Chapter 7

When Akali awoke to consciousness, she realized that the Summoners were preparing for the upcoming match. She overslept! If she wasted any more minutes, then her opportunity Zed would slip by her fingers. She needed to fight that match against him in order to show him that she was no child, that she wasn’t a weak little girl, and that she wasn’t a waste of talent. She would show him.

Akali braced herself by the bedside, supporting her body with wobbly legs as though she were a newborn fawn. They must’ve drugged her or something, to put her under control and to help ease the pain. Though Akali didn’t have to worry about that for now. She vanished out of the room, despite the protests of a nurse telling her to stay put where she was. But Akali didn’t listen. She needed to interrupt the Summoners from proceeding with the match, though this was a particular day that was the most crowded and had a lot of spectators coming to the area to watch the Champions. What could she possibly do?

Akali felt a hand upon her shoulder. Shen looked back at her with solemn yellow eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed resting?” Shen asked.

“I suppose…but the match,” Akali said, her temper evened down from nervousness and anxiety about the upcoming match. “I need to stop it.”

“You’re in no state to be fighting against Zed,” Shen chided. “I thought I told you that. Come on Akali. There are other opportunities. Besides, I did not ask you fight in my stead against him.”

Akali flushed. “I’m doing this for you. After what he did…”

Shen’s eyes softened. “I didn’t want it to be at the expense of you, though. You will need to recover and regather your strength.”

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Akali protested, yet Shen guided her back into the Infirmary where the other Summoners were fussing over her asthough she were a fragile, delicate thing that couldn’t handle something as simple as an injury. Some Champions could keep on fighting when they died, even, like Sion, for example.

“I will keep you company if you wish,” Shen said, before Akali intertwined her fingers with his own.

“Shen, I wanted to talk to you.”

Shen looked down at her curiously.

“I wanted to apologize,” Akali murmured as she flushed slightly and turned away from him. “For acting…childish. My temper got the bet of me. But please understand, this match is important to me. I know what you had in stake against Zed, and I would gladly lend you my aid as the Pruning of the Tree to punish him and—”

“I’m not seeking his punishment or revenge, Akali,” Shen said, before his eyes softened once more. “What I care about and prioritize more is you.”

Akali squeezed Shen’s hand tighter against her own. She really appreciated the thought of him, and suddenly her anger adn reservations about him melted away. Shen sometimes did stuff like this, showing certain thoughtfulness and coolheadedness, keeping his calm and figuring out the best solution. That’s probably the reason why he was known as teh Eye of Twilight, after all.

“Thank you, Shen,” Akali said softly, smiling towards him, her head tilted up to look into his eyes.

“If you really insist on fighting aganist Zed,” Shen said in contemplation. “I made arrangements with a certain Summoner to have you fight Zed against midlane rther than Syndra. However, I will also be accompanying you in the match, so I’ll be sure to lend my aid if something goes on.”

“You’re really the best, Shen,” Akali said with a soft smile, before she turned away and flushed prettily. She was starting to get tongue-tied from all the nice things that Shen is doing for her, and she wanted t oexpress how much he meant to her. Even though he was concerned about his injuries, he knew tht Akali would find a way to get into the match itself, so he found some countermeasures against that which would let her in the match but also allow Shen to freely monitor her while he was farming at top lane.

“That sounds like a compromise,” Akali said with a smile. “I’ll recover a little, then. I promise that I won’t over exert myself.”

“Be prepared,” Shen said, before he planted a loving kiss on her lips, before untwining his hand from hers. “Must go. But I’m counting on you, Akali.”