General Esdeath returned to the Capital and reported to the emperor. She and her three subordinates bowed down to the emperor.
"General Esdeath, for succeeding in conquering the northern tribes, we're rewarding you ten thousand gold coins." The emperor stated.
"I'm grateful, your highness. I'll send it to the soldiers fighting to protect our empire. They'll be most grateful." Esdeath responded. "Now that I've returned, you can rest at ease. I shall hunt down Night Raid next."
"Splendid, we would also like to reward you with something other than gold, is there something in particular you desire?" The emperor asked.
"As a matter of fact, there is." She replied.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I would like to try falling in love." Esdeath requested.
The emperor was shocked as well as Honest.
"Uh, yes, you are of marriageable age and not yet been married. What do you think of the Prime Minister?" The emperor asked.
"Wait, what?!" Honest exclaimed.
"The Minister doesn't take good care of his health. He would not live another day." Esdeath stated.
"Ridiculous, I'm in perfect health." Honest said. He ate another piece of meat on the plate he was holding. "Well then, what type of person would suit you best?"
"First, I must tell you that my selection is quite terrible. There are very few men that can match my expectations. I'll send you list of my preferences."
At the Night Raid Base, Tatsumi was cleaning the dishes as the others were finishing their meals. Mine was currently recovering from her injuries she got from her last fight. She was having trouble holding her food as she was in pain.
"Here." Alan offered as he was holding her food for her.
"I don't need you to spoon-feed me, Alan." Mine said, annoyed.
"You still can't move your arms well. It's best that I help you." He told her.
Mine started to get flustered by getting fed by him though she had no choice.
"Alright, fine." She replied. Alan fed her a spoon full as she took a bite of it. He looked down after feeding her.
"Listen, I'm sorry." Alan apologized.
"About what?" Mine asked.
"I wasn't able to save Sheele. I failed. We came to help but both you and Akira got hurt and I wasn't strong enough to protect you all. If only I could have found a way to beat him then maybe I could have…" He explained. Mine sighed.
"Enough. Stop feeling bad about yourself." She said, annoyed.
"What?"
"Sheele made the choice to give us the chance to escape so we could live on for her. So stop blaming yourself." Mine told him.
"Mine." He responded.
"Besides, we would of both died if you two hadn't showed up. So you actually saved one of us." She said as she smiled at the end.
Alan thought for a moment and realized that it would be worse if he wasn't there to save them. He was going to make sure to train harder to keep his friends safe.
"I guess you're right about that. Thanks. You know, you should show this nice side of yours more often. It suits you." Alan said as he smiled. She flustered as she realized her expression.
"D…Don't get me wrong! I'm not worried about you or anything! I just couldn't stand seeing that down expression of yours. It bugs the crap out of me!" Mine said, annoyed as she blushed.
He chuckled. Akame smiled as she watched the two.
"No way! Are you serious, Akira?" Tor exclaimed.
"Yes, he knows about the Blazes and he knows its weakness." Akira answered.
"But how is that possible? Blazes are only from our world. How could have he known about it?" Julie asked.
"Well we can travel to other worlds. Who's to say someone else couldn't? What do you think, Alan?" Akira asked.
"That would explain it. Crystal warned me about a future enemy we could be fighting. But she never told me who." Alan answered.
"Did he possess a Blaze? Is it someone from our world?" Tor asked.
"No, just a regular katana. But he hardly used it. Me and Akira never met the person before." He answered.
"What did he look like?" Julie asked.
He was wearing black school like uniform and had black short hair. He also had this ruthless look on him. It was full of killing aura. He was also an expert in martial arts. None was able to lay a finger on him." Alan explained.
"Ruthless and an expert in martial arts. That almost sounds like… NO! That not possible! There's no way he would be here!" Tor thought as he looked down and clenched his fists in anger.
"Tor?" Julie said, worried as she noticed his expression.
"Well the next time I see him, I'll make him pay for what he did to Sheele." Mine said.
