Sup' you beautiful people! Hope you've had a fantastic day! I'm very sorry that this chapter is coming late! I loved reading your reviews. They really gave me the boost I needed to write this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE SHOWS I'M WRITING FANFICTIONS ON!
Now on to the chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 34: The Calm Before The Storm
Mine was in the hideout's hot spring, relaxing her body. Some people believe that hot springs actually have the power to heal a person's injury. How it was possible was up for debate. Mine had been out of Night Raid's battles ever since the unfortunate battle against Seryu and her Teigu. But now the time came that her arm was healed and she felt ready to go.
"Yes! Finally healed!" Mine stated, standing up.
The pink haired girl was determined to get back to work. So upon getting out of the hot spring and dressing up, she ran straight for Sheele's room, wanting to see her friend again.
'Two days had passed since the Three Beast Warriors were killed. I've had to sit things out because of my injury. Now I can get back to work!' Mine thought. She was in such a hurry that she began fixing her hair right away. 'I have to work twice as hard to make up for the loss of Bulat and Ieyasu and Sheele's inactivity. But first I should...'
She arrived at Sheele's room and knocked on it. She could hear an unfamiliar voice from the room from her place. Most cases, she would've taken this as something troublesome, but she had a feeling on who it was. She only opened the door when she heard the voice tell her to enter.
The scene she saw didn't surprise her. Sheele was being assisted by four Ditto duplicates through a practical exercise to get the purple haired woman to walk again. Sheele had to hold on to two ironic railings at both sides and attempt using her legs. The progress was unknown, but it was in the moment of that exercise that Mine had come.
"Sheele, you're up. I thought you'd be resting." Mine said.
"I was doing that, but…I thought I should get up and try." Sheele replied and smiled a bit. "Everyone's so busy with what happened to Bulat and I, I didn't want to bother their training. Luckily, Ben offered to help me out again."
"That's right." Mine said, somewhat conflicted.
While she does admire Sheele's determination, she couldn't help but feel useless. Bulat was gone and that was a big hit to Night Raid. Fortunately, the Ditto clones were in different positions to assist Sheele. Two of them were sitting on the railings, at the other end, while one of them was directly in front of Sheele. The fourth one sat on a chair close by, monitoring the whole exercise.
"Leave it to us. We'll get her better." Ditto 2 said assuredly. He was the one monitoring the progression.
"Yeah, you go work that arm out." Ditto 1 urged her. He was sitting on the railing at Sheele's left.
"We've got this." Ditto 3 also urged her. He even gave a smirk and thumbs up while sitting on the other bar.
"Fine, I'll leave." Mine said hesitantly. She then looked to Sheele. "Just try not to stress yourself Sheele. It's going to take some time before you can get back on your feet. You better not let this trouble you, okay?"
Sheele was silent, but not in a depressed way. She understood the concern for her health from her best friend. It made her smile even more in appreciation. "I'll keep that in mind." She said.
Mine then left the room and closed the door behind her. Her absence left the Dittos and Sheele by themselves. That was fine until Ditto 4, the one directly in front of Sheele, realized something.
"Aw men, we forgot to tell her that one of us is at the training area."
Sheele laughed a bit. She surprised everyone by doing that and got their stares. Fortunately, she noticed the stares and apologized. "Sorry, I was just thinking of old times with Mine. She's always been concerned about me. Sometimes I wonder which of us is the older one."
Ditto 3 sighed with a toothy smile. "Yeah, she sure is something." He said. "She can be bossy, but her heart's in the right place when she's not trying to shoot me. I'll be surprised if she won't be trying to make up for –"
"Dude!" Ditto 2 yelled.
Ditto 3 realized his mistake and quickly shut his mouth. Sheele found nothing wrong with it. In fact, she just looked at them with a smile. "It's fine. You don't need to hold yourself back because of me. I know Mine would work extra hard for me and because of the loss of Bulat and Ieyasu. That is why…" She paused and gripped the iron railings tightly. "I have to get back on my own two feet."
"So…you're going to go back to being an assassin?" Ditto 4 asked. He bowed his head down in sadness.
Sheele looked down on him. Her legs were far from being firm enough to support her body. But Sheele didn't let that stop her from bending forward and petting Ditto 4 on the head. She used her other arm to support her, but even then she fell to her knees.
"Sheele!" All the Dittos exclaimed. The clone most concerned was Ditto 4. "Be careful! You could've gotten hurt!"
"This is fine." Sheele said. Her hair covered her face, thus making it hard to see her voice. "I know my weaknesses and I accept them." She then grabbed hold of the iron railings again and tried pulling herself up. "But I cannot let my friends down…They are my family…Ieyasu sacrificed his life to save a person like me. I won't…No, I cannot let his sacrifice be in vain."
