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themoonlitquill · 9 hours ago

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Whispers Woven in Shadow. (1/?)

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚? 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚? 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 ; I’m terrible at summaries, so please don’t hate me for that! This is an OC that I’ve been playing around with for literal ages and I finally made the choice to really dive in and develop her, and then the ideas just started flowing in and I couldn’t stop writing! I’m already working on a second chapter for this, but it all depends on if anyone even likes it. 😅 I don’t post my writing too often, so be kind if you don’t mind!! Oh, && special thanks to @coffeebooksrain18 for the moodboard! 🩵 Enjoy!

𝖳𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝖶𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 ; 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗹.

𝖶𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍 ; 3802.

Everything is different now, Ariadne Archeron blinks as she looks out the window to the clear skies of robin’s egg blue with rays of sunlight streaming through to cast a golden hue that emitted warmth and yet, she had never felt so cold, so empty. Her mind was spinning around in circles, jumping from thought to thought, never settling and making her skin itch with such an intensity that she had to refrain herself from digging her nails in and ripping flesh from bone.

It was all wrong. Every single bit of it. And she couldn’t understand what was going on and why she was feeling this way.

The simple answer was because she had been thrown into a massive pot that stripped her humanity from her without consent and replaced it with immortality, which was something she had only wondered about in the stories that Elain used to show her as a little girl; she never imagined that it would come true and become her life.

Feyre had accepted being Made into High Fae graciously, almost eagerly, while Nesta seethed and resented, focusing her pent up emotions into care and concern for Elain. That left Ariadne to deal with it alone and if she were to be honest with herself, she wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

She was broken, lost, and confused, nearly a shell of her former self. How was she to handle this? What was she to do? There wasn’t a set of rules for something like this and there was no one to turn to for advice, not that she could anyway with her inability to speak.

It seemed that magic couldn’t heal everything.

Ariadne had been born deaf and could only communicate through gestures and looks, which made everything that much harder for her compared to her sisters. She couldn’t get her mouth to form the words that ran rampant in her head, not that she didn’t try, and eventually, she gave up, coming to the realization that what she so desperately wanted to say would never be heard by anyone other than herself.

She had never felt sorry about her ailment before, knowing that Nesta understood when she was irritated by the way her eyes narrowed with a hand placed defiantly on her hip and that Elain knew when she needed a moment away from their father when a frustrated huff emitted from her nose, followed with the incessant picking at the skin around her fingernails.

And Feyre, well, she was able to decipher what Ariadne wanted before she even did.

But it was different now. It wasn’t the same and the changes she was going through had to be dealt with, with no help from anyone. It wasn’t fair.

She wanted to scream and yell and cry and throw things, but she couldn’t, and if she could, she wouldn’t want to. That wasn’t who she was and it definitely wasn’t how she acted when life didn’t go the way she wished for it to. Instead, Ariadne kept it hidden away from prying eyes and suffered in silence, because that’s what this all was.

Suffering.

Agony.

Without any end in sight.

Ariadne works to swallow the dry lump that had formed in her throat and she withholds a wince, knowing that she needed something to drink and she was already dreading the fact that she’d have to leave the bit of safety in the room, that was now hers, to go get it.

Unless she wanted to stick her mouth under the faucet again and she most definitely did not.

Downstairs it is, she gnaws on the inside of her lower lip until she tastes the unmistakable tang of copper on her tongue, the nerves already setting in. You can do this, Ari. Just stand up and walk. It isn’t that hard, her fingers clenched into a fist, nails biting into her palm. Get UP! Get up, get up, get up!

Why couldn’t she move? What was wrong with her?

Ariadne sucks in a breath and holds it for a moment, then releases, her eyelids fluttering as she struggles to keep herself composed. The tears were right there and there was no way she would allow them to fall; she had to be strong like Feyre would be, not letting anything knock her down, and if it did, she’d get back up to try again. She could do that, couldn’t she?

It’ll be quick. Start with putting your feet on the floor. That’s easy enough to do, she reopens her eyes and stares straight ahead for several minutes, working on keeping each breath steady. On the count of three… One, her skin prickles, but she manages to sit up straight, legs unfolding. Two, sweat forms on her brow as she moves her feet to hover over the carpet. Three!

The distance closes and she freezes when she feels the plush material against her skin, finding that it was kind of… nice. See, not so bad, right? One thing at a time. You can do that no problem.

A small bit of confidence surges through her and she quickly rests her arms on either side of the chair, bracing herself before pushing herself up; her knees wobble and her brow furrows, but Ariadne - more determined than she realized - finds her balance and straightens, taking a deep breath in order to calm down a little.

