( Birth of the Nogitsune:

In 1943 two soldiers are offloading the bodies of dead Americans into a field at night. Merrick (Jackson Heywood) is riddling Hayes (Josh Duvendeck).

The riddles are:

Q. "What gets broken without being held?" A. "A promise." Q. "What has teeth but doesn't bite?" A. "A comb." Q. "What has a neck but no head?" A. "A bottle."

Hayes is not amused. As they return to the truck to retrieve two gas cans, a bandaged figure stands up from the pile of bodies.

Its mouth is a bloody gash with shiny silver teeth.

It begins advancing on them. Hayes fires a handgun into the creature several times but it never slows. Reaching the gun-wielding man, the figure twists the weapon in his hand and fires several shots into the soldier's guts.

It then rounds the truck to Merrick who is attempting to reach the safety of the cab. It grabs him by the ears and shouts "What has a neck but no head?" It then rips the soldier's head from his neck.

~~~

On a Saturday afternoon, Mr Yukimura is preparing his blackboard in the history classroom. He notices a fly buzzing around and, when it lands on his desk, he crushes it with a textbook.

Nogitsune/Stiles enters and comments on the teacher's dedication for working on the weekend. He is looking for Mrs Yukimura's "tails" which are hidden inside a book in the classroom. The Nogitsune doesn't seem to understand how she was able to physically manifest her tails as daggers but he does know "the older the tail, the stronger the Oni" meaning the one she has left will summon the strongest of the demon warriors.

Mr Yukimura feigns ignorance but 'Stiles' is confident that he will talk. He then lifts the textbook, the fly is alive and flies directly into Mr Yukimura's mouth. He begins to cough and choke.

~~~

In Kira's room, she and Scott examine a picture of a woman and a man from 1943. The woman looks exactly like Kira and they speculate that it might be her grandmother. Scott relates how the picture came to him through Malia. It was taken from the body in the wall in the basement of Eichen House along with a Katana and scabbard or Saya. Kira's phone buzzes with a text, it's her father.

~~~

They rush to the school and find Kira's mom trying to comfort her husband who is still choking on the floor where Stiles left him. Kira has brought with her a small vial that her mother says contains "Reishi" which Kira describes as "magic mushrooms." The fungus does the trick and within a couple of seconds, Mr Yukimura coughs up a black fluid and is fully recovered.

Mrs Yukimura says Stiles was after the last of her Kaiken or daggers but that she has kept the final one near her ever since Stiles first disappeared.

Kira shows her the picture and asks if it is her grandmother. Noshiko admits that the picture is of her.

~~~~

Back in 1943, Hayes, Merrick and Corporal Rhys are offloading supplies at Camp Oak Creek. They come up one crate of apples short and we see a young Noshiko Yukimura is deftly stealing the supplies from the truck unseen by the soldiers.

~~~

"If that's you, then you'd have to be like 90 years old," Scott says confused.

"Closer to 900," Selene says as she enters the room.

"Where did you come from?" Scott asks.

"Virginia" Selene answers.

"Did you say 900?" Kira asks.

"It's true" Noshiko admits.

"Yeah sure, why not? Dad how old are you?" Kira replies.

"43. But I've been told I look mid-30" Mr Yukimura answers. Kira sighs and gives her mother the sword. Noshiko unsheaths it, letting the broken pieces clatter on the bureau.

"The blade was shattered the last time it was used" Noshiko explains."1943, against a nogitsune"

"All this... It's all happening again, isn't it?" Scott asks.

"Yes. Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Mr Yukimura replies.

"Where did it come from?" Scott asks.

"It was an internment camp during World War II, in Oak Creek. Not too far from here." Noshiko explains.

"Hold on-- you told Selene and Isaac that there was no internment camp at Oak Creek." Scott points out.

"Obviously because he didn't know he could trust me yet. I understand that. I respect that" Selene tells Mr Yukimura.

"There was a camp, yes. But the records were erased." Mr Yukimura admits.

"They covered it up." Noshiko says.

"When I was a grad student, my passion project, more like my obsession was figuring out the truth about Oak Creek. That's how I met your mother Kira" Mr Yukimura explains while showing them pictures. Kira picks up a picture of a burned man.

"So where did the nogitsune come from?" Kira asks.

"Isn't it obvious yet? It came from me" Noshiko admits.

