Author's Notes: Yep, I decided to do an early release for this chapter, since I'm at school and don't have to wait until the weekend to have internet, so rejoice because depending on how fast I write, I might just do this again.
Also this has quickly become my most popular fic after only three chapters, wow, never knew that Akame Ga Kill had such a wide fanbase on fanfiction.
Alright so for this chapter I will be writing in third person perspective which is what I am more comfortable with. Honestly I don't know these characters well and hope I've pulled them off, especially the minor ones, there is not much to say when I write from their perspectives so tell me if it is still well written in your reviews.
Chapter 4: Kill The Servants
Where am I? That was the first thing Luna asked herself. She didn't know what was going on except that what she was laying on was comfortable, a bed? How did she get on a bed, come to think of it what happened? Her memory was fuzzy at best but slowly she started recalling the events that led to her current predicament.
She remembered her friends Air and Fal, they were-they were sold to someone but who? Bach! That's when the memories started flooding in. They all came to the capital to be his wards; he treated them well at first, gave them money to go shopping and treated with food. That's when he, no some men gathered around him. They were dressed in black suits and wore dark glasses; they held us so we couldn't escape.
They broke both of Fal's legs when she tried to fight them then; one of them came over with a needle and aimed at her eye and…
"AAAAHHHH" Luna screamed
Air and Fal who have been inside the hotel room rushed to her side to calm her down
"Luna, Luna calm down" Air tried to comfort her.
Luna heard her friend's voice and calmed down somewhat. She was panting heavily; her face was drenched in sweat. The dream was just so vivid, Air was hugging her and she saw Fal walking over with some water. Luna took the cup from her and downed the liquid in a matter of seconds.
Gathering her bearings the bluenette managed to finally have a glance at her surroundings. She didn't recognize the place
"Where are we?" she asked
"We're in a hotel" Air answered
"How did we get here?"
This question caused Air and Fal to glance worriedly at each other
"I brought you here" a new voice sounded causing the three girls to whirl in surprise to the new presence.
Luna's eye widened at the fourth person, he was a boy with brown hair with three thick bangs going over his face and one long strand sticking from the top extending over his head like an antenna. He wore a headband with metal plating over his eyes that showed a strange symbol and wore a long zip up high collared black coat that reached just above his ankles with sleeves longer than his arms. He looked young as far as Luna could tell, probably just a year or two older than Air who is sixteen.
To say that this boy looked suspicious was an understatement, her body tensed
"Who are you?" she asked with a hint of fear
"My name is Tatsumi" he replied "do you remember what happened to you Luna?" he asked curiously.
"I-"Luna racked her brain, she looked to her friends, Fal was scowling and Air looked like she saw a ghost "Bach" she breathed in realization.
Tatsumi nodded "apparently he bought the three of you so that you could be humiliated and tortured to death for entertainment" his voice was leveled but his face twisted in disgust for a moment.
The color from Luna paled as it dawned on her that the memories she saw were true, which meant…! Luna immediately felt for her left eye, it was covered in a bandage, how did she not notice it before? Suddenly an overwhelming anger came over her like never before, she should be scared but somehow knowing those..bastards bought them just so they could die for their entertainment made her furious.
Fal saw this and placed a hand on her shoulder, Luna looked up to see her grinning "don't worry, those fuckers are bird food" she said.
Luna looked to Air quizzically and she nodded "it's true. Tatsumi killed them and healed Fal's legs and then your eye" she smiled after saying the last part.
Her eye? Luna then remembered that the man actually took out her eye before everything went black. She started touching her bandaged eye, Air looked to Tatsumi
"Is it safe to remove the bandage?" she asked
He stood there for a moment before nodding "go ahead" he replied.
Air then began to unwrapped the bandages over her eye, Tatsumi walked over to her as the bandages came off
"I still can't see!" she panicked
Tatsumi simply pointed his index finger at her, Air, Fal watched as the darkness attached itself from Luna's eye to his finger. As soon as it was finished Luna had perfect vision again but she didn't even notice instead she was still staring at the boy, too conflicted to act. Should she thank him for healing her, as unbelievable as it is or should she be afraid of whatever it was that snaked itself onto his finger.
Before she could act upon either of those decisions Tatsumi spoke "I will be escorting you all back to your village today but first you'll bathe and then we'll get something to eat, my treat."
All three girls blinked at that and looked amongst themselves then back at Tatsumi "why are you helping us?" Luna asked now wary of him, Bach was practically the same way, he treated us well and then..*shudder*, although the difference between him and Tatsumi was that the mysterious boy didn't show much emotion.
Tatsumi rose an eyebrow at her "your friend Air asked me the exact same question."
Luna spared a glance to Air before Tatsumi's reply made her gaze turn back to him "so I'll answer the same question with the same answer I gave to her. I am helping you because it is the right thing to do. Besides, I can't exactly have a clear conscience leaving three underage country girls alone in this place. I mean no offense to your martial prowess Fal, but you aren't strong enough to protect yourself and your friends if you are cornered by someone stronger than you."
Fal visibly deflated at that, she remembered giving the tall bastard in the black suit who grabbed her, a solid kick to the face but he just laughed at her and floored her with one punch to the gut, then broke both of her legs like twigs.
"I'll wait outside until you're finished" he said as he went outside.
