This is by far the longest chapter I've ever written, kinda got on a roll. Not much romance once again, but I promise the next chapter will bring with it a little more of the love.

Chapter 5 - A New Order

"When exactly did you plan on telling me you had a prisoner?" After walking off in a fit of fury to find his armour, Zed had decided a better way to relieve his anger was through asking a series of frustrated questions as Shen led the way across the camp, all of which Shen responded to with his typical calm manner, not helping Zed's mood in the slightest.

"Once you agreed to help. I wasn't going to tell you before, I've seen how you handle interrogations by yourself." Zed grunted. Assassins don't do interrogations; they simply get the answers or kill. Why would anybody want to complicate things with bargains and torture? Passing the last of the sleeping tents, they found themselves in a small clearing dominated by a set of large cages. Most were empty, but as they walked through the makeshift prison the sound of a panicked, solitary voice proved there was at least one inhabitant. The closer they got, the more they could make out what was being said.

"Let me out of here! They're going to hunt me down and kill me, don't do this!" Eventually the two ninjas reached the only inhabited cage, a Kinkou standing watch, seemingly uninterested in the prisoner's complaints. The captive's hands were bound behind his back, and his ankles were tied in a similar manner, the Kinkou clearly taking no risks after the slaughter. Although his Kinkou companions were handling the panicked screams, Zed was getting a little fed up with the yelling.

"If you keep yelling like that, you'll only make their job easier." The prisoner scoffed, glaring at the master assassin.

"Well if I can't get out, it doesn't make a difference now, does it? I'm dead regardless, at least this way I can help rid Ionia of you and your ilk." The prisoner laughed to himself, sitting himself down on the metal floor of his cell. Shen walked up closer to the bars, putting as little distance between him and the prisoner as he could.

"Where did you take Akali?" The prisoner's laughing turned into full-fledged hysteria as he fell onto his back.

"Oh you poor, poor ninja, you think she's alive! What use could we possibly have with her?" Shen looked prepared to leap into cage and strangle the prisoner. Realising this, Zed decided it was probably best for him to take over the questioning, even if it was not his strong point.

"Why did you attack the Kinkou?" The prisoner stopped laughing and glared once more at the assassin.

"I'm not saying anything." The prisoner broke eye contact to physically show his intention, but Zed ignored this.

"Why did you take a contract out on Syndra?" This got the prisoner's attention.

"I'm sorry, maybe you didn't hear me, I'm not saying anything." Zed smiled to himself, happy that he had confirmed what he had been suspecting. It seemed this attack was more widespread than the Kinkou.

"Where is your order?" The prisoner shot to his feet, pushing his face up close to the bars, a crazed look in his face. Zed wondered how much food he had received since staying here.

"Hello, is anybody in there, or have you been wearing your helmet too tight? I would rather die than tell you anything!" Zed was upon the prisoner in a moment, shadow dashing into the cage and throwing him up against the wall. For a small moment an image of Syndra, held in the same position, flashed before his eyes, causing his stomach to flip a little before he regained his control. He pressed the prisoner harder, eliciting a painful grunt from the captive.

"You would rather die? Do you know who I am?" The prisoner managed a nod, but Zed ignored it.

"I am the greatest assassin that ever lived. I have mastered the art of death, both its possibilities and its limits. So trust me, if you feel you would rather die now, you will be pleading for respite once I am finished with you." There was a long moment of silence, during which Shen drew his sword in preparation. He wanted to kill the prisoner as much as he was sure Zed did, but he wasn't prepared to lose their best chance at finding Akali.

Zed slowly dropped the prisoner to the floor, waiting patiently for a response.

"I can't tell you…" His voice was raspy and barely louder than a whisper, but his tone had clearly changed. Zed swung his blade, Shen realising too late as he jumped through the bars to stop Zed. He knocked the assassin to the floor, pinning him to the ground beneath him.

"Are you mad! He's our best chance of getting her back." Zed pushed upwards with sudden force, jumping back to his feet.

"That's exactly why I freed him!" Zed pointed towards the prisoner, who was now sitting with his arms and legs untied. He was staring at the assassin with an evident look of confusion. Zed walked over and kicked open the door to the cage, waiting for his two acquaintances to get to their feet.

