Later that morning Imani left to the library to find out more about the Oni. She knew their name but not truly what they were. Imani quietly left the house and got into her car driving there missing Stiles and her father. She again had to sneak past the library woman behind the counter, Imani knew the woman was getting nosy and suspicious.
"Hello library I have a new question for today." Imani said once she got through the secret doorway. The library seemed to hum in response.
"I need anything you got on the Oni." She stated. One book flew down this time.
"Hmm only one, better be thorough or else we need to update you with new info." Imani suggested, she got the feeling that library both liked and disagreed with that response. Like it wanted new books but was insulted at how she'd suggested it didn't have enough. Making her way to the desk that the book had landed on, she pulled out a chair and sat down.

'Oni are demonic warriors. They are so powerful they are described as being a 'force of nature'. Oni are meant to be endured rather than fought.
Oni are made of pure darkness that is contained within their samurai armour and are made animate by a firefly that lives inside their chest, where a human hear would normally be. This gives them the colour of their eyes. Usually summoned or connected to a powerful magical landmark or place. Being a being of darkness forces the Oni to only operate at night, having to hibernate during the day.'

Imani deduced that these Oni were summoned from the Nemeton after reading they were made from fireflies, remembering the night she saw dozens of them flying around.

'Though the Oni's appearance lead many to believe these are malevolent beings, Oni are actually neutral. Their morality is controlled by the being who summoned them, or who stole the possession of them.
The Oni can be summoned though mystical rituals, though the exact details of the summoning are unknown and seem to various depending on the person who is summing them. Once summoned the Oni will wholeheartedly fulfil the commands set to it by it's summoner. This typically involves the hunting down and slaying a Nogitsune though this is not always the case. They will not stop until they have completed their mission or are killed. However control over there summoned Oni can be taken by someone with a stronger power source.'

Imani sat back to process this. She doubted she would be strong enough to take control over this type of magic. She'd had no experience with it, but if it was a matter of saving her family and friends she would give it her best shot.

'The power and abilities of Oni include super strength greater than that of even an alpha werewolf.
Shadow Teleportation: Oni possess the ability to teleport through the darkness from one place to another within seconds. They do this by evaporating in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a puff of darkness which dissipates after they have left. This also allows them to leave in a hurry when the sun rises and forces them to hibernate until sundown.
Umbrakinesis: The power to summon more darkness once the sun has set. This means they can accelerate the rate of nightfall to make it easier for them to subdue, hunt and kill their target.
Supernatural Scanning: Oni are capable of scanning any individual in order to determine whether they are possessed or if they are truly themselves. This process is used to identify an individual that may be possessed by a dark spirit like a Nogitsune. Oni perform this test by making prolonged eye contact with the subject using their glowing green-yellow eyes until they have determined whether or not the subject is possessed. Once scanned Oni are able to supernaturally brand them by placing their fingertip behind the subject's ear. Branding the subject with the jiko kanji symbol which means "self"
Phasing: Oni are able to phase through solid matter such as a wall or the ground. This also allows them to store and summon samurai swords, ninjato, from their bodies. Their weapons literally form from smoke.
Martial Arts: Oni are highly skilled in marital arts as well as hand to hand combat.
Power Nullification: Oni have been known to neutralise certain supernatural powers. The full extent of this ability is still unknown.'

At reading that sentence Imani now knew how they prevented Lydia from screaming.
"If your books update at any new information I know that the Oni can neutralise a Banshee's scream. Stop it dead in it's tracks." Imani said out loud and sure enough in front of her more letters began to form including that fact in the book.

'Oni Weaknesses:
Mountain Ash: Just like most every other supernatural creature the Oni cannot initially pass through barriers made of rowan wood or mountain ash barrier. However they are capable of breaking through it after testing the barriers for weaknesses.
Silver: Silver is the only known man-made weapon that can kill an Oni. However to do so it must remain inside the body for a significant amount of time in order to kill it, otherwise the Oni will only be injured.
Firefly Removal: If an Oni's firefly is removed from it's place inside an Oni it will kill them if the firefly is then killed. However this feat can only be done by an incredibly powerful creature. After the firefly has died the Oni evaporate in a puff of darkness.
Sunlight: Oni cannot appear during the daylight hours and will be forced to use their shadow teleportation powers before the sunlight can make contact with them.
Lack of Will: Oni do not have wills of their own, as a result their actions are dictated by the being who summoned them or who has control over them. Because of this the Oni cannot be considered benevolent or malevolent, as they are at the mercy of their owners and are limited to doing whatever mission they have been assigned.'
Having read everything the library had on the Oni Imani was impressed at how thorough the information was even if it wasn't a large amount. She took down a few notes for Chris Argent to include in his bestiary and sent him a quick text message.

