Chapter 1: A Tale to Tell


Hello everyone.

I understand that my writing has been all over the place as of recently, but if you've been reading my other stories, then you'll know that this is because I've had to put more focus into my school work. Thankfully, now that summer has rolled around, I hope I can devote more time to my fics.

"Bloodstained Souls," "Professor Kurosaki: Rewrite," and "Desires of the Heart" will resume as soon as possible.

However, for the moment, I honestly feel like I need to begin something new to get back into the swing of things. This will be a crossover between two of my favorite series: Bleach and Akame ga Kill.

I hope you all enjoy!

AlucardsBro OUT!


Ichigo awoke to an absolutely delicious scent.

Closing his eyes, he took a moment to properly place all of the smells. Scrambled eggs, rice, fish, beef… what the heck were those girls doing down there? As a matter of fact, what were they both doing up so early to begin with?

He was usually the first one to get up, and that was typically at the crack of dawn. Living the life that he had in the past had somewhat forced him to get used to the idea of rising early in the morning.

Throwing his bedsheets aside, he cast a brief glance at his wife's side of the bed. The indent from her body was still there, meaning that she hadn't gotten up too long ago. Shaking his head, the orange-haired man attempted to rise to his feet, but faltered briefly as a flash of agony shot up his right side. Grimacing, he glanced down at the ugly scar that still decorated his lower abdomen.

Even after all these years, the pain from that encounter still remained…

Taking a moment to compose himself, Ichigo finally pushed himself up into a standing position, before moving over to his closet. He was already wearing a pair of pants, so all he did was pull out a clean shirt. Once he was properly dressed, he gave himself a final look in his bedside mirror before nodding in satisfaction. With that, he left his bedroom and headed downstairs.

He barely made it halfway into the living room before a solid mass hit him directly in the stomach, forcing nearly all the air from his lungs and almost sending him crashing to the floor.

"W-What the…?!"

"Happy birthday daddy!" a seven-year-old ball of energy screamed happily.

Happy birthday…? Oh hell, that was right!

Today was his freaking birthday; how could he have forgotten? A pair of gentle hands suddenly wove their way through his long, shoulder-length hair, and Ichigo melted into his wife's touch almost immediately.

"Happy birthday, honey," Leone purred, leaning forward to place a kiss on her husband's earlobe. "Kagura has been so excited to give you her present."

"Oh, is that right?" Ichigo grinned, reaching forward to rub his daughter's head affectionately.

The little girl cooed under her father's attention.

Leone giggled, before leaning closer to whisper directly into his ear. "Yep, and you'd better let her know how grateful you are for all of the hard work she's put into it. If you do a good job, I might even give you a special present of my own tonight. How does that sound?"

"You've got a deal!"

The blonde woman belted out a laugh, and stood up to offer her husband a hand. He allowed her to haul him up to his feet, with Kagura still wrapped around his midsection.

Glancing down at his daughter, Ichigo once again placed a hand atop her head. "Didn't you have something you wanted to show me?"

"Oh yeah!" the blue-haired little girl smiled, detaching from him and offering a wide smile. "I made you something for your birthday! Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back!"

Smiling as the seven-year-old left the room, Ichigo guided both himself and his wife over to the sofa and gently sat them down. Leone laid her head on his shoulder, and snuggled up against his left side. They sat in silence for a while, with her rubbing his chest in soothing circles. After several minutes had gone by, though, the blonde finally spoke up.

"Are you alright?"

He blinked in surprise, and turned down to look at her as best he could. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… you were crying again last night…"

Ichigo went deathly still.

"I know that it's been a few years," Leone continued, "but if you ever want to talk, I want you to know that I'm here for you."

The orange-head shifted in his seat, and brought a hand up to cup the blonde woman's chin. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment, before simultaneously leaning in for a hungry kiss. They would have likely gone further, if not for the fact that there was a little girl in the next room.

