A Chance Encounter

"It was an accident!" he pleaded.

"LIKE HELL IT WAS!" she retorted.

In Tatsumi's defense, it truly was an accident of sorts. A slip of the tongue, an honest mistake, that somehow led up to a painful ending that had him begging Sayo for forgiveness. It was all in vain, however - he had managed to rile her up so bad her flower decoration flew off her head in her bout of anger. A nice, solid slap later, she left a shell-shocked Tatsumi lying on his butt in a shady alley somewhere in the confusing maze that is the Imperial Capital.

If he had to guess, they were on some sort of date that day. Sayo would never admit that in a million years, but he had to be a complete idiot to remain ignorant of her advances. To be honest, he liked her as well. Why wouldn't he? She's beautiful, smart, caring, and although occasionally harsh he could definitely see himself dating her. The problem would be that his feelings about Sayo is still unclear. He was hoping their time together would serve to clarify the nature of their relationship.

They were looking for cheap apartment buildings to rent before they begin their first semester in the Imperial Academy. Both Sayo and Tatsumi have earned scholarships that allowed them to attend the prestigious academy, but it took the combined funds of their savings to bring their less-than-hardworking friend Ieyasu along.

Together they are the first three youths from their remote mountain village to enter an Academy - and not just an Academy, the Academy. The academy that spawned great minds that had kept the Empire a thriving nation for more than a thousand years. He smiled, reminiscing the proud, avuncular smile the village Elder gave them before they left.

It was then that he noticed the sleeves of his shirt was getting wet from a mysterious puddle of sludge beside him.

Ugh. He shook off the mucky substance.

Back to reality it is.

Where was he?

The date.

Right.

So there they were, strolling casually through the shopping district of the city. It was incredibly disorienting. Back in the village, they have gone to a nearby town for various purposes, but he had never seen so many people squeezed in such a small place. His elder told him that back in his day there were a few million people living in the capital. Now it looked as if there were tens of millions. It scared him a little. The sheer size of the city made him feel like a tiny drop of water in a vast ocean.

But Sayo is not content in being an unmoving drop of water, so she dragged him around through rivers of people. They were in the commercial district, supposedly apartment-hunting, but when Sayo took a detour into the fashion district Tatsumi realized what she really wanted. He can only hope that they'll have enough time to find an apartment later.

Since they weren't very rich, they have never been able to afford more than window shopping, but this time Sayo looked rather determined.

"Do you actually have money to spend?" Tatsumi asked. "You know we need every cent we have to get an apartment, right?"

"I'm sick of these old things!" Sayo complained, pinching the hem of her worn skirt. "I know we're pretty tight money-wise but it can't hurt to buy a dress, right?"

It took her awhile to find an appropriate clothing store, but eventually they found one that looked moderately fancy yet affordable. They entered the store and Sayo immediately ditched him.

Sayo immediately started going through the various selections and fabrics, much to Tatsumi's exasperation. He sat down on a long seat in the middle of the room and watched as Sayo perused through their wares.

He noticed a green haired guy sitting beside him, looking as if he actually might die of boredom. Sayo had disappeared into one of the dressing rooms with a set of clothing and having nothing better to do, he tried to console the stranger.

"Women?" Tatsumi sympathized.

"Women." the green haired guy agreed.

Awkward silence.

"Who are you with?" Lubbock asked.

"She's in a dressing room. How about you?"

"Busty blonde, left aisle."

Tatsumi spotted a blonde haired beauty grabbing what seems to be indecent clothing. She looked around, as if worried if someone might see, and started stuffing various apparel into her bountiful chest. Lubbock slumped even further into his seat.

"If anyone asks, I don't know her."

"Date?"

"She'd kill me if I told you so."

They sighed in melodious harmony.

Before long the blonde haired beauty appeared out of one of the dressing rooms and stood proudly in front of his newly acquired comrade in the never-ending strife of accompanying women into shopping stores. She wore a skimpy black.. actually, he has no idea what she was wearing. It was revealing, all right; her bare shoulders, flat stomach and impressive cleavage was out for the world to see, but she didn't seem to care at all.

"So, what do you think, Lubbock?"

"You look good. Can we leave now?" the green haired guy,

"You didn't even look!" the blonde flared, grabbing 'Lubbock' by the scruff of his neck and raising him to stand.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he apologized.

"You should consider yourself lucky, you know. Not very many people get to enjoy store dates with a smoking hot girl!"

"How modest. But seriously, Leone, can we leave now?"

'Leone' frowned. Big mistake. "Fine!"

She practically dragged her companion out of the store, screaming.

Goodbye, Buttock. It was good knowing you. Tatsumi thought, closing in eyes in silent reverence to his fallen acquaintance. May our short time together improve my wisdom regarding the whims of women.

