When they got back to the hideout, Haru didn't have nearly enough strength to make it back to his bed. Instead, he collapsed on one of the couches in the main room and passed out. He enjoyed the blissful sleep of the truly tired, with no dreams waiting to pester him with the things his mind had been focused on. When he woke the next morning, it was to a slight tugging on his head. Opening his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see Leone standing over him again. A quick scan of the room without moving his head showed that Lubbock, Tatsumi and Bulat were also there, making their various preparations for the day. Another tug brought his attention back to the blonde woman.
She had the funniest look of concentration and mischief on her face that Haru had to resist the urge to laugh. She was currently trying to remove his blindfold without waking him. Clearly, her patience over his constant covering of his scars had worn out. Finally giving up on trying to undo the knot with just two fingers, Leone instead moved to pull the blindfold up and off his face completely. "Having fun, are we?" he asked, causing her to jump back with the funniest look of shock. In fact, everyone in the room turned and looked at him in surprise since they all thought he was still asleep. Sitting up and stretching, he ignored Leone's stammering as she tried to get over him doing that again.
"So, what's on the schedule for today?" he asked, turning to the others and yawning. "Bro and I were just about to begin training, actually," Tatsumi said, getting up and following Bulat as he left. "Bulat, be careful with the kid, alright? He's still fragile," Haru called out, getting up and smiling at the look Tatsumi shot him. "Don't worry, I'll handle him with care," Bulat responded, smiling. This just caused Tatsumi to shudder slightly, and Haru to laugh softly as they left. Gathering his weapons from where he had dropped them, Haru went to return to his room only to be stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Since he's tied up in training, you will help me this morning," Akame said before heading into the kitchen. Sighing, Haru put his stuff back down before laying his cloak over it. By this point, Leone had recovered from her scare earlier. "Are you ever going to show us your scars?" she asked, looking a little ticked-off, "It can't be that bad, since you can still see." Choosing to say nothing, Haru just walked into the kitchen as Leone stared at his back. For whatever reason, his refusal to show them was beginning to get under her skin.
Grabbing a knife from the holder, Haru asked, "So, what's on the menu?" "We're making Croquette bowls," Akame replied simply without turning around. She doesn't play around when it comes to food Haru thought as he got to work. "Why don't you show your scars?" Akame asked after a while. The fact that she had waited so long told Haru that it was something that had been eating at her for a while. "It's personal," Haru replied, "Not something I like to display." "Why? You showed me, after all." "I… that was more out of apology, really," he said, "Anyway, I don't like showing people what I've had to become." "And what is that?"
Setting his knife down, Haru braced himself on the table. Whether Akame knew it or not, she was close to an issue that had been tormenting him for the longest time. "I made the mistake of displaying this openly before, and it resulted in the entire town turning on me," he said, "I can never go back without someone trying to kill me. That's what happens when you become a…monster." After that, neither of them spoke, although glancing over Haru could tell that she had tensed up after that last remark. However, it wasn't something he was about to take back. It was the truth, after all.
While it hadn't been pleasant to have it thrown into his face the way that it had, he had to admit that those people had been right. He had sacrificed a part of himself and become a monster by accepting a part of a Danger Beast into his being. Granted, he wasn't anything like those that ran the Empire, or those that prayed on the weak. He was a monster created to destroy them. But he was a monster nonetheless, and he had known going in that he would always be regarded as such even after they had won. Lost in these thoughts, Haru felt himself drifting into a familiar gloom and failed to notice the look of concern Akame gave him.
When she went out to get Tatsumi and Bulat, Haru set out the bowls while Leone and Lubbock sat down. They both seemed to sense the gloom hanging around their friend and tried to lighten the mood. Rather than let them catch his depression, Haru laughed along with them as the others returned and ate. To Tatsumi's surprise, Mine and Sheele had yet to come down and eat. When he asked, Leone just said, "Yeah, they normally sleep in late." Moving quickly, Akame reached over and emptied their bowls before wiping her mouth, causing Tatsumi to gape at her and Haru to laugh softly. As he got up to start gathering the bowls, it looked as if Akame was going to say something, but then decided against it. Much to his relief, Haru managed to make it out of there before Mine and Sheele came down to eat. He could hear the pipsqueak complaining already, and heard Tatsumi's answering shouts as she accused him of eating her food.
