As much as she thought she'd ran out of tears at the scene, her body seemed to have filled up again on the way to the sheriff's station. She sat there with a scrunched up tissue in her hand repeating the same few words.
"It just happened so fast."
After hearing a sigh of pity the blonde was wrapped inside of somebody's arm. Slightly glancing upwards she saw Stiles's dad smiling weakly at her. He knew how painful it was to loose a friend, especially one Brianna was so close to. Brianna was pretty much a daughter to him so it killed him to see her hurt. Almost as much as it was killing him about the whole Nogitsune Stiles mess.
Thankfully, after a short hug and some more tears they let Brianna go. As she walked out of the room she glanced at Lydia, Scott and Isaac sat on a bench waiting for their own interview. The three people who were without a doubt closest to Allison in the pack wasn't crying like Brianna. They were just staring into thin air. It was like how Brianna reacted after the fire. She just didn't want to believe that had just happened really happened. It killed her to see them like that but she didn't know what to say. If they really did feel like how she did after the fire no amount of words would make them feel better. Time would be the only thing to heal them, as cliché as it sounded.
Due to Derek's demand, Brianna was meant to go straight home but she took a detour. On the drive to the sheriff station Brianna had saw what was happening to Allison - or more specifically her body - at the same time. An ambulance was taking it her the hospital to be examined. She guessed by know that they'd be done and she had an overwhelming urge to go see her.
Brianna kept her head down as she scurried down the hallways of the hospital. She knew for a fact if anybody saw her that she'd be sent home straight away. Everybody already knew about Allison and everybody also knew how close Brianna and Allison's group of friends were. They were all practically family. Well, all the family most of them had anyway.
It didn't take her long to make it to the morgue. She hated that room, it was the worst part of working at the hospital, having to go in there sometimes. It just felt ... depressing. Slowly Brianna edged towards the long line of shelves that the bodies were stashed in. It took her a few minutes to pluck up the courage to open Allison's.
As Brianna pulled away the sheet to expose Allison's face another tear or two fell. The whole 'pretty even in death' thing must run in Beacon Hills. Then again both Allison and Laura alike were both insanely pretty no matter what time or occasion it was. In a strange way they both reminded Brianna of each other, Allison and Laura. Who knew a Hale and an Argent could have some qualities in common?
"Non patietur te," Brianna whispered, rubbing Allison's forehead gently. The first real smile she'd had in a while escaped her lips as she remembered the night Allison first heard her say that. It wasn't the night that she was fond of obviously, that was probably one of the worst nights ever, but it was a long day spent with Allison. After she found out about the supernatural they barely spent any time together. "I know you're Latin is a little rusty but you knew what that meant. You will suffer no more, Allison Argent."
***
"For the love of God Brianna get up!"
The blonde flinched at the sound of Derek's yelling. So much so her body that was hidden under her beds duvet curled up into a ball. Her hands clutched the top of the duvet tighter so she could use it to wipe the fallen tears. That had been her life ever since she arrived back from the hospital, granted it had only been a few hours, but a long few hours.
About half an hour ago Derek had gotten fed up of Brianna moping in her bedroom. That was not the Brianna he knew. She should be fighting with her friends to get vengeance for Allison. That would be the normal Brianna's impulse, not the one who cried on her bed every time something got a little bit tough. But that was who Brianna felt like being. Wasn't she aloud to not be strong for a few days?
"I can't."
Derek ripped her duvet off of her in anger, "Yes you can, Brianna! Allison is dead, okay?! You couldn't save her. But you can save your friends. Now get up and do something about it."
Brianna shook her head as she sat up, leaning her back on the wall behind her. "We've already lost, Derek."
"No, Bri, you lost Allison." Derek said calmly as he sat on the edge of Brianna's bare bed. "And I know how much it hurts. You feel like it's all you fault but it's not. You haven't lost the war yet, just a battle."
"No we've lost." Brianna said firmly with a mouth that had caught thousands of years.
Derek sighed, "How do you know that?"
"Allison is dead, Stiles is dying and all of my friends hate me. You didn't see them, Derek, they barely looked at me and when they did- when they did they looked at me like I should be the one dead. My friends think I should've died instead of Allison and I agree. I agree because unlike Stiles I wasn't possessed. I could've prevented all of this. But I didn't and I hate myself for it."
"No." Derek said, sucking in a shaky breath of his own. "That's not true. Please don't believe that Brianna. This isn't your fault, you can't think like that."
