Author's Notes: A few things to stress before you start. This is a story for the furry visual novel, 家有大貓 | Nekojishi. If you have not played AND finished it, there are major story spoilers ahead, and you will not understand what is going on. Secondly, this is a reimagining of the game's true ending. It is attempting to rewrite the events of the true ending in such a way as to create a plausible alternate outcome. As such, some concepts will be the same, while others are wildly different. Above all, I attempted to stay within the realm of possibility given the information presented in the game universe. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this story.

"Yes, your Senpai Yan Shu-Chi was eaten on the day when you opened your third eye." Leopard Cat smiled. "He's long dead and I've absorbed his soul completely. You can kill me, but you can't save him."

My heart sank as a wave of anxiousness and fear washed over my entire body. I tried to breathe, but the air kept catching in my throat. "S-Senpai… is dead? This whole time, he…?"

The cat's smile grew devilish. "That's right. It's a shame, really. You could've saved him if one of your useless pets had noticed my intentions earlier." Leopard Cat's eyes flickered towards the two other beast-men in the room.

"No useless!" Kulau took a step towards the leopard cat, but Tiger held out his arm across the clouded leopard's chest. Kulau looked up towards the bigger cat, but then turned his gaze to the floor. "No useless… try to help… not work…"

Guardian Tiger spoke up. "Don't let him get to you. We couldn't have possibly sensed his true intentions." Tiger's words didn't make me feel any better. Clouded Leopard backed away, but didn't raise his eyes from the floor.

My voice trembled as I spoke. "So… the shopping… the dating… dining… it was all a lie?"

Leopard Cat looked a little confused. "Hmm? Well, not exactly. Like I told you, when I ate Shu-Chi's soul, I gained his experience and his memories. What I said and my desire to date you were a reflection of his will."

Senpai… felt that way about me? I didn't even notice…

Leopard Cat shrugged. "I just used that to get close to you." The cat pouted. "I was so close, too. I almost had you to myself a few times, but you always denied me."

My eyes widened. "You mean… letting you escape from your family… at our date at the arcade?"

"Yep!" The leopard cat laughed. "I could almost taste your spirit power. All I had to do was get you to come home with me. You even could've seen your Senpai's body before you died."

I clenched my fists by my side. Senpai's gone because of me. I have to save him… "Give him back." My voice came out small. I stared directly into Leopard Cat's eyes. "I cared for you. I wanted to help you. I…" I swallowed. "Just give Senpai back already."

Leopard Cat looked slightly shocked, but quickly turned to anger. "Your feelings mean nothing to me. Your Senpai's gone, and he's never coming back. I'm the closest you'll ever get to him! Buuuuut, you can still help me if you want." Leopard Cat stuck his tongue out and winked at me. "All you gotta do is let me eat your soul!"

I'd seen that look so many times. It caught me off guard when he lunged at me again. I closed my eyes and held my arms in front of my face, bracing for the impact that never came. When I opened my eyes, Guardian Tiger had caught Leopard Cat by the collar and was holding him in the air. The small cat thrashed around for a bit before giving up with a defeated look on his face.

"You can't win here, kitten. As long as Liao is under my protection, you won't lay a finger on him."

Leopard Cat crossed his arms and pouted at the large feline. "You're no fun, old man. It's just one soul. Nobody will miss it."

Tiger was starting to get angry. He switched his grip from Leopard Cat's collar to his throat. "Don't play with me. How many humans have you consumed at this point? Even one soul is far too many."

Leopard Cat tried to pry Tiger's large hand away. One of his eyes was closed and his sharp, clenched teeth were exposed as he struggled. "H-haha, you don't get it. It's the only way I can get stronger. In this world, it's eat or be eaten." Leopard Cat looked at me through his open eye. "You think I'm the only one attracted by Liao's spirit power. I certainly won't be the last one to come for him."

