Chapter 10
Kill The Sanity
The sun had moved positions while they had been to the palace, putting it at its highest point. "Seryu and Sayo, do you want to get some lunch?" Tatsumi asked. "Sure, I wouldn't mind." Sayo said. Tatsumi looked at Seryu. "Really?" Seryu asked. "Yes Seryu, but I do need to warn you that I need to find a way to make some money. I still haven't gotten the bandit who stole my stuff." Tatsumi said. "Yay! Thank you Captain Tatsumi!" Seryu said, wanting to hug him but restraining herself. "If you want to hug me, go ahead." Tatsumi said, smiling. Seryu hugged him. "Thank you!" Seryu said. Tatsumi looked at Sayo who was giving him an approving nod. "Now let's find a place to eat." He said.
Later at a mid-level sandwich shop…
"So, Esdeath is the strongest in the empire?" Tatsumi asked Seryu, knowing that she would probably know because of how long she has lived in the capital. "Indeed she is. She strikes fear into the hearts of her opponents and allies alike. She also is known for killing thousands of people." Seryu said. "Wow, she sounds like one person you don't want to get onto the bad side with." Sayo said. "Agreed, and hopefully I didn't while I was there." Tatsumi said, eating his sandwich. Sayo and Tatsumi shared a glance at one another and then looked to the palace. Something was stirring in the palace, Tatsumi could feel it. He didn't have the time to find out what it was as he needed to finish his sandwich. Tatsumi finished the sandwich and the three left. He couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. Tatsumi slowed down, eventually stopping while Seryu and Sayo kept walking, not noticing that he had stopped. Something was moving in the shadows, watching him. While they were eating, clouds began to form overhead. Those clouds were now hanging overhead with a menacing feeling, threatening to come down upon the city at any moment. Lightning flashed and rain began to fall. "Well, if it isn't Tatsumi. I would never have thought that you would be foolish enough to stop and observe your surroundings." A voice said, causing Tatsumi to summon Futherlor. "And who might you be?" Tatsumi called back. "I'd like to be called your demise." The voice said, now making its location known. Tatsumi turned around in time to deflect a dagger that was heading straight for Tatsumi's neck. The man that the voice belonged to was very bewildering to look at as he seemed familiar. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that you will kill me." Tatsumi said, rushing up to the man. He tried swinging and only found himself to have been both parried and cut along his chest. Damn he's fast. That only means that I'll have to keep up. Tatsumi saw the man's dagger as it was swung extremely close to his face. "You have good reflexes and can keep up, that's always good. No matter though as you are going to meet your fate shortly." The man said. Tatsumi charged again, cutting the man's arm. The man smiled and ducked down, proceeding to kick Tatsumi up into the air before stabbing him in the back. Tatsumi got lucky as the dagger only cut his stomach. He then turned his body and swung, catching the man off guard as he thought that he had killed him and severing his leg. "Not so fast bastard." Tatsumi said, realizing that the man was preparing to stab him again. The man lunged from a roof nearby. He cut Tatsumi's cheek and cut his left arm off at the elbow before flying into a roof that was behind him. Tatsumi felt his strength being to leave him, his injuries only healing ever so slowly. "Now, time to end this!" The man said, lunging one final time with his one leg. He wasn't so fast now and that was enough to give Tatsumi an advantage. Tatsumi swung, destroying the dagger of the man and then cut his neck open. "Impossible…" The man managed to say before blood gushed out of his neck. That was too much for me. I don't even know if I will be surviving this time. If I do that would be a miracle... The thunderstorm was growing in intensity. That's when something happened that caused Tatsumi to look up in horror. The thunderstorm was freezing over, hinting at a very bleak moment that was soon to arrive. The next thing that happened was something that Tatsumi thought to be a dream. He was being picked up and taken to safety. "You put on a most intriguing display of power there Captain Tatsumi." A voice that he had heard only once before said. He looked at who spoke, his thoughts turning into confusion and horror. It was General Esdeath. His strength left him at that moment, causing him to go unconscious.
