Chapter 32: The Jaegers

Since her separation from Parc, Kurome had been struggling to come to terms with everything that was currently going on with her. For one, she couldn't even utter a word about Parc, every time she even thought about saying something about him and their meeting would only be meet with ragged coughs and hoarse wheezes. Which was frustrating as it made it impossible to even so much as tell her overseers about him and get their assistance to deal with him as even ideas of tracking him down would lead to her mind going hazy, causing her to collapse onto a single knee or grab at the nearest object to keep her upright.

He had thoroughly squeezed out everything he wanted to know about her, her past, her tasks, her bosses, each and every aspect of her life up to and including the details of each and every one of her colleagues in the assassination corps which put them all in danger. And she couldn't even tell them.

Kurome lifted her hand to her throat, pressing the tip of her finger against the cold leather collar Parc had ordered her to wear from now on. A claim of his ownership on her body and mind no doubt. Her finger ran from the side of the red leather collar to the front, soon coming into contact with a metal buckle. Soon finding the prong that poked through a hole in the straps that kept it tightly fastened to her neck.

She hesitated for a moment, recalling the many times these passing days she had attempted this, but still she kept trying, hoping that perhaps it would work and free her from his control. But it whenever she hooked her nail under the prong and lifted it just a small, minute, millimetre, sparks would fly through her body, forcing her the stagger, eyes flickering as her stomach filled with butterflies that would wrack against her sensitive bits causing her mind-numbing pleasure that would leave her gasping for breath for near minutes on end.

It scared her, it TERRIFIED her how easy it had been for him to alter her body to such a degree. It made her feel powerless before him even though she could very likely kill him given even the slightest of chances.

Even scarier for her would be if those in the assassination corps learned of her ailment and everything she had told Parc. They would most certainly put her to death. It didn't matter if she had no control of her own body.

She was weak.

She was a liability.

She was a threat.

And threats must be rid of.

What could she do? She was trapped, either face death, or become content with her status as Parc's puppet, his inside man in this new team being put together. Would they also kill her if they learnt of everything she was going to be forced into doing?

Most likely they would.

There was only one way to keep herself safe. Speak of nothing, indict herself of nothing. Take the route that would let her live long enough to free herself and get her revenge on him.

She would bide her time searching for a way to break the Parc's hold over her. And when she could, she would lull him into safety and cleave his heart in two and return the favour by turning him into one of her dolls.

Kurome steadied herself against the wall leading to the room she was to meet the other five members of the new group and their leader. Her mind still hazed from attempting to unlatch the buckle on her collar.

A foul feeling of her panties sticking to her skin letting her know it wasn't only her mind that had felt it. Wiping her mouth of drool with her sleeve, Kurome pushed herself of the wall and stood up straight. Sucking in a deep breath and calming herself, letting her expression return to normal and letting her redness return to the depths of her body, her skin returning to its light complexion.

She soon found herself before the door to the meeting room; Meeting Room 15 labelled on a plaque above the doorway. It opened with a creak. Inside two of the new members had already found their seats around a long rectangular table, each on the far corners opposite each other.

The first to catch her attention was a broad shouldered, muscular man wearing a full headed leather gasmask and long gloves on his arms that left his hands and shoulders open. on his chest three claw marks likely from some for of danger beast he'd encountered in the past.

'Incineration corps…' she put a name to the mans uniform. Turning to look at the other man… boy, sitting on the opposite corner of the table far away from the Incineration corps member.

He was a boy perhaps a year or two older than Kurome with dark blue hair and eyes, dressed in a navy-blue jacket with a white shirt underneath a tucked in red scarf.

'Navy?' she guessed from the anchor insignia on the boys scarf. He seemed to be relieved to see her for some reason or another, but she couldn't care as she approached the table, pulling out a chair and tossing her sack of snacks onto the table before seating herself and pulling on the draw sstrings to open it. Giving her a pick from the collection.

"H-hey," the boy approached her, skirting around the table and waved at her, "you another teigu user that was summoned as well? My names Wave, it's nice to meet you."

Kurome, being the social butterfly, she was lunged for her bag of treats, wrapping them in her arms, giving this Wave person a death stare while saying, "you can't have any." Which in turn caused the boy to recoil away from her, slowly hobbling his way back to his seat across from her looking very depressed for reasons Kurome couldn't care about.

Left on her own, Kurome picked out a small cookie with a jam filling, placing a side of it into her mouth and began to nibble of it, which soon turned to a sudden crunch as the door to the room slammed open, an auburn haired girl now standing in the doorway.

"Pardon me!" the girl said saluting with a metal arm and proceeded to introduce herself, "I have been reassigned from the capital defense forces, I am Seryu Ubiquitous and this is Koro!" besides her a miniature bipedal dog saluted.

'Noisy,' Kurome cast the girl the smallest of glances before returning to her candy. Catching in the corner of her eyes red rose petals fluttering onto the table.

"Dr. Stylish, the preparations are complete!" the girl shouted. Kurome didn't care. Not one bit.

Yet she still looked up to the man who gave her an… off feeling. 'Stylish…' she had heard about him but never met him. He was a prominent figure throughout the entire Empire having had his hands in many of the more secretive experiments the Prime Minister had in the works.

Said rumours also alluding to him abducting any he finds interesting and using them as test subjects for his experiments, those that survived are said to be converted into soldiers in a private army he has hidden somewhere.

Kurome unconsciously lifted her hand to her collar, thinking that they were like she was. Subjects controlled to do another's bidding whether they liked it or not. Which was something she had long since become accustomed to as one of the hounds of the Empire. But now she was literally being controlled, not threatened with death.

