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There were many times in Tatsumi's life when he felt pumped up, but those times didn't even compare to how he was feeling now.
His hands were sweaty and he had a nervous grin on his face. It was just him and Mine against one of the most intimidating men in the Capital, General Ogre.
While holding the title of a General, Najenda informed Tatsumi that his role is minor as he's simply the captain of the imperial guards. Night Raid had decided to only send Tatsumi and Mine on this kill mission because Ogre was not an Imperial Arm user himself. That fact alone already gave the both of them an advantage over Ogre, and seeing how this was going to be Tatsumi's first battle using an Imperial Arm, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.
"Don't get confident," Mine muttered in a grim tone to Tatsumi, almost reading his mind. They entered the back alleys and slowly moved towards the sounds of drunken laughter and glasses clinging together. "I don't want you to die while on a mission with me. It'll make me look bad."
"Well, that definitely makes me feel motivated."
"It'd better. General Ogre might not have an Imperial Arm, but he's the captain of the guard for a reason. He's tough."
"Tougher than two Imperial Arms?" Tatsumi asked with a smile on his face, tightening his grip on the black scythe in his hands. It still felt incredibly heavy. "I doubt that."
"Don't forget that you aren't fully compatible with that Imperial Arm, Tatsumi. No matter what you do, you'll never be able to release the Adayusu's full power. In a sense, it kinda means that you only have half of a real Imperial Arm for yourself."
"Full power or no, it's still ten times better than any normal weapon, and that's good enough for me."
"Whatever," Mine eventually gave up, heaving a heavy sigh and tying up her long, pink hair. She glances at the Pumpkin strapped to her back before looking back at Tatsumi. "Just remember that I can't use the Pumpkin to help unless it's an emergency."
"Wait, what?" Tatsumi gasped back, the Adayusu almost slipping out of his hands as he faltered. "You won't use your Imperial Arm?"
"Not unless it's an emergency, no."
"But…why?"
"Because the Pumpkin isn't exactly quiet. Just one shot is all that it'll take before everyone in a five mile radius is alerted of our presence. We're assassins, remember?"
"So you want me to kill him?"
"If you can. However, should you fail terribly, I guess I'll have no choice. We might get caught by the Capital for it, but I'll be forced to use the Pumpkin."
"Oh…"
"So yeah, no sweat." Mine giggled to herself, enjoying how his confident expression had suddenly changed over to an anxious and unsure one. It was the kind of expression she expected out of a rookie like him.
Gradually, they approached the back door of the bar that they had been trying to find. This was part of the plan Najenda had figured out for them. Lure Ogre out into the alleyways and then kill him as quickly and as quietly as humanly possible. On the way here, Tatsumi had asked Mine if she would be the one to lure Ogre out by flirting with him, but all he received was a sudden punch to the face.
And there was no point of denying it, Mine could punch.
They reached the back door and took a deep breath that was almost in synchronization. Tatsumi noticed that. Even though she was far more experienced than him, Mine seemed nervous just the same way that he was. It only made Tatsumi more certain that this mission had its own serious risks. Imperial Arm user or not, this Ogre person could definitely present them with some trouble. At this point, Tatsumi even began wondering if he could pull it off.
But he had to. He knew that. Now, he was part of an assassination group. He had failed to help out the team in their battle against Zank the Executioner.
This was his only chance at showing Night Raid that wasn't just someone they needed to babysit.
With a brave smile facing Mine, Tatsumi pushed the back door open and stepped inside.
The strong smell of alcohol immediately filled Tatsumi's nostrils and he felt dazed. Just the aroma was enough to make him feel light-headed, people at this bar drank like there was no tomorrow.
With a quick slap to his own face, Tatsumi snapped out of it and kept moving forward, trying to find where the target was. All around him were middle-aged men spending all of their money on more and more drinks, and a couple of women here and there to entertain them. Just seeing a place like this made Tatsumi feel disgusting, these men could be doing better and more helpful things instead of just intoxicated themselves and using women as entertainment.
When Tatsumi had first been told that he had to find Scar in the bar, he thought that spotting him would be difficult, but that wasn't the case at all. A single glance to the one of the corners of the bar was all that Tatsumi needed to spot his target. And when he did, somehow even more confidence had been drained out of him than before.
Scar was a giant, the table he was sitting at being far too small for him, and the bulky men around him didn't even compare in size. He h ad sharp teeth like a shark and a large scar over his left eye, most likely the facial feature that got Scar his infamous name. That man had done it all. There were multiple accounts of him being bribed by criminals, arresting and killing innocent people of the Capital, and even a rumour that he had torn one of his rivals in half. While Tatsumi assumed that rumour was false or exaggerated, that changed now that he could see Scar's size for himself.
Tatsumi had left his Imperial Arm, the Adayusu, with Mine but now he wished he hadn't.
Doing his best to endure the strong smells of alcohol, Tatsumi walked carefully towards Scar's table and readied himself to call out to the target.
