Kill the Battle Fanatic: Tatsumi 5

"Looks like my arm is finally healed." Mine muttered, as she extended her once broken arm and clenched her fist; Her daily baths in the hot springs seemed to help speed up her recovery. "I've been lazing around and not getting anything done ever since my arm was busted. But now I can fight again!" Mine bolted out of the warm water and ran towards her room. After quickly changing, Mine sprinted towards the training grounds. "I have to train...I have to get stronger so that I can avenge Bulat. Tatsumi promised that we'd do it together and I have to be able to keep up with him." Mine reached the door to the training grounds and threw it open. "Please! I'm all healed up, so somebody spar with me!" However, Mine stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes landed on what was in front of her. Mere feet away was Lubbock, Ieysayu and I; the three of us covered in sweat as we did push-ups. But Mine barely noticed Lubbock with Leone on his back, and Ieysayu with Sheele on his; her attention was more focused on me. The pinkette watched in fascination as I struggled to do my push-ups with Akame sitting on my back. Mine could feel a heavy blush burning her cheeks as she gazed at my muscles bulging with each push upwards. "W-Wow..."

"Hey, Mine...what's up?" I strained to speak.

Akame, "I'm glad your arm's feeling better."

"Um...What're you guys doing?"

Leone, "These pansies weren't getting anywhere with their training, so we decided to help out."

Ieysayu collapsed, "Ugh! You're heavy!"

Sheele, "Don't be rude, Ieysayu. He can swing Belvaak, but that's basically it."

I noticed Mine's heavy blush. Then she turned to Lubbock, "It's a bit unusual to see you getting all sweaty, Lub!"

"Well there's only three of us guys left." Lubbock said, stopping his pushups to look at Mine. "So I figured I'd better start pulling my weight as well."

Leone teased him, "It's cute when you talk all big, since you haven't done half as many push-ups as Tatsumi here."

Akame, "But it's not his fault..."

Me, "Akame, don't..."

"There's a considerable weight difference between me and Leone." Then, Leone smacked her upside the head leaving a big, red bump.

"...say it!"

"Oh good, except for Sayo you're all here." Najenda said, walking onto the training grounds. We quickly stopped their workouts and put our clothes back. "Where is she by the way?"

"I think she's out hunting some danger beasts. She said that she wanted to get some more experience before she went on her next mission." I said, as I slipped on my sweater. I quirked an eyebrow when I saw all the bags Najenda was carrying. "What's with all the bags, boss? You going to headquarters or something?"

"I'm delivering those other two Imperial Arms you captured from the three beasts." Najenda said, slipping the pack off her back. "As you said, Ieysayu gets Belvaak because he's best with an axe, and he does already have the affinity for it. If he weren't here, I would've taken it as well...now there's now way I could actually use it, but I can at least lug it around."

Ieysayu whispered to Lubbock's ear, "I had no idea she was such a badass."

Lubbock, "She is a badass; she used to be a general, man."

Najenda turned to Akame. "Akame, I'm leaving you in charge. I want everyone to buckle down and train hard."

"Okay, I think I go it." Akame said in her usual monotone voice, as she nodded her head.

"While I'm at HQ, I'm also going to try and recruit some new members." Najenda said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. The silver-haired woman took a quick puff and released a light sigh. "Although I don't have high hopes...new recruits are gonna be hard to find."

"Boss..." I said, as I tightly balled I fists. "I'm sorry for being so weak..."

"Tatsumi..." Akame muttered, clutching a hand over her heart.

"The Three Beasts you battled...were the pillars of Esdeath's army; the strongest offensive power in the empire." Najenda said, as she closed her eyes. "You and Bulat defeated all three of them, with you personally killing two, and you confiscated all three of their Imperial Arms. No matter how powerful Esdeath herself may be, their defeat has definitely weakened her forces. And I know it's eased many people's fears on when we should start the revolution. You're strong Tatsumi, so strong...you've been doing a great job."

"Boss..." I whispered, fighting back my tears.

