Forge of worlds - League of legends fanfic

Chapter 26 - Reforge

Hours had passed by after they had resumed their pace towards the sun disk, the sun shone at it's highest and was dooming to fall back under the horizon, but neither looked like they wanted to take a moment to stop. Ezreal had attempted to distract Kai'Sa as much from what had happened in the cave, every try was a desperation to make her forget about it. With both of his hand dug deep in his pockets he could already feel the consequences of his action, if he could have reverted everything he would have taken any chance to do so.
For years had he successfully managed to keep himself detached from everyone who has entered his life. It was a lonesome life to not be able to turn to people to confess the occasional problem he had to deal with, but in ways it had made him stronger towards unexpected events and managed to keep his mentality healthy during moments he had lost a companion or a simple friend. Now that he had finally found someone who were so much alike to him and had her own differences that made her more appealing and fitting to his travels and adventures he feared that if he would commit to his feelings to her everything would change. He would get distracted, more than he already was, that she would call for his attention, that he'd slack. There were many things that could happen and ruin the friendship dynamic they had.
Then why did I do it? He thought to himself in wonder. The way she stared to him as if she had the same intention had made him think about every dream he had about her, she made him feel more comfortable than he should have and he knew that even if she had enjoyed it she would not just walk away from him. What if all of that just vanished and he had to grow over the grief of losing his friend? It was too complicated and too big of a risk to take and he would not toss something as valuable as their friendship into a fire and hope it can stand the flames.

When Ezreal had kissed Kai'Sa for the first time he was relieved that she did not move or ignite any of the feelings that he had felt during his dreams, though he could not lie to find it almost adorable as she just stared to him in wonder after he had put a stop to it. He knew to himself he should not teach her how to kiss, that he would only entice for something to happen while he were at it. It left him breathless and somewhat in pain to leave her looking at him wondering if she had done well, or how humans would actually do it. Warnings from the future were everywhere, it signed through the rumbling of his stomach, the soft expression on her face as if she had laid herself bare to him. Everything hinted and signed at him to not teach her into it, because he knew he would test his luck where he could or be repulsed by them kissing, or enjoy it just as much as he had dreamed of. If there was one thing Ezreal was bad at, it would have been estimating where he would end up and what it could cost him. When he explained her how to engage a kiss, he should have known she learned just as quickly as he did whenever a new assignment was served to him, else she would have not survived among the void.
After the quick three times in that single moment, she hit just right at the last one and mirrored every single movement he had made. At that point he could have believed that whatever they had done in that moment was perfectly synchronized, their breathing, every interval that fell in between. Whenever he had tried to let go, she took the lead instead and never had he lost himself more to anyone than her. What slowly began as a way to prove his dreams wrong, turned into something better. He reminded it was the worst idea to get attached to someone who was always in war, someone he only would occasionally see. He vowed to himself it would be their last kiss, she would only get stronger if she were not attached to anyone.

Back in present times the adventurer raised his eyes to the sky deck, the sun melted into a pallet of a mixture of warm and cold colours. Purple and red, orange and hints of blue. He made a comment about how cool it looked, but Kai'Sa did not seem as amused as he were. She forced herself to crack some sort of a smile, but it had only reflected her embarrassment even more. He really owed her an explanation, there was no desire within him to cross a desert in silence the entire time, it reminded him too much of- well, every other trip.
He broke the distance between them and  halted his pace to wrap his arm around Kai'Sa's shoulders, something that grew like a normality in their encounters. No matter how deep she were sunken into her thoughts, or how captivated she were with the outside world, everything snapped her back onto the real world whenever he were near. 'What's wrong?'
Kai'Sa looked at him to visualise how he thought of himself right now asking dumb questions to break the ice: what an absolute moron to ask questions that answer themselves. They both knew what troubled her mind.
'What was that just now back in the cave?' Her finger pricked into the direction they had walked from for hours, as if was just a five minute stroll back. 'One moment we're running around and the other-' She interrupted her sentence and looked away into the horizon, the colour palette that reflected from her lavender eyes.
Ezreal groaned and leaned his head back into his neck. 'Remember when I mentioned how I saw dreams of us kissing?' A long silence fell as the daughter of the void was lost in thought, it had only been a day or two ago when she recalled the memory and nodded her head. 'I kept on seeing it everywhere, over and over again. When we sat there, it felt like I was back in that state of mind and accidentally kissed you.'
Kai'Sa raised her brow and glanced up to her friend who stood just a bit taller than her, the sight of a genuine smile had melted his heart before it had turned into a more saddened version of it. 'Do you think it was a mistake?'
It did not take long for him to respond, he knew that in perhaps another world it had been a mistake for him to kiss her. Did he regret it? Absolutely, but did he feel like it should have never happened? 'Not at all, but we both have our own worlds. I'd hate it if something stopped me from going out and doing my own thing.'
'Did I do all too bad?' One of the least expected questions he thought he would get had struck him with amazement and he shook his head again.
'The first time you probably had no idea what happened, because you did not move at all,' Even though it had made her blush out of embarrassment, she could still laugh at the image of it. 'The second time you almost knocked my teeth out, but I had the same going on when I had my first kiss. People make is usually seem that you have to lean in as if you're about to press a diamond,' Laughter had filled the air when small jokes were made about how other's might have experienced their first kiss and actually managing to crack a crown. Ezreal was relieved that even though they had shared a moment that could have potentially ruined their friendship had only boosted the dynamic between them. 'The third time though,' With his lipped pressed against each other he whistled and shook his eyebrows to her. 'That was magic.' Flustered by his comment Kai'Sa released herself out of his arm and took a short leap ahead, as if to escape any other remark about her kiss, but it had only encouraged him to speak more of it. 'You went from nervous to almost taking complete control.'
The night had started with laughter and joy, a topic that were so small that broadened out into it's own universe. He had assumed that the night would have started with saddened expressions and gap that slowly crumbled into a canyon between the two so they had no other choice but to walk the other direction. Without the influence of the world, Kai'Sa remained pure from every bad whisper that could have been stuck in to her head. She did not think more of a topic, took the concept in the same context and digested it like a normal conversation that did not need a sacrifice to remain contact. Even though Kai'Sa was much stronger than he was, in combat and powers, he would do anything just to protect her. For now he was happy to have recovered their friendship.

