Survival in Akame ga kill

[Twelve Hours Ago]

[North of the Empire’s Capital]

[Foggy Mountains - 50 km from Night Raid’s Secret Base]

“Hah! Hah!” The sound of heavy breathing echoed in the dense fog as a young man struggled up the steep slope of the fog-covered mountain. 

The rays of dawn barely pierced through the mist, illuminating his dirt-covered, tattered clothes. His skin, covered in deep cuts and bruises, bore the marks of countless battles.

He stood among the scattered remains of what appeared to be stems and tree trunks, though upon closer inspection they were anything but normal trees. 

In reality, these trees were a species of danger beasts that excelled at blending in as lifeless trees. 

Disguised by their bark-like bodies, these creatures concealed their true nature.

Only a single yellow eye in the center of their trunks revealed their monstrous origins, waiting for the opportunity to prey on the unwary.

Suddenly, a hideous roar echoed across the mountainside.

“Groooo!!”

A monstrous Tree Beast lunged toward him, its large trunk-like arm swinging in for a lethal strike, ready to tear him apart with its tremendous force.

The young man gritted his teeth at this sight, but instead of running away, his feet moved as he closed the distance with the monster. 

Narrowly dodging the incoming attack, his body moved behind the beast and out of sheer instinct, he made a powerful sweep of his sword as he slashed through the beast’s thick bark, cutting it down before it could react.

“Hah!” Tatsumi panted heavily, sweat dripping from his brow. He turned his head toward a specific area of the dark forest and shouted, “I’ve done it, brother! I’ve finished them off!”

In response to the young man’s shout, a tall, muscular man started to approach from the thick mist. 

The muscular man walked toward Tatsumi, but there was no smile of praise on his face. 

Instead, the muscular man swiftly drew his sword from its scabbard and thrust it toward the young man’s neck, the force behind the thrust so great that mist began to disperse.

“.What?...” The young man barely voiced, exhausted from hours of combat. He was too slow to dodge the incoming thrust. He froze, wide-eyed, as the blade rushed towards his neck.

But the pain never came.

The young man blinked and slowly turned to see the muscular man smiling at him, his usual charming grin flashing across his face. 

“Look behind you,” the muscular man said.

The young man, hearing this immediately turned his head behind only to see the sword had pierced at the center yellow eye of a Tree Beast that had been silently creeping up behind him, its large body twitching.

“Don’t you dare get careless, Tatsumi,” The muscular man said in his deep, commanding voice. 

He stepped over to the monster, placed his foot on its massive trunk, and twisted the sword’s hilt, finishing the beast. As he pulled the sword from its lifeless body, he glanced back at Tatsumi.

Looking at Tatsumi, Bulat couldn’t help but recall the conversations they had shared over the past week. 

Tatsumi had come to him, seeking advice not just about combat but also to ask about what it truly meant to take a life.

Bulat, seeing Tatsumi’s worsening mental state, had accepted to give him advice.

He had brought the young man with him to train him in the mountains. During that week of intense training, he had come to recognize Tatsumi’s immense potential. 

In Bulat’s eyes, Tatsumi was a rough gem, filled with limitless possibilities, a talent that could one day surpass even his own and go toe to toe with Akame. 

The young man had mentioned that he had learned the basics of swordsmanship from a retired imperial soldier who had settled in his village. 

But as Bulat knew all too well, even the best teacher couldn’t turn an ordinary rock into a diamond. Only a piece of coal, under immense pressure, could become a gem. 

And Tatsumi, beneath the surface, was exactly that, a rough diamond, waiting to be polished through pressure and experience.

Tatsumi’s improvement over the past month has been nothing short of impressive. Ever since Bane had rescued his friends, Tatsumi had shown a determination and drive that had taken not just Bulat, but also other Night Raiders by surprise. 

Tatsumi’s growth had been rapid and his skills had sharpened with every passing day.

