Disclaimer: I do not own Akame ga Kill.

Beta: I Can Kill You With My Brain

Chapter Three-Part Two

We Three Beasts

A gunshot resounded in the air and a goose fell to the ground.

"Woohoo," Doya cheered and put away her pistol in its hostler. "That goose didn't know what hit him!"

Daidara laughed, "Death's funny like that." He picked up the dead poultry and put it in a bag that contained the other dead creatures Doya and Liver had shot down from the sky. Liver had a barrel of water next to him, piercing any unsuspecting fauna wandering through Night Raid territory.

True to his word, Rokugoh had given Akame the day off. She didn't have anything she really wanted to do, so she followed Doya, Liver, and Wave to the forest area outside surrounding Night Raid headquarters. She had given Nyau and Daidara a death glare when she saw them. They hadn't talked to her too much, and everything was going fine. Except for one little thing.

"I hope Kurome is doing alright."

Akame sighed. It had only been one day, but Wave had been worrying nonstop about Kurome. "Why are you so worried? Do you love her or something?"

"What?! No!" Wave's expression turned nostalgic. "She just reminds me of someone that I used to know."

Akame thought of possible options: maybe Wave had a childhood friend or a younger sister. She brushed off whatever emotional connections Wave was remembering. "She can handle herself."

"When we first found you two, she had been kidnapped by the fake Wild Hunt."

"She'll be-" Akame examined her group members closely. "Fine."

"What is it?"

"I just realized something." Akame lifted one of her arms in dread and pointed at Nyau, Daidara, and Liver. "Those three are wearing matching outfits."

"That's because we are..."

Daidara, Nyau, and Liver shouted, "THE! THREE! BEASTS!" And then they posed.

"Each of us have been recruited by Rokugoh personally."

Akame asked, "Recruited?" She remembered how Chelsea had 'recruited' her. It was not so much a recruitment as a kidnapping.

"More or less. The point is Rokugoh has saved our lives at one point or another."

Liver nodded and put a fist to the left side of his chest. "A debt is a debt."

Akame was in shock. Aside from his constant bickering with Chelsea and the Rokugoh worshiping, Liver had seemed to be one of the most collected of the Night Raid. But now...

"There are three of them." Because two wasn't bad enough.

A smile spread across Nyau's face. A smile Akame had become all-too-familiar with in the past few days. "Four, if you count Doya."

Both Akame and Doya looked equally confused. Nyau continued, "She owes a debt to Run. He helped her join Night Raid. And haven't you found it odd that whenever Run goes out on a mission, Doya can always be found nearby?" Nyau stretched his arms out. "She has a crush on him the size of the Empire!"

Click.

Doya pointed a pistol at Nyau's head. Her hat was tilted in a way that concealed her eyes, but the venom in her voice was unmistakable as she spat out, "You have a death wish or something, little man?"

Wave watched as Doya tried to beat up Nyau and how Liver and Daidara tried to hold her back, deciding if he should stop the fight or if it was worth the risk getting on Doya's bad side; Akame stared at the scene and walked towards the garden.

Nyau laughed. He loved Night Raid. Every day spent with the group was festive. When Doya pulled Nyau in a sleeper hold, he caught a glimpse of Akame's face. He wasn't sure why he didn't notice it before today.

Akame looked sad. It wasn't necessarily that she was frowning, tearing up, or carrying herself any differently then she normally did. But, she was sad. Nyau's expression softened.

"It finally got to you, too."

Doya tightened her hold on Nyau. "What did you say?"

Nyau pulled on Doya's arms, loosening the grip enough for him to look Doya in the eyes and smile. "It's nothing."

. . .

After that, Akame entered the garden with the Book of Teigus by her side. The usual occupants of the garden were already going through their usual routine. Natala was pruning the bushes, and Run was reading a book at the table. Akame was startled to see Seryu there. 'She must have needed a few days to pull herself together after the Ogre accident.'

