Chapter 9

Christmas was a week away and Night Raid was decorating the HQ. Lubbock was helping set the tree up with Chelsea. Akame and Tatsumi were baking cookies in the kitchen. Mine, Leone and Petra were out shopping at a nearby town.

"I can't find anything perfect for Tatsumi." Mine complained

"Maybe you can give him a different gift." Leone said nudging Mine

"I'm not doing that!" Mine exclaimed

"Suit yourself." Leone laughed

"Didn't he say he needed a new sword?" Petra asked

"I completely forgot about that! I know where it is! Let's go!" Mine exclaimed running towards the blacksmith shop

They arrived and saw the sword. It was an expensive sword. Mine poured all her money out and bought the sword.

"Mine, that costed a lot." Leone told her

"He's just that special." Mine said

Petra was looking at a jewelers stand. She noticed a silver ring with alchemical symbols on it. Petra bought the ring and put the ring box in her pocket.

"Petra, did you just buy something for Edward?" Leone asked as she joined them

"Yeah, I saw a ring with alchemy on it. Figured he would like it. Because he's an alchemist and what not." She told them

Edward was out in the forest gathering firewood. Leaving footprints as he walked through the snow. He gathered the last bundle of wood and walked back to HQ. Walking inside he placed the bundles next to the fire place. He took his coat off and hung it on the coat rack.

"I smell sweetness." He said sitting on the couch

"Want to help with the tree?" Chelsea asked

Edward stood up and walked over to help. They finished placing the ornaments on the tree and stood back to admire their work.

"Looks great." Akame said exiting the kitchen

"Thanks." They said in unison

"Where are the rest of the girls?" Akame asked

"Mine, Petra, and Leone are out shopping. Najenda went to the revolutionary army camp." Lubbock told her

"How long until the cookies are done?" Chelsea asked

"About another hour or two." Akame replied

"You mind if we borrow Tatsumi?" Edward asked her

"Sure. Chelsea can help me instead." Akame said

The boys walked inside the kitchen and approached Tatsumi.

"The plan is going down." Lubbock said

"But they're still out. What if we run into them." Tatsumi said

"We take our chances." Edward said

"Alright, let's go." Tatsumi replied taking his apron off and putting it on the table

They left the kitchen and put their coats on. They then walked outside and started walking to the town nearby.

They were walking when they saw a pink figure in the distance. They quickly hid. Mine, Leone, and Petra were walking by them. Not noticing them, or so they thought. As they left their sight, the boys kept moving this time faster.

The town was only 30 minutes away. They arrived and saw what shops were open. It was early afternoon and the sun was blocked by the clouds.

"Alright, time to do our shopping." Edward said

They stopped by multiple stores trying to find gifts to buy. They bought stuff for others, but saved most of their money for their significant others. Lubbock noticed something out of the ordinary. He looked at it closer. It was a necklace with a pair of swords on it. One was ruby and the other was emerald.

"I quote, 'Necklaces are lame'." Edward said laughing behind him as he bought it

"Shut up." Lubbock said storing the necklace case in his inner coat pocket

"Let's go you two. We still got more to do." Tatsumi told them

They kept moving throughout the town. Tatsumi ran into a clothing store and the other two waited outside.

"So you gonna pop the question?" Lubbock poked at his friend

"Dude, off course not. Well not yet. You have to give these things some time." He told him

Tatsumi walked back out with a dress slung over his shoulder. The other two just looked at him.

"She really wanted this dress ok?" He told them as they kept walking

"So Edward, what are you going to get Petra?" Lubbock asked

"No idea yet. I was thinking a baby." He said as the two stopped in their tracks with their jaws dropped "Relax guys, I'm joking."

"You better be." Lubbock told him

"We've barely been dating. We don't jump that fast." Edward argued

They kept walking until Edward saw something that caught his attention. Walking closer he saw his answer. It was a necklace that had a small locket with a picture inside.. He quickly bought it and the clerk swapped the photo out with one of them Edward had taken a while back. He put it in his pocket.

