The Red Hand

Chapter 203 – Going to Nana’s House.

Akagi and Kana stood before a familiar house, one that both of them had been to a number of times when they were children. It was a quaint little place, with a walled in yard and a relatively tame decoration scheme that matched the rather simple tastes of its residents. As they pushed past the gate, Akagi made a comment.

"Ahh yes, and now all the bad memories come flooding back." Akagi sighed. She was dressed in casual clothing, sporting a t-shirt and shorts rather than her usual Kimono. Kana did ask her to come as Rishia, but if looks could kill, the glare Akagi gave her sister would've seen Kana Isekaied into some world's hero, or more likely its villain knowing Scary Kana.

"At least Aunt Nana was nice to you." Kana gave a wry smile. "But since this was the place you got abandoned to quite frequently... I understand your dislike of it..." Akagi was dumped here more times than she could count, usually after some kind of blow-up at the house or when her parents couldn't be bothered to deal with her. Whenever the family went on a trip or to an event, nine times out of ten, she'd be brought here rather than go with, with Shima and Taich always making up some kind of excuse. Nana usually saw through the lies, but figured it was best that her niece stay with her rather than another member of the family, since her treatment with them would be... less than nice.

"Nice enough to the unwanted child oft dumped on her front porch." Akagi rolled her eyes. She didn't dislike Nana, its just that she didn't really care about her. To the Demon she was a member of the family that caused her so much pain, and while she never did anything to Akagi, she also did nothing to help her. "Come on, let's just get this over with. I can already feel my stress levels going up, even though this body lacks both nerves and adrenaline." She said as the two of them walked up to the front door. After knocking, their Aunt appeared with a smile and greeted the two of them.

"Aunt Nana!" Kana smiled as she hugged her aunt. The two hadn't seen each other since Nana cut off contact with the rest of the family several years ago. She'd had plenty of issues with the family, not just its treatment of Akagi, and finally got fed up with their toxicity around five years a go. Its not easy to cut off contact with your family, but living in Tokyo made that much easier since she was already far away. "I'm so glad to see you again. I've missed you so much! I can't believe its been so long since we've seen each other."

"And I've missed you too, Kana." Nana smiled. "I'm sorry we haven't spoken much since..." She'd always felt sorry for her two nieces, and when Akagi was trapped within FWO she nearly broke her self-imposed no contact with her sister.

"And you too, Rishia." Nana looked at her, not knowing exactly how to address the literal Demon that stood before her. She tried to reach out for a hug, but was quickly rebuffed.

"Don't touch me." Akagi glared at her. "And if you call me Rishia again, we're going to have a problem." Nice or not, her Aunt was not permitted to call her that. Kana was the only person she could tolerate using that name, and even then she didn't like it. Yumi had once called her that as a joke, and in return, Akagi duck taped her to the ceiling of the living room for a few hours.

"Sorry... Akagi." Nana apologized. "But regardless of your name, it really is nice to see you again. It's... it's been a long time, hasn't it?" She didn't really know how to handle her niece anymore, though part of her still wanted to help her in any way she could.

"It's been a minute, yes. I think the last time we saw each other was just before you finally kicked those idiots out of your house for the last time." Akagi let out a small laugh.

{Naturally, I got blamed for Nana turning her back on the family. Shima screamed at me for polluting her sister's mind, and I honestly thought Kenji was going to kill me. Well jokes on you old man, I got to fucking kill AND eat you and your clan in the end, so fuck you!} (Akagi)

"Yes well, please come in. Standing on the porch isn't going to help anyone, and I know your hear for more than just a visit to your Aunt." She motioned for the two sisters to enter her home, which they did. Unlike Shima's house, Nana's was a bit more simplistic. There were photos of her and her family, and a few small curios. But overall, it was quite bare on decoration, owing to the fact that she hated extravagance and worthless 'dust collectors' as she called them. Her children were all older than Akagi and no longer lived with her, but both girls knew they regularly visited, owing to some of the items that looked out of place.

After going inside and removing their shoes, the two of them were brought to the living room where Shima was sitting alone on the couch. The instant she laid eyes on Akagi, she flinched. Which Akagi laughed at internally.

"What, no Taichi?" Akagi said as she sat in one of the armchairs and made sure she looked as 'in control' as possible with how she sat.

{God I hope he was too scared to show up. At least that would be funnier then him not giving a fuck.} (Akagi)

"Yeah, I thought Dad would be here too?" Kana said as she sat across from her mother, irritation in her voice. "Wasn't the idea to have both of you here for this?"

{Don't tell me that Dad didn't care enough to come...} (Kana)

"Y-Your father will not be coming." Shima answered. "H-He... I told him not to bother." She shook her head.

