Work Text:
→ Kayn
Yuumi scours around the jungle, as she hovers on her book, her head twisting around to look at her surroundings. She groans, finding the never-ending array of trees and bushes boring. She meows loudly in exasperation.
“Book, this is so boring! ” She whines. The book flaps, the corner of a page lightly nudging her in response. The cat blows a raspberry and continues on her journey.
Yuumi continues to navigate through the jungle before spotting two figures in the distance. One of them has a scythe and seems to be gravely injured as they guard against the other figure who is wielding a saber. She narrows her eyes and speeds herself up, a green aura surrounding herself. She hisses loudly as she gets closer and catches both of their attention.
“Don’t attack him!” She hisses at the dual-color-haired female. Attaching herself to the scythe-wielding man, her tail stiffens. She uses an ability on the man and shoots a golden missile at the lady, making her flinch. She redirects her attention to the male and nods in acknowledgment. “I think this is a good time to retreat!” She hums casually.
He stares at her for a bit before sighing resignedly, and turning into his shadow form, hovering through the walls. He raises an eyebrow as he notices that the cat was also able to go through the terrain without a hitch. Yuumi smiles at him and makes a motion towards her book. “I can use spells.” She answers, offhandedly healing him once again.
“Scythe man, what’s your name?” She asks suddenly.
The man softly steps onto the grass and continues to look forward. “It's Kayn. What’s yours, cat?”
The cat beams at the fact that she got a response. “Yuumi!” She nuzzles her head onto Kayn’s torso. “Rubbing my head on you means you're mine!" Yuumi purrs.
Kayn blinks, seemingly caught off guard. “I see…” He mutters.
The silence took over, yet it was not uncomfortable, and the wind howled, the breeze lightly hitting the two’s faces. Yuumi suddenly distances herself from the man’s side and starts hissing loudly. “Stop following us!” A wave of magic streams out from Yuumi’s book and the light radiating off of the spell reveals the same lady from before, waiting in the bush. The magic wraps around the adult rooting her in place. The cat uses exhaust on her and Yuumi promptly reattaches to Kayn, and heals him, and he nods at her.
"Now kill 'em! KILL 'EM! " Yuumi hollers.
(Rhaast cackles at the exclamation.)
Kayn swings his scythe in an upwards sweep, catching the girl off-guard and slowing her down even more. He promptly dashes forwards in a crescent slash creating a gash. He smirks as he feels power surge through him as he vanishes and transforms into the shadows, making the female’s body go stiff. He chuckles darkly and emerges from her body, and the duelist’s eyes go blank, and then she collapses.
Kayn stares at her slowly disappearing body before rearing his head to the magic cat. He tilts his head, smiling. “You’re quite the interesting cat, Yuumi.”
She grins up at him and the two continue walking through the forest in comfortable silence, Yuumi occasionally tapping her paw on Kayn’s foot for a head pat.
(Kayn gives in to the sparkly eyes each time, and Rhaast internally groans at the man’s foolishness. Don’t let that fool you, though. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Rhaast finds himself feeling oddly protective of the creature.)
→ Akshan
Yuumi casually struts into the dim room, book tightly locked within her jaws. She puts on a look of naïvety and meows innocently. The soldiers in the room slowly lower their weapons at the so-called intruder and continue to watch Akshan. As their heads are turned around, Yuumi winks at Akshan who raises an eyebrow at the motion.
Yuumi trills and walks over to the tallest guard and nudges the man's ankle. The guard's eyes seem to soften and he gets down on his knees to pet Yuumi, who purrs loudly. Suddenly the light bulbs flicker and shatter, Yuumi's eyes glowing in the dark. She yowls and is picked up by a familiar figure — Kayn snorts at her response.
Kayn immediately cuts the ropes off of the Sentinel and shoves the man's weapon into his hands. " Go. The cat will guide you to a safe spot. I'll deal with them for now."
