Fate: Kill

Chapter 38

Honestly, this was stupid; not because of irrational confidence, but sheer practicality. Sneaking in to get an audience with someone as important as Shirou was no easy feat. This was especially so after he'd made an appearance in camp to help uplift everyone's spirits.
Leone and the others had not wasted the opportunity to instill their members with the notion of giving Shirou a reprieve to recuperate by using the excuse of Shirou's long absence due to internal injuries to 'justify' it.
A

ll the while, Chelsea was calling bullshit, and gnashing her teeth in vexation.
This had occurred earlier in the afternoon, and it wasn't lost on Chelsea that she was being watched during Shirou's entire showing. If she so much as tried to approach, Chelsea held every notion that there would have been someone that would coincidently bar her path by stumbling or using some type of accident. In the end her best bet was still to somehow evade their notice and make her way towards her target.
Simple, right?
…
…?
…haaaaa
Chelsea took several breaths to reassure herself of her actions, but always ended up short at the last moment. Sure, she'd had her fair share of espionage and infiltration missions, but when she considered that her particular skill set was shared by the people she intended to bypass, well the picture would always turn out bleak.
She bit down on her lips; hands clammy with cold sweat that she dried out by matting them over her blouse.
This was going to go well.
A hard look appeared in her eyes, the mischievousness of her demeanor shifting into something more professional. Fiddling for something in her pockets, she slipped a lollipop into her mouth and gradually conditioned herself.
Her Imperial Arm, or Teigu was called Gaea Foundation, and it resembled something of a make-up kit. Then again, it's ability to allow her to assume the appearance at will was nothing short of a godsend for any assassin. It was also the primary trump card she had faith in using to sneak into Shirou's tent. After all, who would suspect a cat, small animal, or even a 'colleague,' wandering around at this time of night?
The problem however was information.
No matter how Chelsea envisioned the mission going, she had to assume that it wasn't only going to be Leone, Akame, and that annoying Mine girl she was going to have to slip past. To make assumptions before the start of a mission was setting herself up for failure. What she did instead was imagine the worst scenario possible, and gradually work with it as a basis…which meant she might be up against the entire Night Raid Branch Akame and the rest were part of, and the locals from Calla.
No sweat, right?
Except that Najenda, the leader of the Night Raid branch Chelsea was trying to bypass likely knew information regarding Chelsea's Teigu. She may not know that Chelsea was the owner of said Teigu, but so long as Najenda was aware of Gaea Foundation's existence, even harmless animals may be apprehended and barred from entering Shirou's tent.
No matter what, Chelsea consoled herself that she'd be fine as long as Najenda wasn't the one personally guarding.
Chelsea had always heard that Najenda was a woman of integrity, so she certainly wouldn't have freely distributed information about Gaea Foundation to the members of her unit.
So, luck that she'd run into anyone else than Najenda?
Was this really going to be the basis of her confidence?
It was no wonder that Chelsea still felt a little uneasy.
Sadly, there was no other choice with how pressing the situation was with Esdeath.
Balling her hands into fists, Chelsea glanced up into the sky and watched as a 'mysterious' black robed figure made an appearance. No one would have expected an attack at this time, and were unprepared when the figure hurled a 'bomb' towards Shirou's tent.
'Nothing more than fanfare and blanks to sound noisy and gather attention,' Chelsea took in a breath and composed herself.
Alright, that was the signal from Susanoo. Followed by the clamoring sounds of people giving chase, Chelsea didn't concern herself with her partner for much longer. She was confident in Susanoo's sturdiness, as he wasn't exactly…human.
Anyways, it was 'go' time.
Placing her headphones over her ears, the sudden muffling of sound served to calm her nerves as she activated her Teigu. Under her careful control and the finesse of her fingers, her appearance quickly changed into that of a panther cub lost from the distant forest.
Honestly, it felt weird to walk on four legs and on paws, but this wasn't her first tango in this form.
Slinking forward through the clamor Susanoo was causing, Chelsea clicked her tongue when she arrived closer to her destination. It would have been easier if the people acting as sentries around Shirou's tent would give chase Susanoo as well, but they hadn't even budged.
Chelsea took note of the nearest people she'd have to sneak past.
There situated on a lookout above the tent was Mine armed with Pumpkin. It was obvious that she was on the alert with the stunt Susanoo was pulling, and was aiming her scope at him, but Chelsea wasn't naïve.
