Chapter 11...
"Lets go, meatbags." Tatsumi said right before he raised his sword and currents of air forming into contrails of greenish wind swept around him as if it were dancing around him gracefully. He then waved the point of the sword around and then slashed in front of him. "Whistling Lash!" He declared. A high pitched whistle was heard, and the streams of wind whipped around fiercely like multiple whips, and the soldiers caught within were blown away and had multiple lacerations all over their body. The unfortunate ones had their limbs sliced clean off at an awkward angle. The prisoners were just watching in shock in awe. Tatsumi turned his cold gaze past them and said, "Sheele, get em' out!" He ordered her.
"Don't worry. We're here to help you." Sheele assured them.
"Well that's fine with us! But these bars are-" One of them that seemed to speak for them, quickly came up to say.
"Not a problem." Sheele grabbed her Teigu and opened the large pair of scissors. "Stand back!" She told them, and suddenly she sliced through the metal rods as if they were just mere ropes.
"S-she cut through them?!" One of them was baffled.
"Oi." Tatsumi said in an annoyed tone which made them turn around and look at him. "Hurry up and arm yourselves, I ain't gonna baby sit you this entire time!"
"Teh, someones impatient. But he's right! Everyone! Arm yourselves an' form up!" He ordered them.
"Sir!"
"Yes, sir!" They seemed to have their fire restored to them, so they went out and were picking the rifles and swords that were left lying around the bloody corpses. And finishing off the soldiers that Tatsumi didn't kill after unleashing his Teigu on them. They all took up positions from around the prison. The leader came up to Tatsumi and greeted him formerly.
"My thanks young warrior. I would have died a dog's death in that pen." He thanked graciously.
"..." Tatsumi just blinked. "Where are they keeping the weaponry that's gone missing, from the trade route the Revolutionary Army has been using?" He asked.
"They keep anything like that stored up in Greve's building." He pointed to a structure similar to a small house. "Can you believe that asshole had that house built for him specifically, and his subordinates had to sleep in tents out in the forest?" He shook his head in disgust.
"I'll fucking kill him! Where is he?!" A female soldier came up and demanded from Tatsumi. "I'm gonna make him regret he toyed with Evalyn!" She screeched.
"Who?" Tatsumi raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, my third in command. A real shame. She was taken to be questioned, but Greve found her more useful as a sex slave rather than a source of information. " He frowned.
"Ah, I think I saw her earlier. She got stretched apart." Tatsumi recalled.
"Damn." The leader sighed. " I'm Captain Alexander Mantis by the way. What is your name young man?" He asked.
"..I'm a phantom, meatbag. I was never here." He scoffed.
"..So that was you. You were the one messing with the guards." He nodded.
"Sir, we got more of them coming in!" One of them shouted.
"Well, whatever your reasons, thanks..Phantom." He called him. "All right people! Lets show these boot-licking mercs how a war is fought! Green Hawk Company, ENGAGE!" He ordered and they went head to head with the group of mercenaries that were clashing with them. Sheele came up to Tatsumi.
"What now?" She asked.
"That Greve guy, he's probably trying to make a run for it. Our objective is the weapons and wiping out the enemy, but we're gonna need to cut the head off this snake if we're going to keep this from happening again. For now, lets make our way through these guys. Hopefully Leone will be back soon."
"Mm. Wait, shouldn't we help them-" Sheele was about to say, but these soldiers were a lot more skilled than they looked. They were cutting down the mercenaries one by one. One in particular was the young woman seeking vengeance. She wielded two swords in each hand. She was taking on a group by herself. She cut one down, then flipped out of the way of an attacker's blade, then stabbed them from behind. When she unsheathed her sword from his body, she threw it right into the neck of one of them. She ran towards him and then sliced his head clean off. She moved on to the next one as they slowly began backing away from the conflict of the woman.
"I think the mercs are gonna need help." He said sarcastically. "C'mon!" He said and the two battled their way through the crowd.
"Shit...shit, shit, shit, shit, shit SHIT!" Greve was frantically grabbing any valuables he could get his hands on while trying to adjust his armor. "I give those useless bums a job to do, and what do they do?! They let the enemy walk right into the camp! What is with them all?!" He cursed their names every time they popped into his head. "I'll just bring back a gift! A fucking purging squad, that'll teach them to disobey me!" He smiled evilly as he began throwing all his money in his pack. He grabbed his sword and began heading out.