Several minutes later, they finally pulled away from each other.

Ichigo smiled fondly at his wife. "I hope you know how much I appreciate you…"

"Oh, I know. I am pretty great, after all."

"A bit full of yourself, eh?"

Leone grinned. "I was full of you the other night…"

Ichigo gaped like a fish at the sudden turnabout, prompting the blonde to collapse into a fit of howling laughter.

At that moment, Kagura reentered the room, unknowingly saving her father from further teasing. "Daddy! See, look! I made this for you!"

Giving his wife one last final glare, Ichigo turned to look at what the seven-year old was attempting to shove into his hands. To his surprise, it was a framed painting. There were three individuals in said painting, quite obviously himself, Kagura, and Leone. They were all smiling brightly, and had their arms wrapped around one another in a loving embrace.

"You made this?" he asked, turning to his daughter with wide eyes.

The blue-haired girl smiled brightly, and nodded her enthusiasm. "Yep! Auntie has been giving me lessons."

"Has she? When did you have time to attend lessons?"

Leone elected that moment to step in. "Remember how she said the wanted to play the flute?" the blonde asked, reaching out to ruffle the girl's hair. "Welp, she was actually spending time with Chelsea. I've gotta admit, the results were worth all of the cash we had to spend."

"Wait, we actually paid Chelsea?"

"Well yeah, she may be a friend, but she's gotta make a living somehow. We can't all be assassins anymore."

Ichigo grinned, and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh, and this is amazing Kagura. We'll have to hang it right over the fireplace."

"Really?!"

"Mhm, you bet. I want this where everyone can see it. You've got some real talent."

Kagura beamed under her father's praise.

As the morning went on, several more gifts were presented. From Kagura, Ichigo received an exquisitely crafted knife in addition to the large painting. When he'd asked her where she gotten it, she merely responded that one of her Aunties had helped her pick it out.

Now all Ichigo had to do was figure out which one of the women in his life had seen fit to allow his daughter around razor-sharp blades…

Akame sounded like a likely suspect.

From Leone, he received several books, which the blonde claimed had come from across the great sea. Aside from that, the lioness had also whispered sweet promises into his ear of a night filled with passionate and bed-breaking love making. Suffice to say, he was quite eager for the sun to go down.

As noon rolled around, and mouths were being stuffed with homemade birthday cake, Kagura padded barefoot across the kitchen and came to sit by her father at the windowsill. Their cabin overlooked a large cliff, with the sea bordering one side and a curtain of trees spanning across the countryside behind them. Looking out the window for a moment, the blue-haired girl adopted what appeared to be a rather thoughtful expression.

Ichigo noticed, and reached out to boop her on the edge of her little nose. "Got something on your mind, squirt?"

The seven-year-old's face scrunched up momentarily, before she turned properly to face him. "Daddy, can… can I ask you something…?"

The orange-head cocked his head minutely to the side. "Of course you can. What's up?"

"How did you meet mommy?"

Oh…

Shit.

Of all the things he'd been expecting her to ask, that certainly hadn't been what he'd had in mind…

Ichigo spared a quick glance at Leone, who had been standing behind the kitchen counter preparing a late lunch. She, like him, had frozen in shock and surprise as soon as the question had been posed, yet her golden eyes still snapped up to meet his own. He asked her a silent question, and after a moment of obvious deep consideration, she finally nodded her approval. Letting out a breath, Ichigo turned back to his daughter, who was still looking up at him with wide, question-filled eyes.

"You really want to know?"

Kagura beamed happily, and nodded her head in pure enthusiasm. "Yes please!"

The orange-head sighed, and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. He had always known that this day would come sooner or later, but he'd hoped he would have been better prepared.

Glancing out the window, Ichigo allowed himself a wistful smile. "How'd I meet your mother, eh?"

Kagura scooted closer in anticipation of the coming story. Even Leone, who was still moving around in the kitchen, was paying much closer attention to the conversation.

