Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill, certainty not. Aside from that, I believe we can all agree that Tatsumi belongs exclusively to Esdeath. (Yes, I was ordered to write that.)
Earlier than normal on the chapter's release, which is great as the last one was late! Thanks for reading!
"Somebody wants to keep us trapped here, I can tell by the wound." Tatsumi quietly remarked.
Makoto saw it, too. The wound across the white horse's neck couldn't have come from a local Danger Beast, it was no deep gash from claws but a precise cut from a bladed-weapon. Intended to spare the animal from pain, while removing it from the world. Not only that, they'd be no signs of the horse being as a food source, least not yet. The sparse campsite they had set up was in ruins, too. Ransacked and destroyed, they had only crafted a small campfire and kept the food secure in containers buried beneath the ground to avoid the local beasts from getting to them.
Tatsumi had only intended to gauge Makoto's ability in combat, provide some pointers to improve and then leave.
But looks like they didn't have any choice but to remain here. They were both pretty drained from fighting against the Danger Beasts, and the distance from Mt. Fake to the Capital was considerate. Without any transport, it'd take at least one whole day to make it there with breaks and stops included.
The real irony is that if Tatsumi had informed Esdeath of his departure to Mt. Fake then they'd probably be home by now.
"You cold, Makoto?" Tatsumi turned his head over to Makoto, who replied by shaking his own. "I'm not, Dad. I don't feel the cold."
Tatsumi wasn't aware of if that was a boast or true, but he didn't want to bet on it. It was his son that was saying this, so he couldn't take risks. He knew that being exposed to the elements for crazily long was a surefire way to fall ill, and even worse was the reality of a wound becoming infected. Untreated infection could lead to limbs being removed to avoid the spread to the vital organs.
Night was on the verge of falling and if they didn't find a safe spot fast, then they would suffer Agotian's previously pre-destined fate of being devoured by the nocturnal Danger Beasts that hunted in the area.
Still, Tatsumi was very confident that he and Makoto could beat whatever Danger-Beast came their way with the intent to maim them, they made quite the team because of their similar ways of fighting and their reliance on using agility over raw power.
"Come on, let's find a cave that we can rest in. If we wait here, then we're just giving whoever wants us dead, more chances to make that reality." Tatsumi waved Makoto over to his side, and to follow him. They walked away from the campsite, taking what supplies they could that was still intact. In the meantime, they talked and conversed. Simple things at first, Makoto's curiosity to learn more about the man that was his Father was tremendous.
Whenever Esdeath had spoken to him of Tatsumi in the future, she always had kind words for him and the image that she presented to the young boy was that Tatsumi were descended from the very Gods as a gift for her and her alone.
The only human alive able to melt the ice that surrounded her beating heart and allow the warmth of the world inside.
When Makoto met Tatsumi, he was confused. The man was his Father but he didn't appear anything like what he had been told, but then he saw it. From day to day life, Tatsumi may have appeared normal and mild to the naked eye yet that all changed when Tatsumi fought in combat. The way that his Dad moved, countered and powered on. It was like his own, but different on all counts.
It was then that Makoto realized that he had been trained in the image of his Father to act as a pseudo-replacement for his Mother.
Normally, sadness would have welled up in the boy but instead, he felt happy. Happy that his Mother had loved Tatsumi enough to not want the boy's legacy to die out. Makoto was fully aware that in the bad future ahead, Esdeath had intended to leave only him behind in terms of children. A six-year-old Makoto had once asked why siblings were so taboo, only to receive an answer in the strangest of ways.
Esdeath answered him by explaining that Tatsumi, his Father's, mortal injuries were so grievous, that recovery of his seed in intact condition had been impossible.
When the Capital was attacked, even the Emperor's Ultimate Teigu wasn't able to win the battle over. Esdeath was forced to abandon Tatsumi's body and leave the Capital with her newborn in arms. Taking only those that could make the journey, when she returned hours later. Tatsumi's body was one of many strung across the Capital's destroyed streets. Men, women and children.
Caked in blood that was his own and of others, that was the day most of Esdeath's sacred ability to love died and never returned.
"Here, this'll do nicely. Let's see if we can make something of this bad situation." Tatsumi had found a cliff-face, and with two impacting punches from Incursio. He had paved a suitable shelter for them from the cold. Makoto assisted, helping to create a good amount of room for them in the cave by paving the jagged surfaces into smooth ones.
He continued working away by smoothing the rocky floor below so that they weren't uncomfortable when sitting down. When they were done, Makoto sealed the entrance to keep the heat in, by generating an Ice Wall.
"All done, Dad. That should keep us safe for a while until we leave." Makoto kept his eyes on the ice wall that had risen, not expecting to feel Tatsumi's hand lightly pat him on the back to thank him for his hard work. He wasn't bothered by this, absolutely not.
It'd be clear by now to Tatsumi that Makoto was in desperate need of Fatherly comfort. And being the nice guy that he was, Tatsumi would try and help with that. "Thanks, Makoto. I wouldn't have been able to do half of the job if it wasn't for you, but we did it all."
Tatsumi pulled the rucksack from his back and began laying the items from it out inside. It was relatively warm inside the cave, and making a fireplace wasn't smart unless they wanted to choke to death. The room was practically airtight with a gap at the top of the ice wall for oxygen to come in, so they'd need to add some greater spots of air to add a fireplace.
They both weren't bothered by this, being used to living in rough conditions.
"Here, take some food, Makoto. Eat as much as you want, we don't need to ration this."
"We'll do some hunting tomorrow down before we set off and we'll be back at the Capital by dinner time." Tatsumi encouragingly said, trying to avoid looking like a bad parent that had caused his son to experience hardship by his inability to plan ahead.
That said, Makoto didn't blame Tatsumi for any of this. In fact, he relished the chance to spend time with Tatsumi longer than what they had planned. "I don't blame you, Dad."
"Huh? What you mean, Makoto?"
"I kinda expected this to happen, you know. There are people in the world that want you dead." Tatsumi internally cringed at the reminder that not everyone appreciated his continued existence, but nodded regardless. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm used to it by now but it's still hard to take in."
"When I was fighting the Empire, it was easy. Because it was us that were doing the sneak tactics, now I'm fighting against people who employ the same ones I did." Tatsumi sighed heavily, talking away without one care. "Least the Empire had the balls to come at us straight up, I can respect them for that."
"Anyway, enough about that. I can't risk you snitching on me to your Mother because then I won't hear the end of it." Tatsumi said with an accompanied bout of laughter and sat down against the wall behind him.
He had managed to pick one of the blankets they had taken up, the other had been torn to shreds with some form of knife. Rendering it completely unusable, when Makoto had finished eating the fruit in his hand, Tatsumi signalled him over with a wave of his hand.
"Here, take this. This blanket's still in good condition, can't say the same for the other one, so you have this one." Handing it over to Makoto, the small boy refused to take it and instead sat down with Tatsumi at his side. Leaning against the wall, and realizing Makoto's intent, Tatsumi couldn't help smiling in pride before moving to throw the blanket over the two of them.
Then they slept, minutes later. Makoto's sleeping head fell into his Father's shoulder and rested there.
Hours passed into the night, with the Ice Wall being cut down effortlessly when midnight came.
In the earlier hours, during Tatsumi and Makoto's initial time in the Training Hall. Esdeath had been working away in her office, as per usual. Assisted by only Captain Torres, considering Lieutenant Rogers was currently away on sick leave.
She had been getting close to discovering the secret to the strange mystery of the Revolutionary Army's sudden disappearance. At the peak of Esdeath's frustration with having to review reports, excitement made itself known.
The double doors to the decorated office suddenly opened up with a slam, and General Agotian came rushing through them. Immediately dropping what she had, and ignoring the surprised shriek from Torres. Esdeath smiled eerily warmly and looked in Agotian's direction. "I wish you'd knock, Agotian. Does privacy not account for much these days, hm?
"M-My deepest apologies, Great General...! It's urgent, I swear!" The once-proud warrior had been reduced to a snivelling sycophant in front of Esdeath. She hadn't held back in his torture, at the eclipse of Budo's ill-fated coup when it was his turn to scream.
