The Red Hand

"Eh? Hishya wants to meet with you?" (Kana)

"Yeah, she says she'll be in Kyoto next month to do an interview and wants to stop in when she has some time," Akagi replied.

"Should I be concerned?" Kana asked.

"No, not really Hishya isn't stupid; I don't see her wanting to start anything, especially right now." Akagi continued. "We might not be what you would call friends, but I would say we get along well enough. Though I sincerely doubt this is just a social call." (Akagi)

"If you don't feel comfortable meeting her, that's fine. I'll figure something out." (Akagi)

"No, that won't be necessary. If you say it will be fine, then I will trust your judgment. Besides, if I start avoiding her, I can imagine that might upset her." (Kana)

Akagi replied to Hishya's message, telling her to let her know when she arrived in Kyoto so they can figure out a time and place for the meeting.

{Now comes the issue of Naomi. Asking to meet with me alone makes it suspicious enough. She said her family's information network included the FWO players. Which means she most likely knows I'm an assassin. If I consider that, plus her body language and choice of words at the hospital. That girl wants someone dead. } (Akagi)

"Onee-chan, you've got an evil grin on your face again. " Kana knew this meant trouble.

"Don't worry about it, I just figured it's time to get back in business after my time off," Akagi replied.

"Just be careful; this isn't FWO," Kana replied warily.

"True, but whether it's FWO or the real world, the rules are always the same." Akagi gave a smile. "I get a target and fulfill my contract; it's that simple. Anyone, client or otherwise, who tries to change these rules will find that they don't live particularly long."

Akagi replied to Naomi, asking when and where she wanted to meet and was surprised when the girl invited her to her family estate on Monday.

{Either this girl is confident in her ability to get away with this, or she's incredibly naive. Perhaps a mixture of both if she wants to talk to me.} Akagi smiled internally.

"It's good to be back." (Akagi)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Three days later

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Alright, Onee-chan I'm heading off to school!" Kana yelled from downstairs.

"Have a good day, I'll see you later," Akagi replied.

Kana left the house, getting into her father's car before driving off to school.

"Well," Akagi said with a stretch. "I guess I should get my day started too! First up, a meeting with a prospective client. I've never been to this part of Kyoto before, so hopefully I don't get too lost." (Akagi)

Akagi opened her bedroom window and jumped out onto the rooftop of a building across the street. She began hopping from house to house in the direction of the address, comforted in the knowledge that no one would be able to see her.

"Ah, I missed this. Running like this gives me such a sense of freedom, almost like I could go anywhere." She chuckled. "Although I guess unlike in FWO, I can go anywhere I want. No boundaries, no edges of the world, nothing. If I felt like it, I could run straight to Tokyo; and there would be nothing stopping me." (Akagi)

Akagi reached downtown Kyoto and stopped on top of one of the highrises.

Kyoto still held a mixture of old and new even this far into the twenty-first century. Traditional buildings and architecture could be seen right next to the most modern buildings. It made the skyline unique, something that you likely wouldn't see anywhere else in the world.

"What a view," Akagi said. "The Imperial capital was nice and all, but I think I prefer Kyoto. I feel like jumping on these rooftops will be much more entertaining at the very least." She said with a smile.

The sound of countless cars could be heard below and the Venturi effect provided a cool breeze on this hot summer day. It was nice, and it made Akagi unconsciously smile.

{I hope things stay like this, calm, quiet, and without drama. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that once the other players start using their powers, there's gonna be chaos. Not to mention whoever the hell did all this in the first place. If they can bring these powers into the real world, what else can they do?}

(Akagi)

Akagi decided to push those thoughts aside for now as there was little point in worrying about things she couldn't control. For now, all she wanted to do was speak with Naomi and hopefully get her first contract in the real world.

"Now then, if I'm not mistaken, she lives in the upper district which is over.................. there. Based on how fancy those houses look, I'd say that's a safe bet." Akagi jumped off the highrise, allowing herself to freefall for a few seconds, before propelling herself forward onto some other buildings.

<Naomi POV>

"My lady, I know you are anxious about meeting Ms. Akagi, but I would ask that you stop your pacing. At this rate, you will wear a rut into the carpeting." (Maid)

Naomi was pacing back and forth in her private study. She had been increasingly nervous ever since Akagi had agreed to meet with her. Naomi couldn't be sure she would help her or what would she want in return. After all, she was going to ask her to kill one of Japan's highest-ranking politicians. No one else had been willing to take the job because it was too risky. As the sole surviving member of the Tokugawa clan, she was its head, and it fell to her to avenge her parent's murders, even if that meant doing the unspeakable.

"I'm sorry Marin." Naomi sat down in one of the chairs.

"I'm surprised you're so nervous, this isn't the first time you've spoken to someone from the dark side before," Marin questioned.

