It was raining buckets close to midnight when a dark and mysterious figure crept across the abandoned battlefield. They were obviously looking for something, but the question was: what? The figure's eyes widened as they saw it, the dead body of Brynjar. They slinked over to the cold dead body and tried to take the damascus blade from his hand. Even after death, Brynjar was putting up a fight, his iron tight grip holding the sword so strongly that the hooded figure pondered whether he was actually dead.
After a momentary struggle, with one last pull, the figure managed to get the sword from Brynjar and muttered "Asger will be most displeased when he hears this news. But at least I was able to recover his teigu."
When Tatsumi awoke he was disoriented and confused but recognized the familiar presence that was behind him, hugging him with monstrous strength. Tatsumi groaned and tried to sit up but was restrained by the unconscious Esdeath. He continued to struggle, trying to escape Esdeath's grasp but was foiled again.
"Tatsumi … go back to sleep" Esdeath muttered, still half asleep.
Realizing it was futile to try to escape, he obliged, laying down and drifting back to sleep.
After a couple hours, late into the afternoon, Tatsumi awoke yet again. This time due to the Prime Minister entering the room and saying "My god Esdeath! Who was able to injure you that badly?!"
Esdeath sat up and rubbed her eyes, before grinning and exclaiming "It was Tatsumi" while ruffling his hair.
"Tatsumi could be quite the ally... Nearly as strong as Esdeath but lacking her sadistic and uncontrollable side" the Prime Minister thought. He couldn't help but smirk at the idea.
"Well, I'm glad that you both seem to be alright and that my strongest general wasn't defeated," the Prime Minister said with a sinister grin.
As the Prime Minister was strolling out of the room, Esdeath stopped him by saying "Prime Minister-", causing him to turn, "-would it be possible for Tatsumi to be granted a rank high in the military? Preferably as my new lieutenant?"
Tatsumi's eyes widened when he heard what Esdeath said and remembered the deal he struck with Esdeath before their duel the night before.
After a moment of thought, the Prime Minister said "Of course General Esdeath! We will hold a grand ceremony tomorrow evening for Lieutenant Tatsumi."
Esdeath's face lit up with a sadistic smile while Tatsumi sighed, dreading becoming a member of the imperial military after avoiding doing so for so long.
"It's funny-"Tatsumi thought "-a couple years ago I would've given anything to be in the position I am now."
The Prime Minister left the room deep in thought. Thinking about the best way to use Tatsumi to his benefit, and how to get Esdeath out of the picture.
Tatsumi turned to face Esdeath to argue but was stopped when a searing pain shot throughout his body. He lifted the covers of the hospital bed that covered him off, in shock when he saw the number of cuts, bruises, and lacerations that covered his body.
Tatsumi slowly turned to Esdeath, wincing at the immense pain. He saw that Esdeath was in mostly the same boat as him, covered in wounds and dried blood staining her pale skin.
"E-Esdeath are you okay?"
"I'll be fine Tatsumi, my wounds have mostly closed already. There is no need to worry" Esdeath said while playing with Tatsumi's hair, making the young man sigh in relief.
"You, however," Esdeath said, her tone changing from comforting to strict, causing Tatsumi to freeze up "need to rest some more. But I'm sure that we can go back to my chambers so you'll be more comfortable."
Tatsumi sighed in relief that he wasn't going to be mauled by Esdeath, and nodded his head in agreement.
Esdeath got up, revealing her scantily clad body, and then picked up Tatsumi gently and carried him bridal style. Tatsumi protested and insisted that he was able to walk on his own but Esdeath wasn't budging.
Much to his dismay, Esdeath carried Tatsumi all the way back to her chambers just like that, causing a great deal of embarrassment for Tatsumi.
When they arrived, Esdeath gently placed Tatsumi down on the massive mattress and said,
"I'm going to take a shower to get all this blood off of me" as she was removing her bra and panties, which caused Tatsumi to blush and look away.
Esdeath walked over to the bathroom and said "You should sleep through the night tonight, you need more time to heal. I'll join you after I'm finished".
Tatsumi nodded and closed his eyes. Before he fell asleep he noted how lonely he felt falling asleep without Esdeath by his side, even if she was within 10 yards of him. Esdeath quickly finished her shower, put on a nightgown, laid down, and held Tatsumi as she too fell asleep.
The next morning Tatsumi, like always, woke up in Esdeath's arms, which put a smile on his face. This smile quickly vanished when he recalled all the events of the previous battle, and how his friends were attacked by the Vikings.
The sudden shift in Tatsumi's aura woke Esdeath and she said
"What's wrong?" as she hadn't yet remembered the events that had befallen the Night Raid members.
"I need to avenge them. No... I will avenge them." Tatsumi said through clenched teeth.
This declaration jogged Esdeath's memories and she remembered what Tatsumi had said before their battle. She felt that she had to do something for Tatsumi but didn't know what. But before she could say anything, Tatsumi got up and started to change into clean clothes, he left his own teigu while grabbing the teigu of Night Raid and was about to walk out the door when Esdeath asked him,
"Where are you going? You have no clue where the Vikings are."
"That may be true, but I can still make a memorial for them" Tatsumi replied "I'll kill the Vikings later."
Without another word, Esdeath got up and dressed, then followed Tatsumi. They walked for hours in pure silence, Esdeath realizing that her lover needed time and space to deal with this.
Tatsumi led Esdeath to the same cliff where Sayo and Ieyasu were buried. Without a word, he started to dig four holes with his bare hands. Esdeath stood and watched him without saying a word.
