So sorry for the stupidly long delay. Extended work trip, sickness, and a whole other boatload of excuses I'll save you from. Enjoy!
I do not own Teen Wolf.
Lydia woke up first, disoriented, confused by her position in a chair she didn't remember falling asleep in until her last memory resurfaced.
"Stiles!" she shouted as she came to, attempting to get to her feet only to be tugged painfully back in place by the restraints wrapped tightly around her wrists.
"I'm afraid he can't really talk right now." Oliver explained, a small smirk resting on his lips.
"Please, let us go. Take these off of me!" she shouted angrily.
She needed to check on Stiles, to see if the lightning marks were now gone that he was asleep and vulnerable. She must not have received as much sedative, or maybe she just passed out from the pain from the taser.
"I took some pointers from the five-point restraint system." Oliver said from across the room, looking amused. He looked nothing like the socially awkward, eager-to-please boy that had helped them out earlier. He had a confidence to him, almost a darkness, and he wondered where it was coming from.
He had made a reference to the restraint system Eichen House used, the one Stiles mentioned they threatened to use on him his first night when he was arguing about using the phone. Oliver had been strapped down so tightly Lydia couldn't even imagine the claustrophobia that would've set in for Stiles if he had been in his place. Stiles said Oliver was nice from the get-go, but they must have had a good reason to do it then? And he was in a mental institution—did they really have any idea what his mental stability was?
"Oliver, stop this. Oliver, listen to me, stop." Lydia begged, hoping the kind boy she met was in there somewhere and would come back. "Oliver! Stop!"
"Start with Stiles. She can wait." a dark voice interrupted.
Oliver obeyed, moving across the room to where the boy she loved was slumped over, unconscious. Lydia followed the voice and felt a chill run through his spine. A man covered all over in bandages, except for the leather jacket and other clothes he wore, sat down a few feet from Stiles.
She knew who he was. The nogitsune. Or, as Noshiko had referred to him, Void.
She gritted his teeth. "You did this. You got into Oliver's head."
The man turned to her in what she could only assume was surprise, since even his eyes were covered by aged bandages. She could see his shiny silver teeth, and his mouth stretched into a sinister, metallic smile.
"Every Dracula needs a Renfield." Void said as a way of explanation, like mind-controlling teenagers was a perfectly acceptable way to spend a Saturday night.
"Just let him go." she demanded.
"Not until he lets me in."
Lydia struggled hard against the restraints, seeing Oliver advancing closer to Stiles and preparing the tool to drill into his skull. He was going to die if she didn't do something. She knew how this ended. She knew her grandmother had done this to herself once; there had been so much blood everywhere… if they didn't get found in time, all the way down there, Stiles would die for sure. And who knew if Oliver would stop as soon as her grandmother had had to—maybe he would just keep going into his brain matter.
"Lydia. It could've been you, you know." Void stood up, moving across the room to where the pair was, looking at Stiles almost lovingly. "Stiles had so much pain though, so much grief and fear to feed off of. And he was power hungry too, so exhausted of being so helpless. The human of the pack, with no real skills."
"That's a lie. He's saved their asses plenty of times." Lydia practically spat, fiery angry licking up and down her veins now.
Void shrugged, seeming to enjoy her reaction.
She remembered what they had said about him. He fed off of pain, chaos and strife. She shouldn't feed his energy—she needed to stay focused and keep her emotions in check. But that was Stiles he was threatening, and it was easier said than done.
"You, Lydia… you have quite a bit of grief and pain too, don't you? Years of parental neglect, insecurity, believing you were only ever going to be wanted for your appearance, your grandmother's suicide…"
"I didn't ask for a psych analysis." she growled.
"Maybe not… but you do have a choice here. Do you want Stiles to leave here alive? Do you want to leave here alive? We can walk out of this place."
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Void looked back at Stiles and Oliver, where Oliver was screwing on a different drill bit, and then he advanced on her.
"Let me in, Lydia."
"You're sick." she snarled.
"Oh, I know. That's why it's always so fun when I'm here." he said cheerfully, the scraping sound of his voice chilling her insides.
