"Hah!" Wave slid back, gripping his wooden sword tightly then dashing forward, a blur of blue by his left causing him to turn instinctively, a strike to the back of his leg knocking him to his knees. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, he clenched his knuckles so tightly that they had gone pale and his heavy breathing was interrupted by the occasional grunt. "Not…yet," he grasped the sand beneath his palms and urged himself to stand, persisting in the internal battle with his aching body. But the more he moved, the more his body resisted; his joints, muscles and even his eyes ached from either being struck or overused. Glancing at the sandbags strapped to his wrists, Wave curled into a ball and made a move to stand, a swift strike from Esdeath's wooden sword knocking him down.
"B..but general?"
"You're clearly in no state to continue, Wave," she switched her sword to her right and crouched beside him, "While I commend your grit, you need to be aware of your physical limits."
He looked down with a frown, his balled-up fists slowly opening as he replied, "Understood, general."
"Good. Freshen up, have something to eat and get some rest, that's an order soldier."
"Yes ma'am." Esdeath spared him a final glance before she stood and exited the training arena.
While she had practised and had shown considerable progress in mastering the Arashi sword style, Esdeath had noted the Yeager's growth as they practised the arts Arata had compiled for each of them, mentally acknowledging and complimenting his efforts, an act she doubted she'd do in person.
Opening the doors to the common room, Esdeath's gaze met Kurome's, who froze, her mouth slightly parted with a cookie before it. "Welcome back, General," she dropped the snack back into the small brown bag before her, rising to greet her superior.
Acknowledging her salute, Esdeath stood behind a chair adjacent to Kurome's, silently observing her actions.
"Kurome."
"Yes, General?"
"That is the one Arata gave you, correct?"
Kurome glanced from the bag on her thighs to Esdeath who gestured at them, replying, "Yes, they are."
"So compared to the empire's body-enhancing drugs you usually consume, how do these fare?"
Her eyes widened at the statement. Of course, Esdeath was aware of her actions; the general had done a thorough background check on every member of the Yeagers. If she wished to put her trust in anyone, she needed to know about them, even Arata was not exempt from that.
The general curled a brow at the silent Kurome, the black-haired ex-assassin finally speaking up while being hopeful that her reply would suffice.
"Unlike the drugs, these feel more like supplements. While it was difficult at first to discard the enhancers completely and trust in these," she raised the bag to emphasize, "I eventually realized these were better."
"Hm?" Esdeath leaned forward with an inquisitive smile, resting her arms on the chair before her, "How exactly?"
"Well…" Kurome paused, mentally piecing and concluding her reply, "I don't get the bursts of energy the old drugs usually gave me, but these help me better in the long run and the effects are more or less permanent."
"So it raises your stamina?"
"Yes, general," she replied with a nod.
"Arata-san never fails to amaze me. At this point, it would seem that he is helping us far more than we've helped him."
Kurome returned her gaze to the bag, quietly nibbling on the cookie she had placed in her mouth. "And your training?" she turned to Esdeath, swallowing immediately, "How has it been?"
Kurome's blue eyes brightened at the question, like a child eager to tell her parents of her accomplishment, she leaned forward and explained animatedly, "It's been going well, I believe I've been able to build a stronger physique and better stamina. While I may be lacking in strength, I'm far more agile than I was and thanks to the manuals Arata-san gave me, my swordsmanship is improving and - ah!" she yelped in surprise at her action, bashfully facing her cookie bag.
Esdeath chuckled, walking to Kurome and patting her head endearingly, "You've become far brighter than before, I'm glad you're making progress." She met the general's affectionate stare briefly and glanced back at her snacks flustered.
Noting this, the blue-haired general chortled once more and stepped away from her subordinate, looking around the room, "The base has felt quite empty since Arata-san and Terra-san left."
"Oh, General, Run told me that he needed to meet with you, I'm sorry I forgot."
"Is that so," Esdeath muttered, turning away and walking briskly out of the room.
The clicks of her high-heeled boots echoed throughout the empty passageway, finally coming to an end as she reached the flower garden where her blonde subordinate sat, studying several files in his hands. Esdeath's porcelain fingers closed around the edge of one of the files and pulled it out, Run's eyes trailing its path and lighting up at the sight of his superior.
