Kill the Darkness: Tatsumi 1(Part 2)

I shot awake; I was in a forest—the forest that I got separated from my friends, Ieysayu and Sayo.

"Hey, Tatsumi!" I couldn't believe it, it was them. "Why're you still trying to sleep?! Our village isn't going to save itself!"

At first, I thought that the events later were just a dream. However, I happened to find an amulet on me, displaying people I knew, and would encounter. "Elder Gods, you gave me a chance?!"

"As a reward for ending Shinnok's reign of terror. Use it wisely, and return to the future the same way as before."

"So I'm gonna hafta get brain freeze all over again...Great."

It wasn't long before the bandits attacked; however, I wasn't going to lose my friends a second time without a fight. So, I drew my sword, and bisected the first three bandits at the waist in one strike. "Damn bandits..." The rest ran off in fear. I then realized that this was my old sword, and not the key toIncursio.

Sayo, "Uhhh...Tatsumi..."

Ieysayu, "Are you alright, buddy?!"

"Yeah, but it looks like we need to take the long route."

We did—It took longer than expected, because we had to deal with Ieysayu getting distracted by numerous things:

A beehive to take honey;

Ieysayu, "I got honey...OW! Don't you bees know how to share?! AAAAHHHH!"

Hemlock berries;

Ieysayu, "I found some berries for us to eat!"

Sayo, "Those are poisonous, you moron!"

Even falling into a pitfall;

Me, "Real smooth, Ieysayu..."

Ieysayu, "Shut up, and get me outta here!"

And this was every 3 hours.

Three Days Later:

A couple of merchants in a horse-drawn carriage were abruptly stopped by a danger beast(A form of predatory animal at the time). "Wha...!"

"It's an...Earth dragon!"

I had to help them, so I darted out of the brush—Sayo, "Tatsumi?!"—, leapt on top of the carriage, and jumped towards the earth dragon, slashing it's right arm off, before landing back onto the ground, right as the severed limb crashed behind me. I stood back up and turned back to the creature. "Class one danger beast...right, an earth dragon...this should be fun!" The colossal beast roared in rage at me. "Aw, don't be mad..." It slammed it's claw down, only I was already airborne. "I'll take care of ya'! Hyuah!" I slashed it multiple times, killing it with massive blood loss as it fell to the ground. Then, Ieysayu and Sayo ran up to me.

Ieysayu, "Showoff!"

Sayo thumped the back of my head, "Don't do something so stupid like that again!"

"H-Holy shit..." One of the merchants breathed out in shock, as he watched the bloody danger beast crash into the ground.

"That was incredible, kid!" The other man cheered, as he ran towards Tatsumi.

"You took down a Class-one danger beast all by yourself." The first man exclaimed, following behind his friend.

My response, I blushed and smiled at them, "Aw, come on! You're giving me way too much credit! And, oh yeah, the name's 'Tatsumi,' and this is Ieysayu and Sayo..."

Ieysayu decided to brag, "Soon, the whole capital's gonna know who we are! So you might wanna remember it!"

"So, you're going to the imperial capital, to seek your fortune?" The first man questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yup!" Tatsumi exclaimed with a wide grin, "Where I come from, everyone dreams of making it big in the capital."

"Look, kid, the imperial capital isn't some 'perfect dreamland.'" The second man answered in a serious tone, "Sure, it's the big city, but it's been overrunned with monsters even more vicious than this earth dragon here."

"I don't get it; how can the city be full of danger beasts?" Ieysayu asked in a confused tone.

Me, "I don't think that's what they mean, Ieysayu."

""He's right! It's not 'those' monsters." The second man explained, unconsciously clenching his fists, "They're humans, but with the 'hearts' of monsters. Damn place is crawling with them."

Sayo, "Look, we appreciate the warning, but there's no way we're gonna turn back now. You see, we have a mission, to make a fortune, and save our village."

Plaza:

It was still amazing to look at the capital itself. "Whoah man! The capital's even bigger than I thought!" I grinned like a child, as the three of us began to walk through the city streets.

"If things work out here, we could just 'buy' the village!" Ieysayu then spotted cute girls; I swear, the guy has the attention span of a vegetable. "Why, hello ladies..."

Sayo smacked him, "Would you stop that! We're here to find a job not to pick up girls you perv!"