"It's a pretty long story, but it all started when a boy made his way to the big city…"


(Eight Years Ago)

Ichigo scowled.

Anyone who knew him would be well aware that scowling was simply one of his default facial expressions. However, the citizens around him did not in fact know him, and therefore attempted to give the angry-looking young man a wide berth as he walked down one of the many city streets of the Capital.

"Go to the big city, he said. Make a name for yourself, he said…" the orange-haired youth grumbled, completely uncaring of the various looks he was receiving. And why should he care? He'd just spent the better half of a week traveling from his home village to the Capital on foot.

And guess what?

He was fucking tired.

All Ichigo wanted to do at the moment was sit down, have a cool drink accompanied by a warm meal, and then find a secure place to take a fat nap…

Thankfully, as if lady luck was finally smiling down upon him, there appeared to be a tavern down the road. Letting out a sigh of relief, the orange-head readjusted his massive backpack and continued walking forward with a renewed sense of vigor. He technically wasn't old enough to drink just yet, but he doubted some weasely bartender would be stupid enough to turn down a few gold coins.

As he made his way up to the door of the tavern, his ears were able to pick up a few muttered slurs being thrown in his direction.

"Fucking redneck…"

"Look at that hair…"

"He's probably some kind of troublemaker…"

"We don't need anyone here from out in the boonies…"

It wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. Ignoring the insults, Ichigo pushed his way through the building's entrance and into the main room. There were scattered drunkards all across the available space, each in a various state of inebriation. The stench of sweat, bile, and alcohol permeated the air and hung like a heavy fog. He didn't even want to know why he could smell so much body odor…

Attempting to somewhat hide his distaste, Ichigo pulled out a stool at the bar.

"Got anything smooth?" he asked the man behind the counter.

The bartender gave him a scrutinizing look. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

"Are you honestly going to turn down my money?"

"Heh, fair enough. Sit tight kid, I'll whip something right up."

Soon enough, a glass mug was slid in front of him, and Ichigo threw several gold coins on the countertop as payment. He tilted his head back and allowed the soothing liquid to run down his throat. Jeez, what would his mother and sisters think if they could see him now, drinking at some rundown hovel?

His dad would probably give him a congratulatory slap on the back, before asking him why there wasn't already a woman hanging off his arm…

Behind him, the door squeaked open once again, and several of the men and women sitting across the tavern voiced slurred greetings at whoever entered. A scratchy female voice answered them, but Ichigo didn't even bother to turn around to appraise the newcomer. However, out of his peripheral vision, he watched as the woman took a seat of her own at the bar on his immediate right.

Why…?

There were plenty of open seats, both in the booths, at the various tables, and on the other stools further down the counter. Out of all of the seats in the bar, why would she choose to sit directly next to him? Something didn't feel right…

The woman, a voluptuous blonde with very prominent assets and dressed in a rather revealing outfit, smiled widely at the barkeep and waved a hand enthusiastically in greeting. "Heya Simon! Got any new info for me?"

The bartender, apparently named Simon, cast a nervous glance at the other patrons in the bar before turning back to the blonde.

Hm… interesting.

"Not at the moment, no," he replied, ignoring Ichigo's presence completely. "Was that all you wanted to ask, or was there anything else, Leone?"

The young woman snorted. "No need to be so cold. Well, since I came out all this way anyway, I guess I'll have a beer."

"Coming right up. Just please don't cause any more trouble. I can't afford to pay for damages again."

"Why, Simon! Buddy. Pal. Amigo. Would I ever do something as rude as trashing your place right after you got it looking so spick and span again?"

"Yes! Yes, you would!"

The blonde growled. "Just bring out the damn beer…"

The bartender gave her one final warning glare, before disappearing into the back room to retrieve a cold bottle, leaving Ichigo alone with the newcomer. He felt her eyes quickly dart over to examine him, and he attempted to hide his face in his mug. Hopefully, she would take the hint and leave him alone.

