A/N: And we're back with another chapter.
First off, I want to say thank you to the people that liked Fugo's introduction. I thought it was pretty bad myself, but the overall reception to it was good, so it makes me happy. Thanks to all of you.
Sorry about the long wait, though I have been working on other stories. While this is my biggest fic, I'm more proud of the other one I'm working on, Nothing, but the Truth (Danganronpa x Persona 4). Check it out when you have the time.
And without further ado, let's begin.
"ORA! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA! ORA!"
Star Platinum unleashed a flurry of punches at Bulat, who was in his armor. The man held his arms up in defense as the stand unleashed its barrage. He was sent back a few feet, but kept his stance steady.
"Hah! Good hit, Jotaro!"
The two of them were training, with several of the Night Raid members watching. They observed Jotaro's fighting style. He'd almost never move from his original spot, only walking towards his opponent if they ran out of his range. And if they got too close, he'd use Star Platinum to launch himself away, almost flying. It was quite impressive to see how tactical Jotaro was.
"ORAAA!"
Star Platinum threw one of its fists forward, but Bulat caught it by the wrist. The stand tried to follow up with a second punch, but Bulat caught it as well.
"I've got you now!" Bulat yelled. "And I'm not letting go!"
"Don't say it like that, you bastard!" Jotaro said, gritting his teeth as he willed Star Platinum to try and break free.
Yawning, Leone walked up to the group. "Just woke up. What's going on?"
"Jotaro and Bulat are having a training session." Akame informed.
"Oh? Who's winning?"
"Bulat's got Jotaro in a bind." Ieyasu said, nervously looking at the fight.
Bulat increased the strength on his grip, so much in fact, that Jotaro's wrists had an outline of his armored hands.
"If you don't want me to go even harder, you'd best give up." Bulat said.
"'Giving up' isn't in my dictionary, Bulat. But intangibility is."
Relaxing, Star Platinum phased its left arm out of Bulat's grip. While a few of the others were surprised, Bulat merely laughed.
"Hah hah! You have more than a few tricks up your sleeves, it seems. But why didn't you phase the other hand?" He asked.
"To do this."
Star Platinum pointed its fingers at Bulat's face. And once again shocking the others, Star Platinum's index and middle fingers extended like a blade exiting its scabbard.
"STAR FINGER!"
Bulat quickly leaned back to avoid getting struck in the forehead. He lept back as Star Platinum floated behind its user. Underneath his armor, he grinned, before cracking his knuckles. In a burst of smoke, Bulat summoned Incursio's lance.
"This is exactly the type of fighting spirit I enjoy! You're tough, Jotaro, but I'm afraid I'll be taking this fight!"
"Is that so?" Jotaro said, smirking. Star Platinum levitated in front of its master, before letting out its signature battlecry. "ORAAAAA!"
Jotaro ran his finger across the rim of his cap before pointing it at the armored assassin.
"Then bring it on, Bulat!"
Bulat's lance clashed with Star Platinum's fists, causing shockwaves to shake the very ground beneath their feet.
"Those two are really going at it, huh..." Sayo said.
"Looks like Bulat finally found an equal sparring partner." Leone said with a grin, before looking around to notice there were a few missing. "Where's Mine, Tatsumi and Fugo?"
"They went on a mission to the capital. They won't be back for a while." Shelle said. "Oh, by the way, Leone. Didn't Fugo assign you some math problems to finish?"
Leone groaned. "He's a kid, I don't have to listen to him."
"I finished everything he assigned me." Akame said.
"Cool, you're a perfect student." Leone said. "Me? I'm just gonna take a bit of a day off."
"You should probably finish it. Do you remember what happened during the last lesson?"
"So... does 45 + 23 = 50?"
CRASH!
"OW!"
"You should probably get to work on it, Leone." Shelle said with a smile. "We're going to run out of drinking glasses at this rate. If it's not my clumsiness, it's Fugo's anger."
Leone grumbled as she went to go work on the math problems, Jotaro and Bulat's battle still raging through the training grounds.
"IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?! GIVE ME MORE, MORE!"
