"Who did this to you?"
Even if Oriana never told Daichi about her past, she could never bring herself to lie, especially when he was holding her close like this. She knew her boyfriend could see the broken heart beneath her generous soul. Even if she tried to lie now, Daichi would know it.
"Don't worry about it." she said simply.
"Of course I'm going to worry about you," he says. "That look in your eyes…"
Oriana shifted away from him and kicked her legs from under the blankets.
"Where are you going?" he wondered.
"It 's late. Your parents will probably be home soon."
"Oriana, don't run away from this. Talk to me." Daichi was begging.
It had come to this point that Daichi had to beg his girlfriend to talk to him, this didn't sit right with Oriana, but neither did lying to his face. Even so, she said nothing, leaving the bed they were sharing. Although, this time was different. This time, Daichi seemed bound to get a straight answer.
In a swift movement, he got out of the bed and ran to the bedroom door, positioning his body between Oriana and the exit.
"Oh, c'mon. Really?" she grunted. "Now is when you decide to act like a child?"
"I don't care about that." he said. "I'm not stepping aside until you back up and tell me what's going on."
"It's not that easy..."
"You saw it yourself today, didn't you? How easily you could lose me. I overheard coach Ukai and Takeda talking about it. The accident could have easily given me a concussion and who knows what could've happened after that." he spread his arms to her, in a reasoning action. "Are you really going to let this happen and not tell me?"
Oriana clenched her fists. Daichi's words piercing her very soul, she could already feel the tears stinging her eyes.
"Maybe you did get a concussion after all." her voice sounded strangled at the end of the sentence. "Because this is not like you."
"Love, just listen to me. I don't want to die thinking I never got to help you." he said soft-spoken.
That was all it took for Oriana. She looked Daichi straight in the eyes, not taking a breath as she spoke,
"So is this what you're doing now? Are you going to just guilt trip me into telling you about my past? Is that your plan?" Oriana didn't notice, but her hands started to glow a bright blue hue within her fists. "You have no idea what I've seen. You could not have a clue about what I've been through. I've been running in circles trying to tell you and you are being so damn persistent."
The blue in her palms was glowing brighter and brighter to the point that Daichi had his back glued to the door behind him, staring at Oriana's hands.
"Just let it go! Dammit!"
With the ring of her voice, Oriana's palms were forced open by her own magic. A blast of mana hitting the ground right under her resulted in two scorched marks on Daichi's bedroom floor. Smoke danced in the air, surrounding Oriana's body before disappearing.
"How did you do that?" Daichi was the first one capable of speaking.
Meanwhile, Oriana stared at the floor with shaky hands. The very last thing she was hoping to happen was this, to be overwhelmed by her emotions to the point where she couldn't control the mana inside her. Oriana dropped to her knees in defeat.
"I guess… there is no point in hiding it anymore." her voice wobbled as tears fell directly into her clenched fists on the floor.
Daichi had never seen his girlfriend seem so fragile like this very moment. At the sight of Oriana crying, defeated on the floor, his body relaxed and moved to her. He cupped her face and gently rubbed the tears from her face. Most of all, he was relieved. Oriana was so strong all the time that he feared that she wasn't capable of being vulnerable anymore. That she had lost that part of her along the way.
Her body shifted and lunged forward, hanging on Daichi's shoulders, she cried all her feelings away and he didn't move. He accepted her moment of weakness, embraced it.
"I want to tell you now." she blurted against Daichi's shirt.
In his gentle and patient way, Daichi helped his girlfriend to her feet, letting her rest on his bed again. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat. Never taking her eyes of Daichi's hands, holding her own, she told him everything.
Oriana was born in the north, where people have mana inside of them and magical powers, like the ones he would see in movies. How their powers worked, she even showed him her grimoire. How their society was organized, how the magical knights protected the ones with less mana. Everything she could think at the moment.
"Where do you fit in the Clover Kingdom?" he asked once Oriana was over.
