As Haru focused on the girl before him, he could feel his flames raging to be released. They wanted to run free, to burn and consume everything until all that remained was ash. And this was something he absolutely couldn't allow. Gritting his teeth, he brought his will to bear on them and brought them back under control. At first, it resisted his attempts to rein in the destructive power, but then it slowly relented until at last he felt that he was ready. Whispering, "Verbrennen," he brought his fire into the physical world before slowly easing it into Kurome's blood.
He had known that such a technique would be much more difficult than anything he had ever done in his entire life, but he didn't fully understand the scale of the task he had started until the fire actually entered her blood. Determined to keep it at a small scale, he wasn't prepared for the sudden pull as her blood flow tried to sweep the flames away with the force of a raging river. Haru could feel his control starting to waver as he fought against the current, trying to slowly spread out the flames so he could burn this disease from her.
And it was a very near thing; at one moment, his control slipped for less than a second and the fire flared up. He heard Kurome whimper in pain, and he clenched his jaw to the point where the muscles hurt as he forced the fire back under his control. Working slowly, Haru felt Kurome's skin warm up noticeably as his fire began to spread. But, he also felt the corruption in her system. And it wasn't just the sickness that he felt; mixed in her blood almost as thick as her illness was a cocktail of drugs that Haru could only guess the nature of. However, it seemed likely that this was what Kurome's masters used to keep her and those like her under control.
It only took him a moment to consider whether he should destroy them, too. Allowing the fire to grow stronger, he began to burn the drugs out of her system as well. "Haru, wait…" she mumbled, sensing what he was doing. Reaching out, she clenched at his shirt, her tone almost pleading. But he just ignored it as he continued, sending his golden fire through her system and purifying it. Let's see how you act when your mind is truly clear he thought as he worked.
Standing at their side, Wave looked about ready to jump in and stop this the moment Kurome started pleading with him. Clenching a fist, he stepped forward when a hand on his arm stopped him. "Wave, wait," Akame said, looking him in the eye, "Let him finish his work." "Didn't you hear her?" he asked, "He's doing something she doesn't want him to. That's reason enough to stop this now." "And if you interrupt him before he has burned that disease from her, it will just come back," she replied, her gaze never wavering, "Trust him this once. Please."
He would have argued the point further, he wanted to so badly. He cared for Kurome, and knowing that she was suffering while he just stood by and watched was almost too much to bear. But he saw the trust in her eyes, and even though this woman was supposed to be his enemy he felt like he could believe her. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he felt himself relax as they returned to watching over Kurome and Haru. They had no way of knowing that his work had just entered the final moments.
He had found the root of her illness, and it was almost enough to make him retch. It felt like a twisted ball of rotten flesh, and he shivered as he came in contact with it. While it was probably no larger than his thumb, it felt big enough as he burned it away. At first, Kurome seemed to be in more pain than before, her grip on his shirt tightening as her face twisted in pain. Deciding to end it in one moment, Haru flared up and destroyed the corruption quickly while leaving the surrounding flesh mostly intact. He knew that it would leave some kind of scar, but the moment the thing was gone Kurome sighed in content, her face and grip relaxing.
Taking a few moments to make sure that he had destroyed it all, Haru quickly snuffed out his flames. Opening their eyes at the same time, Haru was surprised to find that he was looking at an almost completely different person. Her eyes were so much clearer, her face relaxed and happy as she smiled at him. "Thank you…" she said before passing out and slumping forward. Moving his hands from her head to her shoulders, he caught her before she would have hit the ground. He didn't even need to ask Wave for help; the second Kurome was unconscious he was there, wrapping his arms around her while checking her neck for a pulse.