"If you can't tell us where, then you will show us. Once we are there, you are free to go your own way, which for your sake I hope is far away from Ionia. You will warn us of any traps, and will lead us exactly where we want to go, or I swear you will spend the rest of your pitiful life in my cages, which are a lot less comfortable than these." Zed stood aside as he allowed Shen out, followed by their prisoner turned guide. They started walking towards the outskirts of the encampment, Shen still in the lead. Once they reached it, a guard ran up carrying both Shen and Zed's helmets, which they thankfully accepted, slipping them over their heads before turning their attention back to their new companion.

"Your turn, take the lead." The prisoner said nothing, but slowly started off through the jungle, purpose evident in his posture. The small group would have walked for a good two hours under the guidance of the prisoner, a voyage that was slowed by areas of dense forest. It was once the forest began to get lighter that Zed got a nagging feeling that something was wrong, and drew his blades as a result. The prisoner stopped.

"There is a small temple on the other side of that line of trees. It won't look like anything spectacular, but once inside you'll see why we chose it." He pointed towards a collection of ancient oaks in the distance, then to a set of small bushes either side of it.

'There are guards in each of those bushes. They can't see us yet, but if we go much closer it'll be risky." Zed was genuinely impressed by how forthcoming the prisoner had become. The prospect of freedom was clearly a greater force than he had anticipated.

"Thankyou for your help." Zed pushed the prisoner, who vanished into thin air. Shen raised an eyebrow at his companion.

"What did you do to him?"

"He'll be fine, should wake up in a port town where I hope he'll take a boat to Noxus." Shen allowed himself a quiet laugh.

"I half expected you to just slit his throat."

"You must be rubbing off on me." The two smiled beneath their helmets before refocussing, stepping into a set of bushes which would allow them an unseen approach towards the temple. The two ninjas walked making next to no noise until they were able to see the two guards watching vigilantly near the tree line. Zed pointed towards the one farther away, then made a pointing motion towards himself, before doing the same for the second guard, this time indicating Shen. The Kinkou nodded, holding up his fingers in the form of a countdown. Three. Two. One.

Zed shadow jumped to behind the far guard, instantly slitting his throat to silence him. At the same time, Shen leapt the nearer guard, using his momentum to knock the unaware soldier unconscious. The two ninjas stood and met each other at the tree line, brushing off the loose leaves from the bushes.

"Been a long time since we've fought together, this should be fun." Zed smiled at Shen's words, walking through the tree line until he could see the temple. A quick scan of the area showed that no other guards seemed to be in the surrounding forest, the bushes far too thick for anyone to get through without unnecessary noise. There was a pair of guards standing in front of a small stone gateway, facing in their direction, although Zed was fairly sure they could not see them.

"If we take out the guards I fear they'll get found. It may just be better to jump behind them."

"Do you have enough energy to take both of us after transporting the prisoner?" Zed thought on this for a moment, trying to feel the shadow energy within his body. After a few seconds, he nodded. Grasping Zed's hand, Shen closed his eyes and tried to ignore the nauseating feeling as his body dissolved into pure darkness, only to reconstruct itself behind the guards. The pair landed silently, and wasted no time running further into the temple, footsteps silent and ears open for the sound of any other guards. Eventually they reached a small opening, a few guards sitting and talking around a small fire lit in the middle. Zed and Shen stayed in the shadows of the passage, ensuring they remain unnoticed.

"We're do we go now?"

"We need to find an isolated guard, one we can easily talk to without getting seen. Hopefully they'll know where Akali can be found." Shen nodded at Zed's plan, watching the group of guards intently. After a few minutes, one of the guards stood up and dismissed himself, walking alone down one of the nearby halls. Zed looked at Shen, both having the same idea. They shadow jumped again, this time appearing behind the now isolated guard. Zed instantly wrapped his arms around the head, palm covering his mouth. Shen did the talking.

"You tell us where our friend is, and he doesn't slit your throat, got it?" The guard only glared at the Kinkou, but a tightening of Zed's arms quickly extinguished any thoughts of rebellion. Zed slowly removed his hand, letting the guard talk.

"They keep the prisoners in the lower levels. The stairwell is at the far end of this hall. Just, please don't kill me." Zed hit the guard over the head, his unconscious form falling to the ground. Shen just stared at Zed.

"What?"

"Once again you didn't slit his throat." Zed growled.

"You really want to bring this up now?" Shen shrugged.

