New chapter for the new year!

Sinister Blood

The distant stars shine white in the deep blue night sky. Even the magnificent full moon can be seen through the open window this night. An incomparably calm and beautiful picture.

The window belongs to Esdeath's dimly lit bedroom. A single candle stands in a golden candle holder on a desk made of fine wood and provides the little light.

At the same desk sits the general in her comfortable black night suit, which she only wears at night instead of her uniform. In front of her are several stacks of papers, labeled in first-class handwriting. "I wish you were with me..." she says longingly, having finally finished her report. She pushes it, along with the black pen, a little away from her. The Ice Queen moves over to her luxurious bed and sits down on the matching soft blanket.

"I hope for you, you're already on your way." she says as she looks through the window. She reaches under her mattress and pulls out a new, bluish book. "Because I have some plans with you..." she says dreamily, flipping through her private diary. Various plans and ideas she wants to pursue are recorded over several pages.

The light of the short candle goes out. No more glimmer comes through the window panes. "The General must have finally fallen asleep." Wave surmises with a quick glance at that window.

"It's really impressive how much she is affected by her love." says Bols in a calm tone. They walk side by side along the innermost palace wall, from which the window to Esdeath's chamber can also be seen.

"Yes, I've felt that..." says Wave with a hand to the back of his head. His little grin escapes him as he does so.

Bols turns to his friend. "Are you feeling better, Wave?" he asks with concern.

"Yeah... Luckily she held back." he replies. Most of Wave's wounds have already healed, as Esdeath never really intended to hurt him lastingly hard.

Bols weakly slaps Wave's back, amicably. "You could have fought her too." he says laughing with a teasing undertone.

This makes even Wave start laughing. "If I had chosen to do that, I wouldn't even be able to walk now!" the wearer of Grand Chariot answers again with a laugh. The accompanying sword is on his back.

"Is it possible that you are good at empathizing with Esdeath?" asks Bols after they have stopped their little jokes. The seriousness of the night patrol has returned.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Do you see yourself in the same situation, Wave?" says the tall man with Rubicante, the teigu in the form of a flamethrower, in his strong hands.

"W-W-What?!" reacts Wave in shock, jumping in front of his masked friend. His face immediately turned slightly red.

Bols comes forward to him and puts an arm on Wave's shoulders. "A married man like me can see through young love quickly." replies Bols. His aura at this moment is like that of a caring father.

Wave admits defeat with a sigh. "And I thought no one would notice..." he reveals in exasperation. He's very embarrassed by his own negligence right now. "Anyway, I have to leave soon." he says to quickly change the subject.

"What, where are you going, Wave?"

"Esdeath ordered me to travel to the little village in the west tomorrow. That's where the slavers are supposed to strike next." replies Wave, surprised that Bols doesn't know about it.

"We're here, this is the end of the line." shouts a middle-aged man. He stands behind his horse-drawn carriage, which is filled to the brim with a wide variety of food.

"Understood." replies Zero, stepping out of the carriage. "Thank you for the ride, sir." he says, inviting a handshake.

The man accepts laughing with a pleased face. "I have to thank you! If you hadn't been there, I would never have been able to transport those things there undamaged." he answers, showing him his gratitude. "You can just call me Baldur, kid." he adds.

"Thanks again. I have to go now as soon as possible." says Zero and has already turned to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going anyway?" calls Baldur again after him. His new acquaintance is already a few meters away from him.

Zero stops and the bounce of the chain makes a familiar metallic sound. "I have to go to the Capital. A woman is waiting for me." he replies without turning to his short-term companion. He raises his right hand to about the level of his ear as a sign of farewell.

"Good luck, kid!" Baldur laughs as he calls after him, turning his attention properly to his goods for the first time. "As a runaway to the Capital and that for a woman... The little one must be properly in love. Hell, at most one of Esdeath's sort would get me in there." he comments alone in retrospect. He slowly begins to take out the various boxes and stack them outside.

"How can I get from here to the capital as quickly as possible?" Zero thinks as he walks in the direction of the sunset. The sun is already very low and the sky has also turned red. "When the sun sets there, I must be in the western part..." he concludes looking into the orange-red horizon.

