The White Wolf [BxB]

Chapter 8-Seeing Spirits

•Akio•

I don't think I expected myself to have this much fun.

It took a while to get used to, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of the game Hirosami and the others introduced me to. And now that I know how to play, and have been winning a few of the matches, I'm actually enjoying myself. Hiro's friends cheering me on also helped a lot. Zenin's paranoia seems to have faded too, his focus more on the game than whether or not we're in danger.

'Right Smash! Now left! Shit, he's going in for an areal!'

The sound of buttons mashing is all I can focus on as I manage to throw Azriel's character off the stage before delivering a devastating down smash.

*Game set!*

"Yes!" I jump to my feet with my hands in the air, the others cheering loudly for me as the victory screen shows up. Azriel just laughs.

"Good game, dude." He pats me on the back. "You had me on the ropes there."

"Thanks." I find myself blushing at the praise. A

"Then again, it's your fault for picking one of the worst characters in the roster, dude." Ben chuckles. Azriel glares at him playfully.

"Firstly, I was going easy on him." Azzie crosses his arms. "And secondly, fuck you, don't you dare disrespect Mario like that!"

"Mario can choke on my dick." Ben snickers.

"I'll make you choke on those words, bitch! Let's go!"

"Oh, you're on!" Ben grabs another controller and turns it on.

"Oh, I also want in on this!" Rika beams.

"Sure, here." I hand the controller to her. Dannie chuckles to herself.

"This is gonna be fun to watch."

"You guys can go on ahead. I'm gonna get some more snacks from the pantry." I say. The others nod before choosing their characters and starting the round.

The shouting from the other room dies down as I get up and make my way to the kitchen, scouring the cupboards and drawers to find anything to bring back to the others. I spend about a minute searching to no avail.

"Damnit, where did Hiro put the chips?"

"In the top cupboard."

I yelp as Hiro's voice rings from behind me. I turn to find him smirking at me from the doorway. He chuckles to himself, an amused grin spread across his face, before coming over to me.

"Don't do that!" I punch his arm playfully. He laughs a soft laugh, one I haven't heard before now. It's... kinda cute now that I think about it...

"You're adorable when you're startled." He smiles. I blush.

"I'm... What?"

Hero begins blushing slightly too. "Oh, no, I didn't mean like that- I just, it's not like- you know how a puppy-"

I can't help but laugh softly. He simply smiled at me as the laughter dies down. I smile back, rubbing my arm.

"Where did you say the chips were?" I ask him.

"Top cupboard, to your right." He replies. I reach up to the cupboard to open it, with a little difficulty. I hear Hiro chuckling to himself behind me.

"Need a little help?" He asks jokingly.

"Nah, my 5'11" ass is good, thanks." I reply. Hiro shrugs as I reach my hand into the cupboard and pull out a jumbo packet of chips. Exactly what I'm looking for.

"Got it!"

"Nice. Come bring those back into the lounge-"

'We're being watched.'

Zenin's voice cuts through my head, except instead of the usual paranoia, it's got a curious tone to it.

"What do you mean we're-"

I turn around and drop the bag of chips, staring into its ghostly saphire eyes. The spirit is back, sitting in he middle of the kitchen, staring at me with a calm and wise look in its eyes.

"...Akio? Are you okay?"

"What are you-"

Before I can finish my sentence, the wolf stands up and makes a run for the kitchen door, passing through Hirosami like water. My markings begin to glow.

"Not so fast."

I run after it, pushing past Hiro through the doorway. I see it pass through the front door and rush after it, barging through it to see it looking back at me. I stare back at it with intrigue. Hirosami's voice calls out to me from the door.

"Akio, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

Hiro's words barely register as I stare at the spirit. It looks so...familiar, as if part of a memory that was locked away for years only to be uncovered by this wolf's presence. Looking at it has never not felt like staring into a fragment of the past.

"What are you...?"

The wolf looks out towards the forest, then back at me. I look at it with confusion.

"Do you want me to...follow you?" I ask, my voice almost a whisper in the frigid air of the night. The wolf continues to stare at me for a moment.

And a second later, it starts running off again.

"No!"

My markings glow once more as I shift into my wolf form, my clothes melting away in my fur. Zenin and I soon become one.

"I'm not letting you run just away this time!"

Without another thought, I dash after it, weaving through the forest on the outskirts of Moon Shadow. The soft white light from the spirit illuminates the trees and shrubs as I chase the spirit.

"Where are you leading me?" I bark. The wolf shows no signs of stopping as it continues to run through the forest.

"Hey! Slow down!"

The spirit continues running playfully through the forest, ignoring my pleas as if this were some kind of game to it. I keep chasing after the wolf in hopes that wherever it's taking me is close by. But the more I run, the more familiar the terrain seems to become.

The path its leading me down... I recognise it.

After another minute or two of chasing, the wolf slows, then stops to turn back at me. I come to a stop right in front of it, my lungs starting to burn slightly from all the running. I stare at the wolf.

"Okay, you clearly had your fun. Now answer me!" I growl. "What's with the running? Why did you want me to chase you? And why does this place feel so familiar?"

The wolf doesn't answer. Instead, it simply looks to its left. I look right. And for a second, the world slows to a stop as I find myself right outside the overgrown gates to Mystic Claw.

My old village.

[Author's Note]

I HAVE RETURNED, BITCHES! Hoped ya missed me and this godforsaken piece of fiction ;P

Yeah, it's been a crazy few months. Sorry for the long hiatus, but I finally had enough time and energy to write a new chapter for this story. It's shorter than I wanted, but I don't have much more time before I'm fucked in the ass by life again. So I hope you enjoy this chapter until I upload again, which will hopefully be soon. Maybe in early to mid September. Catch y'all then.