Run smiled and waved. "Hello, Akame." Akame could see why Doya had a crush on him. Run was attractive in a pretty boy kind of way. He had a good personality, a decent amount of strength, and was an incredible cook. However, there was something about him that she couldn't quite figure out.

"Run." Akame turned her attention to Seryu. "Seryu, are you feeling better?"

"A bit. Natala got me to come out here, but I don't think I will go on any missions for a while."

Akame looked at Natala. He had been the one to get Seryu to show her face? Akame made an observation. "You don't smile."

"Neither do you." His reply was swift. He had heard the same comment a thousand times from Nyau, Chelsea, Rokugoh, Wave, and countless other comrades.

"I will if you will."

Natala stared at her. He had never heard anyone say that to him. "You're not being serious."

"What reason do I have to lie?"

He ignored Akame's comment and went back to work. Seryu played with Koro but seemed preoccupied while doing so. Run read his book, and Akame flipped through the Book of Teigus. It was an odd book depicting all of the known Teigu. There were some pages that were very detailed, while others were almost blank. One page had less than ten words. Life Cloth: made from Danger Beast flesh. Abilities: unknown.

"I don't know anything about Natala." Seryu said in realization. It had clicked when Akame had mentioned Natala's smile. She knew nothing about her teammate. She knew more about Akame than Natala. Akame: the distant, mysterious girl who showed up out of nowhere.

Akame raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

Seryu directed a stream of comments toward Natala. "Well, you don't talk often, you were part of Night Raid before I got here; also, you prefer gardening to socializing."

Seryu brought up a good point. Akame, Run, Seryu, and Koro stared at Natala, expecting a reply.

"My story is not one of revenge or righteousness, nor is it spectacular." Natala gazed into the horizon. "I was part of an assassination team for the Empire called the Group of Terror. It was me, and my best friends: Gin, Remus, and Wu Ming. We weren't as good as the Elite Seven, but good none the less. There was a mission. Remus and Wu Ming died, Gin and I were mortally injured. I healed fast, and was angry that my friends' deaths were brushed aside as meaningless by the one who assembled the group. I killed him and left for the Revolutionary Army. There is a thin line between us and them."

The three other teammates were hesitant to speak. Akame broke the silence. "What happened to Gin?"

"She was in critical condition the last I heard."

The mood turned dreary. Seryu held Koro closer. Akame and Run both stared into space, frustrated and sad respectively. Natala bowed his head. "I apologize for bringing down everyone's spirits. As recompense I would like to invite you three to a picnic."

Run glanced up from his book. "A picnic?" It was an odd suggestion for Natala. Actually, it was odd for Natala to suggest anything.

Natala nodded. "There is a beautiful cherry blossom tree that you can use the flowers to make sweet tea or put them on treats for decorations. The trip is far, but I assure you, it is well worth the effort."

Akame jumped out of her seat at the mention of treats. "I'll come."

Run and Seryu were surprised to see Akame show the upbeat attitude that Kurome usually had. Run closed his book. "It would be impolite to refuse your invitation. Especially since you rarely ask for anything from us."

Seryu raised her hand. "Me and Koro will come too!"

With everybody decided Akame asked Natala a key question. "When do we leave?"

Natala pulled a picnic blanket and a basket piled high with treats and tea making equipment out from underneath the table they were sitting at. "Now."

All of the food would be too much for Natala to eat alone; and, the food was all of Akame, Run, and Seryu's favorites. The three were shocked that their teammate had planned this all in advance.

'Did he plan that entire conversation?'

. . .

Kurome came to the conclusion that Bulat was gay during their training session. The day of the attack on Aria, Bulat suggested going out to a cleared-out area in the woods to train, seeing as Leone was rusty and Kurome could use the pointers. Bulat handed Kurome a katana with a sheath and a belt so she could carry the weapon on her waist. Not at all like the long-ranged weapons Wave had suggested Kurome to use. Leone had tackled Bulat to the floor, and he threw her without hesitation. Kurome also noticed that his face was flushed from training, not embarrassment.