"Relax, Wave, I didn't kill her," Haru said, leaning back and taking a deep breath, "It was…difficult, but I managed to burn out the disease. I also managed to purge her of the drugs the Empire has kept her on for most of her life, so she's going to need close attention as her body adjusts to that." "What do you mean?" he asked, looking at Haru suspiciously. "She's been on God knows what for most of her life, Wave," Haru told him, "Without them she's going to crash pretty hard, and she's going to need someone there to help her. Can we count on you for that?" "Of course," Wave replied, looking at her again, "I told her I wasn't going to leave her, and I meant it."
"Good," Haru said as he stood up, "We should probably find some kind of shelter. It won't be good for any of us if we catch a cold." As he stood up, however, he was suddenly overcome with dizziness and nearly fell back down. But Akame was there in an instant, her arm around his shoulders as she kept him standing. "That's probably a good idea," she commented, smiling, "We wouldn't want you passing out in the cold, after all." "I'm not going to pass out!" Haru replied, trying to sound offended. Akame just laughed softly as they made their way into the trees again.
After a while, they found a relatively dry spot under a large oak. Sitting down at its base, Haru leaned against the trunk while Wave laid Kurome down and covered her with his jacket. Akame joined Haru and took his hand, her fingers entwining with his own as she looked at her sister. "Will she be alright?" she asked just low enough so it wouldn't carry. "Honestly, I'm not sure," he replied in an equal volume, "I know that the Rot won't kill her, but I'm not sure what's going to happen now that I've removed the Empire's shackles." "You don't think…?" she asked, looking at him. "I hope not," he replied, squeezing her hand before closing his eyes.
He was starting to feel the exhaustion that always followed using his trump card, although it wasn't as bad now as it was the last few times. "Haru, can I ask you something?" Akame said after a while, keeping her voice down. When he nodded, she continued, "Why did you do this? Why would you risk a battle with the Jaegers just to stop this one fight?" "Because I love you," he replied without hesitation, "Because I know what it's like to lose family. And I knew that even if you killed her with your own hands, that you would regret it for the rest of your life." "You think I couldn't handle it?" she asked. "No one could ever handle doing something like that," he replied, looking at her, "Those that can aren't human, and we've already established that we're both human."
She just smiled at him, surprised that he had turned her old argument against her. Moving closer, she could feel her own exhaustion starting to set in. They fell asleep not to long after that, leaning on each other. Looking over at them, Wave smiled softly as he saw the obvious warmth between the two. They clearly loved each other, and he found that he was unable to see either of them as an enemy. So, what does that make me he wondered, looking back at Kurome.
He had signed on with the Navy to protect people, to help keep the peace and defend those that couldn't do it themselves. That should make Haru and the girl with him, Akame, his enemies since they sided with the Rebels. But Haru had been willing to risk his life to save someone that should be his enemy, and it hadn't been the first time. He had let Bols live, even though he had said that Night Raid had been targeting him and Kurome specifically. "You really are one odd rebel, Haru," Wave mused, smiling to himself as he stood watch.
The rest of the night passed rather slowly, and Wave started feeling his own drowsiness starting to overtake him when he heard a slight whimpering. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked over and saw that Kurome was in the middle of some kind of nightmare. She was pawing at the air and mumbling in her sleep, with a barely audible "No…" escaping her lips every few moments. Moving so he was sitting next to her, he put a hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her. "Kurome, it's okay…" he said, leaning over her, "It's just a dream. You're okay now." "No… I don't want to… it hurts… please, make it stop…," she mumbled, her voice starting to rise in volume as the dream grew worse.
Not knowing what else to do, Wave decided to go with his instincts. Lying down next to her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders before pulling her into his chest. "It's okay now, Kurome," he whispered, gently stroking her back, "It's okay. I'm here now, and I won't let them hurt you." Wrapping her arms around his chest, she clung to him like a lifeline as she tried to fight her way through the darkness of her mind. After a while, she calmed down and began to breathe peacefully again. Meanwhile, Wave was trying to keep his own raging emotions under control. Taking a deep breath, he tried to sit back up again to resume guarding. But Kurome just tightened her grip around him, letting out a small mumble of protest before moving closer and burying her head in his shirt. Sighing, Wave resigned himself to staying with her for the rest of the night, although it wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it would be.
