So now we get to have some fun. Well...Helios is kinda having fun. There's some fun stuff, some awesome stuff, some feelsy stuff in this chapter, but we really hope you enjoy this because we sure did writing it.
Chapter IX
"Soooooooo…...I'm getting the feeling that I'm the only one freaked out by this whole thing."
None of the Projects replied. Helios sweatdropped. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
They'd returned to the mountain, and while he was still extremely pissed that the hunters had holed themselves up inside the peak, the state of his companions unnerved him even more. They just...stood there. They didn't even acknowledge that he was there with them.
The only Project that didn't freak him out was Vayne. She was edgy as hell most of the time, so she tended to sulk and brood a lot. Her Hunt protocol wasn't really any different.
They'd only respond to him if he became an obstacle. And that would be really annoying.
But if that was the sole condition for a response….
Helios pulled out a few markers.
"Just so you know, I'm about to scribble all over you," he said. "I'll probably draw some pretty humiliating stuff."
No reply.
"...Are you actually going to give me this opportunity?" He asked.
Nothing.
He shrugged. "Welp, I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of this."
Five minutes later, Helios completed his artwork, snickering.
"You know, Jhin," he said, "this might not be your kind of art, but it's undoubtedly art, all the same."
"They're so gonna hate me for this once they wake up," he said.
"Alrighty, team!" He clapped his hands together. "Who's ready to save the day?"
Again he received no reply. But all of a sudden, all twelve of them bolted forwards. They'd been scanning and seeing where the best place to attack would be. Apparently they had found it.
"What?" Helios whirled around, startled. "Guys, wait-"
He sighed. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaand they're gone."
He started jogging up the mountain, in the direction they'd gone.
"And I thought babysitting was going to be fun," he grumbled. "They'd better not be hogging all the baddies."
"I don't see why we're here in this place rather than at home eating pizza and watching football or something like that," a soldier grumbled.
"Hey, you signed up for this," his fellow lookout pointed out, "you could have stayed,"
"But this pays better…"
"True," his companion nodded, "Still, can't believe they managed to catch one of them. And one of those Projects too. You'd think they'd remember how to fight,"
"Yeah he barely put up one,"
There was a soft, rumbling growl coming from the outside entrance. It sounded not unlike a corrupted hard drive and it unnerved them both.
"What is that…" the first lookout started, edging forwards, lifting his gun.
"I don't know," the second said, raising his own weapon…
Right as a flash of gold appeared beside them, catapulting them into the air as something smashed into them.
"The hel-" he choked off, staring at the heavily armored, golden glowing Project between them, her sword whirling back to her side as pain sliced through his hamstrings.
There was a pink and violet flicker. Suddenly, the first man crumpled to the ground, his head following his torso as the pink rapier hissed back to its owner's side. The second man didn't even have time to scream as a glowing crossbow bolt of violet light pinned him to the cavern wall by his forehead, the owner of the crossbow seemingly melting out of thin air.
More flickers of light emerged from the darkness, followed by Helios.
"ATTENTION, IDIOTS!" He yelled, with burning red eyes. "AS OF RIGHT NOW, YOUR LIVES JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT SHITTIER!"
And with that announcement, there came a whole lot more guards.
"Stealth is not an option anymore," what used to be Cira growled, "Day. With me, find your Purifier. The rest, initiate search and destroy opponents. They are obstructions to the mission,"
A single unified nod before the Projects scattered, leaving the two copies to search for Arthur.
Helios awkwardly looked around, alone with the guards.
"Oh, sure, leave me with the people carrying guns, I see how it is," he muttered. "Really feeling the love here, guys."
"RASENGAN!"
His eyes narrowed in confusion.
He craned his neck to the side. Some of the guards had been sitting around a TV prior to their entrance, and currently shared his feeling of awkwardness.
And playing on the screen was-
Veins bulged on Helios's neck and forehead, smoke billowing from his shoulders. His hands ignited, and the temperature rose thirty degrees.
"...Is that my anime?" He growled.
The soldiers froze. They had the most horrible feeling that they were about to become the Runeterran equivalent of KFC…
"I've come to expect a lot of things from you assholes," he snarled. "Murder, torture, the whole shebang. I really thought you couldn't sink any lower."
"But now, I find out that you've just broken one of the most sacred laws in the universe." The hunters slowly backed away, their trigger fingers trembling.
"Bro Code Rule Number Thirty-Seven: thou shalt not touch a man's anime." Helios cracked his neck twice.
They gulped.
"Nobody breaks the Bro Code, bitch."
Dawn and Day ran through the hideout, ignoring the screams of pain and terror caused by their fellows and by Helios.
"Purifier is close," Day stated, pointing at the main stronghold, "Second floor, third room,"
"Acknowledged," Dawn nodded and they continued forwards.
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Helios bellowed.
A hunter promptly wet himself, before Helios grabbed him and shattered his spine over his knee.
