Corruption, Murder and Redemption?

by Man of cartoons

Corruption is said to be a monster that eats the soul of a man. So what if a hero with a pure heart decides to come to a world where the monster has almost taken over? Will he survive? Will he break? And will he get this dumb blond to stop calling him a cattle? Please read to find out. BenXAriaXSheele (Love Triangle). It used to include Leone.

19. Grief, Inner conflict and The Ice Queen?

Hey everyone! This is Man of Cartoons with yet another chapter of Corruption, Murder and…Redemption? If you're not aware, I've published the one-shot that involved the poll I made a few weeks back. I hope you enjoy reading it. As for any review made in the story, I'll bring them up in the end of this chaptger.

Now with that out of the way, we can now get back to the Akame ga kill manga. This is based on chapter 7 of the manga, so expect some changes and a special cameo.

Now on to the chapter, scotty! (Star Trek reference)

CHAPTER 19: Grief, Inner conflict and…The Ice Queen?

DREAM SEQUENCE

The wind blew smoothly in a field, with the sun at the horizon. Everything at first seemed peaceful until the moment Tatsumi turned to his right and saw a familiar person standing not far from him.

"Ieyasu?" Tatsumi questioned.

Indeed, right in his line of sight, it was his best friend, Ieyasu. The teen seemed to have been staring at Tatsumi when he had called him. And considering both of them were confused, it wasn't surprising then that the spiky haired teen called Tatsumi's name in the same manner.

However, the strangeness didn't stop there. It was true that both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were by themselves, but it changed when a familiar face called their names.

"Ieyasu…Tatsumi…" said the voice.

Like the two young men, Ben Tennyson was confused. He was standing by Tatsumi's left, some feet from him and staring at them with a similar expression. Thus, both Tatsumi and Ieyasu were surprised and confused when they saw Ben.

However, no word was said between them. It wasn't because they didn't want to; it was because of a very familiar female voice that instantly made them turn to their front.

"Hey, guys…Can you stop fighting?" asked the female voice.

"No way…" Ieyasu gasped.

Tatsumi almost felt like crying at that moment. The same was almost for Ben, if not for the fact that the teen felt mind blown at who they saw standing there. It wasn't any of the girls from Night Raid or Aria; it was Sayo in white robes staring at them as her hair blew nicely in the wind.

"Hey, are you guys listening?" Sayo asked softly. She surprisingly didn't seem bothered by their expressions as she continued. "Lies hurt, I understand. But we were best friends…Don't let that fail…I love you guys, so makeup already."

The boys weren't certain on what to say. The experience was shocking, as all they could do there was feel a mixed of emotions and a sense of frozenness. So Sayo continued with a humble smile.

"Well times up…Take care of yourselves. I'll be watching." She said.

Just then, the entire scene seemed to start fading.

"Sayo, wait!" shouted Ben.

"Don't leave!" shouted both Tatsumi and Ieyasu

Unfortunately, it was too late. The scene was becoming blurry until finally it disappeared entirely.

DREAM SEQUENCE ENDS

Tatsumi let out a gasp and sat up straight with his arm reached out. For a second, he was confused on his location until a flash image of Sayo came to mind that immediately brought grief to him.

"Ku…" Tatsumi uttered with a scowl. The dream and the image of Sayo were still fresh in his memory. So now he felt bitter about it in response. "What a…painful dream." He said.

Just then, Tatsumi heard a sleepy voice. He didn't know for certain whom it was, but he knew where it came from. Hence, when he turned to his right, he saw Sheele sitting on a chair nearby and sleeping with her head on his bed. She looked so peaceful.

"Tatsumi will be working with me today…it seems." Sheele said in her sleep. "Let's...get along…ZZZZ…"

'A wild airhead appears…!" Tatsumi thought instantly.

_(LINE BREAK)_

In the conference room, Najenda, Leone and Lubbock were standing by a table. The table had some baskets of fruits such as apples, banana and grapes, which looked too good to pass away. It was a good thing then that they were from Akame, as indicated by one of the baskets being labeled as "Akame's Harvest."

Lubbock picked up an apple and munched on it. He savored the taste for a second before something he had to say made him to swallow it.

"I'm wondering if it's really smart to put Sheele in charge of Tatsumi." He said. "And why Mine? You could've had Akame or me be in charge of Ieyasu. I can already tell those two won't get along well."

"Do not worry about that." Najenda said calmly. She then munched on an apple that was in her hand.

"What makes you say that?" Lubbock asked.

Najenda answered. "It's good for Tatsumi to have a more experienced teacher. The same is for Ieyasu. The young man has to learn to get along with Mine if he is to rely on her."

"I guess so." Lubbock said with a deflated look. He then sighed and munched on the apple again. "Tatsumi and Ieyasu's weapons will take a while to make. I was hoping on taking the both of them with me so I could hear them out."

"Nu uh, Lubbock." Leone interjected with an excited smile. "I got first dibs on Tatsumi. Your lose."

"What the hell! That's so unfair!" Lubbock exclaimed and clutched his head.

"Actually…" Najenda suddenly said. "I have a mission for you."

"A mission?" Leone asked with a confused look.

What could this mission be? A part of Leone was disturbed though. The young woman had been looking forward to training the teen. But with Najenda's sudden request, she could only wonder for a brief moment on what it could be before it was revealed to her.