Tatsumi was listening to the conversation as he was cleaning dishes. He was shocked that Sheele's killer was possibly not from his world. He was also shocked that the girl, Seryu from the imperial guard he met yesterday also took part of it. Tatsumi realized that his job as an assassin was getting more difficult.
"It's strange but I don't usually take interest in anything else other than war and bloodshed." Esdeath said as she walked with the Prime Minister in the palace courtyard.
"Oh, I presume you're talking about love?" Honest asked.
"I may not understand this but for some reason I'm feeling a need for romance." She explained.
"The desire for the opposite sex is something all living creatures feel." Honest said.
"It's interesting, yet it's also an animalistic instinct. However, for the time being, I must channel all of my energy into eliminating Night Raid." Esdeath said.
"While we're on that matter, I've come up with an idea you my like." He said.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." Kasake said as he approached the two.
"General Kasake? Of…Of course not. In fact, I've come to inform you that you're relieved from your hunt of Night Raid." Honest said.
"I see. Then I'll return to my original duties." He replied. He turned to Esdeath.
"So you must be General Esdeath. I'm general Kasake, leader of the reconnaissance and surveillance division. It's a pleasure to be acquainted with you." He greeted as he smirked.
"General Kasake, I've heard about you. There's hardly any information about you other than your rank and your position as an advisor and you're rarely seen at all in the palace." Esdeath stated.
"My apologies, my division has been working on something very important lately. Though, only the Prime Minister and my men know this assignment of ours but it will bring the empire many great things in the future." He explained.
"Is that so? Then you're trying to make the empire stronger as it is before?" Esdeath asked.
"Correct. After all, it's the strong that rules over the weak." Kasake said.
"So you understand the philosophy." She replied.
"General Kasake, I assume you didn't just come here to meet General Esdeath." Honest said.
"Quite right, I hear you're about to begin your assignment in eliminating Night Raid. I was curious about how you plan to proceed." He requested.
"Very well, from what we know about them, Night Raid has many Teigu users with them. To counter this, I will need Teigu users myself. Six to be exact. I'll find the ones that are worthy of joining my unit." Esdeath explained.
"Six Teigu users? Right, we'll search the people suited for you." Honest said.
"Six sounds too small. From what I know about Night Raid, their numbers may be a bit high. I recommend eight users. That may be enough to counter the threat." Kasake stated.
"Eight?! Isn't that little too much?" Honest exclaimed, shockingly.
"You don't need to worry. I already thought of two people who could fill in those spots." He stated.
"I'll be the one to decide if they're fit to be in my unit." Esdeath told him.
"I'll send you their files and see what you think." Kasake suggested.
"Very well, in the mean time I must plan my men for a new mission." She said as she continued her walk in the halls. Honest went with her to discuss about his plan.
As Kasake watch them leave, he found Esdeath's power very intriguing as well her personality. She was sadistic and had huge desire for war and spilling blood. He also found out that she wishes for the weak to die and strong to survive. It was almost as interesting as the report he got from Sakaki.
Flashback
"The mission is complete, Kasake." Sakaki said as he smirked.
"Welcome back, I see as usual that you don't have a scratch on you. What do you have to report?" He asked.
"There were four Night Raid members. None of them were nearly strong enough match me. I killed one of them that was shown on the wanted posters. I let the rest of them go. They should be suffering through grief right about now." Sakaki explained.
"I see. You've done well, Sakaki. However, seeing that they now witnessed your power, no doubt they'll be motivated to grow stronger. But that matters little as of now." Kasake said.
"There's one other thing you should know, one of the Night Raid members also happened to possess a Blaze." Sakaki told him.
"A Blaze? You mean that person was from the same world Chrome was sent to once?" He asked, surprised.
"The very same." Sakaki answered.
"Really? Who would have thought? Someone from that world was here? Very interesting. It could mean that some of the members of Night Raid can travel through worlds like us." Kasake said as he smirked.
"I wonder if Chrome took some of his mess with him when he left that world." Sakaki joked.
"As I recall, you were originally from that world as well, weren't you?" He asked.