They unloaded the magazines of their assault rifles, but bullets weren't all that effective against Helios. He waded through the battlefield, hurling fireballs and insults alike.
"YOU SONS OF BITCHES ARE GOING TO THE DARKEST DEPTHS OF HELL FOR THIS!" He roared, throwing a hunter into a wall. "I'LL GET LUCIFER TO MAKE AN ENTIRE NEW CIRCLE, JUST FOR YOU!"
He unleashed a torrent of flame, roasting the five hunters who were unlucky enough to be the targets.
"AND ANOTHER THING!" Helios hoisted a hunter upwards, holding him by the collar of his uniform.
"Which episode of Naruto did you get to, anyways?" He asked.
The hunter didn't reply, stunned.
"Well, go on! I'm getting shot over here! I ain't got all day!"
"Uh...the one where Sakura tries to stop Naruto from going after Sasuke?"
"Oh, yeah, that one." Helios nodded. "That was a good one. I still like to think of it as a decent NaruSaku moment."
"Well, I actually prefer NaruHina myself. It's canon anyways, and in my opinion it's the cuter pair-"
"INFIDEL!" Helios threw an uppercut to his jaw, sending him flying across the room. "WHAT'S NEXT, YOU'RE ALL GONNA TELL ME THAT KOROSENSEI ISN'T THE BEST ANIME TEACHER EVER?!"
"Who's Korosensei?" One of them whispered to his comrade.
"YOU MOTHER-"
He punched them both through a wall.
"Holy shit," a hunter said. "His anger levels are over nine thousand."
Another hunter stared at him. "What?"
"Reference. For the fans."
"Again, what?"
"Noth-"
"HEY!" Helios smashed their heads together, turning them both to mush. "ONLY I GET TO BREAK THE FOURTH WALL AROUND HERE!"
"YOU THINK I WAS ANGRY WHEN YOU WENT AFTER MY GRANDDAUGHTER?!" He yelled at the rest. "THAT WAS ONLY LEVEL TWO!"
They slightly lowered their firearms, confused.
Helios sighed, his flames fading.
"Look, this is level one of my anger." His eyes flared red. "Simple enough, right?"
"This is level two, the next level up." His hands ignited, and his aura of heat returned. He now looked the way he'd been only a few seconds before.
"AND THIS-" He screamed, "IS TO GO EVEN FURTHER - BEYOND!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
His body exploded, becoming a manifestation of his true power. It hurt just to look at him, the light radiating from him so bright that it was blinding.
The walls of the base began to melt, collecting in clumps of sludge at random points.
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU MESS WITH MY ANIME!" He yelled. "A SHITLOAD OF REFERENCES AND A GIGANTIC ASS-KICKING!"
"PREPARE THY ANUSES! BECAUSE I'M DISHING IT OUT!"
The hunters were starting to wish they'd sought out other employment options.
The two golden Projects sprinted through the base, just visible as a streak of golden light to anyone looking. Suddenly, Dawn halted, grabbing Day by the shoulder and yanking her back. The younger Project opened her mouth to question right as the wall before them exploded, a hunter crashing through it and flying towards them from the force. Dawn merely brought up her shield and the hunter landed on it with a crack, sliding down the holographic plates limply. The two looked through the newly made door to see Helios glowing brightly through it.
"Keep going," Dawn ordered, "I will take care of this threat,"
Day nodded and kept running, Dawn flicked her sword and prowled forwards through the hole, a low rumbling emitting from her chest. Nothing was going to stop them from their mission. Not even him.
Right as Helios was about to unlock Ultra Instinct, he received a shield to the face. He crashed into a support pillar, fracturing the stone.
"Owwwww," he groaned, picking himself up. He rolled his bruised shoulder, his cheek sore where she hit him. "The hell was that for?"
No reply save for that soft, growling sound. She stalked closer, visor flashing as she raised her blade. She dashed forward at inhuman speed, aiming for his heart.
"Whoa!" He yelped, dancing away from her attacks. "Do I look like a hunter to you?!"
She gave a snarl as she hacked at him again, using her shield to knock him off balance, or attempt to.
He planted his feet in the ground, holding her at bay. "Really, Leo? You honestly want to have a go? Because if you do, I'm all too happy to indulge you."
She shoved at him, trying to duck down and sweep his feet out from under him.
Her leg armor dented against his shin.
He looked up at her, poker-faced. "As much as I hate Murphy's Law, I guess I'm just gonna have to deal with this."
He rammed his forehead into hers, and she slammed into the back wall.
Helios glanced around the room. He'd finished off most of the guards, and the ones he hadn't killed were fleeing. He'd track them down later.
"Fair warning, before we begin." Helios struck a crane pose.
"I know Kung Fu."
Her blade flickered out, catching him in the chest plate. Suddenly she was before him, bringing her shield up for a blow to the chin.
DONG!
His chin rattled, but didn't break.
"I think I almost felt that one," he said, unhurt. "Try again."