_(LINE BREAK)_

An hour went by before Tatsumi got in the kitchen. He was hungry since he hadn't eaten since last night. So when he got there, he saw Ieyasu sitting by himself at the dining table and eating some breakfast likely prepared by Akame. The female assassin wasn't around though, which was weird. However, that didn't stop the teen from approaching his friend.

"Hey, Ieyasu. You're up early." Tatsumi said casually.

Ieyasu looked over to his friend. "Oh, it's just you, Tatsumi." He said.

Tatsumi smiled a bit and sat across his friend. The mood was quite nice for him, considering the dream he had earlier had put him off. But then something from his friend immediately caught his attention.

"Hey, Tatsumi…do you believe in what Ben said yesterday?" Ieyasu asked.

"I'm…not sure." Tatsumi said with uncertainty. "Different worlds…the Multiverse…It sounds so crazy that it sounds unbelievable. But at the same time, it's something that just can't be made up just instantly."

"I agree." Ieyasu said calmly. Then he stared down at his food with a thought already in mind. "You know, Tatsumi, I'm glad we made it through that night in that girl's shed…With Ben leaving us for that her…the one that killed Sayo, things just felt out of place. But ever since Ben brought up those worlds, I've been wondering…do you think there's a world like ours but slightly different?"

'A world…like ours?' Tatsumi was surprised. He was a bit taken aback by the question from his friend and the thought of it. 'But…now that I think of it…that shouldn't be farfetched because if what Ben says is true then there might be a world kind of like ours.'

"Well I think there is." Ieyasu smiled. He still wasn't facing his friend, mainly because of the idealist mind he had. "I like to think that in that world Sayo actually made it…I don't know if we made it there or things are different than it is now, but still…it's comforting in a way to believe that Sayo made it through that awful night."

Tatsumi was again surprised by his friend remark. The teen found that his friend seemed much relaxed than usual. But at the same time he couldn't help but think of something else.

'Is it possible that he…had the same dream?' Tatsumi thought.

A few seconds later Ieyasu raised his face at Tatsumi. His expression there didn't show any doubt or any hint that he had the same dream as Tatsumi; it was just a bright smile. And with that Tatsumi too found himself at ease.

"Yeah…Maybe there is a world like that." Tatsumi smiled.

Now both boys were in an equal feeling between each other. It was a nice pace of things since their ordeal with what happened last night. But all that changed when Tatsumi mood changed when a thought came to mind.

"By the way…Is it true that Mine's going to watch over you today?" Tatsumi asked.

Ieyasu frowned. "Way to go, Tatsumi…It was such a nice moment."

"I-I'm sorry." Tatsumi said sheepishly.

Ieyasu sighed in response and munched a bit of his food. "It's okay…" He said. "The Pink devil herself isn't up yet for some reason, so we can still talk."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu froze instantly. They knew who that voice belonged to, and thus turned to the entrance of find the certain 'pink devil' standing by the door with Sheele next to her.

'Oh shit…I'm…I'm done for.' Ieyasu thought nervously.

The mood which had been somewhat peaceful was now in a troubling state. Tatsumi could see that, as well as anybody else as Mine stood there with a glare and visibly gritted teeth.

"Pink devil huh?! You just lost ten points, newbie!" Mine yelled angrily.

"Wait, there are points?" Ieyasu asked in shock.

"Another ten points gone!"

"Wait! I –"

"Fifteen points!"

"No! Wait, I'm…."

"One thousand points!"

"This is getting ridiculous!"

Tatsumi felt some sympathy for his friend. He could see how Mine's attitude there was affecting him mentally. But he couldn't say anything to ease it, partly because he didn't want to get involved with Mine's uptight attitude. As for the other reason, it revealed itself in the midst of the two arguing when Sheele approached Tatsumi with a smile on her face.

"Can we get going?" Sheele asked sweetly.

"Uh…Uh, sure." Tatsumi answered. He was a bit surprised by her attitude, considering Ieyasu and Mine were both arguing. Thus, he slyly moved his eyes towards the duo. 'She does notice the two of them arguing right?'

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the woods, and close to the Imperial Capital, the home of Satou stood strongly. The place was a nice looking cottage, as nothing was off about it. It had some three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen that had what was best for the house. As for the bathroom, the plumbing it was great thanks to Ben. The teen had gone out of his way to use Greymatter and Jury Rigg to fix it up (mostly because he was tried to bathing at streams).

Presently, the mood of the people who lived there was normal. Aria was at the front chopping wood, which was proving difficult. Apparently, some time ago, Satou had approached her and 'asked' her to chop some wood that he had piled outside for firewood. And now that led to her bitterness.

'I hate you, Satou.' Aria thought bitterly. 'I know you hate me to death but can't you fucking see I'm not physically strong? You could've just had Ben –"

The girl was suddenly then interrupted. It wasn't by her means but by the door suddenly opening and closing. Hence, with a curious mind, the girl turned to it and found Ben walking away.

"Good morning, Ben!" Aria greeted.

Ben stopped and muttered some words absentmindedly. Truth be told, he had something on this mind that had led to that moment. So when he heard Aria, he turned to her with that uninterested expression and waved at her.

"Hey, Aria…I'm…I'm heading out a bit. Don't wait up." He said.

Aria was now concerned. It was obvious to her that the teen hero wasn't his usual self. And now that she recalled it, the teen hadn't been himself for some time now. The fight with Sunny had clearly been one thing, but she guessed his attitude at the moment had to do with his meeting with Night Raid.

