A/N: last update of 2023! happy new year :)
Griffin's POV:
Before the Nogitsune could taunt Eli further, an ear-piercing roar echoes around us which causes everyone's attention to snap upward.
I stopped slicing the wrap as I worriedly turned to Derek but he didn't seem afraid in the slightest. What stuck out to me the most is that his eyes brightly shine blue. Almost like he recognized the roar.
The Nogitsune stepped away from Eli to look out to the courtyard, giving me a clear view of Eli's eyes glowing gold as well until they returned to normal.
"Eli, did you see that?" Derek quickly asked. "Did you see your eyes?"
Eli narrowed his eyes. "How the hell am I supposed to see my eyes? They're the things I use to see!"
"Dude, they were glowing!" I add with a smile.
His eyes widen in disbelief. "What? They were?"
"Yes!" Derek exclaimed.
The Nogitsune loudly snarls in annoyance before he turns to Eli once more and walks up to him, much to Eli's dismay.
"Wait, don't!" Derek growled, but the Nogitsune grabbed onto Eli's cheek, letting his claws drag along.
"Tell me, Eli," The Nogitsune taunted. "do you like riddles?"
"I'm more of a limerick kind of guy. You know, I like the rhyming." The Nogitsune yanks Eli off of the wooden post hard enough to tear off the binds which causes him to groan.
"Let's put one of the players back in the game." The Nogitsune snarls and throws Eli.
"No!" Derek yells out.
"Ahhh!" Eli cries out but instead of falling down the stairs, he disappears into a puff of green smoke.
"Eli!" I slice the rest of the binds which instantly tears my wrists free. "You bastard!"
I lunge at the Nogitsune from behind and stab the dagger into his shoulder which causes him to let out a horrifying roar, causing our surroundings to violently shake.
He slams the back of his elbow against my nose and my grips loosen enough for him to flip me over his shoulder. He harshly slams me on the back which knocks the air out of me and the dagger to fly from my hand.
"No, Griffin!"
The Nogitsune grabs me by the collar of my shirt and lifts me from the ground at ease. "Agh--stupid boy! If you weren't a part of my plan, I'd kill you myself!" He snarled, forcing me back against the wooden post and the binds tied around my wrists once more.
Olivia's POV:
"Not my best work, but it'll do." I say, seeing the wrap's knot stick out from Scott's shirt. "You sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Scott asks, tearing his eyes away from the small window that gave him a decent view of the lacrosse game. "You?"
"Been through worse."
"Well, now that you two are okay," Allison spoke up from behind and we turned, seeing her pack the last of her arrows into her quiver before sliding it over her shoulder. "I need to find my father. If he's here, he's in danger too."
"Allison, wait." Scott quickly spoke up before she could turn to leave. "Look, I know everything is still a bit confusing, but we shouldn't split up. Your memories--I don't think it's safe."
Despite her helping us, it's clear enough to me that she was still conflicted. "I think I remember you, or maybe someone like you, maybe someone I cared for" Her eyes flicker to mine. "or maybe someone I was in love with."
"Allison--"
"And maybe--maybe," She throws her arms up in distress. "if I had more time, I would remember everything. But I can't help you right now. I-I have to find my father. I think he might be the only one I have left."
She takes her bow from the crate and exits the storage room before either one of us can utter another word.
But despite her words, I still chased after her.
"Allison, wait! Allison!" I called out and thankfully since she didn't get that far, I managed to grab her wrist to make her stop in the middle of the ramp that led to the bleachers. "Look, erm--they don't know that it's you. Not even Arg--I mean, your father. A-And--"
"I can't help you guys, okay?" She solemnly cut in. "You seem like a kind person but I'm sorry. You're wasting your time when you should--"
I quickly shake my head. "No, no. I wasn't trying to stop you. I just--I was gonna see if you wanted me to tag along with you. To make sure you're careful and...stuff. You might need someone to watch your back, you know?"
This went a lot better in my head.
"I just tried to kill you and your friend, but you're asking to tag along because you want to look out for me." She narrows her eyes in suspicion. "Why would you do that?"
"I--Oh well, you know." I trail, trying to come up with some other excuse but my eyes flicker down at my hand still wrapped around her wrist and I quickly release my grip. Seeing her again...man. It still sent my mind to mush. "Because..."
She raised a brow. "Because...?"
"You might not have all of your memories but...you're still my wife." I give a small smile. "I'm still in love with you and...that feeling doesn't go away that easily. Never really did."
"Oh," She tilts her head to the side in surprise until she slowly nods, a small smile forming across her lips as her cheeks flush red. "I see."
"Sorry." I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. "Too soon?"
"No, just...impressively bold." She lightly chuckles but I could see her cheeks were flushed as well. "It's cute."
Despite being in our thirties, it felt like we were in high school again. Our lives were at stake but still had moments where we were two awkward teens still hopelessly in love with one another.
I missed this. I missed her.
"Eli!" A whistle sharply blasts from the lacrosse field which causes us to turn at the sound. "Where the hell did you come from?"
I quickly run the rest of the ramp to get a better view, my eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Coach Finstock angrily dragging the dizzy teen I recognized off of the field.
"Eli?"
"Olivia!" I hear Scott call and I turn, seeing as he ran up the ramp as well. "Did you find her?"
"Don't you see she's right behind--" I say as I look back but my eyes widen in surprise, seeing that Allison isn't behind me anymore. "me."
"We'll find her later. For now, come on." Scott nudged me forward and I followed after him, rushing down the steps until we reached the lower field to Eli.
"Eli!"
He snaps his head forward and his eyes widen in relief before rushing towards us.
"What happened to Griffin? Where is he?" I worriedly ask. "Please tell me he's with Kira or at least Malia."