"General," he stood quickly, taking off his glasses and bowing right after, "I apologize for the discourtesy, I was a bit distracted."
She waved it off with a small smile, skimming through the document she had taken, "So?"
Run glanced up as he sat down, his brows raising slightly, "It seems there's conclusive evidence about what we had discussed the other time, correct?"
"Yes, some of them are." She looked from the papers to him inquisitively, "And the others?"
Run turned back to the folders in his hands briefly, his eyes meeting Esdeath's as he replied, "Mainly maintenance reports and a few other miscellaneous records. I do not wish to leave any stone unturned."
Studying him for a moment, a smile graced the fair lady's features as she returned the documents to him, the flowers a few feet to the side of the bench Run sat, her new destination. He recalled the flowers that his superior inspected as she had explained their use in torture briefly in a previous encounter of theirs. It was far more effective when placed in contact with an open wound.
"How is your training going?"
"Splendidly."
"Is that so?"
"I have to admit that Arata-sama knew far more about us than he let on, after all, I have never seen a more suitable martial art."
She glimpsed at him, returning her observant gaze to the white flowers before her, "You seem to have become more earnest than before, Run."
"Is that not a good thing, General?"
"Yes, after all, it'll be useful in the task I have for you."
"Task?"
Esdeath rose and approached Run, leaning forward and tapping the picture of a familiar silver-haired man on a document on the top of the pile. "I'll need you to observe him closely, he might very well be the missing piece in this puzzle."
Run looked from the picture to his superior, several scenarios running through his mind, depending on his acceptance or rejection of the mission. The person of interest was powerful, and his position was one where any actions perceived as hostile would not go unpunished. And I haven't considered his combat capability as I have yet to see him in battle. He shut his eyes while he took off his glasses, his golden irises meeting Esdeath's blue eyes. He knew hesitation would only weaken his resolve and he didn't need that for his decision. "Understood General."
…
The cool salty breeze balanced out the heat the bright sunny weather introduced. The turquoise waves beat against the boat periodically, subtle creaks accompanying the vehicle's motion. It was quiet for the most part, with the exemption of the faint whistling of the wind and the flapping of the ship's sails. The floorboards creaked louder beneath a sailor's boots as he made his way to the mast, the interruption to the silence fading as he reached his destination. One would find such a scene and experience relaxing, but that was not the case for the Order of Flames, Hono Hijiri.
His face was sickly pale, his forehead dotted with sweat while the occasional shiver ran through him. Lying on a hammock while shielding his eyes from the sunny sky, the boat's rocking kick-started the chain reaction that had been on repeat for the entirety of the trip. Hijiri staggered off the bed, swaying with each step as he neared the boat's edge, his jaw clenched tightly and his vision swam, his dizzy spells though disorienting, urged him forward. Holding the railing firmly, he leaned forward and evicted his stomach's contents into the ocean, the act granting him a brief moment of reprieve.
A gentle and soothing rub on his back caused him to turn slowly, a weak smile in his reply to his companion's actions. "How are you holding up?"
Gently taking the satchel of water offered to him, Hijiri took several gulps and sighed, "Shitty as ever as you can see."
Leone patted his back with a simper, "Who would've thought that the great Hijiri would be the type to get seasick?"
He glanced at Leone tiredly, groaning while slumping to the floor, a weak mutter escaping his lips, "I thought I'd gotten over it already." While Leone stared at the weary Hijiri, she was torn between two contrasting thoughts, leaning towards one more slightly than the other; on one hand, there was this strange sense of relief in seeing that even the great Order of Flames had his fair share of normal physical problems and she sure wasn't turning down any opportunity to console him, but on the other hand; there was a dreadful feeling that if they were to be placed in a situation were the rest of the team was not strong enough to face whatever adversary they had to battle, would they…
She shook her head with a wistful smile, Leone had steeled her resolve and had no room for any intrusive thoughts, especially any who had the memory of her torture as their roots.
