At the Elder's house, Akame was currently tucking in Air for an afternoon nap. Though Air protested about it, she couldn't help but admit that she was feeling tired. Sleepy, even.

As Akame was bringing a light blanket over her, Air put a hand on her mother's wrist.

"Mother?"

"Yes, sweetie?" Akame's tone was that of a soothing mother, as it should be.

Air gained a worried gaze. "Do you... Do you think Father is okay? And that he's... Looking for us?"

Akame only smiled, leaning down and pecking Air's forehead, having brushed her pink bangs away with her hand. Leaning up, she gently stroked her daughter's cheek.

"I have confidence, Air. And I truly believe that your Father will come back to us."

"Really?"

"Yes," Akame says sincerely, nodding her head. "He and your Aunt Chelsea could most likely be roaming the land looking for us. But keep them in mind here," she said, putting a finger to her heart. "The more you think about them, the faster they will come back to us."

From the sentence that left Akame's mouth, Air smiled. Closing her eyes, the pink-haired girl could only think of good things as she succumbs to sleep, her drowsiness finally overtaking her. With a small hum leaving her lips, the ravenette pulls the remaining covers up to her daughter's neck, tucking her in before going to the outward area and sitting on the edge.

Akame's eyes gaze off into the sky, a worried gaze in her eyes. Naturally, she was worried for her husband and Chelsea, but there were now others she was quite worried about. Especially, Hinowa. As she held onto a cup of water tightly, she perked up when she heard footsteps, turning her head to see the Elder walking up to her.

"You look like you wish to follow Hinowa and her friends, Akame," the Elder says with a small grin.

Akame frowned a little. "They're excited, but that's probably only because they don't realize the horrors of war. And naturally, I have a daughter to take care of. I can't necessarily leave her alone."

"You've suffered serious injuries," the Elder hummed. "Be patient until you've fully recovered. Besides, those kids have killed pirates before. This is by no means their first experience with war."

"I hope they succeed in distinguishing themselves out there."

The Elder hummed once more. "According to the laws of the Soukai Nation, the average soldier is called a Foot Soldier. Groups of Foot Soldiers in three or fours are bound together by a Captain. That was Hinowa's mother's rank, as well as her best friend, Miyuki. Though, one could argue that she was more of a Foot Soldier."

'Miyuki? That's...'

Having drawn a map of a hierarchy of military statuses in the dirt, the Elder continued his explanation.

"A General leads 150 to 200 Foot Soldiers and their Captains. And above that...those thousands of soldiers are led by the Commander." He then chuckled a bit. "Of course, those numbers are only rough estimates."

"So the first rank to aim for is Captain..."

"And the last is Commander. But achieving the title of Commander by orthodox means requires a considerable amount of meritorious achievements."

Akame then furrowed her brow a bit. "And lastly, you need luck."

"It's important which Commander you have," the Elder says sternly, looking to the air. "If they are a bad egg, it will bring hardship. The Soukai Nation is a good country, but... Anywhere you go, you will find many who question why certain people rise to such positions of power."

"...Hinowa," Akame murmured.

The Elder was quiet for a moment. "...I can tell there is something else on your mind, Akame."

"That's... Well..." Akame was skeptical for a moment before she took a deep breath. "Master Elder..."

"Yes?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Akame looks at him. "What do you know of the indigenous people of this land? The ones that have... Unorthodox abilities..."

"Oh? And why do you ask that?" The Elder looks at her curiously, a slight smirk on his face.

"You see... There was another reason my family came here."

The Elder then looked to her, his face showing how serious he was as he gave her his full attention. That's right. The other reason why Akame and the others came here was to find out.

Find out who Akira truly was. Not just a cure for her curse.

--: 5 | Preparations For War [Part 2] :--

"My name is Maruge," a chubby man said, riding on a horse that was on a hill, overlooking a vast number of soldiers. "You should be honored to have been enlisted into my unit."

This man, Maruge, is one of Soukai's many commanders that the nation has at their disposal. This was the man that Hinowa and her friends were enlisted under.

"My motto is 'Look before you leap.' The Tenrou Nation is a bunch of wild, unruly dogs...which we will calmly pacify."

Kumehachi leans down to Tobari's ear, whispering. "Hey. This Commander strikes me as awfully meek."

"I bet he becomes a monster on the battlefield," Tobari whispers back.

'Maruge-sama,' Hinowa thought. 'I'm going to distinguish myself in service under this man...!'

"And now, we march...!" Maruge annouces, yipping his horse as it neighs loudly. "The battle has already begun at Shiranui Fortress."

And so, Maruge's force of 500 men sets off for war. As they began to walk along the river path, heading for the rigorous mountains ahead, Hinowa and her group of friends begin talking among themselves.

"So, we're headed to Shiranui Fortress, are we?" Tobari asked, her hands behind her head.

Suzumaru then spoke up. "That's because it's the only way for the Tenrou to enter Soukai territory," he inquired. 