Tatsumi's digging sped up from long, slow strokes to fast and furious clawing against the ground. He kept clawing at the ground in anger, even as dirt filled under his fingernails, and small rocks caused his nails to start to splinter. He kept raking the dirt even as it was dyed red with the blood streaming out of his fingers.
"Tatsumi! Stop this! You're hurting yourself!" Esdeath said when couldn't take it any longer.
She grabbed his hands, stopping his desperate clawing at the ground.
Tatsumi clenched his fists, he couldn't hold it back anymore. He started crying, it was as if his eyes were the mouth of a river during a hurricane, tears streamed down his face and he cried out in pain and sorrow. He pounded the ground over and over, harder each time, so hard it caused the whole cliff to shake. Tatsumi collapsed onto his hands and knees and fell silent as the tears kept flowing, soaking the red dirt below him.
Tatsumi suddenly swung at Esdeath and screamed out "YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON THIS HAPPENED. IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO HELP THEM. THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!"
Esdeath allowed the blow to hit her. The force behind the blow confirmed her suspicions, had Tatsumi put any real force behind the swing, Esdeath would have been greatly injured, especially considering her recent injuries. Tatsumi wasn't angry with Esdeath, he just needed someone, anyone to blame. Esdeath embraced Tatsumi in a hug that was devoid of any lust and was fueled by pure, untainted love. She held him as he bawled his eyes out. She was happy to hold him until he felt better.
"Let it all out" She whispered as he sniffled.
After the better part of an hour, Tatsumi finally stopped crying and Esdeath released him from her embrace. Tatsumi wiped his nose and weakly said "Thank you Esdeath".
Tatsumi went back to digging, this time more controlled. Esdeath offered to use her teigu to help but Tatsumi turned her down because he needed to do this alone.
After four small pits had been dug Tatsumi placed the teigu of each member inside the holes, Murasame, Cross Tail, Pumpkin, and Lionelle. He filled them in and stuck a cross made from twigs in the soft dirt over each memorial.
Tatsumi kneeled over the memorials and declared "I promise, in memory of you all, I will slaughter those damn Vikings" and silently thought "and destroy this wretched empire once and for all."
Esdeath approached Tatsumi from behind and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Come Tatsumi, we must return soon if we are going to be on time for your ceremony" she said.
"Alright" Tatsumi responded as he stood up and took Esdeath's hand.
"When is this ceremony exactly?" Tatsumi asked Esdeath
"It's at 7pm, so we have roughly an hour and a half to get you ready," Esdeath replied.
"Get me ready? What do you mean?"
"Did you seriously think I would let you go to a military ceremony wearing that?" Esdeath said, gesturing to Tatsumi's less than formal outfit.
"What's wrong with my outfit?" Tatsumi said defensively.
Esdeath ignored his question and walked over to the dresser and pulled out something that Tatsumi couldn't see.
Esdeath turned around and said "Ta-da!" as she revealed a white and black uniform that was very similar to hers. "I had this made for you a couple months ago, I hope it still fits," Esdeath said, smiling.
Tatsumi looked at the uniform with mixed feelings, on one hand, he didn't want to wear it because he didn't want to be a part of the empire, but on the other, he had agreed to do whatever she wanted if he lost the battle, which he did.
Esdeath trotted over to Tatsumi with a spring in her step and started stripping him down, which caused Tatsumi to yelp. Once Esdeath finished undressing her partner and looking at his mostly naked body with lustful eyes, she handed the uniform to Tatsumi and said,
"Put them on" to which Tatsumi obliged, eager to hide the outline of his manhood from her prying eyes.
Tatsumi finished putting on the black and white uniform and looked at himself in the mirror. "Wow," he thought "I actually look really good in this".
The top was almost exactly the same as Esdeath's apart from a few details. The neck of the top was closed higher up so it revealed less of his chest, but it still did reveal a small part of his toned pecs. It had the same long black sleeves that were collared right above the elbow. The pants of the outfit were where it differed greatly from Esdeath's. Instead of the top ending in a skirt, it was tucked into solid black long pants. And instead of having knee-high white boots, he had regular black boots. Oddly, there was a black belt that was a part of the outfit but it looked as if it was missing its buckle. The most significant of the differences was that there was a trench coat that was all black except for the collar and trim, which were white. Tatsumi kept the coat unbuttoned because it was more comfortable and he thought that it looked cooler.
"You look simply delicious in that Tatsumi," Esdeath said while grinning seductively.
"T-thanks Esdeath, y-you look pretty, as always," Tatsumi said nervously because he wasn't sure what Esdeath's reaction would be.
Esdeath blushed madly because of what Tatsumi had said. She ran over to him and planted her lips on his, she shoved her tongue down his throat and he reciprocated, which only further provoked Esdeath. Esdeath explored Tatsumi's mouth for a moment more then disconnected their lips and said,
"You're going to make me a very happy woman tonight" while licking her lips.
For the rest of the hour and a half, Esdeath got herself and Tatsumi into pristine condition then headed off to Tatsumi's induction into the imperial military with a big smile on her face.
"Where is that guy?" Wave said as he was taking a bite of yet another appetizer.
"If you keep eating you're gonna get fat," Kurome said, stuffing another cookie in her mouth.
"SAYS YOU" Wave retorted, "but seriously, I can't believe that Tatsumi is joining the imperial army after all his big talk about hating the empire."
