The Red Hand

Interlude 19 – The Holy Heroine and the Earth Shattering Secret.

"Argh... I'm so tired..." Hitomi said as she flopped on her bed, exhausted. Her meetings had run longer than expected and she was never one for stuff political discussion, especially with members of the Church's upper administration. "That meeting just wouldn't end..." She pushed her face into a fluffy pillow.

{Why do all those old people feel the need to talk in circles? I swear its like they enjoy hearing the sound of their own voice!} (Hitomi)

"It would be so much easier if they just let me make the changes that are needed." Hitomi sighed as she flipped onto her back, hugging a pillow tightly.

"Now, Lady Hitomi is that any way to carry yourself?" A brown-eared fox girl wearing a shrine maiden's outfit said as she popped into view. Her blue eyes reflected the depressed visage of Hitomi and seemed to provide the saddened Hero a bit of warmth. "I'll have you know that you're not being very ladylike right now." She giggled.

"Raf..." Hitomi sighed before reaching out and pulling the fox on top of her, hugging her. "Are you really one to say such things?" She chuckled. “I don't think you're much better than I am.”

"As your attendant, it's my duty to ensure that the Holy Maiden is the optimity of purity and always present yourself in the most lady-like manner." Rafferty smiled as she hugged Hitomi back and kissed her neck. "Not to mention that I don't like seeing you all gloomy like that. Your face is much better when its smiling."

{She smells so sweet...} (Hitomi)

"I take it your meeting with the Cardinals didn't go well?" Rafferty asked as she continued to kiss Hitomi's neck. “Unless you've got another reason to be all cranky?”

"It was more boring than anything else, honestly." Hitomi said as she scratched one of the fox-girl's ears. "They call me the Holy Maiden and the Saint, and yet actually getting them to listen to me can be such a pain..." She sighed. Hitomi had been trying to use the Church's authority to make radical changes across the continent, but due to her nature as a relatively symbolic leader, her options were limited.

{Everyone thinks that I'm going to run this whole organization or that I'm already in charge when in reality all I can do is sit back and watch these idiots bicker and waste time...} (Hitomi)

"Well, don't you worry about all that." Rafferty said as she slid her hand under part of Hitomi's clothing. "It won't be long now. Soon, the Gods' plans will be complete, and then you can use their power to help everyone." Her words were seductive, and while her outward smile seemed warm, if one looked closer they could tell that something was off with the fox-girl.

"I know... I know..." Hitomi grabbed the fox's wiggling hand to stop it before kissing her on the lips. "I just hope that Shiroe can forgive me for the price of peace. She'd never agree with our methods, I only hope she can understand why it came down to this." She kissed her again, and the two engaged in a bit of 'stress relief' in the privacy of their room for a few hours before washing up together in their private bath, which resulted in a bit more 'playing.'

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"I'm not sure which of us is worse." Hitomi sat on the edge of her bed with a bathrobe on while Rafferty waved an oversized fan to cool her off. “Though I'm leaning toward you.”

"I wasn't intending to do anything funny in the bath, and if I recall correctly, you were the one to start moving around again." Rafferty chuckled. "Once you touched me I was no longer responsible for what came next." She winked.

"It's not fault that you're such a temptress." Hitomi reached out and pinched the fox-girl's exposed thigh. “I mean, look at these things! How can I just let them go untouched?!?”

{LIKE COME ON!} (Hitomi)

"YOW!" Rafferty yelped, swatting away Hitomi's hand. "Why must you pinch my legs like that?!?" She'd been dealing with this for years, and still didn't get it.

"Because where else am I going to find a woman with those thighs?" Hitomi laughed as her hand was battled away again. “Like, look at this beautiful things!”

"I'll never understand your obsession with my thighs..." Rafferty sighed. "Most people are more interested in my chest or face, but you... Is this just some otherworlder thing I'm too normal to understand?"

{I suppose its not that bad though...} (Rafferty)

"Where I'm from we consider those who love these lovely things cultured people." Hitomi giggled. "It's simply far and away the most noble way to enjoy the flesh."

"Sure..." Rafferty rolled her eyes, not believing for a moment that Hitomi was normal. "Are you sure your enjoyment isn't connected to the fact that yours are so plain?"

"I suppose that an uncultured swine like yourself wouldn't understand how amazing your legs are." Hitomi shrugged. "For all of Muichiro's faults, at least he understands the glory of thighs."

{Though that man... He takes things a bit too far for my liking...} (Hitomi)

"Why a man like that was chosen as a Hero I'm afraid I'll never understand." Rafferty placed her fan down and sat in Hitomi's lap, her large bushy tail wrapping around the Hero slightly. "I'd say that you were the only one we needed anyway." She nuzzled against Hitomi's chest, making sure to rub her fluffy ears against her. “You embody everything a Hero needs to be.”

{Even after that bath, she smells so sweet...} (Hitomi)

The two sat together on the edge of the bed, warm in each other's embrace, until Rafferty abruptly separated, causing Hitomi to pout.