The door to the dressing room opened to reveal one Sayo in a white sleeveless dress. It shows off her bare arms and covered her legs in a sensual way. Her white flowery accessory stood out against her black locks, multiplying her cuteness factor by a hundred. She was a knockout.

"So? What do you think?" Sayo blurted out.

It was then that his brain conveniently decided to step outside for a nice, long walk. Left with the barest amount of intellect, Tatsumi managed to speak in a broken manner.

"Very- You look- Wow-"

It would have been a wonderful evening for Tatsumi if his brain did not return to his cranium with a crash. Shards of memory flashed through his mind and he spoke the one word that somehow managed to connect the stunning beauty presently standing before him and the green haired guy with which he spent a few short minutes of conviviality with.

"-Buttock."

Oops.

Tatsumi gave himself a mental slap.

Sayo flushed crimson.

"IDIOT!" she shouted, drawing attention from other shoppers and the store's attendants.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Tatsumi panicked.

"LIKE HELL IT WAS!"

"Calm down, Sayo!" Tatsumi said, worried by the annoyed looks their onlookers were giving them. "You're making a scene!"

"I'M MAKING A SCENE? HOW DARE YOU, YOU SICK PERVERT!" she continued to rant. Sayo grabbed him by his neck and started yelling various insults into his throat. He closed his eyes, imagining the various methods with which she would definitely end him with afterwards. No - she both loves and hates him too much to do that. She will keep him alive, barely, torturing him constantly until he loses his mind and spends the rest of his life in a mental institution.

A strong hand gripped his shoulder. Tatsumi turned to see a thin-lipped shop attendant, but with his girth and muscled body he might as well have been a club bouncer.

"Sir, I'm afraid you have to leave."

A permanent ban to the clothing brand and a hearty slap later he finally arrived in his current conundrum, sitting against the alley wall in defeat and occasionally hitting his head against the bricks, reminding himself of his epic feat of stupidity.

She'll forgive him eventually, of that he was sure. They are far too mature to hold a grudge against each other for extended periods of time, though Tatsumi wished the same could be said about Ieyasu. His fool of a friend was stuck in their inn room after he tried to peek at Sayo showering last night, and she had him locked up in their room for.. two days now? Three? His snacks must be running out. She even bribed the innkeeper to ignore whatever desperate screams would come out of their room.

Tatsumi shivered.

Women are scary.

He finally stood up and brushed himself off. It will probably take the rest of the day for Sayo to cool off. He just have to find a way to spend it without her. No big deal.

Right?

So off he went, traipsing around the bustling streets of the Capital.

This way.

No, this way.

Pretty sure the inn's right over here.

Or there.

Or everywhere.

Tatsumi groaned.

Why not admit it?

He's lost.

Great.

He has no idea where he is.

Maybe he can find out if he asked some locals.

Entering a coffee shop, Tatsumi ordered a nice cup of the miraculous brew to keep him on his feet. He was exhausted, and in more ways than one. Who knew women could be so demanding?

Men. That's who.

He stood up to pay the barista but was harshly reminded of the fact that Sayo was holding their collective funds.

Could this day get any better?

"I, uh, forgot my wallet. Can I pay you later?"

The kind woman who had served him his coffee mutated into a raging demon.

"That's what a lot of people say!" she said brightly, her voice laced with poison. "But I'm here to make sure that you'll pay!"

She produced a whip from under the counter.

As much as Tatsumi appreciated her rhymes, he had to get out of here before he gets into trouble. He can't afford to lose his scholarship over a silly scuffle in some godforsaken coffee shop. If he got into trouble for this Sayo would kill him. Again. And probably Ieyasu, too.

"Need some help?" a new voice appeared.

Tatsumi turned to see a beautiful girl with amber hair and matching eyes winking at him. She licked a gigantic lollipop seductively before flashing him a friendly smile.

He's a country boy, but he's not completely oblivious to the reality of life.

"What's the catch?" he asked warily.

"Sit with me." she deadpanned. "or you can go ahead and deal with Big Bertha. You should know that she's a sexual deviant. She keeps her victims chained up in her basement until they pay her off.. in one way or another."

Now that she mentioned it, Tatsumi could see himself rotting away in the dusty basement of a sadistic barista. The leather whip 'Big Bertha' was holding while staring at him was the last thing he needed to seal his decision.

He sighed and nodded. The girl walked up to the counter and paid his bill. She turned around and extended her free hand towards him.

"Name's Chelsea. Pleased to meet you." Chelsea greeted.

"Yeah. You too." Tatsumi replied.

He just has to sit with a pretty girl for awhile. He could do worse. Right?

"So, what brings you to the Capital?" he asked nervously.

Chelsea eyed him while continuing to lick her lollipop before giving him an answer.

"I'm learning fashion design at the Imperial Academy. Second semester. And you, country boy?"

