Chapter 12 : The Ones You Can't Save
Lydia, Chloe, Evlynn, Lottie and I sat around Allison's room. I mean we wouldn't leave her side after what happened tonight. So maybe it wasn't home, but it was safe. "One question." I say interrupting the laughter. "What did it feel like? Thinking you were gonna die?"
"There was this wind on the gut. Like a sword was meant to be there but wasn't. That's why I stumbled back. I thought I felt something. You know that light they talk about. I saw it, it was quick as a blink, but everything I ever wanted was in it, but when I opened my eyes, I was fine." Allison said, staring into space.
"Okay. Enough almost dying." Lydia said, sticking a twizzler in her mouth. "I want to know why when I got this morning, Caity was there?"
Everyone turned to look at me. I opened my mouth to defend myself but just closed it. "Oh my god! Is that like actually a thing now?" Allison asked, sinking into her bed new to me.
"Now? What?" I asked, almost offended.
"Oh come on Caity. I mean when Scott and Allison were dating she was extremely jealous of you." Lydia sassed out.
"Yeah, I mean. You clearly like him. Who willingly runs around the woods in a formal dress and heels for someone they don't like." Lottie pointed out.
Chloe cleared her throat, "Let not forget that when Cait and Isaac were in the hospital, Scott visited Cait everyday."
"Or how Scott joined the Alphas because they said they could get Cait back." Evlynn added.
"Okay any of you would have done that." I say, "right?"
"Any of your sisters would, As for Me and Allison, I have no idea."
"Thanks Lydia."
Lydia stands, "Come on Cait, don't be such a prude. Just rip the band-aid off."
"If you must know, yes we kiss." Allison gives me a look causing me to roll my eyes, "More than once."
"Uh, thank god, you two are like a bad spoa opera." Allison said laughing, and stuffing ice cream in her face.
Everytime I look at Allison, I'm still scared she's about to die, like I just postpointed it. But now wasn't the time for that, now was the time to get on a sugar high.
~
Scott took a breath following his boss. "Stiles and Kira said it was the Nemeton that kept it trapped."
"The problem is this isn't even a person you're fighting. It just looks like one. It's a spirit that's taken the shape of a human."
"The shape of our best friend." I remind the vet. "I hate this. I hate waiting."
"Me too. But Someone caught it once. Someone can do it again, right?" Scott asked his boss.
Deaton sighed, "I don't know. This thing was trapped a long time ago, before the Neneton was cut down. It doesn't have the same power anymore"
"Is there anything that does?"
"Possibly. 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?" I asked. "Like an Alpha's claws?"
"Which Alpha?"
"Talia Hale. Chloe told me that Peter had them in this wooden box. He was able to get Lydia to find out Peter had a daughter with them. She said there was a triskele carved on the lid. But that's all I remember. Do you think it might be made from the Nemeton?"
"It was."
Scott shifted his eyes from me to his boss, "How do you know?"
"Because I made it."
~
Scott ended his call. "Derek's got the triskele box. He's gonna meet us here." My eyesight started to blur. "Cait?"
Soon the whole room changed to the Sheriff station. Two deputies are dead and everyone else is shooting at three oni. The Sheriff is trying to fight them off with every weapon he could find. Parrish was the only other person I could recognise. One of the oni slashed the Sheriff's arm and I was back in Deaton's office.
"What did you see?"
"Oni. A-attacking the station. One, cut Stiles' father's arm, and this black smoke came from it. I feel like we're running out of time."
"Yeah." Stiles' voice said, causing me and Scott to turn. Lydia and Lottie stood with him in the doorway holding him up and Kira was close behind. "I kinda got that feeling too."
~
Scott drives the six of us to the school in Stiles' car. Stiles fell out of the car and Lottie ran to hold him up. "Cait, Lydia anything?" Kira asked as she slammed the door?"
"No." "Screams."
"I say we're going the right way then." Scott jokes as we head closer to the doors of the school.
