Chapter 4...
"MMmgh.." Tatsumi was slowly moving around in bed. It was now morning and he was stirring in his sleep. He was having a hard time always waking up early then he usually did. Probably because of the lack of comfort. He slept on the ground most of the time when he was on his own, and he always was ready to go when he woke up. But he decided it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of this situation. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a bright light coming in from the window out in the hall. Didn't he shut the door last night? "Arrrgh..damn it, forgot to shut the door." He was then getting up and he felt like his legs touched something.
He immediately looked down and saw a letter on top of his sheets. He sat up and opened it up and read it ."Your payment has been taken care of, and will be deposited in one of our banks that a contact takes care of. If you need to make a withdrawal, say to the man who wears a red scarf, "Red as blood." He'll respond with "Blue is in season." Then put your right hand on the counter. Keep up the good work Tatsumi. Oh, meet me in the capital when you wake up and read this message. That church you killed Ogre at, i'll be around there. Najenda" Tatsumi then put it aside and yawned. He got up then got dressed. He then headed out into the hallway where he ran into Lubbock.
"Hey Tatsumi!" He greeted.
"Morning Lubbock." He yawned once more.
"You heading out somewhere?" He asked curiously, noting he was already wearing his boots and buttoned up coat.
"Yeah, looks like i'm heading out to the capital." Tatsumi answered.
"You're already on top of things, eh?" Lubbock snickered.
"Assassins must be more laid back then I thought.." Tatsumi thought before he walked past him. He then made a noise of surprise and turned back to Lubbock. "Oh yeah, where is the bank where we deposit our funds in?"
"Oh, it's Ragen. Little village right next to the capital, right outside the walls. Why, need some money?"
"No, its just the boss didn't tell me where it was when she wrote me the lett-"
"WHAT!?" Lubbock shouted in shock. He then ran up to Tatsumi and was practically biting his head off. "A LETTER!? WHAT LETTER!? SINCE WHEN DOES MISS NAJENDA WRITE LETTERS WHEN SHE COULD JUST TELL YOU IN PERSON?!"
"What hell are you spouting?" Tatsumi asked irritated.
"WHAT DID THE LETTER SAY!?" He demanded.
"Just to meet her in the capital. Would you let go of me already!?" He pushed Lubbock off him and grunted in annoyance.
"SHE'S NEVER WRITTEN A LETTER TO ANYONE HERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER!"
"Maybe she was in a hurry, look it doesn't matter. I gotta go."
"HOLD IT!" He ran ahead of Tatsumi and was blocking the exit. "What do you intend to do once you get there!?"
"I don't know! Go read the damn thing yourself if you're that worried about it!" Tatsumi shouted as he tried to walk ahead.
"Hold it! One last thing!" He then pointed at Tatsumi in a threatening manner as a green aura of killing intent appeared behind him."Just so you know, I called dibs on Miss Najenda first! I don't mind if its Akame or Leone, Sheele or even Bulat! But stay the FUCK away from Miss Naj-" Tatsumi then grabbed Lubbock's finger and then comically made it snap.
"OOW! Are you for real!? You dislocated my finger!" He had tears streaming down his eyes as he looked at his crooked appendage in disbelief. Tatsumi just walked off with a tick mark on the back of his head and said. "Shut it! I don't got time for your bullshit melodrama!" He scowled as he made his way out the door.
"That was uncalled for~!" Lubbock whined comically as he tried to straighten out his finger.
Later in the capital...
"Sigh, what was with Lubbock this morning?" Tatsumi just sighed in a frustrated manner, curious to his fellow assassin's behavior. Was he sleeping with the boss or something? He noticed Lubbock's gazes at Najenda were a lot more attentive then when he caught him trying to peep on Akame and Leone during their bathing hours. The guy was honestly kinda pathetic in his opinion. He witnessed Lubbock's Teigu the day before, during one of Tatsumi's training sessions. He could use it pretty good, but wires were kinda far-fetched in his opinion. He much preferred blades and daggers, then tricky methods to take out an enemy. But a Teigu was a Teigu.
"Wonder what the boss wanted? Actually..isn't it kinda stupid to meet out in-"
"Tatsumi." He then whipped around and he saw Najenda wearing a nun costume that covered her whole body. Tatsumi noticed that her robotic arm wasn't attached to her side.
"Boss? Is that you?" Tatsumi asked.