The Dittos were astonished. With each word the woman said, she was pulling herself up. However, the willpower she had didn't boost her legs long enough. She crashed down to her knees and caused the Dittos to rush to her.
"Sheele, you okay?!"
Sheele chuckled. "I'm…guessing I should rest now huh."
"You think?!"
It took a short amount of time before Mine pushed the entrance door aside. She had made it to the training ground, and with that a demand as she pushed her hand forward.
"Alright! I need someone to train with!" She shouted.
The pink haired girl was then surprised at what she saw. Lubbock and Tatsumi were seriously sweating while doing pushups. However, what made it a little more than that was the fact that Akame and Leone were sitting on their backs. Akame was sitting on Tatsumi's back and Leone on top of Lubbock. Aria was also involved but with a blue fish alien with legs and green eyes on her back instead.
"Hey, Mine." Tatsumi greeted.
"So you've recovered. That's good." Akame stated with a stoic face.
Mine hadn't dropped from her dumbfounded feeling. "What are you guys doing?" She asked.
"Leone and Akame are helping them to train." Eunice disclosed. She was sitting close by with Spear.
Tatsumi then explained. "After equipping Incursio, I understand that it consumes an amazing amount of spiritual and physical energy to use. I was just lucky that Verdona's power gave me easy access to its full power. But, in order for me to be able to use it as well as bro, I need to train my body even more. As it is now, I can barely use its invisibility for a few seconds before it releases."
"As expected of Tatsumi." The fjsh-like alien noted with a proud smile.
"T-This hurts my back." Aria said while panting. She wore different clothes that felt embarrassing to wear. For one, she wore a long purple pants and a bunch of bandages around her breast area. "Do I really have to wear this to train?" She asked.
"Of course you do." Spear answered from her position. "Now that I'm under Master Ben, I will be your trainer. Believe me when I say that by time I'm done with you, you'll be one of the greatest fighter."
Ben groaned in annoyance. "You know, just calling me Ben is fine, right?"
"Hold it!" Mine shouted and pointed at Ben. "Didn't I just see you with Sheele upstairs as some short black and white alien?!"
Ben looked to her. "Oh, you're talking about my clone." He said with a relaxed tone. "Yeah, I can make an exact copy of my normal self and let him change into aliens too. The reason I don't use them so often is because they adopt one major part of my personalities."
"Huh…" Mine paused and looked away. "Now that I think about it, you were acting way too positive for someone with your ego."
"Like you're the one to talk!"
Mine chose to ignore Ben with a simple snub. She then noticed Lubbock and said. "It's unusual to see you getting sweaty, Lubbock."
Lubbock grinned. "There are just the two of us guys in the group now. So, you know, I got to thinking maybe I should start taking things more seriously."
"Hmph." Leone snickered. "That sounds cool and all, but you can barely do half as many pushups as Tatsumi."
"Pfft." Lubbock looked away.
"That's to be expected." Akame said stoically. "Since there is such a large difference between Leone's weight and mine."
Akame didn't know it, but she just shattered something. It wasn't something that could be seen; rather, it was a thing that everyone knew they shouldn't bring up. Even the likes of Ben, Lubbock, Spear and Aria were left in dreadful shock once they heard the oblivious girl.
Leone's fist came directly down on Akame's head. It happened so fast and left the black haired assassin confused. But if that's not enough, Leone went over to Ben with a demanding question.
"You don't think I have too much weight, do you?!"
"Wait, why am I being –"
"Answer!" Leone demanded angrily.
Ben stuttered and looked around him. His eyes were visibly asking for help from anyone there. Sadly, it seemed he was alone. Spear looked away, whistling something, and Eunice held up her hands and shook her head slowly.
"Ben!" Leone called.
"R-Right…" Ben looked back at her nervously. "You know, that question is so interesting that I just have….BYE!"
He jumped off Aria and ran for his life.
"Aria, training's over! See ya!"
"Hey, get back here! Grow some balls and answer me!" Leone yelled and rocked her fist in the air.
"Jokes on you! Walkatrout's species don't have balls!"
Leone growled and was just about to chase after the fleeing hero. Fortunately, Najenda showed up almost out of nowhere, having no idea of what the fuss was about.
"Oh, you're all here." She said casually.
Najenda wore her regular clothes. However, what made her look different was the huge traveling backpack that she was carrying. Tatsumi wondered about that, but it wasn't until sometime passed that she answered. By then, Eunice, Spear and Aria had left and Tatsumi and Lubbock were dressed again.
"You're heading out to the Revolutionary army headquarters?" He asked.
"Yes." She answered. The huge travelling backpack was on the ground. "I need to go deliver the two Teigu we confiscated from the Three Beasts. It's kind of disappointing that we couldn't take Scream with us. Tennyson refused to hand it over."
