The Red Hand

Chapter 141 – Kana’s Birthday.

"Oh wow, there's a lot of people out today." Mika commented as she looked around the park. Akagi had brought up going to see the Sakura trees bloom on Kana's birthday after school, something the girls were all too happy to agree to.

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised by how many people came. When I used to come with my parents, there were never this many people." Naomi had fond memories of watching the trees as a child.

"Good thing we got here early. Otherwise, we might not have gotten a good spot." Kana smiled as she placed down a blanket. "Onee-chan will be here in a bit. She said that she had to grab something at the house." Kana always celebrated her birthday in some manner, unlike Akagi. Her parents were pretty consistent about having some sort of family gathering, and it was always a happy time for her, though the memory of her eighth birthday still haunted her.

This would be the first time she'd gone to see the Sakura trees bloom with her sister since before FWO launched. For whatever reason, Akagi always enjoyed coming to see the trees, and Kana always tagged along. She'd continued the tradition even while her sister was trapped in FWO, so this year's outing would be special.

{I'm so happy that I can do this with her again.} (Kana)

The three girls got to work setting up a blanket for everyone to sit on, and it wasn't much later that Akagi, Yumi, and Alice showed up. The sudden appearance of the Demon Lord and an ex-Libra member caused a mild commotion among the other people in the park. But after a few minutes, things calmed down, and people went back to their business. Though, some would stare from time to time.

"Sorry, we're late. It took a bit longer than I expected to find what I was looking for." Akagi smiled as they sat down. Alice decided to sit in Akagi's lap, causing Mika to giggle.

"Happy Birthday, Kana!" Alice said with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you." Kana pat her on the head, causing the girl to giggle.

"Yes, Kana is old now." Akagi laughed.

"Says the person who's four years older than me." She rolled her eyes in response to Akagi's comment.

"Hey, age doesn't apply to me, so your little jab doesn't work." Akagi smirked. "Besides, I don't really mind anyway."

{Also, with how long I've dilated time in my shadow, chances are that I'm not twenty one anymore.} (Akagi)

"Mika is the oldest of the three of us anyway." Kana shrugged. "So if anyone's going to be old, it's her." Mika was already seventeen, and her birthday was in August.

"Hey! Naomi is only a few months younger than me!" Mika cried. “Don't go calling me old!”

"A few months is a few months! Thus I'm still younger, old lady." Naomi grinned. "But I guess being jealous of younger women is what happens when you get to be your age." That quip made Akagi bust out laughing.

"Hooooo. What a burn." Akagi covered her mouth, trying to hold in her laugh. "Are you just going to sit and take that, Mika?"

"It's fine, see unlike her, I've got a girlfriend." Mika stuck out her tongue. "Naomi's the one who's got to worry about becoming a spinster."

Kana nearly choked on her water at that comment. "Jesus, Mika!"

{This is great.} (Akagi)

"Not even five minutes, and I'm already glad we're here." Akagi was struggling to stop laughing. 

{Too bad the dragon couldn't be here until later, she'd by dying of laughter right now.} (Akagi)

"Well, at least I'm not dating two cougars." Naomi hit back, causing Mika to turn red.

{Naomi went in for the kill!} (Kana)

"They're such good friends." Yumi chuckled. "Conversations like this remind me of some of the women in my village. They'd always bicker and complain about being unable to find a partner or about their spouses if they had one."

"Yeah, though, unlike these two. The girls in your village were a bit more strapped for choice." Akagi commented.

"Fair." Yumi gave a wry smile. You were basically limited to your local population for that purpose.

"Speaking of which." Mika looked at her. "Did you ever have someone you liked? Before Akagi, I mean."

Yumi thought for a moment before answering. "I don't think so. As a priestess, I was not supposed to ever get married, it was a job similar to the nuns of this world, so I never really gave it any thought." Her village wasn't that large to begin with, and her duties never gave her the time to think about love. "I took my duties seriously and strove to meet expectations, so I don't recall any instance of me thinking about such things." She shook her head.

"I can't imagine being forced into such a role." Naomi commented.

{Being forced into a religious convent from that young of an age sounds like hell.} (Naomi)

"It was tough, I won't lie, and it was quite... unrewarding." Yumi scratched her cheek. "From a very young age, such important duties were thrust upon me without any care for my well-being. I never had any friends my own age, and it was almost impossible to spend time with my family as a result. My sister even had to sneak into the temple to play with me during the few chances I got to rest." She smiled as she recalled those times.

"I bet your little sister was super cute!" Mika smiled.

"She was." Yumi giggled. "Miji was full of energy and was a bright and cheery girl. Life in my village was tough, and we went through our share of hardship, but she never stopped smiling. My parents once told me that she always talked about me and was constantly worried about me. I think she was hoping that one day I'd get to come home permanently."

{I miss them everyday.} (Yumi)

"I lost my own family, so I understand where your coming from." Naomi smiled. "It's not easy, but you've got Akagi and us now!"

"Exactly! Just get Akagi to start making little Yumis to run around, and you'll have one big family in no time!" Mika's comment caused Yumi to turn red and Akagi to burst out laughing.

"Besides the impossibility of that, I very much dislike children." Akagi sighed. "So even if possible, it's ain't happening."

{Yeah, no. I'm good.} (Akagi)

{Children is a bit much.} (Yumi)

"Even me?" Alice looked up at her with fake tears.

"You're the exception." Akagi started tickling her. "I've already got one problem child. I don't need more!"