"Alright, let's head back before Akame kills us." Edward told them

"Why would she kill us?" Tatsumi asked

"Because we left Chelsea with her to cook." Lubbock told them

Instantly the three began sprinting back to their HQ.

They arrived back at HQ and carefully opened the door. Lubbock peaked his head in and saw Akame asleep on the couch. He signaled to the other's to enter. They slowly entered and hung their coats up, before retreating to their rooms. Lubbock was the last to leave and Akame woke at the last second.

"Afternoon." She yawned

"Hey! How was baking with Chelsea?" He asked her

"It was fun. We talked about you guys." Akame told him

"I have to go drop something off in my room and I'll be right back." He said running to his room

He opened his door and closed it. Sighing a sigh of relief he went to remove the necklace but froze when he heard someone behind him.

"What's that you're reaching for?" Leone asked him

"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" He exclaimed jumping in fear

"I wanted to see what you bought Akame." She said

"You'll have to wait. I don't trust you." He told her

"Please?" She begged

"Fine. But no blabbing." He told her as he pulled out the case and opened it to show her

"Oh my god. How much was that?" Leone awed

"About half of my money." He replied honestly

"She'll love it. I can tell you that much. I'll go see what the others bought." Leone told him leaving his room

Instead of running to Edward's room, she ran back to Akame.

"Akame." She whispered into the living room

"What's up Leone?" She asked walking into view

"We need to go shopping." Leone told her

"Am I supposed to get Lubbock a present?" Akame asked in her normal childlike manner

"Yeah, that's what good girlfriends do. Now come on, if we leave now we can be back by night." Leone said as they left HQ and ran to the town

"Has anyone seen Akame?" Lubbock asked as he entered the living room

Mine and Tatsumi were sitting on the couch, while Edward and Chelsea were talking about recent assignments.

"Nope, haven't seen her. Sorry dude." Tatsumi told him

"Hey Edward, where's Petra and the rest of them?" Lubbock asked

"They decided to go titan hunting. They should be back anytime now." He said looking at the clock

"You guys down for a game of cards?" Lubbock asked pulling out a deck of cards

"You guys can play. I'm going to get some fresh air." Edward said as he walked outside

He walked out onto the porch and saw something familiar on the ground. He walked over to it and looked at it. It was his 3D maneuver gear he left behind in Central. Looking around he didn't see anyone. He picked it up and put it on, then looked up. Looking into the forest he saw Oruo standing there.

"Oruo, is something wrong?" He asked

"We need your help. There were more titans than we expected." Oruo told him

Edward removed his black coat and was only wearing jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. Oruo handed him a scout regiment cloak to put on. Edward put it on and followed him into the forest.

Using their gear, they reached the cliffside where Tatsumi met Levi for the first time. Petra was seen kneeling on the ground, Eld next to her.

"Is she alright?" Edward asked Oruo

"She'll be fine. Just got the wind knocked out of her after a titan hit her." Oruo explained

The two walked over. Eld left as Edward knelt next to her.

"You holding in there?" He asked her rubbing her back

She shot up and hugged him.

"Be safe down there." She told him

"I remember my training. But I will be. Hold onto these for me." He said handing her his flame alchemy gloves

He stood up and walked over to the cliffside. Jumping off he fired an anchor into a tree down below. Drawing his swords out of their sheaths, he flew into the forest. Levi and Gunther were standing on a branch when Edward landed next to them.

"What's the plan?" He asked

"We have 20 titans that are coming up that direction. You and I will attack them head on while Gunther picks off the stragglers." Levi told him

Edward shot an anchor and flew towards the titans. He first saw a 3 meter titan approaching him. He used his gas to push him to the side and fired an anchor into it's neck. Boosting in he swung his blades and cut the nape of the titan clean off.

"I forgot how much fun this was." He said landing on a branch as the titans body fell

He looked and saw more taller titans approaching. He fired an anchor and flew straight at them. Counting three 15 meter tall titans, he quickly came up with a plan. He fired into the neck of one, and killed that one. Before jumping off its neck and flying straight towards the second titan. Slashing he killed the second one and fired an anchor into the third titan's eye. Edward released the anchor and used his gas to propel him behind the titan. He spun and fired an anchor into it's neck. Reeling himself in, he slashed the titan's nape off. He rode the titan down to the ground and hopped off when it landed.

