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Akame and Tatsumi had rushed towards the headquarters of Night Raid as fast as they could.

Yet, even as they burst through the main doors, they didn't see anyone panicking.

Lubbock noticed them first. "What's with you guys? You look terrified."

"We…saw smoke." Tatsumi panted.

"Oh," Lubbock chuckled. "That. Don't worry about it, Sheele just started a small fire by accident."

Akame looked reassured. "Then no one was hurt….that's good."

"Yeah…but…" Lubbock mumbled, looking slightly annoyed. "Sheele sorta burnt up the food for lunch, so…"

Tatsumi immediately felt a different aura radiating from Akame. She looked furious and her eyes had an ominous glow.

"The food…" Akame muttered. "She burnt…the food…?"

Lubbock quickly realized his mistake of informing her and stood in front of the door to the kitchen.

"H-Hold on, Akame! You know she's a little clumsy…right?"

Akame ignored him and brushed past angrily, running straight into the kitchen.

"She's scary at times," Tatsumi admitted quietly.

Lubbock sighed. "I just hope she goes easy on Sheele."

"Do these things happen often?"

"Yeah. Wherever Sheele goes, there's a mess or accident behind her."

"Then why do you still give her chores?"

"Because we're sorta understaffed, Tatsumi." Lubbock laughed. "Everyone has to do their part."

"What about me?"

"I heard Najenda is putting you on mopping duty soon."

That wasn't good news to hear. This building was massive, how was anyone supposed to clean it all?

Tatsumi left the Great Hall and headed to his room upstairs.

After that trip with Akame, he felt exhausted. If he was allowed to rest, he would definitely do that right about now.

But he couldn't. Najenda had enforced a strict 'no-sleeping policy' during daylight. And while Tatsumi was certain the rule had been implemented because of Lubbock, it slowly turned out to be a problem for him too.

Tatsumi grumbled and sat down on his bed, just wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

But that wasn't going to happen.

Bulat entered the room, a smile on his face and a comb in his hair. Once again, he wasn't wearing any shirt, but Tatsumi had reluctantly become used to that at this point. He wasn't sure why Bulat insisted on rarely having one, but he didn't feel comfortable asking about it either.

"So, little Bro!" Bulat boomed as he sat down next to Tatsumi, carefully combing his hair. "How was your little trip with Akame?"

Tatsumi sighed. "It was alright."

"Alright? Come on, give me the details!"

"Details? There aren't any." Tatsumi grumbled, then paused as he took a closer look at Bulat. "Is…that a different hairstyle?"

Bulat's lush, black hair wasn't curled forwards in the flamboyant and peculiar fashion, like it always was. This time, he had chosen to twist and turn it upwards at the front.

"Oh ho!" Bulat grinned, looking incredibly pleased. "I'm flattered you noticed!"

"What's with the sudden change?"

"I want to try other looks."

"Why's that?"

Bulat turned away, flicked his hair up, and gazed back at Tatsumi with wide eyes.

"I guess you could say it's out of…love."

"Love?"

"Love."

"Like…lovey-dovey love?"

"Is there another kind of love?"

Tatsumi hesitated for a moment. "Love…for who…?"

"Heh," Bulat gave a quick wink. "I'm not telling."

Tatsumi prayed with both his mind and soul that Bulat was simply messing with him.

There was no mistaking it, he did enjoy Bulat's company. He was energetic, eccentric, and easy to get along with. His only problem was that their conversations could easily take…weird turns. He could already feel a tension falling between them and his face turning red.

He needed to change the subject, and fast.

"Actually," Tatsumi stuttered. "Akame did scold me a bit while we were walking."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What about?"

"About our last mission. She wasn't okay with me being a part of risky tasks."

"That makes sense." Bulat nodded.

"What? You let me go on that mission, though!"

"Yes, because I believe you can handle yourself, but obviously she doesn't feel the same way."

"But why?"

"She's quite protective of her friends."

"I'm not her friend…" Tatsumi muttered, looking at the ground. "We hardly know each other."

"But you both share a common purpose, team, and mind-set. You're closer than you think."

