The Red Hand

Chapter 258 – Tube Sock Shenanigans.

*GROWL* *SNARL* *TUG*

"Come on, kitty! Give it over!" Miji pulled as hard as she could but was unable to get the sock away from Akagi. “Return... The... Sock!”

"Grrrrrrr!" Akagi growled and hissed as she chomped down on the white tube sock. She and Miji were playing tug of war on the couch, and things had devolved into a stalemate with neither wanting to hand the sock over to the other.

"What the hell am I watching?" Kana sighed as she watched her kitty sister play tug of war with a child over a sock.

"Something very cute." Yumi smiled as she watched the two go back and forth. “They've been at this for a minute, and its still funny.”

"Don't tell me that you want to play tug of war with her over a stupid sock." Kana glared at Yumi, who simply shrugged.

{YOU FUCKING DO, DON'T YOU?!?} (Kana)

"I enjoy playing with her, that's all." Yumi's smile told Kana all that she needed to know.

{This idiot enables Onee-chan and enjoys herself while doing it! I guess they really are made for each other.} (Kana)

"Come on, kitty!" Miji pulled as hard as she could, but Akagi violently shook her head, tearing the sock away from the girl's weak grip. "No! Give it back, kitty!" She attempted to grab onto it, but Akagi shook her head around and started whacking the sock against the couch. “NO! MR. SOCK! Bad kitty!” She tried to take it back, but Akagi wiggled around too much to stop. "I'll save you mister sock!!"

"Aren't you supposed to be a cat?" Kana rolled her eyes as she watched the two wrestle over a sock. "Dogs do things like that, not cats."

*HISS!*

Akagi hissed at her as she threw the sock back to Miji. "I can do whatever I want!" She laughed. "If I say it's cat behavior, then it is!"

{I think its fine.} (Yumi)

"Kitty is kitty!" Miji giggled as she hugged Akagi. "Even if she acts like a doggy, she will always be my kitty!"

{I see Miji has fully succumb to the kitty... I suppose we're all just dancing in her paws at this point...} (Kana)

"MEW!" Akagi meowed happily as Miji hugged her.

"You better watch out, Miji. Yumi here might get jealous of all the time you spend with the kitty." Kana snickered, which caused Yumi to poke her cheek.

"I would never get jealous of Miji. There's enough Akagi to share between us, and I encourage their bonding." Yumi sighed.

{Though I do wish that Miji wouldn't hog her as much as she does...} (Yumi)

"And yet I seem to recall you mentioning to me once that you were a bit jealous when Miji got to snuggle with Akagi during that big thunderstorm." Kana laughed as she poked Yumi in the side.

"T-That!" Yumi said, slightly embarrassed.

{Why did you feel the need to mention that...} (Yumi)

"Awww. Does Yumi need some kitty love?" Akagi chuckled as she hopped across the table and onto her lap. "Here." She rubbed her face and ears against the Priestess' chest. "Is that better, mew?"

"Yes, it is." Yumi brought her into a tight hug. “I needed to replenish my stock of kitty energy!”

"Sister stole the kitty!" Miji pouted. “No fair...”

"You already got to play with her the whole afternoon! It's my turn to pet her!" Yumi blew her sister a raspberry.

{Yeah, Yumi's totally not jealous of your own sister...} (Kana)

"I guess I should be happy that Onee-chan has people that are so attached to her." Kana gave a small smile as she played with her sister's ears. “Better that then her being a useless NEET like before.”

"I needed to make up for what I was missing out on for all those years." Akagi smiled and purred as she was hugged and petted. “Also, I wasn't useless NEET! I was in school!” She hissed and swiped at Kana, who dodged.

"Beyond going to class you were basically a NEET in every sense of the word.” Kana grinned. “But also, even if you had normal parents, I don't think petting is part of what they'd do." She rolled her eyes.

{At least, I hope it WOULDN'T be something they would do, since that would be strange.} (Kana)

"Perhaps not, but I enjoy it nonetheless." Akagi snickered before asking her sister a question. "Speaking of worthless idiots, what are dumbfuck one and two doing?"

"Dumbfuck..." Kana sighed as she understood who she was referring to. "I can't exactly say that moniker is wrong, but I still don't like hearing it. Mom and Dad are likely going to split, as Dad still won't repent and refuses to see their actions for what they were." She'd briefly spoken to Shima the other day and got the gist of the situation.

"Damn, I never thought that would happen." Akagi hopped into Kana's lap, which elicited a glare from Yumi. "Those two always got along so well with each other despite the nature of their marriage." They rarely fought and seemed to love each other, at least Akagi thought so.

"Neither did I, but with everything the way it is, Mom gave him an ultimatum. Either he repents, or she'd divorce him, and while she is trying to get through to him, it has yet to work." Kana sighed. "And before you say sorry, don't. This isn't your fault."

"Well, I mean, it is on a technical level." Akagi said as she changed position in her sister's lap to allow Yumi to pet her tail, making the Priestess happy.

