"It may seem like our fire has been a little burnt out, we're tired. We only need to stay close, in time, Sparks will fly"
The voices and screams echoing in my head, and down the drain and pipes, was more painful that the cut among my neck from the previous days. It was terrible and horrifying as I couldn't stop the tears that I've been releasing for this whole month. You'd think that after this whole month I'd run out of tears and dry myself to death, but no, here I am forced to hear the misery of what I've done.
I had no idea if Stiles is alive and I had no idea if my friends were going to find me. But I don't want them to. Because I knew that if they come here, someone was going to die and I didn't have to be a Banshee to know.
My heels clicked against the pavement of what seemed to be the water treatment plant. Pipes and drains ran endlessly across the walls as I couldn't find a door that allowed me freedom.
"Can you hear them?" I heard behind me. I quickly turned around to be met with the Nogitsune walking towards me, still looking like Stiles. "Louder than usual, isn't it? Well, that's because a lot of bad things happened down here," He smirked, getting closer to me as I started to run.
"What are the voices telling you? Are they saying that Stiles is dying?" He continued to taunt me, still walking behind me while I continued walking away from him. "He is you know. He's dying."
I felt the tears streaming down my face but I continued walking. "Then what do you need me for? You think I can tell you something?" I asked as I saw a gate and I tried to open it, hearing him laugh.
"No not really. I know you love him Dove. And I know he loves you back, but you see, I don't want that. I want you to love me and no one else," He told me, moving a piece of hair away from my neck as I kept budging against the door.
"I'm never falling in love with a monster!" I yelled.
"You won't have to," He said and I turned around as he was right behind me. "I'll just kill everyone you love so you won't have anyone to love but me."
I cried as my back slid against the door while pulling my hair. Sobs begun to rake my body as the Nogitsune just stood their with no facial expression.
"But why did you have to make me kill all- all those innocen- that policeman he had- had a family," I sobbed while looking at him with hatred in my eyes.
"I did it because I love you. You told me you wanted to forget and I did what you wanted me to do because I love you," The Nogitsune told me gritting his teeth.
"You took advantage of me and by doing that you've broken me. You've absolutely broken me," I screamed at him while my eyes drowned in the waterworks known as tears. "The one person who tried to show me how much they love me made me wish I killed myself from the moment that thought crossed my mind."
"I did it because you asked for it!" He yelled at me as his eyes were filled with anger.
"No, you took advantage of my mentality like you did to Stiles!"
I couldn't stand being here anymore. I got up again and begun running away from him. I spotted another gate and quickly ran, trying to open it, but it was locked.
"They'll find me. My friends are going to find me," I whispered to myself, clenching my eyes shut as I held on tightly to the bars of the gate.
"You think so?" I shut my eyes tighter as I heard his voice again. I begun to push the gate again, trying to make it move the slightest but it seemed luck wasn't on my side.
"I myself, was kind of wondering what they're doing right now." The Nogitsune said, sitting on the pipe behind me. "What useless lead they're chasing. I wonder if maybe some of them have bigger problems to deal with right now. Are they really spending every minute looking for you? Or, are they waiting for nightfall?"
"Stop," I cried out while clenching my teeth together.
"Focused on some hopeless gesture to pass the time." He finished and I turned around, looking at him hopelessly.
"What do you want?" I whispered.
"More," He said, getting up from where he was sitting.
"More what?" I cried out at his confusing statements.
"The trickster stories are all about food, Dove," He mumbled, walking towards me. "The coyote, the raven, the fox. They're all hungry. I'm the same." He looked at me. "I just crave something a little different." I closed my eyes once again, trying to stop sobbing as he stopped in front of me. I quickly turned around, feeling him behind me.
"I eat the feeling of chaos, strife and pain. But once in a million years if the Nogitsune is lucky, they get a dove. I dove that makes them ten times stronger," He said, moving my hair off my neck and pulling his face closer to my face. I started whimpering in fear as I felt his lips brushing on my skin.