"But Shiranui Fortress is a stronghold between two sheer cliff faces and unassailable by even a large army."

"The Tenrou are probably planning to attack until the defenses tire. That's why I think we're going to replace the defense unit... That's how they've always protected it in the past."

"I'd rather we aimed to take out the enemy's commanding officer," Hinowa interjects. 

The person next to Hinowa, however, soon gasped. Looking to the light red-haired girl, she grabs her shoulders and has her face him, making Hinowa reel in shock. But she soon relaxes, knowing who it is.

"C-Captain Hinowa!?"

"Fumio-san!"

Blinking a few times, Fumio then calmed down. He then laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah... You're not the Captain. Just her daughter... Haha..."

"Who's this?" Tobari asked.

"He served under my mom. He's the one who got me her earring and my aunt's necklace as a keepsake."

Fumio looks down at Hinowa. "So you've joined the war too, have you."

"Yes! And I've also adopted my mother's name--Hinowa."

"...I... I see..." Fumio began to sweat profusely. 'I wonder if she'll be okay... She's still so young.'

As they kept walking, Fumio then perked up. This was noticed by everyone in Hinowa's group, looking to him in confusion. They could see the slightly confused and concerned look on his face.

"...Wait. Huh?"

"What is it?"

"We seem to be straying away from Shiranui Fortress, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

"Allow me to explain," an old man in Foot Soldier battle armor appears.

Fumio gasps, "It's the wise old man!"

The wise old man then explains, "At this bearing, we'll be headed for the mountain to the east of Shiranui Fortress... Mount Kageboushi."

"A mountain!?" Kumehachi exclaimed.

Near the front, Maruge turned his head to the back slightly, muttering. "Looks like everyone's caught on..."

A week prior to this endeavor, Commander Maruge had met up with the Soukai Strategist, Shion. Because they were heading to the east, Mount Kageboushi, it was quite the precarious obstacle. What everyone didn't know was that Maruge was a complete coward. So, he sought to occupy the easternmost part of the area, knowing how of a treacherous obstacle the mountain was. Despite this, the nation's strategist had disagreed for a little, once again noting how difficult and precarious the mountain was as an obstacle.

However, Maruge was able to have a bit of quick thinking, duping the wise strategist into thinking the enemy would launch a surprise attack from there. The lands to the west of the fortress were sloping hills, already filled with traps, which was the most obvious area to attack from. Not only that, a majority of the defensive units of the Soukai Nation were posted there. It didn't help that the Tenrou Nation couldn't deploy ships onto the sea as that's where the Soukai Nation shined the most, having been used to the waters for many years, whether it be fishing or controlling commerce. Naturally, they would be well equipped when it came to naval warfare as the Soukai Nation had been fighting off pirates for years as well. And launching a frontal assault onto the fortress would be a foolish in itself as the fortress was well defended. So the most obvious place to strike a surprise attack would be the east, as pointed out by Maruge.

So seeing this point, Shion approved of Maruge's battle formation and sent his unit there. Though, this was what Maruge wanted as, of course, he was a coward.

'Perfect. My battle formation will steer me well clear of death,' Maruge relished in his thoughts, completely confident of his strategy. 'Man, I am good.' Though he soon grimaced. 'I married the daughter of a big shot who nobody else would touch... And by taking her hand in marriage, I received the rank I now hold. At home, I am picked on by my mother-in-law and wife. Because we're childless, they talk about me behind my back, calling me impotent. I traded that hell for this position as Commander, so I'm not about to go getting myself killed now. I'm going to live a long life, and after my wife dies, I'll surround myself with mistresses! Three--No, four of them!'

The coward commander thought to himself with glee, fantasizing of the great life he'll have once the war is over and Soukai wins, imagining himself with many mistresses once his wife passes. Imagining the prosperous life he'll have once everything is over. Admirable, but didn't change the fact that he was a coward, nonetheless.

A couple of minutes later, Maruge and a few of his men had arrived at their war camp and posted themselves there. The others, splitting up into different units, began to traverse around the mountain, climbing up steep rocky hill sides, areas that were quite dangerous that if they made one wrong move, they'd slip and fall down the mountain side. Quite possibly injuring or even killing themselves in the process.

Fumio panted as he hoists himself up a ledge. "I... I can't believe we're forming up in this treacherous place."

The wise old man sweated profusely as he climbed. "The battle for us is simply climbing this mountain..."

"We're getting worn out and the fight hasn't even started," Tobari complained, though she seemed like she was climbing without any effort.

"We must've gotten the losing lottery ticket," Kumehachi says to the girl. He soon notices a familiar red head look at him. "Eh, Hinowa?"

Hinowa scolds him lightly. "The Elder and Akame said to never be off your guard once in battle."

"You're right... Sorry."

In the war camp, Maruge sat peacefully in his chair. The coward commander hummed as he breathed in the fresh air.

"The enemy won't come here. After all, the Tenrou Nation can't secure a food supply from home," he said, smiling with glee. "Now we can just enjoy some rest and relaxation until this fight is over."

