Chapter 1: Moving In THATWARD HO: Baka the Bakeneko chapter 1 by JollyJoe

It was a lonely house. It vanished many years ago. Coaxed back to the material world by a witch in the rain. 

 

Its history was irrelevant to the young man. The lingering sorrow and solitude mattered not. He cared only about cost. Specifically, the cost of rent. And no one would be charging him to live in the world in-between. It would have to do. Least until he got the car running again.

 

Inside, JJ lit a match, then lit his cigarette. Inhale. Exhale. He could taste the dust and mold. The interior was filthy. The structure unreliable.

 

“Lil musty in here.” he told his homunculus. He took a couple steps forward. One loafer clicked against hard wood. The other sank into soft wood. “Hm.” 

 

It would have to do. Not like it were any worse than a motel. At least the furniture was nicer. And it was more spacious. In its prime, the estate was probably home to some sort of royal exile, come runaway to buttfuck nowhere, California, US of A.

 

Probably oriental, based on the decor. But JJ weren't cultured or concerned enough to speculate further. Instead, he pondered the quality of the beds. 

 

He ended up sleeping on a chair. 

 

****

 

Though more than capable, he didn’t bother doing too much to fix the place up. A barrier rune carved on a few of the window-sills, and a small syphon over the leylines for utilities. 

 

Upkeep he left to Finger. That was the homunculus. A pixie born from his severed middle finger and modeled after Bettie Page.

 

He spent most days in town, digging through trash to find and fix gadgets, bikes, widgets. Most he’d pawn and trade for comics or cassettes. Nights he spent drinking cheap beer and watching old B-movies. 

 

It went on like that for weeks.

 

After another day of his usual routine, JJ sat in his chair to read. He didn’t bother to wash his hands. They were covered in engine oil from earlier that day, when he was pretending he knew how to fix his station wagon. But JJ never washed his hands, and he rarely showered. 

 

So he removed the issue from its plastic sleeve, hands still greasy. 

 

Finger sat on the coffee table next to his beer. Legs dangling. Eye twitching. Even though he only spent two bucks for the comic, it was worth more than a little more. 

 

But she said nothing. She’d yelled at him plenty enough for the day. It wasn’t like it would change anything.

 

There was a crash in the kitchen. Loud. Followed by a heavy thump. The house shook slightly. 

 

JJ didn’t look up, he continued reading. “Finger. That you?”

 

She gaped at him. He didn’t even notice she was right in front of him. And there was nothing a creature of her size could do to make a sound like that. Whatever that was.

 

“No. It wasn't.” she said to match his tone, trying not to explode.

 

“Hm.” He flipped a page. “Go check it out.”

 

There was another loud clutter. And a constant, inconsistent noise. That is to say, there were a bunch of noises that, while sequential, were not the same. Eventually, they stopped. Then there was only a constant, consistent noise.

 

Crunching.

 

Finger’s eyes flared. She knew exactly what was out there. She'd been trying to tell him since they moved in. And she was not equipped to handle it. But she huffed and obeyed, her tiny figure zipping out of the room. 

 

It didn’t take long for the crunching to be replaced by a tiny scream. Followed by a series of clatters and shatters. Furniture knocked down, vases hitting the floor. 

 

And Finger was screaming. “JAAAAAAAAAY JAAAAAAAAY!!!!” 

 

JJ sighed, then tossed his comic on a nearby coffee table. He stood up and lit a cigarette. 

 

“Ugh.” he muttered, tasting the oil from the butt from his hand. It was the first time he noticed it. Then he looked at the grease covered comic. “Hm.”

 

Hands went into the pockets of his leather jacket. He went to investigate. 

 

****

 

He probably should have been surprised by what he saw. Then again, he did knowingly move into a haunted house without bothering to know the what or why.

 

The kitchen was a mess. More than usual. Shattered glass. Silverware and food items tossed about the floor. Finger nowhere in sight. On top of the island counter sat a naked woman. Her mouth comically full. 

 

Well. Woman may have been the wrong word.

 

She was three meters tall. Exactly twice as tall as JJ. Luckily, the house was more than large enough to accommodate her. If its structural integrity was more reliable. 

 

She had fluffy white paws instead of hands and feet. And a long white fluffy tail. 

 

On top of her straight white hair were two large cat ears. 

 

Startled eyes, glowing green, stared at JJ.

 

He studied the mess carefully. Then the woman. He couldn't get a good look at her ass at the moment. Their fronts faced the other, and she was sitting down. But he was pretty sure she only had one tail.

 

“Finger. You let a bakeneko in my house.”

 

The giant feline woman tilted her head. Then she lowered it to the counter and spat out the pixie.

 

Finger did not look happy. She was soaked in saliva. Her hair was a mess and her wings were glued to her dress. 

“I. DID NOT. DO ANYTHING.”

 

“Kinda my point. Cat got in.” 

 

She tried to flutter her wings. They would barely stretch.

“IT HAS BEEN LIVING HERE SINCE BEFORE WE ARRIVED.”

 

The larger woman was eyeing Finger predatorily, licking her lips.

 

JJ clicked his tongue to get the cat’s attention. Then he replied. “Been here a month. Think I would have noticed.”

 

Finger stamped her foot. “No, you wouldn't have! I've been trying to tell you. 

‘JJ, there's a large white cat living with us.’

‘JJ, the cat is eating our food.’ 

‘JJ, the cat is giving us nightmares.’ 