Undaunted, she swung her blade at his chest. While she was stronger like this...she lacked the sharp wit that she would have had. All the care and training she had in her bladework was replaced by almost animalistic rage.
Helios leaned to the right, casually dodging the strike. "Like the great willow tree, you must fight with the wind. If you do not bend, young grasshopper, you will break."
More slashing, a horrible snarl etched across her face. Why couldn't she hit him?! She drove her shoulder into his stomach and lifted him off the ground with a roar.
Helios hummed, frowning. "You're supposed to be benefiting from my great wisdom." He formed a notepad and pen out of hard light, jotting down notes. "Note to self: ask...Shen...for...better...quotes."
"Okay!" He clicked the pen, allowing his creations to dissipate. "Shall we continue?" He kicked her in the chest, winding her. She let go, and he plopped down to his feet on the floor.
He conjured a fireball, holding it in both hands. "HADOUKEN!" He yelled, thrusting it at her. It shot out of his hands, hitting her where he'd kicked her only a moment before. She flew off her feet, roughly hitting the floor.
"Come on, you two!" He said. "Make me work for it!"
She struggled to get back up, sparks spitting from where she had been kicked and blasted. A mixture of blood and oil leaking from a crack there.
Structural Integrity at 75% read the text across her visor.
It might have been best if she stopped...But she couldn't let him stop the mission.
She dropped her shield, holding her sword with both hands as her circuits burned a reddish orange color rather than gold. She took a step forwards, her footprints a scorched mar on the stone. Her armor radiated an intense heat, making the air shimmer around her. She charged at him, swinging with a harsh, loud battlecry.
"Okay, I see how it is." Helios got into a fighting stance. "Finishing move, eh? Fair enough."
His right fist ignited. It burned hotter and hotter as Leona got closer and closer, until her armor started steaming just from being in close proximity.
"Serious Move Series," he said, when she was right on top of him.
He ducked under her swing.
Hasta La Vista, Baby, Arnold Schwarzenegger's disembodied voice said out of nowhere.
"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOORYUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"
His fist connected with her jaw, unleashing a shockwave. Her visor shattered as the impact rippled through her system, causing critical damage to her armor.
Light and life flashed into her newly exposed eyes for a split second before they went dark and the harsh burning circuits sputtered, fading to black as she hit the ground, unmoving.
"And that, my young student, is why I am the master," he said, placing his hands together and bowing. "If only you'd noticed the clown makeup I applied."
It wasn't much longer until Day finally reached Arthur, who was crumpled up on the ground, bruised and with dried up blood caked on his face.
It's not like Day truly noticed though. She lifted him up and put him over her shoulder, then ran back into the corridor.
"Ja...nie," the man managed before sputtering.
The project tilted her head, staring at him for a moment. The English frustrated her a bit, so she didn't reply using it. "I am Day."
Hurt flashed in Arthur's eyes, due to his ability to still understand. He didn't say another word though as Day returned to Dawn.
What they saw, though, was a badly hurt, unconscious Dawn and Helios standing over her. The other Projects came up, trying to analyze what in the world happened to the Leader class.
Day moved protectively in front of her, Arthur still hung over her shoulder.
"Oh, great." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Are you guys gonna go nuts too, or are you gonna play nice?"
The project growled but made no advance.
"What?" He shrugged. "It's not my fault she got triggered over a simple misunderstanding."
Still no motion from her, though the person on her shoulder groaned.
"Dawn is out of commission." Enforcer hissed, smacking her fist into her palm, "take him out?"
"Negative," Frost shook her head, "if he took her down, we would suffer shut down ourselves,"
"Day has her teammate?" Hunter asked, her violet glow flickering.
"Affirmative," she adjusted him on her shoulder slightly before nodding.
"Return to the Institute of War," Frost ordered.
"What of Dawn?" Duelist questioned.
"Unknown," Hunter hummed, "She is too heavy to carry…"
"What am I, chopped liver?" Helios asked, picking her up. "I've got her, it's fine."
They tensed as he scooped her up, but with a warning hand from Frost, they settled down.
"He drops her we drop him, right?" Enforcer asked.
"Focus on the mission," Hunter stated, pinging her teammate upside the head with a servo.
It seemed the Hunt protocol was starting to wear off.
"WHAT IN THE WORLDS HAPPENED?!" Andrew yelled as the rescue team came back into the Institute.
"Murphy's Law," Helios replied, dropping Cira at his feet. "It's all good, though. We finished the mission."
Andrew looked about ready to strangle him.
"She's in pieces!" He snapped, "Arthur is going to murder you I hope you realize that."
"What do you mean, in pieces?" He replied, indignant. "Sure, she's missing a bit of plating here and there, but all in all, she's mostly okay."
"I have never seen her that banged up," Andrew pointed out as Caleb and Jake came in.
"Oh. My. God," Jake blinked as he and Caleb both rushed over to Cira and Arthur, "ok, him I was expecting to be bad...what did you do to her?"
