Fate: Kill

Chapter 21

Shirou had been travelling for the better most part of a week with Raiko as a guide and Akame, Selka, Bulat, Leone, and Lubbock acting as a strike force. The cohesion of the group was still somewhat strained, but Raiko made good on her end of the bargain and dutifully led everyone forward and into Wakoku's borders.
"

Be careful from here," Raiko warned lowly. She was grudgingly travelling alongside the group after Shirou had pulled up next to her and the rest soon followed. She resisted the urge to race ahead as her instincts screamed at her not to be so close to strangers, but she held the impulse back and continued. "Wakoku isn't like the Empire with a single governing body. It's an assembly of warring clans the majority of which hardly get along, as many clans dream of uniting the country under a single flag. Hence all the violence, allegiances, and decade long grudges. Everyone is a danger who only trust in their kin and their clan."
It was an inevitable conclusion. With many clans at war or with soured relations to each other, hostilities were bound to interrupt any meaningful cooperation. Of course, this meant that the alliance of clan leaders to subjugate or thwart Wakoku's mass migration of civilians had always been unstable. Here inlaid the truth. The alliance was a large mechanism powered by wooden cogs whose tracts were already splintered. Raiko's betrayal, though honourless to their homeland, was only further cementing the point.
"That's not all true," Selka spoke up in defence of her previous home, her brows furrowing sharply. "Heiwa has always offered refuge for those who stumble into our territories regardless of affiliation. We aren't like the rest of the other clans."
Raiko scoffed in spite, setting off Selka again for the fifteenth time over the course of their travels. The two were like fire and water at this point, and Shirou, Akame, Leone, and Bulat could only listen as they weren't as knowledgeable about Wakoku's affairs.
Selka was glaring at Raiko now, her hands balled into fists and pent up grievances beginning to boil. "Got something to say?" She forced out through her teeth.
Raiko glanced in Selka's direction, and abruptly realized that she probably shouldn't be antagonizing a woman of Heiwa who was less than two meters close to her, but she digressed. This was a matter of clan pride.
"I do have things to say," Raiko subtly gripped her kunai in the off chance Selka lost her temper and attacked. "Heiwa is no different from the other clans. Refuge? That's bullshit. Is it coincidence that those that 'stumble' into your clan just happen to be individuals with political sway that will remember the favour in the future?"
Selka looked burned, almost scandalized. "That's not true!" She denied.
"Jinsoku's intelligence network is run by ninjas, experts in espionage and infiltration. Our intel is difficult to fabricate, and if you're still denying the truth, then why not ask your father?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That the world is bigger than your bubble of ignorance. How else did you think Heiwa earned its seclusion without a majority of the major clans bothering it despite the boon it would be to pilfer your Hunters for battle? It's all politics and Heiwa is no exception to the rule."
Silence. The point Raiko had made was one Selka couldn't deny. Selka was neither stupid or ignorant to how to the world works. It was why she didn't trust Shirou the first time they'd met. Moreover, she knew her father to be a politically shrewd man. What Raiko was saying could prove to be true.
"Does it matter?" Selka finally spoke up with her shoulders hunching and fight leaving her. She looked up right into Raiko's eyes. "No matter what you say about my people, name once that we ever purposely started a conflict or war with other clans."
To this, Raiko opened then promptly closed her mouth. She clicked her tongue and dropped the subject to move on to another. "Regardless, the point of what I'm saying is to be careful from here on out. We can't take detours anymore or stop to camp when it's convenient. Each clan has their own patrols and agreed upon rest areas for travellers. Needless to say, we won't be using those resting area."
It would be too conspicuous. Everyone was on a mission to deal with the leaders of Wakoku in an annual communal meeting. If Raiko knew the dangers of such a gathering, so too did the other leaders. It would be heavily fortified and defended. Giving early notice of their movements was just asking for a failed operation.
"You know, I'm cool with all this travelling and all, but if you're suggesting just heading straight towards the target without a break, then the twig is going to pass out," Leone pointed at Lubbock who was straggling behind who was panting for breath with a face full of sweat.
Raiko conceded Leone's point. "Fine. We should be able to stop by some of Jinsoku's hidden camps on the way. They're hidden in the foliage of the trees so we'll be sleeping up high."