"But it was his grandmother that helped Tatsumi back there." Akame stated. "Now that it's confirmed that the marks she bestowed upon Tatsumi, Leone and I, we have a better chance in a battle with Sunny. The least we could do for that was allow Ben to keep Scream."
"I figured." Najenda replied. "It would help if Lubbock and Mine were gifted with it. But considering the circumstance almost caused us most of our numbers, I think it's still beneficial that at least three of our members earned it."
"But why not bro?" Tatsumi asked with a depressed voice. "He received the mark and yet he was…unable to fight back."
"Maybe it has to do with his injuries." Leone suggested and crossed her arms under her chest. "I'm not sure. You can go ask that coward of a hero. We told his little group to leave the training ground since this is a meeting for Night Raid members only."
Tatsumi sighed and almost looked away. But then he saw Najenda about to pick up the Teigu axe that used to belong to Daidara. Considering its size by looks alone, Tatsumi knew how heavy it was.
"Boss, that axe is unbelievably heavy." He said, pointing at the thing.
"Oh, I can handle this much." Najenda replied. She lifted the weapon with her cyborg arm over her head and smiled. "See? I wouldn't be able to use it as a weapon, but if it's just carrying it, there's no problem."
Tatsumi was surprised. He turned to Lubbock and went close to him. "Was the boss always this amazing?" He asked.
"Of course." He answered. "You do know she's a former general, right?"
From there, Najenda put Akame in charge of the group. Tatsumi was doubtful about the female assassin until Lubbock assured him about her sticking to orders. It was then that Najenda disclosed her other reason for going to the Revolutionary Army HQ.
"I'm hoping they can spare some talented people to replenish our strength, but I'm not holding my breath." She said and lit a cigarette. "Our alliance with Tennyson is strong; however, I would not like to rely on him continuously before the day of the revolution."
"I'm sorry." Tatsumi apologized depressingly. "I was too weak."
Najenda was silent. She understood what Tatsumi was going through. Though the teen had won in the end, it had come in the cost of someone important to him. But she saw it as no time to moan or feel sorry for one's self, thus she removed her cigarette from her mouth and puff some smoke.
"The ones you were fighting, the Three Beasts, had the strongest offensive capabilities in the entire empire." She explained. "They were key figures in Esdeath's army. All three of them were eliminated and their Teigu recovered. Esdeath's strength may have no equal except to Tennyson, but her army has certainly been weakened as a whole due to this."
With that, she continued. "Their deaths will do much to allay concerns over when the revolution will take place. You did not only help to save the lives of the people on the ship, but also the lives of thousands of Revolutionary army soldiers. You are strong and you did well, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi became emotional as he tried to hold back the tears. Najenda's praise was something he appreciated deeply, but not without feeling reluctant. He was going through an emotional conflict and Leone didn't like it. So she decided to comfort him from behind.
"I wasn't going to tell you since I didn't want to inflate your ego, but Bulat said something to me a while back. He knew he wasn't going to make it back there."
Tatsumi was shocked. He turned to Leone with face expression mixed with confusion and bafflement. Akame and Lubbock didn't seem any different, with the same for Najenda. It was obvious by their calm demeanor that they knew too.
Days before the battle that took Bulat's life, there was a day which Leone and Bulat found themselves alone in the kitchen. It wasn't odd for such a thing to happen. Leone and Bulat were comrades and good friends. Sometimes they would drink with one another just for the fun of it. But it was this particular day that Bulat disclosed something shocking.
"You can't be serious!" Leone yelled and stood up from her chair. She slammed her cup filled with alcohol. "You think you're going to die on the next big mission?!"
"Crazy huh?" Bulat said with a calm smile. He put his cup down and looked up at Leone. His attitude then changed to a deep serious one. "But that's how it is. That Time-Traveller, Professor Paradox, indirectly said it himself."
"It's still stupid!" Leone said and stubbornly crossed her arms under her chest. "So he never met you in the future, so what? We never met him until a while ago."
"But have you wondered why?" Bulat asked seriously. "That time he greeted us, he met everyone at some point in the future, including Lubbock."
"But that's just baseless!" Leone retorted. "We're all ready to die for our sins one day! But you can't just say you'll die on the next big mission!"
Bulat chuckled and smiled. "Perhaps, you're right." He said. He then sat back on his chair and grew his smile into a smirk. "I just thought about Tatsumi. How will he handle it if it happens? Tatsumi may still be green and wet behind the ears, but I know that kid will become seriously strong in time. With strict training, I think he may become so strong he just might leave me in the dust. I just hope I live long enough to see that. I look forward to seeing him grow to that kind of man."
"But he still kept that thought that he'd die soon. I could tell that he just didn't want me to keep yelling at him." Leone said in conclusion. "One might think he let his guard down because of that kind of thought, but knowing Bulat, he gave the mission his all till the end."