Scott was about to push the doors open when Stiles stopped him, "Scott hold on. 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." Scott says.
"That's the plan we're going with." I add as the two of us push open the school doors.
When we got inside it wasn't a school building. It was a snow drift. Ice covered trees shown above us, and silvery vines hung down from canopies. Snow was slowly falling and in the center of it all was a stone fountain. A sound like a train bell was heard, and a single lamp post gleamed from the corner. There was even a small wooden bridge covered by the snow.
The doors shut behind us, making everyone turn around. "Oh, this is definitely not part of the plan." Stiles said, catch a snowflake in his hand.
"Any else feel we walked into a trap?" Lottie said, voice shaking.
"I think we were all thinking about it." Kira said, wilding her sword.
The snow started to fall harder over our heads. It was actually quite peaceful, if you know, if we all didn't feel like we were heading to the slaughter. The only thing that seemed off was the temperature. I mean it wasn't freezing.
The sound of footsteps set us all off. We turned back to the doors where a bandaged version of the nogitsune now stood. He was limping as he walked closer to us. "Like I promised, Stiles. We're going to kill all of them. One. By. One." He clenched his fist and the oni started to come.
There were only four, but we didn't have any silver. And my blood spell battery was down. The black swords dragged on the snow as they started to surround us. "What the hell is this? Where are we?" Scott rushed out.
"Between life and death."
"Bardo." Lydia said, almost like she was scripted.
"But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia." The nogitsune explained. "You're dying Stiles. And now everyone you care about is dying too."
"What? What do you mean?' Stiles' voice could hardly be heard.
"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 closed his fist and one oni left. "Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?" The nogitsune got closer, his feet leaving tracks in the snow.
"No. And I don't want to."
"When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor, but it's not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai. With his own katana." the nogitsune points to Scott, "Scott.. Scott is your kaishakunin. I'm going to make your best friend kill you, Stiles. And you're going to let him." The look on Scott's face was purely disgust at the words that left the nogitsune's mouth. Well jaw, he didn't really have a mouth. "Because just like you, they're all going to die. Everyone touched by an oni's blade. Unless Scott kills you first."
The nogitsune was now in front of Stiles, "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"To win the game." The nogitsune backs away and the oni swing their swords.
Lottie lets out a quick squeak. Scott turns and I light my hand. We were ready for war. The other side just had more soldiers. An oni came at me but I lit a flame into the darkness. The only sounds you could hear were Scott's growls and Kira's sword. I knew grunts of pain were crawling from my throat but the noise was blocked out with every Oni that came closer. It was a cliche. Scott Kira and me. 10 oni took the outside.
Sliver. My necklace was silver. As quick as I could I unclasped the chain. Holding it in my hand as an Oni aproched, I let the creature walk into the metal. His body swirled backwards but unlike last night when Allison shot the arrow he didn't die. I went to my first tactic, sticking the necklace in my pocket.
I started back at burning the oni. The sound of screams could be heard but I didn't know how they were from. After a weird focus of restane Scott Kira and Me stood shoulder to shoulder, backs facing one another. "How is this happening?"
"How are we in this place?"
"You two are asking me?" Kira panted, "A month ago, I'd never even touched a sword."
The fight went on the three of us working off one and other. Kira let out pained noises as she swung her sound. I let out choked breaths as I took my eighth blow to the gut. The fight seemed useless, but still we pressed on, not giving up yet.
I started to use my body as well as the world around me. I was able to stop the snow so we could see what we were fighting. There was a point where Kira was held back to the bridge and sword on the ground. I looked for two long and an oni had a sword to my neck, holding me like a hostage.
I watch Stiles dive for Kira's sword and point it at his gut. "STILES! NO! DON'T DO IT!" I screamed. Getting Scott's attention and having him locked his arms behind his back.
I raised my hands, melting the sword away from my neck and pushed the oni back. "Stiles."
