Hey guys, I'm finally back with a new chapter for this story! I apologize for the long wait, but things have been kinda hectic in my life lately, and I haven't had a lot of motivation or energy to do much writing. But I managed to update my other stories, so I can start working on this one now. This chapter will pick up where the last one left off and will continue the Jaegers/Night Raid's battle against Wild Hunt, and will see what Tatsumi and the others have in store for Cosmina. So, I hope you're all looking forward to that! Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Teigu

"Incursio"

Disclaimer: I don't own Akame ga Kill or any of its characters.

"Hey Run, you can't die yet!" Cosmina exclaimed in a cheerful tone, sprinting towards the exhausted Jaeger. "We still have-" Cosmina stopped mid-sentence when she felt something prick the back of her neck. "W-What the..." Slowly reaching up, Cosmina pulled what appeared to be a dart out of her neck. A split second later, Cosmina's vision began to blur and her body went numb. Cosmina began to mutter incoherently, before she collapsed, everything around her going dark.

"All right, I got her!" Mine cheered as she pulled back the bolt of her suppressed rifle, loading in a fresh dart. "Thanks for watching my back, Leone!"

"No problem!" Leone said with a grin, giving the pink-haired sniper a thumbs up. "But Tatsumi really owes us for this one."

"Alright, let's bag that chick and get her back to the drop-off point. Then, we can go rejoin the others and finish this fight." Mine said as she slung the rifle over her shoulder. "I know he's done it once with Esdeath...but I really hope Tatsumi knows what he's doing."

"I don't think we have anything to worry about..." Leone said, walking over toward Cosmina's unmoving form. With a huff, the busty blonde assassin hoisted Cosmina up onto her shoulder. "Tatsumi does have a way with women."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Mine groaned as she approached Leone, leaning in closer to get a good look at Cosmina. Releasing a light sigh, Mine rested her hands on her hips. "Damn it...she is pretty cute...Tatsumi is gonna be putty in her hands."

"Like I'll let you just take her!" Enshin exclaimed, unsheathing his sword and charging towards Mine and Leone. "I'll kill you both!" However, Enshin was stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something slam into his back and pierce through his chest. Slowly looking down, Enshin's eyes shot open in shock when he saw a bloody spear sticking out of him. "W-What...the fuck..."

"Like I'd ever let you lay a hand on them." Tatsumi growled as he materialized behind Enshin, dropping his invisibility cloak. Kicking Enshin in the back, Tatsumi yanked Neuntote free. Enshin collapsed onto his knees, blood pouring from his mouth. "He's all yours Akame, finish him off."

"An evil man like you..." Akame said, unsheathing Murasame and slowly approaching Enshin. The Wild Hunt member felt a chill run down his spine as he stared into Akame's cold, crimson eyes. Then, in one swift motion, Akame cut cleanly through Enshin's neck. After a few moments, Enshin's body fell over, his head rolling a few feet away. "I'll send you to your grave." With a flick of her wrist, Akame cleared the blood off her blade. "We can't rest Tatsumi, there are still enemies in the area."

"Big sis..." Akame's entire body tensed slightly when she heard a familiar voice speak up behind her. Spinning around, Akame wasn't surprised to see Kurome staring at her. "It's been a while."

"Akame..." Tatsumi said as he placed a comforting hand on his lover's shoulder. "Sayo probably has a clear shot...she can take Kurome out right now."

"No..." Akame said sternly, holding up a clenched fist, which signaled for Sayo to hold her fire. "I have to be the one to kill Kurome."

"Now isn't this weird." Leone said as she suddenly landed next to Akame, with Mine following right behind her. "Looks like we and the Jaegers have the same targets."

"Leone, Mine..." Tatsumi said, turning to face his other two lovers. "Did you take care of Cosmina."

"Yeah, we got her..." Mine replied in a slightly irritated tone as she unslung Pumpkin and took aim at Kurome. "We took her to the drop point, Chelsea said she'd take her back to base."