"Visor shattered, armor cracked and missing...fried circuits...yeah this is going to take a while," Caleb frowned before looking over at Arthur, "ok...dents, some leaks, he won't take as long. You're tougher than you look, Arthur,"
Seeing how Andrew was at the moment, Helios was just grateful that they couldn't see the graffiti. The Projects had gotten themselves covered in dirt and blood, completely covering up his artwork.
He was also somewhat disappointed. He'd put a lot of effort into making Zed look like a unicorn.
There was a soft clicking sound and all the Projects jerked as if they'd been pushed.
"Wh-what?" Amelia sputtered, holding her head, "oh...ow my head,"
"Ha!" Valencia laughed, "I didn't get smacked with a shield! I call that a win,"
"Ugh, we're all a mess…" Jin sighed scraping off some of the dust, "I don't know about you all, but I'm going to get a nice long shower…"
"That...actually sounds pretty good," Violet smiled, rotating her wrists, "Wait...oh wow Cira got hurt...she looks like she tangled with the Mountain and lost…"
Helios looked away and started whistling nervously, hoping to look inconspicuous. It didn't work.
He got bashed with Janie's shield. "What did you do to my sister?"
"Hey! Getting bashed in the face once is enough!" He complained. "And it's not like I had much of a choice. She went berserk after I accidentally tossed a hunter at you guys. After that, well...it's kind of self-explanatory."
"You… did what?" she asked, confused.
"They raided my anime stash. They triggered me."
The chosen put a hand to her face. "You know what? I'm just gonna roll with it. They raided your anime, cool, fine, kay."
"It only took her this long, readers, but she's finally learning how I roll."
"What?"
"For the bajillionth time, nothing."
"Just...you guys get cleaned up and off, we'll take care of these two. Helios, since you broke her, I'm gonna need you to carry her to the lab so we can fix her," Jake told him as he and Caleb picked up Arthur.
"Oh, Janie...how'd it feel being unstoppable?" Caleb asked.
"I don't really remember in all honesty."
"You will...eventually,"
"It gets boring pretty fast, if I'm being honest," Helios said, throwing Cira over his shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, it's fun, but if you aren't presented with a challenge once in a while, it starts to feel a little stale."
"Hey, easy with her," Caleb warned, "don't want her damaged even more ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Helios waved him off. "I'm not a klutz, you know."
Caleb opened his mouth to say something, Jake heard the intake and gently whacked his friend.
"Hey, Helios, do you happen to radiate energy?" Jake asked.
"I do," he replied. "What, you want me to charge her up?"
"You might have to stay nearby...her repair systems work faster when exposed to sunlight," Caleb told him.
"Easily done," Helios said. "Just as long as it doesn't take too long. Ahri and Krista are probably gonna want me to join them at the arcade soon."
"It'll be once we're done replacing her circuits and armor, so you can probably spend some time with Ahri and Krista," Jake shrugged, "I can come get you if you want. The repairs are what will take a while,"
"Sounds good," he nodded. "I'd hate to make them wait on me."
"Oh don't worry, go ahead to your girlfriend," Caleb grinned, "as Jake said, "we'll let you know when we need you...we just need you to carry Cira right now,"
Helios's eyes narrowed in confusion. "...I don't follow. Girlfriend?"
"You and Ahri...c'mon, Krista's too cold and enjoys trolling couples too much to have a relationship herself; and the way you're always with Ahri? Seems kinda like a thing to me,"
Jake looked at him in surprise.
"I wasn't expecting to hear that from you of all people Caleb,"
"Shuddup,"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Helios said, taken aback. "Ahri and I are just friends. Good friends, yeah, but calling her my girlfriend is a bit much."
Jake and Caleb looked at each other.
"Hate to say it but I think Krista's right," Caleb muttered.
"Mhmm," Jake nodded.
But they said nothing more on the subject.
Helios frowned, pensively looking at the floor.
They arrived at the repair room and Jake and Caleb had Helios set Cira on one of the tables while they worked on Arthur.
"We'll give you a call when we need you to come in ok?" Caleb told him.
"Honestly...it's more so she's not alone when she wakes up. She's...got an issue being alone when she wakes." Jake admitted, "so go ahead and find something entertaining to do that won't result in Andrew strangling you and it'll be good,"
"That really limits my options."
"You'll find something,"
"Screw this game and not in a good way," Krista snapped as the words 'Victory! Ahri!' Flashed over the screen for the fifth time, "stupid dance games...give me a shooter! I'll show you how a real game is played!"
"It's not her fault that you dance like a gorilla with a hangover," Helios grinned, watching from the sidelines. "At least try to give her a challenge."
Ariel's eyes glittered with amusement. "Come on, I haven't even had to use my tails. And at the rate you were going I could've danced my part with you," the Chosen teased.
"Nah nah, I'm done," Krista huffed, "I might be my mother's daughter personality and looks wise...but I can't dance to save my life,"
Her opponent rolled her eyes before looking at Helios. "Want to have another go with Ahri?"
