Oni

"Hope. You need to go back to Salvatore school." Alaric tells the brunette who has been living with him and Sosuke the past weeks.

"Why? I'm happy right here. Besides, no one knows about me aside from you and Sosuke." Hope says confused.

"Yeah and why is that exactly?" Alaric asks.

"Because telling them would be pointless. Either they don't believe me or they do and I drag them into the Malivore mess again, plus everyone seems to be happier now and I don't want to be responsible for destroying that." Hope says.

"Then why tell us?" Alaric asks doubtful.

"Because I... I can't do this on my own. And when I saw how... lost Sosuke was, it broke my heart. I had to tell him." Hope answers.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me the whole truth?" Alaric asks.

"Fine. Just don't tell Sosuke." Hope says, unknown to them Sosuke is about to enter their office at that moment and stops, listening in on them.

"Why? What are you keeping secret?" Alaric asks.

"I fear that I will have to go back into the pit. There was no way around it before, why should now be any different? So if my fear is correct then I have to go back into the pit as a full tribrid. And save the speech you can't even imagine how I feel about this. I mean what kind of a selfish bitch am I? I tell the one person I have seen this will destroy and might have to do it to him all over again even though I love him more than ever." Hope answers emotionally, shaking a bit.

Sosuke steps into the room quietly and Alaric looks at the boy worried, Hope sees Alaric looking behind her stunned and turns around to see Sosuke walk up to them, his sad expression telling her that he overheard him and Hope feels her throat close up in horror, only able to take short breaths of air until Sosuke is suddenly kneeling beside her and pulls her in for a hug, stroking through her hair comfortingly.

"Didn't you tell me that I asked you not to shoulder everything on your own before? Well consider this me asking it of you again. And don't you dare hop into the pit again. I won't let you off that easy this time." Sosuke tells her, Hope freezing up fearfully at first before sobbing lightly while hugging him fiercely.

"OK." She chokes out while he's rubbing her back soothingly.

"Good. Then we're fine. No need to talk about this again." He says.

"Sorry to interrupt another one of your touching moments but I still think Hope should go to Salvatore school again." Alaric says.

"He's right. This place is pointless Hope. We promised not to get too dependent on each other and you transferring back would help. Even if I will be tempted to break every guy's bones if they look at you too much. And with you there we will have a better chance of stopping the monsters as well as finding another solution for the pit." Sosuke tells her, slowly releasing her from his hug.

"Are you sure?" She asks uncertainly.

"Yeah. Especially about the breaking bones part." He tells her with a grin.

Shortly after the two lovers leave Alaric is handed a temporary restraining order by the new sheriff, a result of Alaric punching his replacement headmaster at the football game days ago when the snobby man commented on Alaric being a bad father and hindering his daughter's growth.

In fact the headmaster has started steering Josie towards the path of black magic, which she is not happy about herself.

Meanwhile at the Salvatore school Dorian and Josie find a japanese man dressed in unique samurai gear along with a sword which has runes inscribed on it at their gate and Josie manages to talk to him, having learned japanese whenever her sister was at a shrink who had a japanese teaching neighbor.

The man explains to them that he is a demon hunter looking for a demon which can possess people and moves from body to body by touch and that he just woke up after being trapped inside Malivore with the creature. He also tells them that he followed his sword to their school because it can sense the supernatural.

The two let the man in and Josie convinces him that they will help him.

Josie brings the demon hunter with her to her sister and asks her for her help in finding the demon before it can possess Landon and bring him to the pit. Lizzie agrees reluctantly, having made plans with her new boyfriend beforehand but when Josie reveals that the demon makes people crazy Lizzy refuses to help in fear of her already fragile sanity.

20 minutes later Sosuke and Hope are standing in front of the school gate and he punches in the security code, the door opening for them. Looking to their right however at hearing some noise from there they see Rafael climbing over the wall for some reason before he takes off towards the school in a hurry.

"Raf is in a weird mood." Sosuke says surprised.

"Yeah. I wonder what's going on." Hope agrees.

The two take their time to head to the school building, Hope trying to argue against her enrolling at Salvatore but the only real argument that made Sosuke pause for but a moment is the reality that they won't be able to sleep next to each other anymore and that their skinship will be reduced greatly.

As they reach the building they see Raf lying out cold on the front porch.

