AKAME ASSASINATION (5)
"Oh, who might you be?"
As it was back in those days, priests would often go to spread Buddha's teachings in other lands. They would walk for miles upon miles in search of an ear who would listen to them as they rambled on and on. It was on one such trip that Blake had met a peculiar looking boy on the sea shore of a small town just south of Endo in the land of the east sun.
The boy himself wore nothing but bare cloth. His hair was long and white tied behind his head to prevent him from not seeing, despite walking barefoot his feet were clean with sand in between his toes. But that's not the thing that caught Blake's attention.
Behind the boy was a thin trail that he left with the sheathed Katana he dragged around.
The boy did not respond, or perhaps couldn't.
"Are you from around here?"
The boy just stared at the wandering priest, "Dear, what a lovely sword you have… may I see it?"
He pointed at the sword, and somehow the boy understood. He took out the sharp sword from its sheath and with one swift motion attempted to lift it up. But it was a long sword, as such it must have been several times the boy's weight.
POOF!
The blade hit the sand, and the boy laughed looking at Blake who he wanted to praise his amazing skills. And praise Blake did.
"Oh, how wonderful, it would seem that you are an amazing swordsman already dear boy." He knelt down taking the sword by its blade, "Tell me, is this your father's perhaps? Does he know his boy might grow up to become the finest swordsman in the entirety of the land of the east sun?"
The boy continued to laugh as he clapped his hands, in truth he probably assumed that Blake was praising him.
Blake reached out his hands, "Give me your hand little one."
The boy did not resist as Blake took his arms. "It is good to dream of becoming an amazing swordsman. In fact a child your age should in fact dream of those things, however, you should also know one other thing…"
With the edge of the blade Blake pierced through the boys skin, not to much… only a little. But it stung, the boy quickly retracted his hand.
"Dear boy, what you have experienced is pain. Pain that you would wish to exhibit to others when you wield that sword. If you are going to use it then you must understand that the sword can also hurt you as well. You need not use this blade for violence, instead I would suggest rather than spilling blood use it to conserve blood of those of least fortune than that of yourself."
The boy stared at his own blood, dripping down his forearm. "Oops, maybe I went a bit too far." From his traveling pouch Blake removed a piece of cloth in which he used to cover the wound.
"There we go."
"Akame!" In the distance Blake heard the voice of a woman calling out to someone. He stared at the little boy who looked back at the woman.
"Akame, is that your name little one?"
For the first time the boy nodded.
"Alright Akame, I believe that is your mother looking for you, best be on your way before she gets angry." He then proceeded to walk away following the path in which would take him to a temple where he had planned on meeting some associates. "Also, remember what to use that sword for."
That was the first time Akame had met Blake, back in his home town. In Akame's mind he saw Blake as a shaggy old priest and didn't think too much of it. But it was the words that Blake spoke that would stay with him.
"Oh you!" His mother finally caught him, grabbing his hand. "What did I tell you about running off by yourself."
"But I wasn't running." Akame answered.
"You always think you're a smart ass, also who told you you can speak to your mother like that?"
BONK!
She hit his head, "Stop, your evil!" Akame shouted as he ran off again.
"How dare you call me that!" His mother shouted, "Get your small ass back here!"
It was only when Akame turned 14 that he would see Blake again, and at that time they would have a proper conversation.
***
"She's not here." The man in white alluded to Catherine who had left Akame behind and gone on a little adventure of her own.
"Yeah I can't find her." Gil confirmed this as he circled the entire camping area and didn't find any trace of her.
"I wonder were she went?"
"Maybe she just went to use the bathroom." Gil said out loud, "Then ended up being bitten by a snake."
"I have doubts that's what happened, also you won't find any poisonous snakes out here… I think."
"You think?"
The two then stared at Akame who was still sleeping soundly under the tree they had left him under.
"Wake UP!!!!!" Gil shook Akame, but it was to no avail, the man simply wouldn't wake up.
"Was he really that exhausted?" The in white asked.
"I mean, maybe, we did physical training practices back home but even then he always got enough sleep… I think."
"You think?"
BOOM!
Thunder clapped in the distance, the two looked up and saw the unthinkable. Dark gray clouds pregnant with accumulated moisture, they brought the promise of rain along these plains but the man in white didn't think that was the only thing these clouds brought.
"This is bad." He said.
"What is?"
"We're in an area of accumulative fragments, a high fragment pressure zone (Like the one I explained earlier). Strange things then begin to happen especially when we're in one." He explained, "Normal rain that would take days to form comes in an instant, tornadoes and hail form as well."
"What are you trying to say?" Gil asked, scared but excited as well, "We're going to get some wacky weather?"
"Probably weather that's worse than wacky."
"GILL HELP!!!"
The two quickly turned their attention to were the noise was coming from, the man in white was quick to notice it being a man who has dabbled in sensing the smallest bit of detail. 'It took a minute but I finally noticed a sudden spike in fragment energy.'
"GILL HELP!"
The man concentrated fragment energy into his eyes, 'I didn't really try and question it earlier but that girl is made up entirely of fragments.'
"Catherine?" Gil called out finally recognizing the voice.
"GIL!"
One thing that the man in white had forgotten to mention about these types of zones was that their was an innate tendency of creatures to form in them (Like the one that was fighting the girl). These creatures were known simply as fragment voids, creatures that would feed off fragments in the air and in the human body until they became whole.
But in truth they would never become whole nor full, as such they would continue to feed for eternity.
The two boys stared in horror at the horde of creatures that loomed behind Catherine who's movements were restricted because of what she was carrying. An unconscious girl draped in traditional cloth.
"Gil." The man called out.
"Yeah." Gil responded his eyes still on the creatures that chased after Catherine.
"Let's test out that ability of yours, shall we?"
A smile formed on Gil's face as he cracked his fingers, "Aye, aye captain."
TO BE CONTINUED!