The Red Hand

Chapter 324 – The Magical Girl, the Witch and Impending Doom.

"Kitty... Come back..." Miji had been slightly depressed with the departure of both Akagi and her sister. The young girl had come to enjoy the time she'd spent playing with them every day, and so their absence had caused her some level of heartache. As she sat on the couch clutching a small pillow, everyone else stood around unsure what to do.

"Awww." Mika's heart broke as she looked at the sad form of Miji. "It's ok! We're here for you!" She quickly sat next to Miji and pulled her into a hug. "I'm not as fluffy as Akagi, but you can still hug me if you feel down!" She figured Mika hugs would be a good substitute for kitty hugs.

{The cute is not allowed to be sad!} (Mika

"Maybe someone should go and tell that idiot that a certain little girl is missing her kitty." Hishya chuckled. "It's a crime to make Miji look like that, and I feel like if Miji keeps the world may fall out of balance for making her sad."

"The funny part is that Onee-chan would probably fly back here in a second if she knew just how heartbroken Miji is." Kana rolled her eyes. "Those two have been practically inseparable ever since she got here, and it's mind-boggling just how warm and fluffy things get when they're together."

{Its like some cheesy little happy family...} (Kana)

"The kitty was nice and fluffy and warm and cute and cuddly..." Miji continued to sulk as Mika squeezed her. "I miss her and Sister..."

{Well at least its not just Akagi that she misses.} (Hishya)

"Please don't cry." Mika stroked her on the head, not knowing what else to do for the sad girl. "Akagi and your sister have an important job to do, but they'll be back before you know it! So just keep your chin up and look forward to all the kitty you'll get when she's back!"

"Yeah, and also, there's no way that Akagi can stay away for too long. Despite how she acts, I know for a fact that she's probably missing playtime with her adoptive little sister." Naomi chuckled. “Onee-chan likely needs Miji just as much as Miji needs Onee-chan.”

"Will kitty have a tea party and take naps with me when she gets back?" Miji asked with a quiet voice.

{THIS IS UNFAIR! WHY IS SHE SO CUTE?!? MY HEART IS CRUMBLING! DAMMIT, AKAGI, YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE ASAP AND LET HER PET YOU FOR A MONTH STRAIGHT!} (Hishya)

"I'm sure that she'll let you fluff her all you want and snuggle with you until you can't snuggle anymore!" Mika giggled. “Maybe you'll even find her snuggle limit!”

"Really?" The heartbroken Miji asked, hopefully for the return of the kitty.

"Yep! And if she doesn't, I shall personally launch a crusade to destroy her! I swear upon the name Star Guardian that Catkagi shall pay for its transgressions against you!" Mika giggled.

"Pfff." Miji started to laugh as Mika struck a silly pose. "The kitty would smack you silly! It would be like BONK! BAM! WOOSH!"

"Hey! I'm a lot stronger than you think!" Mika flexed her noodle arms. "All it will take is a little fairy dust and some friendship power, and then BANG! No more Demon Kitty!"

"Nooooo." Miji squeezed onto Mika. "Don't take her away! And don't hurt the kitty! She's my friend, and I love her..."

{STOP BREAKING MY HEART!} (Hishya)

"You really like spending time with Onee-chan, huh?" Kana sat on the other side of Miji and slowly pat her on the head. “Does she really mean that much to you?”

"Yeah! She's always so nice to me, and we play together lots!" Miji smiled. "And she makes Sister super happy and is super fun to take naps with!"

"And you get to pet her a whole bunch!" Naomi giggled.

"Kitty is warm and fluffy..." Miji replied with a cute smile. "We have all kinds of fun together, and playing with her and Alice is so much fun!" The two young girls had bonded closely, and it was clear that they'd become the best of friends. “We even had that fun tea party where we dressed the kitty up in cute outfits!”

{My favorite was the dress. It had a very cute bow.} (Hishya)

"And I know that Onee-chan feels the same way about you." Kana continued patting her on the head. "You're her precious adopted little sister, and she loves you very much." Her emphasis on that word did not go unnoticed by the others, though Miji didn't seem to catch it.

{Do... Kana, do you see Miji as competition?!?} (Hishya)

"But... I was mean to her..." Miji pouted. "I said mean things to her and made Sister cry. Would the kitty really care about me?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I think we've all been mean to Akagi, and she never takes it to heart." Mika gave a wry smile as she recalled her own past actions.

{I called her a psychopathic monster once and yet here I am as the official backup squishy!.} (Mika)

"Onee-chan might not take it to heart, but she most certainly will pay you back for it." Kana sighed. As one who tended to stick her foot in her own mouth when it came to her sister, she knew well what the Demon could and would do in retaliation.

{That time she made me into Catkana was the worst. Hishya kept me up all night...} (Kana)

"Is the kitty really not mad at me?" Miji asked.

"Never." Kana figured that Akagi would likely never be truly upset with the girl as she was just too cute and the Demon's affection for her likely was only exceeded by her feelings toward Yumi. "Onee-chan loves you too much, and the constant attention that she gives you proves that she was never mad at you."

{If she didn't love you to pieces then I doubt she'd be coming to you for all those snuggles... Makes me kinda jealous...} (Kana)

"Really?" Miji asked again.

"Really really." Kana nodded.

"Besides you've got us here to play with you, and Alice is still here! Isn't that good enough?" Mika asked with a bright smile. “Or are we not good enough friends?”