"Please, just let us go."
"Let me in."
Lydia shook her head, tears falling now, struggling harder against the restraints.
"Let me in, Lydia. Let me in or I'll make him kill Stiles. You'll never see him again. It will be all your fault. You know I'm going to win."
"Stop it! Stop! Oliver, stop!" Lydia shouted.
The drill sounded, Oliver acting as if he hadn't even heard her, bracing himself to position it to Stiles' temple.
Wake up, Stiles. Please wake up.
He moved in, drill spinning, and Lydia couldn't stop herself. She let out an almighty scream.
It reverberated through her whole body, her ribcage practically shaking in the effort as she let it out.
Oliver immediately dropped the drill, hands covering his ears, stumbling backwards.
Void, however, spun and looked at her in what she could only assume was awe.
She was nearly panting, the exertion taking the energy right out of her.
"Well, that was certainly unexpected."
She glared at him.
"You don't even know what you are, do you, Lydia?"
She straightened in surprise.
His smile stretched. "The Wailing Woman. How did I not sense the banshee in you?"
"Banshee?"
"A piercing scream capable of more than just drowning out the excess noise to help you focus your hearing on the whispers of other banshees, Lydia. You are much more than a pretty little thing."
Lydia absorbed that. All those whispers she heard – those were other banshees?
"You know why you just screamed, don't you?"
She sent him a look. "Maybe because you're about to hurt the man I'm in love with."
Void seemed downright cheerful by her answer. "Banshees sense death. You only get those dreadful feelings when someone is about to die. This isn't your first scream or use of your powers. You're connected to death, Lydia. And now you know for sure Stiles is going to die."
"Then stop it! Let him go!"
"Let me in, Lydia, and you can both walk out of here! We can walk out of here together!"
Lydia felt her face start to get wet, tears falling against their will. She couldn't let him in. She knew how dangerous he was, how many people he was responsible for killing, how it was only the beginning. But she knew Stiles couldn't handle having him inside him again, and she couldn't let him die…
The drill sounded again, Oliver on his feet and preparing to trepanise Stiles.
Void wasn't giving up, directly in front of her now, his voice growing in volume to a bellow. "Let me in, Lydia! Let me in! Let me in and I'll let him live!"
Lydia shut her eyes tightly, tears littering her face, wishing she could just wake up already. This had to be a nightmare. This couldn't be real.
"Let! Me! In!"
Lydia thought of Stiles—kind, loving, brave Stiles. She knew he hadn't asked for this life, none of them had, and he had suffered enough. She knew he'd never forgive himself for what she chose to do, but she couldn't let him die.
Her last thought before the darkness took over was I'm sorry.
The contrast of the quiet from the drama from before was quite startling, but it was the way Lydia moved so smoothly across the room that was the really chilling part.
Especially since she had no control over it.
"Oliver." her calm voice spoke into the moonlit room. Her restraints fell to the floor.
How had Void even got those off so easily?
Oliver paused, listening to the subtle command. Lydia grimaced at him, before suddenly grabbing the tool and smacking him across the head with it. She let out a sigh, almost of boredom, as Oliver collapsed to the floor unconscious.
Internally, Lydia was horrified.
Stiles finally stirred. "Lydia?"
She smirked and moved to crouch next to him.
Her face melted into concern as his eyes flickered open. "Are you okay?"
He tried to sit up straight, but the restraints pulled him back.
"Oh, sorry, let me get those." Lydia said, but her voice was speaking without her instruction. Without her knowledge of what she was going to say or why. Void was inside her. She was possessed.
As soon as he was freed, he pulled her in close. "Oh god, Lydia… are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he asked seriously, pushing her hair off her face so he could examine every inch of her face.
"I'm fine. I… may have knocked him out though." she said, chewing her tongue and giving a playful, apologetic shrug.
How did Void know her personality so well? He was far too good at playing her. How could he know so much just from being in her head a few minutes? Or had he been keeping an eye on her the whole time? And Stiles knew her… maybe he took from that too.
