"That which does not kill us makes us stronger," was a famous saying, but like in several cases, Hono Hijiri was exempt from the statement. The two weeks at sea didn't kill him, nor did the storm that persisted for 2 days during their travel, but it didn't make him any more resistant to his seasickness. Luckily for him, the days passed like a blur, with only the events holding any significance to him. For most of each day, he spent his time below deck; either sleeping, studying the map of their destination, attempting and sometimes failing to eat his meals or just agonizing over his nausea. Occasionally, during calmer periods, one of his colleagues would escort him to the topside for some fresh air before ultimately returning to his quarters once the boat began to rock again. And the lack of medicine didn't help matters in any case, although it was to be expected; after all, a boat filled with seasoned sailors wouldn't have anyone with seasickness as a problem and Hijiri's excuse when angrily questioned by Akame was that he believed he had overcome it. A poor excuse but a reasonable one considering the one giving it.
On a fateful day, during one of their calmer moments at sea, Hijiri decided to take a stroll above deck as his pride wouldn't let him be treated like an invalid. Glancing at the marked map one last time, he quietly exhaled, mentally noting that they had already used up nearly a month on travel alone and he and the other Night raiders would have to find his aunt as soon as possible if he wished to hit the 2 month window of his return.
While to the others, it might have seemed like another one of his spot-on gut feelings, he could vividly recall overhearing his aunt planning with another, with the island; Kichōna as their destination. Sighing once more, he wondered just how much trust Najenda had in him to go along with his vague planning and Hijiri was truly grateful for associates like Night Raid. He chuckled softly upon recalling his first encounter with the group and closed up the map, inhaling deeply before setting out.
He walked out of his room, silently returning the greetings of the sailors that mulled about and cocking a brow at the overly enthusiastic hollers of a few.
Taking the stairs one, the clouds parted and rays of the afternoon sun bathed the silver head, who somewhat regretted his actions but ignored the annoyance and trudged on.
The wooden floor creaked and the captain and Akame turned back, her long black hair fluttering in the wind as she gave Hijiri a welcoming smile, "Nice of you to join us up here, Hijiri-san."
"Yer sure yer good bein' up here 'n all?" The captain asked while rubbing his beard absentmindedly with a look Hijiri interpreted as pity in his eyes.
Snorting inwardly, he gave a grateful smirk to the captain, attempting a different reply from the last time he was faced with such a look, "I'm fine, thanks. So?" He glanced between the two, "any news?"
"Well, have I got music for yer ears."
"Grinning politely, Hijiri gave off an aura Akame had only seen in the higher class of society, replying to the captain while being seemingly ignorant of her scrutinizing stare, "Oh, and what might that be?"
Pointing up, the silver head looked up to find what the skipper gestured at, a brow cocking at the white noisy birds he hadn't paid any attention to since arriving on the top deck, "Gulls?"
"Aye."
His crimson eyes slowly expanded, his head turning as he looked around searching, "We're close to the island?"
"Aye, we'll arrive within the hour if all goes well. So if yer'll excuse me," he tipped his peaked cap at the assassins, turning and barking others at his crewmates.
Akame's brows raised at the sight of Hijiri's swiftly retreating form, a small smile gracing her lips as she shook her head and walked after him, weaving through the scampering sailors.
…
The floorboards creaked beneath the assassins, Hijiri inhaling deeply in appreciation of the presence of solid ground. Ignoring Leone's taunting chuckle, he glanced around, mentally noting the origin of the smells that invaded his nostrils.
From the fish market at his far right to the merchants, sailors and travellers, the docks of the small island were notably busy. Little was known by the empire about the land that bordered the eastern country but a select few that were aware utilized their knowledge to the fullest. Kichōna had grown from a simple fisherman's island to a trading hub and a resort island; a perfect place for those who wanted to get away from everything as well.
Shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, Hijiri scanned the crowd once more, his holler snapping Akame out of her daze, "We've got everything we need, yeah?"
She tilted her head at the bags beside her, adjusting her red trenchcoat to hide the hilt of her katana from passersby, "Everything's here."
"Aren't you hot in that, Akame?" Tatsumi quirked a brow while he took off his blue hoodie, revealing a black base layer shirt.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she replied with a small smile, turning back to Hijiri who crouched to pick up their luggage.
"Let's get to the inn, we'll plan our next moves from there."
"I wonder how long it'd take for us to find your aunt, Hijiri?" He glanced at Leone as she sidled next to him, replying him confidently, "I've got a feeling that it'd be sooner than you think. Now let's leave."
Adjusting his small brown rucksack on his shoulder with a sigh, Tatsumi froze at the sight of a somewhat familiar black-haired woman who chatted animatedly with another lady whom he assumed was her friend. Standing as inconspicuous as possible, he stared at the ground zoning every other sound out asides from their conversation, eventually catching on to the latter part of it. , "...son in the capital?"
"Yes," the familiar woman replied, "he sent me a letter to let me know that he's fine and his squad is handling investigations on…" she looked around, stepping closer before continuing, "the attack that happened."
"Thank goodness, he's alright." her companion placed a hand on her cheek, her expression vividly reflecting the concern she felt, "But from the navy to a unit handpicked by the general in the capital, he must be really strong!"
"Of course, he is," the raven-haired woman said proudly, "he gets that from his mother."
The two shared a good-natured albeit brief laugh, "I hope he'll be fine though. I haven't heard the best news about the general or the capital."
"He'll be fine!" The woman said slightly louder than she intended to, in an attempt to reassure herself as well.
Noting this, her companion continued in an encouraging tone, "I'm sure he will, especially since the 'lord of lightning' is in the capital."
At that point Tatsumi deemed it unnecessary to continue to eavesdrop and snapped out of his daze-like state, meeting the questioning gazes of his teammates with a sheepish smile.
"You know 'em?" Hijiri subtly gestured at the two women clad in long brown gowns and silver tunics, with his head.
"Not quite, just heard rumours about the capital and your… colleague has already reached here."
"That soon huh," the silver head's brows furrowed as he muttered, shaking his head right after and turning to his companions with a solemn gaze. "All the more reason we have to hurry. Let's get settled first, the sooner we find her, the sooner we can get over whatever hellish routine she'll have for us."
"You seem pretty confident she'll help us?" Leone asked, her smirk faltering at the dark look that flashed across Hijiri's face.
"She doesn't have a choice."
She shielded her eyes from the sea breeze, internally reprimanding herself for forgetting her glasses at home. The action was unlike the silver-haired lady and although she had no medical need for the spectacles, there were far too many benefits from using them. After all, had she worn them, the ocean wind would not have been a bother. Another thing she had noticed was that the glasses helped her look somewhat older than she appeared to be and while her peers would've preferred the opposite, one could say she stood out from the crowd in that aspect.
While she was not one to fuss over appearances, as one who was treated rudely after being mistaken for a youngster too many times, she had eventually reached her limit, especially since most of the perpetrators were those five to ten years younger.
The silver-haired lady pursed her lips briefly, smiling politely at yet another group of admirers- another issue she had encountered with her appearance after all the years of residing on the island.
She instantly went rigid, exhaling quietly as a holler and a hand reached out to her from behind causing her to turn in feigned surprise.
"Sorry for bothering you, but," a black-haired girl held up an orange that had seemingly fallen from her basket of fruits.
She seems fairly strong, perhaps an assassin. After all, her footsteps were too silent for a normal swordsman. Smiling appreciatively, she bowed slightly, "Thank you so much. I really can't believe myself these days."
"No, no, no, it's quite alright," the swordswoman replied reassuringly, handing her the fruit with a polite smile.
Noticing her lingering look, the silver-haired woman tilted her head curiously, asking; "Is there a problem?"