How could she tell?

"You look like a lost sheep." she said, reading his mind.

"I'm attending IA, too." Tatsumi said. Great! Now that they shared something in common, can he leave?

Chelsea scooted her chair closer to him and continued licking her lollipop silently.

Are you sure Bertha's the sexual deviant here?

"What major?"

"I'm going to the military division, actually." Tatsumi clarified.

"Why?" Chelsea asked without missing a beat.

"I want to help people." Tatsumi said sincerely. "My friends and I - we come from a remote village on a mountain down south. It was harsh living and the village barely survives winter. The elder helped us save money so that we can attend the Imperial Academy and get good jobs. Then we can send money back to rebuild-"

Chelsea yawned. Her eyelids fluttered shut.

Tatsumi's eyebrows twitched with annoyance.

Sorry I bored you. It's not like you asked.

He was about to make a rude comment when she suddenly stretched like a cat and gave him an amused look.

"So how did you get here?" Chelsea asked. "Your girlfriend ditch you or something?"

Tatsumi blushed but decided to humor the amber haired girl. He began with Ieyasu's punishment for being a stupid pervert, trapped within the confines of their inn room for two days with nothing more than a bag of chips and a bottle of water. Continuing to more recent events, he recounted his and Sayo's crusade for clothing in the fashion district, his unfortunate acquaintance and his blonde partner, and his miraculously idiotic slip of the tongue, at which he earned a condescending chuckle from his audience.

"And now you're here." Chelsea summed up. "With no money, no idea where to go and a pissed off girl at your heels."

"Don't remind me." Tatsumi sighed, leaning back on his seat.

"Come." she said, getting up to her feet. She stood up and threw the stick of her lollipop into a trash can before glancing at him again. He merely looked at her, baffled.

"Well?" she asked.

"What?" Tatsumi asked, confused.

"You're dead meat in the capital if you don't know where to go, country boy" Chelsea said, unwrapping a new lollipop. "I'm offering you a walk home."

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Tatsumi asked, genuinely confused.

Her eyes twinkled.

"For favors. We're attending the same university, right? Who knows, maybe I'll need a helping hand in a tight spot or two. Not that you look like you can do much, but I'll take what I can get."

"..."

"It's not gonna be that bad!" Chelsea assured him, but her playful tone says otherwise. "Or do you want to deal with Big Bertha again?"

He considered the latter option for awhile, but discovered that he really doesn't wanna know what the demoness uses her whip for.

"Let's go." Tatsumi sighed.

"Smart decision, country boy." Chelsea smirked.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the streets.

What has he gotten himself into?

Tatsumi watched as Chelsea somehow produced another lollipop. He had kept a careful eye on her to find out where she was keeping her snacks, but they seemed to magically appear in her hands every time she ran out.

"Aren't you going to get sick or something?" Tatsumi asked, slightly disgusted by the amber haired girl's sugar intake.

"Then I'll have lived a good life." she replied with a slurp to her fresh lollipop. "Wouldn't you prefer sweet and short over long and bitter?"

"A-Anyway, where are you taking me? I thought we're going to my Inn-"

"You mentioned something about looking for a cheap apartment right? I know a place."

"You make it sound as if you're a drug dealer or something."

"Drugs. No. Candies, maybe. Want one?" she asked, offering him a plastic wrapped lollipop. It was pink and dotted with red stars.

"Um.. no thanks."

"Your loss." she sighed.

She led him through a maze of alleyways into the residential district.

"Stop looking like a country boy." Chelsea chortled.

"What are you talking about?" Tatsumi asked.

"You have this idiotic grin permanently stuck to your face."

"You have this weird headset permanently stuck to your head."

Chelsea stopped moving.

"I.. I'm deaf." she whispered sadly. She touched her headset gingerly. "I can't hear without it."

Tatsumi was mortified.

By the Gods, how many girls can you piss off in one day, you loud mouthed idiot?!

And then he noticed the corners of her mouth twitching. She noticed him noticing and exploded into a bout of shameless laughter. Tatsumi turned away from her, red faced and mentally punched himself for falling for the trick.

"You should have seen your face!" she snickered.

"That was low!" Tatsumi accused, walking away.

"Hey, come on, it's just a joke." she said, still chuckling.

"Who pretends to be disabled for a joke!?" Tatsumi asked, infuriated. "You shouldn't be taking advantage of people's kindness like that!"

"Hey, take it easy, hero." Chelsea said sacrastically, any traces of her previous laughter gone, replaced with mild annoyance. "It's the Capital, after all. If you're looking for 'kindness', you're looking at the wrong place."

"Yeah, well.. Nobody in my village would ever do that." Tatsumi said, his anger abated.

"Which is why I call you country boy." Chelsea replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Stop calling me that!"