"Good..." Tatsumi said, breathing a brief sigh of relief. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"Would you four stop acting like I'm not here!" Kurome growled as she unsheathed Yatsufusa and pointed the blade at Akame. "We Jaegers will hunt down and exterminate anyone who disturbs the peace!" Kurome's eyes narrowed as she glared at her older sister. "No matter who it might be!"

"So it's 'we' now, huh?" Run thought with a small smile, slowly lifting himself off the ground. "Looks like Wave is starting to rub off on you Kurome...you've changed so much since we first met. That's why I can't let you die here."

"Damn it..." Tatsumi thought as he tightly balled his fists. "Do we really have to fight her!? I know Akame said that she's ready...but killing her own sister...I can't let her go through that! Maybe I can-" Tatsumi was pulled from his thoughts when he spotted Run slowly creeping up behind Kurome. "What's Run doing?"

"Kurome, you're also one of our targets!" Mine exclaimed, starting to charge Pumpkin with her spirit energy. "We won't let you get away!"

"I hope you've prepared yourself, Kurome." Akame said as she readied Murasame, sliding into her fighting stance. "I won't allow you to help the Empire any longer!"

"Wait, Akame!" Tatsumi yelled, dashing forward and grabbing ahold of the red-eyed assassin's waist. "Let Kurome go!"

"Tatsumi!? What are you-" Akame stopped mid-sentence when she heard the distinct sound of flapping wings. When Akame looked back over at Kurome, she saw that Run had grabbed her and was flying up into the air. Seeing that Kurome was about to get away, Akame tried to free herself from Tatsumi's grasp. "Let me go! We have to stop her!"

"Thank you..." Run said with a weak smile, nodding to Tatsumi as he suddenly took off, speeding away from the Night Raid assassins. "Whoever you are, thank you for helping me stop Akame and Kurome from fighting."

"Tatsumi, you idiot!" Mine exclaimed as she fired a shot from Pumpkin, but Run and Kurome were already out of range. Cursing underneath her breath, Mine stormed over and smacked Tatsumi's arm. "What the hell were you thinking, Tatsumi!? We could have killed two Jaegers!"

"We don't have to worry about Run...he's as good as dead..." Tatsumi said, turning to face the pink-haired sniper. "He was already severely injured from fighting Wild Hunt...and it looks like it took everything he had left in him to carry Kurome off like that." Releasing a light sigh, Tatsumi released Akame, the red-eyed assassin's falling onto her knees. Tatsumi crouched down and placed a comforting hand on Akame's shoulder. Taking off his helmet, Tatsumi locked eyes with Akame. "I'm sorry about that Akame...I just couldn't..." Tatsumi briefly tore his eyes away from Akame's and grasped her hand. "I hope you can forgive me."

"I'm not mad at you, Tatsumi..." Akame said as she reached up and cupped Tatsumi's cheek, turning his head so that he was looking at her once again. "I know you just want what's best for Kurome and me..." Squeezing Tatsumi's hand, a sad smile spread across Akame's face. "I don't want to kill Kurome...but if she continues to help the Empire, she'll leave me no choice."

"There's always a choice, Akame." Sayo said, suddenly appearing on the other side of the red-eyed assassin. "I'm sure you'll be able to resolve things with your sister. I can tell you both truly care about each other."

"I just don't want her to continue supporting this evil country and the twisted people who run it." Akame said as she got back onto her feet, sheathing her sword. "Hopefully she'll come to her senses soon."

"I wouldn't hold my breath." Leone said with a frown, crossing her arms underneath her impressive bust. "It's gonna take something drastic for Kurome to abandon the Empire, she's been conditioned to support them without question."

"Oi, are you guys done chit-chatting?" Lubbock asked in an annoyed tone as he approached his fellow Night Raid assassins. "We still need to recover the teigu left here. Despite the outcome, this fight is more-or-less a win for us. I kept any out for any witnesses, but no one saw us. So we should hurry up and get out of here before anyone comes to check out all the commotion."