"Sounds good. I don't know how long lover boy can keep this up," Leone nodded.
Lover boy? Lubbock should have realized there was something wrong in the way Leone was calling him, but he raised his middle finger and wheezed instead. "You're not the ones who were being used as a punching bag."
"We're not the ones who groped a woman's breasts while professing their love." Leone whistled.
"Scum." Akame's expression became icy as she glanced at Lubbock who froze at the fact that Leone had discovered what happened and just revealed it like it meant nothing.
Suddenly, Lubbock felt the previous neutrality Akame, Selka, and Raiko used to stare at him with drop by several degrees. The girls sped up, not wanting to be near him.
"I can carry you?" Bulat offered with a warm grin and a fervent gaze. "I'll take good care of you too."
"N-No it's fine." Lubbock quickly replied, his complexion paling. Not to take this the wrong way, but Bulat was gay and Lubbock was saving his chastity for Najenda. No hard feeling. "They're just fractures and a few broken bones here and there. I can deal with it," he said hastily as Bulat pouted.
"I can heal you if want?" Shirou offered as everyone began to pull ahead of Lubbock.
Lubbock shook his head. "No, don't. You'll just make it worse. I should heal up sufficiently by the time we reach our destination anyway. Besides, there are things a man must do." Left unsaid, Lubbock wished to maintain his current injured status as it lightened Najenda's blows during sparring.
Shirou stared at Lubbock, and Lubbock stared back unflinchingly. "It's a woman isn't it?"
And suddenly Lubbock began weeping, noticing that Shirou somehow shared his pain. More than that, understood him. He'd found a brother in arms. "Y-You're actually a pretty good guy, aren't you?"
Shirou chose not to answer, the empathy between the two was enough. It was one thing to not get pushed around by a woman, but it didn't matter how strong a man could be if reason was not on his side. For example, how do you defend against doing something stupid like jumping had first into a dangerous situation or groping a woman's breast as a misunderstanding? There's just no comeback to that.
"Need a hand?" Shirou offered his aid in a different manner and moved to support Lubbock by wrapping Lubbock's arm around his shoulders and hoisting him up to carry him forward.
"Gladly," Lubbock accepted the help of a brother without hesitation, inadvertently looking too deeply and too long into Shirou's eyes.
Selka and Akame who were quietly observing Shirou suddenly felt aggravated at Lubbock for no reason, and Bulat looked somewhat betrayed.
Raiko who was focusing on the matter at hand felt that this was all just too surreal. Everyone was acting as if they weren't in the middle of a dangerous mission in enemy territory. She couldn't understand this sort of light heartedness in her professionalism, but the way her lips kept twitching upwards was a first for her on any mission. Selka and Akame had wordlessly slowed their pace in order to saddle up beside Shirou and Lubbock who looked distinctly uncomfortable with it all. More so when Lubbock became aware that Selka and Akame seemed unreasonable annoyed at him. Watching the events play out, Raiko felt that it almost felt kind of nice if it wasn't for the fact that the mission's failure would result in the disgrace of her clan.
Still, rather than just present circumstances, they had to think about future problems.
She sighed and slowed down in order to address an issue to Shirou and the others.
"I'd like a word with you all," she began slowly, carefully avoiding the way Akame and the others tensed at her approach. Shirou was the only exception. He and Selka were the only member that weren't part of Night Raid and they didn't have the inherent distrust of new acquaintances. If anything, Selka was the most accepting of Raiko despite their confrontational attitudes.
Shirou took the initiative before any awkwardness could form in the group. "I'm all ears, so please speak your mind."
Raiko did not thank Shirou for his help. All she did was cordially nod her chin at him, and continued.
"You all wish for a quick conclusion to this conflict, and in this manner, striking at the leaders of Wakoku's clans is logically the best choice. If you kill them all, this battle will end, but let me tell you that the war will continue. Maybe not in the short term, but in a few months or years, you'll be back to the same problem unless you intend to occupy Wakoku's clans. Calla does not have enough manpower or resources for this endeavor."
"Are you saying to give up on the leaders then?" Akame asked frowning.
