A young man with long, messy brown hair and moss-green eyes sat at a desk inside a small tent. He rubbed the stubble on his chin as he looked over the document he was holding, a nearby candle providing the only source of light.

He wore a large red cloak pinned at his shoulder with a brooch in the shape of a silver dragon, and underneath his cloak was the standard uniform of a general in the Imperial Army. He was tall and muscular, his body hardened by years of physical combat. Hanging from his belt was a strange-looking sword: the Imperial Arms known as Incursio.

Tatsumi yawned as he flipped to the next page of the document. He was reading a report written by one of his generals currently stationed in the South, and for once he received pleasant news.

Looks like everything is calm down there, he thought as he finished reading. Wish I could say the same about here.

Tatsumi was currently in the Eastern Sector of the Empire. For the past few months, the East had been the site of a series of rebellions. At first Tatsumi had dismissed them as harmless, but he soon began taking the threat seriously after a few military garrisons were overrun.

Now he was personally in the East, and he wanted to make sure that the rebellion was crushed once and for all. The Imperial Army had finally cornered the rebels, and General Nuba had assured him that the rebellion would be crushed today.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. I guess I'm the one fighting rebellions now. Who would have guessed.

The tent flap suddenly opened, letting light into the dark space. A muscular, tan-skinned woman entered. She had white, neck-length hair and bright gold eyes, and she wore the white uniform that all female Imperial Generals wore. The huge axe strapped to her back dripped blood onto the tent floor.

She saluted. "Your Majesty."

Tatsumi nodded. "General Nuba. I assume this means it's over?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The rebel forces have been defeated, and several key figures in the rebellion have been captured. The others were all killed in battle."

"Good," Tatsumi replied. "Where is the rest of the army? I didn't hear them approach."

"They are still inside the city, finishing off the stragglers."

Tatsumi rested his head on his fist. "... They're behaving themselves?"

General Nuba looked confused. "... Your Majesty?"

"They're not doing anything illegal, right?" Tatsumi clarified. "Your job was to eliminate the rebel forces, not terrorize the townspeople."

"Of course, Your Majesty. To my knowledge, there has not been any misconduct."

Tatsumi knew that was probably a lie, but he couldn't do anything about it. Back when he fought with the Revolutionary Army, the soldiers all had a common cause and were motivated to defeat the enemy. Imperial towns and cities also welcomed the revolutionaries, so the army had no desire to pillage or destroy the cities they conquered.

Now, however, Tatsumi's army was simply fighting on orders, and they did not have some cause they believed strongly in. Enemy towns and cities were often hostile as well, so the main motivation for the soldiers was the chance to rape and loot when the battle was over. Tatsumi disliked this, but he was forced to operate on the 'out of sight, out of mind' principle if he wanted his soldiers to continue fighting for him.

He dismissed General Nuba and sat silently at his desk. The Empire that he ruled over was victorious once again, but there was no sense of satisfaction for Tatsumi. As usual, all he felt were the constant, painful pangs of loneliness and sadness that coursed through his being.

He gripped his wooden desk and tried to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. The rebellion in the East had started because he had raised taxes on the region. The Eastern Sector had once enjoyed a relatively tax-free lifestyle thanks to the patronage of the corrupt Minister Honest, who hailed from the region.

However, now that Tatsumi was in control, he had raised their taxes so that he could lower the artificially-high taxes in the other parts of the Empire. Though Tatsumi felt that this move was just, he could see how people living in the Eastern Sector could interpret the tax increase as an oppressive and vengeful act.

It had to be done, he thought to himself.

The tent flap opened again, and this time a graceful man with light blue hair entered. The man wore luxurious imperial robes, and his face was smooth and handsome. His wavy hair was tied in a low ponytail, and he had sparkling blue eyes. This was the new minister, Orick Elcurus.

"Yes, Minister Elcurus?" Tatsumi asked as the man entered.

The Minister bowed. "Forgive the intrusion, sire, but the funeral begins soon... If you wish, I could delay it until -"

"No, no," Tatsumi interrupted as he rose from his seat. "Things have wrapped up here. I'll leave you in charge of the rest."

"As you wish, sire," Orick replied, his head still bowed as Tatsumi left the tent.