Even though Tatsumi trusted Bulat's wisdom, he simply couldn't see that connection. Not only did he know very little about Akame, but he was also certain that they shared nothing in common. It was what made it difficult to approach her.

If it was true that she worried about him, he appreciated it, but he felt as though it was misplaced. Tatsumi was just an ordinary guy who had been dragged into this whole thing, he was expendable and could be found anywhere. He knew this well, and he had come to accept it reluctantly. She obviously didn't.

"But in the end, you handled yourself really well." Tatsumi noted. "It didn't look like you even tried."

Bulat nodded but had a frown. "Yes, but Esdeath quickly brought that to an end."

Tatsumi froze. That name was suddenly causing him shivers.

Before, that name didn't mean anything to him, but now he felt the weight it carried. Bulat had been speaking of Esdeath's power for a while, but Tatsumi was able to see it for himself during the evacuation mission. She had materialized several waves of ice to slaughter the rebel soldiers before they could escape. Even though Tatsumi was well away from the Capital when she attacked, he could see her massive attacks in the distance and saw just how strong she was first-hand. He never wanted to face her.

"She's really tough, isn't she…?"

Bulat nodded again. "Yeah. She's the biggest reason the Revolutionary Army has been hesitant to launch attacks for a long time. She's the strongest General the Capital has."

"But…you can take her…right?"

"Hm," Bulat hummed, pausing for a moment. When he looked at Tatsumi, his expression was unsure. "No idea, little Bro."

"Huh? But aren't you supposed to be super strong?!"

"Even so, Esdeath has been undefeated for a really long time. A battle between us...it could go either way."

That only added more to the fear factory that Esdeath held, and Tatsumi became even more discouraged. Bulat had shown to be unbelievably strong, but if there was someone that he possibly couldn't beat, then Tatsumi felt like simply giving up. He would never be able to reach Bulat's level, not even once in his entire life.

"Was there anyone else in the Capital that gave you trouble?" Tatsumi asked.

He hadn't been with Bulat during the mission. Their objective wasn't to fight, but to get as many rebel soldiers out of the Capital as they could. The soldiers had made a mistake and they needed to get them away from the Empire. Sheele and Tatsumi chose to do that exact thing while Bulat remained on guard, taking down anyone that would attempt to stop the evacuation. And though Tatsumi wasn't present for Bulat's battle, Bulat seemed worn out by the time the mission was finally over.

"One other person, yes." Bulat eventually admitted.

"Who?"

"I'm not really sure. He didn't tell me his name."

"But he was tough?"

"Not really…but his Imperial Arm was incredibly powerful, and the kid had spirit too."

"What kind of Imperial Arm?"

"The same one as mine," Bulat said as he unsheathed the silver sword from behind his back. He held it out for Tatsumi to behold. "It's called Grand Chariot's key."

"Two identical Imperial Arms…?"

"Not exactly. The Grand Chariot is different in a couple of ways, and was built to be superior. My Imperial Arm, Incursio's key, is just a prototype."

"How do you know this?"

Bulat grinned again. "I made sure to know everything about Incursio's key before using it, including its history."

"So you already knew about Grand Chariot's key…"

"Yes, but it still took me by surprise. I heard of it, but never knew if it was actually real. Now, I guess it is."

"Just how strong is he-"

Tatsumi's question was interrupted as Lubbock came to the door. He had clothes under his arm and a massive grin on his face.

"Tatsumi," he laughed, throwing the clothes at him. "You need to wear this, be ready in ten minutes."

"Ready for what?" Tatsumi asked as he caught the clothes mid-air.

"We've just heard from a source that a nobleman is throwing a celebration at his mansion."

"So?"

"That nobleman has connections to the military, and has lots of information we can 'extract'."

Tatsumi glanced at Bulat, who simply had a raised eyebrow, and he felt uneasy.

He didn't want to go back to the Capital, not after what happened last time, but he knew he was one of the few people who could go there. Some of the others had their faces discovered, Tatsumi was a useful asset for missions like these.

"So…I guess that means…" Tatsumi trailed off, looking at the fancy, elegant clothes he had been given.

"That's right," Lubbock cackled. "We're going to a party!"

"There has to be something you can do."