"Sheele! Left!" Tatsumi shouted while holding off a merc's blade. He immediately brushed it aside and cut him down in a split second. Sheele, hearing him, turned and slashed one of the enemies across the torso that was coming at her. Tatsumi took out two throwing knives and threw them at a merc that was about to shoot him. He then ran up to one from behind, stabbed him in the back, slit his throat, then threw another knife at another merc rushing towards him, sticking him in the forehead. He began scanning around him and suddenly his eyes fell upon a heavily armored soldier that was making a run for it. Tatsumi narrowed his eyes at this and turned away to face another merc with a large sword, but he was shot by a rifle that was fired from Alexander. He looked at him and he shouted back to Tatsumi.
"Go! We got this!" He urged him. Tatsumi nodded and pursued Greve out of the camp, taking out a few guards along the way. Sheele was about to follow him, but suddenly..
(Gunshot!)
Her eyes widened, and she fell.
Greve was gasping for air as he ran through the woods. He tripped over a root and he clumsily threw his bag of gold every where. He cursed himself and picked himself up off the ground to gather his currency. "Damn it! All that money that came in...I'll be damned if I lose it now!" He ripped up plants along with the gold coins he had made from previous arms deals, and threw them back in his sack.
"End of the line, Greve." He whipped his head around to see Tatsumi standing away from him with his Teigu drawn.
"The fuck!? Listen kid, if you don't want to die, then get the hell out of here before I lose my patience!" He pointed his sword threateningly at him.
"You are really a pathetic piece of shit." Tatsumi stated. "I thought you were a rising star on the battlefield. Don't tell me that was a load of bullshit?" He taunted.
"Piss off you beansprout!" He charged Tatsumi and slashed at him. He missed, making Tatsumi dodge it effortlessly. Tatsumi brushed off a few sword slashes, and jumped back. He sheathed his Teigu and Greve was about to cut his head off. Tatsumi jumped however, and he spin kicked Greve across the head making him trip and fall in the dirt. He hurried to stand again and had eyes of a enraged nut job.
"You aren't really that great are you?" Tatsumi noticed.
"SHUT UP!" He came at him again, and Tatsumi side stepped his sword, leg sweeped him off his feet, making him fall flat on his back. He recomposed himself as Greve angrily got up again.
"Your skill is a joke. You're using your sword as a club." Tatsumi observed his sword skills, and they weren't really that much on par with that of a caveman. "I find it hard how a piece a trash like you gained recognition on the battlefield." Tatsumi glared.
"Shut up! All those officers and soldiers were all MINE! Why shouldn't I get to take their credit!? I am their commanding officer! They're just peons for me! They wouldn't get as far as they did without me! I DESERVE IT ALL! ALL OF IT!" He shouted in a crazed rage.
"I see. So you are just a meatbag. No, even less than that." Tatsumi shook his head.
"I'll kill you, you snot nosed piece of-AGH!" He was about to slash at Tastumi again, Tatsumi jumped forward and delivered a sharp kick to his armored torso. He then front flipped and landed the heel of his boot right in his face. He knocked Greve out before he even hit the ground. Tatsumi brushed his sleeves off and Looked up. He was about to hide but suddenly he recognized the happy-go-lucky grin of Leone who was leading a squad of rebel soldiers.
"I've brought in the cavalry~!" She announced after seeing Tatsumi. When she got up to him they greeted each other.
"Took you long enough." Tatsumi crossed his arms.
"Yeaahhh, we found your trail after searching around a bit, but then we ran into some scouts that were searching for the-"
"Yeah, yeah I don't care. We gotta head back, have this guy watched." Tatsumi pointed and ran back to the camp. Leone made a sound of confusion and was looking down at the soldier with a bloody nose.
"Uh...can we get some restraints on this guy?" She asked.
As Tatsumi made his way back to the camp he came to a stop. He was wide eyed and saw that a lot of soldiers were dead. Not Alexander's men, ALL of the mercs were bleeding out or dead on the ground. All the soldiers from Green Hawk Company were tending to their wounds. He looked around slowly as he stepped over corpses and dismembered limbs.
A thought then occurred.
"...Sheele?" He called out. "Sheele!" He called out again. He kept searching and searching all over and he suddenly had wide eyes when he saw the young woman lying face down in the dirt. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly had a bit of a pit slowly swelling in his stomach as he got closer and closer. He saw blood and mud on the top of her head and he bent down to get a better look. He reached and slowly turned her head over. She had a bloody gash along her head. "Oh shit." He slowly said as he examined her. He then put a finger to her neck and and then pressed his ear against her chest. He listened.
