I am on a firey passion filled roll and I plan to write this chapter as long as that drive lasts! It's awesome for you readers as that means another fast update! This chapter has some painful scenes to watch as well as how Zed and Akali are adjusting to life together. Also, my idea pool for my other story is completely dry so I'm draining this one now while that one refills! xD

Also, word of caution, for any of you Zed x Syndra shippers, you might hate me for this chapter. But given Syndra's personality and how Syndra x Zed is a popular ship, one I support as well, this was bound to happen.

Yes, my readers, the story is going to end soon. But it's going to end at chapter 10 or 11, so there are still some more chapters to look forward to and yes, a Lemon/smut.

Enjoy~

Shoutout to Skij Leonhart for being my awesome alpha-reader! He's the one you guys need to thank
for making my chapters easier to read instead of having to pick your ways through hundreds
of typos~!

Also a small thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story positively even if my execution of the plot
totally sucked ass. You guys were the fuel behind my passion, so all of you take credit for my definite increase in writing
skill (?) and update speed~!

The Shadow that Watches

Chapter 7: New beginnings

"So, what are your thoughts on the new champion? " Irelia asked after she finished swallowing a piece of her barbequed beef. Akali gently placed a small amount of rice into her mouth with her own chopsticks, thinking about the matter as she chewed.

"Well… I dunno, she seems like a fun person, although she seems a bit…. Disturbed?" Akali said, shrugging as Irelia rolled her eyes. "I believe disturbed Is quite an understatement, Aka-chan." Irelia said as she gave Akali a small grin.

Their lunch-time conversation was interrupted by the silence that fell over the cafeteria, which made them look up in curiousity. Akali took a few moments to realize that everyone was looking at Zed again. The sudden hush was because Zed didn't have his helmet on, nor his facemask. Even more surprising, once he took his own dish, rice with barbequed beef, the same that Akali and Irelia were having, he began to walk over to their table. Zed never stayed in the cafeteria, usually opting to take his food back to his room to eat in solitude

But now, he walked over and sat down next to Akali, giving her a side glance as she stared at him. Irelia was surprised. "Wow, who are you and what have you done to Zed?" Irelia asked as Zed glanced at her before closing his eyes and extracting his chopsticks. "Do not try my patience, Irelia." Zed said as he pulled his chopsticks apart, then opened his eyes to busy himself with the food.

It was awkward. Akali felt good that Zed had chosen to sit with her but she didn't know what to do or say. "So… How are you, Zed?" Akali asked as Zed swallowed his food. He seemed to be quite educated in table etiquette, as he was skillfully using his chopsticks and his back was ramrod straight while eating.

Zed paused. He wasn't used to people asking how he was doing. "I'm… Doing fine, I believe." He said in the unfathomable and deep tone he uses to speak. "And you?" He asked, glancing at her sideways out of the corner of his eyes, his red irises gleaming as it caught the light.

"I'm doing good, thanks for asking." Akali said with a nod of approval. It had been decided last night, when the two had come to terms with their feelings, that Akali would teach Zed to have be social and also how to care about another. Although Zed felt a stinging blow to his pride at being the student after such a long time, he didn't pay it any mind since Akali was teaching him.

"Am I missing something here? When did you become friends with Mr. Stick-up-my-ass?" Irelia asked, frowning in confusion. Zed paused, his hand half raised with the chopstick gripping a small amount of rice and meat, his eyes raising to look at Irelia. Akali found the scene a bit funny, as even Zed's mouth was slightly open in preparation for the entry of the food, but she knew he was a bit annoyed by Irelia's nickname.

"Irelia, his name is Zed. Don't be mean like that." Akali said, trying to sound a bit angry but not being able to stop the small smile from appearing on her face.

"Indeed. If you don't watch you mouth, you'll find yourself with something much sharper and harder than a stick up your chest." Zed said, finally taking in the ball of food he had been holding, chewing slowly as he stared coolly at Irelia.

