Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter for this story! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so very long to get out, but I was very extremely busy with college, especially this last semester in particular. I also won't lie to you guys either, a lot of my free time recently has been eaten up by Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 76, Let's Go Pikachu, BFV, and Apex Legends. I was also quite sick over winter break and didn't really have the energy to do any writing. But now I'm finally back to get this new chapter out! This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will continue Night Raid's battle against the Four Rakshasas. We'll also see Mine, Tatsumi, and Sayo's fight against Seryu, and I think you all know my feelings about her. Also, thank you all so much for getting this story to over 2,500 followers! That's completely insane!
**(PLEASE READ THE A/Ns, THEY'RE IMPORTANT!)**
P.S. I think going forward I'll have a new order of sorts when it comes to updating my stories. I'll still post multiple chapters for this fic in a row, but instead of three, I think I'll bump it down to two, for now, the same will also apply to my Fairy Tail. Instead of posting three chapters in a row, I'll substitute the missing third chapter with an update for either my Batman or Spider-man stories. So going forward my update order will be: Pokemon (Betrayal Brings out the Best in x1 chapter), Fairy Tail (Natsu Dragneel the Dual Dragon Slayer x2 chapters), Batman (It's Still Possible to Turn Your Life Around x1 chapter), Akame ga Kill (Killing Your Dark Future x2 chapters), and Spider-man (Spider-man: Love Across Dimensions x1 chapter). Then the order will reset and we'll start from the beginning again. I know some of you will be disappointed not to get three straight chapters, but with this new order it should be easier to work on all my stories, so I hope you all understand.
P.P.S. I recently started a Batman story, and I would love for you all to check it out and give me your feedback! It features a Batman x Harley Quinn x Third Mystery Girl (the mystery girl is revealed at the end of the first chapter) romance and is set in the Batman Arkham video game universe, and it takes place after the events of the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC. The story will follow Harley's transformation into a hero and will eventually lead to into events of Arkham Knight. So again, please check out the story and let me know what you think, the story is called "It's Still Possible to Turn Your Life Around".
P.P.P.S Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse got me so pumped that I even started writing my own little Spider-man fanfiction. It will be similar to my Batman story, nothing too long or serious. Our favorite Wallcrawler will definitely have a harem full of beautiful ladies from the Marvel universe, mainly from the various Spider-man series though. The story is called "Spider-man: Love Across Dimensions", and I would love it if you all checked it out and gave me your thoughts.
Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Teigu
"Incursio"
Disclaimer: I don't Akame ga Kill or any of its characters.
(Revolutionary Army's Hidden Base Within Kyoroku)
"Najenda and the other Night Raid members were supposed to rendezvous with us as soon as they got in Kyoroku...where could they be? We infiltrated the city days ago, but we haven't heard anything from them yet...is it possible our plans were discovered?" A revolutionary army spy thought, jotting down a new entry into his personal journal. The spy paused his writing for a moment and stared up at the night sky overhead, as he sat against a tree outside their temporary base. "We've already worked out a plan to assassinate Bolic, the Minister's spy and assistant to the religious leader. They were deathly afraid of the Jaegers showing up, but a different roadblock appeared. We spotted the minister's executioners within the city two days ago...we had planned for the Jaegers...but the Four Rakshasas...that's a different story." With a light sigh, the spy closed his journal and made his way back inside. However, when the spy reached the building's entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the screams of his comrades up ahead. Steeling his nerves, the spy threw open the door and sprinted towards the bloodcurdling screams. Rounding a corner, the spy gasped in horror when he saw the bloodied bodies of several of his comrades littering the hallway. At the end of the hall, the spy spotted a woman standing in front of his remaining comrades. The woman wore clothes similar to those of a shrine maiden, with a loose kimono shirt that exposed her cleavage held by a single breast guard covering her right breast, and a single plate of armor covering her forearms. "W-What the hell is going here!? Who is this woman!?"
"Heh heh heh...so this is where the rest of you were cowering..." Suzuka chuckled as she slowly approached the remaining spies, an intensely dark aura emanating off her. "You silly little spies weren't so hard to find, you're not very good at your job. You're friends back there were all so weak, you must have multiple safehouses across the city. I must admit that I'm a little disappointed, but oh well, I'll just kill you all anyway."
"She's the only one here..." One of the remaining spies pointed out, tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. Looking passed the mysterious intruder, the spy spotted one of his comrades behind her. They both locked eyes and nodded at each other. "We all just need to rush her at once! She can't stop us all!"
"Take this, you bitch!" The spies exclaimed as they charged her simultaneously. But to all of the spies' surprise, the mystery attacker made no attempts to dodge their attacks, each of their blades digging into her flesh. "We all hit her! One more time should finish her off!" Once again all the spies pounced on the dark-haired woman, blood pouring from her numerous wounds. "What the hell?! How is she not going down!?"
"Ahhnn!" To all of the spies' utter shock, the woman let out a long moan of pleasure, her face covered in a bright blush. "Mmmmm, not bad...not bad at all, but..." With a twisted smile, Suzuka licked the blood pouring from a wound on her arm. "This just isn't enough." The spies tried to rush Suzuka once again, but this time she was done playing around. In one fluid motion, Suzuka knocked all the spies off their feet, sending each of them flying through the air. Before the spies could hit the ground, Suzuka extended her hands towards them. Then in the blink of an eye, Suzuka's nails lashed out like spears, each of them piercing one of the spies' necks. With a sadistic smile, Suzuka retracted her bloodied nails, each of the spies dropping to the ground in a lifeless heap. "Your attacks didn't even tickle me...they just weren't enough..." A pleasurable shudder ran down Suzuka's spine as an image of Esdeath flashed through her mind. "No...I want the ultimate pleasure...to be attacked by her..."
(Outside Kyoroku's Cathedral)
"Tch, those guys really pissed me off..." Seryu thought as she stood guard out in front of the cathedral's main entrance, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings, looking for any signs of trouble. "Then there's that pig Bolic, he really rubs me the wrong way..." Suddenly Seryu was snapped from her thoughts when she heard loud footsteps approaching from her right. Turning her head, she was surprised to see General Budo walking towards her. "General Budo, sir? What are you doing here?"