"Why not?" He walked up to the platform. "Somebody has to show you how it's done."
Krista rolled her eyes, but smiled anyways. She stepped off to give Helios some room while he flicked through the song list.
"Hold on…" His finger paused over a button on the screen. "What's duo mode?"
Ahri grinned. "Its for two players. The parts are different for the both of them." Her tails twitched. "Wanna try it?"
He shrugged. "Might as well."
He selected it, then started flicking through the track list. "Wait…" His eyes narrowed. "These don't have separate parts at all. This is partnered dancing." He looked up at her, his brow quirked. "Is there some kind of ulterior motive to this?"
Her tails puffed up, and she looked offended, though there was a slight blush on her face, barely noticeable. "No! I just thought it'd be fun…"
He laughed softly. "Relax, I was only teasing." Still, he couldn't help but notice the way she reacted. Interesting.
He hummed. "Alright, why not? I'm willing to give it a try."
Krista was practically foaming at the mouth behind them.
"Why are you so happy, Krista…" Kalista questioned.
"Because the ship has sailed," the Chosen grinned, "the ship has freaking sailed,"
"...But we are nowhere near a port…" her Champion blinked.
"Not that kind of ship!" Krista sighed.
"Ah...that ship," Kalista hummed, "We are surprised it took that long for them to realize that,"
"I know right?" Krista cackled, "Oh...where's that phone Caleb gave me,"
"You mean stole,"
"Hush!" she hissed, grinning as her hand closed around a smooth metal shape, "Found it...now, just to wait for them to go…"
"I'll just put it on random and see what we get," Helios said. "I want to be surprised, this time around."
He pressed the button, letting the track list randomly shuffle.
His brow rose once it finished. "...Yow."
"The Merengue…" Ahri mumbled. She sighed though there was a smile on her face. "Let's go I guess?"
Helios chuckled awkwardly, lightly tugging at his collar. "I mean, if you want. That one's pretty, uh...well...you know."
A nod. "It'll be fine, the machine chose it and you're the one who hit random…"
"You planned this…" Kalista accused.
"Shush!" Krista warned, "I don't know how the thing works, what you talking about…"
The smile she was fighting to hide said otherwise though…
"Alright." Helios smiled. He looked surprisingly dorky in that moment. It was actually pretty cute.
Wait, what?
Ahri shook the thought from her head. Ariel laughed, to her embarrassment, resisting her attempts to mentally silence her.
"Desde arriba, señora," Helios said, opening his arms to her. "Let's put on a show."
Ahri took his right hand in her left, placing the other hand on his shoulder. She started with a squeak when Helios's hand suddenly landed on her waist.
"Sorry!" Helios jerked his hand back. "It's just- the dance wants us to-"
"I know, you just startled me, is all."
"Good." Helios shakily sighed, smiling. "I wouldn't want to, uh…"
"Oh my Goooooddddd!" Krista squealed softly as she tried not to dance in place too much, jostling the phone and all.
"You are enjoying yourself, aren't you," Kalista teased.
"Yep!"
"Shush!" Helios snapped at her, though it lacked any real venom. "We're trying to concentrate!"
"Oh, right, right, do go on," Krista grinned.
He rolled his eyes. "Thank you."
He pressed a button on the screen, indicating that they were both ready to begin. The song Rabiosa started playing as the music of choice.
"Hoo." Helios said. "That's a good one."
Their dance began, and Krista's jaw dropped.
"Yo, Cira." Helios's muffled voice pierced through the depths of Cira's conscious mind. "You awake?"
"NO! GET AWAY!" she screeched, flailing as she snapped awake, panicking as her fist collided with his face.
When her breathing and heart rate stabilized, she realized that she wasn't in the lab and wasn't being ripped apart again...her golden eyes turned shocked and embarrassed as she saw Helios clutching his nose.
"Helios...I...I'm so sorry…" Leona stammered.
"Geez, Leo," he said, "watch your right hook." She hadn't drawn blood, to her immediate relief.
"I am sorry…" she repeated, before giving a groan and holding her head, "Ahhhh it hurts...Did Caleb and Jake take my visor?"
"Well…" he winced, "I...might've been responsible for that."
She frowned before her face went even paler.
"I attacked you…" she whispered, "I didn't…"
She put her head in her hands.
"I deserved that," she muttered as the memory came up, "I very much deserved that thrashing…"
Helios opened his mouth.
"Eh…" He wiggled his hand. "Fifty-fifty."
She looked up, shaking her head.
"Hey," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do that. It's not your fault."
He bashfully grimaced. "It's actually mine, really. I wasn't paying attention, and I threw a hunter your way by accident."
She held her arm still, quiet for a moment before looking back up.
"Is it alright if I ask you something?"
"Of course," he replied. "I am technically supposed to be your counsel, so go ahead."