'Just what happened?' Aria questioned in her mind. 'Did they do something to you, Ben?'

Since last night, Ben hadn't said what happened in his meeting with Night Raid. Maybe it was for the best, however Aria couldn't help but feel shaken that something big happened then. As such, she dropped the axe in her hand and ran over to the teen hero, who was now walking away.

"Ben, wait!" Aria shouted.

Ben said nothing to her. He didn't stop or react in way that said he acknowledged her. So with each step Aria took, she called out to the teen while feeling her worries grow for him. But that didn't work. Thus she reached out and grabbed the teen by his right wrist.

"Ben, wait! I'm –"

Ben immediately pulled wrist from Aria's grasp. The reaction mildly surprised the girl, mainly because she hadn't expected that. But if that wasn't enough, Ben's mood suddenly changed when he turned to her with an angry look.

"Ben, this! Ben that! Can you just shut up!?" Ben yelled angrily. He didn't seem to retain one bit of his former self at all. Hence, with a glare that could kill, the teen's anger rose. "Can't you get that I want to be alone! I had a rough night, and with that awful dream about Sayo I just –AAHHH! It's your fault! If it weren't for you Sayo would've been –"

Ben suddenly stopped. The reason for his action was because of the scene before him. Aria was no longer worried about him, but was in deep sadness just by the tears forming at his eyes. It was then at that moment that Ben snapped out of his rant and became apologetic and sad towards her.

"Sayo…I mean, Aria…."

"I'm – I'm sorry!" Aria cried out.

And with that, the blonde girl immediately ran off in tears. To Ben, the whole thing seemed to have happened so fast. He did not only feel bad for what he did but also annoyed at his reaction. But just as he made a move to run towards her, a hand landed on his shoulder and made him turn back.

"Satou." Ben said.

Satou had a firm look on his face. It was obvious that he had seen what happened between the two teenagers from wherever he had been.

"Let her go for now." Satou stated immediately.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" Ben yelled. He then immediately swatted Satou's hand off his shoulder and glared at him. "I know you hate Aria for everything she's done, but –"

"But I understand that now isn't the right time." Satou interjected. He could see from his view that the teen hero was deeply worried about the girl, so he became honest and less firm. "You remind me of a young man in the navy…In fact, I think you two share a bit in common. He was always concerned about the people around him in any way he could. Of course he had a Teigu of his own that assisted him in this, so he was exceptionally skilled…But at times in the navy, it's best to take a break and figure yourself out."

"I…see." Ben said, although hesitant.

"Good." Satou said and then walked passed Ben. "Take a walk around the Capital and do what you want. Just don't bring too much attention to yourself. By the time you come back, I'm certain things between you and the girl will be fine."

"Right…"

_(LINE BREAK)_

On his own, Satou made his way to a stream. It was a mile away from his cottage and was always accessed easily at anytime. However, the reason for his going there wasn't for the water, but because of a certain blonde girl sitting by the stream and crying.

"So that's where you are." Satou said calmly.

Right at that moment, the middle aged man was standing a few feet behind her. He didn't have a look of concern or sympathy like Ben; He just had a hateful look on him.

"Leave me alone." Aria said stubbornly.

"Tsk." Satou became irritated.

For the man, there were some things he could take. However, none of them was for Aria, who he then approached from behind. Hence, before the girl knew it, he placed his right foot on her back and pushed her into the stream, much to her shock. Aria yelped and immediately stood up angrily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Aria yelled angrily.

"Me? Nothing." Satou said with a stern look. "You, on the other hand, there is so much that is wrong with you. You say you want to change for the better, but look at you crying pitifully because of some things the young lad said. Well let me tell, in the battlefield there won't be time to cry and bitch your way through. You either fight or die."

Aria was taken aback by his response. She knew a part of her shouldn't be surprised by his attitude towards her, however it couldn't be helped. Thus, she became depressed and looked down at her as the man continued.

"Sometimes I wonder why I bother." Satou said again. "You're awful at your training and you can't do anything right. Maybe it's best you should just go and die."

"Then why haven't you done it?!" Aria yelled directly at him. "Why do you put up with me?! Just stop training me and kill me? We're alone now, so there won't be a witness!"

"And risk Ben's wrath? I don't think so." Satou said calmly. "The reason I chose to train you was because of the young lad. I see talent with him, and talent like that shouldn't be wasted on the side of the empire like a country young man I once knew. I've seen the display of power Ben showed in that fight last night…It was unlike anything I've witnessed in my years at sea."

"Oh…"

"Anyway…how long do you want to cry? To be honest with you, you're doing a shitty job for someone who wants to help Ben. The kid saved your life, from my time we call that a life debt."

"A…life debt?"

"Yeah, a life debt." Satou answered. "It's exactly as it sounds…From what I've gotten, Ben saved you from Night Raid, the assassin group that has a one hundred percent kill on their targets. Basically, you owe him your life. So rather than stay there and sulk, train harder and fulfill his expectations. I would hate for that young man to feel disappointment because of you."

"I see…" Aria replied. Her voice was low as she then looked away from Satou. "As much as I hate to admit it…I do owe Ben my life. I have no other choice.'

With that, Aria did something unexpected of her. Satou watched, right in front of him, as she then did a bow in a humble manner. It slightly surprised him.