Tatsumi was not very fond of his new minister. Orick Elcurus had been selected from a wealthy, noble family in order to appease the aristocracy, so Tatsumi despised him from the very beginning. Tatsumi hadn't had a single good experience with the wealthy, so he was not very supportive of the move. Nevertheless, all the revolutionary leaders as well as Najenda had convinced him it was necessary, so he relented.

Boss…

Tatsumi's thoughts shifted to the former leader of Night Raid. General Najenda had died yesterday morning. Though she was still young, the repeated usage of her Imperial Arms had taken its toll on her life. The funeral was today, and therefore Tatsumi had to rush back to the Capital.

He walked through the relatively-empty camp until he reached a clearing. He took a breath and reluctantly pulled Incursio from its sheath.

Tatsumi stared at the sword for a moment before closing his eyes and focusing his energy. A demonic aura then began to surround him, and in a flash, he had transformed.

Instead of a set of armor, Incursio now turned Tatsumi into a slightly-downsized version of the dragon danger beast the Imperial Arms was based off. This shift from armor to biological tissue was the result of repeated forced transformations, but Tatsumi had long since learned how to control his draconic form. Even so, the transformation was still unpleasant, and every time Tatsumi used his Imperial Arms he heard the disturbed ramblings of the dragon and his brain became flooded with the urge to kill and destroy.

Tatsumi suppressed the roaring and screeching in the back of his mind and spread his wings and leapt into the air. Soon enough, he was flying.

This will be a much faster method of getting back to the Capital.

The emperor cut through the air with practiced ease, and he continued onwards in the direction of the Capital. A few hours went by before the sprawling metropolis came into sight, but Tatsumi was far from being tired. Though Incursio took a toll on his sanity, it certainly gave him much more strength and stamina.

The funeral would be held in the Imperial Palace, so Tatsumi headed towards the large, imposing castle. He flapped his wings a couple times in order to slow his momentum before landing on the bridge that led into the main entrance of the palace.

His claws clacked as they touched down on the stone bridge, and he turned his red eyes to glance at the guards that stood watch over the entrance. The two men stood steadfast as they saluted their emperor, but Tatsumi could smell the fear radiating off them.

He sighed internally as he returned to his human form, wordlessly striding past the guards and heading inside the palace. Tatsumi followed the plush red carpet until he arrived at the throne room.

The spacious room was currently packed with people, most of them former officers in the Revolutionary Army. Many of them saluted or bowed when they saw Tatsumi, but he paid them no mind.

At the front of the room and at the foot of the small set of stairs that led up to the throne was the casket. Najenda's lifeless body rested inside of the sleek container, her expression peaceful. She wore her favorite black suit, and her green metallic arm was also visible.

A strange feeling came over Tatsumi as he stared at the corpse. I wonder, Boss… Were you proud of me?

"So you're back. I almost thought you'd miss it."

Tatsumi whirled around to see his old friend, Leone. The blonde woman was seated in a wheelchair, as she had suffered a spinal injury after being shot and pushed off the balcony by Minister Honest during the final assault on the palace six years ago. She had since traded her provocative garb for more ornate imperial robes, and she had grown her golden locks longer as well.

"As if I would miss this. The Boss would kill me if I didn't show up to her funeral," Tatsumi replied. He tried to smile, but failed.

Leone wheeled herself so that she was beside Tatsumi.

"We all knew this would happen eventually," Leone sighed as she gazed softly at Najenda's corpse.

Tatsumi didn't know how to respond to that, so he decided to change the subject.

"... Did Wave and Kurome happen to stop by?"

Leone raised an eyebrow. "Why would they? Najenda wasn't their commanding officer."

Tatsumi shrugged. He didn't bother asking the other question on both their minds. They already knew the answer.

After a few minutes, the funeral processions started. All in all, it was a quick and depressing affair. There were no speeches made, and Najenda's body was carted off after a ceremonious twenty-one gun salute. The attendees began filtering out of the room, leaving Tatsumi and Leone alone together.

"I guess I should be going too," Leone then said. "I still hate you for appointing me Minister of the Interior, by the way. I've got so much less free time on my hands now."

"Oh, shut up. Nobody knows the interests of the common people better than you do," Tatsumi responded as he grabbed the handles of her wheelchair. "I'll escort you to your office if it will make you feel better."

Leone frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't need to be pushed around. I can get there on my own."

