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rosymiz · 7 years

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Like A Rose, Last Chapter: Peace

Title: Like A Rose By: ArisuChanSenpai (Visit my blog for AO3 link!) Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

“Shen, I am done with playing your games!” Zed growled as he burst into Sona’s dressing room in anger, taking off Shen’s blue mask and throwing it to the ground. After sensing Shen’s presence backstage, he managed to pull himself away from the annoying musicians. But when he saw Jhin on his knees and subdued with his arms held behind his back, his rage drained away immediately. “You… actually caught him…” The hidden blades in his armor slid out as he slowly stepped towards Jhin. He tugged at the flap of the bodysuit on Jhin’s head, pulling the fabric down to reveal his face. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years since you escaped that prison,” he hissed, pointing at Jhin. “And now I’m about to deliver your punishment, Golden Demon.”

Before he even raised his blade to kill Jhin, Sona stepped in front of him with her hands out to protect him. Her eyes were swollen and red from her tears, but her expression held a tenacity that stopped Zed.

“Are you trying to protect him?” Zed’s hand balled into a fist as he pointed the tip of the blade at Sona’s chin. “Do you even know what kind of person we’re all dealing with here? He murdered people beyond gruesome ways because he’s a fucking monster!” he spat. “You can’t tell me you knew all this time and still choose his side!”

Sona nodded, but her protective stance didn’t waver and only grew more tense as if she expected him to attack. She wasn’t letting Zed get anywhere near Jhin.

“Hah!” he barked. “You’re really in love with him, aren’t you? I can’t believe he manipulated you into a relationship to have you as an ally.”

A fury ignited in Sona’s heart as she slammed her hands against the strings, producing an angry cacophony. She let out a shaky breath in her fury. “How dare you claim I was manipulated when you don’t even know what happened between us?”

“And you don’t know what happened between us either. He’s a murderer .”

“He was overtaken by a compulsion he had no control over!” she furiously signed.

Zed broke into scornful laughter. “A compulsion, you say,” he repeated. “You’re telling me that everything he did until now was all because of a compulsion.”

“It’s true.”

“As if I can believe such a lie,” Zed growled. His contemptuous eyes stared at Jhin, who silently stared at the floor and made no move to break free from Shen’s hold. Jhin wasn’t even cowering like the first time Zed tried to kill him. He was still, as if he accepted his capture. “You’ve never even seen the kind of murders he’s done, have you?”

Sona pursed her lips. “No, but I have witnessed the darkness that plagued his heart like a broken harmony. He wanted to change. He never wanted to willingly kill people.” She stood her ground against Zed, even staring him in the eye as she signed. “I can confidently say that he is a different person now.”

“And if he isn’t? What will you do when his so-called “compulsion” comes back and murders people?” He loomed over Sona, who was two heads shorter than him. “What will you do if he tries to point that very gun at you one day? Will you still claim that he’s changed?”

Without hesitation, she took another step closer to Zed. “I will take responsibility.”

“You? You will take responsibility?” he sneered.

At those words, Jhin’s eyes shot up as he looked up at Sona in shock. “Sona, do not take responsibility for my actions. I am not going to let you be in the face of danger for something I have done.”

Shen, who was quietly observing Zed and Sona’s argument, was trying to sense the darkness that Sona had mentioned within Jhin. His father’s voice echoed in his head from a memory he thought he had forgotten. His father used to say the same thing when he made the decision to take Jhin alive and throw him into Tuula Prison. As someone who was less experienced, Shen disagreed with him, having believed that the darkness he sensed in Jhin to be his true self.

But now…

He sensed nothing of the sort. The darkness that tipped the balance within Jhin had disappeared.

Sona sat by Jhin while keeping an eye on Zed’s movements. “I am the one who helped you recover from your compulsion and seen the progress firsthand. It’s a given that I would take responsibility as someone involved.”