"You new here?"

Oh for fuck's sake…

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled in reply.

"Hm, cool. You even old enough to drink, though?"

"Legally or mentally?"

The blonde woman belted out a genuine laugh, slamming her fist down on the bar. "Ha! Not bad kiddo! You got a name?"

"Does it matter? Why do you want to know?"

"Hey now, I'm just trying to be friendly. Us people in the lower city have to look out for one another, ya know?"

"Just trying to be friendly, huh?" Ichigo snorted.

"That's right."

"Hnn… whatever you say…"

They descended into silence again, with Ichigo tending to his drink and the woman next to him fidgeting awkwardly in her seat. If she expected him to make a genuine attempt to keep the conversation going, then she was in for a rude awakening. His father had warned him about people in the Capital; people who were all too willing to take advantage of out of towners and con them out of whatever money they had.

The blonde coughed. "So…ya got a name?"

"Ichigo," he replied flatly.

"Strawberry…?" she snorted, at least somewhat attempting to muffle her rising giggles.

The orange-head growled, but didn't rise to the bait. His name was something that he had long-since become used to being teased over, but he had grown used to the taunts he'd received for it over the years. It irked him, but didn't outright piss him off anymore.

The blonde giggled again, and elbowed him playfully in the ribs. "I'm kidding, sweetie. You have an adorable name."

Ichigo didn't turn red. Nope, not at all…

"Anyway, my name is Leone. I'm actually kind of famous around here."

"Really? Then how come I've never heard of you?"

"Heh, give it time, Berry Boy. You're new in town, but you'll come to know my name eventually."

This time, Ichigo was pretty sure he did turn red.

What was that supposed to mean…?

At that moment, Simon returned with an ice-cold bottle of beer in hand, and gently set it down on the bar in front of Leone. She grinned widely, voiced her thanks, and picked up the drink before downing nearly half of it in a single go.

Ichigo couldn't help but look on, genuinely impressed.

Leone brought the bottle away from her lips and sighed in satisfaction, before letting out an almighty belch. "Ahh! Damn, that fuckin' hits the spot! I needed a good drink."

Ichigo held up his mug, and lamely tapped it against her bottle with a 'clink.' "Amen to that."

The two of them continued to drink, and soon one drink turned into two, and then three, and then only God knew how many. The orange-head's standoffish attitude slowly melted away as he continued to down more alcohol, and soon enough they were both standing atop one of the many tables in the tavern, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. They sang out some nameless off-key tune, and the other drunken patrons of the bar were quick to join in on the fun.

Ichigo grinned deliriously, and tilted his head back to bring an already empty mug to his lips. He barely even reacted when a pair of soft lips hungrily latched onto his neck.

"You're taaaaaaasty…!" Leone giggled against his skin. "I could just eaaaat you uuuuuup…"

Ichigo snorted, and buried his face in her golden hair. Had he been in any clearer state of mind, he would have been appalled at the fact that he was cozying up with someone who was in every essence a complete stranger. His parents had taught him better than that, and he liked to think that he possessed enough common sense to avoid these types of situations.

Yet here he was…

"Pleash don't eat mah…" he chuckled as she brushed her nose against his collarbone.

The blonde and the orange-head were so out of it, that they completely failed to notice when one of the wooden table legs beneath them began to give way. It only became apparent that they were in the process of falling to the ground when their heads cracked against the floorboards.

Ichigo groaned in pain, before the world around him went dark.

The last thing his senses registered was the solid body resting atop his own.


(The Following Morning)

When he awoke, it was to a throbbing headache and a queasy feeling in his stomach.

Ichigo groaned, attempting to force down the bile that was trying to rise in his throat. Looking around, he realized that he was in a scarcely-decorated bedroom. He was lying in a tiny bed, and the only other piece of furniture that he could see was a rickety wooden chair.

Carefully, to avoid vomiting, the orange-head sat up and rubbed a hand over his face.

