Yo, Kuroi Tetsu here!
Yeah, sorry about not updating for a couple of months. I had to study for my exams which I have next month. There was also the problem of my laptop going bonkers on me and also lack of wifi. I'll be fairly busy preppin myself for my final exams in July, and as someone who's terrible at studies I'm going to need all the help I can get.
Now since you guys have heard my side of the story could you put away the pitch forks and torches. No, seriously put them away. I'll try to update as much as possible but until my exams are over you can expect go months without an update from me. Just a fair warning. I'll happily remind you all that I'm not quitting the story.
Now! On with the show!
***Sorry, Just had to correct a mistake. I wanted to change the last names 'cause I didnt like the previous ones***
Tatsumi was running.
He never thought it would come to this. He believed he could face any enemy as long as he had his friends by his side and Incursio in his hands but that couldn't be more wrong.
His friends fled, abandoning him to his fate and Incursio shattered with one strike from his foe. He had been running ever since, in a deserted city, running from Terror Incarnate. His breath became labored and his body became heavy. He stopped and leaned against the wall, trying to regain his strength.
"Where do you think you are going?"
The sweet voice of his doom asked with a giggle, making his body freeze. He slowly looked toward the owner of the voice while desperately wishing it was a dream.
There, right in front of him was a woman who's beauty could not be described with words. Her pale skin went well with the frilly wedding gown she wore, it brought focus to her modest breast. Her sky blue hair cascading down her back a white see through veil on her head. Any man who set their eyes on her would normally be hypnotized by the sheer beauty of the woman before her, insatantly groveling before her and fulfill her any desire. This was a normal reaction. The undeniable law of the universe. However…
He was not a normal man.
Using the power of the terror in his heart, Tatsumi ran away screaming. He went into alleyways and stuck to the shadows. Using every trick in the book and more to put more distance between him and the threat. However, no matter how much he ran he heard the clacking of heels getting closer and closer by the minute.
Eventually, he ran into a dead end. He was boxed in and the walls seemed to be impossibly high. Turning back he whimpered as he saw the figure of his nightmare, calmly walking towards him, not even a bead of sweat on her angelic face.
"Dear, I enjoyed the hunt, I truly did… but we should really stop with the foreplay." Her soft voice sent chills down Tatsumi's back as he desperately tried to look for an escape. "Now, let's continue with our honeymoon shall we?" She raised her hands, showing two items that spread terror in the brunettes heart.
In her left hand she held an ice blue whip. In her right hand she held a ball-gag.
It was then that Tatsumi gave in to despair. There was no escaping for a soul doomed with the love of a psychotic stalker Ice Queen.
"Gyaaaaaaaaa." The entire house shook with Tatsumi's scream of terror, waking up the other occupants of the room from their slumber, groans of frustration coming from three sources.
Tatsumi sat on the bed with the covers tossed aside, panting hard, shuddering every now and then as he remembered the contents of his dream.
He had been having recurring dreams about her for about a month, a lot of them with Esdese and him in compromising positions, and all of them scared the soul out of him. He was horrified of a woman who had a body that normally every man, and many women, would desire despite her reputation as the most ruthless woman in the Empire.
What scared him the most was how she could so easily look like a love-struck teenager. No matter how cute she looked, Tatsumi would always be left with shivers going up and down his spine. And it was not the good kind of shivers either. Every time he thought of Esdese he was left terrified… and strangely aroused.
Which was surprising since little brats like him could not get such a reaction due lacking the necessary hormones.
Maybe he did, maybe he did not. What would he know about biology?
He was sure he was not a masochist. He did not enjoy pain nor did he gain pleasure from it. So like always, he would chalk it up as a weird curse he received from that stalker of a general.
He caught a pillow aimed at his face and threw it back at the perpetrator without looking. He got up and made his way towards the bathroom while avoiding two more pillows on his way to start his daily morning ritual.
He splashed cold water against his face repeatedly, (he stood a small stool since nobody could bear to see that short reflection of themselves, their rebellious attitude unintentionally adding a sense of cuteness to the scene) as he attempted to wash away the latter part of today's dream to no avail. Trying to distract himself he tried to steer his thoughts towards the last six months as he got ready for the day.