"You never told me your name." she pointed out.

"T-Tatsumi." he mumbled. "Sorry."

A moment later, his eyes narrowed.

"You mentioned that to change the topic, didn't you?!"

Chelsea's amused laughter echoed through the narrow streets once more.

"This is it." Chelsea said, placing her hand on her hips.

"Looks nice." Tatsumi complimented.

"Thanks."

They stood before a simple apartment building. It has red brick walls and a brown rooftop. Small flowers decorated the outside of the window sills. The front lawn, though small, was clean and well maintained. No, scratch that. The whole building looks nearly flawless. Even the red bricks were clean and aligned with uncanny precision.

"It's pretty close to the Imperial Academy." Chelsea said. "Pretty cheap rent, too."

"What's the catch?" Tatsumi asked immediately.

"That was fast." Chelsea said, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "The catch would be.. an interesting landlord and.. eccentric roommates."

"You make it sound like a mental asylum." Tatsumi said in exasperation. "I mentioned I have two friends with me, right? Are you sure there's enough room for them, too?"

"We can sort the details out later." Chelsea said, knocking on the door. "Let's go."

"Hey, wait! Don't you think this is a little.. fast?"

"Hey Susan!" Chelsea shouted, ignoring his complaints. "Open up!"

A female landlord, huh? Tatsumi thought. That's interesting. Not a lot of women own property these-

The door opened.

"Welcome back, Chelsea. I was just churning some soup. Who is this young man?"

A powerfully built man towered over him, clothed with kitchen apron and holding a giant stirring rod. He had a short stubble on his chin, striking violet eyes and handsome, shaggy dark blue hair. He had a neutral expression on his face and seems to be sizing me up. Soup dripped from the stirring rod he was holding.

"This is Tatsumi. He's interested in renting-"

Susan..? swooped down to the entrance steps and started dabbing off the soup that had dropped on to the ground with a napkin.

"I told you to stop calling me Susan, Chelsea." the man (Susan? Really?) said disapprovingly.

Chelsea ignored him as well.

Tatsumi sent the man a look of sympathy. He did not return it.

Gesturing to both of them, Chelsea introduced the naive country boy and neat freak landlord to each other.

"Tatsumi, meet Susanoo." she intentionally slurred the third syllable of his name. "Susanoo, Tatsumi. He's new in the capital and are going to attend the University as well."

Tatsumi found his hand clasped in a firm handshake. The blue haired man eyed him up like he was a piece of furniture.. and immediately moved to tuck in a part of his shirt that flowed over his pants. His groin, to be more precise. Tatsumi backpedaled away to see Chelsea look on with amusement and Susanoo frowning. The landlord did not seem to find anything wrong with molesting a potential client. Sure, it was a brief over-the-clothes action, but save it for the second date. He's not Ieyasu.

"Call me Sano." he said, brushing off his hand. Really?

"P-Pleased to meet you." Tatsumi said, trying to make do with whatever is left of the mess he was in.

"You said you're interested in renting a place?" the landlord said. Tatsumi nodded. "Chelsea mentioned you're new in the capital."

"Yeah. It's only been two days. I still have no idea how to get anywhere.. or where to go, actually."

"Then come in. You must be tired." Susan..oo? ushered him inside the immaculate apartment.

Tatsumi found himself in a cozy living room. Pristine tapestries decorated the walls and the furniture looked as if they were painstakingly measured and placed with mechanical precision. A mind boggling amount of sweets, ranging from small cakes and cookies to candies and lollipops. Chelsea sauntered over to the cache of diabetic delights and took a dozen lollipops, stuffing them unceremoniously inside her vest. She kept one, unwrapped it and proceeded to lick away.

Another mystery solved.

"Shushan likesh thingsh neat." Chelsea mumbled through her lollipop.

"Chelsea, please." Susanoo sighed. "Call me anything but that."

Chelsea seemed to consider his demand.

"Nope."

Figures.

"So.." Tatsumi started.

"I need to tend to my soup before it boils over." Susanoo said, heading to the kitchen.

"I'll go change." Chelsea said, going up a staircase.

And thus he was ditched for the second time that day, and by two people at once.

Can this day get any worse? Tatsumi thought. Actually, I don't want to know the answer.

He sat down on one of the living room's many couches. It was red and soft, as if it was washed yesterday. Knowing his potential landlord, it probably was. He stared at the ungodly mass of sugar piled on the table before him.

Back in his village such luxuries are considered yearly treats. With the southern economy as it is, nobody could afford sweets, even those most villagers would consider relatively well-off. And now, it looks as if the people in this place can afford to inhale these treats like air. Tatsumi eyes a tempting piece of lollipop standing out in the middle of the pile and licked his mouth. He realized he hasn't eaten for the better part of the day and reached for the lollipop.

