as Yasuo felt like the ground had been pulled from under his feet. Much whispering followed among Karma's company. Some of the men tried to protest but she paid them no heed and Yasuo had grown that much more suspicious. He felt outmaneuvered but wasn't quite willing to admit it.

"Well, Yasuo, is that agreeable to you?" she asked, impassive.

He recognized that he was being tricked but, somehow, he was still getting what he had asked for – freedom – though it was only temporary. He nodded slowly, unwilling to let his confusion show.

The soldiers argued as Karma walked over to the hostage. "My Lady, how could you leave one of your men with that…that criminal!" voiced one of them, disappointed and aghast. But Karma refused to even acknowledge the comment. The only one not dismayed by Karma's disinterest was the lone man poised to have his throat slit by Yasuo's sword. His cries grew louder, perhaps in hopes to change Karma's mind when he heard footsteps approach him.

"Please…" he mumbled amid stifled breaths, "Please don't leave me at his mercy."

The hostage continued his muffled whine as Karma knelt beside him. Yasuo observed her closely, his distrust rising every second. He dared not look away from her. She, on the other hand, seemed content to close her eyes and proceed with speaking to the man on the ground indifferent to Yasuo and his keen gaze.

She spoke softly, so much so that only Yasuo and the hostage would have been able to hear her. He tried very hard to make out the words she uttered, but all that he could conclude was that she was using an ancient Ionian dialect, one that very few people were able to use in this day and age. Yasuo grew increasingly uneasy as he continued to listen to Karma's words. He felt compelled to look at what the soldier understood, if he understood anything at all of her message.

Looking down at his hostage, he saw that Karma had placed a hand right below the tip of his sword on the man's neck and that the man himself had ceased his sobbing, seemingly unafraid of impending death. Yasuo, now certain that things were not going to end up favorably for him, decided to disrupt whatever was happening. "Stop!" he exclaimed.

"I said, stop it!" Yasuo roared madly, still looking at the hostage whose visage grew calmer by the second while Karma continued her speech. By the time he could look Karma in the eye, however, there emerged from his chest a sudden, searing feeling – burning hot and agonizingly painful – that grew into his limbs. In an instant the invisible fire had spread everywhere making his body rigid and unamenable to any amount of force he employed to break free. The only things still under his control were his eyes. He looked at Karma who was looking back at him, her eyes open, glowing a bright green and drilling into his soul. He saw that her hand, also glowing, was outstretched towards him disappearing somewhere below his face.

As if petrified, Yasuo realized all too late that he had indeed been deceived.

A/N:

eXpaladin: Thank you for the encouragement. I will continue to write and I hope you continue to read. :)

Jacc Krowe: I'm so glad you like it. I agree with you about the fun being in interpreting the IoW (Institute...) but then, I fear my interpretation isn't very.. grand or anything. I don't even know as of now if my interpretation of the IoW with respect to the characters will be very relevant to the story because the role of the IoW is negligible considering what I have in mind.

As for the story, I have a basic plot in mind, just like LoTR had the 'destroy the ring' plot. Most of the details, such as when and how to attain said goal, I am working my way through as I write. Why, I had a whole different end planned for this chapter when I had started writing it! But then I got a ton of other ideas about what I should do, where I should I go from here and some of them seemed a lot better than what I had in mind previously. Of course, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and am not exactly satisfied with the (this) finished product but it will have to do.

Thank you, once again. Hope you enjoyed this one too. :)