Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
Several Centuries Ago, in the Age of Fairy Tail
Deep in the heartland of Mistral, there was a guild that stood above the rest of all the guilds in the continent. It was both well respected, and well feared. The guild had top class assassins dedicated to those who were willing to assassinate their targets in cold blood.
The guild? Night Raid.
One of these assassins was the best of the best. Her fellow peers were always envious of how she was able to strike her targets without mercy and had always completed her missions flawlessly.
"Kagura Mikazuchi!" The guild master called to her. "We have a new mission for you."
Kagura bowed, respectfully kneeling on her knees. "What is my mission?"
"We have caught word of a member of Fairy Tail visiting Mistral."
"Fairy Tail? With all due respect, why should I fight someone from Fairy Tail? They're well respected, even though they're rambunctiously reckless at times."
"One of their members was last seen with your lost brother, Simon."
Kagura's eyes widened. "Simon…?"
"Indeed. That person was there when Simon had perished. We have reason to believe that they were the one responsible for killing your brother."
"...Who is this person?"
"Her name… is Erza Scarlet." The guild master showed her a drawing of Erza Scarlet. "She goes by another name… Titania."
Kagura stared at Erza, scowling at her. "For the good of Night Raid, I will strike her down." She said, grabbing her sword and hurried out of the door.
Meanwhile…
BGM: Busy Street (Fairy Tail)
"Goodness!" Erza said as she was eating some strawberry shortcake. "I don't know why but Mistral's cakes taste better than Vale's!"
"Always concerned about the cake…" Wendy giggled.
"Thanks for coming with me. I figured you two would have made the best company."
"So why did you want to come to Mistral anyway? You said it was a mission."
"It is indeed a mission. Because I've been hearing everyone say the best cakes are in Mistral… so I wanted to see it for myself."
Carla sweatdropped. "So you decided to bring us here because…?"
"I thought I could use the company. And besides, Lucy is doing a modeling shoot with Mira, Gray is out on a scouting mission with Lyon in Atlas and Natsu… is doing Natsu things."
Wendy chuckled. "That makes sense."
"Waiter!" Erza called out. "You have any more slices of cake? I'd like another one!"
"Coming right up!"
Unbeknownst to the trio, Kagura hid in the shadows, staring at Erza. A scowl formed in her lips. "For what you had done to Simon… I'll avenge him."
Carla's ears twitched. "Hmm?" She turned her head to the side as the water came over with another slice of strawberry shortcake.
"Your shortcake, madam."
Erza's eyes sparkled. "Oooh, come to mama~!" She gushed as she grabbed her fork and reached to take a bite…
"ERZA, LOOK OUT!"
Erza shifted her eyes, quickly moving out of the way to avoid getting impaled by her assailant. She immediately drew her sword while Wendy and Carla got in their stances.
BGM: Shaded Truths (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
"Hope you enjoyed your cake… because it will be the last thing you've ever eaten!"
"Who are you?" Erza demanded.
"Kagura Mikazuchi, the last person you will ever meet."
"Are you from a dark guild hellbent on destroying other guilds?"
"No… I'm just here to assassinate you."
Erza raised an eyebrow. "For what reason are you assassinating me for? Is it because of what Natsu and Gray did, because I swear, I'll knock their heads-"
"This does not concern your guildmates." Kagura said, glancing over at Wendy and Carla. "And this doesn't concern them either!" She declared, swinging her sword as suddenly a powerful force blew them into a wall of a building.
Erza lightly gasped. "What kind of semblance is that?!"
"One where it will be your demise."
Erza gripped her sword. "Very well… if you wish to fight me, then I accept your duel."
"I, Kagura Mikazuchi, member of Night Raid, will see to it that I will destroy you!"
Erza's eyes widened. Night Raid?! The most dangerously famous guild in Mistral?! What the hell did I do to piss them off… or better yet, what did Natsu do that they're blaming ME for?
"Prepare yourself, Erza… this spot will be your grave!" She launched herself over to Erza.
