The air was warm, thick with the scent of sunlit pavement and the distant aroma of fresh bread from a bakery down the street. The neighborhood buzzed with a quiet kind of life—shopkeepers setting up for the day, families passing by with small children in tow, the occasional cyclist weaving through the roads.
Akame moved through it all, her steps steady but her mind far away.
Her simple white t-shirt clung lightly to her frame, the fabric thin enough to let the gentle breeze seep through, but also exposing the faintest hint of red circling her wrist.
She was the only one who noticed it.
The faintest imprint of Kaji's grip.
Her fingers twitched at her sides, rubbing against the invisible sensation—not because it hurt, but because it was still there. Her subconscious had tried to brush last night off as a fever dream, something hazy, something that couldn't have possibly happened.
But it did happen.
And that was what rattled her most.
The heat of his palm, the way he had held her—not like she was breakable, not like she was something to be handled with care. His fingers had gripped her as if she might disappear right in front of him.
Her chest tightened as fragments of the night before flickered through her mind—his voice, the rough edges of his words, the frustration bleeding into his touch.
"You didn't fucking ask for it."
Her breath hitched slightly as her face warmed, and she shook her head, forcing the memory back down. It was too heavy to carry in the daylight, too much to process in a world that felt too bright, too normal.
She had spent all morning pushing it away, stuffing it into the recesses of her mind as if that would make it disappear. But her body still remembered—the rough press of his lips, the heat pooling in her stomach, the maddening mix of anger and something far more dangerous.
Another wave of warmth flushed through her as she turned a corner, catching sight of Café Pathos as she passed by. The thought struck her suddenly—if she had stopped for coffee, would she have run into him?
She exhaled sharply, irritated with herself. What the hell is wrong with me?
The sound of a shopkeeper greeting her pulled her back to the present, and she forced a small smile, nodding as she passed. Her body moved automatically, her mind still lost in the undertow of Kaji.
"Akame-chan!"
The voice was familiar, pulling her forcefully out of her thoughts.
She blinked, turning her head slowly, her expression dazed.
Kotoha stood a few feet away, hands on her hips, grinning like she had caught Akame mid-daydream.
"Hm?" Akame hummed, still a little slow to respond.
Kotoha chuckled, stepping closer. "Help?"
Akame blinked again, trying to reorient herself.
"Umemiya's running late, and I have errands to run," Kotoha continued, stepping into Akame's space with that signature grin. "I could use an extra hand."
Akame hesitated for only a second. A distraction.
She nodded, tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear, her blush still lingering.
"You seem distracted," Kotoha teased as she looped their arms together, dragging Akame toward the first shop.
Akame glanced away, her face still warmer than it should be. "I'm not," she lied, voice smooth despite everything still spinning in her head.
YOU ARE READING
SUB ROSA | Wind Breaker
Fanfiction❝ She was like light slipping through the cracks-out of place, yet impossible to ignore.❞ Akame finds herself in a world that was never meant for her, a quiet contrast to Furin's chaos. But in a place that challenges her at every turn, she begins to...
