𝟚.𝟜: 𝕊𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝔻𝕠 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕁𝕒𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕖

—Narrator's perspective—

"P.A system? It's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Hope busted inside the doors, Arabella frowning her way given their last encounter.

While Ric and Hope conversed, Arabella was looking up the ceiling, staring at it intently and distraced while she laid her back on the couch, thinking of ways on how the girl gave her feels that she never thought was possible.

Her attention got diverted when someone knocked on the door, Arabella sitting up to see the sheriff enter the room. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No, It's okay. We were just leaving. I wil see you at the pep rally." Hope forced a tight smile, having to pull a certain blonde out the room.

"I hope you consider the transfer. I can put in a good word for you at the Salvatore School." He called out the last minute the two girls left already.

Arabella cleared her throat, looking over to Hope who still had a grip on her wrist. When she noticed, the tribrid let go with a heavy heart knowing Arabella wasn't hers to hold onto.

"So, about that transfer?" She started, Hope sighed and shook her head as an answer. "What? Why not? Being a werewolf slash witch will definitely put you in the school."

"Can you—" Hope said a little loud as a warning but shut up when people started to talk among them making Arabella laugh. "Lower it down, please?" She said in a neutral tone.

"Pfft, they might just say we're nuts. That is unless you care for reputation stereotypes." Arabella arched her eyebrow, looking at Hope besides her who snorted and shook her head. "See? You're fine."

Hope chuckled, shaking her head. Despite the bell ringing, the two were still walking the hallways until the bell ring. They may or may not have skipped first period but atleast they can use the 'Principal Saltzman called us' card against the teachers.

When crowd of students were already filling up the hallways, Hope almost stumbled down face first but Arabella hold onto her waist accidentally, pulling her before anyone can actually push them over. Hope looked at the blonde, flabbergasted by the sudden hold to her waist.

"Um... wait, is that Landon?" Arabella asked, looking over to Hope and pointed down the halls.

Hope shook her head to get ahold of herself and looked behind her, seeing the curly haired boy following someone. "What is he doing here? Come on." She gestured and instinctively held Arabella's hand, tugging her to their direction.

Not at all noticing how Hope's first instinct was to grab her hand, Arabella followed and stopped just behind him also seeing Raf. "Landon? Raf? What—" Before she can even ask, The werewolf growled and looked at the three in spite.

"Scalare." Hope let go of Arabella and placed her hands forward, the gate closing between the three and Rafael, seperating them so no one will get hurt.

"Hope, Ara. How are you two always in the right place at the right time?" He asked, them looking at the werewolf who body slammed the metal rails.

"That's Funny. I was just thinking the exact opposite thing."

☘︎︎

"Ad somnum." Hope clenched her fist in front of her again, making Raf passed out in the back place of a car.

"He seemed fine the last time we spoke. What happened?" Arabella asked in worry, crossing her arms while they heard footsteps clashing to their way.

"What were you two even doing here?" Hope asked, diverting her attention to Landon in annoyance.

"Looking for answers. And, I guess... you." He said honestly, the answer made Arabella look away when she noticed Hope stare at him for a little too long.

Josie frowned, walking their way. "Dad?" Besides her is a samurai demon hunter with a sword on guard. When the japanese man spoke, she translated. "He said, 'we came to protect the bonsai-headed boy.' I think."

The blonde crossed her arms, leaning her side to the car while she listened in on their conversation, not understanding Japanese but still. "That's Japanese for 'What the hell is she doing here?'" Josie said, looking over at Hope in anger.

"Okay..." Arabella whispered in a huff, pulling her arms over her chest in a crossed. She felt the need to say something to protect or stand besides Hope but decided not to seeing as she'd look like a fool.

"Juts because she's supernatural doesn't mean we can trust her. I mean, she shouldn't be here." Josie defended again, looking over Hope to see Arabella with an annoyance look on her face.

"Look, I will take all the help I can get. Even from—" Alaric looked back and gestured to the samurai. "—him. So ask him to tell us everything should know."