End BGM
BGM: Against Magic (Fairy Tail)
Top Class Assassin - Kagura Mikazuchi
Erza swiftly blocked the attack, being pushed back by Kagura as Erza jumped back. Kagura swiftly slashed at her with sheer ferocity. Erza quickly parried the attacks before requipping into her Flame Empress attire as her swords caught ablaze and slashed at Kagura.
Kagura swiftly jumped back as Erza cross slashed her, but Kagura backflipped as the cross slash destroyed a few tables as several onlookers watched on. Erza jumped up in the air and slashed her, but Kagura got in a stance and slashed through Erza.
"Rrrgh!" Erza grunted, her armor shattering and her swords breaking. She immediately went into Lightning Empress armor and raised her spear in the air before throwing down lightning at Kagura. She blocked with her sword and sent it back, and although her armor made her immune to the electricity, the force was enough to knock her back a few feet.
Erza thrusted the lightning spear into Kagura, swinging it in rapid succession where Kagura effortlessly parried the spear and slashed through her again, shattering the Lightning Empress armor. "Mmph!" She winced as she immediately requipped into Black Wing Armor and flew up into the air.
"Where do you think you're going!" Kagura swung her sword down, and immediately Erza came crashing down.
"Agh! …Rrrgh…!" Erza could barely get up, feeling as if something heavy was sitting on top of her. "This… is this… Gravity manipulation…?!"
"You figured it out. However, you will not last much longer!" Kagura slashed her and kicked her in the air, swiping the air as Erza was thrown into a building, shattering windows and destroying tables as Kagura jumped in and slashed at her, but Erza went into her Adamantine Armor, defending herself but Kagura slashed the shield as she was pushed away and then Kagura getting in a stance and slashing through her, destroying her shield and breaking her armor.
"Aaaagh!" She cried as Kagura slashed her into the food court, knocking her down and destroying some tables, which included the shortcake that Erza was about to eat.
End BGM
"ERZA!" Wendy yelled.
"Nnngh… aaagh…" Erza's aura flickered as she leaned onto a chair for support.
"It's over. You have lost." Kagura aimed her sword at Erza.
"Let… let me ask you something…" Erza glared at her. "What did I ever do to you…? If this is something Natsu did-"
"This does not concern your guildmate. This is only between me and you."
"Then what the hell did I do to earn your wrath?"
"You killed my brother… does Simon ring a bell?"
BGM: Tsuiko Mezamaru Tamashii (Fairy Tail)
Erza gasped. "Simon…"
"I mourned his death when I heard that he had perished at the Tower of Heaven… and now I've learned that Fairy Tail was there. You were there. You murdered SIMON!"
"You're mistaken… I didn't kill him… he sacrificed himself to protect me!"
"I had no idea you were still crawling around the tower, you despicable pest." Jellal said.
"What the hell were you thinking?! Why didn't you escape with the others?!" Erza demanded, distraught. "Talk to me!"
"Please… don't cry… it's okay… I… I'm happy to… give my life… for you…" Simon coughed a little.
"Save your energy… don't talk anymore…" Tears swelled in Erza's eye, her voice breaking. "Just try to stay with me…"
"You were… the only person who… made me smile…"
"Don't die on me… SIMON!"
Tears swelled in Simon's eye. "I've always… loved you…" His head fell limp shortly after, dying in Erza's arms as her eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe it… he was dead as she started sobbing uncontrollably while Natsu looked on in shock.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed and sobbed into his chest.
"Heh… heheheh… HAHAHAHAHA!" Jellal laughed mockingly. "What a perfectly foolish thing to do! He tried to play the valiant hero but his death won't change a thing! Simon gave his life to save yours, but he should've known I'm not letting either of you leave this tower ali-"
"SHUT UP!" Natsu slugged him hard in the face to send him flying into a wall made of Ether Dust.
"If you're looking to kill someone… you've got the wrong person." Erza said. "Jellal was the one who killed him, not me. Whoever told you is misinformed!"
"No… you're wrong. You killed him! You killed my brother! If you think you can redirect your death sentence into someone else, it's not going to work for me! Now… DIE!" She swung her blade down but Erza swiftly blocked with her sword, a shadow cast over her eyes.
End BGM
"...You fool…" Erza stood up, parrying Kagura. "I'll make you realize that you have made a grave error." She immediately requipped into her Clear Heart Clothing.