"Leone." Her eyes met his, and for a moment even amidst his visible discomfort, his gaze was firm and reassuring and it brought a smile to her face, that was until the boat lurched to the side and Hijiri rose suddenly, hurling out the very little he had in his stomach. "So much for acting cool and shit." She giggled and sat beside him, the two quietly observing the clear azure sky.
The sudden creaking of the floorboards, the attention of the duo, a loud horn and the urgent movement of the sailors worried the Night Raiders. Rising from her position, Leone turned from the boatmen to the visibly concerned Akame who trailed them inquisitively, "What's going on?"
"I don't know. As soon as they heard the horn, they all rushed out here." She shot a sidelong glance at the approaching man who had introduced himself as the captain of the ship upon their boarding.
While his short dark hair and faint stubble made him appear a bit young, his calloused palms, interactions with his crew and how he presented himself were all testaments to his experience, that and Najenda's approval of him.
He stuffed his smoking pipe in his pocket, adjusting his captain's hat while he cleared his throat, "I'd like to ask for y'all's help with our lil problem." The Night raiders shared a look; his tone which was a polar opposite to his burly physique hinted that the issue might be larger than the way the captain had presented it.
"And what the hell is it?" Hijiri tiredly squatted beside the three, his exhausted yet curious stare resting on the skipper.
"Danger beasts, the lot of 'em," he turned to the ocean, his eyes narrowing at a subtle ripple the assassins were yet to pick up on. Looking from it to his crew who stood alert, weapons and nets ready, he continued, "This here area's usually filled with a lot of water-type danger beasts, like her for example."
The water parted violently and an enormous black serpentine creature emerged from beneath, a large fish-like danger beast held tightly between its jaws. Its large slit pupils focused on the ship before it, a loud hiss startling the vessel's occupants. Akame stared at the creature unflinchingly, her hand hovering over her blade's handle.
The tension rose with each passing moment, the sailors and Night raiders watched the beast who simply observed them out of curiosity, silently. At the moment there was an unspoken agreement to only act if the creature proved to be a threat, after all to the occupants of the ship, the best possible scenario was avoiding a battle, and that was one they strove to achieve. After what seemed like an eternity, the serpent dove back into the ocean, the turbulent waves rocking the boat violently and dowsing its floorboards and occupants.
Leone sighed, turning away from the scampering Hijiri to the slightly relieved Akame, "Lucky us huh?"
"Yes," Akame stared at the waters, pausing for a brief moment, "if it didn't have prey, we would've been in trouble. Fighting a water serpent on a boat is suicide."
"Not for us, right?" Leone smirked with a wink, her companion rolling her eyes at her antics.
"Glad we got through that safely," the captain stated, giving the panting Hijiri a concerned look, "He gonna be ok?"
"Yeah, as soon as he gets off the boat," Leone laughed nervously, watching Hijiri slide down to sit on the wet floorboards.
Glancing at his crew scurrying about the deck, the skipper sighed and turned back to the assassins, saying, "I'll get outta your hairs. Gotta get us back on track." Tipping his hat at them, he walked back to the rudder, barking orders at his cremates while he observed the state of his ship.
Hijiri exhaled tiredly, wiping his face with his left palm while his gaze remained on the clear skies. The journey so far proved to be far less eventful than he imagined it to be, that was except for his seasickness; an issue the Hono believed he had long resolved. He smacked his dry lips, the faint salty feeling lingering on his tongue; the earlier turbulence, the cause.
Shutting his eyes for a brief moment, a gentle but firm grip on Hijiri's shoulder snapped him out of his nap, his crimson irises meeting the green and cross-slit eyes of his colleague.
"Tatsumi, you're up early?"
Tatsumi chuckled nervously while running his hands through his hair, "I was really tired after my shift, sorry." Concern slowly replaced Tatsumi's bashful gaze as he studied Hijiri's pale, sweat-covered body, the back of his palm gently pushing aside his bangs and touching his forehead. "On the bright side, your temperature isn't too low."
"Yay," Hijiri muttered weakly, Tatsumi frowning at the subtle sarcasm he sensed.
"Alright then," The silver head's eyes followed his colleague as he stood, focusing on the hand offered to him, "Let's get you below deck nii-san."
"...sure."