Josie looked over to the Japanese native. "Kurutta-san." When she called him over, he put away the knife he was holding and circled them while speaking his story. "Dropped on his head as a baby." She explained when the samurai made an unlikely gesture. "Samurai school to learn discipline. He learned to slay Oni— demons, which is what we're chasing. He was a hero. All the woman begged to— Ey ey!"

And by that sentence, Arabella rolled her eyes in amusement, watching Josie calm him down when the samurai was explaining in Japanese.

"Kurutta-san, I don't even know that word, but it cannot be relevant." Josie shuddered in disgust when the samurai was laughing his head off.

Landon was just suppressing his laughter from where he stood and the three besides him only wanted to know the demon they should be fighting, except Hope who was smiling, shaking her head to see Arabella hiding her grin.

"Josie, the point. Let's get to it." Ric interrupted.

The samurai got to the point, explaining things further. "Kurutta spent months tracking down an Oni that possessed people, moving from person to person by touch. He was just about to kill it when it found its way into the body of a child and escaped him yet again. He gave chase and caught the demon. But he could not bring himself to harm an innocent child. So, instead, he made an impossible choice and he took the Oni into himself. But it was then that he realized, unlike everyone else who had been possessed and remembered nothing, he was still partly in control of his faculties. He thinks the Oni found it harder to possess his broken mind. His words, not mine. He tried to stab himself with his sword, and the Oni wouldn't let him. So he decided to never touch a person again— so that it could never possess anyone else. And then... Malivore, eternity of nothingness... deep psychological torment. He came through an ana I think he's talking about a portal."

"Portal? Uh, where?" Hope asked, frowning at the two.

"Uh, sorry, the ancient samurai isn't an expert on Mystic Falls Geography." Josie retorted making Arabella roll her eyes, biting the bottom of her lip to prevent herself on talking back to the siphoner.

"How do we kill the demon?" Landon stirred back the topic at hand.

Josie pointed at the blade on the samurai. "Uh, with his sword. It's spelled with a special kind of magic, so if we can just find the Oni..." She trailed off, hinting it which all knew.

Ric's truck suddenly banged from the inside, Someone clearly wanted to escape and the movement made Arabella back away in shock.

"Not a problem." Hope remarked, seeing the door bust out with Rafael there.

The Samurai pulled his sword out, about to slay the Oni but Rafael jumped in the air to avoid it. They fought and Alaric tried to stop them but was no use.

Arabella as well was about to put down Raf but someone held her wrist, stopping her. "Hope, he is going to kill him." She informed the obvious.

"If you touch Rafael you'll be possessed!" She argued as well, making the blonde just watch the two fight. "Motus." Hope casted and the sword flew from out of his hand.

The samurai stayed on his fist but soon got thrown across the bus, Rafael fleeding the scene. Josie walked up to him, kneeling to get a hear of what he said in Japanese.

"He said that could've gone better." Josie said, looking back to them in a huff when the samurai passed out.

☘︎︎

"Raf. Hey." Hope knelt down in front of him, holding his knee and didn't think twice about it either. "Oh, yeah, that's you, isn't it?" She smiled in relief.

Rafael nodded, a bit touched that Hope looked concerned for him. He might have a little crush but it's not like he'll say that aloud. Arabella exhaled, crossing her arms while she leaned on the lockers. Upon heard the sigh, Hope retreated her hand and just looked at the werewolf. "Um, I wasn't in control back there."

"It's okay. I-I can help you. I just need to know if there's anyone that you've touched or who might've touched you." She asked in the most soft voice you can know.

"Um... I don't remember any of it." A spread of guilt ran across his eyes, looking at Ric and Arabella, the female nodding in understanding.

"Okay." Hope nodded, giving him a comforting smile.

Arabella pursued her lips. "I have an idea." She said, gaining the attention of the three. "If we find the Oni again, I touch it, you kill me with the sword." She informed which made Hope and Alaric frown and immediately shook their heads in disagreement.

"That sword is laced with dark magic and who knows, the Oni might just kill you too." Hope said, standing up from where she was and looked at the blonde with a stern look.

"Don't know if you didn't noticed but, I'm a vampire, sweetheart." She remarked but it didn't faze Hope who gave her a stern look.

"Did you not hear that I mention that it could kill you?" The Mikaelson witch then again, argued, not for once second agreeing with this crazy plan.