Tatsumi was quiet, but not by his expressive face. A lot were going through his mind and he didn't know which one to pick. The guilt was gone, but only to be replaced by a big sense of responsibility, appreciation and sadness. Everyone there could understand and couldn't mind him looking down to the ground.
"Be proud of yourself, Tatsumi." Najenda said and turned her back on him. She swiftly wore her huge jacket and took the bigger travelling backpack with her. "And live on." She continued. "Show Bulat that you can become the kind of man he expected you to be."
With that, the boss of Night Raid left the hideout. She was positive about Tatsumi growth. The teen had gone through something that she knew would boost his determination. However, there was a problem and it came to her mind as she continued walking.
'Even so, we're still shorthanded…' She thought. 'The report brought back by Leone says Esdeath is organizing a special force of Teigu users. Ben Tennyson and his companions can't be relied on if they're coming for us alone. We're in an alliance based on just the revolution's day. Eventually, he'll want to move out and setup his own base. It…looks like things are about to get more difficult.'
Esdeath stood silently; the wind blowing blissfully against her as she looked at three graves. Her figure was everlastingly beautiful, but the moment wasn't right. Some part of her felt grief at the loss of her special boys she considered sometimes called dogs. That is why she had a bouquet of flowers in her hand as she stared at the graves.
"Liver, Nyau, Diadara." She said softly and firm. "You three lost…which means you were just too weak." She then knelt on one knee and placed her hand on a cross of one of the graves. "It's only natural for the weak to be eliminated…my weak subordinates. You were so weak that I'll have to take vengeance on your enemies in your stead."
Sunny clapped slowly and smiled mockingly. She was sitting on a cross not too far from Esdeath's left. The fact that she was there didn't surprise the ice general or bother her. She simply stood up and turned to Sunny.
"Today's the day. Do you look forward to seeing your new comrades?" She asked with an expressionless face.
Sunny simply smiled and nodded at the woman. Esdeath was fine with the response and walked passed her. "I don't know much about them. Maybe we should play around with them?"
"Yes, ma'am." Sunny grinned.
Wave was an ambitious young man. He was a 'man of the sea' and someone who was loyal to the empire's causes. But that didn't change the fact that he reeked of a country boy's aura. It also didn't help that he carried a sack of fish, clothes and other commodities for his convenience. Then there was the fact that he was one of Teigu users picked by the Capital to be a part of Esdeath's team.
The young man was fairly muscular and above average height. He had short dark blue hair and eyes and wore a cowlick. He also wore a blue leather jacket and a red scarf with an anchor drawn on it. Underneath the short, he wore a white shirt with a single blue line down the middle. Then there was his pair of grey jeans with a belt and dark blue boots.
Wave was proud of his looks. His former job as someone in the navy made him to barely be around people on land. So when he received the request by the Capital, he wasted no time to make himself look as good and flashy as he could. Unknown to him, his looks only made him stand out so much. He only sensed the bad vibe, but couldn't pick it up well.
Fortunately, he made it to a designated building somewhere in the Imperial Compound. The door with the name of the room he was told to go was soon in his sight. He felt determined and excited to go in and meet his new comrades. He knew the value of teamwork and had the knowledge that first impressions were important.
'Alright, let's go in.' He thought and reached his hand to the doorknob.
However, the young man didn't go all the way. His reason was due to a faint voice from his left. It made him turn to its source and blush when he saw who it was. A girl with long black hair tied into a ponytail was running to his direction with a beautiful smile. She also wore a long sleeve purple shirt and a black vest on top and black pants and purple shoes.
"Hi! Hi!" She shouted freely.
'C-Cute…' Wave thought. He then shook his head to focus. It was then that the girl approached him and he decided to play it cool. "N-Nice to meet you. Have we met somewhere?" He asked.
"No, but I kind of wish we did. You remind me of someone I know. Crazy huh?"
"Oh…um, I guess." Wave said with a blushing face. He then looked back at the door and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I have to get going. I'm supposed to be in there for something pretty big."
"Me too!" The girl said positively. She then pushed her hand forward for a handshake. "My name is Sunny Tennyson. You can call me Sunny. What's your name?"
"Wave." He answered. He then accepted her handshake. "It's really nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
'She's pretty cute.' Wave thought right away. 'Why would a girl like her be requested here to be a part of a team? Does she have a Teigu? I don't see her with one.'
Sunny let go and then put her arms behind her back. Her sweet smile didn't seem to cease as she then went closer to the young man. "Let's get going, comrade. We're going to be late." She said.
"You're right!" Wave nodded in alarm.
The young man returned back to his earlier character and excitedly opened the door.