"I heard that he's joining at the rank of lieutenant," Kurome said in-between bites.
"WHICH IS TOTALLY UNFAIR, when I joined the navy I was just a private and I had to mop the decks and clean toilets," Wave ranted "but nooo, Tatsumi joins and he's one rank down from fucking general!"
"Rant aside, Wave is right. Tatsumi's induction is slated to begin any minute now, and the general and Tatsumi are nowhere to be found." Run pointed out.
Just after he said that the Ice Queen and her Shadow Prince burst through the large double doors into the large gathering hall which had a stage positioned in the middle of the far wall.
All attendees in the room turned to the power couple, who had made quite the entrance. The male Yaegers gasped when they saw what Tatsumi was wearing.
"Oh. My. God." Wave and Run said while Kurome sat there with a blank expression on her face.
Esdeath and Tatsumi were walking arm in arm and every single person's eyes in the room were on the pair. There was some murmuring that was silenced by one ice-cold glance from Esdeath.
The pair walked up to the stage where the Emperor was sitting with the Prime Minister to his right.
The Emperor politely clapped and said "Welcome Tatsumi! I am so glad you have decided to join the Imperial military after so long and as a lieutenant no less!"
"Good evening Esdeath and Tatsumi, you both look surprisingly good considering your recent injuries," the Prime Minister exclaimed, "and I must say Tatsumi, that imperial uniform looks quite good on you."
"It's a pleasure to be here Your Majesty, and Prime Minister, you have Esdeath to thank for the uniform" Tatsumi replied, hiding his contempt for the Prime Minister and Emperor well.
"Let's get this ceremony on the road, shall we?" Esdeath said, impatient for Tatsumi to officially be her subordinate so he was obligated to follow her commands.
"We shall," the Prime Minister said before clearing his throat and starting a speech "I'm sure you all know why we are here today, and for those who don't, we are here to celebrate Tatsumi joining our ranks in the imperial army. This is such a momentous occasion because Tatsumi is setting an imperial record and nearly breaking another, he is the highest-ranking officer upon induction into the imperial army, with him being granted the rank of lieutenant. And he is the second youngest person to join the imperial army at just 17 years old, only one year older than General Esdeath when she joined. Many among you might be thinking what would warrant such a high rank for a person so young, and the answer to that is a tremendous strength. Proof of this is that just a couple weeks ago Tatsumi single-handedly defeated the over one thousand Vikings that attacked the capital. Since then this strength has only grown, and just two days ago with little aid from Esdeath's personal forces, Tatsumi was able to defeat thirty-thousand Vikings and the Vikings' one and only general. But it doesn't stop there, no no, his most impressive feat yet was when he nearly bested General Esdeath in one on one combat directly after the aforementioned battle".
A gasp could be heard throughout the audience after the Prime Minister's last statement. No one could believe that the smiling green-eyed teenager standing in front of them was nearly as strong as Esdeath. Tatsumi could only nervously smile and stand there awkwardly while being praised by the man whom he hated the most in the world.
The Emperor, who was uninvolved in most of the military matters in the empire was astounded by the news of Tatsumi's monstrous strength and looked
"Now, now, let me quit my rambling and get on to the ceremony," the Prime Minister said motioning to Great General Budo.
Budo was a mountain of a man, he was noticeably taller than Esdeath, and was very muscular. He had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes.
Esdeath motioned to Tatsumi, who kneeled before Great General Budo before he asked,
"Do you, Tatsumi, wish to join the imperial army?"
"I do," Tatsumi replied.
"Do you, Tatsumi, swear to protect the empire and its people with all of your strength, even if it means your own death?"
"I do"
"Do you, Tatsumi, swear to follow your superior officer's commands, and are you prepared to face the consequences if you do not?"
"I am"
"Then rise," Budo said, causing Tatsumi to stand back up.
"I will now bestow upon you the insignia of a lieutenant" Budo held out his hand and displayed an insignia that was a black metal "X" that was trimmed with silver on its edges.
Once Tatsumi saw the insignia he realized where it went, he clipped it onto his belt where the buckle was missing then said,
"Thank you Great General Budo for this honor, I will not let you down".
Esdeath and her new lieutenant walked off the stage and took a seat at the table where the Yeagers were sitting.
"Now that the formal part of the ceremony has concluded, let us eat!" The Emperor said before a stream of servants came out of the kitchen carrying trays and trays of drinks, food, and desserts.
Tatsumi and the rest of the Yeagers chowed down on the luxury food while telling stories and laughing. Esdeath ate but there was only one thing that she was truly hungry for, Tatsumi.
About an hour after the food had come out of the kitchen Esdeath said,
"Tatsumi, I believe it is time that we retire for the night."
"Oh come on Esdeath, let the man party for once," Wave said slurring his words, obviously souped-up on some liquid courage.
Tatsumi sensing the tension that Wave had created, reluctantly said "No, no it's alright. Let's go Esdeath" causing her murderous aura to calm down.
Tatsumi and Esdeath said goodbye to the Yaegers, Budo, the Emperor, the Prime Minister, and a couple other high ranking military officials, many of which Tatsumi now outranked, then they headed back to Esdeath's quarters.
Once the door to Esdeath's room closed Esdeath's aura changed. She dropped her polite facade and a lustful primal one took its place. Tatsumi felt this change and barely had time to brace himself before he was thrown onto the bed with Esdeath on top of him, straddling him. Although the position was not unfamiliar to Tatsumi, he was still always uncomfortable in it. Esdeath's greedy hands made their way down to Tatsumi's crotch and started to stroke his growing manhood.