However, unexpectedly, the target spoke first, seeing Tatsumi approaching.
"If this is about my bet with Ash, save it for later. That man will get his blood money."
Tatsumi faltered, a confused expression drawn across his face.
"I, um, think you're mistaking me for someone else."
"Oh? Guess you're right, you just look like one of those errand boys that keep bothering me." Scar said. "What are you coming to my table for then?"
"I was…well…I was hoping I could…join the Imperial Police force?"
Scar stared silently at Tatsumi for a few moments, his curious look letting Tatsumi know that he wasn't impressed with what he saw.
"Another applicant, huh? Well, you're a little too small for our standards, kid."
"W-Wait! I've been training for a very long time, I'm stronger than I look."
"Doubt it,"
"Please sir…give me a chance. Why don't I show you what I've got?"
That caused Scar to chuckle and put down the mug he was drinking from. He stood, revealing his ridiculous size, and Tatsumi gulped nervously. Scar was even bigger and bulkier than Bulat, which Tatsumi didn't think could be possible. Towering over Tatsumi, Scar moved towards the door and pointed at it.
"Well then, show me what a little kid like you can pull off."
Everything had gone according to plan. The target was heading directly to where Tatsumi and Mine wanted him to be. Tatsumi lead Scar carefully through the back door he had entered from and walked a full minute before reaching a small courtyard behind one of the buildings. Mine stood ready there, the Pumpkin and Adayusu at her side, and Scar seemed confused as he saw her.
"Hey, who's the girl?"
Not needing to answer, Tatsumi rushed up to Mine and grabbed the Adayusu from her, and charged towards Scar. In the blink of an eye, Tatsumi slashed down with his massive scythe in hopes of ending his quickly.
But that didn't happen.
Just before Adayusu could strike Scar, the bulky man grabbed Tatsumi's left arm and punched him in the stomach, sending Tatsumi rolling backwards. With a pained look on his face, Tatsumi gasped out desperately for air, but Scar looked like he was having a blast.
"Oh, I get it. You two punks have come to try and take me down, huh?"
"It'll be over less painfully if you stand still, Scar." Mine warned.
"Haha! You think just because you both have Imperial Arms, you can hurt me? Interesting! Come on then, kill me if you can!"
Tatsumi growled and attacked again, swinging the heavy scythe around, missing Scar every time.
"Geez, for someone so big, you move around pretty fast." Mine commented, unable to help Tatsumi kill Scar quickly.
Catching his breath, Tatsumi ducked down and tried to cut down Scar's legs, but Scar simply jumped over the Adayusu and punched Tatsumi again, in the face this time. Tatsumi started stumbling around, his head becoming dizzy. Scar's punches were heavy and had plenty of force around them, it wasn't something that you could not be fazed by. The Adayusu did a good job of keeping Scar at a safe distance away, but Tatsumi couldn't swing it fast enough to land a hit on him.
Tatsumi and Scar exchanged blow for blow, and after receiving a couple more punches, Tatsumi fell down onto one knee. Scar's massive figure loomed over him and he had a delighted grin on his face.
"You're nothing but garbage. I thought an Imperial Arm user could pull off more than that." He chuckled, cracking his knuckles and turning his head towards the observing Mine. "You want a turn now, little girl?"
Mine said nothing and simply glared at Tatsumi. It only took a few minutes for Tatsumi to see that glare and realize that he was, once again, being an absolute disappointment. He had joined an assassination group, full of professionals, yet he couldn't kill a simple man.
"My turn…isn't done yet." Tatsumi muttered, standing back on his feet and regaining his balance. His voice was deep and threatening.
"Heh, guess I gotta tear you apart before you'll stand aside, huh?" Scar laughed back.
In an instant, Tatsumi darted towards and slashed at Scar with all of his might, and just moments after a deep, bloody cut appeared on Scar's right shoulder. Tatsumi had moved far too quick and it took some time for Scar to register the hit, but when he did he growled furiously. The young boy had found his second wind, which irritated Scar immensely. With a raised fist, he attempted to punch Tatsumi into tiny pieces.
Scar's first punch had collided with Tatsumi's stomach, but he was able to dodge the second one and counter attack, craving another wound into Scar's left leg. It was helpful that Scar couldn't attack from a long distance, and since the Adayusu could increase its own length, Tatsumi was able to land more successful hits from a few steps away. He hadn't properly gained a complete understanding on how to make the Adayusu longer in size, but he was gradually getting the hand of it. As Scar tried to kick Tatsumi in the face, Tatsumi ducked under the kick and threw Adayusu forward, retaining his hold on it by grabbing onto the scythe's black chain. Scar gasped and hissed as blood began to gush out of his stomach. With that attack alone, Tatsumi had expected Scar to fall over and die, but it wasn't enough. Instead, Scar looked even more enraged than before, and he grabbed Tatsumi by the neck and tossed him away as though he was as light as paper. It didn't cause Tatsumi to even flinch, however, and the moment his feet reached the ground he dashed right back into the fight.
