I was lying on Scott's bed as Melissa was doing all sorts of tests on me. Stiles had already been checked and now it was my turn.
" It looks like you two are going to be ok." She said as she finished taking my pulse. I sighed tiredly as Stiles helped me sit up.
" But are we us is the question that's been banging at my brain?" Stiles asked as he held my hand. On the other hand, I toyed with my necklace.
" Is she here?" Stiles asked as I stood up. My energy felt like it was constantly trying to deplete itself. Scott nodded. I still didn't trust this one bit.
" Okay, let's do this. Guys, we have to do this." Stiles said as he leaned against me.
" Do you recognize me? Either of you?" Noshiko asked as I shook my head. Kira told her mom that this wasn't a good idea.
" It's okay. I'm the one who asked her to come. We have to know." Stiles said as Kira looked kind of worried for us.
" You're the ones who's going to get stabbed with swords. Mom, don't do this to them." Kira begged her mom. But Noshiko stood firm.
" It's already done." She replied before an Oni was before me. I felt its hand glue itself to my head. Cold wrapped itself around me as I stared into the eyes of darkness that glowed like fireflies. The sizzling sound rang in my ear as its grip lessened and dropped me.
" Look behind their ears." Noshiko said as I was shivering with the cold racking me more and more. I felt my ear being moved slightly before I was helped up.
" So, it's only us?" I asked as Noshiko looked at us.
" More you than the Nogitsune. It also seems like Amaterasu has left you." She replied as Stiles helped me sit down.
" Can the Oni find him? Take him down?" Stiles asked as Noshiko shook her head.
" Tomorrow night. It's too close to dawn now." She replied.
" Something says Amaterasu is going to hunt him during the day." I said as Stiles kept me close.
" Depending on how strong he is, he might be unkillable." Noshiko said as I saw Scott look concerned.
" What about Lydia? Why would he take her?" Scott asked as Noshiko looked at him as if trying to figure out what to say.
" He would only take her for an advantage." She replied.
" You mean her power?" Scott asked as Noshiko looked at him firm.
" The Power of a Banshee." She replied as the statement made me afraid for Lydia.
" Hopefully Amaterasu will find the bastard and just seal him away." I said as Stiles just rubbed my back.
" I don't know what would cause a deity to come down here." Noshiko said aloud as I gripped my hands.
" She found me after I pulled myself from the bank. When I was a walking corpse. I hid myself at my old home. That's what I was always taught. To hide and heal. She promised to save me if I helped in return for a future favor. I think this must have been it." I said as Noshiko didn't say anything. She took my hand and squeezed it before getting up and walking away. Stiles looked a bit on edge before looking at me.
" We have to see my dad." Stiles said as the door shut behind Noshiko. I nodded as I felt a little sluggish, guess that's what happens after you are possessed for a while. Scott took us to the sheriff's station to see Noah. I wonder where my brother is in all of this bullshit? We entered through the door with no issue after a silent drive that had very sensitive energy about it. I could hear Deputy Parrish's voice echoing from the Sheriff's office.
" Go home, Sheriff. If anything comes up about Stiles or Raven, you know I'll call you in a second." Parrish said as Stiles and I walked towards the room.
" I'm not going anywhere. We have to find them at all costs." Noah said tiredly. It sounded like he still had hope lingering in his voice, a loneliness settled deep in his tone.
" Well, neither am I, since my shift doesn't end until dawn. You need a coffee?" Parrish asked his superior.
" Aw... You're a good guy, Parrish. That's what they all said at your previous station... Though, no one could tell me exactly why you left." Noah said as I could hear him shuffling either papers or something else.
" Maybe I needed a change." Parrish says as his heartbeat is calm.
" I don't know... I guess... I kind of felt drawn here. And I knew there were openings." Parrish confessed as if compelled to.
" Did you know why there were openings?" Noah asked him, it felt like a serious inquiry on a town with so many deaths. Why would anyone feel drawn to a murder capital forming on the map?
" The statistics don't worry me." Parrish said as he sounded cooled by all of the chaos going about our small little town.
" They worry me. So many things have happened in this town. Always feels like something will go aria." Noah said as he emphasized the last of his words.
" Well, then maybe you need to get some sleep. Go home, Sheriff." Parrish said with a caring concern.