"A dove makes them crave more that all that chaos," He begun kissing my neck as my breath heightened.
"A dove makes them want to do naughty, naughty things love," He said while licking a wet strip on my jaw.
"And I am insatiable."
_________
I sat down, back against the wall. I had no idea of what time is but I'm sure it's already dark outside. I hadn't moved and the Nogitsune was still around me, always watching me. He was close to me, a weird look on his face.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" I asked as he looked at me. "You know they're coming. You know they're going to kill you." He pulled his arm above my head, his face really close to mine.
"Well, that's exactly why I'm keeping you so close." I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my breathing. When I opened my eyes, he opened the gate, pulling me there with him and closing it again. He had his arm around my waist as my whole body was shaking.
"They're here," I said, panting with wide eyes as I realised why he dragged me here. "And I don't need to be a Banshee to know that they're going to kill you," I told him while looking at him dead straight in the eyes.
"Well Dove, you might want to rethink that," He said while grabbing a knife out of his pocket. That's when I heard a familiar sound of an appearance of the Oni coming out of the shadows. Five of them were around us as I quickly moved behind them. They grabbed their swords, pointing them to the Nogitsune.
"Only when they're close, can I do this," He said, grabbing his knife and breaking it before they could shove their swords on him. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared. The Nogitsune and the Oni were gone and I knew this was a bad thing. I heard footsteps and the sound of a gate opening as I continued to stare where the Nogitsune disappeared.
"Kay? Are you alright?"
I heard the voice I craved to hear this past weeks. It seemed the whole world just stopped as I was finally faced with Stiles, the real Stiles.
"Stiles? Is- is that actually-" I stopped myself as a smiled appeared on my face and tears of joy streamed against my glistening cheek.
"Yea, yea it is," Stiles said with a smile and a gleam in his eyes as he begun to take steps towards me. We both rush to each others embrace and hugged.
"I feel the exact same way," I sobbed out quietly while shoving my face against his neck.
"What?" Stiles whispered back into my ear.
"The day at the hospital. I heard you say you love me. Stiles I lov-"
"I know," He moved away while grabbing my cheeks and smashing his lips against mine. I moved my face to the side to deepened the kiss as his hands fisted my hair.
"No. No, no, no. Why are you here?" I said as I pulled away from the kiss panicking. Stiles' wrapped his arms around my body.
"Kay, we're here for you," Stiles mumbled.
"You weren't supposed to be here. You didn't get my message?" I asked in panic.
"Kayla, what's happening?" I heard Scott asked finally speak up.
"Who else is here? Who came with you?" I asked, panic still evident in my voice.
"Everyone," Scott answered.
"Let's just get out of here," Stiles grabbed my hand as we begun running, Scott in front of us. While we were running down the halls of the water treatment plant, I noticed that something was wrong with Stiles. He was really pale, thin and he had bags under his eyes. He was dying.
"Kay," He stopped running. "Kay, I can't," He stumbled on his feet and I quickly grabbed his arm. Stiles sat down so I quickly sat next to him, holding his hand. I looked for Scott but he was running away to help the others. I looked at Stiles, placing my hands on his face.
"You're going to be okay," I whispered as Stiles passed out. But I had this feeling in my chest. Like something big was about to happen. And that's when I heard it. Like something was taken away from me. A pain inside my chest. And I knew after that scream, it was over.
"Allison!" Lydia screamed.
And as much as I tried to convince myself, she's dead. Allison is dead. I placed my head on Stiles' shoulder, the air out of my lungs as I held onto his hand. The pain in my chest was unbearable as I cried onto the chest of Stiles', all cold and alone.
My sister's dead.
________
"Kayla, Kayla look at me. Look at me," Dad told me. "Kayla look at me!"
He had just dragged Allison's body away from Scott's arm. I couldn't stop crying over her body, my sister's body.
