Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.

A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski and skullcandyklive for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope you guys had a good Christmas/New years with family and friends! I did too, but 2017 just wasn't my year... I thought 2016 was bad, but no 2017 took the cake for me and so I hope 2018 will be a good year not just to me but to everyone else as well.

Also, some parts of this chapter will be mostly filler but you will notice that the events will be based on Bulat's extra chapter "Kill the Mad Swordsman" only with Akira added into the mix. Please remember, I am doing the extra chapters early because it just felt like a first thing to do for me. AND, one month has passed by since Akira, Takumi, and the same goes for Tatsumi as well, that they have been with Night Raid! That's all for now, I'll leave the rest of my rant for the end, and I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3


Chapter 11: Kill the Mad Swordsman

Outskirts of the Capital, Deep in the Mountains

"Man, those Maye plants are sure hard to find." Tatsumi couldn't help but comment as the small group continued to hike up the trail.

"Well, they ARE rare items. But their effectiveness is that much greater." Akame responded with a smile before she noticed something from above. "Hm?!"

Bulat turned his head towards her. "Oh? Did you find one?"

Within a blink of an eye, the sword master climbed up the nearest tree and took a hold of the bearing fruit that the tree provided.

"This fruit is good. I'm going to fill my stomach a bit." Akame told them, already stuffing her face.

The veteran crossed his arms and let out a disappointed sigh. "It was just food?"

"I swear, all that girl thinks about is missions and her own stomach..." Akira joked with her own assessment.

"I also grew up in the wild, but I'm no match for Akame." The brunette admitted.

The redhead chuckled. "Now, that's just sad."

"If we keep going, we'll have to camp out." Bulat spoke out loud, and he then looked at the girls. "If you want, you ladies can head back. You'll get hungry, right?" He offered.

Nice try, Handsome, but you won't get rid off me that easily! Akira thought stubbornly, standing her ground. I'll be damned to let Tatsumi have quality time with you. "Whatever for? Akame just found some fruit. That will hold us for a good while."

"Yeah, what she said." The raven nodded her head in agreement, still munching on the fruit. "Besides, I can just pick up food like this as we go. We'll stay."

The kickboxer grinned in satisfaction by Akame's answer. "You heard the lady!"

"...Fine." The muscular man sighed in disappointment yet again. "Let's go... All four of us."

Why did Bro say that like he was so disappointed? Tatsumi wondered in confusion, clueless to his brother figure's intentions towards him.

"...Hm?" Akame, who was still up a decent height on the tree, noticed a building from a distance. "A temple...?"

Soon enough, the small group made it up a long flight of stairs towards the temple Akame scouted from afar.

"Seriously? I had no idea there was a temple this deep in the mountains." Bulat commented in surprise.

"If they live far out here, they might know something about Maye plants." Akame told them with a smile.

Akira certainly looked impressed for Akame finding this place and her line of thought. "Good thinking, Akame! You have very good eyes!"

"Alright then, I'll ask." Tatsumi offered as he started to head towards the temple.

"What's this? Visitors? That's certainly something you don't see everyday." An old unfamiliar voice spoke out.

A small group of four elderly men stepped out of the temple, heading towards Tatsumi and the others, and as Bulat looked closer...

"Ma-Master Gensei?!" Bulat gasped in surprise.

"Hm... You know of me?" Master Gensei put a hand to his chin in thought, trying to see if he could recall the adult in front of him. "Were you my pupil?" His eyes then widened upon recognizing him. "Wait, are you Bulat?! How...you've changed."

The veteran smirked proudly, striking a pose. "Please, call it "Becoming Handsome."

Seriously Bro? Tatsumi thought incredulously as he stared at his brother figure.

Akira just sighed longingly, admiring the hunk. Oh, sweet, painful reality... Why must you be harsh on thou? If only he wasn't gay, he'd be mine all for the taking! But, alas... Reality really stinks.


After the introductions, Master Gensei ushered the small group inside the temple and he offered them some tea. It didn't take long for Bulat to explain to his old master on why they were hiking up on the mountains...

"I see. So, you're searching for the Maye plant." Gensei spoke in understanding, mashing some herbs for his tea pot. "This temple keeps them in stock. Take as many as you like." He offered.

Great. Since they live deep in the mountains, they don't seem to know that Akame and Bro are wanted. Tatsumi thought in relief. He then turned to his brother figure to ask a question. "Bro, who is he?"

"The former Master of Martial Arts of the Imperial Army, Gensei." Bulat responded. "He is the former user of Incursio, and in his prime, he was known as the strongest in the Empire."

"HUH?!" The young swordsman gasped, his viridian eyes widening upon this sudden revelation.

Master Gensei closed his eyes, his lips lifting up with a smirk. "That was decades ago. And Budo wasn't around back then, either." He added, slightly bragging. "But now, I'm just a good-for-nothing old geezer."

Regardless of saying these words however, Tatsumi couldn't repress the shiver that went down his spine, and he felt intimidated and tense all of a sudden. Akira wasn't far behind him, though unlike the brunette, she didn't show it in her face. Her body wasn't shaking in terror either, but her hands...her hands were trembling. At times like these, it really was hard to control her nerves.

The redhead balled her bandaged hands into fists in her lap, hoping that maybe it would lessen the tremors. Calm down, calm down... She thought to herself, trying to regain her composure. Maybe some tea will help calm my nerves...

"Back when I was a new recruit, you put me through all kinds of rough training." Bulat mentioned as he put a hand up to his chin in thought, recalling the past.

The young swordsman looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you had a past like that..."

"Of course I did. No one starts off strong." The veteran stated a fact.

Master Gensei smiled a bit as he stared at his old pupil, and the more he looked the more the old swordsman became intrigued. "Bulat, you seem to have improved your skills. And your three companions seem to be quite capable as well." He noticed, opening his eyes.

A comment that was supposed to be filled with praise suddenly gave off a huge wave filled with murderous intent, and Akame, who was drinking her tea, couldn't help but tense up once she sensed this ominous Aura from the old master. The raven eyed him warily, but refused to say anything.

