Chapter Text
I yawned, waking up as I felt a slight breeze hit me, the cold wind sending a shiver down my spine. I sat bolt upright as I realized that there was no reason for me to be feeling a breeze in my room. When I opened my eyes, I was assaulted with a bright light shining down on me, as I lifted my arm to shield myself. With the light of the sun now blocked from entering my eyes, I looked around, still squinting slightly, seeing the blurry colors of brown and green. I scrambled to my feet, rubbing my eyes, and looking around the forest I was in, seemingly kidnapped, but... why were there black lines around everything? It almost looked like I was in a cartoon.
I had no idea where I was, except that I was in a forest, and was alone, or at least alone to my knowledge.
I froze in place, considering any options that I had, and right now, there was only one: run.
I bolted to my left, almost running face-first into a tree, though I managed to stumble my way around it, not losing my footing. If there were any real captors around, I could only hope I wasn't running into them by doing this.
Eventually, I had run so much that my lungs ached and burned for a break, my legs wobbling below me as my mouth dried from all the mouth-breathing I'd been doing. I slowed down, before eventually collapsing on the grass. God, just how big was the forest? I lay in the grass for a while, catching my breath, as sweat rolled off my body. Once I felt my legs had enough strength to at least walk again, I began to use my arms to lift my body, before I felt something wrap around my torso. Multiple things. It felt like strings had wrapped around my body, and I didn't have enough time to process the feeling before I was yanked into the air. Before I knew it, I was upside down, my arms dangling below me. The feeling of just a few strings had multiplied, and it now felt like there was an actual object on my chest. It began to feel like metal. I heard multiple pairs of footsteps running at me before they went quiet.
"Well, well, what did I get now?" A male's voice echoed slightly in the forest. Trying to turn my head to see who spoke, I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be green hair. He stepped into view, and my eyes widened when I realized that the slightly familiar voice belonged to a person I never thought I'd meet.
"Eh? You don't look like much." He said, confused.
"Lubbock?" I slightly whispered to myself, but he obviously heard me, as I saw his eyes widen, before they turned to one of annoyance.
"Huh?! Don't tell me I'm on wanted posters already?!" He exclaimed, as my own eyes widened, shaking my head.
"N-no!" I responded before he strolled up to me, hands in his pockets.
"Oh? Then how do you know my name? Were we in a squad back in the Army or somethin'?" He continued to question me, scratching the back of his head.
"Uh, no, I was never in the Army." I simply stated.
"Then how do you know him?" I heard a feminine voice ask, as the sound of metal clanging around filled my ears. My stomach dropped when I realized it was the sound of Mine's gun. I looked around, seeing the rest of Night Raid surrounding me.
"He's probably a spy." A calmer feminine voice added. I turned my head to Sheele, the one who said it.
"No, no, no, I swear I'm not!" I exclaimed, thrashing my arms about.
"I don't think he's lying, he has a little weight to him." Lubbock remarked, as my breath caught in my throat.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, as I suddenly felt a rush of wind, before I hit the hard ground from a good height, the grass barely softening it. "Ugh..." I groaned, as my head began throbbing from the impact on my head. How I didn't break my neck was beyond me.
I slowly got up, seriously dazed from the trauma to my head, as everything spun slightly.
"Yeah, he's defiantly not a spy." I heard Lubbock confirm.
"Well, he's too close to the base to just let him go. We have to take him, now." Leone said as everyone in the group nodded. I suddenly felt myself being picked up, and lifted all the ground, seeing a blur of yellow.
"Ah." I simply let out, still a little dazed from the fall, a rising feeling of wanting to throw up overtaking me, but thankfully, I was able to fight it.
"Okay, I'm fine, you can let me down, now." I said as the feeling of being dazed wore off after a few minutes.
"Nope!" Leone cheerfully said.
"Please?" I begged.