"Good afternoon!" He greeted proudly. "I've come from the Imperial Navy. My name is –"
He suddenly became silent. His reason was because of the only person in the room. He saw a very muscular man with a gas masked, wearing nothing on his chest, thus exposing his three slash scars on his chest, while wearing white sleeves and white pants.
"Pardon my intrusion!" Wave slammed the door.
Sunny tilted her head with a confused look. The young man whom she knew as being upright was sitting on the floor, panting heavily like he had seen a ghost.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I…I am." Wave said hesitantly. "This room must belong to the office of torture. I…guess I mixed up the number."
"No, you're wrong." Sunny replied. She pulled out a paper and bent down to push it close to his face. "See. It says here that we're to meet at the Special Police Conference Room. That's what it also says at the top of the door."
"Eh?" Wave was shocked. He paused and looked at the doorpost and saw that Sunny was right. He then turned to the girl and stuttered a bit. "Y-You're right."
"Looks like it." Sunny replied. She surprised the young man when she went closer and grabbed his hand. "I know it can be scary meeting new people. But give them time and you might see that they're not what you think. We're going to be comrades, so we have plenty of time for that."
Wave was astonished. His heart skipped a bit as he could only stare at the girl in front of him. It was the first time he had this feeling. He didn't know how to respond to it or to the moment at hand.
Sunny giggled and opened the doorknob. "Let's go. Time to greet our comrade." She said.
"Right." Wave nodded.
He was back to seeing the very muscular man from before. That gas mask the man wore made it impossible to know what he was like underneath. In a way it scared Wave and made him feel smaller than he should. But not for Sunny; she went over to the man and waved.
"Hi! I'm Sunny Tennyson! Nice to meet you!"
The masked man didn't respond. He just stared at the black haired girl until she dropped her hand and smiled awkwardly.
"I'm…guessing you're not one for talking. It's cool." She said.
Again, the masked man didn't say anything. Wave and Sunny could feel the awkward air, thus the latter decided to lead the former to a couple of tables across the guy. It was only when they got seated that they let go of each other and Wave realized something dreadful.
'Wait, shouldn't I have been a gentleman by letting her sit first?!' He screamed in his head. The 'trauma' became hard on him and he gripped his head. 'I'm sorry, mum! I completely forgot!'
"Are you doing okay?" Sunny asked.
Wave snapped out of his phase and turned to the young girl beside him. He almost lost a heartbeat when he saw the concerned and worried look on her face. Wave stuttered and blushed and looked away. He couldn't look at her straight on.
"I-I'm fine. Thanks." He said.
"No problem." She replied with a happy nod.
Just then, the door opened and got the two youngsters again. Someone had just stepped in and she didn't seem to notice their presence. Sunny recognized that person right away, but didn't say anything. On other hand, Wave was delighted.
'Another girl! This is good!' Wave thought. 'Maybe I can calm myself down with just talking to her. She looks normal.'
Sunny couldn't help but grin a little creepily. It didn't take a mind-reader for her to know what was on the young man's mind. But she didn't say anything, though. She just watched Wave walk over to Kurome when she took a seat.
"H-Hey." Wave greeted. He got Kurome's attention just as she stuck a breadstick in her mouth. "Are you a Teigu user that was summoned her as well? Nice to meet you, I'm Wave…"
Kurome swiftly acted in the only way she could. She grabbed her bag of candy on the table and pulled it to her chest. She then gave Wave a weird glare and said. "You can't have any of my candy!"
'She's weird too!' Wave thought, taken aback.
Just then, Kurome noticed a hand dip into her bag from over her shoulder. The person successfully grabbed a cookie and pulled it out. That, obviously, angered Kurome and made her to turn back to the one responsible.
"O-Oh hi, Kurome." Sunny greeted nervously. "You wouldn't mind if I –"
Sunny didn't get to finish that. Kurome quietly stood up, went to the fellow girl's back and wrapped her arms around the girl's waist. Then, before Sunny could apologize, Kurome did a German suplex so accurate that Sunny's head made a web-crack on the floor.
"Sunny!" Wave shouted in shock.
Kurome went back to her sit like nothing happened. She then went back to eating her candy while Wave ran over to the girl on the ground.
"H-Hey, are you okay?" He asked.
"You can say that…" Sunny replied with a weak tone. "I…really can't move. Can you help me?"
Wave was hesitant as he gulped down some spit. He didn't know what to think of the situation except how embarrassing it made him feel. But he remembered he was a man and he had to assist a woman. So without much delay, he carried Sunny in a bridal style and led her back to her seat.
"Thanks…" Sunny said and rubbed her head against his chest. "You have a nice body, do you know that?"
Wave didn't say; he was too nervous and embarrassed to give a response. He made it back to Sunny seat and placed her back. He then made it back to his own seat and sat there. The memory of what he did just a few seconds ago made him quiet and look away.
"So…" He said to change the awkward silence. "you know her?"
