Ch 4. Kill The Vigilante

Night Raid HQ –

"Can you please run that by me again?" Najenda asked.

"After we assassinated our target, we ran into a girl with a biological Teigu," Mine started to explain, "She had used her secret ability and nearly killed Sheele, but a guy in his late-teens, early-twenties came out of nowhere and cut her head clean off her body."

"What did he look like?" Najenda questioned.

"He was a little shorter than Bulat, had black and white hair, and wore a blue jacket with a yellow interior. He also seemed kind of country-ish. He also has red eyes, like Akame's." Mine described as well as she could.

"What kind of weapon did he use?" Najenda kept asking.

"He used what seemed to be a simple sword." Mine replied.

"Interesting. I'll let head quarters know about this new killer. Hopefully he's on our side." Najenda said.

"If he wasn't, don't you think he would have killed me and Sheele and me instead of the Imperial Soldiers?" Mine questioned.

"True," Najenda admitted. "Either way, you should go rest. That broken arm won't get any better if you don't get your rest."

"Understood," Mine replied and went upstairs to her room.

I hope this new killer is one we won't have to face Najenda thought to herself.

-Next Day-

"Another day in the Capital," I said to myself. I looked over to wake up Tous, but I remembered she wasn't here any more. After I had breakfast at the inn I was staying in, I went for a walk. It's been a couple of days since I got here. Last night was the most action I've had in a long time.

I went to a few shops to see what they had to sell. I've seen most of the items here in other places in the Empire. I kept walking for a few hours. I head my stomach growling.

"Time for lunch," I said to myself.

I walked around, looking for a good spot to eat. When I found one, went in and bumped into someone who had already gotten food.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," I apologized to the person.

He shook his head and said, "It's alright. I wasn't looking either."

He had brown, spiky hair, green eyes, and tan-ish skin. He wore a light yellow sweater, a white under-shirt, and blue pants. I offered to buy him his lunch while I got mine as an apology. After we got our food, we sat down and started talking.

"My name is Rien," I said as I held out my hand.

"I'm Tatsumi," He said, taking my hand and shaking it.

"Are you from the country?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Are you?"

"I come from the east. You?"

"I'm from the north," He said. "Whats it like in the east?"

"Nothing special. Just a few small villages here and there," I answered. "What's the north like?"

"Cold," he said. "Nothing much but snow and leaf-less trees."

"That doesn't sound like much," I noted.

"It's not," he assured me.

We kept up the small talk until we both finished our meals.

"Thank you for the meal," Tatsumi said while bowing his head.

"Like I said before, this is an apology for making you spill your food earlier," I reassured him.

We both said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It'd be cool to meet him again. I'll be here a while, so I probably will. I was on my way back to the inn when I overheard something.

"Did you hear? General Esdeath is back from the north."

Well isn't this great. The guy I'm looking for isn't even here and now SHE'S come back. This just keeps getting worse and worse. I need to find a way to get into contact with Night Raid and see if they'll accept me.

"Welcome back, General Esdeath. Congratulations on your conquest of the north. It was most superb," The Emperor complimented.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We left not a soldier alive," Esdeath reported.

"I must apologize. Even though you've just returned, there is work to be done. A group known as 'Night Raid' has been running rampant in the Capital. I wish that you could focus on eliminating them from my city," The Emperor informed her.

"I understand, but I would like to ask one thing of your majesty," Esdeath replied.

"Is it soldiers? You may use as many as you need," He told her.

"I've heard that Night Raid has Teigu wielders. It takes a Teigu to fight a Teigu," she stated. "I would like a group of six Teigu users to be assembled."

"Don't you already have Teigu users known as 'The Three Beasts'?" The Emperor asked.

"Makoto, General Esdeath is doing this to make sure the Capital stays safe. I'm sure entrusting her with the six will be for the better of the Empire," The Prime Minister reassured the Emperor.

Facing and crushing an enemy is all that matters to Esdeath, so she can do what ever she pleases as long as it doesn't interfere with my power. The Prime Minister thought with a sly smile on his face.

"I don't believe gold is a suitable reward for this task. Is there anything else you may want?" the Emperor asked Esdeath.

"If I may..." She started.

"What is it," He questioned.

"I would like try being in love."

As soon as she said that, the Emperor and the Prime Minister took a step back. They were shocked by what they just heard.

"Th- That's right!" the Emperor exclaimed. "You are of age, and yet you have not been married yet."

"However, you surround yourself with those who adore you, do you not?" The Prime Minister asked, confused.

"Those are pets," Esdeath replied without hesitation. "I have a scroll with certain criteria. If a person should meet these expectations, I will marry them."

"I understand. We will keep an eye out," The Emperor assured her. "As always, do as you please, Prime Minister."

Esdeath and the Prime Minister talked while walking through the palace courtyard. The Minister teased her about her request and she merely noted how sick and twisted he was.

"...On that subject, I think a request for six Teigu users is a little too much," The Prime Minister said, almost like he was trying to look down on Esdeath.

"Though, in the end, you will take care of it, right?" She replied, her cold, threatening stare meeting his.

"I will make the preparations. In the mean time, I have some people I would like you to get rid of," The Minister said with a wicked smile on his face.

"Ooo, intriguing," Esdeath replied.

She gathered her Three Beasts in the curt yard and told them, "I have a mission for you, although it I somewhat different from normal."

"We will always and forever serve you milady!" The Three Beasts said in unison.

"Good," Esdeath said, proud of her three warriors.

It's been about a week since Esdeath's return. I've been hearing about murders involving government officials and that the members of Night Raid are the ones behind it. It sounded a little iffy, so I looked into the victims themselves. They all opposed the Prime Minister and his ways. Night Raid was being framed for these murders and no one was smart enough to figure it out.

I decided to go for a walk, as I normally do, when I saw some guy in suits and swords strapped to their sides.

I walked up to them and asked, "What's going on?"

One of the guys looked at me and asked, "Would you like to make some money?"

Judging by the way they were standing and their formation, I was able to tell they were bodyguards.

"Sure," I responded. "What can I do for you?"

"Tomorrow, meet up on the docks and board the ship called the Ryuusen. You will be guarding someone important," the man informed me.

"Understood," I replied. "What time should I be there?"

"Board the ship early in the morning. Once you do, look for a group of men dressed as us," he ordered.

"Understood," I replied again.

Looks like I might be meeting Night Raid soon. This is going to be fun.

The next morning, I went straight to the docks and walked up to the Ryuusen. It was a freaking cruise ship. Literally. If it hadn't been for the group of guards I'm supposed to find, I don't think I ever would have found my employer.

Before I walked up to him, I summoned a sword with Wu and sheathed it on my back.

"Today is hopefully going to be fun," I said to myself before boarding the boat.

Ch 4 – End

Mac: Another chapter done. Rien has finally met Tatsumi and those two really hit it off. I'm glad with the way this chapter turned out. Although, I wish there were a little more action. Oh well. That's what next chapter is for. I can't wait to write it. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you'll keep reading!

Dom: I pretty much lazed around this chapter kind of playing games and such. ^^