Author's Note: I am well aware that the last few chapters have been a bit of a whiplash in terms of mood and setting up the plot, but since the overall story needed original villains and a new threat to the "Alliance" of Jaegers and Night Raid, which needed to be established. You will see more of Schatten and his group, but the overall response is clear on readers wanting more fun and humor of the interaction between the characters we all know and love, and thus I will oblige. The return to AGK style of action and drama will come, but I think we could all use fun for a few chapters…so I'll give that a focus for a while, with a few hints and sequences related to the grand plot of the series here and there. Remember to review and give your opinions!
Chapter 12: Guess who we're fighting over dinner?
The Imperial Capital. The Grand State of the Budou family.
Tatsumi and Lubbock stared in silence at the floor of the living room. Both of them were wearing black suits that they clearly didn't feel much comfortable in, as if things could even be more uncomfortable for the two.
General Budou, clad in his armor while wearing a red cape, was sitting by his lonesome in the couch in front of both young men, his arms crossed around his massive chest as he kept staring intensively at them.
At the far end of the room, Esdeath and Najende were clad in their uniforms as usual…yet their behavior was anything but. They both kept staring out the window, nervously waiting for something.
"So…this is a very nice place."-Tatsumi said.
"It has been in the Budou family for generations. I am pleased to say it reflects the family's lineage and contributions to the Empire."-Budou replied without any reaction whatsoever.
Tatsumi gulped, as his attempt to break the ice had pretty much been repelled with a single sentence.
"What has them acting like children?"-Tatsumi whispered through clenched teeth at Lubbock.
"They haven't seen General…"-Lubbock nearly chocked as Budou shoot him a glare capable of cleaving steel at the sound of the word and the name it was to be followed with.-"I mean, Lady Kaskade in months."-Lubbock managed to answer after being scared half to death by Budou's reaction to his daughter's name and rank.
"Esdeath told me she was their roommate back in the Imperial Academy, but still…it's so weird seeing them like this"-Tatsumi replied.
"I'm afraid my daughter is quite cherished by both General Esdeath and General Najenda, young man. She is a very…special girl."-Budou said as he looked at the two women who kept staring out the windows. There was pride on his voice, as it would be with any father, but Tatsumi could swear Budou also meant something else with his choice of words.
"SHE'S HERE!"-Esdeath and Najenda suddenly yelped as they ran back from the window, and, as if they were perfectly synched, they placed themselves at the opposing sides of the living room's doorway, pressing their backs against the wall.
Budou gave a small sigh that showed both his annoyance at their actions and that he clearly had been through this before.
"Oh boy…they never learn"-Lubbock moaned as Tatsumi stared at Esdeath and Najenda, who were both barely holding their smiles as the sounds of footsteps made themselves heard closer with every step.
Suddenly, a figure stopped right in front of the living room' doorway. Tatsumi stared at it in bewilderment.
It was a young woman with the same hair color as General Budou, but that was as far as the resemblance went. She was the smallest young woman Tatsumi had ever since, as she was quite a few inches shorter than Mine. Her hair was wavy and given a flowing form as it stopped at her neck, while big round glasses made her bright emerald eyes seem dulled down. Her clothing was also quite unexpected, as she wore a white doctor's coat over the usual female imperial uniform. There was none of Budou's presence and authority on her person whatsoever…in fact, her petite body features and attractive face's charm was lost by the expression on her face, that seemed to indicate she was rather annoyed and uninterested in the people in front of her. That expression suited her a lot, for some reason.
The girl took a step forward as she made her way through the door's frame.
"CASKA-CHAN!"-Esdeath and Leone yelled as one as they jumped at her from opposing sides…but the girl suddenly, and with the fastest motion Tatsumi had seen in a normal human being, proceeded to give both Esdeath and Najenda a quick poke with her hands right in the middle of their chests.
Both Najenda and Esdeath fell to the ground like sacks of potatoes, following by them both breaking into some sort of series muscular spasms that looked quite painful.
"Really, Father? You had to invite them both?"-Kaskade said in an annoyed tone of voice as she adjusted her glasses. For an instant, Tatsumi could sworn she had also hidden a pair of needle like devices with her other hand as she spoke.
"They are your former Imperial Academy roommates, Kaskade. And two of the most important generals in the Empire. Protocol demanded it. Now, could you just un-paralyze them? No matter how many times I've seen them like this, is still highly upsettling"-Budou sighed as he glanced at the twitching forms of Esdeath and Najenda on the floor.
"Fine…but if they try it again, I'm out of here."-Kaskade huffed as, with one quick motion, she seemed to remove something from the chests of Najenda and Esdeath, who both got up immediately, panting for breath.
"You are so mean, Kaskade! It's costume for old friends to receive each other with a hug!"-Najenda said as she glared down at Kaskade.
"I didn't like being hugged back at the Academy, and I don't like it as an adult."-Kaskade replied in a blunt tone of voice.
