[A/N]: Takes place in an alternate universe where Sayo, Ieyasu and Tatsumi were recruited into the Imperial Capital. Further details will be explained in later chapters, however the current time is episode 9 in the anime. Please read and review. It's greatly appreciated if you do.
Pilot
In the relatively lit woods peace was everything. The sun rose high, marking noon and shining what it could below. A warm ray accompanied by light is cast down, raising the temperature and stabilizing it depending on the current position and weather relative to the goddess above. The population that lives on the remnants of her glow take it for granted and complain when it does not suit their preferred choice at the time. It continues to shoot down until a certain point has passed which relieves itself for another time.
Unfortunately, the goddess is not in favor of Tatsumi.
An explosion rocks beside him, a smoke and heat wave cover the surrounding area before gradually dispersing. A sizable amount of smoke seeps between and through the trees. Tatsumi shoots through the smoke, abruptly moving itself due to him replacing the area and proceeding to resume it's duty of dissipating in the air. Upon dispersion a small crater is revealed destroying the perfect light green image of the ground, replaced with a indented jagged circle of brown.
"Tch." Tatsumi grunted, racing against his own lifespan. His judgement failed him and he proceeded to endure the consequences, being easily spotted in the broad daylight. Even if in the woods, he can still be seen easily seen to the naked eye. To increase his speed, he leans forward while keeping his arms loose to his sides, although taking sharp turns every now and then in an attempt to throw Night Raid off his tail. He mentally cursed himself as he failed to eliminate Najenda, the significant figure behind Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army.
Maintaining his pace, he focused on getting out of the general area as quick as possible, keeping in mind that reinforcements were inbound.
Cannon fodder he would be forced to say, but these were real lives at stake for fighting what they believe is right. Esdeath would say it would buy him some time to return to the capital, to her or his companions.
"If they die, they were too weak." Tatsumi recalled Esdeath's speech. It was as such a permanent remark that she seemingly claims all the time when applicable, though he would disagree constantly. That thought makes him grit his teeth, but thinking about anything else at the moment would expose him. He shook his mind off it.
Using the dry dirt he skids to the right passed a tree, breaking off his original pattern of turning and running. Already knowing Night Raid's previously set up defenses, this should give Lubbock a minor slip.
After running for five minutes, he spots a boulder of rocks with one of his companions sitting down left of the boulders as if she was taking cover. Sighing quietly with relief before linking up. She turns her head and in reaction, gripping the bow and pulling the arrow back as far as she needed to. Aiming at the perceived assailant, she lowers her bow and flashes him a smile. He nods in return, and both of them start running in the direction of the capital.
"Where's Ieyasu?"
"He was caught in the green-haired guy's traps. He freed himself after a minute but was injured with multiple lacerations. I had to carry him to one of the guard platoons that were coming in." Sayo responded, though Tatsumi shook his head.
Platoons? He thought that the numbers in a platoon wouldn't be able to handle anyone from Night Raid. He's seen and experienced their strength firsthand and learnt not to underestimate them. However in comparison with his strength, he believed best case scenario he can injure one of them without his Imperial Arms. Lucky for Tatsumi, the one he had retrieved during the boat battle bolstered his strength and ability in combat. Taking an imperial arms and infiltrating Night Raid was easier than he thought.
Now he just needed to get out of the area and get into contact with Esdeath, but not before seeing all of his friends are safe. Upon Tatsumi's request, Sayo went ahead of him to reach the capital first. He didn't want her to get caught in a crossfire, especially when Night Raid is in an enraged state. He also wanted to head back to the Night Raid base but not without support. Last thing he needed was to get captured by the same organization he just betrayed.
Stopping for a quick breather, the area's wind shifts as Tatsumi begins to activate Incursio.
Hiding behind a tree, Incursio awaited quietly. The color of Incursio was not the gleaming silver and white it was, instead the armor was reflecting off a dark onyx shade and crimson eyes. The clothing that filled the gaps of the armor was replaced with a carbon fiber-like material. If one were to look at Incursio with a naked eye, the darker version gives off a uncompassionate and apathetic aura. It would even be mistaken as the shield and sword of the capital, for not Esdeath in place as the sadistic and fierce warrior she was.
