Ever since the day after their new member, Tatsumi (and his servant Aria), joined their group, Leone's sensitive ears began to hear some odd noise in some parts of their base. It's mostly around the places near the cliff side though, much to the girl's confusion.
"I swear, sometimes I hear yells and screams over here." Leone talked to the man named Lubbock. Scratching her head, the lioness shook her head. "But it doesn't make sense."
"You don't think it's…" Lubbock whispered on her ears. "ghosts?"
Leone stared at him, her lips sealed. She gave him the deadpan expression. "Really, Lubbock?"
"What? It's a possibility." The green-haired man defended himself.
"I was stupid for trying to talk to you." Leone spat. "Why am talking to you again? Oh yeah, I saw you hiding at your usual spot near the hot spring."
"Hey, I was just, uh…" A bead of sweat rolled down behind his head. "keeping an eye to Aria?"
"While she's taking a bath?" The girl's eyes shone menacingly, with her grabbing the poor man by his shoulders. "Yeah right."
Another terrifying, blood-curdling scream haunted the hallways that time.
Tatsumi clenched his hands, blankly staring at it. For some reason, the usual grin on his face is nonexistent. His face looked deep in thought, though whatever he was thinking was unknown.
Tatsumi turned to a soft footstep to his right, somewhat surprised. He closed his eyes for a second, and with that, his smile was back. "Good morning, Sheele."
"Tatsumi, I need to talk to you about something." Sheele was uncharacteristically serious there. Tatsumi tried to take a look at her eyes, but find them hidden behind the reflection of her glasses.
"Something I can help you with?" Tatsumi put his hands behind him. He couldn't put it, but somehow, this Sheele seems… different.
"Would you please activate your teigu?"
The teen raised an eyebrow, but complied nonetheless. He closed his right eye for a second, and when he reopened it, the familiar tint of white covered his sclera once again, with his iris transforming into a thin slit.
Before Tatsumi could ask something, a small knife was thrown into his eye. Surprised by the sudden aggression, Tatsumi was left staring at the projectile as it soared towards him with incredible speed.
"Tatsumi!" A voice yelled from behind him, with a pale white hand catching the metal dead in its tracks. The green garment around the mysterious hand swayed from the sudden movement, and finally catching up, Tatsumi jumped back away from this 'Sheele'.
"Shit, Yami!" Tatsumi turned to the lithe form of a girl floating behind him, his face turned into a scowl. "You didn't have to save me!"
"I-I moved on my own…" The white-haired girl uttered, looking just as confused as the boy. "a-and she was going to kill you!"
'Sheele' looked at the unknown girl, noticing the panicked look on her eyes. The most noticeable thing about the little girl though, was the pair of emerald horns protruding from her head.
A knowing smirk appeared at 'Sheele's' face, and with a poof, she was suddenly covered in a pink smoke. "Looks like Boss was right about you."
Tatsumi growled loudly at the intruder, ready to use his power if the need arises. What replaced the fake Sheele was a weird girl wearing a headphone, and a dress that would be more fitting to an idol.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." The brunette seethed in anger. The horned girl behind him didn't know what to do, and just proceeded to hide behind his back.
"Chill out, Tatsumi. This was just Boss Najenda's orders." The girl pulled a lollipop from her pocket, winking.
"…" Tatsumi calmed down a little, now thinking more rationally. "She wanted to know whether I'm the real deal or not, huh."
"That's correct." She strutted towards him, smiling. "Name's Chelsea by the way… your majesty?" A cheshire cat-like grin graced her face, threatening to overcome Tatsumi's signature smile.
"Shut up." Tatsumi turned around, grunting. 'Yami, begone. See to it that I'll punish you later for this…" The demon-looking child gulped, vanishing with a flash of green light.
Glancing one last time, he surprised Chelsea with a grin of his own. "You girl… are interesting." He walked further and further down the hallway, until he was gone.
Chelsea blinked, frowning. "So that's the 'Cursed Prince'… A direct relative of to the royal family of The Capital."
"I've heard rumours, but to think that he's actually working with a devil…" Chelsea thought out loud.
Leone tapped on a rock wall outside their home base, leaning her ear closer to it as she did. The woman had been doing this for the past thirty minutes, intent on finding where the strange sounds were coming from.
"Weird," Leone blinked. "this wall sounds hollow inside. It's as if there's a space inside it."