Making his way outside to the training field, Haru walked over to what had become his personal space to train. The ground had a permanent ring scorched into the surface from his exercises. Sitting down in the center, he took a deep breath before whispering, "Thýella." Flames quickly sprang up in the circle around him and spread to cover it completely. Focusing on the heat, Haru fed them more energy and slowly made the ring of fire grow taller. He was completely concealed in moments as it grew to two meters tall, but he still kept going. Unknown to him, Tatsumi and Bulat had come back out to continue their training only to see what looked like a fire tornado. While Tatsumi could only stare in shock, Bulat just smiled and shook his head.
"What the heck is that, Bro?" Tatsumi finally managed. "That's just Haru," he replied before picking his weighted staff up to continue his exercises. Tatsumi just continued to watch as the fire continued to grow. Inside the twister, Haru continued to concentrate as the flames grew past four meters tall. While he was able to block the heat from scorching him, he was starting to sweat from the strain of keeping so much fire alive. When the fire finally reached a height of five meters, he held it there while he silently counted to thirty in his head. Once he had, he slowly began to snuff the flames out, trying very hard to maintain his control. The pillar of fire shrank faster than it had grown and within a minute it had gone out completely, leaving behind a smoking ring and an exhausted Haru.
He knew from previous sessions that he wouldn't be able to stand for some time after that, so Haru just sat there as he tried to catch his breath. Looking up, he noticed that he had gathered a small audience; Tatsumi stood on the porch and stared at him, clearly unaware that Leone had come up behind him. "That's… How can you do that?" Tatsumi asked after a moment. "Very carefully," Haru replied, "Not something I can easily produce in a fight, either." "Why?" "Keeping fire alive when it doesn't have a fuel source is very taxing," he told Tatsumi, "It drains you physically and mentally. It also scales with the amount of fire you're trying to maintain." As he explained this, he noticed that Tatsumi was listening intently to every word. He's eager to learn. That's good Haru thought as he felt his strength returning.
However, he couldn't keep his legs from shaking as he finally stood back up. Walking past Tatsumi, Leone went to help him, saying, "You really should bring a walking stick with you when you do this." "Because leaning on a stick after training isn't humiliating at all," Haru replied as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders for support. With Leone's help, he got back to the porch and sat on the edge, still breathing heavily from the strain. "So, what kind of Imperial Arms do you use?" Tatsumi asked, sitting next to him. "A dangerous one, even to the wielder," Haru replied, "Come to think of it, we never properly explained the Imperial Arms to you, did we?"
When Tatsumi shook his head, Haru decided that now was as good a time as any. "They were originally created by the first Emperor," he explained, "They were meant to be used to safeguard his kingdom against any threats, even after he had died. He summoned the brightest minds from across the land, the most skilled craftsman, and sent out parties to collect the rarest materials they could find. No one knows how long it took exactly, but what is known is that by the end they had created 48 Imperial Arms. Their abilities varied, but each of them gave their user incredible power. Some of them were even strong enough to wipe out entire armies." "Like yours?" Tatsumi asked, completely engrossed in the story. Leone had left by this point, deciding to leave the boys alone. "Mine could, theoretically," Haru replied, "Although it would take me a few years to reach that level of skill. Anyway, he had succeeded in creating the most powerful weapons ever seen. But, during the civil war five hundred years ago, roughly half of them were scattered across the land. No one knows how many are left now."