He felt like shit…

His backpack was resting on the floor by the side of the bed, and he lazily went through it to make sure all of his belongings were still in place. Thankfully, most of them were there, but a good portion of his money was gone.

That damn woman…

She had drunken him under the table and fucking robbed him while he was asleep. If anything, it was what he deserved for acting like such a dumbass. He should have known better than to get into a drinking contest with an absolute stranger. He'd been warned that something like this might happen…

Letting out a string of curses, Ichigo shouldered his pack before leaving the room. It quickly became apparent that he'd been sleeping in one of the spare back rooms of the tavern, for as soon as he reached the end of the short hallway leading from the room, he came face-to-face with a rather irritated looking Simon.

"Morning sunshine. Sleep well? I sincerely hope not…"

Ichigo groaned. "What the hell happened?"

Simon scowled, before walking behind the bar to get ready for the day. "You and Leone made a fucking mess of my place. I spent all night repairing smashed tables and picking up broken glass! I fucking warned that bitch that she'd better be on her best behavior, but did she listen? Hell no!"

"She stole my money, if it makes you feel any better."

"Hnn, good, you deserve it! Now get the fuck out before I call the Imperial Police. I don't know why I even let you spend the night…"

Shooting the older man the finger, Ichigo shambled towards the exit and stumbled out into the city streets. The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was still fairly early in the morning. At least he hadn't slept through an entire day. He still needed to find a damn job, after all.

That was the entire reason he'd come to the Capital in the first place.

He needed to earn enough money to send back to his family. They weren't exactly poor, per say, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to have an extra bit of cash laying around the house in case of an emergency.

Finding the employment registration office wasn't hard at all. There were plenty of recruitment offices down here in the slums that knew that the poor were desperate for any kind of work. However, Ichigo wasn't quite in the mood to sign himself up as a male prostitute or exotic dancer, even if that was what most of the applications were asking for. There was even a request that had been put out by a middle-aged noblewoman, desperate for a strapping young man to tend to her carnal desires.

Yeah… that was a hard pass…

Thus far, the only things that looked halfway decent were the positions of a noble family's personal guard, or as a recruit in the Imperial Army.

Plenty of young men would have jumped at the chance to enlist in the military, but Ichigo knew better. There had been plenty of young fresh recruits that had been stationed around his village to fend of Danger Beasts. Most of them barely lasted a week before they were either killed by enraged villagers or eaten by the ravenous monsters.

New recruits were nothing but expendable cannon fodder in the eyes of the Capital's elite…

That being said, it looked like enlistment in the army was out as well. That only left the request for a bodyguard. It honestly looked like it would pay pretty well…

"Yo, where do I have to go to sign up for this?" Ichigo asked aloud, turning to address the bored attendant manning the recruitment office.

The young woman let out a tired sigh, not even bothering to raise her head from her desk. "Just head for the Galluna Mansion, it's on the southern outskirts of the city. Bring the flier to the Lord of the Manor and let him know that you're interested in the position."

"Don't I have to at least… I dunno… fill out an official form, or something?"

"Are you kidding? This is just a bodyguard job. If you want to do something more official, then join the Imperial Army. They're always looking for fresh meat."

"I'll bet they are," Ichigo grumbled under his breath, tucking the parchment into his jacket before leaving the building. It wasn't all that hard to find his destination in the end; all he had to do was walk south, and then ask random people he ran into on the street where the mansion was. Several of them gave him surprised and worried looks when he told them where he was trying to go, but they provided him with the information he'd needed regardless.

Within an hour, he finally arrived at the mansion.

Walking through the main gates, the orange-head made his way up the elaborate path leading to the main house. As he reached the front door, he was prevented from entering when two armored guards stepped in his way.

"Halt! State your business, or please vacate the property."

Ichigo merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm here about the bodyguard position," he said, reaching into his jacket and withdrawing the job request. "I was told by the lady at the employment office to come have a talk with the man in charge here."