"I mean that you shouldn't get all sad on my behalf." Kana flicked her sister's ear, which twitched in response. "I already aired my grievances with both of them and while Dad seemed to take my words at least somewhat seriously, my relationship with both of them is still poor. I've put both of them on strictly limited contact, and while I have hope that one day Mom and I can go back to the way things were, Dad is a different story." Her petting stopped as she hugged Akagi. "He refuses to accept either my or Mom's explanation saying that there is no way that he or her were being controlled."

{He thinks its all nonsense.} (Kana)

"Then how does he explain Shima's change of heart?" Akagi asked as she hugged her back.

"He writes it off as Mom basically caving to me." Kana answered with a wry smile. "He thinks that the only reason she's changed is because she doesn't want to lose me enough to start treating you better."

"So doesn't that mean he doesn't care about you enough to do the same?" Akagi asked a question without thinking and immediately regretted it.

"I...I suppose that it does, doesn't it?" Kana said sadly.

{Why did I have to open my big mouth and say that?!? Stupid nonexistent brain!} (Akagi)

"But... I still think there's more to this." Kana shook her head. "If Mom was being controlled or brainwashed, then surely we can save Dad too, right?" She was hopeful that something could be done to save him.

"Pardon my intrusion into the family discussion, but I have something to add." Himari spoke up unexpectedly.

"I don't mind. You're basically family anyway." Akagi replied.

"Yeah. You were made by our ancestors, so I consider you as such too." Kana smiled and a moment later Himari appeared on the couch next to Miji.

"Sword lady!" Miji smiled.

"Now, Miji, call her by her name." Yumi chastised her sister.

"It's fine." Himari pat Miji on the head.

"So, what did you want to add?" Akagi asked.

"Regarding 'mind control' in question, I wanted to inform you that both the Tomogawa and Tokugawa clans had the ability to manipulate a person's memories and personality via spiritual magic. So it's possible that something was done to both of your parents at some point in the past." Himari explained that it was a technique usually only done to protect the clan's most important secrets rather than to turn people into slaves or make them act abnormally.

"I did see something about that in the documents we pulled from the compound, but there were no records of it being used on any living member of the family." Akagi shook her head. She'd turned that place over and scoured every document available with nothing to show for it.

"I highly doubt they would've recorded that information on paper or digitally." Himari gave a wry smile. "If they really did tamper with either of your parent's minds, then that would've been done without a paper trail since that kind of stuff is taboo."

{I saw it used once before in the past. The man who created Momo and I had his entire mind wiped by the clan to prevent him from spreading their secrets, and to ensure that no other weapons like us were ever made by him again.} (Himari)

"Maybe Naomi's family had something on it?" Kana pointed out that the Tokugawa were the Tomogawa's boss basically. "We now know that we're related and that our family did have contact with each other over the years. So perhaps the Tokugawa family records would have something?"

"As far as I'm aware, Naomi's father's study and library is still as he left it the day he died. So we could ask her for permission to dig through the documents." Akagi nodded.

"That's probably your best bet at finding information.” Himari agreed. “The Tokugawa's would have far more information than your family, and I suspect the most important things would be kept in the most secure of locations." Himari didn't know much about Tokugawa's history during the period she was sealed, but figured that they still kept records as they had in the past.

"I don't think Naomi's house has some kind of massive vault." Kana said as she pulled up her AR and started messaging her friend. “I've been there enough and I've never seen one nor has she ever mentioned something like that.

"They would've likely sealed it behind Spiritual Wards and Barriers, much like how Momo and I were when you found us." Himari shook her head. "Your best bet would've been to seek out the Tokugawa clan's familiars, but I imagine they left along with the other Yokai and are no longer alive."

{Momo hasn't mentioned any kind of magical or Spiritual energy at the estate, so the storage location for family secrets may be elsewhere as well.} (Himari)

*DINK*

Kana's AR messager showed a reply from Naomi.

"Naomi said we're more than welcome to look through her family records but that she doubts there's anything in there that can help." Kana read out the message as she typed a reply.

"Then I suppose we have an activity for after the tournament." Akagi nodded. "I still don't detect any kind of magic or mind control over Taichi, but perhaps it's something non-magical." She looked to Himari, who shrugged.

"I can't tell you the nature of the power, only that it works. It's entirely possible that it leaves no Spiritual signature and merely messes with their heads in a way we can't detect." Himari replied.

{Though if she can't detect something that begs the question of what kind of power we're dealing with and if it really is Spiritual energy being used. I suppose that it is possible that their parents were exposed to hypnosis or some other kind of subliminal messaging. That kind of technique wouldn't set off any magical detection since there's nothing actively messing with their minds.} (Himari)

"For being helpful, Himari gets a reward!" Akagi leaped across the room and into Himari's lap. "You are granted to honor of petting the kitty, be in awe of such grace." She smiled.

"Isn't that more of a reward for you?" Himari sighed.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." Akagi grabbed Himari's hand and put it on her head.

"Yeah, you're right." Himari smiled as she pet Akagi's ears, causing both Yumi and Miji to pout in jealously.