It had been six months since they won the war and six months since they woke up in the world of Remnant (They decide to dub the event as 'The Awakening' to make it easier for reference. Also, Tatsumi and Lubbock decided that it was cooler than the 'chibification' crap that Lubbock had proposed). had not found a single clue about how such a thing was possible but they had not given hope. Most would not bother at all but Tatsumi had long since learned not to take things at face value.
They WOULD find the answers they were looking for.
…maybe after he grew a few feet first.
After brushing his teeth he exited the bathroom and went to the kitchen. As usual Susano'o was already awake at this god forsaken hour and cooking breakfast for the, as he liked to call them, little hellions. He greeted the elder faunus and poured himself a glass of orange juice which he quickly gulped down and took his bokken with him to train in the front yard.
This had been his typical morning routine for the past five months. It was similar to his routine back at Night Raid except a few differences. One of them being that this was an extremely watered down version of it. He was not arrogant enough to believe his seven year old body could survive his old fitness regime.
After a few laps around the house (which was not much different from their hideout at the Marg Highlands) and some stretches Tatsumi practiced his sword stances, shifting from one stance to another in fluid motions. While Tatsumi currently lacked the grace that Akame, and anyone else who dedicated their entire life to the blade had, he was well on his way to be called a true master of the blade.
Susano'o had awakened their aura after the group had told him of their decision to become Hunters. Even without communication he knew what was going through his fellow de-aged assassins' heads. With all they had experienced in the past there was no way they could have a mundane life. There was no way they would spend their second life as bystanders while others fought for them.
He had the blood of countless people on his hands, memories of fallen comrades haunting him, there was absolutely no way he could just put down his sword and forget everything that happened. No, they needed to fight, they needed a cause. As hunters they would again be fighting for the sake of the people but this time only against monsters.
The pay was also a pretty good bonus.
Unfortunately for them, Susano'o refused to train them unless they were physically ten years old. They were free to do their own training in the meantime, however he would only give them advanced training after they had reached the appropriate age.
At the end of the hour he was left out of breath, his arms felt like lead, and not for the first time he cursed his feeble body which was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Using the wooden sword as support he tried to even his breath using the breathing exercises he had learned in the past.
"Hah… hah… I lasted longer… hah… than before when I started but I'm nowhere near… where I used to be…" He panted out the words as he looked down in frustration and his grip tightened around the bokken.
As a child he was sorely lacking both the stamina and physical abilities to be considered an actual threat to even the most inexperienced of Grimm. Even with a real blade in his tiny hands he could not produce the necessary force to cut them down, nor would he be able to move out of the way in time to dodge their attacks.
He was weak.
Pathetically weak.
But-
"-that just means I just have to get stronger!" With renewed determination Tatsumi began swinging his sword, battling an unseen enemy, his aura already having numbed the soreness of his limbs.
Without a doubt he was getting stronger, even if it was at a frustratingly slow pace.
It was a little after half past eight when Tatsumi finished his morning training. He was lasting longer each day so he could not complain, and with the help of aura he would most likely surpass his past self this time around.
After taking a refreshing shower he went to the kitchen to get breakfast and was greeted by his friends, still in their pyjamas, who had just started eating, all except for Lubbock who was dozing off with his head in his palm and elbow on the table, no doubt tired after another late night of studying. The only one not in his pajamas was Susano'o who, being a neat freak, wore a black shirt and grey pants
Breakfast was a quiet affair at their home. There was no special reason. Unlike Susano'o none of them were morning people. So unless they had anything important to say they kept quiet and enjoyed the meal, or tried to get a few extra minutes of sleep like Lubbock.
After eating Susano'o coughed into his hand to get everyone's attention. Tatsumi, seeing that Lubbock was still half asleep decided to help his friend out-
"Ow!"
-by knocking down the hand his head was resting in causing his face to impact the table.
Fully awake Lubbock glared and flipped him the bird at his attempts at looking innocent and planned on fully 'thanking' him on a later date while rubbing his nose. Susano'o smiled slightly at the antiques of the two children. After getting their attention he started talking.
"Today we are going into town-" Loud groans were his response, "I know you don't like going their but we need to buy things for the house. I'm also leaving on a mission tomorrow so you will have to stay with Lily until I get back." They instantly cheered up after the mention of Ol'Lily.