The next morning, Haru was the first one to wake up. He was pleasantly surprised to still find Akame leaning on him with her hand still in his, but it was the position that he saw Wave and Kurome in that surprised him the most. He had rolled onto his back in his sleep, and rather than allow it to pull him from her arms, Kurome had pulled herself up so she was using his chest as a pillow. In fact, her entire upper body was lying on top of him with her head just below his chin. She also had the most peaceful look on her face, and Haru couldn't help but smile.
Feeling Akame stirring next to him, he nudged her slightly before gesturing at the two still asleep. Looking over at them, Akame practically radiated with happiness when she saw her sister's face. "The last time I remember her sleeping like that was when we were little kids," she whispered, looking at Haru. After a while, she felt the need to say something that had been on her mind for a while now. "Thank you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "What'd I do this time?" he asked, a little confused as to what she meant. "For giving me my sister back," Akame answered, nudging his side in mock irritation.
Laughing softly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders before leaning back and enjoying this moment. But after a few minutes, he knew that they would have to get moving. Getting up first, he helped Akame to her feet before walking over and giving Wave a gentle nudge. He woke with a start, and as he tried to get up he felt the weight on his chest. Looking down, he felt his whole face grow warmer as he looked at the position Kurome was in. "I hate to ruin your fun, Wave," Haru teased, unable to keep a smile off his face, "But you should probably get up now before something happens."
Nodding absently, he shook Kurome's shoulder until she opened her eyes. Blinking slowly, she looked up at him in confusion before smiling. "Is it morning already?" she asked, yawning. "Yeah; we need to get moving, Kurome," Wave said quickly as he moved to sit up. But rather than move to the side, she closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek on his chest as she tried to go back to sleep. And for a brief moment, he was tempted to leave her. Instead, he looked up at Haru and Akame for help. While Akame just snickered at her sister's antics, Haru reached down and hooked his hands under her arms. "Come on, sleepy head," he said, trying not to laugh.
While she mumbled in protest, she didn't resist as Haru helped her to her feet. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at Haru and smiled warmly. "Thank you," she said simply, hugging him, "For freeing me." "About that…" he said, noticing Akame's worried look, "Are you feeling alright?" Stepping back, she looked deep in thought for a few moments before she responded. "I feel…odd," she said finally, "It's like…" "You feel empty. Lighter," Haru said, knowing what she meant, "But it's in a good way. You're thinking clearer now." Nodding, she smiled as she looked over at Akame.
And this was the moment of truth as she walked up to stand just before her sister. Both of them were unarmed, their swords resting in their scabbards under the tree. But that didn't mean they couldn't hurt each other, and judging from the slight tremor in Akame's hand, she knew it. He had no idea how right he was; inside, Akame's mind was raging with a million what-if scenarios. What if she lost her memories? What if she hasn't changed? What if she won't want me anywhere near her again?
This battle was decided in one moment as Kurome stepped forward and hugged her. "Hello, sister," she said, tears starting to come to her eyes, "I missed you." "Kurome…" "I'm so sorry for…" she continued, her emotions starting to strangle her voice, "I don't know why I wanted to… Can you ever forgive me?" Looking Akame in the eye, she was practically pleading with her as she tried not to cry. It only took Akame a moment to make her decision. Putting one arm around her shoulders and her other hand on the back of Kurome's head, she pulled her back into the hug. "Of course I forgive you," she said, pressing closer, "You're my sister. I'll always forgive you."
Haru didn't even realize that he was holding his breath until that moment. Releasing it in one explosive sigh, he helped Wave to his feet. Turning and looking at the sisters, Wave found that he felt a lot better, too. "Hey, in case I forget to say it; thanks," Wave said suddenly. "No worries," Haru replied, smacking his back, "I'm just glad you have your girlfriend back." "She's not my…!" Wave began before realizing the trap he had just walked into. Punching Haru's arm, he ignored him as he went and grabbed his and Kurome's weapons.
