065. Leave them to go fine Setsuko.

Before either of them could say anything else I almost shouted, "Well, see ya," and quickly ducked inside the Takahashi household. I didn’t want to wait around for them to get mad so hurried to catch up with Setsuko. I figured she was my best bet for answers since she knew Yuki better than anyone else. If someone was with her last night she’d know. I found her door open and she was simply quietly sitting in front of her bedroom mirror, still wearing only her short nightgown and brushing her hair. I knocked on her door frame though she didn’t seem to notice me at all.

"Setsuko," I need to talk to you. I said, but again she just seemed lost looking at her reflection like a ghost of her former self.

I reached out to touch her but suddenly Chizu grabbed my hand. I hadn’t heard her enter behind me, but let her pull me out of the room since she had a serious look on her face. Once she had **** me out and down the hallway a few feet she whispered, "The young mistress is grieving."

"Ah," I said in acknowledgment. "So she heard about Yuki already?" Chizu nodded soberly and then I changed tack. "Well, tell me Chizu, in your people have you ever heard about any kind of monster that could do such a thing to Yuki? I mean, pulling her apart… It’s not human."

"Sorry, no," she said softly, the terror of such a thing happening clearly making her as worried as I was.

We stood looking back and forth for a moment, then I said, "Alright well, look after her." She nodded and left so I did the same. "Well shit…" I muttered as I walked out the door.

"Kenji," Natsumi said and suddenly I realized she was outside the door waiting for me. She had surprised me yet she looked like the one that was troubled by seeing me. "I…" She took a deep breath and started again, "Kenji, I want to apologize to you." I was stunned. Those were words I never expected the proud and headstrong giantess to ever utter aloud, much less clearly mean them, as she seemed to now. "I was too harsh on you and I should have been **** to you after your loss."

"Oh," was all I could say being reminded of Yuki’s ****. It stung, but it wasn’t like she was my girlfriend or anything. I could have wished, but that dream was just so vivid. "It’s not your fault. I mean, you have to find the person that did… that to her."

<About that…> I heard someone say and then Hazuka simply appeared out of the shadows next to Natsumi. Before either of us could react she darted in and snatched out the long katana, drawing it out from the scabbard tied at Natsumi's hip.

"Hazuka!" I gasped confused at why she would do something so crazy and piss of Natsumi.

"Give that back, little girl," the large giantess growled at the thief.

Hazuka held the blade with a bewildering grin and looking at the blade appraisingly before slashing it back and forth in the air in front of us. But her eyes... <I’ll give it back soon enough,> she teased, then looked at me. <Kenji did you know this bitch has been keeping a dark secret from you?>

"What?" I asked, but couldn’t break my gaze from her glowing orange eyes. I was trapped by them, unable to move or look away.

<It’s true,> she laughed. <She’s your…>

"DON’T!" Natsumi shouted with vicious determination and suddenly attacked Hazuka. In a flash, she moved like a ninja and evaded the master martial artist’s punch. They turned and spun, arms and legs flying around in a blur. A moment later Hazuka easily walked away from the exchange unscratched, but Natsumi didn’t. It was all so fast I didn’t understand at first, but then saw the sword had indeed been returned to her, but not as she intended. It was protruding out of her stomach and the bloody tip exited out between the back of her ribcage. With only a grunt the big woman simply fell to her knees and then a moment later onto her side in the dirt.

<Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore,> Hazuka chuckled flippantly, and for some reason that was finally enough to spurn me to motion. I swung my hand at her face, landing a stinging smack to her cheek hard. As surprised as I was that I'd landed a blow while Natsumi had been unable to, Hazuka seemed even more stunned by it.

"How could you?" I said an unnatural rage that was eating away at my soul. Seeing Natsumi murdered had been more terrifying than anything else, so I didn’t know why I was suddenly so angry, but Hazuka had gone crazy and become a murderer before my very eyes. And now my limbs weren’t my own and I couldn’t stop myself from unleashing a beating upon the staggered girl. "You stupid bitch!" I screamed as I pounced upon the sobbing violet-eyed girl and let my fists fly.

"Kenji, stop it!" I heard behind me and then whirled into my sister who gave me a sober slap to my cheek, cracking something open in my mind, and instantly everything was clear again. The beaten and bloody girl under me wasn't a murderer, something had been controlling her, just as it had been controlling me. The only way I knew that for certain was that it had happened to me as well.