He chuckled despite himself. "Well… that's… wow. Okay. How did you get out of the restraints?"
"Small wrists." she answered quickly. "He didn't dose me as hard as he should've. I had to pull and twist quite a bit, but I managed to slip one out and untie the next one. And since they're cloth, well, they didn't make a bunch of noise so I managed to sneak up behind him before he could hurt you."
Stiles shook his head in disbelief. "You're amazing." He kissed her gratefully on the mouth.
Lydia could barely feel it, just the barest of brushing against her lips, and if she was able, she would've cried. It was the worst kind of torture, not being able to feel his touch when he was doing so. How could he have handled being possessed? It had only been a few minutes and she was already losing it.
How could she signal to him that it was her?
Her mouth was a smile as they broke apart, and she could've thrown up.
"I can't believe I'm still me. We have to move quickly. You have to get that picture to Scott."
"Stiles, I think the nogitsune is in Oliver. We can both get out of here." she said encouragingly.
He stared. "Really? You think he can stay in there?"
"Well, I mean, let's check your back. If the lightning strikes are gone, doesn't that mean you're able to be possessed? And if you aren't, maybe it's because he's somewhere else. And if he's in somewhere else, maybe that means we should separate you from that place as much as possible…"
"Okay, okay." Stiles said amusedly. "I never knew you to ramble."
She shrugged.
Stiles, I never ramble. It's not me, okay? Can't you see? Please, Stiles!
Stiles sighed and lifted his shirt.
"Ha, see! No lightning marks!"
He sent her a look. "What has gotten into you? You're awfully hyper for someone who nearly just had a drill enter her skull."
"Stiles. You're not possessed by a dark fox spirit. Forgive me for being happy about it."
He smiled and kissed her quickly. "Good point. Let's get out of here."
A sinister smile settled on her lips as she followed him by the hand out of the basement.
It wasn't easy getting released from Eichen House before each of their 72 hours were up, but Morrell managed to pull some strings. It helped that she was their therapist and could vouch for their lack of insanity.
She, of course, wouldn't do anything until Stiles went through vigorous 'testing' to see if he was just the nogitsune with good acting skills.
The dark fox in Lydia seemed to enjoy that part the most.
Once they found themselves outside of the gate, Stiles exhaled heavily.
"Thank god we're finally free of that place. I'm craving pizza."
"Yeah, I'm hungry for something." Lydia's voice said amusedly, a hidden malice inside.
Stiles didn't seem to pick up on it. "I've got to call my dad and Scott first. Maybe we can all meet up somewhere to catch up and eat at the same time."
Stiles, please. Please recognize that this isn't me. Please take me back in there right now. Don't let him out again, even if it means locking me up too.
Stiles was on the phone with his dad, who was clearly relieved to hear his son was free from that place, and Stiles couldn't seem to stop the smile that graced his face.
"Are you able to pick us up?" he asked, then looked awkward. "Yeah, it's a long story, but Lydia is with me. If not, I'm about to call Scott. Okay, cool, see you soon."
He hung up and held down his speed dial to get Scott.
"Hey, it's me. I'm free. We've got a lot to tell you guys. Fancy meeting at my place for some food and to talk? I want to hear about what went on on your guys' end too." He was nodding into the phone. "Cool, sounds good. Alright, dude, see you soon."
He slipped his hand into Lydia's as he lead her over to sit on the stone wall. "My dad's on his way. Allison and Scott are going to come over."
"Perfect." she murmured in return, squeezing his hand, as Lydia screamed inside.
It was late by the time they rehashed everything between the two groups.
Apparently the group, now with Isaac and Derek back, since he and Argent were finally released when Stiles' dad had returned from LA, had gone to get the Shugendo scroll from Katashi's prosthetic at the morgue. They came head-to-head with Kincaid, which wasn't an easy battle even with the fighters they brought. In the end, they were victorious, and Scott, of course, spared the aggressive werewolf, like the True Alpha he was.
