The Red Hand

Chapter 3 – Reunion and Reality.

"ONEE-CHAN!!!!!!" the girl screamed. "Onee-chan are you really awake?!?" Kana screamed.

"Ms. Kana, I know you are happy to see your sister again and I can sympathize with you, but I would ask that you keep the volume to a reasonable level." Amherst chuckled.

"Ahhh..... Sorry, Mr. Amherst." Kana's face goes slightly red from embarrassment. Dr. Amherst returned a smile. "I just finished up my examination of your sister, she is cognisant and vocal but I would ask that you don't push her too much. Where are your parents? I should speak with them." (Amherst)

"They should be on their way up, I might have broken out into a sprint when I got out of the car," Kana says while scratching her face.

"I see, then I will leave your sister in your care." (Amherst) Dr. Amherst swiftly left the room and started talking to one of the nurses as he entered the hallway.

Kana approached the hospital bed that contained Akagi. Her eyes were already starting to get moist it was clear that she was on the verge of tears.

"Onee-chan, are you really back?" She asked, "Is it finally over?"

Akagi let out a small laugh. "Yeah kiddo, I'm back. Your Gaming Genius keeps her undefeated record just a little longer. Not even a literal death game was enough to beat me!." Akagi says with a bright smile.

At this point, the proverbial dam broke and Kana began to cry. She came up to Akagi and placed her hands on top her hers.

"I...I....I....I thought I would never see you again." She says through her tears. "Every day, I was so scared. Scared that we would get the message that you were dead. I watched the number of living players drop from 3,000 to 2,000 to nearly 1,000." Her tears got worse. "Each time I saw that a player other than you had died I was glad. All that mattered was that you were still alive and that someone else had died instead of you." At this point, she was crying so hard she couldn't even speak.

Akagi placed a hand on her head "It's alright, It's alright. I'm here now Kana. It's over."

Kana continued to cry for a few minutes before she calmed down enough to speak.

"Kana, there is nothing wrong with being happy that the person you cared about was alive. Some might find that cold or cruel, but it's human nature to want your loved ones to live. During these last four years, I've seen people do horrible things to others; just to ensure that those they cared about survived." (Akagi)

"Was it really ok for me to think that way? Doesn't that make me a terrible person?" (Kana)

It was clear to Akagi that this had been eating away at Kana.

"No, no Kana it just makes you human. Nothing more and nothing less." Akagi replied with a smile.

{I can imagine Hishya would retort by asking if I was even human at this point. And she wouldn't exactly be wrong, not that she is either.} (Akagi)

"Um... Onee-chan." Kana said nervously. "Do you know about your.... hair and your.... eyes." Kana asked with visible concern.

"Yes, Kana I do." Akagi responded instantly. "And before you ask, my appearance seems to have changed to match my Avatar in FWO. I have no idea how this happened, but I don't care. After all, this means that Akagi lives on." Akagi's glee from being able to keep her appearance was visible on her face.

"Akagi? Who is that?" Kana asked.

"I am Akagi" she answered with a slightly deeper and louder voice. “Akagi is me and I am Akagi. The person I always was, the person I was always meant to be. That's who Akagi is.”

It was obvious that Kana had no idea what she was talking about and confusion and concern were plastered all over her face.

"During those four years in FWO, I got to experience the most fun I've ever had in my entire life Kana. I spent every day training myself, pushing all my game knowledge to the limit and then some. My skill made me virtually untouchable, my name alone was enough to terrify Players and NPCs alike. Not a day went by where I didn't feel joy at just being alive! I found it, Kana. I found my calling in life. I found what I am passionate about, what I lived for, and what I am good at. I wasn't just playing a game as a character Kana. I truly became Akagi." (Akagi)

Kana became concerned. She had never heard her sister talk this way and with this kind of conviction and excitement before. Not even when she was playing games back home did she see this level of joy on her sister's face. She could tell deep down whatever Akagi had found in FWO had truly brought her happiness. Of course, that begged the all important question, one she found herself afraid to ask.

"And... And what are you good at Onee-chan." Kana asked with concern.

"Assassination." Akagi replied with a grin that sent chills up her sister's spine.

As Kana considered the implications of what she had just been told by her sister, time seemed to stop. Kana had known for many years that her sister didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. While Kana's grades were excellent, she was even heralded as a genius, her sister's were mediocre to the point where some people questioned how they could be related. Kana never cared about this gap and was always just happy to have her sister. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their parents who treated Akagi poorly. Their parents would constantly berate Akagi for how much worse she was than her younger sister and they made it obvious that they were embarrassed by her. It got to the point where they stopped referring to Akagi as their daughter unless they absolutely had to.