"It's...more geared towards you rather than me," she admitted, "I'm not angry or anything...but, where were you when they did this to me? When they took me, I prayed every day for something to happen, something to save us...I suppose something did happen...but I want to know what happened,"
He sighed. "You already know the answer, Leona." He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms as he contemplated over what to say next.
"I don't know why the Boss Man does what he does," he continued at last. "And sometimes, it sucks, it just sucks. It hurt a lot, to have to watch you go through that. But, as much as it did, I couldn't intervene. That's just the way it was."
"We gods and the Big Boss have a...complicated relationship, to say the least," he admitted, "but we have to go along with what he says regardless. We can only hope that it's for the best, in the end."
She gave a soft smile.
"I wasn't alone," she whispered, voice slightly rough with static, "They kept telling me I was...that nothing was going to help. I'm glad I was right...even if you couldn't do anything...you did help me. When I broke out...I saw the sun for the first time since I was taken and I had the strength to break out of the lab. Thank you…"
"I may not always be there to save you, but I'll always be there to console you." Helios bowed his head. "You have my word."
"Thank you," Leona smiled, "Now, if only we can get the prank war to quit…"
"Oh, no." Helios smirked. "I have every intention of winning this one."
"That last one was cruel and unusual punishment," Leona deadpanned, "Honestly...oh...well, someone just woke up. But, I don't think she's on speaking terms with you right now,"
"She probably won't be for a while," Helios admitted. "Considering what I doodled on you while you guys were in hunt mode."
"Won't surprise me," Leona sighed, "It's more the snakes but this will probably make it worse…"
"Consider it payback for Ahri," he replied. "I think clown makeup looks much better on you, if I'm being honest. And your artwork wasn't even the most creative piece I made."
"Hm, my guess is Zed or Jhin probably have the best pieces," she chuckled.
"I made Zed a unicorn."
"Oh Aiko is going to love that," Leona grinned, "However...I will probably have to stay here until it comes off...Apolla...well…"
"Fear of clowns?"
"Petrified. We've had to make sure Shaco and his Chosen Jason go nowhere near her,"
"Fair enough." Helios looked towards the door. "Jake and Caleb should be back any moment. They just had me watch you while they went to fetch some more tools." He winced. "I might've been a bit rougher than I should've been."
"I needed a good beat down," she shrugged, "Maybe once I'm all fixed up, we could do a proper sparring session where I'm not out of my mind,"
"Oh, I don't know if I'd really call it proper," he smirked. "If I'm being honest, I'm probably just going to end up messing around."
"True, but still," she smiled, "It's...hard to find someone I can actually go full out with. I've still got to hold back a little when I spar with Vi...and she's the closest I can get,"
"Just don't get mad when I wipe the floor with you each time," he replied. "I'd hate to alienate my favorite representative."
"What's that saying...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" she asked.
He laughed. "I guess you're going to get a lot stronger, after I'm through with you."
"I don't know if I should be happy or nervous," she admitted, "Since, well...it's only a matter of time before I go…"
She gave a shudder.
"Go back,"
"Please don't mention that now," Helios grimaced. "I'd rather not think about it."
"Sorry, it bothers me as well," she told him, "I just want my kids to be safe,"
"I do too," he agreed. "We'll just have to hope for the best."
The door swung open, and Caleb and Jake reentered the repair room, each carrying at least a dozen separate tools in their arms.
"Yo." Helios waved. "She's up."
"She hit you?" Caleb asked with a grin.
"Caleb…" Leona growled.
"Once, but no worries. She hits like a wimp."
"You didn't say that when I hit you with my shield," she pointed out, "I am sorry about that, though,"
"Leona, please, let me try to maintain my masculinity," Helios complained. "I'm just a poor god trying to maintain his dignity in front of his followers, is that so hard to ask?"
"And I have my own reputation to protect as well," she smiled innocently.
"Didn't I trash that already?"
"Just my pride,"
"One down, one to go."
"Pride is easily repaired, reputation not so much. And since I'm going to be stuck here for a bit. I might as well torment you a little. Call that a little gift my Chosen rubbed off on me,"
"Bring it on, Sunshine," He said. "I'll show you why I'm the master."
"Oh no, I got you back already. Those first pranks were mine," she smirked, "Once is good enough for me,"
Helios folded his arms tighter, pouting. "Dammit. I had my schemes planned out and everything."
"Oh Cira is out for blood," Leona pointed out, "that last prank more than ever sent her over the edg- Cira that is not a nice thing to say! I don't care if he started it,"
"Give in to your anger, Cira. It will only make you stronger."
"...she says to tell you she's...why would you be proud to...Alright alright I'll tell him. 'I'm proud to be Rebel Scum, Imperial Dog'. I think that's the right way to say that?"
"I'll make a meme out of you yet," Helios replied.
"Bring it on Mr. Sunny Sunshine Memelord," came the growl from a blue-eyed Leona before Cira let her Champion take back control.