"Stiles and Kira said it was the Nemeton that kept it trapped," Scott mumbled as we walked into the animal clinic. Stiles held my hand, brushing his thumb against my hand as I was in the 'can't accept it' phase of when someone dies.
"You have to remember. You called me first. Say it. You called me first," Dad looked at me.
"I-I called you," I cried out, trying to control my breathing.
"Not you. Say your dad," Dad commanded me.
"I called dad first," I gasped.
"The problem is this isn't even a person you're fighting," Deaton said. "It just looks like one. It's a spirit that's taken the shape of a human."
"The shape of my best friend," Scott said.
"Someone caught it once," I heard Lydia mumble as she too was hurting.
"Someone can do it again, right?" Scott asked.
"I don't know," Deaton shook his head. "This thing was trapped a long time ago, before the Nemeton was cut down. It doesn't have the same power anymore."
"What else? What happened?" Dad yelled at me.
"There were two of them," I mumbled between sobs, looking around. "They tried to steal our car. They—They wore masks. They had a knife."
"You think. Don't get specific, Kayla. You saw something sharp and metallic. You think it was a knife. What do you say next? If you get confused, what do you always repeat?" Dad yelled harshly as I sobbed even louder.
"Is there anything that does?" Scott asked.
"Possibly," Deaton said. "When the tree was whole, its wood was sometimes used to contain powerful objects. But those objects are very rare."
"Wait a second. Powerful objects?" Lydia asked. "Like an alpha's claws?"
"Which alpha?" Scott asked.
"Talia Hale," She said. "Peter had them in this wooden box with a triskele carved on the lid. What if it was made from the Nemeton?"
"It was," Deaton said.
"How do you know?" Scott asked.
"Because I made it."
Scott quickly left to call Derek while we waited. I sat on one of the chairs in the clinic feeling very empty as Stiles kept rubbing circles on my hand.
"It—It happened so fast," I repeated weakly.
"That's right. Say it again. Kayla!" He grabbed my arm. "Say it again."
I looked at him in gritting my teeth. "How are you doing this?"
"It's what we do."
"I have no one," I whispered as I looked up at Stiles. Stiles grabbed my hand and kissed it.
"You have me. No matter what happens you'll always have me," Stiles whispered, grabbing my cheek.
"Stiles. I have to tell you something," I whispered to him as his thumb wiped the tear that left my eyes. He nodded encouraging me to continue. I sighed glancing away before looking at him again.
"I killed people- I. I said I wanted to forget that I ever helped you, tha-that you forget I ever helped you. So he made me-" I stopped myself as I bit my bottom lip unable to continue.
"Hey, hey Kayla look at me," Stiles said while grabbing my chin. "He took advantage of you when you needed someone the most. I took advantage of you when your the one that needed someone. But I remember that it hurt. When I had no control of my body, I remember that it hurt looking at you being hurt. And when you stabbed yourself I was literally going out of my freaking mind because your the last person I'd want to lose."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" I sobbed out while biting my lower lip. "You wouldn't have been possessed and I wouldn't feel guilty that I didn't say anything sooner either."
Stiles let out a tear as he grabbed my face and kissed me once again. I breathed heavily as we parted away, foreheads against each other.
"It's not easy loving someone you don't deserve," He whispered.
"Derek's got the triskele box. He's gonna meet us," I heard Scott say. I grabbed Stiles' as we stood up. I looked at Lydia who looked like she's about to pass out as Deaton also took notice.
"What's wrong?" Deaton asked.
"Something's happening." Lydia said. "I had this sudden rushing feeling, like we're running out of time."
"Then I guess we have to get going," I heard Kira say as I helped Stiles' weak body.
________
Scott stopped the jeep and we climbed out of it one by one with me getting out last while helping Stiles. Stiles almost fell again so I quickly pulled his arm around my shoulder and my arm on his waist. He smiled at me and we stopped in front of the school.
