Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Corruption, murder and…Redemption?
Thank you so much for your support. I've read all the reviews, and frankly can't express how grateful I am about this. I was kind of worried this fanfic won't get that much support. So I'm glad I was wrong. Lol
Anyway, there have been suggestions of pairings and other things that I'll like to address. But before that I should let you know that this chapter was actually written with the first chapter. But the reason I never added it was…
It was over 11,000 words.
I wasn't so sure about the amount of feedback this story would receive.
So, again, thank you for showing your support. As for the pairings suggestions and other things I've actually decided them, but I'll let you know at the end of the chapter. I'll also include words of whether Ben would save certain characters like Leone, Chelsea, Lubbock and so on and if I'll be adapting the anime or the manga more.
Now with that out of the way, on to the chapter!
Chapter 2: Horror, gore and…intervention?
Tatsumi was having what he could say to be the worse time of his life. He had not only woken up to the sense of blood thirst in the mansion but seen Night Raid killing the bodyguards. And worse of all, he was now fighting face to face with one of their comrades who was a sword wielding black haired girl in a black and red dress, who was more skilled than him in swordsmanship.
So far, the brown haired teen has been able to hold his own against the girl. He was able to block her attacks even though they were precise as the girl was determined to kill him right there and then. But that wasn't to say he was handling it well. In fact, the girl was soon after able to stab his chest with her blade, surprising even him until he realized she had hit something instead. It was the item that the chief gave him.
"The guys from the village protected me." Tatsumi stated proudly. He had said this in response to the girl, all the while clutching the item that had saved his life.
But while that happened, the two of them were being by a lady. She had long blond hair with lion ears, a tail and claws, with revealing outfit that consisted of a black tube top, pants, boots and a scarf around her neck.
"Hmm." She hummed. 'To think he'd still be living after facing off against Akame's Katana. That lad is pretty good.'
However, it seemed that like the woman may be wrong. The reason for this was because of the assailant, Akame, charging at the guy with her sword ready to strike again.
"Eliminate." She said.
"Wah!" Tatsumi shouted in a mix of shock and fear. The speed the girl was going was scary as it was obvious she wouldn't hold back against him. And as much as he wanted to continue protecting Aria, he knew he was a goner, hence he waved his hand at her in an attempt to get her to stop. "You guys are after the money or something, right?" He asked frantically. "Please let the girl go! We're not even on the battlefield, yet you're trying to kill this innocent girl?!"
Unfortunately, as much as he tried, the girl wasn't listening. She was drawing close with each seconds passing with eyes directed at him with so much clarity that it was scary.
'It's no good…' Tatsumi thought, seconds from being killed. 'She's not listening to a word I say… Ben, help.'
Suddenly, Akame came to a stop, the same with the blond woman before she could stop the black haired girl. They were just inches from each when they felt the ground shake, before it became very clear that something was underneath them. So by jumping backwards, and apart from each other, both females were shocked to see a big plant creature bursting out of the ground with a grin on his face.
"I found you!" The plant monster shouted. He wasn't talking to the females or Aria, who stood a few feet back, but at Tatsumi with its one eye. "Dude, don't run off like that. Sheesh!"
"B-Ben?" Tatsumi questioned. He seemed stammered by the plant's appearance since he'd never seen it before. But when his eyes confirmed to him by looking at the hexagon symbol on its chest, he sighed in relief. "I'm saved."
Ben was a bit confused to hear this. He was currently in the form of Wildvine, a green plant alien with four legs, four long fingers on his hands, a flytrap-shaped flap that almost covered his head with black pods on his back and a green and white belt where the Omnitrix's symbol is located at.
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Wildvine asked.
Ever since he changed into the alien form, it had taken some time for Ben to find Tatsumi while going through the earth. Sure, he had a great sense of direction in the ground due to the alien form he was in, but it was still kind of hard due to the dead bodies he could sense lying above. Good thing he heard Tatsumi shouting before getting to the right direction before finally popping out to see.
So with that, there was no need to stay in the current alien form. The Omnitrix seemed to know this, as soon after it began to make a strange noise while flashing rapidly, before engulfing him in green light as he took a step out of the whole he created. Now with him as a human again, he could talk to the other teen in a better level.
However, it never occurred to Ben that his transformation back to human would be startling. After all, it not only got Aria by startled and shock, but the blond lady and Akame as well as their eyes widened at the teen hero.
