Hey everyone, I'm sure some of you already know this by the time the chapter has released...but Kentaro Miura...the author of Berserk...has passed away on may 6th and was announced on twitter on the 19th, I can't properly describe how much this pains me...as well as many others, he was an amazing man who inspired countless people and gave us a masterpiece, Berserk is about struggling and enduring, letting go of the past and living for the future, it's about overcoming our own demons so we can protect the ones we love, he has taught us so much just from Berserk alone, I hope some of you who haven't read the series will give it a chance to experience his legacy and how much he has changed many lives, Thank you so much Kentaro Miura...may you rest in peace...
It was a quiet morning so far, Daikon still slept quietly and comfortably in his bed, then the door slowly opens to reveal the lights of the hallway.
He struggles to wake up until someone poked his cheek, "H-huh?" he opens his eyes to see Kurome crouched down, giving him a soft smile "Good morning".
"Morning Kurome" Daikon chuckled before sitting up, she turns on his light before sitting down on a chair "Are you curious about what the other team is like?" she asked.
He gives her a nod, his mind tried imagining what they look like, but he know one of them is Kurome's sister "Yeah they must be real strong, I bet your sis is one of the top", he noticed she was shaking a bit nervously.
"You alright?" he asked as he touched her hand, "Am I really gonna see you again sister?" she thought while imagining how she might look now.
Kurome locked her eyes back at Daikon "I'm fine, just as curious as you are about the rest of the team", from what she heard the seven were highly successful at their missions.
Daikon gave her a warm optimistic smile with his fist clenched "This is gonna be awesome, I can't wait to see them in action!", the excitement pumped him up...interested in what this campaign has to offer.
His optimism gave her more motivation, even now she still wondered how she was lucky enough to meet a friend like him, Kurome looked up towards the ceiling exited to meet her sister after so long.
Before she gets up to leave she remembers what Natala told when it came it Remus, Kurome became worried about what's gonna happen with her "I...i hope Remus is gonna be ok when we leave" she quietly said, memories of Daikon spending time with her flooded his brain "Yeah...i'm sure she'll be alright".
After everyone gets dressed Daikon decides to pay Remus a visit, he roams the halls looking for her room until he finds door 32 "There she is" he thought, he tries opening the door but it seemed to be locked up tight, "Number 9" a feminine voice called out, Daikon turns his head to see a nurse with wearing a medical mask.
She faced down at him as she is a couple inches taller, her voice was friendly yet demanding "Master bill asks that no one should bother Number 32", he scratched his head as he was confused, he would curiously ask the nurse a question "Why, what's wrong?".
The woman approached closer with a blank face "He simply wants everyone to let her rest up for her departure", Daikon glanced at the door wondering how she's doing, he looks back towards the nurse with his hand on the door "Not even a quick visit?", she then gave a menacing glare "I will pull your tail if need be".
He jumps out of fear while shaking his head "N-no mam, I'll be on my way", after that the nurse closed her eyes with a smile and pats his head "That's a good boy, now leave quietly".
"Yes mam" he responded as he turned to walk away, he puts his hands in his pockets as he headed to the dining room where everyone else is at, however he was still curious about what's wrong with Remus, he decided to shrug it off then continue to obey the nurse.
As soon as he was out of sight she stood still by the door...waiting for someone, the door knob began shaking and it was unlocked, Bill steps out and closes it gently "Did something happen?" he asked, she shook her head "No sir, just Number 9 being curious".
He lets out a quiet sigh "He is always curious, but there's nothing we can do about it", the nurse nodded her head in agreement before asking "What of Number 32?", he remained silent as he took out an empty syringe, his face was absent of emotion "Even if she recovered, she was no longer able to fight".
Meanwhile Kurome was eating waffles for breakfast, after finishing it in a few seconds she wipes her face with a napkin "Yummy", Natala's eyes twitched after witnessing her finish her meal very quickly "I'll never get used to you and Daikon finishing your food so fast".