His words sent chills down my spine. Before I could respond, Tiger spoke. "Selfish yaoguais. Your kind never learn." Tiger's grip tightened on Leopard Cat's neck, and the smaller cat let out a pained gasp. I didn't think spirits could be choked. "As I've said, Liao is under my protection. I won't let anyone harm-"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh." Leopard Cat turned his attention back to Tiger. "You're weak, old man. Weak like me. Your overconfidence will be the end of both of you."

Guardian Tiger seemed taken aback by the smaller cat, but he quickly recovered. "You're one to talk about overconfidence. You come here, even now, expecting a meal. Yet you will not leave this place with your life."

"Hold on, Lin Hu." I stepped over to the two cats. "You can't kill him yet. We… we still need to rescue Senpai." The words felt hollow as soon as they left my mouth.

"Liao…"

I couldn't look at my Guardian Tiger. I knew what he was going to say. "We have to try. We can't just leave him…"

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Listen, Liao. Your Senpai's chi is gone. Whatever's left of it is inside this wicked cat, melded with his own negative chi. Once that happens, there's no going back."

I looked up at Guardian Tiger. The large cat's eyes stared back at me with pity. I turned to the silent Clouded Leopard, looking for a different answer.

Instead, Likulau's eyes avoided meeting mine.

Leopard Cat sneered. "They're right. There's nothing you can do about it now. So, come on!" The small cat raised his voice. "Just hate me already! Kill me!"

"No!" I yelled back. "I won't give up here. There has to be another way."

"There is no other way! It's impossible!"

I can't. I can't give up here. I thought about everything that's happened so far. "…I've seen so many impossible things this month. I mean," I looked at the three cats in my room. "I didn't know spirits and gods actually existed, and now I can see them. I've even had sex with two of them…" I trailed off, feeling my face heating up after saying that. I took a shaky breath and continued. "I've seen dragons and lizards. I've seen things that can only be described as miracles. And you're telling me saving Senpai is the only thing in this crazy, messed up month that can't happen?"

"Liao." I looked up at my Guardian Tiger. "I understand how you feel. But something like this… It just doesn't work like that."

"How can you say that when we haven't even tried?"

"I…" Guardian Tiger searched for an answer in the corner of his eyes. After a few seconds, he closed them and sighed deeply. "I don't know. I don't know how it isn't possible because I don't know any way to even attempt saving someone who is so far gone. Do you, Liao?"

I opened my mouth, but couldn't find any words. He was right. "Uhh… M-Maybe the city god could help? He must have dealt with something like this before."

Leopard Cat scoffed. "You might as well kill me yourself. The city god's lackeys have been hunting me for years. They'd much rather destroy me than help your senpai."

Guardian Tiger nodded. "He's right. We are on our own here."

I ran my hands through my hair and paced around the room. There had to be something we could do. Senpai's soul is trapped in Leopard Cat. How do we get him out? I stared down at my left hand. "…Wait. Clouded Leopard knows how to drain spirit power, right? Can't he just pull Senpai out of there?"

"No," said Guardian Tiger. "As I said, his chi has melded with this wicked cat's. And this same cat is who taught Kulau how to extract spirit power. No doubt such a crude method developed by a yaoguai would drain spirit power indiscriminately."

"Can't we help him manually sort it or something?"

"Absolutely not!" Tiger's loud voice made me jump slightly. "Messing with the chi of a living being is already dangerous enough when done by spirits. You are just human. If something goes wrong, you will die."

Leopard Cat grinned. "C'mon old man, let him try. I'm sure he can handle me."

"Quiet, cat." Guardian Tiger gave me a stern look. "If this yaoguai wants you to do it, it must be a bad idea. I will not risk your life."

"But Lin Hu-!"

"The answer is no, Liao."

Silence fell across the room. Why is he being so difficult?! This is our only chance. I can't do this without him. What do I do?