"Perhaps it must be fate. They'll fit quite well in this role we play." Sakaki said. Kasake chuckled in response.
"Indeed."
Flashback ends.
"I wonder if she caught wind of us." Kasake said to himself as he continued his walk in the halls
Esdeath later made her way to her three subordinates known as the Three Beasts. They bowed down before Esdeath.
"I have an important mission for you." She stated.
"We will do anything under you command, general Esdeath." The man with white hair said. His name was Liver. He wore a black uniform and a mustache.
"Yes, we are your loyal faithful servants." The young blond boy said known as Nyau.
Any order you give us, we will carry it out any time, ma'am." The larger blond replied. His name was Daidara. His eyes were white and did not have pupils.
"Good" She smiled.
In the middle of the Night at Night Raid Headquarters. Alan was quietly making his way to kitchen to get a drink.
"Damn it, I can't get any sleep. Hopefully some water will help." He mumbled. He entered the kitchen and found Akame with a plate food with her.
"Akame? What are you doing here?" Alan asked.
"An offering for Sheele. These were her favorite." She spoke in a monotone.
"I see, she'll be missed. Sheele was always kind to everyone and nice to spend time with. Julie was the most attached to her. I wish she could have been with us to the end." Alan said, sadly.
"Since our work's always done in the shadows, Sheele's name probably isn't in the Revolutionary records. I must hold on to her memory so that she was here. She may have done many foolish things but she was the kindest person of the team." Akame said with a hint of sadness.
"You were doing the same to Tatsumi's friends weren't you?" He asked. She nodded.
"Akame, you don't always have to hide your emotions. I can tell you're in pain by Sheele's death. There's no reason to keep doing this to yourself…" Alan said.
*Break*
It caused her to drop the food plate and shattered.
"You think I want to keep doing this to myself?" Akame asked as she started tearing up. She went up to him and grabbed him by the shirt.
"I've seen many people's deaths that I've cared about. But I have to hide to my emotions and act like this! It's true I'm falling apart but I have no choice! An assassin's emotions must not be shown or they'll fail! Losing Sheele! Losing my comrades, hurts so much they mean a lot to me!" Akame exclaimed emotionally as she was in tears.
Alan was shocked as he's never seen her like this before. He wanted to help her from her suffering. He looked her and spoke softly.
"That doesn't mean you have to hide from us. We're your friends, your comrades. You can always come to us if you're feeling pain. You can share it with us. Leone, Tatsumi, even me if you need it. I'll do whatever I can to help you through this pain because that's what your friends are here for." Alan explained.
"But what if you were to die someday?! What if there was a mission where you were killed?! Who would I turn to then?!" She exclaimed in tears.
"I don't plan to die! Not now and not later! I'm making it through this till the end! I'll make sure you stay alive as well, Akame! That is my duty as a Protector" Alan declared. Her eyes widened as she was in shock by his determination, it was admirable.
"Do you… promise, Alan?" She asked, softly. He nodded.
"I promise you I'll stay alive and I'll make sure to never make you sad!" He vowed. "We'll stop this corruption and change this country for everyone to be happy. I want us see it together."
Akame smiled as she believes his promise. She went up to him and embraced him for the moment.
"Thank you, Alan. I want the same." She said as she wiped her tears away.
Out of the kitchen, Leone smiled as she was listening in their conversation.
The next day, Alan and Akame were sparring with each other with wooden swords. Tatsumi was also training with Tor as Tatsumi was using a wooden sword while Tor with using his shield and martial arts. Alan went on the offense as Akame was blocking every strike. Akame then countered and attempt to land a hit. He blocked it but it pushed him back a little. Akame quickly went for another strike and inflict a hit on him. Alan knew he lost as she stated that he loses the match if he gets hit by her.
Alan got on his knees to catch his breath for a minute.
"Damn it. Lost again. Alright, let's go another round, Akame." Alan said.
"You should get some rest. You've been going at this for a few hours." She told him.