"I could be asking you the same thing..." Budo said, leaning against the wall beside Seryu, easily towering over her. "I didn't assign you to this post. What's up with you? You can't seem to relax and seem to be on since we got here."
"It's that Bolic guy, sir..." Seryu admitted as she released a heavy sigh, staring down at her feet. "He's such an utter snob! Thos people guarding him are jerks too! It makes me wonder why we're even protecting him!"
"You're preaching to the damn choir kid..." Budo grunted, digging into his pocket and pulling out a cigar. After lighting it, Budo paused the conversation and took a long drag, before blowing out a large puff of smoke. "I don't like being here either...and personally I think that Bolic guy is a massive prick. The prime minister is using that guy to do something fishy, but we have our orders and we have to follow them." Seeing Seryu's brow furrow slightly, Budo sighed lightly and took another puff of his cigar. "How about this...just think of Bolic as nice, juicy Night Raid bait. We're using him to draw them out of hiding."
"Hmmm..." Seryu hummed as she stroked her chin before a small smile spread across her face. "If you put it that way...yeah I guess it does make me feel a little better."
"Good, now get your ass out of here and go relax, you need a change of pace before you start to get overanxious..." Budo said, gently pushing Seryu away from her post and standing in her spot. "You're too damn tense right now and it's annoying the hell out of me...I'll look after your post, so go and try to have some fun."
"B-But sir, I couldn't-" Seryu stopped her protests when she saw the look in Budo's eyes, telling her that he was not going to budge. Releasing a heavy sigh, Seryu crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I'll go sir, but what should I do?"
"That's a good question..." Budo muttered, gazing at everything around them, searching for something to help Seryu unwind. He smirked when he spotted a few local children playing with Seryu's teigu Coro. "There's a good start." Pointing towards the children with his cigar, Budo called out to them. "Oi brats! The owner of that damn dog wants to join you!"
"Sir?!" Seryu hissed as her face flushed red in embarrassment. "I am not a child!"
"It's time for you to take a damn break..." Budo said, motioning for Seryu to join the children. "A little unscheduled R&R never hurt anybody."
"Okay, okay, I'm going..." Seryu said as she ran towards the group of children, who were tossing Coro around as if it were a toy. When Seryu joined the children's game, she looked back at Budo, who was true to his word and had taken over her post. "General Budo...he's more caring than he looks."
(Same Time, Outskirts of Kyoroku: With Tatsumi, Mine, and Sayo)
"Damn I'm tired..." Tatsumi grunted, sighing in exhaustion as he slumped off his pack and plopped down onto a discarded log. "We were walking around town all day."
"Oh quit you're whining..." Sayo said with a teasing smile as she playfully punched Tatsumi in the arm, before sitting down on a log across from him. "You got to walk around town with two pretty girls all day, you should be happy. Most guys would kill to be in your shoes."
"With what we're about to get into, I highly doubt that..." Tatsumi fired back with a smirk, causing both Sayo and him to chuckle.
"Well even though we're on a mission, I did enjoy myself..." Mine said as she sat down next to Tatsumi, resting her head on her lover's shoulder. "This place is just so diverse and intriguing, so much different than the capital. When this stupid war is over, I'd love to come back here and do some shopping."
"After what happened last time, you're doing that on your own," Tatsumi said in a teasing tone, earning him an annoyed glare from the pink-haired sniper. "Uh...I mean, I'd love to go with you too, Mine!"
"That's what I thought you said," Mine muttered with a smile as she further pressed her body against Tatsumi's, their hips now touching. "I know you may not like shopping with me, but I do enjoy spending as much time with you as possible."
"Okay, can you two please calm down with all the lovey-dovey stuff around me?" Sayo said with a light sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm happy that you two are happy and in love, but it kinda weirds me out seeing my oldest friend being intimate with more than one girl."
"Oho, but I thought they looked quite cute together." A new voice said from behind the Night Raid assassins. In the blink of an eye, all three assassins were on their feet, Tatsumi and Mine both reaching for their teigus, while Sayo had an arrow readied in her bow. However, the assassins lowered their guard when they saw a tall man dressed in religious attire smiling brightly at them. "I'm sorry to startle you three, I didn't mean to be so intrusive."
"Hold on a second..." Mine muttered as she got a better look at the strange newcomer. The pink-haired sniper's eyes widened when she saw that the man was flanked by several armed guards. "Wait, don't tell me...you're with the Way of Peace?!"
"Are you their head priest?" Tatsumi asked, feeling a chill run down his spine when he realized they had almost killed an innocent man. "I'm so sorry we raised our weapons."
"Oh please, don't worry about it," The man said with a smile as he clasped his hands behind his back."And to answer your question, yes, I am the leader of the Way of Peace. I sometimes like to make rounds to see how the city is doing."
"I see Bolic isn't with him..." Tatsumi thought, scanning through the people gathered around the head priest. "But knowing that asshole, he's probably sitting all nice and cozy back in the stronghold."
"Ah, it warms my heart so..." The head priest proclaimed with a massive smile as he gestured towards Tatsumi and Mine with a grand sweeping motion. "The red string of fate that binds you two, it's as strong as can be! Although..." The head priest suddenly leaned closer to Tatsumi, his voices dropping to barely above a whisper. "I can see that several other red strings entwine you, all of them extremely strong. It seems to me that you're a man who is quite loved. A word of advice, keep those who love you close and never let them go, they'll be your greatest source of strength." Both Tatsumi and Mine's faces flushed bright red as the head priest walked passed them, now standing directly in front of Sayo. "And then there's you, my dear."
"Save it, I don't need one of your 'love readings.' It's all a load of crap anyway," Sayo said, turning her head away from the head priest, which hid the slight blush on her face. "We've got more important things to worry about."
"Do not worry child, you don't have to believe anything I say...and I won't give readings to those who do not desire one..." The head priest said with a soft smile as he patted Sayo on the shoulder. "But please remember that if you ever change your mind, I'll be happy to oblige. But if I may say one thing, my dear...for some strange reason I can see two strings entwining you...but one of the strings has practically faded away and it's the string of someone fated to die." Sayo's eyes widened when she heard this, remembering what Tatsumi had revealed a few days earlier, moments before she was hit by a sudden wave of nausea. "I've never seen a string like that before, it appears to me that you recently dodged a meeting with death." With a light chuckle, the head priest backed off and rejoined the rest of his group. "Well it was quite enjoyable talking with you all, but I must be on my way. I hope you three have a lovely night." With those final words, the head priest and his group left, leaving the Night Raid assassins alone once again.
