A/N:

Here we are again. To be honest, I didn't expect to find myself walking back to write another "Akame Ga Kill" story. I had assumed that I was finished with my part in this anime/manga, but yet, I find myself back here. So why not? I suppose that starting fresh on a new story - with no ties to any other related stories that I may have and this story is more of a format to work on my character development skills, romance, and short chapter stories. The story may have more talking than action, but we'll see.

Takes place half a year (approximately six months) after the main plot, with Akame, the one to be the only Night Raid member to be alive (excluding Najenda) and is expected to be rather short.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Akame Ga Kill!" and only this story and its original characters.

Northern Hearth

By

Depressed Paperbag

After the battles she endured during the Revolutionary War, after killing her own sister, after defeating the General of the Imperial army, Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame left the Capital to drift from region to region so she could find purpose again, to keep on moving for the ones that had perished for the sake of peace and to preserve it.

As the only living Night Raid assassin left, Akame was left to herself to find her own path with no one left by her side. For six months, she wandered the lands of the county with her black cloak covering the majority of her appearance. Though loneliness could only do so much to a mind, even for one like Akame's. She could feel it - the numbness that grew in her mind. For her, she never expected the burden to enlarge.

Once the siege of the Capital was accomplished, many assassins (at least the ones that were still alive) dispersed from Night Raid and went their own ways. Though she was no longer a part of the assassination job, she still believed herself to be a bringer of justice at heart, willing to kill anyone who would threaten to erase the peace that she and her deceased friends fought for and at a steep cost.

As always, there would be bandits and criminals in the world. It was no surprise to anyone. The newly established New Imperial government found it upon themselves to handle such situations with use of deadly force - if needed. After the war, the New Imperial government immediately conducted an operation to find all possible Teigu that was not in the hands of the Revolutionary army and limited the use to only soldiers of high position in order to prevent any peace-usurpers from using their fearful potential.

Even worse, new species of Danger Beasts were rising drastically, more specifically in the northern region. Even after the victory of the Revolutionary Army, the northern tribes were decimated in the beginning of war, and as a result, many northern tribes perished. Many tribesmen who were native to the area broke off and began to resort to criminal acts to make a new life. Those who were resentful against the Revolutionary Army for not assisting them in times of turmoil bonded together to create another revolt against a government whom they believed would eventually become as corrupt as the past Empire.

It was safe to say that only a few, including Akame, in the world were armed with Teigu now. Preferably those who were Sergeants or higher had Teigu.

In order to ease the north of its problems, the New Empire sent a single battalion of capable soldiers, Division 5-C. The armed soldiers assigned to watch the activity in the north weren't exactly excited, as many called to the problem when they were just settling down in peace.

However, as loyal as they always were, many grudgingly agreed to the call and assembled their way to the north to establish a outpost. None of them expected for it be so struggling. Once they had created camp there, they were attacked by assailants and had difficulties taking down nearby nocturnal Danger Beasts who were unusually aggressive during the day.

The situation was obvious: they were in deep.

As soon as she heard of the situation in the north, Akame knew her next destination.

She abandoned her trip back to the Capital for a certain reunion and turned to the northern region.

And now..

This was a lot more worse than she thought it'd be.

The blistering blizzard blew through her cloak, shivering down to the bone. Akame walked her path to a high-altitude peak where she was told that the New Imperial outpost would be found. Still, she had to be cautious, as she could barely see the uphill road in front of her due to the blowing snow. The former assassin had to be careful to not lose her guide as well, which was appointed by an Imperial soldier.

"It should be near by!" Her guide yelled to her.

"..." Akame heard his words and decided that her first action would be to find the superior officer and understand the situation. She wasn't going to do anything else. Nothing more, nothing less. All she had to do was ask him about the problem and then solve it as always. Her guide eventually stopped at pointed at the distant camp with gray campsites and far-away campfires. When she turned around, the guide was gone as if he ran in a hurry. She shrugged it off and made her way to the New Imperial camp.

Once she was in the campsite, it was miserable. Many of the soldiers were all huddled around the dimly lit fires and covered in bloody bandages with their blankets around them. It was quite sad, seeing those who lived after the war, only to be sent to danger again. However, she didn't have the time to feel pity. All she wanted to do was to end the problems they were having and then, make her way back to the Capital to see someone.

Akame asked one of the nearby soldiers for the officer's tent and pointed to one that was slightly larger than the other tents.

Entering the tent, she was in the middle of an argument between a similar-looking duo of girls, who were possibly twins, and a muscular male with a buzz cut and stubble. She assumed that the older man was the officer. Not wanting to break their dispute, she stood idly as they argued.

"I don't really think it would be a good idea sending Heiyoru by himself!" The girl with short, kept yellow hair and light green eyes protested. She had a slightly stern expression on her face and appeared more mature than her sister.

"Yeah! By himself!" The other girl howled. She had the same hair style and color as the other but had auburn eyes.

"Yanui, stop it."

"Oopsie~! Sorry, Hanui.." She covered in her mouth with embarrassment.

