『バウンド』 Bound

The Raid

I apologize for yet another long hiatus. I should be getting this rolling into gears again, and I'll have new updates and stories coming soon!

Enjoy!

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A deafening crash emitted through the once-silent base. Tatsumi and Lubbock sky-rocketed apart on the bed in drowsed confusion.

"What was that?" Lubbock asked when the bedroom door was slammed open by Akame, just as Tatsumi covered his bare waist with a blanket.

"Intruders! Hurry!" She announced before rushing off.

"H-Hey wait a minute! What about the-!" Lubbock was not able to finish his sentence and the two boys hurriedly got dressed. Soon, Lubbock finally looked over at Tatsumi.

"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded at the brunette. Tatsumi looked at Lubbock as though he was insane.

"What do you mean by that? The base was discovered by enemies." He explained what Akame had alerted previously, and Lubbock stepped over to him with furrowed brows.

"You need to stay here. There's no way you can go into combat with your condition!" Lubbock said uneasily. He knew no doubt, Tatsumi was going to be stubborn about the situation.

"You guys can't expect me to just sit here and watch everything go downhill. The last time I did that, you-!" Tatsumi could not finish his sentence, but Lubbock had easily caught on and shook his head at the memory. His scar had conveniently ached at the thought.

"That won't happen, just trust me- ah!" The entire floor had rumbled violently and the two boys had fell. Tatsumi immediately sat up just as Lubbock hastily recovered and headed straight for the door.

"Hey, wait!" Tatsumi raised a hand, but his protest had fell short when he felt a sharp pain inflict upon him. A thin string had shot and connected his wrist to the bed post. Lubbock opened the door turned his head with a last, apologetic look.

"I won't die." Lubbock reassured with small smile and Tatsumi, crestfallen, watched the male rush out and shut the door from behind. The teen hurriedly yanked his arm and swore when his attempts were fruitless. Panic rose as he growled and hastily jerked his arm several times. Why won't they understand? Why can't they just let him fight? Why is he not allowed to protect them!?

"Lubba!" Tatsumi screamed while continuing to pull against the restraint. His wrist was bleeding in no time from the thin string tearing into his skin as the sounds of bullets and explosions echoed distantly from outside. "Dammit!" He swore loudly and nearly collapsed from the raging beast pulsing in his head. The anger and frustration he felt was backfiring against him, nearly blinding Tatsumi with only crystal-white pain.

He male took steady breaths as he got on all fours, shaking from the dangerous explosions that occured at the commotion. The images were flashing before his mind again. The ccomrades he could not save. The unimaginable threats. The unkept promises. The pain. The dungeon. Internal break down. Insanity.

A deafening crash immited just in time to alert Tatsumi, from his steadily-warping mind, to the bedroom practically falling apart. A part of the ceiling had collapsed and completely annihilated the bed and Tatsumi looked up. Just in time, he moved out the way of a another peice crumbling to the creaking ground. With no post to be tied to, Tatsumi lifted his arm and yanked the string off of his bloodied wrist.

"I'll get him for this..." He growled under his breath, referring to Lubbock's act of binding him, for going for the door.

It was locked.

At this point, Tatsumi was pretty sure Lubbock would rather have him die from being stuck inside a toppling building, than being 'safe'. The brunette stepped back and slammed his forearm against the hot wood. The door crushed under his strength and Tatsumi was immediately greeted by small flames blackening the walls and floor. Just how did the intruders inflict this much damage to the base!?

After careful navigation and a few unwanted detours, Tatsumi found himself at the entrance of the base. The issue was that the entire front wall had been obliterated and the outside area displayed a literal, raging war-ground. Everyone was moving in blurs. It was chaos. He could not find it in himself to even take his first step outside. That is when Incursio dawned onto his mind.

Praying that everyone could hold out a bit longer, he goes back in search of the office. Back upstairs. Further past his room. Around the fire.

Tatsumi's heart wracked painfully against his chest as he pushed through the office door. He brought his arm over his mouth as he hacked from the black smoke hovering in the area. It was becoming harder to breath, but he would rather be in a much worse condition than let Incursio burn down along with the base. Whether he plans to use it or it, the top priority is reclaiming his teigu.

Unfortunately, just as he turned around to reach out for the Imperial arm, a body crashed into the walls and landed ungracefully on the mahogany desk. Tatsumi had hitched his movement, unintentionally holding his breath. A blonde girl sits up and wiped her mouth with a fanged smile.

"Oh... they're strong~" She says wickedly. "I still can't believe Syura died from one of these pests. What good would it have been to assemble us as Wild Hunt if he can't even live long enough to be the self-proclaimed leader?"

Wild Hunt...? Tatsumi managed to snatch Incursio just as the girl's red eyes caught a glimpse of him and hold it up. At once, the weapon's spirit began to drain him of his energy, but Tatsumi keeps his unstable position as the blonde girl hums interestedly.

"Oh? You must be Tatsumi. I've heard about you, and I must say, you look good enough to eat~." Her fangs grew more apparent and Tatsumi swallowed, preparing himself for an unpreventable encounter.