No man, no matter how disciplined he may be, could get within that close of a proximity to Leone and not blush.

When Kurome had decided to strike, it was an epic fail. She had tried to move in low and hit Bulat's kneecaps from behind. But he dodged her attack. Then she tried again. And again. And again.

She hunched over and used her katana to balance herself. All of her breath had been knocked out of her.

Bulat commanded, "Move faster, strike harder. Don't think you can beat the mansion's residents like that."

Apparently, everyone on that property were evil. The mother liked torturing her victims with poisons and diseases, while Aria preferred a more hands-on approach. The father and guards were criminals as they did nothing to stop the two women.

Obviously, attacking directly at Bulat would not get her anywhere. She continued to gasp for breath. Bulat was right in front of her. He cracked his knuckles, taunting the girl.

Kurome took the opportunity to whack Bulat in the stomach with her (sheathed) katana, causing him to stumble back. His eyes widened. He was shocked that she had managed to land a hit on him. The speed she reached was superhuman.

Kurome lifted one leg in the air and spun around like a ballerina. "I win!"

Bulat's expression changed from surprised to anger. He charged to Kurome and punched her hard in the arm, sending her flying. She hit the ground hard and whimpered while Leone snickered at her pain.

"Do you think that this is a game?" Bulat asked. The kind tone Kurome had grown accustomed to changed into rage. "People get hurt. People die. Friends can become your enemies in a second. So, do you think this is a game?"

Kurome brought herself to her feet. She gave Bulat a sad smile and stared at her feet. "Actually, I don't really have any expectations. If I die, I don't think it would matter."

It was true. While Akame would probably meet her end either after living a long life or go down in a spectacular fashion, Kurome's death would go unnoticed. Sure, her sister and newly made friends would be sad for a bit, but they would get over it soon enough.

"Then why fight?"

Kurome blinked. That was a silly question. Why did anyone do anything? "Because it's the right thing to do," she answered.

"Awww." Leone hugged Kurome with one arm. "You remind me of me when I was your age. I thought that right before I beat the the hell out of some stupid nobles who terrorized the slums."

"You did?"

Leone nodded with pride. "There is nothing more satisfying than killing someone, looking back, and thinking 'Hey. I made the world a better place,'" she declared.

Bulat looked up at the sky. "It's time to go." Then Leone and himself walked into the direction of headquarters.

Kurome looked at the sunset and wondered if, that night, she could make the world a better place.

. . .

It was late into the evening when they had arrived at the cherry blossom tree. Run and Natala collected the flower petals while Akame and Seryu (mostly Akame, as Seryu was making sure Koro did not eat all of the food before everybody got a chance to take one bite) laid out the picnic.

As Akame decorated the treats with flower petals, Natala cleared his voice. "I have a confession to make."

"We received an assignment straight from Revolutionary Army headquarters the other day. We are to kill the Prime Minister's cousin, Iokal. He kidnaps young women from the Capital and beats them to death and gets away with it by using Honest's name and status. I decided to use this assignment to help Seryu get back on her feet."

Seryu's eyes widened.

Run prepared the tea. "Why was that a secret?"

"Once a month, Iokal and his bodyguards leave his mansion to walk and enjoy the scenery. They always leave at dusk, and they do not bring any of the women with them. They enjoy the escape from their usual evil deeds. That's how Chelsea described it at least."

Akame didn't like how this conversation was going. She took in her surroundings, and, sure enough, she saw a large mansion in the distance. "Don't tell me."

"Ah." Natala pointed in the direction of a paved path. "They're on time." A group consisting of a man with a purple streak in his hair and several bodyguards came over the hill.

"Seryu." Natala gestured to the incoming group. "Will you take this one?"