"I'm aware of that. It's just that I haven't seen you in a while. Is it wrong to want to spend time with you?"

Leone smirked. "Oh? I always knew you liked me that way, Tatsumi, but for you to confess your love for me at a funeral..."

Tatsumi gave a resigned sigh. "You're still the same as always, Leone."

"Well, one of us has to be," Leone replied with a laugh. "You're a bitter, depressed bastard nowadays, and even the Boss seemed a little down for the past couple years."

"What can I say," Tatsumi said as the pair arrived at another large room. "I'm glad that you can still smile after all that's happened, at the very least."

Leone shrugged. "If you don't try to be happy, you're just causing yourself more unnecessary pain. Right?"

Tatsumi let go of her wheelchair. "I guess. I don't know."

Leone shook her head. "You really need to cheer up. What do you think Bulat would say if he saw you now? Or Mine? I doubt anyone of our dead friends would want for us to be wallowing in our misery. That's not what they sacrificed themselves for."

"Then what did they die for?" Tatsumi asked, his green eyes dull and empty. "We haven't even accomplished much since the Revolution. There's still so much corruption and violence in the Empire. Our victory has changed nothing."

Leone rammed her wheelchair into Tatsumi's shin, causing the emperor to yelp in pain.

"God damn it, Leone!" Tatsumi cursed as he rubbed his leg.

"That's what you get for being such a pussy!" she yelled. "You're an idiot if you think we could completely change the Empire in only six years. These things take time!"

"I know but…" Tatsumi's face fell. "We don't even have the Boss to guide us anymore. I… I just don't know what to do."

Leone smiled softly at him and wheeled herself beside him. She patted his leg lightly. "You'll figure it out. You've always come through when we've needed you."

"... Yeah. There's only two of us now, though. Was everything we went through really worth it?"

"Of course! I'd rather be dead than living under that corrupt Empire, and I'm sure everyone else in Night Raid would agree with that. Besides, there's three of us left, not two."

Tatsumi closed his eyes. Another pang of sorrow shot through his heart. "... We haven't seen Akame in six years. She could be dead for all we know."

Leone smacked him again. "Don't say things like that! Besides, do you really think there's anyone who could kill Akame? I'm sure she's fine."

"... Is that really much better, though?" Tatsumi asked, his gaze hardening. "If she is alive, that means she is deliberately avoiding us. She didn't even show up for the Boss' funeral."

A sullen expression took over Leone's face. "She's probably just busy. Akame has her own ways of dealing with grief."

Tatsumi frowned. "By leaving and then never coming back? What kind of remedy is that! What about us? Doesn't she realize that we need her?"

Leone wheeled over to the mahogany desk at the other side of the room, hiding her face from Tatsumi. "Complaining won't do us any good. It doesn't matter if Akame comes back or not. We have jobs to do, and we have to do them regardless of whether or not she's with us. Am I right?"

Tatsumi clenched his fists. "... I know."

"Good." She turned around to face Tatsumi, her golden eyes hopeful. "Are you staying in the Capital for a while or do you have somewhere else to be again?"

"I'm staying. I have an important meeting later today in the palace."

"Really? About what?" Leone asked, suddenly curious.

"The three kings from the North, West, and South are supposed to arrive today," Tatsumi replied. "As an important government official, shouldn't you already know this?"

Leone folded her arms behind her head and scowled. "Nobody ever tells me anything."

Tatsumi sighed. "Right. Well, now you know. I've got to go prepare for that, but I'll see you at dinner, I guess."

Leone smiled brightly at him. "Yep! Good luck!"

Tatsumi waved goodbye before heading off towards his own quarters. He always enjoyed talking with Leone, though he couldn't help but feel a bit sad whenever he saw her as well. The once powerful warrior was now confined to a wheelchair, her Imperial Arms and her mobility destroyed. Though Leone put on a brave face and confident persona, Tatsumi knew that she had just as many if not more problems than he himself did.

And yet I'm the one who's walking around like I'm a reanimated corpse, Tatsumi thought angrily. I'm pathetic.

When he got to his room, he unclipped his cloak and tossed it onto the luxurious bed. He briefly spared a glance at his reflection in the mirror but quickly looked away in disgust.

He sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. He was in no mood for any sort of meeting or interaction with other humans, but he had no choice. This was one conference he could not miss.