"Not quite." Raiko shook her head and focused ahead of her. Even while she was talking, she still had the task guiding everyone ahead. "The clan leaders can still be dealt with, but in a manner that would benefit us most."
"In short, you don't want to kill them?" Bulat surmised. He'd been part of the military before and possessed an astute mind. "But you know what you're asking for, right? As assassins, the difficulty of capturing a target alive rather than killing them is several magnitudes more dangerous."
"This would be the case." Raiko agreed. "Some of us may die, but it's the best solution for both the long and short term."
"She's partially right, you know," Lubbock spoke up before anyone else could shoot Raiko's words down. "Wakoku's stability will become hectic if all their clan leaders are killed. Besides, there's no guarantee that by killing them someone else won't just rise and take their place. Here's where I'll disagree though. Capturing them is as useless as killing them."
Raiko perked up a brow. "How so?"
Bulat seemed to already know the answer, but he allowed Lubbock to continue explaining. "There's no point in capture if we can't force them to cooperate," he said. "As a merchant's son, I've met plenty of leaders while out trading with my father. The one thing that they all had in common was their greed to maintain their positions. They may agree to our demands the first time, but give them a chance, and they'll likely backstab you. This relationship clearly won't work for the long term."
Raiko listened, and conceded Lubbock's point, but she didn't change her opinion. "Then don't capture them," she said. "The leaders of Wakoku's clans aren't stupid."
It was here that Raiko looked directly towards Shirou.
"Give them a reason not to fight, now and in the future."
Everything would hinge on his performance.
Day turned into night, and night back into day in a cycle that repeated itself for several days. They were traversing over Jinsoku's hidden network of pathways known only by Jinsoku's ninjas. Like Raiko had explained, the group had passed by many border patrols belonging to differing clans of Wakoku which either Selka or Raiko would give a brief summary on. Not only was the journey a physical exertion, but a learning one.
"Those are people of the Bakufu clan. They aren't the strongest, but they're known for their skill with the sword and their iconic riveted steel armours." Raiko explained while pointing out a detached unit of Bakufu clansmen stationed at the perimeter of their clan's territory. They were about a mile away and only made visible from the vantage point of the tree tops. They looked like ants fully covered in rustic armour blackened by the heat of a forge.
Selka grew curious at Raiko's explanation and looked towards the patrolling unit expectantly only to be disappointed. Her information about Wakoku's clans was all second hand as her father generally dealt with clan relations. "They're just armoured turtles," Selka said flatly, almost dismissively. "Father said if you kick them hard enough their armours won't matter if the impact kills them. You don't even need a weapon and apparently, it's a dishonour to the Bakufu to fight the unarmed. I say it's an excuse."
Raiko was moments away from saying something, yet promptly shut her mouth when she noticed Selka's matter-of-fact expression. She truly believed what she said. To an extent, it wasn't as if Selka was lying either. To her, the words were truth; perfectly normal considering an untrained woman of Heiwa could probably give a veteran soldier a run for their money even if they were just carelessly slapping out.
Don't even get Raiko started on Heiwa's Hunters. The fact that they could take on Danger Beasts with their bare hands was telling enough.
"Not everyone is born with freakish strength," Raiko muttered softly beneath her breath. Only Shirou heard, but he didn't call her out on it as he didn't want another confrontation between the two women.
The group proceeded onward.
For Lubbock's sake, Raiko was presently leading the group to a resting camp from Jinsoku. Said camp was one of many established throughout the country by Jinsoku's ninjas as strategic points to relay information and garrison their units. Bird posts were found in each camp where pigeons or trained Danger Beasts were used to quickly bring letters from one camp to another. This information relay network was why no clan in Wakoku knew of the Jinsoku clan's home which was constantly on the move.
Jinsoku had made a lot of enemies in the past, so much so that a coalition had once been formed to slaughter them. To circumvent this, the members of Jinsoku were highly mobile and often shifted between hidden locations. The clan was not represented by ancestral grounds or property, but by its people, making honour all the more important.
Food and water were necessary to survive, and to get food and water, money was required. With no place to call their own, Jinsoku relied on contracts and bounties to earn a living. If Jinsoku's reputation was smeared, who would dare hire them? Plundering seemed like a suitable alternative, however, all conflict either ends with causality or injury, and even Jinsoku could not live with that sort of lifestyle forever.
