Yuna stood in front of the roller door and watched Midori and Yui, who were leaving the area. After she had 'captured' and returned her sister, Yui wanted to leave immediately. With a queasy feeling in her stomach Yuna stared until the two disappeared.
My God. What should I do? Why can't I go forward? What am I doing wrong?
She brushed her pony aside and sighed deeply. Chewing on her lower lip, she reentered the warehouse and went to the boxes from her room. She had brought Yui's clothes and her books to the pension, but she had no idea what her sister was looking for today. She peered over her shoulder, through the roller door to the facade of the main building. Was this visit for the sole purpose of learning more about the weapon storage?
She believed her sister, when she mentioned that she had been in the warehouse the day before. And she was very grateful to her, that she had distracted their guardian, but how could she explain all this?
Hey, this is the armory of a special squad that our 'uncle' wiped out to protect the monsters in this town? Oh, and he was one of them too. And we are both half-demons. Great right?
Sullen, she shook her head and looked at the boxes.
"Hey, Oni."
"Yes, Yuna?"
"What do you think about all of this?"
"About what specifically?"
Again the girl sighed. "My sister. The weapons warehouse. My situation."
"What do you want to hear?"
"I just need some advice. I used to ask Yoshiro, but he's not here anymore."
"I wouldn't say that."
She frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Do you remember our special place?"
"Our connection?"
"Exactly."
Carefully, the blue-haired girl nodded. "What about it?"
"Come here. I have a surprise for you."
"How?"
"Through meditation. Sit down and relax. Search for our connection in your heart. The place where our worlds meet."
Amused, she grunted and lifted the corners of her mouth. "Sometimes I think I'm insane when I talk to you. Only lunatics hear voices in their heads."
"And telepaths. Come on now. Someone is waiting for you."
Yuna took a deep breath, then sat down cross-legged, put her hands in her lap and closed her eye. She listened deeply inside herself, but there was only silence and emptiness. She felt something reaching out and slowly pull her down into the darkness.
She opened her eyes abruptly and looked around, blinking. She was sitting on a meadow in a park surrounded by countless flowers. Slowly she rose and looked around. She could see a park bench, whereupon two people, who were talking, sat with their backs to her. Farther back, a dark orange sun glowed, but it didn't dazzle. Studying her surroundings, she moved towards them.
She recognized one of them immediately. It was a black, misty scheme. She studied her oni for a moment. Was this his true form? Why didn't he have a real body like everyone else?
Shrugging, she looked at the other person. The dark brown hair was scattered in all directions. The man turned his head so that she could see the profile.
"Yoshiro!" Excited, she started to run to approach the park bench faster.
He turned his head to her and grinned broadly. "Yuna-chan!" He rose from the park bench, came to the other side and spread his arms.
She threw herself into his arms and pressed herself against his body. "Oh my God. I'm so glad to see you." She inhaled and tasted the familiar scent of him.
He gently stroked the back of her head. "How are you doing?"
"Like shit." She broke away from and looked at him. She noticed that he appeared in his human form. "How is this possible? Aren't you in heaven?"
Yoshiro laughed and squinted at the oni, who hadn't moved, then looked at her face. "I probably am. I'm just a phantom. A projection of your memories of me."
The blue-haired girl blinked a few times to then look past him to the oni. "Hey, Oni."
"Yuna-chan," he greeted her without looking at her.
She twisted her mouth suspiciously, then returned her attention to her 'uncle'. "Why are you here?" she wondered.
"Apparently you need some advice." The dark-haired man nodded to the creature on the bench. "He arranged this, so you can talk to me. To help you."
"So much has happened." She turned her gaze to his chest to gather her thoughts. "Yui woke up. She now lives with me in the pension. Midori Omura is our guardian. You were buried." She looked at him. "Yui has found the weapon storage, and Midori is about to. I don't know what to do. I need your help."
Thoughtfully, he stroked his ruffled hair, just as he had always done. He studied the girl's pleading gaze. "You know that I don't have all the answers."
"Please. You have to help me. You always knew what to do."