Tatsumi fought against his lustful desires, and with great difficulty managed to spit out,
"Stop it Esdeath," which only slowed her down for a second as he made no physical effort to stop her.
"I SAID STOP" Tatsumi yelled as he threw Esdeath to the side.
Esdeath looked at Tatsumi with a puzzled expression, he was usually so receptive when she made advances on him.
"Not today," he said "I've betrayed Night Raid enough today by joining the empire."
"You see loving me as betraying your friends?" Esdeath asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Yes," Tatsumi admitted "I do, either you or your direct subordinates have been responsible for so many of my friend's deaths. I can usually look past it because I love you so damn much but, not tonight."
Esdeath was hurt but understood what he was getting at and would respect his boundaries, "Alright, then let's go to sleep. You still aren't fully healed."
Esdeath changed into her large silk button-up shirt and Tatsumi stripped down to his boxers and both prepared to go to sleep. Tatsumi crawled into bed with Esdeath not far behind him.
Esdeath was about to embrace Tatsumi before she drifted off to sleep, but she remembered what he had said, and would abstain from it for tonight. So Esdeath turned away from Tatsumi and embraced a pillow instead.
Once Tatsumi realized this, he turned her around and wrapped her arms around him,
"Thank you for understanding Esdeath," Tatsumi said genuinely grateful that she had respected his wishes.
Esdeath was delighted by this and held Tatsumi tight as they both fell asleep like any other night.
"I love you, my Shadow Prince"
"I love you too, my Ice Queen."
The next morning was a routine one, Tatsumi woke up before Esdeath and was unable to escape her clutches, eventually waking her in the process.
"What time is it Tatsumi?" Esdeath asked with her eyes still closed.
"It's nearly 12:45 in the afternoon," Tatsumi replied nonchalantly.
Esdeath sprung up from the bed and said "We must be going immediately if we are to make it before sundown," while getting dressed.
Tatsumi followed suit but wasn't sure what they were running late for, so he asked,
"Make it to where before sundown?"
"I'll explain it to you once we have gathered the Yaegers, as they will be coming with us."
Tatsumi was jogging to keep up with Esdeath who was walking at quite a brisk pace as they made their way to the Yaegers' barracks. In only a few minutes they had arrived.
When Esdeath opened the door to the barracks, Wave, who was sleeping until a few moments ago, shot upright and hit his head on the bunk above his. After being woken by the sudden noise.
"FUCK, that hurt" Wave exclaimed.
Once Wave saw the general, he immediately stood at attention and said "Good morning General. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but why are you here? It's my day off."
Esdeath said, "Wave I've already told you that you don't need to salute me, and I'm here to gather the Yaegers to go on a little training trip."
"Oh, well I can go find Kurome but if I remember correctly, Run has a previous engagement with the Prime Minister," Wave responded.
"I see, it can't be helped then, but I'd like you to go find Kurome and meet me back here in 15 minutes."
"Yes, General" Wave responded before he ran out of the room in search of Kurome.
Wave dashed through the halls to the first of two places that he believed Kurome may be.
"Man, why'd she only give me fifteen minutes when this palace is so damn BIG," Wave said between breaths as he was running towards the dining hall.
When he arrived, he scanned the lunch crowd but could not locate the black-haired girl. After the first leg of his trip, nearly half of his time was up, he left the dining hall and sprinted towards the training hall, nearly colliding with other pedestrians many times.
The door to the training hall slammed open which caused all in it to turn their heads towards the sound, including Kurome.
With Wave being severely out of breath all he managed to say was "Kurome ….. General ….. three minutes."
Although Kurome was annoyed that her training was cut short she got the gist of what Wave was trying to say and replied "Which way?"
Wave and Kurome ran into the barracks with only a couple seconds to spare. Wave was glad he didn't have to experience whatever sadistic punishment Esdeath would have dealt him if he was late.
"Hey Wave, hey Kurome," a muffled voice said from around the corner.
The two, puzzled, walked around the corner to see Tatsumi in between Esdeath's voluptuous breasts.
"Do you think you could help me out?" Tatsumi finished.
Wave, who was thoroughly jealous, ignored Tatsumi's plea for help and left him in Esdeath's iron grip. Kurome stared blankly at the scene in front of her and kept eating her cookies.
"So General, what exactly is this training trip we are going on?" Wave asked.
"I'm glad you asked," Esdeath started. "We are going to be going to the same mountain that we took Tatsumi the first time he escaped,"
Wave could already feel it coming.
"but this time I'll be looking after Tatsumi." Esdeath said coldly "Previous events aside, we will be going there primarily to train your senses. Since the dangerbeast that live there have adapted to blend in not only visually but also mask their presence, it will be a challenge to locate one of them by sense alone."
"You got that Tatsumi?" Esdeath said as she looked down and realized that Tatsumi had passed out after being smothered by her breasts.
She ordered Wave and Kurome to pack and released Tatsumi.
"We will be leaving in 30 minutes. I expect you both to be ready, we will be there for a few days so pack accordingly." Esdeath said.
"Yes General," Wave and Kurome said in unison.
Tatsumi regained consciousness and finished his own packing not long after the two Yaegers did. The four took off on foot leaving the capital, heading towards the mountain.
Once the sun nearly dipped below the horizon they had arrived at the mountain without any notable incidents.
"Thank fucking god we're finally here, why couldn't we take the massive fucking dragon?" Wave said as he collapsed on the ground.