"Sheesh, you haven't changed a bit." Irelia said, scowling at Zed, who stared impassively back. Finally, Irelia sighed, putting her chopsticks on top of her empty bowl as she then said, "I'll see you later, Akali. I have a match pretty soon and I have to go prepare." She said as Akali nodded, watching her friend leave. Then she turned her face to Zed, who was sitting next to her, eating, and said, "Zed, do you really need to threaten my friends like that?"

"Do they really need to address me as 'Mr. Stick-up-my-ass' ? " Zed replied coolly as Akali faltered.

"I- They wouldn't call you that in the first place if you didn't seem so arrogant all the time." Akali said defensively as Zed simply uttered a soft "Hmph."

"It's not my fault I'm unable to socialize." Zed said darkly, taking a sip of water from his glass as Akali gave a small smile in his direction.

"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" Akali said. Zed didn't respond, but his gaze did soften a bit.

…

It was Saturday afternoon, and that meant that it was time for a hike to keep every champion in good shape. The cardio benefits from a run up the mountain and back down helped a lot, so it was mandatory for every champion. Even a lot of summoners participated in it. Although most champions did not think much of it, as the course gave them good exercise, some champions were less enthusiastic.

"Ugh, I hate running." Gragas muttered, managing to keep up a slow jog as most other champions passed him by. Zed tried not to sneer at the fat man, feeling the utmost contempt and disgust for him, as he ran side-by-side with Akali. He was dressed in a loose white T-shirt, as most champions were, with loose black pants. His long black hair was free, as artistically messy as ever. His face, pale white in stark contrast with his hair, was impassive. Akali had the same ensemble, her long black hair in its signature ponytail as she ran next to Zed.

While jogging, Zed took note of people around him. Some distance ahead, he could see a familiar brown haired assassin moving in sync with a woman who had long red hair. Even further forward was the yordle squad, led by Teemo. If there was ever a yordle that Zed hated the most, it was Teemo. Akali, who found Yordles cute, also found Teemo to be an (as Irelia had aptly described it one day) annoying fucking cuntwaffle.

Beside him, a blur suddenly passed, glimpsing into visibility for moments at a time before returning to its blurred camouflage of invisibility. It was sprinting at high speed and was definitely not humanoid. As Zed caught some of the features, he recognized the invisible being as Kha'zix, the Void Reaver.

Opposite to Kha'zix, on the other side of the column of runners, another distortion was moving, matching Kha'zix's speed.

"YOU SHALL NOT WIN THIS RACE, VOID BEAST!" Rengar roared from invisibility, scaring Lux who was right next to the invisible Pridestalker. Lux had embraced Ezreal, who had been jogging next to her, for protection as Ezreal tried to calm her down.

"It's funny, isn't it?" Akali said, breaking the silence between the two as Zed raised an eyebrow, glancing at her through the corner of his eyes.
"I don't follow." Zed said as Akali glanced at him now, her maroon eyes meeting his crimson ones.

"It's just a bit amusing for me to realize that everyone around us have their own lives, filled with problems of their own and enjoyments of their own as well. Makes us seem more insignificant when you think about it." Akali said, looking at how Lux and Ezreal were slowing down, Ezreal's arm around Lux's shoulder as Lux rested her head on his chest.

"Only the weak are insignificant. You are not weak nor am I." Zed said in his usual voice, edged with arrogance. Akali's smile faltered. "Yeah… I guess." She muttered as Zed tried to fathom what he had done wrong to have saddened her.

After an hour of running, everyone had reached the high point of their hike, on a very large clearing surrounded by trees, high above the surrounding areas so it gave them a wonderful view. Mostly everyone was resting, lying or sitting on the ground as they caught their breaths, chatting with friends or drinking water.

Whenever Zed would come here, he would go to his personal sanctum. Always the one seeking solitude, he had scouted the surroundings until he found a small place where he would always go to during the 30 minute break the were given.

