A/N: Sorry this came out rather later than usual, I had other stuff to write and this is a looong chapter (at least by my standards)

There are more important notes at the end of this chapter, I just felt like saying hello.

Shifting nervously, Akali stared out at the ocean in front of her. The forests of Ionia, where she had just completed her latest mission, lay behind her and she wondered if she could have afforded a few more days in the city just to make sure there weren't any attempts to gather the information she had disposed of. Clearing her thoughts, she stood up and continued to look out over the ocean for any activity. I'm not thinking straight. Kennen stayed behind instead of me because he would swim these isles if something happened on the mainland and I wouldn't.

An image of Irelia appeared in her mind.

Wouldn't I?

Turning around to make sure the boat hadn't arrived yet, she swore under her breath. "Fucking Irelia…..put me in this shitty situation. I was on top of my feelings for you, and then you went and nearly got yourself killed!"

If I hadn't done something she wouldn't have survived, and then….

And then what? Disappointment? I did my job. I killed those Noxian spies. Nobody would be disappointed.

Except me.

Picking a rock up and throwing it in one motion, she threw it as far as she could. It flew several feet, directly into the Kinkou strait.

And then she asks me to do one thing, just ONE thing. Find the people that attacked her.

The people that have completely disappeared, and also don't even exist!

The barbarian and the viking. Gone.

The blind martial artist who nearly killed Irelia and nobody in Ionia has EVER heard of.

The archer who no one knows despite him having purple skin and not even being human.

And…

And the other one.

Noticing the sail appear in her view, she instantly snapped out of her trance and walked down towards the small boat as it moored by the dock. On the boat, Shen looked in her direction with indifference, which was expected. He's practicing. Maybe I should test him a little…

"Shen! How are you? Wait, let me guess..." She paused mockingly. It was an old joke, but a good one, at least in her opinion.

In response, Shen smiled at her., nearly causing Akali to fall off the boat in shock.

Sheepishly she smiled back. "…That was fake wasn't it."

"That might get you to stop asking me that dumb question."

"Could also get you disqualified."

"We're on a boat in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I think I can have fun occasionally."

As Shen stopped talking, Akali found herself fidgeting nervously again. Dropping the oars, Shen looked at her and Akali could tell he was clearly concerned.

"Something's wrong?"

"Have you….ever heard of other types of ninja?"

"They don't exist, at least as far as I know. Why?"

"A very high ranked Ionian I know was attacked by assassins. One of them looks like a ninja."

"And they can't be Noxian?"

"Another two were barbarians."

Shen frowned. "That seems…..incredibly unlikely. You just…know this Ionian?"

"It's complicated." Akali shifted again at she noticed Shen glaring at her. .

"So what are you going to do?"

"…..Ask someone…Preferably not my mother..."

"…You're going to have to ask my father."

As the temple island appeared on the edge of the horizon, Akali felt as if a chasm had just appeared where her stomach should have been.

Why didn't I just stay in Ionia when I had the chance…

Storming between the giant stone columns that made up the main quarters of her house, Irelia threw herself down onto the nearest chair. This is ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. My ribs improve to the point where I can go home….and then they keep me locked up there instead.

Resisting the urge to throw something, she threw out a kick which slammed into the nearest pillar and sent a bolt of pain into her ribs.

"Shit!"

"Are you alright?"

Irelia turned around to face Soraka. "None of your business."

"I just thought I heard something….is everything OK?"

"Well thanks to you I'm locked up in my own house…"

"What did I do?"

Irelia glared at her. "You're a terrible liar. You…Akali….My family….The council…She motioned to the guards outside her home. You're all working against me."

Just then someone knocked on the door.

"What is it?"

The door promptly flew open revealing one of the biggest men she had ever seen, standing well over 6 feet tall and dressed entirely in animal fur.

"General."

Irelia tried her best to ignore Soraka staring in shock at the man.

"….Good evening, Spirit Walker."

"I have come to repay my debt to Ionia."

"Did you find the people I requested?"

"Only one. He fit the description you gave…but he is…. also one of my closest friends. He comes to plead his innocence."

