Chapter 30: Return to base

"Any idea what has the boss all antsy to wake us up in the middle of the night?" Leone asked the group of girls as they made their way through the halls to the meeting room. Whenever one yawned the other three following in suit.

"How should I know? I just woke up," Mine spat with bags under her eyes.

Leone rose her hands up in a placating gesture, "sheesh, sorry. Just curious. I just thought we had a break from assignments for a few nights." She said as she stretched her arms above her head with a small moan and various cracking noises.

"We never have breaks. If we are ordered, then we shall do it." Akame said tossing a small strip of jerky into her mouth and chewing on it with tired red eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But still, it's nice not to having to worry about doing any killing every once in a while." Leone waved Akame off, turning to Sheele who just rubbed her half lidded and watery eyes beneath her glasses. In doing so, inadvertently knocking her glasses off her face and onto the ground.

"Ah…" she exclaimed falling to her knees and patting around in search of her glasses, "my glasses…"

"Never change Sheele, never change," Leone shook her head with an amused smile, leaving Sheele to search for her glasses on her own. Or at least she would have had to had Mine not knelt down, picked them up and placed them on Sheele's nose.

"Thanks," Sheele smiled tiredly.

Mine frowned in response, "we really need to get you a chain for those, don't we?" she sighed, pushing off her knees to stand up, holding her hand out to Sheele and helped her up. Continuing on their trek towards the meeting room.

"Hmm?" Leone hummed, noticing that the door was slightly ajar, hearing talking coming from within. Holding her hand up she stopped the group, her eyes sharpening along with her hearing.

"What is it?" Akame asked, hand gravitating to Murasame's blade.

Leone placed her finger over her lips to 'shh' her.

"…I'll set a trip up to the R.A home base and start looking for any new possible members then." She heard Najenda say, her voice an octave lower than it usually was, which usually meant something had gotten to her bad side.

"Yeah, if Esdeath really is putting together an elite group, we're going to need as much help as we can get." Parc responded.

"Haaa… Shit…" Leone could just imagine Najenda rubbing her eyes from how serious her sigh sounded. "Least you were able to bring back all the teigu. And one of your own? What is it?" she asked.

Just then a creaking came from down the hallway causing Leone in her concentration to jump, crashing into Sheele and sending her flopping to the floor atop a squeeling Mine.

"Yo!" An excited, bare chested Lubbock called out to the girls. A drip of blood trailing down from his nose at the sight of all the girls in their nightgowns, taking particular interest in Sheele's Sheer one and Leone's hastily pulled on shirt that she confiscated from Parc's wardrobe at some point, her panties peaking out from the bottom off it. "Looking good ladies," he winked to them in the efforts of getting a reaction that wasn't that of annoyance or disgust.

It was all annoyance and disgust.

Except from Akame who didn't care and Sheele who didn't get it.

"Bloody hell Lubbock! I was eavesdropping!" Leone whisper shouted.

"We noticed." came Najenda's irate voice from the now opening door to the meeting room. A frown on her face, not from them, but something else. They could see it in her eye, sternness, but also a hint of sorrow hidden deep within.

"Najenda?" Lubbock muttered, having very rarely seen her with such an expression before, even if she hid it well.

Najenda locked her eye with him, shaking her head to keep him silent before scanning over the four girls, "come, I've got something to announce to you all." She left them without anymore words as she turned around, making quick strides to her usual place at the end of the room, leaving the door wide open.

The girls looked amongst each other, Akame just following behind her. Her step faltering just as she entered the doorway and got a look inside. But soon continued to walk deeper into the room.

Lubbock was next, casually following behind Akame.

Shrugging, Leone began to walk along with Mine and Sheele. Upon entering the room they saw Parc standing before a large table with various objects set atop it. Turned back to look at them with soft eyes.

"Ay! Parc! You're finally back!" Leone nearly rushed forwards to grab him into a tight hug that would bring him into her chest. But stopped as she noticed something missing from the room, "where's Bulat?" she looked around the room, Mine and Sheele following suit while Akame and Lubbock—who were besides the table were stood stock still staring down at a single object on the table.

A lump formed in Mine's throat as she put two and two together, Parc's soft eyes, Najenda's sorrowfull. Her speed picked up, powerwalking towards the table. Staring down to a single large sword with a red crossed gem on the hilt a chain hanging from the pommel.

"N-no," her hands shot to her mouth. Tears quickly finding their way down her cheeks.

Silence quickly reigning in the room as they all came to the realization that one of their own would not be returning. The strongest of them, their teammate, their friend… their aniki.