"I'm going to be so sore tomorrow." He told himself as he popped his back

"Impressive moves." Gunther said as he landed next to Edward

"Thank's. Petra taught me a all I know about this gear." He smiled back

"That makes four dead titans. Levi said that you can have them all if you wanted." Gunther told him

"It'll be my pleasure." Edward said as he shot off towards the titans

He flew straight into the mass of them that were coming. Slicing and dicing his way through, he managed to kill seven titans before he had to use his gear to lock onto them. He saw a blur appear and the rest of the titans were dead. Edward felt his anchor come loose as he plummeted to the ground. Firing his anchor into a tree he managed to fall through the tree and land on the ground. Before he had landed, he removed his gear and let it fall separate.

He laid on the ground. Shocked at what just happened.

"Hi there!" He heard as he looked up

"Hi, were you the blur that knocked me down and killed them all?" Edward asked him

"Yup, the names Wave. This here is my Imperial Arms Grand Chariot." He said holding up his sword

"I'm Edward. Nice to meet you." He said standing up

"Sorry about knocking you down. I wanted to kill the titans." Wave said

"It's fine." Edward told him as he put his gear back on

"Are you with the Scout Regiment?" Wave asked

"My girlfriend is, I'm with a different group." Edward replied

"Night Raid?" Wave asked

"How'd you know?" Edward asked him

"Hunch. Anyway, I need to talk to Tatsumi." He told him

"I'll get him. Why don't you stay here." Edward suggested

"Don't worry. I'm just here to visit a friend. I have some news to tell him." Wave said

Edward had Wave follow him back to HQ. They walked in the front door.

"Wave!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he got up to greet his friend

"Nice to see you Tatsumi!" He replied

"What brings you here?" Lubbock asked greeting him too

"Najenda sent for me and another. Apparently something about filling in holes in the team." Wave said

"We are down three members after all." Edward replied

Wave pulled Lubbock aside and whispered something in his ear. He nodded and went back to the card game.

"Everything alright?" Tatsumi asked

"Yup, I'll tell you later tonight. Can you show me my room maybe? I had a tiring day getting here undetected." Wave told him

"Sure thing." Tatsumi told him

Wave followed Tatsumi to his room. Bulats old room was converted to fit Wave's style. He crashed on the bed and fell asleep.

Tatsumi returned to the game. Edward went back to his room to drop his gear off then hang with his friends. He opened his door and saw Petra sound asleep in his bed. He carefully placed his gear down and walked back out, closing the door behind him. Levi was waiting outside for him.

"How is she?" He asked

"Sound asleep." Edward told him

"Good to hear." Levi said walking back to his room

Edward then walked back to join his friends. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and good memories.

Morning rose and Petra woke up. Looking next to her she was expecting to find Edward. However, he wasn't there. She got up out of bed and opened the door. Still wearing her red nightgown, she walked down the halls to the living room. There she saw all the Night Raid members asleep. Mine was asleep on Tatsumi's lap while his head was leant back on the couch. Lubbock's head was on the table and Akame was asleep in one of the other couches. Leone was sound asleep in front of the fire like a cat. Then she saw Edward on the floor passed out. Chelsea walked out of the kitchen and saw her.

"Morning Petra!" She said

"Morning. What happened here last night?" Petra asked sitting at the table

"We played cards and drank. You should have seen Edward. He was unbeatable, until Leone punched him and knocked him out." Chelsea laughed

"She what!" Petra exclaimed

"I'm kidding about the last part. Around 2 o'clock in the morning he fell asleep." Chelsea told her

"Did you not play?" Petra asked

"I did, but went to bed when the drinks came out." Chelsea said sitting across from her

Akame woke up and stretched from the couch. Standing up she walked over to the table and sat next to Petra.

"Tired?" Chelsea asked

"Yes, the game was fun. But Lubbock lost all his money pretty quickly." She yawned

"Is that a bad thing?" Chelsea inquired

"Now it means that he can't get me a christmas present." Akame said sadly

"Akame, he already went shopping. The boys went shopping yesterday." Petra said patting her friend on the back

Gunther and Eld strolled in and noticed the sleeping assassins.

