Risen

83

"All the baseboards are ashwood?" Derek asked

"Yeah, it was Deaton's idea" Scott replied

"Smart" Nova commented

"Where the hell did you come from?" looking at the alpha

"I've been following you" Derek replied, shrugging slightly

"For how long?" His eyebrows furrowing slightly

"All day" grasping Nova's hand, leading her away from the door

"It's Kira, right?" Aiden asked, looking at the dark haired girl "you gonna tell us what you are?"

"What?" slightly backing away "what do you mean?"

"Aiden" Ethan said sternly as his twin grabbed her wrist

"Watch" he said simply

He led Kira's hand toward the mountain ash line, the young woman snapping her hand away when that blue glow repeated,

"See that?" Aiden asked "she can't go through it either. So what are you?"

"She's a kitsune, idiot" Derek asked as he walked toward them with Nova

"Use your eyes" the redhead added "you can see it all around her, like you can see Enjin around me"

"The younger ones give off an aura" leaning back against a table "she just hasn't learned to conceal it yet. She probably doesn't even know what kind she is either"

"It's okay, though" looking at Kira "I don't even know what kind of phoenix I am"

"Isn't their only one kind?" Ethan asked

"Yeah, the strong-as-hell kind" Aiden muttered sarcastically

"I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet" Nova countered "that's actually the last chapter, and I've been taking my sweet time with it" looking back at Kira "I've known what I am for a year, but I'm still learning"

Kira noticed that Derek's and Nova's fingers were laced together, standing close to one another, which naturally gave her the assumption that they were together. She gave them a small nod, walking out of the kitchen to go talk to Scott, Nova looking at the door, where the dark figure stood, unable to get inside the house due to the mountain ash. None of the supernatural creatures inside and outside of the house could pass through the barrier no matter how hard they tried, except for Nova. But she wasn't about to leave the house any time soon,

"I hope you two know that when the night ends, you're cleaning up that glass" Nova informed, looking at the twins

"Sure" Aiden muttered "I wasn't gonna hurt her"

"Not yet" Derek replied

"Why do you think we're here, Derek?" He asked "for a study group? We're here to protect Scott"

"We're trying to fight for him" Ethan added

"I'm sure you are" Derek replied, sarcasm in his voice "I'm sure you'd kill for him" looking at them "but are you willing to die for him?"

The twins looked at one another for a moment, not answering the question, but it gave Nova a clear answer. They may fight for Scott or even kill for him, but she didn't think they were willing to give up their lives to protect him. But Scott was her friend, one of her closest friends, and even Derek knew that, which only meant that she would lay down her own life to protect the ones she cares about, even if they weren't on the best of terms. A rumbling suddenly moved throughout the house, causing Nova to look toward the masked figures, watching as he slammed the hilt of his blade against the barrier of the mountain ash. The rumbling continued as they did, some bowls and dishes falling from the countertops and tables, shattering on the floor,

"What are they doing?" Scott asked as he walked over to them

Nova released Derek's hand, walking toward the entrance as the figure continued to slam against the barrier, stopping in front of it as she watched him. She didn't even flinch when he slammed the hilt of the blade against the barrier, the other figures doing the same thing,

"They're testing for weaknesses" she replied

The two in front of her stabbed the tips of their blades into the barrier, creating a small opening, the one on the left moving his blade and replacing it with his gloved hand, pushing it forward, which caused the phoenix to back away,

"We have a problem" Ethan informed

Scott pulled out his phone, dialling Allison's number, who answered on the first few rings,

"Allison, please tell me you have something" Scott said "they're here. They're trying to get in and it looks like they're gonna be able to"

The redhead pulled out her notebook at the smell of burning paper, flipping to a blank page where a new entry was formed,

"Okay, okay, listen" Allison replied "they're Japanese demons their called the Oni. They're looking for someone who's possessed. Someone with a dark spirit attached to them"

"Nogitsune" Nova said, looking at Scott "they are after you, but they won't hurt you"

"How do you know?" He asked

"They obviously know you're supernatural, but once they do the check and they realize you're not carrying the dark spirit, they'll leave you alone" she answered, slightly holding up the notebook "all they're looking for is the Nogitsune" watching he lowered the phone "like they did with the twins, Derek and Lydia, they're just going to check"

"I was right, wasn't I?" Kira asked "they're looking for me"

"They're looking for a dark spirit" Scott replied "and I know it's not you"

"Scott, we're gonna have to do something" Derek asked as the barrier fell

"Don't do anything" Scott replied as the Oni entered the house

"Is he serious?" Aiden asked

"Just back off" Nova said, watching them "they'll leave you alone if you don't attack"

Scott turned toward Kira, holding out a hand, which caused her to look down at it for a moment before grasping it, their fingers lacing together,

"Trust me" he said

She gave him a small nod, allowing Scott to lead her toward two of the Oni who stood side-by-side, the rest of the Oni looking toward the redhead. The two Oni stepped forward, their hands rising and grasping the side of Scott's and Kira's heads, small gasp emitting from them as the Oni's eyes began to glow like a firefly. The teens fell to their knees, their hands separating, Nova reaching out and grasping the back of Ethan's collar as he took a step forward, slightly pulling him back. In unison, the only tilted their heads to the side as they continued to look down at Kira and Scott for a moment longer before releasing their holds. Their eyes faded back to the darkness behind their masks, standing straight and looking at Nova, who released Ethan's collar, taking a small step forward. With a clenched fist, the Oni brought their right hands up and brought it across their chests, their fists connecting with their shoulders as they lowered their heads, disappearing in the shadows seconds after.