She eats them by the dozen. I'm a guest, right? I can take one. Tatsumi reasoned.

A flash of black hair blinded him for a split second, forcing his eyes to close reflexively. When he opened them again, he saw the razor sharp edge of a kitchen knife. And a raven haired girl with a bland expression on her face.

"Thief." she deadpanned, raising the knife for a killing blow. "Eliminate."

He shrieked in an unmanly fashion and pushed back against the couch. They both toppled over. Sweets and cookies flew everywhere across the room. The girl lost grip of the kitchen knife. Sweet jars fell and shattered on the floor. Tatsumi took the opportunity to run for the door. He's had enough of this madness.

Only to find a near similar copy of his first assailant standing guard with a murderous expression on her face. It was bad enough that he stumbled across something as dangerous as a kitchen knife today. You know what's worse than a kitchen knife? Two of them.

The younger girl raised one of her knives to him.

"Mine." she hissed.

"Wha-?" Tatsumi blubbered. He looked to where she was pointing and saw the crumbly remains of a cookie jar he had accidentally crushed during the ambush. Unfortunately, he also saw the first girl get to her feet, her knife reclaimed.

"Eliminate." the red eyed girl muttered.

"MINE!" the younger girl shrieked.

"AAAAGH!" the green eyed boy shrieked.

"Hold it." the horn-haired man said.

Wait.

A man with a hairstyle beyond human comprehension moved in to his rescue. He fended of both girls with bulging, shaven arms and proceeded to wound them around Tatsumi's shoulders.

What?

"Bulat." the red eyed girl said. "Thief. Eliminate."

"He broke my cookies." the younger girl said venomously. "I want to kill him."

"He's a guest here!" Bulat said with a tone that made Tatsumi cringe. The bigger man's proximity to his added to his mounting discomfort. "We should not kill our guests, Akame! Even if they were trying to steal our food!"

Eh?

"Hey, that was her fault!" Tatsumi protested. Bulat ignored him, preoccupied with running his fingers through his hair. "Especially if they're.. cute."

WHAT?

"Bulat's gay." the younger girl said.

No. No. No.

"Kurome! Don't give him the wrong idea!"

HE DIDN'T EVEN DENY IT!

Tatsumi broke away from Bulat's embrace and leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, breathing erratically. He considered break out and fleeing through the window sill, but then Susanoo would probably hunt him down for tainting his immaculate property.

"He was alone when I found him." Akame said.

"If I have the story right, he was looking for an apartment and Chelsea brought him here. She's upstairs and Sano needed to finish his soup. He told me about it."

Thank you, gay man. Even if you were trying to cop a feel on me.

"He broke my cookies." Kurome hissed again.

"Is that all you care about?" Tatsumi shouted.

"Cookies are very important." her eyes glinted with steely murder.

Is there no end to-

"DINNER IS READY!" Susanoo's baritone voice rang out.

"Great!" Kurome exclaimed, any indicators to her previous behaviour disappearing in a flash. Akame still looked at him with suspicion, toying with the kitchen knife.

"We can always kill him later." Bulat reasoned with her.

"I suppose." Akame conceded.

She followed Kurome to the next room.

Was that supposed to reassure me? I gave the horn haired guy a look.

Bulat winked and started for the dining room as well.

Good. It's his chance to get out of this inhuman asyl-

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Susanoo shouted.

Tatsumi realized Bulat's wink was not a flirty one. It was one of cunning, laced with sly intent and a hint of amusement of what was about to come.

The truth struck him.

They all ditched him on purpose.

Susanoo walked into the living room slowly, a dark blue aura emanating from his stiff posture. He eyed the room; the cookie crumbs staining the carpet, candy wrappers strewn across the floor, lollipop shards sticking out of the couch..

"You."

The blue haired man took a step towards Tatsumi.

No.. not like this.

He closed his eyes.

Not like this.

"Well, have you?"

"I.. may have seen a person with your description. But he was a horrid customer! Why would I help him?"

Rewind back an hour ago and we can find a calmer Sayo sitting on her bed in the inn, pondering whether or not her punishment was worth a slip of tongue. Knowing Tatsumi, it's impossible for him to spit out vulgarity on purpose.

He'll be fine, of course. He's smart and resourceful. He can last a night in the capital. She can only hope he'll find someone who can show him the way back to the Inn.

She finally released Ieyasu from his torturous prison of an inn after two days of absolute boredom. If there's anything that uncouth idiot can't stand, it's not being able to do anything. She found him slump on the bed looking depressed.

Sayo thought about the other friend she ditched behind.

I wonder how he's doing?

Sitting in the alley, shivering in the cold?

Starving and thirsty, cold and sad?

Okay, she may feel more than a little bad.