He appeared unmarred on the outside, but Esdeath knew that behind the imposing armour that he wore, were scars upon scars from what she had done to him in the Torture Chambers. "It better be, Agotian. Tatsumi and Makoto are currently in the Training Halls below us, and I'd rather want to be aware of things that happen around me."
"Not only that."
"But if I don't find whatever you've come to be about, satisfactory to my liking then I suppose we'll be spending more time together in the Torture Chambers, won't we?" She finished, adjusting the cap on her head with a clear sense of smugness in her pose. Esdeath relished the way that she could walk over Agotian now that she was Great General, they were no longer peers but Commander and Subordinate.
Putting it simply, he was her bitch.
"Captain Torres, you are dismissed for today. Find yourself something to eat." She dismissed Torres without a glance, but with one wave of the hand. "As you say, Great General. Have a good day."
The Ice Queen straightened herself up and prepared for the fun ahead.
"Now, what is it that you've come all this way for? You could have just sent forth a courier to deliver a message, Agotian." Esdeath mused, flipping through reports and shimming through what she had already read with her eyes.
To Esdeath, sending a courier was the obvious way to go about things and she saw no reason for Agotian to make the trip himself unless there were no way around it. "That is because every time I wrote letters for you to receive, I'd discover my courier's bodies laying across the roads near Fallhaven."
"Bandits?" Esdeath nonchalantly asked.
"No, absolutely not! They were guarded by the Elite of my unit, the cream of the crop! No simple bandits could possibly kill my best, and my best beasts!" Whilst, Esdeath assumed this to be a way for Agotian to save face, it wasn't until saw the look in his eyes. That knew that he was telling the cold hard truth, and then stood up after pulling away from her chair. "And I suppose not even Revolutionary's could deal with them, either. This war of Attrition has made them, weak and sloppy."
"I see why you've come yourself. I presume you met no opposition on your way over here, Agotian?" By Esdeath's tone, it was clear to Agotian that she was currently internally running the numbers in her head. Trying to come up with answers, answers to the questions that Agotian's words presented.
She emphasised this by placing a hand underneath her chin to think properly and keep herself upright. "Not once, my Military Carriage was untouched throughout the entire journey to the Capital."
"There we have it, they were trained Assassins. No question about it."
"Unlike with couriers, who they knew carried vital messages. They did not dare attack you, possibly due to the ambiguousness of the situation." Esdeath had cracked the question and felt relieved with herself. She glanced over to Agotian and continued their conversation.
Way more involved than before, greatly desiring to solve the mystery. "They must've known who you were, so they were no simple Assassins either."
"Then that means-!"
"Night Raid." Esdeath's neutral face became a victorious insane grin, she had found them. Night Raid's reliance on Fallhaven's relative unimportance had become their very undoing as whilst it had assisted them in staying hidden away from the Empire, they had betted on it way too heavily. For even with its unimportance, Fallhaven was still apart of the Empire and still under its laws and doctrines.
The fact that Fallhaven hadn't sent any messages to the other Imperial Cities nor traded with them, as another massive tip-off.
"I believe you should be rewarded, General. Now, what can I do you for?" Esdeath was all smiles, she lightly patted Agotian on the shoulder. A gesture that disturbed him more than it relieved him. "Come, let us inform the Prime Minister of this. I want to coordinate an attack, as soon as possible."
They left through the doorway, with Esdeath locking the door behind her up. Important documents were contained inside, that was not for prying eyes.
Esdeath enjoyed mercilessly torturing spies when she had caught them, red-handed, trying to break into safes and locked cases to acquire what was inside but she was busy currently and did not have time for such joy when she had a job to do.
Night Raid would be history, before the Month's end.
"My forces are diminished, supplies are low and the Western Tribes have reorganized themselves. They fight under different banners, now." Agotian explained when they were side by side. The corridor was large enough to accommodate for the General's large size and his Teigu on his waist.
The General knew that trying to save face by lying about the odds was pointless, especially to Esdeath. "They use weapons that I have never seen before, and golems that slow down for no man or weapon."
"They were just savages until just weeks ago!" Losing his composure, Esdeath halted Agotian with a raise of her hand when she was done listening to his woes. "So, you're hardly to blame. I guess I was too quick in sending you away to remove their presence on this earth, Agotian. Like Night Raid, the very thought of them breathing the same air as myself and Tatsumi just annoys me."
"You will need Commanders to lead your troops, I'll employ the Three Beasts to serve at your side. When we are done with the pleasantries, you can help yourself to whatever your forces need to keep the fight going on."
"And by the time that you have dealt with the Western Tribes, Night Raid and the Revolutionary will be both gone, too." These words were music to Agotian's ears, not only did Esdeath take the blame for his own failures herself.
He was also being given three skilled Teigu users from Esdeath's personal legion along with that. Apart of Agotian legitimately held genuine admiration for the younger woman, even if what she had done to him in the Torture Chambers had replaced a lot of that sentiment with fear instead. "Brilliantly said, Great General. I will present the heads of the tribe's leaders to you, personally!"
"I will hold you to that, Agotian. If I hollow out their skulls, they can fulfil an assortment of decorative utilities. Candleholders, to name a few." Esdeath absentmindedly noted, when they drew closer to Honest's office for their talks.
Agotian merely let out a hearty chuckle. When the three of them reviewed the information they had gathered and Honest's own investigation into the location of Night Raid.
They had decided Fallhaven was the Headquarters of the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid combined.
As expected, Esdeath immediately voiced her very fiery intent on mobilizing her legion to reduce the walled city to ashes. She got no argument from Honest or Agotian, they each wanted Night Raid gone from their lives so they could sleep easier. That, and they knew that they would be flayed alive and shown to crowds if they went against her orders.
When the work she had set out to do, was done and dusted along with the additional duties that came with discovering Night Raid's hiding spot at Fallhaven, Esdeath opted to find Tatsumi and Makoto in the Training Halls.
She mused at the fact that she did not enjoy learning of the Revolutionary Army's survival, but instead how she internally craved their destruction on the primal level.
Esdeath noted that she simply felt living with her boys as a loving family was a better life than constantly fighting against insects endlessly.
If she wanted to fight, then that was easy to get. She couldn't acquire what she got from Tatsumi and Makoto in Arenas or battlefields. It was special, very special and she vowed to keep it close and not lose it. Ironically enough, she had done just then.
"Tatsumi...?" Esdeath spoke, sniffling the air in the Training Hall and picking up no scent of his own. Not even Makoto's that she knew very well, was in the air. Rage and indignation burned inside.
Unfair treatment, they had left the Training Hall and left no visible sign of their presence to clue her unto where they had left to. She searched everywhere inside the hall, everywhere. But Esdeath found nothing whatsoever.
"Where are you? ...Where are you? Where are you?" Esdeath repeated, maddeningly. The urge to crush everything in sight was palpable and thickly strong in her body, but Esdeath relented.
She realized that in discovering Night Raid's whereabouts, had the effect of causing Esdeath to unwittingly turn a blind eye away from the two of them in her rush to arrange an offensive strike against the rebels and push them to extinction.
But once again, she had been left alone.
"This is unfair! Wrong! Why can't you stay where I want you?!" Forced to face the harsh reality yet again, that Tatsumi wasn't completely on board with her way of life. Esdeath slammed her leftmost heel into the wooden floor hard enough to penetrate it, and cause notable cracks in the surface around it.
Even when things were normal between them, everything seemed to go downhill quickly when progress was made in their relationship.
In short, a sign that things were getting good between them, eventually meant that same peace would end eventually.
Usually, by Tatsumi's hand, that wasn't something that she would let continue by any means. She would weed it out of him, mold him and his feelings until he couldn't stand to be away from her side. To do that required patience, and she had patience.
The deaths of Tatsumi's friends would surely cause him to withdraw and refrain from establishing emotional connections with those in his life that sought the same, in which she would monopolize him completely and rebuild his world in her own image.
Then, when all was said and done. Esdeath would become Tatsumi's best friend, his confidante, the shoulder to lean on and most importantly, his wife.
His only ally, in the entire world that sought his demise.