He walks past several food stalls, older huts, and some of the residents of this village, all of whom are probably avoiding him because of the chain on his leg. On the ride in the horse-drawn carriage, he has found a cloth with which to mask himself again so that his teigu will not attract attention. After several, long minutes of walking, he arrives at a large and well-built street with several soldiers of the Empire.

"If they see me like this now, there will be trouble..." he thinks after quickly disappearing into a narrow and surprisingly deep side alley. He stops the rattling sounds of the chains mostly by stuffing them into his boots, which also stops them from moving. "They must be Arias' soldiers." he concludes through the reddish outlines on the familiar gray soldier's uniform.

Two soldiers walk towards his alley and stop in front of it. "All clear, quick!" shouts one soldier, after which they both quickly run into the alley. Zero has moved further inside and cannot be seen in the darkness with his black clothes on.

One of them pulls out a pack of cigarettes and shares it with his fellow soldier. "Sometimes you have to be able to enjoy yourself while you're working." sighs the older looking soldier with the cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

"You're right about that. But the others are shitting their pants because of Esdeath." the younger one replies. His long, dark blond hair blows lightly in the shallow breeze.

"Speaking of which, have you heard that she'll be leaving for that western fortress soon?"

"That fortress from the slavers in this village? Even she will have a tough time with that! I hear they've got a bunch of tricks up their sleeves." he laughs gleefully. He fumbles restlessly with his hands in his pocket for something, but can't find it.

The old man puts the small box back in his coat pocket. "Did you see Esdeath the other day? She was hot as ever again, especially from behind." he leers with a sly grin. "If she was mine, I definitely wouldn't let her off the bed all day." he tells with a lustful voice. His friend obviously shares the sexual musings about Esdeath.

"Do you have a light, by the way? I can't find mine..." the youth is annoyed. His unsuccessful search was dedicated to his lighter.

"I don't have one, you always take it with you!" his partner shouts back angrily. He is visibly very upset about the missing lighter. "Can't a person relax for once...?" he asks, disappointed and irritated. The other is at least as disappointed.

"You are looking for a fire? I've got some." replies Zero, slowly coming out of the shadows.

They both take out their swords when they hear his voice. "What?! Who are you?" They slowly recognize him in the shallow light of the street lamps. The sun has set by now, but the moon isn't quite out yet either.

"Just a wanderer." he says, stepping forward with hands above his head until they are only about three steps apart.

They quickly notice his silver shackles and the beginning of a chain, causing them to put their swords back. "You shouldn't approach soldiers like that. Now finally give us the fire, kid." the older man says, calling him to them with a wave of his hand.

Zero comes to them with feigned weak steps. Out of nowhere, a powerful kick flies into the knee of the older soldier, who now looks to be in his mid-40s upon closer inspection. The younger man quickly reaches for his sword belt, but before he can draw the blade, Zero has effortlessly grabbed him in a headlock. With an elbow strike to the back, he falls face-first to the quarry stone floor.

"W-Who are you?" asks the soldier on his knees, struggling to hold himself up with his hands on the ground.

Zero comes down and forces him to look into his eyes with a firm grip on his jaw. "A friend of Esdeath. How about you tell me more about this western fortress?" he says with no sign of mercy in his voice.

The frightened soldier in his hand looks to his friend who continues to lie on the ground. "What's wrong with you! Get up!" he shouts loudly.

Zero nudges him with his boot, but he doesn't move. "That one's unconscious for now. But do you want to tell now?" says Zero impatiently, strengthening his grip.

It feels so painful, like his jaw is about to break. "O-Okay... I think the bosses are ha-having a m-meeting right before they leave. In the town cent-aaah-... along the way!" he replies in tremendous pain. His explanation is interrupted by screams in between.

"Wasn't so hard, right?" says Zero and lets go of him, causing him to fall to the ground. He steps on his head with his right boot to make his position painfully clear to the helpless man. "However, you still have to pay for the insults against Esdeath." he clarifies, kicking his victim so that he has to turn on his back.