"What if it saves you guys? What if it saves you and Scott? What if it saves all of you?" Stiles asked as his hands shook on the sword.
"What if it's just another trick?!" Lottie rushed out.
"No more tricks, Charlotte." The nogitsune spoke, "End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself. Do it, Scott!" The nogitsune hissed out. "Be his kaishakunin. Give up the game." Stiles hands continue to shake as he plans to push the sword into himself, but he stops all together. Looking at the reflection. Stiles moves his hand that lay on the blade and turns to look at me and Scott. "You have no moves left."
Stiles takes the sword away from his gut, and holds it in both hands. "I do." He throws the sword back to Kira. "A divine move." The nogitsune snars. "Stop fighting them! It's an illusion! You have to stop fighting them." Stiles tells us. "It looks real and it feels real, But Scott, Cait, you got to trust me, it's an illusion."
Scott and I turn away from Stiles, and back to where the nogitsune is. Four oni now stand in front of him as guard dogs but I take a few steps forward anyway. Then a few more. I felt a sword cut across my chest. I heard myself let out a scream but I kept walking forward. A second sword cuts my leg, making it hard to walk but I still go forward. The snow starts to turn red as I let out more pained screams. Then My arms are pushing the nogitsune into the doors.
I fall forward into the school. No cuts. No barn marks. Everything was normal. "We're okay." I say in disbelief.
"We're-" Scott was cut off by being thrown into a locker.
We all turn to see the nogitsune now back in his Stiles mask. He knocks Kira to the floor as the rest of us back down the halls. "This was my game." He looks up from the floor to Stiles, "Think you can beat me at my game?" The nogitsune starts down the hall after us. "Divine move. Divine more. 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!"
"Maybe not." I say despite the fear in my body. "But we can change you!"
This caused the nogitsune to stop, "What?"
"You forgot about the scroll." Stiles said.
"The shugendo scroll." Lottie explained.
The nogitsune looked at us long and hard before saying, "Change the host."
"You can't be a fox and a wolf." Lydia replies as Scott's eyes go red. The true alpha takes the nogtsune's arm biting down right below his shoulder. The nogitsune let out a scream.
Then I remembered, "Aiden." I ran past the turning nogitsune and worried young Alpha. Back out the doors and down the steps of the school.
Ethan sat over his brother as blood spilled from Aiden's mouth. I didn't even listen to Derek's screams. I just kept running to the formar Alpha pack member. "AIDEN!" I cry out, sliding to his side.
The former alpha let out a cry. "Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?" He asked his twin.
"Yeah." Ethan whispers tears falling down his face.
I let out my own cries, "Caity? Do you still think I'm a hero?"
"I know you are." I let a sob out. "I should have saved you."
"You saved Allison. She had more to live for."
"Aiden, no." I cry out rolling my head trying to stop the tears.
"It's okay." A small laugh is let out from Aiden's body as the blood from his mouth starts to turn black. "As long as you still think I'm a hero."
I sob again over the alpha, "Aiden. No."
"Tell Lydia- Tell Lydia I love her."
"Shh." Ethan says through the tears as his forehead hits his brothers "Shh."
"I promise I'll tell her. I tell her everything that made you so special." I tell the alpha a pain resting on my chest as air becomes short from the tears and gasps. Aiden lets out one last breath and his brother lays him down. "No." I put my hand to my mouth trying to muffle the sobs. My vision blurs from the water. Allison comes from behind me, and rubs my back as my legs slip on the cement. I can't stop the tears anymore. I was full out sobbing over Aiden, a person I never trusted, but only wanted to do good. I shifted so I was crying into Allison's leg. "I should have saved him." I say muffled by the material of Allison's leggings. A new set of sobs shook my body.
Allison shrinks so she was on the ground with me, "Caity, look at me." She puts her hand under my chin so I was looking up at her through the blur of the tears. "You can't save everyone. He died a hero. I know that."
"But I should have tried- I should have tried harder."