Don't Die, Revolution!

A screw loose

"Pah!" Shobu took a deep breath as fresh air entered his lungs, slamming a hand down onto the rock as he pulled himself out of the river, Tatsumi following soon after.

He hadn't realized it until after he used his crystals a couple of times to help him when he was too lazy to do something, but they actually took quite a toll on his stamina, and he also learned that the bigger the crystal, or the larger amount of crystals he tried to control caused even larger amounts of stamina.

So naturally, when he heard that Sheele is supposed to be running Tatsumi through the curriculum for assassination training, he had decided to join in on it.

Turns out that meant swimming through a river with armour that was almost as heavy as he was.

"Good job swimming in armour." Sheele congratulated, sitting on a rock a little off shore.

"Hff, heavy, holy that was hard." Tatsumi wheezed out, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Shobu wasn't that much better than him, also taking deep breaths but at least managing to stand straight.

"You telling me each of the others went through this?" Shobu mumbled, thinking of Mine in particular.

"This is part of the curriculum for assassin training. Since I don't have any duties in the hideout, I can focus all my attention on your cultivation." Sheele explained cheerily.

"Why don't you have any duties?" Tatsumi asked.

Sheele's look blanked. "I burned the food and pissed Akame off. When cleaning, I made an even bigger mess and inconvenienced Bulat. And when I went on a shopping errand and mixed up the sugar with the salt, Leone laughed at me. And finally with the laundry, I ended up throwing Mine herself in with it too." She explained, embarrassed.

"Never mind then." Tatsumi responded.

Shobu nudged Tatsumi. "She did a good job on that last one though." He said, smirking.

Tatsumi chuckled. "I was just thinking that." He admitted.

"Ah, by the way Sheele, you weren't with everyone the day I met you guys." Tatsumi realized.

Sheele jumped. "Uuuh. I feel like there was a reason why, but I forget." She said, feeling guilty.

"You don't say." Tatsumi responded, his voice void of emotion.

Lubbock wasn't kidding when he said she was an airhead. Shobu thought, feeling beads of sweat roll down his face.

...

Shobu was quiet as Sheele finished explaining her story, feeling himself gaining sympathy for the girl, having not expected it.

It was a bit frightening, knowing that each of the members of Night Raid he had come to known, so far, all had rather depressing backstories.

Akame was an Assassin raised by the Empire, who has killed thousands of innocents. Her Teigu being a sword that could kill with one nick of a blade.

Leone had barely managed to scrape together work in the red lights district, where she was born, having found her Teigu on pure coincidence and being scouted after sticking up to some privileged people.

Mine had grown up as an outcast, ostracized because of her nationality, before finding her home in Night Raid.

Tatsumi had simply been looking for an opportunity to help his poverty stricken village, only to have his only two friends coldly stripped from him and killed in horrendous ways.

Bulat had been a part of the Imperial Guard, having switched sides for pretty much the same reason as Akame, having figured out just how corrupt a place the Empire was.