Hey! Look at that. You did it, there’s a twitch at the corner of her mouth, which she dutifully ignores. Now, another deep breath. Start walking, was it too soon to do this? It had only been a week since- Don’t go there, Ari. You’re doing so well. You aren’t there anymore. You’re fine, she lifts her chin and turns towards the door. Go on, she takes a step.

Ariadne keeps going, one foot at a time, and becomes more steady, making her way across the - her - room to the door and stopping to stand in front of it. Her hand wrapped around the handle, halfway turned, but she froze again. Completely immobile. Why was her heart beating so quickly? This wasn’t normal. It made no sense to feel like this and she couldn’t find a way to understand it, which was incredibly frustrating.

It’s good that you want to see something else besides these same four walls. Nothing wrong with that. No one is even going to be out there, she turns it the rest of the way. Nesta is with Elain, and Feyre, her heart clenches painfully. Feyre isn’t here right now, so you’re going to have to do this yourself, she pulls and it opens. There you go.

Ariadne peers out into the hall and looks down both ends, not seeing anything other than the rest of the doors, all closed, and the sconces that emitted a warm light. She slips through and begins to walk, her feet padding softly against the floor and she was hoping that the kitchen was in this direction or else she was going to be wandering around for a while; the House of Wind was huge.

She continues on with her hands clasped together in front of her, the pad of her thumb rubbing soothing circles onto the top and she can’t help but look around, never having seen anything like it before. Not even Archeron Estate. The amount of money that Rhysand had to build something like this? He must’ve grown up rich. Her gaze roams over the intricate carvings on the large columned archways, head tilted in quiet admiration. They were pretty.

The hallway comes to a set of stairs, only four, and Ariadne pauses before taking each one down to find a kitchen to the left that led to what she assumed was the dining room, and held a grand table in the center with multiple high-backed chairs.

Yeah, definitely rich from birth, she walks further in and flicks her eyes over the cabinets, realizing that she had no clue where anything was. Look through all of them. It isn’t going to matter anyway, she reaches up on her tip-toes and her fingertips barely brush against the handle. Oh, great, she sighs. Where’s a ladder when you need one?

She notes the sink only a few inches away and she moves to crouch down in front, beginning to search through and eventually coming up empty. Please don’t tell me I have to climb on a counter, Ariadne stands back up straight. Again, there was really no other way, was there? Of course not.

Her brow furrows as she surveys the correct way to do it without getting hurt, knowing that no one was there to help if things went awry; she finally settles on using the shelf that went across the middle of the bottom cabinet to use to give her a boost and then she’d be able to get her leg up by bracing her weight against the wall.

It seemed simple enough.

After getting into position, Ariadne takes a breath and places her hand to the left as she pushes her foot against the shelf. She grunts from the effort to lift her leg, managing to get her knee onto the counter and use what strength she had to pull the rest of herself on top.

She grasps at the handle on the cabinet to steady herself before she adjusts her knees and leans over a little to open it, only to find plates. An annoyed huff makes her nostrils flare and she carefully shuts it. I should’ve just drank from the faucet again, her arm extends and her fingers wrap around the next handle as she moves over. This is way too much to do for a cup, she keeps her spine straight and prays to whatever higher power hailed over Prythian that this was the right one.

Ariadne pulls, and she doesn’t notice the fabric of her dress shift or when she starts to slide; she peeks inside and her eyes brighten when she sees what she had been hoping for. Yes!

Her body goes to lean like she had done a couple minutes ago and her knees give out from under her, a surprised sound leaving her lips as her other arm flails, unable to find anything to hold onto. No!

Everything went sideways and Ariadne began to fall, the top of her foot hitting the edge of the counter and she hisses through her teeth, eyes squeezing shut and bracing for the impact of her body against the tiled floor. But it never came. There was something looped around her waist, cool and soft, flowing like silk and holding with a gentleness that she had never felt before. What is it? Where did it come from?

Whatever it was had decided to turn her upright and place her down safely, which is when she decided to open her eyes; the first thing noticed were the wings, massive and actually really beautiful, but holding a power that matched that of the one, two, three, four… seven siphons, which reminded her of sapphires, and then it was the deep bronze skin that was littered with dirt, grime, and only the Gods knew what else, followed by a tousle of dark hair, slightly curly.

Though, what Ariadne noticed the most was the golden glow that faded into hazel. There was a mixture of guardedness, curiosity, and worry - maybe? - swirling within the shifting shades of green and brown, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust it. Azriel, I think. The other one is who Nesta can’t stand. Cassian? This is the… Spysinger, her lips pressed together. No, that isn’t right. Oh! Shadowmaster. Yeah, that makes more sense.