As the door closed behind him, Luna observed that Air seemed to be in deep thought about something while Fal had a scowl on her face but also in deep thought. Luna also thought about their predicament, should they go back to the village? They understood why they were sold off and accepted it, but now, after what they had just survived, is it wise to return? Especially since they are liable to be sold off a second time, after all, the high taxes will continue.
Air was thinking the same thing but what could they do? They could take the money and travel somewhere else but it's as Tatsumi said, they'd be three girls from the country and Fal may not be able to protect them should a similar incident occur. It pained her to admit it but for the moment they needed to depend on someone for their survival. But the main question was who could they turn to or more specifically what kind of person would they want to depend on.
'Someone we can trust' Air thought tugging at her clothes.
'Someone dependable and kind' Luna thought her eyes veering to the side.
'Someone strong' Fal thought while biting her thumb in frustration.
Suddenly as if an idea formed in their heads at the same they all looked to each other
"I have a suggestion" Luna said first
"So do I" Air said
"Me too" Fal added
Downstairs Tatsumi stood outside the inn the girls were in, his senses scanning over the area, making sure not to tune in to the girls conversation. It would be invasive since they are no threat to him, not that he would even bother paying attention, since his ears picked up a rather troublesome bit of information from some of the nearby royal guards
"Goddammit!"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Didn't you hear, general Esdese returned from the North"
"….shit.."
"Yeah, no kidding, that slave driver is going to be putting us through the wringer"
"Wasn't she supposed to be quelling the rebellion in the North?"
"She did, I heard from a friend of mine in the palace guard that he overheard one of the three beasts, Deidara I think, bragging about how they buried everyone in the North alive"
"Wait when you say everyone"
"Everyone, every man, woman and even children they tossed them in a ravine and Esdese buried them alive under a ton of snow…"
Tatsumi had heard enough, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles turned white and he gritted his teeth "great" he whispered between his teeth distastefully as he calmed down "so much for travelling to the North after this."
His senses picked up three approaching figures from behind so without turning he addressed them
"What do you three want to eat before you leave? The capital may have rotten people but the food is surprisingly good" he commented.
There was a pause as all three girls looked to each other then nodded before Air approached his back
"Um, Tatsumi?" she asked
Tatsumi turned, he immediately picked up the sound of her rapidly beating heart, a clear sign of anxiousness.
"What is it Air?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
She exhaled sharply to gain some courage "we don't want to return to our village" she began "Fal Luna and I wish to stay by your side as your loyal servants, Master!" she finished fiercly.
"…"
"…"
If Tatsumi's eyes weren't covered he would've blinked five times by now. He instead tilted his head and responded with an
"Huh?"
Luna came forward and patted her shoulder "what she means is we can't go back to the village. If we do then we'd be sold off again the next time the village is in financial trouble and we don't want to take any chances that it might be someone like Bach again."
Tatsumi straightened his tilted head "I'm a blind nomad who doesn't stay at one place for too long. I don't keep any money preferring to sleep outdoors and any food I want, I hunt for" He stated bluntly.
Fal grinned "that's even better, we get to travel around with someone strong, so who cares if you're not rich. Our village was so poor that we had to sleep on the hard floor and go days on only bread and water" she finished with pride.
"…are you sure that is what you want?" he asked, his voice low.
"That's what we want" they said in unison Air replying the least fierce and Fal replying the fiercest.
Tatsumi raised his head to look up in thought and was silently contemplating the situation before him; it was the first time he was in this particular situation. Then again he never actually stuck around with the people he saved for them to thank him properly. He then began to muse if this is how they would react, no these girls are desperate, but getting back to his decision.
When Tatsumi travels he doesn't really set a destination for the most part, he's confident in his ability to adapt to any situation and he's also confident in his combat prowess with and without the use of his powers. Having three girls follow him around is a bit…dangerous, for them. Then there's the fact that they want to be his servants, now what could he possibly do with three eager, younger girls who want to do nothing but please…him…. Huh?
Err, moving on.
The fact of the matter was that he honestly didn't need a servant, let alone three, but from their explanation this was more beneficial for them than him. Tatsumi honestly didn't mind the company, especially since he'd gotten used to having conversations with Ieyasu and Sayo. It could work he guessed but that still leaves the issue of their safety, he really didn't want to change his 'wandering' ways, it would be too boring. He preferred the thrill of anonymity with his journey's, after all every where he's been has been an adventure.
Tatsumi racked his brain for an answer and he immediately found one but it wouldn't be right to do that to them. Although they did say they wanted to be his 'servants' so it would depend on them, he would have to test their resolve later. At that conclusion he finally spoke.
"What do you girls want to eat?" he asked
It was now their turn to be confused "huh?"
He turned his back to them "I told you girls before that I would treat you all to lunch, despite what just happened I want to keep that promise. As for becoming my servants" he turned his head and smirked "we'll see about that" he concluded before walking off.
The three girls looked to each with a serious face and nodded. While walking Tatsumi could hear hurried steps and expected them to be the girls catching up to him. What he didn't expect was to have bought of his arms dragged forward causing him to stumble a bit but was caught by Fal. Luna and Air grasped his right and left arm respectively while Fal stayed at the front, that's what Tatsumi gathered as they lead him along.
"…..what are you girls doing?"
"Well we wouldn't be good servants if we allowed our blind master to wander about the capital" Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Air nodded with a smile "besides you don't know where you're even going, master."