Esdeath breathed out and calmed herself down. "You certainly like discipline, don't you? Always putting me in this horrid state, Tatsumi."
"I won't forget this either, Makoto Matsura Partas. Picking your Father over your Mother is simply unforgivable." Without fail, Esdeath always addressed Makoto with motherly endearing words and phrases. "Darling" being of her favourites, so whenever she addressed him by his given name, you'd know that she wasn't in the best of moods with him and he knew that very well.
Without delay, she left the Training Hall. Intending to make effective use of her Danger-Beasts capable of flight to ensure that the hunt for Tatsumi didn't take excessively long considering Esdeath herself wanted to enjoy the rest of the evening with him.
She would scout the surroundings of the Capital, once the Capital itself was done and then go from there. She knew that finding Tatsumi meant finding Makoto, too.
The pair were already inseparable, Esdeath knew that Tatsumi's fatherly instincts were on the verge of becoming dominant in his mind.
It took a few hours of searching but she had located them. The presence of the Ice Wall that blocked that artificial cave was a huge giveaway but one that she had openly welcomed. Standing over them, Esdeath couldn't help herself from smiling at the sight of them sleeping together as they were. "My precious beautiful boys, let's get you home."
An hour passed, and Esdeath put Makoto and Tatsumi to bed. Makoto had awoken shortly upon Esdeath discovering their location at Mt. Fake, so he had been able to ride alongside his Mother on the Danger-Beast that she had given him as a present.
A notably younger beast than the one that Esdeath rode herself, it shared the boy's curious mentality. But unlike his Mother's relationship with her own mount, Makoto didn't need to enforce dominance over the creature to control it, instead, they worked together with it in harmony.
Training wasn't required, he had already been taught well in making use of flight-capable Beasts.
In their luxurious bed, Esdeath and Tatsumi slept. For good measure, she had placed soft restraints on Tatsumi's wrists and legs. Fueled by the previous lingering feeling of indignation that she had felt.
Tatsumi had stayed asleep for the entire journey back to the Capital, oddly enough. That didn't bother Esdeath much, she intended to keep Tatsumi out of the loop when it came to the recent news of Night Raid's location being discovered.
If everything went well, Night Raid would be dead by the time Tatsumi could even try and do anything about it.
In his grief and anguish, she would care for him. Lay all of the blame on Night Raid for not being strong enough to live past their faults, and ensure the future that she wanted.
A happy future.
The night quietly passed by, wind blew calmly outside, Esdeath held unto Tatsumi's body from behind him. Spooning him lovingly, her face buried into the crook of his neck. Arms snaked across him, pulling him against the warmth of her chest.
The room itself was cold, completely pitch black dark and silent. Silent, if not for the quiet murmurs of Tatsumi in his slumber when Esdeath unconsciously squeezed him too hard in her sleep, sleep that was disturbed when the audible sound of a door being unlocked and opened.
Eyes immediately open, and alert.
Esdeath's body stiffened up and became unable to rest until she had resolved whatever intruder had come into her nest. Perfectly fine with killing them with a flick of her wrist, and resolving the matter of the corpse in the early morning light.
That is until Esdeath realized the sound hadn't come from the front of the bedroom at the doorway to the Entrance Hall but instead at her side, in Makoto's bedroom.
Esdeath's killing intent immediately vanished, dispersing away. Facing the direction of Makoto's room, she saw her baby standing in front of his door in complete silence, his head lowered down in possible shame with his body language indicating that he was currently very shaken up.
He hadn't come out for water. Makoto had everything he needed in his own room, she knew that.
Wearing the blue cotton pyjamas that she had brought for him. Makoto, for all of his maturity, carried a brown soft teddy bear in his arms, clutching it tightly for comfort. That was it, she could take no more than this. Staring straight at him, Esdeath hardened her tone but kept herself quiet to avoid awaking Tatsumi up.
"Come to Mommy, Makoto. Come on, come over here."
She already knew what was up, he had a nightmare and was currently struggling with the reality of it. He was a child, plain and simple.
For all of Makoto's maturity, he was just a kid and the horrible experiences that he had gone through, were something that nobody of his age should have. Eventually, his age would catch up to him, despite Makoto's desperate attempts to grow up quicker than expected of him.
Esdeath breathed in relief when Makoto finally moved from his spot, she watched him in silence as he crept over to the end of his parent's bed and slipped under it. Esdeath separated away from Tatsumi and allowed Makoto to squeeze into the middle of them.
When he was in place, with his head against a pillow. Esdeath's arms came around her baby strongly and didn't let go. Kissing him gently on the head. She was wearing a plain shirt at medium length, Esdeath halted every single one of Makoto's attempts to speak.
Shushing him at every turn, she knew that he wanted to clarify himself or to explain what had gone on. Desiring to save face, and avoid looking like, what he was, a child.
Madly enough, Esdeath refused to allow Tatsumi to rest without some level of intimacy being shared between them. To this end, she kept a leg stretched out to keep it connected with his own. Minutes passed by, and Makoto wasn't falling asleep.
This annoyed Esdeath, she wasn't willing to fall asleep herself until she knew that her baby had done first. Then, Esdeath recalled something very important from a book she had read previously upon deciding that interviewing others for their experiences on raising children wasn't great for her mental stability at any rate.
Spinning Makoto's body around so that he was facing her own, Esdeath pushed her boy's head against the leftmost side of her chest. This was so that Makoto could properly hear the beatings of her heart as she felt him lovingly, and it was working like a treat.
She had read that whilst in the womb, in the last few months of pregnancy, fetus's would be lulled asleep by the sounds coming from the Mother's heart.
A lullaby of sorts and Esdeath had opted to test it out. She had read that on some occasions, even after the birth had taken place, it'd still work.
The falling eyelids and gentle murmurs of sleepiness of her son were all the evidence that Esdeath required, grinning madly with glee. Esdeath breathed out in bliss and kept Makoto close by.
Waiting for him to finally fall asleep, and when he did, he was so out of it that he could be seen drooling on the pillowcase he'd be resting on. Forever hooked on the faces Tatsumi and Makoto wore when they slept, Esdeath kissed her baby's forehead softly and then threw the covers back over them further to fall asleep herself.
The next afternoon arrived, Agotian hadn't moved out from the Capital just yet. Ordered to stay positioned in its walls, until the evening of the next day. Esdeath was currently sitting in her office, currently briefing the Three Beasts on their new responsibilities.
They were to serve Agotian, on loan, of course. She still had plans for them, once they were finished dealing with the Western Tribes and their leader.
"As of today, you'll be serving with General Agotian in his mission to eliminate the Western Tribes. The Western Tribes have become quite a nuisance, we underestimated them and they've begun to bite us back for that error in judgement." Sitting on the end of the desk, one leg folded over the other. Esdeath huffed a bit in displeasure when she finished speaking words.
The Three Beasts were stood opposite her with straight firm postures, waiting patiently for their Leader to continue. "If you have questions, voice them now. General Agotian is waiting for you in the Military Staging area outside of the Palace, he'll brief you on the plans ahead and of course, introduce himself to you."
Nobody said anything until Kraygarr stepped forward, seconds later. Abduin and Nash clearly confused by this but stayed quiet.
"I do, Master Esdeath." The proud warrior exclaimed, keeping his hands folded behind the back.
"Oho, is that so? Go on." Esdeath's surprise was considerate, but she didn't refuse Kraygarr's request. She was fair to a point, and Kraygarr had served her well thus far. The aftermentioned warrior immediately dropped to his knees, and lowered his head in respect, then spoke. "While I would love to bring justice to the Western Tribes for the Empire, I simply cannot stomach being away from the Young Master and being unable to serve as his bodyguard."
At this moment, Esdeath's office became bitterly cold. Signalling the others to leave with a slow-motion of the hand, keeping a hard gaze directly on Kraygarr. Considering the freezing temperature of the room, Nash and Abduin weren't going to reject a command like that.
They left as quickly as they arrived, leaving only the Ice Queen and her loyal servant left.
"Is my request not satisfactory, Master?" Kraygarr lifted himself upward, only to receive a firm push back down from Esdeath's hand when she stood up from the desk. She kept her hand fixed on his head, ensuring that the floor was all he saw. "Is the cold in the air not enough for you to see that it isn't? You were placed as Makoto's bodyguard for your skills, I never said to forge a close friendship with him."