“You’re going to get killed if you do,” Jhin said gravely. “I don’t want to see you taken on that kind of burden because of me.” He frowned. “I’ve already caused you enough heartbreak tonight.”

The darkness that Shen had once sensed was replaced by a light. It seemed to shine the brightest in Sona’s presence. Was he truly the man he and Zed caught so many years ago? Or was this perhaps the man that his father saw in Jhin when he stopped Zed from killing him? He was beginning to understand what he thought was his father’s emotionless logic behind the decision.

It wasn’t foolish mercy, like Zed always claimed, but a second chance at redemption.

“Enough!” Zed bellowed. “I’m sick of listening to your excuses. Move aside, Maven, or I will personally strike him through you.”

“Zed,” Jhin called in a quiet, chilling voice. “If you dare raise your blade to Sona, I will not hesitate to take my gun back and pull the trigger. You will leave her out of this.” His blue eyes met Zed’s with a cold rage that forced Zed to withdraw his weapon from Sona’s neck. Jhin maintained his glare for a moment longer before turning back to Sona with a softer expression. “I apologize, Sona. It doesn’t seem like I will be able to join you for the finale.”

“No,” Shen finally spoke up as he released Jhin’s arms and picked up his mask from the floor. “You are going on that stage to dance with Lady Sona.”

“What?!” Zed turned to Shen in disbelief. “You’re just going to let him go like that? After all those years of trying to chase him to put an end to his crimes, you’re going to show mercy ?”

Shen gently pushed Jhin and Sona’s back to usher them outside. “I’m not sure the musicians will be able to stall for much longer. You will have to go soon.”

“You are not going anywhere!” Zed dashed towards Jhin with his blade ready to strike. Jhin grabbed Sona and turned his back to Zed, holding her tightly in his arms. But instead of metal meeting flesh, another blade colliding with Zed’s resounded in their ears. “You!”

“Lady Sona, go. I will try to talk some sense into Zed.” When they left, Shen grabbed Zed and teleported them to another building. “Listen to me. I’m starting to understand what my father was trying to say back at Tuula Prison when he threw Jhin in there.” He took off Zed’s helmet and armor and tossed it at Zed.

Zed met Shen’s eyes with a piercing glare as he caught his helmet. “What?”

“Now that I’m more experienced and in tune with the balance like my father, I sensed something different in Jhin.” Shen brought a hand to his chest. “That man is not the man we once knew anymore. Like Lady Sona said, he has changed. I cannot see the darkness I used to see in him anymore.”

The crowd’s cheering drowned out Zed’s roar of anger and the sound of blade meeting blade. “You are just like your father! I was a fool to think your path was closer to mine than it was to his!” He jumped back from a swift strike from Shen’s blade. “I refuse to work with you any longer now that I know you’d just be in the way. You and your father’s pathetic mercy to that pitiful act is what will be your downfall, Shen. Next time, I’m doing things my own way without you!” Zed disappeared, leaving a faint shadow in his wake.

Panic coursed through Shen’s veins when he realized Zed was gone but was quickly replaced with relief when he felt Zed’s presence blinking farther away from the concert venue and sheathed his sword behind his back. After fitting his head inside his mask, he turned his attention back to the concert and teleported to Akali and Kennen’s side.

While Shen was holding Zed back, the two slipped past them out the door as the musicians were nearing the end of their time. Standing by Sona’s dressing room was Lestara with her hands shaking as they covered her mouth. She overheard them. She overheard everything.

“Oh my goodness!” Lestara ran to Sona with open arms, embracing her tightly. “Thank the gods, I thought… I thought…” Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I thought you might have been killed, my dear daughter…” Her eyes moved to Jhin, who stood behind Sona with a somber expression. Suspicion flashed in Lestara’s eyes, but it quickly dissolved to worry as she checked Sona for injuries. “Are you safe? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

Sona smiled as she gave her mother a reassuring embrace. “Shen protected us, mother. We’re not hurt.” She glanced at Jhin briefly to point at him. “He protected me too.”