"Kind of calls into question your 'merciless' reputation." The two continued down the hall in silence, already able to feel the path sloping downwards. Zed could clearly feel the pressure on his ears as they continued; they were heading further underground. Now Zed realised why they had chosen this place and what the prisoner had meant. These halls seemed impossibly long for how the building had seemed from the surface, which made it the perfect centre of operations for a group that wished to remain undisturbed. They could use up as much space as they wanted, and nobody would figure it out unless they were looking for it. He had to smile in respect for their thinking, and made a mental note to claim the temple for his own order once this was all over. Eventually they reached the stairwell, a pair of guards standing in front of it. A few seconds later, Zed and Shen were behind them and walking down the steps.

"Maybe I should have adopted the shadow art when I had the chance. Certainly makes getting around a hell of a lot easier." A few more sets of guards were using the stairwell, each getting off at different levels. Every time another pair came close, Zed would use his shadows to jump behind them, continuing as though nothing had happened. By the time they reached the bottom of the steps, stepping into the first of the holding cells, Zed could feel the use of energy taking its toll on his body. They began the tedious task of checking all the cells. Kennen had been right, they had taken no prisoners. The few cells that contained a member of the Kinkou did not contain any living ones, the sight of the bodies causing Shen's blood to boil. They met a few guards along the way, using the shadows to either jump behind them or wait for the passing, the latter being the more preferred given Zed's fatigued state.

They were beginning to lose hope when they overheard a guard's conversation. Zed had been eavesdropping whenever he could, but most of it was idle chitchat, but this conversation was different. Zed signalled for Shen to stop, slowing himself to focus better on the two voices.

"Hey, clean this cell up. The ninja will be back from interrogation soon, and the master wants her cell cleaned." The voice was group and authoritative, clearly one of a warden rather than a typical guard.

"Why doesn't he just kill her? What makes her better than all the rest?" The second voice was more colloquial, clearly just trying to make conversation. The sound of flesh meeting flesh could be heard, the lower ranked clearly facing punishment for his comment.

"Who are you to question the master's will? Just do it!" Shen tugged on Zed's arm, getting his attention. He mouthed a word; she. Zed nodded in agreement, this was most likely Akali. The pair made their way around the corner, shadow dashing to avoid the guard they had overheard, now rubbing his face where a large red mark was coming up. The two continued to follow the sounds of footsteps, the ones they knew belonged to the warden. The footsteps stopped, and the sound of a door opening filled the hall. Footsteps resumed, a door slammed, but not before Zed and Shen had shadow dashed into the room behind the warden. They didn't give him a chance to respond, Zed once again taking the dominant position and covering the warden's mouth.

"The interrogation chambers, how do we reach them?" The warden growled, throwing his elbow back into Zed's ribs. While Zed had been anticipating the blow, he had not foreseen the incredible strength the warden had, finding himself winded as a result of the attack. The warden rushed Shen, who expertly sidestepped and dug his own elbow into the warden's chest, causing him to stumble. Zed dashed to the other side of him, stopping the warden from crashing into the door and alerting every other guard. He instantly threw his palm to the warden's mouth, this time wrapping his body around the warden so that he could not be so easily hit. Shen recovered, coming back over to the warden.

"How about you just answer the question." The warden said nothing, but his eyes betrayed him. The faintest flicker towards a desk in the corner of the room told Shen all he needed to know, walking over and rummaging around the papers until he found what he was looking for; a map. He smiled at Zed, putting the rest of the papers back until something else caught his eye. Picking it up, he began to read. It was a prisoner report, detailing the treatment regime for a particular prisoner. It was brutal, with obscene amounts of torture and violence. This wouldn't have mattered much if it weren't for the description of the prisoner; black hair and green eyes, female. Although the description was simplistic and not overly precise, Shen knew instantly who it was, and immediately felt his control leave him. He dashed towards the warden, digging both his swords into the man's chest. The warden's eyes widened in shock before his body slumped forward, Zed letting it drop to the floor. Now it was Zed's turn to raise his brow.

"That was a little harsh don't you think." Shen growled, looking down at the dead warden.

"If what that report said is true, he deserved much worse." There was something in the way Shen spoke that made Zed take a step back. He had heard it before, the dark change in tone. He remembered when he first heard it, the chill that went up his spine when he heard the voice. His voice.

Zed put a hand on Shen's shoulder.

"Balance in all things, that's what you always say. Now more than ever you must remember your teachings." Shen growled, pushing the assassin back.

"Who are you to preach on the Kinkou way? You abandoned us for exactly this, the life of an assassin." Zed put his hand back on Shen's shoulder, tightening his grip this time.