Stiles did most of the explaining for him and Lydia's adventures, explaining their plan with Oliver and then how things got turned around when they made their discovery. Scott and Allison were both surprised to see the picture with what looked to be Kira's doppelgänger next to the man that no doubt one day became the nogitsune. The scrawled date on the back implied that the picture was taken in 1943, which meant that it had to be her grandmother or someone in her family tree who was alive back then.
"So the nogitsune is stuck in Eichen House?"
Stiles shrugged. "I guess. He had been possessing Oliver to attack us and then Lydia knocked Oliver out, so…"
Allison shook her head. "This feels too easy."
"I don't think there's anything easy about it. We can't assume he'll stay there. We should still be prepared in the event he gets out." Scott suggested.
"Maybe after some sleep? I haven't slept properly in days." Stiles groaned, yawning.
"Good idea. We should all get some sleep, put some of this behind us."
"What about you guys? Did you figure anything out?" Lydia asked earnestly.
Don't tell me anything, don't tell me anything, don't say anything, please.
"We can talk about it tomorrow." Allison said, a little quickly, which caused Stiles to look at her strangely. She smiled nervously. "You're not the only one who's beat."
"All right. We'll get the pack together tomorrow. Let's call it a night." he said.
Scott and Allison left. The Sheriff had been happy to see Stiles, and Lydia for that matter, but had to go do a night shift at the station so the house was empty and eerily quiet.
"Since your mom thinks you're still away with Allison, fancy sleeping over?" Stiles asked her. "I can lend you a shirt."
She nodded, smiling brightly, and took his hand as he led her upstairs.
Lydia felt her heart clench inside. She wanted to be present for their first sleepover. She wanted to be able to feel everything, to be able to talk to him, confide in him, get closer to him. This was torture.
They got ready for sleep, Stiles passing her one of his longer t-shirts and she excused herself to the bathroom.
Void pulled it over her head, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
I've got to say, Lydia. You two may have a connection, but no wonder he can't notice anything off about you. He's probably a little distracted.
Shut up.
Void left the bathroom and walked her back to his room where Stiles was throwing his laundry in the hamper.
"Hey. Ready for sleep?"
She smiled and waltzed over, stopping in front of him to pull him into a kiss.
The kiss, something that should've been soft and sweet, turned eager and demanding before long, but Stiles broke away, chuckling a little.
"Lydia… trust me when I say I'd love to give in to that, but I'm actually so exhausted I feel dead on my feet. Can we continue tomorrow?"
She nodded. "Sorry."
He kissed her once. "Don't be. I really don't mind." he teased, tugging her towards the bed and crawling under the covers.
Stiles pulled her into his chest immediately, hugging her close, letting his fingers brush her hair off her face. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
Oh Stiles. What the hell am I going to do without your help? Please figure it out. Please.
He may be clever, but he's a lovesick teenager. Good luck, banshee.
Eventually, her body fell asleep.
Little did she know, Stiles lay awake, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He didn't know what it was yet, but he knew something strange was going on.
The only thing he could register was the blackness surrounding him, the cold coating his skin, and the heavy weight in his chest.
No, no, please.
It didn't feel like before though. There was a dread, ominous though it may be it still didn't match the dark spirit takeover he had felt too many times before.
It felt like a warning. But a warning for what?
His eyes adjusted in the dark, making out a hand reaching out for him.
He backed up on reflex, trying to get away from it.
"Stiles…. Stiles, please…"
He knew that voice. He stepped forwards. "Lydia?"
Her face came into view, the dark surrounding her still, only glimpses of her through the shadows.
Her hand stretched out, reaching for him.
He mirrored the action, trying to move forward to grab her hand, but she was just out of reach.
His feet cemented to the floor. He couldn't move.
"Lydia! LYDIA!" he screamed as she got dragged deeper into the darkness.
Tears coated her face, and he could see even as the shadows took over that she was terrified.
He used all his strength to try to push himself further, desperate to reach her, but the darkness swallowed her up before he could.
She was gone.
Stiles gasped awake, accidentally pulling away from Lydia in the process as he sat up to breathe.
She rolled over quickly and straightened, looking concerned.
"Stiles? Are you okay?"