Lestara dried her eyes with a handkerchief once she calmed down. “Sona, dear, I heard everything. He’s a criminal? A murderer?” She saw Jhin in the corner of her eyes, but he simply lowered his head with his eyes half-lidded as he faced her. “Is it true?” she asked him.

“Yes, madam.”

Sona gently held Lestara’s hand with a look that asked her to remember. She wanted her to remember the request she made to her mother before she left to find Jhin. “Will you wait for us after the concert?” she asked again. “I beg of you, mother.”

There was hesitance, but her mother nodded. “I expect both of you to tell me everything once the concert is over. Especially you.” She now faced Jhin with an insistent glare.

Jhin bowed his head to her. “You may ask me whatever you would like, and I shall answer honestly.”

“Then, go on your way. Both of you. The musicians and I have done all we can.” She reached into a bag around her shoulder, taking out a mask. “I believe this is yours.” She handed Jhin his mask for the finale. “I found it in the changing stall when I went to look for you.”

“Thank you, madam. I will be on my way.” He looked at Sona, who smiled and nodded to him to go his side of the stage. “Let us meet at the stage, Lady Sona.” He held her hand up to kiss the back of it and left promptly, leaving Sona and Lestara to continue their conversation.

Lestara turned back to Sona after she watched him turn the corner backstage. “Sona. He never tried to hurt you, did he?” Seeing Sona shake her head with a firm confidence loosened up the tension in her shoulders.

She couldn’t tell her mother how she had first encountered Jhin in the grove just yet. That was for later, when they all gathered to explain their story. She heard the music die down as the audience cheered the musicians’ performances. Sona squeezed her mother’s hand before approaching the steps leading up to the stage.

“Wait. Sona, dear.” Lestara stopped her from leaving and reached into her bag. “I found a mask that might be suitable for your finale. And with your makeup slightly faded, this might help.” She took out a mask that looked exactly like Jhin’s, but instead of a black base, it was white with gold streaks and red accents, black lining the beautiful colors along the mask. “I bought it thinking it was a nice match with his. You can wear it at an angle on your head instead of on your face.”

Sona’s fingers followed the streaks on the mask and nodded in thanks.

“Go. I will watch from the side,” Lestara said as she gestured to her to get ready to show up on the stage.

“Lady Sona! There you are!” The female musician rushed down the steps as soon as she was out of the audience’s sight. She huffed in relief. “We’re so glad you made it in time! The stage manager was yelling at us to get off stage earlier, but he seemed to understand what was happening by the time we got to our second song.”

Sona bowed to the three musicians in gratitude. “You’ve done me a great favor, and I cannot thank you enough for providing me enough time to stop him from doing something he will regret.” She knew they couldn’t interpret her signs, but that was for the best.

“Oh! I think that motion is ‘thank you’, right?” the musician asked, repeating Sona’s sign for ‘thank you’. “I’m just glad we were able to help you, Lady Sona. We did request the audience for another intermission before you went on for your finale.”

“Yeah, and so we can take a break too…” one of the male musicians shook his wrists to alleviate the stiffness.

“But we’re ready to play whenever you are, Lady Sona,” the other musician said. “This is the finale we’ve all been waiting for.” He grinned at his fellow musicians. “I think we did well in keeping the crowd on edge.”

“You have no idea how much the audience is anticipating your finale now. They’re gonna love it!” The female musician yelped in surprise when Sona pulled her in for a thankful embrace. She patted Sona’s back and giggled. “You’re welcome, Lady Sona. Let us know when you’re ready. We’ll be waiting right here.”

Sona carefully pulled the mask on her head, the female musician making sure her hair didn’t get caught between the strings, and placed it near one side of her head. The shadow of the mask hid the red tint of her eyelids from her crying. On the other side, she saw Jhin waiting with his costume all fixed and tidied up. His head seemed to turn slightly to Sona as she caught his eye.

“Break a leg out there,” he signed. “You will do marvelously.”