"The Danger Beast is a lad?" The blond lady questioned, her voice mildly expressing the shock.
"No." Akame said in disagreement. She had eyes very fixed on the teen hero.
It was unheard of to hear about a human being transforming back from a creature one would consider a Danger Beast. After all, those creatures were just ferial monsters that had no regard to any living being but their own survival, which in itself made Akame wonder something. Since the teen clearly wasn't a Danger Beast then he could be only one thing: A Teigu user.
However, their presence weren't taken into account at the moment. In fact, Ben and Tatsumi were about to speak with each other, when Aria interjected with a look of shock and dumbfounded on her face.
"B-Ben?" She shuttered in fear. "That was Ben?"
"Yeah, it was me." Ben answered as he turned to her."Sorry for freaking you out like this, I didn't really have much of a choice."
"But don't worry. You're safe now." Tatsumi assured her.
But maybe it was too soon to say that, at least to Tatsumi. The reason for this was when he turned to Akame and found her charging for Ben.
"New Target; Eliminate." She stated sharply.
"Ben, look out!" Tatsumi warned.
"Huh?" Ben turned.
If the teen had any time to react, now would be the time to do it. He did not only turn at where Tatsumi was facing but was quick to realize he was in danger, especially with Akame's blade close to stabbing through his stomach. He also didn't have enough time to select an ideal alien; hence he brought his Omnitrix arm up and slammed down on its core in hope that he gets a good one.
However, it also didn't help that the girl was very determined. She did not only get fast enough simultaneously as the flash of light happened but sent her sword straightforward at the teen's stomach, expecting it go right through his flesh. But imagine her surprise when it instead hit a white skin like it was nothing.
"What is this?" Akame asked, mildly surprised.
'He changed again.' The blond lady thought. Now she was becoming intrigued.
The form before her wasn't the teenage boy she had seen a few seconds ago. In fact, the thing that was standing before her was far from being human. It had a hulking, broad shouldered figure covered in natural yellow armor plating on his back, shoulder and the back of his arms. The front side of it was mostly white while possessing claws, a wide mouth and a hexagon symbol on its chest.
"HAHA! Cannonbolt!" The alien bellowed. "Sometimes the Omnitrix can be so awesome!"
Akame was confused by what the alien meant by that. She had just pulled back her sword in the shock of the moment, when she quickly jumped back just in time to avoid a backhanded smack by the alien.
"You're in trouble now." The alien said with a smirk. He knew instantly that he had a better chance with Akame in this form, and so didn't feel threatened. But that wasn't to say he wasn't concerned about Tatsumi, who he then turned to. "I got her. You just get Aria away from here." He instructed.
"Yes." Tatsumi nodded.
The teen knew from past experience that Ben was more than capable to take on anything against him. He had fought him numerous times in sparring matches, with the same for his friends against the hero, only to then fail due to his powerful alien forms. So once he heard the hero's instruction, he immediately ran to Aria and held out his hand to her. "Aria-san, we must hurry." He said.
Aria nodded softly before accepting his hand. She was a bit dumbfounded at what just happened even though it was somewhat clear what was happening. But while that was the case, she let Tatsumi lead the way.
However, it didn't seem like Akame was going to let them go so easily. She still had her sword in her hand, as well as her determination, before then running straight at the two before they could get away.
"Not so fast!" Cannonbolt shouted.
The alien hero could easily see the predicament that would followed if he let the black haired girl get what she wanted. Hence, he ran towards her before curling into a ball and rushing straight at her, much to her surprise.
However, Akame was not deterred. She quickly jumped to her backwards right in order to avoid getting him before landing on the ground, where she got ready to run. But before she could, she had to move back again because of Cannonbolt, who went after her without a second pause from his first attempt.
'What is this creature?' She wondered.
Cannonbolt was somewhat unpredictable as he was able to keep up with her. He was fast and able to keep her focus away from Tatsumi and Aria, all the while showing no indication on how he knew her positions. But if that wasn't enough, he proved to be more than that when she came to a stop, charged at him and slashed her sword at his body while passing by him with him suffering no effect. His shell was just too strong.
However, the situation soon turned against her when he did a U-turn. Akame watched as he came rolling towards her before making a jump backwards, expecting to get more space from him. But she was then proven wrong, as the hero increased his speed while she was still in mid-air and hit her in full force.
"AHH!" Akame screamed.