"You do recall that this specific person is a Yokai right? A being of mythical status and extraordinary power? Not to mention, the records we've obtained on her from FWO paint a terrifying picture. I think I have every reason to be nervous." Naomi replied.

{The more I read about Akagi's time in FWO, the more I'm convinced that she is both the right person for the job and someone I should avoid at all costs. "The Red Hand" was the single most feared assassin in all of FWO, someone that even the Hero Hishya avoided. When I met her, she seemed amicable enough, but I've been around enough people like her to know that it's foolish to assume anything.} (Naomi)

A few minutes later, a knock came from the door and another maid appeared snapping Naomi out of her thoughts.

"My lady, your guest has arrived; shall I bring them here?" (Maid)

"Yes please, and Marin please prepare us something to drink." (Naomi)

{I suspect this might be a long discussion.} (Naomi)

A few minutes later, the maid returned bringing Akagi with her.

"Ms. Akagi, my master is waiting in here please enter if you would." (Maid)

The maid then closed the door leaving Naomi, Marin, and Akagi in the room.

{Here goes nothing!} (Naomi)

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me so quickly, please have a seat; I had Marin prepare some drinks for us." (Naomi)

Akagi sat down across from Naomi and drank some of the tea that was offered.

"This estate is beautiful it reminds me of the villas that many of the Imperial Nobles owned in the capital," Akagi commented." It's strange though, this all seems far too large for just one girl to live in even with staff." Akagi took a sip of the tea. "But I guess it makes sense with you being the last surviving member of your family."

"I am happy that my family home compares well to the nobles of FWO. I can only imagine how remarkable their manors were." Naomi replied.

"As for my family, it's not exactly a secret or anything. Six years ago, my parents and grandparents were all killed in a burglary. Apparently, they wanted some of the items in our collection but things turned deadly when my father resisted. I only survived because my mother hid me in one of the hidden rooms." Naomi said with sadness in her eyes.

"I've been alone since then. Well not completely Marin and the others have been a great help over the years and Mika and Kana are the best friends I could have ever hoped for." She said with a small smile.

"It's truly a tragedy what happened to you and your family. I can't imagine what I would do if Kana were taken from me." A small shadow could be seen over Akagi's eyes. "I must say I'm glad she made a friend like you, she was always a little bit lonely as a kid. All that brain power ended up making it hard for other kids to approach her. For the longest time, I was worried she would end up like me." Akagi said while taking a sip of her tea.

"She is truly a better friend than I deserve." Naomi smiled.

"But, was it really a burglary, not a targeted attack? Nothing was reported stolen and there were no signs of forced entry. I got a hold of some police reports and it just didn't sit right with me, that story didn't make sense." Akagi questioned. "It was also funny to me that the man who ended up getting charged committed suicide at the exact moment his cell cameras malfunctioned." Akagi took out and lit her Kiseru "Seems more like a cover-up if you ask me."

Naomi started lightly sweating.

{Good, she researched into the incident enough to tell that things are fishy, but I need to be certain she's here as an assassin. There is always the chance she isn't and I can't afford to make assumptions. There's too much at stake for me to get this wrong! I'll give her one more test just to be sure.} (Naomi)

"There have been multiple people who have said the same thing over the years, but I assure you that's nothing but a-" Suddenly, Naomi was interrupted.

"Naomi" Akagi yelled.

"Yes!" she replied with a yelp.

"I don't know what kind of a fool you take me for, but I know why I'm here. So cut the crap before you get on my nerves." Akagi growled.

Hearing Akagi grow angry, Naomi's facade crumbled.

{I messed up! I got so caught up in questioning if she knew why she was here that I ended up treating her like a fool.} (Naomi)

"I'm so sorry." Naomi apologized. "I wasn't attempting to make light of you; I just wasn't exactly sure how to approach this conversation. You're much different than others I've met over the years and I couldn't be sure you still wanted to do things like this. I was so worried that if I asked for your help, you would call me crazy." Naomi continued. "After all, you were an assassin in a game, even if killing in that game killed people IRL it was still a game. What kind of person asks someone who has only killed in VR to do that in the real world? So, I decided to test you and figure out your intentions. However, you saw through me immediately which made it seem like I was insulting you, I am deeply sorry for that." Naomi stood and bowed her head in apology.

"I see, well I guess that's understandable; I'm unusual in this industry after all. Not every day someone makes the leap from VR to IRL assassin, so I'll forgive you. Just know this, whether it's in FWO or the real world this is my calling and I won't give it up no matter what. Do you Understand? Akagi replied.

Naomi nodded.

"So, tell me, Naomi, what do you want from me?" (Akagi)

Naomi took a moment to compose herself before answering.

"I want you to wipe out the Mitsuhide family in its entirety."