"Ugh. I have to return the books to the library anyway so it's a good time as any." Lubbock reluctantly admitted, getting a noise of agreement from Mein.
"Tatsumi and I have to return that game we borrowed last week." Leone added.
"Good." The elder faunus collected the plates to wash. "Now get ready. We'll leave in an hour."
With a half-hearted response the chibified assassins went to their room to get ready for a horrible day.
Martin Village was a small town near the walls of the Kingdom of Mistral. It had a population of about six thousand people (which is small when compared to the capital city with a population over a million) and is surrounded by a lush green forest which is home to a variety of wild life. While it was not as well developed as the capitol, it had mostly everything you would need for a comfortable life such as an arcade, a sports center, a shopping district.
For a small town it was highly prosperous. There were several tourist attractions around the town that brought hordes of tourists and with them a steady income for the town. There was no discrimination between genders or races and town also being a retirement home for many hunters who kept the fear of Grimm away with their daily patrols, so it was no surprise a large number of people in the region would come here for some R&R.
Despite the seemingly wondrous reputation of the town Tatsumi and his group never liked coming here unless it was actually necessary. It wasn't that they were being bullied or something, but the simple fact that the people were too wary of them to do anything.
At first they thought it was only their imagination, but later they confirmed that aside from the hunters most were not able to maintain eye-contact with the group of seven-and-a-half year olds kids. After asking their guardian they understood the problem.
None of the acted their age. They were admittedly childish at times but they refused to act like annoying snot nosed little brats. But the true reason people avoided the kids was because of their eyes.
They had eyes of someone who had fought tooth and nail for survival and had seen the more blood than anyone their age should see, not unlike some children that grew up on the harsh streets of Mistral. The hunters looked at them with pity while the civilians treated them like a ticking time bomb.
They didn't have many friends their age because their parents kept them away (that, and Leone and Mein may have used a small blast of killing intent to scare off a few girls who were getting too close to Tatsumi for comfort, but nobody needed to know that), very few being brave-or oblivious- enough to hold a conversation with them for more than two minutes.
The main reason nobody minded their presence was because they were under the guardianship of Susano'o who was a well-respected figure in the Hunter Community and the town. If he said the children were safe then there was no reason to doubt his words.
After walking into the town the group separated to get to their separate destinations.
Lubbock and Mein went to the library to return the books they were carrying in their backpack.
Tatsumi followed Susano'o to Lily's house to make preparations for their stay.
Leone went off to return the game she borrowed… and con some gullible fool into treating her to some very expensive ice-cream.
She may have lost her curves but that did not mean she was powerless. After weeks of failed experiments she had discovered the perfect scam which was surprisingly more effective than her usual provocative methods. As it turned out, people would bend over backwards for an adorable child, her cat ears only boosting the effect.
Truly, the power of Moe was Terrifying.
Tatsumi and Susano'o made their way to a weapon shop named Ol' Lilly's Armory. It was a fairly large store owned by one of the retired hunters which sold a wide variety of high quality weapons, some of them personally crafted by the owner. Stepping in the found the no one manning the counter, only a small bell with a sign that read 'Ring Me'. Tatsumi didn't waste time in doing just that.
RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!
RING! RING! RING! RING!
RING! RING! RING!
RING!
…
RING! RING! RING!
"I'm coming okay!? Just give me a damn minute!" A feminine voice screamed from the next room, and in a few minutes the back door opened to reveal an annoyed pale skinned young woman in her late teens. She had pink hair with a white hairpin keeping the bangs out if her eyes which were a darker shade of the color. Her clothes looked more like a waitress's outfit; a dark red top with puffed sleeves, a flared skirt of the same color and a white apron over it and a red ribbon atop her modest chest.
"Alright who's the little-" The woman started but stopped when she laid her eyes on the bull faunus, "Ah, good morning Mr. Arashi!" she said excitedly. The woman's smile left her face and was replaced with a scowl as she set her eyes on the man's young companion who was smiling innocently with his hand still on the bell. "And hello to you too Snapdragon." She said in neutral tone. Her fingers twitched when the boy's smile became less innocent and more mischievous upon hearing her tone.