As he sat in silence, Tatsumi found himself thinking of Akame. He didn't know whether to feel angry or sad at the thought of his absent friend, so he settled on oscillating between both.

How could she just leave like that?

Tatsumi himself didn't even fully remember the final battle of the Revolution. He recalled fighting the enormous Imperial Arms commanded by the previous emperor, and he did remember destroying it. After that, though, everything was a blur of pain and exhaustion, and his next memory was of him waking up in a soft bed inside the palace.

His heart ached when he remembered how Akame had cried and held him when she saw that he had awoken and was safe. The next day, she was gone. The Boss had told him that she went off on a short journey, so Tatsumi had sucked it up and continued with his recovery. However, he never anticipated that she would be gone for six years.

He lay down on the bed, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Maybe she is dead.

Though Tatsumi had to admit that not much could kill Akame, he still could not rule out the possibility that she had died alone somewhere in a distant land. As much as he hated her for leaving, it would pain him much more if she actually were dead.

The emperor grit his teeth. Leone was right. I am being a pussy. I have to suck it up and continue onwards.

Tatsumi stood up and put his cloak back on, a determined glint shining in his eyes. It was pointless to fret over things he had no control over.

He decided that he would go out and take a walk until the other kings arrived. Just as he was about to exit his room, the doors swung open and a woman with messy black hair and a scar across her nose entered. She smiled widely at him.

"Master, you're back!"

Tatsumi suppressed a groan. "Hello, Suzuka."

Suzuka bowed at his feet. "You should have alerted me immediately! I would have rushed over to serve you as soon as you arrived!"

Tatsumi ignored her and continued onwards. To his annoyance, he heard her footsteps following closely behind. Unfortunately for him, Suzuka had taken it upon herself to become his personal "slave and bodyguard." Tatsumi had thought that his burying her in rubble six years ago would have put her off to him, but it seems as if that incident had the opposite effect.

Tatsumi walked through the halls of the palace until he came to a corridor which looked out over the courtyard and past the front gates of the palace. He squinted his emerald eyes as he noticed a long procession heading down the main street and towards the castle.

One of the kings, he guessed. Seems a bit early. Oh well, I suppose I'll head to the meeting room as well.

The young emperor made his way to the war room where the conference would be held. As he moved to open the door, he noticed Suzuka standing closely behind him, her body so close that the two were touching.

"You don't have to follow me in here, you know," Tatsumi told her in a vain attempt to send her away.

She pressed herself closer to him. "Of course I do! The other kings will have bodyguards with them, so you need me there."

"I can handle myself," he replied as he entered the room, but Suzuka followed him in anyway.

The inside of the war room was mostly taken up by the large table that sat in the middle of the space. A huge map of the continent was plastered on the surface, and chairs were set up around the table.

Tatsumi took a seat at the head of the table and rested his cheek on his palm, prepared to wait for a while. Suzuka positioned herself behind him.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Tatsumi perked up as the newcomer entered the room. The man was old and stout, and he had a well-trimmed black beard that covered the lower half of his face. He had slicked back gray hair, and his brown eyes were hard and unforgiving. He wore a black military uniform, and a pistol hung at his belt. This was King Grobent, leader of the Western Country.

Accompanying King Grobent was a young woman with long, red hair and sapphire eyes. She wore a blue, lightweight suit of armor, and two swords were attached to her hip. Tatsumi assumed that this was the king's bodyguard.

King Grobent looked around the room with distaste before setting his disapproving gaze on Tatsumi.

"Are we the only two who here?" the king asked in his gruff voice.

Tatsumi wondered if that was a trick question since they were quite obviously the only world leaders in the room. "It appears that way."

Grobent shook his head as he took a seat. "These fools have no regard for timeliness."

Tatsumi leaned back in his chair. He forgot how much hated dealing with other kings. "You might be a bit early, King Grobent."

The black-haired king merely grunted at that. Tatsumi briefly glanced at the king's bodyguard, then at his own. Suzuka was eyeing the other woman with an expression of hunger on her face, and it was clear the the redhead was uncomfortable under the Rakshasa's gaze.

The two leaders sat in awkward silence for a few more minutes before the door opened again. This time, a tall, slender man with a long white beard entered. He wore a simple navy-colored robe, and his droopy blue eyes were shaded by his bushy white eyebrows. His snow-white hair was long and unkempt and he carried nothing but a staff with him. This was Alerec, King of the Northern Country.

