Hello there once again audience, and I welcome you to another episode of CUTE, WI- Oh wait, wrong show.

*cough cough* er, yeah, Hey, Welcome to another chapter of The Shadow that Watches.

So, I'm currently looking for an Alpha/Beta Reader for this story. Someone has already applied and as much as I'm hoping he/she will be my alpha, I haven't got a reply back yet so I'm posting this chapter without his/her read-through. Now, if you want to be this story's alpha/beta, you need to be able to read through it quickly and provide valid corrections within a suitable time. I get impatient, you see. So you need to give your alpha/beta review soon after I send you the chapter.

Now, for anyone wondering, a Beta reader just corrects the mistakes. An Alpha reader, however, gets to correct the mistakes AND also consult with the author. If there is a specific part of the story that, in the eyes of the alpha, does not come up to scratch or doesn't add up or simply isn't a good addition to the story, with a valid arguement, he or she can affect the entire plot of the chapter, maybe even the story.

Simply put, a story is a very zig-zaggy line. Beta Readers turn the sharp corners round, improving it. Alpha Readers do that, as well as cut the zig-zags down to make it more smooth and overall better.

Also, If you haven't guessed yet, this story will get a bit kinky although not overly kinky. Once the lemons start coming, it's going to be love/hate, S&M and even some kinky fuckery.

The Shadow that Watches

Chapter 4: Breaking her

Zed was brooding in his room. It was a new day, but he was still in the same clothes as last night. He had not slept at all and it showed on his face, with his slightly more paler skin and the darkness under his eyes. He was sitting on his bed, just staring at the ground with his dimly glowing red eyes. Then he stood up, walking over to his door, rage breaking out on his face.

"THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" He roared, punching the wall hard enough to crack it, paint chipping off in a burst of paint-dust and debris, creating a good crater in the concrete wall. Outside of his room, a summoner dropped the numerous scrolls he was carrying from the sudden boom of Zed's fist hitting the wall. The summoner gathered his scrolls up and almost ran away in a panic, as inside of the room, Zed took heavy breaths. He slowly pulled his fist out of the crater, more pieces and fragments of shattered concrete crumbling as he vaguely noted how he had badly injured his knuckles, blood already beginning to drip, powdery concrete sticking to his hand.

He regretted being there last night, regretted letting her come close to him, regretted letting her join him. But worst of all, he regretted the fact that he allowed himself to be caught off guard, emotions and affection that was long forgotten being allowed to wash over him like a wave. But like a wave, it had passed. Not again… He would not allow himself to be drawn to her again. He needed that one kiss to allow him to cut all of his ties from his past, no more things left undone… It was over…

"Never again." He growled to himself.

…

Akali was sitting in the waiting area in the infirmary, thinking about what had happened last night. She was wearing a white button-up half sleeve and a knee-length skirt, black in color to contrast with her shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a simple ponytail, long enough to fall past her waist. Her mind was now like a water bowl with a multitude of paint brushes dipped into it, each with a different color. The colors were all so mixed up, it was impossible to tell what colors were added and where they came from. That was the state of her mind. One second, she hated Zed. She hated his arrogance, his violent nature. She hated how inhuman he was, how detached he was from his emotions, his contempt towards those weaker than him. But then, he didn't hate her, did he? She was weaker than him, obviously, but he only treated her with indifference…

The next second, she pitied Zed. He was such a bitter person, never having anyone to trust except himself and his shadows. Maybe he didn't even trust his shadows. And then, she felt another emotion for him… An emotion she couldn't quite explain.

The weirdest part was how she felt about herself with Zed. Akali was a strong woman, proud and independent but not arrogant or lonely. She liked being able to carry herself and was proud to be able to help others with her abilities. But Zed… Zed's presence made her feel true fear, something that not even Nocturne could instill in her. And last night, the way he had tackled her down and asserted his dominance over her…

Akali groaned, burying her face within her hands. Great, now she was becoming some sort of kinky masochist. Yeah, she totally loved it when a killer decided to have his way with her.

That thought brought a whole wave of kinky images to her mind, all of it involving her and Zed, each weirder and kinkier than the last. Akali yelped, slapping herself on both cheeks with her hands, although her face was already as red as can be. Dear god, now she was fantasizing about him like some love-struck teenager.

….Did she love him…?

Before she could think about that, the door opened. Raising her face, her lips curled into a smile as she stood up, Shen walking in through the door. Shen gave a small smile as Akali chuckled in relief, walking over to him to give him a friendly hug. Shen returned the gesture before both of them stepped back.

