The Red Hand

Chapter 347 – Family Portrait.

"Come on! Is that all you've got?" Hishya laughed as she twisted her body and ducked out of the way of Himari, who sliced through the air just inches from where she stood a moment prior. "I fought trash mobs that had more accuracy with their attacks!" She snickered as Kana seethed at her girlfriend's provocation. “Not to mention that they tend to have better weapons!”

{Oh I'm going to stab her good!} (Himari)

After the prior incident, Kana decided to train a bit more and see just what she could do with the power that lay dormant within her. She was still uneasy about diving into it too much, largely because she feared turning into a completely different person, and for all the bluster about accepting Akagi and wanting her to be happy with her new self/life, Kana was resistant to giving up her humanity like the Demon did.

"You know, you really are a pain in the ass, Hishya." Kana growled as Hishya slipped around her quick barrage of strikes, tripping Kana before ripping Himari out of her hand, spinning the blade around, and dramatically slinging it over her shoulder.

"What can I say? I learned a lot about how to aggravate people from a certain kitty that shall not be named." Hishya laughed as she was shocked by Himari, which caused Hishya to yelp in pain as she threw the sword back at Kana. “AAAAAH! YEEOWCH!”

"Need I remind you that trying to pick me up like that is a bad idea?" Himari laughed as she reformed next to Kana, a massive smirk on her lips. "Dragon or not, by wielding me like that, I can bypass a lot of your defenses, and as it turns of you aren't immune to my defensive abilities like Akagi is." She snickered before being blasted away by an energy attack from Hishya and sent flying into a tree.

"God! Fuck!" Hishya swore as shook her right hand in pain. "It's like somebody took a fucking taser to my bones!" She looked down at her limp hand. There was little real damage to her but the pain, and subsequent numbness, was quite unpleasant. "Did you really have to do that?!?"

{That fucking hurt, you bastard!} (Hishya)

"Good work, Himari." Kana laughed from the ground as she listened to Hishya swear so much that a sailor would blush. "Maybe I should use you as a bug zapper if you can do things like that?"

"Don't you dare!" Himari pouted while hanging from a nearby tree branch. "And also, you deserved it, Hishya. You had the smuggest look on your face as you toyed with us, so I figured it would be good to wipe it off." She snickered.

"Yeah, you've totally taken after Onee-chan." Kana said as Hishya helped her up. "You're not quite as sadistic, but you're getting there."

{I didn't really understand it at first, but I've slowly come to realize exactly what Onee-chan was saying when she told me that Hishya was nothing but trouble. If this is how she is now, then I shudder to think about how she was BEFORE her ego was shattered.} (Kana)

"Oi! As bad as I may be I'm nowhere near as bad as that crazy Demon!" Hishya protested the comparison. "Sure, maybe I like teasing a bit more than the average person, but comparing me to Akagi is both unfair and unwarranted!"

{SHE HAS A PERSONAL HELL THAT SHE USES FOR FUN! I JUST ENJOY PICKING ON MY CUTE GIRLFRIEND! WE ARE NOT THE SAME!} (Hishya)

"I suppose it makes sense if you think about it. After all she's a Dragon, domination is in her blood." Himari snickered as she appeared next to Kana, dodging a blast from the Dragon in question.

"Quiet you!" Hishya growled. “I don't need comments from the peanut gallery!”

*PBBBT!*

Himari blew a Raspberry before vanishing inside Kana to avoid the Dragon's wrath.

"I will turn you into a goddamned toothpick, Himari!" Hishya huffed.

"Oh no! I'm so scared." Himari giggled.

"Oh, you fucking will be!" Hishya hissed as Kana laughed from her worked up by the sword's provocation. “Get out here and fight me!”

“Nah, I'm good.” Himari declined.

{Hey, I've got an idea about how to make this funnier.} Kana sent a message to Himari with a dastardly plan.

{Kana, you are so evil... AND I LOVE IT!} (Himari)

"Hey I have an idea! Instead of me coming out there why don't you come and get me?" Himari snickered.

