CHAPTER 202

His red eyes peered into the memory that was currently playing in front of him which featured him, Malia and Allison having their first movie night.

He, or rather the image of him, sat in the middle of the two girls, cuddling with Malia on his left while Allison sat a respectable distance from him on his right.

He couldn't make out the movie they were watching as it was blurry for some reason every time he looked at it.

"Allison." He tapped her from behind which startled her as she jumped up in shock, alerting the image of him and Malia who immediately put Allison behind them and were now staring at him warily.

"Who are you?" His mirage asked, staring threateningly at him with his eyes flickering red.

He ignored them, which obviously annoyed them since Malia's fake was now growling at him. His mouth twitched in irritation, grudgingly acknowledging that the illusions were doing a good job at pissing him off.

"Mind getting us out of here?" He said to Allison who looked terribly confused at the appearance of two Tristans.

"Who are you?" She asked.

They all saw the glow in Tristan's eyes lighting up for a brief moment in anger at Allison's question which pushed the mirage of him and Malia to shapeshift in response.

Ignoring them still, he regarded Allison who was now staring at him with great suspicion and apprehension. The words he said were practically forced through gritting teeth. "Get your act together, Allison. Can you really not differentiate between what is real and what is not?"

"Take one more step and you're really going to start questioning whether this is real or not." Malia's mirage snarled with bared fangs while his mirage took a step forward to stand at barely an arm's length away from him.

"You're very good, fox." Tristan growled, his blistering rage mirrored by the blood bubbling behind him.

"Allison, get back! He's extremely dangerous." His fake image warned Allison, who had somehow gotten a gun that was currently signaling Tristan's attention, and was now mirroring Tristan as blood tails appeared behind him with Malia behind him in her fully shifted Alpha form.

"Whoever you are, whoever is controlling you," Dense blood covered the fake's hands in viciously clawed gauntlets, with Tristan's nose also picking up the scent of poison wafting off from his fangs, claws and blood, "You're not hurting Allison on our watch."

"And the fact that you had the gall to wear Trist's face is more than enough reason for me to rip you to shreds."

Tristan frowned upon hearing the words both fakes spoke, not particularly at the words per sec, but at the emotions that followed when they regarded the petite Huntress behind them. Frowning even more when he realized exactly what the slightly intoxicating scent they were exuding were.

If before his irritation and anger were directed at Allison and the fakes respectively, now they were all under his angry eyes – Allison especially. And the knowledge held behind those angry red orbs scared Allison for some unknown reason.

"Is this it?" His voice, dark and guttural, also had a hint of disappointment that they all picked up. "Is it for such a flimsy and unreal reason that you refuse to see what's right in front of you?"

"You basta—"

"SHUT UP!" Allison's scream killed off Malia's rising outrage, with her staring at Tristan with severe eyes that held an immense amount of hate and scathing rage.

Tristan was taken aback at Allison's out of pocket reaction and outburst of emotions, but slowly he understood.

"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND CALL MY FEELINGS — THE FEELINGS THEY HAVE FOR ME, FLIMSY?!"

Truly hell hath no fury than a woman scorned.

"AND WHY DO YOU CARE, HUH? IS YOUR COLDBLOODED HEART SO OVERFLOWING WITH EMPATHY FOR ME? SINCE WHEN DID YOU START HAVING AN OUNCE OF CARE FOR ME, 'TRISTAN'?! SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!" Allison wailed, getting more enraged when she saw the intruding Tristan remaining quiet as he stared at her with those familiar dead red and unreadable eyes that were now starting to look like they were mocking her.

"Allison, it's alright." Malia's fake tried to console her but the dam of repressed emotions had already burst open.

Allison slapped away Malia's hands that were trying to hug her in an angry fit while her finger went to the trigger of the gun that was now threatening to shoot at Tristan.

Tears had begun flowing down her eyes but the anger in them still remained as incensed as they had appeared.

"WHY CAN'T YOU SPEAK ANY MORE?" She shouted, her finger twitching dangerously against the trigger. "YOU CAME IN HERE, DISRUPTING OUR PEACE, MOCKING AND THREATENING US WITH YOUR HYPOCRITICAL ANGER, AND SUDDENLY YOU BECOME MUTE…"

Seeing Tristan's continued stoic silence made Allison stop shouting when it occurred to her that he probably couldn't care any less and she was just wasting her energy. Her anger was still there, but now it was no longer driving her words in impulse which finally allowed her to think in a faux calm state of mind.

And wasn't the realization that came from it not the most unsurprising one?

"It's her, isn't it? Haha, who am I kidding, it's always her." She regarded him with a mocking smile on her face. "The only reason you're here… burdening yourself to 'care' about me is because she, like the dumb bitch she is, got herself in trouble and my 'rescue' somehow helps her. Tell me, Tristan, am I wrong?"

She had lowered her gun at this point, conscious enough to realize that it posed absolutely no threat to Tristan. Instead she looked at him with the same mocking angry eyes.

There was an intensely charged atmosphere between them as they both stared at each other, Allison waiting for Tristan's obvious answer whereas Tristan's thoughts were completely unknown.

Tristan's mouth opened slightly but no words came out. He closed and opened his eyes, now having lost their glow, before giving Allison her reply.

"Yes. She was hurt but luckily it wasn't that bad. I'm only here because your dad offered to help her if I bring you back. If that answer satisfies you then we should be leaving now. I'm still worried about Malia's health."

Allison scoffed. "Oh I'm sure." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and when she opened them, they glowed a steely resolve. Her former wayward emotions were killed off in a brutal way as they were practically chained up and tossed away into the hatred-fueled flames that now burned in her heart.

"Allison, are you alright?" Tristan's fake asked with familiar stoic eyes that now held a twinge of care.

Allison gave a hollow smile while nodding softly. "Maybe not alright… content. Yes, I'm content."

BANG. BANG.

Without batting her eyes, Allison shot both fakes in the head and scoffed as she saw them just dissipate into nothing.

"What poor imitations. At least I know for a truth that both of you would have easily dodged if you saw a gun pointing at you."

She turned to look at Tristan and caught a frown flashing past his face for an instant which caused her to smile and remark sarcastically.

"Oh don't worry about it too much, Tristan. After all, I care about the both of you too much to ever shoot a gun at you." There was an extra emphasis on the care part but Tristan showed no reaction to it.

"I know." He responded before fading away just like the fakes had done. His consciousness slowly returned due to Allison acknowledging the illusion as a false reality.

Now back in his body, he looked at Allison whose neck he still had his fingers wrapped around, and slowly reverted back to his normal form as he let her down.

She woke up with a sharp gasp and started coughing violently as she tried getting enough air into her lungs.

Kira had come down to the floor they were on after not hearing any other sounds of the fighting still going on, arriving just in time as Allison got her breath in order.

She asked cautiously as she came around. "Is… is she, you know…her?" She breathed out loudly in sheer relief when she saw Tristan nod his head, but then she saw Allison's face slowly contorting in horror.

"Is she okay?" Even after almost being killed by the Nogitsune wearing Allison's body bag, she still held concern for the girl that was the closest thing she had to a new friend.

Understanding what was probably happening to her, which was gaining the memories of what she did while possessed, he swiftly knocked her out and lifted her over his shoulder, answering Kira as he turned to leave.

"She's fine. A little shook, but fine."

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