"Maruge-sama!" A soldier shouts out, running up to him. "A sneak attack! The enemy is making a sneak attack!"

Maruge began to panic. "What!?"

Out on the routes, Fumio notices some small pebbles fall from above from the upper left hand corner. Turning his gaze to there, a Tenrou soldier had jumped down, laughing as he kicks the first person in front of Fumio, crushing his head once it made landfall with the ground. Fumio screamed in terror, tumbling to the ground in fear as the Tenrou soldier stood over him menacingly, flashing his katana in front of him.

"Enemy attack!" A Soukai soldier cries out. "Enemy attack!"

The Tenrou soldier chuckled. "Out of water, you're nothing but small fries, you pathetic Soukai soldiers."

"Kuh!" Fumio grasps his blade.

"Oh? You want to take us on right here on the mountain? Then, I won't hold back killing you--"

The Tenrou soldier was then cut off, now realizing his torso had been sliced open, then being cut in half as he fell to the floor, dead as his insides were splattered to the ground. Another Tenrou soldier quickly fell to the floor, dead, Hinowa having charged forward as she grasped a sword in hand, having cut down the two enemy soldiers effortlessly.

Fumio looked shocked, but also relieved. His eyes began to water as Hinowa had turned around, a wave of nostalgia running over him. Already, he could see the image of his former Captain, Hinowa's mother, appear right before him.

Hinowa looks at him with concern. "Are you okay, Fumio-san?"

"Welcome back, Captain Hinowa!" He cries out, grasping the girl's hands.

"Huh!?"

He continued to cry with joyful tears. "You're the spitting image of your mother. So young and already so impressive!"

"So that's what you meant," Hinowa said, smiling kindly. She then looked back to the battle with a confident grin. "Hearing you say I'm the spitting image of my mother suddenly makes my strength soar!"

---

Elsewhere, Akira and Yomihime stood at the treeline. Tenrou soldiers rush past them, maniacal grins on their faces as they rushed forward into the battle ahead. Yomihime kept her usual stern expression as she outreached her hand.

"Keep going," she instructed. "If there's a defensive unit there, annihilate them."

"Yes, Commander!" They shouted.

Akira stood quiet for a moment before he spoke up. "...Must we really do this?"

"It was the mission assigned to us."

"Even though they're bandits, to send them in to their impending doom like that..."

"Feeling soft for them?"

The man scoffed. "Not in the slightest. If it were up to me, I'd honestly have them killed right from the get-go when we had found them."

"This is a normal tactic," Yomihime replied. "Zuou had taught me."

"Right..." He then looks at her with a bored expression. "So? What do you want me to do, 'Commander'?"

"Whittle down their forces as much as you can, but stay out of sight. You are our trump card, so to speak. I would like to keep your existence quiet as much as possible. Think you can do that, dear cousin?"

"You're forgetting that I was an assassin," Akira bluntly says, looking at her with a blank expression. He soon sighs, "Whatever. Consider it done."

"One more thing, Akira."

"What?"

Yomihime smiled warmly. "Come back safe."

"...Yeah."

Staring at her for a bit, after saying that, he nodded. Turning his gaze to the forest ahead, where the screams of men could be heard as the carnage had now started, he put one foot forward. Stepping forward, his foot touching nothing, he moved and plunged to the ground below, landing on both feet without a scratch.

Once landing, he gripped his Meihou tightly. As he was about to take a step forward, he then grunted and clutched his head. A surge of pain occurred, past memories coming to light as he remembered those terrible atrocities he had done.

The murdering of innocents he had done of a time when he was a different person.

Shaking his head of it, he unsheathed his blade and began to jog forward into the forest. However, unknown to him, there was a shadowy figure, hidden in the tree branches above. With a hood covering their face, their gaze locked onto the former Ice Cold Reaper, they clenched their hands.

And in the blink of a second, the figure disappeared. Leaving no trace like they weren't there at all, the only thing being left behind was a single black raven feather, slowly falling to the ground.

---

Big thanks to Littletrouble2k for providing artwork for Akira! Seriously, the man did not need to do this, but he provided anyway. So, real big thanks to him! In case you all weren't sure what to picture him as, this was close to what I had described him to look all throughout Retribution.

Of course, in the first book, he would look a lot younger than this as he's around thirteen and fifteen by the end. However, it should be noted that he currently has black markings all over his skin as a result to the use of his Teigu's Trump Card, but it was not drawn on here, but that's okay. The markings are similar to that of Akame's just colored black. But, yeah, LT was able to make an artwork of Akira here even though I didn't ask him to! 

So, again, big thank you to LT for sending me artwork of him so I can share it with you all! Oh, and a small teaser, I suppose. These were a bit unintentionally planned for all three of us (I think) but expect LT's and Abyssal_Herrscher's OCs to make appearances in the fic. As for when they'll appear?

Not saying! Just wait for them! Anyway, see you all in the next one!

Again, big thank you to Littletrouble2k for providing of my favorite ice boi some artwork.