Hours later…
Tatsumi's mind kept replaying the battle that he had taken part of only to deny what the result was. No matter how he tried to reason to himself that he had survived and was safe, his mind refused to think that. The only thing that convinced it was when he awoke in a bed, bandaged. "I see you're awake now Tatsumi. That was quite a display of your ability with only portion of your power. Enough to make me quite intrigued." A voice said, making a chill run down Tatsumi's voice. It was Esdeath. "What? I was only defending myself…" Tatsumi said, fearing that he wouldn't be leaving that room unscathed. "Yes, I know that. That is what made that fight so intriguing. That would also be why you are so weak now. Not to worry, I will nurse you back to health." Esdeath said, sitting on the bed. "You're going to do what?" Tatsumi asked with utter confusion. "You heard me. Something that I will have you know is that you are to be my lover." Esdeath said. Did I just hear her right? I couldn't have… "Did you say lover?" Tatsumi asked. "I did." Esdeath said, now looking at Tatsumi's eyes. She blushed a small bit. Oh dear god… Help me. Tatsumi's eyes were widened. "I… I already am with someone General Esdeath…" Tatsumi said, hoping to make her see his point. "That girl you were dancing with? I can safely say that you will no longer be. You are mine and mine only!" Esdeath said, leaning onto Tatsumi. HELP ME! ANYONE JUST HELP ME! Tatsumi squirmed, trying to escape Esdeath and run out of the room. His hope faded as she crept up on him. Something snapped inside his head. You know what, I deny you Esdeath. I deny all the thought of trying to get close to me! NOT ONE PERSON WILL CHANGE ME, BREAK ME, OR EVEN KILL ME! I WILL NEVER DO THIS! I HAVE ONE GOAL AND ONE GOAL ONLY, TO PROTECT MY BELOVED SAYO! Tatsumi's anger grew. He managed to throw Esdeath off of him. "I am leaving and you can't stop me Esdeath. I belong to no one but my beloved. Goodbye and should we cross paths again, I will not be so kind and innocent." Tatsumi said, shadow porting to the palace steps. Tatsumi had changed in that one moment. He was no longer the kind and loving person many had come to know him as. He now was benevolent and protective. Protective of Sayo. He would stop at nothing to ensure that she was safe, even if it meant crushing the empire. I won't have it with these trivialities anymore. If someone wants to deal with me, that's their choice as I won't hesitate to kill them. Tatsumi kept to the shadows as he was unnoticeable while moving through them. He found Sayo and Seryu, they were looking for him. "Tatsumi? Where are you?!" Sayo beckoned. "I'm right here." He said, stepping out of the shadows. "There you are!" Sayo said, running to him. "I got distracted earlier, did you need something?" Tatsumi asked. Sayo could tell that something was different about him. She then noticed he was injured. "Oh my god Tatsumi! Let me get you to a doctor!" Sayo said, attempting to grab his hand. "That's not necessary. They will heal. Now, is anything wrong?" Tatsumi asked. "No. But I will ask, what happened to you?" Sayo asked. "I was attacked and I dealt with it." Tatsumi said. "That's only part of it Tatsumi. You've changed, as in you seem more tempered and annoyed." Sayo said, showing concern. "If you must know, I've about had it with people trying to make me do things that I don't want to do. Now, I am not going to listen to anyone but you. I promised to protect you and you only. If someone has a problem with you or me, they can face me." Tatsumi said, a feeling of benevolence noticeable in his choice of words. Sayo took a step back. "This isn't you… This is someone else, not the Tatsumi I know!" Sayo yelled. "I have to agree with Sayo, this isn't who you are Tatsumi!" Seryu said, coming to Sayo's side. Tatsumi's eyes narrowed. "This is me, this has and always will be me. The only thing is that I've decided to change my attitude toward it." Tatsumi said. He was acting abnormal, even for himself. "Tatsumi! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sayo asked, trying to snap Tatsumi out of whatever he was stuck in. "Nothing is wrong with me, I think something may be wrong with you!" Tatsumi barked back, anger shrouding his voice. Sayo's eyes filled with tears. "Leave me alone!" She yelled, running back to Seryu's house. "You've become something horrible Tatsumi, I hope you know that." Seryu said, running after Sayo. What have I done?! You did what you had to. NO! Yes, you did. I WOULD NEVER HURT HER FEELINGS, MUCH LESS TURN HOSTILE TO HER! You would if it means protecting her. NO! STOP IT! YOU ARE NOT ME! Oh, but I am, I am as me as I can get. I DON'T WANT YOU IN MY HEAD! GET OUT! Tatsumi was conflicted. His personality was split, the two sides trying to be the dominant part of him. You are changing nothing being as soft and kind hearted as you are! Hell, you even would have been stuck in Esdeath's bed if you hadn't become this new you! "I WILL NEVER BE YOU, NOR WILL I EVER TRY TO BE! YOU HURT SAYO AND SERYU! THAT IS THE GREATEST MISTAKE EVER TO BE MADE! YOU MADE A PROMISE NOT TO HURT HER AND THEN YOU WENT AND BROKE IT!" Tatsumi yelled out unintentionally gathering attention. He looked around and saw people both confused and laughing. His anger nearly took him by storm. "You want to laugh? LAUGH AT THIS!" Tatsumi said, shadows swarmed around him, eventually dispersing to reveal a twisted demonic look. Everyone who had been around him ran in terror. Now you've done it idiot. You need to get a hold of yourself Tatsumi! YOU NEED TO STOP ACTING LIKE THIS OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO KILL BOTH YOURSELF AND THE ONES YOU LOVE! CUT IT OUT! Tatsumi needed to find somewhere to go. He was tearing himself apart, his sanity and his durability were falling to pieces. He ran with tremendous speed. Much to his surprise, Sayo and Seryu had heard him and came back only to see him run off, unable to control himself. You need to think this over in a peaceful location. As of now, you might as well be feared and falling apart. He exited the city, running into the woods. He knew of one spot to go, the abandoned village. He reached it by nightfall. When he arrived, he decided to sit in one of the houses. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You're turning into someone you aren't! In fact, you've turned into a fucking monster!" Tatsumi yelled, punching himself. Someone or something found themselves in the same building as Tatsumi. "Tatsumi? Is that you?" A voice asked. It sounded like it was surreal. Tatsumi looked up and saw a sight that he would never have expected. "Ieyasu?" Tatsumi asked, his eyes bearing tears. "That's my name isn't it? Anyway, what's wrong with you Tatsumi? You look like you hurt someone and didn't mean to. Not to mention you look like you're torn between two choices." Ieyasu's ghost asked. "I have and I am. I hurt Sayo and so far, I feel like I'm two different people, one is me, the other is a monster." Tatsumi said, his eyes appalled. "Geeze dude, that's rough… The only thing I can say is to try making amends with Sayo. If you can do that, I think you can decide which one you are. Trust me." Ieyasu's ghost said, sitting next to Tatsumi. "How can I? I completely ruined things with her. I promised to protect her and then I turn around and hurt her." Tatsumi said. "Just do it. If I know Sayo, she will understand." Ieyasu's ghost said. "Thanks Ieyasu… I'm going to try that tomorrow, it's late now and I don't think it would do me much good to wake her up now." Tatsumi said. "Fair point." Ieyasu's ghost said before getting up and leaving. I hope that she will accept my apology… I don't expect to have her love me anymore now, I just hope that she will accept my apology. I need to just get away from everything for a while after doing that, being an Imperial Captain and a guardian is too much work, not mentioning that I have been targeted by murderers, thieves, and assassins. *Snap!* Tatsumi could hear something snap after he had thought of the word assassins. He got up. Something was outside the house, looking inside. "Who the hell are you?!" Tatsumi asked. The only thing that he could see were a pair of red eyes. "I believe that you should know, Tatsumi." The voice said. This is bizarre! Who is this person? Tatsumi saw the girl's details in the moonlight, remembering the wanted poster from the city. "You…" Tatsumi said. "Indeed, I've been watching you. I wanted to see how far you would go before succumbing to the corruption of the empire." The girl said. Corruption of the empire? That makes some sense… "I wanted to show you to my leader as well, having her watch you at certain points." The girl then said, causing another person to come out from behind the girl. The two entered the building. "Indeed she did. Honestly, I think you would be a perfect addition to our group. I just need to make sure of one thing however. Do you see that the empire's corrupt? Do you see that it needs to be destroyed?" The second woman asked. I think I can… The General was one example. Another was how my personality split after being with Esdeath and my noticing the guards below my rank doing corrupt things. In all of it, there's only one thing that could make me see the other way, Sayo… "Before I answer, I want to ask you some questions of my own." Tatsumi said. The two before Tatsumi looked at each other and nodded. "Deal." The first girl said. "My first question is, who are you two?" Tatsumi asked. "I am Najenda, ex general of the Imperial Army and now leader of a group called Night Raid. This is Akame." Najenda said. "Ok, now that I know that, why did you only watch me?" Tatsumi asked. "We watched both you and your friend, Sayo." Akame said. "Ok… Next question. If I join, might I try to bring Sayo with me?" Tatsumi asked. "I don't see why not, you both are quite excellent with combat skills and maneuverability." Najenda said. "Last question, how exactly did you find me here?" Tatsumi asked. "We followed the trail you left, it was quite noticeable as you left a trail of destruction in your path." Akame said. I did? Whoops… "Ok then, now for the answer to your question, I do see the corruption and see that it needs to be destroyed. I however need some time to recover and talk with Sayo, so I would like to ask if you might wait for a day before I go with you." Tatsumi said. "I don't see a problem with that. We will meet here, tomorrow night. Until then Tatsumi." Najenda said, leaving the hut with Akame and dashing off. I like you Tatsumi, your morals are good but you are too suggestible, something that you need to get to working on. If you don't, you are going to end up dying because of it. Mark my words. I see your point and I will work on it. Tatsumi was so tired from running with the speed that he ended up moving at and the conflict he had with himself that he dropped to the ground and fell asleep.