(Same Time: With Run and Kurome)

"RUN!" Kurome yelled as she kneeled down next to her heavily injured teammate. Reaching down, Kurome tried to touch Run's shoulder, causing him to gasp in pain. Tears formed in Kurome's eyes when she saw blood pouring from the corners of Run's mouth and seeping all through his clothes. "There's...there's nothing I can do...Run...he's done for."

"Heh...this must be divine punishment..." Run said with a dry laugh, before coughing up a mouthful of blood. "I should have just killed that sick clown right away...put I just had to watch him suffer...it looks like this pain is my retribution."

"NO!" Kurome exclaimed as she gripped Run's hands, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "If...if you die...Wave and I will be sad!"

"It makes me happy that you both care about me so much..." Run said with a weak smile, wincing slightly as he took a deep breath. "Please...tell Wave...to always be his kind self...and to keep moving forward."

"Run..." Kurome muttered as she choked back a sob. "Please don't go..."

"And Kurome..." Run struggled said, using the last of his strength to reach up and caress Kurome's cheek. "About your sister, Akame...please try to work-" Run was cut off when he suddenly felt something pierce his chest, then a sharp pain shot through his entire body. Looking down, Run gasped when he saw that Kurome had stabbed him with Yatsufusa. "K-Kurome...why?"

"Now, we'll be together forever..." Kurome said barely above a whisper as she leaned closer toward Run, a dark and twisted look in her eyes. "With Yatsufusa's power, you won't have to leave me."

"Kurome...she's farther gone than I thought..." Run thought, his vision starting to go dark as the world around him began to fade away. "How could her psyche become so warped? This is why...this disgusting empire...that raised such a miserable girl...has to change."

"This really is how things should be...we Jaegers are a team after all." Kurome said as she slowly got back onto her feet, releasing a light sigh. "I don't want to say goodbye...especially when we are finally getting close to our goal." A smile spread across Kurome's face when she heard movement stir behind her. Turning around, Kurome's smile widened when she saw that Run was back on his feet. His eyes were cold and vacant, and his normally pure white wings had turned an inky black color. "Don't you agree, Run?"

(The Following Afternoon: Night Raid's Hidden Base)

"Uggghhhhhhhh...what...what the heck happened..." Cosmina groaned in a somewhat drowsy tone, slowly opening her eyes and scanning her surroundings. The room she was in was quite small and had barren cement walls, the only furnishings being a table and two chairs. The only light source in the room was a single light hanging above her head. Looking for any ways in and out of the room, Cosmina saw that the only apparent entry was a door on the other side of the room. Feeling a sudden wave of drowsiness, Cosmina went to rub her eyes. However, she was stopped when something forcefully stopped her hands. Looking down, she saw that her hands were actually handcuffed to the table in front of her. "Where am I?" Now a bit more awake, Cosmina began to tug on her handcuffs, shaking the entire table. "HELLO! Is anyone there!? I'd like to talk with someone!" Suddenly Cosmina heard keys rattling in the door before it was slowly pushed open. When a familiar face stepped into the small room, Cosmina's eyes instantly lit up. "Tatsumi! Is that you!?"

"Yeah, it's me, Cosmina." Tatsumi replied as he pulled out a chair and sat across from Cosmina. "I'm glad you're finally awake."

"Ah, I see, this must be your super-secret base..." Cosmina said with a smirk, leaning a bit closer to Tatsumi. "You're buddies must have knocked me out and brought me here."

"I won't confirm or deny anything you said." Tatsumi said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "All you need to know is that for now, you're safe."

"Now, that's the interesting thing." Cosmina said in a sly tone, clasping her hands on top of the table. "Why exactly am I alive? All of Wild Hunt's members should be on the revolutionary army's 'kill on sight' list, right?."