Esdeath sighed as Wave kept asking the same thing from her over and over. She had made it clear to him that there was nothing they could do, but yet he insisted on protesting.

"Wave, you can't touch the Minister's son. He has permission to do whatever he wants, you should consider yourself lucky for still being alive after crossing him."

"He's a spoiled brat who's killing people indiscriminately."

"And that's not my problem."

Kurome and the Twins stood by, listening silently to the conversation.

Even after Wave had told Esdeath what happened, and how Syura killed innocent people and humiliated him, she didn't seem to care in the slightest. In fact, throughout the entire conversation, she simply looked bored. She didn't consider what he was saying, and just wanted him to quit talking about it.

"Whatever he was doing," Esdeath quickly snapped at Wave. "You embarrassed me, too."

"Embarrassed you?"

"Precisely. The Jaegers are supposed to be completely loyal to the Empire."

"I can't just stand by and-"

"Yes, you can." Esdeath spoke sharply. "And you will. I don't want to hear about you even getting involved with Syura again. You do so again, and the Jaegers will have no place for you, is that clear?"

From the bottom of his very heart, he wanted to refuse and continue to protest, but he couldn't.

He was a nobody until he joined the Empire, and a position in the Jaegers was a massive honour. He couldn't lose all of that. No matter how much he despised Syura, he wouldn't throw away everything he had just for some revenge.

Reluctantly, Wave nodded his head.

"Fine."

Esdeath finally smiled again. "Good."

The blue-haired General slowly took off her hat and relaxed herself in her chair again. Wave stood there, in front of her desk, waiting to be dismissed. Instead, however, Esdeath reaches into her breastpocket and pulls out a small envelope.

"Now, I want to talk about something far more important." Esdeath said, looking at Kurome and the Twins. "You listen up, too."

They nodded obediently.

"We've received reports that more and more people in the Capital are being killed. Esdeath continued. "We have the rebel spies to thank for that."

"Didn't Syura say he executed them?" Wave asked.

"He did, but the rebels aren't going to stop because of the deaths of a few. They're going to slowly send more…capable people to finish the job."

"How do you know that?"

Esdeath grinned sadistically. "As a General, tactician is my forte. And also, they're incredibly easy to read. They're all pathetic amateurs."

"Are we preparing any defences to prevent future assassinations?"

"That's where we come in, Wave. The Minister himself has demanded we stop the assassinations. We're going to do exactly that."

"How?"

Esdeath got up from her chair and stood up, walking over to the window. She glared down at the city below, her eyes cold and calculated.

"Tell me, Kurome." she whispered. "How do you lure in a wolf?"

Kurome stared at the General silently for a few moments, but answered back without hesitation.

"Give him sheep to hunt."

Esdeath laughed, delighted with Kurome's answer.

And even though she was the only one laughing, she didn't seem to care. Wave frowned. It seemed she was amused by the whole situation, and enjoying it. It was one thing to relish a challenge, but she…craved it.

"So," Wave started once Esdeath stopped cackling. "We're going to set a trap?"

Esdeath shook her head. "We already have."

"What do you mean?"

"The Twins have been looking into the assassinations. They found consistencies. The people who were killed were either wealthy, powerful, or had connections to the Minister or the army."

"And?"

"And we've set up an event tonight. A man will host a party, extremely wealthy and respected, and we'll wait for the rebel assassins to arrive. When they do, we slaughter them to send the rest of the rebels a message."

"Who is the, err, sheep…?"

"His name is Stephen Duvian. He has close ties to the military and has been supporting them financially." Relica, one of the Twins, answered.

Wave quickly turned to Esdeath. "But we're putting his life at risk!"

"Not to worry," Esdeath responded cheerfully. "The 'Mr. Duvian' that will attend the party is simply a body double. The real one is already under our protection."

Wave nodded.

But still, he wasn't completely alright with the plan. That body double was still potentially in danger. And even if the rest of the Jaegers didn't really care, he would do his best to make sure even he didn't die either. He refused to give the rebels that kind of satisfaction.

"Now, for the battle formations." Esdeath said as she reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a large, brown map.