"So just leave it to us" Fal grinned.
Tatsumi didn't say anything but the faintest of smiles was obscured by his high collared coat.
Meanwhile at Night Raid HQ…..
Schere's injury from last night prevented her from doing any strenuous tasks and so she spent the day in bed reading a book, it will be at least two days before she fully recovers to be able to go on any missions. Everyone was actually quite grateful for Tatsumi's timely assistance, including Mein although he didn't stick around long to be thanked, not that she would ever do that.
Right now Ieyasu was training with Akame rather fiercely with training swords and she internally admitted that he was well trained. Though it wasn't enough for her to worry since her skills, experience and instincts completely eclipsed his, however, she couldn't afford to let her guard down. Ieyasu was surprisingly adaptable and deceptively shrewd to the point where she wondered if he acted like an idiot on purpose just to throw them off.
Remembering Tatsumi, Akame wouldn't be surprised if that was indeed the case. Aside from his odd appearance Tatsumi doesn't necessarily give the impression of someone dangerous, suspicious? Yes. Dangerous? No, but the fact that you can't see his eyes is another cause for concern, she mused on this particular trait. You can't tell most of what an opponent is going to do if you can't see their eyes, then there's the fact that he is blind with heightened senses that rivals even some danger beasts.
During her musings she almost completely forgot where she was and what she was doing
"Hey, don't ignore me!" she heard Ieyasu shout
Ah, now she remembered. She and Ieyasu were in the practice field. They crossed wooden swords, her one vs. his two. She found his use of two weapons to be troublesome at times, especially since he was stronger than her physically, forcing her to use both arms. As they clash swords while swinging with impressive speeds, Ieyasu found himself being pushed back.
He gritted his teeth when an idea formed in his head, as Akame pressed forward he purposefully left an opening, careful so as not to make it seem deliberate. Akame took the bait and slashed downward, Ieyasu grinned mischievously and made an 'X' with his weapons to catch hers. Ieyasu's weapons were like a pair of scissors and clamped down on Akame's practice sword, he moved both to the side and delivered a kick to her ribs.
Akame gritted her teeth as pain shot through her, he was definitely no pushover, but. She used one arm to hold his foot to her side, Ieyasu's eyes widened and he cursed mentally, Akame was tougher than he thought. She pulled him closer and drew her head back before delivering a solid head butt to his face, dazing him. With his grip on her weapon loosened she drew it back with both hands and spun with the action, building enough momentum to deliver a devastating spinning slash that actually sent the taller boy a few feet away.
Ieyasu righted himself in the air and landed in a crouch position 'for a girl her size she is hella strong' he thought in disbelief of how far she sent him with that one swing.
"Are you alright?" she asked with worry in her voice.
She hadn't meant to put that much power behind that last strike. Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed one of Ieyasu's swords hovering just about where she hit. He blocked it? She didn't know why she is surprised at this point. Ieyasu had bruises all over and was panting hard, Akame also had some bruising here and there but they were all superficial at best.
"Better than expected right" the cheery voice of Braht echoed.
Akame nodded with a small smile and even though Ieyasu has seen it before it still felt so foreign to him. He shook his head and grinned
"What's up bro?" he greeted with enthusiasm
Braht beamed "just watching the spar, you've got some moves Ieyasu"
"They better be" Ieyasu snapped playfully but then his expression went into one of fear "you have no idea what that bastard Tatsumi had me do. Adapt to any situation my ass" he grumbled.
Braht and Akame shared a look "still, he did a pretty good job if you're able to land some hits on Akame" Braht reassured.
Ieyasu grinned but then his expression became somber "yeah he did" his expression turned to one of determination "but I still need to get stronger, that's why I'm sparring with Akame since she's the best (and only) swordsman in Night Raid."
Braht started laughing "Ieyasu if you wanted to get strong that badly" he pointed a thumb at himself and grinned "then hang with me. I'll show you how it's done!" His teeth sparkled at the end
"Seriously!" Ieyasu shouted with excitement "alright, let's do this!"
"That's the spirit" Braht laughed and grabbed a shovel "here's your first lesson" he then began to run "follow me Tatsumi!"
Ieyasu followed him with a grin leaving Akame behind as she watched them disappear in the distance her parting words "good luck" wouldn't have been heard by them.
While Ieyasu ran off with Braht Sayo was training with Leone who had volunteered to help her learn how to fight with her new Teigu, Spectator. While in her beast state Leone was faster, stronger and had better reflexes than Sayo who was barely able to dodge each of her blows despite being able to predict them.
"Come on Sayo, you're going to have to fight back eventually" Leone scolded as she relentlessly launched combo after combo of attacks.
It was easy for her to say that, she was a close quarter's combat specialist while Sayo is a long distance fighter at best. Tatsumi had made sure to teach her close quarter combat but she was nowhere near Ieyasu's skill. Not to mention that she dared not take one of Leone's hits, practice or not she witnessed her literally punch a hole through someone.
As such, spectator was working overtime while Sayo dodged and weaved through the blows, she needed to gain some distance but Leone always caught up with her inhuman speed. This dance had been going on for a while now and Sayo was starting to feel the after effects of using the Teigu for so long, she was still getting used to it after all.