"Nope!" Only met with the same response. I tried to flail my arms around a little bit, but they did little to move my body, considering this woman's iron grip. With a heavy sigh, I let myself fall limp in her grasp.
"It's best you don't resist her." Bulat told me from underneath his armor, as I gave him a thumbs up.
it only took around five minutes of walking, but eventually, a large shadow came across us, as we approached the hideout. Entering it, I had suddenly begun falling before I felt my feet hit the floor, as I stood in front of Leone. It took me a few seconds to regain my footing, but as I looked around, I noticed I was in Night Raid's headquarters.
"You came at a good time, the Boss is here to evaluate you." Leone said as she put a hand on my shoulder, spinning me around to begin guiding me around the base.
"Boss!" Leone waved her hand to Najenda. I was still getting over the fact that I was actually in Akame ga Kill!, and I was literally in the base of Night Raid.
"Leone, is this the intruder?" She asked, smoking her cigarette, while everyone else continued to file into the room.
"Yup! It was only him, though." She responded as Najenda looked at me, her eyebrows slightly scrunched up.
"So it wasn't a trap? Interesting." She said. "I wanted to say that you were just a wanderer, but given how you're dressed, I'd assume that's not the case." Najenda said, looking me over as she spoke, as did everyone else. "Well, we can't just release you now. Do you have any fighting experience?" She asked as I shook my head, making her sigh. "Do you know who we are?" She asked. It took a few seconds for me to respond, my brain not being able to process the words that were about to come out of my mouth.
"You're Night Raid, the assassins," I said, not believing I even said the sentence. She smiled, nodding, before her expression turned neutral once again.
"Unfortunately, we can't release you." She reiterated. "It's nothing personal, but you've stumbled onto our hideout, and you can't leave now because of that. I'm sure you understand," I nodded, shrugging my shoulders.
"Yeah, that makes sense," She drew from her cigarette, the smoke leaving her mouth.
"But there's no reason for us to kill you. You haven't shown any hostilities, and you don't seem to be a threat to us, so I'm going to give you two options: You can become a blacksmith for us and help us tend to our weapons," She paused, letting the first option sink in.
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
Ba-dum
I gulped. I was not seriously going to be given this option. "Or?" She leaned back, a grin on her face at my reaction.
"We could always use a new member. You could join Night Raid, train, and live alongside us. Either way, you'll be paid like any normal job. Just know that the second option is going to require a lot more from you than the first," She ended seriously.
"So, what will it be?" She asked as I felt everyone's eyes on me. I genuinely had to take a few seconds to respond. Either way, I'm here with Night Raid, which is fucking cool. On the other hand, blacksmithing sounds cool as well, but who's to say I can't join and learn blacksmithing on the side?
"Either way, it's an escape from my old life..." I quietly stated, earning a small snort from Mine. "Shit, you guys run a hell of a recruitment campaign. I guess I'll join," Najenda seemed satisfied with my answer, blowing out cigarette smoke before speaking again.
"Ok, you'll start your training with Akame, starting with dinner, and you'll be shown an extra room we have available." She said as I nodded. "Do you even have anything on you to defend yourself with?" Najenda asked, as I once more shook my head. She stared at me in slight shock, before she took a puff of her cigarette.
"We may have a few extra blades stored away for you to use." She said, standing up, walking toward me, and extending her metal arm to me. "Welcome to Night Raid..." She trailed off, silently asking for my name.
"(Y/N)." I responded, shaking her hand firmly, as Najenda smirked.
"(Y/N)." She said, letting go of my hand, as I smiled.
"Thank you." I softly said, still incredulous about my situation. Najenda turned to Akame. "Akame, you know what to do if he turns out to be a liability," It wasn't even a question, it was a pointed statement. Akame said nothing, simply nodding in response. I felt a pit form in my stomach. This was something I was genuinely going to have to give my absolute all for.
I felt a hand land on my shoulder very harshly before Leone spoke up.
"Welcome to the family, (Y/N)! Better train like your life depends on it, because it does, and will!" She said, with a big grin on her face.