She blinks and realizes that she had been staring at him for longer than she should’ve and quickly refocuses to see that he had come around from the other side of the counter to stand a few feet away from her.

It looked like the Shadowmaster had been in a few fights and then slept on the ground afterwards, which was weird to her because she swore Cassian was the aggressive one. Never judge a book, Ari. People look at you and think you’re not capable of anything or that you’re stupid, she lifts her chin and finds that she could now only see his chest when she did that, so she tilts her head back further until she finds his face again.

₊˚✧𑁍.ೃ࿔*:･

Azriel watches in silence as the youngest Archeron sister - Ariadne - nearly breaks her neck in order to meet his gaze, the warm honey of her eyes full of questions, trepidation, and a sadness that was trying to hide itself and he was certain it was much larger than what he already caught. He found himself wishing he could ask her about it, but that was impossible for two important reasons; one, Azriel didn’t do things like that and two, even if he did, Ariadne wouldn’t be able to hear him.

And who was to say that if she could, she would answer?

He resorts to raising a single brow, inclining his head towards the counter as he keeps his sights set on her, surveying her expression for the slightest change; it starts with a flicker of surprise before shifting to neutral and she nods, the smallest of sighs emitting from her parted lips and she glances at the still open cabinet that held the cups, then tapping her fingers at the base of her throat.

Ah, he steps forward and reaches inside to grab one, lowering it down and handing it to her. There’s a moment of hesitation, though it doesn’t seem to be an aversion to him. It was more so of someone unsure how to accept help when they had been doing everything without it for a long time. You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?

The ever-present shadows that swirled around Azriel became tense at the thought and he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind to be locked away.

Now wasn’t the time.

Ariadne was staring at the glass and he realized that she had no idea that the House of Wind would provide anything she wanted. After all, how was she going to know anything about a world she had been thrown into? Stories that passed over to the human lands weren’t always accurate.

Will you- He hears a quiet gasp and he cuts himself off, attention snapping back to the small Fae in front of him that was watching as… orange juice filled to the brim. Apparently, she figured it out a lot quicker than he thought she would. The corner of his mouth twitches. Smart girl.

Azriel takes a couple steps back and leans his hip against the counter, arms crossed over his chest with his wings tucked behind. Ariadne turns her head and blinks at him, observing his position before giving a single dip of her chin and he had a feeling that it was her way of saying ‘thank you.’

He returns the gesture and she begins to walk by, more than likely heading back to her room, and that’s when he smells it; cherry blossoms. It was sweet and soft, hints of creamy vanilla bean and almond with a warmth that made him want to reach out and touch her.

It’s his turn to blink now and he waits for Ariadne to pass before he looks over his shoulder, hazel returning to that golden hue as she makes her way back up the steps and disappears down the hall. His shadows begin curling around his neck and ears, whispering to him in cool breaths, some louder than others.

She is special. Yes, special. And alone. Afraid. She is lost. No way to understand. She cannot ask. She wants to understand. Must help her understand. Yes. Help her.

Azriel gives a small tug and they fall silent, though they flick against his skin in protest and to show their evident distaste for his dismissal. He rolls his eyes with a heavy exhale, giving his head a shake before he pushes himself away from the counter and disappears into the same temperamental darkness that matched that of himself.

₊˚✧𑁍.ೃ࿔*:･

Ariadne was unsure how to feel about her brief interaction with Azriel; he understood what she’d been trying to do and had even helped her, which was odd for her, but it made him better than most people she had met. He didn’t invade her personal space either, didn’t try to do anything at all that would make her the slightest bit uncomfortable.

In fact, he seemed to be a fairly decent male. She couldn’t remember a single instance over the few times she had been around him - even as a human - where he had ever acted out or caused any sort of problem. And if he did, she had an inkling that it would have to be over something important.

Her eyes lifted to the window and found that the sun had set, painting the sky in magenta and lavender with bursts of burnt orange and yellow; it reminded her of something that Feyre might like to recreate on canvas. There’s a sharp pang in the center of her heart at the thought of her sister and she winces, reaching up to rub the spot with her hand.

It was hard without Feyre. Yes, Nesta and Elain were there, but they were handling being Made even worse than Ariadne was. At least she had left the room. Granted, it was only once and she wasn’t gone for that long. It was still more than what they were doing.

And that had to count for something, didn’t it?

Ariadne had been the closest with Feyre, in age and in every other way. They were inseparable and a lot of love was shared between the two of them, along with a deep-rooted loyalty and respect for who they each were. And now? She felt like she was missing a vital piece of herself that she didn’t know how to get back and the longer the stretch of days went on, the more painful it got.