"I was in one of the magic squads. The Black Bulls."
"That means you were a magic knight?" his voice trembled with the sudden enthusiasm.
"Yup, I did." she smiled softly, caressing Daichi's hand. "But I left."
Before he could ask why, she was already speaking.
"Our last enemy, they were elves. Before they went extinct, they were the most powerful race in the world. However, they were planning their revenge on the human race for so long, all thanks to a misunderstanding. A demon was orchestrating the whole thing. He wanted to dominate the world, north and south," Oriana explained. "All that pain, all that sorrow. It was provoked by a single demon that waited patiently for centuries to put his plan into action." she cleared her throat. "The whole city was destroyed, we had to rebuild. Or they had. I left before the rebuilding even started. I had to fight friends of mine." her breath became shaky as she spoke. "Those people are family to me, but the elves possessed their bodies with full intention to kill-" her words were cut short by the sudden pain in her chest.
"You okay?" Daichi reached for her shoulder.
Looking in his eyes for the first time since she started telling her story, she answered honestly.
"It still hurts. But I'll be fine."
"There's no need to be so strong all the time anymore. I'm here, I can help you."
"I know." she paused. "And there is something else. Before joining the Black Bulls…"
Today was the rematch between Karasuno and Aoba Johsai, the semi-finals. Whoever wins this game, is in the finals against Shiratorizawa. After that, it's nationals. The nerves were palpable between the Karasuno boys and their cheering section. Last time they played against Seijoh, they lost. It left a dent in their pride, but it didn't bring them down. They have been training for this very day. Karasuno Highschool was not the same team they were during the fall.
Upon the team's arrival, Saeko and Oriana waited for them at the entrance. There were less teams playing, but definitely more spectators. Greeting the team, Oriana took advantage of Tanaka's and Nishinoya's chaotic behaviour to approach Sugawara.
"You have your grimoi- your book with you?" she corrected.
"Ah, yes." Suga immediately opened his bag, discreetly taking his grimoire and putting on Oriana's bag. "Thanks for holding on to it for me."
"We have to keep them close. I won't leave the bleachers until you leave the court. Better safe than sorry."
"Suga, it's time to go." Asahi called.
Waving goodbye, Suga joined the team. Only Oriana and Daichi were left behind.
"Win this." she said, giving the boy a good luck kiss.
While the boys were warming up, Oriana and Saeko joined the cheering squad in the bleachers. Oriana remembered Oikawa's fangirls that joined them last time. Seijoh's captain sure was popular and had a large fan base, but that wasn't enough to win. Not again.
Not before long, the game started and it was Seijoh's turn to serve and no other than Oikawa himself was serving. The whistle blew and the ball was sent to the air. Just before Oikawa hit the ball with a monsterous serve, Oriana felt a presence around the area. Way too close to the game for her to ignore. A mage was there, it was approaching the gym.
At the same time the ball hit the floor, just behind Nishinoya, the ceiling above the neighboring court collapsed. The traces of mana were undeniable. Clenching her fists around her bag, Oriana met Suga's eyes, who was already running in the direction of the explosion. The exterior light beamed inside of the gym, being the main source of light since most of the lamps were out. With the clarity and the panicked screams, it was hard for Oriana to adjust her senses. She could barely see the figure that descended through the hole in the ceiling, riding it's broom, but she did not hesitate.
"Suga, catch!" she screamed before launching Suga's grimoire, which he immediately opened.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman." a modulated voice greeted.
Pulling her own grimoire, Oriana casted a spell.
"Bone Magic: Bone Sword" with this, there was a blue hue glowing in her wrists from where two pale white swords emerged, above her fists.
Oriana jumped over the handrail and then again in the enemy's direction.
"There is no need to panic," he was interrupted by Oriana's action.
Surprised, he blocked her attack with his arm gun of solid air by instinct.
"I'm trying my best to be polite, but if you move your sword a centimeter closer to me, I will tear you apart." the strange mage discloses, narrowing his eyes.