A smile curled on her lips as she signed back, “You too.” She pressed her fingers to her lips and shifted it towards him. “Thank you,” she started, “for coming back.”

Jhin bowed gracefully as an actor would. “All thanks to you, darling.”

The audience gasped in surprise when the lights shut off again, whispering to each other excitedly for Sona’s finale. A spotlight turned back on to reveal Sona standing near the right center of the stage, curtly bowing as the crowd shouted in joy.

She gestured to her right, a spotlight shining on the three musicians sitting on their knees on a cushion with their instruments at the ready. Then, she gestured to her left, where another spotlight shined on Jhin’s figure, the gold on his mask and costume glimmering under the light. He sat on his knees like the musicians with his hands on his lap, waiting. The crowd applauded with the occasional whistle and whoop.

Taking a deep breath, Sona plucked a few notes in progression.

Jhin moved to the music as if the song controlled his movements. He danced with finesse as Sona played, slowly making his way to her for their dance. He acted like a young man searching for something to fill a void in his life, like there was something missing. He would reach out only to take his hand back and twirl away as if what he reached out for was not what he longed for. Then, he reached out towards Sona as the musicians picked up their instruments.

Sona took his hand with a delicate elegance and stepped towards him. They danced together on the stage, keeping a distance as if their encounter was sudden and uncertain of each other. Her etwahl followed behind her every step as they circled around the stage with the occasional twirl. She returned to her etwahl to resume her part again, but the musicians continued their part in harmony with her.

Something was starting to form in Jhin’s mind as he continued to dance. He kept wanting to reach out to her to cup her face with his hand but always curled them back to himself. The second time they danced together, their bodies were closer, their steps more certain, and with more elaborate movements to their dance. When they pulled apart, he couldn’t help but caress her cheek down and brush his fingers under her chin as he danced around her.

The audience voiced their captivation as they watched them dance like two streams, the currents gentle and joining together to create a river. Much like a dance between two lovers.

Their last time dancing together became much more elaborate and sure like the young man had finally found what he was searching for. Jhin added extra flairs like bring Sona’s fingers to his mask like he wanted to kiss them and touching her cheek gently. Sona would run her fingers through his wig or line her fingers against his mask as if she wanted to see the face hidden behind.

It was nearing the end of the song, and the musicians began to play softer until they were droning whole notes. Jhin and Sona finished with a slight dip, their bodies almost touching each other. They gazed into each other’s eyes, seeing each other’s reflection within. They didn’t even hear the booming ovation from the audience. Only their heartbeats.

“I love you,” he whispered to her.

Actions spoke louder than anything Sona could sign. She leaned in towards him to press her lips to the corner of his mask, leaving a faint print of her lipstick on the black color.

When they returned from their quiet bliss to the roaring crowd, they pulled apart and bowed. Bouquets and individual flowers adorned the stage and still rained onto them as the audience threw them to the stage. Jhin caught a rose that flew at him and handed it to Sona, who took it with a loving smile. They bowed to the audience again and welcomed the musicians to center stage to join them also.

Sona intertwined her fingers with Jhin’s as they collectively bowed to the audience once again. A thought tugged at Jhin’s mind as it finally formed and tried to connect something to Sona’s song. “Sona,” he called. “The song for this finale… What did you have in mind when you made it?”

She smiled knowingly at him as she pointed it at her and then him. “Us,” she answered.

Jhin chuckled as he gripped Sona’s hand tighter and pulled his mask off to the side to kiss her on the cheek. “I think it’s rather fitting.”

“I know.”

It was hours past the end of the concert. Sona was interviewed by several people about her finale and the dancer, a topic she managed to keep vague about his identity while giving more details about the composition and dance process of the finale. Jhin avoided the eyes of the few curious interviewers that had wandered backstage in search of the dancer by dressing in a lighting crew uniform. He preoccupied himself by assisting with the disassembling of the stage while waiting for Sona and Lestara to finish.