"..." Miji didn't answer and instead popped her tongue out as she thought deeply about the question.

{That she has to think about her answer tells me what it will be...} (Naomi)

"Maybe if Mika gets small..." Miji quietly requested that Mika transform.

"How about you I do you one better and, me, you and Alice have a tea party?" Mika giggled as she transformed into her Magical Girl form. "We can have fun together!"

"Really?!?" Miji squeaked as she hugged Mika.

{She's got a weakness for cute... Not like I blame her... Damn you Onee-chan! You gave Mika the ultimate weapon, cuteness!} (Kana)

"A Magical Girl never lies!" Mika said proudly as she pat Miji on the head.

"No, but they do bend the truth." Naomi rolled her eyes, to which Mika responded with a raspberry.

{They probably shouldn't do the things that you do with your girlfriends either, or well have two girlfriends in the first place.} (Naomi)

"Don't be mean to her!" Miji squeezed onto the super cute Mika and glared at Naomi. "Mika is too cute to lie! She would never do something so bad! She's a Magical Girl! A hero of justice and good! Lying is for bad people!"

{If only she knew the truth...} (Kana)

"Yeah!" Mika nodded along, despite the fact that Naomi was right. "I'm far too cute be be as bad as you make me out to be, Naomi. Don't worry Miji, the witch is just jealous of my cuteness and she's probably jealous of you too." She snickered as a shoe flew by her face and embedded into the couch.

{HOW?!?} (Hishya)

"Do I need to remind you what rubber tastes like?!?" Naomi's face sent chills down Mika's spine. “Because it seems to me that your last beating didn't clear up that problematic mouth of yours.”

"Eep!" (Mika x Miji)

"Kana, help! Rein in the scary witch under your command!" Mika pleaded for aid. “She seeks to end all happiness and good in the world!”

"Yeah! Kana Onee-chan, save us!" Miji joined in while giggling.

"Hmmmm." Kana hummed as she thought things over.

{On the one hand, Mika... But on the other Miji is just too cute... She even called me Onee-chan...} (Kana)

{WHY DO YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS?!?} (Mika)

{Kana, you are far too easy to read...} (Hishya)

"Alright lets split the difference on this one. Naomi, please limit your beatings to Mika only." Kana smirked. "We can't go harming Miji since that would see Onee-chan torture us for harming her Supreme Squishy."

"True, true." Naomi nodded. "Oh well, Mika was the real target anyway."

{DANGER!} (Mika)

"C-Come along, Miji!" Mika grabbed Miji and picked her up princess carry style. "Let's go find Alice and start that tea party!" She said as she zipped off at full speed.

"Coward." Hishya shook her head. "At least take your lumps before running off like that."

"Says the Dragon who is only marginally better than said Mika at times." Kana commented. “I seem to recall you saying things that got you in trouble far too many times to count.”

"Even still I object to such a comparison!" Hishya exclaimed.

"Overruled!" (Kana x Naomi)

_____________________________________________________________________________

<Feline POV>

Within the Royal Palace of Amdamell, an absolutely stark white Feline slowly made her way down the palace corridors before returning to her room and slumping onto the floor. She'd just gotten out of a meeting with her Father and Brother, and it was clear from the look on her face that things had gone poorly.

"They wouldn't listen... The still won't listen" Feline said quietly as she blankly stared forward at a nearby painting of the Capital. "Father... Brother... Why won't you believe me?" She'd been trying, and failing, to convince her family of the Dumetor/Demon Lord threat for a week, but every time she spoke to them about Merkyul's message, her concerns were dismissed. It wasn't much of a surprise to the Princess, but as the days ticked on Feline's stomach grew tighter and tighter due to the stress, and something told her that failure to comply with the Demon Lord's demands would be devastating to her homeland.

{What did I think would happen? I can't rally anyone in my faction to help me pressure Father into reversing course, as giving in to this Demon Lord would run contrary to the will of the Gods, and neither Father nor Brother even believe that this Demon Lord is even real! Even after the reports of an attack on Lady Tahena were confirmed to be true, they STILL think this is all just another case of some foolish group trying to extort the government and take advantage of the chaotic state of the world right now.} (Feline)

"I... I can't do anything... I'm powerless... Truly powerless..." Feline had always known that her actual power and influence were limited, but it had only just now occurred to her that without Shiroe Amakusa's support, there was little she could do on her own. She'd used the Hero's status and clout to help her push things through and sometimes even had her help directly, but with her disappearance Feline was no longer able to leverage such power.

"How many of our people are going to perish because of this? How much death and destruction are about to be unleashed on our people?" Feline still had no power in her legs, and her entire body started trembling as she imagined the Capital turned into a sea of flames. "Is... Is this how we are to be punished for our sins? Is this what we get for supporting the Gods in their war against the Spirits?" She'd never voiced much opposition to the war, though as someone on the younger side when hostilities broke out, there was little that she could've done anyway.

"Shiroe... I can only imagine the pain they're inflicting upon you." Merkyul's words had left her with the impression that Amakusa was being subject to daily torture, which wasn't necessarily an incorrect notion. "But... I suppose we shall be joining you soon..." She looked over at the large grandfather clock in her room. It slowly ticked forward, second by second. Akagi's deadline would expire soon enough, and Feline could only watch in horror as the time of reckoning approached.

{I'm... I'm sorry everyone...} (Feline)