...
...
...
...
..
..
(Heart beat)
He sighed with relief. But then suddenly that led him to another question...
Why was he relived?
"...Tatsumi?" He heard her, making him snap out of his thoughts.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Mm." She nodded slowly. "I..was running, but tripped...next thing I know, I was unconscious." She weakly touched her head, but felt it best to not touch it anymore.
"...you're one hell of a lucky klutz, I'll give you that." He shook his head in disbelief.
"Mm...did we win?" She asked, now curious.
"Win? Yeah. More like, it was one-sided." He looked throughout the camp. "These guys are good. Much better than the glorified cannon fodder that the army uses." He had to praise their skills. How the hell did soldiers with skill like theirs get captured in the first place?
"Are you both alright?" Alexander came up and asked. He had small cut on his arm, but other than that, he seemed to be okay. His build was impressive, his hair ashen color, and a rifle slung over his back.
"Just barely missed her. Me? I wasn't even close to dying." Tatsumi crossed his arms. "Oh yeah, the guys coming out of the forest are part of the rebel army, so tell em' not to get spooked." As if on cue, the squad of soldiers that were with Leone came out and the prisoners rejoiced. Leone rushed over to them after seeing Sheele bleeding.
"Sheele! Are you alright?!" She asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. I just got grazed." She smiled while adjusting her glasses.
"Ah man, don't scare us like that. I'd be very lonely if you left." She smiled.
"Mm, I'll be more careful." She nodded.
"Leone." One of the soldiers came up with Greve in restraints.
"LET ME GO! DAMN IT!" He flailed.
"He almost broke free two times already. Had to tie him up twice as much. Are we taking him back to forward command?" They asked.
"Mmmm, I don't know. Tatsumi is the one who caught him. Ask him." She pointed.
"Tatsumi...?" One of the prisoners suddenly asked.
"Wait...isn't he the guy who killed Fahr?"
"THAT Tatsumi?" They all seemed to be getting riled up.
"But wasn't he dirty?"
"That's enough! Don't you all get started on that again!" Alexander called out as he approached them. "Fahr was selling us out! He got what he deserved! If he continued what he was doing, a lot of innocent people would have been slaughtered!"
"How do you know? He killed him before we heard his side of the story!" One of them came up and challenged him.
"Get back in line Sage. Everyone is tired and injured. Don't start something right after we finally got out of this hellhole." He ordered him.
"But he was one of us! How do we know this kid isn't gonna kill us right before-Oof!" He was suddenly punched across the face by Tatsumi which shocked everyone. He spit on the ground and glared up at Tatsumi. "So you show your true colors after all..hope you're proud of making an enemy of us-"
"If I wanted you dead, I'd have killed you myself." Tatsumi stated coldly. "Don't make the same mistake as your dirty boss did. Throwing a tantrum just because your perfect image of him is broken, doesn't mean you need to take it out on me. I don't care about any of your complaints or reasons, shut your trap and suck it up. It's time for you to move on and accept reality." He stabbed his sword in the ground and glared down with killing intent. "Your boss had plenty of time to explain himself, but every time he gave up info, a dozen villages of men, woman, children, and infants were wiped out without so much as two shits given. If the Revolutionary Army defends people like that, then yeah. I'll make the entire army my enemy, and I'll fucking annihilate them just the same as the Empire." Tatsumi stated coldly.
"Ghhgh!" He gritted his teeth. "You arrogant little punk-Alex?" He was about to get up and sock Tatsumi across the head, but Alexander stood in his way.
"Sage. When you enlisted with the Green Hawks, what was your duty?" He asked him.
"To fight against the Empire-"
"No." He interjected. "To end the oppression that people LIKE the Empire inflict on the innocent. While I too, was taken aback by the death of Fahr...my friend." He clenched his fist. "If it meant following men like that monster," He pointed to Greve. "Than I would rather leave the Green Hawks than serve under someone like that." He said while Sage recoiled. "While his actions may have been rushed, I believe that even if we did hear his side, he would try to win us over." He finished. "Remember that, don't forget why we were formed." He scolded.
"..yes sir." He reluctantly said.
"Wow, this guy is quite a big shot. Even his men know when to quiet down." Leone nodded in awe.
"Tatsumi.." Sheele said with a frown as she watched him sigh and sheathe his Teigu.
"So now what?" Sheele asked Leone .
"Well..." Leone looked at Greve than Tatsumi, as if she wanted to know what he intended. He looked at Greve then the angered looks of the Green Hawks. He scoffed and just waved it off.
