Well, this is a little new for me. I've watched this anime a few times now, and figured why not give a story a shot? What's the harm in that? So, yeah advice and all that is good and cool. Reviews are pretty sweet and favorite and follow are pretty sweet too, so do that if you want. Anyways. Thanks for reading and giving it a shot. I could continue, maybe not, depends really.

The sun blazes high in the sky with a sweltering heat. It bathes everything it can, spreading itself through the thick canopy and beaming onto the ground.

I hack and slice away at Danger Beasts. I jump just out of their reach, using branches as launching pads and shove my sword straight through their craniums.

All is well.

Or, as well as it can get for me.

I haul the bodies to a little river. I cut away, making the huge pieces smaller. I'd cook all of this later. I set my katanas down, I'd have to clean these otherwise they'd rust.

I wipe the sweat from my brow, pushing my hair back. It was a spiky and huge mess, but I don't care.

I jump back into a tree, flourishing without reprieve.

I have no home. Not anymore. I just wander around in the forst, never staying in one place too long, never straying outside of these thick forests. The forests were always looming with danger, but like with everything else in my life I adjusted.

My home village was destroyed, I was one of the few survivors. My only remaining things were my clothes, and my two swords. I'm not sure where the other survivors went, if they were even still alive.

The Empire made their mark once again...But, they were getting sloppy.

They spared me, shoving me along with more people my age and throwing us into this forest. We were all so young. Many died, so young, and some made it to the other side.

I flash my eyes to my side, spotting a family of rabbits. I'm perched in one of my many trees. They had been here for a long time now, and looked quite comfortable. It didn't really surprise me, considering I killed all those big ass things in the area, I didn't even know what to fuck to call them. They were just large, mean, and dangerous.

They made good dinners though.

The rabbits bound off, moving very fast, like they always do when they detect danger. I scan my surroundings, able to see the entire lush floor beneath me and everything in between-I was quite high, but from this point very few things could get to me. If they did, I would kill them, the things were big but lacked any intelligence, but it was the caution that mattered. I was never arrogant. I had learn to be quick on my feet and scale trees like a cat since I was facing constant danger.

I spot no predators. There's no ruffling of nearby bushes. There aren't any other animals herding together to drink from the nearby river. Without prey there will be no predator. It was one of the simplest things.

There were people coming.

I jump from my perch, swinging from one branch to another before landing on a much larger branch. There's leaves covering it completely, giant, easily bigger than me in length. It's just the perfect cover. The cover that I need. Few people came in these woods-they were either highly skilled, from the Empire, from Revolutionary Army. Or, from Night Raid.

I peer at them as they come into view, I don't care to look too intently. There is one with yellowish hair, a woman clearly, another woman with black hair and a strange outfit, and a boy probably in his teens with pretty long brown hair.

Fucking Night Raid.

What the fuck are they doing here? I wonder. I had killed a few people in recent months, but they were from the Empire and Revolutionary Army. And, as far as I knew I wasn't all that well known or anything along those lines, just came from a little village, nothing too special. Night Raid was just an assassination force, that's how I looked at it anyways, even if they were fighting the fight against the Empire. It's not so strange that they're here, probably on one of their patrols like always. They wouldn't wallow over either faction taking a loss. I convince myself that must be it.

Seconds turn into minutes and those minutes turn into hours.

They stay where they are, I strain to hear, but I can only catch bits and pieces. The chick with the yellow hair looks to be complaining, she is quite animate in the way she speaks. The boy looks like he's struggling with something, and the chick with the strange outfit just stands there looking around. Her eyes don't leer near my direction, but it still unsettles me. She was more observant than the other two.

I shift. The leaves still shield me, I'm in the shade. No sun is near me. They can't see my shadow. I don't even have my swords with me, all I have is a knife.

Damn it all.

"We can't stay overnight." It was the boy. He seemed to be almost pleading with the yellow haired chick. That's right, keep on moving and don't stay here. Night time is when the monsters came out.

"We don't have any other choice, besides what are you scared of?" The yellow haired chick makes her point. Clearly they really don't need to worry. They do have Teigu... My mind does a complete flip. I heard about the rare things, who hadn't? They were strange, granted power, almost like the synced up with the person. Only the strongest could wield them, and one just couldn't use it.

Well, this just complicated things. I could handle a few idiots, but this was Night Raid and more importantly all three had some sort of Teigu. That yellow haired woman's is probably a biological, screw all the technicality it's a body one. The other two were likely weapon based, that dark haired woman's was a sword-and judging from its design it was definitely a katana.

She'd split someone in two like a turnip.

I don't have a Teigu. Even with my swords I wouldn't be able to kill them.

Go away. Go away.

"Guys."

I freeze in my place.

"We're not alone."

Son of a bitch. How had this woman manage to find me out, she miles well have considering I can't move from my current spot. If I moved I'd only alert them, and then they'd be on my ass faster than I can say pancake. There were no animals to cover my tracks with, if I flinched the brush, I could use a squirrel scurrying above to cover my ass.