"I know, but I won't get any stronger at this rate. I need to push myself to get higher limits. I want to keep going. I want to strong enough to overcome this corruption." Alan said.
"Very well. Then, prepare yourself." Akame said as she got back on her stance. Alan stood up and did the same. The two resumed fighting.
Akira was currently watching them as she sat on the steps in the training area.
"They're still going at it?" Leone said as she sat next to her.
"Yeah, I mean I'm glad he's training and all but I wish he would take a break once and while." Akira said.
"You know, Akame seems to be getting close to Alan lately." Leone said as she takes the opportunity to tease her.
"He has?! I mean, I guess he has been spending some time with her but why does that matter?" She asked nervously.
"I'm just saying. Maybe sometime later on she'll have feelings for him. You don't want her to take away your crush do you?" Leone teased.
"What?! I…I don't have crush on him. I'm only his partner. That's all." Akira denied as she blushed.
"Really? Cause you always invite him to your exploring habits plus you also joked once about being a couple once." She pressed on.
"That was just to tease him. You know I like doing that. That doesn't mean I like him that way. If they really have feelings then I'm okay with it. I just want to make sure if she's the right choice for him." Akira explained.
"Do you think she's the right choice?" Leone asked.
"I… umm…"
"Then again, Mine has started to take a liking to him too. So maybe she might…"
"Leone?!" She exclaimed as she getting redder.
"Look, all I'm asking, what are your feelings for him?" Leone asked.
"I… I don't know." Akira answered, quietly.
"Well, I think you two would be perfect for each other. Like you and Alan are destined for each other." Leone encouraged.
"You really think so?" She asked as she blushed.
"Yep, and if your answer is yes, then I'll be rooting for you." Leone said, happily.
"I guess I'll think about it. But I appreciate it. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. I mean, I'm happy to spend time with him but there's another feeling I'm unsure about." Akira said as she smiled.
"You'll figure it out soon enough, Akira." She said.
Tatsumi and Tor continued sparring as Tor was blocking every strike Tatsumi was giving him. Tor soon responded by landing some punches and kicks. It pushed Tatsumi back a few feet as he lost balance but then got back up. Tor stepped back a few steps for distance.
"Come on, Tor! Don't you have any more surprises?!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he was running towards him with his wooden sword.
As he was running, he was suddenly punched in the face and landed on the ground. He looked up and saw Bulat in front of him.
"What the hell? Bro?!" Tatsumi exclaimed.
"You said you wanted surprises plus you should mind your surroundings in a fight. In a real fight, you never know when another enemy may show up and attack." Bulat explained.
"Kind of a dirty move but he does make a good point." Tor said.
Tatsumi groaned in frustration as he looked down.
"Oh, that reminds me." Bulat said. He turned to the other two. "Hey! Alan!"
"Hmm?" Alan quickly turned to him but then immediately got hit by Akame and crashed to the ground.
"Ow"
"That's another match." Akame stated.
"I kind of got distracted." He said as an excuse.
"Distractions can happen in battle. Don't drop your guard. So anyway what's got all fired up?" Bulat asked.
"I just want to hurry and level up my experience. I have to get stronger to survive so I can save my village!" Tatsumi declared.
"I made a promise and I intend to keep it. I want to get stronger to prevent any more friends from dying." Alan told him. Akame smiled.
"Is that so, well you're all growing well. Why don't one of you spar with me?" Bulat grinned.
"Alright, I'll take you on, Bro." Tatsumi accepted.
"I'll go after him." Tor said.
"You ask for this! Just to let you know, I'm really good with a spear!" Bulat said as he swings his wooden weapon at Tatsumi. He was on the defense.
"Is that all you got?! Passion alone won't keep you alive." He told him.
"Right!" Tatsumi nodded. He resumed his attack to Bulat.
Akame and Alan watched the fight as they rest for a moment. Eventually Bulat won the fight.
"Good match, I can see you getting stronger every minute. Alright Tor, show me what you have." Bulat said.
"Let's do it, Bro." Tor said as he stepped up with his shield and got ready to fight.
