Intro: Akame ga Kill quickly became one of my favorite series when I started it. This story is my attempt at writing a story that airs more on the darker side of the spectrum while exploring some interesting possibilities with the riveting personalities Akame ga Kill offers.

Edit: This story is now featured on AO3 as well! Also, changed around some formatting and style for superior quality!

Disclaimer: Akame ga Kill's official characters and the world belongs to Takahiro, Tetsuya Tashiro, Square Enix, and Gangan Joker.

Chapter 1: Kill Both Sides

The storm of dissension is beginning to form, thought a woman. Her long, silky hair flowed in the wind while she stood on a balcony. The darkening sky was reflected in her frigid eyes. Will I be able to live long enough to see it, I wonder? Can this power within me be quelled; will I succumb? If I die from this—I wasn't strong. No, I shall triumph and...maybe our paths will cross once more. Until then, the vanity of humanity will continue…

VVV

Everybody might die at this rate, thought Chelsea, observing the incredible spectacle before her.

The pale moonlight illuminated the mountain base, and a cold air blew gently across the landscape. Some might find it enjoyable to stop and soak in the nice atmosphere nature was offering. However, what Chelsea was observing behind a huge boulder didn't really fit into the "nice" category. It was a sight much more befitting for someone in her profession—a duel between the assassins of Night Raid and the Jaegers.

"Kurome!" yelled Akame, clashing swords with her sister.

"You're strong as always, Sis," taunted Kurome. "Not bad—for a traitor." Akame jumped back to create space. Kurome eerily smiled, the night creating a shadow over her face.

"I wanted to take you with me, but you stayed."

"You think I'd run away and disgrace all those that have died, so I could go be some freedom fighter like you? Not that any of it matters anyway, because we'll be together again soon."

"I'm never going back to the Empire."

"You will once I run you through with Yatsufusa." Kurome brandished her Teigu while taking a battle stance. "We'll be together forever, Sis."

Akame looked horrified, realizing just how far gone her sister was now. Kurome thought making her into a corpse puppet was the best way to be together. Her grip on Murasame tightened, and her resolve readied the assassin to do what needed to be done.

"If killing you really is the only way I can save you—so be it!"

"Those are big words, Sis!" The two sisters traded blows at rapid speed. Their swords kept clashing, and they optimized their advanced footwork to get an edge.

"Night Raid scum!" yelled Wave, fully equipped in his mighty Grand Chariot while delivering a midair kick towards Tatsumi—who blocked, accordingly.

"What do you know!" Tatsumi, who was wearing the ever-reliable Incursio, threw a right that Wave guarded.

"Incursio is only the prototype to my Grand Chariot! You don't have a chance!" Wave struck quickly with his fist, making Tatsumi drop to his knees. "All of you in Night Raid are nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded assassins!"

Tatsumi clenched his jaw so hard, he almost chipped a tooth. Pictures of deceased Night Raid comrades crossed his mind, making him even more frustrated at Wave's ignorant words.

"The rebellion should just go die!" Wave launched a punch that Tatsumi stopped with his hand. He was still kneeling on the ground. Wave's eyes widened when he couldn't pull back his arm. "What the hell?"

"Who are you to judge us?" quietly said Tatsumi, getting off the ground. "It's because of those bastards in the Empire that my friends are dead!" Tatsumi's fist collided with Wave's chest, pushing him back several yards while he gasped in pain.

"Don't criticize the Empire!" Wave took a deep breath before getting into a battle-ready stance again. "Who's under that armor anyway?"

"You'll have to take me down to find out." Tatsumi readied himself for a struggle again.

"Have it your way, Night Raid trash!"

"Bring it on, Imperial lapdog!"

The two armored warriors exchanged powerful blows that would've pulverized anything unfortunate enough to be caught in between. Despite Grand Chariot being the superior model, Tatsumi was fending for himself soundly, at the moment.

"Hahaha, justice has arrived!" shouted Seryu, with an insane look, firing her tonfa guns at Lubbock and Mine.

Lubbock creatively used the strings from Cross Tail to make a shield to deflect the bullets.

"I can't get a clear shot on him with Seryu attacking us like this!" yelled Mine, trying her best to land a shot on Run, who was flying overhead with the swift Mastema.

"How ephemeral," said Run, making aerodynamic evasive movements. "All that firepower and no skill to use it."

"I'll show you skill! Keep Seryu busy, Lubbock!"

