DISCLAMER
I DO NOT OWN AKAME GA KILL. THE SERIES WAS WRITTEN BY TAKAHIRO AND ILLUSTRATED BY TETSUYA TASHIRO

Akame Ga Kill! © Square Enix

Tatsumi took in a deep breath. He started his journey to the capital to join the military about a week ago. Multiple days of traveling by foot along the main road was no easy task. But he had to admit that it was quite a beautiful one. Forests of trees and mountains in the distance did more than enough to help him simply enjoy the view on his long journey to the capital of the empire. He took another deep breath, the fresh and crisp cool air fills his lungs, forcing him more awake as he walks down the road this beautiful morning. The sun rises slowly over the distant mountains, the wildlife slowly coming to life all around him. The birds could be seen soaring above him, chirping while they chase each other and their own prey. Tatsumi smiles softly, simply taking in the beauty of the moment. The sounds of the birds, and the insects, and his soft yet consistent foot falls filled his ears, making slow but sure progress towards the capital. Tatsumi stretches his arms upwards, his ridiculously large backpack shuffling around as he did so, and he let out a soft yawn, which was followed by the smacking of his lips.

Hm. If I keep at this pace, I should arrive roughly around a day or two from now. He thought to himself, still taking in the moment of serenity unfolding around him.

He smiles to himself again. Happy at the progress he has made so far. Tatsumi was more excited than he would care to admit, not only to be able to actually sleep in a soft and warm bed, but to achieve his true goal. He only wishes for his village to be able to thrive and prosper. Sadly, his home village was struggling. They simply couldn't produce the amount of money needed to fulfill the taxes that the empire required from them. Most of the able bodied men have already joined the empire's massive military force, but in doing so, left the village without enough workers to help produce an income. But Tatsumi decided he wished to be different. Instead of the other men of his village joining the military to increase their fame, or wealth only for themselves or immediate family, Tatsumi vowed to raise money for the entirety of the village. He promised himself that he would join the military, and climb the ranks, all to make money to save the people of the place he called home. He chuckled to himself as his footfalls filled the air around him. Truly happy that with every step he takes, he is one step closer to his noble goal. He looks forward on the path, his emerald eyes sharpening their gaze to steel, while pointing at nothing, resolving himself to do his best, and to prove to everyone that he is a man of his word and that he will help his home.

But as he looked up, he could see a small military scouting band, all walking in formation down the path as well. He smiled happily, because they may be also heading back to the capital from a mission or something, and this way he doesn't have to travel alone and he may be able to get a few tips on how to be able to climb the ranks of the military more quickly. Tatsumi increased his pace from a slow walk to a swift jog to catch up with the walking force of military men, and as he approached, the few men walking in the back could easily hear him from the rattling of pots and pans in his backpack along with the swift and heavy footfalls on the gravel.

After a few moments, Tatsumi catches up with the military force, and smiles at them, "Hello! Are you all traveling to the capital as well?" He asked with enthusiasm. The few men that were now on both sides of Tatsumi smiled at each other, no strangers to civilians wishing to travel with them to the capital in the safety of their company. One of the soldiers looks back at Tatsumi and smiles as he says, "Yes, we are returning to the capital from our most recent deployment. If you wish to travel with us for safety from bandits and danger beasts, feel free to do so."

Tatsumi mentally chuckled, believing that his own experience in combat training could easily keep him safe. After all, he wasn't wanting to travel with them for safety, but rather for information. "Thank you sir!" Tatsumi said enthusiastically. After a few moments of silence, one of the soldiers turns back to look at Tatsumi and asks, "So why are you traveling to the capital? By the looks of it, you seem to be from on of the frontier villages."

Tatsumi sighed softly, and quickly responded with, "Well, you are right, I am from one of the frontier villages, and I am travelling to the capital to join the military!" A few of the soldiers laughed softly at this, to either Tatsumi's enthusiasm about joining the military, or his childlike demeanor, Tatsumi will never know. But it wasn't truly important to him, so he didn't really care. But the mood certainly shifted from a strict business like encounter to a more soft and casual one, to which Tatsumi and the soldiers all engaged in friendly conversation, both about home life and military life, as well as what to expect in the military.

"-So yeah, that's about it for the best ways to suck up to most of the higher ups, and if you do a good enough job, maybe you can land yourself a promotion or two." One of the soldiers finished telling Tatsumi. Nearly the entire day had already passed while Tatsumi simply walked an talked to the soldiers.

"Thank you sir! I will definitely remember that sir!" Tatsumi said while giving a small salute, to which the soldiers only laughed softly at. "Oh! One more thing you should know Tatsumi", One of the soldiers quickly said, his tone dramatically changing from the light hearted tone the entire band of soldiers were sharing before. "There is one general you must do your best to avoid at all costs. She is as cruel as she is beautiful, her sadism knows no bounds. You must avoid her at all costs, unless you wish to turn into those monsters that many of the people in the capital fear themselves." After this was said, many of the other men's once brightly lit faces and smiles softened or fell completely. The lighthearted mood utterly destroyed.

Tatsumi only tilted his head at this, much like a curious dog, his hair softly falling, a small portion of it covering his eyes. "The monsters the people fear? What does that mean? Is he talking about danger beasts?" Tatsumi thought to himself. He opened his mouth to ask what exactly the soldier meant by that, there was a soft rumbling felt in the earth. And what could be only a few dozen yards away, a massive beast sprung out from the earth, bellowing out a roar that could be easily heard from miles around. The soldiers all immediately drew their weapons as they stood to fight, and Tatsumi by instinct, also drew his own blade. As he took a combat stance, one of the soldiers from the front line could be heard shouting, "Danger beast! It's an earth dragon!" And even to Tatsumi's surprise, he could only grin softly, finally, his trip to the capital was going to have a bit of action.

Hey guys! I hope you liked the introduction to this story of mine! I know it was a bit short, but I promise that the chapters will get longer with time. I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review telling me what you think so far! I'll see you all soon!