She could feel the fatigue growing and Leone seemed to notice because the catgirl had a feral grin, dammit. What now? She needed an out, something to…wait a minute! She remembered that her Teigu had five sight abilities and she'd only use three. With that in mind she mentally tapped into the Teigu to draw out one the other sight abilities
Spectator reacted to her concentration and Sayo peered right at Leone who threw a punch. Sayo went to dodge but then something unexpected happened Leone's grin vanished, replaced with a bewildered expression as her fist slowed. With adrenaline fueled accuracy Sayo took full advantage of Leone's momentary lapse of judgment
Before Leone can wrap her head around what she was seeing Sayo delivered right hook to her face followed by a leg sweep while simultaneously steadying her bow. She fired three arrows pinning Leone to the ground by her clothes while another arrow was aimed at her head. It all happened so fast and unexpectedly that all Leone could do was blink multiple times.
For a minute the only sounds present were of Sayo's labored breathing. With each breath the fatigue set in, the adrenaline dissipated leaving her feeling more and more tired, her eyelids grew heavier, spectator appeared on her forehead and she fell face forward but was caught by Leone who broke free of her impromptu restraints. Leone looked at the Teigu on her forehead with scrutiny but ultimately opted to sling the unconscious girl over her shoulders.
Leone carried Sayo all the way into the infirmary where Mein was talking to Schere; they both turned their attention to Leone the moment she walked in.
"What happened to her" Mein questioned
"Oh, nothing much, she overused her Teigu and passed out" Leone had a somber expression
Schere picked up on this "are you alright Leone?"
Leone glanced at her and gave her a big toothed grin "aw don't worry about me Schere" her expression faltered somewhat "I just saw someone I never thought I'd ever see again" she looked to Sayo as she said this with a somewhat sad smile.
Mein and Schere shared a glance before looking at Leone. They know something wass wrong but they didn't want to pry too much. Leone may be cheerful most of time but certain topics, mostly personal, would sour her mood.
Leone had both her hands behind her head "I'm gonna go talk to the boss. Sayo here discovered another of Spectator's sight abilities" she then left the room.
Tatsumi was conflicted with his situation right now with the girls. After he treated them to some food they spent the day exploring the capital. Of course he couldn't really search for suspicious persons, what with three girls hanging around and trying to pamper him, oh if Ieyasu could see him now.
Now to the present situation, currently they were back at the inn, the three girls were in the room. Fal was practicing her village's various martial arts forms, Luna was reading a text book she bought from a merchant while Air sat next to Tatsumi with a worried expression on her face. Tatsumi was sitting on the bed cross-legged with his arms crossed as well, his brow furrowed and his lips were pursed in a thin line.
He had been like this ever since they got back to the inn, 3 hours ago. Enough time for Fal to work up a sweat, take a bath, lounge around, get bored and start practicing again. Enough time for Luna to peruse a scholastic tome half her actual weight in pages. Enough time for Air to worry that their new master might be dead and they haven't even realized it yet which is why she is currently next to him. The truth is Tatsumi hasn't moved since assuming that position saying that he needed to 'think about it' before making the decision.
A few moments pass before a tired sigh escaped his lips alerting the girls to his movement and relief that he is in fact alive. Fal and Luna immediately ran to his side, Air got off the bed to stand beside her friends in front of him. Tatsumi unfolded his legs and arms and stretched them out with a mighty yawn
"That was a good nap" he commented
Too bad he couldn't see the expression of bewilderment on each girls face especially Air's. He was sleeping? She couldn't believe it, first of all, who sleeps like that and from her close proximity even she wasn't sure he was even breathing.
"You were sleeping the entire time?" Luna asked glancing at Air, who had devoted her time to staying by his side.
"Not the entire time" he defended before turning to Air "I respect your dedication Air" he commended.
The girl beamed at him "thank you master!" she exclaimed.
Hearing that Tatsumi glanced up as if looking at something with a long "hmmmm"
Not knowing what was going on they glanced up as well only to see the ceiling, that's when they remembered he was blind or so he says. They never did ask how he manages to always walk around like he could see without any assistance.
"Air, Fal, Luna" his voice made them glance at him "are you sure you want to be my servants?" he didn't take his gaze off the ceiling as he questioned them.
"Yes" they exclaimed in unison
"You do realize what it means to be a servant don't you?" he questioned
Fal finally got frustrated "ah, would you quit stalling already! Yes we know what it means and we accepted it the moment the village sold us off" she pointed her finger at him "so stop trying to give us the run around and say yes already!"
Tatsumi took his gaze off the ceiling "….alright then" they brightened at this. "Answer me this first" his tone was serious and the atmosphere became heavy with his words.
"Are you willing to give me your soul?" they were wide eyed at this and quite frankly speechless, suddenly it became harder to breath.
Air gulped "w-what do you mean?" Fal slowly barred both girls behind her and slowly went into a fighting stance.
Tatsumi caught the subtle movement, heard their rising heart beat and tilted his head in confusion before it suddenly clicked what it is they think he's trying to imply.
"Wait" he held his hands up in surrender "that's not exactly what I meant. I'm not asking you to do anything lewd or perverted so you can relax" he stated hurriedly while mentally slapping himself for not choosing his words carefully.
He sighed "what I meant is by tradition whenever a master has a servant he is to brandish them as a sign that they are his, usually it was burning their mark onto the skin of the servant or using a tattoo" he paused "what I have in mind isn't just skin deep, that's why I'm asking you before I do it" he finished darkly.
"I still don't understand" Air said.