"Then tell me, was it Allison helping Void?" Brianna asked rhetorically gaining silence as an answer. Deep down Derek knew why she was feeling so guilty. But Brianna wasn't just feeling it, to her she was the most guilty person to ever walk the planet. To Brianna, she felt as if she should get the death penalty.
"I don't believe you're evil."
Brianna glanced up at him. The hope that normally filled her eyes had been replaced with regret and sadness. The war between the pack and Nogistune had officially broken her. Brianna Voyant was broken and she didn't feel as if she'd be getting glued back together any time soon.
"You don't." She mumbled. "But at the moment ... I do."
I can't save people. All I do is hurt them even more. If you want proof look at my diary. It's filled with bad memories that I wrote down to keep them away from my brain. Now they're banging on the door to my head trying to escape and there is no stopping them.
Brianna's father killing people in the council. Then trying to kill Brianna, her mother and two siblings. The Hale house fire. Finding out Laura was dead. Finding out Peter was the alpha. Knowing Peter and Kate helped kill her entire family. Jackson trying to kill her as the Kanima. Matt wanting to kill her for revenge for something she didn't even do. Jackson almost dying and being saved by Lydia. Her father coming back to Beacon Hills. Erica being dead and having to find her body. The human sacrifices that plagued Beacon Hills. Boyd's death. Now the Nogistune and Allison's death would be added to the overwhelming list of bad things that had happened. And that is barely half of them.
Not only did Brianna have to deal with the pain of loosing people day after day, she now has to deal with Allison's death. That was a big one. Allison Argent was the first girl Brianna had ever really been friends with. After so much time hating the Argent's, Allison had managed to change Brianna's mind. Allison repeatedly saved Brianna's life but Brianna couldn't do the same for her.
And now she was dead.
Down the spiral staircase, Brianna could hear Derek talking with the twins retorting. The twins, Brianna sighed. Even though they began as enemies, Brianna felt as if they'd saved more lives than her during their short time in the pack. Not once had they thought twice about doing something for Scott. Not once.
"Scott's always been about one thing." Derek stated. "Saving his friends. He will do anything and everything to save the people he cares about. When there's no chance of winning, he keeps fighting. When all hope is lost, he finds another way. And when he's beaten down, he stands up again. You want to earn a place in his pack? You want redemption? Find another way to stand and fight."
Keep fighting. Find another way. Stand up again. Keep fighting. Find another way. Stand up again. Keep fighting. Find another way. Stand up again. Keep fighting. Find another way. Stand up again. Keep fighting. Find another way. Stand up again.
Brianna face grew hard as she stared in the mirror at herself. This wasn't her and she finally realised that. In anger the blonde stood up and stared at the picture of herself and Allison. Nobody was going to get away with killing one of her friends. With a sudden burst of fury, Brianna began to search threw her room. Searching for weapons and a change of clothes. This was a fight she was determined to win.
Find another way to stand and fight. Okay.
***
"I'm here to help you guys, wether you want it or not."
Lydia'a pursed her lips into a smile at the blonde, "Well that's good because at the minute we need all the help we can get."
Gently Stiles interlocked his hand with Brianna's. Just like she did, he felt incredibly guilty. Probably not as much though. Actually, defiantly not as much. With somewhat hopeful wide eyes, Brianna turned to Scott. He was the only person other than Isaac and Argent who still hadn't gestures that they'd forgiven her. All she wanted was them to do just that.
"We're going to be okay." Scott nodded. "All of us."
"Scott wait," Stiles sighed, grabbing Scott's arm with a spare hand before the alpha could walk into the school they'd all agreed to meet up at. "I know what you're all thinking. If this works, it might kill me, too. But even if it does, you have to go through with it. Stick with the plan, okay?"
No. Brianna had lost too many people to loose Stiles as well. Even if she had already technically lost him to Malia in a way, up until the end of the war between the pack and the Nogitsune, he was still her Stiles. The only person she had ever loved and probably ever will love. Just like how Scott was to Allison. But Brianna wasn't prepared to have the same fate.
"The plan is to save you." Scott reminded. "That's the plan I'm going with."
Without a seconds hesitation Scott pushed open the door to the school to stop anybody protesting him. In all honesty Brianna felt as if she'd walked into Narnia. She'd actually walked into a Japanese garden in the winter time. But the vibe she got from the others made her realise this wasn't supposed to happen.
"Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan, is it?"
Cautiously the four teenagers walked further into the room. It looked oddly familiar. Brianna knew she hadn't been there but she guessed she knew somebody who had. To be honest, she kind of wished that somebody had told her to wear a jacket. Brianna was freezing. That was one of the reasons she and Stiles were clinging onto each other's clothes or, in Brianna's case, lack off.