Akshan narrows his eyes but goes along with it. He follows the faint glow of the cat's tail and his body feels relaxed after the cat hovers next to him, a shield surrounding him as it heals his wounds with a green aura. The animal leads the way with its mini projectile. It sniffs out the surroundings and its tail smoothly waves around.
It makes a motion with its head and Akshan, although he should probably be thinking about why he’s following a cat for his safety, he trails behind her nonetheless. After all, you don’t look a gift horse in its mouth… They quietly enter a safehouse and wait there. As Akshan is eating snacks that the cat graciously gave to him, she soon lets out a sigh of relief at the figure appearing from the wall.
They whisper a few things to each other before Yuumi prowls up the stairs of the house and inside a room. Kayn observes her for the entire time before Akshan cuts him out of his daze.
“What happened to the rogues from earlier?”
“They’ve been taken care of,” Kayn responds rigidly.
Akshan snorts. “Oh, alright then. A magical cat. That’s quite interesting…”
“That’s what I said too,” Kayn chuckles, “I get the feeling she doesn’t have a sense of danger and just does whatever she pleases with her spells.”
Akshan hums and shrugs. “Well, whatever works for her, I suppose.”
Kayn nods. “Indeed.”
/ / /
Kayn reeeally shouldn’t have helped Yuumi free Akshan.
The two are the cause of his headache at the moment, and quite frankly, Kayn wants to disappear. He doesn’t know why he thought leaving the child-like duo alone together — in a bar — was a good idea. He is quietly watching the two scream at all sorts of interesting figures in the bar (Yuumi cannot drink, and Kayn absolutely will not let her. Ever. And, Akshan isn’t even drunk, mind you-), and he pinches his nose bridge in exasperation.
He came to check on them, but he wishes he didn't.
He immediately walks out of the bar, not wishing to deal with their antics anymore.
→ Yasuo
Yasuo observes Kayn and Akshan interact with the cat. It’s quite interesting, truly. Yasuo has heard stories about Kayn being ruthless, and quick to anger, yet, the sight in front of him proves otherwise; it’s amusing. Although Kayn seems exhausted by their energy as Akshan is yelling in excitement; Yuumi follows in his wake.
“So, Wind Man! Do you need to get something off your chest?”
Yasuo blinks and stares at the stars in the night sky, the crackling sounds from the campfire filling the silence. “It’s… It’s a long story, Neko. ”
Yuumi hums and shrugs in a cat-like way. “It’s okay! If you don’t want to share then that’s okay! But if it makes you feel any better, I’m looking for my master, right now! They went missing, and so, here I am!”
Yasuo blinks in surprise. Of all things for Yuumi to say, he certainly doesn’t expect that. A young, rambunctious, and positive cat such as Yuumi, to state that she is currently searching for a loved one? It is a heavy thought and Yasuo frowns at the fact that she has to deal with such a large burden.
He takes a metaphorical step forward...He takes a deep breath, not knowing how to explain the whole situation that occurred between him and his brother Yone all those years ago, and what happened that led to his exile. But, he opens his mouth anyways — it’s been a long time since anyone was willing to listen to him, even if the living being in question is a cat. So, he divulges. He speaks. He tells the tale of how he killed his brother in the heat of battle, how he was framed for the murder of his sensei.
As he speaks, Yuumi quietly and patiently listens — it’s very uncharacteristic of the cat. Yet, although Yuumi is an animal, albeit a unique cat with even more unique powers, he feels more comfortable around her than he does with most people. Yuumi does not look at Yasuo with pity, but rather her eyes are kind and she doesn't say anything.
Yuumi knows what it’s like to lose someone you love and care about; she knows how Yasuo feels, even if their situation is a bit different from one another’s. She lets out comforting mewls and purrs and Yasuo lays down on the ground, the cat plopping herself next to him. He stares at the sky and wonders if each star stares down at him in contempt if they hold anger towards him for killing them.