Ieysu, "Ow! Ok, ok! No need to hit me!"

Me, "Yeah, but sadly that's the only way to get you're attention."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Sayo, "It means you're an idiot."

As Sayo said that, imaginary arrows pierced through Ieyasu. "Ugh!"

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, anyway, instead of standing around let's find work and hopefully an inn to stay the night."

Sayo, "Yeah, you're right!"

Ieysayu, "OK! I'm going to find us jobs."

"Oh no you don't!"

"What?! WHY?!"

"Cause' I see cute girls in the way you're heading!"

Then, I remembered something I was told the first time around; Everyone was gloomy because they were in the slums. I didn't say anything though. "Alright, we'd better get to the barracks."

As we walked past a small cafe, we never noticed a busty blonde-haired woman sipping her tea. The woman had been listening to us the whole time, and she couldn't help but sigh as she set down her cup. "Hmm, so more country kids have been lured in by the capital's charms." The woman said, as a hidden smirk spread across her face. "Maybe I should have some fun with them."

After asking for directions, we finally found ourselves at the capital's military barracks. Noticing the large line, we patiently waited for our turn. After waiting for almost two hours, we finally found ourselves at the front of the line. ""So, you'd like to enlist, would you?" A rather bored looking officer asked, handing me a form. "Alright, just fill out the form and bring it back to me."

I picked it up to sign, but Ieysayu snatched it from me. He was not pleased with what it said. "Wait wait wait wait wait. This says we'd be starting as privates!?" Ieysayu said, earning a groan from the officer.

"You think you're special..." The officer said in an annoyed tone.

He slammed the paper onto the desk, "We're not starting from the bottom!" The idiot then drew his axe, "We're way too good for that! We were thinking something more along the lines of, say, captain!"

The furious officer threw us out, one-by-one.

Sayo, "What gives?!"

Ieysayu growled as he turned to glare at the officer. "Hey, c'mon, can we at least take the test?!"

"There's a depression goin' on!" The officer shouted in an angry tone. "I already got more applicants than I can handle!" A tic mark formed on the officer's head, as he angrily pointed at us. "I'm not gonna waste a spot on some stupid kids!"

"Huh? A depression?" Sayo asked with a sweatdrop.

"Now get outta here! Beat it!"" The officer screamed, slamming the door shut behind him.

Me, "Way to go, genius!"

Then, a voice I recognized from the first time around, Leone, "Hellooo!"

"What's with the long face there, little guy? It'll be alright; Big sis is here to cheer ya' up!"

I leaned my head back to get a better look at the woman behind me. The first thing I spotted was the woman's large breasts; which were barely being held in place by her black tube top. "UUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!"

Iesayu was being the pervert he was, "I think I love this place..."

Sayo, "Seriously?!"

However my eyes widened when I got a look at the her face. She was the woman who died in a pool of her own blood from my past.

Leone, "Hm? Try to focus here, buddy."

"Sorry!" She shook me out of my memory; It really messed with my head for a moment.

"Soo, lemme guess; You came in from the countryside in search of fame and fortune, didn't you?"

"How'd you know that?" Ieysayu asked in a shocked tone.

Sayo followed, "Is it really that obvious?"

"I've lived here for a long time; by now, it's super easy to spot new faces." The woman replied, placing her hands on her hips, "Hey. I know the secret to becoming an officer in the army super-quick."

"Tell us!" Ieysayu exclaimed, as he lit up in excitement.

"Ya really wanna know?" The blonde asked, earning several rapid nods from him. "Well, first, ya gotta treat me to lunch..." The blonde woman flashed us a smile that made my heart beat even faster than before.

Me, "You do it, Ieysayu. I'm gonna keep trying to sign us up."

Sayo followed me, "Good luck."

"Are you crazy?! We don't have time to start as privates in an infantry!" Too late; we already walked in. Ieysayu turned back to the blonde, "She IS beautiful." he thought, as a slight blush and perverted smile spread across his face. "I guess I can buy her lunch if she's willing to help me."

Five Minutes Later; Bar Down the Street:

The woman was drinking so much beer, I'm surprised she wasn't drunk yet. "HaHa!" The blonde cheered, as she slammed her empty mug of beer down onto the table. A ruddy red blush covered the buzzed woman's face. "Man, never too early in the day for some hooche, am I right? *Burp*" The blonde exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat; giving Ieysayu a very generous view of her exposed cleavage. "Go ahead, drink up...there's still a little more left..."