The Next Morning…
Tatsumi woke up late that morning and remembered where he was. "You need to make things right with Sayo…" Tatsumi said to himself. He was covered in dirt and bruises. His arm was back now, fully blackened. That's going to end up making people get scared without a doubt… I can help you control its appearance as it isn't as hard as you might think it is. All you have to do is think about a normal looking right arm. Tatsumi thought of a normal right arm and the black skin that had been on his arm turned back to a normal looking arm. Thanks… Now all I have to do is get back, what could possibly happen between now and then? The answer to that question was quite a lot. Tatsumi ended up going back the way he came, following the path of destruction. As he did, he ended up encountering a group of thieves, animals, and eventually a very unexpected danger beast. He killed each and every one of the things he came across, with the exception of the danger beast. Tatsumi was walking when he heard something roar. He turned around to see it was a dragon. Haven't dragon danger beasts been dead for centuries? Not all of them… This one however seems to be tamable. If you want to tame it, make it feel excruciating pain until it gives in to you. A place that could cause that amount of pain is the chest. Got it. Tatsumi said, "Futherlor." It appeared along with some shadow armor. What was different was that it was coming to form to his body structure and Futherlor now felt more perfected to Tatsumi. "Woah!" Tatsumi said as the armor he now was in fit perfectly with his body. He felt more powerful, more dangerous, more enthralled to kill. He gave a small grin of a twisted kind. Tatsumi then lunged at it, hoping to harm it before it could do anything. He underestimated the dragon and ended up getting thrown back into many trees. It then shot a ball of fire at him. Tatsumi dodged with seconds to spare and charged at the dragon again, taking more care to keep an eye on the dragon's movements. It swung at him again, but missed. Tatsumi then cut its arm and made it infuriated. He was being cooked as a ray of flame engulfed him. He grew hotter and hotter as it relentlessly let its fire breath engulf him. You need to move faster! Tatsumi nodded swiftly and decided to make the pain he was told it would have to experience to submit to him become a reality. He lunged straight for its chest and thrust Futherlor into the dragon. It turned into three blades and made sure the pain was unbearable. The dragon swung its head in uncontrollable agony. It finally gave in and lowered its head to Tatsumi. That is how you tame a danger beast. Rub its snout to make it official. Tatsumi rubbed the dragon's snout and released Futherlor from the dragon's chest, making the dragon sigh with relief before offering Tatsumi a ride. "You are one peculiar thing you are. I think you will be named Night." Tatsumi said, climbing on. Night took off and began flying. Lean to the side to direct it and lower your body to make Night take a descent. To land, just point at the ground. Thanks Deterno. He leaned toward the empire capital. Here I come Sayo. Then I am going to bring this corrupted empire to the ground. I won't betray my promise to Sayo however, even if it means I should end up dead. A new day has dawned.
Tada! Now this is where I hope to see things take a more serious and somewhat hostile turn. His display of power, the dragon, and his new intentions are going to make for a new turn of events to take place. Anyway, I was getting angered while writing this. Next chapter I may introduce an OC. It is possible, but it could also fall through. My writing long chapters is going to take up more time so it is possible that my ability to publish each chapter within a certain timeline may be affected. I will say one thing, thank you for reviewing! I had completely spaced that Sayo had an imperial arms/teigu until you reminded me! As for the brothers that ended up being Tatsumi's and Esdeath's teigu, something will happen eventually about that. Maybe chapter twelve? Apologies for the idiotic amount of editing that needs to have been done. I won't be publishing another chapter until Wednesday as I am already half way done with the next chapter.