"Yes. I am confidant that I have indeed become stronger." Bulat replied confidently, crossing his arms. "But we're not done growing yet. Neither me nor these three."

Tatsumi stared up at his brother figure in admiration. "Bro!"

"Hm. Very good. Very good." Master Gensei looked proud and impressed by his old pupil's response. "Then when you've polished your skills even more, I would like to spar with you."

"...Who are the other elderly men with you?" The veteran asked curiously, unable to break his gaze away from the two old men who were sparring at the dojo.

"Oh," The old swordsman looked over his shoulder. "They're my like-minded old geezers who can't stop training." He responded almost casually, as if it wasn't anything new. "There's a dojo here as well, so we train together."

"You're all so fit...even when you're all past seventy..." Bulat spoke in awe, still impressed on what he was beholding.

Suddenly, glass shattered on the wooden floor. Startled, everyone looked towards the redhead, who was giving a shaky smile. "S-Sorry..." She apologized.

Sensing her anxiety, Akame finally tore her wary gaze away from the old man for it to immediately switch to concern for her friend. The raven took a hold of the kickboxer's hands.

She's shaking... Akame realized as she gently ran her thumbs over the back of Akira's knuckles, hoping that this action will help soothe her friend's nerves.

"It's quite alright." Gensei reassured, obviously sensing the redhead's worry from his seat.

"About what you said earlier, Master Gensei..." Akira began, slowly a deep breath before continuing. "About my friends and I being capable, you might be right about those three, but I... I am not capable, I don't feel strong..." She admitted. "You're wrong."

"Hey now, don't talk down to yourself." Bulat told her.

"But it's the truth!" The redhead argued, standing up on her feet. "I don't feel like I'm pulling my own weight, I don't feel like I'm giving it my all, I don't feel strong... In fact, I feel weak, so stop with the empty compliments!"

Tatsumi was certainly taken aback from Akira's outburst. "...Akira, what's wrong? Where is this coming from?"

"Change. That's where it's coming from, Tatsumi." The kickboxer answered him, her azure eyes having a sudden fire into them. "I am sick and tired of not doing anything. You guys train and fight hard on whatever you put yourselves into, but...I'm always the one that gets left behind..." She confessed, balling her hands into fists.

"That's not-" The young swordsman felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to see that it was Akame who stopped him. "Akame?"

"Let her finish." The raven spoke softly to him, almost pleading him to listen.

Akira nodded her thanks to Akame before continuing.

"It's been a month since I've been living with you guys and I don't feel like I've changed at all. I'm still a newbie, I'm still learning, and I get that but...I feel trapped. Like, I'm stuck in a loop and no matter what I try I just can't seem to find improvement on my own. That's why..." The kickboxer headed towards the old swordsman, kneeling in front of him. "Please. Master Gensei, if you think I am worthy enough, please... Let me be your apprentice!"

Master Gensei stared at the redhead for a while. "To have the courage to say all of that with conviction makes you worthy..." He spoke, sounding impressed. "I'll gladly train anyone who is striving to become stronger, and if that is what you wish to do, then who am I to deny your request." Gensei looked up at his old pupil. "Is this alright with you, Bulat?"

"If this is really what she wants then... I'm okay with it." The veteran responded, staring off to the side towards Akame and Tatsumi for confirmation. "How about you guys? Are you okay with this?" He asked them.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." The brunette replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

The raven remained silent for a moment, weighing her options. "Yes, but under one condition."

"Which is?" Akira spoke up, waiting for Akame to continue.

"Tatsumi must stay and train alongside you." Akame told her.

The young swordsman looked surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Think of it as an opportunity for the two of you to level yourselves up." The raven explained. "Not to mention, I don't trust Master Gensei. I'd feel a lot better if Akira wasn't here by herself." She admitted, eyeing the old swordsman warily.

"Fair enough." Gensei chuckled, and he then looked towards Tatsumi. "So, young man, will you accept your friend's terms? I certainly don't mind training another individual seeking improvement."

"Since Akame feels so strongly about this, then yeah, I'll do it! Besides, now that I thought about it for a bit... I'm not going to let Akira leave me in the dust, I'm going to improve too!" The brunette eagerly accepted this opportunity.

The redhead playfully rolled her eyes. "As if I'd lose to you!"

"Well then, I guess it's settled." Bulat smiled proudly at the newcomers. "Is two weeks under your training regimen good enough for you, Master Gensei?" He asked.

The old master nodded his head in response. "That should be plenty of time."

"Alright then. Akame, I think it's time for us to head back home. We have Maye plants to deliver." The veteran announced, picking up his bags. "Thank you for everything, Master Gensei."

Akame nodded, picking up her belongings as well. The two members bid their farewells to both Akira and Tatsumi and left the temple.

"We will have dinner within an hour and afterwards, I suggest you two head off to bed. Your training will begin tomorrow morning, bright and early." Master Gensei advised them.

"Thank you master."


Bright and early the next morning, Akira and Tatsumi stood on the temple courtyard as they waited to face their new master.

"How long do we need to stand around for?" The brunette asked rather impatiently.

"As long as we need to." The redhead responded as she fixed the sleeves of her temple robes.

Master Gensei had insisted that the two of them should wear robes to accommodate their training, and Akira and Tatsumi didn't exactly argue with the old man.

The swordsman pouted. "I'm tired of waiting though! I don't know about you Akira, but I certainly couldn't sleep since I was super excited to start training with Master Gensei!" He spoke, excitedly as he flashed a goofy grin towards his teammate.

"Yeah, well, we may be teammates and all Tatsumi but..." The kickboxer trailed off a bit as she gave the boy a challenging glare. "I am not going to lose to you. Not to you, not to anyone, you understand?"

"Oh, I understand alright!" Tatsumi didn't back down either. "Akame and the others have legendary weapons at their beck and call, but not us... We need to work harder than anyone else on the team! I want to get stronger too, you know, I won't lose to you either and that's a promise!"