BGM: Erza's Theme (Fairy Tail)
Kagura scowled. "You think you can mock me with no armor? You must be a glutton for punishment!"
"On the contrary, you must be a glutton for misinformation. I will see to it that you will see the error of your ways!"
Queen of Fairy Tail - Erza Scarlet
Erza lunged toward Kagura, slashing her a few times as Kagura parried her, but Erza sweep kicked her to knock her off her feet as Erza delivered a strong punch to her face to send her flying into a wall.
"Rrrgh… lucky hit…" Kagura grunted as she recovered and swung her sword down as the gravity pinned her on her knees as Kagura lunged, but Erza fought through it and blocked the attack, parrying her again as she powered through the gravity field and slashed her. "Mmmph!" She grunted as Erza continued to attack her.
Kagura winced as she sweep kicked Erza, but she jumped up and kicked her in the face as Erza continued to slash her, but Kagura parried her… only to get a fist planted into her chest and then Erza slashed her. Mmph! Where did this newfound strength come from… it's like she found her second wind despite her aura nearly breaking!
Erza front flipped over Kagura. "Got ya!" She swung her sword down to have gravity kick in, but Erza predicted this and swung her foot down, her heel slamming down hard on her forehead. "Agh!" She cried, her aura flickering from the sheer force of the gravity induced axe kick that knocked her down. Erza got back up and powered through the gravity field, punching her in the face.
Kagura took a step back and then slashed at Erza where she had blocked, but the force was enough to make her slide back as Kagura slashed through the sword right as Erza swung her fist, both sword and fist connecting as both cried as they fell to the ground, both of their auras shattering.
End BGM
Erza got up, shaking it off while the gravity field that held Wendy and Carla disappeared as they were able to move. Kagura glared at Erza, reaching for her sword but Erza kicked it away as she grabbed Kagura and pinned her to a wall.
"Looks like you've failed your mission." Erza said.
"Like… hell I did…! I'll never forgive you for killing him!"
"Kagura, listen to me. I didn't kill your brother. He sacrificed himself just to protect me from Jellal's ultimate move. He did it so I could keep on living." She explained. "My life was more important than his own, according to him!"
"You lie! You killed him!"
"Why in Remnant's name would I ever kill Simon?! I was on that same island all those years ago just to build that despicable tower. I made friends with Simon and we tried to escape… only I could while Jellal, who was under the possession of Zeref, recaptured Simon! All these years later, I was brought back to the Tower of Heaven where I reunited with Simon and the others… and I made it my personal mission to stop Jellal from unleashing armageddon on Remnant! Jellal was willing to sacrifice me and let the Ether Dust absorb me, but Natsu freed me and fought Jellal while I was weak. He was about to unleash a powerful move that would have killed him… but I stepped in to protect him while sacrificing myself. However, Simon came in and sacrificed himself to protect me."
Kagura growled. "Why should I believe a story like that?! You're making up stories to prolong your life!"
"She's telling you the truth!" Wendy said. "She would never harm someone she considers a friend!"
"Rrrgh…" Kagura managed to shove Erza away. "Consider this a draw… but next time, you will die by my hands!" She said, grabbing her sword and running away.
"Wait! Where is she going?!" Carla wondered.
"Don't worry about her… let's just head back home." Erza said, her legs turning jelly and falling on her knees. "Nnngh… damn… didn't think I'd find someone as strong as I am, especially with that semblance of hers…"
With Kagura…
"Nnngh…" Kagura leaned onto a tree for support as she was making her way back to Night Raid. "Unbelievable… all my life, I never failed a mission… yet I failed this one." She mumbled. "Tch, well, had to happen eventually…"
She sighed. "It's no big deal, I guess. I'll just have to shake it off and try again, hopefully without a Faunus interfering." She said as she walked toward the guild when something crossed her mind. "Now that I think about it… I've never seen someone come back to the guild empty handed. I've also seen assassins leave for a mission but never come back." She rubbed her chin in thought. "...Mmm, I'm sure it's no big deal. They'll definitely welcome me back with open arms."