Ieysayu, "Look, just forget the drinks and tell me how to become an officer!"

"Yeah, well, about that...uuuhhh..." The woman said, as she poured herself another drink, "First you're gonna need a lot of money."

"Money?" Ieysayu repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, I just happen to know someone in the army. He could hook you up, if you make it worth his while."

"Okay then, let's see..." Ieysayu took out "my" sac of reward money from staying danger beasts, which he took from me earlier; I didn't notice until I had to pay for the actual enlistment—I got thrown out again because my wallet didn't have enough for all three of us. "Will this be enough?"

"Woo! What do we have here?"

"It's just some reward money Tatsumi made killing a class one danger beast. No biggie."

"Mhm, he's a big guy...you might just jump straight up to captain."

"Yeah?! Let's hope so!"

"Four-fifths of this should do it, I think." The blonde woman said, making her way towards the bar's exit. As the blonde walked, she put a considerable sway in her hips. "I think this meeting has given us both an educational experience, kid. Bye now. I'll go talk to him now. You just wait right here." The woman gave Ieysayu a sultry wink before she walked out of the bar.

"See ya!" Ieysayu managed to say in an excited tone, as he waved to the leaving woman. "I see. So connections are important here." As my childhood friend sat at the table, he didn't notice the bartender shaking his head in disappointment.

"Those kids are quite the lookers, but they won't last another day in this city." The woman thought, as she walked out of the bar; with my money slung over her shoulder.

Ten Hours Later:

At the end of the day, we met at the restaurant, only to discover what Ieysayu had done.

"Hey, buddy! I'd like to go home some time tonight, y'know!" The bartender said, as he finished wiping down a table.

"Oh, I-I'm just waiting here for somebody." Ieysayu said, turning to face the bartender.

I was shocked, "Ieysayu, you didn't!"

"Yeah, sorry to tell ya this, son," The bartender said, "but she took your money and ran."

"WHAAAAAAT!?"

"Don't you know better than to just hand some stranger everything you've got?" The bartender said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"We gotta go find her!" Ieysayu exclaimed, as gathered up his belongings. "Which way did she go?!"

"Don't waste your time..." The bartender said, stopping Ieysayu dead in his tracks. "It's your own fault you got scammed."

I ended up having to pay for the meal, clearing out my wallet. "Argh, this totally sucks!"

Sayo slapped him, "That was every penny we had, Ieysayu!"

"Damn that rack! No wait, better yet, damn that girl! You can't just hand something to someone you just met!"

Ieysayu, "None of the people back at the village are such liars!"

"In case you haven't noticed, this isn't the village."

"*Sigh*I guess that was my 'educational experience'."

My anger started to ebb away when I remembered the memory of the blonde woman shot to death. "*Sigh* Even if she robbed me, I don't want that to happen to her. I hope she's alright." Sayo and Ieysayu walked away from each other; and me.

I decided to rest where I was. With an annoyed huff, I pulled out a black winter jacket. "I guess...I'm sleeping outside. Don't really have a choice, do I."

Just then, a carriage stopped in front of me, after I had just shut my eyes. "Stop right here!" A blonde girl around my age stepped out. The young girl obviously came from a rich family if her clothing was any indication. "I don't think that boy has a place to stay...the poor thing." The girl said to one of her guards.

"Are we really doing this again, my lady?" The guard asked, avoiding the young girl's gaze.

"You know can't help it; this is just the way I am." The girl said, as she walked up to me, "Excuse me."

"Great; the torturer!"

"Uhm, if you need some place to rest your head tonight, you're welcome to come home with me." The girl offered with a warm smile.

"Why me?! Uh, thanks but I'm broke."

"Well if you weren't, you wouldn't be here, now would you?" The girl said with a short giggle.

"Lady Aria has a bit of a weakness for helping those with nowhere to go." The first guard said, placing his hands on his hips.

"You really should accept her offer." The second guard said, as he felt a chill run down his spine. "If this kid knew what was in store for him, he'd run like a bat out of hell."

I was still hesitant, "Look, I just met you...meaning I don't even know you. How can I actually trust you?"

Aria, "Pretty please."