"Hm. Such a spirited rivalry, reminds me of my days back in the Imperial Army." Master Gensei smiled a bit as he finally made his presence known, his fellow masters following behind him.

"Master Gensei!" Tatsumi and Akira immediately bowed in respect to the old swordsman. "Good morning, master! We apologize for not noticing you earlier."

Gensei waved a dismissive hand, letting them know that it was fine. "It is alright. Now, I see that you're both wearing your robes and so I suppose that introductions are in order." He stepped to the side a bit as he decided to introduce his elderly companions. "These are Masters Yusha, Kuro, and Chie."

Master Yusha was a tall, muscular man with a gray three-point beard and spiky hair on the sides of his head. He wore no shirt and loose fitting short pants, and he also had bandages around his legs and forearms. He wields a black broad sword and a small blade in combat.

Master Kuro was a lean-built man with gray, spiky hair who wore a bodysuit similar to a ninja outfit as popularly depicted, along with a scarf. He also wore bandages around his forearms and legs. He wields a standard Katana.

And finally, Master Chie was a man with long gray hair on the back of his head and long eyebrows. He wore a samurai outfit similar to Gensei's. He carries an unusually long Katana.

"Like myself, they are also very skilled fighters. And for the next two weeks, the two of you will learn from all four of us, but do not think even for a moment that this training will be easy." Master Gensei warned them.

Akira scoffed. "We know that it won't be easy."

"But that doesn't mean we won't give it our all!" Tatsumi spoke, determined as he flashed a huge grin.

"These youngsters certainly have spunk, eh Gensei?" Master Yusha chuckled. "Do you think they have potential?"

"Most certainly. I have no doubt that they will meet our expectations, I can almost sense it." Master Gensei answered with confidence.

"Seriously?" Master Kuro was not so impressed. "We need to babysit these brats now? Gensei, I'm a very busy man. I can't just sit here and train these ingrates!" He practically whined. "You say they hold promise, and I say they don't!"

Akira sneered, sending a defiant scowl towards the ninja. "What's wrong you old fart? My friend and I are not good enough for you, is that it?"

Kuro glared at her. "What was that?!"

"Is that a nerve I touched?" The redhead spoke, incredulously as the sneer stayed plastered on her face. Satisfied in getting his attention. "Aw! Did I hurt Mr. Ninja's feelings now?" She continued to mock him.

"You've got quite the tongue there, girly." Kuro said irritably, about ready to unsheathe his Katana.

Tatsumi immediately stepped in before things got out of hand. "What my friend meant to say was, we would like to prove our dedication to you. You know, so that it won't be a waste of time for you! Please Master Kuro, give us a chance. I promise that you won't be disappointed!" He pleaded.

"That's not what I said!" Akira pushed the boy aside. "I am quite capable of defending myself, Tatsumi!"

"I highly doubt that! You barely have any tact!" The brunette pointed out to her.

"That may be true, to some extent, but I do know when to shut up. However..." The kickboxer glared at him, but her glare wasn't menacing. She was just stating a mere fact of her own. "I find it quite difficult to keep my mouth shut when somebody gets on my nerves. I just have to say the truth, all nice and blunt, just for the cunt."

"It seems that this red flower has its thorns, but she's no rose." Master Chie chuckled. "No, no, she has yet to bloom, but I have no doubt that when she decides to blossom she will be the very definition of "Ultimate beauty."

Both apprentices were confused. "What?"

"This is no time for your red flower philosophy, Chie." Kuro sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes.

"Well then, does this mean you'll train them along with us, Kuro?" Master Yusha asked him.

The ninja scoffed. "As if!"

"Now, now, this won't do." Master Gensei stepped in before things got out of hand. "I made an old pupil a promise, and it is a promise I intend to keep." The old swordsman looked at the apprentices. "Meet us at the dojo. Your training is about to begin."

"Yes master!"


"Keep your arms up!"

"Widen your stance!"

"Move faster, faster!"

Shouts from Masters Yusha, Chie, and Kuro kept on going like that as both Tatsumi and Akira battled each other in Martial Arts inside the dojo. Master Gensei and his fellow geezers wanted to see what their new apprentices were made of before they progressed from here. Unlike his old comrades, Gensei was the only who silently observed his young pupils as they tested themselves.

Dammit! Tatsumi thought in frustration as he delivered a series of punches against Akira, but to his dismay the redhead either blocked them with her arms or dodged them with ease. Then, how about...this?!

The brunette suddenly lowered himself to the ground, catching the kickboxer by surprise as he then proceeded with a leg sweep, knocking Akira off her feet. As surprised as she was at first, it didn't last for very long for the redhead to get adjusted for this sudden turn of events. Akira let her hands touch the ground and put as much weight as she could to keep herself elevated so that she can maneuver her body to deliver a roundhouse kick.

Tatsumi wasn't expecting that and he barely had any time to block the attack. The force of the redhead's kick was strong enough to push him back a couple of steps. Dang... That didn't work either. How about this?!

The young swordsman did a running charge to tackle Akira, who was about to ready herself into a combat stance, but it too late as Tatsumi caught her off guard by tackling her to the ground. Dazed from being thrown down, the redhead shook her head as she knocked the boy off of her. Akira only managed to get up to her knees until Tatsumi was behind her, arms hooked under Akira's armpits and hands holding her head in a hold.

The kickboxer clenched her teeth in attempt to not cry out. The pressure Tatsumi was putting in her arms because of the hold was almost unbearable. Almost, and Akira feared that if she struggled against him then the swordsman would just put more pressure to hold her down until she gave up. This wasn't the first time the kickboxer was in a similar jam like this. Her fights in the ring were proof of that, but the doesn't mean that getting out of situations like these were easy. It never is.

Think Akira, think...! The redhead thought desperately for a solution. The pain in her arms are becoming unbearable by the second. Wait... That's it! Oh man, this is going to hurt like a bitch...

