Five weeks later…

Esdeath was in constant disarray since the night since Tatsumi…

She couldn't even think about it without breaking down into a sobbing mess, she didn't cry this much since her mother died when she was five years old. She wanted to kill and destroy everything in sight one moment and go into a corner and cry until she ran out of tears the next. Esdeath thought that she was past things like that but as with so many other things Tatsumi proved her wrong.

Esdeath could no longer lead with the state she was in and she remained as commander of the Jaegers only because of her team which begged her not to go because they thought that she would soon recover. The Prime Minister had given authority on catching Night Raid over to Wild Hunt and the Jaegers only remained becuase it was too much bureaucracy to disband them. Esdeath was still the best general in the Empire, and she would be transfered after a few months but with the Jaegers it was finished.

Esdeath couldn't stand being stuck in her room where everything reminded her of him and so she decided to go outside. She left the Jaegers HQ and went for a walk and maybe to get some ice cream but as she was walking she noticed that she unconciously was going to where Tatsumi was. She had visited him almodt every day but she only cried when she got there. She hoped it woulda all be over after what was to be her last visit. Esdeath planned to go to Tatsumi later but she couldn't help herself.

She entered a room, it was gloomy but she knew it like the back of her hand. On a bed in a corner was her lover, Tatsumi. He was awake now it seemed and she felt tears forming in her eyes but she pushed the tears back. Tatsumi gave her a tired smile when he saw her and she approached his bed. His right arm was still in bandages but by now he could use it almost normally.

The left side of his torso was badly injured and he had some second degree burns along with other wounds so his torso was also all bandaged. Not to mention that four of his ribs were broken and the doctors said that it was a wonder that he not only survived but will be able to go home only after five weeks in the hospital. That is not mentioning that he wll make a full recovery. The doctors said that it was a miracle and that something like that was never before recorded. Even Esdeath who had the blood of a Danger Beast in herself could only dream of regerative abilities like that.

Esdeath looked at Tatsumi's face. On his face he had a thousand small cuts and it looked like he was a veteran of a hundred battles. His eyes still had that innocence and fire in them which Esdeath loved so much though and she wanted to cry even more because of that.

"How are you feeling?"she asked him, her voice sounding like that of a weak little girl, she reached out with her hand to touch him but she pulled it back. She was responsible for the condition he was in, why would he ever want to forgive her or allow her to touch him? They talked during her earlier visits but Esdeath never touched him both because of the guilt and because of his wounds. Now with the wounds healed she still couldn't touch him.

"Never better," he answered and gave her another smile before he took her hand into his and looked at her like he could read her mind. "Esdeath, you are not responsible for what happened. You did your best and I am proud of you. No one died, that is what matters." he said and kissed her hand.

She couldn't hold the tears back anymore. "I am responsible, I was too weak! I failed you and myself! I let myself enjoy being weak and this happened." she screamed. They never talked about what happened before now. She knew it was a matter of time before it was brought up nad she was didn't know if she should be happy or sad that it was.

"What happened was a good thing. I am still alive... well mostly, and so is everyone else." he said and patted her cheek with his less injured arm. "Besides, it doesn't suit the Capital's strongest to cry all the time." She didn't respond to that.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked Tatsumi after what seemed to be an eternity passed in silence. He was not to be released from the hospital for another two weeks but Tatsumi insisted and Esdeath shared his opinion, she too hated hospitals. The doctors had no intention of arguing with the Capital's strongest. She handed Tatsumi his Teigu and she could have sworn that the red orb on it's hilt moved as it came near Tatsumi.

Tatsumi slowly got up but when he tried to stand he would have fallen if it weren't for Esdeath to hold him.

"I was born ready." he said and gently pushed her away before continuing on his own taking Incursio. As soon as they exited the hospital Tatsumi took the lead.

"Where are we going?" asked him Esdeath as they were heading towards the slums instead of the wealthy districts where the Jaeger HQ was located.

"Somewhere to eat. Hospital food sucks, you know a good resturant around here? 'Cause I have no idea where we are headed." asked her Tatsumi as they passed a corner.

"Yeah, it's around here I believe." she said and took the lead with a smile on her lips. She had something waiting for them back at the Jaegers HQ but that could wait for a while and she left earlier to pick up Tatsumi which left them enough time to eat.

Tatsumi was still sore all over his body and it hurt in a thousand different places but since he had eaten at the resturant he was feeling much better. He and Esdeath were now in front of the Jaegers HQ entrance.

"You ready to go inside?" she asked him. He knew that she was still blaming herself and that it shook her up pretty badly but he just didn't know what to say to her anymore to cheer her up. He tried almost every trick in the book and the ones he didn't try he really didn't want to.