The girl was taken aback by the attack as her body felt the pain. Cannonbolt's attack did not only send her flying backwards, but rolling on the ground before finally coming to a stop on her stomach.
"I got you now!" Cannonbolt shouted. He could already sight the girl right before him when he said this. But rather than roll on top of her completely, he was engulfed in a flash of green light before coming to a stop as another form.
"Big Ch- What the fuck?" Ben paused. He then looked at himself. "Seriously, Omnitrix? NRG?"
As NRG, Ben was no longer a human being or anything close to that. He was still a humanoid though, but as one within an oven-like suit capable of containing the high level of radiation and the heat thathe was as. The containment suit itself has a handle on its head, bolts on his shoulders, three more on each hand and two on his chest. The Omnitrix symbol was on his chest.
But while it was good he got a fortified looking alien, the hero was not pleased by this. In fact, he sounded a bit disappointed. "Great…I needed ice power, but I got a nuclear power plant oven instead." He said and then sighed. "Well I guess I might as well make the best of it…"
Just then, Akame struggled back to her feet while still gripping her sword. She could still feel the pain from Cannonbolt's hit, as she got into a ready stance, before furrowing her eyes at her target again. This time, she wasn't surprised by his new alien form.
'I must take him out.' Akame thought urgently.
It was no secret to her or her blond colleague now that the mission was taking longer to be accomplished. And frankly who could blame them? Akame was facing off against a skillful and easy target (Tatsumi) when another unexpected teenager with a questionable Teigu (Ben) had intervened to the point that he was keeping her away from her actual target, Aria.
But now that she thought about that girl, where was she? She should've been gone by now, right? Well wrong, she was still around. In fact, when Akame looked to the shed not far from here she noticed the girl was pulling back from the other teenager who was trying to be save her…if only he and the Teigu user new why.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" NRG asked.
The alien hero was curious about the black haired girl's silence. In fact, he was even about to turn to the direction she was looking at, when suddenly she dashed at him and slashed her sword at his side as she passed him.
'Ha! Nice try." NRG stated proudly. He was still standing fine despite her attack as he continued. "You can slash as much as you can, but you're not getting me down. Let me show you one reason why."
Akame tensed a bit upon hearing this. She got her sword ready, with her feet ready to dash as she noticed the space at his head lighten up. Then, upon witnessing him shoot some kind of orange energy beam, she jumped to the right to avoid it before then making another dash towards him again.
But that wasn't to say NRG let her attack him so easily. The girl's swords may not have any effect on his containment suit, but it didn't mean he had to let her get close. Hence, he began shooting those beams from before in an attempt to stop her from coming close since she was human and could easily get hurt or worse.
However, Akame wasn't the one to be targeted so easily. In fact, when the beams came at her, she dodged their shots even though they weren't meant to hit her. She jumped left, right, forward and moved in any other direction in such a quick pace just to get close to him. Then, upon getting to him, she jumped over him with a flip, slashed her sword at his containment suit's handle and landed on the ground behind him.
But like before, her sword had no effect on him. The alien hero just turned to face her and tried to grab her, which failed as she jumped back and did a flip to land back on her feet. Then, she stood straight on her feet with a glare at him.
"You don't intend to kill, do you?" Akame asked. The reason for this was because she noticed his actions. "You have opportunities to strike me, but you choose not to."
"That obvious huh?" NRG questioned, though he sounded rhetorical. He then turned to her with his arms crossed over each other before continuing. "Yeah, I don't kill like you guys." He said strongly. "Besides, from the looks of it you can't hurt me. All I have to do is keep you occupied until Tatsumi gets Aria away from here."
"Is that so?" Akame asked. She also thought for a second if she should tell him what Aria was holding back from him. But then again, she didn't tell the boy named Tatsumi, so why should she. She had a mission to complete.
So without saying another word, Akame made another dash at him. But before she could close the gap, someone reached out from her back and grabbed her collar, stopping her in one place.
"Hold up." said the voice of the one response. It wasn't someone with Ben, but rather the girl's ally, the blond lady aka Leone.
"Uh, what are you doing?" NRG asked, confused.
"Yes. What are you doing?" Akame asked, looking up at her.
"We still have time, right?" The blond asked her back, "I owe the lad trying to get the girl into the shed a favor."
'Trying?' NRG questioned to himself. It didn't make any sense to him considering the amount of time he gave Tatsumi and Aria. But when he then turned back, he saw Aria pulling back her arm while Tatsumi was trying to get her to comply by pulling back.