Even if Mine was keeping track of Susanoo's movements, it would be ignorant to doubt a sniper's perception. In the stillness of the night illuminated by the moon with no trees to act as cover, there was no way Mine wasn't going to notice a cub wandering nearby.
In any case, Chelsea didn't think Mine would shoot, so she took the risk and took a meandering path forward lest she be too direct and be considered suspicious.
Chelsea did not miss the narrowing of Mine's eyes when Chelsea stepped within view in her cat form. She didn't miss the flicker of a coo that escaped Mine's mouth either. Then again, Chelsea did make her cat form appear adorable.
Still, for as quick as the expression had appeared on Mine's face, it was smothered in the next second when she turned her attention back towards Susanoo. It was likely that Mine wasn't firing due to the risk of hitting a friendly in their own camp. That, or she found Susanoo's capture or takedown inevitable.
Chelsea was just relieved that for as snobbish as Mine had been, she seemed to have a soft side as well, and paid little attention to a 'cute' kitten making its way by.
The same couldn't be said for the next foe seated on top of a box maintaining her blade's edge with a whetstone.
Red eyes stared blankly at Chelsea which caused her to freeze in her steps. It wasn't that Chelsea was found out, but she'd stiffened for other reasons. There was no malice, contempt, or murderous intent in the red eyes, but what replaced that was a penetrating contemplation and a tongue wetting red lips.
"Akame, I know we didn't go hunting for meat in a while, but that's a panther cub." An arm slung over Akame's shoulder, revealing Leone snorting at her friend. "There's not much meat on it anyway. Better to wait for it to grow its fangs first."
Chelsea paled with the realization that Akame had been considering roasting and eating her.
I-If she knew this was going to happen, then she should have gone for a simple tabby cat instead. Surely, she wouldn't be considered for the menu then?
Aptly terrified at the prospect of being dinner, Chelsea quickened her pace despite Leone narrowing her eyes on her.
"Is something wrong, Leone?" Akame perked up.
Chelsea only quickened her pace, unwilling to remain close.
"Even for a wandering panther cub, don't you think its odd that it would be here of all places?" Leone furrowed her brows, her nose twitching. "It also has this familiar smell…"
'What are you a dog?!'
Chelsea shivered. She knew from her intel that Leone had some sort of beast transformation Teigu, but this was cutting it too close. Gaea Foundation didn't exactly change the scent of a person, only the appearance.
"Can I roast it then?"
'Nooooo!'
Chelsea heard the sound of rustling movement behind her and panicked-
"Hello everyone," a saviour arrived, taking the attention away from Chelsea.
Sheele came walking in with a round of drinks held on a platter between her arms. "I brought some refreshments!"
Akame, Leone, and even Mine who remained stationed up high paused at Sheele's timing. There was some sort of invader, and Sheele got it into her head that this was the time to offer some drinks?
Even Chelsea was dumbfounded.
Since when did any branch of Nigh Raid ever stoop down to hire a scatterbrain?
Chelsea just couldn't wrap her mind around it, but couldn't help but be thankful all the same.
With Sheele's arrival, Chelsea finally made it out of sight by circling around Shirou's tent. If she'd tried to go for the entrance, she knew she'd be stopped, and so she could only try to find another way.
Fortunately, her panther cub form had claws. She figured that slicing her way through the tent was a worthy investment, but would have never have expected that someone had already been a step ahead of her.
There right before her on the south-side of the tent, was a clean cut made from a sharp blade.
Chelsea froze there and then when Bulat appeared, standing guard at the cut section. What was more confounding was that the man was trying to tie it up with sewing needle and thread as if that would fix it?
Chelsea took a step back, accidently knocking over an empty glass bottle that clanked and shattered.
'Shit!'
Diving behind empty supply crates, Chelsea could only watch as Bulat's gaze fell on her just as Akame and the rest instantly appeared to investigate.
"B-Bulat? What are you doing, and is that…a hole?" Leone was the one who spoke here, her gaze shifting from Bulat to the cut in the tent's side which Bulat was trying to hide with his large frame.
Needless to say, Bulat's attempts were bound for failure.
Honestly, Bulat's presence took everyone off guard, and what was worse was that the man himself appeared infinitely nervous around Akame and the rest, as if he'd been caught red-handed. He didn't even have the mind to explain that he'd seen a panther cub hiding behind the supply crates.
Chelsea was elated at this stroke of fortune.
Thanks scapegoat!
Thank you, Susanoo!
It was a chance that Chelsea would not waste.
She silently meandered around the tent, made a new hole, and dashed inside when all eyes were on Bulat.