"Please! Train me more!" Aria shouted determinedly. "I may be small, but I want to meet Ben's expectations! I don't want to be a disappointment! So please help me in any way you can!"

"Very well…" Satou said calmly. He was still taken aback by her action, though. 'Is this still the same girl from before? The one I once served with her rotten family…Is she really gone?' He thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere else in the woods, Tatsumi was working hard by training in a lake. His instructor this time was Sheele, who sat on a rock nicely and watched the teen's performance. Hence, upon him concluding, the teen let out a breath and climbed on to huge rock.

"Well done swimming in that armor." Sheele said nicely.

"So heavy." Tatsumi panted. "This is hard."

Sheele was impressed. "This is the curriculum I came up with for assassin training. Since I don't have a job at the hideout, I can concentrate on training you." She said honestly.

Tatsumi was somewhat over his exhaustion. But then he was curious on what Sheele had just told him. Hence, he asked. "Why don't you have a job?"

"I got the normally cool Akame angry when I tried to cook." She said explanatory. "When I tried to do the cleaning, all I did was make a bigger mess for Bulat to clean up. Also, when I did the shopping, I mistook salt for sugar…Leone couldn't stop laughing. And when I tried to do the laundry…I carelessly washed Mine with the clothing."

"Ouch…I kind of feel sorry for Mi ne…Kind of." Tatsumi replied. A part of him did feel some sympathy for the pink hair girl, but her attitude towards Ieyasu in the morning came to her. 'I think she had that coming…with what she did to Ieyasu.'

Just then, a thought came to the brown haired teen.

"By the way, Sheele. When I met everyone, you didn't seem too happy about me joining." Tatsumi said.

"Ehhh." Sheele responded with mild surprise. "I get the feeling there was a reason, but I've forgotten."

"Is that so?" Tatsumi asked, not surprised.

However, that didn't mean Sheele was fine with what she did then. Hence, as a show of being sorry, she went ahead to do a bow.

"Allow me to apologize and –Oh no, my glasses…"

Her glasses suddenly fell off. Tatsumi was then surprised, however it wasn't because of her glasses falling off; it was actually because at that moment, Sheele's face seemed to sparkle beautifully. Fortunately, Tatsumi was able to recover at the same time as she picked up her glasses.

"Do you mind if I ask why you're in this line of work, Sheele?" Tatsumi asked.

"It's a long story…" Sheele replied. And then she began to explain. "I grew up in the lower district of the Capital. Since I was young, no matter what I do, I was always clumsy. For me, there was nothing I could be proud of. I received many insults. However there were two people who were nice to me. One of them wanted to be friends with me even knowing how I was. As for the other person…I'll get to him later."

'Him? It was a guy?' Tatsumi thought.

Sheele continued. "About that friend, no matter how clumsy I was, she would never call me stupid or insult me. The time I spent with her was the only thing I could say I liked about my life. Until one day…While I was visiting her, an angry man arrived at her door. It was her ex-boyfriend. He resented being dumped by her and started getting violent. Right in front of me, he grabbed her throat and started choking her. The man was on drugs. At the time…"I must save her" was all I could think. I was surprisingly calm about it. I got a knife from the kitchen. The man wasn't on guard…so I aimed for his throat. The man died quickly. She couldn't stop shaking while staring at his body. But somehow my mind was clear."

Tatsumi was still listening. He didn't have his thoughts on the back story, mostly because the girl wasn't finished yet.

"Eventually, the incident would be ruled as an act of self-defense." Sheele continued. "One day, while I was walking through the city, a group of men suddenly appeared before me. They wanted revenge for the man I killed. It turned out he was the second in command of a local gang. They told me they killed my parents and that they were going to kill me. But while they were saying this to me, surprising as it was, my mind was once again clear. I dodged the first man's clumsy attack and used the knife I kept for self-defense to strike a vital spot. And then, using him as a shield, I proceeded to kill the other men one by one. It was then I understood…There was actually a screw loose somewhere in my mind and it made me a very talented killer."

Tatsumi wasn't troubled to hear any of this. Truth be told, he was glad that she went through with those guys, considering all that happened. But again, the girl wasn't done narrating.

"I could get rid of society's trash." She said. "This was one thing I could do so I wouldn't be considered useless, is what I thought. And then I met that man…the one who would change my life as well."

FLASHBACK

The dead bodies of the men Sheele killed lay on the ground with their own blood. As for the girl, she was covered at some place of their own blood. But none of that mattered to her, she was smirking about her accomplish when suddenly she heard clapping.

"Wow! That was some killing." said a male voice. "I guess that is expected from someone like yourself…Sheele."

Sheele's eyes widened before she immediately turned the source of the voice. It turned out then that the man was behind her and with a smirk on his face. He seemed to be a man in his forties and in clothes that were somewhat odd. He had brown hair, wore a white shirt under a green coat and black pants and black and white shoes.

"Anyway…." The man then said. "You may be wondering who I am, so if we can – Oh shit."

At the last part, the man's eyes widened. The reason for his change in attitude was because Sheele was charging towards him with her knife in her grip. Thus, with quick reflex, the man jumped back just in time to avoid a swing of Sheele's knife to his stomach. However, his move didn't deter the future assassin, who then charged at him faster than before and swing upward for his chin.

Fortunately, the man seemed faster than he looked. He showed this by moving his head back, just as the young girl had attacked him. Then, before Sheele knew it, he jumped back and raised both his arms to his chest level, revealing two green gauntlets.

