The sound of swords clanging against each other and Scott letting out growls filled the garden. Stiles, Lydia, and I stood out of the way and watch as Scott and Kira fought off the Oni. It's times like this that I wish I had some sort of healing ability so I could help in these situations.
"Stop fighting them. It's an illusion. You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but Scott, you gotta trust me, it's an illusion." Stiles insisted, holding onto me for support once again. The Oni formed into two lines, holding their weapons at their sides.
Scott and Kira approached the masked spirits and let them slice at their bodies. I cringed at each noise the katanas made, cutting through skin and muscle. Stiles had a death grip on me now, keeping our bodies close. He was practically a heater and was radiating lots of warmth. Scott finally reached the door, forcing it open. When we exited the snowy garden, we were inside of the school.
"We're okay. We-" Scott started before being thrown into the lockers with Kira and Lydia by the Nogitsune, who now looked like Stiles.
"This was my game. You think you can beat me at my game?" He spoke to them as they remained on the floor, then turned his gaze to Stiles and I. I held onto Stiles as tight as I could, backing away from the Nogitsune as he moved closer to us.
"Divine move? Divine move? You think you have any moves at all? You can kill the Oni, but me? Me? I'm a thousand years old, you can't kill me!" His voice echoed loudly through the halls, and I stopped in my tracks.
"But we can change you! You forgot about the scroll. The Shugendo scroll." I replied, watching as Scott inched closer to him.
"Change the host." The Nogitsune spoke quietly with a look of realization on his face.
"You can't be a fox and a wolf." Stiles hissed as Scott grabbed the Nogitsunes arm and bit him, digging his claws in as well. He let out a scream before Kira ran her katana through his heart.
As the Nogitsune was dying in front of us, Stiles gave me a look of reassurance. The Nogitsune fly escaped from the hosts mouth and I watched as Isaac caught it in the Triskele box. The hosts body jerked slightly before cracking like clay and disintegrating into nothing. I collided into Stiles body, holding him tightly.
"Is it over?" I asked quietly, my arms wrapped around his torso.
"It's over." He nodded against my shoulder and tightened his grip on me, rubbing my back once again. Suddenly, he became limp and fell to the ground. We all leaned over his body, and I felt tears start to building up in my eyes.
"He probably just fainted, right?" Kira questioned, as I placed my hand on his.
"I don't know." Scott answered, as we waited for him to wake up. Five minutes of silence passed as I held my tears in.
"Oh my god, I fainted didn't I?" Stiles spoke quietly, finally opening his eyes. I let out a long sigh of relief and took my hand off of his.
"We're alive. We're all alive?" He continued, and I nodded in response.
"Yeah, we're okay." Scott replied softly.
When I think of Stiles Stilinski, I think of a strong, sarcastic, witty, boy who will do anything to save his friends. He was willing to die that night to save us from the Nogitsune, and I admire his bravery. I love everything about Stiles. His hair, his soft eyes, the way his lips curve into a smirk when he's being sarcastic (which is a frequent occurance), his love for flannels, and his obsession with his Jeep. I can't think of one flaw about Stiles Stilinski, but I will never tell him that of course.
After the Nogitsune was finally gone for good, our lives seemed back to normal. We started our junior year of high school, Scott continued working at the Animal Clinic, I got a job at the local burger place, Stiles began spending a lot of time at the Sheriff's station, Kira joined the lacrosse team, and Lydia was constantly shopping. Everything went back to the way it was before, and it has been that way for a few months now. Occasionally there is the normal high school drama, but that is to be expected. I want it to stay like this forever, but I know deep down that something else is bound to happen. I mean, come on. It's Beacon Hills.
And there's the end of book one! I hope you all enjoyed and I can't wait to continue writing about Olivia. I have fallen in love with her character, and I'm excited for you all to read the sequel! Heartbeat, which is the title of book two, will be centered around Stiles and Olivia's relationship and their interactions. Thank you so much, and I hope you loved reading this as much as I loved writing it!