Chapter Two

Behind Enemy Lines

Akame had spent most of the last week in recuperation, waiting for the doctors to announce him healed. However, after the sixth day, he wondered whether they were purposedly not healing him as well as they should have – his scars hadn't disappeared yet, and besides, he was getting impatient, wanting to beat down Kurojaki for cannibalism and immorality. That would all be impossible, though, seeing that he wasn't yet allowed to go anywhere without some kind of chaperone. He really wanted to jump up, train vigorously, become robust, and slash that Kurojaki right in the heart.

So Akame was a very rash pup after his little run-in with the Koga heir.

Without exercise, Akame became very bored of just sitting in the village bamboo house, especially since his parents never came to look at him. Indeed, they had never said a word of praise to him, he remembered forlornly, because he was the runt and you just couldn't spare words on a runt and if you did you would be disgracing thirty generations of pride – just by talking to the runt.

Akame sighed and curled up into a ball. His only visitor was Arrow, his teacher, who still managed to stuff knowledge into his head without his dozing off. Four days ago, all of his other teachers were visitors too, but he had fallen asleep at their lectures and they'd been furious with him.

Bored.

Bored.

He tried to think it harder.

Bored.

Bored.

Not quite there yet.

BORED!!!!!!!

Akame just couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out of bed and walked right out the door of that house. He would be the best Iga House shinobi-dog EVER…

But on these jelly legs, he told himself as his knees buckled under his weight, no.

As he'd hoped, nobody noticed him much. He tried standing again, his bones creaking and protesting as they jointed properly, as they were able to stand straight again.

"And now, sprinting," he laughed, and dashed into the woods.

A pair of spring green eyes watched his flight, and then they blinked closed slowly.

"Idiot."

---

The white Nīnken raced across the forest floor, the map of Japan burned into his mind. The Koga territories were just some five hundred kilometers away, he knew. And for a Nīnken, that wasn't too hard.

Akame jumped a tree stump, tumbled through briar patches, and tunneled through dirt piles before he finally stopped at the Grand Koga House. He gasped.

His Iga House was more a homely, humble, dilapidation of a big Shinto temple than this. This was a mansion, made of gold and silver towers, with jewels crusting the doors, and green-tinted windows.

It made the Iga House look like a dwarf's lonely home than an honorable place to stay.

But it dawned on Akame that it only looked that way so that they could lure in wild Dogs and eat them. He snarled.

Akame was still, thankfully, in the foliage of trees, so nobody saw him. Creeping around the edge of the brush, he muttered under his breath as he saw Kurojaki ordering his workers around. It also seemed that he was surrounded by female Dogs and was boasting about his abilities to them.

That was the detonation point. He leaped out of the trees, startling the female Dogs. Kurojaki looked pleasantly surprised, and the worker Dogs swarmed over Akame, who bit and scratched and kicked. Futility. He was brought down and felt teeth digging into his limbs, and jaws catching his neck … a world of pain.

"Enough." Kurojaki's command forced the Kogas to let go of their capture, although they eyed Akame with apprehension, suspicion, and sadomasochism.

Humility.

"Akame, you're not ready to fight me?" asked Kurojaki, his voice sharp. "And yet you come here and try to attack me? Is there something wrong? Have I injured your brain?" He paused. "Keri."

One huge, buff Koga Nīnken made his way out of the crowd. "Yes?" he asked gruffly.

"Test out the pup." Kurojaki giggled. "See if he's worth your time as well as mine."

Akame's heart pounded fervently as Keri nodded and raised one paw. Evidently he had never cut his claws, either.

As it came down, Akame leaped onto his back and back into the trees' safety.

"After him," was Kurojaki's wry response to this upset. Keri lumbered into the forest.

Shit, thought Akame, using the word that his teachers would sometimes use when they were in a tight situation.

Keri lunged after the white Dog, but Akame, in desperation, climbed up a nearby tree. He wasn't sure if the technique would work with only one Iga Nīnken, but he would do anything to live on and defeat Kurojaki.

No matter what, no matter how, no matter the consequences.

He disappeared into the branches. And Keri, who was fat and slow, didn't notice. So he lingered around under the tree, while Akame positioned himself.

At the ready…

He launched downwards. "Eat this! Iga Ninja Technique! Raikaken!"

Keri, as mentioned before, was fat and slow. Akame's jaws crunched around his neck before he could look up and

CRACK

Akame didn't pause for a moment; he ran onto the Iga House, traumatized, in a daze.

It had been his first kill.

Kurojaki just laughed, impressed, and yelled after the fleeing Iga. "Stronger, Akame! Stronger! And when you are, your Iga's documents will belong to us!"

And even though he was traumatized, he kept the "Documents" information documented.

---

"Akame." Akaryu said with most sincerity. "What were you thinking, Akame?"

Akaryu was Akame's father, a strict and "noble" leader of the Iga. He was looking at his runty son with the glare in his eye. THE GLARE.

"I was bored," admitted Akame carelessly. "I was bored and I left the Iga Village and I ran away to go see what Kurojaki was up to…"

"And you come back with a bad tendon in you right hindleg," interrupted Akaryu.

"Yeah, what's my old man gonna do about it? Sneer at me?" snarled Akame, immediately biting his lower lip. An insult to your father was a very offensive assault, especially when your father was a Leader of the Village.

Akame was sent to bed without supper that night.

"Okay," he said through the door, "but don't blame me when they steal your 'secret documents!'"

Silence. And then his door opened.

Akaryu's eyes were narrowed. "They won't."

Click.

Closed.

Click.

Open again. This time, his father seemed thoughtful. "At least, not unless you get in the way, Akame. Sleep now."

Click.

Closed.

Note: Again, thanks to Nagisha for reviewing!