To win was to profit, and to fail was to bring about the clan's ruin.
Raiko had made her decision.
History was made by the winners, she reassured herself.
"We'll rest here," Raiko said as the group neared one of Jinsoku's camp. It was hidden behind a mangrove of trees by a small lake.
This would be the third time they'd used it since arriving in Wakoku, but in this case, even Raiko found it necessary.
"Take the time to rest here," Raiko informed. "Our location is around an hour away from where the meeting is to be held at a fortified ridge. As precaution, the trees and shrubbery in the area have all been cut down to provide a clear view of anyone who approaches. Defensive pits, traps, and sword carts have also been put in place to prevent any kind of invasion. Fortunately, we're a strike force and not an army, but it doesn't mean we can be careless. Heading right into battle after a long journey will be to our disadvantage as there is no benefit to arriving early. It's better to wait for all the remaining clan leaders of Wakoku to gather before launching the operation. So, rest and be at your best."
Raiko was speaking off-handedly fully knowing that she had no sway over Shirou and the rest, but giving her opinion regardless. If they chose to listen, then they'd listen. If they didn't, she'd adapt.
Selka, Akame, Bulat, Leone, and Lubbock differed to Shirou for a course of action showing no signs of agreeing or disagreeing with Raiko's assessment.
"We'll rest," Shirou easily agreed much to Raiko's surprise. If anyone had wanted to end the conflict with Wakoku fastest, it was Shirou in order to end the war with the least causalities.
Raiko perked up and subtly glanced at Shirou's direction with her eyes, somewhat in disbelief. She saw him looking right back at her without a shred of doubt. It was trust; a concept she knew well and expected from her allies and subordinates, but never from someone she'd arguably just met for a few days. "Follow me then," she said before wordlessly pulling ahead.
Unknown to all, but Raiko was frowning, not knowing if she was angry or relieved.
If she could put her current sentiments into words, it was a feeling of inexplicable oddness that began on the night Shirou had tried to comfort her.
Where was the doubt? Where was the caution that they weren't walking into a trap?
Just as the group was targeting Wakoku's clan leaders, the same danger existed for Shirou and the rest. Shirou was the undisputed pillar of Calla, and without his deterrent, Calla would surely fall. What was to stop Raiko from leading him to his death rather than honouring her agreement?
Shirou didn't even consider this point, but Selka, Akame, Lubbock, Bulat, and Leone were well aware of it, hence their unwillingness to get along with her as true comrades.
Shirou was the only one who never questioned her motives.
Raiko turned away from Shirou and brooded silently. She was unused to such earnest behaviour. Trusting others too easily was the surest path to downfall in the rotten world that she lived in.
It was kill or be killed. This was fate, and how reality works. If she thought of the status-quo in such a way, then did it not mean that Shirou was a man on a mission to kill fate?
Somehow, someway, if Raiko really did end up betraying him, and trust her she maybe compelled to if its for the benefit of her clan, she'd never forgive herself. She could live with it, but she'd always remember that in her world full of lies, she'd helped kill the only one who had a chance to change everything.
A Blessed Child indeed. He wasn't like the rest.
Raiko sighed and put her thoughts behind her. She was nearing the entrance of her clan's camp and could see a figure guarding the entrance ahead. Said figure had his arms crossed, and wore a long shroud over a bare-chest, netted greaves, and wrapped sandals. He was bald and had a gruff beard.
"Uncle," Raiko inclined her head in acknowledgment of the figure as she arrived. Said uncle nodded back towards her, but soon sharpened his gaze. Shirou and the others appeared behind Raiko in this moment.
"Raiko," her uncle called questioningly before shifting his attention to Shirou and the others. "Who are these people?"
Raiko sighed. There was a clear air of hostility around her uncle, and she couldn't blame him for his caution.
"Do not mind them," she attempted to appease him. "Please trust in my judgement."
Her uncle frowned, facial features hardening. "This is strangely odd of you," he said. "Will you not explain why you are bringing such strangers to this camp on the same day the annul assembly of clan leaders is to take place?"
Raiko shook her head. "Stand down and leave this matter be, uncle. Tell the others to stand down as well, this is an order."