“We both know I can't do that!” Hishya rolled her eyes.

“Oh? Are you sure its not just because your afraid of getting beaten?” Himari's smirk was audible. "Sounds to me like an excuse! I thought you were a Dragon, but I guess you're a chicken! BAWK! BAWK! BAWK!"

"Himari, I will reach into whatever hidey hole you are sitting in and tear you out!" Hishya hissed as she glared at the sword's energy mass that sat safely within Kana. Being teased was one thing, but having the sword girl bawk at her like a chicken was simply too much for her to bear. "There will be nowhere to run."

{I WILL FUCKING END YOU WHEN YOU COME OUT!} (Hishya)

"Kyaa! Onee-chan, help! Hishya said she's going to hurt me to get to Himari!" Kana pretended to wince in pain and cry as she recoiled from the Dragon.

"I SWEAR ITS NOT LIKE THAT!" Hishya spun around, fearing the Demon's wrath, but saw no Akagi.

{DON'T SEND ME TO THE HAPPY FARM PLEASE! ITS ALL THAT SWORD'S FAULT I SWEAR!} (Hishya)

"HA!" Kana laughed at the dragon's reaction, as did Himari. Hishya's terrified and pale face was quickly replaced by one of relief before she turned around and glared at Kana. "For all your bluster and attitude, you're a massive scardey cat when it comes to Onee-chan!"

“Yeah, it didn't take much to cow you! Ooo! Watch out! The big scary Demon Lord is coming to get you!” Himari snickered as Hishya's face turned red.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Hishya spun around and pinched Kana's cheeks. "DON'T FREAK ME THE FUCK OUT LIKE THAT! YOU KNOW HOW SHE IS! AKAGI WILL EAT MY FUCKING SOUL ON COMMAND IF YOU ASK!"

{Kana has the fucking DELETE BUTTON on speed dial! If she wants anyone gone they will be gone!} (Hishya)

"Now, now, now. I'm sure she'd only take a nibble." Kana laughed as Hishya shook her by the cheeks. “Though perhaps you should give her more pets and snuggles so that she is more inclined to spare you.” Whether she knew it or not, Kana's joking comment, was likely not actually that far from the truth.

"Oh no, now don't you start this crap! I don't need both sisters going after me like this! ONE of you is bad enough! Thank you very much!" Hishya sighed as she let Kana go, leaving the girl giggling with red cheeks. "I can't deal with this stress..."

{I need more pillows...} (Hishya)

"Best let her alone, Kana. Lizards tend to do poorly under stress." Himari laughed.

"Not to worry! I can get her a big heat rock for to lay on. That might help." Kana said as she continued to laugh.

{I hate that something like that sounds appealing...} (Hishya)

"Can you idiots keep it down?" Mika yelled from off in the distance. While the three girls were practicing and picking on one another she was sitting on a blanket in the grass alongside Alice and Miji, who were doing some arts and crafts. "At least take your lover's quarrel somewhere else! Nobody needs to see that!" She snickered.

Hishya replied to her smart comments by flipping the bird, but Kana had a much more effective way to do some damage.

"Hey, Mika, shouldn't you be doing your summer homework instead of playing with the kids? You do remember that it's due tomorrow when we go back, right?" Kana smirked, knowing full well that Mika had done approximately zero summer homework.

"I can't hear you over the sound of me not listening!" Mika turned her head away as Kana and Hishya laughed.

"Ah, am I glad that I don't have to do things like that." Hishya smiled. “Schoolwork sucks!”

"Hmm... That reminds me. I really should get you a tutor." Kana's comment caused Hishya to get goosebumps. "You've been out of school for ten years. It's a wonder that you can even read and write Kanji." She snickered. “Perhaps you should get some private tutors to catch you up on all that work you missed while sick?”

"I will incinerate any teacher that you send my way." Hishya pursed her lips and made a small purple flame. "I don't need school, and besides if you're going to tell me to study, then you'd better harp on Akagi. That idiot hasn't been to school in a while either."