"God, I was reminded of Tatsumi's visions again..." Sayo thought, placing a hand to her aching head. "Luckily I was able to keep my cool...but if what that guy said was true, then I really was supposed to die that day in the capital...and Tatsumi really did me another chance at life."
(Back with Lubbock: Within Kyoroku)
"What the hell is taking Mez so long?" Shuten asked in a gruff and annoyed tone, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he waited for his partner to return. "I hate standing around and doing nothing like this."
"You can fucking say that again, you old bastard!" Lubbock thought as he continued to play dead, doing his best to remain completely motionless. "I wish you would move your asses so that I can stop playing dead! The thread armor wrapped around my body protected me from that chick's karate chop...and I even managed to erase my pulse by using Crawstail on my body to bind my blood vessels. I have to be really careful because if this turns into a big battle the Jaegers will definitely show up. Either way, I'll just have to play possum as long as possible..." However, Lubbock was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he heard the sounds of shouts and rapid footsteps quickly approaching.
"Oi, Shuten!" Mez exclaimed, lagging slightly behind a fleeing blonde-haired woman. "She's heading your way! This girl's all yours!"
"Hehe, finally something good..." Shuten muttered with a twisted grin as he advanced towards the blonde-haired girl, trapping her between him and Mez.
"Damn it..." Lubbock thought, slightly cracking one eye open and recognizing who the blonde-haired woman was. "That girl is one of our spies. Those bastards think just because this back street is empty, they can turn it into their own personal hunting grounds." Gritting his teeth in frustration, Lubbock closed his eye once again. "I'm sorry, but I can't save you. You're a spy, so you should have been prepared for this possible outcome."
"I see that you're a sad, lost little child in this big scary world..." Shuten said in a menacing tone as he towered over the trembling girl. "You should be happy...I'm going to liberate your soul..." Before the spy could even retaliate, Shuten's hand shot out and gripped her neck, his fingers digging into her skin. Showing his impressive strength, Shuten lifted the girl off the ground using only a single arm. The spy desperately clawed at Shuten's hand, her face starting to turn blue as she struggled to breathe.
"H-Help...s-someone..." The spy managed to say with her voice barely above a whisper.
"Son of a bitch!" Lubbock thought, his body moving without a thought. In an instant, the green-haired assassin was one his feet and throwing a knife a Shuten. However, Shuten stopped the knife by catching it between two of his fingers. "I tried my best, but it really is no use, I can't just sit back and let a girl on my side die."
"Oho, you live..." Shuten said as he dropped the spy, leaving her gasping for air. "I thought you were dead for sure."
"Man, you really had us fooled," Mez said with a smile as she walked up next to Shuten. "You must really be an idiot though. You would have lived if you had just kept playing dead."
"There's one thing you need to know about me..." Lubbock said, releasing a light sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. "I always consider my position and do my best to avoid head-on fights. But, when it comes to do-or-die fights..." With a devious smirk, Lubbock stretched out his arms, which extended several strands of his thread, one from each finger. "I really go all out! So, both of you, come at me!"
"HA HA! This kid must really be stupid!" Mez laughed moments before both she and Shuten leaped backward, Lubbock's nearly invisible threads appearing where they had been standing seconds earlier. "There's no need for us to come to you! You're trying to attack us by throwing out your wire!"
"Heh, I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy..." Lubbock muttered, retracting all his threads. However, before Lubbock even had a chance to react, Shuten had dashed forward at an incredible speed. But despite this Lubbock managed to keep calm and collected. "For a guy his size, he moves incredibly fast, looks like I'll have to take him out first."
"Don't worry young man, I'll liberate your soul too," Shuten said in a menacing tone as he cocked his fist back. "Now just accept your death! Temple of the Imperial Fist: Hundred Burning Fists!"
"Listen up, you shitty old bastard!" Lubbock exclaimed, his hands moving in a blinding flurry of motions, creating a literal wall of threads to block Shuten's attacks. "You don't get to talk to me!"
"Oh my..." Shuten said as he backed off and landed back next to Mez. "The kid's not as stupid as you thought... it appears those threads are actually a teigu."
"This time I'll crack his skull open..." Mez said with a sickly sweet smile and sing-song tone, before cracking her knuckles. "And make for sure he's good and dead."
"Heh, you may be cute but..." Lubbock said with a smirk as a strong gust of wind blew through the street, causing his coat to flutter in the breeze. "I'd rather not be popular with girls like you." Flexing his fingers to spread out his threads, Lubbock's hands once again began to move in a blur of motions. "Come together, my threads!" After intertwining countless threads, Lubbock had managed to create a large ax out of them. Raising the ax above his head, Lubbock began to rapidly spin it around. Mez and Shuten were both forced to back up out of the spinning ax's range. "And speed up! Centrifugal force!"
"Heh, don't you think you're giving us too many opening?!" Mez asked with a grin, her finger extending out a blazing speed similar to a bullet.
"I don't really think so..." Lubbock said as his smirk widened, using his forearm to block Mez's finger. The portion of Lubbock's jacket Mez's attack had hit tore away, revealing threads wrapped protectively around his arm. Crouching down as low as possible, Lubbock sprang high into the air. "Here comes my secret move!" Letting out a fierce roar, Lubbock raised the massive wire ax above his head. "Wire Impact!"
"Weak!" Shuten exclaimed, reaching up and grabbing Lubbock's ax by the blade mid-swing, stopping the green-haired assassin in his tracks. "Such a feeble attack!"
"What the fuck!?" Lubbock yelled as his eyes widened in shock. "Who the hell is this guy!?"
"Is this supposed to be your secret move?" Shuten asked with a scoff, tossing the ax and Lubbock away. "Don't make me laugh."
"Yeah, yeah, keep looking down on me..." Lubbock said as he came to a skidding stop several feet away from Mez and Shuten. "But I accomplished my goal...why don't you peek behind you?"
"Huh?" Mez and Shuten said simultaneously, turning to see what Lubbock was talking about.
"Ah shit, the spy got away..." Mez groaned as she ran her hand down her face. "That little punk was just distracting us."