"Hey. Dude." Sosuke tries to wake Raf by shaking him but he doesn't respond. Hope then forces him awake with her magic.

"What the hell? How'd I get here?" Rafael asks, looking around confused.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Sosuke says and Rafael finally focuses on the two teens next to him.

"Sosuke. Hope." Raf says, shooting up and trying to look impressionable for the brunette bombshell.

"Focus dude. What happened?" Sosuke all but growls annoyed.

"And let me spell it out so there's no mistake. I'm 110% taken." Hope tells the werewolf, proving her point by pulling Sosuke in for a passionate kiss, which he's happy to respond to.

"Yeah, yeah got it sorry. But seriously the last thing I remember is me heading into town." Rafael tells them, accepting the fact that Hope isn't available.

"Maybe we should take you to see Dorian then?" Sosuke suggests until the samurai armor wearing man storms out of the school with his katana drawn, heading right at Sosuke until Hope sends him flying to the side with her magic.

"What the hell?" She asks and Josie rushes outside with Landon seconds later.

"Man, he's fast." Landon says breathing exhausted.

"Can anyone explain?" Sosuke asks loudly, looking at the Japanese man wearily. The man looks at Sosuke and then his blade wide eyed. His usually red glowing sword lighting up in blue instead.

He then kneels down respectfully and says something in japanese with Josie translating as best as she can.

"He says it's an honor to meet a descendant of the lightning clan and apologizes for his embarrassment of an attack."

"Ask him if he knows what I am." Sosuke requests hopefully and Josie translates for him.

"He says that your family has been blessed by Raijin and that you may be able to wield great powers depending on Raijin's will." Josie translates taken aback herself.

"Back to the matter at hand. What is he even doing here?" Hope asks and Josie fills her, Sosuke and Rafael in.

"Uh, I hate to say it but it seems like I may have brought it to school." Rafael tells them.

"Great, so the demon is possessing one of the supernatural students here. Just what we need." Hope says with a sigh.

"Any ideas how to find the oni?" Sosuke asks with Josie translating.

The man points at his still blue glowing sword and shakes his head while saying something.

"He says your presence affects the blade too much, it cannot track the demon properly with you around and he thinks that you have to be Raijin's reincarnation." Josie translates shocked.

"So, that's a no." Hope sighs.

"We could try the old fashioned way. But you're not gonna like it." Sosuke suggests, looking at Landon in particular.

"What way is that?" Landon asks.

"We use you as bait. I believe the creature will be looking for you. So if we go now and prepare the mill then maybe we can catch it?" Sosuke suggests.

"No way." Rafael protests.

"It's the only way." Hope says, agreeing with Sosuke.

"It's your call Lan." Sosuke tells Landon.

"Don't. We can figure this out, a safe way." Josie pleads, squeezing Landon's hand.

"We have no choice, plus if you put up the barrier with only me inside I'll be even safer in there anyways." Landon tells her, smiling at her, grateful that she's looking out for him.

While the group relocates to the mill, except for their demon slaying samurai friend Hope asks Sosuke "Do you believe what he said about you?"

"Some of it. I don't know about being some god reincarnated but to think that me having this power was meant to be because of my ancestors, whoever they may be and not at random... that would be reassuring." Sosuke answers.

"There was nothing random about you getting this power. Afterall how else could you protect the one and only tribrid from time to time?" Hope tells Sosuke, linking her arm with his as the two follow their three friends to the mill.

"Thanks sweetie." He replies smiling.

A few minutes later they brought Landon to the mill.

And Josie is about to put up the barrier when Jed suddenly leaps out of a bush and grabs onto Josie.

"Back away everyone or I will kill this puny host." The demon says, possessing Josie and holds the axe from in front of the mill to her throat.

"What do you want?" Landon shouts.

"You. Just you." It answers darkly.

"Guys. This is Josie. We can't hurt her. Just back off and stay out of this. She can't handle this, I do." Landon tells his friends.

"Lan." Rafael says trying to stop her.

"Come on guys. Let's give them some room." Sosuke says and pulls Hope, Rafael and Jed along on their way back to the house.

"Man get your hands off me. What do you think you're doing leaving it alone with Landon." Rafael shouts angrily but Sosuke's grip is too strong even for the werewolf.

"I have a plan alright. Plus Landon is right. We need to kill him. With the sword, let's go get it." Sosuke says.