As I was thinking, Likulau stepped forward. Lin Hu and I turned towards him. The leopard waited a bit before speaking, probably searching for the right words. "…Should help Liao. Save Liao's friend. Then Liao won't be sad."

"Don't be foolish, Kulau. There is more at risk here than Liao's happiness," said Guardian Tiger. "Do you not understand how irresponsible this is? I will not let Liao throw his life away."

Something about Tiger's words set me off. Emotion surged up from deep inside of me and… I yelled. "That's not your decision!" Lin Hu's eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine. I recovered before he did and continued. "I-I'm not throwing my life away. I'm taking responsibility for my actions. I'm the reason things ended up this way. I can't be scared to lose my own life. I can't refuse to even try because of that. Senpai didn't have a choice. I… I could never live with myself if I choose my life over his." I stared directly into Guardian Tiger's eyes.

Guardian Tiger didn't break eye contact. The staredown lasted only a few seconds before Guardian Tiger's eyes softened. "You're usually so indecisive. Only now that your life is on the line do you choose to be stubborn."

"It sounds weird when you say it like that." My shoulders relaxed slightly. "…This is something I have to do. I know it's reckless and stupid and whatever else, and I know you don't like it… but, I could really use your support."

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Of course. You always have my support, Liao. Even if you don't always have my approval. It's just… What you're doing…" Tiger's brow furrowed. "You're attempting something completely unknown to me. I just don't know if I can protect you. You should know how much that worries me."

"Lin Hu…" So that's why he's protesting so much. I gave my Guardian Tiger a small smile. "It's okay. I trust you. And I trust Kulau, too." I glanced over at the Clouded Leopard, who nodded in response. "I don't know what will happen either. But I believe in you guys. I know we can do this."

"Hmph." Guardian tiger returned my smile. "Very well. I will do my best to ensure your faith is not misplaced."

Leopard Cat groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, this is all sooo heartwarming. Can you at least put me down now?" He kicked the air a bit, though Lin Hu's arm didn't move at all in response to the small cat's struggles. Lin Hu's been holding him by the neck for a while now. I had almost forgotten about it.

Guardian Tiger looked back at me. "So, what do we do with him, Liao?"

"Umm…" I looked around the room. "We need to restrain him somehow. I don't want him hurting us, or himself."

"Restrain him? Got it." Before I could say anything else, Guardian Tiger moved Leopard Cat to my bed and unceremoniously dumped him onto it.

"H-hey, wait, what are you doing?!" said Leopard Cat.

"Hm? I'm restraining you, of course." Guardian Tiger answered him so casually as he climbed on top of the smaller cat, straddling Leopard Cat's hips. Then Guardian Tiger held down Leopard Cat's wrists, one in each hand. "There." Guardian Tiger looked at me again. "What's next?"

This is… wrong. Leopard Cat was panicking under Lin Hu's massive form, but Guardian Tiger seemed completely unfazed. I could feel my face heating up. This is straight out of one of my doujinshis. Isn't Guardian Tiger aware of how awkward this is…?

"Liao?" asked Guardian Tiger. "Is something wrong? Your face is red."

"Err… w-well… Isn't there another way to restrain him that isn't so… inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate? What's wrong with this?" Guardian Tiger glanced down at the cat underneath him. "You realize he does not have a physical body right now. Normal methods of restraint will not work."

"I know that! But…" I gestured towards them. "It looks like you're about to, you know…"

Tiger just stared blankly at me. "Liao, I know you have your fantasies, but please take this seriously. You can't solve all of your problems with sex."

"…" My mouth fell open. "S-seriously? You're going to say that now?"

"Focus, Liao! Your Senpai's body won't wait for us forever."

I glanced between Guardian Tiger and Leopard Cat, and then let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine, you're right. Kulau?" I stepped towards Leopard Cat and motioned for Clouded Leopard to follow. "Here's the plan. I'll have Lin Hu possess me. Then I want you to try draining Leopard Cat's spirit power." I looked down at the helpless cat pinned to my bed. He was looking back at me, on the verge of tears. Are these genuine emotions, or just another one of his lies? "We… we're only after Senpai's chi. Try to hold back and drain as little of Leopard Cat's own chi as possible. I… don't want him to die."