I sighed as that one got to me, "Okay, fine." I said, as I rubbed the back of my head. The girl seemed nice enough, but so did the woman from earlier. But she was offering me a place to sleep, and the thought of a bed to sleep in was too tempting. "It's better than sleeping out here, I guess."

"Great!" Aria said, helping me onto my feet, "Let's go home."

"W-Wow." I knew that the girl came from a wealthy family, but I was blown away when I stepped into Aria's home; it was more like a mansion then a house. The foyer alone was massive enough to fit a normal-sized house inside it. I was blown away by all the priceless items scattered throughout the house.

"Ah, looks like Aria has brought home another guest." Aria's father said, turning to look at me.

"Well it's her way." Aria's mother said with a warm smile. "How many does this make it now?"

Aria, "Mother...!"

"Those older guards must be must be really strong..." I thought, as I observed the guards stationed around the large manor. "They could only be kind to complete strangers like me because they have experienced guards."I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "This at least tells me why I wasn't able to know on the spot. Thank you so much for taking me in!" I exclaimed, bowing to show my appreciation; though, I remembered what she would've done to my friends, so I was still concerned.

"Oh, it's quite alright. Please make yourself feel at home." Aria said with a smile.

"Yes ma'am!" I said, continuing to bow to my hosts. "I...uh actually have a favor to ask you."

"Well what is it my boy?" Aria's father asked, gesturing for me to take a seat across from him. After I explained my situation, Aria's father leaned back in his seat. "I see. You want to join the army to help save your village."

"Yes." I said, nodding my head.

"What a wonderful dream." Aria said with a small smile.

"However...you should know. Though the capital is peaceful, three sides of this country are flanked by hostile tribes. You will likely be sent to the border to fight them." Aria's father explained, clasping his hands in his lap.

"I'm prepared for that." I said, clenching my fists.

"I must say I admire your courage young man. That's youth for you." Aria's father said with a smile.

"Did you come from village alone, Tatsumi?" Aria asked, causing me to gaze at the floor.

"Actually, I left the village with two of my friends, Sayo and Ieyasu." I replied, as my hand wandered towards the gift the village chief had given me before we left. The chief had said the idol would grant me God's protection. "We trained for months, and were ready to all join the army together. But we argued after Ieysayu gave 'my' reward money to a complete stranger, just because she was a 'cute girl.'"

"Oh my, that's awful." Aria's mother said, as she gasped slightly.

"They're both strong, so I'm not too worried." I said, my hand tightening around the idol in my shirt pocket. "It's just that Ieyasu still can't even navigate his way through a paper bag."

"I see!" Aria's father said, as he slapped his knee. "I'll have a chat with one of my friends in the military. Then we'll try our best to find your friends."

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, standing up and bowing once again.

"My hunches are usually pretty spot on." Aria said with a warm smile, causing me to turn and look at her. "I'm sure you'll be reunited with your friends very soon."

"Miss Aria..." I said with a slight blush dusting across my face,

"Alright..." Aria's father said, as he stood up from his seat. "Why don't we call it a night."

"Uh...is there anything I can help with while I'm here?" I asked, causing Aria to clap her hands excitedly.

"Oh! You can be my bodyguard tomorrow, along with there others!" Aria cheered.

"That sounds good to me." Aria's father said, turning to a nearby guard. "Gauri, I'll leave this to you."

"Understood sir." Gauri said with a salute.

"You, for everything you've done for me today..." I exclaimed, earning a smile from Aria's mother.

"We're happy to help. Now you pay it forward to some else too." Aria's mother said with an almost creepy smile.

"I sure will!" I said, just as one of the guards arrived to escort me towards my room. Once I found my room, I quickly climbed into bed."I'm so screwed...Keep yourself together, man! I need to keep them from becoming aware that I know."

The next day:

"Hurry! Let's go the next shop!" Aria cheered, pointing out another store just up ahead.

"Please wait, Miss Aria!" The guards, who were carrying her numerous purchases, exclaimed as they lagged behind.

"Tch, looks like we'll be staying home next time." The guard standing next to me said.

"Aria sure bought a lot..." I replied as convincingly as I could, as I stared at the mountain of boxes with wide eyes, "The amount is utterly ridiculous."

"It's not just Miss Aria." The guard explained, watching Aria enter another store, "All young girls are like this."

"Really? The ones I know pick out their clothes right away." I said in a false confused tone.