"If you're tired from that then you've fallen out of shape, Wave, and Dagahra went to roam the skies shortly after he delivered Tatsumi and I here a couple nights ago," Esdeath said plainly.
Wave scowled then said "Man it's cold up here," while shivering.
Esdeath looked over at the quivering Tatsumi who refused to cling to Esdeath for warmth, "Oh yes, I forgot that it was quite cold up here. I hope you packed a tent or else it'll be a cold night. For you at least."
"Shit I forgot to pack a tent." Wave thought before saying "It's not that cold I'll just make a fire then I'll be fine."
"Make a fire and attract all the dangerbeast within a mile radius?" Esdeath said with a smirk.
"Well, I- uh-" Wave said before Kurome interjected,
"You can sleep in my tent. It's not huge or anything but it can fit two people." blushing as she said it.
"N-n-no I'm a-alright, I-I'll be fine." Wave said as a blush spread across his face.
"Don't be stubborn Wave, just sleep in her tent," Esdeath said, smurking.
"Fine" Wave snorted.
"Now, Kurome set up your and Wave's tent. It will be sundown soon and we don't want to be out after dark unless we want to fight all night," Esdeath explained.
Kurome set up her tent while Esdeath made Tatsumi set up theirs. In just a couple minutes camp was set up and the two pairs said goodnight and entered their respective tents.
"Uh, I guess I'll just stay on this side." Wave said, pushing himself to the edge of the tent and lying down.
"Okay" Kurome responded with a slight frown forming on her face as she laid down and got ready to sleep.
Over in the other tent, business was, as usual, Tatsumi was firmly in Esdeath's grasp but her breath, which crawled down Tatsumi's neck, carried her pent-up lust. Esdeath's breathing became more and more erratic when suddenly, her breathing calmed down, which also calmed Tatsumi's nerves. Until she sat up in bed, alarming Tatsumi again.
"Now Tatsumi-" Esdeah would start while pushing Tatsumi further down into the travel mattress, "-my first order to you as your commanding officer is to…" Esdeath was licking her lips with anticipation and staring into Tatsumi's soul with lust-filled eyes, "...have sex with me."
Tatsumi didn't have time to gulp before Esdeath was on him, attacking his lips with hers, her tongue exploring his mouth with a desperate ferocity.
Esdeath released his lips for only a moment, Tatsumi seized the opportunity to try and stop the situation and said "Stop, Wave and Kurome will hear us."
"I don't care," Esdeath said before she ripped off her clothes and pressed her naked body against his mostly naked one.
Esdeath was licking his bare chest and inhaling his manly scent when she felt a pressure against her stomach. It was getting bigger and bigger by the moment and Esdeath's lust was taking control of her more and more. Esdeath reached her hand down and started to stroke the protrusion, causing Tatsumi to whimper. Esdeath could not restrain herself after Tatsumi's whimper, she took off his boxers, leaving him naked. She looked at his member who stood at attention and enveloped it in her breasts. Tatsumi's legs grew weak as Esdeath stroked his shaft with her breasts and licked his tip on every downstroke.
Esdeath continued this until Tatsumi yelled "Esdeath I'm about to-" then she stopped all motion completely, stopping Tatsumi from finishing. Tatsumi gazed at her in confusion until she started moving again and brought him to the edge of finishing, when the twitching of his member would indicate this, she would stop. She was edging him, bringing him to the brink and stopping, over and over.
Tatsumi begged her to let him finish but she wouldn't budge. Once Esdeath was satisfied with her edging, she straddled Tatsumi and sat down on his stomach. Tatsumi could feel Esdeath's liquids slowly run down his sides. She sat there and admired the state that she had put Tatsumi in, a state of lust. Tatsumi's eyes begged for her to finish him.
"Tatsumi, I am going to put you in now, but you are not to finish until I do. If you do there will be severe consequences." Esdeath warned.
Tatsumi nodded and Esdeath raised herself above his twitching manhood. She sat down slowly and deliberately enveloping him in herself. Esdeath loved when they were connected because nothing was separating them, physically or metaphorically. Not the empire, not Night Raid, when they were connected it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist.
Tatsumi once again tried to hold back his moan, but it still came out as a whimper that egged Esdeath on. She started grinding on Tatsumi, back and forth, satisfying herself and Tatsumi. She kept grinding until she felt Tatsumi twitch, she wanted to punish him, so she upped the ante.
She started to bounce on Tatsumi, gripping his shaft as she went up and down, shoving Tatsumi piercing deeper and deeper into herself. Esdeath was becoming animalistic and her sadistic side was creeping out more than usual. She dug her nails deep into Tatsumi's chest and raked them down. Tatsumi screamed out in pain, Esdeath licked the blood that was pouring from her lover's chest and relished in its taste and its warmth.
Tatsumi was overcome with feelings of pain and pleasure, he was holding himself back from finishing but wasn't far off and he could feel it. He needed to do something and fast if he didn't want to be punished by Esdeath.
Tatsumi started to suck on Esdeath's nipples causing a small and quiet moan to emanate from the Ice Queen. Being encouraged by the results, Tatsumi continued and groped one breast while he licked the other. Both Esdeath and Tatsumi were experiencing such pleasure they couldn't hold back their moans anymore. Tatsumi could feel Esdeath contracting, she was close. Esdeath kept riding Tatsumi while he serviced her breasts, both coming closer. With one final stroke, Esdeath yelled,
"TATSUMI I'M-" while at the same time Tatsumi exclaimed,
"ESDEATH I'M GONNA-" as they both climaxed at the same time. Tatsumi shot his load deep into Esdeath's womb.