"What the heck do you think I've been doing?" Lubbock was dodging Seryu's multiple weapons while looking out for her killer dog. "Man, she's like a swizz army knife! Why do I always have this luck with women?"

"Leone, give Lubbock a hand!" shouted Mine.

"Kinda busy!" answered Leone, leaping high in the air when she would get surrounded by flames from Bols's Rubicante. This seriously blows. I can't get a hit on a guy who keeps blowing flames everywhere.

"I apologize, but I can't let you get near me," said Bols, blowing flames in every direction. "In the name of the Empire, I will defeat you!"

"Don't get cocky, masked weirdo!" Leone made swift zigzags on all fours and then sharply pushed her legs off the ground, launching her towards Bols with extreme speed. She licked her lips while the prey was in sight. Unfortunately—Run shot projectiles at Leone, which almost cut her in several places. She had to stop and retreat to avoid any damage. "Oh come on! Who said you could get involved, bird brain!"

"This fight was never one on one. If you leave yourself open, I'll—" Run's sentence was cut short because he had to evade a shot from Mine's gun.

"Why you…" grunted Seryu, trying to pin down Lubbock. "Koro, number five!" She ignored the pain when Koro bit her left arm to equip her powerful drill. "While I deal with this one, go rip the other to shreds!" Koro hungrily grinned before he went after Mine.

"I have to help her!"

"Oh no you don't, evil-doer!" screamed Seryu, charging at Lubbock with her sadistic smile. "I will vanquish all evil!"

"Crap!" he yelled, letting out thread as quickly as possible.

"Enma's Spear of Justice!"

"Her drill is going right through it!" Lubbock barely managed to get out of the way before Seryu's giant drill made a hole in the ground where he just was.

"You dodged it. No matter." She pulled out her tonfa guns again after her arm transformed back. "My justice pierces through everything!"

"Why do I have to deal with the justice junkie?" Lubbock had a blank look, suddenly feeling like he was forgetting something. Oh snap! Mine!

"This mutt is getting on my nerves!" yelled Mine, running to evade the iron grip of Koro she remembered with much clarity. "I still have to pay you back for that. After all, I'm in a pretty bad situation right now!" Mine pointed her always convenient Pumpkin at Koro. "This is from Sheele!"

Her gun fired a powerful blast that completely enveloped Koro. All that was left of the organic Teigu was the miniature version of itself, smoldering on the ground. However, he was regenerating extremely quickly. He would probably be active again in a few minutes.

"I need to hurry and take out the flier so I can deal with Seryu." Mine tightened her hold on the trigger while watching Seryu trying to gun down her comrade. "I have a score to settle with you, also."

Mine lost her footing because something hit the ground with a lot of force a few feet from her. It was Tatsumi and Wave who were still fighting each other. Neither one would give an edge while both cycled through an intense pattern of blocking and attacking. Mine stepped back, not having any desire to get in between something like that.

Meanwhile, a heated battle was also going on between the two sword-wielding sisters. It might not have included any brutish force or explosions, but it was the most incredible fight taking place. Both of them were using their swords as an extension of themselves so well, it looked like they were acrobats.

All I need is one cut! thought Akame. Why does it feel like she's holding back? Kurome hasn't even used Yatsufusa's power yet. The two had a violent clash before creating space between each other.

"This is some workout, right, Sis? Just like old times."

"Why aren't you activating Yatsufusa?"

"I don't need to use my Teigu's powers yet. I wanted to defeat you first before using Yatsufusa's power on the rest of Night Raid."

I don't like this, thought Akame. Just what does she have that can kill all of them?

"Don't worry so much. Once we're together, nothing will matter. Trust me." Kurome smiled as if talking about killing her sister was the most natural thing in the world.

"Kurome…"

The heated battle between these two powerful forces had begun under odd circumstances. The Jaegers were supposed to be patrolling this area because of a strange Danger Beast that needed investigating. Luckily, some moles from the rebellion had gotten a notice and alerted the main heads. Then they gave the order to Najenda, and she informed the rest of Night Raid.

On paper, taking the Jaegers all at once may have seemed like a dangerous idea—with all of them being Teigu users—however, there were reasons why it didn't seem as foolhardy. For one, it was rare to find all the Jaegers together this far away from the Capital. The next reason was much more important, which was Esdeath being absent.