"Morning Petra." Gunther greeted her walking over

He and Eld were dressed already. Then Petra realized that she was wearing her night gown in front of her friends. Eld noticed her expression change.

"Don't worry Petra. We would still be in our pajamas if we just woke up." Eld reassured her as he sat down

"How long have you guys been up?" Petra asked them

"Since these guys feel asleep. We got back from a night patrol and heard the card game going on. We came back in here when we woke up to find them all asleep." Gunther told her

"Anyway, Captain gave us the rest of the month off." Eld told her

"He did?" Akame asked

"Yup, Eld and I were planning on visiting some friends that are nearby. Oruo decided to go with Levi back to Erwin's forces. What are your plans Petra?" Gunther asked her

"I was planning on staying here." She smiled

Eld looked at the clock and realized they had to leave if they wanted to make the train. They bid farewell and left.

"What about your family Petra?" Chelsea asked

"You guys are my family." She replied

"I should probably cook breakfast." Akame said

"Or we can go out to eat." Chelsea said

The girls went to go change into normal clothing and left for breakfast.

Edward woke up and looked at the clock.

"It's noon already, man how much did I drink last night?" He asked himself standing up

Lubbock had awoken too and lifted his head.

"I blame Leone if I throw up today." Lubbock said pushing himself up

"Same here." Tatsumi groaned as he carefully lifted Mines head up and placed it back down

"I know a good way to wake up." Edward told them

"What would that be?" Tatsumi asked

"Morning training session." Edward replied

They all nodded in agreement and walked to the training grounds. It was covered in snow, but the boys toughed it out. Removing their shirts they each pulled out a weapon. Edward picked up a Katana, Tatsumi his normal sword, and Lubbock a small dagger. They formed a triangle and the fight began. Edward blocked an attack from Tatsumi and dodged Lubbocks. Swinging his leg, Lubbock connected with Edward's stomach. Tatsumi rushed but tripped in the snow. Lubbock hit a piece of ice and slid into the wall.

"This may have been a bad idea." Tatsumi said

"You idiots don't say." They heard Sinon say

"Sinon?" Lubbock asked standing up to see her holding their shirts

"Now come back and get dressed." She said

They all got up and walked to her. They put their shirts back on.

"Where did you go?" Edward asked her

"After Sheele died, I went back to Central and talked to Kirito and Asuna. Your father and mother miss you by the way, you should call them." Sinon told them

"Did you ask about Sheele's murderer?" Tatsumi asked

"Yes. They had some more information on them. But I ran into to them a couple days ago. They won't be moving again." She said

"You killed him?" Lubbock asked

"Yup." Sinon replied

They walked back to the living room. Everyone one else was awake and cleaning up the mess of bottles. Wave walked in and noticed Sinon.

"Is she new?" Wave asked Tatsumi

"This is Sinon, she just got back from a mission." Tatsumi told his friend

The girls arrived and noticed everyone else up. Sitting in the living room, they talked for about an hour.

Sinon went to go sleep because her trip had exhausted her. Petra was sitting next to Edward on the couch, her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a nap.

She was standing in a forest. Gunther's body was in front of her.

"Petra! Move!" She heard Eld yell as a titan picked her up

Eld sliced the titans arm off, dropping Petra. As she was falling someone swung by and grabbed her.

"Can't have you dying on me." Edward told her

They landed on a branch high up. She looked around and noticed others she knew. They were all using 3D maneuver gear.

"Where are we?" She asked him

"A forest near the Capital. titans were spotted so we came to eliminate them." Edward said

"What happened to Gunther?" She asked

"I'll explain later. Stay here for now." He said jumping off and returning to the fight

Edward noticed the last titan, he went in for the kill but got snagged by it. The titan threw him across the forest. Using his alchemy, he created a wall to land on. Lubbock swung in and the titan punched him right out of the air.