"Now I've really got to run!" Lubbock exclaimed with a wave, before sprinting away from the two Demons.
"This little fool is really getting on my nerves..." Shuten said in a frustrated tone as he crouched down into a sprinter's stance, the muscles on his body bulging and his fingers digging into the ground. "He leaves me no other choice." With a menacing growl, Shuten launched towards Lubbock at an incredible speed. "I don't care if it's only your's, I will be liberating a soul tonight!"
"You really shouldn't be charging straight at me like that..." Lubbock said with a devious grin, turning to look back at Shuten. "I'm not Night Raid's trap expert for nothing." Shuten's eyes widened when he barely spotted a thread at head level spread across the street in front of him. The massive attempted to slow himself down, but he simply had too much momentum. "I saved my best threads for last, even you couldn't cut them." Unable to stop himself, Shuten ran directly into the thread, the wire digging into his neck deep enough to draw blood. "Now eat this you bastard!" Forming a spear out of his threads, Lubbock hurled it at Shuten, piercing his chest. "Now things are about to get messy."
"You're too timid, boy!" Shuten exclaimed as he gripped the spear embedded in his chest, appearing to be unfazed by it. "My body has been through hell and back, so a little scratch like this won't do anything!"
"Oho, it doesn't matter how tough your body is...the moment Crawstail pierced your chest..." Lubbock said with a smirk, before snapping his fingers. Shuten's eyes widened moments later, an incredible pain exploding through his chest. "It wrapped its threads around your heart. This is where our fight ends, old man." Lubbock then clenched his fist, causing the wires that had encased Shuten's heart to rapidly tighten. In the blink of an eye, the wires had completely shredded Shuten's heart, leaving it in tatters. Shuten let out a pained gasp before he vomited a large amount of blood, collapsing lifelessly onto the ground. "That's one down..."
"Wow!" Mez cheered in an impressed tone as she walked up to Lubbock. "You actually managed to kill Shuten, nice job! But the minister really won't be happy about this."
"And here's number two..." Lubbock muttered, releasing a heavy sigh as he turned to face Mez. "Well, you really won't have to worry about what the minister thinks. Sorry...but you've seen my teigu, so I can't let you live."
"That's totally fine!" Mez said with a bright smile as she clasped her hands behind her head. "That's just how things are for killers like us." With a smirk, Mez undid the large metallic clips in her, letting them clatter onto the ground. With her hair now reaching down to her shoulders, Mez flicked her arms towards Lubbock, a slick, slimy substance now pouring off her body.
"What the hell is this shit?!" Lubbock thought, dodging a glob of the strange substance. Glancing around, Lubbock was surprised to see the slimy material coating the threads he had spread throughout the alley. "Damn, all that gunk is weighing down my threads and making them go slack, they're totally useless now."
"Everyone calls it oil, but it's actually just my sweat..." Mez explained as she played with some of the substance in her hand. "The Four Rakshasas specialize in manipulating our bodies like this. With this stuff, I totally took out your little defensive barrier." With a devious smirk, Mez charged towards Lubbock, rapidly bouncing between the buildings on both sides of the street.
"Son of a bitch..." Lubbock cursed, struggling to keep up with Mez's incredibly fast movements as she darted all around him. The green-haired gasped in pain when he was suddenly hit by a powerful punch to the stomach, sending him flying backward. With a thud Lubbock crashed onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Fuck me...I forgot how hard this chick can hit...I can't even move right now...if she hits me like that again I'm dead for sure..." Lubbock's eyes widened in fear when he saw Mez slowly advancing towards him, an evil smile on her face. In a panic, Lubbock pulled two daggers out of his pouch and hurled them at Mez. "Take this!"
"Please don't put up any useless resistance, it's really pathetic...and I was really starting to respect you..." Mez said in a cold, emotionless tone as she easily avoided the haphazardly thrown knives. Showing her impressive strength, Mez hoisted Lubbock off the ground by the collar with ease. "Now, I think it's time we ended this little fight. I still need to chase after that other spy and make sure she doesn't get away."
"Damn...it's really a shame..." Lubbock said with a weak chuckle, before coughing up some more blood. "Now that I got a better look, you really are cute. If we weren't enemies I'd totally ask you out. One of my friends is completely surrounded by girls all the time and it really pisses me off. Makes me really want a girlfriend of my own."
"HA HA! You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself...I probably would have said yes too!" Mez laughed with a bright smile, before she cocked her fist back, her happy facade quickly falling away. "But...there's nothing we can do! We'll have to save that for the next life! See you later man, it's really been fun!"
"Yeah, maybe in another life..." Lubbock said with a small smile, flexing his index and middle fingers. A split second later, two daggers pierced Mez's back, both of them hitting her spine. Mez instantly released her grip on Lubbock's collar. Grabbing ahold of the paralyzed girl, Lubbock gently lowered her to the ground. "You missed it, but I tied threads to those knives I threw at you. So, when I retracted my threads the knives came with them." Mez tried to say something but instead, she spat up a large amount of blood. "Sorry it had to end like this, but I guess you were right earlier...this is just how it is for killers like us." Pulling out one of the daggers, Lubbock stabbed it into Mez's neck. "Bye-bye." Releasing a heavy sigh, Lubbock closed Mez's pained, lifeless eyes. "I better get out of here fast..." Sparing one last glance at Mez's body, Lubbock took off running down the street. "Aw shit! Such a waste for a pretty girl like her to die like that...why does stuff like this always seem to happen to me?"
