At the end of his journey,

In a land void of air, two figures look at each other with ferocious intent. There is absolutely nothing that could discompose the intense ambiance. Only darkness surrounds them. One is suffering horrible pain; he looks at the person standing up.

There was dripping blood from both sides.

An intense battle may have taken place to get to that point.

There is no air to carry their sounds, so they speak through their minds, telepathy.

The one who is suffering asks,

"Have you achieved it, Ninomiya?"

In reply, Ninomiya was standing, with a severe look on his face, the blood dripping from his hair.

"Yes."

Ninomiya grabs his pistol and aims at him.

[SFX: RELOAD]

 Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he shoots.

[Bang!] 

{-Everything turns black-}

[Chapter 0.5: The Dream Where It All Began]

[April of 2016.]

[Kagoshima, Japan.]

[ALARM: BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!]

The alarm set for 7:30 AM wakes him up from the dream. Ninomiya silences the alarm right away.

He is sweating; with wide eyes, he says,

 

"Was that all just a dream?" he wonders because it had felt real. Surreal, but so real.

He goes to the bathroom to freshen up.

It looked like a clean and tidy bathroom; everything was very advanced. Even the taps looked like they were made up of platinum, expensive-looking shower room.

There was a big mirror, some combs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap.

To take a good look at himself, he zooms in. 

(Feeling His Face)

A long scar cutting right through his right eye ran down—his fuzzy green hair from the night's sleep.

He wonders a bit,

As he starts singing, 

"~~mmm~~."

While he is combing his hair.

He stops singing all of a sudden.

When he notices the metal object stuck to his chest, he thinks about his dream. A million unanswered questions barged into his mind that he couldn't start with a particular, but he thought it all like a dream. He touches it, placing his hand on his chest. I'm alive was all he could think of; a flash of memories gave him pain. It was a set of explosions, and a girl was standing in front while the explosions took place at the back.

Something beyond his thoughts and memories.

He shakes his head to return to where his body was. He shakes his head once again. His green hair looked like a breeze had just passed through a garden of newly grown grass.   

        

When he steps out of the bathroom, he hears the phone ringing. The call drops before he reaches it. He checks the notifications to see who the caller is; he doesn't even pay attention to the other notifications except for the home page.

It was his dad, with two missed calls. He ignored them both. Below that notification, there was a message from Akise. 

[Akise: Come fast. School starts at 8!]

It read. That catches him off guard. He didn't know that, but he couldn't have known because today would be his first day. 

He doesn't bother to check out the notifications piling up below that.  

Ninomiya takes a quick shower and dresses up for school. He calls his chauffeur to pick him up and heads to the kitchen.

The way to the kitchen as long as if he was in a hotel or something.

The staircase was so long that it took two minutes to get down.

He finally reaches the kitchen,

There, he finds a young woman sleeping on the diner couch. It was his sister, Hiori.

She was snorting and sleeping like a fed pig or something.

He grabs his lunch cautiously, ensuring he doesn't wake her up. She must've fallen asleep while eating, he thinks.  

Hiori was a year older than him, but he acted as her senior regardless. She didn't mind, however. After all, she was born blind. Nothing their family did could make her see. She would've inherited the family business. But her blindness fell that burden on his shoulder. 

He spreads butter on bread in the hallway and rushes outside, holding a cup of milk in his other hand; he throws the knife on the floor as well.

The door opens by someone.

The car waiting for him was ready to leave. 

An expensive car it looked like, gleaming, had those gold-plated tires and a shiny diamond embedded on the car's logo.

[SFX: Birds Chipping, Engine roaring.]

A maid holds the passenger door open to bid him farewell when he steps into the car.

"Have fun on your way to school, young master," she said before gently closing the door. Her face was beneficial and friendly.

The car drove away from the gate.

The maid takes out a walkie-talkie and orders someone with a severe tone, "Young Master is out of the home; patrol the area where he is headed, over!"

From the car's window, he could see the front view of his mansion. With a beautiful garden atop a hill, the workers and maids did their best to bring life to the otherwise ghost house. But it was home for him. 