"But you are just too cute! You haven't grown at all!"-Esdeath said when she suddenly froze, as she had somehow realized she had just done something terrible. Najenda's expression of horror made it clear to Tatsumi that this was actually the case.
"I HAVENT WHAT?"-Kaskade raised her voice as she looked at Esdeath straight in the eye.
"Changed! I meant changed at all! You are just as pretty and beautiful as always, Kaska-chan!"-Esdeath said as panic overcame her. Tatsumi's mouths hang open as he stared with a blank expression of shock at the sight of Esdeath cowering in fear of the little girl.
"That's what I thought I heard you said."-Kaskade glared at her, and then gave Najenda a similar stare. Najenda cowered instantly just at the sight of it. Kaskade gave her a nod of personal satisfaction and walked right Next to Lubbock.
"Lady Kaskade."-Lubbock got up to make a bow, only for Kaskade to grab his hands and stare at them.
"Uhmmm…I see less callous growth since last time. Good"-Kaskade said, and then she clamped down hard on Lubbock's wrists with both her hands, making him muffle a scream of pain.-"I see your wrists still get a lot of punishment done on them. We will have to check on that further later. And the joints of your fingers."-Kaskade said as she pushed Lubbock back on the couch with one finger.
Tatsumi's errant strand of hair went straight in panic as Kaskade turned her attention to him, and stared intensively.
"Ehhh….Hi…"-Tatsumi's attempt at a greeting was cut short as Kaskade pressed her head sideways on his chest.
"Heartbeat sound even and strong….interesting"-Kaskade said as she went back at staring at him. Before Tatsumi could even recuperate from the initial shock, she shoved her hands inside his suits and began patting at his sides.
"Good muscular tone and bone structure…not as developed as the previous user, but it fits the parameters. Stature is much shorter, though. I will need to ran further tests on you…"-Kaskade grinned evilly when she was knocked down from behind by the massive fist of her father sending her to the floor. Tatsumi didn't knew if he was thankful or even more horrified by Budou's intervention, as he stared at the immobile form of Kaskade sprawled at his feet.
"There. You've meet my daughter, the Empire's sole Teigu groupie….and our sole voice of authority on them, Emperor preserve us."-Budou said as he picked her up by the collar of her coat.
"So, you are actually a Teigu scientist?"-Tatsumi asked in awe. He was sitting at the large dinner table next to Budou and Lubbock, while Esdeath, Kaskade and Najenda sat on the opposing side.
"I prefer "Teigu Researcher" myself. I don't get to do many experiments on them, since they are pretty much sacred."-Kaskade replied as she wolfed down a bread roll.
"Kaskade is actually the only researcher of Teigus in the whole Empire, Tatsumi. She is the one who has taken on the task of investigating as much as it can be done on the known ones, while searching for clues and possible locations of the lost ones."-Najenda said as she took a bite of steak.
"She is also the main reason the book of Teigu's have been kept to date and being constantly reprinted, Tatsumi. She alone has been responsible for several pages of it being updated with more knowledge and explanations on their capabilities."-Esdeath added.
"I see…but if the Teigus are so restricted to you for research, being so valuable, then how do you get to discover so much on them then?"- Tatsumi asked.
He realized he had touched a rather sensible subject for all involved as the whole room went silent.
"Well, by experimenting on the Teigu's user, of course!"-Kaskade answered cheerfully.-"Actually, there is no other way to do so, since a Teigu is pretty much inert or barely functional unless its paired with a user that provides it with a strong level of response that can fully access its power and functions."-Kaskade added.
"That's amazing! You can really find out that much just by analyzing the subject while he or she uses the Teigu?"-Tatsumi asked. He was so compelled in the conversation that he hadn't even noticed Esdeath making gestures at him to change the subject.
"Of course! A Teigu demands a lot of its user's body, so you can easily find out a lot about them by analyzing the user in detail and under several forms of study and tests. That reminds me, Esdeath, I'm giving you a physical tomorrow morning. You seem a lot less…"Esdeath", so to speak. Plus, you seem to have gained some weight. Wait, You didn't go and got yourself pregnant, did you?"-Kaskade asked as her eyes widened at the thought.
Najenda actually nearly choked on her mashed potatoes at the moment.
"What? No, I'm not! And what do you mean by "Less Esdeath?"-Esdeath gasped.
"You know, you seem actually happy and well, normal. Not the usual "I AM THE ALMIGHTY ICE QUEEN, HEAR ME ROAR! ALL WEAKLINGS MUST PERISH! BUAHAHAHAHAH!"-Kaskade said as she stared at her. Najenda was truing her best, and failing to stifle her laughter, while the other side of the table stared in utter horror at the scene.
"That's not what I sound like at all! I act with the décor and presence a general of the Empire should always act with!"-Esdeath huffed.