(Two Weeks Later: Streets of Kyoroku)
"It's been so quiet lately..." Sayo thought as she jotted down some new notes in her journal, which she had started to keep after Sheele had died, a very helpful suggestion from Tatsumi to help ease her mind. "After the Jaegers found out we were in the area two weeks ago, they really upped their surveillance...and because of our extended time away from the base, apparently Esdeath has been getting quite restless at headquarters waiting for us to return. Tatsumi has already gotten fifteen letters from her, most of them filled with very...graphic content...enough to make Tatsumi blush beet red just from reading them...and command informed boss that it's getting increasingly difficult to keep Esdeath on a leash. They say she goes on danger beast hunting trips most of the day, comes back drenched in blood and spends the nights torturing prisoners to get info out of them. It seems that Esdeath has proved to be quite the asset when it comes to extracting information, but command worries she may be taking things too far at times...some of the people at headquarters are terrified of the screams they hear coming from within the interrogation room. Command just hopes we can get back soon so they won't have to babysit Esdeath anymore before she snaps and ends up murdering someone. I don't particularly like the idea of keeping her at our base, but at least Tatsumi seems to be able to rein her in when she starts to get out of control." With a light sigh, Sayo paused her writing and gazed at the bustling crowd around her, happy to see the people upbeat and carefree, unlike the depressed atmosphere she saw everywhere in the capital. She was currently trailing slightly behind Mine and Tatsumi, all three of them dressed in disguises so they could easily reach their destination undetected. "The only reason the operation has slowed so much is that several of our informants have been killed...Lubbock managed to save one a few nights ago...but that hasn't been the case for many others. It's a terrible thing to think about, but we don't have the luxury to mourn our fallen comrades right now. I can tell the everyone in Night Raid is starting to get tense, it's been almost two weeks since we've had a fight with the Jaegers or Bolic's personal guards."
"Come on Sayo, you're starting to lag behind!" Tatsumi called out, grabbing ahold of Sayo's arm and gently tugging her along. "You could easily get lost in this crowd."
"Ah, you're right!" Sayo exclaimed as she allowed Tatsumi to lead her through the dense crowd, catching back up with Mine a few moments later.
However, as the disguised Night Raid assassins walked through the streets of Kyoroku, they had no idea they were being observed from high overhead.
"Hmm, the way those two girls walk...and the look in her eyes...they're dead giveaways..." Suzuka thought, focusing on a group of three individuals walking through the packed streets below several hundred feet away. "They're definitely suspicious..." Turning around, Suzuka spotted Seryu playing with a group of children. "Oi! I need your help for a second, Seryu-chan! They're pretty far away from here, but I think I spotted some rebels!"
"Finally, some action!" Seryu thought as a sadistic smile spread across her face. "It's been too long since I've taken out some evildoers!"
(That Night: Outskirts of Kyoroku)
"Geez! I hate wearing those elaborate disguises!" Mine complained in a frustrated tone, tossing off her wig and fixing her hair. "Why do we even need to wear them?"
"Because we're short on spies, the boss told us that the other day..." Tatsumi said as he took off a pair of sunglasses and a hooded coat. "We need to pick up the slack and collect intel."
"Or would you rather help Leone and Susanoo dig that underground tunnel?" Sayo asked with a smirk, sitting down next to Mine and taking off her own disguise.
"Hell no..." Mine groaned as she fervently shook her head. "That'd be so much worse." Releasing a light sigh, Mine began to wipe the makeup off her face. "It feels like my face is still all dirty..." Brushing some hair out of her face, Mine leaned closer to Tatsumi, their faces only a few inches apart. "Did all my makeup come off?"
"Yeah, you got it all..." Tatsumi said with a smile, surprising Mine by quickly leaning forward and giving her a brief kiss. "And you look as beautiful as ever."
"I-Idiot!" Mine exclaimed as her face flushed near neon red in embarrassment. Backing away, Mine turned her head to hide her raging blush, muttering to herself. "Don't just kiss me out of the blue like that...I wasn't ready for it..." Pressing a finger to her lips, a small smile spread across Mine's face. "But I did like it..."
On the cliffs several hundred feet away, the three Night Raid assassins were being observed by two figures.
"Heh, I knew something was up with those three..." Suzuka said with a smirk, handing Seryu a monocular. "Take a look for yourself."
"Looks like your suspicions were correct..." Seryu said as she took the monocular and focused in on the group of rebels. Her eyes widened when she instantly recognized two of the group's members. "Those two girls...they're with Night Raid..."
"Oh, looks like we caught a big fish..." Suzuka said, before releasing a shaky breath, a slight blush spreading across her face. "Do you think we'll get punished?"
"Commander Budo and the others are busy guarding Bolic...we also have permission to adapt and act as the situation demands..." Seryu said as she continued to gaze at the three assassins. "There's also a boy with them...he really looks familiar...wait a second...that's..." Recognizing who the man was, Seryu's grip on the monocular tightened considerably, crushing it in her grasp. "Tatsumi!" Seryu's voice was dripping with rage as she tightly balled her fists, her entire body shaking in fury. "He's working with Night Raid!? That bastard has the nerve to call me a monster, making me doubt my own beliefs, when he works with a group of killers! I'll slaughter him and his friends and bring them to justice!" A growl escaping her throat, Seryu whipped around to face her teigu. "Coro...#9!" Leaping into the air, Coro sank its teeth into Seryu's metallic arm. Moments later, Coro backed off, revealing that Seryu had a new arm with a sensor attached to it. "This device will detect if any civilians are nearby..." An evil smirk spread across Seryu's face when she saw the sensor's reading. "It looks like we're the only ones in the area...so that means we don't have to worry about being ambushed or harming any civilians...which means I can go all on these evildoers!" Turning around, Seryu locked eyes with Suzuka. "Please go report this to Commander Budo, Suzuka-san!"
"Right away!" Suzuka exclaimed, hopping off the cliff and sprinting back towards Kyoroku.
"At last...we meet again, Night Raid!" Seryu said with a twisted smile as she fiercely glared at the three assassins. "Coro and I will take down your evil organization! And I'm sure Commander Budo won't mind if I get a bit carried away and blow them all away! Especially you Tatsumi, I'll make sure Coro takes its time devouring you...just like it should have devoured that other Night Raid member..."
(Five Minutes Later: With Mine, Sayo, and Tatsumi)
"What the..." Mine muttered, before sniffing the air several times. "Hey guys, I smell gunpowder!"
Seconds later, dozens of echoing explosions rang out in the distance. Before Mine and Sayo even had a chance to react, Tatsumi had equipped his Incursio armor and grabbed both of them, a seemingly endless barrage of missiles and cannon shells hitting where they had just been standing. Slinging both girls over his shoulder, Tatsumi sprinted away at full speed, dodging numerous explosions and flying debris.
"Who the hell is that?!" Sayo screamed over the constant sound of explosions and collapsing rock.