" Ah, if I could just find my keys." Noah said as I heard more shuffling. Stiles was holding my hand before leading me into the office as Parrish passed us.
" In your coffee cup." Stiles' voice broke the deep worry about the room.
" We've seen you drop them in your cup." I say with a tired expression painting my face. He didn't say anything before coming over and giving both of us a deep hug. His chemo signals spoke volumes. Worry, anger, concern, and relief.
" Is it over?" He asked after he pulled away from the embrace. I smelt his scent before he entered the room. Scott's voice broke the peaceful atmosphere.
" Not yet. What we are about to explain is more complicated and we don't have much time to explain." He said with a serious notion. After quickly catching the Sheriff, he quickly put an APB out on Lydia. Wherever Void has her makes me anxious.
" We got an outcall out on Lydia's car- every unit on the road is looking for her." He said as he came back to the three of us and closed the door to keep unwanted ears from hearing.
" Isn't there anything else that we could do?" Scott asked as Noah shook his head.
" At this hour? No, not really." Noah replied with a sullen sigh.
" He took her for a reason, Dad. Look, if we can figure out the "why," then we'll figure out the "where." " Stiles said as I felt a dull ache beginning to bloom in my gut.
" Okay...What would a Nogitsune need with a Banshee?" Noah asked out loud.
" Something tells me it's not about finding the body. Something darker." I said as the ache began to crawl.
" Scott, you know more about this than all of us." Noah said as I saw Scott look very bewildered.
" You said you heard the whole story from Noshiko?" Noah asked as I felt my head beginning to hurt.
" Yeah, but that happened during World War II, like seventy years ago." Scott said as it clicked.
" Amaterasu showed me the story of the horrors." I said as they all looked at me.
" Wait, Scott, before that. You said "The whole story..." Stiles said as I felt the ache begin to pierce my body.
" Yeah... What is it?" Scott asked him.
" There's a girl at Eichen House... Her name's Meredith. I think she might be able to help." Stiles said as he took my hand. It felt like pins and needles.
" I remember her. She looked kind of under the pressure of something." I said as I tried to keep a normal look going. Sheriff asked Parrish to see if Meridith was there.
" Sheriff? Meredith Walker." Parrish called out to the now-open Sheriff's office.
" She's still there?" Sheriff asked as I could hear hope in his voice.
" Yeah, but they moved her to the closed unit." Parrish enlightened us.
" Why?" Scott asked as I gritted my teeth beneath my lips.
" They said "behavioral issues." " Parrish said as my heart felt fast in pace.
" What issues?" Stiles asked as I gripped his jacket.
" She wouldn't stop screaming." Parrish said as I felt the feeling spread through me. I felt a little faint and felt myself stumble.
" Woah, you ok?" Stiles asked as Scott and Noah helped me sit down. I felt warm and numb.
" I'm fine, just felt the wind get knocked out of me." I replied as I stayed put.
" You sure?" Scott asked as I nodded. Scott took Stiles and me back to his house. All the waiting around felt like a maddened period. I sat on the couch as the pain began to ache and burn. Why was I feeling this? I didn't feel myself slipping into the darkness. Time hit me hard. I felt the urgency hit me as my heart surged forth. The familiar heat rang through me as I felt disoriented. I felt hands grabbing me as I panicked. I turned and growled going half-shift before I saw Scott.
" Hey, it's alright." He said as I saw Stiles look worried if not tired as I felt. I calmed down and felt the half-shift cease.
" Did we fall asleep?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes.
" You guys both looked so exhausted that I could almost see the fumes running you dry." Scott said as I stumbled. Stiles helped me up. I smiled and leaned into his touch. It felt slightly cool and I could feel the pain from him, but I was feeling pain myself.
" Where's my dad?" Stiles asked as he helped me sit back down. The cool feeling wasn't something I'd welcome anytime.
" He's at Eichen House, questioning everyone, looking for Meredith... I promised him I wouldn't let you out of my sight." Scott said as I was worried.
" What about my brother?" I asked as Scott looked calm.
" I promised him that I'd keep an eye on you." He told me. I felt off.
" What about everyone else? Are they looking?" Stiles asked as he held my hand.
" Allison, Isaac, the twins... They're all looking for Lydia." Scott explained as I rubbed my face with my free hand.
" We have to find her Scott. We just have to." I said as tears began to form.