The swordswoman's brows raised slightly in surprise, her gaze moving to her gloved palms while she replied, "Sorry, it's just that you have beautiful hair."
Reaching for her silver hair with a wistful smile, she replied, "Thank you, it's quite an attractive colour isn't it?" I couldn't bring myself to dye it.
"Yes."
Facing the black-haired lady, she decided to voice her observation, "I don't think I've ever seen you before, are you perhaps a tourist?"
"No, no, no, I'm just visiting a distant relative," she lied with a wistful smile, her companion noting and contemplating her intentions.
"I'll be on my way now, I wouldn't want to keep you from your family much longer." The black-haired girl bowed in response to her parting statement, silently observing her take a path that led up to the mountains. Could she be?
…
The bell jingled as the door swung open, a handful of the tavern's occupants turning to the grinning blonde woman who walked in. Ignoring the few who ogled her sparsely-covered bosom and greeting the innkeeper, she weaved through the tables and walked up the stairs. Stopping before a particular door in the hallway, she inhaled deeply as she reached for the door handle.
"I'm back!"
"Welcome," Hijiri replied to Leone's cheery holler stoically, returning his focus to a marked map of their current location that laid out before him. Exhaling audibly, the blonde plopped on the bed beside him and stared quietly, several moments passing before her companion broke the somewhat uncomfortable silence.
"What's with you?"
"I should be asking you that."
Sighing again, Leone sat up and shook her head, "I preferred the flirty Hijiri better."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Hijiri reached for her exposed torso and pulled her closer to himself, a yelp escaping her as she sat only a hair's breadth away from him. Her golden irises searched his crimson eyes briefly, flashing with realization upon discovering his ploy. Grinning wolfishly, she moved closer, her breath coating his lips as she muttered tauntingly, "Shocked?"
Hijiri's brows twitched, his eyes never leaving hers as he was determined to see through what he had started.
A quiet click announced the opening door but neither of the two budged, that was until a cough introduced some incoherent muttering and the sound of the door slamming shut.
"So to get it straight, nee-chan and Nii-san were in some kind of… taunting contest?"
"As silly as it sounds, it's the truth," Hijiri chimed in, crossing his arms and resting his back on the wall.
"What's ridiculous is that it is more believable than what we first assumed."
"Huh?" Leone turned to the stoic Akame in surprise.
"True, true."
"Not you too, Tatsumi," the blonde shook Tatsumi in disbelief, the corner of Hijiri's lips tilting up unintentionally at her antics.
"Alright, enough of that," Hijiri clapped to get their attention, the traces of his smile nowhere to be seen, "Tatsumi, any luck?"
"Nope, at least she isn't working on the island as a mercenary or anything like that."
"Leone?"
"I didn't see her at all, but the people at the market seemed suspicious about me asking about her, especially when they noticed I wasn't a native."
"That means Nii-san's aunt is somewhere on this island at the very least," Tatsumi stated reassuringly, earning a cheerful nod from Leone.
"Problem with that is, last I checked the island's freakin' huge and unless we find her within two weeks at most, we just wasted an entire month in a whole lotta shit."
"He was just trying to be encouraging, yeesh," Leone sighed, patting Tatsumi's shoulder encouragingly, ignoring Hijiri's frown.
Exhaling tiredly, and glancing at the setting sun, he turned back as Akame spoke up, "Hijiri-san, is your hair and eye colour a trait every member of your clan share?"
Leaning forward, Hijiri nodded in confirmation, waiting on Akame to continue. "I think I may have met your aunt."
…
Of the several occasions where Roland had varying emotions about his build, at that very moment he wished more than ever that he could grow smaller on command, and the stares he got from the passersby did no good to his waning confidence.
Sighing exasperatedly and tugging his scarf to cover the lower half of his face, he marched forward to his destination, Arata's mission his major driving force.