"I only know one person with firepower like that!" Tatsumi exclaimed, before darting away from another missile that exploded only a few feet away. Using his cape, Tatsumi shielded Mine and Sayo from the flying dust and debris. "I met her before, she's a Jaeger named Seryu!" Both Mine and Sayo's eyes widened when they heard this. "Hold on, there's another wave incoming!" Tightening his grip on both girls, Tatsumi rapidly scaled a cliff, narrowly avoiding another barrage of artillery. Reaching the top of the cliff, Tatsumi set Mine and Sayo down when he saw no more ordinance incoming. "Looks like we're out of her range now."
"What the hell?!" Sayo growled as she unsheathed her bow and secured Extase on her back. "Was that bitch following us!?"
"Ease up Sayo..." Mine said in a surprisingly calm tone, pulling out her eye scanner to look for any other possible enemies. "We need to make sure there are no other hostiles..." After a few moments, Mine spotted a dark-haired woman running along the cliffside. "There's one person fleeing the scene! From her attire...she's the last of the Four Rakshasas!"
"She must be retreating to inform her allies where we are..." Tatsumi muttered as he stroked his chin, thinking of their best plan of action. "Lubbock's still recovering from his injuries...Leone and Su-san are digging that escape tunnel...Akame and the boss are doing undercover on the other side of town...and Chelsea isn't taking part in this operation...that means we have no backup to call on! Should we follow the boss' instructions and retreat for now?" Tatsumi was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on each of his shoulders.
"Tatsumi..." Mine said in a serious tone, her eyes burning with determination. "We're not backing down."
"Mine and I will take on Seryu." Sayo said as she tightened her grip on Tatsumi's shoulder. "You go after that woman who is escaping."
"You both want to fight someone with all that destructive weaponry?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, pulling off his helmet and whipping around to face both girls. "I've seen what Seryu can do first hand, I know how crazy she gets during a fight! Are you guys crazy!?"
"This isn't the time to argue, Tatsumi..." Sayo said as she readied an arrow into her bow. "Those Rakshasas have killed a bunch of our spies and even attacked Lubbock...they must be able to tell who's working with the rebels...so that makes that woman a huge threat."
"Sayo's right, we need to finish her off, here and now..." Mine said, beginning to unpack Pumpkin's various parts and attachments. "We'll keep Seryu's attention. Please Tatsumi, we need to do this!"
"Damn it!" Tatsumi cursed as he put his helmet back on and took after Suzuka. "I got it! I'll be back as soon as I take her down! So you two better stay safe!"
"That guy has always worried about others more than himself..." Sayo said with a smile, walking up next to Mine. "You ready to do this?"
"I've been thinking about this day ever since we first fought this bitch...I don't think I could be more ready..." Mine said with a smirk as she rested Pumpkin on her shoulder. "We'll kill this psycho and avenge Sheele, then we'll meet up back with Tatsumi and help him out."
"Damn right!" Sayo exclaimed, before bumping fists with the pink-haired sniper. Both Night Raid assassins walked to the cliff's edge, spotting Seryu slowly advancing towards them from below. "Let's do this for Sheele."
"Yeah, for Sheele..." Mine said as readied her eye scanner and took aim at Seryu. "You know what to do Sayo, we've been practicing for this day."
"Right!" Sayo said, before dashing away and practically vanishing into the shadows surrounding them.
"Okay you bitch, let's do this..." Mine growled as she watched Coro expand and leap above Seryu, before engulfing both her arms. The pink-haired sniper watched in disgust as Coro vomited up a massive missile into Seryu's metallic arms. "What the fuck...that's seriously messed up."
"I want to kill Tatsumi as quickly as possible, but my radar tells me he's going after Suzuka-san." Seryu thought, fiercely glaring at the pink-haired sniper above her. "I need to kill these two evildoers before I can go after him...but I must be careful, my radar is no longer detecting that black-haired one with the bow." An evil smile soon spread across Seryu's face as she fired her missile at Mine's position. "It doesn't matter! I'll kill this girl first, then take out the other one! She'll never be able to stop my attack by herself!"
"That's a pretty damn big target for me!" Mine exclaimed with a smirk as she took aim with Pumpkin. "But I won't be the one taking it out." A split second later, Mine watched three arrows pierce the side of the missile before they began to rapidly flash red. The explosive arrows blew up in a brilliant fireball, taking out Seryu's missile as well. Briefly glancing to her right, Mine spotted Sayo darting from one shadow to another, easily blending with them. "Thanks for the cover, Sayo!"
"That was my strongest weapon...and that girl with the bow took it out like it was nothing..." Seryu muttered in disbelief, watching the flaming debris of her missile crash into the ground. "In that case!" With a vicious growl, Seryu charged towards Mine, using one of her arms like a grappling hook to rappel up to the pink-haired sniper's position. Using the momentum created by the speed of their rappel, Seryu reached back and hurled Coro towards Mine. "Get her Coro! It's time for dinner!"
In the blink of an eye, Coro rapidly expanded in size and flew towards Mine, baring his numerous fangs. However, when Coro was only a few feet away, two arrows stuck it in the head and stomach. As soon as the arrows struck, they burst into scorching flames, setting Coro ablaze. Howling in pain, Coro fell to the ground and began to roll around, desperately trying to extinguish the flames it was engulfed in. Finally reaching the top of the cliff, Seryu was surprised to see her tiegu writhing on the ground in agony.
"Don't forget that I'm here too, you bitch." Sayo said as she glared at Seryu, grabbing another arrow from her quiver. "We're gonna make sure you don't leave this place alive."
(Same Time: With Tatsumi)
"You're not escaping!" Tatsumi exclaimed, trailing just behind Suzuka, Neuntote at the ready to strike. Raising the spear, Tatsumi used it to block a series of attacks as Suzuka extended her fingernails towards him. "So this is the body manipulation Akame told me about!" Closing the distance, Tatsumi thrust his spear at Suzuka. But he was shocked when Suzuka dodged his attack and grabbed Neuntote's hilt. Then showcasing impressive strength, Suzuka used the spear to lift Tatsumi into the air and attempted to slam him into the ground. But Tatsumi quickly recovered and recentered himself, landing back onto his feet. "Damn, you're a lot stronger than you look."
"Heh Heh..." Suzuka chuckled with a smile as she checked her bloodied fingers. "Looks like you broke some of my nails."
"You're awfully upbeat, it's kinda creeping me out..." Tatsumi said, aiming his spear at Suzuka once again.