"Us four are the only ones here, as I asked Arima to step out as well." Nana explained that her husband went to visit his aging parents during this meeting to give the four of them some privacy. Akagi actually liked her husband, and always wished that he was her father, since he was a genuinely nice man. She credited him for her love of history, as when he babysat her, he'd read her all kinds of history books, owing to his position as a History Professor.

"Do you mind if I smoke in here?" Akagi asked her Aunt as she pulled out her Kiseru.

"I mean, I don't really care, but you shouldn't do that..." Nana shook her head as she sat next to her sister. She was never a fan of smoking, since she hated the smell and the health effects.

"Smoking literally has no effect on me, and my power can filter it out of the air, so there's no secondhand issue." Akagi said as she packed her Kiseru and lit it. "I can't get drunk, so this will be a decent substitute. Lord knows I need something right now to calm my nerves, lest I just kill you both and head out." She let out a puff into the air. "Much better." Her statement caused both Nana and Shima to sweat a bit, which was what Akagi wanted.

{Onee-chan, did you REALLY have to add THAT?!?} (Kana)

"Getting back on track, why did you tell Dad not to come?" Kana asked. She was visibly annoyed by her mother's decision but waited to hear her answer before snapping.

"Because Taichi... he will never repent, Kana. Not unless he is somehow... not unless whatever has a hold over him is broken... like it was for me." Shima's face went dark as she recalled that night. Everything seemed to flood in at once, and it was as if a dark fog had cleared from her mind. Ever since then, what she'd done to Akagi over all these years had haunted her, and she'd lost countless nights of sleep. Looking back on her actions over the years had driven her to the point of breaking, and she grew more and more disgusted with herself each day.

"So basically, Taichi is an asshole, and inviting him would only bog down the conversation." Akagi laughed. "Yeah, that makes sense. Not like it really matters in the end if he's here or not."

"I tried explaining that something was wrong with us, I really did" Shima said. "I talked to him for hours... but he wouldn't listen. Things ended up in an argument when I... when I told him that we've done something unforgivable to you, Rishia." Shima's use of her old name caused Akagi's anger to hit a boiling point instantly, and Kana tensed as she knew this might get bad.

{Oh... no...} (Kana)

"Let me lay something out for you, Shima." Akagi twirled her pipe around in her right hand as she let out a puff of smoke. Kana could tell she was furious but didn't move to calm her down, mostly because she was afraid of what might happen. "I. AM. NOT. RISHIA!" She slammed the back of her foot down on the coffee table between them, causing it to shake violently. "Rishia is gone. Technically, she never really existed in the first place, as she was just a persona placed over me as part of a seal to keep my power under wraps until I was matured enough! My real name, as it has always been since the moment of my creation, is AKAGI." She continued, her voice flickering for a moment due to her frustration. "The last vestiges of your 'daughter' were extinguished as part of my release! When I ventured within my soul to discover what I really was, I met what little of my humanity still existed. And do you know what I told her? I told her to GET LOST!" Akagi let out an angry laugh, that the three other women thought sounded more like demonic cackling than anything else. "So don't try and call out to your non-existent daughter, because you will get no answer! I am Akagi Dumetor, the Demon Lord! I am not Rishia Tomogawa, and I am not your daughter, Shima! So don't you DARE call me that! You of all people don't have the right to call me that name, not after everything you did to me!” She calmed herself down after her rant, and Kana was just glad things didn't escalate further.

"But do you not still consider yourself Kana's sister? So why-" Shima was stopped by Akagi's cold glare.

{Mon, for once in your life don't stick your foot in your mouth. Onee-chan already hates you as it is, so don't go pushing her buttons.} (Kana)

"The only reason I still consider Kana my sister is because she was worth keeping. Unlike you, Kana was always kind to me and treated me as family should, Shima. Thus, even if I cast aside the false persona of Rishia, I've retained my bond to Kana, but that continuity goes no further. I do not regard you or any other member of the Tomogawa family as anything more than strangers!" Akagi's irritation was only growing, so Kana finally stepped in before the house was painted red with her mother's blood.

"Please Mom, just call her Akagi and... and accept that Rishia... Rishia is gone." Kana gave a bitter smile, as she still held out a tiny bit of hope that Akagi might one day go back to how she was, as foolish a notion as that was. "Besides, it's not like you gave her any reason to stay..."

{You're hatred for Onee-chan... it meant she never had any reason to cling to her old identity. So the moment a new one appeared, she jumped on it. I might not like it, but I understand WHY she became what she is today.} (Kana)

"I... I guess you're right." Shima bit her lip. "But still... regardless of what you see yourself as or what your name is..." Shima stood up and did a ninety-degree bow to Akagi. "I am so sorry... for everything!" This sincere display of sorrow shocked Kana, who never expected her mother to say such things, and even Akagi was a bit surprised. "I was a horrible... no, I can't even use the term mother, as that would imply that I was ever worthy of such a title. I was a horrible person, and far more of a monster than what I believed you to be." Nana nodded along silently.