"Tatsumi..." Leone said in a comforting tone, as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I didn't want to say anything, because you were training so hard and I didn't want you getting cocky...but Bulat told me that he believed that you'd become incredibly strong one day and that you would surpass him one day. He was looking forward to the day that you would surpass him, Tatsumi. Bulat truly believed in you and your strength, so please don't think you're weak."

"Big Bro..." I breathed out, a few tears escaping my eyes, "Thanks man...I promise to live up to your expectations...to everyone's expectations."

"Be proud of your accomplishments, Tatsumi..." Najenda said, as she turned around and swung her bag over her shoulder. "And survive no matter what. Prove to Bulat that he was right to believe in you. Become the man he thought you would become." Giving her assassins one last wave, Najenda made her way out of Night Raid's base. "Even if they train and get stronger...we're still dangerously short on manpower...and based on what Leone has found out, Esdeath is creating a security squad of Imperial Arms users...so we have to do something."

Same Time; Capital Cemetery:

"Liver. Nyau. Daidara..." Esdeath muttered, staring at the three graves before her. "You were all weak, so you lost. The weak must be picked off and eliminated..." Esdeath crouched down and gently caressed the white cross on Nyau's grave. "My helpless servants...and it's because you were so helpless...that I will avenge you." Taking one last glance at the three graves, Esdeath stood back up. "The new Imperial Arms users should be arriving today. The minister said he managed so find six fighters, but apparently they're all lower ranked. I don't know what type of people these Imperial Arms wielders will be..." A sadistic smile suddenly spread across Esdeath's face. "But I think I'll have a great bit of fun with them."

Three Hours Later; Capital's Main Street:

"So this is the capital, eh?" Wave said, gazing in awe at the sprawling buildings spread out in front of him. "I can't believe I was lucky enough to get promoted to the empire's security squad. I thought I would be in the navy my whole life." Wave grinned as he glanced down at his choice of clothing. "I'm glad I wore my best clothes so I won't stick out as some country boy. Mom even packed me a bunch of the best seafood we had as gifts." However, Wave frowned when he overheard several people whispering behind his back.

"What a hick..."

"Yeah he's totally a country bumpkin..."

"He even tried to hide it, how lame..."

"Ah what the hell..." Wave muttered, as he perked back up, once again filled with with enthusiasm. "I've battled countless pirates and the sea's most fearsome danger beasts. Some people talking behind my back definitely won't bother me."

"What a freak, talking to himself like that..."

"Yeah, he'll never get a girlfriend if he keeps that up..."

"Alright that one actually hurt a little..." Wave said in a dejected tone, hanging his head in defeat. "Hopefully I'll get to the palace soon." After twenty more minutes of walking, Wave was standing in front of a room in the capital's palace. "Well I managed to find this place easily enough...this is where I'm supposed to meet the guys I'll be working with." Taking a calming breath, Wave reached for the doorknob. "First impressions are very important. I have to make sure they respect me and don't underestimate my power!" With a large smile on his face, Wave energetically threw the door open. "Hello! I'm Wave! I came from the Imperial Na...vy..." Wave stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that the room was completely deserted...except for a single man sitting at the large room's only table. The mysterious man was massive in size and wore a frightening gas mask. "Pardon me!" A chill ran down Wave's spine as he slammed the door shut behind him. Wave sunk to the ground in the hallway, his body covered in a cold sweat. "T-That had to be the torture master's room, right?" Wave reached into his pack and pulled out a piece of paper. "Let's see...I'm supposed to go to the room for the security squad's meeting...it's in room 208..." Glancing up at the door behind him, Wave's eyes widened when he saw that it was indeed room 208. "Okay this is the right room...but we're supposed to meet at 2:30, maybe I'm a little early and that guy is in there for another reason." But Wave paled and his hung open when he spotted the clock on the wall across from him. "It's 2:30 right now! Wait...that means... I'm gonna be working with that guy?! What the hell!? Even pirates dress more normal than that!" Wave groaned and ran his hand down his face. "Damn it, he's probably gonna think I'm some kind of insensitive asshole when I walk back in there." Releasing a heavy sigh, Wave got back onto his feet. "I guess I'll just do my best not to irritate him." Walking back in the room, Wave took a seat on the other end of the table...far away from the strange man. "H-Hello." However, the mystery man said absolutely nothing, he simply stared at Wave...as if looking right into his soul.