Naturally, this harmed Akagi's mental and physical well-being and even resulted in her briefly being admitted to a psychiatric hospital when she was twelve. While she was eventually released with a clean bill of health, it was clear to Kana that her sister was never completely the same after that experience. From that day forward, her parents essentially stopped dealing with Akagi. They treated her as a ghost in her own home only proving the bare minimum to avoid claims of neglect. Their parents then spent all their time and resources on Kana who they believed had a better future. Even though she was young, Kana knew that the treatment of her sister was wrong and she tried on a few occasions to make changes. But, Akagi always stopped her, telling her that it was not worth the trouble and that she would be fine without her parents.

As the years went by, Kana noticed more and more that Akagi had withdrawn from society as she spent more and more time on gaming. Eventually, it had gotten to the point that Akagi only left the house to go to school or to spend time with Kana. All this time, Kana could only ask herself, why her sister didn't hate her, why she didn't resent her. After all, Kana believed that without her, their parents would never have acted so cruelly toward her sister.

As time went on, Akagi and Kana grew older. The two began spending more and more time together. They would play games, hang out, and just generally spend time together as sisters. It was during this time that Kana came to understand her sister's genius. What she lacked in academic ability she more than made up for in her ability to play and master any kind of game. Be they board games, card games, video games, or any other her sister was terrifyingly good at them. She encouraged her sister to lean into her talents telling her "I'm sure you will find what you love in gaming onee-chan! After all, there is no one better than you!"

Now, all these years later her sister has finally told her what had made her happy. The joy in Kana's heart from being reunited with her sister was brought to a screeching halt. The journey Kana sent her sister on led Akagi to believe that being an assassin was her calling. Was this really the path she was meant to follow? Or was it something that occurred because of Kana? The thought that she had essentially doomed her sister was too much to bear for the girl.

Akagi became concerned when Kana froze up.

"Kana, hey Kana are you alright!" (Akagi)

"Is....Is it my fault? Did I do this to you?" Kana asked while holding back tears. "I told you to find your happiness in gaming and...and now....." (Kana)

Kana began to cry and shake vigorously. As someone who had gone through a mental breakdown once, Akagi knew exactly what was going on.

“Kana! Kana, listen to me it's not your fault!” (Akagi)

However, no matter how many times she called out to her sister it was clear that none of her words were getting through.

Akagi tried to sit up but found that she had no strength.

{Damnnit this fucking body is useless, what I wouldn't do to have my body strengthening right now} (Akagi)

Just as that thought left her head, she suddenly felt a rush of energy flow throughout her body. It was an all too familiar feeling, one that she knew from her countless days in FWO, one that she shouldn't be able to feel in the real world.

Akagi's confusion was quickly replaced with action as she grabbed Kana and pulled her into an embrace.

"NOTHING IS YOUR FAULT YOU HEAR ME!" Akagi yelled "I became the person I am today of my own free will. You don't control me or my life and what I choose to do is not your fault nor your responsibility." She forced her sister to look into her eyes. "Kana you brought me strength when I needed it most, you kept me alive for all these years and gave me hope when I had none. Look in my eyes Kana do you see a person who regrets what they became or what they have done? Do you see a person so weak that they would be controlled by the will of another?" (Akagi)

A few moments pass as Kana stares into her sister's amber eyes.

"No," Kana replied weakly

"Exactly, I made my decision when I took my first life in FWO and I've never once regretted it, and I don't want you to regret pushing me to find what makes me happy." (Akagi)

The two siblings held each other in a tight embrace for several minutes without saying anything.

"Are you ok now?" (Akagi)

"Uh-huh," Kana says with her face buried in Akagi's chest.

"Good, now you should probably get off me I doubt straining my body is a smart idea right now." (Akagi)

"Sorry! You shouldn't have strained yourself for me." She said quickly standing up. "I'm surprised that you could even move that much looking like you do." (Kana)

"Heh. I couldn't just let my sister stand there crying right in front of me now, could I? Besides, I saw what was going on, you were on the verge of going through what I did all those years ago. I sure as hell don't want you to go through that. (Akagi)

{Let's not mention how I just used my physical strengthening ability from FWO. That might make things even more confusing. Why can I use that in the real world? Can I use any other abilities? Questions for later.} (Akagi)

Kana let out a chuckle

"Thanks, Onee-chan. I'm not going to pretend that I understand everything you've been through both in FWO and at home. Your "career choice" was definitely not what I expected when I told you to find your happiness in gaming. I always thought you would be a pro gamer or a content creator, not an assassin! While I don't completely understand, I can say that no matter what, you will always be my sister, and I will always love you no matter what. Besides, if I left you alone who knows what kind of trouble you would get into." (Kana)

The two siblings exchanged wide smiles. Their bond remained unshakable as ever and perhaps even grew deeper. However, a small sparkle in Kana's eye which had gone unnoticed by Akagi gave the impression that Kana had not said everything on her mind.

{So Onee-chan is an assassin? I guess I'll have my work cut out for me if I'm going to support her. I don't know if I can agree with such a lifestyle, but I'll do my best to help her!}(Kana)

Yes, for while many jokingly called Kana obsessed with her older sister. Few would ever understand just how far she was willing to go for her.