Howling Madness (Akame Ga Kill x Male Reader)

Chapter 24: Rekindled Shine

(Y/N) POV

When was the last time I rushed myself this much I wonder. Was it saving Akame? Was it chasing after her in Tekido? Was it to save the team in Hakuba? ...Or was it after killing Tsukushi and trying to run away from all of it? ...What am I doing this time? Am I trying to save someone, or was I trying to finish another mission as soon as possible? When did so many questions start flying through my mind, just thinking about each one hurts more and more and this isn't a pain I can forcibly stop like I could with the curse.

Stop thinking

...Empty your thoughts and focus... Suzuka is by the ruins right now, I already hear the fighting and I'm free to make an opening for her. Tatsumi tries to leap in to strike her as she quickly catches Neuntote as tosses him behind her with a chuckle.

Suzuka: "I broke a nail~"

Tatsumi: "You little...!"

Suzuka: "Mez was one thing, but I was shocked that one of you took down Ibara... I'm guessing that wasn't you. I can tell just by looking that you don't have much experience with real battles."

(Y/N): "That should be obvious, last we knew he wasn't Incursio's current user." I landed in front of her, a glare aimed at my opponent as I gave a side glance to Suzuka. "Get going, I'm not going to need the help against him."

Suzuka: "Understood, just don't get yourself killed."

(Y/N): "...I can't, at least for a long while." Tatsumi tried to stop her again as I punched him back into the ground with Harbinger's gauntlet. I could tell by how he staggered that he wasn't expecting that to hurt so much as I smirked. "Everyone seems to forget, the gauntlet itself is the Teigu with an ability to summon a scythe with as much strength. I just rather use the latter more because of the extra range, but against you... well I hope you at least make this entertaining."

Tatsumi: "You bastard! You-you aren't getting away for what you did!"

(Y/N): "Are you referring to your teammate's death? Weren't you the ones trying to kill us first? Akame should've told you by now, I have no mercy for people who try to or have killed my friends. If you have a grudge for anything, have it against your own incompetence to deal with us before she died."

Tatsumi: "Shut up!" He immediately charged at me, my goading getting exactly the result I wanted. I dodged the halberd before striking at his helmet with the back of my hand to launch him in the ruins.

(Y/N): "You don't understand how lucky you are that Esdeath wants you alive, otherwise I would've killed you already. Honestly, I would've killed you all the way back at the capital with how suspicious you were if she didn't love you." The dust cleared to show nothing, the use of Incursio's invisibility to try and take me by surprise obviously. I ducked under an attack only to grab him and throw him over my shoulder. "You would've done better trying to run." He tries another attack, forcing me to dodge but seems to take my words to heart as he runs off into some ruins. What's he trying to pull? Do they have these places trapped? "You going to try and keep running and try to evade me with your invisibility like you did Wave?"

Tatsumi: "...That's not it. Sorry, but if I can delay you for even a few seconds, that's enough!" He rams Neuntote into the ruin's wall and charges at me, trying to bring the entire place down with the two of us still here. Instead of trying to run, I grabbed into his weapon and tried to break his armor. "What the-"

(Y/N): "I already know I can't die, and I'll tell you now that I have no obligation to keep you alive. If things would cost my life like this, I can bring you back dead if I have to!" The ruins fall all around us, the feeling of my body being crushed before I could actually break his armor making my mind go dark. By some miracle, I broke my way through the collapsing debris before I fully blacked out with Harbinger. One of my arms was crushed, and my legs were numb to hell but I wasn't letting myself go into a short coma like that. Where the hell-