"He's all yours." He told them. "Kill him slowly, beat him to death, I don't care. Or better yet..." He then looked back over to the building and the device that ripped the poor woman in half. "Show him what your comrades felt when he pulled them apart." He suggested.
"What? No, wait no, let me loose!" Greve was then escorted by the young woman who seemed to be rushing over to it.
"Shut up you piece of garbage! I'm going to put my sister's soul to rest after I pull you apart piece by piece!" She hissed in his ear.
"NOO!" He shouted. Leaving him to his inevitable demise, Tatsumi and the others stayed until the rebel army came by, and picked up all of the weapons in the house and camp. They bid farewell and headed back to their hideout.
Elsewhere...
"Where are you!? Where are you-ugh.." A man frantically shouting for his life demanded, before he was stuck in the heart by a jagged broad arrow. It happened in the middle of the capital. The arrow was released by none other than Sayo who lowered her bow. She was wearing leather boots that went up to her knees, black shorts, a black skirt, a black tank top, and black finger-less gloves that went up to her elbows. She had a dark cloak that hung over her shoulders.
"Lights out, meatbag." She scoffed. "Well, that was easy." She said out loud. "Well, lets see who else is left on Budo's list." She pulled out a piece of paper out of her utility belt. She crossed a name off the list and made a sound of surprise. "That's it? I'd think there would be a ton of names on this list. Guess ol' Budo is too busy protecting the inner palace. I met my quota for the day, I think I will go take a bath now." She thought as she made her way back. As she walked back, her thoughts were elsewhere. Thinking about Tatsumi.
"He looked so pissed. His temper is still the same." She smiled and chuckled. She then smiled sadly. "Stronger though. He's definitely gotten stronger." She had to give him points for his fighting skill. "Get stronger Tatsumi. It's the only way to live in this ugly world." She thought while wandering the alley ways. "...I think it's time I paid you another visit." She had a dark smirk.
Night Raid...
"Good grief furball, you just ate." Tatsumi was shooing away his dog while it pawed at his legs. He was lying on a couch, feeling whipped from the journey back.
'Arrrghh!" It whined while tugging on his sleeve.
"EH?" Tatsumi glared down with killing intent in his eyes, making it obey him quickly. Tatsumi felt it necessary to remind the little savage who was the master and who was the pet in this relationship. It walked away and just sat down in a corner with it's tail curled around it. He sighed and just stared up at the ceiling. He was thinking and thinking hard about what he should do from now on. He wondered how he would be able to kill Honest. The rat was practically glued to the king, who was no better than a child. He had him at his beck and call, so he had quite the amount of authority to use for his design. Esdeath was also another problem.
How the hell was he going to bring down that behemoth, was going to be another hurdle for him to overcome. Her skill is unmatched, but her cockiness could be her downfall. But that would normally be true, if she didn't have the power to back it up. She had every right to flaunt her superiority to her foes. Unmatched. Undefeated. Overpowering. Dominant. Those words only came to mind when the name Esdeath entered the ear of every person on the continent. Someone who can make every person in the empire think that, is the most terrifying. But then that was nothing to him. Another obstacle, the most hardest one yet to him, was Sayo.
She stirred up feelings in him that made him lose any sense of reason. It got him emotionally distracted. It was enough to nearly block out his objective of killing the prime minister. To him, that was his ultimate downfall. A weakness that he couldn't cover, no matter how much he denied it in front of others, or himself. She was like the sole thing in this world that actually meant something to him, whether it be for good or bad. Why she was fighting with the Empire, he couldn't even understand why. After everything that happened. After promising her in her "dying" moments that he would keep the treasure of their village safe. Someone who leaves an impression like that, is the most formidable opponent. In his eyes anyway. Rising from the very grave he dug for her, was ridicules. How to even begin to comprehend how many questions he had would be an understatement.
Combine that with Esdeath and Honest.
It was beyond him.
"Tatsumi?" He turned his head to the blank look of Akame.
"What do you want?" He returned his gaze to the ceiling.
"I came to check on you. To see if you are uninjured." She asked.
"If you try to strip me down, I will kick your ass." He forewarned her.
"..." She stood there with a blank look. Tatsumi looked back and was astonished. That look in her eye was always the same. It meant she was intent on completing her objective.
"..Drgh. Fine!" He got up. He stretched his arms out. "Inspect away." He said in a sarcastic tone.
