The Red Hand

Chapter 200 – The ‘Pure’ Maiden, and Revoking the Supply.

"MEW!" Akagi cried out as she dove onto a large blanket and started rutching around on it. She and Yumi were planning to have lunch in the garden while they waited for Kana and the girls to get home from school, and once they returned, the Demon was going to do a bit of sparring with her sister.

"MEW! MEW!" Akagi meowed as she began to scratch at the blanket and rub her ears and face against its fluffy exterior. Catkagi had become a regular occurrence at the estate, and the other members of the family had long decided to either ignore or embrace the silliness. The fact that Akagi was adorable as all heck in her kitty form helped considerably.

After a few minutes of playing around, Yumi arrived with a small basket that contained their lunch. "Are you enjoying yourself?" She laughed as she approached the blanket. Akagi was busy rolling around and meowing but managed to get in a smile and a nod between flops on the sheet.

"I'll take that as a yes." Yumi giggled as she sat down, and when she did, Akagi immediately hopped over to her side and placed her chin on the Priestess's shoulder.

"MEW!" Akagi meowed as she rubbed her ears against her.

"Yes, yes. I know what you want." Yumi opened up the basket and took out their lunch was consisted of some soup, rice, and bread that she had made herself. "I used some of the fresh vegetables Shiru finished growing, so it should be extra tasty." She smiled as she poured a bit into a small bowl and handed it to Akagi, and once preperations were ready the two began their lunch on this warm and calm Summer day. Things had been a bit hectic over the last few weeks, but with the Council dealt with and Miji integrated into the family, things had finally calmed down. Both were hoping this would usher in a new era of peace, though Akagi knew better than to assume anything.

"This is really nice." Akagi said as she chewed happily on some soup. “You're always such a good cook!”

"Oh, you're actually going to talk?" Yumi laughed. "I figured you were only going to meow at me like you usually do."

"Funny..." Akagi rolled her eyes at her comment. She might still be in cat mode, but nothing was stopping her from speaking. "How's Miji been? Has she been adjusting to her new home?" The girl'd taken a liking to Alice, and the two had become fast friends. Not to mention that Sakura was happy to have a second child to dote on. Akagi was thinking of making her into a teacher of sorts, since she seemed to handle children very well.

"She's still a bit nervous, this place is a bit more lively than the village, but she's mostly fine." Yumi replied. "The technological difference is going to be a struggle, but that will abate over time."

"That's good to hear. In the future, we'll have to explain everything in detail to her, but she's too young right now to understand the whole thing of a game becoming reality and magical inter-dimensional manipulation." Akagi didn't like having to lie to the girl but understood that she wouldn't comprehend a more detailed explanation at the moment.

{Hell, I don't even fully understand it.} (Akagi)

"Yeah, it would only confuse her, and I think she'll forgive us for a bit of deceit once she's old enough to understand why we obfuscated things." Yumi gave a wry smile. She didn't want to lie to her sister either, but agreed that it was for the best.

"At least that's one piece of family drama out of the way." Akagi sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, meeting with Shima and Taichi again is going to be mentally draining." Her ears drooped a bit, so Yumi scratched them to cheer her up.

{Sad floof is still cute floof.} (Yumi)

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with?" Yumi asked.

"I promised Kana that it would just be us, so no. Besides, it will be fine." Akagi gave a bitter smile. "I just hope things don't get out of hand..."

{Depending on what happens, this might be the last time Kana or I see them.} (Akagi)

"You said Shima had some kind of epiphany when Silfana tried to kill her. So maybe things will go well?" Yumi recalled that conversation.

"Yeah, if that's what it you want to call it." Akagi shrugged. "I don't care anyway. Even if being a Demon Lord predisposed my parents to hate me, that doesn't take away from the fact that they did what they did. Not to mention that nothing tells me they weren't in their right minds, and I still don't buy the convenient Demon Lord excuse." She still couldn't find anything about such an effect in her knowledge, and she'd had Taichi checked numerous times for mental or magical manipulation, and nothing was ever found.

