The Red Hand

"If I have all my abilities and items you can bet that the other ninety-nine players do too." (Akagi)

"Ninety-Nine? Why such a specific number?" Kana asked.

"Because that was the number of players who were awarded a final reward by the system. If you believe this final reward was returning to the real world as our characters, and I do, then the number of players like me should be ninety-nine." Akagi clarified.

"Isn't that dangerous? People are basically running around with game power in the real world?” Mika asked.

"Very dangerous Mika." Naomi replied harshly. "Game powers are meant to be ridiculous and over the top. I shudder to think about what Akagi could do with just that one power alone." She said with a fierce look in her eye. "She could go anywhere, steal anything.... or even kill anyone." (Naomi)

{This girl, why do I get the feeling she wants someone dead? She reminds me of a noble girl who contracted my services.} (Akagi)

"You're exactly right, if 100 super-powered people are running around the world with game powers chaos is going to erupt." Akagi shrugged. "It's only a matter of time until this information leaks. I can imagine governments are gonna scramble to either recruit or eliminate us." (Akagi)

"I won't let anyone hurt you!" Kana exclaimed.

"Hahahaha. You don't need to worry about that Kana, these idiots might try something but they're no match for me. After all, delivering death is my specialty." Akagi said with a grin.

{So my information was accurate, she was an assassin in the game. This works out perfectly, she is exactly who I am looking for. I'll have to speak to her alone at some point. If I'm lucky she might just help me out.} (Naomi)

The three girls spent the next twenty minutes asking Akagi all sorts of questions about FWO, her abilities, and other players.

"Oh yeah, before we forget didn't you want to ask Akagi about your brother Mika?" (Kana)

"Ahh, your right we got so caught up asking about her powers that I forgot to ask!" (Mika)

"Your brother? Was he in FWO?" Akagi asked.

"Yes, his name was Kai Yuminaka; he usually went by Silver Wolf online if that helps," Mika explained. "He died about a year into the game and my family and I would like to know at least how he died." She said with sadness in her eyes.

{Well fuck, of course, he would have to be her brother. I know exactly who that is, but I'm gonna refrain from answering that for now. I'll have to pull Kana aside later and explain things to her. That's not gonna be a fun conversation.} (Akagi)

"The name is familiar to me, but I'm sorry I can't really give you an answer." (Akagi)

"That's ok, it was a long shot I'm sure once the other players are up and about I might be able to ask them," she said clearly still distraught.

{Thankfully, none of the other living players know how he died so I have time to figure out how to break the bad news to her. The only problem is that MOST of the other players know just how fucked up he was. Why did that fucking sicko have to be the older brother of such a sweet girl?} (Akagi)

"Alright, we should get moving Mr. Nishizami is waiting for us and it would be rude to waste his time. Plus, we are holding up this room from being used by other patients." Kana explained

"Ah, your right. I apologize I seem to have gotten us a little off track." Naomi apologized.

The four of them left the room and headed down to the main desk. The sight of Akagi in full traditional clothing surprised most of the staff and patients but she ignored their looks. After checking out they all proceeded to the parking area where their driver was waiting.

"Sorry time got away from us and we got a little distracted talking to Akagi." (Naomi)

"That's alright My Lady, it's my job after all and I don't mind waiting for you. I suppose this young woman is Ms. Tomogawa's older sister?" (Driver)

"I am, thank you very much for taking care of my sister. I appreciate it." Akagi said to the driver with a warm smile.

"Well then, Onee-chan shall we head home?" Kana said smiling.

"Lets" (Akagi)

The drive home was uneventful, the girls refrained from asking more questions about Akagi's abilities, not wanting the driver to overhear them. It wasn't that Naomi didn't trust him, he was aware of her wish, rather it was a sign of respect toward Akagi.

A little over thirty minutes later, they arrived in front of the Tomogawa household. It was nothing special and looked like every other house on the block, but it was home, as much as Akagi could call it that.

"Thank you for the ride I appreciate it!" (Kana)

"No problem, and Akagi, thank you for exchanging contact info." (Naomi)

"Yeah, we should hang out sometime!" (Mika)

"It's only natural; I have to ensure that Kana isn't a bad influence on her friends." She replied with a cheeky smile.

"Onee-chan...." (Kana)

"Ha ha, don't pout I'm only teasing. Here, ill pat you on the head, you always liked that." (Akagi)

Kana turns beat red as her sister strokes her head, but she doesn't move to stop her.

The car takes off and Kana and Akagi are left alone in front of their house.

"Well, no sense standing outside. I hope you have the key because I sure don't" (Akagi)

Kana sighs. "Onee-chan, sometimes you're just too much to handle."

The two open up the front door to the house, and instantly Akagi was reminded of all the time she spent there. She had been away for nearly four years, but it didn't seem like much had changed.

Suddenly Kana spun around.

"I've been waiting to say this for four years." Kana started. "Welcome home Onee-chan," she said with a bright smile.

"I'm back Kana," Akagi said as she brought her sister in for a hug.

The two stayed like that for nearly a minute before the sound of Kana's stomach broke them apart.

"I guess that means we should have dinner, huh? (Akagi)

"Yeah, mom and dad won't be home till later so let me make something for us," Kana said hiding her embarrassment.

"Do you want my help? I got quite good at cooking in FWO." Akagi asked.

"Nope! This is your first dinner home with me and I want to make it special." (Kana)

"Well then, I can't wait to see what you make!" (Akagi)

Kana got right to work making dinner, to Akagi's surprise the girl had improved her cooking ability while she was gone. This wasn't exactly surprising since she likely had to cook most meals for herself without Akagi around.