"What the hell is going on?!" Wave thought, as he began to nervously sweat. The dark-haired man's hands tightly gripped his pant legs. He could still feel the weird man staring at him, his gaze burning a hole in the side of his head. "Why won't this guy stop staring at me!? It's no good mom, I wanna go home already! I'm not strong enough for the capital's raging waters!" However, Wave seemed to be saved when the door opened once again. Turning around, Wave was overcome with relief when he spotted a younger looking, dark-haired girl walk into the room. "Thank you God! It's a normal person!" The girl eyed both men for a moment before she took a seat at the table across from Wave, dropping a sack of what appeared to be candy on top of it. Wave noted that the side of the bag was labeled "Kurome's Candies." He blushed lightly as he watched the girl nibble on the sweets. "So her name is Kurome...Wow...she's pretty cute..."

Mustering up some courage, Wave stood up from his seat and walked over to the newcomer. "Y-Yo..." Wave was extremely nervous as he awkwardly waved at the girl. "You're here because you're a Imperial Arms wielder too, right? My name is Wave-"

"Keep your eyes off my cookies!" The dark-haired girl said, as she clutched the bag of sweets to her chest. The girl's fierce glare caused Wave to recoil in fear.

"Never mind...not normal! Shit and I thought she was cute too..." Releasing a defeated sigh, Wave walked back to his seat and slumped into it. "I'm sorry for bothering you." Wave hung his head again and grit his teeth in irritation. "Damn it...what the hell gives?! That girl there is silently shoveling candy in her mouth like a glutton. It's not gonna be my fault when her teeth eventually fall out!" Wave suddenly gulped and glanced at the masked man out of the corner of his eye. "And that freak is still staring at me! What the hell is going on!?"

"Excuse us!" Wave was shaken for his thoughts when the doors on the opposite side of the room were suddenly thrown open. Turning in his chair, Wave was surprised to see yet another girl enter the room. This girl had shoulder-length auburn hair and metallic arms. Wave also took notice of the small dog standing at the girl's side.

"She's kinda cute too, and she seems to be pretty serious." Wave thought, his gaze lowering to the girl's small dog. "And that little guy is kinda cute as well...but I can't shake the feeling that it's evil somehow...ah I must just be overthinking things. She can't be THAT crazy, right?"

"I'm from the capital garrison!" The girl said, as she saluted. "I'm Seryu Ubiquitous!" Seryu then gestured to her dog. "And this is Coro!" Wave was surprised when the girl suddenly dropped down onto one knee...and started showering the room in...rose petals? "Dr. Stylish...the preparations are now complete!"

"Taking care of one's first impressions...is the most stylish of etiquette...a man can have." Dr. Stylish said dramatically, walking into the room along the path of rose petals.

"Oh God, now there's this guy?!...kill me now." Wave thought, as his head slammed onto the table. "I'm sorry for judging you masked man, this guy is now officially the biggest freak in the room." It's impossible to disagree with that.

"Oh my." Stylish said, looking at Wave as he adjusted his glasses. "Looks like we have ourselves a little country boy, and a mighty handsome one at that." Wave's skin crawled when Stylish suddenly licked his lips. "Don't worry, cowboy. I'll fix you right up. I oh so look forward to it."

"Come near me looking like that and I'll castrate you." Wave thought, as he glared at Stylish. Taking an extra precaution, Wave moved his chair as far away from Stylish as physically possible. "I think he likes me!"

"Hello." Yet another new voice said. Barely lifting his head off the table, Wave spotted a blonde haired man smiling at everyone. "Looks as if I'm the last one to arrive."