The guards exchanged a look, before the taller of the two men stepped forward and took the parchment from Ichigo's hands. "Are you familiar with how to wield a sword?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my dad taught me the basics, but I learned some advanced techniques from a former member of the army who lives in my village."

"You're from the countryside?"

"That won't be a problem, will it?"

The guard shook his head in the negative. "It shouldn't be, but I can't speak for Lord Galluna."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. Before long, one of the guards took on the responsibility of leading him through the enormous house towards the Lord's personal study.

As they walked, Ichigo couldn't stop himself from looking at all of the useless decorations that lined the walls. Some of the stuff that he could see was in all likelihood more expensive than his entire house back the village. It was disgusting. The fact that these people thought it was necessary to flaunt their wealth, instead of donating some of it to the less fortunate, made him genuinely sick to his stomach. Oh, when he was younger, there was no doubt in Ichigo's mind that he would have been staring in awe at the grandiose that surrounded him.

Now, though?

Now all it did was make him hate Capital even more…

His friends called him pessimistic. He called himself a realist.

A minute or so later, they reached their destination. The doors of Lord Galluna's office were enormous, and decorated with elaborated carvings depicting various noteworthy points from the Capital's history. From what he already knew from his textbook readings, Ichigo was able to make out several key battle scenes, as well as the foundation of the Capital itself under the First Emperor.

The guard moved forward to open the door, but paused for a moment to glance back at the orange-head. "I feel that I should warn you that Lord Galluna takes these applications very seriously. He cares very much about his wife and daughter, and only accepts the best of the best. Do you think you're up to the task?"

Ichigo's eyes steeled, and he nodded firmly. "I need the money, so I'll do whatever it takes."

The older man nodded, before opening the office doors. "If that's the case, then feel free to step inside. I'll leave the two of you to discuss the details."

Ichigo stepped inside, and the door was closed gently behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, the man sitting at the large desk at the end of the room, presumably Lord Galluna, looked up and fixed him with an undecipherable expression.

"I take it that you're here concerning the job request?"

The young man blinked. "How'd you guess?"

The older gentleman laughed quietly, gesturing for the orange-head the take a seat on the opposite side of his desk. "Young man, you are hardly the first boy to come in this office hoping to fulfill that notice. Unfortunately for your predecessors, they all failed to live up to my expectations, and I was forced to put the request back up. Make no mistake, I do need this job filled, but I would greatly prefer it if I was able to hire someone actually capable of handling everything that comes with it."

"I understand, Sir," Ichigo replied. He wasn't normally so respectful to strangers, but he needed this job, and Lord Galluna looked like the old-fashioned type of guy who appreciated good manners.

Clearing his desk of whatever he'd been looking at, the grey-haired noble folded his hands over one another and adopted a very serious look. "Alright then. To begin with, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding your background. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. Where are you from?"

"I come from a village to the north of the Capital. I've lived there my entire life with the rest of my family."

"Hmm…do you have any professional training?"

"Yes. There is a man who also lives in my village who is a retired member of the Imperial Army. He taught me everything I know, so I like to think that I'm pretty good with a blade."

Lord Galluna nodded pleasantly. "Would you be willing to demonstrate your skills later today?"

"Sure thing," Ichigo agreed.

It wouldn't be too much of a hassle to swing around his sword for a quick showing. He just hoped he'd be provided with a halfway decent sparring partner…

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask," the older man said, expression growing even more serious. Leaning forward, he looked Ichigo directly in the eye. "Do you love your family?"

The orange-head blinked, taken by surprise at the question for a moment. Before long, he nodded firmly. "Yes Sir, of course. I love them more than anything."

"Good, then that means you understand why I'm so concerned. My darling Emilia and Aria are my entire world, and it would positively destroy me if anything were to happen to either of them. So, before I even think of hiring you, I need to know whether or not you will be willing to kill in order to protect my family."