It not only felt weird but it was also a bit disturbing. Tatsumi couldn't really describe it, it felt like something slipped out of place along with a pop sound, and soon afterwards it felt limp in his hands as the arm he was holding wasn't being supported anymore. Admittedly, he wasn't sure if he broke it but that still didn't stop him from backing off from the kickboxer. The brunette's viridian eyes widened upon noticing Akira's left shoulder got dislocated...

"What the hell was that?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, horrified.

"What do you think it looks like? I purposely dislocated my shoulder." Akira replied casually, and she then took a deep breath as she prepared to pop the shoulder blade back in place in its socket. A loud, unpleasant pop resonated throughout the dojo and the redhead couldn't help but smirk as Tatsumi's face cringed, flinching from the sound. "It caught you off guard, huh?"

From the sidelines each master looked more surprised than the other on this turn of events, while one in particular looked more disturbed than impressed.

"Impressive." Master Yusha praised as he crossed his arms.

Master Chie put a hand to his chin, having watched the match intently. "Very resourceful... Risky, but resourceful."

"That's gross." Master Kuro commented in disgust, trying to suppress a shiver but failed in doing so.

"Oh?" Master Gensei looked surprised at the ninja. "I didn't know that you were the type to be squeamish at these kind of things, Kuro. Does it make you uncomfortable?" He asked, teasing his comrade.

The other two old men snickered a bit from hearing Gensei's assumption, and Kuro merely scowled at the old swordsman. "Shut. Up."

"Okay, I'll admit it, you've caught me off guard." Tatsumi accepted defeat. After that surprising stunt and the rather disturbing, unpleasant aftermath... He would rather be the loser than go to round two. The brunette wouldn't want the kickboxer to purposely dislocate anything else. And, she did it all by herself? Just like that... But, but- "But... WHY WOULD DO THAT TO YOURSELF?! Are you insane?! Doesn't that hurt? If you dislocate your shoulder, it will never be the same again! Your shoulder will easily slip out of place!" He ranted.

Akira massaged her shoulder and flexed her arm, quietly listening to the boy as he ranted. "First of all, yes, it does hurt. It's been a while since I've done that so it feels like I did it for the first time, even though that's obviously not the case... Secondly, I have been fighting for so long that this bad habit became second nature to me. Back then, I could do it as many times as I wanted and the pain I felt was a minor pinch with how fast I could dislocate my limb and pop it back into place. I did everything I could think of just to catch my opponent off guard or just anything to bring them closer to me really. That is simply how I fight..."

I forgot. Akira was forced to fight in a life or death environment just to survive... The young swordsman thought in realization, feeling ashamed of himself for forgetting such a fact.

"Akira. Tatsumi." Master Gensei called out to them. "Did the two of you had a master of some sort prior to this?" He asked them, watching his apprentices intently.

"Well, I guess... I used to have this old veteran back in my home village. He used to be a former Martial Arts instructor, or so he said, and he even taught me swordsmanship along with a couple of tricks being a Blacksmith." Tatsumi replied, recalling some memories.

Akira hugged herself with her arms, almost as if to shield herself. "I was self-taught, mostly..."

"Hm, interesting...very interesting indeed." Gensei put a hand up to his chin, deep in thought. These two definitely hold some promise, but they have a long way to go in order for them to reach their full potential. They need to improve on their Martial Arts. At most, they're proficient in hand-to-hand combat, but they could use some polishing in their skills. I can mostly teach Tatsumi on the way of the sword since the young lad is a capable swordsman, but Akira... "Aside from close combat, do you wish to learn the way of the sword?"

"I'm eager to learn, if you're offering, but don't expect me to be on par with Tatsumi in that department." The kickboxer answered honestly.

"Very well then." The old swordsman looked towards his comrades. "Yusha, Chie, Kuro, how would you all like to proceed from here? Do any of you want to train them personally, equally, or both?"

"We could do both. I don't mind sharing pupils." Master Yusha crossed his arms, a proud grin showing up on his face. "Especially, ones that are striving to become stronger."

"I agree with Yusha. I can handle Meditation training and he can handle Martial Arts. Is this alright with you, old friend?" Master Chie asked him.

The muscular geezer nodded his head in affirmative. "I have no objections."

Master Gensei then stared at the ninja, who had yet to speak. "How about you, Kuro? Do you wish to train them personally, equally, both, or none?" He questioned his comrade.

The old swordsman wouldn't be surprised if Kuro denies in training the apprentices, probably claiming that it was a waste of time and effort let alone he wasn't going to babysit children. The old ninja was not only picky but out of all the masters here in this dojo Kuro is the hardest one to impress, but as fate would have it...

"Spitfire."

Akira looked at everyone in the dojo, only to find out she was the only person with the appropriate hair color for such a nickname. She pointed to herself. "Are you referring to me?"

"Who else did you think I was referring to?" Master Kuro spoke, rhetorically as he raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Spit...fire...?" The redhead didn't know whether to be annoyed or insulted. Maybe both?

Sensing her frustration, Tatsumi stepped in between them before things got out of hand. "Calm down Akira, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. Spitfire sounds kind of cool when you think about it!"

"Don't you tell me to calm down! The old fart practically called me a Phlegm!" Akira practically exploded.

The brunette looked confused. "A Flan?"

"Not a dessert, you dimwit!" The kickboxer face palmed at Tatsumi's mispronunciation of the word. She could at least understand why he thought of Flan though, they did sound pretty similar. Kind of. "He called me a Phlegm as in thick mucus, spit, bloody spit mind you, which clearly emphasizes my hair color!" She explained it to him.

"I think you're reading a bit too much on the nickname... I'm pretty sure that Master Kuro was being harmless." Tatsumi reassured her.

"Oh no, she's right." Master Kuro spoke up, clarifying that Akira was indeed correct about her assessment and she had every right to be angry.

Jeez... How childish can an old man be? The young swordsman thought in dismay.

Akira gave a not so gentle punch to the boy's shoulder. "I told you, I told you I was right!"

"Forgive him. Kuro is as honest as they come." Master Gensei apologized on the ninja's behalf.