All three of them seemed to have calmed down but were still weary of him and confused.
"Did you see how I killed those dogs when I rescued you three?" he asked
Air's eyes widened as she remembered the first time she saw him. He seemed to take form from a murder of crows that enveloped the room and turned everyone except them into a bloody mess. A glance at Fal told her that she too remembered as her eyes were wide and sweat began to form on her brow.
Luna on the other hand drew up blank, she was barely conscious when it happened, the intense pain of having her eye removed was too much for her. What she did remember was a dark bird attacking the man that removed her eye and vaguely caught a glimpse of Tatsumi reaching out to her and then, nothing.
Tatsumi brought his arm up for them to see then suddenly black ink enveloped his hand
"I won't lie to you and I won't sugar coat this either. If you are truly serious about becoming my servants then I will have to 'mark' you" the black ink that coated his arms spread out until it resembled a flame enveloping his hand "it will be painful and afterwards your souls will belong to me. Do you still agree now?"
There was a long silence as the now fearful girls contemplate their next course of action. They never expected this, what he's talking about is more than just simply servitude.
After another minute of silence Tatsumi lowered his hand with a sigh "I thought so" he expected this "since you refuse to go back the your village and you don't agree to the terms of being my servants" he put his finger to his chin in thought "then I guess I can help you find a mas-"
"Hey hold on a minute" Fal yelled and Tatsumi's mouth hung open mid sentence before he closed it.
"We didn't say anything yet master" Air added, a little frustrated but not angry.
"What is the meaning of marking us, master?" Luna added curiously.
Tatsumi sat back down on the bed with his arms folded and a deep frown "well, it is suppose to officially state you three as my servants" he unfolded his arms and leaned on them, on the bed while looking up as he explained.
"By marking you three, you'll each be able to manifest my powers to an extent, as a representation of your loyalty to me. Your bodies will become stronger and more durable so as to protect me and yourself from harm." He looked down held his hands up "you guys won't be mindless slaves or anything like that, but" his tone became darker "your souls, your lives will be bound to mine. If I die, you will all die as well."
They all gulped at his last words and looked amongst each other adopting a serious expression before eventually nodding starting with Fal and then Air but Luna was still thinking it over. They already accepted and even wanted to be servants, his servants. Tatsumi was a good person through and through, so what if her life was bound to his.
She figured Air was thinking along the lines of this and Fal was probably thinking that he wasn't bad looking plus they would also be stronger. Luna's eye twitched, she didn't want to feel so helpless again. She looked to Air and Fal before nodding as well
"We'll do it" Air answered her tone and expression one of utmost seriousness.
As the sun finally set Tatsumi slowly rose from the bed and the girls noticed how tall he was for perhaps the first time.
"Alright then" he said and they could feel themselves sinking "If we're doing this I'm going to have to take us somewhere else" he said as their vision was enveloped in darkness.
At the edge of the forest Crow was perched on the ground on the bank of a stream, the moonlight shun brilliantly against it. Suddenly its small shadow became thicker and it expanded until Tatsumi, Air, Fal and Luna rose from it. As soon as they completely ascended the girls drop on all fours. If they were to describe the feeling they just had, it would be continuously falling until they hit the ground, but without any pain.
Fal staggered up while Tatsumi had to helped Air and Luna to their feet.
"I'm sorry about that, I forget the effect that has on people sometimes" he scratched the side of his head.
"Where are we?" Fal asked looking around
"Oh, we're outside the capital" he replied unzipping his coat, folded it and placed right at his feet.
"And why is that?" Luna asked wearily
"Because" he began as he did some stretches "this is the first time I'm going to be marking someone and I don't want any prying eyes" he finished.
He sat on the ground cross legged motioning for the girls to do the same. Once they sat down his hands become enflamed in black fire
"Take a deep breath because this will hurt" he stated grimly and suddenly for the girls, this didn't seem like such a good idea.
Birds scattered in the nearby trees as the bloodcurdling screams of three girls echoed throughout half of the surrounding forest.
"Everyone is here" Najenda began as she surveyed the room, finding the eight members present in a loose semi circle around her.
"I have three pieces of bad news to relay so listen carefully" some of them shifted and tensed up at this. "First, I can no longer contact the local team."
Braht and Akame's expression tensed at this.
"A local team?" Sayo questioned.
"The empire is vast so while we specialize in assassinations in the capital, there is another team that handles assassinations in the areas around it" Schere answered, the glare from her glasses obstructing the view of her eyes.
"It's being investigated but the likelihood that they are dead is high so be prepared for that" she looked to Rabac "in the meantime I think we should increase the security around the base."
Rabac nodded and tightened his glove "got it, I'll increase the range of my threads."
Najenda nodded at that "secondly, Esdese has finished conquering the North and has returned to the capital" she finished while going in her pocket.
Every senior member of Night Raid adopted an expression of dread except for Leone who looked just as laid back as usual, no, actually more bored than anything else. Sayo looked to Ieyasu who caught her glance and shrugged in confusion before their attention focused on Najenda.
"That was much faster than anyone expected" Akame commented, the frustration showing on her usually stoic expression.
"It seems her army was left to the North which means she must've been summoned to the capital" Najenda added while fiddling with her cigarette box.