"Ah, thanks." I said, a little uncomfortable about how close to me she was, making her chuckle.
"Dinner should be ready in just a few hours. Akame, do you have any problems him helping you?" Najenda asked Akame, turning her head to the girl, as did I. She shook her head simply, as Najenda nodded. "You may want to get started now, then." She said as Akame nodded again. She looked at me, before turning around, walking off.
"I assume I follow her?" I asked the room, as I was answered with nods. I returned the gesture, jogging slightly to catch up to Akame. She took me to the kitchen, where there were already multiple vegetables, like potatoes and tomatoes, with a few others scattered around, as well.
"You can start by peeling those potatoes. There's already a knife at the ready." Akame plainly stated, as she pointed to the cutting board with a few potatoes on it. I nodded, walking up to the cutting board. I picked up the knife in one hand, and a potato in the other. I set the knife on the potato, and started spinning the potato slowly, not wanting to look like a fool in front of Akame. The cuts were okay, but instead of one, smooth peel, I ended up cutting off the skin occasionally, so I had to reset the knife's position.
"Taste this." I heard. Huh? I looked to the sound of the voice, seeing Akame with a small cup in front of me. I slightly parted my lips, as I felt the porcelain hit them, a hot liquid slipping past. I closed my lips, as Akame took the cup away from my mouth, the flavor of the food hitting me suddenly. I nodded rapidly, smiling.
"That's seriously good." I said as Akame nodded, to me, leaving. It was also then that I noticed she had her pink apron on, as well. How did she get that on so fast?
"Stop staring." She said as I was caught off-guard, returning to peeling the potatoes.
"You guys accepted me so quickly." I stated as I was met with silence.
"I mean, just... what, ten minutes ago, I was just outside your base, and now I'm taste-testing your foods, and helping to prepare everything." I finished.
"You were deemed as not a threat, and you were accepted into Night Raid. There's no further reason to sense hostile intentions, aside from prior knowledge of Lubbock, but that could be easily dismissed; he visits town occasionally," Akame responded.
"Eh—fair enough." I softly responded.
The rest of the cooking seemed to pass quite well in silence, with the others filing into the room that I and Akame was in. Bulat had also taken off his armor, and it seemed he noticed my stare.
"Oh, right! I'm the guy that was in the armor." He said as I nodded. I knew, but I didn't need to dig myself a grave any deeper than I already probably did.
"Put the potatoes in now," I heard Akame say, as I took the newly skinned potatoes and put them in the crockpot whole. Why whole was beyond me, but I didn't question it. "You can sit down, I'll set up the food," Akame stated as I looked at her.
"Are you sure? There's nothing else I can do?" I asked as she shook her head. I nodded, walking off to a random chair, looking around. "This one isn't taken, right?" I asked as everyone shook their head.
"Nah, you're fine!" Lubbock said, tossing his arms behind him onto this chair. Mine huffed, but I guess she had no problem with it, as much as she probably wanted to say something.
"You'll continue training with Akame tomorrow. After that, someone else can offer to take up your training." Najenda said as Bulat raised his hand.
"I'll take him." He said with a smile, which slightly shocked me. Najenda nodded, looking to Akame as she began pouring soup into our bowls, before taking her seat, as well. The potato was probably just there for flavor... and holy shit that's a lot of meat. Is that bacon?
"Mm, meat... that tastes like potatoes," Lubbock mumbled after taking a sip of his soup.
"I already asked Akame this, but... why did you guys take me in so easily? About twenty minutes ago, I was about to be diced, and now I helped make your food, and you took me in." I said as Bulat hummed.
"I guess there was no real reason to see you as a threat. We treated you hostilely because Lubbock's traps had only sensed a singular person. We figured you were a scout, but we were proved wrong. You've given us no reasons to think of you as a threat to us, anyway." Bulat stated. "Of course, you still have some things to prove to us, but aside from that, you're not a threat." He finished.