A few minutes later, inside of the guild…
"You came back, but you did not bring back Erza Scarlet's corpse? Not even her head?"
"She was a lot stronger than I had anticipated." Kagura said. "But… do not worry. WIth proper training, I'll go back and try again, this time I'll get the jump on her and-"
"Enough!" The guildmaster spoke. "You have failed your mission."
"Yes, my streak came to an unfortunate end, but I'm not going to let this bother me. Failure leads to growth, does it not?"
"HMPH! You honestly believe that?"
"...Sir, I do not understand."
"Those who fail their missions disgrace our guild! Do you know what happens when assassins fail to kill their target?"
"They get another chance?"
"Wrong. No one gets another chance! If you fail your mission, you dishonor the guild! You failed to kill Erza Scarlet and you had the audacity to come back, expecting a pat on the back and consolation? Those who fail the guild are never offered a second chance, why do you think you carry two swords? One is smaller than the other."
"I thought that was for dual wielding… I've never been good at that, but-"
"You fool, that's for taking your own life!"
BGM: Shukumei (Fairy Tail)
"Wh-what?!
"Those who fail to kill their targets swiftly… those who let them live to see another day… they will be prepared for the next assassination attempt and will gladly fight back! Have you not realized that some of our guild members have never come back on missions? They failed their assignments, they dishonored the guild. The only way they could bring honor back is to take their own life!"
Kagura couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No… no, that's wrong! That's absurd!" She insisted. "Why would you take your own life if you make a simple mistake?! Surely-"
"Night Raid makes no mistakes! The only time Night Raid makes a mistake is when they bring in a weakling who fails to honor their guild! You have disgraced this guild… now take your life and spill your blood in this guild to reclaim its honor!"
"No… this is barbaric! Guilds are supposed to be family! They're meant to protect one another, console one another, be there for each other… that's what-"
"Enough of your foolish thinking. Those who believe in such things are weak guilds, especially guilds like Fairy Tail or Sabertooth! Night Raid is the superior guild of Remnant. Why do you think your fellow assassins are emotionless killing machines! Those who have emotions are considered weaklings. Assassins do not have emotions, they are strong warriors!"
Kagura's eyes trembled. "What are you… no… I've looked up to this guild all my life! You nurtured me into becoming who I am! You… you would rather let our own guildmates kill themselves because they made one mistake?!"
"Ask yourself this. Why do you think we recruit little kids into our guild?"
Kagura's eyes widened. "No… you've groomed them into becoming-"
"Exactly."
"No… no… this… this has to be a nightmare! I… I CAN'T… I can't bring myself to committing suicide over a mistake like this!"
"Do it! Spill your blood into the floors of this guild. That way, you will reclaim honor to Night Raid's guild!"
Tears swelled in Kagura's eyes. "IF ANYONE IS DISHONORABLE HERE, IT'S YOU!" She yelled.
"Kagura Mikazuchi! I order you to take your own life!"
Kagura unsheathed her smaller blade, and then threw it into the guildmaster, where it hit his shoulder. "Argh!" He grunted as tears streamed down Kagura's eyes.
"I refuse." She turned around and walked away.
"Take your own life this instant or you will forever soil Night Raid's legacy!"
"...Do it yourself." Kagura spat as she walked out of the doors.
As soon as she walked out of the door, she started to run, disappearing into the trees before any of her fellow assassins could try and kill her.
She successfully warded off any assassins coming to put an end to her. However, she had nowhere else to go as she hid behind a tree and sat down. She rested her head on the tree as tears freely fell through her cheeks as she sobbed loudly.
Snap!
Kagura turned her head a few minutes later, seeing a cat Faunus approach her after accidentally stepping on a twig. "Who… who are you…?"
"A friend. I heard someone was crying and I thought they could use some comfort." She smiled. "Name's Millianna! What's your name?"
"...I don't know…"
"Huh?"
"I don't know who I am anymore…"
"That's strange, I've never met anyone who doesn't know who they are…" She said as she noticed a tattoo on her right shoulder. "That tattoo… you're from Night Raid, aren't you?"