Akame remained unresponsive, just staring down at Incursio's key with saddened tearless eyes. Lubbock had clenched his fist tight, muttering out a single "Aniki," through his grit teeth.

Leone was silent in much the same way as Lubbock, only clenching her fist tight, her eyes shining a dangerous glint. And lastly Mine who's tears were littering the ground. Sheele quickly wrapping her in a comforting hug while she too began to cry.

"During the previous assignment. Bulat lost his life in battle against one of the three beast under Esdeath's control who she had ordered to impersonate Night Raid." Najenda spoke up, drawing their eyes to her.

"Parc was able to recover Incursio and bury Bulat's body," she rubbed her temple with her mechanical hand, "as well as four other teigu. The double-bladed axe; Belvaac, the Water dragon possession; Black Marlin, the Military Music Dream; Scream. As well as a previously unknown teigu now under his possession."

All eyes shifted to him, non showing any anger at him for letting this happen to Bulat.

Lifting his left hand, he pulled up his sleeve to show off the silver bracelet with two golden orbs and a single black one on the side. Opting not to transform it just yet, letting his sleeve fall back over it.

"I was slow. I'd gotten rid of Nyau and Daidarra, two of Esdeath's beasts but was knocked off the ship by Liver during his fight with Bulat. I only got back aboard as their fight was ending. By then Liver had somehow poisoned Bulat. Killing them both in the process." He explained to them, "I got distracted when I saw this teigu at the bottom of the river bed. Had I ignored it I might have been able to-"

"Shut up." Leone stopped him, "I know you don't mean that. Stop acting all sorry for us. We've all accepted that we're going to die at somepoint during this war." She crossed her arms, clenching down tightly on her arms.

"All that matters is you were able to bury him somewhere where the empire won't find him and abuse his body." She continued, shutting her eyes.

"Mnn," Sheele nodded, approaching him after releasing Mine to hug him. "thank you for bringing Incursio back to us." She buried her face into his chest.

A weak smile forming on Parc's lips, his hand slowly lowering to her back. Lightly patting her back. Mine's wiping her eyes clear of tears, eyes growing sharper.

"They're all dead?" Lubbock asked.

"Yeah, beheaded Daidarra, stabbed Nyau through the heart and ensured Liver wouldn't wake up if he survived the poison." He answered solemnly, continuing to rub Sheele's back, feeling a moisture forming on his chest from her silent weeps.

Akame had remained silent throughout the entire exchange between the group.

"I have another announcement to make," Najenda abruptly said. Sheele separated from Parc, wiping her cheeks dry. "Parc has brought to my attention that Esdeath—or at least the empire—is forming a specialized squad formed of teigu users. Six of them, possibly seven if she includes Krave into the group, eight adding herself."

The room was filled with hisses as everyone but Parc and Akame sucked in sharp breaths, "they are to take over from Budo as the Capital's main peacekeepers and likely we will be encountering them sometime in the future." She looked to Parc, "do you know anything else about this group?"

Parc lightly nodded his head, "not much, just one of the people to be in the group," he sighed, looking to Akame with worry in his eyes, "her name is Kurome." Akame's eyes widened, head shooting to him with dilated pupils.

"Isn't that-" Mine started.

"My sister," Akame's hand came to rest on Murasame's handle, a cold air forming around her.

'I really can't tell her about what I did to her sister.' Parc thought.

"I was passing through a village a few days ago and overheard guardsmen talking about this new group and of a girl from the assassination corp being reassigned to it. Turns out Kurome was in that village then and had wandered over to me."

"You know how I smell differently to you girls?" all nodded, "well, to her I smelled like Akame apparently." That drew risen brows from the group, "which lead to her stalking me throughout the village and eventually into the forest where she tried to kill me and add me into her collection using her teigu. Yatsufusa, which I learnt was able to reanimate dead bodies into puppets. I can only imagine why she would want to add me to her collection."

'Got to pick my next words wisely.

"I was able to escape with assistance from my teigu and distracted her enough to get her off my tail. I spent a few more days out in the wilds to ensure I was alone before making my way back." He finished his explanation, his thumb hooking into his pocket while his other hand hung by his side.

He didn't want to explain what had really happened, not with everyone here.

"You're lucky to have lived. Kurome is strong," Akame said.

"You can say that again," he snorted, "I was able to hold her off on her own but when she brought out her puppet I had to start back tracking."

There wasn't much else to say after that.

"Everyone, get some rest. All current objectives will be put on hold for the next two days. We'll hold a feast in Bulat's honour. Sound good?"

Nodding head filled the room.

"then get to bed. We'll speak again in the morning and Parc can show off his new toy then as well."