"Yeah. I had to leave the arm back at base so I wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention." She said as she came up to him.
"I see. So what did you need?" He asked.
"I needed an escort when I meet a contact. It's secluded from prying eyes, but it's a perfect spot for an ambush. So since I can't defend myself that well, I needed one of you to come help me."
"What the hell is Lubbock doing?" Tatsumi asked.
"He's waiting for our supplies to get delivered at the base, and everyone else went to go investigate a certain place. Lets go, its about time we met the informant." She said as she leaded the way. They walked for a few minutes not saying a word. "So..Tatsumi." She broke the silence.
"Hm?" He asked, as he followed close behind.
"Are you adjusting to Night Raid pretty well?"
"Hard to say. Akame is a glutton, Lubbock is a pervert, Leone's..Leone." He shook his head. "Sheele is an airhead, Mine's ranting gives me a headache, and I think Bulat has a thing for me." He profiled them as Najenda laughed silently.
"Well if you know them that well, you must be."
"That's.." He grunted a little.
"You seem to work well with Akame. She says you're a strong person." She said as Tatsumi walked up beside her.
"I wonder about that." Tatsumi said as he kept his eyes attentive of their surroundings.
"I think you'll fit in just fine. Just back each other up, and you'll come back in one piece. Which reminds me, theirs a certain mission that I want you, and everyone to take care of."
"Mission?" Tatsumi repeated.
"I'll tell you more about it when we get back. Our meeting point is up ahead. I want you to get in position in case something goes wrong." She said as she turned to him and made a serious look. "I'll be counting on you to back me up Tatsumi." She then headed off towards another part of the district as Tatsumi just made an emotionless look. He then looked at his hand and remembered something.
"I..just wanted you to know that you are important as well!"
Akame's words just stuck in his head. Only one other person said that about him. And that person was dead. He then slowly clenched his fist and looked at the boss one last time.
"...Not really, Akame..Not really.." He thought before he then disappeared from the crowd.
We find Najenda at the meeting point, standing and waiting for the contact. She was cautiously scanning the area around her. If anything looked off, she was out of there. It was hard enough to get back into the city without alerting anybody about her identity. This contact had better be damn worth it, she hoped. She wasn't sure if Tatsumi was in position yet, but whether he did or not was also something she wanted to verify. She wanted to trust him and let him go on missions with everyone. But he didn't seem to be much of a team player. From what she got from Akame, he practically did things on his own half the time. Yes, this was one last test to see if she could really trust the young man.
"..Who ever that is in the shadows, come out." She called out. A figure slowly emerged to be a man covered in a dark brown cloak, as he approached her.
"A-are you General Najenda?" He asked with a stutter.
"Yes, now please make this quick, I can't stay in the capital long. From what I here, your people wanted to join the Revolutionary Army's cause. Why?" She quickly asked.
"..." He remained silent.
"Answer! I can't stay long." She said in a more authoritative tone.
"F-forgive me." He said apologetically. Najenda then narrowed her eye behind him and saw the glint of a..scope!
"Riflemen!? It was a set up!"
"Please understand! They got to us first and said they would keep us safe if we brought them one of the Revolutionary Army's top generals! We had no choice, please just surrender quietly." He almost look like he was gonna freak out.
"You're a fool Zardnic! The Empire is just going to massacre your people regardless if you bring me to them or not." Najenda argued.
"SILENCE!" He then pulled out a small concealed pistol and held it at Najenda's face. "Must you really fight!? This whole revolt is just tearing the kingdom apart! The people are scared! Those who turn against the Empire are just mere fodder! We must try to get the forgiveness of the Ki-UGh!" He then stopped talking as Najenda made a sound of surprise. He then fell face first and hit the ground. He had a knife sticking out of his back.
"Aggh!" The gunmen behind the rifle yelped, but was silenced. Tatsumi then came out and walked towards the dead man and grabbed and pulled his knife out of his lifeless corpse.
"He had another two on the roof tops. He was going to kill you and offer you up to the Empire by the looks of it." He said as he wiped the man's blood off his knife on his clothes and sheathed it.
"..This is getting worse. We keep getting more and more fake allegiances with these lesser villages. They're too scared to stand up and fight the might of the Empire. Everyday we're risking our lives for their sake, but we can't even trust the people now." She frowned as she looked at the man's body.