"I used to be…" She mumbled. "My whole life, I thought the world of them, I grew up in that guild and I always believed they were family. Sure, we were assassins but I thought we cared for one another. I've learned the truth just a few moments ago… those who make a mistake and don't kill their targets, they dishonor the guild. The only way to bring back honor is if they take their own life…"
Millianna's eyes widened in surprise. "They what?! That's… backwards thinking! Hey, it'll be okay… uh… I still didn't get your name."
"Kagura Mikazuchi… or at least, that's what I thought…"
"That's what you thought?"
"My whole life was a lie! I thought I had it all figured out, but… no, it's all just one big damn lie!" She sobbed as she pulled out her sword. "What's the point of living if you don't know who you are… what's the point of it all if your life was nothing but lies…"
She turned the sword around and would attempt to impale herself, but Millianna stopped her from doing so. "Your life is a treasure to have… don't take your life away." She said, gently taking the sword off of her hand.
"What are you-"
"Everyone is allowed to make mistakes… and everyone deserves a second chance, no matter where they're from. All walks of life deserve to live their life to the fullest." Millianna smiled. "A friend I know said that to me once…"
"What… what was her name?"
"Erza."
Kagura's eyes widened. "Erza…? I was sent to kill her because she killed Simon at the Tower of Heaven. Unfortunately, I couldn't kill her."
"Erza killed Simo-... I'm afraid you were misinformed." Millianna said. "I wasn't there during his death, but Erza filled me in on what happened. Simon sacrificed himself to protect Erza."
"...And how do you know Simon?"
"Because I used to be a slave for the Tower of Heaven myself. Erza and Simon were there too and I can assure you, Erza didn't kill Simon. It was Jellal who did. Although… I've heard that Jellal is now reformed and now has a team called… I think Crime Sorciere…?"
"...So… Erza was telling the truth…?"
"Yup!" Millianna smiled and helped her up. "Come on, I ought to take you to a much friendlier guild."
"Wh-what guild do you work with?"
"Mermaid Heel!" She grinned.
"...That all women's guild that I've heard about in passing?"
"The very same~!" Millianna smiled. "Come on, I'll show you!" She said as she took her arm and took her to Mermaid Heel.
…Erza… is innocent? Oh gods, how many innocent lives have I killed? I thought they were all unworthy of life after I was sent to kill them!
End BGM
Once at Mermaid Heel…
"Hey hey~! I picked up a stray if that's okay with you~!" Millianna smiled.
"A… stray…?" Kagura sweatdropped as she looked into the guild and saw a bunch of women hanging around the guild.
"Meet some of my friends! Arana Webb, Beth Vanderwood, Risley Law-"
This guild… I can sense that this environment is friendlier than Night Raid. It's so… calm and inviting.
"Oh! Kagura!" Millianna waved her over, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Here, let me fix this up for you." She said, having pulled out a stamp and stamped over her Night Raid tattoo. "Ta-dah~! Now you're Mermaid Heel!"
Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Um… looks like i'm more of… Mermaid Raid? Night Heel…? I don't kn-" She noticed her Night Raid tattoo disappearing. "Huh?!"
"Apparently, these stamps come with an ability where it erases someone's previous guild affiliation."
"I see." Kagura gave Millianna a genuine smile. "I think I found my purpose in life now."
"Hooray!" Millianna smiled. "Come on, I'll show you around!" She grabbed her arm and yanked her away.
"Whoa!"
About a week later, in Magnolia…
Erza cut through a few Grimm that made their way into the city. "There, that takes care of that mess." She said as an Ursa emerged from an alleyway and lunged directly at Erza from behind, but somebody slashed through the Grimm to instantly destroy it.
"Huh?" Erza turned her head to see the Grimm fading away, and saw Kagura was in its place. "Kagura?!" She gripped her sword. "I see you're wanting to go another round…"
"Wait wait wait wait!" Millianna got between them. "It's not what it looks like!"
"M-Millianna?!" Erza said in surprise.
"Sup! Missed me?" Millianna grinned.
"Wh… what are you…?"
"Kagura's with Mermaid Heel now and we came all the way from Mistral to see you." She explained.
"Mermaid… Heel? What happened to Night Raid?"