There was no doubt that Scar was stronger and more experienced, but having an Imperial Arm made Tatsumi difficult to defeat. No alarms had been raised yet, which meant that Mine couldn't risk helping out yet, so the fight was solely focused on the two of them. For every slash that Tatsumi successfully landed, Scar would smash his fists into his skinny body. After several blows, both of them were tired and panting heavily, sweat dripping down their faces.
If Scar really wanted to, he could've run off in the middle of the fight and called for reinforcements, but he chose not to. This skinny, little kid was proving himself to be an interesting and fun opponent, and Scar wanted to be the one to kill the ambitious child.
Tatsumi threw the Adayusu once again but missed as Scar stood to the side and grabbed the Imperial Arm himself. The moment the black and red scythe slipped out of Tatsumi's hands he felt his heart stop, and Scar chuckled happily as he held it by its handle. At that very second, Tatsumi had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to lose, everything had been lost.
That was until Scar suddenly fell to his knees and quickly tossed the Adayusu to the side, gasping weekly and feebly for air. In the matter of a few seconds, Scar looked as though every ounce of energy had been drained out of him and left him lifelessly. He coughed, wheezed, and struggled slowly back to his feet. And Tatsumi was left wondering what had just happened.
"T-The hell…?" Scar croaked.
A giggle came from behind Tatsumi, and as he turned around, he saw a knowing smile on Mine's face.
"You amateur." Mine laughed at Scar. "Don't you know what happens when you touch an Imperial Arm you aren't compatible with? It sucks out all of your life and can even kill you."
"W-Why you little…!"
Tatsumi didn't give Scar enough time to finish that sentence directed to Mine. He had finally found his window of opportunity, and he wasn't about to let it slip by. Grabbing Adayusu off of the ground, Tatsumi held its handle with both of his hands and swung mercilessly at the weakened Scar. Blood spewed and showered over him as he cut open deep wounds all around the bulky man, ignoring the pain of his own injuries. Scar's blood felt warm on Tatsumi's face.
"You fucking dog!" Scar screeched as he threw the best punch he could manage in his bleeding state, but it wasn't enough.
"Graaaaaah!"
Tatsumi's roar echoed across the entire alleyway they were in as he rocketed forward with all of his strength and dug his scythe right into Scar's chest and tore out several bloody chunks of his insides.
Scar's corpse dropped to the ground and his head rolled. A small pool of his blood surrounding Tatsumi's feet. Tatsumi's eyes were wide open and he had a dazed stare, as though just standing there like a puppet. Just fighting such a man had taken everything he had got, and he was so exhausted that he didn't even notice the sirens going off.
People had realized that Scar had disappeared and set off the alarms. They blared in every direction but only Mine could hear them, Tatsumi was still simply standing there, soaked in blood. Knowing that he wasn't going to snap out of it any time soon, Mine rushed to his side and grabbed both him and Adayusu and began to run.
Soldiers began pouring in from every direction, filling the alleyways and streets with weapons in hand. Their captain had disappeared and now they all hungered for bloodshed. It was difficult to pass by them with their sheer number, not to mention how Tatsumi was still mentally recovering, but eventually Mine drove the two of them to the backstreets and averted the patrols surrounding most of the Capital.
Tatsumi blinked a few times and snapped out of his daze. He saw that both him and Mine were crouched behind a couple of barrels. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to talk to Mine, but she immediately signalled to him to be silent, and as Tatsumi noticed a patrol passing right by them he realized why. No one was taking Scar's disappearance lightly. They waited and waited in the darkness, hoping that the patrols would eventually pass by, and once they did both of them were able to breathe normally again.
A massive search had arisen inside the Capital, but with Mine's keen instincts, they stuck to the suburbs and back alleys and avoided any and all contact with the soldiers. Things had escalated to the point where soldiers were shouting at normal civilians and accusing them of being a part of Scar's disappearance, and Tatsumi frowned as he watched two young, innocent men get dragged away and arrested on the spot.
"Why are they doing that?" Tatsumi found himself asking in a whisper, peeking his head over a crater. "They didn't do anything."
"Doesn't matter." Mine said. "Those soldiers know that they'll be executed if they don't find the people who caused Scar to go 'missing', they're desperate for arrests right now."
"It's not right. They didn't have anything to do with that, we were the ones they should be searching for."
"So that we can get arrested and executed? I prefer it this way."
"How can you just say that?"
As the two of them hid behind another crater and watched more soldiers unknowingly pass their location, Mine almost raised her voice loud enough for someone to hear them.
"I say that because I want to survive. No matter what happens or what comes my way, I have to survive, you got that? My ideals are the way they are because I'm an assassin, and that's not going to change."
"But it seems so cold-blooded."
As both Tatsumi and Mine slipped past the last group of guards and escaped through the unguarded gates, Mine looked at Tatsumi with an expression full of sorrow.
"You're an assassin too. Like it or not, you'll become cold-blooded as well."