Some bright lights shine from the alley into the empty street. They are supported by loud screaming, howling and crying until everything suddenly falls silent. Zero steps out of the alley alone and walks unobtrusively into the shadows toward the town center.

The darkness of the night provides the necessary protection so that no one can spot him. Several soldiers on assignment from all possible generals walk past Zero without noticing anything. "All kinds of soldiers... Seems they want to be thorough." he thinks and silently sneaks on.

"The General is really in a bad mood these days. We'd best deliver well." says one of Esdeath's soldiers to his two comrades walking alongside him.

"She's downright scary! Normally she's fair to us, at least..." says the next soldier. His face shows a frightened shudder, the others shiver at the thought of an angry Esdeath. Zero overhears these conversations, but continues on his way unaffected.

The moon is now high in the sky as he arrives at a gigantic wooden archway. Behind it is the open center of the town, which can easily be identified by the plain fountain. Some ruthless figures can be seen obviously gathered there. "They must be those bosses." Zero remains in the shadows of the buildings around, sneaking closer from wall to wall until he can at least understand them quietly.

"Where's the new guy? We have to leave!" one of the men grumbles angrily. A total of three people stand together at the fountain. The one who asked impatiently has a gigantic size that would probably surpass even Bols. His forehead is hidden by the gray hood of his cloak, making it impossible to see one end of the large scar through his entire face.

The man next to him taps his left foot repeatedly on the ground. "He should be coming now. If he's late, I'll rip his head off his body." He is not nearly as muscular as the other, but his size is also also wears an eye patch over his right eye and holds a large and bloody war axe in his left hand, the blade of which touches the ground.

"Shut the fuck up! Because of the bastard Honest, we need everyone right now. Soon that whore Esdeath will attack us too!" shouts the last one. His presence and voice makes it clear that he is the leader of the two. He is the smallest in size, but his steel morning star makes him also look incredibly strong.

The two subordinates flinch at first and then fall silent out of fear. "How should I proceed now?" Zero considers and now creeps away from them again. He goes through all the possibilities in his head. "Attack, sneak in... What sh-"

Suddenly Zero is grabbed from behind and a hand on his mouth silences him. He tries to break the stranger's grip, but it is unusually strong and immobile. It is also noticeable from his technique that he must be experienced in fighting.

"I'm sorry, but you have to help me." says the stranger, who manages to tie Zero's hands behind his back with a robust rope. He also pulls Zero's bandana up a bit into his mouth, making it impossible for him to speak understandably.

Zero obviously defends himself by trying to shake the stranger off. This brings him once into eye contact with the stranger, who is also wearing a cloak with a hood. Dark blue eyes full of determination meet an eerie red pair of eyes for a brief second.

The three slavers have noticed the two by now because of the noise they made, so they come in their direction to confront them. Their tempers don't seem too calm.

"Just play along, I promise nothing will happen to you." he whispers, pushing him hard in their direction. The now again captive stumbles to them and is grabbed right in front of the three by his captor to prevent him from falling down.

"There you are at last. Don't think you can get away with anything as a new one." the leader says in a loud voice. With his arms crossed, he looks at the bound man in front of him. "And who is this one?" he asks with a furrowed brow.

"He seems special somehow." the tall man notes. He gets closer to Zero's face, but has to bend down so he can examine him more closely. The serious and blank look he is confronted with makes him laugh maliciously.

"Get lost, Narvik. He's been caught before, look at his shackles." says the leader and pulls his subordinate back. The jerk with proper force behind it makes him fall on the ground, after which he picks himself up without comment. "I think he knows how to behave." he clarifies and looks at the new prisoner himself.

Zero straightens up again and remains silent. "Where do you want me to take him?" asks the man in the coat, still holding the rope tightly in his hand.

"Take him to the wagon behind that corner and come back. Time for us to go." replies Narvik. His self-confidence is noticeably lowered by the chief's action.

The blue-eyed man walks with Zero in front of him to the shown street. Behind the tall building are two powerful horses, tied to a medium-sized wagon. He opens the door and waits for Zero to climb in obedience. All the other prisoners are tied to the carriage and stare, frightened and trembling, at the open gate.