'I have information' With that Imani packed up her bags and headed to her car to get to the school for another day at her normal work.

On her way into the school Imani glimpsed the twins talking to Scott and managed to pick up on the fact that they were going to protect Scott from demonic ninjas the whole day, and if they and to protect him from the purple eyed one.
"You mean the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out their chests and completely kicked our asses?" She over heard one of the twins say.
"Yeah those demonic ninjas. Not to mentioned the purple eyed one. We don't know if they're good or bad."
"I don't need anyone to protect me." Scott said.
"They were looking right at you when the sun came up."
"And the purple eyed person defended you from them and also looked right at you." one of the twins replied. Imani rolled her eyes at that. They couldn't even come up with a good name for her? Imani knew Scott or Stiles would come up with something better.
"And they also disappeared. Argent thinks that they just come out at night." Scott said.
"Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas we're thinking we should play it safe." The twins agreed. Imani had to hide her smirk by ducking her head.
"All day."
"And all night." Scott sighed.
In the school corridor later that day Imani walked past the three werewolves again and they were brain storming who the Oni might be after. Scott looked right at Kira. But she could see him glance at her and double take gaining his thinking face.

"Guys what if they're going after supernatural's first? We don't know what or who they're looking for. Argent said the Oni go after anyone connected to the supernatural. Well I'd say Stiles is pretty connected. Which means his family, my family we're all connected to it." Scott said. Imani was impressed by the deduction but it was also something she did not need. Scott checking up on her every five minutes.
It was then she saw Stiles walking towards her and gesturing to speak to him. She walked over seeing how tired he looked.
"Hey Stiles you ok?" She asked.
"Yeah… just… just tired. I was wondering if you could write a slip and say I've taken a sick day?" He asked tentatively.
"Of course Stiles! You only need to ask. You'll know I'll help any way I can." She said with a caring smile. But thinking over her answer she revised it
"Other than cheating on a test. That I won't do." She quickly stated. Stiles smiled briefly with a chuckle.
"Thanks sis." He said softly.
"You'd tell me if anything was seriously wrong though right?" She asked seeing something creep into his eyes. Like he was exhausted. Imani recognised it. She had that same look seventh year.
"Huh? Yeah I would." He nodded.
"Do you want to maybe go past the hospital to be on the safe side?" She asked. Stiles gave a small nod. "Ok if… I don't see your jeep when I get home I'll come see you there. Alright?" She asked moving her head a little to get a better view of his. Stiles nodded again. He instigated a hug as a goodbye and walked out the doors to the carpark. Imani wasn't convinced by his answer to if he was ok. She frowned and ran after him catching him as he closed the door to his jeep.

"Stiles you know you can talk to me about anything right? I mean absolutely anything. But also if I'm over stepping or causing any stress just let me know and I'll back off. I don't want to cause anything." Imani got out fearing deep down her being in Beacon Hills was part of the reason Stiles was like this now. Stiles immediately looked up at her confession.
"What? No! You're not… causing anything. I love you Imani." He said reached out hugging her as tight as he could from within the jeep. Imani returned it immediately. She could feel a little tension leave his body but sensed overwhelming anxiety and stress coming off in waves.
"Alright. Well see you at home or the hospital." Imani said and backed away to the school seeing him start the jeep and drive off.

About an hour after that Imani felt her phone vibrating. She looked at the caller ID and saw Melissa's name come up.
"Hello? Melissa?" Imani asked concerned filling her voice. She knew Stiles might've seen her at the hospital.
"Imani hi. Stiles told me to call you." She said.
"Is he ok? Please tell he's fine." Imani said her heart rate having picked up exponentially.
"He's fine, he's ok. He's just resting now." She said calmly in a tone that made Imani think of Mrs. Weasley.
"Ok good. Um can you tell me what happened?" She asked.
"Well I've given him a sedative for him to sleep because it sounds like he's been very sleep deprived." She continued. Imani nodded thinking everything over.
"Right ok. I don't…" Imani said.
"It's no ones fault." Melissa reassured. "Stiles just asked me to tell you he was here."
"Ok thank you." Imani said.
"You know Imani…"
"Yeah?" She asked.
"It seems to me like Stiles is very lucky to have you in his life." She said. Imani paused.
"Really?" Imani choked out. Emotion filling her voice.
"Yeah. Um when Stiles was falling asleep thanks to the uh sedatives he said 'thanks mum'. I know you didn't know her but from what I remember you're a lot like her." Melissa said. Imani had to lean against a nearby wall. Imani couldn't speak momentarily. A slight noise left her throat in response.
"Oh sweety I'm… I'm sorry." Melissa said not knowing if Imani was alright.
"No… no it's ok. Just I don't know much about her. Dad and I haven't really had the time to… talk about her." Imani summed up.
"Right. Sorry." Melissa said again feeling embarrassed and foolish for bringing up a sensitive topic. There was a pause from both ends.
"Hey Melissa?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." Imani said and she meant it.
"You're welcome." Melissa replied. Both of them hung up. Imani breathed for a moment leaning against the wall and jumped in fright at the school bell ringing, signalling the end of school. She hadn't realised the time.

