The Red Hand

Chapter 108 – The Dragons and the Demons.

Kana sat in one of the side rooms with her two friends, she'd called them over to speak about her experience last night as they were the only people she could talk to. Her sister was busy with Hishya and, frankly, Akagi was not the person Kana wanted to discuss this with. Her face was flushed red from embarrassment as she told Mika and Naomi what happened last night.

"Wow!" Naomi was surprised. "So you and Hishya.... you actually... ummm." She got a little red herself.

{That's unexpected...} (Naomi)

"I can't believe it!" Mika was excited. "Little Miss honor student was somehow the first of all of us!" Mika was still quite pure, in body not mind, but was very interested in this information.

"It was one hell of a night." Kana's face got redder. "Now I understand what Onee-chan was saying when she talked about a dragon's appetite and stamina." Hishya had gotten quite aggressive.

“N-now that I think about it, I-isn't Hishya a bit small?” Naomi was referring to several issues that caused her some concern.

“O-ordinarily, you'd be right. But it turns out that Hishya can change her body shape a bit. So she was anything but small. She was even taller and more shapely than me.” Kana was still red.

{I had no clue she could do that, but by god was it amazing to see adult Hishya!}(Kana)

“S-she can do that?!?” Naomi got redder as she imagined adult Hishya

"You have to tell us everything!" Mika wanted details. "Everything! I need this!"

"I agree with Mika. Tell us!" Naomi was equally interested.

Kana sighed. She knew that there was no way to satisfy these two without divulging everything, and figured better to just rip that band-aide off now and get it over with. Psyching herself up, she told them every single detail of her experience last night. As she described things, the two girls' faces got redder and redder until they were just as embarrassed as she was. Once she was done, Kana took a drink of the water next to her to cool down, as it was not exactly fun to provide a detailed play-by-play.

"I can never look at Hishya's tail the same way again." Naomi's eyes glazed over. The information provided was shocking.

"She actually called you her mate!" Mika squeed. "That's kinda hot!"

"Yeah, I think she was quite frustrated. Because boy, once she got into it...." Kana recalled Hishya's draconic eyes, which oozed with hunger. "She was quite aggressive." Kana's entire body was sore and she had a bite marks in certain places.

"Just to be clear." Naomi chimed in. "Hishya didn't uhhh force you or anything, right?"

{Please don't tell me we need to go slay the dragon.} (Naomi)

"No, no, no, no, no," Kana shook her head vigorously. "Absolutely not! She might have been really into it, but she always made sure I was ok. Nothing that happened was without my explicit approval."

"Then it's fine." Naomi breathed a sigh of relief. "I was kind of worried since she could easily take advantage of you." Hishya was a dragon, and Kana was not exactly strong, so the concern was warranted.

"Trust me, if Hishya did act like that, Onee-chan would have already skinned her and turned her into boots." Kana chuckled.

"True." (Mika x Naomi)

"So then you're official?" Naomi asked.

"Yes, after last night we're going out." Kana nodded.

{If we didn't start dating after last night, that would be even stranger.} (Kana)

"So does that mean she'll call you her mate instead of girlfriend?" Mika gave a cheeky smile.

Kana got a bit embarrassed. "I've told her not to call me that unless we're alone." She wanted to end that conversation.

{But she's going to call you it...} (Naomi)

"Aww, that's cute." Mika smiled. "So when will she be laying an egg? Should I start preparing to become a godmother soon?"

"Mika, do you want to get burned again?" Kana's face got scary.

"Please, no," Mika put her hands up in an X.

"And I could ask you the same." Kana smirked. "When are you gonna be a mom? Those two Yuki-Onna sisters would probably go for it." Unlike Kana and Hishya, Mika and the Yuki-Onna could have children.

Mika's face got bright red. "Ok, you win. I won't bring that up anymore."

{You walked into that one, Mika.} (Naomi)

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask something," Naomi recalled something Kana said during her explanation. "Why did she call you princess?"

Kana turned away for a moment and debated whether to answer. "Uhhhh, because it will technically be true..." She looked conflicted.

"What?!?" (Naomi x Mika)

"W-well..... Onee-chan's reward for beating Libra will be her own country." Kana put her hand behind her head and started dry laughing.

"What!" (Naomi x Mika)

"Yeah, so she'll be the Demon Lord of her own kingdom centered around this estate as well as the land around it. Sooooo technically, I'll be a princess because that's how that works." Kana was trying to hold herself together as she explained this fact.

"What?!?" (Naomi x Mika)

"Now I understand why Onee-chan hates it when Hishya and I act like that." Being blasted in stereo was not fun.

"Hold up!" Naomi spoke up. Her eyes had turned into swirls from confusion. "When did this happen?!?”

"Not that long ago. I only found out from Onee-chan the other day." Kana coughed. "So it was quite surprising to me."

{Princess Kana... six year old me would probably be excited. But sixteen year old me... is... less so...} (Kana)

Naomi turned to Mika. "What the hell?!?"

"And here I thought you couldn't get any weirder." Mika crossed her arms. "The Genius Demon Princess and the Dragon Hero, what a combination." She shook her head while cracking a smile.

