Note: This Story is based on the Anime canon of Akame ga Kill! and is thus second canon. There will be a few minor differences between the Anime's storyline and this story's timeline (i.e. the dialogue and the sequencing of events), but it is usually for the progression of this story. "Original" ideas such as non-canon characters will be added later on.

"In bloody rebellion, nobody wins."
-?

Finally, the day had come. Though he had been preparing for it for months now, it only seemed like yesterday when his mentor asked him and his friends if they were willing to venture out towards the Capital. Applying for the military was the plan that they all agreed upon since the three of them were talented in hunting Danger Beasts, but they all knew that earning money for their village wasn't going to be easy, especially since they were only teens who had never properly been outside of the province before. They also knew, however, that they were the only ones able to work in the Capital for their village's survival. It would be their perseverance which would allow the village to survive the new heavy tax increase of the Empire.

Tatsumi lazily sat up in bed and looked out of his open window. He was greeted by the mountain region's cold fresh air, its breeze gently caressing his face as he watched his breath liquefy into wisps of visible vapor. It was just before dawn, their appointed time of departure from what had been their home for many years.

Stepping outside of his little cottage, he walked towards a nearby river to give himself a thorough bath. From there, he could see a general overview of the small snow-laden town which he had grown up in, its people just beginning to wake up and give the village the liveliness that Tatsumi had always cherished. He knew that he was going to miss the village; even after his parents' death, he still felt like he was an integral part of a big family due to the kind hearts that the village people possessed. People always greeted him nicely and he was always invited to games and social gatherings. The little kids saw him as their "big brother" whilst the older townsfolk treated him as if he were one of their own children. Seeing his potential to become a skilled warrior, an ex-military veteran even offered to train him and his friends in combat so that their talents wouldn't go to waste. No matter where he was, he was never lonely, as his best friends were always by his side.

"Friends…" Tatsumi thought to himself as he re-entered his house. He had just finished with his bath and was beginning to change into his plain white collared undershirt and brown v-neck. No matter where he was, his two best friends Sayo and Ieyasu had always accompanied and supported him. His most memorable moments in the village were spent with them, in laughter and in strife. Whenever he would receive recognition for his accomplishments, his friends were always there to celebrate with him. Whenever his heart was filled with anguish, he always knew that he could confide in his friends (no, not just friends, but his brother and sister), and he knew that they would always be there for him in his time of need.

As he was putting on his worn-out jeans and strapping on his brown leather boots and gauntlets, his shiny green eyes surveyed the small house. It only had two rooms: a dining room and a bedroom where he and his parents used to sleep. Ever since birth, this house was his safe haven where he would rest after a long hard day of training.

It was now that he truly felt grateful towards the place where he had always lived: the day when he was about to leave with no assurance that he was ever going to return.

Whilst making his final preparations, Tatsumi heard a series of knocks on his door followed by the familiar voices of his two best friends. He grinned to himself before double-checking his things one last time. Aside from money, snacks, medicine and other essentials, he made sure that he had his broad glistening sword strapped around his back, its signature green dragon's eye embedded into the center of its sturdy shaft. Ever since he started taking serious training, this sword was what he mainly relied on to become stronger and to defend himself from all sorts of dangers. Weirdly enough, however, he had never thought of a proper name for the sword.

With his wool jacket on and his backpack ready, he went on out to greet his jovial friends. Though not thought to be possible, Ieyasu was more excited than he usually was, his hot blood somehow causing him to sweat despite the cold secluded mountains that their village was situated in. He was currently trying to express his excitement to Sayo as loudly as he could, to which Sayo would calmly answer to with simple nods and petite smiles.

Turning his head back towards the now empty house, Tatsumi grinned once more. "Don't worry mom and dad, the elders will take care of the house while I'm gone. I promise that I'll make you proud." And with one final glance, Tatsumi shut the door.

And with one final glance, Tatsumi shut the door.

"Yeah! Aren't you guys excited that we're finally gonna leave this place!?" Ieyasu always talked with enthusiasm, his black spiky hair flaring up under his white sweaty headband. "I mean of course I'm gonna miss home, but aren't you guys pumped!? I know that I am! Who knows what's waiting for us in the Capital!?"

"Who said that we weren't?" asked Sayo, who was wearing a gentle smile that could warm any boy's heart. Although she stayed cool and collected, her face was starting to light up in anticipation of the journey ahead. She was wearing the same outfit that she had worn every day of her adolescent life: a snow white kimono decorated with purple tulips. She also had her signature purple flower hairpin on which complemented her black, long, and luscious hair. Her whole outfit made her look humble and simple, which she proved to be through her everyday life.