"Now Spitfire, I need you to listen very carefully cause I am going to say this once... I hate repeating myself." Master Kuro warned her. "Admittedly your gross, disturbing stunt earlier was very impressive. It was amazing that you were able to get out of that pinch by startling your opponent and as Chie himself pointed out earlier...that was both risky and resourceful. As a ninja, resourcefulness is my specialty and if you'd like, I could give you some pointers with your Aura. By having control over it, you'd be able to sense people out just by mannerisms or body language, and it would really help you out in the long run by paying attention to every little detail. So, what do you say? Are you in or out? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity kid so choose wisely..."

"That does sound kind of cool, but I don't know..." The redhead mumbled out.

Admittedly, being personally trained by one of the masters is a privilege since Akira herself is eager to learn given the opportunity, but considering who the master is...

"Come on Akira, I'd say you should give it a try! It's not everyday that you and I get to learn like this." Tatsumi encouraged her. He then came close enough to the redhead to whisper, "Besides, you'll only have to put up with Master Kuro for two weeks. It'll fly by before you know it."

He does have a point... Akira thought in agreement, sighing so as she sent a glare towards the ninja.

Kuro looked rather impatient in having to wait for her answer. "Come on Spitfire, I haven't got all day! My offer is going once...going twice...going thrice-"

"I'll do it." The kickboxer responded, albeit begrudgingly. Let's get this over with. She bowed her head to her personal master. "I'm looking forward to training with you, Master Kuro. Please. Teach me."

The ninja was not only surprised but also pleased by Akira's answer. He even grinned, though it was a cocky one. "Finally! Now, THAT'S more like it! An apprentice such as yourself should learn their place and always treat their master with the respect they deserve!"

Needless to say, Tatsumi and the other masters merely rolled their eyes at the ninja's arrogance.

Somebody please shoot me. The redhead thought deadpanned, already regretting her decision.

"Listen up, Spitfire! You can train with the other geezers throughout the day, but once nightfall comes...that's when you and I shall start training together as master and pupil!" Master Kuro declared.

"What? You're not going to start training me right away?" Akira asked him.

"Nope!" Kuro stuck his tongue out to her. "I'm a ninja. And in my line of occupation, I operate during the shadows of the night. Furthermore, I have important 'errands' to attend to..." He explained, mentioning the last part with a knowing glance towards Gensei and his other comrades, who nodded in understanding.

"O-Okay..." The kickboxer looked a bit displeased as a small pout showed up on her lips, but ultimately she understood Kuro's explanation.

The ninja stuffed his hands into his pockets as he was leaving the dojo, but before he did Kuro glanced at Akira. The sudden stare off lasted for about a minute before the old ninja swiftly flicked the girl's forehead, which in turn made Akira give out a satisfied yelp as Kuro began howling in his own laughter as he finally left the premises.

The kickboxer growled angrily, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. "I hate him...!"

"Kuro is as pompous as ever. Oh well, forget about him..." Master Yusha commented before he turned to look at the apprentices. "At any rate, I call first dibs in training you two. We can start with a run through a mountain trail which will lead us to a clearing, we can even meditate under a waterfall there to cool ourselves off right afterwards, and then we can run back here to the temple in time for lunch. How does that sound?" He asked them.

Tatsumi and Akira had excited grins on their faces, feeling pumped up for the challenge. "Bring it on!"


After Master Yusha's training, the apprentices made it on time for lunch, and soon after Master Gensei decided to take over on their training. The old swordsman was teaching his pupils everything he knew about the way of the sword. Between Tatsumi and Akira, the young swordsman was much more proficient in his swordsmanship. Therefore, Gensei proceeded to teach Tatsumi on a new sword style first before going to Akira and teaching her the basics. Personally, Akira didn't mind on waiting. She really has no idea on what will she be doing and what to expect. Plus, the redhead would like to see Tatsumi in action.

"Iaidō is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing your sword and responding to a sudden attack. Iaidō is associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing your sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard." Master Gensei tutored the boy, putting his hand on his sword's handle. "Pay attention. I will perform this in a second..."

Within a blink of an eye, the old swordsman stood in front of a tree and about a second later he was on the other side of it, returning his sword back to its scabbard. Tatsumi and Akira stared at awe as the tree their master cut through finally fell, causing a small tremor on the ground.

"T-That was...AWESOME!" The brunette's viridian eyes light up, heading over to the tree's stump and began passing his hand on the bark. It was rough but smooth, meaning that Gensei's cut was clean. "Can I try it next? Can I, can I?" He asked rather excitedly.

Master Gensei chuckled. "Before you start slicing things up, we must first start with the basics."

Tatsumi groaned in disappointment, clearly knowing that it was going to be boring learning from the start.

"Patience, young one." The old swordsman told him. "You have to start somewhere and I am telling you from personal experience that a tree would be a bad start for a beginner such as yourself."

"I understand..." The brunette responded, having a small pout all the while.

Gensei approached the tree stump and took out a single filled bottle from his robes, placing it there. "If you manage to slice this bottle in half within the next two weeks, I'll teach you something cool. How does that sound?"

Tatsumi's eyes light up yet again. "Challenge accepted!"

"Good." Master Gensei smirked. "Now, show me your best Iaidō form."

The young swordsman readied himself into his combat stance. He laid his right hand on top of his sword handle, and when he drew out his sword... It went flying, slipping out of Tatsumi's grasp.

The old master gasped in horror.

And Akira let out a scream, ducking and diving to the ground to avoid the sharp blade. Tatsumi's sword got embedded on a tree a couple of yards away.

The redhead let out a shaky breath before sending a glare towards the brunette's way. "Yo! Watch it! I almost got impaled!"

"S-Sorry Akira!" The young swordsman apologized. "My bad..."

"Let's just stick to sword swings for now, shall we?" Master Gensei suggested, eyeing Tatsumi with amusement.

Tatsumi laughed uneasily. "Sounds good, master."


After Master Gensei's lesson the rest of the afternoon the apprentices practiced Meditation with Master Chie, although it wasn't much of a training lesson considering Tatsumi had a hard time getting the hang of things...