"People are too scared to fight back. All they think about...is death." Tatsumi said as he bent down and examined the man's clothes. "People are weak." He furrowed his look and pulled out a letter from the dead mans coat. "Boss." He said as he handed her a paper by the looks of it.
"..Damn." She cursed as she threw the paper on the ground. "It's signed by the prime minister's signature. Whatever Zardnic was promised, he's certainly not getting it. If his village isn't destroyed now, it soon will be." She said as Tatsumi just glanced down at the seal on the note.
"What do we do?" Tatsumi asked.
"Sigh...For now, lets head back to base. I don't want to hang around here any longer." She said as she walked on ahead. Tatsumi took one last look at the man he killed and just walked after Najenda thinking, "..You guys..were weak."
Later...
Tatsumi and Najenda were almost to the hideout, but decided to rest for a few minutes. Tatsumi got a fire going and was tossing twigs on it as he fiddled with them in his hands. He was bored to be honest.
"Hey Tatsumi." Najenda asked.
"What is it boss?" He asked as he continued to throw twigs in the fire.
"Is the reason you don't work alongside everyone that well, is because you think they are weak?" She was curious and figured now would be a good time as any to bring it up.
"I think everyone is weak." Tatsumi said as he just leaned forward and stared at the fire. "If you feel things, you're weak. If you bleed, you're weak. If you trust, you're weak. If you follow someone, you're weak." He repeated the word in each of his sentences as Najenda pulled out a cigarette and lit it in the fire.
"That's a pretty narrow way to define weak. Why do you think its weakness?" She asked as she puffed some smoke.
"Because I learned having any of those things just gets people killed in this world." He said as the fire snapped."Take that guy from earlier, you went out on a whim thinking that he could be trusted. Knowing that, they set a trap for you. Weakness number one."
"True, I did go out there on a whim. The Revolutionary Army is fighting hard, and we need allies and people willing to fight back. We always take the risk of that sort of thing happening. But that doesn't mean everybody is the same." She said as she rested her cigarette between her fingers. "People get tired of living in fear of a corrupt government, so they speak out against it. When that doesn't work, they fight back. That in turn inspires others to do the same." She explained as she smiled a little.
"Monkey see, monkey do?" He said sarcastically.
"Pupbth!" She covered her mouth all of a sudden, trying to hold back a laugh.
"It wasn't that funny." Tatsumi sweat dropped.
"Ahem, anyway. The point is, if a force collides against another, expect there to be resistance. It's kind of how this whole revolt started anyway." She put out her cigarette then looked Tatsumi in the eyes."Tatsumi. I don't expect you to trust us so easily. But, I just wanted to say, I trust you." Tatsumi's eyes widened a little.
"So you're going out on a whim?" Tatsumi scoffed.
"..Yeah. Something like that." She smiled one last time and stood up. "Lets get back to base." She said as she walked back. Tatsumi sat there for a moment contemplated on what they discussed. He looked at his Teigu for a moment then stood up and headed back to the hideout.
"Sigh, man i'm beat." He said out loud as he opened the door.
"THERE YOU ARE YOU DICK TO APPENDAGES!" Lubbock shouted as he dashed towards the door.
"I'm thinking of stepping it up to limbs if you don't stop yelling in my ear." Tatsumi said as he turned away from him.
"Miss Najenda came in smiling for some reason! Did something happen between you two!?" He demanded as he pointed his bandaged finger.
"That strikes you as odd? She smiles about almost everything." Tatsumi just couldn't get this guy. His obsession with his boss was irritatingly pathetic.
"No, she smiles only when something good happens, like everybody coming back from a mission safely, or when Akame makes something other then meat for dinner, or when somebody tells a really lame pun!"
"Pun?..Oh, that's why she laughed." Tatsumi came to a realization as he put his hand to his chin.
"You said a lame joke..and she laughed!?" He grabbed him by the color. "What part of I called dibs first did you not understand!?"
"What the hell are you even talking about?"
"Playing dumb doesn't work on me! I know you're trying to get on Miss Najenda's sweet side! So she'll worry about you, talk to you, and even ask you to go with her on an important mission!" He had weird thoughts showing above his head that Tatsumi found weird. Tatsumi just sweat dropped. "She'll pamper you, and then suddenly the pampering turns to caring, then suddenly one day she'll cross over to the forbidden Superior 'X' Subordinate line, then suddenly you two are unable to stop having these feelings for each other, then-"
(WHAM!)