"Akali." Zed said as Akali's face raised to look at him, her body posture crouched down as she re-tied her shoe laces.
"Come with me, I want to show you something." Zed said, offering her his hand. She took his offered hand, always finding a strange comfort in the way his cool skin seemed to react electrically with her warm skin. As she stood up, Zed led her away from the clearing and past the tree-line.

Weaving through the forest, they soon came upon the wall of stone which was the mountain side. From here, they could see the pointy peak of the mountain high above. But Zed didn't stop here. He began walking to the right, along the wall, until they turned a sharp corner to find an opening in the jagged stone. Akali's eyes widened in mild surprise as Zed led her into the cave. Inside was a spacious cavern, glowing eerily blue. In the middle was a crystal clear spring of water, sparkling as light from far above fell down upon it. Akali beheld the scene infront of her with surprise and awe, looking up to see the ceiling of the cavern to be very, very high. The opening in the center seemed to be at the very peak of the mountain, allowing the diffused light to come in and provide a dim glow to the cave.

"Wow… Zed, how did you know of this place?" Akali asked, still awestruck as Zed looked at the serene area with familiarity. "I found this while seeking solitude on my first hike with the rest of the institute. It became my personal sanctum for peace and meditation." Zed then turned around to look at Akali, who did the same, her eyes still wide with surprise.

"I now share it with you." Zed said, his jaw muscles seeming to work as he tried to smile. The end result was an almost unnoticeable movement, the corners of his lips curling upwards slightly, as his gaze softened on her.

"Zed… I… I don't know what to say." Akali said, still thoroughly surprised that Zed would share something so personal with her. It made her feel all warm and tingly inside as she reveled in the fact that perhaps Zed was serious about learning how to care about another person.

"What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine. Isn't that how the saying goes?" Zed asked, looking around the cave again before turning to face Akali. Before he could, he felt her weight slam into him as the breath was knocked out of him. It took him a few moments to realize that Akali had thrown her arms around him and had her head buried in his chest, embracing him.

"Oh, Zed you obliviously romantic fool…" Akali said, looking up at him with deep affection, her voice heavy with joy and relief as she moved her fingertips down his right cheek, following the scar that trailed down his face before digging her face into his chest, eyes closed. Zed was very unfamiliar with such an interaction with another person, but somehow, knowing that she could hear his heartbeat and feeling her warmth against his body… It felt perfectly normal as his arms, hesitantly at first but then with confidence, raised and crossed behind Akali's back as well, Zed lowering his head to rest ontop of hers.

"I meant what I said earlier, Akali. I never want to lose you again." Zed said, closing his eyes as he remembered the pain he had spent in solitude all these years. His arms tightened around her instinctively as he brought her closer.

…

They spent the next 20 minutes of their break within the cave, meditating. For the first time, Zed didn't focus on summoning shadows as he meditated. Instead, he had focused on the sound of Akali breathing as she meditating behind him, her back on his back. Though Zed was uncomfortable being in contact with someone; even if it was Akali, he was forcing himself to get over his discomfort. For her.

Soon after, they had returned to the clearing in time to resume the hike back down. By this time, it was dark, the sun setting very fast.

Akali had run ahead to chat up with Irelia, who was running next to Kennen. As the trio talked, Zed jogged some distance behind them, keeping his eyes on Akali. His red eyes were dimly glowing, which was more prominent as darkness fell. He felt a presence next to him as he glanced to his right to see a familiar woman. She had pale skin with very long white hair, tied up in a ponytail. Her magenta eyes focused on Akali's backside.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with the kunoichi, Zed." Syndra said with a sneer as Zed felt a growing dislike for this woman who he had once considered bearable.