"Oh, God! Hazuka, I’m so sorry!" I said jumping back off of her and it stung my heart to see swollen and bruised face flinch away from me, sure that I was going to hit her again. "It wasn’t me!" I insisted, knowing now for sure that there was some kind of dark and evil spirit that had been possessing me much as it had her, but none of that mattered now. She was lucky to be alive which is more than Natsumi had, all thanks to whatever luck had allowed Kouki to break the spell over me.

"Leave her alone Kenji!" my sister growled again and looked prepared to strike me once more as she didn't understand what had been going on.

"No, it wasn't me! It was… an oni!" I insisted, trying to come to terms with what had happened. "It was in Hazuka and she killed Natsumi." I pointed over to the dead woman’s body and my sister seemed rightfully doubtful at such a ludicrous story. The fact was I probably wouldn't have believed it either given how childish it sounded. As I struggled to think of how to prove it I, unfortunately, didn't notice someone else approaching.

<He’s telling the truth,> Chizu goaded surprising us all as she appeared in the doorway to the manor house. Just from the sound of her voice, I could tell she wasn’t really her, but the oni that had infected first Hazuka, then myself.

"Stay back!" I shouted defensively at my sister and got between the small foreign maid and Hazuka who still sat huddled in the dirt. Having just witnessed Hazuka outfight Natsumi I knew that even in the body of a tiny girl this evil entity was extremely dangerous.

<You don’t need to fear me, Kenji,> she said haughtily as she bent over Natsumi’s corpse and pulled the katana back out of her limp body. <I just want to have a little fun giving you everything you ever wanted.> It would have been strange to hear her suddenly talking fluently in our language if I wasn't terrified out of my skull that she was going to **** me any moment now despite her assurances.

"I never wanted Natsumi dead!" I spat back defiantly, yet petrified.

<Sure you did. Hundreds of times. She was always a domineering bitch to you and you prayed for her to keel over and die. All I did was simply grant your wish.> Chizu calmly wiped the katana off on a Natsumi's corpse as I tried desperately to keep her talking, trying to find some kind of weakness that I could use to defend myself from her.

"Well, maybe I did, but Yuki?" I snapped back.

<Now that little slut had it coming,> Chizu answered back snidely. <Did you know she gave up her first time to Shinji before he left? No?> She made a rude gesture with her hand to indicate the act of fucking. <And that whore didn’t love you, just wanted to use you. Just like your sister does.>

I looked over to Kouki and she looked back at me, suddenly very embarrassed. "No Kenji, it’s not what you think!" she cried back defensively, but then Chizu sprung at her and held her at sword-point before I could react.

"Leave her alone!" I demanded, terrified for my sister’s life.

<Why? You know she was the only one getting in the way of your happiness,> Chizu threatened. <If not for her you’d have a happy life with poor old Dad.> The point of the katana pressed into my sister’s flesh, gently cutting away her clothes and leaving a red gash on her belly making her squeak in horror. <And all this time she’s been frigging off watching you bathe, work in the fields, even while you were sleeping.>

"What?" I exclaimed disbelievingly.

"No… That's not true… I never…" Kouki gasped and then it was too late.

<Liar!> Chizu shouted and thrust the sword up into her gut.

"Kouki!" I screamed and stopped caring about safety as I charged the pair and batted Chizu away from my mortally wounded sister. "I’m so, so sorry!" I cried as I extracted the blade from her abdomen and pressed my hands into her wound trying to stop the bleeding.

"No, I’m… sorry," Kouki gasped and couched up a spittle of blood. "I should have… I should have told you." More and more blood began coming out around my fingers unable to stop the bleeding. Intellectually I knew it was too late, but I couldn’t stop trying to save her as long as she still drew breath. She gasped again then said in slow steady words, "Kenji. I… love…"

"Kouki, don’t worry," I cried out interrupting her and pressing harder, but then I saw her eyes and how the light had left them. Her chest stopped heaving and her whole went deathly still. "Kouki!" I screamed down at her corpse and cried knowing this was all my fault. I had wished a hundred times that she had never existed because I somehow reasoned that then Dad and I would have been happier. I knew it wasn’t true, but somehow I couldn’t get rid of the guilt that I had in fact wished it and was now responsible for her ****, her blood literally on my hands.

"Kenji-san?" Chizu asked quietly from behind me. My blood boiled up and I twisted my head round to see Chizu back to her old self. She looked on with genuine concern at me and my dead sister. Hazuka was still sobbing to herself nearby and I realized I had to step up and find a way to beat this body-jumping oni or we would all be doomed. It didn't have a body of its own, so couldn’t be killed by brute ****, so somehow it needed to be tamed or cowed into leaving me and the others I cared for alone. Thinking on what it had said I figured that it for whatever reason wanted to carry out all my darkest wishes. So what else had I always secretly wanted?