"Yeeaaaaaah... You and I both know that she will never do something that she doesn't want to." Kana rolled her eyes as they walked over to Mika and the girls. "Besides, if I tell her to go back to school, she's going to toss me on a deserted island for a week."

{Either that or she will blow the school up, I'd say its 50/50 on which one she chooses.} (Kana)

"Only a week?" Hishya laughed as they walked up to the blanket. Mika and the girls were making a bunch of different fun designs out of macaroni, and pipe cleaners as well as drawing, but out of everything the girls were making two items in particular stood out.

"Is that a Catkagi plush?" Hishya eyed up the fluffy stuffed toy that Alice was putting the finishing touches on with her sewing needle. It was a perfect replica of the real thing, though it was naturally much smaller, and was the perfect hugging size.

{Alright, that thing is actually kind of adorable.} (Hishya)

"I'm making it for Miji." Alice smiled as she finished sowing a red ribbon onto its neck. The plush was outfitted with a tiny hat, blue and white dress, and red ribbons around the neck and tail. It was similar to what the girls had gotten the real deal to wear before, and Hishya was forced to admit it was cute.

"Do you want one to cuddle up to?" Mika snickered. "I'm sure Alice wouldn't mind making you a more life sized one to hug at night."

"The last thing I need is to wake up with that next to me. I'd probably freak out and burn the house down." Hishya sighed.

{Lets not give me excuses to have Akagi themed nightmares... I already have those enough as it is.} (Hishya)

"Why would you do that?" Miji asked as she continued to color her drawing. "The kitty is so cute! How could you not want to snuggle her?!?" Her pure gaze pierced through the Dragon, making it hard to answer.

"Yeah, Hishya. Why do you deny the kitty?" Mika nodded in agreement. "It seems to me like you're being tsundere."

"Listen, I'm anything but a tsundere." Hishya rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, she's probably more yandere." Kana snickered as she nudged her.

"Hey! I've yet to kill anyone for you!" Hishya protested being put in that camp.

"Key word, yet." (Mika x Kana)

"Also, you've not killed anyone that we know of." Alice noted that Hishya would likely hide any bodies that she made.

"Don't add fuel to the fire..." Hishya sighed.

"Don't worry, Hishya. As your supportive girlfriend, I'll help you dispose of the bodies in a place that nobody can find them." Kana laughed.

"I hate that I can't tell if you're being serious or not..." Hishya knew that Kana was probably crazy enough to do something like that.

“Oh come on, I'd never actually do something like that!” Kana said while continuing to laugh.

{She who said her own sister could eat her soul...} (Hishya)

"IT'S DONE!" Miji proudly held up her drawing, breaking up the laughter.

"Oh! Let me see, let me see!" Mika leaned over, as did everyone else. "That's amazing, Miji!" She pat the girl on the head, which elicited a smile and giggle.

"Yup, that's definitely going on the fridge." Kana said.

"Fridge? No way, knowing Akagi, it's going to be framed and go in the living room over the fireplace." Hishya laughed. The picture that Miji had drawn was a crude, yet charming, image of the family happily standing together. It included her, Yumi, Chloe, Mika, Naomi, Alice, Kana, Hishya, and, most importantly, at the very center of it all was a happy Catkagi being smothered with love as Miji squeezed her.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Miji asked with a tilted head.

"Like? Miji, Onee-chan is going to love it." Kana smiled as she pat her on the head.

_____________________________________________________________________________

<Rehael POV>

"Hmm..." The twisted Angel stood atop a hill, looking back in the direction of the Holy City. She'd detected a massive burst of power a few moments prior and the unexpcted energy had caught her attention.

{What was all that power I felt just a moment ago? It was incredible, but it's gone now.} (Rehael)

"Well, whatever." Rehael turned around and headed into the woods. "Father gave me a mission to do, and ensuring that I gather all the necessary parts takes priority over everything else." She smirked.

{Just you wait, 'Demon Lord.' Those stupid Heroes might not have been able to do the job, but I think you'll find me to be far a more difficult, and competent, opponent.} (Rehael)