The two collapsed after the relief of finishing and the exhaustion that followed, Esdeath
collapsed on Tatsumi.
A wave of relief washed over Wave when the moaning coming from the general's tent stopped.
"Oh my god those two are loud," Wave thought "I'm glad the Yaeger's barracks aren't closer to the general's quarters" he shivered at the thought of having to listen to that regularly.
After a brief moment of silence, Tatsumi said,
"Hey Esdeath, I have a question."
"What is it, my love?" Esdeath responded, picking up her head to look Tatsumi in the eyes.
"U-Um how come you never get pregnant after we do this sorta stuff?" Tatsumi asked nervously.
"Oh~ I use my teigu to freeze my ovaries so that they don't produce eggs. This has the added benefit of stopping me from having my period every month." Esdeath explained "So you don't have to worry about getting me pregnant . . . yet," she said with a wicked grin.
"O-Oh o-okay" Tatsumi stuttered.
Esdeath looked down at the green-eyed teen and smiled. Esdeath bandaged Tatsumi's chest and took him in her arms then the two fell asleep not soon after, still naked.
The morning air on the mountain was cool and crisp, Esdeath woke Tatsumi just after the sun had peaked over the horizon.
"What time is it?" Tatsumi asked groggily.
"Early" Esdeath responded.
Tatsumi sighed and got up and dressed.
Wave was awoken by the noise coming from the general's tent but kept his eyes closed, not wanting to get up yet. He felt particularly warm and comfortable, unlike the night before. He stayed this way until Esdeath said,
"Wake up you two lovebirds" loudly outside the two Yaegers' tents.
Wave opened his eyes and jumped when he saw the reason as to why he was so warm. Kurome was snuggled up in Wave's arms, still sleeping like a baby. Wave yelped and quickly pulled back his arms from around Kurome's sides, waking her.
Kurome sat up slowly then realized her proximity to Wave and instantly turned tomato red.
"I-I um uhh" Wave stuttered as Kurome turned to face Wave.
Without a word, Kurome gave Wave a small peck on the cheek, causing Wave to stop stuttering and them both to blush madly.
"Wave, if you and Kurome aren't out here in 10 seconds I'll feed you to Dagahra when we get back," Esdeath said, ice cold.
The two got up and ran out of the tent as soon as possible, knowing Esdeath wasn't bluffing. Once all four were out of their tents and ready for the day, Wave asked "What's for breakfast?"
"I don't know," Esdeath answered, "whatever you catch I suppose."
"It's the crack of fuckin' dawn and you want me to hunt for breakfast?!" Wave exclaimed.
"Not just you, Tatsumi and Kurome too," Esdeath said smugly.
Tatsumi and Wave groaned, both wanting to go back to sleep.
"Your assignment is simple: find and kill one of the dangerbeast that live in this forest," Esdeath stated, "also, we will hunt in pairs; Tatsumi with me, and Wave with Kurome."
"Oh is that all?" Wave asked sarcastically.
"Actually no," Esdeath started "the pair that brings back the smaller dangerbeast will be responsible for all the chores for the rest of the trip,"
Wave's eyes widened as he realized something "Does that mean that the General will do the chores if they bring back the smaller catch!?"
"and no Wave, Tatsumi will be the one doing the chores if we lose; which won't happen anyways," Esdeath said, predicting Wave's train of thought.
"Fuck" Wave thought.
The three nodded before the pairs headed into the forest in separate directions.
"I assume you won't be helping me," Tatsumi said.
"You would assume correctly," Esdeath said, "it wouldn't be training if I just did it for you."
Tatsumi sighed and trudged further into the forest. Esdeath walked beside Tatsumi, matching his speed. She was able to sense all the dangerbeast around them, noting their locations.
Tatsumi stopped and closed his eyes, he attempted to detect the dangerbeast that his instincts told him were nearby. He was able to sense their presence but it felt as if they were a cloud of smoke, their figure had no shape, morphing, and melding by the moment. The beasts' ability to mask their presence was remarkable.
"I know they're around me but I can't pinpoint their location." Tatsumi thought.
Tatsumi took a deep breath in and out, calming his mind and sharpening his senses. Although it was for not, because the aura of the dangerbeast became no more clear.
Esdeath, noticing his trouble said, "Instead of trying to sense everything around you focus on a specific area".
Tatsumi nodded and did just that. With one more deep breath, he tightened the field in which he was searching.
Tatsumi immediately was able to make out the silhouettes of the dangerbeasts hidden in the trees. In an instant, Tatsumi drew his machetes and lunged at the reptilian beast in the tree directly in front of him.
His twin blades pierced the giant lizard's skull and heart at the same moment.
"What an overgrown lizard," Tatsumi said looking at the reptile that was easily double Tatsumi's height from the tip of its tail to the crook of its bony horn.
"Well done Tatsumi!" Esdeath said overjoyed before smothering Tatsumi with an aggressive hug, proud of his quick development.
Meanwhile, Wave and Kurome were having trouble even finding anything.
"Where are these things?" Wave asked with frustration in his voice.
"If you had better sensory abilities you would have found something by now," Kurome said.
"YOU CAN HELP ME YA KNOW!" Wave exclaimed.
Kurome just said "Don't wanna" and kept munching on her cookies.
Wave let out a long sight and kept walking into the forest.