The gentle breeze coming from the sea to scan the compound would turn his attention to the sight of the majestic mountains. He would always wonder what lay behind the beautiful mountain of Sakurajima. And what about his life, the reality as he knew it? What about the dream he has had all his life? 

He could sense a profound mystery somewhere. Sometimes, he would strain himself trying to uncover the hidden truth lurking underneath reality. But to no avail. 

Ten years of his life ever since he came to conscious memory.

But the six years that were still missing.

Where did all those memories go?

The color of sakura blossoms gives a sharp contrast to the colors of his thoughts. That brings his head back inside the car. Gulping down milk after finishing his bread in the car, he orders the chauffeur to drive faster. 

"Oi, I have like none to less time left. Break the speed limit, will you?"

The chauffeur sweats, and with a slight tone, he replies, "Yes, master!"

The car accelerated beyond the speed limit, and the traffic officers didn't care.

They know who was driving and who was the passenger.

Ninomiya looks at his watch. Only 7 minutes remained.         

The car arrives at the school gate just on time. Once inside, Ninomiya notices everyone looking at him. He could tell. Their faces showed undiluted surprise. After all, it isn't every day that a car worth millions would show up at schools.  

Ninomiya steps out. Everyone who sees him stepping out gasps in shock. They all knew who he was. Even the guard dogs and the trees seem to know him. The students looking at him were all reminded of their humble origins.

It was the town that was fake-

It was the start of his new life in a school. The wealthiest person's son, as he was called.

They all were shocked, "Hey, isn't that Ninomiya Hotaru? The richest successor?"

His green hair said it all along with the shining car worth millions.

He was the son of the wealthiest man living on earth.

The man who owns the whole world's economy was the trillionaire Akito Hotaru.

And his son, Ninomiya Hotaru.

The steps he took at that school interested many to be his friend. Was it for profits or just plain friendships?

He wondered, yet in the distance of the breeze was Akise waiting on the corner for his friend, waving his hand to signal him.

But-

 A girl walked past him; she had red hair tall physique, a perfect body, and pure discipline. He stood in awe towards her, looking past to get to her. A bird in first love, it seemed.

He asked her who she was; she told him her name was Akame. The crowd was shocked by that name as something was wrong with her. Ninomiya saw this in their eyes; a fake town can't hide its truths.

The natural breeze covered the ground once again in this eternal silence. The dream that once seemed natural was not a dream he felt. The reality has yet to come.

         ----------------------Chapter 1 END--------------------

"Oh my god- please autograph this!!"

"No, me, first!"

Students raced to talk to him; he was being escorted by a group while getting flooded with autographs.

He couldn't even remember their faces. 

At the moment, being a celebrity was something he never wanted.

They guided him from the doorstep of his car to his classroom. 

He wondered if their help was even necessary. He had done his best to express disinterest in them, all to no avail. He needed help to get out of the situation, so it was a win-win.

He was finally relieved from the barrages of self-introductions of the students when his friend Akise showed up. Being with Akise always made him comfortable. The students bid him byes and went to their respective classes.

Ninomiya asked while looking at the door of the class that had written 1-D on it,

"1-D, huh. Loads of freshers. That's my class!?"

Akise, in reply with a normal reaction,

"Yes, boss. You and me. That's our class."

Akise was a part-timer working at his company; even if he was a student, he had enough computer knowledge, and his father had known Ninomiya's father for a long, and we were excellent friends. But he was downright carefree about everything. He would make Ninomiya spend much of the company's money for their selfish entertainment. Ninomiya would hesitate at first but end up enjoying it a lot once the deed was on the doing. The man who doesn't feel like spending riches often sends it to calm and keep him happy.

He's a real trouble to be with, thought Ninomiya.

 But it was only Akise who could distract him from his problems.   

As they entered the class, it was empty.

They took the benches at the back, as what classic students would do.

As friends, they ended up being deskmates. The first class would begin at half-past eight. Akise had lied about it starting at 8, so they could have some free time.