He attempted to catch his breath, pushing his hair off his sweaty forehead.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Bad dream."
"A nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?"
Her hands slipped in his and he stroked over them on reflex. That is, until instinct made him slow his pace.
"Uh, no, no it's fine. It was just… confusing. I'm sure I'll forget it by morning."
She nodded, still watching him carefully.
"I thought the nightmares were getting better."
"They are. I guess with the Nemeton still being powerful they'll sort of always be there. As long as I'm close to it."
"Right."
"Sorry I woke you. We should go back to sleep."
She nodded. "Good idea."
She moved to let him crawl back into her space, but he swung his legs off the bed.
"I'm just going to… splash some water on my face. Maybe get a drink. I'll be right back."
"Okay."
Stiles sneakily grabbed his phone off his nightstand as he slipped off the bed and out of the room.
He padded downstairs and held down the first number on his speed dial.
"Stiles? Everything okay?" Scott sleepy but concerned voice came.
"I don't know." he said honestly, voice quiet, keeping his eyes on the stairs and trying to listen for any sound of movement. "I think something's wrong."
"What's the matter? Do you need me to come over?"
"No, no, stay where you are. It's Lydia." he admitted.
"What's going on?"
"She's… acting differently. I don't know how to explain it. There's something… off."
"Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?"
He couldn't help but start to pace. "No, I don't think I am. I… This sounds stupid, but I had a dream. Where she was being pulled into the darkness, begging for me to help her. The dreams with the nogitsune, they weren't real, but there was some hidden meaning in them. Even the ones when I was awake, like it was telling me something. Maybe this is Lydia, the real Lydia, trying to tell me something. Using her powers? I don't know…"
"So what are you saying? You think Lydia is possessed now? She wasn't even involved in the Nemeton stuff, there was no door open in her mind…"
"I don't know, Scott. I know Lydia. And… this isn't her. She kissed me last night, and it didn't feel like her. I didn't feel the way I do when she kisses me…"
"You and Lydia have kissed? Why wasn't this bigger news?!"
"Probably because we have a shit ton more stuff going on, Scott." Stiles couldn't help but say amusedly. "She kissed me before I went into Eichen House. And I guess we sort of made it official once she got in there and we got to talk a bit." Stiles couldn't help but smile, because he could practically feel Scott beaming through the phone. He knew he'd be happy for him, and frankly, he sort of had been looking forward to telling him about it. "Scott, this isn't really the pressing issue here…"
"Right, sorry."
He could tell his best friend was still grinning.
Stiles sighed. "Anyways. I don't know what to do. I guess keep acting like I have no idea?"
"Stiles, are you sure about this? I mean, this is Lydia we're talking about."
"Is it though?"
"Hmm, guess you're a better detective than I gave you credit for." a familiar voice said, sounding bored, and Stiles turned to see Lydia leaning against the wall watching him with an eyebrow raised.
Before Stiles could open his mouth, Lydia came over and slammed his head down onto the side table next to them.
He collapsed on the floor, his vision fading.
He could hear the barest whispers of Scott's voice through the phone shouting his name, but the blackness overtook him before he could reply.
The last thing he saw was the swish of strawberry-blonde hair as Lydia turned around to leave the house.
"Stiles! Stiles!"
Scott was shouting, that much was clear.
Stiles woke up groggily, groaning as his head pounded in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"Ow." he said as way of response, feeling awful.
"Thank god you're okay." Allison's voice came, and he opened his eyes to see he was surrounded by more than just his best friend.
Kira, Derek and Isaac were looking at him in concern too.
"Well hello everybody. Welcome."
"That's going to leave a nasty bruise." Allison assessed, peering at the bump on his head, running her fingers over it before getting up to help Scott get Stiles to his feet.
"I think we have bigger things to worry about right now."
Stiles suddenly remembered the last thing he had seen. "She's gone, isn't she?"
"Yep. And there's no telling what havoc she's wreaking right now." Allison said sadly. "I can't believe we didn't know."