But despite his progress, Tatsumi still had much to learn. His inexperience showed his many flaws and among them the most concerning was in how he expended energy too quickly, especially in drawn-out battles. 

It was one of the reasons Bulat had brought him to the foggy mountains, to fight these vicious Tree Beasts. 

The monsters were relentless and required careful stamina management to defeat.

“I know you’ve been fighting for hours,” Bulat continued, his tone softer but still firm. 

“But here’s another important piece of advice. ‘Never, ever get careless on a battlefield.’ One second of distraction, and the next thing you know, you’re watching your own body as your head gets sliced off.”

The older man’s words carried weight, grounded in years of experience coming from his days as an outstanding imperial soldier. 

Tatsumi had the drive, but he needed to temper it with caution. The battlefield wasn’t just about strength or skill, it was about survival, about making the right decisions in the heat of the moment.

Bulat watched as Tatsumi caught his breath, sweat trickling down his face. He saw the young man reflect on the words, understanding their significance.

“You’re good,” Bulat added, “but strength means nothing if you lose focus. Stay sharp. Always. Do you understand Tatsumi?”

“...Yes, brother!” Tatsumi said hoarsely while trying to gather his breath.

He glanced at Bulat, who stood tall and imposing, his muscular frame untouched by the battle. 

There wasn’t a single drop of sweat on him. His body looked as if it was brimmed with unshakable strength and endurance. 

Tatsumi, on the other hand, looked down at himself. He was covered in mud, sweat, and blood. His clothes were torn, his body marked with cuts and bruises. 

The stark contrast between them was glaring, and it made Tatsumi realise how far he still had to go.

After Bulat had accepted his request for guidance, the older man had insisted on being called “big brother,” something Tatsumi had readily agreed to. 

The bond between them had grown quickly, and while Bulat’s passionate self was sometimes overwhelming for his heart, it was hard not to admire him.

To Tatsumi, Bulat was the perfect image of the man he aspired to become. He was strong, confident, and skilled in battle. 

Watching Bulat wield his sword and spear with deadly precision, especially when he donned the Incursio armour, was nothing short of awe-inspiring for him. 

The way Bulat tore through enemies as if they were nothing but rag dolls had earned Tatsumi’s utmost respect. 

It was hard not to look up to someone so capable, someone who embodied everything Tatsumi wanted to become.

But again, there was also Bulat’s boundless enthusiasm and ‘passion’, which could sometimes be a bit much for him. 

His ‘larger-than-life’ personality made Tatsumi want to run in the other direction from time to time, but he couldn’t deny the older man’s genuine heart and wisdom. 

He had come to trust Bulat fully, and that trust pushed him to continue training, no matter how tough the lessons were.

It had been less than a month since he joined Night Raid, and yet he had already undertaken several assassination missions. 

The weight of the responsibility still sat heavily on his shoulders, but with each mission, he was learning. 

He was growing stronger, faster, and more determined, but it was clear he still had much to learn before he could even think of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with someone like Bulat.

Leaving the topic about the big guy, things had been moving fast since both of his friends were rescued, thanks to Bane, the mysterious masked member of the Night Raid, who rarely was seen inside the hideout. 

Tatsumi had finally managed to come to speaking terms with him after sharing his own aspirations and determination. 

It had been a hard road, but Tatsumi was improving every day, thanks to the relentless guidance from Bulat, Akame, and Leone. 

They pushed him to be faster, smarter, and more controlled in battle, each contributing to sharpening his skills as a combatant. 

Bulat has taught him how to master stamina and control in the heat of battle, Akame taught him how to move silently and strike with precision, and Leone taught him to trust his instincts.

However, no amount of training could prepare him for the harsh reality of the missions. 

Things rarely went the way you planned, and Tatsumi quickly learned that lesson. 

And one of the particular mission continued to haunt him, replaying in his mind like a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

It had been a routine mission. 

Recover a kidnapped woman from a corrupt noble who was known for his depraved tastes. 