She picks at the skin around her nails and shifts her gaze to the floor, not wanting to think about any of this anymore. That was the thing about having no way to talk to someone; she tended to inner-monologue and go too into detail about things, overwhelming herself until she disassociated from it all.

Not the best solution, but it worked for her.

A flicker of movement in the corner catches her attention and she zeroes in on it, eyes narrowing slightly. Don’t tell me this place has ghosts now, Ariadne stands, noting how it was darker than it should’ve been with the way the light was streaming in. Because I will find a way to get out of here. There can’t be that many stairs.

She takes a couple steps forward, head tilted with curiosity and a bit of fear if it was actually a ghost. Whatever you are, I’m not going to hurt you, so that means you can’t hurt me either. That’s how this works.

The unknown something moves again, causing a shift in the air that her new Fae eyes are able to detect; it looked like smoke, though more refined and smooth, shimmering with an iridescence that reminded her of the stars. She reaches out. What are you?

It slithers forward and Ariadne watches as it brushes against one of her fingers, almost as if it were curious about her too, and that’s when she feels that same softness that had been around her waist earlier, silken and surprisingly strong.

You’re one of Azriel’s shadows, it curls around her finger and Ariadne hums. What are you doing here? Did he send you?

The shadow moves further up until it’s wrapped around her wrist, the end curled between her fingers and she feels something push at the back of her skull. It didn’t hurt, but it was strange; it sort of felt like someone was trying to fit the wrong key into a lock.

Ariadne keeps her eye on the shadow and takes a breath. Are you trying to get in? Feyre mentioned that before, but I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s mind reading though, isn’t it? Are you saying I can do it too?

There’s an instantaneous pressure around her wrist and she sucks in another breath. Okay, that’s… Okay, her brow furrows; how did the shadow know before she did? Was it because of Azriel being their master? But then that would mean he would know too, wouldn’t he? And he had never given any inclination that he did, so how?

She wished she knew all of the information that Feyre had given back when she first showed them that she was High Fae. Ariadne could read, some, from the few books Nesta was able to get when they lived in the small cottage and then even more so when their father had suddenly been offered a business deal that made them wealthy again, not that she remembered any of that part of their life, and was given lessons; she didn’t like them and proceeded to have a glare off with her eldest sister until it was made clear that there would be no changing her mind.

Ariadne would teach herself.

And reading turned into writing.

But it had been slow going at first and when Feyre had arrived with Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian, she had only gotten so far and there was some of it that had been written down that she either got mixed up or couldn’t remember at all. It was all bits and pieces.

The tightening around her wrist draws her attention back to the present and she shakes her head. Right. Focus, Ari. If the shadow is trying to tell me what I think it is, I have to try, don’t I?

Ariadne closes her eyes and recedes back into her mind, maneuvering through the jumbled mess of thoughts before she comes across an opalescent wall, shimmering with a moonlight glow and she couldn’t help but think how pretty it was. Why had she never noticed this before? Her head tilts and she probes further, searching for some way to open it.

It brushed softly against her just as the shadow did and she gave an instinctive squeeze in return before the wall of light brightened, beginning to shake and shift, soon revealing a small entryway for a single person to get through. She gasps.

Whoa! How did I do that? Ariadne opens her eyes and looks down to see the little thing was weaving between her fingers. Can you hear me now?

Yes.

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islandtarochips · 7 months ago

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Arthur’s Note: After watching that AWESOME trailer! I just wanted to do a small story or maybe a one shot about my Black Ops OC! I’m feeling so hyped up on how this one goes! Summary: Koa who was just spending time with his family. Who he had gotten back with again. Enjoying his off-time with his girlfriend (not being the wife YET for they were still divorced) and his two sons again. Until he got a call from his General wanting to talk about something. What is it that they’re going to talk about? Is it another mission threatening their home or is it someone else’s problem that he has to help out with? Let’s find out shall we?

Words: 3802

Clouds had darkened the blue sky during the day. As the rain poured onto the city of New Zealand. Where Koa had lived all of his life. Living in the house with his loving girlfriend who he had gotten back together after from the last mission he went to.

He was happy to see her and his two sons gathering in the living room. Watching the news on TV.

He was making some tea and some snacks for them as he took the tray. And walked over to them.

As he set it on the table and gave the cup of tea to Aroha, his girlfriend. He saw the news on the TV saying about the riot that is going on in America.

“It’s CHAOS over there…” Aroha said worryingly seeing how messy it was. She took a sip from her cup as she looked at her boyfriend. “Doesn’t this worry you?”