~~~

Inside one of the barracks at Oak Creek, a woman is handing out the apples Noshiko stole from the truck earlier. She warns the other prisoners to keep their voices down because if the guards hear they'll get nothing. Noshiko gives a baseball she stole from soldier Hayes to Michio, a young boy.

The cautious woman chastises Noshiko for stealing the baseball, knowing it could cause trouble. Noshiko turns to an older woman named Satomi who is playing aboard game called 'Go' saying that she can "feel" her glaring.

Satomi says Noshiko steals too often and too much and refuses to be swayed when offered a full bottle of aspirin, despite her "monthly migraines."

There follows here some subtext with Satomi saying that Noshiko thinks her a fool and a coward for following the rules. Satomi says the young fox learns the rules so she can break them while the older, wiser animal learns the exceptions to the rules.

At that moment Michio's ball goes flying through the window pane shattering the glass. Everyone panics and hides the stolen goods.

Soldiers Hayes, Merrick and Corporal Rhys respond to the noise. Merrick says there were supplies stolen. He begins to touch one of the female prisoners, suggestively searching the pockets of her dress. Hayes begins searching the bunks but Rhys stops them. He says the prisoners are to fix the window and delays the search for the stolen goods until the next day.

Before he exits, Rhys returns the baseball to Michio.

To Noshiko, Satomi says "jigoujitoku"

~~~

"You reap what you sow." Selene translates. Noshiko nods signalling Selene's translation is right.

"Kira, I need your help with this. There isn't much time. And this needs to be done in the daylight" Noshiko says, referring to putting the katana back together.

"I'm not helping you with anything until you tell us everything" Kira refuses.

"Tell them, Noshiko. Tell them everything they need to know" Mr Yukimura tells his wife.

"Wolves and foxes tend not to get along," Noshiko tells them while looking at Selene and Scott while saying 'wolves' and looking at Kira while saying 'foxes'. Selene smiles lightly at this, trying to not let them notices this. "Not just in fables and stories"

"But allies, however unlikely, need to be welcomed, especially in times of war" Noshiko looks at Scott before 'slamming' a piece of the katana on the bureau.

~~~

Corporal Rhys and Noshiko meet in the motor pool at the camp. They are in love but Rhys warns her not to steal so much, "especially medical supplies." He then gives her chocolate and they kiss.

~~~

"Stop! Just stop! We don't wanna hear your Casablanca story. We wanna know how to save Stiles" Kira interrupts the story.

"Then maybe we should let her tell the story," Selene says in a bored tone. She stops leaning against the wall and moves towards the four people. "I've been told multiple times that Stiles is gone. And I can't accept that, not until I know everything" Noshiko nods.

~~~

Noshiko is helping Rhys learn French for his transfer to North Africa when they overhear Merrick and Hayes talking to the camp's doctor. Money changes hands but it's unclear why.

~~~

"We watched Merrick and Hayes talk to the camp doctor. They were whispering, talking quickly" Noshiko explains and Selene quickly grips her wrist. She takes the piece of katana that was beginning to cut into her skin, out of her hand. Mr Yukimura gives his wife a tissue and when she opens her fist, the wound is not to be found.

"How did you do that?" Kira asks.

"That's one of our talents. Something you'll learn. You should've noticed by now that you never get sick. You'll never experience something as simple of the common cold. Something as bad as the flu. Or something like..."

~~~~

The scene merges into one of the past following with Noshiko's words.