Stiles sighed. "I shouldn't have been so stupid. I know how he thinks, I know how he's always one step ahead. I thought he was oblivious to me picking up on things, I tried to play things so casual, but I should've known. She felt… different. Something felt off. And I was too happy to be out of that nut house to realize right away."
"But you did notice, and that's what matters."
"So what now? What do we do?" Kira asked.
"We have to get some answers. We need to learn more about the nogitsune—figure out what his endgame plan is. One thing that might help is figuring out where he came from." Stiles suggested.
Remembering the night before, Allison dug into her bag for the photo they had found at Eichen House.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you end up with it?"
She shrugged. "I don't know… I sort of… felt a weird vibe when you guys came back. A… tension? Maybe human instinct was kicking in and I was sensing the darkness in Lydia, but I just knew I didn't want to hang around too long and wanted to keep that safe. I guess I had the right idea."
Stiles remembered briefly the way she seemed to rush them home the night before. He hadn't been bothered at the time, but now he was downright grateful. He only wished he had been cleverer with his realization too.
Allison passed the photo to Kira, whose eyes widened. It looked exactly like her.
"It's from 1943." Scott supplied.
"Must be my grandmother." she said. "I really don't know much about my family history—my dad's spent my whole life filling me in on everybody else's. I'll have to ask my mom."
"I'm sure that'll go well." Isaac said sarcastically, not oblivious to the previous altercations they had had with Noshiko.
"Well, she knows something. And now she can't avoid telling us anymore. The nogitsune is more than she bargained for. I don't think she ever thought it would switch hosts like that."
Kira's phone beeped and she pulled it out. Her expression said it all—the news wasn't good.
"What is it?" Allison asked worriedly.
"It's my dad. He's in trouble."
They all moved at once.
The pack arrived at the high school in record time.
It was morning now, the classroom bathed in sunlight, but it was a Saturday so the school was empty.
It didn't take long to find Noshiko next to a choking Mr. Yukimura in his classroom.
"Kira, did you bring it?" she demanded.
The young kitsune dug through her bag and passed over what looked like some sort of fungus.
Noshiko stuffed the mushrooms through his lips and forced him to swallow through his coughs.
Stiles' eyes were sweeping the room, noticing the mess of books on the floor by the bookshelf and the way the desks were pushed off from their organized line.
"Lydia did this?" Scott asked, seeing the black blood Mr. Yukimura coughed into a tissue.
"Void wanted the last kaiken. I've kept this near me ever since I heard you were leaving Eichen House." Noshiko said, looking to Stiles now.
"What is a kaiken?" Isaac asked.
Kira was the one who spoke, watching her mother carefully. "A sort of dagger-looking thing, although it depends on the kitsune. It's a physical representation of a kitsune's tails. The older it is, the stronger. I'm betting that one is the oldest?"
Before she could answer, Stiles started in, agitated. "Look, we need answers, and you need to start telling us what you know. You may think you're on the opposite side of this war, but if you want us on your side—"
Noshiko interrupted. "I am not naïve enough to believe that you will so easily switch over to this side just from stories around the campfire!"
"Well if you think I'm going to help you kill someone I love because of a mess you made then you are sadly mistaken!" Stiles shouted back, clearly just as furious.
"What? Mom?" Kira asked, confused.
Noshiko's eyes narrowed at Stiles, but he was done playing nice.
"Yeah, I learned a few things while he lived in my head. I remember everything he did, every thought he had. And I know he knows you well. And standing in front of you, it's all flooding back. I just need you to fill in the blanks he left out."
Stiles could feel the others' stares on him—it was the first he really spoke about what went on when he was possessed.
"I know you are the one who summoned the Oni. You control them. Now tell us what you know."
He held a hand out for the picture. Allison passed it over and he handed it to the Japanese woman.
Her eyes widened. "Where did you get this?"
"Where you left him." he replied simply, fire dancing in his eyes.
"Stiles, what are you…?" Scott started, but Kira cut in.
"Mom, is it grandma?"
"No, it's me."
"What? That's not possible. That would mean you're almost ninety years old."
She sighed. "More like nine hundred."
Kira's face made it very clear that that was all news to her.