Staring at the Spirit Walker for a few minutes, Irelia tried to come to terms with what he just said. Pleading innocence was allowed…but also completely insane.

"Plead his….innocence? Send….send him in then."

"Lee!"

The man walked in and kneeled and Irelia stared in shock..

"General."

This was the monk that attacked her alright, with a few major differences. Instead of baldness, long black hair covered his head.

And the red cloth she had seen covering his face….

"You're….not blind?" Of all the things she thought she would find, a man with sight was the least likely. And considering the way he'd fought against her, also completely impossible.

The two men stared at her as if they had absolutely no idea what she had just said.

"Why….would I be blind?"

"Because the man that attacked me resembles you exactly…. and yet also happened to be blind."

There was an awkward silence that seemed to last forever. Then the Spirit Walker spoke.

"Sorcery."

Seeing no other option Irelia had to agree. "You…can both go."

As the two left the complete silence resumed. Looking around, Irelia was filled with confusion and also dread.

If this is over as easily as I think it's over, why did Lee look like he was hiding something? And even if he wasn't…then why did Soraka?

Akali slowly managed to put herself into a sitting position. Upon arriving at the temple she had slowly managed to bring herself to considering asking Shen's father about the incident, only to immediately receive a summons about the war for that night. And since that was just about the only thing that could have made her day any worse….she'd gone straight to the spa instead. Making growling noises to anyone who wondered if she had something better to do. Wonder how long I have to lie here before the Kinkou drag me away…

Almost directly after, someone unexpected walked in.

Zed. In full armor. What's he after?

She looked around wondering if he was looking for someone else, only to find she was the only person in the room.

Well I might as well try and look dignified.

"Long day?"

"I'm fighting Shen soon." Well that was blunt.

"Again?"

"Will you be watching?"

Wait what?

"Presumably."

There's something unusual going on here.

Determined to find what he was hiding, she went straight for his weakness.

"It'll probably just be another draw though, won't it?"

If Zed reacted, she didn't see it. "You never know. I might have a few surprises…."

Akali realised she was staring at Zed as he walked off.

Considering you're inviting everyone to come watch…you've definitely got a surprise. .

But what?

Jumping out of the water, Akali raced back to her quarters to prepare to watch the fight.

Why do I get the feeling this fight is going to go horribly wrong?

Quickly making her way towards the fight arena, Akali was hoping that the overwhelming sense of dread she had was just her being paranoid. Like that's going to be true. With the amount of people I've seen heading in this direction, someones has to be going to lose this fight. Fast. And since Zed went out and invited them…. it's not going to be him. Entering the arena, she found a crowd of people already inside. And already in the centre….

"Like my new fans, Shen? They've come to see you lose!"

In response Shen bowed and half the crowd started chanting his name.

"You ready?"

"I was born ready! Let's do this!"

Zed has to be up to something. And Shen knows it.

As the fight began Akali watched as Shen charged forward into Zed, nearly knocking him over. Maybe I was wrong to be paranoid. This seems pretty standard…

Responding, Zed quickly threw a lightning fast counterpunch that bounced off the side of Shen's face before he could dodge it and sent him staggering.

The entire crowd went into uproar as Akali stared at the battle in front of her.

That was way too fast. If he had been holding a weapon...

Hardly aware of Shen or her surroundings, Akali continued to watch Zed fight intently.

This can't be me imagining things. He's not even trying to use his training. It's almost like….

He's pretending to be an assassin.

As Shen blocked another round of punches he lunged forward again to try and take Zed by surprise, only for Zed to dodge and move backwards. Backing away from the direct assault, Shen began to slowly circle around Zed instead.

And you can't give an assassin that amount of space.

Then Zed charged.

Thunk.

So fast that Akali could hardly see it, Zed sent a blow directly towards Shen's ribs. With no way to react in time, Shen countered as the blow struck regardless, sending a huge kick towards Zed's chest as Zed dropped his guard for a millisecond. Akali stared. The kick missed. And Zed suddenly appeared behind Shen and knocked him to the ground.

