the chaos rising • stiles stilinski [1]

thirty-four • it happened so fast

a couple hours later, the sun had set and it was now night. we had figured out where the nogitsune had taken lydia and were on our where now, scott and stiles in the front seats of the jeep with isaac and i in the back. stiles was speeding down the road, determined to get there as soon as we could. there was no time. we needed to get there now.

"you okay?" stiles asked, glancing at scott.

"yeah." scott nodded in assurance. "you don't have to worry about me."

"alright then," isaac spoke up, "i'll say it. you look like you're dying," he said without hesitation. i widened my eyes, turning to stare at him in shock, scott twisting around to do the same. "you're pale, you're thin, and you look like you're getting worse." isaac shrugged, avoiding my eyes as he continued, "we're all sitting here thinking it. when we find the other you, is he going to look like he's getting better?"

"what happens if he gets hurt?" scott wondered, looking to his best friend beside him.

stiles went quiet for a moment. "what do you mean? like, if he dies, then do i die? i don't care." he shrugged. "so long as no one else dies cause of me," he added, glancing in the rearview mirror at me. "i remember everything i did. i remember pushing that sword into you, i remember twisting it. i remember practically throwing olivia across the room."

"it wasn't you," i spoke softly, shaking my head.

"yeah, but i remember it. you guys gotta promise me, you can't let anyone else get hurt cause of me."

scott glanced back at isaac and i, nodding silently and turning back towards the road. i picked absently at my fingers, isaac reaching over and putting his hand over mine.

soon, we arrived just outside the gates of oak creek. we piled out, meeting allison and kira in front of the jeep. i stared up at the gates, a sigh escaping my lips. they looked a lot like the ones at eichen house, just with the words 'oak creek'. obviously.

allison shoved a crossbow in my direction, handing me a carrier of arrows. "take these. you'll need them."

i nodded, slinging the bag over my shoulder like she had her own. we all peered beyond the gates, tension filling the air as we turned to scott.

"we've done this before, guys. a couple weeks ago, we were standing around just like this. we saved malia, remember? that was a total stranger. this is lydia."

"i'm here to save my best friend," allison spoke, nodding to herself.

"i came to save mine," scott added.

isaac shrugged beside me. "i just didn't feel like doing any homework."

before anyone could reply, he led us through the gates. isaacs hand tightly gripped my free one at the sight of noshiko, two onis stood beside her. scott and stiles left in the other direction, off to find lydia and the other stiles.

"kira. turn around and go home," she demanded. "and take your friends with you." i let go of isaacs hand, following allison's move in loading my bow.

"i can't," kira replied. "when i looked at the game, i realized who i was actually playing. you."

allison raised her bow in noshikos direction. "call them off."

"you think you can take him alive? you think you could save him?" she questioned in disbelief.

"what if we can?" kira countered.

"i tried something like that seventy years ago. your friend is gone."

"are you sure?" kira asked, stepping forward. "or if stiles doesn't have to die, maybe rhys didn't have to die either." she stepped closer to her mom, the oni raising their swords, ready to fight.