Walking to her car to head to the hospital Imani saw the twins attempting to start their motorbikes and failing to do so. Imani smiled looking around and seeing Kira drop something in the car park. Walking past she saw they were parts from the twins bikes.
Getting into her car Imani looked over her notes of the Oni. If Scott was correct about the Oni checking all supernatural beings, particularly those connected to Scott and his pack Imani was bound to be on that list. It was then her phone beeped. She looked at it and saw a text from Scott.

'Imani please come to my house. I'll explain when you get there.'

Imani knew she wasn't possessed by anything but having been a horcrux witness might affect their judgement of her. But ultimately Imani had to be checked. If they tried to the check her and she didn't let them they'd get stuck on her and possibly not check who it really might be. It could also potentially be quite dangerous for her to be searched. First she needed to talk to Deaton. Starting her car she headed to the vet clinic.
"Sorry Stiles I'll be at the hospital a little later… hopefully."

She opened the door and knocked on the counter.
"Deaton!" She called.
"Coming!" He called from the back. He coon appeared.
"Imani what can I help with?" He asked.
"I'm sure you've heard of the Oni that have appeared recently?" She asked.
"Yes." He said.
"Well considering they check the supernatural and I am a witch. i need to be checked." She said.
"That would be correct." He said not understanding where she was going with the conversation. She looked around agitated.
"Why don't you come to the back?" He asked. Imani nodded and followed him to speak privately.
"Imani what's this about?" He asked.
"There are certain things about and in my past that may affect the outcome of their search." Imani summed up. Deaton nodded with a frown.
"I'm not possessed Deaton. That much I'm 100% sure of. It's very hard to possess a witch and trust me we would know if we were." Imani said dismissing Deaton's train of thought. "However. There is something in my past that I won't go into detail today. It's a story for another time." She rushed out.
"Alright. What do you need from me?" He asked.
"I've done some research and from what I've found I could react badly to the Oni's search." Imani leaned her hands on the metal table in front of her. Deaton nodded.
"It could help with everyone thinking I'm human because to my knowledge no human has been tested yet by them. But it could also reveal what I am." Imani stared at the table between her hands.
"In order to help I need to know at least a little of what you mean by your past." He gently said. Imani glanced at him and nodded.
"I was a horcrux witness. A horcrux is a vessel in which a witch or wizard can hide part of their soul. Which means if the witch or wizard dies a part of them can live on, and possibly come back. It is very powerful and very dark magic. So much so that when a horcrux is created a second witch or wizard needs to be there to be witness to it. That witness is then connected to the horcrux till the day they die or till the day the horcrux is destroyed. Whichever… comes first." Imani said looking at Deaton to give him the gravity of the situation. Deaton nodded.
"I take it yours was destroyed?" He asked.
"Yes. Not to long ago." Imani said shifting remembering the agony.
"So you're afraid being connected to this dark magic might lead the Oni to think you're possessed?" He asked.
"Yes I am." Imani said "But from the sounds of it Oni's are maybe similar to Dementors. Do you know what those are?" Imani asked.
"I've heard of them yes." He nodded.
"Well I've had a good number of run ins with them, and they take quite a shining to me. Which is not a fun thing." Imani remembered being attacked repeatedly by the cloak like creatures.
"What does that mean?"
"They feed off of happy memories. Leave you feeling like you'll never be happy again. They leave you cold and shivering." Imani gained a far off stare when describing what being attacked by a dementor is like. She blinked out of her daze and continued "If left to their power long enough they can perform what's known as the dementors kiss. In which they suck out your soul." Deaton was stunned.
"They are particularly attracted to people who have seen horrors in their past." Imani finished.
"And you have." Deaton finished. Imani nodded.
"I just need you to be on stand by to cover for me if the pack ring about me. Scott's called me to his house to protect me as it were. He's figured out that anything connected to the supernatural could be tested by the Oni." Imani said. She reached into her back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a piece of paper. "This contains a recipe for a potion that should help. If it doesn't help there's a number on the bottom you need to call." Imani handed it to him.
"Of course. I'll be ready." Deaton nodded. He looked over the ingredients and nodded "I have all the ingredients."
"Thank you." Imani nodded to him and left the building.