"Hello." Wave said warily, mentally preparing himself for anything this new freak could possibly do. "Nice to meet you. My name is Wave."

"I'm Ran." The man said sincerely, which completely shocked Wave. So far this newcomer appeared to be the most normal person here. "I look forward to working with you and everyone else."

"Thank you God for giving me at least one normal person." Wave thought, releasing a heavy sigh of relief, before running up to shake his hand.

"Um...everyone...I've made us all some tea." Wave's jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw the masked man placing down several cups of tea. His eyes widened when the masked man handed him his tea. "Im quite sorry about what happened before. I was the first one here, but I didn't say anything to you." What the masked man said next completely shocked Wave. "You see I'm actually very shy...I got so nervous when you came in that I couldn't think of anything to say. But I'm more than likely the oldest one here, so I shouldn't be acting like a child." Wave nodded numbly as the masked man shook his hand. "I look forward to working with you Wave. My name is Bols, and I'm from the Incineration Squad."

"To think he was just being shy..." Wave thought with a nervous chuckle. "The Incineration Squad, eh? I guess that explains that freaky mask."

As Bols and Wave continued to speak, Dr. Stylish curiously eyed the Incineration Squad member. "So he's from the Incineration Squad? A unit that stylishly torches people, buildings, and anything else that stands against them. Hmmm, he's not really my type."

Just then the door to the room opened once again. Everyone was surprised to see General Esdeath walk into the room, wearing a mask.

Wave, "And who might you be?"

She was rather harsh. "What in the hell are you all doing in here?!"

"What's your problem? We were all invited to co-"

Esdeath kicked him into the wall hard enough to cause massive cracks. "You never know who's an assassin! Don't ever let your guard down!" She went to Ran, and he showed impressive reflexes. "This one has good reaction speed." Seryu and Coro leapt at her from behind. Only to reunite their faces with the canvas. "You can't attack from behind when your bloodlust is so easily sensed!"

Kurome charged at the woman, and slashed the mask she was wearing to pieces. "I'm not gonna hold back, even if this is just a game."

"Must be the Imperial Arms, Yatsofusa; just as sharp as expected."

Bols gasped, "General Esdeath!"

Wave got back up, "Ugh, god. So, even the superior officer's a nutcase!"

Ten Minutes later, they all emerged from the room dressed in black suits and ties.

"Good, I must say you all clean up rather well." Esdeath said, now dressed in a suit and tie as well. "Now, we'll have a proper meet-and-greet after we've had our audience with the emperor."

"We're meeting the emperor so soon!?" Wave exclaimed in shock. "I haven't even been in the capital a single day!"

"I like to take care of all the boring and troublesome things first." Esdeath said, leading the group through the palace. "Don't fret too much, it won't be very long."

"General Esdeath..." Stylish said, as he rested his head on his hand. "Does our little team have a special name? Because simply being called the 'security squad' is quite boring."

"I'm so glad you asked." Esdeath said, a sadistic smirk spreading across her face. "All of us possess a rather 'unique' skill set. We'll work together and hunt down bands of wicked terrorists...and so...we are the capital's security squad...the Jaegers."

Three Hours Later:

"I knew all of the wonderful seafood my mom packed would come in handy." Wave thought, as he helped Bols prepare the large meal for everyone. "This is going to be the perfect welcome meal for us all. But why are we the only ones who know how to cook?!"

"Wave..." Bols said, pointing to the vegetables in Wave's hand. "Please put the spinach in last. If you put it in now it'll wilt."

"Heh, sorry bout that." Wave said, as he set the spinach down and rubbed the back of his head in embarassment. "I gotta say...I'm so relieved you're such a nice guy Bols."

"I'm..." Bols muttered, roughly cutting the head off one of the fish Wave had brought. "Not nice at all...If you knew all the things I've seen and done...you wouldn't say that about me."

In the next room the rest of the Jaegers were patiently waiting for Bols and Wave to finish cooking. Run and Stylish were talking in one corner of the room, while Kurome was playing with Coro.