"Oi, what the fuck, bro! I had my ass off, but I guess I can forgive you.", Ninomiya with a shocked tone.

"I was excited, you know. I'll see you in my school, sharing a desk with you. I'm happy you came."

Akise giggled, 

"Yes. You even agreed to repeat a year just to sit next to me.", Akise

With a faint smile,

"Heh heh. I can't let others steal my bank account now, can I?" Ninomiya

"Yes, but you didn't have to say it out loud.", Akise

 Ninomiya thought his bland honesty was eh... Awkward and uncalled for. But strangely enough, Ninomiya liked it.   

With a serious tone,

"Nino, tell me. Are you..." Akise paused to emphasize what he was about to ask next, "Happy?" 

Heh? That was sudden. Was he happy? Ninomiya could only stare at him, with his mind in the abyss of unknown memories before he came into consciousness, before giving him an answer.   

He first thought of Hiori. Then he thought of his father and his late mother. Finally, he thought about their family business. Was he happy?

He looks up, and Ninomiya begins to imagine someone..... 

"Yes."

What he meant, from the deepest corner of his heart, was no. He had lived a life that wasn't what he had asked for. He had not asked for extravagant riches. They could only comfort his body. But no amount of money could comfort his soul. 

No amount of spending could shake off his guilt. He wasn't guilty of birth that had killed his mother.

 And his sister was blind. But here he was, saying he was happy. He didn't think Akise would understand him if he had told him otherwise.     

He sometimes wondered if he could be like his dad, solving every problem with money. But his money couldn't cure his sister. When problems couldn't be solved with money, he would just avoid them. 

But somewhere, that one memory is still vaguely just there.

It eats up from the inside when he digs deeper.

The metal object, the one in his chest. The origins were unknown to him.

Ninomiya stepped out from his thoughts when the teacher announced his arrival. 

The teacher was a man in his 60's.

"I'll start the class 15 minutes before schedule since you're here pretty early." 

As the other students entered, they were shocked to see the man with the green hair Ninomiya Hotaru and the teacher announced starting the class fast.

The students all groaned in unison, except for Ninomiya. 

Since it was day 1, the teacher pointed out.

"Right. So, before we give our introductions..."  

The teacher turned his head towards the door. Everyone else followed. A new student? 

"Come in, Akame."

[SFX: Shoe Step Clatter]

Jaws dropped, pupils in their eyes expanded, and they all stopped doing what they were doing. Nobody could take their eyes off her.

They first noticed her long red hair, as red as cinnabar. Red eyes, with depth stretching beyond infinity. No, her right eye was blue. Ruby and sapphire. Skin as smooth as silk, radiating beauty out of this world. 

The way she walked gave them goosebumps. Stern and disciplined at the same time, a graceful teasing. You could tell at once that she was a beauty with brains. 

She wouldn't just be the school's top hottie. She would also top the school in sports and academics. Perfect physical score tests gave her a good base report before enrolling altogether.

Tests were given as entrance enrolling, and Akame topped in every subject and activity.

"Alright, class! Stop staring at her like she's already your girlfriend. She probably has a boyfriend who's way more good-looking than any of you.", Ninomiya said harshly.

Akame's fired a sudden look of discontent at him.

 The rest of the class knew what that meant. Their hopes shot up. She was single! 

"Eh? Should I not have said that?" Ninomiya

"Sorry!"

He apologized to her while trying to hide his nervousness. It was as if she was the teacher and he the student. 

"Okay, miss Akame. Be seated. Now, 30 students! That makes the class population a perfect multiple of 10."  

The boys made bets in their heads on where she would sit. There were only two empty seats at the back. Should they rush to get there? If they did, their current seat would be vacant. And she would sit there instead. If only they could get their deskmates to abandon leave them... 

Even Ninomiya had fallen under her spell. And act quickly, he did.

 He signaled Akise, who understood immediately. After all, Akise loved their friendship, but he also loved money. So he left Ninomiya's desk and occupied another seat. 

Akame noticed what was going on. She would have to sit with him. Ninomiya felt confident that she would.  