Alaric agreed, "Hope's right. We need to find another way." He said but Arabella could merely hear nothing but her own thoughts.

"Yeah tough luck I guess. So I'm gonna go..." She trailed off, pointing at the door, backing away slowly.

"Ara." Ric warned, looking over to Hope who was battling in her own thoughts if she should just knock the girl out cold.

For a second, they all stopped moving. Hope breathed for a second before looking at the blonde, apologetic. "Sorry, Bella. Ad somnum." She clenched her fist and the girl passed out cold.

"Whoa." Rafael sneered, running to the girl and caught her before she could fall to the floor. "What was that for?" He asked, specifically to Hope who already felt bad.

While the three were arguing, basically Rafael against the other two, All Arabella heard last was her name. Or rather, the name Bella rang inside her ear. Unfamiliar but something about the profound nickname got her feeling ways no one would imagine except her.

"Look, I don't know if you know, Raf, Bell— Luna is part original." Hope informed calmly, also slightly breaking by the sight of the blonde Salvatore passed out in Raf's arms. "It means that she can't die but it's not like nature will allow her to be alive forever." She hinted and Rafael was slowly starting to understand.

"Get her to my car before anyone sees." Ric instructed, Raf nodding and carrying the unconscious girl in his arms before walking to the exit. "How did you know that she was part original?" He asked Hope, the girl sighing.

"Because I was there when Aurora told her the truth. I was there when Arabella was having one of her breakdowns, okay?" She answered, slumping down on the bench in frustration.

Alaric opened his mouth to speak, curiosity and eager to know. "What's your relationship with Ara?" He asked, never really established on what.

Hope closed her eyes, not wanting to see Ric's formative look to her. "We... We were in love, okay? It might sound stupid but that's the truth. Call me selfish or ignorant but I just want to see her, Okay?" She finally told someone, Alaric sighing and felt pity towards the Tribrid.

"We will talk about it later. For now, kill the oni."

☘︎︎

From time and time again, Arabella gasped awake, her eyes strained of tears when she did. She frowned, tracing her fingertips on her cheek, wondering why she was crying. All she remembered was seeing someone in her dream, again.

She looked around, seeing Hope and Ric just outside of the car, looking at her with apologetic looks. That was when Alaric tossed her a blood bag, catching it immediately and decided to stay quiet while she leaned on the seat of the car.

"What'd I miss?" She simply asked, tone sounded cold but she didn't mean for it to sound like that but the words already came out her lips.

"All you need to know is that the Oni is gone." Ric exhaled in relief, relief that he wasn't about to deal with an out of control Arabella.

Hope breathed in, "I'm sorry for... you know. making you pass out." She said wholeheartedly and when Arabella gave her a glance, she nodded in understanding.

"Ara..." His tone of a voice was concerning, something to go on and about to start a ramble about how she could just risk her life again and again.

"Don't." She sighed, dropping the empty blood bag besides her. "I don't need another lecture about this." Arabella's strength came back, her slight pale and white skin came back to its natural tone. "Excuse me."

With that said, she used her vampire speed and left the school's parking lot in a blink of an eye, wanting to give up on everything. Hope gasped slightly, looking back but the blonde was already gone and never looked back.

"What— what happened? A lecute on what?" Hope asked, worried on what she could have possibly missed on this summer. "Dr. Saltzman, what is it?" She asked, more calmer than before.

"This past few months has been an edgy road for her. When she checked her phone, your name popped up." He said honestly, Hope sighing when she didn't thought about that. "Then, she joined her bestfriend, Bonnie, in travelling. From what I could tell, she was spiralling down through the sink."

Hope's heart rate began to pick up, feeling so guilty and saddened of what she just heard. "Is she still having breakdowns?" She hesitantly asked, remembering that their last conversation was during one.

"From what I could tell, No. But it's Ara we're talking about. With what you told me earlier of your relationship, the only thing keeping her sane was you." He didn't mean to guilt trip the tribrid but it just slipped.

Hope nodded, pinching herself to stop herself from crying in the middle of the lot. "I screwed up, badly." She whispered, holding onto the car behind her to steady herself.

☘︎︎