"An order, right, an order," Raiko's uncle grew increasingly agitated, but soon reigned in his temper. "Very well. I see you no longer trust my judgements."
"That's not-" Raiko raised a hand out to correct her uncle, but said uncle left in a burst of speed.
Raiko pursed her lips, and gradually lowered her arm while bringing it to her chest while distinctly feeling the gazes on her back. "Don't say it. It's fine," she abruptly said, shooting down any attempts of consoling her. The duty of a leader dictated not to put personal feelings ahead of the clan.
She would endure any humiliation even if it hurt.
She and her uncle were in an awkward relationship. Her uncle should have been the one to take over the clan after her father had died, but his capabilities as a ninja had always fallen short, not too bad, but not too good either. She on the other hand was a capable prodigy, and so for the good of the clan, she was named leader. Her uncle had delegated himself to offering his insights and experience to help the clan as an advisor. He'd always had a keen mind which was why Raiko feared he'd catch wind of her betrayal early on and lead the clan against her not knowing how much of a monster Shirou can be.
"Hurry and just rest," Raiko said. "We move out as soon as everyone's at their best."
For once, no one doubted Raiko's sentiment to see her agreement through. Not even the members of Night Raid after seeing her go at odds with a high-ranking member of her clan.
The decisive moment would begin in a few hours.
"Careful," a voice filtered through the woods no louder than a whisper. "From here on, we're going to lose the cover of the trees."
A group sat huddled on the outskirts of a ridge whose surroundings were entirely leveled to provide a view of any approaching enemies. Swaths of trained war veterans and hardened warriors stood at attention beside the immaculate castle at the centermost point of the ridge. It resembled a temple, a large torii gate marking the entrance towards the castle's inner meeting hall. Traps and pits were laid everywhere, sword carts and wooden caltrops strategically placed in case of a cavalry attack.
Silence permeated as the group took the sight in, and assessed the danger level. Said group was Shirou and the rest.
"Do we have an actual plan?" Leone was the first to ask.
Lubbock was staying silent in order to continue observing the defences of the building. He'd recovered from his injuries and had taken off his bandages for maximum mobility. Finally, he gave his assessment. "If that plan is to just rush in and fight our way through, then I vote against it. We are heavily outnumbered and most of us don't possess enough raw strength and stamina to get out alive from such a battle. There must be hundreds of hostiles crawling through that building."
Bulat hefted his spear over his shoulder and whistled lowly. "I can take around a hundred, but even I'll tire out eventually," he admitted. Akame nodded at Bulat's words. She estimated herself to be able to handle the same number of enemies, though in a less strength orientated manner.
Everyone soon stared at Shirou, even Raiko who'd not yet divulged her plan to breach the castle defences.
"Do you have any magic to make this simpler?" Akame asked curiously.
In short, the answer was yes. Practicality wise though, Shirou shook his head. "If you mean make it go 'boom' I can probably do that. But if you're asking to keep people alive and conserve energy for later, then no. Admittedly, most of my magic leans towards destructive tendency. A frontal assault would be my preference in this case since it would probably give the biggest impact."
"And give the clan leaders the chance to escape in the chaos," Raiko cut in.
Shirou didn't deny it. If Wakoku's clan leaders were magi or spiritual beings, he'd probably be able to sense them through the smoke and fire, but this wasn't the case. Even if he could somehow sense them, he would not be able to differentiate between them and their subordinates.
"We need to get in close then," Raiko nodded. "I have a method, so just follow me."
Standing up from her crouch, Raiko leapt off the branch she was perched on and landed on the ground where she took a moment to start digging with her kunai. Moments later, and a ringed metal handle was seen.
"Warrior woman with muscle for brains" Raiko called out to Selka who bristled. "Your strength is required."
Leone, Bulat, and Shirou also possessed enough strength for the task; however, Bulat and Leone would have to use enhancement from their Teigu, while Shirou would need Reinforcement magic. Selka on the other hand could just pry open the latch Raiko had dug up with natural power. Selka did so.
Grudgingly reaching a hand for the handle, Selka pulled and the entire hatch buried in the dirt was forced off its hinges with a distinct popping sound. "Happy?" Selka glowered.