"Okay, what the heck is going on?" NRG plainly asked.
Tatsumi and Aria came to a stop and turned to Ben. They had been at this since Tatsumi tried getting her into the shed like he had seen the bodyguard before him try to do before he was killed by Akame. But now that he heard Ben, he turned to his direction and saw a familiar face in the form of Leone.
"You're the boob!" He shouted with a mix of shock and anger. Along with that, his hand was pointed at her.
"Yep." Leone smirked and waved at him. "The beautiful onee-san from that time."
Now it was beginning to make some sense to Ben. He turned to look at the blond, then at Tatsumi, before exploding into a fit of laughter that annoyed the other teen. It took a few seconds after before he pointed his finger at Tatsumi while looking at the blond. "So you're the chick that tricked this guy?" He asked, snickering a bit. "I would so give you a high five if we weren't enemies." He admitted.
"Idiot, don't be talking with the enemy!" Tatsumi yelled at NRG. "She's trying to kill an innocent girl."
"You call her innocent?" The blond suddenly interjected. She looked at Aria with glaring eyes before looking at NRG and walking past him. "I need to show you both something." She said.
Both NRG and Tatsumi were puzzled and confuse to hear this. The alien hero could've shot one of his beams to stop her, but chose not to since her direction was at the shed and not Aria. But when she kicked the doors of the shed open, Tatsumi was frozen in shock for a shock at what he saw. He immediately let go of Aria.
"Tatsumi, what's going on?" NRG asked. He didn't like the way Tatsumi wasn't responding nor did he like the feeling he got when he looked at the shed. But when he ran to the teen, he was frozen in an expression of horror at what he saw beyond the shed's door.
"Take a look. This is the darkness of the Capital." Leone stated with a dark tone. She also had her eyes staring too at the horror before NRG and Tatsumi.
"What…is…this?!" Tatsumi screamed in horror.
"Oh…my…I feel sick." NRG stammered. It was a good thing he was in a containment suit, that way no one would want to see how he felt.
However, like the sight just wasn't enough, Leone made it worse when she explained. "They lure unidentified people who came from the country with their sweet words and subject them to their hobby of torture and toy with them until they die."
'No way…' NRG thought to himself. 'What the hell…did I just get myself into?'
Unfortunately, the horror didn't stop just there. In fact, it just got worse when Tatsumi sighted the body of a female he knew very well, hanging with one leg gone.
"Sayo?" He questioned, shock showing on his face. "Hey, Sayo. Sayo…"
"That's…Sayo." NRG said under his breath.
Even though his face couldn't be seen, his eyes were widened in utter horror. The beautiful face that smile of a person he knew was hanging with one limb gone, naked and covered in blood.
Meanwhile, Leone rested her back against the wooden entrance, with one knee at it and her arms crossed. "So there was someone you two knew…"
But then, she noticed Aria trying to sneak away as quiet as possible. The girl likely wanted to use that chance to flee since everyone else had their attention at the horror before them. But due to the blond noticing her, she immediately went and raised her up by holding her dress's collar.
"Nuh uh…" She stated. "You're not getting off the hook by running away, little lady.
Just then, Tatsumi brought everyone's attention with a question.
"The people of the house did this?" He asked.
"That's right." The blond answered. "The guards were keeping quiet about it so they're similarly guilty."
"…Is that so?" NRG asked. It was surprisingly not a rhetorical; the blond could tell. But even though he didn't say anything, Aria sure did.
"It…It's a lie!" The girl denied with fear in her voice. "I didn't know there was a place like this! Are you two going to believe me, the one that saved the both of you, or these guys, Ben and Tatsumi?!"
NRG was unsure on what to say, the same with Tatsumi. Both heroes were grateful to her for rescuing them from the cold night before, but now current events had changed those feelings into something divided.
But just when it seemed they didn't have enough to feel, they heard a familiar voice.
"Ta…ts…mi. Be…n."
"Ieyasu!" Both NRG and Tatsumi shouted as they turned to the direction of the voice.
The person they knew as a friend was in a cage. He looked covered in dry blood with scars on his body that showed he had endured a lot of torture. And just when it wasn't bad enough, his once bright-confident face was filled with a mix of pain and horror as he reached his hand out.
"That girl invited Sayo and me…" He began explaining. "And after we ate, we lost consciousness…and we were here when we came to. Th…that girl…she tortured Sayo to deaaath…!"