"Phenomena, same as the others"

Rhys learns that the camp is all out of M&B Sulphapyridine which effectively treats the disease. Noshiko remembers seeing three boxes of the drug when she was stealing stuff but Rhys says the Doctor is claiming they only got one.

~~~

"Rhys checked his log, but we already knew what was happening. The Liston was using Merrick and Hayes to sell medicine on the black market" Noshiko explains.

~~~

Michio, the boy from earlier, dies. His father is distraught. Upon learning what happened to the life-saving medicine the inhabitants of the camp riot.

They surround the Doctor's car as he is trying to leave the camp. Satomi, as it turns out, is a werewolf and becomes angry after Hayes hit her across the head.

~~~

"Then I knew why Satomi was always trying to keep quiet, why she had migraines once a month, and why she was always at the game of Go. It kept her calm" Noshiko tells the four people in front of her.

"She was bitten" Scott realises.

"Bitten werewolves have a harder time suppressing their anger. One unexpected flare-up and they can lose all control" Noshiko says. No one really paid any attention to it but Selene looks very uncounterable, thinking about something while playing with the necklace around her neck (see chapter: Silverfinger)

~~~

Satomi grabs the Molotov cocktail and throws it at the car. It strikes Rhys and he is burned alive. The other soldiers open fire killing dozens of people.

~~~

"The gunfire nearly killed me. I don't know how many bullets made their way into my body, but I fought every one of them. It left my body so weak, my heartbeat so slow, it appeared as though I was dead. But even then, I was still better off than Rhys. His screams could be heard through all of Eichen House, echoing through every room, every hallway. He dies in agony. The doctor, it seems, also sold all the morphine. Merrick and Hayes were given the job to get rid of the bodies, both American and Japanese-American. They were transferring doctor Liston as well" Noshiko explains and turns to the window.

"They were covering it up. The doctor, Hayes, Merrick, and all the others, they were just gonna get away with murder?" Selene asks, not believing her ears. Noshiko nods sadly and then turns around.

"I wanted them to be punished for their crime. But I knew that the clock was ticking. I was going to lose my chance. They were going to burn me with the others. I couldn't fight back with my body weakened and still healing. I could barely move. I was going to die. With time slipping through my fingers, I knew I was making a terrible decision... But, I could not die knowing that they would getaway... So, I called out to our ancestors for kitsune-Tsuki, possession by a Fox spirit... For a powerful Nogitsune, one that feeds off chaos, strife, and pain, to take control of my weakened body, imbue it with power and use it as a weapon. But, calling on a trickster is a dangerous thing... They can have a very dark sense of humour... Because, while the Nogitsune did come to possession someone... it wasn't me"

~~~

Just before Merrick and Hayes can destroy the evidence, the Nogitsune rises up and kills them, takes their truck and kills everyone at the camp and at Eichen House.

~~~

"What happened?" Scott asks.

"My body was beginning to heal... and I managed to pull myself up from the ground. But, it was too late..."

"What did it do?"

"It brought chaos, strife, and more pain than you can imagine..."

~~~

Noshiko confronts the spirit and attempts to kill it with her katana but she is only able to get the upper hand with the help of werewolf Satomi who attacks it from behind.

