Hello, and welcome to this story!
This story is based on both the anime and manga version of 'Akame Ga Kill'
This is an alternate universe version. This means many different events, new Imperial Arms/Teigus, alternate character deaths, and a bunch more.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! C:
Tatsumi had been waiting for this day for as long as he could recall.
It hadn't been easy, sitting around in the village, simply waiting for the time when he'd be able to set out and explore the world. Even as a child, he would hear stories of the extraordinary world beyond their village, it seemed like a completely different reality from the one they existed in.
He didn't like the fact that he'd would have to go out on his own, leaving the people in the village behind. They were all like family to him, it almost broke his heart thinking that he'd leave them, but he promised himself he would return. The village earned their money off of the trees on the outskirts of the area, and they were very talented craftsmen, their skills were never questioned. However, recently, their hills and forests had begun to go bare. Without their wood, they would have nothing to offer and would either have to leave to work somewhere else or starve to death from the lack of income.
Tatsumi wasn't about to let that happen.
Amongst the stories of the different kinds of adventures that you experience outside of the village, one always stood out for Tatsumi, the Capital. The city of opportunities, they called it. Apparently, even the most hopeless people that had nowhere to go, could find themselves rich in the Capital, commonly because of the army. You could open up a market, cake shop, fruit stand, and almost anything in the Capital, but the best option, for those who could fight, was joining the army. Tatsumi had heard about how each man or woman with enough skill could fight for the army, bringing murderers, rapists, thieves and other criminals to justice, and make a living off of it. He knew that was the best hope he had, he could make the money that his village so desperately needed.
So, by requesting constant training from a retired fighter in the village, Tatsumi had been preparing for his journey to the Capital as fast as possible. The training was intense, his mentor didn't exactly go easy on him, and the exercise was worse. There were some nights that he couldn't get out of bed due to overstraining himself, and sometimes he thought if there was really any problem with taking a day off, but he never let those thoughts stop him. He'd train until he could no longer stand, and then he'd find a way to stand again and keeping training.
He deserved a position in the Capital's army, he was sure of it, that's one sentence he would continuously repeat in his mind, he deserved it. The village was counting on him, how could he possibly let them all down?
He got up from his bed and glared out of the window, watching the sunlight emit into the bedroom and cause the walls to glimmer in its exquisite glow. His brown hair was a mess, having a spike point out at each end, but he didn't bother to fix it. He placed his feet onto the rough, bumpy surface of the ground and feels its texture with his toes, his house was made completely out of wood, craved and made so that it was comfortable to walk on, but it still had a few sharp edges here and there, so he treaded cautiously.
He could clearly hear the sounds of chirping coming from outside, it was a high-pitched tune from the birds today, but Tatsumi didn't mind. He paced around the room, gathering everything even though almost all that he owned was already packed and ready to take, and he double-checked that he brought everything out of anxiety. He lowered his head after a few moments and starting chuckling dryly. He had been waiting for this day for so long, but now he was acting like a nervous wreck, so he straightened himself and heaved a heavy sigh. It was time to go.
No one else was awake at that time, Tatsumi thought it would be best for him to leave while everyone was still asleep. He had already said his goodbyes to the villagers, and they even threw him a farewell party for him, even though he had informed them multiple times that he would be returning whenever he could. Tatsumi laughed again as he grabbed the bag leaned against his bed and swung it onto his back, and this laugh felt far more genuine. He loved everyone here. They cared so much for him and had provided him with so much, he knew he'd never be able to repay them for that.
Wearing a simple black shirt, with a brown jacket over it, and blue jeans, Tatsumi headed out of the door. The door creaked loudly on his way out, causing him to wince and stare back at it. The people of the village were mostly light sleepers, and he didn't want to be a nuisance by waking them up so early in the morning, so he was worried if he had gotten anyone up. He remained frozen for a few seconds, listening for the sounds of anyone getting up from their own bedrooms, but he heard nothing and realized that the coast was clear.
He stepped away from the small, wooden house and glanced back at it, he was going to miss it dearly. The strong breeze of the wind flowed elegantly through Tatsumi's spiked hair and he smiled at it, the sensation was rather enjoyable. He took in a deep breath and started walking, leaving his home behind for good.