Tatsumi just walked away why Lubbock had a bump smoking on his head from Tatsumi."I'm not after the boss you damn idiot! Now knock it off, or the next time I will personally KILL you with that finger!" He had a tick mark on the back of his head while he held his fist up.
"Wahhh~! Miss Najenda, please comfort me~!" He thought as he was in his own little fantasy.
"Geez." Tatsumi sighed as he walked down the hall. "That guy can be stupid and smart at the weirdest times. Why the hell would he think I was hitting on the boss?!...Sigh, between him and Mine, I don't know which is more annoying." He headed towards his room but stopped all of a sudden. Something was burning. He ran to the kitchen and coughed as he came through the black smoke.
"(Cough), (Cough), What-!?(Cough)..the..(Pant)..hell-?!" He covered his nose and mouth as he reach for his Teigu. He then whipped it horizontally, and the pressure from it blew the smoke out. He then breathed again and saw Sheele passed out on the floor.
"Sheele! Hey, c'mon wake up!" He rushed to her side and was examining her to make sure she wasn't hurt. "She must have inhaled too much smoke." He thought as he bent down and listened to her chest. He then helped her to his room because he didn't know where her's was. He put her on the bed then felt her head.
"Damn it." Tatsumi scowled. She had fever.
Sheele was slowly opening her eyes and moaned slightly, but coughed. She felt something cool on her head, and she was in a bed, but not her own. She turned her head slightly which made the cloth slip off. She but couldn't see that well because of her missing glasses. She found her glasses placed on a table beside her and she grabbed them then put them on. She looked and saw Tatsumi sitting on one side of the bed against the wall, cross-legged with a book that had Teigu information on it.
"Looks like you're awake." He said as he just stared at the book emotionless.
"Huh?" Sheele then realized she was in Tatsumi's bed and blushed a little. He was sitting close to her and she was kinda of conscious about, because she measured the distance between them to just mere inches away. "Tatsumi? What am I..doing in your bed?" She asked in her innocent tone.
"I wonder." Tatsumi said as he shut the book with one hand and placed it beside himself. He looked at Sheele with his dark green orbs, making her feel a bit flustered. "I come back then find the kitchen on fire. And guess who I found passed out on the floor?"
"Who?" She asked curiously.
"Is she serious?" He sweat dropped at the airhead's question. "You. Were you cooking again?" He asked, thinking he wasn't going to like the answer.
"I-I tried doing what you did when I got back as soon as we got our supplies for the month. But, my apron caught on fire while I was frying the steak. I tried to put that out with what I thought was water, but it turned out to be lighter fluid...eheheh." She nervously chuckled. "I got the apron off. But I accidentally threw it on the stove. It got worse and...I don't need to tell you do I?" She explained as Tatsumi just shook his head in disbelief.
"You are literally a recipe for disaster." Tatsumi sighed.
"I'm sorry. I keep making you do inconvenient things." She frowned as she drooped her head.
"...Sigh." Tatsumi then crawled off the bed and began walking out the door. "Just let me know the next time you want to cook." He said as he leaned his head out the door.
"Hai. Thanks for going to the trouble of taking care of me."She thanked him.
"Someone's gotta do it." He scoffed with a smile as she made a noise of surprise. Her glasses were covering her eyes white, as she had light blush. "The boss wanted me to head out on a mission with everyone. See ya." He then turned and walked off.
"Be careful out there..Tatsumi." Sheele said as she put her hand over her chest and smiled a little. Tatsumi then walked over to the large room where they meet and found Mine and Akame standing there with Najenda in her seat.
"Took you long enough." Mine huffed.
"I don't recall there being a time limit." Tatsumi said as he walked up to them.
"Lubbock's passed out by the door! Did one of you get to him?" Leone asked, noticing the green haired to be sleeping peacefully.
"He'll live." Tatsumi said as he had a menacing aura surrounding him.
"He's..upset about something." Leone thought as she felt his killing intent.
"Oowah! Lubbock, why are you sleeping on the floor!?" They heard Bulat's voice out in the hall. He was trying to wake him up as they turned to an annoyed Tatsumi. They just shrugged it off normally.
"Anyway, I got a new target for us. Its the famed serial killer that's been popping up recently. Apparently the cases are that he shows up randomly during the night..and beheads the victims." Najenda explained.