They kill the Nogitsune's host, a fly comes out of his mouth and Noshiko catches it, Rhys whispers "Coup the foudre"

~~~

They piece together the katana.

"The literal translation is 'a bolt of lightning.' In French, it can also mean, 'love at first sight.' But, a bolt of lightning happens to be exactly what we need right now." Noshiko explains.

"For what?" Kira asks. "Excising the Nogitsune from Rhys' body shattered the katana... But you can put it back together "

"Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Because I'm not a Thunder Kitsune. Do you trust me?"

"I just found out you're nine hundred years old-- I don't think I'm ever gonna trust you again""Trust me on this" Kira uses her foxfire to make the sword whole again. "Go ahead. It's yours now""What if I don't want it?" "You need it" Noshiko says and throws the katana towards Kira."You see? It gives you balance. My power is yours now, Kira. If the Oni cannot stop Stiles, you have to, the same as I did... And maybe seek out a wolf to help you...""You didn't tell us anything" Scott refuses."You want to save Stiles? Kill him" Noshiko replies.

"You agree with this?" Scott asks Mr Yukimura."Sometimes, history does repeat itself, Scott" the teacher points out."Only if you don't learn!" "But sometimes, even then, fate conspires against you" at that Selene snorts.

"You know there is one big difference between Stiles and Rhys. Rhys was already dead, there was nothing left to save. While with Stiles, he's still in there, I know he is. And he's fighting. There's a way to save him, and we're gonna find it" Selene tells everyone and then turns around and leaves.

~~~Noshiko then tells her husband about how the Nogitsune got free, because of the surgical sacrifice Scott, Stiles and Allison did.

~~~The Search for Stiles

Deputy Parrish doesn't want to return Chris Argent's cattle prod stun weapon saying it's "a few watts" shy of a lightsaber. The sheriff says he'll handle the situation since murder charges have been dropped against Argent and Derek Hale.

The Sheriff says he's compared the brain scans of his wife and son and found them to be identical which is impossible. They all realize that the "trickster is still playing tricks" and that Stiles recent scans are fake. The Sheriff says the Nogitsune is trying to take away their hope. He realizes that they are not just fighting for Stiles' body but for his mind as well.

He needs the hunter and the werewolf to help him capture Stiles.

~~~

At the Argent's apartment, Allison has gathered up all the "non-lethal" weapons she could find. Their original plan is to try to pick up Stiles scent at Eichen House and then track him. They realize that the Nogitsune is just trying to get them to repeat their actions from the last time he disappeared. He wants them running in circles until they walk into his trap.

The Sheriff gives everyone the opportunity to back out. Derek says he won't be the first wolf to run from a fox. Argent points out that he has a "lightsaber."

Allison sends Derek and her father to Eichen House while she and the Sheriff head to the hospital. They plan to all meet later at the school.

Despite what he said to Stilinski about trying to "trap" Stiles, Argent takes two fully loaded semi-automatic pistols with him as well.

~~~

At the hospital with Stilinski, Allison breaks down. She questions everything saying she doesn't know if she made a mistake with Scott and she also doesn't know if she can trust Derek. The Sheriff hugs her and says she sounds like a cop.

The Sheriff's phone buzzes. He's installed security cams and motion sensors to alert him to Stiles' sleepwalking. The image on the Sheriff's phone is of Stiles sitting on his bed at home. He waves at the camera.

~~~

Argent, Derek, Allison and Stilinski meet in Stiles' room. Apparently, Stiles rearranged the chess board he had once used to explain the supernatural to his father.

(The configuration of the pieces have changed slightly. Originally it was - Derek (black knight), Scott (black pawn) and Peter (black knight). Chris Argent (white knight), Kate (white pawn) and Allison (white knight). Jackson (white rook or castle) and Deaton (black rook or castle). In the new configuration, Ethan, Aiden and Isaac (all black pawns) have been added while Derek is now the black king.)

Isaac's pawn is off the board. Derek wonders why his name is on the king. The piece is heavily guarded on the board with Ethan, Aiden and Peter in defensive positions. The sheriff points out that he is one move from being in "checkmate" but the only piece shown close enough to place Derek's king in jeopardy is Allison's white knight.

~~~

Chris says it's not a message from Stiles, it's a threat from the Nogitsune. Allison realizes he's waiting for them at the loft. The Sheriff says the Nogitsune won't kill them. He believes the killing is just a byproduct of the creature's tricks. He says the Nogitsune wants irony and that they have to change the punch line.

~~~

The Sheriff walks into Derek's loft alone. Stiles turns and says "hi dad."