Stomps fill the air and Incursio, while watching his previous vector of approach turns towards the direction of the capital.
The marching boots get louder and the visibility of armed Imperial Guards increases substantially as they climb up the hill. Behind them the capital shows off it's humongous size, a terrifyingly terrific sight to any and all from the country. Tatsumi spots the platoon split into a formation and is surprised with the level of discipline the troops exhibited, as well as their ability to remain focused and in unison. The platoon is split into three sections: front echelon, middle guard and rear echelon. The front echelon and rear echelon were armed with swords and basic armor, while the middle guard were armed with guns and what appeared to be a different form of armor that has yet to be seen. The standard helmet that covered the entirety of the head only covered the top, revealing the faces if it were not for the pure grey bandanas they wore. Only the whites of their eyes remain visible. The body armor that replaced the general standard is now apparently defunct to the middle echelon, as it is a digital vest that appear to be protruding outwards in four locations: on both sides, the chest and the back.
The front echelon was in a line while the middle guard was split into two lines with one figure in the middle, supposedly the platoon command.
Incursio smiled, standing up from his current location and walked towards the pathway of the inbound imperial guards. As they got closer, Incursio deactivated his cloak, revealing an armored-onyx figure. The platoon command from the middle echelon raised his right hand and formed it into a fist, halting the entire formation. The front echelon in unison take out their swords and assumed a guard position. Tatsumi eyed this sudden show of force, with him recounting the steps they took to achieve such. Their right foot forward and the sword pointing down and forward, and the middle section begins to take their place.
"What a magnificent show of force."
There appeared to be 15 members of the front echelon, with 7 in the middle assuming positions between the shoulders of the front echelon aiming at the onyx figure. The rear echelon was hidden behind a combined row of the front and middle sections, presumably guarding the rear of the formation. Suddenly, a yell was made from a middle guard.
"Hold! It's the general's lover."
...
Tatsumi face palmed himself, cringing at the fact that they referred to him as Esdeath's lover. Yes, she courted him and he accepted however terms like that shouldn't be used to refer an Imperial Arms user in the military. The platoon commander shook his head and proceeded on.
"Let's keep moving." The front echelon and the middle guard lowered their weapons and went back into the original formation before continuing their march towards the Night Raid base. Incursio steps out of the way to let the formation through, before following behind the rear echelon which faced the same direction. Albeit a bit slow, they were making fast progress back towards the Night Raid base.
As the Night Raid base faded into view, Tatsumi looked at the Night Raid base. There was a lack of activity, which was to be expected. After his betrayal, some of the members may have been sent out to deter the oncoming force while the others have destroyed some important items and evacuated. Approaching the front gate of the hideout, two more platoons of similar structure come from different directions.
All the platoon commanders stepped out of their formations and met near the front gate, while Tatsumi maintains the lookout on the surrounding rocks of the base. Drowning out the sound of the commanders talking to eachother and discussing a plan, Tatsumi focused and attempted to locate any Imperial Arms presence. A minute has passed and he doesn't feel anything, however he refuses to let his guard down.
An explosion rocks the front gate caused by a placed charge and one of the platoons rush into the dirt filled air where the gate used to be. Because of the size of the small gate, the front echelon and the middle guard separate from the original formation and reform inside. They start clearing the bottom floor while the other two platoons set up defensive positions on the outside. A fireteam of a middle guard split off from the defense and walked towards Tatsumi.
"Hey Tatsumi." One of the guards under a grey clad bandana. The guard pulling it down, he reveals himself to the Incursio-wielder. Remaining on his guard, he briefly turns towards the person who called him.
"Oh. Hey Takara." He calls his familiar with a nod proceeding back to eyeing the surrounding area. Curiosity arose as he gazes upon the differently armored figure, opening his mouth in regards to the origin and what type of armor it is before a yell is heard inside the Night Raid base, with most heads turning towards the direction.