BGM: Fairy Tail Theme Piano Slow (Fairy Tail)
"It turns out my life has been a total sham…" Kagura said. "Those who make mistakes disgrace the guild and must kill themselves in order to reclaim Night Raid's honor. Those who have emotion are weak… emotionless huntsmen and huntresses are superior."
Erza looked at her in shock. "Come again?!"
"That is what I learned after my failed assassination attempt. My whole life was nothing but a lie… that's when Millianna found me when I was at my lowest. I was given a second chance in life… while also learning that you were innocent and Jellal was the one who killed Simon. An attack that was meant for you."
Tears swelled in Kagura's eyes. "So I must ask you…" She dropped to her knees. "Please… forgive me for my foolish thinking!"
Erza said nothing, but she instead requipped into her Clear Heart Clothing and knelt down, wrapping her arms around her and bringing her close to her chest. "Your life is more worth it than you know… you were given a second chance through Mermaid Heel." She said softly as Kagura softly cried into her chest.
"I am so sorry… I…"
"Shhh, it's okay… you don't have to feel alone anymore. You have your new friends who'll help you through… and I'll be there too. Help you feel like a new person."
"You forgive me…?"
"I do." Erza hugged her softly as Millianna folded her arms, smiling proudly.
"Erza… I'd like to have another fight with you… this time with no malice…"
Erza smiled. "I'll gladly take that offer. If you ever want a sparring partner, I'll always be up for a challenge."
Way later, a few days after the Dragon King Festival…
Kagura knelt in front of Erza's grave, a gentle wind blowing through her hair as she was holding her sword in her hands, the sheath touching the ground. "We were too late to come aid you in battle. If we had come here sooner, I would have used my semblance to pin Acnologia down so you could have finished the job." A few tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm glad I have gotten to know you… a sparring partner, a friend, a sister-in-arms…"
She wiped her tears away. "You've helped shape me into a better person. You and Millianna." She smiled sweetly. "I thank you for helping me live a better life." She stood up. "Rest easy, Erza… you've earned it."
She looked at her hand. "Normally, I wouldn't do this-" She formed the Fairy Tail sign with her fingers. "But I feel that you deserve this." She said as she put her sword away. "Farewell, Erza… it was an honor to have met you." She walked away with a sad smile.
End BGM
A few days later, at Mermaid Heel…
"Hey Kagura!" Millianna walked over to her urgently.
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Take a look at this." She said, handing her the newspaper where the front page caught her attention.
"Night Raid guild destroyed by a pack of wild Grimm… no survivors…" She whispered, her hand over her mouth in shock.
"Yeah, I'm just as shocked as you are. I'm surprised they were all wiped out and-" Kagura took off running. "Hey, where are you going?!" She asked as she chased after her as Kagura found herself at the entrance of the guild, or what was left of it.
"I never thought I'd come back here." She ran inside and found the Grimm lazing about. She immediately pulled out Archenemy. Why am I avenging my former guild?! She thought as she made quick work on the Grimm effortlessly.
"Hey Kagura, you in he-... whoa, this place is a mess." Millianna said as she walked in. "Kagura?"
"...All of them are dead…" Kagura mumbled. "This whole place is a wreck."
"I suppose there's nothing we can do about it."
"...No. I think we can save it."
"Huh? What are you suggesting?"
"You know that empty lot in front of Mermaid Heel?"
"Yeah, it burned down over a dispute… both parties are dead over it. Why?"
"Maybe we can re-establish Night Raid. One where people can make mistakes and live freely. No more taking your own life because of one stupid mistake."
"...Kagura. You're a genius! But how are we going to take the whole building out of the cliffside?"
"Who said anything about taking it out? We can just take what's spared, furniture and all, and just build from there."
"Sounds like a good idea!" Millianna smiled. "We ought to get some strongmen to lift up the heavier stuff and… okay, say that we take all the stuff out that's been spared. What do we do with the old guild hall?"
"Burn it down. The old Night Raid is no more after all. Now it's going to be a newer Night Raid, co-existing next to Mermaid Heel."
Millianna's eyes sparkled. "So you're gonna be the owner… and you're gonna still be part of Mermaid Heel?"
"Why would I leave my family behind? You guys gave me a new life after all."