"I just don't get it!" The brunette exclaimed in frustration.

"You just need time to adjust." Master Chie reassured him. "Concentrate, and clear your mind of all thoughts, but most of all...relax. Like your red flower friend, follow her example."

Tatsumi glanced over at Akira, who was silently meditating, or at least she looked like it... "Um, Master Chie, I think..." He mumbled as he waved his hand near the redhead's face, and he received some snores in response. "Yeah, she's asleep." He confirmed.

"What?!" Chie gasped in surprise. "Oh well, at least she has the relaxation part down." He chuckled as he settled down a bit. "I guess a nap does nice right about now..."

"You can't be serious?" The swordsman said incredulously, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Child, when you get to be my age, all you want to do is find ways to relax." The samurai told the boy as he closed his eyes, a yawn escaping past the old man's lips. "Although, retirement isn't for everybody...being old is..."

Tatsumi called out to him. "Master Chie?"

Snores coming from Chie and Akira were the only responses the brunette received.

"Good grief..." Tatsumi sighed, standing up and started heading towards the temple. "I guess I'll keep practicing Iaidō with Master Gensei."


Akira lay on the dungeon floor, drifting in and out of consciousness. Her body ached with injuries from her most recent fight on the arena, as if the nerve pains she's receiving from her armor and shackles weren't bad enough... A month had passed since her imprisonment and each moment she spent here was hell.

The redhead focused on anything, anything but the pain she was currently going through. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Akira kept her eyes closed and make her body relax as much as possible while enhancing her ability to extract and contract all of her muscles. It wasn't necessarily possible for her to move her body, but she tried her best to continue the art of meditation and her breathing exercises in order to maintain her muscle strength and size.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale-

"Are you alive or dead?" A rough, familiar voice asked her throughout the darkness.

I wish it was the latter... The redhead didn't need to look to know who it was. It was her captor. Obviously. "What do you want?" She spoke, deadpanned.

"Can't I come and congratulate my crowd pleaser tonight?" Lupin commented, feign hurt. "You really gave that girl, Rachel, a run for her money! Or, should I say life?" He sneered.

Her hands started to shake and on reflex, Akira balled her hands into fists. "She didn't want to fight."

"A weakling with no will to live. Nothing more, nothing less..." The man stated, his face as stoic as ever.

"She didn't want to fight." The redhead repeated once again. "That still doesn't make it right... None of this is right."

"I told you once and I will remind you once again: The strong feast upon the weak. That is the law of the land. Those who die are not strong enough to survive." Lupin reminded her about the cruelty of the Imperial Capital. "The fact that you are here means that you're strong. You did what you had to do in order to survive. To live."

"You're forcing me to kill! That's hardly survival and you know it!" Akira yelled at him, giving her captor the most defiant glare she could muster.

The man sneered. "And yet... You still did it, you still killed someone, you still killed people, why?"

"Oh no..." The kickboxer shook her head, already knowing where this was going. "Don't you DARE twist your words at me! I didn't ask for this! You son of a bitch! You're the one who brought me here! I never asked to be here!"

"Maybe so, but whether you like it or not... You got two options." Lupin told her straight out. "Either, you settle with the fact that you are going to fight for me and survive. Or, you could just drop dead on the next round. Simple. You certainly don't have to endure me along with the hell of being here as my prisoner, but..." He trailed off a bit, sneering so. "Will you still be willing to go through with that regardless of the fact in which your brother will be left in 'my care'? I mean, I personally don't care for the brat, I'm just keeping him here as collateral, but hey! You do you!"

Fucker... I even bet that deep down he KNOWS that I wouldn't go through with it. Akira thought with spite, gritting her teeth.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" The brunette asked her, approaching the redhead until they were face to face. He then squatted down to be in eye-level with her, grabbing a hold of her chin with a calloused hand. "No more insults? Defiance? Gimme something..."

When he least expected it Akira bit the space between his thumb and index finger, she bit him hard enough to draw out blood. Lupin clenched his teeth as he used his free hand to give the redhead a backhand slap to the face. The force of it was enough for Akira to let go, but she still gave her captor the most fearsome, defiant glare that she could muster.

"Look what you made me do. You made me hit your pretty face..." Lupin lamented as he brought his hand up to brush it against Akira's cheek, which in turn made the kickboxer turn her head away. He wouldn't be surprised if he gave her a bruise. "You're really a piece of work, you know that?" Her captor sighed a bit as he soothed his minor injury. He then looked at her, smirking a bit. "But that's what I like about you. Unlike the other brats in this place...you know what's important, you know what's at stake, and you use that to remind yourself of why you have to survive. This just further proves my point. You're strong, even if you don't know it yourself."

You're wrong. I'm not strong. I'm not, I'm not...


Akira awoke abruptly from her nap. She gasped while giving a frantic look around her surroundings, and once she realized where she was and recalled on why she was here the redhead managed to calm down. A gentle breeze was blowing through the trees as it cooled Akira's skin with a reminder that it was about to be evening soon.

"Damn it..." The kickboxer buried her face in her bandaged hands.

"Well, that looked like a restless respite." Master Chie couldn't help but comment across from her. He was meditating the entire time, waiting for his student to awaken from her slumber. "You looked so peaceful earlier. I never met someone who slept through a Meditating session."

Akira bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry, Master Chie."

"It's fine, child. I had a fine nap myself." The samurai reassured. He then directed a question to her. "If you don't mind me asking, was your dream merely a nightmare or simply bad memories?"

"I-I guess bad memories. I don't know... I don't know why these memories keep haunting me." The redhead sighed. "I thought I've moved passed this, I mean, it's not like I'm trapped anymore..."

"Perhaps it is simply the body remembering." The old man suggested.

Akira inclined her head towards him, confused by his suggestion. "How so?"

"The physical, emotional, and mental stress that you went through. Your body could possibly be recalling the event as a reminder that the anniversary of the day is near, or maybe, you feel some sort of guilt concerning those memories." Master Chie provided possible answers for her. "Nevertheless, you will never be able to properly meditate and achieve inner peace. Not until you have finally reconciled with your troubles. That's what I believe."