"Great to see you back up and healed, Shen." Akali said, her dark red eyes beaming at Shen, who awkwardly smiled back. Shen wasn't used to displaying emotions. Covering his face with a mask felt much more natural than smiling at his friend. But for her, it was something he'd go through.

"It'll take much more than a broken arm to put me down, Akali." Shen said as Akali rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes, the Eye of the Twilight stands for balance." Akali said, suddenly taking a solemn ninja stance, hands together in the tiger hand sign, imitating Shen as she spoke in her deepest voice, "True balance cannot be attained without both hands."

Shen just sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head at Akali's amusement, Akali smirking in response. "You shouldn't display yourself so openly, Akali. It exposes you." Shen said as they began walking down the hallways of the hospital wing, heading back towards the Neutral Quarters.

"I take good care not to reveal my true intentions too much, thank you very much. Besides, acting like a ninja twenty-four seven is very boring. Boring is what you do." Akali said, the smirk still on her face.

Shen was about to reply in his all-work-and-no-play tone, before a summoner walked up to them. "Shen, glad to see you're back. You're being summoned in a practice match to see if you're completely fine and battle-ready." The summoner said as Shen met Akali's eyes. He shrugged, before following the summoner, waving goodbye to Akali. Akali waved back, giving a small sigh before she continued walking.

As she was passing a room, still in the hospital wing, she suddenly heard a clatter of metal, like a tray of instruments had been knocked down. More like thrown into the wall, with the sound it caused. Akali quickly opened the door to see a terrified healer backed up against the wall. On the other side of the room, Zed was breathing heavily, eyes narrowed in anger and lips tight. Akali's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his right hand. Did he smash his hand under a rock or something? The mangled flesh was still bleeding.

"What. The fuck." Akali said as the healer cowered. "I-I-I'm only t-trying to help, Miss Akali… B-but… He…" The healer stuttered out as Akali glared at Zed, who stared back.

"He doesn't trust you. Leave. I'll handle this." Akali said as the healer nodded, scrambling out of the room, shutting the door behind Akali. Akali was a part-time nurse, knowing the basics of healing and fixing injuries in the institutes. Sure, she couldn't use healing magic, but some of the ninja arts helped. Most of the healing came from the potions the institute's healers used as well, magical healing only being used in the most serious of cases.

Akali walked over with purpose, grabbing Zed's right wrist with her left hand and pulling it towards her, noting how rigid his muscles were. But they allowed her to move it as she inspected his wound.

"You think I trust you?" Zed asked as Akali grabbed a small bottle of distilled water. She guided Zed's injured hand so it was over the sink as she poured the water down onto his wound, cleaning the powdery dust that still clung to it.

"I know for a fact you don't trust anyone." Akali said nonchalantly, her voice giving nothing away nor her face, which was engrossed in her work. She then grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, giving no warning before pouring it onto his injured hand. Zed's muscles flexed as he felt the sudden sting of the disinfectant, but said or did nothing other than slowly lessen the pressure of his jaws, noting that he had been clenching his teeth when the alcohol's sting had hit.

"You're making yourself vulnerable, trusting someone you don't know like this." Zed said, his voice not carrying even the smallest trace of emotion as he watched Akali douse his hand with a sweet-smelling potion that was red in color. Almost instantly, he could feel the cells healing themselves as his flesh slowly repaired itself. Akali then began wrapping his hand up with bandages.

"Gee, that's a great way to say thank you." Akali said, her voice carrying the smallest traces of sarcasm, which only made it more sarcastic, as she finished dressing his hand. She released his hand as Zed brought his hand back, flexing his fingers. He looked at his hand for a few moments, flexing it and testing it out before he slowly began lowering it… And then, in a flash, he slammed Akali into a wall, having grabbed a scalpel from the table, which he now held against her neck. Akali only stared defiantly back at Zed, whose face was inches away from hers, scarlet eyes boring into her maroon ones. She wasn't surprised by this.

"Do not forget, Akali." He said, speaking her name with contempt, pausing for a moment for emphasis before continuing, "I am a predator. My eyes are that of a predator. My instincts are that of a predator. If I see vulnerability, my instincts will force me to punish you for it. I see you as my prey because of your 'trust'." He said, slowly dragging the blade of the scalpel across the skin of her neck, light enough to not cut or hurt her, but just enough pressure to make her feel the sharp edge. Akali stopped breathing, fighting the insane urge to swallow as the blade passed all the way across her throat, leaving nothing but just the faintest white line. As soon as the blade passed, Akali gulped, breathing again as she narrowed her eyes, her composure being chipped away like wood facing a machine-gun. So much for being emotionless. She hated to admit it, but he scared her. But like he just said, she couldn't risk showing her fear to him.