"You're not still planning on fighting for the Jaegers, are you?" Haru asked, suddenly concerned. "I'm…not sure, really," Wave replied, scratching his head, "I doubt we could join the rebels so suddenly and not look suspicious." "I'm not fighting against my sister," Kurome stated flatly, taking her sword, "And that's not up for debate." "Then I guess your best bet is to stay out here," Haru said, looking around, "Our army should arrive sometime in the next few days. If you can keep your heads down, you should be fine."
"You'll be coming back, right?" Kurome asked, looking over at Akame. "Of course I will," she replied without hesitation. After a quick goodbye, Haru and Akame made their way back towards the city. Glancing over at Akame, Haru felt his protective side starting to surface as certain thoughts and facts began to bubble to the front of his mind. Shaking his head to try and clear it, he tried to focus on the path instead of his own selfish desires. "What's wrong?" Akame asked suddenly, knowing that something was eating away at him.
"It's nothing," he replied, trying to dismiss it. "If it was nothing, then it wouldn't be eating away at you," she fired back, taking his hand, "I know you, and I know when something's bothering you." "I can't hide anything from you anymore, can I?" he asked, sighing when she just smiled at him, "It's just… If I asked you to stay out of the fight when we take the capital, would you?" "Why would you…?" she began before realizing what he meant.
It wasn't just because he loved her, although that probably played a large part in it. Their child was still very new, and he was clearly hesitant to risk two lives that he cared very much for. And now that she thought about it, Akame felt a weight settling on her shoulders that hadn't been there before. She was a mother now, and that meant she was responsible for her child's life. She couldn't just think about her own desires and act selfishly, and if that meant that she would have to remove herself from the fight then that's what she should do.
"I…I can't, Haru," she said finally, gripping his hand, "It's not that I don't know what you mean. I do. But I can't let you go into this alone." "But I won't be alone," he protested, "I've got all of Night Raid at my side. And with Najenda joining the army for tactical support, we're guaranteed victory." "But I can't bet your life on that!" she said, stepping in front of him, "I know it's selfish of me, and I know that the smart thing would be to trust you to come back. But I can't do that, Haru. I won't sit back and hope, not when I can fight to make it certain."
Looking at her, he could tell that arguing would be a waste of time. "Alright, you convinced me," he said finally, sighing and scratching his head, "Just…try not to do anything too reckless, okay?" "As if you're one to talk," she replied, smiling as she turned and continued on. He just shook his head, smiling slightly as he caught up with her. Getting back into the city proved to be trickier than they had both thought, and judging from the number of guards at the smaller entrances the main gates were likely locked-down. For a normal person, this would have been impossible to overcome; but for Night Raid assassins, it was just another day.
When they returned to the bookstore, Lubbock glanced up from the counter and smiled at them. "We were wondering what had happened," he said as they walked over, "I hope you're ready for a scolding. Najenda wasn't happy when she found out." "Yeah, I'm looking forward to that," Haru mumbled as he and Akame made their way into the basement. But when he saw that pretty much everyone was still there, he was slightly confused. After weathering the greetings from his friends, he said, "I thought we still had things we needed to scout before the army arrives."
"Not anymore," Najenda replied, "They will be here tomorrow, which means I need to leave tonight to meet them. Meanwhile, I have your final assignments." Laying out the blueprints they had acquired of the sewer system and the palace, she waited for everyone to gather around the desk before she began. "Tomorrow, we will be split into three teams," she said, "I will be outside the city with the Rebel army, helping to lead and coordinate the attack. Meanwhile, Mine, Chelsea, Sheele, Haru and Lubbock will launch an assault on the main palace gates, further diverting their attention. That will leave Akame, Leone and Tatsumi with the opening they will need to infiltrate the palace and kill Onest."
