"I won."

Gazing into the endless sky she felt her thoughts of doubt relinquish. Her victorious upset against one of the imperial's most prized generals brought her the greatest joy that only the most seasoned of assassins could understand. Still, though, her wounds were serious. She struggled to keep her balance but she wavered, falling backwards into the pit blasted into existence moments earlier. She embraced her fate and allowed herself to give in to the cold grasp of unconsciousness.

She awoke to cold air pattering her face and softly blowing in her silky pink hair. She looked up and felt a genial feeling of reassurance in what she made out to be as Tatsumi's face. She wanted to express how happy she was to see him and tease about how worried he looked but all her body could muster was a plea requesting to put her down and allow her to embrace her fate. She didn't want to be a burden to the endgame and she felt death was the best option fitting for an assassin like her.

"Put me down."

She whimpered. Her voice feeble and broken. She was barely audible, but Tatsumi was very intent on making sure he understood just what she was saying.

"No! I'm going to take you back to the hideout! Your wounds are going to heal quick! You'll-"

"Tatsumi…"

She faintly whispered, as her eyes fell shut.

"Mine!"

Tatsumi painfully shouted. Tears rolled off his cheeks onto Mine's tattered pink dress.

"Tatsumi."

Mine said, as she managed to open her eyes halfway. She made smile of content.

"I'm so glad I fell in love with you."

Mine gathered almost all the strength left in her body. She sat up a little bit and kissed Tatsumi the best she could in her state.

Mine fell from his embrace. Tatsumi was silent. He felt like screaming but all he could was gaze at the sleeping angel clutched in his arms. He gritted his teeth intensely and with a ferocity, unmatched by the entire imperial army combined, he shot off in the direction of the hideout.

Tatsumi didn't even notice that he had smashed through thick concrete wall. Najenda stared curiously at the cloud of dust. Her furrowed brow turned into a soft look of concern after the dust settled revealing Tatsumi holding a very badly injured Mine. Najenda felt her heart ache when she looked at the despair in Tatsumi's eyes. Without a word she took action.

She went to the hold beneath the hideout to retrieve Tennin. It is a Harp Imperial arm that restores vitality. She seized the harp with speed and intensity and rushed back upstairs.

"Get back Tatsumi."

Najenda commanded. Tatsumi broke himself away from Mine and joined Najenda's side. Najenda poised her divine instrument and began strumming. The echo of the string's vibrations dominated the airwaves. It was absolutely beautiful.

As Najenda's strumming continued, Tatsumi noticed Mines body returning from badly scarred and bruised back to her cherub like complexion. The harp was syphoning itself into Mine's life force. Slowly, the harp withered away into nothing.

Mine lay unmoving, her creamy white skin shining in the moonlight. Her face was immaculate and unmarked.

"Mine!?"

Tatsumi pleaded

"ngh-"

Mine whimpered.

"Mine!"

Tatsumi felt infinitely relieved and grateful for Najenda. Najenda crossed her arms and looked away with a slight smile. She felt, in her heart, that she couldn't just let a love like theirs die.

Mine opened her eyes.

"W-Where am I..?"

She sounded like a child lost in a maze.

"Your safe, Mine."

Najenda assured.

"Tatsumi got you here with just enough life force in your body for Tennin to fortify."

"You...You used Tennin on me? But, why…?"

Najenda smiled.

"I couldn't let an opportunity, like the both of your's, to pass."

"I don't understand…"

"You don't have to, Mine."

Najenda knew the feelings of love and just how blind they could be.

Mine looked at Tatsumi. Her face turned from creamy white to a strawberry pink when their eyes met.

'Tatsumi's really matured, hasn't he?'

She thought.

'He looks so serious.'

She chuckled a little.

"What's so funny!"

Tatsumi said, agitation in his voice.

"Mine! you had me so worried…"

Tears welled in his eyes eventually overflowing onto her body.

Mine smiled. She wasn't concerned about concealing her blush. She looked into Tatsumi's eyes, elucidating any feelings of worry or anguish he might have been feeling. Tatsumi dried his eyes and smiled back at Mine. Tatsumi caught Mine off guard and kissed her intently, tightening his embrace as he got deeper into the kiss. Her heart melted

'Tatsumi...'

She shed a tear of joy. Tatsumi broke away from Mine's lips, rupturing the saliva string as he did. Mine was gazing at him blushing with a far off look. Tatsumi's voice grew a bit angry.

"Mine! Don't ever put yourself in danger like that again! If you died… I'd never forgive you."

Najenda snapped out of her vicarious fantasy. Her sense of duty was back.

"That's enough you two. We need to regroup with the others. Mine, outstanding job eliminating Buduo. You will be compensated handsomely. Oh, and I'm sorry about Pumpkin. I guess it couldn't withstand your emotional energy."

Mine nodded Najenda shamefully. She felt bad for destroying Najenda's weapon.

Tatsumi helped Mine up by her hand.

"We will discuss our attack plan for the final assault when the others get here."

Najenda affirmed.

"Understood."

Figures whooshed into the hideout masked by the black curtain of the night. Lights emanating from the candles aided Najenda in identifying the figures. Akame and Leone were battle worn and their faces expressed concern as they walked through the breached wall with fatigue in their steps.

"You're still as talented as ever, Najenda."

Leone commended Najenda's musical ability. It had been a long time since she'd heard Najenda play a harp, and judging that Najenda didn't own any harps anymore besides what was Tennin, she knew what had happened and why Najenda had played it.

"I'm guessing Mine's alright?"

