Author's Note: I greatly apologize for how long this took for me to finish... X_X Thank you for your patients and welcome new followers I hope you're all enjoying the story thus far.

Between my Grandpa being on his death bed and me trying to distract myself from worry by wrecking Yasuo solo Lanes in league with Riven in ranked (sorry yasuo... you don't beat a good Riven...) this took way longer than I wanted. I will try to figure out a release schedule from now on.

Reviews always welcomed. (P.S I changed the chapter title, I'll save the one I used for later)

Chapter 7: More Than a Weapon

The overwhelming silence between both Champions only continued to dislodge Riven's nerves. Whether it was anger or confusion causing the mild physical shaking within the exile it mattered not to her. Riven's full focus was on the hovering Ionian weapon acting like a threatening barrier between the Noxian and the Captain of the Guard. The snowy-haired warrior lowered her hands slowly to her sides and took a deep breath. Riven stood her ground showing no sign of fear or intimidation when the blades reacted to her movement and slid closer to the tanned skin of the exile's throat.

"Irelia, I know you can hear me…Talk to me," Riven's voice became calm as she forced her nerves to relax with her inhuman discipline. One wouldn't exactly describe her tone as gentle, even the exile herself would agree with those who found her incapable of such action. Riven's eyes shifted back to the broken blade that was consuming Irelia's full attention. The way the rune was reacting in the presence of the Ionian captain puzzled Riven. The strange behavior of her blade certainly wasn't helping her try to remain in control of her nerves.

The onyx haired Champion remained silent as unmoved, despite Riven's efforts to get answers from her. If Irelia's revelation was correct, there was only one way to prove its worth. The Captain of the Guard continued to drown out the exile with her own thoughts. She took a deep breath and approached the broken Noxian weapon. The Ionian continued to block out Riven's protests, remaining focused on the blade.

"Irelia…Irelia don't!"

The dark-haired woman felt a tight grip take ahold of her wrist, her finger tips just inches from the hilt of the rune blade.

"Don't…" the exile's voice was low and serious.

Irelia's eyes darted from the bandaged hand around her wrist to look at the exile. The Captain couldn't read Riven's expression, the exile's eyes hidden behind the bangs that hung over her face, like a shroud. Such quick reactions… Irelia thought. Her eyes narrowed, "For an arm with a damaged system of nerves your grip is still quite firm."

Riven said nothing.

The determination of the Captain didn't wane as she stared down the Noxian. The grip the exile had around her wrist remained tight. The glowing rune flickered in a way that one would almost consider a taunting pattern. Irelia quickly tried to grab the sword with her free hand. So fast! Irelia's mind yelled as she tried to pull her arm away seeing Riven's hand pulling the blade from its holder. The Ionian quickly commanded her blades to rise up forcing Riven to release Irelia's wrist lest she wished to lose that arm.

The exile quickly backed away with the rune sword held tight in her right hand. Riven was shocked from the sudden attempted assault from Irelia of all people. "Have you lost your mind!? Did the way I spoke to Lux really piss you off this much!?" Riven grit her teeth as she leaned back quickly, the edge of the steel grazing he Noxian's platinum bangs. Shit! The exile panicked as the Ionian blades swiftly flipped up from the follow through of the first strike and began to descend downward towards Riven. Rune blade held tight, Riven lowered her stance and shouted as she defensively swung the shattered blade upward to meet the opposing weapon.

Clang!

The force between the two colliding weapons caused a short lived spark to shoot from the steel edges. The sound of metallic clashing steel rung loud through the silence of the room as if time had slowed down with how long the clang seemed to echo off the walls. The eerie green glow from the single rune of the weapon cast across both their faces as the two warriors locked eyes.

Irelia's concentration broke, the clinking sound of the shaking Ionian steel tapping against the steel edge of the stone rune blade caught Riven's attention.

Make it stop!

It burns!

Monster!

Murderer!

Have mercy! Please!

Agonizing screams, the begging pleas of men, women and children and the cries of the young and old plagued the Captain's ears. Events of times long lost to the past surged through Irelia's mind. The Ionian's body jolted as she stumbled away from the confused Noxian exile.

"H-Hey!" Riven stammered as she tried to wrap her mind around the Ionian's sudden strange behavior. Riven watched the enchanted steel slide from the edge of her blade and start to fall to the floor. The weapon caught itself just before hitting the floor. The blades weakly made their way back to their master's side.

Irelia dropped to her hands and knees, feeling a heavy shudder quake through her entire being. The negative energy felt one hundred times stronger than the first time she crossed blades with the exile. The true power of the shattered weapon was surly suppressed on the fields of justice. One of Irelia's hands found its way to her scalp as she held her head. That weapon was far from normal. There was more to it than just the power provided by the runes and Noxian sorcery it was forged with. The Will of the Blades struggled to think over what had just occurred but one thing was for certain, her head hurt.