Koa sighed as he gave the snacks to his younger son, who was laying on the floor while drawing, and gave the other one to his eldest son. “Kind of but don’t actually care. And that’s the thing about these Americans. Always causing chaos with NO reason.”

He grabbed his tea as he took a sip from his cup and pulled Aroha closer to him. He smiled at her. “But I’m not worried right now since I’m safe here with you and our boys.” Then he leaned closer and kissed softly on her cheek. “Mostly with you.”

Aroha giggles, feeling his lips against her cheek and then her head. “Oh stop it you.”

Their eldest son, named Kai, gagged playfully at the sight of his parents giving each other affection. “Gross! Get a ROOM, you two!”

The youngest son, named Ari, giggled a bit and also gagged. “Yeah! Get a ROOM!”

The couple chuckled to see the boy's reaction of them showing their love. Koa smirked at the two playfully before continuing to kiss Aroha on the lips.

The boys gagged even more before Kai covered his little brother’s eyes.

Aroha giggled at her lover’s playfulness before she joined in.

“Can you give us a BREAK?! We’re young over here!” Kai complained as he tried to look away from this sick love scene.

Koa leaned back and grinned at him. “You might act like this as well once you get a girlfriend.”

His eldest son rolled his eyes before they all heard the house phone rang. Kai went to get it as he walked to where the phone was hanging on the wall.

It kept ringing before he picked it up.

“Hello?”

Koa let his lover lean onto him as he glanced at his older son talking on the phone.

“...um…ok. Hold on.” Kai looked towards the living room before calling out. “Hey dad! Someone is on the phone for you!”

Koa turned his head to where Kai was at. And then looked at Aroha before kissing her head as he said to her that he’ll be back. She nodded and removed herself for him to get up. And let her youngest son come up on the couch with her.

Koa slowly walked over as Kai handed him the phone. He told him to go sit with his mother before answering the phone.

“Hello?”

“Captain Nakiu? It’s General Akahata.”

Koa felt surprised to hear his General’s voice through the line. “General? Why are you calling and how did you know my number?”

“I have my ways, Nakiu. But I need to tell you something. It’s important.”

“Oh um…of course, sir. Say it away.”

“An old comrade of yours is coming in around midnight. To give you a message about the mission that I…hope that you’ll accept and understand.”

Koa was confused at the General’s words. “Sir, I don’t understand. I thought the mission that I took two weeks ago is my LAST one. And I just started my leaves.”

“I know. But this is important, Colonel. And it’s not my choice to tell them that you don’t want to.”

“Then who am I going to speak with?”

“…it’s best for you to talk to them once your comrade comes.”

“Sir?”

“Just talk to them, Nakiu. And if you choose to deny it. Then say so to THEM. Is that clear?”

“…yes, sir.”

Then he heard the General sigh softly on the other line of the phone. As he’s feeling old already. “And please…don’t make heated arguments with them. I’ll be going now. Have a nice day, Captain.”

“You too, sir.”

Soon he heard the General hung up before Koa slowly placed the phone back on the wall. He took a deep sigh before looking towards where his girlfriend and their sons were at.

He slowly walked over and leaned over the couch from behind as he smiled at them. “I’m back.”

Aroha looked up at him and smiled softly. “Hey.”

He saw Ari was already asleep in her arms and felt his own heart being touched. Then saw Kai was also asleep while sitting on the floor, laying his back against the couch in front of her.

“I guessed my snacks had put them to sleep.” Koa said with a light chuckle. As he gently traced his fingers on Ari’s little head.

Aroha giggles a bit. “Seems like I have taught you well on cooking huh?” She gently held Koa’s hand after he withdrew it from Ari. “Who was that on the phone?”

She noticed his expression when she mentioned it. She knows something is wrong. “Honey?”

Koa turned his head to look at her. “Oh um…that was…” He was trying to avoid telling her about his work. For he did promise that the last mission he went to would be the LAST time for him to go.

But he also knows that he can’t lie to her either. So he took a deep breath as he held onto her hand tightly. “That was my General. He said that one of my old comrades will be coming here at midnight to discuss with someone about…the mission.”

Aroha raised her eyebrow as she felt a bit surprised at this news. “But…I thought you’re not going back until in two months...”

“I know, pepi (baby). And he said that I can deny it if I want to. Depending on whatever dangerous mission they’ll put me in.”

“Then DENY it. You’ve worked so much.” Aroha pleaded. She gave him a concerned look as she gently tightened her grip onto his hand.

Koa sighs softly. “I need to see if this IS important. If not then I’ll deny it right away.” He leaned down over the couch and gave her a soft kiss on the head. “I promise.”