"I wonder if I'll ever get one," Tatsumi mused, looking out at the trees, "Everyone here seems to have one already." "I'm sure you will," Haru replied, patting his back, "And even if you don't, you're still strong enough to succeed without one." "I doubt that." "You survived a fight with Akame," Haru said, looking at him, "Even though it was a short one, that's not an easy thing to do. You also managed to knock me down." "But you weren't really trying," Tatsumi replied, letting his head drop. For whatever reason, it looked like he felt guilty for not having an Imperial Arms. "True, but you know my weakness now," Haru told him, "And that's something you should keep in mind. No matter how powerful your opponent, there's always a weak point."
"Really? It seems like Bro's the exception to that rule," Tatsumi said, the ghost of a smile starting to form. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" he asked, laughing softly, "But, he does have a weakness; me." "Wait, how?" "My weapon specializes in large-scale destruction at range," Haru told him, "Against physical weapons, like Bulat's armor, I have the advantage. I can just stay at range and roast him." Tatsumi just remained silent after that. Clearly, he was trying to imagine what a fight between Haru and 'Bro' would look like. "What about another weapon like yours?" he asked finally.
"That would depend on what it's capable of," Haru answered, getting up, "Anyway, I think that's enough slacking off for today. Get back to your training, newbie." While Tatsumi tried to look cross at Haru calling him newbie, he still smiled as he walked back out onto the field and picked his sword back up. The blade was ridiculously large and heavy, but that was the point. Heading back inside, Haru suddenly remembered that he had left his things behind in the common room and went to retrieve them. After he had gathered them up, he walked back to his room while trying to stifle a yawn. Once he had put his weapons up and his hung his cloak on a chair, Haru spent the next few hours laying on his bed as he tried to recover the rest of his strength.
His planned down-time was interrupted by a soft knock at his door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Akame, of all people, standing out there. He invited her in before sitting back down on his bed. "Why do you call yourself a monster?" Akame asked abruptly as she stood there. She had almost, almost been willing to let his earlier comment pass, but something wouldn't allow her to. It wasn't something that she could put into concrete terms, which frustrated her. That this force, whatever it was, wouldn't let her ignore this on any level just added to that frustration. Haru was oblivious to this internal struggle, however, but still struggled to answer the question. "Because," he said finally, "It's the truth." "Why?" That one was harder to answer, and Haru was at a loss to find the right words. Finally looking at her closer, he saw a sign of the turmoil she was currently in. While her body language didn't betray it, her eyes weren't as focused as they usually were.
"It's not because I'm a killer," he said, "I'm sure of that, since I can't consider most of those we've killed to be human." "Then what is it?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I… I chose to accept part of a Danger Beast, Akame," he replied finally, feeling defeated. Thinking this was one thing, but admitting it out loud was like blurting out something that was just plain wrong. "So, to most people I'm no different from the things that try to kill them when they are in the wilderness," he continued. They just remained where they were in silence for a few minutes after that. Haru was still clearly scarred by what he had been exposed to over the years and had allowed it to color his opinion of himself. Meanwhile, Akame had been raised to be a killer and had absolutely no idea how to rein in the emotions running rampant through her mind.
"If that's all you came here to ask me, then…" Haru said, getting up. Before he could finish his sentence, or even react, Akame stepped forward quickly and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Since he was only slightly taller than she was, her head rested perfectly on his shoulder. Haru had rarely ever experienced moments in his life that made him go blank, but this was one of them; he didn't know what to do or say. There wasn't anything he could focus on besides the warmth of Akame pressing against him, or the comfort of her embrace. "You're not a monster," she whispered before drawing back slightly. Looking at her in utter surprise, Haru finally felt his brain returning to normal. With it came a particular observation; her face was only a few centimeters from his, and he could see every detail in her red eyes. While it was breathtaking, the proximity caused him to flush rather quickly.