Gin places her plate down and sits on a chair, her face looking tired "I couldn't get much sleep last night, sorry guys..." she muttered, the blonde young man gave her a napkin "It's alright, we feel the same way about what happened".
She rubs her face...getting the tiredness out of her "Thanks", Kurome began throwing her trash away as everyone else began their meal, Daikon walks in the dinning room with his hands behind his head, coming back after the nurses scolding.
"Morning Daikon" Natala says before going back to eating, the saiyan took a waffle and eats it within a couple seconds, "You couldn't at least sit on a table before stuffing yourself?" Gin asked while staring at him...now fully awake, he turned back to face everyone while wiping his face.
Kurome lets out a small giggle, Natala grinned with his arms crossed "That's Daikon alright", "Sorry guys, I'm still exited to meet the other team" he responded as he approaches the table to sit down.
Natala rests his arms on the table while sitting up straight, he began thinking about the team as well "The leader did say 4 of them are gone, so I'm wondering who the ones left are".
Kurome held her cookie bag while grabbing her blade, she stared forward with a hopeful yet serious face "One of them has to be my sister", Gin finishes her breakfast before pointing her finger up "Her name's Akame right, I'm sure she'll be a surviving member no doubt".
But then Remus came into mind once again "although, things will be very different without Remus" she mutters, Daikon then looks back towards the door, the nurse kept him from seeing her for some reason "She'll be alright, the nurses must be trying their hardest to keep her in good health".
Natala looked out the window with a grin "The best we can do now is make her proud", the team nodded their heads in agreement, they will continue on with their campaign but hope to see her again someday.
After an hour of preparation, the group of terror will officially be integrated into the elite seven, abandoning the old name entirely, the team stood outside of the base fully ready, Bill stood in front of them, ready to give them instructions "After leaving this base your new leader will be Gozuki himself".
"So you won't be our leader anymore?" Daikon asked, Bill nods in confirmation "I'm afraid not, but I'll be within the empire keeping an eye on your achievements", he takes out a map and points where to go "You will be heading north to meet the others at Rousei village, that is where your journey begins".
He closes the map and puts it in his pocket "Natala, as the group leader make sure no one is left behind", "Yes sir!" he responds with a salute, but then he faced Daikon "as for you, Gozuki knows full well about your great potential".
Daikon scratched his head "He does?", the older man then gave a small nod, fixing his monocle before speaking "He was there when you unleashed that huge wave of energy, I trust he will know how to handle you".
Bill looks to his right towards the rising sun, remembering all the moments he trained and taught the group how to be assassins "I may have been hard on you all...but at least that will prepare you for the future", "Can we get going yet before it gets too hot?" Gin complained while keeping herself cool.
Natala smiled as he grabbed his weapon without unsheathing it "We'll be careful sir, you can count on us", after that the team leaves to begin their journey, Bill stared onward...thinking to himself "Now, get rid of those Oarburghs".
3 hours later
"We should be able to get there in just 30 more minutes, as long as we don't get into any battles" Natala says while looking at the map, the weather began getting hotter as they traveled to Rousei village, the area they walked through was filled with trees and occasional animals running by.
Daikon rubbed his stomach while looking around the nice forest "I'm hungry, can we get us some food?" he asked, Natala chuckled "C'mon Daikon we're almost there, just stay strong for me".
"Wait can't you ask Kurome to give you a cookie?" Gin curiously pointed out, Daikon shook his head "Nah those are for Kurome only, she needs them more than I do", the black eyed assassin nodded silently...looking at her bag of snacks with starry eyes, taking a bite of one cookie.
As the team continued onward to their destination, Gin decided to have a conversation with her "So Kurome, can you tell us what your sister was like?", they remained silent for a few seconds until Kurome answered "She was very kind...but also very protective".