Ichigo's brows furrowed in concern. "Do you think that there's a good chance that there will be some kind of an attack?"

"Several years ago, I wouldn't have been as concerned," Lord Galluna sighed, removing his glasses and reaching up to rub his greying facial hair. "However, as unfortunate as it sounds, there has been an increased number of murders within the noble population in the Capital. And if the reports are correct, then all of the homicides have been committed by the same group of criminal scum. A collection of vigilantes known as Night Raid."

"Night Raid…?" Ichigo mouthed the name slowly.

What the hell kind of name was that? In fact, why would a group of murderers even bother to give themselves a name in the first place? Was it for recognition? For fame? Or was it to put fear into the hearts of the people?

"As they name suggests, they mostly operate at night, after most of the police have gone to sleep," the older man explained. "Normally, a simple group of assassins wouldn't be much of a problem, and would be able to be taken care of by the Military Police alone. However, if rumors are to be believed, then Night Raid possesses members that are capable of supernatural abilities."

"And…do you believe that…?"

"Me? Not especially; but I do believe that it would be better to stay of the side of caution. So, I will ask again…do you think you will be willing to kill these people if they pose a threat to my family?"

Ichigo went silent for a moment, taking the time to give the question some thought. If this Night Raid group was honestly as special as they made themselves out to be, then he didn't know whether or not someone like him would be able to beat one of their members in a fight. However, that certainly didn't mean he wouldn't give them a hell of a struggle if they ran into him…

"If it came down to it, Sir, then I would do whatever it takes to keep innocent people safe. I've had to kill a man before, when he tried to murder my father and rape my mother, so killing doesn't especially bother me anymore. It isn't something that you can just turn off once you've done it. So yes, I think I'll be up to the task if faced with the choice to kill or not."

Lord Galluna smiled, and reached forward with an outstretched hand. "Then, I think you'll do just fine here. What did you say your name was?"

"It's Ichigo."

"Well then, Ichigo, let's see what you can do…"


(Later That Afternoon)

It felt good to sit down.

Setting his enormous backpack down on the floor of his new quarters, Ichigo closed his eyes and let out a sigh, leaning back against his bedpost. After his meeting with Lord Galluna, he had indeed been requested to spar against several of the other more veteran guardsmen that had been employed at the mansion for several years. They had been somewhat decent, but then again, none of them had possessed any true form of military training.

That wasn't to say that they didn't know how to fight, but even the most experienced of them hadn't been able to land any serious hits on him.

He'd been trained by an actual soldier, after all.

As it was now, the sun was in the process of setting, and the landscape outside his bedroom window was cast in a soft orange glow. Dinner would be served soon, and although it had been stressed that the guards didn't typically eat with Lord Galluna's family, the older man had seemingly seen fit to make an exception for Ichigo just this one time.

He'd said something about wanting the orange-head to meet his family.

Before he did any of that, though, he'd need a shower…

Rising from his new bed, Ichigo pulled out a fresh pair of clothes from his bag before moving across the room and into the large bathroom. He'd never had his own bathroom before, and although he knew that his current quarters were likely simply standard for all guardsmen, the bathroom itself was just as big as his bedroom back home.

Honestly, who even needed all of this luxury?

What was the point? Why have more than what was strictly necessary?

Sighing to himself, Ichigo realized that he was slowly getting himself worked up again. It wouldn't do any good in the end, so he let out a calming breath before stripping himself of his sweaty clothing. He had no idea how to operate the elaborate showerhead, so instead he simply opted to draw himself a nice cool bath. As with the rest of the bathroom, the tub itself was enormous. It could have easily fit three grown men in it without overflowing in the slightest.

Although, if he were being quite honest with himself, Ichigo would have preferred the company of women over men…

He didn't consider himself a playboy or a lecherous dog, but as a healthy young man, even he knew when to appreciate the female form. There had been several beautiful women back home in his village, and most of them were very close friends of his.