It was incredibly detailed, with written notes of the exact size of Duvian's building. It also had drawings of its structure, where the windows were, and what rooms were on which level. Wave stared at the drawing and noticed just how massive Duvian's house truly was. No one really needed a household so large and expansive.

"Wave, you'll be with the Twins on this mission. Stay in the Hall and blend in with the guests. The rebels might try to disguise themselves."

"And if they don't?"

"Boros and Seryu will be positioned in the outdoor gardens, in case the rebels are planning a frontal attack." Esdeath answered. She then looked at Kurome. "You and Run will recon through the upper and lower levels, that'll prevent them from a stealth attack."

Kurome nodded and so did the Twins.

Wave was impressed with how much Esdeath thought through their plan. With this formation, they would find the rebel assassins no matter what their method would be, and the positioning of their posts also worked well for them. Wave and Twins would be the eyes, Boros and Seryu would be the muscle, and Kurome and Run would prevent any surprises. They definitely held the tactical advantage.

"Also," Esdeath continued, putting the map away. "Wave, Twins, do your best not to use your Imperial Arms. Try to apprehend them by yourselves."

"What if they're Imperial Arm users like us?"

"Unlikely, but if that's the case, then the use of your Imperial Arms is fine. Just, keep it to a minimum, got it?"

"Understood."

Wave wasn't fond of the fact that he was facing rebels in a crowded area such as a party, but he was working alongside the Twins again. He knew very little about them, even though they were Esdeath subordinates, but they had already proved to be incredibly powerful and reliable in the field.

The door to Esdeath's office opened and everyone turned around.

It was Run. He was dressed differently, wearing a slick, black tuxedo. He also had his blonde hair brushed carefully to the side. He was carrying clothing in his hands, and gave a quick bow as he entered the room.

"Lady Esdeath, I have brought the attire."

"Good." Esdeath smiled, then motioned towards Wave and the Twins. "You too, these are the clothes you'll be wearing. You'll need to remain incognito."

Run handed two dresses to the Twins, then a tuxedo to Wave, similar to the one he had on. Wave stared at the tuxedo with a giant grin on his face, it was the first time he ever got to wear one.

"Oh, and take this as well." Run said as he took out a mask and handed it to Wave.

Wave stared at the mask. It was blue and was shaped like a bird's face. He glanced at Esdeath with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this for?"

"It's a masquerade party, Wave."

"Oh," Wave said, still looking confused.

Esdeath sighed. "You don't know what a masquerade party is, do you?"

"Afraid not…"

Before Esdeath chose to muster up the effort to explain it to him, Elica of the Twins decided to first.

"It's a party where people wear masks in order to add a sense of mystery and excitement. They also do this so that people are encouraged to dance with everyone, not just one person in particular." Elica explained, pulling on a small strand of her white hair playfully.

Relica giggled. "And we already wear masks, but you don't."

That much was true. He never saw Relica or Elica without their masks. Those coloured fox masks never came off for some reason, and it sometimes made Wave feel slightly unnerving. They were already part of the Empire and close to General Esdeath, why did they insist on concealing themselves?

Either way, they were still useful, so he never said anything.

"Alright then," Esdeath said. "The party will start at eight tonight, I expect you to all be ready. We'll have an escort prepared to take us there."

Everyone then left the room, and Kurome walked slowly beside Wave. They walked down the hallway together, heading to their rooms to prepare.

"Are you ready, Kurome?" Wave asked, still looking at his mask.

"This should be easy."

"Still, keep up your guard."

"That advice is more directed towards yourself."

Wave grumbled. "I see you have a very high opinion of me."

"That's not it." Kurome muttered. "I just don't want you getting killed out there?"

Wave paused and looked at her. She didn't look back, still facing straight ahead.

Did she really mean that? Was he actually of some value to her? Her stoic expression and cold words always made him think otherwise. Perhaps she meant that she didn't want to lose him as an asset to Jaegers? He had no idea of telling.

Instead of pondering on the question though, Wave shook his head and smiled. It didn't matter. All he needed to do was focus on the task at hand.

"Alright…" he chuckled.

He slowly slipped the bird mask over his face, grinned, and Kurome followed Wave as he marched forward confidently.

"Let's party."