Raiko didn't answer right away. Her eye was twitching as it looked from Selka to the unhinged metal latch she'd tore apart. Raiko's grip on common sense was warring with her for the first time in her life. "Are you a gorilla?"
"Selka, no. It's not worth it," Leone played mediator and placed a hand on Selka's shoulder. Selka herself was less concerned about being insulted, and more concerned about what Shirou thought of her. She blushed while glaring at Raiko.
As a side note, Raiko was starting to understand just why some of Wakoku's clans never actively provoked Heiwa. The Hageshi were the only one's to do so since they controlled Danger Beasts.
"Good work, Selka," Shirou said reassuringly, and suddenly Selka was all smiles, positively beaming.
"L-Leave it to me," Selka patted herself over the chest. "As a Hunter of Heiwa, this was child's play."
"Even if it's child's play, I still appreciate it." Shirou smiled in acknowledgment.
Raiko watched as Selka quivered and began fiddling with her thumbs, unable to meet Shirou's gaze. "I-It was nothing really," Selka said in high pitch, her eyes focusing on the ground and missing the way Akame irritably elbowed Shirou on the back.
"We're wasting time," Akame said in monotone. "Stop looking and get a move on." Akame began shoving Shirou towards the opened hatch before speaking towards Raiko. "Well, hurry it up."
Akame pulled Shirou in with her as she jumped into the hatch Selka had opened, much to Selka's indignation as she followed right after.
For some reason, Leone was grinning from ear to ear while watching the situation play out. Bulat and Lubbock chose not to get themselves involved. Raiko shook her head and entered down the hatch.
Built beneath the castle on the ridge was an intricate underground network used for the purpose of an escape passage. In this case, Raiko intended to use the hidden path to make their way into the heart of the castle where the leaders would be assembled.
"Bulat, you stay back in case things go wrong. You're Teigu can allow you to pierce a hole into any formation the enemy takes in case they attempt to bar our escape," Lubbock gave orders on the way. There was a reason Najenda had sent him. "Leone, Akame, you two will form a team and scout the castle's inner chambers when we arrive inside. Shirou, you are to follow Raiko into the assembly room and hold the clan leaders hostage with your magic while somehow convincing them to put an end to this war. Meanwhile, Selka and I will run interference. Any questions?"
Raiko did not argue. Shirou was one thing, but there was no way the others would fully trust her word if she came up with a plan.
With a course of action decided, the group sped up until they reached the castle's underground floor and broke in.
"There are going to be a lot of strong enemies," Raiko warned. "Clan leaders take their safety as the number one priority. Only the best escorts and guards are brought here."
"Let us handle them," Lubbock remained adamant. He turned towards Shirou. "We'll show you just what Night Raid is capable of."
Shirou looked at Lubbock and all the members of Night Raid, saw their determination, and relented on trying to keep them together so that he could protect them.
"Let's stop here for a bit," Shirou suddenly suggested. "If you're all intent on carrying out your roles, then let me help out if only a little bit."
The others stopped in their tracks, wondering just how Shirou intended to help them by placing his hands over their clothes.
Akame though seemed to understand.
"Trace. On," Shirou muttered as circuit-like patterns of magic travelled down his arms and onto everyone's clothes. Lubbock, Leone, Raiko, and Bulat jumped in alarm, but calmed down when they didn't feel anything wrong with them.
Raiko kept patting herself down, feeling for anything different but finding nothing. "What did you do?" She narrowed her eyes.
Before Shirou could answer, Akame demonstrated by hacking her sword against her own shirt, a shower of sparks forming as the fabric displayed an insane level of durability. Raiko and everyone else's mouths dried. Akame then proceeded to kick the floor with the toe of her combat boots and was pleased to see it leave a small depression on the wood.
"I reinforced all your clothes," Shirou explained. "It should be as durable as steel armour."
The admission was met with incredulousness as Raiko began stretching the fabric of her ninja leotard. The elasticity and texture were the same, and she was being told it could rival the defensive properties of steel? She took a kunai and ran the edge over her shirt and froze when a grating sound entered her ears.
This wasn't possible.
She was astounded, and based on the expressions of everyone else aside from Akame, they were too. Now came the problem however.
