Revised Beginning 4
He was back in the forest again, his surroundings were flying by, the trees and bushes morphed into a greying blur. His adolescent legs were carrying his body forward at a break-neck pace; his feet barely feeling the coarse dirt diving into his soles. His lungs were over-clocked and pushed to their limits, desperately trying to replace the air he was exhaling out.
Yet it was somehow different. His legs ached more intensely, and his breath came out more raggedly.
'I can make it! Just a little further... Please body, don't make me late!' Tatsumi thoughts were muddled and he thought the trees were nearly triple in number. He even collided with a tree which he swore wasn't there before. But he had no time to lie down on the ground; he clambered back up to his feet and continued to sprint to his destination. He marveled at how distracted he was and wondered where his earlier state of clarity had gone. But he already had his answer…
He had arrived at his destination, but moments later he instantly wanted to be anywhere else but there. The clearing was layered in blood, the liquid rising to about his ankles. Then suddenly his legs robotically shuffled forward. The boy panically willed his limbs to obey him, but they refused to listen. They sluggishly carried the boy's body towards the other side of the clearing.
Then his toes brushed beside something unpleasant. The boy tilted his head downward and saw a severed arm. Bile tried to escape his mouth, but his lips were clamped shut. His legs continued its path to the other side of the clearing. As he got closer to his 'destination', the more detached limbs he came across; An arm here, a leg there, and gallons of blood everywhere.
'S-s-stop! Why can't I stop!' He wished his legs would stop moving, but he was unable to stop himself. But he should've been more careful of what he wished for…
'…No… I wasn't in time…!' Whatever force that was driving him to this scene finally left his body, but the boy's strength had escaped as well. His legs crumbled beneath him, and he splashed into the sea of crimson.
In front of him lay a gruesome scene. Two female corpses were sprawled out on the ground; their raven-black hair was floating on the surface of the layer of liquid. They looked very similar; both around the same height and their creamy pale skin were in contrast to the scarlet fluid. But the most glaringly obvious detail about the two bodies was the fact that they were both bisected by a jagged cut. The smaller of the two figures had received a cut that separated her legs from her torso. The bigger form however was lacerated vertically, ropes of pink flesh and lumps of meat spilled onto the ground, adding to the ever growing ocean of gore.
"…No…No! NononononoNONONONO!" The boy's voice began as a murmur but gradually increased in volume until the boy was howling. His arms were clutching his head and the boy was trying to scrub the image of the two bodies from his mind. The boy's composure rapidly unraveled and all he could do was keep screaming...
"NOOOOOOO!" Tatsumi bolted upright, and he tugged his hands to cover his face. Unfortunately for two snoozing sisters, this movement jolted them awake and launched them forward.
"T-Tatsumi?"
"Whaa-HEY!"
The girls said in surprise, wondering what was going on. Their upper bodies were lying beside Tatsumi's thighs. They had been cuddling the boy's adolescent biceps last night and were dragged forward when Tatsumi forcible brought his hands to his head.
"Tatsumi?! Are you alright?" Akame worriedly asked, placing a delicate hand onto his shuddering shoulder.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Kurome asked with equal concern; she sidled up to Tatsumi and looked at him.
He was breathing rapidly and cold sweat made his russet brown hair stick to his fore head. His trembling arms were still grasping his head, as if trying to erase an image from his mind. Overall he didn't look in good physical shape and his mutterings of "I'm fine" weren't reassuring the worried sisters
"Tatsumi please tell us what is bothering you! We want to help!" Akame firmly pleaded with both her eyes and words.
"Yeah Tatsumi, tell us! Even though you're telling us 'you're fine', we can see that you're not fine. We're not stupid you know." Kurome said in a tsundere tone, but even Tatsumi could discern the caring undertone in her voice. After a brief moment he relented.
"…I saw you guys die… I was trying to save you and I couldn't make it in time… There was so much blood" Tatsumi choked out the last bit and buried his head further into his palms.
Akame and Kurome gasped and were stunned into silence, not knowing how to respond to such a statement. There was a terse silence but Kurome bravely spoke up.