"Who I spend my time with is none of your concern, Syndra." Zed said frostily as Syndra simply smirked. "Aww, is my little Zed feeling a little lonely? Are you that desperate for some attention that you're having to resort to her for company?" Syndra said in a tone that was both scathing and teasing before she leaned closer to him, both of them still keeping up a slow jog. "You know…" She whispered, "You don't need to try so hard to get a beautiful woman. I'm right here whenever you want. Perhaps I can help you get rid of the solitude that plagues you tonight in your room?" Syndra's voice was sultry and suggestive but Zed felt a wave of annoyance and anger as his eyes narrowed.

"Sovereign, you have a habit of always taking what you want by force. The difference now is that you can't have what you want. I am not a possession and definitely not yours. And if you try to take me by force… You might find your reign ending before it even begins." Zed said in a dark, sinister voice which left Syndra speechless, the woman falling behind as her running stopped, staring after Zed in shock. Zed didn't even spare her a glance as he kept running.

"Zed…" Syndra hissed, anger bubbling in her as her eyes began glowing purple. Her gaze turned from Zed's back to Akali's back, knowing who was responsible. "You will soon know what happens to those who steal what is rightfully mine…" She breathed through clenched teeth, absolutely seething with hate and jealousy at the foreign feeling of not getting what she wanted. She would have her revenge…

…

All day. The entire day, they had spent it together. It was a refreshingly new experience for Zed, to spend an entire day with the company of another person, especially the person he was beginning to care about. Now, it was quite late at night. They had eaten dinner almost an hour ago and had spent the rest of their time in Zed's room. Zed was lying in his bed, wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of loose dark grey pants, half leaning against a pillow propped up against the bedpost while Akali lied next to him, her head resting on his right shoulder as she read a book held up in front of her by her hands, wearing dark blue tank-top and purplish red, loose sleeping pants. Zed was content just to lie there and contemplate his thoughts and life with Akali's warmth next to him. It was indeed a welcome novelty than the cold hollowness of being alone. Though he found comfort in solitude, he found more comfort with this one person who truly knew him.

Finally, Akali sighed, closing her book as Zed opened his eyes and looked down at her.
"Thanks for spending time with me, Zed." Akali said, sitting up and turning around to smile at him as Zed gave a small nod.
"Is this what it feels to have someone beside you?" Zed asked as Akali's smile softened into a more emotional one. Sometimes, Zed asked questions like he was still a child about things he did not know, while at other times, he held the utmost, if biased, wisdom about things.

"Yes Zed. This is what it feels to be in the company of someone you care about." Akali tilted her head, letting her long hair, which was loose, to fall like a curtain of black to the side. "Why do you ask? Do you not like my company?"

"No. It's not like that. I… I find solace in your company." Zed said, looking at her with an intense gaze that took Akali's breath away a little. She had always been fascinated by Zed's eyes. They could project a stare so intense, she would feel like it was burning everything inbetween it and her soul away. Like a penetrating arrow, his eyes focused with the keen vision of a predator and it reminded her, with a chill, that even if Zed cared about her, he was still a cold-hearted killer. But so was she, wasn't she?

"Why do you hide the good in you, Zed?" Akali asked as she looked at him thoughtfully. Zed's eyebrows wrinkled a bit as mild confusion came onto his face. "Good? Do I have good in me, Akali?" He asked.

"Of course you do. I can see it." Akali said gently, raising her slender hand to his face as she stared at him, taking in all of the features that she had memorized. His high cheekbones. His pale skin. His intense red eyes. His strong jawline. His long, messy black hair. The scars that crisscrossed his face. She counted them all.

A small scar that went vertically down the right corner of his lips, an inch in length. A long scar, around 4 inches, that went diagonally from the right side of his face, over his cheek and then over the bridge of his nose where it ended. Another scar was under his left eye, travelling downwards diagonally from the center of his eye over his left cheekbone. She didn't think his scars made him uglier or ruined his looks. On the contrary, she felt proud that he had battle scars, proof of his proficiency in battle due to the fact he only received scars and not death. Akali had her own share of scars, though most of it was barely visible due to her skin tone and none of it marred her face, except for one which went horizontally over her right cheekbone, only an inch in length. Again, it was hardly noticeable unless you ran a finger over it.