"Scott, hold on," Stiles mumbled before we could get in. "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?"
"The plan is to save you," I said.
"That's the plan I'm going with," Scott added.
Scott opened the door and we got in, but it wasn't the school. We were somewhere else and there was snow everywhere. The door closed behind us and I glanced at Stiles.
"Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan," Stiles said and I noticed the snow falling. Then we heard footsteps, we all turned around and I saw the Nogitsune, in the form of his body. He stopped, turning to look at us and started walking towards us. Kira grabbed her sword, ready to strike.
"Like I promised, Dove. We're going to kill all of them until you have no one, just like your sister," The Nogitsune taunted as Stiles grip went tighter against me. "One by one."
The Oni came out of the dark again, throwing his sword towards Kira but she quickly defended herself with her sword. The four Oni's were around us, ready to attack us.
"What the hell is this? Where are we?" Scott asked.
"Between life and death," The Nogitsune stated.
"Bardo," I mumbled.
"But there are no peaceful deities here, Dove," The Nogitsune said and Stiles quickly wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me next to him. "You're dying, Stiles. And now eveyone you care about is dying, too, except Dove that is. She's mine."
"Leave her out of this," Stiles gritted his teeth.
"No I won't. As much as I love her Stiles, it was fun seeing you cry everyday, begging. Every time I'd visit Dove you'd be begging me not to touch her, kiss her. And you were getting pretty jealous too. You wanted to be the one doing all those stuff."
"Stop!" Stiles yelled at him. I grabbed Stiles' shoulder to calm him down.
"Don't listen to him," I whispered to him, trying to get him to lower his breathing as he was too weak to be yelling right now.
"But I don't need you now Stiles, I've gotten most of Beacon, all I need now is to get rid of yous and keep my Dove all to myself," He smirked.
"What? What do you mean?" Stiles asked.
"I've captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles. The hospital. The sheriff's station. And now the animal clinic." The Nogitsune told us. "Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?"
"No, and I don't want to. "Stiles said, moving a step in front of me as the Nogitsune got closer.
"When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor, 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," He pointed at 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. But don't worry, I'll keep Dove safe in my arms," He was now in front of us.
"Unless Scott kills you first."
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Stiles asked, ready to take a step closer to the Nogitsune but I grabbed onto his shirt tightly.
"To win the game," The Nogitsune walked back to his place and the Oni pointed their swords to us. Stiles quickly moved his arm even more on my waist, Lydia was just next to us and Scott growled at the Oni. Kira and Scott began fighting the Oni while Stiles, Lydia and I took cover so they wouldn't see us. I had my arm around Stiles' shoulder while he had his arm around my waist.
"Lydia hold him I'm going to go fight," I told them both while grabbing my daggers.
"What? You're not going anywhere," Stiles told me.
"Why?" I shot back.
"Because you out of all people should be the one that's the most protected. He wants you. All he wants is you. When he possessed me, all he talked about was how he was going to get you. He doesn't care about the game, he wants you," Stiles told me, as I lowered my knives back in my boots.
"So I'm useless once again," I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Your not useless. Your the one that saved me from dying, that figured out I needed help in the first place," Stiles told me as I smiled at him, grateful that he's back.
"How is this happening? How are we in this place?" I heard Scott asking as they continued fighting the Oni.
"You're asking me? A month ago, I'd never even touched a sword," Kira groaned.
"This can't be real," I whispered.
"Yeah, tell that to them." Stiles mumbled. I widened my eyes when two of the Oni dropped Kira's sword and pointed their's to her. I also gasped when Stiles moved, quickly grabing Kira's sword and I stood up in panic when he pressed the sword on his stomach, holding it.
"Stiles, no!" I yelled and Scott looked at us. I couldn't take my eyes off the swords. Stiles' hands were shaking as he was ready to kill himself.
"Stiles!" Scott groaned.
"What if it saves you? What if it saves all of you?" Stiles asked.