Kulau nodded. "Okay. Will try."

Guardian Tiger shot me a disapproving look. "Even knowing all of his sins, you still intend to protect this demon?"

"…I don't know," I replied. "I still have questions. But right now, I just want to save Senpai."

"…Fine," Guardian Tiger grumbled. "Let's get on with this." Tiger let go of Leopard Cat's wrists and held out one of his hands towards me. I grabbed it, and the large feline pulled me onto the bed. Warmth spread throughout my body as his spirit power flowed into me. When our bodies finished merging, I found myself in the same spot Guardian Tiger was in before. Lin Hu was in control this time. His spiritual body encased my own, like some sort of shell made of energy.

Leopard Cat's eyes widened at our combined form. "W-wait, Liao, the old man can possess you now!?"

Guardian Tiger laughed at the smaller cat. My mouth opened, but it was Lin Hu's words that came out. "Jealous, demon cat? This is strength you'll never understand. Strength from a true bond between a god and his Jitong. Kulau! You may begin."

Clouded Leopard nodded once more and moved into position, placing his left hand directly on the smaller cat's head and his right hand just above his left.

"H-hey-!" Leopard Cat attempted to grab Kulau, but Guardian Tiger pinned the smaller cat's arms down once again. Small sparks of blue energy arced down from Kulau's fingertips. The energy wrapped around Kulau's left hand, and then disappeared all at once.

The struggling stopped.

I looked down at Leopard Cat. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open. "Did… did we kill him?" I asked.

The answer came from my own mouth. "No. He's just unconscious." Guardian Tiger let go of Leopard Cat's arms. "I think you have the right idea here, Liao. I can sense this demon's chi much easier. Here, try it yourself."

Sounds easier said than done. "Err… How?"

"Hmm…" Guardian Tiger scratched his… our? head. "Just concentrate really hard. Imagine yourself sensing his chi and it should happen for real."

That didn't make any sense to me, but I took a deep breath and did as instructed anyway. Slowly, Leopard Cat's chi came into focus. "Ah!" It was almost like being able to see through Leopard Cat's body. Inside was a mass of dark, sinister-feeling energy. It sent a chill down my spine. "This is…?"

"Negative chi," said Guardian Tiger. "This is what makes a yaoguai a yaoguai. Most of them, anyway." Tiger laid one of our hands on Leopard Cat's chest, and before my eyes, the smaller cat's shirt disappeared. "This wicked cat's chi is unusually dark. Strange that I did not notice it before. He must have been masking it somehow." Tiger ran our hand across Leopard Cat's body. "Usually, temples keep yaoguais in check. Seems it's been a long time since anyone's cared about this one, if at all."

A wave of sadness washed over me. No one's cared about him, huh… It doesn't excuse what he's done, but maybe… Maybe things could've been different. I shook the thoughts from my head for now and focused on what was happening. Tiger continued exploring the yaoguai's body. His body felt cold to the touch, contrasting the warmth from Guardian Tiger. "Um, Lin Hu, what are you doing, exactly?"

"Searching for a weak point. If we are to separate the negative chi from your Senpai's chi, we will need to get close to the source." Guardian Tiger stopped in the middle of Leopard Cat's chest. "Here should be good. Kulau, how are you holding up?"

"…Fine. Hurry."

Clouded Leopard's voice was somewhat strained. I looked up at him. A small stream of dark chi flowed out from the middle of his left hand, feeding into a loose ball floating in the palm of his right hand. His body was trembling. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, occasionally sliding down his face. I didn't think spirits could sweat in the first place.