No one seems to know the exact reason, but Esdeath hadn't been spotted around the palace in weeks. She hasn't been seen anywhere around the Capital or on patrol with her Jaegers. Whatever the reason was, the rebellion thought now was the best time to kill all members and take their Teigu. It especially looked better considering they had killed Dr. Stylish after he tried to invade the old Night Raid hideout with his army of experiments.

The ambush wasn't going as well as Night Raid hoped. It was originally decided Mine would wait from a distance and snipe whoever was seen to be the most dangerous member. It ended up being Kurome, even though Akame was reluctant. It all fell apart when Kurome made an inhuman move to dodge Mine's shot, giving away her position. This ended up making what was supposed to be an ambush turn into an all-out brawl.

Susanoo and Najenda haven't been able to participate yet, due to having some business they were ordered to take care of. When matched up like this, Night Raid was confident they could match the Jaegers, just as Tatsumi eluded to after escaping Esdeath's grasp. Neither side seemed to be at any clear disadvantage, but the biggest wild card remaining was Yatsufusa's power.

If only Mine connected with her shot earlier, thought Chelsea. That would have made this a whole lot easier. While she was still observing the battle from a distance, the scuffle between Leone and Bols caught her eye.

"I'm starting to read you better!" snarled Leone, smarting from multiple burns she's suffered at the hands of Bols. It was no problem in the long run because Lionelle allowed for rapid regeneration, but it still hurt all the same. "You're mine now!"

"I've let her get too close!" exclaimed Bols. He tried to move—but Leone was right in front of him before she severed his left arm, forcibly making him drop Rubicante.

"Gotcha." She then slashed him in the chest, which made him collapse.

"Bols!" yelled Wave, separating from Tatsumi and lunging after Leone to get her away from his fellow Jaeger. Leone jumped away while Wave's exclamation alerted all of the Jaegers, making them stop what they were doing to check on their teammate. Night Raid used this opportunity to regroup and catch their breath—except for Chelsea, who opted to stay hidden.

"His wound is deep," examined Run. "If he doesn't get immediate attention, he'll bleed out."

"But we're so far away from the Capital…" murmured Kurome.

"No! I'll carry him!" offered Wave.

"Stop," began Bols, through rough breaths, "I'll just get in the way; I already know I'm dead."

These guys…thought Tatsumi, observing the scene. They all stopped fighting to help their friend. Tatsumi looked at Seryu, Kurome, and Run's worried faces as well as Wave's frustrated expression. He then remembered the days his friends mourned Bulat and Sheele. They're…just like us.

It was an observation that Tatsumi has thought about. When he spent time with the Jaegers, he was expecting a bunch of insane, irrational monsters. It turned out it wasn't that black and white. The Jaegers were actually relatively beloved in the Capital, where their regular patrols took place.

Wave didn't strike him as a bad guy in the slightest, even if he was ignorant. Bols seemed like a good guy that simply accepted his role in the Empire for his family. Kurome seemed like a stoic girl, who wanted sweets all the time. Strangely enough, even Seryu seemed really nice when she wasn't in her psycho mode. Hell, even Esdeath had shown him a very vulnerable side. Stylish still crept him out, though.

"Is it just me, or do we look like the bad guys here?" chimed in Leone.

"We definitely look like antagonists at the moment," added Lubbock, rubbing the back of his head. "What do you think about this, Akame?"

Instead of an answer, everyone heard a loud growl that made them jump. They looked at Akame, whose face was red, before she said, "W-what? I haven't eaten in a while…"

"You assassins of Night Raid are despicable!" yelled Seryu, glaring daggers at the opposing side. "My father, my teacher, the good doctor, and now my fellow Jaeger!" The bloodlust Seryu was giving off was almost suffocating while she walked forward. "I swear…I'll kill you all!"

"Hold on, Seryu," interrupted Kurome, halting her teammate. "Don't forget that we have to get Bols help."

"Right. We'll hold them off, then?"

"You bet." Kurome held Yatsufusa to the sky.

Here it comes, thought Akame. What is she going to call out?

"I'm not gonna leave you two alone!" yelled Wave.

"Do you want to save Bols or not? Now use Grand Chariot to—"

"Halt!" yelled a new voice that made everyone pause.

Chelsea was the first to notice what looked like over a hundred fully armed soldiers dressed in the garbs of the Empire. They were all stationed a few levels above them on the mountain. An ambush? thought Chelsea. Not good. How did they know?

"Did any of us call for backup before heading out?" asked Wave. None of the Jaegers confirmed calling any kind of support beforehand.

"None of this was our doing," said Run, with a finger to his chin. "Perhaps someone sent them as a precaution? But why not inform us first..."