"Yeah. Let's go." Tatsumi responded but as they were about to enter a pink haired girl who was about six years old walked by and he instanteniously remembered Mine. How could she try to kill him? He felt anger and sadness. He understood her motives and reasons but that didn't make things any easier.

"What happened happened and there is no changing the past." he thought to himself as he pushed the big doors to the Jaeger HQ open. He entered and what he saw suprised him as it probably was intended. Every Jaeger along with most of the mansion servants were gathered in the main hall shouting cheers of joy and there was a big sign over them which read "Welcome back colonel Tatsumi."

Everyone was smiling, even Kurome had something on her face which looked a lot like a smile and he noticed that she and Wave were pretty close to each other and holding hands and then he saw Dr. Stylish with a sly smile on his face like he knew something Tatsumi didn't but Tatsumi wasn't going to let Stylish destroy the night for him so he ignored Stylish which judging by Stylish's reaction annoyed him more than a direct confrotation.

Tatsumi turned his attention back to Wave and Kurome guessing that they were finally together and he let out a chukkle then gave them the biggest smile he could. Tatsumi was happy that they cared about him as much as he came to care about them. Tatsumi remembered the times in the hospital when he thought about how much he actually came to care for his fellow Jaegers. He cared for them just as much as he did for Night Raid. Before he was wounded Tatsumi felt like he was torn between Night Raid and the Jaegers, but during his stay in the hospital he came to the conclusion that he was fully a Jaeger now, not Night Raid. Night Raid had given him up and he was strangely glad for it. He loved Night Raid and its goals with all his heart but with Night Raid not interfering he could get Esdeah and the Jaegers over to his side and finish Honest's reing of terror once and for all with much less trouble. Then he could work on repairing his relationship with Night Raid. He also thought about the guilt he felt for his feelings towards Esdeath. Bulat too was a part of the Empire army and although true that he didn't commit crimes like the ones which Esdeath did he was still a soldier of the Empire but he was given the chance to make up for his mistakes. Tatsumi decided that Esdeaht deserved the same chance and he would be there to help her.

Tatsumi hugged Esdeath who was smiling at him like she hadn't since he was wounded and she looked like she was in heaven and Tatsumi raised his hand for silence so he could speak.

"You touched me, guys, seriously," he wiped a imaginary tear from his left eye for the dramatic effect before continuing "thank you all for throwing this party but I think we should all go to bed early."

Everyone looked at him like he had lost his mind and he smiled at them devilishly.

"Just kidding, now lets get this party started." Tatsumi took two glasses of champagne and handed Esdeath one. He toasted with her and they drank the bitter sweet liquid before he then took Esdeath into his arms waiting for her to kiss him. She kissed him like never before, with such tender care and yet with such fiery passion that he could swear that her she had fire and not ice powers. He then understood what he was missing the last three weeks. It was her, he now truly understood that he couldn't live without her anymore. He finally came to love her and all it took was for him to nearly die.

A minute later Wave approached him. Tatsumi broke the kiss with Esdeath, not really wanting to, and Esdeath left the two men alone, her hand lingering a little longer than necessary, Tatsumi wasn't about to object though. But Esdeaht left and Tatsumi turned his attention to Wave. They shook hands and looked at each other. They were very similiar. Were similiar. Tatsumi had changed during his stay in the hospital and Tatsumi hoped it was for the better. Mabye it was the near death experience or amybe it was Esdeath's influence but he was not the smae as he was six weeks ago. He could still understand Wave's way of thinking and some of the similiarities were still ther but they weren't the same, not anymore. Tatsumi hoped that everyone would like his new personality.

"You and Kurome seem happy together." Tatsumi teased the sailor but Wave just smirked at him.

"So do you and the General." Wave countered.

"If I weren't badly wounded I would beat the shit out of you right now." Tatsumi growled at the blue haired boy who smiled at him.

"Try tomorrow at the training ground." Wave threw over his shoulder as he was walking away and Tatsumi made a mental note to take the Grand Chariot user up on that offer. Then Seryu appraoched him and he was glad to see that she at least wasn't injured. He gave her a reassuring smile when he saw she was about to turn back. Seryu studied him and then oly did she approach him.

"Why did you save me?!" she screamed at him, anger obvious on her face and Esdeath turned away from her conversation with Bols to look at the two of them but Tatsumi gestured with his hand that it was okay.

"You are my friend and my teammate and besides you have a good heart, couldn't let you die before showing you what justice truly means could I now?" he smiled at her. He joped he wasn't too cocky and that Seryu wouldn't put him back in the hospital. Tatsumi also heard a growl, like something was calling him to draw out his sword and attack everyone in the room but he pushed the voice and that thought away.