Her mom seemed to notice the sword casing she had strapped to her back. "What's that?"
Kira handed it over silently.
Noshiko ran her hands down it before upturning it and pouring the contents on the desk. A splintered blade scattered across the wood.
"The power it took to slay a nogitsune shattered the blade."
Scott caught on immediately. "All of this, it's all happened before, hasn't it?"
"Yes. It was at an internment camp in World War II. In Oak Creek. Not too far from here."
"I don't remember learning about that one." Kira said, looking to her dad.
"That's because all of the records of Oak Creek were erased. They covered it up after what happened there." he explained.
"So, where did the nogitsune come from?"
Noshiko turned back around. "Isn't it obvious yet? It came from me."
It was a long story. Noshiko seemed to remember it like it was yesterday.
A group of Japanese Americans were at Oak Creek, a concentration camp during World War II. She started the story explaining how she would sneak things off of the supply truck, grabbing things for the others like a baseball for a little boy to play with and some painkillers for a woman named Satomi who got monthly migraines and spent all her time playing the Japanese board game Go. She disapproved of Noshiko's stealing habits, saying she took too much and too often, and that she preferred to suffer.
When the little boy, Michio, accidentally tossed the ball through the window, breaking the glass, some of the soldiers came in to find out what was going on.
Corporal Rhys pushed the inspection off until the following morning, despite his comrades', Merrick and Hayes, protests, and ended up tossing the ball back to Michio on his way out.
Later, he met with Noshiko, and the two were revealed to be having a forbidden romance. He stole chocolate for her, being one of the men responsible for maintaining and receiving the camp supplies. Noshiko helped tutor Rhys in French, and while hiding in one of the trucks for privacy, they overheard Merrick and Hayes talking to the camp doctor – Dr. Liston. Money was exchanged but they weren't sure why.
Present day Noshiko then sliced open her hand, causing Kira to exclaim in distaste, but her mother wiped away the blood to show the wound had healed. She said her healing ability, one that Kira would learn to use, is what saved her from the bacterial pneumonia that soon swept the camp.
As the pneumonia took down many of the Japanese group, Rhys learned that the camp was all out of M&B Sulphapyridine which effectively treated the disease. Noshiko remembered seeing three boxes of the drug when she was stealing things, but Rhys says the doctor was claiming they only got one.
It wasn't long before they figure out the doctor, Merrick, and Hayes had been stealing the drugs and selling them on the black market.
Michio, the boy who played with the baseball, died with no medication available to treat him. His father, distraught, learned with the rest of them what happened to the life-saving medicine, and started a riot with the inhabitants of the camp.
They had burst out into the street as a mob, surrounding the doctor's car as he was trying to leave the camp with Merrick and Hayes. Satomi, as it turned out, was a werewolf and became so angry that she lost control and attacked the soldiers trying to protect their people. She was a bitten werewolf, so she had a harder time maintaining control. It was then Noshiko understood why her headaches happened once a month and that she stayed out of all the drama normally, sticking to a calming boarding game instead.
Merrick and Hayes slipped out of the car, trying to push people back so the doctor could escape, and Rhys was trying to calm the craze.
Michio's father lit a Molotox cocktail, but Satomi grabbed it from him and threw it. Instead of hitting the car, it struck Rhys and he went up in flames. The other soldiers open fire, killing dozens of people.
Rhys was taken to Eichen House for treatment but died there, his screams echoing through the halls. Amongst the pneumonia medication, all of the morphine was sold, so he died in immense pain and suffering.
Noshiko, amongst the others, was shot several times. While her healing ability kept her alive, it took time for the bullets to exit her body and her vital signs dropped so low everyone believed she was dead. Her body was transferred with the others to be burned to cover up the evidence of the corruption at the camp.
As she lied amongst the other bodies, Rhys of all people next to her, she called out to the spirits of her ancestors. She asked that a Nogitsune inhabit her body so that she could seek vengeance for all the death at the camp. Instead, with its sick sense of humor, the trickster spirit inhabited Rhys' dead body.
