Hello guys ^^ A slighty shorter chapter here, but I don't think you mind much ^^' This is mostly Tatsumi saying his wall of text before joining Night Raid... but oh well. Enjoy!
Soul in the Dream
CHAPTER 6
(Hitomi's POV)
Everyone in Night Raid was gathered in the meeting room. The Boss was seated in a black leather chair near the wall while Tatsumi and myself were standing in the middle of the room. The other members were standing as well, surrounding us as we explained our situation to the silver-haired woman.
"I see.", nodded the Boss after we finished our tale. "I understand the situation completely." She turned her head towards me. "Hitomi, I heard from Leone that you wanted to join us, is that right?", she asked me. I nodded, smiling.
"Yeah, that's right.", I replied. "I know none of you has seen what I can do for now, but I assure I won't be a burden.", I said, turning on my serious face. The Boss nodded, signalling that she understood.
"Then in that case.", she said. "Hitomi, welcome to Night Raid! Do not disappoint us." I nodded, smiling while she turned, now facing Tatsumi.
"Now, Tatsumi.", the Boss said, tending her arm towards the brown-haired teen. "Would you like to join Night Raid?"
"I'm dead if I decline, right?", he asked, still unsure. The Boss shook her head.
"No, that's not going to happen... But we can't let you go back.", she replied. "We'll have you work as a laborer in our workshop."
"Sounds interesting, eh?", I elbowed him with a grin.
"At any rate, you won't die even if you decline.", the Boss continued. "Given that... what do you think?", she asked again. Tatsumi was silent for a moment. It seemed like he was hesitating to speak.
"I...", he started, clenching his fist. "was planning to go out to the Capital and become successful to save my village, which is suffering from poverty... But even the Imperial Capital's rotting!"
"The countryside's poor and suffering because the center's rotten.", Bulat said. He was leaning against the wall at our right. "Don't you want to unroot the source of the rot? As a man!"
"Bulat was originally a skilled Imperial soldier.", the Boss explained. "But he learned of the Empire's corruption and became one of us."
"After all,", Bulat added. "our work is to eliminate the evildoers in the Capital. It's much better than working under those rotten people."
'And here I was...', I thought. '... training myself in hope of joining the Imperial army someday... The Capital's THAT rotten, huh..? ... I did the right choice.'
Tatsumi was still skeptical about everything he has been told as of now. "But, even if you just kill bad guys little by little,", he said. "the world won't change greatly, will it?" He actually made a good point there... "In the end,", he continued. "places in remote regions like my village won't be saved like that." The Boss seemed to understand what he wanted to say.
"I see. Then Night Raid fits you even more perfectly.", she said.
"How come?"
"Far south of the Capital,", started the assassins' leader, "there's the hideout of an anti-empirical force, the Revolutionary Army."
"... Revolutionary Army?", Tatsumi repeated.
"The Revolutionary Army, which started out small, had grown into a large-scale organization by now.", the Boss continued. "Then, inevitably, a unit to handle covert jobs such as assassination and information gathering was created. That's us, Night Raid. Right now we're exterminating the Capital's ticks, but in the event that the Army takes action, we'll take advantage of the confusion, and the Prime Minister, who is the cause of the corruption-", she clenched her mechanical fist. "We will take him out ourselves!" Tatsumi looked surprised by the Boss' determination towards this. "That's our goal.", she added. "There are others, but I'll leave them for now. Although I can't say anything specific about when they'll rise to action, we've prepared a plan to win. When that time comes, this country will change for sure."
"... Will this new country... treat the people well?", Tatsumi asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Of course."
"I see. Awesome..." He then smiled brightly. "So the killing you're doing now is just targeting bad guys to clean out the trash... It's what they call assassins of justice, isn't it!", he said, surprising everyone.
Silence. More silence. Then...
"Pft... HAHAAHAHA!" Everyone, excluding Akame, started laughing at his... ridiculous logic. I mean... assassins of justice... Really, buddy!?
"Wh... What is it?", Tatsumi asked, genuinely confused. "What's so funny?" He apparently didn't understand... I was about about to raise my voice and say it, but Leone beat me to it.
"Tatsumi.", she said. "No matter how you dress it up," Her tone suddenly got dark. "What we're doing is murder..."
"There's no way there's any justice in that.", Sheele added.
"Every person here...", Bulat said. "could receive retribution and die at any moment." I was tempted to joke around, saying that I haven't even killed anyone yet, but I refrained.
"Each person has his own reason for fighting," the Boss spoke. "but they're all prepared... Will your opinion still stay the same?"
"Will I get rewarded?", Tatsumi asked.
"Yeah. If you work properly, you'll be able to save a hometown or thereabout."
"Then I'll do it!", decided Tatsumi. "Let me into Night Raid! If it's for a big goal like that, Sayo and Ieyasu would have done the same!"
"You might become unable to freely return to your village, though.", Mine retorted.
"It's fine. As long as everyone in the village can be happy through that."
"... Hmph"
"It's decided.", the Boss said. "Welcome to the path of carnage, Tatsumi." Wait...
"Why does he get a good and cool introduction while I only get a 'Welcome to Night Raid'!?", I whined, pouting. "It's so unfair..." The grey-haired woman clearly wasn't prepared for my sudden outburst, but quickly recomposed herself.
"Ahem... I was wondering when you would show that side of yours.", she announced.
"Huh?"
"Leone told me you had an... interesting personality. You were awfully serious the whole time, so I was wondering if what she said was true."
"I... see..." I honestly didn't really know what to say to that. Suddenly, as if fate came to rescue me from this awkwardness, the strings attached to Lubbock's hands began to wire back for some reason. Surprised, he raised his voice.
"Intruders! Najenda-san!" He can detect intruders with those?
"What're their numbers and location?", calmly asked the Boss, who's name was apparently Najenda.
"According to the reaction from my barrier, it's probably eight people.", Lubbock responded. "They've all infiltrated close to the hideout!"
"They're good.", Najenda said. To sniff out this place means... They're probably mercenaries of another race." She took a black cigarette from a pouch in her suit and lit it with a lighter. "There's no other way. It's an emergency sortie.", she called. "Don't let any of them return alive."
Well, there it is :P Sorry again for that part you all probably know, but I have to go through it so... yeah. Until next time :)