"Mez and Shuten were one thing, but I must admit I was shocked when one of you managed to defeat Ibara..." Suzuka said as she examined Tatsumi head-to-toe, seeming unimpressed by what she was seeing. "I can only guess that wasn't you. Just by looking at you, I get the feeling that you haven't been in many battles." A devious smirk spread across Suzuka's face as she licked her bloodied fingertips. "With all that armor on, it will eventually become too much of a burden on his body, thus eliminating the advantage he has in a straight fight. If I can simply hold out until then, I'll win. The key to winning a teigu battle is to not rush things." However, Suzuka when her opponent started laughing. "Oh, what's so funny?"
"It just seems like you're underestimating me, that's all." Tatsumi replied, de-materializing Neuntote and equipping his Doragon no kokyū, which caused Suzuka's eyes to widen in surprise. "You're right, I haven't fought in that many battles. But the battles I have fought have been the most intense in my entire life...and I can tell you...every enemy that has underestimated me has ended up dead." For the first time in years, Suzuka felt a jolt of fear down her spine as she watched Tatsumi pump the demonic looking weapon. "Now, I have somewhere I need to be, so let's end this quick!"
"God damn!" Suzuka thought as she back-flipped to dodge a spray of flamming buckshot. "This kid really isn't fucking around!"
"Be careful partner, this woman is very dangerous and I can only fire off a few more shots before you'll have to switch back to Neuntote."
"Don't worry Incursio, I'll take this woman down and hurry back to help Mine and Sayo!" Tatsumi thought, chasing Suzuka into one of the decrypt ruins that littered the outskirts of Kyoroku. "I don't have a second to spare!"
(Back with Mine and Sayo)
"You two, I've come to sentence you both directly, Night Raid!" Seryu said as she fiercely glared at the two Night Raid assassins. "I'll prey on you to make up for Coro missing out on that little glasses-wearing friend of yours!"
"Tatsumi was right about you..." Sayo spat, walking up next to Mine. "You're just a psychotic monster who's sense of justice has been completely warped! You blindly followed disgusting pigs like Ogre and Stylish, all the while never realizing what filth they were!"
"That disgusting smile of yours is just like their's...no different from those horrible brutes..." Mine added as she changed Pumpkin into its rapid-fire mode. "You're all completely insane. You may not be my target on this mission, but I have no problem taking you out as well. I swear I'll put a bullet right through your head."
"You feel better after getting all that off your chest?" Seryu asked in a mocking tone, extending her right arm out. "Now if you both don't mind, I need to kill you two quickly and head after Tatsumi. I need to bring him to justice for his crimes, especially for deceiving me as he did."
"There's no way we're letting you anywhere near Tatsumi!" Sayo growled as she readied three regular arrows. "He saved my life back in the capital when I was supposed to die, so your psycho ass is getting nowhere near him!"
"I've heard enough, I'm ending this now!" Seryu exclaimed, before allowing Coro to expand and sink its teeth into her extended mechanical arm. "Coro #5...and the arm!" With a dark chuckle, Seryu revealed her arm had been replaced by a large drill. "All that blabbering you both did just gave Coro enough time to recover. Wicked people truly are stupid!" With an evil smile, Seryu and Coro charged towards the Night Raid assassins. "Let's go, Coro!"
"Heh, you're the stupid ones..." Mine said with a smirk before she nodded at Sayo. Both assassins took aim and fired their weapons. Mine fired a hail of bullets at Coro, stopping the raging teigu in its tracks. "Oh, I've been waiting for this day, when we'd have another proper battle!"
"Where did that stopping power suddenly come from!?" Seryu asked in shock, momentarily caught off guard when she heard Coro roar out in pain. "Stay strong Coro, there's no way she can keep up that fire much longer!"
"Hey!" Sayo exclaimed, firing three arrows simultaneously at Seryu, who was still distracted by Coro's situation. Each of the arrows struck home, hitting Seryu in the shoulder, calf, and thigh. Seryu hissed in pain as she collapsed down onto one knee, glaring daggers at Sayo. "Didn't I say not to forget about me!"
"GRAH!" Seryu roared as she yanked the arrows out of her body, blood pouring from her wounds. "I'll slaughter you all!"
"Now Sayo!" Mine exclaimed, maintaining her focused fire on Coro. Seryu's eyes widened in shock when she saw that Coro's core had been exposed by the constant stream of bullets. "Hit the core, now!"
"Got it!" Sayo yelled as she quickly readied an explosive arrow and fired it.
"Oh shit! Coro! Mad Change!" But Seryu's order was a moment too late. Sayo's explosive arrow was right on the mark, striking Coro's core just as it began to rapidly regenerate the damage caused by Pumpkin. The rapid regeneration trapped the explosive arrow within Coro's body still pierced within its core. A moment later, Coro was engulfed in a brilliant fireball, blowing the organic teigu in half. Bits of Coro's body rained across the battlefield, with the two main sections of its body landing in front of Seryu. "C-Coro?" Seryu whispered, feeling tears sting her eyes as she watched her teigu whimper weakly in pain, no longer able to regenerate because its core had been destroyed. "You bastards!" Fueled by pure rage and adrenaline, Seryu blindly charged towards Mine and Sayo. "You'll both pay for hurting Coro!"
"This bitch just doesn't know when to quit!" Sayo exclaimed, readying another arrow into her bow.
"King of Hell's Spear eject!" Seryu roared as she leaped into the air above Mine, firing her massive drill at her.
"What the hell!?" Mine yelled, leaping out of the drill's way. However, the pink-haired sniper's eyes widened in fear when she saw a light on the drill rapidly begin to flash. "Oh shit!"
"Look out Mine!" Sayo exclaimed as she raced forward and grabbed ahold of Mine, diving away from the drill. Both assassins were still caught in the explosion's blastwave, sending them flying over a cliff.
"Damn it, we'll both die if we fall from this height!" Mine thought, aiming Pumpkin at the ground below them. "I'll use Pumpkin to slow us down!" Firing off a volley of rounds, Mine managed to slow both of them down enough so that the fall wouldn't be lethal. With a thud, both assassins crashed into the ground, Sayo laying on top of Mine. "Come on Sayo, we need to get up, she's gonna be coming after us!" However, Mine's eyes widened in shock when she saw that Sayo appeared to be unconscious, her back littered with minor burns and shrapnel. "Son of a bitch..." Crawling out from underneath Sayo, Mine quickly dragged her unconscious comrade into a spot where she would be safe. After Mine had secured Sayo, she readied Pumpkin and went back out to face Seryu. "She's even more deadly than before...that weapon of her's...even though it's not a teigu, it's still so strong!"