"The next time you decide to come to me with friendship and trust, remember this…" Zed said, digging the tip of the blade into the side of her neck. Akali let out a breath through clenched teeth as she felt the scalpel's sharp edge cut her skin just barely, enough to draw a small drop of blood.

"Predators don't play with their prey." Zed said, letting go of Akali as he threw the scalpel aside, walking out of the room. At the door, he turned his head to the side to look at Akali, who was standing straight and was defiantly staring at him from the wall, eyes burning with unwillingness to back down. She didn't even care about the small trickle of blood on the side of her neck.

"Stay away from me." Zed said before he left. Akali stayed like she was for a few seconds before she finally allowed her legs to turn into jelly. She leaned against the wall she had been pushed against moments ago, allowing it to support her as she slowly slid down into a sitting position, back against the wall. Her mother would be ashamed of her, being reduced to a quivering mass at the mere threats and proximity of the man. Her teacher would be ashamed as well.

As Akali absently pressed the back of her right hand against the small cut, wiping away the blood, a thought suddenly became painfully bright inside of her mind. He was your teacher…

…

The sun was setting on another day as champions walked around here and there, chatting about the latest matches. Shen was walking down the hall, Kennen jumping along beside him, easily jumping high enough to cross Shen's height before landing, which was a hugh jump considering Kennen's height.

"Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing." Kennen was saying with each jump, as Shen simply ignored the hyperactive tendency of his companion. Making his way to the cafeteria, he grabbed a tray, picking out some choice food items before making his way to his table. Akali was already there, chatting happily with her friend Irelia, who laughed about something Akali had said.

"Hello Irelia. Akali." Shen said, joining them as he sat down next to Akali. Kennen, who had the tray balanced on his head, placed it on the table before he jumped up and sat down on the seat next to Irelia, with a small "Yo!"

"Hey there Shen, Kennen. It's nice to see you well, Shen." Irelia said, absently pushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as Shen nodded in response.

"Yeah, it'll take more than a little broken bone to stop Shen, here! This guy takes heavy hits for a living!" Kennen said, before he shoved an entire cupcake into his small mouth, struggling to eat it but clearly enjoying himself. Akali held an amused smile, as her eyes looked past Irelia. Almost as if she knew who'd she see, she saw Zed. He had just entered the cafeteria, causing the volume of conversation to lower a bit as people glanced at his direction. Zed simply took a tray and his chosen meal, a bowl of rice with some Beef in Oyster Sauce and Lemon chicken curry, before walking out of the cafeteria, heading to his room. Almost as if he could feel her stare, he paused on his way out, glancing at her, red eyes glowing through the darkness cast by his helmet, before continuing. The conversation's volume resumed as Akali grimly stared at where Zed had disappeared, not registering the snapping fingers infront of her until a few moments later with a small jump.

"Earth to Akali." Irelia said, withdrawing her hand. Akali looked around to see all three of her companions staring at her. "What?" She asked.

"You've been staring off into space for quite a while there." Shen said. "Yeah, that's Shen's job, being the Eye of Twilight." Kennen said, snickering as Shen rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?" Akali asked as Irelia shook her head at her friend's lack of attention. "We were talking about tonight. It's the blood moon festival tonight, and there's going to be a party and a dance and everything."

"Oh, right!" Akali said, eyes slightly widening as she remembered. How could she forget such an important day?

"Yeah, so, who's going to be your date?" Irelia asked with a small smirk as Akali was taken aback. Shen was oddly silent, which wasn't really odd to be honest, as even Kennen paused in the process of shoving a bunch of cakes and pastries into his mouth to listen.

"Umm… I'm going alone." Akali said awkwardly, a light blush on her cheeks.
"C'mon Akali, everyone's going with someone. You can't be the only one going alone!" Irelia persisted, leaning forward.

"Oh yeah? Who're you going with?" Akali asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing a bit. Irelia was caught off guard as she said, "Um… Shen! Yeah, I'm going with Shen."

"What." Shen said, looking at Irelia. "Why was I n-" Shen was cut short as Irelia kicked him under the table, which was pretty obvious to everyone.