"BEAT HIM TO A PULP! STAR PLATINUM!"
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA! ORA!"
"We're finally in the capital... but now that I get a good look..."
Mine looked around at the people walking around her. Their expressions downtrodden and depressed. Walking alongside her, was Tatsumi and Fugo.
"There are a lot of people with sour looks on their faces, aren't there?" Fugo noted, looking around.
"It's no wonder, considering that they live under a reign of terror and oppression." Mine said.
"Is it safe for us to be walking around in broad daylight like this?" Tatsumi asked Mine.
"Most of us keep a low profile, despite our reputation." Mine said. "Besides, only those four have wanted posters."
She pointed at a brick wall, which had several mugshots tacked to it.
"Huh, I recognized Akame, Najenda- ... wait, who's the guy in the middle, with the spiky hair?" Tatsumi asked, looking at the posters.
"Oh that's Bulat."
"WHAT?!" Tatsumi yelled, stunned. Fugo's reaction was more subdued, but his eyes did widen as well.
"Well, he's definitely changed quite a bit, wouldn't you say?" Fugo said, hand on his chin.
"I think that's too much of a change." Tatsumi groaned.
"Anyways, now that's cleared up, we have a mission to complete." Mine said.
"Bring it on." Tatsumi said, grin on his face. "That's why you brought us here, right?"
"Yup!" She said with a smile. "Let's begin our Municipal Census!"
"I have no idea what this is about, but yeah!" Tatsumi agreed.
Well, for those of you that don't know what Municipal Census is, it's essentially gathering information about the populace. Basically, inspecting the city. Governments use it to keep tabs, while in the case of some terrorists or assassins, they'd use it to get an advantage of some sort.
Mine seemed to have a different idea entirely. They stopped by a cafe for crepes and drinks, and then several clothing stores. Tatsumi felt as if they went to every one in the city. Understandable, since he was drained from being forced to carry everything. Eventually, the stopped by another cafe. Tatsumi stuck with getting a glass of water, while his friends ordered something more on the sweet side. Mine ordered a parfait and a cup of tea, while Fugo ordered a strawberry sundae.
"Man, I really did buy a lot." Mine said, happily. "But pink does stand out best in the spring."
"Yup." Tatsumi said, clearly dead inside.
"Most royals couldn't afford to shop the way you did." Fugo muttered. "And shouldn't assassins try to be inconspicuous?"
"You're one to talk."
Fugo opened his mouth, before remembering his own outfit (Mine had actually tried to buy him a new one that didn't have holes, but he declined), as well as the outfits of the members of Passione. He decided to close his mouth.
"It's important to go on a spree when you're off work." Mine said, bringing her teacup to her lips.
"Too true." Tatsumi said, with the same dead look.
Mine put down her cup, before smiling.
"Okay! Mission complete!"
"Hold up!" Tatsumi said, standing up. Holding his hand up to Mine, he looked like he was about to drop the biggest 'boi' in his life. "All we did was shopping!"
"How haughty." Mine said, personality doing a complete 180 as she slapped Tatsumi, somehow knocking him to the ground. She stepped on his back. "I'm on top, and you're on the bottom! Underlings don't talk back!"
She kept on stomping on him, berating him, while Tatsumi shot back with his own arguements. Eventually, Mine used a sharpie to bring out a roulette wheel.
"Don't make me send you to another Manga with this roulette board!" She threatened.
Both Tatsumi and Fugo stared at the board. There were a lot of recognizable titles, such as Inu × Boku SS, Higurashi: When They Cry, and Dusk Maiden of Amnesia. What really stuck out, however, was a huge area for Corpse Party, with a tiny sliver saying Hatsukiai.
"This seems a little unfair, don't you think?!" Tatsumi cried.
"Oh suck it up you big baby! Some nerds would dream of being in Corpse Party!"
"Man, with all of the bickering, you two are acting like an old married couple." Fugo said, head in his palm. "With all the cafes and shopping, most would guess you were gunning for Tatsumi."
The two of them got red in the face, while Fugo continued to enjoy his ice cream. Mine was the first to recover.