"Captain..." Seryu said, as she smiled brightly at Esdeath. "I'm quite curious, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"Hunting and torture." Esdeath replied nonchalantly, taking a small sip of her wine. "Or studying up on either one." Esdeath smiled as she set the glass back down. "But at the moment...I'd like to find love." Both Seryu and Kurome appeared to quite surprised by Esdeath's answer. Neither of them expected a woman with Esdeath's reputation to be worried about something as trivial as love. "Oh by the way Seryu, I understand that we have an extra Imperial Arms left after your battle with Night Raid."

"Y-Yes...that would be correct." Seryu said, still slightly surprised by what Esdeath had previously said. "We collected a scissor-shaped Imperial Arms that a Night Raid assassin was using. But we haven't been able to find anyone who can use it. If we can't find anyone soon the minister will confiscate it."

"That would be quite the waste." Esdeath said with a smirk, as she clasped her hands on top of the table. "Well while we search for some who could use it, why don't we have some fun?"

Night Raid's Hidden Base:

"Thanks for doing some target practice and sparring with me Tatsumi." Mine said, slinging Pumpkin over her shoulder. "I'm still a little off, but that definitely helped."

"No problem Mine, you've been out of action for a while so I know you needed to get some training in." I said, as I put away my practice sword. "You're swordplay and hand-to-hand fighting skills might have dipped a little, but you're still an amazing shot. I still got a long way to go before I can catch up to you."

"Ha! You might as well give up on that!" Mine laughed, playfully slapping my arm. "Because there's no way you'll ever be as good of a shot as me. I'm a genius sniper, remember."

"You sure are Mine." I said, as I chuckled lightly while lightly blushing.

"So..." Mine said, her voice suddenly becoming quiet and anxious. "You're heading to the capital to meet with Leone and Lubbock?"

"Yeah, I'm actually about to go pack right now." I replied, as I rubbed the back of my head. "I should be back by the end of the day. I'm just doing some quick scouting with Leone and setting up a few surveillance devices with Lubbock. Nothing too difficult."

"Alright..." Mine muttered, avoiding my gaze. "Tatsumi..." A fierce blush spread across Mine's face as she began fidget slightly.

"What's up Mine?" I asked, as I quirked an eyebrow. "You okay? You're face is all red."

"I-I'm fine!" Mine exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest. "J-Just...Just be careful! And make sure you come back safe!" With a near neon blush, Mine spun around and raced towards her room.

"What the hell was that all about?" I muttered, as I rubbed the back of my head in confusion. "It seemed like Mine was really worried about me for a second. And why the hell was her face all red like that? It's almost as if she like's me or something...Wait...could Mine really love...Nah, I'm just overthinking things. There's no way she has feelings for me. Even if she did in my past, it's still way too early for anything like that to happen...right? Ah, I'll worry about it later. I have to finish getting ready and say goodbye to Akame."

As soon as Mine reached her room she slammed the door behind her. Releasing a shaky breath, Mine pressed her back against the door and sunk to the floor. "What the hell did I say something like that for?" Mine muttered, resting her between her knees. No matter how hard she tried, Mine couldn't fight off her raging blush. "It's not like I really care about him or anything. He's stupid, immature, noisy, and a huge crybaby...but he's also strong, sweet, funny, and thoughtful...plus he's...I guess he's kinda cute...GAH!" Mine screamed as she furiously tugged on her pink hair. "What the hell is going on with me!?"

Three Hours Later; Imperial Capital:

"This place seems to be real lively for some reason." I thought, discreetly glancing at the bustling people around me from under my hood. "There must be some type of event or something happening today." As I continued walking through the capital's streets, I eventually spotted the bookstore Lubbock used as a front for our hidden base within the capital. "Book Night?" I couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at the shop's strange name. "I get that we're supposed to be hiding in plain sight, but that just seems a little but too obvious."

"Oh hello sir." Lubbock said, as he leaned on the wall outside his shop.

"Hey." I said, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Interesting little shop you got here, I especially like the name."