Shirou was staring at Selka. Heiwa's female Hunter set was just as exposed as the male armour set which consisted of only a fur kilt. Selka was basically wearing a fur bra and skirt, and nothing else but accessories around her wrists and ankles. Her tan skin, lithe muscles, and defined curves were all out in the open and offering no defence. Her long ash-blond hair was presently held in place by a hair band, but reinforcing that wouldn't do any good either.
"What?" Selka asked while others scrutinized her. "The best defence is not getting hit at all."
Shirou shook his head wryly.
"I know that you take pride in your clan's Hunter armour, but wear this." Shirou took off the thin jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around Selka whose heart unknowingly began beating rapidly. He reinforced in a second later. "It's not much, but it will give me a peace of mind that you at least have an extra layer of defence."
"I-If you insist." Selka seemed reluctant, but Akame and Leone could see that she was exceptionally pleased, and it looked like someone had just punched Akame in the gut.
"Well, be safe." Shirou said as everyone took off to complete their tasks.
Selka, Akame, Leone, and Lubbock went one way, while Shirou and Raiko went another. Bulat stayed behind as planned as an emergency back up.
When Shirou could no longer see them, Selka hugged his jacket closer and couldn't force down the smile forming over her face.
Akame blanked, nearly missing the foothold she had jumped towards, but correcting her trajectory at the last moment when Leone called out to her. Her features were ice cold.
"Are you alright, Akame? You have a strange look in your eyes."
Akame didn't answer, instead, she realized something while talking with Leone.
"Did you need something?" Leone asked.
Again, Akame didn't answer. She was too busy staring at Selka in the distance then back at herself. If she wore something as revealing as Selka's Hunting armour, then would Shirou give her his jacket too? Finally, she spoke up. "Do you still have the Heiwa Hunter's set Selka gave you?" She asked Leone.
Akame was seriously considering the prospect of wearing it.
Leone began mutedly laughing.
"I'm serious," Akame deadpanned.
That only made it funnier.
"S-Stop! J-Just stop talking right now. You'll make me give our position away by laughing too hard."
Leone pulled ahead out of earshot, but she wasn't fast enough.
"It's not funny." Akame's words echoed in Leone's ears.
Leone missed her footing in her mirth and stumbled into a random room occupied with two enemies while clutching her stomach and rolling on the floor.
"Well, fuck." She said a second later.
At least there were only two.
There were three rules to be a ninja of Jinsoku:
-Ninjas must possess strength of will.
-Ninjas must never fight in the open unless force.
-Ninjas must never abandon the clan's honour.
The most important rule was to abide by honour; the very same rule Raiko had chosen to break.
She'd prepared herself to receive harsh criticism and retaliation from the clan, but this was only after she and Shirou had completed the capture of Wakoku's leaders. The sight in front of her as she led Shirou to the castle's assembly room unnerved her.
The hall they were travelling towards was empty, as Raiko had used a path generally unused by guests and visitors; however, down the hall, she could see an entire unit of guards blocking the way to the assembly room.
She suddenly widened her eyes and signalled for Shirou to wait behind her out of sight at the corner of the hall. Raiko peeked around the corner once more to verify what she was seeing.
Guards? More than that, Jinsoku's ninjas?
Raiko furrowed her brows. They weren't supposed to be there.
"Is there a problem?" Shirou asked discreetly.
"No. Just an obstacle." Raiko answered, trying to sound reassuring. "Wait here. I'll deal with it."
Without waiting for Shirou's response, Raiko directly stepped within sight of her own ninjas and proceeded to walk closer to them. Some bowed while others remained stiff-backed and kept their features carefully neutral.
"Please stand aside," Raiko said somewhat impatiently. They were too close to the assembly hall and if they made a racket, they'd be pre-emptively discovered.
Hearing her words, a few ninjas obeyed Raiko's authority as leader of Jinsoku, but a few still lingered and barred the path forward, prompting Raiko to thin her lips. "What are you doing?"
A ninja stepped forward and shook his head without hesitation. On closer inspection, Raiko noticed the symbol of her uncle's personal guard engraved on the sleeve of the ninjas in front of her. "Apologies, lady Raiko, but on the orders of your uncle, we've been tasked to prevent you from making a mistake."