"Lubbock!" Edward yelled as his friend landed on the ground motionless

Wave and Tatsumi went after the titan. Tatsumi was grabbed and slammed into a tree, Wave had the same fate. Petra stared in horror as her friends were killed. Edward rushed and threw his swords at its eyes. The titan's mouth was open. Petra noticed the white gloves on his hand. Flying into it's mouth, the titan bit down. His automail arm destroyed. An explosion came from inside the titan and it vaporized, along with Edward.

"No!" Petra yelled waking up covered in sweat

"Hey, what's wrong?" Edward asked as he looked at her

She looked around the room and noticed them all still there. Lubbock, Tatsumi, and Wave were all still there. She looked at the clock and noticed the time, 5 o'clock.

"Petra, is everything alright?" Wave asked her

"Yeah, I just had a bad dream. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight." She said getting up and leaving

Edward followed her and closed the door after they walked into his room.

"Petra, something is clearly bothering you." Edward said leaning against a wall

Petra turned around and hugged him, tears flowing down her face.

"Promise me you won't ever do something that will get you killed." She sobbed

"I promise. Is that your dream was about?" Edward asked her

"We were in a forest near the Capital. You rescued me from being eaten, but Gunther was dead. After, you jumped back into the fray. You got knocked back, Lubbock was slammed into the ground, Tatsumi and Wave were both slammed into trees. You sacrificed yourself to kill the titan." She told him tightening her hug

"Well for one, after I rescued you I would have called a retreat." He told her returning her hug

"I don't know what I would do without you in my life." She smiled

"You would still be the same badass girl I fell in love with." He told her

"What was that last part?" She blushed looking at him

"Um, I can explain?" He said

She leant in and kissed him.

"You would still be the alchemist I fell in love with." She told him

"You've had a tiring day. Get some rest." He said kissing her forehead and exiting the room

She changed into her nightgown and crawled into the bed, placing her head on the pillow she fell asleep.

Edward returned to the living room and sat back down.

"Everything good?" Tatsumi asked him

"Yeah. She just had a nightmare." Edward replied

"We should have a holiday party." Akame suggested

"Well, christmas is on Friday in six days. I don't see any harm in doing it." Lubbock said

"Christmas eve party. We can exchange gifts and everything!" Mine said

"I'm down." Leone said

"This'll be fun." Chelsea said

"Let's start planning then." Wave told them

They began to map out their party. Lubbock and Edward were in charge of decorations. Akame, Chelsea, and Leone were in charge of cooking. Tatsumi and Wave were in charge of cleaning the place up. Mine, Sinon, and Petra got the job of overseers. They were determined to make this work out.

Christmas Eve arrived, the inside of the Night Raid HQ was full of festivity. Lubbock and Edward had decorated the place to the best of their ability. Petra and Sinon both gave their decorating job a thumbs up. Akame, Chelsea, and Leone had done a great job cooking. They baked cookies, made a cake, and even cooked up some meat. Akame was hell bent on that last item. They were all gathered in the living room. Talking and playing games. Edward walked up to Lubbock and slipped something into his pocket.

"What did you just put in my pocket?" Lubbock asked sipping his drink

"Mistletoe, use it wisely." Edward said walking back to join Petra

Akame walked over to join Lubbock.

"Having fun?" He asked

"This is so much fun!" She exclaimed

"Have you been drinking?" Lubbock asked

"Leone told me to have a few drinks." She replied

Lubbock reached into his pocket and pulled out the mistletoe. Akame saw this, and didn't even let it reach above her head before she kissed Lubbock. Edward laughed as Lubbock dropped it and kissed her back.

"You did that didn't you?" Petra asked him

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." He replied

"Well, look above us." She told him

He looked up and noticed the mistletoe hanging from one of Lubbock's wires. He laughed and leant into kiss her. He heard Lubbock laugh and flipped him off. The clock struck 11 o'clock. People had started exchanging gifts. Leone got a new pair of boots from Chelsea, who in turn got a giant bucket of lollipops. Sinon handed Wave a fishing pole, and he gave her a necklace with a bullet attached to it.

Mine approached Tatsumi, Both of them had boxes for the other.