Now, Jhin and Sona sat around a table as Lestara took a seat on Sona’s bed. For an extra measure of privacy, Lestara requested the innkeeper to not send anyone to their room for the next few hours. She understood that their conversation wasn’t one to be overheard by anyone else. She waited patiently for one of them to speak up.

“I believe I should be the one to explain,” Jhin started, shifting his position. “But before I do, I would like to introduce my stage name, Khada Jhin, which I’m certain you’ve heard earlier backstage. I was hired by the cabal of the Ionian council to terrorize Noxus after the war. However, the name I gave you in the beginning is my true birth name.”

“Hm, Sona has told me,” Lestara replied shortly, urging him to continue.

“I had stayed in the previous city to enjoy the festival they were holding at the time. I didn’t know of Lady Sona’s concert until the day of.” He rubbed the back of his hand nervously. “I’m sure you’ve heard, but I’ve been plagued by a compulsion for many, many years. I’ve murdered people and turned their corpses into… horrendous displays, only to satisfy it. I never wanted to keep doing it, but I eventually let it take me over.”

Sona watched him in concern.

“Lady Sona was, unfortunately, planned to be a victim. My compulsion knew no bounds.” He curled his hands in and out. “But when I first heard Lady Sona play, I felt the peace I’ve always wanted. For once, I knew silence.” He couldn’t imagine the look on Lestara’s face when he was going to tell her what he did afterwards. “After finding out that her music was the answer, I realized that my desire for peace probably wouldn’t be granted. So I went to the grove to kill her.”

“But I stopped him!” Sona immediately continued. “When he explained to me what my music does, I offered him to stay and listen, if that was what soothed him. I also told him to come visit me in the grove again the next day.”

Lestara’s eyes moved back and forth from Jhin to Sona. “Tell me, what did you see in him?”

Sona paused. “I saw him swallowed by a darkness that clawed at the light he held onto. I saw a man who never wanted this darkness but accepted it helplessly.” Her eyes found Jhin’s hunched over figure. “I wanted to help him.” She then reached under the table to pat his hand in reassurance. “We eventually kept meeting… and we did become friends at some point. But then…”

“I fell in love with Lady Sona,” Jhin finished. “At first, it was only her music that provided me peace. But as we got to know each other more, I began to trust in her. I trusted her to the point of revealing my face and my name—my real name. Lady Sona herself became the answer I was searching for. I love her with all my heart.”

“And you, Sona?” Lestara asked.

“I love him, mother. He understands me, never having forced me to do anything against my will. He soothes my own dissonance with whatever he can do, and I feel secure in his presence. He fills the silence within me.” She cupped her hands together on her lap to calm herself. “He’s changed for the better, mother. I love him so much.”

Her mother was silent. She was considering everything she had heard from Shen and Zed and now from Jhin and Sona. “Do you know what kind of morals that we Demacians uphold in our society?”

Jhin paused to think. “Demacia upholds benevolence and fair justice for all. I’ve heard that people who have committed crimes or viewed others as expendables were punished.”

Lestara smiled. “Yes, and we see malice and selfishness against the morals of our society.” She crossed her leg over her other leg. “From what I’m hearing, you lack those two traits to be considered an enemy of Demacia. Despite your past of crimes, I’ve observed that you are, in fact, kind and polite towards my daughter and other people, as she says. And you treat my daughter with such a dedicated love.”

Sona was staring at Lestara in surprise. “Mother, does that mean…”

“I will accept him for who he is and what he has done in the past on one condition,” Lestara said. “I want him to show me proof that he has control over his compulsion. If he has really changed as you say, then I expect to see evidence of it.” She leaned back with a smile. “Someone from Piltover was talking to me earlier while you were interviewed, Sona. They wanted to sponsor you for a concert there in a few weeks after they saw your finale. They specifically asked that you perform it again there.”

Jhin and Sona exchanged glances.