They remained silent, giving Najenda confirmations before slowly walking back towards the hall with a down mood between them.

"You coming?" Leone turned to look at Parc who remained standing in place before the table of teigu.

Shaking hi shead he said, "no. I have something I need to talk to Najenda about. Go on ahead," he gave her a small smile, "and no eavesdropping," he winked.

Leone rose her brow in mock surprise, a toothy grin forming on her, "you go boy." She laughed, pushing through the door as the last of the group. Shutting the door behind her, leaving only Parc and Najenda within the room.

After waiting a few minutes, Parc finally turned back to Najenda.

"So, what is it you want to talk about. Not about adding me to your own little collection hopefully. I already gave you the terms for that." She leaned onto the table, propping her body up on it giving Parc a good view of the crevice of her chest beneath her suit top.

"No, while I would certainly love that. This is more serious," he locked his eyes with her single lilac orb. "I may have us an insider in Esdeath's new group."

Now that got Najenda's attention, leaning even more forwards, "What? How? Who?"

He bobbed his head once, "I wasn't being honest when I said I 'escaped' Kurome." Raising his left hand, he sent a pulse of energy into the teigu, getting it to shift into its gauntleted form. "during our fight I was able to get the drop on her and got one of these…" he summoned the three chains letting them hang to the ground, "…wrapped around her leg."

"As it turns out. My teigu can leave a mark on a living beings body which gives me control over their body and mind. I haven't tested it much, but I was able to learn that I can force someone to act in unusual ways or even just shut off their personality entirely and possibly even mould them into an entirely different person."

Najenda was chewing on her thumb as she stared at the gauntlet, "that is a powerful ability, Parc. And you were able to do something to Kurome and had her infiltrate the group?"

"Yes. My current orders are for her to act like she'd never met me as well as to write weekly reports filled with the groups movements that she'll be leaving at a dead drop inside the city that only I know of at the end of every month."

"And you are sure she won't be able to break your control?"

Parc shrugged uncertainly, "I honestly cannot tell. So far…" he looked to the gauntlet, seeing the pitch-black marble on his knuckle, "…it looks like she is still under my control. I still need to do a bunch of stress testing to really figure it out. So long as she still has the mark on her body, she shouldn't be able to break free. But I don't know if damaging the mark or loosing the limb it is on will free someone. Distance doesn't seem to be a factor, or, at least, not this close to her.

Najenda crossed her arms, nodding, a hint of excitement in her eyes, "this is amazing work, Parc. But I need you to figure out everything about this teigu of yours and start documenting everything. We need to know it's limits."

"I can already tell you I can only control three people at a time," he held his gauntlet up to her, pointing to the two marbles on his knuckles as well as the one on the bottom of his wrist. "each of these corresponds to someone I'm controlling. Gold is unused, black is used."

She hummed in acknowledgment eyes narrowing as she looked at him contemplatively. Seeming to come to a decision, she walked around the table, stopping just before him, "this changes the flow of this war, I hope you know that. We've been struggling with deep cover operatives. And if what you say is true and that this Kurome can really be kept on a lead, you may have just found us a way to get rid of Esdeath in the future."

'Hahaa… yeah, can't really allow that. I need her alive.' He thought, gulping as he caught sight of Najenda's glossy, plump pink lips.

"Lean down," she ordered him, he complied, bending forwards a little. Her hand shooting up to grab the back of his head, forcing him closer to her before locking his lips onto his.

Inside, Parc was smiling enthusiastically. His teigu returning to its dormant state, letting his hands travel to behind her, falling onto her hips, his right quickly trailing down to her butt, groping its softness from above her pants.

He could feel Najenda gasp slightly, forcing a small torrent of warm air into his mouth. But it also seemed that, that was enough as she pressed the palm of her prosthetic hand onto his chest and pushed in back, forcing him to release her plump ass and stumble back a little.

"You're… reward," she lightly panted out, sucking in a deep breath to calm herself. Wiping down her wet lips with her sleeve, "keep doing this and more will be waiting for you. You can go," she waved him away, turning her back to him, acting as if she was pondering what to do with the four teigu on the table in front of her.

Parc's eyes lowered to her ass, smirking as he noticed the small wrimples of where his hand had been groping her. Taking small steps backwards, "Goodnight, Najenda." He opened the door, soon leaving the room.

Now alone, Najenda let out a sigh, nearly falling onto the table from her legs nearly giving out on her. She hadn't kissed anyone like that in a long time. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little pent up.

With slow movements, she unbuttoned the top of her pants, pressing her hand into them, stroking along the side of her crotch before pulling it out, sighing when she was the slick sheen on the tips of her fingers.