8 Night Raid: Test of Character

Zero was strangely calm, it seemed his current predicament was nothing new to him, on the outside, however on the inside he was ready to put the people who dared challenge his emotional state through the ringer whilst simultaneously enjoying this peculiar situation he was in. Upon arriving at Night Raid's base he was given a tour and the house rule's, he was introduced to everyone on friendly terms, which made Bulat in particular feel strange, and then he was given a somewhat of a initiation test, from what he was told everyone in Night Raid had their own test and every test was catered to the person, the simplest example was a test of emotion, similar to Zero's current problem, unsurprisingly the only person in Night Raid to undergo this test was Akame, however the details could only be shared by the participants and a few didn't want to talk about it.

"mmm... still awake cutie"

With his eye twitching slightly Zero didn't respond to the proctor of his test, he knew that something would happen to eventually land him in this situation but still, he couldn't believe that the tall, attractive, Blond haired woman named Leone, was currently using him as a teddy bear... just so that she could tell everyone he had emotions and could just turn them off like Akame, but still, he knew he was short, he knew he was young, but even though he didn't show it, he was extremely embarrassed from being called cute, especially from a woman who was A. Attractive, B. Playful and liked to tease, and C. Both Taller and physically Stronger than him.

"you know you'll just be more tired later, and you'll be easier to read... kinda like... oh I don't know... a bunny"

He didn't speak, for he feared that should he speak this playful lioness would be his undoing, his situation was already precarious and he feared what would happen if he let his guard down, this woman new how to get a man to crack peacefully, he could tell by where one of her hands were placed while the other just played with his hair, at the start they were simply side by side, now however, his head was laying in a valley between two peaks that could easily be twice the size of his head, his arms had been placed in a position where should he move there would be pain, his legs had already been pinned by hers and he could only keep his eyes closed and try to ignore it all, and of course he had proven strong up until-

"ya know, I kinda wanna meet the woman who helped create something as cute as you"

- She pushed The button, Leone felt the temperature of the room decrease drastically as Zero's eyes snapped open and looked up at her's with a ferocious glow, however it wasn't the rage she was surprised about, it was the tears that ran down his face, the grief contained beyond the rage and the pain she could feel from his heart, She knew she had just stepped on a landmine, so, she flipped him over and hugged him tightly

"Wanna talk about it?"

Zero just stared at her before letting a deep breath and nodding slightly, the chill that had just been in the room seemingly vanished replaced with a palpable melancholy as Zero thought of where to start.

"It was... well at first... it seemed like a normal day, did my chores and helped collect firewood for the village, went to meet up with my brother and friends, the empire was coming to get their taxes, then the house was on fire, my mother taken and my brother unable to stand as he watched the house burn, I followed the wagon tracks and eventually caught up with the imperial troops and saw my mother bound in the wagon, I jumped in, grabbed her and jumped out, spear went right through my chest and straight into her heart... then I watched the life flow from her eyes, her last words 'Take care of the Knucklehead' in a rage I killed all but one of them and carried my mothers corpse back to the village three hours later and collapsed, week later I woke up and left hoping that with me gone my brother would be safe 4 years later I'm hear talking to you about it"

"want payback?"

"that's why I joined"

"fair enough"

"Think it'll be worth it?"

"dunno, but hey you can always find out, am I right"

"guess so"

Laying there Zero felt strange, Leone felt her resolve get stronger, they both sat in silence as the air grew less tense than before as they both felt more they could be more open with each other now, they both knew what came next would be for the others to here about Zero's past/reason for fighting, the boy in question simply decided that while he feared this woman, he could be himself around her, albeit with a filter, no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to bag this Diva once he was old enough, surprisingly she was only 18 at the moment, meaning that she's free game as the other guys in Night Raid are either Gay or already pursuing someone, that someone being none other than Najenda, the groups head honcho, therefore he would mark his territory whilst simultaneously getting a little payback to the guys who he KNEW set this test up just to get a crack out of him.

Tomorrow was a new day, and Zero was gonna be very busy teaching a few people that messing with him is like signing your own death warrant and thinking nothing will happen, his lesson, be cautious of your every action, not just your enemies. As time slowly ticked by Zero found himself slowly being led to sleep as Leone had seemingly got addicted to caressing his hair, an experience that induced a comfortable feeling that simply shut down his body and mind, his last moments awake marked by the gentle caress and a simple "Sleep Tight" from Leone before passing out, Leone however just thought about their conversation, she had never had to watch as someone she cared about died in her arms, she could be considered an orphan technically, and anyone she did get closed to were often living as best they can with what they have, putting her thoughts to the back of her mind she simply looked at Zeros sleeping face and, surprising herself in the process, kissed the top of his head and fell asleep.