She got into her car and started to head to Scott's house. However after stepping out of the vet clinic she saw it was already dark. Faster than the sun should've set.
"Damn Umbrakinesis." She muttered and got into her car.

She pulled up outside Scott's house and breathed deeply to centre herself as acting human before getting out of her car. She saw the Oni standing outside Scott's house seemingly stopped by a barrier of mountain ash. Imani was impressed by the house's defence. Probably Deaton's handiwork. She could also see the Oni going around the house and testing the barrier for weaknesses. Imani remembered a saying from the book that no one defeats the Oni. They only endure it.
"It's alright Imani. You've endured dementors, voldemort and your horcrux being destroyed. You can handle this." She muttered to herself. She'd parked her car across the road from Scott's house and slowly crossed it onto the grass. The Oni didn't know she was there, they were to intent on getting into the house.
Shifting her weight from foot to foot and loosening up her shoulders she steeled herself for what was to come. She made sure her wand was in a pocket in her pants and wasn't able to be broken should she fall to the ground. Breathing in she called out.
"Scott?" She called. She heard movement in the house.
"Imani?!" Scott's voice called back and she saw him appear behind the door.
"Scott what's going on?" She asked taking another step. By now the Oni had stopped pressing the barrier and were all looking at her.
"Imani get back!" Scott yelled. She could see Melissa appear to.
"But you told me to come." She said.
"Just get back! Run!" He yelled. Imani took a step back looking at the Oni causing them to think she would actually run. With that one teleported and appeared in front of her. She gasped and turned around swiftly meeting the other two Oni who had done the same thing. The two grabbed her and turned her around.
"No! Leave her alone! She's got nothing to do with this!" Melissa called. Imani's heart rate had picked up. She was beyond nervous for what was about to come. Her eyes met the Oni in front of her. It stepped closer and reached it's right hand forwards, resting it on the left side of her head. It's index finger behind her left ear. As soon as it's hand made contact Imani felt herself fall into a trance. The voices of Scott, Melissa and the others fell away. To them her body relaxed and she was entranced.

Once under the spell of the first Oni the other two released their grip on her arms. It took longer than normal for the Oni to search her and because of this the other two Oni tensed and got their swords at the ready.
For Imani it was hell. The Oni were very similar to dementors. She felt all the pain, torment, anguish, torture and despair from her past. The Oni seemed to latch onto the horcrux witness memories the most. Especially the battle of Hogwarts and the horcrux death. Tears started leaking down her face. She never felt colder or more alone in her life. Scott saw this. He was close to getting his mother to break the seal. So was Melissa. Imani didn't see an end to it all and so said the only thing that came to mind.
"Expecto Patronum." She whispered. She didn't say it for the spell itself but said it for herself, to maybe clear some of the darkness from her mind, and maybe just maybe the Oni would understand. Little did she know her eyes had flashed purple when she'd uttered the two words. Thankfully the Oni's head and body blocked the people in the house from seeing. The three Oni shifted ever so slightly at the mention of the words, they understood their meaning. The Oni's hand fell branding her. As soon as the Oni's hand left her skin she fell to the ground like a bag of rocks. Her eyes were unseeing, her mind continuing to torment her with memories real and false. Her body curled in on itself trying to preserve warmth to no avail, shivering almost violently.

The Oni then turned their attention back to the house and the barrier that opposed them. The others called out to her.
"Imani?!" Scott yelled.
"Imani can you hear me?" Melissa called. There was no response from the witch. Their calls were put on hold with the Oni breaking the barrier and waiting for Alison's response.
What the people in the house didn't see was what Imani saw. In her trance she looked up slightly from the ground. She saw two outlines of people in a pale blue transparent light. Shifting her eyes upwards to see who these figures were she was stunned to see a ghostly looking Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Imani reached a shaking hand out towards them along the grass.
"Lupin...Sirius..." She whispered.
"Imani." Lupin said in a caring tone.
"You've been so strong Imani." Sirius said.
"But you need to be strong again. Protect your brother." Lupin said. Like it was a caution, or a piece of advice.
"I don't know what you mean." Imani mouthed.
"You will." Sirius said.
"Look for the Shugendo scroll." Lupin said. After he said that both men that were dear to Imani's heart started to fade away. A tear fell from Imaini's eye.