"Mm." She nodded and came up to him. She lifted his shirt up and examined him. She circled him as she felt around his body. Satisfied, she nodded. She smiled warmly.
"You're okay." She said.
"Right." Tatsumi said while rolling his eyes.
"How...is the arm?" She asked suddenly.
"It functions. kind of impressed actually. Can't feel shit though." He critiqued as he moved it around. "Wish you grabbed my other arm though. I'd prefer to have all my limbs attached when I'm out there."
"I looked. It was gone." She shrugged.
"Gone? Danger beast probably ate it." He scowled.
"I don't mind. You look cool with a metal arm. Like Boss." She gave him a thumbs up with a reassuring look.
"Uh..right." He sweat dropped.
"Hey Tatsumi?"
"Hm?" He asked.
"...will you.."
"?"
"..be able to kill your childhood friend?" She asked suddenly. He was silent for a moment before answering.
"The heck? That came out of nowhere." He said turning away from her.
"You say that you can...but I can tell you hide it from everyone." She noted. "You keep telling yourself that you can accept that the person you were close with is no longer the person you knew. It's easier to not think of them as a person, but another target. But deep down, you can't help but want to believe that even if they changed...they're still the same person you were close with."
"I wasn't-!..I.." He raised his voice momentarily, but then calmed down. "..I wasn't really close with Sayo." He turned back to Akame.
"You say that. But it's okay to think that way." She said as she walked up to him. "I understand how you feel."
"Feel? And how would you know that?" He asked putting a hand to his hip.
"Because I too, have someone close to me I have to kill." She said which made him make a sound of surprise. "My sister."
Tatsumi was a bit surprised to be honest. Akame was about the closest to null and void you could see in a person. But the fact she would actually feel anything from killing somebody was a surprise to Tatsumi. He assumed she was an expert at keeping her emotions in check when the time called for her to take a life. Guess she was just like any other person who dealt with it. Even more than him.
"...(sigh)." He scratched his head and sat down on the couch. "...I can't do it." He admitted. "No matter how many times I tell myself." He shook his head. "Why?" He scratched his head hard. "Why does it feel wrong?" He had a frown and frustrated look.
"Because it is." Akame sat next to him. Sheele was about to enter the room Tatsumi was in, but suddenly stopped and was surprised to see Akame with him. She hid behind the wall and peeked back at them. "It shouldn't have to be that way. We shouldn't have to go through all that." She said while resting her hands on her skirt.
"..teh. This is a messed up world when you think about it." Tatsumi sat back.
"Mm. I'll go get snacks. Want any?" She asked before she got up. Tatsumi then chuckled a little.
"Yeah, sure." He mused. Akame nodded and zipped through the hallway and straight to the kitchen. Sheele was caught in her tailwind as she dashed past her.
"Sheele." Tatsumi called out which made her twitch. "It's rude to eavesdrop." He knew she was there.
"O-oh, sorry. I was just.." She had a bandage wrapped around her head. She had her hand behind her back gripping her other one.
"Come sit down. You just nearly had that squirrel brain blown out of your skull. You shouldn't even be walking around." He motioned for her to come sit down.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." She apologized. "I was just..." She seemed to avoid eye contact with him. He noticed it.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I.." She was still contemplating how to go about this.
"I'm back." Akame returned with a plate stacked with steak, rib eye, roast po-Whoa, wait, what!?
"That's not a snack...HEY, THAT'S FOR DINNER!" Tatsumi snapped. "And we're not gonna eat all this!"
"Don't worry. I grabbed enough for both of us." She nodded proudly.
"Screw that! I'll get the snacks! You stay in here and don't go within ten feet of the fridge!"
"Can't this be an appetizer?"
"THERE'S ENOUGH TO FEED EVERYONE HERE, AND THEN SOME!"
"I'll just eat my portion then." She reasoned.
"YOU'LL EAT IT WHEN I SAY! And that is MORE than your portion!"
"I burn a lot of calories. I need a sizable portion to keep up with my day to day activities."
"HOW!? JUST HOW?! All you do is eat all day!"
"An assassin needs to keep their strength up."
"Stop making excuses! That's still in mid preparation anyway!"
"Never bothered me before."
"Put it back! What do you think a snack implies anyway!?"
"Eating before eating." She said with a nodded.
"Motherfu-are serious?!"
He scolded her. As they kept trying to out reason one another, Sheele just smiled.
"...everyone's so lively."
Sorry for the late update! Had to take a class for my job and I wanted to be focused! But I should be updating frequently now.
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