The word death echoed a bit more than it should as it dwelled on not just Tatsumi but NRG as well. The latter had faced many insane villains in numerous times, but not ones where he witnessed their handiwork in such horror. So it was no surprise that he was silent. But inside his suit he was trying not to puke out.
Suddenly, something snapped in Aria. She smacked her arm against the Leone hand, freeing herself, before speaking out rash in a dark phase unlike her former kind persona.
"YOU'RE JUST WORTHLESS HICKS FROM THE COUNTRY, RIGHT!?" She shouted with her insanity entirely gone. "THE SAME AS CATTLE! I SHOULD BE FREE TO TREAT THEM HOWEVER I WANT! BESIDES, THAT GIRL WAS SO IMPERTINENT FOR HAVING SUCH STRAIGHT HAIR FOR A FARM ANIMAL! EVEN THOUGH I'M TROUBLED WITH SUCH UNRULY HAIR! THAT'S WHY I AGONIZED HER SO METICULOUSLY! IN FACT, SHE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF HER!"
"A family of sadists…" Leone commented. "…that takes the guise of Samaritans." Then she turned to Akame. "Sorry for getting in your way, Akame."
"Eliminate." Akame said. She already had her sword out to kill the girl.
"Wait!"Tatsumi suddenly interjected. He heard quiet enough especially with one thing now on his mind now that he knew the truth.
However, Leone didn't see it yet, with the same for NRG. The teen hero was still silent at the time as his mind was still trying to recover what he just heard, unaware of Tatsumi bringing out his sword.
"Don't tell me…" Leone said. "are you trying to defend her again?"
"No." Tatsumi answered.
NRG snapped back to reality in response. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, especially from Tatsumi of all people despite what had just been revealed. But sadly, it seemed he was wrong about Tatsumi as he could see him heading to the girl with his sword ready to kill her.
As for Tatsumi, to himself, what he felt there was pure hatred filled mixed regret. He couldn't believe he had been a fool to not only believe the girl was nice but to live under her while his friends were dying. And now that he was close to her, he was ready to deliver the kill without a single hesitation.
But then, a flash of green light came from behind, followed by a green beam hitting Aria. It didn't hurt her or kill her, but instead knocked her to the ground unconscious.
"That would be enough, Tatsumi." said a new voice.
Tension was still high, probably more than before now that Ben had intervened. He wasn't NRG anymore, but instead another metal looking alien with the exception of it being a containment suit. In fact, he looked more robotic than his previous alien form. He was also yellow in color, with black stripes and a transparent piece of green circular glass on his chest, revealing gears inside of him where on the surface the Omnitrix symbol was present.
"What did you do, Ben?!" Tatsumi yelled angrily. This wasn't like the times they got into small squabbles or minor fights; this was one of pure anger. In fact, it was so bad that Tatsumi faced Ben with a scowl look on his face. "Don't get in my way! She has to pay!"
"I know." Ben said, standing as Clockwork. "However, I cannot allow you to kill someone when I'm around. But even if you try now, you won't succeed. She's frozen in time, that way you and anybody else would be able kill her."
"He can't be serious!" Leone scowled a bit. 'Just what the heck does he think he's doing saving her?'
Clockwork understood very much how Tatsumi felt. He knew he was mad about the lost of his friends, the torture they felt and the inability that he was there to save them. But even though he has experienced these things, he chose not to do let it happen even as Tatsumi was glaring angrily at him, frozen between what to say in frustration.
Hence, while the teen was conflicted, Clockwork turned sideways and went over to Ieyasu's cage. "Now if you can clear your head, maybe I can save Ieyasu before he dies too." Clockwork said to Tatsumi
"What?!" Tatsumi questioned with his eyes in shock and confusion.
'He's bluffing…right?' Leone thought. She was surprised to hear this, especially from the hero. But then again, she found she was also curious to know.
However, Clockwork didn't bother to explain how he would do it. He just went ahead to Ieyasu's cage, ripped the bars apart and grabbed Ieyasu by the armpits before he could fall. Then, he lay his very weak body on the ground before then shooting a green beam from his chest to the boy as the key on his head turned.
Meanwhile, curiosity got the better of Tatsumi as it led him to go back to the shed. The same was felt for the Leone and Akame, who at the same time went into the shed just in time to see something unexpected. The tortured and blood covered body of Ieyasu was healing at a rapid rate, as even his wounds and scars began to disappear as well. But just when it couldn't get any stranger, it did. His clothes, hair and accessories were restored back to the way they were.