"Our original mission was to kill you and everyone else in Wild Hunt...but I asked to capture you instead." Tatsumi explained as he reached into his jacket pocket. Cosmina quirked an eyebrow when he suddenly pulled out her microphone and set it down onto the table. "I know you're not an evil person Cosmina, you even told me yourself that you have no allegiance towards the Empire...so, I want you to abandon Wild Hunt and help the revolutionary army."

"That's where you're wrong, Tatsumil..." Cosmina said, her smirk turning devious. "I am an evil person, I've killed a lot of people. You saw what I did to that man in the alley."

"I've killed a lot of people too, Cosmina...and that bastard in the alley was rapist piece of shit...if you didn't kill him, I probably would have." Tatsumi said as he tightly balled his fists. "Have you killed any innocent people?"

"You mean civilians? No, I've never killed a civilian before..." Cosmina replied, sitting back in her seat and staring up at the ceiling. A forlorn look spread across Cosmina's face as she released a light sigh. "Did I ever tell you about how I ended up joining Wild Hunt?"

"No..." Tatsumi said as he quirked an eyebrow. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to hear."

"See, that's why I like you, Tatsumi...you're a good listener." Cosmina said with a sweet smile, now leaning back forward and locking eyes with Tatsumi. "Now where to begin...I was born in the Western Country, it was just me, my mom and dad, and my grandma. We lived in a secluded little village and early on things were great. But at a young age, I discovered that I had a special talent...my voice could be used to manipulate people. When I first found out about my ability, I only used it for innocent things, like getting candy or sweets. As I grew older though, I started to take advantage of my powers, making people do my chores or give me some spending money. You can probably guess, the people in my village soon found out the power my voice held and branded me a witch."

"What did they do?" Tatsumi asked as he reached out and grasped Cosmina's hand, seeing that she was now trembling slightly. "Were you exiled from the village?"

"If only it were that simple..." Cosmina replied, feeling a sense of comfort when she felt Tatsumi squeeze her hand. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cosmina continued her story. "No, I wasn't exiled...it was in the dead of night about two years ago. I was awoken by the sound of breaking glass, followed soon by the smell of smoke. When I went downstairs to see what had happened, I saw that our living room was engulfed in flames." Cosmina paused her story for a moment, sniffling several times as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I rushed to get my family so that we could escape. But I couldn't find them anywhere in the house."

"I can see where this story is going..." Tatsumi thought with a frown, slowly shaking his head. "Like a thousand others, Cosmina's life was completely torn apart by something that wasn't even really her fault. Everyone is so quick to jump to violence...why can't we ever try just talking our problems out?"

"Finally, I ended up looking out a window...and then I saw them..." Cosmina said as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "My whole family...they were all hung from trees outside our home...each of them was stripped naked and a sign was hung around their necks, saying that they were punished for harboring a witch. I guess the villagers wanted me to die a slow painful death, so they trapped me in my burning home. Luckily, my father had built an escape tunnel in our cellar that lead out of the village. Ever since my powers awakened he always had a suspicion that villagers may one day turn on us."

"That's...I'm so sorry, Cosmina. I can't imagine having to go through something so awful." Tatsumi said in a sympathetic tone, before picking up his chair and moving it next to Cosmina. Sitting back down, Tatsumi gently patted her back, doing his best to comfort her. "I've lost some close friends in this war against the empire, so I understand your pain...but still, no one should ever have to experience what you went through."

"Thanks, Tatsumi...I've never really talked about that day before...I tried to bury those memories away, but they always seemed to haunt me." Cosmina said as took off her glasses and wiped away her tears, discreetly scooting a little closer to Tatsumi. "After I fled my village, I was filled with such bitterness and hatred. I wanted nothing more than to get revenge on the people who killed my family. But when I mustered enough courage to return to my village, I found that it had been completely destroyed by a local warlord and his soldiers. With no purpose anymore, I started aimlessly wandering the world, and eventually, I ran into Shula. When he saw the power my voice held, he gave me a teigu and offered me a spot in Wild Hunt. I only took his offer because I wanted to belong somewhere, anywhere, again. I wanted to feel like I was needed, that I wasn't just some worthless witch who only causes pain to those around her."