Millianna grinned. "Alright! Let's get this party started!"
Several months later…
"And that should be the last of it." Kagura said, staring at the new Night Raid guild. "There we go, the new Night Raid is ready to go!"
"Awesome!" Millianna smiled as the rest of Mermaid Heel and the townsfolk cheered as Kagura walked inside, where it looked more like a dojo if anything. "I have to say, I'm surprised you decided to take a different approach."
"Why not? Feels like it should be different."
"Fair enough!"
"With this new guild, it will be a place where everyone can make mistakes and live. If you make a mistake, don't worry about it. Night Raid will live on. That… will be my legacy."
"Your legacy?"
Kagura chuckled. "Okay, Mermaid Heel's legacy."
"Much better~!"
"Now then, let's welcome the newest Night Raid members."
Centuries Later, Five Years Before Cinder Started To Work With Bowser
Centuries have passed and all the guilds in Remnant have been lost to time… but not Night Raid. It stood the test of time. In its lifespan, the new and improved Night Raid housed assassins, but due to Kagura's teachings, they were given the option to live to assassinate another day, something everyone was thankful for.
The Mikazuchi Clan had become a strong and powerful clan in Remnant. Feared, yet respected. A mural of Kagura hung on the walls of the guild, her sword, Archenemy, was resting in front of Kagura as two young clan members were kneeling in front of the sword, meditating. These young people who would one day claim to be powerful assassins who would kill without mercy?
Kurome Mikazuchi and Akame Mikazuchi, descendants of Kagura Mikazuchi herself.
They trained day and night, becoming powerful assassins and learning the ways of Poison Dust to infuse in their swords, and they had learned their semblances to enhance their assassinations.
…However, one day during their training…
Kurome and Akame were meditating while the rest of their family amongst the rest of the guild were doing their day to day activities, when they heard a loud cry that caught their attention. The sisters turned their heads to see a man walking in.
"Who are you?" Their father asked.
"Me? I am just a simple man looking for the Mikazuchi clan."
"That would be us. Who are you? I am not going to ask again."
"Oh, who am I? Oh…" He flashed his scorpion tail. "Nobody important~! But if you must know, I am Tyrian, the last person who you'll ever meet! …And I have come to kill the Mikasuchi's and dispose of that sword!"
"You have some nerve." An assassin said. "You think you can destroy all of us so easily?!"
Tyrian laughed. "Oh, would you look at that, there's a candelabra on a table." His tail wrapped around it and picked it up. "It would be a shame if it were to… burn." He threw it into a curtain where it caught ablaze.
BGM: Cobra the Poison Dragon (Fairy Tail)
"Ooops~" He smiled as he picked up another candelabra and threw it into some furniture.
"What are you doing?!"
"Making my mark!"
The sisters' mother turned to them. "Kurome! Take your sister and get to safety! We'll hold them off!"
"Right!" Kurome nodded, taking Akame's hand and running away as Tyrian proceeded to fight the assassins as they threw kunai, shuriken and even swung their swords at him. He laughed as he break danced and knocked them around, not caring if he was hurt. One of them threw down a smoke bomb and lunged at Tyrian, but he stabbed him in the face with his poison.
"Hahahahahaha! Tell me that this is not all that you can do!" He mocked as the Mikazuchis proceeded to keep attacking, but no matter what they did, no matter how many times they actually hit him, he just shrugged it off and snapped their necks, stabbed them in the chest multiple times with his tail or just threw them into the fire.
"HRAAAAAAAAH!" An assassin lunged at him, but Tyrian turned around and punched him in his liver… and then proceeded to poison said spot for his own amusement, then he threw him in the fire.
"Hahahahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed as the building started to cave in from the flames while Kagura's mural shattered from the flames.
End BGM
BGM: Environmental Mystery (Metroid Fusion)
"Hmm?" Tyrian noticed that the sword was off of its stand. He had not noticed that Kurome had come back to take the sword away while he wasn't looking. "My my, how naughty of you~" He said as he casually walked through the burning building as it collapsed around him.
"Ooooh Mikazuchi children~! Come out, come out, wherever you are~!" Tyrian said cheerfully. "Mikazuchi children~ Come on out and plaaaaaaaay~!"
