The Red Hand

Chapter 51 – Naomi’s Solitude and Akagi’s Warmth.

Naomi never expected that she would feel so hollow after achieving her goal of revenge. When the news broke that the Mitsuhide family had been killed, she couldn't even bring herself to feel joy. She didn't regret asking for Akagi's help, but at the same time, she also couldn't help but feel that it was pointless. Their deaths wouldn't bring back her family, nor would it fill the hole within her heart. When she returned home that night, she cried in Marin's arms, not tears of joy, but tears of sadness and despair.

With the death of the Mitsuhide family, Naomi lost her reason to live and she had never prepared for the future beyond that.

Ending her own life was one option, but she quickly dismissed that, believing that doing would not only hurt those she cared about but, would also rob her of the chance to payback Akagi's kindness. In the intervening weeks, Naomi operated on a kind of auto-pilot. Her staff treated her like normal, but she felt like her mind was slipping. Even her friend Marin was unable to pull her out of this rut. Night after night, she was plagued by nightmares, forced to relive the death of her family. But strangely, whenever she woke from those horrible dreams, she felt a warmness around her. Much like the feeling of her mother wrapping her arms around her when she was a child. At first, she thought she was going insane, but one of the maids told her that perhaps it was a sign that her family still loved her and wanted her to live on.

Then, on the night before the School Cultural Festival, she decided to read the letter Yumi had given her. At first, she wanted to discard it, but one of her maids told her to give it some time and make that decision when her mind was clearer. After giving it some thought, she figured that while she could not forgive that family for what they did, she might as well honor Ryuji's last wish and read what he had to say.

Opening the sealed letter, she read what he had to say.

As she finished the letter, Naomi began to cry. While she could never forgive the family for what it did, reading Ryjui's final words was like reading a letter from her own grandfather. She'd known the man since she was a child and had seen him frequently over the years. She never knew how he felt and assumed that he was part of her parent's death. So when he told her to live on and become someone she could be proud of, her heart melted.

As she stared down at the letter with her tear-filled eyes, a voice from behind her caused her to jump.

"I see you finally read the old man's letter." When she turned around, one of her maids was in the room. She'd never even heard the door open.

"I.. uh... why are you in here?" Naomi was confused, the maids never entered her room without permission, and she didn't appreciate being spied on.

"Why wouldn't I make sure you're ok?" she chuckled. "You should be happy, it's not every day I offer this kind of after-service care." She snapped her fingers, and her shape changed into that of Akagi.

"Is that better?" Akagi smiled.

"Wha- Akagi!" Naomi was shocked. "Wha... since when were you-???"

"Since not long after Yumi gave you that letter," Akagi answered. "I've popped in every now and then to check on you. I was worried you might have gotten lost in the darkness, so I kept an eye on you." Akagi gave a warm smile.

Naomi's mind raced as she recalled the last few weeks. She had thought it strange that she didn't recognize one of the maids but assumed it was some new hire and pushed the thought out of her mind.

"Did Marin know?" Naomi asked.

"Of course she did. I got permission from her first." Akagi nodded. "I wasn't just going to skulk around your home without asking her." She shrugged. "I honestly, didn't think you were going to open that thing." She moved to sit on Naomi's bed.

"Did you know what it said?" Naomi asked.

"Nope." Akagi denied reading the letter. "It wasn't for me, so I had no business reading it."

"I see," Naomi's face softened. "He was a really nice man, even at the very end he didn't blame me for wanting them all dead."

"He was one of the very few good men in this world Naomi." Akagi kicked her feet back and forth over the edge of the bed. "He understood just how bad things had gotten, but he was unable to do anything to stop them, a pity really. I would have liked him as a subordinate." Akagi had a habit of collecting talented people.

"Um.... thank you for checking on me." Naomi was slightly embarrassed. "You were the one encouraging me to read the letter and everything and well....."

"You're welcome, to be honest, I helped you for myself as much as you," Akagi gave a dry laugh.

"What do you mean?" Naomi didn't understand.

"When I met you that first time. When I saw you breakdown into tears. You reminded me of myself, we were both left without a family and cast aside. We only had and could rely upon ourselves. I was lucky in that I had Kana. But when I saw you, I thought that perhaps it was a glimpse into my life if she wasn't around. That I would have become a cold broken person and done who knows what out of anger." Akagi stood up. "I just didn't want you to go down that dark route, and I kinda figured that you needed some help. I hope that doesn't sound patronizing." Akagi was a little embarrassed as she explained.

"Pffffff" Naomi busted out laughing.

"What? Is me wanting to help so funny?" Akagi got more embarrassed.

"No, it's not that. It's just I never expected you to care like that. I figured that Yumi and Kana were special exceptions, but it's nice to see your heart is not made of stone." Naomi couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm not heartless." Akagi sighed. "It's just that I'm picky about who I show kindness to is all."

"I see, so was that warm feeling I got when I woke up from those nightmares you too?" Naomi asked. "Because it was really nice."

"I can neither confirm nor deny anything." Akagi gave a cheeky smile.

"Thank you, really for everything." Naomi bowed. "I guess now, I need to figure out what to do in the future."

"Well, for starters, I think you should pull out of the underworld dealings," Akagi commented. "I can handle that stuff on my own now. So you should try and live as normal of a life as possible. There's no need for you to be involved with such things anymore." Akagi wanted to steer her away from the path she'd been on.

"You're probably right." Naomi agreed. "But I still want to repay what you did for me." She walked closer to Akagi and gave her a hug which Akagi returned.

"It really is like when my mom would hug me as a child." Naomi giggled.

"I still say I'm a little too young to be your mom." Akagi chuckled.

{Though you wouldn't be the first person to call me that.} Akagi sighed internally as she thought of a certain little girl.

"But I don't mind being there for you if you need it kid. We all need someone to rely on. Nobody can truly be alone forever." She thought back to all the time she spent with Yumi and the others. She might have put out a loner façade, but she was never truly alone. "And you don't need to worry about repaying me. I mean, what else are moms for." Akagi said sarcastically, which caused Naomi to giggle more.

"Well then, mom." Naomi looked at her. "Can I ask you to stay with me until I fall asleep tonight? I think the nightmares are over, but I would feel better with you here." Akagi thought her request was amusing but decided to honor it.

"Sure kid." She smiled. "When you fall asleep tonight, I'll be right here."

That night, Naomi slept better than she had in years. Akagi's presence was like a warm blanket that soothed her battered heart.

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