Around thirty minutes later dinner was complete and they sat down to eat. The food was pretty good for something made at home by a sixteen-year-old. Akagi had much better food while in FWO but something about this homemade meal made her believe that there was nothing better.

After they finished eating, Akagi asked Kana a question.

"So, Kana do you mind if I expand upon an earlier topic? It might not be pleasant, but I'm probably gonna need your input." Akagi asked cautiously.

"If you're saying it like that, I can't imagine it's something I would normally want to hear about, but you wouldn't bring this up if it wasn't important. Go ahead." (Kana)

Akagi took in a deep breath.

"I know how Mika's brother died." (Akagi)

After a few seconds, Kana replied.

"If you didn't answer her at the hospital, I can imagine it's not a pleasant story." (Kana)

"No, it's not. Nothing about the situation is pleasant. Let me ask, how much did she care about her brother?" (Akagi)

"I'm not completely sure since only met her after he died. But from what she's told me and how she acts probably quite a bit." (Kana)

"Well fuck." Akagi cursed.

"You killed him didn't you?" Kana asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I did," Akagi answered without flinching.

"I can see why you didn't tell her that, I don't imagine that would have gone well. If you don't mind me asking, why did you kill him? Was it a contract or...?" Kana asked.

"Oh it was a contract alright. A contract to kill one of the most fucked up players in all of FWO." (Akagi)

Kana gulped. "Did, he really do something that horrible?"

Akagi looked at her sister and said.

"Last warning, what I'm about to tell you is not exactly something a sixteen-year-old should hear." Akagi stared straight at Kana with a stern expression.

"Whatever it is, I can handle it," Kana replied.

"Her brother, Silver Wolf was the leader of the worst PK guild in FWO known as the Black Gauntlet." Kana could feel the contempt in Akagi's words.

"I'm not gonna sit here and act like what I did was above board. I have plenty of blood on my hands, I'm an assassin and killing people is my job." (Akagi)

"But those sick fucks. They didn't just kill for a living, they did it for fun. Their little operation kidnapped and killed over fifty players. They didn't care about loot or XP, no all they wanted to do was get off to the power they held over people. They forced female players to let them have their way with them in exchange for sparing their friends' lives. Of course, they would just turn around and kill their friends and the girl once they were satisfied." Akagi's expression turned dark.

{That's insane, why didn't the other players step in to stop it?} (Kana)

"I know what your thinking, and they tried multiple times. But those bastards were slippery and they had the backing of some pretty important NPCs." Akagi stated. "Eventually, it got so bad that I was called in to handle them. After all it takes a Player Killer to beat one." (Akagi)

"I staked them out for weeks, gathered as much intel as possible, and took them out one-by-one until only Silver Wolf was left," Akagi growled. "The contract required that I ensured that son of a bitch knew exactly who ordered him dead. I dueled him and to be honest he wasn't that difficult. By that point, I was already finished my build and was far above most other players in terms of level and skills." (Akagi)

"He dared to compare us as if a psychopath like him was anything like me," Akagi said with a cold voice. "Remember this Kana. While it's true I enjoy the job, I do not enjoy nor condone mindless killing. I have rules and standards that's what separates me from people like him. I kill because it's my job, people like him kill because they enjoy the act itself and the rush it gives them." Akagi said while staring intensely at Kana.

"That's...That's a lot to take in, it's almost unbelievable," Kana replied weakly.

"But it's true, unfortunately, that's the kind of man her brother was. I don't know if it was the game that changed him, and honestly it doesn't matter." (Akagi)

"I can't even begin to imagine how to tell Mika this. She's gonna break if we tell her that her brother whom she loved so much was doing such awful things." (Kana)

Kana thought for a second.

"Not telling her at all might be the best option." (Kana)

"Unfortunately, that's not gonna work. We could get away with not telling her that I killed him as there are only three people who know I did the deed. I won't say anything, I imagine you would keep quiet and my client sure as hell wouldn't admit it. But." Akagi continued. "You're gonna be hard-pressed to keep every player's mouth shut about Silver Wolf. It's only a matter of time until that information gets out and when it does....."

"She's gonna wonder why we didn't tell her." Kana finished.

"Exactly." (Akagi)

"She's your friend, so, I will leave that decision up to you. Also, if you want her to know that I ended him, that's fine too." (Akagi)

"You would tell her that? Kana was surprised.

"I'm not shy about admitting who I've taken out. I kept quiet because of the circumstances, but if you're fine with whatever fallout occurs, then I won't hide it." (Akagi)

Kana was shaken by all this information. She had known Mika for two years and she truly valued their friendship. She knew that Mika wouldn't take this information well, she might not even believe it. More concerning was how she would react to learning that Akagi had been the one to kill him. Would she be angry? Happy that he was stopped? There was no way to tell.

"I...I need some time to think about this. But, I think it would be best that we tell her ourselves before this goes public. As for whether you should tell her that you killed him yourself.... I'm not sure, there are pros and cons to that." Kana was agonizing over this.

{What kind of older sister am I placing such a heavy decision on a sixteen-year-old. Sadly, it can't be helped, Mika isn't my friend and I can't make this decision myself.} (Akagi)

"Well just let me know what you need me to do, whatever you decide I'll support it." (Akagi)

Just then, Akagi's phone pinged with two messages. The first one was from Naomi asking if she could set up a time to meet with her privately at her family estate. The second one was an unexpected individual.

"Oh? It seems our little hero is out of the hospital as well. Whatever could she want to meet me for?" Akagi said with a wide smile.