The Red Hand

Steering away from the embarrassing conversation, Hishya decided to mention what Minazawa had spoken to her about the other day.

"So they want to meet me again?" Akagi let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "And what? Beg me for help? After their shenanigans, they have the gall to ask me to bail them out of this situation?" Akagi figured this was coming, but the fact that the Japanese government would ask for help from someone they tried to kill was amusing to her.

"Pretty much. Minazawa said things looked dire, and no offense, but if they're contemplating seeking help from you, they must be." Hishya shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, one minute they try to kill me, the next they come crying for help." Akagi thought for a moment before a nasty smile came across her lips. "Tell them I'll meet, but I'll do it here." She let out an evil laugh.

"Onee-chan has that look again." She turned to Hishya.

"Don't look at me. I'm not getting involved." Hishya crossed her arms in an X pattern.

"What? I just thought I would entertain my guests a bit, that's all." She pleaded innocence, but neither girl bought it.

"Just don't go overboard, please." (Kana x Hishya)

"You don't have to worry about anything, I promise." her eyes told the girls that they should be very worried.

 

"Ummmm. Hello...." Suddenly a voice disrupted their conversation. "A little help please..." Hishya, Kana and Akagi looked up into a nearby tree and saw a pink fox-girl dangling from a rope, tied up. "They always takes their jokes too far." Her ears drooped.

"How long have you been up there, Sakura?" Akagi asked as she hopped up the branches.

"Longer than I would like to admit." Her face got red. "I wanted to say something sooner, but I didn't want to bother anyone."

Akagi untied the girl and brought her down to the ground. Chloe and the other ninja had a habit of playing pranks on each other in the name of training and this poor girl had been on the receiving end of such an event. This wasn't the first time Akagi had to free her from one of the other ninja's traps.

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A little later that day.

While Akagi was out, Kana decided to head over to the dojo, where Chloe and some of her clan members were sparring. The building was filled with animal-eared ninja's all crowded around a central arena. Chloe was practicing with the fox girl that was tied in the tree earlier that day. The others noticed Kana's appearance and made room for her to pass. She didn't like this kind of special treatment but had come to accept it as the sister of their master.

 

"Come on, Sakura! I know you can do better than that! nya!" Chloe and the fox girl were engaged in a wrestling match. The cat had her opponent in a choke hold and was on the verge of pinning her to the ground before she tapped out.

"Better than last time, but you still need to work on escaping an opponent's grapple. You didn't need to tap out of that. There were at least three ways you could've escaped. nya!" Chloe began to lecture her, and the other ninja about methods of escaping an opponent's grapple. She used the fox girl to demonstrate just how to escape, causing a shock when she easily twisted her body and turned a seemingly unbreakable lock back on her opponent. "See, easy." the cat girl smiled, causing a burst of nervous laughter among her subordinates.

A moment later, Chloe noticed Kana. "Hello! nya!" She bounced over. "What's up? You never come in here." Kana was a bookworm through and through. Physical activity like this was never something she was good at.

"I... um, I was kind of wondering if maybe someone could teach me a little about self-defense?" Kana asked meekly. "I just don't want to be a burden to Onee-chan and have her worried about protecting me all the time."

"Hmm....." Chloe inspected her, walking in circles around her. "Okay, nya!"

Kana was shocked by her acceptance. "Really! I thought you would say no."

"Myaster already told me you might come by and ask at some point nya." Chloe smiled. "She figured you would feel the need to defend yourself even a bit. So she asked me to help you out if you did." 

Chloe's face turned serious. "Just be warned, even the basic martial arts moves are dangerous to learn, and your enemy might get hurt or even worse if you use them. I know you can't use any advanced techniques, but still, even basic things can kill. Is that alright?"

Kana gulped. The thought of taking another person's life made her stomach churn, but she didn't relent. "Hopefully I never have to use anything I learn, but I can't just rely on Onee-chan to protect me at all times." She knew this wouldn't be much, but she couldn't just sit by and be protected all the time. She wanted to help, even a little.

"Good attitude nya." Chloe liked that answer. "Also, you might be myaster's sister, but I won't go easy on you." She smiled. "W-well, I will since you're not able to take a beating as well as the others." Chloe scratched her cheek as she stammered. "But what I mean is that I won't treat you special!" Chloe tried to explain what she meant, and ended up tripping over her words, which caused the others to chuckle.

"Sounds good to me! I wouldn't want it any other way." Kana smiled.

"Great then, let's start right now!" She grabbed Kana by the arm and put her in the arena. "Let's start with some basic punches and kicks. I need to get you adjusted to forms and have you get comfortable moving your body. From what myaster told me, you're not that active." Chloe snickered which caused Kana to blush slightly.

