The Red Hand

"Any chance of us getting backup?" Minazawa asked. There were other potential recruits among the returnees, but getting them on board was proving difficult.

Aoi gave a wry smile. "Not immediately. Others are unwilling to work with us for many different reasons, and we can't exactly compel them to help, nor would I." It was the answer everyone expected. "However, there are two players we might be able to get help from that we haven't asked."

"Who?" Excelsior asked.

Imp tilted her head, waiting for an answer.

"The first is Hishya." Aoi continued. "We haven't spoken to her yet, for several reasons, but knowing her, she might be just what we need." Hishya was the best player in the assault team and is regarded as the reason the players escaped. With her power, they might be able to take down Libra.

"Make sense," Mixu commented. "With her tactical skill and overall power level, our chances of winning skyrocket. Why haven't you already asked her to join?" Mixu knew Hishya didn't want to battle Akagi, but couldn't imagine her refusing to help in such a dire situation.

"Because we were worried she might be a danger to the country." Aoi gave an answer that confused the other five.

"Danger? Danger how?" Superbia asked. "You and I both worked with Hishya every day, so how could you even think something like that?" Superbia was frequently paired up with Hishya on floor clearing.

"Please keep this between us." Aoi took a deep breath. "We had reason to believe that Hishya was in league with Akagi." Her eyes scanned her friend's faces; she could tell they were upset by her comments. "Our surveillance recorded her spending excessive amounts of time with or around her over these last two months. And if you combine that with her statements during her interview, we feared she might have joined forces with her."

"Meeting Akagi?" Excelsior thought for a moment. "Do you know the content of those meetings?"

"No, we don't. Any attempts at surveying Akagi's home proved futile." Aoi knew the government was wary about angering her, so they limited things to remote observation.

"Intelligence originally thought that whatever attack was coming would involve Akagi herself, but as we just saw...." It wasn't Akagi that attacked. "While we can't be certain of Hishya's motives, I'm pretty sure we can trust her on this. If Akagi isn't behind this whole thing; then we might need her help too."

"OHHH!" Imp cried out. "Akagi's help?"

"Don't tell me that she was your second player?" Mixu wasn't thrilled with the idea of working with Akagi.

"But Akagi fun-entertaining!" Imp seemed excited to see her again.

"Fun for you, but that's because you're crazy, and you love giving her new toys to use!" Mixu retorted. Imp was one of the few players that had a good relationship with Akagi in FWO. Mostly because the two shared a mutual love of creating the most overpowered and insane gear.

"KABOOM! Hehehehehe" Imp smiled.

"Why do I even bother." Mixu put her hand over her face in defeat.

"Do you really think she would even help us?" Minazawa spoke up. "She isn't a team player, and I can tell you that she'd never agree to work under anyone." Minazawa knew Akagi well enough to know that her peacefully joining the team wasn't going to happen.

"I don't know." Aoi shook her head. "I never met her myself, but I've heard the stories. If nothing else, perhaps she would be willing to cooperate with us?" Aoi was on the assault team but rarely saw direct combat. She was a logistics and support member and was more at home moving supplies and running the command center.

"Then I'll give you a warning." Minazawa's voice turned serious. "Akagi is not to be underestimated, nor should you do anything to earn her wrath. If you are seriously going to ask her for help; then you need to be courteous and respectful.” Minazawa looked at Aoi. “Additionally, you had better be prepared to pay one hell of a price for her help. I don't know what she'll ask for in exchange for her assistance, but it won't be cheap." Minazawa's feelings toward Akagi were complex. The death of her boyfriend at Akagi's hands left her with hatred in her heart. But when she heard Yumi's story, she could no longer blame her for killing him. She might not like Akagi, but she no longer hated her. "The last thing we need is for Akagi to get upset and start attacking us as well, so I would recommend that one of us go and speak with her. I don't trust some random schmuck from the State Department not to fuck that up." She slammed her hand on the table.

"I see." Aoi was taken aback by Minazawa's statement. She knew the other players were wary around FWOs notorious Pker, and she herself saw Akagi on T.V. that day. But she had always assumed Akagi was still just another player at the end of the day. The way Minazawa spoke made it seem like they were dealing with a monster rather than a person.

{Just who or what is Akagi to have these four so wary?} (Aoi)

"Then, as the leader of this team, I will do it." Aoi decided to bite the bullet and meet Akagi herself. "It's the least I can do, I can't fight alongside you, but I can put my other skills to good use!"

"Not exactly thrilled about this." Mixu huffed. "Akagi always gave me the creeps, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't like me." Mixu wasn't an assassin like Akagi, but her home was on the dark side of society, so they had plenty of run-ins over the years.

"I know. Trust me. Asking Akagi for help is the last thing I want to do either. But right now, we can't be picky with who we work with. If we can't stop these idiots the entire country may well fall." Minazawa gave a sharp glare. "They have a two-to-one advantage against us in numbers, and I don't think I need to tell you how bad that makes things." She looked at her teammates; they all knew just how unlikely victory would be under such conditions.

Seeing no further comments, Minazawa asked Aoi to work on contacting Akagi and offered to speak with Hishya herself. The two got along relatively well, and Minazawa figured she was the best of the group to speak with her. Mixu and Superbia were terrible at conversation, and while Excelsior was charismatic, he didn't get along well with Hishya. As for Imp, well lets just say her diplomacy skill was negative.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Well... that just happened." Akagi looked at the video feed with an expressionless face.