"Tatsumi, you're such an idiot." She shook her head exasperatedly "Look, me and sis are going to stay with you for a long time, we're not going anywhere any time soon. We'll be here to annoy you for while so don't even dream of us going away. " She smirked slightly at the end and Akame giggled lightly as well.
"Yes Tatsumi, Kurome is right, you don't have to worry about us, I can hold my own you know. Besides you promised you would protect me and Kurome, so I know that you wouldn't be late to save us." She comforted the distraught boy and patted his back reassuringly.
Tatsumi pulled his hands away from his face and he stared at Akame's dazzling smile. An unknown feeling welled inside of him but he ignored it and decided to stop moping.
"Well, if you put that way…" He laughed softly and ran his hand through his tousled locks "I guess I was worried for nothing. You two can take care of yourselves, I can see that now. I just don't wanna see both of you getting hurt ya know? I care for you two…" He trailed off in embarrassment; his face flushed a color that matched the fire that was burning last night, not meaning to say the last part out loud.
"A-A-Anyway we should start going!" Desperately trying to recover, looking away from the two of them "Hey,… what's that?" He gestured to the small pile of fruit laying a few meters away from the burned out fire.
He had turned around and didn't notice the flaming faces of the two sisters. They didn't know how to react to such a statement and just remained silent. Kurome was staring pointedly at the ground, as trying to will the embarrassment out of her and have it drain into the ground. Akame however, reacted differently, she had a hand placed on her chest, trying to calm her erratically beating heart; her gaze wandered about, refusing to even look in Tatsumi's direction
"Hey, berries?! You left me some, thanks!" Tatsumi quickly rushed over to the pile of food and in wolfed down a mouthful. "Thanks again you two, I guess I forgot to eat dinner yesterday." He grinned delightedly and licked the juice that clung to his fingers, unaware of the state of embarrassment the two girls were in.
"We should get going soon; the camp is just a few hours ahead! We'll be there in no time!" The boy said enthusiastically and glanced back at his two companions. They had luckily recovered enough to reply to his optimistic statement.
"Y-Yeah lets go, cmon sis." She grabbed her sister's hand and tugged her towards Tatsumi. The older sister allowed herself to be dragged, still not looking at the boy.
"Something wrong Akame? " Tatsumi noticed that the girl was looking around and was wondering if she saw something "See anything?"
"N-n-no it's nothing…. Let's just go." Akame stuttered out and hustled forward into a random direction.
"That's not the right direction Akame!" The boy called out. "The camp is this way!" He used his index finger to point where the camp was.
The girl immediately turned rigid and lowered her head in shame once again. Then she robotically pivoted around and went in the direction of Tatsumi's finger.
"Well… lets go then…" Kurome said and went after her sister.
"H-H-Hey guys wait up!" The boy scrambled up and chased after them
"Ughhhhhhhhh, I haaaaaate walking!" Kurome griped and threw her hands up dramatically. "How much farther Tatsumi?!"
"It shouldn't be much farther Kurome; we'll be there in no time!" Akame tried to placate her sister. She giggled at her sister's antics but none the less agreed with her sibling, it was taking a while to get to the camp.
" If you're so tired, I can carry ya till we get there." Tatsumi jokingly said, but suddenly lurched forward. Luckily the boy was able to regain his footing. Then he yelled at the small form dangling from his shoulders.
"Ack hey! K-Kurome! What are you doing!?" The boy indignantly asked, craning his neck to shout at the young girl.
"Hey you said you'll carry me! Pweatty pweaseeeeee?!" Kurome pleaded with Tatsumi, utilizing her feminine charms to convince the vulnerable boy.
"…" Tatsumi turned away and relented "Fine… Just don't choke me ok!"
"YES!" Kurome cheered flippantly "Onward!" She screamed childishly and pointed forward.
"NOT SO CLOSE TO MY EARS!"
Akame just laughed merrily at the two antics, and walked beside Tatsumi.
After walking for a spell, Tatsumi unexpectedly halted his movements. Akame, who was walking behind Tatsumi, bumped into Kurome's back.