"...Why do I have the most awful feeling something bad is going to happen…" Leona said slowly.
"Eh, you're probably right," he conceded. His gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. "Well, you have a good one. I've got other things to do, and Caleb and Jake probably need to give you a tuneup anyways."
"More like give this back," Caleb said, holding up the helmet and showcasing the repaired visor, "added a couple things, so one, it'll be easier to take off. I noticed it still causes you pain to take it off,"
"Thank you," Leona nodded, "I was going to ask, but I didn't want to bother you,"
Helios waved goodbye, heading out the door.
"Got any threes?" Lenny asked, chewing on his cigar.
Amber gave a wry smile.
"Go fish!" She grinned.
Lenny gave her a sour look and drew a card.
"Lenny, do you hav-" Vivian was cut off as the door slammed open and Krista ran into the room, "Krista?"
"You guys have got to see this!" She squealed coming over and plopping down next to her commander.
"But our game!" Amber whined, "I was winning!"
"This is better!" Krista countered, showing what was going on via the phone's screen.
Unlike her friend, Vivian and Camille were well experienced with the fine arts. They immediately recognized the Merengue, but it took them a moment to realize that it was Helios and Ahri who were dancing.
Lenny's cigar dropped from his mouth. Amber's deck followed, but she was too busy goggling at the screen to care. Even Vivian was stunned.
Helios and Ahri were not only dancing the Merengue, but practically grinding up against each other while doing it. Their movements flowed elegantly one moment, then transitioned to sharp staccato in another. Both of them were too focused on each other to notice that they were being filmed, apparently. Their dance was passionate, intense, and, if they were being wholly honest...somewhat erotic.
"Well then…" Vivian blinked, "I was not expecting that,"
"Like I said, I ship it," Krista grinned, "Even my cold dead heart fluttered,"
"You have a heart," Lenny smirked only to get smacked upside the head by Krista, "OW!"
"Least I'm not shrivelling my lungs up," she retorted.
"You don't even need 'em!"
"So?"
"Children…" Vivian warned, getting them both to stop, "...Krista you are going to be showing this to the whole of the Institute, aren't you…"
Krista gave a sly, evil smirk.
"No, whatever made you think of something like that?" she blinked, still looking like the cat that ate the frigging Thanksgiving Turkey, "I would never, ever...send it to just one,"
Five minutes later, while lounging near the food court for no reason save his own amusement, Helios checked the top trending posts for the day on his phone.
His brow furrowed at the top spot, then shot up.
...Whoa. He and Ahri were really...moving. He was obviously aware of the Merengue's tendency to get spicy during performances, but he hadn't been aware that they'd been moving like that.
And the way Ahri's hips were moving…
NO! Helios mentally slapped himself. BAD HELIOS!
Great. Now everybody was going to know about this. At least it couldn't get any worse.
"Brother dear, I think we need to talk."
He jumped in his chair, turning to see Selene pointing the screen of her own phone at him.
"It would seem that you've been busy." Her eyes narrowed. "Care to tell me what you're doing in this video, exactly?"
He squirmed, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know what the problem is. We were just dancing."
"You misunderstand. I'm not angry," she replied. "I've been watching the two of you for the past several days. I'm more surprised that you would jump into a relationship so suddenly."
"Gods, not you too," Helios groaned. "We're not in a relationship. We're just friends."
"Helios." Selene tilted her chin down, staring at him. "Might I remind you that you're a shameless flirt?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, since you met Ahri, you haven't charmed a single woman," She said. "Not one."
He opened his mouth to speak.
His mental gears stopped turning for a second.
Oh, he thought, once they'd started working again. How about that? She's right.
"I'm not going to say anything more. Just be careful from now on, alright?" Selene asked. "You know how the other gods can be about things like this."
She waved him off when he attempted to reply. "Again, I won't say any more. I just hope you know what you're doing."
She turned to leave, then paused.
"Oh, and have you talked to Shyvana yet?" She asked.
His silence said everything.
"I thought so. Better get on that, hmm?"
She was right, loathe as he was to admit it.
Ahri would probably be freaking out over their dance, too.
This was gonna suck, he was sure of it.
"Ahriiiii," Ariel whined. "Stop scrolling through our old selfies on Instagram. I want to watch YouTube."
"But we looked good in these," the champion huffed, "You can always watch videos."
"And you can always look at our selfies."
Ahri was quiet for a moment. "Touche."
Ahri left the app on the phone and opened up YouTube, letting her chosen scroll through the videos. Not seeing anything on their regular feed that seemed interesting, she moved to the trending videos and froze.
"Ahri… is that us?"
The two pressed on the video and watched their dance from the arcade, where the two of them had danced the Merengue with Helios. The longer the video went on, the more red the nine tailed fox's face got. By the end of the video she was practically a tomato.
"Did we actually…" One of the two asked. It was impossible to tell at this point.
"Apparently."
After that, the two sat in silence for a moment until Ahri let out a shriek and the two dove under the covers.