Meanwhile, Lin Hu's warmth intensified, spreading down our arm and out of the hand against Leopard Cat's chest. "Hm?!" Lin Hu quickly pulled his hand away. The black skin on his pads sizzled and emitted a small amount of smoke.

"Lin Hu! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ugh… I'm fine." Guardian Tiger flexed his hand several times. "His body rejected my chi. I couldn't force my way through."

"Huh? Force your way through? What do you mean?"

Guardian Tiger had recovered by now, and he placed his hand back in the same spot on Leopard Cat's chest. "Well, if we are to free Yan Shu-Chi's soul, we must first get inside of this kitten. His outer body is protecting him, so we must break through and attack him where he is most vulnerable."

"Does it actually work like that?" I asked.

"It should," said Guardian Tiger. "Our bodies are just manifestations of large amounts of chi. Just like how my body is protecting your body right now, it is also protecting the rest of my spirit power. I imagine this kitten's body is the same way. Think of it like needing to crack an egg to get its contents."

"Err… alright." It was strange to hear Guardian Tiger comparing his body to an egg. "I just hope you can put him back together after cracking his shell, then."

Guardian Tiger laughed slightly. "Don't worry. It'll recover on its own. Our bodies aren't THAT fragile."

"So then, how will you break through? It didn't work just now," I said.

Guardian Tiger didn't answer right away. He repeatedly tapped one of his fingers against Leopard Cat's chest. "I don't like asking this, but… I'll need your help, Liao."

For some reason, his words hurt a little. "You don't like asking for my help?"

"No, no! I didn't mean…" Guardian Tiger trailed off with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "It's not about asking you for help. It's about what I'm asking you for help with." I still didn't understand what he was trying to say. Guardian Tiger seemed to sense my confusion. "Liao, I need to borrow some of your spirit power. It's more risk on top of an already incredibly risky endeavor. And you know I don't like putting you in danger. It goes against my purpose as a guardian."

Tiger continued. "Regardless, I know I can't change your mind. The only thing I can do is try to protect you, so it feels wrong to go against that and ask you to risk even more."

So this is because he's still worried about me. "Lin Hu… I'm sorry. I haven't been considering your feelings at all." Maybe that wasn't true. Maybe I knew what I was doing to him, and decided I didn't care. I'm not sure which is worse. "I shouldn't have forced you into this."

"It's true your approach was rather heavy-handed… But I wasn't giving you much of a choice, either," said Guardian Tiger. "I won't fault you for wanting to save your friend. I just hope you understand why I feel the way I do."

"I do now, Lin Hu. I'm glad you care so much about me," I said. "But I've already accepted the risks. I know there's a chance this could go poorly, so that's all the more reason to let me help you."

"I suppose that's true… Very well. If I need more help during this, I will not hesitate to ask," said Guardian Tiger. I could feel him smiling at me. "Are you ready to do this, then?"

I nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

"Just focus as much of your spirit power into our right arm as you possibly can." As he said that, I felt our right arm heating up once more. "Just like before, imagine it and it will happen."

"Okay." It still sounded strange to me, but it worked the last time… I closed my eyes and concentrated on the energy within me, trying to draw from every corner of my body and mix it with Lin Hu's. Suddenly, my legs started to shake under my body weight, and I struggled to draw in my next breath. I opened my eyes in a panic and gasped for air.

"Careful, Liao! Don't push yourself further or you'll pass out," said Guardian Tiger. "I dislike having to use your spirit power like this… Just let me take over for now."

Guardian Tiger's spirit energy caught me as I relaxed my body. My strength gradually returned, though I couldn't shake a lingering weakness. "That took a lot out of me."

Guardian Tiger smiled, causing me to smile as well. "I'm not surprised. You dumped a lot more spirit power than I expected you to. You did a good job." Tiger's expression quickly turned serious. "Unfortunately, there is no time to rest. I'm going to try forcing my way through again, so brace yourself." I held my breath as I felt the warmth that had built up in our arm rush downward into Leopard Cat. I hope this works…