A month after The Awakening Susano'o had the de-aged assassins officially registered into the system. Not having the correct documents would only bring trouble in the long run. Being in the system would not draw attention to themselves. As per Susano's instructions they immediately filled the all the details except for one small but crucial detail.
Their last name.
In their old world last names were only given to nobles. Commoners had to rise through the ranks to earn such a privilege. So the three of the four children were excited at the prospect of having their own last names. Lubbock used to be a noble born himself but he threw it all away for the one he loved. He wasn't as excited as the others but he was interested.
Selecting a last name was surprisingly difficult, the whole process taking almost a week. A lot of the names were either too flashy, too simple, or just plain ridiculous. After countless arguments, some resulting in all out brawls, they had made their final decisions.
Tatsumi and Lubbock choose the name Snapdragon(1), making them brothers. They definitely acted the part.
Leone had chosen Delphinia(2).
Mein had chosen Iris(3).
Each name represented an aspect of them, a part which they had the most pride in.
After that day Tatsumi Anguis and his brother Lubbock Anguis, along with Leone Bellua and Mein Surculus were officially under the guardianship of Susano'o Arashi(4). It took a few weeks for them to get used to the addition to their name.
Susano'o coughed into his hand to get the young woman's attention and stop his young charge from further antagonizing the woman.
"Good morning to you too Ms. Lizbeth. I was looking for Lily. Where might I find him?"
"Locked up in his study as usual. Hasn't come out for a few days actually." Lizbeth replied with a roll of her eyes. "And please call me Liz. You have been loyal to us for years so there's no need to be so polite. Master and the menace following you around sure aren't." She said peaking at a smiling Tatsumi.
"Yes, but as an adult I have to set an example." Either Lizbeth didn't notice jab at her teacher or simply didn't care as she organized the papers on the counter.
The back door opened and out came a buff man around about Susano'o's height. He had messy black hair and equally messy beard with a mustache and looked like he hadn't showered in days. His skin was the color of almonds and had dark brown eyes. He wore black trousers and a brown shirt with its sleeves pull up to the elbows. His face broke up in a toothy grin when he noticed his guests.
"Oh, Suzy my boy!" the man walked over and bear hugged the faunus. "Glad to see you lad!" Letting Susano'o go he bent down and ruffled the smaller boy's hair. "So! What can I do for ya today?"
"Can you look after the kids for me? I have to go on a mission and I do not think I can return for at least a week."
"Of course Laddie! You an' the kids will always be welcome here!" Lizbeth sighed in defeat. Her teacher seems to not see the little hell spawns as she does. He did not understand the horror of looking after four hyperactive little brats with creativity and intelligence that surpassed their peers. Worst is that she would be subjected to their 'projects'.
The door of the shop opened and three-fourths of the chibi assassin quartet ran in. Mein and Lubbock were carrying a couple of books on their hands and Leone…
"Is that ice-cream?" Tatsumi asked.
"Yup!"
"Another loli-con tourist?"
Leone only nodded her head in victory.
The adults already accustomed to their antics ignored the little criminal mastermind as they discussed what to do with the kids, Lizbeth hopping she could convince her teacher not to put her on baby-sitting duty. She was an apprentice weapons and armor crafter, not a baby-sitter dammit!
Ok done!
Tatsumi is traumatized but continues on with his training. Leone is up to her old habits again. And two new characters to the story.
Why did I use Lizbeth from SAO? Because I felt like it. And this cute blacksmith is from the abridged version. So be sure to expect a touch of insanity like any character from that universe.
Also, You thought Lily was a woman right? That was just some bullshit I came up with while half asleep. Seemed good material for a chuckle. If you are wondering who Ol'Lily is based on… I'm not telling you yet. But if you can guess then you get a cookie from Ruby's secret stash. Clue: a lesser known figure from US history with connections with past presidents. He is not recorded in books you won't find him. Google search him.
Snapdragon= symbolizes graciousness and strength. in most mythology dragons are the epitome of strength. Also both have dragon based teigu.
Delphinia= delphinium, which symbolizes big-heartedness and fun. Matches Leone's personality.
Iris= It generally means eloquence, but different colours mean different things. Also iris like the eye.
Each of their last names are based on a flower. Their future team name is Tillium (TLLM), a flower, so I want to stick to the theme.
Did you like it? Hate it? Leave your thoughts in the reviews.
See ya!