"Not really, but she's kind of fun." Sunny answered with a quirky smile. "I met her when I was sent to inform her about this new team up."
Wave quickly turned to her, surprised. "Doesn't that mean you know more about this?!" He asked.
"It does." Sunny answered. "I've been living in the Imperial Castle for the past few days."
Wave was shocked by this. Even a person like Kurome couldn't help but listen in on their conversation. The both of them did know each other, but didn't mean they were close to one another. The fact that Sunny stole one of her candy has put a divide between them.
Just then, the doors were suddenly pushed open. Seryu and her Teigu, Koro, had made it to the scene. She still wore her uniform from her time at the Garrison; however, the only major difference was her arms which were mostly machines now.
"Pardon us!" She said and saluted. "I've been reassigned from the Capital Defense Forces! I am Seryu Yubikitasi! And the little guy next to me is Koro!"
"So that's her huh…" Sunny said with a somewhat impressed look.
"You know her?" Wave asked.
"Not personally." Sunny said and giggled.
Wave was slightly uncomfortable by that and was even about to ask. But then Seryu did the unexpected by throwing a bouquet of flowers into the air, causing them to loosen and fall to the ground graciously.
"Dr. Stylish, the preparations are ready." She said and did a humble bow.
The man named Dr. Stylish stepped into the room. "First impressions are important…and would of course be important to be a stylish man like myself."
Dr. Stylish was a tall man with spiky black hair with a white patch and blue eyes. He wore square framed glasses and a yellow suit with a blue shirt, a tie and a white lab coat.
'This time it's a crazy homo?!' Wave shouted in his head in shock.
Dr. Stylish noticed Wave. "Oh dear." He said. "On first look, you're clearly a country boy, but you're actually kind of good looking." He then winked with a small toothy smile. "I can make you even better. Let's get along well, okay?"
Wave was instantly dumbfounded. 'And he seems to have taken a liking to me…' He thought. Sunny giggled.
Then the final member walked in. He was a young man with fair blond hair and golden, wearing a white robe on top of a black shirt and pants with a brown belt. There was a feather pin behind his ear and a collar-like accessory on his neck. In his left hand, he was carrying a book.
"Good afternoon." He greeted pleasantly. "It looks like I'm the last to arrive."
"Hey." Wave greeted with a short glare. He didn't have any high expectation because of the others. "Nice to meet you, I'm Wave."
"I'm Run." Run replied with a genuine smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Wave was surprised and relieved. Someone else was normal around here. Sure, he thought Sunny was one, but he was kind of skeptical due to the way she acted with Kurome. Anyway, he didn't waste any time to grab the blonde man's hands and stare closely.
'Finally! Someone here is normal too!' He thought.
Run, surprisingly, was calm by the weird physical contact. Apart from being confused, he didn't really say much about it. Eventually, Wave and Run returned to their own seats before everything became quiet. No one really had much to say until the first one in the room, the very muscular man with a gas mask, stood up and carried some tray occupied with cups of tea.
"Everyone…I've made some tea." He announced reluctantly. No one said anything about it though. The masked man went to each person and put a cup of tea. It wasn't until he put down Wave's own share that he said something to him and Sunny. "I must apologize to the both of you. It is our first meeting and yet I didn't greet you. I have a fear of strangers, you see…I was nervous."
"Aw, that's so adorable." Sunny said and giggled.
He showed a slight reaction to it, but it was hard to say what it was. His mask hid most of his expression, but it was clear by his tone that he appreciated Sunny's compliment.
"I'll take that as a compliment." He replied. "But it does not excuse what I did. I most likely have the most seniority here…and yet I act like that." He then held the empty tray with both hands to his chest and added. "Let's get along as fellow Teigu using warriors. I am Bols, from the Incineration squad."
"Haha…" Wave managed to say. He was uncertain about Bols appearance. 'He has a fear of people with that appearance?
"I can relate." Sunny said with her elbows on the table. Her smile dropped a little, but not enough to make others notice. "No one should be judged for just who they are. As…human beings, we should try to understand each other and know just what we feel on the inside. Looks can be deceitful, after all."
Wave and Bols were astonished and mildly baffled. It took the Anodite a second to realize what she did and sheepishly smile at them with her hand behind her back. "Um…that's just what I think."
Dr. Stylish was skeptical on the claim. He had been observing, particularly on Bols and Sunny, and he came to his own thoughts.
'The Incineration Squad are a unit that will stylishly scorch anything, be it man or thing…I see, that's why he has that look huh. He's definitely not my type. As for the girl…I've only seen her once and already that body of her…looks inhuman. The design may look alright to the normal eyes, but not to my stylish mind. Just what is your secret, Sunny?'
Sunny smiled sinisterly. "She's here."