"The only male influence Makoto requires is that of his Father. You are not needed in that vein, Kraygarr."
"So if you continue to overstep yourself then I will be forced to kill you myself." They'd be no reluctance in Esdeath's words, deadly serious like usual when dealing with important matters.
"I can respect your reasoning behind wanting to stay in the Capital, but it's not needed... I'll tell you why you deserve that much." It'd be now that Esdeath removed her hand from Kraygarr's head, mockingly knocking it to the side with it when she was done. Taking her place at the chair behind the desk in the room, Esdeath began leaning against the palm of her hand whilst keeping an elbow on the table.
"You see, everyone in the Capital currently believes that I adopted Makoto from the remnants of a destroyed people. That I kidnapped the boy, performed all manner of gruesome plastic surgery to have him resemble me physically and then brainwashed him into resembling me mentally." Kraygarr knew the story, but he had begun suspecting more than that, even if Esdeath wouldn't have been above performing what she had said in reality. "But that couldn't be any more far from the truth, you see. Makoto is my child, my biological child. I don't believe you've heard of a Teigu known as, Chronos Key, correct?"
"Only in legend, Master. It is a myth, where I come from." Kraygarr responded, alert and wary.
"As it should be, but I will tell you. The Teigu is no myth, Makoto originates from the far future ahead of us. One, where you and everything else dies."
"How is that-" Kraygarr, overwhelmed and shocked spluttered out. "I'm far from finished, so shut up and listen to me."
"Makoto is the result of my hard work being rewarded, and he has come to the past for my sake alone. A family tragedy is fated to happen, he is an only child to my future self. The future Esdeath that had to endure life without Tatsumi in it." The words of the Ice Queen allowed Kraygarr to understand more of Makoto's personality and his general detachment from reality. Why Makoto wasn't "up-to-date" in the happenings of the modern world, like himself.
They were both outsiders. "So, as you can tell. I do not want to put unnecessary risks on my chances of having a happy future, the one that I deserve."
"I-I understand, Master. I will assist General Agotian in the west, as you command." Kraygarr was slightly shaken up but mostly relieved to know that Makoto was his Master's true heir. As such, he didn't need to worry that Esdeath would discard him away from boredom, considering he had already seen that she was a woman of maternal love.
The happiness in his heart was cut short when Esdeath spoke once more. "Oh, and mind you. If I see you conversing with Makoto when you should be attending to your duties, then I'll have you killed without trial. Try to remember your place in the world, Kraygarr."
"Yes, of course. I will stay focused, at all times." Kraygarr nodded, absolute and firm.
"That'll be all, be on your way. Rejoin the others in the staging area." Shooing him away, Kraygarr left without another solitary word.
When they were done, Esdeath leaned back and breathed out heavily. Mixed feelings swirled inside the Ice Queen's heart, pride and annoyance. Naturally, she was proud as a Mother for Makoto's ability to forge connections and friends.
Like his father before him, but she didn't like it either way. She hated it. Tatsumi's own social prowess was one of the primary reasons why she had to destroy Night Raid completely, due to the fact that they were some of the only ones alive that could sway her mate from his place at her side.
It'd only get worse for her if she had to eliminate Makoto's friends in a similar fashion, too.
Make no mistake, Esdeath adored the parts of Makoto that were so very Tatsumi but at the same time, she felt conflicted when reminded of the very real possibility that Makoto could leave her in the same cold way that Tatsumi had tried to do so many times prior.
A gilded cage of love was still a cage in the end. Esdeath spent the remainder of the day preparing for the final confrontation with Night Raid. Clinging desperately unto the hope that if she was able to erase both Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army in one swift stroke.
Then Tatsumi would be forced to succumb to the love that she felt for him, it was written into history, he was hers.
The morning of the next day arrived, and Tatsumi had already made his way to the Canteen to have breakfast with Wave. It was early, six in the morning in fact. Stretching herself upon dressing into her uniform, Esdeath walked over to knock on Makoto's door.
He was usually awake by now and dressed, morning lessons with his tutor started in twenty minutes time with short breaks in-between certain topics to avoid confusing the poor boy. She knocked once, waited patiently for fifteen seconds then knocked once more.
No answer.
"Sweetie, it's time to get up. You'll be late for your lessons, darling." Esdeath's motherly tone seemingly had no effect on the boy behind the door.
He was in the room, she knew that. Esdeath knocked yet again and gently placed a hand on the doorknob to open the door slightly. Then she heard it, a loud spluttering hacking cough.
Makoto's entire body was hidden by his covers, he didn't want to be seen in his current state. Throwing the door open, Esdeath stepped forwards and loomed over Makoto's bedside. In one swoop, Esdeath scooped Makoto up and wrapped him in the bundle of covers that he had thrown over himself.
"Shhh, you should've said something, dear." Esdeath's plans for the day were put on permanent hold, she intended to bring a portion of her legion away from the safety of the Capital to the region near Fallhaven.
So they could set up base camp, ready themselves and ensure that they could keep tabs on the activities of their enemy but now it seemed like it was not to be. Makoto had fallen ill, and Esdeath's maternal instincts refused to entertain the notion of working when he wasn't feeling one hundred per-cent.
It wasn't all that bad, she could simply delegate the responsibilities of setting the Forward Operating Base to the Jaegers. They were respected enough for it to be a relatively simple mission for them to complete, besides, they hadn't received a proper mission for quite a while. The matter of searching for Night Raid had been a mission for the entire Empire to undertake, so they no longer acted like a secret police force.
"Come on, let's get you checked out." Esdeath adjusted her baby's position in her arms, so she was supporting him by the bottom of his legs. Esdeath opted to gain a Doctor's opinion on the state of Makoto's health, acquire medicine to remedy his condition and then pull Tatsumi from his current activity so that he could assist in Makoto's path to recovery.
She knew that Makoto would be more at ease in the presence of both his parents, so that's what she would do.
Esdeath was confident that she could leave the transference of duties and mission directives to Captain Torres, she respected the young woman's military devotion and intended to capitalize on that same devotion to make her own life easier. Carrying the tightly wrapped Makoto in her arms, Esdeath carried him out of their quarters and into the corridors. She arrived first at Makoto's scheduled classroom and informed the shocked tutor of her ill sweetheart's absence, leaving immediately afterwards.
Then came Torres, who she encountered in the same corridors whilst Esdeath moved to the Imperial Doctor's office, she wasted no time in handing the girl what she needed to know on paper inside an envelope and left within' the same instant.
The Imperial Doctor examined Makoto's state of health, watched like a hawk by the mother in the room, he verified Esdeath's original thoughts and explained that Makoto was suffering from a nasty aggressive viral infection, from exposure to the elements and to combat the infection, his body had become stricken with a fever to aid in dealing with it.
He provided anti-inflammatory medicine to be taken orally with water and recommended the usual healthy amount of rest.
The increase in temperature was very odd for Esdeath to see, especially when she would've dealt with it by usage of her Teigu. It was then that Makoto explained, exactly why he wasn't able to use the Demon's Extract to cool his body down, it wasn't a Teigu.
The ability to use and manipulate ice itself was genetic and completely a part of his body. Thus, affected by his state of health. Esdeath's children would be blessed by the innate ability to channel her powers from birth.
Esdeath herself was practically immune to illness, Makoto's state of unwellness was mainly due to Tatsumi's genes but the Ice Queen wouldn't have had it any other way.
Thirty minutes passed, and Esdeath arrived back at her quarters. She had decided to give Makoto some of the prescribed medicine, swap his sweat ridden clothes for flesh clean pairs and pull Tatsumi over to them.
She figured that if she didn't act fast, then Tatsumi would follow Wave along in his duties but she would not allow that to happen when Esdeath required him here.
"Here, place the tablets on the tip of your tongue then drink and swallow together." Esdeath had just dressed Makoto out of his uncomfortable clothes and put new ones on him. They'd be sitting on the end of his bed together.