"I didn't want to do this, but…Ulti-Biomnitrix flash!"

Suddenly, a bright light shined from the twin gauntlets. It happened suddenly, as not even Sheele could anticipate that she would be blinded by it. Thus, before she knew it, the man gripped her wrist and forced her to let go of the knife, with the light then dying down to reveal him standing directly before her.

"So…you wanna talk or not?" The man asked.

However, Sheele said nothing to him. Her arm was still gripped by the man, as apparent as it was. But then it seemed the man had something in mind as he then used his other hand to push into his coat and pull out a paper.

"The men you faced were clumsy. I'm not like them." He said to her. "Trust me, if I wanted it, you wouldn't be standing alive right now. Now if you can calm down for a bit…read this letter. It's from your mother." He said.

"My mother?" Sheele questioned.

And with that, the man let go of Sheele's arm. He then handed the girl the paper and watched as she read the words in it until then putting it down.

"How?" Sheele asked.

"I saved them." The man answered. "I ran into some of the guys sent to kill your folks and dealt with them. The authorities should be able to pick them up soon, but I can't say you should meet your parents just yet. The local gang would likely go after them, so I told them to get out of the Capital. At first they weren't certain, but by the fact I saved their life, they agreed. You won't be able to see them for a while…that is if you didn't want to. You didn't seem bothered that those guys you killed told you they killed them."

Sheele said nothing to him. There may be a part of her that was glad to hear that her parents were fine, however it didn't show on her face.

"Anyway, you have some talent there. You can be very useful."

"Useful?" Sheele questioned. Hearing that word was like the first time she heard it from someone.

"Yeah." The man said. "I don't support reckless killing, but with the way the empire is becoming, you may not have much of a choice. So if you want to make it, wait for the good people to scout you. I can assure you that your life will change for the better."

"Good people?" Sheele questioned. "Who are you talking about?"

"You'll see in due time." The man smirked. "I have a…sense of the future."

However, Sheele was confused. She also failed to realize that what the man said there were basically time puns. But then again, before she could ask again, loud shouts of Imperial guards made her turn back and then back at the man. However, he was already gone.

FLASHBACK END

"He just vanished?" Tatsumi questioned.

Up to this point, the teen had been interested by Sheele's narration. Also, for some reason, the man Sheele just mentioned seemed to remind him of a similar person that Mine had told him in her own flashback. However, he wasn't certain of the connection and as such felt confused.

"Yes…at least that is how it seemed." Sheele answered. "Not long after that…I was scouted by the revolutionary army to carryout assassinations."

"And that's why you came up with this assassination curriculum, huh…?"

"Correct." Sheele answered. "Because I didn't have the fighting skills of someone like you."

'Everyone has their circumstances hmmm.' Tatsumi thought to himself.

_(LINE BREAK)_

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

Everyone except for Leone was once again assembled in the conference room. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were before the boss, who had a certain Teigu in her hand. It was the very one that Zank had used, which was now in Night Raid's possession.

"We were able to obtain Zank's Teigu from Ben Tennyson thanks to Leone's effort." Najenda announced. "However, we are yet to confirm a permanent alliance with him. I still have some digging to deal with. So with that out of the way, I want Tatsumi or Ieyasu to try out this Teigu."

"Really?!" Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu exclaimed happily.

"So no one wants it?" Ieyasu asked.

"It's one Teigu per person." Bulat stated with a smirk.

"That is because it takes considerable mental and physical strength to control them." Lubbock added.

Tatsumi was then picked to try it out first. He was excited for it, of course, but found some fault in its appearance. Nonetheless, he placed it at his forehead and tried using it a first and then a second time, which didn't go well as he had hoped. The Teigu did work, but by showing him the underwear of Akame, Sheele and Mine before then rejecting him, much with a sudden feel of exhaustion.

Fortunately, Akame was able to rush over and remove the thing from his forehead.

"It's the compatibility…" Najenda stated with mild disappointment. "It seems this Teigu isn't suited to you."

Just then, Mine approached the fallen teen with a direct look.

"You were thinking about how uncool it looked or something, weren't you?" She asked rhetorically. "The user's first impression of the Teigu is important, you know?"

"Then give me a try!" Ieyasu said excitedly. He immediately had everyone's attention, with his wide smirk then showing. "Tatsumi may have failed, but I won't!"

Akame stood up with the Teigu in her hand. She took a second to glance over at Ieyasu and then at Najenda, who gestured her to go ahead. Thus, with no hesitance, the female assassin handed the Teigu into Ieyasu's hand.

"If it rejects you, do not push yourself." Akame instructed him.

"Don't worry, Akame. I got this," Ieyasu said calmly. He then lifted the Teigu up to his forehead and placed it there. "Now then…let's go –AAAHHHHHH!"

Everyone was immediately at alert. Before, Ieyasu seemed very confident of himself when he had gotten the Teigu, however that didn't seem to be the case now. The teen now seemed to be in pain.

"Get it off him!" Najenda ordered.

Akame immediately moved to take it off. She was still directly in front of him when he had reacted the way he could. But as her hand reached to it, the teen suddenly stopped screaming and held up his hand at Akame for her to stop. Then, with a grin he said. "Just kidding. I got you guys, didn't I?"

No one found his action funny. The looks he got weren't smiles; they were glares that clearly showed their annoyance.