"What do you want with us!" Kurome demanded.
"That sword has quite the history! Over the centuries,the Mikazuchis had fought Salem in the past and killed her with that very sword. Apparently, Kagura managed to infuse her own semblance into the sword. One swing of the sword and you can kiss gravity goodbye or the gravity will make you kiss the ground! Even if someone's semblance is different, the gravity manipulation will always kick in, no matter who holds it!"
Tyrian let out a maniacal laugh. "Because of that, Salem wants the Mikazuchis eliminated and that sword destroyed! According to her, she fears that sword more than Silver Eyes, she believes it's stronger than the silver eyes! Not that I blame her… if I had the power of gravity, I'd be sending my enemies into outer space and then make them crash into the ground like a meteor! And that's what Lady Salem is afraid of… getting sent to outer space with no chance of coming back to destroy Remnant under her watch!"
The sisters looked at each other and tried to sneak out through a window, but Tyrian stepped into a room, forcing them to hide under the bed. "Hmm, I could have sworn I heard voices in here!" He said as he crept around carefully, whistling to himself before stopping at the edge of the bed. "...I smell children~"
He slowly knelt down, but Kurome quickly picked up a toy from underneath the bed and tossed it out of the room and into the blazing hallway, which let out a loud thud that caught Tyrian's attention. "Oh?" He walked over to the source of the noise and the two looked at each other and quickly climbed out of the window and disappeared into the forest.
"Hmm, just a toy… clever!" He turned to the open window and laughed maniacally. "Sure! You go ahead and run! But I will make sure I will hunt you down and make the Mikazuchi clan extinct! After all, Night Raid is no more!"
End BGM
"What do we do…" Akame sobbed. "Our home and our clan have been wiped out in an instant…"
"We have to run. Run away as far as we can… Mistral is no longer safe. I think we need to head to Vacuo."
"Okay…" Akame nodded as they took off running, where they would find a ship and sneak aboard without anyone noticing.
"Next stop: Vacuo!"
"We're the last Mikazuchis…" Akame said.
"As far as I'm concerned… the Mikazuchis are extinct." Kurome said, looking at Kagura's sword at her hip. "We can't use our name anymore, we'll just attract his attention again."
Akame looked at her. "What are we going to call ourselves then?"
Kurome looked off into the distance. "Nightraid. That will be our names from now on. To protect ourselves…"
"Okay." Akame nodded. "Akame Nightraid and Kurome Nightraid it is…" She mumbled, tearing up as Kurome gently hugged her.
"It's going to be okay, sis…"
Five Years Later, two days before Grimm Ruby Attacked
Kurome sat in her home in Atlas, pulling out her scroll and texted Akame. "How you holding up?"
"I'm alright. How about you?"
"Can't complain. Just finished up another mission flawlessly."
"Good… can I say something real quick?"
"?"
"It… honestly feels so wrong to hide our true identity. It feels so wrong to keep this a secret amongst our teammates."
"I honestly agree, but what choice do we have? I trust the Winter Ops, you trust ATMC… yet I feel we shouldn't trust them enough… because I'm afraid word will get out and we'll face that scorpion man again…"
"Agreed… do you think we'll stand a chance against that Faunus?"
"I hope so… but let's not worry about it for now, alright? When the time is right, we'll tell them… I'm not sure when though, but we'll tell them that we are assassins."
"Right… love you."
"Love you too, Akame Mikazuchi. Shit, I mean Nightraid!"
Kurome fell on the edge of her bed, staring at the ceiling. She turned to her closet and opened it up, seeing Archenemy mounted on a box. She reached over to it but stopped herself. "...Am I truly a Mikazuchi if I'm running from the past…?"
With Akame…
Akame looked up at the sky, seeing a shooting star fly by. "Mikazuchi… how long has it been since I've been called that…" She said as a tear ran down her cheek.
Hoo boy, this was fun coming up with this one! Shout out to Jacob and DarkRebellion for coming up with that one!
Ibuki: Oh man, those poor girls... and poor Kagura, too! Her legacy destroyed in a blink of an eye because of Tyrian...
Yup...