"BOMB!"
Killing intent was now apparent before a large explosion emits from the base, seeping to the outside. The combination of hot and smoke rose above the trees and clouding up the air. A shockwave quickly followed that knocked all the soldiers with the exception of a special few especially Tatsumi sending them off the ground adjacent of the explosion. A few seconds pass before pieces of the base start raining upon them.
Opening his eyes instantly, Tatsumi coughs bucking slightly up. He was facing a separated wall of smoke that never disappeared. Turning his head around, he looks beyond what's close to him. To his left, a collapsed and scorching Night Raid base with smoke rising to the blue sky. To his right, a tree with a noticeable dent in the middle, as well as three bodies belonging to one or more of the platoons.
Rubbing his eyes, he sees his bare hand. Upon inspecting his forearm, his forearm had medium sized cut dressed in blood as well as a lack of Incursio. He assumed it was from absorbing the impact when he flew from the explosion and got knocked out. Looking down at his body, multiple cuts penetrated his clothing, with some very small blood pools forming around the affected areas. Moving his left leg, he found it to be extremely sore while his right leg was unresponsive.
A few crunches of dirt was heard and Tatsumi attempted to gain a look at the incoming person, attempting to force his head beyond what he could achieve. The person approached him, and that was when he felt his collar tug. He was now being pulled across the ground although with caution. His hearing somewhat unresponsive, he can decipher a yell formed by the person.
"I need some help over here!" Beyond what Tatsumi could perceive, two injured guards came up beside the one who called them and gripped Tatsumi's wrists, bringing them above his head. The calling guard revealed to be part of a middle section from one of the platoons, unslings his Imperial standard-issue assault weapon and starts aiming towards the smoke as if something was in it. Moving towards the feet of the incapacitated Tatsumi, the guard yells to start moving him. Tatsumi, in minor pain felt friction on his back as he was dragged along the dirt towards the direction of the capital. The armed guard steps back but maintains his position as part of the pack in a high ready position, aiming to protect the so called General's lover.
Tatsumi begins to lose consciousness, his arms losing all form of control before falling to his sides.
"Tatsumi! Stay with us!" With his vision fading, the yells become more quiet.
"Tats-" Gunfire erupts, cutting the speech but was quickly shut down. Two more yells erupt and Tatsumi's upper torso dropped to the ground with a small thud.
In a state of tunnel vision, he spots a dissipating white cloud of smoke, and what he saw at the very last moment he lost consciousness was a red checkered miniskirt.
Knock knock.
"Enter."
Within the imperial palace, the conference door room opens. Contained in the room was the ice queen herself contemplating. An imperial guard marches in to deliver a message. Standing straight with pride, he stands across from the sitting Esdeath, who is at the very end of the conference table.
"Speak."
"General Esdeath. One of our forward observation posts reported an explosion where Sir Tatsumi reported the Night Raid base. They've dispatched a team but guard platoons Buic, Broker and Aurelia were either missing or dead. The team is gathering up all the injured. It also appears that Sir Tatsumi has disappeared."
Even if he was supposed to deliver the message, the guard shivered in regret as the surrounding air became cold. He took a very quiet deep breath, closing his eyes as if he was to accept death at this very moment. Gritting his teeth, the air gradually got colder while the ice queen remained in her non-moving state.
The freezing cold air has now warmed in an instant.
"I see. Have General Budo assemble a force to search the surrounding area and to investigate the remains of the Night Raid base. Is that all?" Brief and straight to the point, Esdeath's mood seemed to have degraded.
"The Imperial Arms users are coming today."
"Yes. Thank you."
"General!" The guard stomped his right foot, took a sharp 90 degree left turn and walked out of the conference room. A slam of the conference door indicates the guard has left. Breathing in, Esdeath leans forward on the table, both hands folded into each other with her chin resting on top of it contemplating once more.