He ties the thick rope to the prepared spot while Esdeath's lover cooperates defenselessly. "Thanks for the help." he says softly.

Zero sees his face for the first time and recognizes a familiar person. "Wave-?" he whispers softly and barely understandable through the cloth. His astonishment is clear to see, partly because he looks changed. His hair seems darker, almost black, and even in the night several rough wounds can be seen on his face, which also seems almost pale.

Wave puts a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "I promise you all that nothing will happen to you." he says, stepping back out of the wagon. Zero nods briefly before Wave closes the door. A short time later, the entire van begins to shake, indicating that they have started to drive off.

Zero takes one look at all the other prisoners, five people in total. Two badly injured men, a young woman, a shaking teenager, and a little girl. "It might be easier with Wave." he thinks and begins to grin. "This could be the perfect gift for her."

"Where do we proceed from here?" asks Akame. Her focused gaze fixed on Najenda. She has run into the boss in one of the many hallways of their hideout.

She stops on the red carpet and looks at Akame with absolute calm. "We will wait until Leone returns soon. Without more information, it's too dangerous to proceed." she replies, saying goodbye to Akame again.

The swordswoman with Murasame follows the hallway to an open door. "It's getting harder as time goes on." she thinks, absentmindedly stepping into Night Raid's waiting room. The room with a large wooden table, matching chairs, two large windows and a now dead fireplace also contains Tatsumi, Chelsea and Mine currently.

Akame comes in and silently sits down at the table where they normally serve food. "Zero and Esdeath... How do we fight both of them?" she ponders. Her face is desperately fixed on the tabletop and her long, black hair hides her expression.

Chelsea stands with her back to the window and looks thoughtfully at Akame. "She's also not angry..." thinks the orange-haired fighter. She comes over to her ally and sits down on the empty seat next to her.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Mine are sitting facing Akame and Chelsea. Tatsumi still seems somber and broken because of Zero's escape. "Anything new, Akame?" asks Mine, trying to improve the mood in the room.

Akame raises her head, trying to hide her emotions as best as she can. "We're waiting for Leone. Until she comes back, we're not supposed to do anything." she replies with a forced smile.

"You don't have to pretend... We're just as bothered by the escape as you are." Chelsea says, gently stroking Akame's back. "I mean look at Tatsumi. He's been hanging around like that all this time because he escaped on his watch." she whispers to Akame.

The swordswoman looks with worried eyes at Tatsumi, who seems much more depressed than herself. "Tatsumi, are you okay?" she asks, trying to make eye contact.

"Yes..." he says quietly. His answer is barely audible.

"No chance. Along with Zero, we've also lost Tatsumi's courage." Mine tells him desperately about the state of her secret lover. "If I see him again, I'll make him pay for everything!" she says angrily, slamming both fists on the table.

"Is this the only way?" worries Akame, trying to find other possibilities at the same time.

Chelsea leans slowly toward Akame's ear. "I think they' re having a difference of opinion." she whispers quietly so that no one but them can hear.

The red-eyed girl nods briefly in agreement. "Not just with the two of them..." whispers Akame back. Meanwhile, she continues to try to appear neutral and rather good-humored in order to bring Tatsumi some joy.

However, Tatsumi is currently racking his brain with several thoughts. "What should I do now?" His hands hold his forehead while his fingertips disappear into his long brown hair.

After a short time of silence, a few slow footsteps sound and the door opens with a squeak. "Here you all are." Lubbock realizes as he steps into the room.

"What's up, Lubbock?" asks Chelsea curiously. The mood of the room continues to drag even hers down.

"Leone's back. I'm supposed to call you guys to the meeting room." he replies with his hands behind his head. He doesn't seem affected at all by Zero's escape, unlike the others.

He looks briefly around the room, but leaves again quickly without any remarks. The others get up one after the other and follow him.

Mine is the last who enters and closes the door to the room. Everyone lines up in a semicircle around Najenda as usual. "Leone, tell us again what you have told me." demands Najenda calmly, in the meantime beginning her reflections.

Everyone turns to Leone excitedly. "Well, there's nothing unusual in the city. I've seen Esdeath, the Jaegers and Wild Hunt all there, except Wave." she says for a start.