Seryu nodded with determination. After Natala went through all of this trouble for her, how could she refuse? She pointed at Iokal and his body guards. "Koro! Let us bring justice!"

. . .

If anyone came into the second story hallway of the mansion where Aria resided, they would see a unique sight. The moonlight shone though the windows and made the blood-spattered carpet seem luminous. They would had seen the mother beaten to a pulp, and a woman with the traits of a lion pinning the father of the household to the floor.

"Please. I have a daughter," the father pleaded.

Leone flashed him a grin, revealing razor-sharp teeth. "I know. She'll be joining you on the other side." He gasped. Leone's grin widened. "Buh-bye."

And she smashed the man's face in.

. . .

When Aria witnessed an armored man kill a group of guards, she made a run for her safe house, aka the shed. It had all happened so fast, but she knew that all the guards had been killed. She ran through the garden. She panted. The shed was in sight. She reached the door of the shed. Almost there.

"Hi, Aria! Do you remember me?"

Aria spun around and saw a familiar black-haired girl. The same smile, the same bounce in her step, the only difference was this time a katana hung from her side.

"You!"

Kurome nodded happily and tightened her grip on her katana. "You do remember. That's good. It would feel weird to kill you with you not remembering that you tried to kill me."

Aria put her hands behind her back. "Well, er, I wouldn't call it trying to kill you."

Kurome walked towards Aria. "I would."

"But it's more like, I wanted to bring you back to my mansion. Kind of like a 'play date'."

Kurome took another step closer, but lowered her katana (and her guard) so it almost touched the ground. She was within close enough distance that could have killed Aria. "Really?"

"Of course. You looked like you could use a new friend. Or two. Or maybe meet a dozen people just like yourself. I wanted to help with that. But now..." Aria stepped towards Kurome and her nervous smile turned vicious.

Kurome noticed one second too late the gleaming object Aria had behind her back: a knife.

The blonde stabbed Kurome in the chest. The black-haired girl sucked in her breath; her katana dropped from her hands. Aria looked satisfied with her work and let go of the handle of the knife. Kurome glanced down at the knife still in her body before her eyes closed and she collapsed to the ground.

Aria headed to the entrance of the shed and smoothed out her dress. "Honestly, you have no idea how tough it is being me," she said aloud. "I get bored so easily in the Capital. Killing cattle is a good way to kill time."

"Bored, huh?"

Aria turned around to see the supposedly-dead Kurome pick herself up from the ground. "We're not so different after all."

Aria gasped, "B-but you should be dead..." Maybe this was a figment of her imagination.

Kurome smiled as she pulled the knife out of her person and flung it behind her. She put a hand through the rip in her shirt and pulled out a wooden Path of Peace icon with a cut in the middle. "It's a good luck charm. A really good one." She picked up her katana from the ground.

Aria took a step back and cowered. "Please. Don't hurt me. My parents made me do those things. I didn't want to!"

'How stupid does she think I am?' "Liar." Kurome swung her katana. Aria's right arm hit the ground.

"My arm!" the blonde screamed in hysteria. "My arm! My arm!"

"Oops. I'm still not very good at this. I was trying to aim for your neck." Kurome then slashed Aria's throat. Aria's body hit the ground, her face frozen mid-scream.

Kurome was satisfied. No. She was more than satisfied. By killing Aria, she saved not only her own life, but countless other future victims.

"Tatsumi? Is that you?"

The voice was coming from inside of the shed. Kurome prepared herself for combat. If Aria was heading to the shed, maybe she was meeting someone there. Was Tatsumi a pet name for Aria? She opened the door to the shed. Kurome put a hand over her mouth and swallowed some bile.

The shed was filled with bodies: some of them were hanging from the ceiling, others were in cages. But they all looked ill or beaten up. All of them were dead. Or almost all of them.

"You're not Tatsumi." There was a boy, probably Akame's age, in a cage. He was alive, but looked dead. His white headband was soaked with blood, and his bare chest was covered with red spots.