What had she been thinking? Had she been thinking? Ahri should've realized at some point during the dance that something like that would happen, but apparently she hadn't been aware enough. She had to let her emotions get to her and insist on doing that stupid song.
Helios had to have seen it by now and, to be frank, she was slightly worried about what his response would be. Who had even… Krista. For a moment, the fox seethed, but took in a deep breath.
"You okay, Ahri?" Ariel tested.
In a low, slow voice Ahri replied, "I'm fine, but I believe we have a certain spectre to speak with."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"You're enjoying yourself," Sarah, Miss Fortune's Chosen, pointed out as Krista blew yet another hole in the target on the screen.
"No one challenges me, so having someone actually play a shooter with me is nice," Krista huffed as Sara twirled her own gun and pointed it at the screen as she cracked her gum.
BANG!
"Dang," Sarah huffed, "Just missed it,"
"Yeah, this one's a bit tricky," Krista admitted, "But it's a tad predictable,"
She pointed the gun at the screen and pulled the trigger while still looking at Sarah, nailing three bullseyes as they popped up.
"...You've gotta teach me how to do that," she muttered.
"Lots and lots of practice," Krista smiled.
SLAM!
Krista and Sarah looked up to see Ahri and Ariel stalk through.
"Oh...I think someone saw your video," Sarah blinked.
"Krista…" the chosen nearly hissed, one eye gold, the other blue.
"What was that." The way it was phrased was a statement, not a question.
"Y'know...you two should be on Dancing with the Stars," Krista grinned, "That was pretty good. Coulda sworn my heart actually started beating again,"
She looked at Sarah.
"Though...my camera work is kinda shaky...guess I won't be winning any Oscars anytime soon…" she pouted.
The fox growled. "Why? And did you somehow know it would happen? How did you know to record us?" she asked question after question, leaving no time to respond.
Krista whistled innocently, the quality of her voice making it sound slightly unnerving.
Her ears twitched as they picked up the sound, but it only added to the irritated look. Finally, Ahri seemed to get up and suddenly dashed forward towards Kalista's chosen.
Krista gave a loud cackle and dodged the fox, her hand flying out as a pillar of Black Mist materialized behind her. She gave a cheeky smile and small wave before falling backwards into it.
Her tails fluffed up against the cold of the Mist and she huffed. "Stupid spectre…" she muttered as her eyes finally reverted to purely gold.
"To be fair...you both dance really well," Sarah told her.
Ahri let out a huff. "She didn't have to record us though."
Ariel replied to her though, "But we both know Krista will be Krista."
"OUT!"
The maids scattered, avoiding the thick plume of smoke that threatened fire, but had nothing but embers. The door slammed shut and Shyvana growled, flopping on her bed with not so ladylike grace.
"You didn't have to yell," Sonja told her.
"I wanted to be alone," came the muffled reply.
"What, you want me to leave too?"
"You can't, we're stuck like this," Shyvana pointed out, "Not that I'm complaining though…"
"I feel so loved," Sonja smirked, "But seriously...they were only trying to help. I mean, yeah, I get you're still pissed off. I would be too,"
"Oho, 'pissed off' is an understatement," Shyvana growled, "I apparently have one family member that's alive and doesn't want to kill me...and was there or around but never helped me out when I was starving and running for my life,"
"Shyv...it's ok. I mean...you're fine now. You're getting married to probably one of the best guys in Runeterra. You're going to rule. How many people you know wouldn't want to be in your situation?" Sonja reasoned, "I mean...yeah, mean inlaws, but still. I...kinda want our kids to know their grandpa, so can you at least talk to Helios?"
"Hmph," Shyvana huffed, still refusing to move from her position.
There was a knock on her door.
"If it's another person questioning about my health, they're going to see why you don't disturb a sleeping dragon," Shyvana hissed as she got up off the bed and opened the door.
She froze.
Helios stood in the doorway.
"We need to talk."
Well, this is going to go over about as well as a lead balloon...
Chosens Used (We Are Warriors)
Leona- Cira Noble (Jonson)
Pantheon-Arthur Jonson
Jarvan IV-Zack Turner
Kalista-Krista Rhon
Ahri-Ariel Royal
Ashe- Amelia Whitworth (Hodges)
Katarina- Tracy Armstrong
Zed- Zayne Umbero
Jhin-Jin Jhiāng
Vi- Violet Sydney
Ekko- David Allen
Yasuo- Dylan Cross
Master Yi- Shun Gallagher
Lucian- Jonathan Cross Jr.
Vayne- Valencia Storm
Shyvana-Sonja Chadayev
Viktor-Caleb Thompkins
Jayce- Jake Reagan
Miss Fortune-Sarah Flint
Chosens Used (We Are Chosen)
Kindred-Dianne Faye
Lucian-Arthur Jonson (Senna-Cira Noble)
Leona-Janie Noble
...And then there are Helios and Selene.
Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please let me know!
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.