"Why thank you." Lubbock said with a cocky smile, as he gestured into the shop with his thumb. "If you'd like, you can browse our 'special' selection in the back of the store."

"Lead the way." I said, following Lubbock through the small bookstore. Once at the back of the shop, Lubbock pulled on one of the books, revealing a hidden door and a set of stairs leading into a hidden basement. "The secret door is a nice touch."

"Right?" Lubbock said with a wide grin, as he followed behind me. "This place is my pride and joy."

"Tch, don't bullshit me Lubbock." Tatsumi said with a knowing look, turning my head to smirk at Lubbock. "I know for a fact you didn't build this place." As I descended further down the stairs, I eventually found myself in Night Raid's capital hideout.

"HELLOOO!" Leone cheered with a ruddy blush on her face, as she slammed down her glass of sake. "Welcome to our little secret hideout, Tatsumi!"

"You're not being very secretive...! Looks like you're making yourself at home, Leone..." I said, snatching the bottle of alcohol away from my blonde friend.

"I thought I told you I don't get drunk easily!" Leone whined, as she half-heartedly reached for the bottle. "Just one more drink! Please!" Leone suddenly got a brilliant idea. The busty blonde knew that there was one sure fire way to get a man to do what you want. With a lustful glint in her eyes, Leone leaned forward so that I could easily look down her shirt, which I tried to avoid. When she spoke, her voice was sweet and husky, "If you let me have another drink, I'll give you a special 'treat' when we get home later."

"As tempting at that offer is I'll have to decline. We need to be focused when we're scouting." I said, causing Leone to instantly deflate in her seat. I guess I had a stronger will than most men.

"Now then, wanted posters of Mine have started to pop up all over the capital recently...but, thanks to Tatsumi's mask, no one knows what she really looks like. Though, she should still be careful."

"It's strange, quite a few people on the ship saw my face." I mused, as I rubbed my chin. "So I figured it would be dangerous for me to walk around, but I guess that's not the case...anyways, on the way here it seemed like the whole capital was buzzing about this new security squad called the 'Jaegers.'"

"That's because Esdeath is the one leading them." Lubbock explained, leaning against a nearby wall. "Anything she does is a big deal around here. That woman is extremely dangerous."

"Esdeath..." I muttered, as I looked down at my feet. I shoved my hands into my pockets and locked eyes with Lubbock. "So...how dangerous is Esdeath exactly?"

"There's too many stories to tell, but one in particular comes to mind." Lubbock said, releasing a heavy sigh. "Several years ago a savage tribe in the southwest rose up against the empire. The minister sent an army of over 120,000 men to eliminate a little over 10,000 tribals. It should have been an easy victory for the army, a clear way to display their power. But the harsh terrain and abundant danger beasts attacked the soldiers relentlessly. At night the savages would launch surprise attacks, and within no time it was clear that the army could not carry out their mission. The minster got desperate, so he sent in two young generals to help them, Najenda and Esdeath." Tatsumi's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the boss' name. "To make a long story short, Esdeath and her men absolutely slaughtered those savages. Her powers were so fearsome that they even worried Najenda. Once Esdeath and her men had decimated the enemy, they turned their sights on the savage's village. There Esdeath turned her men loose, allowing them to do whatever they pleased. Esdeath thought of it as them reaping their rewards for defeating their enemies. Her men murdered and raped their way through the entire village, stealing anything valuable and burning the rest. Once her men were finished, Esdeath spared three savages, so that they could live the rest of their lives never being able to unsee what they had seen, and so that they could spread word of what had happened. That sick brutality and utter cruelty is what drove Najenda to leave the empire and join the revolutionary army."

"That's pretty messed up." I muttered, as I took a seat on the couch next to Leone. "To make those three watch as she took everything from them."

"That's what Esdeath aims to do. She just wants to create more conflict." Lubbock said, rubbing the back of his head. "So that she can continue to enjoy the rush of battle."