Raiko gnashed her teeth, her palms growing clammy. "You dare go against my words?"
Another ninja stepped forward with an open sneer, something no ninja had dared to do before. Looking at her, it was clear to Raiko that the woman was the close aid of her uncle, Rengoku. A woman by the name of Kaiori who'd always viewed Raiko as someone who stole Rengoku's rightful place as leader of Jinsoku,
"You dare try to dishonour the clan? You're nothing more than a disgrace for carrying out such an action. We didn't believe it at first when Rengoku suggested your betrayal, but the fact that you're here is telling enough. You are a traitor to your own clan."
Whispers began to spread among the ninjas, Raiko's complexion paling rapidly. Her strength was being sapped away from her as her will began to be whittled down by the accusatory stares filled with disappointment.
"You are nothing more than trash on the road who'd chosen to forsake your own people. Where will the clan be without honour if no one hires us for any missions? Your actions will doom us all and that makes you scum."
Raiko did her best to ignore the abuse hurled at her fully knowing that any explanation would be met by deaf ears without proof she couldn't give lest she force Shirou to act too early.
She took in a breath.
She'd have to fight and subdue them quietly. There was no avoiding it.
If it was her, the undisputed best ninja of Wakoku, it was possible. She raised her arms up, drawing her kunai in a single fluid motion, light reflecting from the metal. However, she froze a second later.
"So, this is the path you've chosen?" Kaiori and the ninjas beside her readied themselves for combat. "You'd fight us? Kill us perhaps?"
"N-No I-"
"Kinslaying bitch!"
Raiko's wavering voice was overpowered by Kaiori's own. Raiko trembled when even the ninjas watching from the sidelines who had previously listened to her orders tentatively took up their arms. It was clear to see who they were siding with, and it hurt knowing that they'd been swayed to believe she didn't keep the clan's best interest in mind.
Raiko's fists were clenched so tightly that the knuckles of her hands had whitened as Kaiori spoke one final line that struck deeply into Raiko.
"You know nothing of responsibility!"
She began to tremble. Strong and capable as she was, her one weakness ever since she took over the roll of her father was a critical lack of confidence. She'd taken leadership when she was young and was constantly criticized for several mis-actions in her youth. What if this time she was just making another mistake?
It was then that a voice roused her to stare up in her doubt.
"This is where I'm going to have to disagree with all of you." Shirou stepped out from his hiding place, fully revealing himself as he soon appeared by Raiko's side. There was a sharpness to him that spoke of steel.
The scent of iron and smoke began to permeate as a vein popped over Shirou's forehead. He'd listened enough.
"You fool, this isn't part of the plan!" Raiko yelled at him.
What plan? Raiko was going to have to learn that Shirou operated by his own rules and that no plan was ever perfect.
"What are you doing?" Raiko hissed.
Shirou turned away from the ninjas of Jinsoku and leveled Raiko with a solemn stare. "The plan can be improvised. Right now, I'm doing what I have to," he answered. He then asked Raiko a question that had her rooted in place and unable to speak calmly. "Besides, you're hurting, aren't you?"
"W-Why does that even matter to you?" Raiko rambled.
"Because it does." Shirou did no wait to see Raiko's reaction. Instead he stepped forward in front of her directly opposed to where Kaiori and the other ninjas were getting ready to strike at him. "Professional as you make yourself out to be, you're not actually that bad of a person. You chose the safety of those you care about and your clan over your own honour. It's not a disgrace, it just means you're human-"
"And a failure of a ninja." Shirou was interrupted, prompting him to glare at Kaiori who continued. "Honour stands above all, and she gave up before even trying, naively misled by the words of an enemy. That's why she's a disgrace."
"Misled?" Shirou was suddenly smiling; a smile that wasn't really a smile. A Rin smile and Archer-brand certified. "No. This is where you've all got it wrong."
The ninjas of Jinsoku suddenly buckled under an unseen force that focused solely on them. They were sweating, riveted in place, and struck dumb by the steadily forming wall of swords manifesting in the air and caging everyone within.
Sheep herded into a cage with a veritable blender.
"You see," Shirou spoke in the pin-drop silence. "She chose wisely."
You did not.