"Don't give me that look." Rafferty chuckled as she bopped the pouting Heroine on the head. "You know that we've got work to do, so come on." She pulled Hitomi up and helped her get dressed, though the Hero resisted the entire time.

"I don't want to go out tonight..." Hitomi groaned as Rafferty finished putting her robes on. “I'd rather stay here and play with you...”

"Just remember that your hard work helps to feed all those starving children and cure all those nasty illnesses." Rafferty smiled as she tied one of the bows on Hitomi's outfit. "The Great Saint is a woman whose compassion knows no bounds, and there are many counting on you."

"I swear you just like saying that to embarrass me..." Hitomi rolled her eyes.

"I won't deny that it's fun." Rafferty gave a tee-hee pero like she was taught. "But don't go telling me that you aren't happy to see all those people healthy and safe!" She knew that Hitomi wanted to help as many people as possible and that her primary goal was to prevent others from going through the same tragedy that she had in the past.

"I know, I know..." Hitomi pulled on Rafferty's cheeks and stretched them comically. "I just don't like these stuffy meetings where it feels like I'm panhandling... I'd honestly rather we focused on our business ventures, since there's far more money there, and it has fewer strings attached..." It was an open secret that Hitomi had set up brothels and other similar ventures to fund orphanages, soup kitchens, hospitals, and schools. However, that didn't mean that she could completely ignore more legitimate sources of funding, lest disgruntled members of the Nobility or the Church crack down on her operations.

{It's annoying that we have to tip-toe around such people. I can't wait for Rafferty to tell me that the Gods' plan is finished so that we can sweep all those nasty people away!} (Hitomi)

"Don't worry." Rafferty pat her on the back to reassure her. "All you have to do is give some nice smiles, eat some bland food, and laugh at all those stupid jokes!" She smiled. “It will be easy!”

"I'd believe that if any of what you were describing had gotten easier over the last ten years..." Hitomi rolled her eyes. "But fine, I'll go... Just do me a favor and pull me out after about two hours. Otherwise, I might explode..."

{Both figuratively and literally...} (Hitomi)

"I'll be there exactly when you need me, like always." Rafferty hugged Hitomi before the two descended the massive spiral staircase that connected the Hero's room to the Church's Central Cathedral. As an important figure, Hitomi had her own private residence that was constructed at the top of one of the building's large spirals, and it was generally regarded as the best room in the City.

"Lady Hitomi, please enjoy your night." Rafferty bowed as Hitomi got into a carriage and was taken out of the Cathedral's main gate. Her meeting would take place in a large manner within the Holy City, and the event was slated to run late into the evening, leaving Rafferty with seemingly little to do until her master returned.

As the Hero departed out of view, the happy smile on Rafferty's face faded, and her expression became stern yet flat. "Now then, with her out of the way for a bit I suppose that I should go check on our preparations. I heard from the dealers that a few new interesting specimens came in today." Her lips curved into a nasty grin before her expression returned to normal, and after a moment, she turned on her heels, reentered the Cathedral, and made her way back up to Hitomi's room. The Cathedral was quiet this late at night and the few servants and guards that she ran into merely gave her a nodding look or smiled and waived. As the favored servant of the Hero, Rafferty was basically untouchable and this left many to keep their distance, fearing upsetting her unintentionally.

After entering Hitomi's room, Rafferty walked up to the large painting of the four summoned Heroes that had been specially created to celebrate their victory and tapped it with her right knuckles. "It won't be much longer..."

*TING* *TING*

As she tapped on the painting, the diamond ring on her marriage finger shone brightly for a moment as the painting warped and distorted revealing a purple magic circle within a small dark alcove. This area was created by Rafferty and only she and Hitomi were aware of what lay beyond.

Stepping inside, Rafferty entered the circle and vanished a moment later in a flash of light, only to reappear in what looked like a dark cave with solely the light of torches to peel back the darkness.

"I do wish that this place wasn't so cold." Rafferty shivered as a cold breeze washed over her. "But oh well, we won't have use for this place much longer anyway, so I can handle a bit of cold a little bit more." She slowly walked down the hallway, her straw sandals scratching the floor below as she did.

{It won't be long now... Soon, all my preparations will be complete and the time for vengeance will be upon us!} (Rafferty)

Continuing down the dimly lit cave hallway, Rafferty eventually passed sets of iron bars, behind with were a variety of different people chained to the wall. Most were unconscious, with the few that were able to move or speak far too drugged up to do more than groan as she walked past their cells.

"Most of the Spirits and the other trash that they bring me are far too weak for my liking, but I suppose it's better than nothing." Rafferty said as she stopped in front of a cell that had a single girl chained to the wall. "Though that does mean that you, my little Oni, will be granted the honor of sacrificing yourself to free my masters." As the light flickered, one could catch small glimpses of the teenage girl that was chained up. She was an Oni like Superbia, and the unkempt black hair on her head had grown so long that it draped onto the floor.

{I know that I promised Hitomi that I would avoid using this girl if possible, but why would I keep a promise with a fool like her? In the end it will not matter, for once my masters are free everything shall crumble beneath their wrath.} (Rafferty)