Fate: Kill

Chapter 12

The Empire was a nation whose history spanned hundreds of years stemming from the First Emperor who commanded the greatest of minds during the Empire's Golden Age. A prosperous land, it was said that water ran through the distant capital, and the food and cattle abundant throughout all walks of life.
A utopia rich in resources and military strength dwarfing all others.
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eople were happy, the government ensuring prosperity under the leadership of a capable ruler whose shadow and influence loomed over both the Western Lands and the Nations of Wakoku. None dared oppose it, none dared to invade it, and the Empire in kind quelled its expansion.
A balance had been made.
A Kingdom that would last for a thousand years. However, age changed all.
The First Emperor grew old and would no longer be able to efficiently govern the state. The duty was inherited instead by the First Emperor's children. To further ensure the livelihood of the nation, forty-eight Teigu known as Imperial Arms were commissioned into creation by the First Emperor. Tools of war, they were the Empire's greatest military assets which formed the first Imperial Legion of forty-eight commanded by the two Sons of the First Emperor.
They were brothers with a strong bond.
One received the throne, the other took up military command as the first Great General.
Decades passed, and tradition was carried out.
From the brother who acquired the throne, his descendants became the new Emperor of each generation.
From the brother who took up military command, his descendants were the Empire's greatest sword and shield against the Empire's enemies.
Then tragedy struck in the era of the six-hundredth year.
A Civil War that split the Empire down the middle. Records, Teigu, and entire armies were lost, the Imperial Legion of forty-eight forever disbanded; the Standard of the First Emperor carried by the original two brothers, never to see deployment again.
Shifting towards the present, the Empire was once again embroiled in Civil War against the Revolutionary Army and its allies from the Western Region.
The historic chronicles dating back hundreds of years during the Empire's Golden age, were forgotten through time.
Akame couldn't find the words to speak when faced against a person that she viewed as a dear friend.
The forest around her was silent, and only the rustling of the leaves up high in the canopy could really be heard. She pursed her lips, her eyes glancing downward towards the ground as she grasped lightly onto her right arm with her left.
The kindness that he showed her.
The trust that he gave her, a murderer.
"He's not a monster," she whispered lowly in response to Leone's earlier words.
No matter how she thought about it, that fool who would show his back to an assassin he'd never met before was too stupid to be categorized as a monster. Moreover, she thought back to the way he'd smile dumbly while labouring for the people whose social status was far below his own.
She looked back up and stared Leone straight in the eyes. "He's not a monster," she repeated stronger.
Leone looked taken aback.
"Akame, are you joking?" She asked incredulously. "Did you not just see what he did?"
Shirou's earlier feat of sniping down the distant scouts from the Empire played clearly through Leone's mind, but Akame was unperturbed.
"Then does protecting others make him a monster?" She replied back.
"..."
Akame shook her head. "This isn't the first time that the Empire, Wakoku, or the Revolutionary Army's forces have come. No matter how many times Shirou tried to dissuade them, they just kept coming. Was he supposed to just let them disrupt the peace in Calla?"
Leone scrunched up her face. "But that kind of power-"
"Is not in the hands of someone evil," Akame interrupted. "He's not a monster." He's the world's hope. She would not budge on the issue, forcing Leone to relent and put the matter aside.
However, this meant that Leone now had the time to consider the most obvious point to make.
"Why'd you stop sending reports?" She asked in confusion. "Are they forcing you to stay here?"
Akame stiffened, but Leone didn't notice due to the frown that made its way onto her face.
Akame felt her mouth dry, the blood running cold through her body. She wanted to run away, to avoid this confrontation at all costs, but there really was nothing that she could do. The beating of her heart echoed clearly through her ears.
"No, they aren't," she spoke the truth. With how experienced Leone was, there was no way that Leone wouldn't notice a lie.
Leone stared at Akame with a perplexed expression. Akame was not deceiving her. She started thinking and soon came to a realization.