"Don't make me send you to another Manga as well!" She yelled, flipping the wheel to show that on the back, were several Shonen Jump titles. Fugo didn't even bat an eye as he kept eating.
"You can try, but Shonen Jump has some pretty decent worlds." Fugo said. "I doubt you'll find a place to send me that I'd hate."
"Look again."
Fugo looked at the board. There were several sections, and a lot more than the ones on Tatsumi's wheel. The original Big Three, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece were there, along with some current runners such as My Hero Academia, Black Clover and Dr. Stone. There were some classics including Rurouni Kenshin, Mazinger Z and Fist of the North Star, as well as fan favorites such as Assassination Classroom, Gintama, and Death Note. Dragon Ball took up a good chunk, of course, but...
"...is there a reason that The Promised Neverland takes up almost half the wheel?"
"Perhaps. But if you're lucky..." She pointed at a small part of the wheel that was barely readable, stuck dead on in the middle of The Promised Neverland. Fugo could make out Yu-Gi-Oh! on it.
"Heh. I must believe in the Heart of the Cards." Fugo said, pretending to have a hand over a deck.
"Wasn't that a dub-only thing?"
Before the three of them could continue their talk they noticed a commotion coming from the streets. A large crowd had gathered and were murmuring amongst themselves.
"What's all the commotion?" Tatsumi asked.
Fugo merely frowned. "A public execution."
Tatsumi's eyes widened as he saw. People were nailed onto crosses, bleeding out and screaming in pain. Several of them were missing limbs, and all of them had twisted looks of pain on their faces.
"How... how cruel..."
"The one who's fine with doing things like this is the minister..." Mine said in a low voice. "He's a shrewd man who's used a struggle for succession to prevail over the young emperor."
Tatsumi turned to face her, seeing the determined look in her eyes.
"I... will never be like that. I swear to survive... and be on the winning side!" She declared.
"Your resolve is strong." Fugo said, smiling to himself. Short, somewhat hot headed, but full of resolve... in a weird way she reminds me of Narancia.
Some time had passed since they returned from the capital, but they were soon sent on another mission.
"You guys have a new assignment." Najenda said. "The target is a distant relative of the minister..."
THUNK
"Iokal." She had bluntly stated, a knife through his picture. "Using the minster's name, he kidnaps and beats young women to death. The five soldiers who guard him and get the leftovers are guilty as well."
"This is an important mission, and we need everyone on the job."
Tatsumi was now sitting in a tree with a monocular, looking through it at Iokal's mansion.
"So that's the place, huh?" He said. "Security looks like it's tight."
Mine was sitting on a branch next to him, holding her weapon on her lap. She looked up at the mansion. "I won't be able to hit him from this distance." She said. "I'll have to wait until he gets out of the compound to strike."
"And then it's my turn after the shooting, right?" Tatsumi said, pumping his fist. "Leave it to me!"
"Hmph. Don't get your hopes up." Mine snorted, pulling Pumpkin into shooting position.
Tatsumi stared at Mine as she was completely still. He was in awe at the complete concentration and will she had in her eyes.
"He's come out." She suddenly said.
Tatsumi fumbled for his monocular and looked back at the mansion. Sure enough, there was Iokal, strutting out without a care in the world. Unfortunately, he came out with a bunch of women surrounding him, making it a difficult shot.
"You can't shoot now, it's too risky!"
"Doesn't matter." Mine responded, aiming her weapon.
Tatsumi lowered his spyglass. "Don't tell me... you're going to hurt innocent bystanders!"
BANG
The sniper blast rocketed forward at its target. Iokal could only look up at the oncoming target in front of his eyes before the shot pierced his skull, killing him instantly.
Tatsumi's jaw was dropped as he looked at the result. He slowly turned to Mine, who had a victorious smirk.
"You know, I'm a genius sniper."
Iokal's soldiers didn't share Tatsumi's sentiment, as they rushed through the forest, determined to kill the assassins that killed their boss. Not out of loyalty, no. They would be killed by the Prime Minister if they didn't take down the assassins.