"And Zero?" asks Tatsumi with a somber expression, but interest in his eyes.

"Not there. Our people can assure that he has not entered the Capital." Leone answers with her hands at her sides and a shake of her head.

"Do we know what's up with Wave?" asks Susanoo thoughtfully, arms crossed as usual.

"Not really. He's supposed to have left town during the night..." she answers.

"Wave is probably somehow involved in Esdeath's upcoming attack. Probably to act from the inside." Najenda comments. She taps the frame of her seat repeatedly with her index finger.

"What attack?" asks Tatsumi curiously. He tries to keep his sadness at least small in the presence of Najenda.

"She is ordered to conquer the western fortress outside the Empire, since a politically important person has been captured there." replies Susanoo.

Tatsumi is confused that they don't seem to be doing anything about it. "Are we just going to let them do this?" he asks because of that.

"Some of the prisoners are also supporters of the revolution, so she's also ignorantly helping us." replies Najenda with a serious expression, but still a small smile. "We just have to do everything possible to prevent Esdeath and Zero from getting together."

"Don't worry, I'll be happy to take care of him!" says Lubbock with firm fists. His face contains some visible veins thanks to his anger.

Unexpectedly, Najenda hits the seat with her metal hand and a ringing sound emerges. "Don't get carried away and take him seriously! Your lives are still the most valuable, so stay alive!" orders the leader of Night Raid. She then leaves the meeting with her notebook and the rest remain standing there with a wide variety of emotions on their faces.

Two groups of palace servants run hastily along the paths. Beside them, they each push and pull a stretcher with wheels, and do not allow anyone to hinder them on their way. "Emergency! Injured soldiers!" they shout loudly.

"What's going on?" asks Seryu as they race past her. Because of her good reflexes, the orange-haired girl manages to avoid being hit.

"Tell General Arias quickly!" a soldier orders the gatekeeper as they pass through the open entrance and disappear in the palace corridor.

Inside the room reserved for conferences of generals, Esdeath and her Captain Gallius are sitting at a table discussing a map together. Furthermore, another person in uniform is there, who decides to approach the two.

"Good day General Esdeath." he says cordially. His mostly red and graceful uniform stands out clearly. Also, his right eye is covered by a black eye patch.

Esdeath does not answer him and doesn't even look at him. "Good afternoon General Arias, how are you?" Gallius answers and stands up to bow briefly as a sign of respect.

Arias is bothered that Esdeath doesn't answer him. "I'm fine, thank you. Are you preparing your attack now?" he asks after sitting down at the table as well. His gaze clearly fixed on Esdeath's face.

"No, we're already done." she replies as she stands up. "You know what you have to order the soldiers, Gallius." she says, avoiding long eye contact with Arias.

Just as she is about to leave the room, a loud and hectic knock sounds. Esdeath opens the door and a small, sweaty messenger stands at the door. He breathes heavily several times before standing upright.

"General Arias... They want you-... t-to go to the in-firmary. T-Two of-... your soldiers need to be seen by you." he pants heavily and has to lean on the door frame from exhaustion.

Arias comes up to him and grabs his shoulder, trying to calm him down somehow. "Calm down. What exactly do you want to tell me?" he asks, a careful look on him. Esdeath and Gallius stand slightly behind the general.

"Two of your soldiers were seriously injured. However, we have never seen this kind of injury before, so you should look at that as well." the messenger reports a bit calmer. His shoulder hangs lower than a moment ago.

"Unknown injuries?" thinks Esdeath without letting her interest show. The thought of new torture possibilities awakens her inner blood thirst.

The messenger realizes only now, after his pause for breath, that Esdeath is also standing in the room and immediately gets scared because of his potential disrespect. "General Esdeath, you are of course invited there as well. Your expertise should be able to help our doctors." he says, hoping she doesn't notice him negatively.

"Understood. Let's go then, Esdeath." says Arias, holding the door open until she has passed through.

Gallius quickly separates from the generals and goes to Esdeath's soldiers as ordered, to tell them of the plans. "Hopefully it's something serious and my time won't be wasted." says the Ice Queen with her usual coldness as she walks the long corridors of the palace with Arias at her side.