"Night Raid!" Seryu roared as she rapidly repelled down the cliffside towards Mine. "You're both dead!"
"You bitch!" Mine exclaimed, firing off a shot at Seryu. The bullet was slightly off, hitting right next to Seryu's head, but despite not being a direct hit the impact of the shot still hit Seryu in the head and chest with some shrapnel.
"RAGH!" Seryu roared as she opened her mouth wide, a barrel extending from her throat.
"What's that?!" Mine thought, stunned to see two bullets fired from the barrel protruding from Seryu's mouth. Reacting quickly, Mine raised Pumpkin to block the shots.
"Fine, I'll just beat you to death!" Seryu exclaimed as she began to pummel Mine with a constant barrage of punches. Mine attempted to dodge and defend herself, but it was futile. The pink-haired sniper was hit by dozens of powerful punches, being sent flying back by the force of them. "Shit!" Seryu clutched her shoulder, which was still gushing blood. "My body has taken way too much damage...I can't fully carry out their sentence now." With an evil smirk, Seryu slowly advanced towards Mine. "I'll just put a bullet in both their heads, then fall back and recover...I'll have to go after Tatsumi another time."
"Oh...this reminds me of something..." Mine thought, staring up at the night sky overhead. "I was always bullied for being half-tribal...I'd get beaten up almost every day...and I'd be left staring up at the sky like this...no one would ever help me...that's when I thought I could only rely on myself...and in the future I would make up for all that misery...by taking this cruel and biased world...and turning it all around..." Suddenly images of Tatsumi, Sayo, Sheele, and the rest of Night Raid flashed through Mine's mind. "But I know I'm not alone anymore...I know I don't have to just rely on myself...I have people I love and care about...people I need to protect..." Growling fiercely, Mine used most of her remaining strength and got back onto her feet, Pumpkin in her hand. "That's why I can't die out here!"
"Time to be judged, Night Raid!" Seryu exclaimed with an evil smile as she leaped towards Mine. "I'm out of ammo, but I've still got this!" Seryu ejected off both her metallic arms, revealing two more guns hidden underneath them.
"Don't you dare!" Mine roared, charging up her teigu with a massive amount of spiritual energy. "Underestimate Pumpkin!" Letting out a mighty roar, Mine fired a large beam of constant spiritual energy from Pumpkin. "Eat lead, you bitch!" With a massive sweeping motion, Mine fired her beam of spiritual energy across the canyon. Because she was still in the air, Seryu was unable to dodge Mine's attack. The spiritual energy slice clean through Seryu's body, cutting her in half from the waist down.
"You...cut me down!?" Seryu gasped as she collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood forming around her.
"Pumpkin fires mental energy..." Mine explained, dropping her smoking teigu onto the ground. "A sudden surge of emotion makes me stronger...and you really pissed me off...so you lose."
"HA HA HA!" Seryu laughed manically as she raised her head to glare at Mine. "Justice never loses! No matter what happens, evil will perish!"
"Yeah, it's about time your evil perishes from this world." Seryu's eyes widened when she saw that Sayo was suddenly standing over her, Extase in her hands. Before Seryu even had a chance to react, Sayo opened Extase's blades and sliced off the Jaeger's head in one clean motion. "That's for Sheele, you bitch..." Moments later, Sayo collapsed down onto one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Sayo?!" Mine exclaimed, running over and supporting the dark-haired assassin. "Come on, we need to get you out of here!"
"Ha, you don't look too hot yourself..." Sayo joked as both assassins slowly made their way out of the canyon. "It's finally over...we killed that psycho bitch."
"Yeah, we really did..." Mine said with a small smile, pausing briefly to pick up Pumpkin off the ground. "And I couldn't have done it without your help Sayo."
"Mine! Sayo!" Both assassins were surprised to see Tatsumi sprinting towards them. "Thank god you're both okay!" Coming to a skidding stop, Tatsumi quickly examined both girls. "Geez, you both look pretty banged up. I'll carry you both back."
"Tatsumi you don't have-"
"Mine, I'm carrying you back, please don't argue." Tatsumi said, dropping down onto one knee. "Sayo get onto my back."
"Hey, I'm not gonna argue..." Sayo grunted out as she hopped onto Tatsumi's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't feel like walking anymore." As soon as Sayo's head rested on Tatsumi's shoulder, she was out like a light.
"Now for you." Tatsumi said, spinning around and scooping up Mine bridal-style, causing a light blush to spread across her face. "Let's get you both back to the hideout."
"If you're here...then did you handle the Rakshasas?" Mine asked as she looked up at Tatsumi.
"Yeah, she should be taken care of." Tatsumi replied with a smirk, which was hidden behind his helmet. "I dropped a damn building on top of her, so we shouldn't be hearing from her anymore."
"What an elegant way to take out your opponent." Mine teased, causing both of them to laugh lightly. Once their laughter had subsided, Mine rested her head against Tatsumi's chest. "I'm glad you came back for us."
"Of course I'd come back for you two." Tatsumi said as his grip on Mine tightened slightly. "You both are very special to me, there's no way I'd let anything bad happen to either of you...and I'm glad you both managed to take Seryu out...I know it's something you two needed to do alone."
"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders..." Mine said, smiling up at her lover. "Now I can put my full focus on ending this damn war as quickly as possible."
(The Next Morning: Within Kyoroku's Stronghold)
"General Budo...I have some unfortunate news..." Run said as he handed his commander a letter he had received.
"Thank you, Run. You're excused..." Budo grunted, opening the letter and quickly scanning through it. After a few moments, Budo released a heavy sigh and tore the letter in half. "Damn that girl...she had such potential too."
And done! Mine and Sayo have finally gotten their revenge against Seryu! I hope you all enjoyed the fight! Next chapter will pick up where this one left off and continue this arc. Like I said in the A/N above, I'll post one more chapter for this story before I start working on my Spider-man story. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK), check out my profile and other stories, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my fics. So until next time, I'm outta here!