It was a long while more of walking until Wave heard something rustle the bushes adjacent to him.
"AHA" Wave yelled as he pounced into the bushes. His smile quickly faded as he raised up a regular-sized rabbit.
Kurome giggled when she saw the measly catch that Wave produced.
"Shut up" Wave spat scornfully.
After about an hour more of hunting with no more success, Wave hung his head in defeat as he made his way back to camp. He tried to psych himself up and thought "I was raised hunting and fishing, if Icouldn't find anything bigger than a rabbit then Tatsumi surely won't be able to find anything."
Wave and Kurome were the first to arrive back at the camp, Kurome started a fire, while Wave found a straight stick to skewer the rabbit with. After removing the bark and holding the stick over the fire for a moment to kill the bacteria and remove any sap, he punctured the animal with the stick and slowly rotated it over the flames.
It wasn't long after this when Tatsumi and Esdeath returned back to the camp. Wave was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the pair's arrival until Tatsumi said,
"Hey Wave, we're going to need a bigger fire to cook this" Tatsumi exclaimed very smugly.
Wave's eyes widened when he saw the massive dangerbeast that Tatsumi had caught.
"What ... how did you … where did …" Wave stuttered before letting out a very long and loud exacerbated sigh. Wave begrudgingly gathered more firewood to make the fire bigger.
After chopping what seemed like an infinite amount of wood, Wave added it to the fire, making it big enough.
"That competition wasn't fair from the beginning, Tatsumi you had the General helping you and I had Kurome who didn't help me in the slightest." Wave said, trying to make excuses.
"I didn't raise a finger to help Tatsumi," the General said, "he did it all on his own."
"Whatever."
Tatsumi, with the skills he picked up while he was in Night Raid, was able to butcher and cook the lizard to finally be able to eat breakfast.
"This is very tasty, well done Tatsumi," Esdeath said as she ruffled his hair.
Kurome nodded.
Tatsumi blushed and said "T-thanks."
Wave refused to eat what Tatsumi had caught and angrily gnawed on his poorly cooked rabbit.
The group finished eating and Wave cleaned up the mess that it had made with a scowl on his face.
"Man I've been walking forever, where is this damn village," the imperial soldier said, "and this cart of gold is damn heavy."
The man saw smoke rising in the distance behind some hills capped with snow, smiled, and said "That must be it!"
The man was sent to deliver Tatsumi's earnings to his village and after a multiple day-long trek had almost arrived.
But the man's grin would turn into a look of horror when he reached the top of one of the hills and saw that the smoke was not coming from a bonfire, but the entire village was aflame. He looked on in shock as he saw Vikings looting, raping, and destroying the village and its people.
The man zeroed in on one man, in particular, he seemed to be in his late 20's or early 30's and was covered in tribal tattoos from head to toe. The mountainous burly man was holding a crimson red scythe, dripping with blood. His helmet had long twisting horns protruding from it. From just looking at the man, a chill was sent down the back of the imperial soldier.
"I have to report this to General Esdeath," the soldier thought to himself before taking off running, the cart of gold in tow.
After Wave was finished cleaning up the remnants of breakfast, Wave took a seat around the still lit fire, scowling.
Tatsumi chuckled at Wave, earning him a death-stare from the young man.
The group sat in silence for a moment, until Tatsumi said,
"What's up next, Esdeath?"
"The next exercise will be 1-on-1 sparring matches, Tatsumi with me and Kurome with Wave," Esdeath said, "the rules for these matches are simple: no teigu, and all participants will be blindfolded."
Tatsumi grinned, excited to get another opportunity to fight Esdeath.
Tatsumi retrieved the four blindfolds from their tent under Esdeath's instructions, then the four walked to a clearing in the forest nearby.
Esdeath sat down on a log near the edge of the clearing and said,
"Tatsumi take a seat" and motioned for him to sit next to her.
"Why can't we fight first?" Tatsumi protested.
"Firstly, we aren't fighting, we're sparring. And secondly, I don't think this will take long" Esdeath said confidently.
"Fine" Tatsumi retorted.
Tatsumi threw two blindfolds to Kurome and Wave then Esdeath said,
"Put them on and begin when you are ready."
Kurome put hers on right away and got into her fighting stance, while Wave was fumbling with his blindfold. After a moment, Wave had his blindfold on and said,
"Okay, let's st-" but was cut off by a quick jab to the stomach.
Wave staggered back and said "I see how it is. I won't go easy on you then!" as he was again struck by Kurome.
Since Wave was expecting the attack it did far less than the initial blow and he was able to counter-attack and got a solid hit on Kurome's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her.
Kurome realized that Wave had more raw strength than her, and she needed to be cautious of taking another direct hit like that one. She jumped back and decided to play to her strengths or rather, Wave's weaknesses.
Kurome then silently snuck behind Wave, able to sense his approximate position, then swept his legs with a low kick.
Wave fell hard on his back and attempted to strike at where Kurome had been, but she had already silently moved.
"Dammit," Wave thought, "I suck at this sensing stuff. I have no clue where she is!"
Wave knew he needed to focus if he wanted to land another hit on Kurome, who seemed like she was already adept at sensory abilities.
He focused as hard as he could and made out a faint silhouette approaching him quickly. He dodged Kurome's incoming attack quickly and countered, although the hit only grazed Kurome.
"It's a little bit fuzzy, but I can see her!" Wave thought.
Now that both fighters were on relatively equal footing the real fight could begin.