"We must kill them!" One of them yelled to his comrades. "If we don't, the prime minister will-!"
UBASHAA!
He felt a punch to the gut and was sent reeling back.
"Man, you guys are as stupid as you look."
Leaning against a tree was Fugo, with a nonchalant look on his face. Purple Haze had materialized, breathing heavily after the attack. The rest of Night Raid was nearby, with Leone punching her hand into her fist.
"I held back." Fugo said to his comrades. "Have fun."
"Oh, we will." Leone said, as she and the rest of Night Raid were ready to wreak havoc. Though Fugo noticed something off.
I only see four. Didn't Najenda say that there were five guards...?
"Oh, ow!"
"What's wrong?"
Tatsumi and Mine were walking on a side route. They were walking over some large roots when Mine cried out.
"I got a small splinter." She said, sucking her thumb to stop the bleeding. "No need to worry."
Tatsumi would have fallen over in exasperation, if it wasn't for the large uncomfortable roots on the ground. He decided to change the subject and ask if their pursuers were taken out already. However, Mine deduced it probably wouldn't be so easy, as the soldiers had been trained in one of the best martial arts temple in the empire.
But then the subject changed once again, as Mine decided to tell Tatsumi about her past.
Turns out, Mine was born on the western border of the empire, and half of her heritage was foreign. She was ridiculed and ostracized thanks to her mixed blood. It seemed that her childhood of despair would only lead to more pain.
That was not the case, thankfully. As she joined the Revolutionary Army to join the fight, and create a new country with a new order, to stamp out any discrimination. She refused to let anyone suffer the way she did.
Tatsumi was impressed... though that image shattered the second she mentioned that with all the effort she put into it, she would live like a celebrity.
They walked in silence until they came into a clearing with a single tree. The meeting place.
"I suppose that means mission accomplished." Mine said.
"Not yet." Tatsumi said with a grin. "You're still on a mission until the minute you give the report!"
Mine laughed. "Those were Akame's words, right?"
She didn't get a response, as Tatsumi's expression shifted and he pushed her to the side with a shout. Before she could ask what happened, she saw Tatsumi go skidding into the dirt.
Mine grit her teeth and looked at their attacker. It was the assistant instructor from the martial arts temple. With a confidant grin, she aimed her weapon and fired. But to her surprise, he dodged all of the shots before rushing in front of her.
"I'm bringing you to the Prime Minister alive!" He declared. "I hope you're prepared!"
"Don't get too cocky!" Mine said.
The assistant instructor heard footsteps and whipped around to block an aerial sword strike from Tatsumi. But to his surprise, Tatsumi dropped his grip and dropped down to grab him by the waist.
"This little shit!" He muttered.
"Now, Mine!" Tatsumi yelled. "Shoot!"
"Tatsumi..." Mine said with sadness in her voice. "To give your life for me..."
"I'm not sacrificing myself, idiot!" He yelled in irritation. "Quit the crocodile tears!"
He grinned at her. "You said you're a genius sniper, right? I'll put my faith in you!"
"Let go of me!" The assistant instructor said, striking Tatsumi on the head, as the latter yelled at Mine to hurry.
"Cocky newbie." Mine muttered, aiming her weapon. "I'll do as you like!"
"Oh, fu-!"
BWOOM
Pumpkin blasted a hole straight though the man's chest, he stood for a moment, before slumping out of Tatsumi's grip into the ground.
Tatsumi was on his knees breathing heavily. Mine was standing over him. "Well, it seems you have a little courage." She complimented. "I can't help but be a little impres-"
Flick.
Mine winced as she held her forehead from Tatsumi's flick. "Say what you want, but that was too damn close."
He angrily pointed at the smoking top of his head. "Look at what you almost did!"
They began to argue, shouting insults at each other. Seemed like a happy mission result.
Unfortunately for them, it wasn't over.
They heard the sounds of blood and flesh, and looked back at the corpse of the man. He slowly stood back up, the hole in his chest having healed up somehow.
"Wh-what?" Tatsumi said, taking a few steps back.