Having been sent into uncharted territory, he was tasked with contacting a doctor and retrieving a person; but as one would expect, having little knowledge of a contact would make the interaction all the more difficult. All he knew was the person he was to retrieve would be of great help to the Yeagers and the wandering knight pondered deeply on who it might be. Perhaps a relative? Or a former associate?
His thoughts ceased and his nose wrinkled at the pungent smell of the slums which invaded his nostrils. Walking briskly and confidently, Roland's eyes darted around noting the people present while also wondering how they could operate in such a place. The path was dim except for a few lanterns that barely helped to brighten the front of a few buildings that Roland assumed were stores of some kind.
Looking at the evening sky, he frowned at the grey clouds that prevented any moonlight from reaching the streets, sighing tiredly and trudging to his destination. After an entire trip of denial, he had finally realized that he would rather be anywhere than here and though it was Arata's plea that had sent him out here, it did little to change how uncomfortable the setting had made Roland.
"Tempest?" Roland halted at the question, quietly searching around before walking into the alleyway where a young man squatted. Inhaling deeply, he spoke up after a long pause, "I take it you're from the doctor?"
"...yeah."
"You found me quite swiftly. I'm impressed."
Sure, your massive body had nothing to do with it. The man remained silent, scanning Roland while organizing his thoughts. Shaking his head in an attempt to focus, he stated, "Call me Jesse."
"Ok Jesse, is he ready?"
Raising a brow, Jesse replied, "Yeah, the doctor's been waiting on you for a while now and about your contact… I'll leave the explaining to my boss."
"Another question," Jesse glanced at him inquisitively, slightly taken aback by the glare that although wasn't directed at him was unnerving, "I didn't know that I wasn't trusted enough that you would need hidden escorts." Roland glimpsed at him, noting his expression shift from confusion to fright before he finally scrunched up in grave understanding. After a brief moment of silence, Jesse stated, "Those men aren't with the doctor."
"...very well." The onlookers watched the unusual duo pause, before jerking back in surprise as the hulking man vanished and a spine-chilling presence suddenly appeared at their backs.
Bright golf lights emanating from his partly covered gauntlets were the last things they saw right before his large palms covered their faces and smashed their heads together with a sickening crunch, their bodies crumpling into a bloody heap.
"Is that all of them?"
Scanning the surroundings swiftly, Roland replied in a solemn tone, "It seems it was just these two."
"Let's get outta here before more of them show up." Taking one last look at the surroundings, he turned and matched Jesse's hurried pace, occasionally scanning for any trails.
The man jolted awake at the sound of the door opening, sighing in relief as Jesse walked into the room, a hulking man who he assumed was Arata's associate in tow. Putting on his glasses with a yawn, he smiled tiredly, "I hope your journey here wasn't too troublesome?"
Looking around the room with a scrutinizing gaze the doctor had associated with Arata, Roland replied, "There were a few… hindrances, but it's all settled now."
"That's good then." Gesturing at a set of white doors at the far end of the fairly lit room, the physician remarked, "Your associate is resting for now and I suggest you do too, after all, leaving tomorrow morning would be best, especially for her."
"...there's no problem if I see her now, is there?" Roland asked in a manner that came off more as a formality than a request, gaining an unsurprised nod from the doctor as a reply. After all, to the doctor, a close associate of Arata would have a similar behavior to him, especially one of the Supreme order. While it might've seemed like a stretch to assume the bulky man behind him was one of the Orders, due to how long he had associated with one of them and a world-class danger beast, the unmistakable aura they gave off had no longer gone unnoticed by him; and the brunette lying before him now exuded a similar ambience.
Recalling Arata's request, Roland stated, breaking the silence, "Change of plans, we leave tonight." Ignoring the reactions of Jesse and his superior, he shook Seryuu's shoulder firmly, speaking as her eyes opened blearily, "Wake up soldier, we have a faction to burn."