There was Yoruichi, who had come across the sea a long time ago as a child. The ebony-skinned foreign woman was an absolute tease, and she always let Ichigo know whenever she caught him looking at her when he thought she wouldn't notice.

However, she was his senior by three years, and was currently in a relationship with the village merchant, Kisuke.

There was also Soi-Fon, who was the daughter of the village's sheriff. Funnily enough, or at least in his opinion, when compared to most of the other women in the village, Soi-Fon was far more aggressive. The two of them had been on three dates, but Ichigo had a sincere feeling that she preferred to surround herself with other women.

Shaking his head as several fond memories passed through his head, the orange-head smiled softly and allowed himself to sink into the bathtub. As he'd hoped, the water was cool and refreshing, and he began to scrub away the grime that had covered his body for the past few days. He didn't know exactly what time it was, but he didn't want to run the risk of being late to dinner. So, instead of taking his time in the bath like he would've preferred, he instead set about washing himself as quickly as he could.

By the time he was done, the bath water was a light shade of brown.

Ichigo's lips curled up in disgust. He hadn't really been that filthy, had he?

Then again, he hadn't had a decent wash ever since he'd left home…

Oh god…that blonde woman that had stolen his money last night had probably been fighting to keep herself from throwing up the entire time she'd been sitting next to him. What had her name been again? Eh, he supposed it didn't much matter anymore.

Standing up, he stepped out of the tub to dry himself off. However, before he left the bathroom, he made sure to pull out the drain in the bathtub, allowing it to drain away the filthy water.

Changing into the fresh set of clothes he had laid out for himself, Ichigo gave himself one final self-evaluation in the mirror over his nightstand. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded to himself before moving over to leave the room. But, much to his surprise, just as he opened the door, a young blonde girl nearly stumbled into his chest.

She let out an embarrassed squeak, and turned a rather bright shade of red. Ichigo would have to have been an idiot to miss the way her eyes slowly roved over him before coming up to meet his own.

Eh, she was cute, but wasn't really his type.

Besides, she barely looked sixteen or seventeen years old. And Ichigo preferred women his own age, or even a few years older, thank you very much. He wasn't a creep…

"Are you alright?" he asked carefully.

The girl blinked, and let out another surprised gasp before bowing her head in apology. "Y-Yes! I'm so sorry for nearly running into you!"

"Eh, don't worry about it too much. Everyone slips up every now and then. Say, your name wouldn't happen to be Aria, would it?"

"It is. How did you know?"

Ichigo shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "It wasn't hard to guess. You're dressed in some pretty fancy clothes, so it was obvious that you aren't a servant. The only other thing I could think of is that you're Lord Galluna's daughter."

Aria nodded, smiling brightly. "That's me! Father sent me to come and fetch you for dinner. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat an entire Earth Dragon."

She laughed. "That's the spirit!"

As he followed the young noble to the dining room, Ichigo couldn't help the smile that found its way across his features. Aria seemed friendly enough, and Lord Galluna himself acted like a pretty reasonable man.

Maybe not all of the nobles in the Capital were so bad after all?


Oh Ichigo…if only you knew…

As is obvious by this point, there will be no kind of cross-dimensional exploits in this story. Ichigo was born in the world of Akame ga Kill, and has a fairly similar backstory to Tatsumi. Both come from a village outside of the Capital, and both have had a very negative first experience with a certain lioness.

If you aren't somewhat familiar with Akame ga Kill, then I suggest you do at least a bit of reading up on it. I've heard that a lot of people don't like it, but it is honestly one of my favorite anime and manga series. The struggle that Night Raid goes through to simply do what they feel is right is very emotional, and I get reattached to all of the characters every time I watch or read it again.

Well then, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I know that there wasn't any action, but I wanted to build up the story to begin with. The swordplay and fight scenes will come later.

AlucardsBro OUT!