"So it's safe to say that she wasn't suddenly brought here to deal with the revolutionary army right?" Braht imputed
"I can't figure out what her next move will be, but currently it seems she is throwing herself into her work in the government's torture facilities" she looked to Leone "Leone, I want you to go to the capital and Observe her movements."
"Leave it to me" she cheered with a smile "I've always wanted to know what type of person she is after all" she added.
"She's a homicidal maniac who enjoys slaughter" Najenda replied bluntly while looking at her intently "be on your guard."
Leone shrugged exaggeratedly "alright, alright."
Najenda observed a grin that formed on Leone's face, she knew what she was thinking and chose to ignore it. Leone would come to realize the error of her ways soon enough.
Najenda decided to continue "and finally, there has been a string of murders, the victims are officials and their bodyguards" she pulled up a 'Night Raid' poster "the problems is these posters claiming to be from Night Raid were found at all of the crime scenes" she finished
Braht bend down to look at said poster "so they're framing us for the crimes?" he looked at Ieyasu with folded arms "it's easy to see they're fakes right?"
Ieyasu shrugged with a smirk "yeah, it's obvious, I mean for us to start suddenly claim responsibility seems a bit farfetched."
"That's what I thought about the first two cases" she paused "but now it seems it might be us."
"Why's that" he questioned
"In the last incident former Prime Minister Chouri and about thirty of his elite personal guard along with his daughter who was a disciple of a Master in the imperial Fist Temple were massacred. The popular consensus is: 'no one but us could accomplish this'."
Akame cupped her chin "the enemy is just as powerful as us. Then that means Teigu users."
"Exactly and the persons killed were highly skilled and opposed the Prime Minister, in other words this is just a scheme by the prime Minister where he gets rid of his enemies while having Night Raid take the blame."
"You think this could be a plan to lure us out?" Braht enquired.
"I figured as much however, these people are essential in helping to create a new country. We cannot afford to lose any more of them, that is why I say we head out and crush those fakes."
No one disputed Najenda's words and as such she continued "there are five officials who we suspect are being targeted, of those a few have plans to leave the capital soon and we've narrowed it down to two. Akame and Rabac will go together, Braht you will take Sayo and Ieyasu."
"Where does the official we need to protect plan to go?" Sayo asked.
"He plans to board the massive luxury cruise liner, Ryuusen"
With that, the meeting was now complete and the Night raid members save for the recovering Schere and Mein went about their plans for tomorrow afternoon.
The Very Next Day
Her eyes fluttered open slowly; she took a moment to take in her surroundings
"Ugh" she tried to sit up but instantly felt dizzy and fell back on her elbows.
Fal rolled on her stomach, still prompt up on her hands, her vision going back to normal she saw Luna and Air still unconscious. As the vision of her friends became clearer her eyes widened at their appearance. Both her friends' expression seemed ordinary for an unconscious/sleeping person, however that can't be said for their physical appearance.
Luna was lying peacefully on what looks like pure black water, no ink, that seemed to shift minutely every time she expresses any outward disturbances. When she grumbled a little the dark substance underneath would tremble, if she turned to lay on her side and the dark substance moved along with her.
She turned to see Air had clouds of darkness surrounded her sleeping form. Fal's vision fully returned and she took a closer look at her pink clothed friend. Air wasn't lying on the ground she was levitating. As her mind soaked in the sight before her she didn't take notice of the other presence
"I never expected this to happen" a bemused Tatsumi mumbled beside her.
Although he said it under his breath Fal heard it as if he whispered it directly in her ears. With that thought Fal snapped her head in his direction with her cheeks tinted scarlet. All this went away when she realized that he was standing a few feet beside her while she was still crouched on all fours
Tatsumi turned to her fully and she saw a crow perched on his shoulder.
"Good morning Fal" he greeted idly.
Gathering her bearings the girl stood up "g-good morning, master" she replied in earnest.
Tatsumi didn't take his gaze off of her instead cupping his chin "how are you feeling?"
She blinked "eh, w- well I feel great" she replied
There was silence and Fal became increasingly uncomfortable with that silence so she decided to break it "w-what wrong?"
"You've seen Air and Luna right?" he asked curiously.
Oh that's right, she looked to them with worry trying to comprehend what she was seeing but before she could voice a question
"Have you taken a closer look at yourself?" he asked again
Fal blinked 'what is he talking about?' she thought confusedly before looking at her hands.
Her eyes widened in shock and a gasp escaped her lips. Black ink with a dark purple outline covered most of her right arm. She looked down to her leg and saw the same dark ink cover most of her thigh except it was curved into a symbol just above her knees.
"W-what is this!?" she yelled in horror. When she touched it, it moved subtly, frightening her and causing her to fall back.
"Fal calm down" Tatsumi spoke and she looked up to find his arm outstretched with a small smile. She accepted the gesture and he pulled her up effortlessly.
"That" he pointed to the dark ink "is a manifestation of the power I told you about yesterday once I marked you as my servant."
Yesterday? Her mind clicked, he did tell her about yesterday and they agreed to be his servants, then he took them out here. His hands were covered in black flame, her body felt pain course through her body, maybe even worse than when her legs were broken and then, nothing. She woke up to see Luna in a puddle of moving black water and Air sleeping on a black cloud levitating off the ground. And her, she was covered in black ink like a really big tattoo.
"We'll wait for them to wake up before I explain what's happening to you. In the meantime try and get a better control on your new power, I think you woke up because you're the strongest out of three" he mused "going by that, I say Air will wake up followed by Luna."