"That almost sounds like..Zank the Beheader." Lubbock said as he came in while rubbing his head.
"Who's Zank the Beheader?" Tatsumi asked.
"You don't know? You must be a country bumpkin to not know about this guy." Mine said simply.
"Humor me." Tatsumi said as he crossed his arms.
"Zank the Beheader. He used to be an executioner for the Empire's greatest prison. Because of the prime minister, a lot of people were having to be executed. Day in and day out for years, he killed again and again to the point where he just wasn't satisfied with the daily executions, so he became a serial killer." Mine explained.
"He also stole the warden's Teigu. So he's going to be a strong opponent. A detainment force was supposed to have retrieved him but I guess he fled before they could zero in on him. Who'd have thought he'd be in the capital." Bulat said with a serious face.
"...Hm." Tatsumi hummed then walked over to the shelf of short swords. He then picked one up and examined it. Satisfied, he grabbed his long brown coat and put it on. He then fastened the short sword to his back.
"You all will be patrolling the area around the capital. Find Zank, and eliminate him. Dismissed." She finished as they all nodded. Tatsumi then grabbed his Teigu as well and and fastened the scabbard similarly to his other short sword. They both hung across the bottom of his back, and the two sword handles were on his right side.
"You ready to head out, Tatsumi?" Bulat came over and asked.
"Not quite." Tatsumi said. He then walked over to the table and grabbed his belt of small concealed throwing knives. His coat draped over them, so the only visible weapons were his two swords on his back. He shrugged a little and breathed out. Now he was ready.
Later in the capital...
"Guess the people got cold feet. No one is out tonight." Tatsumi noted as he and Akame walked around town.
"Hm.." Akame hummed as she was examining their route.
"Bet they don't know tha-!?" Tatsumi and Akame then quickly hid in an alleyway. Some soldiers came running across the street, acting as if they were looking for someone.
"Looks like we aren't the only ones who're looking for a serial killer." Tatsumi said as he and Akame peeked out the side of the alley.
"City guards. Even these guys have shown up...we'll have to watch our step." She said as they came out of the alley.
"This just keeps getting better by the minute." Tatsumi chuckled. The two then sat down by a bench and Akame pulled some snacks out of her utility belt.
"Are you always hungry? It's almost like you eat every 2 hours." Tatsumi just couldn't believe Akame's eating habits. Did she have a endless pit in her stomach or something?!
"Its important to keep your strength up in this line of work." She said as she munched on...wait a minute.
"Hey..isn't that my rolled sandwich I was saving for later?" He asked as she turned slightly and sweated a little.
"Mm-! Uh, I didn't know." She sweated nervously.
"I specifically put a note on the side of the plate that said "Do not touch"." He narrowed his eyes.
"Oh..I thought it meant the plate." Akame said as she was trying to think of a justifiable reason.
"LIKE HELL IT DID!" He shouted comically with a tick mark." Sigh..don't worry about it. I'll just make another one when we get back." He sighed as he got up."I'm gonna go take a piss. Be right back." He said as he got up and walked away.
"It is very good!" She gave him a thumbs up as he thought,
"Just stop..please." Tatsumi scowled. He would need to take measures to insure the safety of his portions. He tried hiding a piece of dessert in the cabinets, but Akame sniffed it out. He then tried hiding it behind some of the pans, but she found it out while asking if he could cook. Finally, he decided to make a spot in the pantry where only he knew about, but that was futile because Akame had Leone find a "mysterious smell" coming from the pantry with her Teigu. The girl's appetite was ridicules, and her tenacity to find food was even beyond that. Ever since he got there she only ate what he cooked most of the time. It's like she was obsessed with eating his food.
"Uhh..if Kami is real, he must be laughing at me everyday." He thought out loud. He zipped up his pants and then fastened his belt. He then felt a presence near him and immediately whipped his head around. His eyes then widened. He was silent and kept his mouth shut, but his eyes were widening in recognition.
"No way..no fucking way..I buried you my self-!? Sayo!?" He thought. Sayo then smiled sweetly then began walking away. Tatsumi walked forward and then gasped a little and shook his head. He wasn't sure why, but seeing Sayo again was making him lose his nerve. He didn't like that, but he followed her anyway. After a minute he then found her in a wide open area on the street, and standing there with the same smile. He then thought of something else. The way she smiled...for reasons unknown to him, he didn't feel the same...feeling? That didn't sound right..maybe he was in denial? Maybe he finally went off the deep end.