The battle was over. And Akali knew that Zed wasn't following the path of balance anymore. The other ninjas….they do exist.

And if I know….so does Shen's father.

Suddenly overcome with an urge to throw up, Akali bolted out of the arena, and away from the shouting beginning within.

Throwing open the door, Karma stormed into the Hall of the Elders. After hoping her village would be left unharmed or be in full retreat, she had been horrified to see an army at least the size of the village directly outside, and petrified to see people continuing their normal lives within the village regardless. And now…..she wasn't in the best of moods.

"I cannot believe this. In case you somehow haven't already guessed, we are being invaded."

"We were already aware of that situation." The enormous respect Karma usually had for the elders had never been in doubt before, but from what she knew of the Noxians….this was insane. "So why hasn't anyone in this village actually begun to retreat?

"The Noxians made it clear as soon as they arrived that we cannot retreat without being cut down. They continue to ride horses around our valley in the morning and light torches around our village at dusk."

Karma stared in confusion. They can't expect us to fight, can they?

"So what the fuck are they waiting for?"

"They haven't said."

"There has to be another way to get the villagers out of here. Perhaps if we do it in the dead of night while they least expect it…."

"We are going to ask for a peaceful resolution."

"What?" That's suicide!

"It is clearly what the Noxians are waiting for, and is the only option we have."

"They are going to cut you down the minute you leave the village. They do not accept peaceful surrender!"

"We do not have any other choices to make!"

"Well let me think of one!"

"I am not changing my decision if it means going against tradition!"

"Please!"

"…I think it would be best if you left us to discuss this ourselves."

Barely able to control her emotions, Karma threw open the door, walked outside, swore, realised she was walking towards the enemy army, swore again, and walked as far away from the army and the hall of the elders as she possibly could.

Sitting on the shore of the temple island, Akali stared out in the direction of the Ionian mainland. As the clouds had arrived from over the horizon, the wind had sent massive gusts in from the ocean and Akali could feel ice crystals forming from the seawater on her skin. But she didn't move.

I have no other choice. If I go back inside…..I will have to tell people what I know.

And then…..they will hate and fear me. There isn't any other option.

Closing her eyes, she thought of Irelia again to slowly calm herself down.

She's standing, directly in front of me. And we can live together and I won't be judged by anyone and…..she's not is she.

As she heard a noise behind her, she opened her eyes to see nothing but water and the distant shape of the mainland in front of her. The footsteps she heard approaching were nearly as natural as breathing to her, and she saw no need to turn around.

"Akali."

"Mother. Am I late for the meeting?"

"No. There were…..unusual circumstances."

I thought so. Zed's been removed.

"So I thought I'd inform you myself. The war in Ionia does not require our intervention any longer. ".

What? But I just completed a mission there!

"We did all we could."

Akali stood completely still, putting all her effort into looking indifferent, while on the inside her mind was in turmoil.

But that means…

"And as we cannot interfere in the war any longer, and cannot reach Valoran without passing through Ionia, nobody is permitted to leave the island. Including you. Do you understand?"

The impact of those words was so strong Akali nearly lost her balance with shock.

But if I can't leave the island…I may never see Irelia again,

As Akali saw all her hopes become crushed in front of her, she realised her mother was waiting for an answer. And in that instant she knew she would have to say the hardest two words of her entire life. After a couple of seconds, she said them.

"Yes, mother."

Furious, Karma stormed around the border of her village. Her attempts at coming up with escape strategies having failed, she was now furious with both herself and the elders, but still found herself becoming obsessed with finding an escape. Nearly completely insane with her obsession, she suddenly realised she had company, spun around, and stiffened. A little girl, barely older than 8 or 9, stared back at her.

"Are you alright?"

Taken aback by the question, Karma stared before regaining her composure.

"Yes. I was just…." Having no idea how long the child had been standing there, she decided to lie as little as she could. "Thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?"

"You wouldn't understand." Whatever she had just said was clearly the wrong thing because the child gasped in awe.

"Are you thinking about magic? Are you a mage?!"

"Well… I guess you could say that." Karma knew she had enormous magical potential, but using it….the thought of using her powers absolutely terrified her.