Fal actually stopped paying attention after he said power. Fal started looking all over her body, even going over to the nearby stream to look at her reflection. Seeing her mirrored image Fal had to look very closely as she looked different. The tattoo like markings covered the right side of her face, coming down in a curve on her right cheek. She also noticed that her eyes weren't auburn; instead they were dark in color as the tattoo surrounding her body.
"Am I going to look like this all the time now?" she asked touching her skin, her tone had a hint of worry.
"No you won't" she glanced at him still on all fours "it will be for a few hours at best. Just until your body gets used to your power" he finished.
"What is this stuff anyway?"
"Darkness" he replied simply
"Eh what?"
Tatsumi sighed "that ominous tattoo surrounding your body is darkness, plain and simple" he cupped his chin in thought "I was curious how a distribution of my powers would work out but then…" he trailed off.
"But then what?" she questioned
"Well" he scratched the back of his head "from the feel of it, you may have inherited my powers but it looks like you each only get one form of it, based on your personality" he finished.
She blinked "oh, so what can I do?"
"I call those markings on your body the 'Black Mark' and it can act as armor to protect you"
"Won't do much protecting if it doesn't cover most of my body" Tatsumi heard her grumble while looking over all the parts of her body the 'armor' didn't cover.
"The armor can expand and cover parts of your body or all of it" he paused "although you'd have to consume to allow it to grow for it to do that. For now try commanding it to move."
At his words Fal rolled up her sleeves, she saw that while her right hand was covered, her left was clean. She narrowed her eyes and thought of it on her left hand and slowly, it started slithering over her arms. It would startle her before but it felt so natural to her that she didn't even mind.
"I did it, master!" she yelled triumphantly with a grin.
Tatsumi smiled at this but then his attention was turned to the girls lying down
"Air's about to wake up" he commented before walking over to her. Fal raised an eyebrow but then Air's groans made her follow suit.
Air groaned again, she turned on her side with a small smile, the bed she was on was very comfortable, it's like she was floating. Her eyes fluttered open, she sat up slowly with an adorable yawn while stretching. She rubbed her sleepy eyes
"Good morning Air"
The pinkette's smile widened when she saw the source of the greeting
"Master!" she greeted happily.
"Geez you're sure in a good mood" another familiar voice said behind him.
Air's smile dropped as Fal came into view.
"F-Fal?" she questioned I disbelief.
Fal crossed her arms and seemed to be examining her before grinning "who else am I supposed to be?" at that the black marks on her face shifted.
"Eep!" Air let out a squeak and fell to her back but found herself drifting further away despite it.
Fal and Air blinked while Tatsumi hummed before speaking "Fal, you still have some armor on your face."
Fal's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her and she swore under her breath. Air's eyes widened too as she witness the black tattoos recede from her face and into her clothes.
Tatsumi walked over to the now confused and slightly terrified pinkette.
"Air, calm down" he comforted "do you remember what happened yesterday?"
Tatsumi waited as she gathered her bearings and through Crow's eyes understood that she remembered by her facial expression.
"Y-yes" she answered weakly.
"Then you understand that I gave you all a part of my power as a representation of your affiliation with me, right?"
She nodded but then quickly answered "yes, master"
Fal came up next to Tatsumi but Fal looked at her with uncertainty but was thrown off when she grinned.
"You know you're floating right" Fal asked with a raised eyebrow while still smiling.
"Ah?" was Air's response before looking down. To her surprise she was indeed floating on a large black pillow no less.
This was followed by an awkward silence as she slowly turned her head towards Tatsumi and Fal who seem to be waiting for her reaction but as soon as she was about to open her mouth Tatsumi cut her off
"Good morning Luna" he said.
Fal and Air looked behind Tatsumi to find Luna sitting in a large black puddle of ink. Luna was staring at them with half laden eyes that were more curious than surprised. She observed that Fal had an abnormally large tattoo on her right thigh and Air was floating on a large pillow. She looked down and found that the ground was dark, her eyes shifted into concentration and she figured that she was sitting on something similar to what Fal and Air have.
Luna used her hand to touch it and instantly felt a natural connection to it, like it was her own arms. Glancing at Air's dark pillow Luna closed her eyes and after a moment she found herself floating off the ground. Fal and Air's mouth dropped while Tatsumi merely folded his arms while barely tilting his head, the crow mimicking that action.
"I guess I don't have to explain anything about what happened last night to you eh Luna?" He questioned Luna who was now sitting on a chair that she formed from the dark water. The chair oddly seemed like some kind of animal though.
She shook her head and replied calmly "yes master, I remember everything yesterday. Is this the power you gave us?"
"Yes" he replied and raised his eyebrow "you're taking this better than Fal and Air did."
"Ah she's always been like that" exclaimed Fal with her hands behind her head.
"What do you mean?"
"She means I always think before I act" Luna answered as her chair that was still attached to the ground moved forward to meet them and reaffirming her friend's suspicion of it being an animal rather than an inanimate object as the 'chair' began moving like a horse.
Tatsumi can understand that, yesterday she seemed reserved and knowledgeable; she chose to spend her time reading a book yesterday. Also for the most part she was more composed than the shy Air and the rambunctious Fal.
"How come I don't have the same kind of powers they have, Master?" Fal complained as she and Tatsumi were the only once actually standing now.
