"Katarina!" a voice called her in the crowd after school. She was expecting to see Darius; he'd been walking home with her for most days since the day he came over to her house. The only days he didn't were when she stayed for soccer practice or had she a game. Surprisingly, though, it was Garen, her partner in gym.

"Bonjour, Garen," she said, knowing that he would know she was saying 'hi'.

He jogged a bit to catch up to her. "Hey," he smiled at her. The two stood awkwardly for a few seconds. Garen shifted his weight a bit. "So, you're from France?"

Katarina rolled her eyes, though only one was really seen. "No, I'm from Russia." Since working with Garen over the last few weeks, her english speaking had improved. She still had a pretty bad accent, though.

Garen laughed a bit, "Okay, that was a dumb question. Uh, where do you live now?"

"I live at the end of Noxus Drive."

"You live in Noxus?" He seemed a bit surprised.

"In?" Katarina asked, confused at Garen's terminology.

"Oh, yeah. You aren't from around here. Noxus Drive and the other streets around it are known simply as Noxus. They're better now, but it used to be really… Well, bad. There was a gang thing there a few years back, but don't worry, it's alright now."

Katarina chuckled. "I've been through worse, Garen." She paused. A glaze of memory clouded her eye.

It wasn't too long in when the large teenager noticed. "Hey, let me walk you home."

That seemed to break her train of thoughts, "Oh, no. It's fine. I don't want you to go out of your way."

"Nonsense, Katarina. I'm a co-captain of the basketball team. A bit more walking will do me good."

Cassiopeia didn't expect much when she got home. She would get a snack and go to her room until her father called, like usual. Except, she wouldn't.

When Cassie got home, her sister was waiting in the living room. This was not at all normal, but the young girl didn't question it. Katarina was her own woman and could decide to follow routines when she pleased, if she pleased. Cassiopeia would just continue on her own.

"Cassie?"

The girl paused. Her name said so hesitantly was like a smack. "What?" she quipped, with maybe too much venom. The afterthought came to her when she saw her sister flinch. It didn't last long, though.

Katarina seemed to pause, thinking about what to say. "Would you like to go out sometime? For coffee or maybe shopping?" The questions were choppy, as if her sister didn't know what the words meant. Cassie felt her heart stop for a second. She didn't want to believe this.

"Are you serious?" It sounded like an accusation.

"I have been a major bitch to you over the years. And, it's not right. I want to try and make it up to you."

Cassie turned, heading into the kitchen again. "Is this a joke? Why are you coming up with this great idea only now."

Katarina flushed in embarrassment. "Someone reminded me how important the bond of a sister is. I know, I abandoned you after that happened. I blamed you for something no one could have predicted. Je suis vraiment désolé. Please, Cassiopeia. Things won't change quickly, but I don't want ma petite soeur to hate me forever. I want to act like sisters again, but I need you to complete this quest."

As her sister talked, Cassiopeia tried to stay unaffected. She thought of all the times it was Kat and Talon, but not her. But Katarina sounded so earnest, it was hard to not be moved. Cassie thought she felt tears in her eyes. With a shaky and quiet voice, the young teen replied to her sister, "I don't want to hate you, either." That was the trigger to the floodgates, and soon the girl was crying. Then, she felt something she hadn't in awhile- skin.

Katarina was hugging her. No one else besides the family did that, but lately it was usually her father. But here was her sister, intentionally interacting with her. This encouraged more tears, but ones of happiness. Her arms found their ways around the taller girl who held onto her sister as she cried. Though Cassie couldn't see it, Katarina smiled as a few tears fell down her cheeks. They were both glad to have their sister back.

Ekko walked in the dark. School had been out for a few hours, but that hasn't stopped Ekko. He knew his ways around the building, though his grandfather didn't approve. The old man also didn't approve of Ekko's "studying" and his coming in late.

"Pops!" he called, walking into the house, knowing that he'd be downstairs, waiting for him.

"Ekko, you're home earlier than usual," Zilean said. The professor put down the history tome he had been reading.

"Yeah, well, the janitors were getting suspicious," he rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed.

"Ekko…" There it was. The exasperated and disappointed, drawn out saying of his name. That's all it was.

Ekko shrugged his backpack further onto his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't have to worry about that if I just went to my regular classes." He continued his way into the kitchen. "Hope that I didn't keep you waiting for dinner," Ekko said, stuffing an apple into his mouth as he began to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Zilean followed him. "What is it about regular studies that makes you repel them? You could work on getting the required classes finished and then fill your days with all sorts of sciences."

Ekko shrugged. This conversation was the same old track being played.

Zilean stood there for a bit, waiting for an answer that he wasn't going to get. After an appropriate amount of time, the man shook his head and left, muttering, "I didn't have so much trouble with your mother at this age."

Ekko just paused. He never knew his mother. She was alive as far as he knew, but she didn't show any interest in knowing him. It was always him and Pops. Hearing that made him feel guilty about how he was acting and the way it affected Zilean.

Talon sat on the roof, looking into the night sky. There were no stars out tonight, but he didn't mind. Cassie was the one that was into the stars and constellations.

Talon didn't know what happened, but when he came home, his sisters were cordial with each other. That was something that he hadn't seen since just before the accident with Katarina. He felt a bit left out, like he did when he was first adopted.

It wasn't easy being a kid of the system, especially in your teenage years. It's very rare for kids like that to get adopted. But Marcus saw something in him.

He wasn't in the house long before the accident. That was really the driving force between his relationship with Katarina. He had been on the roof and her screaming. He followed the sound to an alleyway. He saw a drunkard stagger off. He was about to leave when he heard a soft sobbing. He cautiously stepped forward, but ran when he noticed the bright red hair of Katarina. She looked horrible; blood gushed from the cut on her face. He slid his arms under her and talked to her, letting her know it was him and that she was safe. He ran as quickly as he could to the hospital. It was only when she was admitted that he called Marcus to let him know what had happened.

After Talon had played the white knight, him and Katarina were inseparable, often leaving out Cassiopeia. It didn't bother him though, as Katarina never seemed fazed by it. Something had changed while he was at chess club, though.

He closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. His mind wondered if he and Katarina would just… stop. His heart ached at that. His sister was the only person he felt close to. Talon sat there trying to dispel his fears, only for them to come back. After a while, that familiar voice called from a window that it was time for Talon to come in and sleep. He hesitated for a moment before complying, settling to act as normal as possible while his mind crawled with fears.