"...That is you..isn't it?" Tatsumi asked. She then giggled a little and offered her hand. He then slowly turned to his side and was approaching her with a foreshadowed look. She continued with her same happy expression.
"...If you are Sayo..." Tatsumi said as he then slowly grabbed his sword. He then glared up and was filled with sudden killing intent. He dashed past her with his short sword drawn. "..Then you would have been able to dodge that." He looked back and he didn't see Sayo any more, but a large man with blades extending out of his forearms. He barely blocked Tatsumi's strike. He was bleeding on his shoulder as he stared up at Tatsumi with a maniacal look on his face.
"Oh~? You would attack the person that matters to you the most? Even to a guy like me that's cold."
"What I see, and what I feel are two different things, you old bastard." Tatsumi pointed his sword at him.
"Instead of "old bastard", i'd prefer if you were to call me by my name. Zank the Beheader!" His devilish smirk showed.
"I don't give a damn who you are. You're just another meatbag." He glared as he shot at him again and began slashing at him.
"Hoh? Not bad. But I can see where you aim~!" He said amused. "Come into my space, with diagonal sword slashes, a thrust, then a quick turn around to get my back...and to finish off, you throw you're knives at me for a distraction which I block, then you go for my head~!" He said sing songy. Tatsumi just did everything he said as he jumped away from him.
"So you can read my moves. Big deal." He said as he lowered his sword.
"I can read your thought as well thanks to my Teigu Spectator." He pointed to the eye like object on his forehead. "Right now you're thinking "I talk more then I need to, isn't that right Tatsum-huh?" He then looked at Tatsumi with a surprised look. He was smirking with an amused look."You...YOU LITTLE SHIT!" He roared with a tick mark.
"You can read my thoughts, right? When you said you could read my movements it was probably because of that stupid looking thing on your forehead." He pointed to."So while you were busy telling me what I was going to do, I simply went along with it. And while you were busy reading my thoughts, you were too distracted by what I was thinking, that you didn't notice what I did earlier." He said as Zank looked on his body. He then saw a small throwing knife in his leg.
"What!? When did that get there!? I blocked those daggers you threw at me earlier!" He immediately pulled it out and threw it on the ground.
"I wonder." Tatsumi said, and scoffed. "If someone wrote you a script, it's only natural you'd follow it, right?" He shrugged. As Zank's veins were nearly popping out of his head.
"I'm..GONNA TAKE YOUR HEAD!" He roared as he and Tatsumi engaged in another clash.
Elsewhere...
"Over 400,000 men and women, and they can't even have a shred of dignity." Esdeath sigh and smiled. "Fill the holes!" She shouted.
"No! Please have mercy!"
"I don't wanna die!"
"Just kill me now!" Cries of terror filled the air as hundreds of thousands of men, woman, and children were being buried alive.
"These tribesmen are weaker then I imagined them to be. I'm beginning to doubt there's anyone out there that can even...Actually..There was that young man, Tatsumi if I recall." She put her hand to her cheek and the scratch on her cheek was nearly healed to the point it disappeared.
"General Esdeath! You have orders from the capital. It's a recall order." An officer said as he ran up and saluted to Esdeath. He handed her a letter as she took it and read it.
"Hoh? Great. I was just starting to get bored." She said as she yawned. "Tell the men after they're done filling the holes to head out to the last encampment. I'll be returning to the capital."
"Yes General!" He saluted once more and ran ahead to relay the orders to the rest of the troops. Esdeath then looked to see someone crawling out of one of the holes. She then swiftly kicked them down as they screamed.
"Now now, you brought this all on yourselves. It is what you get for being weak. Die with the fact knowing that I, myself was the one to kill you." She simply said and walked away. She got on a horse and began riding out. She thought back and was smiling. "My hunt for Night Raid will begin right after I find Tatsumi. I wonder if he's still alive..?..No..anyone who can fight me without hesitation would not be that easy to kill." She thought. Her mind wasn't really focused on the battle of the Northern Tribes. Ever since Tatsumi had got away, she just couldn't let it slide. It was infuriating to say the least, but she was actually feeling excitement from their battle. Those dark green eyes, their piercing gaze was that of someone who would not stop until their opponent was killed.