Rather than forcing Akame to stay, wasn't the situation more like she couldn't?
Leone began to earnestly think about it.
The people in Calla were veterans such that even she was weary of who she interacted with. A single slip up would be enough to land her into a situation that she would not be able to escape from. Worse, it wasn't apparent, but Calla was definitely guarded by a group of operatives in the shadows. The fact that a bar tender turned out to be a high-level infiltrator was still fresh in Leone's mind. Therefore, if the bar tender was that capable, then what about the people living near Calla's entrances and exits?
There was no way that Akame would be able to send reports in this kind of environment let alone do anything suspicious. Besides, Akame was never known for her intelligence.
Akame must have had just been blending in to survive.
Leone nodded her head before placing a hand on Akame's shoulder.
"It's been hard, hasn't it?" Leone ruffled Akame's hair while Akame stared back blankly. "Don't worry, big sister's here. I'll think of a way out."
Akame did not know how to respond, therefore she didn't.
Leone placed a hand beneath her chin while idly pacing in the area around her. "Before escape, I'll first have to send a report to Najenda," she muttered.
Leone took off the bag that she was carrying on her back and began rummaging through it to produce an ink quill and blank paper. "There are too many things that are weird with this town. First, it's the people, then there's the abnormally strong military, and then there's even this absurd power to create more Teigu."
Leone had seen how Shirou had created his traced projectiles. There was no way that anyone would be able to convince her that those weapons were not Teigu. Worse, Shirou had fired them callously like he was tossing out garbage.
She still shivered just thinking about it.
The shock had been enough to momentarily overwhelm her mind.
She just needed to time to compose herself.
Her hands were still trembling, but thankfully Akame either didn't notice or just wasn't calling her out on it.
Pressing the writing quill down on the paper, she clicked her tongue when she pushed down too hard and broke the tip. It would seem that she needed some more time before she could settle herself down. Her senses were presently too frayed for her to gauge her own strength.
"Sorry, Akame," Leone apologized while trying to play off her blunder. "I broke the quill so I'll have to go back for a bit and get a new one."
Leone packed her stuff and made to leave in the direction of Calla, but froze when she noticed Akame barring her path.
Leone had a vague feeling that something wasn't quite right. A trace of denial began welling up from within her, but she refused to acknowledge her inner thoughts.
It was already weird that Akame was calling Shirou's name out as if they were more than just acquaintances. More than that, wasn't it weird in and out of itself that Akame seemed to be well known in town?
No.
Leone subconsciously refused to acknowledge it.
"Akame? C'mon, what are you doing?" Leone laughed hollowly, the smile on her face strained. "If your hungry and you smelled the food in my bag then you can have it. I swear."
Akame didn't answer. She just remained standing where she was.
"Akame? This really isn't the time. I have to go."
Leone moved to step passed Akame, but she tensed the moment that Akame drew out her sword.
Akame's lips were moving, and it was only when Leone craned her ears to listen, did she hear what Akame was saying.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Akame just kept apologizing under her breath.
The current situation could not be anymore clear with Murasame pointed in Leone's direction.
Betrayal.
"Akame, you can't be serious?" Denial was evident in Leone's tone.
Akame looked visibly struck, the colouration of her cheeks shifting from a rosy hue to a pallid white.
"I can't let you send those reports." Akame found the words difficult to force out of her mouth.
"Then you'd kill me?" Leone's mouth trembled in disbelief, her body getting into a ready stance.
Akame shook her head. Holding Murasame out in front of her, she directly tossed it aside, leaving Leone baffled. In terms of capabilities, Leone was several degrees more adept at physical combat than armed combat compared to Akame.
Akame tossing away her sword was the same as saying that she wouldn't fight.
The two friends stared at each other in silence.
"You know that you can't beat me like this," Leone said slowly.
"I know, but I don't want to hurt you," Akame's response was firm. Leone could tell that Akame really wasn't lying. "I don't want to kill my friend."
"Then hurry and move." Do you think I want to hurt or kill you either?