Handing him chilled water gently, she had seen his hands shaking so she knew that he'd be likely to drop the glass if not careful. "It'll be a while until I can change your sheets, so you can sleep in Mommy's large comfy bed whilst you rest."
He nodded slowly and sipped the water having swallowed the medication, placing an arm around his tiny shoulder to pull him close and tight into her side, Esdeath nuzzled the top of his head with her nose and tenderly kissed him to comfort him. "...Thanks, Mom."
"Think nothing of it, darling. I was sick to my stomach with the thought of not being able to be your side when you fell ill for the first time." Esdeath kept the pressure that she had on his side, and placed her another hand directly against her boy's forehead.
Only very lightly using her Teigu to cool him down, and by the quiet breath of relief she heard him release, it was working very well. When Makoto finished the glass of water in his hands, Esdeath gently took it from him and placed it somewhere on the floor.
"Up you go, let's lay you down somewhere warm while I grab your Father." Lifting him straight into her arms, Esdeath carried him from his bedroom and into her own. Shifting the pillows into more centralized positions, sliding him underneath the covers and paying extra attention to ensure that no part of his body below the neck was exposed to the air.
For once, Esdeath's mad obsession with ensuring the two people that she had affection for were looked after, wasn't such a bad thing considering Makoto's condition had stabilized.
With the finishing touches placed, leaving a glass of water by his side and a frozen towel at the end of the bed.
Esdeath begrudgingly left Makoto in peace, heading straight towards Tatsumi's perceived location in the Cantina.
In the Cantina. Wave and Tatsumi were together sitting side by side, discussing their separate relationships. Naturally, Wave had way nicer things to say about his own than Tatsumi did about his own if you could call it that.
Sipping coffee, Tatsumi was almost envious at the sheer normalcy of Wave and Kurome's relationship. The only thing that was shared by both relationships was the gap in age.
Wave was in twenty years old, and Kurome was sixteen herself. But neither minded it much, Kurome knew that good men were hard to come by in the Empire, so Wave was a diamond in the rough.
"So, you still butting heads with the Commander, Tatsumi?" Wave joked, chewing on his bagel.
"You betcha, she was furious with me when I took Makoto to Mt. Fake... If you class furious, as waking up with your hands and legs in restraints, that is."
"You know, Tatsumi. Some guys here would kill to be in your position, count yourself lucky." Wave's continued joking demeanour only received a hard stare from Tatsumi, who knew exactly what Wave meant. "Well, Uhm, they'd be crazy too. Isn't that right, Tatsumi? Aha."
"I suppose. Still, how's Esdeath taken to your relationship with Kurome?" Tatsumi asked, genuinely curious. "I can't say for sure, but I think we'll be fine as long as we keep it out of her sight."
"Be careful, Wave. Just because fraternization laws are jackshit to our relationship, doesn't mean you can get off that easy yourself. I don't doubt that she'll bring the full force of the justice system on your unsuspecting head if she catches you making out with Kurome in the corridor." Tatsumi's advice was the truth, himself and Esdeath were officially Leader and Subordinate but they ate together and shared the same bed.
The only reason why Tatsumi hadn't been carted away to the nearest Military Prison for breaking Military Conduct was for the same reason why Esdeath hadn't, because she controlled everything and was able to dismiss any accusations of unfairness with her might alone.
Wave wasn't subject to that bubble, Esdeath held affection for him but unless Tatsumi was involved. She always put the Military first and Wave would suffer greatly if he went against her conducts. The only saving grace of Wave and Kurome's relationship is that it was balanced, unlike Tatsumi and Esdeath whose relationship was built on dominance and submission.
"Thanks, Tatsumi. I'd ask that you put a good word in for me, but I doubt even you can sway Esdeath over in that regard." Wave's demeanour was less joking now but he'd keep his spirits up. Taking his friend's advice in stride. "I don't want to lose any more friends, Wave. You mean a lot to me, so let's keep our heads down and work together."
"Yeah, you're r-" Wave moved to reply, but the audible sound of loud cacking heels stopped him. Everyone in the Cantina, man and woman, fixed their eyes on the cold presence of Esdeath when she walked over to the spot her mate was residing at. Moving behind him, placing the two of her hands possessively on his broad shoulders, she kept silent in hopes that he'd turn around.
Tatsumi didn't, keeping his vision on Wave and hoping to continue their conversation without Esdeath's interference. She didn't usually bother him during breakfast, at least when he was allowed to share it with Wave instead.
"Think you'll have time for a sparring session, later on, Wave? I want to deepen my connection with Incursio, more power is something I need right now." Wave could see the swift change in expression on Esdeath's face when Tatsumi finished speaking, from neutral to elated. The grip on his shoulders became harder and tense as a result, but Tatsumi kept ignoring Esdeath and focused on Wave. "Oh, of course. If I have time, that is."
"Wave will be busy for the remainder of the day, as will the Jaegers. They have a very special mission to complete, Tatsumi." Esdeath chimed in, sliding a hand away from Tatsumi's shoulder to take a sip of his coffee.
Tasting him on her lips, she enjoyed isolating him from Wave and took childish satisfaction in derailing his plans for the day to shift them in line with her own plans. "Well, I can always come along with him... Aiding the Empire and all that."
"I see no reason why you can't-" Yet again, Wave was cut off by another loud sound. The sound of ceramic being violently against the stone floor of the Cantina, Esdeath had intentionally thrown the mug that she held away in response to the indignation she had been shackled with.
Refusing to be ignored anymore, Esdeath struck Tatsumi square in the neck, instantly rendering him unconscious from the blow alone. His eyes had been on Wave, so avoiding the strike was completely out of the question.
With Tatsumi's head falling on his empty plate, Wave's eyes locked with Esdeath's cold pair of blue orbs. "Was that really necessary, Commander?"
Quiet mumbles arose in the Cantina, and Esdeath pulled Tatsumi's slump body away from the chair upon pulling it out of the way. "I decide what is needed, and what is not. Remember well, Wave. I control you, Kurome and Tatsumi."
Sensing the hostility from Esdeath, Wave's body tensed up and became stiff. "If I judge that your closeness with Kurome is beginning to adversely affect your performance, then I will cut you two apart from each other and toss you into the wind."
Impressed that he was able to keep his eyes fixed on hers, Esdeath exchanged a dark dangerous smile back to Wave and left the Cantina behind her with Tatsumi in tow. Wave was only able to clutch his fist tightly in frustration at being held captive by his Commander's sick twisted sense of what was right and wrong in life.
He vowed to not let it stop him from pursuing a relationship with Kurome, hoping that Tatsumi was able to stay strong as well. They had developed a symbiotic relationship of sorts in the recent months, they relied on the other and supported their counterpart in his own personal struggles.
Secretly, apart of Wave wanted to leave the Empire behind him entirely and to head into early retirement from his life as a Jaeger. Taking Kurome with him, and hopefully convincing Tatsumi to come along with them for the boy's own sake. He knew that Esdeath was beginning to affect his personality, and soon he'd be unrecognizable as the person he previously was.
"You couldn't have just let me finish, could you?" Tatsumi bitterly groaned, glaring directly at Esdeath while being humiliatingly carried. "I can walk just fine, put me down."
"I will not, not until we've reached our quarters." Esdeath nonchalantly replied.
"What's so important, Esdeath? If you had told me, I'd have followed willingly, you didn't need to knock me out."
"Our baby is sick, Tatsumi. You caused that yourself by taking him outside to the Mountains, he's currently recovering in our bed as we speak." Esdeath surprised Tatsumi with her words, and naturally, he felt immediately guilty for his role in Makoto's condition if she were telling the truth. "...You're joking, aren't you? Come on, what is it really?"
"I wouldn't joke about my child, Tatsumi. You should be aware of that, I am not in the mood for jokes today." Convinced by her words and hardened tone, Tatsumi eased himself up and tried to make himself feel better about the situation. He figured the best that he could do is simply be there for Makoto in his recovery. "...I see, still, how'd he get ill?"
"Everyone gets ill, Tatsumi. It's natural and expected." Esdeath replied as if she was lecturing a child. "That's not what I meant, you know that. I mean, he's half of you... I've never seen you have so much as a sore throat, Esdeath."