"Urgh." The assistant instructor said. "Can never get used to that."
He then turned to the two, where he flashed them a grin, and they noticed fangs.
"I think I'll pay you brats back for the damn hole you shot through my chest."
"How did-?!" Mine held up her weapon. "How did you survive?! I saw Pumpkin blast your heart apart!"
"I ain't giving the details, sweetheart." He said, cracking his knuckles and getting into a stance. "I'll just make this as painful for you as possible!"
"Looks like we got here just in time then."
(JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OST - Stardust Crusaders)
The assistant instructor turned around only to see a fist in his face.
ORA!
He was sent reeling, not unlike how he did the same to Tatsumi earlier.
Tatsumi and Mine turned to see their two allies. Jotaro and Ieyasu. Star Platinum at Jotaro's back.
"Fugo had a bad feeling and asked us to be backup." Ieyasu said. "Seems he had the right idea."
The assistant instructor stood up in anger, his nose broken. He put his hand up and wrenched his nose back into it's proper position, before putting his fits up. Jotaro slowly walked up to him, Star Platinum at his back.
ORA!
His stand threw a punch once it was in range, but to everyone's shock, the punch was caught.
"You'll have to do better than that!" He cackled.
Impossible. Jotaro thought. He can see my stand? Is he an enemy stand-user?
Jotaro quickly dispersed his stand to free it, before summoning it again.
ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!
Star Platinum let off a rush of punches, but like with Mine's shots earlier, they were all avoided.
"Not good enough!" He yelled, before punching Jotaro in the stomach. The teen barely flinched, but a bit of blood came from his mouth.
"Jotaro!" Tatsumi yelled.
"Stay back!" He said, holding his arm out.
ORAAAA!
Star Platinum launched a fist, but the assistant instructor responded with a punch of his own, clashing against the stand. Star Platinum grabbed his hands and they entered a deadlock.
"Trying to stop me from moving, huh?" He said. "Not gonna work!"
He drew his head back and headbutted the stand in the forehead. A small bruise formed on Jotaro's forehead, along with a single drop of blood. But the stand user simply smirked.
"You were so damn focused on me that you forgot to watch your back." Jotaro said, as his opponent's eyes widened. "Now!"
Ieyasu, who had managed to get behind him in his moment of distraction, swung his axe. The blade sliced through his opponent's neck and cleaved the head right off. It went flying into the air. It fell and Star Platinum grabbed it by the hair, while planting its feet on the back of the slumped body.
"Jotaro?" Mine asked as she and Tatsumi walked up. "He's surely dead now, why-?"
"Rrgh, dammit, let me go!"
Aside from Jotaro, everyone else took a step back in shock, as the head was still talking. Tentacles extended from the neck, trying to either attack Jotaro or reattach to his body, but Star Platinum cut away any chance it had by severing the tentacles with rapid chops.
"What the hell...?" Tatsumi said in disgust.
"...I got a good feeling I know what happened to him." Jotaro said, eyes hidden in shadow.
He looked at the horizon, seeing a few rays of light. The sun rose.
The man's skin began to smoke, and he screamed in pain. His body cracked, and started to turn into dust. His head crumbled in Star Platinum's hand. Jotaro only narrowed his eyes, while the others couldn't help but be surprised yet again. All that was left of the assistant instructor was his clothing.
"I knew it." Jotaro said, pulling down his cap. "Good grief..."
"Jotaro?" Ieyasu asked. "What was that?"
"That man..."
...
"...he was a vampire."
TO BE CONTINUED.
A/N: For the record, the scene where Mine has the Manga Roulette Wheels was a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment that occurred in the original Manga. Decided to keep it in for hilarity's sake, and have some Fourth Wall and Shout Out humor. There won't be any more references to this scene (hence, what a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment is).
Once again, sorry this took a while to get out. Procrastination is a bitch.
So the story continues. And that one random man was a vampire? What is this development? What does it mean?
We'll see, once I stop being a lazy piece of ass.
Also, speaking of that guy, I hate how the manga just calls him "assistant instructor." It makes everything sound so damn choppy.
See y'all next time.