Zed remained silent as Akali caressed his cheek, staring up at her with a multitude of emotions in his face. "So… Why do you hide the good in you?" Akali asked again as Zed continued to look at her before closing his eyes and turning his face away to look at something else.

"Because if I show good… People expect good." He muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly at the memories that crossed his mind. Akali knew he was beginning to remember troubling thoughts as she gently turned his face back to look at her. "Hey… I'm here. And I don't expect anything, Zed. I like you just the way you are."

"You like a killer with no remorse for the ones he has killed? A forsaken man with no redemption for the amount of blood he has on his hands?" Zed asked, pain crossing the depths of his eyes.

"Zed, you keep forgetting… I'm a killer too. I've killed my own share of people without the slightest regret. If neither of us have any forgiveness, let us be damned together." Akali said as she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. She then stood up and began tying her hair up again. "Goodnight Zed. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, giving him a small smile as Zed sat up to watch her go.

As Akali was walking to the door of his room, Zed spoke. "I'm wrong."

Akali paused, turning around to look at Zed, whose face was now cast in shadows as he slouched forward, looking at her with that intense red gaze of his. "I'm not forsaken. I have you." He said.

Akali nodded, feeling her feelings for this man deepen as well as feeling a stab of pain trying to imagine the suffering Zed had to go through his entire life alone.

Opening the door, she left his room, closing the door softly before sighing. Her emotions slowly coming down from its electrical high, triggered by her proximity to him, she began walking towards her room down the hallway. As she was about to turn towards her door to unlock and open it, she caught a flicker of movement in the darkened common room. Turning around, her trained reflexes came into play as she ducked just in time to dodge a black sphere of energy. The force it was travelling with, the sphere should've blown through her door like a cannonball, but instead, it ceased its motion almost instantly, right before it slammed into her door.

"What the hell!?" Akali said in surprise, looking up to see the black sphere. Because of that, she wasn't able to react fast enough to dodge the second sphere that slammed into her torso, slamming her into the door behind her with a dull thud as she felt the wind being knocked out of her. Disoriented, Akali's blurred vision could only make out the shape of a person walking out of the shadows of the common room before another ball of dark energy streaked towards her head. Then, everything went dark.

…

Zed was sitting where he had been sitting when Akali had left, one of his large shurikens on his lap as he polished it with a cloth. He heard a sudden thud, as if something had slammed into an object. From the hollow sound and the lack of sonorous echoes, he determined it was a body hitting something wooden or the wall.

"Akali." He whispered, a sudden protectiveness coming over him as well as the fear of something happening to her. He instantly got up, not putting anything on as he ran out of his room. As soon as he had exited his room, he was slammed by some unseen force which completely disoriented him. His vision blurred like he was extremely drunk, the colors melding and blurring as he lost his balance and fell, unable to control his numb limbs. "What the…" He muttered, as she sat there incapacitated for a few seconds until everything finally cleared up. He stood up, groaning as he looked around the common room to see nothing out of the ordinary. Narrowing his eyes in confusion and suspicion, he got up, walking over to the door which held a plaque reading 'Akali.'

He knocked softly a few times. No response. Again, he knocked, a bit louder this time. No response. Growing increasingly worried, he focused his powers as his shadow extended from under him to reach out through the gap under the door. He summoned a shadow inside the room and closed his eyes, exhaling. He felt the rush of power in his body and when he opened his eyes, he was in her room. It was empty, her bed still made, no sign of her having even entered the room.

His eyes trailed up to the clock mounted on her wall as his eyes widened. The time displayed was 1 am. Akali had left his room after 12 am, Zed a few minutes later… Whatever he had been hit by when he was exiting his room, it must've messed up his perception of time. He had been sitting on the ground for over 1 hours. With only her in his mind, Zed ran back to his room. A moment later, he exited, securing the straps of his gauntlets as he looked around the dark common room for any sign of the culprit. He had a sneaking suspicion about who was responsible.