“You are free to accept or refuse. But if you accept, he will have to come with us.”

Nodding in overwhelming gratitude, Sona embraced her mother tightly. “I want to go. Will you go too?” she asked Jhin.

“How could I say refuse?” Jhin chuckled. “I humbly accept your condition to prove myself before you, Lady Buvelle. However,” he gestured outside, where they would’ve seen the Ionican council building if the curtains weren’t closed, “I must take care of some loose ends so I am not tracked and can ensure both your and Lady Sona’s safety.”

Lestara hummed in thought. “May I ask what methods you will be using to tie up those loose ends?”

Jhin smiled reassuringly. “Without killing, I assure you. I will be entrusting Lady Sona with my weapon for extra measure. It will take me a few days, but I must cut all ties with the council without leaving a trace. I will be making my way to Piltover as soon as it’s all been taken care of.”

“I suppose I can work with that,” Lestara said as she extended a hand out to Jhin. He took her hand and shook it firmly. “We will be leaving within the next three days, depending on when the next ship to Piltover arrives.”

“While it is a shame I will not be able to go with you both, I will make sure to follow within a week.”

“Alright. It’s rather late, so I will be getting ready to sleep.” She looked at Sona, who was patiently waiting for something. “If you’d like to take a stroll, do it now before it gets too late.” Seeing her daughter’s face light up made her chuckle as she sent the two outside the room.

“Mother. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Lestara gave Sona an approving nod. “Anything for your happiness, my dear daughter.”

Jhin and Sona were strolling around the neighborhood under the stars. “I was expecting something much worse,” Jhin confessed. “It’s strange that I was almost anticipating her to report me to the authorities.”

“I’ve said it before, but mother is reasonable to an empathetic extent. She’s not one to focus on someone’s past as long as they’re a changed person today,” Sona signed. “I’m just happy that she accepted you to some degree.” She slid her hand under Jhin’s, holding it tightly.

They spent the next few minutes walking in silence, listening to each other’s breathing and steps on the stone pavement.

“I know I’ve said it many times already, but I apologize for tonight.” Jhin’s grip tightened around Sona’s hand. “I could have sparked a disaster from what would have been my biggest mistake. But what’s worse is that I caused you so much heartbreak because of what I’ve done.” He looked up at the stars and watched them twinkle in the dark.

Sona brought their intertwined fingers to her lips to indicate her forgiveness. She didn’t want to let his hand go. She wanted him to stay with her like this.

“But thank you for stopping me. I feel… so much more different, like the compulsion wouldn’t overtake me like that again.” A smiled flashed across his face before a frown replaced it. “If, if that ever happens again, I will let you know the moment I feel it. While I’m more confident that it won’t come back now that I feel nothing towards Shen and Zed, life can still be unpredictable and uncertain.”

Of course she would do everything in her power to help him heal once again.

Always.

The only indication of her answer was her tightly holding onto Jhin’s arm and leaving a kiss on his bare skin.

A large ship stood out among the others on the docks, the technology used to construct it apparent in the design and function as it floated in the water. It was indeed a ship directly from Piltover that anyone would recognize. Merchants from Piltover and Ionia hurriedly dragged their belongings up and down the walkway of the ship.

Shen stood beside Sona and Jhin, waiting for Lestara to come back with the ship’s schedule. “A concert in Piltover? You would be in for a sight, Lady Sona. I’ve visited a few times, and I feel it’s getting more impressive each day.” He chuckled. “Though, I don’t think they’re a match for the lush nature of Ionia.”

Sona giggled. “Ionia is my homeland. I will always find it more beautiful than anything else.”

Jhin remained silent as the two exchanged words. He was in disguise to prevent any spies of the council from noticing him. Sona left to the docks on her mother’s request.

“Lady Sona tells me that you have something you wish to say to me, actor,” Shen referenced to Jhin. “Something about the council?”