Then her expression switched from angry to sad "You almost died for me even though I killed your friend…Sheele." she pasued and then said "I am sorry, she must have been a good person for you to call her a friend."

Tatsumi smiled, it looked like he was finally getting somewhere and responded "Yes, she was, she was the kindest person I knew. I thik that she was even kinder and sweeter than Bols." He remembered Sheele and thought at what she would say about this. Would she be angry at him or pleased, or maybe hurt? Tatsumi thought that she would be pleased or at least he hoped so. Tatsumi noted that he hoped for too many things.

"Tatsumi… I hope you can show me what true justice is like." Seryu said and walked away, Kuro right behind her.

"I will." he yelled after her.

Later that night…

Tatsumi and Esdeath walked to their room while holding hands. The party was over and Tatsumi could be with her like he wanted to the past three weeks, ever since he awoke from coma. As soon as they entered the room one jumped onto the other but it wasn't Esdeath who jumped on him as usually but the other way around. Tatsumi wanted her so much he couldn't help himself. But it wasn't just physical attraction but something deeper. They kissed slowly at first but then deeper and deeper, more passionate.

They started clumsily scrambling for the bed, neither wanting the kiss to end and they almost fell at least twice until they got there. As they broke the kiss they gently fell upon the bed with Tatsumi on top. Tatsumi winced at the pain from his injuries. They started kissing again and Tatsumi's trembling hands started to unbutton her uniform as she started taking off his shirt.

He noticed that her hands were trembling too and when he looked at her face through the half darkness he noticed that she was blushing like never before. He undid the last button and as she wriggled out of her uniform Tatsumi got his shirt off. His hand still hurt but he would gladly endured the pain for Esdeath and as he thought about what was happening he could hardly believe it.

He cupped her breasts with his hands as a moaning Esdeath started fumbling with his belt. She undid it after a few attempts and then she threw him off herself to Tatsumi's suprise. He landed on the bed right next to her and she got on top of him and smiled. Tatsumi smiled back, he wasn't afraid anymore, his hands stopped trembling. She stripped him of his underwear as he did the same to her with her stopped a second to admire the beautiful woman on top of him. Her beautiful shape lit by the stars through the windows.

He gripped her wrist as they kissed again and he twisted her wrist so she fell off him and he got on top of her. He kissed her once again passionatly and he cupped her breast making her moan. He stoped though and he looked up at Esdeath who nodded for them to continue.

To Tatsumi that was the best night of his life and he was pretty sure that Esdeath felt the same way as he and Esdeath found new and fun ways to use the mutual flexibilty of their bodies. Tatsumi was also both pleased and shocked to discover that he was Esdeath's first, like she was his first. He had doubts before if he was doing the right thing but now he was sure he was. He never was so sure of anything else in his life, not even going to the Capital to save his village.

In the morning Tatsumi got up early, got dressed and picked up his trusty Incursio sword.

He approached Esdeath and kissed her on the cheek on which she moved a little in the bed."I love you." he whispered and he knew as soon as the words left his lip that this time he really meant it.

Tatsumi missed his Teigu too albeit not as much as Esdeath or the other Jaegers. Tatsumi missed it's comforting grip in the palm of his hand and it's gleam in the morning sun. He swung the sword against a training dummy in the courtyard until his hands went numb and then continued swinging. When Wave got to the training grounds they sparred for hours until Wave got tired and then Tatsumi sparred with Esdeath who was all too eager. Tatsumi had to get stronger, he had to get more powerful if he was to be with Esdeath.

He didn't want her protecting him all the time. He wanted to be even more powerful than her, not to be a burden on her but instead to look after her because he knew that inside she was fragile. "She maybe is acting dominant and she is really powerful but deep down she needs somebody to protect her and to be there for her. Maybe not to protect ehr in the physical sense but if I get stronger it can only help." he mused about that thought. He would be that person no matter how much time he has to spend training.

He understood that he was changing the Jaegers and they were changing him also just like Run said. Tatsumi knew that almost all the Jaegers are good people, that they are the same as Night Raid and he wouldn't let them die just as he wouldn't let anyone from Night Raid die. It was his fault that Bulat died and he would never allow that to happen again, for one of his friends to die while he watched helpless from the side. "I will bring the Empire down." Tatsumi promised to himself.

Author's note: THis chapter was quite difficult to write and I hope you will be pleased by it. I really was torn between going into detail with Esdeath's and Tatsumi's "special night" and i rewrote that scene about four times. Hope I got it right.