Sapphire (Book One, Arrow)

chapter 9 ⚔ Year's End

Oliver and I were training in the hideout, with the metal half-staffs again. Oliver was shirtless. I was in workout clothes. Oliver swung one toward me. I used one to block the move. Oliver swung the other toward me. I used the other to block the move.

"Nice," Oliver told me. "Picking up the pace."

I spun to kick him. 

Oliver ducked, standing, trying to hit me with both of his in a blur of motion.

I used both of mine to  block the moves just as fast. "I could say the same thing about you. You crossed three names off your father's list this week alone, solo."

I used both of mine to catch one of his.

Oliver swung the other at both of mine to make me let go of his other. "Yeah, well, some of these guys are just giving it up now." I swung one of mine down low toward him. Oliver swung down low to block the move. "All I gotta do is pay them a visit."

"It seems the guy in the hood's reputation is beginning to precede him," I told him.

Oliver swung both of his up over our heads, trying to come down on me. I raised both of mine in an X shape to block both of his. We looked at each other, breathing heavily, smirking.

"Next time, we try with knives," I told him.

"Oh, where you're an expert and are better than me?" Oliver asked sarcastically. "How stupid could I be?"

"Not being stupid if you're doing it to try to be better," I told him. "You know, you can't always have your bow."

"I'll only learn swordsmanship if you learn how to shoot a bow and arrow," Oliver told me.

"Game on," I told him.

John walked closer. "You two are making me exhausted." We looked at him. "I'm gonna take my nephew over to the mall so he can let Santa know what he wants for Christmas."

Oliver sighed. "Oh. Christmas. I didn't even realize."

I shook my head. "Me, neither."

"That was because you've been logging in so many vigilante hours ever since that thing with Helena," John told us.

"There were no holidays on the island," I told him. "Every day was... 'How do I stay alive?' To do that, you had to forget things, like Christmas."

Oliver sighed. "My dad threw a party every year, and he would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like... it smelled like Christmas."

"Maybe you can give it a rest and just enjoy the holidays with the family," John told us. "Besides, I hear St. Nick has a list of his own. I wager you're both in the 'nice' column. Go home, guys."

John walked away, leaving.

⚔   

Flashback - 5 Years Ago

Jill was sleeping on a rock after having being taken care of by Oliver when she had had so many wounds.

Oliver was sitting nearby, leaning against a rock, looking at her, about to fall asleep.

The rocks covering the entrance started to fall, waking them and making them look toward the entrance.

Yao walked in. He looked at Jill. "You, uh, hurt?"

"Where the hell you been?" Oliver asked. Yao put down a jug of water. "We ran out of food and water days ago." Yao walked out of the cave. "Hey, hey, where you going?"