'Idiot! I knew he was stupid from the start!' Mine thought.

"Hey! Who are you calling stupid, midget!" Ieyasu yelled angrily at Mine.

"Midget?!" Mine scowled angrily. "Who you calling a – wait…" She suddenly became surprised. "You heard my thought?"

"You damn right I did! You better sleep tonight with one eye open!"

Mine shot a glare at him. She didn't like teen's threat, even though it wasn't to her life. But before anything else could be said, Najenda spoke up.

"Congratulations, Ieyasu. You have your very own Teigu."

"Yup!" Ieyasu smirked. He tapped the Teigu on his forehead and then turned to Tatsumi. "Sorry, Tatsumi. You snooze, you lose."

"Hmph…You won this one, Ieyasu." Tatsumi smirked. He was back on his feet and had his arms crossed over his chest. "But just know I'll get a cooler Teigu. You'll see."

"I bet I will."

"By the way…" Tatsumi turned over to Najenda. "What would've happened if none of us were compatible with the Teigu?"

"Then it would've been taken to the revolutionary army's headquarters where it would've been analyzed to be a part of the fighting force." Najenda answered

Akame then took over to explain.

"While we are an assassination team, collecting the lost Teigu is one of our sub-missions." She said. "When we run into enemies who possess a Teigu like Zank did, we take them…even the weakest of them is invaluable."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu instantly understood.

"So what you're saying is…" Tatsumi said.

"The more we have, the stronger the army becomes or something, right?" Ieyasu added.

"Correct." Najenda answered. She had a book in her hand that she then handed over to Tatsumi. "You two should read the book of the known Teigu."

Tatsumi opened the book and got a view of some of the Teigu displayed. He recognized some of them to belong to Leone, Mine and Sheele, while the others were ones he didn't know. As for Ieyasu, the teen himself looked over Tatsumi's shoulder to get a view of them.

"Wow…so much…" Ieyasu said in mild astonishment. "Is my Teigu in this book?"

"I think so." Najenda answered.

Tatsumi then asked. "This is a small portion of them, right?"

"Correct." Najenda answered. "The ones in that book are only the Teigu we know about."

Tatsumi closed the book. It was useful, but the current moment wasn't right to study the Teigu. Ieyasu understood this also, as he took the book from his best friend and held on to it. But then another thought came to Tatsumi.

"Speaking of Teigu, which one is the strongest?" He asked.

Najenda grew silent. She had an idea on what that would be, but felt slightly hesitant. Fortunately, she was able to overcome the silence with a firm but troubled look.

"Their use and compatibility change, but if I had my say the ice manipulation Teigu…is what I think." She said. "Originally, I believed the Omnitrix was a Teigu that could surpass that Teigu, but with…those revelations from last night, the Teigu I just mentioned remain the strongest in my opinion. Luckily for us, its user is currently busy conquering the Northern Tribes."

And so, the explanation went on about the ongoing war with the Northern Tribes. Apparently, the region had become a threat to the empire that an expeditionary forces to deal with them. But it would appear it won't be easy because the Northern Tribes had a hero named Numa Seika, who was known to wield a spear and never lose a battle.

"But there's no need to worry yet." Lubbock said with certainty. "Even with that woman, it'll take at least a year or two to take the north."

Najenda then smirked. "And when she does return that is when young Tennyson will be needed. If his Omnitrix is indeed the most powerful device in the universe, he'll take her on and win in the name of the revolutionary army. Then we'll have her executed…one way or the other."

"Ben won't accept that." Ieyasu stated straightly. "I don't mean to be rude but you never told him that you'll want the woman dead."

"I didn't mention it because we know his nature." Najenda said calmly. "That is why I want any Night Raid member available to be close by when the fight happens. Then once it is over and Tennyson emerges the victor I want whoever that is there to eliminate her. We will deal with Tennyson if the need comes."

Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Tatsumi were surprised by Najenda's plan. It sounded good, but it made one to wonder if it'll go as smoothly as they hope. Ben certainly wasn't a killer, but it's likely he won't take a stab in the back as a good thing either. But there was nothing that could be said against the boss's plan, not that any of them felt a need for it.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Tatsumi said. His mind was a bit on the issue with Ben until another thought came to mind. "By the way, a Teigu comes with unique abilities, right? So that means the stronger the enemy, the better. We're collecting more and more Teigu after all."

Everyone immediately shifted their gaze over to Tatsumi. His tone had sounded subtle, but it was a bit too exciting for any of them to ignore. The look on his face showed it, as he now had a smirk on his face.

"You're obviously cheerful. Why is that?" Mine asked.

Tatsumi turned to the boss and faced everyone else.

"Well the world is filled with Teigu that have unknown abilities right? The reason I'm so lively is this!" Tatsumi said. It was noted then by everyone that he seemed more determined, especially as his grin showed. "I was thinking…having seen these abilities…maybe…just maybe…there may be a Teigu that has the ability to bring dead people back to life! Right!?"

A dark atmosphere immediately filled the room. Everyone now understood the teen's sudden determination and eagerness, including Ieyasu who even gave Tatsumi a serious look. However, the brown haired teen didn't seem to notice any of this.

"If there is one, I may be able o bring Sayo back! That's why I'm going to do all I can to recover as many Teigu as po-"

"You can't." Bulat interjected.

"Bro?" Tatsumi questioned. He was surprised by Bulat's sudden rejection of his idea. However, there was no denying the fact that the stylish haired man had a serious look on his face.