She steered heads as she walked towards the empty seat next to Ninomiya. Ninomiya expected her to greet him properly. After all, plenty of girls would kill to talk with him; as the saying was, money is everything.

But Akame ignored his overly friendly attitude as she sat next to him. 

"She'll talk once she's seated herself?" Ninomiya thought to himself very curiously. 

But she didn't. 

The teacher asked all the students to introduce themselves to the class. Ninomiya paid no attention to anyone. He waited for Akame to speak to him. He waited. And waited. 

The first-row students were all done with their introductions. It was now the second row's turn. 

At last, acknowledging that she wasn't one to talk, he decided to break the ice himself.

"Hi-?" he said with the most pleasant smile he could make, "Hello."

That must have worked, right? But no. Akame shot back with crossed eyes. She was irritated.

"Let them give their introduction. You wait for your turn to speak."       

Ninomiya was greatly offended at her response, but he just had to bite the bullet. 

Now came the third-row students' turn. And eventually, it was Akame's. She stood up. 

"My name is Akame, no surname. Age 16. An orphan in the town of Paragus. Was raised by the local townsfolk and schooled privately by a professor..." 

Everyone waited for her to say more about herself. Her hobbies, the type of boy she liked, her favorite music, her home address.

"That's it," she said and sat down. 

Then Ninomiya stood up. He only had one thing to say. 

With confidence,

"I am Ninomiya."

That was it, and he quickly sat down. He was a no-bullshit guy, and he wanted to make that clear to everyone. 

The teacher looked stunned. Ninomiya's introduction was disrespectful, considering how passionately others have done theirs. But he was rich. And everyone knew who he was. So the teacher didn't scold him. Money was everything!

Soon, the introductions were complete. The actual class began right away.   

After three classes, they had their lunch break.

Akame didn't eat and soon left for the roof.

Ninomiya would constantly scan the area to spot Akame. Akise noticed this and started teasing him. 

When the bell rang, he quickly returned to the classroom. Akise knew perfectly well why. 

Another three classes and the school ended. Everyone hurriedly went home, perhaps to tell their friends about Akame and Ninomiya. Everyone, except for Ninomiya, Akame, and Akise.

Ninomiya had played his cards well. Since Akise was repeating grades despite having passed the final examination, he was made the class president because money is everything. Ninomiya had him make the classroom clean-up duty so that he and Akame would be together. Since there were 30 students, each team had to have three members. Naturally, Akise was his choice. He would act as Ninomiya's wingman if the need arose.   

"The richest man, cleaning a floor run over by peasants, huh! Interesting. Should be a headliner tomorrow," Akise remarked.

Ninomiya laughed at his joke, "It's all part of the duty."

Meanwhile, Akame avoided both of them. She wiped all the windows and the chalkboard. When she was done with them, she wiped all the desks and benches. She didn't speak with any of them. 

"So uhh-" Ninomiya with a confident tone but a little scared.

" No- leave me alone.", Akame with a harsh voice.

Ninomiya kept on searching for an opening, but she wouldn't budge. Akise could do nothing to help. So once they were done, they could only look at each other in silence.   

Just then, the school bell rang. Once. It sounded a bit off. The bell wasn't supposed to ring at this hour, and it wasn't the school bell.

"Well, that's odd," Akise said.

"What's odd?" 

"The tower bell. Why did it ring just now? Who could've..."

It wasn't the school bell; it was the tower bell.

Ninomiya said,

"Perhaps a lost cat?"

"Perhaps a bird?"

"Perhaps a- person?"

Ninomiya thought he could engage Akame in the conversation.

"What do you think, miss Akame?"

She had already packed her bags and was ready to head home. 

"Could be anything," she said. And walked out the door.  

Akise and Ninomiya looked at each other. 

"What are you waiting for? Just follow her. Quick!"

Ninomiya didn't even call his chauffeur. He followed her right away. 

He made sure he maintained a distance between them. He didn't want to make his advancement too obvious. But the gap between them began to close, however. 