"Listen, I don't think neither of you would be good with him." The officer with a dirty cloak sighed, rubbing his head, "Heiyoru is fine by himself; he's capable of handling himself."

"But to survey around the outskirts? There might be anything there waiting for us!" Hanui argued again, worried for her ally's well being. "If Heiyoru were to die, we'd lose our only healthiest offensive individual at the moment! And Heiyoru is the only one who can safely guide us through the landscape!"

Her commanding officer slammed the wood table containing a map and several other scrolls, which were probably orders given from the center of the region: the Capital. He had about enough of her going against his orders. The entire division was in as deep as it was, and he didn't need disobedient soldiers within his ranks. The man's sudden expression of impatience silenced the twins.

"That's enough!" He yelled, turning his sight towards the girl in black and red: Akame, "We've got a visitor. Leave us be, Hanui. You as well, Yanui.."

The female soldier sighed and grudgingly saluted to him, "Sir."

"Okay, sir~!" Yanui beamed brightly, accompanying her sister out of the tent. "One, two, one, two!"

Once the duo left the tent, it was only containing both the officer and the assassin. He knew who she was and what she had done for not just for the Revolutionary Army, but for the future of the land. The Captain was on the front lines that day and was one of the many witnesses who saw the death of Esdeath as she enveloped herself in her own ice, shattering to unattainable pieces. He dropped himself back on his chair and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are.." The man pointed out, nodding at her, "You, Akame of the Demon Blade Murasame, must be here to help us in our 'time of darkness'. My name is Derwin."

"I am simply here to end the problem as quickly as I can." Akame responded nonchalantly, "That is all."

"Straight to the point, eh? Good.." Derwin muttered, "As you can see, we're in a ditch. We have those damn so-called 'Iceshard Rebels' on our asses and to top it off, the amount of Danger Beast activity is at the highest."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, but it's harder than it sounds, even for you. "These damn thugs and monsters are pretty sharp. Especially the people. They're more like crazies than rebels."

"..." Akame didn't take note of his warning, finding it as an exaggeration. But it was worth knowing about the local 'criminals' that Derwin was labeling, "Why so?"

"A majority of all of the tribes that are still alive in this region are in it." Derwin explained, "Since we weren't able to be there for them when Esdeath was tearing a hole in their land and pride, they pretty much want to kill us for all of the 'pain and suffering' that 'we' put them through. They're smart, I'll give them that. They attack at night and leave as fast as they come. The worst part is their tenacity; they just come at you with all they have if they're cornered. They must be doped on something, because they don't even go down if you stab them in the gut. Not to mention their traps."

"Hm?"

"Anyways, I feel more sorry for the established villages that were built in the north three months ago. At least the ones in the warmer parts of the north."

"Why is that?"

"The towns get harassed by the tribes and the thugs that pass through makes a living off thievery and assaults." Derwin added, "We've gotten reports of rape and murder, but as you can see, we're too deep to do anything. Talk about loss of their pride; they've all degraded to troublesome bandits and thugs.."

"..And if I were to eliminate the ringleader?"

"I wouldn't go over your head; they're dangerous and I'm sure some of them have Teigu.." Derwin trailed off, causing Akame to slightly glare at him, "Ahem! But yeah, if you could cut off the head of the snake, maybe everything else would calm down. I said maybe."

That was all she needed to hear. No one had to be burdened upon her for this task; Akame could easily find a trail of the group named the 'Iceshard Rebels' and make her way there. Perhaps she would start at one of the nearby towns that Derwin noted was being attacked and harassed by the bandits. As she was about to leave the tent and travel again, she was halted by the officer's request.

"Wait!" He called out to her.

Akame let out a faint sigh out of her nose, "What is it?"

"I was hoping you could help us with something.." Derwin requested.

"Yes?"

"One of my most skilled soldiers, Heiyoru, needs someone to accompany him to scout around the area of our camp, probably a little further than that. We're checking specific locations for any possible lurking Danger Beasts." He explained, "I can't risk losing my only healthy fighter. All of the others are either sick or too weak to accompany him and I was hoping you could follow him! Just temporarily though!"

"..." Akame wasn't exactly fond of being thrown off her own path again, but she was here to help, and the red-eyed girl would do so, "I accept."

"Ah, good!" Derwin chirped brightly, "Heiyoru! Come in!"

The flap of the tent opened, with a young teenager coming inside the tent, saluting to his superior. His image was abnormal; Akame had never seen a fellow with an unusual appearance! He was slightly taller than her, probably a year older than her. He had tan skin with unsettled hair in a light peachy color. His eyes were of a teal color and blinked brightly with his eyelids. The boy's attire consisted of a slightly worn-out and faded winter outfit with a gray sweater under a sleeveless jacket, ski goggles with a black outline and orange screen, utility belt holding a knife and a few essentials, and a black checkered gray muffler with a faded tan hooded cloak.

"Sir!" Heiyoru grinned brightly, eyeing Akame curiously. "Hey, aren't you..?"

"Hm?"

"Heh, after your victory against the Ice General by yourself, you've made quite a name." Derwin explained.