"You want to kill my brother?" Rafael asks growling, grabbing his collar only to get headbutted by Sosuke.

"He should revive. And killing me won't work. At worst I'd be like I'm desiccated." Sosuke tells them.

"He's right. Landon is our best shot." Hope agrees.

"Well, where is this stupid sword?" Jed asks.

"How would we know? Didn't you see a samurai somewhere?" Hope asks the jock.

"He was possessed, so he wouldn't actually remember. Jed where were you when you blacked out?" Sosuke asks.

"Never mind." Sosuke tells them, seeing a group formed around the dead japanese warrior who has his throat slit at the edge of the forest.

"Excuse us." Sosuke says pushing through the gathered students and picks up the glowing sword which changes from an angry red to a calm blue.

"Let's go, we have to hurry. " Sosuke tells them and heads over to the school's garage.

Getting inside he stops in front of the usual van.

"Do we have keys?" Josie asks, catching up to them with a frown.

"Yeah." Sosuke says and gets out his keys, still having a copy of the vehicle's keys and he unlocks the car swiftly.

"Everyone in!" The worried Josie shouts and the group minus Jed hurries into the car before driving away to town while Josie and Hope use a locator spell on the usually shy girl's boyfriend.

"It looks like he's heading right where we fought that big green monster." Hope informs Sosuke, who is driving and 5 to 10 minutes later they pull up in townsquare and hurry out of the car.

"He's heading to us. Whoa! Watch out." Hope shouts, barely jumping over a mini Malivore pit about the same size as a dinner plate as they head towards Landon.

"Guess that confirms that Malivore is back." Sosuke says, glancing at the pit.

"So... How are we doing this?" Sosuke asks, swiping the sword in front of him a few times.

"Wait." Josie says worried and grabs onto the sword's hilt, hissing retracting her hand when it burns her.

"What?" Sosuke asks.

"It's hexed with black magic. A lot of it. What if... What if I siphon it and only use the magic energy against Landon?" Josie asks.

"Are you sure you can do this? I mean black magic isn't really our school's forte." Sosuke replies.

"At least let me try." Josie pleads, holding her hand out for the sword.

"Give it to her. She can do it. I know I would do the same if it were you being possessed." Hope tells Sosuke.

Sosuke nods in acceptance and hands Josie the sword. The witch siphons the sword's magic, black veins rising up her body slowly until the sword no longer glows.

"Stand back." Josie pants and Hope, Rafael and Sosuke take a step back while Landon is about 10 meters away from them. Walking towards the pit with purpose.

"I'm sorry if this doesn't work." Josie says softly before she screams loudly, reminding the others of what they'd imagine a banshee scream to be like when dark force waves crash into Landon over and over, with a reddish energy seeping out of the boy forming a pain stricken demon face before it gets blasted into oblivion.

"I think she did it." Rafael says relieved while Landon is lying unconscious on the ground.

"Looked like it, yeah." Sosuke agrees.

"You did it Josie." Hope cheers happily and hugs the witch who looks about ready to collapse.

The group loads Landon into the car and heads back to the Salvatore school.

Once there Rafael brings his brother to their room and watches over him while Josie goes to the headmaster asking for help in getting rid of the black magic and he lets her use a large hourglass object which is able to absorb the magic and will give her no side effects as long as it stays intact.

"Are you sure this is what we should do right now?" Hope asks, sitting with Sosuke in front of the headmaster's office while Josie is in there.

"Sure. Otherwise we will come up with an excuse just so you can continue to live with me." Sosuke replies, stroking over her thigh calmingly.

Josie leaves the office a few moments later.

"How are you feeling?" Sosuke asks, getting up with Hope.

"Better. He really helped me a lot." Josie says relieved.

"Thank you two as well." Josie says hugging them at the same time.

"We really didn't do anything this time." Sosuke says embarrassed.

"Yeah. Today was all you Josie." Hope agrees.

"Thanks." The shy witch says smiling and leaves to check on Landon.

After she left Hope enters the headmaster's office and asks to join the school which he gladly accepts, having heard about her being a witch.

"Looks like tonight's the last night I get to stay with you for a while." Hope tells Sosuke disappointed, stepping out of the headmaster's office.

"I will visit all the time. Even at night." He tells her, whispering the last part in her ear.

"I'd like that very much." She says smiling and nods before taking his hand and heading home, where the two of them make out again like there is no tomorrow.