Dawn at the Wild Rift (Book IV)

Chapter 7

Hanabi could not sleep that night. Though the mansion is peaceful and her room is luxurious and comfortable, she still feels uneasy. Probably because of the new environment and the new people she interacts with.

With her eyebrows almost meeting at the center of her forehead, she continues to rummage through the walk-in closet, looking for something.

"How is that possible? I told them to keep it here, why is it missing?" she mumbles to herself as she throws one dress after another on the floor. An hour passes by and she stands at the corner of the walk-in closet with tons of dresses piled up around her. In her eyes, the mixture of anxiousness and distress is reflected when she could not find her VENOM armor.

She storms out of her room and looks at both sides of the long hallway. There isn't a single soul around, giving her no choice but to find either the twin maids or Talon. She is sure that only them know where her armor could be. It is the only thing left for her that reminds her of Magical City and Land of Dawn. She is afraid that if she lost them, she might forget the place where she came from.

What if they'll erase her memories like what happened back at the laboratory? What if they'd feed her more and more lies that she'll eventually believe? What if she forgets the VENOM squad?

Hanabi clenches her hand as she holds her chest with gritted teeth. What would she do if she forgets Hanzo again? Just thinking about it frightens her.

As she strides across the wide hall, she feels someone's presence behind her. She immediately turns on her heels and summons her Higanbana. With a loud clunk, she places her weapon upfront to block the two swords that almost pierce through her flesh. With Katarina's strength greater than hers, Hanabi slides backward and when she comes to a halt, Katarina flickers in front of her and lands a kick on her side which she fails to dodge. Thus, she's sent rolling on the cold, marble floor with a grunt.

Before she could recover, Katarina walks towards her and grips her by her throat as she lifts her off the ground—slowly depriving oxygen for Hanabi. The poor Scarlet ninja flails her feet—desperate for air—and tries to claw at the woman who seems to be planning to take her life.

"A woman like you is just a tool. Don't get in the way of my brother's plan," Katarina snarls as she tightens her grip on her, digging her nails into her skin.

Without having another choice, Hanabi summons her poisoned kunai and slides it on Katarina's arm, making her groan and forcing her to let her go. She immediately drops on the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Still, she stands on both feet and glares at the woman whose hand is bleeding.

"Stop kidding me! He was the one who dragged me here so stop presuming that I have the intention to be involved with him!" she yells before she broke through the glass window and runs away from the mansion. Katarina simply watches her disappear in the dark with her hand holding the wound she got from her. Even if Hanabi escapes from the mansion, it would still be easier to find her in the town since no ordinary person had ever managed to leave the borders of Noxus.

As Hanabi dashes from one street to another without knowing where to go, a pair of blue eyes is watching her.

In a dark alley, Hanabi curls up, hugging her knees to her chest. She has no one but only the darkness to accompany her. And now that she is calm, she remembers the words of Katarina about her being just a tool. Though it is against her will, her eyes shed tears like a lost crybaby. But her moment of solitude comes to an immediate end when a blond guy with blue eyes that seem to glow in the dark, approaches her.

"This heart of mine truly wrenches to see a lady shedding tears alone in this dark alley at night. Won't you dry those tears, milady?"

Hanabi hears that familiar voice so she wipes off her tears in a rush before lifting her gaze. A hanky is being offered to her by the man who once kissed the back of her hand and if she remembers it right, he introduced himself as Ezreal. She ignores and simply passes by him, only to be stopped when he holds her hand.