Onihunter Yuna 2

124 The Bakeneko (Present)

Two red-glowing, vertical slits penetrated the mist, then the cat girl reappeared. Behind her, two tails whipped through the air. Dense, black fur enveloped her whole body. Cat ears were standing off her head, which was also like a cat's. Claws throned on her fingertips and toes. The demonic purr still echoed throughout the room.

"Nisha..." Yuna breathed. She couldn't avert her gaze and stared at the Bakeneko.

"Yes. That's my true form." She stood in front of Hikari's body and studied her. "I'm not sure how it works."

"Okay..."

The Bakeneko opened her arms and gave a weird hiss, but nothing happened. The huntress' eyes jumped between Hikari and Nisha. The cat girl's ears twitched and she turned around. Her eyes fell on Yui. "I understand." She walked over and stood in front of the blonde.

The blue-haired girl tensed. The creature might be Nisha, but she didn't know if she could trust her right now. Slowly she straightened herself with clenched fists.

Nisha opened her arms again and hissed, causing Yui's body to shake. She rolled onto her back and opened her mouth.

Yuna's fists cracked and she approached the Bakeneko.

The red haze over Yui rippled briefly, only to create a vortex that steadily thickened. The demonic purring still echoed through the mist.

"There she is," Nisha said, looking at Yuna. Her slit-like pupils still glowed red.

"This here?"

The huntress questioningly pointed to the small vortex that attracted the mist around it. The Bakeneko nodded. The blue-haired girl gasped in astonishment. The mist deformed and got human features. Within a minute, they could tell it was a girl. The details steadily refined until the foggy structure looked like Hikari, whereupon it opened the eyes.

"H-Hikari?" Yuna asked tentatively.

The mist girl looked around, blinked a few times and then turned to the blue-haired girl. "Yuna-chan..." The voice also sounded distorted.

"Oh God, Hikari." The huntress came over and hugged the mist, but her arms slid through and the form vanished. Yuna stepped back and watched the fog as it rearranged itself.

"What happened?" wondered Hikari.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Hikari," the Masuda girl sobbed.

The mist girl stroked her hair. "I'm dead, right?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry, Hikari. I'm so sorry for everything. Please forgive me."

"Hm." Hikari looked over at the cat girl. "Is that Nisha?"

"Yes," answered the Bakeneko. "Hello, Hikari-chan."

The dead girl giggled and shook herself slightly. "Damn, you are two fucked up freaks."

"I'm sorry, Hikari. That's all my fault."

Sighing, the mist girl turned to her best friend. "It really is."

Disbelieving, Yuna opened her eyes and stared at her. "W-What?"

"You're right. I blame you."

The huntress turned pale and her lips trembled. She blinked confused and looked over at Nisha, who serenely squirmed. "But... why...?"

"You said it was your fault."

"Yeah... but..." The blue-haired girl didn't know what to say because she hadn't expected such a reaction. This is not how reconciliation was supposed to work. "But..."