"I say this is good news," commented Seryu, smiling brightly. "Bols will be saved and victory over Night Raid is inevitable!" Seryu started waving while raising her voice. "We have an injured man that needs assistance!"

"Is that right?" said the soldier in the middle, who sounded like a middle-aged man. "Sorry, but we're not here to help—the Jaegers are to be killed!"

Both the Jaegers and Night Raid looked absolutely shocked while the man's proclamation hung in the air. If the man was to be believed—the Imperial soldiers were here to kill the Jaegers. The Teigu wielders below weren't sure how to respond. Half of them thought it had to be some kind of trick; however, the soldiers above them looked serious.

Seryu tilted her head and kept smiling. "Sorry, but you have the wrong guys. We're on the side of justice, just like you. Night Raid is—"

"We know who you are. According to our orders, you're our target. Although, killing Night Raid will be a convenient bonus."

"B-but…why the hell are we supposed to be killed!" yelled Wave, who was utterly confused. He was beside himself because the current situation was surreal. All he wanted was to pay his debt to the man who saved his life and become a good soldier for the Empire. He never imagined something like this could happen.

"I always knew I would have to atone for my sins one day," said Bols, sounding faint. "I just always thought that it would be my enemies that would do it. Please, if you guys survive this—watch over my family, if you can."

"Bols…" murmured Wave, feeling utter despair from the betrayal at the hands of the Empire and the inability to help his friends.

"I always fought for and defended the Empire with my comrades…so why?" asked Kurome, who had fallen to her knees in disbelief.

It seems as though somebody has it out for us, thought Run. But who…?

"J-justice… Daddy I-I didn't..." Seryu was grabbing her head while tears of utter shock rolled down her face. A part of her still didn't believe what she just heard, so she assumed it was some kind of mind trick. There was no way the most righteous force would order her death.

"These guys are definitely with the Empire," said Akame. "I was hoping they were rebellion soldiers with stolen uniforms, but there wouldn't be any reason to pretend when they've said Night Raid would be killed. We'll have to fight if we want to survive." The rest of Night Raid nodded while they prepared themselves.

"Just in case you thought those Teigu would help you escape, forget it," said the man. "These guns hold bullets that have been modified by the alchemist! Even armored Teigu users will not be able to defend themselves!"

Special bullets? thought Chelsea. I've never heard of the Empire having something like that. Plus, what's with this alchemist…?

"Damn, this is really bad," stated Tatsumi. "How can we get out of this?"

He looked towards his teammates for answers, but they were all silent. If the man was telling the truth about those weapons, that meant even Incursio couldn't help. As fast as they were, they couldn't dodge bullets coming from multiple directions.

"Are we really going to be killed from something that doesn't involve us?" asked Lubbock.

"Mine, can't you use Pumpkin to help us?" asked Leone. "This situation is pretty bad, wouldn't you say?"

"I have a move that could work—but the moment I try to fire, it'll be open season."

Is there really nothing we can do? thought Akame.

Akame slowly looked over at Kurome, and their eyes met. All the memories of surviving in impossible conditions were rushing back into their heads. Only one word kept repeating itself in Akame's mind—eliminate. The word she thought of whenever it was time to temporarily cast aside her humanity. She tightened the grip on her sword while her sister did the same. They decided that even if everyone wouldn't make it out of this, they'd take as many as they could with them.

…Then it happened.

It only lasted for a second, but something glimmering on top of the mountain caught the eye of Chelsea and Run. It looked like a piece of metal, reflecting the moonlight. When they adjusted their eyes, they saw something just as shocking as their current situation. There was no question about whom the person at the top was.

Their attire signified they were, in fact, a rebellion soldier.

The next second, an ear-splitting explosion erupted from the mountain. Tons of rock and debris flew into the air and fell towards the base of the mountain where everyone was. Nobody had time to speak because they tried to escape the rock slide that was practically right on top of them. Within a few seconds, the area that was just a battlefield had been completely covered. Only the night air made a sound after it was over.

This event would become the major turning point in what was the dawn of radical pandemonium around the Empire.

Author's Notes

That's the first chapter in the books. So—if you didn't pick up on it, this story starts shortly after Dr. Stylish's death when he tried to invade Night Raid's headquarters. From there, this will be my own interpretation and tale of Akame ga Kill. This story will be pretty long since I already have all the big arcs planned out. Thank you for reading and being the beautiful people that you all are!