Following King Alerec was another tall man, though this one was clad in a suit of white and gold armor. He had long blond hair and golden eyes, and his face was sleek and handsome. A long, white cape billowed behind him, and a sword dangled at his side.

Tatsumi cautiously looked over King Alerec's bodyguard. This was Lord Elderrn, a noble from the Northern Country as well as one of the world's finest swordsmen. His exploits were so great and numerous that even Tatsumi knew him well.

"Gentlemen," King Alerec greeted, his voice soft but powerful. "It has been a while."

Tatsumi nodded politely, but King Grobent said nothing. King Alerec slowly sat down, and the room descended into silence once again. Tatsumi began absently tapping his finger against the table, but he stopped once he noticed Grobent glaring at him.

Another five minutes passed before the final king arrived. The King of the Southern Country was a young man like Tatsumi. He had long, black hair tied in a ponytail, and his muscular, tanned body was covered by loose-fitting, luxurious robes. His black eyes twinkled with excitement as he entered.

His subordinate followed closely behind. She had long black hair and red eyes, and she wore a black skirt and a dull red coat. A sword rested at her side, and she moved with the trained grace of an assassin.

Tatsumi narrowed his green eyes. Is that… Is that Akame?

The girl's red eyes met with his emerald ones before glancing away.

There's no possible way…

Tatsumi figured that he was just going insane. It certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility considering the mental strain Incursio placed upon him.

"What's up, friends?" the Southern King greeted as he waved. "You all missed your old buddy Selevien, didn't you?"

King Alerec laughed heartily and waved back, but King Grobent simply shut his eyes as if he could will King Selevien to just disappear. Tatsumi didn't say anything as he was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Tatsumi turned his head slightly to see if Suzuka noticed anything strange about King Selevien's bodyguard. The Rakshasa Demon was grinning widely at the woman who may or may not be Akame.

What the…

Tatsumi's thoughts were interrupted when Grobent spoke.

"Well, Incursio? Are you going to get this meeting started or not? I don't have all day."

Tatsumi stood up cautiously, taking care to avoid looking at Akame. "Uh, right. Welcome, Kings, to the Central Country. I hope you all had a pleasant journey."

No one said anything, so Tatsumi sat down, cleared his throat awkwardly, and continued.

"... So, let us begin with today's conference. The primary issues we will be discussing today are the control of the Western River as well as the border conflict between the Western and Southern Countries."

"The first one is a non-issue," King Grobent started. "Your people ceded the river to us when we helped you with your infernal revolution, Incursio."

"Yes, but the condition was that you would allow access to our citizens as well," Tatsumi replied. "As it stands right now, the Western Country is preventing inhabitants of the Central Country from even setting foot near the river."

King Grobent scoffed at that. "There was no 'condition.' An implication, maybe, but no set terms. We are under no obligation to allow Central Country access to the river."

"You're being unreasonable."

"And you are being a fool."

Oh, Mine, if only you could see how well our countries are getting along now, Tatsumi thought sarcastically.

"Now, now," King Alerec intervened. "I'm sure we can settle this without resorting to name calling."

Selevien chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

King Grobent glared at the dark-skinned man. "Don't look so jovial, you cretin. You and I still have that border issue to settle."

Selevien raised his hands in surrender and smiled. "Lighten up, Grobe. Actually, I think we have more important things to discuss than a couple silly border disputes."

"Oh really? Such as?" Grobent asked, his fists clenched and his jaw rigid.

Selevien jerked his thumb towards his bodyguard. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Akame. She's an explorer who just came back from the distant Eastern Country, and she's got some interesting news."

Tatsumi's pulse quickened as Akame stepped forward. So it is her!

Akame spared a furtive glance at Tatsumi before speaking. "When I went to the Eastern Country, I discovered that the Eastern Empire had been stockpiling battleships and armaments. Their army has also been carrying out military exercise drills, and the emperor has isolated the country in order to prevent anyone from leaving or entering. I believe that they are preparing for an invasion of the mainland."

"Oh dear, an invasion?" King Alerec said, though he didn't appear to be nervous at all. The old man had a carefree smile on his wrinkled face.