A screech of the door slamming shut made them all turn around to face it. Great, we've just walked into every horror film ever made. A sigh from Brianna made everybody turn away from the door. Just like Lydia and Brianna had down at the tunnels of Oak Creek, they all began to look for a way out. While they did Brianna felt Stiles brush snowflakes off her shoulder every now and again.
Then they heard an all too familiar voice. It was the voice she heard calling her Little Dove the first time. The voice that belonged to the original nogitsune.
"Like I promised, Stiles. We're going to kill all of them. One by one."
On sight, Kira pulled out her katana. That was a stroke of luck because just as she did that the oni appeared. One tried to stab her immediately but she blocked it. The Nogistune shuffled to guard the door they came from. It looked just like Brianna remembered it from inside Stiles' head. Wrapped in bandages, wearing a bomber jacket and bearing razor sharp teeth.
"What the hell is this? Where are we?" Scott yelled.
"Between life and death."
Brianna looked towards Kira knowingly, "Bardo." The blonde mumbled.
"But there are no peaceful deities here, Brianna ... or should I say Little Helper?"
Brianna gritted her teeth, "I think I prefer Little Dove actually since I would never help a psychopath like you." She seethed
"You're dying, Stiles." The nogistune ignored her retort. "And now everyone you care about is dying, too."
"What?" Stiles replied. "What do you mean?"
"I've captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles. The hospital. The sheriff's station. And now the animal clinic."
The hospital would be Melissa. The sheriff's station would be Stiles' father. The animal clinic would be Deaton. Nogitsune wasn't kidding, he really was going to kill everybody Stiles remotely cared about. Starting with them and ending with Scott and Brianna. That had been the nogistunes plan all along, only now did they realise it.
All thoughts of being gentle were lost. Stiles and Brianna pulled each other so close that Brianna had to slip her hand inside his jacket. At that moment all they had was each other. Neither of them knew what was going to happen, if they were going to live or die. The only thing Brianna knew is that if she was going to die then she'd want it to be in the arms of Stiles.
Sensing the silence wasn't going to be filled by the four members of the pack anytime soon, the Nogitsune spoke again, "Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?"
"No, and I don't want to."
"When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor," The nogistune explained anyway. "But that's not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai with his own katana. Scott- Scott is your kaishakunin. I'm going to make your best friend kill you, Stiles. And you're going to let him. Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an Oni's blade. Unless Scott kills you first."
Brianna scrunched up her face that carried tear filled eyes and pursed lips. This can't be happening. It can't just make them choose like that, Brianna couldn't fathom how it could do that. Maybe that was because Brianna knew if she lost anybody else she'd break for good. Something inside of her would be gone and she just knew it.
Protectively, Stiles pushed Brianna behind him slightly but the blonde stayed wrapped into his hug. Even though she was so ready to beat the nogitsune into next week, she let Stiles push her behind him without objections. Why? Because it reminded her of the old Stiles who would protect her no matter what, the Stiles before the disaster they called the nogitsune.
Planting a kiss onto Stiles' chest as she hugged him, it gave Stiles enough courage to speak to the nogitsune who had begun to get closer. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"To win the game." It whispered in response. That caused the oni to do their usual fancy sword tricks.
The fight was on.
Seconds after the fight began, Stiles began shuffling backwards, taking Brianna with her. As they did Brianna grabbed Lydia's hand with her own, the one that wasn't wrapped inside Stiles's jacket, and pulled Lydia back with them. As much as Brianna wanted to go help Scott and Kira fight Stiles and Lydia wouldn't let her. They didn't understand that she didn't just want to fight, she needed to.
"Brianna," Stiles whispered, making the blondes eyes tear away from the fight and look up at him. "I've always been in love with you."
"Stiles? What do you mean?" The blonde mumbled in confusion as to where the sudden declaration of love came from. Then, as Stiles slipped away from her grip and began walking into the middle of the fight, she realised. "Stiles, no! Please!"
Noticing Brianna was about to knock the sword Stiles had picked up, Lydia held her back. Brianna struggled and struggled but could not get out of Lydia's grip. I didn't realise being a banshee meant you had super strength damn. Seen as though Lydia wasn't letting her go any time soon, Brianna collapsed into Lydia's hug and began crying into Lydia's shoulder, making her best friend rub her head soothingly, at the though of Stiles's death.