"Keep in mind, it takes more than a shield to defeat your enemy." He stated.
"I know, that's why I'm best in using this!" Tor said he ran towards and started off with a jump kick. Bulat blocked it then tried to swing his weapon at him. He dodged out of the way and went for a quick punch at Bulat.
"That's it! Keep it up!" Bulat said as he's on the defense.
The group continued training as they prepared for the next mission that'll happen later in the day.
The group was in the meeting room as Najenda was informing them the latest information.
"Now that everyone is gathered, I have bad news. Esdeath has finished conquering the north and has returned to the Capital." Najenda stated.
The group grew tense as their situation has grown more complicated.
"To conquer the north this soon." Akame muttered.
"Damn it, that woman is always this much trouble." Lubbock groaned.
"Leone, I want you to go to the Capital and see what Esdeath is planning to do." Najenda told her.
"Sure thing, I've been looking forward to what kind of person she is." Leone said, eagerly.
"She's a disturbed psychopath who enjoys slaughter. Be on your guard." She said.
"Right, right." Leone said, then grinned as she was thinking about an attempt to kill her.
"Leone, don't try to take any risks. The last guy we fought was bad enough, but this Esdeath sounds dangerous." Alan warned her.
"He's right, don't even think about fighting her. You won't stand a chance." Najenda said.
"Relax, I won't fight her or anything." Leone assured. "Not. I'll waste her when I get the chance." She thought.
Najenda lit her cigarette and began to smoke.
"Another thing, when she returned, there's been an increase of assassinations of imperial officials. Currently four officers and sixty one body guards have been murdered. However, the problem is these flyers have been around the area claiming the murders are from Night Raid." She stated.
"So they're trying put the heat on us." Bulat concluded.
"But isn't it too far-fetched? Those flyers look obviously fake." Tatsumi said.
"That's what most people thought at first but that started to change." Najenda stated.
"Whys that?" He asked.
"All of the attacks were high skilled guards when it started. They can't be easily defeated by common criminals." Najenda explained.
"So they're targeting officers and trying to frame us." Alan said.
"Who do you think is behind it?" Julie asked.
"Someone just as skilled as us." Akame said.
"It could be two things, they're Teigu users and they're working for general Esdeath." Najenda stated.
"But why would she be doing this?" Akira asked.
"This must be a trap." Tor said
"To lure us out so she could strike." Bulat said.
"We know it's a trap. But I just want to let you know, these people who were killed have opposed the Prime Minister policies and recognized the need of revolution. After we succeed, these people will be crucial to help create our new country. So we cannot let any more of them die. I want to hear your opinions about this." Najenda said.
"Look, I don't know much about politics and stuff but someone using Night Raid's name like that makes me sick." Tatsumi said, angrily.
"You're right, Tatsumi." Bulat smiled.
"I say we put a stop to these frames and hunt these imposters." Alan said, eagerly
"Agreed, I can't stand doing nothing about this while they're using our name." Tor said
The rest of the team nodded and they all turned to Najenda. She smirked.
"It's settled then. Show these bastards what happens when they use our name. Night Raid will not let this stand. They're two individuals they'll likely target. Akame, Lubbock, Julie and Alan. Tatsumi, Bulat and Tor will provide protection to them."
"Got it, just tell us where to go and we'll go meet him." Tatsumi nodded.
"You will board on a crush ship that is docked to the grand canal near the Capital, the Ryusen. The next team will head to a village where one the targets will be heading I want you to keep an eye out." Najenda stated.
"Shouldn't I go with as well?" Akira asked.
"You're still recovering from your last fight. I'm afraid I can't send you in this mission." She explained. Akira sighed in disappointment.
"You're lucky you heal faster than me." Mine said.
We'll deploy in a few hours, dismissed." Najenda said.
Everyone began to leave the meeting room except for Julie who went to Tor.
"I should go with you on this one Tor." Julie requested.
"Don't worry Julie, I'll be alright. I have Tatsumi and Bro with me." He assured.
"I know but after losing Sheele, I'm afraid that I might lose you too. I don't want that to happen." She said, worried.