So she set off into the night to find her missing friend. Considering the places he might be, Sayo went to the alley where she abandoned him. Finding it empty, she entered to a nearby coffee shop and asked if anyone had seen a boy with brown hair, green eyes, dirty clothes and an angry red slap mark on his cheek. Possibly.

One of the employees perked her head up at her description of Tatsumi. Sayo immediately honed in on the barista and here she was, sipping a warm frappucino at eight o'clock in the night. The coffee shop was about to close and the customers were few enough that the barista could spare a few moments to talk with her.

"So what if I saw him?" Bertha said gruffly, cleaning a mug from behind the counter. "I don't know the guy!"

"Please tell me if you saw where he went. He's new in the city and probably has no idea where to go."

"He didn't even pay for his coffee!" Bertha complained, scrubbing off a blender with increasing fervor. "Says he's got nothin'! What kind of idiot orders something if he doesn't have money?" The blender's plastic cracked and the barista sighed.

Sayo's hands went instinctively to the money pouch on her belt.

Oops. Sorry Tatsumi. she mentally apologized.

"Please?" she said, putting on her best I'm begging you face. "He's my friend and I can't sleep knowing he's lost.. and cold.. and-"

"Look," Bertha groaned, "If you really wanna know, one of my regulars took him with her. Paid his coffee, too."

"Do you know where she lives?" Sayo brightened.

" Down the street thataways. Apartment building, red bricks, brown roof tiles, so neat you can't miss it."

"Thanks!" she said.

Opening the coffee shop door with a creak, she set out to find her lost love interest.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Tatsumi grumbled through his teeth.

"You wrecked the living room and trashed Kurome's cookies." Chelsea said.

"YOU, TOO!?" Tatsumi sighed in exasperation.

Chelsea laughed. "Knowing Akame, I think I can figure out what happened."

"So why didn't you tell that to Susanoo?" Tatsumi complained.

"Because it's fun watching you scrub the bathroom floor."

"That's it?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Well, I also wanted to get out of my scrubbing shift this week."

His scream of frustration was heard throughout the entire neighborhood.

"Is that a girl?" a little boy asked his mother.

"Damned robbers nowadays." an old man mumbled.

"I think someone's in trouble." a woman told her husband.

Indeed, Tatsumi was currently hunched over the apartment bathroom, which was covered with patches of moss, fungal growths and dirt. It was such a disgusting job Tatsumi could understand why Chelsea would want to get out of having to do it, but doing so at his expense..

Tatsumi glanced up to give her a murderous look. Chelsea ignored him.

Chelsea had convinced everyone that he can pay off the mess in the living room by working for them for the rest of the night, but they used him like a slave. He dusted the attic, cleaned up the dining room, wiped the windows and rearranged the flower vases.

All the while Kurome was yelling at him, throwing insults, and Akame eyed him while holding a kitchen knife like a serial killer. Bulat gave him creepy smiles and told the green eyed boy to call him bro. He's never been forced to call anyone bro before. Nobody ever called anybody bro in his village before. To add to his growing list of pains, Susanoo would glare at him whenever he crossed the landlord's line of sight and Chelsea kept laughing at his expense.

"Country boy!" Kurome said through the other room. "The kitchen's next! Go do the dishes!"

Chelsea unwrapped another lollipop. She tossed the wrapper on the bathroom floor.

"Missed a spot." she winked.

She promptly received a bucket of water to her face.

Unhealthy gray water trickled down her shirt and on her shorts. Her eyes were closed and she sputtered water. Her amber hair was drenched to the tips. It was Tatsumi's turn to laugh, but he faltered when he saw her lips form a twisted smile.

"Very funny, country boy." she hissed, grabbing a nearby hose.

"It was a joke!"

"The moment you touch a girl's hair, it's no longer a joke." she explained.

Ah. Right.

Well.

Shit.

Sayo knocked on the door nervously.

Her first impression of the apartment building was how ridiculously clean it is. The front lawn was mowed perfectly, decorated with artistically shorn bushes and symmetrically aligned flowers. Even the grass seemed to grow in rows. When banging on the front lawn fence didn't work, she stepped into the yard. There's no way she could've gotten the building wrong - the barista had said it was so neat she couldn't miss it, and Sayo was inclined to agree.

"Um, hello?" Sayo said, not wanting to shout. It was past the tenth hour and she was loathe to wake anybody up. That said, most of the city appeared to be awake, if the countless lights shining on the road lamps and apartment windows were anything to go by. Sayo looked forward to studying with decent lighting instead of the candlelight they had to make do back then. The simple things in life these people take for granted are considered luxuries in the village.

When no one came to answer the door, Sayo began to reconsider her decision. Tatsumi's probably not here anymore. Either that or the barista was playing a prank on her. She'll go back for now and-

The door opened to reveal a girl with red eyes and black hair. She wore black pajamas and a red tie.