Leone was visibly distressed. Beads of sweat forming over her brow and trailing down towards her chin. She'd always been the big sister, regarding those close to her as family. First in the slums when she took care of the other orphans, and even now in Night Raid, she'd always been the same. To harm someone that she viewed as family was like twisting a knife in her gut.
Please.
Just move.
Leone looked at Akame pleadingly, and yet nothing changed.
"I can't do that." Akame did not relent.
There really was no other choice left.
Leone cut herself away from her emotions, and sucked in a breath even though she felt like a part of herself was dying inside. Likewise, Akame took on a basic fighting stance, her arms raised and her legs spaced with her shoulders.
A fight was inevitable.
Although Akame preferred using a sword, it didn't mean that she was untrained in unarmed combat.
The grass swayed between the two, before dirt erupted out in a shower of dust from where they kicked off the ground.
Leone's heart was not in her blows, but it didn't mean that her attacks weren't damaging even without using her Teigu. Her Teigu was a belt known as Lionel which enhanced her speed, reflexes, strength, and regeneration.
In regards to her current fight, Leone didn't even need to use it.
Her eyes narrowed while following the trajectory of Akame's punches while she swerved in and out of them.
The difference in close-combat fighting standards was really too much for any skill to compensate.
Leone punched forward and jabbed Akame in the side, forcing Akame to recoil with a grimace.
'You can't win.'
Arms flew, and legs struck out in blurs too fast for the average man to see.
Punch.
Parry.
Counter.
Leone planted her heels down and pivoted while raising her leg out in a kick.
Her strength was simply not something to scoff at. Wind whipped her clothing back due to sheer speed and precision alone.
"Agh!" Akame dry heaved as the attack struck her on the waist.
'Enough. Stop this already.'
Twisting, Leone's body moved on autopilot and sent out a secondary kick on the opposite side.
Reacting quickly, Akame raised up a feeble guard which shattered upon making contact with Leone's shin. It was almost like blowing down straws with how little resistance there was.
This wasn't a fight.
This was a beating.
Akame did not have the ability to even attack at this point. She was entirely blown away and struck her back against a distant tree. Things would have had been different if she was using a blade or was fighting to her strengths. Right now though, rather than using her small build for quick strikes, she had chosen to directly trade blows with Leone as if to convey a point.
'What did you find that's so important in this town to risk self harm?'
Leone had enough.
She found an opening and punched Akame's stomach. Hard.
"Stay down."
Akame buckled, and collapsed onto her knees, unable to properly gather air into her lungs. She was spluttering.
Leone looked grief stricken and turned her face to walk away.
However, Leone soon heard the sound of scuffling behind her.
'Why won't you stay down! I don't want to kill you.' Leone inwardly lamented.
Gritting her teeth, Akame pushed up with her hands and shakily stood up on her feet. Bruises lined both her arms and legs with a light shade of purple, and the sight caused guilt to well within Leone.
Leone shuddered, her body freezing.
Why? She couldn't understand just where Akame was getting her resolve from.
In her moment of hesitation, Akame directly grappled her, pushing them both onto the ground.
It was a mistake.
Leone straddled Akame with her legs, keeping Akame pinned down beneath her.
A fist was raised.
Bruised and breathing heavily, Akame could only watch as Leone's fist descended and slowed millimetres away from crushing her face. Leone was trembling, her breathing erratic.
'I can't. I can't do it.'
The line separating Leone's emotions from her actions frayed.
"WHYY!" The punch landed beside Akame's head, cratering the ground from its destructive might. Akame pursed her lips.
"WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME DO THIS!" Leone felt a lump forming in her throat, her left hand lifted in a striking posture yet unable to come down. Her strength was leaving her due to her unwillingness.
"Because I saw a future!" Akame pushed herself up, kicking out Leone's legs and reversing their positions so that she was now on top. "Don't tell me that you didn't see it!"
Leone's breath hitched, before she turned away.