"Depending on the severity, do you really think people might overcome these kinds of obstacles?" The kickboxer asked him.

"Everyone is different, my dear. All of us on this Earth each have our own way of dealing with our problems. Whether alone or with help, it is up to you." The samurai stood up from the ground, heading out of the forest. "Come, red flower, it is time for supper. We shall continue our training tomorrow."

Akira nodded, following suit. "Yes, Master Chie."


After dinner, Akira and Tatsumi had arrived to their room for the evening. The brunette collapsed on his futon on the floor while the redhead collapsed on the bed. Tatsumi had offered to sleep on the floor, much to Akira's reluctance to take his proposal, but the swordsman didn't want to hear any complaints about the matter and so the kickboxer ultimately decided to go along with his wishes.

"Man, I'm beat!" Tatsumi moaned for the umpteenth time this evening, burying his head on his pillow. "After today I could probably sleep through the whole year..." He yawned.

"Don't yawn, it's conta-" It was then Akira's turn to yawn. She shook her head afterwards. "Damn it! Now you've got me all sleepy..."

The brunette gave a lazy grin. "Says the one who fell asleep in the middle of a lesson today." He teased.

"Shut up!" Akira threw her pillow at him, causing the swordsman to howl with laughter. "I don't know about you, but I couldn't sleep last night... I was anxious, I guess, to start our training today."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. I was like that too, but I was tired after the long hike to get here so sleep wasn't much of a problem for me." Tatsumi told her.

"Lucky. I wish I could sleep like that most the time..." The redhead sighed in envy, standing up from the bed. She then started to head out the room. "See ya later."

"You're not going to sleep?" The swordsman asked her.

Akira whined, her shoulders slumping so. "I would love to, but a certain old fart told me that my training with him will be during nighttime. I swear, that guy has no respect for sleep..."

That sucks! Tatsumi genuinely felt sorry for his friend, but decided to keep the thought to himself in fear of setting the kickboxer off in a rage frenzy. "Do you want a hug?"

"The offer sounds nice, but I'll probably pancake-squish you in your sleep later." The redhead warned him as she left the room. "Goodnight, Tatsumi."

The brunette chuckled as he settled into the covers of his futon. "That sounds fair..." He mumbled sleepily, dozing off soon after.


Darkness. Darkness all around in the dead of night. It was pitch black to the point where Akira couldn't even see her own hand being waved in front of her own face. That was because she couldn't. For this training exercise, Master Kuro instructed the redhead to wear a blindfold over her eyes. Personally, Akira doesn't understand the point of this exercise. It was already the dead of night. What was the point of her wearing a blindfold? She wouldn't be able to see much anyway, but the ninja kept insisting that she should.

Kuro said something about her supposedly being able to sense him by his Aura through instinct. That's the thing though... The kickboxer doesn't understand HOW should she be able to do that! Akira's instincts were already going haywire at the fact that she couldn't see her surroundings. She could hear her own heartbeat with her ears and feel her heart throbbing against her ribs and her breath hyperventilating because of the adrenaline.

A sharp object slashed through the redhead's robe, cutting her skin. Akira hissed as she staggered a bit to gather her bearings. Her whole body was covered with cuts. They weren't live threatening or anything, but it was frustrating being attacked and not being able to do something about it. "Damn it...!"

"Jeez girl, get it together!" Master Kuro bemoaned for umpteenth time, clearly irritated. "If this was a real fight, you'd be dead right now! Guaranteed!"

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do! I'm basically dodging for my live or at least trying to! I hear you, but I can't see you!" The redhead complained, taking off her blindfold. "What kind of Aura training is this?"

"That's the point! You AREN'T supposed to see me." The ninja told her. He then began to tell her a battle scenario. "Right now, I'm your enemy. I have the advantage, obviously, and you're temporarily blind while struggling to stay alive. Your eyes are failing you and so you cannot trust them in this fight. The only thing you have at your disposal is your Aura. What do you sense from me right now?"

"I don't know. Irritation?" Akira guessed.

"Correct, Sherlock." Kuro rolled his eyes. "Look, Aura is perceived to be many things since the beginning of time. Some people think that it's the gateway to someone's heart and seeing their true nature, others think of it as an imprint to fix firmly on the mind, memory, etc. But most of all, people nowadays think of it as intent."

The redhead passed a hand through her wavy locks, trying to process all of the information. "So, what you're telling me is that Aura is based on emotion?"

"Pretty much." The ninja nodded his head.

"Do you have any pointers on how to make this exercise a bit easier for me?" Akira asked him, hoping to get through to him.

Kuro sneered, tying the blindfold back on again for his disciple. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out on your own. Let us resume." He declared, heading off towards a good distance to throw projectiles.

The kickboxer sighed. "Damn it..."


Imperial Capital, Main Street

A disturbing event occurred several days later. Main Street was bustling with gossip as a huge group of people crowded over near a crime scene to sate their curiosities, some looked horrified while others stared in shock as they watched members of the Imperial Guard work through their investigation to figure out what happened.

Mine had arrived soon after to join up with Lubbock. "What's going on? Were more people killed?" She asked him, out of breath since she ran all the way here.

"Yeah..." The greenlette's face remained stone cold, trying to wrap his head around on what might have caused the victims to die so unexpectedly. "Apparently some victims bled out and collapsed. No witnesses." He responded.

"It's the same M.O as the other incidents that's been happening lately." The pinklette stated before her eyes drifted upon the corpse of a mere child. "...Even kids..."

"This is the doing of the White Brows Association. They've been more active than Night Raid recently." Lubbock deducted, thinking that this is the only logical explanation to the recent incidents in the Capital.

Before they could discuss things further however... A loud familiar voice called out to them in greeting. "Yo! Can you two lend me some money?"

"Ah, the thoughtless happy one is here." Mine couldn't help but retort.

"If you want us to lend you more money, return what you borrowed first!" The wired tactician demanded, pointing accusingly towards the outlaw.