"You can have a purpose, Cosmina...and you can feel like you belong." Tatsumi said with a warm smile, patting Cosmina's head which caused a faint blush to spread across her face. "You can join my group and help us take down the empire. Together we can make this country a better and more peaceful place."

"So, you admit that you're in a secret group working with the revolutionary army." Cosmina said as she chuckled lightly, now locking eyes with Tatsumi. "Although you haven't really been trying to hide that fact."

"I guess there's no point trying to hide it anymore." Tatsumi said, grabbing ahold of Incursio's hilt and donning his armor. Standing up, Tatsumi offered his hand to Cosmina. "I'm a member of Night Raid, and I want you to join us, Cosmina!"

"Night Raid? Now that is impressive." Cosmina said with a low whistle as she stared at Tatsumi for several moments, mulling his offer over in her head. After a few moments, Cosmina smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Reaching out, she shook Tatsumi's hand. "Why the hell not. I have no family in the capital and most of those guys in Wild Hunt were real creeps. Besides, if we help change this country, hopefully, no one will ever have to go through what I did ever again." A seductive smile suddenly spread across Cosmina's face as she leaned closer to Tatsumi. "Also, I get to spend more time with you. I'd love it if we could get to know each other more...intimately."

"Uh, before you get too excited, I should really let you know something, Cosmina. I'm currently dating-"

"Tatsumi! How's it going in there?!" A familiar voice called out from behind the closed door, followed by a few rapid knocks. Suddenly the door swung open and Chelsea stepped into the holding cell, sucker swirling in her mouth. Chelsea eyed Cosmina up for a moment, before walking over to Tatsumi's side. "So, this is the girl you wanted us to save? Huh, doesn't look like much."

"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" Cosmina asked in a slightly irritated tone as a scowl spread across her face. "You ruined the nice atmosphere I had with Tatsumi, so could you please leave?"

"Uh, Cosmina...this is Chelsea..." Tatsumi said somewhat awkwardly, wrapping an arm around Chelsea's shoulders and pulling her close. "She's my girlfriend...that's what I was trying to tell you a minute ago."

"This broad..." Cosmina said in a skeptical tone as she scanned Chelsea up and down, before clicking her tongue in disdain. "I must say Tatsumi, you could have done a lot better." Chelsea's eyes widened in pure anger at the sudden jab, but she bit her tongue to hold herself back. A devious smirk spread across Cosmina's face as she turned to look at Tatsumi once again. "Oh well, I guess that means I'll just have to steal Tatsumi away."

"Oh, you bitch!" Chelsea snapped, slamming her hands onto the table. With a growl rumbling in her throat, Chelsea bit clean through her sucker. "I won't let a skank like you anywhere near Tatsumi!"

"That's funny, cause I've already kissed him." Cosmina teased as she began to make mock kissing noises. "And his lips were oh so sweet!"

"RAGH! I've had it with you!" Chelsea exclaimed, lunging towards Cosmina. However, she was stopped when Tatsumi hooked his arms underneath her armpits, holding her back. Usually, the one doing the teasing, Chelsea wasn't used to being mocked. Her face was flushed red in rage as she tried to free herself from Tatsumi's grasp. "Let me go Tatsumi! I need to smack that smug look off this bitch's face!"

"Calm down, Chelsea!" Tatsumi yelled as he held her close, now wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't let her get to you! You know that I love you!"

"W-What..." Chelsea said, stopping her thrashing and turning to face Tatsumi, tears forming in her eyes. "This...this is the first time that you've said that you loved me."

