That night, Akagi threw a massive feast in celebration of the creation of the Dutor clan. With all the logistics and infrastructure complete, Akagi was able to bring forth every one of her followers into the world and after a rousing speech, all 121 pledged their loyalty to her and the family. Kana didn't really understand what was going on, but was happy for her sister, nonetheless. She'd never seen her this happy and was glad that she finally had a place to belong. Though in the back of her head, she was afraid that this ant her connection to Akagi would weaken. When she queried about joining the clan herself, Akagi told her that doing so was unnecessary. Kana was already her family and soone very important to her. What her family na was ant nothing.
With the festivities dying down and Kana approaching her limit, Akagi walked her to bed. The girl had school the next morning, and she didn't want to keep her up longer than necessary.
"That was quite the party." Kana giggled as she got in bed. “And having it on Halloween only made it funnier.” The proclamation of a new Yokai Clan on the most monster thed day of the year was quite the coincidence.
"Yeah, everyone was energetic, and I haven't had that much fun in a long, long ti." Akagi gave a big smile. "And don't you get all pouty again like earlier, ok?" she walked up and patted Kana on the head. "No matter what, you are still my sister, and nothing will ever change that. Just because I've taken on a different appearance and a different na doesn't change that." Akagi knew that Kana was anxious about the change to her na. With the creation of the Dutor clan, Akagi had finally separated herself from the Tomogawa na and she didn't want Kana to feel like she was leaving her as a result.
"I know, it's just that so much has happened so fast, that it's overwhelming." Kana had gone from being worried about her comatose sister to seeing her create her own family in the span of a few months. Such rapid and sweeping changes were a lot for the girl to handle, and Akagi was worried that she might be pushing herself. "But, I'll be fine." She smiled. "I have you, and that's all that matters right now."
"Exactly, as long as we have each other, nothing else matters." Akagi leaned in and hugged her. "Goodnight."
"Good night Onee-chan." Kana snuggled in and went to sleep, and Akagi slowly backed out of the room, nearly tripping over Mizumi.
"Oh, sorry." she apologized for nearly toppling the girl over.
"It's fine," Mizumi replied before continuing down the hallway. Akagi still didn't trust the spirit, and she was starting to get the feeling that there was more to the girl than ets the eye.
{No point thinking about it now, I'm not going to get anything done by theorizing when I have no information.} (Akagi)
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As Kana walked down the main street in Kyoto, she was horrified by what she saw. Buildings were on fire, and the streets were littered with bodies as screams rang out from every direction. It was like a scene out of a war movie.
"Wh-whats going on?" She panicked. "I... was just in my room, wasn't I?" She had no idea what was going, on or why she was here.
"Onee-chan!" She called out. "Where are you? Onee-chan!" but no response ca. She continued her slow pace, every so often she would hear explosions that would cause her to flinch. and screams echoed throughout the city.
"This has to be a dream!" She yelled. "This can't be real! It's a nightmare, right?" She smacked herself on the cheek, which only served to cause a stinging sensation.
"Pain?" Kana panicked. "You aren't supposed to feel pain in a dream!" Technically that thod was not full proof, but it was a good indicator.
Before Kana could process her thoughts, a scream from nearby caught her attention.
"Please, Help !" A voice that sounded like Mika's ca from up the road. Hearing this, Kana ran as fast as possible hoping to save her friend and find out what was happening. When she reached the intersection, she stopped dead, her eyes widened in horror.
"Please, soone.... mom.... dad." Mika was slumped against the side of a building, her right arm missing, and blood spilled out at an alarming rate.
"Mika!" Kana ran up to her and tried to help. "Mika, what happened? What's going on?" She asked but got no response. "Mika!" Kana scread, and when she tried to put her hand on the girl's shoulder, it went right through.
"Wha-?" she tried again and again, but each ti her hands simply went straight through her dying friend. "What's going on? Why can't I touch her!" Kana looked around and saw several other wounded or dying people, the entire road was torn up, and the flas only grew as ti went on.
"Mika! Please, answer !" Kana scread.
"Mon-ster." The girl gave out one last word as she slumped over, dead.
"No, Mika! No please, don't die." Kana tried to touch her again, but she was still unable to do anything. Breaking out into tears, she scread. "WHAT IS GOING ON!"
She stood on the sidewalk dumbfounded until she heard a familiar laugh. It was the sa one her sister would make while in her demonic form.
"Onee-chan!" she looked around but saw no sign of her. Deciding that standing here wouldn't answer anything, she ran in the direction of the laugh, hoping that Akagi could tell her what was going on. As she ran, another explosion rocked a building in front of her, causing it to partially collapse onto the road. She paused, montarily stunned, as a person's body flew out of the flaming remains of the collapsed building landing right in front of her.