"I'm so glad I didn't try to fight her." Leone said, as she stared down into her empty sake glass. "That woman is seriously bad news. The scent of blood was so strong on her that it even made me sick. I can't imagine the millions of people she and her men have killed."

"She must be as quite the monster for both of you to talk about her like that."

I glared at Lubbock, as the green-haired assassin dug through his pack. "If you're so curious about Esdeath..." I quirked an eyebrow when Lubbock handed me a flyer. "You can check her out in person. Apparently Esdeath is holding a civilian combat tournament. The winner gets a large cash prize. That would help you with your plan to send money to your village, right?"

"Combat tournament, huh? Of course, that was today." I muttered, as I rubbed my chin. "I'm confident that I can win, but there still could be hidden dangers...But this is my chance to see this Esdeath woman in person...that's a chance I can't pass up." Making up my mind, I rose from the couch. "Alright, I'll do it. If I do this I can kill two birds with one stone."

Two Hours Later; Capital's Colosseum:

"*Yaaawn* How utterly uninteresting..." Esdeath muttered in a bored tone, resting her head on her fist. The capital's most feared general looked bored beyond belief as she watched the two men fight down below.

"What do you think of those two general?" Ran asked, as he set down a fresh glass of wine for Esdeath.

"Boring men make for an equally boring battle..." Esdeath drawled, stifling yet another yawn. "As I thought, there isn't a single Imperial Arms user among them...will I see anything remotely exciting from these fights?"

"I see..." Ran said, as he watched the fight below reach its end. "Ah, looks like the battle has been decided. The next fight will be the last one."

"Hmm, I won't hold my breath..." Esdeath said, swirling the wine in her glass.

Down on the fighting ring, Wave was tasked with announcing the fighters in the tournament. "In the east corner! We have Kalbi the Butcher!" The crowd erupted in cheers as a massive bullheaded—he even had the nose ring—man walked into the ring. "And in the west corner! We have Tatsumi the Blacksmith!"

"That one is just a mere boy..." Ran said, as Esdeath perked up a bit in her seat. Something about the fiery determination in the my eyes caught her attention. For some reason she couldn't seem to take her eyes off me.

"Maybe I will see something interesting after all." Esdeath thought with a hidden smirk on her face. "Show me what you have to offer, Tatsumi."

"That's quite the interesting alias." Leone said, as she leaned back in her seat. "Can Tatsumi actually forge anything?"

"He's not quite as good as me, but he's got some serious skills. If he wanted to, he could probably open his own shop." Lubbock said with a confident smile, crossing his arms over his chest. "I taught him how to forge metals when I was training him last."

"I know Tatsumi will win this fight...but I can't help but feel a little on edge...as if something bad is about to happen..." Leone thought, as she scanned the arena around her. Her golden eyes narrowed when they landed on Esdeath. "I'm especially keeping my eyes on her."

"Well aren't you a little runt." Kalbi snorted, staring down at me. "You should probably back out now while you have the chance kid. That prize money is as good as mine."

"This guy..." Wave thought, as he gazed at Kalbi with a hint of disgust. "He may be an arrogant prick, but he does look really strong...well whatever." Raising his arm, Wave made sure both fighters were ready. "Begin!"

"Before I got to the capital I would have been a sniveling mess right now...but right now, thanks to everyone's training, I'm as calm as ever..." I thought, sliding into my fighting stance. "Compared to the Three Beasts...this guy is a complete weakling."

Fight

"I gave you a chance kid! Now here I come!" Kalbi exclaimed, as he charged forward with his fist cocked back. "Blasting Fist Full Course!"