Aroha sighs through her nose as she calms down a bit. She understands her husband’s work but…she JUST got him back. Even their past relationship wasn’t so good. She saw how much he changed after joining the army.

And now he came back to her. Being a different man that she never knew he could. She softly removed her hand from his and placed it onto his cheek. As her thumb gently stroked against it. She looked into her lover’s eyes. As if she hopes that he’ll understand how SHE feels.

She doesn’t need to say it. For Koa could read well from her. He knows that she’ll ache if he leaves. But he also knows whatever missions that his General will send. It must be important.

—----------------------------------------------

11:50PM

Queenstown, New Zealand

Aroha was in the room, checking on their sons in each of their rooms. Smiling softly before walking back to Koa, who was sitting at the dining table. She saw him staring at the clock that was on the wall. Seeing the second hand was moving inch by inch in seconds.

She could tell that he’s feeling a bit anxious. Before she started to walk over. The two turned their heads towards the door, hearing the doorbell ringing.

Koa looked at Aroha. “Wait inside the room, pepi.” He told her with his soft voice.

Before she watched him stood up from his seat and walked over to the door. She slowly turned around and walked to the room as she glanced back. Before seeing Koa opening the door.

She quickly went inside the room but left the door crack open. She took a peek through it as she was curious of who was at the door.

“Sergeant Eruera? The General sent YOU?”

A young man, who looked to be in his 20s, showed a respectful smile towards the captain. He saluted in front of him. “Yes, sir! I am your old comrade, sir!”

The two were just staring at each other before laughing a bit. The two shared a hug while Koa patted his back.

“My god, it’s been a while!” Koa said with such relief in his tone. To see an old familiar face.

The Sergeant leaned back as he gave the old Captain a big old smile. “It HAS been, sir! And I’m so happy to see you!”

“Please, no need to be formal. I’m out of work.” Koa stepped aside for him to come inside. While Aroha was still watching. Being quiet so they won’t hear her.

As soon the Sergeant walked inside, Koa closed the door and locked it before getting a good look at him. “Look at you, Haimona! Getting taller! Almost to my height actually.” He smiled as he used his hand to measure between him and the Sergeant.

Haimona, who is the Sergeant, laughed a bit as he pushed Koa’s hand down. To stop him from teasing him about his height. “Yeah, I am.” He smiled softly at his Captain, after a long time from his long lasting mission. “Really miss you, Koa. Thought you will never come back from that mission in America.”

Koa chuckled a bit as he nodded. “Yeah…me too.”

There was a moment of silence between them before Haimona breaked the atmosphere between them. “Sir, General Akahata gave me this cell phone for you to call them.”

He gave him the phone as Koa took it. Aroha saw the phone as well and felt a bit confused as to why he would give him the phone.

The Captain looked at this phone before looking back at his Sergeant. “What’s the number?”

Haimona brought out the paper and gave it to him. Aroha could see the paper being handed to her boyfriend as she kept quiet.

And saw Koa looking at the piece of paper before dialing it. She could hear the phone ringing as she saw him laying it on the table and putting it on speaker.

Koa lay both of his hands on the table while leaning forward a bit. The two were waiting for the call to be answered before they heard a voice coming through after the fourth ring.

“Hello?” It was a female voice with a British accent.

Koa paused for a bit after hearing that familiar voice. “...Hello?”

“Captain Nakiu? Is that you?”

“Yes. This is him. Who is this?”

There was silence on the phone. After a few seconds, she answered.

“It’s Park. Helen Park.”

Koa raised his eyebrows in surprise before standing up as his expression changed from being surprised into annoyance. “What the fuck do you want, Park?”

The Sergeant felt a bit awkward to see his Captain looking so pissed already. Even Aroha felt surprised to see him like this.

“I thought I told you and the others to NEVER contact me.”

“I know! I know! But this is important! And we need-”

“NO.”

“Please! Just listen to me! It’s-”

“I said NO, Park. You and the others had done enough damage with ME around. So I’m not taking PARTS of it. Goodbye.”

“Wait! Nakiu!”

Koa was about to hang up before someone else called through the line.

“Not even for ONE minute to hear the reason, NAKIU?” A male voice had asked.

He paused. His hand stopped from reaching for the phone.

Haimona looked at Koa. Seeing him freeze like that. “Sir?”

Koa slowly put his hand down onto the table after hearing that voice. The voice he thought that he’ll never hear again. “Charles…?”

“Yes, Nakiu. It’s me. I’m with Park right now. And…she told me about this mission.”

“...why ARE you with her? Thought you don’t want NOTHING from them.”