"I just never saw the reason to do more exercise than I need to be healthy is all." Kana was actually quite fit, but compared to Chloe and the others, she might as well be a couch potato.

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About an hour later, Kana was lying down on the floor, drenched in sweat and completely exhausted. Chloe walked over and looked down at her red face.

"Well, you lasted longer than I expected." the cat gave a cheeky grin.

"Come back to the dojo every day and either I or one of my students will continue your lessons." She looked around at the others. "Isn't that right." her eyes told her they had no choice.

"Yes, mam!" (the other ninja)

"Good!" Chloe went back to smiling. "Now then, I have to head to a meeting with myaster and the others, so I'll see you later." she turned to leave. "And Sakura, I expect you to be able to get out of my hold the next time we fight." Her comment made the fox's tail stand up straight.

{Meeting?} Kana wasn't aware that some big meeting with her sister was happening. She rarely inquired about the inner workings of her sister's group, but she knew that they were actually quite structured and busy.

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Akagi had gathered her five highest-ranking subordinates in the main hall of her estate. As this was a formal meeting, Akagi sat upon a raised tatami mat and was wearing her haori-hakama, which was her formal attire. It was different than her normal kimono as it was a silver top with a black bottom. She rarely wore this outfit, but when she was acting in her official capacity or in a situation where she wanted to show her status, she would put it on.

In front of her were the five leaders of her soon-to-be clan. Mimi the Yuki-Onna, Marshal the General, Kira the Half Dragon, Chloe the Ninja, and Yumi, Akagi's right hand. Each was an important pillar of Akagi's operations, and their help in managing the day-to-day operations was invaluable. The five gave formal bows and greeted their Lord before Yumi stood and opened the meeting with an official statement.

"Our lives have been turned upside down over these short few months. Not only have we been whisked away to an entirely different world, but we were shown an uncomfortable truth about our existence." Yumi was referring to the fact that they were little more than game characters. Even if Akagi treated them as ordinary people, that didn't change the fact that their world was an illusion.

"Now, cast adrift, we can only look to our Lord for guidance. We've all served her faithfully, as we all owe her so much. And now, she seeks to repay that loyalty by becoming family with us. I believe that I speak for all of us when I say that there is no higher honor." Yumi's words caused the others to speak up in agreement.

"Thank you, Yumi. Your words are too kind." Akagi smiled. "I've always thought of all of you as family. So from my perspective, this is little more than codifying the relationship we already have." Akagi's statement caused the five of them to smile. "You say that you owe me, but I believe that you have all done more for me than I for you. You all gave me purpose, warmth, and a home to come back to every day. You helped me come to terms with who I really was and broke me free of the chains that bound me for all those years. So thank you, truly. I am forever grateful for your love and support." Akagi gave a polite bow. "So, I will ask this of you, will you become my family? Will you join yourselves to me? Because if you will, I will pledge my undying loyalty and support to you in return. This will be a family of equals. You are not my servants or my lessors, you are my brothers and sisters. So what say you?"

"My Lord, you gave me hope where all was lost. I would be proud to become your family." Yumi said.

"My Lord, you gave me purpose after the Empire threw me away. I would be proud to become your family." Marshal smiled.

"My Lord, you saved my daughters and took us in when no one else would. I would be proud to become your family." Mimi said.

"Myaster, you gave me a new chance at a life where I otherwise should have died. I would be proud to become your family." Chloe said.

"My Lord, if not for you, I could never have atoned for my father's sins. I would be proud to become your family." Kira said.

"I'm truly humbled by your loyalty and I shall pledge never to betray it or your trust in me." Akagi smiled, her eyes slightly watery.

One by one, each of the five sat in front of her and locked arms as they exchanged cups of sake. This was the traditional way of sealing a bond between Lord and vassal, even if Akagi might not view them that way. From that moment on, they were family, bound to protect and defend one another. Every one of Akagi's followers agreed with this decision and was elated when she wanted to establish a formal clan with them.

With the last sip, Akagi's clan was established and her family was created. She felt joy well within her heart. For the first time, she had a family, a true family. One that loved her and cared for her. Sure Kana was her sister, but she was still just one person, and Akagi always sought what she never got from her parents. The warm smiling faces of these five comforted her in a way she never thought possible.

Once they were finished, Yumi unfurled the strung-up cloth that sat behind Akagi. On it was a Red Hand within a black circle, the same image that Akagi's signature cloak bore. It was now the official family crest, and underneath it in the Demon language was the family name Dumetor, which meant Rebirth. Everyone agreed that it fit perfectly, as each member had been changed by their meeting with Akagi, just as she was by meeting them. Now, finally joined as one, Akagi's family was stronger than ever, and there was the sense that they could accomplish anything as long as they stuck together.