…

Akali groaned as consciousness slowly returned to her, opening her eyes to behold the blurred mass of dark colors around her. Slowly, her vision cleared to reveal the dark room of some champion. Everything was black, from the black walls to the black satin sheets on the bed to the black carpeting on the floor. Akali then realized that she couldn't move her hands or feet. Looking around, she saw black rings of dark energy encircling her wrists and ankles, holding her against one of the walls off the floor.

"Ugh…" The sound came from her throat as she felt the throbs of pain in her torso and on the left side of her head.

"Good. You're awake." A feminine voice said from one of the dark corners of the room. Akali looked over to see a pair of purple eyes glowing in the middle of the darkness.

"Wha…? Who are you?" Akali said, straining against her bonds. There was a small audible movement of an arm and then the sound of rushing air. Then, suddenly, a black sphere came out of the darkness infront of her and slammed into Akali's stomach. Akali exhaled sharply in pain, the air being forced out of her as she coughed violently, panting for breath afterwards.

"What… The fuck…" Akali muttered as the eyes narrowed.
"Still not silenced? Perhaps I wasn't hard enough." The voice said as Akali recognized it vaguely.

"Syn-" She was cut off as the black sphere drew back and then slammed into Akali's stomach again, Akali crying out in pain again as she bent forward, straining against the bonds on her arms, to retch out the contents of her stomach. The fell to the floor with a sick splattering sound until Akali was left heaving dry air in pain.

"Why…" Akali muttered in between gasps of breath, wincing in pain as she tried to look up at Syndra. The black sphere slammed the side of her head like a punch, forcing her head to the side. Her head lolled, her body limp in pain and from the exhaustion of being forced to vomit as Syndra stood up.

"Why? You steal my man and then dare to ask me WHY!?" Syndra practically screamed as the black sphere hooked around to slam into the other side of Akali's face. Akali's lip got caught on her teeth from the impact, causing a spray of blood to exit her mouth as her head was turned the other side. Then it went back to its limp hanging position, Akali managing to spit out globs of saliva and blood as she tried to catch her breath, hair falling forward to cover her face from Syndra. She had to calm her breath, to steel her body for the impacts. She had been trained to receive torture, but she had never actually received it.

"You are a thieving bitch and I will make you regret ever invading upon my personal things!" Syndra hissed venomously as Akali looked up at Syndra, anger in her features as her eyes burned with fire.
"Zed is not a possession, and he is definitely not yours." Akali hissed through clenched teeth as Syndra's eyes widened in anger, Zed's face saying the same thing in her memories flashing over Akali's face. A moment later, Syndra had come close to Akali, a knife flashing in her hands.

"I will make you wish you never said that!" Syndra seethed out as she raised the knife then stuck it down into Akali's left shoulder. Akali screamed in pain, the scream held back with her teeth clenched as she writhed, Syndra twisting and turning the knife in her flesh. Tears escaped the corner's of Akali's eyes, clenched shut through the blindingly white pain emanating from her shoulder. She could feel the knife scraping against her bone before it was wrenched out. Blood spurted out of the wound as well as Akali panted for breath, her mind completely haywire from the pain as black dots swam in her vision. Then, the pain returned as Syndra forced her fingers into the wound, groping around Akali's exposed flesh, causing Akali to truly let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain this time, absolutely convulsing against the wall to try and get away from the pain.

"YES, I HOPE IT HURTS YOU FUCKING BITCH! I HOPE IT FUCKING HURTS YOU!" Syndra said through Akali's screams of pain, her fingernails tearing through the exposed flesh in Akali's knife wound, tearing it open while causing more blood to spurt out, covering Syndra's entire right hand in crimson streaks and droplets. Syndra extracted her hand as Akali's screams finally subsided, only to be replaced with pained sobs as Akali tried to recover from the immense pain. She couldn't stop as the moans of pain forced their way through her mouth, tears continuously pouring out of her eyes as she tried to think of anything, anything but the pain.