"Well, sorry for being worried. But I do have to say being in love and engaged had done wonders for your character. You seem healthier, plus you smile more."-Kaskade said, as he turned at Tatsumi, ignoring Esdeath's blushing red face.-"By they way, if you break her heart, mister, you better get ready for a world of pain. I have plenty of devices and theories on how to crack open an armored teigu like Incursio to get at the meat within"-Kaskade said as she glared at Tatsumi, who just gulped.
"Well, I for one am glad you find Esdeath to be in such good spirits."-Najenda said as she grinned to herself, enjoying Esdeath's discomfort.
"You're one to talk, Najenda"-Kaskade huffed as she turned to stare at her.
"Uh?"-Najenda said as she realized she didn't liked where this was going. Esdeath smiling at her from behind Kaskade made thing even worse.
"I mean, seriously? Engaged all this time to your aide? About freaking time, after dragging poor Lubbock all around for years like a puppy on the world's shortest leash!"-Kaskade said as she turned and smiled at Lubbock, completely oblivious to his utter discomfort.
"Also, how could you awaken an humanoid teigu and then leave before I could inspect you both? Tomorrow you and my precious Susanoo are coming to my lab! I want to hear from him about how you managed to awake him! That's absolutely going in the new edition of the Teigu book!"-Kaskade said, as Najenda looked at her in absolute horror. Even more dreadful was Esdeath snickering at her, as she clearly had heard from someone about the circumstances of Susanoo's awakening.
"Kaskade, perhaps we should talk about something else?"-Budou said, not even hiding how direct he was being with his words.
"Fine, let's address the Adramalech in the room then."-Kaskade said as she turned at him.-"So, I defected to the Rebellion Army. I am grounded forever? Disinherited?"-Kaskade asked.
"Young lady, we will talk about that in private. As family"-Budou hissed.
"Why? So the highy and mighty general Budou isn't seen yelling at her daughter for defecting? I mean, sheesh, It wasn't like I actually defected in the first place!"-Kaskade huffed as she threw her arms up.
The room went absolutely silent instantly.
"Wait, what?"-Najenda asked in complet disbelief. She was the only one not noticing that Budou had pretty much frozen on the spot as his daughter had spoken.
"What? The other generals at the Rebellion Army didn't tell you?"-Kaskade asked, puzzled.
"Tell me what?"-Najenda asked.
"I never defected at all. I mean, sure, I left the Empire and searched for the Rebel Army, but I never actually defected. I was just worried about the teigus on their possession, so I just went to them and asked them to let me see them. That whole me being a general and so on was just a cover story in order to keep me safe while I was there"-Kaskade explained as it was the most normal thing on the world. Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Lubbock had wisely moved the chairs as far as they could from Budou, who seemed to be radiating enough anger to even make Esdeath wise up and move her seat away from Kaskade.
"But why the hell would you do that? They could have executed you in the spot! Not to mention that if the Imperial Army captured you…"-Najenda exclaimed.
"They what? Kill the only person on the whole Empire who actually knows anything about the Teigus besides how to use them to kill people? Please! Even that fat toad Honest knew he couldn't lay a finger on me! I mean, I always hoped my dad would one day stop getting his panties on a bunch about honor and tradition and just kill that fat creep like anyone with two working brain cells would had done if they could get away with it, before something stupid like that war happened and all my precious Teigus ended up scattered all over the place! Years of research, organization and effort thrown to the wind because of all you idiots! Im glad Esdeath actually came to her senses and killed the bastard like any of you should have done years ago!"-Kaskaded ranted, completely oblivious to the towering figure of her father behind her.
"You actually put me through the shame of my own daughter betraying me, the Empire and our family's legacy because you were worried about that? What kind of daughter are you?"-Budou yelled in rage as Kaskade turned to face him. Everyone else had wisely moved to the edge of the room, hoping not to become collateral damage on whatever hell was about to be unleashed.
"The kind that knows what she's doing. That's what I told the Emperor and the council when I arrived yesterday."-Kaskade stated.
Budou froze on the spot.
"You what?"-He asked, blinking in disbelief.
"I meet with the Emperor yesterday. You didn't think I was going to return straight home to daddy asking for forgiveness, did you? I'm the daughter of General Budou, for heaven's sake. I had to present the results my findings and research to his majesty as soon as possible. In fact, I think we are both meeting with him tomorrow. I'll probably get command of the Special Forces for my project, if all goes well. That way you can keep next to the Emperor making sure he's safe and making the best decisions, and I get to focus the Special Forces on what really matters…not to mention, I get a whole bunch of teigus and users to do research on!"-Kaskade squealed like a little girl as she did a little dance while hugging herself.
Later, it took all of the guest's strength to lift Budou after he fainted from shock on the spot.
Next Chapter: Akame and Wave are witness to Kurome's bravest decision, while Susanoo suddenly finds himself facing a ghost from his past. And then it's a new day as Kaskade takes command of both Night Raid and the Jaegers, revealing her plans for both groups and a new mission that might change the Empire forever!