"I think the soldiers are aware of the consequences of such cases." he replies to Esdeath's statement. A sinister, sly grin accompanies his indirect threat at the soldiers.

Together they arrive at the infirmary and a doctor's assistant quickly leads them to the two patients without asking any questions. They lie on two different beds while several doctors try to keep them alive. The normally white sheets have turned dark red from all the blood and even on the floor there are traces of blood.

"General Arias, General Esdeath, these are the two seriously injured. We have never witnessed this kind of torture before." says the head doctor of the palace. His voice reveals his shock and astonishment.

Arias walks between the two high beds. "Lift up the sheets!" he orders, causing the doctors to remove the soiled sheets from the bodies and heads. When Arias catches sight of the first soldier, he sees a wholly mutilated body with extremely violent injuries. "How-...?" he gets slowly and shocked uttered as he looks into the disfigured face. His eyes are missing from their intended places, dried blood in its place.

Meanwhile, Esdeath looks at the other soldier, who doesn't look any better. His face looks untouched, but instead his body is littered with various bad injuries. "Are you sure they're still alive?" asks Arias, visibly speechless. This up-close experience comes too suddenly for him.

"They're still alive. Breathing and heartbeat are working, but they're just not dead yet." Esdeath answers in front of the doctors, who only nod in response. She analyzes the two figures closely, as even she has never been allowed to see anything like them, even with her knowledge of torture.

"This is inhumane... I'll report this to the Prime Minister. We seem to have strong enemies in the Empire." the red general says and leaves the room with a queasy feeling.

Shortly after, the Jaegers enter and walk up to their leader, who has already identified her group without ever turning back as they enter. "General, is it that bad?" asks Run curiously.

"Look for yourselves if you wish." she replies simply. "But be prepared for bad scenes." Esdeath adds, making enough room for her subordinates to risk a look as well.

Already in the first seconds, most Jaegers get a bad feeling in their stomachs from their discoveries. However, all of them don't want to let it show and prove strength next to Esdeath. "How is such a thing possible?" asks Run as he takes a closer look at the wounds. "They're about on the same level as you, General Esdeath." he states with surprise.

"Is that true?" asks Seryu, partly in disbelief. She can't really accept the thought of someone getting close to her superior.

Esdeath straightens up and stands directly in front of her group, who are anxiously waiting for her. "Yes, it's true. Even if the assassin didn't pay that much attention to keeping the two alive for long." she answers honestly in front of her allies. "Only the technique is lacking... Probably because of the experience." she thinks at the same time, silently.

A quiet and broken moan escapes faintly. Esdeath turns around and realizes that one of the soldiers is moving weakly. The other Jaegers have not yet noticed. "The one on the right seems to be waking up." the Empire's Strongest tells the doctors, who don't seem to have noticed either.

They immediately go to work without comment, trying to keep the weak man as stable as possible. "Where-... Where am I?" he asks in a weak voice. He's not even strong enough to sit up. Nor can he get his eyes completely open.

"You are here in the palace. Your partner and you were found badly wounded this morning and you are now in the infirmary." the doctor explains in a calm tone in order not to scare the soldier.

"Is he okay?"

The head doctor looks again at the older injured man. "He will most likely survive, but he hasn't gotten up yet." he continues to say as calmly as possible. He nods in Esdeath's direction to symbolize that she can question him.

"Soldier, what happened-..."

At her voice, the young soldier's posture becomes completely stiff and immobile. "G-G-Ge-General... E-Esdeath...?" he stutters hard. He tries to find her with frantic movements, but his limited field of vision doesn't give him a clear picture.

"Correct." she says, slightly confused. She is aware, of course, that most of the palace fears her, especially those not directly involved with her, but this here is a different level of fear.

"I-I-I'm... so sorry, General! We are both infinitely sorry! W-We'll never speak b-badly of you again!" he apologizes both to him and his mate in a loud and sincere voice. Fear is just as easy to take from him.