Kurome sent an elbow aimed for Wave's rib-cage that just barely made contact before Wave jumped back, avoiding most of the force behind the strike, but still being injured by it.
Wave held his side as he just barely dodged another one of Kurome's blows.
Wave was on the defensive and Kurome knew it, she was pressing Wave hard. Sending strike after strike at Wave, each one getting ever so closer to making contact.
Then, Wave tripped, he was so focused on sensing the incoming attacks coming from Kurome he forgot his surroundings and tripped over a root sticking out of the ground and fell backward.
Both fighters realized that it was do or die and Kurome went in for the finishing blow.
Kurome wound up a punch aimed for Wave's jaw, and at the same moment, Wave planted one hand on the ground and kicked upwards.
Both attacks hit and both fighters collapsed to the ground. But Kurome was the only one to rise.
"What just happened?" Tatsumi asked in confusion.
"A mutual strike" Esdeath explained, "both Wave's and Kurome's attacks hit, and although Wave's kick had more force behind it Kurome's punch was placed better and it ended up knocking Wave out."
Tatsumi nodded, then stood up and walked over to the unconscious Wave, picked him up, and rested him against a tree.
Kurome sat down on the log exhausted and bloody, then took the blindfold off.
"That was harder than I expected." Kurome said, "But don't tell Wave that."
Tatsumi chuckled at the comment.
"Well Tatsumi, since you were so eager to be taught a lesson, I guess I'm in the mood to teach," Esdeath said with a grin as she held out a blindfold.
Tatsumi snatched the blindfold from her hands and said "You might have some trouble with that because I'm a slow learner" while putting it on.
The two took their fighting stances and Esdeath said,
"Ready" as she tightened her blindfold.
"Set" Tatsumi said as he focused on Esdeath's aura.
"Fight!" the two said in sync as they took off at one another.
Esdeath was the first to throw a punch, one aimed for Tatsumi's face, setting the tone of the match.
"Oh shit, she wasn't kidding," Tatsumi thought as he dodged the punch.
After he dodged the initial punch Tatsumi went in for a counter only to be met by a block from Esdeath.
Tatsumi blocked the uppercut homing in on his chin but was struck by a jab thrown at lightning speed the instant after. Tatsumi barely even sensed the second strike coming, it was so fast it looked like a blur.
"So the faster she is the harder it is to sense the movement" Tatsumi concluded.
Slightly dazed, Tatsumi withdrew to regain his composure. He was finding it much harder to focus on sensing while actively dodging attacks and as a result, Esdeath's silhouette looked like it was fading in and out as he lost and regained his focus.
Tatsumi already felt fatigued from the fight even though it had just started. Focusing so intensely for an extended period was taking its toll on him.
He decided that he was going to go in for a final assault.
"It's all or nothing," Tatsumi thought as he charged towards Esdeath.
He started his volley off with a roundhouse kick aimed directly for Esdeath's face, which she quickly dodged under. Tatsumi then transitioned into a back kick aimed at her gut, which Esdeath side-stepped.
Now she was in the perfect position, Tatsumi swept her legs with his back leg and sent an elbow flying towards her face at the same time, and just when he was about to make contact, nothing.
No contact, no block, he couldn't even sense Esdeath. Until he felt someone pick him up bridal style from behind and take his blindfold off.
"Class dismissed," Esdeath said smirking.
"Yeah, yeah whatever" Tatsumi said, embarrassed that he was defeated so easily.
"But seriously Tatsumi, you've got a long way to go in the sensory department," Esdeath said, "especially when it comes to your stamina, at the end there you were so fatigued I'd say you were moving at least 90% slower than your full speed."
"You got totally owned!" Wave said while laughing his ass off.
"If you want to fight Wave, just say the word," Esdeath said with an ice-cold glare.
Wave immediately shut up and said, "No thanks general" to which Tatsumi snickered at.
"Anyways," Esdeath began, "you all did great even if those matches were a bit short. I'd say that you've earned lunch."
"Don't tell me we have to go hunting again" Wave said in despair.
"Don't be silly Wave, I packed food," Esdeath replied.
"So you're telling me that I DIDN'T have to go hunting this morning?" Wave angrily asked.
"Do you really think I'd rely on you as my source of food?" Esdeath retorted, which caused Tatsumi to erupt in laughter.
Wave decided to ignore Esdeath and focus on the fact that there was food and started sprinting back to camp.
Once the other three had arrived back at the camp Esdeath distributed sandwiches and they all started to eat.
In the middle of their meal, two imperial soldiers came running up the mountain with a scroll in hand.
Esdeath stood up and coldly said, "You two better have a good reason for interrupting us, and if you enjoy your heads being attached I'd recommend you spit it out quickly."
The soldier that was holding the scroll handed it to Esdeath and said, "An urgent message from the Prime Minister."
As Esdeath read the letter her heart dropped and Esdeath felt a deep sadness in her heart for her lover.
"Pack up immediately," Esdeath said, "we are leaving in 5 minutes."
"Why? What's wrong Esdeath?" Tatsumi asked.
"I'll tell you on the way" Esdeath responded, pushing off telling Tatsumi the grim news.
Authors Note: Yeah... I don't think there is anything I can really say to justify an over 2 month absence. But uh I hope you like the chapter and I'm going to set a deadline for the next chapter to be out on the 6th of April or sooner, hopefully.
Also sorry if you find this chapter kinda dry, I myself don't like this chapter all that much which is why it took so long to write.
Anyways, thanks for reading as always!