"And it is for exactly that reason why you must not give into it. Trust me." Shen looked up at Zed in disbelief, the way he had so easily dismissed his own philosophy astonishing the Kinkou.

"What are you Zed, because for a moment there, you sounded like the aspirant Kinkou I once knew." Zed stared off past Shen, considering the question. His thoughts turned to why he chose the way of shadows, the desire for strength. The feeling had been so overwhelming then, but it seemed so petty now. Instead he felt that surge of purpose, the need for strength quelled by his need to save Akali.

And Syndra. A voice whispered at the back of his mind, confusing Zed. He shook his head, dismissing his philosophical dilemma for after this was over.

"It doesn't matter right now, let's go get Akali." Shen pulled his swords out of the warden, a final look of disgust crossing his features before they made their way out of the room. Consulting the map, they began to make their way towards the interrogation area, shadow jumping as required. Once they finally reached what they figured was the interrogation room, voices could be heard on the other side. One sounded pained, but was clearly female. The other was masculine, but had a ring to it that made Zed think that it wasn't Ionian in origin. Kneeling down, Zed looked through the keyhole of the door, seeing only a deserted balcony overlooking a larger area below. Realising this, Zed silently opened the door and the two ninja's made their way into the room, creeping up to the edge to overlook the banister. There were a large collection of guards and soldiers down below, but two figures stood out. The first was a male, standing about as tall as Zed, adorning intricate, black leather armour. A cape was laid out behind him, a large symbol depicting a dragon curled around to face its own tale, a creative take on the symbol for Ionia, woven into the black fabric. The figure had long black hair, but it was tied back in a series of braids that collapsed around his shoulders. He had a pair of deep red eyes, which worked with his wicked smile to emanate an aura of pure, unmatched evil. The other figure was entirely different, and instantly filled both the ninjas with relief. Bruised and a little bloodied, but very much alive, Akali was kneeling before the dark figure, hands tied behind her back. The dark figure took a knee, pulling Akali's chin up to look into her eyes.

"Why are you forcing me to hurt you my dear. It is a simple question; all you need to do is answer. Where is the Sovereign?" Akali whimpered, trying to remove her face from his grasp but failing. Her voice came out as a little more than a croak.

"I told you already, I don't know. Why are you doing this?" The figure sighed, a sound that released with it a large amount of pent up stress. He clearly hadn't been having much success with the ninja. Pushing Akali's face to the side before standing up, he lifted his arms to the air as though preparing to preach, smiling to his gathered communion.

"Because this is my home! Ionia has withstood the wrath of gods, the invasion of Noxus, but a new threat has risen which threatens everything we have fought to protect." Some of the crowd cheered at this, some even hitting spears onto the ground in a clang of metal on stone.

"Your precious Institute preserves the order of shadows, as well as the Dark Sovereign. How can they encourage such evil and expect to get away with it!" More cheers of agreement. Zed looked to Shen, confusion evident on both their faces.

"We are here to stop this. We will purify Ionia, rid it of the influence of that damned Institute, finish off the sovereign, as well as any order that has allied itself with the Institute in the past. We will bring forth a newer, stronger Ionia, born from the fires of rebellion and liberation, free from the wrath that will inevitably come from a united Valoran." The figure was practically screaming now, the room filled with cheers.

"Ionia will return to the glory it once had, the glory it deserves." Drawing a sword from his waste, a horrible dark blade that seemed to sap the light from the air around it, he turned to Akali.

"I grow tired of your games Fist of Shadow, so here is my last offer. Join us, give us what we desire, and leave with your life." Shen tried to leap up, but Zed pulled him down, shaking his head. Akali shook her head.

"I will never turn my back on Valoran." The figure smiled, a horrible, sadistic image that would haunt Zed for many years to come.

"Then you will die my dear." The blade fell.

There was a loud clash as metal hit stone, the dark blade breaking the flooring to the right of Akali. Shen stood to his full height, staring down the dark figure.

"You will not lay another finger on her." Shen drew his own swords, taking a defensive stance in front of his lover. From the top of the balcony, Zed drew his own blades, shaking his head at Shen's brashness. But the more he shook his head, the more adrenaline pumped through his body, and soon he was laughing, a deep throaty laugh that had struck fear into so many hearts throughout the years. Putting his arms to his chest, he stepped back, disappearing into the shadows, readying himself for battle.