"I just don't understand any of it." Yumi sighed. "How could parents act like that? I mean, I understand that not everyone is a perfect parent and that some people are bad at the job but... but actively hating your own child... I just can't comprehend that." Her parents were always loving towards her and her sister, so Yumi couldn't fathom having parents who acted so differently.

"It is fine." Akagi smiled. "I've got you now, so I don't need them." She scooted over next to Yumi and leaned on her. "I'm sure you can make a good substitute Mom for me." She giggled.

"If you start calling me Mom, that's... that's gonna be really strange." Yumi groaned. "Please don't."

{There are several problems with that...} (Yumi)

"Does Mommy not love me?" Akagi used puppy eyes to try and break Yumi's will. “Does Mommy Yumi hated me?”

"I will dump this soup on your head if you keep it up." Yumi glared at her. She didn't want her to start calling her that, even as a joke.

"You wouldn't be the first Mom to do that to me." Akagi laughed as she recalled the feeling of Clam Chowder burning her face.

"That's... that's not even funny..." Yumi shook her head as she sighed. "And anyway, I think I baby you enough as it is."

{At times you feel like your my little sister with how much you want to be spoiled. Not that I mind that...} (Yumi)

"Fair." Akagi stuck out her tongue as she giggled. "But I like being coddled like this." She hugged onto Yumi's side.

"Perhaps the girls are right and I should start weaning you off such tendencies." Yumi got a mischievous look on her face.

"As if you don't enjoy it..." Akagi punched her in the arm lightly. "Would you like me to remind you of that time you asked me to-" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Yumi covered her mouth with her hand.

"I already know this doesn't do anything to you, but just let me have this win." Yumi was already regretting teasing the Demon. "Fine, you win. I won't deny that I enjoy spoiling you, so just don't talk about that in public. Otherwise, I will die of embarrassment."

{But it was so cute though.} (Akagi)

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Akagi smirked. “Just think of it as a healthy and natural part of our relationship.”

"Perhaps if we were in a place that nobody else could hear you, then I wouldn't care. However, we're in public, and unlike you, I still have my sense of shame." Yumi said in a huff.

"Shame... sure... This coming from the depraved Priestess over here." Akagi rolled her eyes.

{You're probably one of the most degenerate people I've ever met, and I've been a citizen of the internet for over a decade...} (Akagi)

"I'm only like that because of you!" Yumi poked her in the forehead. "Before you tempted me into the darkness I was a sweet and pure maiden who could never fathom the naughty things you've thrust upon me!"

"Go ahead and blame the Demon for your own vices. But we both know that calling you pure is a load of bullshit." Akagi blew a raspberry. "The second you got access to the internet and found certain things, your dirty mind went into overdrive. Hell, I've been around the internet longer than you've been 'alive', and I'm still impressed with how many creative things you find."

{Like damn, what websites do you go to in order to find these things?} (Akagi)

"As I said, YOU corrupted ME." Yumi stuck her tongue out. "So you must take responsibility for your corruption."

"If that helps you sleep better at night, then go ahead and tell yourself that." Akagi grinned. "But we both know it's not true, and as for 'responsibility' I already do that."

The two continued to chat about less embarrassing topics for a while longer until Kana and the girls arrived at the estate. School had picked back up after the events with Hito, and the end of the semester would arrive soon.

"There they are." Kana said as she and the girls walked into the garden and saw Akagi tackle Yumi to the blanket playfully. "Chloe said you were out here engaging in some kind of debauchery, and I see she was right."

"Well, since Yumi's involved, there is always the chance." Akagi laughed as she got cracked on the back of the head by Yumi's paper fan.

"Where did she even get that?" Mika asked, as she didn't see a bag for it to have come from.

"Magic." Naomi shrugged.

"How was school?" Akagi asked as she rubbed the back of her head. "I assume things went alright?"

"Well besides everyone asking Misha how it felt to die." Kana sighed. "Things went well enough I suppose. I think most people have just settled into avoiding me. I know most of the other students are 'grateful' that I saved them from Hito's rampage, but I don't think they'll openly thank me."