Akame didn't let her.
Leone was by far stronger than Akame, but at this moment, Akame was pinning Leone's arms down to the ground while staring her in the face.
"You've seen what kind of place Calla is!" Akame was panting for breath. "Enough with the lies Leone!"
Leone shuddered. She already knew.
A place like Calla, if it weren't the Revolutionary Army that found her first, and she had instead found Calla, what kind of future would she have had?
The people did not hunger.
The people did not struggle alone, but together.
"I saw a future without corruption, without hate, nor despair, and your asking me why I'd stand opposed?" Akame's lips quivered, showing the most emotion that Leone had ever seen on Akame's face.
"It's hard Leone. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt any of our comrades either, but I can't just do nothing!" Akame pressed her eyes tight before opening them, bloodshot. "I saw a future. I saw hope! And even just a little spark of hope was enough to cling onto."
Leone had no response. How could she not understand what Akame was saying?
Many times, in Leone's life in the Empire's slums she and many around her would starve while the weaker would die. What else did they have to rely on other than hope that the future would be better? That she would no longer have to scrounge through rotten garbage, nor shiver in the cold trying to draw warmth from stiff cardboard.
She wanted change. That was why Leone fought and opposed the Empire.
"Stop Leone. Please." Akame bowed her head. "I don't want to fight you."
This was stupid.
Leone felt her energy completely leave her body, a sigh escaping her lips. Akame was asking her not to send in the reports. However, not sending in the reports meant the same as forsaking Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army.
Her past.
Her present.
Deep down, Leone already knew what she truly wanted.
"Tch," she clicked her tongue, pushing Akame off of her to stand up on her feet.
Weakened from the punches that she'd sustained, Akame could do nothing to resist Leone's action and toppled to the ground.
Leone stood in front of Akame, a hand scratching the back of her head while her brows knit together. She crossed her arms.
"Convince me," Leone spoke flatly. "What future did you see?"
Akame rolled onto her back, her chest heaving up and down.
Leone sat beside her, pulling up her thighs and hugging her arms around her knees. Just as Akame did not want to oppose her friends and allies, Leone was even more so. She'd hit Akame, but never with enough strength to actually injure. It was on the level of a regular spar.
"A bright one," Akame said, raising an arm out in front of her and seemingly grasping up at the clouds above. "One day, Calla will grow and expand outwards. Calla, a home for the weary, the poor, and those sick of the constant fighting, betrayals, and deceit."
Leone listened quietly.
"A just ruler, supportive people, and the power necessary to protect them, Calla has it all, but it needs time to grow." Akame forced herself up, siting over her legs. "The people will show the result. To win a war, yet not have to fight a single battle by winning the acknowledgment of the masses, that is Calla. That was Shirou's answer to oppose the Empire."
It was the most Leone had ever seen Akame speak outside of a mission. Then again, it showed just how much faith Akame had.
"This Shirou person comes up with wise words, but still," Leone impatiently tapped her arm with her fingers. "It's too slow. Many people are already dying in the Empire, and the longer we wait, the more of them will perish. Why doesn't Calla just ally with the Revolutionary Army and take down the Empire?"
With the power that Shirou had displayed, Leone was convinced that her suggestion was the best decision.
"But whose to say that the Revolutionary Army doesn't have its own corrupt figures?" Akame rebuked.
"..." It was a fair point, but anything was better than the rule of the Prime Minister Honest.
Leone sighed.
"But there is one thing I do agree with you on," Akame looked back in the direction of Calla. "Shirou's plan is too slow. If he just realized how many capable people he had in Calla and mobilized them, he'd have one of the strongest armies on the continent."
Leone understood what Akame meant. Calla was a town teeming with reclusive powerhouses.
"Why don't you just tell him then?" Leone questioned.
"The town's people are opposed to it," Akame winced while rubbing at a sore spot over her arm.
"Sorry," Leone apologized quickly, knowing that she'd probably hit too hard.