The door opened and it wasn't a new member. The person was a woman with beautiful long blue hair and a set of clothes that Sunny knew could belong to one woman alone. However, the reason she wasn't identified was because of the mask she wore. She walked close to the table while inspecting each person seated.
'So Sunny and the other six are here…' She thought.
The masked woman came to a stop. Her presence obviously had most of their attention when her high heels clicking against the floor made a sound.
"Eh…Who's that?" Wave asked.
"I don't recognize any of you!" The masked woman stated with her finger directly pointed at them. "What are you doing in this room?!"
Wave was annoyed by the woman's tone. He stood up with a glare and said. "Hey now. We were called here for a special as –"
The masked woman kicked him, cutting his words off. Wave had no way to prepare, thus he hit the ground hard with his mouth open and his eyes without pupils. The attack instantly alerted everyone on the table, even though some of them kept casual and comedic looks on their faces.
Run saw that he was next. The masked woman was running straight for him when he stood up and pushed his chair back. So to avoid her kicks, the young man jumped back and dodged her quick attacks.
"Whoops." He humored.
'This one's very good.' The masked woman thought.
Seryu and Koro took the chance to attack. They both jumped from behind, spaces apart, and the urge to kill clearly on their faces. Seryu was the most bloodlust, as she wasted no time. She swung a punch for the masked woman for a swift kill. However, the masked woman only needed to move her head aside and grab the younger woman's hand. So before Seryu knew it, she was slammed to the floor on her back, creating a dust cloud.
"Guh…" Seryu groaned.
"When attacking from behind, you give off too much killing intent." The masked woman said. Koro was held with her other hand on his face.
Kurome decided it was the right time to fight back. With a cookie in her hand, she jumped on the table and ran for the masked woman. She then gripped her sword's sheath and pulled out the weapon. In that moment, the masked woman had little time to react. Kurome made a clean cut of her mask with no expression whatsoever.
The masked woman was impressed. 'Even playing around, I shouldn't give this one any opening.' She thought and then stepped back.
"So that's the Teigu Yatsuhusa, huh?" Run questioned rhetorically. "It has a splendid cutting edge…"
Almost everyone was back together to see the mask falling apart. It was then that they recognized who they just saw fight them.
"General Esdeath!"
Indeed, they were correct. Esdeath smiled slyly as she removed her hand from her face and said. "You did quite well, but…who said this little exercise was over."
Just then, Kurome sensed danger and turned back. Sunny jumped at her with a swing kick that she had to block. However, the speed and strength that the Anodite packed was surprising and caused Kurome to move back to gain proper balance.
"I've been waiting to do this." Sunny said and crackled in laughter. She then clutched her fists and let pink orbs form around it. "This is for not sharing!"
Sunny then shot mana orbs at Kurome. It was a move she picked from a certain cousin of hers. But, of course, Kurome was able to maneuver herself through them and make her way for the Anodite. It was only when the distance was closed that the younger girl swung her blade to cut Sunny's abdomen.
"Nope, not happening." Sunny calmly said.
Before everyone's eyes, Sunny fell back and went through the ground. She surprised everyone by doing it, but also heightened their senses. Esdeath took a step back and watched what happened next. Pink tentacles suddenly shot out from where the Anodite used to be. Kurome was almost caught by surprise if not that she used her weapon to cut them and jump back.
However, the same couldn't be said for the others exactly. Mana-based tentacles shot out from almost every direction with the intent to grab a person. Wave, who had just woken up, was suddenly tied by his arms and legs and held against the wall.
"What the hell?!" He shouted in shock.
Run noticed some mana-based tentacles coming for him fast. He didn't seem that much surprised about them. So before any can come for him, he used just his hand to push them aside. His speed was quick and something that the mana-based tentacles couldn't go against even from below.
Then there was Bols. He was almost caught by the mana-based tentacles. However, it seemed his switch was flipped, as he then grabbed the mana-based tentacles coming for him with his own hands and gripped them. But then two tentacles came for his legs and tied around them. He was swiftly hoisted off his feet and into the air.
Then there was Seryu and Koro. The mana-based tentacles came for them, but couldn't grab them. Koro was in his big form, and with his mistress's skills, the both of them were able to fight off the tentacles easily.
"Koro and I can do this longer than you think!" Seryu proudly stated.
Sunny heard her fine and well. She had another trick in mind and decided to put it into action. Hence, she came out partially from a wall close by and waved sweetly at Seryu.
"There you are!" Seryu madly grinned. She made a swift jump for the Anodite with her fist held back. "Hold them off, Koro! I'm going to end this!"
Sunny thought otherwise. She suddenly sent four tentacles from her position and restrained Seryu's arms and feet. The young woman didn't like it and struggled in anger. "Come out and fight me personally!" She yelled.
"If I did, you wouldn't still be talking." Sunny replied. She then moved back into the wall, but not without doing one other thing.