Zed… Zed… Zed…

Like a chant, Akali thought of Zed and Zed only. He was her solace in times of darkness and even now, it calmed her down a bit. Memories of today, the time she had spent with Zed, forced their ways into her mind, distracting her from her pain. But it was a short lived bliss as she felt Syndra's knife slicing a thin cut across her stomach line. Akali howled in pain again, her thrashes causing the cut Syndra was drawing to be deeper and shallower in places, resulting in a jagged cut that bled a slow curtain of blood down Akali's abdomen, completely coating the lower part of her T-shirt in blood.

"No no no, I'm not going to let you go to your happy place. By the time I'm done, I want to face the institute's judgement with no regrets!" Syndra said as she placed the knife in the middle of Akali's chest. Again, she began drawing a thin cut, this time vertically down to cross the horizontal one at her stomach, Akali screaming hoarse cries of pain again as Syndra did so.

"Even if I can't kill you, I will scar your beauty! Make you so ugly, no man will ever love you!" Syndra said, finishing the cut as she beheld the cut on Akali's body. It looked like the mathematical sign for addition, a plus, with grotesque similarity. Akali felt weak, drained from the blood loss as everything seemed slower to her. She then felt the cold steel's on her face as Syndra wiped the blood off the blade on both of her cheeks. "Now, let's draw a permanent smile on your face, shall we?" Syndra said, eyes glowing maliciously as she edged the knife closer to Akali's lips.

The door suddenly exploded, bursting into splinters of black wood as two figures entered.
"Aloreus Frastico!" A young voice shouted as Syndra was suddenly forced backwards like she was shot out of a cannon, slamming into the wall opposite and being held there. She looked up to see a young blonde Summoner holding his hand up towards Syndra, holding her against the wall while Zed looked at Akali in shock.

He recovered quickly as his head whipped around to glare at Syndra. "SYNDRA!" Zed roared in anger as Summoner Jason looked at him in panic, "No, ZED, DON'T!"

But Zed had already leapt forward, arm blades shooting out of his gauntlets as all he saw was red, hell-bent on killing the woman who had dared to hurt Akali. However, as his arms shot forward, his armblades suddenly retracted back into his gauntlet without his doing. But his arm still shot forward, slamming into Syndra's chest as Syndra's ribs cracked audibly, the woman crying out in pain. She fainted right afterwards as Zed was suddenly pulled backwards by his gauntlets, snarling and growling as he tried to reach Syndra. He looked back to see another figure next to Jason, Irelia, who had a determined look on her face as she held her arm out towards him, controlling his armblades to pull him back.

"IRELIA! LET ME GO, IRELIA, OR I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU TOO!" Zed shouted in anger.
"ZED, CALM YOURSELF! AKALI NEEDS YOU OR SHE WILL DIE!" Irelia screamed with anger of her own as Zed stopped his struggles, a painful realization dawning on him as he looked behind him to see Akali lying on the ground, a bleeding pile.

"A-Akali." Zed muttered helplessly as he turned around, falling to his knees next to Akali and pulling her bloodsoaked body up, cradling it. "Akali… Look at me. Akali!" Zed shouted as he then looked up at Jason, anger and pain evident on his face. "JASON, HELP HER DAMMIT OR I SWEAR I WILL DECAPITATE YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"Irelia, restrain Syndra incase she wakes up." Jason said urgently as he crouched infront of Zed, who was holding Akali to his chest. Jason raised his hands as he began to emit white light from his hands. It was a painful process as time passed, Zed spending a majority of the time muttering sweet nothings to Akali, telling her to stay with him.

"Akali… Open your eyes, Akali… I'm here. Don't leave me… Not again, you promised me you wouldn't leave me again! YOU PROMISED ME, DON'T YOU DARE GO BACK ON YOUR WORD! Akali…" Zed was panicking, his hands visibly shaking as he brushed aside hair from in front of Akali's face, pressing his forehead to hers as he closed his eyes and waited.