Who wears ties at ten o'clock at night?

"Can I help you?" the girl asked with a monotone voice.

"Y-Yeah," Sayo started. "I'm trying to find my friend. You see, I kind of ditched him and took the money with me and somebody told me he came here."

"Soft green eyes, brown hair, big ears, light vest, black pants, bad manners, dimple on the bottom right cheek?" the girl said in rapid fire.

"Is he here?" Sayo asked, trying to hide the fact that she was slightly creeped out by the amount of information the girl had gathered about him in less than a day. Is this a capital culture thing?

She nodded.

"Can I see him?" Sayo asked again.

"She nodded and sidestepped so Sayo can enter.

"T-Thanks." Sayo said, abandoning her sandals and stepping inside the building gingerly.

Despite all her bravado in their first three days in the capital, Sayo was just as clueless as her other two companions when it comes to inner city culture and mannerisms. She hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself further and resolved to prove her adaptability to her host.

The red eyed girl closed the door, locked it and gestured for Sayo to follow her inside the house. She did.

They entered a surprisingly empty living room. A kitchen knife stuck out of the couch, the table was broken in two and a short haired girl was sitting in the middle of the room, staring at a jar of cookie crumbs mournfully. Decorative paintings hung at odd angles, pieces of the walls paint were chipped and a section of the carpet was dirty with.. cake?

Sayo raised an eyebrow at the peculiar sight.

"His fault." the black haired girl said.

"Tatsumi's?" Sayo asked.

"Presumed thief. Currently sentenced to scrub duty." she continued, going up a flight of stairs. Sayo moved to follow her but bumped into an extended hand instead.

"I am Akame." the girl said. "May I have your name?"

Introductions! She forgot! So much for cultural adaptability.

"I'm Sayo." Sayo smiled apologetically. They started walking up the steps.

"Your friend. What's his name?" Akame asked.

"Tatsumi. He didn't introduce himself either?"

"Is not introducing yourself a common custom in the countryside?" Akame inquired.

"N-No! We just.. forgot. Sorry." Sayo said.

"No consequence. Necessary information acquired." Akame replied robotically.

Is this how locals speak? No, other people she encountered spoke normally enough. Akame was.. well, weird.

Back to Tatsumi. So he got in trouble. Typical. He's always been an idiot, especially around woman. Although.. she supposed it was her fault he was even here in the first place.

"He is here." Akame said, stopping at a brown wooden door. There were sounds of running water on the other side of the door. He must be working hard to make up for the mess downstairs. And it's her fault. Ah, enough of that. He'll be fine.. Still her fault though.

Sayo breathed deeply and prepared an apology for her green eyed friend.

The door opened.

And her jaws dropped open.

The scene Sayo saw was quite complicated and therefore requires several descriptions regarding the situation within the bathroom.

Prior to her entering the room, Tatsumi was taking cover behind the shower curtain. Chelsea were faster in grabbing the water hose attached on the wall and therefore have acquired superior firepower to his rather primitive bucket. She can afford to continue wasting away at the country boy, pressing on the tip to create a painful focusing effect. The hose was made for Susanoo's daily showers - it was powerful enough to scrub the fur out of a danger beast. In Tatsumi's case, he had to fill it with tap water before throwing another nasty water bomb towards her. Despite his primeval weaponry, Tatsumi bolstered his arsenal with various shampoos and toiletries available in the shower. He uncapped the top of a "Flower Scented! Capital's Beauty special shampoo 50% off!" bottle and squirted its contents at his amber haired nemesis. A bucket bomb later, she was soaked with both dirty water AND bubbles.

"How'd you like that, huh?" Tatsumi taunted from behind the shower curtain.

"Doing such dirty things to a girl." Chelsea said. "You're a perfect match for Bertha!"

"Says the girl trying to spray my pants off!"

Chelsea kicked off the hose's safety ring. The water output increased threefold.

"You ruined my favorite shirt!" she complained.

She tore the curtain's open with a small geyser. His cover blown, the merciless stream of cleansing water blasted Tatsumi across the chest. He dropped his bucket and gurgled.

"He is here." Tatsumi heard Akame say faintly through the door.

Tatsumi sighed through the torrential river of hose water. It came out as a blurb.

It's probably going to be Kurome mouthing him off for not doing the dishes and attending to her every whim.

The hosing stopped.

"Go do the dishes yourself, woma-" Tatsumi started, glancing up-

Two jaws dropped simultaneously.

"TATSUMI?!"

"SAYO!?"

Sayo absorbed the entirety of the situation. A shirtless Tatsumi playing waterfighting with an amber haired girl with a wet shirt that revealed her-

No. No.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE."

"It is." Chelsea interjected, smiling devilishly.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Tatsumi shouted.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Sayo screeched at Chelsea.