" We'll find her. I promise this." Scott said as I winced.
" You all right?" Scott asked as I shook my head.
" No. I'm not ok. I'm feeling off." I said as Stiles squeezed my hand.
" Maybe you guys need to hang back." He said before I felt him touch my hand. I saw the familiar pain-sapping ability react. I saw Scott's eyes light up.
"...You're in pain. Raven?" Scott asked as I shook. Stiles went to remove Scott's hand, but the same ability picked up.
" Both of you?" Scott asked as Stiles slightly shook his head.
" It's not that bad- just more like a dull ache." Stiles replied as he sat down.
" It's everywhere." I said as I let the truth spill slightly.
" Both of you are cold. Tell me the truth- how much does it hurt?" He asked us. I stood silent as Scott's phone went off.
" It's Kira. Hey, what's up?" Scott asked as I heard her voice.
" She's here... in Coach's class. And you need to get here now, too. Like, right now." Kira said with fear. Scott, Stiles, and I clambered to the jeep.
" Where are we going to hid her?" I asked as I was worried about Brunski being there. I hated his guts.
" I don't know." Scott said as we pulled into the school lot. We scrambled inside the building. Fuck my studies right now. I'm too far ahead to worry about going down a letter grade. I deeply inhaled and got a lock on her scent.
" This way!" I said as I grabbed Stiles' hand a little weakly. We trailed our way to the music room. Kira is right behind us.
" Meredith." Brunski's voice hit my ears. Oh hell no!
" Please... They're trying to tell me something." The Banshee pleaded as I heard crackling of the electrical kind. No!
" This school has a very strict no-bullying policy." Coach's voice entered my ears as I burst into the room with Scott and Stiles to see Coach frying him with his stun gun.
" Alright, Coach." I said with a winded smirk.
" Well? Get her outta here!" He yelled at us. We grabbed Meredith and bolted to the jeep. Kira told us she would call and ran. Scott was in the back with the Banshee and I was in front.
" Okay... Where's Lydia?" Stiles asked her. She looked scared and bewildered.
" Who's Lydia?" She asked as she looked terrified. Stiles drove us to Scott's house. I watched as Meredith looked out the window. How long had she been locked up? What was her story? We found ourselves soon at Scott's. We clambered out and went inside only to see his Dad with Isaac. Oh, fuck me! Come on!
" What are you doing here?" Scott demanded as Rafe looked like he had a long day, but right now we didn't care.
" I could ask you the same thing." He asked oh so casually.
" Free period. We're doing a group study." Stiles said as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
" Who's she?" Rafe asked as I smiled.
" A friend." I replied as Stiles grunted.
" We should maybe take this upstairs...?" Stiles asked. I saw Meredith point at Isaac.
" Can he come?" She asked. I looked at Isaac to play along.
" Okay... Isaac, you can come, too." Stiles said as Isacc took her hand and we went up to Scott's room. We sat her down on the bed and I sat down next to her as I had felt winded.
" Lydia? You mean, the red-haired girl." Meredith asked as she looked a bit confused.
" Yes! Yes! Good! Progress! Now, all you have to do is tell us where she is." Stiles said as he looked a bit irritated.
" Okay! Okay...If she tells me." She said as I nodded.
" I hope she does. She means a lot to us. She's my best friend. Can you ask, for me?" I said with a small smile.
" I already did. She said she didn't want to be found. Bad reasons." She said as I felt defeated.
" That's good, too... Okay." Stiles said as he and Isacc went to the bathroom to chat. Meredith looked over at me.
" I'm sorry." She said as I got confused.
" What do you have to be sorry for?" I asked as she looked to be pitying me or something.
" Your family. I heard them." She said as I went wide-eyed.
" What did you hear?" I asked as she sighed.
" They were trapped by fire. I could hear their cries. I heard it all. I'm sorry." She said as I felt a single tear leave my eyes.
" Are they at peace?" I asked as she shrugged and stiffened.
" I don't know." She replied before Stiles and Isaac came back.
" You ok?" Stiles asked as I wiped the tear away.
" Yeah, just still feeling the dull ache." I replied. I watched for a minute of Stiles and Isaac trying to help Meredith listen to the banshees around the world with her supernatural frequency.