Without thinking about it, she flicked against the prong of the buckle shifting it just a little but more than enough to cause her to go cross eyed, and clench her thighs together, hunching over the table shivering.

"Hmm, awfully unstylish of you, Kurome." She heard Dr. Stylish say from besides her, drawing her eyes up to him seeing him looking down at her with an inquisitive eye, particularly lingering around the collar.

'Did he see?' she thought as the trembling grew softer.

"There is no problem with your…" stylish looked around the room, lingering on Wave for a second while licking his lips. A gesture that caused the boy to visibly freeze, terror in his eyes, "…medicine?" he turned to Kurome.

"No, nothing is wrong with them." She said clenching the bag tightly to her chest in an effort to further lessen the trembles.

"Really?" Dr. Stylish muttered, stroking his goatee, continuing to observe Kurome's collar. "I see they have added a new cosmetic to your uniforms. It is quite…" he leaned forwards, coming much to close to Kurome for her liking, "…stylish. You wouldn't mind if I had a look, would you?" he reached a hand out to the collar.

Time seemed to slow for Kurome the closer Dr. Stylish's got to her neck. The hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, she could tell something would happen if he tried to take it off. But she didn't know what.

Kurome shot her hand up, grabbing Dr. Stylish's wrist, "don't touch it." She tossed his hand to the side, eyes sharpening into a hostile glare.

Stylish seemed unfazed but pulled his hand back, nonetheless. "Interesting, interesting," he grinned as if he had found a new toy to dissect.

"Good afternoon," a new voice drew Stylish's attention, turning back to the entrance where blond haired boy was entering the room. In his arm some type of book. "Seems I am the last to arrive."

"Hey, nice to meet you… I'm Wave." Wave introduced himself.

"I'm Ran, a pleasure to meet you." As introductions between the two was happening a clunking noise on the table brought Kurome's attention to a teacup being laid on the table before her.

"I've, uh, made tea for everyone." The muscled man said continuing to place down teacups around the table for the six. "My name is Bols, sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I have a fear of strangers. I was nervous." He seemed down after saying that, "I'm likely the eldest here and I act like that! Let's get along from now on."

He said more but Kurome just blanked it out. Still cautious about Dr. Stylish who hadn't broken sight from her neck. She needs to be on guard around him.

That wouldn't last long as once again a new person entered the room, standing atop the podium at the back of the room where the podium was set. Long, straight blue hair, a white military uniform that left her cleavage open to the air and an ominous mask covering her entire face.

"Ge-" The Seryu girl burst from her seat, her hand about to raise into a salute. But that wouldn't last long as the woman lunged towards Seryu, spinning around into a roundhouse kick to Seryu's cheek sending the girl launching into the wall.

Setting her foot down on the ground, the masked woman looked between the five at the table, "you're opponents are assassins. Stay on guard." The woman blurred rushing towards Run, sending numerous swift kicks to the boys chest, but he diverted them using his book while backtracking.

"Hey!" Wave shouted pulling his fist back and throwing it towards the woman who nimbly ducked under his arm, grabbing it and threw him over her shoulder.

Lifting a cookie into her mouth, Kurome stood from her seat. Gripping the sheathe of her katana just below the tsuba with her right hand, straightening her thumb to push the blade out of the sheathe, her left hand wrapping around the handle, kicking off the ground towards the assailant. A sharp cut of air filling the room soon followed by cracking noises as the woman's mask shattered to pieces but didn't get cut.

'General Esdeath…' Kurome thought catching sight of the womans unveiled face. The Empires most prominent soldier and now her boss.

***

Tatsumi pulled the cloak tighter over his head to hide his features better. Ever since he'd abandoned the Imperial police force and Seryu he had been keeping himself on the down low. Which didn't seem to be an issue as it seemed no one had even cared for his desserting the group.

No wanted posters had been set up about him, no one had come to look for him. Not even Seryu, did she really hate him for what he said? He didn't want her to lose herself to revenge and she took that with such vitriol.

He wanted to see her, talk to her. Fix their relationship, but now he had no idea how to do that. No doubt she would try to apprehend him for leaving.

It was a rash decision initially with him tearing that patch off after witnessing what Arnol did to the girl. But he took his time away to watch the Capital. See exactly what was going on.

And what he saw disgusted him. Families would be separated. Houses would be raided, mothers daughters and sister were raped near daily by the guards or the rich while the fathers, sons and brothers would be taken to hang or killed on the spot.

He couldn't see the reason. Just one day he was sharing his meal with an urchin girl, the next he found the girls body layered in mud and white fluids. That was the second time he'd seen a childs dead body in just a few weeks.

That was two too many.

"This place is sick," Tatsumi scowled as he walked through the street. Raising his head to look up at the castle at the centre of the Capital. He knew that the source of these atrocities lived up there, the Prime Minister and his puppet, the child Emperor.

Growling he looked away about to walk away but hesitated when he saw a familiar poster on a noticeboard. "Sayo…" he muttered lifting his hand up to press on the wanted poster. "Where are you?"

He knew that. Of course he did. It said she was a member of Night Raid. But he couldn't reason with that. Ieyasu had said they had left the Empire for some Islands in Tenrou. Of everything this is what he wanted to know the most. He could care less about the Capital. But his friends? They came first.

And he would find her. He would find them, Night Raid and get them to bring him to her. Whether they liked it or not.

***

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Okay, not a good chapter by any means but it gets rid of having to do introductions for them in the future. Yay.

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So I doubt theres gonna be much of a drastic change in the next world poll anytime soon, so i'm just going to assume Shokugeki no Souma's the next world for the story. I'll keep the poll going for another two or so weeks before finishing up with it.