"Never mind that. Look up." The guard said, gesturing towards the palace that towered over us, "It's the royal palace."

"It's freaking huge!" I exclaimed, finally getting a good look of the imposing building, "That's where the emperor lives?!"

"No..." The guard said, causing me to raise an eyebrow in concern. "Not quite...True, the emperor lives in the palace, but he is but a child. He is being manipulated from the shadows by the minister. He's the one responsible for all the corruption and decay of this once great country." The guard's eyes shifted around to make sure no one was watching, "You best watch what you say around here. They'd have our heads if they heard us talking like this."

"Then..." I said through grit teeth, as I tightly clenched my fists(It still bothered me)"The heavy taxes that are plaguing my village are also..."

"Are common knowledge in the capital..." The guard, as he pointed over towards a nearby wall, "There's also those guys we have to worry about." my eyes followed where the guard was pointing. Attached to a nearby brick wall were several wanted posters. My eyes widened when I saw one of the posters for a girl named "Akame".

"Night Raid, huh?" I asked, turning to face the guard I was with.

"They're a group of assassins who have been terrorizing the capital." The guard explained, as I glanced at one of the posters, "As the name suggests they mainly attack at night. They target high ranking government officials and wealthy families. So you best be on your guard."

"No problem." I said, trying my best to sound confident and determined, "I'll run into Akame and Night Raid very soon."

"But, for the time being..." The guard said, as he tapped my shoulder, "Let's do something about that." I turned around to see the other two guards struggling to hold up a massive box.

"Oh, great!" I exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

Several Hours Later:

Night had once again descended upon the capital, and almost everyone in Aria's home was fast asleep. Everyone but Aria's mother. The older woman hummed to herself, as she walked through one of the manor's hallways. "Now then...time to write today's journal entry." Aria's mother said, as she held her small journal close to her chest. "Heh, I just can't seem to quite this hobby..." Before the woman could say another word, her entire world went blank. "Huh?" In that instant Aria's mother saw that she had been cut clean in half at her midsection. Blood sprayed from her severed torso, coating the walls and her unknown attacker. The older woman died before the top half of her body even hit the ground.

The assassin, revealed to be a busty purple-haired woman(Sheele), swiped her large scissor-like weapon(Extase); spreading the blood that coated it across the hallway. "I'm terribly sorry." The purple-haired woman said, as she bowed her head.

It was at this moment that I shot up in my bed. A chill ran up the my spine, as I quickly scrambled out of the bed. "What the? There's an intense sense of bloodlust in the air..." I rushed to get dressed, grabbing my sword as I bolted out of my room. As I raced through the mansion's halls, the guard's words about Night Raid echoed in my mind. "I didn't remember that I'd run into them this quickly!" I came to a skidding stop when I spotted several shadowy figures, standing on what appeared to be wire threads(Crosstail), outside one of the manor's windows. "There's no doubt. That has to be Night Raid!" I clenched my fists, as I stared at the silhouetted assassins. When I lowered my gaze, I spotted several guards running out to face the assassins. "What do I do? Help them fight the guards...or guard the family?!" Then, I noticed a pale figure in black clothing headed towards the storage shed; I knew who it was already. "Quan Chi!"

"Heh, three guards. They're our targets as well." A green-haired man(Lubbock)said with grin, "Akame, they're all yours."

"I will eliminate them all." Akame said, as she leaped off the wires she was standing on. The dark-haired girl crashed into the ground a few feet in front of the three guards; her hand immidiately reaching the hilt of her sword(Murasame).

"Okay guys...whatever you do don't let her sword touch you, no matter what!" The head guard yelled, as he lead the other two guards in a charge towards Akame.

"Eliminate." Akame muttered, before she shot forward at a blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, Akame had unsheathed her sword and slashed the lead guard's throat; blood spraying from his wound. Before the next guard had a chance to react a large spear(Neuntote)punctured his chest. A large armored assassin(Bulat)walked up to the guard, and withdrew the spear from his chest.

"This...is what I deserve..." The lead guard managed to say, as he felt poison race through his body. As the poison spread, ink black marking spread across the guard's body, "For having a...rotten soul..." The guard collapsed as the poison reached his heart, causing it to instantly shut down.