I had a knife on me, and I'd go down swinging, but I already knew how this was going to end in the long run. I was going to be killed. These were all trained assassins. I could swing from trees and hang from them without much issue, I killed the monsters that roamed these woods, even the biggest-like that fucking centipede, and I survived out here for...It's been a very long time in any case. I hit puberty out here.

"Why doesn't the bastard just show his face?" The tone was already instant for me. It was the yellow haired girl.

"Should we keep moving?" This little brat was really going to be the death of me. I could tell by his voice that he was a terribly caring and naive person, he more than likely wanted to leave now to spare me the trouble of having to deal with the three of them. This world was fucked up, and you learned at a very young age. These three all suffered at one point, or still were. "They could be somewhere else."

"There's been that rumor that someone's been killing people from the Empire and the Revolution Army. They've set out several times in this same direction to find whoever is doing it and every single time nobody returns. They only find their bodies hanging from the trees and branches. They cover their tracks very well, too."

I can't help but smirk. Seems like I had reputation in civilization as it were-the big city. Where the battle for supremacy was taking place They were both evil and two sides of the same coin, the Empire was like a plague and the Revolution was no different. Anyone that didn't hold their ideal they targeted as well, as if they needed an excuse. The Empire just targeted everything they possibly could.

That was how I seen it, any way.

Payback was a motherfucker and I made sure to break a lot of bones before I ended their miserable lives.

But, of course I live in these hellish woods. The prospect of me surviving in this hell as too far beyond comprehension. People sought to get to the other side, but I remained. Surviving and thriving.

Now Night Raid was on my case or were about to be. It seems that my reputation was becoming too well known. Too notorious.

What would they want with me, though?

I only had very few choices now. The first and most obvious being that I can fight, as futile as it was, and go down swinging. The second and most obvious thing was to run, but than they'd be pursuing me and it'd turn into a fight. The third and final solution was to remain still as I am now, but I had been here for a few hours now...Nature calls, and though the sensation hadn't hit me it was bound to eventually. The only problem with this solution besides using the can was this trio wasn't going to move.

"Should I go and find whoever it is?"

I go for my knife. My fingers clench around it as my heart pounds in my chest. It was never a question or flight or fight, there was only one option for me. There had always been only one option. That was to fight. To survive. To thrive. Well, shit if that's the way it was going to be, if this woman was going to start tearing this place down bit by bit to weed me out, I'd at least sneak in one stab or two before the onslaught began. Before that damn katana tore through me like I didn't even exist. Before that yellow haired chick sunk those canines into my neck.

Damn, I wish I had my two swords.

I'd rather take on three of those giant centipedes than these three...Sounded crazy.

"Wait..." The dark haired said, her tone was steady. Her eyes kept on searching, this was getting to the point of no return. I thought so anyways, her eyes were too damn observant. "Whoever it is, is very close."

"Well, either way we have to bring this person back with us, alive." I don't feel any relief hearing that, it's coming from blondie on top of it. Shit. "Let's hope he doesn't give us a hard time like everyone else who ran into him."

The dark haired girl eyes suddenly flicked near my location.

Those eerie red orbs.

I don't breathe.

I steady myself. It was a good ten foot drop or more from where I am. I could land right and absorb the shock, if not I could always grab onto one of the many branches and stop my fall. I was never afraid of dying-I looked death in the face daily and nightly, but I've never crossed someone that wielded a Teigu, I never crossed paths with Night Raid. They were their own enigma. In fact I tried to steer my way clear of them at all costs. You could only avoid something for so long as the saying goes, then you have to bite the bullet.

"I don't understand why anyone would live in this place..." It's the boy, he's speaking very softly. If I listened carefully, and sort of focused on my ears I could pick it up. "People are more keen on getting to the other side, I mean...This where the Empire..."

The dark haired girl's eyes shadow with something, I just take note of it.

Yeah, the Empire and their twisted shit.

That fucking exam.

So, they were after me.

Well, I guess there was no sense in prolonging this any further.

I bite that bullet.

Wind rushes all around me, my hair is shoved up as it blows harshly in the increasing breeze that surrounds me. I feel free for a moment. I'm hyper focused as I begin to suck in my breath and prepare to absorb the shock of my landing. I can see the teen's face, his green eyes are slightly wide and he takes a staggering step back, clearly he's shocked to see me and know that I was so close. Or it could be my appearance, I hadn't had a haircut in ages.

The yellow haired chick just shoots this smirk at me that makes me tense.

The dark haired girl...She just stares at me with those red eyes. I swear she looks familiar, sort of. But, I have seen a lot of faces in this forest, the Empire's twisted schemes...

I shake away the memories and fury that quickly accompanies it.

She looks at me, as if trying to read me-as if she already did.

"Is that the person we're looking for?" Red eyes asked...She becomes cold almost, and I feel like she's zoned in on me.

"I guess so, I mean his hair matches the description." Blondie seconds

Shit.