"Done." Clockwork said.
It had been a short while, but he had finally done. Ieyasu was completely restored to the state his body was three days ago, surprising Leone and Akame while bringing tears to Tatsumi who ran to his friend's side.
"Ieyasu! Hey, Ieyasu!" Tatsumi shouted.
"Ta…Tatsumi." Ieyasu answered with a dry tone. He didn't know why his body suddenly felt so much better or the fact that he felt better clothed. But when he opened his eyes, the first person he saw before him was Tatsumi. "Tatsumi…is that you?" He smiled. "You know. Sayo…she didn't submit to that fucking girl…She even believed Ben would come to save her again…too the very end. Now if you excuse me I suddenly feel like…taking a nap."
So with nothing else to say, Ieyasu let his head slump to the side with his consciousness off. He had a pleasant grin on his face as he did that while his friend Tatsumi smiled back before turning to Clockwork.
"Thank you…" He said gratefully. "So…when are you getting to Sayo?"
Clockwork was silent in response. He wasn't sure how he should express the bad news to Tatsumi because even then he was still coming to terms of what he witnessed a while ago. But just when he was about to walk away, Leone stood in his way with her eyes narrowed at him.
"You can't raise the dead, can you?" Leone asked, her voice being rhetorical.
"Yes." Clockwork answered and admitted. His voice was heavy as it could be in his current alien, even as he then turned sideways to Tatsumi, who was in a moment of shock. "I'm sorry, Tatsumi." He apologized. "If Sayo was alive, I could have saved her. But Clockwork can't resurrect people from the dead."
"Wa-wait then…" Tatsumi stammered. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But Ieyasu…you…"
"Yes, but he was alive." Clockwork stated. "As this form, I can control the flow of time. So I didn't heal him. I just…reverted his body back to how it was three day agos…I can also do the same for Sayo…but her soul…she's gone. I'm sorry."
Now it was Tatsumi's turn to be silent. He had his head down on the ground as his mind recalled Clockwork's words over and over. Meanwhile, Leone walked out of Clockwork's way before watching the hero walk outside as he went over to Aria, who was still lying down on the ground.
"Hey! Are you seriously going to save her?!" Leone shouted.
This got Tatsumi's immediate attention. He was still in pain over the news he just heard, when he suddenly got back to his feet and ran outside the shed. From there, he stopped and scowled at Clockwork.
"So that's just it?!" He yelled angrily. "She killed Sayo, Ben! You're helping that bitch?!"
"That's correct." Clockwork said.
Though it may not seem like it, Ben was actually troubled by the anger coming out of Tatsumi. It was understandable, especially as he was seeing him pick up the girl still stuck in frozen time and placing her over his shoulder.
"You won't believe me, but she'll be useful in the future." Clockwork stated. "So if you choose to hate me…I won't blame you."
Tatsumi was silent in response to this. Clockwork was right, he didn't understand. He didn't understand how his friend was saving the murderer who not only tortured his two friends but killed one of them like they were cattle. And even though he still had the urge to kill her, he knew he had no chance against Ben in a physical fight.
"Ben…" Tatsumi finally said. He seemed hesitant at first as a lump seemed to be in his throat. But he had to say his mind. "Ben…Sayo looked up to you…I even think she was crushing over you…so if you take that monster with you…we won't be friends anymore."
Now it was once again Clockwork's turn to be quiet. He kind of expected this from Tatsumi.
"Then I guess we're no longer friends." Clockwork concluded. "…Until we meet again…bye, Tatsumi…"
"Bye…" Tatsumi whispered.
Meanwhile, Akame held the handle of her sword, ready to move at Clockwork again. She didn't want her mission to go unaccomplished especially now that Clockwork had turned his back and began walking away. But then when she took a step, Leone held her by the shoulder and said. "Let's let this one slide. We'll be watching that kid…whoever he is."
Akame nodded in response.
So with the drama, so came an unexpected ending. Tatsumi had his back at Clockwork while the latter continued walking into the forest until he couldn't be seen.
"What's wrong with the Capital?" Tatsumi muttered.
Indeed, what was wrong with the Capital? It had not just claimed one of his fiends but made him lose another just a moment ago. But while he was thinking that, Leone stood with her arms crossed and a thought in mind. She watched as Akame began to walk away, when she finally concluded what she had to say.