Riven slowly bent her knees and set her sword on the floor to her side. The exile put her hands out once more to emphasize the "unarmed" aspect as she cautiously took slow steps towards the Captain. "Irelia? Are you alright?" Riven knelt down onto one knee near the Ionian. The confusion Riven felt certainly showed through her features. The exile hesitated slightly before offering her, friend, a hand.

Irelia reacted, semi-slapping her hand away.

The exile retracted her offer and remained quiet. Riven could see the physical vibration in the Captain's hand as it returned to holding Irelia's head. What happened…?

Irelia quietly tried to stand up from the cold wood floor. She felt a slight wobble in her knees as she managed to stand. The Captain's body swayed slightly as she walked past the exile towards the door.

Riven frowned as she watched Irelia half stumble towards the door. The Ionian blades that usually held a noble formation were drooping weakly next to their master, the tips nearly dragging on the floor. Riven debated on whether or not she was going to let Irelia leave until the Ionian almost collapsed face first into the doorway. The exiled got up from her knelt position and walked up to the weak Will of the Blades who was using the door frame to lean on. Riven crossed her arms across her chest and stepped into the doorway, effectively blocking Irelia's path. The exiles frown remained as the Captain looked up at her with tired eyes. "I don't really understand what just happened but if you think I'm going to let you leave in this condition at this time of night alone you are sorely mistaken Irelia," Riven's decision was absolute. Despite the institute being a place where people were supposed to be protected and safe, they still had their fair share of incidents; after all, it is a political entity for Valoran.

Irelia hung her head slightly, still using the door frame as a crutch so she could stand. She knew Riven wasn't going to let her leave, she was far too stubborn and Irelia just didn't have the energy to fight it at the moment. The Captain felt the fatigue and the light headedness start to win as she tried to hold herself up from collapsing. "I…don't feel well…" Irelia couldn't fight the fatigue anymore as she felt her eyes close and she began to fall forward. The four blades made a thud when they fell to the floor as Irelia lost consciousness.

"Woah…Easy," Riven gasped slightly surprised as she caught the collapsing Ionian to keep her from falling face first onto the floor. Irelia's body was completely slack as Riven tried to reposition herself to lift the unconscious warrior. Irelia's naturally slender form certainly didn't make her light weight surprising. "Up you go," Riven said as she hooked an arm around the back of Irelia's knees and lifted her up in her arms. The exile sighed deeply as she carried Irelia towards her bed.

Traitor, an eerie voice echoed in Riven's mind.

Silence, Riven mentally snapped back at the voice, my will is my own. A slight chill ran down her spine from Irelia's soft breathing tickling her neck slightly since her head was rested against Riven's shoulder. The exile carefully laid the unconscious Captain down onto her bed and stood back up straight. Riven quietly turned from the out cold Ionian and walked back to the door way. She knelt down and quietly collected the four blades lying on the floor and stacked them in her arms. To Riven's surprise they were much heavier than she thought as she found herself using both arms to cradle the blades while she carried them back over to their resting master. The weapon was certainly an awkward one as Riven placed the stacked blades onto the nightstand next to the bed.

The Noxian sighed realizing that Irelia was still fully dressed in her Captains armor. Riven had slept in armor once before, it was far from comfortable and she felt sore the next day. The exile nervously ran a hand through her own hair as she tried to figure out how to handle the awkward situation she was about to put herself into. We are leaving for Ionia tomorrow…sleeping in armor is awful… travelling with a sore body is awful… Riven took a deep breath and released a large sigh as she aggressively messed up her hair with her hands trying to figure out what she should do. I have no cloths to spare… Riven thought quietly before looking down at her baggy tee-shirt and shorts she usually wore to bed. The exile grabbed the base of her shirt and hesitated slightly before pulling it off. She usually kept her upper body wrapped for comfort sake and she tossed the shirt next to Irelia. The silence in the room certainly didn't help Riven feel any less awkward as she examined the rather intricate Ionian armor. This wouldn't be the first time she had to remove armor from another person since during the war when soldiers in her unit were unconscious and injured someone had to get them out of their armor to apply first aid. Riven quietly started to pick at the Ionian armor set, looking for the various hooks and clips that kept armor pieces held together. The way this armor fits to a person is so weird… Riven grumbled as she tried to accomplish the tedious task of helping Irelia out of her armor. The Noxian threw her hands up triumphantly as she finally managed to figure out how to remove the engraved and figure tight leg armor. The exile sighed in relief seeing Irelia had skin tight long silk pants on under the metal plating.

Riven sat quietly on the end of her bed twiddling her thumbs as she mentally prepared herself to finish the task of removing the Ionian armor from her unconscious guest. The Noxian would be lying to herself if she admitted that she felt completely comfortable doing this. This was far beyond awkward for her. What didn't help ease Riven's mind was that Irelia was actually a very attractive individual, not that Riven thought on that too much even though removing the armor of her attractive unconscious guest felt like a date rape situation. Riven shook her head and turned back around to finish the job. Once the shoulder guards were removed she pulled the red and off-white sleeves down Irelia's arms. Riven's eye twitched slightly as she stared at the last remaining piece, the chest plate. If she wakes up… I'm dead… Riven thought as she pushed an arm between the bed and under the back of Irelia's shoulders then pulled her upper body up from the bed as Riven's other hand frantically searched for the clips. Oh Gods, PLEASE! Where are the clips, buckles…anything!? WHAT'S UP WITH THIS ARMOR, DAMN!? Riven sighed in relief as she finally found where the buckles were as she undid them and removed the chest plate.