She averted her gaze to her sides, looking for anyone around her. Seeing no one, she activated her teigu. "Lionelle!"
The familiar lion hands appeared, followed by her hair growing further down. With a crack from her knuckles, she punched the flimsy obstacle in front of her.
Dust and debris followed after the blonde's move, making her step back to avoid inhaling the built up dust. After a few seconds, a dark hallway was revealed inside. "What the heck. Did anyone build a secret escape route here or something?"
Leone stepped inside the unknown place, noting the fact that the floor, walls and ceiling inside was almost as cold as an ice. Deeper down the makeshift cave, a soft, fiery glow can be seen on a turn to her right.
Just before she could take a peek on whatever was in that direction, someone spoke behind her, making the blonde jump back in surprise.
"Cats really are a curious bunch, aren't they?" Tatsumi stood at the entrance of the cave, blocking any path to the single exit.
"Tatsumi?" Leone relaxed, sighing. "Do you know what this place is?"
"It's my personal training ground, Leone." Tatsumi rolled his eyes. "I thought I've already told everyone about this last night."
"You did?" The lioness tried hard, but she couldn't remember him saying anything last night. Heck, she couldn't even remember seeing him for the last two days.
"Yes, now please, get out. I have a door to fix." Tatsumi stared blankly at the small mountain of rubble below him.
"E-Ehehe. Sorry!" Leone sprinted away, not really wanting to mess with the enigmatic guy.
Feeling her presence fading in the distance, Tatsumi heaved a sigh. "So that girl's a nuisance too. Didn't know she have heightened senses." Tatsumi walked inside. When he saw the three girls he had found a day ago in The Capital there sleeping soundly, he couldn't help but grin. "This three will be finished soon too. Just a little bit more push, then they'll be broken."
"Nah," Tatsumi shook his head. "nobody wants a broken toy… I'll keep their sanity hanging in a small thread. Yes, that'll be the best course of action…" Tatsumi laughed to himself.
Or so he said…
Night had risen once again, signalling a new mission for the assassins. Though Tatsumi had finished some of them, this time, there was one request he hadn't done yet. The said teen was busy doing another mission, and so someone from Night Raid had to do it.
This is an extermination mission." Najenda started, getting the attention of every member in front of her. "Our target for tonight is Iokal, a distant relative of the Prime Minister."
Aria scoffed at the name. "I know that perv. That disgusting man wanted to buy me before…" The blonde seethed in anger.
Najenda nodded, proceeding. "He uses his connection to the prime Minister to kidnap young girls, then torture them until they die." All of the girls scrunched up their face in disgust with different intensity.
"His five guards gets their share too, so they're just as guilty as that man." Najenda stabbed a dagger on a picture of a guy.
"Uhm, can I ask a question?" Sheele raised a hand.
"What is it?"
"Why haven't Tatsumi finished this mission?" The purple-haired girl innocently asked.
"Well, Tatsumi still haven't sent me a message. He must still be busy with the other missions for this night." Najenda fluently answered. Sheele nodded at that.
'I know the real answer.' Aria smirked internally. 'He's giving me a chance to grow closer to you losers, so that it'll be easier to convert you when the time comes.'
'He sure is manipulative.'
"Any other questions?" Lubbock raised his hand this time.
"Eh, are we bringing her?" He pointed at Aria, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, I don't have a problem bringing another cute girl with us, but…"
"I won't turn on you guys, if that's what you're thinking." Aria rolled her eyes.
"Nah, I wasn't talking 'bout that." Lubbock rubbed the back of his head. "I meant that, can you take care of yourself?"
"Aww." Aria actually smiled at that. "Want me to show you how I use this knife?" Aria pulled out a small knife from her dress, then made a cutting gesture with her finger. "Don't think I didn't see you peeking at me earlier, pervert. I'll 'cut' something from you next time. I'm serious."
Lubbock shrunk in his spot, and never said a word again that night. Bulat shook his head at the antics of their fellow green-haired assassin.
"Ehem," Najenda cleared her throat. "now that that's out of the way, let me officially start this mission."
Everyone looked at her, face filled with determination. "Night Raid, commence mission!"
Mine readied her Pumpkin, adjusting its position for a greater view on her target. Aria was assigned to guard the sniper from any attacker that might reach them, though they aren't that worried as they have the others ready to fend off anyone coming their way.
"Any second now…" Mine closed her left eye, steadying her stance in a more comfortable position.