"H-Huh...I guess that it is..." Tatsumi said as a faint blush spread across his face, rubbing the back of his head. "Over the past few months that we've been together...we've gotten a lot closer and I soon realized that I care about you as much as the other girls. Sorry, it took so long for me to say this, but...I love you, Chelsea. I mean it."

"Oh, Tatsumi!" Chelsea cheered, lunging forward and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. After a few moments, both assassins broke their liplock and Chelsea stared longingly into Tatsumi's emerald eyes. "I love you so much, Tatsumi."

"God is this what being a third wheel feels like..." Cosmina muttered underneath her breath as she rested her head on her palm. However, something Tatsumi had said suddenly struck her. "Wait...what do you mean by 'other girls'?"

"Oi, what's with all the damn commotion in here?" Another familiar voice spoke up in a tired tone. Turning around, Tatsumi saw Leone leaning against the doorway, a tired look in her eyes as she suppressed a yawn. "I was taking a nice nap, but all the yelling in here woke me up."

"Who the hell is this!?" Cosmina thought, openly ogling Leone's massive breasts. With the blonde assassin's arms crossed underneath her chest, her impressive bust was even more pronounced than usual. "This chick is stacked!"

"Like what you see?" Leone asked with a smirk as she wriggled her eyebrows at Cosmina. Sauntering up to the table, Leone leaned closer to Cosmina, giving the lavender-haired girl a better look at her cleavage. "Sorry sweetie, you are cute, but I'm spoken for."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous." Cosmina said, managing to tear her eyes away from Leone's swaying breasts. "And whoever you're dating, they're lucky as hell."

"You bet your ass they are." Leone said with a grin before she walked over to Tatsumi, roughly grabbing a handful of his ass. Cosmina's eyes widened in shock as she watched Leone playfully bite Tastumi's ear. "And I'm lucky as hell to have a man as amazing as Tatsumi."

"H-Hold up!" Cosmina exclaimed, shooting out of her seat and rapidly looking between Tatsumi, Chelsea, and Leone. "I thought Tatsumi and this Chelsea bimbo were dating!? But now you've come up in here and started getting all handsy with him!"

"Well, that's the thing, Cosmina..." Tatsumi said in a somewhat sheepish tone as he scratched his cheek. "The truth is..."

(Five Minutes Later: Kitchen Within Night Raid's Hidden Base)

"You're dating four different girls!?" Cosmina exclaimed, staring at Tatsumi in wide-eyed shock as Akame, Leone, Mine, and Chelsea crowded around him. The five of them were had aprons on and were busy preparing several batches of cookies. "I've heard of guys dating two girls before...but four...that's just crazy!"

"It's five actually." Tatsumi corrected casually as he held up his hand, all of his fingers raised. "She's busy right now, but she should be around in a bit."

"I am so confused right now..." Cosmina said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Tatsumi is cute, so I figured he'd be popular with girls...but this is just insane."

"I'm sorry Cosmina, but this is how things are..." Tatsumi said as he used his apron to wipe some flour off his hands. "I love these girls and I'd do anything to keep them safe." With a smile, Tatsumi grabbed a spare apron and offered it to Cosmina. "I know this may be shocking to you, but that's the way things are. If you want any chance of being with me, even if it's just a physical relationship, you'll have to share me."

"Hmmm..." Cosmina hummed, staring at the apron, then at the four girls standing behind Tatsumi. Each of the girls was looking at Cosmina expectantly, waiting for her to make a decision. After a few moments of thought, Cosmina shrugged her shoulder and grabbed the apron. "Ah what the hell, why not? Could end up being pretty fun." Putting the apron on and tying the knot around her waist, Cosmina gazed at Leone and Akame. "Besides, I may be confident in my charms, but there's no way I could beat all four of you."

"Good choice." Mine said with a satisfied smirk as she rested her hands on her hips. "There's no way we'd lose to a chick like you, who rolled up out of nowhere!"

"You guys are oddly accepting of me..." Cosmina said in a slightly confused tone, quirking an eyebrow as she approached the four girls. "Wasn't I one of your enemies yesterday?"