Kurome sheathed her katana and put on what Akame would call a 'brave face.' She concealed all of her fear behind a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I'm not."

"I really hoped you were him. Wouldn't that be great? I would tell him something along the lines of 'Hey, it's me Ieyasu. Sayo's dead and I'm about to kick the bucket too. The Capital is evil and you should do something about it.'" He laughed. It sounded fake. "Like that would happen. At least the last face I see is the one of a cute girl." He laughed again.

Kurome pointed to the entrance of the shed. "I can get you help. My friends are right-"

"No." He stopped Kurome. "I don't have that much time left. I can feel it."

She was useless again. There must have been something, anything, that she could have done. Kurome clenched her hands into fists and said with desperation. "Is there anything I can do?"

Ieyasu nodded. He used the last of his strength to take off his headband and held it out to Kurome. "Make sure this gets to Tatsumi," he whispered.

Kurome took the headband and said, "I promise."

The final expression of Ieyasu was a happy one. And Kurome felt happy too. Not because someone died, but because she was asked to fulfill the dying wish of said person.

Kurome wrapped the headband around her hand. She would have to clean it soon and store it someplace safe. Maybe she could fit it into her snack bag. She headed back to the mansion. There was one thing left for her to do.

. . .

Seryu fell to the ground once all of the bodyguards were defeated and devoured. Koro sucked on the arm of Iokal. "I feel so much better," Seryu sighed.

Natala gave Seryu a cup of tea. She chugged the drink and threw the cup at Koro, who ate it.

Akame watched the scene. How did Natala do it? He had been one of the original members of Night Raid, meaning he had put up with the eccentric group the longest. He was like Akame, but not at the same time.

Natala noticed Akame staring at him. After what appeared to be a few seconds of deep thinking, he smiled at her. Not a cold one like one would originally think, but a nice, warm smile. Akame remembered her promise and smiled back. It hurt her cheeks a little because she hadn't smiled in so long.

When she turned back to the picnic, Run was looking at her strangely.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Run smiled as if he had a secret. "I just realized how interesting you are, Akame." He poured himself another cup of tea. "I hope that one day, we can have a nice, long talk."

Akame took a bite out of a cookie. 'Everyone in Night Raid is strange.'

. . .

Leone and Bulat had walked around the property a few times now. They had found the corpse of Aria, but they had yet to find Kurome.

Leone used her hands as a makeshift megaphone."Kurome! Kurome! Where are you?"

"I'm here."

"What were you doing there? It looked like you took care of Aria at the shed."

"I was looking for you guys, so I went back to the mansion." She tugged on the drawstrings of her snack pouch. Bulat narrowed his eyes at the girl; something felt wrong.

Leone grinned and patted Kurome on the back. "How was your first assassination?"

Kurome put a hand over her heart: it was beating fast. Kurome smiled. "It was amazing."

The image of Aria's corpse was fresh in Leone's mind. Although it looked like Kurome had hesitated, the assassination had been performed ruthlessly. 'The kid is a natural at killing.' And Leone came up with an idea. "How about you stick around and stay with us?"

Kurome looked just as surprised as Bulat. "Really?" the two asked simultaneously.

"I wouldn't kid around about something this serious." Leone jabbed a thumb at Bulat and herself. "So, what do you say?"

. . .

Maybe telling the entirety of Night Raid about her adventure wasn't the best idea Kurome ever had.

"And so I declined their invitation, hung out with them some more, and came back here." She finished her story.

"You were poisoned?!" Wave exclaimed.

"You were trained by an elite soldier?" Daidara pictured Kurome being trained by a very big, very muscular man in golden armor and wielding a mace.

"You managed to bring justice?" Seryu and Koro cocked their heads, trying to imagine Kurome killing Aria or anyone in general.

"You were poisoned?!" Wave repeated.