"W-What th-the..." The last guard said, looking in horror. Deciding that fighting wasn't a possibility, the guard turned tail and started to run away, "Fuck this! These guys are way worse than any monster!" The man didn't make it three steps before he was shot in the back of the head.

"Pathetic." A petite pink-haired girl(Mine)said, as she lowered her still smoking gun(Pumpkin). The girl's eyes were hard, as she glared at the dead guard, "Deserting your comrades under enemy fire."

"Ah, I think that was just plain old running away." The green-haired man said with a sweatdrop.

In another part of the mansion, another assassin was finishing off her target. The busty blonde-haired woman I had met the previous day—Leone—was holding up Aria's father by his throat. However now the woman's hair had elongated, she had catlike ears on top of her head, a tail swayed from side to side behind her, and her hands had become covered in fur with sharp claws(Lionelle); her grip slowly tightening around the man's neck as the seconds ticked by. "S-Spare me...P-Please...I-I have a daughter..." Aria's father struggled to say, as the blonde woman's grip continued to tighten around his neck.

"Don't worry. You'll be meeting her in hell soon enough." The woman said, raising her head to reveal slitted golden eyes.

"Not my daughter too...have you no mercy?" Aria's father asked, just as the blonde woman snapped his neck with her bare hand.

"Mercy?" The blonde parroted with a sadistic glint in her golden eyes, "That's a word I've never heard before. You'll have to explain what it means when I see you in hell some day."

Storage Shed; Just Outside of the Mansion:

"Miss this way!" A guard yelled, as he pulled Aria towards the storage shed.

"W-What's going on?" Aria asked in a frightened tone.

"We must get you inside the storage shed, you'll be safe inside there!" The guard exclaimed, as the shed came into view.

"Miss Aria, I finally found you!" The guard and Aria turned around to see me behind them; panting heavily from running the whole way there, in pursuit of Quan Chi.

"Tatsumi!" Aria exclaimed, as a look of relief spread across her face.

"Perfect timing!" The guard shouted, pointing at me, "We'll seek shelter in the storage shed, and you stay out here and hold the enemy until the authorities arrive."

"That's the worst fucking idea I've ever he-" I was cut off when I heard someone land directly behind me. Spinning around, my eyes widened when I saw the dark-haired girl with red eyes, "...Oh fuck me." The girl, who I already knew was named Akame, unsheathed her sword and shot forward, "I guess I have no choice!" I yelled, as I too took out my sword. But as I prepared to attack, the images from my past replayed in my mind, "You promised me! You said you'd survive!" My stance faltered when I remembered the pain in Akame's voice, the tears pouring from her eyes. She looked absolutely devastated that I had died. This girl obviously was very precious to me, as I was to her, and I couldn't bring myself to hurt her.

"Not a target." Akame's monotone voice snapped me from his thoughts. The dark-haired girl leaped into the air, looking like an angel of death, and used my back as a springboard. I quickly spun around, and saw Akame sprinting towards the guard and Aria.

"Shit! She's coming this way!" The guard yelled, as he pulled out his gun. Loading a fresh clip into the weapon, the guard opened fire on Akame. However the guard could only stare with wide eyes as he watched Akame dodge all of his bullets.

"I will eliminate..." Time seemed to slow down for Akame, as she approached her targets. She quickly ducked and dodged the speeding bullets being fired at her. Once she was close enough, Akame horizontally slashed her sword; decapitating the guard protecting Aria, "...all targets." Aria could only cower away, as Akame approached her. "You will be buried as well." Tears formed in Aria's eyes, as she prepared for the finishing blow.

"Wait!" I yelled at Akame. I didn't want to hurt the girl, but I had to keep her away from Aria some how.

"You're not one of my targets, so there's no reason to go out of my way and kill you too." Akame said with a deadpanned look.

"But you want to kill this girl right?!" I asked, protectively stepping in front of Aria.

"Yep." Akame simply said.

"Your couldn't have said it differently?!" I replied in an annoyed tone. I continued to stare Akame down, as the air filled with tension. I didn't want to hurt this girl, maybe I could convince her to leave Aria alone, because I knew by instinct that the real culprit behind what Aria did was Quan Chi, "Listen Akame..."

"How do you know my name?" Akame demanded, as she glared at me. The dark-haired girl tightened her grip on her sword, as she leveled it on me.

"There's wanted posters of you spread all over the city." I replied, earning a nod from Akame, "H-Have we ever met before, because I swear I've seen you before."