"A Teigu that resurrect the dead doesn't exist." Bulat told him. "In this world…or in any world…you only get one life."

"How…" Tatsumi suddenly became angry. "How can you say that!? You can't! Not until we've found them, right?! I mean Ben can do a lot of things with his Omnitrix, so it shouldn't be –"

"Ben Tennyson is an anomaly." Lubbock interjected with a serious tone. "You have faith in him, however even he hasn't displayed the power to raise a person back to life. It is either because he can't or he refuses not to. But I doubt the latter."

"Besides…" Akame said to add her own words. "the current emperor is a good example of the non-existence of such a Teigu. If it did exist, the first emperor will still be ruling."

"The reason is obvious when you think of it." Bulat said. "It was because the first emperor knew he would someday have to die that he created the Teigu in the first place."

Tatsumi was shocked. He felt in that moment that his hopes had dropped in that very moment. But if that wasn't enough, even Ieyasu had something to say.

"I thought of it before but…it's impossible." Ieyasu said with a serious tone. "Raising the dead is an act of a god…no Teigu…not even Ben can accomplish something like that. You have to let it go, Tatsumi. I had to…Sayo is gone."

"But…" Tatsumi uttered.

"Don't hang your hopes on that." Akame said suddenly. She too had a serious look on her face as she continued "If you do, an enemy will use that weakness of mind against you. And you…will be killed."

Tatsumi mentally took the warning in, but it didn't mean it was well. The teen was obviously in pain that he had to hold in. But even as he tightened his fist in a display of bottled up emotion, Sheele and Ieyasu understood his pain and were concerned,

_(LINE BREAK)_

"A FIRE!"

"SOMEONE QUICK, CALL HELP!"

"HEY! I SEE SOME PEOPLE ON THE GROUND! THEY SEEMED UNCONSCIOUS!"

"GET HELP!"

Somewhere in the Capital, there was a fire on a building. Those who lived close by knew the building was used for all sorts of drugs; however it was unknown who was the cause of the fire. As for the unconscious men on the ground, there were thugs and drug dealers that were normally in charge of such a building.

So while Imperial guards could be seen rushing to the building, there were passersby who spoke among themselves.

"Hey, you saw that right?" asked one guy to another man.

"Yeah." answered the guy. "That flame covered man. I saw him fly out of the building just now."

"Wow." replied the guy. "But he has that hexagon symbol just like the other creatures from the past weeks."

"That scares me." said the guy. "His symbol also matches those barriers from the Dark Scare."

Ben Tennyson overheard them with a gloom look on his face. 'The Dark Scare huh? I guess that's what they're calling it.' He thought.

The Dark Scare was the incident involving Alien X. No one knew the truth about it or the person that was responsible for it. However, suspicions had risen ever since Ben had taken his heroic acts to the Capital, with mixed from the citizens. But right at the moment, the teen couldn't be bothered. He was in his own mood, which immediately made him to turn away with his arms in his coat's pocket, and start walking away.

'I went to that warehouse a while ago…kicked some butts and burned it all down…I didn't mean to cause this much trouble, but it's not like this is the first time I came across that building…The same bad guys keep using the place for bad stuff…I had no other choice…' Ben thought deeply. 'And now that I think about it…all this crime…is that all I can do? Some of the guys I beat up keep coming back…Sure that wasn't a serious problem in my world…but in a place like this…where killers and psychopaths are just about everywhere it's…unsettling…Sure I could do more, but won't it be overstepping my boundaries as a hero? It's been over a month now and I haven't even met any of the bad guys that runs the empire…Can I still call myself a hero? No…No, that's not right…I'm a hero…I've saved lives…People here are beginning to look up to me…while there are some that are scared of me…but even with that…something just feels off.'

Ben then sighed. 'I think I get it now…The reason I feel like this is because…even with all this…I haven't moved a step closer to stopping the empire…I'm out of my own element…In other words…I haven't done a single thing.'

With that Ben Tennyson continued to walk away. The air around him felt uncertain as his inner self seemed to be in conflict over his actions. He was in a world completely different void of the morality he was brought up with and the lifestyle he had known. Thus, it was in his time of gloom that a certain blonde watched from his back, some meters away, with a concerned look on her face.

'What's with him?' Leone thought.

_(LINE BREAK)_

Time went on even with night finally coming to stay. The day had been filled with a lot of emotions, as those involved in them had learned. So it was in the late of night that both Sheele and Ieyasu found Tatsumi sitting by a cliff with his back at them.

"Tatsumi, you're still awake." Ieyasu said.

Tatsumi didn't turn back to face them. He knew by Ieyasu's voice that it was his best friend, though the same couldn't be said for Sheele. But the young woman was still there and watching as he then spoke.

"I was happy…" He said with a sad tone. "I thought that I could possibly bring her back…Ben brought you back, so why couldn't I?"

Ieyasu wanted to say something. However, he was stopped by Sheele who held her arm at him. And thus the teen continued.

"I thought that as long as there was even a small possibility, I still had hope...but…"

Finally, Tatsumi couldn't hold his grief anymore. He had tried before and has been successful at it for the duration of the time. However, now he couldn't hold it in. And so he began to cry as he tried his fists on his lap.

"I knew it. We'll never see her again. I should have given up, but…I just…"

"Tatsumi…" Sheele muttered.