And just when he reached the end of the path to the exit of the village, he looked back at it once more. The lush, green trees guarding the sides of the houses, the laundry hanging around loosely and clumsily, white and ginger cats strolling casually from area to area, and everything else that reminded Tatsumi that this was his home. It would always be that way, he could never see this place as anything but home, so he sighed. He'd come back here soon, he had to.
Tatsumi pictured all of the wonderful and kind people in the village, each and every smiling face came to thought, and welcome memories of them began to rush through his mind. Those memories…he'd remember to treasure them forever. He readjusted the bag on his right shoulder and the iron sword strapped to his waist, though he took longer when touching the sword. It was the only valuable thing he had with him, a sword given to him by his mentor to keep him safe. Iron swords might not have been rare in the Capital, but the sword was the only one in his village, a complete one-of-a-kind. He felt so incredibly strong with it beside him, almost invincible.
Tatsumi brushed the long strands of brown hair out of his eyes and stared at the road ahead of him and began to walk again, heading towards the outside world. The unknown world where he could finally make a name for himself. He kept his head high and proud, took in a deep breath, and marched on ahead.
And right into the clutches of the Capital.
It felt great to get off of a boat after so long, Wave had been sailing with his crewmates for at least four days.
Making it to the Capital had been no easy task, and his travels were filled with suffering due to the bitter cold winter, with long, hard frosts and heavy gales, but being on land made it all seem worthwhile. The warmth of the sun's rays raining down felt like it was just barely kissing his skin, and seeing other faces besides the rough, scarred faces of the sailors was welcome too. He stepped off the plank of the small-sized ship and finally set foot on the harbour. His black hair swayed from side-to-side thanks to the wind, but this too, was a welcome sensation, and Wave places his hands on his hips and breathes in the wonderful air.
His attire was a plain white shirt with a navy blue jacket over it and long, black jeans. He placed one hand into his jeans' pocket and held a bag of the equipment he brought with himself in the other. Then, with an astonished smile on his face, he made his way through the city. The large, black gates positioned at the edge of the harbour made it clear that he was now entering the city, and he gasped as he stared at his surroundings.
Buildings in every direction, skyscrapers scattered in the distance, people strolling through the expansive streets, all of things he was expecting to see, but it still caused him to become gobsmacked. This was nothing compared to the small village that he lived in, working beside his father as a fishermen. He could easily tell just how alive this place was, and he began to initiate a light jog, glancing constantly left and right to take in all of the sights.
Wave wanted to spend more time observing the city, but he knew that priorites were important and sightseeing wasn't one of them. He had been sent here to the Capital for a reason, and he had been ordered to head towards the Central Palace, where the Prince of the Capital and the conference room was.
Wave decided to have another look at his instructions, so he reached for the back pocket of his jacket, right next to where his sword, the Grand Chariot, was fixtured, and pulled out a brown piece of paper. The instructions written down on it were short and simple, just the way he preferred it. Enter the Palace from the main gates, show your weapon to the guards to prove who you are, and head to the conference room where his new teammates should be. Simplicity in itself, and Wave soon found himself right at the front gates of the Palace, right where he should be.
His dark blue eyes blinked a few times as he saw the utter beauty of the building. It was so tall that it seemed like it was reaching for the heavens, and its surface practically glowed as it glimmered from the light of the sun. The gates were golden too, much to Wave's shock, and he immediately began to feel intimidated, though he didn't allow that to be obvious on the outside. He'd been called to the Palace to fight for the innocent people of the Capital, he couldn't back down now.
Two guards, both with their faces covered due to the large helmets on their heads, were positioned in front of the golden gates. One of them, wielding a sharp spear, caught sight of Wave as the sailor boy casually walked towards the gates and pointed the spear at him, threateningly. Wave didn't seem too afraid and simply tilted his head to the side.
"State your business," The guard with the spear commanded in a gruff, deep tone. Wave almost grinned knowingly as he expected something like this, they wouldn't let him in so easily, but he knew how to get in without trouble.