The night had struck, though none of them desired to rest or sleep. Seeping into the vision of the galaxy, enriched with a million stars that twinkled in the presence of the moon. Ezreal was to first to learn her more about the creatures that lived in Shurima that Kai'Sa most probably had not noticed before or thought their being to be of no use. Near the river of Vekaura Ezreal had halted their pass and sealed his lips in silence with his index finger, the other pointing towards the ground. It had taken Kai'Sa a few seconds to realise the sand shifted and slithered over the ground, at first she assumed it were a voidling buried underground and drew onto all of her weapons. Ezreal had prevented her from shooting her entire arsenal at the creatures.
'They're sandswimmers, not voidlings,' For once he took all the measures to disable any kind of physical contact that would get distract their minds. Closing his fingers around her wrist he gently pulled her along, jumping with her onto one of the backs of the sandswimmers. As if they carried no weight the sandswimmer did not flinch or puff at their passenger and swam in the direction of the sun disk. 'They're completely harmless, the only thing they hunt on are bugs.'
The sand drifted and rippled off of it's back, travelling over the sands like they were coursing through it with a boat. The wind gently pulled onto their hair, following the horizon of their destination Kai'Sa gasped at the wavy texture the sandswimmers left. 'How do you know if we're going the right way?' She kneeled down to run her fingers past the back of the sandswimmer, the sand had cooled down to a temperature even her second skin did not like.
'Sandswimmers follow a pattern, this one slithered towards the sun disk,' Ezreal walked towards the small hills that it dragged along and sat on the ground to watch the empire move closer in to him. 'It beats walking.'
Kai'Sa ran her fingers over the hills that actually served as it's back bulges so they would camouflage better. Even the void could not track them, her own suit had not even noticed the moving hills. 'Do you always walk to a destination?'
'Without you? Barely,' The explorer closed his hands over his boot and gave it a firm pull to knock all the sand out. 'I usually find ways to make my travels as easy as possible.' With a gentle brush right beside him he invited her to sit right next to him.
'I'm sorry you have to go through all the trouble of walking all day.'
'Hey, because of you I built up my endurance and got a lot stronger, if all I should thank you,' With an arrogant grin he flicked his finger underneath her chin when she had finally taken a seat right next to him. 'I don't think I ever asked, but what is the last memory you have before you fell in to the void?'
Kai'Sa was lost in thought as she looked at the sky for a possible answer or clearance on her past. 'Let me think,' With her fingers intertwined she still gazed at the stars, almost resembling the Kaisa he knew, who was probably looking at the same sky deck as her original form was. 'When I were eight I got a pocket knife from my dad as a birthday present, not soon after that he was gone working again, aiding people to guide them safely through the desert. I was quite bored since nothing ever happened in Icathia, so it seemed fun to cut all the goats free from a nomad that lived nearby,' Ezreal laughed out of disbelief and excitement, he could not believe the girl he had thought to follow every rule had a side that played as trickster. He occasionally caught a glimpse of that girl when ever she threw a sassy comment in his way, but this? It reminded him of the times his uncle sent him off to the academy and drove all the teachers insane. 'At first it was quite hilarious to see the nomad run around to attempt to herd his goats back to the farm, until they had reached the canyon.  Me and my friends laughed until we realised an earthquake heading our way.' As fast as his laugh had appeared, did it disappear too. She stopped in her sentence when he realised that it must have been the void that struck down on Icathia. Ten year in ruin what had seen so interesting for Ezreal to find out, only to realise that it had fallen to the void and served as their nest. 'If only I knew.'
Gliding on the back of the sandswimmer it had almost felt like they were placed in a cradle again, drifting off to the waves of sleep. 'It's not your fault, you were probably too young to understand.'
To avoid getting deeper into the memory Kai'Sa took a deep sigh and turned towards Ezreal, sadness had been replaced with hope and happiness. Sadness was not something Kai'Sa was keen on, she always tried her best to drive it away. Even at the darkest of times, when hunger and fear had intertwined and fought for a spot in her eyes, all she could do was to cherish every day that was granted. 'How come you're always travelling alone?'
'People that know me aren't that fond of me,' Though he always acted like he never understood why he did not keep friends for that long, he always knew deep inside it was due to his success in life. In his world you had to show and be earnest about your accomplishments and victories, like his father had been when he strode in to his room and showed all the artefacts that he had won or told about the stories when he ventured through places he was not supposed to be. 'Ever since I was little I always expressed my joy and happiness whenever I achieved something in life. I never got discouraged if I did not pull something off, instead I took it as a motivation to get even better at it. It slowly developed into arrogance when my uncle tried to test my knowledge and pestered me for my accomplishments.' Kai'Sa did not have to say anything for him to know that she felt sorry for the way people had treated him, it was nothing he ever looked back on. He always thought that as long as he were successful his parents would be proud of him, where ever they might be.
The longer their trip took, the weaker their eyelids had gotten to resist against their exhaustion and the weight that fell down on them. The sandswimmer had slowed down it's pace and shook them as if they were drifting on the sea without a single fear to drown. When he felt the weight of Kai'Sa's head resting against his temple he too gave in to his sleep and fell asleep while remaining his posture.