"Hey, why did we stop?" Kurome inquired quizzically asked. She slid down from Tatsumi's back and walked in front of him. Akame mimicked her sister, but was clutching her bruised nose, anime tears pouring out of her eyes. She pouted angrily at the boy, but remained silent
"I almost forgot something! Here, I want you guys to have these" Tatsumi reached inside his cloak and extracted three lustrous objects "These are centipede legs. Here." He held out his open palms but the sisters didn't make a move to accept the boy's gifts.
"Ummmm…. Why would we want centipede legs, they are kinda icky…" She extended her tongue out in childish disgust. Akame politely stayed quite, but she too was apprehensive of touching insect legs.
"Yeah, I know, how do you think I felt when I yanked these out." The boy shuddered at the unpleasant memory
"Anyway, back in my village, the hunters say that the right leg of the seventh pair of legs of a giant centipede bring good luck. They also say they enhance your fighting powers, but I'm not so sure about that." He noticed the Akame and Kurome were still afraid of touching the items and sighed dejectedly.
"Fine… I went through so much trouble to get these for you guys, I even washed them like a gazillion times. Not to mention how long it took me to carve these to a small enough size for me to carry them! These are the reasons why I took so long to come back ya know, the least you can do is take them!" The boy pouted at them disapprovingly, still holding out his 'gifts'.
"Ok… only because you washed these…" Kurome grudgingly snatched one of the charms and shoved it inside her cloak "Happy now?!"
Akame also grabbed a leg, but she observed it more closely. It was curved, like a bird's talon, and glinted in the sun. If Tatsumi didn't say these were legs, the girl would've thought they were rocks of some sort. The leg also felt as tough as a rock, further increasing the similarities.
"Thank you Tatsumi, I'm really happy that you took that much time to get these for us." She gave the boy a radiant smile as thanks.
"W-well, as long as you know… "He ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment "Hey is that what I think it is?!" He dashed ahead of them suddenly, leaving behind two bewildered siblings.
"Hey wait for us!" They both hollered at the boy in unison, quickly chasing after him.
They only ran for a few moments until the trees that were usually always surrounding them, disappeared. They were at the base of a rather large hill, and two figures were motionlessly standing at the top. Then they noticed Tatsumi, about 3 meters away from them, staring at the two outlines.
"Let's go together guys, follow me." Tatsumi didn't turn to look at them, still watching the forms above him. He waited for the sisters to close the distance between them and then lead the both of them to the top of the mound.
When they got closer to the top, the three could discern more details about the shapes ahead of them. Both of them looked male and one was wearing an odd, glass circle on his left eye. His head had the same sheen as the charms Tatsumi had given them earlier before. The bald man was wearing a grey coat and the collar was standing upright.
The man beside him looked completely different from the first. He looked more normal, wearing a simple white button-up, slate grey pants, and a scarlet scarf that fluttered in the breeze. His sandy yellow tresses reached past his elbows and had some stubble growing on his chin. What was unusual for this seemingly ordinary man was the fact that a red-handled sword rested on his left hip.
"Congratulations are in order for you three passing the examination; you're the first to arrive. Go on ahead and receive treatment for any and all wounds you have sustained." The hairless man's voice was gravelly, as if he eats pulverized rocks for breakfast. The blonde man remained silent as well as the trio, then Tatsumi walked past them with Akame and Kurome in tow.
Once the three passed the swordsman, the monocle wearing man spoke up "It seems that the two sisters have teamed up with that young boy… Interesting, what will you do?"
The man in the scarf clutched his chin in thought for a moment "Well I'll split up the siblings, I can't have them relying on one another."
"But what of the boy, the same can be said for him."
"Well, you're correct on that, but I can sense an immense amount of potential in the lad, it would be a waste to not cultivate that talent, wouldn't you say?" The blonde man replied cheekily
"Yes, I also drew that conclusion as well. Do as you wish, you're the one training them after all." The bald man chuckled roughly and looked over the forest once more.
"You cannot go with these two, there is a separate tent for boys. Please make your way there." One guard was preventing Tatsumi passage. Kurome and Akame had already entered and were trying to convince the sentries to let him in.