"No that wasn't it, sir," The boy corrected him, waving his hand at Derwin, "She looks kind of under-dressed for this weather."

"Ah, is that so?"

"You don't need to worry about me." Akame responded with a hint of coldness.

"Okay, okay, sorry for caring, lady Akame." Heiyoru scoffed, rolling his eyes at her. "I should get going sir; I have to check around the area for any enemy activity!"

"Hang on," Derwin halted him with his hand and pointed his index finger at the former assassin, "She's coming with you."

"Uh, no." Heiyoru let out a drawn-out thought and shook his head. "Can't I just recommend Aoeba again?!"

"He's sick at the moment."

"Shit.." Heiyoru cursed under his breath. Today was indeed something new; he was going to have a companion that he didn't know anything about. Even though she had quite the looks, he didn't like how she expressed herself. Cold and insouciant, Heiyoru was slightly concerned for his own life in the hands of this "hero" he's heard about all over the land. But he had to suck it up; it was only for a day. If he was able to survive 'years' during the Revolutionary War, he could get through this easily. "As long as she doesn't get in my way, fine. Still not responsible for what happens to her though.."

Akame took no heed to respond to his insult and could care less about what he thought about her. He didn't mean anything to her, but he was still her ally, and that was the only thing that kept her from drawing her blade on him.

"Well, let's get goin'!" Heiyoru cheered with his fists in the air, dashing out of the tent. Akame stared at him nonchalantly as he made his way out, but Derwin simply chuckled. It wasn't unusual for Heiyoru to act so highly during missions, as long as they went his way of course.

"Don't think so badly of Heiyoru," Derwin pointed out, "He seems reckless, but he's more than capable. Just warm up to him, and things'll be fine."

Akame turned her vision to the tall man and shook her head as she made her way out of his tent. When she stepped out, there appeared to be no end to the winter storm that befell over the group. There was nothing more pitiful than a bunch of demoralized soldiers suffering from weather, attacks, and Danger Beasts. She threw her black hood over her head and locked her eyes on the boy, his cloak was spread out from his body and didn't even have his hood up.

When she took a closer inspection, she could notice his weapon: a white and gray shield-gauntlet with a distinct religious insignia crest on it and a built-in sheath that held a slim silver short-sword behind it, armed on his left hand.

"We should make this quick." Akame said to Heiyoru, walking up to him. He took no time to turn his vision from the tight valley restricted by the tall rock walls just ahead of the camp to his new companion.

"Something feels kind of weird." Heiyoru scratched his chin, "Don't you feel that?"

A dangerous aura? Akame's red eyes shot sharply towards the valley ahead of them and placed a hand on her Teigu's hilt."

"Geez, I was just kidding, ice cube!" Heiyoru snickered, groaning in disappointment, "It's nothing, so try not to make everyone around us more uneasy than they are now."

"Ice.. cube..?" The red-eyed girl slightly tilted her head curiously at the boy, muddled by his statement.

"You've really got to take it easy once in a while, sheesh! You're more uneasy than Yanui when she enlisted her first mission!" Maybe that was too much of an overstatement for him, "Well, least you don't look like the type to piss their pants after seeing a baby Earth Dragon.."

"Did you say something?" Akame asked, blinking at him, "It would be best if we finished this as quickly as possible. Shall we?"

"Ahem! All right then!" Heiyoru pounded his chest with his fist and pointed towards the valley, "We'll go through there and just check around. Most of the areas, that I want to check, have Danger Beasts more than half of the time, but for someone as 'great' as you, I don't think it should be too hard."

"If you feel confident in your knowledge of the area, then you may lead." Akame didn't mind following since she knew little of the area's landscape.

"Good; I've gone through the areas a good amount of times, so shouldn't be a problem!" Heiyoru marched ahead stiffly and turned over his head to Akame. "Hey, pink eye! Hurry up!"

Pink eye..? Akame wasn't sure why he was calling her all of these names. It was a bit irritating. She couldn't worry about that now; Akame was able to detect that the danger that teal-eyed boy doubted: there was indeed a dangerous presence that was emitting from the locations that were most likely the areas that he was going to. It wasn't just one, but dozens of them. If there were many of them, but they were small-sized. She had been killing humans all her life, so killing Danger Beasts would be much more maintainable.

If he does not know of the obstructions ahead, then I must watch over him, at least until I have finished this chore.

"Hey, Akame!" Heiyoru hollered over the whistling wind.

"What?"

"Come on. Don't hold me back." He said, gesturing to her to hurry up as he walked into the valley. Akame stood idly for a moment, then took suit of the surveyor's actions by following him onto the road that trailed off into different parts of the surrounding area.

Though his mood was sour, Akame couldn't help it. She was only going to be with this fellow until after this errand was finished and then, the vigilante would make her way to the nearby towns of the northern region. Once this problem in the north was over, she would leave this area just like with all the other ones. A typical migration that she would most likely do for the rest of her life, drifting from one place to another.

But right now, she didn't have the time to think about what the future had in store for her, or what it would make of her in the end.

She had to focus on the present and to keep moving on, in order to live and struggle for as far as her body and mind could take her.