The sudden warmth that collected in the exile's cheeks as she looked at the almost naked upper body of Irelia certainly surprised Riven, it's not like Riven never saw another woman in her bra before. Despite the burning heat Riven felt plaguing her face she had to admit Irelia was certainly a beautiful person. The Ionian warrior's smooth and flawless skin would make anyone who didn't know any better think that Irelia was a virgin to a battle field but that was not the case at all. She was as much a war veteran as the Noxian exile. Riven turned her attention to her own upper body. Her tan skin littered with scars of many sizes from all manners of weaponry… even chemical burns; a cold reminder of the past. Riven quietly pulled the baggy tee-shirt down over Irelia's upper body to cover her up. The exile quietly pulled the bed sheets over Irelia's body then covered her with the blanket that was made from thick bear fur.

Riven rubbed her eyes slightly before standing up from the bed. What was to come in the morning was something she was too tired to think over at the moment. The exile quietly walked over to the arm chair that sat not too far from the bed. Crossing her arms, Riven tried to make herself comfortable as she sat down on the chair. A few minutes and some adjustments later Riven felt her eyes start to get heavy and soon slumber claimed her.

The lively chirping of early song birds could be heard outside the window of the exile's room. Gentle and warm morning sun beams bled through the glass panes of the window as the sun began to rise. The sudden light and warmth cast upon Irelia's face caused the Ionian warrior to stir from her rest. Her jade eyes opened slightly only to squint from the sunlight. Irelia blinked slightly as she realized that this wasn't her room. The soft tips from the fur blanket softly tickled her cheek as she sat up realizing where she was. Irelia looked down at her attire and blushed slightly as she noticed her armor had been removed. What…happened… Irelia looked next to the bed to see her weapon moving up from its rested position and her armor neatly placed on the dresser with next to Riven's. Irelia's cheeks grew hot; I slept in Riven's room!? Her mind screamed at her as the blush of embarrassment only grew brighter.

Irelia snapped out of her panicked thoughts as she heard a soft snore. The Ionian looked over at the source of the sound. There sitting in the chair, arms crossed across her chest, was Riven. She was still asleep. Irelia noticed that Riven had nothing but her upper chest wrapped to cover her upper body. The Captain of the guard looked down and touched the soft fabric of Riven's shirt that she was now wearing. The thought of a Noxian giving the shirt off their back for an Ionian was certainly enough to make the Will of the Blades smile softly. Maybe you're a little different deep down after all… Irelia chuckled quietly hearing the exile snore softly once more.

Riven stirred slightly hearing the chuckle. The exile opened her eyes immediately realizing the source of the chuckling. She quietly stared at Irelia with a questioning look. Was she laughing because she was shirtless?

"You were snoring Riven," Irelia continued to softly giggle at the exile.

Riven's face flushed and she frowned slightly in embarrassment, "I do not."

"Oh yes; you do. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Irelia winked and placed a finger over her lips as a symbol of keeping quiet.

The exile grumbled slightly shifting her eyes away from Irelia in an attempt to look tough even though her otherwise tan cheeks were bright red from embarrassment.

Irelia couldn't really help but smile at the situation even though it could have been extremely strange and out of the ordinary. The Captain quietly let her hands grip at the silky bear fur blanket. The décor of the room certainly matched that which would be seen back in Riven's homeland of Noxus. The only thing the room lacked to make it completely Noxian would be the absence of an actual banner baring the crest of Noxus.

"I may be an exile, but that doesn't make me any less Noxian by birth," Riven commented as she watched Irelia take in her surroundings. "I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable at all."

Irelia shook her head slightly. "Not really, in fact I might steal your fur blanket," the Captain teased as she rubbed the silky black bear fur against her cheek still looking at the exile.

A slight smirk pulled at the corner of Riven's mouth. It was small and barely noticeable but Irelia could see it.

The Ionian captain smiled seeing Riven's expression, even if it was an extremely minor form of a smirk it was still something other than a typical serious expression the exile always wore. Ah, so you are capable of feeling something other than pain and regret. It seems you are more than just a disposed weapon of Noxus; you're human after all.

"When we leave for Ionia, your sword come with us," Irelia said as her eyes shifted to the sword that still lay on the floor from the previous night. This caught Riven's attention.

"But…Soraka said…"

"I want it to come with us," Irelia's voice was stern. Irelia was determined to figure out why that sword was the way it was. She's felt the effects of Noxian Necromancy before and what she felt last night was no strange feeling to her. There was nothing regarding "simple Noxian sorcery" behind the crafting of that blade and Irelia was going to figure out why that weapon is the way it is, regardless if Riven gave her permission or not.