"No, we've never met." Akame said, her tone emotionless, "Like you said, the city is littered with wanted posters with my image on them. That's likely where you've seen me before."

"No...no...I'm talking about before I came to the capital." I explained, lowering my sword slightly.

"Hmm, like I said I've never seen you before." Akame said, her sword never moving, "However I did notice that you faltered slightly when I first arrived. Was that because you believed we had met before?"

"Kinda..." I replied, in a confused tone, "It's hard to explain really...I don't fully understand it myself either..."

"Listen." Akame suddenly said, cutting me off, "If you don't move out of my way, I'll just have to kill you too."

"I don't want to hurt you Akame, but I can't run away now!" I exclaimed, as I raised my sword again.

"I see..." Akame said, her eyes hardening, "Then I will bury you as well."

"I'm so fucked." I thought, gulping audibly.

Fight

As Akame and I continued to stare each other down, the Leone exited the mansion. She shook her hands to try and get the blood off them however. However the blonde stopped when she saw Akame staring down one of her opponents.

"That's odd...it's not like Akame to not be finished yet." The blonde said in a confused tone, as she continued to approach Akame. Her eyes widened when she saw who Akame was fighting; me. The blonde face palmed when she saw that I, whose friend she had swindled money from the other day, was fighting Akame. "Are you serious? Shit, that kid has some seriously bad luck."

"After what I saw earlier...there's absolutely no way I can beat her." I thought, my grip on my sword tightening, "But I can't worry about that now...If I can't save this little girl..." Akame and I both sprinted forward at the same time. Our swords clashing when they met in the middle. I gritted my teeth, as I struggled against Akame's strength. Sparks flew off the clashing swords, as they grinded against each other, "There's no way I can save a whole village." The two of us fighters broke away, and almost immidiately clashed swords again. I was stunned by Akame's incredible speed—even though I saw it before—I was having a hard time tracking her movements. Seeing a possible opening, I slashed horizontally at Akame. However Akame was prepared for this. She jumped over my attack, and kicked me in the chest. The I went sliding back from the force of Akame's kick. Before I could fully recover, Akame was on top of me again. Reacting quickly, I rolled out of the way and tried to kick Akame's legs out. But again, Akame was ready and dodged my attack. Knowing the Akame would dodged, I tried catch Akame off guard with a punch. However my eyes widened when Akame spun around in the air, and grabbed ahold of my fist. With a grunt, Akame hurled me back towards Aria.

"Hmm, he's not too bad." Akame thought, as she landed back on her feet, "Most opponents would have fallen already. But I must end this quickly." Readying her blade, Akame shot forward. I was still recovering from being thrown, so I had no time to defend myself. I gasped when I felt Akame's blade strike my chest.

Akame wins-Flawless Victory

"Tatsumi!" Aria yelled in alarm, as she watched me collapse to the group. However Akame kept her distance from me.

"Heh." I laughed, as I slowly got back onto my feet. I smirked when I saw Akame standing several feet away from me. "So you won't approach me even if I've dropped my guard."

"I didn't feel my blade bite flesh." Akame said, as she watched me reached into my shirt.

"My friends from the village have protected me." I said, pulling out the idol that the chief had given. The idol was almost completely broken after being struck with Akame's sword.

"Hmm, that kid is facing Akame and her blade, and is still alive." The busty blonde thought, as she watched the fight unfold, "That kid sure can hold his own. Maybe it's time I jump in, and repay this kid."

"Rest in pieces." Akame said, as she ran forward with her sword prepared to strike me down.

"Wait a minute, Akame!" I shouted, waving my hands defensively, "Is this family the ONLY culprit?", My words fell upon deaf ears as Akame prepared to go in for the kill, "It's no use! She's not listening to a word I say!"

"Hold it." my eyes widened when I saw a Leone grab ahold of Akame, "Cool your jets, Akame."

"What are you doing, Leone?" Akame asked, leaning her head back to look at Leone.

"We still have some spare time, don't we?" Leone asked, looking up to smile and wink at me, "Besides I owe this kid. So let me pay him back."

"HEY! Your that big titted-" I yelled when I recognized who the blonde woman was; I was still mad at her.