Yasuo is not innocent, nor is he naïve, but he’ll be damned if he won’t help Yuumi keep her innocence and sunshine persona. She deserves the best, and so what if she’s a magical cat? She is more capable of working with her emotions and connecting with them. He’ll accompany her for a bit — maybe he can teach her how to wield a smaller size blade, he thinks as an afterthought.
→ Yone
Yone feels a dark presence emerge from behind him and his eyes widen, fear seeping through his bones — he won’t be able to dodge or defend himself from rogue’s attack in time. Yet, instead of feeling a piercing sharpness, he experiences a warmth coil around his body. He then notices a hazel-haired man holding back the arms of the rogue soldier with a rope. He seems to be bored, if not annoyed, by the fidgeting that the rogue is doing. From the corner of his eye, he also notices a long-haired man strutting in their direction — he seems unhappy. Lastly, he spots someone he most definitely recognizes and knows all too well — it’s his brother, Yasuo.
“Oi. Cat, you’re okay, right?” The raven questions.
Yuumi grins. “Yup! Akshan had my back the whole time!”
Kayn stares at the aforementioned man and awkwardly nods in gratefulness. “Perhaps I was wrong about you.” He grumbles begrudgingly.
Akshan makes a dismissive hand motion. “Eh, it’s all good, Kayn.”
Ah. Kayn. Was he not the one that was under the tutelage of Zed?
/ / /
“No. Absolutely not, Neko. ”
Yuumi's eyes proceed to start to water and Yasuo's expression slowly turns into shock and then panic. Yone watches his younger brother frantically try to calm down the cat and he can't help but feel amused by it.
"No, no, it's fine Yuumi! I can stay with you even if Yone decides to accompany us too… Please stop crying, little one…" Yasuo consoles the magical cat, petting her head.
After Yuumi's small emotional fit, the group of misfits continues their travels (although, they don't exactly have a destination in mind…). As Yuumi and Akshan are excitedly conversing with one another, Kayn quietly listens in, the pair of brothers quietly walking behind them.
"So, soft spot for the cat, huh?" Yone whispers into Yasuo's ear.
Yasuo jumps slightly and lightly glares at him. "Shut up, Ani!" He grips his sword, "Anyways, hurt her and I hurt you."
"Not like you could do much more than you already have." He responds back amusedly.
Although a small joke at his own expense, the flinch of his younger brother and the self-hate in Yasuo's eyes concern him. He takes a deep breath and gently places a hand on the other's shoulder. Yone's eyes soften and he lets out a small sigh. "Otouto, I have already forgiven you. Can not you forgive yourself either?"
Yasuo clenches his fists and Yone pulls his brother into a hug. “Yasuo, my dear otouto,” Yone mutters wistfully, “It has been years since my death. I know that my death weighs heavy, but you must not be chained by it. I have forgiven you, now you should forgive yourself. I do not care how long it will take, but I will wait for you.”
Yasuo wraps his arms around Yone and clenches them. He lays his head in the crook of his older brother’s neck. No words are exchanged after, but the others could tell that, even if it was just a small amount, they were slowly healing, forgiving, and learning to love as brothers, once again.
(As Yone carries a sleeping Yasuo on his back, the younger’s sword in the hands of Kayn, he feels a warmth in his body that he hasn’t felt in such a long time.
It feels nice.
It feels nice being a brother, once again.
He vows that he will protect Yasuo for as long as he can — for as long as he lives, Yasuo will not have to go through more pain and suffering.)
→ Jhin
Jhin knows that he is called a psychopath. A murder. A killer.
They are not wrong.
He knows that what he is doing isn’t okay, in most moral codes.
Yet, he does not care.
The world failed him when he was young, so he figures its okay, it’s okay to cause a little chaos and panic in the world.
But, his life comes crumbling down soon enough. And maybe not in a bad way, though.