"Uh…thanks," he said awkwardly as he stepped back, "R-really, that means… that's nice to hear, at least." "I mean it, Haru," she said, tilting her head. She couldn't quite understand why he seemed so embarrassed right now. "Our Boss has another mission for us," she added as she turned to leave, "Gather your things." After she had left, Haru dropped back onto his bed as he tried to keep his head from spinning. Why such a simple thing had thrown him off balance, he didn't know. But it had, and the fact that he couldn't quite nail down the reason why was starting to frustrate him. Shaking his head to clear it, he grabbed his cloak and strapped his weapons back on before heading out the door. Hopefully, whatever new job they had would help to distract him.
"Our target is the slasher that is currently in the capitol," Najenda told the assembled members of Night Raid, "He always appears at night, and he takes the heads off people indiscriminately. We're not sure how many have died, but almost a third of them are city guards." "That sounds like Zank the Executioner to me," Lubbock said, crossing his arms. He definitely didn't look pleased with the prospect of fighting this guy. "Who's that?" Tatsumi asked. As they explained, Haru found his mind wandering over what he knew of the guy personally. He had witnessed a public execution held by the man, and it had been…disturbing. The fact that someone could appear to be so happy when he beheaded people wasn't something he wanted to dwell on. After it was all said and done, they paired off before heading into the capitol. And Haru just so happened to get paired with Akame, which left him just a little suspicious since he had seen a mischievous grin on Leone's face when they left.
After about an hour of wandering the deserted streets of the capitol, Haru finally realized the sheer terror this one man had inflicted. Normally there would be all manner of people out and about at night, but everyone had shut themselves up in their homes. So, except for a few guard patrols, Night Raid had free rein to go where they pleased. Collapsing on a nearby bench, Haru sighed as he rubbed a knot that had been forming in his calf. He hadn't completely recovered from the strain of his fire exercise earlier, and his body was reaping its revenge. Sitting next to him, Akame grabbed a snack out of the bag she had brought before offering him one. While they were simple protein bars, Haru had skipped dinner and accepted one gratefully. However, he could only stand the silence for so long before he had to speak up.
"So, why did you feel the need to confront me about my…comment?" he asked finally. Rather than answer, Akame just looked out at the street while avoiding his eyes. Even though he wore a blindfold, she had learned the signs when he was looking at someone specifically and didn't want to betray her inner turmoil. It was embarrassing that she was being so unprofessional, and she didn't want others to know about it. Shrugging, Haru turned back around right before he saw movement in an alley nearby. It was only fleeting, but he could have sworn he saw the tail end of a familiar scarf. Getting up, he walked over to the alley while saying, "Sorry, nature's calling."
Once he was there, he took a moment to let his eyes adjust before he saw someone standing at the other end of the alley. More importantly, it was someone that he knew was dead, had been dead for a few years now. However, this specter, or whatever, left him completely dumbstruck as he continued to stare. It was his older sister, just standing there with her arms crossed like she expected something. She wore a simple blue dress that went down to her knees and a light blue scarf wrapped around her neck. "A-Aki?" he asked just above a whisper. In response, she just smiled before turning and jogging away. This jolted Haru into motion, and he quickly ran after her. It's not possible he told himself, but he still had to be sure. But no matter how fast he ran, she seemed to stay just ahead of him. Finally, she stopped in a courtyard and turned to look at him with a small smile.
"Aki, is that you?" he asked again, staying where he was. There was something at the back of his mind that was screaming danger, but he still had to know, needed to know. Her smile just grew broader while she remained silent. "How are you alive?" he asked, taking a step forward. "Well, that's easy; no one has been able to kill me," he heard from where Aki stood. And just like that, the image of his sister faded, replaced with a large man with blonde hair and the evilest grin imaginable. "Good evening," he said simply. "Zank the Executioner, I presume?" Haru said, trying hard not to show the man how rattled he was, and how utterly pissed-off he was. That he could project such a life-like image so far was impressive, but also didn't bode well.