Leone asked.

Najenda, Leone, and Akame all looked at Mine. Mine nodded. Leone and Akame shared a moment of relief. Akame walked hastily towards Mine. She embraced Mine, holding her head tightly against her chest.

"We almost thought w-we...:"

Akame choked up.

"...we lost you."

Leone felt Akame's pain. She thought of her fallen brethren.

'Lubbock, Su...'

She scoffed menacingly and cursed the Imperials.

Mine looked up at Akame.

"Tatsumi refused to let me die. He got me here before Najenda's Imperial Arm became useless to save me."

Akame dried her eyes and smiled proudly at Tatsumi.

"You've grown so much, Tatsumi."

Akame said. Leone smiled and walked over to him.

"You bet he has! He's almost as strong a Bulat was!"

Leone acclimated, giving Tatsumi a heavy handed love tap.

Tatsumi winced at Bro's name. He was unaffected by Leone's lighthearted attitude. Deep down he was seething. He glared upwards with a look in his eyes that could burn holes through a legendary danger beast.

"Listen."

Everyone adopted his serious vibe.

"When we attack the capital tomorrow, we will be efficient, tactful, and carry out Najenda's plans to their exact instruction. The mission will be completed and not one of you will die. I will make sure of that. For all of our fallen, we will survive and carry on our lives as happily and prosperous as we can. We will fulfill what they never had the chance to. We owe them that."

They all felt a silent agreement.

"I'm tired of losing family… Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Su, Lubbock…"

Tears began to form in his eyes.

"I wasn't strong enough to save them then."

He clenched his fist.

"But now… Now, I'm strong. Now I have the means to defend the ones I care about. So tomorrow, we're all coming back alive."

Night Raid agreed on Tatsumi's sentiment.

Najenda stood up and walked off in the direction of her quarter's giving orders as she went.

"All of you, get a bite to eat. I'm sure you're all starving. Take a well deserved rest. When you're done, meet me in the briefing room."

With that she, disappeared into her room. The four filed out of the room towards the dining area.

Najenda retreated to her chair, reclining in it after she sat down. She gazed off into the dim room contemplating as she lit a cigarette. She took a puff and fell deep into thought. She exhaled. The smoke created a veil around her silver hair as she sat there resting her hand on her chin.

She felt despair. She thought about Su and how she missed having him around. Not just as a utility, but as a companion. She definitely knew she was upset, but for him, some reason she couldn't feel despair over his destruction. It might've been because Najenda was always distant and unattached to things. Perhaps it may have been because Susanoo wasn't a living breathing human. Either way, the despair she was feeling wasn't associated with Su.

She explored her feelings thinking about why she was feeling so heartbroken. Thats when she thought about Lubbock. Her chest writhed from heartache. She remembered his proud, young face at the front her ranks like it was yesterday. There he was, kneeling before her, clad in full armor ready to serve and protect her in the face of any threat. Najenda grew angry at the harsh realization that the Imperials had robbed him of his life.

Najenda could no longer hold back her sorrow and it broke her. She recoiled in grief, hunching over in her chair. The cigarette fell to the ground out of her mouth creating a fiery display. She sobbed as images of Lubbock forced their way into her memory. She cherished all the times she caught him shamelessly staring at her with his confident smile back in her days as a general. She fondly remembered the night when he threw away his identity and sense of self worth in the Imperial Capital to join her in Night Raid. She also remembered all the fond memories they shared there together. She didn't get it till now. Lubbock loved her passionately but she never caught on. Now it was too late. She cried into her mechanical arm uncontrollably as she tightened the grasp on her forehead.

'Lubbock... I'm so sorry.'

The remaining members of Night Raid ate in silence. The task ahead of them weighed heavy on their minds and no one was taking it lightly. The tension in the air was thick and it was going to be tough to break the silence, but Tatsumi had to get sugar for his tea somehow. He was uncomfortably staring at the sugar that was just out his reach for a while now, but he was too proud to ask. His tea was getting cold though so he had to compromise his pride and ask Mine for the sugar.

"Hey Mine…"

He was sitting next to her, but he was still too embarrassed to look her in the eyes so he looked a little off to the side when he asked.

"Yes, Tatsumi?..."

She asked, looking off to the side in the other direction. They were both blushing.

"Would you mind passing me the sugar."

He grumbled at the triviality of his question. There really was no serious way to ask for sugar.

"Sure."

Mine slided the sugar over to Tatsumi across the table. She wasn't in the mood to tease and berate. Tatsumi received the sugar and poured some in his tea.

Leone was smirking. She was watching them the whole time. Their new attitudes towards each other was just fuel for Leone's playful nature. She hopped out of her chair over to them. She stood just behind them and she squeezed them together.

"Hehe! You guys are too cute! After the war is over, you guys should get married and move to the Southern Islands."

"We're not moving, and we're not getting married!"

They shouted at the same time and in the same exact tone. They were starting to adopt each others personalities.

Leone snickered.

"Well it doesn't matter if you want to or not… You're already bound by the red thread of fate!"

She squeezed a little tighter.

"Leone!"

Mine shouted. Her face was pink.

Akame sat up. The screeching of her chair against the stone floor silenced everyone. The three looked up expecting something serious. Akame looked Tatsumi coldy, dead in the eyes.

"Seconds please."

Tatsumi's mouth fell open.

"You had a full plate of meat! How could you still be hungry!?"

Akame's expression didn't change. Tatsumi got up and walked woefully back into the kitchen. Leone and Mine laughed together as Akame sat back down.