"Yep! It all went exactly as Chelsea planned. Well, more or less."

"Chelsea, is this true?" asked Rokugoh.

Chelsea twirled a lollipop and nodded. "Every word."

"Why would you do that?"

Chelsea shrugged off Wave's yells. "We had a job request. Kurome wanted the training experience. It all worked out in the end."

Kurome clasped her hands together. "I'm sorry Wave. I should have been taking your lessons more seriously. But I'll try my best from now on." She gave him puppy-dog eyes for good measure.

It must have worked because Wave gave her a soft smile and said, "I'm just glad you made in back safe and sound." Before he fell to the ground.

"Wave!"

"He collapsed from exhaustion. He probably didn't get any sleep from these past few nights." Rokugoh explained. "Daidara. Do you mind carrying him off?"

Daidara obliged and carried Wave to the latter's room. When they disappeared out of the door, Kurome asked Chelsea, "Where's Sis?"

"Akame is in town. Just wait for her."

"Okay." She turned around and walked happily, almost skipping, out of the meeting room.

"Oh, and Kurome?"

"Yeah?"

Chelsea smiled and winked. "Welcome back."

. . .

Akame couldn't believe it. Nyau had brought her all the way to the recreation district of the Capital to celebrate their last day of him training her by treating her to the arcade, and then he ditched her. Her hate for the blonde musician grew a little more.

She rubbed her temple. She still had a head ache from the mission from last night, and the hustle-and-bustle of the district was not helping.

"Are you stupid or something?"

Akame looked up and saw a girl about her age standing in front of her. The girl could be described in one word: pink. All the way from her long pink twin-tails to her shoes. Akame shook her head. "No. Just lost."

The pink-haired girl groaned. "You're from the country, aren't you? I can tell by your clothes." She tapped her foot impatiently. "Well, you're lucky that I found you. Where are you going?"

"The arcade."

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright. Follow me and keep up. I'm not slowing down for you."

And Akame did follow. Until they came across the wanted poster wall. The pink-haired girl had stopped and given the wall a death glare. Her fingers twitched and she clenched her teeth.

Akame knew that she was going to regret this. She sighed. "Go ahead. Vent."

The pink-haired girl growled, "Those posters piss me off." She formed her right hand into a gun and pointed it at the wanted posters. "They say that they will give you a huge reward, but no. If you are already part of the Imperial Police or any other, they just give you a pat on the back"

Akame was almost afraid to ask. "Is Night Raid not worth your time then?"

"Unless one of their members is pressing a blade to my throat or a private client wants them dead, I don't care. But if they do come after me or vice versa..." She pulled an imaginary trigger.

Akame felt herself gulp.

. . .

The pink-haired girl stopped and pointed at a yellow building with rainbow-colored decorations. "There."

Akame looked around and caught sight of Nyau. He perked up when he saw Akame and ran over and cheered, "A-me! You made-" He froze the second he saw the pink-haired girl's face. Akame found it odd that someone was able to make Nyau shut up.

"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

The pink-haired girl put her hands on her hips. "Normally I would make you pay me thousand gold pieces for wasting my precious time and being an amazing tour guide to a country girl like you. But there is a decent weapons store next to the bar down the street, so I will cut you a break this time. Bye." The girl waved good-bye and was off.

Akame watched as the girl walked away and thought to herself, 'A bar, an arcade, and a weapons store on the same block? Who would think that was a good idea?'

Nyau waited until the pink-haired girl was out of hearing range before he exclaimed, "A-me! Do you know who that was?"

"No."

Nyau pointed at the pink-haired girl who was now a mere dot in the crowd. "That was Mine! She's the protege of General Najenda!"

Oh.

. . .

She had finally managed to escape to her bedroom. As much as Kurome loved her new friends, she needed some time to just lay on her bed and collect her thoughts. Mostly her thoughts towards what she had done the other day. Not killing Aria. No, the reason for that was clear. But what she had done while Bulat and Leone weren't looking.