"Well, we've learned to trust Tatsumi's judgment when it comes to stuff like this..." Akame explained as she continued rolling the cookie dough into balls, not even turning to face Cosmina. "He asked us to capture you alive and wanted to offer you a spot in our group."

"It's the weirdest damn thing..." Leone said, pausing for a moment to lick some dough stuck on the mixing spoon. After licking her lips, Leone grinned and patted her stomach. "But Tatsumi has a really good track record when it comes to convincing enemies to either leave the empire or join our side."

"Really?" Cosmina said in an intrigued tone as she glanced at Tatsumi, a devious look in her eyes. "Now I'm even more interested in him."

"Alright girls, that's enough chit-chat!" Tatsumi called out, clapping several times to get everyone's attention. "We need to finish rolling this dough and get these cookies into the oven!"

"He's so weirdly serious when it comes to cooking and baking." Chelsea muttered underneath her breath as she grabbed a pair of baking trays. "But I do like that quirky side of him."

"Hey, Tatsumi!" Cosmina cheered, lunging for and hugging his arm. Despite being used to the girls clinging to him, a faint blush still spread across Tatsumi's face. "I've never baked anything before! Could you teach me!?"

"Sure thing, Cosmina." Tatsumi said with a smile, subtly trying to free his arm from her grasp. "Cookies are super easy to bake, so you should have no problem picking up how to make them."

"Oi, you god damn lovebirds!" Lubbock exclaimed as he stormed into the kitchen, a frustrated look on his face. "I hate myself for even saying this, but-" Lubbock stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Cosmina was standing amongst the other girls. However, he was truly shocked to see that she hugging Tatsumi's arm. With his brow twitching slightly, Lubbock threw his hands up into the air. "Are you fucking serious!? The new girl is ALREADY all over you!? It hasn't even been a day man!"

"What do you want, Lubbock?" Tatsumi asked, releasing a heavy sigh as he finally managed to free himself from Cosmina. "You must be pretty worked up about something for you to storm in here like this."

"NO!" Mine exclaimed as she dashed forward and hugged Tatsumi's other arm. "Just leave us alone, Lubbock! We have a day off for once and we all agreed to do some baking!"

"We are not done talking about this..." Lubbock hissed, gesturing towards Tatsumi and Cosmina. "But the reason I came here...I need your help." Swallowing all his pride, Lubbock got onto his hands and knees and bowed his head. "I want to be all romantic and lovey-dovey like you are! Please! You have to help me!"

(Five Minutes Later: Meeting Room)

"Okay, I get what you're saying..." Tatsumi said with a smirk as he patted Lubbock on the back. "You've finally decided to confess to the boss, but you just don't have the courage to do it."

"So pathetic." Mine huffed in a frustrated tone, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "Just grow a pair and do it already!"

"Ease up on him, Mine." Akame said as she frowned at the pink-haired sniper. "If I remember correctly, you had a hard time confessing your feelings to Tatsumi at first."

"HAHA! She still does!" Leone teased, slapping her hand onto the table which caused Mine's face to flush red in embarrassment. "You're such a tsundere!"

"Aw, she's getting so flustered!" Chelsea laughed as she playfully poked Mine's cheek. The pink-haired sniper simply sunk deeper into her seat, grumbling to herself. "You're just too easy to mess with!"

"Man, you guys are so adorable!" Cosmina gushed, leaning forward in her seat, and resting her head on her palms. "No wonder you all work so well together!"

"Can we please get back on track!?" Lubbock exclaimed as he shot out of his seat, getting everyone's attention. After a few moments, Lubbock released a light sigh and sat back down. "Mine does have a point...I want nothing more than to confess to Najenda..." A sad look suddenly spread across Lubbock's face. "But...if she rejects me...and the relationship we have is ruined..."

"Stop being so lame!" Mine exclaimed, slamming a hand onto the table. "And you call yourself a man!? Just confess and get rejected already!"