"No! Not the tickles!" Alice was helpless at fending off the onslaught and was quickly reduced to an exhausted mess in Akagi's arms.

"Why can't you have children anyway?" Kana asked. She knew her sister hated kids but was curious as to why it wasn't even an option. Kana recalled her mentioning something about Demon Lords not being able to have children, but not why.

"Well, for starters, do you really think it would be a good idea for a bunch of half-Demon Lords to be running around." Akagi sighed. "One of my kind is enough to destroy the world, so even some strange half mortal half Demon Lord would be a problem. Not to mention my kind don't play well with others. I'd bet we'd kill any children we make along with the rest of the universe we inhabit." She continued. "Remember, usually we go insane and don't exactly have a concept of friend and foe. Even if the children were marked as do not kill, you'd still wind up in a strange situation. Hence when we're created, that option is made impossible. Any attempts at making children, either with another Demon Lord or anything else, will fail." It wasn't something she cared about anyway, and far as Akagi was concerned, nothing of value had been lost.

"What about you, Kana?" Akagi looked at her sister. "I hope you're aware that as strange as things are, that's not going to be an option between you and your little dragon."

{And I have no idea if magic can rectify that and I don't intend to find out anytime soon.} (Akagi)

Kana got a bit red. "I didn't exactly give it any thought."

{That's something for wayyy later in our relationship.} (Kana)

"It's not important now anyway." Akagi shrugged. "Unlike normal people, you and Hishya have no timer on that issue."

{I suspect our little lizard very much wants children, though how many is unknown to me.} (Akagi)

"Mika's probably going to have her own army of children." Naomi laughed. "Those two Yuki-Onna strike me as the kind to want a big family." Her comment caused Mika to turn red again.

"I'm not thinking about that for a while." Mika squeaked out a response. "Besides, they're the ones who have the child, so we've got all the time in the world to figure it out..."

"And that shouldn't be on any of your minds anyway." Akagi waved it away. "You haven't even hit twenty. Figure out your own lives first, then enjoy for a while before considering such things."

The six of them continued to chat about random mundane topics for a while longer until Akagi brought up school.

"So how have things been? Did my little display quiet things down?" She looked at Kana.

"Yeah, things have gone back to relative normalcy. Though rather than cause problems, people just avoid us. It's not exactly ideal, but considering the circumstances, I'll take what I can get." She sighed. "Hito, on the other hand..."

"He's kept quiet, but we all think he's plotting something." Naomi finished for her. "At this point, I think he's only gotten ever angrier after your display. I just hope he doesn't do something drastic and leaves us alone." He'd been placed on suspension for a while, but that didn't stop him from spreading vitriol via social media.

"I figured he wouldn't just sit down and shut up like a good boy." Akagi sighed. "Oh well, if he does anything, let me know. Otherwise, just let him stew. If we're lucky, he does nothing, and you all graduate and never see him again."

{But sadly, knowing how these things go, he's going to do something stupid...} (Akagi)

"I'd like to say he wouldn't hurt us, but well..." Kana knew angry and irrational people didn't exactly act predictably or logically. "The loss of his brother really sent him over the edge, the two were quite close.

"As I told him that day, his brother's death is squarely in the hands of the government. They wanted the three of you and me dead. I had no ill will toward him, but he pointed his weapon at one of my followers, and they killed him. It might suck, but he was a soldier who did his duty and he died for it." Akagi shrugged.

{Doesn't make it any easier though.} (Mika)

"Anyway, enough sad talk. I've got a present for you, Kana." Akagi smiled as she reached into her inventory.

"You don't need to give me anything. You already do enough." Kana sighed.

"Too bad you're getting a present." Akagi stuck her tongue out as she rooted through her items. "There it is." She pulled out an ornate black wooden box and handed it over to Kana. "Happy birthday, I think you'll like this. It's nothing crazy, but when I was thinking of something to give you, I recalled an item I got hold of in Antkellion."

Kana took the box and slowly opened it, and her eyes widened in surprise. Within was a white ivory comb with gold trim around the handle. It rested within a velvet interior. "You can't give me this!" She exclaimed. "This is way too much for a birthday present!" She tried to give it back, but Akagi refused.

"No takebacks!" Akagi smiled. "Besides, what use do I have for it? I obtained it because it was rare and unique. I think the lore said it came from Indus?" She thought for a second. "Yeah, it came from Indus that was the game's India equivalent. It's made of that continent's ivory equivalent from elephant-like creatures. I figured it would be perfect for you. I know you won't use it, but you've always wanted an ivory comb. I remember you talking to me about it years ago." Kana had mentioned something like that when she was a kid, but she never expected to actually get one since they were rare and expensive. Legally owning one was also quite tricky since the ivory trade was mostly banned globally.

"You really are awful." Kana closed the box. "You spoil me so much, and I can't give you anything in return." She still felt guilty about the one-sided relationship. At least that was her perception of things.

{More spoiling...} (Kana)

"What do you mean? As I told you before, just being here is more valuable to me than any gift you could give me." Akagi smiled as Kana hugged her.

"Thank you..." Kana giggled. "It's beautiful, and I'll make sure it stays safe."

{It really is an amazing gift though. I don't know why, but I always thought ivory was so pretty.} (Kana)

The girls sat in the park for a while longer, enjoying the Sakura trees and celebrating Kana's birthday. Spring had finally arrived properly and it wouldn't be much longer until Akagi would make her debut on the world stage.