"No need for apology. I deserve it for deserting the team without even a notice."
"Damn well worried the hell out of me," Leone rubbed her nose. "Moving back to the topic though, what do you mean by the town's people are opposed to it?"
Akame opened her mouth to speak, but found that she really didn't have an explanation. It was weird. Rather than having Shirou do everything by himself, why didn't they show that they'd be of use to him?
"I don't know, they just are," Akame's lips thinned. "Meanwhile, Shirou works harder and harder every day. I can't help but imagine how different the Empire would have been if it had someone like Shirou as its leader."
Leone raised a brow and glanced skeptically in Akame's direction. "You really have a high opinion of Shirou don't you?"
A tinge of red made its way onto Akame's cheeks, but she didn't deny Leone's words. Everything that she'd seen and experienced Shirou doing was admirable. Respect was given where it was due.
The two Assassins fell back into silence before Leone eventually relented.
"Fine, you win," Leone rubbed at her temples. There was no way that she could bring herself to kill Akame. Furthermore, based on how determined Akame was, Leone knew that Akame wouldn't stop obstructing her until she died. "I won't send any reports to the Revolutionary Army, but I will make contact with Najenda and the others eventually. It's not fair to worry them or leave them in the dark."
Akame mulled over Leone's words, and reluctantly agreed.
With the most pressing issue resolved, Akame and Leone stood up to return to Calla, but stiffened when they heard the sounds of a large group of people marching.
By the time the two could react, it was too late.
A Guerilla Unit of men and women appeared within their sight wearing an unmistakable symbol over their military uniforms.
The crest of the Red Dragon curled around a shield.
An Emblem of the Empire.
Empire Forces?
Akame couldn't understand how they had gotten inside, but she quickly grabbed Murasame from the ground and readied herself. Leone acted in kind.
The Empire's forces were near the two in seconds, but before any kind of fight could break out, Akame recognized one of the uniformed figures.
"Raiga?"
"Akame?"
The two stared at each other in disbelief, before Raiga let out a wry smile and gestured for the other people behind him to be at ease. Akame was well known to be Shirou's personal aide and body guard.
Leone stared from Raiga and Akame, and then back. Since when was Akame friendly with anyone from the Empire?
Raiga stepped forward.
"Well, it was about time you found out the truth anyway," Raiga reasoned before eyeing Leone. "Is your friend trustworthy?"
Raiga had reason to be skeptical. While Akame stood bruised and beaten, there was only one other person present in the area that could have had been the assailant.
Still, Akame vouched on Leone's behalf. "She's faithful to her friends."
Leone closed her mouth, feeling like Akame was trying to guilt her into not reporting this issue to Najenda and the rest. It was working.
Raiga gestured to the trunk of a fallen tree.
"Take a seat, this could be a while," he explained.
In the inner chambers of the government building at the center of the Empire, the tension in the air was palpable. A grand throne was located in the middle of the room with a red carpet that flowed down from the steps to make an official walkway.
The veteran solider that had been leading the unit of scouts against Calla was kneeling on the ground while facing the throne. The man's body was slumped, and the general air of confidence that the man once had previously was shattered.
"Are you certain that what you saw was correct?" A gentle, yet boisterous voice resounded in the grand hall.
"Yes. I would never fail to recognize the symbol of the First Emperor's standard. It was an official symbol of the Royal Family."
The young boy seated on the Emperor's throne had a look of shock come over his face. This was the current Emperor of the Empire simply known as the 'The Emperor.' He was of average height and had green shoulder-length hair and eyes. He wore a blue mantle and a fan-shaped headdress over his head.
"Does that mean I have relatives?" The child Emperor voiced it as a question towards the man who'd spoken for clarification, the prime Minister, Honest.
Honest did not speak. He was well aware that the veteran soldier in front of him was not lying, but this did not bode well for him. Relatives to the Emperor, meant competitions of legitimacy and potential power struggles for the throne, all of which would break the current status quo.