The target was a noble suspected of abducting a beautiful young woman from a commoner background, a frequent occurrence in the capital where the powerful could exploit the weak without consequence.

Tatsumi and Leone had been tasked with infiltrating the noble’s mansion and rescuing the victim. 

They broke in late at night, slipping through an upper-floor window undetected. But when they entered the noble’s quarters, Tatsumi was not prepared for what he found.

The sight that greeted him was beyond horrifying.

The young woman they were supposed to save was already dead. 

Her lifeless body lay discarded in the corner of the room, used and violated. 

The noble, unashamed and uncaring sat over her, his eyes glazed with madness as he continued to defile the corpse. 

The stench of death and decay hung thick in the air, suffocating in its intensity.

Tatsumi froze for a second, his mind struggling to process the gruesome scene in front of him. 

His blood boiled with rage, and before he could think, his body moved on its own. The noble barely had time to react as Tatsumi lunged forward, sword in hand.

Fueled by uncontrollable fury, Tatsumi struck the noble with savage precision, making him suffer for what he had done. 

There was no mercy, no second thought, only rage. By the time it was over, the noble’s body was left in a brutal, bloody heap, mutilated beyond recognition.

The sight of the dead woman, desecrated and brutalized, had ignited something dark within him, and without hesitation, he had made the noble suffer ten times the pain that his victim must have endured. 

Leone, who had accompanied him, did nothing to stop him. Perhaps she, too, saw the horror of what had been done and silently agreed with his vengeance. 

But it was his mistake for think that this was her reason.

Suddenly, a faint creaking sound reached his ears. The door behind him.

Leone and Tatsumi, who was still on edge, immediately turned preparing for a fight, their minds focused on the possibility of guards storming the room.

But what greeted them was far worse.

A little girl, no older than seven, stood frozen in the doorway. Her wide, tear-filled eyes stared at Tatsumi, who stood covered in the blood of her father. 

The dead noble’s lifeless body lay sprawled at his feet, mutilated beyond recognition.

The girl’s gaze shifted between the horrifying scene and Tatsumi’s bloodstained face. 

There was no understanding on the girl’s innocent face, no sense of what had transpired, only ‘fear’, raw and overwhelming.

The little girl didn’t know if Tatsumi had come to deliver justice or not.

She had no idea what crime her father had committed.

To her, the young man was nothing but a murderer who had taken her father’s life.

Her mouth quivered, and then the scream broke out.

It was a sound that pierced the very air around them, a shrill, terrified wail that reverberated through the mansion’s halls. 

The little girl fell to her knees, screaming for the father who would never answer her again.

The scream echoed in Tatsumi’s mind, drowning out everything else. His heart pounded as guilt slammed into him like a wave. 

As the adrenaline began to fade and Tatsumi’s breath slowed, the weight of what he had done settled on his shoulders. 

His hands trembled, blood dripped from his sword, from his clothes, as the realization of his brutality hit him. 

He was no longer just fighting for justice, which he believed.

That day, he had crossed a line that he shouldn’t have crossed.

He had acted without thought, without consideration, and now this innocent child had seen something she never should have.

Within moments, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard as the guards responded to the girl’s cry. 

But Tatsumi was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to think as the weight of his actions bore down on him.

The walls seemed to close in, the world around him growing darker and more suffocating as the realization settled in. He had killed her father in front of her, and no amount of revenge or justice could erase what he had done.

The memory still haunted him. That single mission had been a turning point, a harsh reminder of the cruel world he lived in.

A/N: I know this chapter was a bit on the dark side, but what else can you expect from an Akame ga Kill fic? To be honest, it was pretty nauseating for me to even think about, let alone write, that scene.

But since I’m committed to writing a fanfic set in the Akame ga Kill world, I’ve got to take my work seriously. Plus, this was an important step for Tatsumi’s mentality to grow. It had to happen!

[By the way, this chapter was 2200 words long]