Finally, Jason stumbled back, falling on his butt as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Restraining such a powerful mage like Syndra and then doing magic that he wasn't proficient in was very straining. "I've managed to stop her bleeding. She's bled a lot though so we need to take her to the emergency wing for immediate medical care."

"I'll take her." Zed said, readjusting her hold on Akali as his left hand went under Akali's knee's, his right hand going under her back, fingers gripping her ribs under her right arm. He stood up, briskly walking out of the room, moving as fast as he could while keeping his balance so he didn't hurt Akali by falling.

Jason stayed silent, his blue eyes now weary as he looked up to see Irelia having tied up Syndra with the black sheets from her bed. Irelia looked pissed. "I'm surprised you're not murderous with rage as well." Jason said as Irelia turned her glare to him. "Oh, I'm murderous alright. I just don't have my blades. Teemo's fucking mushrooms stained it and I had to send it for sanitizing."

"Well, god bless that yordle then."

"Fuck no, I hope he rots in the deepest reaches of the void."

"Don't we all?"

…

It had been almost as painful for Zed to see Akali almost dying as it had been to know that Shen was the one in charge of her medical care. After hours of waiting, Shen finally walked out, wearing his doctor coat over his sleeping wear. It was morning outside and both Zed and Shen had dark circles under their eyes from the exhaustion of the night.

"I've closed and dressed all of her wounds. I've had Vladimir help me with the blood transfusion, so she'll be fine. She just needs rest and has to adjust to almost having her body drained." Shen said as he looked impassively at Zed. For a few moments, nothing was said between the two.

"I believe… I should say... Thank you. For coming to her aid when no other medical help was immediately present." Zed said in a low voice, holding grudging gratitude for the man infront of him.

"I didn't do it for you." Shen said, his eyes narrowing for a split second. "I don't want her to get hurt like this again Zed. If she gets hurt or if she dies, I'll be holding you responsible."

"If she dies, I will find you myself and give you the blade to end my life." Zed said resolutely as he matched Shen's gaze. Again, a very long moment of silence passed as the two simply stood there and stared at each other. Finally, Shen broke the silence.

"Keep her safe, Zed. And keep her happy." Shen muttered. Zed blinked before slowly nodding, "Everything I do will be to keep her safe and happy." Zed replied as Shen nodded, turning around and walking off. Zed waited a few moments, watching Shen walk away before entering the room.

Akali was lying in the bed in a white patient's gown. She had visible bandages covering her torso up to her neck. She seemed so peaceful and tranquil, eyes closed as she rested, the dim light of dawn bathing her in a light glow as Zed walked over, pulling up a chair upto the side of her bed. He sat down, noting how he stayed in the shadowy part while Akali's body was bathed in light.

"This is how it'll always be, Akali. I am nothing but a shadow… And you are the light that allows me to exist." Zed said, gently curling his pale fingers into Akali's slender fingers, gripping her hand reassuringly as he waited. "By your side… Always and forever." He murmured. For a second, he thought he felt her hand move in his hands, like she also squeezed his fingers back to know she was listening. Even if it was almost imperceptible, Zed felt the movement. For the first time in a long time, a small smile came naturally onto his face…

Yup, I'm ready for all the hate because of Syndra. *does a 'comeatmebro' posture*
What, no one's hating me? Tha- *gets hit by a black sphere*

Syndra: I WILL KILL YOU FOR DEPICTING ME IN SUCH A WAY!
Me: OH GOD NOW, STAHP. HALP, ANYBODY, HAAAALP. SECURITY!
Syndra : RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
-Bzzzzzzt-

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[We're undergoing technical difficulties concerning a murderous woman with untapped power on a rampage. Please stay tuned for the next chapter and leave a review with your thoughts and comments on the chapter. On behalf of Wings, who is currently having the living shit beat out of him, we thank you for your continued support]