Onihunter Yuna

127 Unyielding

Consoling, Kaori stroked her daughter. "You were the only one who could do that. No one else could have done that."

The fresh deceased sobbed. "Then why, am I being punished for it?"

"It's not a punishment. You're here, with your family."

Yuna pressed her mother away from her. "I don't want to be here. I want to go back. I want to go back to my life."

There were tears in her mother's blue eyes. "That's not possible."

The teenage girl jumped up. "It has to!"

Her mother looked at her helplessly. "Honey ..."

"ONI!" The girl looked around. "ONI! I call for you! Fulfill your damned duty!"

Kensuke and Yoshiro hurried back from the living room. "What's going on?" they asked, unison.

"I don't know." Kaori looked uncertainly back and forth between the men and her daughter.

The huntress pounded against the door with her fists. "ONI!"

"Yuna, what are you doing? You're frightening your sisters." Yoshiro looked angry.

"No! He has to help me! He promised!"

Her mentor looked at her critically. "Who promised what?"

The blue-haired peered over her shoulder to him. "My Oni. He promised that he would always be on my side."

A screech sounded from the door. Frightened, everyone, except Yuna, looked at the door.

"I'm here," the girl shouted, slapping her flat hand against the door.

"I hear you."

"Don't let him in!" Yoshiro hissed. His eyes were full of horror. "You can't surrender to an Oni, Yuna."

"Don't worry."

"He will consume our souls," Kensuke prophesied.

The girl shook her head. "I will not allow that."

The door latch pushed down, the huntress stepped back a great step, and the next moment the door flung open. Instead of light, only darkness was present. Two red glowing eyes were directed at the people.

"There you are. I've been looking for you, girl."

The blue-haired built herself up in front of the monster. "I called you to bring me back."

He giggled amused. "That was my intention. I'm also interested in your body continuing to live, so I grant you this wish."

"I'm not asking you, I order you!" the blue-haired hissed.

The eyes narrowed down to amused slits. "You truly are unique."

Yuna turned to her family. "I love you all, but I want to live. I'm not ready to die." The others stared at her with open mouths. "Farewell. For now." She stepped towards the door.

"I bet we'll have lots of fun together, girl. If you will survive your awakening."

"I can do everything. I've even escaped death now, haven't I?" The Oni laughed. A claw came through the door, grabbed Yuna and tore her out into the darkness.

The blue-haired regained consciousness. She couldn't breathe. Her whole body ached. She wanted to struggle, but she was trapped in an earthen grave. She shook herself and wanted to scream. She rummaged with her arms in the wet soil around her until she found a place that was somewhat looser. She began to dig up frantically.

Her hand broke through muddy earth. She pulled herself up. As soon as her head was over the ground, she choked. Sludge and clods of earth poured over the ground through her vomiting. The girl coughed loudly and shook herself. A violent rainstorm still rattled down on her.

She laboriously pulled herself out of the hole, over the slippery ground, lay on her side and coughed on. She spat out more dirt and gasped for air.

"Welcome back."

"Thank you. Without you I couldn't have done it."

"Without me, you would have been dead a long time ago, but without you, I wouldn't exist. Let's take care of each other from now on, okay, Yuna?"

"Sounds good."

The rain washed most of the dirt from her. The huntress rolled herself on the back and stared into the sky. She sucked in the animating air.

"I live!"

***

Ayumi sat on the sofa, watching Wataru restlessly wander the living room. They just didn't know what to do. The musician had called Yuna's number numerous times, but she was unattainable. He wished, he had Kenji's number, so he could ask if they had found his girlfriend.

They hoped that the Oni would report soon, or rather that Yuna would reappear.

Just now, there was a breaking news about the storm on television. Apparently a lot of low floors were flooded and some trees fell victim to the storm. Ayumi prayed that Yuna wasn't out there.

The bell rang at their door. Immediately, both of them jumped and ran down the hall, down the stairs and to the front door. Wataru teared it open.

"Hey ...", Yuna greeted them, completely filthy and drenched. Her roommates absorbed the sight of the heavily armed girl.

"Thanks God!" Ayumi pushed past Wataru into the rainstorm and embraced her friend.

The girl grinned. "I'll make you all dirty."

"I don't care." The huntress looked at her boyfriend. He smiled at her with love and affection, which she replied.

"What about Tirr?" the singer inquired.

"He's dead. I've destroyed him."

The redhead broke away from her and winked at her in surprise. "For real?!"

"Yes. It's over."

Wataru looked at her uncomfortably. "I'm delighted for you. I guess."

"What now?" Ayumi asked cautiously.

"First I will bathe and eat something. And then we celebrate. And from Monday on starts a new life for me."

"Why do you think so?"

"I'm fed up with the Onihunt. I just want to be a normal high-school girl." Her friends shared a wide smile on their faces.

---

On Thursday the final chapter arrives. I'm kind of sad about that, but I'm also looking forward to the next volume. ^^

'Onijägerin Yuna 2', how it's called in German won a Watty 2016 in the category 'New Voices'. I'm very excited about that. ^___^"""