Wave gradually and cautiously unsheathed the black sword behind his back and held it out for the guard to observe. The sword was short, curved and jagged, but the guard stared at it for a prolonged period of time. Wave chuckled, remembering his first reaction when seeing the sword being quite similar to the guard's. The guard eventually lowered his spear, regained his composure and nodding slowly.
"Very well, you may enter."
That was all it took. The guards stepping aside, Wave walked right into the Palace, and advanced towards the conference room.
The palms of his hands began to feel rather sweaty as he strolled through the long, white corridor in the Palace, he was getting anxious. Would his new teammates be friendly? Or reliable? He had no way of knowing, but he could easily assume that they were going to be strong. The team he was about to join was a special force formed by one of the Generals of the Capital's army, a team with only Imperial Arms users in it, and the team's sole purpose was to eradicate the threat of the Revolutionary Army.
The Revolutionary Army, it made Wave feel sick to the stomach simply by thinking of them. An army formed outside on the outskirts of the Capital, focused on destroying the city and everyone in it. Wave had heard of their unjust deeds, such as killing innocent people and torturing prisoners that they could take on their constant raids. They would have to be defeated, all of them, if the peace of the Capital was to be secured, Wave was convinced of that. Perhaps that was why an Imperial Arms chose him.
The Capital had no trouble finding users for the other Imperial Arms they had in their possession, but the Grand Chariot was another story. Apparently, according to the rumours going around in the coast, the Capital couldn't find anyone compatible with the Grand Chariot, an armour-oriented Imperial Arms, so they sent soldiers to search for volunteers outside of the Capital. Wave knew he had to volunteer, he didn't even care about having a weapon as powerful as an Imperial Arms, but his passion to fight for innocent people made him try out the Grand Chariot. Soldiers, villagers, even his own family watched him grab hold of the blue sword and use its power successfully, that memory was one Wave was fond of. There were no questions after that, he was simply ordered to go to the Capital and that's exactly what he did.
Wave continued to walk down the seemingly-endless corridor, glancing at each sign hung above each door. There were a lot of rooms, too many if you asked Wave, but he didn't complain. As an Imperial Arms user, he felt a responsibility to act strong even if he had begun to feel rather tired.
Imperials Arms…he didn't know much about them. He had heard of the legends, of course, like how they were made many years ago by the orders of the Emperor and from the materials of dangerous creatures known as Danger Beasts, and it fascinated him. He would be sure to ask more about the strange, unearthly weapons when he met his teammates, perhaps they could shed some light on the subject. He was curious what other Imperial Arms were out there and what they could do, his own Grand Chariot was the only one he had seen so far.
There it was, written with bold letters above one of the doors at the end of the marble hallway, the conference room. Wave took in a deep breath, lowering his head and clearing his mind. This was it, and he was both excited but nervous, but that wasn't about to stop him. An Imperial Arms had chosen him for a reason, he would have to be brave and try his absolute best.
So he pressed the palm of his right hand onto the surface of the iron-plated door and forcefully pushed it open, a big smile plastered onto his face. He leapt straight into the room and his voice echoed inside.
"Hello all!" He boomed, looking inside the room to see the faces of his brand new teammates.
He sees only one person.
There wasn't much in the room, just a simple, long table in the middle with chairs stacked on each side. There were at least twelve chairs, but only one of them was occupied. The person in the room looked up, munching on what seemed to be a biscuit.
It was a girl, short and young, with piercing black eyes and a blank expression on her face. She seemed to be wearing a black uniform, but in contrast, had samurai-like armour near the edges of her hips. She looked incredibly out of place, and Wave considered the possibility of just turning around and leaving, but he eventually decided against it and walked slowly into the room, his eyes fixed on the girl.
The girl wouldn't drop her stare on him too, and Wave hesitantly stepped backwards as the girl finally put on an expression, an angered one. He held up both of his hands apologetically. Had he done something wrong? Had he spoken too loudly? Did he seem weird to her?
The girl frowned and wrapped both of her skinny arms around the bag in front of her, on the table. She pulled another biscuit out of it, hugged the bag tighter in her arms, and bit into the treat with narrowed eyes.
"You can't have any,"