“And you’re right, but…she has my attention when she mentions someone.”

Koa looked at Haimona, seeing his confused expression. Before looking back at the phone. “Who?”

“It’s Aleks.”

Koa’s eyes widened after hearing that name. “What? What happened? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Why is she INVOLVED with this?!”

Charles sighs to hear the Captain’s worried reaction. “CALM down, Nakiu. She’s alright. It’s just…Park had a feeling that Aleks was trying to find Adler. You saw the news didn’t you?”

Koa nodded. “Yes. Which was CHAOS. But what Adler?”

That’s when Park jumped in to answer. “He hadn’t responded to ANY of our calls or messages. And Aleks is being paranoid at the moment. So the first person that I could think of is…you.”

The Captain stood there silently as he processed what she said. Before sighing in annoyance. “Was he being kidnapped again? Because if he is then I’ll-”

“It’s not that, Koa. He’s gone rogue. Even Woods.”

Koa felt a bit surprised at this. Not for Adler but for Woods. “What? How? Why is Woods part of this?”

“I…I don’t know. Not even Charles could find out.”

“Ok. But where’s Mason, Hudson and the others? Why aren’t THEY helping the two?”

Koa was silenced from the phone. As if the two were trying to say something before answering that question. “Park? Moore?”

“Koa…Mason and Hudson…were KIA. From one of the missions.”

Haimona could see Koa’s reaction. With widened eyes.

“What?”

Park sighed. “The two of them had died by the hands of that man named Menendez. But that would be another time. For OUR time is ticking. We just need your assistant, Nakiu. To help Charles and Aleks on this mission. To help us locate Adler.”

Koa was silenced after hearing all of that. He had never felt so shocked to hear the news of his dearest friend, not HUDSON though, had…died. The thought of Woods losing his friend from that mission. Made him feel sad for him.

But the thought of Adler. The man of whom he DESPISED ever since that day of finding out of him UNALIVING someone. UNALIVNG someone who he promised to help and protect. UNALIVING someone who he called them his own blood. But yet…he was too late to save them. All because of that man with a scar on his face and wearing sunglasses.

Charles heard no response from Koa. Which he knows that the Captain is still deciding. He sighed before speaking up. “Koa…I understand that you and Adler have…a DIFFICULT relationship. And so have I. With you as well.”

Koa rolled his eyes at that last sentence but continued to listen.

“But Aleks TRULY needed our help. Don’t you want to help her?”

Koa thought about it but then thought about his family. As he looked at the family photo of his girlfriend, his two sons and him. The photo which they took after being accepted again into the family. And then saw the photo of his daughter next to it. He thought about it so deeply. He sighed.

Aroha, who was still in the room and was listening, could see Koa’s expression. She could tell that he was going to deny it. They may not know how Koa reacted but she USED to marry him. And she knows him LONG enough. And also, remembering him talking about his old friends. She had never seen him change SO much because of them. Even seeing him looking so happy when he talks about them.

Knowing that he was the only child in his family and never had any other siblings. And dealing with his father after his mother had passed.

Imagining him being broken because of his father before marrying to her. And she knows that it’ll break him even more if he doesn’t decide to help his old friends. So she quickly got out of the room and walked towards him.

“I’m sorry, Charles…but I-”

“Honey?”

Koa and Haimona turned their heads to see Aroha standing there.

His eyes widened to see her before walking up to her.

“Aro? Pepi (Baby), what are you doing still up?”

Aroha looked up at him into his eyes before gently touching his hand. “Can we…talk?”

Koa saw how serious she looked but in a worried way. He looked at his Sergeant asking him to let them know that he’ll be back.

Haimona nodded and started to talk with them while Koa took Aroha into the hallway.

He turned to look at her. “Something wrong?”

She slowly shook her head before she looked back to see Haimona was still talking on the phone with those people. And then looked back to look into her lover’s eyes. As much as she doesn’t want him to go but she doesn’t want him to live with the regret of not helping his friends who are so close to him.

“You should go.”

Koa’s eyebrows rose after hearing that. He was surprised. “What? Why?”

“Koa…don’t you care for your friends?”

“......Yes.”

“And do you wish for them to suffer all because of that ONE person who you will not forgive?”

“What? No!”

“Then GO.”

“Aro-”

Aroha took both of his hands. “Koa…you can’t just stop helping people all because of that ONE person that you can’t forgive.”

“Yeah, but he-”

“I’m not done.” Then she moved her hands up slowly from his hand and up to his face to cup his cheeks. “Koa, do you remember when you asked for MY forgiveness?”

He was silenced for a bit as he looked into his lover’s eyes. Those sweet brown eyes. As he slowly nodded.