"Ah, thank you. I guess I'll also have to explain how I know Lubbock, too, huh?" I asked.
"That would be nice, but that can wait," Najenda said. "We have more pressing matters than that." She stated, taking a spoonful of her soup.
"Boss?" Leone questioned, as everyone's attention was now on her.
"We have a new contract. There's a man, Leran, who's been hiring a group of bandits to steal from caravans. In return, they get to keep a good share of the goods, and Leran bribes other officials to turn a blind eye. Many people have been murdered by these groups, and nothing has been done to bring justice to them, so it's up to us now. Murder's probably not even the worst they've done..." Najenda explained, as everyone's eyes still dug into her. Najenda slammed a pouch of gold onto the table as everyone's gaze switched to it. "This is the payment we've been given. I've had scouts check for validity, and he's guilty. He's quite the high-ranker in the government, so, aside from Akame, you'll all be going." She finished, as everyone nodded. Najenda smirked, closing her eyes, before nodding back, quietly continuing to eat her soup, as did everyone else. I finally took a bite from the soup, the flavor of the meat hitting me again, now with a slight hint of potato.
"So, (Y/N), you helped make this, and it tastes great! How does that make you feel?" Lubbock asked, staring at me. Oh, great, now everyone's attention was on me.
"Hmm, pretty good, actually. I didn't do a whole lot, though; I just peeled the potatoes." I responded.
"He's being modest." Was Akame's simple, immediate response to what I said, as I felt my response get caught in my throat.
"W-wait, no, I just skinned the potatoes." I retorted.
"And helped to taste the food to make sure it was up to standard." This girl didn't take her eyes off her food the entire conversation, and now everyone's gaze was pinging back and forth between us.
"My standard is not the standard to be asking." I attempted to save myself.
"Everyone here seems to have the same standard."
"..." I simply looked back to my food, eating it in silence.
"Hehe, as usual, Akame doesn't tend to lose verbal showdowns," Leone said, smiling brightly. Akame didn't respond or acknowledge the blonde woman, opting instead to continue eating her soup.
"Well, anyway, I'm Bulat. That's Mine, Leone, our boss Najenda, and Sheele." Bulat said as I nodded, waving to everyone, with only Sheele and Leone returning it.
"I think I might have heard your name called once when you were in the Army," I said, looking to Lubbock, as I tried to put on a convincing thoughtful face. Then again, with this group being trained assassins, it probably wasn't working.
"Hmm, maybe. Do you remember where you heard it called?" Lubbock asked me, as I shook my head.
"All I remember vaguely is someone shouting "Lubbock", and I saw a green blur go by," I responded. Lubbock looked at me for a few more seconds, seeming to interrogate me silently, before shrugging.
"Meh, that'll do for now." Thank God, but that sentence meant he definitely didn't buy it.
"This is where you'll be staying." Akame plainly said, standing outside the door to my new room, looking at me over her shoulder.
"Okay, thank you," I said, nodding to her, as she returned the gesture before walking off. I opened the door to the room, finding a twin bed in the upper-right corner of the room, a nightstand to its right, near the headrest. There was also a good-sized dresser on the other side of the room, and on the wall that held the headrest of the bed, there was a window in the middle of it, which was nice. The bed itself was made of wooden boards, very clearly put together by the people who lived here, but it was better than nothing, and I didn't want to complain.
I sat on the mattress of the bed, feeling just how stiff it was. It was a mattress, and it sank slightly, yes, but wow, this hadn't been used in forever. I laid myself vertically on the mattress, already dreading just how bad the pillow would be. Oh, wait, the pillow's somewhat comfortable to lay on.
I sighed, crawling underneath the blankets that smelt of old moisture and damp wood. It was so quiet, almost eerie, in a sense, but I didn't mind too much. It was actually... pretty peaceful.
I turned onto my side, slowly letting my body relax, as I fell into a slumber.