"If true, then yes, my Emperor," Honest bowed low to hide the expressionlessness face that he was currently making. "However, we can't be quick to just jump to conclusions."
"O, okay." The Emperor nodded his head after a moment of thought. The trust that the Emperor had put in Honest was built upon numerous years of Honest's manipulation.
Honest was the child Emperor's Advisor, therefore, the Emperor always heeded Honest's words due to a lack of confidence in his own abilities. He was still a child after all.
"Then how will we verify?" The child Emperor was increasingly interested in this matter. He was always lonely in the palace after his father's passing. He didn't say it yet, but the Emperor was already imagining a near future where he'd be spending time in the company of cousins.
"Leave this matter to me. I'll be sure to deal with it swiftly," Honest said confidently. "For now, I think it's best if you return to your studies in your room. The teacher's probably already waiting for you. Only when you've understood the Empire's politics can you rule justly for the people."
The Emperor frowned, but didn't question Honest's advice before leaving the room.
As soon as the Emperor left, the veteran soldier felt a chill travel down his back. He looked up towards Honest to see an utterly blank, yet vicious face staring back at him.
This was the true personality of the 'kind' Prime Minister, Honest.
"How certain are you that the symbol you saw was authentic?"
"Fully," the veteran replied curtly. "Although the symbol of the First Emperor's standard is well known, it's difficult to imitate properly due to certain minute details in its design. The only ones who'd spot said details are those who posses a legitimate symbol to observe and reproduce onto military uniform."
The veteran was looking directly at Honest to convey a point.
"This means that even if the symbols of the attackers that I encountered were forged, somewhere and someway, they truly do possess the genuine article."
The standard of the First Emperor was the symbol of the members of the Royal Family itself. The only one known to still be present in the Empire was the one inherited by the Child Emperor and kept stored away.
"How troublesome," Honest began to pace up near the throne.
"Judging from a lack of response after sending numerous scouts, the entity behind the steel walls is most likely a passive opponent rather than aggressive. A bee will not sting if not provoked." Honest was mumbling to himself before pausing. "I'll temporarily pull back the Empire's forces and have the scholars and scribes look into what's left of the Empire's history while amassing an army. I'll dig up everything that I can find that's relevant and then burn it to rid all evidence."
"Evidence," Honest curled the word over his lips before shifting his attention.
The veteran still kneeling inside the throne room felt an odd pressure descend over his shoulders.
"You're the only one who's aware of the information regarding the symbol of the First Emperor correct?"
The veteran looked up at Honest, but didn't notice any changes worth noting.
"Yes sir. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, I had thought it was prudent as an experienced scout to directly report this to you and the Emperor. Should I have had made a formal report?"
"No," Honest began to smile. "Your professionalism is appreciated. It saves me the trouble so, please die for me."
Huh?
The veteran could not process what Honest was saying until a full second later when he felt a dagger pierce through his heart from behind. He died instantly by the blade of an assassin that Honest had signaled to with his eyes.
"Pity," Honest looked at the dead veteran's corpse before shrugging. "He was useful."
With a simple gesture, Honest had a palace guard dispose of the mess in the audience hall. He then immediately called for a gathering of the Empire's scholars and renowned scribes.
Once he'd found all the relevant information, there was only one thing left to do.
He had a new target to kill.
He'd worked too hard to get into his current position. He would not tolerate the notion of someone else other than the easily manipulated Child Emperor to take the throne.
Honest's priorities shifted entirely away from the Revolutionary Army and towards the mysteriousness of what laid behind the steel walls in a remote section of the Empire.
Akame walked uneasily on her way back to Shirou's residence, Leone having separated from Akame to return to her lodging near the people of Heiwa. Neither of the two had spoken simply because they were still digesting what it was that they'd just heard from Raiga's mouth. A simple statement that she still found difficult to fathom.
Shirou was a member of the Royal Family.