"Shenny dear, you promised me you'd take me to the festival yesterday, didn't you? Don't go back on your word now… You know how upset that makes me." Irelia said in a pouty voice, although her eyes were sinisterly dark as Shen's silver table-knife slowly spun around on its own to face Shen. Shen glanced down at the blade before returning his gaze at the deadly blade-mistress, nodding quickly as he said, "Yes dear."

"See? And Kennen's going with Tristana." Irelia said.

"I thought Tristana was Teemo's girlfriend." Akali asked as Kennen swallowed food that was twice the size of his mouth. "He didn't keep his eyes on the birdy!" Kennen said, laughing as he began shoving more junk food into his mouth. Boy, that yordle could eat.

"Oh? What about Katarina?" Akali asked.

"Talon." Irelia replied smoothly.

"Garen?"

"Quinn."

"Weird. Lux?"

"Ezreal."

"Oh? What about Aatrox?"

"Fiora."

"You've got to be kidding me."

…

The night came around with lots of bright lights and sounds as the entire courtyard, which was a huge courtyard indeed, was filled with numerous stalls and shops set up for the enjoyment of champions and summoners alike. Oriental decorations had been set up, even actual Cherry blossom trees and paper lanterns, as most champions and summoners walked around in traditional Asian clothing, such as in Kimonos or Yukatas. Akali was wearing a short red kimono that reached down to her mid-thighs, with white padding over her chest and abdomen area. She wore knee high boots that were lightly armored, also red in color. Her hair, was tied into a nice, loose ponytail with a red ribbon, the color bringing out the brown of her hair, making it seem more brown than its usual dark color.

She was walking alone down the corridor, watching other people talk and spend time together. She was enjoying herself because of all the fun and amusement going around her, as well as the very ambience of being in such a familiarly decorated place. Brought back memories of her childhood.

Then, Shen came up to her. He was dressed in red clothing as well, complete with a red scarf and a mask that was slung around his belt.

"Akali, I need to talk to you." Shen said seriously as Akali raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong Shen?" She asked.

"I… I gotta tell you this before it's too late." Shen said. He sighed, obviously a bit troubled with what he was going to say. "Look, Akali, I…. I like you. I have feelings for you I should not have. I want to see you as a friend, as a comrade, but I can't help feel this attraction towards you." Shen said, his brown eyes gazing into Akali's maroon ones, which were slightly wide with surprise.

"Well… Wow, Shen, Um… I didn't expect this. I… Uh…" Akali muttered, unsure of what to say as a light blush showed on her cheeks. Sure, She had been asked out by a lot of guys many times before. But she knew Shen as well as he knew her. He wasn't that bad looking either.

But as she looked up at his kind but serious face, a face flashed across her vision, replacing Shen's face for a moment. The face that flashed had pale skin, a longer, harder face with battle scars… And uneven, black hair. But the biggest difference was their eyes. Where as Shen's eyes were brown and warm, the eyes that flashed across her mind were red, cold and dominating.

Akali stepped back in surprise, Shen also caught by surprise by her sudden move. "I… Uh… Need to think about it Shen… I'm sorry." She said quickly, turning around to walk away. But as she attempted to do just that, she bumped into a hard mass of muscles. The man she had bumped into was wearing a simple black Yukata with red linings, making it elegant, almost royal. Looking up, her eyes met the same face that had flashed across her mind…

No, I don't support Quinn x Garen. I just made that so Garen/Quinn would have someone to go with. I actually don't like Garen pairing with anyone, except Lux, as weird as that sounds, but even then I prefer Lux and Ezreal better.

Garen: Why do you hate me so much Q-Q
Me: Because you're a sword-wielding oaf that's a pain in the ass to kill. And you're so stupid, you throw punches when you have a big, fucking sword to swing around. No one likes you.
Garen: But... But I like me.
Me: GTFO.
Garen: v.v

Yes, I don't like Garen. I actually loathe the Garen x Katarina thing.
As for Shen x Akali, I'm quite Neutral about it. I don't think it's a bad matchup, but Shen would be too focused on work and balance than to be a good boyfriend for Akali. Besides, Akali seems like the girl who like bad boys.

Also, Jax x Baron OTP.

So, readers, tell me what you think is going to happen next chapter AND what you personally want to happen. I wanna see who gets the closest to what I have in mind. Winners will have their names mentioned and will get to snipe a Teemo with a .50 cal. Losers will have the privilege of ALMOST killing a Teemo, only to have him run away with 5 FUCKING HEALTH POINTS BECAUSE HE FUCKING BLINDED YOU AND RUINED YOUR KILL FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

kthnxbai.