"Not only that, but Akame says that their army is triple the size of all of ours combined," King Selevien remarked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Preposterous!" Grobent exclaimed. "Do you have any proof to back up your claims, girl?"

Akame hesitated. "... No. It was difficult for me to even enter and leave the country, let alone smuggle any definitive evidence out."

King Grobent crossed his arms. "So we're just supposed to drop everything and take your word for it? I'm not convinced that this isn't just an elaborate plan to get us to drop our guards so Selevien and his filthy Southerners can attack us with impunity."

"Hey!" Selevien protested, though his sunny smile indicated that he seemed to be enjoying Grobent's wrath.

"Hold on," King Alerec interrupted. "Let's not be so quick to judge. What do you think, Emperor Incursio?"

Tatsumi frowned. He was still trying to get over the initial shock of seeing Akame there, but he had to admit the whole situation sounded a bit strange.

"... I'm going to have to agree with King Grobent," he finally said. "The Eastern Country has always kept to themselves. I don't see why they would suddenly decide to take on all four of us, or how they could possibly build up an army of that size."

Surprise flashed across Akame's red eyes for a second. King Selevien sighed and leaned forward.

"The only reason I even brought this up is because it's something the four of us have to deal with together," the dark-skinned king said, his tone suddenly serious. "We can't afford to waste time fighting among ourselves when the enemy is preparing to destroy us."

"Hmm… I do have to admit, this situation seems a bit out of the ordinary, but we also cannot ignore it," Alerec stated. He then turned to Akame. "Were you able to enter the Imperial Court? Did you find anything hinting as to the motivation for this attack?"

"No. Security around the capital was tight and no one was allowed anywhere near the palace grounds. I did most of my reconnaissance work in the shadows," Akame replied.

Why was she even in the Eastern Country in the first place? Tatsumi wondered to himself.

Just then, the door to the meeting room flung open and a soldier entered. He saluted as he turned to Tatsumi.

"Apologies for the interruption, Your Majesty! Intruders have infiltrated the Imperial Palace!"

"What!" Tatsumi said as he stood up. "Eliminate them immediately, then! Why are you even bothering to tell me?"

The soldier bowed hurriedly. "Y-yes, Your Majesty! At once!"

Selevien laughed. "Well, this is embarrassing, eh, Incursio?"

Tatsumi glared at him. "The Imperial Guard is more than capable of defending the palace. You have nothing to worry about."

"We aren't worried," King Grobent said, disdain evident in his tone. "It's simply uncouth and sloppy for an emperor to allow this to happen in the middle of such an important conference."

"Maybe this is a good thing," King Alerec interjected, once again trying to play the peacekeeper. "We could all use some time off to think about what King Selevien brought up. Emperor, would you be able to provide us with some temporary lodging? That way we could resume our conference tomorrow."

Tatsumi nodded. "I can do that."

"Wait, what about the other issues?" Grobent shouted. "Are we just going to ignore those problems?"

Alerec pulled on his white beard. "How about this… King Grobent, you share access of the river with the Central Country. In return, the South will cede to you the land on the border. Emperor Incursio will then allow the Southern Country toll-free access into his border so that the South is still able to have a viable trade route. Temporarily, I believe this is a good solution."

"Sounds good to me," King Selevien said as he got up and stretched.

Grobent grunted, but he too decided to relent.

Alerec flashed a jolly smile. "Good, then it is settled."

Tatsumi gestured towards Suzuka. "Show them to some rooms. I'm going to go and see about those intruders."

Without waiting for a reply, Tatsumi strode out of the conference room and headed to the throne room in order to ask the Imperial Guard if they had apprehended the invaders yet.

Damn, of all the times for this to happen…

He grit his teeth in anger as he picked up the pace. First he had to attend Najenda's funeral, then he had to be blindsided by the sudden appearance of Akame, and now his palace had been invaded in the middle of an international conference. This day was not going well for Tatsumi.

Kill them all.

Tatsumi froze as the dark command echoed throughout his head. That was… Incursio?

Such intrusive thoughts were common when Tatsumi took on Incursio's dragon from, but at the moment the Imperial Arms was in its sheath, unused. I see… Incursio's spirit is beginning to bleed into my own mind.

He shook his head as he continued walking. The emperor knew that he would have to be much more careful when using his Imperial Arms from now on.