"I'm not going to be able to protect you if I wasn't around. But in the meantime, can you please protect Alan, Akame, and Lubbock while I'm gone?" He asked.
"Ja." She nodded.
Tatsumi and Tor have arrived at the dock and were shocked by how huge the cruise ship is.
"Woah, it's gigantic!" Tatsumi exclaimed.
"I know cruise ships were big but to see it up close." Tor commented.
The two examined the ship as they walked by it.
"This place looks well like a defensive ship. This could be where they'll target next." Tor thought.
Meanwhile, Akame's team was quietly watching imperial soldiers handing out rice to people.
"Rice reserves, huh? They seem pretty smart." Lubbock commented.
"Those people will need it." Julie said.
"That rice will make a lot of people happy." Akame said.
"Good to know that they're still someone helping people who need it." Alan said. Akame's stomach growled.
"I must have made myself hungry just by looking at it." Akame said.
"Here, I still have some leftovers." Alan said, handing one of his snacks to her. She quickly bit the hand to eat the food.
"Hey! That's my hand! Let go!" Alan exclaimed, trying to shake her off.
"Quiet. We don't want to let them know we're here." Lubbock shushed them.
"Sorry." He apologized.
After a few minutes after Alan was free from Akame, Lubbock was using his wires to detect enemies.
"Nothing yet, we might have missed the mark this time." Lubbock said.
"Don't let your guard down." Akame told him.
"Right, right." He nodded.
"If they're not here then they could be where Tatsumi group is." Alan said.
"It's a possibility but we won't know for sure yet." Lubbock said.
Julie watched the village quietly as she couldn't stop thinking about her partner.
"Tor." She said quietly enough for Akame to hear her. She looked to sky and hoped that the three would return to them.
Omake
The Cardboard Box Part 3
Leone was in the meeting room with Najenda to report about her last mission.
"So the target has been eliminated. Nice work, Leone." Najenda said.
"Yep! That's one more bastard dead." She said happily.
Najenda nodded in agreement.
"By the way, boss. You're not going to believe what I ran into on my way back." Leone said.
"What is that?" She asked.
"While I was in the Capital, I saw someone wearing a cardboard box." Leone said.
"A cardboard box? You sure weren't seeing things?" Najenda asked as Leone was not told about the cardboard box idea.
"It seemed suspicious so I decided to follow him. But it seemed like the person noticed me and was trying to get away. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell who the guy was and he got away. I don't what that guy was thinking wearing something like that." Leone explained.
"Why do you say that?" She asked.
"Because it looks so dumb. Whoever came with that idea must be really stupid. He must be crazy, don't you think, boss?" Leone said.
"Um, uh, yeah." Najenda replied, uncomfortably as Leone unknowingly called her idea stupid. She was also trying her best to hide her anger.
"Anyway, I did managed to do a lot of damage to the box and got a hit on the guy, before he got away. Maybe he'll learn not to use it, now." Leone said. Najenda clenched her fists in anger.
"I see… In that case, you're being punished." Najenda told her.
"WHAT?! WHY?!" She exclaimed.
"You let a possible enemy get away. So you're forbidden to drink any alcohol for a week." Najenda stated. Though her reason was destroying the cardboard box that may have been hers.
"Come on!" Leone exclaimed.
"That's your punishment." She told him.
"Fine" Leone pouted as she leaves in frustration. On the way out, she saw Akame with a bruise on her head.
"Hey, Akame. Where did you get that bump from?" Leone asked, curiously.
Akame only glared at her in response. She walked by Leone as she said nothing.
"I wonder what her problem is?" Leone said, then shrugged and continued to leave.
Akame approached to Najenda after Leone left.
"The box was destroyed." Akame stated.
"Yes, I just heard." Najenda said. She sighed and took out a smoke. "That's another comrade we lost. It was of great value to Night Raid. We'll be sure it receives a burial for its services."
"I'll give it an offering to keep its memory alive." Akame said.
"Please do." She said.