Her, Hishya, Yumi, Kana, Naomi, and Mika were standing in the hallway outside of Kana's classroom and were looking at a live feed of the destruction in Tokyo. They'd watched as Herlex and co destroyed City Hall and killed hundreds.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE IDIOTS THINKING!" Hishya screamed. Her sudden outburst let slip some of her dragon energy.

"Calm down scaley." Akagi bopped her on the head. "We don't need you getting worked up and running amok."

"Ouch!" Hishya cried. "And don't call me that!"

"But your face is covered in them, so I think it fits." Akagi retorted.

Hishya's eyes widened and she touched her cheek, feeling the warm scales on it. "What the- when the-" she didn't expect to transform just from being angry.

"And that's why Kira's help will be useful. You're too emotional with that blood in your body, and you need to rein it in lest it swallows you whole." Akagi gave a warning that seemed like she was talking to herself as much as Hishya.

Hishya took a deep breath and calmed down, causing her power to recede and her body to return to normal. "Regardless of my issues. That" she pointed to the screen. "Is still an issue. What are they thinking pulling something like this?" Hishya knew every one of the players who participated in this attack and was furious that they did something so terrible.

"I mean, it makes sense." Akagi looked at her. "They have power and they want to use it for their own ends. I'm not much different." Akagi shrugged.

"But you don't do things like that!" Hishya retorted. "They attacked the city for no good reason, and they killed those people just because they could! They're no different than-" Hishya stopped herself as she was about to drop Silver Wolf's name.

"Mom and Dad are ok, they live on the other end of Tokyo. But I still need to get back there ASAP!" She was worried her parents might get caught in the crossfire.

"Don't tell me you intend to run off after those idiots the second you get back?" Akagi chastised the dragon. "You're in no shape to fight right now, and even if you were, you can't access your full power, and it would be a 10 v 1." Akagi glared at her. "I hope I don't need to tell you that you can't win in that situation."

Akagi's words were harsh but true, and Hishya knew it. She might have been powerful, but fighting all ten of them at once was suicide.

"No, I don't intend to fight them right now." Hishya shook her head. "I just want to get back home and make sure they're ok."

"Are you going to fight them?" Akagi asked. "Because if you do, I hope you realize it's going to be an uphill battle, and your parents will be dragged into that conflict." Akagi knew Armalthy's personality, and taking hostages would be right up his alley. It's what she would do in his shoes.

"Will you fight them?" Hishya asked a question the other girls wanted an answer to.

"Why would I?" Akagi was dumbfounded by the question. "If they don't involve me, I don't care if they flatten Tokyo into a parking lot."

"But Onee-chan, they're going to kill so many people. You could stop them couldn't you?" Kana pleaded for her sister to help.

"Could I? Yes. But will I?" She looked at Hishya. "What do you have to trade? You realize that you would effectively be contracting me for ten assassinations of high-level players.” That would be quite an expensive price.

"I-uh..." Hishya didn't have an answer. "If it's money you want-" Akagi stopped her mid-sentence.

"I have no use for more money. I want things that money can't buy me." Akagi's eyes turned serious. "So, I'll ask again, what do you have to trade me for the lives of ten high-level players?"

Hishya had no response, the last thing she wanted was to have some form of debt to Akagi, and the only thing she could offer that would satisfy the Demon was herself, and that was not something she would give up lightly.

"If you have nothing to offer, then we have no deal." Akagi scoffed. "I don't work for free. If those idiots decide to make a move against me, then I'll get involved. But until then, I don't care what they do with their powers." Akagi shrugged. "If you want to go team up with Minazawa and that sniper, then be my guest."

Hishya could only nod in response. She knew that no matter how good of a relationship she had with Akagi, she would never move for her out of the kindness of her heart. Kana and her followers were the only exceptions to this rule, and Hishya didn't want to give up her newly found freedom.

"If you want to go back to Tokyo..." She looked at Yumi. "Are you comfortable taking her?" She knew their relationship improved, but was still reluctant to ask Yumi to do this.

"Yes," Yumi smiled. "I've spoken at length with Hishya, and while I wouldn't say we're friends, I don't have a problem transporting her back to her home."

"Ok, then, can you do that," Akagi asked her. "It's much faster this way and lessens the chance of anything going wrong from you flying back. I wouldn't be shocked if they were waiting to ambush you on the return trip." Hishya hadn't even thought of something like that.

Yumi pulled out her staff and Hishya walked beside her, they were going to return her immediately but Akagi stopped Yumi as she swung her staff.

"Here." She flung a small item at Hishya. "Take that, it might help you out if you need it."

Hishya looked at her hand and saw a small crystal, it was an item she'd seen before. "A transport crystal?!?" These items were super rare in FWO, and Hishya only had a few.

"Crack that one if you ever need me, and you'll be taken directly to my side. Just think of it as something you smash in an emergency." Akagi smiled. “I've got a plenty of them so don't be shy.”

Hishya couldn't believe that Akagi gave her something this valuable, but she accepted it, hoping that using it wouldn't be necessary.

A few moments later, the two disappeared in a flash of light, only for Yumi to reappear shortly after by herself. She'd taken Hishya to a point at the center of Tokyo, and she would have to travel the rest of the way under her own power.

With Yumi back, Akagi looked at Kana.

"Well then, I think I'll stick around until you're ready to head home." As she said this, she turned around and began walking towards the stairwell causing Yumi to take a bow and follow after her. The girls were left stunned by what they witnessed, and a bad feeling welled up in their stomachs.

{What's going to happen to Onee-chan?} Kana's heart told her that her sister and her world would soon change. {Her eye, it was the same color as that day.}