‘JJ, the cat killed some kids today.’

‘JJ, the cat turned into a giant Asian woman and started dancing for no reason.’

Have I made my point?”

 

The cat's ears flattened. She looked guilty. And annoyed. Mostly annoyed.

 

“Oh yeah. I did see that last part you said. Thought that was just the mold. Hallucinogens and whatnot. Haven't noticed any food disappearing. Though, there was a watermelon that came out of nowhere. That was pretty good. Wait. You say some kids were killed?”

 

“Ugh! You're insufferable!” 

 

Finger made the mistake of stamping her heel again. Too much sudden movement. Her body was pinned by two giant paws.

 

The cat-woman had pounced, giant ass in the air. Further study of the ass confirmed there was in fact, only one tail.

 

Embers grew at the end of JJ’s cigarette. A deep inhale. A pause. A subtle sigh.

 

One hand was removed from his pocket to remove the cigarette. He flicked the ashes on the kitchen floor and whistled sharply. 

 

“Ah-ah. Gata. Look at me.” 

 

The cat refocused her attention on the brujo and hissed.

 

JJ made a finger gun and pointed it at her. He pulled the trigger. A mist of water landed on her nose. She yowled and recoiled, releasing Finger. 

 

The giant feline pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and fell flat on her back. She posed a dramatic faint on the island counter, closed eyes, supple chest rising and falling with deep breaths. Her other arm fell past the counter top, dangling in the air. One knee up. One leg straight, her long tail curled around the ankle. As if she were a fragile virgin fainted from horror, helpless on a sacrificial altar. 

 

 

JJ didn’t buy it. He knew a drama queen when he saw one. Besides, ghosts don’t breathe. He did. A long plume of smoke trailed toward the ceiling, infecting the cracked plaster. 

 

He approached the head of the counter, putting his hands on his knees and staring at the bakeneko’s face. She peeked at him with one eye to see his reaction. 

 

Unimpressed.

 

“Got a name, gata?”

 

She closed her half-opened eye and opened her mouth to respond in a hurt and offended manner. JJ didn’t give her the chance.

 

“Baka works.”

 

There was power in the name. Her mouth closed. Her angular eyes shot open, glowing green. She looked dangerous. She did not like that name. He didn't notice. Nor would he understand why it bothered her. To JJ, ‘Baka’ was just something short for “Bakeneko”. It was an easy name to come up with.

 

He started opening and closing his right hand, holding different signs with every other beat. Faint sigils flickered as he did. 

 

JJ burped. His beer gave him heartburn.

 

Finger understood what was happening. She cast a quick spell to clean and dry herself, then zipped out of the kitchen.

 

“Baka.” JJ said again. The giant woman growled. She could easily smack him across the room. But she didn’t move. 

 

He took a long drag from his cigarette, then pinched the ashes at the end and flicked them over her. 

 

Finger returned, struggling to carry a small obsidian blade. A tecpatl. Her master’s ritual blade.

 

JJ pulled out another knife from his pocket. His navaja, which he used for most things. It worked for some magicks, but it was not exactly cleaned and christened like the tecpatl.

 

“JJ, wait!” Finger called. But it was too late. 

 

He sliced his oily thumb and held it to the bakeneko. Oil. Blood. Her nose twitched. Then she licked. Her tongue was large. Rough. It pulled at the edges of his incision.

 

“Por mi sangre, por tu nombre. Te ato, Baka.”

 

An ethereal light weaved around JJ’s fingers and around the feline's neck. It thrummed, then shattered like the glass on the floor. There was an odd scent in the air, but it lasted for only a second. 

 

Baka’s body shuddered. She sat up slowly. Her tail swished slowly. She licked the remains of JJ’s blood and oil from her lips..

 

“Baka.” she repeated, her voice far too satisfied. She started purring. “Baka.” she repeated. 

 

Unsettled, Finger gently set the tecpatl on another counter. “JJ….that’s not how you bind a bakeneko. Especially not one this…large. You need to use the proper blade. You didn’t consider lunar timing. The harmonics, the resonance, it’s all off. I can feel–”

 

“Finger. I know what I’m doing.” Rules and rituals may vary for every individual. They only channel intent and belief. Basic theory. JJ flicked his navaja closed and shoved it back in his pocket. “Ain’t that right, Baka?”

 

Baka grinned. Her teeth were longer than they were before. Sharper. Her glowing green eyes held something that was definitively not a submissive compliance. 

 

Her smile was not reassuring.

 

“See. Gata buena.” JJ said, scratching the side of Baka’s chin. The cat closed her eyes and mouth, leaning into his hand.

 

Smug. Finger put her finger on the expression. Baka was feeling smug.

 

“JJ!” Finger’s voice cracked. “The backlash–”

 

“Finger. Enough.” He waved her off. “She’s bound. She’ll behave.”

 

Baka’s tail thumped once against the counter. It rose. Then fell again. Harder. She hopped off the counter. The house shook. 

 

She towered over JJ, the top of his head barely reaching her navel. His eyes level with her furry, naked sex. Something stirred low in his gut, but his eyes remained uninterested.

 

He turned his back and walked away, lazily flicking his hand goodbye. “I’m going to finish my reading. Get this cleaned up. Both of you.”

 

Behind him, Baka angled her head away from Finger. She stared at the pixie from the corner of her glowing eyes. A sly smirk tugged at her lips. A lone fang stuck out.

 

Then she vanished.