"School will be starting back up soon, will you be able to continue?" Naomi asked.

"I don't see why not." Kana told them that Akagi said that she would make sure things remained the same.

"I wonder how our classmates will react to Kana being the Demon Princess?" Mika asked. "And also the Dragon Hero's girlfriend."

"A lot of guys are gonna cry." Naomi nodded her head. "She was quite popular."

"Yeah." Mika agreed. “Kana was definitely in high demand.”

"Wait, really?" Kana didn't know anything about this. “Since when? I never noticed anything, in fact no one, guy or girl ever asked me out.”

"Kana," Mika put her hand on her shoulder. "As a woman who has come to embrace other women, let me tell you that you're an absolute catch. You might not have noticed, but that's because you are dense as hell."

"I don't want to hear that from you considering you're only with those two because they're Yuki-Onna!" Kana exclaimed.

"But that doesn't mean I'm wrong." Mika winked. “Besides, I'm not with them just because they're Yuki-Onna, that would be shallow as hell and wouldn't be healthy or stable.” It was a far more sensible and logical response than Kana expected.

{Since when we're you a responsible person, Mika?!?} (Kana)

"Naomi, a little help." Kana looked at her friend.

"I've got no input on this and I will not comment on whether my friend is a desirable partner, even hypothetically." Naomi shook her head. "I think I've made my preference for men quite apparent in the years we've known each other, and that's not changed. But I will say that there have been at least one boy and girl who've come to Mika and I for relationship help regarding you."

{Wait really?!?} (Kana)

"We must get Naomi to join us on the dark side!" Mika exclaimed. “She must learn to abandon her foolish love of men and join us on the fun side! Women are the superior sex for loving! We are squishy and fun! For even I have seen the error of my ways and changed paths.” She decided to play around a bit.

"Yes! We shall make her a lily yet!" Kana joined in. “Come Naomi, we can probably set you up with a cute girl! There's gotta be one or two around here that will convert you? Maybe Chloe? “

"I won't let you idiots corrupt me!" Naomi playfully smiled as she bonked the two of them on the head. “Don't go trying to set me up with another girl!”

“Owchi!” (Kana x Mika)

{I have a feeling that this won't be the last time they mention this...} (Naomi)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, while the fun conversation continued between the girls, Hishya and Akagi sat across the kitchen table from one another. Hishya looked like a child who just broke something and was going to be scolded, and Akagi had the biggest shit eating grin on her face.

"So then." Akagi smirked. "Shall we call this story: I Couldn't Defeat the Demon Lord, so I Married her Sister!" Akagi could barely contain her laughter as she said that. “I think that title would sell very well, its just long enough for a light novel."

{Actually, that might even be too short nowadays.} (Akagi)

Hishya's face only got redder as Akagi teased her.

"Well damn," Akagi wiped a tear from her eye. "I didn't think you had it in you, Hishya. You actually defied my expectations." Akagi clapped. “I honest to god did not expect this turn of events. You actually pulled one over on me and got past my ability to predict things. Congratulations, you've done what few others have.” She was totally not dumping salt on the wound.

Hishya buried her face in her hands. "It's not funny dammit." She grumbled.

{Ok, it's actually a little funny. But that's not the point!} (Hishya)

"From where I'm standing, it's very funny." Akagi was still laughing. “You transformed into big Hishya just for activities. That's hilarious! I didn't even know you could do that!”

"I figured that out a while ago, but using it to do that was not exactly what I envisioned when I played around with that ability.” Since she was actually a dragon using a human shape, it made sense that she could customize her human appearance to a point. Though unlike Akagi, Hishya's ability was quite limited and she could only adjust minor physical features such as height, age, size and a few other things. “I just hope she's not mad at me. Things escalated quite quickly." Hishya recalled that she was quite aggressive, and she hoped Kana wasn't upset at how she was with her.

"If Kana was mad, she would have told me, and then you would be food." Akagi grinned. "So since you are not food, she is not mad." Akagi continued. "Besides, Kana's a pretty tough girl, and I think you're just overthinking things. She's talking with Mika and Naomi as we speak, so I think she's fine." Akagi waved off her concerns.

{Also, Kana has a very dirty mind. So I'd wager that she was probably not very innocent in terms of knowledge. I've got no clue what she's looked up online, nor do I want to know, but it was probably a lot more than Shima or Taichi would have wanted.} (Akagi)

"But wasn't that too soon! We weren't even technically dating yet! And I've known Kana for like five months!" Hishya exclaimed. "That was so much, so fast. Argh! I should have held back and taken things slow!"

"Hishya, you are both pent-up teenagers. It's totally normal to just dive into that stuff." Akagi shrugged. "Trust me, humans are depraved creatures in that department. Compared to certain people I know, what you did was tame. And honestly, too fast is very subjective. If you were both comfortable and willing, then I'd say it was perfectly timed."

{People sleep with each other on first dates, so five months of quasi courtship before that is leagues more than many people have before they dive in.} (Akagi)

"Out of curiosity." Hishya looked at Akagi. "Have you and Yumi..." She both did and didn't want to know the answer to that question.