"I have overcome sickness, but you have not. Because of your wonderful D.N.A making up half of him, it's clear that he won't be as protected as I am against worldly diseases." Esdeath clarified, leaving Tatsumi feeling rather stupid for not figuring that out himself. Having suspected Esdeath's traits would've overcome much of his own in Makoto's body. "But don't be sad, Tatsumi. Our babies are already beyond what it means to be human, they'll be gifted with everything they could ever want and so much more."
Esdeath's dreamy soothing tone of voice whilst absorbed in fantasies, only caused Tatsumi to regret being forced into the role of the Father for Esdeath's brood. "You can't replace love and care, with materialism, Esdeath."
"It's not my intent to replace motherly love with inanimate objects, Tatsumi. That's just bad parenting." Esdeath scoffed, partly insulted by Tatsumi's baseless accusation. Holding Tatsumi by his back and below the legs, she'd intentionally press his head against her chest to punish him, causing Tatsumi to pull his head away from the squishy mounds. "...You know, you're chest is way too big for you to move as quickly as you do, Esdeath. And I'm not just saying that."
"The size of my breasts shouldn't have any bearing on how quickly I am able to move, besides, they're only going to get bigger anyway." Esdeath scoffed, welcoming Tatsumi's comment openly. She wasn't ashamed or displeased with the size of her chest regardless, especially when she knew that Tatsumi had a preference towards her for them. "Wait, what do you mean? You aren't thinking of..."
"No, silly. You know that I frown on body modification, Tatsumi." True to her statement, Esdeath was all-natural in every sense of the word.
"What I meant is that my cup-size will increase regardless during pregnancy, to prepare for the task of caring for the life that grows inside me." Swaying Tatsumi around in her arms, Esdeath was on Cloud-9 just thinking of the future ahead. Tatsumi was less than excited about that, for reasons already stated. They arrived at their quarters, Esdeath putting Tatsumi back on solid ground moments later.
Dusting himself off slightly, Tatsumi immediately opened the door to the Entrance Hall and ran straight through it. Greatly concerned about Makoto's welfare, Tatsumi was relieved when he laid eyes on the sleeping form of Makoto in their bed. The water at his bedside had been drunk, and the cold towel folded up and residing on his forehead.
Tatsumi breathed out in relief while Esdeath began undressing out of her uniform behind him. Sliding away boots upon unzipping them, and unbuttoning her top completely before discarding it to the floor below. And doing away with her gloves. By the time Tatsumi had noticed that she had been removing her clothes, she was just wearing her black silk undergarments.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Tatsumi whispered in alarm, in which Esdeath simply walked over to him. Placing her slender pale arms below her breasts to emphasize them strongly. "I'm changing into something much more comfortable, Tatsumi."
"Comfortable, you say? Makoto is in the room, he's sleeping and you're going commando!" Keeping his hushed tone, Tatsumi tried to avoid the oncoming arms that held him close. Face crimson, Tatsumi tried to pull away but Esdeath's grip was relentless. "I cannot look after my baby in my uniform, it just isn't comfortable. Now if you're done with playing stupid, I need to finish getting dressed."
"Yeah, yeah. Honestly, somedays that's the only thing you wear." Tatsumi sighed, relieved when Esdeath let him go and began heading over to the closet. He'd sit by the fireplace, using one of the many chairs in the room to rest on.
Esdeath opened the closet doors and began searching for a suitable outfit to wear, eventually deciding on a fashionable cream turtle-neck sweater she had brought some time ago and black trousers with black pumps to go along with them.
Esdeath also opted to tie her hair up, taking a bobble from one of the closet's additional drawers. Like before, Esdeath simply tied it up at the back and left her fringe as it was. This was primarily because Esdeath didn't want to have to bother with her hair whilst she was preparing meals and the like for Makoto in his time of need.
Incredibly thoughtful, but only to the ones she deemed deserving of it. So, two people in total.
When she was done, Esdeath walked calmly over to her son's bedside and woke him up by lightly stroking his cheek. The Ice Queen's heart leapt in joy when she observed the gentle adorable flickering of boy's eyes, watching him shake away sleep's hold on him with the slow motions of his head. Taking away the towel from his forehead, and brushing aside the astray hair covering his eyes.
Kissing his forehead when it was revealed, Esdeath's kiss being lined with soothing coldness to ease the tremendous heat in his body.
"Uhhh, Mom...?" Makoto sluggishly spoke, he'd notice Tatsumi in the background and exchange a smile with his Dad when they met eyes.
"You're Dad's here now. Are you thirsty, hungry? You'll need something to keep your strength up, and if you don't drink then you'll get dehydrated." Well educated on the side-effects of a fever, especially one as horrible as the one Makoto was currently inflicted with, Esdeath wanted to ensure that Makoto didn't fall ill further by neglecting to keep his body well equipped to deal with the infection. "No... I think I'll just rest here, Mom."
She had expected Makoto's initial refusal but Esdeath would have nothing of it. "You're just saying that because of the fever. It's affected your appetite, you'll feel better once you've had something good to fill you up."
Taking his cue, Tatsumi walked over and stood by Esdeath's side. Nodding in agreement with the sound words she spoke. "You're Mother's right, Makoto. If you don't eat, you'll just get way worse than you are now. I don't think either of us could stomach seeing that."
Being pressed by the two of his parents, Makoto stayed characteristically quiet and proceeded to bury himself under the covers to hideaway.
"Oh, don't you even dare." Esdeath let a light chuckle loose and pulled the covers back down to reveal the ashamed face of her son. It'd be very clear to the two of them that Makoto didn't like having to depend on the help that he'd receive unconditionally. Only Tatsumi could relate, he himself strived to be independent and usually dealt with his own problems by himself.
To him, personal problems were called personal problems for a reason.
When Makoto didn't say anything else, Esdeath assumed full control of the situation by force.
"Then it's settled, I'll have the attendants prepare some mushroom soup for you and if it is not up to standard then I will simply make it myself." Like usual, Esdeath's word was law and Makoto having been raised for ten long years by the woman in front him, could not go against them.
That said, Makoto was thankful that this version of his Mother always had his best interests in mind and openly displayed the love she felt for him.
She didn't keep it locked up inside but wore it on her sleeve.
Tragically, that meant that Makoto was also well aware that all it took to reduce Esdeath from the very image of maternal love to a cold twisted Ice Queen was Tatsumi's fated death.
At first, Makoto merely wanted to create a future where his Mother got what she wanted.
But now, it was personal.
An hour passed by. Tatsumi was sitting by the lit fireplace, Esdeath had moved some of the cushioned lounge chairs from the study into the bedroom. The reason why was fairly obvious, shown by Esdeath's current motherly action, which was resting in the lounge chair opposite Tatsumi with Makoto wrapped up soft blankets resting in her arms.
Book in hand, she was reading a story to him, one he had picked out prior.
The very sight of this disturbed Tatsumi greatly, he hated seeing scenes like this. The moments where Esdeath didn't seem like a such a twisted monster in human form, but instead like a woman that simply wanted to live in peace.
Peace she had denied a thousand others and condemned them to death and horrible torture. If only Esdeath wasn't renown for such cruelty, then it'd make the option of legitimately siding with her so much more agreeable.
The very thought that he himself would be responsible for the destruction of this blissful happiness that Esdeath treasured so much was almost too much to endure, but Tatsumi powered on.
He couldn't stop, the Empire had taken way too much from him for him to just give up and bow down to their rule. He'd make his departed friends proud, or perish trying to.
As long as he died in defiance of the Empire, that'd be enough for him. Tatsumi was content in leaving the heavy lifting to Akame if that's what it took.
His trust in her was unparalleled. Sadly, Tatsumi was locked from the loop that his lover was currently in the methodical process of removing the last pieces that she considered obstacles in her way. Tatsumi's devotion to destroying the Empire was perfectly matched by Esdeath's intention to rid the world of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army then sire Tatsumi's children when everyone that could oppose her were eliminated.
Tatsumi would not back down, and Esdeath would not take no for an answer.
The upcoming battle could only end in tragedy for the two of them, their principles and beliefs were unshakeable.