Merrick and Hayes, about to destroy the evidence, were attacked as the Nogitsune rose from the pile and killed them. He took the truck, and when Noshiko arrived at Eichen House, she discovered everyone dead there and at the camp.
Knowing she had a responsibility, she confronted the spirit and attempted to kill it with her katana, but she was only able to get the upper hand with the help of Satomi who attacked it from behind.
The host now killed, a fly came out of its mouth, and Noshiko caught it before it got away. She put it in a jar and buried it under the Nemeton, which, in 1943, was a fully grown tree.
It remained there, until Allison, Scott, and Stiles surrogate sacrificed themselves to save their parents, recharging the Nemeton's power and causing the jar to be uncovered and the nogitsune to break free.
The story now over, although the questions still buzzing in all of their heads, Noshiko turned to her daughter.
"Kira. I need your help on this. There isn't much time before people start arriving to the school. And this is something that needs to be done in the daylight."
She gestured towards the sword, where she had placed all of the broken pieces into their original spots so the blade resemble the sword it once was.
"Why do you need me?"
"Because I am not a thunder kitsune, and your foxfire is the only way to make the sword whole again."
Kira obeys, standing beside her mother and following her instruction. She gripped the blade with her, concentrating as electricity surged through the metal until the blade fused into one piece.
Noshiko handed it to her. "You must use it to get rid of the Nogitsune."
Kira crossed her arms. "You told me why the nogitsune came to be, but we want to know how to save Lydia."
"That's what I was telling you."
"Your Casablanca story with a Shakespearean ending?"
"No. The fact that, like it or not, your friend is gone."
"I don't think you know that for sure." Scott cut in. "You brought the Oni. Can you call them off?"
"It's not her fault." Allison pleaded.
"Lydia may be your friend, your best friend, your girlfriend even…" Noshiko said, eyes drifting over Stiles. "But she is nogitsune now."
"He switched hosts. He can do it again." Stiles said seriously.
"So you wish it on someone else?"
"NO! But there has to be another way outside of killing him. Lydia is alive. Rhys was gone. It isn't as simple as you're making it out to be."
"Nogitsunes are not made from rhyme or reason! They are tricksters! And they won't stop until the world burns."
"We'll see about that." he growled, turning away from her and leaving the classroom.
The others followed.
"We'll figure something out, Stiles. Now that we know more, maybe we have a better chance." Scott said reassuringly.
Stiles nodded. "We still need more though. We need all the answers we can get."
"What do you think we should do?" Kira asked.
"We need to get that scroll translated. Now."
The group headed to the animal clinic, hoping to elect Deaton's help since they weren't sure about trusting Noshiko with the scroll.
Deaton read the tiny scroll, squinting as he contemplated the message.
"There isn't much here, unfortunately.
"Does it say anything?" Scott asked hopefully.
"My Japanese isn't great. But it appears to say that one method of expelling a nogitsune is to change the body of the host."
"Change the body? But it already changed hosts by possessing Lydia, and it doesn't seem to be any weaker." Stiles said, absent-mindedly rubbing the spot on his head where it hit the table.
"Which begs the question, how do we change Lydia's body?" Deaton suggested.
Scott understood. "By turning her into a werewolf."
Allison shook her head. "But Lydia is immune. She can't turn into a werewolf. We've been through that already."
"Do you think that's why the nogitsune switched hosts, switched to her? Because it knew we were searching for answers on how to save the host but defeat the nogitsune, and it likely knew the scroll was out there. It didn't say so in so many words, but it knew you guys were determined to save me, so maybe it wanted to cut off our only option." Stiles said exasperatedly.
Stiles' phone beeped and he looked down at it in surprise.
"What is it?" Allison asked, seeing his confused concern.
"It's our alarm system—apparently someone's breaking into my house."
He pulled up the video for all of them to see and flipped through the different rooms. He stopped on his bedroom, seeing the strawberry-blonde perched on the edge of the bed.
As if sensing his eyes, Lydia raised her hand in a wave, smiling sinisterly.
The amazing gifset that inspired this story can be found linked at my AO3 and tumblr posts of this chapter! Check it out!