Sunny sent a mana-based fist that stretched out from where she used to be and punched right at Seryu's stomach. But it didn't end there. The fist pushed Seryu out of the tentacles' grip and rammed her against Koro. When the dust cleared, Koro and Seryu were restrained on the ground by tentacles holding them down together.
"You don't seem to learn, do you?"
Seryu looked up and saw who said it. "General Esdeath." She muttered.
Esdeath said nothing back. She went back to watching the scene with her own mindset. It would seem Sunny still had her focus on Kurome, because mana-based arms shot out from different directions to grab the young girl. She failed, however, as Kurome swiftly cut them no matter the huge numbers that came for her.
'Very impressive.' Esdeath smiled slyly.
Dr. Stylish sighed in disappointment. He dodged the mana-based tentacles with ease and made his way to a wall across the room "Such a fascinating power you have. It's such a shame that it lacks style, because if it did then you…" He paused and pushed his hand into the wall like it was water and pulled out Sunny. "could've hidden yourself much better."
Sunny was then thrown against the table. She was swift to do a backflip on the wooden thing and land next to Esdeath on her feet. The tentacles and the damages she caused then ceased and the room was back to normal.
"That hurts…" Wave groaned as he tried to sit up. He was successful to sit upright and see what the others saw, Esdeath and Sunny with mischievous smirks on their faces. 'So even the boss and Sunny are weird ones?!'
"Nice job, Sunny." Esdeath said without looking at the girl. "You did splendidly well."
"I try my best, Esdeath-sama." Sunny replied.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Wave and his new comrades were set and ready. The sun could be seen at the horizon, signifying that it was evening. None of his comrades seemed to mind it; they were walking down a veranda in male business suits that fit each of them well. The reason wasn't clear as no one bothered to ask about it. Esdeath was their boss and they were going to listen to her all the way.
"Were you surprised by my little game?" Esdeath asked. "Wasn't it much better than the normally dull welcoming reception? Sunny was more than happy to assist me. She and I wanted to see what was brought to the table."
"I'm used to being treated rough." Wave dismissed casually.
"Aww, poor thing." Sunny said and wrapped her arm around Wave's own. She then pulled him close and giggled as she made eye contact. "You don't look hurt. You must be strong yourself. I didn't mean to hurt you, by the way. I hope you don't hate me."
"I…don't hate you." Wave replied embarrassingly. He looked way with a blushing face and muttered something. His reason for his state was because he could feel his arm pushing on Sunny's breast.
Everyone noticed the moment, but said nothing. Seryu was with Koro, holding him close to her chest with an appreciative smile on her face. "Thank you for the lesson, Ma'am." She said. "I've learnt much from today."
"Okay then!" Esdeath said with a smirk. Her own dress followed the same color scheme as the others. However, she wore it was a dress which had one slit at her leg's side, thus exposing. She almost put on her black hat and added. "We'll have a party after our audience with his majesty."
"What?!" Wave was surprised. "We're suddenly going to meet the emperor?! Isn't that a little too fast?!"
Esdeath turned her head slightly to him. "I like to get the annoying things out of the way first. You would rather handle your self-introduction next time, right?"
"Next time?" Wave asked.
"Esdeath-sama." Dr. Stylish called. "Before that, should we not decide on a name for our team?"
Esdeath paused for a second to think about it. She thought about their purpose and their objective. This caused her to smirk smoothly as she came to a concluded name.
"We are a unique force within the military, organized and tasked to mercilessly hunt down and eliminate atrocious groups of enemies. Therefore…" She paused and revealed the name. "We will be the special police force known as Jaegers."
With that, it felt official that their existence was real. The Jaegers went onwards to their meeting with the emperor. Their future was unclear, but it was certain with one thing. Any enemy in their way will be unfortunate because of the grave power they possess.
_(CHAPTER END)_
And that's where I'm going to end this chapter. I know there wasn't any Ben 10 action. This chapter was more of a buildup to what is going to happen in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.
Now I'm going to answer a question that came up.
Question: What's with Sunny being so suicidal and pulling a Joker's way with Ben? She can always have her fun anywhere else (By CapitalClassShip)
Answer: She has hinted over the past chapters on what led to her to be the way she is. As an Anodite, she adopted the Carefree spirit that inexperienced Anodites tend to have. Added to it, she feels that she has been neglected by her family. So she eventually snapped and wants nothing more than to have her amusement. Even while she works with Esdeath, it's just a roleplaying thing for her. This will be shown later on.
On another note, to the reviewer Dcraus, I like your idea for a crossover. But I cannot do it. It just feels like a story I can't commit to 100%.
Well that ends all that. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this fanfiction. There is more to come, so please review, favorite and follow. I will see you guys in the next update. Bye!