"Since you're all awake I guess I can explain then" he stated before sitting down cross legged.
Fal copied him; Air hovered just barely off the ground while Luna was lowered by her….'chair' which was laying down.
"From what I can see, you all manifested powers based on your personalities and mindset, also from what I understand it seems that you each have a different way in which you can manipulate it."
He pointed at Fal "for example Fal your power allows you to manipulate darkness as a type of armor that protects you and enhance your physical strength, speed and durability"
"Really!?" she asked with a grin.
He nodded "it's something I use often" he rolled up his sleeve and the girls watched as a similar marking slithers across his hand "I only use that form of darkness for protection" his hand straightened "it has offensive capabilities too" the darkness engulfed his entire hand and stretched out to form a dark curved blade that was jagged at the tip.
Fal had sparkles in her eyes as she gazed at her hands and imagined what Tatsumi just did and soon the darkness engulfed her hand and produced the same looking blade. Luna observed that Fal's blade wasn't as long as Tatsumi's and it somehow seemed lacking compared to his pure dark blade.
A wide grin formed on her face and she got up to swing at the air, adding some kicks as well. Tatsumi smiled at this something that he noticed has become recurring since this morning, as if he now share a bond with each of them.
Fal stopped and turned to Tatsumi "Master, what else can I do" she was practically bouncing.
He shrugged "it's up to your imagination, darkness can be molded into almost anything" he responded "now can you sit down I haven't explained Air and Luna's yet"
"Yes Master" she replied a little dejectedly before following his order.
"Air, your particular manipulation of darkness isn't one I really use fully because I like walking" Air traded glances with Fal and Luna "with that said I only use it when I need to create weapons" with that his hand went into his shadow to produce a throwing knife "try it" he urged.
Air, still a little unsure placed her hand on the dark pillow cloud and concentrated. Her hand sunk inside after a moment and she griped inside then tugged. She eventually pulled out a somewhat crude rendition of Tatsumi's throwing knife
"Hmm" Tatsumi hummed "it looks like you'll have to practice visualizing your weapon before creating it"
"Um, Master" Air began "I-I don't know how to use any weapons" she admitted timidly.
"That's alright, you don't need to actually hold your weapon to use it" he said earning a confused glance from her "try imagining the dagger floating"
Air nodded and brought the dagger close to her face, staring at it cross eyed while slowly letting it go and to her delight it remained stationary in the air. She stared at it for a while before a smile graced her lips
"I did it!"
"Yes you did, try guiding it"
Air raised her hand and the dagger moved along with it
"Now throw it at the tree" as he said that Tatsumi launched his dagger at tree with the flick of his wrist it hit the tree a fraction of a second later.
Air gulped and raising her hand into a slightly balled fist concentrated and with a flick of her wrist it cut through the air until it was embedded into the tree.
"Hmm, not bad" he commended as both daggers seem to melt on the tree and slither towards them until it was a part of Tatsumi's shadow and Air's pillow.
"Personally I prefer to throw my weapons" he commented offhandedly "it keeps me in shape." He finished before turning to Luna.
"Luna, your form of shadow manipulation allows you to create things, living things" he finished.
'I knew it' Air and Fal thought at the same time looking at the 'chair' that was actually sleeping now that they observed it closely with narrowed eyes.
Luna's eyes widened and she immediately glanced at the crow perched on his shoulder looking at her.
"Kaw" it responded while bobbing its head up and down as if to answer her unsaid question.
Tatsumi pointed at the 'chair' "even seemingly inanimate objects are 'alive'" he made air quotes "which is kind of disturbing when you think about it" he mused and both girls nodded in affirmation. "Try creating something using your imagination" he said.
Luna stood up and stared at the dark chair until it started shifting and something flew out and nestled on top of her head.
"Kaw" it was a smaller version of Tatsumi's crow
Tatsumi frowned at this "alright let's get something straight. Crows are my thing, so try to create something else next time Luna. I'll let it go just this one time understood?"
Taken aback by his words the bluenette stuttered "Y-yes Master."
Tatsumi's frown lessened "alright then" he stood up "for today I am going to help you with your newfound powers until I deem you fit to develop them further on your own." He opted a sinister grin
"I hope you're prepared?" he said darkly as the three girls nervously gulped
Meanwhile, a chill ran up Sayo and Ieyasu's spine as they waited for the 'Ryuusen' to dock.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who felt that" Ieyasu commented
"Felt what?" Braht questioned cautiously while camouflaged in Incursio.
"Nothing" Sayo said a little too quickly
"O-kay then" he drawled slowly "you two better get your heads together here comes the Ryuusen.
As those words escaped his mouth Sayo, Ieyasu and a good portion of the crowd saw through the fog filled air in the distance the makings of a dragon's head.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Bet you guys never saw that coming did you? Like I said before those three girls will have a major part to play in this story and I bet I am the only writer who has thought of using them this way. Not that I will do this with every minor character I come across, I want this to focus more on Tatsumi and his relationship with the people around him. You could call Sayo and Ieyasu as the deuteragonists of the story.
BTW for anyone wondering, I based Fal's black mark 'tatoo' from Meliodas' demon form in the manga/anime Nanatsu No Taizai. I also based Air's power on another character from the same anime/manga called King. Great manga and the anime does the show justice so check it out if you have the time, I guarantee you will not regret it.