Daikon crossed his arms as he looked to her direction with a smile "She sounds like a great sister, how different do you think she might be now?" he asked, she stared at the ground in contemplation, distant memories of their time together before the Empire took them began surfacing.
In her head she imagined them playing outside, her older sister always cheering her up when she lost a game, their sisterhood was a happy one...filled with joy and wonder.
It was until one day they saw their parents talking with 2 imperial soldiers, the parents approached them with sorry eyes, then...the soldiers started picking them up, they cried out to their parents...but they couldn't do anything.
Kurome snapped back into reality, looking back at Daikon while holding her cookie bag tightly "I'm not sure, but from what I've seen...nothing is stopping her from seeing me again".
He stared forward towards the grassy road, his fist clenched as he could relate to wanting to see someone "Now is her chance to finally do just that, to see how far you have come", a small blush formed on her face, it was all thanks to him for helping lighten up the mood.
"Are you alright Daikon?" Gin asked, he turned his head with a grin and a thumbs up "Yeah, I'm doing fine", Natala was happy for the team cheering each other up, he kept his eyes on both the map and the road.
Although Daikon still thought about his parents, his mother Midori was still out there, his father was up in the heavens, he stared up at the blue sky...letting out a very quiet sigh.
But then he remembered a strange voice, a voice he didn't recognize yet it sounded familiar "Wherever you go...whoever tries to oppose you...you will always come out on top, you will become strong, I promise", he simply blinked, a bit confused on what he heard "Huh?".
After another 30 minutes they have finally reached Rousei village, as the gates opened everyone looked around with happy curiosity, it was a peaceful and large town with many people passing by.
"Woah, this place is huge" Daikon says with an exited voice, Kurome smiled while staying close to him "Yeah, I wonder where the other team is at", after they walked for a few minutes Natala pointed up "Alright guys, luckily Bill wrote down where to find the temporary base of operations".
Gin lets out a sigh "i hope it doesn't take forever, we might need to stay close so we don't lose each other" she muttered in a tired voice, "That is right, make sure you don't wander off anywhere" he replied.
Daikon would walk back to the group, chowing down on a chicken drumstick "Sounds good", Gin pouted as she stared at him "Hey, can I have one too", Daikon gives her the one he held on his left hand.
Kurome would point at a nearby inn "Maybe they might be in there", Natala then began thinking "That makes sense, we'll try looking in there for any clues", the team would enter the inn, they were not expecting to see Gozuki sitting by the door.
The man rose from his seat, his left hand resting on the hilt of his blade "So you must be Bills group, welcome to the seven", he would look at Kurome, remembering the day she and her sis were seperated "You've grown quite a bit, we'll see how you compare to your sister".
He then saw Daikon, he could feel his powerful aura, his eyes grew in surprise before returning to normal "Daikon huh, I can never forget the day you showcased your dormant power".
Daikon scratched his head, having finished his meal "Uh thanks sir, I'm always training to protect my friends" he said while facing the left, Gozuki turned to the hallways of the inn, his hand pointing to a larger room "Akame was sent to scout the area, for now meet the rest of the team".
The group enters the room to see 2 people sitting on chairs, one being a black haired boy wearing glasses and the other was a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, Gin stared at the girl for a few seconds "she's blonde too?"
In response, the blue eyed girl lets out a laugh while closing her eyes "My name's Cornelia, a pleasure to meet you all", the boy with the glasses stood up with a wave, recognizing Daikon and Natala "I'm Green, glad I'm not the only boy here hehe...".
Daikon rested his hands on his hips as he wore a grin "My name is Daikon, it's so cool to finally meet the seven", he and Green shook hands before Cornelia approached him "We'll aren't you a cute one".
"Huh?" his confused eyes looked towards her, he waved at her in a friendly manner "Y-yeah, I just wanna get stronger to protect people", she crossed her arms with a nod "Me too, I always put others before myself".