"You either have to get rid of the weapons, or keep Midori... Omura-san away from them," explained her mentor.
"What you don't say. I would've never come to that myself. What should I do?" She stared at him urgently.
"You are not alone, Yuna-chan. You have allies. You have to trust them."
"Who do you mean? Haruka?"
Nodding, he answered, "Among others. She has very extensive contacts. If you don't know what to do, turn to her. It's also in her interest, that the oni remain a secret."
The creature on the park bench cleared its throat. "The time is almost up."
Yoshiro gritted his teeth, then his features relaxed. "How is Yui?"
"She's suffering. We both suffer." The high-school student folded her hands in front of her lap. "But we can do it. As long as we have each other, we will find a way."
Fatherly, Yoshiro put his hand on her shoulder. "That's the right attitude."
The oni rose from the park bench. Eyes narrowed, he stared at the slowly turning darker horizon, then turned around. "It's time."
"How is Midori?" Yoshiro inquired.
Yuna shrugged. "Good, I guess. Well... she's often feeling sick because of her pregnancy."
Yoshiro's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could say anything, it was getting dark and he disappeared into the shadows. Astonished, the blue-haired backed away and looked at the oni, who said, "The time is up."
"Where did he go?"
"Phantoms can only exist for a certain amount of time. His time was up."
"Get him back!"
The oni bared his sharp teeth and laughed. "Impossible. I need new soul energy, before I can do anything. You keep me starving, and I do not like that."
Determined, she took a step towards her ally. "You do what I command you to, understood?!"
A throaty, deep laugh sounded from him. "You give me orders? You are very bold, little one."
She rammed her right index finger, which actually met resistance, into his chest and stared at him. "You and I are one. You said that yourself."
"We are, but it's a give and take. I gave you an audience with your beloved uncle. Now you have to feed me souls for it. Maybe you didn't notice, but you're constantly using your power, which hauls my reserves." He gestured around him with a sweep of his hand. "I can't create an empire here, if you let me starve. You have to hunt. You have to feed me. Otherwise I have to do it myself."
"I'll get your precious souls." She noticed a movement in the background and squinted past her oni. Something was moving back in the incomprehensible darkness. She narrowed her eyes to see better.
The oni lay his hand on her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. "Time to go back. Bring me my souls, or I will no longer protect you from the hunger, girl."
"You don't scare me."
Again she heard his sneaky laugh. "I know, that you're fearless. But once you feel all the pain I shield you from, you'll be hunting faster than you can imagine." He licked his misty lips. "Do not mess with me."
Angry, she stared at him and fluffed up. She squinted past him again and could already see some silhouettes. She didn't know what it was, but she would find out.
"Get lost," hissed the oni, pushing the girl away from himself.
Suddenly Yuna got up and gasped. Heavily breathing, she looked around. She was still sitting in the warehouse on the floor. She wiped her forehead and noticed fine sweat on her skin. As soon as she stood up, she felt queasy in her stomach. It was not as strong as it had been a few days ago, but she simply knew that this was the hunger the oni had told her about.
"My God," groaned the girl, staggering a few steps. She also felt an unknown emotional storm inside her. She hadn't felt anything like it, since her power had failed for the first time. She collapsed and leaned on her forearms. Lifting her gaze, she recognized Mai's Teddy, who was looking at her from the open cardboard box. A picture of her laughing sister with the teddy bear in her arms appeared in her mind, and instantly her heart became heavy.
Tears gathered in her red eye as she clenched her fists. "I'm all right," she said aloud. She blinked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm fine."
She struggled for her composure, but couldn't suppress a sob. "I will not cry." She looked away from the teddy bear, to the other boxes. To all that remained of her family. She straightened up and squatted on her lower legs. "I'm all right. I'm fine," she tried to persuade herself. Her heart pounded violently in her chest. Why did it hurt so much? Was she really all right? Or was she actually hiding behind her power all the time? Did her oni keep her from the pain all the time, so she could at least pretend she was okay?
She clawed her hand in her top and began to cry. "I'm all right." She crouched down and howled her pain out, as she hadn't done in months.