Upon noticing Leone's grin, the sniper decided to guess. "I bet you blew it all on gambling again, didn't you."

The blonde approached her comrades and brought them close in a headlock-like-hug, catching both members by surprise, and Lubbock certainly wasn't one to complain considering he was so close to a pair of ample breasts. "This time I actually used it for investigating." Leone answered her, catching the pinklette by surprise yet again.

Mine gasped. "Then that means..."

"Yeah." The outlaw's grin widened. "We have a request."


Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room

About an hour later, all the veteran members of Night Raid gathered in the conference room to discuss their next job.

"Our target this time is the White Brows Association." Najenda announced to them, lighting a cigar. "The famous assassins who're causing quite the stir in the Capital recently."

This news seemed to peek Sheele's interest. "So they're in the same line of work as we are."

"The fundamental difference between us is that they'll kill anyone as long as they get paid." Leone stated, crossing her arms. "They've earned a lot of animosity from various people."

"Do you even know where their hideout is?" Lubbock asked her.

The outlaw grinned confidently, leaning her arm against the top of the tactician's head. "Don't worry Lub, I manged to pin them down." She reassured, and she soon followed to reveal the identities of their targets. "Four elderly men living in a temple in the mountains near the Capital. That's who and where they are."

Both Akame and Bulat stiffened significantly at hearing Leone's answer, but they have remained silent until the blonde finished briefing them.

"Unlike us, who take great lengths to cover our trails, their actions are too flashy. They're too sloppy." The lion shifter continued on. "I found someone bragging that he made a request to them in a slum bar, and he spilled everything. And the info I got from the information broker was more or less the same." She finished with a smirk.

"...We've met those elderly men before. When we were talking to them, I sensed a murderous intent for a moment." The sword master admitted to them.

Bulat had a look of disbelief across his features. "Yeah... But wasn't that just a light provocation because he was eager to fight us?" He asked her.

"No, it was too strong for that." Akame responded. "Akira and Tatsumi must've sensed it themselves too, but they probably thought the same conclusion as you, Bulat."

Ah, that's why she wanted Tatsumi to stay behind with Akira... The veteran realized, suddenly feeling ashamed if his inattentiveness.

And to further prove her line of thinking, Akame provided more explanation. "And if those masters were the culprits, then the mysterious murder method also makes sense. If they're cut down quickly enough, the victims won't realize what had happened to them, and take several steps after the fact. If that's the case, the bystanders wouldn't see the precise moment when the killing attack happened, and when the victims fall down, the culprit will no longer be next to them. That's why there are no witnesses."

Lubbock gaped his mouth open in surprise. "I understand what you're saying, but... If they can do all that, they're invincible!"

Even Mine looked uneasy. "They're formidable enemies."

Bulat still seemed to be at a loss. This didn't sound like his old master he knew back in his basic days in the Imperial Army at all...

"Well, he was always fearsome... But he wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately. He was such a straight-laced, bastard back when he was in the army that even some of the high ranked officials hated him. So...why...?" Bulat's face held so much anger, grief, and many questions were popping up at the forefront of his mind. Trying to find a reason on why his old teacher would commit such an act.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute!" Leone spoke up, interrupting them. "So, you guys are telling me that you left Tatsumi and Akira with these assassins? Are you insane?!"

"Leone, what's your point? We aren't any better." Mine admitted to her, stating a fact.

"Yeah, aren't we assassins too?" Sheele questioned.

The blonde growled in frustration. "The POINT is we need to go and rescue them, like, ASAP!"

"All of you can move out as soon as you're able." Najenda granted them permission to leave. "Good luck, everyone."


Outskirts of the Capital, Deep in the Mountains

It was past midnight or possibly early morning. The temple was quiet with the only sound being the wind blowing through the trees in the forest.

Master Gensei sat meditating inside his dojo. The old swordsman's eyes opened however upon hearing footsteps approach him. It was his former pupil. "...Bulat."

The veteran looked intimidating upon his appearance. His face was stone cold, meaning business and was in no mood to fool around. He strode over to his former master, a sense of purpose filling each step as he got closer.

"That's some impressive murderous intent." Gensei noticed, sensing his Aura. "So you've found out that I'm part of the White Brows Association, and have come to cut me down."

Both master and pupil had a stare down before Bulat broke the silence to ask him a question. "...Before we start, can I ask why you would do something like this?"

The mad swordsman sneered and began to speak about his tale...


A/N2: PHEW! That's it for chapter 11 folks! I ended it here because those of us who read the manga already know how this particular chapter ends. Admittedly, this chapter in particular has been tough to write filler scenes on there compared to Sheele's extra chapter, but I did my best and I am quite happy with what I wrote. If some of you are a bit dissatisfied with Tatsumi/Akira's training regimen for this chapter, don't worry, I'll be continuing it on future chapters as flashbacks because as you can clearly see this chapter turned out to be a long one than I expected... Which is fair, since I left you guys hanging for a bit over the holidays.

By the way, I have two quick questions for you guys: What is YOUR interpretation of Aura for the Akame Ga Kill! Series? Unfortunately, the series itself didn't do a very good job in giving an explanation on how Aura works for this particular anime/manga. I tried my best to write about it based on what I think about Aura on this chapter, but I don't know...

Second question: Did you guys like the little spin for Tatsumi in this chapter? I personally felt that Tatsumi should've stayed behind and trained with the old masters and learn some swordsmanship skills. Yeah, I know, he technically has Akame to help him on that department but I still stand by my choice for the sole fact that Tatsumi really needs to get stronger. I hated the fact that after Tatsumi's fight with Ogre... He's been a practical damsel in distress throughout the rest of the series. By the way, when am saying this I am not counting Incursio, because ever since he acquired that Teigu Tatsumi has been depending on it. He depended on it so much to the point where he turned into an actual dragon and the entire time I've read through the manga I was like, "This totally could've been avoided Tatsumi!". So, yeah, that's basically my rant for this question.

Anyway, please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! The support for this story is just awesome and I really appreciate it. You guys are awesome! Until next time! XD