{What else could you call yourself, Shima? You treated your own flesh and blood like a stranger in her own home, abused her regularly, and tried to fucking KILL her. Akagi might be a Demon, but I'd say out of both of you, YOU are far more of a monster than the literal incarnation of hell sitting across from me.} (Nana)

"Yeah, you were horrible." Akagi let out a mocking laugh. "You tried to kill me several times, mentally and emotionally wrecked me, and not to mention you stole something irreplaceable from me." She was referring to what she and Kana discussed the other night, and Shima knew exactly what she meant.

"Yes... yes, I did. Because of me... because of what I did to you... you never had a mother... and I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for that." Shima started to tear up. "I took something from you... something so important... and there isn't anything I can do to give you that back!" She fell back into her seat as she started crying.

"At the very least, you showed me how not to be a parent." Akagi shrugged. "And I'll make sure that Alice is never left alone like what you did to me. That girl will know what its like to have a mom."

{Even... Even if I can't give her the love she deserves...} (Akagi)

"Alice?" Nana didn't recognize that name, and neither did Shima.

"She is my adoptive daughter." Akagi answered. "I took her in during my time in FWO. The poor girl had a horrible life up until then, and I've done everything in my power to help her recover." She felt no reason to tell either about this before today, as she didn't really care about them.

"I... had no idea." Shima said quietly.

"I didn't tell you about her because I didn't think it was my place." Kana gave a wry smile.

"Its not like she needed to know anyway." Akagi shrugged. "Alice isn't her grandchild, and I sure as fuck will not be introducing you to her." It didn't help that Alice was not a fan of Shima based on the stories she heard, and would probably be very nasty to her if they ever met.

"I hope you can take care of a child." Nana sighed. "I can't really picture you as a mother, no offense."

{How can this girl even take care of someone else? Let alone a child?} (Nana)

"I'm better at it than one might expect." Akagi laughed. "Though having an army of people at my side who know how to handle children helps. Plus Alice isn't exactly helpless just... she needs a bit of a helping hand." She'd made things works, and everyone seemed happy so Akagi figured that was a good sign.

"Let's not forget that she can flatten an entire city with her fluffy army of doom." Kana sighed.

{She's anything BUT helpless...} (Kana)

"Well, I mean, so can like a hundred other people I know." Akagi shrugged. "Being a walking disaster isn't exactly strange when you're talking about those around me."

"I got that from the gist of your speech." Nana shook her head. She'd watched Akagi's adress to the world and was concerned what she'd do in the future. "We're lucky you didn't just decide to kill us all."

"The key word here is yet." Akagi smirked. "I could easily do it. All it would take is a single thought, and this entire planet and everyone on it would die." She took a hit from her Kiseru as she chuckled. "Or be enslaved to my will. That's also a possibility, and one that would be much more fun than simple genocide." She laughed. "I think having you all build statues in my honor before digging your own graves would be quite amusing."

"I hate that you're not exaggerating..." Kana groaned.

{I swear, Onee-chan just likes getting a rise out of people... No wait, SHE DEFINITELY DOES...} (Kana)

"I'm just saying the truth." Akagi smiled. "I own this world, and everyone/everything on it is little more than a toy of mine. I give you plenty of attention Kana, so don't worry. I'll make sure you're well fed and watered, along with that pet of yours."

Kana blew her sister a raspberry.

"Getting past that, Mom." Kana locked eyes with her mother, as she wanted to get to the crux of their visit. "I... I don't... I can't hate you, but I do hate what you did to Onee-chan."

"I know, and you have every right to feel like that." Shima nodded. "Your sister... I know how much she means to you, and... and now you know the truth about me. I lied to you, Kana... for years I lied to you. I've tried to kill your sister more times than I can count, not to mention every other horrible thing your father and I did to her." Kana always knew some of the abuse her sister dealt with, but only recently had Akagi given her the full story.

"Lord knows you dropped her off at my house enough times." Nana scoffed.

"I used you as a convenient way to be rid of her, even if it was just for a moment." Shima shook her head. "But all I was doing was trying to hide the truth from Kana..."

"I always thought it strange that Onee-chan never went with us on basically any trips and that she came over here a little too frequently..." Kana bit her lip.

{There's a reason why this house fills me with such a feeling of dread. I wonder if it was because I knew going here meant something bad had happened or because I was afraid of going home to an abusing family?} (Akagi)

"But that brings me to the point of this family discussion." Kana took a deep breath. "Mom, there is no way we can ever go back to how things were. Not after everything I've heard, and frankly... I can't... I can't look at you the same. You're no longer the kind of loving mother I've known my entire life... now... now all I see is a monster, and I don't use that term lightly."