"Very good! I am Zank, and it seems you're my next victim," he said, his smile growing broader, "So, who did I show you, hm? A long lost lover, perhaps? You seemed close." "That's none of your business, old man," Haru said, drawing his sword. "Oh, I see. That was your sister, wasn't it?" he asked, ignoring the insult, "She's long dead now, isn't she? Such a shame." For a moment, Haru couldn't move. Hell, he could barely think. How does he know that he wondered before noticing the weird eye on Zank's forehead. The moment he noticed it, Zank laughed, saying, "Yes, you're right. This is my Imperial Arms; Spectator. It's such a lovely weapon, allowing me to see everything." "And here I thought it was just a weird zit," Haru said with a smirk as he tried to figure out how it worked.
However, he wasn't three seconds into his analysis when something occurred to him. That thing clearly had the power of projection, but Zank had also known what he was thinking. "That thing has multiple abilities, doesn't it?" he asked, tensing slightly. "Very good, very good! Yes, it has five to be exact," Zank answered, surprising Haru, "I used it's Farsight to locate you, and I must say you are one of the more interesting members of your little group." "And how do you figure that?" "You wear a blindfold, but it's not because you're blind," Zank said, flicking his wrists to deploy his own blades, "It's because you're ashamed of what you've had to do, isn't it? You hate what you've become, since it was a Danger Beast that killed your family. Now, you've practically become that which you hate."
Haru just grit his teeth as the man continued to rant and decided that now was as good a time as any. Rushing him suddenly, he brought his sword up in an attempt to remove Zank's head. However, he just brought one of his wrist blades up and stopped Haru's swipe cold while smiling at him. "You thought that attacking while I talked would give you an advantage?" he asked, throwing Haru back, "Clever, but ultimately useless. I can see everything you're thinking, and I know what you're going to do before you do it." "Is that so? Then how about this!" Haru said, springing at him again. He made several attempts, but Zank blocked them all while calling out exactly what Haru was going to do just before he did it. This only served to frustrate him further as he realized the bastard was toying with him.
"Why are you still holding back, assassin?" Zank asked when Haru had fallen back again, "Use your Demon's Sight, and let's have a real battle." "If you know what I can do, then you know that it's not a good idea to let it loose here," Haru replied, smiling coldly, "Unless you want every guard in the area on us." "True, true. Although, that would give me more people to kill," Zank said, his smile returning, "But, I guess you'll have to do for now!" With that, he went on the offensive, throwing multiple stabs and slashes at Haru. He just managed to block most of them, but a few attacks got past and hit. By the end of the barrage, he had several cuts along his arms and legs. Deciding that he could risk at least a little fire, he whispered, "zündung," before striking the ground and causing an explosion.
Zank, unfortunately, had seen this coming and managed to leap clear before landing with a smile, which was starting to piss Haru off. Clutching at one of the deeper cuts, Haru struggled to think of a way to beat him. "My, my, such a struggle for you, isn't it?" Zank asked, "You could always use your full power to try to kill me, but then you'd risk discovery. But if we continue like this, then you know you don't have a chance at beating me. That's what you're thinking, right?" "Not even close," Haru lied, determined not to let this guy worm his way into his head, which was ironic considering what that Imperial Arms was capable of. I just need to hold out until help gets here Haru thought as he looked around. Hopefully, someone had heard that explosion and would come to see what was up. Even if it was the guards, he could always play it off as one of Zank's attacks and not his own.
"You're hoping someone will come and help you?" Zank asked, walking forward, "Sorry, but there's no one around to save you. It's just you and me. Now, shall we continue?" Leaping forward again, Zank brought his blades up in preparation to take Haru's head. Reacting on instinct, Haru dodged to the right before grabbing one of his knives and throwing it at Zank's head, momentarily throwing him off balance. Taking advantage of this, Haru swept one of his legs out before bringing his sword in towards his chest. Zank managed to twist midair and avoid most of the blade, but Haru still managed to nick him before he was forced to jump clear of Zank's own blades. "So much for always knowing what I'm going to do," Haru said, grinning as Zank stood back up. Judging from his expression, he was clearly ticked off. "I was only going to take your head," he said, his smile turning ugly, "But now, I think I'm going to take you apart completely."