Still unsure of what to do next I gently set Kouki’s body down and stood up to look back at Chizu. She was confused and terrified, but brave enough to face me after what the demon had just done with her body. For that, I somehow knew she could be trusted and prayed the evil would not be able to possess her again, and tried to back up that unfounded belief by wishing with all my might that it be true. Then I remembered all the times I’d cursed Azami as a harsh mistress and knew where the creature would strike next.

"Take care of Hazuka," I instructed softly and strode inside the manor house. I didn’t need to even search, just somehow knew where I needed to go as if I was drawn to the oni’s evil. Calmly, I walked into Setsuko’s bedroom and found her threatening her mother at the point of a knife much like she’d been doing with my sister only a few minutes ago.

"Don't hurt her!" I commanded firmly. "I never wanted anyone dead, just to leave us alone."

<Yes, I could, but…> Setsuko with her glowing orange eyes grinned as she traced the sharp point of the knife gently across Azami’s cheek. <She would leave you alone forever if she was no longer living.>

I needed to divert this conversation to a different dark desire of mine. I couldn't believe I was saying this, but I **** myself to admit, "But then I couldn’t ogle her big boobs either." Azami was too busy being scared to be offended, so while she was listening she didn’t seem to really acknowledge my lecherous words.

<Yes, she does have such lovely udders…> Setsuko agreed as she lowered the knife to the shoulder band of her mother’s dress. Then with a flick of her wrist, the sharp knife loosed the cloth and one massive breast, letting it bounce free to the open air. <Mmmm and such big nipples too,> she teased and laid the cold flat side of the blade onto the nipple and slowly caressed it with the steel. Azami bit her lip and I couldn’t help also enjoy watching the possessed girl sexually taunt her buxom mother.

<Oh, she likes this,> the oni possessed girl laughed. <Look how hard and firm they’ve gotten. I wonder, is it because she likes to be threatened, or maybe because of who’s watching?> With a quick flick the other shoulder strap was severed and her other breast bounced free, but it was already sporting a similarly erect nipple without having been touched. <Admit it Mother dear, you totally like Kenji admiring you.>

"Yes…" Azami gasped in a pathetic whisper and I could tell she was too scared to lie. Unlike what my sister had done, and only this seems to be what saved her from the demon’s blade.

<I suppose you are right,> Setsuko suddenly said pulling the knife away. <There is a shortage of absolutely perfect breasts in this world, and it would be a shame to damage hers.> Then to my utter surprise she handed the knife to her mother, and with it, the glow of her eyes passed into her as well.

"Wha…" Setsuko stammered for a moment and rubbed her head.

<So I guess we won’t need her anymore,> Azami said and thrust the dagger into her daughter’s heart!

"NO!" I screamed and jumped in to quickly pulled it out and tossed it aside, but as with my sister, it was too late.

"Mama…" was all she gasped before collapsing and I eased her to the floor.

I couldn’t help but sob as I stood up and looked at the oni-possessed older woman. "Get out of her body!" I demanded.

<Aw, come on…> she bounced her breasts before me, trying to excite me. <Don’t you wanna have some fun with these milk-bags? As long as I'm in control you can do anything you want with her…> Then as if to make that point she pulled up her skirt and showed off her naked groin, but I somehow had the power to look away and back into those unnaturally glowing orange eyes.

"I would never do anything to anyone being controlled by you!" I uttered as an ultimatum. "And if you ever hurt anyone I love ever again I swear upon all that is holy I will find a way to destroy you."

Oni-Azami pouted and stuck out her tongue before chiding me, <Spoil sport...> and then with but a blink her eyes returned to her normal deep blue color.

"Setsu…" she muttered as the reality of what had just happened returned to her clearing head. And upon seeing her daughter dead before me she knew it wasn't just a horrible dream. "SETSUKO!" she screamed and swooped down to gather her limp body into her shaking arms, gushing tears, as she tried to comfort her dead daughter while racked with pain and grief.

The oni may have left for the moment, but I don’t think my threat had any real teeth behind it. I had no clue how to destroy the oni that I’d somehow loosed upon the world. But everyone I loved was clearly in danger from it. Anyone could be possessed and start killing someone else just to sate its irrational blood lust. My heart was an aching wound itself watching poor Azami mourning her lost child, and I knew I had to do something to keep her safe. Something that would prevent the oni from making her or anyone else its next victim.