I exhale briefly. My entire body trembles for a moment, I roll up onto my feet, knife in one hand already swiping out, I don't pause when I realize neither of them are upon me, and my other hand half clenched. Good, I didn't hurt myself this time around on the landing. It was always such a pain in the ass when I was running from one of those monsters or about to launch myself at them with a sword in hand, only to injure myself and in the process slay the beast.

There's only silence. I don't move, I don't blink, I don't even flinch. There's only a few meters between me and them-if I was quick enough I could kill all three in just a few short movements, but they weren't the typical bandits or Empire or Revolution morons. I had my dignity though, and I'd face death with that dignity. It was a shame, I lived for so long in the wild, in a place where nobody wanted to be, nothing could kill me or stop me, but I would be facing my death at the hands of humans. There had to be some twisted irony to this.

There always was.

"Get him."

The yellow haired girls tenses, like she's ready to pounce on me. Yes, her Teigu was definitely a body one, I didn't know which one it was, but it definitely had to do with the body. There was no way someone could have such a feline smile naturally. I wait, balls of my feet pressing into the wet ground beneath me acting as my spring, maybe if I anticipate her movements I'll be able to nick her.

She moves.

I hardly register the fact she moved. My instincts kick in and I'm already leaping away to the side, a shower of bark splatters out in front of me as I see her hand claw through the tree as if it were just paper.

I look at her, and narrow my eyes. Had she connected, she would have ripped me in two!

This was fucking ridiculous.

"Leone, wait!"

I can't really say I blame her. I was very dangerous, I'd sooner kill me too than try to convince me of something.

I was very stubborn.

"Get back here!"

"Fuck that!"

I'm on the move, my feet slam into the ground before I take flight a scale a tree. On and on I climb and jump. I can hear the destruction and whistles behind me-there's a constant streak of yellow, I avoid her savage swipes just narrowly. The boy keeps on screaming, he's running after her-I don't care to look back. He was terribly naive, but he also has a Teigu. Everything blends in, but I feel the frantic pounding of my heart, it's the only thing I can focus on.

I need to get to my swords. I was trained in hand to hand, and kenjutsu. I was good at both, but there was no way I was going to out fist this girl. It was taking all I had just to stay a step ahead of her.

"Shit!" I curse, eyes narrowing as the dark haired woman just...Phases in front of me. I hadn't taken note if she moved or not.

I use the momentum from my next step to leap up and snag a branch several feet above and swing myself onto the next continuing my run. But, the same thing happens, she keeps on cutting me off. Then she starts leaping like I do. I snarl and pick up my pace, my eyes are narrowed as far as they can go. It's all just a blur to me, I'm guided by experience and instinct, my body and arms flex and tense before releasing the tension.

What did Night Raid want with me? It didn't make all that much sense to me.

I was just another face. I lived in this place. Nobody would care to remember who I am, and, there was no one remaining who really knew who I was. Maybe they were just getting bored or desperate if they were trying to capture someone like me. What did they intend to do? Seek out retribution and justice? Torture me until I confess to why and who I killed, I wouldn't even lie about that. Or would they just leave me here in a pile of flesh and mush. Were they going to ask me to join them?

I wasn't keen on getting involved in any of the conflict going on, it was why I remained in this forest. While so many died and some got to the other side, only to be twisted. There was always danger lurking in this place, but it wasn't like out there. Here, the Empire wasn't around, the Revolution wasn't around, it was free of all of that. My life was simple.

I finally get my swords. They were hanging in a different tree of course.

Blondie strikes at me.

"Aghh!" I grunt, lessening my fall but hitting my shoulder hard against the ground. It's not too bad, the fall I mean. I've suffered worse. But, I have my swords. I waste no time in drawing my katana, clasping it with one hand as tight as I could. I shove my other sword into my side and take a two hand grip. That's better. Blondie looks at me as if considering that I'm really doing this.

She's the one that ripped through a tree. I was very strong myself-you have to be climbing trees and swinging from them, it was a necessity to survive, but she just really put me to shame.

Telling her to back off would be useless.

Damn right I'm actually doing this.

I clench my teeth shifting into a stance. I was trained in two sword styles, and one of them was Mugai. If I could read into her movements. No, that was impossible. If I put everything I had into the attack, regardless, I'm sure I'd be able to land a hit. She'd kill me, of course, but I'd return the favor. Teigu be damned I'm taking someone down with me.

"EIII!" The scream erupts from me, surging through my chest in a powerful vibration. The motion comes naturally to me, I had always been good with the sword, and it was something that allowed me to become stronger...So, I could be an adult faster. I can see the ground blur under me, and I explode forward aiming a deft stab for the side of her neck. She'd get me in the chest, but I'd take her down, at the very least slice her jugular.

Next thing I know I hit the ground chest first. My breathe hitches and I fight to regain it. My sword clatters noisily, I reach for my knife but my arm doesn't cooperate. I manage to grab it, but it lounges forward, I feel no pain or fear as darkness consumes my vision. I can only manage a mild thrash and quiet grunt as any and all energy just leaves me.

It was the black haired girl.

She didn't even use her Teigu.

She hit very hard.

Damn it.