The only silver lining was that Makoto was determined to prevent them from completely destroying the chances they had at love. Like previously stated, Makoto was the hope that inspired Tatsumi to work with the matter of dealing with the Empire differently, encouraging him to rebuild it without the deeply rooted corruption draining the Empire of its beauty.
People like Honest were perfectly content with letting the Imperial Nobles run rampant with their sick games if it kept him in control.
Without the appearance of Night Raid, Tatsumi would've simply become a victim of their sadistic vices, too.
Like his friends.
"Eyes front, Tatsumi. You look worried, what's the matter?" Esdeath knocked Tatsumi from his deep contemplative thoughts and drew his attention. "...Nothing I'm fine, I was just thinking to myself."
"About, hm~? You can tell me, in fact, you will tell me. Keeping secrets isn't the sign of a healthy relationship, Tatsumi." Having finished the book, Esdeath dropped it slowly to the ground near the chair she was sat on and adjusted Makoto's position in her arms so that he was more comfortable.
Letting him sink into her body and feel the warmth she provided him. Intending to let him fall asleep in her embrace. "Just... What brought me here, Esdeath. The events and all that, you know."
"Don't think about them, Tatsumi. Think about the present, that's all that matters now."
"You matter to me, I matter to you and this little darling in my arms is the responsibility of both of us." Esdeath's mood became so very elated when Makoto sighed in contentment when she squeezed him affectionately.
Tatsumi desperately wanted to share Esdeath's joy, to be as happy she was right now was something to be desired. Tatsumi was torn between intense self-loathing and the need to escape himself. "I know what you mean, but I'm different from you... I just can't move on."
"Moving on takes time, Tatsumi. It won't happen today, but sometime in the future you will forget all about them." Esdeath's words were dripping with confidence, she was convinced that Tatsumi would soon forget about his life with Night Raid once they were fully out of the picture. "We're more alike than you realize, Tatsumi. You're a Predator like me, a survivor and a leader. That's why we go so well together, you and I."
The more Esdeath spoke, the more she began to make sense.
"That's why the thought of us making children in the future drives me insane with giddiness." Esdeath leaned further back against the chair she was on, and intently stroked the sleeping boy in her arms yet again. In turn, Tatsumi began slouching in his chair too, warmed by the heat from the fireplace near them. "The world is filled with loathsome individuals that survive only by drinking the nectar from the flowers that stand tall above the rest. Parasites, Tatsumi."
"Like I said before, the world could use people like us in it... Couldn't it?" Now Esdeath's eyes went from Makoto's sleeping expression straight to Tatsumi's own pair of green orbs. Staring hard at him. She wanted a positive answer from him, and he knew that. She wouldn't accept a refusal from him, Esdeath desired to have her way of thinking affirmed and supported by Tatsumi.
"Yeah... When I see you like this, acting as the perfect mother and the ideal wife..."
"I can really say that doesn't sound like a bad thing." Tatsumi's line of sight lowered to the floor at his feet, he'd be unable to look Esdeath directly in the eye while saying that, mainly because it was the truth. As much as he hated Esdeath and what she stood for along with everything she had done to him and his loved ones. He couldn't find himself being able to hate her when she behaved so damn innocently, Tatsumi guessed that it was because he was soft to behaviour like that.
Aria probably would've been successful in gouging his eyes out, if she wanted way back then if she had kept the sweet and gentle act up.
Seryu, too. He had managed to strike up a friendship of sorts with the Imperial Guardswoman prior to the revelation that she had been an irredeemable psychopath of the worst kind the entire time. Either that or Ogre's death had unwittingly sent the woman off into the deep end permanently.
"Aaah... Whatever did I do to deserve you, Tatsumi? We're going to be so very happy together." Sighing in bliss, Esdeath stood up slowly with Makoto in her grasp and began shifting towards their bed. Intending to put him to sleep where he'd be comfortable and warm, Esdeath drew the covers back with one arm with the other keeping a tight hold on him. She'd gently place him in the middle once again, and pull the duvet over him. Yet again, ensuring that no part of his lower body past his collarbone was seen.
When she was done, she'd lean forward and kiss him tenderly on the forehead. "Sleep well, darling."
Tatsumi watched as Esdeath came back over to him, and sat on the armrest of the chair that he, himself, was sat on. Crossing her legs and leaning against Tatsumi's side, clearly desiring intimacy with him. "Makoto will be sleeping with us tonight, Tatsumi. Fevers from Viral infections aren't highly contagious, with the right precautions, so you don't need to worry about getting ill."
"I wasn't worried about that, I'd welcome it at this rate. Like you said, I'm practically to blame for Makoto being in the state he is." Tatsumi confessed, clearly guilty about his role in it, despite not desiring it whatsoever. "Good, good. I originally intended to change his sheets with new ones and keep his door open for the night, but I just can't stomach the thought of that anymore."
"The bed's large enough for four people, at least. You're wrong if you think I have an issue with sharing it, with my own flesh and blood." Clarifying this sentiment straight out, Tatsumi felt pretty fine at referring to Makoto as his heir especially after the events of their Training Session. Esdeath's arm came right around Tatsumi's shoulder and pulled him into her waist, her nose moving seconds afterwards to dive into Tatsumi's hair. Sniffling him intensely and without pause.
Lust came into Esdeath's voice for the first time in a while. "...I want to eat you up so badly, right now."
"Let's find somewhere nice and quiet, Tatsumi. Somewhere where we can have sex without interruption." Esdeath's blunt nature betrayed just how eager she was at the moment, most likely spurred into action by Tatsumi's cooperative nature and the love she felt for him. The irresistible urge to please Tatsumi sexually was palpable, the Ice Queen's nethers had already begun to feel agonizingly tight and bitterly hollow without something, in particular, to make them shiver in delight.
"Esdeath, not right now. You said so yourself, Makoto is the priority until he's well." Tatsumi tried to argue against it, characteristically not wanting to distract himself from Makoto in his ill-state. "He'll be fine for an hour or two... And that's all I need with you, Tatsumi."
"I still don't feel comfortable with it today, Esdeath."
"Can we pass, just this once?"
"Are you going to refuse me, Tatsumi? Are you aware of what happens when I don't receive what I need and what I crave?" Sensing something big was about to go down because of his refusal to be intimate, Tatsumi tried to pull himself up from the chair, only for Esdeath to swing herself over and pin him against it by trapping him with her knees at his sides. "So, are you?"
Glaring daggers into him, Tatsumi was horrified at just how quickly Esdeath's personality, wants and desires and everything else could change within' an instant.
When Tatsumi didn't respond immediately, Esdeath became tense and frustrated. Insecurity flared up and increased the burning desire to be loved and held by her mate. Placing her possessive hands to the sides of Tatsumi's head tightly, enforcing eye contact and keeping him looking at her. "You love me. Don't you, Tatsumi? Come on, say it."
"I love you...I do love you." Tatsumi replied slowly but startlingly quick, having trained himself to do so on command. "That's all you needed to say, now..."
"Why don't we have some adult fun?" Esdeath's smile grew eerily, she pulled Tatsumi by the waist up unto his feet and led him into the study where she had decided to pick as the spot they'd "Play around." in.
Broken by his continued inability to exist without being tormented by his other half's insatiable wants and needs, the irony is that countless faceless figures were more than willing to take Tatsumi's place in his situation and aggressively fought over who would inherit the spot of being Esdeath's lover when she finally grew bored of him.
That day would never come.
Esdeath herself did not like it when she had to coerce Tatsumi into being intimate, sexual or otherwise. It was tiresome and caused feelings of bitter insecurity to swell up inside her heart, but even with Esdeath's clear distaste for the brutal horrible act of rape.
She was unable to comprehend that her actions were closer to that than what she thought, of course, sex was largely consensual between them.
But the nature of the given consent itself was dubious and unclear in itself. The amount of leverage she had against Tatsumi was hefty, and in the months they had lived together as lovers, not once had Tatsumi asked Esdeath for sex.
Not even jokingly, considering she might've taken that for seriousness, too. In short, Tatsumi consistently felt obligated and compelled to play along with Esdeath's desires, as rejection would be met with harshness of varying different severities.