"Your girlfriend, Tatsumi?" Chelsea said, ignoring Sayo. "So I wasn't the only one.."

"CHELSEAAAA!" Tatsumi yelled.

"TATSUMI!" Sayo yelled.

"Please, everyone, it's past ten!" Susanoo said, stomping up the stairs. "The neighbors are going to complain ag- MY HOSE!" he shouted, uncharacteristic of his normally calm demeanor. He looked at the broken hose tap with horror.

"It's-" Tatsumi started.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Sayo yelled again.

"NOT NOW, SAYO!" Tatsumi shouted back.

"Who ruined my hose?!" Susanoo exclaimed.

Chelsea pointed at Tatsumi.

Midnight.

The chaos in the bathroom had receded to a tense tea session in the dining room. Susanoo, Kurome and Akame sat on one side while Tatsumi, Sayo and Chelsea sat on the other. Poor Tatsumi was the only thing separating a seething Sayo and a suckling Chelsea from each other. Kurome was hugging a jar full of cookie crumbs, Akame was still holding that godsforsaken kitchen knife and Susanoo buried his face with his hands and sighed.

"In my defense, Chelsea was annoying me."

"One lollipop wrapper was hardly worth a ruined shirt and a bucket of water to the face." Chelsea said.

"You kicked the dust pan when I was cleaning the attic, you used the watering can to dirty the windows I just wiped, you had me do the bathroom so you can get out of-"

"Now, now, country boy." Chelsea hissed, placing a firm hand on his."Calling in the coffee favor."

"..Fine." Tatsumi relented. "But now we're even."

"She's doing favors for you now, huh?" Sayo snapped.

"Enough." Susanoo said. His voice was low but firm enough to draw the full attention of everyone on the table. "Let's.. get back to the issue here. You said you needed rent?"

"We do, but.. not here." Tatsumi said. "As you can see, we're not exactly compatible with this.. environment."

"Are you sure?" Susanoo raised an eyebrow. "I'm willing to overlook your blunders, provided you refrain from causing further problems, the rent is cheap and this place is relatively close to the Academy. You'd be hard pressed to find a better deal."

"Thank you for the offer," Tatsumi said, "but I don't think that'll be-"

"We'd be happy to live here." Sayo cut in softly, face downcast.

Tatsumi paused and gave her a look of confusion.

"What?" he said.

"I uh.. went into a shopping spree after I ditched you." Sayo said, fishing a crumpled shop receipt from her pocket. She handed it to Tatsumi hesitantly, and the others took note of the boy's dilating eyes and tensing posture.

"That bad? We can take Ieyasu's share if you want-"

"THREE THOUSAND IMPERIALS!" Tatsumi screeched. "WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY TO BEGIN WITH!"

"Isoldyoursword." Sayo said guiltily.

Tatsumi rose from his seat. Black aura exuded from his body and his emerald eyes grew dark. Chelsea moved her seat slightly further away from the country boy and

"I bought you some new clothes!" Sayo tried to appease him.

He cracked his knuckles. Sayo ran for it. Tatsumi chased her through the house and into the living room, where she took refuge behind an intact couch. There was a small standoff.

"You said you're doing favors, right?" Sayo tried to negotiate. "I'm calling in on the bathroom incident!"

Tatsumi feinted left and Sayo fell for it. A moment later Sayo ran out of the living room with Tatsumi hot on her heels.

"THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING!" Tatsumi yelled, hot in pursuit. "SELLING MY SWORD IS NOT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR ME TO MAKE IT!?"

"I'll take that as a yes?" Susanoo said, eyeing the spectacle from the living room

"That settles it, then!" Chelsea said, standing up cheerfully. She walked up to a raging Tatsumi and placed a hand on his shoulders. He glanced back at her and relented a bit.

"Welcome home!" Chelsea said, smiling brilliantly. Tatsumi's anger temporarily faltered at the sight of her teasing grin and warm grip.

Sayo took the opportunity and dashed out of the building.

"Hello…? Tatsumi? Sayo? I said I'm sorry! Anyone!?" Ieyasu shouted.

A series of loud steps trailed closer into his room. Ieyasu eyes brightened hopefully.

A rude shout through the door extinguished what tiny candle of hope he had left.

"Shut up!" a rough female voice said.

"But you're the innkeeper! You have the keys! You can get me out, right!?

"So? The girl paid me enough to keep you locked up for the rest of the week and after hearing your peeping tom streak I'm inclined to turn that into months! So shut up before I cut off the power to your room!"

Ieyasu groaned in frustration and dropped back on his bed, mock smothering himself out of boredom. He reiterated his companion's thought on the opposite gender once more.

Women are scary, indeed.

A/N: Changed things up a bit. Hopefully this makes it easier to read.