“Yes. You and Zed seem to be under the notion that I escaped from Tuula Prison,” he replied in a quiet voice. “But in reality, the cabal within the council is who freed me and tried to use me as a weapon to instill terror in the hearts of Noxians.” He looked up at Shen, who had narrowed his eyes in shock. “You may already be aware of the corruption within the council. But you won’t get anywhere if you don’t start with the cabal. They are the ones controlling the darkness within Ionia, or in your words, creating the imbalance between the people here.”

The ninja was silent. “Why are you telling me this?”

The corner of Jhin’s lips tugged into a smile. “As someone who will cut ties with the council, I obviously cannot do it. And I vowed to her that I would never kill anyone ever again.”

“Is that why you won’t be following them today?”

“I must make sure the council does not track me once they realize I have become… inactive in their line of work.”

“You truly are not the man I once knew you to be, actor,” Shen said. “You’ve changed. I was able to fully confirm it from the way you danced with Lady Sona last night.”

Jhin felt a chuckle in his throat. “This is who I’ve always wanted to be.” He gazed at Sona’s figure, her skirt flowing beautifully in the wind. “I just never had the opportunity until she came. She is my love, my muse.”

Shen watched him with a curious eye. It was difficult to believe that the man he’s been chasing for so many years was now standing beside him with a peaceful outlook. That the man he’s been chasing for so many years now wanted nothing more than a tranquil life with the woman he loved.

“Unbelievable, I know,” Jhin said as if he heard Shen’s thoughts.

“But it is the truth, and I am not one to turn away from it.” Shen then stepped back. “I must go. If what you say about the council is true, I must act now. The Kinkou Order will be the ones to take on this imbalance and set it straight.” He began to disappear in purple light. “Please relay my goodbye to them for me.”

Sona soon returned after speaking to her mother. She looked around for Shen. “Did he leave already?”

“He had some matters to take care of. But he did ask me to pass on his farewells to you and your mother.” He noticed Lestara speaking to the ship’s captain with their bags by her feet. “I’m assuming the ship will depart soon.”

“It will be leaving in half an hour, actually. But the captain wants us to board in the next fifteen minutes.” Sona smiled under the shadow of her sunhat. “I wanted to talk to you one more time before we left.”

Jhin smiled back in mild amusement. “About what?”

“Things.” Sona shrugged and strummed a giggle at her vague answer. “Did you tell Shen what you needed to?”

“I have. I think you were right in telling him about it.” A calm silence settled between them as they looked out over the sea. The breeze was nice and cool against their skin as it blew past. For once, Jhin was able to hear the world properly. The sounds of the ocean waves washing up on the sand, the fisherman scrambling to haul in their catch, the bells ringing to indicate the ship’s departure… It was such a pleasant experience.

Sona let out a soft sigh. She never thought her initial desire to practice her magic in the grove would eventually lead to this. She tucked a stray lock of her aqua hair behind her ear as her other hand found solace in Jhin’s. They kept quiet as they watched flocks of seagulls fly past the sails of ships over the glittering ocean waves.

A small laughter then broke out from Jhin’s lips. “Didn’t you say you wanted to talk earlier?”

Sona shrugged again and held onto his hand tighter. She didn’t feel a need to talk when he was by her side to enjoy the view together. She turned to Jhin, whose eyes glittered from the sunlight reflecting on the water. She leaned in closer and kissed him on the cheek.

“A surprise attack, I see.” Jhin raised a brow at her teasingly.

Her eyes seemed to smile with so much bliss as she leaned in again to place another kiss on his lips this time. He kissed her back gently and cupped her face. Their arms found each other in an embrace, laughing softly against each other’s skin.

“Who would have thought it’d end like this?” he whispered happily into her shoulder.

#league of legends #jhinxsona #khada jhin #sona buvelle #rosywrites #like a rose #y'all this is 5680 words #i'm so sorry to the mobile users jfc #last chapter folks!!#but no worries!#we still have an epilogue left ;)#also hi daffy #yes i did use that reference :p

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