"So, you're sending us out as decoys?" Chelsea asked, crossing her arms, "Won't they expect some kind of diversion, anyway?" "I know they will," Najenda told her, "Which is why we've arranged some back-up for you. We managed to sneak two squads of soldiers into the city yesterday. They will assist you in your attack. Even if they know it's a diversion, they won't be able to ignore it without risking you entering the palace." "Give them no choice but to commit to the distraction," Haru observed, "If we're lucky, it'll draw some of their remaining Imperial Arms out of position, too. But why am I there?"
"For two reasons," Najenda answered, looking squarely at him, "First, because you're right and they might send out Imperial Arms against the distraction. In that case, I need someone that can go toe-to-toe against whatever they might bring. And as good as you all are, Haru is the most adept at large-scale destruction." "Can't argue with that," he commented. "The second reason is that I need someone to sell it as a legitimate attack," she continued, smiling at his comment, "The Empire is well aware of your general abilities by this point, which means that once they see you at the front door they won't be able to just ignore you."
As she continued to outline the battle plan, they learned their particular roles. Haru, Sheele and Lubbock would be responsible for the direct engagement, while Chelsea would infiltrate their lines and cause as much chaos and confusion as she could. Mine, meanwhile, would be set up in a secure location, under guard, and be providing sniper support when needed. Rather than protest at the special treatment, she just nodded and accepted her role. The fact that she was willing to accept how injured she still was surprised Haru, but in a good way. Finally, Najenda said, "Tomorrow's events will decide everything. The future of this nation is on the line, and I expect you all to fight with everything you have. Take the rest of the day to prepare whatever you will need. We will move into position at midnight."
Heading away from the table, Haru decided that he should try and get what rest he could. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day, and he would likely need everything he could muster to survive. But it wasn't five seconds after he entered the bedroom when Akame came in behind him. Closing the door quickly, she walked over and hugged him from behind. "That worried about me, huh?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Is it bad that I want you on my team?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled. "No," he answered, turning around and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, "To be honest, I'd feel better with you at my side, too. But Najenda's plan makes sense; our distraction needs enough strength to draw out the guards, and the infiltration team needs enough strength to actually take on what's likely to be left."
"I know that," she replied, looking him in the eye, "That doesn't mean I have to happy with it." "Relax, we're going to be fine," Haru promised, brushing her lips with his, "We're going to go in, kick their collective asses, and come back in one piece." "Najenda told us to prepare whatever we would need," Akame said, switching tracks, "My sword is as sharp as ever, but I think my heart could use some reinforcement." "Wow, you are a bold one, aren't you?" Haru teased, smiling as her face grew darker. Rather than allow her to respond, he leaned in and kissed her quickly. Leaning into him, she forced him back until he fell backwards onto the bed before planting herself on his hips. While they didn't have sex, they still found it fulfilling to be with each other.
Waking up to a knock at the door some time later, Haru rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Chelsea entered the room. "Time to go, you two," she said, smiling at Haru's bare chest, "Fun's over." "Yeah, yeah, we'll be there in a minute," he said, sitting up and reaching for his shirt. She just smirked as she turned and left the room. "This is it," Akame said, rolling onto her back and looking up at Haru. "For them, not us," he said, "We'll come back from this, Akame." "You'd better," she replied, sitting up and kissing him again.
After they had gathered their things, they joined the rest of Night Raid in the main room. Looking over them, Haru tried to gage everyone's state of mind. Tatsumi and Mine were having a private word off to one side, and he saw her lean in and give him a peck on the cheek. Likewise, Lubbock and Najenda had a few words, ending with him giving her a warm smile. Chelsea seemed like her usual cheerful self, even though her eyes were serious. Leone was adjusting the various straps on her body to make her outfit more comfortable, her usual cheer diminished. Even Sheele seemed more focused than normal as she adjusted the strap for her Extase. Walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a reassuring smile. Then, at some unknown signal that they all felt, they turned and made their way to the door. The end had finally begun.