Onihunter Yuna 2

124 The Bakeneko (Present)

"You betrayed me, Yuna. Lied to me. Do you have the slightest idea how much you hurt me? Because of you, I hung out with Yukiko. Because of you, I was here. When I realized how much you meant to me, I wanted to save you. Because of you, I died."

Tears came from the huntress' eyes and she sobbed. "Please forgive me."

The mist girl looked down. "I don't know if I can do that, Yuna."

"Please. Please forgive me. I beg you." The blue-haired girl dropped to her knees, folded her hands and bowed to Hikari. "Please. Forgive me."

The dead girl snorted. "Do me a favor."

Immediately, Yuna looked up. "Yes! Everything you want."

"Just be careful so you don't get more people killed."

Speechless, the huntress stared at her friend. More tears came from her eyes.

Hikari moved away from Yuna and approached the cat girl. "Let me go."

"You should forgive her, Hikari-chan."

"It's not your problem, monster."

Nisha shrugged. "Not really. But what kind of friend are you if you don't take this burden from her?"

The mist girl looked over at the huntress, who cried in anguish. "We are no longer friends. That was in another life."

"I hope you don't regret this for all eternity, Hikari-chan."

"Fuck you, Nisha. Let me go."

The Bakeneko clucked and the purr stopped. The fog began to clear, Hikari's shape blurred, and then a blast of air rushed to Yui, who breathed it in. Nisha's eyes stopped glowing red and her pupils became round again. The eerie glow disappeared from the room with all the sounds. Only Yuna's sobs could be heard.

The cat girl walked over and comfortingly rested a claw on her shoulder. "We should call Haruka to take care of this," she whispered.

The huntress turned to her and wrapped her arms around the furry hips of the Bakeneko. She kept howling and clinging to her.

"Shh. It's all right, Yuna-chan." The cat girl stroked the blue hair in front of her. "Everything will be fine."

"She's dead. My best friend is dead. I can't take it."

"I'm here for you. But we have to move forward now. We have to take care of Yui. We have to call the oni."

"You're right," Yuna sniffed. She wiped her eyes and struggled to her feet. "We have to... we have to..."

"First, I'll change back. Then we go outside to talk on the phone."

"Okay."

Nisha nodded back and closed her eyes. She took a slow, slow breath. "Come on." The fur turned a bit lighter and became less dense. Tormented, she moaned and narrowed her eyes stronger. She clenched her fists. "Come on." The fur became denser and darkened again. She opened her eyes and stared at her hands. "It doesn't work."

"Maybe you've used too much power," the blue-haired girl suspected.

"No. Transformations are easy. Something blocks my powers." She clenched her teeth and tried again, but a stabbing pain ran through her body. She shrieked and dropped to her knees. "It can't be done!" She looked up to her friend, who could watch as the pupils became slits again. "I can't change back anymore!"

"Your mother can help for sure. We have to call her."

Hastily, Nisha nodded and scrambled to her feet. "Yes. Yes, she always knows what to do."