He reluctantly shook his head but followed Scott and I to the exit. "He's alive but we got ambushed by the Oni and they took us to this weird ominous forest." Eli quickly explained. "Except it's not really a place. It's not real. They're all there with my dad, and they're alive."
"So they're trapped in an illusion we can't access." I scoff. "Great."
Scott furrowed his brows in confusion. "This part of the game? It's like he's knocking pieces off the board."
"So how come he put me back on it?" Eli questioned.
"I don't know, but I need to get you out of here." Scott said, nudging Eli forward to the exit. "Come on."
But just before Scott and Eli could cross, they instantly collide into a barrier which causes me to instantly stop behind them.
"Oh--What the hell was that?" Eli groaned as he rubbed the front of his head.
"Mountain ash." Scott sighed.
Cheers erupted from the stands once more and I looked up, seeing as the sun was beginning to set. "The sun's going down. It's only a matter of time before the Oni show up." I warn.
"There's ten thousand people in this stadium. What are we supposed to do?" Eli worriedly asked.
Scott gestures for us to follow and he quickly sprints back to the lacrosse field but towards Coach Finstock, who is angrily yelling at his players on the field.
"Hey, Coach? Coach, hey!" Scott called out but since the man didn't bother to turn, he shook his arm.
Coach Finstock's eyes widen in disbelief and he quickly shakes his head. "Oh, no, no, no, no. Unacceptable. You graduated, McCall." He dismissed me until his eyes landed on mine. "And you. Unless you're going to help my guys out to push their leg back into place, buzz off."
I narrow my eyes. "That's not how it--"
"Anyway, you're not ruining this for me." He interrupted, turning to the field once more.
"Coach, every single person in this stadium is in danger." Scott emphasized but Coach didn't seem phased. "Is there any way to get them out without panicking them?"
"Yeah, you win the game!"
"What happens if they tie it up?"
"Sudden death."
Scott grabs Coach Finstock's shoulder to make him turn to him. "Coach, there's gonna be ten thousand sudden deaths if we don't stop this game."
The crowd erupts into cheers again and we turn to the field, watching as the Fairview Hawks team members pat each other's backs in celebration.
But two members of our team quickly helped a downed player, seeing that his leg twisted in a not-so-normal way. Yikes.
"Crap! I haven't felt this level of disappointment since I lost my virginity." Coach Finstock scoffs in annoyance before he turns to Scott. "You want to help us win, McCall? Here."
He snatches the lacrosse stick from the assistant coach and gives it to Scott. "Fine."
As the two got changed, Coach Finstock still blew his whistle to signal the other players to huddle up. "Four minutes, whoever scores first wins."
"Number 11?" I glance behind seeing Scott raise a brow in curiosity at Eli who slipped on his jersey. "That used to be my number."
"Do you want it back?"
"No, no. That's okay. Just...if you're gonna wear my number, you better score."
I roll my eyes before I look over to Eli with an encouraging smile. "You got this, Eli."
He gives a small smile. "I'll try."
"Let's go!" Coach Finstock yells out, smacking each player on their back as they run into their positions. "Let's do it! Asses on the field! We score first!"
I look over to the scoreboard but my eyes soften in relief, seeing as Allison stood by to watch the game and I couldn't help but run to where she stood.
After climbing through what felt like an endless amount of stairs, I finally reached the top with tired breaths escaping my lips.
Allison looks away from the game to turn to me, a subtle look of surprise in her expression. "How'd you find me?"
"Oh, you know." I dismissively wave my hand to the side. "It's not too hard to spot the only person in the crowd carrying a quiver and bow. I find myself to get along more with those types of people."
She slowly nods in amusement. "That so?"
"Uhuh." I pant as I walk over to stand next to her until I tiredly lean against the railing. "I'm not exactly an athlete. I rarely come to these games."
"Sports aren't your thing?"
"Never were. When I was a kid my mom signed me up for a girls soccer team and the first practice I went to, I tripped on a ditch and twisted my ankle." I explain which causes Allison to cover her mouth, failing to stifle a laugh. "Practically begged on my knees to take me off the team."
"With the twisted ankle? How...terrible." She giggled.
"Okay maybe I begged on one knee, but thankfully she saw how much I didn't like it." I chuckle, smiling in remembrance of how my mom took care of me. "She was my best friend."
She stayed silent and in the corner of my eye, I took notice of her solemn expression. "What happened to her?"
"She...wanted to save our friends and prioritized their health instead of hers." I trail off as I look back over to the field, watching as one of our players managed to swipe the ball into their stick and dash across the field. "She'd probably hit me or something but I still can't help but wish I would've seen her injuries sooner. It's sort of why I got into the medical field in the first place. I've always wanted to be just like her so...now I can honor her memory."
I feel her hand placed over mine and give it a short squeeze which causes me to look up. "I might not have all of my memories but for some reason," She trails off as her eyes soften. "I can tell that you're not letting her down. You look--I mean, you're doing amazing."
I start to smile, ignoring the way my heart hammers against my chest. "Thanks."
"Get it to McCall! To McCall!" We hear Coach Finstock exclaim and we turn to see the lacrosse player throw it to Scott, who catches it with ease. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Scott outmaneuvers several players, continuing at a quick pace until he harshly throws it ahead to the goal.
However, he misses the net horribly and it flies over the crowd towards us.
"Get down!" I quickly wrap my arm around Allison's and force us down in time for the ball to clash into the scoreboard behind us.
Electrified sparks instantly shoot above and I slowly look up, feeling my face flush in embarrassment at how close Allison and I's faces were.
"I-I--erm, sorry." I sheepishly unwrap my arm from hers. "Are you okay?"
She blinks a few times, taking note of her reddened cheeks as well. "I--ahem, yes. I'm good. Thanks for the save."
"...Always."