He meets a cat — a cat with a book, mind you. He does not pay much attention to it; he has other things to do — he has new artwork he needs to show off to the citizens the next morning, after all. He observes his work with a maniacal glee but hums at the blood on his hands. How will he get rid of it?
His question is answered when the cat leaps onto his shoulder and the blood vanishes without a trace, only a green mist visible around him. He stares at the cat curiously and it stares back, nuzzling its nose into his neck. It meows affectionately and wraps its tail around his neck; it's not choking, but it's tight enough that Jhin is aware that it will be sticking onto him for the next few hours, especially since it seems to be dozing off.
As he walks around the city at twilight, the cat still sleeping, he squints at the change of lighting in his peripheral vision. He lifts his head cannon and points it at the spot. A man appears from the darkness and his eyes narrow. “Give me the cat back. Or we will be having problems, Jhin.”
Jhin ignores his warning and shoots. Kayn rolls his eyes in response and they proceed to get in a brawl.
It doesn’t last for long, though. Yone scoffs at them both and smacks the hilt of his sword on the back of the head of Kayn. “You idiot. Jhin doesn’t hurt animals. Humans, yes, but not animals.”
“With the way Kayn acts, he might as well be one,” Yasuo coughs out in amusement.
Kayn turns around and hisses at the dark-haired man. “I will gut you, Yasuo.”
The swordsman hums dismissively. “Sure, sure, Kayn. I know you love me.”
He immediately stops in his tracks. “Fuck off, Yasuo. That’s absolutely disgusting. You’re more of the annoying older brother.”
Yasuo wolfishly grins. “So, I’m a cooler version of Yone?”
Kayn blinks at him, and then at Yone. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever, dumbass.”
Yasuo guffaws and Yone elbows him in the ribs. “Yasuo, you are absolutely testing my patience. I will drop you right here, right now,” Yone points the tip of his Azakana towards Kayn, “You’re not off the hook, either, you little shit.”
As Jhin quietly watches the bickering between the three Ionians, Yuumi asks him with a bright look, “So… You wanna join our adventure?”
Jhin stares down at the cat and shrugs. Maybe he’ll get something productive out of it. “Okay,” He replies shortly.
/ / /
Little does he realize that, as he continues traveling with the group of odd misfits, his behaviors and tendencies change. Soon, blood and the need to flaunt his art isn’t a focus anymore, but rather, protecting the other four is his focus. It’s ironic, almost. The one that has been called a monster for many years, is the one that has been changed for the better.
The others do not fear him — they accept him as he is, and accept him with open arms. Kayn snorts and Rhaast laughs in amusement when Jhin tells them of his lifestyle. Yuumi is caught off-guard but claims that she’s met worse people, and that, “At least you're self-aware. Plus you don’t kill animals and didn’t kill me, so that’s a plus!” with a smile. And, although there is a questioning glance directed at Jhin by the pair of brothers, there’s no disgust or anger in their gazes.
It makes Jhin feel… odd.
It reminds him of… his childhood.
Before his life took a turn.
It’s odd, but it’s not unwelcome.
He sort of… likes it.
→ Family
They’re all angry. They are furious. The blood inside their bodies boil. The sight in front of them makes them want to kill. (And isn’t that quite the feeling for Yasuo and Yone…) The shackles — the chains — are tightly latching onto the tiny animal; it digs into her skin. There’s dry blood on the ground and a flowing pool of crimson from Yuumi’s underbelly. Her eyes are a dull blue; it doesn’t feel right — seeing her eyes so... dead.
(Rhaast cries out for blood, and Kayn sympathizes with the Darkin’s feelings.)
Akshan goes blank.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
She’s dead.
Akshan’s breath hitches as he takes steps towards the cat. He checks Yuumi’s pulse and shakes his head. “She’s gone,” He mutters to the group. He tightly clenches his grappling gun. (He can feel the Absolver call out for Yuumi’s soul… It howls for the revival of the innocent life)
Jhin immediately shoots one of the guards.