"Well, even if Hito was just a thrall... yeah that makes sense." Akagi gave a wry smile. “But at least they've stopped causing you problems.”

“We only have about a month until we're done for break, so I'll manage." Kana started rifling through her bag as she spoke.

"How about I just eat them and install you as Empress of Japan? That would solve lots of problems." Akagi chuckled.

"Please don't." Kana groaned. "I hate that I actually have to tell you not to do that since you actually could..."

{I don't need to upgrade from Princess to Empress please...} (Kana)

"Kana couldn't be a worse leader than the current ones we have." Mika laughed. “At least she wouldn't try to mess with Akagi and plunge the country into doom.”

"It would be funny to see her go from the Demon Princess to the Demon Empress." Naomi giggled. "All hail the Demon Empress!”

"If that happens you two are getting dragged along for the ride." Kana side-eyed her two friends. "I hope you're ready for me to work you to the bone."

"Scary Kana will probably be a slave driver." Mika whispered to Naomi.

"Yeah, and unlike Akagi she'll actually make us wear slave collars and use whips on us." Naomi chuckled.

"Pffff." Akagi laughed. Her hearing was much better than Kana, so she caught what they said. "I could totally see it." She said quietly.

"Are those two..." Kana shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know what they're saying about me."

"We're just saying that you would make a wonderful Empress of all humanity." Mika winked.

"So that means you think I'll be some kind of power-mad tyrant..." Kana could read between the lines. "Fine, but you two are being made into my personal servants, and I expect you to everything I demand perfectly." She smirked as she looked at them.

"Well considering this is Mika we're talking about, I don't think you're getting perfect anything." Akagi laughed.

"Why just me?!?" Mika cried out in protest.

"Tell me I'm wrong!" Akagi retorted.

"I meant you're not, but that's not the point! I fluff you and give you pets, and this is how you repay me?!?" Mika stuck out her tongue in protest. “Does that mean nothing to you?!?”

"While appreciated, your pets are not enough to get me to lie for you." Akagi laughed.

"No more pets for the kitty then!" Mika smirked, feeling she had the upper hand.

"Oh no..." Akagi rolled her eyes. "It's not like I don't have a hundred people who would do it for me. Whatever shall I doooooooo?" She feigned defeat.

"Maybe if its only just me, but what if I get all of your family to go on strike?" Mika said. "I'll bill it as a unionization of sorts! No more pets for Akagi until she improves her treatment of all of us!"

"She'd go through withdrawal. I'm imagining her in kitty form going into downtown Kyoto in a box that says please pet me." Naomi chuckled.

{That is both possible, and likely... and I want to see it...} (Kana)

"I think we can manage such a movement, Mika." Yumi decided to join in on the teasing. "I was telling her earlier that I should start to wean her off such things. So perhaps a united front against her would prove effective?"

"That's fine. Go and do that if it makes you happy." Akagi gave a smile that everyone could tell was fake. "But if the supply of pets is cut off..." She lifted her hand into the air and created a small ball of black power above it. "Then I have no use for this world anymore." She continued to give her fake smile.

"You wouldn't!" Mika exclaimed.

"Wouldn't I?" Akagi continued to smile.

"She totally would." Kana said as she pulled a tracksuit out of her bag. She was ignoring their conversation and didn't want to give her sister the satisfaction of a reaction to her comments. "Come on, stop goofing around." She walked over to her sister and grabbed her by the shoulder before dragging her away. "And put that thing away, it's dangerous."

Akagi started cackling as she was dragged away, before snapping her fingers and dissipating the energy ball.

"Well, now we know what happens if everyone stops spoiling her." Naomi was still laughing.

"Yeah, Yumi you better keep the supply of pets and snuggles high." Mika gave a defeated laugh. "Otherwise, we all die."

"It will be an arduous responsibility, but I shall bear it for the good of the world!" Yumi's high and mighty words were undermined by the fact that she had no problem with spoiling Akagi silly, and the girls knew that.