As Tatsumi approached the throne room, a soldier ran up to him.

"Your Majesty! We have apprehended the intruders! They are currently being held in the throne room."

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't they in the dungeons?"

The soldier looked around nervously. "Well… Uh… It's that boy from your village again, Your Majesty. Him and his friends."

Tatsumi groaned. Not this again…

"Fine. I will deal with them personally. Dismissed."

The soldier saluted and ran off. Tatsumi entered the throne room and was greeted with the sight of three teenagers bound together with a thick rope.

The first was a girl with long, dark purple hair and violet eyes. She wore a tan winter coat and a pair of tan pants, and she had on some brown leather boots. She looked away and blushed as Tatsumi entered.

The second was a boy with light-brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a pair of thick glasses and a white sweater vest. His bored expression remained even when he saw Tatsumi arrive.

Finally, the third intruder was a young man with silky, black hair tied in a low ponytail. He wore a purple shirt and black travelling pants, and his bright blue eyes stared defiantly at Tatsumi.

"Bastard! You're so much of a coward that you had to send your guards after us?" the blue-eyed boy yelled.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes. "Shut up, idiot. I was in an important meeting. Consider yourself lucky that I won't execute you for this."

"M-maybe he's right, Sven," the girl spoke up. "We should just apologize and l-leave."

"Hell no, Tora! We made it farther into the palace than ever before this time, and we would have made it even deeper if those damn guards didn't come after us!"

"When you invade a palace, expect there to be guards," the brown-haired boy said snidely. "That's just common sense."

Sven scowled. "Oh yeah, Sora? If you're so smart, then why'd you get caught?"

"Enough," Tatsumi interrupted. "This is unacceptable! Invading the royal palace while an international conference is going on is insanely stupid. You three are getting too spoiled. Just because I've known you all for years doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"Shut up!" Sven shouted. "And just because you're the emperor now doesn't mean you get to act all high and mighty!"

Tatsumi sighed and flicked Sven on the head, causing the younger boy to cry out in pain.

"Idiot," Tatsumi said once more. "If you want to get stronger, you can train with the Imperial Guards. Didn't I already tell you this?"

Sven pouted. "But that wouldn't be real enough…"

"And you think breaking into a palace of an emperor who won't even punish you is real?" Tatsumi countered. "The three of you are fools who don't have a clue what actual combat is like… Whatever. I'll have a guard cut you loose in a few hours. Until then, sit there and think about what you've done."

"Huh? What if we have to use the bathroom!" Sven called out as Tatsumi began walking away.

Tatsumi waved him off. "Should've thought of that beforehand."

The young emperor walked away as Sven's curses resounded throughout the throne room. Those idiot kids…

Despite their words, the three teens idolized Tatsumi. Back when Tatsumi was still training in his village, he used to play with the trio a lot during his downtime. There were very young back then, and they were also too little to fight in the Revolution. Still, they had heard about Tatsumi's exploits in helping the Revolution win, and they were amazed that the kid they used to play with was now the leader of their nation.

They sure do have a strange way of showing their affection, Tatsumi lamented as Sven's curses slowly faded away.

He continued through the lavish hall, wondering what his next course of action should be. Do I go and see Akame? Or should I wait for her to come to me?... Does she even want to see me?

Tatsumi's questions were answered when he spotted the familiar red-eyed assassin leaning against the wall at the far end of the hallway. Akame's eyes flashed with an indiscernible emotion when she saw Tatsumi approaching.

Tatsumi's throat tightened as he got closer to her. He didn't know whether he should be angry or happy at seeing her, but he did know that he was very confused. He stopped a few feet away from her.

He struggled to find something to say, but luckily for him, it was Akame who broke the silence.

"Hello, Tatsumi."


A/N: Hello, and thanks for reading. A few points for clarification before the next chapter:

- This story is mostly based off the manga, though as you probably noticed, Mine is also dead. That will most likely be the only major difference, but otherwise assume that the previous events of this story follow manga canon.

- There will probably be a lot of OCs in this story, mostly due to the fact that a lot of the main characters are dead. However, just because a character is dead doesn't mean that he or she will have no role to play...

- General Nuba is actually the revolutionary soldier who uses Belvaac in the manga, so she is not an OC. She was unnamed, though, so I had to make up a name for her.

Thanks again for reading, and please review if you have the time.