Meanwhile, Aria stood beside the pink haired girl, a binocular in her hand. The blonde glanced at her partner for the night. She had heard that this girl was a 'Master Sniper' or something from Tatsumi, but a sniper without a scope? Aria couldn't really believe it.
"He's already outside." Mine quietly spoke, prompting the blonde to peek at her binocular.
"A lot more people that aren't our target came with him." Aria clicked her tongue. "What a coward."
Mine inhaled, adjusting her trajectory to near perfect. With a slight pull from the trigger, a medium-sized pulse of energy rocketed towards their target, and, as if a miracle, hit him between his eyes.
"hmp. Easy." Mine smirked to herself, already walking off.
Aria blinked at the girl, wondering what just happened. She got her senses back when she heard Mine walking away from the spot. "H-Hey, wait a minute!"
'No wonder Tatsumi took such a liking to her.' Aria thought grimly.
"That was amazing!" Aria smiled at Mine, her hands clasping each other.
"I've already heard that a million time." Mine gave her a shit-eating grin, to which almost drove Aria to her limits.
"Probably because you deserved it." Aria nodded to herself.
Mine continued walking, enjoying the sweet nothings the blonde was spouting.
No more than some minutes, they arrived at their promised rendezvous point. Both the girl sat against the tree in the middle, catching their breaths from the winding walk.
"Well well well, look what we have here." A voice echoed inside the darkness of the forest, making them sprung up in action. "Two little kittens lost in the forest." There appeared a ripped man wearing the attire of the guards guarding Iokal.
"He slipped past everyone?!" Aria whispered in anger. The blonde patted her pocket for her knife.
"Damn it." Mine held her gun up, facing the man in front of them.
"Now you two, be kind and just kneel in the gro—"
"W-Wait!" Aria rose her left hand, the other one seemingly limp. "I'm a hostage, help me!" At that, Mine turned to her, betrayal written all over her face.
The man blinked for a second, then widened his eyes. "Y-You're Aria Grundel. I heard you got kidnapped a week ago."
"Please, rescue me! My family knows the Minister, I'll be sure to ask him for a prize for you!" Aria clutched her limp hand, a blood trailing down from it.
"Y-You traitor…" Mine seethed in fury.
At the mention of reward, the man instantly grinned. "Of course!" He started running towards Mine, a look of greed present on his face.
The pink haired girl jumped back, firing her Pumpkin with its rapid fire-mode. To her shock, the koukenji artist easily weaved through the storm of bullets like nothing. To make it worst, Aria tripped her feet from behind her, making her let go of her only weapon.
Mine fell down to the ground with a soft grunt. The man stood menacingly over her prone form, eliciting a small amount of fear from Mine.
"Miss Grundel, you wouldn't mind if I… interrogate this girl for a bit, would you?" He licked his lips hungrily.
Aria thought about it for a second, then grinned. "Consider it as an initial reward then." The blonde walked away from the two, leaving Mine alone with the guy.
A feral look shadowed over the man's eye. Mine, trying to grab her weapon in a vain attempt to save herself, got a hand grasping her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
"Wait, what do you mean one got past us?!" Leone shook Lubbock by his shoulder.
"Well, I didn't get to kill one…" Swirls replaced the man's normal eyes.
"Lubbock's right, there are only four bodies here." Bulat held an arm under his chin, still wearing his teigu, Incursio.
Sheele and Akame both looked at each other, then gazed at the direction where their last two member hide.
"Mine, be careful." Sheele worriedly whispered in the wind.
"Hm." Tatsumi grinned behind a tree, watching how the scene behind him unfold. "Looks like Aria's working hard." He walked away silently, leaving no trace that he was there.
Back to Mine, the man that planned to assault her now lay lifelessly on the ground, a tiny throwing knife embedded behind his neck. Aria can be seen offering a hand to the downed sniper, a small smile etched on her face.
"I'm sorry that I had to scare you first there, but it was a success in the end." Aria chuckled to herself.
"Why is your arm bleeding?"
"I cut it for added effects. Teehee." Aria winked at her.
Mine blinked for a second, confused on what to feel right now. "You're really weird, Aria."
The blonde glanced at the pinkette's eyes, surprised to hear her name from someone other than Tatsumi. This time, a real, small smile graced the rich-girl's porcelain face.
"See, my name isn't that hard to say now, right?"