Kurome appeared next to Daikon, giving him a pat on the shoulder with a smile "He's an awesome friend, I hope you all get along with him too", Cornelia was shocked to see her for the first time, tilting her head "Don't worry, we'll be just fine".
She then shook her hand "You must be Kurome, Akame will be so happy to see you", Kurome nodded, crossing her fingers as she looked down "Yeah, I can't wait too", after everyone greets each other Gozuki steps in the room, ready to let them know their operation "Ok everyone, hope you all enjoyed your first meeting".
He takes out a folder, raising it up for everyone to see "As you may know our current enemies are the Oarburgh clan, they have been killing our spies and been a real pain for a while, so it's our duty to put an end to their shenanigans".
Natala raised his hand for a question "So are they being hired by the revolutionary?", Gozuki answered "Yes, the rebels seem to have had enough...and hired the most deadly band of assassins in history, surprised they could even afford them".
Daikon raised his hand as well "What's their leader like sir?" he asked, the man buried his hands in his pockets, his eyes had a melancholic look "Their former leader Babara was ruthless and cunning, she managed to take out 3 of our own, luckily I avenged their deaths".
He then stared forward "Now the clan is being run by her Successor, she is said to be just as ruthless...though that's all we know for now, who knows what tactics she has up her sleeves".
Natala had his hand on his chin, absorbed In thought "So this is it, our first campaign...and we are up against the most deadly clan, this should really put our skills to the test", he gave a nod to the leader, understanding the current situation.
"Lets give them hell" Cornelia says as she punched her fists together, everyone is prepared to fight the clan, their motivation stronger, Kurome raised her hand to ask Gozuki a question about Akame "When is my sis gonna return from her mission?".
Gozuki stared out the window with a concerned look "She is taking longer than usual, that is a bit strange", she steps forward "Should we try looking for her?" she asked.
He turned around and gave her a nod "Very well, you and Daikon can search for her, everyone else can save their strength", Daikon grabbed his blades handle as he approached the door "Where did you see her go?", he responded with a hand gesture "She went to the farther left of this inn, just outside of this town".
Kurome grabs her sword and opens the door before slowly walking out "Daikon, lets get my sister", he nods while following her to where Gozuki pointed them at, the 2 begin their search as they pass by citizens nearby
"I hope she's alright" she muttered quietly, Daikon pats her head with a reassuring smile "It'll be alright, there's no way your sister can be taken down that easily", that was able to calm her nerves a bit...looking ahead towards the road "Thank you".
They begin running through the empty streets of the town that way no one gets run over, their speed unmatched compared to most of the others, the duo are determined to see what has happened.
Meanwhile
The sun shined through the forest trees, 3 girls can be seen walking through the dirt roads, "She must be here somewhere" one of them said, she had Dark grey hair and lime eyes, "You sure Taeko?" the other asked with purple hair.
"Yes Cassandra, I briefly saw movement of one of the seven, we cannot allow them to live" she responded coldly, devoid of emotion, Cassandra looked right to face the girl with blonde hair and green eyes "How about you Gilberda?".
She clenched her fists, as if ready to hit something "If Taeko says so, then there must be an imperial assassin here", they begin looking around carefully, searching for who they believe to be an enemy nearby, the 3 girls are the main trio favored by the new leader.
A small leaf falls on Taeko's shoulder, she grabs it only to drop it down "Listen carefully, you don't want to make a single mistake", Cassandra kept an eye out for any sort of movement.
"Strange, normally I can sense someone's killing intent, this assassin must be one of the best they have" she thought, there was no wind, no birds chirping, no animals running by, only their footsteps accompanied them.
Cassandra looked left and right, not a single thing besides her companions in sight, however...yet another leaf fell just above her, she began feeling anxiety, something she doesn't easily feel, the tree behind her had a pair of red eyes in the darkness, watching her like a hawk, then a feminine voice was heard.
"Eliminate".
To be continued...