Taking one last calming breath, I leaped over Kalbi's fist; Akame's speed training coming into full effect. Kalbi immidiately lost track of me as I raced around him. The bullheaded man was so distracted trying to locate me, that he didn't noticed that I was directly underneath him. Cocking my fist back, I struck Kalbi in the balls. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Kalbi doubled-over clutching his groin. I didn't give my enemy any time to react or recover. Crouching down, I swept out Kalbi's legs. I raced around behind Kalbi, and shattered his arm. Kalbi roared in pain as he cradled his now broken arm. Still, I continued my onslaught. After circling back around, I hit Kalbi with a barrage of fiery punches to the head and chest, using all the knowledge that Leone had taught me. Once I was finished, Kalbi was a bruised and bloody mess. But the stubborn bastard refused to give up and tried to stand back onto his feet. I decided to finally finish the fight and hit Kalbi with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head. Kalbi's head snapped back as he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

Tatsumi wins-Flawless Victory

"Now that was something interesting..." Esdeath thought, as she gazed at me with growing curiosity.

"That boy has amazing talent general..." Ran said, staring at me in awe. "He defeated such a powerful enemy with ease."

"That's it!" Wave exclaimed, as he raised his hand into the air. "The winner is Tatsumi!" Instantly the crowd erupted into roaring cheers, everyone excited to see the clear underdog win the fight.

"Everyone...is cheering for me..." I thought, a sudden feeling of elation flowing through my body as I basked in the crowd's cheers. Suddenly a light blush spread across my face and I smiled brightly. "I did it!" That was a mistake I made last time. "Oops!"

That single smile would end up changing my life; Up in her spectator box, Esdeath's heart pounded rapidly in her chest as a bright blush formed on her face. The empire's feared general clutched a hand over her thundering heart and slowly rose from her seat. She couldn't believe it. After all this time searching, she had finally found him. She had finally found her true love. "I've found him."

"Hm?" Ran muttered, as he watched Esdeath rise from her seat. "Is he a candidate for wielding an Imperial Arms?"

"That too...but I'm talking about something else." Esdeath said, beginning to make her way down the steps toward the ring.

As Esdeath made her way down the steps a hush fell over the crowd. I hadn't noticed that Esdeath was approaching me until she was halfway down the steps. But when I did finally took notice of her, I began to have a mini panic attack. "What the hell!? She's coming to the ring herself!? SHIT! SHIT! What do I do!?"

"You're name is Tatsumi...correct?" Esdeath asked, as she stopped a few feet away from me. "That's a good name."

"T-Thank you." I said, my voice sounding much more scared pathetic than I wanted. "Damn it...why am I so nervous? So...this is really Esdeath? She doesn't seem so bad so far...in fact she's quite beautiful, now that I remember. But, I can't let my guard down...she was the leader of the Three Beasts...and because of her Big Bro...stop it!" I thought, as I looked Esdeath up and down. I blushed lightly as I drank in the general's beauty. "Man, she really is pretty. I still don't get it...this woman is supposed to be some type of sadistic mass murderer? I know she works for the empire, but she seems like an alright person from what I can tell."

"Your match just now...it was flawless." Esdeath complimented, resting her hands on her hips. "I would like to personally give you, your reward."

"Thank you very much." I said, as I nodded my head. "I know it's coming from my enemy, but money is money. And I need to send whatever I can back to my village." My blush darkened another shade when I saw Esdeath reach into her cleavage to retrieve my prize. However, I was, once again, completely unprepared for when I heard something click around my neck.

"From now on..." Esdeath said in a hushed and husky tone. "You belong to me Tatsumi."

"Huh?" I said, my eyes shooting down to the collar and chain around my neck. "HUH!? Not again!"

"Come now, there are far too many distractions here." Esdeath said, as she began to drag me out of the arena, I immediately fighting against her. "You're coming back to the palace with me."

"WAIT! HOLD UP!" I roared, frantically prying at the collar around my neck. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I BELONG TO YOU NOW?! I ALREADY HAVE A-"

"I can't wait any longer..." Esdeath said, as she delivered a swift chop to my neck. Within seconds the world around me started to go black.

"Oh crap..." I thought, my vision starting to fade. "Here we go, again..."

"Don't worry my dear, we'll talk in my room..." Esdeath said sweetly, as she hugged my unconscious form against her breasts. "In private...just the two of us." With a victorious smile, Esdeath carried me out of the arena.

"W-What the hell just happened?!" Lubbock yelled, his eyes open in shock.

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