"You should just use your magic on the army and make them go boom!"

She froze. What was stopping her from just firing a spell into the army and killing everyone? It would be so easy and yet…. to her people, to the child standing in front of her, it would make her a cold-blooded murderer.

"I…I don't have the magic."

But what if I do? What if it was that easy?

Why is the village so damn noisy?

A thought struck her. "Shouldn't you be doing…something else?"

The elders went out to talk and they haven't come back yet so I'm meant to be in the attic... But this is way more exciting!"

Karma's blood ran cold. I'm out of options. They're coming. And that means….everyones going to die. As she looked at the innocent child before her in that instant she felt something powerful stir within her. And in that instant she knew what she had to do. "Go home. I have to go somewhere."

"Where are you going?"

Where am I going?

I'm going to stop that army, even if it kills me.

On the outskirts of the Placidium, a small crowd had gathered to investigate the opening of a new store, which for some reason, sold only chocolate. Looking at the crowd gathered for the opening, Syndra was rather pleased. It did take a lot of work to get the store set up. Far less than an average person, but still quite a lot of magical labour.

As soon as I start my plans to take over Ionia the entire island gets surrounded by Noxians. Bloody hell. Still… this should be a useful distraction for the time being.

The crowd went silent as she took to the stairs in front of them and spoke.

"I hereby declare Sandy's chocolates to be open for business!"

As the Noxian army prepared to begin the massacre, Karma slowly walked towards the gate of the village and towards the waiting Noxian army, almost without thinking. Her mind and every fibre of her body were completely devoted to using the magic within her, but she still managed to find her way through the gates until she stopped less than 100 feet away from the Noxian army. The cold, hard eyes of the general stared back at her, showing faint amusement.

Smirking at her he jeered mockingly.

"Another offer of peace? I thought you would be less stupid."

Looking straight into his eyes, Karma spoke as calmly as if he was a close friend.

"This is not a offer of peace…this is a gesture of resistance."

Then she exploded.

What happened next, she wasn't entirely sure.

I can't remember getting up, but here I am….Did I fall over?

I felt something come out of my chest….

She looked at her chest only to find it completely intact.

Did something happen?

Suddenly aware of the complete chaos surrounding her, she looked around and saw two dragons easily 20 feet long on either side of her and made entirely out of fire. Then she realised the enemy army was moving away from her. Is the enemy army….retreating?

Giddy with jubilation she turned around. "Everyone! Get out, now!"

The village people looked at her as if she was completely mad, which admittedly wasn't that far from the truth. Desperately trying to get her point across, she tried screaming at them again. "I'm not sure how long I can hold this up for! Placidium! Now!"

And with the enemy army in complete disarray, Karma, the two dragons, and the remaining population of the village swarmed towards the safety of Northern Ionia.

As wave after wave crashed into the rock face below her, Akali stared out in the direction of the mainland even as thick fog began to descend, completely obscuring the mainland. . Suddenly as a massive wave crashed into the rocks below her, Akali looked up in shock as she felt water cascading down her face.

Am I…Am I crying?

I guess I must be.

Because I'm afraid…I'm afraid Irelia is never going to forgive me.

Because I'm afraid that Irelia is going to forget…forget that I ever existed. .

Slowly, she managed to get to her feet. She had other duties she needed to attend to, duties she had forgotten about. But she swore for as long as she was trapped on this island, she was never going to forget Irelia's face. And as she turned away from the shore, she swore she heard Irelia's voice. Turning around as if she was speaking to Irelia for the last time, she spoke.

"Goodbye Irelia. I...I will never forget you."

End of Part 1

A/N: Sooooo the reason's the stories in parts now is because I realised there was a plot hole just before I started writing this chapter, and the parts was how I fixed it. So part 2 is identical to part 1 except there's around a 7 year gap between the end of part 1 and the start of part 2. I should take the same amount of time to post the first chapter of part 2 as I did to post this chapter give or take, and probably even less because the chapters are shorter, and I'll add it as a new chapter to this story when its up.

In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Love you all.