Run then tries to calm the agitated man. "Calm down first." he says, placing a hand on his shoulder. He actually manages to relieve him of an enormous amount of stress with a little time.

"What happened to you two, soldier?" asks Esdeath. She keeps it short to avoid pushing him over the edge, and her voice sounds harmless because of it.

"We were intercepted b-by-... a person... He punished us for our insults..." he tells with a shudder and also with mortal fear. "We have-... talked badly about you, General. I can't apologize enough! I regret everything!" the soldier continues. His breathing gets more and more frantic and his tone becomes alternately louder and quieter.

"I'm not here to punish you. I want to hear more about the person." she says, again reassuring him enormously by her statement. "Report more about him." she orders, not wanting to neglect her authority entirely.

While thinking about it, the victim shakes all over his body. "He appeared quite-... unimpressive and weak, with shackles and broken chains on both legs." he says with a shudder. "Still, he overpowered us within seconds."

"Can you remember more about his appearance or demeanor?" asks Bols curiously.

"The information is too imprecise, it could still be anyone. Even disguised people from Night Raid." Kurome remarks neutrally, accompanied with a clueless head shake.

"By the way, what's your name? It's weird to say soldier all the time." says Seryu. By using names, she intends to make the atmosphere more familiar and comfortable for the soldier.

"Sorry for forgetting! My name is Ludis. I'm relatively new in General Arias' army." he answers, a bit hesitant and ashamedly at first.

"So, Soldier Ludis, can you remember more?" asks Esdeath at last. Her tone is more unfriendly, having already spent too much time here in her opinion.

"He-... He was dressed in black. The appearance was eerie... I think his bright red eyes will haunt me in my nightmares." Ludis tells with blank eyes and pale color.

His injured companion lets out a few pained sounds, but remains motionless. Those present, except for the doctors, do not pay a second of attention to him at that moment.

"Black clothes, red eyes... Like Zero?!" thinks the blue-haired General. The possibility that it could really be him brings back her fierce longing for her lover. "Did he say anything to you two?" she asks with an unusual fire of passion in her clear blue eyes.

"Did he say something...?" he repeats, thinking meanwhile. "Of course he said something! He meant that we should apologize to you personally. Also, I think he said that he was a friend of you, General." he says after a little pause for thought. He hopes that will be enough for Esdeath as an answer.

"A friend?" asks Seryu with a puzzled expression and a furrowed brow.

"Zero..." whispers Esdeath, still so that the Jaegers can hear. "You were stationed in the big West Village, weren't you?" she asks, slightly impatiently.

"Correct, General!" answers Ludis nervously and full of fear towards the overpowering Ice Queen.

"That's enough. We're leaving, Jaegers." she orders and is the first to leave the infirmary. Her Jaegers follow her immediately.

"General? Do you think Zero did that?" asks the blond Run. He waits curiously for a reaction from Esdeath, but nothing comes. However, they all realize that she has her hands near her face without being able to see what she is doing.

"Zero..."

She still does not answer. "General?" asks Seryu too, irritated. First she steps in front of Esdeath and her friends quickly follow. What they see causes collective speechlessness. Esdeath's face, especially her cheeks which she hides under her pale hands, are completely blushed and a flaming lust can be seen from her shining eyes.

"Zero... He can even do something like that almost flawlessly..." she raves whispering to herself. Her members continue to remain without comment after the words, though at least now they know the reason for her lack of reaction.

Suddenly Esdeath starts walking alone. "I'd say we'll leave her alone for now, right?" suggests Bols with a smile under his mask. His voice reflects how happy he is for the general.

"That sounds like a good idea." Seryu replies with a smile as well. They all begin to laugh in response.

"Zero... We really are meant for each other. I'll find you soon enough, don't worry." daydreams the blue-haired Ice Queen as she walks aimlessly down the many corridors. Her red tone has disappeared by now and she has also registered her Jaegers' gesture positively.

Author's Note:

First of all, happy new year!

I wrote a little special with all important characters because it's the 10th chapter. I really enjoyed writing so much, but it wasn't easy. Maybe all "special" chapters will look so, but I don't know now.

I hope you all enjoy the fanfiction and stay tuned for more!