"Can we please not assume that I'm going to be rejected immediately!?" Lubbock yelled in as tears dramatically fell from his eyes. Whipping around, Lubbock grabbed ahold of Tatsumi's vest. "This is a love that has been boiling inside me for years! How could a harem-having playboy like you understand!? RAGH! Why did I even bother asking you!"

"Calm the hell down Lubbock!" Tatsumi said, lunging forward and slapping Lubbock's face. With a red mark on his cheek, Lubbock settled down and sat back in his seat. "Now, let's start coming up with some ideas."

"We can hear everything you're saying..." Najenda thought as she leaned against the wall right outside the meeting room's doorway. "If you're going to have a secret meeting, at least attempt to be discreet."

"Heh, aren't you popular boss..." Sayo said with a smirk, clasping her hands behind her back. "What're you gonna do?"

"That's nothing new, I've always been popular." Najenda replied before she lit a cigarette and took a quick drag. "But I don't have the luxury of falling in love right now." Chuckling to herself, Najenda released a wistful sigh and stared up at the ceiling. "To be honest, I'm actually the type to be quite committed. Maybe...maybe after the revolution succeeds...to fall in love would be nice."

"In our line of work boss, you may not want to wait that long..." Sayo said with a small smile, pushing off the wall and walking down the hall. "You never know when our time will be up."

"Huh..." Najenda muttered as she stroked her chin, cigarette still hanging from her mouth. Discreetly glancing into the meeting room, Najenda smiled when she saw Lubbock and Tatsumi standing at the center of the table, with all the girls huddle around them both. From the snippets she could hear, Najenda knew they were trying to devise plans so that Lubbock could woo her. Najenda dropped her cigarette onto the floor and stomped it out, before walking away from the meeting room. Whatever Lubbock and the others were planning, she wanted it to be a surprise. "Maybe Sayo has a point, why wait to experience a bit of happiness?"

(Same Time: Underneath the Capital's Palace)

"How's your experiment coming?" Shula asked, walking into a secret lab hidden underneath the palace. In the center of the lab was a large vat, with Dorothea standing in front of it. Floating inside the vat was a young blonde woman, with what appeared to be a crystal grafted into her chest. "Did you have trouble finding test subjects?"

"Not at all. This city is filled to the brim with 'willing' participants." Dorothea replied with an evil smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest. "This one was a prisoner who executed by a firing squad. But with my help, she's recovering nicely and has been handling my 'treatments' quite well. She'll make a great subject for my alchemy!" Suddenly snapping her fingers, Dorothea turned to face Shula. "Oh, and by the way, two of our members are dead and one is missing. You should probably just give up on them."

"Enshin, Champ, and Cosmina...right?" Shula said, rubbing the back of his head as he struggled to remember their names. "Well, I don't really care. I don't need subordinates who can be defeated so easily."

"Hmmm, I thought Enshin and Shula got along quite well..." Dorothea thought as she studied Shula's face, seeing that there truly was no hint of sadness or regret on it. "I suppose his ability to move on quickly is one of his strengths."

"I'm glad you're doing well down here." Shula said with a smirk, gazing at the other vats scattered around the lab. "I didn't want this workshop I had built going to waste."

"I'll do my best to please you." Dorothea said with a slight bow as she turned back towards the central vat. "You should know, this woman suffered some brain damage from when her heart stopped beating."

"As long as she's useful in battle, I don't care. She won't need to think anyway." Shula said with a shrug of his shoulders, before starting to walk out of the lab. "If I don't have anything good to tell pops, he'll be disappointed in me again."

And done! I felt like this was a good stopping point because the action is really going to start ramping up after this point. This was simply a nice chill chapter before the heavy stuff starts happening. So, I hope you're all looking forward to that! As usual, I will post one more chapter for this story before I move onto my next one. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!), check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you might have for my stories. So until next time, I'm outta here!