"Merry Christmas!" He told her handing her his box

She placed his present down and opened hers. She saw the dress and her eyes went wide with excitement.

"Thank you so much! How did you know?" She asked

"I remember you pointing to the dress and say I would kill for that dress." He laughed

She put the dress down and handed him his present. He opened it and noticed the new sword.

"Mine, this sword is expensive." He said in awe

"You're just that special to me." She said kissing him

"Merry Christmas Mine." He said hugging her

"Merry Christmas Tatsumi." She replied returning his hug

Lubbock had his gift hanging from a wire above Akame's head. He was sitting on the couch while she was at the table. His present slowly landed in front of her. She opened it up and noticed the necklace. She put it on and stood up. Walking over to Lubbock she sat next to him and kissed him. She then handed him her present for him. He opened it and noticed it was a new dagger. It has his name etched into the blade, along with a ruby in the hilt. He looked up at her and kissed her.

"Merry Christmas Lubbock." She said

"Merry Christmas Akame." He replied

Edward tapped Petra on the shoulder and motioned to follow him. He took her outside to the spot where he and Chelsea were talking that one night.

"The view from here is beautiful." Petra said leaning on the railing

"Beautiful view, plus a beautiful girl. I should make sure I'm not dreaming." He replied

Petra took out the ring box and handed it to Edward.

"Merry Christmas." She said

"You didn't have to get me something." He said opening the box and looking at the ring

"You like it." She asked

"It's perfect. I'll be reminded of you everyday now." He said handing her his gift

She opened the case and saw the necklace. Opening the pendant she saw a picture of them from when they were young.

"When did you take this photo?" She asked on the verge of tears

"That photo was taken the day you left for the scout regiment and moved to Wall Rose. I kept it close to me at all times. Look's like it paid off." He told her as he helped her put it on

"That is so sweet of you." She said

"Also, promise me you won't be mad for what I'm about to do." He told her

"What are you going to do?" She asked as she saw him pick up the ring she gave him

He pulled it out and performed some alchemy on it, creating a diamond on top. Her hands covered her mouth in shock. He got down on one knee and held it out.

"Petra, will you marry me?" He asked

"Off course you idiot!" She yelled as she hugged him

He put the ring on her and kissed her.

"You really are full of surprises." She told him

"That's my job." He told her

They walked back to the living room, hand in hand. They walked in and Lubbock pulled him aside.

"Where have you two been?" Tatsumi asked joining them

They heard all the girls yell in excitement as Wave had joined them.

"What are they cheering about?" Wave asked

"Look at Petra's hand." Edward told him

"You didn't." Lubbock said

"Indeed I did. I figured it was about time. We've been separated long enough, why not spend the rest of my life with her." Edward replied

"Congratulations buddy." Tatsumi said patting him on the back

"Lubbock, I think the surprise guest is going to be here soon." Wave said

Lubbock went over and got Akame. There was a knock on the door, Akame opened it to see her little sister Kurome standing there. Akame hugged her sister and started crying in excitement.

Kurome was introduced to everyone, but mainly hung around Wave. Lubbock swears he saw the two holding hands at some point. As the night wore on, everyone went to bed. The boys remained in the living room.

"Today was fun." Lubbock said

"Sure was." Tatsumi replied

"So Wave, about you and Kurome?" Edward asked

"It's on the down low." He replied

"Not so secret dude." Lubbock told him

"I get nervous when I'm around her. It took me three months to even get the courage to ask her out." Wave argued

"I'm going to bed. Mine is going to want to take me shopping tomorrow." Tatsumi replied as he left

"I should really go to bed too. I'm sure Akame will want to spend tomorrow hunting or something like that." Lubbock said leaving too

"Edward, I meant to ask earlier, but what happened to your arm?" He asked pointing to his automail arm

"I lost it fighting an alchemist in Central. Lubbock and I got trapped in an alley." Edward told him

"Ah, well I'm going to bed. They all brought up good points." Wave said leaving

Edward left after a little while. Returning to his room, he saw Petra asleep in their bed. He changed into his nightwear and climbed in. He snuggled up to her and fell asleep.