"Twice." Akagi nodded. "Though recall that I don't get anything out of the act itself. I did it because I wanted to make Yumi happy." Akagi smiled.

The Demon was blatantly lying as she said that. The first time was one thing, since it was basically Akagi gifting Yumi what she wanted as a kind of reward for the locket. But the second time was not instigated by the priestess, and was 100% because Akagi wanted to embrace Yumi after nearly losing her. Even if Akagi banished her humanity, removing certain parts of it from her mind would be quite hard, and desire for skinship could easily intermix with a desire for physical intimacy. It was most certainly not the same kind of mental drive that humans have, but it proves that the act could still mean something to her. However, it was true that Akagi lacked actual libido or drive, so it was entirely psychological in nature. In the end, it didn't really matter to Yumi who was happy either way.

"Though I must say, Yumi and I are tame compared to you two." Akagi burst out laughing. "We basically just snuggle." They were much less aggressive than Hishya or Kana had been.

“*Pzzzt*” Hishya blew a raspberry. "I'm just glad I had enough awareness to put up a sound-canceling barrier. Otherwise, I'd be dead from embarrassment." That would be bad for everyone, not just Hishya and Kana.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Akagi sighed. "My room is right next door, and I'd rather not hear that."

{I am physically incapable of forgetting now, so please don't make me have to eternally recall you and my sister's nighttime fun.} (Akagi)

"Oh fuck." Hishya went wide-eyed. "That would have been bad."

"Oh, trust me. I would have made things awkward as fuck just to make you two regret causing me that distress" Akagi chuckled. "Remember, I can mimic people's voices." She spoke to Hishya in her own voice as she winked.

Hishya sighed but suddenly got an idea. "Uh strange question, but how are you handling that issue with your people?" Hishya asked. "You've got like a hundred people split between men and women in this small area. That's gotta be a problem." A reasonable question, though not something Hishya wanted to think too deeply about.

"Simple," Akagi sipped from her cup. "Contraceptive magic. Also, children may only be born out of approved marriages. If children result outside of that, punishment may occur, and the two parents will be fully responsible for that child. Those two things have kept that issue under control."

{Though that hasn't stopped people from having their fun. Oh well, better that we don't need to build an orphanage around here. People try pulling that crap and they're going to get a visit from a very angry Demon.} Due to her past, Akagi had little tolerance for child abuse or neglect.

"You actually have restrictions on that?" Hishya was surprised. “I never expected you to micro manage relationships.”

"My clan is an organization, Hishya. It has a function and purpose, and is far more than a collection of people. I generally don't care what people do in their private lives. But if it starts affecting my clan's ability to operate, then I'll intervene. And interpersonal relationships going sour or unwanted children is a very quick way to mess with my operational capacity, hence the rules." Akagi shrugged. "So far, we've had no problems, and these rules were made in conjunction with all the upper levels of the clan. So it wasn't like I just made a dictate and told them to deal with it." The lack of issues made sense, since there was not really any reason for unplanned children to occur with the magic, as it was 100% effective. Also, loyalty to Akagi outstripped basically everything else and most clan members would ensure that any children were raised to have absolute loyalty to her. Some even considered having subsequent generations dedicated to her an honor. Something they kept secret from the Demon, knowing full well she would find that excessive.

"Keep in mind that the approval process doesn't take the form of genetic selection or anything like that. If members of the clan wanted to marry, as long as it was genuine, it would be approved." Akagi had no interest in policing such things in a draconian way. "This method just exists to stop problems before they occur and make sure things don't start breaking down. Also, my people know better than to start causing inter-family drama." Akagi's eyes grew fierce for a second before reverting to normal. "Harassment or anything like that by either sex is a quick way to become my dinner." She had a zero tolerance policy for such things and would enforce that rule with a massive stick.

"Good to see HR is taking that issue seriously." Hishya burst out laughing at Akagi's seriousness.

"Luckily, unlike in our world, FWO's lore and setting didn't have discrimination based on sex." Akagi explained. "So I've not had to deal with such mindsets within my clan."

{Thankfully, otherwise I'd be tempted to start stacking bodies until that stupid crap disappeared.} (Akagi)

The lack of discrimination in a medieval style fantasy setting was because having such things would cause issues for female players or men who wanted to play as a woman. Thus the game world was explicitly gender-neutral. "Sure, there were asshats in FWO, can't really stop someone from being a prick, but none of my people care about an individual's sex." Akagi shrugged. "If they did, I doubt they would have followed me. Granted, calling me female at this point isn't exactly right."

"I never knew you thought so deeply about this stuff." Hishya was pleasantly surprised at just how much work Akagi had put into running her clan. “I figured you just told some poor sucker to handle everything while you goofed off.”

"Seriously! What's with you people and thinking I'm a lazy good for nothing?" Akagi exclaimed. "First Kana and the girls, and now you too! Do you guys really think that I do nothing around here?!?"

{What is with people and thinking I just sit on my ass all day and play around?!? I mean granted I do make sure I have lots of free time, but that's because I get all the things done that I need to first!} (Akagi)