He hates breaking his promises.
He hates knowing that he’ll disappoint someone he has finally come to genuinely care about.
But he hates this even more.
He hates the fact that he couldn’t save Yuumi, even more. He will destroy them all. He will paint the buildings red. And instead of it being in the name of beauty, it will be in the name of revenge and a promise to eradicate all that have hurt his family.
Yasuo glares at the group of rogues and says nothing to their shaking figures. He roughly unsheathes his sword, the metal glinting in the reflection of the moonlight. Yasuo lowers his body, poised to strike, but is held back by his older brother who shakes his head.
“Let Akshan take care of the perpetrator. His weapon is imbued with magic — magic to revive others. ” Yone states.
Yasuo looks at him skeptically and takes a deep breath as he slowly and reluctantly backs away from his spot.
Akshan is still on his knees. His eyes quiver, hands shaking and he slowly lays them on Yuumi’s body. The fur is splattered in blood and it makes him feel queasy. He is not a stranger to blood — no, not at all — but seeing the blood from someone he loves is something entirely different.
(Shadya.
Shadya.
You’re still not truly over her death, right?)
He weeps. He has not cried in so long, yet here he is, kneeling on a wooden floor, for a cat who is the equivalent age of a young child. He lifts up his weapon and shoots them all — he regrets nothing.
The criminals’ bodies collapse one-by-one onto the floor and a golden mist fills the room and swirls around the cat. Yuumi’s wounds close and the blood slowly dissipates as a gasp fills the silence. Yuumi coughs and hacks and is barely able to regain her balance before one of the males gently stations the cat on her paws. The Book gently hovers by her side.
As Yuumi blinks in recognition and hyperawareness, Yasuo gives her no time to speak as he apologizes profusely. “We are so, so, sorry, little one…”
Yuumi gives them a soft smile and shakes her head. “It’s okay, everyone. I’m a magical talking cat who made friends with some notorious figures. This was bound to happen at some point, you know,” she sighs loudly, “If anything, I’m sorry. I made some of you break your promises — verbal and non-verbal ones.”
Kayn sits down, clicking his tongue. “ Yuumi, ” He vocalizes, “Be straight with me. What did they do to you?”
Yuumi meows offhandedly and gently scratches her head in contemplation. “I dunno. I just remember being out of it most of the time! I remember some of them kept making cuts into my skin... Although, I think they got away, so it’s whatever!” She hums.
Jhin gives her a disarming smile. “Yuumi, would you happen to know what they look like?”
Yuumi nods her head in agreement.
And, with that, the others make a silent agreement that if they are ever to come across those disgusting pieces of shit, they have permission to execute them. However, they want.
But, life goes on. Yuumi slowly recovers, and the emotional damages are very much there. Yuumi slowly learns to be her once exuberant self again, Yasuo & Yone take her out into nature and they frolic amongst the trees and rivers. And, much to Yone’s dismay, Yasuo shows Yuumi how to wield a dagger.
(“Yasuo, don’t you dare do that, you irresponsible idiot!” Yasuo, the ever-responsible one, sticks out his tongue at his older brother and allows the wind to take him and Yuumi on a trip. Yone huffs in annoyance, but follows them anyway.)
Kayn takes her on trips through the shadows and teaches her how to spy and be discreet.
Jhin shows her the beauty in all things — sentient, dead, alive — everything.
Akshan takes her on trips and they ride the walls and terrain with his grappling hook. They both laugh in the face of danger, stealing from scoundrels, bringing mischief wherever they tread.
It’s an odd group of misfits. A Shadow Assassin, A Rogue Sentinel of Light, a Pair of Dysfunctional yet compatible Brothers of once-broken ties, and a former serial killer-slash-Murderer who found each other through one common factor… A cat. Not just any cat, but a Magic Cat with a sentient book.
They say cats have nine lives, but this cat has more than that.
This cat…her name’s Yuumi and where she goes, five others follow.