“And I forgive, haven't I? I forgave you for I saw how much you’ve changed. And proven to me that you REALLY want to get back together not only for my sake but for the boys as well. And look how much you’ve gotten so close with them again.”

Koa was silenced after hearing all of that as he glanced away. Feeling uncertain.

“Hey, look at me.”

He slowly looked back at his lover and saw her soft smile.

“You don’t have to forgive him right away. But…can you TRY? For me and your friend?” Aroha pleaded with him as she rubbed his rough goatees.

Koa leaned into her soft touch as he sighed calmly. And looked back down to her soft gaze. Seeing that reminded him of those wedding nights that they used to have. Oh how much he missed those nights.

So he touched one of her hands and kissed her palm before looking at her. “If you’re sure, pepi.”

“I’m certainly sure, taku aroha (my love).” She said with a sweetest smile that he missed seeing.

Koa smiled back before kissing her lips as she did it back. Before leaning back and lay his forehead against hers. “I promise this time. That I’ll be back and I’m all yours.”

“Better keep that promise or I’ll have to rethink our relationship.”

Koa chuckled as he kissed her nose before walking back to where his Sergeant was at. And seeing him still talking with Park and Charles on the phone.

“Haihana, maku e whakahaere. (Sergeant, I’ll take over)” Koa told Haimono before seeing him nodded and stepped back before he got to the phone that was on the table.

“Captain?” Park started to call out for Koa through the line.

The Captain started to sigh as he looked back to see Aroha was standing nearby in the hallway. Seeing her soft smile before nodding.

He took a deep breath. “When do you need me?”

He heard the silence again from the phone. Knowing that they’re surprised by his answer.

“ASAP.” Park said before he heard Charles talking through the line.

“And you BETTER not be late or I’ll kick your ass for it.”

Koa chuckled deeply. “If you can even REACH, hoa (friend).”

“Shut up. Anyway, there will be a private plane at your base in New Zealand. They are on their way. So might as well get packing.” Charles said while Koa nodded.

“Sure. See you soon. And Charles?” He heard Charles humming in response. “Glad to hear from you again.”

“......same here, Koa. We’ll see you soon.”

Soon he hung up the phone before Koa leaned back from the table and sighs. And looked at Haimona. “Tēnā koe, Haihana. (Thank you, Sergeant).”

The Sergeant nodded with a small smile. “Of course, sir. And…do you need any assistance with this mission?” He gave the Captain a smile as if he was pleading to come along.

“Negative, Sergeant.”

“But sir-”

“Ko taku tikanga, Haihana. (I mean it, Sergeant)” Koa said with seriousness in his tone. Haimona caught that and understood before nodding.

“Sorry, sir…”

Koa sighed before looking at Aroha. Nodding her to come.

She walked over before feeling his arm wrapped on her waist. “Koa?”

He smiled softly at her before looking at Haimona. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Sergeant. But…”

Haimona saw his Captain looking saddened as he continued to listen to his words.

“I have lost too many people that I’ve known and cared for. Too many who were still alive who moved away from me and too many who already died under MY watch.” Koa looked at him with his pleading eyes to his Sergeant and begged him to understand. “So please…toku hoa (my friend). Understand that I’m saying this to you NOT because you’re not ready. But because this mission is too hard for me to handle if I lose another one who is so close to me.”

Haimona looked at his eyes, seeing the truth through it. And he clearly understands how his Captain has been going through. “Understood, sir. And I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.” He smiled at Koa before standing firm and saluting to him.

Koa smiled back at him before sighing as he looked at Aroha. “I’ll be seeing you when I get back.”

She nodded and quickly gave him a peck on his lips before smiling softly. “I believe you.”

After that night, Koa had already packed his things and went to kiss his boy's head, who are still asleep, without waking them up. As much as it pains him to leave them without explanation and hopefully they’ll understand.

But thanks to Aroha reassuring him that she’ll explain to them. And gave each other one last kiss before he walked with the Sergeant to head to the base of where his mission begins.

Characters (Left -> Right)

Charles "Charlie" Moore -> @deeptrashwitch

Aleksandra Clarke R. -> @alypink

Tagging these peeps for I promise them to finish these! (Already tagged Witch and Aly onto this as you can see up there!)

@welldonekhushi @imagoddamnonionmason

#charles moore #oc: aleks #call of duty #call of duty oc #cod oc #cod black ops oc #black ops oc #black ops 6 #black ops 6 oc #cod bo6 #cod black ops fanfic #cod fanfic #captain koa hunter nikau #captain hunter #captain koa nikau #koa nikau #koa hunter nikau

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