"Mom?" Kana said weakly as her badly burned and bruised mother lay half dead in front of her. "Mom!" she tried to help her mother, but found that she couldn't touch her either.
*cough* *gurgle* Shima spit up so blood. "I...I always knew... knew you were a mon.... ack." she struggled to speak.
"A monster? What kind of parent calls their only child a monster?" Akagi's distorted voice could be heard as she approached from the smoldering ruins of the building. Her eyes glowed orange, her sclera had turned black and she appeared to be taller and slimr than what Kana was used to seeing. Her face was also contorted in rage and anger as if she could feel no other emotions.
"Onee-chan!" Kana cried out. "What's going on?!?" she tried to run in front of her but was shocked as Akagi simply walked through her as if she wasn't even there. Akagi stood over her dying mother and laughed.
"Besides, I am far, far more than a monster, Shima. And I was wondering just how long I was going to be restrained ." She drove her blade into her mother's heart. "But I guess I should thank you before you head on to the afterlife. After all, if it wasn't for you, who knows how long it would have taken for to get out.”
Kana stood shocked and horrified at what she just witnessed.
"Onee-chan, why?" Her vision slowly turned back as her legs felt weak. A mont later, she collapsed on the spot, only to wake up in her own bed screaming. Which caused Akagi to instantly appear next to her in a panic.
"Kana!" Akagi was in battle mode. "What's going on? Is there soone here?" She scanned the room. Kana was a blubbering ss and couldn't speak, her face was flush and full of tears. Not sensing any enemies Akagi pulled her into a tight embrace and tried to calm her down.
"It's ok... It's ok...shuuuush." Akagi hugged her sister tightly. Whatever she saw, had frightened her enough to cause her to shake in fear.
"Onee-chan why... why would you do all that... why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you...why would you..." Kana repeated that last bit like a madman stuck in a ntal loop. Akagi had seen this before when she was in the psychiatric ward, and she knew the most effective way to stop it.
{Sorry about this Kana.} (Akagi)
*SMACK* Akagi cracked her sister across the face with her right hand, which caused the girl to stop speaking.
"Ok, I hope that worked because that's about all I've got." Akagi sighed.
"Onee-chan?" Kana looked at her with wet eyes. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, Kana, I'm right here." Akagi pulled her in tighter which caused Kana to hug her back. "Sorry for slapping you, but it was the only thing I could think of to get you out of that loop."
Kana giggled. "It's alright. Thank you, that was no fun."
"Can you tell what happened? You scread so loud I think the entire estate heard you." At the mont, around fifty mbers of the family had surrounded the house and were on alert for enemies. "At least they're quick to act." Akagi was proud of how fast they reacted.
Kana took a mont to compose herself before explaining the strange nightmare/dream she witnessed.
"You saw .... kill mom?" Akagi was taken aback as she heard this.
"Yeah, and you... you weren't you anymore when you did it." Kana shook as she recalled her sister's appearance. "You said that Mom had let you out and that you were more than a monster." Kana looked at her. "What did that an? Please tell if you know anything?!?" She pleaded with her sister. "In the dream, your eyes had turned orange, the sa color as that day you went to the hospital and the sa as when you battled Hishya!"
"I... I honestly don't know Kana." Akagi shook her head. "But...."
"What? Please tell , don't hide things from ." Kana gave her sister a desperate look.
"I... I don't know. It's just that.... ever since I woke from FWO. I've felt strange." Akagi said.
"Strange how?" Kana pressed for answers.
"Do you rember what I told you that night? That the you saw growing up was just a mask, a façade that I developed?" Akagi asked her if she recalled.
"Yes... yes, I do." Kana replied.
"Well... I'm not 100% on this, but I think there might be another layer to that mask." Akagi turned away. "I... Kana... there's a chance that I might not ever have been human.... or even your real sister."
"Wha-what does that an? You told that you were Rishia on that night! You told that you were always the sa person and that you hadn't taken her place! Was that a lie!" Kana's head spun as she tried to understand what Akagi ant.
"It ans... I don't know!" Akagi scread. "Kana, I'm sorry, but even I have no idea what the hell I am anymore!" Akagi let out her frustrations. "My whole life, I grew up thinking I was just so unloved child, that no matter what, I was just another girl in the world not that much different than anyone else. But now... now I don't know anymore Kana. I can't dismiss Shima's and Taichi's words, and every day the feeling that sothing is off with grows. Am I really the child your parents brought into this world? Or did I really just take her place when she was born and pretend to be her?" Akagi tightened her fists causing her knuckles to turn white. "Every ti I think about my past, my feelings, my thoughts, my actions, and everything else. I keep coming to one conclusion. That I'm not now, nor have I ever been human." Akagi looked at her sister with tears in her eyes. "And If I wasn't human, what AM I, Kana?"
Spoiler
Akagi?
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