"I am interested as to how life is outside of our village," Tatsumi added. "Sensei did say that you need to leave home in order to learn more about the world around you. We may even make new friends along the way!"

"There you go again Tatsumi," Ieyasu remarked. "Always dreaming about making new friends. Aren't we enough!?"

"Well...Uhhhhhh..."

"Nah, that's okay Tatsumi," Ieyasu smirked. "I too know how it feels to have to look at Sayo's face every day."

"Did you say something Ieyasu?" Sayo asked with a smile, although it had a colder underlying tone. "Because if you commented on how I look again, I swear that I will-"

"Okay, okay, that's enough Sayo," Ieyasu said jokingly, not wanting to become the victim of Sayo's rage. "Anyway, I'm sure that the Capital has a lot of hot girls, just waiting for us Tat-"

The sound of a hand smacking Ieyasu's face echoed across the entire province. Ieyasu reeled in pain while being admonished by the now enraged Sayo. Tatsumi couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing. It was so common to see his two best friends act like this that it had now become a joke amongst the village people. Despite it being a special day for all of them, the atmosphere made it feel like any other regular day. This made Tatsumi happy: he hoped that he would still be able to experience this kind of homey feeling even if they were away from home.

The three friends walked towards the southern (and only) gate of the village, where they were greeted by mostly everyone whom they had grown up with. Some laughed, others cried, a lot of them asked for souvenirs if they ever returned. Most of them gave trinkets to the trio by which they could be remembered as the three ventured beyond the boundaries of their small town. After everybody had talked with the three young teens, the town elder approached the group of friends.

"You three have grown up faster than any of us could've ever imagined. And in that short amount of time, you have done so much for this small village of ours." The village elder said this with pride, holding back the tears that were welling up in his eyes. "It tears me to send you off to the Capital at such a crucial stage in your lives. As a parting gift, take this figure." The village elder then passed a small statue to Tatsumi. Tatsumi recognized the statue: it represented one of the many gods from the religion known as the "Path to Peace" which was popular in their village. "Keep it close to you and when you are in trouble, go-"

"Sell it right?"

"Wha—NO! DON'T DO THAT!" the village elder replied angrily. "When you are in trouble, keep it close to your body and god will offer his helping hands to you."

Ieyasu burst out laughing in tears, causing Sayo to smack once again and scold him for laughing.

"Alright." The village elder smiled, revealing the wear and tear he had experienced throughout all of the long years of his life. A teardrop was beginning to form at the edge of his partially blind eye. "Now make haste! The journey to the capital will be long and hard. I wish you all the best of luck and hope that we may meet again in the near future. Now farewell, and may you bring good fortune to our village!"

As the three began to walk away, the town screamed after them. They were going to miss the happy faces that had lived in that village ever since birth. As the town bid their young adventurers farewell, the three friends looked at each other with glee. Who knew what adventures awaited them in the distant and mysterious capital?

Little did they know that they would soon be separated, and the next time they saw each other would be their last.

Akame ga Kill!: Distortion

By WritingAmateur0604

ACT I: Enter the Darkness

Chapter 1: Separated and Lost

Tatsumi woke up to the sound of screaming and what sounded like an eagle's screech mixed with the ominous growl of a grizzly bear. From the roar itself, he knew that it was probably an Earth Dragon, something rarely seen near his village. The screaming came from two men who seemed to be outside of the…

Actually, where was he?

He, Sayo, and Ieyasu are fighting a group of bandits. During the fight, they are forced to separate and promise to meet each other at the Capital. He defeats the bandits but gets knocked out, and the next thing he knows he is stuck in a room full of crates. How the hell did that happen!?

"Maybe I was rescued..."

Tatsumi then remembers the faces of two merchants before blacking out. This wasn't a storage room; this was a caravan!

A caravan that was now shaking vigorously due to the appearance of a first class Danger Beast.

"These men probably saved my life." Tatsumi thought. "I better return the favor."

Dashing out of the caravan, Tatsumi instinctively lunges at the Earth Dragon's left arm. Unsheathing his sword, he quickly slices off the limb, which creates a soft thud as it lands on the ground beneath the monster. The wild beast screams in agony and in rage.

"You're angry, huh?" Tatsumi asks proudly, provoking the creature to attack him head on.

The beast lunges at Tatsumi, desperately trying to grab him with his other arm. Tatsumi simply sidesteps and, noticing an opening, slashes at the beast's legs. The creature tries to balance itself out, giving Tatsumi enough time to prepare for his final assault. Scaling its body, Tatsumi jumps high above the creature's head, falling back down with an accompaniment of quick swipes and slashes. In less than a second, the beast was no more.