"What if it saves you?" Stiles replied to Scott saying his best friend's name in worry. "What if it saves all of you?"
"What if it's just another trick?" Lydia piped up, for mouth tickling the top of Brianna's head.
"No more tricks, Lydia." The nogitsune mused.
"Stiles don't-" Lydia began, glancing at a distraught Brianna. "Don't do this to her."
Stiles bit his lip as he began debating his decision again. How could he expect Brianna to live with his death? Knowing that she was present but could do nothing at all to stop it. Even if he did die, Brianna wouldn't even be able to take any pain. Stiles could see the pain in the girl he loved face and began to remove his grip on the sword, so the nogistune had to stop that.
"End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself. Do it, Scott. Be his kaishakunin. Give up the game. You have no moves left."
Everybody stares intently at Stiles. Even though her eyes were blurry for the tears, Brianna spotted something go off on Stiles' face. It was the same look he got every time he pieces something together. Boy did Brianna wish that he had put something together that would stop her from dying.
And he had.
Stiles drew down the sword and threw it to Kira who caught it effortlessly. A smile rose on Brianna's face as she coughed slightly to stop the tears. Slowly Lydia released Brianna from the hug as Stiles spoke. Once again Brianna smiled proudly at him, that's my boy.
"I do. A divine move."
Straight away Brianna ran over to him, tackling him into a hug straight away. As she ran her hands through his hair she kept repeating the same thing over and over again. You're alive, you're alive. A gentle kiss was planted on Brianna's cheek that was incredibly familiar before they went back to keeping one arm around each other.
"Stop fighting them." Scott instructed Kira and Scott. "It's an illusion. You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion."
With a deep and nervous breath, Scott took first place in the line. The oni had made a line of their own that lead to the door. Their swords were ready to slash anybody who attempted to pass them. That anybody happened to be Scott. Then Kira. Luckily before Brianna had to endure the excruciating pain, they were transported back to the school.
***
Hallelujah.
"We're okay." Scott muttered in disbelief after checking himself and Kira over. Still clinging onto each other, Brianna and Stiles gave each other a smile. The blonde then gave her best friends hand a squeeze since in the line they'd grabbed hold of each other in fear.
Happiness doesn't really last long in a war, and the supernatural one was no exception. Out of nowhere Void appeared, flinging Scott into the lockers and knocking Kira out with one punch. With her boyfriend on one side and best friend on the other, Brianna began shuffling backwards to get away from Void who was nearing them with every word he spoke.
"This was my game. You think you can beat me at my game? Divine move. Divine move. You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the Oni. But me? Me?! I'm a thousand years old! You can't kill me!"
Lydia released Brianna's shirt that she'd scrunched up in fear as the trio came to a stop. "But we can change you." The strawberry blonde replied.
"What?" Void coughed out in confusion.
"You forgot about the scroll." Stiles informed his evil lookalike.
Brianna smirked, tilting her head to rest it on Stiles' shoulder slightly, "The Shugendo scroll." The blonde reminded.
Void looked as if he'd seen a ghost as he mumbled, "Change the host."
"You can't be a fox and a wolf." Stiles stated simply. On cue, Scott came running up, digging his teeth into Void's shoulder. Void let out a yell in either pain or anger, it was really hard to tell at first. Though, when Kira came up behind him and stabbed the back of his stomach so hard the tip do the sword came out the front, it was clear to tell his yell was in pain.
In sync, Brianna leaped back with Lydia and Stiles. Everybody watched as a fly flew out of Void and traveled into a box. The triskelion box that Isaac happened to be holding. Talk about good timing. Void then began spazzing out before falling onto the floor, presumably dead.
Since they thought that problem was over, they all turned towards Stiles. Everybody expected something bad to happen to him. So when he fell to the floor as well, Brianna's heart plummeted. He couldn't die. He couldn't die.
Please don't let him die!
Brianna dropped to her knees on the floor after him. Tears filled her eyes for the gazillionth time that day. It was only when Isaac sighed and stated that he was still breathing and still had a heart beat did it click what happened. What a dork, Brianna mused in her head before slapping him awake.
He groaned as he looked around at everybody, "Oh god. I fainted, didn't I?"
***
Hey guys!! And they all lived happily ever after... SIKE!!!!! Heh keep reading until the next chapter which is the last of this book. I do think these two chapters are my best ever personally. So keep reading because it's setting the tone for the next book in this series. YEAH THATS RIGHT BABY WE'RE DOINF SEASON FOUR!!!!
Milli out xoxo