"Yes, I'm that pretty lady you met the other day." Leone said with a sickly sweet smile. The blonde woman let go of Akame, and walked towards the storage shed. "Listen kid. You were worried about us hurting an innocent girl..." When Leone reached the storage shed's locked door, she swiftly kicked it open. "...I wonder if you can still say that after seeing this." Leone stepped aside, so that I could look into the opened storage shed. "Take a good hard look." I walked up to the storage shed, and gazed inside...The storage shed was filled with mutilated human bodies, most of them hanging from the ceiling and missing limbs. The entire building reeked of decaying bodies and human waste. "This is the dark side of the capital."

"Wha-What the hell is this?!" I said, almost to stunned and disturbed to speak. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from the disgusting display before me; Quan Chi's dirty work.

"These people would invite in no name people from the countryside with their sweet offers...and then play with them by torturing them to death." Leone explained, crossing her arm underneath her chest. "This is the true nature of those 'innocent' people you wanted to defend.", just as Aria tried to sneak away into the woods. "Where do you think you're going? You're asking for way too much if you think you can run away, little missy."

"The family that lives here did this?" I asked in an emotionless tone.

"Yes. And their guards kept silent about it, so they're just as guilty." Leone said, as she held onto Aria to keep her from escaping.

"S-She's obviously lying!" Aria pleaded, struggling against Leone's grasp. "I never even knew this place was here. Are you going to believe me, the one who saved you, or them, Tatsumi?!"

"Hmph. I already knew..." I surprised them by saying it, "I just needed to act surprised, so I wouldn't raise any alarm."

"And what the hell is wrong with that?!" Aria shouted, slapping Leone's hand away. "You were all just useless country bumpkins! You're no better than livestock! I can treat you any way I want!" Aria had an almost demonic look on her face, as she continued her rant...until I slapped her in the face.

"Let me ask you this, Aria. Did you just happen to decide to do this? Or was there someone else involved? Where did your hatred of country people even start?"

I think I scared her, "A country man...A country man killed my brother." She shakily pointed to a grave, before she collapsed onto the ground. "I know this...because...a pale-white man told us..."

"So you figured it out on your own, Tatsumi." Quan Chi stepped out of the shadows, "You still are...a clever boy."

Leone, "Do you know him?"

Me, "Unfortunately, yes. Tell me, Quan Chi; why?"

"To try and turn you back, of course. It only happens after you die."

"I already told you...I don't serve the Netherrealm."

Fight

Quan Chi summoned numerous, demonic minions, until he slashed me twice with his own broadsword. I, immediately, countered his next attack with two hammer-fists, a double hammer-fist, and an uppercut. I then drew my sword and slashed him nine times, before performing my X-Ray move.

Tatsumi wins

"I figured you were behind it all along."

The demons from earlier tried to do a sneak attack on me. "Stay down." I bisected all of them with on swing of my sword.

"Let's go, Leone." Akame said, turning to leave.

"Say, why don't we take these kids with us?" Leone asked, as she walked up to me. "Homebase is always short staffed." Leone grabbed the back of my shirt, and began to drag me off. "This one; He's lucky, brave, and you must agree that he's got talent. And, besides, she's already seen my face."

"I will agree that he is a skilled fighter." Akame said, glancing back at the kicking and screaming me.

"Ow! Watch it!" I screamed, as I struggled against Leone's grasp.

Two Minutes Later:

"You're finally back." The armored assassin commented, as Leone and Akame approached.

"We better get out of here soon." The green-haired boy said, as he held up a watch.

"You're both late!" The pink-haired girl shouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "What the hell were you doing?!" However, the pink-haired girl quirked an eyebrow when she saw Me and Aria. "Who the hell are they?"

Me, "Well, this is awkward."

"We don't have much time to explain, but he's our newest comrade." Leone said, causing the pink-haired girl's eyes to widen. "She, on the other hand, needs someone in the revolution to look after her. Bulat, you'll have to carry Tatsumi so he can keep up with us."

"Don't worry, everything will be better soon." Bulat said, as he picked me up.

"Operation complete. Let's return to base!" Akame exclaimed, as she raced across the rooftops with the rest of Night Raid behind her.

"What a turn of events. I wonder what's going to happen to me." I thought, as I felt the cool air rush over my body. As I was carried across the capital's rooftops towards Night Raid's base, I couldn't help but feel that the dark future had gotten just a little bit brighter.