The cherry on top was that Tatsumi was slowly becoming equally addicted to the blissful intimacy they shared together on a nightly basis.
Tatsumi's last thoughts before the door to the study closed behind him were of the immense self-loathing he felt for being partially excited the upcoming hedonistic acts he was about to perform.
In the comfort of his parent's bed, Makoto slept peacefully, not frightened by the nightmarish visions of the future he had lived in. The creatures responsible for the nightmares were truly monstrous to behold, Dr Stylish had spared no expense at designing the perfect beasts to traumatize young minds with, sick and twisted even in death.
While Makoto was ascertained that he would be able to overcome and move past the nightmares he faced irregularly, being able to sleep peacefully one night and remain awake the next, with enough time spent in this vastly different period of time. The Ice Prince felt a hint of guilt by being the only one freed from the horrible future, while everyone else was left to endure the endless bleakness. Anyone that was left alive, that is.
And like expected, Makoto was very thankful that Dr Stylish was centralized around genetic engineering and engineering itself rather than working in the field of medicine, else Esdeath probably would've brought him straight to the mad Doctor himself. A recipe for disaster in the making. Revenge had to wait, Makoto had refrained from killing Stylish for the simple matter that it wouldn't solve anything for his future.
For clarification, in Makoto's future timeline, Stylish was already long since dead. Clone or otherwise.
Yet, tragedy had occurred regardless.
Makoto knew that whatever Stylish had unleashed to the world, had been prearranged to take place. Either through proxy, accomplice or another damn clone of his. So, if Makoto were to truly stop what was to come, then it had to be cut away at the very source. No half-measures, if he wasn't smart with this then everything would happen all over again. The only difference being that he would see it with his own eyes, instead of being held at his Mother's chest when the chaos started to unfold.
Everything connected to Stylish had to be systematically purged, as for all they knew if they left a single trace behind then it'd just grow into an even worse problem down the line. Makoto didn't know if Stylish had intended to throw the world into utter chaos, but by this point, he didn't care of the mad doctor's reasoning in his actions or what lead to them.
Any tragic backstory of loss and grief would be shot down instantly.
The major issue in Makoto's plan was that he currently did not know where Stylish was based. He had heard passing mentions that Stylish had been away from the Capital on leave, but without the coordinates to his hideout, that didn't help him much. He had thought of asking Esdeath about it but taking an interest in the affairs of the crazed doctor might draw suspicion from his Mother that he'd like to avoid.
All in all, Makoto was least thankful that he could rely on and include his Father in his plans to kill Stylish in cold blood. He'd be unwilling to let his Dad or anyone take his kill, considering the very torment he had experienced because of the man, Makoto was however still willing to put faith in the abilities of his Father to achieve their shared goal.
"Looks like the game is up, eh?" Leone spoke loudly from her place leaning against the wall. Akame stared back, nodding in confirmation. "It is, they've stopped sending couriers. Reports say that Agotian made the journey to the Capital himself."
"So, what? That doesn't mean we're toast just yet, they could blame our work on bandits." Leone countered back, clearly the optimism in the conversation compared to Akame who was playing the role of the realist. "Bandits can't take on heavily armed Imperial courier protection squads, Leone. They know it's the Revolution."
"Whaa...! Do you know something I don't? What gives?" Leone was very unnerved by Akame's cold tone, it'd be way colder than usual.
"According to reports, the Empire has already set up extensive Military camp near Fallhaven far to the East."
"This is going exactly where I think it is, right?"
"It is like we guessed, they carry the banners of General Esdeath. They wouldn't set a camp up, if they weren't ready to make an attack on us. We have hours, not days, not anymore." Akame clarified and the situation became much more bleak for Leone. It was hopeless already, but that didn't change the fact of the matter that they were just waiting like lambs to be slaughtered by a larger presence.
Like Tatsumi, Leone was betting on Akame being able to land a blow on Esdeath and bring peace back to the Capital once the Tyrant in charge had been disposed of.
"...What's Tatsumi's stake in this?" Leone spluttered out, trying to lift the mood, but unintentionally bringing it down by making reference to their old comrade. Akame just glared at Leone, then sighed and gave her what she knew from Roger's reports. "I don't think he'll be joining the fight, Esdeath will likely want to keep him away... To Rogers, Tatsumi is still a loose cannon in the Ice Queen's Military."
"Not to mention abused." Akame adjusted her place on the chair she sat at, pulling it away from the table a bit. Sipping Coffee lightly. "Then can't we try and convince him to join us?"
"Unlikely, Esdeath specializes in indoctrination tactics, even if we manage to free him... He'll never be the same Tatsumi we knew, and he joined Esdeath willingly."
"Whatever happens, is on him, and him alone." Leone clenched her fist tightly at the thought of what Akame had said, she had no doubt that it'd be true considering even Leone feared the Ice Queen's wide array of skills in the Torture Chamber on some primal level. "The best of what we can do is simply give Tatsumi a quick death with Murasame. That's the secondary objective if we cannot beat Esdeath."
"What's the point of that? Not like we'll make an actual dent, Akame." Leone asked sheepishly, trying to keep the answer she knew to the back of her head. "She loves him if that's even possible for her but if we take away then she'll feel the effects of that loss. We can use that to our advantage."
"Hey. We lost him first...!" Leone's sudden burst in anger caused her Teigu to activate by itself. The blonde woman's eyes became slited like a cat's, ears sprouted from the top of her hair with claws and tail arising later. Her hair becoming drastically longer than before. Despite this, Akame stayed perfectly calm and gave Leone a disapproving look to show her disappointment. At this, Leone calmed back down and allowed the effects of Lionelle to fade away. "Believe me, Leone. I know what you feel, but I'm moved on from Tatsumi... It's time you did too."
Sadly, moving on from Tatsumi wasn't as easy for Leone as it was for Akame. Which mind you, wasn't easy regardless.
Akame had managed to put aside the feelings of romance she had for Tatsumi when news of his defection had arisen. She had done the same when Tatsumi and Mine became open with their relationship, she had never let Tatsumi know of her feelings whatsoever. Leone herself had done the same when she saw how happy and joyous Mine was over entering a relationship with Tatsumi, but the feelings of love came surging back when she saw just how broken up Tatsumi was when Mine disappeared and was presumed dead.
She just wanted to look after him and keep him safe.
But now somebody else was doing that in her place, somebody that didn't deserve Tatsumi nor the happiness being around him gave.
"I want you at your best, Leone. We can't hold back for anything." Akame's stern tone was eerily reminiscent of Najenda's own, Leone only lightly smiled at this then nodded back. Deciding they could deal with the matter of Tatsumi when they were done with Esdeath, the bigger threat in the picture. "You got it, boss lady. Najenda would be proud of how're takin' up the reins, Akame."
"So let's really show that Ice-Bitch who's boss, and when we cut the head off the top dog in the Empire then the underlings will scatter away!" Leone chuckled, heartily. Leaning over suddenly and strongly taking the glass pitcher filled with alcohol, proceeding to chug it straight down her gullet. Causing Akame to erect a bout of short laughter for the first time in a while. Leone never changed, even in the worst of situations.
"Yeah, tomorrow or the next. Whenever the battle ahead is, we won't go without a fight. Esdeath is as good as dead." Akame stated determination woven in her ruby eyes.
Not particularly much to say about this chapter I think, aside from the fact I wanted least one chapter showcasing that Makoto could still get ill even while being related to Esdeath and to put more relevance nightmares that Makoto has, showing that even with his maturity, he's still a ten-year-old kid that's a bit out of his depth. But, as you know, this chapter is possibly one of the last that'll contain any "Fluff" scenes between Tatsumi and Esdeath for a while.
This is the turning point!
Mainly for Tatsumi and Esdeath's relationship, and Tatsumi's progression into a more serious and devious character.
Of course, I intend to make that slow and gradual, I have no desire to rush Tatsumi's characterization for drama. The story already has an overarching villain, Esdeath, so it'll need a hero for a little while longer.
All in all, thanks for reading the chapter! Rate and review at your leisure, as always!
I *Should* have another chapter out, before December 25, but don't quote me on that! Thanks, and enjoy the holidays!