Kurome twirled the vial between her thumb and index finger, watching the pale green contents swirl. She had swiped the vial from Aria's mansion. Why did she steal it? She didn't know. She didn't even know what it did. But something drew her to the vial none the less. Her eyes wondered back to Kuromini.

Kurome's ears twitched as the bedroom door creaked open and instinctively dropped the vial back in the bag. She looked up and found her older sister standing in the doorway.

Akame did not look surprised to see her younger sister. "Chelsea told me that you were back." She looked at the bag Kurome held close to her chest. "What's in that?"

Kurome smiled brightly. "A surprise."

"A surprise," Akame repeated as she watched Kurome go through the bag.

"Ta-da!" Kurome pulled out two pairs of black and red gauntlets. She gave a pair to Akame. "There was a sale: buy one pair get the second fifty percent off. These were really expensive. Made from real Danger Beast skin. And not the fake stuff they try to pass off as real skin. I know because me and Leone double-checked."

Akame raised an eyebrow. "Leone? The information broker?"

Kurome bobbed her head and put on her own pair of gauntlets, encouraging her sister to follow suit. "Uh-huh. I bumped into her and this super cool guy. I'll tell you all about it."

"That's nice." Akame yawned and peered out the window. It was twilight. She wondered if Natala was in the garden. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Sis? Do you think I am weak?"

Akame stared at Kurome before she threw a punch at her younger sister. Kurome jumped to the side but tripped in the process. Akame caught Kurome and brought her to her feet. "There are many types of weaknesses and strengths. I do believe that you are only starting to develop your physical potential." Kurome frowned, but Akame continued. "However, your mental strength surpasses my own."

"What?" Kurome couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she be stronger than Akame?

"You've been through much more than you realize, Kurome." Akame took a deep breath and turned her attention to the window again. "I've been neglecting our true mission lately. But my mind has been cleared. We will find the one who killed our parents."

"Together till the end?" Kurome asked.

Akame nodded. "Together till the end."

Kurome smiled. She had a feeling that things could only get better.

. . .

Mine tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for her mentor to show up, 'What's the big deal? Najenda was the one who called this emergency meeting!' The door opened and Najenda appeared with a manila folder. "Sorry I'm late."

Mine growled, "You should be."

Najenda smiled. It was Mine's firecracker attitude that made Najenda know that the pink haired girl had potential. "I have a new mission for you." Najenda handed Mine the folder. "I am unable to tell you who ordered this mission for security purposes, but it is of utmost importance that it is completed."

Mine opened the file and skimmed over the assignment. "Night Raid, huh?" She smirked, "What a coincidence. I was just talking about them."

. . .

It was night in the Capital, and the streets were empty except for a man standing in front of the wanted poster wall.

"Just like me," the man said to the wanted poster wall. "Teigu Users, assassins..." He grinned. "Splendid... Splendid. So people like them are running amok."

"Hey, you!" Two armed guards approached the man from behind. "You look suspicious... Don't move!"

The man turned around and examined the guards. He walked past the two as if they were nothing, and just like that, the two guards heads flew up in the air.

"It appears that the Capital is a very comfortable place to live." The bodies fell to the ground. "There are so many people, there's no end to the number I can cut down! Splendid... Splendid."

The man's grin widened even more. For he was Zank the Beheader, and he could get away with whatever he wanted.

. . .

Mine, the protege of General Najenda, and Zank the Beheader, a serial killer, versus Night Raid.

By law of the Teigus, someone must die.

Who's not going to make it?

End

Chapter Three-Part Two

Chapter Four-Part One

Someone Once Told Me

Preview:

Rokugoh: Night Raid, thank you.

Kurome: Do you want to be my puppet?

Doya: It's a killing free-for-all!

Akame: If I wasn't a monster, I wouldn't be here.

Run: Does everyone think that way of me?

Zank: You are just like me!