The two merchants stand in awe as what is now left of the beast drops to the ground in a puddle of its own blood. They then focus their attention on the small brown-haired boy who lands gracefully in front of them. It seems as though he hasn't broken a single sweat.

"Amazing!" the fatter of the two exclaims. "You took down that Danger Beast single-handedly!"

"Well, obviously! For me, something like that was a piece of cake!"

Expecting modesty, the merchants are utterly bewildered by the boy's proud attitude. After a short pause, the boy continues.

"Anyway, my name is Tatsumi. You best remember it, especially when I make it big in the Capital."

Though the boy speaks with triumph, the mood suddenly changes as the two exchange wary looks before speaking to the boy in whispery voices.

"So, you want to make it big in the Capital?" the plump merchant asks in an almost furtive tone.

"Why of course!" the boy exclaims. "Becoming rich and famous in the capital is every country boy's dream!"

Once again, the two merchants look at each other with worry-stricken faces.

"What's the matter?" Tatsumi asks.

"The Capital is not the place that many dream it to be." It is now the taller of the two who speaks up. "There are many other monsters more vicious than this Earth Dragon."

"So, even the capital is infested with Danger Beasts?" asks a confused Tatsumi.

"The people. Though lively, their hearts are like monsters: greedy and corrupt. You best be careful when exploring the area."

"I appreciate the words of advice," Tatsumi replies, "but I can't turn back now. I promised-no, we promised that we would make money at the Capital and save our village."

"So, you already have friends waiting for you." The two men sigh. "Well, as a gift of our gratitude, take this."

The shorter man enters the caravan and comes out a few seconds later with a fully-loaded revolver, a leather holster that is worn around the waistline, and a small pouch half-filled with big bullets. The revolver didn't look all that special; as a matter of fact, it seemed old and rusty, with its gold paint starting to peel off due to years of use. He offered the gun to Tatsumi.

Seeing the boy's hesitation, the taller man explained to him its purpose. "Listen Tatsumi," the taller man said in a mellow voice. "Although that sword is good at short range offense, it is no good against a long-ranged enemy. Many people in the Capital will be using weapons such as these, so it's safer if you have a backup just in case somebody wants to kill you. We believe that you're a great kid with a lot of potential, so we don't want your life to just go to waste in the city like so many before you."

Tatsumi thought that the man was joking, until he saw that the two men were dead serious. He first examined the gun before looking back at the merchants. Finally, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry kind sirs, but I'm afraid that I can't accept your offer." Tatsumi tried to say this as polite and as quietly as possible as he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. "Back at our village, guns were symbols of impatience and indiscipline."

"At the Capital however," the shorter man explained, "nobody is patient and nobody has any sort of discipline whatsoever. It is a place ruled by greed and by fear."

After a moment of silence, Tatsumi decided that he might as well accept the merchants' offer. After all, it wasn't like he was going to use it or anything, unless of course if it was an extreme life-or-death situation. There was nothing wrong with being careful.

Tatsumi strapped the holster around his waist in such a way that it was partially covered by his v-neck. He then examined the gun one more time before placing it neatly inside of its supposed container. He placed the bag of bullets in his own bag.

"Thanks for the help. Who knows what would have happened out there if you hadn't found me."

"You're thanking us?!" the two said in unison. "We should be thanking you?! If it weren't for you, we would have gone "kapoof!" Both of them started to laugh heartily, with the plump merchant crying tears of relief. "Just always remember to be safe when you are in the Capital. You can't trust anyone in there."

"I will," replied Tatsumi. "By the way, I never got your names."

"Oh, well I'm Haru and this is my younger brother Haruki," the shorter man said as he motioned his hand towards his much taller brother, "and we're known in the Capital as the Nakamura brothers."

"We mostly sell antiquities," Haruki added, "but we also act as weapon dealers for-"

"We recently had to raise the prices, however," Haruki said in a somewhat downcast voice, "as the recession has caused a sudden increase in both food and material prices. We make do with what we have though."

"Here!" said Haru, who gave Tatsumi what seemed to be a business card. "This card contains our shop's complete address. If you ever need someone to talk to, just head over there and we can hang out."

"Well, thanks again for everything Haru and Haruki!" Tatsumi said joyfully. He was happy that he met such friendly people on his way to the Capital.

"You too Tatsumi!" Haru said. "Stay safe!" Haruki reminded him.

And with that, the two parties bid each other farewell, not knowing what was waiting for either of them in the Capital.