As soon as Scott and Kira were tested Melissa broke the seal.
"Derek check on Imani!" He called. He needed to help Melissa with his dad. Derek quickly ran outside to the still shivering Imani. The twins followed.
"Why is she still shaking?" One of them asked.
"I don't know." Derek said. He knew she wasn't a werewolf so he couldn't activate any rapid healing.
"Imani? Imani can you hear me?" He called. He gently pulled her into his arms trying to provide body warmth. Imani couldn't respond she was to deep into her trance. Derek flicked his claws out.
"Wait! She can't heal." one of twins said stopping him.
"I'm not turning her. Just going to scratch her." Derek said and pulled one of his claws across the back of one of Imani's hands causing a shallow cut. They hoped the pain would pull her back. It didn't.
"That should've worked. Why didn't it?" A twin asked.
"We need to call Deaton." Derek said. "Scott! Imani's in trouble I'm taking her to Deaton!" He yelled and pulled out his phone calling the man.
"Deaton. Can you get to the clinic? I've got an emergency." Derek said and hung up. With that he stood up gathering Imani into his arms as he did so. The twins followed and one took Imani in the back of Derek's car so he could drive.

Opening the back of the car once they'd arrived Derek took Imani into his arms. The twins opened the front door of the clinic for him.
"Derek?" Deaton asked and then saw a shivering Imani in his arms. "Bring her to the back." Deaton said. Derek followed the vet and placed her on the metal table. Deaton came and checked her eyes looking her over.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She was checked by the Oni." Derek said.
"Right. Please wait out there." He said. The werewolves hesitated but followed as directed.
"Imani can you hear me?" Deaton called. Imani barely heard him but let out a groan in response, more tears trailing down her face. Deaton rushed around and gathered a couple blankets trying to warm her up. He had thankfully made the potion as soon as Imani had left and it was just about ready. He poured some of it into a small cup he walked back over to her and lifted her head.
"I need you to drink this." He said. Imani opened her mouth and managed to swallow. A very short time later she gasped in relief. Her heart rate and breathing slowed to a normal rate. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly before reopening.
"Imani?" He asked. She nodded. He smiled relieved. She relaxed and closed her eyes again. He nodded and left to the front room.
"Is she ok?" Derek asked seeing him.
"She'll be fine." Deaton nodded.
"Why did it affect her worse than us?" One of the twins asked.
"She's not a werewolf she doesn't have accelerated healing like you." Deaton said.
"But they tested Lydia and she didn't react this way." The other twin replied.
"She's human." Derek said. Deaton looked at him and nodded.
"She's resting right now. It'll take maybe a day or two for her to fully recover." Deaton said.
"Can she go home?" Derek asked. Deaton nodded. Derek sent a text to Scott saying that Imani would be alright, just needed rest and that he was taking her home.

Hospital

"Hey Stiles you alright?" Scott asked.
"Yeah fine. What's been going on?" Stiles asked. Scott looked at him and filled him in on everything. The Oni, the testing and Imani.
"Imani got tested." Scott said.
"What? Is she ok?" Stiles asked concerned.
"Yeah she'll be ok. Derek took her to Deaton but he says she'll be alright and he's taking her home now. Just needs rest." Scott filled in.
"Oh thank god." Stiles breathed. He briefly spoke to Melissa thanking her for letting him rest and then headed home.

As soon as Stiles was in the house he went straight to Imani's room.
"Imani?" He called gently knocking on he door. Not getting a reply he opened it and saw her lying on her bed with a blanket over the top of her.
"Imani?" He asked stepping over. She opened her eyes a little. "Hey are you ok?" He asked. She mumbled a response that sounded like a yes.
"Alright well how about you get changed into something less uncomfortable and actually get into the bed?" Stiles asked. Imani nodded and slowly got up with Stiles's help.
"You good? You're not going to fall over?" He asked. She nodded again and he left the room waiting for her to change. Imani got into a comfy loose pants, a sleep shirt and jumper. She was still freezing.
She knocked on her door signalling Stiles it was ok to come back in. He peeked his head in with his body soon following, walking over and gently putting his arm around her shoulders guiding her back to bed. She slowly got in under the covers and lay down.
"Scott told me what happened. Let me know if there's anything you need." He said making sure she was warm. Imani nodded already falling back asleep.
"Stiles."
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Thank you." She said and drifted off.