This changed everything. Forget just waiting for Calla to grow, Shirou had a legitimate right to the Emperor's throne. This was the main kicker for directly flushing away all of the doubts in Leone's mind regarding Calla.
However, this gave Akame all the more time to think.
Her feet carried her forward. By now, she could already see the distant outline of Shirou's house where he was probably working tirelessly again into the night.
He would make an ideal Emperor, someone that both the people and the officials could like. Moreover, under his rule, there would be no room for corruption.
She strongly believed that if it was Shirou, he could do it.
She thought back to the various townsfolk that she'd passed on her way, and recalled the single warning that Raiga had told her.
Even though Shirou was a member of the Royal Family, she was not allowed to let him know about it until he himself wished to vie for the position of Emperor. This was to say, Shirou himself had to have the goal of fighting it out with the current Empire and wrestling away control from the Prime Minister Honest.
The world outside of Calla's walls were filled with dangers and this condition was apparently the request of Shirou's father to all of the town's residents meant to keep Shirou in the dark. It was a last safety measure since Shirou's father knew that the only situation that would require facing the Empire would be a dire one.
A father's love could both be beneficial and selfish at the same time. In shielding one from the realities of the world through ignorance, it was the same as turning a blind eye to those in need.
Considering Shirou's current passive outlook, he wouldn't irrationally attack the Empire nor ask the townsfolk for any kind of help. Even less so because he was still of the assumption that Calla's townsfolk were ordinary civilians. He would not endanger them.
Akame bit down on her lower lip while contemplating.
Leone had been right about Shirou's plans for Calla taking too long.
She was convinced that if Shirou was just made the new Emperor in place of the Child Emperor, everything would work out. She had to think of a method to convince him.
Caught up in her musings, she eventually reached Shirou's house and made her way inside by climbing through the office window.
Shirou was there like she expected working over his desk under the dim light of an oil lamp.
He looked up at her as she entered, and paused in his work.
"What happened to you?" He asked her.
Of course, she still had multiple bruises from her 'spar' with Leone, and she winced as she sat down on a recliner.
"I fell," she replied curtly, unwilling to speak of the matter any further. Shirou could tell and dropped the subject.
He soon began working again while she just stared at him unblinking.
Shirou could determine that there was something off with her today, but he was too courteous to bring up the subject. It was all the more reason why someone like him should have had been in a position of power.
"Say," she suddenly spoke up nonchalantly as if talking about the weather. "Want to attack the Empire?"
"Did you go drinking today?" Shirou replied back, putting away the stuff on his desk to focus his attention on her. "You're not acting like yourself. Are you hungry again?"
"No to both," she responded with a glower before shaking her head to focus.
There were many thoughts going threw her mind, but she eventually came to a realization that just asking Shirou would get her nowhere. He wasn't that kind of person to begin with.
She knew him well enough to understand him, and that was why she came to a decision.
The world needed him. She couldn't just allow him to idle when others were already dying.
Age and experience had taken away Shirou impulsiveness, but one factor always remained the same.
Akame's features softened.
"If I was ever lost or hurt, would you save me?"
The question was so sudden and out of context that Shirou looked at her in bafflement, unable to understand what was coming over her.
Still, he answered truthfully.
"Yes," he said firmly. "I promise that if you were ever in trouble, I would not just stand by and do nothing."
"Even if it meant one life over many?" She lowered her head to glance at the ground.
"One or the other, I'd just save them all." Shirou stood up and placed a hand over Akame's forehead. Her temperature seemed about right though, so she definitely wasn't running a fever.
"You, you really are different," Akame weakly pushed aside Shirou's hand as if cementing her determination. "I'm glad I met you."
"And I'm glad that you stopped trying to kill me," Shirou thought back to all the chances that Akame had to actually kill him but didn't. "I suppose we're even then?"
That kind of answer, this was why the Empire needed someone like him rather than just a another civil movement or revolution.
Akame didn't reply but just smiled instead.
He'd save her.
He promised.
That night, Akame left and was not seen again.
She had disappeared.
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