"What if it's just another trick?" I asked in panic.
"No more tricks, Dove," The Nogitsune said. "End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself." He said as Stiles continued looking at the sword, pressing it against his stomach.
"Do it, Scott. Be his kaishakunin. Give up the game," He said and Lydia grabbed my arm when Stiles held onto the sword forcefully.
"Stiles if you do it, Kayla dies too! If the Nogitsune dies, his dove dies too!" I heard Scott panic. I felt my heart drop as I looked at him.
"What?" I asked. Scott closed his mouth as he kept looking at Stiles, avoiding my gaze.
"I read the Argent's book. It said if the Nogitsune dies, she dies too Stiles. Kayla will die," Scott told Stiles.
Then Stiles dropped the sword and looked at me. He then begun look around the place in shock, like he had just figured out something.
"You have no moves left," The Nogitsune said.
"I do," Stiles said, giving the sword to Kira. "A divine move."
The Nogitsune was snarling at my boyfriend, Stiles quickly moved to my side, pulling me next to him and holding me again. "Stop fighthing them. It's an illusion," Stiles yelled as I moved my hand to his waist to keep him up straight. "You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion."
Scott looked at the Nogitsune as the Oni placed themselves in front of us. Scott and Kira started to walk towards the door, and the Oni were shoving their swords on them, cutting them as they continued walking. Lydia, Stiles and I just slowly followed them. Scott grabbed the Nogitsune's shoulder, pushing him agaisnt the door and then we were at the school again. There were no cuts on Scott's and Kira's body anymore. It was an illusion.
"We're okay," Scott mumbled. "We're--" but he was cut off by the Nogitsune shoving him against the lockers. Kira quickly to fight him but he shoved her on the floor. Lydia took a step back and he looked at my Stiles and I.
The Nogitsune quickly grabbed me and shoved Stiles off me as Stiles was too weak to fight.
"This was my game!" He yelled while grabbing me tightly, walking towards them. "You think you can beat me at my game? Divine move. Divine move. You think you have any moves at all?" He snapped as he continued walking towards us. "You can kill the Oni. But me? Me? I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!"
"But we can change you," I whispered. The Nogitsune looked at me.
"What?" He asked.
"You forgot about the scroll," Stiles said.
"The shugendo scroll," I smirked.
"Change the host," The Nogitsune mumbled.
"You can't be a fox and a wolf," Stiles told him as we watched Scott grab his arm and bite. The Nogitsune screamed in pain, letting me go in the process as Scott also let him go and Kira shoved her sword on the Nogitsune's chest.
We heard a thunder crackling as he gasped when Kira took the sword off his body. The Nogitsune fell on his knees, a fly getting out of his mouth and flying away until Isaac quickly grabbed the fly with the box, closing it. Then we looked back at The Nogitsune and his face cracked, his body fell and he disappeard.
We finally did it, we bet him. I widened my eyes when I saw Stiles falling on the floor. I quickly kneeled down next to him with Lydia, Scott and Kira. I placed my hands on his face in panic.
"Stiles," I shook his body. "Stiles, open your eyes. You're not dead," I yelled, feeling my heart beating really fast. "Stiles!"
Stiles slowly opened his eyes, looking at me and I let out a heavy sigh. He almost gave me a heart attack.
"Oh, God, I fainted, didn't I?" Stiles asked.
"Yep." Lydia said as I sat down, finally taking a deep breath.
"We're alive. We're all alive?" Stiles asked.
"Yeah. We're okay," Scott mumbled softly.
Stiles sighs and I look at Lydia and she quickly stood up. I grabbed Stiles' hand, helping him get up as we all began following Lydia, who ran off out of the school. I widened my eyes when I saw Ethan crying over Aiden's body. Derek and Dad were next to them. I quickly moved away from Stiles as Lydia walked towards me, hugging me and crying. I rubbed her back.
Aiden had just died along with Allison.