" Isn't anyone going to get that?" Meredith asked as she pointed to my pocket. I pulled out my phone. I pretended to answer it.
" Hello? Yes, she is right here. Meredith, hun it is for you." I said as she took it for a minute and handed it back to me.
" They say "coup de foudre."" She told us. Wait from what Amaterasu told me.
" I know where he has her." I said as I stood up quickly. Scott was at the threshold. Meredith was given to the Sheriff. We all piled into Stiles' Jeep. As the drive went on, the silence was soon broken as I was leaning in the back seat. The ache just kept going as tired as I was.
" Hey, you okay?" Stiles asked Scott, who looked at him.
" Yeah. Yeah, you don't have to worry about me." Scott replied.
" All right, I'm gonna say it- you both look like you're dying. You're both pale, and thin, and you look like you're both getting worse." Isaac said as I chuckled.
" And we're all sitting here thinking it. When we find the other Stiles, will he look like he's getting better? Or this goddess?" Isaac asked loudly.
" Remind me when I feel better to spar with you." I said as I forced my eyes to glow.
" What happens if he gets hurt? Or Amaterasu?" Scott asked out loud.
" What do you mean, like if he dies, do I die? I don't care- just so long as no one else dies because of us." Stiles said as I groaned.
" I remember everything I did, Scott. I remember pushing that sword into you. I remember twisting it." Stiles said as Scott looked concerned.
" It wasn't you." Scott told him.
" Yeah, but I remember it." Stiles said as I saw his eyes find mine.
" Amaterasu wants her chance at Void. She's going to take it. I felt like I was locked away at her beck and call. She wants to kill the Nogisune." I said as I gripped my ribs.
" We can't let anyone else get hurt because of us." Stiles replied as I nodded. We stopped before an opened gate. I stopped for a moment as I smelt ash and a hint of smoke. Amaterasu was here.
" She's here Stiles." I said as he nodded. Maybe we had a fighting chance. The five of us stood before the gate.
" We've done this before, guys. A couple of weeks ago, we were standing around, just like this, and we saved Malia. Remember? That was a total stranger- this is Lydia." Scott said as I nodded.
" I'm here to save my best friend." Allison said as I nodded.
" I maybe post possession, but same here." I said with a hopeful gaze.
" I came to save mine." Scott said as Isaac perked up.
"..I just didn't feel like doing any homework." He said before I groaned. I bite back on my pain. Scott, Stiles, and I split off from Allison, Isaac, and Kira. We roamed a few halls. I inhaled as the scent grew loud.
" She's here. This way." Scott said as I nodded, letting my eyes flare. We ran down a long narrow hall, I heard a heartbeat getting louder. We ran down the stairs to see Lydia.
" Lydia? Are you all right?" Scott asked her as tears welled up in my eyes.
" No, no, no, no... Why are you here?" She asked as I held her tight. I was pushed off of her as I saw the worry.
" Lydia, we're here for you." Stiles said as she looked worried and angry.
" You weren't supposed to be here! You didn't get my message?" She asked exasperated.
" Lydia, what's happening? What aren't you telling us?" I asked as she looked at us like a deer in headlights.
" Who else is here? Who came with you?" Lydia demanded as we flung open the cell door.
" Who else is here?" Lydia asked us again. The worried look on her face said it all. The four of us tried to run the hall, but I felt myself beginning to stagger.
" Lydia... Lydia, we can't, we can't." Stiles said as I felt all of my energy that kept me moving deplete. I saw Scott running ahead as Lydia stayed with Stiles and me.
" I'm too tired." I said as I felt my legs give out. I felt so weak, that I could barely keep my eyes open as the walls echoed the bone-chilling scream echoed in my ear. When a banshee screams, it means death. I looked up tiredly as tears left my eyes. The sorrow that left me shaken.
" Allison." Lydia's scream had reverberated deep within my head. No words could escape as the notion of her cry rang a truth that shook me to my core. I heard steps coming at us. I forced myself to change to see Amaterasu before us.
" Get Them Out Of Here. Blood Has Spilt." She stated with no emotion. I saw some healing stabs on her.
" You promised me that you would keep my friends safe!" I snarled. She looked defeated with a fire in her eyes.
" The Fox Shall Die. This I Give You My Word." She told us before leaving. I roared out in anger as I felt my shift recede. Now, this time, shit was personal.