"Let's go." Akame said.
"Hey, why don't we bring the other lad back with us?" Leone asked. She sounded intrigued about the Tatsumi. "Our hideout's always shorthanded." She said.
Meanwhile, Tatsumi was still in his thoughts. He failed to notice both Akame and Leone passed both his sides until the blond grabbed him by back of his collar, causing him to fall on his butt before being dragged away.
"So don't you think he has luck, guts and skill as well…" Leone continued. She was currently by Akame's side as they kept moving.
"Lemme go!" Tatsumi shouted in rebellion. "I have to get Ieyasu and dig Sayo's grave!"
"Ah, I'll bring them both to the hideout later, so don't worry." Leone assured.
"Whaaat!" Tatsumi shouted. He tried again to get his collar out of the lady's grip but he found it impossible. And seeing that was the case, he began p panic. "Ben, where are you?! Help me! I know you can hear me! Ben! Beeeen!"
"Hmph." Ben cocked a grin.
Currently, the teen was back to normal as he was sitting on a large tree trunk. There was a pond close to location while Aria's body lay next to it unconscious. The night had really been something unexpected, as even Ben never expected it to be this way, But when he thought about that time he shot that time energy blast at Aria, he was somewhat fine with the outcome.
"So weird…" He murmured. "To think I could see the future…of her of all people. But I guess it's not so bad…I just need to figure out how to get her there. As for Night Raid…now that I think about it, was it a good idea to leave Tatsumi and Ieyasu alone with them…?"
"BEEEEENNNN!" Tatsumi's voice could be heard afar.
"Nah, I'm sure he's fine." Ben said and snickered. "He always complained about me taking all his saves, so it should be fine he saved himself, right? …Yeah, I'm right."
So with nothing else to say, Ben jumped down from the huge trunk and laid down next to Aria. He wasn't sure what the future of this world had ready for them, nor did he know how to prepare for it. But whatever the case may be, he was going to give it his best to make this place a better world.
That sure was something huh? I know, the ending was so an unexpected twist. But then again that's what I intended it to be. This story is meant to be unique and stand out by that in order to be very entertaining. I even originally had Tatsumi and Ben (as Diamondhead or Kickin' Hawk) fight before scrapping that thought away. The reason for that is because I didn't want to damage their friendship more than it already was. I still want them to retain good thoughts about each other despite the divide.
I also expanded the fight scene between Ben and Akame since this is now a chapter of its own. Originally, when I had this be with the first chapter, the fight scene was brief with Ben just using NRG to shoot her while Akame just got close to strike before Leone intervened. But thanks to your support, I believed you deserve better, hence I added Cannonbolt and added more to NRG's role.
So with that, let's get to certain things some readers brought up.
Pairings – I've read all the reviews concerning this with great interest. I originally had this be BenXAria until I noticed that doesn't even have the girl's name listed and the fact that it may be a turn off to some readers if I keep it that way (she is a hated character, after all). So after thinking it over with some pairing suggestions by you guys, I've decided to leave it open. This means that they'll be BenXAkame moments, BenXLeone moments, BenXChelsea moments (if I ever get to that) and BenXAria moments. As for other pairings such as Lubbock and Najenda, I won't be able to do that. The reason is before I feel the woman is more focused on ridding the corruption in the empire than experiencing romance. It also doesn't help that she never shows any feelings to Lubbock in the anime. But for Tatsumi and Mine, there'll be hints and possibly a romance growth from there (I'm just going to see how that one goes).
Deaths – Not surprising, you guys are hoping Ben prevents certain deaths. So be rest assured that he will. But that's not to say it's all of them. I will let one or two characters from Night Raid die. Come on, it won't be interesting if Ben saves everyone, right? I could reveal who they are, buuuuut I think it'd be interesting if you see who.
Manga or Anime – By this, I mean if this story will go accordingly with the anime or the manga. I've heard around the internet of how good the latter is compared to the storyline the anime went and honestly can't disagree with that. But unfortunately, I haven't read the manga yet. I plan to do it since its already over, I just need to find enough free time to attend to it and other manga. But besides that reason, there's the fact that I don't want this story to drag so long with the manga. The next reason is because the anime is shorter in comparison. I'm sorry.
Well that wraps up everything. Thank you so much for your support. I'll see to bringing more updates as much as possible. So please continue to support me in this story and if you got questions you want answered or suggestions then please let me know. Bye!