He had much more backbone then that so called "hero" that she made into her pet. He also seemed to believe the same standards as her. Yes, she simply had to get this person within her possession. He had potential beyond any person she thought of. His strikes with his sword were pretty hard, his footwork seemed alright. But she had yet feel his killing intent. She figured that maybe she would get the chance to find out. She then had an idea, although it was a long shot. She hastened her return to the capital. Wanting to put her plan into motion.
Back at the capital...
"Kuh!" Tatsumi was breathing pretty hard. That asshole Zank managed get a slash in on his shoulder. He glared back at Zank as Zank just had an amused look.
"Impressive boy! Even after I cut your shoulder that deeply, you continue to fight on." He licked the blood off his bladed gauntlet. "Come on, beg for forgiveness! Let me see you're expression before I take your head and add it to my collection~!" He had the look of a demon similar to Ogre.
"(Pant)..You are just pathetic." Tatsumi said as he stood straight.
"Huh?" Zank raised an eyebrow.
"You've been talking about how you're such a master of decapitation , but you couldn't even sever my arm. As an executioner.." Tatsumi pointed his sword at him and smiled darkly. "You fail."
"...GRRRRggggh! DON'T GET COCKY YOU DAMN BRAT!" He said as he charged him again. Tatsumi rushed in as well and the two passed each other. Zank then noticed that his blade was starting to get a little cracked. "What!? They're starting to break?!"
"You probably noticed it by now.." Tatsumi began to say as he turned back to him. "But hidden blades are more fragile then regular swords. Not like my short sword, that's made up of a stronger and thicker materiel. Since you read my moves, I figured I would take away your main form of offense." Tatsumi explained.
"No way..you're just a runt!" Zank said as he scowled.
"Call me what you, but I think I've had enough of trying to beat a Teigu user with normal means." Tatsumi sheathed his short sword behind him. He reached for his other sword as he held on to the grip.
"So you possess a Teigu as well? Very well then! I'll just kill you and take it before you can use it~!" He dashed at Tatsumi and was going for the kill before a katana struck the ground right in front of him, bringing him to an immediate stop.
"That's..." Tatsumi recognized the weapon. Akame then came down from the sky and landed near her sword. She grabbed it and then took a slash at Zank as he blocked it and was sliding back from the blow.
"Ahh~! Now this IS a treat! The ill-famed Akame, and the one hit kill sword Murasame." He stated as he examined the newcomer.
"Tatsumi, are you ok?" She asked as she turned and noticed his left shoulder bleeding.
"I'm fine. He just got lucky. I think he damaged a nerve or something. I can't move my arm that well." He said as he narrowed his eyes at Zank.
"I see...Don't worry, this will be over in a second. Then I will tend to your wounds." She said as a cloud of killing intent was coming out of her. She was definitely gonna kill this guy. At least Tatsumi thought that.
"I've always wanted to meet you. It's such a treat~!" Zank said as he smiled.
"I to have wanted to meet you. It's my mission to take your life after all." She replied confidently.
"COME!" He shouted as the two clashed. Tatsumi just watched her in interest. She was good. Very good. Despite the fact he was reading her moves, he could only defend and evade. Zank couldn't find any openings and was knocked back once again.
"Hahaha! You really are good!" He praised. "That sword is really unfair, seeing as how I would die from just one little scratch."
"That's a load of crap coming from someone who can read movements and thoughts." Tatsumi said as Akame heard him.
"I see. So that's his Teigu's power. If that's the case..." Her mind went blank, as did her red eyes.
"Interesting. One without thought. But that doesn't matter! Spectator can also predict the future as well! By reading the slightest muscle movements, I can predict all of your movements!" He smirked as he was envisioning scenarios where she would be killed. Akame just attacked again at nearly unreadable movements as she kept knocking him back, and destroying the ground around them.
"Damn she's strong!" Tatsumi thought.
"Say Akame, what do you do about the voices?" Zank suddenly asked. "You know, the constant voices. The moaning, those who bared a grudge towards you from the depths of hell, wanting to drag you down with them? As my time as an executioner, I've always had to deal with the voices. I talk a lot to deal with it, but how do yo-"
"I don't."
"Huh?" He had a shocked look on his face.
"I..don't hear voices. I hear nothing." She simply stated.