The level of sympathy for Tatsumi grew with each passing second. Ieyasu was able to understand the feelings of his best friend because he too missed their female friend by their side. It was obvious on his face, as even tears began to slowly rush down his cheeks. But before he could say something, Sheele made her own move. The young woman suddenly had Tatsumi in an embrace from behind as she was kneeling on the ground with his head on her chest.

"She-Sheele?" Tatsumi expressed in shocked.

"We'll keep this a secret from everyone else." Sheele said with a caring tone. "It's okay to cry as much as you need,"

Ieyasu was a bit surprised by her words, with the same for Tatsumi. The teen had thought about intervening before Sheele had stepped in. But then a comforting thought made him smile before making he then made a turn and began walking away.

'Tatsumi, you've met another good person…I'm happy to know that.' Ieyasu smiled. 'At least I know…if I'm not around anymore there will still be people like her watching over you.'

And so, with that, Ieyasu made his way back to the hideout. Tatsumi and Sheele shared their moment, as the young woman allowed the teen to cry out his grief while still in her embrace. She didn't mind it though, because she was happy. Tatsumi made her feel that she was good for something else after all.

_(LINE BREAK)_

NORTHERN LANDS

Somewhere in the northern region from the empire, there was a fortified city. This city had fought against a battle with the empire's expeditionary forces with everything they've got. But sadly, even with all their best effort, they lost terrible to the mighty force they met.

And so it was with heavy hearts that the people experienced what then became of their city. Their streets were littered with people encased in ice and some decapitated of their arms and legs tied to poles either dead or halfway there. As for their proud hero, Numa Seika, he was stripped naked and licking the boot of the mighty woman of the empire, General Esdeath, like a dog.

"The Northerners were defeated in a blink of an eye. That's our general for you!" said one soldier.

Numa Seika panted like a dog with his tongue out. He wasn't the man he once was; he was below that in the eyes of everyone, including Esdeath. The woman seemed displeased by him.

"Their army, people and pride were so easy to crush huh…" Esdeath said with disappointment. "And this is their supposed hero…? How worthless."

Just then, the Empire's strongest did something unexpected. She used that same boot the former hero had licked hungrily to kick him so hard at the head, killing him instantly.

"Die! Dog!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

Some of the blood of the man flew in the air and touched a few soldiers faces. But it didn't matter. There were even some bloods on the woman's boot especially as she then stood up.

"Where is the response for the request I sent for?" She asked.

"Right here, general." said one soldier.

Amongst the other soldiers, one man emerged. He was dressed just like everyone, but with a rolled up paper in his hand as he gave it to Esdeath. The empire's strongest then read the content in it before a grin spread on her face and she closed it.

"I'm returning to the Capital!" Esdeath announced.

A few minutes later the soldiers were standing in line. They had heard the words of their general and were in full attention as she stood before them with a grin on her face.

"Somewhere in the Capital, there is someone that might satisfy me." Esdeath said with mild excitement. "The one responsible for the Dark Scare; Will you give me the thrill of battle I long for? I honestly can't wait."

NAME: ESDEATH

PERSONALITY: SADIST

STRENGTH LEVEL: "THE EMPIRE'S STRONGEST"

_(LINE BREAK)_

Somewhere in the woods, Ben shuddered a bit.

'What was that?' Ben thought with an awakened look. He was alone in a field and standing in place with a confused look on his face as he stared at the full moon. 'The night is cold but…it wasn't the night cold…It feels like something big is coming…something really dangerous.'

_(LINE BREAK)_

And with that, I end this chapter. Thank you so much for reading this chapter, it means a lot. I had some original things I wanted to add to this chapter, but thought not to add them due to being long or not at the right time.

If you're not aware of it, Wave actually got two mentions in this chapter by Satou. Both Wave and Satou have a history together that I plan on revealing as the fanfiction goes. Also, what did you think of Ben 10,000's cameo in Sheele's flashback? There's a reason why he keeps showing up, so expect the truth behind it to be revealed in later chapters.

So I've noticed some of you are eager for my idea on a Ben 10 and Attack on Titan crossover. Well honestly it is just an idea that I don't feel like getting into yet. But seeing as you guys want one, I'm going to take a reviewer's suggestion and set up a poll based on the version of Ben you want. In other words it'll be like this "Which version of Ben 10 do you want in a possible Attack on Titan and Ben 10 crossover?"

If the number of votes is more than I estimate it will be then I'll give the crossover a shot and see how it goes from there.

Also, about the one-shot I created that involved Ben and Sayo, thank you for showing your support of it. However, I have no current plan on getting to do more chapters. The concept itself is great and I've already thought of chapters for them (because I was bored), but I've been too busy to add more fanfictions. I still have other fanfictions I need to work on, and with a possible Attack on Titan and Ben 10 crossover in mind, I don't know if I can get to doing a whole fanfiction based on the idea. I still appreciate your reviews and requests, so thank you.

So….Esdeath has finally made her big debut and upon that we're getting close to the inevitable battle between Sheele, Mine and Seryu. It's not in the next chapter, though. It's in the chapter after the next one. But Seryu will still show up in the next chapter. How will that go? You'll have to see and find out.

Once again, thank you for reading this chapter. Please review, favorite and follow this fanfic for more chapters. Bye.

P.S. A bit of a foreshadowing involving the next two chapters was in this chapter. Good luck figuring it out.