A few days later

Author's note: So I recently made the mistake of watching this anime and getting enamored by all the attractive girls in the cast. Soon enough, I was fantasizing about normality in this show's world and this story unfolded from that. It will be loosely based on the first few of the anime's episodes, sharing many of the same scenes, but with the main character wielding normality earrings instead. So mild spoilers? Sorry.

I'm branching here because while the first thread was hot and original, it didn't fit with where I wanted this tale to go. So this chapter is me "retconning" the first Akame Ga Kill thread and introducing my own story. I hope you all enjoy!

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“Well Tatsumi, have you changed your mind about joining our group, Night Raid?”

The boy in question looked down at his feet, trying his best to control his emotions. It had been two days since he had finally reached the capital and everything that followed had failed to go according to plan.

It all started when he and his two travelling companions, Ieyasu and Sayo, had gotten separated following a bandit attack. While he managed to disrupt the attack and kill the offenders, his friends had gotten lost in the struggle. Unable to find them, he had made his way to the capital on his own, hoping to reunite with them in the city.

That never happened. Upon arrival, his life took a course of his own and it felt like if he had no say in what had transpired since his arrival. A busty blonde girl, the same blonde found in the group that was currently holding him hostage, had seduced him and stolen all his money. After that, he was taken in by a wealthy family whose daughter had a penchant for picking up city newcomers that found themselves on the cobblestone streets at night.

At the time, he thought his luck had finally improved, but the following dusk, his savior’s mansion was attacked by a group of assassins. Calling themselves Night Raid, they had infiltrated the house, killed all the guards, both parents, and the little girl. Back then, his anger had calmed down once he was shown the nefarious deeds the family had committed but despite this, Night Raid had taken him to their hideout against his will for two reasons: He knew too much, and he had survived an encounter with one of their best.

It was at the hideout that he learned the truth.

The capital was corrupt to the core, with the king’s minister controlling the country by whispering in the young ruler’s ears. Had he joined the imperial army, he would have had to bride his way up the ranks, and commit acts of **** and **** to earn money to save his village. The last thing he wanted was to save his friends and family with blood money. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Sayo and Ieyasu, his childhood friends and travelling companions, were dead.

He learned the story from Najenda after he had inquired about the status of his friends; asking whether they had arrived into the city or not. Apparently, during their separation, Ieyasu had found an Imperial Arms, weapons of old containing great power, that neither the capital nor the revolutionary army had heard about. The legend goes that Imperial Arms have to bond, almost choosing their masters and the one Ieyasu found had started to reject him after a seemingly successful bond.

Its power suddenly went berserk, each rejected Arms' host reacting differently to the failure, and had attracted the attention of both warring parties. A battle followed and while Night Raid had managed to procure the Arms, both Sayo and Ieyasu were killed by the government in the struggle.

Which lead Tatsumi to his present circumstance. Initially, he was firm on his stance on not joining Night Raid, not wanting to be part of an assassin group. But, his mind had changed after learned of his friends’ demise. He now found himself standing in front of Najenda, the group’s leader, her arm crossed with its metal counterpart and her lone eye fixing him with an intense gaze.

Surrounding him was the group’s various members: Leone, Sheele, Mine, Bulat, Lubbock, and Akame.

He kept his emotions in control, fighting back his anger and hatred of the capital and its corrupt rulers. He returned Najenda’s stare, his resolve never faulting. “I have,” he began, speaking with a firm voice, “I indeed wish to join Night Raid. However, I have one request.”

“Oh?” She silver-haired women seemed taken aback. “And what is your request?”

Tatsumi’s tone was level as he spoke. “I want to bond with Ieyasu’s Imperial Arm.”

There was a few gasps from the circle surrounding him; one member having snorted louder than the rest. He turned to look at the girl, the pink-haired cutie named Mine, and kept his gaze impassive.

“And what makes you think you can successful bond with an Imperial Arm?” she chided at him, her tone arrogant. “Your friend didn’t fare well, why would you?”

His tone never changed. “You said so yourself he had managed to successfully bond with it for a few days before it rejected him. Ieyasu and I are cut from the same cloth; we both grew up in the same village, almost lived the same life, and shared the same dreams. But, we’re different enough to make up for the other’s flaws when it mattered. If he couldn’t complete the pairing, I’m certain I can.”

A long silence stretched throughout the room after he finished speaking. He locked gaze with every member of Night Raid, sharing a brief moment of firm determination with each of them, before returning his eyes to the group’s boss, seated on her chair.

“Very well.” She concluded, her tone flat. “Akame, fetch the earrings. We’ll see if our new recruit can put some weight behind his words.”

The room was eerily quiet as the short, dark-haired girl left to complete her task. Tatsumi felt a wave of calm pass through him, his resolve for avenging his friends and proving himself to his new allies consuming him entirely. When she returned, there was no hesitation in his movement.

He took the pair of earrings from the box she carried them in, took a second to examine their golden tinge and the giant N that was found in its side, and put them on his ears.

As soon as they clicked on, a bright golden flash filled the room. Heat emanated from his earlobes as he felt the earrings become a part of him, bonding with him in a way he had never felt before. Around him, he heard more gasps and whispers as the team was awed by what they were seeing.

“No way!”

“Incredible!”

“I can’t believe it; he actually bonded with them.”

Just as quickly as it began, the light subsided, the room returning to its natural glow. He opened his eyes and trained them on Najenda. She was smiling.

“It seemed you do have some bite to your bark after all. Well done!” She paused to give him three slow claps. “Normally I’d go and explain a bit as to what abilities your Imperial Arms possesses, but as I mentioned before, these earrings are new to even us.”

She paused, giving him a grin. “But I’m sure you’ll figure them out.”

And with that, she stood up and offered her hand.

“Welcome to Night Raid.”

He looked at the outstretched hand, and smiled as he shook it.

“Now then,” she continued, putting all matters regarding the earrings behind them, “while you might be good with a sword, you need to get better in order to succeed with the caliber of missions we’ll be sending you on. As such, I’ll be assigning a member of Night Raid to be your tutor and personal trainer. You’ll receive a different one each day, and you will be expected to follow their training regimen to the letter.”

She paused to scan the room, her eyes passing over each member of the assassin group. “Now let’s see, your first mentor shall be…”