"I see..I thought maybe an assassin as yourself would understand. IT TRULY IS A SHAME, AKAME!" He said as he disappeared. Akame's eyes then widened as she saw someone familiar to her pop up.
"K-Kurome?" She said a little shocked.
"What the..?" Tatsumi was confused why she stopped.
"Hehehe~! Illusion Sight. It summons an illusion of the person you care about the most in this world. And its an absolute hypnosis, which means that she can't be shaken from it!" He cackled darkly as Tatsumi was slowly pulling out Sky Ripper.
"Come! DIE WITH THE ILLUSION OF THE ONE YOU GAZE AT, AKAME!" He shouted as he headed towards her. Akame then narrowed her eyes and then slashed at her illusion as Zank gasped. He barley managed to block Akame's strike.
"What!?..She's..merciless...YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN GAZING AT THE ONE YOU LOVE THE MOST IN THIS WORLD!" Zank yelled in disbelief.
"The person I love most in this world..is also the one I want to kill the most." She glared up at him as he sweated nervously. "She..What is she..!?"
"This fight is over." Tatsumi thought. He eased his grip on his Teigu, seeing as how Akame was back in action. She charged forth and preformed an upper slash with her sword and cut his blades in half. They flew up in the air from the strike as Zank looked back down at Akame with a nervous look.
"Obliterate." She said in a firm voice. She then swung her sword at his neck and Zank's head was separated from the rest of his body as his last thoughts were,
"The voices..they've..stopped." His corpse hit the ground and Akame sheathed Murasame back in its scabbard.
"Target eliminated." She said.
"Well ain't this appropriate." Tatsumi said as he walked up to the dead man. "The beheader..was beheaded." He thought as he looked down at Zank's face.
"Tatsumi." Akame said as he turned to her. "Are you alright?"
"..No." He said with a furrowed look and a frown. "I couldn't even beat this idiot with a regular sword. Guess it goes to show I still got a lot to learn." He said as he winced at his bleeding shoulder.
"You..tried to beat him with just a sword? Why not use your Teigu?" She was confused.
"Cause if I can't deal with meatbags of this level with my own strength..." He then began walking away. "..Then it proves i'm just weak without one." He said as he walked down the road. Akame frowned a little as she looked back at Zank's corpse and took the eye-like Teigu that was attached to his forehead, then walked with Tatsumi back to base.
Tatsumi was just sitting in a grassy field cross legged staring out at the scenery. His arm was in a sling and he was lost in his own empty world as he thought about his fight. He wanted to get stronger, but these Teigu's..if his enemy uses them, then it just meant that he would have to start using his properly. He didn't like the fact he had to rely on some weapon that gave him an unfair advantage over others. He liked accomplishing things with his own skills and strength. But it turns out he's just gonna have to swallow his pride and play the game the way it was intended.
He then felt an apron fluttering down and landing on top of him as he grabbed it and looked back.
"What are you doing out here? We have dinner to prepare." She said as she stood atop of the hill.
"Right." Tatsumi said in his usual annoyed tone. He got up and put the apron over his shoulder and headed towards Akame.
"Even the injured have things they can do." She said as they walked back to base.
"Yeah." Tatsumi just went along with it in a bored tone.
"Do you mind..if I ask you something?" She asked him all of a sudden.
"By all means." They stopped as they looked at each other.
"You were lured away from me on the mission by Zank correct?" She asked.
"..What about it?" He asked with a blank look.
"Did he..use that illusion move on you?" He was silent as he frowned little.
"I guess. I saw someone I didn't want to see." He said as she maintained a blank look.
"The person that matters most to you-"
"She's dead." He said bluntly. "I buried her with my own two hands. I never felt anything from seeing that illusion. It was just a way to catch me off guard." He was imagining Sayo as she laughed at him sweetly.
"...I see." Akame nodded.
"What about you?"
"Hm?"
"Who did you see?" He asked.
"..If the time comes, i'll tell you." She said as Tatsumi nodded.
"Well...(Sigh)...lets go get dinner started." He took a deep breath and they both headed back inside to whip something up.
"Tonight we are having meat."
"Don't we always meat?" Tatsumi just sweat dropped at her. He then unknown to her just chuckled and smiled to himself.
"I guess maybe. I am weak..heh."
Aaaaand boom! Here you guys go! I made this one extra long for lack of updating it! Read/Review/Rate!
Laters!