Soon, they were walking next to each other.

Akame was sweating, not because he was next to her. But the person was following her when she was kind of busy and wanted to get things done.

 It wasn't long before Akame reached her home. There was a small apartment building. Before entering the apartment gate, she had to shoo off the tailing dog. 

"What do you want?" 

Ninomiya couldn't decide on what to say. He had a lot of things to say. 

"I... Uh... We..." he was confused.

"If you have nothing to say, just shoo off already."

"Care to join me fo-"

"No."

She was impatient. Just when she was about to turn away, her wristwatch sounded a loud alarm.

They both sensed something was wrong. It was a warning. Akame acted quickly. It was her alarm, and she knew the meaning of this.

Before he knew it, Akame had grabbed his hands. She began dragging him as she dashed aimlessly. She was frightened. She looked left and right to map the surrounding. 

Since the apartments were far from the gate, they ran into the open colony of houses.

Ninomiya didn't know, but Akame did. Her alarm wasn't an ordinary one. It was a radar. And right now, the radar had detected an unwanted presence—a threat. 

Loud Bang! 

The ground cracks from a single point, 

Ninomiya is utterly scared and shocked.

Akame suddenly came to a halt. She dropped onto her knees. Ninomiya finally realized what had just happened. Akame had been shot. The bullet had penetrated her left leg, just below her knees. 

The face of uneasiness shined on both Ninomiya and Akame.

 

But she didn't complain, and she didn't cry out in pain. She was calm. Ninomiya swooped her into his arms and began fleeing the spot.

She cried,

"Put me down, you idiot. You'll die if you carry me with you."

As they were running 

She took some blue liquid out of her pocket and drank it; the wound healed on the spot.

Ninomiya heaved no attention at her words. He was focused on saving both of them from the unknown assailant. They had to run out of the shooter's field of vision.  

[Assassin P.O.V]

The assassin loaded another bullet, a special one.

[SFX: Reload]

The assassin pulls the trigger while having their eyes on the scope.

While Ninomiya was running with Akame.

They both heard another loud bang. Ninomiya fell face-first to the ground. 

Akame fell a few meters away in a spot where the assassin couldn't see.

Suddenly, he could feel nothing. He could hear nothing. He saw Akame's face. Her blue and red eyes stretched in disbelief. She gasped at the unsightly horror that had just unfolded before her.   

He finally realized what had happened. He had been shot through the chest. Shards of metals were scattered all over. His school uniform was torn to shreds. The bullet had caused the metal object plastered onto his chest to break.

Without warning, the sky turned red with purple clouds. Time had stopped for a short period, but Akame could move freely but how.

Ninomiya's senses came back to him. What had just happened? Why were they being shot? He couldn't believe he got shot.  

When he got up as if nothing had happened, he was astonished again. How was this possible? He just stood there. Akame, still on the ground, was so shocked that she couldn't bring her hands to rub her deceived eyes.  

"Who are you?"

It was Akame. Ninomiya can't be a mere human, she thought to herself. No way. He could not have been. 

"What?" 

Ninomiya did not understand her question at all. 

It was then that he realized what lay before him. Akame's left leg, which the first bullet had impacted, showed no sign of bleeding. He could remember now. The sound wasn't that of bones breaking, nor was it of flesh tearing. When the first bullet hit her leg, he was sure he heard metals colliding. And sure enough, her leg was metallic.     

Akame was a cyborg. 

"No, who are you?"

It was Ninomiya this time. But then, who was he? How did he get up after getting shot straight through the chest as if nothing had happened? 

Akame, still in disbelief, had seen it all. Natural laws were just broken before her eyes; only a few existed who could. The bullet coming towards her had changed its course and went for Ninomiya. No, it was as if he had absorbed most of it.

After seeing, time freeze, the color of the sky turns purple, and the surviving Ninomiya after being shot.

It was just a minor time freeze for a short brief time, but enough to confirm it.

She knew now. It was simply unmistakable. So, she bowed down on her knees.  

"At your service, my king!"

"Huh?"

-Chapter 2 END-