"Hey let hi-." Kurome was about to protest loudly but was interrupted by Tatsumi.
"It's okay, if that's the case ill head over there now. Don't worry guys, once I'm patched up, I'll come and visit okay!" The boy smiled reassuringly and then disappeared from the sisters' line of sight.
Once the two had been patched up, they sat across from each other and just rested their fatigued bodies.
"Do you think we'll see Tatsumi again?" Kurome asked her big sis worriedly
"He should be coming over soon." Akame responded soothingly. Then they heard footsteps. "That might be Tatsumi!"
The two girls prepared shouts of greetings but those died in their throats when the flaps of the medical tent were opened. Standing in the entrance was not a young boy with bottle-green eyes and an infectious smile; instead it was the swordsman with the red scarf.
"The results of the exam have just arrived, Akame and Kurome, you're both ranked seventh and eighth, respectively." The man paused briefly "You two will now begin your training… separately." The swordsman grinned evilly at the end.
"No! Where ever Kurome is going, I'm going with her!" Akame protectively clutched her younger sister.
"Big sis…. Don't let them take me…" Then the blonde man snapped his fingers, and suddenly the two guards that were outside, forcibly restrained and separated the two family members.
"NOO! Let her go! KUROME!" Akame desperately tried to free herself, but the man's hold on her constricted her too much and she couldn't move an inch.
"Big sis! BIG SIS! HEEELP!" Kurome stretched out her arms towards her sister, calling out in fear.
"Render them unconscious, but don't hurt them, or else…" The scarf man said threateningly to the guards and then exited the tent.
"No…. Let me…. Go… Please!" Akame weakly clawed at the guards forearms, but it didn't lessen the growing pressure around her neck. She lifted a trembling arm towards Kurome and tried to grasp her hands. But then her brain shut down and her vision went pitch black.
"The results have been received and you have been ranked number one for this examination. Well done, now please follow me." The swordsman gestured towards the entrance of the tent, waiting for the boy. His request seemed less like an request to the bot and more of an order
Tatsumi was against that idea, but his instinct's screamed at him to follow the man's command . He nodded slowly and hopped off the bed he was resting on, and then he walked out of the tent with the blonde haired man. Tatsumi was lead to an plain wagon and was ordered to get in the back. The boy complied silently and once he got on board, the wagon lurched into motion.
Tatsumi glanced around the dimly lit wagon, trying to keep himself together and then he saw a dark lump on the ground. He strode over to the mass and then noticed a familiar face. He scooped up the body and cradled it in his arms
"Akame, oh gosh, Akame!" The boy cried out, shaking the girl "Akame wake up! Please!" His breathing was now frantic, and a cold sense of dread crept up along his back.
Then he saw Akame's eyes fluttering, relieve spreading throughout his body and he sighed out. Once she seemed conscious Tatsumi spoke to her "Hey Akame, are you alright? You scared me there, I thought something happened to you!"
"Tatsumi? Where are we? What happened?" Akame asked, still regaining her bearings. She held a palm up to her eye, trying to quell a raging headache.
"We're in a wagon but I don't know where it's going, as for what happened… I would like to know that as well…" Tatsumi then noticed something strange "Hey Akame… Where's Kurome? Shouldn't she be with you?"
Akame breathed hitched and her whole body tensed up. She was silent for a moment, and then she buried her face into his cloak and wailed in agony. She clutched his coat tightly and she balled up.
Tatsumi was extremely confused, why was Akame crying and where the heck is Kurome, and then realization slammed itself into his mind and regret flooded his form. He now knew why the girl in his arms was so upset: Kurome was taken somewhere else.
Then another revelation hit him: This was the second time he made Akame cry…
TO BE CONTINUED
Disclaimer, don't own AGK
AN: God damn! Sorry for the delay on this update, I decided to take the weekend off and then got super distracted Monday. I'm just glad I got this baby out and rolling. Lemme know what you think of this chapter in the reviews, pretty please? Might make me update faster~
Also thank you godbob,Personas,Firedragon, and Sentinal for the generous reviews and I hope you will have another coming my way for this one : )
Stay classy~
Shootingmavi
